ISLAMABAD, FEB 13 /DNA/ – Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation today with His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

During their warm and cordial conversation, the two leaders fondly recalled their recent meetings in Islamabad and Rahim Yar Khan last month, during the UAE President’s first official visit to Pakistan.

The Prime Minister lauded the UAE’s consistent and unwavering support to Pakistan, that had helped the country navigate through difficult challenges.

This support, he said, was a manifestation of the historic, fraternal bonds between the leadership and the people of both countries.

They reaffirmed their shared desire to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation between Pakistan and the UAE.

The two leaders also exchanged views on other matters of mutual interest and agreed to remain in close contact.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 13: Islamabad’s Red Zone was sealed on Friday, with police preventing lawmakers from approaching Parliament House amid Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) sit-in.

The PTI had announced a sit-in outside the building in the high-security zone, protesting the alleged negligence in the treatment of jailed former prime minister and party founder Imran Khan’s eye ailment.

Police contingents have been deployed and barriers placed at Radio Pakistan Chowk to stop movement towards Shahrah-e-Dastoor and Parliament House.

The fresh protest comes following a report submitted by PTI counsel Salman Safdar before the Supreme Court regarding his visit to Adiala jail and meeting with the former premier.

The court had appointed Safdar as amicus curiae (friend of the court), directing him to visit Adiala jail and submit a report on February 11, after the former premier informed that he had been left with only 15% vision in his right eye.

Speaking to the media outside the Parliament House, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said he had “barely managed” to reach the building.

“Parliamentarians are being stopped; I somehow managed to reach parliament,” he said, adding that the party’s sit-in has begun.

Barrister Gohar warned that if the party was not allowed to hold its protest at the designated site, demonstrations would be staged across the country. “We want to steer matters in the right direction. If the situation slips from our hands, the government will not be able to control it,” he warned.

The PTI chief further said that the party founder had authorised Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas to lead the protest.

Speaking to the media, Achakzai said the sit-in would remain peaceful, urging that the PTI founder’s personal physician and family should be allowed to meet him.

“Earlier, I was told that the PTI founder’s health was better. We want him to be treated by competent doctors available in the country,” Achakzai said.

Meanwhile, police shut the gates of the Parliament Lodges as PTI parliamentarians attempted to leave to participate in the sit-in.

‘Islamabad jail’
Separately, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed plans to shift the PTI founder to Islamabad jail once it is completed.

Speaking to the media in the federal capital, Naqvi said that the construction work for the prison facility will be completed in two months.

“The jail has all medical facilities. The PTI founder will be shifted to the Islamabad jail as he was convicted by the Islamabad High Court,” the interior minister said.

The confirmation comes two months after authorities dismissed reports suggesting that the former premier might be shifted from Adiala jail.

On December 10 last year, jail authorities stated that the PTI founder remained at the facility and was being provided full security, medical care, and proper meals.

At the time, sources termed reports of his transfer “baseless”, saying he was being treated in accordance with jail regulations and that no administrative decision had been taken regarding his relocation.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 13 /DNA/ – The rise of Western civilization, as opposed to the rest, signifies the emergence of a qualitatively new type of civilization marked by distinct cultural, scientific, and political transformations. Contemporary debates on modernity must move beyond economic metrics and address deeper moral and civilizational questions, including balance, values, and intellectual responsibility.

These reflections emerged during a discussion session titled “The Rise and Fall of Civilizations: Contemporary Context” at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS). This discussion was organized around Syed Sardar Ali’s thesis regarding modernity, Islam, and Pakistan. The session brought together scholars, practitioners, and students for an in-depth exchange on the trajectory of Western ascendancy and the challenges confronting the Muslim world.

Presenting his thesis, Sardar Ali, founder and chairman of Pakistan Crescent Foundation, elaborated on what he termed the “Great Divergence.” He argued that until around 1800, most civilizations functioned at comparable subsistence-level productivity. Thereafter, Western societies showcased exponential growth in production and power, creating an unprecedented distinction with other societies. This transformation, he suggested, was driven by three simultaneous modernizations: a cultural shift toward philosophical rationalism, the institutionalization of the scientific method and inductive logic, and the consolidation of political authority through the Westphalian state system.

Sardar Ali contended that democracy in the West emerged as a consequence of industrialization and material transformation rather than serving as its initial cause. He maintained that Muslim civilization did not undergo an absolute decline; rather, it failed to adopt and internalize the new paradigm, for which it could have used its scientific progress. He suggested objectively identifying the underlying sources of Western prominence rather than relying solely on nostalgia for past achievements.

Participants raised a wide range of critical questions and offered thoughtful observations.

Nasir Hafeez identified the role of war, conflict, and destruction as catalysts of Western transformation. Prof Jalil Aali highlighted the legacy of inductive reasoning within the Muslim intellectual tradition, citing figures such as Allama Muhammad Iqbal, and argued that empirical inquiry predated Europe’s scientific revolution.

Sarmad Alvi noted that early modern scientists such as Isaac Newton were not necessarily antagonistic to religion, though institutional shifts gradually marginalized clerical authority in Europe. Nazir Ahmed Vaid emphasized that civilizations rise and fall on the strength of their values, warning that material advancement devoid of moral coherence leads to social fragmentation.

Prof Dr Safir Akhtar observed that civilizations have historically learned from one another, citing how early Islamic governance borrowed administrative tools such as the diwan system from the Persian Empire. Dr Taimiyyah Sabiha argued that the binary of “East versus West” is itself a colonial construct and suggested that the underlying debate may instead concern differing theological and philosophical paradigms.

Dr Yasir Riaz critiqued the reliance on productivity metrics, cautioning against adopting Western-centric frameworks that overlook the scale of ancient Eastern economies. Maulana Dr Mohammad Ghiyas proposed that the doctrine of the Finality of Prophethood placed greater intellectual responsibility upon Muslims to employ reason and scientific inquiry in managing worldly affairs.

Dr Sohaib Zafar pointed to empirical traditions in the works of Ibn Sina and Al-Razi, suggesting that the scientific journey began centuries before the 17th century. He argued that assessing civilizational success solely through economic output risks neglecting moral and metaphysical dimensions.

In his remarks, Prof Dr Khalid Masud, ad hoc judge, Shariat Appellate Bench, Supreme Court of Pakistan, observed that many Muslim societies today operate in a state of dependency, fostering a defensive posture toward knowledge. He revisited the historical tension between Ilm-ul-Kalam and philosophy, referencing debates associated with Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd, and suggested that prioritizing theological orthodoxy over philosophical inquiry may have had long-term intellectual consequences.

Co-chair of the session, Dr Ijaz Shafi Gilani, founder and chairperson, Gallup Pakistan, summarized the author’s emphasis on modernity as the seed of a new production process but cautioned that the “pure” pursuit of Western modernity has generated significant imbalances, including environmental degradation and demographic challenges.

In his concluding remarks, Khalid Rahman, chairman IPS, stated that the session formed part of IPS’s ongoing engagement with questions of civilizational renewal, knowledge, and contemporary global challenges. He emphasized that such discussions should be integral to think tank discourse, adding that analyzing and synthesizing observations from the event would help identify responses to prevailing challenges.

The seminar concluded with a consensus that understanding the rise and fall of civilizations requires rigorous historical inquiry, intellectual self-critique, and a balanced framework that integrates material progress with Islam’s moral and spiritual dimensions.

JAKARTA, FEB 13 /DNA/ – Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, during his official visit to Indonesia, called on President Prabowo Subianto.

During the meeting, the Air Chief underscored the shared values and longstanding brotherhood between Pakistan and Indonesia. President Prabowo expressed keen interest in leveraging PAF’s state-of-the-art training ecosystem and aerospace development infrastructure to enhance Indonesia’s defence capabilities.

Earlier, the Air Chief held separate high-level meetings with Defence Minister Lieutenant General (Retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces and Indonesian Air Marshal. He was accorded Guard of Honour at all venues.

During discussion with the Indonesian Air Chief, both sides discussed enhanced Air Force-to-Air Force cooperation, joint training from basic to advanced levels, professional exchanges, and collaboration in emerging aerospace domains. The Indonesian Air Chief sought PAF’s support in advancing operational and flying training, acknowledging PAF’s rich combat experience. The Air Chief was conferred the Medal of Honour, the highest award of the Indonesian Air Force in recognition of his role in strengthening bilateral air power cooperation.

The Air Chief also held a joint meeting with the Indonesian Defence Minister and Chief of Defence Forces, where a wide range of defence and security matters were discussed.
The Indonesian leadership appreciated PAF’s professionalism, modernization drive, and lauded the advanced technological infrastructure of the National Aerospace Science & Technology Park.

The meeting was chaired by Dr Asim Hussain, Personal Physician to the President.  The Uzbek side, joining virtually, was represented by Mr Babayev Alisher, First Deputy Minister of Health; Mr Alizhanov Abror; Prof Yusupalieva Gulnora; and Prof Gulyamov Surat

ISLAMABAD, FEB 13 /DNA/ – On the directions of President Asif Ali Zardari, following his meeting with the Ambassador of Uzbekistan, a meeting was convened at Aiwan-e-Sadr to deliberate on practical avenues of bilateral cooperation in healthcare, medical education and recognition of medical institutions and qualifications in both countries.

The meeting was chaired by Dr Asim Hussain, Personal Physician to the President.

The Uzbek side, joining virtually, was represented by Mr Babayev Alisher, First Deputy Minister of Health; Mr Alizhanov Abror; Prof Yusupalieva Gulnora; and Prof Gulyamov Surat.

The meeting was informed that during the recent state visit to Pakistan by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a broad set of 28 memoranda of understanding and cooperation agreements were exchanged between Pakistan and Uzbekistan across diverse sectors including health, education and pharmaceuticals, reaffirming both countries’ intent to strengthen bilateral collaboration.

Pakistan’s side included Secretary to the President, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, the President of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), and representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination.

The meeting noted that more than 1,200 Pakistani students are currently studying in Uzbekistan in various disciplines, and that Uzbekistan has registered over 180 types of Pakistani pharmaceutical products, reflecting expanding people-to-people and commercial links.

Dr Asim Hussain emphasised the potential to further expand cooperation in medical education, scientific research and the practical training of doctors.

Uzbekistan officials provided an overview of their healthcare sector, noting the presence of approximately 9,000 private clinics, with half of surgical procedures conducted in private facilities, and expressed interest in providing job opportunities to Pakistani doctors and allied professionals.

The meeting concluded with an understanding to continue consultations and to examine modalities for moving forward in line with the President’s direction. It was agreed that a delegation of Pakistani health professionals would soon visit Uzbekistan to follow up on the discussions and decisions made today.