The top judge said that a parliamentary form of government is a strong one but reiterated that when such were the state of affairs that a provincial government cannot clean a nullah, how will it run an entire province

Nazir Siyal/DNA

KARACHI: If you can’t clean a nullah, how can you run a province, asked Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed Monday, irked at the Sindh government for not paying attention to Karachi’s civic issues.

The chief justice passed these remarks while presiding over a hearing of a case relating to the construction of a tower on Shahrah-e-Faisal.  He spoke about the city’s main artery, Shahrah-e-Faisal, saying that it has never declined in width but has only grown.

“The service roads on both sides have been encroached. Everyone is corrupt, even the commissioner is admitting that it has been encroached,” observed the CJP. He added that all the plots mentioned in the case are amenity plots.

“There is a building control authority, [but you can] give [them] money and do whatever you like. There is no government in Sindh,” observed the judge.

The court also asked the advocate general Sindh what the provincial government will do to ensure these practice are kept in check.

“Advocate general Sindh you tell us, you know everything. How can anyone else run your government? Someone will have to stand up and stop this,” remarked the court.

The top judge said that a parliamentary form of government is a strong one but reiterated that when such were the state of affairs that a provincial government cannot clean a nullah, how will it run an entire province.

“We gave the orders to clean the nullah over a year ago yet there seems to be a new excuse every day,” said the chief justice.

Justice Gulzar said Rs2.6 trillion were allocated for an education project that was started in 2014 and was finished in 2017. “This money could have been used to establish a world-class university,” he said.

The chief justice observed that Rs1.5 trillion have been set aside for reverse osmosis plants yet people in Tharparkar are dying of thirst.

“The Sindh government only has one plan: turn [the province] from bad to worse,” the chief justice lashed out. 

He said authorities should decide what to do about the city’s civic issues. “This is not how you run a government,” he said. “In fact, there seems to be no government [in Sindh],” he added.

Qasim Suri hails PRCS initiative of ensuring timely blood supply to those in urgent need of transfusion 

DNA

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) on Monday celebrated the ‘World Blood Donor Day’ to raise awareness among people regarding need for regular blood donations and thank all voluntary donors for their life-saving gift of blood to those in need. 

This year, the World Blood Donor Day slogan is ‘Give Blood and Keep the World Beating’. A ceremony was arranged at the PRCS National Headquarters in Islamabad to mark the day. National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri was the chief guest at the event, also attended by PRCS Chairman Abrar ul Haq, Secretary General Dr Adeel Nawaz, senior officials and volunteers. 

Speaking on the occasion, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri said that today is a reminder of the fact that blood transfusion is important in healthcare and medical treatment all over the world. The whole world knows Abrar-ul-Haq for his service of humanity. The service of humanity is the only way to reach Allah. He said that millions of people around the world get new life through blood donation on a daily basis.  

He said the services of the Regional Blood Donor Center under the auspices of the Red Crescent are commendable. PRCS is proud to have developed an app for the timely availability of blood donors. The door-to-door campaign for Corona Vaccination is commendable. “Reducing blood donations during the Corona epidemic has made it a challenge to meet the needs of thalassemia patients.”, he added. He urged all the segments of the society to wholeheartedly help the PRCS in this humanitarian cause. 

Addressing the ceremony, Chairman PRCS Abrar-ul-Haq said that we had started a campaign to collect blood donations in front of the Parliament House and Qasim Suri was the first to donate blood. I am proud of that. He emphasized the need to promote a culture of blood donation on a voluntary basis. He said voluntary and regular blood donation will also increase the quality of transparent and safe blood.  

Abrar-ul-Haq said that the PRCS has always strived for the management and supply of blood to deserving patients, emergencies and accidents. Red Crescent volunteers are active in collecting and timely availability of blood donations. Volunteers themselves donate blood regularly and participate in awareness campaigns. 

Abrar ul Haq said the World Blood Donor Day also provides an opportunity to urge governments and national health authorities to provide adequate resources and put into place systems and infrastructures to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors. 

General (retd) Mustafa Kamal Akbar, who donated blood 170 times at the age of 82, addressed the event. Murtaza Burhani, who donated blood 158 times, also delivered a motivational speech on this occasion.  

At the end of the ceremony, shields and gifts were distributed among the distinguished guests. PRCS Chairman Abrar ul Haq presented a commemorative shield to Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri. 

DNA

RAWALPINDI, JUN 14 – Terrorists targeted Frontier Corps troops, employed for security of Marget Mines on road Marget-Quetta using improvised explosive device.

Resultantly 4  brave soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer  of FC Balochistan embraced Shahadat – Shaheeds include :-

Subedar Sardar All Khan – resident of Village Wanda Lungar Kel, District Lakki Marwat.

Sepoy Musaddaf Hussain – resident of Chak 272 EB, District Vehari.

Sepoy Muhammad Anwar – resident of Wanda Talgi, District DI Khan.

Sepoy Awais Khan – resident of Village Bandal, District Neelum.

A large scale area sanitization operation by FC Balochistan to hunt the terrorists is underway.

DNA

Islamabad, JUN 14 —Operators and enterprises interested in Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Pakistan can now register and have their applications processed quickly through online portals. In a milestone achievement, Pakistan’s Board of Investment (BOI) today launched the SEZs’ e-services portal—Pakistan Regulatory Modernisation Initiative (PRMI) and Investors Relationship Management System (IRMS)—in partnership with IFC and the World Bank.

The initiatives are part of IFC projects supporting federal and provincial BOIs, focusing on strengthening their ability to provide services to investors, enhance the country’s image, and promote Pakistan as an investment destination. The SEZ portal is linked with BOI’s investment promotion web portal, providing easy access to all SEZ registrations, and streamlining the approval process.

The new IRMS, will help strengthen BOI’s client relationship management by tracking interactions and following up with existing and new investors. Also, built on Pakistan’s progress in the Ease of Doing Business program, the PRMI will help streamline and digitize applications, renewals and payments for business registrations, licenses, permits and no-objection certificates. It will further enable policymakers and regulators to draw on global best practices for private sector growth, spurring cross-fertilization of ideas across federal and provincial departments.

“IFC’s engagement with Board of Investment is comprehensive. We have been working with BOI to design and implement investment strategies while modernizing systems through revamped websites and digital portals,” said Nadeem A. Siddiqui, IFC Senior Country Manager for Pakistan. “We have also partnered with BOI to strengthen its capacity in regulatory reforms through the PRMI, which is part of BOI’s broader strategy to improve productivity, increase exports, and boost economic growth.”

“PRMI will greatly contribute to sustainable regulatory reforms and integrate compliance across federal and provincial levels through automation.  It will help simplify and harmonize regulatory regime across Pakistan,” says Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. “The automation of regulatory service delivery, with the development of Pakistan Business Portal, will further reduce the need for businesses to visit multiple offices for regulatory compliance.”

IFC has been organizing capacity enhancement courses for BOI and KP-BOIT staff to help attract more investment to Pakistan. It organized a training course “Investment Promotion for Direct, Measurable Impact,” in November 2020. The extensive two-months training helped BOI staff create a more systematic approach to identifying investment leads, tracking them, and ensuring effective follow-up.

The launching event was attended by Dr. Ishrat Husain(Advisor to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity, Government of Pakistan); Nadeem Siddiqui (IFC Senior Country Manager); Najy Benhassine (Country Director, World Bank Group); Christian Turner (British High Commissioner to Pakistan); and Fareena Mazhar (Federal Secretary, BOI), along with government dignitaries and private sector representatives.

DNA

RAWALPINDI, JUN 14 – The Diabetes Centre (TDC) commemorated World Environment Day 2021 with a tree plantation activity in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Trade (RCCI) at TDC.

Ms Rukhsana Naveed, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change and Mohammad Nasir Mirza, President RCCI, visited the hospital for the tree plantation. Vice president RCCI Shahraiz A. Malik and other officials from RCCI and the ministry were present on this occasion.

 The Parliamentary Secretary lauded TDC for their efforts for promoting green environment and assured full support of her office in this regard.

RCCI President Nasir Mirza shared the various environmentally responsible initiatives underway at the chamber, including the installation of a rainwater harvesting and recharge system and solar panels at chamber building.

RCCI has so far planted more than 80,000 plants under clean and green Pakistan. The tree plantation, he said, was part of the efforts to instil and promote a green culture among the community.

Nasir Mirza said that it was the collective responsibility of all people to secure the future by preserving the environment for future generations and promoting tree plantation and other green initiatives as far as possible.

On this occasion, TDC CEO thanked the guests and expressed that being a socially responsible organization; TDC is celebrating World Environment Day with tree plantation to promote nature and greenery, which are important factors for leading a healthy life and for creating a healing environment for patients.