NOWSHERA: September 07 –
NOWSHERA: September 07 – Farmers busy in peeling corns at Dhairi Miyan Ishaq area. APP/SYR/TZD
An elderly farmer along with his grandson spreading corns for drying purpose at Dhairi Miyan Ishaq area.
NOWSHERA: September 07 –
NOWSHERA: September 07 – Farmers busy in peeling corns at Dhairi Miyan Ishaq area. APP/SYR/TZD
First Lady calls for global efforts to overcome mental health issues in conflict zones
ISLAMABAD, Sep 07 (APP): First Lady Begum Samina Alvi on Thursday called for sustained measures, global contributions and support to overcome the issue of mental health and well-being of people in the conflict zones.
The first lady, in her video message for the 3rd Summit of the First Ladies and Gentlemen in Kyiv, Ukraine, urged the need to make efforts to resolve ongoing conflicts in the world.
She said that promoting peace in the world and working together was essential for the mental health, emotional well-being, and peaceful future of the succeeding generations.
The theme of this year’s Summit, which was initiated by Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska, was “Mental Health: Fragility and Resilience of The Future”.
President Volodymyr Zelensky also delivered a speech at the Summit. The Summit also featured messages from the First Ladies and Gentlemen of Japan, Turkiye, Albania, Germany, Armenia, Macedonia, Poland, Spain, and Sweden among others.
In her message for the Summit, Begum Samina Alvi expressed concern about the mental health and well-being of people in conflict zones, besides conveying her sympathies to the families in Ukraine who had to face physical, emotional and mental stresses due to war.
“We in Pakistan can feel their pain and empathize with the people of Ukraine. We feel that it is humanity that suffers during crises and conflicts”, Begum Samina Alvi said.
She highlighted that Pakistan’s own experience of hosting millions of Afghan refugees for over four decades and its long battle against terrorism had taught Pakistan that conflict and war severely affected the mental health of people.
First Lady Samina Alvi highlighted that the brutalities against the Muslims of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) by India for over seven decades had badly impacted the mental health of Kashmiris.
She referred to a study by Doctors Without Borders and the University of Kashmir which disclosed that nearly 1.8 million Kashmiri adults, almost 45 per cent of the region’s adult population, found themselves grappling with varying degrees of mental distress, including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic disorder.
“These troubling figures underscore the profound impact of continuous military actions, armed confrontations, economic shutdowns and the imposition of curfews by the Indian government”, she remarked.
She regretted that mental health was often neglected and misunderstood in relation to its adverse impacts on people, particularly in conflict zones, as it did not have a visible manifestation of injury.
She also made reference to World Health Organization’s findings that the prevalence of mental health problems more than doubled in a humanitarian crisis. She stated that the prolonged duration of the war in any conflict zone increased the need for quality mental health facilities and counselling.
Begum Alvi emphasised that bringing people in conflict zones back to normal life was possible, however, it required sustained efforts and resolving conflicts in the world.
She said that Pakistan desired to see a peaceful settlement of conflicts around the world.
Bank of China opens branch in Saudi Arabia
BEIJING, Sept 7 (APP): Bank of China (BOC), one of four biggest state-owned commercial banks, has opened its first branch in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, which will further expand the use of the yuan in finance and trade.
According to an announcement published by the BOC, the bank opened the Riyadh branch, with BOC President Liu Jin, Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chen Weiqing, Governor of the Saudi Central Bank Ayman Al-Sayari and other officials attending the opening ceremony.
Liu said that the establishment of a branch in Saudi Arabia to serve trade and investment exchanges was a solid initiative to promote the high-quality construction of the Belt and Road Initiative with the power of finance, Global Times reported
on Thursday.
The bank will continue to improve its global service network and provide high-quality financial services, contributing to the deepening of cooperation between China and Arab countries, between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council, and between China and Saudi Arabia.
Ambassador Chen congratulated the bank on its opening of the branch. He said that the opening was the fruit of the continuous development of friendly relations between China and Saudi Arabia and represented that China highly recognized Saudi Arabia’s financial regulation, investment environment and the location’s advantages, marking a new level of cooperation between the two countries in the field of finance, which will provide stronger support for bilateral pragmatic cooperation.
Al-Sayari said that the establishment of the branch was another milestone in deepening practical cooperation between the two countries and was of great significance in expanding bilateral economic and trade cooperation. The Saudi side will continue to support and facilitate the development of BOC and other Chinese-funded enterprises in the country.
As the largest buyer of Saudi Arabia’s crude oil, China imported 87.5 million tons of crude oil from Saudi Arabia in 2022, accounting for 21.7 percent of Saudi Arabia’s total crude oil exports, according to media reports.
In addition to Saudi Arabia, companies in Brazil have also made significant progress in the use of the yuan in trade.
APP/asg
PTA committed to providing support, facilitation to cable industry: Chairman
ISLAMABAD, Sep 7 (APP): Chairman PTA, Major General (R) Hafeez Ur Rehman Thursday said, that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was committed to providing support and facilitation to cable industry within the legal parameters.
During a meeting with a delegation of the Cable Operators Association of Pakistan (CAP), the chairman emphasized that the authority was proactively reviewing the current CVAS License (Class Value Added Services) regime through a stakeholder consultation process to address issues related to the provision of internet services, considering the ever-evolving dynamics of the digital market and technological advancements.
The delegation also discussed the matters of mutual interest.
The primary focus of the meeting was to deliberate on regulatory matters and concerns regarding provision of internet services by cable operators in Pakistan.
The chairman PTA extended a warm welcome to the delegation and listened to their concerns.
PM emphasises joint efforts to purge society of intolerance, promote brotherhood
ISLAMABAD, Sep 07 (APP):
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Thursday emphasised the need to make joint efforts to purge the society of intolerance and promote brotherhood.
The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation of Bohra Community headed by Shahzada Hussain Burhanuddin, said interfaith harmony was part of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s golden principles which was also the foundation of Pakistan as well as guiding light for the people.
Hussain Burhanuddin conveyed the good wishes of his father and spiritual leader of Bohra Community Dr Mufazzal Saiduddin for the prime minister.
The prime minister appreciated the Bohra Community’s role in social welfare, education and economic sectors.
The delegation apprised the prime minister of Bohra Community’s welfare projects particularly an under-construction cardiac hospital in Karachi.
The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to extend cooperation and all-out facilities to the Bohra Community.
Labourers are adding coal in a kiln as fuel for the preparation of bricks at a local bricks kiln.
MULTAN: September 07 –
Caretaker Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed along with Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haque talking to media persons at Jamaat-e-Islami Center Mansoora.
LAHORE: September 07 – Caretaker Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed meeting with Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Sirajul Haque on the occasion of his visit to Jamaat-e-Islami Center Mansoora.
LAHORE: September 07 –