FARUKH SHEHZAD

Hafizabad, MAR 13: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said he was unfazed by the opposition’s attempts to de-seat him through the no-trust move, saying the nation will witness that the “three rats who have united to dislodge the government will eventually get preyed upon” themselves.

Addressing a rally in Punjab’s Hafizabad, the prime minister first recalled the public welfare initiatives taken by his government amid the problems faced by the country before criticising the main opposition leaders.

The premier said people will see that those trying to dislodge him from the top office would get buried under the weight of their own conspiracy. He recalled that some 20 EU ambassadors had questioned him in the past on his stance of opposing drone attacks. “I asked them whether they will allow Pakistan to launch a drone attack at a Pakistan-based terrorist sitting in London for 30 years who has been involved in several killings in Karachi, the capital of Sindh,” he alleged.

Imran said he would not appease anyone or opt for a foreign policy that resulted in the country’s interest being compromised.

He called out JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari for maintaining silence on US drone strikes in Pakistan between 2008 and 2018, saying those leaders never spoke for the rights of Pakistan.

He said his government would maintain relations with everyone “but will not make any compromise on national interests”.

PM Imran insisted that Pakistan was going to become a great country in the remainder of his term, adding that the incentives announced by his government would yield results in time to come.

PM firm on EU criticism

PM Imran reiterated that he had rightly criticised the European Union for writing to Pakistan and asking the government to condemn Russia.

“The west only respects you when they see you are sincere towards your country,” he said.

He said he was respected in all countries he has visited so far as the prime minister. “I do not have any wealth stashed abroad nor I am involved in any corruption,” he claimed, adding: “I only entered the politics to serve my people.”

The prime minister said the crimes will only keep on rising if the nation stayed silent on wrongdoings in a society and allowed corruption, sex crimes and violence to become a norm.

He said his government had introduced a single national curriculum to remove class differences in the country. “Currently, only a tiny segment get good jobs while the rest of people end up getting low-scale jobs.”

He said it was imperative to teach the English language to everyone, but it should not be seen as a parameter to judge and differentiate people. “It only happened because we never overhauled our education system,” he added.

The prime minister said Pakistan was building two universities to empower the country technologically, and the varsities will enable Pakistan to manufacture its own aircraft.

----------------------------------

Courtesy Dawn News

-------------

ISLAMABAD, Mar 13: India says it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan on Wednesday, blaming the incident on a “technical malfunction” during routine maintenance.

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in an analysis posted on its website said, “Any object entering the airspace of any country is considered an attack. In such a case, the defense rules and regulations say that in case of a missile, you should also retaliate. So not doing so on Pakistan’s part is a wise decision as well.”

These are the words of Sashant Singh, a senior fellow at the Center for Policy Research in India, who praised Pakistan’s “resolved response” to the accidental landing of an Indian BrahMos missile on March 9, 2022 in Mian Channu, Pakistan.

Sashant Singh is not the only Indian voice praising Pakistan in this regard. Due to the strained relations between Pakistan and India, recent events and nuclear capabilities, the question remains whether this ‘accidental missile’ fire could have caused tension between the two countries.

But this did not happen, for which many Indian journalists and military experts are giving credit to the Pakistani government, especially at a time when it took two days for India to admit.

It should be noted that on March 9, an unexpected incident took place in Mian Channu town of Khanewal district of Pakistan. In which a very fast object flying over the local residential area.

Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, Director General, ISPR, told a press conference on March 10 that “the thing that fell into Mian Channu while flying at high speed was probably an Indian missile.”

The next day, March 11, the Indian Ministry of Defense acknowledged in a statement that “the missile was accidentally fired due to a technical malfunction during routine maintenance.” The Indian Ministry of Defense has also ordered a high-level inquiry.

Speaking to the BBC, Sashant Singh, said: “Thankfully, no casualties were reported.”

What would have happened, Sashant asked, if the missile had hit a big city; thankfully, no casualty took place. He said that Pakistan’s defense system is much better. “Even so, no defense system can determine whether a cross-border missile has been fired accidentally.”

He said that any object entering the airspace of any country is considered as an attack. In such a case, the defense rules and regulations say that in case of missiles, you should also retaliate. So not doing so on Pakistan’s part is a wise decision as well.

Moeed Yousuf, security adviser to the Pakistani prime minister, said in a statement on Twitter on March 11 that the supersonic missile had reached the Pakistani border at an altitude of 40,000 feet. After the launch of this missile, it took two days for India to be informed that the missile was launched by accident.

It should be noted that the statement of the Indian Ministry of Defense regarding the missile came to light on March 11, two days after the incident.

In his statement, Moeed expressed concern over the relations between Pakistan and India and said that a fascist ideology was being pursued in India at present under which an attempt was made to attack Pakistan in 2019.

Praveen Sohne, editor of the Indian military magazine Force, told the BBC: Pakistan has “acted prudently in this matter which should take place in a democratic government”. And alongside this, questions on India should continue to be raised, but there should be no mention of the use of weapons and retaliation.

Commenting on the statement of the Indian Ministry of Defense, Sashant said, “This is a cursory statement which cannot be taken seriously unless the Indian Ministry of Defense clarifies why it happened. And the results of the inquiry in this regard should be shared with Pakistan.

“There was no news from the Indian DGMO hotline,” said Sashant Singh. It should be noted that the hotline link between Pakistan and the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army can be used for emergency exchange of information in any emergency situation.

After this incident, there was a discussion on social media that it has nothing to do with the upcoming elections in India. In some statements, the incident is also being portrayed as a ‘Modi conspiracy’.

But the state elections in India were over on March 7 and the results were out by March 10.

Experts in both countries are watching with concern the statement about the accidental launch of the missile in the wake of these incidents.

--------------------------

Courtesy Dawn News

--------------------

ISLAMABAD, MAR 13: The delay in decision-making by the four smaller but key coalition partners of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on the issue of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is not only prolonging the prevailing political uncertainty in the country, but it has also started to unnerve the government.

And it all became evident on Saturday when Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) was “blackmailing” the government in return for support during the opposition’s no-trust move. The interior minister’s remarks invited the ire of the PML-Q leadership, and he received a quick and a befitting response from Federal Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, who in a tweet alleged that Mr Ahmed “used to take money from the party’s elders during his student life”.

The remarks from the interior minister during a news conference in Quetta came on the same day as PML-Q leaders, after holding a consultative meeting in Islamabad on Saturday, announced that they would meet again on Sunday (today) to finalise the party’s stance and strategy.

The exchange of such acrimonious remarks from both the sides clearly indicates that the gulf between the ruling PTI and the PML-Q has started widening. And this fact came to the surface when the PML-Q also criticised Prime Minister Khan’s speech that he delivered in Lower Dir on Friday.

“We condemn the prime minister’s speech. We consider it shameful and below the status of the prime minister,” said PML-Q senator Kamil Ali Agha.

The PML-Q, an important ally of the PTI at the Centre and Punjab, had reportedly asked the prime minister to announce Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as the replacement of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar before calling the National Assembly session to take up the opposition’s no-trust motion.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Agha said the party leaders had a detailed meeting on Saturday in light of the leadership’s meeting with the government and the opposition people and that they would meet again on Sunday.

When asked about the reason for the delay in decision-making, which was adding to political uncertainty in the country, Mr Agha said his party leadership always took decisions after consultations and deliberations. He, however, expressed the hope that the PML-Q might come out with a final decision on Sunday.

In response to another question, Mr Agha categorically refuted reports in some media circles that Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had asked them to merge the party into the PTI to get the chief minister’s office of Punjab.

The PML-Q senator then ridiculed the information minister by stating that they did not consider him an appropriate person to talk such serious political matters. He said the information minister had met Chaudhry Pervez Elahi on Friday only on one-point agenda to discuss the issue of the controversial ordinance which the government had promulgated to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (Peca).

Mr Agha also hit out at the interior minister for targeting the PML-Q and said it seemed that Mr Ahmed was in a fear of losing the ministry. The PML-Q senator said he knew Mr Ahmed personally and he had always got the ministries in the past by “pleading” and through sycophancy.

The PML-Q has now acquired a central role in the ongoing political drama despite having only five MNAs. It seems that the three other allies — the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) — are waiting for each other to make a decision.

Given the party position in the National Assembly, it is clear that if any two of the four allies make a decision to quit the ruling coalition, Prime Minister Imran Khan will lose the majority in the 342-mnember house. As many as 17 MNAs belong to these four coalition parties or alliances and the ruling party had the support of 179 MNAs at present.

Earlier, talking to reporters in Quetta where he had gone to inaugurate a Nadra mega centre, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that he was standing with Prime Minister Imran Khan like a rock but not responsible for the other allies “as even those having five members are blackmailing for the chief ministership in Punjab”.

When asked to whom he was calling a blackmailer, he said, “I’m talking about Punjab politics.”

He claimed that BAP, another coalition partner at the Centre and ruling party in the province, was openly with Imran Khan.

He said the government had decided to deploy Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel for security of the Parliament House and Parliament Lodges seven days prior to the voting on no-confidence motion so that there would remain no complaint of law and order.

Under Article 245 of the Constitution, he said, the government could summon the army as well, nevertheless the situation had not reached that point yet.

Meetings with MNAs

Despite the weekend, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday held separate meetings with groups of party MNAs.

During the meetings, according to the state-run APP news agency, the prime minister said the economy of Pakistan was on a path of sustainable growth due to successful policies of the government.

Mr Khan directed that the elected representatives should strengthen their contact with the people and create awareness among them about the different government schemes for the socioeconomic progress.

The prime minister also directed that people should be informed that the government was aware of their problems and was taking all possible steps to save them from the negative effects of imported inflation due to the historic rise in the commodity prices in the international markets.

Those who attended the meetings included PTI MNAs from Peshawar, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Chakwal.

Fawad’s tweet

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday that the ill-planned no-confidence motion of the opposition caused bitterness in politics. In a tweet, he said, democracy was not a system of extreme divisions, it was based on a consensus on certain things.

“I don’t think (politics) should be so divisive that it should become difficult to talk (to each other). It is not difficult to fight but reconciliation is difficult later,” he said.

Responding to the minister’s tweet, PML-N information secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb said negotiations and dialogue could only be held with seasoned politicians, and “not with thugs and hooligans like Imran Khan, who uses abusive language for political opponents and threatens their lives”.

She said it was Imran Khan who had turned political opposition into a bloodthirsty animosity and created divisions, chaos and disorder in society. “Does Fawad Chaudhry take the people of Pakistan as fools, or is he fooling himself by saying that PTI or Imran does not want polarisation in the society? Imran is the reason for the divisions in society, the dirt and filth in Pakistani politics,” she said.

-----------------------------------------

Courtesy Dawn News

----------------

KARACHI, MAR 13: Usman Khawaja fell after a marathon 160 as Australia lost three wickets in the second session to be 407 for seven at tea on day two of the second Test against Pakistan on Sunday.

Islamabad-born Khawaja added 33 runs to his overnight 127 to depart after a fine knock that included 15 boundaries and a six.

Alex Carey was batting on 26 at the tea break with Mitchell Starc giving company on one.

Earlier, after Australia resumed on 251-3, Shaheen Afridi subjected Nathan Lyon to a bouncer barrage but the nightwatchman did not flinch and kept pulling occasionally finding the boundary much to Pakistan’s chagrin.

Lyon hit five boundaries in an entertaining 38 before he had his stumps rearranged by a Faheem Ashraf express delivery.

Lyon put on 54 runs with Khawaja and left having played the pesky nightwatchman’s role to perfection.

Khawaja had shelved the reverse sweep on Saturday but Pakistan were convinced they had him caught in the slips on Sunday when the opener attempted the shot against Nauman Ali.

However, replays ruled out any ball-bat contact and Pakistan lost a review.

Khawaja duly brought up his 150 but could not better his highest score of 174 as Sajid Khan dealt a double blow.

The off-spinner first trapped Travis Head lbw for 23 and then spun one past Khawaja’s bat to hit the off-stump.

Cameron Green, who was not even born when Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998, made 28 before Nauman confounded him with a sharp-turning ball that pitched outside leg stump and went on to hit the off.

Australia’s first test in Pakistan since 1998 ended in a draw in Rawalpindi where the pitch was rated as below average by the ICC.

---------------------------------

Courtesy Dawn News

--------------

KARACHI, MAR 12: Usman Khawaja smashed his 11th Test hundred and forged a 159-run partnership with Steve Smith to power Australia to 251 for three on the opening day of the second Test against Pakistan on Saturday.

Islamabad-born Khawaja had fallen agonisingly short of a hundred in the opening Test in Rawalpindi where he top-scored for his side with a breezy 97.

The elegant left-hander made amends in Karachi where he shelved the reverse sweep and made an unbeaten 127, which included 13 fours and a six.

Smith made 72 before falling to Hasan Ali in the penultimate over of the day.

Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon had yet to open his account.

Earlier, Australia got off to a strong start after Pat Cummins elected to bat on a dry surface at the National Stadium which offered reverse swing as early as in the second session.

Khawaja looked in sublime touch and scored freely on the leg-side after being fed regularly on his pad.

His opening partner David Warner was less convincing, though, surviving a couple of LBW appeals and getting hit on his shoulder by a short delivery from Hasan.

Warner hit Sajid Khan for a six to bring up Australia’s 50 in the 11th over.

Sajid conceded two more sixes in his fourth over, prompting Pakistan captain Babar Azam to take the spinner out of the attack.

Seamer Faheem Ashraf broke the 82-run opening stand with a back of a length delivery that Warner, who made 36, could only edge to M Rizwan behind the stumps.

Pakistan tasted a second success soon afterwards when Sajid ran out Marnus Labuschagne for a duck with a direct throw from mid-off.

------------------------------------

Courtesy Dawn News

---------------

Opening the way to the ideal of permanent and sustainable peace can only be possible with the elements of soft power, Turkey‘s first lady said on Saturday.

Speaking at a panel as part of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Emine Erdoğan said it was essential to review the approaches and methods of diplomacy to keep up with the new world that is being built.

In this context, Erdoğan said that they wanted to draw attention to soft power in diplomacy.


She said that they held consultations on peace amid the devastation and suffering caused by the war in Ukraine.

“The cries of mothers who lost their children in conflicts resonate all over the world. We witness families falling apart. Unfortunately, the dark shadow of war has once again fallen upon humanity,” she said.

“Unfortunately, the reflex shown in the face of the war in Ukraine, which has plunged us all into great grief, was not shown equally for other oppressed peoples. Regardless of race or religion, the pain and fear experienced by a child or a woman in the face of war are equal. One tear cannot outstand another. So let’s take this day as a milestone and unite against all the wars that already exist,” the first lady said.

Women and children are disproportionately affected by the wars, Erdoğan said, adding that women are underrepresented in the role of negotiator and mediator.

She said: “In his speech here, Ambassador Jean-Paul Carteron, founder and honorary president of Crans Montana Forum (CMF), stated that Europe experienced ‘a real 9/11’ in a place very close to Turkey.”

“The UN is really the club of the winners of the Second World War. Many decisions cannot be made with the veto game. The UN is not an institution that will settle world issues in the 21st century. They could have done that 75 years ago,” Erdoğan quoted Carteron as saying.

---------------------------------------------

 Courtesy Anews

-----------------

Editor-In-Chief, Farukh Shehzad

Until and unless you do not have all 11 players sincere and honest in your cricket team you cannot win the match against any side.

News regarding horse trading is circulating after the Opposition has submitted a no-trust move against PM Iman Khan.

So, it is a perfect time in the shape of “NO-TRUST MOVE” for PM Imran to see who take money to sell himself or who stays with him and his honest ideology within his team.

We advise PM Imran that people who take money to sell out themselves, Let them go and pick only those who are sincere and honest for Pakistan and its people.

All this process will help PM Imran in finding sincere and honest people to make them part of his team for the time ahead.

Concluding Remarks:

PM Imran Khan has to make sure that all of his members are sincere and honest in his team, and only by doing this Pakistan and its people can make progress.

-----------------------------------------------

Lower Dir, MAY 11: Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed on Friday a huge public gathering in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower Dir, where he lashed out at all three party heads – PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman – who have joined hands to file a no-trust motion against him.

Terming them the “three stooges”, Imran recalled instances from the past when, according to him, these leaders had gone against Pakistan’s national interest.

He said he had been praying that they go ahead with their plan to file a no-confidence motion against him so that he was given an opportunity to ” take three wickets in one ball”.

“I am competing against these three dacoits and … I will take all three wickets with one inswing yorker,” the premier repeated.

He also alleged that the opposition had been demanding an NRO from him.

“They tell me that they will topple my government if I don’t close corruption cases against them. But I tell them that I will not close the cases even if I have to give my life for it. I am not doing politics against you but fighting a jihad.”

The prime minister further accused the opposition of trying to buy the votes of lawmakers from the PTI and its allied parties to make the no-confidence motion a success.

He said he had called on people to gather at Islamabad’s D-Chowk a day before the session for voting on the no-confidence motion, which is yet to be scheduled.

On that day, the premier said, there would be a sea of people at D-Chowk.

PM Imran said he had asked people to gather at D-Chowk to convey the message to the opposition that the nation was standing with the good and against the evil.

“Humans either side with the good or the evil. Only animals remain neutral,” he commented.

The premier termed voting on the no-confidence motion “a match in parliament” and said, “You will see what I do with them after winning this match.”

The premier said that in a recent media talk, Fazl had said when he comes to power, he would “mend an institution”. This, the premier said, was a reference to Pakistan Army.

“Today, Pakistan exists because of the army,” the prime minister said. “Will these people fix the army?” he questioned.

The premier held the opposition leaders responsible for the Pakistani passport losing respect in the world.

“They have been ruling this country for the past 30 to 35 years. They took loans and indebted this country, and they bowed before the world’s big powers,” he said, adding that neither Zardari nor PML-N supremo had condemned drone strikes carried out by the US in Pakistan during their tenures as the president and prime minister, respectively.

On the other hand, he continued, his government’s vision was to transform Pakistan into a welfare state, along the lines of the state of Madinah.

“Look at my manifesto, in which I outlined three goals. Firstly, I said that we would make Pakistan a self-respecting nation, make it stand on its feet,” he said. “Secondly, that we would make our country a welfare state similar to the state of Madinah and thirdly, we would install a system of justice. We would bring the powerful under law.”

Reiterating that he intended to make Pakistan a welfare state similar to the state of Madinah, he outlined various measures, including the issuance of health cards and the recent reduction in petrol prices by Rs10, taken by his government in this regard.

“We are now on the path to becoming [a state like Madinah],” he said. “Pakistan will become an example for the world,” he added.

As he again turned his gun on opposition leaders, the premier referred to an incident of an Indian “high-speed flying object” falling in Khanewal’s Main Channu yesterday.

“An Indian missile entered Pakistan yesterday,” he said. “But when Nawaz Sharif was in power, he never spoke against [Indian Prime Minister] who was calling the Pakistan Army terrorists at the time.”

Instead, he continued, Nawaz directed the Foreign Office not to issue statements against India.

The premier attributed these actions to leaders having outside the country.

“And leader whose assets are abroad will never devise an independent foreign policy that focuses on protecting the nation and its rights,” he said.

“But neither have I ever bowed before anyone nor will I ever let you bow before you anyone,” he assured.

Shehbaz, Fazl respond

Later, Shehbaz and Fazl responded to the allegations levelled against them by the premier, saying that he should introspect before targeting his opponents.

Speaking to the media alongside Shehbaz, Fazl also criticised the premier over what he described as the use of disrespectful language.

“Your speeches clearly show that you are not capable of serving as a prime minister,” he said.

He urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice of the public meetings being attended by PM Imran following the submission of the no-confidence motion against him and asserted that the opposition had enough votes to oust the premier.

When asked whether he had complained to the army chief about PM Imran calling him names, Fazl replied in the negative.

“I have never engaged in such politics. Everyone knows about my views. I’ve always been against civil and military bureaucracy meddling in politics,” he said.

Fazl said his party was waging “jihad” against PM Imran, who had been “exposed”.

When it was his turn to speak, Shehbaz referred to the prime minister asking people to gather at D-Chowk a day before the no-trust vote and said “we are prepared to confront [you] politically”.

------------------------------------------

Courtesy Dawn News

---------------

ISLAMABAD, MAR 11: The Government of Japan and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in close collaboration with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (GoKP) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supported 50,762 households under the “Project for Restoration of Livelihoods in the Merged Areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Phase II)” in Khyber and Kurram districts.

Japan’s grant of US$ 5.3 million was extended in continuation of the initial support of US$ 5 million for “The Project for Assistance to the Recovery and Development of the Agricultural Economy in FATA”, implemented from 2015 to 2017, as vital support for 77,200 returning families/households to rebuild their lives upon their return to home after years of displacement in KP Province.

The Phase II of the initial project focused on adopting climate-smart and resilient agricultural interventions, including the dissemination of improved practices for increasing livestock, poultry and inland fisheries’ production, introduction of efficient water harvesting methods, and rehabilitation of irrigation structures, and executed Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) plans.

Furthermore, the project also contributed to enhance agricultural productivity and value addition, and develop key value chains and functional markets for sustainable food supply and improved nutrition.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of a longstanding friendship between Japan and Pakistan, and this project shows a great example of how Japanese people have dedicated their support to the people of Pakistan.

The ceremony was held in Islamabad to celebrate the completion of the project, attended by the Ambassador of Japan, WADA Mitsuhiro, Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan, Mr. FURUTA Shigeki, FAO Representative in Pakistan, Mr. Farrukh Toirov, Secretary Agriculture, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dr. Muhammad Israr Khan, and high level officials of relevant departments of the Government of Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, WADA said, “We recognize the livelihoods in Pakistan have been increasingly affected by the Afghanistan humanitarian crisis, and we consider sustainable agriculture essential for securing livelihoods”, highlighting that “through our strong partnership demonstrated by this project, I hope we will continue to work together to achieve sustainable development in Pakistan.”

Mr. FURUTA Shigeki, Chief Representative of JICA Pakistan Office noted, “The project has contributed to ensuring food security through sustainable agriculture development, value addition in agriculture, and capacity development of those who engage in the fields of agriculture and livestock. 

It has also promoted the restoration and improvement of the livelihoods in Kurram and Khyber Districts. Building sustainable livelihoods is essential to achieve peace and stability in the region, and where peace and stability exists, further development and prosperity can be realized. 

Highlighting the achievements of the Project Mr. Farrukh Toirov, Deputy FAO Representative in Pakistan said, “He is very pleased to see that all the deliverables of this project are successfully achieved”. 

He thanked the JICA and Government of Japan for giving FAO an opportunity to support the repatriated IDPs in the Newly Merged Districts of KP.

He said that the economy of NMDs, based mainly on subsistence agriculture, has historically been weaker than the rest of the country, which was further accentuated by the mass-scale exodus of population to other areas as IDPs.

The support provided by the Government of Japan has played a very crucial role in the recovery and rehabilitation of the returned families in Khyber and Kurram district of KP. 

He said that during the implementation of the project, the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic in the start of 2020 had not only created a health-specific emergency but disrupted every sector of global, national and local economies. 

Furthermore, when the Government and other national and international partners were busy in coping with the effects of Covid-19, the locust invasion in different parts of the country posed another threat and further added to the people’s vulnerabilities of the target districts.

Therefore, apart from its original mandate, FAO also supported its target beneficiaries against the Covid-19 and Locust infestation. More than 50,700 HHs were supported through the provision of quality inputs to resume their agri-base livelihoods and to start new enterprises under agricultural value chains.

FAO has scaled-up its interventions to ascertain improved farming practices and enhance productivity and thus created linkages of farmers with the outside markets. He further said that by now, stabilization and wellbeing of the target HHs is mostly done, however, development initiatives need to further support the local market systems for enhanced jobs and incomes.

Secretary Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives’ Department, Government of KP, Dr. Muhammad Israr Khan while appreciating the performance of the project said, “The Government and people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are extremely thankful to the people and the Government of Japan for their continued support in the rehabilitation and development efforts of the internally displaced families of the former FATA, now the NMDs of KP.” 

He said that the Government of Japan, through JICA, has been supporting the rehabilitation of IDPs in Khyber and Kurram districts since 2015.

During the 1st phase of their support from July 2015 to Sept 2017, about 77,000 families were assisted; and now under the 2nd phase started in April 2018 and ended in Dec 2021, more than 50,700 families have been supported. 

He said that agriculture is the mainstay of the people in the merged districts and plays a very pivotal role in their livelihoods. Therefore, the Government of KP is making all its efforts to enhance agriculture production and increase their sources of income through various developmental initiatives. 

He further said that apart from supporting IDPs, the Government of Japan and JICA have launched and implemented several other developmental projects in the province which have far reaching impacts on the livelihoods of the people.

He emphasized continued support from the Government of Japan and other donors to ensure sustainable development and stabilization of the area. 

The Secretary also expressed his sincere thanks to FAO Pakistan for augmenting their efforts through the support of various donors, including JICA and the Government of Japan.

Several project beneficiaries who had traveled to Islamabad from Kurram and Khyber districts to attend this gathering briefed the participants how had they benefitted from this project.

-------------------------------------------------------

ISLAMABAD, MAR 11: Microsoft Pakistan organized Edu Day 2022, a global initiative that is taken to attain its goal of seamless knowledge transfer through digitalizing the education system and transforming learning practices of institutions across Pakistan.

The event was held virtually and attended by thousands of Educationists, school leaders, teachers, and Government officials in both the Public and Private landscape. It's worth mentioning here that Microsoft has already entered into Education Transformation Agreements (ETA) with various academic institutions and Education departments across Pakistan including colleges and universities under the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

The collaboration will prove to be beneficial for Government officials in the Education Department, school leaders, and teachers striving to balance their short-term decisions with long-term investments in students’ future through technology.

The core objective of this particular digital event was to showcase the country's top educational institutions that are diligently learning and implementing Microsoft technologies. Also, how Microsoft is supporting the institutions in leveraging Microsoft's customized products and services to digitize their core functions.

In particular, Microsoft classroom features such as “Microsoft teams” that can help students, teachers, and staff to collaborate digitally for conversation, content sharing, and creating a robust environment of learning. The benefits of other useful tools such as OneNote, Minecraft for Education were also brought under discussion.

The event successfully also brought under discussion ways to engage students in a hybrid model environment, access to appropriate devices and learning platforms, technology integration and student well-being, and the impact of continuous professional learning on educators.

The event was attended by a number of renowned Educationists and leaders of education across Pakistan including Education Minister Punjab Dr. Murad Raas, Microsoft Country Education Lead Mr. Jibran Jamshad, DG QAED Mr. Ali Ammer, CIO HEC Mr. Nazeer Hussain and CEO Roots Millennium education Mr. Faisal Mushtaq.

Murad Raas, Education Minister Punjab graced the event by joining as a Chief Guest.  While expressing his thoughts he said that “Bringing the Teachers training in Punjab through QAED on Microsoft 365 enabled us to train over 300,000 plus of our teachers at a time when due to Covid things were at a halt. We are continuing the same platform even now which has not only bridged gaps for people in distant areas to benefit from the digital platform but also saved us considerable costs that are incurred hosting on-location training"

Shahpara Rizvi, Director Training, Sindh Education Foundation, Ms. Ayesha Karim, Chief, Research Innovation and IT, QAED, Ms. Sonia Saleem, CEO, Socio Engineering Technologies and Mr . Muzzamil Hussain, DevOps/IOT/R&D Lead, Punjab Group of Colleges joined  the event as panelists and shared their valued opinion on how Microsoft has positively transformed their digital journey in their respective organizations

Senior Regional Team of Microsoft including Mr. Ibrahim Youssry Regional General Manager – MEA MCC, Mr. Majed Akl, Director K12 Education, Microsoft MEA, Ms. Jaye Richards, Director Learning, Microsoft MEA, and Country Manager Pakistan; Mr Shahzad Khan also shared the latest perspective and trends in Microsoft to empower teachers and students across the globe.

Jibran Jamshad, Country Education Lead for Microsoft in Pakistan said that ““The last couple of years made us realize the massive impact of technology on our lives and the Education industry is no exception. The use of technology is equally needed for the public and private institutions and at the federal and provincial level.

By driving customers through a cloud-first journey and modernizing their data centers/operations, gearing up students for future-ready skills through Microsoft certifications, modernizing classroom practices via hybrid learning, automating the back office through ERP and campus management system, we are trying not only to transform the system according to the need of the hour but also increasing efficiency and productivity”.

---------------------------------------------------

Editor-In-Chief / Farukh Shehzad

Pakistan can not afford looters furthermore in power therefore Pak Establishment needs to understand gravity of the situation and come up to rescue PM Imran Khan from the Opposition's No-Trust attack.

The establishment must play its role for a prosperous Pakistan for the time ahead.

-----------------------------------------------