ISLAMABAD, Mar 19 (APP):As many as 5,949 formal feeder schools of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) are functional across the country with 355,000 enrollments along with 6,000 adult functional literacy centers, said Chairperson Razina Alam Khan on Monday. Briefing Senior Management meeting about NCHD’s plan of skill development, training programmes along with imparting education, she observed that the initiatives would provide employment opportunities to the illiterates by making them skillful. She said NCHD had started Adult Literacy Programme for the mothers and Universal Primary Education through its Feeder Schools in the remote areas for the unprivileged children.
NCHD developed many models and initiatives are taken to provide education to all with equal rights and creating opportunities both for girls and boys.
“It is encouraging to note that the number of out of school children has decreased to 22.8 million in the country, now we have to make them all bright stars and to stop dropouts from schools. It is the time to convert all our commitments, strategies and plans into action and work with true spirit for eradicating illiteracy and rights of the children,” she stressed.
It was target to achieve targets of 90% literacy rate and 100% enrollment by 2025, she maintained. Establishment of Non-formal Schools in Islamabad in collaboration with JICA Pakistan, and running of 100 madrassa Feeder Schools for mainstreaming the children with Universal Primary Education, Community Learning Centers, and School Health Programs for children and adult literacy centers at workplace and jails were our successful innovations, she observed.
While talking about Pakistan being a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Pakistan always remained at the fore front to advocate, protect and promote child’s rights.
“Our resolve towards child welfare continues to reflect in our state policies,” she stated.
She commended the efforts of Ministry of Human Rights for introducing the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act 2016, which clearly stated harsh punishment for offences against children including exposure to child abuse and human trafficking.
Education and awareness is the only way to bring a positive change in attitudes of individuals as well as society with other stakeholders on board is on a mission to empower women and children to become useful citizens with sources of earnings.
She said the focus was on educational and training aspects including skill development.
Being Muslims and under the Constitution of Pakistan we were under obligation to promote best interests of children by providing them access to equal opportunities without any discrimination, she said.
“In our programmes we should ensure that children are being provided a conducive, healthy and protective environment for learning,” she stressed, adding checking the dropout of children from schools was another gigantic duty of us.

ISLAMABAD, Mar 19 (APP):Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Justice (Retd) Javed Iqbal on
Monday directed the Lahore Bureau for expeditious disposal of corruption cases
including mega corruption.
He said these vases should be processed on basis of solid evidence,
without delay and any external pressure.
He was chairing a meeting at NAB Lahore to review overall
performance of Bureau, especially progress on all mega corruption
cases which are under process.
Director General NAB Lahore gave detailed briefing on
overall performance of NAB Lahore, especially latest progress
on all mega corruption cases.
The Chairman said NAB was absolutely committed to eradicating
corruption with iron hands across the board by adopting Zero
Tolerance Policy.
He directed the DG Lahore Bureau for not sparing any corrupt,
dragging them in dock and depositing looted money into national
exchequer as per law.
He appreciated performance of NAB Lahore and directed all
officers to double their efforts in nabbing corrupt, proclaimed
offenders and absconders.

ISLAMABAD, Mar 19 (APP):An Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) issued arrest warrants for Tehreek-e-Labbaik-Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA) cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi and Afzal Qadri.
ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand issued the warrants while hearing the case in connection with last year’s sit in at Faizabad interchange.
During course of proceedings, the bench expressed displeasure over police which failed to submit final challans against Rizvi and Pir Fazal and directed police to submit it till April 4.
Prosecutor Shafqaat Chaudhry informed the court that despite service of various summonses, the clerics did not appear.
The court then directed the prosecution to issue proclamations for Rizvi and other leaders of Tehreek-e-Labbaik along with arrest warrants for them.
Three cases have been registered against Rizvi, Qadri and Maulana Inayat and protestors.

ISLAMABAD, Mar 18 (APP):Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor has said that Pakistan has eliminated sanctuaries of all terrorists groups including the Haqqani Network from its soil through a well-thought-out military campaign.
“But all this has come with a huge price.
Besides cost in blood of over 75,000 Pakistanis, there has been loss of more than $123 billion to the national exchequer,” he said in an exclusive interview with Gulf News.
On the possibility of peace between India and Pakistan, he said he believed that all issues between the two nuclear-armed countries, including the core issue of Kashmir, need to be resolved to normalize the bilateral relationship.
The DG ISPR talked about Pakistan’s success in the war against terrorism, Pakistan-India relations and the possibility of peace between the two countries. He also discussed Pakistan’s relations with the UAE and the $54-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which will link Pakistan’s Gwadar Port with China.
To a question as what measures has been taken to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan, he said the country has fought a successful war against terrorism — a war which entered Pakistan through the
2,611-km scantily manned Pak-Afghan border when US-led coalition forces started military operations in Afghanistan against AQ [Al Qaida]. Whereas there are no more organised sanctuaries, for elimination of remaining disorganised scanty residual presence of militants, Operation Raddul Fasaad, a largely intelligence-based operation is in progress, he said.
Effects of operation have visibly reduced the level of violence throughout Pakistan. This residual presence also takes advantage of 2.7 millions Afghan refugees inside Pakistan by morphing into peaceful refugees. There is a need to undertake their respectable repatriation to their country, he added.
Major General Asif Ghafoor said presently there are over 200,000 Pakistani troops deployed in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along Pak-Afghan border. “This deployment is to continue
despite successes inside Pakistan as threat continues to reside inside
Afghanistan not due to lack of will but lack of capacity of the Afghan forces.”
To safeguard own success, he said Pakistan has started to fence entire 2,611-km length of Pak-Afghan border and construction of new forts and posts along the border to deny free cross-border movement of terrorists.
Besides kinetic operations, Pakistan has undertaken major socio-economic development projects in cleared areas. This is aimed at carrying forward relative stability to enduring peace, he added.
To another question he said Pakistan contingent to Saudi Arabia is part of the ongoing Pak-Saudi bilateral security cooperation since 1982. “It is neither part of Islamic Force nor it shall be deployed
outside KSA borders. The role of Pakistani troops is training and advice. Pakistan has similar bilateral security arrangements with other GCC and regional countries,” he said.
Replying to a question as what measures are being taken after the US suspended aid to Pakistan, he said the main US concern is alleged inaction against Haqqani Network. Pakistan has operated
against terrorists of all hue and colour including the Haqqani Network.
Earlier, till 2014, Pakistan focused on operations against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and targeted Haqqani Network during Operation Zerb-e-Azb, (from]) 2014 onwards. This was due to lack of capacity and not lack of will.
There are no organized terrorists sanctuaries inside Pakistan anymore, he added.
He said Pakistan has repeatedly conveyed the above stance to US authorities. “Present violence inside Afghanistan should not be linked to Pakistan. Pakistan shall do anything to support achievement of peace in Afghanistan but can neither fight inside Afghanistan nor will do it again inside Pakistan,” he added.
To ensure achieving peace in Afghanistan, he said ungoverned spaces inside Afghanistan would have to be cleared by Afghan and RSM (Resolute Support Mission) Forces. A better Pak-Afghan border security arrangement are quintessential towards this end. Pakistan has long been pursuing this with Afghanistan, he said.
Major General Asif Ghafoor said that Pakistan maintains excellent brotherly relationship with the UAE. “(The) UAE has assisted Pakistan phenomenally for socio-economic development projects during our counter-terrorism effort in FATA.
“We don’t foresee any deterioration in our relationship and look forward to continued strong relationship. The UAE Army contingent is participating in a Pakistan National Day Parade this month,” he said.
He said various independent international surveys report that more than 50 per cent of Afghan areas are not under effective control of Afghan forces. “There is scanty presence of Afghan forces along Pak-Afghan border. Lack of effectiveness inside Afghanistan cannot be
done away with by throwing blame on Pakistan. If Afghanistan still believes that there is a support to TTA from Pakistani soil, they must come up with actionable intelligence.
“No country other than a Pakistan is more keen to see a peaceful Afghanistan as we are the immediate neighbours. Peace in Afghanistan is important for peace in Pakistan,” he added.
To a query he said threat from India is perpetual as it is not only challenging Pakistan conventionally along its (Pakistan’s) eastern borders, but is busy in fomenting unrest through terrorism using Afghan soil. And this is not mere rhetoric. Pakistan has arrested a
serving Indian naval officer, Kulbhushan Jadhav working as RAW, (Research and Analysis Wing, India’s primary foreign intelligence agency) agent in Pakistan.
So we are not having any let-up in safeguarding against Indian threat, he remarked.
He said Pakistan has successfully fought against threat of terrorism and now consolidating it for enduring peace and stability. “While threat remains from India, both in conventional and sub-conventional domain, our biggest challenge is to maintain this stability with threat still residing inside Afghanistan coupled with economic difficulties,” he maintained.
He said Pakistan has a strong and combat-hardened professional standing armed forces ready to thwart and defeat any threat. “We are a responsible nuclear power with over 200 millions resilient Pakistanis. No threat can deter our national resolve.”
To another question he said Pakistan is a peaceful country and does not want conflict with anyone. “However, our desire for peace should never be mistaken as our weakness. For normalised Indo-Pak relationship, all issues including the core issue of Kashmir between the two nuclear countries need to be resolved. India needs to behave like a responsible country, stop atrocities on both sides of the LOC (Line of Control) and also discontinue interference inside Pakistan through state-sponsored terrorism.”
He said continuity of CPEC is not linked to elections or any other event. China is our time-tested friend and CPEC is a nation-to-nation project. “We know enemies of peace and of Pakistan are trying to scuttle CPEC, but Pakistan shall never let them succeed. Pakistan Army has the responsibility for security of the project, which is engine of progress not only for Pakistan but for the region. For this special security, a division has been raised,” he said.
The DG ISPR said that Pakistan has been successful in war against terrorism adding that peace has gradually returned to the country. “We are moving towards enduring stability. CPEC is progressing
well. All this is affording economic investment opportunities in Pakistan.
There are no threats anymore and environment is conducive for investment.
“Peace and prosperity is our destination and we expect the world to contribute in promoting peace and economy not only in Pakistan but in the region as well,” he added.