ISLAMABAD, Jul 17 (APP): American Ambassador in Pakistan David Hale awarded certificates of completion to 66 students from Punjab,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and northern Pakistan who recently returned from a yearlong academic exchange in the United States.

Ambassador Hale also met with 105 Pakistani secondary school students who will spend the 2016 2017 academic year in the United States, said an embassy’s press release Sunday.

“I have seen firsthand how exchanges can generate new ideas, challenge old stereotypes, build mutual understanding, and spark new friendships,” Ambassador Hale said.

He said together, the American and Pakistani governments were committed to expanding their educational cooperation, fortifying Pakistan’s education system, and building connections between people.

The 171 students from all across Pakistan earned the
opportunity to participate in the Kennedy Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program on the basis of written applications, English proficiency tests, and interviews.
The YES Programme, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, gives secondary school students from 37 countries the opportunity to study at American high schools and live with American host families for one academic year.

In addition to attending academic classes, participants also
engage in extracurricular activities such as community service projects and youth leadership training.

The participants also act as cultural ambassadors, helping
Americans gain a better understanding of other countries and
cultures.

The International Education and Resource Network (IEARN)
Pakistan selects YES programme participants in coordination with the American Embassy.

The YES programme is one of a wide range of exchange programmes supported by the American Embassy in Islamabad; every year, more than 1,300 Pakistanis travel to America on academic and professional exchange programmes.

LAHORE, July 17 (APP): Federal Minister for Defence Production and Science & Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Sunday that international community would have to shun double standards for ensuring peace in the world.

He said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a road at Sharaqpur, says a press release issued here.

He said that Pakitsan could not stay silent at the
atrocities the Indian Army was committing against the innocent Kashmiris, adding that the incumbment government had raised the issue at all international forums.

Rana Tanveer said that it had officially been decided to observe July 19 and July 20 as the “Youm-e-Ilhaq Kashmir” (accession day) and ‘black day’, respectively. A decision in this regard was made in the recent federal cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

He said that the PML-N would hold rallies across the country
to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir.

The minister said that the killing of innocent Kashmiris and
violation of human rights in the held valley should be stopped, adding that Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be considered as its weakness.

He said that progress and prosperity of the country was
the focus of the PML-N politics, adding that there was no exmaple of the development which took place during the last three years in the country.

Rana Tanveer said that billion of rupees had been spent
on development works in NA-131 and NA-132, adding that mega projects had been completed in Muridke, Narang Mandi, Ferozwala and Sharaqpur. These projects include water filtration plants, provision of Sui-gas and electricity,
construction of new schools and colleges, upgradation of
Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals and construction of new roads.

He said that now the people of Sharaqpur would be given a
gift of a motorway from Lahore to Karachi and soon Prime
Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif would inaugurate work on it.

Earlier, talking to the media, he said that dictatorship
could never be an alternative of democracy and added that all problems were being solved with concensus.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 17 (APP): National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA) has identified 10 priority areas under NDM Plan (2013 2022), aimed at enhancing capacity to respond natural disasters such as floods, landslides and earthquakes.

National Disaster Management Plan (MDMP) a strategic plan
which provides for enhancing capacity of country to prepare for and respond to disasters such as floods (urban/flash riverine), landslides, earthquakes, drought, tsunami, cyclone, glacier lake outburst flood (GLOF), avalanches and tropical sea storms by defining measures necessary for disaster management.

Giving details, official sources on Sunday said the plan has
identified 10 priority areas, 41 strategies and 122 projects in domain of institutional development, capacity building, awareness, early warning system, human resource development, hazard and risk assessment etc.

The sources said NDMP identifies roles and responsibilities
of various stakeholders involved in disaster management and facilitates various organization/agencies to undertake interventions as identified in NDMP to achieve desired results.

Moreover, NDMA has also formulated National Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) Policy which provided an overall guiding frameworkfor building resilience of the country to disasters.

The policy aims at strengthening disaster preparedness and
response capabilities, improving the early warning system, building capacities of disaster management practitioners at all levels and that of communities as well as strengthening structural and nonstructural resilience of infrastructure.

As per NDM Act 2010 Provincial Disaster Management
Authorities (PDMAs) and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) have been assigned to examine vulnerability of different parts of the provinces to different disasters and specify prevention and mitigation.

NDMA progressively attained the capacity to support about 300,000 people all over the country through its well stocked warehouses located on regional basis in any kind of disaster.

Highlighting important aspects of NDMP, the sources said
national hazard and vulnerability assessment, macro level risk assessment for entire country has been completed, while micro level assessment under progress.

Similarly, drought assessment has been carried out in
districts of Balochistan, early warning and evacuation systems for communities have been established through SMS alerts, enforcement of building codes being pursued through Ministry of Housing and Works while National Fire and Life Safety Codes are being developed for first time in country with collaboration of Pakistan Engineering
Council (PEC).

Moreover, the sources said awareness and advocacy was
conducted through public service messages during monsoon as well as during earthquake 2015 while NDMA implementation roadmap is in focus with respect to preparation of Multi Hazards Vulnerability Risk Assessment (MHVRA), Capacity Building of Community through Mobilization of Voluntary Emergency Response (MOVERE) and capacity building of government officials through concept of Government Officials Emergency Response Exercise (GOERE).

The sources said National Fund for Disaster Management is
being established, major part of which will be used for DRR activities i.e. Early Warning System (EWS) and flood mitigation, comprehensive national guidelines for school safety are being prepared to bring awareness as well as to ensure safety of children and gender and child cells have been established at NDMA and PDMAs to grant much needed attention to vulnerable groups during entire spectrum of disaster.

PESHAWAR, July 17 (APP): Adviser to the Prime Minister Amir Muqam Sunday said Pakistan Tehreek-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan topped the list of off-shore companies owners.

Criticizing both Imran Khan and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he suggested Jamat-e-Isami chief Siraj Ul Haq, coalition parters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), to have a train march for a corruption-free KP where he claimed more than Rs 50 million corruption was done in different government departments every day.

Muqam was addressing a workers convention and Eid Milan Party of Pakistan Muslim League-N here. Thousands of PML-N workers, including women and leaders attended the convention, who raised vociferous slogans in favour of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

He termed the presence of large number of people in the convention showed their trust in the Prime Minister and his policies for a prosperous Pakistan. The life standard of the common man had improved and with the grace of Allah Almighty, Pakistan was now out of the crises and was the track to become a progressive nation of the world.

The people of other countries, he said, were now calling Pakistan as the Asian Tiger due to to its economic progress.
He said the people had reposed their trust in the Prime Minister by voting for PML-N candidates in the by-polls.

He said Nawaz Sharif would be Prime Minister even after 2018 on the basis of his performance.

Amir Muqam said those making hue and cry for accountability of others should come forward and present themselves for the process as the PML-N
already wanted a broad-base Ehtisab (accountability).

Corruption, he said, has decreased during the present PML-N government.

He said Imran’s politics of ‘Darna’ (sit-in) was not for seeking
solution of problems being faced by the people, rather it was aimed at to become prime minister. The top slot, he said, could only be achieved by serving the people and not through creating problems for them through staging sit-ins.

He said Imran Khan had bought a flat in London through an offshore company. He himself admitted that he formed the offshore company to buy the flat in 1983 to evade British taxes.

Evading taxes, whether in London or Pakistan, was a crime which was committed by Imran, he added.

Muqam said the KP people had given his (Imran’s) party mandate in last general election but his party failed to serve the people.

He said despite publishing of an advertosement in the media against one KP minister by the Managing Director of Khyber Bank, Imran did not take any action aginst him. Rather more incentives were given to the
minister by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, he added.

He asked Imran to tell the people who was responsible for the corruption as both BoK MD and the minister concerned were still on their posts.

He reminded Imran of talking construction of 360 dams in the province.

It was just a castle in the air, he should rather to take practical steps, he added.

Amir Muqam said Shakeel Durrani had resigned due to rampant corruption and same was the case with the Director General Ehtisab Commission Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who alleged that things were not going in a right direction.

He said all the claims of the PTI government of providing free education, free health facilities, facilities at the hospitals to the public, changing in polive culture andgiving power to local government elected representatives were just hallow slogans.

He also asked PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to bring back his father. “There is neither any Mr 10 percent or any Raja Rental in the PML-N government,” he added. The PML-N believed in serving the people without any political affiliation and would continue by honouring
their mandate given to it, he added.

Amir Muqam urged the international community to take notice of the Indian-army atrocities in occupied Kashmir where hundreds and thousands of innocent Kashmiries lost their precious life for the just cause of the right of self determination under United Nation resolutions.

Criticizing the Indian army atrocities against innocent Kashmiries, he said Kashmir was on top of the PML-N agenda.

Amir Muqam also paid rich tribute to Abdul Sattar Edhi for rendering great sacrifices for the humanity.

He said all the promises the PML-N had made with the people of PK-8 would be fulfilled without any delay.