CHITRAL, Feb 4 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi arrived here Sunday to inaugurate the first unit of Gollen Gol Hydropower Project to generate 36 megawatt of electricity to exclusively cope with the needs of Chitral and nearby areas.
This quantum of electricity is three times more than the present requirements of Chitral, and will also cater for the surge in electricity demand in future.
The first units, installed in District Chitral of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is one of the three units with similar generation capacity.
The project has been constructed on Golen Gol – a tributary of River Mastuj – near Chitral.
Golen Gol Hydropower Project will result in a new era of progress and prosperity in Chitral, besides stabilizing the national economy by providing low-cost and environment-friendly electricity to the national grid.
PM in Chitral to inaugurate 36MW first Golen Gol power unit
Khawaja Asif holds open-court
SIALKOT, Feb 4 (APP)::Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad
Asif on Sunday held an open-court at the PML-N House here.
The foreign minister listened to complaints of people
sympathetically and issued orders.
He said that the government was well aware of problems
being faced by the masses and was making all-out sincere
efforts to resolves these problems amicably as well.
Provincial Minister for Local Bodies Manshaullah Butt,
MPA Ch Muhammad Ikram, Mayor of Sialkot Municipal
Corporation Chaudhary Tauheed Akhtar and others were
also present.
FIFA World Cup 2018 to see footballs made in Pakistan’s Sialkot
ISLAMABAD, Feb 4 (APP):The Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Alexey Dedov confirmed that Sialkot-made footballs will be used in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which is slated for later this year.
Pakistanis will have their special moment of joy when they see footballs made in their own country being used to score goals in the international-level event.
The company “is a contracting manufacturer of global sports brand Adidas” and is making its labourers work “extra hours to ensure on-time delivery of the footballs”.
Forward Sports chairman Khawaja Masood while talking to a private news channel said , his company churns out 700,000 footballs a month.
“This is an honour for us, that we are going to provide footballs for the world cup once again. We are very excited to meet this challenge,” he said.
First introduced in 2014, the football to be used in 2018 FIFA World Cup is “thermo bonded”. Prior to this, Pakistan used to supply handmade and stitched footballs.
“Thermo bonded balls are made by attaching the panels through heat – the latest technology adopted by Adidas and transferred to Forward Sports in 2013.”
Kashmir Solidarity Day to be observed on Feb 5
ISLAMABAD, Feb 4 (APP):Kashmir Solidarity Day will be observed across the world including Pakistan on Feburary 5 to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people struggling for their right to self-determination under UN resolutions.
According to Radio Pakistan, the day is being observed to give to the world a loud and clear message that the hearts of Pakistanis and Kashmiris throb in unison.
A public holiday has been announced in Pakistan, including Azad Kashmir.
A one-minute silence will be observed at 10:00 a.m. to honour the Kashmiri martyrs.
Human Chains at Kohala Bridge, Mangla Bridge and other points linking Pakistan and Azad Kashmir will be formed.
Rallies, public meetings, functions and seminars will be held in the length and breadth of the country and Azad Kashmir to draw attention of the world community towards the plight of Kashmiris.
Special cultural programs and festivals will also be held to promote Kashmiri culture and tradition while photographic exhibitions will be arranged depicting the atrocities committed by Indian occupation forces against the Kashmiris.
At Eiffel Tower in Paris, Pakistani and Sikh communities will hold demonstration tomorrow to draw the world attention towards the plight of Kashmiris.
Former AJK Prime Minister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry will be chief guest on the occasion.
Radio Pakistan will air special programmes tomorrow to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
UN calls on Maldives government to respect Supreme Court decision
UNITED NATIONS, Feb 3 (APP):Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Saturday called on the Maldivian government to respect a Supreme Court ruling ordering the release of convicted opposition leaders, saying the UN was ready to help ease the political impasse in the country.
The Secretary-General takes note of the important ruling by the Supreme Court and calls on the Government to respect it, a statement issued by his Spokesman St phane Dujarric said.
The Secretary-General reiterates his belief in finding a solution to the political stalemate in the Maldives through all-party talks, which the United Nations continues to stand ready to facilitate, the statement added.
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the convictions of senior Maldivian opposition figures were questionable and politically motivated, overturned those verdicts, and ordered new trials. It also reinstated 12 parliamentarians who were expelled for defecting from President Abdulla Yameen’s party.
The court ruling represents a major setback for President Yameen, and paves the way for the return of his rival Mohamed Nasheed — whom he controversially defeated in 2013.
On Friday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also urged the Government of the Maldives to fully respect the Supreme Court decision, which also overturned the conviction of former President Mohamed Nasheed and ordered to retry his case.
We are concerned by what appears to be an initial heavy-handed reaction by security forces in the capital Mal against people celebrating the Court’s decision, Spokesperson Rupert Colville told reporters at a press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, urging them to show understanding and restraint, and to act in full accordance with international laws and standards governing the policing of protests and other forms of public assembly.
“We also urge all those celebrating, or protesting, to do so in a peaceful fashion,” he added.
Lok Virsa organizes show to recall cultural identity
ISLAMABAD, Feb 3 (APP):The National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa) Saturday organized a show to recall “cultural identity and spaces, promoting pluralism.”
The event was attended by Member of the National Assembly Ramesh Kumar, film producer Syed Noor, film star Sahira Kazmi, known writer I.A Rehman, journalist Mujahid Brahelvi, Farooq Qaiser (Uncle Sargam), artist Saleema Hashmi, Director Federal Directorate of Education Hasnat Qureshi, and Singer Arieb Azhar, who also spoke on the occasion.
They highly appreciated Executive Director Lok Virsa Dr Fouzia Saeed for making efforts to promote of cultural heritage of the country. They noted that Lok Virsa had become a hub of cultural events.
Dr Fouzia Saeed on the occasion said Lok Virsa was mandated to preserve, document and promote the cultural heritage of Pakistan. She as its head made efforts to create a sense of ownership among regional cultures as well as minority communities to develope international linkages, besides infrastructure development at the premises to its financial streamlining, she added.
She claimed that today Lok Virsa was a vibrant hub of cultural activities with hundreds of people visiting it every day. Now the focus would be on the promotion of the country’s folk heritage, which would create more space for expressing diversity within culture, asserting cultural autonomy and dignity as well as contributing towards a stronger democracy and nation, she added.
Later, folk artists Krishan Lal Bheel, Muskan, Mehar Anjum, Taimour Afghani, Moiz, and Niazi boys (famous song of Tufail Niazi) folk child singer, Waseem Sakhi, Salman Adil and Dr Taimur performed at show and got big applause from the audience.
Enhanced Sino-Pak cultural ties to reinforce bond of friendship between iron brothers: Marriyum
ISLAMABAD, Feb 03 (APP):Enhanced Sino-Pak ties in the realm of culture and information would further reinforce heart to heart bond between the people of two iron brothers.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage (IBNH&LH) said this in her statement while leaving for Peoples Republic of China on a five-day official visit (February 3-8) on the invitation of Lu Shugang, Minister of Culture of China, here Saturday.
She said that the CPEC would not only be a source of economic and infrastructural development but would also open new avenues of collaboration in the arena of art, culture and heritage.
Terming the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CEPC) a route of peace and prosperity, Marriyum said that history of the world was replete with events where alliances were built primarily to contain other powers, to conquer other territories or for the sake of self-defence. The Pak-China partnership under the CPEC was unique in the sense that it was meant to bring the fruits of development, opportunities of employment and provision of basic amenities not only for the people of China and Pakistan but also for the entire region and beyond, she stressed.
Apart from solidifying regional connect, the CPEC would also boost tourism and establish cultural linkage through One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, which was imperative to bring people of both nations more closer to each other, Marriyum said.
She said that the One Belt One Road initiative would not only bound the two countries in eternal partnership for shared economic progress of the whole region but would also strengthen heritage which was its one of the most important components.
She said that promotion of art and culture was one of the top priorities of government and it would soon announce the cultural policy of the country. We are also working on first ever film, production and broadcast policy as movies are one of the greatest mediums to promote screen tourism and showcase values and culture of any society, Marriyum said.
The minister of state said that signing of Executive Programme of Cultural Agreement would go a long way in consolidating cultural relations and promoting people-to-people contacts between the two states. She said that Pakistan would also like to seek Chinese cooperation in its bid to revive its film industry. Collaboration and formal engagement in the field of media, information, exchange of dramas and co-productions would also come under discussion during her visit to China, she added.
During her visit, Marriyum Aurangzeb will sign Executive Programme of Cultural Agreement with Luo Shugang, Chinese Minister of Culture and will also call him. She will also meet Tong Gang, Vice Minister, on her visit to State Administratin of Press, Publication, Radio, Film & Television (SAPPRFT) and will visit China National Museum. She will also visit Shanghai Film Group & Film Museum and interact with media outlets of China.
French climber tells of her ordeal on Pakistan’s ‘Killer Mountain’
LONDON, Feb 03 (APP):A French mountaineer rescued from Pakistan’s “Killer Mountain” has described how she was forced to abandon her
weak climbing partner, descend alone in darkness and wait more than 24 hours for help while suffering altitude-induced hallucinations that made her take a shoe off in freezing conditions, daily Guardian reported.
Elisabeth Revol, 37, returned to France after she was rescued on Sunday from Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth-
highest peak at 8,126 metres. She is being treated in a hospital in the Haute-Savoie region, where doctors are
assessing whether she will require amputations because of frostbite in her hands and left foot,the paper the other day.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, she recalled how rescuers urged her to leave her weak and bleeding
fellow climber, the Polish mountaineer Tomek Mackiewicz, behind – something, she said, was “terrible and painful”
to do. Rescuers were unable to reach Mackiewicz, a father of three, who had made six previous winter attempts
to scale Nanga Parbat. There is almost no chance of him being found alive, Guardian paper said.
Revol was the first woman to scale the mountain in winter without oxygen or a sherpa. She told AFP: “We had
hardly a second at the top. We had to rush to get down.”
Mackiewicz, who hadn’t worn a mask, said he could no longer see and by nightfall, he had developed an eye
inflammation. With him clinging to her shoulders, Revol began the hazardous descent in darkness. “At one point,
he couldn’t breathe,” she told AFP. “He took off the protection he had in front of his mouth and he began to freeze. His nose became white and then his hands, his feet.”
They huddled overnight in a crevasse, but Mackiewicz’s condition was worsening. Revol said he had “blood
streaming from his mouth”, a sign of a build up of fluid in the body, the ultimate stage of acute mountain sickness. She had sent several messages for help, and rescuers told her to descend to 6,000 metres. She said to Mackiewicz: “Listen, the helicopter will arrive late afternoon. I must go down, they’ll come to get you.”,the newspaper said.
Further down the mountain, when rescuers didn’t arrive, she spent another night sheltering in a crevasse. This
time she had no tent or duvet, which she had left behind, but she was more worried for Mackiewicz.
“I had hallucinations during the night. I imagined that people were bringing me hot tea. A woman asked me if in
return she could take my shoe. At that moment I automatically got up, took off my shoe and gave it to her. In the morning when I woke up I was only in my sock.”
Her shoe was nowhere to be seen. She had been without it for five hours and developed severe frostbite, the
paper quoted her as saying.
She heard helicopters but rescuers couldn’t land because of the wind. Facing what she feared was a third night
in the open, she began to make a final descent, with wet gloves and frozen feet. She managed to reach one of
the camps at around 3am, where she was found by elite rescue mountaineers, who had been climbing in the dark to
reach her in a hazardous operation.
Asked if she would ever climb again, she told AFP: “I think I will. I need this.”,the Guardian said.
PM strongly condemns attack on army unit in Swat
ISLAMABAD, Feb 3 (APP):Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Saturday strongly condemned a suicide attack on Pakistan Army unit in Swat that resulted in the martyrdom of three officials and injuries to seven others.
He prayed for blessing of the departed souls and quick recovery of the injured, PM office media wing said in a press release.
Expressing deep grief and condolences with the bereaved families, the prime minister said the coward terrorist enemy was no match for the valiant sons of the soil.
“No cowardly attack can deter us in pursuing our struggle against the menace of terrorism to its logical conclusion. We will continue our fight till the last trace is rooted out,” the press release quoted the prime minister as saying.
Ahsan for continuity of polices, political stability to ensure matchless development
MULTAN, Feb 3 (APP)::Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal said Saturday that continuity of policies was essential to take the rising Pakistan to its destination of matchless progress.
Pakistan is rising and political stability would help country win a place among top 25 economies of the world by 2025, he said while addressing a press conference here.
He said that the country witnessed record development in current tenure of the PML-N government. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate is continuously improving, he added.
Last year, it was 5.3 per cent, and now it has jumped to 6 per cent. The country could have made more progress, had Muhammad Nawaz Sharif not been removed from prime ministership. The stock exchange witnessed downward trend and the country faced loss of $14-16 billion after the disqualification decision. However, he added that stock exchange had started improving gradually.
Ahsan recalled that the country was faced with energy, communication infrastructure, weak economy, and terrorism crises when the PML-N assumed power in 2013. The incumbent government successfully eliminated the menace of terrorism, electricity load-shedding and strengthened country’s economy.
Within a short span of four-and-a-half years, the government completed 1600-kilometre long motorways, which was also a record.
In the previous tenure, the PML-N made 550-kilometre long motorways. Quoting examples of one of the neighbouring country in the region, Ahsan Iqbal said that it had only 1400-kilometre long motorways.
The federal minister said that during the PNL-N government, the country witnessed high foreign investment and industrial growth rate.
Ahsan Iqbal observed that NATO supplies had badly damaged country’s road infrastructure and the incumbent government paid special focus to improvement of the infrastructure as the country
could not make progress without infrastructure.
Investment of billion dollars helped strengthen country’s economy. Ahsan Iqbal maintained that former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif visited China in 2013 and finalised different projects.
Ahsan Iqbal also stated that completion of Sukkur-Multan motorway would bring massive level development in south Punjab and Sindh.
About contempt of court notices, served on the PML-N leaders, Ahsan said that masses, legal fraternity and many foreign analysts had expressed reservations over disqualification of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He said that Pervez Musharraf violated the Constitution, but he was not punished by the courts.
Many people believe Nawaz Sharif would be convicted by the accountability court before general elections, said Ahsan Iqbal in response to a question, and added that it would be pre-poll rigging to keep Nawaz Sharif away from masses.
About nomination of candidate for upcoming prime minister, Ahsan Iqbal said that Nawaz Sharif was leader of Pakistan Muslim League and he had nominated Shehbaz Sharif as candidate for prime
minister-ship for the next term.