Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is also Chairman of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, has accorded approval to the names of party’s candidates for upcoming elections of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly.

Sharing the list of the approved candidates, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Chaudhary Fawad Hussain said that candidates for some constituencies will be announced later.

Some 300 candidates had applied for contesting the upcoming elections on 45 constituencies of the AJK Legislative Assembly on PTI’s ticket.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mehmood Khan paid surprise visits to Faqirabad and Khazana police stations Peshawar.

On this occasion, he checked registers and other records of these police stations, met with the detainees there and got information from them about the conduct of the police.

The Chief Minister expressed displeasure over the non-functioning of CCTV cameras and poor sanitation situation in Khazana Police Station.

Mahmood khan directed the relevant quarters of police to submit him a detailed report on the non-functioning of CCTV cameras in police stations. 

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the present government is taking steps to transform the police stations into centers of justice for common man.

LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar on Sunday called for the deployment of independent observers at Sindh and Punjab barrages in order to obtain accurate data on water release after a row between provinces over water theft.

In a policy statement issued today, the chief minister Punjab said that the deployment of independent observers would help in ensuring just distribution of water among provinces. “It will also help in addressing misunderstandings over water distribution,” he said.

The chief minister of Punjab also invited the parliamentarians of the Sindh province to visit barrages in Punjab.

“Parliamentarians from across the country especially from Sindh should visit barrages in the province,” Usman Buzdar said adding that parliamentarians could witness the water distribution and reporting system of release data.

He said that the Sindh province should also invite our lawmakers to their barrages.

The chief minister further assured that he would address the water-related issues faced by the farmers in Punjab. “I will personally visit farmers and listen to their grievances,” he said.

A report on Saturday stated that the inflow at Tarbela water reservoir has been recorded at 63,300 cusecs, while the outflow from the dam remained 60,000 cusecs.

A spokesperson of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), amid reports of water shortage, said that the inflow of water at Mangla Dam recorded 50,700 cusecs, while the outflow from the reservoir remained 50,000 cusecs.

The inflow of water at Chashma Lake recorded 92,600 cusecs, while the outflow from the reservoir remained 90,000 cusecs, according to the spokesperson.

FAISALABAD, May 29 (DNA): State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Saturday said Pakistan had emerged as a growth model for the entire world as it had made unexpected achievements despite corona lockdowns.

Addressing a press conference at Ali Zaib Foundation Centre in General Hospital Ghulam Muhammad Abad here, he said all economic indicators were positive and stock exchange had recorded unprecedented surge, which was showing confidence of the investors in economic policies of the government.

He said that the volume of foreign investment had increased and the country had been put on the road to progress and development, and its benefits were being enjoyed by all stakeholders.

He termed the opposition alliance a group of divergent forces and said that instead of supporting the productive policies of the government, they were creating unnecessary hurdles. However, he added, they had failed in their designs.

He said: “Our exports have recorded an increase of 13% while 54% increase was witnessed in sale of automobiles, 44% in IT products, 40% in cement and 9% in large manufacturing group products.

He said the federal government provided Rs1600 to Rs 1800 billion to Sindh under the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, but it failed to use the huge financial support for welfare and betterment of masses. He lamented that children were facing malnutrition in interior Sindh.

There was no vaccine in hospitals for dog-bite victims, and even the irrigation water being supplied to Sindh was stolen, he said and added that at Sukkur, Sindh got 16,000 cusecs of water, and out of it 8,000 cusecs water was stolen at Kotary.

He said instead of improving the overall governance, Sindh had been surrendered to mafias, adding that growers in Kotary could not sow paddy crop as the Sindh government failed to check the water theft.

“Our efforts are to enhance exports,” he said and added that the government would not give any NRO [deal] to the opposition parties, which are already facing clear division in their ranks. He said that Shehbaz Sharif should first focus on his party before forging unity in divergent forces gathered under the banner of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

Farrukh Habib said: “The parliament is the only platform where we can resolve our major national issues, but the opposition is ignorant of the fact and wasting its energies outside parliament to achieve its vested interests.”

About dacoit gangs, he said the government would not allow state within state and elements treating the poor with oppression, particularly in far-flung rural areas, would not be tolerated at any cost, adding that these oppressive elements had their hideouts in Sulaiman Range for the last many years and no government took action against them.

However, on the special directive of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the law-enforcing agencies had initiated a joint operation against outlaws, which would continue till their complete elimination.

About the NGOs [non-governmental organisations], working in the health sector, he said these organisations were doing commendable job and the government would continue to encourage and patronise them so that they could expand their scope of services.

He particularly appreciated Ali Zaib Foundation and other organisations working for the welfare of thalassaemia patients and said that parents of young children were facing a very difficult situation. These organisations were trying their best to minimise their sufferings by providing blood to them, he said.

Later, the minister also visited different sections of Ali Zaib Foundation Centre and expressed satisfaction over the treatment facilities being provided to the patients. Chief Executive Officer of Ali Zaib Foundation Shahid Ali Zaidi briefed the state minister about medical facilities being provided to patients at the centre.

ISLAMABAD, MAY 29 (DNA) – The District Management Islamabad has declared OGDCL F-8 Medical Centre as Vaccination Centre of COVID-19 for employees& their family members. Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad has established this facility on the request of OGDCL management to facilitate the process of COVID-19 vaccination of OGDCL employees & their families.

This facility not only will reduce the burden on national health system but will also facilitate the vaccination process of OGDCL employees and their families in a congenial environment and will diminish their waiting time in long queues. This all was made possible due to the untiring efforts of OGDCL Management which is always committed to providing maximum facilities to its employees.

In this context the management established a call centre for employees to take appointment before coming for vaccination and the response has been overwhelming. Not only the OGDCL employees & their families but the general public as well was inoculated at the facility on Saturday. Everyone appreciated the efforts of OGDCL management for this noble cause. The process is registered with NIMS and after inoculation of 2nd dose, employees shall be issued certificate from NADRA.

This is the only such facility by any E&P Company in Pakistan. Like many other initiatives by the OGDCL management in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, establishment of this centre is a first in the E&P Sector in Pakistan. This is also a testament to the unflinching resolve of the OGDCL management towards facilitating their employees in the best possible manner. 

Islamabad, MAY 29 – /DNA/ – Right steps should be taken at every level to ensure transitiontowards clean energy in Pakistan. The experts in oil and gas sector said this while sharing their views with the participants at the public private dialogue‘The role of Oil and Gas Sector in clean energy transition of Pakistan-Rural Sindh,’jointly organized by sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) andShah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur, here on Tuesday.

Senior Manager & Energy and Low Carbon Specialist, ICF, MrEnrui Zhang, remarked that the employment opportunities and the situation of power shortage in Pakistan has been significantly improved due to the CPEC under Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). He opined that the oil and gas will play a critical role in Pakistan’s future mix and it provides multiple areas for Pak-China collaboration such as upgrade of infrastructure, exploration of reserves, and production. However, now the targets of CPEC should be aligned with climate and energy targets of Pakistan.

Prof DrTaj Muhammad Lashari, Dean Social Sciences, Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur, was of view that it should be the responsibility of oil and gas companies to provide power access to people below poverty line. Such initiative would help in improving their living standards besides building a sense of security amongst them, he added.

Director Planning and development,MrSajjad Hussain Talpur, highlighted that the living conditions of people in Badin and Khairpur districts are dismally poor despite the area being producer of the significant volume of oil and gas. Therefore, the funds under CSR should be used on the development projects in these areas.

Dr Vaqar Ahmed, Joint Executive Director, SDPI, informed the participants about the renewable energy policy of the government and said that it is very encouraging to shift country towards climate friendly projects. He added further that the investments in renewable sources should remain a priority and transmission and distribution challenges should be addressed. Moreover, he said, we need to incentivize the demand side so that there is a large consumer base for clean energy.

Ms Nimra Wasim, from Engro Vopak Terminal Limited,highlighted that Engro is focusing on renewable substitutes and has started green initiatives recently. DrFaheem Akhtar, from IBA Sukkur,was of the opinion that the major bottleneck currently Pakistan is facing is the transmission sector due to which Pakistan is only able to evacuate 22,000 MW despite having a generation capacity of 37,000 MW. To overcome the barrier of grid absence, micro-grids can be installed in rural areas.

Associate professor, SALU, Dr Naveed Sheikh, while describing the role of Academia in Clean Energy Transition, said that the curriculum of academic studies should be revised to include courses on ‘Clean Environment’ and ‘Quality of life’. DrBilal Shams Memon, from Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Khairpur,emphasized that the curriculum should also be linked to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), CSR, and entrepreneurship projects.

Dr Abdul Shakoor, representing Benazir Bhutto Shaheed University of Technology and Skill Development, Khairpur, local manufacturing of solar PV panels should be explored, and Oil and Gas sector companies could take lead in encouraging such initiatives. Each individual should be aware of his carbon footprints and ways to reduce carbon emissions.

Ms Maha Kamal, Teaching Fellow, Information Technology University, opined that we need to move away from thermal based fuels to come in line with Paris Agreement, and be cognizant of the social and economic impacts of clean energy transition. Earlier, Dr Hina Aslam, Research Fellow, SDPI,highlighted the role of oil and gas companies in supporting the growth of deep decarbonization technologies for the sector at the company and industry level, adopting green business models and initiatives.