FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, FEB 2: On a special invitation of Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saud bin Naif will arrive Pakistan on February 7 on a day-long visit.

Saudi Interior Minister would meet key government and security officials during his visit to Pakistan, said a statement issued by the Interior Ministry here on Tuesday.

The Saudi Interior Minister would also meet President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He would also meet his Pakistani counterpart Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Issues of regional situation, release of Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia and other important matters would come under discussion during the meeting, it further said.

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Courtesy dailytimes

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• The executive confirms commitment to support digital transformation in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East region 

ISLAMABAD, Feb 1: Speaking to attendees at LEAP 2022 technology innovation conference on Tuesday, Huawei’s rotating chairman Guo Ping said that Huawei would soon build a cloud region in Saudi Arabia. 

The hosting of the HUAWEI CLOUD region in the Middle East will boost local businesses and governments’ ability to access more robust and secure cloud services from Huawei.

The new cloud region will create new social and economic value in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East in line with their digital development strategies. 

Guo noted Saudi Arabia has already confirmed plans to become one of the world’s top 20 tech economies and in turn diversify its national industries. 

“Going digital is now a key global consensus,“ noted Guo. “Over the past three years alone, many global enterprises have fully embraced digitalization, with the top 10% of these organizations growing their revenue as much as five times faster than those who have not embraced digitalization. 

Huawei’s own customers, partners, and developers can rely on our services to help industries in the region go digital.”

The rotating chairman’s participation in the inaugural LEAP conference shows Huawei's commitment to participate in and help the digital transformation in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. 

Huawei is already an active contributor in Saudi's digital transformation process, Ping highlighted, as the company have helped local carriers connect over 5.5 million people in remote areas. 

For the past 17 years, the company has assured stable Saudi telecom networks during major national events such as the Hajj that demands high quality networks. Huawei also worked with industry leaders like Aramco on intelligent oil field operations. 

Huawei has also pledged to cultivate talent for the regional AI industry. In Saudi Arabia, Guo noted that Huawei would support the Kingdom’s effort to become one of the first countries to have a large-scale AI model. 

According to Guo, this will help the country build more intelligent platforms in domains like Arabic-language identification, pharmaceutical R&D, disease detection, and many others.

LEAP is being held for the first time in Saudi Arabia from February 1-3, bringing together leading technology corporations, inspiring start-up founders, and venture capitalists to discuss opportunities and potential in the digital economy. 

Huawei has a significant presence at LEAP bringing its diverse ICT capabilities together for attendees to explore.

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Raja Furqan Ahmed

The Asia-Pacific region is considered as one of the most important regions on the global map. Asia Pacific region mainly consists of East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Western Pacific Ocean and Oceania. 

As there is no exact definition or area defined but this political term changes by the states according to their own national interests and need.

The significance of this region is primarily economic but due to the serious interest of major power such as the united state of America, Russia, China and other developing state's, it gains more importance. 

This region also confronts many major issues but the region is also resource-rich. It is also said that the twenty-first century would be the "Asia-Pacific Century."

The region is characterized by a larger population and stronger economic growth than any other, a rich diversity of both socio-economic and natural environment, and an abundance of natural resources including tropical rain forests and marine products.

The Asia-Pacific region is becoming a larger player in the global economy. This region is home to about half of the world's population. China and India, alone have a combined population of around 2.8 billion, are evidently two economical hubs.

Other countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam have also large numbers of consumers and investors. On the other hand, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states have more than 622 million people.

The numbers are even more impressive in economic terms. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for almost 39 per cent to the global market. 

With over 21 economies, having a GDP which comprises of about 56 per cent of the world’s economic output, the Asia Pacific region has become the key engine for the global economy. Moreover, it also comprises some of the most dynamic economies in the world.

The Asia-Pacific region as a whole remains diverse in terms of standards of living. The region, which has immense potential, is contributing to global prosperity.

The countries of the region are at various levels of economic growth. While China, Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and Singapore are categorized as highly industrialized countries, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Pakistan, and Vietnam are regarded as low-income countries.

Whereas Indonesia and the Philippines could be categorized as middle-income countries, and Thailand and Malaysia be as high-income countries.

Some of the largest cities in the world can also be found in the Asia-Pacific region such as Tokyo, New Delhi, Shanghai, Dhaka, Mumbai, New York, Beijing, Bangkok, Los Angeles and Kolkata etc. 

These cities have grown considerably in size in recent years as a result of profound economic transformations and massive migrations from rural areas. Most of the busiest airports of the world are also operational in this region.

Another major industry in the Asia Pacific region is the Ship Industry. This shipbuilding industry of 43 billion dollars enjoys a 66 per cent global market share. Ship repairing and maintenance is valued at US$15billion which is 45 per cent at the international level.

Shanghai Port is considering as one of the biggest ports in this region which handing about 600 million tonnes of goods.

The Strait of Malacca also presents in this region which has been part of major shipping routes since the earliest days of trade between the Middle East and China. 

While the Strait of Malacca remains crucial for shipping, it is not ideal. Bordered by three nations—Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia the strait can be subject to international disagreements.

The Significance of this Region can be seen as the world superpower USA shifted its policy from the Middle East to the Asia Pacific. With this tectonic shift in the world economy and the rapid rise of China, the first Obama administration in the latter half of 2011, announced that the US would be stepping up its role in the Asia Pacific region.

The former US President Obama was known as the first Pacific president. Obama stated that the US is going to play a leadership role in Asia for decades to come. As the US Rebalancing Strategy demands an enhancement of US diplomatic activism within the Asia Pacific region.

The formation of new partnerships and alliances remains to be one of the major agendas of the rebalance, as they continue to be crucial in handling traditional security challenges and primary to tackling non-traditional security challenges in the region.

Asia Pacific region has its own significance not only in the field of politics and economics but also as a great historical, cultural, and ethnic diverse region. Due to the emergence of china which also raises the question that Will China overthrow the existing order or become a part of it?

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Raja Furqan Ahmed

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He tweets @furqanraja1122.

Islamabad, Feb 1: Zong 4G, Pakistan's leading cellular and digital services provider, has launched the Pak-China Friendship Bundle to celebrate both countries’ friendship that has weathered the test of time and grown even stronger over the years.

Through the bundle, Zong’s prepaid subscribers will get 525 Minutes for just PKR 250+Tax with a validity of 7 days. Furthermore, the postpaid and prepaid customers can also avail 2250 Minutes for just PKR 750+ tax with a validity of 30 days. 

To subscribe to the offer, users can dial *4083#. 

The bundles can be subscribed via the My Zong App, as well as through the Zong Online Shop. For further assistance, dial 310 (3101 for Corporate Customers) – 051 111 222 111.

"The friendship between China and Pakistan has never faltered, no matter how difficult the circumstances," Zong's official spokesperson said. "Zong has introduced this magnificent Pak-China Friendship Bundle to commemorate that very history and spirit of friendship. We couldn't think of a better time to commemorate our friendship than the Chinese New Year!" 

Zong is Pakistan's ICT-led digital transformation torchbearer. Zong 4G is committed to serve the Pakistani people in new and innovative ways, driven by its enthusiasm for consumer empowerment and facilitation. 

Zong is credited with pioneering 4G in Pakistan and running the first successful 5G test in the country, in addition to its ongoing network transformation initiatives to provide users with best-in-class services.

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KABUL, FEB 1: A pregnant New Zealand journalist who was stranded in Afghanistan by her home country’s Covid-19 border policy said on Tuesday she will return home after her government finally offered her a pathway back.

The government offer amounted to a backdown by New Zealand after officials had earlier insisted that Charlotte Bellis needed to reapply for a spot in the country’s bottlenecked quarantine hotels. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said Bellis had been offered a voucher for a room.

“I will be returning to my home country New Zealand at the beginning of March to give birth to our baby girl,” Bellis said in a statement. “We are so excited to return home and be surrounded by family and friends at such a special time.”

Her case had quickly become an embarrassment to New Zealand, which has thousands of citizens waiting abroad for space to open in the military-run border quarantine hotels.

Bellis said she wanted to thank fellow New Zealanders for their support and would continue to challenge the government to find a solution to its border controls. She added that she was disappointed the decision was a one-off and didn’t offer a pathway home for other pregnant New Zealanders.

She said on Sunday that each day was a battle. Now 25 weeks pregnant, she said she had tried without success to enter New Zealand via a lottery-style system and then applied for an emergency return but was rejected.

Chris Bunny, the head of New Zealand’s quarantine system, said the new offer was made to Bellis because Afghanistan was extremely dangerous and there was a risk of terrorism. He said there was a limited ability to help people on the ground, especially after the withdrawal of US forces last year.

“We do acknowledge that Ms Bellis considers herself to be safe and did not seek an allocation on that ground,” Bunny said. “We have the residual discretion to grant allocations in rare and exceptional circumstances.”

Bunny said the publicity surrounding the case was not a deciding factor and the sole consideration was Bellis’s safety.

Bellis, 35, had worked as an Afghanistan correspondent for Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network. She resigned in November because it is illegal to be pregnant and unmarried in Qatar.

Bellis then flew to Belgium, trying to get residency in the home country of her partner, freelance photographer Jim Huylebroek, who has lived in Afghanistan for two years. But Bellis said the length of the process would have left her in Belgium with an expired visa.

Hopping from country to country on tourist visas while she waited to have her baby would have cost money and left her without health care, so she and Huylebroek returned to Afghanistan because they had a visa, felt welcome and from there could wage her battle to return to her home.

New Zealand officials said they would add Huylebroek to Bellis’s voucher if he took the same flight with her.

The Taliban have come under international criticism for repressive rules they imposed on women since sweeping to power in mid-August, including denying girls education beyond sixth grade. However, they have said that all girls and women will be allowed to attend school after the Afghan New Year at the end of March. While women have returned to work in the health and education ministries, thousands of female civil servants have not been allowed to return to their jobs.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, JAN 31: Pakistan’s digital frontrunner, Zong 4G, in collaboration with telehealth startup, SehatKahani, organized a digital health session on the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus for all the country at large. Employees and their families also attended this useful session.

Of late, Omicron has taken the world by storm as the most infectious variant of Covid, causing a rapid surge in the spread of Covid-19 worldwide and giving rise to the 5th wave of the pandemic in Pakistan.

Being aware of the virus’s changing patterns and the risks it brings for Pakistan, Zong joined forces with SehatKahani to educate the people about preventing the disease and leading a healthy life amid the pandemic and its new variants.

“We want to equip all our people with the right information regarding Coronavirus and its emerging variants of which Omicron is the latest and most infectious,” shared Zong’s official spokesperson.

“With most of the people continuing to work from home, it was crucial to educate them and those around them on the hazards of Omicron and the ways to prevent it to lead a healthy life amid the surge.”

“We’re happy to have joined hands with SehatKahani once again, this time to appraise our people and their loved ones about how Omicron behaves so that it can be avoided as much as possible.

This is just a small show of our care for Zong employees and all other Pakistanis,” the spokesperson added.

Zong had partnered with SehatKahani last year to offer thousands of free remote and online consultations for the marginalized strata of the society.

This collaboration is still on-going and shall continue to support the people of Pakistan.

Zong offered more than 12,000 e-health consultations to the underprivileged members of the community via the SehatKahani Retail app. 

7,000 of these consultations facilitated Covid-19 relief patients whereas 5,000 consultations were applicable to non-Covid cases.

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RAWALPINDI, JAN 30: AAA Associates in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme held AAA Job Marathon, 2022″ on Saturday 29th & Sunday 30th January at Topi Rakh Ayub Park, Rawalpindi.

Usman Dar, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs (SAPM) graced the occasion as chief guest. The event provided more than 100 jobs to aspiring candidates. 

AAA Associates understands the importance of induction of fresh talent into its outstanding team of architects, engineers, android developers, executive sales staff, data analysis, support and maintenance personnel in addition to a whole sleuth of domains.

Mr. Usman Dar, SAPM on Youth Affairs appreciated the efforts of AAA Associates and emphasised on arranging such events frequently. Addressing the event, he said, “Such events should take place regularly, and companies from various business sectors should bring forth such events to support the workforce find better job opportunities. This also helps employers to find right human resource as per their professional requirements”

Mr. Dar said that a number of Initiatives haven launched for youth development under the umbrella of Kamyab Jawan Programme. ” We have disbursed about Rs. 32 billions for business loans to young entrepreneurs in our efforts to create employment opportunities in the country. Under Rs. 10 billion Kamyab Jawan’s Skills Scholarships programme, more than 100,000 youth have been skilled, especially in hi-tech fields. Admissions for more than 60,000 more scholarships are open in about 1000 institutes across Pakistan”. 

Mr. Dar said that the private sector must be the main provider and engine of creating jobs in the market. He stressed that youth must get skills to meet the growing needs of industries in the country.

Mr. Sheikh Fawad Bashir, Chairman AAA Associates thanked the chief guest and respectable members of society for their participation in the event and making it a success. He further added, “AAA Associates is humbled to offer employement opportunities through AAA Associates’ sub-companies AAA Real Estate, AAA Builders, Hype advertising, AAA IT Solutions, AAA Marketing, Yusaied and many more to the deserving candidates and will always be involved in endeavours to make the country’s economy stronger”.

Managing Director AAA Associates Lt. Col Shahzad Ali Kiani (Retd) thanked the chief guest for his support and participation in the event. He said, ” Events like these connect the right people with the right job which facilitates the career growth for young employees. AAA Associates will continue to play its role in the social development and uplift of the communities of twincities.”

Creating jobs in this manner is extremely encouraging, for it boosts the morale of the youth, by creating awareness and transparency. AAA Associates is thus resolute to provide these platforms for the youth and help them turn into a productive workforce for the country.

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WELLINGTON, JAN 30: A pregnant New Zealand journalist says she turned to the Taliban for help and is now stranded in Afghanistan after her home country has prevented her from returning due to a bottleneck of people in its coronavirus quarantine system.

In a column published in The New Zealand Herald on Saturday, Charlotte Bellis said it was brutally ironic that she’d once questioned the Taliban about their treatment of women and she was now asking the same questions of her own government.

When the Taliban offers you a pregnant, unmarried woman safe haven, you know your situation is messed up, Bellis wrote in her column.

New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins told the Herald his office had asked officials to check whether they followed the proper procedures in Bellis’s case, which appeared at first sight to warrant further explanation.

New Zealand has managed to keep the spread of the virus to a minimum during the pandemic and has reported just 52 virus deaths among its population of 5 million.

But the nation’s requirement that even returning citizens spend 10 days isolating in quarantine hotels run by the military has led to a backlog of thousands of people wanting to return home vying for spots.

Stories of citizens stranded abroad in dire circumstances have caused embarrassment for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her government, but Bellis’s situation is particularly striking.

Last year, she was working for Al Jazeera covering the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan when she gained international attention by questioning Taliban leaders about their treatment of women and girls.

In her column Saturday, Bellis said she returned to Qatar in September and discovered she was pregnant with her partner, freelance photographer Jim Huylebroek, a contributor to The New York Times.

She described the pregnancy as a miracle after earlier being told by doctors she couldn’t have children. She is due to give birth to a girl in May.

Extramarital sex is illegal in Qatar and Bellis said she realized she needed to leave. She repeatedly tried to get back to New Zealand in a lottery-style system for returning citizens but without success.

She said she resigned from Al Jazeera in November and the couple moved to Huylebroek’s native Belgium. But she couldn’t stay long, she said, because she wasn’t a resident. She said the only other place the couple had visas to live was Afghanistan.

Bellis said she spoke with senior Taliban contacts who told her she would be fine if she returned to Afghanistan.

Just tell people you’re married and if it escalates, call us. Don’t worry, Bellis said they told her.

She said she sent 59 documents to New Zealand authorities in Afghanistan but they rejected her application for an emergency return.

Chris Bunny, the joint head of New Zealand’s Managed Isolation and Quarantine system, told the Herald that Bellis’s emergency application didn’t fit a requirement that she travel within 14 days.

He said staff had reached out to Bellis about making another application that would fit within the requirements.

This is not uncommon and is an example of the team being helpful to New Zealanders who are in distressing situations, Bunny wrote.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, JAN 30: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday commended his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau for his “unequivocal condemnation” of Islamophobia — a term describing unfounded dislike and denigration of Muslims — and emphasised a concerted approach to “put an end to this menace”.

The premier’s remarks come a day after Trudeau called out Islamophobia in a message on Twitter and announced the appointment of a special representative to combat it.

The prime minister recalled that a timely call for action from Trudeau resonated with what he had been long arguing. “Let us join hands to put an end to this menace,” he added.

According to the Canadian government, the details on the role and mandate of the special representative will be confirmed at a later date.

In an official statement posted on its website, the Canadian government said that Islamophobia and hate, in any form, had no place in the country.

“Islamophobia is a concrete and daily reality for Muslim communities across Canada and around the world. As we honour the victims, we must remember that we have a responsibility to combat discrimination and continue to build a more inclusive Canada,” the government said.

The Trudeau-led government said a whole-of-government approach to tackling systemic racism with dedicated knowledge and expertise was needed to combat different forms of racism, including Islamophobia, and to advance digital and civic literacy initiatives that address online disinformation and hate speech.

PM Imran had in his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York in 2019 condemned Islamophobia and expressed concern that it had grown at an alarming pace.

“Islamophobia is creating divisions, hijab is becoming a weapon; a woman can take off clothes but she can’t put on more clothes,” he had said.

Last year, the prime minister had called upon the world leaders to crack down on online hate speech and Islamophobia following the deadly truck attack in Ontario, Canada.

The prime minister had said the recent pattern of domestic terror in Western countries demanded a heightened focus on online radicalisation.

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Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, JAN 29: The Pakistan High Commission in India on Friday issued a visa to an Indian senior citizen, allowing him to meet his family members in Pakistan, with whom he has separated 74 years ago due to Partition in 1947.

“Today, Pakistan High Commission issues visa to Sika Khan to visit his brother, Mohammed Siddique, and other family members in Pakistan,” the embassy announced on Twitter.

The two brothers, separated in 1947, were recently reunited after 74 years at the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor.

A video of the siblings meeting each other at the Kartarpur Corridor had gone viral on social media, making people on both sides of the border shed happy tears.

Media had earlier reported that Siddique, a resident of Phugaran village on the outskirts of Faisalabad district, said he had contacted a Sikh social worker from Canada two years ago. He said the social worker had helped reunite the two brothers.

According to the report, Siddique is 80 while Khan is 78 years old.

According to Siddique, his brother and sister had gone to his grandparents’ house with his mother in 1947.

“A civil war was raging on and my father and other family members decided to migrate immediately to save lives and we came to Pakistan,” he said.

In its announcement today, the Pakistan High Commission said Khan also met with Chargé d’Affaires Aftab Hasan Khan and interacted with the mission’s officers. “I am so happy. I have received the visa. I will travel now and meet (my brother),” Sika Khan said in a video message recorded at the embassy.

The story of the two brothers is a powerful illustration of how the historic opening of the visa-free Kartarpur Sahib Corridor by Pakistan is bringing people closer to each other, the High Commission said.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor in 2019 on the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism Baba Guru Nanak — an initiative lauded by the Sikh community in India as well as across the world.

During his visit in February 2020, UN Secretary-General António Guterres had called Kartarpur Corridor a “Corridor of Hope” which allows visa-free crossing to Sikhs between nearby holy sites.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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KARACHI, JAN 29: Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik starred as he guided Peshawar Zalmi to a clinical victory against Quetta Gladiators in the HBL Pakistan Super League season seven.

Chasing 191, the 39-year-old scored unbeaten 48 off just 32 deliveries to guide the team to a five-wicket win at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday.

He was well supported by all-rounder Husain Talat, who scored a magnificent 52 off 29 deliveries.

Apart from them, the pair of debutant Yasir Khan and Tom Kohler-Cadmore provided the side a flying start. In just 3.3 overs, they posted 43 on the scoreboard.

Yasir lost his wicket after scoring 12-ball 30, which included four boundaries and two maximums. He was removed by Mohammad Nawaz, who ended up with the figures of three for 44 in his four-over spell.

Cadmore and Haider Ali scored 22 and 19 respectively.

Earlier, after being asked to bat, Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side posted a mammoth 191-run target on the scoreboard courtesy of a 155-run opening stand, the highest-ever for the team in the tournament’s history.

Ahsan Ali and Will Smeed smashed the Zalmi bowling attack all around the park, while insult to injury was miss fielding and dropped catches.

Ali departed after scoring 73 off 46 deliveries, which includes eight fours and three sixes. Meanwhile, Smeed was unlucky to complete his maiden T20 ton as he was out on the last ball of the innings on 97.

The Englishman smashed 11 boundaries and four maximums.

Usman Qadir and Sameen Gul shared two wickets each for the winning side.

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Courtesy samaaenglish

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