Month: January 2019

Posted on

Revived Rs 4058m community schools project approved

ISLAMABAD:Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the revised Basic Education Community Schools (BECS) project with a total cost of Rs 4058.158 million, clearing the previous liabilities and six months expenses of the current financial year up to December 2018. This will be subject to verification of personnel and facilities by NADRA/District Administration concerned.

The ECNEC meeting, chaired by Finance Minister Asad Umar, had a detailed discussion on the matters pertaining to the project regarding Operation of BECS in the country.

The project is based on non-formal basic education system where the community provides for the premises while expenses on teachers’ honorarium, utility bills, text books etc. are met by the Federal Government.

Posted on

Sports: Cricket: Misbah, Ahmad Shahzad to feature in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Grade-II tournament

Karachi:One of Pakistan’s most decorated captains, Misbah-ul-Haq, will be one of the start attractions of the three-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Grade-II, which will commence from Friday.

The 44-year-old veteran of 276 international matches and a scorer of 11,132 international runs will represent Faisalabad Region, which will be one of the 10 sides that will go head to head in the tournament which carries total prize money of PKR 950,000.

Apart from Faisalabad other regional sides taking part in the tournament include Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Bahawalpur, Dera Murad Jamali, Hyderabad, Larkana, Abbottabad, Sialkot, Quetta and Karachi Blues.

The teams have been divided into two groups, with Group A comprising Bahawalpur, Sialkot, Faisalabad, AJK and Hyderabad. Their matches will be played at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad and Mirpur Stadium, Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Teams in Group B are Abbottabad, Quetta, Larkana, Karachi Blues and D.M Jamali, and their matches will be played in Karachi at the National Bank of Pakistan Ground, State Bank of Pakistan Ground and United Bank Limited Sports Complex.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be played simultaneously from February 1 to 3 at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, and Mirpur Stadium, AJK, respectively.

The final of the tournament will be played at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, from February 6 to 9.

As per the existing domestic cricket rules, relegation and promotion will apply; the tournament winner will seal a berth in the next edition of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Grade I tournament.

Faisalabad region have a real star power in their ranks with Test icon Misbah-ul-Haq leading their campaign. He will be supported by opener Ahmad Shahzad, who is also making a return to competitive cricket.

Misbah said he was keen to help Faisalabad move into the Grade-I competition. “The biggest motivation for me is to help Faisalabad regain their Grade-I spot. We were relegated last season and our aim is to qualify for first-class cricket again; this is what we can strive to do for our region.”

Misbah is also keen on transferring his experience to the upcoming players in the arena. He is also hopeful that competitive cricket in this event will help him in HBL PSL 2019 in which he will represent Peshawar Zalmi.

Such events also provide an opportunity to work with younger players, to spend time with them to work on their game and transfer experience. On a personal note the tournament should help me prepare for the HBL PSL,” he admitted.

Misbah said he was glad to have Ahmad Shahzad in his side and felt this tournament was a good platform for the opener to regain his lost touch.

I feel that the tournament will help Ahmad Shahzad get back into form, regain his confidence and prepare for the HBL PSL 2019. The three-day tournaments provide a great opportunity of spending a long time at the crease and improving one’s game.”

Meanwhile, Ahmad himself was raring to return to the cricket field and was hopeful of making a big impact ahead of an action-packed cricketing year.

The last few months were very tough for me; I badly missed playing cricket especially since the sport is a childhood passion of mine and an integral part of my life. I am more focused than ever and have worked hard on improving my mindset and other aspects of the game.

I am really looking forward to representing Faisalabad. Grade II is a platform from where a lot of players have emerged and I am eager to deliver to the best of my ability for my team.”

Posted on

PM: (Imran Khan caught stealing red handed, PPP)

Islamabad:PPP leader Saeed Ghani has said that the recent report of State Bank of Pakistan has exposed PTI and slowly and gradually fake Khan and his frauds are being unearthed.

Saeed Ghani said that the 18 undeclared accounts of PTI should be thoroughly investigated that where the money came from in these accounts and who withdrew those amounts and where they were spent.

This perception that Imran Khan embezzled funds for Shaukat Khanum hospital is gaining strength. Aleema Khan Property in Dubai is exposing that embezzlement.

Now it has become vital that JIT should be formed in Aleema Khan’s property and its money trail. Now Imran Khan has been caught stealing red handed, Saeed Ghani concluded.

Posted on

Sports: Cricket: Van der Dussen, Paterson called up to South Africa ODI squad for Pakistan series

Johannesburg:Batsman Rassie van der Dussen and fast bowler Dane Paterson have been selected for South Africa’s ODI squad for the first two ODIs against Pakistan.

Van der Dussen is yet to make his ODI debut, though he played two T20Is against Zimbabwe in February, notching his first international half-century. He has strong batting pedigree across formats, but particularly in white-ball cricket. He averages 43.57 in List As, with eight centuries from 84 games, while he has three T20 hundreds to his name.

Making way for van der Dussen is Aiden Markram, who has endured a difficult start to his ODI career, failing to pass 50 in 15 games since his debut. He is highly rated, and captained South Africa in only his third ODI, and Linda Zondi, South Africa’s National Selection Panel convener, offered hope that Markram’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup dream isn’t over.

Those players who went to Australia and have not been selected for the first two matches – Farhaan Behardien, Aiden Markram and Chris Morris – are by no means out of the picture and they may well get further opportunities in the second half of the series,” said Zondi.

Hashim Amla has returned to the squad after missing South Africa’s most recent series, against Australia, with injury, while right-armer Paterson, who played all three of his ODIs against Bangladesh in October 2017, has been recalled, having also been a non-playing member of the first Test squad to face Pakistan.

We need to look at all the options available to us as we get closer to selecting our final squad for this year’s World Cup,” said Zondi. “And Rassie and Dane are two players who have been knocking strongly on the door in all formats.

The series against Pakistan could not have come at a better time as they will provide a very stern test for the Proteas under conditions very similar to what we will experience at the World Cup.”

The ODI series begins on January 19 after the conclusion of the Test series between the sides.

Posted on

SBP says it did not report 18 undeclared PTI bank accounts

Karachi:State Bank of Pakistan categorically denies a news item published in a leading English language newspaper relating to the bank accounts of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

SBP neither maintains the database of banks’ individual accountholders nor possesses any related information / record thereof. Banks being the custodian of customers’ information may directly provide this information to various agencies, on case-to-case basis, as per procedure laid down under the respective laws. Therefore, it is out of question that SBP has reported 18 undeclared bank accounts of PTI out of total 26 to the ECP as reported by an English language newspaper.

In fact, during July 2018 ECP approached SBP for assistance to obtain the bank accounts related information of PTI from 2009 to 2013 as per Commission’s mandate enshrined in the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Election Act, 2017.

SBP while discharging of its duties advised all banks to provide the required information / data directly to ECP by due date, as per procedure laid down under the law.

Posted on

Fauji Foods signs research deal with University of Agriculture

KARACHI:Fauji Foods Ltd and NIFSAT (National Institute of Food Science and Technology) – University of Agriculture Faisalabad, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation under the Academia Endowment Program, amidst a special signing ceremony organized at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad on Thursday. The MoU was signed by Brig. Zahid Nawaz Mann, SI (M), (Retd) Company Secretary, Fauji Foods Ltd and by Professor Dr. Zafar Iqbal, Vice Chancellor UAF.

Under this program Fauji Foods will be investing in the youth of Pakistan by providing grant to them, enabling them to gain exposure and practical knowledge in actual corporate settings. Joint research and development will be conducted on food products for innovative technological outcomes and best quality standards.

Witnessing the signing ceremony of MoU, Company Secretary, Fauji Foods Ltd, Brig. Zahid Nawaz Mann, SI (M), (Retd) commented, this collaboration between Fauji Foods Ltd and University of Agriculture Faisalabad will develop a very strong foundation for quality products in Pakistan through modern research and technology. This collaboration will help the youth of this country to acquire the right skills and knowledge to steer the food industry forward. This MOU will pave the way for exciting developments in research and education that have the potential to be revolutionary for both the parties.

The focal purpose of the memorandum was to initiate joint efforts to unlock the potential and strengthen the development of Pakistan’s food and dairy industry. The core points of discussion were to provide merit based scholarship to students, conduct joint research in selected areas, technology transfer, innovative product development and value addition, training and employment opportunities and internships for the students.

By doing this Fauji Foods Ltd wants to achieve its mission “transforming lives through nourishment’ and contribute to the growth of Pakistan.

Posted on

ICCI: (ICCI asks government to come up with solid strategy for economic revival)

ISLAMABAD:The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called upon the Government to come up with a clear cut and solid strategy for the revival of dwindling economy and put it on the path of sustainable growth as the prevailing aura of uncertainty on economic front was creating concerns in the business community.

Ahmed Hassan Moughal, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said business community had lot of hopes from PTI government that it would create conducive environment for businesses enabling them to flourish smoothly, but there was no tangible improvement in the economic outlook due to which an impression of uncertainty was prevailing in the business circles and productive sectors.

He said the World Bank’s latest report “Global Economic Prospects, Darkening Skies” has projected Pakistan’s GDP to decelerate to 3.7 percent during 2018-19 and Pakistan could face financing needs due to large current account and fiscal deficits combined with low forex reserves.

He said that PTI leadership before elections had made many promises for implementation after coming into power which included strengthening institutions, turning around loss making public sector entities into profit generating PSEs, improving governance and enhancing tax collections. However, despite the passage of four and a half months in the government, there was no significant progress on any of these fronts, which was cause of concerns.

He said the rupee has tumbled down to more than 11 percent during PTI government, but there was only one percent increase in exports, which was not encouraging. He said this scenario warranted that government should come up with a solid strategy to turn around the shrinking economy.

He said such a strategy would give confidence to the business community and help it in finalizing its future business plans with better comfort level. Rafat Farid, Senior Vice President, ICCI said that overall growth of large-scale manufacturing has decreased by 0.65 percent during July-Oct: 2018-19 compared to the same period of last year.

He said though the government has arranged financing needs from friendly countries for one-year period, however, it was still not clear how the government would tackle the economic challenges after the lapse of one year without significant promotion of tax revenue and exports.

Iftikhar Anwar Sethi, Vice President ICCI assured that business community would fully support the government in its efforts aimed at steering the economy out of prevailing challenges and putting it on the path of accelerated growth.