Tuesday, 2 March 2021
ISLAMABAD, MAR 2: Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad met with Ahmed Rabei, Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan.
During the meeting, the Ambassador acknowledged and
appreciated the role played by the Center for Global & Strategic Studies
(CGSS) in enhancing the bilateral relations between Pakistan and Palestine.
Furthermore, Ahmed Rabei identified areas such as economy,
medicine, etc. for further collaborations. The future joint activities of both
CGSS and the Embassy of the State of Palestine were also discussed.
Additionally, academic collaborations between Pakistan and Palestine were stressed upon. According to Ahmed Rabei, to develop people-to people contact between the two brother countries, joint academic projects must be initiated.
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COURTESY CGSS
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ISLAMABAD, MAR 2: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday said that the upcoming Senate elections, scheduled to be held on March 3, would be "conducted as provided in the Constitution and law as per past practice".
In a statement, the ECP said the decision had been taken due to "time constraints". A meeting of the Election Commission was held under the chairmanship of the Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja and was attended by its members — retired justice Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi, retired Justice Irshad Qaiser, Shah Mohammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani.
According to the statement, the meeting was held on March 1, the same day the Supreme Court shared its opinion on the presidential reference, saying that polls for the upper house of parliament will be held through secret ballot, according to Article 226 of the Constitution.
The meeting discussed the SC's short order, deciding to "implement it in letter and spirit". The apex court had said that it is the Election Commission's "duty [...] to ensure that the election is conducted honestly, justly, fairly, and in accordance with law and that corrupt practices are guarded against".
It suggested that the ECP could use latest technology to hold transparent elections. "The Election Commission is required to take all available measures including utilising technologies to fulfill the solemn constitutional duty to ensure that the election is 'conducted honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law and that corrupt practices are guarded against'."
It emphasised that all institutions were bound to follow the ECP.
During the meeting, the commission observed that it had not received a detailed order from the Supreme Court.
However, it decided to constitute a three-member committee, comprising the special secretary, director general (IT), and joint provincial election commissioner from Punjab that would take input from different professionals and technical organisations on the use of technology in Senate elections.
The committee would then prepare recommendations based on the input within four weeks' time. It could also "take assistance from Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority), FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) and the ministry of information technology [...] for better recommendations".
A day earlier, Minister for Information Shibli Faraz called on the ECP to take "practical steps" to end corruption and secrecy in Senate elections.
The minister requested the ECP to "use technology — in the form of a bar code or a serial number on the ballot paper" — to ensure that the elections were transparent as per the SC's opinion.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court after the announcement of its opinion, PTI's Senator Faisal Javed said the ECP would have to ensure three things: identifiable ballots, proportional representation and ensuring free and transparent elections.
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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ISLAMABAD, MAR 2: Pakistan’s leading biscuit brand, EBM, the makers of Peek Freans has been consecutively supporting the Special Olympics Pakistan’s Unified Marathon since its inception. With this partnership EBM aspires to promote tolerance and inclusion of people who are differently abled or have intellectual and physical disabilities.
This marathon is quite favored for being Karachi’s biggest initiative for its prominent inclusion and empowerment of the differently abled. It is held every year to help spread awareness and to encourage others to understand people with such disabilities. The event took place at Emaar Cresent Bay in Karachi.
Shahzain Munir, the Executive Director of EBM said “We are extremely proud to be part of a marathon that not only teaches tolerance but also embraces diversity wholeheartedly.
We consider these values an extremely important part of being a good Pakistani citizen and so it is an honor for us to be a part of this wonderful cause since it indicates the start of a new, and a more compassionate era for everyone. We hope to be a part of other great causes in the future as well.”
Ever since EBM has been established, it has always been forthright about its devotion to help the community and to spread the message of inclusivity that is not hindered by gender, age or mental and physical abilities.
It has always taken upon itself to undertake causes which are in congruence with the company’s vision and mission. Employees at EBM are also extremely zealous when it comes to this marathon, which is why they also volunteer in great numbers.
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Monday, 1 March 2021
ISLAMABAD, MAR 1: Members of the government and the opposition both claimed victory over the Supreme Court's (SC) opinion on the issue of secret ballot in the upcoming Senate elections, which was announced early on Monday morning.
In its short written order issued some hours after the announcement, the Supreme Court bench noted that Senate elections are held in accordance with the law and the Constitution. However, the apex court suggested that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) could use the latest technology to hold transparent elections. The bench also said that the secrecy of the ballot papers was "not final", quoting a decision by the top court on a similar matter in 1967 (Niaz Ahmed case).
The 4-1 majority opinion was announced by a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and including Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi, with the latter choosing to abstain from responding to the question posed by the president's reference.
Addressing the media outside the ECP's head office in Islamabad, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that the SC's decision "supports our stance and moves it forward". The education minister was joined by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar and PTI Senator Faisal Javed.
The education minister said the SC's decision "has shown a path" to how bad practices in the Senate elections could be prevented. He said it was "clearly written" that it was the duty of the ECP to conduct an election which was free of corrupt practices.
Awan, meanwhile, said that the SC referred to a previous decision of the top court in 1967 which allowed for "secrecy to be lifted considering the present circumstances, this is clearly written". "This is a decisive moment in Pakistan's history for elections to be conducted fairly".
Chaudhry also said that the SC's advice was "clear" that voters and their votes should be identifiable. "This is the principle on which the prime minister and the cabinet sent this reference to the SC," said the federal minister.
"What is the SC's decision? They have said that the secrecy of the ballot will remain secret for political parties but it won't be secret for the ECP. So if there are allegations of horse trading or selling votes, then the ECP can conduct an inquiry," said Chaudhry.
The technology minister said in a post on Twitter that the SC had "acknowledged the stance" to end horse-trading and corrupt practices in the Senate polls, adding it "has not adhered to the principle of full secret ballot".
Minister for Information Shibli Faraz also took to Twitter and hailed the decision as "historic". He said it was a "big day" for businessmen and traders of "[people's] consciences" since the people who set up markets for buying and selling of votes will be disappointed.
"This is a success of Imran Khan's vision of transparent elections," said the information minister, adding that technology would be used in light of the SC decision to make "transparency real and make the identification of votes possible".
Addressing the media outside the SC premises earlier, Senator Javed had also termed the opinion a "splendid decision" and a "victory for Pakistan". "The honourable court said secrecy is not absolute. That means it cannot stay [this way] till the Day of Judgement," said the senator.
'Constitution far above the tricks of vote thieves'
Meanwhile, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter, saying the SC's opinion once again proved that "the Constitution is far above the tricks of vote thieves, malicious references and conspiratorial ordinances".
She said that now "alarms of technology are being raised" but warned that "RTS and Daska-fog technologies" wouldn't work anymore.
"Why are you afraid of the power of the vote?"
The Sindh government's spokesperson, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, too said that the SC opinion agreed with the "principled stance of the PPP, Sindh government, different opposition parties and Pakistan's various lawyer organisations".
"What was that stance? it was that Senate polls must be held in accordance with the Constitution," said Wahab, adding that Article 226 had already decided that any election in accordance with the Constitution would be through the secret ballot.
"Our stance was victorious because it was in accordance with the Constitution and the PTI and federal government lost," the Wahab, adding that the federal government had repeatedly claimed that Senate elections aren't held in accordance with the Constitution and they shouldn't be held through secret balloting.
"Today is a day for the lovers of the Constitution and those who have always struggled for the supremacy of the Constitution and free and fair elections."
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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ISLAMABAD, MAR 1: The Supreme Court on Monday announced its opinion on the presidential reference regarding Senate elections, saying that polls for the upper house of parliament will be held through secret ballot, according to Article 226 of the Constitution.
The 4-1 majority opinion was announced by a five-member larger bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and including Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi.
Justice Afridi disagreed with the majority opinion.
The Supreme Court said that Senate elections are held in accordance with the law and the Constitution.
"It is the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to protect the election from corruption," it added.
The parliament can pass constitutional amendments, the top court said. It emphasised that all institutions were bound to follow the ECP.
The bench said that the secrecy of the ballot papers, however, was "not final", quoting a decision by the top court on the same in 1967 (Niaz Ahmed case).
A detailed judgement is expected to be issued shortly.
It also said that the ECP could "use the latest technology to ensure the holding of transparent elections" under powers granted to it according to Article 218 of the Constitution (related to the formation of election commission).
'Victory for Pakistan'
Talking to reporters outside the Supreme Court, PTI's Senator Faisal Javed termed the opinion a "splendid decision" and a "victory for Pakistan".
He said he was grateful to the court for listening to everyone.
"The attorney general's team worked hard and great arguments were done. Such a detailed discussion on the Senate has not happened before."
He added that Prime Minister Imran Khan had made efforts to end corruption from every level, including bringing an end to "bribery, thievery and buying and selling" in the Senate elections.
"The honourable court said secrecy is not absolute. That means it cannot stay [this way] till the Day of Judgement".
Talking further on the court's opinion, he said it had instructed the ECP to work on matters including proportional representation and take measures against corruption in elections.
He said that when elections are held through identifiable ballots, no one would dare to sell their vote. "This is a splendid opinion for transparency," he stressed.
He said after the court's opinion, the ECP would have to ensure three things: identifiable ballots, proportional representation and ensuring free and transparent elections.
Speaking separately to reporters, Minister for Information Shibli Faraz called on the ECP to take "practical steps" to end corruption and secrecy in Senate elections.
He said the primary reason behind the presidential reference was to find out what practical steps can be taken to end corruption in Senate elections.
"Today's decision is a very historic decision which apparently seems [to state] that Senate elections will be held according to Article 226. But at the same time, the honourable judges of the Supreme Court acknowledged that technology should be used to make elections transparent."
The minister requested the ECP to "use technology — in the form of a bar code or a serial number on the ballot paper — to ensure that these [Senate] elections do not become secret as per the SC's opinion".
He also termed the government's decision to file a presidential reference as a "very important and good decision", saying it was a significant milestone in the PTI's struggle.
It would ensure that members elected to the upper house of parliament were done so on merit and their personal and business interests did not affect their efforts for legislation, he added.
Faraz also expressed confidence that Finance Minister Hafeez Sheikh would win the Senate election, saying "people vote for Imran Khan, not the candidate".
'ECP bound to follow SC opinion'
Meanwhile, Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan said the ECP was "constitutionally bound to follow the opinion of [the] SC and implement it for the Senate election scheduled for March 3".
In a statement, he said the opinion of the apex court was "binding" and ignoring or violating it amounts to contempt and misconduct.
The attorney general said the court was of the view that secrecy in Senate elections was not absolute or eternal, thus it was up to the ECP to select the method to be used for the upcoming polls such as printing a bar code or serial number on the ballot paper.
"ECP is bound to print such identifiable or traceable ballot papers under Section 122(5) of the Election Act, 2017 [...] No change in law is required to give effect to SC opinion as 122(5) is existing law."
He said if there was any evidence to suggest corruption or rigging in the Senate elections after they were over, then any party head or citizen could "lodge [a] complaint with available material or evidence against any voting MPA/MNA with ECP".
"ECP is bound to investigate and trace the ballot to see whether any corrupt practice occurred," said AG Khan, adding if it did not, the complainant could go to court or tribunal to take up the issue.
The court had reserved its opinion on Saturday.
Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan had on Dec 23, 2020, moved the 11-page reference under Article 186 of the Constitution relating to the advisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
The president had sought the answer to the question of whether or not the condition of secret ballot under Article 226 of the Constitution applied to the Senate elections. The hearing started on January 4.
Ahead of the announcement, the registrar office had issued notices to the attorney general, chief election commissioner, Senate chairman and speakers of the national and provincial assemblies, advocates general for the four provinces, members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and others.
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COURTESY DAWN NEWS
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ISLAMABAD, MAR 1: Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and National University of Modern Languages (NUML) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in languages and translations.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Rector NUML Major
General (r) Muhammad Jaffar observed the MoU signing ceremony held at NUML on Feb 26.
The MoU was signed by the Pro-Rector Resources and
Planning/DG NUML Brig Muhammad Badr Malik and Saima Sayed Director General
Strategic Communication Division MOFA. Senior officials from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and NUML were also present at the occasion.
While exchanging views with Rector NUML, the Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that NUML is playing a vital role in
promoting bilateral relations with other countries by way of teaching their
languages and hosting international students. He added that this MoU is an
acknowledgement of languages and translation expertise of NUML.
The foreign minister opined that the power of language is sharpen than the sword, therefore, NUML in that context is doing a commendable job in enabling government officials and people from across Pakistan and foreign countries in developing language proficiency.
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COURTESY THE NEWS
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KARACHI, MAR 1: Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s outstanding performance was enough for Lahore Qalandars to secure a nail-biting six-wicket win against Karachi Kings in match 11 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021.
Sohail Akhtar won the toss and elected to bowl first at the National Stadium in Karachi on Sunday.
Kings lost three wickets early but still managed to post a competitive total of 186 for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs.
The star of the show was opener Sharjeel Khan who scored 69 off 34 balls with the help of five fours and six sixes.
He was well-supported by veteran right-hander Mohammad Nabi who scored 57 off 35 balls with the help of four fours and three sixes.
For the winning team, left-arm pacer Shaheen was the star performer with the ball in hand as he finished with outstanding figures of 3-27 in his quota of four overs.
In reply, Qalandars—just like the Kings—lost three early wickets but managed to chase down the target with four balls to spare, courtesy a brilliant fourth-wicket partnership of 119 between Zaman and Ben Dunk.
The left-handed opening batsman finished the match with the top score of 83 off 54 balls with the help of eight fours and four sixes.
He was well-supported by Dunk who scored a valuable 57 off 43 balls with the help of five fours and two sixes. For Kings, pacers Mohammad Amir, Waqas Maqsood and Dan Christian claimed a wicket each.
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COURTESY SAMAA
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ISLAMABAD, MAR 1: “We want to live in peace but if our sovereignty is challenged, our response would always be Swift and Resolute as it was on 27 February 2019” said the Air Chief while addressing a ceremony held at Air Headquarters, Islamabad to commemorate the second anniversary of PAF’s resounding victory in “Operation Swift Retort”.
Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force was the chief guest at the occasion.
Addressing the audience, the Air Chief further said, “PAF maintained its Operational Readiness to deter aggression, despite the challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic.
He further said, “Pakistan is confronted with varied challenges including a Hybrid War, which demands our enhanced commitment and vigilance.
PAF endeavours to augment its capability in all spectrums of
operations while pursuing modernization through indigenous efforts.”
Former Air Chiefs and a large number of PAF officials witnessed the ceremony. Earlier, a smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Air Force presented the Guard of Honour.
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Sunday, 28 February 2021
LAHORE, FEB 28: PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz on Saturday hinted at the chance that the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) long march, planned for the next month to supposedly oust the Imran Khan government, may not be held after all.
“There is a possibility that the long march may not be needed,” said the PML-N leader in reply to a question whether the PDM’s long march would end before moving beyond the PML-N’s bastion of Gujranwala.
She was talking to reporters here on Saturday before receiving her cousin Hamza Shehbaz, who was released from the Kot Lakhpat Jail on bail after spending 20 months in prison in a money laundering case instituted by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Earlier, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the president of the opposition alliance PDM, had announced that the long march on Islamabad would be held from March 26 to overthrow the government.
Released from jail on bail, Hamza says no corruption charge established against Sharif family
Ms Nawaz, however, did not explain why the march might not be needed. But, she did declare that people were fully prepared for it.
Answering a question about the PML-N joining hands with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) over the Senate polls in Punjab from where all 11 candidates have been elected unopposed, she said: “It is better if you do not ask me about this.”
Five Senate seats went to the PTI and PML-N each and one to the PML-Q, an ally of the ruling party.
A source close to her said that Ms Nawaz was not happy over her party’s decision to go for an unopposed Senate election in Punjab. Ms Nawaz wanted the election in Punjab on March 3 to expose the fissures within the PTI. She is of the view that through the unopposed election, the opposition had provided relief to Imran Khan, the source said.
The PTI has credited PML-Q senior leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi with evolving a consensus among the ruling party and the opposition — PML-N and PPP — to have their senators elected as per their numbers in the Punjab Assembly.
“There was no rigging, no quarrel, and no bickering. The Senate polls were held successfully in Punjab. Another successful inning of the Pakistan Muslim League for strengthening democracy,” PML-Q MNA Moonis Elahi had tweeted.
Critical of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Maryam Nawaz said only one constituency (NA-75) had exposed the “theft” by Imran Khan. “He used to talk about free and fair elections and umpires. In this by-poll, the umpire was kidnapped and even then he [Imran Khan] failed to win this election.”
Ms Nawaz hoped that the disgruntled PTI members would vote for the PDM candidate, Yousuf Raza Gilani, for an Islamabad Senate seat against Hafeez Sheikh. “Imran Khan got selected last time through rigging, but in the future he stands no chance and his party’s lawmakers know this. Therefore, some of them will not vote for the PTI candidate,” she claimed.
When asked about her cousin Hamza Shehbaz’s role in the PML-N, Ms Nawaz said: “Hamza has worked for the party relentlessly. We both are helping each other. Whatever duty the party assigns us we will do it.”
A good number of PML-N workers had gathered outside the Kot Lakhpat jail to receive the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly. Upon his release, Mr Hamza and Ms Nawaz led a rally of party workers towards the Sharifs’ Model Town residence. At a couple of points, he also addressed the charged party workers.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Hamza said: “No corruption has been established against me, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Ahsan Iqbal. This government has not launched a single development project in about three years.”
He said the opposition could not sit with “vote, sugar and flour thieves”, adding that the government had made the life of the common man miserable.
PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said the opposition leader had braved 20 months of illegal imprisonment and responded to Imran Khan’s political victimisation with courage and resilience. She said Mr Hamza had become a symbol of defiance against persecution by the “NAB-Niazi unholy alliance”.
The former information minister said: “The PTI could not prove a single penny of corruption by Hamza even after exhaustive abuse of power, illegal detention, mental torture, smear campaign and unconstitutional treatment. The role of the NAB-Niazi alliance will always be quoted as one of the darkest chapters in history.”
The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted bail to Hamza Shehbaz in a money laundering reference. Mr Hamza had sought bail primarily on the ground of inordinate delay in conclusion of the trial proceedings after the Supreme Court denied him the relief with a directive to approach the high court with fresh grounds.
Saturday, 27 February 2021
ISLAMABAD, FEB 27: The diplomatic staff of the Embassy of Indonesia to Pakistan visited the Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad and had a meeting with the Senior Management of CGSS.
During the meeting, it was decided that CGSS and the Embassy
of Indonesia in Pakistan will collaborate to organize various research and
academic activities.
The concept of Regional Integration Center, Punjab University, Lahore was also introduced during the meeting.
It was decided that the Embassy of Indonesia will facilitate in connecting different institutions and think tanks of Indonesia with Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.
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COURTESY CGSS
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Friday, 26 February 2021
LAHORE, FEB 26: Pakistan and Qatar have signed a new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import agreement for 10 years.
While addressing the groundbreaking ceremony of the Central Business District in Lahore on Friday, the prime minister said that it took the incumbent government three years to negotiate the LNG import agreement with Qatar which will help save US$ 300 million annually.
Talking about the Central Business District, the prime minister said that the project will serve as a business hub that will help in wealth generation.
The prime minister was confident that the Central Business District project will help generate Rs 6,000 billion.
In the first phase, he said that the project will generate Rs 1,300 billion and the federal government will get Rs 250 billion in taxes.
The prime minister stressed that wealth generation projects are important to strengthen the economy enabling it to return the loans.
Imran Khan regretted that the economy was mismanaged in the previous two governments. He said that we inherited a difficult economic situation.
However, he expressed satisfaction that the current account surplus remained surplus during the first six months of the current fiscal year.
The prime minister said that our textile exports are also witnessing an increase and new industries are being set up in the Country.
Referring to the Naya Pakistan Housing Project, the prime minister said that it will provide affordable houses to the salaried class and the laborers.
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COURTESY dndnews
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