Pakistan Day Reception held in Beijing

Sat, 24 Mar 2018, 8:22 AM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 24 (APP):A grand reception was held in Beijing to celebrate the 78th Pakistan Day and the 67th anniversary of establishment of Pakistan-China diplomatic relations by the Embassy of Pakistan.

The reception was attended by a large number of guests including members of Pakistani community, diplomatic corps, media representatives and Chinese dignitaries. Han Changfu, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs was the chief guest on the occasion, said a message received here on Saturday.

Welcoming the guests, Ambassador Masood Khalid said that Pakistan Day is celebrated every year on 23rdMarch to pay homage to the founders of Pakistan as on this day, Lahore Resolution was adopted which heralded the struggle for attainment of Pakistan.

Ambassador said that leaders of both Pakistan and China have worked selflessly to convert the existing friendship into a strong political and economic co-operation based on mutual benefit and shared prosperity.

Chief guest Han Changfu extended warm congratulations on behalf of the Chinese Government on the 78th anniversary of the passing of Pakistan Resolution.
He termed Pakistan as China’s only all-weather friend and strategic partner and said that China would continue to give priority to China-Pakistan relations. He lauded not only Pakistan’s positive role in multilateral organizations like UNO and OIC but also the enormous sacrifices Pakistan has made in the fight against terrorism.

A cake cutting ceremony took place wherein the Ambassador, Chief Guest and other dignitaries cut the cake.

The Pakistan Day Reception witnessed an entertaining performance from Shahbaz Abdullah and Haroon Shad, two eminent pianists from Pakistan who played Pakistani, Chinese and Western tunes. The guests enjoyed the music and applauded the skill of the artists.

Other dignitaries included Major General Li Chunhao, Deputy Chief of Staff, PLA Air Force and Rashid Alimov, Secretary General, SCO.

Pakistan condemns suicide car bomb Attack in Helmand, Afghanistan

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Sat, 24 Mar 2018, 7:24 AM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 24 (APP):Pakistan strongly condemned the heinous suicide car bomb attack outside a stadium in Helmand Province when people were leaving the stadium after watching a wrestling match on Friday.

“We are grieved at the loss of precious and innocent lives in this brutal act of terrorism”, said a Foreign Office statement issued here on Saturday.

“We express our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

Pakistan reiterates its unequivocal condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations and expresses solidarity with the government and people of Afghanistan in this hour of grief and sorrow.

Diplomats at UN join in to sing ‘Dil, Dil Pakistan’ at reception in NY

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Sat, 24 Mar 2018, 5:33 AM

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 24 (APP):Over a hundred Ambassadors from all regions of the world as well as many more diplomats and UN officials attended a reception hosted by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, to celebrate Pakistan Day.
In her welcoming remarks, Ambassador Lodhi said that Pakistan’s remarkable journey since the Pakistan Resolution was adopted has been powered by the spirit and resilience of the Pakistani people.
“We are gathered here to pay tribute to them and as well as to our founding fathers to whom we owe the
creation of Pakistan,” she added. She also paid tribute to the men and women who serve as UN peacekeepers.
“They keep our flag flying high,” she told the large gathering.
Ambassador Lodhi also spoke about the significance of the day and highlighted the role and contribution of Pakistan at the United Nations.
A large number of Ambassadors gathered around Dr Lodhi to join in for cutting of the cake to mark the colourful Pakistan Day celebrations.
The Pakistan Mission set up photo displays to project Pakistan’s history, culture and its contribution to United Nations peacekeeping. A special photo exhibit highlighted Pakistani women in UN peacekeeping.
With 6,217 troops, Pakistan is among the world’s top troop contributing countries with peacekeepers deployed in UN Missions around the world.
Since 1960, over 200,000 Pakistani personnel have served with professionalism and distinction in 26 countries and 43 UN missions.
Also displayed were photographs of Pakistani women who have excelled in their different professions and walks of life, including Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, Nafis Sadiq, Malala Yusufzai , Shamshad Akhtar, Tehmina Janjua and Abida Perveen.
The reception hall resounded with a soul-stirring rendition of “Dil, Dil, Pakistan,”and other songs by Haider Afzal, a young popular Pakistani singer from the community here.
Among Ambassadors to the UN who attended the reception were China, Russia, Iran, India, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Brazil, Cuba, Iraq, Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Jorden, Lebanon, Norway, Argentina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Oman, Qatar, Vietnam, Croatia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and a number of other ambassadors from Latin American, European and Arab countries.
Also present were senior United Nations officials, UN press corps representatives and members of the Pakistani community.

ECP to take decision on caretaker set-up if government-opposition fail to reach consensus: PM

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Fri, 23 Mar 2018, 7:50 PM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Friday said efforts were being made to install a consensus caretaker set-up after the present government completes its tenure, but if the efforts failed the matter would go to the Election Commission of Pakistan.
Speaking to a private television channel (Aaj Tv), the Prime Minister mentioned the role of opposition particularly the Pakistan People’s Party in the recent elections of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of Senate and said there can be some problems in reaching consensus over the caretaker set-up.
To a question, he said, he did not see any clash among the institutions as the PML-N government was set to complete its Constitutional term after around two months, paving the way for new elections to be held within 60 days.
To another question, the Prime Minister said Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif would continue to guide the party even after any court decision came against him. Any court decisions cannot end the politics of leaders, he remarked.
Prime Minister Abbasi while responding to a question about the PML-N’s candidature for next prime minister said the party would take a decision after it gets majority in the next election.
To another question, he said, there was a need of dialogue among the institutions to take the country forward and strengthen institutions.
The Prime Minister said the PML-N did not believe in “NROs”, adding, it neither opted for any NRO in the past nor it would go for any such arrangement in the future.
To another question, the Prime Minister said there were some problems in the interpretation and implementation of 18th Constitutional Amendment, adding, but there was nothing to worry as such issues were being discussed and resolved through the mechanism of the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

Spectacular joint military parade held to mark Pakistan Day

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Fri, 23 Mar 2018, 5:52 PM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP):A spectacular joint military parade was held here at Parade Ground near Shakarparian to mark the 78th Pakistan Day.
Pakistan Day is celebrated to mark the Lahore Resolution on March 23 each year. The Lahore Resolution, also known as Pakistan Resolution, passed on March 23, 1940, is considered a major milestone in the Muslim struggle for an independent state.
The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran. President Mamnoon Hussain was the chief guest of the ceremony.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Defence Minister Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan, Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee Zubair Mehmood Hayat, Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, Chief of Air Staff Mujahid Anwar Khan also attended the ceremony.
The special feature of this year’s parade was Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena’s participation, who was the guest of honour for the event. The participation of Sri Lankan President in the parade was a demonstration of close friendly ties between the two countries.The Indian Press Attache also attended the parade.
Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam also attended the ceremony. Besides a large number of diplomats from several countries, artists and people from different walks of life attended the ceremony.
Contingents of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, and Pakistan Navy held a march-past and salute to the President of Pakistan. As per tradition, Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan led a fly-past as a salute to the President.
Pakistan armed forces’ troops including Frontier Corps, Pakistan Rangers, Northern Light Infantry, Mujahid Battalion, Tri Services Lady Officers, Tri Services Armed Forces Nursing Services, Special Services Group and President Bodyguards also took part in the parade.
Troops from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participated in the parade for the first time. A marching band from Jordon also featured in the parade for the first time.
Army Aviation and Pakistan Air Force’s aeroplanes showcased scintillating aerobatic skills on the occasion. The combat and attack helicopters and skydivers of airborne units of the Pakistan Armed Forces demonstrated breathtaking skills.
The fighter jets of Pakistan Air Force, which took part in the fly-past included F-16 Fighting Falcon, JF-17 Thunder, Mirage and other surveillance aircrafts.
The fly-past reflects the might of Pakistan Air Force on the national occasion.
Another feature of this year’s ceremony was the demonstration of Turkish Air planes.
Civil organisations also showed their material presence at the parade by exhibiting floats, depicting developments achieved by the country as well as the regional culture and heritage. Cultural delegates from Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan featured during the ceremony, depicting country’s diverse culture.
Following the soldiers’ parade and demonstration of cultural delegates, mechanised columns of various prestigious services of the country exhibited inventory of highly sophisticated and modern weaponry and arsenal. Pakistan armed forces displayed tanks and other weapon systems in the parade. Pakistan Army tanks, including the Al Khalid and Al Zarrar presented gun salutes to the President. Radar systems and other weapons equipped with state-of-the-art military technology were also shown. The Ghauri missile, the Shaheen missile and the NASR missile as well as the Babur cruise missile were also exhibited in the parade.
Earlier, the day dawned with a 31-gun salute in the Federal Capital and 21-gun salute in the provincial capitals. After Fajr prayers, special prayers were offered for the progress, prosperity and welfare of the country, while national flag was hoisted at all major government buildings.

CPEC entails enormous potential for urbanization, job creation in Pakistan: World Bank

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Fri, 23 Mar 2018, 5:50 PM

WASHINGTON, March 23 (APP):A World Bank economist, who co-authored a report prepared jointly by international donor agencies, has said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is among those rare projects of its kind which will create large economic surpluses and will have positive impact all across the society.
“The largest economic gains from investing in transport corridors may arise from urbanization and job creation around this new infrastructure, rather than from many more vehicles using it,” said Martin Melecky, the World Bank economist, adding that not all Corridor investments were equally successful in creating “large economic surpluses that spread fairly throughout society”.
The ADB report titled “The Web of Transport Corridors in South Asia” noted that the $60 CPEC, which has huge investment in road, railways and ports, offers enormous potential for the country to boost its economy, reduce poverty, spread benefits widely and help those likely to be affected by the new trade route.
The report was published by the Asian Development Bank, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the World Bank, and discusses several economic corridors including CPEC.
The report drew a comparison with CEPC and many other transport corridors being implemented across Asia which, it added, would cost trillions of dollars to implement, far exceeding the financing resources available. The joint report reviews the international experience with economic corridors, from the Pacific Ocean Belt in Japan in the 1960s to high-speed train networks in Europe more recently.
The countries undertaking these projects would need to prioritize the most promising corridors that will deliver the expected transformative impacts for their economies and people. Engineering designs and geopolitical considerations could be important, but sound economic analysis is the key to designing truly successful corridors, the report argues.
According to the report, the ability of large-scale transport investments to generate wider economic benefits depends on the population density in the areas they cross. Their capacity to spur structural transformation along the way depends on complementary factors around the transport corridors, such as the skills of the local population or restrictions on local land use.
The new transport infrastructure must come with the means for people to take advantage of the improved connectivity right from the start, it said.
The World Bank Country Director for Pakistan noted that the upcoming Khyber Pass Economic Corridor project was a positive example, where trade facilitation and the development of local economic activities were explicitly integrated in the design of the project.
The joint report also analyzes the impacts of the Golden Quadrilateral highway system in India and finds positive effects, including higher economic activity and better (non-farm) jobs for women. However, air pollution rose in parallel and gains in household consumption were not equally shared across connected districts, it noted.
Appraisal simulations for CPEC and the Kolkata-Dhaka corridor suggest that complementary measures are needed to improve local conditions that in turn will create formal jobs and generate tax revenues that could pay for corridor investments.
In light of the international evidence and specific analyses for South Asia, the report advocates for a more comprehensive design of corridor programs that actively manages tradeoffs and closes potential financing gaps in a sustainable manner.

Govt ready to introduce Amnesty Scheme: Miftah

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Fri, 23 Mar 2018, 5:47 PM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP): Advisor to the Prime Minister on Economic Affairs Dr Miftah Ismail has said the government was ready to introduce Amnesty Scheme and it would be presented very soon.
Talking to a private news channel, he said this scheme would prove as positive for the country and it would be helpfull for national economy.
He said imports were more than exports in these days but increasing dollar price would leave positive impact to the exports, adding that remittances would increase due to decreasing of imports growth.
He said energy prices would decrease in coming days and the country would take lot of benefits by completions of different projects of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Replying to a question, he said Pakistan was not going to any programme of International Monitory Fund (IMF).
The advisor said that Pakistan had $12.8 billion foreign reserves now and $ 600 million would increase more during coming four months.
The government wanted to increase in GDP of the country.

President confers military, civil awards on Pakistan Day

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Fri, 23 Mar 2018, 5:24 PM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP):President Mamnoon Hussain on Friday conferred 58 Military and 73 Civil Awards upon various personalities from different walks of life for their meritorious services in different fields on the occasion of Pakistan Day in a special Investiture Ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The awards in Military categories included Hilal-i-Imtiaz (Military) HI (M) (44) and Sitara-i-Basalat (Military) SBt (14).
The Awards in Civil categories included Nishan-i-Imtiaz (2), Hilal-i-Quaid-i-Azam (1), Hilal-i-Imtiaz (7),Sitara-i-Pakistan (3), Sitara-i-Shuja’at (10), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (11), President’s Award for Pride of Performance (8), Sitara-i-Quaid-e-Azam (1), Tamgha-i-Shuja’at (24) and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (6).
The investiture ceremony was attended by Ministers, parliamentarians, Services Chiefs, diplomats, high civil and military officials, and people belonging to different walks of life.

Following are the recipients of Military and Civil awards:

INVESTITURE CEREMONY – 23RD MARCH, 2018

LIST OF AWARDEES (MILITARY)
S. No Rank & Name
HILAL-I-IMTIAZ (MILITARY) (44)
1.     Air Marshal Aasim Zaheer
2.     Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar
3.     Rear Admiral Habib Ur Rehman Qureshi
4.     Rear Admiral Dr Nassar Ikram
5.     Maj Gen Iftekhar Hussain
6.     Maj Gen Muhammad Salim Jehangir
7.     Maj Gen Zafar Iqbal Sheikh
8.     Maj Gen Shamrez Khan
9.     Rear Admiral Sajid Wazir Khan
10.        Maj Gen Safdar Abbas
11.        Air Vice Marshal Noor Abbas
12.        Maj Gen Khalid Hussain Asad
13.        Maj Gen Najm us Saqib Khan
14.        Maj Gen Tariq Hussain
15.        Rear Admiral Naveed Ahmed Rizvi
16.        Maj Gen Kamran Ali
17.        Maj Gen Manzoor Ahmed
18.        Maj Gen Moazzam Ejaz
19.        Rear Admiral Asif Hameed
20.        Maj Gen Amer Nadeem
21.        Rear Admiral Ahmed Saeed
22.        Maj Gen Nadeem Zaki Manj
23.        Maj Gen Asif Ali
24.        Maj Gen Muhammad Arif
25.        Maj Gen Shaheen Mazhar Mehmood
26.        Maj Gen Muhammad Abdul Aziz
27.        Maj Gen Muhammad Khalil Dar
28.        Maj Gen Shahid Pervaiz
29.        Maj Gen Azhar Naveed Hayat Khan
30.        Maj Gen Zafar Ullah Khan
31.        Maj Gen Syed Asim Munir
32.        Maj Gen Fida Hussain Malik
33.        Maj Gen Hafeez Ur Rahman
34.        Maj Gen Muhammad Ihsan Ullah
35.        Maj Gen Syed Muhammad Adnan
36.        Maj Gen Mohammad Waseem Ashraf
37.        Maj Gen Muhammad Kaleem Asif
38.        Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza
39.        Maj Gen Sardar Tariq Aman
40.        Maj Gen Tahir Masood Bhutta
41.        Maj Gen Sohail Hafeez
42.        Maj Gen Mazhar Ishaq
43.        Maj Gen Salah Ud Din Qasim
44.        Air Vice Marshal Shah Masroor Hussain

S. No Rank & Name
SITARA-I-BASALAT (14)
1.     Commodore Adnan Khaliq
2.     Brig Khalid Farid
3.     Capt  (PN) Faisal Javeed Sheikh
4.     Lt Col Tauqeer Haider (Shaheed)
5.     Wing Commander Fayyaz Ather Malik (Shaheed)
6.     Maj Faheem Badshah Afridi
7.     Maj Muhammad Imran Khan (Shaheed)
8.     Maj Mudasar Sagheer (Shaheed)
9.     Capt Syed Junaid Ali Arshad (Shaheed)
10.       Sub Saeed Khan (Shaheed)
11.       Naib Sub Muhammad Ali
12.       Hav Atta Ur Rehman (Shaheed)
13.       Sep Sajid Ali (Shaheed)
14.       Chef Nazakat Ali
*******

INVESTITURE CEREMONY
23RD MARCH, 2018

LIST OF AWARDEES (CIVIL) – 73

S.No Name of Awardees
I.       NISHAN-I-IMTIAZ
1.            Mr. Tahir Jahangir, Next of Kin (Husband) of      Ms. Asma Jahangir (late)
2.            Dr. Adeeb ul Hassan Rizvi
II.    HILAL-I-QUAID-I-AZAM
3.            Dr. Shawki Ibrahim Abdel-Karim Allam
III.   HILAL-I-IMTIAZ
4.            Mr. Mohammad Anwar Habib
5.            Mr. Aslam Hayat
6.            Mr. Tariq Mahmud
7.            Dr. AnjumTauqir
8.            Mr. Kashif Munir, Next of Kin (Son) of Mr. Munir Ahmad Qureshi (Munnoo Bhai)(Late)
9.            Mr. Nayyar Ali Dada
10.       Barrister Afnan, Next of Kin(Son) of Justice ® Saiduzzaman Siddiqui (Late)
IV.     SITARA-I-PAKISTAN
11.       Mr. Kimihide Ando
12.       Dr. Song Jong-hwan
13.       Mr. Sadiq Khan
V.      SITARA-I-SHUJA’AT
14.       Mr. Muhammad Shafi, Next of Kin (Brother) of Mr. Abdul Ghani (Late)
15.       Mr. Aleem Adil Saif, Next of Kin(Son) of               Mr. Saif-ur-Rehman Shaheed
16.       Mst. Amna Mobin, Next of Kin(Widow) of Capt. (R) Syed Ahmad Mobin Zaidi Shaheed
17.       Mst. Mamoona Zahid, Next of Kin (Widow) of  Mr. Zahid Mehmood Gondal Shaheed
18.       Mr. Sanaullah, Next of Kin (Uncle) of Mr. Muhammad Ashraf Noor Shaheed
19.       Mst. Sumera Hamid, Next of Kin (Widow) of Mr. Hamid Shakeel Sabir Shaheed
20.       Moulana Abid-ur-Rehman, Next of Kin (Son) of Maulana Hassan Jan Shaheed
21.       Dr. Mufti Muhammad Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Next of Kin (Son) of Dr. Mufti Muhammad Sarfraz Naeemi Shaheed
22.       Mr. Fuad Asadullah Khan
23.       Mr. Ghulam Nabi Memon
VI.     SITARA-I-IMTIAZ
24.       Mr. Zia Chishti
25.       Mr. Ashar Aziz
26.       Mr. Makhdum Ali Chishty
27.       Ms. Saira Afzal Tarar
28.       Mr. Ashtar Ausaf Ali
29.       Mian Muhammad Abdullah
30.       Mr. Aftab Sultan
31.       Mr. Zameer Muhammad Ch.
32.       Mr. Zahid Bashir
33.       Mr. Muhammad Ali Tabba
34.       Mr. Shahzad Roy
VII.    PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR PRIDE OF PERFORMANCE
35.       Dr. Mohammad Faheem
36.       Mr. Salman Alvi
37.       Ms. Aqsa Parvez, Next of Kin (Daughter) of            Mr. AslamPervaiz (late)
38.       Mr. Harris  Khalique
39.       Mr. Amin Hafeez
40.       Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Raza
41.       Ms. Najia Rasool
42.       Brig. ® Javed Ahmed Satti
VIII.   SITARA-I-QUAID-E-AZAM
43.       Mr. Afzal Khan
IX.     TAMGHA-I-SHUJA’AT
44.       Mr. Shakeel, Next of Kin (Nephew) of Haji Abu Bakar (Late)
45.       Mr. Abdul Rehman
46.       Mst. Motia, Next of Kin (Widow) of                      Mr. Muhammad MustaqeemShaheed
47.       Mr. Umar Amin Khan, Next of Kin (Son) of Mr. Muhammad Amin Khan Shaheed
48.       Mst. Farzana Asmat, Next of Kin (Widow) of Mr. Muhammad Asmat Ali Shaheed
49.       Mst. Sajida Nadeem, Next of Kin (Widow) of Mr. NadeemTanveerShaheed
50.       Mst. Waqar Ashiq, Next of Kin (Brother-in-Law)) of                  Mr. Muhammad Aslam Shaheed
51.       Mr. Shahzad Mehmood Next of Kin (Brother) of Mr. Irfan Mehmood Shaheed
52.       Col. (R) Safdar Hussain
53.       Syed Pir Muhammad Shah
54.       Mr. Muhammad Rizwan, Next of Kin (Son) of Mr. Muhammad IrfanShaheed
55.       Mst. Taswar Sultana, Next of Kin(Widow) of Mr. Hamid Tauqeer Shaheed
56.       Mr. Muhammad Fazil Shaiq, Next of Kin (Father in Law) of             Mr. Muhammad Arshad Shaheed
57.       Mst. Noor Elahi, Next of Kin (Widow) of                 Mr. Muhammad Azeem Fareedi Shaheed
58.       Mr. Yousaf Rehman, Next of Kin (Son) of                Mr. Maqbool Rehman Shaheed
59.       Mst. Shujaat Bibi, Next of Kin (Widow) of Malik Gul Akbar Khan Shaheed
60.       Mr. Gohar Ali, Next of Kin (Son) of Malik Gul Shah Ali Khan Shaheed
61.       Malik Haji Muhammad Amin
62.       Mr. Hazrat Munir Afridi, Next of Kin (Brother) of Mr. Akhtar Munir Afridi Shaheed
63.       Mr. Mehboob Khan
64.       Mr. Lal Wajid, Next of Kin (Father) of Mr. Taj Alam Shaheed
65.       Mr. Gauhar Ali, Next of Kin (Son) of Naik Jabeen Khan Shaheed
66.       Syed Abdul Ali Shah
67.       Mr. Ishrat Hussain Bhatti
X.      TAMGHA-I-IMTIAZ
68.       Dr. Nadeem Jan
69.       Prof. Muhammad Shamim Khan
70.       Dr. Faiz Ahmed, Next of Kin (Father) of                 Mr. Osama Ahmed Warriach (Late)
71.       Mr. Masood-Ul-Mulk
72.       Mr. Khurram Khan
73.       Ms. Fiza Shah

Pakistan, Sri Lanka agree to diversify, deepen bilateral relations

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Fri, 23 Mar 2018, 5:05 PM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP):Pakistan and Sri Lanka Friday agreed to diversify and deepen the bilateral relations hoping that the ties would continue to grow in future.
The matter was discussed during one-on-one meeting between Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi here at the PM House, said a PM office statement.
On his arrival at PM House, the prime minister received Sri Lankan president who is here on three days visit.
Both the leaders held one-on-one meeting which followed the delegation level talks in a very warm environment.
During the meetings, issues of mutual importance were discussed.

Both sides expressed the hope that bilateral ties will continue to grow in the future also.
The Sri Lankan President extended support for holding of SAARC Summit in Pakistan.
Both the countries also signed three MoUs to enhance cooperation in the fields of
youth development and training of civil and diplomatic personnel.

Besides the MoUs, the presentation ceremony of corneas also took place, which were presented by the Sri Lankan President to the prime minister for treatment of visually impaired persons in Pakistan.

Marriyum urges nation to pledge to transform Pakistan into abode of love and peace

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Fri, 23 Mar 2018, 4:45 PM

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 (APP):Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb Friday urged the nation to make pledge on the historic day of 23rd March that it would remain united to lit the candles of love and affection and transform Pakistan into an abode of peace.
Speaking at a ceremony held at Sweet Home here in connection with Pakistan Day, she said, the nation should vow to relentlessly continue working for the progress and development of the motherland. Whenever Pakistani nation made efforts in unison it had been successful in achieving exemplary accomplishments, she added.
She said that Pakistan Day carried historic importance and was celebrated on March 23 every year to commemorate the Lahore resolution passed in 1940 laying the foundation for a separate homeland. Allama Muhammad Iqbal envisioned Pakistan and Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah turned that dream into reality through the dint of his hard work and unswerving resolve. The Muslims of the Indian sub-continent also played a vital role by rendering greatest sacrifices to achieve a separate state where they could live according to their values and aspirations.
The minister said that children residing in Sweet Homes, particularly those who lost their parents in acts of terrorism, should be made part of our lives. She said that all-out support should be extended to Sweet Homes by rising above all political affiliations as providing quality education to children of the nation was collective responsibility of all.
She said Pakistan offered unparalleled sacrifices in global war against terrorism and it was the result of those great sacrifices that now Pakistan was standing at a juncture where it was getting rid of scourge of terrorism. “One can see the light of peace all around,” the minister said.
Commending the spirit of Pakistani nation against the menace of terrorism, she said that Pakistan had achieved a lot of milestones, from its creation to the present phase of its development.
She said that one can see a rising and prosperous Pakistan making its mark on the world horizons. The sons and daughters of the soil of the nation lit the candles with their blood to attain these objectives.
Now the present generation has to shoulder the responsibility to keep Pakistan moving on the road to development and prosperity, she added.
She said the nation should stay united to promote the culture and values of tolerance in the society as intolerance and indignation can be defeated by rekindling the spirit of love and promoting brotherhood.
She lauded the philanthropists, donors and civil society for financially supporting thousands of orphan children residing in Sweet Homes. She said Chairman Pakistan Sweet Homes Zamurd Khan was determined to do more for the children and others should help him out in this great cause. She said Pakistan Television will start a campaign next week to create awareness among people about the membership for Sweet Homes.
She said that under the guiding principles of “unity, faith and discipline” espoused by Father of the Nation Quad e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, “we have to make concerted efforts to make Pakistan a peaceful, stable and prosperous nation.”
Earlier, the minister along with other guests witnessed the march past of the children of Sweet Homes who also presented the guard of honour.
Zamurd Khan, in his remarks, thanked the generous support of donors who contributed millions of rupees to arrange facilities for the children and for building a multi-story dining hall at Sweet Home in Islamabad.

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Associated Press Of Pakistan

Pakistan Day Reception held in Beijing

Pakistan condemns suicide car bomb Attack in Helmand, Afghanistan

Diplomats at UN join in to sing ‘Dil, Dil Pakistan’ at reception in NY

ECP to take decision on caretaker set-up if government-opposition fail to reach consensus: PM

Spectacular joint military parade held to mark Pakistan Day

CPEC entails enormous potential for urbanization, job creation in Pakistan: World Bank

Govt ready to introduce Amnesty Scheme: Miftah

President confers military, civil awards on Pakistan Day

Pakistan, Sri Lanka agree to diversify, deepen bilateral relations

Marriyum urges nation to pledge to transform Pakistan into abode of love and peace

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