Muridke, OCT 30: Long March: Imran Khan says ‘journalists leaving the country’ as he decries ‘rule of fear’. In speech at Muridke, Imran refutes Shehbaz’s claim that he reached out to him to suggest army chief candidates
Once again calls on CJP to ‘bring those above the law, under it’
Says ‘we are with our army, our criticism is constructive’
Punjab CM Elahi claims ‘backdoor negotiations’ underway
This is the second such march by Imran this year; first was on May 25 and fizzled out after PTI reached the Red Zone
Red Zone extended to Faisal Avenue
PTI insists march will be peaceful and limited to designated areas only
Rawalpindi, OCT 30 /DNA/ – Director General, Gwadar Development Authority Mujibur Rehman Qambrani visited the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) and called on President RCCI Saqib Rafiq and other officials.
A detailed presentation was given to businessmen about investment opportunities in Gwadar and development projects in Gwadar were highlighted.
Qambrani said that Gwadar has the potential to change the lives of not only Balochistan but the entire country. Mujeeb Qambrani said that the water supply to Gwadar has been increased from various dams in the vicinity and the pipeline network has been upgraded to meet the needs of the growing city. He said that the desalination plant will also be completed by March 2023 to use the sea water at the time of low availability of water in the dams.
DG GDA said that New Gwadar International Airport will be operational by September 2023
During the interactive session, DGGDA also highlighted the possibilities of joint ventures with local and Chinese companies to the participants.
President Saqib Rafiq informed about the ongoing activities and upcoming programs of the chamber. He said that RCCI is the only chamber in the country which has organized the Gwadar Conference and All Pakistan Chambers Presidents Conference to highlight investment opportunities. He said that the business community considers China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a game-changer, which will enable the access of Pakistani products not only to Central Asia but also to Europe. The establishment of industrial zones under CPEC is important, he added.
Senior Vice President Muhammad Hamza Sarosh and Vice President Faisal Shehzad along with Dr. Talat Shabbir, Director China Pakistan Study Center (CPSC) and Muhammad Naqash, Assistant Director Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, former President Raja Aamir Iqbal executive members and Other RCCI members were also present.
BIC Managers will be supporting the young and budding entrepreneurs at the BIC to help them incubate their innovative startup ideas into sustainable startups and fledgling companies
DNA
Islamabad, OCT 30: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) under Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project organized a week-long training for Business Incubation Centres in Islamabad.
The training was held in collaboration with Invest2Innovate (i2i), a leading organization that supports startup communities. It was attended by Directors/Managers of 17 Business Incubation Centers (BICs) from higher education institutions of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and AJK.
HEC in the past has organized multiple capacity building programmes for the BICs staff. However, this training was focused on providing complete hand holding to startups from induction and incubation to formal graduation. The training plan has been designed in accordance with the BICs Needs Assessment held in one-on-one session with respective BICs recently. The training covered A to Z of programme design for executing a successful incubation programme including research and rapid product prototyping, road mapping startup’s journey, business development, revenue generation, building a financial narrative and investment readiness.
In her opening remarks, Director (R&D) HEC Ms. Noshaba Awais offered her full support to the BIC teams. During the training, the participants were briefed about their significant roles in the Innovator Seed Fund (ISF) grant. ISF is a unique national level seed-funding programme where HEC, along with its partner BICs, is implementing this activity to provide a combination of capacity plus seed-funding support to innovative startups in a blended format. The grant winners will receive up to $35,000 in seed funding along with technical support from BICs.
“Aligned with HEC’s mission these Innovator Seed Fund Grants are the key components of HEDP Project launched for the very first time. HEDP will be holistically supporting development of entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem, hence will play a key role in transforming Pakistan into a knowledge economy,” said Executive Director HEC, Dr. Shaista Sohail in the context of ISF Capacity Building Programme and upcoming Awards ceremony. She stressed the dire national need to use the power of innovation to solve economic, social, environmental challenges and even global challenges.
The participants appreciated the efforts of HEC team and assured their firm support to resolve any challenges faced by successful ISF grantees and future incubates in their upcoming entrepreneurship journey. Mr. Hazrat Bilal, Director General (Research & Innovation) HEC, in his closing remarks appreciated the efforts of trainers, BIC Directors and HEC organizing team. He also gathered feedback from participants on how to improve upcoming training and capacity building programmes for BICs.
Islamabad, OCT 30 /DNA/ – Mujeeb ur Rehman Qambrani, Director General, Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) said that Gwadar is destined to emerge as a hub of business and investment activities and the business community should focus on this port city for joint ventures and investment. He said that Gwadar has the potential to transform the lives of the people of Balochistan and the entire country. He said this while giving a detailed presentation to the business community about the development works in Gwadar during his visit to Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Mujeeb ur Rehman Qambrani said that a central business district over an area of 2,500 acres has been established in Gwadar that offers great opportunities to investors. He said that the New Gwadar International Airport, which is one of the largest in the region, will be operational by Sept 2023 with its 1st test flight in March 2023. He also briefed the business community about the planned health, educational, sports, cultural, and tourist facilities that are being established in Gwadar. He said many important projects have been completed in Gwadar including boat parking padizer, jetty structure, pishukan jetty, sewerage treatment plant, marine drive, school, hospitals, restaurant, central park, padizer park, beach model park, cricket stadium and small tuck shops. He said that the ICCI delegation should visit Gwadar to explore the potential for business and investment opportunities.
Speaking at the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that the remaining development works in Gwadar should be expedited to make it functional and that would generate more economic activity in the province. He said that all international flights should land in Gwadar to make it a hub of business activities like Dubai and Doha. He said that Gwadar should be connected with other major cities through a railway network. He proposed that the government should declare Gwadar as winter capital of the country to promote it as an attractive destination for economic activities. He assured that ICCI would consider sending its delegation to Gwadar to explore business and investment prospects.
Azhar ul Islam Zafar Vice President ICCI, Mian Shaukat Masud, Zafar Bakhtawari, Muhammad Ejaz Abbasi, Nasir Qureshi, Muhammad Shakeel Munir, Ajmal Baloch, Faseeh Ullah Khan, Akhtar Hussain, Khalid Mehmood, Chaudhary Javed Iqbal, Sheikh Muhammad Ijaz, Dr. Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Yahya, Muhammad Shabbir, Rizwan Chheena, Chaudhary Muhammad Ali, Khalid Chaudhary, Hasan Iqbal Gardezi, Ms. Parveen Khan, Ms. Naina Ali and others were also present at the occasion.
PERTH: A clinical performance from Pakistan helped the Men in Green win the match against the Netherlands in the crucial T20 World Cup clash on Sunday.
The Green Shirts won by six wickets, completing the target of 92 runs in just 13 overs.
Shadab Khan was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan after claiming figures of 3-22 in four overs.
Colin Ackermann top-scored for Netherlands with run-a-ball 27.
Earlier, Netherlands won the toss and decided to bat first.
Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, are without a point after two defeats and made one change from the side that were shocked by Zimbabwe at the same venue with Fakhar Zaman coming in for Haider Ali.
The Asian giants need to win their last three matches and hope other results go their way if they are reach the semi-finals, as they did a year ago in the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan XI: Babar Azam (c), Muhammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.
Netherlands XI: Max O’Dowd, Stephan Myburgh, Bas de Leede, Tom Cooper, Colin Ackermann, Scott Edwards (c, wk), Roelof van der Merwe, Tim Pringle, Fred Klaassen, Paul van Meekeren, Brandon Glover
LAHORE, OCT 30 /DNA/ – Pakistan Businesses Forum hailing Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) decision of Pakistan’s removal from the grey list, but the PBF officials on Sunday demanded that now we should proactively detect and counter threats associated with perils like money laundering and terror financing. Criminal elements involved in the process should be penalised and deprived of illicit proceeds. The role of established financial intelligence units and other supporting bodies is critical as it can ensure that relevant information is appropriately shared and used by the competent authorities while investigating cases of money laundering and terrorist financing.
PBF President, Mian Usman Zulfiqar said the only way forward is to introduce a robust system that will not only help in detecting and mitigating potential threats, but will also help in achieving a higher conviction rate to restrict crimes designated by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), the financing of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), using our financial systems.
He however lauded the efforts of civil and military leadership for achieving the landmark success for the country and said that it would further cement the government’s endeavours to attain sustainable economic development.
President PBF further said it will also address the liquidity issues as releases from the multilateral and other donor agencies such as IMF, ADB, WB and Paris Club would further enhance, he said adding that it would further boost the “credibility and rating of the local economy that would attract foreign direct investment”.
Meanwhile, Vice President Jahanara Wattoo said that the removal from FATF’s grey list would boost the confidence of international creditors and donors agencies including International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank and other development agencies.
She said that the decision would also help in promoting soft image of the country in all international forums, adding that the credit rating of Pakistan would improve as well, which will be another development signal for the economy of the country.
Pakistan had borne accumulative financial losses to the tune of $40 billion during the last three years as it was put on the grey list of FATF, she said, adding that the removal would attract more export orders from abroad and help in bridging the widening trade deficit.
“Besides, it will also help reduce rupee-dollar parity as well as ease negotiations with IMF and other multilateral donors and creditors,” he said, adding that it will also provide positive input for the rescheduling of all payable and creating sufficient liquidity scope for the country; Wattoo added.
Vice President Ahmad Jawad said that it was a good omen that FATF excluded Pakistan from the grey list of global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering after over four years, in a major setback to India which had always tried to keep Pakistan on the list.
He said as a result of FATF’s decision, economic activities would accelerate and greatly help to restore the confidence of investors across the globe.
Jawad said it is worth mentioning here that FATF, which was mandated to keep watch globally on money laundering and terrorism financing, on October 21 (Friday) removed Pakistan from the grey list as it had been on the grey list since June 2018.
Similarly we may also revisit our foreign assets recovery regulations and framework for future as per the international best practices to ensure that any request for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) issued to seek cooperation must be corroborated with facts and accompanied by evidence; he added.
This edition of the Euro Village is special because this year the European Union and Pakistan celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations: EU Ambassador
Mahnoor Ansar/DNA
ISLAMABAD, OCT 30: European Union and its member states organized a festival “Unity in Diversity” for the residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi to experience European culture and heritage, music and food.
Large numbers of people, especially families flocked to “EuroVillage” at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) to enjoy the festival. Through games and quizzes, interactive information displays, and various activities, visitors learned what the EU’s motto “Unity in Diversity” means in practice and how it applies also to Pakistan.
Euro Village, which already attracted over 8,000 visitors in the past editions, took place for the first time after a gap of three years due to the Covide-19 pandemic.
The Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Dr Riina Kionka in her welcome remarks said, “We cherish the diverse cultures, languages, religions, histories and identities that coexist in Europe. They are part of our wealth, they shape our shared values, connect us and give us a joint sense of purpose. It is this common understanding of shared values and diversity that lies at the heart of our relations with the world – including with Pakistan.”
She further added, “This edition of the Euro Village is special because this year the European Union and Pakistan celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations. This partnership in development, trade and political engagement, manifests that we are stronger together. Our partnership has evolved over the decades, as have Pakistan, the European Union and the world.”
As a symbol of this partnership, an EU-Pakistan friendship truck was displayed for the first time at the event. The truck will be travelling all around the country to reach Pakistani youth in various universities across the country and offer a window into the strong connection between the EU and Pakistan.
EuroVillage was organized by the diplomatic missions of the European Union and Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden. It included information and activity booths for both adults and children with interactive games, selfie corners, food and an opportunity to meet the diplomatic team and learn about areas of partnership. The event also featured live performances by European performers and Pakistani artists including Asim Azhar and Shae Gill.
The EU and Pakistan are bound together by a shared history. The partnership has progressed since 1962 in tandem with the European integration process. In 2019, the EU and Pakistan adopted a Strategic Engagement Plan with the common goal of building a strong partnership for peace and development rooted in shared values, principles and commitments.
This plan facilitates cooperation on a wide range of issues, including dialogues on counter-terrorism, education, democracy and human rights, migration, climate change, energy, trade and economics, and culture.
Pakistan is a major development partner of the EU, with one of the largest EU programmes in Asia. Together as “Team Europe”, the European Union and its member states have assisted Pakistan during the Covid-19 pandemic. In response to the catastrophic floods in Pakistan, Team Europe, including Norway, committed a total of €123 million, in addition to in-kind assistance, for the immediate relief and early recovery of the flood-affected population.
The EU is also a major provider of development cooperation assistance to Pakistan with a focus on green inclusive growth, human capital and governance, including the rule of law and human rights. The EU provides
Death toll from Somalia twin bombings climbs to 100: president
Mogadishu, Oct 30 (AFP/APP):The number of people killed in an attack on Saturday at a busy intersection in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 100, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Sunday.
“So far, people who died have reached 100 and 300 are wounded, and the number for both the death and wounded continues to increase,” he said after visiting the bombing location.
Two cars packed with explosives were detonated minutes apart near the busy Zobe junction, followed by gunfire in an attack targeting Somalia’s education ministry.
The afternoon explosions shattered windows of nearby buildings, sending shrapnel flying and plumes of smoke and dust into the air.
The attack took place at the same busy junction where a truck packed with explosives blew up on October 14, 2017, killing 512 people and injuring more than 290.
Mohamud described the incident as “history”, saying “it is the same place, and the same innocent people involved.”
“This is not right. God willing, they will not be having an ability to do another Zobe incident,” he said, referring to the Islamist group Al-Shabaab.
The jihadists have been seeking to overthrow the fragile foreign-backed government in Mogadishu for about 15 years.
Its fighters were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force but the group still controls swathes of countryside and continues to wage deadly strikes on civilian and military targets.DNA
LAHORE, OCT 29 – Punjab Chief Minster Pervaiz Elahi said on Saturday that former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan will not hold talks with any committee of the government and talks on election date are also underway with where the matter would resolve.
In his exclusive conversation with hosts Ajmal Jami and Mujeebur Rahman Shamal in Dunya News program “Nuqta Nazar”, the Punjab Chief Minister said that politics has nothing to do with the heat or cold and if the weather is hot, we will try to cool it down.
He also thanked Imran Khan for trusting him and making the chief minister of the province. No one else other than me knows Sharif, he said and added Nawaz Sharif started a feud with the then army chief when he became the Prime Minister with a two-thirds majority. “He [Nawaz Sharif] also had feud with Ali Qulli, Perved Musharraf and Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa,” Elahi added.
Pervaiz Elahi went on to say that Imran Khan’s biggest issue is election date and want the date to be announced, adding that a ray of hope is seen during the long march, while the incumbent govt want election to be held after completion of tenure.
When Pervaiz Elahi was asked that if the negotiations were going on, then why DG ISI needed a press conference, he replied that he would not talk about it and we hope that the talks will lead to a solution. Everyone including PDM, PM, Imran Khan I want extension for Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and the former had said that it would be better if the Army Chief is given extension.
“Imran Khan is my leader and will do whatever he would ask,” Elahi said, adding that the PTI chairman will never tolerate these thieves.
Ferozwala, OCT 29: Second day of PTI’s long march comes to an end in Ferozwala; govt rules out talks. PTI Chairman Imran Khan has taken an oath from his supporters to always abide by the Constitution as the party’s long march reached Ferozewala.
“No one hands freedom on a plate. You have to struggle for it,” he told the charged crowd before he and other PTI leaders raised their hands to take an oath.
Sydney, OCT 29: Glenn Phillips smashed a powerhouse 104 and Trent Boult grabbed four wickets as New Zealand swept past Sri Lanka by 65 runs in Sydney on Saturday to put them in pole position to make the semi-finals at the Twenty20 World Cup.
New Zealand batted first and posted 167-7 with Phillips unstoppable, rescuing his team after the top order was blown away, losing Finn Allen, Doug Conway and Kane Williamson for 15 runs.
Boult and Tim Southee then reduced Sri Lanka to 4-8 in the chase and there was no way back as they crumbled to 102 all out. Boult ended with a career-best 4-13.
Phillips hit 10 fours and four sixes in his 64-ball knock — the second century of the tournament, after South African Rilee Rossouw’s 109 against Bangladesh, and only the 11th in T20 World Cup history.
“Incredible, any hundred is amazing but the way he worked hard and put pressure on the opposition after our poor start,” skipper Williamson said. “The boys executed the plans really well.”
Phillips said it was “absolutely indescribable” to score a century at the World Cup.
“I try to entertain as much as possible, and today it worked out well,” he added.
Plenty was on the line with Group One wide open after both matches in Melbourne on Friday — Australia v England and Afghanistan v Ireland — were washed out.
New Zealand’s win gives them a two-point buffer, and a superior run rate, at the top of the table from England, Ireland and Australia with two games to play.
They face a crunch game against England next in Brisbane on Tuesday while Sri Lanka face a must-win clash with Afghanistan on the same day to keep their hopes alive.
“Credit to Glenn Phillips who played an outstanding knock. We also dropped a few catches. 160 is always a tough ask with their bowling attack,” said Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka.
“If we get a couple of wins, we’re still in with a chance of qualifying, so just looking forward to that.”
Got worse
Sri Lanka began with the spin of Maheesh Theekshana after losing the toss, and it immediately paid dividends.
Allen took apart Australia’s hallowed pace attack in their opening game during a 16-ball 42, but he managed just three balls and one run this time, confounded by an inswinger in the opening over.
Conway, who smashed an unbeaten 92 against Australia, fared a little better.
Spinner Dhananjaya de Silva joined the attack and Conway was bowled, also for one.
Things got worse when skipper Williamson (8) got an outside edge off pace bowler Kasun Rajitha in the next over and was caught behind.
Phillips and Daryl Mitchell, returning to the side after fracturing his hand, crawled to 54-3 at the halfway point.
But Phillips then flicked a switch, with sloppy fielding aiding him, dropped by Pathum Nissanka on 12 and again on 45 by Shanaka.
An 84-run stand with Mitchell ended when his partner was bowled for 22 by Wanindu Hasaranga. Mitchell Santner was alongside him when he brought up only his second T20 100 in the 19th over before being caught in the final over.
Sri Lanka made the worst possible start to the chase, losing three wickets for five runs.
Southee bowled a wicket-maiden to open proceedings, trapping Nissanka lbw, and then long-time bowling partner Boult chipped in with two wickets in his first over.
He enticed an edge from Kusal Mendis to Conway then de Silva chopped onto his wicket. Charith Asalanka didn’t last much longer, caught by a diving Allen as Boult grabbed his third.
Spinner Santner came on and Chamika Karunaratne swung his bat, only to find Boult in the deep, leaving Sri Lanka in disarray.
Shanaka hit a gutsy 35 and Bhanuka Rajapaksa 34, but to no avail.
