QAZI SHOAIB KHAN / District Correspondent, Attock

ATTOCK, OCT 26 /DNA/ – Punjab Food Department Rawalpindi arrested 274 wheat smugglers along with recovery of  5338 metric tons of wheat and wheat products  from their possession during the months of  August to October. This was told  by the  District Food Controller Rawalpindi Sufian Asif Awan while briefing newsmen about the anti wheat smuggling activities by the food department at Brahma-Bhattar toll plaza  near here on  Wednesday.

While, replying different questions, he said from August 1 to October 23, the food department has seized the bids of 274 vehicles including 32 wheels trailers, trucks and mini trucks to smuggle wheat and flour from the various parts of the Punjab to KP. He said that seven check posts were established at various points of the district to check the anti wheat smuggling activities. He said that bids were foiled at designated and un-designated routes especially Islamabad- Peshawar motorway (M-1), Rawalpindi- Peshawar GT road and link routes especially Taxila-Khanpur road and Taxila-Hattar road. He said that 274 persons were booked and send behind bars after registration of cases under food act for wheat and flour smuggling during this period.

District Food Controller Rawalpindi Sufian Asif Awan while narrating the details of confiscated 5338 metric ton of wheat and wheat products, he said that among this confiscated items,  as many as 3449.10 metric ton of wheat smuggling bids was foiled and subsequently confiscated. He added that 120 vehicles were also taken into custody  and as number of crew members were booked and arrested accordingly.

He further said that 154 vehicles of wheat products like flour, fine flour and maida smuggling bids were foiled during the period. He said that during the crackdown against the wheat products smuggling mafia, 1888.90 metric ton wheat products smuggling bids were foiled and 154 accused were booked under FoodAct, he added.

He further said that 80 truckers point were  established to supply flour to the masses on daily basis at their door steps in various markets and bazaars across the district.He said that the with the recommendation of the concerned assistant commissioners of the relevant tehsils, flour is being supplied to as many as 2200 shops on daily basis  across the district.

DNA

Islamabad, OCT 26: American Muslims, despite being merely 1% of the total US’ population and poorer than their native non-Muslim compatriots, donate around $4.5 billion annually, which is more than what the general population hands out. The conservative Muslims, moreover, also happen to be more open to diversity in their philanthropic practices. While their motivational factors may vary, including empathy and social welfare, a big reason behind this range of Muslim philanthropy is their religious beliefs and values.

These were the research findings depicting the trends of Muslim philanthropy in the US, as put by Dr Shariq Siddiqui, assistant professor, Philanthropic Studies and director, Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, who was visiting Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) to deliver a talk on ‘Trends in Muslim Philanthropy and Cooperation Models’.

Underscoring the significance of research on Muslim philanthropy, Dr Siddiqui shared that these research findings and philanthropic trends equip nonprofits and philanthropic leaders and organizations with the knowledge to educate people about Muslim philanthropy, and respond to the challenges of the society. This also gives way to more questions that should be made a priority by Muslim non-profit organizations to develop empirical research.

Dr Siddiqui also presented his views on cooperation models between organizations to conduct research on Muslim philanthropy. He upheld that independent research requires adequate resources, while Muslim non-profit organizations are resource constrained with extra mandates. This serves as one of the main reasons for the shutting down of Muslim organizations and their lack of collaboration with other Muslim and interfaith organizations.

Inter-faith foundations also don’t collaborate with Muslim organizations because of their lack of knowledge about the cooperation areas where Muslim organizations can help them as well as Islamophobia and fear of involvement in terrorism-funded activities. Moreover, Muslim organizations are not as visible as they should be.

Dr Siddiqui stressed the building of associations and collaborations between Muslim nonprofit entities. In this regard, he shared the Community Collaborative Initiative advanced by him as an example of a collaboration model between 25 Muslim organizations to stimulate research based on Islamic knowledge building with an approach that brings forward all kinds of philanthropic ideas.

Furthermore, he emphasized adopting a religious philanthropic approach in a way that indigenous informal philanthropy, cultural activities, and Islamic traditional values are incorporated into Muslim philanthropy as they can unlock the contemporary problems and improve the sustainability of the society.

It is particularly important in the future when governments would increase regularizations and see themselves as funder and director of private money. Though the formal sector would attain legitimacy and profit from regulations, the informal philanthropy would be at a disadvantage. 

The survey has been made possible with the support of U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law

Mahnoor Ansar

ISLAMABAD, OCT 26 /DNA/ – Today, the Ministry of Narcotics Control, Government of Pakistan, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime jointly launched the National Drug Use Survey Pakistan 2022-24 in Islamabad.

In 2012 and 2013, UNODC in collaboration with the Ministry of Narcotics Control, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and other national stakeholders conducted a national survey on drug use to estimate the extent and patterns of drug use in Pakistan.

The overall results of the survey revealed that approximately 6 percent of the population – 9 percent of the adult male population and 2.9 percent of the adult female population – equivalent to 6.7 million people – had used a substance other than alcohol and tobacco in the preceding year.

This year the World Drug Report 2022 revealed an estimated 284 million people worldwide had used drugs in 2020. Cannabis remains by far the world’s most used drug, and the report also notes an increase in use of amphetamines.

Globally, the report estimates that 11.2 million people worldwide injected drugs during the period of the study. Around half of this number were living with hepatitis C, 1.4 million were living with HIV, and 1.2 million were living with both.

Since the previous survey, there have been changing trends of drug use in the region, especially anecdotal information of a rapid increase in the use of synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine. To have scientific data on the current situation of drug use in Pakistan, the national drug use survey 2022-24 will be conducted to provide reliable evidence of the extent to which the population is using drugs and suffering from drug use disorders.

This survey will be comprised of a household survey and high-risk drug use study that will have national coverage, including the major districts in each province.

This survey is being carried out jointly by the Ministry of Narcotics Control and UNODC with financial support from U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Dr Jeremy Milsom Representative UNODC in his welcome remarks thanked Mr Nawabzada Shazain Bugti, Federal Minister for Narcotics Control, and his Ministry for their support in taking lead on the survey and U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) for their gracious financial support to conduct the national drug use survey and drug prevention and treatment interventions in the country, he also mentioned that the comprehensive data on drug use patterns and trends is key to developing effective prevention, treatment and rehabilitation programmes and the Survey report will serve to promote thoughtful discussions, inform policies and strengthen national cooperation.

Mr Andrew J. Schofer – Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Islamabad in his speech thanked the Federal Minister for Narcotics Control, UNODC, and other dignitaries for their partnership. DCM Schofer further stated that, “through this project, the U.S. Embassy’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) will support the Government of Pakistan to provide evidence-based information to shed light on changing patterns of drug use and allow for stronger implementation of programs and refinement of policies.

The launch of the survey is an important milestone in the availability of evidence-based information on drug use in Pakistan, filling an often-overlooked gap.  The information and recommendations contained in the completed survey report will help to save lives by informing the development of drug prevention and treatment programs and suggesting needed policy or regulatory changes.

The United States is proud to partner with the Government of Pakistan on drug demand reduction efforts.  To date, INL has provided $24 million U.S. dollars – that’s 522 million Pakistani rupees – of support for drug treatment and prevention efforts in Pakistan.  I am also pleased to share with you that this year we celebrate the 75-year anniversary of the partnership between the United States and Pakistan.

The U.S. government, through INL, has invested more than $1 billion dollars over the last 40 years to improve citizen security and enhance law enforcement capacity across Pakistan.”

Ms Giovanna Campello Chief of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation section UNODC Vienna office in her speech thanked the Ministry of narcotics control, INL and the participants for showing their concern on the drug situation and importance of the national drug use survey in Pakistan, she talked about the importance of drug survey in understanding the on-ground drug situation, the gaps and challenges to address the drug prevention and treatment interventions.

She also talked about the efforts that are being made in collaboration with the government of Pakistan in developing a mechanism to ensure quality drug treatment services and also scaling up the capacity of drug treatment professionals to deliver quality drug treatment services that are in line with the international standards for drug treatment.

Ms Humaira Ahmed Federal Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control in her speech appreciated UNODC for their technical assistance in conducting the national drug use survey and U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for their generous support for the national drug use survey and drug prevention and treatment interventions in the country.

The Federal Secretary in her speech mentioned that drug use problem has emerged as a serious threat to health and security of the people of Pakistan especially the youth with tendency towards drug use emerging even in educational institutions.

She emphasized that the drug problem requires a comprehensive multisectoral response from various departments/sectors to address the drug problem.

Mr Nawabzada Shazain Bugti, Federal Minister for Narcotics Control, in his closing remarks

thanked UNODC for the technical support and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs for the financial support to carry out the National Drug Use Survey.

The Federal Minister emphasized on the need for being strategic in the drug prevention and treatment approaches and hoped that this Survey will help by providing information to take stock of drug situation in the country and facilitate in chalking out strategies to effectively combat the challenges of drug abuse.

He stressed upon the importance of cooperation across borders to counter the growing drug use problem and urged all stakeholders to remain steadfast in their efforts to achieve the goal for a ‘drug free’ nation.

The ceremony was attended by the dignitaries from Government Ministries, departments, foreign missions, UN organizations, Civil Society organizations etc.

The survey has been made possible with the kind support of U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).=DNA

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LAHORE: PTI  Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday announced the date for his party’s much-awaited long march and said that it will start on Friday, October 28.

The announcement came while Khan was holding a press conference at the Chief Minister’s House in Lahore, during which he said that the march will start from Lahore’s Liberty Chowk at 11am.

The former prime minister termed PTI’s long march “far above” politics and said that the move was “jihad as it was now a decisive moment for the people of Pakistan to choose their sides.

“This march will decide whether the people want to do slavery of these “thieves” or not. There is our march for Haqeeqi Azaadi and it has no timeframe. We will reach Islamabad from the GT Road and the nation will come from across Pakistan to Islamabad,” he maintained.

Shedding light on the way the government issued warnings to the PTI in relation to the long march, Khan said that when he was the premier, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz, and PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari held two long marches.

“At that time, they disregarded the economic situation of the country,” he said.

The government approached the Supreme Court earlier to stop the PTI’s long march. However, the apex court rejected the request to issue an interim order for stopping the PTI’s planned long march — giving a boost to the Khan-led party.

Before it approached the top court, the government issued repeated warnings to the PTI chief, with a top official saying that the authorities would multiply their May 25 policy by 10 if Khan announces another long march.

If the PTI holds another long march, then it would be the second time they would be coming to Islamabad. The last march was held on May 25 and ended with Khan abruptly calling off the march after reaching Islamabad.

Khan, during the presser, added that he was supposed to start the long march much earlier but the government created hindrances for the party.

“On May 25, our peaceful marchers were attacked and we had to call it off just for the sake of the country. Horse trading took place in Sindh House and our government was forcefully toppled. And when I won the July by-elections, I was bombarded with court cases,” the PTI chief lamented.

He added that so far, the coalition government had registered 24 first information reports (FIRs) against Khan. 

Brussels, OCT 25 /DNA/ – The Federal Minister for Commerce and Investment, Syed Naveed Qamar, who is on an official visit to Brussels met the Vice President of the European Parliament MEP Heidi Hautala, in Brussels today. 

The Ambassador of Pakistan to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union, Dr. Asad Majeed Khan and other officials were also present during the interaction.

The Minister briefed Vice President Hautala about the climate-induced catastrophe in Pakistan which has caused unprecedented loss of lives and destruction to infrastructure. Minister Qamar highlighted that the floods have inundated one third of country, affecting 33 million people and killing 1,725 people including 643 children. He added that the catastrophe has caused an economic loss of over US$ 40 billion and has pushed the country’s development agenda back by years.

Minister Qamar emphasized that Pakistan is at ground zero of the climate crisis, despite contributing less than 1 percent of global greenhouse gases. He elaborated that the country has been suffering extreme weather events and has suffered from droughts, forest fires, severe and prolonged heat waves as well as unprecedented and prolonged monsoon rains, which resulted in catastrophic floods.

The Minister also expressed gratitude on the overwhelming expressions of solidarity and support by the EU and its member states in the aftermath of the destruction caused by the climate-induced disaster in Pakistan.

In his interaction with the European Commissioner for Crisis Management Mr. Janez Lenarcic, the Commerce Minister thanked him for his visit to the flood affected areas in Pakistan, earlier this month.

The Minister also conveyed appreciation for the EU and its member states for collectively providing the largest humanitarian assistance of Euro 133 million as well as for activating the Civil Protection Mechanism and provision of Copernicus emergency satellite service following the devastating floods in Pakistan.

Later in the day, the Minister held separate meetings with several key Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), including MEP Tomas Zdechovsky, MEP Fabio Massimo Castaldo and MEP Helmut Scholz. During the meetings, he exchanged views with the Parliamentarians on a broad range of issues, including Pakistan- EU trade and investment relations.

The Members of the European Parliament thanked the Commerce Minister for his briefing on Pakistan’s relations with the EU and agreed to enhance parliamentary exchanges with Pakistan.