KARACHI, June 29 (APP): The PIA has offered full support to Turkish Airlines in transporting their passengers disturbed due to flight diversions in the aftermath of terror incident at Istanbul airport early Wednesday morning.

This was stated by the spokesman of the national flag carrier here.

He further stated that expressing his grief and sorrow over the
incident, the CEO PIA, Bernd Hildenbrand, said that `we are deeply
sorry for this tragedy and as Code Share partners with Turkish
Airlines, we are ready to extend our all out support to them’.

PESHAWAR, June 29 (APP): The spokesman for PM Advisor, Engineer
Ameer Muqam in KP, Muhammad Afzal on Wednesday strongly denied a news item regarding land grabbing in Malam Jabba and said “we have neither grabbed any land nor have link with land grabbers.”

However Muhammad Afzal said a mafia belonging to Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf has illegally occupied 2200 kanal land in Malam Jabba.

He further said PTI ministers from Mardan, Swabi and Nowshera were reportedly involved in this land grabbing and various inquiries against them were initiated in Ehtesab Commission but later the same were put into cold storage and no action was taken against the responsible.

Afzal appealed to NAB and judiciary to take suo moto action against the involved persons in larger national interest.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 29 (APP): Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz MNA Talal Chaudhry Wednesday said the opposition parties who have filed references against the Prime Minister in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), will also accept its decision.

Talking to a private news channel, he said opposition after filing
reference against Prime Minster Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, should stand by their position and wait for decision.

He said the mandate of the parliamentary committee to frame Terms of
Reference (ToRs) was to propose a proper forum for investigation of the information revealed through Panama Papers and mention to relevant laws, he said.

Talal Chaudhry said it was also included in its task to formulate
such ToRs that should devise terms for investigation of all those whose names were mentioned in the Panama Papers.

To a question on Prime Minister’s return to Pakistan, he said the
Prime Minister is recovering fast after heart surgery and eager to return.

Transferring powers to Local Governments (LG) will positively be done
after the decision by the Lahore High Court in a case regarding local
governments.

Talal Chaudhry said, few years back Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) were no go areas. But, with the efforts of the present government, situation has improved and no go areas have almost been abolished.

He said the federal government is working in coordination with the
provincial governments on security issues and is taking every possible
measure to root out extremists and protect lives and properties of the
people.

LAHORE, June 29 (APP): Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Wednesday said that Punjab government had given the biggest development budget in the history of the province and this balanced budget would change the destiny of the masses.

Talking to a delegation of assembly members belonging to PML-N here,
he said that record funds of Rs 550 billion had been allocated under
Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the next fiscal year. He also congratulated the MPAs over the conduct of budget session of Punjab Assembly in an excellent manner and approval of provincial budget for the year 2016-17.

The Chief Minister said that provincial government had earmarked
billions of rupees for the progress and prosperity of the people of
Punjab and implementation of the biggest ADP reflected government priorities to raise people’s living standard. The ADP would usher in a new era of progress as billions of rupees had been allocated for uplift of backward areas and more resources had been allocated like the previous years in the new budget for the welfare programmes of South Punjab.

The Chief Minister said that a positive change would be brought in
the lives of the people through implementation of development schemes under the ADP. He said that utilization of billions of rupees for education, health, agriculture and social sectors would result in development of these sectors.

Shehbaz Sharif said that a splendid package had also been given for the uplift of agriculture and prosperity of cultivators, adding that decrease in the prices of Urea, DAP and tariff rate for agri tube-wells, besides the programme of provision of interest-free loans would benefit the farmers. Facilities were being given to cultivators on priority basis for making up their losses due to recession at international level.

The Chief Minister said the new budget reflected durable development,
strong economy and balanced development of all areas, asserting that measures proposed in the new budget would result in poverty alleviation and minimizing gap between the rich and the poor.

He mentioned that implementation of a big programme for repair and
rehabilitation of rural roads would result in progress of rural economy.

He said that supply of potable water to people living in villages would be ensured through Saaf Pani Project worth Rs 30 billion.

Referring to the efforts for eliminating energy crisis, the Chief
Minister said that a lot of work had been done for overcoming this problem so as to ensure speedy development and promotion of economic and social activities and efforts were being made round the clock for this purpose under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

He said that early solution of energy problem was priority of the government and it was working on various power projects based on gas, coal, solar energy and hydel power. He said that completion of several energy projects would result in addition of thousands of megawatts electricity in the national grid.

The Chief Minister said that Punjab government had completed the only project of power generation from solar energy in the history of the country with its own resources. He said that work was also being carried out on solar power project of 900 megawatt at Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park and it would start producing 300 megawatts electricity within next few days. He said that federal and Punjab governments were also working on gas-based energy projects of 3600 megawatts. He said that PML-N government would honor the promise of removing darkness from the country and completion of power projects would result in elimination of load-shedding and availability of cheap electricity.

QUETTA, June 29 (APP): Four personnel of the Frontier Corps Balochistan embraced martyrdom when they came under attack by unknown armed assailants on Double Road in the provincial capital, here on Wednesday.

The police sources said that FC personnel were standing at a motor workshop to get their vehicles repaired when unknown armed men riding motorcycles came there and opened indiscriminate fire.

“Four personnel of the FC suffered gunshot injuries in armed attack,” they said. The assailants managed to escape from the scene.

The injured died on their way to hospital.

According to doctors, the injured received multiple bullet wounds which caused their death.

The dead were identified as Tanvir, Atique, Sharif and Awwal Daraz.
The law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the entire area to trace the suspects.

Further investigation was underway.

LAHORE, Jun 29 (APP): Federal Ministers Khurram Dastagir Khan and Sheikh Aftab Ahmed called on Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif here on Wednesday.

Talking to the federal ministers, the Chief Minister said that national economy has improved due to tangible economic policies of the government of Pakistan Muslim League-N, adding that promotion of trade and economic activities with more investment have resulted in creation of new job opportunities.

He said government has achieved remarkable success on the economic front during the last three years and the journey of peace, progress and hope has started in the country.

Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan will be made a peaceful and economically strong country under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

ISLAMABAD, June 29 (APP): Minister of State Muhammad Baligh-ur-
Rehman will attend the Agricultue Package Awarenes Seminar on 30th
June, 2016 as a chief guest at Auditorium of Arid Agriculture
University Rawalpindi, said a press release on Wednesday.

LAHORE, June 29 (APP): Federal Minister for Human Rights Senator
Kamran Michael said on Wednesday that though promotion of human rights and creation of its awareness was the responsibility of the government, it was collective cause of the entire society.

Addressing a seminar on “Human Rights Education and Sensitization” organized by Ministry of Human Rights at a local hotel, the minister was
of the view that implementation on human rights promoted tolerance, love, humane, brotherhood and most of all justice in the society. He added that everyone spoke of his/her rights but human rights taught us as to how one could ensure the rights to others and that phenomenon promoted love, tolerance and peace in the society.

Kamran Michael said that government was taking steps at all level to ensure effective and true implementation of the rights of human beings including children, women and minorities. This would definitely help eliminate terrorism, extremism, injustice and imbalances in the society, he asserted.

The Federal Minister announced that HR Ministry would celebrate Neighbour Day at national level every year, besides making the HR
Helpline 1099 more meaningful through effective awareness campaign at grassroot level, so that people could contact the ministry without any fear to report any sort of HR violation around them.

He also mentioned that human rights committees were being reactivated at district and local level, which would play their crucial role in educating the common citizens about their basic rights. The government, he mentioned, was also focused on effective legislation to protect human rights in every nook and corner of the country.

Kamran Michael said that GSP-Plus (Generalized System of Preferences) awarded by European Union (EU) would help expand trade and exports of Pakistan, and HR Ministry was making all out efforts to ensure implementation of labour law as per international standards because the
EU made the GSP-Plus status to Pakistan conditional with ILO (International Labour Organization) parameters.

Earlier, the minister also condemned in strongest term the recent barbaric attack in Turkey, and killing of renowned Pakistani Qawwal
Amjad Sabri in Karachi a few days back. He prayed for the martyrs and expressed sympathies with bereaved families.

He termed these incidents as sheer violation of human rights and underlined the need for collective and hectic efforts to give an end to such horrible incidents forever.

Ealier, Federal Secretary for HR Ministry Nadeem Ashraf and Provincial Secretary for HR and Minority Affairs Department Asim Iqbal highlighted
the importance of human rights as well as initiatives taken by the respective governments in this regard.

Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau Chairperson Saba Sadiq shared with the participants, various initiatives of the bureau to eliminate child labour especially at brick kilns and bonded labour in the province.

Provincial Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) Chairperson
Fauzia Waqar spelt out objectives of the commission and termed the
passage of women protection bill by the Punjab Assembly as landmark achievement of the present government.

Prof. Dr. Mugheesuddin Sheikh, Additional IG (Special Branch) Punjab Faisal Shahkar, MPAs Shahzad Munshi and Kanji Raam also spoke on the subject.