ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday underwent a hernia operation at a private hospital.
Abbasi, who is in judicial custody in connection with an inquiry into LNG scandal, was shifted to the hospital on November 4. He is expected to stay in the medical facility for few more days.
According to details, the government has been informed about the former prime minister’s stay in the hospital.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested the former prime minister on July 18. The accountability court continues to extend his remand as the anti-graft body has yet to file a reference against the former premier.
Abbasi told the court on October 28 that a medical board had advised him to have a hernia surgery. He had requested the court to allow him to have the surgery on his own expenses from a private hospital.
The court had extended his remand till November 19. (With additional input from INP)
ISLAMABAD: The Government of Japan has decided to provide financial assistance of $60,613 for a street pavement project in Union Council Beer, in Haripur District.
The grant will be provided to Badban
Enterprises Development Forum- a local non-government organization in Haripur
district.
Agreement for the project was signed on Wednesday
between the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, Kuninori Matsuda and head of the
recipient organization at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan in
Islamabad.
The grant of $60,613 to BEDF will be utilized for the pavement of streets, along with construction of drains, in six different villages of Beer Union Council. At present, due to broken or unpaved streets, mobility of local residents, particularly during rainy days, is extremely difficult. It is expected that the project will benefit 11,685 individuals of the six villages with better streets infrastructure.
While addressing in the ceremony, the
Ambassador, Kuninori Matsuda congratulated the recipient organization for
winning the Japanese grant for their development project. He expressed his hope
that the projects will help in ensuring easy mobility to local residents, especially
women, children and elderly people of six villages.
Government of Japan will continue to support the people of Pakistan to improve their living standard and this project will contribute to strengthen decades long friendly relationship between the people of Japan and Pakistan, Matsuda said.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed with China for allowing utilization of Chinese currency RMB for execution of all new projects of energy sector under multi-billion dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Instead of US dollar, use of RMB will be a major development if this agreement turns into reality. Now a summary will be moved before the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet for getting formal approval to this effect.
Sino-Pak Joint Working Group (JWG) is already agreed to use RMB for all new energy projects in Pakistan. The JWGs meetings held last week between Pakistan and China teams prior to upcoming the Joint Coordination committee (JCC) meeting scheduled to be held in Islamabad this week, reports Gwadar Pro Net, quoting official sources.
In the JWG meeting, Pakistan and China evolved consensus that RMB would be used for making arrangement to execute all new projects of energy sector under CPEC. This important development was also shared in a roundtable organized by Pakistan China Institute (PCI) led by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed in Karachi on last Sunday.
The delegation of parliamentarians and media persons also participated in this roundtable. The MPs team was on three-day visit to witness different CPEC projects completed at Port Qasim and Islamkot, Thar.
Earlier in a bid to promote trade between Belt and Road countries, China has been encouraging all its partners to trade in Yuan also. For Pakistan, this is a bright prospect since it will reduce pressure on Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves. However, officials of the two countries considered it necessary that the huge trade imbalance that exists is brought down, through business-business agreements. As part of the China-Pakistan Free-Trade-Agreement (FTA) phase II, Pakistan is now at par with the ASEAN countries.
In order to reduce dependency on the greenback gradually over time, Pakistan decided to use Chinese yuan for bilateral trade as well.Through this move, the two countries aimed to promote monetary cooperation between the central banks, implement existing currency-swap arrangements, research to expand the amount of currency and explore to enrich the use and scope of bilateral currency swap and assign the foreign currency to domestic banks through credit-based bids to support the financing for projects along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
This means Pakistani and Chinese banks will, in the course of time, be able to open import letters of credit in rupees and yuan (also known as renminbi, or RMB). Moreover, Pakistan will be able to pay for imports from China in yuan rather than in dollars, and Chinese companies investing in CPEC projects will bring in yuan-denominated funds here and remit back their profits and dividends also in yuan instead of dollars or other foreign currencies.
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) Pakistan has been allowed to establish a local yuan settlement and clearing setup in Pakistan enabling it to open yuan accounts of the Chinese banks operating in Pakistan and to facilitate settlement of yuan-based transactions such as remittance to/from China.
It is believed that with the opening of Bank of China in Pakistan, the access to Chinese markets will strengthen further. Considering the recent local and global economic developments, particularly with the growing size of trade and investment with China under CPEC, yuan denominated trade with China will increase significantly and will yield long term benefits for both the countries.(Additional Input From INP)
ISLAMABAD: Two more Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Azadi March protesters on Wednesday morning have lost their lives in Islamabad, taking the toll to three.
According to details, Maulana Saifullah suffered a heart attack at the time of Tahajjud whereas Molvi Akhtar Muhammad died of illness.
Earlier, 55-year-old Larkana resident Abdul Kareem Jan felt a heart attack and was rushed to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
On the other hand, the protesters at Azadi March sit-in have placed their camps on concrete surface at Kashmir Highway due to intermittent rain in the federal capital. (With additional input from INP)
ISLAMABAD: The customs authorities foiled a bid to smuggle gold biscuits to abroad from Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday.
As per details, the authorities in an action recovered gold biscuits of 20 tolas from UK’s citizen named Asma Tasaduq. The investigation into the matter was underway.
Meanwhile, in a separate action of the Airport Security Force (ASF), a bullet of the pistol was recovered from the luggage of a passenger traveling to Manchester.
The passenger was identified as Ansar Nawaz, who was set to fly to Manchester when a bullet was recovered from his stuff. (With additional input from INP)
He was talking to a delegation comprising of members of the
ASEAN Region led by Dato Muhammad Azmi Abdul Hamid, President of Majlis
Perundingan Islam, Malaysia (MAPIM), which called on him in Parliament House on
Tuesday.
The Members of the Parliaments of Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Thailand,
Myanmar and Singapore are currently visiting Pakistan to get insight of the Kashmir
issue.
The ASEAN Parliamentarians have termed Kashmir
dispute, a global issue and have assured to raise the predicament of Kashmiris
at international and regional forums till its resolution. They condemned the
Indian oppression against innocent Kashmiris depriving them of their human
rights and identity.
Speaker Asad Qaiser while apprising the delegation about the
present state in Indian Occupied Kashmir said that the Kashmiri people were
subjected to worst lockdown in global history depriving them of their
fundamental rights. He said that the 93-days long lockdown had turned the
valley into a jail, aggravating their miseries in terms of blocking
communication and non-supply of food items and medicines.
Further apprising, the Speaker said that thousands of youth
had been subjected to abduction, torture and custodial killings besides
indiscriminate use of arms on innocent women and children. He asked the
Parliamentarians to propagate the Kashmir issue in true perspective in their
respective countries and Parliaments for putting diplomatic pressure on India to
resolve the issue as per its international commitments and aspiration of people
of the valley.
Head of the delegation Dato Muhammad Azmi Abdul Hamid said
that ASEAN nations strongly support the right of self-determination to
Kashmiris which had been constantly been denied by India. He said that the manner, India was propagating the Kashmir
issue was a sheer defiance of its international commitments. He informed the
Speaker that an ASEAN Kashmir Advocacy Group was being established for
highlighting the Kashmir issue in its true
perspective. He condemned the Indian forces for obstructing Kashmiris to
perform their religious obligations.
Dato Muhammad Azmi Abdul Hamid said that the delegation will
visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Line of
Control to express solidarity with Kashmiri people. He further informed that he
along with his other fellow parliamentarians would meet Speakers of ASEAN
countries and apprise them about the Kashmir
issue.
Earlier, both the sides expressed their satisfaction on the
existing bilateral diplomatic and trade relations between Pakistan and
ASEAN Region. They expressed the need to further enhancing cooperation between
the region in diverse sectors. The Speaker said that the CPEC was a game
changer for the region and enhancing inter-regional connectivity could extend
its benefits to the ASEAN region.
Dato Muhammad Azmi Abdul Hamid said that Pakistan was an
important country of the region and its efforts for peace and development were
commendable. He said that ASEAN area with a six hundred million population
could become a huge trading partner of Pakistan.(Additional Input From INP)
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan reaffirmed the government’s commitment to resolving all outstanding issues with the JUI Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman through dialogue.
Talking to the media persons in Islamabad on Tuesday, she said Maulana Fazlur Rehman is a senior politician and expressed the hope that he will not tread the path which ousts him from the political ground.
Firdous Ashiq Awan said Maulana Fazlur Rehman should be careful in his choice of words for the democratically elected Prime Minister.
She said Maulana Fazlur Rehman should refrain from hurting the sentiments of PTI workers. She said the JUI-F chief should also not hurt national interest and Kashmir’s cause through his narrative.
Alluding to the judicial reforms, the special assistant said the government has initiated the process by bringing amendments in the outdated legislation.
He said, “We have brought eight ordinances pertaining to the basic human rights of the people.” She added these ordinances will be introduced in the parliament to change them into effective legislation, for which she also sought the cooperation of the opposition parties.
She said the PTI government will take the requisite steps to turn into reality the vision of providing speedy and inexpensive justice to the masses.
The Special Assistant said that she has apprised the Prime Minister about the dilapidated condition of the district courts of Islamabad. She said a judicial complex will be established to shift the district courts there.(Additional Input From INP)
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Ali Amin Gandapur, on Saturday announced to hold a public gathering in Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s constituency.
Ali Amin Gandapur challenged Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to face him in the electoral ground and offered to leave his seat for re-election.
While making the announcement, the minister claimed that he will exhibit public power in Maulana’s constituency, adding that a huge number of nationals will participate in the public gathering in the constituency where the opposition parties failed to jointly gather people for any event.
“I am challenging Maulana to win the elections again. If you [Fazlur Rehman] wish, then install a camera inside every polling station to contest the polls.”
“You should stop criticising the national institutions, you should dare to accept my challenge. Maulana will be given a humiliating defeat which he would remember for life,” he said.
“A person who had lost his seat [in the general election] is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister [Imran Khan].”
Gandapur urged JUI-F chief to answer his legal notice sent to him as well. He said that the stubbornness of Maulana Fazlur Rehman has caused unbearable loss to the Kashmir cause and Indian media is celebrating over JUI-F’s Azadi March.
He said that PM Imran Khan fought the Kashmir’s case on international fora but Maulana Fazl is trying to sabotage all efforts of the government for the rights of Kashmiris through Azadi March.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued a contempt of court notice to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan.
The notice has been issued to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
leader for holding anti-judiciary press conference during which she said that a
special hearing was conducted in evening to give relief to former prime
minister Nawaz Sharif.
The IHC remarked that Firdous Ashiq Awan must defend herself before the court regarding her statement. The SAPM has been summoned by the court on November 1. (Additional Input From INP)
ISLAMABAD: The authorities declared emergency in all hospitals of Islamabad in the wake of Azadi March which is expected to reach the federal capital on October 31.
According to sources, leaves of doctors and other staff
members of the hospitals of Islamabad
have been cancelled to meet any untoward situation ahead of arrival of
anti-government Azadi March participants in the capital.
The long march of opposition parties including, JUI-F, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Awami National Party (ANP) and others started its journey from Karachi on Oct. 27 and will enter Islamabad on Oct. 31 where the JUI-F chief has announced to decide the next course of action.(Additional Input From INP)
