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CPEC After the ceremony, delegation-level talks were held by PM Shehbaz and He Lifeng which encompassed multiple areas of bilateral cooperation

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R: On Monday morning the Chinese vice premier was accorded a welcome after he arrived at the Prime Minister s House in Islamabad to meet PM Shehbaz Sharif

The premier received the foreign dignitary at the main entrance of the PM House

Upon He Lifeng s arrival the prime minister introduced his delegation comprising federal cabinet members Bilawal BhuttoZardari, Ishaq Dar, Rana Sanaullah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Ahsan Iqbal, Saad Rafiq, Marriyum Aurangzeb Hina Rabbani Khar and Tariq Fatemi to the Chinese vice premier

Taking to Twitter the PM warmly welcomed the Chinese vice premier and the members of his delegation

They are visiting Pakistan to join us in celebrating the 10th anniversary of CPEC and witnessing first-hand the transformations brought about by this game-changing initiative PM Shehbaz said

Earlier the FO had also acknowledged Lifeng s prominent role in China s international economic relations and implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, of which CPEC is a flagship project

As the chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission from 2017 to 2023 he was instrumental in the planning and execution of multiple CPEC projects in Pakistan” the FO had said

It had added that his visit was a part of regular high-level exchanges and dialogue between Pakistan and China and reflected the importance attached by both countries to further deepen their all-weather strategic cooperative partnership, enhance economic and financial cooperation advance highquality development of CPEC and explore new avenues for strengthening trade and investment ties

According to the security details, around 2,716 personnel of police, Dolphin Force, Frontier Constabulary and Pakistan Army will be deployed to ensure foolproof security along the route and venues where the Chinese vice premier will stay and attend the ceremony

Along with the Islamabad police, the Rawalpindi police will also perform security duties along the 39 5km route from Islamabad International Airport to the Punjab House As per the details 10 superintendents 18 security superintendents and 104 Dolphin Force personnel will be part of the security duties The bomb disposal squad of the police s special branch will sweep all bridges culverts underpasses nullahs metro bus stops and other places along the route before the movement of dignitaries

No vehicle will be parked along the route during the movements and security officials will report any suspected person or vehicles to senior officers

The security personnel posted along the route will carry reflecting jackets raincoats bulletproof helmets and jackets, whistles and torches Extra security will be ensured at sensitive points identified in the security plan They will not be allowed to use mobile phones and have to display their official cards at all times

Policemen will also be deployed on rooftops of high-rise buildings They will be equipped with binoculars, wireless sets, and G-3 rifles

A dedicated command and control room has been established by the Islamabad Safe City Authority to supervise security arrangements during the movement and stay of the delegation

M o U s s i g n e d d u r i n g V i c e - Pr e m i e r

H e L i f e n g ’ s v i s i t . W h a t d o t h e y e n t a i l ?

In a significant move to enhance bilateral cooperation and foster stronger economic ties Pakistan and China signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on Monday The occasion marked the 10-year celebrations of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a multi-billiondollar initiative aimed at bolstering infrastructure and connectivity between the two brotherly countries

As per details shared by officials of Ministry of Planning and Development the the MoUs were formalized at a ceremony held at the Prime Minister s Office, following a meeting between Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Vice-Premier He Lifeng s three-day visit to Pakistan commemorates the decade-long partnership between the two nations in implementing the CPEC The signing ceremony witnessed the presence of a high-level Chinese delegation, led by the Chinese Vice Premier, along with members of the federal cabinet and senior officials from various ministries

Among the signed documents, one included the minutes of the 11th Meeting of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on CPEC which took place on October 27 2022 This document outlined the decisions and outcomes of the meeting and was signed by Mr Cong Liang, Vice Chairman of China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and Professor Ahsan Iqbal the Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives of Pakistan Knowledge sharing:

Another MoU aimed to establish an Expert Exchange Mechanism within the Framework of the CPEC The objective was to facilitate knowledge sharing between the Ministry of Planning Development & Special Initiatives of Pakistan and the NDRC of China

Judicial inquir y sought over IUB scam

two mobile phones

The o n e r M u s h k o o r H u ssain filed the petition through advoc a t e N a d e e m S a r w a r n a m i n g t h e p r o v i n c e o f P u n j a b t h r o u g h t h e C h i e f S e c r e t a r y, P u n j a b I n s p e c t o r G e n e r a l o f P o l i c e ( I G P ) , D i r e c t o r General of the Federal Investigation

A g e n c y ( F I A ) c a r e t a k e r P u n j a b Chief Minister and Vice Chancellor of IUB as respondents

According to the petition the inc i d e n t c a m e t o l i g h t a f e w w e e k s ago when the police arrested IUB s chief security officer and allegedly f o u n d c r y s t a l m e t h a m p h e t a m i n e ( c o m m o n l y k n o w n a s i c e ) a n d a p h r o d i s i a c s i n h i s p o s s e s s i o n a l o n g w i t h a s i g n i f i c a n t n u m b e r o f objectionable videos involving university officials and students on his

The arrest occurred after the police stopped a car at a checkpoint of Baghdadul Jadeed police station According to the FIR registered on the complaint of Sub Inspector Muhammad Afzal Nawaz the car driver attempted to flee but was intercepted by the police Upon searching the vehicle, the police discovered 10 grams of ice and aphrodisiacs in the driver s possession, who later identified himself as the IUB chief security officer Ijaz Shah

Further investigations revealed that the suspect s mobile phones contained numerous objectionable videos and images of women The suspect confessed to using and selling drugs and claimed that the objectionable material involved officials from various departments at IUB as well as female students Shah revealed that he used to monitor the security cameras of the university, using the footage of female students hugging smoking with friends under trees and near university buildings These videos were then used to blackmail the students threatening to share them with their parents

Moreover Shah was accused of arranging sexual exploitation encounters with influential gang members, including the son of federal minister Chaudhry Tariq Bashir Cheema The appalling situation had been ongoing for a significant period The investigation also exposed the involvement of professors and staff members of the university in the gang

Following the incident, the caretaker CM formed a three-member committee consisting of Secretary Minerals Babar Aman Babar Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Amin Bukhari and DIG Raja Faisal to investigate the matter Simultaneously, the university also initiated an internal committee to probe into the scandal and suspended two officials who were arrested by the police

Critics have expressed concern over the investigation pointing out that only a case has been registered under CNSA 1997 against the chief security officer, while overlooking the registration of a case under PECA 2016 against all individuals involved in the filming and dissemination of objectionable content

Chinese Vice Premier conveys President’s Xi message of fir m suppor t to Pakistan

Chinese Vice Premier Mr He Lifeng conveyed President Xi Jinping s message of China s firm support to Pakistan s prosperity and development During his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif here on Monday, Vice Premier He Lifeng underlined that PakistanChina friendship was unique and had withstood the vicissitude of time due to deep fraternal ties between the peoples of two nations He reiterated that as an iron-brother and strategic partner China would continue its existing economic and financial support to Pakistan

Welcoming the prime minister ’s vision for deepening trade and investment ties with Pakistan the Chinese vice premier conveyed China s willingness to enhance Pakistan s agro and food exports to China

Both leaders expressed satisfaction at the steady development of CPEC projects in Pakistan, agreed on its centrality for Pak- istan s socio-economic development

The bilateral ties including the CPEC were discussed in a meeting between Shehbaz Sharif and He Lifeng

At the invitation of the Government of Pakistan the Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping He Lifeng was visiting here to attend the 10th-anniversary celebrations of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)

Both sides expressed their firm commitment to continue working together for realizing the shared objectives of the CPEC

It was also agreed that 10th anniversary of CPEC celebrations constituted a fresh starting point to further expand CPEC as envisaged by the leadership of the two countries

The conversation was marked by traditional warmth and cordiality that has been the hallmark of Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership During the meeting the two sides exchanged views on several aspects of bilateral relationship including CPEC and bilateral

Welcoming Vice-Premier He Lifeng to Pakistan, the prime minister congratulated him on being promoted as the Vice-Premier of China in March this year Appreciating China’s support for Pakistan s economic development the prime minister observed that as strategic partners and trusted friends, the two countries have always stood by each other in difficult times, as evidenced by Chinese support to Pakistan in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic and devastating floods in Pakistan