Ahmedabad, OCT 5: ICC WORLD CUP: England vs New Zealand: Ravindra’s fifty puts Black Caps ahead in chase. New Zealand restricted England to 282-9 after winning the toss and deciding to bowl first against the defending champions in the opening match of ICC World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad.
PM inaugurates National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) at NDMA Head Quarters
ISLAMABAD, OCT 5 /DNA/ – Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar inaugurated the newly established state-of-the-art ‘National Emergencies Operation Center’ (NEOC) at NDMA Headquarters in Islamabad today.
The Prime Minister lauded the establishment of NEOC that will help in coordinated efforts to not only manage the natural disasters in the future, but will help in disaster risk reduction and mitigation of damages. Emphasizing the importance of disaster resilient infrastructure and policy framework, the Prime Minister said that despite being one of the least contributors of carbon emissions globally, Pakistan is one of the top countries affected by climate change. “Climate change is a real challenge that will keep haunting our future generations unless we take such concrete steps”, he reiterated.
The Prime Minister also praised the coordinated efforts of all State institutions during the devastating floods of 2022, especially NDMA. “Nearly one third of the population of the country was affected by floods in 2022 and USD 30 billion was estimated to be the economic losses. The world needs to step forward and help developing countries like Pakistan to cope up the adverse effects of climate change”, he said. The PM also praised the role of NCOC both in COVID-19 and 2022 floods.
In a briefing, the Prime Minister was told that NEOC will serve as hub of all technological inputs related to climate change, disasters management and predictive modeling for national emergencies. First of its kind in Pakistan and the region, this is Pakistan’s indigenously conceptualized capability, which will evolve capacity to predict future disasters with credence and accuracy about likely locations, time of impact and damage intensity. It would generate coordinated response, guiding lower tiers of provincial and district level disaster management authorities.
The need was felt for a platform which should perform the functions for developing a national collage of disasters monitoring, high end technology driven capability. It can estimate vulnerable areas needs and determine the gap to be pre-coordinated support from global partner through all time ready holistic national outlook in the form of real time National Common Operating Picture.
Chairman NDMA, Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, conducted the briefing session for the Prime Minister who attended as chief guest as well as Ambassadors, UN organizations’ country heads, lead global NGOs, Pak academia lead institutional and experts who attended the event. He presented key lessons from Pakistan’s extensive exposures to disaster and national emergencies in the past and shared new vision of NDMA for pro-active management of disasters through NEOC. The vision was principally approved by Prime Minister’s Office and all national stakeholders of disasters response.
The ceremony was attended by national and international dignitaries who appreciated Pakistan government in establishing a high end outcome, fast-paced development of NEOC in record time and the swath of multilateral utility it promises of mutual growth and protection of strategic investments.
Niaz Support Celebrates a Year of Transformation
Niaz Support, a pioneering model to provide customised wheelchairs to deserving persons with disabilities, is celebrating one year of operation. With the support of its global honorary network of ambassadors, gifters, and partners, Niaz Support has made a significant impact on the lives of people with disabilities in Pakistan by providing them with the mobility and independence they need to thrive.
In its first year, Niaz Support made significant progress, mobilising over 1,000 persons with disabilities, connecting with 650 donors from 14 countries, and reaching 4,000 unique website visitors and 8,000 social media followers.
Niaz Support is receiving an outpouring of support from around the globe on its first anniversary, including from neighboring countries, which is a testament to the fact that humanity has no boundaries.
“We are deeply grateful for the support we have received over the past year,” said Hussain Odhwani, Founder of Niaz Support. “We could not have achieved this milestone without the dedication of our team, the generosity of our gifters, and the trust of our community. We also thank all the print and electronic media for their support.”
Niaz Support is a one-of-a-kind platform that connects gifters from all over the world with deserving people with disabilities in Pakistan. Gifterscan choose to give a customisedwheelchair to a particular person from the list of beneficiaries on their website, www.niazsupport.org. Niaz Support then manufactures the wheelchair according to the person’s body measurements and disability needs, and delivers it to them directly. As a token of gratitude, a video of the delivery is sent to the gifterto keep the process transparent and to directly connect the donor with their beneficiary.
Niaz Support is not only mobilising persons with disabilities, but also creating employment opportunities for them by involving them in the manufacturing process of customised wheelchairs. This demonstrates Niaz Support’s commitment to inclusion at the workplace.
“We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a full and productive life,” said Odhwani. “By providing customised wheelchairs, we are helping persons with disabilities to reach their full potential.”
Taiwan: A Flashpoint of Conflict between China and US
Dr. Muhammad Akram Zaheer
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were concerns in western capitals over whether China might take similar action in Taiwan. Against this backdrop, Speaker Pelosis’ visit to Taiwan has prompted some security scholars to predict a fourth cross-strait crisis. China will likely ensure that it punishes Taiwan enough to prevent future visits like Pelosis’s. This may include economic action, limited military signaling and selective diplomatic action in bilateral and multilateral fora, and aggressive cyber repression.In response, Taiwan and the United States are likely to continue building deterrent defense capabilities to deter Chinese aggression. The US may continue to signal its increased presence and commitment to the region through freedom of shipping operations in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, while keeping lines of communication open to avoid unintended tensions with Beijing.
China and Russia believe the United States is playing the role of an arrogant player. This thinking has emerged in many parts of the world, including China. The People’s Republic of China places all responsibility for the violence and destruction in Europe on Washington. Russia supports Chinese principle and affirms that Taiwan is a part of China and opposes any form of Taiwan’s independence.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shown that the world should take seriously what Xi and Putin are saying, especially when they speak in their own language. Both countries are determined to destroy the US alliance by force whenever it would be possible. Xi and Putin means that the US alliance has been formed over their opposition and they will oppose it. Statements by top Chinese diplomats should not be dismissed as mere propaganda. This is a clear warning to Washington to abandon its strategy in the Indo-Pacific, and Beijing reserves the option of resistance. From this point of view, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sets an example. Beijing has also warned small countries such as Ukraine to stay away from US plots. According to Beijing, sympathy for Ukraine is good but it is not good to be used as a pawn in Washington’s efforts to maintain geopolitical dominance. These messages are also being heard in those countries that remain neutral in international politics. Russia and China continue to oppose any attempt by foreign powers to undermine security and stability in their respective territories. That why China and Russia also oppose further NATO expansion and have called on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to abandon Cold War ideological methods. China and Russia also oppose the formation of a bloc in the Asia-Pacific region and remain wary of the negative effects of the US Indo-Pacific strategy on peace and stability in the region. The two countries also express deep concern over the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, which provides deep cooperation between its members in the areas of strategic stability, especially in the nuclear field.
Both Beijing and Moscow believe that such measures contradict the security and sustainable development goals of the Asia-Pacific region and it will increase the risk of an arms race in the region, which also poses a serious threat to nuclear non-proliferation. Opposition to President Xi and Putin’s Biden administration’s new Australia-British-US (AUKUS) initiative has led to violations of non-proliferation treaties. This opposition is also echoing in the West. On the other hand, Australia, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan are committed to supporting Ukraine. Most Southeast Asian nations have supported NATO, Ukraine and the United States. The Philippines and Indonesia also voted in favor of condemning Russia but India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam did not.Indo-Pacific countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have also not backed coalition efforts against Russia. Such neutrality and indifference is a growing problem in international affairs and undermines counter-terrorism efforts. There is a growing sense in the West that a new Cold War is going to be start but most of the world does not see things that way.
China is a bigger threat to Asian countries than Russia, but in the absence of a comprehensive US-led diplomatic campaign, Washington cannot support Taiwan in the Taiwan crisis. Many analysts believe that if China invades the Democratic Republic of Taiwan, many countries will remain on the coast. Such a campaign by Beijing to tarnish Taiwan’s international image could be dangerous as if a dispute and erupts, it may signal Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation that Taiwan is the only province China will bring back.China also has strong economic ties with every country. The United States will need to defend Taiwan, and it often uses its diplomatic and other tactics to keep it at bay. Many countries and US allies do not necessarily agree with all Chinese statements about Taiwan and justify their neutrality. US diplomacy should highlight that China is backtracking on its commitment to peace and endangering the stability of law and order in the region while it is committed to maintaining peace under the Taiwan Relations Act.
Washington needs to make sure that it does not distance itself from countries or regions that oppose China and Russia. However, the United States has also given China and Russia the opportunity to wield considerable influence in key regions such as the Persian Gulf. The lack of a US trade vision for Southeast Asia and the lack of a security system are obstacles to form a bloc. But Washington only sees how quickly military aid can be delivered and how quickly the right weapons system can get into the right hands in a crisis. Washington does not need to provoke China, but the two states must make promises and work for peace. There are lessons to be learned from Ukraine’s failed deterrence efforts. It should be noted that the prevention of war in Ukraine has failed. The United States has no military ties with Ukraine, so it could not help Ukraine directly except through rhetoric. Although the United States has armed Ukraine with disproportionate weapons that could destroy Russia’s major weapons system but it has not been able to stop Putin from going to war. On the other hand, Taiwan is also under threat from China and a similar approach will not work to stop China because the United States is not militarily engaged with the island. The United States must build Taiwan’s military so that it can work together as an ally to counter the various threats of repression. But that requires careful coalition management, as Washington has been practicing with other potential coalition partners. China relies on global markets for everything from technology and energy to food and agriculture, major metals, minerals and capital. In fact, China’s dependency on the global economy did not stop it from trading with Russia. Washington will have to maintain strong ties with all major suppliers in China.
In short, President Xi is using the war in Russia and Ukraine to forge a “new era” that will either destroy or weaken the US alliance. Putin has taught the world that the aggressive statements and threats can wreak havoc. Washington must also review itsstrategyand highlight the growing threats posed by Beijing to peace and security in Asia in order to protect thousands innocent people from the effects of war. It will take time for these two countries to come down from the mountain of arrogance to stand side by side. Though it is difficult to do so but they have to doto protect Asia from war and its consequences.
Serena Hotels organizes Melodies De Piano Fundraising Gala featuring Renowned Pianist Maxime Zecchini
DNA
ISLAMABAD, OCT 4: Serena Hotel in collaboration with the Embassy of France hosted the enchanting Melodies De Piano Fundraising Gala, featuring the world-renowned piano virtuoso Maxime Zecchini, on 4th October at Islamabad Serena Hotel. This exceptional evening of classical music not only captivated the audience with mesmerizing performances but also served a noble cause. All the proceeds from this event were dedicated to environment protection and climate resilience initiatives, supporting efforts to combat climate change and conserve our natural resources.
Maxime Zecchini, celebrated for his extraordinary talent and musical prowess, graced the stage with a performance that promised to leave the audience in awe. His exceptional piano skills and emotive interpretations have garnered acclaim from audiences and critics alike, making him a standout figure in the world of classical music.
The Melodies De Piano Fundraising Gala is a testament to the Islamabad Serena Hotel’s commitment to social and environmental responsibility. By channeling the power of music towards a cause, the event aims to raise funds for vital projects dedicated to environmental conservation and climate resilience. Guests had an evening filled with soul-stirring melodies, fostering a deep appreciation for the arts while championing the protection of our planet.
Attendees included the French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey, members of corporate community, diplomatic missions, government institutions and general public. Addressing the guests CEO Serena Hotels Aziz Boolani shared that Serena Hotels has been a patron of art and culture in Pakistan and always supports such cultural exchanges and this particular event makes it all the more special since it’s a fundraiser and the proceeds will directly benefit the cause of Environment protection.
Usman Dar leaves PTI
Says Imran behind May 9 events
Bureau Report
Lahore: PTI leader Usman Dar said that the planning of May 9 events was done in Zaman Park under the Chairman PTI Imran Khan. Usman Dar while speaking to private news channel program said that in case of arrest of Chairman PTI, instructions were given to target sensitive installations.
Usman Dar further said that the long march was done in October 2022 to stop the appointment of General Asim Munir as the Army Chief, the purpose of the May 9 attacks was to put pressure on the army and remove General Asim Munir from office.
Usman Dar further alleges that Chairman PTI Imran Khan used human shield to avoid arrest, Chairman PTI prepared the mind of workers to avoid arrest, what happened in Judicial Complex Islamabad and Zaman Park was the same.
Two killed in Afghan sentry fire
The ISPR said the incident occurred at the outbound gate located on the zero line
DNA
ISLAMABAD: At least two people, including a 12-year-old child, were killed on Wednesday when an Afghan sentry opened “unprovoked and indiscriminate” firing on pedestrians at the Chaman border in Balochistan, the military’s media affairs wing said.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a child was also injured during the firing.
“On October 4, at 1600 hours, an Afghan sentry employed at Friendship Gate of Chaman Border Crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan opened unprovoked and indiscriminate firing at pedestrians moving from Pakistan to Afghanistan,” it said.
The ISPR said the incident occurred at the outbound gate located on the zero line.
“Own troops exercised extreme restraint and avoided any exchange of fire in the presence of innocent passengers to avoid collateral damage,” it stated.
The ISPR said the bodies have been shifted to the Chaman District Headquarters Hospital and the injured child, who was immediately evacuated by security forces, is under treatment.
“Afghan authorities have been approached to inquire the reason for such irresponsible and reckless act, apprehend and hand over the culprit to Pakistani authorities,” the statement said.
It added that the interim Afghan government was expected to “exercise control over its troops and impart discipline to act responsibly in order to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future”.
“Pakistan remains committed to contributing towards peace, prosperity and development through positive and constructive bilateral relations, however, such unpleasant occurrences have the potential to harm the sincere intent and purpose,” the ISPR statement concluded.
Last year, six people were killed and 17 others sustained injuries in firing by the Afghan Border Forces at the Chaman border. The incident was widely condemned by the then-government, Foreign Office and diplomats.
The cross-border attack had also led to the closure of the busy Chaman border crossing used for trade and transit.
Today’s incident comes a day after the caretaker government gave an ultimatum to all undocumented immigrants, including Afghan nationals, to leave Pakistan by October 31, or risk imprisonment and deportation to their respective countries.
“Melodies De Piano” performance
DNA
ISLAMABAD, OCT 4: Serena Hotels Management in collaboration with Embassy of France organized a musical performance “Melodies De Piano”. Maxime Zecchini, the renowned French artists presented a mesmerizing performance.
Ambassador of France Nicolas Galey and CEO Serena Hotels South and East Asia Aziz Boolani handed over proceeds of the event to environmental protection climate resilient iniatiatives.-DNA
CM Punjab inaugurates display center for Women Entrepreneurs at RCCI
DNA
Rawalpindi: For the first time in history, the Chief Minister of Punjab Mohsin Raza Naqvi along with his entire cabinet participated in the ceremony at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Rawalpindi
Ministers including Industries Minister SM Tanveer and Minister for Primary and Secondary Health Dr. Jamal Nasir, Minister Information and Culture Amir Meer, Dr. Javaid Akram Specialized Healthcare Department, Ibrahim Murad Local Government,Bilal Afzal Communications & Works and Excise among others, were also present at the ground breaking ceremony of display center for women entrepreneurs, SMEs and cottage industries.
On this occasion, Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman, IG Punjab Usman Anwar, Commissioner Rawalpindi Liaquat Ali Chatta, RPO, CPO, Deputy Commissioner and others along with the government officials of Punjab administration along with a large number of local people participated.
The function was attended by office bearers of RCCI, former presidents of Rawalpindi Chamber, women and a large number of business leaders and members.
President Saqib Rafiq said in his address that this is the first time in history that the Chief Minister of Punjab, including his entire cabinet, including advisers and administration, along with the Chief Secretary, IGPunjab and all administrative officials, visited the Rawalpindi Chamber, which not only motivates us but it also shows the seriousness to solve the problems of the business community. He said that the one window operation facility will help solve the problems of the business community and it is encouraging that the Punjab government is taking suggestions from the chambers.
He thanked the Chief Minister for starting work on the Ring Road, Safe City Project and for the grant of 2 billion to BBH and Holy Family Hospital.
Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi said in his address that this is the first time that the cabinet meeting was held in Rawalpindi in which the progress of many projects was reviewed. He said that the efforts of RCCI for the business community of Rawalpindi region are commendable and appreciated the effective input of representatives of the business community.
The Chief Minister said that we want the government hospitals to be handed over to the public sector. If the Chamber of Commerce wishes, any government hospital can provide it.
Caretaker Chief Minister said that he is considering the Rawalpindi Institute of Urology under PKLI.
Mohsin Naqvi said that they are also starting window operations to save the business community from problems. If a businessman wants to do something, he will no longer go to 36 departments.
Group leader Sohail Altaf also appreciated the efforts of the Chief Minister and his cabinet for the business community. Appreciating the actions of the Chief Minister, he also gave him the title of Mohsin Punjab. Sohail Altaf said economic development can be achieved through industrialization, adding economic zones along the ring road, relocation of transport and wholesale markets, improvement of Nala Lai and Kachhari Chowk and industrial projects.
CTD guns down four TTP terrorists in Buner
BUNER, Oct 04 (DNA): The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday
gunned down four alleged TTP terrorists during an operation in Buner
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the CTD spokesperson, the TTP terrorists were involved in
the extortion of money, target killing and other terror activities.
The spokesperson also claimed to have recovered four hand grenades,
Pistols, bullets, six kg of explosive materials and other weapons from
the terrorists’ possession.
Earlier, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) killed four alleged
terrorists during an operation in Aghbarg area of Quetta.
According to the spokesperson of CTD, the killed terrorists belonged to
the banned organization.
The spokesperson also claimed to have recovered suicide jackets, five
hand grenades and explosive materials from the hideout of the
terrorists.
It was also stated by the spokesman that terrorists were involved in the
killing of police and security personnel in Kuchlak.
On September 7, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) killed eight
terrorists in separate operations in Balochistan.
According to the spokesperson, the CTD raided a house in Basima – a town
and tehsil headquarters in Washuk district on a tipoff.
The CTD managed to seize a large quantity of weapons and ammunition as
they searched the premises used as a hideout and are working on
confirming the identity of the dead terrorists. DNA
