Diplomatic Affairs

Diplomatic AffairsApril 29- May 05, 2013

An eyeful of weekly

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Kayani meets Karzai, Kerry for Afghan peace talks

Peeking through dentistry into social reforms

South Africa Embassy celebrates Freedom Day US team calls on Air Chief

Gwadar port to strengthen Sino-pak ties: pm

pakistan, arab nations must come closer: Nawaz

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[email protected] An eyeful of weekly Chief Editor: Abubakar Siddique

Publisher, Abubakar Siddique published at House no: 20, Street No 29, F-8/1, Islamaabd

Mutual respect, tolerance and understanding are the main factors that lead to harmony among fol-lowers of various religions, sects and creeds. This harmony turns out as a perpetual peaceful coex-

istence. The world needs peace; the mankind requires peace as an essential, rather unavoidable, factor in his life.

It is a common and established fact that longing for some-thing to achieve without making efforts for it is a futile prac-tice. It is merely a wishful thinking if someone keeps idle and lets the wrong doings carry on and wants peace in the world. The establishment and maintenance of peaceful coexistence, while respecting and tolerating others ideas, creeds and be-liefs, needs struggles.

Keeping in view the importance of these struggles, various private organizations worldwide are busy playing their part to reach the goal. Recently, Intersections International – a non-government organization – in partnership with two Pakistani renowned and esteemed universities, including International Islamic University Islamabad and LUMS, held meetings in the capital city and Lahore. In the meetings, participants actively spoke on the need for building relationships, altering stereo-types and developing an action agenda to promote mutual re-spect and understanding.

A 14-member, multi-faith delegation of US and Pakistan re-ligious leaders met in Islamabad and Lahore. The group con-sisted of men and women, from Islamic, Christian, and Jewish faiths and varying ethnicities, including representatives from Georgetown University, Seton Hall, Forman Christian College, and Edwards College, among others. The scholars discussed plans the delegation has to organize exchanges for young peo-ple from Pakistan and the US to facilitate learning between the two cultures.

Pakistani participants highlighted the intelligence, talent, and ambition in the youth of Pakistan. A large number of stu-dents also met with the delegation to talk about the current issues of Pakistan and the world. The conversation touched on topics such as feminism, the upcoming elections, and the dif-ferences of thinking between various generations.

The viewpoints and perspectives in the audience varied greatly, making for a dynamic, enlightening talk. Rev Robert Chase, Executive Director of Intersections International and principal organizer of the effort, said “there are so many mis-perceptions on both sides about our re-spective countries (Pakistan and the US). Interpersonal engagement is the best way to change the narrative of fear and mis-trust that so dominates the relationship between us.”

The mistrust and misperceptions, wher-ever they exist, create tussles and clashes.

The attempt of the Intersections is really laudable. However, it is need of the hour that apart from private entities govern-ments of every country should come forward and take strin-gent steps to promote respect for people believing in other religions and sects. The scourge of terrorism and extremism has disrupted peace of the world. We have to live in this world. Collective as well as individual efforts to expunge these men-aces by promoting tolerance, respect and understanding will help us fulfill the dream of a peaceful and harmonious world.

Sabotaging assaults on election process

Whenever a constructive and forward-looking ac-tivity is under way anywhere in our life, trouble-makers side-by-side always follow their nefari-ous designs. They cannot remain calm until they

incur loss to a developmental process, as they unfortunately are slave to their hypocritical instincts. The election process is in full swing in the country, for the success of which the caretaker government and Election Commission of Pakistan are making their efforts. But on the other hand, the very trou-blemakers have started attacking election offices, rallies and processions of political parties.

The recent attacks on MQM election office, PPP meeting in Karachi, poll office of an independent candidate in Kohat and grenade attack in Quetta are vehemently condemnable. Sev-eral precious lives have been lost. Similarly attacks on ANP and other parties’ leaders after the announcement of date for elections have created panic in the atmosphere. The attacks should draw rigorous action on the part of the government against the criminals and troublemakers. These attacks are an obnoxious bid to damage the election process, which should never be disturbed. Some elements are apparently trying to terrorize people to damage the political activities in the coun-try by committing such offences. The designs of these mis-creants will have to be foiled. The law enforcement agencies should keep alert to avoid such acts.

The political parties, taking out processions and rallies, should also remain alert, as the miscreants want to exploit the situation wherein supporters of the parties mostly gather at one place. Every individual has a responsibility to not only protect himself but also keep a sharp eye on suspicious ele-ments.

The democratic process is gaining strength in the country now, as an elected government for the first time has completed its mandated tenure and elections are being held on time. Eve-ryone of us has to lead this process to success. No miscreant should dare to sabotage our struggle to ensure democracy.

A leap ahead for religious harmony

April 29- May 05, 2013

3

John Tucknott appointed new British Deputy HC

DA REPORTKARACHI

British Ambassador to Nepal, John Anthony Tucknott has been appointed as new British

Deputy High Commissioner in Kara-chi.

This was disclosed by outgoing Brit-ish Deputy High Commissioner in Ka-rachi, Francis Campbell while speak-ing at a ceremony hosted by him to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday Friday evening. The new Deputy HC is expected to assume charge of his new assignment at the end of this month. A large number of participants attended the birthday ceremony, those include Sindh’s Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retd) Zahid Kurban Alavi, Sindh Gov-ernor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, besides members of businessmen community, civil society activists, politicians and bureaucrats. “This is an important time in Pakistan, since the general election is just around the corner, and the Britain’s believe in continuity of democracy in the country,” Campbell said.

Czech glass blowing show

BUREAU REPORT LAHORE

A three-day live Glass Blowing Show and Exhibition on Czech Glass and Porcelain was organ-

ised by the Czech government at the Al-hamra Arts Council, The Mall.

Salima Hashmi, Provincial Health Minister, inaugurated the event as chief guest while Czech Republic Ambassador Miroslav Krenek also came from Islama-bad to participate as guest of honor. A large number of people from different walks of life, students and mediamen also attended the opening ceremony.. The Zech government through its Min-istry of Foreign Affairs hosted the show and exhibition as part of their initiative to enhance cultural cooperation and eco-nomic linkages with Pakistan.

Mr Jiri Pacinek, who led the exhibi-tion, taught and been associated with top glass institutes of the world, AJETO and Novobor, in the Czech Republic and Leon Applebaum, USA. Jiri said while talking to media that he had brought glass from Czech Republic to Pakistan to introduce this unique work to art students and art lovers of this country. According to him, learning art of glass blowing is a tough and time taking process.

Nigerian envoy visits IGE

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Nigerian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Dauda Danladi along with top Nigerian diplomats

visited the 3rd Annual Industrial Gujrat Expo (IGE) organised by Gujrat Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI). The invitation to Nigerian Envoy, Dau-da Danladi was extended by President GCCI, Adnan Iqbal, said a press release issued here the other day.

Nigerian envoy lauded the local handi crafts, rice and products of Gujrat Fan displayed at the Industrial exhibition and addressed a large gathering of In-dustrialists on the occasion and high-lighted the investment opportunities in Nigerian market.

BUREAU REPORTLAHORE

The Higher Education Commission of Pa-kistan held the 5th National Curriculum

Review Committee meeting to approve the courses for the fourth year of BEd (Hons) el-ementary programme at a local hotel.

The meeting was facilitated by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Teacher Education Project.

Senior faculty members from leading universities of the coun-try participated in the meeting. Rana Hussain, Director of Cur-riculum for the Project and Dr

Frances Schoonmaker, Profes-sor Emeritus, Teachers College, Columbia University (Senior Curriculum Adviser to the Pro-ject) facilitated the meeting.

The NCRC is a body consti-tuted by the Higher Education Commission and is mandated with the review and approval of the courses of different pro-grams. The meeting reviewed the following courses: Pedagogy Teaching of English, Teaching of Mathematics, Teaching of Social Sciences and Teaching of Science, Test Development and Evaluation, Guidance and Coun-seling and Research Methods in Education. Completion of the review process captures an im-portant moment in the history of education in Pakistan.

USAID facilitates 5th curriculum review meeting

KARACHI: Caretaker Chief Minister Sindh, Zahid Qurban Alavi and British High Commissioner Adam Thomson in a group photo on the eve of birth anniversary of Queen of England the other day. DA Desk

MARDAN: A delegation of European Union observers mission meeting with former chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti. DA Desk

BUREAU REPORTKARACHI

Adam Thomson CMG, British High Commis-sioner, said that the new elected government in

Pakistan should set direction for economic growth in its first 100 days to secure future foreign in-vestment.

Sharing views at a meeting with members of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), he said that the new government should focus on enhancing the eco-nomic activities in its early days. “It will help attract investment from international, especially Brit-ish investors,” Thomson said.

It is necessary because Pakistan has very negative image in the in-ternational community, he said, adding that Britain is willing to work with any new government to boost bilateral relations. “We will work whatever results of the upcoming general elections in Pa-

kistan,” he said, adding: “For the UK, the continuity of democratic process in Pakistan matters.”

The British high commissioner said that a team of observers from the UK would visit Pakistan for credibility of polls.

“Pakistan should not miss the in-ternational credibility in fair elec-tions,” he added.

Thomson said that in April 2011, prime ministers of the two coun-tries had set trade volume of 2.5 billion pounds by 2015.

“Presently, the trade volume is around 2.1 billion pounds and by 2015 it is achievable,” he added.

The UK wants relations with Pa-kistan to flourish, he said, adding that his government would get en-gaged with the federal and provin-cial governments in post-election setup.

Appreciating KCCI president Ha-roon Agar’s remarks that Pakistan needs trade not aid, Thomson said that the UK wanted Pakistan as a large trade partner.

In this direction, there is an op-portunity of GSP Plus that will be decided this year, he said, adding that Pakistan has a chance to win this access.

Regarding the KCCI’s request to sign agreements with the Brit-ish entrepreneurs, he said that his government is less interested in piece of papers.

He said that in the near future a British trade delegation would visit Pakistan to further strengthen relations. Regarding Pakistani stu-dents in the UK, he said that the British government has initiated crackdown against fake educa-tion institutions that were minting money.

The British Higher Education is interested in opening institution in Pakistan and offering their degrees and certificates.

Earlier, Agar urged the British high commissioner for more inter-action between the entrepreneurs of the two countries to boost eco-nomic relations.

UK wants new govt to focus on growthn thomson says British observers to visit pakistan for polls credibility

4

MONITORS REPORTBRUSSELS

Pakistan’s Army chief Gen-eral Ashfaq Pervez Kayani met in Brussels with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and

US Secretary of State John Kerry for talks over the Afghan peace process as Nato prepares to withdraw its troops next year.

The Army chief was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Jalil Jilani. Talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani officials were productive but any progress will be measured in results, US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

“We had a very extensive and, I think everybody would agree, produc-tive and constructive dialogue … but we have all agreed that results are what will tell the story, not statements at press conferences,” Kerry told re-porters after hosting the talks with Karzai and the army chief and Foreign Secretary Jilani.

Kerry, who hosted the talks with the aim of calming tensions over bor-der disputes and the stalled peace process, hoped negotiations would be productive and fruitful.

Earlier on, Kerry told reporters at the start of the meeting at the resi-dence of the US ambassador to Nato on the outskirts of the Belgian capi-tal, that Afghanistan was in “a critical

transformational period”.“(I am) very, very pleased the presi-

dent could travel, General Kayani and Secretary Jilani could take the time to be here,” he said. “We are very, very hopeful for a productive series of dis-cussions.”

Karzai called it an important meet-

ing and said he was glad Kayani and Jilani had found the time to travel to Brussels.

“Let’s hope forward for the best,” he told reporters.

Jilani called it a very important meeting, adding: “We are looking forward to a very productive and for-

ward-looking discussion.”The talks come after a day after a

gathering of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels at which Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Pakistan must crack down on militants who use the country as a sanctuary to launch attacks in Af-

ghanistan.The meeting follows weeks of ten-

sion with Pakistan over their 2,600-km border and stalled peace efforts.

Afghan officials allege Pakistan has a long history of supporting Afghani-stan’s Taliban and other insurgent factions.

Pakistan has in turn accused Af-ghanistan of giving safe haven to mili-tants on the Afghan side of the border.

US officials hope that Kerry, who has a good relationship with Karzai, can bring the parties back to the ne-gotiating table and make constructive progress on an issue that has long-term security implications for Wash-ington.

Rasmussen held talks with Kar-zai at Nato headquarters on Tuesday which he said focused on the legal framework for Nato’s presence in Af-ghanistan after 2014.

Nato-led forces are expected to cede the lead role for security in Afghani-stan this spring to Afghan soldiers, 12 years after the United States invaded Afghanistan to oust the Taliban gov-ernment harbouring Osama bin Lad-en, the al Qaeda leader.

The White House has yet to decide how many US troops will remain in Afghanistan after 2014. Much depends on progress in negotiations with Kar-zai on a Bilateral Security Agreement to define the future legal status of US forces.

SYED ITTIFAQ SHAH

As Nato prepares to withdraw its troops next year, Pakistan’s Army Chief General

Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and For-eign Secretary Jalil Jilani visited Brussels, where they had talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and US Secretary of State John Kerry over the Afghan peace process.

These talks were really impera-tive to take forward the process and struggles for peace in Afghani-stan and, ultimately, in the region. Pakistan has always been playing its part as far as the efforts for peace in the neighbouring coun-try are concerned, however some misunderstandings, mishaps and emergence of nefarious designs by some anti-peace elements un-dermined these efforts. It is an undeniable fact that without the role and cooperation of Pakistan, which has a very important status strategically and geographically, establishing peace in Afghanistan can only be a mirage. There are so many reasons for this phenom-enon. Pakistan has rendered in-estimable sacrifices for the world peace by fighting terrorism. Its political and geographical signifi-

cance cannot be overlooked while talking about regional peace.

Pakistan acknowledges the re-ality that its peace and stability are linked to Afghanistan’s conditions. It has several times expressed this acknowledgement. Practically, its active participation in every effort meant for Afghan peace is the ir-resistible testimony to this fact.

It is also a happy sign that Kar-zai called the recent meeting with COAS, foreign secretary and US secretary of state, very important, saying he was glad Kayani and Jilani had found the time to travel to Brussels. He also expressed a hope ‘forward for the best’. Simi-larly, Jilani called it a very impor-tant meeting, adding that “we are looking forward to a very produc-tive and forward-looking discus-sion.” The meeting follows weeks of tension with Pakistan over their 2,600-km border and stalled peace efforts. Afghan officials allege Pa-kistan has a long history of sup-porting Afghanistan’s Taliban and other insurgent factions, while Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of giving safe haven to militants on the Afghan side of the border. Amidst these situations, the hold-ing of this meeting is remarkably appreciable. The need of the hour is to identify and suppress the ele-

ments who want hostility between Pakistan and Afghanistan by pur-suing their nefarious designs. It needs joint efforts, setting aside all the misconceptions and misun-derstandings.

It is the high time to contem-plate on how to secure the region against the cruelties of extremist elements, as the Nato-led forces are expected to cede the lead role for security in Afghanistan this spring to Afghan soldiers, 12 years after the United States invaded Af-ghanistan to oust the Taliban gov-ernment harbouring Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader.

The post-withdrawal situation has a great importance for not only the regional peace but also for the world peace. So, the holding of such meetings should continue until they bear fruitful results. It needs to be ensured that all the stakeholders negate the elements, who want to sabotage the mutual relations and impede talks among the countries concerned. They have to prepare a joint strategy to lead the peace process to success. The time requires result-oriented talks. Pakistan and Afghanistan need to take stringent steps to overcome their differences, slap-ping the elements who want vice versa.

Kayani meets Karzai, Kerry for Afghan peace talksn Kerry sees progress; stresses ‘very specific homework’

afghan peace sans pakistan’s role merely a mirage

DA REPORT ISLAMABAD

The Foreign Office said the other day that the trilateral meeting of Pakistan, Af-ghanistan and the United

States in Brussels was in continuation with the high-level contacts between the three countries.

During his weekly news briefing, Foreign Office spokesman Aizaz Ah-mad Chaudhry said, “as for the level of participation, this was a meeting of the trilateral core group in which attend-ance has been at varying levels in the past.” He said the “delegation firmly put across our perspective that Paki-stan would like to see a peaceful, stable and united Afghanistan for the sake of peace in the region.”

To a question , he said the countries agreed that a sustainable reconcilia-tion process was essential for achiev-ing peace and stability in Afghanistan.The meeting also agreed to pursue political, security and economic coop-eration between Pakistan and Afghan-istan.The spokesman said Pakistan took the opportunity to reaffirm its support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of peace and reconcili-ation.

The Foreign Office confirmed that

concurrence of seven governments had been obtained for voting by overseas Pakistanis there. He said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had short-listed nine countries where poll-ing could be held. He said concurrence from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Ku-wait, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom had been received while re-sponse from the United States and the United Arab Emirates was awaited. He said the issue of voting by overseas Pakistanis was under consideration in the Supreme Court and once a decision was taken, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its missions abroad would extend all possible assistance for the conduct of polling.Answering another question, he said instructions had been issued to the Pakistan embassy in Baghdad to extend complete assistance to any of the Pakistani pilgrims stranded on Iraqi border due to elections in that country. He said the pilgrims should check with Iraqi embassy in Islamabad before leaving for Iraq.

The spokesman said there were no terror camps in Pakistan. About ar-rest of some British Muslims plotting terror attacks and allegations that they either received training in Pakistan or were about to, he said terrorists were being tried in different countries and they made different statements.

Message firmly conveyed in Brussels, says Pakistann FO says seven countries agreed to allow polling for overseas Pakistanis

April 29- May 05, 2013

5

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

As the world marks ‘Edu-cation for All Week’, United Nations Educa-tional, Scientific and

Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged policy makers to recognize the growing demand of trained teachers in order to provide qual-ity education to all children inPa-kistan.

A Public Forum jointly was or-ganized by UNESCO and UNICEF to observe Education For All (EFA) Week here the other day. “Teach-ers, with their hard work, affection and stimulating interaction with children, not only transfer informa-tion, knowledge, and new skills to their pupils, but also play a key role in making the teaching-learning a joyful and participatory phenom-enon”.

Dr Kozue Kay Nagata, Repre-sentative UNESCO Islamabad, gave these remarks at the opening ses-sion of the event. She emphasized the welcoming news of ICT act and Sindh provincial act that had been passed, on Article 25-A of constitu-tion on free and compulsory educa-tion for all children age 5- 16. The event provided a platform to a wide cadre of educationists; teachers, policy makers and civil society rep-resentatives to recognize the fact that untrained teachers are one of the major obstacles in achieving universal primary education in Pa-

kistan.The deliberations in the event

resonated the following three facts, which are part of messages of Global Campaign for Education in the context of EFA, i.e. Without teachers, a school is just a building; Without trained teachers, school-ing is not education; and Without trained teachers for all, education for all will never be a reality.

The public forum was chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Educa-tion and Training, Mr. Qamar Za-man Chaudhry, who reaffirmed the commitment towards all six goals of Education for All. Raising the issue of trained teachers in Pakistan, Mr. Qamar Zaman said that educated and professional teachers are most-ly concentrated in cities and real challenge about qualified teachers is in rural and remote areas.

He added, “Due to absence and inability of teachers to handle the students properly, drop out rate of students in rural areas is higher than urban centers”. Prof Rafiq Tahir, Joint Secretary Ministry of Capital Administration and Devel-opment (CAD) presented an action plan for enforcement of Article 25-A of the constitution and right to free and compulsory education act 2012 in Islamabad.

Mr Khusro Pervez Khan , Direc-tor General National Commission of Human Development (NCHD), and Dr Shaista Peerzada, Principle, Is-lamabad College of Girls, also spoke at the occasion.

OUR CORRESPONDENTMULTAN

Declaring Pakistan man-goes the best in the world, Nepal ambassa-dor in Pakistan Bharat

Raj Paudyal said there was a lot of scope for enhancing trade ties be-tween Pakistan and Nepal.

“Undoubtedly, Pakistan is the best producer of mangoes in the world, but very small quantity of them goes to Nepal. There is a lot of

scope of increasing trade ties between both countries,” Bharat Raj Paudyal

said while address-i n g representative of the busi-ness community of South Punjab at Shamim Hall of MCCI.

He said that they could enhance trade with Pakistan in many fields and added that Pakistani young entrepreneurs had been holding annual “Single Country Fair” in Nepal since 2010.

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani led the Pakistan delegation to the third ‘Heart of Asia’ Ministerial Conference of the Istanbul Process, wherein he said Pakistan associ-

ated high hopes with the ‘Heart of Asia ‘ initiatives.The third ‘Heart of Asia’ Ministerial Conference

of the Istanbul Process was held the other day in Al-maty, Kazakhstan. The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr Nursultan Nazarbayev, inaugurated the Conference, which was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghani-stan, Dr. Zalmai Rassoul, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr Erlan Idrissov.

Speaking on the occasion Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani conveyed his deep appreciation and thanks to the Government of Kazakhstan for host-ing this Ministerial Conference. He underlined that several developments have taken place since the last Ministerial in Kabul in June, 2012.

The Foreign Secretary said that six clusters of CBMs that have been identified are now ready for implementation. He said this was a manifestation of

result oriented cooperation to promote security and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region.

The Foreign Secretary said that Pakistan attaches great importance to the Heart of Asia Initiative. He said this is the reason that we have joined all the six Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) under this process. Pakistan together with Kazakhstan has a lead role in Disaster Management CBM.

He reported to the Ministerial Conference about the draft implementation plan of the Disaster Man-agement CBM, prepared jointly with Kazakhstan. The CBM was later adopted by the Ministerial Conference along with other CBMs.

The Foreign Secretary said Pakistan has continu-ously endeavored to raise the profile of its relations with Afghanistan, at both bilateral and multilateral forums. A peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan is in our vital national interest, he said.

The Foreign Secretary reiterated that Pakistan is committed to provide its fullest cooperation to Af-ghanistan to help it steer through the transition pe-riod and beyond.

The Foreign Secretary hoped that the CBMs adopt-ed during the Almaty Ministerial Conference would strengthen concrete cooperation in various fields among the members of the Heart of Asia Process.

UNESCO marks ‘Education for All Week’

Pak mangoes best in the world: Nepal envoy

ministerial conference

Pakistan satisfied with outcome of ‘Heart of Asia’ moot, says Jilani

MONITORS REPORT COLOMBO

High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka, Maj Gen Qasim Qureshi visited Galle District of the Southern Province of

Sri Lanka.During the visit to Galle, the High Com-

missioner participated in a meeting with the officials of the Galle District Chamber of Commerce & Industry. The meeting reviewed the prevailing business envi-ronment between the two friendly coun-tries. While speaking on the occasion H.E.

Qasim Qureshi emphasized the need to explore ways and means to further en-hance business connectivity and the vol-ume of bilateral trade between the two countries.

The High Commissioner noted that the two countries have put in place an over-arching economic framework to facilitate businessmen of both countries to set-up and strengthen commercial and invest-ment ventures. ‘The hallmark of this framework is the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which has been operational since 2005’, he added.

He further stated that Pakistan and Sri

Lanka also have a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) and an MoU on Customs Co-operation.

H.E. Qasim Qureshi highlighted that Pakistan offers extremely attractive op-portunities to the Sri Lankan traders and consumers to benefit from abundant raw materials, available at competitive prices and low freight costs. He explained that Pakistan produces various varieties of rice, vegetables and fruits, which if im-ported from Pakistan to Sri Lanka, can considerably reduce the inflation in food items, at the same time providing a wide choice of consumables.

Enhanced bilateral trade between Pakistan, Sri Lanka stressed

April 29- May 05, 2013

ISLAMABAD: Qamar Zaman Chaudhry, Secretary, Ministry of Education and Training, speaks during Public Forum on “Right to Education and Role of Teachers" organized by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) . DA

ISLAMABAD: A 9th class student Waleed Bashir from Balochistan, who achived a Grand Winner Award and a Gold Medal in an International computer project competition talking to students belonging to other countries. DA

6April 29- May 05, 2013

MONITORS REPORTTEHRAN

The Pakistani Embassy in Tehran celebrated the 73rd anniversary of Pakistan Day, which commemorates

the adoption of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940.

Pakistan celebrates its national day on March 23 in remembrance of the historic resolution, which culmi-nated in the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947, but because it coin-cided with the Iranian Noruz (New Year) holidays, the Embassy of Paki-stan in Tehran delayed the function. Noruz is the ancient celebration of the Persian New Year that begins on the first day of spring.

In his address at the reception, Pa-kistani Ambassador Khalid Aziz Ba-bar said on this day, under the lead-ership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent

pledged to create an independent homeland where they could live in accordance with their religious and cultural values.

He said that the two countries share more than six decades of close brotherly relations.

The ambassador introduced the new President of ECO Cultural In-stitute, Iftikhar Hussain Arif, a re-nowned poet, scholar and intellectual of Pakistan. The Ambassador said that he was confident that consider-ing his qualifications, and past expe-rience, Arif would transform the ECO Cultural Institute, into a professional institute.

On the sidelines of the Pakistan Day Reception, Ambassador Babar talked to journalists of the Tehran Times and some other media outlets about Iran-Pakistan ties.

He spoke about the importance of expanding road and air links between Iran and Pakistan in order to enhance

bilateral trade and people-to-people contacts.

In addition, Ambassador Babar stated that Pakistan has never vot-ed against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency and other international forums, which shows that Islamabad can resist any exter-nal pressure.

He congratulated the people of Pakistan and Iran on signing the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project -- formerly known as the Iran-Paki-stan-India (IPI) pipeline or the peace pipeline -- and said that Islamabad will work with Tehran to complete the project on schedule.

A number of senior Iranian of-ficials, parliamentarians, ambas-sadors, cultural, military and press attaches, academicians, scholars, writers, media representatives and members of the Pakistan commu-nity attended the Pakistan Day func-tion.

Pakistan Embassy celebrates national day in Tehran

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

A four-member delegation of USAID, led by Jona-than M Conly, called on Federal Minister for Wa-

ter and Power Dr Musadik Malik the other day and discussed vari-ous matters of cooperation in pow-er sector, improvements in Discos and financing for power projects.

A statement issued by the power ministry said that the minister while briefing the delegation said we have identified problems in generation, pilferage, transmission and distri-bution losses, inefficiency and mis-management are major causes of the crisis. As a short term solution to reduce the hours of loadshed-ding, Ministry of Water and Power has planned to shift the resources from inefficient plants to efficient plants by providing them oil and gas to generate additional 1000MW. He also said the government has been asked to provide Rs 150 bil-lion and 150 mmcfd gas to run the efficient power plants on maximum capacity. Malik also informed the delegation that the allocations of oil and gas would be uploaded on web-site and made public. Performance guarantee agreements would also be signed with the Chief Executive Officers of Discos. Construction of dams, run of river hydel projects, coal and alternative energy genera-tion projects are solution to energy crisis on sustainable basis while the

US participation in these projects would ease the situation, the Minis-ter observed.

Jonathan Conley, USAID Country Head, during the course of meet-ing said that United States and Pakistan together are carrying out large-scale energy projects, that will add 900MW of capacity to the power grid by the end 2013.These projects include renovating the power plant at the Tarbela Dam, modernizing the generators of the Mangla Dam, upgrading the Guddu, Jamshoro and Muzafargarh power plants and construction of Gomal Zam Dam.

US technical assistance is also supporting crucial policy and management reforms underway in Pakistan’s Ministry of Water and Power. The reforms are fo-cused both on reducing techni-cal losses on the power grid and on increasing receivables. A five year USAID funded programme is already under progress which aims to improve the performance of Discos in terms of reduction in losses and improvement in rev-enues and customer services to bring them at par with best global practices, he maintained. USAID will provide global expertise to give input on short term relief measures and long term ongoing commentary be added. He said that US is committed to working with the government of Pakistan towards a brighter future for the people of Pakistan.

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Pakistan and Egypt have trustworthy political re-lations and are enjoying excellent diplomatic rela-

tions, therefore both the countries should also consider to improve economic ties and bilateral trade relations.

These remarks were made by Said Mohamed El-Said Hindam, Am-bassador of Egypt in Pakistan, while addressing business community of ICCI. He said that both countries are facing almost similar problems and they could better face the current challenges by promoting bilateral cooperation in multiple fields.

The ambassador said that Egypt is an export-oriented economy as well as he cited Egypt’s environment and infrastructure as being conducive for free and preferential trade with all the countries. He said that Egypt has tremendous opportunities of in-vestment in the areas of real estate development, fertilizer, oil & gas sec-tor and having expertise in drilling as well.

He also highlighted the scope of importing fish and other sea food items from Pakistan which have great demand in Egyptian markets. Hindam said that the most impor-tant Egyptian exports are cement and dairy products, however, there are numerous sectors in which both the countries could start joint ventures despite having compara-tive advantage in many sectors. The Ambassador said that ICCI should also sign a MoU with Cairo Chamber of Commerce & Industry aimed at promoting existing volume of trade which stood at $380million.

In his welcome address, Zafar Bakhtawari lauded the vision of Egyptian diplomats and said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its relations with Egypt as it is one of the most important countries of Africa and Middle East.

ICCI President said that bilateral trade between Pakistan and Egypt was not up to the potential which should be increased up to $1billion in coming years because there were enormous opportunities of enhanc-ing cooperation in various fields be-tween both the countries.

MONITORS REPORTBIRMINGHAM

Up to 25,000 British Paki-stani men, women and children from across the UK gathered in Aston Park

here to express their love for Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and

to call on the British government to introduce legislation that bars Islam-ophobes from insulting Islam under the garb of the freedom of speech.

The participants, who also trav-elled from several parts of European cities, were led in a peaceful and col-ourful mile-long march by Hazrat Peer Alauddin Siddiqui.

‘commitment to brighter future’

Minister for US participation in energy projects

Envoy for strengthening Pak-Egypt trade ties

Thousands rally in UK to demand end to anti-Islam speeches

Sethi wants resolution of Pak-India issues

BUREAU REPORTLAHORE

Both Pakistan and India should follow the policy of peaceful coexistence and compete only in the field of economy and

trade to bring prosperity to their people.Interim Chief Minister Najam Sethi

expressed these views during a meeting with Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal who called on him at CM’s Secretariat, according to a handout.

Mr Sethi said Pakistan and India be-ing neighbours would have to follow the policy of peaceful coexistence. He said the both countries should resolve their bilateral issues through meaningful dia-logue as wars gave nothing except pov-erty, price-hike, hunger and devastation to the two countries.

He said there was a need for the two countries to spend their resources on pro-gress and development of their peoples.

The chief minister said both countries should take solid measures to increase bilateral trade, adding that exchange of trade, cultural and social delegations could also help improve their bilateral ties.

ISLAMABAD: Senior official of USAID meeting with Interim Federal Minister for Water and Power Dr Musadik Malik. DA

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Science and Technology Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar presenting a souvenir to Iranian Ambassador Ali Reza Haghighian during the Consultative Workshop between Pakistan and Iranian Herbal Products Manufacturers. DA

7

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Great potential for expansion in trade and economic rela-tions between the two coun-tries could be successfully

tapped through increased contacts between the business sectors.

These remarks were made by Mr Domingo Lucenario, Ambassador of Philippine in Pakistan during a meet-ing with business community of Is-lamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI).

He said that the business communi-ties of the two sides should join hands for joint ventures as well as chambers of commerce of Pakistan and Philip-pine must interact with each other to achieve the ultimate objectives of enhancing bilateral trade volume. He said that there was a need to activate framework of agreements on trade and economic ties.

The Ambassador said that Philip-

pines emerged as one of the best per-formers in services exports as well as in semi-conductor area which provide opportunities for Pakistan to enhance trade with Philippine. He further said that both the countries should focus on discovering complementary industries as real working partnership between Pakistan and Philippine would go a long way in further enhancing trade relations.

In his welcome address, Mr.Zafar Bakhtawari, President ICCI said that Pakistan attached great importance to enhance its relationship with Phil-ippines as an important country of ASEAN regional bloc and stressed to further accelerate economic and trade relations among all the ASEAN countries. He also emphasized that Philippine should also help Pakistan in becoming full-dialogue partner in ASEAN.

He suggested to establish a direct air link between Pakistan and Philippine which would help businessmen in vis-

iting each other s country and explor-ing new areas of commercial linkages as well as it enhance mutual relation-ship between Pakistan and Philippine. He said that volume of trade between Pakistan and Philippine is not up to the potential but there is enough poten-tial in various fields between the two

countries to increase trade.Mr Bakhtawari said that both the

countries must ensure a liberal visa policy to enable the businessmen get visa easily and meet each other, which is imperative to boost trade between the two countries as there is enough potential in various fields between the

two countries to increase trade.The ICCI president informed the

ambassador that ICCI plans to host a meeting of ASEAN Capital Chambers Conference in Islamabad with the aim to promote mutually beneficial rela-tion between Pakistan and ASEAN countries.

Stressing joint ventures

Philippines envoy for enhancing trade ties with Pakistan

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Ambassador of Pakistan to China, Mr Masood Khalid presented his credentials to President Xi Jinping of

China in Beijing.While presenting the letter of cre-

dence, Mr Masood Khalid delivered greetings of the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the Chi-nese President.

Ambassador Masood Khalid con-veyed President of Pakistan’s pro-found grief on the loss of precious lives and property in the recent earthquake in Sichuan province. Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with China in these testing times, the Ambassador said. President Xi Jinping thanked Pa-kistan for its expression of support at this difficult hour.

The Ambassador thanked China for its continued support to Pakistan’s

economic development. Pakistan and China have longstanding and time tested friendship which has scaled ‘new heights’ with each passing year, Ambassador Masood Khalid added.

President Xi Jinping expressed sat-isfaction over the progress in bilateral relations and said that Pakistan and China were all weather friends. The

existing close ties would be further broadened through enhanced trade and economic cooperation.

President Xi Jinping assured Chi-na’s continued assistance and support in the socio-economic development of Pakistan. The Ambassador said that, despite challenges, Pakistan’s econo-my has shown good progress.

New assignment

Pak envoy presents credentials to Chinese President


Pakistan Navy commis-sioned the fourth and last F-22P Zulfiquar class frigate at a ceremony at

Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works.

Commissioning of the PNS Aslat completes the $750 million tech-nology-transfer contract signed in 2005 between Pakistan’s Ministry of Defense Production and China Ship-building Trading Co., the defense news website PakSoldiers said.

The first ship, PNS Zulfiquar -- “Sword,” in English -- was handed over to the navy in July 2009 and the second vessel, PNS Shamsheer, was commissioned in January 2010.

The PNS Saif was the third frigate -- the last to be built in China at the Hudong Zhonghua shipyard, Shang-hai -- and was commissioned in Sep-tember 2011.

Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff Adm. Mohammad Asif Sandila was a guest at the ceremony attended by officials and dignitaries from Pakistan and China, including the ambassador of People’s Republic of China, PakSoldier said.

Sandila said construction of the 2,500-ton, 404-foot Aslat at KSEW and other ships including a fast at-tack craft, small tankers and utility ships is a result of the government’s determination to attain self-reliance in defense capabilities.

The contract with China includes ammunition for the vessels’ sin-gle 76mm deck-mounted guns and six Harbin Z-9EC anti-submarine

helicopters, already delivered to the navy, PakSoldier reported in Febru-ary 2012.

The Z9EC helicopters -- a licensed version of the French Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin and manufactured by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. -- were purchased from China National Aero Technology Import and Export Corp. and operate from the Zulfiquar frigates.

The vessels carry 200 person-nel and have eight C-802/CSS-N-8 subsonic Saccade anti-ship missiles made by China Haiying Electrome-chanical Technology Academy, the defense news website NavalTech-nology said.

They also have 8-round FM-90 surface-to-air missiles, the export version of the HQ-7 missile, which includes infra-red tracking system and built by China National Preci-sion Machinery Import and Export Corp.

Pakistan’s navy also took de-livery of two 12-ton Bollard Pull Pusher tugs constructed at the KSEW, which handed over the ves-sels to Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Adm. Muhammad Shafiq last month.

The navy has on order with KSEW a 15,000-ton capacity tanker -- an example of the government’s need to develop the country’s indig-enous defense manufacturing sec-tor, Shafiq said during the handing over ceremony for the tugs.

He said the changing geo-political dynamics means access to foreign defense technology will be denied or hard to come by for Pakistan in the coming year.

Pakistan Navy commissions last Zulfiquar frigate

April 29- May 05, 2013

ISLAMABAD: Zong and Nadra officials shakings hands after signing an agreement under which the later will use Zong voice services for centralised call centre. DA

8

MONITORS REPORTDUBAI

The Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by the Taliban has helped to set up a foot-ball match between the UAE

and Pakistan to promote peace.Malala Yousafzai, 15, launched the

initiative with the British-born Pa-kistani footballer Kashif Siddiqi, 27,

who used to play for Al Wasl in the Pro League.

The match will take place in Dubai on World Peace Day, September 21. Proceeds will go to the education charity set up in Malala’s name.

Malala has the power “to be a role model for the next generation and beyond”, Siddiqi said at the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum 2013.

In a video message, Malala said:

“Thank you for bringing awareness and support of education and equal-ity for girls, through the power of sport, on such a significant day.”

Malala, an outspoken critic of the Taliban’s opposition to educating girls, was shot on her school bus in the Swat Valley on October 9. The militant group says they targeted her because she opposed them and promoted “western thinking”.

UAE to play Pakistan for Malala charity

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Pakistan and Algeria are en-joying excellent political relations but the economic relations are not satisfac-

tory, Therefore both the countries should strengthen bilateral trade ties by establishing direct contact between the business communities of both the countries.

These remarks were made by Dr Ahmed Benflis, Ambassador of Algeria in Pakistan while addressing business community of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI). He said that Algerian Economic reforms and its social sectors are playing major role for the betterment of its people as well as it offers great opportunities for invest-ment in various industrial and agricul-

tural sectors.He said that we have rich oil and

gas reserves, exporting LNG to several countries like Italy, Spain and France. Therefore, Pakistani entrepreneurs and investors could further develop trade relations with their brotherly country Algeria for the mutual benefits of two countries, he maintained.

The Ambassador also informed that recently Algeria has signed a MoU with Pakistan in the field of trade and com-merce with an aimed to boost up the trade and commercial ties between two brotherly countries.

He said that an international exhi-bition would be held in May and June this year in Algeria and hoped that Pakistani businessmen would avail this opportunity by taking part in this exhibition and introducing their prod-ucts there.

MONITORS REPORTUNITED NATIONS

Pakistan has called on Israel to work towards a “lasting solution” of the Arab-Israeli conflict that would lead to the

establishment of an independent Pal-estine state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Shareef as its capital.

Speaking in a Security Council de-bate on the Middle East situation the other day, Pakistan UN Ambassador Masood Khan underscored the need for stepping up efforts to settle the long-standing dispute, noting that Pal-estine and Israel had not met for the past two-and-a-half years.

“The Security Council, the Quartet

—comprising the U.N., European Un-ion, Russia and the United States and the regional leaders need to energize the stalled peace process,” he told the 15-member body. A two-State solution was rapidly vanishing, the Pakistani envoy said, adding, “There is an im-passe in the peace process.” Noting US Secretary of State John Kerry’s warning last week that the chance to create a Palestinian State alongside Israel would be lost in one to two years, he said this was “not a gloomy forecast, but a reality developing on the ground”. Ongoing settlement con-struction and Israel’s plans for new settlements in E1 area would hinder the two-State solution by cutting the West Bank into two.

ICCI seeks Algeria’s help to overcome energy crisis

Pakistan asks Israel for lasting solution with Arabs

April 29- May 05, 2013

ISLAMABAD: A speaker Melissa Kelly addressing a seminar on Development in Pakistan and Women Inclusive Strategies organised by Comsats at a local hotel. DA

BERLIN: German Parliamentarian, Roderich Kiesewetter along with Ambas-sador of Pakistan to Germany Abdul Basit inaugurating ‘Gandhare Lounge’ the first restaurant with original Pakistani cuisine. DA Desk

MONITORS REPORTAUSTRALIA

A Pakistan-born migrant Mehreen Faruqi became the first Muslim woman to enter the Australian

Parliament as she was selected by the New South Wales Greens to fill a position in the upper house of the state legislature.

Faruqi was selected by a postal ballot of party members, from a field of seven in a contest in which only women could run.

She is all set to become part of Australia’s first and oldest parlia-ment in New South Wales in July as the first female Muslim in any of Australia’s state, territory or federal parliaments.

While Muslim groups worry that Faruqi will face problem in merging the teachings of Islam and Greens

policies, she believes that faith should have no bearing on Austral-ian politics.

“I see no role that religion plays in government and nor should it. I am not a spokesperson, you know, for religious Islam. There are many other MPs who are Christians and likewise they are not spokespeople for the church,” she stated.

“And, like I said earlier, I joined the Greens because of a really strong position on sustainability, social jus-tice, human rights [and] multicul-turalism.”

“She would support things such as gay marriage and that is directly in conflict with the teachings of Islam. I do not know whether she is going to stick to that, how she is going to harmonize between the two,” Key-sar Trad, the founder of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia said.

Faruqi studied environmental engineering after she migrated from Pakistan with her family in 1992 and is a professor at the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales.

As the ethnic diversity increases in Australia, analysts expect more participation from minorities in the political arena.

Pakistan-born first Muslim female to enter Australian parliament

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Argentina Rodolfo Martin Saravia in a meeting with Federal Minister for Education and Training Dr Sania Nishtar. DA

9April 29- May 05, 2013

DA REPORT ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE

As Pakistan gears up for the next month’s parlia-mentary elections, a mul-ti-faith delegation of US

religious leaders met this week with Pakistani counterparts in Islamabad and Lahore.

This first-of-its-kind gathering was a part of a largest effort across various sec-tors in civil society that seeks to build re-lationships, alter stereotypes and develop an action agenda to promote mutual respect and understanding between the both countries.

The 14-member delegation was or-ganised by Intersections International, a New York City-based non-governmental organisation, in partnership with two prestigious universities in Pakistan – the Lahore University of Management Sci-

ences, the International Islamic Universi-ty in Islamabad, and the Iqbal Institute for Research, Education and Dialogue (IRD).

Prominent American and Pakistani, academicians and religious leaders took part in roundtable discussion. Prof Dr Ah-mad Yousif Al-Draiweesh, President IIUI, Prof Dr Sahibzada Sajid ur Rehman,Vice President, IIUI, Dr Mumtaz Ahmad, Vice President (Academics) and Dr Munawar Iqbal Gondal, Head Dept of English were also present on the occasion.

Mr Reverend Robert Chase from USA said on the occasion that Pakistan and the US needed to take steps to bring the two societies closer. He stressed the need for eliminating stereotypes prevailing against each other. He said the removal of mis-conceptions between the two countries and societies would help bring the people of both the countries closer.

He presented a five-point agenda to promote bilateral trust and respect, in-

cluding identifying the issues that need to be addressed; improving people-to-people contacts; utilising resources for development of bilateral relations; elimi-nating inter-religious misconceptions and launching projects for social uplift.

He wished to have more dialogues and interactions with scholars of both the countries for the cause to bring the people from both sides closer.

Dr Mumtaz Ahmed thanked all the guests and participants of the conference.

He said that the conference would help promote and strengthen the public opin-ion about US-Pakistan relations. At the end the participants actively participated in a round table discussion on ‘What Faith-based and Grassroots Leaders can do to address Issues of US-Pakistan Rela-tions’.

The delegation concluded its Islama-bad meetings by a highly anticipated visit to the city’s most beautiful structure and place of worship, Faisal Mosque. The organisation held another gathering at LUMS in Lahore, spreading the same message of promoting mutual respect and understanding between the both countries.

The group consisted of men and women, from Islamic, Christian, and Jewish faiths and varying ethnicities, including representatives from George-town University, Seton Hall, Forman Christian College, and Edwards Col-lege, among others. Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences Law and Policy Faculty Junaid Ahmad hosted the sessions at LUMS.

Intersections Int’l brings Pak, US religious scholars together

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Stressing the need for identi-fying and removing the dif-ferences between the West and the East, renowned an-

alyst, social activist and Diplomatic Affairs Chief Editor, Abubakar Sid-dique said such meetings and con-ferences infer productive outcome.

He emphasised steps for estab-lishing people-to-people contacts, saying governments should take steps to bring people of different re-ligions closer by promoting mutual

understanding and respect. He also raised a few very relevant points during the discussion to seek the viewpoints of the participants. He underscored how the term ‘freedom of expression’ creates rift between the West and the East. He said some activities carried out in the West under the pretext of the freedom of expression offend the Muslim world. Similarly, the West sometimes considers the Muslims as ‘narrow-minded’. He urged for steps to create a balance in the mental approaches.

To this point, the Intersections said it accepted this reality, adding

that however it was a private en-tity and could only take up the point with the high officials concerned.

Abubakar, in a media briefing later, said dialogues of such nature play very important role and the same should be held in future also. He appreciated the Intersections International founding director Reverend Robert Chase Interna-tional Islamic University President Dr Ahmad Yousif Al-Draiweesh, Vice President (Academics) Dr Mumtaz Ahmad, and others for sharing their valuable viewpoints in the meeting.

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Rector of the International Islamic University Is-lamabad, Dr Masoom Yaseen Zai said that it is

a matter of great honour for them that their university was able to partner with the Intersections In-ternational, New York, to host this important conference.

In his address to the conference, he said that the role of religious and grassroots leaders is to ex-amine the deeper aspects of these relationships and the aspects that bind the people of our two coun-tries in our shared values. Wheth-er we are Muslims, Christians or Jews, whether we are Pakistanis or Americans, we all want to make this

world a better place– more peaceful, more responsive to the demands of justice and fairness, more tolerant and compassionate, and above all, based on morally-informed and not on politically expedient policies.

Rector said that we in Pakistan harbor no ill will or hostility toward the people of the United States even we have a long history of working together in many fields of our mu-tual interests.

Abubakar for steps to balance mental approaches Scholars can redefine nature of discourse on ties: IIUI Rector

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Dr Ahmad Yousif Al-Draiweesh said in his welcoming address that true Muslim leaderships

always struggle for peace and broth-erhood in the world and they are also struggling for promoting peace and harmony.

The cooperation between the re-ligious leaderships of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Islamic Republic of Pakistan for supporting international peace and harmony is continued for

a number of decades through organi-zation of Islamic Countries, World Muslim League and some education-al institutions such as International Islamic University Islamabad.

He has said that the role of the Re-ligious Leaderships in International Peace and Security” is among the

important issues that imperatively need to be discussed at such forums because of the importance of the role that the religious leadership plays in the Muslim World on one hand and the great responsibility that lies on their shoulders towards work-ing for the overall good of humanity and strengthening the cause of globe peace and security. He further said that peace is one of the main pillars of life and religion. Ideological peace is the reason behind the stability of a society and one of the main sources of ideological peace is the moderation of Islam.

True Muslim leaderships always struggle for peace: Dr Draiweesh

10

MONITORS REPORTNEW YORK

Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the United Nations told the Se-curity Council that Israeli defiance and intransigence

is standing in the way of achieving peace in the Middle East.

Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Y Al-Mouallimi told the Council that Israel’s continued expansion of set-tlements and its treatment of Pal-estinian prisoners are expressions of its “defiance and disdain of the international community.”

Al-Mouallimi, who was speaking at an open debate on the Middle East, also said that settlers were continuing to attack Palestinians, and he highlighted the March 9 death of nine-year-old Malik Adel Al-Shaer, who was run over by a settler vehicle.

The Saudi envoy called on the United Nations and the interna-tional community to compel Israel

to respect the rights of Palestinian prisoners and Palestinian children.

Al-Mouallimi also said that Sau-di Arabia and all Arab countries – through the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative – have shown their good intentions to achieve a just and lasting peace for Israel and Pales-tine, but the opportunity is dete-riorating due to continuing Israeli aggression.

On Syria, Al-Mouallimi said that the worsening humanitarian situ-ation and the resulting outflow of refugees are posing a threat to se-curity and stability in the region. He said that more than 100 coun-tries now recognize the opposition Syrian National Council and that it is time for the Syrian people to have legitimate representation at international organizations.

Al-Mouallimi offered condo-lences to the US over the terrorist bombings in Boston.

He wished the victims a full and speedy recovery.


US companies have shown interest in investing in the energy sector of Pakistan considering the great po-

tential in power, oil and gas sector, said US-Pakistan Business Council (UPBC) Chairman Miles Young at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).

The head of the visiting delegation from USA, said American companies including GE, Shell and others are already initiating their projects in Pakistan.

He said UPBC is quite concerned about the ongoing energy crisis in Pakistan and is keen to resolve it. The UPBC represents major multina-tional companies of USA in Pakistan and the delegation is on a fact-finding mission, seeking joint ventures and bilateral trade promotion during the

visit.Young said the lowest volume of

foreign direct investment (FDI) from USA to Pakistan during the recent years was not due to any particular reason but due to economic crisis all over the world that also affected USA. He said it was a misconception that USA stopped FDI to Pakistan in recent times and this should not be taken negatively.

He further said the biggest chal-lenge for UPBC is to present Pakistan positively among American investors since media, especially CNN and Fox TV, are not projecting a positive im-age of Pakistan these days. He said UPBC is not a branch of the US gov-ernment and works independently.

He said that by and large it was a responsibility of the business com-munity of the two countries to pro-mote bilateral trade. “We want to do business with Pakistan because it is a country of the future,” he said.

Israel stands in way of peace, says Saudi envoy

‘US companies keen to invest in Pakistan’s energy sector’

MONITORS REPORTHYDERABAD

Russian Consul General An-drey V Damidov while ad-dressing the members of Hyderabad Chamber of Com-

merce & Industry (HCCI) said that there was vast potential to boost bilateral rela-tions between Pakistan and Russia.

He said that 65th anniversary of dip-lomatic relations between Russia and Pakistan would be celebrated on May 1, 2013.

The Soviet Union was the first to wel-come the independence of Pakistan and it helped Pakistan to become a member of the United Nations, he added. In 1966 it was a result of the good offices of the Soviet diplomacy that the Tashkent Dec-laration was signed, which put an end to 1965 war between India and Pakistan of 1965.

“In 1974 Zulfikar Ali Bhutto visited

Moscow, it was not an easy time after Bangladesh became independent. It was not an easy time for both parties. But both Moscow and Islamabad man-aged to understand each other. This visit contributed positively to further development of our bilateral relations,” he added. “The biggest shift for improv-ing our relations arrived in 2001. With the launch of the ‘war on terror’ the two countries once again found that they have common interests - that is to put an end to the threat of terror coming from Afghanistan, to eliminate the drug threat, the threat of religious extremism and other evils,” he added.

The two countries are witnessing growing co-operation in the field of com-bating the drug trafficking. For example an Agreement on co-operation in fight-ing this evil has been signed between the Ministry of Drug Control of Pakistan and Russia ‘s Federal Service on Drug Con-trol in October 2010. The Russian side

offered assistance in capacity building for the Pakistani Ministry of Drug Con-trol.

In September 2012 the Second session of the Joint Ministerial Commission took place in Islamabad. It adopted decisions on the necessity to reactivate our co-op-eration, on upgrading the Pakistani Steel Mills, on the importance of co-operation in energy and railroad transport, he added.

The ambassador said that in October 2012 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Islamabad. As a result of the visit certain documents were signed including MoU in the field of metallurgy, energy, railroads. Pakistan and Russia can improve their relations in defence field, he added.

President Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry Gohar Ullah in his welcome address thanked the Russian ambassador for his meeting with the members of HCCI.

Russian CG sees vast potential to improve ties

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Pakistan has never defaulted in its international obliga-tions since 1947 and will

never default, said Dr Shahid Amjad

Chaudhry, Adviser to Prime Minis-ter on Finance.

Pakistan’s economy is strong enough to meet its international obligations. “Japan is very special country for Pakistan and Pakistan acknowledges contribution of Japan

in its development. Pakistan and Ja-pan should remain engaged all the time to further consolidate economic ties”, the Adviser said while talking to the Hiroshi Oe, Ambassador of Ja-pan to Pakistan who called on in his office.

April 29- May 05, 2013

LAHORE: Former prime minister and PML-N President Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Iranian Ambassador Ali Reza Haghighian in a meeting. DA Desk

LAHORE: Students watch skillful work of glass blowing during show at Al-Hamra. DA

Japan will continue to invest in Pakistan

11China seeks joint ventures

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

A high level delegation from Kashgar, China, visited Pa-kistan to woo Pakistani en-trepreneurs to invest and

promote joint ventures in Kashgar Special Economic Zone.

“Pakistani businessmen need to increasingly participate in Kashgar and other trade fairs in China from time to time for exploring opportuni-ties that enhance bilateral trade and investment,” delegation chief and Deputy Secretary General, Kashgar Prefecture Committee, Communist Party of China, Li Shui Hua during a visit to the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI).

The delegation comprised of Chi-nese entrepreneurs, custom offi-cials and representatives of Chinese embassy in Pakistan. “Direct flight between Islamabad and Kashgar would begin in a couple of months which would bring people of both the countries closer to each other,” said Li Shui Hua.

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

The Korean language stu-dents in Pakistan have made my job of promoting good relations between

the two nations easier, Korean Am-bassador Choong Joo Choi said the other day.

Speaking on the occasion of the seventh Korean speech contest ar-ranged by the Korean Language Department at the National Univer-sity of Modern Languages (Numl), Choong said holding such a com-petition would not only help the students make themselves expert in a foreign language but also mar-ket their skills in a language which

offered some very lucrative jobs in corporate, technological, automo-bile, communication, construction and many other sectors.

He said his embassy would con-tinue helping the efforts of students for promoting understanding of the Korean language and culture.

Later, the ambassador along with Rector NUML Masood Hasan dis-

tributed prizes among the students.The first prize of Rs 15,000 and a

certificate of excellence was given to Naveed Ahmed, the second prize of Rs 11,000 was won by Idrees Khan, the third prize of Rs7,000 went to Nisar Ali while an encour-agement award of Rs3,000 was given to Zafran Ahmed and Mo-hammad Imran.

Speech contest at NUml

Envoy says Korean language students make his job easier


A broad-range trade mis-sion of businessmen andi under the aegis of U.S.-Pakistan Business

Council will visit Pakistan in Au-gust 2013. This mission will also include potential investors who are determined to invest in Paki-stan.” This was stated by Mr Miles Young, Chairman of US-Pakistan Business Council, U.S. Chamber of Commerce in his meeting with President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry Muhammad Haroon Agar and Executive Mem-bers at KCCI.

Mr Miles Young further added that “in the opinion of U.S.-Pakistan Business Council which is a part of US Chamber of Commerce, while U.S.companies have been committed to Pakistan for over six decades, the growing opportunities presented by the country is finally maturing. Paki-stan is a young, growing Nation with an increasingly large and sophisti-cated domestic consumer market. So, why not Pakistan? Because the time to start is now.”

Ms Esperanza Gomez Jelalian, Ex-ecutive Director, U.S.-Pakistan Busi-ness Council (USPBC), U.S. Chamber of Commerce in her remarks remind-ed that the USPBC hosted KCCI’s High Profile Delegations to Washing-ton in 2007 and 2012. During those meetings the importance of Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry was acknowledged.

Earlier, President Karachi Cham-ber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) Muhammad Haroon Agar in his welcome speech urged to formalize

institutional relationship between KCCI and U.S.-Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) on the pattern of Pak-Afghan Joint Chamber and ICC-Pakistan-KCCI World Chambers Federation Commission. KCCI is the only Chamber in Pakistan to have un-dertaken visits to the U.S. to interact with senior US officials at the Con-gress, State Department, Commerce Department, OPIC, Ex-Im Bank, US Chamber of Commerce. KCCI strongly supports the initiatives of the two governments in achieving the Bilateral Investment Treaty followed by negotiations of Free Trade Agree-ment to bring closer the two Nations.

Haroon Agar stated the USA is largest trading and investment part-ner of Pakistan. He appreciated that although many American companies in Pakistanare operating in Pakistan, however, this cooperation does not reflect the true potential exist be-tween two countries.

He voiced that U.S. civil assis-tance toPakistan should transform to trade and market access. We expect U.S. to help Pakistan to ad-dress the economic challenges, energy crises, more investment, technology transfer, education and training, scientific research and infrastructural development. He urged to setup Pakistan-U.S. Economic Consultative Group on the pattern of Pak-U.S. Defence Consultative Groups which held 21 meetings so far.

The areas of cooperation between USA andPakistan should embrace trade and investment, energy, clean water, economic partnership, job opportunities, counter terrorism, in-frastructure development and cold chain systems.

US investors’ delegation to visit Pakistan in August

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

To assess the country’s pro-gress on its commitment to the ten targets and elimi-nation commitments set

in 2011 at the United Nations General Assembly Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS; a national consultation was organised in Islamabad by the

National AIDS Control Programme in collaboration with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The objective of the consultation was to review the country wide AIDS response, mark achievements, identify constraints and challenges and define a way forward to achieve the targets by 2015 and also to discuss strategies to sustain the efforts post 2015.

The meeting was chaired by the Manager National AIDS Control Programme and was attended by wide range of stakeholders includ-ing Managers of the Provincial AIDS Control Programmes; UN Agencies including UNODC, WHO, UNICEF, UN-Women, UNESCO, ILO, World Bank; NGOs, Civil Society Organiza-tions and People Living with HIV and AIDS.

UNaiDS collaboration

National consultation to review Pakistan’s AIDS response held

April 29- May 05, 2013

ISTANBUL: Federal Minister for Human Resource Development, Barrister Feroz Jamal Shah Kakakhel in a group photo with Turkish Federal Minister for Interior Mr Hamper and Turkish Governor Mr Guller during Fifth International Buda-pest Conference at Istanbul. DA Desk

12

ABU BAKAR SIDDIQUE ISLAMABAD

A doctor by profession and a man of ‘Sufi psychology’ by nature keeps busy not only treating patients but also

working for social uplift and country’s development.The foreign diplomats promote the real image of Pakistan in their countries, said renowned dental surgeon and social activist Dr Abrar-ul-Hussnain Syed.

In an exclusive interview with Diplo-matic Affairs, Dr Abrar said, “I consider the ambassadors of other countries as the ambassadors of Pakistan. They live here and know about our way of life, our culture and traditions. When they go back, they are known as for-mer ambassadors to Pakistan. They should promote the true image of our country.”

He said the Pakistani nation is very much hospitable and the people associ-ated with various embassies treat the ambassadors and embassy officials in a very welcoming and hospitable man-ner.

With a smile on his face, he said, “sometimes when I meet my friends serving as ambassadors of their coun-tries, I jokingly say our nation has spoiled you by extending too much hospitality.”

When asked about his experience treating his clients from the diplomatic community and foreigners, he said, “I have noticed that when they come for the first time to Pakistan, they bring so many misconceptions. But their mis-conceptions end when they reach here. They start knowing Pakistan as a good and beautiful country. They come to know about Pakistani people. They ap-preciate the tourist resorts of the coun-try as well. Several foreigners even wish to live in Islamabad after their retirement from service. However, the law and order situation creates appre-hensions in their minds.”

He said, “the foreign ambassadors, on retirement, go back and promote the real image of Pakistan. They con-vince the authorities concerned in their countries to extinguish the misconcep-tions about Pakistan, as they see the country the way it is.”

When asked what should Pakistanis learn from foreigners and vice versa,

he said, “the first and foremost thing we need to learn is that we should place an appropriate person at a suit-

able place. Here I will again appreciate Pakistani nation for being very much hospitable.”

When asked how can the govern-ment further improve the country’s im-age in the world, he said, “I think when

we talk about image-building through foreign ambassadors, the govern-ment’s role is not that much important. I think actually the Pakistanis who in-teract with the ambassadors and who are associated with the diplomatic mis-sions and embassies have a major role to play in this regard.

To a question as to how does he treat the foreigners who come to him for treatment, he said. “I am a man of ‘Sufi psychology’. I believe human be-ings are the best creature of God. They may belong to different cultures and religions, but I believe God loves them as human beings. With this belief, all barriers are removed. We treat them without any discrimination. We try to ensure good services for them and they admit it. We try to ensure that they should feel at home. There are two mandatory elements which we need to ensure i.e. competency and ‘Niyyat (goodwill)’. We cannot carry out mira-cles, as extracting 100 per cent results is impossible, but it is our principle to extend all-out facilities to them. And the rest is left to God. Shortcomings are addressed by God.”

To a query about diplomats’ own interests and policies, he said, “in in-ternational relations, it is a maxim that no one is your permanent friend or foe. Permanent factor is only personal in-terests. If we expect that foreign coun-tries do not have their own interests, it is a futile expectation. Rather, I will say that it is a must for every country to have its own interests; and they have them like interest in improving rela-tions; and interest in establishing and expanding trade ties etc.”

Answering a question on problems facing the country, he said “panacea to all our problems lies in promotion of education. Education can help address all our problems. We need to focus on educating our generations. We need to know what a child actually needs? … He needs education. It is a basic right of every child. Without education, we will lag behind. Education changes minds, and without education we cannot sur-vive in the ever-developing world. We cannot qualify for any competition.”

He said, “If I get an opportunity, I will change the syllabus of our text-books. We need to teach our children to respect other religions. We need to develop among them the real human qualities of love, peaceful coexistence

Peeking through dentistry into social reformsn We consider the foreign diplomats as ambassadors of Pakistan in their respective countriesn We treat the foreigners sans any discrimination; try to ensure that they feel at homen Panacea to all our problems lies in promotion of education n I wish there were a ‘Pak Tea House’ in Islamabad, so that intellectuals could come and share their thoughtsn If I have an opportunity, I will launch a news channel named ‘Good News channel’. This news channel would only telecast good news, setting aside all the evils that smudge the social fabricn We should not only think of our life after death but also think to make progress in this world. God asks us to strive for a command over the universe, as the mankind is not meant for the world, instead the universe is created for himn We need to take Pakistan to a position that other countries desire to expand relations with usn Love paves the way to social uplift, as Allama Iqbal says ‘Muhabbat Fateh-e-Aalam hai (Love is a tool to rule the world). We just need to uproot hate from our hearts n I am of the opinion that when a political party’s head, who lives in a 10-marla house, gets elected, it will be the most important day of the country’s history

April 29- May 05, 2013

13

and respect.” He said, “I have visited many schools to talk to teachers and parents, asking them to sort out what problems their children are facing.”

Referring to the precondition of graduation to reach the legislative as-

semblies, he said, “unless we improve literacy rate, we cannot make any change. We need an educated nation, instead of merely graduates in the as-semblies. Educated voters will surely elect educated representatives and lawmakers.”

Referring to the role of civil society in leading the country to development and promoting its image, he gave an ex-ample out of his rich experience saying that, “When I was studying in Lahore. My friends and I used to go to ‘Pak Tea House’, where we came across sev-eral intellectuals including Dr Ashfaq Ahmad, Kishwar Naheed, Bano Qud-sia and Mirza Adeeb. They used to sit there and discuss a variety of issues. We used to learn from them.”

He emphatically said, “I wish there were a ‘Pak Tea House’ in Islamabad as well, so that intellectuals could come and share their thoughts. Inter-

action with intellectuals expands the horizon of your mental canvass. Peo-ple would learn from them and apply their thoughts in their practical life. This would really help us psyche our-selves up for development and image-building.”

Similarly, he said, “If I have an op-portunity, I will launch a news chan-nel named ‘Good News channel’. This news channel would only telecast good news, setting aside all the evils that smudge the social fabric.”

Speaking about the future of Paki-stan in his view, he said the circum-stances are not going to persist. “Eve-rything is going to be alright with the passage of time. Democracy in Paki-stan is in its infancy yet, but it will get strengthened gradually. A continuity of election process after every five years should be maintained without any in-terruption. It will be a very fruitful to make progress.”

Pointing out what he called a ‘mis-take’, he said, “we do not pay any heed to the worldly affairs and say we only need the world hereafter. God has cre-ated the world and we have to live here. So, we should not only think for our life after death but also think to make progress in this world. God asks us to strive for a command over the uni-verse, as the mankind is not meant for the world, instead the universe is cre-ated for him.”

To a point about negative aspects of Pakistan, he said, “our people are very intolerant. The negative aspect of our society is intolerance. We are not ready to respect others’ views. We should, just, put forward our view-point, instead of forcing others to get convinced.”

To a question that “applying medical

science being a practitioner, you treat teeth of people, straighten their shape and remove their aches, if you are giv-en the society – just consider it human teeth – how would you treat it by ap-plying social sciences?” He said, “I will only do one thing. I will spread love. I will propagate a message in the soci-ety, asking people to love human be-ings and nature.” He said, “job, money and materialistic needs have nothing to do with spreading love. Love paves the way for social uplift, as Allama Iqbal says ‘Muhabbat Fateh-e-Aalam hai (Love is a tool to rule the world). We just need to uproot hate from our hearts.”

Referring to Pakistan’s relations with neighboring countries, he said, “its Pakistan’s biggest mistake that it is sluggish in developing trade with the neighbours. Expanding trade will not only help us improve relations, but it will also be mutually beneficial.” He said, “Pakistan and China can exploit the bilateral friendship, but Pakistan’s policymakers and planners are lazy in this respect too.”

He underlined the need for taking Pakistan to a position that other coun-tries desire to expand relations with it.

He stressed that, “first deserve, then desire”, saying that Pakistan needs to take stringent measures to achieve a status where others start thinking of developing relations with it. He said, “we should keep sending Pakistani students abroad in a large number to acquire education, so that they come back and contribute to the country’s prosperity.

Talking about Pak-US relations, he said, “when we turn pages of history, we come to know that there have been very powerful empires like Ro-man Empire, Egyptian Empire and Ottoman Empire. The US, whether we accept it or reject it, is the super power. We need to develop relations with the US keeping our integrity and national identity intact.” He said the US should be admired for its develop-ment, as its people are struggling to exceed in every field.

Regarding his political views, he said, “I am of the opinion that when a political party’s head, who lives in a 10-marla house, gets elected, it will be the most important day of the coun-try’s history. Only such people, if gain power, will give a true manifesto to the nation.”

April 29- May 05, 2013

INTRODUCTION

Dr. Abrar did his graduation from De’Montmorency Col-

lege of Dentistry in 1986 and received his post graduate

degree in advanced clinical courses in Orthodontics.

He is actively busy in Clinical Orthodontics (fixed

braces) for the last many years. He got his training in

dental implants, at the faculty of Dentistry University of

Toronto. (Canada).

He has also received training in dental implants and

Periodontics at Dr. Murray Arlins Office at the Royal

York Toronto.

He attended clinical courses in Periodontics (Gum Dis-

eases) and Dental implants at the University of Detroit

Mercy, Michigan and University of Medicine and Den-

tistry, New Jersey.

He has also worked at the Dental Implants & Gum Dis-

eases department of Toronto Implant Study Club.

Dr. Abrar is a member of the following prestigious or-

ganizations.

n Family Dental Caren Dental Implantsn Tooth Restoration and Repairn Teeth Whiteningn Sport Mouth Guardsn Orthodonticsn Cosmetic Dentistryn General Dentistry

House No 6-a, ismail Zabeeh Road,(Service Road parallel to Faisal avenue)

Sector F-8/3 islamabadph: +92 (51) 228 7691-2Fax: +92 (51) 228 7693

E-mail: [email protected]

Services: Laser Teeth Whitening

Children’s DentistryCosmetic DentistryBridge Alternatives

Fixed Bridges and BridgeworkFixed & Removable Braces

OrthodonticsDental Implants

14

MONITORS REPORTTOKYO

Pakistan said the other day that it desired an increased Japanese in-vestment in the country

through a string of mega projects such as Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and Japanese Special Eco-nomic Zone (JSEZ).

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Ja-pan Farukh Amil at a meeting of Japan-Pakistan Parliamentarians Friendship League (J-PPFL) ex-

pressed gratitude for continued Japanese support in strengthen-ing democracy in Pakistan and for Japanese assistance in developing various important infrastructure projects.

Chairman J-PPFL Seishiro Eto underlined Pakistan’s significance in Asia and appreciated its efforts for regional stability.

Japanese Parliamentarians rep-resenting all political parties were present in the meeting lasting an hour, including former Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba.

BUREAU REPORTLAHORE

The Punjab University Main Library celebrated World Book Day the other

day and various activities were held in this connection.

In a press statement , Chief Li-brarian Chaudhry Hanif said at the Main Library “Preservation and Conservation Section” and “Faculty Reading Room” will be inaugurated at 9am. PU VC Dr

Mujahid Kamran will be chief guest while Senator Jahangir Ba-dar will be guest of honor.

He said Book Lover Award would also be distributed among top ten best users of Punjab Uni-versity Library. He said Pun-jab University Library Website would launched while book marks, handbills, souvenirs and badges indicating importance of World Book Day will also be dis-tributed among the participants and library users.

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

The UN Refugee Agency (UN-HCR) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have joined

hands to explore opportunities to im-prove education services for Afghan refugee children in Pakistan.

A landmark study on enhanced access to education for Afghan refu-gee children was inaugurated at a ceremony here today. The initiative explored the present situation re-garding the education for Afghan children in Pakistan. It also designed a strategy to enhance the education services available to them.

“UNICEF is proud to partner with UNHCR in this landmark study,” said Simone Klawitter, acting Coun-try Representative for UNICEF Pakistan. “UNICEF believes that schools are safe spaces for children. After the passage of Article 25-A, it is imperative that Afghan refugee children be given an equal opportu-nity to flourish alongside their Paki-stani peers.”

According to UNHCR statistics, literacy amongst Afghan refugees is as low as 33 percent. Female literacy amongst this population is even low-

er, at just 8 percent. The study reflected a growing

awareness within the community of the different types of educational, vo-cational and career opportunities on offer. This understanding, however, has not yet contributed towards in-creasing school enrolment rates.

The study cited a lack of girls’ schools, lack of female teachers and socio-cultural barriers as reasons for limited female literacy. With more than 50 percent of the entire Afghan refugee population under the age of 14, the provision of education re-mains a high priority for families and for the communities, the UN agencies and the government.

“A concerted effort is required from UNHCR, UNICEF, the Govern-ments of Pakistan and Afghanistan, and from NGOs to ensure the dura-ble provision of quality education to Afghan refugee children,” said Neill Wright, UNHCR Representative in Pakistan.

He also stated that “there is a dire need to provide education to all” and further added that “education pre-pares refugees for durable solutions, including sustainable voluntary re-patriation, integration and resettle-ment to third countries.”

Pakistan wants increased Japanese investment: envoy

PU marks World Book Day

UNICEF, UNHCR join hands to enhance edu opportunities for Afghan refugees

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Prime Minister Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khoso said the other day that the handing over of Gwa-

dar Port to China would prove to be an impetus not only for further ce-menting ties between the two coun-tries but also to accelerate the pace of development in Pakistan. In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador

to Pakistan Liu Jian who called on Prime Minister at Prime Minister House, Khoso appreciated the in-valuable assistance being provided to Pakistan by China in its socio economic development.

He said that Pakistan and China enjoyed close brotherly relations which are deep rooted and time-tested. The Prime Minister extend-ed his condolences on the loss of life and property caused by the recent earthquake in Eastern China.

Bilateral relations

Gwadar Port to strengthen Sino-Pak ties

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

United States Agency for Inter-national Development (USAID) Power Distribution Programme

in partnership with Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) launched one of its major interventions the other day with the practical start-up of line-

men (LMs) safety training for PESCO.The overall purpose of this training is

to build capacity of PESCO LMs for the implementation of technical projects, which will result in loss reduction and increased revenue for PESCO.

Under a comprehensive linemen training programme being implement-ed by the USAID Power Distribution Programme, more than 450 LMs from

PESCO will first receive safety training involving practical sessions on pole-top rescue and first aid, and specialist train-ing to be used when executing various interventions.

The joint programme between the USAID Power Distribution Programme and PESCO will harness existing PESCO (LMs), assistant linemen (ALMs) and electricians.

USAID improving safety conditions for PESCO linemen

Chinese diplomat calls on chief secretary Sindh


Chinese Acting Consul General, Jian Zing Jian met with Chief Secretary Sindh Muhammad Ijaz Choudhry the other day.

Both the dignitaries discussed bilateral affairs in the meeting.

The chief secretary noted that an acad-emy of Chinese language was under con-struction, which will be extended through-out the Province. Chinese diplomat and chief secretary also exchanged views about cultural, agricultural, industrial, and pow-er/ energy based affairs.

April 29- May 05, 2013

CHAMAN: Interim Federal Minister for Railways Dr Abdul Malik Kasi being briefed about the railway tracks near Pak-Afghan border during his visit. DA Desk

15

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Shahid Am-jad has said that IMF has offered new program of

loan to Pakistan however care taker setup has no mandate therefore mat-ter has been left to the upcoming gov-ernment.

Talking to media men here on Tuesday that about his recent meet-ings with IMF and other international

financial institutions Dr Shahid Am-jad said that during the meetings we discussed the choices of re-engage-ment with IMF as if new government re-engages itself with international agency then what would be the con-ditions. Both sides decided that re-payments will not be quickly and in five and ten years amount will be repaid.

Dr Shahid Amjad said that we de-termined to keep the economy stable and hand over it to the new elected political setup with energy shortages

under control.Advisor to Prime Minister on Fi-

nance said that another thing both sides discussed was that Pakistan will negotiate with all international financial institutions with separate conditions with every donor agency.

If there were additional measures required then the substantial part will be given in social protection, advisor said. He said attitude of IMF was positive and they can offer de-cree of options. Dr Shahid Amjad said that during next four to six months

Pakistan has to pay $883 million to IMF in May and subsequent in July and September. Answering to a ques-tion, Dr Shahid Amjad said that in past old payments were over loaded with conditions. He said that care-taker setup has no mandate to decide about any loan agreement and ask for amount from IMF therefore we have not asked to additional financing. He said their meetings with IMF officials were part of the spring meetings and they have not done any agreement with IMF.


Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s President Muhammad Haroon Agar has urged the Ger-man Ambassador Dr Cyrill Nunn to

invite new German investment in Pakistan as the country is the most promising land in the region for investment and many German cor-porations are operating successfully and ex-panding their businesses across Pakistan and beyond.

Exchanging views with the Ambassador of

Germany Cyrill Nunn during his visit to KCCI, he apprised that within EU, Germany has be-come Pakistan’s biggest trading partner. Ger-many ranks as the 9th largest trading partner even ahead of the UK. There are many oppor-tunities in the economic field and there is a lot of potential between the two friendly countries which can be further developed. Pakistan’s ex-ports to Germany in 2012 were worth $ 1151 mil-lion while imports were $ 1174 million.

Haroon Agar said that Pakistan and Germany friendly relations are deep-rooted and encom-passed over last many decades. Germans are well aware about the strength of Pakistan which

is concealed due to huge propaganda drum beat in the Western media and biased reporting about the perception of Pakistan by western channels in the countries around the globe, he said. He articulated that Pakistan and Germany have upgraded their 50 year old trade and in-vestment treaty for providing better opportuni-ties and protection to each other’s investors.

The ‘Agreement on Encouragement and Re-ciprocal Protection of Investments’ will cover all modern and legal requirements that the in-vestor needs to invest in other countries with complete protection. The treaty was ratified by Pakistan in 2010 and by Germany in 2011. The

prospects of expansion in trade and overall economic relationship between Pakistan and Germany are bright. The area in which further cooperation can be made between Pakistan and Germany include power generation, alternate energy solutions, engineering goods, automo-biles, chemicals and pharmaceutical, electron-ics and financial services. Germany is an im-portant country in European Union which can support Pakistan for getting GSP Plus in EU, en-tering into Pak-EU Bilateral Investment Treaty, signing of Preferential and further entering into Free Trade Agreement with the EU with pre-ferred market access, he maintained.

IMF has offered new loan program: Shahid

Germany 9th biggest trading partner of Pakistan: envoy

Mauritius to open consulate in Faisalabad, says IHC

OUR CORRESPONDENTFAISALABAD

Huge trade potential and joint venture opportuni-ties exist between Mau-ritius and Pakistan, said

Mauritius High Commissioner Mo-hammad Rashad Daureeawo.

Addressing the Faisalabad Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) here the other day, he said that Mauri-tius would open its consulate in Fais-alabad to facilitate local businessmen and exporters.

He said that consulates were al-ready working in Lahore and Kara-chi. He asked the FCCI members to form a delegation and visit Mauritius to explore further trade opportuni-ties and enlarge interaction between the business communities of the two countries.

Regarding visa policy, he said that the visa was issued in a day by the High Commission and there was a direct flight between Pakistan and Mauritius. He said that Mauritius was a gateway to the African Continent. Pakistani entrepreneurs could have joint ventures in Mauritius Exclusive Economic Zones, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, FCCI act-ing president Ch Muhammad Boota said that Mauritius was Pakistan’s important trading partner and broth-erly Muslim country. In 2011, Pakistan exported goods worth $37 million to Mauritius while imports were of $3.5 million, he added.

DNA ISLAMABAD

Fifty emerging artists from across Pakistan gathered at the National College of Arts (NCA) in Rawalpindi to dis-

play the artwork they created in a series of workshops sponsored by the US Embassy in Islamabad. Many of the pieces on display have been select-ed to travel to the United States, where they will be featured in the renowned Phillips Collection Museum in Wash-ington, DC. The museum is already planning special Iftaar events during Ramazan to showcase the work of Pa-kistan’s emerging artists.

Rachel Goldberg, a program man-ager from the Phillips Collection Mu-seum, led art students from as far away as Balochistan and rural Sindh through a series of classes centered on the work of Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), one of America’s most im-

portant artists of the 20th century. Goldberg used Lawrence’s seminal “Migration Series” to challenge stu-dents to create their own narratives, as Lawrence did, to depict important cultural events in Pakistan’s history.

“Art gives us the opportunity to ex-perience contemporary and historic social issues in a unique way,” said Pe-ter Brennan, the U.S. Embassy’s Min-ister Counselor for Public Affairs, at

the exhibition’s opening ceremony at NCA Rawalpindi. “The United States will continue to support emerging Pa-kistani artists who use their work to foster a better understanding of Paki-stan’s rich cultural history.”

During her two-week stay in Pa-kistan, Goldberg held workshops for 100 emerging artists in Lahore and Islamabad, led training sessions for arts educators, and hosted discussions

with art curators and gallery manag-ers on how to engage with the commu-nity. She also taught underprivileged children and orphans at the Mashal School at SOS Village to use art to con-vey important stories from their past.

“There is so much artistic talent in Pakistan,” Goldberg said. “I am in-spired by what I have seen, and I will take back to the United States some of the pieces we created so that Ameri-cans can share in the stories told by Pakistani artists.”

Goldberg visited Pakistan on one of the US Embassy’s professional exchange programs, which bring highly-skilled professionals from the United States to work with their counterparts in Pakistan. The US Embassy in Pakistan sponsors the largest exchange program in the world, with over 1,000 students and professionals traveling to the United States and dozens of Americans traveling to Pakistan each year.

Exhibition at Nca

US museum to feature work of Pakistani artists

April 29- May 05, 2013

HYDERABAD: US Consul General Karachi, Michael Dodman addressing the inauguration ceremony of a photo exhibition organised by USAID at ISRA University. DA Desk

HYDERABAD: Visitors taking keen interest in the photos displayed during a photographic exhibi-tion organised by USAID at ISRA University. DA Desk

16April 29- May 05, 2013

Nigerian envoy felicitates new FPCCI headDA REPORTISLAMABAD

Nigerian High Commis-sioner to Pakistan, Dau-da Danladi has congrat-ulated Zubair Ahmad

Malik on assuming the charge of the president of the Federation of Paki-stan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI).

In a statement issued the other day, the Nigerian envoy urged Ma-lik to send a trade delegation in the forthcoming “First single Pakistani trade fair” in Kano State for promot-ing bilateral trade between the two countries.

The fair is being organised under special directives of Nigerian Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan after gener-al elections in Pakistan, for promot-

ing trade and developing business ties between the two countries, it said.

The ambassador said that huge areas of cooperation and joint ven-tures between Pakistan and Nigeria are emerging in various sectors, in-cluding fertilisers production, phar-ma, cotton fabrics, woven fabrics of synthetic fibre, tractor, textiles, oil, gas and agricultural research.

DA REPORTKARACHI

Ambassadors (designate) of Tajikistan, Philip-pines, Morocco, Slovak Republic, Malawi, Chile

and the High Commissioner (des-ignate) of South Africa, presented their credential to President Asif Ali Zardari at a special ceremony held at Governor House Karachi .

The Ambassadors and High Commissioner, after presenting their credentials separately called on the President and discussed bi-lateral relations and matters of mu-tual interest.

The President while felicitating the newly appointed ambassadors

expressed the hope that they will work for further strengthening the existing ties of their respective countries with Pakistan.

The envoys who presented their credentials included Mr. Mpendulo Kumalo, High Commissioner des-ignate of South Africa, Mr. Sherali Jononov, ambassador designate of Tajikistan, Mr. Domingo D. Luce-nario, Jr Ambassador designate of Philippines ,Mr. Mohamed Mustapha Salahdine, ambassador designate of Morocco, Mr. Jan Bory, ambassador designate of Slovak Republic(Non Resident), Mr. Younas Abdul Karim, ambassador designate of Malawi (Non Resident) and Mr. Jean Paul Tarud, ambassador designate of Chile (Non Resident).

Ambassadors from different countries present credentials

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Asif Sandila called on Prime Minister Justice (r) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso at PM House . DA

CongratulationsWe — Diplomatic Affairs Chief Editor, Abubakar Siddique and his team — congratulate ambassadors (designate) of Tajikistan, Philippines, Morocco, Slovak Republic, Malawi, Chile and the High Commissioner (designate) of South Africa on their appointment in Pakistan.

17


Alireza Haghighian, Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan called on President Asif Ali Zardari at the Bilawal

House the other day.

According to officials, the Pak-Iran bilateral relations were discussed during the meeting and the president expressed heartfelt condolences over the losses due to recent earthquake in Iran.

President Zardari said the Paki-stani nation shares the grief of their

Iranian brethren at this hour of dis-tress and offered possible assistance to the Iranian government and the people.The Iranian ambassador thanked the president for meeting and also condoled with him over the deaths and losses due to earthquake in Pakistan.

DA REPORT ISLAMABAD

US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson celebrated Earth Day by visiting 65 Pakistani students who

are using their creativity to raise en-vironmental awareness.

Ambassador Olson visited the Hel-en Keller Center and joined students from the US Embassy’s English Ac-cess Microscholarship Program and Islamabad’s Directorate of Special Ed-ucation and Social Welfare programs to highlight this year’s Earth Day theme:The Face of Climate Change. Earth Day, which originated in the United States in 1970, is now celebrat-ed around the world every April 22.

“We can each do our part. From recycling to cleaning up our streams, every individual can make a differ-ence,” Ambassador Olson said. The Ambassador expressed his admira-tion for Pakistan’s natural beauty, and stressed the need for conservation.

“Pakistan is a spectacular country with diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife, such as the snow leopard.

Like Pakistan, the place I call home in the United States, New Mexico, has a beautiful landscape. And like you, I care about preserving our environ-ment for future generations,” he said.

The United States supports envi-

ronmental preservation in Pakistan. For example, a USAID-funded pro-gram with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Snow Leopard Trust will improve cooperation among Bhutan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia,

Nepal, and Pakistan on snow leopard conservation in Asia’s high mountain landscapes. The Ambassador’s Fund in Pakistan also supports wildlife con-servation projects in local communi-ties.

Many of the students who gathered at the Helen Keller Center on Earth Day are participants in the U.S. Em-bassy’s English Access Microschol-arship Program, which provides a foundation of English language skills to talented 14- to 18-year-olds through after-school classes and intensive summer learning activities. Pakistan has the world’s largest English Access Microscholarship Program. Since 2005, the United States has awarded 10,000 Access scholarships in 21 cities and villages throughout the country.

The Helen Keller Center is a public library that was established through a partnership between the U.S. Embas-sy and the National Library and Re-source Center of the Directorate Gen-eral of Special Education and Welfare.

It is one of 15 Lincoln Corners funded by the U.S. Embassy and op-erating with Pakistani partners across the country. Lincoln Corners are a community resource for information about U.S. history, culture, and edu-cational opportunities. They also pro-vide venues for dialogue to increase mutual understanding between Paki-stan and the United States.

Iranian envoy calls on President Zardari

Olson celebrates Earth Day with Pakistani studentsn terms pakistan a spectacular country with diverse ecosystems, unique wildlife

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

The leadership of Pakistan Muslim League briefed the Arab ambassadors here the other day on the

political scenario and electioneering process taking place in the country after completion of five-year-term of an elected government.

The PML delegation was led by Chaudhry Shujat Hussain and it also included Senator Wasim Sajjad and Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed.

Fifteen Arab ambassadors were present on the occasion and the briefing hosted by the Ambassador of Egypt, Said Hindam.

Speaking on the occasion, Chaudhry Shujat Hussain re-ferred to the role of the PML in promoting the politics of har-mony and reconciliation in the country and said that a political culture that rejected revenge and brought the various parties and provinces together.

Chaudhry Shujat Hussain said that the people of Pakistan had great love and affection for the Arab people in the support of Mus-lim solidarity and Pakistani people fondly recall the historical moment when in April 1974, the Islamic Summit was hosted in Lahore.

Providing salient features of the PML Manifesto, Senator Mushahid Hussain said that the PML Mani-festo talked of regional coopera-

tion between Pakistan and the Gulf countries, Pakistan fully supported the cause of Palestine and this was the only manifesto among all the political parties of Pakistan which welcome the Arab Spring as a posi-tive factor upholding democratic principles.

Senator Wasim Sajjad said that Pakistan was the only country in the world whose constitution clearly specified that “relations with Mus-lim world are its top priority”. The briefing was followed by an interest-ing Q&A session that continued over lunch and the total time of the meet-ing was three and a half hours.

The Arab ambassadors appreci-ated the informative and candid comments of the PML leadership and wished them all the best in the forthcoming elections.

Senator Mushahid Hussain men-tioned that it was the first election in which the establishment was not playing any direct or indirect role and neither there was any involve-ment in the electoral process.

an accumulative meeting

PML leaders brief Arab envoys on election process

April 29- May 05, 2013

Millennials attend festival in TurkeyDA REPORTISLAMABAD

Roots Millennium Schools (RMS) Pakistan is a global school community and fam-ily of students engaged in

many activities focused on one purpose – developing “leaders for tomorrow” through achieving academic excellence across all tiers of education.

Turkish Ambassador to Pakistan Babur Hizlan had invited the stu-dents of Roots Millennium Schools to the International Children Festival at Izmir, Turkey. This festival was

hosted by the Turkish Radio and Tel-evision Corporation. also known as the TRT, the national public broad-caster of Turkey.

Millennial students from RMS Gu-jranwala Campus, Peshawar Cam-pus and Mirpur Campus took part in this international event. A delega-tion of 15 members, consisting of 12 students, two staff members and a media personnel, went to attend the festival. They visited Ankara and amusement places as well as got the opportunity to meet with the presi-dent of Republic of Turkey and other officials of the Turkish government.

“It’s a great honour for Millennials to be selected for this festival as the Roots Millennium Schools is the only educational institution being invited from Pakistan to this international festival. The basic aim of this festival is to promote mutual understanding and cultural bonding between the children of different countries. Tur-key has brotherly relations with Pa-kistan in response of which an RMS delegation has been invited to this festival to strengthen this relation-ship of understanding and mutual collaboration,” a statement by the school reads.

18

DA REPORTRAWALPINDI

Nigerian High Commission-er to Pakistan Dauda Dan-ladi has urged Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce

and Industry (RCCI) to organise single country expo in Nigeria and explore investment opportunities to strengthen bilateral trade ties.

He said that business community can play a key role to boost the trade horizons of Pakistan and Nigeria to the new heights. “Nigeria can as-sist Pakistan in energy sector as his country has vast natural resources of oil and gas”, he added.

He was exchanging these views with the President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try during his visit here. Senior Vice President Pervaiz Ahmed Warriach, Vice President Nadeem Rauf and other members of the Chamber were also present on the occasion.

The High Commissioner said that

both countries are the members of OIC and D-8 but trade volume be-tween both brother countries is very low, it is need of the hour to further enhance bilateral trade ties. He said that Nigeria offers great investment opportunities to Pakistan in a num-ber of areas including oil and gas, minerals and mining, agriculture and livestock, poultry and fisheries. He said that in order to boost foreign in-vestment, Nigerian government cre-ated free zone.

Speaking on the occasion Presi-dent RCCI Manzar Khurshid said that Rawalpindi Chamber is planning to organise a single country Expo in Nigeria to promote bilateral trade ties. He was of the view that business community of both sides should in-teract on regular basis and exchange of trade delegations must be made on monthly basis to create friendly atmosphere between two communi-ties. He lauded the vision of honour-able guest and ensures him his full cooperate in this regard.

Free zone to boost foreign investments

RCCI invited to organise single country expo in Nigeria

Visit to chakwalMONITORS REPOR

CHAKWAL

A three-member team of the Eu-ropean Union observers vis-

ited Chakwal district and met with candidates of different political par-ties to discuss May 11 elections.

The team called on formal federal minister and a candidate of PML-N major Tahir Iqbal at his residence and shared views with him regard-ing free, fair and transparent polls on May 11. Major Tahir Iqbal told that he was confident that impar-tial elections would be held, how-ever, the Election Commission of Pakistan and caretaker govt must ensure law and order during the polls. The team also called on DCO and DPO and got information about arrangements made regarding the forthcoming general election in the district.

meeting with Ji leaders BUREAU REPORT

LAHORE

A group of European Union Elec-tion observers, currently in

the country, called on some cen-tral leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami, at Mansoora to ascertain the JI’s views about the general elections.

Led by Miss Eirini Maria Gounari, the mission included observers from Hungry and Greece.

Jamaat-e-Islami’s Deputy Sec-retary General, Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha, led the JI team which also included Syed Waqqas Anjum Ja’ffery, Nazir Ahmed Janjua, Azhar Iqbal Hasan and M Anwar Niazi.

The JI leaders apprised the Euro-pean observers of their viewpoint in regard to the election process including the filing of nominations, the election campaign, the conduct of the candidates, the scrutiny of the documents , the election expendi-ture, etc,

The mission was informed that the JI had put up candidates against 150 NA and 345 PA seats all over the country. In all, around one thousand JI candidates had field nomination papers for NA and PA seats and no allegations had been leveled against any on of them during scrutiny.

Visit to pEc officeBUREAU REPORT

LAHORE

A delegation from European Un-ion Election Observers Mission

visited the office of Punjab Election Commissioner (PEC) Mehboob An-war to get familiar with the conduct and ongoing process of the upcom-ing general elections.

Punjab Election Commissioner Mehboob Anwar and his team de-livered a presentation on the ongo-ing election activities in the prov-ince. The members of the European Union Election Observers Mission included Chief Election Observer Michael Gahler, political analyst Antje Grawe and Press Officer Peter Bastian Halberg.

The members of the delegation shared their experience of observ-

ing election activities in the Punjab and appraised the steps taken by the Election Commission of Paki-stan with regard to the conduct of the general elections.

meeting with SethiBUREAU REPORT

LAHORE

Caretaker Chief Minister Najam Sethi has said that the Punjab

election monitoring system had been evolved with the help of in-formation technology for ensuring peaceful and transparent elections.

The chief minister said the Pun-jab government had established a hotline where any citizen could lodge his complaint. He said a mechanism had also been devised for addressing complaints.

The chief minister was talking to a delegation of the European Union which was on a visit to Pakistan to observe the general election, says a handout.

The delegation was led by Chief Election Observer Mission Euro-pean Union and Member European Parliament Michael Gahler.

Political analyst Ms Antje Grawe and press officer Peter Bastian Hal-berg were also present on the occa-sion.

Matters regarding peaceful, transparent and impartial holding of the general election and security arrangements were discussed in de-tail during the meeting.

Najam Sethi said Punjab had tak-en lead in adopting solid measures in accordance with the instructions of the Election Commission of Paki-stan. He said the law and order situ-ation was being monitored round the clock. He said a complete secu-rity was being provided to political leaders, election meetings and ral-lies.

Meanwhile, the delegation from the European Union Election Ob-servers Mission visited the office of the provincial election commission-er to get familiar with the conduct and ongoing process of the general election.

Provincial Election Commission-er Mahboob Anwar and his team delivered a presentation regarding the ongoing election activities in Punjab.

meeting with Baloch leaders

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

While the European Union Election Observation Mis-

sion (EOM) will not be travelling to Balochistan to monitor the May 11 elections, the Chief Observer Michael Gahler, Member of EP, has met with Baloch politicians in Karachi.

Gahler met with senior leaders of the BNP-M and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party. “During this trip I’ve met with a wide range of peo-ple playing an important role in this election. Given that we are not in a position to be present for long-term observation in Balochistan, I am par-ticularly glad to have met with some of its political leaders.

EU observers’ activities

US says it has no favourites in Pakistan polls

MONITORS REPORTISLAMABAD

The United States has once again reiterated that it has no favourite candidate or

political party in the upcoming general election next month.“No matter what the results, the US would work with the new gov-ernment in Islamabad, as it was solely up to the people of Pakistan to determine their future leader-ship. The United States does not support any particular political party or individual candidate. We look forward to continuing to build our bilateral partnership with the government elected by the voters, regardless of the re-sults,” said US Ambassador Rich-ard Olson.

April 29- May 05, 2013

ISLAMABAD: Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi OE in a meeting with Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry. DA

RAWALPINDI: A group photo of President RCCI Manzar Khurshid Sheikh with the Ambassadors of Romania, Argentine, Ukraine and Malaysia. DA

19

DNA ISLAMABAD

The Pakistan government is taking care of Sarabjeet who was injured in a jail attack, said Pakistan For-

eign Office spokesman the other day.The statements further says, “As

a result of a scuffle between prison-ers at the Kot Lakhpath Jail, Lahore, yesterday, Indian prisoner Sarabjeet Singh suffered head injuries which rendered him unconscious. He was immediately evacuated to Jin-nah Hospital, Lahore where he was provided emergency medical as-sistance. Doctors and medical staff at the hospital are working around the clock to revive the prisoner who remains unconscious and on a ven-tilator.

On hearing of the incident and in

view of its humanitarian nature, the Government of Pakistan provided timely consular access and permit-ted two officials of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to travel to Lahore and visit the prisoner late last night. The medical staff of the Jinnah Hospital as well as officials of the Government of Punjab present there were forthcoming in provid-ing all assistance to the Indian High Commission officials and updated them on the medical condition of Sarabjeet Singh.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also instructed its High Com-mission in New Delhi to facilitate provision of visas to family members of Sarabjeet Singh who may wish to visit him during his hospitalization. Meanwhile, the Home Department Punjab and jail authorities are in-vestigating the matter’.

Govt taking care of Sarabjeet, says FO

April 29- May 05, 2013

Many people in Poland celebrate Constitution Day (Swieto Konstytucji 3 Maja or Swieto Naro-

dowe Trzeciego Maja), which com-memorates the enactment of the Pol-ish Constitution that came into effect on May 3, 1791.

What do people do?Constitution Day is part of a holi-

day season known as Majówka, which also includes the May 1/Labor Day holiday. It is celebrated with military parades, spring concerts and family picnics. Many people also gather at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Grób Nieznanego Zołnierza) at the Piłsudski Square in Warsaw. The monument is dedicated to unknown soldiers who gave their lives for Poland.

public lifeConstitution Day is an official public

holiday in Poland, so schools, banks, government offices and most private businesses are closed. There is a trade prohibition on public holidays in Po-

land. People intending to travel via public transport during public holi-days must check with the public tran-sit authorities on any changes to time schedules.

BackgroundOn May 3, 1791, the Polish-Lithuani-

an Commonwealth’s constitution was adopted. It was the first constitution in modern Europe and second in the world, following the American one. It was a significant achievement of the Polish Enlightenment thinkers.

May 3 was established as a holiday only days after the constitution was passed by the Grand Sejm (Polish Parliament). It was later suspended for many years due to the country’s partitioning, but was reinstituted after Poland regained its freedom in 1918. After World War II, in 1946, the com-munist authorities banned the holi-day’s public celebration. The holiday was officially cancelled in 1951. Since 1990 the May 3 holiday has again been celebrated as an official statutory holi-day in Poland.

Constitution Day in Poland

The Queen’s official birth-day (Queen’s Day, kon-inginnedag) in the Neth-erlands is celebrated each

year with parties, street markets, concerts and special events for the royal family on April 30 or on April 29 if the 30th is a Sunday.

What do people do?In many towns and cities, particu-

larly Amsterdam, Arnhem, Utrecht and The Hague, the Queen’s Day celebrations begin on the evening of April 29. There are public music per-formances and street parties. Some events continue until daybreak when the actual Queen’s Day events begin.

Many people in the Netherlands have a day off work and schools are closed on April 30. It is the only day in the year that people without li-cences to trade can sell things on the street. Some people set up stalls to sell second-hand goods and Queen’s Day themed products in many city and town centers.

There is a lot of busking and of-ficial musical performances on Queen’s Day. Many people spontane-ously sing “Het Wilhelmus”. This is a poem written in 1574 and describes the life of William of Orange (Wil-liam the Silent) and his fight for the Dutch people. It is written as if Wil-liam of Orange is introducing himself to the Dutch people. Versions are also played by bands performing at Queen’s Day events and on radio sta-tions.

Each year, the royal family vis-

its one or a few places on April 30. There they are entertained with dis-plays and performances around local historic events. The members of the royal family generally join in with the games in a good natured way and greet thousands of people who turn out to see them.

public lifeOn April 30, banks, post offices

and many businesses are closed. Opening hours in stores vary. Some stores are open as usual, some are open for part of the day, and some are closed all day. Public transport runs to a normal or special timetable and there are extra train services to take people home from large celebrations. However, buses and trams in the center of large cities may have differ-ent or shortened routes to avoid the crowds. Restaurants may be shut, open as usual or only serving spe-cial “Queen’s Day” meals. Cafes and restaurants may close earlier than usual.

Due to mass celebration, it is diffi-cult to reach many addresses in the center of large cities, especially Am-sterdam by most forms of transport. Apart from minor criminal acts such as pick pocketing and urinating in public, Queen’s Day events are usu-ally very peaceful. If April 30 falls on a Sunday, the celebrations take place on Saturday April 29.

BackgroundOn August 31, 1880, Princess Wil-

helmina was born in The Hague. She was the last child of King William III and the only child to outlive him. On August 31, 1885, and on the same date each year after that public birthday celebrations were held for her. The occasion was originally known as Princesses Day (Prinsessedag) and became known as Queen’s Day in 1890 after Wilhelmina became Queen following the death of her father. On August 31, 1902, people in the Neth-erlands heard that Queen Wilhelmi-na had recovered from typhus and Queen’s Day became a true public celebration.

On September 6, 1948, Wilhelmi-na’s daughter, Juliana became queen and from 1949, the Queen’s Day cele-brations were moved to April 30, her birthday. On April 30, 1980, Beatrix, Juliana’s daughter, became queen. Her birthday is on January 31, but the date of Queen’s Day remained the same as a way of honoring Juliana. Hence, Queen’s Day is the Queen’s official birthday and the anniversary of her coronation.

SymbolsThe national flag of the Nether-

lands is a horizontal tricolor with red at the top, white in the middle and blue at the bottom. On some feast days, an orange strip of cloth, known as a wimpel, is hung above the na-tional flag. This is a symbol for the Dutch royal family, which uses the name “House of Orange-Nassau”. The national flag and the colors red,

white, blue and orange are widely displayed on Queen’s Day. Many peo-ple make a special effort to wear an orange item of clothing, to dye their hair orange or to color their faces orange. Accessories that combine the color orange with some symbol of the royal family, such as a crown or a lion, are especially popular and sought after.

The traditional drink on Queen’s

Day is oranje bitter. This is made by soaking the peel of bitter orang-es (Citrus aurantium) in jenever, a strong alcoholic drink sometimes known as gin. The resulting liquid is bright orange. A lot of other or-ange food stuffs are prepared for Queen’s Day. These include: cakes; custard slices with orange icing or filling; white chocolate; and soft drinks.

Queen’s Birthday in Netherlands

20

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Pakistan and Turkey have historic brotherly rela-tions, therefore Turkish Airline being global air-

lines wants to further enhance mu-tual relationship and deep love held

between Pakistani people and the Turkish people.

Alp Yavuzeser, General Manager, Turkish Airlines North & Central Pakistan Region made these re-marks during a meeting with Zafar Bakhtawari, President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI). He upheld the friendship between Turkey and Pakistan and vowed to help Pakistan in all the times, adding that there is no exam-ple of the friendship and love held between Pakistani and Turkish people.

Gen Manager said that 49 per cent of the Turkish Airline is owned by the Turkish Government, add-ing that it is also working towards achieving the goal of daily flights between Pakistan and Turkey in-stead of 3flights in a week from ma-jor cities of Pakistan. He said that increased number of flights would bring the people of both nations closer to each other.

Speaking on the occasion, Zafar Bakhtawari, President ICCI the love between Pakistani and the Turkish people is exemplary and it is high

time to transform these brotherly relations into bilateral economic and commercial ties. He said that the people of Pakistan and Turkey are bound in eternal relations of friendship, brotherhood and affec-tion which are getting stronger with the passage of time.

He urged the General Manager of Turkish Airline to consider con-necting Istanbul-Baku-Islamabad through at least two of its flights in a week which would help business-men in visiting each other’s country and exploring new areas of com-

mercial linkages as well as it en-hance mutual relationship between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

Bakhtawari was of the view that direct air-link between Pakistan and ECO countries could also be established through Turkish Air-line which would ultimately further improve bilateral relation between Eco countries sand Pakistan. He ex-pressed hope that Turkish Airline would consider proposals of ICCI which would generate a regional harmony within and across the re-gion.

ICCI for establishing direct air links with ECO states

DNAISLAMABAD

Bank Alfalah hosted a re-ception for the Embassy of Palestine Syria in order to foster ties to develop

sustainable relationship. From Embassy of Palestine, Am-

bassador Walid AM Abu Ali and Head of Mission for Syria, Ali A Muhra bestowed their esteemed presence.

The area manager, Hassan Raza

Khan and Branch Manager Asim Alamadar Kiani with their team members greeted the respectable delegates.

Hassan Raza khan shared with the Diplomatic members the achieve-ments of Bank Alfalah and assured that in the near future the Bank will be operational in the Diplomatic Enclave. Apart from the brief introduction about the emergence of Bank Alfalah and its operations the gracious diplo-matic members epitomised with the Bank members the issues proceeding

in Palestine and Syria. Bank Alfalah assured that they

will extend their full cooperation to the Embassies in order to operate successfully in Pakistan.

By the end of the lunch, Bank Alfalah presented souvenirs to the Ambassadors as stepping stone to building a promising relationship. Both the diplomatic members highly appreciated the gesture of the Bank Alfalah and thanked the team for their concerns related to the events occurring in Syria and Palestine.

Bank to open branch in Diplomatic Enclave

Turkish airline wants Pak-Turkey relationship boosted

MONITORS REPORT ISLAMABAD

SAARC CCI has suggested for South Asian cleaning mechanism in form of a well organised South Asian

clearing union to augment the trade and investment flow in the region.

This was stated by Mr Vikramjit Singh Sahney, President, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try (SAARC CCI) while addressing a “Roundtable on Financial coop-eration in South Asia” held in Kath-mandu, Nepal.

The experts from South Asia were of the opinion that a viable financial cooperation will not only accelerate the development process of trade, but also create cross bor-der investment opportunities.

Prior to that, business leaders of South Asia met in 57th Execu-tive Committee and 18th General Assembly meeting of SAARC CCI hosted by Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and In-dustry (FNCCI). H.E. Secretary

General of South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) addressed the Executive Commit-tee Members of SAARC CCI and assures the private sector the full-est cooperation on issues, hinder-ing trade in South Asia. While ap-preciating initiative of SAARC CCI, H.E. Secretary General advised to private sector for effective lobbying with governments of SAARC mem-ber countries.

The Executive Committee meet-ing was chaired by President, SAARC CCI, Mr Vikramjit Singh Sahney and attend by Former Presidents SAARC CCI, Mr Annisul Huq, Mr Tariq Sayeed & Mr Dasho Ugen Tsechup Dorji, Mr Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, Vice President, SAARC CCI, Mr Iftikhar Ali Malik, Vice President, SAARC CCI, Mr Azrakhsh Hafezi, Chairman Inter-national Fair Committee, ACCI, Md. Jashim Uddin, Vice President, Bangladesh, and more than 40 com-mittee members from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Eyeing viable financial cooperation

SAARC CCI for South Asian cleaning mechanism

April 29- May 05, 2013


Pakistani students are not availing Russian scholar-ships recently increased from 5,000 to 9,000 partly because

of the language barrier.Consul General of Russia, Andrey

V Demidov, said this while delivering a lecture on the 65 years of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Russia.

Answering questions from the au-dience at Pakistan Institute of Inter-national Affairs (PIIA), the envoy said students were unwilling to learn the Russian language but perhaps they were depriving themselves of learning and understanding other cultures and civilisations.

About strategic talks among the US,

Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Russian diplomat said he had not got any official feedback on the issue but the settle-ment of Afghanistan, curbing drugs and extremism were the main concerns for

all.He believed that Taliban were part of

the Afghan people and they could not be denied a role in “rearranging their country”. Since Afghan forces were “too weak”, it would be advisable that a peace-keeping force should stay there for a certain period, he suggested.

“The preferable choice for selecting such peace forces should be from Mus-lim countries like Morocco and Indone-sia and other neutral Muslim countries with a mandate through United Na-tions,” he said. “A reliable regime in Ka-bul supported by Afghans is needed.”

Demidov claimed the Pakistani gov-ernment gave three invitations to Rus-sia to mediate between Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir dispute and improve the ties but New Delhi was not willing to allow Moscow to play

such a role.Russian President Vladimir Putin

postponed the visit to Pakistan because it was not “well prepared”, he said. “When a head of state visits any coun-try, it requires documents to be signed for different pacts but it did not happen in case of Pakistan.”

The Russian diplomat also com-plained that trade was one of the most important instruments to develop cor-dial ties but it was not increasing be-tween Islamabad and Moscow, mainly because of lack of direct air, sea and banking links.

The Russian consul general added the media was also not helpful as it was increasing misperceptions, scaring away businessmen. “If peace returns to Afghanistan, this route could be use for trade ties,” he noted.

He said Russia was concerned over the trafficking of drugs from Pakistan and Afghanistan to Europe through Russia as young people were being affected adversely. “Drug trafficking is flourishing because Central Asian states are too weak to protect their bor-ders.”

He suggested that curbing drugs required international cooperation. Terming drugs as one of the conse-quences of the prolonged war in Af-ghanistan, Demidov proposed that it could be addressed by giving jobs to ordinary Afghans and reconstruction of economy and agriculture there.

He also claimed that Russia consid-ered Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline as a “reasonable thing” because Pakistan was desperate for energy resources and Moscow was willing to assist it as well.

65 years of pak-Russia diplomatic ties

Language a barrier for Pak students to acquire Russian scholarships

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science & Technology Dr Sania Nishtar addressing the meeting of the SAARC-PTB 2nd Coordination on Regional Cooperation in Metrology. DA

21

DA REPORT ISLAMABAD

South African Embassay in Islamabad celebrated Freedom Day to com-memorate the remarkable

progress that South Africans have achieved since the first election 19 years ago.

The South Africa’s successful struggle to overcome apartheid remains a testament to the power of democracy and an inspiration to people around the world who value freedom.

The participants of a function held in this connection com-mended South Africa’s progress as a nation and its dedication to the development of the African continent. They offered the South Africa their best wishes on the occasion of the important anni-versary.

South Africa Embassy celebrates Freedom Day

April 29- May 05, 2013

22

DA REPORTKARACHI

Karachi Chamber of Com-merce & Industry and In-ternational Chamber of Commerce Pakistan, to up-

lift the economy and promote further international interaction between the business and industrial community in Pakistan and its counterparts interna-tionally, have agreed to make a special joint ICC Pakistan-KCCI World Cham-bers’ Federation (WCF) Commission to be chaired by the Karachi Cham-ber of Commerce & Industry and co-

chaired by International Chamber of Commerce Pakistan in advancing to enhance participation of Chambers in Pakistan with worldwide chamber movement.

This agreement was reached be-tween President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry Muhammad Haroon Agar and International Cham-ber of Commerce Pakistan Chair Tariq M. Rangoonwala in the presence of Chairman Businessmen Group and former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, KCCI’s Office Bearers and the Managing Committee Members in a meeting held at Karachi Chamber.

Chairman Businessmen Group & Former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, speaking on this occasion said that the policy of the Businessmen Group (BMG) is “Public Service” irre-spective of membership.

BMGians are committed to promote trade and industry and boost the econ-omy while speeding up the process of developing a “public service oriented” mind-set in trade bodies. Upon suc-cess in forging the culture of “public-service” in trade politics and inculcate the values and ethics of service to the people, the trade bodies will serve the Nation in a much better manner.

The BMG at KCCI, being supported by the business and industrial com-munity of Karachi has not lost even a single seat in elections during last 15 years and winning unopposed since last consecutive six years. He en-dorsed the formation ICC Pakistan-KCCI WCF Commission to strengthen business ties with the international counterparts.

President Karachi Chamber of Com-merce & Industry Muhammad Haroon Agar stated that KCCI believes in op-timum reciprocating to the Nation. Maintaining highest level of ethics and social values, KCCI is committed to

promote trade and industry, enhance exports, attract foreign direct invest-ment and forge long-lasting business relations with its international busi-ness community.

The KCCI attach high importance to international trade and enjoys the privilege of being torchbearers Chamber of Pakistan representing the Business and Industrial Community of Pakistan in the World Chambers’ Federation/ International Chamber of Commerce. Ex-President KCCI Abdul Majid Haji Muhammad is representing KCCI as the General Council Member in the World Chambers’ Federation.

Expanding the pitch

KCCI works to enhance interaction with world chambers

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Acting US Special Repre-sentative for Afghanistan and Pakistan David D Pearce, Special Assistant to

the President and Coordinator for Af-ghanistan and Pakistan Lt Gen (retd) Douglas Lute, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Dr Peter Lavoy visited Pakistan the other day.

Ambassador Pearce, Lt Gen (ret) Lute, and Dr Lavoy met with Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani and Chief

of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to discuss ways in which the United States and Pakistan can con-tinue to work together to advance the Afghan-led reconciliation process, and contribute to a secure, stable, and prosperous future for the region.

During his visit, Ambassador Pearce reiterated U.S. support to Pa-kistan’s democratic process, stating, “The United States looks forward to timely, transparent, free, and fair elections in Pakistan on May 11. We are committed to continuing to build our bilateral partnership with the government and the leadership elect-ed by the voters.”

MONITORS REPORTNEW YORK

Despite their saturation coverage of the Boston Marathon episode, American print and electronic media found space to carry reports about former Presi-

dent Pervez Musharraf’s legal troubles in Paki-stan.

Most newspapers and channels have been re-porting about the activities of Musharraf, a close US ally in the war on terror, since his return to Pakistan, but so far there has been no editorial

comment, with the Obama admin-istration clearly distancing itself from him.

In reporting his arrest and detention, The New York Times said the move was “un-precedented in a country where the military has held sway for decades, and one that showed the deter-mination of the ju-diciary to hold him accountable for

his time in power” during which, among other actions, members of superior judiciary were de-

tained.”“The travails of Musharraf, 69, a former

Army chief, furthered the humiliation of a fig-ure who enjoyed absolute power in Pakistan

for much of his rule, from 1999 to 2008,” corre-spondent Declan Walsh wrote from Islama-

bad. “But it also raised new ques-tions about why he returned to

the country in the first place,” he said in his dispatch to the Times.

David Pearce holds meetings with Pak officials

US media views Mush arrest as sign of political shift

US team calls on Air ChiefDA REPORTISLAMABAD

A five-member US delegation headed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence,

Dr Peter Lavoy called on Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt at Air Head-quarters here the other day.

Chief of (ODRP) Office of Defence Representatives to Pakistan, Lt Gen.

Gregory Biscone was also present on the occasion, said a press release issued by PAF here.

Matters pertaining to mutual interest and various areas of further cooperation were discussed during the meeting.

April 29- May 05, 2013

USA enovy calls on CJCSC

DA REPORTRAWALPINDI

Dr.Peter Lavoy,Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs alongwith

Richard Olson, Ambassador of USA, called on General Khalid Shameem Wynne, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

According to ISPR, they remained with Chairman for some time and discussed matters related to mutual interests.

Geo-Strategic situation of the region with an emphasis on Afghanistan was also di-lated upon during the meet.

ISLAMABAD: Advisor to Prime Minister on Finance, Dr Shahid Amjad Chaudhry briefing foreign media here the other day. DA

23

DA REPORT ISLAMABAD

Total exports of US hard-wood lumber and veneer to Pakistan reached USD 8.63 million for the year 2012,

a statement issued by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the leading international trade asso-ciation for the American hardwood industry, said. The figures show that Pakistan, in volume terms, has emerged as the number one buyer in the region, taking 16,056 cubic meters of American hardwood lumber for the

year. The numbers mark increases of 133 percent in volume and 170 percent in value over 2011.

Looking across the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) re-gion, exports increased significantly for the year on account of a substan-tial increase in demand for American hardwoods in the UAE, Turkey, Jor-dan and Pakistan.

The statistics have been released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and show the total exports of U.S. hardwood lum-ber and veneer to the MENA region reached USD 86.54 million in 2012.

Shipments of American hardwood lumber reached a value of USD 62.41 million and a volume of 89,964 cubic meters, marking an increase of 19 per-cent and 18 percent respectively over 2011.

In addition, direct shipments of US hardwood veneers to the MENA region during 2012 reached a total value of USD 24.10 million, rising by 17 percent in comparison to the pre-vious year. The UAE, in value, was the number one destination for U.S. hardwood lumber for 2012, with total shipments reaching USD 11.62 million, rising by 14 percent in comparison to

the previous year. Further, Turkey emerged as the second most sig-nificant destination with the value of shipments reaching USD 9.62 million and marking an increase of 68 per-cent over 2011.

Roderick Wiles, AHEC Director for Africa, Middle East, India and Ocean-ia, said: “Demand for American hard-woods in the MENA region is poised to remain strong this year as well.

The majority of importers continue to acquire and maintain large stocks of American hardwoods, driven by the renewed surge in the construction sector. While significant increases

were seen in the volume of shipments of ash and walnut to the Middle East and North Africa in 2012, red oak still accounted for 29 percent of all exports of American hardwood lumber to the region. In addition to ash and walnut, the other major species exported in-cluded white oak and tulipwood.”

A closer look at other markets across the region reveals strong demand for American hardwood lumber in Saudi Arabia (USD 7.79 million), Egypt (USD 4.49 million), Jordan (USD 4.49 million), Lebanon (USD 3.29 million) and Qatar (USD 2.06 million).

High demand

US hardwood export to Pakistan reaches $8.63m

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Chairman Senate Nayyer Hussain Bokhari has said that Pakistan accords high priority to its relations

with all countries of South East Asian region particularly Thailand and we want to further strengthen our relations in different spheres in-cluding legislature, trade and tour-ism.

He was expressing these views in a meeting with Thailand’s Senate delegation led by President Nikom Wairatpanich here on Tuesday, said a press release.

It is pertinent to mention here that Thailand’s Senate delegation is

on three days visit to Pakistan at the invitation of Chairman Senate.

The Chairman said that exchange of Parliamentary delegations as well as people to people contacts at various levels such as business, stu-dents and tourists can help further strengthen our relations.

He reiterated that consultation and exchange of ideas at legislative level will enhance our understand-ing about each other and provide bedrock for increasing cooperation at government level.

The Chairman told the delegates that our Parliament has taken this initiative to have constant inter-action with Parliaments of other countries to enhance understand-ing, learn from each other and seek

cooperation for mutual benefits and to achieve shared objectives.

The Chairman stressed the need that Pak - Thai parliamentary friendship group should play pro-active role to promote our relation-ship.

Talking about the need to enhance volume of bilateral trade, the Chair-man emphasized the need to speed up finalization of ongoing process of having Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two friendly countries so that both countries can reap benefit from it. The Chairman also said that Pakistan looks for-ward to become full dialogue part-ner in ASEAN region and Thailand’s role in this regard can prove fruitful.

Talking about upcoming elections

and continuity of democratic pro-cess in the country, the Chairman said that we have rendered great sacrifices for cause of democracy and we believe in success of demo-cratic forces and continuity of this process for ultimate peace, progress and prosperity for not only people of Pakistan but also those of the region and the world at large. The Chairman said that we look forward towards support from our friends to achieve this common goal.

Apprising the delegation about the regional situation particularly Afghanistan, the Chairman said that Pakistan wants resolution of Afghan problem by Afghans and we have always supported Afghan led and Afghan owned solution.

Pak-Thai relations to be strengthened: Bokhari Golden opportunity

Brazil offers scholarships to Pak students

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Pakistani students who have finished their college stud-ies are now open

to apply for an opportunity of having their university studies in Brazil, as the tui-tion costs will be bore by the Brazilian government under the Programme for Exchange Students – Undergraduate (PEC-G).

This Program has been in place for more than thirty years in Brazil, and Paki-stan has been part of it since 2012. Currently, more than 3,000 students from devel-oping countries are in Brazil through the Program, 2 of them from Pakistan.

The applicants can choose any field of study in any of the more than 60 universities that take part in PEC-G, which in-clude some of the best higher education institutions in the developing world.

Candidates must have good academic record in college and do not necessarily need to know Portuguese language. Those who are selected are offered a one year language course before starting univer-sity studies.

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

US Ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson met with Caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso in

Islamabad the other day to discuss Pak-US relations and measures being taken to hold free and fair elections in Pakistan.

During the meeting the caretaker prime minister said that the interim government is doing its best to hold in-dependent elections, adding that come what may elections will be free and fair and will be held on time.

On this occasion, Richard Olson said that caretaker government and cabi-net’s efforts for the upcoming general elections were commendable.

PM, Olson discuss Pakistan election

April 29- May 05, 2013

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DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif has stressed for further strengthening the

existing good ties between Pakistan and the Arab world.

Nawaz said this the other day while talking with ambassadors of the Arab countries in a meeting held at a Saudi Arabian envoy’s residence.

He said constitutional transition of the government was taking place for the first time in Pakistan.

Nawaz shared the manifesto of the party and said the country was facing

challenges of rising inflation, unem-ployment, depleting energy resources and an alarming deterioration in the law and order situation.

“These enormous problems call for a strong and stable government, which is committed to good govern-ance and rule of law,” Nawaz apprised the Arab ambassadors. He said only an experienced and competent leader-ship could formulate and implement a well thought-out policy.

The ambassador of Bahrain for Pa-kistan thanked the PML-N president for taking time out to meet them. He said the Arab countries attached great importance to the relation with Paki-stan.3

DA REPORTISLAMABAD

Saudi Arabia isn’t intended to play any role in the affairs re-garding former President Gen-

eral (retd) Pervez Musharraf declar-ing it as “Pakistan’s internal matter”.

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Naeem Khan, in a statement, brushed aside the impression that any dignitary or prince, belonging to the Saudi Kingdom, is proceeding to Pa-

kistan for the purpose since he hasn’t been informed of any such develop-ment.

A national daily reported the other day diplomatic sources of Saudi Ara-bia while talking about the rumours of visit by a royal delegation under an eminent Saudi prince any day soon to take former President Musharraf with it said “None has approached the Sau-di authorities in the case in question. No discussion has taken place on the subject on any level.”

Pakistan, Arab nations must come closer: Nawaz

Saudi Arabia not playing any role in Musharraf ’s affairs

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz President, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif in a group photo with the am-bassadors of Gulf countries during a reception hosted by Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain. DA

MONITORS REPORT MADINAH

The Emir of Madinah region Prince Faisal Bin Salman warmly received Pakistan Ambassador Mohammed

Naeem Khan here the other day. During the meeting they discussed

issues of common interests.The ambassador conveyed the

greetings of the Pakistan president and prime minister to the Madinah governor on assumption of his re-sponsibilities, which were warmly reciprocated by Prince Faisal.

The ambassador also invited the governor to visit Pakistan, which he graciously accepted.

The envoy referred to the special attachment and reverence Pakistanis had with Madinah. He also admired the economic progress in the city of Madinah, especially the continuous expansions and development pro-jects aimed at facilitation of pilgrims in the holy city.

While discussing matters pertain-ing to welfare of community, the am-

bassador requested permission for setting up of a community school for Pakistanis to meet the growing need of Pakistani community. The gover-nor very graciously agreed to process the request expeditiously.

The ambassador also discussed with the governor a plan for provi-sion of medical facilities to expatriate Pakistani community. The governor agreed to give it positive considera-tion. He also expressed gratitude to the governor for the special care and consideration shown by him to the Pakistani community in Madinah.

Prince Faisal responded positively to certain consular matters raised by ambassador for the benefit of Paki-stani community.

Pakistan ambassador discusses community issues in Madinah

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