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Seven fixed, three mobile AAQMS established to monitor ambient air

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP):Seven fixed and three mobile Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AAQMS) have been established under “Environmental Monitoring System (EMS)” project in cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency in the country.
Under the project, one fixed station had been established in Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta each, while two in Lahore and Karachi, said an official of Ministry of Climate Change while taking to APP.
Ambient air quality criteria or standards are concentrations of pollutants in the air usually outdoor air but sometimes indoor air specified for a variety of reasons including for the protection of human health, buildings, crops, vegetation, ecosystems, as well as for planning and other purposes
In addition, he said that three mobile stations, one each in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi were also established. “All these stations are equipped with state of the art technology to monitor ambient air round the clock,” he added.
To a question he said, after the passage of 17 and 18th amendments, he said the project was devolved to the provinces, who made their PC-Is and started project on provincial level with required staff.
After the amendment, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency is mandated with its function under Pakistan Environmental Protection Act, 1997, for protection, conservation and rehabilitation of environment in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
During last five years, Pak-EPA has been conducting survey or sampling on need basis to assess the air quality in ambient air particularly during winter, he added.
The official said “Air Quality Monitoring System (AQMS) at Pak-EPA is fully functional for ambient air quality monitoring after 5 years.”

FM Khawaja Asif holds bilateral consultations with Russian counterpart

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 20 (APP):Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who is on an official visit to the Russian Federation, on Tuesday held bilateral consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
They held in-depth discussion on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, important regional and international issues, situation in the Middle East and cooperation between the two countries in the UN and SCO.
Special Secretary (UN&EC/SCO) Ms. Tasnim Aslam, Ambassador of Pakistan to the Russian Federation Qazi M. Khalilullah, Additional Secretary (Europe) Zaheer Janjua, Special Representative of the Russian President on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ms. Maria Zakharova were also present in the meeting.
According to a press release issued by the Foreign Office here, the two Ministers emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral engagement and diversifying cooperation in various fields.
This is evident by the continued high-level interactions between the two countries, including meetings between the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of the Russian Federation in Ufa in July 2015 and Astana in June 2017, and Prime Ministers of the two countries in Sochi last November.
The two Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction at the increasing bilateral cooperation and agreed to further intensify efforts to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, including trade, energy, defense, education, science & technology and people to people contacts.
The two sides agreed to further build on enhancing coordination at multilateral fora. They underscored that Pakistan’s membership of the SCO had provided additional opportunities for deepening cooperation between the two countries.
The Ministers expressed desire to further expand bilateral trade and agreed to work together under the framework of the Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov emphasized the significance of cooperation in the field of energy, including realization of the North-South gas pipeline project. Russian experts are ready to participate in modernization of Pakistan’s energy sector.
The ministers discussed the prevailing situation in Afghanistan and its implications for the region. They reiterated that there was no military solution to the Afghan conflict and a negotiated settlement through an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process was the only viable option for lasting peace in Afghanistan. They agreed to closely coordinate in all Afghanistan-related processes for a regional solution of the Afghan conflict.
There was also unanimity of views that unchecked proliferation of Da’esh in Afghanistan, particularly along the borders of neighboring countries, was a threat to peace in the entire region.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif briefed his Russian counterpart on Pakistan’s vision of a peaceful neighborhood. He underlined that Pakistan believed in resolution of disputes through peaceful dialogue.
The Russian Foreign Minister deeply appreciated Pakistan’s efforts and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. He conveyed Russia’s continued support for enhancing Pakistan’s counter-terrorism capabilities.
Khawaja Asif underscored that Pakistan was, in principle, opposed to sanctions against any country, including Russia, especially when these were politically motivated.
The two Foreign Ministers agreed to continue to consult with each other on a regular basis.

At UN, Abbas calls on world leaders to recognize Palestinian state

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (APP):
Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday called for convening an international conference by mid-2018 that would result in the recognition of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders during a rare address to the United Nations Security Council.
“We call for the convening of an international peace conference by mid-2018, based on international law and the relevant UN resolutions,” Abbas told the 15-member Council in New York.
The Palestinians no longer view Washington as a neutral negotiator and have been calling for a collective approach to try and broker the Middle East peace.
They are angry at US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December and cut to US funding for the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
In his well-reasoned speech, Abbas said that recognizing a Palestinian state would enhance the prospects of succeeding at negotiations with Israel, and added that the Palestinian Authority “continues to strive for recognition by the rest of the states in the world.”
The Palestinian president slammed the Trump administration, describing Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital as an “unlawful decision which was rejected by the international community, to remove the issue of Jerusalem ‘off the table.'”
Abbas said that the only way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was by establishing “a multi-lateral international mechanism emanating from an international conference and in line with international law and the relevant resolutions.”
The Palestinian leader said, “Israel is acting like a state above the law” and said the Israeli government caused the failure of all past efforts to reach peace.
Abbas said that the Palestinians had persisted in their efforts to reach peace with Israel and had engaged in dialogue.
“We are working for the occupation, we are employees of the occupation,” he said, in a reference to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.
He stressed his commitment to non-violence, but said the Palestinians would oppose any attempt to impose a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Israel shut the door on the two-state solution,” the Palestinian president said.
In his address to the Council, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said, “The only way it [Israeli-Palestinian peace] is going to work is with direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians,” while strongly criticising President Abbas for avoiding talks with Israel.
Directly addressing Abbas, Danon told the Palestinian leader, “You are no longer part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
In her address to the Council, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, the staunch Israeli supporter, told President Abbas that while Washington was ready to speak to the Palestinian leadership, “we will not chase after you.”
Although Abbas had left the room, Haley addressed him directly, telling the Palestinian leader that he “must choose between two paths”: rejecting America’s role in peace talks, or moving forward with Washington toward a negotiated compromise.
“The choice, mister president, is yours,” Haley concluded.
Jared Kushner, US President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, was sitting behind Ms Haley in the Council chamber.
Kushner was accompanied by Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s special envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Abbas has been boycotting the Trump administration ever since Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December.

PM for measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers in coming months

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APP101-20 ISLAMABAD: February 20 – Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chairing a meeting on electricity demand and generation at Prime Minister's Office. APP

 

ISLAMABAD, Feb 20 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday directed for greater coordination among the concerned departments and for devising a comprehensive plan to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the consumers during the coming months.
The Prime Minister gave this direction while chairing a meeting here at the PM Office to review electricity demand and generation for the coming months.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari, Secretaries of the concerned divisions and senior government officials.
A detailed presentation was given to the Prime Minister on expected demand till July 2018 and power generation through various resources.

US focus turning to Missile Defence System: Report

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WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (APP):Amid a potential threats from North Korea, the US defence department Pentagon is focusing on bolstering the country’s missile defence system, according to a report by the online news magazine The Hill published on Tuesday.
In the past two months, Pentagon has released two major reviews, the National Defense Strategy and the Nuclear Posture Review, and according to the report, another major report on Ballistic Missile Defence Review is expected in coming weeks.
While, there has been a reduction in two-way rhetoric between the United States and North Korea, Pyongyang remains one of the major threats and will possibly feature high in efforts to bolster the country’s defence.
Two top generals last week stated that while they were confident about the ability of the US missile defences to guard against North Korea, the US needs to bolster the defense systems to protect the country from threats in future.
The Trump administration early this month proposed $686 billion defence budget for the Pentagon, the largest in almost eight years, that focusses on the country’s nuclear defences against threats from China and Russia, but, the White House also cited North Korea in particular.
“The budget increases the capability and capacity of the United States to detect, defeat and defend against any North Korean use of ballistic missiles against the United States, its deployed forces, allies and partners,” according to the budget proposal.
The budget proposal for the fiscal year 2019 includes request for funds “in accordance with direction from the 2018 Missile Defence Review”. It sought $12.9 billion for missile defense system that includes $9.9 billion for the Missile Defence Agency, in an apparent effort to protect the country against North Korea.
The budget sought for strengthening the defense system include $1.7 billion to buy 43 Aegis interceptors, four Ground-based Midcourse Defence (GMD) interceptors and 10 silos for $2.1 billion, 82 Terminal High Altitude Area Defence interceptors for $1.1 billion and 240 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors for $1.1 billion. The increased defence budget would also allow developing an additional missile field in Alaska
On Sunday, the Missile Defence Agency and the Israel Missile Defence Organization successfully completed a flight test of the Arrow 3 weapon system that is designed to defend against ballistic missiles outside of the atmosphere, a report from the Pentagon said.
The Arrow 3 weapons system is a major part of Israel’s multi-layered defence array. This array is based on four layers; Iron Dome and David’s Sling, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems. Arrow 3 interceptors were delivered to the Israeli air force in January 2017 for operational use.

Situation in Syria’s east Ghouta spiraling out of control, warns UN official

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UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (APP):The humanitarian situation of civilians in Syria’s rebel-held east Ghouta area is spiraling out of control, a senior United Nation aid official has warned in the wake of escalating conflict which resulted in more than 40 civilian deaths on Monday alone.
“I am deeply alarmed by the extreme escalation in hostilities in east Ghouta,” Panos Moumtzis, UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, said in a statement issued following clashes that killed over 40 civilians and injured more than 150 injuries in the besieged enclave.
Hundreds of civilians, many of them women and children, have lost their lives or been injured in airstrikes and shelling since November. There have been daily reports about civilians being killed and others being severely wounded, in addition to warehouses, hospitals and schools being damaged or destroyed.
The recent escalation of violence compounds an already precarious humanitarian situation for the 393,000 residents of east Ghouta, many of them internally displaced, and which account for 94 per cent of all Syrians living under siege today.
“The humanitarian situation of civilians in east Ghouta is spiraling out of control,” Moumtzis warned, noting that the lack of access to besieged areas has led to severe food shortages and a sharp rise in food prices, malnutrition rates have now reached unprecedented levels, and the number of people requiring medical evacuations continues to surge.
“We continue to call for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to close to 3 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach locations across Syria, including east Ghouta, and urge all parties to the conflict to strictly adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law to take all feasible measures to protect civilians from harm,” he said.

All constitutional institutions must function within constitutional limits without interference: Marriyum

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APP98-20 ISLAMABAD: February 20 – Ms. Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of State for IB, NH&LH speaking on the floor of National Assembly of Pakistan. APP

ISLAMABAD, Feb 20 (APP):Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Ms Aurangzeb speaking in the National Assembly Tuesday said that all constitutional institutions must function within constitutional limits in a dignified manner without any interference.
The minister said that the Constitution of Pakistan had three pillars and the parliament was one of them, adding that all the institutions owed their existence to the Constitution, which was choreographed by the parliament.
She said that the debate initiated by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the National Assembly yesterday had strengthened Pakistan legally and constitutionally and even the opposition leader had observed that this debate should have been unleashed long ago.
Marriyum said that the judiciary commanded respect because it was custodian of the law and the Constitution and a protector and guarantor of the dignity and honour of the citizens. She said that the prestige and honour of the court was not vitiated by uttering of one sentence by somebody.
She said that giving the epithet of godfather and Sicilian mafia to an elected prime minister was a negation of the mandate of the people. An elected prime minister was sent home with one stoke of the pen but a person who consigned the Constitution to the waste paper basket was not arraigned in the court, she added.
Marriyum said that Nawaz Sharif was not only a name but an ideology and a passion that had penetrated in the hearts of the masses from Peshawar to Karachi. She said that Nawaz Sharif represented an ideology for the sanctity of vote and voice of the people which could not be suppressed. She reiterated that the flag of the sanctity of vote would keep flying against all odds.
The minister observed that they first sent the prime minister home and were now trying to ferret out incriminating evidence. She said that Nawaz had raised voice for the sanctity of vote and connected the people of Pakistan with each other. He was a road-map for the revival of the public opinion and that was the reason he was followed by millions of people where ever he went and were raising slogans of non-acceptance of the verdict for his disqualification, she added.
She said that Nawaz had morphed into voice of the people which should be heard attentively. She said that the former prime minister had launched a movement for the restoration of the judiciary and now was running a campaign for restoration of justice.
The minister said that everyone, including the state institutions, had committed mistakes, adding that it should also be accepted that the registration of a case for the theft of buffalo was a mistake; expressing elation over the execution of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was also a mistake; taking oath from a dictator under the doctrine of necessity, PCO and LFO were also a mistake and a sin. She said that everybody knew the path that the country had traversed during the last 70 years and it was the right moment to ponder whether the next 70 years were also to be spent mourning over the past mistakes and throwing the Constitution into the waste paper basket? She observed that there was an imperative need to use their collective wisdom to set a right direction for the country.
She said that democracy was not the name of a product or the by-election in Lodhran, but it was a process and a political behavior. She said that democracy entailed freedom of expression and the institutions showing subservience to the law and Constitution.
The minister said that the parliament was the true face of the people and its prestige and honour would be upheld only when the one who attacked and sent curses on it was no more its member.
Marriyum said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in his book had written that those who were trying to lower him in the grave were thinking that they would finish him but he would rule the country from the grave. She said that it was their right to criticize the court decision. They hurled a barrage of allegations at an elected prime minister on the basis of ‘Iqama’ and disqualified him. Nawaz Sharif accepted the verdict and immediately implemented it by leaving the post of the prime minister, she added.
The minister said that the time had come to dispense with the tradition of sending the elected prime ministers home.
She said that it was the appropriate moment to promote the thinking of strengthening and protecting the case of the parliament instead of mourning over the past mistakes. She said that if similar verdicts were repeated then for the next 70 years they would be presenting their case in the same way without any gain.
The minister observed that the time had also come to introduce the syllabus for respect of the state institutions in the educational institutions. She said that respect for state institutions was respect for the Constitution which conferred dignity on all the institutions and therefore all the institutions must develop the thinking of paying respect to the Constitution.
She said that everybody would have to play a role by rising above the individual and party considerations for establishing the ascendency of the parliament. She said that the insult of the parliament by any state institution was tantamount to insult of the people of Pakistan.

Cabinet rejects recommendation of NEPRA for upward revision of power tariff

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APP102-20 ISLAMABAD: February 20 – Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chairing a meeting of the Federal Cabinet at Prime Minister's Office. APP

ISLAMABAD, Feb 20 (APP):The federal cabinet on Tuesday rejected the recommendation of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) for upward revision of power tariff and decided to maintain the existing power tariff.
The cabinet took this decision while discussing rationalization of power tariff in its meeting held here at the PM Office with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in chair.
The meeting ratified decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) in its meeting held on 01-02-2018.Decisions taken by Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet in its meeting held on 07-02-2018 were also ratified.
Report of the committee constituted for naming of new Islamabad International Airport was also presented during the meeting. It was decided that the members may consider recommendations made in said report for reaching a consensus on name during the next meeting.
The Cabinet approved nomination of Director on the Board of Directors of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGL).
Re-constitution of the Board of Directors of Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) and ex-officio members in case of Utility Stores Corporations (USC) were also approved.
The Cabinet approved the appointment of General Manager (Engineering) Karachi Port Trust.
Proposal for grant of additional charge of the post of Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) was also approved.
The meeting also approved appointment of Executive Member of PEMRA. Pakistan Origin Card (POC) Rules were approved.
Discussing the issue of land lease between Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and National Industrial Parks Development and Management Company (NIP), the Cabinet reiterated its resolve to promote foreign investment in the country which would help in the growth of economy and creation of job opportunities in the country.
It was decided to constitute a committee, headed by Minister for Privatization, to look into the matter and present its recommendations during next meeting.
The federal cabinet also discussed in detail the issue of repatriation of Afghan Refugees and considered various recommendations for addressing this issue.
Noting that the Cabinet had twice granted extension in the validity of Proof of Residence (POR) Card, it was decided that the Government would extend all possible facilitation towards voluntary repatriation of Afghan Refugees holding POR cards.
It was emphasized that the international community should also fulfill its obligations towards shouldering this responsibility to ensure smooth repatriation and rehabilitation of the refugees.

Arrangements finalized to make PSL successful: Sethi

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 20 (APP):Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Najam Sethi Tuesday said arrangements had been finalized to make the third edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) successful.
“We had already organized two successful editions of the PSL,” he said talking to a private news channel.
He said all the franchises had paid the due amount for PSL and expressed the hope that people would enjoy the matches. Efforts were underway to organize the matches of PSL 2019 in Pakistan, he added.
Sethi said the PSL had paved the way for revival of international cricket in Pakistan. The West Indies would play a series in Pakistan after PSL 2018 while Pakistan would also play series with Australia and New Zealand in Malaysia, he added.
He said the PCB would take steps to curb match fixing in the PSL.

European Parliament expresses satisfaction on progress achieved by Pakistan

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 20 (APP):The European Parliament has expressed satisfaction on the progress achieved by Pakistan in enacting new laws and developing new institutions for implementation of 27 core conventions of GSP+ specially the National Action Plan for Human Rights.
In a meeting of International Trade Committee (INTA) held in Brussels at the European Parliament to discuss the 2nd Biennial Assessment Report of GSP+, the Parliament hoped that Pakistan would continue to engage with the EU and ensure to bridge implementation gaps during the next two years of reporting on GSP+.
The Committee on International Trade also agreed to deliberate upon possibility of up-scaling relationship with Pakistan from a beneficiary of GSP+ Scheme to an FTA partner in future, said a message received here.
The process of monitoring of compliance of GSP+ for next biennial assessment report for 2018-2019 would start in March 2018 by the European Commission.
Secretary Commerce Mohammad Younus Dagha had travelled to Brussels to follow developments with regard to on-going deliberations by the EU Parliament and to undertake necessary engagements with policy makers in European Parliament, European External Action Service and European Commission.
It specifically appreciated establishment of National Human Rights Commission and National Action Plan for Human Rights among other measures. During the session it was announced that GSP+ monitoring missions shall undertake visits to Pakistan, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan and Bolivia in second half of 2018 to interact with stakeholders engaged in implementation of mandatory conventions for GSP+.
Pakistan is one of the 10 beneficiaries of EU’s GSP+ Scheme. As a result of duty free access available to Pakistan in 28 member states Pakistan’s exports to the EU have increased from 4.54 billion Euros in 2013 to 6.29 billion Euros in 2016 which implies an increase of 38%. This duty free access has been crucial for Pakistani products to maintain their competitiveness in the EU market vis-à-vis similar products originating from India, Turkey, Vietnam and China.
Ms. Naghmana Hashmi, Ambassador of Pakistan to the EU and Mr. Omar Hameed, Economic Minister of Pakistan to the EU also accompanied Mr. Mohammad Younus Dagha, Secretary Commerce in the meeting of INTA committee.

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