Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Home Blog Page 13686

Army, FC deployed in Kurram to control situation: Home Deptt

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

PESHAWAR, Jul 12 (APP):Additional troops of Pak Army and FC had been deployed on the request of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, in district Kurram to control the situation over land disputes among locals.

An official communiqué of the KP Home department issued here said the Army and FC would remain in the area till the situation gets normal, adding that the decision has been taken to normalize the situation and avoid further losses and casualties.

The government was trying to get the longstanding issue resolved amicably through Jirga and the support of the revenue department, it informed.

It warned of strict action against such individuals and requested the people to cooperate with the district government and law enforcement agencies to foil the nefarious designs of anti-state elements.

May 9 mayhem culprits to be taught lesson in General Elections: Dastgir

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):Federal Minister for Power Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan on Wednesday said the people of Pakistan would bring the May 9 violence culprits to justice and teach them a lesson in the General Elections through voting.

The minister during a news conference here said, Israel’s statement on human rights situation in Pakistan was to overshadow the May 9 culprits, who had been trying to bring the country to doom since they came into power after the elections 2018.

Khan said the Foreign office had strongly and aptly condemned Israel’s statement on human rights situation in Pakistan.

“Pakistan has never recognized Israel and it can be seen on Pakistan’s passport as through it a Pakistani can travel to all countries but not Israel. We have showed solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” he said.

He was of the view that after the 2018 General Elections, voices were being echoed to recognize Israel and this came from the same political party (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf PTI) which was involved in the horrific incidents.

“We can easily see who benefitted from May 9 incidents and who suffered loss. A sickening campaign was run against the Pakistan Army and Martyrs on social media. Same type of drive was run against the Martyrs when a Pakistan Army helicopter was crashed during flood response,” he said.

Dastgir said everyone clearly knew who was separating and destroying the country and was involved in de-seating Former Primer Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

“They (PTI) were involved in the bargain deal on the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK). When India took over Kashmir all what the then government did was a 1:30 minute silence on Friday,” he said.

He said as to safeguard foreign involvement in the country was necessary to identify and bar those involved in destabilizing the country.
“It was the PTI’s tenure in which Pakistanis were allowed to travel to Israel,” he added.

Dastgir said PTI was involved in attack on Radio Pakistan in Peshawar and also back in 2014 on the building of Pakistan Television.

“PTI asked people to burn electricity bills in 2014 and told overseas Pakistanis to send money through hundi and then civil disobedience. They gave statements for perpetrating disturbance in the ranks of Pakistan Army as well,” he said.

He said the people of Pakistan would elect a government who would take them out of challenges and help Pakistan flourish and prosper.

Rupee gains Rs 1.09 against US Dollar

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP): Pakistani Rupee on Wednesday gained Rs 1.09 against the US Dollar (USD) in the interbank trading as it closed at Rs 277.47 against the previous day’s closing of Rs 278.56.

However, according to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the buying and selling rates of dollars in the open market stood at Rs 278 and Rs 281 respectively.

The price of the Euro decreased by 85 paisa to close at Rs 305.90 against the last day’s closing of Rs 306.75, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The Japanese Yen remained unchanged to close at Rs 1.98, whereas an increase of 13 paisa was witnessed in the exchange rate of the British Pound, which traded at Rs 359.14 as compared to its last day’s closing of Rs 359.01.

The exchange rates of the Emirates Dirham and the Saudi Riyal decreased by 30 paisa and 29 paisa to close at Rs 75.54 and Rs 73.97, respectively.

Army’s BD Party saves man from cardiac failure in N Waziristan

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

PESHAWAR, Jul 12 (APP):In a rousing response to a man passing through cardiac arrest, the personnel of Pakistan Army’s Bomb Disposal Party provided in time medical support and saved the life of the man accompanied by his minor son in Sapalga village of North Waziristan, local administration informed on Wednesday.

The man named Noor Shehzad along with his seven-year-old son was travelling in a car for Miran Shah when he suffered a severe heart attack near Thall Pull, miles away from any medical facility.

A Bomb Disposal Party of Pakistan Army passing through the area took a stop near the car and were told by the child that his father was feeling severe pain in the chest.

The BD Party with their primary expertise provided first aid to the main on the spot and later called in an army medical team which provided proper medical cover to the man thus saving the precious life of a father in front of his minor son.

After some time, the much-obliged man and his son were able to continue their journey for Miran Shah.

APP/vak

Around 600 illegal housing societies operating in twin cities, NA body told

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):Around 600 illegal housing housing societies have been operating in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad without any formal approval, Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Captain (R) Noorul Amin Mengal told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.

The 35th meeting of the committee was held here at the CDA Secretariat to receive briefing on comprehensive report on implementation status of the previous recommendations of the Committee, complete details of Housing Societies in Islamabad (legal and illegal) causing severe damage to the environment and sewerage system in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), briefing on all restaurants located on Margalla Hills causing severe damage to the environment with poor sewerage system, and especially the complete case study of Monal Restaurant with previous follow up.

Chairperson MNA, Nuzhat Pathan presided the committee and expressed her resentment over late arrival of the Chairman CDA in the Committee meeting whereas the Authority officials had informed the chair that the latter was in the Court for personal hearing.

The Chairman CDA informed that there were some 318 illegal housing societies in Rawalpindi and 150 housing societies in Islamabad whereas most of these societies were in Fatehjang, Rawalpindi Tehsil.

The cumulative figure of these illegal or unauthorized societies was falling between 568-600 societies alongwith some 100 illegal societies being established in the adjoining Attock district.

The Chairperson took the floor to seek information from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination on Soybean Seeds import summary pending in the Ministry causing increase in the prices of poultry products.

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, Musaddik Ahmed Khan briefed the forum in detail on the context of the issue and informed that there were alternates to the poultry feed already available in the market and there was no such shortage but rather it was exploitative tactic by the Poultry industry.

MNA, Romina Khrushid Alam on her agenda item expressed her resentment on the response submitted by IWMB and CDA pertaining to installation of streetlights in the National Park.

“There are serious concerns of CDA on installing street lights in Margalla Hills National Park is strange. There are solutions to it as sensor-based lights could be used to illuminate the hiking tracks. The language needs to be changed,” she said.

There are 102 gutter lids stolen in the federal capital and a day earlier two individuals including a father and son died after the boy fell into the gutter and got suffocated due to gas.

She proposed that the Committee should strongly recommend the federal cabinet for appointing a highly qualified member in CDA to take environmental matters on priority basis and also from EPA.

Member, Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), Waqar Zekria informed the forum that most of the species in Margalla Hills National Park were nocturnal and were impacted by lights at night.

The guidelines for visitors of trails were very clear that they should after sunrise and leave the national park before sunset, he added.

He mentioned that the more the traffic the more would be the damage to nature in the national park whereas on average there were over 5,000 visitors visiting trails at the weekends.
“We will propose a timing of 9-10 pm to provide full lights in the national park and then halt entry into the national park to sustain wildlife,” he added.
Chairman CDA Noor ul Amin Mengal said there were few view points and paths that needed street lights and it should be installed there but the rest was a protected and jungle area with a controlled entry.
“The CDA Environment Wing has planted 700,000 trees across the federal capital out of which one third are fruit trees that are primarily to enhance green cover. Moreover, section 144 has been imposed in the Margalla Hills National Park on no smoking and cooking food as it all has been banned,” he said.
Exercising its powers, the Capital Administration had sent 4-5 people in jail on average per day violating section 144 in the national park. The Board members have been given magistracy powers to detain violators, he said.
Commenting on the I-14 tragic incident, the CDA chief said the incident was miss reported as the boy went himself into the gutter to pick his ball and the father instead of calling any department went into it to rescue his son and died due to accumulated gas.
“We are working on introducing plastic gutter lids made of reusable plastics that were not stolen by tramps and addicts in the streets,” he said.
He demanded that the Pak-EPA should withdraw it’s NOCs and the CDA would pull out it’s NOCs for housing societies not complying the laws.
The Chairperson Committee, MNA Nuzhat Pathan also highlighted the issue of objectionable movements of the people in the national park and there were couples being attacked by humans and animals.
She urged the authority to seriously take up the matter for an amicable solution. Moreover, CDA should publish illegal housing societies’ details on media for mass awareness.
The Director Housing CDA informed that there were 63 total housing societies in different zones of the federal capital out of which 43 were awarded no objection certificates (NOCs) after environmental clearance of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA). However, there 10 housing societies’ NOCs and clearance pending, he added.
Director General, Pak-EPA, Farzana Altaf Shah said the number of housing societies quoted were ambiguous and needed proper classification as legal or illegal.
The environmental clearance for a society was mandatory under section 12 of PEPA Act 1997 whereas the housing society’s land, layout and design all were approved by the CDA, she added.
EPA, she said was not a member of any of the CDA’s committee. “Solid waste collection is a serious issue of the capital because all societies claim that CDA or MCI will provide them the facility. A private housing society in capital was fined Rs 33 million for non-compliance of environmental laws due to EPA,” she told the Committee.
She said there was no sewage system in the capital’s housing societies and were dumping its liquid waste directly into the natural nullahs of the capital.
MNA Shahida Rehmani highlighted the issue of bad stink of liquid waste in the iconic F-9 Park that was left unattended.
The EPA DG told the committee that it was mainly due to E-9 sector liquid waste dumped into F-9 Park drain. She also announced that she would cancel all the NOCs of societies not complying with the environmental laws.
MNAs, Tahira Aurangzeb, Shamim Ara Panwar, Engineer Sabir Qaimkhani, Aysha Rajab Ali, Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das, also attended the committee meeting and expressed their views and queries during the meeting.

Religious tourism can generate millions of foreign exchange: RCCI

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

RAWALPINDI, Jul 12 (APP): The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) and Evacuee Trust Property Board(ETPB) Punjab have agreed to put joint efforts to promote religious tourism to earn foreign exchange.

These views were expressed by Acting President RCCI Faisal Shahzad in a meeting with Secretary Evacuee Trust Property Board(ETPB) Punjab Rana Muhammad Arif at the chamber house.

Faisal said that Pakistan has a largely unexplored avenue of tourism in the religious sector primarily Sikh and Buddhist tourism which can potentially generate millions of dollars for Pakistan, and create over 100,000 jobs.
Pakistan contains numerous sacred sites of different religions like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism that can easily be transformed into tourist destinations, he added.

Secretary ETPB Punjab Rana Muhammad Arif informed that the ETPB was working to develop international competitive religious tourism sector to fully realize its diverse potential and making religious tourism a leading economic sector for the country through public-private partnership.

He said that ETPB had around 70,000 sites and properties including religious shrines and “We are trying to explore our tourist sites and to develop infrastructure and accessibility of those sites to promote the soft image of Pakistan.”

Huawei powers first national Hyper-Scale financial cloud

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):In a groundbreaking development for Pakistan’s ICT industry and overall economy, Huawei Technologies Ltd and Khazana Enterprise have joined forces to build the country’s first hyper-scaler financial cloud.

The announcement was made at a prestigious launch event attended by key leaders from the financial industry, government, and business sectors of Pakistan.

The establishment of the First National In-Country Cloud represents a significant leap forward, not only for Pakistan’s ICT industry but also for its economy as a whole.

Previously, Pakistan had been denied access to millions of dollars for cloud services, but this initiative will eliminate that barrier. It opens the door for entities to opt for a local cloud solution that benefits both local businesses and the national treasury.

During the event, Nadeem Hussain, the Executive Chairman of Planet N Group, congratulated Huawei Management and Khazana team for the successful cloud launch, emphasizing the importance of digital storage solutions like cloud technology in building a digital Pakistan.

He highlighted the advantages of cloud storage, such as flexibility, agility, cost-effectiveness, and cybersecurity, and praised Huawei Cloud as one of the top cloud service providers capable of addressing these needs.

Mr. Bob Din, Chairman of Khazana, extended his congratulations to the tech industry of Pakistan, particularly the Khazana team and Huawei Cloud team, for their progressive initiative. He also acknowledged the conducive regulatory environment provided by the Pakistani authorities for the development of cloud infrastructure.

Mr. Shahzad Rasheed, CEO of Huawei Cloud Pakistan, emphasized the era of disruption and the need for organizations, especially banks, to embrace digital transformation. He highlighted the importance of digital drivers such as AI, IoT, and Machine Learning, which require cloud hosting. Huawei Cloud, as one of the three hyper-scalers with a federated cloud available in Pakistan, differentiates itself by providing software services and out-of-the-box solutions with a single click for digital banks.

Mr. Akif Saeed, Chairman of SECP, acknowledged the importance of data protection and commended the partnership between Huawei and Khazana for addressing regulator and end-users concerns regarding data sovereignty and security. He emphasized the significance of data as the new oil or wealth that needs protection.

Ms. Sima Kamil, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, expressed her appreciation for the launch of Huawei Cloud and highlighted the five main reasons why the SBP approves of this indigenous cloud model. These reasons included addressing data security concerns, ensuring data remains within the country as per relevant laws and regulations, providing control over sensitive information, reducing latency and improving efficiency, contributing to economic growth and employment generation, and optimizing costs.

Ms. Kamil concluded by stressing the importance of cloud infrastructure in reducing dependence on data and fostering the data economy.
Huawei Cloud, with its presence in 29 regions worldwide, has become the preferred choice of customers in industries such as finance and manufacturing for cloud migration. As a global provider of ICT infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei is committed to enabling a fully connected, intelligent world.

Khazana Enterprise, dedicated to providing innovative products and services, aims to simplify and enhance the lives of individuals and businesses across Pakistan. With a customer-centric approach, Khazana plans to establish physical service centers and dedicated customer support channels, emphasizing human interaction to address customer concerns throughout their financial journey.

The launch event solidified the collaboration between Huawei and Khazana Enterprise, marked by the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with fintech companies, including Raqami Islamic Digital Bank, HengShan, and TitliS Technology. Khazana’s National Cloud services will establish a robust and secure infrastructure, enhancing operational efficiency, reducing costs, and fostering innovation across various sectors. Khazana envisions a thriving digital ecosystem where businesses can collaborate and contribute to Pakistan’s economic growth.

Review meeting held on money laundering case verdict

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):A review meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the Special Central Court Lahore’s decision on a high-profile money laundering case.

The meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister of Interior Rana Sanaullah Khan was attended by Secretary Interior Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary Law Raja Naeem Akbar, DG FIA Mohsin Hassan Butt, Special Secretary Establishment, and Additional Attorney General.

The court’s verdict resulted in the acquittal of all the accused, including Suleman Shehbaz.

Additionally, the court directed action against former Advisor Shahzad Akbar and former FIA officials for falsely framing a case on political grounds.

The meeting expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, highlighting the importance of justice and condemning the vindictive behavior exhibited by the former government and Shahzad Akbar.

It was also acknowledged with regret how government officials were subjected to pressure and false cases were established.

Interior Minister condemns terrorist attack in Balochistan’s Zhob Cantt

By
NNPS Desk
-
0

ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP): Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Zhob Cantt.

Sanaullah in a news statement said the courageous personnel of the security forces sacrificed their lives to prevent a major catastrophe and successfully sent three terrorists to their ultimate fate.

“I pray for the elevation of the security personnel who embraced martyrdom,” stated the Interior Minister.

“We will not rest until terrorism is completely eradicated,” he added.

The interior minister said that the sacrifices of our forces will forever be remembered in history.

He said the entire nation stands in solidarity with the families of the martyrs and the injured.

PM launches Pakistan Endowment Fund for Education, incorporation of coding, constitution in curriculum

By
Najam ul Hassan
-
0

ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday launched the Pakistan Endowment Fund for Education along with incorporation of computer coding and constitutional studies in the National Curriculum.

Addressing the launching ceremony, he said Rs 14 billion had been fixed for the programme for next four years out of which Rs 3 billion would be spent during current fiscal year.

He expressed his wish to continue this project forever with increased funding to provide opportunities of higher education to maximum deserving students.

“Our government’s tenure is going to end in August and I pray that the next elected government should give top priority to the education sector”, he said adding that funding for this programme should be enhanced up to Rs 140 billion for next 10 years.

He recalled that he, as Chief Minister Punjab launched the Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) in 2008 with an annual allocation of Rs 2 billion.

The prime minister said over 400,000 students benefited from this Fund who were now serving the country in different professions.

He said promotion of education was not aimed at politics but he consider it as worship. He vowed to pay special focus on the less developed areas of the country where the young people could not complete their studies due to lack of resources.

Today, he said the board meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was going to be held which would hopefully approve the $3 billion stand-by agreement with Pakistan.

PM launches Pakistan Endowment Fund for Education, incorporation of coding, constitution in curriculum

“This is not a matter of pride but an alarming situation that why we always ask our friendly countries and the financial institutions to help us saving from default,” he added.

Now in any case, he said “we should face the situation and show determination to make serious efforts for the development and prosperity of the country”.

Giving the example of China, the prime minister said Pakistan could also regain its lost glory by paying special focus in various sectors especially on education.

He said China is Pakistan’s best friend that disbursed $5 billion in last three months while Saudi Arabia also sent $2 billion and another $1 billion would be received from UAE in a day or two.

Earlier, PM Shehbaz Sharif also distributed the scholarships cheques under the newly launched project among the talented and deserving students.

Minister for Education and Professional Training Rana Tanvir Hussain said the programme was designed in line with the Punjab Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) to provide merit based scholarships to the talented students of various fields including engineering, nursing, agriculture, social sciences and allied health sciences.

He said keeping in view the current situation, the government had also decided to include computer coding and constitutional studies in the national curriculum. He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, all the provinces agreed to the amended curriculum.

He said amendment in the national curriculum was need of the hour to provide the students quality education to help them playing their role in socio-economic development of the country.

Federal Secretary Education Waseem Ajmal informed that under the Pakistan Endowment Fund for Education, the scholarships would be provided to the students through Higher Education Commission (HEC) and National Endowment Scholarships for Talent (NEST).

1...13,68513,68613,687...30,969Page 13,686 of 30,969

ABOUT US

Serving the nation since 1947 by providing an accurate, objective, uninterrupted flow of news to the people, the national news service is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to transform the existing news operations into a forward-looking service – APP Digital for its diverse subscriber-base and the public.

Contact us: news@app.com.pk

FOLLOW US

Copyright © Associated Press of Pakistan