ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):Members of the Pak-China Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Senate and Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing Thursday agreed on enhanced parliamentary exchanges between the two countries to further boost their historic bilateral relations.
The meeting of the Friendship Group was held here at the Parliament House with Senator Saleem Mandviwala in the chair and was attended by senators Taj Afridi, Seher Kamran, Daud Achakzai, Kalsoom Parveen and Sassui Palijo, Chinese Ambassador Yao Jing and Director General China at Foreign Office Ms Ayesha Ahsan, said a press release.
Both the sides also agreed on the importance of taking parliamentarians into confidence on the developments on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The Chinese ambassador appreciated the idea of regular interactions with the members of Friendship Group as well as with senators from the provinces, which were a vital part of the CPEC.
Ayesha Ahsan gave a comprehensive briefing on political system of China, its state organisational structure, Pakistan-China bilateral relations, parliamentary exchanges, economic and trade relations, developments in the free trade agreement between the two countries, foreign direct investment, work on the CPEC and way forward for enhanced interactions.
The briefing was followed by an interactive question answer session in which senators asked pertinent questions, which were responded to by the ambassador.
Senator Mandviwala stressed upon bridging the gap of information that lay among different stakeholders on the development and scope of the CPEC. Regular interaction would diminish the doubts that arose due to uncertainty, he added.
Pak-China Friendship Group, envoy agrees to enhance parliamentary exchanges
No proposal to impose carbon tax on industry under consideration: Mushahidullah
ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):Federal Minister for Climate Change Mushahidullah Khan Thursday said neither carbon tax was currently imposed on any industrial sector in the country not any proposal in that regard was under consideration.
Answering a question in the Senate, the minister said the Ministry of Climate Change would be launching a study with the support of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to evaluate application on ‘carbon pricing’ in Pakistan.
He said the study would examine if such a price/tax on carbon suited Pakistan and if the country could benefit from such a tax in terms of climate change mitigation and achievement of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and for attracting international funding/support for climate action.
Replying to another question, he said three major earthquakes had occurred in the country during last five years, two in Mashkhel and Awaran in Balochistan in 2013 and one in October 2015.
He said during the last five years, the federal and provincial governments paid Rs 16,409.40 million to the respective provincial / state / regional authorities for payment of compensation to the earthquake victims.
Replying to another query, the minister said the Emergency Relief Cell (ERC) of the Cabinet Division had been merged into National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) with the approval of the prime minister.
He also informed the Senate that after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) was mandated for protection, conservation and rehabilitation of environment in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
He said the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, Islamabad had recently planned a 30-day survey of ambient air quality monitoring of sectors 1-9 and I-10, and Kahuta Triangle industrial areas.
It had started monitoring from February 1, 2018 by using its state of the art mobile automatic ambient air quality monitoring station and high volume air samplers for suspended particle matter (SPM), he added.
To a question, Mushahidullah said a programme had been approved with an estimated cost of Rs 3.652 billion to plant 100 million trees over a period of five years (2016-17 to 2020-21).
Under the programme, the planting activity was being carried out in all the four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in different ecological locations, he added.
The minister said an amount of Rs 605.172 million had been allocated, out of which Rs 242.068 was released and Rs 240.424 million spent during 2017-18 on the tree plantation project.
Ministry celebrate religious festival of Kalash Community: Senate told
ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):Minister for Religious Affairs and Inter-Faith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf Thursday
informed the Senate that his ministry celebrated religious festival of Kalash
community on August 19, 2017 like other minorities communities.
Responding to a Calling Attention Notice raised by Karim Ahmed Khawaja and Mukhtar Ahmed
Dhamrah about difficulties being faced by the Kalash Community, the minister said
an amount of Rs 136,000 was also provided to poor member of the community
on their demand.
He said some small development schemes worth Rs1.5 million were also included on the demand
of the community.
He said the ministry had also written a letter to the Director General Immigration and
Passport to write Kalash in column of religion for the people of community on
their demand.
NPC chairman for adding Water as subject in curriculum
ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):Chairman of Nazariya Pakistan Council (NPC), Dr Naeem Ghani Thursday underlined the need for adding ‘Water’ as a subject in the curriculum to create awareness among students about the importance of water in our daily lives.
Addressing a conference on “Water Resources Issues and Our Responsibility” he urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to ensure appropriate use of water in agriculture, industrial and domestic sectors.
Highlighting the role of water in our lives, he said water shortage was becoming a serious issue with each passing day in the twin cities.
Chairman of Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) Dr Muhammad Ashraf while giving a briefing on appropriate usage of water said Pakistan had three major water reservoirs through which the 17 million hector land was being cultivated.
“As the population of Pakistan is growing day by day, the need of water is also increasing for which we should keep our environment including rivers, dams, lakes and canals neat and clean as we do our homes”, he added.
Senate body recommends budget for GB equal to other provinces
ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):The Senate Standing Committee on Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan Thursday urged the federal government to provide Gilgit Baltistan (GB) with the annual budget at par with other provinces.
The committee which met here under the chair of Chairman Senator Sajid Mir also recommended the federal government that the funds package for GB should be given in forms of the budget, not grant in accordance with the needs of the area.
The body also called for filling the vacant posts in the government organizations of GB and asked the Ministry of Finance to approve the appointment on the vacant posts suggested by the GB authorities.
The GB authorities told the committee that the federal government had also slashed the number of posts besides abolishing 191 seats.
Mentioning the shortage of workforce in water and power sector, the authorities concerned apprised the committee that the finance ministry had approved only 1560 posts against 3,000 proposed by the GB government.
Secretary Ministry of Kashmir Affairs said that a grant formula in form of a package was being finalized for GB.
The decision to this effect would be taken soon as it required a constitutional amendment and a presidential order, he added.
Senator Rehman Malik said that Gilgit-Baltistan should be given budget equal to other provinces besides suggesting special budget for China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects.
He also called for including Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and FATA in the NFC Award.
The committee was informed that the budget for Azad Kashmir’s annual development projects had been doubled from Rs 12 billion to Rs 22 billion.
Currently, two power projects in AJK were generating 1150 MW of electricity. Neelum Jhelum project would add another 969 MW of electricity in next two months.
The officials said that GB had the potential of generating 50,000 MW from hydel resources.
The meeting was attended by Senators Rehman Malik, Ahmad Hassan, Momin Afridi, Najma Hamid, besides senior officials of Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.
Baligh asks ministers to apprise regarding implementation of Urdu as official language
ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):Federal Minister for Education, and Chairman Federal Cabinet Committee on Implementation of Urdu as Official Language, Engr. Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman in a letter has asked all the Federal Ministers and In charges of Divisions to apprise his office regarding the progress on implementation of Urdu as official language in their respective ministries by March 20.
It may be noted that in the light of Prime Minister’s order on July 6, 2015, all the Federal Ministries and Divisions were earlier informed about the mid-term and long-term steps to be taken for implementing Urdu as official language, a news release said on Thursday.
WB to launch prosperity fund for Pakistan on Friday
ISLAMABAD, Feb 22 (APP):The World Bank in collaboration with UK Prosperity Fund would formally launch prosperity fund for Pakistan for the capacity building of federal and provincial institutions involved in promotion of investment in the country on Friday.
Under this initiative capacity building of Federal Board of Investment (BoI) and Sindh Board of Investment would be undertaken,which also initiate new investment strategy for Pakistan and redesigning of BoI website.
In this regard a-day long session for redesigning of BoI website would be held here to make it interactive and more business friendly.
Ahad Cheema remanded in NAB custody
LAHORE, Feb 22 (APP):An accountability court Thursday handed over former head of Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Khan Cheema on 11 days physical remand to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scam.
The NAB officials produced Ahad Cheema, who currently heads two power companies, before Accountability
Court Judge Muhammad Azam in a special vehicle amid strict security arrangements.
The NAB prosecutor alleged that Ahad Cheema misused his authority as LDA’s director general and awarded a contract of Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme to Lahore Casa Developers, a joint venture company, which was ineligible for the purpose.
He claimed that the accused also received illegal gratification in the form of 32 kanal land from one of the shareholder companies of the said joint venture. He pleaded the court to grant 14-day physical remand of the accused for investigation purposes.
Ahad Cheema, however, denied all the allegations levelled against him and contended that all steps were taken in
accordance with law and the NAB authorities did not have any evidence against him.
But the court remanded Ahad Khan to NAB custody for 11 days and directed to produce him again on expiry of the remand term.
It may be mentioned that the NAB authorities arrested Ahad Khan Cheema Wednesday after he failed to appear before its combined investigation team despite being summoned for the purpose of inquiry.
Guterres calls UN Charter “our living template” for tackling global challenges
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 22 (APP):The principles outlined in the UN Charter remain the foundations of international relations and global harmony, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said.
“So, while the Charter’s Principles are as relevant as ever, we must continue to update its tools, we must use those tools with greater determination, and we must go back to the Charter’s roots for inspiration as we strive to deliver for “we the peoples,” Guterres told a ministerial-level briefing of the Security Council on the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.
Calling for rebalancing the approach to international peace and security, the UN chief underscored the need to help countries avert the outbreak of crises“ both natural and man-made” as well as the importance of full commitment to all human rights and inclusion of women in peace efforts.
“Preventing crises is primarily the responsibility of member states. Chapter VI of the Charter [on Pacific Settlement of Disputes] describes the tools that are available to them for that purpose“ negotiation; enquiry; mediation; conciliation; arbitration; judicial settlement; and other peaceful measures and means,” the Secretary-General stressed, adding that the UN, including his own good offices, stand ready to help prevent, manage or resolve conflicts.
Guterres also highlighted the role of Chapters VII and VIII on action with respect to threats to the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression; and regional arrangements, respectively, and said that regional perspectives are critical in understanding challenges and regional ownership essential for sustainable solutions.
In that context, the UN chief noted the partnership between the Organization and the African Union on peace and security, and the alignment of the 2030 Agenda with Africa’s Agenda 2063.
“The Purposes and Principles of the Charter speak to today’s challenges as firmly as they spoke to people who had just lived through the most horrible war the world has ever seen,” Guterres said.
The UN chief began his remarks with an appeal for an immediate suspension of all war activities in Syria’s conflict-battered eastern Ghouta, where, he said, “a human tragedy is unfolding in front of our eyes [with] 400,000 people living in hell on earth.”The Charter is our living template for serving “we the peoples’,” he added.
“I don’t think we can let things go on in this horrendous way,” Guterres said, while explaining that an estimated 700 people in the town, near the Syrian capital, Damascus, need urgent treatment that cannot be provided there. A pause in the violence would allow for evacuations and for other civilians to be treated on site.
He also noted that acknowledged that the liberation of Kuwait from the forces of Saddam Hussein took place 27 years ago this month. This anniversary “ of an undertaking in which the international community used the collective security principles outlined in the UN Charter to address a breach of the peace“ is a fitting backdrop to today’s discussion.”
Speaking alongside Guterres, former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, also highlighted that that the primary responsibilities in the Security Council to maintain international peace and security are needed now more than ever.”
“In order to effectively respond to non-traditional and transnational security challenges such as climate change, terrorism and violent extremism, nuclear proliferation, and cross-border insecurity, the Security Council should undergo reforms to be more flexible in its decision-making process,” he said.
Ban also noted that multilateralism cannot be upheld by only one member state or a group of states and urged the UN system, including the Security Council to strive to overcome “whatever challenges may loom over the horizon.”
He also emphasized the need for the entire membership of the Organization to faithfully and thoroughly implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change while coping with other new challenges including, among others, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Journalism and democracy were sine quo non for each other: Marriyum
ISLAMABAD, Feb 21 (APP):Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb speaking at a seminar on ‘Challenges Facing the Country and Role of Media’ under the auspices of CPNE here Wednesday said that journalism and democracy were sine quo non for each other and independence of media without democracy was almost impossible.
She said that democracy was a behavior that allowed the independence for writing and speaking according to one’s own will and thinking respectively.
She that the media and screen did not allow the attacks on democracy to succeed adding that media had a key role in its continuity. The minister said that media had yet to do a lot more in the national interest, like moving forward with a collective thinking. Marriyum said that the promulgation of the Access to Information Act was a big achievement of the PML (N) government and access to information was only possible during the democratic era.
She said that for the first time the country was witnessing uninterrupted continuity of democracy for a decade and the next thing was to set a direction and determining the constitutional role. The minister revealed that the government had decided to review the pending cases against Media houses in PEMRA and to resolve the issues amicably without having to pay heavy fees to the lawyers.
Marriyum said that the media had played a very positive role in regards to CPEC saying that it was a gift for the country, region and posterity. She said that the journalists based at Gwadar were projecting the benefits of CPEC in a much better way. The minister said that a number of countries including European nations were interested in CPEC and its success would herald the success of all the stakeholders.
The minister said that history was witness to the fact that during dictatorship the newspapers were brought out with empty pages and TV programmes were censored. She said that the news should be presented truthfully with proper context as sensationalizing it was tantamount to breach of trust.
The minister referring to the news about federal health minister Sara Tarar said that in such cases taking and publishing the version of the affected party was also part of the media ethics. She said that the media was also carving a niche for itself like democracy.
Marriyum observed that the country was passing through a new era wherein the constitutional role of judiciary, parliament and executive was being discussed through pen and dialogue instead of in the drawing rooms.
The minister said that the curricula of the Information Service Academy had been revised and from now onward capacity building courses for journalists would also be organized. She said that the government was also working on the legislation for protection and safety of the journalists which was in the last stages of its finalization.
She said that she was making efforts to have it passed before the completion of the tenure of the government so that the media could benefit from it.
While congratulating CPNE over the completion of 60 years of existence she observed that it had played its role with unfaltering determination against all odds during political as well as dictatorial regimes. She also revealed that the recommendations given by the CPNE during a meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had been approved by him.
The seminar was attended by leaders of political parties, representatives of CPNE and a great number of editors of the news papers from all over the country.