Pak cricket squad for IBSA World Games announced
ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP): The Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) on Friday announced a 20-member squad for the 2023 IBSA World Games, taking place from August 17 to 27 in Birmingham, UK.
According to a statement issued here, Syed Sultan Shah, PBCC Chairman, has approved the team and also deputed the following team officials.
Zafar Iqbal (B1), Riasat Khan (B1), Muhammad Shahzaib (B1), Fakhar Abbas (B1), Muhammad Salman (B1), Muhammad Asif (B1), Nisar Ali (Captain), (B2) Badar Munir (V. Captain) (B2).
Shahzeb Haider (B2), Anees Javed (B2), Moain Aslam (B2), Naimat Ullah (B2), Matiullah (B2), Mohsin Khan (B3), Kamran Akhter (B3), Akmal Hayyat (B3), Israr Hassan (B3).
Team Officials:
Muhammad Jameel (Head Coach), Maher Muhammad Yousaf Haroon (Coach), Tahir Mehmood Butt (Trainer/Umpire).
Syed Sultan Shah will tour with the team in the capacity of President World Blind Cricket and the head of Pakistan blind cricket delegation.
Besides Pakistan, teams from Australia, England and India are featuring in cricket events of the games.
The 2023 World Games is the largest high-level international event for athletes with visual impairment, with more than 1250 competitors from 70 nations. The games staged every four years are the pinnacle of the international sporting calendar outside the Paralympic Games.
The sports taking place during the 2023 World Games include archery, chess, cricket, blind football, partially sighted football, women’s football, goalball, judo, powerlifting, showdown, tenpin bowling and tennis.
FPCCI, business bodies welcome direct link with Kazakhstan
ISLAMABAD, Jul 7 (APP): The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and other business bodies on Friday welcomed commencing of direct air link between Pakistan and Kazakhstan on Saturday as it would help enhance bilateral economic cooperation.
It would prove to be a milestone in forging mutual business and economic integration with Kazakhstan and other Central Asian states, FPPCI President Irfan Iqbal Malik said while talking to APP.
He said the direct flights would increase the possibilities of economic cooperation between the two countries. Two flights in a week from Almaty, the industrial hub of Kazakhstan, to Lahore, would help enhance economic activities.
Irfan Malik said Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzan Kistafin, deserved appreciation for playing an important role in the launch of a direct air link between the two brotherly countries.
Karachi Chamber of Commerce (KCCI) President Muhammad Tariq Yousaf said with the start of direct flights, the economic relations between the two countries would improve further.
He said the business community of Karachi considered that the step would have positive impact on trade relations with Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Kashif Anwar said Kazakhstan was an important country in Central Asia and the direct flights between Lahore and Almaty would strengthen business relations between the two countries and all the credit in that regard went Ambassador Yerzan Kistafin.
President of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dr Khurram Tariq said besides trade relations, the direct flight link would also help in enhancing tourism and cultural ties between the two countries.
He said his chamber hailed the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Islamabad for commencing of direct flights between Lahore and Almaty and also including its national airline Scat in the operation.
President of Quetta Chamber of Commerce Wali Muhammad Nozai termed the commencing of Lahore-Almaty direct flights an important development.
He said such direct flights should be started between major cities of the two countries, including Quetta which had a historical connection with Central Asia.
President of Peshawar Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ijaz Afridi said the PCCI welcomed direct air link between Lahore and Almaty as “our businessmen are commercially connected with Central Asia”.
Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Ahsan Bakhtavari said Kazakhstan was the largest economy in Central Asia and the direct air flight connection would help boost trade relations between the two countries.
He said he would soon visit Kazakhstan with a large delegation of businessmen from Islamabad to explore business potential there.
President of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Saqib Rafiq said they attached high value to relations with the Central Asian states, especially Kazakhstan. The steps like direct air links between the two countries would promote trade, he added.
The Gujranwala Chamber of Commerce and Industry president also appreciated the direct air flight between both nations from Lahore to Almaty.
PM attends Land Information & Management System ceremony
ISLAMABAD, Jul 7 (APP): Inauguration Ceremony of Land Information and Management System – Center of Excellence (LIMS – COE) was graced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as a chief guest here on Friday.
Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir was also present on the occasion.
The ceremony was also attended by Ministers of Finance, Defence, Planning Development & Special Initiative, National Food Security & Research, Information, Chief Secretaries of Provincial Governments, agricultural experts and Senior Army Officials.
According to the World Food Programme, 36.9 % of Pakistanis are food insecure and 18.3% of these are facing severe food crisis.
Cognizant of the prevailing food insecurity, mass malnutrition and widening import bill of agri related products vis-à-vis projected population growth and future domestic food needs, the national political, economic and military leadership has decided to undertake the decisive and meaningful steps to address this critical issue.
Establishment of LIMS is the first exceptional initiative, aimed at enhancing food security and improving agri exports thus reducing import burden on national exchequer by transforming millions of acres of uncultivated and low yield land within the country.
This state-of-the-art system will help optimize the agricultural production through innovative technologies and sustainable precision agricultural practices based on agro-ecological potential of land, while ensuring well being of rural communities and preservation of environment.
The GIS based LIMS will greatly improve the national agri yield by systemizing digitization of agriculture, providing real time information to local farmers about soil, crops, weather, water resource and pest monitoring through remote sensing and geospatial technologies as well as minimizing the role of middlemen through efficient marketing system.
Protests held against desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
HYDERABAD/BADIN, Jul 07 (APP): Massive protests held against desecration of Holy Quran in different cities of Sindh in which people strongly condemned the desecration of Holy Quran and demanded to award severe punishment to all who were involved in the incident.
In Hyderabad, different religious, political and social organizations including Pakistan Markazi Muslim League, Pakistan Wapda employees Pegham Union (Reistered), High Court Bar Association took out a rally to register their protest against the tragic act of desecration.
In Mirpurkhas, BTC Church administration also organized protest rally and protest demonstration in the premises of Church here Friday. The speakers from the BTC Church local administration said that anyone who believed in the holy books cannot condone such abominable acts of desecration of the holy scriptures of any faith. Freedom of expression should never be used to demean others, they said.
The Christian community of Mirpurkhas condemns such actions and wants to assure our Muslim brothers that we realize their suffering and stand with them in solidarity, they added.
In Badin, Jamait Islami also took out a massive rally against the desecration of the Holy Quran and demanded of Sweden Government to halt such type of incidents which had tormented the religious sentiments of Muslims across the world.
IHC instructs for recovery of Ali Nawaz’s brother
ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday ordered the authorities to ensure recovery of missing a citizen Umar Nawaz Awan, the brother of PTI’s leader Ali Nawaz Awan, within three days.
The court instructed the Chief Commissioner ICT and Inspector General of Police (IGP) to appear before court in personal if the missing person was not recovered within the said time.
Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the case regarding the matter where in the police officials also appeared before the bench.
The wife of the missing citizen shared the evidences regarding the lifting Umar Nawaz with the police officials in USB.
At the outset of hearing, Justice Jahangiri expressed annoyance with the police and said that the Safe City Cameras’ system should be closed down if it was not helpful in such matters.
The court noted that the family members of the citizen did not even know whether the victim alive or not.
Petitioner’s lawyer Dr. Baber Awan said that the two vehicles had chased the victim and lifted him before his wife and four daughter, but the police expressing anonymous about the incident.
The police officials submitted the report and adopted the stance that it had not arrested the said citizen while the officials of deputy commissioner office also stated that no orders were issued regarding the arrest of him.
The court adjourned further hearing of the case with above instructions.
Rally taken out at IUB to condemn burning of Quran
BAHAWALPUR, Jul 07 (APP):The Department of World Religions and Interfaith Harmony, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur here on Friday held a rally to strongly condemn the burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden. The rally was led by the Dean Faculty of Islamic and Arabic Studies Prof. Dr. Sheikh Shafiq ur Rahman. He said that we as Muslims and institutions strongly condemn such incidents.
Addressing the participants, head of the Department of Word Religions and Interfaith Harmony Dr. Shajila Kausar said that a peaceful walk was taken out on the instructions of Vice Chancellor Engr Prof Dr Athar Mehboob with the aim of registering our protest against this heinous act on international forums
.
She said that Islam can undoubtedly be called the architect of knowledge and the Holy Quran the guarantor of peace. Desecration of religious books, whether they belong to any religion, is prohibited in Islamic Sharia. Other religious communities including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs should also come forward and strongly condemn this incident, she added.
Prof. Dr. Moazzam Jamil, Registrar of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur also termed the incident as sad and said that it was against the Freedom of expression act to allow this kind of practice. Therefore, this illegal decision of the Sweden court should be strongly condemned, he said.
Dr. Raheela Khalid Qureshi, Head Department of Arabic said, Islam has always protected the rights of minorities. Islamic Sharia allows all minorities to perform their religious rituals. Therefore, when such incidents happen on the part of the people of the West, there is a wave of anger in all Islamic societies. On this occasion, Rizwan Majeed, the Treasurer of the University, said that Islam teaches humanity. The incident of burning the Holy Quran in Sweden on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha is a heartbreaking act that cannot be condemned as much as it is, he expressed.
In this special walk, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Amjad, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Muhammad Imran Chairman of the Department of Islamic Studies, Dr. Zia ur Rehman Head Department of Quranic Studies, Dr. Abdul Ghaffar Head Department of Jurisprudence and Shariah, Dr. Waqar Aslam Head Department of Information Security, Gibran Jamshed Head Department of Law, Dr. Ariba Khan Head Department of Islamic Banking and Finance, Dr. Syed Javed Iqbal, Head Department of Leadership Management, Quranic Students Club, teachers, students, administrative officers and employees of other departments of the University were also present.
ECP to hold meeting on July 10
ISLAMABAD, Jul 07 (APP): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced that an exclusive meeting, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja, is scheduled to take place on Monday l.
The primary agenda of the meeting will revolve around the meticulous planning and preparations for the upcoming local government elections in Islamabad and the Punjab province, with a special emphasis on ensuring their timely and efficient execution.
This crucial gathering of the Election Commission signifies the commission’s dedication and commitment to upholding the democratic process in the country.
