ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): Approximately 250 Pakistani alumni of the Fulbright Program and Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program gathered at the Higher Education Commission here for a conference to review Pakistan’s development in fields ranging from higher education to law to health.

American Ambassador David Hale congratulated the alumni on their accomplishments and urged them to continue applying the skills and connections they developed in the United States to their professional and personal pursuits in Pakistan.

Ambassador Hale also thanked the HEC and its Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed for their contributions to the Fulbright Program.

“The people of Pakistan and America share a fundamental desire for stability, peace and regional and global economic development.

We are able to achieve these goals through education,” Ambassador Hale Through the Fulbright Program said.

Pakistani students pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in the United States through the Humphrey Program, mid-career professionals pursue up to one year of non-degree graduate-level study in the United States.

The US, Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) administers both programs on behalf of the US government.

“The merit-based Pakistan Fulbright program gives people with the greatest potential in academic disciplines the opportunity to gain much needed knowledge in rigorous degree programs essential to sustainable development and progress.”

USEFP Executive Director Rita Akhtar said, “this is why the overarching theme of this year’s conference is “Agents of Change.”

The conference showcases the commitment of returning alumni to share innovative solutions in a variety of fields.

USEFP proud to be part of who have the skill sets and commitment to be leaders for growth and progress in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): Ambassador of Spain, Carlos Morales has said that Pakistan is developing at a fast pace which is being welcomed around the world.

Expressing satisfaction over improved law and order situation, he
said, it has helped economic stability in Pakistan.
He said, Pakistan is attracting huge investment and there are bright
opportunities for both the countries to strengthen their mutual trade and economic relationship.

Spain is eager to expand trade volume with Pakistan and cooperate in
transfer of technology, he said while speaking to the business community at FPCCI Capital House.
President, FPCCI, Abdul Rauf Alam and other business leaders were also
present on the occasion.

Carlos Morales said, his country is keen to develop strong trade ties
with Pakistan,adding, “We are willing to make all out efforts to promote trade between the two countries which is the best way to bring people of two countries closer.”

He praised the efforts of Pakistani businessmen for promotion of
industrialization and trade and welcomed the proposals forwarded by the business community to improve trade.

The Ambassador stressed the need for making joint efforts to boost
trade between Pakistan and Spain.

FPCCI is playing a very important role in the development of Pakistan
and agreed to frequent exchange of business delegations which will help increase trade, he added.

At the occasion President of the FPCCI Abdul Rauf Alam said, Pakistan
and Spain enjoy extremely cordial and friendly ties established in late 1950s.

A large number of Pakistanis are living in Spain supporting their
families and playing their part in development of Spain.

“We can cooperate in different sectors like energy, textiles, banking,
communication, transport, construction etc,” he added.
Rauf Alam said that cooperation between the two countries should be increased and direct flights should be started.

Pakistan offers great investment opportunities which should be
exploited by Spanish investors, he said.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide US $ 200 million and Australia would also extend grant of AUD 4.5 million for National Disaster Risk Management Fund.
The Signing Ceremony to this effect was held here in the office of
Finance Minister Friday.

Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic
Affairs, Statistics and Privatization witnessed the signing ceremony between the Government of Pakistan and Asian Development Bank (ADB) for Loan Agreement of US$ 200 million and Grant Agreement of Australian Dollar 4.5 million for National Disaster Risk Management
Fund (NDRMF).

NDRMF is being established as a public limited company under Section
42 of the Companies Ordinance 2016 for sustainable mechanism and permanent instrument to enhance Pakistan’s resilience to any future disaster.

The focus of the Fund was on disaster risk reduction,design,
development and seeding of disaster risk financing strategies and instruments; and partnerships with other organizations to provide relief and recovery support, including livelihood restoration initiatives, and reconstruction and rehabilitation of key public infrastructure.

The eventual total outlay of the Fund would be is USD 3 Billion of
which ADB will provide USD 1 billion in five tranches.

Out of ADB’s total commitment, a loan of USD 200 million has been
signed today.

The Government of Australia was also providing co-financing grant for this Fund.

Apart from ADB and Australia, other donors such as Norway, Belgium and Switzerland have also shown their interest to contribute in the Fund.

Speaking on the occasion, the Finance Minister thanked ADB and the
Government of Australia for providing support and enabling Government of Pakistan to establish a common window to pool financial resources.

This mechanism will serve for alignment of donors’ commitments and GOP financing for disaster management efforts, if God forbid a disaster does take place.

The Minister also said that the participation of our development
partners in this noble cause will also inspire organizations around the world to take similar initiatives. He also said that this initiative will strengthen Pakistan’s disaster preparedness efforts.

The Country Director Asian Development Bank stated that this is a
trend-setting initiative which would not only mitigate the effects of disaster but would also help cushion the fiscal shock of the catastrophe.

The loan agreement was signed by Tariq Bajwa, Secretary, Economic Affairs Division and Werner E. Liepach, Country Director, Asian Development Bank.

The High Commissioner of Australia and the representatives of Norway,
Japan, Switzerland and European Union were also present on this occasion.

KARACHI, Dec. 02. (APP) : Ms. Parveen Shakir is one of the most
famous female Urdu poetess for all time. Her fantasy and romantic
style of lyrics makes her work worth reading again and again.

These remarks were made by Ms.Farzana Saleem, Chairperson of
FPCCI Standing Committee Real Estate Consultant while speaking at a
reference to pay tribute to great poetess Ms. Parveen Shakir on her
death anniversary organized by Karwan-e-Millat Pakistan, said press
release here Friday.

Ms. Farzana Saleem said Parveen Shakir is one of the legendary
female Urdu poet who started saying poetry in early childhood.
Prominent author and intellectual Hafiz Nasimuddin said that her
contributing to Urdu poetry and literature is immense and she will be
remembered for as long as the Urdu literature exists.

Professor Ms. Rukhsana Khan said her famous book “Khushboo” earned immense recognition and popularity worldwide.

Qari Idrees said Parveen Shakir has subsequently written other
volumes including Sad-barg, Khud Kalami, Inkar and Kaf-e-Aina.

That’s why Parveen Shakir was awarded by one of Pakistan’s
biggest honor ” Pride of Performance” for her excellent contribution
to Urdu poetry.

Ms. Nasima Amin, Waqar Zaidi and Irfana Masood and Ms. Shazia also
addressed the function and said that she portrayed the issues related
to the women diligently and gives the message of hope to women.
She is the poetess of present and future.

She beautifully highlighted our social attitudes and perceptions
in her poetry.

The speakers said that she was a self-made woman and adopted
purely eastern style in her poems.

She is a sensitive woman who expressed her personal experiences
and feelings in her poetry.

They said that she will remain alive through her poetry and
researches should be done on her poetic collection.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): Federal Minister for Science and
Technology, Rana Tanveer Hussain Friday said the government is
taking effective steps for bridging the gap between scientific
knowledge and the general public.

“It is the need of the hour that we must play our role to
minimize the gap between scientific knowledge and society,” he said
while addressing the inaugural session of week-long `National
Science Fair’ held here.

The `National Science Fair’ is being arranged by Pakistan
Museum for Natural History (PMNH).

Rana Tanveer said rapid growth in science during the last 50
years has made it essential for the younger generation to get
science knowledge for excelling.

He said such exhibitions can prove as catalyst for promoting
scientific knowledge among the young scientists and researchers in
the current era of science and technology.

“This fair is indeed a golden opportunity for young generation
to think outside the box and inspire them to get scientific
knowledge for their brighter future”, Rana Tanveer said.

“It was an important event and opportunity for the students,
scientists and researchers to become part of science community”, he
said.

He hoped Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) would continue its
efforts toward promotion of science culture in the society, along
with bringing solutions for the problems being faced by the country.

Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF), Dr. Muhammad Ashraf congratulated the staff of PMNH for their efforts for
arranging such an informative exhibition.

PMNH, he said, is diligently working for dissemination of
informal science education among the students, departments and
researchers.

As many as 147 stalls of the items related to scientific
innovation were displayed by different departments, including a
number of food stalls.

A large number of students and visitors thronged the
exhibition and shown keen interest in the displayed models, science
books, dresses and other stuff.

Public and private institutions from all the four provinces
including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan have also been
established in the festival.

ISLAMABAD Dec 2 (APP): An award winning feature documentary, ‘A Walnut Tree’ was screened here at the French Embassy auditorium, which showcased living conditions of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the Jalozai Camp near Peshawar.

The touching documentary has been produced by Ammar Aziz, a graduate of National College of Arts.

It conveys the message that refugees across the globe never
want to abandon their homes, but they are forced by the circumstances to leave places of their birth, French Ambassador to Pakistan Mrs Martine Dorance said in a brief chat with APP after the documentary ended.

The screening was attended by a select gathering and representatives of the European Union and the United Nations in Islamabad. The documentary has won a French award this year.

“This is a documentary on a Jalozai camp near Peshawar. We were spending time with different families and then something happened and it turned out to be a story of one person who ‘wants to go back to his roots. It is a very super kind of portrayal’ of an old man living at the camp, the Director of the documentary, Ammar Aziz told APP.

The man lives with a six member family which includes his son, daughter-in-law and her two kids.

Questioned what motivated him to make the documentary, Ammar Aziz said, “Displacement has been a very personal subject for me because my grandparents also migrated from Indian side of Punjab. I have grown up listening to the stories of violence. When I went to camp I saw people displaced from their homes with whom I could also relate,” he added.

The screening of the documentary was part of an ongoing film festival Human Rights Through Cinematography, from November 15 to December 10.

During the festival 23 movies and documentaries would be screened in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Gujrat, Peshawar and Quetta while many had already been shown.

The documentary gives a real insight into daily routine of the family at Jalozai camp which gets about their gruelling life in an abject poverty and pitiable conditions- surviving on the basic provisions.

The old man dubbed ‘Baba’ in the documentary, who had to leave his school he taught at. Quite often he went into a nostalgic mood and hoped for the days to go back to his native village.

Every day he would tell his grand children that he was waiting for that day when he would go back and sit under a dapple shade of a walnut tree, planted by his father, who had asked him to nurture it.

However one day he broke down and told his family he would go back to his native village. One fine morning, he left quietly and went missing, but could not be found despite his son’s visit to their native village.

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): International Day of Persons With
Disabilities (PWD) will be observed on December 3 (Saturday) around
the world to promote awareness of disability issues, fundamental
rights of PWDs and their integration in main stream.

This year objectives set for whole year include assessing the current
status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(CRPD) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) besides laying the
foundation for a future of greater inclusion for persons with
disabilities.

The theme for this year’s International Day is “Achieving 17
Goals for the Future We Want”.

This theme notes the recent adoption of the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and the role of these goals in building a
more inclusive and equitable world for persons with disabilities.

The observance of the 2016 International Day of PWDs coincides
with the 10-year anniversary of the adoption of the CRPD – one of
the most quickly and widely ratified international treaties put
forth by the United Nations to date.

Like other parts of the country a number of activities will be organized to commemorate the day in Pakistan. Directorate General of
Special Education (DGSE) would hold a moot at Pakistan
National Council of Arts (PNCA) on December 3, (Saturday).

Students of DGSE institutions will present colorful tableaus,
national songs and other heart touching skits based on 17 SDG goals.

According to United Nations report, at least 10 per cent of the
world’s population, or 650 million people, live with a disability
while 20 per cent of the world’s poor are disabled.