Govt fully aware of problems confronted by the general public: Firdous Awan

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said the whole nation is still awaiting the answers of 18 questions asked by the government from Shahbaz Sharif.

Talking to media in Gujranwala, she said instead of responding to the money laundering allegations, PML-N spokespersons are trying to divert public attention by unduly criticizing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government.

To a question about petition filed by Maryam Nawaz seeking her removal from the Exit Control List, she said Maryam has not approached the government. The court would decide the matter under law and constitution.

Dr Firdous said the PML-N spokespersons want to evaluate one-year performance of the PTI government, but they are not talking about those who remained in power generation after generation, plundered the national wealth and put the national economy on ventilator.

She said the government is fully aware of the problems confronted by the general public and necessary measures are being taken to control the price-hike.

Referring to the recently launched ‘Youth Entrepreneur Scheme’ by the Prime Minister, she said under the programme, the youth would be given business loans to make them self-reliant and useful members of the society.

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Lahore High Court to hear Maryam's petition for removal of name from ECL

The Lahore High Court (LHC) will hear Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz's petition on removing her name from the Exit Control List (ECL) on December 9. A two-member bench of the high court headed by Justice Baqir Ali Najfi will hold proceedings of the case from December 9. Maryam has requested the court to direct the government to remove her name from the no-fly list so she can travel abroad for six weeks to take care of her father, Nawaz Sharif. Last month , the LHC had…

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PCB recall Fawad Alam after ten years for historic test series

The 16-member squad to play against Sri Lanka in the upcoming Test series was announced on Saturday, with the surprising inclusion of Fawad Alam. Alam failed to make the selection last year during the England and Ireland tour triggering a massive backlash against then chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq. Chief selector and head coach Misbah-ul-Haq, who famously did not pick Alam for the entirety of his captaincy, made the announcement today. He said that the 34-year-old middle-order batsman was selected because of his past record over 4-5 years as well as his…

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IAEA lauds Pakistan's nuclear security measures

International Atomic Energy Agency has commended Pakistan's nuclear security measures.

The remarks were made by Head of IAEA's Nuclear Security Division Abdul Aziz Raja Adnan during a visit to Karachi Nuclear Power Plant.

He described the measures taken by Pakistan in consistent with the IAEA's recommendations.

The head of IAEA's Security Division also met with Chairman of Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority Zaheer Ayub Baig and Chairman Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Muhammad Naeem.

A delegation of IAEA headed by Raja Adnan was on a visit to Pakistan to further strengthen the ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and the nuclear watchdog.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said Pakistan has undertaken a range of measures to strengthen the nuclear security.

He said Pakistan is actively participating and contributing in IAEA's efforts to promote nuclear security.

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Indian woman who alleged gang-rape dies after burn attack

A 23-year-old rape victim set on fire by a gang of men, which included her alleged rapist, has died in a New Delhi hospital, the doctor treating her said on Saturday.

The woman was on her way to board a train in Unnao district of northern Uttar Pradesh state to attend a court hearing over her rape when she was doused with kerosene and set on fire on Thursday, according to police.

The attack, the second major case of violence against women in the past two weeks, has sparked public outrage in India.

The girl died on Friday after suffering a cardiac arrest, Dr. Shalabh Kumar, the head of burns and plastic department at New Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital told Reuters.

"She was having 95 per cent burns," he said, adding the woman's wind pipe was burnt and "toxic and hot fumes" had filled her lungs.

The woman had filed a complaint with Unnao police in March alleging that she had been raped at gun-point on December 12, 2018, police documents showed.

Having been subsequently jailed, the alleged rapist was released last week after securing bail, police officer S.K. Bhagat said in Lucknow.

Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and has become notorious for its poor record regarding crimes against women, with more than 4,200 cases of rape reported there in 2017 the highest in the country.

On Friday, Indian police shot dead four men who were suspected of raping and killing a 27-year-old veterinarian near Hyderabad city, drawing applause from across the country angry over violence against women.

But many were also concerned that police had over reached in shooting the alleged suspects without any trial.

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FBR initiates Markets & Trade Areas registration process

Shabbar Zaidi, chairman FBR made an announcement about the initiative for markets and trade areas registration.

Shabbar Zaidi said in his Twitter message that the registration process will start next week in a bid to move forward for the implementation of the government’s agreement with traders.

He detailed the registration process, saying the committees representing traders of each area and market will be covering the whole country will be notified. Zaidi termed it as ‘a new beginning’ when traders and the revenue institutions will jointly work for the registration.

FBR is pleased to announce that process of implementation of agreement with traders will start next week. Committees represented by the traders of each area/ market, covering the whole country will be notified. Traders and FBR will work together for registration. A new beginning

— Syed Shabbar Zaidi (@ShabarZaidi) December 6, 2019

Earlier on Wednesday, Shabbar Zaidi had announced that FBR has released refunds worth Rs5.5 billion under the fully automated faster system.

The FBR chairman in a tweet said the most important change in paradigm is that such refunds have been issued under fully automated, impersonal, harassment and corruption-free system.

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Stockpiling of Ebola Vaccines

The global vaccine alliance GAVI had agreed to fund and create a $178 million stockpile of Ebola vaccines for emergency use in outbreaks.

The aim is for a global stock of 500,000 doses of vaccine against the deadly haemorrhagic fever, GAVI said in a statement. The stockpiling will start with Merck’s newly developed Ervebo vaccine, which won regulatory approval last month.

The plan is for poor and middle-income countries to be able to access the stockpile free of charge, GAVI said, while other countries will need to refund the cost of any vaccines used.

GAVI is a public-private partnership backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, UNICEF and others, which arranges bulk buys to reduce vaccine costs for poor countries.

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Court extends Khursheed Shah's judicial remand in Assets Case

An accountability court on Saturday extended judicial remand of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Syed Khursheed for five days, in assets beyond means case.

Syed Khursheed Shah currently is under treatment at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Sukkur, where he recently underwent an angiography procedure due to cardiac problem.

Shah was produced before the NAB court in an ambulance from the NICVD hospital amid tight security measures.

The court extended judicial remand of the former opposition leader in National Assembly till December 12. During the today’s hearing, the judge asked Shah about his health.

“Shah Sahab how is your health now”, the judge asked, “I’m fine, no any issue”, Syed Khursheed replied.

At last hearing of the case on November 23, an accountability court had extended judicial remand of Shah for 15 days.

The PPP leader was produced before the court by the NAB officials from NICVD in an ambulance.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader is facing charges of corruption in assets beyond means of income reference.

“Syed Khursheed Shah has opened as many as 105 banks accounts under his and family members name in Karachi, Sukkur and other cities”, NAB sources claimed.

The properties were made in Sukkur, Rohri and Karachi, according to the document and it further reveals that Glamour Bungalow, Junejo Flour Mills, Mukesh Flour Mills including 83 other properties were made under Shah’s frontman, Pehlaj Rai.

Syed Khursheed Shah was taken into custody by the NAB on September 28 over charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

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Inauguration of Mother and Child Health Centre

Mother and Child Health Centre has been inaugurated by the Sindh health department in Lasi Goth, Karachi.

The centre will have a labour room and EPI centre for vaccinations and will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We don’t just want to address EPI and polio, we want to provide an integrated package with nutrition, birth registration, child birth and promote safe hygiene practices,” said Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Pechuho.

She added that EPI centres and mother and child health centres had been established in areas where health facilities were lacking.

The health minister also dubbed the anti-typhoid campaign in the province a success and said that 95% of the target of 10.1 million children had been achieved.

The campaign will run till December 7 and aims to reach remaining out-of-school children and anyone missed during previous campaigns. Dr Pechuho said the government has established immunisation centres across the province and urged parents to get their children vaccinated.

UNICEF Sindh Chief of Field Office Cristina Brugiolo and officers from the Expanded Programme of Immunisation and Emergency Operations Centre Sindh were also present.

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Vaccines prevent children from harm

All types of vaccines are safe for children, especially those that prevent typhoid and polio, advised by medical experts.

At a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Friday organised by the Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (MMIDSP), Dr Ali Saleem said that doctors were hoping for the complete eradication of poliovirus from Pakistan. “Unfortunately, we have more reported cases this year as compared to last year,” he said.

“Routine immunisation hasn’t seemed to work well,” Dr Saleem pointed out. “We have to remobilise educated persons too,” he urged, adding that there was a need to address misconceptions regarding the polio vaccine.

He said that positive environmental samples were still surfacing from different areas of the country, stressing that appropriate steps were needed to reach the missed children. Water samples taken every month since March this year from sewerage drains showed an abundant presence of the wild poliovirus in different parts of Karachi, especially in Gaddap Town.

HIV

Speaking on the situation of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) outbreak in Ratodero, Larkana district, Dr Sunil Dodani said that the high-risk areas have not been identified completely. He said that practices by doctors and the community’s attitude in Larkana portrayed a different picture.

Dr Dodani said that children did not fall under the high-risk group. “Ours is one of the top countries in the world where therapeutic injections are the norm.” He stressed the need to implement injection safety practices across the country, especially in rural areas.

Dr Rehana Siddiqui said that while there was an adult HIV centre operating in Larkana, a separate pediatric unit was established after the outbreak occurred. “Doctors and parents were responsible for the Ratodero outbreak,” she highlighted.

Sharing the figures, Dr Siddiqui said that there were nine blood banks in Larkana, including four established by the government. She said that the practice of blood transfusion was not up to the mark.

Typhoid

Appreciating the efforts of the Sindh government regarding the typhoid vaccination campaign, Dr Fyezah Jahan said that Pakistan is the first country that has launched a mass campaign of typhoid vaccination. “It’s a very timely intervention by the government,” she added.

“We don’t produce any vaccine,” Dr Jahan pointed out. She added, however, that we must benefit from the production of other countries. “There is no way to eliminate typhoid until we have clean drinking water and a proper sanitation system,” Dr Jahan urged.

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National Strategic Advisory Group on Polio Eradication

With the consultation of Prime Minister, government has constituted the National Strategic Advisory Group on Polio Eradication and Immunisation.

The body will be led by Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza and includes former focal person on polio eradication Shahnaz Wazir Ali and Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq besides former Pakistan permanent representative to the United Nations Zamir Akram.

Other key members include National Assembly Standing Committee on Health Chairman Khalid Magsi, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr Nasheen Hamid and Sindh Assembly Member Dr Sanjay Gangwani.

Dr Zafar said that the decision to form the body had been taken in consultation with PM Imran in the wake of surge in virus during 2019 that has so far resulted in 91 Wild Polio Virus (WPV1) cases along with the recent emergence of circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus Type 2 (cVDPV-2) in northern Pakistan.

The burden of vaccine preventable diseases in Pakistan has been a daunting challenge over the past years. The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination was particularly concerned over the rise in polio cases in the country that affected all the provinces with alarming proportions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The ministry decided to declare health as a shared national priority and tackle the challenge through national consensus, unequivocal support and commitment across the political and social spectrum.

The group aims to bring together political leaders, influential figures, public and health professionals, journalists, diplomats, religious and other community groups in support of immunisation and polio eradication.

The group would further advise on the development and implementation of strategies aimed at repositioning polio eradication and immunisation as a high national priority.

“Our children are threatened with preventable diseases like polio and we have to protect them from life-long disability,” Dr Zafar Mirza said.

“With Afghanistan, we are the only country that is holding back the world from becoming polio-free. National unity is the need of the hour,” he added.

The SAPM noted that with the effort to bring the best people, the initiative would change the perception of communities and help create demand for vaccines, which would pave the way for a healthier and polio-free Pakistan.

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US, South Korean keen to maintain diplomacy with N. Korea

United Sates (US) President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae discussed ways to maintain diplomacy with North Korea.

In a statement, South Korea's presidential Blue House said the two leaders agreed on telephone call that the situation has become severe and that dialogue momentum should be maintained to achieve prompt results from denuclearization negotiations.

Earlier, North Korea warned of waning patience with stalled nuclear talks.

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EU bans pesticides

European Union is banning a controversial pesticide linked to developmental problems in humans by 2020.

The commission, the EU’s powerful regulator, had proposed for non-renewal of the chemical agent following an assessment by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) that had confirmed “risks to human health”.

Eight EU countries have already banned products containing chlorpyrifos, which is commonly used in farming. The US state of California also banned them in August.

Virtually all residential uses of the pesticide has been banned since the end of 2001 throughout the United States.

To be marketed in the EU, a chemical substance must be approved by a committee of experts made up of the bloc’s 28 member countries and headed by the Commission.

Individual countries can then decide whether to approve or not products containing such substances.

Companies will three months to eliminate stocks of these products.

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President House opens for general public today

The President House will be opened for general public today and people can visit it from 11 am to 2:30 pm.

The visitors will not be allowed to carry along bags and mobile phones at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

According to officials, visitors can enter the Aiwan-e-Sadar from the National Assembly gate by showing their National Identity Card at the entrance.

The doors of the President House in the federal capital were also opened for the general public for a day last year.

The incumbent government has opened key state-owned buildings, including the palatial Governor Houses of the provinces, to the public in line with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision and pre-election promise.

Prime Minister Khan had announced to allow public access to these precious government assets soon after coming to power.

It is noteworthy that the Prime Minister House is also being turned into a state-of-the-art educational institute.

Last year in December, a ceremony marking transformation of the PM House into “Islamabad National University” was also held in Islamabad.

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Govt utilizing all available resources to facilitate refugees: PM AJK

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan says India could never suppress the indigenous Kashmir liberation movement by use of brute force.

Talking to a representative delegation of Kashmiri refugees of 1989, he said the sacrifices of Kashmiri martyrs will not go waste.

Raja Farooq Haider said India has badly failed to win the hearts of the struggling Kashmiris by offering them either development packages or other incentives.

The AJK Prime Minister informed the delegation that the government is utilizing all its available resources to give maximum facilities to the Kashmiri refugees.

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Khursheed Shah to appear before accountability court today

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Syed Khursheed Shah will be produced before an accountability court on Saturday (today), in assets beyond known sources of income case.

Strict security arrangements have been put in place before Shah’s court appearance.

Syed Khursheed Shah currently is under treatment at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) Sukkur, where he recently underwent an angiography procedure due to cardiac problem.

At last hearing of the case on November 23, an accountability court had extended judicial remand of Shah for 15 days.

The PPP leader was produced before the court by the NAB officials from NICVD in an ambulance.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader is facing charges of corruption in assets beyond means of income reference.

“Shah has opened as many as 105 bank accounts under his and family members name in Karachi, Sukkur and other cities”, NAB sources claimed.

The properties were made in Sukkur, Rohri and Karachi, according to the document and it further reveals that Glamour Bungalow, Junejo Flour Mills, Mukesh Flour Mills including 83 other properties were made under Shah’s frontman, Pehlaj Rai.

Syed Khursheed Shah was taken into custody by the NAB on September 28 over charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income.

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Court reserves verdict on plea for disqualification of three PTI MNAs

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reserved a verdict on a petition seeking disqualification of three women lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The Islamabad high court (IHC) bench, headed by Justice Amir Farooq, reserved the verdict upon completion of arguments by lawyers representing the petitioners as well the respondents.

During the hearing, Justice Farooq questioned the Election Commission’s lawyer if any petition seeking disqualification of a legislator elected on a reserved seat has ever been filed before an election tribunal, to which he replied in the negative.

PML-N leaders Tahira Bukhari and Shaista Pervez had moved the petition seeking disqualification of PTI’s Kanwal Shauzab, Malaika Bukhari and Tashfeen Safdar under Article 26 and 63 of the country’s Constitution.

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International Civil Aviation Day being observed today

International Civil Aviation Day is being observed today to raise awareness about the importance of international civil aviation and the role being played by International Civil Aviation Organization in international air transport.

International Civil Aviation Organization is a UN body responsible for developing international standards for aviation safety.

The Day reminds people about the importance of international civil aviation in modern society.

The first time International Civil Aviation Day was celebrated on 7 December 1994 at the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Convention on International Civil Aviation by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Agenda 2030 was adopted by the UN and world nations and focuses on sustainable development globally.

The ICAO Council establishes every five years a special anniversary theme for International Civil Aviation Day. And for the full four-year intervening period the council select a single theme. From 2015 to 2018, the theme of International Civil Aviation Day is "Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behind".

In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly declared this day to be observed as International Civil Aviation Day, through Assembly Resolution A29-1. This day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of international civil aviation and the role played by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in global air transport. ICAO is a United Nations (UN) body which supports the development of international standards for aviation safety.

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Justice (retd) Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi takes oath as acting CEC

Justice (retd) Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi was on Friday sworn in as the acting chief election commissioner (CEC).

Justice Qureshi, who is a senior member of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from Punjab, takes over from Justice (r) Sardar Mohammad Raza, whose tenure ended on December 5.

The ECP has been rendered dysfunctional as it currently has only two members out of five, whereas under the law, there should be at least three members on the bench to hear cases.

A day earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan had recommended the names of Fazal Abbas, Babar Yaqoob and Arif Khan for the post of CEC.

The approval from the prime minister came on the last day of Justice (retd) Raza's tenure and after a petition filed by the opposition for the Supreme Court to intervene in the matter landed in court.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif had instead proposed the names of Nasir Mehmood Khosa, Jalil Abbas Jillani and Ikhlaq Ahmed Tarar for the post of CEC.

Shehbaz has also proposed the names of Nisar Durrani, Justice (retd) Abdul Rasul Memon and Aurangzeb Haq as Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) member from Sindh.

From Balochistan, he has recommended the names of lawyer Shah Mohammad Jatoi, former advocate general Mohammad Rauf Atta and Raheela Durrani.

The government has proposed the names of Justice (retd) Sadiq Bhatti, Justice (retd) Noorul Haq Qureshi and Abdul Jabbar Qureshi for the post of the ECP member from Sindh. For Balochistan, the prime minister approved the names of Dr Faiz Kakar, Naveed Jan Baloch and Amanullah Baloch.

Earlier, a meeting of the bipartisan parliamentary panel tasked with the responsibility to finalise the ECP members had ended in a deadlock, with both sides unwilling to compromise.

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, who spoke after the meeting, had insisted that "consensus was developing" on the appointments.

Mazari, who is chairing the committee, had described the meeting as "very good" and the talks as "positive". She had added the opposition and government are in agreement that the panel proposes the names of the CEC and members together.

The minister said a meeting will now be called next week to reach an agreement on names for the three posts.

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KP govt moves Supreme Court to stop Peshawar BRT investigation

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Friday challenged Peshawar High Court's (PHC) decision to order a probe into the Peshawar BRT project.

After hearing a slew of petitions by residents against the Peshawar BRT project, the PHC ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate a probe. Residents had claimed that the bus route was creating nuisance on the roads and its concrete structures were affecting the privacy of their homes.

The KP government claimed in its complaint that the Supreme Court had stopped NAB from conducting a probe into the project by issuing a stay order.

After stopping NAB from investigating the project, the case cannot be reopened, claimed the KP government. It said that the PHC's act of directing the FIA to investigate the case and present a report on it was unlawful.

The court in its judgment instructed the FIA to submit its findings within 45 days, and to also take action against officers involved.

Work on the 27 kilometer Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) began in 2017, under the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. The project envisioned to provide a public transportation corridor, running east to west, to the city of nearly two million.

The PTI administration had insisted that the BRT would be completed in a record period of time, therefore six months, with low cost. However, to date, the project is still ongoing. During which its cost and deadline of completion have been revised several times.

In its order, the court called the PTI government “visionless” for concentrating the money loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in just one project, the BRT, in one city.

It further noted that no indepth feasibility study was undertaken before embarking on the mammoth project, to determine its economic, financial and technical viability, “which is why the design has been repeatedly changed,” stated the judgment.

The cost of the transport corridor was also increased from Rs49.453 billion in 2017 to Rs66.437 billion in 2018, of which Rs53.320 was take in the form of a loan from the ADB.

The project was to be completed in six months, due to a political announcement by the provincial government. This lead to the project being designed in haste and created many errors, Justice Seth wrote.

In addition, the “per kilometer cost of the BRT is Rs2.427 billion, which is exorbitantly high.”

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PSL draft 2020: Franchises make their picks for next year's tournament

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) player draft 2020 was underway in Lahore in which the franchises battled out for some of the most exciting names in T20 cricket before its kick off in February next year.

The tournament began with the speeches of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani and CEO Wasim Khan.

Following the speeches, the franchise owners were presented with mementos.

Platinum Round

Quetta Gladiators have selected England's Jason Roy with the first pick .

Lahore Qalandars have selected Australia's Chris Lynn with the second pick.

Multan Sultans have selected England's Moeen Ali with the third pick.

Islamabad United have selected South Africa's Dale Steyn with the fourth pick.

Karachi Kings have selected England's Alex Hales with the fifth pick.

Islamabad United have selected South Africa's Colin Ingram with the sixth pick.

Multan Sultans have selected South Africa's Rilee Rossouw with the seventh pick.

The Platinum Category of PSL Draft has now concluded. The Diamond Category's picks are next on the agenda.

Diamond Round

Peshawar Zalmi have selected England's Tom Banton with the first pick.

Islamabad United have selected New Zealand's Colin Monroe with the second pick.

Karachi Kings have selected England's Chris Jordan with the third pick.

Quetta Gladiators have selected Australia's Ben Cutting with the fourth pick.

Multan Sultans used their wild card and selected local lad Zeeshan Ashraf with the fifth pick.

Multan Sultans have picked England's Ravi Bopara with the sixth pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have picked Shoaib Malik with the seventh pick.

Gold Round

Lahore Qalandars have selected England's Samit Patel with the first pick.

Islamabad United have selected local lad Rumman Raees with the second pick.

Multan Sultans have selected local lad Sohail Tanvir with the third pick.

Karachi Kings have selected local lad Sharjeel Khan with the fourth pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have selected England's Liam Dawson with the fifth pick.

Quetta Gladiators have selected Pakistani-Australian legspinner Fawad Ahmed with the sixth pick.

Karachi Kings have selected British-South African Cameron Delport with the seventh pick.

Silver Round

Quetta Gladiators have selected local lad Sohail Khan with the first pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have selected local lad Mohammad Mohsin with the second pick.

Multan Sultans have selected local lad Khushdil Shah with the third pick.

Lahore Qalandars have selected Sri Lanka's Seekkuge Prasanna with the fourth pick.

Islamabad United have selected Wales' Phil Salt with the fifth pick.

Karachi Kings have selected local lad Mohammad Rizwan with the sixth pick.

Islamabad United have selected local lad Zafar Gohar with the seventh pick.

Lahore Qalandars have selected Australia's Ben Dunk with the eighth pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have selected local lad Rahat Ali with the ninth pick.

Karachi Kings have selected local lad Umaid Asif with the 10th pick.

Multan Sultans have selected local lad Usman Qadir with the 11th pick.

Quetta Gladiators have selected England's Tymal Mills with the 12th pick.

Quetta Gladiators have selected local lad Abdul Nasir with the 13th pick.

Karachi Kings have selected England's Dan Lawrence with the 14th pick.

Lahore Qalandars have selected local lad Farzan Raja with the 15th pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have selected South Africa's Dwaine Pretorious with the 16th pick.

Multan Sultans have selected Jamaica's Fabian Allen with the 17th pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have selected local lad Adil Amin with the 18th pick.

Karachi Kings have selected USA's Ali Khan with the 19th pick.

Lahore Qalandars have selected local lad Jaahid Ali with the 20th pick.

Emerging Round

Multan Sultans have selected local talent Rohail Nazir with the first pick.

Quetta Gladiators have selected local lad Aarish Ali Khan with the second pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have selected local lad Amir Khan with the third pick.

Karachi Kings have selected Arshad Iqbal with the fourth pick.

Islamabad United have selected Akif Javed with the fifth pick.

Lahore Qalandars have selected Mohammad Faizan with the sixth pick.

Islamabad United have selected Ahmed Safi with the seventh pick.

Peshawar Zalmi have selected Aamir Ali with the eighth pick.

Quetta Gladiators have selected Azam Khan with the ninth pick.

To catch the show live, tune into the video stream above.

PSL 2020 will be staged in Pakistan between Feb 20 and March 22.

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PM Khan pledges transparency, merit in Kamyab Jawan programme

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday pledged transparency and merit as the cornerstones of the Kamyab Jawan loan programme.

At a ceremony held in Islamabad, the premier distributed the first set of cheques — worth Rs5 million in total — among successful applicants of the programme.

According to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, Rs100 billion have been earmarked for the programme.

Addressing the event, the prime minister credited Dar for his efforts and expressed happiness at the fact that of one million applicants, 190,000 had been women.

"The foremost thing we must always ensure in this programme is transparency. The cheques should be distributed on merit. This is because people have a lot of hope pegged with this programme, which is reflected in the fact that around one million people have applied for these loans within 15-20 days," said the premier.

"The biggest feature of this programme is that businesses that are considered small and medium are being facilitated," he said.

The prime minister said that the government's duty is to not only create jobs but also "stop hurdles that stand in the way of businesses".

He recalled that when he went to Britain for the first time, he observed that the entire textile sector was in the hands of Jews. Then, over the course of ten years, Pakistanis migrated there and were able to capture the majority of the textile market.

"What reason was there for these small entrepreneurs to not have been able to set up their businesses in Pakistan? Pakistan is a cotton producing country. It should have been easier for us."

He said the difference between successful societies and those that get left behind in the world is that in successful societies there is merit. "They facilitate them and provide them with opportunities to start their businesses so that any youngster with a drive to excel can improve their station in society. This is what we call a meritocracy."

He said only such countries which have a system of merit can progress. Citing examples of overseas Pakistanis who have been able to make a name for themselves in every walk of life, he said that such individuals had been rewarded for their hard work by society.

The prime minister said that 'Naya Pakistan' represents a new way of thinking in which merit has to be ensured across the board.

"An online system will ensure there are no undue favours to anyone," he said.

Speaking of small businesses, Prime Minister Imran said that they are the ones most in need of resources and facilities. "Big businesses have resources and can sidestep hurdles. But the backbone of the economy is the small business. And when society paves the way forward for such businesses, the country propels forward."

He said that the biggest number of jobs are provided by the small and medium industries (SMEs). "So this programme is for the youth, but alongside that, the SMEs will benefit greatly from this," he added.

The premier regretted that the biggest hurdles had been historically created for small businesses. He assured small business owners that the government will now focus its attention on their affairs.

"According to the new World Bank report, Pakistan has climbed 28 points (in the ease of doing business ranking) [...] This doesn't mean we stop there. We will continue to make the process even easier.

"I also think our women are in dire need of opportunities and I was happy to see that they have come forward from Parachinar and Galyat expressing their desire to do business. And especially in tourism."

He said that tourism is an industry which has "untapped potential that people are not even aware of". "The fastest job creation will be because of this sector," he added.

The premier, describing how tourism in Pakistan had taken off in recent months, said that "more and more tourists are coming every year, but we have no room to board them". He appreciated that many people had created attached guest rooms to house tourists.

"Women can participate in the IT revolution. So a new era is beginning now. If our youth fully participate, they alone can uplift our country," he said.

At the end, he asked Dar to call him once again at the next cheque distribution ceremony "because I am always happy to see the youth come forward with such enthusiasm and for the government to be able to facilitate them".

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Houses for Poor Segments of Society

Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Prime Minister Imran Khan is committed to build houses for the poor segments of the society under Pakistan Housing Scheme Programme.

In a series of tweets, she said that work on the project to provide shelter to poor people and general public was continuing at fast pace.

She said that implementation of fixed tax at the stage of sale of the houses and exemption of taxes on construction material at the time of construction would prove a milestone in promotion of housing industry.

Dr Firdous said that the government was working to make house building an easy task. She said that besides reducing capital value tax, e-statement paper system was also being introduced. Permission letters and no objection certificates are being reduced which would help promote housing sector and create job opportunities for the people related with this filed.

She said that time was not far off when the poor segments of the society would get their own houses as the hurdles in the construction of houses were being removed. She said that all promises made by the PM with the masses would be fulfilled.

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PTI Government won't get blackmailed by opposition

Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said that undemocratic and unconstitutional demands of the Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Shahbaz Sharif could not be accepted.

She added that anymore and Imran Khan’s government would never be blackmailed by his fabricated stories.

Talking to a private news channel, Information minister said the opposition has lost the public support, adding that PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif should now wait for four years and he will get disappointment over the negative propaganda against democratic government.

Reacting strongly to Shehbaz Sharif’s remarks regarding in-house change ,Firdous asked Shehbaz to first bring an in-house change within his party.

She said Shahbaz Sharif himself is a puppet in the hands of PML-N senior leadership, adding, even he has no power to take decision within his own party.

The SAPM further said, PML-N leadership just wanted to get public sympathies and do political point scoring through these blackmailing tactics but they remember the reality that the public in last general elections totally rejected their negative politics and cast vote for sincere leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf .

Firdous also urged the opposition to fulfill responsibility on legislation in parliament and should respect elected democratic party leadership of the PTI. She said when the Opposition leaders are in power they respect Parliament but when they are out of power they start criticizing Prime Minister Imran Khan for non issues.

“Every Pakistani is disappointed with their corrupt practices in past and knows the truth behind their negative agendas ,” she remarked.

She made it clear , PTI government would never compromise on corruption, adding, Imran Khan is doing hard work and determined for the strong, prosperous Naya Pakistan which is giving fruitful results.

The SAPM said the wishes of opposition would never be accomplished and they will definitely get the disappointment and their nefarious plans would fail.

She said the opposition on the other hand wanted to cover up its money laundering and corruption cases
under the garb of medical treatment.

The PTI government, she said, wanted opposition should work with government for the national interest instead of misleading the public.

Replying to another question regarding Nawaz Sharif , she said government would not comment on the issue
till his medical reports were available.

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PTI spending more than PMLN

Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Asad Umar said that PTI government is targeting to spend over Rs30 Billion on Higher Education Development Projects.

He said that by end of current fiscal year, the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) government was targeting to spend over Rs30 billion on higher education development projects, which would be 100 percent more than what the PML-N government spent during its last year.

“In the last year of PML-N government, Rs16.4 billion were spent on higher education development projects. In first year of PTI government it spent Rs18.8 billion, 14.6% higher,” he said in a tweet after chairing a meeting to review status of funding of higher education projects here.
The meeting was co-chaired by Asad Umar and Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan, Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri and other senior officials also attended the meeting.

The meeting was informed that the process of release of development funds has been revamped and the Principal Accounting Officers (PAO) have been given greater powers.

It was said that an amount of Rs11.4 billion has so far been authorized by the Planning Division for release to HEC, out of the total allocation of Rs29 billion for the current year.
The Minister for Planning directed the relevant officials to make sure that the funds allocated for HEC are released in a timely manner so that the educational institutions could utilize them for their projects.

He also asked chairman HEC to make sure that the released funds were spent prudently and effectively.

The minister assured that the government would provide more funds to the HEC during the current years, than the expenditure the commission has incurred during the recent years. He asked the chairman HEC to gear up the efforts to increase the fund utilization capabilities to achieve higher expenditure levels.

The meeting also discussed proposals of Ministry of Education relating to improving student enrollment and improving the quality of education. It was decided that the Ministry of Education would formulate formal project proposals to implement these projects.

The Planning Commission would facilitate the design and approval process of the proposals.

The ministers also decided to carry out a review of the Knowledge Economy projects along with the ministries of Science & Technology and Information Technology & Telecom.

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PASSD launches "Nutritional Awareness Campaign"

A nutritional awareness campaign is about to start in various districts, involving community-based promotion of adequate health and nutrition practices.

This campaign would focus on the importance of toilet use and hand washing with soap, as this has demonstrated to be integral to the reduction of malnutrition in poor households, she told APP.

She further informed improving people’s diets, by taking a food systems approach, was crucial to address all forms of malnutrition.

Insufficient and unhealthy diets underpin the persistent high rates of stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies and the alarming increase in overweight, obesity and diet related non-communicable diseases,she added.

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ADB approved $1.3 Billion to support Pakistan budget

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $1 billion in immediate budget support to Pakistan.

To shore up the country’s public finances and help strengthen a slowing economy besides approving $300 million to support energy sector reforms.

The quick dispersing Special Policy-Based Loan is part of a comprehensive multidonor economic reform program led by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to stabilize Pakistan’s economy after a major deterioration in its fiscal and financial position in mid-2018 caused growth to slump and threatened progress in alleviating poverty, a statement issued by the ADB said.

ADB’s financing was approved after the government implemented a series of IMF-supported reforms and actions to improve its current account deficit, strengthen its revenue base, and protect the poor against the social impact of the economic crisis.

“ADB is committed to providing wide-ranging support to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and reduce the risk of external economic shocks,” said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Mr. Werner Liepach. “These funds will meet the government’s emergency financing needs to prevent significant adverse social and economic impacts and lay the foundations for a return to balanced growth.”

Pakistan is facing significant economic challenges on the back of a large balance of payments gap and critically low foreign exchange reserves together with weak and unbalanced growth.

While the country’s economy has a history of boom and bust economic cycles, it reached a tipping point in 2018 after foreign investment shrank sharply in an uncertain political and global economic environment and the ongoing poor performance of state-owned enterprises caused public debt to reach unsustainable levels.

In July, the IMF approved a three-year $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to finance the government’s economic reform program that aims to put Pakistan’s economy on the path of sustainable and inclusive growth.

The EFF is expected to catalyze at least $38 billion in financing from Pakistan’s development partners. ADB has committed to provide a total of $2.1 billion in policy-based lending during fiscal year 2019–2020 to support the reform program.

The policy based loan of $300 million approved by the ADB will help the Government of Pakistan to address financial sustainability, governance, and energy infrastructure policy constraints in Pakistan’s energy sector.

The financing will support the first of three subprograms totaling $1 billion under the Energy Sector Reforms and Financial Sustainability Program, a key component of a comprehensive multidonor economic reform program led by the International Monetary Fund that aims to put Pakistan’s economy on the path to sustainable and inclusive growth after a deterioration in its fiscal and financial position in recent years.

“The cash shortfall across the power supply chain in Pakistan, also known as circular debt, has shot up to more than $10 billion and is a longstanding chronic issue ailing the country’s power sector,” said ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Mr. Werner Liepach.

“A comprehensive and realistic Circular Debt Reduction Plan, assisted by ADB in close coordination with other development partners, is the cornerstone of this subprogram. The plan aims to drastically cut the new flows of circular debt and provides policy directions on addressing accumulated circular debt.”

While Pakistan has made significant effort in recent years to expand its electricity generation capacity and stabilize supply, the country is yet to overcome the challenge of inefficiencies, distortions, and uneven reform progress in the sector. These inefficiencies were estimated to have cost the country’s economy up to $18 billion, or 6.5% of gross domestic product, in 2015.

The energy reform program aims to address the underlying causes of circular debt with a focus on improving inadequate tariff and subsidy systems, strengthening energy accounting, and reducing generation costs.

ADB will finance the program with support from its development partners. The Export–Import Bank of Korea has confirmed it will provide $80 million in co-financing for the first subprogram.

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SBP Foreign Reserves are $431 Million up

The Foreign exchange reserve held by the State Bank of Pakistan increased by US$ 431 million to US$ 9,112.9 million.

During the week ending on November 29, 2019, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported the increase in its reserves by US$ 431 million to US$ 9,112.9 million.

The total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at US$15,993.2 million.
According the break-up figures, the foreign reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan stood at US$ 9,112.9 million where as the net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at US$ 6,880.3 million.

During current fiscal year SBP reserves have increased by US$ 1.8 billion.

The FX swaps / forward liabilities have reduced by US$ 1.95 billion between June-Oct 2019, increase in the liquid SBP reserves and the reduction of the swaps / forward liabilities reflects the build-up of FX buffers.

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Moody's: Pakistan's Outlook Changed from Negative to Stable

Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”) has affirmed the B3 long-term local currency deposit ratings of five Pakistani banks and changed the outlook to stable from negative.

The banks banks include Allied Bank Limited (ABL), Habib Bank Limited HBL), Muslim Commercial Bank Limited (MCB), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and United Bank Limited (UBL).
The rating actions follow Moody’s decision on December 2 to affirm the B3 rating for the Government of Pakistan and change the outlook on the sovereign rating to stable from negative and reflect reduced external vulnerability risks and ongoing fiscal reforms.
The banks’ rating actions reflect improvements in the operating environment in Pakistan and in the country’s sovereign credit profile, which increased their high government exposures that link their credit profiles to that
of the government and the expectation that the government’s capacity to support banks in case of need will
not deteriorate.
According the service, the primary driver of Moody’s decision to change the five Pakistan banks’ outlooks to stable was the extensive interconnectedness between their balance sheets and sovereign credit risk, owing to the banks’ high exposures to government securities.
According to Moody’s estimates as of the latest available information, the five banks’ direct exposure to government credit risk stood at around 10.2x of Tier-1 capital for ABL, 8.1x for HBL, 6.4x for MCB, 9.5x for NBP and 6.8x for UBL.
The high direct exposure to government credit risk, in addition to the primarily Pakistan focus of their operations, links the banks’ credit profile to that of the government.
As a result, the improvements in the operating environment and in the sovereign credit profile have eased pressures on banks as well.
The stable outlook assigned to the banks’ local currency deposit ratings also reflects Moody’s expectation
that the government’s capacity to support banks in case of need will not deteriorate.
This was reflected by the stable outlook on Pakistan’s sovereign B3 bond rating which was driven by reduced external vulnerability risks on the back of policy adjustments and currency flexibility, as well as ongoing fiscal reforms that will mitigate risks related to debt sustainability and government liquidity.
The local currency deposit ratings of NBP and HBL incorporate one notch of support uplift from their caa1 baseline credit assessments.

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Wheat Exports reduces to 88.10%

Wheat exports during first four months of current financial year reduced by 88.10% as compared the wheat exports of the corresponding period of last year.

About 48,081 metric tons of wheat valuing $11.442 million exported during the period from July-October, 2019 as against 456,689 metric tons worth $96.121 million of same period of last year.

However, during the period under review, exports of fruits grew by 3.72 %, where as vegetables exports 19% respectively, according the exports figures of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

About 198,803 metric tons of vegetables worth of $56.439 million exported in four months of current financial year, which were recorded at 219,714 metric tons valuing $47.426 million of same period last year.

During the period under review, 163,110 metric tons of fresh fruits wroth $134.455 million exported as against 155,655 metric tons valuing $129.634 million of same period of last year.

The country also fetched $129.655 million in first four months of current financial year by exporting about 54,177 metric tons of fish and fish products as compared to the exports of 44,513 metric tons worth $109.776 million of same period of last year.

Meanwhile, the exports of meat and meat products witnessed 53.57% increase in four months of financial year 2019-20, as 27,554 metric tons of the above mentioned commodity worth $97.885 million exported which was recorded at 17,566 metric tons valuing $63.722 million in same period of last year, the data added.

It may be recalled here that food group exports from the country during first four months of current financial year increased by 16.21%, where as imports of the food commodities into the country decreased by 20.34% as compared to the corresponding period of last year.

The imports of the food group came down to $1.583 billion during the period from July-October, 2019-20 from $1.987 billion of the same period of last year.

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SBP released 308.8 billion in open market

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) released 308.8 billion rupees into the money market for eight days for the purchase of the reverse repo through its open market operation.

Six bids of Rs 334.8 billion were offered, of which 4 of Rs 308.8 billion were accepted. The rate of return accepted is 13.31 percent per annum, said SBP release.

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Sales Tax Refund Progress Reviewed: Abdul Hafeez Sheikh

Abdul Hafeez Sheikh discussed and reviewed progress on the issues on the payment of the Sales Tax refunds to exporters.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh met a group of leading businessmen representing various export sectors contributing nearly US $ 2 billion exports, to discuss and review progress on the issues pertaining to payment of Sales Tax refunds to exporters.

According to press statement issued by the Finance Ministry here Thursday, the Adviser to Adviser Commerce Mr. Ali Habib, Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Syed Shabbar Zaidi and Secretary Finance Naveed Kamran Baloch were also present in the meeting which was attended by leading exporters from Lahore and Karachi.

These exporters included Shahid Soorty, Musaadiq Zulqarnain, Fawad Anwer, Shahid Abdullah, Bashir Ali Mohammad, Rizwan Dewan, Asif Tata, Ahmed Ibrahim, Sameer Chinoy and Khurram Mukhtar.

During the meeting, various proposals were put forward from the businessmen and exporters, FBR was advised to work more aggressively on reforming and simplifying the processes through automation for early and prompt payment of sales tax refunds.

He informed the businessmen that he had already constituted a committee comprising officials from FBR and members of APTMA to simplify the Form-H within the next few days to make it simpler and easy for the exporters claiming sales tax refunds.

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PM stresses to promote Tourism

Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed on the need for an effective coordination to promote tourism across the country.

Chairing a meeting regarding promotion of tourism, the prime minister recalled that international investors from different parts of the world had expressed keen interest for investment in the development of tourism sector of Pakistan.

He noted that Switzerland, Turkey and Malaysia had been earning huge revenue from the tourism industry. Pakistan had diverse and rich tourism potential in terms of mountain tourism, adventure tourism, desert tourism and religious tourism, he said.

The tourism potential, he said, could be translated in revenue generation, employment opportunities and creation of economic activities thereby contributing towards the socio-economic development of the country.

The meeting was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan, Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis & Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Special Assistant on Information & Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, KP Minister for Tourism Muhammad Atif Khan and senior officials.

The meeting reviewed the progress achieved so far on the earlier decisions for the promotion of tourism in the country in terms of the identified properties of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation and their opening for the general public particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The prime minister said the government rest houses, which had been built on tax payers money, should be a source of income instead of lying useless. “Pakistan is emerging as an attractive destination on the international tourism map owing to its beautiful natural landscape; we must strive to capitalize this potential through expediting the infrastructure development, provision of services and facilitation,” he added.

The meeting was informed that efforts were being undertaken to hold an international tourism conference in Pakistan in the coming years to further broaden the scope of tourism industry in the country.

The prime minister directed to develop the tourist infrastructure and services while keeping in mind the preferences and priorities of tourist groups from different parts of the world and adherence to ecotourism principles.

It was reiterated that there should be a single authority to supervise the restoration and renovation of the existing tourist infrastructure in the country.

The prime minister directed that all forms of tourism in the country must be focused simultaneously owing to seasonal constraint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern parts of the country.

The prime minister especially highlighted the potential of religious tourism in Punjab and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The meeting was informed that special facilities were being extended for the monks at Peshawar Museum, and the Sikh visitors were also being facilitated for visits to parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Special tourist apps were also being introduced for technical facilitation to the tourists.

The meeting was told that measures were being taken for development of new tourist destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime minister directed to expedite the legislative framework and fast-track the development of tourist infrastructure and services across the length and breadth of the country.

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Digital Marketing must be Meaningful & Truthful: President Arif Alvi

President Dr Arif Alvi said that advertisement strategies play a crucial role in developing perceptions as these contain ideas, skills and creativity.

Addressing the concluding session of the AdAsia Lahore 2019 here at Alhamra, he said that marketing strategies should be modified to achieve the realistic approach of selling products. “Reality is not that you show
but the reality is what it was and what it is,” he added.

The president said that world was moving towards truth; therefore efforts should be made to formulate the advertisement strategies for presenting the truth about products being sold in the market.

He said that the meaning of words had been changed through advertisements. People believe in advertisements and products are sold through them these days. Therefore, advertisements would be meaningful and truthful, he added. The media had been changed and a greater volume of fake news were being reported in today’s world, he added.

Dr Arif Alvi said that a significant change could be seen in the media as nowadays newspapers had become opinion-makers, whereas the electronic media disseminated news within not more than two hours while the social media was being used as a platform to share the latest news within no time without any editorial control, he added.

The president said that newspapers carrying advertisements of various brands were actually selling their own products, adding that it was difficult to identify difference between advertisement and news. He said that it was also a difficult task to identify natural and unnatural advertisements.

He said that foreign delegates enjoyed Lahore’s cultural diversity and history, adding that Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands recently visited the historic places in the provincial capital and enjoyed its cultural diversity. He said that Pakistan had become a safe place.

Dr Alvi said that there were huge investment opportunities in the country as Pakistan’s market was developing, changing and expanding. The honest leadership in the country was committed to bringing about development and prosperity, he added.

The president hoped that the foreign delegates, after returning to their countries, would paint a true image of Pakistan.

Earlier, he appreciated the role of AdAsia Lahore 2019 in organizing such a programme for promoting various trends of advertisement and said that such programmes would help explore new opportunities in the advertisement industry.

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Adulteration Data must be collected regarding Commodities & Medicines: PM

Prime Minister Imran Khan directed for the collection of data regarding adulteration in various basic commodities and medicines.

Chairing a meeting regarding control on prices of edible items and the steps taken by the provincial governments in that regard, the prime minister expressed concern over adulteration practices, particularly in edible items, medicines and other commodities.

He said adulteration was a serious issue which endangered health of the people, particularly the children.

The prime minister said provision of relief to the poor and low income people was top priority of the government, and directed for ensuring all administrative steps to control price-hike.

He said he would chair meeting about price-control every week.

Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed the need for formulating a concurrent system regarding future planning to ensure the provision of essential items. Such a step would not only ensure timely cultivation of the required commodities but timely decision about imports and exports could also be taken, he added.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Minister for National Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Khyber Pakhtukhwa Chief Minister Mahmod Khan, Trade Advisor Abdur Razak Dawood, Special Assistant on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, provincial chief secretaries and high officials.

The chief secretaries briefed the meeting about the steps taken in their respective provinces regarding price-hike of essential commodities.

Punjab Chief Secretary Maj (r) Azam Suleman informed the meeting that according to the prime minister’s directives, the provincial government had been fully focused on preventing hoarding, profiteering, fixation of prices of essential commodities and implementation of the fixed prices.

He said the regular meeting of the task force, headed by minister for industry, was being held and it was being ensured by the provincial government that flour and sugar must be available at equal price in the entire province.

Availability of price lists at retail shops at prominent places had also been made ensured, he added.

He said during the ongoing campaign to check price-hike, 228,233 shops were checked by 274 price magistrates. Some 3,957 first information reports were registered and 3637 violators were arrested while a fine of Rs 9 million was imposed on the profiteers.

He said the government was taking action on the complaints of extra prices through ‘Qeemat Punjab Application’, besides deputy commissioners, commissioners and assistant commissioners while agriculture department officials were regularly visiting the markets to check price-hike.

The chief secretary said committees for fixing prices of basic commodities in 36 districts of Punjab had been formed, while 74 grower markets were established for facilitating the growers where they could directly sell their commodities .

KP Chief Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, while briefing the meeting, said the provincial government had been focused on controlling the prices of basic commodities, which directly affected the poor and low income people.

He said the prices of essential items were also being checked from independent sources, while special steps had been taken to prevent hoarding and profiteering.

He said for effective control on price-hike, a geo-tagging system had also been introduced for presence of the magistrates in the markets.

He said the people of the province were also being informed about the prices of basic items through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Citizen Portal and any complaint regarding that was immediately addressed.

He said 97 Kisan (farmer) markets had been set up in 83 tehsils and problems of the growers were being addressed by the district administration.

Dr Kazim also informed the meeting about progress on the system of provision of essential commodities from markets to homes in Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad and Mardan at the pattern of Islamabad.

He said special steps were being taken to prevent and discourage adulteration in edible items and medicines.

Sindh and Balochistan chief secretaries also informed the meeting about the various steps taken in their respective provinces about price control.

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COAS visited Winter Collective Training of Strike Corps

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited strike corps during its winter collective training near Bahawalpur and witnessed training exercise for conduct of trans-frontier offensive operations.

Fighter aircraft of Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and contingent of Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) also participated in exercise, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said.

The COAS appreciated high standards of training displayed by all participants including the PAF.

He especially hailed participation and display of high standard of training by the RSLF contingent.

“Strike Corps of Pakistan Army have decisive role during the war. Such exercises enhance confidence for exploiting their optimal combat potential. Pakistan Army from soldiers to generals is a well trained and battle hardened cohesive force ready to take on any challenge confronting defence and security of Pakistan,” the
COAS said.

Senior Corps Commanders, Inspector General Training and Evaluation, Commander Army Air Defence Command, Senior officers of Pakistan Air Force and Deputy Commander Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF)
Major General Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al Moqrin were also present on the occasion.

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Achieving Economic Stability by focusing on Digitization

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the government is now focusing on the digitization of the government functions by introducing digital payments and ease out public difficulties.

Addressing the launching ceremony of Digital Pakistan initiative here, the Prime Minister said his government should have started the program far earlier but during the first year, all of its focus remained on stabilizing the national economy that had been achieved finally.

The Digital Pakistan vision sets Pakistan’s digital ambition and has been designed for the government and the private sector to work towards a digitally progressive and inclusive Pakistan. It brings together multiple initiatives that the government has already kicked off, and identifies additional focus areas that the government would initiate in the coming months.

Minister for Information Technology Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Special Assistant to PM on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, State Bank Governor Baqir Raza and Advisor to PM on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain also attended the event besides Tania Aidrus, a Pakistani expatriate who recently quit her job as Senior Executive in Google to lead the digitization initiative.

The Prime Minister said the digitization was vital particularly for the youth for their future employment and the entrepreneurs to set up their businesses without any hassle. It would in fact unleash the true potential of Pakistan’s youth population that could become strength for the country if they were given the opportunity.

Besides opening up the employment opportunities to the women of even far flung areas, the digitization would also bring e-governance in the country to help eradicate corruption that had taken roots even to the lower level in the society.

Through digitization, the people would be able to carry out many of daily life tasks through their mobile handsets which would bring ease in their lives saving them from long queues outside banks or other government offices.

The Prime Minister told the gathering that e-governance had been introduced at Shaukat Khanum Hospital some 19 years ago that had ended the pilferage bringing transparency and smoothness in the functioning.
He said some institutions were resisting the government’s digitization initiative but resolved that the government would accomplish the task without any delay.

He said the government was also striving to promote e-commerce in the country by addressing the allied challenge of cyber security.

The Prime Minister said after coming into power, the government was able to understand the challenges of governance and bringing about changes in its team, and referred to make huge changes in Punjab government what he called the “bloodbath of reshuffle.”

He said after a policy shift of joining foreign wars against dollars to a peacemaker, Pakistan had become internationally relevant and resolved that the country would play its role to bring unity among Muslim world.

The Prime Minister spoke high of Tania Aidrus and Raza Baqir who took difficult decisions of leaving their lucrative jobs in internationals institutions like Google and IMF just to serve their own country.

He confidently assured them that their decisions would prove to be a turning point in their lives because challenging and difficult decisions, particularly those for a greater cause’ took the people to new heights. Contrarily, he said those seeking easy solutions, could never accept challenges or risks because their decisions were always self-centric.

He said consequent to the efforts by his economic team, the national economy had been stabilized including the rupee that had been under pressure because the previous government had maintained it artificially. However, now the foreign agencies like World Bank, IMF and Moody’s have also acknowledged the stability of Pakistan’s economy.

In his address, IT Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said the country was at the crossroads of the digitization to either chose it or lose it.

He said there was dire need to review the curriculum of IT as out of around 25,000 graduates annually, only five to six thousand could get jobs which manifested the gaps between the education standards in the country and the market needs.

The minister said in order to join the race of artificial intelligence and 6G technology, Pakistan would have to focus on building the digital infrastructure in the country to facilitate the technological growth.

He also advised the youth to utilize the social media tools like Facebook and YouTube for educational purpose too, not mere socializing or chatting.

State Bank Governor Raza Baqir said the digital payment was a component of digitization initiative which directly associated with the State Bank. He said the digitization would facilitate the entrepreneurs to launch their companies and the common man to make transactions through his mobile phone.

The digitization would also promote microfinance which could support small business sector by lending money at far lower rates than the informal sector.

Raza Baqir urged the Pakistani expatriates to follow their suit and take a difficult decision to serve in Pakistan and assured that SBP was ready to hire those having expertise in economic sector.

In her presentation, Tania Aidrus highlighted the features of the initiatives and things to do by the government to achieve the objective.

She said having left Pakistan some 20 years ago, she had graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was currently serving in Google in Singapore. However, during the course, she always focused Pakistan even during her study as well as the professional life.

She told the gathering that the initiative would consist of five strategic pillars including Access and Connectivity, Digital Infrastructure, Digital Skilling and Literacy, E-Government, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

The Digital Pakistan was aimed at ensuring access to internet for every Pakistani as a fundamental right needed to make available universally and especially to underserved populations. It would help develop a digital infrastructure to enable the people to do most daily tasks using smart-phones in a secure and a faster manner, she added.

Tania Aidrus said the initiative also comprised E-government to digitize the intra-government operations and processes towards a paperless and efficient environment and also digitizes government services for citizens and businesses for better delivery.

It would also enable the tech graduates to secure relevant jobs who currently unable to do due to outdated curriculum barring them from monetizing their skills. The initiative would also lead to the provision of enabling environment for startups to flourish, she added.

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PM Imran to distribute cheques amongst applicants of Youth under PMKJP today

Prime Minister Imran Khan will distribute cheques amongst the successful applicants for Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme under the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme (PMKJP) today (Friday).

The Kamyab Jawan Programme had received one million applications by the youth across the country and was receiving 80,000 to 100,000 applications on daily basis which showed youth’s interest and accomplishment of the programme.

The ceremony to distribute cheques will be held in Islamabad, which will be attended by PM’s Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Usman Dar, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Finance Adviser, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and others.

In first phase an amount of Rs 100 billion had been allocated for ”Kamyab Jawan Programme” to facilitate one million youth across the country.

According to the programme, loan of Rs 100,000 to 150,000 will be given to the youth in the first phase.

Highlighting the importance of the programme, PM’s Special Assistant Usman Dar said the programme will help the youth in setting up their businesses. PM is all set to fulfill his promise made with the youth.

The State bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) have been entrusted with the task of devising a feasible strategy to launch “Kamyab Jawan Youth Card.”

The card will be aimed at ensuring financial inclusion and economic empowerment of youth in the country.

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