A group photograph of the delegation of WEFIXERS organization in the Senate Hall at Parliament House
Sindh governor, chief minister call on prime minister
KARACHI, July 26 (APP): Governor of Sindh Kamran Tessori and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Wednesday called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif here.
In the meeting, they discussed the overall political situation in the country as well as the ongoing federal government projects in the province.
Majlis-e-Shoora assures minority rights, addresses law and order concerns in Sindh
ISLAMABAD, Jul 26 (APP): The Majlis-e-Shoora, chaired by Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Wednesday expressed solidarity with all minority communities including Hindus reaffirming their legal rights enshrined in the Constitution.
The session held to address various issues, including concerns raised by Senator Danesh Kumar of Balochistan Awami Party about the deteriorating law and order situation in Sindh.
The speaker apprised the joint sitting of parliament about the alarming situation in the ‘Kacha’ area of Sindh, where dacoits were posing a serious threat to the Hindu community.
These dacoits had targeted the community’s properties and lives, causing fear and hindering their ability to practice religious rituals freely.
The senator sought the Speaker’s ruling on the matter and urged the government to take immediate action.
In response, Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf assured the Hindu community of full support and emphasized that they should not live in fear, as it was the state’s responsibility to ensure their safety and protect their rights.
MNA Kesoo Mal Kheeal Das of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz echoed the sentiment, highlighting that all believers of different faiths were equal citizens of the state.
He urged the government to protect the Hindu community and take decisive action against the dacoits in the province to restore law and order.
MNA Akbar Ali Chitrali of Jamat-e-Islami reiterated that all citizens of Pakistan were equal under the Constitution stressing that any threat posed to bona fide citizens, such as the Hindu community, was a threat to the Constitution itself.
He assured the Hindu community that Muslims stood in solidarity with them and would provide unwavering support.
MNA Ghous Bux Mahar of Grand Democratic Alliance also raised concerns about the law and order situation in Sindh, expressing reservations about the current system of government.
Meanwhile, MNA Qadir Khan Mandokhail of Pakistan Peoples Party condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark, calling on the government to take appropriate measures to address such incidents at the international level.
He urged Western countries to take practical steps to prevent such occurrences, as they caused immense mental agony among Muslims worldwide.
He demanded the government to send those countries ambassadors home where such disrespectful acts had taken place.
The Majlis-e-Shoora pledged to protect the rights of minorities and ensured a secure and peaceful environment for all citizens, irrespective of their faith.
It expressed the hope that the issues raised by members would be given due consideration, and the government would take prompt action to address the concerns.
Pakistan, Kazakhstan have trade potential of $1 billion: Ambassador Yerzhan
ISLAMABAD, Jul 26 (APP): Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin on Wednesday said that Pakistan and Kazakhstan have the potential of $1 billion of bilateral trade for which the communication and interaction between both sides is pivotal.
He said this while addressing a seminar on the theme of “Small and Medium Enterprises and Women Entrepreneurs” organized by Islamabad Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) along with the Founder President of IWCCI, Samina Fazil here.
25/07/23 – Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, met with the leadership and members of the Islamabad Women CCI. During the meeting, the parties discussed prospects for cooperation between the business communities of the two countries. pic.twitter.com/zjOmDmEo6g
— Embassy of Kazakhstan to Pakistan (@KazEmbassyPK) July 26, 2023
The envoy said that the IWCCI and other local business chambers can play an important role in increasing bilateral trade between Pakistan and Kazakhstan and in their cooperation with the business community of both sides.
Yerzhan Kistafin said that 47% contribution to the economy of Kazakhstan is currently from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which are growing day by day.
He said that women have a very important role in the economy of Kazakhstan, women entrepreneurs are the owners of big brands in Kazakhstan, and there are a lot of women, especially in the textile, clothing, fashion and IT sectors.
The Ambassador said that the delegation of IWCCI under the leadership of Samina Fazil should visit the cities of Almaty, Astana and others to evaluate the business opportunities there so that they can have an idea about the local market and also both sides could establish business links.
Meanwhile, Yerzhan Kistafin said that Kazakhstan is currently the most attractive country for foreign investment.
In the last 10 years, the volume of foreign investment reached $400 billion in Kazakhstan, and in the same way, the volume of foreign investment in the last fiscal year 2022 was $26 billion in the economy of Kazakhstan. He said that Kazakhstan currently ranks 25th in the World Bank, Ease of Doing Business ranking in the world.
The Ambassador said that the two countries can establish bilateral trade and mutual cooperation in textile, pharmaceutical and agriculture, tourism and IT. Talking on the bilateral banking channel, he said that a mutual agreement has been finalized between the Bank of Punjab and the Bank of Uzbekistan, which will facilitate the opening of LCs.
While discussing the transit trade between Pakistan and Kazakhstan, he said there are two options for transit trade routes, one is the route through Afghanistan to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The second route for transit trade is from China to Kyrgyzstan to Kazakhstan, from which the first transit consignment has successfully reached Kazakhstan through the Sust border located on the historical Silk Route and there is a possibility of further progress in the future.
He said that transit trade consignment is a continuation of the recent Quadrilateral Traffic in Transit Agreement (QTTA), which will speed up the trade between the countries in the near future.
Yerzhan Kistafin said that this trade agreement was signed between Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. The Ambassador said that the transit trade agreement and customs agreement between the two countries will be signed soon, the implementation of which will have a positive impact on bilateral trade.
He said that Pakistanis the fifth largest market in the world in terms of population, with which Kazakhstan’s trade links are very important.
The envoy said that there are many opportunities for ties between both countries in education and especially in medical education. He said that currently 1500 Pakistani students are studying in Kazakhstan and there is a possibility of a further increase.
He said that efforts are also underway for a bilateral cooperation agreement in the big cities of both countries, in which the memorandum of mutual cooperation will be signed soon in Karachi, Lahore and Multan and Kazakhstan cities of Almaty, Astana and Turkistan.
On this occasion, Samina Fazil, founder president of IWCCI, said that the business community wants to increase the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Kazakhstan and strengthen bilateral relations in the SMEs sector in both countries, in which the role of IWCCI will be very important.
He said that Kazakhstan and Pakistan are major players in economic integration in the region, which will pave the way for economic cooperation in the region. Meanwhile, President IWCCI Rizwana Asif said that Kazakhstan is an important country in Central Asia and bilateral relations and mutual cooperation between Islamabad Women’s Chamber and Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Kazakhstan is necessary.
On this occasion, former president of IWCCI, Naima Ansari, former senior vice president of IWCCI, Sadaf Asim Abbasi, former president of Women’s Chamber Mumtaz Akhtar Raja and others also addressed the event.
In the end, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan participated in a cake-cutting ceremony for the 15th anniversary of IWCCI.
Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan reviewing the parade during the passing out ceremony of 38th Basic Recruit Course at Police Lines
Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan addressing during the passing out ceremony of 38th Basic Recruit Course at Police Lines
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chairing the meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet
Ahsan for collective efforts to tackle ‘hyper malnutrition’ challenge
ISLAMABAD, Jul 26 (APP): Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday stressed for collective efforts to tackle the confronted challenge what he called ‘hyper malnutrition’, affecting the physical and mental health of children.
“After last year’s floods; the challenge of malnutrition is no longer malnutrition but it has become the challenge of hyper malnutrition as the flood-calamity hit the poorest of the poor,” the minister was addressing the launching ceremony of the National Multisectoral Nutrition Programme to reduce stunting and other forms of malnutrition.
He said the federal government had launched this initiative which would be implemented in collaboration with all stakeholders including provinces, donors and active community.
Terming the nutrition-related issues ‘alarming,’ the minister said “Today is the age of knowledge revolution which requires creativity and innovation driven by cognitive skills. And it all depends on children’s nutritional health.”
Sharing some statistics, Ahsan Iqbal said around 40 per cent of children were having stunting growth-related issues, 80 per cent faced deficiency of calcium, zinc and iron, 60 per cent vitamin C and 25 per cent vitamin B, 64 per cent faced insufficient protein problem, 75 Folate-deficiency and 30 per cent were getting excessive fat.
He emphasized to address the issue of malnutrition on a priority, warning that it could lead to affecting children’s physical and mental health.
The minister was of the view to engage professionals on at least a five-year contract to advance the social sector programmes; and get rid of typical bureaucratic hurdles.
He expressed astonishment that Pakistan attained the nuclear capability despite opposition by the international community, but when the world was willing to help Pakistan in executing social sector programmes like health, education and nutrition with appropriate funding, there seemed lack of seriousness in making a headway.
The minister termed peace, stability and consistency in policies as ‘prerequisites’ to achieve the required goals of nation development and prosperity.
The incumbent government, he said, set a direction and tried to put in place critical national development programmes for a better future of the country after coming into power in April 2023.
The minister recalled that when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government came into power after 2013 elections, the development budget was around Rs340 billion which was increased to over Rs1000 billion by 2018.
Unfortunately, he said the journey of national development stopped with the installation of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government after the 2018 elections as during its tenure the development budget came down to Rs550 billion.
Now, the incumbent government restarted the economic growth engine by allocating a record Rs1150 billion development budget in the current fiscal year, adding, in the last Public Sector Development Programme an amount of Rs 714 billion was allocated and its utilization stood at 100.5 per cent.
The minister said the government tried its best to steer the country out of the economic crisis by moving the development wheel at a faster pace by making sufficient availability of funds.
Accordingly, he said the government introduced a five-E framework for Pakistan’s progress, focusing on Exports, E-Pakistan (digital revolution), Environment, Energy, and Equity & Empowerment in a bind to find the permanent solution to the confronted crisis.
President for greater economic collaborations with Tunisia
ISLAMABAD, July 26 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Wednesday emphasized the need for promoting greater economic collaborations with Tunisia to boost bilateral trade.
The president, talking to Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Tunisia, Javed Ahmed Umrani, who called on him, also called for increasing interactions and exchanges between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of both countries.
He said that Pakistan greatly valued its historical and brotherly ties with Tunisia and both countries had commonality of views on various issues.
He asked the envoy to play his role in further strengthening bilateral relations with Tunisia by increasing cooperation in the fields of education, culture, and defense.
President Alvi acknowledged Tunisia’s vision for making OIC a substantive platform for advancing inter-faith harmony as well as cooperation in addressing international issues such as the Jammu and Kashmir Dispute, Palestine and Islamophobia.
He also welcomed Tunisia’s support to the resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of OIC at the UN Human Rights Council in July 2023 on “Countering Religious Hatred” in the wake of the incident of burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
The president asked the ambassador-designate to highlight at various fora the issues of Islamophobia as well as the mistreatment of minorities in India.
He stated that India was committing gross human rights violations and persecuting Muslims in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), adding that the real face of India needed to be exposed to the world.
The president also asked the ambassador to convey his good wishes for Tunisia’s success in strengthening its democracy and democratic institutions under the leadership of President Kais Saied.
PSX stays bullish, gains 265 points
ISLAMABAD, Jul 26 (APP):The 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued with bullish trend on Wednesday, gaining 265.19 points, a positive change of 0.57 percent, closing at 46,682.53 points against 46,417.34 points the previous trading day.
A total of 429,515,564 shares were traded during the day as compared to 319,893,485 shares the previous day, whereas the price of shares stood at Rs 14.137 billion against Rs 10.259 billion on the last trading day.
As many as 352 companies transacted their shares in the stock market; 212 of them recorded gains and 121 sustained losses, whereas the share price of 19 companies remained unchanged.
The three top-trading companies were K-Electric Ltd with 58,856,601 shares at Rs 2.30 per share; WorldCall Telecom with 22,244,922 shares at Rs.1.41 per share and Pak Refinery with 18,394,805 shares at Rs.16.93 per share.
Reliance Cotton witnessed a maximum increase of Rs31.88 per share price, closing at Rs456.88, whereas the runner-up was Attock Refinery with an Rs 12.27 rise in its per share price to Rs 225.45.
Mehmood Tex witnessed a maximum decrease of Rs 28.69 per share closing at Rs 699.00, followed by Pak Services with Rs 20.01 decline to close at Rs 749.99.