FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, JUN 1: The Embassy of Japan welcomes that the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) in Japan and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Pakistan held the first online workshop on May 26, 2021.

Starting from the opening remarks and mutual introductions by FUKAO Kyoji, the President of IDE-JETRO and Abid Q Suleri, the Executive Director of SDPI, experts from both sides have made presentations and discussed about topics such as Labor Force Participation of Women, Geographical Simulation Model of IDE, Financial Inclusion in Pakistan, and Sustainable Recovery from COVID 19 and Pakistan's Fiscal Policy.

The Embassy of Japan has always been committed to promoting think-tank cooperation between Japan and Pakistan, and we assume that this event symbolizes steady development of cooperation between leading institutions in both countries.

MATSUDA Kuninori, Ambassador of Japan believes this kind of events will contribute to enhancing intellectual network between Japan and Pakistan towards the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relationship between Japan and Pakistan in 2022.

"By accumulating online dialogues, workshops, lectures and etc., we can surely develop interactions between our experts beyond borders despite current COVID-19 circumstances.

I'm really thankful for both organizations to take excellent initiative for development of think-tank cooperation, which we will continue to support in the future.", he said.

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KARACHI, MAY 31: Riscossa, one of the many brands represented in Pakistan by Samrah Enterprises, has just introduced new innovative pasta options.

Riscossa’s latest options include organic whole wheat pasta, Gluten-free pasta, Bronze cut pasta, Tricolore pasta, and Fagionlini pasta.

These different variations help cater to different needs of consumers such as those who follow strict gluten-free diets, whereas the bronze-cut pasta is perfect for those individuals who aim to preserve organoleptic and nutritional values.

These options further consist of various shapes and colors which include, Spaghetti, Spirarlli, Penne Zita Rigate, and Spaghettoni.

“At Samrah Enterprises, it’s our mission to provide innovative choices that serve the individual needs of consumers,” said M. Salman, VP Marketing, Samrah Enterprises.

“Our whole wheat and gluten free are exclusive ranges which highlight our goal to cater to ever-changing consumer wants and needs.”

“Samrah Enterprises is a company that always puts its consumers first. Our objective is to provide consumers with premium quality products with original features, which is why we are thrilled to introduce special options like gluten-free, bronze-cut and organic pasta ranges to Riscossa. These additions would allow us to serve consumers better with different dietary needs.” said, SamrahMunsub, Director, Samrah Enterprises.

Riscossa’s ability to incorporate traditional methods and 100% whole wheat in their production process has been one of the key measures in maintaining their unique taste and quality to help promote a balanced diet. Riscossa brings to the consumers premium quality pasta produced from the best durum wheat of Puglia and Basilicata to allow us to experience the tradition of original Italian Pasta.

All of Riscossa’s products will be available at all the leading stores in Pakistan. They are also available online at naheed.pk, samrahenterprises.com and daraz.pk.

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ATHENS, MAY 30: Greece should avoid using the EU as a trump card against Turkey and embrace the current positive momentum, Turkey's foreign minister said on Sunday.

"Only Turkey and Greece can solve the outstanding problems, not the EU," Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an interview to Greek daily To Vima.

The foreign minister is on a two-day visit to Greece, with meetings scheduled in Western Thrace and Athens.

Çavuşoğlu expressed his satisfaction at reviving most of the channels for dialogue.

He said that he is always optimistic about good neighborly relations between Turkey and Greece.

"As two neighbors, we are destined to live in the same geography. Therefore, we should define our relationship with cooperation rather than conflict. It is in our hands to determine our destiny and the way forward," he said.

He stressed the talks he holds in Greece will serve to prepare the ground for a meeting to be held at the NATO Summit between Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and drew attention to the importance of sustainable constructive dialogue in bilateral relations.

The minister said that Turkey is ready to discuss any controversial issue with Greece.

"However, Greece should give up the 'Map of Seville'. Neither the US nor the EU endorses this map. I must reiterate that it is a mistake made by the Greeks to think that Turkey will be limited to the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts only."

Under the so-called Seville map the small Greek islands near the Turkish shore are seen as having huge continental shelves, supposedly superseding the shelf of the large Turkish mainland.

It represents Greek and Greek Cypriots' maximalist maritime jurisdiction claims in the Eastern Mediterranean, which has no legal validity, and was declared legally invalid both by the US and EU.

'POLITICAL WILL ON EU SIDE'

Çavuşoğlu underlined that his country is willing to develop a trust-based positive agenda in Turkey-EU relations.

"Yes, there are grounds for such an agenda. We see political will on the EU side, with the exception of some member states that tend to abuse membership solidarity and veto power," he asserted.

Noting that this momentum should not be lost, Çavuşoğlu said: "The positive agenda should be based on concrete and meaningful steps that are mutually agreed upon."

Pointing to the need to adopt a more holistic geopolitical perspective on this issue, he said that Turkey's accession to the EU is the "most important geopolitical investment" that the EU can make for Europe and beyond.

ORUÇ REIS VESSEL ACTIVITIES

Çavuşoğlu highlighted that Turkish seismic research vessel Oruç Reis carries out its activities at locations within the continental shelf of Turkey.

"We are determined to protect the rights of both Turkey and Turkish Cypriots in the face of the unilateral and maximalist claims of Greece and Greek Cypriots."

Recalling their calls for dialogue to alleviate the tense situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Çavuşoğlu emphasized that these calls were ignored by Greece.

Ankara has sent several drill ships to explore for energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting its own rights in the region, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims of Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration and stressed that the excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of both Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.

Noting that the Turkey-Libya agreement on maritime boundaries signed in 2019 was signed by two sovereign states based on international law, Çavuşoğlu stressed that this agreement was also approved by the Libyan Government of National Accord.

In November 2019, Turkey and Libya signed pacts on security cooperation and maritime boundaries. Turkey has also aided Libya's UN-recognized government against attacks by militias loyal to Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.

AEGEAN SEA

Çavuşoğlu stated that they respect the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the sovereign rights of each country.

"The Aegean Sea has its own features. The delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone are not the only problems between the two countries. The reality is that in a theoretical situation where we would only confine the continental shelf and the EEZ, we would not be able to solve all the outstanding problems and we would continue to have problems. That's what we want to avoid," he said.

He went on to say that the breadth of territorial waters in the Aegean is a prominent issue, adding that Turkey does not categorically reject territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles "where conditions allow."

The Black Sea or the Ionian Sea is an example of such an approach, he said.

"However, with 12 nautical miles of territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, freedom of navigation will be seriously affected from the outset. We cannot allow such an extension.

"The dispute over the 1923 Lausanne Peace Treaty and the 1947 Peace Treaty over the legal status of islands, islets and reefs and demilitarized Greek islands cannot be isolated or ignored," he added.

"As I said, our ultimate goal is to solve all the problems with Greece and not just save the day, but reach a permanent solution."

CYPRUS ISSUE

Speaking on the Cyprus issue, Çavuşoğlu said that the vision of the Turkish side is to establish a working relationship between the two states on the Island on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status.

"We should all learn from the failures of the past. Insisting on old UN Security Council resolutions can only get us into a vicious circle," he said.

He stressed that therefore the parties need to "chart a new path forward" with a realistic, constructive and open-minded approach.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long struggle between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

The island has been divided since 1964, when ethnic attacks forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece's annexation led to Turkey's military intervention as a guarantor power. The TRNC was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration, backed by Greece, became a member of the EU in 2004, although most Greek Cypriots rejected a UN settlement plan in a referendum that year, which had envisaged a reunited Cyprus joining the EU.

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COURTESY Anews

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GAZA CITY, MAY 30: Rafif Ebu Dayir, 11, painted a Turkish flag just before she died in an Israeli attack on Gaza. The girl was having lunch with her family on the lawn of her house when a nearby business center was hit.

The last picture she painted depicted a demolished building near her house. Almost as if she was predicting her death, Dayir drew a Turkish flag along with the flag of a few Arab countries.

Her uncle, Halid Ebu Dayir, told Anadolu Agency that his niece lost her life seven days before her next birthday.

“She was telling her father that she wanted to become a doctor and treat children,” he said.

Recalling that the recent attacks by Israel claimed the lives of 66 children, he said: “For what crimes were these children killed, I’m asking ‘the state of Israel,’ the state which claims to defend human rights.”

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COURTESY Anews

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 30: Kuwait has restored family and business visas for Pakistani citizens after ten years.

This was announced by Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah while talking to Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad in Kuwait today (Sunday).

The Interior Minister handed over a special letter written by Prime Minister Imran Khan to his Kuwaiti Counterpart.  

The meeting also decided to issue technical visas for Pakistani workers in medical and oil field.

Pakistani citizens living in Gulf countries can also get online Kuwaiti visa.

Thanking the Kuwaiti Prime Minister on restoration of Visa for Pakistani citizens, the Interior Minister said that after this decision, huge job opportunities will be available for Pakistanis in Kuwait.

He said by lifting ban on business visa, the trade will also increase between the two countries.

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COURTESY RADIO PAKISTAN

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 30: The country’s premier spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has “totally disassociated” itself from the recent attack on a journalist and YouTuber Asad Ali Toor in Islamabad, says a handout issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday.

The statement said that a “high level contact” was established between the ministry and the ISI over the incident in which a digital media journalist was “allegedly attacked” in Islamabad and the ISI had stated that it had nothing to do with the incident.

“Such continued allegations against ISI show that the ISI is being a target of the fifth generation war under an organised conspiracy,” said the statement, issued a day after the journalist organisations held protest demonstrations against the growing incidents of attacks on journalists.

“The ISI believes that when the alleged attackers can clearly be identified in the CCTV footages then investigation should proceed against them and stern action should be taken against those responsible for it,” says the statement.

ISI ‘totally disassociates’ itself from attack on journalist

It says the ISI has assured its cooperation in the investigations.

The information ministry officials are in contact with the Islamabad police and hopefully the accused would soon be arrested.

Mr Toor had been severely beaten up by unidentified assailants outside his residence in Sector F-10 on May 25.

According to the police, some people gathered outside Mr Toor’s residence located in an apartment building. A scuffle took place between him and these people who fled the scene after thrashing him.

Narrating some of the details of the incident, Mr Toor said through video that the attackers had asked him about the source of his funds.

Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain had taken notice of the incident and ordered the Islamabad police chief to probe the matter.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 29: CEO Asif Peer has announced a new initiative of Systems Limited where the company will collaborate with The Citizens Foundation (TCF) to provide underprivileged students a chance to attain formal education.

As part of the company’s CSR drive, the initiative is geared towards promoting meaningful educational programs that bring about an empowering social impact for the community.

The first-of-its-kind initiative will see Pakistan’s premier technology organization join hands with one of the largest privately owned networks of low-cost formal schools in Pakistan.

It all started with the exchange of Eid greeting letters between the management of Systems Limited and TCF students.

While the letters exchanged warm, positive messages of staying hopeful during these testing times, one of them revealed a student’s wish to have a secondary school in his hometown of Burewala, Punjab, so that he could pursue his studies further.

This wholesome exchange was picked up by the social media influencers like Dua Amjad, Tasmiah Khan, Hibbah Waqar, Haddiya Azer and Kompal Iqbal, and ultimately resulted in Systems Limited’s management deciding to help these young children fulfill their dreams. 

“I’m committing to you all that we’ll be building a school in Burewala with TCF, who have done wonders in educating masses of needy kids.

We would like to participate in their initiative and this won’t be the only school. We’ll continue doing this because this is our future and as a responsible organization, we will continue to do such CSR activities,” said Asif Peer in a heartfelt video response to Dua Amjad, who is famous on social media for her strong association with the education sector.

Literacy plays a huge role in the development and progress of any country. It strengthens the youth with knowledge, which fuels a culture of innovation and growth.

At just 58%, Pakistan’s literacy rate is low as compared to the neighboring countries China (80%), India (74%), and Iran (85%).

This considerably limits opportunities towards acquiring skills and technical knowledge to achieve higher productivity and financial growth.

Over 60% of Pakistan’s total population resides in rural areas which don’t have proper access to formal education.

Such initiatives are instrumental in promoting education and increasing the country’s overall literacy rate which will result in better employment opportunities and economic growth.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 29: Experts on Friday approved a single national curriculum for Class VI to VIII which would be introduced from next year.

The curriculum was adopted at the end of a five-day national conference on the single curriculum held at Allama Iqbal Open University.

The single national curriculum for Class I to V will be introduced from the upcoming academic session starting from August this year.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the conference online, Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood congratulated the educational units of provincial governments, stakeholders and the National Curriculum Council.

He said according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the unanimous approval of the single national curriculum of eight subjects for grades VI to VIII was a step towards national unity.

“All federating units, scholars of all schools of thought, representatives of madressahs and experts from all over the country deserve congratulations,” he said.

The minister said the government was aware of its responsibilities towards national aspirations and international commitments to improve education in Pakistan.

“The single national curriculum will end the class system and all citizens will get equal opportunities to move forward,” he said.

Joint Educational Adviser and National Curriculum Council Chairman Mohammad Rafiq Tahir said the curriculum was a new chapter in the history of Pakistan.

He said ‘one nation: one curriculum’ was a dream that was becoming a reality. He said after the success of the first phase of the single national curriculum for grade 1 to 5, in the second phase the credit for the unanimous approval of eight subjects under the single national curriculum for grade 6 to 8 goes to the federal education. Later, speaking to Dawn, Mr Tahir said around 175 experts took part in the five-day conference.

“Now, the federal government and provinces will go for book publishing followed by teacher training,” he said. From the academic year 2022-23, the SNC based curriculum will be introduced across the country from class six to eight.

He said from upcoming academic session to be started in August, across the country, the SNC will be introduced from Class one to five, adding currently books publishing and teacher training process was in progress in provinces and at the federal level.

Addressing the ceremony, AIOU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Ziaul Qayyum said the Ministry of Education, especially the prime minister, deserved congratulations for their serious efforts to introduce the curriculum. He stressed the importance of training teachers who will teach the new curriculum.

Education Secretary South Punjab Dr Ehtesham Anwar and Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board Managing Director Dr Farooq Manzoor also spoke on the occasion.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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Two flights carrying 202 passengers reached Abu Dhabi Thursday

LAHORE, MAY 28: Quetta Gladiator captain Sarfaraz Ahmed is among 25 players and staff members of the Pakistan Super League who are yet to receive the United Arab Emirates visas, local media reported Thursday.

Two flights carrying 202 passengers – 145 from Lahore and 57 from Karachi – left for Abu Dhabi on Thursday at 5:00pm after a delay of four hours.

The Pakistan Cricket Board, on the other hand, is confident of receiving visas for the remaining players and staffer soon. Another chartered flight to transport the remaining players and officials to Abu Dhabi will be arranged, the PCB said in a statement.

Mohammad Hasnain, Imran Khan, Asif Afridi, Umar Amin, Muhammad Musa, Zaid Alam, Zeeshan Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Imran Randhawa, Mohammad Haris, and Aamir Khan are among the players who have been denied a visa.

The board had also faced issues with the chartered flights from South Africa and India — carrying cricketers and production team members — who were not allowed to land in the UAE. Later, they were granted permission after negotiations with the Abu Dhabi authorities.

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COURTESY SAMAA

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 28: The Supreme Court registrar’s office, while returning the government’s “curative review petition” in the Justice Qazi Faez Isa case on Wednesday, ruled that the federation had misconceived the Supreme Court Rules of 1980 when it moved a set of five petitions.

In its order, the institutional branch of the Supreme Court explained that the “curative review petition” was an application which provides information to initiate “suo motu” proceedings under Articles 184(3), 187, 188 and 189 of the Constitution, read with Orders 26 and 33 of the Supreme Court rules.

The president, the prime minister, the law minister, PM’s adviser Shahzad Akbar and the Federal Board of Revenue are among the petitioners.

The objection by the court’s office explained that the present case amounted to a second review petition. It was thus not entertainable under Order 36, Rule 9 of the Supreme Court rules, which states that after the final disposal of the first application for review, no subsequent application for review will lie to the court and consequently will not be entertained by the registry.

Meanwhile, the vice chairman of Pakistan Bar Council (PBC), Khushdil Khan, and the chairman of PBC’s executive committee, Muhammad Faheem Wali, have cautioned the government against filing another review petitions against the April 26 judgement in the Justice Qazi Faez Isa case. “The legal fraternity will not hesitate to launch a countrywide agitation to oppose the government’s attempt tooth and nail.”

Khushdil Khan and Faheem Wali condemned the government’s decision to file the curative review petition, saying the objections raised by the registrar’s office were valid.

In a statement, the Pakistan Bar Council alleged that the role, conduct and activities of the president, the prime minister and the federal law minister were aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary and the democratic process.

The Pakistan Bar Council said it would not allow the government to succeed in its “nefarious design to target the independent judiciary”.

The registrar’s office had stated in its objection that “suo motu case” had been mentioned on the title page of the petitions, but in the subject column it was referred to as the “curative review petition”.

The government, while filing a set of five petitions, had moved a separate application seeking two weeks for filing of paper books, but after an initial scrutiny, the registrar found the petitions to be suffering from a number of deficiencies.

Moreover, the power of attorney of the petitioners, namely the president and others in favour of the advocate on record, were not properly executed, the registrar observed. “Scandalous language was used on five occasions in various pages of the petitions.”

The petitioner failed to issue proper notices to the respondents, including Justice Isa, while filing the petitions and hence the request for more time cannot be granted and the case was being returned in its original form, the registrar’s office stated.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 27: Easypaisa, Pakistan’s leading digital payments platform, has once again been at the forefront of empowering a shift towards digital payments. The platform facilitated 97,000 transactions amounting to PKR 23 million during the month of Ramadan.

In Ramadan every year, philanthropic efforts reach an all-time high. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic and various restrictions in place, this year it was difficult for people to make their donations in a safe manner.

Easypaisa’s donations feature, with an option to donate to various charitable causes solved this problem. The donations tab was also brought to the main page of the Easypaisa App to make it more accessible for users.

A total of 30,000 unique subscribers sent donations to a wide variety of organizations working on numerous social causes across the country.

Edhi Foundation, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Saylani Welfare, Shahid Afridi Foundation, AlKhidmat and Akhuwat were amongst the ones which received major chunks of the donations.

Easypaisa users donate PKR 23 million during Ramadan

Pakistanis are amongst the most philanthropic nations in the world and Easypaisa’s donations feature is an effort to ensure that daily routines of users are not affected in any way, despite difficult circumstances.

Easypaisa has been continually evolving as a platform over the past few years, adding a diverse range of unique use cases to its portfolio in order to transform Pakistan into a cashless and financially inclusive society.

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