ISLAMABAD, DEC 16 (DNA) –  Government officials from Pakistan and the United States today inaugurated 155 District Disease Monitoring Units to enable local health officials to track the spread of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, more effectively throughout Pakistan.

The Monitoring Units, which are designated spaces within existing district health offices, have been equipped with modern audio-visual equipment and internet connectivity to strengthen real-time coordination on disease monitoring between the district and provincial levels.

The United States Mission to Pakistan, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), also supported the training of rapid response teams working in the Monitoring Units on how to conduct contact tracing for COVID-19 cases. These teams were also trained to use data to identify potential COVID-19 hotspots within the districts.

“Being able to rapidly monitor, detect, and respond to public health threats such as COVID-19 is critically important.  It inspired our partnership with the Government of Pakistan to establish these District Disease Monitoring and Response Units and build the capacity of nearly 3,000 healthcare workers to rapidly respond to public health threats in Pakistan,” said USAID Mission Director Julie Koenen. “We thank the Government of Pakistan for our continued collaboration as we meet the challenge of linking these units to Provincial, Regional, and Federal structures, thereby providing critical resources to stop the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.”

The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, expressed his gratitude to the United States Government and acknowledged that this support will go a long way towards institutionalizing an integrated disease surveillance system in Pakistan.=DNA

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KARACHI, DEC 16 –  UK government’s Department for International Trade hosted a virtual seminar in collaboration with Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) and Woodley BioReg Limited UK on “Route to International Certifications for Pharmaceutical Companies”.

The event, chaired by the Deputy High Commissioner Karachi and Trade Director, Pakistan Mike Nithavrianakis brought together local pharmaceutical companies interested in getting their manufacturing facilities compliant to global manufacturing standards and a UK based consultancy firm on Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).The list of those attending were: Mr Tauqeer Ul Haq (Central Chairman PPMA, Mr Ash Ramzan (Principal Consultant, Woodley BioReg Limited), Ms Mahwash Khan (Chairperson PPMA South Zone) and Rehan Shahid (Senior Trade Manager).

Deputy High Commissioner and Trade Director Mike Nithavrianakis highlighted how the UK’s expertise can be utilised to help local pharmaceutical companies achieve international certifications and expand their export markets.Deputy High Commissioner and Trade Director Mike Nithavrianakis said, “The pharmaceutical industry is among the fastest-growing sectors in Pakistan and has recorded double-digit growth rates in the last four years.

However, the export potential of this industry remains under-utilised and this can be addressed by getting local manufacturing facilities certified to international standards. Our aim is to provide detailed guidance on the process of international certification and an overview of the UK’s quality standards and regulatory requirements for Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals and Medical Devices. We are excited about the potential for the UK and Pakistan to work ever more closely in this sector.”

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 16 –  Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has finalized evaluation process of course assignments of overseas students enrolled in spring 2020 semester and their final result will soon be declared. According to Examinations Department, AIOU has completed the process of assignments’ assessment and uploaded marks of the students settled in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuweit, Qattar, Oman and Bahrain for matriculation and intermediate programs on the university website ([email protected]).

The Examinations Department has further informed that final results of these programs would be announced soon. It is pertinent to mention here that AIOU has been imparting quality education to the overseas Pakistanis settled in the Middle East, Europe and America through distance education.

Upon the special directives of the Vice Chancellor, AIOU, Prof Dr Zia Ul-Qayyum, university has expedited the process of offering courses in collaboration with institutions of Europe, Canada and USA. In this regard, an MoU with a Canadian organization ‘NextGenU’ has been signed recently to offer six certificate level courses jointly. According to the agreement, AIOU will offer these courses in spring 2021 semester.

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QUETTA , DEC 16 – The Steering Committee on the Rule of Law (RoL) Roadmap Balochistan convened its fourth stock take meeting on 16 December 2020 in Quetta. The session concluded with a firm commitment made by Mr. Ziaullah Langove, Minister Home & Tribal Affairs, GoB towards advancing the criminal justice sector reforms envisioned under the Rule of Law roadmap in Balochistan.

Balochistan has achieved significant milestones under the RoL Roadmap Project since its inception to date. This project is being implemented by UNODC and supported by the British High Commission. Balochistan has succeeded to establish a fully functional governance mechanism that drives evidence-based and cross institutional RoL Reform which was possible due to the commitment and dedication of the government of Balochistan and all stakeholders to make this reform meaningful and sustainable.

The progress made under the roadmap was applauded by all the stakeholders despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. The participants took stock of the achievements, lessons and exchanged views on next prospects for cooperation. Mr. Hafiz Abdul Basit, Additional Chief Secretary, Home & Tribal Affairs, GoB appraised the SC members of another major milestone, which is the final approval of the PC-1 by the Government, committing the amount PKR 500 million for the RoL reform in the province under the Roadmap.  He further thanked all those who have been working relentlessly to get this approval. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Jeremy Milsom, Representative, UNODC Pakistan emphasized that through the coordination efforts with the Government of Balochistan, considerable progress under the Rule of Law reforms has been achieved. However, the time is now to continue pushing forward and move the needle on implementing a robust set of reforms to align the criminal justice institutions to reinforce human rights and address underlying challenges of gender-based violence through promoting the rule of law and democracy in Balochistan.

Key findings from the assessment survey on citizens’ perception regarding the performance of criminal justice institutions and the baseline study in Balochistan were presented. While the findings of the survey and baseline provide a benchmark to use a demand-driven approach through citizens’ perspectives to enhance legitimacy, fairness, efficiency and transparency of the criminal justice sector towards ensuring safety and security of the citizens, the baseline also provides a yardstick for criminal justice institutions to measure their performance and progress against RoL provincial set targets.

The Delivery Unit apprised the forum further on the progress made to date, particularly on the digital platforms through a demonstration of the website which is continuously being updated to project the dynamic nature of the criminal justice reforms led by the RoL roadmap. The digital interface of the roadmap is powered by a dashboard that provides a convergence platform through evidence-led data analytics to inform both policy and practice of  criminal justice institutions.

The Roadmap project is recognized as a groundbreaking and innovative approach to drive evidence-based policy and reform through a robust governance structure and regular stock takes.

The organizers of the steering committee meeting thanked all stakeholders for their participation and acknowledged UNODC’s efforts and the British High Commission for their continued and generous support.

Islamabad,16 Dec 2020 : A delegation of the Taliban Political Commission (TPC), headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, will be visiting Pakistan on 16-18 December 2020. During the visit, the delegation will meet with the Foreign Minister and call on the Prime Minister.

The TPC delegation last visited Pakistan in August 2020.

The visit of Taliban Political Commission delegation is part of Pakistan’s policy to reach out to key Afghan parties in the Afghan peace process with a view to facilitating the Intra-Afghan Negotiations, that commenced in Doha on 12 September 2020.

Pakistan will continue to support an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement for durable peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan and the region.