MNA Mrs. Zahra Wadood Fatemi calls on the Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif
H.E. Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al-Malkiy, Ambassador of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif
H.E. Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al-Malkiy, Ambassador of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif
UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopts Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Report
ISLAMABAD, Jul 11 (APP):The United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Report, Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.
In response to the media queries on the statements made at the Human Rights Council on the occasion of the adoption of Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Report, the spokesperson said several states and civil society organizations commended Pakistan on the progress achieved in promoting human rights.
Israel’s politically motivated statement is fundamentally at variance with the otherwise positive tone of the session and the statements made by a vast majority of states.
Given Israel’s long history of oppression of Palestinians, Pakistan can certainly do without its advice on protecting Human Rights, the spokesperson added.
PM Laptop Scheme to empower youth: Muqam
PESHAWAR, Jul 11 (APP): Adviser to the Prime Minister, Engr Amir Muqam here on Tuesday said the prime minister’s national laptop scheme to socioeconomically and educational empower the youth of Pakistan.
Addressing the laptop distribution ceremony graced by the prime minister here at Governor House today, Engr Amir Muqam said that the launching of a free laptop scheme for talented students of KP and inauguration of Fata University Phase-I completed at a cost of Rs1.5 billion was a gift of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including merged tribal districts. The foundation stone of Fata University was laid during PMLN’s previous Government.
He said that whether it was floods, earthquakes, TDPs rehabilitation, terrorism or militancy besides dengue issues, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has always come for help and rescue of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reflected his immense love and affection for its youth.
He said that Prime Minister took all the coalition partners along during his government and put the country back on the road to progress and development.
Shaza Fatima, special assistant to the prime minister for youth affairs said that the free laptop scheme was launched by Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in the capacity of then Chief Minister Punjab for talented students of the province and later former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif extended it to the entire country due to its significance.
He said when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assumed office directed for restarting of the laptop scheme and this year one lakh laptops would be distributed among talented students of the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor praised the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and hoped that the students would use these laptops for excelling in education and research work.
He said the doors of the Governor House were opened for the general public and the entire nation was united to defeat the menace of terrorism.
The governor said that Rs10 billion was being spent on the provision of free books to students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Rehman Ali, a position-holder student of Buner University thanked the prime minister for relaunching of laptop scheme for students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On his request, the Prime Minister has allowed him to sit on his seat amid the cheering hands of students.
The Prime Minister intermingled with laptop winners and they took photos with the premier.
Muhammad Farooq of Hazara University and Maaz of Islamia College Peshawar University were overwhelmed by the free laptops provided to them by the prime minister today.
They said the laptop would help them in completing their research work and find dignified jobs in the competitive IT market.
Success stories of previous laptop beneficiaries were screened. The other initiatives of the Prime Minister’s youth empowerment were also highlighted on this occasion.
Pakistan delegation to attend 30th ministerial meeting of ARF in Jakarta from Jul 12-14
ISLAMABAD, Jul 11 (APP):Foreign Secretary Dr. Asad Majeed Khan along with a Pakistan delegation will attend the 30th ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from July 12-14, 2023.
The meeting will be attended by the Foreign Ministers and Representatives of the 27 ARF member countries and the Secretary-General of ASEAN.
At the ARF ministerial meeting, the Foreign Secretary will participate in deliberations on political and security issues of concern to Asia-Pacific aimed at promoting common solutions through dialogue and cooperation, according to a press release issued by the foreign office on Tuesday.
In Jakarta, the Foreign Secretary will hold meetings with Indonesian officials and with counterparts and visiting Ministers of ARF Member States. He will also engage with think tanks, business leaders and media on the margins of the ARF.
Established in 1994, the ARF is an important platform for consultations among countries of the Asia Pacific on issues related to regional peace and security. Since joining the ARF in 2004, Pakistan has been an active member of the Forum and regularly participates in its activities.
India-Israel nexus with PTI now stands exposed behind May 9 mayhem: Sherry Rehman
ISLAMABAD, Jul 11 (APP): Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Sherry Rehman on Tuesday strongly condemned the statement of Israel regarding Pakistan at the United Nations and alleged that the Israel-India support for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its chief had fully exposed the sinister nexus behind the May 9 mayhem.
Addressing a press conference flanked by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Interior and Legal Affairs Attaullah Tarar, Sherry Rehman lambasted the PTI chairman for his reported venomous campaign against the state, who, she claimed, was ever ready to do anything to please Israel.
“He (Imran Khan) believes that Israel’s violations in Palestine are fine. Today Israel also becomes an ambassador of human rights but in reality she is doing the opposite,” the minister added.
She denounced the PTI chairman for criticising and opposing his arrest. “He asks why the government did this to me? He says he was arrested in a disgraceful way, but he should know that no one is above the law,” she added.
The minister there were some sinister designs behind the curtain. Today the PTI was the best friend of Israel and Indian Prime Minister Modi, and its leader was being “baptized” in the waters of Israel.
The PTI workers, she alleged, had desecrated and harmed the monuments of martyrs on the behest of their leader, who now wanted to harm Pakistan as a whole. “Israel is supporting Imran Khan today and what does that mean?” she quipped.
The United States had always said that it was not meddling in the Pakistani politics but the PTI chief kept on dragging it, she added.
“Israel’s blaming of Pakistan in favour of the PTI at the UN meeting is highly condemnable. Imran Niazi is part of the camp that is violating the rights of Palestinians. Israel did not speak even on the arrest and indictment of those involved in the Capitol Hill attack.”
“What is the motive that Israel is giving recommendations in favour of attacks on Pakistan’s sensitive installations? “Why Israel does not speak about human rights violations by India in the Occupied Kashmir?” she raised questions, adding in fact, it was not about human rights, but about “special sympathy” of Israel with the PTI and its chairman.
She said Israel itself had been violating the basic rights of Palestinian people every day for the last 60 years. “With what face and status Israel is lecturing the world regarding human rights,” Sherry Rehman added.
Imran Niazi, she said, wanted to see the country becoming bankrupt. No politician or any former prime minister did not utter such words or perpetrate such hostile campaign against the country, she added.
The minister said all the reports about so-called human rights and treatment of women in detention were deliberately issued to defame the country.
She said Imran Niazi desired to impose the law of jungle in the country, but it could not materialize. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that he would protect the country and not his politics. My leader Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed had sacrificed her life while striving for hoisting the National Flag in the Swat valley,” she said.
The minister stated that her party never promoted “political bandits” during its government’s tenures, besides avoiding any indignation and humiliation of politicians.
CM Sindh vows to eliminate dacoits, foresees Bilawal Bhutto as next PM
KARACHI, Jul 11 (APP): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the newly elected representatives of the local bodies have taken over, therefore he has decided to announce the next Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) for the vertical distribution of available resources.
“We have started spade work to design the next PFC and it will be finalized within a month.”
This he said while talking to media just after performing the concluding ceremony of the three-day Urs of Abdullah Shah Ghazi at his Mazar on Tuesday.
Replying to a question, CM Sindh said that the cabinet had decided to announce the PFC award within a month of the formation of local bodies. “Now the elected representatives of the local bodies have taken over and we are going to form the commission and then the commission decides the formula of the award,” he said and added that his government would financially strengthen the third tier of the government.
It may be noted that the PFC ascertains the share of available resources between provincial and local bodies, generally known as vertical distribution. It also formulates a criterion for the distribution of allocated funds to local government horizontally among different tiers and local councils. This mechanism of distribution is known as Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) Award.
To another question, the chief minister said that the digitalization of the salaries of the KMC and some other local bodies’ employees have unearthed a large number of employees who were drawing double salaries – from KMC and another provincial department.
“This is a crime and punishable under the law,” he said and added his government has decided to dismiss such employees after fulfilling the legal requirements.
He said that similar pension cases have also been found which were being scrutinized and would be dealt with accordingly.
To another question, Murad Ali Shah said that he has not received official figures of the digital census. “When I’ll receive them officially, I will be able to comment,” he said.
Giving an oblique reference to MQM, the Sindh CM added that through a press conference on January 27, 2023, they (MQM) had expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the digital census. “They told the media that they have formed committees to facilitate the people to get them registered but it was me who had questioned the methodology of the census,” he said.
Murad Ali Shah said that despite his requests they [MQM] boycotted the local bodies’ elections and now in order to satisfy their frustration they were levelling baseless allegations against his government and trying to take the credit for the achievement they never achieved. He added that it was election stunts and let them play with the galleries.
He said that the Nooriabad Power plant has been providing 100 MW of cheap electricity to Karachi since its commission. “it is an irony that the power plant which operates to its maximum capacity for the last five years and providing uninterrupted electricity to the city but even then I am facing NAB case from the last four years,” he deplored but such vendetta of serving the people would not stop him and his party from serving the people of the province.
The chief minister, replying to a question, said that the bandits in the Katcha area have become a challenge. “Since we have posted good officers, the dacoits have reacted,” he said and added once the highway robbers were on the rise and no highway of the province was safe to travel.
He said that the Sindh government crushed the robbers and made the highways safe and now strict measures were being taken to eliminate the dacoits operating from the Katcha area.
CM Sindh said that Karachi was declared as 156th most dangerous city in the world but we restored law and order to protect life and property of the people of this city. “It is a track record of the PPP government that it has restored the writ of the government by eliminating the terrorists, target killers, extortionists, and kidnappers for ransom. Similarly, the issue of the dacoits would be resolved with iron hands.
To a question, Murad Ali Shah said that in Dubai no consensus was made on the premiership of Shahbaz Sharif. He added that in the forthcoming general election, PPP would emerge as the single largest party in the country and Bilawal Bhutto would be elected as the next prime minister.
Earlier, the chief minister performed the concluding ceremony of three-day Urs of Abdullah Shah Ghazi by laying chadar and a floral wreath on the Mazar.
He distributed clothes among deserving women.
Over Rs. 63bln disbursed among seven million beneficiaries under Benazir Kafalat
ISLAMABAD, Jul 11 (APP): Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has disbursed more than Rs. 63 billion among over seven million beneficiary women.
BISP is disbursing the 4th quarterly tranche of Benazir Kafaalat for the Financial Year-2022-23.
Under Benazir Kafaalat, 90 lakh registered beneficiary families are entitled to a quarterly installment of Rs 9,000 per household.
Benazir Income Support Programme has already released over Rs. 81 billion to its partner banks, that is, Bank Alfalah and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) for disbursement among the beneficiaries through their retail distribution network.
Along with Benazir Kafaalat, Benazir educational scholarships are also being given out to the children of registered families, however, 70% attendance in the school is mandatory to receive educational scholarships, said the spokesman of the programme.
In case of any complaint, beneficiaries can approach the nearest BISP Tehsil Offices or call on toll-free helpline number 080026477 of the Benazir Income Support Program.
The BISP spokesman reiterated that any messages from Benazir Income Support Program is sent only from 8171 and message from any other number should not be trusted
Foreign companies, factories likely to move to Dhabiji Special Economic Zone: Qasim Naveed Qamar
KARACHI, Jul 11 (APP): Many foreign companies and factories from different countries are likely to be shifted to Dhabiji Special Economic Zone, said Special Assistant to the Sindh Chief Minister for Investment and Public Private Partnership Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar.
The expected arrival of factories and companies from China, Turkey and Gulf countries will create their cluster in Dhabiji Special Economic Zone, Syed Qasim Naveed Qamar expressed these views while talking to a delegation of local businessmen in his office here on Tuesday.
Qasim Naveed said that Dhabiji Special Economic Zone is an economic zone with a lot of incentives for investment companies in terms of its prime location and availability of the cheapest labour.
He said that the Dhabiji Special Economic Zone, located just a few kilometres away from Port Qasim, Karachi Port, Karachi Airport, Main Railway Line and National Highway, will connect its industries and production units not only to all regions of Pakistan but also to countries around the world.
It has excellent bonding ability and the same is the reason why it is just the beginning and companies from most countries have approached for establishing industries in this zone, he informed.
Syed Qasim Naveed said that the Sindh government is trying hard to provide alternative energy and environment-friendly electricity in this zone.
He made it clear that Dhabiji Special Economic Zone will prove to be an economic zone in respect of sustainable development.