ISLAMABAD, Dec 05 (DNA): Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) on Saturday
said that 98 percent targets have been achieved from the five-day
national polio immunization drive.

According to an official of Polio Eradication Initiative, the
immunization drive was started on November 30 to vaccinate over 39
million children under the age of five years across the country.

He added around 285,000 polio frontline workers visited house-to-house,
observing strict SOPs for COVID-19, to ensure protection of children
from the crippling polio virus.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, National Health Services,
Regulations and Coordination, Dr Faisal Sultan said, “The government is
committed to make Pakistan Polio-free. We are determined to close the
immunity gap in children which had unfortunately widened because of
disruption of essential services due to COVID-19 pandemic.”

He said, “Ensuring timely and repeated vaccination of children is
critical for us to reduce the immunity gap and protect them against
polio.”

Dr Faisal said, “I am confident, together we will achieve our target of
making a safer, healthier and polio-free Pakistan for our children.”

During the campaign, the trained polio frontline workers reached every
child with essential polio vaccine while adhering to strict COVID-19
standard operating procedures such as wearing mask, using hand
sanitizer, and maintaining at least minimum distance during vaccination.

“While continuing our efforts to enhance essential immunization coverage
across, the back-to-back planned immunization campaigns are imperative
to give quick immunity boost to children under the age of five,” said Dr
Rana Muhammad Safdar, Coordinator of the National Emergency Operations
Centre, Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI).

“We need to ensure that no child is missed during this critical national
immunization campaign aimed to build on successful immunity building
efforts during last three months.”

Rana Safdar said that all segments of society including communities,
media, religious leaders, social activists, celebrities and doctors
should play active role so that no child remains at risk of contracting
polio disease and getting paralyzed for life.

He said that Pakistan was one of the two polio-endemic countries in the
world along with its neighbour Afghanistan. The country is facing a
challenging situation in polio eradication with the upsurge of the
number of polio cases.

He added so far in current year, a total of 82 polio cases have been
reported including 24 from Balochistan, 22 each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
and Sindh, and 14 from Punjab. He said that Polio was a highly
infectious disease caused by polio-virus mainly affecting children under
the age of five years.

It invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis or even death.
While there is no cure for polio, vaccination is the most effective way
to protect children from this crippling disease.

He said that each time a child under the age of five is vaccinated,
their protection against the virus is increased while repeated
immunizations have protected millions of children from polio, allowing
almost all countries in the world to become polio free. DNA

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 05 (DNA): Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) issued 12,573
fine tickets to road users for using mobile phones during drive and
29,690 other motorists for not fastening seat belts, a police spokesman
said.

Following the directions of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad
Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar, he said that special campaign is underway to
check violations while various squads headed by Senior Superintendent of
Police (Traffic) Farrukh Rasheed are performing duties at main roads of
the city and taking action against the violators.

During the ongoing year, the police spokesman said that action was taken
against 29,690 motorists for not fastening seat belt during drive and
12,573 motorists for using mobile during drive. The SSP (Traffic)
Farrukh Rasheed said that campaign is underway to ensure disciplinary
traffic system in the city and he also appealed the citizens to follow
rules.

He said that ITP personnel have been directed to ensure implementation
on traffic rules and regulation irrespective of status and rank and
demonstrate patience and politeness while issuing traffic violation
tickets to the road users. He said that it has been directed to adopt
decent attitude with road users and ensure implementation on policy of
`Phele Salam-Phir Kalam’.

The SSP (Traffic) said that ITP is also ensuring action against those
violating traffic rules including one-wheelers, wrong parking and those
driving bikes without silencers. The force issues traffic violation
tickets not as a punitive measure but the purpose is to ensure safe road
environment in the Capital and secure the lives of the people, he
maintained. DNA

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 05 (DNA): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on
Saturday lauded Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood and the entire team of
Ministry of Foreign Affairs for effectively addressing the complaints
received at PM’s Citizen Portal.

On completion of two years of the Portal, Qureshi said the ministry
during the coronavirus pandemic, set up a 24/7 Crisis Center to assist
Pakistanis around the world. He mentioned that assistance was provided
in repatriating millions of stranded Pakistanis during the pandemic.

The Foreign Minister said the country’s ambassadors across the world,
despite having limited financial resources, generously helped the
Pakistani community. He said Pakistani community praised the role of
Pakistani missions abroad through video messages on social media.

“The officials of Foreign Ministry have once again proved that with
dedication and service to people, the goals can be achieved
successfully,” he said.

Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan had fulfilled his promise to
provide justice to the people at their doorsteps through the Citizen
Portal. “This is the change that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf promised to the nation,” he said.

The Foreign Minister congratulated the Prime Minister on the completion
of two years of the Citizen Portal, that greatly facilitated the public
in timely resolution of their problems. DNA

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 5 (DNA) – “European Union’s decision to retain its ban on PIA operations in its member countries is another blow to our national airline and is a clear vote of no confidence in two years of gross mismanagement and neglect by the PTI government,” said Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman.

“It is rather shocking that despite the previous suspension, conditions laid down in ART 205(c)(2) of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations were not met by CAA and it appears that now the only way this ban can be lifted is by the Pakistani aviation regulatory body clearing a new safety audit.

What is questionable is the government inaction and flat refusal to take responsibility for landing an already troubled airline in such international disgrace! Nobody takes responsibility for this combination of criminal negligence and indifference to the squandering of our national assets” she questioned.

Rehman said, “It’s not only EASA but the US and UK authorities who have also banned PIA. The national airline is facing a loss of millions along with being disgraced internationally. It has lost its coveted international routes and clearances, while a coterie of cannibalising corporate raiders looks like it’s actively colluding to shut the airline down.

The government should take this EU ban as a reminder that despite being banned internationally, PIA is still flying domestically, and questions will be asked about what it is doing to guarantee the safety of and lives of domestic passengers who have little option but to fly PIA.”

Talking about the fake license issue, the Senator said, “The Aviation Minister had claimed that there were 262 fake licences but recently Secretary Aviation told IHC that only 28 licences were fraudulent. Why then was the airline made to crash by its own minister? Why are Pakistani pilots paying the price all over the world with having their license brought under a cloud of suspicion, while they lose their jobs and credibly in other airlines?

We are still facing the aftermath of such reckless statements, but no one is made answerable in Madina ki Riasat. In any other government many heads would have rolled, but here there is total indifference to public safety, parliamentary caution or moral obligation to be answerable to the people”.

Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by saying, “The entire Licencegate issue tells us that the public is on its own, that questions in Parliament mean nothing, or beget only tirades, and that the revival of PIA is part of the many false promises made to Pakistan by Tabahi Sarkar. In any other country or government, those responsible would have been taken to task and would not be allowed to cover up their egregious misdemeanours.

We still must insist on an investigation as to why EASA conditions were not met. National institutions cannot be stripped of their worth and standing while cronies sit smugly and carry on.

It seems that the PTI thinks politics is only about maintaining a daily narrative of abuse against the opposition, and not to serve even notionally, the people of Pakistan, who have not been allowed to hold anyone accountable for the dismantling of not just their national airline but hundreds and thousands of jobs and reputations”.=DNA

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LONDON, DEC 5 (DNA) – Virgin Atlantic Airways, a British airline, has been granted permission to operate to and from Pakistan.

It will be operating four direct flights a week from London to Lahore and three a week from London to Islamabad.

The CAA has approved the airline’s cargo and passenger flight operations.

Permission for passenger flights has been given from December 13 to March 27. According to Virgin Atlantic’s website, the first flight available to Lahore from London in on December 17.

The airline posted a message on its website announcing the new flights to Pakistan.

“We’re thrilled to let you know that we’re adding two brand new destinations to our flying schedule. From December, we’ll be flying four times a week from London Heathrow to Lahore, three times a week from Heathrow to Islamabad, and four times weekly from Manchester to Islamabad.”

Flight bookings started in September and the news was first reported in August.=DNA

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DNA

Islamabad, DEC 5 – Fawad Chaudhry, the Federal Minister for Science and Technology launched the IdeaHub. The IdeaHub is a revolutionary product by Huawei that is set to change the way projectors are used everywhere around the world.

 Addressing the launching ceremony, the federal minister said 5G would bring a revolution in the world as there was no limit to science, he further said Pakistan was one of the few countries where IdeaHub had been inaugurated. 5G technology will revolutionise the world.

The Idea Hub boasts a sleek, contemporary, user-centric design with a slender, minimalist stand giving it the look of a next-gen product that will fit right into your new office space. It has a 4K screen with H.265 technology and 60fps that delivers a crisp, clear, smooth experience. The device even has a touch feature that lets you make your presentations interactive with your users.

It lets you directly connect your phone or laptop to it with a touch and start projecting your screen in an instant using wireless sharing.

There are three versions of the IdeaHub i.e. the IdeaHub Enterprise and the IdeaHub Pro. Both come in two sizes (65 inches and 86 inches) with the difference of the front camera that it boasts. The Simple version has a 1080p 30 fps front camera whereas the Pro version has a 4k 30 fps camera.

Depending on the price, this may change how projectors are used since this makes the experience much more interactive and easy without needing to set up a big wall where you can display. It is even mobile so you can shift it wherever you want.