FARUKH SHEHZAD

DUBAI, OCT 28: Former Indian batter-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has praised the Pakistan cricket team and labeled them as a "very special" T20 unit.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Aakash discussed elements that make Pakistan a dangerous side to face in the shortest format of the game.

"Pakistan are producing top-quality T20 cricketers; the way these players play, it seems as if T20 cricket subsides in their DNA," Chopra said in a segment on his show called Super Over.

He credited tape-ball cricket which has contributed to Pakistani bowlers' development since their childhoods.

"Since a lot of tape-ball cricket is played in Pakistan, it helps them a lot as Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Shahnawaz Dahani all played lots of tape-ball from a young age. Most Pakistani bowlers have quick-arm actions and the batters do not shy away from hitting big because of the tape-ball cricket culture in the country," he said.

“T20 format is typically dominated by the team which has a good bowling attack and Pakistan always had, always have, and always will have a fierce bowling attack. Not only that, but they also have sheer quality in their batting department as well," the 44-year-old added.

Aakash later praised how Pakistani batters adjust between the longest and shortest format of the game, citing examples of Babar Azam and Azhar Ali.

"Pakistani batters have always approached Test cricket differently and their transition between different formats is brilliant; just look at the likes of Babar Azam, Azhar Ali, and such," Aakash further stated.

In the following part of his Super Over segment, Aakash Chopra talked about Shaheen Shah Afridi having the potential to get wickets of the best players around the globe.

"Shaheen forces batsmen to play his deliveries with a squared stance, which opens up the opportunity for him to swing the ball back into the right-arm batters. His two deliveries against Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were worth watching," he concluded.

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Courtesy cricketpakistan

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KARACHI, OCT 28: A partner-focused IdeaHub Golf tournament was organized by New Horizon, in collaboration with Huawei Pakistan at Defense Authority Country & Golf Club. 

An invite only tournament, crafted to interact with the company’s partners, customers on IdeaHub parallel to a golf driven activity. All the CXO’s of companies including Faysal Bank, Askari Bank, HBL, Jubilee General Insurance, KPMG, Soneri Bank, Meezan Bank, KPT, Hilton Pharma, KSEW, IFFCO, Jazz Business, Berlitz, National Foods etc. gathered together to play and discuss business opportunities and Huawei’s new product, the IdeaHub. 

An IdeaHub demo was also conducted for potential consumers. This event was able to not only promote the sport, but also the ICT sector. More than 60 companies Chief Executive Officers, CIO, presidents & directors played golf and showed interest in the leading product. 

Mr. Faisal Anwar, CIO at United Bank Alfalah Stated, “Technologies like this have been very useful during the pandemic, in terms of productivity and safety. I want to use this product for my own office and make my work more productive.”

Huawei Pakistan, being committed to bring digital to everyone in Pakistan by introducing more technologies, demonstrated the Huawei IdeaHub; a sleek 4K screen with a contemporary, user-centric design, a minimalist stand that gives it the look of a next-generation product that fit for any office space. The 4K screen has H.265 technology with 60fps that delivers a crisp, clear, smooth experience. The device has a touch feature that lets one make your presentations interactive with users.

Mr. Junaid Ahmed, CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank stated at the event, “It is an amazing product for smart provisions within financial sector for daily video communications and executive presentations.”

The golf event consisted of twelve winners who won a number of prizes and trophies. Moreover there was also a lucky draws and giveaways for all the participants who participated. Ahmed Talal Khan from Hilton Pharma also conveyed his thoughts, “The product is amazing and the demonstration feels makes you want to purchase the product regardless of the price.”

During these testing times of pandemic, playing golf is seen as a good way to keep one healthy in the open outdoors. Additionally, participants learn from each other during the shared experience and make build better connections with one another.

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• Pakistan team have the momentum on their side, however they don’t want to get carried away ahead of their next match against Afghanistan

DUBAI, OCT 28: The Pakistan squad has been asked, by the team management, to keep feet on the ground and avoid getting complacent after a dream start to the ongoing T20 World Cup, according to sources.

The Men in Green defeated India and New Zealand in their first two matches and have one foot in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Pakistan team have the momentum on their side, however they don’t want to get carried away ahead of their next match against Afghanistan — who are a dangerous side.

Afghanistan have quality spinners in the shape of Rashid Khan and Mujeebur Rahman, along with power-hitters like Hazratullah Zazai and Najibullah Zadran, who could pose trouble for Pakistan team.  

Afghanistan’s first match against Scotland, which the Mohammad Nabi-led unit won by a massive margin of 130 runs, was played in spin-friendly conditions of Sharjah but their match against Pakistan is in Dubai, which is comparatively less conducive for spinners and might have an impact on the outcome of the match.

Pakistan team is unlikely to make any changes for the game against Afghanistan, however some of the players might be rested for the remaining two games, against Namibia and Scotland, if needed.

Yesterday, six Pakistan players, with the others resting, participated in a two-hour training session at the ICC Academy Ground under the guidance of interim head coach Saqlain Mushtaq. These players included Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Khushdil Shah, Haider Ali and Usman Qadir.

NEW DELHI, OCT 28: India has test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,000 kilometres from an island off its east coast amid rising border tensions with China.

The successful launch on Wednesday was in line with “India’s policy to have credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to no first use”, said a government statement.

The Agni-5 missile splashed down in the Bay of Bengal with “a very high degree of accuracy”, said the statement issued on Wednesday night.

Beijing’s powerful missile arsenal has driven New Delhi to improve its weapons systems in recent years, with the Agni-5 believed to be able to strike nearly all of China.

India is already able to strike anywhere inside neighbouring Pakistan.

India has been developing its medium and long-range nuclear and missile systems since the 1990s amid increasing strategic competition with China in a major boost to the country’s defence capabilities.

Tension between them flared last year over a long-disputed section of their border in the mountainous Ladakh area. India is also increasingly suspicious of Beijing’s efforts to heighten its influence in the Indian Ocean.

Talks between Indian and Chinese army commanders to disengage troops from key areas along their border ended in a stalemate earlier this month, failing to ease a 17-month standoff that has sometimes led to deadly clashes. India and China fought a bloody war in 1962.

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Courtesy DAWN NEWS

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• Pakistan cricket looked to have found a new poster boy, as everything Rizwan touches turns to gold

DUBAI, OCT 28: Pakistan has been a dominant side in T20 cricket since it began playing the format in 2005. 

A team that has competed in the knockout rounds of the first four World Cups, has once gone all the way to win the trophy and is also one of the favorites in the ICC World T20 event presently being hosted in the United Arab Emirates.

This time around Pakistan, which is considered to be a side dependent on its bowlers, will look towards their wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan to inspire the team to a second T20 World Cup victory.

Rizwan's story serves as inspiration to other young Pakistani cricketers. After making his T20 debut against Bangladesh in 2015, the young wicketkeeper from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa scored 106 runs in his first ten games with a strike-rate of around 100, which is clearly not up to par at any level.

Rizwan had only played a few games during the first four years of his career since captain Sarfaraz Ahmed was the team's first choice wicketkeeper at the time. When the PCB chose to remove Sarfaraz Ahmed following the team's devastating setback at home against Sri Lanka in 2019, he was finally given a full opportunity.

Rizwan, on the other hand, had to make a comeback in the harsh Australian conditions which are a nightmare for any Pakistani batsman. Consequently, Rizwan had an average run, scoring 45 runs in three matches with a strike-rate of under 100 and likewise Pakistan faced a series defeat at the hands of the Aussies.

During this time Rizwan also had a disappointing Pakistan Super League (PSL) season, since he was not the first choice wicketkeeper for his team, Karachi Kings, and only got to play a few games.

Rizwan had also stated his dissatisfaction with why he isn't the first choice wicketkeeper and why he is labelled as someone who can't hit the big shots during one of the news conferences.

After going through these difficult times, Rizwan, who was the captain of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa side, was promoted at the top of the order by head coach Abdul Razzaq in the National T20 2020 where he scored three fifties at a decent strike-rate of 129.

Following this the Pakistan team travelled to New Zealand where captain Babar Azam suffered a finger injury and had to sit out the three-match T20 series, which was possibly the biggest turnaround in Rizwan's career. 

Rizwan was given the captaincy, which many thought would be a great test for him because the team had yet to fully recover from the changes made following the removal of Mickey Arthur and Sarfaraz Ahmed, and they had to play against a tough New Zealand side. 

Rizwan welcomed the opportunity with both hands and also promoted himself up the batting order. After two solid starts in the first two games of the series, Rizwan scored a sensational innings of 89 runs at a strike-rate of 150, hitting 10 fours and three sixes, for which he was also named the player of the match.

We had no idea that this was the start of something extraordinary, as Rizwan continued his outstanding form in the T20 series against South Africa at home, where he became the first Pakistani wicketkeeper to make a century in the first game. 

What made it even more remarkable was that Rizwan hit seven sixes in the inning, and his spin hitting technique was applauded by many of the game's legends.

Seeing his top form Rizwan was taken up by the Multan Sultans franchise in the PSL, where he was also named captain. Rizwan was unstoppable here as well as with the bat, scoring 500 runs, second only to his Pakistan teammate and captain Babar Azam. Multan also won its first ever PSL title under his leadership.

Pakistan cricket looked to have found a new poster boy, as everything Rizwan touches turns to gold.

In Rizwan, Pakistan had identified a dynamic opener who would start slowly but continue to accelerate in the death overs. 

He was considered as unstoppable, as he smashed 555 runs at a phenomenal strike-rate of 137 in the next four away tours, breaking the record for most runs in a calendar year in T20 internationals.

Rizwan's playing style certainly took on a new shape, as he occasionally plays the big shots, unlike players like Chris Gayle or AB de Villiers but he scores easily because of his ability to rotate the strike and not play many dot balls.

Rizwan has also established himself as a great player of spin averaging 60 against spinners by frequently playing the sweep shot or guiding the ball into the leg side for easy runs.

The Pakistani team has had a fantastic start to their World Cup campaign, defeating India by 10 wickets in their opening encounter, courtesy to Rizwan's superb 79-run knock and Shaheen Afridi's brilliant new ball spell.

The entire nation is counting on the Men in Green to win the trophy for the second time in 12 years, and if that is to happen, players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan will need to be at their best to inspire the team members too.

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Courtesy cricketpakistan

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ANKARA, OCT 28: Turkey is prepared to boost defense and security cooperation with Chad as the African nation faces terrorists and other armed groups, the Turkish president said on Wednesday.

"Turkey is ready to develop cooperation with Chad, which is simultaneously fighting terrorist organizations and armed opposition groups, in the military, defense, and security fields," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a joint press conference following a meeting with Chad's visiting Transitional President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Erdoğan said they discussed the bilateral relations of the two nation, as well as regional issues adding Turkey to support Chad in its transitional period.

"With the agreements signed today, Chad will become one of Turkey's pioneering partners in Africa," Erdoğan said, adding that the Central African country has a great potential and role in the region.

Erdoğan noted that the bilateral trade volume between the two countries has reached $112 million, a 47% increase overall, with the goal of reaching $200 million and then $500 million.

The two countries will continue to work on further deepening relations and enrich diversity in trade in a holistic, win-win approach, Erdoğan added.

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Courtesy Anews

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Raja Furqan Ahmed

ISLAMABAD, OCT 27: Pakistan and China have agreed to further strengthen bilateral economic and commercial ties, including the full realization of the potential offered by the Phase-II of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement.

This came during a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

The two leaders agreed to strengthen Pakistan-China cooperation in the relevant areas and to promote CPEC’s green development as a high-quality demonstration of the Belt and Road Initiative.

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• Huawei ICT Competition returns with another successful installment 

ISLAMABAD, OCT 27: : Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, is running the 5th edition of its flagship annual ICT Competition in Pakistan. The competition aims to nurture and empower the future generation of local ICT talents to effectively contribute to Pakistan’s national plans and visions. 

Following last year’s success, the Huawei ICT Competition is scheduled to take place for the 5th consecutive year. Students are set to learn about topics – such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and big data – to create valuable and meaningful applications for society. Huawei invited universities and colleges across the Pakistan to participate in the Competition, with a total of ten teams to be selected for the regional final this year.  

The Huawei ICT Competition, held under the theme ‘Connectivity, Honor, Future’, will run from October to December, and is larger part of Huawei’s commitment towards nurturing the next generation of ICT leaders across the world. This year’s competition is being held in partnership with Huawei ICT Academy, Academy Support Centers and Learning Partners. More than 25 Virtual and On-campus roadshows and awareness sessions were conducted at universities all around Pakistan by Huawei’s Talent Ecosystem Development team. More than 10,300 students registered to date for the international competitive and communication -based platform hoping to increase their ICT knowledge, improve their practice and application skills. 

All of the registered participants will sit for the next stage of the competition, known as the preliminary exam. On site and online examinations are underway, with 15 on-site locations confirmed. Allgovernment-issued SOP’s being followed during the on-site examinations. The results of the preliminary exam will come out next week and the top students will make it to the next stage of the competition; enablement training and certification exam. 

The top 500 students from preliminary exams will attend the enablement training FREE in the coming weeks and the Huawei certification exams by the end of the training. 

The competition will welcome thousands of undergraduate students from across the Middle East including Pakistan, and will be held virtually in compliance with social distancing measures. Winners of the regional competitions will receive a certification, future learning opportunities, a USD20,000 cash prize and more. 

Dr. Waheed ur Rehman, Assistant Professor at University of Peshawar, said: “The need for advanced technologies is rapidly increasing, not just in Pakistan, but across the world. Innovation from our young ICT talent will be key to development of our future digital economy. Therefore, we are proud to be a part of the prestigious Huawei Middle East ICT Competition, which greatly contributes to the development of the ICT talent ecosystem in Pakistan. This is a valuable opportunity for students wishing to learn and grow in the ICT world. With the growing need for more ICT professionals, Huawei is providing students a platform to compete against national talent and develop their skills. Through our collaboration with a global leading technology company, such as Huawei, we are confident in our ability to affectively contribute in achieving Pakistan’s vision.”

Zhang Wenwu,Vice President Enterprise Service Pakistan, said: “Nurturing and empowering local ICT talents has been a continuous commitment at Huawei, and we are proud to play a pivotal role in developing promising young minds and contribute in the wider economic growth of Pakistan. By investing in the Pakistani youth, we are creating an open, collaborative ecosystem and preparing the future generation of leaders who will be responsible for the success of Pakistan’s digital transformation journey. We look forward to many more initiatives in Pakistan and building a fully connected, intelligent world.” 

In the past 4 years, over 10,000 undergraduate students across Pakistan applied for the Huawei ICT Competition each year. Last year’s ICT Competition saw 10 countries’ tech talents head for the Huawei Middle East ICT Competition final, in which team Pakistan took home the award for first prize.

Registration for the Huawei ICT Competition Pakistan is now open till 31st October 2021 through this website: https://e.huawei.com/en/talent

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Afridi (596), whose opening spell against India stands among this tournament's most iconic moments so far, also moved up 11 spots and is now knocking on the door of the top 10 at 12th spot

DUBAI, OCT 27: Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan has reclaimed top spot on the ICC men’s all-rounder rankings off the back of his stellar start to the T20 World Cup.

Shakib’s T20I all-rounder rating climbed 20 points to 295, taking him ahead of Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi, who slid from 285 points to 275.

It has been a campaign to remember so far for Shakib, who is the tournament’s top wicket-taker with 11 at an average of 6.45, and sits third for runs scored with 118 at 29.50. His tally of 11 wickets is already the most by a bowler in a single Men’s T20 World Cup tournament.

The Bangladesh star was not the only big mover on the all-rounder rankings, with Glenn Maxwell (161 rating points) moving up three spots to third after Australia’s first-up win against South Africa. He is level with Namibia’s JJ Smit (161), who has shot up an incredible 23 spots.

With the bat, Dawid Malan (831) remains on top but Pakistan’s Babar Azam (820) has cut the gap down to just 11 points after his strong start to the tournament. They are joined in the top five by South Africa’s Aiden Markram (743), Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan (727) and Virat Kohli (725) in that order.

Markram has climbed eight spots after posting scores of 40 and 51* in South Africa’s first two matches of the T20 World Cup, while Rizwan has moved up three spots after scores of 79* and 33.

On the bowling front, Bangladesh’s Mahedi Hasan (621), Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi (596) and Haris Rauf (563), and Australia’s Josh Hazlewood (557) were the big movers.

Hasan has rocketed up 11 spots to enter the top 10 at ninth with 621 points, sandwiched between compatriots Shakib (632) and Mustafizur Rahman (614).

Afridi (596), whose opening spell against India stands among this tournament's most iconic moments so far, also moved up 11 spots and is now knocking on the door of the top 10 at 12th spot.

Rauf (563), Player of the Match in Pakistan’s win over New Zealand, was the biggest mover in the top 20, surging 34 spots to 17th, one ahead of Hazlewood (557), who himself improved his ranking by 16 spots.

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Courtesy cricketpakistan

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ISLAMABAD, OCT 27:  Zong, Pakistan’s leading telecom and digital services company, has partnered with REDRETAIL (a REDtone Group company), one of the leading retail digitization platforms, to promote digital payments in Pakistan.

This collaboration will allow Zong customers to top-up and recharge their balance through REDRETAIL’s network of small and medium sized enterprises including kiryana stores.

The B2B partnership with REDRETAIL, a retail digitisation platform that evolves the conventional retail store experience, through its proprietary hardware and software Point of Sales (POS) devices and solutions, will help Zong get closer to its digitalization mission.

“We’re excited to have partnered with one of Pakistan’s cellular giant Zong to give a much-needed push to digital payments in Pakistan,” shared Mahnoor Nadeem, CEO REDRETAIL.

“Our mutual purpose is to digitise payments on the grass-root level where both small shop owners and their consumers can benefit from the convenience that financial technology brings to their lives.”

“We want to help REDRETAIL in their efforts of moving the small kiryana stores from informal economy to a formal one while bringing ease to the lives of retailers as well as consumers,” shared Zong’s official spokesperson.

“The partnership with REDRETAIL will get us closer to realizing our vision of a digitally enabled Pakistan and bringing us up to speed with the global technological developments.”

As a customer-centric company, Zong aims to uplift its customer’s experience to newer heights. Through its most advanced digital solutions, Pakistan’s leading telecommunication network is innovating to provide sought-after solutions, services, and offers to its customers and promises to continue doing so in the future.

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About REDRETAIL

REDRETAIL, a joint venture of the REDtone Group and iDMission LLC, is a retail-digitisation platform that is working aggressively to digitise the retail/kiryana store space across Pakistan. Through REDRETAIL’s proprietary hardware and software ePOS solution, retailers can manage their inventory, distributor/manufacturer relationship and consumer hyperlocal deliveries. For more information, please visit: https://redretail.io/.

About Zong 4G

Zong 4G, China Mobile Pakistan (CMPak) is a 100% owned subsidiary of China Mobile Communications Corporation. Zong 4G has the largest 4G subscriber base and the widest 4G coverage across the country with 4G leadership, market leadership, network leadership and service leadership traits. Zong 4G is leading the 4G industry with over 19M Million 4G subscribers and more than 14,000 4G sites nationwide.  

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China, Pakistan are cognitive partners; promoting peace and development together: Nong Rong

Pakistan is looking closely to work with China for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030: Mushahid Hussain

ISLAMABAD, OCT 27: Online Conference on “50th Anniversary of the Restoration of the Lawful Seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations” Jointly organized by Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad & Embassy of China, Islamabad.

Nong Rong, Ambassador of China to Pakistan in his opening remarks stated that he is grateful to the Center to Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS), for its efforts and to all panelists and participants for joining.

He discussed China’s history and its participation in international affairs. He praised Pakistan’s and China’s friendship and stated that it is of great importance to our country and its leadership.

Nong Rong stated that China is always committed to the well-being of developing countries and it is always standing with them. Also, China-Pakistan are standing together and working together in enhancing its bilateral ties over the past 70 years.

He mentioned that China and Pakistan are cognitive partners and are promoting peace and development together. He concluded by stating that Pakistan has always been a priority of China’s diplomacy and it will continue to support Pakistan on International platforms and diplomatic grounds. The bilateral relations between our countries will play an important role on regional and international levels.

Senator Mushahid Hussain, Chairman, Senate Defense Committee & Former Minister of Information and Broadcasting of Pakistan shared his views on China: Engine of The World’s Economic Growth. He mentioned that Pakistan is looking closely to work with China for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.

He highlighted China’s importance in the international arena that China is playing an important role in supporting developing countries especially in the times of pandemic. 

He stated that China is at peaceful rise that is unique in global history. We have seen China's rise in fields of technology, artificial intelligence, academia, medical sciences, agriculture, research and many others.

He mentioned few reasons behind the rise of China that include its peaceful foreign policy, quality leadership, willingness to learn from others, and mainly the fact that it has not involved itself in any war since last 40 years.

Ambassador Riaz Khokhar, Former Foreign Secretary of Pakistan discussed Global China: President Xi Jinping’s Foreign Policy, he stated that China is a great country and its rise is unstoppable.

Also, China is country with great civilization, culture, history and values. He highlighted the reasons behind the success and rise of China that it has only focused on peaceful development. He praised the policies of President Xi Jinping that he supports multilateralism and peace. 

While praising China, he mentioned that China is the 2nd largest contributor of United Nations budget and has always supported peace building. He also shared that China has greatly contributed in solving the key issues being faced by global community including Climate change, pandemics, development etc.

Prof. Zhang Yanqiu, Deputy Dean, Institute of a Community with Shared Future, Communication University of China, Beijing discussed China’s Success in Achieving Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations. She stated that development is mankind’s eternal pursuit.

Therefore, leaving no one behind is China’s shared responsibility. Also, China has been always willing to help all nations realize the UN goals for sustainability. She mentioned that China will continue to pursue cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative and scale up South-South cooperation.

Furthermore, China will work tirelessly with all countries in the world for a community with a shared future for mankind.

She concluded by stating that China has held to its original aspiration for multilateralism, world peace and common development, and firmly supported the UN in playing a bigger role in international affairs.

Mr. Hassan Daud Butt, Chief Executive Officer, KP-Board of Investment & Trade (KP- BOIT) shared his views on CPEC: A Corridor with Multiple Doors, Prospects and Opportunities. He stated that China is an open pathway for enhancing economy especially its projects like CPEC and BRI.

Also, China is very important for Pakistan and achievements of China are achievements for Pakistan. He suggested that we have to work together for betterment of our countries. Furthermore, China speaks about development of the world and supports the need of developing countries.

Also, we have to learn from the achievements of China and its rise. He recommended that academia and think tanks should play a constructive role in enhancing the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Professor Zamir Awan, Deputy Director, China Study Center (R&D), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan discussed BRI & Sustainable Development Goals by United Nations. He enlightened the history of China and its struggle for United Nation (UN) seat.

He stated that no civilization in the world is superior to others; every civilization is special and unique to its own region. Also, civilizations can achieve harmony only through communication and can make progress only through harmonization.

He talked about China’s commitments and visions that China's rapid developments and peace-loving nature has become a role model for the rest of the world. Many developing countries are following or trying to follow the Chinese model as guidelines.

Professor Zamir Awan mentioned that China will stay committed to the path of multilateralism and always be a promoter of global peace and development.

Dr. Zahid Anwar, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences & Director, China Study Centre, University of Peshawar, Peshawar discussed the Belt and Road Initiative: A Win-Win Cooperation. He stated that China's representation in the United Nations has been thoroughly resolved politically, legally and procedurally.

He mentioned that Chinese President Xi Jinping has proposed to work for the building of a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation. This concept is reflected in its political structure, economy, culture and all other aspects of China’s cooperation with the rest of the world.

Also, as the world is moving towards greater multi-polarity and economic globalization and cultural diversity and IT application are advancing further, countries are becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent.

Dr. Iram Khalid, Chairperson, Department of Political Science & International Relations, University of Punjab, Lahore discussed China’s Efforts in Strengthening Vaccine Cooperation: Great Wall Against COVID-19.

She highlighted that the major hurdle that has exacerbated global inefficiency to expeditiously develop a global mechanism against pandemic is how states see vaccination not as a medical necessity but as a political force multiplier. We have seen that China has negated this idea and has helped other countries during the pandemic based on humanitarian grounds.

Dr. Iram Khalid mentioned Chinese efforts like China’s open offer to provide vaccination at a global scale does not have a political shadow and it surely does not have a corporate angle if seen how China donated doses in the millions to states without any discontinuity to such supply.

She suggested that we shall be firm in opposing all forms of hegemony and power politics, as well as all forms of unilateralism and protectionism.

She suggested the leadership of China for an initiative of global health to broaden its support for the developing  and under developed countries.

Dr. Bin MA, Associate Professor, Center for Russian & Central Asian Studies, Deputy Dean of the Center of the SCO Studies, Institute of International Studies, Fudan University, China discussed China development, its BRI infrastructure connectivity, cooperation and China’s role.

He discussed the role of infrastructure connectivity in BRI that it is the priority in the BRI cooperation. He mentioned that CPEC has connected Central and South Asia. He shared framework of China Railway Express and how it has connected China, Russia and Central Asian countries. Also, it has three corridors, and four land ports.

He mentioned four main actors who contribute to China Railway Express are local government, central government, local companies and international railway companies. Also, the possible ways for future development are joint cooperation based on domestic development policy and improving qualities and efficiency of the on-going projects. He discussed the future structure of China Railway express that includes the rating system, target market, distribution of lines and operational capabilities.

Dr. Alexander Wang, Associate Professor, Shanghai International Studies University & Director, Center for China's Overseas Interests Studies, Shanghai, China discussed new opportunities of CPEC and review of CPEC I.

He shared the numeric data of achievements in the energy, road, social and economic development, rail-based mass transit and others. He discussed the industrial structure of Pakistan and annual growth rate of main sectors in Pakistan. He stated that Pakistan and China are major trade partners and Pakistan has huge potential for promoting its import and export.

The conference was moderated by Ms. Laraib Fatima Hassan, Communication and Coordination Executive,  CGSS and it was attended by 80 participants including scholars and students from Pakistan, China, Tanzania, Germany and other countries. It was also viewed live at various social media platforms.

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