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Religious Freedom: Pakistan rejects US designation

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Pakistani society is multi-religious and pluralistic with a rich tradition of inter-faith harmony

Naveed Miraj 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday rejected the U.S. State Department’s arbitrary and selective assessment under a U.S. domestic legislation on religious freedom.

The designation of Pakistan as a “country of particular concern” is completely against the realities on the ground and raises serious doubts about the credibility of the exercise.

Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further said, such subjective designations do not contribute towards promoting the cause of religious freedom worldwide. Pakistan and the U.S. have been constructively engaging on the subject at the bilateral level, a fact regrettably overlooked by the U.S.

He said, Pakistani society is multi-religious and pluralistic with a rich tradition of inter-faith harmony. Religious freedom and the protection of the rights of minorities are guaranteed by our Constitution and ensured through a range of legislative, policy and administrative measures.

The glaring omission of India, where the RSS-BJP regime and their leaders openly disregard religious freedom and discriminate against minority communities in an institutionalised manner, is unfortunate and puts the credibility of the U.S. report into question. State complicity in organized violence against the Muslim minority in India is a matter of record. It is no secret that attacks by cow vigilantes and mob lynchings of Indian Muslims take place regularly, with complete impunity for the perpetrators. Systematic demonization, dispossession, marginalization and targeted violence against Muslims using the communal slur of “love jihad” in Hindutva-inspired India has become commonplace.

The findings and recommendations of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom as well as the U.S. Congressional hearings on the maltreatment of minorities in India and the violation of religious freedom all over the country including in the Muslim-majority Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) were ignored by the U.S. State Department.

Speakers stress religious harmony; inter-faith dialogue

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The participants extended appreciations to the efforts to the conveners, Androulla Kaminara, Ambassador of the European Union, and Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, Chairman of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Harmony Pakistan, for their tireless effortsin convening the event

A.M.Bhatti/DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 9, 2020: Pakistan Interfaith and Peace Council organized a roundtable discussion for the promotion of interfaith and intra-faith dialogue and understanding today.

The event was supported by the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan.

Religious leaders from all Islamic Sects and religious minorities in Pakistan, faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, human rights and legal professionals as well as academics participated in the roundtable.

The discussion aimed to seek common ground between participants in order to promote religious harmony and tolerance. Following the one-day discussion, participants committed to continue working together. They vowed to work for all constitutional rights to be extended to all citizens of Pakistan irrespective of religion, creed, colour, and race.

The participants vowed to ensure that the message of inclusion and inter- and intra-faith harmony will be spread and amplified from the pulpits, places of worship of all religions and the platforms of other fora.

The closing session took place in presence of the Ambassadors and diplomats of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom as well as France, Germany, Hungary, Romania and Spain.

While addressing the closing session, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Allama Dr. Peer Noor ul Haq Qadri, referred to the ‘Message of Pakistan’, which guarantees the protection of the non-Muslim population of the country, all civil rights and the freedom of worship and faith, and which declares suicide attacks in the name of religion as contrary to the spirit of Islam.

The participants extended appreciations to the efforts to the conveners, Androulla Kaminara, Ambassador of the European Union, and Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad, Chairman of the Interfaith Council for Peace and Harmony Pakistan, for their tireless effortsin convening the event.

Pakistan values Kuwait’s reconciliation role to resolve differences between Arab countries: Tahir Ashrafi

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 – Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East met Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman J Al-Mutairi, on Wednesday.

In a meeting with Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman J Al-Mutairi, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said that Kuwait’s Government and people of Kuwait have always promoted affection, moderation and compassion.

Bilateral relations between Pakistan and Kuwait will be strengthened in all respective sectors and areas. Reconciliation role on part of Kuwait to resolve differences between Arab countries is very appreciating and valuable, said Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East.

Pakistan values and welcome each and every bid and endeavour to resolve differences and misunderstandings between Muslim countries, said Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Aide to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony adding that Pakistan values its relations with Kuwait.

In a released statement, following the meeting of Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi and Kuwait’s Ambassador to Pakistan Nassar Abdulrahman J Al-Mutairi, here on Wednesday, both the dignitaries vowed and resolve to further strengthened relations between Pakistan and Kuwait in all areas with exchange of cooperation.

Both the dignitaries underlined that with exchange of delegates between Kuwait and Pakistan, cooperation between both the countries will be extended in areas of trade, economy and culture adding that employment opportunities for Pakistanis will also be generated in Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Representative to Prime Minister on Interreligious Harmony also held meeting with Interior Minister Brigadier (R) Ijaz Shah and held detailed discussions on Interreligious Harmony and overall peace situation in the country.

Without a systemic preventive effort, fighting corruption will not be enough, says Romanian President

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BUCHAREST, DEC 9 – President Klaus Iohannis has said in his International Anticorruption Day message that it is “absolutely fundamental” to the health of the state and society that the phenomenon of corruption be firmly combated by the responsible institutions, whether it is political, financial, administrative or academic corruption. , corruption in the health system or in education.

“The progress of the Romanian society in recent years in terms of the fight against corruption is visible, but the effort of the institutions in this direction must be continuous and sustained, fully respecting the principle that no one is above the law,” said Iohannis.

“International Anti-Corruption Day, established by the United Nations Convention against Corruption, is an opportunity to remind us that our efforts, of all, for a better society, in which integrity is assumed at all levels, must continue in a sustained manner. . Corruption is a complex phenomenon, deeply rooted in the practices of those who seek to use public power for personal or group interest. In a broad sense, corruption is not just about taking and bribing. Bribery, nepotism, abuse of power are all forms of this scourge that is, in fact, eroding the development of a society, “Klaus Iohannis said in a message sent on Wednesday, on the occasion of the International Anticorruption Day.

He stressed that sanctions must be such as to discourage corruption.

“Whether we are talking about political, financial, administrative or academic corruption, corruption in the health system or in education, it is absolutely fundamental for the health of the state and society that this phenomenon be firmly combated by the responsible institutions. The sanctioning dimension must, indeed, be such as to discourage these harmful behaviors that do a lot of harm to society and slow down its progress “, said the head of state.

Iohannis added, however, that education plays an important role.

“At the same time, without a systemic preventive effort, focused on building a culture of integrity, fighting corruption will not be enough. The education system trains future citizens, and the assumption of behavioral values and their internalization is achieved from the first stages of youth development. It is, therefore, necessary to discuss more about values and morality in schools, in a practical, interactive way “, Iohannis said.

The president’s message also states that: “The progress of Romanian society in recent years in the fight against corruption is visible, but the effort of institutions in this direction must be continuous and sustained, fully respecting the principle that no one is above law. There is also a need for an unequivocal attitude of citizens towards acts of corruption, which translates into zero intolerance towards those who resort to such acts “.

“Deeply attached to democratic values and the rule of law, I have acted and will continue to act for a legislative and institutional construction that will be a catalyst for a developed Romania, built on integrity, honesty and common sense,” he concluded. Johannis.

Huawei organized 5G Ecosystem moot emphasizes business, social and economic value of Technology

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 – Huawei, a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices,hosted its sixth annual 5G Ecosystem Conference in the Middle East on the sidelines of GITEX Technology Week 2020. The conference highlighted the developments related to the Middle East’s 5G ecosystem, with a particular focus on exploring issues related to innovative 5G solutions and applications for various industries, 5G’s role in advancing digital transformation and its business value for the operators, authorities, and industries. The conference also tackled the challenges for strengthening the region’s 5G ecosystem in the region and the prospects for partnership between the public and private sectors to leverage 5G benefits in all fields.

Held virtually under the slogan of ‘New Value Together’, the conference was attended by industry experts from across the Middle East and around the world, including telecommunications operators, industry analysts, leading enterprises, and various technology partners in the 5G ecosystem. Many of the discussions centered around the socio-economic importance of making 5G a commercial success; something that is especially pertinent in the time of COVID-19 as the pandemic has increased demands for seamless, reliable connectivity for individuals and enterprises alike.

Several countries in the Middle East were among the first wave of 5G commercial launches globally starting as early as 2018. In the GSMA’s 2020 report “The Mobile Economy Middle East & North Africa”, the telecom industry body estimates that there could be 60 million mobile 5G connections across the region by 2025, with USD70 billion being spent in the region on infrastructure rollouts between 2019 and 2025[1].

Vanness You,VP of Huawei ME Marketing and Solutions, CNBG, said: “With a new year ahead of us and the hope for better things to come, advanced technologies such as AI, cloud, computing, and 5G will play a major role as a strong contributor to driving social prosperity and advancing the economy.In particular, 5G will be essential to societal development during the pandemic andthe post-pandemic economic recovery. We would like to worktogether with Middle Eastoperators and partners to unleash the value of 5G networks for consumers and industry, harvesting more remarkable achievements in business and society. Huawei is firmly committed to working with our customers and partners, to investing in 5G ecosystem construction and the incubation of new industrial applications for various industries, and to open cooperation with other platforms such as 5G OpenLab to meet industry requirements.”

Business community demands extension in date for filing of income tax returns

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 – Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that December 8, 2020 was the deadline for the filing of income tax returns 2020, but the FBR system was not working properly, due to which many taxpayers had to face great problems in filing their tax returns and this situation necessitated the further extension in the last date for filing of income tax return.

Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that due to the spike in the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, most of the tax consultants were unable to provide their services to the taxpayers in preparing income tax returns, therefore, it was the need of the hour that FBR should consider extension in date to facilitate maximum taxpayers in filing of income tax returns. He said that the lockdowns in the past had destroyed many businesses due to which a great number of the business community was facing difficulty in paying electricity bills, rents of shops and salaries of their workers. In these circumstances, extending the deadline for filing income tax returns was an important necessity.

ICCI President further said that out of a population of 206 million, about 1.7 million income tax returns were filed till December 8 as compared to 2.7 million last year. Thus, about 37% less tax returns have been filed this year. He said that the economic condition of the country would not improve unless the number of filers was increased. He said that there were about 8 million commercial electricity connections in the country and advance tax was also deducted from the electricity bills but filing of only 1.7 million income tax returns should be a cause of concern for the government. He said that the government has a record of power connections so every effort should be made to take advantage of it for expanding the tax base of the country.

Ms. Fatma Azim, Senior Vice President and Abdul Rehman Khan, Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that in view of the difficulties faced by the business community, it was necessary to take trade associations on board for making decisions on tax matters. They said that the date for filing of income tax returns should be further extended to provide an opportunity to the business community to file its tax returns.

Chinese companies want to develop slaughterhouses in Pakistan

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Each year 9th December is globally observed as International Anti-Corruption Day to highlight its  devastating impact on socio-economic development of the member countries and to create awareness against it . Basically, corruption is a social malice that can be seen anywhere and is like a tumor, aggressively spreading in public life. It breeds injustice, which ultimately results in collapse of a nation and society if not cured. In other words corruption is a serious crime that undermine the social and economic norms of the societies and affects the countries around the world. So its fighting is a global concern. Thus the significance of this day is increasing over time as the general public is getting more and more mindful of its repercussions.

NAB being the focal agency of Pakistan under United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) is determined to weed out this scourge of corruption and to make Pakistan Corruption free. However, corruption is a complicated social phenomenon, which cannot be fought by employing a narrow singular approach of enforcement as it would fail to yield any results. Similarly, it would be impractical to expect a single agency to do the job on its own without complete support of society. So NAB being the apex anti-corrutpion agency and mandated to eliminate corruption, corrupt practices, is operating through a three pronged strategy of Awareness, Prevention and Enforcement. In order to eradicate this evil from society, it has consistently engaged all stakeholders and is incessantly combating this national menace with unflinching resolve through its multi-pronged strategy, which has started yielding remarkable results.

In addition, NAB has played a role of torch bearer for other anti-corruption organizations by putting a maximum limit of 10 months for expeditious disposal of – white-collar crime cases. In order to discourage money laundering; it has established “Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML & CFT) Cell”. This shows the Bureau’s commitment and compliance towards resolution of international community. NAB is also the founding Chairman of the SAARC Anti-Corruption Forum and is a role model for SAARC countries. It is also pointed out that due to its strong resolve against corruption, the Bureau’s endeavours have been appreciated and endorsed by different reputed national and international organizations like PILDAT, Mishal Pakistan, Transparency International, World Economic Forum that testifies people’s confidence and trust upon NAB’s performance. Similarly, having confidence in the impressive performance & integrity of NAB, China has also signed an MoU with NAB to watch over CPEC projects being undertaken in Pakistan.

Under Section-33 of NAO, 1999, NAB is mandated awareness and prevention. Under NAB’s Awareness and Prevention Strategy, NAB has engaged different Governmental, Non-Governmental Organizations, media, Civil Society, and other segments of society to join hands with NAB’s awareness and prevention drive to create awareness among the people, especially the youth, Universities/Colleges and schools students. In this regard an MoU with HEC has also been signed by NAB to create awareness among students against corruption as youth is considered a cutting edge in this fight.

The enormous influx of complaints in NAB and the growing awareness among the  masses against corruption proves the fact that NAB has become a symbol of “Neutral Writ of State”. Due to this effective three pornged anti-corruption strategy, NAB since its inception till 2019 has recovered an amount of Rs. 466 billion while in the current year, it recovered Rs. 248.186 billion. Beside this, currently 1247 references are under process in Hon’ble Accountability Courts. In addition, NAB’s conviction ratio is about 61 percent, which is one of the best conviction ratios as compared to other sister organizations.

On the eve of International Anti-Corruption Day, I promise to turn NAB into one of the best anti-Corruption agencies in the world. The principle of “zero tolerance”, “accountability for all” and “self-accountability” would be strictly adhered to in the overall working of NAB. As Chairman National Accountability Bureau, I invite all stakeholders, particularly the government, civil society, and media, to come forward and join the Bureau in developing a society free of corruption and to make Pakistan a prosperous nation.

Chinese companies want to develop slaughterhouses in Pakistan

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DNA

BEIJING, DEC 9 – Chinese companies want to develop slaughterhouses in Pakistan, as a step forward contributing to beef export, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Wednesday.

According to the report, China, reflected in high domestic prices, the overall demand for beef remains strong. Recently, efforts are being made to help Pakistan beef enter China.

“There are already many smart people in the Chinese city of Chengdu who want to develop slaughterhouses in Pakistan,” said Mahmood Akhtar, deputy consul general of Pakistan in Chengdu.

He told Gwadar Pro that the quarantine authorities in Beijing are likely to visit Pakistan and see the slaughterhouse there.

“Because Pakistan is not so advanced in slaughter technology and farming, with the help of Chinese investors in Pakistan, they can secure the disease-free animals and provide the modern techniques of slaughtering and preservation of the meat and the cold chain.”

We already sent a lot of business people who are interested, and they are looking forward to finding the right partners because it’s a completely new development in need of local partners who are familiar with the local environment, ” he said.

“To export Pakistan beef to China, the most difficult issue is the FMD, the breeding conditions there do not meet our requirements,” said Li Hongwu，president of Pakistan Sichuan Chamber of Commerce.

They have been making effort to bring slaughterhouses to Pakistan for a long time.
“The export of fresh products also requires the construction of supporting facilities such as cold storage.

However, Pakistan’s electricity supply was unstable before. “According to Li Hongwu, the member companies of PSCC planned to go to Pakistan at the beginning of this year to open up the entire beef export chain from breeding to marketing, and gradually solve the existing problems, but the plan was suspended due to COVID-19.

“The breeding industry in Pakistan is still in a primitive stage without large-scale and modernization. To meet the export standards, We can provide technical guidance and equipment and open the export market.

But we still need to cooperate with many local companies, since we can not bring workers from China. There is still a long way to go,” he said.

Business community is backbone of the country: Chairman NAB

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 – Justice (RETD) Javed Iqbal Chairman NAB said that NAB has great regard for the valuable services of the business community in the progress and prosperity of the country. Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association led by Dr. Jassu Mal T. Leemani, Chairman Cotton Ginners Association, Mr. Sohail, Mahmood, Ex-Chairman, Muhammad Ishaq, Executive Member, Alamdar Hussain, Muhammad Auoub, and azal Abbas, Member at NAB Headquarters.

Justice (RETD) Javed Iqbal Chairman NAB said that NAB is not pursuing the sales and income tax related cases of the business community and had transferred all the cases related to sales tax and income tax to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) as per law. He said that the notices issued by NAB Multan and NAB Sukkur to some of the owners of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Factories are being held in abeyance. In the light of the above position, Chairman NAB will himself examine the cases as per law.

He said it is only rumors that the business community is allegedly perturbed due to NAB actions which are not correct as 1240 references have been filed by NAB in the respected Accountability Courts in various parts of the country and not a single reference against any owner of Cotton Ginning factory has been filed by NAB which negates the propaganda against NAB. He said that the Business Community is playing an important role in the economic development of the country.  He said a prosperous business community makes prosperous Pakistan. He said that NAB is performing its national duties as per law and strongly believes in self respect of every person as NAB is a people friendly institution.

The Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB said that the Business Community is the backbone of the country and NAB accords high priority to resolve the issues of the business community by establishing special complaints cells at NAB Headquarters and all regional bureaus of NAB. He said that NAB had established last year a special desk headed by a Director had been established at NAB headquarters to address business community issues. NAB is trying its utmost efforts to address problems of the business community as per law. The delegation of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association led by Dr. Jassu Mal T. Leemani, Chairman Cotton Ginners Association thanked Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB for resolving the issues of the business community and expressed confidence over NAB. He appreciated the remarkable efforts of NAB for eradication of corruption under the dynamic leadership of Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal Chairman NAB for making Pakistan corruption free. Dr. Jassu Mal T. Leemani, Chairman Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association, Pakistan Flour Mills assured all out support to NAB in eradication of corruption from the country.

Pak exports to China increased by 30%: Gwadar Pro

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 9 – Pakistan exports to China has increased by 30% during last month, resulting in the improvement of trade balance between the two countries, Gwadar Pro reported on Wednesday.To address issue of trade deficit, the major concern of Pakistani side, China has proactively taken a lot of measures to maintain a balanced trade relation with Pakistan between the two sides.

The report says, China is keen to expand more market access for Pakistani products and organizes varieties of trade promotion activities in Pakistan and China every year.

Adviser to Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razzaq Dawood had stated in a tweet that during Nov 2020, Pakistan’s exports to China increased considerably.

This healthy trend is an indication that our exports are re-gaining their momentum. It was advised that the exporters should aggressively market their products in geographically diversified areas.

Giving a good start, the governments of the two countries had slashed tariffs on more than 300 categories of imported items that are widely used as raw material for the export of goods.

According to the report, along with the constant upward trend of China-Pakistan trade, a rising concern on trade deficit with China had been echoing in the Pakistani business communities.

It is pertinent to mention that the main reason behind the trade imbalance has to be the structural problems in nature between industries of two countries.

China has a strong manufacturing base to export goods as compared to import. Up to now, China turns to be the largest trading partner of more than 120 countries and regions in the world, and China has never intentionally pursued the trade surplus, not with any trade partner.

Therefore, It is time to dedicate some technical and financial resources to drawing a full map to determine how exports to the entire world, and more specifically to China, can grow.

It is up to the subject specialists to come up with viable options for reducing Islamabad’s trade deficit with Beijing and improve trade balancing.

Moreover It is up to the political leadership of the two countries to sort out this issue as early as possible. That will also deepen their strategic geopolitical ties.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus has led to economic recession in major parts of the world and year 2020 is going to end with a deeper recession than the one seen in the wake of the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.

A change in trade policy factoring in all the possibilities in global trade dynamics is a must. There is perhaps a greater need for promoting intra-regional trade to take advantage of the economy of trade, the report added.

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