LAHORE, Feb 27 (APP):Provincial Minister Schools Education Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan Tuesday claimed that school enrolment campaign
for children has miserably failed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and hundreds of thousands of children were deprived of going to school whereas more than 5 million students had been enrolled in schools of Punjab province from 2008 to 2017.
He said that according to recent survey conducted with the teachers of elementary and secondary Education departments
KP, hundreds of thousands of children were still out from schools. Similarly, 275 schools are nonfunctional due to unavailability of
teachers, land disputes and security issues. The above mentioned report has been prepared by the government and
non-government organizations working in the educational sector in KP, says a handout issued here on Tuesday.
The Minister said the report had highlighted the reasons of closure of schools included unsatisfactory law and order
situation, deficiency of teachers and other staffs besides land disputes. It is worth mentioning that there is ongoing
campaign in KP by teachers, schools administration headmasters and principals for the up-gradation and time scale.
He said that teachers of KP are demanding from their government to adopt the measures introduced in Punjab for
providing quality education.
According to teachers of KP imparting quality education in the current scenario is totally impossible. Rana Mashhood
Ahmad said that Punjab government had allocated a huge amount of Rs. 345 billion in education sector.
Three thousand schools have been upgraded and first time 154 public schools of Punjab received International awards
from British Council, he added.

MIRPUR, Feb 27 (APP):Azad Jammu & Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan said the world order must be rule-based and not dictated by realpolitik driven by jingoism, xenophobia and warmongering. If the international
rule of law does not become the norm, the world would, once again, plunge into a catastrophic global war.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan expressed these views while
addressing students and faculty at the Oxford University late Monday, says a message released to the media here on Tuesday.
In a two-hour session that included an extended question and answers session, President Masood Khan said that the United Nations, which should be a symbol of rule-based global governance for peace and security on the basis of the Charter, has failed miserably in resolving the issue of Jammu and
Kashmir.
The United Nations, the President said, is bound by Article 1 of its Charter, to “maintain
international peace and security, and to take effective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace.”
The UN, the President said, should not shun its responsibility on Kashmir simply because some powerful countries, in collusion with India, want to crush and block the will of Kashmiri people to determine their political identity and future.
Sardar Masood Khan said that 20 million people of Jammu and Kashmir want to exercise
their right to self-determination and take a decision on the accession of their state. Historically, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have always been part of Pakistan and, as a whole, wanted to make, Pakistan their homeland. But India, through its 70 year-long occupation wants to deny their
inalienable right, he added.
Masood Khan strongly quashed rumours and fabrications about the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC). “It [CPEC] is a corridor, open to all, not a cul-de-sac or a silo”, he said.
The President said that China has never been a colonial power and Pakistan is a strong, pivotal country in the comity of nations. “East India Company”, he said, was an imperial legacy. The CPEC,
he said, stems from the globalizing economic connectivity driven by the mega Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This era of connectivity is not about domination, rather participation on equal footing for
shared prosperity and security for all, not a chosen few, he said.
Sardar Masood Khan also told his audience how AJK was investing heavily in quality higher education and making endeavors to become an economic engine by participating in CPEC and developing infrastructure, tourism, industry, agriculture, health, and telecommunications sectors.
He invited entrepreneurs of the Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora community to invest in Azad Kashmir’s projects and assured them that the state was becoming the most abundant source of hydropower generation, with the projection of six to seven thousand MW electricity production by
2025.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP):Secretary Anti Narcotics Control, Iqbal Mehmood on Tuesday ensured all possible cooperation and support to Iranian drug control authorities in eliminating the menace of drugs from the society.
He emphasized this in a meeting with Iranian delegation led by Brig. General Mohammad Masood Zabetian, who called on him here Tuesday, a news release said.
The meeting was also attended by DG ANF Maj. Gen. Musarrat Malik. Welcoming the Iranian delegation, Secretary shared the overall role of the Ministry and its key functions in fight against narcotics.
He briefed about the role of Anti Narcotics Force (ANF), and appreciated the performance of the force with limited resources. It has been agreed between the both sides that, mutual technical training, joint monitoring and surveillance mechanism and support programs be initiated.
This will enable both the countries to understand new trends, modern technology and practical strategic approach to deal with this common menace. The Iranian delegation, extend the invitation to Secretary MNC, to visit Tehran accompanied by representatives from ANF.
The Iranian side also appreciated the performance of the Ministry and ANF in combating drugs. Secretary Narcotics also presented a shield to Brig. General Mohammad Masood Zabetian.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP):The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday ordered Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to complete all legal formalities in Hussain Haqqani case within a week.
A three-member bench headed by the Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the memogate scandal case.
During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Rana Waqar said the FIA had asked the Interpol to bring back Husasin Haqqani and certain queries in reply to the application.
He said the lobby of Hussain Haqqani had become active after the proceedings in the case that had begun and he wanted to brief the court in-camera over the issue.
The chief justice remarked that no lobby could do anything and the people in the country should work fearlessly.
Rana Waqar also said when the court heard the matter, Haqqani and his lobby wold get active against Pakistan. He requested the bench to hear the matter in his chamber.
The chief justice accepted the plea and asked the additional attorney general and petitioner to appear in his chamber this day.
The chief justice made it clear that no lobby would have an influence on them.
He also questioned as to why the federal government did not proceed further against Haqqani in view of the commission’s report which was submitted earlier.
The court directed the FIA to register a case and submit its report within a week.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP):Chairman of Parliamentary Affairs Committee on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mushahid Hussain Syed has said that special economic zones (SEZs), Gwadar Port, hospitals and international airport’s construction under China Pakistan Economic Corridor would largely benefit the people of all provinces.
The people living in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, and Balochistan would have opportunities and benefits from CPEC projects initiated with the help and heavy investment of China, he said while talking to a news channel.
“CPEC would alleviate poverty and unemployment from the country, ” he said.
To a question, the chairman said Pakistan was availing the expertise of engineers, technicians, and other skilled workers from China in various projects initiated under the CPEC programme.
Two power projects, producing over 2,000 mega watt electricity, had been completed through CPEC plan, he added.
To another question he said CPEC would not only connect the people but also improve cultural and business relations between the two countries.
Mushahid Hussain Syed said despite many challenges, China had made huge investment through CPEC projects which
he added “Showed china’s full confidence in Pakistan.”
Replying to a question he said the people living in less developed parts of Pakistan would have benefits besides
job opportunities from the CPEC projects.
He said some 20,000 students of Pakistan were completing education in various disciplines from Chinese institutions.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP):The Government of Japan announced funding for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to implement two projects worth around $2.7 million and $5.0 million respectively for the enhancement of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) control and the second phase of restoration of the livelihoods in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
In this regard, notes were signed and exchanged here on Tuesday between the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Mr. Takashi Kurai, and FAO Representative in Pakistan Ms. MinàDowlatchahi, in the presence of Federal Minister of National Food Security and Research Mr. Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan.
A Grant Agreement on the details of implementation of the project was signed and exchanged between Mr. Yasuhiro Tojo, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ms. Dowlatchahi at the same ceremony.
The FMD is a highly contagious disease of cloven footed animals that threatens food security and the livelihoods of mallholders and prevents livestock sector from achieving its economic potential. Milk production may drop 50 to 70 % and mortality of young calves reaches 10 to 22 %. If these losses are interpolated into livestock population, it results into hundreds of million dollars per annum.
The project will significantly improve the FMD outbreaks surveillance and rapid response mechanism for disease control and reduce the incidence of FMD outbreaks in the country. This will help curtail the losses caused by the disease and improve productivity of livestock contributing to food security and improve resilience of livelihood of livestock farmers to animal disease threats.
In 2015, Japan also funded $5 million for the first phase of the project, and FAO successfully supported approximately 77,000 householdsto resume agricultural production that helped improve food security and livelihoods. In the second phase of the same project, Government of Japan through FAO will provide support to about 32,000 households in the two targeted agencies of FATA, Kurram and Khyber.
The project will help reduce poverty and promote economic opportunities in the region through agriculture development which will support stabilization and economic growth in the area.
This project is in line with the “FATA Sustainable Return and Rehabilitation Strategy”, launched by FATA Secretariat and implemented in collaboration with UN agencies and donor countries including Japan
Speaking on the occasion, Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan said Government of Pakistan considers agriculture as a key area of focus to ensure food security for all segments of the society.
A growing agriculture sector not only plays a vital role in boosting national economy but also reducing poverty and improving access to food. For improving nutrition diversification of agriculture by enhanced focus on high value horticulture, livestock and fisheries is main thrust of new “Agriculture and Food Security Policy“.
Mr. Takashi Kurai said: “Agriculture sector is a vital component of Pakistan’s economy and its steady growth is a prerequisite for the overall developments of the country. So I believe that these two projects will not only contribute to the improvement of production of agricultural goods but also to the socioeconomic development in Pakistan.”
Mr. Yasuhiro Tojo said that the project would make a significant contribution toward stabilization of the area and essentially focus on agribusiness and value chain development to boost commercial agriculture in FATA. The project will be expected to facilitate women participation in various interventions, particularly in homestead poultry, kitchen gardening and food and grain storage/preservation.
Thanking the government of Japan for its financial assistance, Ms.MinàDowlatchahi said, “These projects will cover important areas of interventions for the FATA Transition Plan. These interventions will contribute to the development of the agricultural sector in FATA by improving food security, boosting economic activities and markets and as a result help achieve peace and security in the area.
The FMD project emphasizes the importance of animal health as part of the One Health agenda, which is crucial for addressing food insecurity, improving nutrition and rural livelihoods that are dependent on livestock.”

PESHAWAR, Feb 27 (APP):Chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman Tuesday said that seminaries
were playing vital role in spreading message of Islam and defense of Pakistan.
He said this during an inauguration ceremony of Darul Uloom Nomania Qureshi Mor here.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the anti-Pakistan forces were trying to target ideology of the country, but the religious scholars and seminaries had defeated them.
He said that the seminaries played a major role during crucial times and never compromised over ideology of Pakistan.
He said that JUI-F is working on the agenda of ideology of Pakistan on all available forums
whether on the floor of assembly or among the masses.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that Sino-Pak trade relations were decades old, adding that
JUI-F played its due role in development of trade relations with Middle East and the whole region.

KARACHI, Feb 27 (APP):State Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Rana Muhammad Afzal has said that the federal government has increased three times the annual budget of the Higher Education Commission
(HEC) from Rs 35 billion to Rs 108 billion in the last four years.
He said this here on Tuesday while addressing a conference at NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi on Emerging Trends in Telecom and Electronic Engineering. He said that the HEC
budget will be further increased.
The State Minister said that the NED University is one of the best institutions of the country. He said in Pakistan people prefer government jobs while in foreign countries the private sector is considered as lucrative.
He said the HEC provides education opportunities to 11500 students through international scholarship every year.
Rana Afzal said that the PML-N government has kept education as a top priority.
He said, “We want to further activate private sector through effective strategy that create more job opportunities.”
The State Minister said the NED University is one of the best institutions of the country, and that he was proud that he also studied there.
Vice Chancellor of the NED University, Sarosh Hashmat Lodi, also addressed the conference.

MIRPUR, Feb 27 (APP):The two-member All parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) delegation led by Altaf Hussain Wani
called on the Foreign Minister of Denmark Anders Samuelsen, during 37 session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The Kashmiris delegation called upon Denmark to play its due role to get the human rights abuses stopped in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir, says a message released to media on Tuesday.
Altaf Hussain Wani and Syed Faiz Naqshbandi discussed with the Danish Foreign Minister, the hideous situation in the bleeding occupied Kashmir and urged Denmark government to play its due role
in stopping human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir and the unprovoked, targeted killing of civilians on the line of control in AJK.
Anders Samuelsen was told that this situation on one hand is consuming human lives and on the
other hand has endangered peace in the region, the message added.

ISLAMABAD, Feb 27 (APP):Guinness World Record Holder, Author, Chairman Al Zarooni Foundation and the Emirati Entrepreneur Suhail Mohammad Al Zarooni called upon Country Representative for United Nations office on Drugs and Crime Cesar Guedes at his Residence in Dubai.
Guedes was accompanied by Shehzad Roy, a prominent Pakistani singer and the National Goodwill Ambassador for UNODC Pakistan and his team members, Arsalan Malik, Associate Programme Coordinator, Ms. Rizwana Rahool, and Communications Officer.
The meeting was also attended Arif Ahmad Al Zarooni and other senior officials from Dubai, UAE. On this occasion, Suhail Mohd Al Zarooni also hosted a courtesy dinner in the honor of Country Representative UNODC Pakistan and his deligation, said a press release issued here on Tuesday.
Cesar Guedes (Peru) is an international civil servant of the United Nations with over 20 years of experience in various agencies such as UNODC, UNDP, UNIDO and UN Volunteers.
During his tenure with the UN system, he has served in several country offices in Guyana, China, North Korea, Peru, Panama and Bolivia as well as HQ locations in Bonn (Germany) and Vienna (Austria).
Suhail Mohd Al Zarooni welcomed Cesar Guedes and his team at the Zarooni Palace. Guedes thanked him for courtesy and introduced Shehzad Roy in his new role as Goodwill Ambassador for UNODC in Pakistan.
He also discussed that Pakistan has a poppy free status since 2001, but there is an alarming situation about the neighboring country Afghanistan, where there is a serious rise in opium production.
“Pakistan, having the longest porous border with Afghanistan is at the risk of being vulnerable to illicit drug trafficking and drug abuse amongst youth”, he said. This calls for new strategies and work for the government, agencies, civil society and private sector in promoting drug prevention and awareness especially among youth and families.
Guedes also highlighted that United Nations General Assembly Special Session was held in New York in April 2016 and the world drug problem was discussed with the member states who all are signatories of the drug conventions.
Speaking to Shehzad Roy said, “I had attended a three days UNODC’s workshop on UNGASS and world drug problem couple of weeks back in Islamabad, where they brought all the government stake holders on one platform and discussed drug related issues, which was commendable.
He said, I had been following UNODC’s work even before joining them as a Goodwill Ambassador, they are working in the fields of criminal justice, drug demand reduction and HIV/AIDS prevention, these things are close to my heart especially when children are concerned, and I will give my all to my new role as National Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan.
“I’m very keen to bring some tangible change being with them,” Roy added