FARUKH SHEHZAD

• PTI workers descend upon Islamabad for ‘biggest show of power’
• Rashid warns of action over extending protest, violation of SC directions
• Private media stopped from taking cameras to cover PM’s jalsa

ISLAMABAD, MAR 27: Nerves are on edge as the federal capital braces for a political showdown on Sunday (today), as the ruling PTI is going all-out to make its Amr Bil Maroof public meeting successful amid mounting pressure from opposition parties, which are also marching on Islamabad before the vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Workers and leaders of the JUI-F, under the banner of the opposition alliance PDM, have already come to take the stage on the Srinagar Highway while PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, along with Punjab opposition leader Hamza Shehbaz was leading her party caravan via GT Road to the capital, calling it the last nail in the coffin of the PTI government.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, speaking at a presser in Islamabad, warned the JUI-F that it would not be permitted to hold a sit-in in Islamabad, as they had been allowed to hold the public meeting on Saturday only and they would need to submit another request if they wanted to hold rally on Sunday, too.

He also cautioned that no party would be allowed to enter Red Zone and action would be taken against those who attempted to take law into their hands by blocking another party’s route or by holding a sit-in in violation of Supreme Court directions. He said the interior ministry would cooperate with opposition parties in connection with their upcoming rallies and no-confidence vote and provide full security to “all their lawmakers”.

Security

Mr Rashid said the Srinagar Highway had been handed over to Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Corps, saying that in all 15,000 personnel would be performing security duty. Besides, the government had the authority to call army under Article 245 of the Constitution, if need be, but hoped the situation would not reach a point where the ministry was compelled extreme measures, he said.

Meanwhile, PTI workers also started turning up in the twin cities from different parts of the country to reach the Parade Ground, where the stage has been set for party’s grand power show amid the allegations levelled by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that the ruling party received its funding from other countries to bring people on streets.

Conspiracy

“A conspiracy is being hatched to cause bloodshed on the streets of Islamabad,” PPP Senators Palwasha Khan and Rubina Khalid told a press conference. The PPP had lately also advised other opposition parties against holding a sit-in in the capital to avoid clashes.

Senator Khan said: “Threats are coming from countries, like India and Israel, from where funding for the PTI had come. And, it is being spent on public meeting.” According to her, it was not the job of interior minister to lead a procession against the opposition. “The interior minister will be responsible for all situations,” she said, advising the ruling PTI to face the no-confidence motion in a constitutional way.

Media stopped

For what is being claimed as ‘historic jalsa’, which would be addressed by Prime Minister Khan, a PTI spokesperson on Saturday evening announced that the media professionals would not be allowed to use professional cameras to record the event as “cameras pose security risk”.

The PTI rally organisers and media crew exchanged arguments when the latter were told that cameras of private TV channels would not be allowed due to the “security protocol” of the prime minister but they would be allowed to use their mobile phones for footage and photos. The photojournalists decided to lodge a complaint to the media bodies against the PTI attitude.

When contacted, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary later said that efforts were being made with the relevant authorities to facilitate the media. “We have always assisted media persons to execute their duties and a separate enclosure has been established for local as well as international media,” he claimed.

Prime Minister Khan earlier announced that the gathering of his supporters would not be less than a million. After that ‘public show’, the PTI leaders believe that the pressure of a no-confidence motion against the premier would defuse.

PML-N march

Earlier in the day, the PML-N’s anti-inflation long march kicked off from party’s main secretariat in Lahore’s Model Town with its leadership hoping that it would prove the last nail in the coffin of the Imran government which was facing a no-trust move.

Led by deposed Maryam and Hamza, the rally was heading at a snail’s pace towards its destination in Islamabad where it would join the nine-party alliance PDM caravans to hold a public meeting. The PML-N said the PDM’s long march could stay in the capital for two or more days depending on the political situation despite the interior minister’s warning that the opposition would not be permitted to extend its stay.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court on Saturday warned the JUI-F against violating conditions of the no-objection certificate for holding a public gathering under the PDM banner and directed the capital administration to act against violators in accordance with law. The organisers of the JUI-F public gathering assured the capital administration that they would follow the terms and conditions of the NOC in letter and spirit.

Along the route to Islamabad, PML-N workers had set up reception camps at different points where they danced to the tune of party songs as their leader waved to them. “We have covered hardly a few kilometres in four hours because of a large number of participants,” Maryam Nawaz said, adding that Mr Khan had already lost power and only a ‘formal announcement’ was to be made. “His cries are the herald of his departure. Once the long march reaches the capital the departure of the selected regime will be announced,” she said, predicting difficult times ahead for him. “Once he is out of power, his corruption stories will come to the fore and evidence be presented. I stand by my claim that billions of rupees have been made in transfers and postings by those who have direct links with the Banigala (residence of Imran Khan) which is a mother of all scandals,” she said.

Talks with PML-Q

Talking to a private news channel, Maryam and Hamza said the opposition’s talks with the government ally PML-Q were under way and because of the public pressure, the Chaudhrys of Gujrat would take side with it (opposition).

Asked if the PML-N leadership had refused to make Chaudhry Parvez Elahi chief minister in Punjab, Ms Nawaz said: “No such decision has been taken as yet. The allies will join the opposition knowing the ground realities.” Hamza said the opposition had been in contact with the PML-Q. “After the success of the no-trust move against Imran Khan, the next target of the opposition is Punjab,” he said.

Kalbe Ali, Aamir Yasin, Iftikhar A. Khan from Islamabad, Zulqernain Tahir from Lahore and Hassan Sheerazi contributed to this report.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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• Allama Iqbal introduced the idea of an independent Muslim state in 1930, Liaquat Merchant

• Dialogue on 'Relations between Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal' held under Quaid-e- Azam Museum House Management Board

KARACHI, MAR 26: Allama Iqbal wanted an independent state. He first proposed the idea of an independent Muslim state in 1930 at a meeting in Allahabad. Later, in his booklet "Now and Never", Chaudhry Rehmat Ali named this independent state as Pakistan. 

These views were expressed by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's grand nephew Liaquat Merchant while addressing a dialogue session on " Relations between Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam". The dialogue was hosted by the Board of Management of the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum.

Allama Iqbal's grandson Senator Walid Iqbal, Vice Chairman of the Board of Management of Quaid-e-Azam Museum Ikram Sehgal, Secretary-General Commodore (R) Sadeed Ahmed, and Vice-Chancellor Zia-ud-Din University Dr. Irfan Haider were also present on the occasion.

Liaquat H. Merchant said that Allama Iqbal was the ideal logical father of the country and he conceived of the idea of a separate Muslim homeland ten years before the Resolution of March, 1940 commonly known as Pakistan Resolution. 

By this time Allama Iqbal had passed away but during the period 1930-1940 Allama Iqbal was largely instrumental in persuading Jinnah who was then popularly called “Ambassador of Hindu-Muslim Unity” to turn around and embrace the two-nation theory as contemplated by Allama Iqbal earlier and on 23rd March, 1940 on the passing of the Pakistan Resolution. Significantly, the Pakistan Resolution does not name “Pakistan” but speaks of four areas namely Sindh, Punjab, Baluchistan and North West Frontier Province. 

Mr. Merchant added that the Mother of the Nation Fatima Jinnah invited me to come to Pakistan in 1964, since then I have been serving Pakistan.

Addressing the occasion, Allama Iqbal's grandson Senator Walid Iqbal said that talking about Quaid-e-Azam was tantamount to talking about principles and leadership. He said that the establishment of Pakistan would not have been possible without Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal.

Walid Iqbal said that in the last days of Iqbal, Pandit Nehru met him and said that if it were not for him no one would have known Jinnah. This offended Allama Iqbal and he said that I am Jinnah's soldier. This is a testament to the trust and confidence between the two leaders. 

He said that Allama Iqbal's voice on social media was being wrongly attributed to the fact that neither All India Radio, nor the British or any international radio had any recording of Allama Iqbal. Responding to a question from the participants, he said that Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the Governor-General of Pakistan had set an example of running the fledgling state effectively under the presidential system.

Ikram Sehgal, Vice Chairman, Quaid-e-Azam Museum Management Board, was moderating the event. He said that this was a historic event similar to the ones held in 2006 and 2007 where Justice (R) Javed Iqbal son of Allama Iqbal and Liaquat H. Merchant grandnephew of Quaid-e-Azam Muhamad Ali Jinnah had participated. And now Iqbal’s grandson Senator Walid Iqbal was a part of the conversation. 

Everyone talks about themselves, but when there is a dialogue about each other, it adds to the information. To guide the new generation and acquaint the youth with the concept of Pakistan, it is necessary to provide information on the sayings of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal. Ikram Sehgal said that in this ceremony the vision of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal was re-remembered which today's generation has forgotten.

Before the dialogue, Secretary-General of the Board of Management Commodore (R) Sadeed Ahmad Malik welcomed the distinguished guests, speakers, and participants. A questions and answer session was also held at the end of the event.

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Kamalia City, MAR 26: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that March 27 (Sunday) — when the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf plans to hold what it calls a “historic” rally in Islamabad ahead of the start of no-confidence proceedings against the premier — would be a “decisive day” in the country’s history.

“The biggest ever sea of people will converge in the capital to give the message to these criminals (opposition) that their days of looting and plundering are over,” PM Imran said while addressing a public meeting in Punjab’s Kamalia city.

State-run Radio Pakistan reported that PM Imran appealed to the citizens on the occasion to reach Islamabad tomorrow for the rally.

The report said PM Imran reiterated his accusation of the opposition offering millions of rupees to government lawmakers for switching sides.

“They are openly buying lawmakers,” he said, expressing the hope that dissident lawmakers would soon return back to the ruling party.

The prime minister claimed that the opposition’s objective behind the no-trust move was to “blackmail” the government into closing corruption cases against them.

“They want an NRO (amnesty),” he said.

PM Imran said the government did not want any unrest in the country and that his party had worked hard to “restore law and peace”.

“The economy is now heading in the right direction,” he said, adding that Pakistan was moving towards achieving the goals of development, progress and prosperity.

On inflation in the country, he said it was temporary and attributed it to Covid-19, Radio Pakistan reported.

“It will reduce soon,” he remarked.

The prime minister also emphasised that in order for the country to flourish, “we need to follow the teachings of Islam, maintain justice and equality and ensure the rule of law”.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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Warsaw, MAR 26: Joe Biden on Saturday met in Warsaw with two Ukrainian ministers in the first face-to-face talks between the US president and top Kyiv officials since Russia’s invasion began.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov made a rare trip out of Ukraine in a possible sign of growing confidence in the fightback against Russian forces.

The meeting took place at the Marriott Hotel in the city centre — opposite a Warsaw train station where there has been a constant flow of Ukrainian refugees since the conflict started.

Biden could be seen seated at a long white table between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, facing Kuleba and Reznikov, the reporter said.

There were Ukrainian and US flags in the background.

Biden last met Kuleba in Washington on February 22 — two days before Russia began its assault.

Since then, Kuleba has also met with Blinken in Poland next to the border with Ukraine on March 5.

Biden is on the second and final day of a visit to Poland after he met with European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders in Brussels earlier in the week.

On Friday, he met with US soldiers stationed in Poland near the Ukrainian border and with aid workers helping refugees fleeing the conflict.

He praised Ukrainians for showing “backbone” against the Russian invasion and compared their resistance to the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in China in 1989.

“This is Tiananmen Square squared,” he said.

He also referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a man who, quite frankly, I think is a war criminal”.

“And I think we’ll meet the legal definition of that as well,” he said.

Biden said he would have liked to see the devastation caused by the conflict “first-hand”.

“They won’t let me, understandably I guess, cross the border,” he said.

Speaking to the troops, he said: “You’re in the midst of a fight between democracies and autocrats. What you’re doing is consequential, really consequential.”

Later on Saturday, he is due to meet with Polish leaders, visit a reception centre for refugees and give a major speech on the conflict.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 26: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Saturday that he had advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to call elections after presenting the federal budget for fiscal year 2022-23 as his popularity had increased following the opposition's submission of a no-trust resolution against him.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he stressed that the idea for early elections was his own "opinion" and should not be taken as the PTI's stance.

Terming the opposition "foolish", Rashid said their move had taken the prime minister to a level of popularity where "it is the right time to go for early elections."

"I'm asking for early elections after presenting a good budget because this incompetent opposition has allowed us to win again," Rashid said.

"When the Pakistani nation sees their (opposition leaders) faces, they switch channels," he claimed.

"This is the same Shehbaz [Sharif] who says Nawaz [Sharif] greatly respects [Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed] Bajwa and the army.

"Where did vote ko izzat do go? The vote has been sold at shops, they have insulted democracy," he said, referring to Nawaz Sharif’s earlier rhetoric of attacking the army chief for allegedly ousting him from power.

PPP's Jam Abdul Karim to be arrested

Rashid said PPP MNA Jam Abdul Karim, who is an absconder in the Nazim Jokhio murder case, would be arrested from the airport on his return from Dubai.

"This is the first time I have seen on TV that [such a person] is staying in Dubai and has not surrendered. We will arrest him from the airport. We have not received any notice [regarding bail]. We will also send his name to Interpol tomorrow as the Sindh Home Department will not send his name because they (PPP) need his vote."

The interior minister said he had spoken to the Sindh inspector general of police, adding that the MNA's name was already on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) — a 30-day temporary travel restriction introduced in 2018 as an alternative to the more tedious Exit Control List (ECL).

"We will arrest him and hand him over to Sindh police," he said. Referring to the PPP, he said, "Look at the condition of this party that even absconding murderers are being brought back from Dubai for the [no-confidence] vote. This means their legs are shaking."

He further said that the interior ministry would hold a meeting at 4pm today during which Karim's name would be put on the ECL.

A day earlier, a two-member bench of the Sindh High Court granted 10-day protective bail to the lawmaker. The MNA, along with his brother MPA Jam Awais and others, has been booked for allegedly torturing Jokhio to death as he had tried to prevent his foreign guests from hunting houbara bustard.

'No party will be allowed to block routes'

At the start of his press conference, Rashid said his ministry would cooperate with opposition parties in connection with their upcoming rallies as well as the no-confidence vote. However, nobody would be allowed to block another party's route, he warned.

"It is a very important day in Pakistan's democratic history which is why everybody should display responsibility. The interior ministry is open 24/7 and we will try [to ensure that] the law and order situation is maintained. God forbid, if the opposition makes a mistake, they will pay for it."

No party had been granted permission to hold a sit-in, he said, assuring that all opposition members would be provided protection.

The onus of bringing the required number of opposition lawmakers to the National Assembly was on the opposition, he said, claiming that while dissident members were "enjoying at five-star hotels", they would be provided security in accordance with the Islamabad High Court's instructions.

The interior ministry could also summon the army under Article 245 of the Constitution after approval from the prime minister and the federal cabinet, he said.

He congratulated the nation for the recently concluded Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit, which was held in the capital from March 22-23, saying that people "did not know the agenda of Pakistan's enemies and how they wanted to make it unsuccessful".

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Courtesy Dawn News

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ISLAMABAD, MAR 25: Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the nation on Friday to participate in the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's (PTI) rally in Islamabad on March 27 to convey to opposition parties that their "funeral is being taken out upon which a naya (new) Pakistan is being raised".

"The new Pakistan will be the one that Quaid-i-Azam struggled for and Allama Iqbal dreamt of," the prime minister said while addressing a rally in Mansehra.

He said he was inviting the entire nation to join the PTI's rally in the capital on March 27 to send out the message to opposition parties that it was standing with the truth and against "people like you (the opposition) who buy and sell consciences and destroy the country's system and democracy".

Earlier in his speech, the prime minister repeated his accusation of the opposition doing horse-trading ahead of a no-confidence vote against him and said "a mandi (marketplace) has been put up in Islamabad where people's consciences are being bought for Rs200-250 million."

In such a situation, he continued, there would be a choice between two paths — the righteous one that was difficult and another that seemed easier but led to destruction.

Then, collectively referring to Pakistan Democratic Movement President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari as "three mice", PM Imran said that the trio of opposition leaders was "criticising you, scaring you, blackmailing you".

"But the path to greatness is the difficult one," he said, implying that righteous lawmakers should abstain from supporting the opposition when, allegedly, offered money to change sides.

The prime minister also alleged that the opposition's objective behind filing a no-confidence vote against him was to get corruption cases filed against them closed.

"There is only one objective behind this no-trust war: that cases against them are closed and they be given an NRO (amnesty), as they were given during Gen Musharraf's era," PM Imran claimed, adding, "But the day I close these cases, I will be committing the biggest treason against Pakistan."

Again referring to opposition leaders and the no-trust vote brought by them, he said the "three stooges, the three mice are out to hunt me".

"But I will defeat them," he said.

'Will ensure green passport is respected'

LAHORE, MAR 25: Off-spinner Nathan Lyon took five wickets to help Australia beat Pakistan by 115 runs in the final session of the deciding third Test in Lahore and clinch the three-match series 1-0 on Friday.

The 34-year-old took the prized wickets of Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam to end Pakistan’s resistance and finished with figures of 5-83 in Pakistan’s second innings.

Fast bowler Pat Cummins provided ample support by picking up three wickets as Pakistan folded for 235 on the final day of the Test match at the Gaddafi Stadium, chasing a target of 351.

Pakistan captain Babar, who saved the hosts from the jaws of defeat in the second Test in Karachi with a 196 in the second innings, made 55.

Cummins dismissed Fawad Alam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, who also struck an unbeaten 104 in the second innings of the drawn Karachi Test, in successive overs with both batters falling leg before wicket.

Television replays, however, showed Rizwan would have survived if he had asked for a review of the umpire’s decision.

Australia also erred by not reviewing a not-out decision for catch against Babar with replays showing the hosts’ batting mainstay had got a glove to a Lyon delivery which was taken at slip by Steve Smith.

Lyon should have picked up Babar on 45 just before tea but Travis Head failed to hold on to the catch at deep midwicket.

The off-spinner had the last laugh when he induced an edge from Babar with Smith, who had a tough time in the series with his catching, completing a brilliant grab low at slip.

The first two Tests in the series — the first between the sides in Pakistan since 1998 — were drawn.

Opener Imam looked the most confident at the crease for Pakistan, defending resolutely during his knock of 70.

He was, however, out straight after lunch when he got an inside edge to his pad against Lyon to be caught by close-in fielder Marnus Labuschagne.

The experienced Azhar, playing his 94th Test but the first at his home ground, also fell for 17 to Lyon after a decision that stoked controversy.

Australia asked for a review of the not-out decision, and the third umpire ruled in favour of the touring side after replays showed a faint edge when the ball passed the bat, although Azhar was convinced he had not hit it.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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• KALĀM CENTRE FOR TRUSTING SOCIETIES RECOGNIZES AGAHI AWARDS WINNERS AS TRUST FELLOWS 2021-22

• The Right to the Truth is a fundamental component in the context of human rights violations; Trust Fellows 2021 – 22 present their research at the UN Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and the Dignity of Victims.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 25: AGAHI observed the United Nations International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and the Dignity of Victims. AGAHI organized the online session with journalists, academics and experts focusing truth and its importance in the context of human rights violations.

Joining the session Dr Mowadat Hussain Rana, one of Pakistan’s leading psychiatrist and cognitive scientist expressed that, wars, slave trades, colonization, imperialism, and economic subjugations may all become a thing of the past and that the challenges in the context of exponential technologies which will become the key determinants of human pre-thought an essential factor to consider while developing an understanding on the future of human rights. 

As public struggles to separate truth from fiction; in a post-truth era and advancements in ‘deep fakes’ Journalists have a particular responsibility as powerful force for change in both developed and developing countries. According to multiple reports, trust in media and particularly in journalism and news has been experiencing a long and steady decline over the past few years. There are multiple reasons behind this declining level of trust, one of the prominent is misinformation and disinformation.

“Understanding factors that drive trust in journalism in the local context is an essential asset that serves media freedom, and this is becoming ever so more critical in times of exponential growth of technology, which is shaping public consciousness” said Puruesh Chaudhary, Lead KALĀM Centre for Trusting Societies and Founding President AGAHI.

Dr Najma Sadiq, Head of Mass Communications, National University of Science and Technology, Islamabad (NUST) elaborated on the pillars of trust in the construction of information and news, the indicators open for discussion included: research, credibility, predictability, fairness, balance, relevance, contextualization, presentation, accessibility, and interactivity on online platforms. 

Recognizing these global developments and its impact on the local context, on December 10, 2021, at the 9th Annual AGAHI Awards with the support from the Ambassade De France AU Pakistan the winners in the categories of human rights and democracy, Sidra Dar and Aiman Mahmood were recognized as Trust Fellow 2021-22. In a three-month fellowship programme aimed to encourage information hygiene by improving the state of factual reporting practices in the country with the mission to cultivate trust in the society.

The Fellowship exposure equipped the Fellows to better comprehend the known and the unknown threats that emanate from information disorders including an advance understanding of the types of misinformation, disinformation and malinformation practices by a network of academics and mentors. The eight contextualized training modules developed by senior academics were designed to enable an understanding around factors that drive trust in journalism.

During the online session the two fellows Sidra Dar and Aiman Mahmood both presented their research work focusing on the categories they won the AGAHI Awards in; Mahmood’s fishermen of Ibrahim Hayderi story was covered through a democracy lens whereas Dar’s was focused on the identity challenges of the Bengali community oriented more towards the human rights.

The mentors for the Trust Fellowship Programme also joining the session Osama Bin Javaid Senior Correspondentat Al Jazeera and Razeshta Sethna Senior International Journalist implied how truth becomes an important pillar for a journalist in current times of chaos and turmoil. The session was attended by leading academics, journalists, students, and other professionals from Pakistan and other countries.

Each year, on 24 March, the UN International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims is observed.The purpose of the Day is to Honor the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice. It also pays tribute to those who have devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in, the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all.

The Trust Fellowship Programme focuses on ‘The Hazards of Information Disorder’. The programme aims to encourage information hygiene by improving the state of factual reporting practices in the country with the mission to cultivate trust in the society. This Fellowship exposure is designed around contextualized academic and research training that enable an enlightened understanding of the factors that drive trust.

‘Kalām’ Centre for Trusting Societies encourages and supports initiatives designed to improve trust as one of the fundamentals of human agency and wellbeing. The platform explored how information overload in a digital age can lead to crisis of trust on the UNESCO Global Information Literacy Week in October 2021.

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• Industry leaders to meet in Dubai for the first major HUAWEI CLOUD offline event of 2022

• Huawei and industry partners to discuss best practices and insights on how organizations can better leverage cloud and AI technologies

ISLAMABAD, MAR 24: Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices, will be hosting the HUAWEI CLOUD Summit Middle East & Africa, the first major offline event of 2022 in Dubai from March 28th - 29th. 

The summit will bring together over 100 industry leaders to discuss best practices and insights on how the government and public sectors, finance, carriers, media, e-commerce, gaming, and other industries can better leverage cloud and AI technologies across various functions. 

Throughout the summit's different sessions and presentations, Huawei executives and experts will highlight the cloud's integral role in the region's digital transformation. Customers and Partners will also share their own successful use cases in cloud transformation.

During the event, Huawei will also highlight how HUAWEI CLOUD can accelerate digital transformation of the organisations in the region, while also minimising the carbon footprint from their IT infrastructure to hit the sustainable development targets, speed up the development of new apps and business processes, and enable organizations to innovate faster. 

The company will also demonstrate why business leaders should adopt Cloud Native 2.0 architectures to boost innovation and digitalization. As one of the earliest adopters of container technology, Huawei has accumulated rich practical experience and provides fully vetted, full-stack container services for enterprise users to migrate applications to the cloud and succeed in the Cloud Native 2.0 era.

Frank Dai, President, HUAWEI CLOUD Middle East, said, "The HUAWEI CLOUD Summit MEA 2022 is being held against a backdrop of digitization trends that began during the pandemic and are now shaping the regional business landscape. The summit allows us to take stock of the rapid progress that the Huawei Cloud platform has made in the past few years, demonstrate our unmatched value proposition in the public cloud space, and invite our customers and partners to innovate together."  

The summit will also review the progress of the HUAWEI CLOUD Oasis Program launched in September 2021 to support technology enterprises and ecosystems in the Middle East. 

At the time, Huawei pledged to invest $15 million over three years to assist 3,000 experts in the region, support over 1,500 consulting and technical partners, and empower more than 100 SMEs to develop their cloud capabilities. 

Separately, Jimmy Zhao, the CEO of game developer Chain X Game, will also preview REVOLAND, the first blockchain game built on HUAWEI CLOUD, set for release in April 2022. 

HUAWEI CLOUD has emerged as an essential platform for internet companies and organizations to go digital. Five years into its development, HUAWEI CLOUD has attracted 2.6 million developers, 28,000 consulting partners, 9,000 technical partners, and released 6,100 Marketplace products. 

In the Middle East, HUAWEI CLOUD offers more than 220 services, 19 data centers, over 200 local partners, and a growing list of more than 80 marketplace offerings.

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KABUL, MAR 24: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Kabul on Thursday morning in a trip that was not earlier announced, officials confirmed.

Director General of the Afghan state-run Bakhtar News Agency, Abdul Wahid Rayan, confirmed the arrival of the Chinese foreign minister in Afghanistan's capital.

The visit comes a week before Beijing hosts a two-day conference, on March 30-31, of Afghanistan's neighbours on how to assist the Taliban government. Pakistan and Iran had earlier hosted similar meetings of these neighbouring countries after the Taliban takeover.

Yi's visit is the first by a senior Chinese leader after the Taliban took control of Kabul in August and comes right after he completed his three-day visit to Islamabad where he attended the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation's foreign minister’s conference, which ended yesterday, as a special guest.

Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi received Yi on arrival in Kabul along with a high-level delegation. The two sides will hold talks on important issues, focusing on China’s role in stability and development, the state news agency said.

FM Yi last visited Kabul in June 2017 after a huge truck bomb killed and injured many. He had tried to ease tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan after exchanges of fire in May 2017 had made relations tenuous.

The Chinese foreign minister’s visit might give a diplomatic boost to the Taliban government, which is yet to be recognised by any country.

China has been involved in the Afghan peace process after the US withdrew most of its troops in 2014. Taliban political representatives have paid several visits to China over the past few years.

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Courtesy Dawn News

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