Laborers busy unloading of peach boxes from delivery truck at Pirwadhai Fruit Market
Worker waiting for clients at Pirwadhai Sabzi Mandi
Rescue 1122 team in search of the bodies of three boys who drowned in the River Indus at bypass area
Governor Gilgit-Baltistan Syed Mehdi Shah in a meeting with Chairman Trade Zone China-Pakistan Border Chan Sigal at Governor Secretariat
Over 195,000 Hajj pilgrims arrive in Madinah
ISLAMABAD, Jul 08 (APP):The number of pilgrims who arrived to Madinah after they performed their Hajj rituals in Makkah has reached 31,684 as of yesterday, coming through air and land ports as well as the Haramain High-Speed Railway.
Statistics from the Hajj and Visit Committee revealed that a total of 31,684 pilgrims arrived in Madinah on Friday, with 29,251 arriving at the Hijra Station through 742 flights, SPA reported.
As for those traveling by land, the Pilgrim Center received 268 pilgrims on six trips on the same day, while the Haramain High-Speed Railway station received 2,165 pilgrims on 64 trips.
Regarding departures, the statistics indicated that 75787 pilgrims have left for their countries, while the number of remaining pilgrims in Madinah from various nationalities has reached 119,480.
Pakistan attaches high importance to its bilateral ties with Switzerland: PM
NATHIAGALI, July 8 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday reiterated the high importance Pakistan attached to its relations with Switzerland which were based on shared belief in fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law.
The prime minister received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation, Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis. The Swiss foreign minister, accompanied by three members of the Parliament, is on a bilateral visit to Pakistan from 7-9 July at the invitation of the prime minister, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further enhance bilateral ties, especially in the areas of climate change, trade and investment, development cooperation, higher education and vocational training.
The prime minister thanked the Swiss government for providing support to Pakistan in the aftermath of last year’s devastating floods.
He also appreciated the Swiss businesses’ approach to the resolution of issues and their work ethic, and invited more Swiss companies to invest in Pakistan, particularly in the renewable energy and IT sectors.
The two sides also agreed to collaborate in tourism promotion including eco-tourism and development of related infrastructure using both the G2G and B2B channels. In this regard, it was agreed that a meeting would be convened shortly to further spell out modes of cooperation.
Both sides also agreed on disaster management, early warning and carbon market collaboration.
The prime minister also witnessed the signing of an MoU on “Disaster Management” between Pakistan and Switzerland.
The MoU envisages bilateral cooperation in disaster risk management including preparedness, response and recovery aimed at reducing the adverse impact on the people and the economy.
Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman made a detailed presentation on the country’s climate vulnerability and onset of an accelerated climate crisis pushing the country into a recovery-resilience trap.
The minister explained that the adaptation costs were very high but Pakistan was rebuilding as much as it could.
She presented Pakistan’s flagship program including living Indus initiative and Delta Blue Carbon project which would resume 350000 hectares of mangrove wetlands reducing 147 million metric tonnes of carbon and bringing revenues of US$ 250million.
“Pakistan and the Swiss Confederation enjoy cordial relations grounded in cooperation at the international forums with the common aim to contribute towards global peace and prosperity,” the press release further added.
This is the first bilateral visit to Pakistan by a Swiss foreign minister in the last 17 years. The visit of Councillor Cassis has helped reinforce the existing friendly ties between the two countries.
IHC expresses displeasure over non-implementation of court orders for female teachers’ service structure
ISLAMABAD, Jul 08 (APP):Senior judge at the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Justice Mohsin Akhter Kiyani the other day has expressed his displeasure and anger towards the Education Department for consistently failing to implement the court’s orders..
This issue revolves around the correction of the service structure for female teachers of Islamabad Model Colleges, as ruled by Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani on June 10, 2022.
The service structure of female teachers, commonly known as the four-tier promotion formula, was disrupted in 2011 when the posts of teachers in BPS-16 were upgraded to BPS-17.
Despite their persistent efforts, the teachers of junior sections in model colleges were unable to obtain justice through various offices of the education department and finance division.
Consequently, they approached the IHC in September 2020 and filed a writ petition, seeking rectification of the four-tier service structure.
Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani allowed the writ petition on June 10, 2022 and instructed the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training and the Ministry of Finance to rectify the existing ratio of the four-tier formula within six months, setting a deadline for implementation on December 10, 2022.
However, to the disappointment of the female teachers, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance failed to issue the necessary orders to rectify the four-tier formula in compliance with the court’s verdict. As a result, the teachers were compelled to once again approach the IHC, this time filing a criminal original case against the respondents who did not adhere to the court’s decision.
During a hearing on Friday, Justice Mohsin Akhter Kayani expressed his dissatisfaction and cautioned the representatives of the respondents that if rectification orders were not issued by the next hearing, he would issue show cause notices to the secretaries of the Ministry of Federal Education and the Ministry of Finance. Additionally, Justice Kayani stated that he would summon both secretaries to court if the orders were not promptly issued.
Speaking anonymously, the teachers while talking to media persons voiced their concerns regarding the delay tactics employed by the education department. They alleged that the department consistently presented new explanations and excuses during each hearing, raising suspicions of ulterior motives behind the non-compliance with the court’s orders.
They believe that the authorities are attempting to deceive the court, as implementing the orders would potentially expose irregularities within the department.
Mumtaz Ali Shergan, the counsel for the teachers, emphasized the current disorder in the four-tier promotion formula. The formula states that 1 percent of teachers should be in BPS-20, 15 percent in BPS-19, 34 percent in BPS-18, and 50 percent in BPS-17.
However, the allocation of posts does not align with this government policy. Currently, out of a total of 401 teaching positions in the junior sections of all model colleges, 340 positions are in BPS-17 (85 percent of the total strength), 43 are in BPS-18 (11 percent), 17 are in BPS-19 (4 percent), and only one position is in BPS-20.
This distribution does not adhere to the four-tier formula. If the formula were correctly implemented, there would be 201 positions in BPS-17, 136 in BPS-18, 60 in BPS-19, and 4 in BPS-20. Such implementation would result in swift promotions for the teachers, providing them with the career progression they deserve.
He further said that the next hearing was scheduled for September 11, and we expect the education department to comply with the court’s orders regarding the rectification of the four-tier service structure.
Children enjoying on jumping jack during Mela Nazir Hussain(Tootaan Wali Sarkar)
A young vendor frying a traditional sweet item (Aam rasay) for the customers at his roadside setup
Girls viewing the displayed various varieties of mangoes during three days of ”Mango Festival 2023” at Arena Hall DHA
