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Railways retrieve 18 kanals of land in Peshawar Division

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): Pakistan Railways has retrieved some 18 kanals of land worth millions of rupees from the illegal occupants in Peshawar Division during an anti-encroachment operation against the land grabbers. “The operation is launched on the direction of Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique which was supervised by the Divisional Superintendent Peshawar Division,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP on Thursday.

He said that the land was retrieved from the area of Peshawar’s Truck Stand, Hayatabad, Karkhano Market and Dalazak Road with the help of the local administration.

The official said that Pakistan Railways had also sealed around 135 shops in different areas of the Peshawar Division due to non-payment of rent to the department.

To a question, he said that the Pakistan Railways’ major portion of around 9,986 acres of land worth billions of rupees were found under illegal occupation of private, individual and different government departments across the country.

“Around 3,287 acres were occupied in Punjab, 832 acres under encroachment in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, 5,180 acres in Sindh and 687 acres land occupied in Balochistan,” he added.

However, he said Pakistan Railways has retrieved as many as 955 acres of its land worth Rs 19,603 million during various anti-encroachment operations across the country in the last five years.

“Around 476 acres retrieved in Punjab, 133 acres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 327 acres in Sindh and only 19 acres in Balochistan had been retrieved by the Pakistan Railways,” he said.

He said that about 3,287 acres in Punjab, 832 acres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5,180 acres in Sindh, and 687 acres of land in Balochistan were being encroached.

The official said that in the light of orders of the Supreme Court, the anti-encroachment operations for retrieval of encroached railway land all over the Railway network were initiated and a joint procedure order was issued to all Divisional Superintendents for retrieval of Railways land from encroachment.

“The anti-encroachment schedules, on a three months basis, are being prepared and sent to all concerned in line with the joint procedure order,” the official added.

He said Pakistan Railways had also decided to accelerate its ongoing anti-encroachment operation against land grabbers across the country to recoup its land from different individuals, groups, and even business organizations who were using it for residential, commercial, and agriculture purposes for decades.

“The encroachment operation will be launched with the assistance of Railway Police and district administrations of the relevant provincial governments,” he added.

He said that the government was taking several steps to retrieve encroached land from the land grabbers including a detailed survey being carried out to identify the encroached land, occupied by the individuals and under illegal occupation by various government departments.

The official said that railways owned 167,690 acres of land across the country, of which 90,326 acre was in Punjab, 39,428 acre in Sindh, 28,228 acre in Balochistan, and 9,708 acre in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Ministry completes all arrangements to organize Int’l Real Estate Expo

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Ministry completes all arrangements to organize Int’l Real Estate Expo

ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): The Ministry of Housing and Works has completed all the arrangements to organize the first ever ‘International Housing and Real Estate Expo’ on December 8 to promote real estate business in the country, besides ensuring safe and secure housing for the people.

“A four-day expo will be organized in collaboration with other relevant ministries, agencies, organizations, and authorities to encourage the approved housing projects and uplift the construction sector in the country,” an official in the Ministry told APP on Thursday.

He said that the people associated with the real estate and housing industry across the country would participate in the exhibition. The stall was allocated to all the real estate developers, housing societies, real estate consultants and construction material-related industries.

The main objective of the expo is to create awareness among the masses on approved real estate in the country, he added.

The official said that the Ministry would also allocate the stalls to those whose housing projects and companies were approved by the government, taxpayers and companies with No Objection Certificates (NoCs) from relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, Secretary of Housing and Works Iftikhar Ali Shallwani told that the construction sector was the biggest provider of job opportunities for it has several other industries attached to it.

“It was a fundamental right of everyone to have secure and safe housing, and the ministry intended to organize the event to achieve this purpose,” he added.

Iftikhar Shallwani said different stalls would be set up by the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA), Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation (PHAF), the country’s major builders, developers and marketing companies.

The Secretary said that he had also extended a cordial invitation to the ambassadors of different countries to participate in the upcoming expo and avail the opportunities in the housing sector which were offered by the present government.

Counseling of vulnerable groups helpful to prevent AIDS: President

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to control the spread of AIDS  (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) through the provision of testing and treatment services to AIDS victims.

He said AIDS could be prevented and treated with meaningful engagement with vulnerable communities.

In his message on World AIDS Day, he said Pakistan was committed to providing quality health services to all citizens equally without any discrimination or stigmatization with an aim to build a stronger society and healthier country.

“We also rededicate ourselves to further strengthen the HIV response at the national and provincial levels, support data-driven solutions, expand access to testing and treatment, ensure economic empowerment of the vulnerable section of society, and fight the stigma and discrimination attached to HIV diseases and its victims,” he said.

President Alvi emphasized that by joining hands together with partners like UNAIDS, NGOs, and the private sector, new ways could be explored to address HIV and AIDS.

He urged all stakeholders to thoroughly create awareness and provide counseling to the vulnerable segments to prevent the disease altogether and to diagnose it at an early stage to save precious lives.

He prayed for those who lost their lives to AIDS and expressed solidarity and support to the bereaved family members.

“On this day, we also reaffirm our support and provide assurances to the victims of AIDS that we will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders at all levels with the aim to halt new infections, treat those who are suffering from it with care and passion, without stigmatizing them, and to wipe out ADS from our country as many other countries have done successfully,” he said.

Khar updates PM on recent Afghanistan visit

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here on Thursday and apprised him about her recent visit to Afghanistan.

Khar, who paid a day-long official visit to Kabul on Tuesday, informed the prime minister about the outcome of her meetings with the interim Afghan leadership.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan desired a peaceful Afghanistan and vowed to extend every possible support to the Afghan brethren.

He called upon the international community to play its role in improving the situation in Afghanistan as the warn-torn country faced the challenges of economy and security.

PM asks health ministry to raise awareness about AIDS prevention

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged the Ministry of Health to focus on raising awareness about AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) through testing, prevention, and treatment to effectively fight the scourge.

The prime minister, in a tweet, expressed concern over the increasing incidence of HIV and AIDS among children and adolescents, terming it as “deeply worrying”.

Shehbaz Sharif also emphasized removing the taboos attached to AIDS to ensure its end.

“On World Aids Day today, let us all vow to end the stigma attached to HIV,” he said.

Finance Ministry agrees to IT minister’s suggestion regarding Google payments: Amin

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Techlift Boot camp launched to train IT graduates: Minister

ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 (APP): The Ministry of Finance has agreed to a proposal of Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque with regard to evolving an effective mechanism and making payment against the Google App services.

In a statement here on Thursday, the Minister said, after the agreement, the payment would be made to Google as per the schedule and all its Application services to remain intact.

Syed Amin Ul Haque said that the State Bank of Pakistan had been directed to delay the implementation of the Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) policy for one month.

The minister said the Telecom operators had been given a one-month time to implement payment procedures and within a month, the Ministry of IT, Finance and State Bank would formulate a plan of action in mutual consultation in that regard.

Amin said that on request of the Telecom operators for assistance, a letter was written to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to make the payments and formulate a time frame.

The minister expressed gratitude to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa for the timely decision on the issue.

England 174 without loss at lunch on first day of Rawalpindi Test

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England 174 without loss at lunch on first day of Rawalpindi Test

RAWALPINDI, Dec 01 (APP): England were 174-0 on the opening day of the first Test at Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Zak Crawley scored 91 off 79, missing the chance to become the first English batsman to score a century before lunch on the first day of a Test match. Ben Duckett scored off 85 balls.

Early on, in the morning the English openers seemed in a T20 mood as boundaries kept on flowing for them at the flat Rawalpindi pitch where Pakistan bowlers toiled hard as there was no seam, swing, spin or movement.

Zak Crawley, who had already scored a double century against Pakistan raced towards his 50 off just 38 balls, while Ben Duckett hit his fifty on exactly run a ball.

England reached to 100 in just 13.5 overs, while they scored 150 in 23rd.

‘Perpetuation of Israeli occupation will not bring peace’ to Mideast: Pakistan

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UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1 (APP): Against a background of increasing Israeli attacks and creeping annexation, Pakistan has called for negotiations to find peaceful solution that would end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and pave the way for an independent State of Palestine, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

“The perpetuation of Israeli occupation will not bring peace to the Holy Land,” Ambassador Aamir Khan, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, told the UN General assembly on Wednesday, while reaffirming Pakistan’s solidarity with the Palestinian people.

“If history is a guide, even if they are dispossessed and disempowered by Israel, every succeeding generation of Palestinians will persist in seeking their freedom and fundamental rights, including their right to self-determination,” he said in the course of a debate on the Question of Palestine.

The Pakistani envoy said that Israel’s unilateral actions, including illegal settlements, demolitions and evictions, are grave violations of international human rights law which are hampering hopes for peace.

“We condemn the killing and wounding of Palestinians, including women and children by Israel, the occupying power,” Aamir Khan said, adding, “International community is obliged, morally and legally, to bring this deplorable situation to an end.”

He underscored the work of UNRWA, which is mandated to care for Palestinian refugees, saying political and financial support for the agency is just one way to show solidarity with them.

“We call for the establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders, and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the Pakistani envoy added.

Opening the debate, Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine, said that Israeli exceptionalism has only emboldened Israel’s worst instincts.

Today, he said, the 193-member Assembly will finally acknowledge the historical injustice that befell the Palestinian people, adopting a resolution that decides to commemorate in the Assembly Hall the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Nakba.

There is no two-State solution without a sovereign and independent State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Anybody serious about the two-State solution must help salvage the Palestinian State and recognize it now without further delay, Mansour said, stressing that justice in Palestine would mean that the international law-based order has triumphed over impunity and double standards.

England win toss, elect to bat first

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England win toss, elect to bat first
England win toss, elected to bat first.

RAWALPINDI, Dec 01 (APP): England won the toss and elected to bat first in the first fixture of the three-match Test series at Rawalpindi on Thursday.
The match is going ahead as scheduled despite an outbreak of illness in England. This is England’s first Test in Pakistan in 17 years.

Earlier, late Wednesday the two boards agreed to delay the decision on the commencement of the first Test, until 0730, Thursday due to an outbreak of viral infection in the England squad, affecting several members.

The two boards had made the decision based on medical advice from the England doctors, which revolved around the players’ health and welfare.

Meanwhile,  there are four debutants in the Pakistan line-up for the first Test that includes Saud Shakeel, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali and Zahid Mehmood.
The four debutants were handed Test caps earlier in the day. Vice captain Mohammad Rizwan gave the cap to Zahid Mehmood, Sarfaraz Ahmed gave the cap to Saud Shakeel, batting coach Mohammad Yousuf presented the cap to Mohammad Ali and captain Babar Azam presented the cap to Haris Rauf.

England has two debutants – Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone. Ollie Pope presented Jacks with his cap, his surrey and England teammate and former England batsman and current TV commentator Michael Atherton presented Livingstone with his cap. Atherton and Livingstone represented countyside Lancashire.

Additionally, Joe Root is playing in his 125th Test match and received a commemorative cap from Head Coach Brendon McCullum.Pakistan squad: Abdullah Shafique, Imam Ul Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan, Agha Salman, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali, Zahid Mahmood.

President stresses safety measures as Orakzai coal mine blast kills 9 workers

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 01 (APP): President Dr. Arif Alvi on Thursday stressed taking effective measures to prevent accidents in coal mines as explosion in a mine in Orkazai left nine workers dead.

The president expressed deep grief over the loss of lives due to the explosion in the coal mine in Doli area of Orakzai district.

He prayed for the elevation of the ranks of those who died in the explosion and for the speedy recovery of the injured.