IC

He said that as Chancellor my first priority is to strengthen the links between academia and industry in universities and in this regard, consortia have been formed on 07 important sectors G o v e r n o r P u n j a b f u r t h e r s t a t e d t h a t w h e n h e v i s i t s t h e u n i v e r s i t i e s a s a c h a n c e l l o r, h e w a s h a p p y t o s e e t h a t t h e p r o j e c t s s t a r t e d i n t h e h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n s e c t o r d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d o f 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 8 h a v e r e a c h e d c o m p l e t i o n H e s a i d t h a t t h e s e p r o je c t s h a v e b r o u g h t s i g n i f i c a n t i m p r o v e m e n t i n t h e h i g h e r e d u c a t i o n s e c t o r

On this occasion, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal informed Governor Punjab about the projects initi- ated by the federal government for the improvement of education, especially for universities He said that the improvement in the higher education sector will continue under the leadership of the Prime Minister of Pakistan He said that special measures are being taken to promote skill-based education L a t e r P u n j a b G o v e r n o r M u h a m m a d B a l i g h u r R e h m a n a s C h a n c e l l o r h a s t a k e n n o t i c e o f t h e r i o t o f s t u d e n t s o u t s i d e t h e h o u s e o f P u n j a b U n iv e r s i t y Vi c e C h a n c e l l o r P r o f e s s o r D r N i a z A h m a d A k h t a r a n d i n t h i s r e g a r d , t h e G o v e r n o r h a s a s k e d t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f P u n j a b U n i v e r s i t y t o r e p o r t t h e i n c i d e n t

PAC’s Gandhara Festival 2023 begins at Taxila today

RAWALPINDI N P

" Our goal is to make 6 thousand women skilled in Muzaffarabad so that they can be economically self-sufficient by establishing their own industry in the future" the PM said

Commenting on the ban imposed on polyurethane bags, he further said that after the ban on plastic shopping bags the market demand for cloth bags has increased

He said that sewing centers would also be established in other districts of Azad Kashmir

On the occasion of Prime Minister was accompanied by minister for Industry and Commerce Chaudhry Maqbool Ahmed, Special Assistant for Women Empowerment Laiba Ahmed, and others Ends / APP / AHR

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has said that empowerment of women-folk was the government s first and foremost priority

He expressed these views during his visit to the Kamyab Khawateen Program Production Center in the State metropolis on Saturday " Women's representation in the government is showing better results", the PM said adding that making women skilled and employed across the state was the incumbent government's top priority

AP elec ts office -bearers for 2023-24

ISLAMABAD

A P P

The Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan (ICAP) unanimously elected its new office bearers for the year 2023-24 in its 365th meeting held in Karachi

The Council unanimously elected M Ali Latif as President of the Institute, Arslan Khalid and Asad Feroze as Vice Presidents said a press release issued here on Saturday

The Council lauded the services of the outgoing office bearers and announced Gold Medal for Ashfaq Yousuf Tola for his meritorious services The Council also announced mementos to Saifullah and Husnain R Badami in recognition of their services

Newly elected President of the Institute M Ali Latif is a Fellow Member (FCA) of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan

(ICAP) He is a second generation Chartered

Accountant and son of a well known practicing chartered accountant late M T K Rehmani who practiced under the name and style of “M/s Rehmani & Co , Chartered Accountants” He has more than 20 years of experience in the accounting and audit profession and is responsible for managing a wide ranging portfolio of clients across different economic sectors

He is currently working as Partner in “M/s Muniff Ziauddin & Co , Chartered Accountants, Representing BKR International and is a Council Member since 2017 He had earlier also served as an Elected Member of the Northern Regional Committee of ICAP for two consecutive four-year terms (2009-2013 & 2013-2017) and as Chairman of various ICAP Committees He has also served as Vice President of ICAP & President of Pakistan Institute of Public Finance Accountants, PIPFA and has recently been appointed as the Non-Executive Director on the Board of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)

The opening ceremony of Gandhara Festival 2023 organized by Punjab Arts Council (PAC) will be held at Gandhara Art Village Taxila on Sunday Secretary Information and Culture Ms Silwat Saeed will inaugurate the festival Director General Punjab Arts Council Muhammad Mehboob Alam says that the promotion of culture is the top priority of the provincial government The recent approval of the first cultural policy of the Punjab province is a testament to the efforts of the Punjab Arts Council Punjab Arts Council will organize festivals on Harappa, Sindhi and Hakra culture of Cholistan along with Gandhara, 3 three-day cultural fairs will also be organized in all other districts of Punjab The festival will be held from January 29 to February 4 at Gandhara Art Village Taxila and Punjab Arts Council Cricket Stadium Road Rawalpindi More than 20 stalls based on sculpture, stone carving and Gandhara art are being set up by expert artisans in the festival Traditional food, kids play area for children, and book fair on Gandhara are also part of the festival In the opening ceremony Sain Zahoor will perform at Sufi Night Sham-e-Ghazak with Ustad Hamid Ali Khan will be held on 30th January Fazal Jatt will present a story-telling program in his unique style while Naeem Hazarvi will also accompany him Saraiki folk singer Rahat Multani will perform at Punjab Arts Council Rawalpindi on February 2 Sawaal Band from Lahore will grace the Sufi Night on February 3 A play on the life of Ashok Samrat, a famous character from the history of Gandhara, will be presented on February 4, directed by Sulaiman Sunny The famous Sami folk dance of Pothohar is also a part of the daily festival Painting and sculpture competitions are also being conducted to ensure the participation of the youth in the Gandhara festival The children will be awarded with cash prizes and certificates of appreciation Ambassadors from China, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Laos, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia are expected to arrive in the festival The embassies of different countries have been invited to set up stalls A large number of students from all the educational institutions of Islamabad and Rawalpindi Division will participate in the Gandhara Festival on a daily basis

ICT admin announces local holiday on Monday

ISLAMABAD

A P P

The district administration of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) on Saturday declared January 30 (Monday) as a local holiday According to a notification issued by the ICT administration, “the local holiday is declared within the revenue limits of ICT except the offices of essential services including Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) Capital Development Authority (CDA), ICT Administration, ICT Police, IESCO, SNGPL and Hospitals

t a n N av y F l o t i l l a v i s i t s O m a n , I r a n d u r i n g ove r s e a s d e p l oy m e n t

ISLAMABAD s tA f f r e P o r t P a k i s t a n N a v y F l o t i l l a c o m p r i s i n g l o n g w i t h P

S u b m a r i n e p o r t - c a l l e d M u s c a t i n O m a n a n d B a n d a r A b b a s i n I r a n , r e s p e c t i v e l y, d u r i n g o v e rs e a s d e p l o y m e n t On arrival at host countries’ ports, Pakistan Navy ships were warmly welcomed by representatives of Pakistani embassies and officials of host navies, a Pakistan Navy media release said

The Mission Commander along with the Commanding Officers of ships called on the naval leadership of both countries

During the interactions matters of mut u a l i n t e r e s t a n d c o o p e r a t i o n i n m a r i t i m e security, the shipbuilding capability of Pakistan training opportunities in PN including sea training were discussed

The Mission Commander conveyed well wishes from Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi for the people of host countries in general and host navies in particular

During the port calls, various bilateral activities were undertaken including exchange visits onboard units, orientation visits of military installations, and coordination meetings Students of Pakistani School Muscat and members of Pakistani community also visited PN Ships Upon completion of the port call at Iran PN ships participated in a passage exercise with Iranian Navy Ship IRIS KAMAN to enhance interoperability

The port visits of Oman and Iran by PN Flotilla will further enhance existing close diplomatic ties and cordial relations with friendly countries

WASHINGTON Ag e n c i e s

aFOUR-star US air force general predicted that the US and China will be at war in two years, most likely over the Taiwan region, and called on troops under his command to pursue battle readiness in a recently disclosed memo, a move Chinese experts on Saturday decried as a reckless and provocative hyping of “China threats,” which would inflame tensions and deepen strategic mistrust between the US and China when ties are already at a low ebb

It cannot be ruled out that the move may serve as a way of putting pressure on China to gain more leverage ahead of a potential China trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, analysts said

In the memo first obtained by NBC News on Friday but dated February 1, General Michael Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command (AMC) said that “my gut tells me will fight in 2025,” as both US and Taiwan regional authorities will have elections in 2024 and the US will be “distracted ” which gives the Chinese mainland an opportunity

Minihan listed his goals of military preparation for a “fight with China” to his soldiers in the AMC, including building “a fortified, ready, integrated, and agile Joint Force Maneuver Team ready to fight and win inside the first island chain, according to an NBC report Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Saturday that it is fairly provocative and reckless for a senior US general to make such confrontational remarks targeting China while ties between Beijing and Washington are at low ebb

Such remarks will only exacerbate the mistrust between China and the US strategically, and harm bilateral ties, Xin noted

Despite Air Force spokeswoman Hope Cronin verifying the memo’s authenticity a US defense official who requested anonymity said that Minihan s comments “are not representative of the department’s view on China,” according to the Washington Post report Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said on Friday that US is working with allies and partners to preserve a peaceful, free and open Indo-Pacific ”

Top US political leaders are aware that playing up such imprudent remarks will cause further damage to China-US relations and even make China-US hostility become a self-fulfilling prophecy, Xin said

The Pentagon official’s attitude shows that they know the importance of maintaining the stability of China-US relations, he added Experts said it cannot be ruled out that the US is trying to “deter China” by using the irritation-clarification and de-escalation” approach, which occurred in

Biden’s several “slips of tongue” over the confirmation of US military interference in the Taiwan question Given the provocation came before Blinken’s possible China tour in February, some analysts believe that the US intends on using such military leverage