RAWALPINDI, Apr 18 (APP):The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) organized Pak-Uzbek networking session at a local hotel here on Wednesday.
Addressing the networking session as chief guest, Minister of state for Finance Rana Afzal said Pakistan offers promising investment opportunities and government has introduced lucrative incentive to
attract foreign investors.
Halal food, tourism, leather, Textile and pharmaceutical are the key areas where investors can make joint ventures,he said.
The Minister said that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) now offering vast range of rail and road network to connect Pakistan with central Asian republics and there is a need to strengthen trade ties between the two countries.
He lauded RCCI efforts for promoting trade activities in the country and the region through
exhibitions and business opportunity conferences. He said chambers are playing vital role in promoting trade activities in the country.
Rana said servicing sector is growing and investors can take benefit of Pakistani skilled labor in services sector including banking, insurance and leasing.
He said that energy shortage has been overcome and gradually we are lowering the per unit price of electricity to attract local and foreign investors.
Addressing the session Khodjaev Jamshid Minister of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan thanked RCCI for inviting for the session and urged Pakistani investors to opt joint ventures with Uzbek.
He said the trade volume between the two countries is very low
and there is need to increase the trade ties in different sector including
Pharmaceutical, Agriculture, leather and textile.
Adham Ikramov Chairman of CCI of Uzbekistan who signed Memorandum of understanding with RCCI said that
the major aim of this MOU was to promote trade ties through exchange of trade
delegates and exhibitions on reciprocal basis.
Earlier RCCI Chief Zahid Latif Khan in his address said Central
Asia is a big market and Pakistan should explore new trade avenues in this
region. It is the hour of need to explore the new trade avenues, business
opportunities between Pakistan and Central Asia.
CPEC offers great regional connectivity and integration from South Asia, Central Asian countries
and beyond,” he added.
Govt introduces lucrative incentives to attract foreign investment;Minister
Patron’s Trophy semis continue
ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (APP):The semi finals of the Patron’s Trophy Grade II 2017-18 continued on Wednesday at two different venues of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
In the first semi final on the second day, ZTBL’s overnight score was 143 runs for 7 against SBP.
SBP started their first innings scoring 183 runs for all. Sahibzada Farhan 55, Rizwan Hussain 52, Mukhtar Ahmed 30 batted well. For ZTBL Muhammad Ali 4 for 72 and Hamza Nadeem 3 for 50 bagged wickets while thet scored 43 runs for 3 in 11 overs in the start of their second innings.
In the second semi final at Pindi Stadium, Rawalpindi, KPT piled up a total of 224 runs for all in 63.1 overs in the first innings against Ghani Glass.
Nadeem Javed 115 not out, Taimur Ali 25 played well. Muhammad Umar 6 for 85 and Saif-ur-Rehman 3 for 63 took wickets for Ghani Glass. The overnight score was 2 for 1 of KPT.
Ghani Glass have started their second innings with 3 runs.
Islamabad wins PAF CT
ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (APP):Islamabad clinched the PAF Twenty-20 Cricket Champions Trophy for the Blind, played here at PAF Complex Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
Islamabad beat Attock in the final by eight wickets. Islamabad won the toss and elected to field first.
Attock scored 174 runs for the loss of 4 wickets in the allotted overs. Ehtasham-ul-Haq was the highest scorer with a knock of 66 runs.
Chasing the target, Islamabad played really well and easily won the match in 18.1 overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Akmal Hayat remained the top scorer with a superb inning of 65 runs.
Air Vice Marshal Salman Ahsan Bokhari, Director General Security, Pakistan Air Force who was the chief guest at the occasion distributed prizes among the winners.
A total of six teams participated in the event including Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Quetta, Hyderabad, Attock and Islamabad participated in the tournament.
The championship is a regular feature of PAF sports calendar and is organized at PAF Complex Islamabad every year.
Khawaja Asif to attend SCO foreign ministers meeting in Beijing on April 24
BEIJING, April 18 (APP):Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will attend a meeting of the foreign ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held here on April 24 and exchange views on the SCO cooperation and regional and international issues.
Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi will chair the meeting which is meant to lay a groundwork for the SCO Qingdao Summit scheduled to be held in June, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson, Hua Chunying said during her regular press briefing held here on Wednesday.
She informed that the foreign ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India, as well as the secretary-general of the SCO and director of the Executive Committee of SCO Regional Counter Terrorism Structure, will also participate in the meeting.
The spokesperson said all the parties will exchange views on the SCO cooperation and major regional and international issues. Besides, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan will also conduct visits to China.
Hua said this foreign ministers meeting will be the first one after the enlargement of the SCO which is meant to lay a groundwork for the SCO Qingdao Summit to be held in June this year.
During the meeting, the Chinese leadership will have a group meeting with the heads of the delegations, she added.
She informed that the foreign ministers will exchange views on all-round cooperation and important international and regional issues.
“Foreign Minister Wang Yi will witness the signing of the outcome documents” and a press release based on a consensus of the meeting will be issued.
“We believe that all sides will pick the opportunity of the meeting to build on consensus, reach more cooperation measures into the success of the Qingdao summit and move forward the SCO,” she added.
The SCO summit will be held in Qingdao, a port city, and a famous tourist spot in China in June this year. As the rotating president of the SCO, China will host this year’s summit.
President, Mamnoon Hussain is likely to lead the delegation from Pakistan during the summit.
The SCO, an inter-governmental organization, was founded in China’s Shanghai on June 15, 2001, is composed of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, China, India, and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan were admitted as full members of the organization at the summit in Astana last year.
PM arrives in London to attend CHOGM 2018
LONDON, Apr 18 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi arrived here on Tuesday evening to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2018) from April 18-20, 2018.
At the airport, the Prime Minister was received by senior officials of the UK Government and Pakistan High Commissioner to United Kingdom (UK) Syed Ibne Abbas, together with officials of the High Commission.
During his stay in London, the Prime Minister will attend the Reception being hosted by Queen Elizabeth II; call on the Prince of Wales and meet Prime Minister Theresa May amongst other Commonwealth leaders.
Participation in CHOGM-2018 would provide an opportunity to highlight the progress made by Pakistan including its transition to a modern and dynamic emerging market, which is an attractive destination for business, investment and trade.
The Prime Minister will actively participate in executive and retreat sessions as well as a number of events being held on the sidelines of the CHOGM.
Pakistan is one of the founding members of the organization. The current membership of the Commonwealth consists of 53 member states reflecting diversity of all continents of the world. Commonwealth provides a market of around 2.5 billion people, spread across all six continents, covering nearly a quarter of the world’s land mass and a combined GDP of GBP 6.9 trillion.
The main theme of this Conference is “Towards A Common Future.”
Sanjrani stresses heavy investments in higher education
ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (APP):Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani Wednesday said that heavy investments in higher education are vital for strengthening the emerging economy and putting the country on road to progress and prosperity. Addressing Iqra University Degree Awarding Ceremony, the Chairman Senate said youth is the intellectual capital of any nation. Youth’s commitment and dedication ensures his or her success in life. Pakistan is blessed with high proportion of talented youth, the need is to channalise their expertise.
Empowering youth is responsibility of the state. Senate is playing vital role in providing opportunities the youth to prosper. Senate has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various universities to provide university students the internship opportunities in Senate.
The frequent visits of youth to Parliament help bringing Parliament and youth closure. He congratulated parents, teachers who guided their wards to success.
He urged the management of Iqra University to open its campus at Gwadar, Balochistan.
LUMS, John Hopkins University institutionalize study of Pakistan in US
WASHINGTON, April 18 (APP):America’s John Hopkins University and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) have joined hands to institutionalize study of Pakistan in the United States as the two countries work to find common grounds for working together for regional peace and stability in South Asia, including Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States was the chief guest at the event organized by John Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and LUMS and delivered a talk on ‘Pakistan’s place in the world. The event was held at John Hopkins University in Washington.
Dr. Vali Nasr, Dean, John Hopkins SAIS opened the floor by introducing the Ambassador and Dr. Joshua White who contributed to the conversation as a discussant.
Ambassador Chaudhry described relations between the US and Pakistan as very important that has been fully understood and realized by all segments of Pakistani policy.
In the backdrop of the current state of affairs between the two countries, Ambassador Chaudhry said that in their interactions with the US government, Pakistani officials had been impressing upon their American interlocutors that both countries have a great deal of work to do together.
“This required continued engagement at all levels. The two sides could work together to achieve the shared objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said while emphasizing on Pakistan’s strong desire to have work with the United States for achieving common objectives.
While sketching out the changing dynamics of global politics that had been playing out in the South Asia region, Ambassador Chaudhry said that the realignments were defining the broad contours of emerging world order.
He said that Pakistan, for its part, had fared well in these challenging and changing times. The country had defeated terrorism, the economy was picking up and attracting investors from across the globe and, in spite of challenges, the democratic process in the country was on track.
The Ambassador congratulated the two Universities for their initiative to institutionalize the study of Pakistan in the United States.
The conversation with the Ambassador concluded the two-day long Conference titled “Pakistan Beyond Seventy: The Long View” jointly organized by SAIS and LUMS with participation from think tanks and academia from Pakistan and the US.
In the evening, the Ambassador hosted a reception for the participants of the Conference titled “Pakistan Beyond Seventy: The Long View” at the Embassy. Distinguished personalities from the US government, think tanks and academia were also invited.
In his brief remarks professor Rasool Baksh Raees said that in spite of periodical unease in bilateral relations, both countries continue to work together as there were people on both sides who fully realized the importance of this important relationship in the context of regional and global peace.
The speakers lauded efforts on both sides to find common grounds for achieving strategic objectives without compromising their national interests and inspiration. They expressed the hope that, as in the past, the two countries would be able to overcome their differences and will continue to work together in multiple areas.
Ambassador Chaudhry highlighted importance of the multi-faceted ties between the two countries in fields including education, culture, economic, defense and security. He expressed the hope that the two countries would continue to have better relations for their mutual benefits.
Relations with US important for Pakistan: Ambassador Chaudhry
ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (APP)::Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has said that relations with the US were very important for Pakistan and this realization was prevalent across all segments of Pakistani polity.
Ambassador Chaudhry said this while speaking on “Pakistan’s Place in the World” at John Hopkins University Washington on Tuesday. He was jointly invited by School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) John Hopkins University and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The ambassador congratulated the two universities for their initiative to institutionalise the study of Pakistan in the United States, says a press release received here on Wednesday.
While sketching out the changing dynamics of global politics that had been playing out in the South Asia region, Ambassador Chaudhry said that the realignments were defining the broad contours of emerging world order. “Pakistan, for its part, had fared well in these challenging and changing times. The country had defeated terrorism; the economy was picking up attracting investors across the globe and the democratic process were on track despite challenges”, he said.
In interactions, Pakistan had been impressing upon it’s American interlocutors that Pakistan meant well and both countries have a great deal of work to do together. This required continued engagement at all levels. The two sides could work together to achieve the shared objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan.
The conversation with the Ambassador concluded the two-day long Conference titled “Pakistan Beyond Seventy: The Long View” jointly organised by SAIS and LUMS with participation from think tanks and academia from Pakistan and the US.
In the evening, the ambassador hosted a reception for the participants of the conference titled “Pakistan Beyond Seventy: The Long View” at the Embassy. Distinguished personalities from the US government, think tanks and academia were also invited.
Shehbaz Sharif appoints Mirza Ishtiaq Baig as President BF of PML-N
LAHORE, Apr 18 (APP):President of Pakistan Muslim League-N and Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday appointed Mirza Ishtiaq Baig as President Business Forum (BF) of PML-N.
The Pakistan Muslim League-N President gave the letter of appointment to Mirza Ishtiaq Baig in a ceremony. Office-bearers of PML-N Sindh, Senator Rahila Magsi, Senator Asif Saeed Kirmani, Senator Saleem Zia, Members of National and Provincial Assemblies, Minister of State Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Sherazi, Syed Ijaz Ali Shah Sherazi and other office-bearers of PML-N were also present on the occasion.
Mirza Ishtiaq Baig is also the Vice President of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Shehbaz Sharif appoints Shah Muhammad Shah as Acting President of PML-N Sindh
LAHORE, Apr 18 (APP):President of Pakistan Muslim League-N and Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reorganized Pakistan Muslim League-N Sindh and appointed Shah Muhammad Shah as Acting President, Aslam Abru as Senior Vice President and Saleem Zia as General Secretary.
PML-N President and Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has directed him to complete the process of reorganization of PML-N Sindh at provincial, divisional, district and tehsil levels as soon as possible.
A meeting was held under Shehbaz Sharif’s chair to review the matters regarding reorganizing the PML-N Sindh. He issued immediately directions to implement different proposals and recommendations presented in this regard.