SIALKOT, July 15 (APP): The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has strongly condemned Indian army’s mounting atrocities in held Kashmir.

Addressing a press conference at Sialkot Press Club here on Friday, JI Sialkot District Emir Sheikh Attiqur Rehman expressed complete solidarity with the oppressed people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

He also condemned large-scale human rights violations and the killing of innocent Kashmir people by the Indian army.
He called upon the world to use its influence to pressurise India for peaceful solution to the the Kashmir issue, as per aspirations of the people of the held Valley.

Local JI leaders Arshad Mehmood Baggu Advocate (former MPA), Abdul Qadeer Rahi (Naib Ameer JI Sialkot district), Suhail Rabbani, Arif Mehmood Sheikh and Mehar Bilal (president Shabab-e-Milli Sialkot district) were also present on the occasion.

The participants also passed several condemnation resolutions against the rising Indian atrocities.

LAHORE, July 15 (APP): Korean Ambassador in Pakistan Dr Suh Dong Gu met Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, here Friday.
Matters of mutual interest, Pak-Korea relations and promotion of cooperation in education, health, skill development and other sectors were discussed in the meeting.
The Korean Ambassador felicitated the Chief Minister on the recovery of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz Sharif said that there were strong friendly and economic relations between Korea and Pakistan, however, there was a need to take continuous steps for strengthening economic and trade contacts. He said that Korea had made unprecedented progress within a short period.
He said Pakistan was also on the road to progress and prosperity in the tenure of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He said Pakistan today was more safe, peaceful and economically strong than the past.
Shehbaz Sharif said cooperation of Korea in different sectors will be welcomed.
The Korean Ambassador said that Korea attached high importance to its relations with Pakistan and cooperation with Punjab government in different sector will be promoted.
Meanwhile, a delegation of a prominent construction company of Korea Mooyoung, led by its chairman Kil-Won An, met Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Korean Ambassador Dr Suh Dong Gu and senior officials of the company were also present.
Talking to the delegation, Shehbaz Sharif said that selection of a prominent Korean construction company as consultant for the project of Pakistan Kidney & Liver Transplant Institute augers well. He said vast experience of the Korean company in the construction of hospitals would be
useful in the project of Kidney & Liver Transplant Institute.
He said the Punjab government had evolved the project of state-of-the-art Kidney & Liver Transplant Institute with a cost of billions of rupees and its completion will result in availability of modern treatment facilities to liver and kidney patients under one roof.
Shehbaz Sharif said the Korean company would implement the project with quality and speed on the pattern of other projects it had executed. He expressed the hope that the Korean company would fully benefit from its experience and extend cooperation in completion of the project within
timeframe. He said the Punjab government would extend all out assistance to the Korean company in the timely completion of the project.
The Korean Ambassador appreciated the vision of Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for the improvement of the health sector. He said the project of Kidney & Liver Transplant Institute will prove to be milestone in the uplift of public health facilities in the country.
The chairman of the Korean construction company said that all
out cooperation would be extended for the completion of the project in accordance with the vision of Chief Minister Punjab and the project will prove to be successful.
Provincial Minister Tanvir Aslam Malik, Chief Secretary, Chairman Kidney & Liver Transplant Institute Prof. Dr. Saeed Akhtar, Chairman Chief Minister’s Task Force on Information Muhammad Malak, Secretaries of Communication & Works and Specialized Health & Medical Education departments and CEO Infrastructure Development Authority Punjab were also present.

LAHORE, July 15 (APP): British High Commissioner in Pakistan Thomas Drew called on Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, here Friday.

Matters of mutual interest, Pak-UK relations and promotion of cooperation in different sectors were discussed in the meeting.

The British High Commissioner felicitated the Chief Minister
Punjab on the recovery of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

The British High Commissioner said that solid measures had been taken in Punjab under the leadership of Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for the uplift of education, health and other social sectors. He said that Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had taken commendable measures for the welfare of the masses. He said that proper and transparent use of British taxpayers’ money had been ensured in Punjab.

He said that collaboration with the Punjab government in education, health, skill development and other social sectors would be continued.

The Chief Minister said that a lot of progress had been made in every sector during last three years under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. He said that Pakistani nation was fully united to root out the menace of terrorism, adding that there was no room for terrorism and extremism in the Pakistan of Quaid-e-Azam.

He said that Pakistan attached special importance to its ties with Britain.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 15 (APP):The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday reiterated to start the campaign for revision of the Electoral Rolls (ERs) from August 1, 2016.

The planning committee of ECP, chaired by Secretary, ECP
Friday discussed various aspects to make elections more fair, transparent and efficient.

A publicity campaign will be launched simultaneously to
motivate the public to make the revision / verification process successful.

Four Provincial Election Commissioners also attended the
meeting.They were directed to ensure comprehensive arrangements to facilitate the public during the revision of ERs.

The ECP would also launch Voter Education Campaign
encompassing various activities for public awareness. Voters
education programme would focus on improving voters turnout for elections, reduce male female voters gap and motivating women, youth, students and other neglected unprivileged groups both in rural and urban areas for their active participation in polling process.

For this purpose Dis-Vot-Ed-Com (DVEC) would be established at District level under the chairmanship of DEC concerned, CSOs, Government functionaries DCO, Population, education, other such departments and lawyers would be members of the committees.

The verification of polling stations established during
General Elections-2013 is being started to ascertain the suitability and availability of buildings. The teams for the said purpose are being constituted which will visit each and every polling station and ensure enactment of buildings with GIS System to facilitate the public on polling day.

The committee decided to have storage facilities at Divisional
level and relevant complementary staff to maintain the electoral record. It was also emphasized that all efforts be made to establish polling stations at ground floor to facilitate elderly and disabled persons.

A well designed training program is being devised to develop
and enhance the capacity building of the officers of Election
Commission.

The training of the 1st batch of the officers will be started
in the month of August, 2016.

ISLAMABAD, July 15 (APP): The Foreign Office Friday issued a travel advisory for the Pakistani nationals residing or working in South Sudan in view of the precarious security situation.

“In view of the precarious security situation in South Sudan
that could pose serious risks to foreigners, all Pakistani nationals are advised to avoid unnecessary travel to South Sudan,” a Foreign Office statement said.

The Foreign Office also advised those residing or working in
South Sudan to evacuate their families and non-essential staff.

They should refrain from traveling to conflict areas and be
ready to leave the country at any moment should the situation worsen, it added.

MUZAFFARABAD, July 15 (APP): The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has directed the Chief Secretary to withdraw the guards and protocol from President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Chaudhary Majeed, ministers, all advisers
through out the Azad Kashmir during their participation in
electioneering accept their residences.

An order issued here Friday said the CEC has also directed the chief secretary to issue necessary directions to all commissioners not to provide security guards and protocol to such personalities when they are in political meetings or election campaign.

The CEC also wrote a letter to President informing him about
his directions and requesting him uphold prestige of his office
saying the President was reportedly participated in political
meetings and running the election campaign of his
daughter Farzana Yaqoob from LA-18 Poonch 111 who is a candidate of Pakistan Peoples Party.

ISLAMABAD, July 15 (APP): Special Assistant to the Prime
Minister Dr. Asif Kirmani Friday said leaders of the opposition
parties in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) were provoking their workers for violence against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

“We are peacefully carrying out election campaign in the AJK
for general elections 2016 by using our constitutional right,” he said talking to a private news channel.

He said it was the responsibility of the administration and
the AJK Chief Election Commissioner to ensure peaceful environment there.

Dr Kirmani said the PML-N had not yet started the election campaign but organized workers conventions in January this year, when the AJK Prime Minister had issued threatening statement against the party leaders that were also reported in media.

He said Some other leaders from PPP and PTI also provoked the masses to violence in their public gatherings. In fact they were afraid of the PML-N’s mammoth public gatherings, he added.

“When we highlighted mismanagement, incompetency and
corruption of the PPP government, they started violence against peaceful the PML-N workers,” he said.

He said the PML-N workers had nothing to do with torture related incidents occurred in the AJK as they were directed by the leadership to show restraint and remain peaceful. Violence was used on peaceful workers of the PML-N in various areas of AJK, he added.

FAISALABAD, July 15 (APP): Federal Ombudsman M Salman Faruqui on Friday said that National Committee had been constituted for suggesting ways and means regarding provision of education and skill development training to jail inmates particularly to juveniles and female prisoners.

During his visit to Borstal Jail Faisalabad, he said a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), COMSATS Institute of Information Technology and Pakistan Sweet Home for providing education and skills to juvenile prisoners.

He said three sub-committees were also constituted by the Federal Ombudsman Office to propose measures to address problems of under-trail prisoners besides carrying out systemic study and assessment of general conditions in prison with particular reference to women and children.

The committees would also suggest measures for systemic improvements in jails besides dealing with the issue of segregation and treatment of first time offenders, he added.

The Federal Ombudsman informed that with the efforts of donors, a day care center at Kot Lukhpat Jail had been established for children living with their mothers.

He said jail libraries were also being upgraded besides providing vocational training facilities to inmates.

He said in Borstal Jail Faisalabad, new barracks would be constructed in addition to repairing and renovating the existing ones besides providing new beds and education facilities to jail prisoners.

He said during Ramzan, philanthropists paid fines amounting
to Rs 7.7 million for 57 poor prisoners whereas Eid gifts,
including clothes, were also distributed among 3,096 inmates.

He specially directed Provincial and District Prisons Committees to monitor prisons and pay surprise visits.

Senior Advisor (Law) /Registrar/Grievance Commissioner for
Overseas Pakistanis Federal Ombudsman Secretariat Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar said the office of Federal Ombudsman had jurisdiction over all federal government agencies/corporations etc. & Federally Administered Tribal Area.

He said a Grievance Commissioner had been appointed in the office of Federal Ombudsman to redress the grievance. He said focal persons had also been appointed in all relevant departments and all foreign missions of Pakistan.

He said once in a week, personal hearing of overseas Pakistanis had been arranged in 116 Pakistan Missions by ambassadors without prior appointments.

He said online appointment system had been made available in Pak missions regarding facilitation for attestation of documents and Machine Readable Passport Facility was being ensured abroad for more than 1,000 Overseas
Pakistanis.