RAWALPINDI, Dec 22 (APP): A Pakistan Army soldier identified as Sepoy Haleem Khan, who was injured during a clearance operation at CTD complex Bannu, embraced martyrdom on Thursday at CMH Rawalpindi.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the martyred soldier had received severe injuries due to terrorists’ fire during the clearance operation.
Shaheed Sepoy Haleem, 29, a resident of Hijira of Ponch district, was survived by three children.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22 (APP): The Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara held a cultural night to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Turkiye.
Held in collaboration with Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Pakistan International Airlines, the event was attended by Chairman Pakistan Turkiye Parliamentary Friendship Group Ali Sahin, Governor of Ankara Vasip Sahin, parliamentarians, diplomats, and large number of Pakistani community, said a press release Thursday.
Addressing the gathering Member Turkish Parliament Ali Sahin said that from Balkans War to the epic battle of Canakkale, both countries continued efforts to strengthen their relationship.
He emphasized that Pakistan and Turkiye shared a unique bond of brotherhood, as “every Turkish child is born with love for Pakistan and every Pakistani child is born with love for Turkiye.”
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Yousaf Junaid said that the relationship between the two states was 75 years old, whereas the relationship between the two nations went well beyond the establishment of republics.
“Our special relationship is embedded in common cultural, religious and spiritual heritage, transcending boundaries of time, geography and politics”, he added.
Referring to the inauguration of joint logo by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, earlier this year in Ankara to commemorate 75 years of Pakistan-Turkiye diplomatic ties, the ambassador underscored that both countries had celebrated this milestone in a befitting manner by arranging cultural nights in Pakistan and Turkiye.
Beginning with the national anthems of Pakistan and Turkiye, the event marked the performances by Turkish musicians and Turkish students who sang ‘Dil Dil Pakistan.’
Later, Qawals Abu Muhammad and Abu Fareed Ayaz presented poetry of Mevlana Rumi, Amir Khusro, and Baba Farid, taking the audience on to a delightful spiritual journey.
A day earlier, a cultural night was organized in Istanbul, with the participation of Turkish musicians, singer Ersin Faikzade from Turkiye and Qawals Abu Muhammad and Abu Fareed Ayaz from Pakistan.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22 (APP): Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan, commemorated on Thursday Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, 2022.
The day was observed with the aim to raise awareness about the need for strong, equitable, and resilient health systems and UHC in Pakistan.
Minister of State Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani and WHO representative Dr Palitha Mahipala were the chief guests of the ceremony.
In a statement, Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel said: “The government of Pakistan is fully committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring the Health and well-being of its people.”
He added achieving universal health coverage is a foundational driver of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Maintaining progress towards UHC is challenging and is first and foremost a political choice, he added.
He said that effective primary health care (PHC)-oriented systems are the bedrock of equitable and resilient health systems that deliver high-quality health care to everyone. Investing in UHC and PHC is the sure way to guarantee the socio-economic well-being of our communities, he added.
Patel said that strong political commitment from national and provincial and federating area governments and partner organizations is an essential ingredient for overcoming barriers.
He appreciated the provincial, federating area health departments, district health offices, and health development partners for their extensive support and contribution towards UHC. He also appreciated the WHO to organize this ceremony for the UHC day commemoration.
On the occasion, WHO Representative Dr Palitha Mahipala thanked the health minister for the overwhelming support by his ministry to celebrate this day at the national level to renew commitment towards UHC advancement in the country.
He highlighted that this year’s UHC Day theme, “Build the world we want: a healthy future for all”, emphasizes that to build strong health systems we need equity, trust, healthy environments, investments, and accountability.
He stressed that investment in health systems is the need of the hour and urged all stakeholders to join hands and make the commitment to prioritize investments for building resilient health systems that can withstand at the time of crises such as pandemics and natural disasters to ensure a “Healthy Future for All”.
WHO and the Ministry of National Health Services jointly launched three reports on UHC Day (Pakistan UHC Monitoring Report 2022, Pakistan PHC P, and Status of Health Financing in Pakistan).
The launch of these reports is an important step to monitor the current UHC, PHC, and health financing situation at the national level.
The event was attended by representatives from federal and provincial health departments, UN agencies, health development partners, and other stakeholders.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22 (APP): On behalf of the Government of Pakistan, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) signed the grant agreement amounting to US$ 1 million with the Government of the Republic of Indonesia for addressing the impact of severe floods in Pakistan.
NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik and Indonesian Ambassador Adam Mulawarman Tugio signed the document, a news release said.
This grant shall be utilized in the recovery and rehabilitation of the most vulnerable population to meet the basic need of food, nutrition, and shelter in the aftermath of the 2022 Pakistan Floods. A portion of the grant could be employed for resilience and disaster preparedness interventions in Pakistan.
The NDMA Chairman expressed his gratitude to the government and people of Indonesia for showing solidarity and extending humanitarian relief assistance for flood affectees in Pakistan.
He urged to invest in building the capacity of emergency response and preparedness through sharing experience and collaborated training programmes for disaster management regimes. He also conveyed his deepest condolences for the losses during the recent earthquake in Indonesia and wished for the earliest recovery.
The Indonesian Ambassador reiterated to continue the support of vulnerable communities in the flood-affected areas by the Government of Indonesia and laid stress on the international community to help Pakistan in the rehabilitation phase after the devastating floods.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Prof. Ahsan Iqbal here on Thursday stressed the need to adopt one-point agenda of nation-building by promoting equality and ensuring just distribution of national resources.
Addressing an event organized by the International Islamic University Islamabad (AAIUI), the minister highlighted that Pakistan is a democratic country and could be led and developed with the continuation of the democratic process.
He said that there were three basic pillars to build a nation on strong fundamentals which included a sustainable political system, social solidarity free from hatred and a growing economy.
Ahsan stressed the need for attaining financial and constitutional stability to come at par with developed nations, adding that collective efforts were needed to pull out the country from confronted challenges.
The minister said that the collation government was making all-out efforts to ensure equal development and shared prosperity across all the federating units by the distribution of resources on equality.
He said that the government was paying special emphasis on the development of underdeveloped areas and special funds were being allocated for the uplift of these areas.
Ahsan Iqbal also urged the need for developing industries on modern lines in order to achieve higher growth and put the economy on right track of growth to create a prosperous society.
KARACHI, Dec 22 (APP): Governor, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Jameel Ahmad has said that the role and contributions of our women in nation-building and economic development of the country is much important.
“Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah rightly said, “no nation can rise to the height of glory unless women are side by side with you”, said SBP Governor in his message issued here on Thursday on National Working Women’s Day.
Recognizing their important role, SBP has taken a number of steps towards the financial inclusion of women. Foremost, SBP’s “Banking on Equality” initiative envisions greater engagement of women in the financial sector – through increased employment in financial institutions as well as enhanced access to financial services.
Setting a positive example of promoting employment of women in the banking and financial sectors, SBP has recently hired the 1st batch of female officers under its “Emerging Women Leaders Initiative” (EWLI).
This women batch hiring is in addition to their recruitment through SBP’s routine hiring processes, such as under the State Bank Officers Training (SBOTS) Scheme.
With the induction of female offices under EWLI, the ratio of female officers to total employees in SBP increases from 12% to approximately 17% SBP considers it is imperative to support the career progression of the women employees and encourage them to aim for a leadership position with the hope that in the coming years women in a leadership position should become the norm, not the exception.
In this context, a number of specialized training programs are available for women employees to develop the necessary skill set and competencies that are required for leadership positions.
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ISLAMABAD, Dec 22 (APP): Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Thursday appreciated the leadership of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for undertaking the thoughtful initiative of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Convention.
The Minister encouraged the OIC member states to consolidate and incorporate good governance in their legal and administrative systems, said a press release received here.
Moreover, while underscoring that corruption was a multifaceted problem with far-reaching social, economic, and political repercussions, he urged the member states to take pragmatic steps towards removing all barriers in the way of recovery and subsequent repatriation of stolen assets to their countries of origin.
Law Minister participated in the first ministerial meeting of the Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Agencies of the OIC Member States, held in Jeddah on 20-21 December 2022. Ministers, deputy ministers, and senior officials in-charge of the Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Agencies of the OIC Member States participated in the meeting.
The meeting adopted the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Convention on Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Cooperation.
Senator Tarar hoped that the Convention would pave the way for enhanced accountability and integrity among OIC member states and reiterated the need for a robust framework for transparency.
Saudi Arabia thanked Pakistan for its dynamic and proactive leadership as Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers ahead of the Convention. It was agreed to further strengthen cooperative ties between the two countries to eradicate corruption and malpractices.
Law Minister also held bilateral meetings with several of his counterparts from the OIC countries. In addition to the Convention, matters of mutual interest were also discussed.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22 (APP): National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf on Thursday greeted the Christian community on the joyous occasion of Christmas and expressed solidarity with the community on behalf of the parliament on this festival of joy.
Participating in the cake-cutting ceremony on the eve of Christmas, he said that Pakistan stands with the Christian community in their days of joy equally.
Employees belonging to the Christian community in the National Assembly, Senate and Capital Development Authority (CDA) participated in the event. Member National Assembly Asia Azeem was also present at the event.
The Speaker said that the role of the Christian community is of key importance in the development of Pakistan and their services in the key institutions of Pakistan are commendable.
Speaker Raja Parvez Ashraf stated that the Constitution of Pakistan provides equal rights to the minority community living in the country.
The government is determined to ensure equal rights for all minorities according to the Constitution of Pakistan and the principles of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
The guests present at the ceremony paid respect and gratitude to the National Assembly Speaker for organizing the auspicious ceremony and celebrating the happiness of Christmas with them.
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