FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, DEC 15 – A delegation of Pakistan Navy visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and held a meeting with Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan President to discuss the collaboration with local industries for designing, development, construction, training and tests/trials of various equipment used/fitted on board.

Capt. Asif Maqsood Director Technical Development, Cdr. Tasneem Ahmad Director Indigenous Technical Development and Lt. Cdr Amir Bin Hamid Staff Officer Indigenous Technical Development were in the delegation.

Capt. Asif Maqsood said that Pakistan Navy was importing many parts and equipment to meet its needs of manufacturing frigates and other defence related systems.

However, he said that the Pakistan Navy wanted complete indigenous production of frigates and its other systems that would also be beneficial for the local industry. He said that the local firms with good capability and expertise in electrical and mechanical fields have the potential to collaborate with Pakistan Navy to meet its defence needs and achieve better growth. He said that some private firms were already doing good business with the Pakistan Navy and they wanted that more firms should come forward to play a role for further strengthening the defence systems of naval forces.

Addressing the delegation, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI) said that the private sector has great potential to enter into business partnership with defence sector and more collaboration was needed to harness its actual potential for strengthening the defence systems of the country. He said that public private partnership between local industry and Pakistan Navy would be mutually beneficial for both sides as it would promote the local industry and save a lot of precious forex reserves of the country. He said that a long term contract of defence sector with local industry for indigenous production would build the confidence of the private sector and it would invest more in its machinery and plants to improve manufacturing capability in order to produce world class defence equipment and products.

Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan assured that ICCI would play a role as a bridge between Pakistan Navy and local industry for building long-term business relations between them that would ultimately benefit our economy. Both sides exchanged ideas on the potential areas of collaboration between Pakistan Navy and private sector and ICCI assured to identify the local industries that have the potential and capability to build sustainable relationships with PN for indigenous production of its required equipment and systems.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 15 – The British High Commissioner Christian Turner presented the award to Hamza Farrukh today at a ceremony arranged by the British High Commission in Islamabad.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has recognised Hamza Farrukh, representing Pakistan, as the 129th Commonwealth Point of Light in honour of his exceptional voluntary service providing clean water to local communities in Pakistan.

Mr Farrukh runs a charitable project ‘Bondh-E-Shams’ (droplets of sunshine) which is serving over 45,000 people across 13 remote Pakistani villages.

Hamza began Bondh-E-Shams’ as a college project in March 2014, focusing on one particular Pakistani village. He was then awarded further funding to set up the charity, which has now provided over 10 million cups of water to people in remote communities in Pakistan through an environmentally friendly, solar-powered water extraction and filtration system.

Hamza Farrukh said: “At Bondh E Shams, we have promised to take on the global water crisis: lack of access to safe water in large swaths of developing nations is symptomatic of the numerous structural disadvantages faced by the global south. My team and I realise the responsibility we have towards the 1.2 billion people who go to bed thirsty each night, and are dedicated to this lifelong fight.”

The British High Commissioner, Dr Christian Turner, said: “I am delighted to present Hamza Farrukh with the Commonwealth Points of Light award for his exceptional voluntary service and ingenuity in helping to provide safe drinking water to tens of thousands of Pakistanis. Her Majesty The Queen has recognised Mr Hamza as Pakistan’s Point of Light for delivering a significant impact on the lives of others.”

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Grant program worth USD 9.5 million signed

ISLAMABAD, DEC 15 /DN/ - Government of Japan has extended a grant assistance of JPY 1 billion (approx. USD 9.5 million) to Pakistan for enhancing its capacity to confront COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. 

Notes to this effect were signed and exchanged between MATSUDA Kuninori, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan and Noor Ahmad, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, in Islamabad on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.

Equipment & machineries to be provided to medical institutions

In this program, more than 30 types of medical equipment including the Bedside X-ray Machine will be provided to medical institutions in Pakistan through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). 

NDMA has taken effective measures against national-level disasters such as floods, earthquakes, COVID-19 and locust invasion since its establishment in 2007. The Embassy of Japan and NDMA have been working together since the beginning of COVID-19 outbreak in Pakistan with due consideration to the need of front-line medical institutions.

Japan’s firm commitment to control COVID-19 and prepare for the future

In the signing ceremony, Ambassador MATSUDA clearly stated, “Our assistance will not only improve the capacity of controlling COVID-19 but will prepare for the risk in the future. The Government of Japan has expressed its strong commitment to this assistance, recognizing the necessity to go hand in hand on a global scale to confront the unknown viruses such as COVID-19.”

Japan’s counter-COVID-19 support reaches USD 16.91 million

As for COVID-19, Japan delivered diagnostic kits in the beginning of February, three weeks before the first case was reported in Pakistan. Then, Japan provided a total of USD 7.41 million to Pakistan through international organizations. With this support to the NDMA, Japan’s support to Pakistan for controlling COVID19 will reach USD 16.91 million in total.=DN

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• The total number of confirmed cases grew to 909,082.

The death toll has hit 15,480 with 233 fatalities recorded in the past 24 hours.

The government reported 370,734 active cases as of December 15. In total, there have been 1,003,625 reports on suspected COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020.

"In the past day, 8,416 people tested positive for the coronavirus, including 412 children and 447 healthcare workers. Some 1,479 new patients were hospitalized," Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

In total, 55,856 tests were conducted in the country in the past day. In particular, there were 31,963 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests run, as well as 23,893 ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) tests.

The highest number of new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours was registered the city of Kyiv (1,559), Odesa region (830), Cherkasy region (665), Zaporizhia region (599), and Poltava region (575).

Data from Russia-occupied areas – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions – is not available.

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COURTESY unian.info

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The United States imposed long-anticipated sanctions on Turkey on Monday over Ankara's acquisition of Russian S-400 air defence systems, further complicating already strained ties between the two Nato allies.

Turkey condemned the sanctions as a “grave mistake” and urged Washington to revise its “unjust decision”. It said sanctions would inevitably harm mutual relations and threatened unspecified retaliatory steps.

Senior US officials said in a call with reporters that Ankara's purchase of the S-400s and its refusal to reverse its decision, despite repeated pleas from Washington, left the United States with no other choice.

The sanctions, first reported by Reuters last week, target Turkey's top defence procurement and development body Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), its chairman Ismail Demir and three other employees.

The measures, which received a bipartisan welcome from the US Congress, were announced under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) — the first time the act has been used against a fellow member of the Nato alliance.

Turkey's lira rallied about one per cent as Washington opted not to adopt broader sanctions but analysts said the move was still likely to weigh on the Turkish economy, already in a coronavirus-induced slowdown and with double-digit inflation.

Ankara acquired the Russian S-400 ground-to-air defences in mid-2019 and says they pose no threat to Nato allies. But Washington has long threatened sanctions and last year removed Turkey from an F-35 jet programme.

Ignoring the advice of aides, US President Donald Trump had resisted imposing penalties on Turkey until giving the green light several days ago, sources familiar with the matter said.

“The United States made clear to Turkey at the highest levels and on numerous occasions that its purchase of the S-400 system would endanger the security of US military technology and personnel and provide substantial funds to Russia's defence sector,” US State Secretary Mike Pompeo said.

Briefing reporters, Christopher Ford, assistant secretary of state for international security and non-proliferation, said Washington had sought a solution but Ankara rejected all offers.

“This is not a step we've taken lightly or certainly quickly,” he said.

Turkey says it has repeatedly proposed forming a joint working group with the United States and Nato to resolve the issue but its offers have not been fully utilised.

The sanctions, near the end of Trump's presidency, are likely to weigh on Ankara's ties with Democrat Joe Biden's administration when he takes over as president next month.

Chilling effect

The sanctions will block joint projects or technology transfers between US companies and Turkish firms linked to SSB, said former Turkish diplomat Sinan Ulgen, who heads the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies think tank.

They also impose restrictions on loans and credits by US financial institutions to SSB totalling more than $10 million, while imposing asset freezes and visa restrictions on the SSB president and three other employees.

It is not immediately clear what impact the sanctions will have on third countries such as European states that supply arms or defence components and work with Turkish defence firms.

“Turkey's defence industry will be under stress for a while,” said Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, from the German Marshall Fund in Ankara.

“Whether there is a secondary sanctions aspect or not, it will have a chilling effect on third countries as well.”

But he said the impact on the wider economy would be less severe and it was “very good that the uncertainty is being removed” after sanctions had loomed for so long.

US senators, both Republican and Democratic, hailed the move. Animosity against President Tayyip Erdogan in the US Congress has deepened over the past year, a phenomenon Biden will have to consider when dealing with Ankara.

“After watching President Trump repeatedly refuse to hold Turkey and President Erdogan accountable, I'm glad to see this administration finally impose these required sanctions,” Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said.

“These measures send a clear message to Erdogan: we will not allow him to undermine our national security and that of our faithful Nato allies without consequence.”

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 15 - Ambassador of Romania Nicolae Goia has said that Pakistan is strategically located between the twin forces of competition and collaboration in the mega-region that embraces Central Asia, South Asia, Middle East, and Caucasus. In this context it is important to note that Pakistan has a versatile geopolitical potential which can multiply opportunities for cooperation with important regional players.

He said, Increased regional stability could have a stabilizing effect for ongoing domestic efforts, hence Pakistan had committed itself to supporting the reconciliation effort in Afghanistan and is working toward normalization of relations with India.

Ambassador of Romania further said, In my opinion Pakistan has been very active diplomatically since its inception and the new government it working with success on global perception management in order to achieve foreign policy objectives.

I, as the Romanian Ambassador in Pakistan, have developed a true affection for your country, my second home for a while, and wish with all my heart that Pakistan will enjoy stability, peace and prosperity the Pakistani people so much deserve, he added.

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COURTESY DNA NEWS

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ISLAMABAD,  DEC 14 – ‘Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) enjoys a very unique and privileged position in the field of distance education in both national and international scenarios’, said Prof Dr Abdul Razzaq Sabir, Vice Chancellor, University of Turbat, Baluchistan during his visit of AIOU regional office, Gawadar. On this occasion Majid Hussain, Director Regional Office, AIOU Gawadar, briefed Dr. Abdul Razzaq Sabir about the academic projects of AIOU in Baluchistan.

He shared with Prof Dr Abdul Razzaq the vision of the VC, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum regarding educating the youth of Pakistan and expansion of regional offices network in Baluchistan.

Prof Dr Abdul Razzaq paid glorious tributes to the Vice Chancellor, AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum for his dedication and commitment to the cause of education and expressed hope of future cooperation and collaboration between both the national institution for uplift of the educational standards.

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Farooq Alay

How long shall this brutal massacre, rape and arson continue in the India occupied Kashmir? Isn’t there an end to repression, over one and a half years long curfew, arrests, tortures, sieges and abductions? There is a long list of Indian atrocities; may I present here for record?

There are recorded incidents of massacre, mass graves, extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, suicide and psychological problems, disappearances and human rights violations. In Gawakadal massacre, on 21 January 1990, 51 civilians were killed by Indian troopers during protests against earlier raids in which wanton arrests and molestation of women were conducted. On January 25, 1990, two BSF patrolling parties in Handwara indiscriminately fired at peaceful protesters and killed 25 people. Indian forces killed 33 protesters and injured 47 on 1 March 1990 at Zakoora Crossing and Tengpora Bypass Road in Srinagar. At the funeral of Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq on May 21, 1990 over 60 civilians were killed by paramilitary forces and hundreds injured in the indiscriminate firing on the funeral procession. On 6 January 1993 Indian troops killed 55 civilians in the town of Sopore and set many homes and buildings on fire. On 22 October 1993 the Indian Army killed 51 civilians during protests over the siege of the Hazratbal Mosque. 25 of those killed were students. On 27 January 1994 the Indian Army killed 27 civilians, mainly traders, in Kupwara district. Survivors say that the soldiers carried out the massacre to punish people for observing shutdown on January 26.

Mass Graves: a state HRC inquiry in 2011 confirmed there were thousands of bullet-ridden bodies buried in unmarked graves in IOK. Out of 2730 bodies, uncovered in 4 of the 14 districts, 574 bodies were identified as the missing. Total number of unmarked graves was more than 6,000.Likewise, extrajudicial killings at the hands of Indian security personnel were recorded by AI in its 1995 report,that hundreds of civilians had been victims of extrajudicial killings, which were often claimed by officers as occurring during “encounters” or “cross-fire”.95,623 brave Kashmiris were killed between January 1989 and June 2020, and 11,207 women gang raped or molested, according to the J&K Coalition of Civil Society.In October 2002, 300-500 people were killed during the election campaign.

Sexual violence and Torture: In Imroz’s study sample of 50 villages, more than 2,000 extreme cases of torture by army and paramilitaries were practiced since 1989. The frequent rape of Kashmiri women routinely goes unpunished. HR groups state that 150 Indian officers of the rank of major or above participated in sexual violence. One of the most horrific incidents is of gendered violence mass rapes committed by ISF in 1991; they raped 150 women and tortured nearly 200 men, during CASO in the region is the Kunan Poshpura.

According to a survey in 2012, 17,000 people, mostly women, have committed suicide during the past 20 years in the Valley. Sexual violence has been routinely perpetrated on Kashmiri women, with 11.6% of respondents saying they were victims of sexual abuse.” Due to the impact of the conflict, a number of people in the valley suffer from various psychological problems like stress, anxiety, mood and post-traumatic disorders. In 2016, the hospital is said to have been overcrowded with more than 100,000 patients.

Disappearances: As per local rights bodies, there are over 8,000 Kashmiri youth, who were killed in custody and were later buried in unmarked graves in these graveyards. In occupied Kashmir, boys aged 14 and 16 are held under dreaded Public Safety Act and sent to jails in India or bring them in the areas near the Line of Control and martyred them in fake encounters. Scratch a little deeper and the wounds of decades of conflict sweeping across the region open up when its 1500-odd widows and ‘half widows’ describe the pain of losing their husbands in course of the ongoing freedom fight. In June 2018, the United Nations, in its first-ever human rights report on Kashmir, wrote that there is also almost total impunity for enforced or involuntary disappearances, with little movement towards credibly investigating complaints, including into alleged sites of mass graves in Kashmir. According to APDP report, people are being detained under the mechanisms of a plethora of existing laws as well as many are held outside the purview of law, in order to suppress any form of political expression by the Kashmiri people.

HR Violations After Article 370 and 35A Abbrogation: Since the unrelenting military siege and crippling lockdown imposed by the fascist Modi on August 5, 2019, Indian troops have martyred 235 Kashmiri, at least 1321 people were critically injured. Indians damaged over 2940 houses and structures and molested 74 women during 2001 CASOs and arrested 13562 across the occupied territory. The Indians in quite violation of the international laws, started a new practice of burying the bodies of the martyred youth secretly, without religious funeral, at distant locations places in unmarked graves in the territory. World HR organizations like Amnesty International, International Committee of the Red Cross and Asia Watch to take notice of the plight of illegally detained innocent youth, lodged in various jails of India and Kashmir. As per local rights bodies, there are over 6,000 Kashmiri youth, who were killed in custody and were later buried in unmarked graves in these graveyards.

During all the CASO’s a common practice can be seen that Indian troops forcibly enter the houses, harass the inmates, arrest the youth and ransack their properties. It can be seen that after the abrogation of article 35A and 370, there was increase in the number of injured youth by pallet bullets and other deadly means. By injuring the youth with irreversible damages ISF are creating a whole generation of crippled and paralyzed Kashmiriswith lots of mental health crisis, who want be productive for their society. A 2010 US State Departmentreport cited extrajudicial killings by security forces in areas of conflict such as Kashmir as a major human rights problem in India. Christ of Heyns, a special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, has warned India that “all of these draconian laws had no place in a functioning democracy and should be scrapped.” On 14 June 2018 for the first time ever UNHRC released a report of 49 pages on human rights violations in Kashmir and accused India on the issue. Secretary General of AI Kumi Naidoo urged the Indian government to act in accordance with international human rights law and standards towards the people living in occupied Kashmir.

New British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the House of Commons that the human rights situation in IHK following the lockdown of the region by the Modi government is “an international issue”. Antonio Guterres: “I go on with a clear opinion that human rights must be fully respected in the territory. Dialogue between India and Pakistan is an absolutely essential element for the solution of the Kashmir”.Geneva spokesperson OHCHR, Rupert Colville Tuesday 29th October 2019 says: “We are extremely concerned that the population of IHK continues to be deprived of a wide range of Human Rights and we urge the Indian authorities to unlock the situation and fully restore the rights that are currently being denied.” Likewise, UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al Zaabi said that 177-day lockdown in occupied Kashmir is complete violation of human rights and the Indian Army’s atrocities have caused serious concerns.

(The writer is freelance columnist)

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Hamza Ali

As the death toll has risen to over four hundred thousand with almost 3000 cases being reported daily, there is a need to strictly follow SOPs though WHO says Pakistan is among countries from whom the international community should learn how to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The second wave is more lethal despite the nation displayed unity and civic sense but there is a dire need to curtail social exposure; the shortage of ICU beds, ventilators and even oxygen may cause severe damage to government’s efforts. Rapid increase in positive cases requires urgent steps to save lives and livelihoods; citizens should help in implementing safety guidelines in public places.

The virus has infected nearly 67 million people and killed close to 1.6 million. “Today marks an overdue and much-needed moment of reckoning. None of us could have imagined, this time last year, what was to come,” said General Assembly president Volkan Bozkir. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “it is time to reset”, the global response to crises like this. “As we build a strong recovery, we must seize the opportunity for change”.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan while describing the Covid-19 pandemic as “the most serious global crisis since WWII, presented a 10-point agenda for urgent action before the UN GA, underlying the measures the world community needs to take to defeat the pandemic. The first item on his list is a request for debt suspension till the end of the pandemic for low-income and most affected countries. He suggested cancellation of debt of least developed countries that are no longer in a position to repay their loans. Other items on the agenda include: restructuring of the public sector debt of other developing countries under an agreed inclusive multilateral framework; a general allocation of special drawing rights of &500 billion; expanded concessional financing to lower income countries through multilateral development banks; and creation of a new ‘liquidity and sustainability facility’, which should provide short-term loans at lower costs. The agenda also includes a reminder to rich nations to fulfill 0.7 percent of their official development assistance commitments and mobilizing the required $1.5 trillion annual investment in sustainable infrastructure. He also urged the world to help meet the agreed target of mobilizing $100 billion per year for climate action in developing countries. He called for immediate action to stop massive illicit financial outflows from developing countries to rich countries, to offshore tax havens. He also suggested immediate return of assets stolen by corrupt politicians and criminals back to these countries.

On the other hand, various countries have taken strict measures to live with the coronavirus. Take example of Tokyo; the Japanese government committee chairman has said that it takes at least one and a half years for the vaccine to be fully developed and officially put into use. Since the enemy cannot be completely eliminated, it is necessary to learn to coexist with the virus. “Only by following the new rules of life can we live in peace with the corona virus for a long time. In fact, most of the methods have been implemented in China.

The Japanese government while deciding to coexist with the demon, announced the “new life model” calling the people to be prepared to follow this model for an extended period of time and learn to live and work with the virus. Looking closely at these new life models, it can be seen that the Japanese government established these very practical set of SOPs using principles of rationality, science, and risk assessment. There are three basic points: keep a distance between people; wear a mask; and wash hands frequently.

Specific requirements urge people to keep a distance of two meters; play as much as possible outdoors; try to avoid being face to face direct facing when speaking to other people; go home and wash your face and clothes immediately; wash as soon as you touch someone’s hand; try online shopping and electronic settlement; supermarket shopping is best for 1 person, to choose time there are less people; try not to touch commodity samples; don’t talk on public transportation; go to work by bike or on foot; it is best to use electronic business cards; try to use video conference when meeting; to control the number of people in meetings, wear masks and open windows for ventilation; work at home or commute at off peak time; do not go to countries or places where the virus is endemic; try not to return home to visit relatives and travel, and control business trips; when you have symptoms, remember where you went and who you met; eat meals with others not face to face, preferably side by side; do not use large bowls and large pots to share food, implement a divided individual portion system; chat less at meal, eat more vegetables; try not to have too many people gathering at meal together as possible; avoid closed spaces, dense crowd flow, intimate contact; self-test body temperature every morning to strengthen health management; cover the lid when flushing the toilet; don’t stay too long in a narrow space; when walking and running, the number of people should be small, when meet each other stagger the distance.

Unfortunately, amidst the second wave of coronavirus, which is spreading at intense pace, due to which more than 50 deaths are being recorded daily, the public gatherings and rallies by PDM are continuing to hold. They may not accept it because it’s against their political ego, but they must realize that the common sense directly relates to the lives of innocent people. Their gathering in large numbers will put the people’s life at risk of death as the resurge of coronavirus is already playing havoc. This is like going insane to fulfilling venomous objectives. Playing with people’s life is a deliberate attempt to obliterate masses – for the sake of no return. If PDM continues doing so, the cases of coronavirus contract increase manifold.

It is predicted that the coronavirus increase will die down soon, our National Disaster Management department is doing well in this direction, but many opine that it would stay even longer than expected. So, Pakistan needs to adopt measures like that of Japan and the political parties must shun the path of dragging people to risk of life only for fulfilling their political agendas.

(The writer is freelance columnist)

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 14 - As COVID-19 has transformed the entire world systems, the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan and the British Council, Pakistan will hold a three-day virtual conference on December 15-17 to discuss the future of the higher education sector in the post-pandemic world.

The conference entitled “Pakistan-UK Education Gateway: Rethinking and Reshaping a Resilient Higher Education System” will discuss key issues facing the sector in the ‘new’ normal, the role of leadership in building resilient HE systems, and lessons learnt from the pandemic. It will celebrate some of the concrete contributions that the Pak-UK Gateway programme has made so far.

Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood, Chairman HEC Tariq Banuri, Executive Director HEC Dr. Shaista Sohail, British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner, Director Education, British Council, Nishat Riaz, Vice Chancellors, faculty, and students from both the UK and Pakistan will attend the conference.

The British Council in Pakistan and the HEC launched the Pak-UK Education Gateway in 2018, with an aim to enhance partnership between the higher education sectors of Pakistan and the UK.

The key areas of collaboration under the joint programme include, innovative and collaborative research, higher education leadership, quality assurance and standard setting, distance learning, international mobility, transnational education, and community engagement.

In addition to bringing partners from the Pakistan and UK together to share best practices and lessons learnt during the pandemic and promote cooperation and partnerships between both countries, the recipients of the HEC-British Council joint Research Grants shall be announced along with the upcoming British Council Scholarship schemes for young women in Pakistan.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 14 – Vladimir Norov, the Secretary-General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), has said that though coronavirus has incurred enormous damage to public health and global economy, it has brought new opportunities at the same time, accelerating the process of digital transformation in all sectors of life.

He was speaking at the inaugural plenary of 4-day 23rd Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) titled: Sustainable Development in the Times of COVID-19, inaugurated by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad on Monday.

Mr Norov said that the digital economy and cross-border e-commerce will play an increasingly important role in rebuilding the world economy after the COVID-19 in terms of achieving economic growth, increasing the competitiveness of economies and improving the quality of lives thus contributing to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In times of COVID-19, global online retail sales are on the rise, and additional jobs are being created, he added.

“The SCO member countries see stability in Afghanistan as a need for regional peace and economic development,” Mr Norov said, adding that Afghanistan share borders with four SCO member states and its stability is crucial for peace and development of the entire region.

He said that this year’s SCO Summit concluded while finalizing an action plan for the implementation of the SCO development strategy 2025, which focuses on the early recovery of our economies from the pandemic.

Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel, the chairperson of SDPI Board of Governors, in his welcome address, said since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, this deadly disease has affected over 65 million people and killed half a million, including doctors, nurses, and other medical staff. Efforts to contain the spread of the virus through lockdowns restricting all kinds of human activities have led to huge financial losses.

Industrial production and trade, travel within and across countries, tourism, educational and cultural activities and normal health care facilities have been disrupted. These measures have impeded socio-economic development, accelerated unemployment, deepened poverty, disrupted food supply chain and threat to food security in many regions.

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri highlighted the key facets of Food Security Dashboard which was developed jointly by SDPI and National Security Division, Government of Pakistan and will be launched during the upcoming days of the conference.

Dr Suleri said COVID-19 has negatively affected most aspects of Sustainable Development Goals. The pandemic has increased the incidence of poverty, food insecurity, diverted the resources from conventional diseases and elective surgeries to COVID-19, and deprived hundreds of millions of students from classrooms, he said, adding that for women and girls, it has turned into a shadow pandemic, and lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities have aggravated the risk of spread of COVID-19.

“On the one hand, the core agenda of SGDs seems to be compromised, and on the other, there is a silver lining, as it has brought social sector development back on the radar of governments.” He said now the world governments simply can’t afford to compromise on health, social protection, and food security.

SDPI Joint Executive Director Dr Vaqar Ahmed said that SDPI looks forward to working with SCO secretariat in its endeavours to promote peace and development in the region. He said that the Action Plan for SCO development strategy is comprehensive and should provide an opportunity for all member countries to cooperate. He said that the digital transformation approach of SCO is welcomed and various sub regional economic corridors will contribute to regional integration.

Earlier, Speaking at a penal discussion on Setting Pakistan’s Agenda for Universal Social Protection (USP), Federal Minister for Interprovincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza emphasized upon the importance of social protection as an indispensable art of policymaking – primarily to build coordination between the federal and provincial governments to remove financial barriers, enhance income and food security, protecting and providing jobs, and delivering social protection by structural reformation to address shocks like COVID-19 and alike.

Discussing the importance of universal social protection, Ingrid Christensen and Maiko Ouchi. Called upon equitable development and said it can’t replace the labor market policy. Consequently, access to social protection is recognized as a basic human right – with especial relevance to the SDG targets underpinning the need to leave no one behind.

Faisal Rifaq, the CEO of Prime Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme, Lire Ersado from World Bank Group and Haris Gazdar from IDEAS, remarked that good health is essential for the economic and social growth and national databases like NADRA have become indispensable.

Speaking at a panel titled: “Economic Growth, Social Protection, and the International IMF Programme amid COVID-19”, former Finance Minister Dr Hafiz A. Pasha said that we did not have a big number of COVID-19 cases in our country as compared to other developed and developing nations in the world, but still Pakistan has seen significant reduction in GDP growth. Our independent estimate is that growth fell by -2.5% during fiscal year 2019-20 and will only remain 1% during the ongoing fiscal year.

This is the largest decline since early 2000s. Almost 70% of the displaced workers are from the informal sector which will bring implications for welfare, he added.  Furthermore, Dr. Pasha said that the stock of unemployed workers doubled due to COVID-19. “The Central Bank of Pakistan reduced the interest rate which was a big move and increased liquidity in transitional period. Remittances increased 27% thanks to abroad workers. Ehsaas programme also brought fruitful results. Main issue for the government is that there is still a fiscal crunch. There will be large debt servicing payments in the future. It seems that Pakistan has no option except to go back to IMF”, Dr Pasha concluded.

Dr Jochen Hippler, the Head of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Pakistan highlighting the different aspects about the COVID impact on national economy, said that development of vaccine for COVID-19 sadly operated by international powers like US and other European states.

Dr Bushra Yasmin from Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi said that the poor are highly vulnerable to diseases and disasters. Pakistan’s score of social protection index is about 0.047, which is the lowest in the South Asia. She further said that this pandemic has hit the youth in terms of their jobs, education, and training.

Speaking at a concurrent session on Role of media amidst COVID-19 outbreak: From Pakistan and beyond, Joydeep Gupta, Senior Media Analyst from India, said a combination of ignorance and empathy has been observed in the overall media industry which needs special attention of the government.

Ram Sharam Sedhai, Senior media Analyst from Nepal, said media houses need to take special care of their reporters and other staff being the frontline forces by taking care of their physical activities at professional level. Senior anchors Asma Shirazi and  Arifa Noor also spoke on the occasion.

Titles of other panels included:  Education Methods in COVID-19 Response: Assessing Gendered Impact; and Literature, Language and Technology in the Time of COVID-19. A book Rah Guzar to Dekho by Karamat Ali was also launched.

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