Saturday, 21 November 2020
RIYADH, NOV 21 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said that Saudi Arabia is pleased with the meeting of leaders of the G20 countries in which our country chaired this year’s work.
In a tweet on his official Twitter account on Saturday, King Salman stressed that the G20 has demonstrated its strength and ability to join efforts to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the world.
“Our responsibility was — and will remain — to move toward a better, healthy, and prosperous future for all”, King Salman added.
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KARACHI, NOV 21 – “Hameed Haroon, President and Sarmad Ali, Secretary General of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society have expressed profound grief on behalf of APNS Office Bearers and members of the Executive Committee over the sad demise of eldest sister of Mr. Mehtab Khan, Chief Editor and aunt of Mr. Mohsin Bilal Khan, Group Editor, Ausaf Group of Publications.
The APNS Office Bearers have offered condolence to the bereaved family and have prayed that Almighty Allah rest the departed soul in eternal peace and give them courage and patience to bear the loss.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed ways of enhancing ties with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, in a rare phone call since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, his office said.
The phone call came on the eve of the G20 leaders' summit hosted by Riyadh on Saturday and Sunday.
Erdogan and the Saudi king discussed bilateral relations during the phone call and exchanged views on the G20 summit, the Turkish presidency said late on Friday.
The Turkish leader is due to address the summit via video link at 1300 GMT.
“President Erdogan and King Salman agreed on keeping channels of dialogue open in order for the bilateral relations to be enhanced and for issues to be settled,” it added.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia have long competed for supremacy in the Muslim world but the tensions between the two Sunni-Muslim regional powers have intensified since the 2018 murder of Washington Post contributor Khashoggi at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate.
The case has sparked an international outcry and tarnished the global reputation of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman known as MBS.
Khashoggi was strangled and his body cut into pieces by a 15-man Saudi squad inside the consulate, according to Turkish officials. His remains have not been found.
Erdogan has said the order to murder Khashoggi came from “the highest levels” of the Saudi government but has never directly blamed Prince Mohammad.
In September, a Saudi court overturned five death sentences issued after a closed-door trial in Saudi Arabia that ended last year, sentencing them to 20 years in prison instead.
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ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 - The United States of America has expressed pleasure over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Afghanistan and stressed on the cooperation between the two countries.
The US State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
(SCA) in its statement in Washington said it is pleasing to see Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Kabul to underscore Pakistan’s commitment
to peace and to further cooperation with Afghanistan on security,
refugees, trade, and regional connectivity.
“Pleased to see PM Khan visiting Kabul to underscore Pakistan’s
commitment to peace & to further cooperation with Afghanistan on
security, refugees, trade, and regional connectivity,” the statement
said.
The statement further said that Pakistan-Afghanistan cooperation
contributes to the entire region’s stability.
“Afghan-Pakistani cooperation contributes to the entire region’s
stability,” the State Department’s SCA added in its statement on
Twitter.
On the other hand, the European Union has also welcomed the Pakistani
premier’s visit to Kabul and said that Islamabad can play its pivotal
role in the solution of the Afghan conflict.
On November 19, PM Khan visited Kabul at the invitation of Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani and discussed matters related to mutual affairs.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had assured that Pakistan would fully support
to end violence and establish durable peace in Afghanistan.
A day after his Kabul visit, he stressed that after the Afghans, it was
Pakistanis who had the “greatest stake” in peace in Afghanistan. “My
visit to Kabul was another step towards conveying Pakistan’s commitment
to peace in Afghanistan,” the premier had said on Twitter, his first
post about the trip since his return.
“I have never believed in military solutions which is why I always
believed that in Afghanistan peace will be achieved through political
dialogue,” he had added.
Peace in Afghanistan would “allow for connectivity and trade, bringing
prosperity to both Afghans and Pakistanis”, he had observed, noting that
people in the tribal areas, “who have suffered the ravages of the war in
Afghanistan, will especially benefit from peace and trade”.
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LAHORE – The funeral prayers for Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who passed away on Thursday night, were offered at Lahore’s Minar-i-Pakistan on Saturday afternoon.
Thousands of people gathered at the site to attend the funeral prayers with many complaining of mobile signal outages.
The city of Lahore started experiencing the impact of the death of the firebrand cleric when all entry points to the city and roads leading to his mosque faced traffic pressure, reporting long queues and jams. The pressure was set to grow today as thousands of his followers were expected to reach his funeral site and later to his burial site.
While some members of his party said he will be buried at his mosque in Chowk Yateem Khana, others have suggested his final resting place will be at the graveyard on Scheme Mor.
According to the Lahore chief traffic officer (CTO), five deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) and 36 inspectors were overseeing traffic arrangements in the city. In a statement, the CTO said that no point would be completely closed for traffic and diversions would be opened along the route of the funeral procession.
The funeral procession will move through the Niazi Shaheed Interchange, Bund Road, Babu Sabu Interchange and will stop at Scheme Mor.
Security in the city is on “high alert” on the directions of Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh with extra personnel posted at the entry and exit points of Lahore.
The TLP chief passed away two days ago at the age of 54.
According to the party’s spokesperson, Hamza, Rizvi had been experiencing difficulty in breathing and was running a fever since a day earlier.
The spokesperson added that Rizvi was at his madressah on Multan Road when his condition deteriorated on Thursday evening. He was subsequently rushed to the Farooq Hospital in Iqbal Town, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Rizvi was later taken to Sheikh Zayed Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead, said Saad Rizvi, son of Khadim Hussain Rizvi.
He is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters.
Rizvi made his last public appearance at a sit-in staged by thousands of TLP followers at Islamabad’s Faizabad interchange to protest the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in France.
The group had decided to end the sit-in on Monday after successful negotiations with the government.
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ISLAMABAD, NOV 21 – Pakistan strongly condemned rocket attacks at Kabul city which resulted in loss of precious lives and injuries to many. “We convey our heartfelt condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives and pray for the early and complete recovery of the injured,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said in a statement on Saturday.
The Spokesperson said that at a time when international community’s efforts towards Afghan peace process are moving forward it is important to be vigilant against the spoilers who are working to undermine the peace efforts.
Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We express our full solidarity and support for Afghanistan and its fraternal people, the spokesperson said.
“We express our full solidarity and support for Afghanistan and its fraternal people.”
Earlier in the morning, a series of explosions caused by rocket attacks rocked the Central Kabul.
The Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs Spokesperson Tariq Arian said that 14 rockets were fired in densely populated areas of the City, resulting in at least three days and injuries to dozen others.
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RAWALPINDI, NOV 21 /DN/ – A stage play ‘Bhola Puter’ based on social issues was presented at Punjab Arts Council. The play was written and directed by Sajjad Ahmed. The special guest of the function was Dr. Arif Qureshi and Director ANF Muhammad Riaz Soomro.
Jhalak, Sapna Shah, Arshad khan, Hameed Babar, Anjum Abbasi, Saima Khan, Shehzadi, Naeem Tota, Naseem Gulzar, Babar Ali and Liaquat Shah were among the actors of the play.
Dr. Arif Qureshi said that ‘we should prefer our families and friend over wealth. The Prayers of our parents are key our success in this world and life after. We are trying to restore the lost dignity of stage dramas.
Stage drama is closer to reality”, he added. In the end, he congratulated all the actors for presenting a beautiful drama. Assistant Director Arts Council Muhammad Suleman was also present on the occasion.
He said that all the actors played their roles well. The Council’s platform was always opened for standard dramas. The auditorium Arts Council was full of people to watch dramas.=DN
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SOT Edition XII hosts the iconic Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia in conversation with MrKasimKasuri, CEO Beaconhouse on 22 November
- SOT features 24 Live Sessions from 1 pm to 10.30 pm PK time (0800 to 1730 GMT) on 20-22 November
Lahore: – Beaconhouse launched the 12th edition of its Non-Profit School of Tomorrow (SOT) Events — A World of Tomorrow: From Darkness to Light featuring over 60 international thought leaders in 24 LIVE SESSIONS over three days through a series of one-on-one conversations, panel discussions, presentations, workshops and parliamentary-style debates.
The 3-day virtual conference aims to answer difficult questions for a world facing challenges of the Covid 19 impact on education, economies and a safer, balanced future. The SOT Conference is especially honoured to host the iconic Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister of Malaysia in an exclusive interview with MrKasimKasuri, CEO Beaconhouse on 22 November.
In the opening session, KasimKasuri, CEO Beaconhouse& Chair of SOT Events, engaged in a candid conversation with students and teachers from Beaconhouse Pakistan, Malaysia, and UAE, supported by Dr Lawrence Burke, Beaconhouse’s Chief Education Advisor. The panellists discussed the potential intervention of artificial intelligence in schools, discussed the impact of Covid 19 on learning, suggesting that some positive learnings must be sustained, and stressed that schools must change in order to prepare students for a future world.
The panel session, ‘Forever the Middle Child: unpacking the ‘Forgotten Years’ of Middle School’ highlighted the need to pay equal attention to the education of middle school students, recognising a number of social, developmental, and emotional issues that emerge in adolescents. This session brought together middle school students, teachers, and parents to share personal experiences and perspectives.
Panel discussions ran concurrently on topics such as the impact of new US leadership on the world with MrKhurshid Mahmud Kasuri, former Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Sir Tim Hitchens, former British diplomat, and MrMichael Kugelman, Deputy Director, Asia Program, Wilson Center. Workshops conducted by Mr Iain Rileyand Mr Benjamin W. Decker, meditation expert, explored the development of student agency in schools and mindfulness-based interventions for children to improve cognitive performance showcasing key classroom activities.
The SOTConference paid tribute to the late Sir Ken Robinson, globally renowned thinker on learning innovation and creativity, with panellists discussing how his work has shaped global educational landscapes. The panel discussion featured Lord Jim Knight, Former UK Minister of State for Schools, Professor DrGerGraus OBE, Global Director of Education, KidZania, Mr Lee Daley, Co-Founder & Chairman, Hello Genius and MsCris Rowan, technologyspecialist.
Another highlight of Day 1 of the SOT Conference was an interview featuring Dr Roger Schank in conversation with Mr Nassir Kasuri, Executive Director of Beaconhouse. Dr Roger Schank, an artificial intelligence researcher and revisionist educator, believes that schools should not exist in their present form and is an outspoken critic of the global education system.
The School of Tomorrow conference continues to stream LIVE on November 21 and 22 on its website (www.sotevents.com) and the social media platforms Facebook and YouTube (SOT Events &Beaconhouse School System Official).
SOT Events are made possible by the generous support of corporate sponsors. The organisers gratefully acknowledge the support of United Bank Limited as the Lead Sponsor for SOT Edition XII.
The non-profit School of Tomorrow Event Series was launched in 2000 and is organised by Beaconhouse as part of its ongoing commitment to its social responsibility.
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BEIJING, Nov. 21 – Pakistan-China agriculture cooperation is vital and would enhance the economy of Pakistan, said Pakistani ambassador to China Moin ul Haque.
Addressing a webinar organized by China Economic Net, he said Pakistan is a leading country in the production of wheat, cotton, rice, sugar cane, lentils，mangoes and milk. Pakistan is the fourth-largest producer of milk and has a vibrant livestock sector, leading in meat and poultry production.
The ambassador said that agriculture contributes more than 80 percent to Pakistan’s GDP and provides more than 30 percent of the national labor force.
He further said the agricultural cooperation was extensively discussed in an important bilateral meeting held between two foreign ministers in Hainan in August, 2020.
“The production of quality seeds, the productivity of various crops strengthening an agro-based industry to bring in value addition, manufacturing pesticides, and setting up gold chain networks were discussed.
We also discussed the capacity building of our scientists and students, sharing and transfer of agricultural technology and establishment of research institutes,” he said.
Ambassador said that recently China has adopted its 14th five-year plan for 2021to2025 in which the field of modern agriculture has given high value.
“I believe that Pakistan can make optimum use of China’s past achievements and its future agricultural development schemes to address our weakness and consolidate our strength in the agriculture sector,” Moin said.
The ambassador expressed gratitude to the Chinese government and relevant institutions for giving Pakistan supports during the locust plague.
The Chinese government sent a delegation of experts, provided specialized drones to fight the locust swarm and helped to set up a set of pest and disease control center in Karachi.
China’s unprecedented success in combating poverty and bringing more than 800 million people out of poverty is indeed a miracle of recent times, helping communities to improve livelihood by developing their local agricultural products.
“I would like to convey my sincere gratitude to China Economic Net and leadership that is present here. Thank you for all your valuable support in strengthening economic and commercial relations between China and Pakistan, from sponsoring mangoes festival, organizing various conferences and seminars to recently hosting the Pakistani government Pavilion in Shanghai,” the ambassador stated.
“I hope that two embassies and two governments can work together to have some concrete results and achievements in the field of agriculture as next year we are going to celebrate the 70th years of diplomatic relation, a very important milestone in our relationship,” he added.
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KABUL – At least eight people were killed on Saturday when a barrage of rockets struck densely populated parts of Kabul, marking the latest big attack in a wave of violence sweeping the Afghan capital.
The salvo slammed into various parts of central and north Kabul — including in and around the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses embassies and international firms — just before 9am (0430 GMT).
The Iranian embassy said on Twitter that its main building had been hit by rocket fragments after a missile landed on the premises. No one on the compound, located just outside the Green Zone, was wounded.
Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian blamed the Taliban, saying “terrorists” had fired a total of 23 rockets.
“Based on initial information, eight people were martyred, and 31 others were wounded,” Arian said, noting the final toll would change.
Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz confirmed the same tolls and details.
The Taliban denied responsibility, saying they “do not blindly fire on public places”.
At least one rocket landed in an office inside the Green Zone, but did not explode.
Recent big attacks in Kabul, including two horrific assaults on educational institutions that killed nearly 50 people in recent weeks, follow a familiar pattern in the aftermath, with the Taliban denying any involvement while the Afghan government pins the blame on them or their proxies.
“The rocket attack in Kabul city has nothing to do with the mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, using the insurgents’ name for Afghanistan.
The Taliban are under pressure not to attack urban areas, having pledged not to do so under the terms of a United States withdrawal deal signed in February.
Any acknowledgement of overt involvement in such incidents could in theory slow the American pull-out, though outgoing US President Donald Trump has made clear he wants US forces out regardless of the situation on the ground.
The Islamic State group claimed the two attacks on educational centres, but Kabul said the Taliban’s ultra-violent Haqqani network was responsible.
Pompeo heads to Doha
Taliban and Afghan government negotiators launched peace talks in Doha in September but progress has been slow and violence has raged across Afghanistan regardless.
Officials told on Friday however that a breakthrough was expected to be announced in the coming days, and the US State Department announced late Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would meet negotiators from the Taliban and the Afghan government in Doha.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to end “forever wars”, including in Afghanistan, America’s longest-ever conflict, which began with an invasion to dislodge the Taliban following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
President-elect Joe Biden, in a rare point of agreement with Trump, also advocates winding down the Afghanistan war although analysts believe he will not be as wedded to a quick timetable.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon said it would soon pull about 2,000 troops out of Afghanistan, speeding up the timeline established in a February agreement between Washington and the Taliban that envisions a full US withdrawal by mid-2021.
In the past six months, the Taliban has carried out 53 suicide attacks and 1,250 explosions that left 1,210 civilians dead and 2,500 wounded, interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said this week.
The interior ministry said two small “sticky bomb” explosions had been reported earlier Saturday morning, including one that hit a police car, killing one policeman and wounding three others.
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Friday, 20 November 2020
Hyderabad — Sindh's second-largest city after Karachi — is fast emerging as a coronavirus hotspot, with a rise in both the city's positivity ratio and mortality rate worrying doctors.
As Hyderabad's health care workers brace for the second wave of Covid-19, three patients lost their lives from the virus in the past day at Liaquat University Hospital's (LUH) City branch.
“Three deaths are reported in our high dependency unit (HDU) and intensive care unit (ICU),” said Dr Aftab Phull, focal person for LUH Hyderabad. The deceased included two men aged 71 years and 58 years, respectively, and a 70-year-old woman.
Hyderabad reported its first Covid-19 case on March 10, a woman who had arrived from Iran after pilgrimage. The city's positivity rate declined in the July-August period but from then onwards, a rise in cases was seen in laboratory reports.
The National Command and Operation Centre had last week reported that Hyderabad had the highest positivity ratio of Covid-19 cases in Pakistan at 16.59 per cent. However, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab at the time contradicted the figure, saying the positivity rate in the Hyderabad district stood at 8.7pc.
According to Prof Dr Ikram Ujjan, head of the Diagnostic and Research Laboratory (DRL) of the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS), Hyderabad's positivity ratio in late October and early November had varied between 10pc and 12pc.
“And now cases are increasing,” he said, adding that the positivity rate was increasing in districts of Sindh other than Karachi and Hyderabad as well. “These districts in lower and upper Sindh were [earlier] reporting around 1pc positivity ratio but it is now climbing up to 4pc which is a sharp increase.”
According to reports of tests conducted at the DRL, 293 samples were tested during the last 24 hours of which 42 returned positive — a positivity rate of 14pc.
The rate is based on tests conducted only at the government facility, and does not include tests conducted at private labs.
In June, 'smart' lockdowns were imposed in 70 areas of the city by the district administration with the Sindh government’s approval, leading to a drop in the positivity ratio from 38pc to 2pc in August, according to daily situation reports issued by the provincial government.
“The situation is worrying us. The second wave seems to be more severe. We need to go for intermittent lockdown,” said Prof Dr Imran Ali Shaikh of LUMHS. “The situation had changed when the lockdown was imposed. We can perhaps keep businesses closed on Friday and Sunday. It will help reduce the ratio of the infection’s transmission among people.”
According to him, the positivity ratio of Hyderabad was 2.4pc to 2.5pc during the first wave in March-April. “Now it is clearly 12pc to 13pc and it is dangerous,” he added.
Despite the increasing numbers, Dr Shaikh said the general public appeared unfazed.
“People don’t care what we advise them as they don’t follow standard operating procedures or observe social distancing,” he said. He strongly advised for immediately shifting Covid-19 patients to hospitals or to quarantine them in homes.
Dr Shaikh also pointed out another worrying factor, concerning unconfirmed reports of different laboratories. “We are getting reports in which patients have clear symptoms of novel coronavirus but on the basis of some private laboratories' reports, those patients are being treated for typhoid and not Covid-19,” he said, urging the government to look into the matter. “I am getting patients at my clinic with clear symptoms of coronavirus and there are several other doctors who are receiving such patient.”
As per the district health office (DHO) figures, there are 1,355 active coronavirus cases in Hyderabad. And out of these, 1,332 patients are in home isolation. Since the outbreak hit Hyderabad, a total of 6,774 positive cases were reported and of them 5,314 recovered. At least 105 deaths have been reported in the district so far. However, this mortality figure is exclusive of the patients who hailed from other districts of Sindh but were admitted to and died in LUH's City branch.
LUH’s Dr Phull said the hospital currently had 23 Covid-19 patients. Of them 11 are in HDU, nine in ICU and three are under-trial prisoners. “We have 20 beds each in HDU and ICU. Normally not all patients need ICU but positive coronavirus patients’ flow is indeed now increasing,” he remarked.
The district administration has been enforcing timing restrictions on all wedding halls and businesses except for pharmacies and medical stores. Officials have been imposing fines on eateries and owners restaurants if they are seen serving customers after 10pm.
“All businesses are to close by 10pm except for medical stores in Hyderabad," said Fuad Soomro, Hyderabad's deputy commissioner. “We will also ensure implementation of the ban on holding of weddings in marriage halls as per Sindh government’s directives.”
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