ISLAMABAD, Aug 4 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday expressed his condolences to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on the death of his cousin Mian Shahid Shafi.
The president arrived here at the Prime Minister’s House and held meeting with the prime minister to offer fateha for the deceased, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.
President Zardari prayed for the elevation of Mian Shahid’s ranks in the hereafter and his family for patience
President Asif Ali Zardari also contacted Javed Shafi, the elder brother of the late Mian Shahid Shafi, over the telephone and expressed his condolences.
GILGIT, Aug 04 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed early completion and functioning of an advanced weather warning system in Gilgit Baltistan.
Addressing the cheques distribution ceremony among the affected families of recent rains and floods, the prime minister said that being topped as the natural calamity hit country, Pakistan required preparedness to ward off damages and losses.
Citing damages and deaths caused by recent cloud burst triggering massive rains and floods in Gilgit Baltistan, the prime minister said that first of all, they required an advanced warning system, a robust system, which should have been installed here.
But for the last seven year, the subject remained confined to papers only, the prime minister observed and said in the last one and half year no progress was either made.
He said that the deadline over completion of the project would not be given even an hour extension.
The prime minister said that he was visiting Gilgit Baltistan, along with cabinet members, to express sympathy with the bereaved families and assured them that they would be rehabilitated and for this purpose, the federal government departments and the relevant departments in GB would work closely.
He referred to a policy framed during the year 2022 for compensation amount given to the families who suffered from human or other losses from the natural calamities in Gilgit Baltistan.
The prime minister said that he had directed the chairman NDMA to conduct mapping of the damages and submit a report in this regard, adding that he would visit the area in August.
He also announced Rs4 billion, on part of the federal government, for the purpose.
Moreover, he said, a 100 MW solar project which was announced by the federal government would start functioning in the current year to provide relief during winter months.
The prime minister further informed that inauguration of Daanish schools in Gilgit Baltistan would be laid soon from the federal government’s resources.
He said admission to these schools would be made on merit as these were not expenditures but investments on country’s youth who would serve as nation builders in the future.
Governor GB, ministers, federal ministers, chairman NDMA, federal and provincial officials and rain affected families members attended the ceremony.
Earlier, the prime minister distributed cheques containing compensation amount among the family members of the those who lost their loved ones in the recent rains and floods.
Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Haji Gulbar Khan, in his remarks, highlighted the damages, rescue and relief activities in Gilgit Balitistan after recent floods.
Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit Baltistan, and States and Frontier Regions Engineer Amir Muqam lauded the prime minister for his commitment and dedication to the public welfare projects.
He said contrary to past, now Gilgit Baltistan budget had been increased to Rs186 billion annually.
JAKARTA, Aug. 4 (Xinhua/APP): Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has set a goal of providing free nutritious meals to 20 million people before the country’s Independence Day on Aug. 17, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan said in a statement on Monday.
As of the end of July 2025, the program had reached 7,374,135 beneficiaries through 2,375 active community nutrition kitchens. The recipients include schoolchildren, toddlers, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, as well as students at Islamic boarding schools and other religious schools.
“This program is a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality of Indonesia’s human resources from an early age. If our children are healthy and intelligent, the future of the nation will be more secure,” Gunawan said.
Beyond its nutritional and health benefits, the free meal program also bolsters economic resilience by lowering household expenditures, creating millions of jobs, and stabilizing food prices through direct purchases from smallholder farmers.
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