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PM extends best wishes as Qatar set for FIFA World Cup kickoff today

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Hours before the opening of FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday extended best wishes to the country’s leadership and the people for hosting the biggest football event – the first-ever in the Middle East.

“On behalf of the government and people of Pakistan, I extend our best wishes to His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Emir and brotherly people of Qatar for hosting the football World Cup,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

Thirty-two teams from across the world are participating in one of the most-watched sporting events to be played from November 20 to December 18.

The launch of the biggest football event is preceded by 12 years of preparations that transformed Qatar introducing a new metro rail, a new airport, the new buildings and parks across the capital Doha which has profoundly affected the lives of citizens and workers of Qatar which is set to face Ecuador in the opening match.

PM extends best wishes as Qatar set for FIFA World Cup kickoff today
Al Bayt Stadium

“The world will experience the best of Qatar’s history, culture and hospitality,” Prime Minister Shehbaz commented as a slew of world leaders including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have already landed in Doha before the opening ceremony slated to kick off at the 60,000-capacity Al Bayt Stadium.

PM extends best wishes as Qatar set for FIFA World Cup kickoff today

Qatari journalist Mohammed al-Subaie told Al Jazeera that the World Cup would expose many to Arab culture for the first time.

“It helps to broaden their vision about how the Middle East is other than what their perception of the Middle East is,” he said.

Unchecked residue burning, smoke emission engulfing Punjab

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By Saeed Ahmad & Aftab Zahoor

LAHORE, Nov 20 (APP):  Unchecked crop residue burning, smoke emitted from vehicles and mills, and improper management by the provincial government, land millions of Punjab residents in real trouble when smog engulfs vast tracts of the province.

Known as a mixture of air pollutants – smog covers Lahore and other cities every year from November to March exposing people to serious environmental degradation and health hazards, complaining of fever, cough, headache, and body pain.

Although the provincial authorities claim to be on their toes during this season for taking corrective measures yet in many areas open burning of residue can be seen thus mocking these authorities without fear of any action.

“It seems like that there is no proper law enforcement mechanism in the province. Even when you enter Lahore or leave the city through M-2 and M-3, you can see farmers burning residue without any fear,” stated Rashid Mahmood who visited the city last week.

“As soon as you cross Sukheki on M-2 towards Lahore, you will come across an unwanted cloud of smoke emitted from agricultural land due to residue burning. On M-3 also, just 20 kilometers from Lahore towards Multan and up to Jaranwala interchange, all was covered with smoke,” he said. “It becomes even harder to breathe if you open the window glasses of your vehicle.”

“Who is responsible for these violations, where is the administration, and why concerned department officials are not on roam to check this phenomenon,” he questioned and demanded from the government strict action such violators who threaten human health.

The phenomenon of air pollution, smog, and resultantly contaminated water leads to significant environmental, economic, and social losses as well as exposing citizens to diseases like bronchitis, asthma, cough, allergies, and other serious diseases.

“Exposure to pollutants like PM, NO2, SO2, CO2, and O3 is injurious to human health. But, exposure to smog aggravates risk level much more than ordinary pollution,” stated an environmentalist Dr. Mehmood Khalid Qamar. “On November 8, Lahore touched a hazardous record level of smog with the Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 400 points.”

He also mentioned poor law enforcement as one of the reasons behind this nuisance and said, burning crop residue, dirty fuel sources in traditional brick kilns and factories, and old-existing urban transport systems are the typical causes of smog.

Dr. Kashif Saleem, a senior dermatologist at Mayo Hospital said the polluted environment and especially thick smog contribute to increasing morbidity – especially at cardiovascular and respiratory levels – premature mortality, and sometimes cancer.

“This phenomenon results in diseases like coughing, asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, allergies, lung infections, irritation in eyes, nose, throat, and chest infections,” he stated.

The burning of crop residue in open fields has also become a grave concern for climate change mitigation efforts. It is quite unfortunate that when the provincial government is busy in power mongering, people in the very outskirts of Lahore metropolitan continue burning their crops residue heinously adding to the already polluted atmosphere.

A spokesperson for Punjab Government Musarrat Jamshed Cheema also acknowledged that the burning of rice crop residue and solid waste in open, dirty fuel used brick kilns, industrial emissions, and aging urban transport systems are the main causes of smog.

She, however, claimed to introduce much-needed modern Rice Straw Shredder and Happy Seeder technology in Sheikhupura and some other districts. “This is a multi-billion rupees initiative being jointly executed by Punjab and the Federal Governments.”

She hoped that this process would help avoid burning the paddy crop residue and convert it into organic fertilizer for boosting land fertility. “Hundreds of such shredder pairs and happy seeder technology have been provided to farmers.”

Commenting on this situation, Secretary Environment Protection Department (EPD) Punjab, Usman Ali Khan has informed that the government departments were working in close coordination to implement a joint action plan to tackle this issue.

“Four special squads of EPD in Lahore and four in other cities are operational, including the field teams,” he said. “From Aug 27 till Nov 08, strict action against 69 illegal operators has been taken across the province.”

Usman Khan said action against 1252 polluting industries including steel furnaces, steel mills, and resource recovery units, working without emission control systems, sealing 931 units, and imposing 47.312 million fines across the province.

“Similar action was also taken against 314 old technology brick kilns, sealing 192 and imposing Rs 11 million fines. No brick kiln is allowed to operate without Zig-Zag stacking of bricks and blower,” he said.

Meanwhile, EPD Director Assessment Nasim ur Rehman Shah also mentioned to a system of ‘Mechanized Management’ wherein Rs 300 million is being spent on the disbursement of 50,000 rice straw shredders and happy seeder technology. “Through these initiatives, we hope for positive results in days ahead.”

Although, the government is taking certain measures yet what is missing on the ground is the implementation of environmental laws. Therefore, the government should expand its area of action to rural areas where the actual problem exists and push forward district-level bureaucracy for implementation of its decisions to generate desired results.

APP/sda/maz (APP Feature Service)

ANF seizes 191 kg drugs, 2881 liters prohibited chemical

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ANF logo

RAWALPINDI, Nov 20 (APP): Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) Pakistan on Sunday seized nearly 191 kg of drugs, and 2991 prohibited chemicals, and arrested three accused while conducting five counter-narcotics operations throughout the country.

According to an ANF Headquarters spokesman, ANF North in an operation near Islamabad Motorway Toll Plaza managed to recover 2.6 kg heroin, 2.4 kg marijuana, and 988 grams Ice drug from secret cavities of a loader vehicle and arrested two accused residents of Bajaur.

In an operation at Faisalabad Airport, ANF and ASF recovered 954 grams of marijuana concealed in a laptop and arrested an accused resident of Peshawar going to Dubai.

ANF Sindh in an operation at Karachi International Container Terminal recovered 90 kg of heroin from a container being sent to Kuwait.
ANF Balochistan in two operations recovered 94 kg of marijuana from the Turbat Kech area and 2881 liters of prohibited chemicals from Chaman.

Separate cases have been registered at respective ANF Police Stations under CNS Act 1997 while further investigations are under process, he added.

Pakistani-American political group lobbying U.S. lawmakers for a Pakistan flood-aid package

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WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (APP): American lawmakers are awaiting flood-hit Pakistan’s post-disaster needs assessment to develop a US assistance package for inclusion in the Congressional stopgap funding bill that is expected to be passed by mid-December, the head of a prominent Pakistan-American political group has said.

Dr. Ijaz Ahmad, chairman of the American-Pakistan Public Affairs Committee (APPAC), who, along with some of the committee members, met key US lawmakers at Capitol Hill earlier this week, told reporters that they had requested a $600 million immediate assistance package to aid relief and recovery as the flood-affected people now face harsh winter conditions.

In this regard, he said that APPAC was working with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

The APPAC has also hired a lobbying firm, Hogan, to build up support for the U.S. relief package with legislators of both the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, it was pointed out.

Dr. Ijaz Ahmad and members of the Committee met with Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee and also sits on the Senate Finance Committee, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who is a Ranking Member of the Budget Committee.

Both the senators expressed support for the move to aid Pakistan’s flood-relief work, he said.

Additionally, the APPAC members also met with Senator Corey Booker of New Jersey, who pledged to work with the Biden Administration to back the proposed Congressional move. The APPAC members also discussed the effort with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, who along with Somali-American Ilhan Omar, are the first Muslims elected to the House.

The APPAC members had also met with President Joe Biden in New York in September, during the UN General Assembly session, and drew his attention to the need for supporting Pakistan’s massive challenge to deal with the unprecedented climate-induced floods.

Dr. Ijaz Ahmad appealed to Pakistani Americans to reach out to the elected U.S. lawmakers in their areas to secure their support for the proposed Congressional initiative.

According to Congressional sources, the aid request from Pakistan must come by the end of next week, as in January the House would come under the control of the Republicans and the priorities might change.

UK announces 7 projects for Pakistan’s climate finance accelerator initiative

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US investors keen for further exploring investment avenues in furniture industry

ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Chairman UK-Pakistan Joint Business Council Mian Kashif Ashfaq Sunday said the United Kingdom has announced seven innovative low-carbon projects as a part of the first cohort for the climate finance accelerator(CFA), Pakistan.

Talking to President Pak-British Friendship Council (North) Muhammad Arbab Khan through zoom he said selected projects from the energy, transportation, AFOLU (agriculture, forestry, and other land uses), waste, e-mobility, and industrial and manufacturing sectors will receive tailored support ahead of an event in February 2023.

He said these projects have the potential to benefit communities across Pakistan through pollution abatement, employment opportunities, access to energy, effective waste management e-mobility, and by supporting gender equality and social inclusive efforts.

Muhammad Arbab Khan said the CFA is part of the UK government’s efforts to help Pakistan in accessing climate finance and meeting the priorities set out in its Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement. He said this work comes alongside the provision of UK humanitarian support to Pakistan following flood devastation. He said CFA support will enable these projects to make scalable and ground-breaking projects for a collective greener future for Pakistan.

He said 7 selected projects out of a total of 50 included ACT Engineering Services, Digital Dera by Agriculture Republic, Concept Loop, Daewoo Pakistan Express Bus Service Ltd, DISIDE, Ouroboros Waste Management, and Shamas Power Ltd.

Mian Kashif said greenfield solar projects will help industrial and commercial enterprises to the transaction to solar energy through affordable financing instruments of 150 MW on multiple sites in Pakistan.

Parliament determined to ensure quality education for children: Speaker NA

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File photo

ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Sunday said that the Parliament is determined to protect the rights of children by providing them opportunities for quality education and training.

In his message on World Children’s Day, the Speaker said that children are the future of the nation and the Parliament has constituted Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights. He said the Parliamentary Caucus will be an important milestone in protecting children’s rights and making child-related laws more effective and enforceable.

He said that the Parliament would do legislation to control forced labour of children, trafficking and harassment of children. He said every member of society must play a role to protect children from all types of harassment.

He said that on the Parliament’s Diamond Jubilee, a special children’s convention was organized at National Assembly where children belonging to all classes were invited to express themselves. He said the children participating in the convention showcased their talents.

He said Pakistani children are talented and have the potential to change the destiny of the nation. He said that intelligent children of today would be tomorrow’s leaders and it was important to give them respect, and compassion by providing them with the best education and training opportunities.

Marriyum grieved over demise of Dr Tauqeer Shah’s mother

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PML-N workers' conventions in Kasur, Sheikhupura, Swat today: Marriyum

ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday expressed deep grief and sorrow over the death of the mother of the Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr. Tauqeer Shah.

In a statement, she expressed her heartfelt condolences with the family of Dr Tauqeer Shah.

Marriyum Aurangzeb prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this loss with fortitude.

184 GB schools being solarised to supply uninterrupted power, materialize tech revolution: Wani

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Around 184 educational institutions are being solarised in Gilgit Baltistan as part of the efforts to materialize the vision of bringing about a technological revolution in the region, said GB Chief Secretary Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani.

Talking to APP, the chief secretary said as the GB had made a great stride towards digitization of educational institutions, the provision of uninterrupted power supply was inevitable to achieve the objective.

“While we have made a great stride towards digitization of our educational institutions, it would all be futile if there is no electricity to power the digital skeleton in these schools. We do realise it, and for the very purpose we are solarising 184 educational hubs around the region,” he informed.

Wani said the solarised schools would not only be provided with solar backup but also have an additional battery backup to cope with even the worst power outages.

184 GB schools being solarised to supply uninterrupted power, materialize tech revolution: Wani

The chief secretary, who is putting in unprecedented efforts to bring about a change in the mountainous region by uplifting the people’s living standard and equipping the youth with modern technological tools, has led to the establishment of a software technology park in Skardu, after Gilgit.

“Every generation needs a new revolution and here in Gilgit Baltistan, we believe in the technology revolution. In this regard, an IT Park in Skardu after Gilgit has been established by the Government of Gilgit Baltistan with the help of the Special Communication Organisation,” the chief secretary said.

Highlighting the government’s priorities, he said GB’s landscape would be altered to bring it at par with the smart cities of the developed world and its economic base would be expanded through technological advancement.

Moreover, he said the facilities like uninterrupted power supply and highspeed broadband were being provided to various start-ups located in its vicinity which would encourage the youth to seek new avenues of employment and broaden the region’s workforce base.

In order to exploit the bright talent in higher education, the chief secretary, who is also the Chairperson of Karakoram Cooperative Bank Limited, has come up with ‘Taleem Finance’ scheme.

Under the scheme, the students from Gilgit Baltistan securing admission in the top 15 universities of Pakistan would be provided with a 100 percent loan covering all the fees and stipends associated with their higher education program. The loan would be recovered after five years of the completion of their studies, Wani explained.

He said the GB had already extended the loan facility to a young girl who secured admission at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) enabling her to fulfill the dream of growth and development.

Kashmiri children worst victims of Indian state terrorism in IIOJK

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 20 (APP): Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism have martyred 915 children during the last thirty-four years in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of World Children’s Day, today, said the children are the worst victims of India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. It revealed that 915 children are among the 96,154 people martyred by the troops since January 01, 1989, till date. The report said that the killing of civilians by the troops rendered 107,887 children orphaned in the territory during the period.

It said that thousands of people, including young school boys and girls, were also injured by the pellets fired by Indian troops on peaceful protesters. It added that over a hundred of persons including 19-month-old Hiba Jan, 4-year-old Zuhra Majeed, 8-year-old Asif Rashid, 8-year-old Owais Ahmad, 10-year-old Asif Ahmad Sheikh and 13-year-old Mir Arafat have lost their eyesight totally and partially due to pellet bullets of Indian forces in the territory during last 12 years.

The report said a large number of school boys are among thousands of Kashmiris arrested since the military and police siege when India scrapped the special status of IIOJK in August 2019.

It maintained that conscientious people must raise their voices for the rights of the Kashmiri children, adding that on World Children’s Day, the global community must not forget the plight of the children of IIOJK.

COP27 summit strikes historic deal to fund climate damages

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Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, Nov 20 (AFP/APP): A fraught UN COP27 summit wrapped up Sunday with a landmark deal on funding to help vulnerable countries cope with devastating climate impacts — and deep disappointment over a failure to push further ambition on cutting emissions.

The two-week talks, which at times appeared to teeter on the brink of collapse, delivered a breakthrough on a fund for climate “loss and damage”.

Pakistani climate minister Sherry Rehman said COP27 “responded to the voices of the vulnerable, the damaged, and the lost of the whole world”.

“We have struggled for 30 years on this path, and today in Sharm-el-Sheikh this journey has achieved its first positive milestone,” she said.

Tired delegates applauded when the loss and damage fund was adopted as the sun came up Sunday following days of marathon negotiations over the proposal.

But jubilation over that achievement was countered by stern warnings.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said the UN climate talks had “taken an important step towards justice” with the loss and damage fund, but fallen short in pushing for the urgent carbon-cutting needed to tackle global warming.
“Our planet is still in the emergency room. We need to drastically reduce emissions now and this is an issue this COP did not address,” Guterres said.

A final COP27 statement covering the broad array of the world’s efforts to grapple with a warming planet held the line on the aspirational goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels.

It also included language on renewable energy for the first time, while reiterating previous calls to accelerate “efforts towards the phasedown of unabated coal power and phase-out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”.

But that failed to go much further than a similar decision from last year’s meeting in Glasgow on key issues around cutting planet-heating pollution.

In a scolding intervention as the talks went into Sunday morning, European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was “disappointed” with a lack of ambition on reducing emissions.

“What we have in front of us is not enough of a step forward for people and the planet,” he said.

“It doesn’t bring enough added efforts from major emitters to increase and accelerate their emission cuts.”

– ‘Historic’ deal –

The deal on loss and damage — which barely made it onto the negotiation agenda — gathered critical momentum during the talks.

Developing nations relentlessly pushed for the fund during the summit, finally succeeding in getting the backing of wealthy polluters long fearful of open-ended liability.

A statement from the Alliance of Small Island States, comprised of islands whose very existence is threatened by sea level rise, said the loss and damage deal was a “historic” deal 30 years in the making.

“The agreements made at COP27 are a win for our entire world,” said Molwyn Joseph, of Antigua and Barbuda and chair of AOSIS.

“We have shown those who have felt neglected that we hear you, we see you, and we are giving you the respect and care you deserve.”

With around 1.2C of warming so far, the world has seen a cascade of climate-driven extremes in recent months, shining a spotlight on the plight of developing countries faced with escalating disasters, as well as an energy and food price crisis and ballooning debt.

The World Bank estimated that devastating floods in Pakistan this year caused $30 billion in damage and economic loss.

The fund will be geared towards developing nations “that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change” — language that had been requested by the EU.

– ‘On the brink’ –

The Europeans had also wanted to broaden the funder base to cough up cash — code for China and other better-off emerging countries.

The final loss and damaged text left many of the thornier questions to be dealt with by a transitional committee, which will report to next year’s climate meeting in Dubai to get the funding operational.

On Saturday morning, with the talks already in overtime, the European Union said it was prepared to have “no result” rather than a bad one over concerns around ambition on emissions cuts.

Scientists say limiting warming to 1.5C is a far safer guardrail against catastrophic climate impacts, with the world currently far off track and heading for around 2.5C under current commitments and plans.

“The historic outcome on loss and damage at COP27 shows international cooperation is possible,” said Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and Chair of The Elders.

“Equally, the renewed commitment to the 1.5C global warming limit was a source of relief. However, none of this changes the fact that the world remains on the brink of climate catastrophe.”