S A l I K d e M A N d S u N t o d e c l A r e u r d u A S I t S S e v e N t h o F F I c I A l l A N G u A G e

ISLAMABAD s tA f f R e p o Rt

FO R M E R Federal Minister for Population Welfare and Convener, World Minorities Alliance (WMA), J Salik on Sunday demanded the United Nations to disseminate and translate it’s documents and publications in Urdu language and declare it as its seventh official language

He also urged the UN to allow designated minorities observers (days) at its General Assembly to end disparity

The Convener WMA made these remarks while exchanging views with Patron-in-Chief, WMA Muhammad Saeed Faisal on the upcoming international interfaith conference to be held under the auspices of the Alliance in Washington DC

J Salik said the UN should ensure distribution of its documents in Bangla, Turkish, Korean and Swahili as these languages were also spoken by millions of people around the globe

Referring to his principle demand he said the UN should realise that Urdu language is widely understood and spoken

PM Shehbaz vows to break ‘habit of begging’

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The legislators welcomed the prime minister and thanked him on behalf of the people of Azad and Occupied Jammu and Kashmir for spending the day of February 5 with people of Kashmir

They said Pakistan Muslim League (N) under the leadership of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif always raised voice all over the world to highlight the Kashmir issue and India's oppression perpetrated against Kashmiris

They paid tribute to the prime minister for voicing his views in support of the Kashmiris at the meetings of United Nations General Assembly, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Uzbekistan and Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, held in Kazakhstan

Former prime minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir and MLA Raja Farooq Haider Khan and members legislative assembly Waqar Ahmed Noor, Sardar Aamir Altaf Khan, Shah Ghulam Qadir, Raja Muhammad Siddique, Muhammed Ahmad Raza Qadri, Nisara Abbasi and federal ministers Khawaja Saad Rafique, Rana Tanvir Hussain, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Murtaza Javed Abbasi and Advisor to PM Qamar Zaman Kaira attended the meeting ‘

Ay’: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed gratitude to the people of Pakistan including overseas Pakistanis for their passionate participation in the observance of Kashmir

Solidarity Day

Taking to his Twitter handle he said "I am grateful to people of Pakistan belonging to all walks of life including overseas Pakistanis for their passionate participation in observance of Kashmir Solidarity Day Pakistan has conveyed a powerful message of support to Kashmiris in their just struggle for self-determination "

Sanaullah says knows well how to deal with PtI’s ‘jail bharo’ tehreek

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The interior minister said that PTI is now going to launch a ‘Jail Bharo Tehreek’ [Fill the jail movement] He threatened that he will also deal with the PTI s Jail Bharo Tehreek Sanaullah said that PTI leaders should remember the days of May 25 and November 26 He said that the PTI leaders will be kept in the same cells where PML-N leaders were locked up in the South Asia region and due to rising Indian, Pakistani, Begali, Sri Lankan and Nepali diaspora in the Middle East it is understandable among a large number of people

He added that Pakistan is the only country in the world that has been created by the minorities of the subcontinent against the majority Hindus The flag of Pakistan is also custodian of equal minorities rights and representation in the country he added Salik told the Patron-in-Chief that the international interfaith conference due in the first week of March is also intended to advocate for equal rights for the minorites like Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and people of other faiths as the demograpic representation of different faiths varies from one country to the other

He said the UN should also provide special representation and access to observers belonging to different minorites of the world that would enable them to get recognition and safeguard of their rights at the highest international forum

The Patron-in-Chief Muhammad Saeed Faisal welcomed the suggestions of J Salik

Italian delegation disc usses collaboration in agri, environment sec tors with CM Naqvi

A 13-member delegation of Italian Development Cooperation Institution headed by Director Luca Maestripieri met with caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi at CM office on Sunday in which matters pertaining to make a collaboration in the agriculture and vocational training institutions were discussed Matters with regard to coping up with environmental pollution and smog with the help of Italian technical assistance were also discussed Cooperation regarding renewal of GSP Plus status also came under discussion during the meeting It was agreed during the meeting to extend mutual cooperation for the agriculture sector, vocational training and elimination of environmental pollution Caretaker CM Mohsin Naqvi talking with the delegation stated that the Punjab government would welcome Italian technical assistance to cope up with smog effectively and expressed his gratitude to Italy for providing access to the European Union markets Mohsin Naqvi maintained that the Punjab government would welcome technical support of Italy to bring improvement in agriculture and other sectors

By imparting training to the TEVTA instructors in Italy would provide an opportunity to harmonize the vocational education of Punjab with the latest requirements

The Head of the Italian delegation remarked that they felt pleased after coming to Lahore and the culture as well as hospitality of the people of Punjab is impressive CEO Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) gave a briefing about investment opportunities in Punjab while

General turned autocrat Musharraf passes away in D ubai

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C O N D O L E N C E S P O U R I N G I N : Political figures, key government officials and eminent personalities from all walks of life have widely condoled the death of former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, who breathed his last at a Dubai hospital after a prolonged illness He was 79

President Dr Arif Alvi took to his official Twitter handle and expressed grief over the demise of the former military ruler He prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear the loss

Dr Alvi expressed his heartfelt sympathy and condolence with the heirs of the late former president

Reacting to the news, Prime Minister Shehbaz

Sharif offered his condolences on the former army chief's demise May the departed soul rest in peace, he wrote on his Twitter account Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad, and tri-services chiefs also expressed heartfelt condolences on Musharraf's death, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)

"CJCSC and services chiefs express heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of General Pervez Musharraf, former president, CJCSC and chief of army staff May Allah bless the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family " the military s media wing said

Expressing deep sorrow over the former president s death, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani shared his grief with the bereaved family Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif also expressed sorrow over his death

Former Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi while paying homage to the former army chief, said Musharraf's services to the Pakistan Army and the country cannot be forgotten Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior VicePresident Fawad Chaudhry offered his condolences, saying: "Musharraf was a great person [ ] Pakistan first was his theory and vision "

Meanwhile, Chief of the Air Staff Pakistan Air Force Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu expressed deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of former President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf

In a condolence message on Sunday the Air Chief expressed heartfelt condolence over death of former Army Chief and President who passed away in American Hospital at Dubai

Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu prayed for the departed soul to rest in eternal peace and courage for the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali, Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan and Advisor to Prime Minister on Political Affaris Engr Ameer Muqam expressed their heartfelt sorrow and grief over the death of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf

In a separate condolence message, issued here on Sunday, they prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in rest and to grant patience to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude

They lauded the services of Musharraf and said that he was a brave leader