ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP):Vice Chairman of Chinese Central Military Commission, General Zhang Youxia visited Naval Headquarters Islamabad and called on Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi.
Upon arrival at Naval Headquarters, General Zhang Youxia was received by Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi. A smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Navy presented him the Guard of Honour, a press release issued here by Director General Public Relations (Navy) said.
General Zhang Youxia called on Chief of the Naval Staff in his office. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest including China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as vital part of Belt and Road initiative were discussed.
The Naval Chief also highlighted close bilateral ties between Armed Forces of the two countries. Vice Chairman of Chinese Central Military Commission termed Pakistan as China’s all weather strategic partner.
Both the dignitaries termed the success of CPEC and related projects as tantamount to prosperity and economic empowerment of the people of the region and beyond.
The call was followed by a brief given to the visiting dignitary on Pakistan Navy’s perspective on security situation in Indian Ocean region and PN contributions towards peace and stability in the region.
In the second leg of his visit, Vice Chairman of Chinese Central Military Commission is scheduled to visit Pakistan Navy Field Commands at Karachi.
The visit is expected to greatly augment the bilateral cooperation between both the countries in general and Defence forces in particular.
General Zhang Youxia calls on Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi
Without giving due meaning to fundamental rights, spirit of constituted can not be achieved: CJP
ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP):Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar Friday emphasized the importance of fundamental rights in the society and believed that without giving them due meaning, spirit of the constitution could not be achieved.
The Chief Justice said this in a bilateral meeting with Sergey Mavrin, Vice President of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation in Russia, said a message received here.
Both the sides agreed that independence of the constitution and the process of the appointment of the judges to the courts had to be made transparent, fair and free from any political and extraneous consideration.
The Chief Justice also invited the President of the Constitution Court of the Russian Federation and his delegation to participate in the forthcoming International Arbitration Conference and also related to Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ARDs) likely to be held in September 2018 in Islamabad.
Chief Justice of Pakistan on the invitation of Valery Zorkin, President Constitutional Court of Russian Federation, participated in the International Conference on “Constitution in the Global Change Epoch and the Goals of Constitution Review.
The conference was held on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Adoption of the Russian Constitution in St. Petersburg.
The Chief Justice ,also attended the Vlll Saint Petersbur International Legal Forum (SPILF) from May, 14 to 18.
More than 120 representatives, including the chief justices, presidents and jugdes of the Supreme/Constitutional Courts of different countries attended the Conference.
Representatives from International and Interstate Organizations/Instituites including the United Nations, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights also participated in the Conference.
The Chief Justice in his speech emphasized on the importance of constitutional assurance of fundamental human rights.
The Chief Justice also highlighted the provisions of Constitution of Pakistan that enshrined these rights.
All political parties to work for political, economic stability: Qayyum
ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP):Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Lt. Gen (Retd) Abdul Qayyum has said all political parties should work for the political and economic stability of the country.
Pakistan interest was above all and the PML-N government had brought stability and strengthened the national economy by launching different welfare projects including China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which would change the fate of the people of country, he said this while talking to a news channel.
He said some international conspirators wanted to create hurdles in the success of CPEC but they would fail in do so.
He said leadership of PML-N had taken all the decisions in best national interest and due to prudent policies of the present government, the country was achieving development milestone.
Abdul Qayyum said it was delighted that second time in the history of the country a democratic government was going to complete its constitutional tenure. The upcoming general elections would be held on their stipulated time, he added.
He said all national institutions were effectively working for uplift and prosperity of the country under their domains.
Congratulating the holy month of Ramadan, he also urged the people to pray for stability of Pakistan and harmony among Muslim Ummah.
Bahawalpur Institute of Science, Technology to be established with cost of Rs 2290 mln: Education Minister
BAHAWALPUR, May 18 (APP):Federal Minister for Education Engineer Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman has said that Institute of Science and Technology Bill has been passed by National Assembly.
While talking to APP, he told that the university would be completed with a cost of Rs 2290 million.
He expressed gratitude towards Chief Minister Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and parliamentarians from opposition parties who helped in making this possible.
He said that government is paying special attention on provision of high quality education to people of Pakistan in general and Southern Punjab in particular.
He said that Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology is already operating in Rahim Yar Khan while Cholistan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences is near completion in Bahawalpur.
He further told that slaughter house of Bahawalpur would be shifted near veterinary university which will not only benefit the students of the university but the health issues of livestock at slaughter house will also be redressed.
Responding to a question, Federal Minister told that grant of Rs 855 million was provided to the Islamia University of Bahawalpur for various development projects. He told that funds of almost Rs 1200 million have been provided for Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Campuses of the university during last five years.
Federal Minister further told that NUST and National Defence University will open their campuses at DHA Bahawalpur which will provide better opportunities to the students and academia of Bahawalpur. He said that education was one of the major priorities of the government and billions of rupees were spent in the sector.
PML-N to continue struggle for civilian supremacy: Afzal
ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP):Minister of State for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal has said that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), would continue struggle for civilian supremacy.
The narrative of Nawaz Sharif, was getting popularity among the masses and that the campaign launched by PML-N leader for sanctity of vote would continue in the country, he said while talking to a private news channel.
All the political parties should work together for betterment of the country, he suggested.
Commenting on recent statement of Nawaz Sharif, he said opposition parties were portraying negative image by using the statement of former prime minister, he said.
He said Opposition parties were twisting the statement of Nawaz Sharif for political point scoring.
To a question he said the PML-N had worked for restoration of judiciary in the country.
To another question he said that Nawaz Sharif was disqualified from the premiership on having “Iqama” but not on corruption charges.
UN Security Council urged to serve interests of all States
UNITED NATIONS, May 18 (APP):World Court judges have urged the Security Council to act on behalf of the entire United Nations membership rather than prioritizing their own national interests, or those of close allies, as the 15-member body debated how to effectively counter numerous threats to world peace.
“Against a backdrop of grave threats and growing turmoil in many regions, the unity of this body and the serious commitment of the entire international community will be crucial in preventing human suffering and defending our common humanity,†Maria Luiza Viotti, Chef de Cabinet to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, declared, while delivering a statement on behalf of the UN chief.
She noted that the UN Charter does not rule out using any specific means of settling international disputes, leaving Member States free to choose from a range of different tools; including negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration and judicial settlement.
Therefore, the Council could adopt a more open-minded approach, such as recommending that States settle disputes through special settlement mechanisms; a power it has rarely employed.
Where States agree to use the International Court of Justice, the Council should ensure that its judgment is properly observed, she said, calling on Member States to consider accepting the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court.
“International law is foundational to this Organization and the Security Council has a special role to play in ensuring that it is respected,” she said.
Also briefing the Council was Hisashi Owada, Senior Judge and President Emeritus of the International Court of Justice, who said that the crucial question is how the Council and the Court should work together to resolve disputes.
The Court’s legal opinion has helped to inform the Council on choosing a means of resolving disputes, as was the case in 1970, with legal resolution of South Africa’s continued presence in Namibia.
He said that the Council could seek the legal opinion of the Court on issues that often are at the root of the conflict; as it did following the Balkan wars of the 1990s, which led to the creation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.
To strengthen cooperation between the two bodies, he said, the Council could use its discretionary power more often to refer legal disputes to the Court, and consider making more use of the Court’s legal advisory function.
He noted that 15 of the 26 requests for advisory opinions came from the General Assembly, and the Council has sought out the Court only on a limited number of cases, such as Israel’s construction of a border fence in 2000 and Kosovo’s declaration of independence, in 2008.
“International courts were never designed to try any more than a small number of alleged perpetrators,” he said, and officials in national jurisdictions must take on the lion’s share of this work.”
Theodor Meron, President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, said that international criminal justice “is still very much in its infancy, and it is in a highly vulnerable stage of development at present.”
Meron suggested the Council develop and adopt objective criteria to assess all credible allegations of international crimes, and serve the interests of the UN membership as a whole, rather than prioritizing their own interests or those of their strategic allies.
He also encouraged the Council to simply refer possible violations of international law to appropriate judicial actors for further action, rather than being a gate-keeper and “risking becoming stymied in debates about whether or not egregious atrocities occurred in any particular situation or who might be responsible.”
Today”s debate was chaired by Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland, who urged States and the international community to reject the temptation to place force above law, and fear above trust.
“If we call an act of aggression a “conflict,” without properly defining the victim and the aggressor; if we call a threat a “challenge” without defining the source of that threat, then we are helpless in terms of selecting legal steps to react,” he said.
Daniyal rejects fake allegations of money laundering against Nawaz Sharif
ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP):Minister for Privatization Daniyal Aziz has rejected the bogus allegations of money laundering against former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, who was an honest and righteous person in the country.
The National Assembly Committee on Law and Justice directed the Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) (R) Justice Javed Iqbal to appear before the committee to explain about issuing a press release regarding allegations of money laundering against Nawaz Sharif but he did not appear, he said this talking to a private news channel.
The minister was of the view that people were well aware about the fake cases against Nawaz Sharif, who was still the most popular leader among masses.
He said Nawaz Sharif was disqualified on having Iqama but not on corruption charges, but on the other hand Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was involved in money laundering in India and foreign funding case.
He further said Imran Khan’s politics was based on baseless allegations.
4 martyred in Indian shelling laid to rest
SIALKOT, May 18 (APP)::The four members of a family — Kalsoom Bibi, Shama Naz, Muskaan Bibi and Ali Hamza, martyred in Indian BSF shelling on Friday were laid to rest in their village graveyard at Khanoor-Mirajke.
A large number of villagers staged a protest demonstration against India by placing the bodies in the village. They chanted anti-India slogans, asking the world to take serious notice of the brutalities
by the Indian BSF and its shelling of the Sialkot border villages.
Meanwhile, Pakistan have lodged strong protest with India against
the martyrdom of its citizens by the Indian BSF.
COMSATS bestowed 2018 – 3G Research Excellence Award in Malaysia
ISLAMABAD, May 18 (APP):COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) was awarded the 2018 – 3G Research Excellence Award for its overall impact in the domains of research and development in a ceremony held in Malaysia.
The 2018 Global Good Governance Awards (3G Awards) were given to 25 exceptional individuals and organizations from 15 countries exhibiting highest performance in the areas of innovation, sustainability, transparency, societal impact and social responsibility, a press release Friday said.
The 3G Awards are a premier awards programme that highlight excellence in good governance and commitment to social welfare in three major streams of Government and Politics, Corporate Sector, and Social Sector and Philanthropy.
The awards are adjudicated by Cambridge IFA, a UK-based financial services house that evaluates business data, assess macroeconomic indicators and understands market trends and brand development globally.
Prof Dr Raheel Qamar, Rector CUI, in his message read out at the occasion, said the 3G Research Excellence Award truly goes to the heart of who we are, a research-intensive university.
This recognition underscores high-quality research being conducted at COMSATS University and the sheer hard work of our dedicated faculty and researchers who strive for excellence through creation, preservation, dissemination and application of knowledge.
Muhammad Raza Ahmad Khan, General Manager (Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization), CUI, received the award on behalf of COMSATS University from Mohammed Nafees Zakaria, Pakistani High Commissioner in Malaysia, in a graceful ceremony organized by Cambridge IFA, UK in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The ceremony was also attended by government functionaries, members of the corporate community, as well as key figures from across the globe.
This award comes at a time when COMSATS University, defunct COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, has been consistently ranked among top 601-800 World Universities in Times Higher Education (THE), World Universities Rankings (WUR) 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Economic growth “exceeds expectations” but trade tensions rising: UN report
UNITED NATIONS, May 18 (APP):Global economic growth is exceeding expectations this year but heightened geopolitical tension and uncertainty over international trade could thwart progress, according to a new United Nations report.
The global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is due to expand by more than 3 per cent this year and next, according to the UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) ” an improved outlook compared with the 3 per cent and 3.1 per cent growth for 2018 and 2019, forecast six months ago.
The revision reflects strong growth in developed countries due to accelerating wage increases, broadly favourable investment conditions and the short-term impact of a fiscal stimulus package in the United States.
At the same time, widespread increase in global demand has accelerated the overall growth in trade, while many commodity-exporting countries will also benefit from the higher energy and metal prices.
Speaking at the launch, Elliott Harris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Chief Economist, said the accelerated growth forecast was positive news for the international effort to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.
However, Harris cautioned that “there is a strong need not to become complacent in response to upward trending headline figures”. He added that the report “underscores that the risks have increased as well”, adding that rising risk “highlights the need to urgently address a number of policy challenges, including threats to the multilateral trading system, high inequality and the renewed rise in carbon emissions”.
Trade barriers and retaliatory measures mark a shift away from unambiguous support for the norms of the international trading system, the report notes, which threatens the pace of global growth with potentially large repercussions, especially for developing economies.
The report also finds that income inequality remains alarmingly high in numerous countries but there is evidence of noticeable improvements in some developing countries over the last decade.
It cites some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region where specific policy measures related to minimum wage levels, education and government transfer payments have significantly reduced inequality over the last 20 years.
The report also finds that global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions increased by 1.4 per cent in 2017 due to faster global economic growth; the relatively low cost of fossil fuels and weaker energy efficiency measures, among other factors.
Reforming fossil fuel subsidies and providing tax breaks to boost greener economic growth could accelerate the international effort to meet the greenhouse gas emission targets outlined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.