This is the second payment of a EUR 42 million grant made available through budget support by the European Union under the DEEP

Mahnoor Ansar

ISLAMABAD:  The European Union is disbursing nearly PKR 2.2 billion (EUR 10 million) to the Government of Sindh to strengthen the implementation of provincial education policies. 

This is the second payment of a EUR 42 million grant made available through budget support by the European Union under the Development through Enhanced Education Programme (DEEP). 

This direct financial support creates opportunities to accelerate access to quality education for all children in the Sindh province, as a foundation for future training and skills development and engagement in productive employment. The programme fully aligns with the Sindh School Education Sector Plan & Roadmap 2019-2024 with a focus on priority reform areas in governance, enrolment and teaching quality. UNICEF provides complementary technical assistance to strengthen the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department’s (SELD) responsive capacity and systems to plan, manage and deliver quality and equitable education.   

The Sindh Minister of Education, Mr. Syed Sardar Ali Shah, highlighted,“Education continues to be one of the key priority areas for Government of Sindh. We aim at improving access to equitable, inclusive and quality education for all to realize their fullest potential and contribute to the development of society and economy, thus creating sense of nationhood, inculcating values of tolerance, social justice and democracy. SELD has come a long way in remodeling the edifice of education in collaboration with the Donors, development partners and civil society. The contribution of European Union in the shape of Development through Enhanced Education with budgetary support allocation of 42 million Euros is quite commendable. This will not only help in carry out the activities of Education Sector plan 2019-24, but also bring forth the quality education in Sindh.”

“Education and learning are fundamental to development and growth. We welcome the latest reform implementation measures by the Government of Sindh; these include the updated school clustering policy and continuous professional development model for teachers as well as the increased digitalization of monitoring systems”, commented the Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan, Dr. Riina Kionka. “A lot, however, still remains to be done with an estimated 6 million children who are still out of school, of which over half are girls. The European Union remains a committed partner to the Government of Sindh in improving the quality of education and ensure access for all boys and girls in the province.” 

The European Union’s support to primary and secondary education is a priority area under the European Union-Pakistan Strategic Engagement Plan, which serves as a guide for bilateral relations between the two sides and aims to further enhance engagement and work towards addressing emerging global challenges.

The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has declared a rain emergency in the Swat district with immediate effect till August 30 after the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned of “high to very high floods” in the Swat River.The decision was taken on the recommendation of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

KP’s Provincial Emergency Operations Centre said that water flows in River Swat at Khawazakhela point and its tributaries/nullahs had reached high to very high flood levels — 227,899 cusecs — which “may result in a dangerous situation for communities living nearby”.

It has directed the deputy commissioners of Swat, Lower Dir, Malakand, Mohmand, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera and Peshawar to immediately identify vulnerable points and communities at risk to devise mitigation and safety measures.

“Maintain enhanced alert level and monitor the developing situation to reduce reaction and response times,” the centre said, calling for the sensitisation of people living on the banks of the rivers about the increase in water flows.

“Make announcements for timely evacuation of the at-risk population from low-lying/flood-prone areas as per evacuation plans,” it added.

The PDMA also instructed authorities to evacuate cattle from areas at risk of flooding, as well as restrict vehicle movement there.

Monsoon rains this year have spelt disaster for the country. Flash floods in Shangla and Kohistan yesterday wreaked havoc where several portions of the Karakoram Highway, link roads, suspension bridges, houses, hospitals, schools, mini power stations, and water mills were completely washed away.

Earlier today, at least three people drowned in the River Indus near the Bisham area of Shangla. According to the locality’s station house officer, Abbas Khan, two other men in the Shang area were also swept away during the floods.

Separately, a Shangla health department official, Ijaz Ahmad, told that a rural health centre in the Karora area had been washed away by the floods in the Kana river.

Shamsul Hadi, a resident, said that three houses and a mosque were swept away in the floods, while roads and bridges leading to the Ranolia and Dubair areas had been completely destroyed.

In Shangla, the Alpuri-Puran and Karora-Kana roads also suffered several damages at several points, creating a sense of panic among the residents as they were restricted to their houses.

All government and private schools in the area have also been closed until further notice.

In a statement today, the Frontier Works Organisation said that the Karakoram Highway was swept away by floods at Zaidkarh Dassua and was blocked at several points due to landslides.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, Aug 26:  Pakistan on Friday summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad to foreign ministry to lodge a strong protest on the extra-judicial killing of a Pakistani civil prisoner by Indian Occupation Forces in a fake encounter in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The Indian forces had extrajudicially killed Pakistani prisoner, Muhammad Ali Hussain, who had been jailed in Kot Bhalwal Prison in the IIOJK since 2006.

The Indian diplomat was told that Hussain’s death under mysterious circumstances at a location away from the prison, had once again substantiated Pakistan’s long-standing position that Indian Occupation Forces in the IIOJK are routinely involved in undertaking choreographed attacks and extrajudicial killings of Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners.

He was also reminded of the case of Zia Mustafa, another Pakistani prisoner, who was murdered by Indian authorities in a similar fake encounter last year.

It was underscored that the narrative being spun that Muhammad Ali Hussain had allegedly attacked the security forces and attempted to escape when he was being taken to a suspected weapons’ smuggling site was not only fallacious but deceptive, the Foreign Office spokesperson said.

He said the reality was that Hussain’s death was nothing but cold-blooded murder. Pakistan’s serious concerns over the safety, security and well-being of other Pakistani prisoners in Indian custody were also raised.

While outrightly rejecting the implausible explanation proffered in the case of Muhammed Ali Hussain, Pakistan has demanded that the Indian government must immediately share the details of this particular incident.

Pakistan sought a credible post-mortem report to determine the cause of death and undertake a transparent investigation to bring to account whoever is responsible for the murder of the Pakistani prisoner.

“Government of India has also been called upon to ensure prompt and expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased to Pakistan, as per the wishes of his family,,’ the spokesperson added.

Pakistan also reiterates its call to the international community to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and ensure that Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners under Indian custody are not expended as cannon fodder in the execution of India’s nefarious designs in the IIOJK.

Ansar Bhatti

ISLAMABAD, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday interacted with members of the diplomatic community in Islamabad to sensitize them about the damages caused by floods across the country.

8 diplomatic representatives including the UAE, France, Canada, Turkey, USA, UK, UN, Kuwait spoke on the occasion and assured the prime minister that they will take up this issue with their respective headquarters.

The Acting Ambassador of France Yves Manville while speaking on the occasion assured the prime minister that he will talk to his headquarters and inform them about the situation on ground. He also congratulated the new designated ambassador to France Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, who was there along with the Foreign Secretary and several ministers.

As part of efforts to mobilize all resources, the prime minister met Islamabad-based ambassadors, high commissioners & senior members of diplomatic corps to sensitize them about scale of human tragedy,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

During the meeting, the representatives of the Economic Affairs Division and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) briefed about current status of the challenge and response. The prime minister said that the ongoing rain spell had caused devastation across the country. The losses, though yet to be documented, are comparable to the flash floods of 2010, he added.

He thanked the international community for their sympathies, condolences and pledges of support. “Together we will build back better,” he commented.

According to the PM Office, the international organizations and financial institutions had announced an immediate assistance of more than $500 million for the flood victims on the prime minister’s appeal. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also held a meeting with international donors to sensitize them about the prevailing situation.

The representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, international financial institutions, development partners and donors attended the meeting. The officials of China, the United States and the European Union, agencies of the United Nations and World Health Organization also part of the meeting.

ISLAMABAD, AUG 26 /DNA/ – The Indian Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today and a strong protest was lodged on the extra-judicial killing of a Pakistani prisoner, Muhammad Ali Hussain, by Indian Occupation Forces in a fake encounter that took place in the Arnia, IIOJK. Muhammad Ali Hussain had been jailed in Kot Bhalwal Prison in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir(IIOJK) since 2006.

The Indian diplomat was told that Mr. Hussain’s death under mysterious circumstances at a location away from the prison, has once again substantiated Pakistan’s long-standing position that Indian Occupation Forces in the IIOJK are routinely involved in undertaking choreographed attacks and extrajudicial killings of Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners. He was also reminded of the case of Zia Mustafa, another Pakistani prisoner, who was murdered by Indian authorities in a similar fake encounter last year.

It was underscored that the narrative being spun that Muhammad Ali Hussain had allegedly attacked the security forces and attempted to escape when he was being taken to a suspected weapons’ smuggling site was not only fallacious but deceptive. The reality is that Hussain’s death was nothing but cold-blooded murder. Pakistan’s serious concerns over the safety, security and well-being of other Pakistani prisoners in Indian custody were also raised.

While out rightly rejecting the implausible explanation proffered in the case of Muhammed Ali Hussain, Pakistan has demanded that the Indian government must immediately share the details of this particular incident, including a credible post-mortem report to determine the cause of death and undertake a transparent investigation to bring to account whoever is responsible for the murder of the Pakistani prisoner. Government of India has also been called upon to ensure prompt and expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased to Pakistan, as per the wishes of his family.

Pakistan also reiterates its call to the international community to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and ensure that Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners under Indian custody are not expended as cannon fodder in the execution of India’s nefarious designs in the IIOJK.