ISLAMABAD, Mar 24 : Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhary Wednesday urged the international community to take steps to help address the grave human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

India should respect the UN resolutions and must conduct the plebiscite in IIOJK to end the sufferings of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and let them decide their future, minister said this while speaking in a Radio Pakistan’s current affair programme.

He said the key to durable peace in South Asia was peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue in accordance with the United Nations Security Council’s resolutions.

He said that Kashmir was an unfinished agenda of the partition of the Sub-continent and without resolving it, peace could not be established in the region.

Replying to a question, he said Pakistan was heading in right direction in terms of economic stability and prosperity.

Every Pakistani is committed to continue his or her efforts for the peace and stability in the motherland, he said.

ISLAMABAD, Mar 23 – President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday conferred Pakistan civil awards on prominent personalities including foreign nationals in recognition of their services in different fields of life including medicines, education, social services, fine arts and for showing gallantry in the war against terrorism and during the coronavirus pandemic.During the investiture ceremony held here at the President House in connection with Pakistan Day, the President bestowed Nishan-i-Imtiaz on Sadeqain Naqvi (Arts, Painting, Sculpture), Prof. Shakir Ali (Arts, Painting), Zahoor ul Haq (Arts, Painting/Sculpture), Abida Parveen Arts (Singing), Dr. Jameel Jalibi (Literature) and Ahmad Faraz (Literature).

He also conferred awards on following personalities:Hilal-i-Imtiaz was given to Prof. Dr. Anwar ul Hassan Gillani (Science Pharmaceutical) while Dr  Asif Mahmood Jah and Syed Javed Anwar received the same award for  their services to Pakistan. Sitara-i-Shujaat was given to the following citizens for their gallantry:Jawad Qamar, Safia Shaheed, Malik Hayatullah, Malik Sardar Khan Shaheed, Mumtaz Khan Shaheed, Hayatullah Khan Dawar Shaheed, Malik Muhammad Niaz Khan Shaheed, Sepoy Akhtar Khan Shaheed, Muhammad Naveed Sadiq, Mahar Muhammad Yasir Manzoor Shaheed, Shafqat Ullah Malik, Dr. Mustafa Kamal Pasha Shaheed, Prof. Hafiz Maqsood Ahmad Shaheed, Dr. Bashir Ahmed Shaheed, Dr. Khalid Masood Qaisrani Shaheed, Dr. Muhammad Asif Shaheed, Dr. Shafqatullah Shaheed, Dr. Younas Channa Shaheed, Dr. Wilayat Ali Gopang Shaheed, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Javed Shaheed,  Munir Khan Shaheed, Dr. Usama Riaz, Malik Ashdar  Shaheed and Dr. Muhammad Akhlaq Shaheed.The President conferred Sitara-i-Imtiaz on Prof. Dr. Farhan Saif (Education), Bushra Ansari (Arts), Muhammad Imran Qureshi (Arts), Sultana Siddiqui (Television Production), Syed Farooq Qaiser (Arts, Puppeteer/Writer, Rana Irfan Shakeel Ramay, Col. Farooq Shahbaz (Public Service), and Pir Syed Lakht-e- Hasnain (Philanthropy).The President also conferred President’s Pride of Performance Award on Ruth Wenny Lekardal (Services), Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal (Education), Naimat Sarhadi (Film), Muhammad Ali Shyhaki (Music), Saima Shah (Resham) (Film), Humayun Saeed (Film), Ali Zafar (Singing), Hina Nasrullah (Sufi Singing), Sarmad Sehbai (Literature), Indu Mariam Mitha (Dancing), Farhan Mehboob (Sports squash), Moulana Tariq Jameel (Religious Scholar), Abdul Majeed Qureshi (Philanthropy) and Muhammad Faheem (Arts, Wood Lacquer). Sitara-i-Quaid-e-Azam was given to Prof. Dr Tariq Shafi for services to Pakistan while Sitara-i-Khidmat was awarded to Richard Geary Horwitz (USA) and Tamgha-i-Pakistan to Jane Teller (Denmark) for services to Pakistan.The President awarded Tamgha-i-Shujaat to Fida Hussain (Gilgit-Baltistan), Ali Aftab Tarar (Punjab), Shahzad Hassan (Punjab), Haroon Rashid Khan Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Fakhar ud Din (Punjab), Mian Khan (Punjab), Muhammad Faheem Raza Khan (Sindh), Malik Wasid Khan (KPK), Molvi Gul Dad Khan (KPK), Malik Aslam Noor Khan (KPK), Muhammad Rafi Shaheed (KPK),Daud Khan (Shaheed) (KPK), Alam Zeb Shaheed (KPK),Allah Rakha (Azad Jammu & Kashmir), Shakeela Naz Shaheed (KPK), Ghuncha Sartaj Shaheed (KPK), Aetzaz Ahmed Goraya (Balochistan), Sajid Khan Mohmand (KPK), Shahid Ali Shaheed, Muhammad Iftikhar Shaheed, Khuda Yar Shaheed and Hassan Ali Shaheed for showing gallantry.Tamgha-i-Imtiaz was awarded to Muhammad Tahir Javed, Zeba Shehnaz, Hameedullah Shah Hashmi, Faisal Edhi, Syed Aamir Mehmood, Capt (R) Muhammad Ilyas,Farid Ahmed Khan and Omar Saeed.Begum Samina Arif Alvi, federal ministers and people from all walks of life attended the ceremony.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 23 (DNA) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that Pakistan was unable to achieve its great potential owing to losing sight of Quaid-e-Azam’s vision, however, it has now been brought on track.

Taking to Twitter, the prime minister said that 15 centuries ago the Holy Prophet PBUH set up the first welfare state in Madina based on rule of law, meritocracy, compassion and tolerance; and where the quest for knowledge was made a sacred duty.

“In a couple of decades Muslims became the greatest civilization for the next few centuries,” he said while recalling Muslim history. He said that as soon as the Muslims moved away from these guiding principles, their civilization decayed and declined.

“81 years ago today our Quaid gave us the dream for Pakistan as envisioned by the great philosopher and poet Iqbal and based on these Riyasat-i-Madina principles,” he said. The prime minister said that so far they have been unable to achieve their great potential because of losing sight of Quaid’s vision.

“Today Pakistan is back on track to realise that ideal by bringing the powerful under rule of law [and] setting up a welfare state with our [programs] of Ehsaas, Panagahs and health cards,” he said while sharing the government initiatives to alleviate poverty in the country. = DNA

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COLOMBO, MAR 23 (DNA) – The High Commission of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Pakistani community based in Sri Lanka celebrated the 81st National Day of Pakistan with traditional fervor and resolve to make Pakistan a strong, vibrant, progressive, democratic and welfare state.

The National Day of Pakistan is celebrated on 23rd March every year in remembrance of the historic 1940 resolution passed in Lahore, calling for a separate homeland for Muslims of the subcontinent that ultimately led to the creation of Pakistan on August 14, 1947.

High Commissioner of Pakistan, Maj. Gen. (R) Mr. Muhammad Saad Khattak unfurled the Pakistani flag to the tune of Pakistan’s national anthem in a ceremony held at the Pakistan High Commission this morning.

Special messages by the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan were readout, in which both the leaders highlighted the importance of the day and paid tributes to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal and other leaders of the Pakistan Movement.

At the end of ceremony, a cake commemorating the Pakistan’s National Day was cut by the High Commissioner, the ceremony was attended by the members of Pakistani community based in Sri Lanka, participants from various walks of life and media representatives. = DNA

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