Friday, 7 May 2021
Renew Europe, a liberal, pro-European political group of the European Parliament, presented a resolution and was passed by the EU by an overwhelming majority of 681 votes against six only. Extremist, racist groups influence the EU. No doubt, the whole world is suffering from intolerance and extremism. There are many racist movements in America and Europe too.
Pakistan being an open and
democratic country, enjoys total freedom of expression to its citizen. There
must be diverse voices within Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan is a
parliamentary system. All matters are discussed in the parliament, which is
responsible for building consensus on all crucial issues and addressing the
concerns of all groups, factions, parties, minorities, etc.
Historically, Pakistan was a very tolerant and peace-loving, balanced society, but during the 1980s war in Afghanistan, Pakistan was radicalized by design. The western world deliberately promoted intolerance, religious extremist, and terrorism. Almost all intelligence agencies of the leading Western World were engaged in Pakistan for arming, training, and inspiring youth for Jihad in Afghanistan.
These
international intelligence agencies collected radical individuals from all over
the world and concentrated them in Pakistan to launch Jihad in Afghanistan;
Many terrorist organizations were created by them in the whole Muslim world,
was either, Mujahideen, Taliban, Daesh, Al-Qaida, or ISIS, Boko-Haram, or any
other militant group, was the creation of Western World and used for particular
objectives. After achieving their goals, they banned them and kept their
distance from them. And she was now blaming them for terrorism, Unfortunate!
Pakistan was a close ally of the US, NATO, and
Europe (Western World), an essential front-line state in the Afghan war, and a
non-NATO ally in the war on terror.
Pakistan suffered extremism, intolerance, terrorism, gun culture, and
drug culture, promoted by the Western world. Pakistan is a victim state.
The visionary leadership in Pakistan is very much clear about the situation and determined to establish the rit of government while staying within the democratic values of our system. The recent unrest in Pakistan was a domestic issue, just like in many parts of Europe and America.
The incident of Capitol Hill, Killing of Gorge Floyd, and
followed continued protests and demonstrations in America; agitations,
demonstrations in many parts of Europe are witnessed often, it is believed that
all governments are trying to resolve their domestic issues within their Constitution.
There was no external pressure on either of these governments. It is expected
that let Pakistan overcome its domestic crisis, and the capable Government of
PM Imran Khan has already resolved the issue amicably.
Under this scenario, the adoption
of a resolution by the EU is not appreciated and, in fact, has hurt the feeling
of ordinary Pakistani. It reflects the bias of EU only. A resolution presented
by the extremist group should not be the voice of the whole EU. Trust, there
must be many reasonable, moderate, and unbiased members in the EU parliament who think logically and
rationally. The adoption of such a resolution is totally irrational,
irresponsible, and against the globalization spirit.
While Pakistan is engaged to
clear the mess created by Western World and almost near to succeed entirely,
there is a dire need for International support, and coercion may not be
fruitful at this critical moment. It is hoped that the EU may re-consider the
resolution and revert it immediately. All peace-loving parliamentarians in the
EU are appealed to think rationally and logically to promote international
cooperation and understanding to defeat intolerance, bais, extremist, terrorism
and turn the whole world into a better place to live and gift our next generation
peace, stability, harmony, and prosperity.
However, Islamophobia is an
international phenomenon in recent decades all over the Western World. The
Prime Minister of Pakistan mentioned it in his speech at the United Nations
General assembly (UNGA) last year. A similar resolution was also passed in the
OIC. The whole Muslim World is worried and unhappy over blasphemy in the few
western countries. There were protests and demonstrations by Muslims all over
the world, with various intensities. At the same time, Muslims respect other
religions and deserve to reciprocate respect for Islam.
The federal government in Pakistan has decided to address the European Parliament’s reservations after the body had called for an appraisal of Pakistan’s GSP Plus status. The development came after Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting involving senior ministers of the cabinet. It was called in response to a resolution approved by the European Parliament a few days ago, calling for an assessment of Pakistan’s GSP Plus status.
The premier stressed the government would not compromise on
the laws about the finality of the Prophethood. The participants, during the
meeting, decided to address the reservations of the European Union. It was also
unanimously agreed that the protection of minorities in the country would be
ensured. The participants believed the GSP Plus trade agreement has nothing to
with blasphemy laws.
In response to the European
Parliament’s resolution, the Foreign Office had expressed disappointment over
the development.”The discourse in the European Parliament reflects a lack of
understanding in the context of blasphemy laws and associated religious
sensitivities in Pakistan – and the wider Muslim world. The unwarranted
commentary about Pakistan’s judicial system and domestic laws are regrettable,”
read a statement by the FO.
“Pakistan is a parliamentary
democracy with a vibrant civil society, free media, and independent judiciary,
which remains fully committed to the promotion and protection of human rights
for all its citizens without discrimination,” the Foreign Office had added.
The FO had emphasized that
Pakistan is proud of its minorities who enjoy equal rights and complete
protection of fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the Constitution. Judicial
and administrative mechanisms and remedies are in place to guard against any
human rights violations.
“Pakistan has played an active
role in promoting freedom of religion or belief, tolerance, and inter-faith
harmony. At a time of rising Islamophobia and populism, the international
community must exhibit a common resolve to fight xenophobia, intolerance, and
incitement to violence based on religion or belief and work together to strengthen
peaceful co-existence.”
There exist multiple mechanisms in place between Pakistan and the EU to discuss the all-inclusive spectrum of bilateral relations, including a devoted Dialogue on Democracy, Rule of Law, Governance, and Human Rights. Pakistan would continue to remain definitely engaged with the EU on all issues of mutual interest. Pakistan believes in dialogue under the charter of the UN. Pakistan desires an early dialogue and settlement of all differences amicably. Any unilateral decision may not be fruitful to either side.
It is time to strengthen our ties and mutual support. Only by collective efforts may we turn this universe into a better place to live for humankind. Pakistan assures its best possible cooperation at all times and awaits reciprocity from the EU.
Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan,
Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and
Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST),
Islamabad, Pakistan.
-------------------------------------------------------
COURTESY moderndiplomacy
-------------------
ISLAMABAD, MAY 7: Anger has been building among the foreign service officers over Prime Minister Imran Khan’s comments accusing them of harbouring ‘colonial mindset’ and ‘callousness’ in dealing with the expatriate community.
Prime Minister Khan had, while speaking to envoys posted in 19 countries through video conferencing on Wednesday, said that he had noticed “shocking callousness” of Pakistani diplomats posted overseas after a few recent incidents involving the expatriates.
He was in particular critical of the missions in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, which host the largest Pakistani communities overseas, but the way the comments were delivered made it look like a censure of the entire foreign service.
“Indifferent attitude is unforgivable, unacceptable,” Mr Khan had said, telling the officers to give up their ‘colonial mindset’ and extend special treatment to the expatriate communities.
- Posting of officials of allied departments on merit urged
Mr Khan’s comments came after the government suspended outgoing envoy to Saudi Arabia Raja Ejaz and recalled six other diplomats from Riyadh for not properly serving the community and inefficiency.
The prime minister’s comments led to angst, and demoralisation among the officers of the foreign service. To quote the words of one officer, the anger over the “caustic remarks” is very intense and the comments “have made even the reticent ones to speak up”.
There is no denying that overseas communities have faced problems at the embassies, but in conversation with Dawn, officers contended that prime minister’s own presentation of the issues displayed his lack of understanding of the issues and that he solely relied on complaints while making the allegations instead of first studying the issue.
Although serving officers, because of the official discipline, could not publicly respond, former foreign secretaries took the lead in denouncing the premier’s comments on social media.
Former foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua wrote on Twitter: “Deeply dismayed at the unwarranted criticism of the Foreign Ministry. There seems to be woefully inadequate understanding of Embassies’ consular work, the acute resource constraints, and the role of multiple departments which [are] not under the control of Ambassadors.”
Another former foreign secretary Salman Bashir explained on
Twitter: “Usual services to the community are essentially in the domain of
other departments that handle passports, nicop [National Identity Card for
Overseas Pakistanis], consular attestation etc.”
There are structural reasons behind these problems and if
thoroughly and dispassionately probed, it would become evident that the rot is
due to the dysfunction of various governmental institutions and not the Foreign
Office alone. Blaming FO would only cover up the real structural issues, officers
posted at the FO stressed.
The prime minister himself mentioned that most of the
complaints pertain to passports and ID cards, which come under the domain of
Ministry of Interior and National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).
“Officers of the Machine Readable Passports and ID cards
have their own issues, there are problems with their posting, which is mostly
not done on merit, whereas the flak is taken by foreign service officers who
neither post them nor can hold them accountable as they don’t sign their
performance reports, commonly called ACRs,” a Pakistani diplomat at an overseas
mission pointed out.
More significantly, the officials from directorate general
of passport and Nadra are not trained to function in foreign environments. “A
majority are rude, make applicants take multiple rounds and in most of the
cases with shortcomings, these officials use the ‘over-rule’ button — implying
that the applicant is ‘not’ a Pakistan national, rendering thousands of
Pakistanis stateless who then have to pay large amounts to get their names
cleared,” another foreign service officer said.
Similarly, going online for visas, ID cards, and passports
has created lots of problems. The blind jump on the “online” wagon too has been
made without enough research. The common Pakistani in the Middle East, Europe
and even in North America cannot write Urdu let alone English. An exasperated
officer said: “You have pushed Pakistanis into the hands of agent mafias
dominated by Indians, Bengalis, Afghans and Pakistanis. All Pakistanis abroad
pay them hefty fees, and the data reaches hostile countries.”
Overseas Pakistanis based in UAE, Portugal, Italy and Greece
say that “now even the gatekeepers at Pakistani missions abroad, akin to
Western embassies in Pakistan, just shoo away visa applicants”. One wonders
whether security implications of even starting online passports were studied
before its hasty implementation.
`Angst is palpable’
The angst in the Foreign Office is palpable and widespread.
“There are numerous sterling examples,” said a senior officer at the
headquarters.
The Strategic Communications Division under the foreign
minister has aligned Pakistan’s social media initiative for the first time in
Pakistan’s history on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The FM direct
application allows communication with heads of missions and it is frequently
used. New missions are being opened in Africa.
Officers at the FO said the Foreign Office has emerged as
the custodian of Pakistan’s moral stand on Kashmir. The FO has defended
Pakistan’s nuclearisation in a hostile world as well as its defence needs.
It is not that diaspora only has complaints against the
Pakistani missions. They in WhatsApp conversations recalled that the entire
staff of the embassy in Greece contracted coronavirus and had to function
minimally; the consulate in Milan issued travel documents late into the night
when immigration opened in Italy last year. The state legislature of New York
passed a resolution on Kashmir due to the efforts of the consulate and the
community there. The Los Angeles consulate has worked with Amazon to give
Pakistan seller status. The Barcelona consulate is famous in Europe because it
remained open on Sundays during Covid 1 and 2, making Pakistan the first
country to take back its coronavirus victims.
They pointed out that the UAE and Saudi Arabia might be in
the eye of the storm but they too evacuated thousands of Pakistanis from Dubai
and Jeddah in the most difficult situations, in a very difficult host country
environment. A letter of the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser dated July
27, 2020 surfaced on Thursday in which he had praised the now suspended former
envoy to Saudi Arabia Raja Ejaz and the embassy staff for their role in
repatriation of Pakistanis during the Covid-19 crisis.
Ms Janjua in a tweet recalled: “Officers displaying colonial mindset? Far from it. Only during Covid, officers volunteered to be with community in Wuhan, embassies looked after stranded Pakistanis, distributed food.”
-------------------------------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
-----------
ISLAMABAD, MAY 7: Prime Minister Imran Khan is leaving for Saudi Arabia on Friday (today) on a three-day visit (May 7-9) and a number of bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding (MoUs) are expected to be inked between the two countries during his visit.
It is expected that the visit
will serve to improve “strained” relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia
that were shaken in the recent past due to several reasons.
According to the Prime Minister
Office, Mr Khan is visiting Saudi Arabia on the invitation of Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman who struck a conciliatory tone towards the kingdom’s
arch-nemesis Iran last week, saying he sought “good” relations, after the
rivals held secret talks in Baghdad. Iran welcomed Saudi Arabia’s “change of
tone”.
During the visit, Prime Minister Khan will be accompanied by a delegation, including the foreign minister and other members of his cabinet.
- Trip likely to improve ‘strained’ ties with kingdom
The prime minister’s
consultations with the Saudi leadership will cover all areas of bilateral
cooperation, including economics, trade, investment, energy, job opportunities
for Pakistani workforce and welfare of Pakistani diaspora in the kingdom. The
two sides will also exchange views on regional and international issues of
mutual interest.
During the visit, the prime
minister will also meet Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Secretary General of the World Muslim
League Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa and the Imams of the Two Holy Mosques in
Makkah and Madina. Mr Khan will also interact with members of Pakistani
diaspora in Jeddah. He will also raise the issue of Islamophobia in the West,
including a recent resolution of European Parliament that called for withdrawal
of GSP plus status of Pakistan.
The PMO’s press release said
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had long-standing and historic fraternal relations,
rooted deep in common faith, shared history and mutual support. “The people of
Pakistan hold the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the highest esteem. The
relationship is marked by close cooperation in all fields and mutual
collaboration on regional and international issues, in particular those faced
by the Muslim Ummah. Saudi Arabia is a member of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu
and Kashmir,” it added.
Saudi Arabia is home to more than
two million Pakistanis, contributing to progress and prosperity of both
countries. Regular high-level bilateral visits play a pivotal role in providing
impetus to the fraternal ties and close cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia.
According to media reports,
Pakistani-Saudi relations have been complex all along but since 2015, when the
Pakistani parliament restricted the military from participating in the war in
Yemen, its relations with Saudi Arabia have soured. Military conflict in Yemen
is said to be one of the reasons behind strained relations between Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan.
Last year Pakistan had expected
Riyadh to support it in dealing with India over the Kashmir crisis. In
particular, Pakistan had sought a supportive meeting with the Council of
Foreign Ministers of the OIC. After Saudi Arabia turned down the request,
Pakistan repeated its demand, which in turn resulted in Riyadh calling for
repayment of $1 billion loan. Consequently, Pakistan repaid the loan while
using the amount obtained under a new loan — this time from China.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Khan
has announced that the government will provide Rs25,000 funeral grant to the
overseas Pakistanis to help the needy ones bury their loved ones with dignity.
In a tweet, the prime minister said: “Our govt is moving forward in service delivery for overseas Pakistanis. Funeral grant of PKR 25,000 has been approved to be given from Overseas Pakistanis Foundation.”
-------------------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
-------------
RAMALLAH, MAY 7: Foreign Minister of Palestine Riyad al-Maliki will arrive Turkey today on Friday, May 7th.
During the visit of Riyad al-Maliki ways to improve
bilateral relations will be discussed with Turkish government officials.
Friday is significant as it is observed as Al-Qudus Day throughout the world.
------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday, 6 May 2021
Exclusive by Farukh Shehzad
Editor-In-Chief / DIPLOMATICNEWSPK.BLOG
Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran khan has the golden opportunity to give a precious gift to his Nation during his remaining two years of government.
Few years back during the time of Nawaz Sharif or Asif Zardari the government of China made an offer of providing "Cheap Electricity with just Rs. 300 bill per house".
According to sources, that Chinese offer was purely designed to facilitate Pakistani people and the offer was carrying many incentives for Pakistanis.
No.1: People were allowed to use electricity as much as they can during whole month and whole year and all years.
No.2: The amount of electricity bill was fixed upto just 300 rupees per month, that means people of Pakistan had to pay just rupees 300 at the end of every month.
No.3: 300 rupees per house had to pay.
According to sources, that Chinese offer of "Cheap Electricity" was purely designed to facilitate people of Pakistan belonging all walks of life, regardless of that they are poor or rich.
Sources say that there was not enough commission to earn for Asif Zardari or Nawaz Sharif, because that era of government was of Asif zardari or Nawaz Sharif, so what they did?
They did not accept that offer of Chinese government due to less commission, which indicates that Asif Zardari or Nawaz Sharif did not join the politics to serve Pakistani people but they joined politics to make money and to enjoy the government's protocol.
But now, Prime Minister Imran Khan is in power and we also know that he has spoken in his speeches on number of occasions during public gatherings before 2018 General Elections that he wanted to join politics to serve Pakistani Nation.
Imran Khan has spent a good amount of time in power and he has now remaining 2 years left behind to utilize and play with.
Prime Minister Imran Khan now has the excellent time to give a present (Gift) to Pakistani Nation as they are looking for such gift for decades.
We request to Prime Minister Imran Khan that visit the Embassy of China in Islamabad and meet Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong multiple times and ask him, request him for taking that "Cheap Electricity" offer back for the people of Pakistan and keep meeting Chinese Ambassador for this crucial task in his last two years until the dream come true.
I also request Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit China and meet Xi Jinping the President of China and remind him that few years ago you made an offer for providing "Cheap Electricity" to all Pakistanis but rulers of Pakistan at that time did not accept your offer but today I'm here, asking you to give us that offer ones again.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is needed several visits to Chinese embassy in Islamabad and also PM Imran needs to go to China to meet Xi Jinping the President of China face to face to discuss and convince him and to bring “Cheap Electricity Offer” to Pakistan of its people.
I request to Prime Minister Imran Khan that do not hire any advisor or any minister for completing this crucial task, instead please do it on your own for your people.
PM Imran Khan has the capability to achieve such tasks as we all know that he achieved many goals in the past in his life too, So people of Pakistan feel that PM Imran Khan will achieve this goal as well handsomely within his remaining time of government.
PM Imran Khan you have plenty of time left and have a golden opportunity, So, begin your work on this project and inject life into this offer of “Cheap Electricity” and bring it to the people of Pakistan as a precious gift for them.
Note: At that time when Chinese government announced this offer it was mentioned that bill charges after end of the month will be 300 rupees per house but now as a lot of time has passed away so the charges of the Electricity bill you may extend upto 400 to 500 rupees per house.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Dr. Talat Shabbir’s landmark book “Creating Shared Futures Pakistan-China: A Journey of Trust and Friendship” launched. Scholars, Diplomats and Public Policy Experts Lauds the Research Book and Terms it as Important Academic Contribution to Understand the Pakistan China Relationship.
ISLAMABAD, MAY 2021: The
relationship between China and Pakistan has been researched and documented by
Dr. Talat Shabbir in the context of futures possibilities and options in the
book “Creating Shared Futures, Pakistan China: A Journey of Trust and
Friendship”. The book was launched today at the Institute of Strategic Studies,
Islamabad.
The launch event was organized
jointly by Eurasian Century Institute and Mishal Pakistan, the launch was
attended by a small group of intellectuals and research enthusiasts to listen
to the leading scholars in Pakistan. Due to Covid SOPs the event was also
participated by a large number through Zoom. The event was also streamed live
on YouTube and Facebook for international participation.
In his forward, Makhdoom Shah
Mahmood Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan has said, “Dr. Talat Shabbir’s
book is a brilliant and timely discourse on the multifaceted partnership and
what it means for both the countries going forward. He has traced the history
of this relationship since its inception and where we stand today. He has brought forth the various facets of these
ties ranging from diplomatic, political, economic, to strategic.
The Foreign Minister further said
that, “the book will be a valuable record and useful reading for all students
of history and contemporary international relations and will help them to delve
deeper into what is easily one of the most fascinating, consequential and
forward-looking partnerships of our times.”
Speaking on the occasion,
Director General ISSI said, “Dr. Talat has demonstrated his commitment to
furthering the Pakistan-China relationship. His book argues one element stands
out i.e., trust, a very rare state of mutual trust that any two neighbors
enjoy”. Meanwhile, he highlighted that in recent years, people of both
countries have tried to cross the barrier of language and culture, as today
“Chinese universities are attracting most Pakistani students”, and as a nation
“we can learn from Chinese wisdom”.
Former Minister for Defense, Lt. General Naeem Khalid Lodhi, remarked that, “Dr. Shabbir’s book shows that whatever happened in the world, the bond between Pakistan and China kept deepening and strengthened. And this is a unique feature of the bilateral relationship”.
Former Ambassador to China,
Masood Khalid said, “Dr. Talat has aptly captured the essence of bilateral
relationship. This relationship has withstood the test of time and both sides
have continued to support each other during their respective testing times. It
is indeed a unique model in inter-state relationships.”
Professor Song Zhihui of the
Pakistan Study Center, Sichuan University, while expressing his thoughts, said,
“It is a scholarly work backed by evidence-based research. He noted that in
current times, CPEC is very significant for Pakistan and China, and both sides
will continue to work on this in the second phase hoping to focus on industrial
development in Pakistan”.
Pakistan’s leading futures
research scientist, Puruesh Chaudhary, President AGAHI said, “‘This book to a
great degree captures the relationship between Pakistan and China, Dr. Talat
quite uniquely enables a reader to imagine how many possibilities are there to
emerge as an outcome. Pakistan and China in years to come would have greater
responsibility towards ensuring social justice’
Ambassador Khalid Mahmood,
Chairman Board of Governors, ISSI said, “Dr. Shabbir has given an objective
account of Pakistan-China relationship. His book is timed with 70th anniversary
of establishment of Pakistan-China relations and 100th anniversary of founding
of Communist Party of China. It is a unique friendship as we do not share
culture, language, economic systems and have different ideological mooring. Yet
despite that relationship has only deepened.”
The book, Creating Shared Futures, Pakistan China: A Journey of Trust and Friendship, is authored by Dr. Talat Shabbir, a well-known scholar on Pakistan-China relations, Dr. Shabbir holds a PhD in International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. Dr. Shabbir is Director China-Pakistan Study Centre at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad, overseeing research and advocacy on all facets of Pakistan-China relations. His areas of interest include Pakistan, South Asia, Belt and Road Initiative, and China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
The book is an observation and an
analysis of the relationship of the two nations from 1947 to today. It also
talks about the possible futures that can be created if the policy makers make
certain choices in a definite time frame. The book also contains an epilogue on
the post COVID-19 global scenario, where the friendship of the two countries
has been tested on social, economic, and political grounds due to international
pressures and demands.
Dr. Talat has been a visiting scholar at Sigur Centre for Asian Studies, George Washington University, USA. He has been on the faculty of Institute of Strategic Studies Research and Analysis (ISSRA), National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, where he was part of the team conducting national security workshop and national media workshop.
Besides editing a quarterly magazine for China-Pakistan Study Centre, he regularly contributes to newspapers on domestic, regional, and global issues and participates in panel discussions on various TV channels to address regional and global issues. Dr. Shabbir has also published a book of Urdu short stories and a collection of Urdu poetry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, MAY 6: AAA Associates, Pakistan Leading group of Companies, has been arranging Iftari from 1st of Ramazan till 30th Ramazan at Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Rawalpindi.
The Iftari arrangement is meant to serve that section of society which has been deprived of food in this holy month of Ramazan.
AAA Associate, under its corporate social responsibility, carried out this drive to feed poor in most respectable manner by inviting 500 people daily in RCCI to serve with Iftar.
Pakistan is a third world country where millions of people, every day, go to bed without having a meal. The World Food Programmed states that 43 percent of the country’s population remains food insecure, and out of that, 18 percent of people are facing an alarming dearth of food. It further explains that six people out of ten in Pakistan are food insecure.
The food insecurity is the major reason of increasing hunger in Pakistan, whereas food production is sufficient to feed all the population in the state. In spite of being productive in the farming sector, there is a food insecurity. There are children dying in the laps of their mothers because of starvation.
AAA Associate Managing Director Lt. Col Shahzad Ali Kiani (Retd) stated that “We believe in serving Humanity in best possible manner by fulfilling their basic need of Food and shelter.
Being an Organization, we are collaborating on many projects with Local NGOs and Government to end food insecurity in the country. Feeding deprived section of society in the holy month of Ramzan is just one of the initiatives of AAA associate to uplift the community”.
AAA Chairman Mr. Shiekh Fawad Bashir share his views “Our aim is to transform the industry and our employee lifestyle who not only work as professional but contribute towards their community development. Under our CSR ambit, we are determinant to contribute toward the society which helped us to grow and become leading business group of companies of Pakistan.
We can only achieve excellence by elevating the most deprived community of our society through these small steps which ultimately serve a big purpose of hungry free Pakistan”.
AAA Associates - an amalgamation of a group of companies, aiming at a different niche, envisioned to implement innovative business practices. The organization has been exceeding the expectations in Real Estate, Construction, Aircraft Maintenance, IT Solutions and Marketing plans.
------------------------------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, MAY 6: The question of reforming the colonial civil service, and its linked institutions, has been on the agenda since independence. Numerous commissions and efforts have been thwarted. The popular perception remains that there has been a secular decline in civil service efficiency.
Most reform efforts focus on grades, performance reviews, and structures of the civil service. The incentive structure which economists think is central to human behaviour is often left out of the reform process.
Civil service payment remains mired in its colonial foundations consisting of cash compensation that has not kept pace with inflation and several allowances and physical perks such as houses and cars. The perks are nontransparently given and have set up several individual and group dynamics that may not be conducive to the objectives of the public service.
Not all payments & rewards in the #Pakistan civil service are on the pay slip. Pakistan’s administrative machinery, in particular its bureaucracy is profoundly influenced by its #colonial legacy. @PIDEpk
report on #CivilService Compensation, now available.
For Detailed Report Click The Link Below.
This report is the first attempt to develop some clarity on
the cost of the civil service, quantifying all aspects of compensation. It also
develops a strategy for monetisation of all perks and setting in place a
compensation system that is in line with modern economics and HRM practices. It
also points to the huge gain from monetisation in terms of the release of city
centre land for commercial development through a public-private partnership.
This is an important document that requires a lot of debate
and further research for us to improve our public sector management.
Dr Nadeem Ul Haque
Vice-Chancellor
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The committee held its 13th
session in the Egyptian capital Cairo on May 4-5, the ministry said in a
statement.
Facilitating the processing of
visas of citizens of the two countries, simplifying entry procedures and
abolishing entry fees were discussed during the session, it added.
Among the main topics of the
agenda were also the aspects of joint cooperation in the consular and security
fields, cooperation in the judicial and social security area and fishing,
financial and customs matters as well as land and air transportation.
In April, Egyptian officials
announced that they had agreed with their Libyan counterparts to reopen their
diplomatic missions in the capital Tripoli and the second-largest city of
Benghazi as soon as possible.
Egypt and Libya then signed
memorandums of understanding in Tripoli during an official visit by Egyptian
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli – the highest Egyptian official to visit Libya
since 2010, who was accompanied by 11 ministers – which included the resumption
of civilian flights between the two countries.
In 2014, the Egyptian Embassy in Tripoli was closed and Egyptian flights with Tripoli were halted as fighting took place between Libya's internationally recognized government and militias loyal to putschist Gen. Khalifa Haftar, whom Egypt backed.
----------------------------------------------------
COURTESY dailysabah
----------------
- The offline version of digital learning application successfully deployed in 67 public schools
KARACHI, MAY 6: SABAQ, in collaboration with the School Education Literacy Department (SELD), UNICEF, and Malala Fund has successfully deployed its offline version of SELD Learning Application in 67 public schools across three districts of Sindh, namely; Badin, Tando Muhammad Khan, and Tando Allah Yar. Through this model of blended learning using tablets 20, 776 students have access to digital learning for classroom and remedial learning.
The SELD Learning App contains content for pre-primary and primary grade in the form of animated video lessons, stories, flipbooks, and quizzes. The App aims to provide digital lessons for KG-5 during the COVID-19 crisis to students across Sindh and is aligned with Sindh’s curriculum. Moreover, the App’s interface is available in three languages: English, Urdu, and Sindhi so children with different backgrounds can benefit from it.
SABAQ and SELD selected test-qualified government teachers, to implement blended lessons in the schools. A total of 89 teachers have been trained to delivery tech-enabled lessons in the govt. schools using the SELD App. As they help bring innovation to public schools, they are referred to as ‘Champions of Change’ in the program.
Dr. Fouzia Khan, Head of Curriculum Wing, and Additional Director (ECCE) of SELD called the implementation of the project as impressive and further observed that the collaboration has empowered the teachers to become Champions of Change for Sindh education system. They receive ongoing training and mentorship from our SABAQ team to ensure a smooth execution.
Sharing her gratitude, Miss Misbah, a teacher from Badin district said “This is the first time an innovation like SELD App has been introduced in the public schools and we are trained on blended learning. Usually, it is the private sector that benefits from these initiatives but we are thankful to SELD, SABAQ and other partners for providing us with the opportunity”.
Miss Sobia, a teacher from Tando Allah Yar district, also voiced her support and said “As a result of the pandemic, I had lost all hope for my students. I felt I won’t be able to help them or reduce their learning losses. But SELD Application has given us hope to help students catch up”
Several parents and community mobilizations activities have been carried out by the Champions of Change in which parents and community members have been trained to download and use the App during school closures amid the COVID-19 situation. With the support of the government, SABAQ aims to scale this successful pilot across all public schools in Sindh in order to be the catalyst for the introduction of digital learning in Pakistan’s education system.
-------------------------------------------
ISLAMABAD, MAY 6: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday assured Pakistan of its support in its initiatives for regional peace and stability.
The assurance was extended by
Chief of General Staff (CGS), Saudi Armed Forces, Gen Fayiadh Bin Hamed Al
Rowaily during a meeting with Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa.
Gen Bajwa is currently on a
four-day visit to the Kingdom. His trip is taking place ahead of Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s visit scheduled to start from Friday.
“CGS KSA … assured full cooperation and support from KSA in all initiatives aimed at improving regional cooperation, peace and stability,” the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement on the meeting.
According to the military’s media
affairs wing, the two commanders discussed regional security situation
including Afghan peace process, and military-to-military bilateral cooperation.
Gen Bajwa called for greater military-to-military cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and said it would positively impact regional peace and security.
--------------------------------------------------------
COURTESY DAWN NEWS
------------
Social Media
Search