ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 (APP): Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said parliamentary exchanges were significant for deepening bilateral cooperation as well as developing understanding for each other’s views on important global and regional developments.
The prime minister was talking to Marshal of Senate of Republic of Poland Stanislaw Karczewski, who called on him here at the PM’s Office.
Pakistan-Poland bilateral relations and avenues for further strengthening them, besides existing mutual cooperation between the two countries came under discussion during the meeting, a press release issued by the PM’s Media Office here said.
Highlighting the importance of exploring new avenues of cooperation, particularly through strengthening of institutional mechanisms, the Prime Minister emphasized the need for strengthening of economic cooperation especially in the areas of energy, agriculture and food processing.
He said the growing economy of Pakistan offered Polish investors and business community vast opportunities in diverse areas to undertake profitable business ventures.
Stanislaw Karczewski thanked the Prime Minister for the warm welcome he had received and expressed his government’s desire to further strengthening its relations with Pakistan.
Senator Gianchand, Polish Ambassador to Pakistan Piotr A. Opalinski, and other senior government officials were also present in the meeting.
Parliamentary exchanges significant for deepening Pak-Poland bilateral cooperation: PM
Parliamentary parties fail to agree on bill for delimitation of constituencies
ISLAMABAD, Nov 07 (APP):Leaders of Parliamentary parties in the National Assembly during a meeting on Tuesday failed to agree on a bill on delimitation of constituencies but agreed that general elections should be held on time next year.
Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq chaired the meeting at the Parliament House here so that parliamentary leaders can overcome differences on the bill.
The parliamentary leaders discussed different suggestions to reach an understanding on the bill for new delimitation of constituencies after the census held this year. The census was held after a gap of almost two decades.
Talking to media after the meeting, the parliamentary leaders of major parties expressed the desire that delay in elections should be avoided.
Speaker National Assembly told that all the parties desire that elections should be held on time.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said PTI wanted that polls should be held as per schedule.
Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid briefed the leaders of parliamentary parties over the issues concerning the delimitation of constituencies.
Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Tehreek i Insaf had reservations over the bill. Muttahida Qaumi Movement had objected over the census figures for the city of Karachi.
Reportedly, PPP wanted that the matter should be first referred to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) before tabling of the bill in the National Assembly.
Speaker NA Ayaz Sadiq will again chair a meeting on Wednesday in an effort to arrive at consensus on the issue of delimitation of constituencies.
No country provided free crude oil to Pakistan so far: Senate told
ISLAMABAD, Nov 07 (APP):Minister for Power Division Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari on Tuesday informed the Senate that no country, including Saudi
Arabia, had provided crude oil to Pakistan free or on concessional rate so far except on deferred payment.
Replying to various queries during the Question Hour, the minister said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did not provided free of
charge crude oil to Pakistan during 2008-2010.
No foreign country was currently providing crude oil to Pakistan at lower than the market price, he added.
To a question, he said Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline would start from the onshore gas processing facility at Assaluyeh in Iran to transverse a distance of 1150 km up to the Iran-Pakistan border, which would be built and operated by Iran. The Pakistan section
of the pipeline (781 km) was to be laid closely to the Makran costal highway from Iran Pakistan border up to Pakistan off-take point
at Nawabshah, he added.
He said the gas volume was 750 MMcfd and the government was committed to the execution of the Iran-Pakistan Gas
Pipeline Project. However, due to international sanctions on Iran, Pakistan issued Force Majeure notice to Iran in March 2014. In
view thereof Pakistan proposed to amend the Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) enabling the parties to complete their
respective sections of the pipelines within the extended period, he added.
The minister said the project came under discussion during the visit of President of Iran to Pakistan in March 2016. Both sides agreed to resolve all outstanding issues, he added.
He said the approval of the competent authority had been sought to negotiate amendment in the GSPA with Iran.
To a supplementary question, he said Iran had already been providing electricity to Gwadar through 132 KV transmission line. Now the Cabinet’s Committee on Energy had approved an agreement to get more electricity through 220 KV transmission line for
Gwadar till completion of 300-MW coal power plant being set up under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he added.
The minister said the lease contract period of Saindak CopperGold Project (District Chagai, Balochistan) between Saindak
Metals Limited (SML) and Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) had been extended for five years from November 01 , 2017 to October 31, 2022 with the approval of competent authority (Federal Cabinet) and that also with consultation/consent of the Balochistan government.
7th CPEC JCC to meet on Nov 21
ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 (APP):The 7th Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) between the two countries is scheduled to be held here on November 21, sources in ministry of Planning and Development said.
The meeting would prominently take up the issue of industrial cooperation in agenda of the committee. The meeting would also approve new projects of Special Economic Zones to be constructed along CPEC routs across the country.
The sources added that representatives from private sector investment and business community would be specially invited in the meeting as the government wants to engage the private sector and business community in materializing the phase of Industrial Cooperation under CPEC.
Furthermore, financial agreements on three road projects, including KKH (remaining portion), D.I. Khan to Zhob and Khuzdar to Basima is also likely to be signed at the 7th JCC meeting.
Meanwhile the ministry also convened a meeting under the chairmanship of Minister for Planning and Development and Interior Ahsan Iqbal here the other day with the business community aimed at taking the chambers and business community on board in order to incorporate their viewpoint and ensure a broad consensus with respect to development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) prior 7th JCC.
During the meeting the minister also stressed upon completing feasibility and other formalities of Gilgit-Shandur-Chitral-Chakdara and Naukundi-Mashkhel-Panjgaur roads coinciding with the JCC meeting.
About the provision of electricity to Gilgit-Baltistan, Mr Iqbal directed the Ministry of Energy to expedite the already identified potential power projects for GB for their approval by the JCC.
The JCC is the apex decision-making forum on the CPEC which is jointly chaired by the planning and development minister and the vice chairman of National Development and Reform Commission of China.
India provoking China to win support for Indian PM in next election: Research Fellow
BEIJING, Nov 7 (APP): By allowing high-level officials to visit the disputed area, India is provoking China in order to win support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2019 elections,” Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of International Relations said Tuesday.
India normally creates trouble for China when bilateral ties deteriorate, which shows the immaturity of Indian officials, Hu told Global times.
India is also envious over US President Donald Trump’s forthcoming visit to China, so it tries to hype the “border issue” in order to do some “petty action.” “But China will remain restrained,” he said.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson yesterday slammed Indian side and said that the senior Indian official’s visit to the disputed area in the eastern part of the China-India border will further complicate the border issue with China, while an expert said the visit is not conducive to repairing Sino-Indian ties damaged by the Doklam standoff.
“We believe that the Indian official’s visit to the disputed area will further complicate the border issue, and will not be conducive to maintaining peace and tranquility in the relevant region,” Hua Chunying said during her press briefing.
India’s Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the South Tibet area (which India calls Arunachal Pradesh) to inspect defense preparedness.
“China has a clear stance on the China-India border and there are some disputes on the eastern section of the China-India border,” Hua said.
On June 18, Indian troops illegally crossed the border and trespassed into Chinese territory in Doklam.
Zeba prepares for her new film
LAHORE, Nov 07 (APP):Film star and director Zeba Bakhtiar
has started paper work for production of her new film under
her own direction.
Talking to APP here on Tuesday, she said that the success of
Pakistani films, realesed on Eid, encouraged Pakistani producers.
She said that time is not away when Pakistani films will again
establish their identity worldwide.
Zeba Bakhtiar said that young Pakistani actors and technicians
were doing hard work to restore the Pakistan film industry.
She said that now modern equipment and machinery is being used
to produce films of international standards.
Chinese Air Force team to stage aerobatic performance in Pakistan
BEIJING, Nov 7 (APP):The aerobatic team of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force will visit Pakistan and stage its performances there on November 20, official sources confirmed on Tuesday.
The Chinese team comprising seven J-10 aerobatic fighter jets and two IL-76 transport aircraft will participate in the Dubai Air Show in United Arab Emirates (UAE) prior to its visit to Pakistan.
Shen Jinke, spokesman of the PLA Air Force, said the air force is ready for pragmatic exchange and cooperation in more fields and many levels with air forces of other countries and to make new contributions to peace and development.
The team has staged more than 600 aerobatic shows for delegations from 168 countries and regions. It has also visited several countries for performances, including Russia and Thailand.
Govt. wanted to hold elections in time: Tariq
ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 (APP):Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Tuesday said the government wanted to hold general elections in time and all the political parties should play positive role for this purpose.
Talking to a private news channel, he said the government was trying to evolve consensus with other political parties for holding in time elections.
He said PML-N government would remove all the reservations and apprehensions of the opposition regarding constitutional amendments.
The minister said as per the constitution elections would be held as per new census.
Journalism under fire amid rise of ‘fake news’ – UNESCO report
UNITED NATIONS, Noiv 7 (APP):The media industry, which remains the primary source of news and information in the digital age, faces both vast opportunities and steep challenges, the United Nations cultural agency has said in its flagship analysis of new trends in media freedom, pluralism, independence and the safety of journalists.
“Covering the period 2012 to 2017, this study not only maps emerging global trends – it makes an unequivocal call to action to counter new and persistent challenges”,Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) , said in the foreword of the report, titled the World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development.
“This provides a unique reference point for Member States, intergovernmental organizations, civil society groups, academia, journalists and media professionals, and all those who wish to understand the fundamentals of press freedom in a changing world,”she added.
The report highlights such positive developments as civil society mobilizing to push for greater access to information, media houses cooperating with fact-checking services to push back against a torrent of disinformation, and more and more Governments adopting freedom of information laws.
In the digital age, the report says, women journalists are able to develop an online presence liberated from newsroom hierarchies, and citizen journalists and activists have access to modes of mass communication that were previously unthinkable.
The report, however, warned that “across the world, journalism is under fire,”citing the rise of ˜fake news” stories that shroud the truth and muddy information, as well as social media algorithms that are contributing to the creation of virtual “˜echo chambers” and exacerbating political polarization. Governments have shut down the internet, notably before elections. Journalists are under wide-ranging attack, facing rising violence.
“The stakes are even higher for citizens across the world, women and men, who rely on professional journalism to navigate the development and transformation of their societies”, Ms. Bokova said.
The key findings were presented by Guy Berger, Director of UNESCO’ s Division of Freedom of Expression and Media Development at an event, held alongside the Communication and Information Commission of UNESCO’s General Conference in Paris.
Pak to play first match of International Festival of Hockey against Australia
LAHORE, Nov 07 (APP):Pakistan will play its first match of the International Festival of Hockey against the host Australia at Melbourne’s State Netball Hockey Centre on Wednesday.
The four-Nation tournament also features New Zealand and Japan.
After the single league, the top two teams would play the final with the bottom two featuring in the 3rd position game.
Australia,the reigning world champions who are no 2 in the FIH rankings, are the favorites.
Their rivals New Zealand (ranked 8) are expected to offer the toughest competition.
Pakistan will play matches against Australia on November 8, against New Zealand on November 9, against Japan on November 11.