Ministry of Human Rights launches performance report

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February 16, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Human Rights launched its annual performance report 2020 at an interactive media engagement session held in Islamabad.

The report highlights significant initiatives undertaken to protect and promote rights of women, children, persons with disabilities, transgenders, and other vulnerable population groups.

The report also includes chapters on the Ministry’s progress in projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP); special initiatives launched to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; and well as the engagements of the Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari.

Speaking at the session, Minister Shireen Mazari emphasized the progress the Ministry has been in terms of strengthening grievance redressal mechanisms including the establishment of the 1099 national helpline application as well as the Zainab alert on the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal for missing children.

Video animations developed by the Ministry to raise awareness about these initiatives as well as the recently launched Human Rights Resource Portal were also showcased at the event.

Minister Shireen Mazari also emphasized the progress of the Ministry of Human Rights in terms of overcoming gaps in legislation to ensure that the rights of citizens, particularly the vulnerable, are protected.

Recently, the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance 2020 was enacted to protect the rights of women who have been victims of gender-based violence.

The amendment to include child domestic labour as a form of hazardous activity under schedule I of the Employment of Children Act 1991 is also an important legislative milestone.

She further spoke about the Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act and the ICT Rights of Persons with Disability Act that were enacted in 2020.

Finally, she spoke about special initiatives undertaken to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.

This included upgrading the 1099 helpline, an extensive awareness campaign targeting vulnerable social groups, and special research undertaken including a policy brief on the Gendered Impact and Implications of COVID-19 in Pakistan, and a comprehensive report on “COVID-19 and Disaster Vulnerabilities in Pakistan: A human rights-based analysis.”

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Nation prays, stands in solidarity as earthquake strikes several Pakistan cities

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Nuzhat Aftab

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February 13, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani nation has once again come together in solidarity and concern after a 6.4.-magnitude earthquake hit several cities of the country late Friday night.

Citizen, politicians, and celebrities took to Twitter and sent heartfelt prayers for all those living in the affected areas.

According to reports, tremors were felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Mardan, North Waziristan, Swat, Multan, Sargodha, Faisalabad, and Lahore.

The tremors were also felt in Killa Abdullah, Pishin, Toba Achakzai, Shangla, Buner, Malakand, Dir, and Chitral.

As per the Seismological Centre, the depth of the earthquake was measured at 80km into the ground. Citizens have been advised to be careful as the aftershocks of the earthquake are expected.

PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz took to the micro-blogging website and prayed for people’s safety and “hoped” that everyone was safe.

The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis also prayed for everyone’s safety.

Singer Fakhr-e-Alam prayed and asked people to be careful of aftershocks.

Similarly, Shafqat Amanat Ali hoped everyone was safe in Pakistan and across the border.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman also joined hands with others and prayed for the nation.

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ASG organizing session to understand, appreciate carpet viewing tradition in Pak, Afghan, Iran

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Our Correspondent

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February 12, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Study Group (ASG), Islamabad is organizing a session on understanding and appreciating the rich carpet-weaving traditions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran on Saturday 13 February.

Can you tell a Bokhara from a Chobi? Why is knot density so important? What is the symbolism behind the intriguing patterns? What are the points to look for when carpet buying?

The session will address these and many other questions related to the traditional craft.

Geographically, ‘oriental’ rugs are made in an area referred to as the “Rug Belt”, which stretches from Morocco across North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia and the Subcontinent.

Carpets and rugs have been an integral part of cultures of origin.

Defined as a heavy textile made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes, they may be pile or flat woven and composed of various materials such as silk, wool, or cotton.

Examples range in size from pillow to large, room-sized carpets, and include carrier bags, floor coverings, decorations for animals, and prayer rugs.

Ashok Kumar –a professional in the field- will share his expertise on the complexities of the rich art of carpet weaving and purchasing.

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FM urges world to pay attention to gross HR violations in IIOJ&K

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Our Correspondent

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February 11, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has urged the international community to pay attention to the gross and blatant human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

He was addressing a photography and cultural exhibition organized in Islamabad on Thursday to pay tribute to the Kashmiris resilience in their just struggle for right to self-determination.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the diplomats should visit Azad Kashmir and the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir to assess the ground realities and judge for themselves as to what the people want there.

The Foreign Minister said Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is under military siege over the last eighteen months. He hoped the new US administration which is talking about human rights protection will stop ignoring the ground realities in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He expressed the confidence that the OIC and the EU will also play their role in this regard.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Kashmir is not an internal matter of India. He said the dispute has been on the agenda of Pakistan-India talks in the past whilst the UN Security Council has held three discussions on it in the wake of 5th August 2019 illegal Indian steps in the valley.

The Foreign Minister said Pakistan wants to resolve this dispute through dialogue and peaceful manners as there is no military solution to it. He said Pakistan did not vitiate the environment and the one who did it needs to create an environment for engagement.

In his remarks, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said Kashmir is heaven on earth but India has turned it into a hell through its brutal acts.

He said Pakistan will continue to stand by their Kashmiri brothers and sister till they get their inalienable right to self-determination in line with the UN Security Council resolutions. He pointed out that Prime Minister Imran Khan has forcefully raised Kashmir dispute at all the forums. He said these efforts have not gone unnoticed. He said the world community must take cognizance of the Indian ill will and evil designs to usurp the rights of Kashmiri people.

President Azad Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan said India has unleashed cultural invasion in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Mosques, shrines and the language of Kashmiri people is under attack in the valley. He said the holding of photography and cultural exhibition is very timely to highlight the plight of oppressed Kashmiri people.

With input from INP

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Government assures Islamabad protesters of 20% salary increase

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Nuzhat Aftab

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February 11, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Talks between a government committee and representatives of the federal government employees protesting for a raise in salaries a day earlier have reportedly been successful.

A delegation of the government employees has been assured of a 20 per cent increase in their salaries and the release of all arrested government employees.

A notification for it is expected today (Thursday).

The talks took place at Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak’s house.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid confirmed news of the talks on Twitter. He has instructed the Islamabad administration to release all arrested employees immediately.

Khattak, Ahmed and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan participated in the talks on behalf of the government.

The federal government employees were demanding a raise in their salaries and had gathered on Wednesday after their leader Rehman Bajwa and nine others were arrested overnight.

Following the arrests, the government workers in the federal capital had announced they would march towards the Parliament House from Pakistan Secretariat for their demands and the release of their leaders.

The police had resorted to tear gas shelling after they made a move towards the Parliament. The protesters at one point had also encircled Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz.

At one point the protesting employees also closed the doors to the secretariat bringing the government machinery to a halt.

At least two dozen protesting employees were taken into custody under Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).

The government employees were protesting against the income disparities between various federal government employees. They have been demanding a 40% increase in their salaries.

The protesters have received support from government employees over grade 17, who have also demanded an increase in their salaries.

The All Pakistan Clerks Association and government employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh are also supporting the protest.

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Police fire tear gas at protesting government employees in Islamabad

By

Tanzeel Ahmed

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February 11, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Police have temporarily halted the ongoing operation against protesting government employees in a bid to disperse the crowd which was moving towards the Parliament House located at the Constitution Avenue.

The protesters have gathered around D chowk as well as China chowk, while Islamabad authorities have blocked the way towards the Parliament with containers.

Demonstrators started bypassing the containers because of which the police once again had to resort to tear gas shelling to disperse them. Because of the tear gas, some police and Rangers personnel also had to retract for a while.

The protestors have demanded that the containers be removed or else they would remove it themselves.

The federal government employees are demanding a raise in their salaries and had gathered today after their leader Rehman Bajwa and nine others were arrested overnight.

Following the arrests, the government workers in the federal capital had announced they would march towards the Parliament House from Pakistan Secretariat for their demands and the release of their leaders.

The police had resorted to tear gas shelling after they made a move towards the Parliament. The protesters at one point had also encircled Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz.

At one point the protesting employees also closed the doors to the secretariat bringing the government machinery to a halt.

At least two dozen protesting employees were taken into custody under Section 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO).

The government employees were protesting against the income disparities between various federal government employees. They have been demanding a 40% increase in their salaries.

The protesters have received support from government employees over grade 17, who have also demanded an increase in their salaries.

The All Pakistan Clerks Association and government employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh are also supporting the protest.

Meanwhile, Speaking on the matter, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that the government dealt with the protesters “correctly” and that it was the demonstrators that had “gone back on the agreement.”

“We dealt with this correctly we are increasing the salaries of 95% of employees at an average of 40%,” the minister said.

Rasheed blamed the protestors for going back on the agreement they had made with the federal ministers. He claimed that the government had agreed to increase the salaries of the government employees from grade 1-16.

He said when the government was about to issue the notification in this regard, the protesters demanded that the salaries of employees from grade 17- 22 should also be increased which, he said, will add the burden of billions of rupees to the exchequer.

The interior minister also claimed that the protestors have the support of the officers. He also refused to the demand of increasing the salaries of provincial officers, clarifying that it was not in the domain of the federal government.

“The matter will be resolved [if] they go back to their initial demands,” said the interior minister.

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Special plane with first batch of COVID-19 vaccine reaches Pakistan

By

TNT Monitoring Desk

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February 1, 2021

BEIJING: A special Pakistan Air Force (PAF) plane with the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses reached Islamabad today (Monday).

China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi during a phone call with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi last week had promised to provide 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan by January 31.

Beijing had asked Islamabad to send an airplane to get the vaccines.

Later, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Hua Chunying had also confirmed that in order to support the brothers and sisters in Pakistan, the Chinese government would provide a batch of vaccines as aid and would actively coordinate with the relevant Chinese enterprise to speed up export of vaccines to Pakistan.

The National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), which oversees Pakistan’s coronavirus response, had sent the special aircraft to bring the vaccine that Beijing had promised to provide.

The NCOC has taken necessary steps to store the vaccine in Islamabad and onward supply to various federating units particularly to Sindh and Balochistan through the air.

It has also set up a vaccine nerve center with the provincial and district level vaccine administration and coordination and adult vaccination centers.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Pakistan have been working together to overcome difficulties.

Pakistan has approved two foreign anti-coronavirus vaccines as of now, including the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, for emergency use in the country.

Pakistan plans to provide vaccines to frontline health workers and elderly people in the first phase.

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Pakistan receives first batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccine

By

Nuzhat Aftab

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February 1, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The first batch of Chinese coronavirus vaccine has reached Pakistan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan announced on Monday.

A special Pakistan Air Force (PAF) plane with the first tranche of Sinopharm vaccine landed in Islamabad earlier today.

Taking to Twitter, SAPM Dr Faisal Sultan thanked China and everyone who made this happen and said the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) and provinces played an instrumental role in tackling COVID.

“I salute our frontline healthcare workers for their efforts & they’ll be first to get vaccinated,” he tweeted.

As per details from the NCOC, all necessary measures have been put in place for vaccine storage in Islamabad and the move of vaccines to various federating units particularly to Sindh and Balochistan through the air.

A vaccine nerve centre has been established at the NCOC with provincial and district Level vaccine administration.

China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi during a phone call with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi last week had promised to provide 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Pakistan by January 31.

Beijing had asked Islamabad to send an airplane to get the vaccines.

Later, Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Hua Chunying had also confirmed that in order to support the brothers and sisters in Pakistan, the Chinese government would provide a batch of vaccines as aid and would actively coordinate with the relevant Chinese enterprise to speed up export of vaccines to Pakistan.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China and Pakistan have been working together to overcome difficulties.

Pakistan has approved three foreign anti-COVID vaccines as of now, including the Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, for emergency use in the country.

Pakistan plans to provide vaccines to frontline health workers and elderly people in the first phase.

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AIOU with 1.4m students is second largest varsity in Asia: Dr Ziaul Qayoom

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Our Correspondent

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January 26, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Vice Chancellor, Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) Islamabad Prof. Dr. Ziaul Qayoom said that AIOU is the second largest university in Asia in which 1.4 million students have matriculated simultaneously.

He was addressing a meeting of faculty and officers of Allama Iqbal Open University, Sialkot at its regional campus. Director Regional Services Inamullah Sheikh, Additional Director Sialkot Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali, CEO Education Maqbool Ahmed Shakir, Ashiq Hussain Siddiqui, Farida Khawar, CEO Nadia Khawar, Zarina Shahid, Hamid Saeed, Mohammad Tehseen, Sadaf Gilani, Muhammad Tahir, Tariq Bhatti and Abdul Sattar were also present.

Academic system to improve the academic quality of the AIOU, whish being transferred to Learning Management System (LMS), the VC said, adding that the computer centers will be established in areas of the country where internet or computer facilities are not available, along with the old system, technology.

The role cannot be moved without adding it to the system, he said that all administrative, workshop and other matters of the varsity will be digitized in the next 6 months.

Dr. Zia-ul-Qayyum said that 80% of the 54 regional campuses across the country are being constructed and as the Vice Chancellor he is visiting each campus to review the issues on the ground and in consultation with academics and local staff. Resolving.

He said that by April 2021, 176,000 tutors will be online in the system and students will be connected to them under computerized automatic system. He said that no child would refuse education just because of money. All eligible children submit their admissions. From the second semester, the institution will pay the institutional fee from the Student Support Fund and any eligible student application in the previous year will not be rejected.
VC said all four telecom operators can submit fees online and admission confirmation will be done in just one week.

The decision to pay the tutors’ dues through telecom operators has not been taken yet, the automotive admissions will be started thanks to the online automated system, he said, adding that efforts are being made to improve the system in good faith.

Criticism will be heard and full steps will be taken to resolve the issues.

Readmore: Famous showbiz diva Tara, daughter of PTI leader, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood

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COAS, DG ISI call on Prime Minister Imran Khan

By

TNT Monitoring Desk

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January 26, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General ISI Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweet matters pertaining to National Security were discussed during the meeting.

According to the tweet, the prime minister, the army chief, and the intelligence’s top official discussed matters related to national security.

The development comes two weeks after the army chief and DG ISI had called on PM Imran Khan, and COAS Bajwa had vowed that the culprits behind the Machh massacre would be brought to justice.

They discussed the national security situation and condemned the “unfortunate Machh incident”, said a brief statement issued by the PM Office.

The continuous human rights violations in Indian Kashmir and the frequent ceasefire violations over the Line of Control (LoC) also came under discussion.

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