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nAWAz shArif, PM shehBAz deePly AttAChed to KAshMir CAuse: MArriyuM

ISLAMABAD

stAff rePort

fEDERAL Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday said both Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif have always raised the Kashmir issue at every international forum because of their emotional attachment with the cause. “The government will express solidarity with the Kashmiris onAugust 5 against the Indian move of revoking the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, ” she said in a meeting with Senior Hurriyat leader and Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement President Altaf Ahmed Bhat who arrived at her residence to congratulate her on assuming the portfolio of Information Ministry. Meanwhile, Pakistani embassies around the world were directed to expose the Indian initiative of unilateral revocation of Kashmir’s autonomous status by nullifying article 370 of the Indian constitution, she added. The government is committed to extend moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiris in line with Nawaz Sharif’s vision. She added that the steps taken by India on August 5 were not recognized then by the government of Pakistan and would not be accepted now. “Kashmir is a disputed territory whose future remains to be decided and it can only be resolved by giving its people the right to decide on their future throughplebisciteinaccordancewiththe United Nation’s resolutions. ” she added. The United Nations should implement its resolutions on Kashmir and give Kashmiris their birthright. Former Mayor Rawalpindi Sardar Naseem Khan and Tahira Aurangzeb, mother of the Federal Information Minister were also present on occasion. Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Kashmir and Pakistan cannot be separated from each other. “Leaders of Hurriyat and Kashmiri people have made immense sacrifices for their freedom which cannot be ignored, ” she added. Talking on the occasion, Chairman J&KSMAltafAhmed Bhat said that the measures taken by India on August 5 were illegal, unconstitutional and immoral. India has been busy and brought Israeli-style demographic changes in IIOJ&K and so far more than four million hardcore Hindus have been issued Kashmiri residency certificates, which was totally illegal and unconstitutional. He said that in order to suppress the Kashmir Independence Movement, India had imprisoned the leaders of Hurriyat in false and baseless cases so that the voice of Kashmiris could not reach the world. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shabbir Shah,Yasin Malik, ZafarAkbar Bhat, Qasim Faktoo, Asiya Andrabi, Naeem Khan and many other Hurriyat leaders were behind bars, he lamented. Recently, Indian agencies assassinated SyedAli Gilani andAshraf Sahrai in custody, he said, adding India wanted to suppress the voice of Kashmiris by force. “Every day Indian army is killing innocent Kashmiris through fake and baseless crackdowns and encounters, ” Bhat remarked.

Men dominate senior positions in first Women Bank limited

AhMAD AhMADANI

Men have been dominating the senior positions of First Women Bank Limited (FWBL) in contradiction to the vision of the Islamic world’s first woman Prime Minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto Shaheed.According to sources, not a single man was part of the management team of FWBL till December 2021 since the establishment (1989) of the FWBL. However, the former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government inducted men in the bank and currently top eight senior management positions including President of FWBL are occupied by the men. “This is altogether contrary to the basic aim and vision of the then premier Benazir Bhutto (Shaheed) for establishing the FWBL in the country, ” said sources. They added that the then PM Benazir Bhutto Shaheed while congratulating the first President of FWBL through a letter dated 03 December 1989 expressed the need of the women staff to foster economic independence of the country ’s women. A copy of the letter of former Prime of Pakistan Minister Benazir Bhutto Shaheed available with Pakistan Today/Profit disclosed that the then premier while congratulating Miss Akram Khatoon, the first President of the First Women Bank Limited Karachi, said that the establishment of FWBL is aimed at giving a fillip to career women of the country who at present have little access to institutional credit. “We would also like to see that the women’s bank may employ, other than for security purposes, only women, ” said Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. She added that this will not only enable working women to have greater job opportunities but it will encourage ‘pardah nasheen’ ladies to avail of the services of the bank for purposes of account and saving. Benazir Bhutto Shaheed also said that the democratic government would like the women’s bank to come up with saving schemes for women. It is also to encourage women who do not have traditional collateral, to secure loans for employment ventures and it is for the bank to determine what terms of collateral it should offer its women clients, said Benazir Bhutto Shaheed.

Bankrupt Sri Lanka seeks discounted Russian oil

AgENCIES

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka on Sunday announced sending ministers to Russia and Qatar to try and secure cheap oil a day after the government said it had all but run out of fuel.The government meanwhile extended a two-week closure of non-essential state institutions until further notice in order to save fuel, maintaining only a skeleton staff to provide minimum services. Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said two ministers will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss getting more oil following last month’s purchase of 90,000 tonnes of Siberian crude. That shipment was arranged through Coral Energy, a Dubaibased intermediary, but politicians have been urging the authorities to negotiate directly with President Vladimir Putin’s government. “Two ministers are going to Russia and I will go to Qatar tomorrow to see if we can arrange concessionary terms, ” Wijesekera told reporters in Colombo. Wijesekera had announced on Saturday that Sri Lanka was virtually out of petrol and diesel after several scheduled shipments were delayed indefinitely due to “banking” reasons. Fuel reserves were sufficient to meet less than two days’ demand and it was being reserved for essential services, Wijesekera said while apologizing for the situation. The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on Sunday hiked the price for diesel by 15 percent to 460 rupees ($1.27) a liter and petrol by 22 percent to 550 rupees. Since the beginning of the year, diesel prices have gone up nearly four-fold and gasoline has almost tripled. Wijesekera said there would be an indefinite delay in getting new shipments of oil and urged motorists not to queue up until he introduces a token system to a limited number of vehicles daily. US takes stock: A delegation from the US Treasury and the State Department meanwhile arrived to “explore the most effective ways for the US to support Sri Lankans in need” , the US embassy in Colombo said. “As Sri Lankans endure some of the greatest economic challenges in their history, our efforts to support economic growth and strengthen democratic institutions have never been more critical, ” US ambassador Julie Chung said in a statement. US Deputy Assistant Secretary ofTreasury forAsia Robert Kaproth and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Kelly Keiderling were in the delegation. The embassy said it had committed $158.75 million in new financing in the past two weeks to help Sri Lankans. About 1.7 million residents need “life-saving assistance” , according to the United Nations which issued a flash appeal last week. Four out of five people in the nation of 22 million have reduced their food intake due to severe shortages and galloping prices, the UN noted. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe warned parliament on Wednesday that more hardships were on the way. “Our economy has faced a complete collapse, ” Wickremesinghe said. “We are now facing a far more serious situation beyond the mere shortages of fuel, gas, electricity and food. ” Unable to repay its $51 billion foreign debt, the government declared it was defaulting in April and is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout. Sri Lanka’s official inflation at the end of May was 45.3 percent, according to official data, but private economists have placed it at 128 percent, the second-highest in the world after Zimbabwe.

imran forgives employee caught with spying device at Bani Gala

ISLAMABAD

stAff rePort

Dr Shahbaz Gill, the chief of staff of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, said on Sunday that former premier Imran khan has pardoned the employee who was involved in spying at his Bani Gala residence. Dr Shahbaz Gill produced the Bani Gala employee before the media who was allegedly caught red-handed installing a spying device at Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence. He said that the 23-year-old employee has been caught installing a spying device. He added that the employee is facing life threats and he was pardoned by Khan. “I want to give a message to those who have used the employee for spying on Imran Khan that they should not violate the sanctity of the private residences of the people. This employee was working at Bani Gala for the last six years and he brought a device here but was caught before installing it. ” The employee, whose face was covered with a cloth, admitted before the media that he brought the device and was caught before installing it. “I am grateful to Imran Khan for forgiving me. I have made a mistake and everyone should forgive me. ” Spying attempt on pti chief: A spying attempt on ex-PM and PTI chief Imran Khan had been foiled yesterday. An employee of Bani Gala was paid to install a device in the former prime minister’s bedroom. However, the spying attempt was foiled after another employee informed the security team about the installation of the device. After receiving information, the security team of Bani Gala detained the employee and handed him over to the federal police. Meanwhile, PTI leader Shehbaz Gill has asserted that the party had pointed out several times that Imran Khan’s life is in danger. “In this regard, we have informed all relevant agencies, including the government, ” he added. Talking exclusively to ARY News, Shehbaz Gill claimed: “An employee – who cleans the former premier’s room – was paid to install a spy device, ” terming the act ‘heinous and unfortunate’ . “Our people are being threatened to get information. Such shameful acts should be avoided, ” he added. The PTI leader further said that the ‘arrested’ employee has made several revelations – which he refused to share at the moment.

strategic reforms in specialized healthcare in offing: sufi

ISLAMABAD

stAff rePort

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has decided to initiate strategic research and development reforms in specialized healthcare. Head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Salman Sufi, in a press statement on Sunday, said that these reforms would include assisting and enhancing the number of entities for the local development of specialized equipment for cerebral palsy, prosthetics and assistive devices. Moreover, specialized music based learning for patients with cognitive impairment would be introduced, he added. Under the proposed reforms, the low cost special wheel-chairs and other assistive material would be locally manufactured, so that these requisite items could be easily available to the ordinary citizens. The government would also take steps to provide subsidy on these items, Sufi added.

K-12 education and translated work of Pakistani female fiction writers

ISLAMABAD

syeD AfsAr sAjID

Agents of Change is an in-depth exploration of ‘the problematic landscape of Pakistan’s K-12 education and the people leading it’ by its co-authors Amjad Noorani and Nadeem Hussain. It has been described as ‘an informed commentary on education policies and practice in Pakistan’ . Feminine Foot Print on Pakistani Literature comprises a translated version of nineteen Urdu short stories by a mix of old and young female fiction writers from Pakistan, selected and rendered by Amir Rizvi, a seasoned translator and bilingual litterateur. This review is intended to deal with the two publications separately. The book is an incredible story of commitment and resolve placed within the larger historic and material context. It is an important compendium of informed and reflective commentary on education policies and practice in Pakistan. The authors have successfully initiated a deeply political conversation. However, to borrow from Antonio Gramsci, they promote a ‘politics of consent’ in the realm of education. (Harris Khalique) Renowned fiction writer Muhammad Hanif regards the book as a ‘must read for educators and policy makers’ . Physicist/educator Pervez Hoodbhoy opines that it (the book) ‘lays out the enormity of the problem that Pakistan faces in educating its youth’ . The book is dedicated to late Abdul Sattar Edhi, the iconic humanist who inter alia introduced the first nation-wide non-profit ambulance service in the country. Apart from the opening prologues, appendices, postscripts, and the index, the book is split into seven chapters, viz. the problematic education system’ ,

‘The incredible story of TCF (The Citizens Foundation)’ , ‘The Saleem family of Ibrahim Goth’ , ‘Agents of change’ , ‘The right to education’ , ‘The madrasa as an institution of education’ , and ‘Education reform: The essentials’ . The concept and methodology of TCF (The Citizens Foundation) forms the core theme of this book. Dr. Shashi Buluswar, from the University of California views it (TCF) as ‘the world’s single most effective NGO in Education. ’ It operates a vast network of schools, teachers and students of which a vivid detail is charted in the second chapter of the book. The authors ‘cohesively bring forward the scale of TCF’s 25 years of intervention, that provides both qualitative and quantitative basis to decisively shape the direction of primary and secondary education in Pakistan, laying the foundation for development of individuals with civic responsibility and consciousness to address challenges humanity is globally facing’ . Thus to quote Salman Humayun of the Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, Islamabad, ‘This book holds great value for policy research organizations, think-tanks, and development practitioners globally. It roots the debate on delivering quality education to all children in Pakistan in the context of elite capture, institutional challenges, inequity, and marginalization. It argues that the education challenge is not only technical in nature but also deeply political; and reforms that fail to establish a vibrant interface between the technical and the political are likely to be short-lived. Political yet non-partisan advocacy embedded in robust data and evidence is the key.

SoCiaL media eRaSed Line between tRuth, Lie: daStGiR

kARACHI

NewS DeSk

FEDERAl Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan on Sunday emphasized on dissemination of true and verified content through media, especially social media. like politicians, the media has its own barriers and challenges in revealing certain truths.

“Social media has erased the line between truth and lie, and this in my view is extreme reporting, ” he stated.

Having sufficient power and resources, one can alter reality, ” he regretted while delivering his keynote address in the concluding session of two-day conference on ‘Extreme Reporting: Conflict and Peace in the DigitalAge’held at the Centre of Excellence in Journalism, at Institute of Business Administration.

Minister of State for Energy Dr Musadik Malik, United States Consul General Mark Stroh and IBA’s Executive Director Dr S. Akbar Zaidi were prominent amongst the participants.

The minister said that the extreme reporting was an endeavor that required strength and courage.

If one looks at Pakistan’s history there had been courageous men and women who had tried to express the truth, for which they suffered a lot, the minister added.

For example, the minister said, journalists were shot in broad daylight and kidnapped—not only they but their families also suffered. He maintained that the media had failed to save the public from lies. It might be an exaggeration to say but the erasure of the line between truth and lies was endangering democracy worldwide.

But in this country, the democracy was treated as a soft target and as a leaf of plant to be crushed, he asserted.

He agreed that the media had many challenges like the elected lawmakers because there were certain truths that could not be revealed in the country.

The minister touched upon the civil military relationship and how it impacted the economy, the 2018 elections which he said were managed.

United States’ Consul General in Karachi Mark Stroh, after distributing awards, in his brief comments said that it had been a really fascinating couple of days –workshop and two-day conference on digital media held at IBA-CEJ.

The US was supporting the said centre and training because they were committed to supporting journalists in Pakistan.

“We are proud to support this training programs at the CEJ-IBA, ” he held.

Astrong professional press was important – especially in conflict – and it was through such trainings and conferences the journalists could learn to play their instrumental role in shaping the discourse, he advocated.

KP govt to release Rs280b to LGs in next financial year

PeSHAWAR

Staff RepoRt

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will release Rs280 billion to local governments representatives of which Rs200 billion will be for employees salaries’and Rs4 billion for development expenditure.According to the Provincial Finance Commission, Rs170 billion has been allocated for the employees of subordinate departments in the settled districts, including Rs5 billion for new recruits. Rs29.40 billion has been earmarked for other expenditure out of which Rs19.74 billion is for provision of facilities in schools. Similarly, a grant of Rs5.40b will be provided to the Tehsil Municpal Administrations (TMAs) of the settled districts of which Rs3 billion will be for the financially weak TMAs, Rs212 million has been earmarked for cantonment boards while Rs2.80 billion has been earmarked for Village and Neighborhood Councils. Similarly, Rs30 billion has been allocated for salaries of employees of subordinate departments in the merged districts, of which Rs3 billion will be for new recruitments while Rs9.86 billion for ongoing expenditure of which Rs 8.58 billion will be for education. Similarly, a grant of Rs675m has been earmarked for TMAs of tribal districts out of which Rs550m will be for weak TMAs.Agrant of Rs305m has been earmarked for Village and Neighborhood Councils. Adevelopment fund of Rs37b has also been set aside for the local governments of the settled districts and Rs4b for the local governments of the tribal districts. Thus, a total of Rs41b will be released to local governments representatives.

On int’l day, Pakistan renews resolve for a drug free society, world

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

Pakistan on Sunday joined the international community to observe the “International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” , reiterating its steadfast resolve to create a drug free society and the world.

In a statement, the Foreign Office spokesperson said the drug abuse undermined public health and the socioeconomic development besides challenging the national security and prosperity.

He said Pakistan itself was a poppy free country, but its population became a victim of regional opiate production and trade.

He said the illicit drug production and its trafficking was a major problem in Pakistan’s neighbourhood and it hadbeenattheforefrontoftheeffortstoactivelysupport the ongoing global and regional initiatives that aimed at fighting against drug production and trafficking.

The observance of this day manifests Pakistan’s steadfast resolve in creating a drug free society and world, he added.

The spokesperson said that Pakistan closely engaged in the Paris Pact Initiative and UNODC’s Regional Program for Afghanistan and Neighboring Countries.

“Under the Triangular Initiative (TI), we are cooperating with Iran and Afghanistan to fight this menace. In addition to international and regional cooperation, a number of counter-narcotics measures have been taken at the national level including the adoption of a National Anti-Narcotics Policy in 2019 and the creation of InterAgency Task Force on Counter-Narcotics, ” he remarked.

He said that protecting the youth and the future generations from this menace was inevitable for a safe and prosperous world.

“On this Day, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening action and cooperation to achieve a world that is free of drug abuse, ” he pledged. The United Nations General Assembly decided to observe June 26 as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in 1987 as an expression of its determination to strengthen action and cooperation to achieve the goal of an international society free of drug abuse.

Electric fans export increases 2.33pc in 11 months

ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

The exports of electric fan witnessed an increase of 2.33 percent during 11 months of fiscal year (2021-22) as compare to the corresponding period of last fiscal year.

The country exported electric fan worth US $28.520 million during July-May (2021-22) as against the exports of US $27.872 million during July-May (2020-21), showing growth of 2.33 percent, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

In terms of quantity, the exports of electric fan however decreased by 10.16 percent by going down from 1,782 to 1,601 , according to the data.

Meanwhile, on year-to-year basis, the exports of electric fan grew by 51.85percentduringthemonthofMay 2022 as compared to the same month oflastyear.Theexportsoffanfromthe country during May 2022 were recorded at $3.646 million against the exportsof$2.401millioninMay2021.

On month-on-month basis, the exports of electric fan dipped by 11.78 percent during May 2022 as compared to the exports of $4.133 million in April 2022, the PBS data revealed.

Churches security beefed up in Pindi

RAWALPINDI

Staff RepoRt

The Rawalpindi District Police on the directives of City Police Officer Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari here on Sunday enhanced security at churches.According to the police spokesman, Divisional Superintendents of Police, SDPOs and SHOs on Sunday checked security at churches in their respective areas and briefed the police personnel deployed there. He informed that Rawalpindi police have made strict measures to ensure security of the Christian community at churches. CPO further ordered effective patrolling in their respective areas. The police also decided to take strict action against beggars and asked hotels to maintain a proper check in and out records of visitors, spokesman added.

India using torture as tool to suppress Kashmiris’ struggle in IIOJK

NeWS DeSk

In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, India is using physical, mental and psychological torture at a large scale as a tool to prolong its illegal hold on Kashmir and to suppress the Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self-determination.

A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the International Day in Support ofVictims ofTorture, today, revealed that Indian troops during their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 96,079 Kashmiris including 7,242 in custody and fake encounters since January 1989 till date.

The report said that Indian troops and police personnel arrested 164,906 Kashmiris, including women and children, during crackdowns and military operations since 1989 till date. tortured by the Indian army, paramilitary and police personnel in different interrogation centers, police stations and jails. The use of torture by the troops has been widespread and indiscriminate in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, ” it said.

It said 96,622 Kashmiris, including men, women and children, have been injured due to the firing of bullets, pellets, teargas shells and systematic use of torture by Indian troops and police personnel on the people in IIOJK since 2000. It said hundreds of persons, including 19month-old Hiba Jan, 8-year-old Shahid Fayaz, 9-year-old Owais Ahmed, Asif Ahmed Sheikh,10, Aaqib Zahoor, 16, Ulfat Hameed, 17), Bilal Ahmed Butt. 17), Insha Mushtaq, 18,TariqAhmed Gojri,19, FaizanAshraf Tantray, 19, Nadeem, 15, Sahil Hameed Butt, Ifra, Shabroza, Parvez Ahmed, 20, Danish Rajab, 24, Shakeela, 30, Zahid Nisar, 14, Yawar Yousuf, Qisar Ahmed and Arif Ahmed Wagay, 22, have lost their eyesight in one or both eyes due to pellet injuries.

The report said Indian Army and police have established scores of torture centres in occupied Kashmir where innocent Kashmiris are subjectedtovariouskindsofbrutalmethods to extract information and confessional statements from them. “Cargo, Harinivas, Papa-1 and PapaII, and Humhama and police stations are the most notorious interrogation centreswherethousandsofKashmiris lost their lives due to severe torture during interrogation. Even topAPHC leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, died in custody, while prominent liberation leader, Muhammad Maqbool Butt and Muhammad Afzal Guru, werehangedtodeathonthebasisofa confessional statement and fake cases which was extracted on the basis of torture during custody, ” it added.