Day: June 7, 2022

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Germany have expressed the resolve to further deepen their bilateral ties in diverse fields.

The resolve was expressed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock while addressing a joint news conference here in Islamabad on Tuesday. Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Germany is the largest trading partner of Pakistan within the European Union and 5th largest export destination in the world.

He said last year, Pakistan’s exports to Germany stood at 2.5 billion dollars, while imports from Germany were 1.3 billion dollars. About Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister said Pakistan supports peace and prosperity in the neighbouring country which may contribute to regional stability and connectivity. He stressed the need for international community to engage in preventing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the continuing human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the rising tide of Islamophobia across India and risks posed to regional peace and stability were also discussed in their meeting.

He said sustainable peace in South Asia remains contingent upon peaceful resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with relevant UN resolutions and wishes of Kashmiri people. Speaking on the occasion, the German Foreign Minister thanked Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for extending warm welcome to her on arrival in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Cabinet has approved a comprehensive plan to gradually bring down the electricity load-shedding to just two hours by the end of this month.

This was stated by the Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb while briefing media about the decisions taken by the Federal Cabinet, which met here in Islamabad on Tuesday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair.

Minister for Communications Asad Mahmood and Prime Minister’s Advisor on Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Qamar Zaman Kaira were also present on the occasion. Marriyum Aurangzeb said under the plan, the Cabinet decided to divide load-shedding duration into three parts. She said from 6th to 15th of this month, there will be 3.5-hour duration of load-shedding, from 16th to 24th three hours and 25th to 29th 2.5 hours.

She said after 30th of this month, total duration of electricity load-shedding in the country will be curtailed to just two hours a day. Marriyum Aurangzeb said the cabinet also restored five working days from Monday to Friday with two weekly holidays on Saturday and Sunday to meet the current challenging situation. She said the Cabinet also constituted a committee to assess the impacts of declaring Work from Home on Friday as well.

The Information Minister said the step will help save 77 billion rupees annually. She said instructions have been issued to provinces to switch-on street lights on alternate days, whereas a proposal regarding early closure of markets will be discussed with all the relevant stakeholders.

She said the Cabinet also gave approval for running a national awareness campaign for energy conservation. Similarly, the Cabinet imposed ban on purchase of official vehicles, except ambulances and vehicles for education purposes.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said the country is currently facing a shortfall of 4600 megawatts of electricity as the previous government of PTI failed to complete power projects within the stipulated time that included Trimmu Power Station, Karot Hyhdro Power Project and Shanghai Electric Power Plant at Sahiwal. Marriyum Aurganzeb said the cabinet also approved 40 percent cut in petrol quota for government functionaries and cabinet members.

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said the government is according topmost priority to speeding up work on the projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Briefing newsmen here in Islamabad on Tuesday about different projects approved by Central development Working Party, he said a power project at Diamer Bhasha dam worth 900 billion rupees has also been approved. The Minister said Chaman-Quetta, and Karachi Road N-25 dualization project has also been approved. He said roads infrastructure in Balochistan has been prioritized in the upcoming budget which is aimed at providing a well laid network of roads in the province that will help provide people with better health, employment and education opportunities.

He said an agreement will be signed soon with Iran to provide 100 MW extra electricity to Makran cost to overcome power shortage there. Ahsan Iqbal said work on water supply scheme in Gwadar will be completed by September this year while 1.2 million gallon per day de-salination plant work will be completed till October to solve water issue in Gwadar.

He said new Gwadar International airport will also be completed by March next year. He said during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Balochistan and his meeting with Chinese investors, Chinese companies have shown interest in investment in Gwadar.

Ahsan Iqbal said the Central Development Working Party has also accorded approval to a project for provision of water to southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said 65 percent funding of the project will be made by federal government, while 35 percent will be borne by provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

ISLAMABAD: Charge d’Affaires of the European Union (EU) in Pakistan Thomas Seiler called on Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman here in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The meeting discussed the EU’s support for Climate Change. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister underscored that the issue of climate change is a cross-cutting national issue that needs immediate action.

She said Pakistan is facing urgency for climate financing and policy frameworks that are more aligned to the current economic conditions of the country. Sherry Rehman said meeting of a Climate Council will be held soon with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in the chair and would include all chief ministers, representatives of civil society and climate experts.

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has said that while dispensing speedy and inexpensive justice, religious values needed to be understood with right reference and context, adding that laws are required to be framed keeping in view the largest good of the society coupled with fair implementation of law and proportional punishment and reward system.

The President made these remarks while addressing a group of students from Hamdard School of Law, Hamdard University, here at Aiwan-e-Sadr, on Tuesday. First Lady Begum Samina Arif Alvi was also present on the occasion.

The President further stated that people deserved speedy and inexpensive justice but in reality there were long delays in the dispensation of Justice which violated the basic fundamental rights and had many social implications like mental as well as physical pain to the affectees and unrest in the society.

The President said that justice was of very little use if it was not dispensed in time as justice delayed is justice denied. He highlighted that in Pakistan although efforts had been made to provide speedy and inexpensive justice but still a lot needs to be done.

He added that the use of modern technology, DNA profiling and the adoption of scientific investigation methods and techniques could be helpful in the speedy dispensation of justice. He also stressed the need to impart training to the parliamentarians to make them fully capable to contribute their qualified input in the framing of laws which truly reflects the aspiration of the people and had a positive impact on the society.

The President said that Shaheed Hakeem Mohammed Saeed, the founder of Hamdard University was an icon, man of vision, educationist and entrepreneur who rendered remarkable services to the society. He advised the young law students to observe the highest moral and ethical standards in performance of their duties and become a voice for the voiceless and help in providing them inexpensive and speedy justice especially to the poor and deprived segments of society.