CPEC enters into a new stage of high-quality development

Islamabad, December 27, 2020 (PPI-OT): The work on China Pakistan Economic Corridor has entered a new stage of high-quality development, which will continue to play an important role in the revitalization of Pakistan.

A visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Beijing Cheng Xizhong in an article published by China Economic Net said the Peshawar-Karachi Motorway Project will become an economic artery connecting the northern and southern part of Pakistan.

He said that China and Pakistan have jointly overcome challenges and neither withdrawn engineers working on projects nor laid off Pakistani workers since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Pakistan.

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Anti-Pakistan forces using religious, political clout to fulfil their nefarious designs: Ashrafi

Islamabad, December 27, 2020 (PPI-OT): Special Representative to Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony and Middle East, Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has said the defeatist mentality has unleashed a hybrid war to create uncertainty, chaos and confusion in the country.

Addressing a news conference in Faisalabad today (Sunday), he said for the very purpose, divergent forces have been brought together under the platform of Pakistan Democratic Movement. He said that Pakistan is striking a strategic balance in the region and making substantial development on economic front. Special Representative said anti-Pakistan forces are using religious and political clout to fulfil their nefarious designs.

He said that allies of Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman utilised their cronies during their tenure to recognise Israel and, in this connection, a delegation was also sent to Israel. He said the government would never even think of establishing relationship with Israel until realisation a permanent solution to Palestine.

Maulana Tahir Ashrafi said due to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s principled stance on the Palestine issue at international level, the Palestinian President Mehmood Abbas, in his letter, thanked people and the government of Pakistan for courageous stance on the issue. He said that the government had also protected the legitimate interests of religious seminaries.

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Pak Army helicopter crashes due to technical reasons in GB

Islamabad, December 27, 2020 (PPI-OT): A Pakistan Army Aviation helicopter crashed due to technical reasons during casualty evacuation in Minimarg area of Gilgit Baltistan. According to ISPR, the helicopter was evacuating body of shaheed soldier Sepoy Abdul Qadeer to CMH Skardu that it crashed due to some technical fault.

Four officers and soldiers of Pakistan Army embraced Shahadat in the incident. Those who were martyred include Pilot, Major Muhammad Hussain, Co-Pilot, Maj Ayaz Hussain, Naik Inzimam Alam and Sepoy Muhammad Farooq.

Gilgit-Baltistan Governor Raja Jalal Hussain Maqpoon and Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid have paid homage to the officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army who embraced Shahadat in helicopter crash. In their separate condolence messages, they also expressed their heartfelt condolences with the bereaved families.

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COVID-19: 58 more deaths, 1,853 new positive cases reported

Islamabad, December 27, 2020 (PPI-OT): 58 more people died of Coronavirus in the country during the last twenty-four hours. According to the latest data shared by the National Command and Operation Center, 1853 people tested COVID positive during this period after tests of 33,270 people. The figure of active COVID cases in the country is 39,329 while 422,132 people have been recovered from the virus.

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Munir urges international community to ensure adequate financial resources against epidemics

Islamabad, December 27, 2020 (PPI-OT): Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and President of UN Economic and Social Council Munir Akram has urged the international community to ensure adequate financial resources against epidemics across the world.

In a message on the occasion of International Day of Epidemic, he said our response towards all epidemics especially Covid-19 must be of solidarity and international cooperation. He said everyone should be provided with equal access to advanced treatments including vaccines.

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Government of Pakistan
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Prime Minister reiterates to make Ehsaas Program the best poverty alleviation program in world

Islamabad, December 27, 2020 (PPI-OT): Prime Minister Imran Khan says the government will ensure universal health coverage in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by the end of next year under the Health Card Scheme. He was addressing a ceremony in Chakwal on Saturday after performing ground-breaking of various development projects. These projects include Chakwal University, a five hundred-bed hospital, a Law College and the Ring Road.

The Prime Minister said by next year, every family in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will have Health Card, enabling them to get free medical treatment up to one million rupees in any hospital of the country. He said the government plans to build a health system that will ensure basic health facility across the country. He said the private sector is being encouraged and facilitated to establish hospitals.

Underlining the importance of education for overall development of the country, Imran Khan said the government that plans for the next generations focuses on education. He said the country will grow fast if its youth is equipped with education and technological skills.

Imran Khan said his government is working to reduce the debt burden of the country. In this direction, he said, a major milestone has been achieved. He said the country’s Current Account has been in surplus for the last five months for the first time in 17 years. Similarly, he said fiscal deficit is also being controlled.

The Prime Minister vowed to make the government’s Ehsaas Program the best poverty alleviation program in the world. He said he is going to launch another program aimed at ensuring that no citizen sleeps hungry. He said a revolutionary local government system will be introduced that will empower people at grassroots level.

Alluding to the opposition, Imran Khan said the PDM is undermining the country by targeting the institutions in their speeches. He regretted that the language being used by the PDM leaders is same to that of the Indian propaganda machine against Pakistan. He said the opposition complains of rigging in the last elections, but it neither presented any evidence nor did it move any forum in this regard.

Imran Khan said the previous rulers who looted wealth of the country want to build pressure for securing NRO on their cases. He said giving them NRO by any government will be tantamount to sedition against the country.

Later talking to newsmen, the Prime Minister expressed dismay at his political opponents’ self-centred tactics and predicted that soon their parties would face formation of forward blocs in the assemblies.

He said having spent millions of rupees on election campaigns, how the legislators of the opposition parties’ alliance could resign on the assertions of their leadership.

The Prime Minister said the parliamentarians would not accede to such demands as they know it very well that such antics are employed by their leadership to save their corruption.

He said whole nation knows the corruption tainted leaders very well, who have plundered the country during the last 30 years.

The Prime Minister reiterated his strict stance of no compromise over opposition’s corruption cases and said any NRO even by any government would be the biggest treason.

He said targeting Army Chief and Director General Inter Services Intelligence is tantamount to speaking the language of India which has the most anti-Indian and anti-Muslim government of the Subcontinent.

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Masood demands India to stop use of force against Kashmiris

Islamabad, December 27, 2020 (PPI-OT): Azad Jammu and Kashmir President, Sardar Masood Khan has demanded India to stop use of force against innocent Kashmiri people and pay attention to the Kashmiris legitimate call for the grant of the right to self-determination.

In a statement, he also urged India to resolve the long-standing Kashmir conflict through political and diplomatic means in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

The AJK President expressed grave concern over reports of the worst torture against thousands of Kashmiri youth rotting in jails in occupied Jammu and Kashmir as well as in India and their brainwashing to deter them from the demand of freedom.

Sardar Masood Khan called upon the UN Human Rights Council and other international human rights organizations to intervene, and ensure release of these youth and the political prisoners.

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Government of Pakistan
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Email: info@moib.gov.pk
Website: http://www.moib.gov.pk