ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP):Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan and the world over will observe the Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, tomorrow (Thursday), to pay homage to the martyrs of July 13, 1931, and all other Kashmiri martyrs.
According to Kashmir media service, the day will be marked by a complete shutdown in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and a march towards the Martyrs’ Graveyard at Naqashband Sahib in Srinagar where the martyrs of July 13 are buried.
The call for observance of the day has been given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and supported by all pro-freedom leaders and organizations.
The APHC in a statement issued in Srinagar urged people to make the call for shutdown and march a success to send a strong message to the world that the people of Jammu and Kashmir believe in the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute under the UN resolutions and are not ready to accept Indian subjugation, at any cost.
Rallies, seminars and conferences will be held in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan and all major capitals of the world to pay tributes to the Kashmiri martyrs.
On July 13, 1931, the troops of Dogra Maharaja had killed 22 Kashmiris, one after another, outside Central Jail in Srinagar during the court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer who had asked the Kashmiri people to defy the despotic Dogra rule.
At the time of Namaz-e-Zuhr, a young man started calling Azaan and was shot dead by the Dogra soldiers. Another youth took his place and he too was martyred by the troops.
Thus, 22 youth sacrificed their lives till the completion of Azaan. Since then, the Kashmiris are observing the July 13 as Kashmir Martyrs’ Day every year.
ISLAMABAD, Jul 12 (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed grief over the death of the aunt of his Special Assistant Atta Tarar and the sister-in-law of former President Rafiq Tarar.
The prime minister prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace and for grant of patience to the bereaved family, the PM Office said.
WASHINGTON, Jul 12 (APP):The United States Tuesday welcomed the staff-level agreement between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) designed to stabilize the South Asian country’s economy from recent external shocks, saying Washington would continue to support Islamabad through the process.
“Our support for the country’s economic success is unwavering,” State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller said when asked at his daily press briefing whether the U.S. had played a key role in securing the $3 billion IMF package for Pakistan.
“We will continue to engage with Pakistan through technical engagements and continue to strengthen our trade and investment ties, all of which are priorities for our bilateral relationship,” Miller told the correspondent of a private Pakistani television channel.
“We believe Pakistan has a lot of hard work ahead to be on a long-term sustainable path to economic recovery and prosperity but we will continue to stand by them through that process,” he added.
Asked about a recent interview of Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar, in which she said that Islamabad had no appetite to pick a side amid the growing global rivalry between Washington and Beijing, the spokesperson said that the US does not ask nations to make such a choice.
In the interview with POLITICO, an American news website, Ms. Khar insisted, however, that Islamabad was worried about the repercussions of an all-out rupture between the U.S. and China, which would present Pakistan with an unpalatably binary strategic choice. “We are highly threatened by this notion of splitting the world into two blocs,” she said. “We are very concerned about this decoupling … Anything that splits the world further.”
In his response to the question, the State Department spokesperson said, “The United States does not ask Pakistan or any other country to choose between the United States and the PRC (People’s Republic of China) or to choose between the United States and any other country.
“Our relations with Pakistan build on our close People to People ties and we will continue to seek ways to expand our partnership and economic ties, He said.
“Our economic cooperation with Pakistan reflects our vision for the region, as one comprised of nations that are independent, strong and prosperous, and our relationships are based on a spirit of respect and partnership.”
KARACHI, Jul 12 (APP):CURRENCY SELLING BUYING
USD 281.74 275.67
GBP 365.07 357.17
EUR 310.76 304.60
JPY 2.0176 2.9740
SAR 75.20 73.40
AED 76.73 75.55
LIBOR
LIBOR FOR CALCULATING INTEREST ON SPECIAL USD BONDS
LIBOR 1M 5.30834
LIBOR 3M 5.56111
LIBOR 6M 5.83165
US DOLLAR Indicative FBP Rates
CURRENCY SIGHT/
15 DAYS 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M
USD 277.96 277.48 275.42 272.85 270.30 267.39 265.71
EUR 306.78 306.51 304.70 302.34 299.92 297.11 295.91
GBP 360.17 359.58 356.92 353.46 350.12 346.20 343.93
APP/msq
GENEVA, Jul 12 (APP): Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has warned against inaction in combating the growing acts of desecrating the holy Quran, saying such public actions were not an expression of free speech.
“Let us be clear: commission of these willful and public desecration of a book sacred to billions of people is not an exercise of the right to free speech. They are an affront to our common humanity and human dignity,” Ambassador Khalil Hashmi told the UN Human Rights Council which is heading towards a vote on a Pakistani draft resolution calling for holding accountable the perpetrators of desecrating the holy texts.
Ambassador Hashmi, who is Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN offices in Geneva, spoke after some Western nations expressed misgivings over the motion, saying it encroaches too far on free speech.
Whether diplomats can work out a compromise text acceptable to all sides remains to be seen. But at this point, the Council is set for a split vote.
Pakistan, acting on behalf of OIC, secured an urgent debate at the 47-member Council on Tuesday after a copy of the holy Quran was burnt outside Stockholm’s main mosque that outraged the Muslim world.
The resolution condemns all manifestations of religious hatred, including “public and premeditated acts of desecration of the Holy Quran”, and underscores the need to hold those responsible to account.
It urges states to adopt laws to “address, prevent and prosecute acts and advocacy of religious hatred that constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also weighed in on the hot issue through a video link.
“The deliberate desecration of the holy Quran has continued under government sanction and with a sense of impunity,” FM Bilawal said in his national capacity.
“Free speech is as indispensable as hate speech should be indefensible. Our vigour to protect free speech must not lose sight of the imperative to reject hate speech.”
In what was seen as a last-minute OIC call to all states to support the resolution, Ambassador Hashmi, said, “Silence, inaction or complacency is therefore no longer tenable.”
“We are at an inflection point now.” Ambassador Hashmi told delegates.
“There is much at stake nationally, regionally and globally in this inter-connected and inter-dependent world, he said, adding, “Silence, inaction or complacency is therefore no longer tenable.”
He went on to say, “We see the complementary value of affirmative measures such as promoting a culture of peace, mutual respect, understanding, tolerance, interfaith as well as inter-cultural harmony.
“Yet, we must do more to effectively counter the growing scourge of religious hatred, its manifestations as well as its incitement.
The states as duty-bearers are bound to protect rights and promote respect by enacting laws and policies to deter such acts of impunity.
“For these reasons, the OIC has called for an urgent and serious conversation at this Council on prevention, deterrence, accountability and redressal measures.”
BEIJING, July 11 (APP): Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday said that Pakistan offers very attractive investment incentives and welcomes all investors especially Chinese businessmen to invest in Information Technology, agriculture, dairy farming, housing, mining and manufacturing sectors.
The present government has taken several steps to put the country’s economy back on track and look forward to a period of growth, he said while addressing the participants of the Pakistan China Business Forum titled Exploring Trade and Investment Opportunities in Pakistan.
The forum was organized by the Embassy of Pakistan and supported by the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL).
He said that a special investment facilitation council has been set up to facilitate foreign investors and added, it is a one-window organization which has members from the federal government and provincial governments.
Prof Ahsan Iqbal said that the government offers a great advantage in cost of production for those Chinese enterprises, which are looking at relocation to countries with low cost of production.
We have over two 30 million population with two-thirds of the population less than 35 years old. So, a very young population, which has technical skills and education to provide support to those Chinese businesses which want to invest overseas to make more profits, he added.
The minister said that there was a big opportunity for the Chinese big real estate companies to come and invest in Pakistan and develop housing projects on a public-private partnership basis.
He said that there was also a good opportunity for many companies to develop manufacturing facilities in Pakistan to export to third countries.
Many companies are also relocating to third countries to have better access to European markets and to United States markets. Through joint ventures in Pakistan, the Chinese company could export their products to third countries.
He said that Pakistan was among the top 10 producers in agriculture production but our yield and productivity were very low. So, we need technology and help to improve the productivity of our agricultural production by having high-quality seeds and better genetics etc.
Prof Ahsan Iqbal said that to develop a higher variety of animals which can give more milk. So, we can double the milk production. And we can increase the production of wheat, cotton sugarcane and every crop if we can improve the seed.
He said that through mechanization, Pakistan can also increase agricultural production.
The government is actively trying to promote renewable energy and solar energy and will welcome investments in Pakistan to increase solar energy production.
He informed the investors about great opportunities in the mining sector. Pakistan is rich in minerals, but we have not yet exploited 5% of the potential.
He said that there are huge deposits of marble all over the country and by investing in new technology, Pakistan can meet the global demand for marble.
Similarly, in the IT sector, we are encouraging investments because Pakistan has a young IT workforce. Huawei recently shifted its data research centre to Pakistan.
So, the IT sector of China and big tech companies can take advantage of very economical IT resource which exists in Pakistan, he added.
Terming the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a new dimension of the economic relationship between the two friendly countries, he said that during the last 10 years, there are projects over $25 billion worth have been executed in Pakistan to help Pakistan build its energy infrastructure.
The projects include infrastructure development, power generation units and Gwadar port, he added.
He said that the CPEC project was not only beneficial for the future of Pakistan but it also for the future of the region and for the future of China.
Welcoming the distinguished guests, Commercial Counselor, Ghulam Qadir briefed them about the recent development in Pakistan particularly the government’s steps to attract foreign direct investment in the country.
He asked the Chinese investors to take advantage of attractive policies and invest in various sectors and set up industrial units in the special economic zones.
He informed that Chinese companies could export their products back to China and to third countries and take advantage of incentives in this regard.
Ghulam Qadir said that Gwadar port enjoys a complete tax holiday for 23 years and exemption from customs duty for 40 years on the import of equipment and material for the construction and operation of free zones.
Vice President and Chief Representative of National Bank of Pakistan, Sheikh Muhammad Shariq briefed the audience about the role of his bank to facilitate Chinese companies which intend to do business in Pakistan.
Ms Cheng Wei, County Manager of Habib Bank Limited also spoke on the occasion and informed the participant about different facilities offered by her bank to the potential investors.
APP/asg
PESHAWAR, Jul 11 (APP):Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday said with the unearthing of conspiracies for vandalism, arson and violence,the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman stood fully exposed for indulging in anti-state activities for his personal gains and “lust for power”.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of rehabilitation and renovation work of the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building burnt by the PTI worker, the minister said May 9, 2023 would always be remembered in the country’s history as a black day when the “miscreants” had set the building of Radio Pakistan ablaze.
Taking a jibe on the PTI regime, she said the party leadership instead of building 3500 dams as promised in its manifesto, befooled the people.
Contrary to tall claims of accountability, the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa locked the accountability bureau, she added.
The minister said the people would be provided access to affordable cinema houses. Under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan was now moving on the path of development and prosperity, she maintained.
She said the “foreign agent” tried to create political instability in the country and tried to stop the CPEC project by obstructing the visit of the President of China to Pakistan.
She said “the incompetent, inefficient and corrupt” former prime minister was thrown out of power through a no-confidence motion for the first time in Pakistan’s history in April last year.
Terming the PTI chief a “political orphan”, she said he first waved the cypher to divert the public attention from his “lust for power, corruption and theft.” When the cypher conspiracy failed, he announced the long march of May 25 last year and created anarchy.
And when the police reached Zaman Park with a warrant, the PTI arsonists attacked the law enforcers with petrol bombs and burnt their vehicles, she added.
The minister said when summoned by courts for accountability in the Toshakhana theft case, theft of 190 million pounds, Al-Qadir Trust and prohibited foreign funding, he was seen in their premises with a bucket or dustbin on his head.
He considered himself above the law and believed that he was above the accountability process, she opined.
She maintained the “dark day of May 9, 2023” would always be associated with “this incompetent and inefficient foreign agent” in the country’s history.
On that day, the four-storey building of Radio Pakistan was set on fire by throwing petrol and for two days the miscreants kept trying to attack it, she added.
All the archives of Radio Pakistan and the model of Chagai Hill were burnt, while the APP offices on the fourth floor were also set on fire, she added.
Paying tributes to the engineers of Radio Pakistan, she said they restored the transmission immediately after the May 9 attack.
Those who attacked the Radio Pakistan were the same people who had attacked the PTV and they would never be forgiven by the nation for burning the precious archives of Radio Pakistan, she added.
Marriyum said the renovation of the studio of Radio Pakistan had also started on emergency basis as per the directives of the prime minister.
The minister said the foundation-stone of a cinema had also been laid within the premises Radio Pakistan in Lahore with the objective to provide affordable big screen entertainment to the people.
There were very famous cinema houses in Peshawar where the youth used to enjoy their culture, she added.
Marriyum said cinemas would be built in the buildings of Radio Pakistan all over the country. Apart from it, the musical treasure of Pakistan’s history was being stored within the Digital National Archives so that the people could benefit from it.
She said the prime minister had allocated funds in the budget for the renovation of the building of Radio Pakistan Peshawar and the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had also contributed to it.
She said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was the party which was building Pakistan brick by brick, which always gave the message of unity, tolerance and connecting the federating units.
Under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, she said, the country was now moving towards development.
She further said the PTI arsonists first created chaos at D Chowk, destroyed buildings, which were rebuilt by the PML-N under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif and the buildings burnt on May 9 would also be rehabilitated.
She said she was grateful to Secretary Information Sohail Ali Khan, DG Radio Tahir Hasan and Engineer Amir Muqam for the restoration of Radio Pakistan Peshawar.
She said Engineer Amir Muqam encouraged her. The whole PML-N KP under the leadership of Amir Muqam stood firm against the bullying of conspirators during the PTI rule.
She said the PTI regime had no development plan for the province though it had promised to build universities, hospitals and schools. Regrettably, they did not build even a room in any hospital.
She said the PTI “miscreants” burnt the memorials of martyrs, mosques, ambulances, schools and hospitals on May 9.
She expressed the hope that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would never vote for “the conspirator” again as they had always contributed to the country’s development.
The minister said she had asked the Secretary Information Sohail Ali Khan and DG Radio Tahir Hussain for digitalisation of the regional culture and heritage here as soon as possible so that in the future, no body could harm the archives of Radio Pakistan.
Earlier, the Information Minister inaugurated the restoration works of Radio Pakistan Peshawar. Secretary Information Sohail Ali Khan, DG Radio Tahir Hassan and other officials of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting were also present on the occasion.
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