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Pakistan-Russia approach conducive to regional peace: Prof Cheng Xizhong

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0

BEIJING, Dec 2 (APP):Nowadays, it is in the interests of all stakeholders to promote the situation in Afghanistan towards lasting peace and stability. At this critical moment, Pakistan is actively playing the key role.

As far as the Afghan issue is concerned, Pakistan and Russia are both important countries. Constantly deepening Pakistan-Russia cooperative relations is conducive to the respective interests of both sides, the positive development of the situation in Afghanistan and the maintenance of regional peace and stability.

Therefore, relevant positive forces should constantly strengthen coordination and cooperation to jointly deal with the sabotage of the international and regional forces. “We should be highly vigilant against the regional power fishing in troubled waters.

These views were expressed by Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Special Commentator of China Economic Net, former Defense Attache in South Asian countries in an article issued here on Thursday.

Professor Cheng Xizhong noted that Pakistani National Security Advisor Dr. Moeed Yusuf and Russian Security Council Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev held in-depth discussions on bilateral, regional as well as international issues particularly Afghanistan situation on Wednesday.

In the bilateral domain, matters of mutual interest including cooperation in economic, energy, defense, counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and information and cyber security came under full discussion.

In recent years, with the approach of international and regional powers, Pakistan and Russia have made efforts to expand all-round cooperation, especially in the field of security and defense, including joint military exercises and weapons and equipment cooperation.

He concluded that in view of the evil intentions and non-cooperative attitude of the regional power, the approach of Pakistan and Russia is in line with the aims of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) and the common needs of the two countries to jointly combat terrorist forces and seek regional peace.

Qasim Akram to lead Pakistan in ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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Qasim Akram to lead Pakistan in ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup
Qasim Akram to lead Pakistan in ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup


By Sohail Ali

LAHORE, Dec 02 (APP):Qasim Akram will lead the 15-player Pakistan U19 squad in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup which will be played in January-February 2022 in the West Indies.

The Lahore-born Qasim will also captain the team in the U19 Asia Cup that will be played in the UAE later this month.

The junior selection committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board had invited 21 high-performing cricketers born on or after 1 September 2002 (eligibility criteria) for a training camp that is currently underway in Lahore to prepare the side for the two tournaments, the camp began last week.

Besides the final 15 for both events, the squad also includes two travelling reserves who will be part of the touring party for both tournaments.

The squad includes four players who took part in the preceding U19 World Cup that was played in South Africa in January-February 2020, Pakistan finished third in the event. Qasim, openers Abdul Wahid Bangalzai and Mohammad Shehzad and middle-order batter Irfan Khan Niazi were the four players to feature in the South Africa event.

Following the 2020 event, Qasim was hugely impressive for Central Punjab in all three formats in the 2020-21 domestic season which was his first, Abdul Wahid scored a double-century for Balochistan in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy besides impressive batting in the National T20.

Irfan appeared for Central Punjab in the National T20 and has already earned the reputation of being a clean striker of the ball, Shehzad was also one of the most prolific batters in the 2021-22 U19 one-day and three-day events.

Besides the quartet, the squad includes promising players like spinners Faisal Akram (left-arm-wrist-spinner), Ali Asfand (left-arm-spinner), Mehran Mumtaz (left-arm-spinner) and Arham Nawab (off-spinner). Faisal represented Southern Punjab in the National T20.

Abdul Faseeh, Haseebullah, Rizwan Mehmood and Maaz Sadaqat were the standout performers with the bat in the domestic U19 circuit. Pacers Ahmed Khan, Awais Ali and Zeeshan Zameer have also performed admirably besides impressing the selectors and coaches with their potential.

Pakistan Shaheens and U19 head coach Ijaz Ahmed will lead the support staff on the two tours.

Chairman Junior Selection Committee Saleem Jaffer said on Thursday: “Selection of U19 squads is always one of the most challenging and difficult tasks due to the available pool of talent. And this selection was no different, but we have tried to pick the best available 17 players who can help Pakistan win the World Cup for the country.

“The PCB has prepared a robust plan for pathways cricket and I can assure all teenage cricketers who have missed out on selection this time that they will get a chance at some stage down the line.

“I want to congratulate the 17 players who have made into the squad for the UAE and the West Indies tournaments. I remain confident that this side has the capability and potential to do well in both the upcoming events.”
Squad (in alphabetical order):

Qasim Akram (captain, Central Punjab), Abdul Faseeh (Northern), Abdul Wahid Bangalzai (Balochistan),

Ahmed Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Ali Asfand (Central Punjab), Arham Nawab (Central Punjab), Awais Ali (Central Punjab), Faisal Akram (Southern Punjab), Haseebullah (wicketkeeper, Balochistan), Irfan Khan Niazi (Central Punjab), Maaz Sadaqat (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Mehran Mumtaz (Northern)
Mohammad Shehzad (Southern Punjab), Rizwan Mehmood (Sindh) and Zeeshan Zameer (Sindh)

Traveling reserves: Ghazi Ghori (wicketkeeper, Sindh), Mohammad Zeeshan (Central Punjab).
Support staff: Ijaz Ahmed (Head coach), Rao Iftikhar Anjum (Bowling coach), Mohtashim Rasheed (Fielding coach), Mohammad Javed (Strength and Conditioning coach), Waleed Ahmed (Analyst), Hafiz Naeem-ul-Rasool (physiotherapist) and Taimur Azam (Manager).

Ch Sarwar discusses Afghanistan, regional issues, bilateral relations in UK

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0
Ch Sarwar discusses Afghanistan, regional issues, bilateral relations in UK
Ch Sarwar discusses Afghanistan, regional issues, bilateral relations in UK

LAHORE, Dec 02 (APP):Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar Thursday met various ruling party and opposition leaders during his visit to the United Kingdom, according to a spokesperson for the Governor’s House here.

He met Labour Party and opposition leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs MP David Lemmy at the British Parliament. Issues facing people of Afghanistan, Afghan peace process, current situation in the region and Pak-UK relations came under discussion. British MPs Yasmin Qureshi, Mohammad Afzal, MP Sheeran and others were also present.

Governor Ch Sarwar spoke about the steps being taken by Pakistan for peace and stability in Afghanistan, the current situation in the region and other issues including Kashmir and urged the UK government to not only increase aid to Afghanistan but also play a role in providing basic services there.

Starmer and David Lemmy praised Pakistan’s role under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Afghan peace process and eradicating terrorism and promised full support to Pakistan in this regard. They said establishment of peace and eradication of terrorism were in the interest of the whole world, admitting that Pakistan was fighting on the front line against terrorism.

The Punjab governor said the Pakistan Army and the Pakistani nation made exemplary sacrifices in the war against terrorism. The success of any country, region or world required the elimination of terrorism. Pakistan had no personal agenda regarding Afghanistan, Ch Sarwar told the British MPs. “We want only peace and stability in Afghanistan and the provision of basic amenities to the Afghan people,” he added.

Ch Sarwar said that whenever the world ignored Afghanistan in the past, the whole world had seen the consequences. Therefore, the world, including the United States and the United Kingdom, should not make the mistake of leaving Afghanistan unattended.

The world must help Afghanistan as much as possible and as soon as possible and Pakistan was also playing its role to help the Afghan people, he added.

The governor also urged Keir Starmer and David Lemmy to play their role in ending the ongoing atrocities and human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

JAC delegation meet Shafqat Mahmood

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):The delegation of Joint Action Committee led by Mr. Muhammad Asif, senior vice president Pakistan Chamber of Education met with Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Mr Shafqat Mahmood to present their concerns regarding the apex court’s decision about eradication and liquidation of private schools in Cantonment areas by December 31, 2021.

The delegation said, supreme court gave three years for shifting of 8400 private schools existing in 42 Cantonments of the country and 3.7 million students are studying in these institutions while Cantonment authorities have not demarcated areas for private educational institutions.

They were of the view that removal of schools from the Cantonment would bring up educational crises in form of out of school children. There are 0.3 million teaching and allied staff employed in these schools.

Federal Minister for Education has said that education is the highly important sector of the country and we are aware of your problems and issues. He assured the delegation to support them from every legal way.

Members of the Joint Action Committee delegation included Nasir Mahmood, the convener, Malik Azhar Mahmood general secretary, Ch. Muhammad Tayyib, president IFC, Malik Naseem Ahmed president PS& CMA and Hafiz Muhammad Basharat president PES.

The Citizens Foundation’ to feature at Dubai Expo 2020

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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'The Citizens Foundation' to feature at Dubai Expo 2020
'The Citizens Foundation' to feature at Dubai Expo 2020

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):The Citizens Foundation (TCF), perhaps the largest network of independently run schools in the world, is set to be featured at the Expo 2020 Dubai’s Global Best Practices Programme in December 2021.

This week as the Expo 2020 Dubai celebrates the Knowledge and Learning Week, we will see many organisations such as TCF highlighting best practices in education to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, said in a Press Release issued here on Thursday.

The Citizen’s Foundation is a leading non-profit working to provide quality education in Pakistan’s most neglected rural and slum communities where we find children, especially girls, out of school. Pakistan is the world’s sixth most populous country and has the second-highest number of out-of-school children in the world.

These children in Pakistan often face deep-rooted structural inequalities that are most often linked to gender biases, poverty and lack of access to quality schools.

What started as a discussion among 6 friends to correct their country’s trajectory, has now become a national movement and a global best practice. TCF has evolved a model to deliver quality education at scale. It runs 1,687 schools in 62 districts across Pakistan. Currently it has an enrollment of 275,000 students, of which nearly 50% are girls.

“When we started TCF we wanted to ensure that girls received an equal opportunity to study. That is why we make sure that all TCF schools are within walking distance to communities. We also hire only female teachers to encourage parents to send their daughters to school,” says Ateed Riaz, Co-founder and Chairman of The Citizens Foundation.

Hiring only female teachers has made TCF one of the largest private employers of women in Pakistan with a faculty of 12,950 women. TCF not only provides transportation to these teachers to and from the schools but also conducts a rigorous training of over 120 hours annually to develop their capabilities and ensure quality education in its classrooms.

“Ensuring that we make a lasting impact in the lives of our students, we decided to provide support beyond just school years,” says TCF’s CEO Asaad Ayub Ahmad.

“TCF provides ongoing support to its Alumni through scholarships and its Alumni Development Programme where it helps students obtain admissions in universities.”

To date 50,500 students have graduated from TCF Schools and this year 733 TCF alumni have received admission in the top universities in Pakistan.

Today, TCF alumni are serving as agents of positive change and inspiring change in their communities. One such alumna is Dr. Sidra Saleem, daughter of a daily-wage laborer, who grew up in a slum in Karachi. Sidra is now a Doctor of Neurology in Toledo, Ohio and is in her second year of medical residency. She is just one of thousands of TCF alumni who beat all odds and are on the path to success through quality education.

For 26 years, TCF is working to transform the children of Pakistan into agents of positive change. TCF remains committed to its mission and magnifying its impact by reaching 2 million agents of positive change by the year 2030.

It aims to do this by continuing to expand the formal schooling programmes, supporting alumni through higher education, providing structured interventions for basic literacy and life skills to communities outside the context of formal schooling and nurture and expand partnerships with provincial governments and social enterprises to confront the massive education crisis faced by Pakistan.

Pak, Qatar agree to strengthen mutual ties in education, cultural activities

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0
Pak, Qatar agree to strengthen mutual ties in education, cultural activities
Pak, Qatar agree to strengthen mutual ties in education, cultural activities

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):Pakistan and Qatar on Thursday have reiterated their resolve to further strengthen the mutual ties through education and cultural activities.

It was decided during a meeting between the Ambassador of State of Qatar to Pakistan Shaikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Federal Minister for Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture Shafqat Mahmood held at Ministry of Federal Education to discuss matters pertaining to the bilateral relations.

Qatar has offered to Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training the highest standard Primary school to build in Islamabad for Pakistani Students by Qatar Foundation; a non profit organization made up of more than fifty entities working in Education, Research and Community Development.

The Embassy of State of Qatar would also offer scholarships to those students whose parents can not afford the fee, said the Ambassador of State of Qatar. State of Qatar has also offered five seats, every year in Hammad Bin Khalifa University ( HBKU) to Pakistani students along with free accommodation and salary.

On completion of their graduation, these Pakistani Students would also be given job in Qatar. While expressing his gratitude for the offers, Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood has said, Pakistan has very close and cordial relationship with the State of Qatar and it is important for us to further strengthen our ties through education and schools.

Federal Minister also lauded the education system of the Arab State which has earned a good reputation in the world. Shafqat Mahmood also congratulated the Ambassador to host first FIFA world Cup ever in the Arab World, which is scheduled to take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022. State of Qatar is hosting two hundred thousand Pakistanis there and most of them are ex-armed forces officials.

Farrukh felicitates newly elected office bearers of CPNE

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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Farrukh appeals to ECP to take action against turn coats
Farrukh appeals to ECP to take action against turn coats

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP):Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Thursday felicitated newly elected office bearers of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) including President Kazim Khan and General Secretary Amir Mehmood.

In a news statement, he expressed the hope that the newly elected leadership of CPNE would play central role in promoting press freedom. Farrukh said Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021 had been enacted as Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government fully believed in media freedom.

He said the new act would ensure protection of journalists and media professionals’ life, jobs and rights. The minister described fake news a major challenge and called for collective efforts to tackle the issue.

NUMS Faculty, students join national efforts to raise awareness of dengue

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0
NUMS Faculty, students join national efforts to raise awareness of dengue
NUMS Faculty, students join national efforts to raise awareness of dengue

RAWALPINDI, Dec 02 (APP): Pro Vice Chancellor Academics National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) Maj Gen Saleem Ahmed Khan (Retd) here on Thursday emphasized the need to raise awareness of dengue, saying, role of university students could work as a catalyst in checking its spread across the country.

He was speaking at aseminar on “Awareness and Stop the Transmission” of the dengue which was organized by NUMS Department of Public Health at its PWD Campus here Thursday.

He said the students had a great potential and talent in running such campaigns as they had ably demonstrated through their presentations and small documentaries today. The students gave a “wonderful presentation and everything was done excellently”, he added.

Lauding efforts of the Faculty and the students, he said, their campaign would further bolster efforts of the concerned authorities in creating awareness about dengue as precautionary measures could help prevent its spread.

He congratulated Faculty members and students of Public Health, Multidisciplinary Sciences and Social Sciences & Humanities for being active in dengue awareness campaign. He assured them of his support in future activities to promote the university’s extracurricular activities.

Pro Vice Chancellor also gave away shields to the students who won different positions in inter-departmental competition in making documentaries, videos or designing dengue awareness pamphlets.


In her remarks Head of Public Health Prof Dr. Uzma Hassan said the Directorate General Health Services, Islamabad had initiated an anti-dengue campaign since January in line with guidelines of WHO. Dengue fever, she said, was a social disease and could not be controlled without involvement of students who could be in the vanguard of disseminating anti- dengue messages at their homes and community.

Of the cases reported from Islamabad, 23 per cent were in the age group of 20-29 years and most of them were the University students.She appreciated the hard work of students in designing Dengue awareness banners, standees, flyers and distributing them in the vicinity of NUMS to create awareness about dengue which is spread by mosquitoe bites.

Earlier in their documentaries and presentations,the students on the occasion brought spotlight on the causes of spread of dengue and urged the households to take needed measures to prevent its spread. They said water stagnation inside and outside houses, was working as breeding grounds for dengue.

Highlighting symptoms of dengue like high fever,pain in joints and persistent vomiting, they said its incubation period was three to fourteen days. The Faculty and students organized a walk in the campus at the end of the seminar. Dengue has already affected 44,415 people in Islamabad, Sindh, Punjab, KPK, AJK and Balochistan.

Fawad appreciates CPNE role in promoting democracy, upholding journalistic values

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP):Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Thursday appreciated the role of Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) in promoting democracy, upholding journalistic values and creating awareness among the people.

Congratulating the newly elected office bearers of CPNE including President Kazim Khan, Senior Vice President Ayaz Khan, Secretary General Amir Mahmood and Deputy Secretary General Yousuf Nizami,he said that CPNE was the custodian of excellent journalistic traditions in the country.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government fully believed in the democratic and fundamental right to freedom of expression, he said, adding “We will continue to provide all possible support for the promotion of freedom of press and development of active media in the country”.

The minister expressed the hope that the newly elected officials would meet the
expectations of the journalistic community for the betterment of the
journalism sector and the welfare of the media industry.

Senator Faisal felicitates UAE people on 50th National Day anniversary

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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0
Senator Faisal felicitates UAE people on 50th National Day anniversary
Senator Faisal felicitates UAE people on 50th National Day anniversary

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP):Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) leader Senator Faisal Javed Khan on Thursday congratulated the people of United Arab Emirates (UAE) as they celebrate their 50th anniversary Golden Jubilee.

In a tweet, he said that “UAE is Pakistan’s major economic and trading partner”. “We also have a long cricket relationship, UAE serving as a home ground for our cricket team for the past few decades,” he added.

Japan downs Pakistan in Asian Squash C’ship

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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Japan downs Pakistan in Asian Squash C'ship
Japan downs Pakistan in Asian Squash C'ship

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):Japan outplayed Pakistan by 2-1 in the pool match of the 20th Asian Squash Team Championship is in progress in Kualalumpur (Malaysia).

According to details, on the 3rd day of pool matches, Japan downed Pakistan by 2-1.Ryosei Kobayashi beat Tayyab Aslam by 11-6, 10-12, 13-11, 11-3.

While Nasir Iqbal defeated Tomotaka Endo by 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 and Ryunosuke Tsukue outclassed Amaad Fareed by 12-10, 11-7 and 11-6.

NA to commemorate International Day for PWDs

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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0
NA to commemorate International Day for PWDs
NA to commemorate International Day for PWDs

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):National Assembly (NA) of Pakistan will commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) on Friday 3rd December 2021 in the Parliament House.

The International Day of PWDs 2021 is being celebrated on the global theme “Leadership and participation of Persons with Disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world” that focuses on the challenges faced by persons with a disability during the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure their inclusive, accessible, and sustainable future.

This event aims to raise awareness regarding our responsibilities towards PWDs and bring positive changes in their lives. Moreover, it will serve as an opportunity to celebrate their achievements and contributions and highlights the importance of the inclusion of vulnerable segments of the society into the mainstream, said in a Press Release issued here on Thursday.

During the event, Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser will launch accessibility of the Parliament House Building and the accessibility of the National Assembly official website for PWDs besides, unveiling the full version of the Braille Constitution of Pakistan.

This initiative of Speaker Asad Qaiser will contribute significantly to alleviate the difficulties being faced by PWDs, which will boost their confidence and encourage them to excel in all walks of life.

The commemoration of this day in the Parliament is the result of Special initiatives of Speaker National Assembly for the welfare of differently-disabled people and make them productive citizens of the country. Speaker Asad Qaiser is making considerable efforts for bringing new legislations in order to bring long-term reforms for the wellbeing of PWDs.

In a message on the occasion of “International Day of Persons with Disabilities” (PWDs) Speaker NA said, that differently disabled people have a lot of potential and energy to contribute to the progress of the country. They are capable to perform all tasks but they need encouragement and assistance to make them viable and productive part of the society.

Facilitating the people with Disabilities has been the priority of incumbent government and it is striving hard to provide equal access of education and health and other basic facilities to them.

On the directions of the Speaker, a Special Committee on PWDs has been formulated which is making remarkable progress by suggesting and recommending policy measures in providing fundamental facilities to differently-disabled people.

The Committee is working constructively to ensure that every person with a disability shall have an equal opportunity to participate in all spheres of life without any discrimination.

This event will include an address by the Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser, MNA/Champion Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities Zille Huma and Emerging Leader on Disability Inclusion Ms. Zala Qaiser. Executive Director Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP) Mr. Muhammad Atif Sheikh and Country Representative United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr. Bahktior Kadirov would also address the event.

A special documentary regarding initiatives for socio-economic inclusion of PWDs by Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser would also be displayed. Parliamentarians, Intelligentsia, Media Representatives would also participate in the event. The event will be attended by members of Parliament, representatives of charitable and welfare organizations and civil society.

Pakistan reaffirms commitment to end HIV/AIDS by 2030

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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Pakistan reaffirms commitment to end HIV/AIDS by 2030
Pakistan reaffirms commitment to end HIV/AIDS by 2030

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, said that with the sustained support of United Nations and other partner organizations Pakistan is regularly taking serious efforts to bring the ratio of new HIV/AIDS to zero level by 2030 to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health.

This commitment was demonstrated at a national event organized by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination; Common Management Unit (CMU) for AIDS, TB, and Malaria in Islamabad on Thursday to commemorate the World AIDS Day 2021, said a press release.

Dr. Faisal appreciated the regular support of especially UN agencies towards ensuring elimination of this pandemic in the country.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony Ms. Yuki Takemoto, UNAIDS Country Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan, said that HIV/AIDS still threatens the world including Pakistan.

She said that today, the country is off track from delivering on the shared commitment to end AIDS by 2030 not because of a lack of knowledge or tools to beat AIDS, but because of structural inequalities that obstruct proven solutions to HIV prevention and treatment.

Sharing his opinion, UN Resident Coordinator, Pakistan, Julien Harneis, said that for the course corrections, we need to end AIDS as it will also protect Pakistan against future pandemics.

“We need a paradigm shift in health financing and invest in community-led, human rights-based, gender transformative responses, essential workers, equitable access to life-saving medicines, data systems that can detect inequalities, and rights-based approaches that address those inequalities,” he explained.

The World AIDS Day is marked across the world every year on December 2. The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day is ‘End inequalities. End AIDS. End Pandemics’. In Pakistan, this Day is commemorated in collaboration with United Nations agencies, governments and civil society to campaign around specific themes related to AIDS.

The theme reminds entire country’s collective efforts needed by national and provincial partners, support from international partners (UN, GFATM and other development partners), and the critical role of people living with HIV and other community-based organizations in the overall national HIV response.

Influential diplomats, representatives of United Nations Country Team (UNCT); UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM); Health, Population, Nutrition and Health Development Partners, Association of People Living with AIDS (APLHIV) and other community-based organizations working on HIV attended the event.

Speaking in the ceremony, Asghar Satti, National Coordinator of Association of People Living with HIV and AIDS, stressed for HIV testing for ensuring that all people living with HIV can lead a healthy and productive life.

“Both AIDS and COVID-19 can be ended, and future pandemics can be prevented with strong political leadership, action and accountability,” he remarked.

This ceremony was followed by the handicraft stalls displayed by marginalized section of society and work by the Joint UN Team on AIDS in support of the HIV response in Pakistan and Women’s Economic Empowerment in which handicrafts by women living with HIV were displayed.

PM Khan’s positive remarks on Pak-China friendship highly appreciable: China

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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PM Khan's positive remarks on Pak-China friendship highly appreciable: China
PM Khan's positive remarks on Pak-China friendship highly appreciable: China

BEIJING, Dec 2 (APP):Prime Minister Imran Khan’s positive remarks on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) fully demonstrated that Pakistan attached high importance to friendship between the two countries and a comprehensive cooperation, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday.

“China has noted that for some time that Prime Minister Imran Khan has made positive remarks on CPEC. This fully demonstrates that the Pakistani side pays high importance over the friendship between our two sides and a comprehensive cooperation,” he made these remarks during his regular briefing in response to a question asked by APP.

“While chairing a high level meeting to review the progress on CPEC projects, the prime minister emphasized that timelines specific for completion of CPEC projects should be adhered to.”

He also said that the government of Pakistan was committed to provisions of the CPEC agreement.

The spokesperson said, “China highly appreciates the remarks made by the prime minister.”

He said that the CPEC, a pilot project under Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), since its inception, had made important contribution to Pakistan’s economic development and people’s livelihood improvements. It had won great appraisal and recognition of people across all fields.

Wang Wenbin said that China was ready to work with Pakistan to implement the consensus of the two leaders and on the current building and operation of further focus on cooperation in industry, people’s livelihood, agriculture and science and make CPEC a demonstrated project in the benefit of the two people and two countries.

Ehsaas Rashan Registration web-portal received 489.96 mln visits since Nov 9: Dr. Sania

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Dr. Sania Nishtar on Wednesday said Ehsaas Rashan Web Portal had received 489.96 million visits since opening of the portal on November 9, 2021.

“Over 6.83 million families have been registered through 8171 service and Ehsaas Rashan web-portal, so far. Likewise, 33,178 Kiryana shopkeepers have been registered nationwide under Ehsaas Rashan and registration of 50,562 shopkeepers is currently in process on the portal”, Dr. Sania said while briefing the Prime Minister, Imran Khan in a meeting held here on the ongoing Ehsaas Rashan registration.

Dr. Sania also briefed the Prime Minister on the steps being taken to enroll families and Kiryana shopkeepers under the programme. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister to review progress on Ehsaas Rashan Registration and execution, said a news release issued here.

The Prime Minister directed participating provinces, district governments and other concerned authorities to expedite the Rashan registration process to benefit maximum number of poor families in the country.

He also directed all concerned authorities to raise awareness among Karyana Stores and the potential beneficiaries in this regard. He said the government was taking all possible measures to provide maximum relief to common man.

Through the programme, 20 million families with monthly income below Rs. 50,000 will be granted a monthly subsidy of Rs.1,000 on flour, ghee/cooking oil and pulses.

Chief Minister Punjab, Sardar Usman Buzdar; Chief Minister KP, Mahmood Khan, Chief Minister Gilgit Baltistan Khalid Khurshid, Advisor on Finance Shaukat Tarin, SAPM on Political Communication, Dr. Shehbaz Gill; Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan Niazi; President NBP, Arif Usmani and other senior officers also attended the meeting. 

Registration of Karyana Stores is ongoing through the web-portal: ehsaasrahsan.pass.gov.pk whereas families can register either through 8171 or the web-portal.

Eight Covid-19 patients died, 377 tested positive during last 24 hours

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Zaka Ullah Ch
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Eight Covid-19 patients died, 377 tested positive during last 24 hours
Eight Covid-19 patients died, 377 tested positive during last 24 hours

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):As many as eight Corona patients died in the hospital during past 24 hours, according to the latest update issued by the National command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

According to NCOC 14,168 active Covid-19 cases were recorded with 377 more people tested positive for the deadly pandemic virus while 8 more people lost their lives during the last 24 hours.

Most of the deaths were occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Punjab. One of the deceased patients died while he was on ventilators during treatment.

The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 16 percent, Peshawar 15 percent, Islamabad 16 percent and Lahore 09 percent.

The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of COVID patient) were also occupied in four major areas including Multan 38 percent, Swabi 18 percent, Sargodha 18 percent and Islamabad 12 percent.

Around 102 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no COVID affected person was on ventilator in, Gilgit Baltistan (GB), Balochistan and AJK.

Some 44,137 tests were conducted across the country on Wednesday, including 12,443 in Sindh, 17,173 in Punjab, 8,289 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 4,542 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 1,106 in Balochistan, 312 in GB, and 272 in AJK.

Around 1,242,718 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count.

Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 1,285,631 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 34,563, Balochistan 33,488, GB 10,412, ICT 10,7765, KP 180,146, Punjab 443,240 and Sindh 476,017.

About 28,745 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion. Around 7,622 have perished in Sindh, out of which 01 died in hospital on Wednesday.

However, 13,028 had died in Punjab so far, with 01 deaths occurred in past 24 hours. Around 5,851 in KP where 05 of them died in hospital on Wednesday, 956 in ICT with one died in hospital on Wednesday, Balochistan 360, GB 186, AJK 742.

A total of 22,072,293 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 640 hospitals were equipped with COVID facilities. Some 945 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.

Govt to establish Pakistan’s first E- commerce university: SAPM

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0
Govt to establish Pakistan’s first E- commerce university: SAPM
Govt to establish Pakistan’s first E- commerce university: SAPM

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP):Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on E-Commerce, Senator Aon Abbas Buppi on Thursday said the government would soon lay the foundation of Pakistan’s first E- commerce university.

“We would soon be setting up the first e-commerce university, which would enhance the capabilities of e-commerce trader’s not only in Pakistan but also in the emerging E- commerce international market”, he said.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on E- Commerce, Senator Aon Abbas Buppi said this while chairing the one day ‘National E- Commerce Symposium’ organized by the Ministry of Commerce, said a press release issued here.

Senior Joint Secretary, Ms Aisha Moirani including the E- Commerce leaders and traders Mr. Badar Khushnood,Mr. Sunny Ali,Mr. Saqib Azhar, Rehan Allahwala, Zulqarnain Abbas, Hisham Sarwar, Azad Chaiwala, Huzaifa Ali, Usman Chughtai, Syed Tauqeer,Bobby Shahzad, Haroon Raja,Mr Asfandya, Qasim Sana Ramay, Adeem Mirza,Rizwan Zafar and Ahmed Memon also participated in the Symposium.

Meanwhile, SAPM on E-Commerce, Senator Aon Abbas Buppi said the most of the
e-commerce business was doing by the youth and now at this time, the government would provide them all facilities.

He said establishment of e-commerce University would provide new employment opportunities to the youth in Pakistan and the country would become a part of the global supply chain which would enhance our economic strength.

The SAPM said Prime Minister Imran Khan had high hopes from the youth and now mostly youth were in e-commerce trading, which could increase the country’s exports as well as provide ample employment opportunities.

He said similarly the government was planning to create the first e-commerce web portal in the country, which would help in curbing illegal trade.

He said with the help of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba, an e-commerce portal would be created and transparency would be brought in this sector.

The SAPM said the government plans to increase e-commerce trade volume up to
US $ nine billion in the next two years by June 2023.

There were already conflicting figures in Pakistan’s e-commerce trade, however, with the current trade of US $ 4.5 billion, “we can take it up to US $ 9 billion, ”he said.

“I will take care of all the issues of e-commerce traders including State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and other tax agencies”, he said.

He said the most of the issues were related to finance, taxes, logistics data and Ease of Doing Business (EOBD) of which “we are already aware and the government will pay full attention to this.”

Aon Abbas urged the e-commerce leaders to come forward and train the country’s large youth population in this sector so that youth from remote areas like Balochistan,

Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh and other provinces could come forward and become part of the country’s economic power and gain decent employment opportunities.

He said e-commerce leaders now had a responsibility to change lives of 45 Percent of the youth living in remote areas of the country.

These services would be a great provision to their country and these young people would become an asset to our population.

He said youth empowerment was the first priority of the government for which there was no better tool than e-commerce.

He said apart from Business to Business, the government would solve all the problems in this sector with regard to business to company. Speaking on the occasion, Senior Joint Secretary Ministry of Commerce, Aisha Moirani said the government was fully committed to promote e-commerce business domestically and globally.

“Our ministry is working hard to link e-commerce business with industry,” he said.
The e-commerce leaders and traders also gave their recommendations on the occasion and discussed issues related to Business to Business, taxation, logistics,

money transaction, ecommerce supply chain, Ease of Doing Business (EODB), data protection, Centralized regulation and business structure. On this occasion, e-commerce trader Badar Khushnood said that in the current government, many issues regarding our policy level and other transactions have been resolved.
He said that SBP also extended full cooperation in this regard.

He said Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) needed to link to this sector and also needed to address issues of online payments.

PM Imran fulfills promise of giving voting rights to expats: Farrukh

By
Zaka Ullah Ch
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0

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP):Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib on Thursday said Prime Minister Imran Khan gave some nine million overseas Pakistanis their voting rights to fulfill the promise made before the general elections 2018.

In a meeting with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) United Kingdom (UK) senior leadership, the minister said the previous governments would love to receive remittances from the overseas Pakistanis, but did not want to give them their voting rights.

During the meeting, PTI UK President Rana Abdul Sattar and Vice President Malik Imran Khalil discussed the issues faced by the expats and role of Pakistani mission abroad with the minister.

They also extended gratitude to PM Imran Khan and his team for providing voting rights to the overseas Pakistanis. Farrukh said PM Imran Khan had directed all the Pakistani missions abroad to facilitate the expats, besides resolving their issues on priority.

Abdul Sattar said the overseas Pakistanis thanked the PTI government for taking multiple pro-expats initiatives including Roshan Digital Account, Apna Gur Scheme and others.

He said the senior leaders of the PTI UK had conveyed gratitude to Prime Minister Imran Khan for automating the system for issuance of power of attorney to the expats. The initiative would benefit thousands of overseas Pakistanis. Abdul Sattar said overseas Pakistanis from across the world would give vote to Prime Minister Imran Khan in the next election.

NCOC discusses oxygen production, distribution process

By
Hassan Abbas
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0

ISLAMABAD, Dec 02 (APP): National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) morning session on Thursday discussed the epidemic curve chart data, national vaccine strategy and disease prevalence across the country.


The forum was briefed about COVID positivity ratio, disease prevalence, number of deaths and new admissions.


The forum discussed in detail, the city-wise Covid-19 vaccination process across the country and the forum agreed upon taking strict measures regarding obligatory vaccination regime.


District wise vaccination targets were reviewed and all-out efforts are being made to engage provinces to achieve the set vaccination targets. The forum also discussed the total number of vaccine administration, procurement and balance of vaccine.


NCOC stressed upon the provinces to speed up the vaccination process amid rising trend of Omicron variant across the globe as vaccination is the only way to prevent the spread of new Covid variant.


The forum also discussed the current status of oxygen production and distribution process across the country.


NCOC suggested installation of oxygen plants in various parts of country with special focus on far flung areas which have logistic issues.

Farrukh grieves martyrdom of Pakistani peacekeeper in Central African Republic

By
Hassan Abbas
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0

ISLAMABAD, Dec 2 (APP): Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Thursday condoled martyrdom of Pakistani soldier Havaldar Muhammad Shafiq serving in the United Nations Mission in Central African Republic (CAR) ensuring peace and protection of the locals.

In his condolence message, the minister expressed profound sympathy with the bereaved family.
He said Pakistan Army has been playing key role for ensuring global peace through platform of the United Nations.


Some 162 peacekeepers of Pakistan Army has lost their lives for ensuring global peace, he added.

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