FARUKH SHEHZAD

Munaza Kazmi

Women, a beautiful creation of God, appointed to make and educate the generations…

Throughout history, the central role of women in society has ensured the stability, progress and long-term development of nations. Globally, women comprise 49.5 percent of the world’s population, an almost half.

Out of which 43 percent are agricultural labor force – rising to 70 percent in some countries. For instance, across Africa, 80 percent of the agricultural production comes from small farmers, most of whom are rural women.

However, it’s widely accepted that agriculture can be the engine of growth and poverty reduction in developing nations. Moreover, women, particularly mothers, play the largest role in developing the child physically and mentally, hence can be named as, “The makers of tomorrow”.

At the primary level, women are the major caretakers of children and elders in every country of the world. International studies demonstrate that when the economy and political organization of a society change, women take the lead in helping the family adjust to new realities and challenges.

They are likely to be the prime initiator of outside assistance and play an important role in hindering changes in family life.

Along with this, Rural or Urban, women all over the globe play while taking care of the initial needs of family,play a key role in supporting their households and communities in achieving food and nutrition security, generating income, and improving livelihoods and overall well-being.

The contribution of women to a society’s transition from pre-literate to literate likewise is undeniable. Basic education is key to a nation’s ability to develop and achieve sustainability targets.

Moreover, research has shown that education can improve agricultural productivity, enhance the status of girls and women, reduce population growth rates, enhance environmental protection, and widely raise the standard of living.

We can say, it is the mother in the family who most often urges children of both genders to attend – and stay – in school. 

The role of women is at the front end of the chain of improvements leading to the family’s, the community’s long-term capacity.

Today, the median female share of the global workforce is 45.4 percent. Women’s formal and informal labor can transform a community from a relatively autonomous society to a participant in the national economy.

Despite significant obstacles, women’s small businesses in rural developing communities not only can be an extended family’s lifeline but can form a networked economic foundation for future generations.

It has been observed, in recent decades the role of women in the urban and rural workforce has expanded exponentially, however still in most of the parts of the globe we can see the gender inequality.

Saddest reality is even today, not a single country can claim to have achieved gender equality.  Multiple obstacles remain unchanged in law and in culture.

Till date a woman can face discrimination at work, a single woman and even single woman or a divorced in society, still the rules are different for men and woman.

At the time of marriage there comes a lot many questions regarding a woman character, even on slightest doubt she can be sent back to her father’s home. A single woman is seen in society as an open chest.

Seeing this, the theme for International Women’s Day (8 March) 2022 is, "Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow". The day will celebrate the achievements and contributions of women and girls in different spheres. The day also spreads awareness about women's empowerment and gender parity.

Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all  #BreakTheBias.

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Munaza Kazmi holds MPhil in Management Sciences (Bahria University Islamabad, 2020). She’s a travel writer, an author, & co-author of scientific contributions in national & international publications. Her main areas of research include tourism & quality management.

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MOSCOW, MAR 5: Russia declared a partial ceasefire on Saturday to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, Russia's defence ministry said.

“From 10am Moscow time (0700 GMT), the Russian side declares a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to leave Mariupol and Volnovakha,” Russian news agencies quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying.

Mariupol, a southern city of about 450,000 people on the Azov Sea, will begin evacuations at 0900 GMT, city hall announced on social media in a message that added, “it will be possible to leave the city by private transport.”

“A huge request to all drivers leaving the city, to contribute as much as possible to the evacuation of the civilian population — take people with you, fill vehicles as much as possible,” the statement said.

The announcement said the evacuation would last over several days to allow the entirety of the civilian population to exit the city.

In the statement, city officials told residents leaving in private vehicles that it was “strictly prohibited” to go off course from the evacuation routes.

Municipal buses were also departing from three locations in the city to help people leave, the message said.

Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on social media that some 200,000 people were expected to be extracted from the city.

She wrote that a further 15,000 people would be brought from Volnovakha, a town of around 20,000 people some 60 kilometres from separatist-controlled Donetsk, a regional centre.

“This is not an easy decision, but, as I have always said, Mariupol is not its streets or houses. Mariupol is its population, it is you and me,” mayor Vadim Boychenko was quoted as saying in the statement.

With Russian troops surrounding the city, he said, “there is no other option but to allow residents — that is, you and me — to leave Mariupol safely,” he said.

Russia blocks Facebook, other sites

Meanwhile, Russia blocked Facebook and some other websites and passed a law that gave Moscow much stronger powers to crack down on journalism, prompting the BBC, Bloomberg and other foreign media to suspend reporting in the country.

War raged in Ukraine for a 10th day on Saturday as Russian troops besieged and bombarded cities.

The fighting has created over one million refugees, a barrage of sanctions that are increasingly isolating Moscow and fears in the West of a wider global conflict that has been unthought-of for decades.

Moscow says its invasion is a “special operation” to capture individuals it regards as dangerous nationalists, and has denied targeting civilians.

Ukraine's state service of special communications and protection of information says Russian forces have focussed efforts on encircling Kyiv and Kharkiv, the second-biggest city, while aiming to establish a land bridge to Crimea.

Kyiv, in the path of a Russian armoured column that has been stalled outside the Ukrainian capital for days, came under renewed assault, with explosions audible from the city centre.

Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne cited authorities in Sumy, about 300 kilometres east of Kyiv, as saying that there is a risk of fighting in the city's streets, urging residents to stay in shelters.

Russian forces also have encircled and shelled the southeastern port city of Mariupol — a key prize. There is no water, heat or electricity and food is running out, according to Mayor Vadym Boychenko.

“We are simply being destroyed,” he said.

President Vladimir Putin's actions have drawn almost universal condemnation, and many countries have imposed heavy sanctions as the West balances punishment with avoiding a widening of the conflict.

Fighting back in the information war, Russia's parliament passed a law on Friday imposing a prison term of up to 15 years for spreading intentionally “fake” news about the military.

“This law will force punishment — and very tough punishment — on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, the chairman of the Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament.

Russia is blocking Facebook for restricting state-backed channels and the websites of the BBC, Deutsche Welle and Voice of America.

CNN and CBS News said they would stop broadcasting in Russia, and other outlets removed Russian-based journalists' bylines as they assessed the situation.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 4: WADA Mitsuhiro, Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, strongly condemned the bomb blast in the mosque in Peshawar today and has expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives in the tragic incident. 

The Ambassador also offers its heartfelt sympathy to those wounded in the attacks and wish their early recovery.

Japan accuses terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed for whatever purposes, and reiterates that no act of terrorism can be justified.

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 04: President, Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and others have strongly condemned the blast in Peshawar. In their separate messages, the president and the prime minister expressed grief and sorrow over loss of precious lives.

They also extended condolences to the families of the deceased. Meanwhile, the prime minister ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed the concerned to provide immediate medical aid to injured people.

Taking notice of the deadly suicide blast inside a mosque in Peshawar, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has sought report from the chief secretary and Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police.

In a tweet, the Interior Minister strongly condemned the terrorist attack and expressed sorrow over the loss of innocent lives. Sheikh Rashid termed the incident “a conspiracy to destabilize Pakistan at a time when an international cricket team is visiting the country.”

The minister said he chairs meeting every week to discuss security matter but there was no such threat alert. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Friday said the Peshawar blast, which claimed the lives of dozens of innocent people, was part of a ‘big conspiracy against the country and vowed to thwart all inimical designs of the anti-state elements effectively.

“In the past, we have effectively tackled such conspiracies, and now too by the grace of Allah Almighty, the enemies of Pakistan will fail,” the minister said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Fawad strongly condemned the blast and expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in the tragic incident. He prayed for the departed souls and the early recovery of the injured.

The minister said the investigation into the incident was being carried out, following which its details would be made public.

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RAWALPINDI, MAR 4: Opener Imamul Haq cracked a maiden Test century Friday to lead Pakistan’s solid start in the first match of the series against Australia in Rawalpindi.

The 26-year-old left-hander struck Australian paceman Mitchell Starc through the covers to the boundary to reach three figures in the final session of play on the opening day after Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat.

Haq reached his hundred in 277 minutes off 220 balls, hitting 13 boundaries and two sixes as a near-capacity 12,000 fans erupted with joy at his achievement.

Pakistan were 192-1 with Haq’s opening partner Abdullah Shafique (44) the only man out. The duo put on 105 for the opening wicket.

Azhar Ali and Imam combined in an unbroken stand of 66 runs in the second session as Australia tried all its bowling resources, including part-time spinners Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne without success after Pakistan resumed after lunch on 105-1.

Australia seemed to have erred in their selection as they went into the Test — their first in Pakistan in 24 years — with three pacers, a fast-bowling all-rounder and a lone spinner in Lyon.

In contrast, Pakistan included two spinners, a part-time slow bowler and two frontline pacers.

Australia’s pace bowlers did not take a wicket in the first session, and Lyon was brought in to bowl in the eighth over.

Lyon, who so far has figures of 1-36, turned his first ball sharply and beat the bat for an unsuccessful caught behind appeal off the fourth.

Shafique hit a six in the spinner’s third over, but the very next ball Lyon induced an edge to leg-slip — only to see Travis Head drop a sharp chance with the batsman on 21.

Haq, playing his first Test since December 2019, was solid as he hooked Cummins for his eighth boundary to complete his third 50 in 12 Tests.

Haq, nephew of former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, started his Test career with a match-winning knock of 74 against Ireland in Dublin in 2016. His previous highest Test knock, of 76, came against Australia in Dubai in October 2018. This is his 12th Test.

Historic moment

Before the start of the match, Pakistan Cricket Board Chief Executive Officer Faisal Hasnain said the start of the first is a historic moment in Pakistan’s cricket history, adding that it sends a powerful message to the rest of the world.

“The pitch looks nice so we’ll try to put runs on the board,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said, predicting spinners would play a key role in the first match of the three-Test series.

Australia players wore black armbands in memory of former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh who died aged 74 on Friday.

A sell-out crowd of 16,000 is expected.

The second Test is in Karachi (March 12-16) and the third in Lahore (March 21-25).

Teams:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah.

Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

Umpires: Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 4: The Embassy of Japan and Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) jointly organized a webinar titled “Afghanistan and South Asia” on Friday, March 4 to deliberate upon the various perspectives concerning existing situation in Afghanistan as well as to exchange views and knowledge on other subjects of regional and international interest. 

AOKI Kenta, Research Fellow, Middle East Institute of Japan, and KASAI Ryohei, Visiting Researcher, Center for South Asian Studies, Gifu Women’s University, Japan, were speakers from Japan.

AOKI deliberated upon “Resurgence of Taliban and Its Implications to Japan and Pakistan” Whereas Mr. KASAI spoke on “Japan’s Efforts in South Asia in an Age of SDGs, Pakistan’s Development Potential and Geostrategic Opportunities, Japan’s Role in Pakistan’s Comprehensive Development”.

The speakers from Pakistani side included Amb (R) Asif Durrani, Senior Research Fellow IPRI, who spoke on topic “Post-Taliban Afghanistan”, Dr. Maria Saifuddin Effendi, Asst. 

Professor, Peace & Conflict Studies, NDU, Islamabad, covered “Pakistan-India Relations and Kashmir”, whereas Rafiullah Kakar, CPEC/PPP Unit, Government of Balochistan lectured on “Regional Connectivity and CPEC”. 

Haroon Sharif, Former Minister of State & Chairman Board of Investment, Ex-Regional Advisor to World Bank Group for South and Central Asia and Mr. Abubakar Siddique, Senior Correspondent covering Pakistan and Afghanistan for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) also joined the webinar as discussants.

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan, the webinar would help promote and develop not only intellectual exchange between the two countries but would also contribute towards further enhancing mutual understanding and exchange of information and knowledge on issues of regional and global importance.  

The webinar is available at Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OFhWIoTGts 

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 4: Embassy of Japan and Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) will jointly hold a webinar, titled “Afghanistan and South Asia”, today at 10:00am-12:15pm on March 4, 2022 (PKST).

Topic: IPRI - Japan Webinar: Afghanistan and South Asia

Date: March 4, 2022 10:00 AM Islamabad.

-   Youtube link is for the larger audience/public.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OFhWIoTGts 

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Kyiv, MAR 3: Through the Cold War and the decades since, nothing could persuade Finns and Swedes that they would be better off joining Nato — until now.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has profoundly changed Europe’s security outlook, including for Nordic neutrals Finland and Sweden, where support for joining Nato has surged to record levels.

A poll commissioned by Finnish broadcaster YLE this week showed that, for the first time, more than 50 per cent of Finns support joining the Western military alliance. In neighbouring Sweden, a similar poll showed those in favour of Nato membership outnumber those against it.

“The unthinkable might start to become thinkable,” tweeted former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, a proponent of Nato membership.

Neither country is going to join the alliance overnight. Support for Nato membership rises and falls, and there’s no clear majority for joining in their parliaments.

But the signs of change since Russia began its invasion last week are unmistakable.

The attack on Ukraine prompted both Finland and Sweden to break with their policy of not providing arms to countries at war by sending assault rifles and anti-tank weapons to Kyiv. For Sweden, it’s the first time offering military aid since 1939, when it assisted Finland against the Soviet Union.

Apparently sensing a shift among its Nordic neighbours, the Russian Foreign Ministry last week voiced concern about what it described as efforts by the United States and some of its allies to “drag” Finland and Sweden into Nato and warned that Moscow would be forced to take retaliatory measures if they joined the alliance.

The governments of Sweden and Finland retorted that they won’t let Moscow dictate their security policy.

“I want to be extremely clear: It is Sweden that itself and independently decides on our security policy line,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said.

Finland has a conflict-ridden history with Russia, with which it shares a 1,340-kilometre border. Finns have taken part in dozens of wars against their eastern neighbour, for centuries as part of the Swedish Kingdom, and as an independent nation during the world wars, including two fought with the Soviet Union from 1939-40 and 1941-44.

In the postwar period, however, Finland pursued pragmatic political and economic ties with Moscow, remaining militarily nonaligned and a neutral buffer between East and West.

Sweden has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, choosing a path of peace after centuries of warfare with its neighbours.

Both countries put an end to traditional neutrality by joining the European Union in 1995 and deepening cooperation with Nato. However, a majority of people in both countries remained firmly against full membership in the alliance — until Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The YLE poll showed 53pc were in favour of Finland joining Nato, with only 28pc against. The poll had an error margin of 2.5 percentage points and included 1,382 respondents interviewed from February 23 to 25. Russia’s invasion began on Feb 24.

“It’s a very significant shift,” said senior researcher Matti Pesu from the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. “We’ve had a situation in the past 25-30 years where Finns’ opinions on Nato have been very stable. It seems to now to have changed completely.”

While noting that it’s not possible to draw conclusions from a single poll, Pesu said no similar shift in public opinion occurred after Russia’s 2008 war with Georgia and the 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, “so this is an exception”.

In Sweden, a late February poll commissioned by the Swedish public broadcaster SVT found 41pc of Swedes supported Nato membership and 35pc opposed it, marking the first time that those in favour exceeded those against.

The Nordic duo, important partners for Nato in the Baltic Sea area where Russia has substantially increased its military manoeuvres in the past decade, has strongly stressed that it is up to them alone to decide whether to join the military alliance.

In his New Year’s speech, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto pointedly said that “Finland’s room to manoeuvre and freedom of choice also include the possibility of military alignment and of applying for Nato membership, should we ourselves so decide.”

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg noted last week that for Helsinki and Stockholm “this is a question of self-determination and the sovereign right to choose your own path and then potentially in the future, also to apply for Nato.”

There are no set criteria for joining Nato, but aspiring candidates must meet certain political and other considerations. Many observers believe Finland and Sweden would qualify for fast-track entry into Nato without lengthy negotiations and membership could be a reality within months.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said this week that her Social Democratic Party would discuss possible Nato membership with other parties but didn’t set a time frame. She said everyone agrees that the events of the past weeks have been a game-changer.

“Together we see that the security situation has changed remarkably since Russia attacked Ukraine. It is a fact that we have to acknowledge,” Marin said.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 3: Microsoft signs an Educational Transformation agreement (ETA), agreement with two major departments of the Government of Sindh, The School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) & Sindh Education Foundation (SEF). 

The agreement is based on Microsoft Educational Transformation Framework (ETF) under which Microsoft is committed to make digital transformation of the educational sector more successful and organized. 

The aim of this alliance is to strengthen the education sector across Sindh by unleashing the potential of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) at every level. 

Under this agreement, Microsoft will conduct several workshops, training sessions, webinars and other joint activities in Sindh involving the key stakeholders. 

The first step of collaboration is to work with leadership of the Sindh education to discuss and develop tailor-made digital transformation strategies. In this context, a number of change management workshops with the leadership will be conducted to help smoothen out the digitization process in the Sindh education sector. 

The Microsoft specialists are also committed to train the Sindh Government in designing, planning, and implementing cloud solutions through its cloud certification programs and producing MIE Master trainers who will impart technology learning on the behalf of Microsoft.

On the occasion of signing the agreement, Mr. Jibran Jamshad, Country Education Lead at Microsoft Corporation stated that “The agreement will prove to be a roadmap for both parties in bridging the gap between education and employability through information Communication technology. 

He further added that since we realize that the education sector in Pakistan demands a great deal of change in terms of digitalization, we are already connecting with various educational institutions. 

We are closely working with a number of private and public sector institutions in developing customized educational products and services. This partnership with Sindh Government is another step towards this goal to transform education sector in Sindh province.” 

The Secretary School Education and Literacy Department, Sindh  Mr. Ghulam Akbar Laghari expresses his views at the occasion “ We are proud to be partnered with Microsoft in digitalizing Education system in Sindh. 

Under this partnership, we have developed SELD learning hub App and digital classrooms to cater the educational needs of students in current emergency situations. 

We are formally organizing these digital learning platforms to avoid any further gap in children learning across the province. 

Also, we foresee that this partnership has a long way to go in ensuring rapid pace of innovation in the classroom and inspire students for great achievements. 

Another significant aspect of this ETA is to help Sindh education sector take benefit from the latest Microsoft technologies including Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure Microsoft teams and much more. 

Developing these skills, students, faculties and educators will be able to learn, collaborate, create content and share resources using the power of various Microsoft tools. 

This will enable the education sector to keep flowing and performing even in emergency situations like global pandemic. 

This partnership pave way to reduce the gap between the education and employability through employment focused skill development programs. 

The program also involves special programs for people with vision and speech disabilities. 

Taking this cooperation to the next level, Microsoft will also join hands with the Sindh Government in creating a feasible and robust environment for digitalization.

For example, in providing affordable and secure devices, free learning materials, providing professional development opportunities, ensuring internet connectivity in the areas of Sindh without the facility.

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 3: Pakistan’s cellular and digital services frontrunner, Zong 4G, has been recognized as the most superior network of the country by Pakistan Telecom Authority’s (PTA) latest Quality of Service (QoS) survey (Q4), 2021.

In the recent Quality of Service (QoS) survey carried out by PTA in 18 cities and nine motorways, highways, intercity roads across all four provinces to measure the performance of the services of Pakistani Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs).

The survey gauged the CMO performances against the issued KPIs of voice, network coverage, SMS, and mobile broadband/data using a state-of-the-art automated QoS Monitoring and Benchmarking tool.

In the survey, Zong took the lead in major performance metrics including mobile network coverage, mobile broadband service, voice call quality, and overall telecom ranking. 

“We’re delighted to have topped the PTA QoS charts for Q4, 2021, and are always in pursuit of service excellence on every single front,” shared Zong’s official spokesperson on the achievement. 

“We will continue to find new ways of serving our customers better and drive the digital change that Pakistan needs at the moment. 

Moreover, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our customers for their trust in Zong as their preferred digital connectivity partner,” the spokesperson added. 

Zong is Pakistan’s top connectivity and digital services provider that’s also leading the ICT-led digital transformation in the country. 

The company delivers best-in-class mobile telephony and digital services while striving to help Pakistan match its digital pace with the world and enter the 5G era.

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Sofia, MAR 2: Bulgaria has given two Russian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country over accusations of spying, Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska said on Wednesday.

Bulgaria, Moscow’s closest ally during the Cold War but now a European Union and NATO member state that has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has expelled eight other Russian diplomats over suspected spying since October 2019.

“Two Russian diplomats have been declared persona non grata, after we received a letter from the chief prosecutor,” Genchovska told reporters.

Prosecutors on Wednesday accused one Russian diplomat of espionage and said a Bulgarian reserve general was being investigated for handing out information considered to be state secrets to the Russian diplomat. The prosecutors did not provide details of the timing of the events.

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bulgaria has stepped up work on probes linked to national security and authorities were assessing whether more Russian diplomats had breached their status, a government spokeswoman said.

The foreign ministry has handed a second note to a representative of the Russian embassy in Sofia to protest against a recent publication seen as offensive to Bulgaria and its Western allies on social media.

In a Feb. 28 Facebook post, the embassy said a number of Russian government websites had been blocked or were displaying incorrectly in Bulgaria, because of “the information aggression by Washington and its Euro-Atlantic henchmen”.

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Courtesy Anews

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