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DELEGATION OF AMERICAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY MEETS SADIQ SANJRANI

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Islamabad, MAR 24 – /DNA/ – An 8-member delegation of American Democratic Party led by Tahir  javed called on Chairman senate Sadiq Sanjrani at Parliament House here on Wednesday.

The delegation felicitated Sadiq Sanjrani on being re-elected as a chairman of the upper house of the parliament.

The US delegation also congratulated Mirza Muhammad Afridi on being elected as Deputy Chairman Senate.

During the meeting, the Chairman senate said that the bilateral relations between the US and Pakistan would be further strengthened. Chairman Senate  added that significant steps have been taken for promotion of democracy in Pakistan. He emphasised that Pakistan has played a vital role in eradicating terrorism and further promoting peace in the region.

The US delegation, during the meeting, said that democracy is flourishing in Pakistan which will not only solve the problems of the people but will also help the country move towards prosperity. While expressing the confidence in the leadership of Pakistan, the delegation said that the steps taken by the country for establishing peace are commendable. The delegation further said that relations between the two countries have become stronger over time and the new US leadership want to further strengthen its bilateral relations with Pakistan. The Joe Biden administration wants to further enhance bilateral ties with Pakistan, added the US delegation. The visiting dignitaries conveyed a  goodwill message of the US Senators to honourable Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani and Deputy Chairman senate Mirza Muhammad Afridi.

The delegation informed the Chairman Senate that many Pakistani are rendering services in the United States and the problems of those Pakistanis residing in the United States are being resolved in an efficient manner. The US delegation also extended invitation to Chairman and Deputy chairman Senate to visit United states , which was accepted by the the Chairman.

UNITED STATES AND PAKISTAN’S DRUG REGULATORY AUTHORITY MODERNIZE AND DIGITIZE RECORDS

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ISLAMABAD, March 24 :  The United States Mission to Pakistan, in cooperation with the Government of Pakistan, presented a new records management system to digitize more than four million records for the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

The system, developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Global Health Supply Chain program, will create digital archives and barcode paper files, which are critical to accountable tracking of DRAP’s files.  DRAP sought USAID’s support to digitize the records, and USAID provided training to the DRAP staff on records management best practices.

“This digitized system that USAID and the Government of Pakistan have created modernizes, streamlines, and harmonizes data archives, which directly supports data accessibility and visibility,” said USAID Deputy Mission Director Michael Nehrbass. “It will also ensure transparency of information and records management, which ultimately will help ensure access to quality-assured medicines and commodities in Pakistan.”

“It is a great achievement that 4.1 million DRAP records have been digitized with USAID support,” said Dr. Faisal Sultan, Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health. “I thank USAID for helping the Government with the first-ever public sector digitization.”

COVID-19 claims 30 lives, infects 3,301 more people

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ISLAMABAD, Mar 24  : The total active COVID-19 cases on Wednesday recorded 36,849 with 3,301 more people tested positive for the deadly virus and 957 people recovered from the disease during the last 24 hours.

Thirty corona patients have died during past 24 hours, 29 of whom were under treatment in hospital and one out of the hospital in his or her respective quarantines or homes, according to the latest update issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

During the last 24 hours most of the deaths had occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by the Punjab.

Out of the total 30 deaths occurred during last 24 hours, eight of the deceased had died on ventilators during their treatment.

The maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 52 percent, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) 57 percent, Peshawar 35 percent and Lahore 50 percent.

The maximum Oxygen beds (alternate oxygen providing facility other than ventilator administered as per medical requirement of COVID patient) was also occupied in Four major areas of Gujrat 96 percent, Peshawar 68 percent, ICT 47 percent and Rawalpindi 37 percent.

Around 364 ventilators were occupied elsewhere in the country while no COVID affected person was on ventilator in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan (GB) and Balochistan.

Some 38,282 tests were conducted across the country on Tuesday, including 6,304 in Sindh, 17,933 in Punjab, 6,786 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 5,226 in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 684 in Balochistan, 279 in GB, and 1,070 in AJK.

Around 586,228 people have recovered from the disease so far across Pakistan making it a significant count with over 90 percent recovery ratio of the affected patients.

Since the pandemic outbreak, a total of 637,042 cases were detected that also included the perished, recovered and under treatment COVID-19 patients so far, including AJK 11,946, Balochistan 19,374, GB 4,975, ICT 53,136, KP 81,204, Punjab 202,743 and Sindh 263,664.

About 13,965 deaths were recorded in country since the eruption of the contagion. Around 4,482 perished in Sindh where three deaths occured in hospital during past 24 hours.

6,048 in Punjab had died with nine deaths occured in past 24 hours. Eight of them in the hospital and one out of hospital. 2,238 in KP where 13 of them died in hospital on Tuesday, 552 in ICT among four deaths in hospital during past 24 hours,  203 in Balochistan, 103 in GB and 339 in AJK among one of them succumbed to the deadly virus in hospital on Tuesday.

A total of 9,895,515 corona tests have been conducted so far, while 631 hospitals are equipped with COVID facilities. Some 3,104 corona patients were admitted in hospitals across the country.

Maryam moves LHC for interim bail ahead of NAB hearing

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LAHORE: PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz moved on Wednesday a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking interim bail to prevent her possible arrest in a graft case.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, will take up the petition later today.

Maryam states in her petition that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned her in two cases on March 26 (Friday). “The bureau being under the influence of the government wants to arrest me,” she claimed.

She said she wants to join the bureau’s investigation against her but feared that she would be arrested. The PML-N leader, therefore, pleaded with the high court to grant her interim pre-arrest bail.

The NAB has summoned Maryam for questioning in connection with its ongoing investigations into Raiwind land allotment and the Chaudhry Sugar Mills cases.

According to the corruption watchdog, the Sharif family members allegedly illegally acquired 3,500 kanals of land in Raiwind in collusion with the district administration and revenue officials in 2013.

In 2015, then Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema and the Lahore deputy commissioner altered the master plan, declaring hundreds of kanals of land green-land area, the NAB said.

LHC approves interim bail of Maryam Nawaz, seeks NAB reply

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LAHORE , MARCH 24 : The Lahore High Court (LHC) has approved the interim bail of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz till April 12 and sought a reply from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The high court’s judge Justice Sarfraz Dogar heard the bail petition of Maryam Nawaz today. During the hearing, the judge expressed outrage over the disturbance in the courtroom being created by PML-N workers and lawyers.

The judge remarked that he will not allow such activities as it is a courtroom but not the venue of a political show. Maryam Nawaz’s counsel Azam Nazir Tarar tendered an apology over the disturbance in the courtroom.

The LHC judge directed NAB to submit its response and approved the interim bail of Maryam Nawaz till April 12.

Earlier in the day, PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz moved on Wednesday a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking interim bail to prevent her possible arrest in a graft case.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, will take up the petition later today.

PML-N finalises strategy ahead of Maryam’s appearance before NAB

Maryam states in her petition that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned her in two cases on March 26 (Friday). “The bureau being under the influence of the government wants to arrest me,” she claimed.

She said she wants to join the bureau’s investigation against her but feared that she would be arrested. The PML-N leader, therefore, pleaded with the high court to grant her interim pre-arrest bail.

The NAB has summoned Maryam for questioning in connection with its ongoing investigations into Raiwind land allotment and the Chaudhry Sugar Mills cases.

NAB summons Maryam on March 26 in another case

According to the corruption watchdog, the Sharif family members allegedly illegally acquired 3,500 kanals of land in Raiwind in collusion with the district administration and revenue officials in 2013.

In 2015, then Lahore Development Authority (LDA) director general Ahad Cheema and the Lahore deputy commissioner altered the master plan, declaring hundreds of kanals of land green-land area, the NAB said.

Coronavirus in Pakistan: Schools in coronavirus hotspot areas to stay closed till April 11

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ISLAMABAD,MARCH 24 : An important meeting of education and health ministers is underway at the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to decide on the closure of schools amid an alarming rise of coronavirus cases in the country.

The number of COVID-19 active cases has doubled in the last three weeks while the positivity ratio has remained above 8% in the last few days. According to the NCOC data, the number of active cases was 17,352 on March 6 which reached 36,849 on Wednesday.

Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood on Sunday had announced that all the education and health ministers would meet on March 24 at the NCOC to mull the pandemic situation and decide about the reopening or further closure of educational institutions.

NCOC announces new SOPs for areas with more than 8% coronavirus positivity

Taking to his Twitter account, the federal minister had reminded the masses that the third wave of the coronavirus is serious, therefore, it requires careful review.

“All education/health ministers will meet Wednesday, March 24, at the NCOC to take a decision regarding opening or further closure of educational institutions,” the minister wrote.

“The health of students, teachers, [and staff is of] primary consideration.”

‘High risk of COVID-19 spread in schools’

In a separate statement on Monday, Mehmood said that he was not in favour of shutting down educational institutes but the NCOC believed that there’s a high risk of coronavirus in schools.

“50 million children are linked with education and if someone got infected, the disease would spread,” he said.

Hilarious Shafqat Mehmood memes go viral again as NCOC holds meeting

It is pertinent to note that schools, colleges and universities were allowed to resume regular classes from March 1 but the Sindh government did not follow suit saying the situation has not improved.

On March 10, the federal government had announced a two-week Spring Break in Islamabad, Peshawar and seven Punjab cities where the positivity was high and imposed restrictions to control the spread.

The health officials have warned that the UK variant, which has wreaked havoc in Punjab and the federal capital, spreads faster and is more deadly.

Curbs on business, public transport

In view of a surge in coronavirus cases in the country, the NCOC on Monday issued renewed standard operating procedures (SOPs) to contain the virus, saying that these would be implemented with immediate effect.

As per the new guidelines, all businesses will only be allowed to operate five days a week, while all commercial activities will be closed by 8:00pm in areas with a positivity ratio greater than 8%.

The forum expressed grave concern over the current COVID-19 situation in the country and unanimously agreed to implement some high impact interventions in cities and districts with a high positivity ratio.

Pakistani-Americans celebrate Pakistan Day in New York with enthusiasm

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NEW YORK, Mar 24 : A number of Pakistani-American community members and activists participated in a virtual celebration organized on Tuesday evening by the Pakistan Consulate General in New York to celebrate the 81st anniversary of Lahore resolution that led to the establishment of Pakistan.

In brief remarks, Consul General Ayesha Ali welcomed his compatriots gathered online and congratulated them on the auspicious occasion, saying Pakistan was on the road to progress despite many challenges.

She paid glowing tributes to Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and the sacrifices made by the Muslims of the sub-continent for the creation of Pakistan.

The government, the consul general  said, was making every effort to realize the Quaid’s vision of a modern, democratic and prosperous Pakistan.

She expressed the hope that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would also be able to soon enjoy their fundamental right to self-determination, as promised to them by UN Security Council resolutions.

Ayesha Ali also briefed the community members of the initiatives taken by the government to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis, saying more measures were on the anvil.

She thanked Pakistani activists for the services they provided to the needy during the coronavirus pandemic. Their humanitarian work, she said, was crucial in the crisis that adversely affected many community members.

Ambassador Shaukat Fareed, a former Pakistani diplomat and an ex-senior UN official, congratulated his compatriots on the occasion of Pakistan Day and urged them to stand together.

Fareed led the tributes to Consul General Ayesha Ali for her hard work in streamlining the services at the consulate for the benefit of community members and in reaching out to them during the pandemic, a compliment which was shared by all participants.

Shahid Ahmed Khan, a Pakistani-American activist in Massachusetts and honourary Consul General, said he expected US-Pakistan relations to improve under the Biden administration.

Among others who spoke on the occasion were Sajjad Ashraf, a former Pakistani ambassador, Perwaiz Siddiqui from APPNA, and Capt. Adeel Rana from New York Police Department as well as activists like Akbar Khan, Zaheer Sharaf, Nasir Qureshi, Amjad Nawaz, Jan Mohammad, Raza Razzaq, Siraj Khan, Ms Attiya, Imtiaz, Babar Riaz, Rafiq Chaudhry, Sarwar and Youth leader Ali Rashid.  Barry Hoffman, honorary Pakistani Consul General in Boston, also participated.

The meeting began with recitation from Holy Quran followed by the National Anthem. It was rounded off with the popular patriotic songs.

NASA will attempt first off-world flight in early April

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Washington, March 24 : NASA is targeting early April for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to make the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Right now, the ultra-light aircraft remains fixed to the belly of the Perseverance rover, which touched down on the Red Planet on February 18.

On Sunday, Perseverance dropped the debris shield that had protected Ingenuity during landing, and is currently making its way to the “airfield” where Ingenuity will attempt its flights.

Once there, it will have 30 Martian sols — equal to 31 Earth days — to carry out its mission.

“The best guess we have right now is April 8,” for the first flight, said Bob Balaram, Mars Helicopter chief engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, though he added it could be sooner or later by a few days.

Balaram revealed for the first time that Ingenuity is carrying a small piece of cloth that covered one of the wings of the Wright brothers’ first aircraft that achieved the first powered flight on Earth at Kitty Hawk in 1903, to pay tribute to the milestone.

Ingenuity will be attempting to fly in an atmosphere that is one percent the density of Earth’s, which makes achieving lift harder — but will be assisted by a gravity that is one-third our planet’s.

The first flight will involve climbing at a rate of about three feet (one meter) per second to a height of 10 feet (three meters), hovering there for 30 seconds, then descending back to the surface.

Ingenuity will be taking high resolution photography as it flies.

Before any of this happens, however, Ingenuity needs to be placed at its launching site, and set upright, a process that will take a few more days.

Once Perseverance drops off the helicopter, it needs to drive away about five meters within 25 hours so it doesn’t cast a shadow on Ingenuity.

That’s the amount of time Ingenuity’s batteries will be able to run a heater without needing to recharge via its solar panels.

This part is critical to surviving the night time temperatures which can plunge as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius).

If left unheated, the helicopter’s unshielded electrical components will freeze and crack, killing the mission before it even begins.

If things however go to plan, Perseverance will take up a position at a distance to record Ingenuity’s exploits with its own cameras.

Up to five flights of gradual difficulty are planned over the course of the month.

The four-pound (1.8-kilogram) rotorcraft cost NASA around $85 million to develop, and is considered a proof of concept that could revolutionize space exploration.

Future aircraft could cover ground much more quickly than rovers, and explore more rugged terrain.

The next one planned is Dragonfly, a rotorcraft-lander that will launch in 2026 and arrive at Saturn’s icy moon Titan in 2034.

Pakistan lauds reactivation of Afghan peace process, but warns against spoilers’ plots

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UNITED NATIONS, Mar 24 : Pakistan has welcomed the recent efforts to re-energize the process aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan, but warned against spoilers’ attempts to subvert the peace negotiations and prevent a political settlement in the strife-torn country.

In a statement submitted to the UN Security Council, Ambassador Munir Akram called on all sides to work towards reduction of violence leading to a ceasefire, a natural expectation from the peace process.

The Pakistani envoy’s statement followed a briefing, via video-link from Kabul, by Deborah Lyons, the Special Representative for Afghanistan, about the situation in that country during which she sounded alarm about soaring rates of violence that continue to hamper humanitarian efforts and erode public confidence more broadly.

“Continuation of violence will strengthen the hands of ‘spoilers’, both within and outside Afghanistan, to subvert the peace negotiations and prevent a comprehensive political settlement in Afghanistan,” Ambassador Akram said in his remarks.

“We must guard against those who desire to frustrate a peaceful settlement on the pretext of safeguarding democracy and human rights and to continue to use Afghan territory against its neighbours.”

“Terrorism has had a devastating impact on Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries,” the Pakistan envoy said.

Pakistan, he said, shares the international community’s determination not to allow Afghan soil to be used by Al-Qaeda, ISIL/Da’esh or other groups to threaten or attack any country.

“Some who have waxed eloquent about terrorism today are the very ones who wish to continue to foment terrorism from Afghanistan’s ungoverned spaces to conduct their war of terrorism against my country,” Ambassador Akram said with obviously India in mind.

He regretted that the Security Council has been prevented from considering the evidence of their sponsorship of terrorism.

He hoped that despite multiple challenges, and possible periodic setbacks, all Afghan parties will persevere in the pursuit of a political settlement.

Efforts must be made to ensure that such efforts complement, not subvert, the peace process, the Pakistani envoy said,  adding, “Bringing in ‘spoilers’ to the table will retard the prospects of an early settlement.

Pakistan, he said, facilitated the commencement and the conclusion of last year’s  US-Taliban Peace Agreement and the subsequent Intra-Afghan Negotiations.

In this regard, Ambassador Akram said Pakistan will support the consensus between Afghan leaders and the Taliban on any inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan.

“It is the Afghans who must be the masters of their destiny and decide their own future, without outside influence or interference,” he added

RSEZ to change fate and face of the area: Gwadar Pro

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ISLAMABAD, March 24 : As the inauguration of Rashakai Special Economic Zone (RSEZ) is just around the corner, locals are optimistic that this flagship project of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would change the fate and face of the area. 

According to a report published by Gwadar Pro, RSEZ would attract local and foreign investors, generate development, create thousands of jobs and will provide economic and social services.

Farmanullah, 31, is an unemployed young man living in a small town adjacent to RSEZ. “Lots of unemployed youth would get jobs on their doorstep, Our village would also prosper,” he told Gwadar Pro. According to him, many people from the surrounding villages would get jobs in factories at RSEZ.

Spreading over an area of around 1,000 acres of land, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Managing Company (KPEZDMC) and China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) are developing the zone.

Hamid Khan, a resident of Wali Interchange, said even before groundbreaking, the villagers have started receiving benefits. According to him, the access road from Wali Interchange to RSEZ zero point is beneficial for them as the villagers are now connected to the Islamabad Peshawar Motorway (M-1) via it.

RSEZ is connected to all the provinces of Pakistan through airport, dry port, railway station, motorway and highways. The zone is located at the confluence of five major districts of KP including Nowshera, Mardan and Swabi, Charsadda and Peshawar.

The connected districts possess fertile lands, which is suitable for growing different kinds of cash crops and vegetable. “The economic zone has predominant investment feasibility for industries in fruit and food processing and textile,” said Zahid Khan from Turo village in Mardan. He said that besides working in agricultural land, now the local would avail opportunity to work in food processing units in the economic zone.

Engineer Irshad Aslam from Dhobiano village of Swabi told Gwadar Pro that the locals would get skilled and semi-skilled jobs in industries. “Instead of hard physical labour, many of us would find white-collar jobs,” he said.

One can find several fruit vendors and small tea stalls at the Wali Interchange, which is close to zero point of RSEZ. Theirs clients are mainly labourers working on different construction sites in the area. “The ongoing construction activities have created jobs for us, while our children will certainly get sophisticated jobs within the economic zone in the future,” said Zahid, a fruit vendor.

RSEZ would house over 400 industries including garment and textile products, home building materials, general merchandize, electronics and electrical appliances, automobile and mechanical equipment. Several pharmaceutical companies exist in Nowshera, Mardan and Peshawar.

“We would certainly move to the economic zone,” Muhammad Asim, an official from a local pharmaceutical company, told Gwadar Pro, adding, “There is great opportunity for the local pharmaceutical companies to grow; the 10-year tax exemption in RSEZ is a real source of attraction”.

RSEZ is the best option to fit the qualified females of the area into the industries. Every year thousands of females are graduated from universities in KP but they do not find suitable jobs.

“Due to the Pashtun culture, our parents do not allow us to travel to other parts of the country in search of work. We can’t find jobs in our areas to earn a living, so most of us become dependent on others,”said Uzma Khan, who recently completed her master’s degree at Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan.

According to her, the economic zone would accommodate thousands of women who would commute daily between their homes and their workplace. “RSEZ is actually a tool to empower the local women,” she said.

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