ISLAMABAD: Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAWW) is being celebrated with great religious zeal and fervor across the country on Friday.
The day dawned with thirty one guns salute at the federal capital and twenty one guns salute at all the provincial capitals.
Special prayers for the unity of Muslim Ummah and progress and prosperity of the country were offered in the mosques after Fajr prayers.
Special conferences, events and Mehfil-e-Milad are being arranged to pay respect to the last messenger whose life and teachings are beacon of light for the whole mankind.
In connection with Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAWW), a National Rehmatul-lil-Alameen (SAWW) Conference will be held in Islamabad today under the auspices of the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
The opening session of the conference will be chaired by President Dr. Arif Alvi while Prime Minister Imran Khan will preside over the concluding session
Prominent Ulema and Mashaikh, scholars and foreign delegates will participate in the Conference and threw light on various aspects of the life and teachings of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW).
As part of the Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAWW) celebrations, the government has decided to observe Ishq-e-Rasool (SAAW) Week from tomorrow.
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad today (Thursday) and discussed professional matters pertaining to Pakistan Army as well as internal and external security situation.
Taking into account recent efforts to stoke violence in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan resolved that entire nation is united against the cowardly acts of the enemy.
The Prime Minister paid tributes to personnel of Pakistan Army, FC and Law enforcement Agencies, who sacrificed their lives for the defence of the motherland.
ISLAMABAD: Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved a Rs194 million technical supplementary grant for a survey of Pakistan’s coastal areas.
The funds were approved during a meeting held in Islamabad with Advidor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh in the chair.
The development of Pakistan’s coastal areas has recently become a hot topic as the government set up the controversial Pakistan Islands Development Authority.
The authority was created through a September 2, 2020 ordinance, without the approval of the Senate or National Assembly as they were not in session as “the president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is satisfied that circumstance exist which render it necessary to take immediate action.”
The authority has been tasked with surveying Pakistan’s islands for the purpose of development. However, the authority is a federal body and some islands belong to the province of Sindh.
The matter has also been taken to court by several people, who argue that the development is illegal and will affect the mangroves.
During the last Sindh High Court hearing, the federal government vowed that it would not begin development without taking the Sindh government on board.
The provincial government and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have said they will oppose any federal government attempts to take over Sindh’s islands.
In other developments, the ECC also approved a one-year extension in the purchase of 104 megawatts of electricity from Iran and passed the issue of a waiver of Rs12 billion in late charges for Afghan cargo containers stuck at Karachi’s ports over to a committee.
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday approved former president Asif Ali Zardari’s plea seeking exemption from personal appearance in the Park Lane reference.
Accountability Judge Azam Khan resumed the hearing of the case. Zardari’s lawyer, Farooq H Naek appeared before the court, requesting the judge to grant his client exemption from personal appearance in today’s hearing.
All co-accused, except one named Sher Ali, nominated in the case were in attendance in court. The court started recording testimony of witness Ahsan Aslam.
Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and other accused face charges of corruption through fake bank accounts and embezzlement in the financial facility for Park Lane Private Limited and Parthenon (Pvt) Limited.
The Park Lane case is being investigated under different sections of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, over Zardari’s alleged involvement in a loan and its misappropriation by Parthenon Private Limited.
A loan worth Rs 1.5 billion was taken from a bank and transferred to the company’s account in a private bank.
According to spokesman IIUI, Nasir Farid, the university shall reopen on Monday, November 02, 2020.
During this period disinfection shall be carried out in the campus, the spokesman added.
On the other hand, Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad has also been sealed for 14 days due to five positive coronavirus cases reported from different departments of university.
According to the notification, all academic and research activities are shifted online till 6th November, 2020. (With input from INP)
ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace, Kashmala Tariq will tie the knot with Waqas Khan, an Islamabad-based businessman, on October 31.
As per the details, the wedding arrangements are made different from the traditional wedding ceremony as a Mehfil-e-Milad will be arranged on October 29, Qawali on October 30, and wedding reception on October 31 in Islamabad.
Moreover, friends of Kashmala Tariq have arranged a function of ‘Dholki’ in Lahore for her and her would-be spouse Waqas Khan.
The family and friends of Kashmala Tariq are happy about her wedlock and express good wishes to her on a new journey of life.
ISLAMABAD: The capital Police has announced security high alert in Islamabad after today’s bomb blast at a seminary in Peshawar which claimed seven lives and injured over 100 of people.
A spokesperson of the capital city police in a statement informed that the I.G. Police Islamabad has directed to increase checking at the entry and exit points of the city.
“Security has been stepped up at the Red Zone and government and other buildings in the city,” police spokesman said.
The police chief has directed the DIG Police (Operations) and other department officers to personally inspect the security.
The I.G. Police has also instructed the officers to visit Imambargahs, religious seminaries to check the level of security. (With input from INP)
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday has welcomed formation of Pak-Afghan Trade and Investment Forum and hoped that the neighboring country will work with the elected government of Pakistan.
Addressing a ceremony in Islamabad, the premier said peace in Afghanistan is important for promotion of trade and economic activities in the region which will bring prosperity and provide job opportunities to the people.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong determination to continue to play its role for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Referring to the belligerent posture of Indian government, Imran Khan expressed concern that India could use the Afghan land to destabilize Pakistan.
He, however, said our government has decided to strengthen relations with Afghanistan, no matter who is in power.
The prime minister said the government is giving priority to uplift the business community and take the country towards industrialization for wealth creation.
He said we are making efforts to enhance connections with the business community of Afghanistan in order to benefit from each other’s experiences and give impetus to the trade and economic relations.
ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar on Monday said that promotion of trade and economic links between Pakistan and Afghanistan would usher into new era of socio-economic development and would help bring people of the two sides closer.
He expressed these views while addressing the opening session of two-day seminar “Pakistan- Afghanistan trade and investment forum 2020” in Islamabad.
Speaker National Assembly said that 2,640 Kilometers Pak-Afghan border is not only the longest border that Pakistan shares with any of its neighboring country, it is also the thread which weaves our two nations into a historic tapestry of social, cultural, linguistic, economic, religious and fraternal ties.
He said that Pakistan values the common bond that binds Pakistan and Afghanistan together and it is important for the leadership of two sides to create harmony, develop understanding and build consensus amongst ourselves to seek solutions of our common problems.
He called for building a united front against the scourges of our time especially poverty and instability. He observed that Pakistan and Afghanistan are strategically significant trading partners however, trade between the two countries gradually declined and eliminating trade barriers along with facilitating traders would not only enhance the trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan but would also greatly contribute to poverty eradication and social uplift.
“Such initiatives will also increase employment opportunities for our people and decreasing Non-tariff barriers on both sides of the border will enhance mutual trade” Asad Qaisar said.
He pointed out that establishment of Pakistan-Afghanistan Parliamentary Friendship Group and its Task forces for encouraging people-to-people contact and facilitate bilateral and transit trade is a manifestation of our commitment to improving bilateral economic engagement with Afghanistan.
He proposed formation of a taskforce to oversee the terms of negotiation of Afghanistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (APTTA) that is going to expire in year 2021 needs input from prliamentarians and institutional stakeholders from both sides of borders for a comprehensive future trade agreement. Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment in terms of promoting Parliamentary diplomacy and said that
Pakistan is ready to play its role in mounting strong linkages for mutually beneficial trade relations with Afghanistan.
Addressing the participants, Speaker National Assembly remarked that a peaceful economic cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan and improved trade and transit facilities would help to connect Arabian Sea shipping lanes with Central Asia. He further remarked that Pakistan’s support for Afghan peace process and Intra-Afghan negotiations has been acknowledged by the Afghan Government as well as the international community and we reiterate our continued support for the peace process.
“The level of participation in this forum from both sides fills us with hope for the future of our relations” Asad Qasair said while expressing gratitude to the leader of Afghan delegation and other participants for attending seminar. He expressed the hope that seminar would go a long way boosting trade cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul and both sides would be able to build a long-lasting mutually beneficial relationships.
Speaker Wolsi Jirga (Afghan Parliament) Mir Rehman Rehmani applauded the efforts of Pakistani Government to support Afghanistan for bringing peace in Afghanistan.
He said that Afghanistan highly values its ties with Pakistan as both countries enjoys shared religious and cultural values and Afghanistan is proud of its close relations with Pakistan.
He remarked that there is a need to capitalize on potential of both countries as both countries have vast opportunities of trade and investment. He remarked that by mutual cooperation both countries can progress and develop together.
He appreciated the steps taken by Pakistan government to facilitate the Afghan transit trade as now it took just three days in clearance of container on border and opening new border points for trade would facilitate the traders.
He appreciated the Speaker Asad Qaiser for his efforts to organize this seminar and bringing the both nations closer.
The seminar was largely attended by parliamentarians, experts, trade chambers and people from different walks of life.
ISLAMABAD: Several streets of Federal Capital Islamabad have been identified as the Coronavirus hotspots and administration sealed all these streets to prevent spread of the COVID-19 from Sunday night.
Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat said that, “Only people with jobs in essential services and with negative COVID-19 certificates will be allowed to leave [the area].”
Following streets are being closed tonight for being identified as COVID-19 hot spots, St. 46 F-11/3, St. 23 F-11/2, St. 58 I-8/2, St. 57 I-8/3, St. 91 I-8/4, St. 10 Block D Media Town, St. 12 I-10/2, St. 33 G-11/2, St. 30 Pakistan Town Phase 1, St. 35 G-6/2
He said that the areas will be reopened once the health teams give clearance after completing testing, tracing and quarantine of suspected cases. Assistant commissioners will be coordinating to make sure that arrangements are in place.
The DC said that the “second wave [of coronavirus] is here” and asked the residents of Islamabad to stay follow SOPs.
