ISLAMABAD
Caretaker Federal Minister for Interior, Sarfraz Ahmad Bugti in a meeting with Abdul Kareem Khan Khetran who called on him
ISLAMABAD
Caretaker Federal Minister for Interior Sarfraz Ahmad Bugti in a meeting with the Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervez Ashraf
ISLAMABAD
JI urges ECP to meet 90-day election deadline
ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (APP): A delegation from Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Monday visited the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and urged the commission to ensure the completion of the election process within the constitutionally mandated 90-day period.
In discussions with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and other senior officials of the commission, the JI delegation reminded the ECP that the election schedule should have been announced alongside the delimitation schedule that the commission had declared the previous week.
The delegation expressed the view that the ECP should have initiated this consultation process at an earlier time, pointing out that the premature dissolution of the national and provincial assemblies could have been avoided.
They also highlighted that previous governments should have taken steps to ensure timely census and Council of Common Interest (CCI) meetings, enabling the Election Commission to finalize constituency processes before the assemblies’ term expired or they were dissolved.
They expressed regret that following the dissolution of the provincial assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, conducting elections became unfeasible.
JI delegation underscored the importance of upholding public representation for the people of Pakistan. Furthermore, they recommended that decisive action be taken against individuals accountable for violating the code of conduct.
This approach, they asserted, would effectively thwart any attempts by various groups to manipulate the elections.
Emphasizing the importance of updating electoral rolls, they urged the commission to register eligible voters and remove deceased voters from the voter list.
They also recommended that all election-related forms, whether for general elections or local body elections, be available in Urdu. Additionally, they proposed the implementation of fixed election expenses for political parties.
MQM delegation led by Dr Farooq Sattar emphasized the timely completion of delimitation of constituencies in line with constitutional requirements. The MQM delegation, including leaders Javed Hanif, Zahid Malik, and Yasir, visited the Election Commission office in Islamabad.
The MQM delegation discussed pre-election rigging prevention with the Chief Election Commissioner. They expressed interest in the efficient RTS system, praising the Commission’s improved approach.
Dr Sattar stressed that the absence of a National Assembly obstructs significant changes like Constitutional amendments
and seat adjustments.
The Election Commission assured the delegations that it would swiftly complete constituency delimitation and promptly organize elections. They also stated that constituency delimitation and electoral roll updates would be done simultaneously.
The Chief Election Commissioner also commended the additional suggestions put forth by the political parties, affirming that the Commission would not only review these suggestions but also take steps to forward the valuable proposals to Parliament for potential legislation.
The Election Commission pledged swift adoption of valuable suggestions indicating further consultations with political parties on the code of conduct to ensure strict compliance. Moreover, consistent oversight will be guaranteed during the upcoming general elections, facilitated by the establishment of a state-of-the-art monitoring control room.
APP/szm-rkg
Caretaker Federal Minister for Interior, Sarfraz Ahmad Bugti in a meeting with the dignitaries from Balochistan
ISLAMABAD
Lord Amir Sarfraz called on Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar
ISLAMABAD
US Embassy celebrates Police-Community Programme’s completion
ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (APP): The Embassy of the United States in Pakistan has celebrated completion of the Police-Community Together Programme which aimed at ensure more inclusivity in the force.
Deputy Chief of Mission of US in Pakistan Andrew Schofer addressed the commemoration ceremony here at a local hotel.
“We gather here to celebrate the successful conclusion of the Police-Community Together Programme – an extraordinary partnership among the Pakistani Police, the United States Institute of Peace, and the US Embassy that has made significant progress toward a more inclusive Pakistani Police force that elevates female police officers across Pakistan,” the Deputy Chief of Mission said on the occasion.
Throughout the 76-year bilateral relationship, he said, the United States had worked with Pakistan to advance freedom and equality for Pakistanis, regardless of race, religion, or gender.
“With the support of law enforcement agencies and USIP, we have seen an impressive increase of more than 20 percent in female police representation in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Police over the past three years,” he added.
He said that the Punjab Police and its Women’s Police Council had trained more than 1,800 women officers as victim support officers.
The National Police Academy revised and improved the 18-month initial command course to ensure that Assistant Superintendents of Police were better trained and positioned to emerge as change-making leaders, the chief noted.
He said Pakistan’s first-ever Women’s Police Councils empowered female officers to assume leadership roles as station house officers.
“Many have been at the forefront of establishing anti-harassment committees among their colleagues and providing gender sensitivity training,” he added.
“I want to especially recognize the brave women spearheading these changes as members of Pakistan’s police force. You have stepped up to meet the call to keep your communities safe. You respond to dangerous situations and challenging circumstances at real personal risk. On behalf of the government and people of the United States, you have our deep respect and admiration,” he remarked.
He expressed gratitude for the partners at USIP for their unwavering dedication to increasing the number of female police officers in Pakistan and fostering citizen-centric practices across the Pakistani Police force.
Relief to masses in electricity bill, caretaker govt’s priority: Solangi
ISLAMABAD, Aug 28 (APP): Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi on Monday said the complete focus of the government was on providing relief to the masses in electricity bills.
“We are focusing on how to provide relief to the masses instead of delving into discussion that who is responsible for expensive electricity,” the minister said while talking to a private TV channel.
He said the caretaker government took the oath on August 17, and the consumers received inflated bills of the month of July.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar had taken notice of inflated electricity bills, Solangi said, adding, “We are responsible caretaker government and cannot ignore the issue.”
He said tomorrow the issue would be taken up by the Federal Cabinet which would explore the ways to pass on relief to the public without violating the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
The minister resolved that the cabinet would decide in favour of passing on the relief to the masses.
He said the prime minister held a meeting with the relevant stakeholders today too. The media should inform the masses about the reasons behind increase in electricity bills , he said while responding to a query.
“Political temperature is already high in the country,” he said, stressing that there was no need to resort to debate that who was responsible for the bills.
To another query, he said the caretaker government wanted to hold peaceful and fair elections in collaboration with all political parties as per the schedule of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The assistance to the electoral watchdog would be provided by the government, he added.
The ECP would decide about the tenure of the caretaker government, he said, adding the entire schedule of the delimitation exercise was uploaded on the watchdog’s website.
In light of the decisions of the Council of Common Interests, he said, the ECP issued its schedule under Article 51 of the Constitution.
He said there was need to understand difference between peaceful and violent protests.
China scraps pre-departure Covid-19 tests for inbound travelers
BEIJING, Aug 28 (APP): Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Monday that inbound travellers no longer need to conduct pre-departure COVID-19 nucleic acid tests or antigen tests starting from August 30.
“Starting from August 30, 2023, inbound travellers will no longer be required to take a pre-entry nucleic acid or antigen test for COVID-19,” he said during his regular briefing.
IT, inclusive education open paths to progress for differently-abled persons: President
KARACHI, Aug 28 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday said that information technology and artificial intelligence opened paths to progress for differently-abled persons while inclusive education could sensitize the society about their importance and struggle.
The president expressed these views in a meeting with the delegation of Special Olympics Pakistan here at the Sindh Governor House. First Lady Begum Samina Alvi was also present on the occasion.
President Alvi said the future was not only bright only for the people with normal abilities, but had also become friendly and helpful for the differently-abled people due to the evolving society of artificial intelligence and information technology.
Access to knowledge and information had broadened to all with emerging technologies, particularly mobile phones with Internet facility, he added.
The president said that the spirit of inclusive education was that the children with disabilities could also receive education along with normal children, however, the need for special schools arose only in case of special abilities.
He said the “society becomes sensitized through inclusive education, so much so that the normal children realize the hard work and importance of the children with disabilities”.
The president advised the special athletes to exhibit the same spirit in earning their livelihood with which they play sports.
Begum Samina Arif Alvi, on the occasion, said that the children with disabilities were equally important to the society if they were given some necessary skills and special education.
Both the president and the first lady met the special athletes and congratulated them on their participation and winning of awards in the World Summer Games Berlin 2023.
Special Olympics Pakistan Chairperson Ronak Lakhani thanked the president and the first lady for encouraging the special athletes.
Total 176 countries had participated in the World Summer Games Berlin 2023. Pakistani special athletes participated in 11 sports events and won 83 medals, including 11 gold, 32 silver and 40 bronze.
DC instructions on ongoing dispute between Kohat Tunnel & NHA
KOHAT, Aug 28 (APP):Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kohat, Dr Azmatullah Wazir issued instructions on Monday on the dispute between Kohat Tunnel and the National Highway Authority (NHA).
According to the details, DC Kohat chaired a meeting and heard the problems between NHA and Kohat Tunnel and issued orders to the Kohat Tunnel administration to immediately activate damaged jet fans, fire brigades, CCTV cameras, recovery vehicles and other facilities in the tunnel to provide all possible facilities to the public.
Meanwhile, he also issued instructions to the concerned authorities to take strict legal action against overloaded vehicles.
Assistant Commissioner (AC) Kohat Usman Ashraf, CEO National Highway Authority, Contractor, Transport Union and Other officers were also present during the meeting.