PESHAWAR, Apr 20 (APP):The China’s Pakistan based senior level public security team dashed to Abbottabad where the first ever an exhibition Football match is going to be played between the DG Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa XI and the Islamabad based Chinese Embassy XI.
The Chinese public security team viewed the security arrangements, underway for hosting the match.
Meanwhile, the members of the Chinese security team also held meeting with the District Police Officer of Abbottabad and exchanged views on the arrangements in this respect.
According to details, the Chinese Football Team will be comprised upon the Embassy staff while the DG Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa XI is a bunch of players from Hazara Region.
The exhibition match will be held at the Kunj Football Stadium Abbottabad on the afternoon of April 28. It is for the
first time in the history of the province that such an exhibition football match is going to be played between the DG Sports KKP XI and the Islamabad based Chinese Embassy XI teams.
The Chinese Public Security Team also went to the Kunj Football Stadium where the local organizers briefed them on the ongoing
arrangements which followed their meeting with the DPO of Abbottabad, Ashfaq Anwar who also updated them in this respect.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Counselor in Pakistan, Chen
Wei has expressed satisfaction over the ongoing arrangements for hosting the
aforesaid exhibition match. “We equally
give due weightage to the event, which is first of the kind arrangement – both
on part of the Chinese Embassy and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said. This is also very important, since Abbottabad
enjoys the twin city status with Kashghar of the Peoples’ Republic of
China. He expressed the confidence that
the citizens of Abbottabad in large number will witness the match.
On the other hand, the organizers of the exhibition match
have also announced the names of the captains of their respective teams. According to the announcement, the Chinese
Embassy team will be led by their Political Counselor, Jiang Han while the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa DG Sports XI will be represented by Malik Ejaz Ahmad. The other members of the teams’ along with
officials and referees will be notified on April 25.
Chinese Embassy security team visit Abbottabad to review arrangements for football
China reacts to Modi’s remarks, terms terrorism as enemy of international community
BEIJING, April 20 (APP):In a response to Indian Prime Minister Modi’s remarks against Pakistan’s counter-terrorism campaign, a Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesperson Friday said that terrorism was an enemy of the international community and stressed all parties to strengthen cooperation and work together to deal with it.
“Terrorism is a public enemy of the international community. All parties should strengthen cooperation and work together to deal with it,” Hua Chunying said while responding to a question in this regard during her regular press briefing here.
“We hope that the international community will actively support Pakistan’s anti-terrorism efforts and continue to cooperate effectively with Pakistan in the anti-terrorism field,” she added.
When asked will the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign minister’s meeting discuss anti-terrorism issues, the spokesperson said that maintaining the security and stability of the region and promoting the common development and prosperity of member states were the purposes of the SCO.
Since its establishment, the SCO has always put the security field as its key cooperation direction, she added.
Hua Chunying informed the upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of SCO member states will exchange views on cooperation in various fields and on major international and regional issues.
“We hope and believe that all parties will use this conference as an opportunity to vigorously promote the “Shanghai spirit”, consolidate good neighborliness and friendship, solidarity and mutual trust, gather more consensus on cooperation, and jointly promote the SCO’s new development.
US-based Kashmiri community outraged over girl rape in Kashmir
WASHINGTON, April 20 (APP):The Kashmiri and Pakistani-American communities have expressed their outrage over the rape and killing of an 8-year-old Muslim girl in the Indian held Kashmir by Hindu men, including two state ministers, to harass Muslims nomads in the region, saying this is a crime against the humanity.
The incident happened in January but drew media attention this month after police filed charges against the accused, including top government and police officials, who raped and killed Asifa Bano in a Hindu temple in Kathua, a city in the Indian-held Kashmir.
In an opinion article by the Editorial Board of the leading American newspaper the New York Times, Indian Prime Minister Naraendra Modi was severely criticized over his silence on this barbaric killing which, the Board, said was not an isolated, random act but part of the ongoing campaign by Hindu zealots to intimidate Indian minorities.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General of the World Kashmir Awareness Forum said the whole purpose of this heinous crime was to dislodge the small Muslim community of Bakarwals and the rape was used as a weapon of war.
“This is a crime against humanity which needs to be condemned by all and one in the comity of nations,” he said in a statement issued in Washington, highlighting the fact that the accused including
two sitting state ministers who belonged to Mr. Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Dr. Fai said that young Muslim Kashmiri girls were living under tremendous stress, uncertainty, and insecurity and the endless turbulence, including the rape, have changed the entire life pattern of the residents of Kashmir. “The entire concept of childhood has undergone a radical change because of the fear of being abducted.”
He lambasted the response of the Modi-led Indian government in New Delhi which seems to protecting its party leaders involved in the crime and said that the coalition government in Kashmir, of which BJP is the part, must be held accountable for their actions. “Peace will only come to Kashmir when the Indian authorities realize that the people of Kashmir are not the problem, but rather part of the solution.
He thanked Antonia Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, who expected that the authorities will bring the perpetrators to justice so they can be held accountable for the murder of this young girl.
“The people of Kashmir look up to United Nations as a savior where some resolution of this situation is looked into, and a stable future is assured for the ones who have suffered the most” the hapless women of Kashmir,” Dr. Fai said.
“Given the interest of the Secretary General of the United Nations in peace and stability all over the world in general and in the region of South Asia in particular; and the support for democracy and human freedom, we urge him to forge a peaceful political solution to the conflict through his good offices by bringing all the concerned parties to the negotiating table” the Governments of India & Pakistan and the leadership of the people of Kashmir, Fai said.
There have been protests in some cities as people also took to the social media to vent their anger and fury over the incident and the complicity of politicians in such horrific crimes against the Indian minorities.
The NYT Editorial Board in an article published on Monday said that crimes like the murder of the Muslim Kashmiri girl was ” part of an organized and systematic campaign by nationalist forces that want to terrorize women, Muslims, Dalits and other underprivileged citizen”.
Arms sales to Pakistan support nation’s sovereignty without conditions: Global Times
BEIJING, April 20 (APP):There is no military alliance between China and Pakistan, but China’s arms exports to Pakistan are a powerful weapon to safeguard the South Asian country’s military sovereignty.
Pakistan has been shunning the US in favour of Chinese high-technology weapons, the Financial Times reported earlier this week.
Since 2010, US arms exports to Pakistan plummeted from $1 billion to just $21 million last year, according to the report, while China has become Pakistan’s most consistent supplier of military hardware.
It is Pakistan’s full right to choose who to buy from in the global arms market, which has long been dominated by the US, Chinese newspaper Global Times reported on Friday.
Washington always imposes conditions such as political criteria and strategic arrangement for its economic aid.
Military assistance works the same way. One of the US’ principles in arms exports is targeting turbulent regions and supporting its allies in those areas through defense exports to maximize US national interests.
According to media, the US said it was suspending at least $900 million in security assistance to Pakistan until it takes action against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network militant groups.
With its military assistance, the US aims to force Pakistan to act according to a scenario written by Washington. Onerous conditions imposed with military aid and arms exports to a certain degree harm Pakistan’s military sovereignty.
It is normal to see Pakistan making efforts to diversify the sources of its arms imports. That is where China comes in. Although China’s overall strength in military technology still lags behind that of the US, the country’s defense products have emerged in the world’s arms market with a high performance-to-price ratio.
China’s rising profile in this field gives options to arms importers like Pakistan, breaking the Western hegemony in military sales.
As for China’s arms exports, the government has always taken a prudent and responsible attitude to carry out strict management in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and Chinese laws.
China’s arms exports will be conductive to enhancing recipient countries’ capability of legitimate self-defense.
The Chinese government imposes no political conditions in the arms trade.
“Beijing doesn’t allow its arms exports to disturb regional peace, but it also has no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of the recipient countries. What lies behind the increasing interest of Pakistan in working with China in arms trade is its intention of safeguarding the country’s military sovereignty.”
China’s arms exports to Pakistan will not lead to a military alliance; instead, they will strengthen the South Asian country’s military sovereignty.
NYPD partners with Pakistani Police on Civil Disorder & Crisis Management training
ISLAMABAD, Apr 20 (APP):Twenty-eight Pakistani police officers have participated in a two-week civil disorder and crisis management training program with the New York Police Department (NYPD).
The training, held from April 9 to 20, was funded by the U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section (INL), said a message received here on Friday.
Held at the NYPD Police Academy, the training taught officers how to effectively manage public demonstrations and crises, covering topics such as crowd dynamics, team tactics, and the appropriate use of non-lethal force.
The training also included a train-the-trainer component to help the Pakistani officers develop new curricula and standard operating procedures upon return to their police organizations.
According to INL Director Gregory Schiffer, “Pakistani police are no strangers to dealing with large and complex protests.
This training with the NYPD allowed an exchange of expertise and offered Pakistani officers important tools on crowd control management.
“Pakistani police will be better equipped to respond effectively to public demonstrations, using international policing best practices, and ensuring respect for human rights.”
Participating officers in the training were from training institutions, command, and operational levels of six police organizations in Pakistan including the Frontier Constabulary, the Islamabad Capital Territory Police (ICTP), and Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan Police.
According to ICTP senior police officer Hasan Iqbal, “This training gave us an opportunity to train with some of the best police officers in the world. I feel that I am now in a much better position to train my fellow officers on crowd dynamics and effective ways to deal with civil disorder.”
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs works in more than 90 countries to help combat crime and corruption, counter drug-related crime, improve police institutions, and promote laws and court systems that are fair and accountable.
CJP vows to protect fundamental rights of people, inaugurates Charssadda Judicial Complex
CHARSADDA, Apr 20 (APP):Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar here Friday vowed to protect all fundamental and human rights of people and sought active support of the legal fraternity for providing speedy and inexpensive justice to litigants.
Addressing a function after inaugurating Judicial Complex Charsadda, the CJP said no comprise would be made on the fundamental and human rights of citizens and reiterated that he was ready to take up all such issues anywhere of the country in the interest of public service.
“It is my passion to take up and address fundamental and human rights cases,” the CJP remarked.
He asked the audience to reveal if they had any pressing case related to fundamental rights so he could hear the case there. “Any litigant is here who has any issue related to fundamental rights? I am here to listen and address it,” the CJP added.
He said as per Article 25-A of the Constitution “free and compulsory education” was a fundamental right for all children aged 5 to 16 and it was the responsibility of the state to provide free education to them.
While explaining the Supreme Court’s use of suo motu powers to enforce fundamental rights, the CJP said right to life was the most important right.
He said no nation could make progress without quality education.
The CJP said institutions were not built of buildings but of people and personalities, who strictly adhering to laws and constitution.
He said nations of the world achieved development and progress due to strong institutions, independent judicial system, quality education including science & technology and statesmanship.
Mian Saqib said unnecessary cases’ adjournments caused delay in dispensation of justice and urged lawyers to cooperate for swift justice to litigants within the parameters of existing laws.
He said amendments to outdated and obsolete laws were necessary to give quick relief to litigants.
The Chief Justice questioned what answers we would give to litigants whose cases were pending since last two decades and sought cooperation of judges and lawyers for swift clearance of backlog.
He said time had come for judiciary to deliver and active role of judges and lawyers were equally important in his mission of swift justice to all.
The CJP suggested lawyers to prepare such mechanism so that unnecessary adjournment of cases might be avoided.
He said cooperation of legal fraternity and other relevant stakeholders was also imperative for reformation of judicial system.
Mian Saqib called for workshops and training seminars for judges to ensure trial courts dispense with cases swiftly.
He thanked the audience for giving him a chance to be present among them.
Earlier, President of Charsasadda Bar and members of the Bar welcomed the Chief Justice upon his arrival and appraised salient features of the building.
The Chief Justice was on a two-day official visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where he heard several cases related to public welfare issues at the Peshawar Registry and issued necessary orders.
CJP orders KP Govt to shutdown clinics of quake doctors in a week, lauds IGP performance
PESHAWAR, Apr 20 (APP):Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Justice Mian Saqib Nisar here Friday ordered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s Healthcare Commission to shutdown clinics of all quake doctors within a week in the province.
The Supreme Court’s three-member bench presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan comprising Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah took a case against quake doctors operating in different parts of the province and ordered KP Healthcare Commission, Chairman to shutdown clinics of all quake doctors in the province and gave him one week time to take a province-wise action against quake doctors playing with lives of people.
The CJP grilled Chairman Healthcare Commission for not doing
enough work against quack doctors and remarked, “You draw a salary of
Rs 500,000 but your output is zero. It is your duty to take action on this
important matter as it involves human lives.”
The CJP wondered that what kind of a province was this where
the Chief Secretary earned Rs 180,000 and Chairman Healthcare Commission got
Rs 0.5 million.
The Chief Justice asked for a comprehensive inquiry report
on this key issue after he was told by the Chairman that about 1500 quakes
doctors were operating in KP. The Chairman further told CJP that action had
been taken against 122 clinics run by quake doctors and all had been sealed.
Upon this, the Chief Justice remarked that quake doctors
had been ruining lives of people and such unlawful practical could not be allowed.
The CJP said if anyone wants a stay order then they should come to the Supreme
Court.
In another case related to Protocol, the CJP expressed
satisfaction over the performance of Inspector General of Police Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, Salahuddin Khan Mehsud with regard to improvement in security
situation in the province.
While submitting his detailed report in Supreme Court’s
registry today, IGP KP told CJP that security protocol from 1,769 unrelated
persons had been withdrawn on the court’s orders.
At this, the Justice Saqib Nisar commended the IGP and
said “You have done excellent work. Thank you.” The Chief Justice
also expressed satisfaction over the conduct and good work of Chief Secretary
Azam Khan.
The IGP KP told media persons after emerging from the court
room that CJP had praised his force and said his appreciation by the apex court
was in fact appreciation of the entire police force.
Salahuddin Masud said police were already working on a plan
to withdraw unnecessary security provided to influential and public figures,
adding security protocol in the province would also be withdrawn in phases.
On Thursday last, the Chief Justice Pakistan had ordered IGPs
to withdraw security protocol granted to unrelated persons in all the provinces.
In another case pertaining to supply of potable water in the
province, the apex court ordered the authorities concerned to collect water
samples from different locations of the province and get them tested from a
reputable Punjab laboratory to check their quality.
The Chief Justice then asked officials present in court how
they would get the testing done when the KP did not have the required
laboratory or technical machinery for it.
The apex court also heard the plea of a woman who has been
seeking her ‘Haq Mehr’ for the past several decades and ordered authorities to
assist her.
On Thursday last, CJP Justice Saqib Nisar had summoned Chief
Minister KP Pervez Khattak and told him that he had heard a lot about their
good governance but the situation on ground was different.
The bench expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of
the KP government in the social sector including health, education and
provision of potable water and regretted that not a single standard hospital or
school had been set up in the provincial capital by the government over the
past five years.
The Chief Justice, who was on two days official visit to
Peshawar took up a number of cases pertaining to social welfare and civic
facilities besides others and issued necessary orders for their resolution. The
CJP later, departed for Charsadda where he inaugurated a state of the art Judicial
Complex.
Ahsan urges business community to focus on , quality, innovation, competitiveness
ISLAMABAD, Apr 20 (APP):Minister of Planning Development and Reforms and Interior Ahsan Iqbal on Friday called upon the business community to focus on improving quality of their products to make them more competitive in the world.
“Made in Pakistan products must be symbol of quality across the world,” the minister said while addressing a launching ceremony of the project “Productivity, Quality, and Innovation, to put Pakistan among top 25 economies by 2025.
He said competitiveness was not the name of devaluation of currency but it meant to add real value to the products.
“Private sector needs to invest in research by creating links with the academia as in today’s world of fourth revolution, innovation is key driver of rapid development”, he added.
Ahsan Iqbal said the private sector must have to sit on the driving seat and the government and academia would be fully supporting it in this regard.
He said the government had provided platform to the business community by resolving energy crisis, overcoming law and order situation, and by providing network of roads specially under CPEC and now it was private sector’s turn to perform.
“Road connectivity is basic tool to inclusive growth, therefore despite a baseless criticism by our opponents, the government had built a network of roads which helped connecting far of flung areas to mainstream,” he added.
He said in 2013, Pakistan’s motorway length was 579, while in 2018, the length had risen to 1010 kms while according to the government plan, by 2019, the total length will surge to 3690 kms.
The minister said to become more competitive in South Aisa, Pakistan also needs to make drastic improvement in microeconomics development, health, primary education and training.
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan had abundance of resources but the issue was to add value to these resources and make them more competitive.
“Despite having low addition and low competitiveness, we are currently among top ten countries in the world in every category of agriculture sector, and by using modern technology and creating innovation, we can become top three countries in the sector.
Political stability, he said was another factor in ensuring economic development.
“In 1960s, we had golden age of development, however we could not sustain due to 1965 war, similarly, despite planning good economic agenda in 1990s, we again failed on economic front mainly due to political instability,” he noted.
Addressing on the occasion, Vice President SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Iftikhar Ali Malik urged the government to take the business community in to confidence before taking any policy initiative.
Ayaz Sadiq for following Iqbal’s philosophy
ISLAMABAD, Apr 20 (APP):Speaker National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said that Pakistan could achieve a clear distinction in political, economic, social and religious spheres if we follow the thought and philosophy of great poet, Allama Muhammad Iqbal in true spirit.
He said that Allama Iqbal’s dream about Pakistan had been materialized under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam in 1947 by creating Pakistan and now it is our duty to achieve the level of thoughts and actions as desired by the great poet, said a press release issued here Friday.
The Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed these views in his message on the occasion of 80th Death Anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
The Speaker said that the basis of Iqbal’s philosophy was Islam and according to him, the fundamentals of Islamic model were the people, independence and conscience.
He said that extremism and bigotry had no place in the Allama Iqbal’s scheme of things and he wanted Muslims to be moderate, peaceful and enlightened so that their deeds convince non Muslim to develop penchant for Islam.
He said that prior to 1940, when Pakistan resolution was formally passed; Allama Iqbal’s philosophical and poetic writings were instrumental in formation and molding of public opinion. The dream of Allama Iqbal was a great blessing for the Muslims of the subcontinent, he added.
The Speaker said that Allama Iqbal visualized the suffering of Muslim Ummah and masses that led to their melt down and also proposed recipe for their revival and regaining the lost glory of the Muslims. He was the great proponent of unity of Muslim Ummah and reliance on their resources and strength.
On the occasion the Deputy Speaker National Assembly, Murtaza Javed Abbasi has said that Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal was one of the greatest poet, thinker and philosopher of the last century. He gave the Muslims of Sub-continent a vision for separate homeland and Pakistan today symbolizes the legacy of great visionary.
Regular training important for maritime professionals: Governor
KARACHI, Apr 20 (APP):Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair on Friday
said that regular training is very important in the field of maritime
because it helps the officials and staffers to improve their skills so
as to cope with the new challenges.
He said this in a meeting with a 22-member delegation of foreign
participants of International Maritime Academies Seminar, said a
statement.
The delegation which met with the Sindh Governor comprises the
participants from Tanzania, Maldives, Kenya, Malaysia, Sweden and
Mauritius.
The Governor said that the participants of the foreign friendly
countries who have attended the seminar can play significant role in
further strengthening bilateral relations with Pakistan.
Muhammad Zubair said that the law enforcement agencies including police
and Rangers have laid many sacrifices for the cause of peace in
Karachi.
He said that the federal government is extending every possible
support for promotion of trade and business activities in the city.