DNA

ISLAMABAD, December 4: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan along with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood met OIC envoys based in Islamabad to thank them, on behalf of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, for OIC’s strong and unambiguous support to Kashmir cause during the OIC- CFM Session in Niamey.

Briefing the diplomats at Foreign Office, the President appreciated all the 57 OIC states for firmly standing with the people of Jammu and Kashmir and unanimously rejecting the unilateral and unlawful actions of India in occupied Kashmir, condemning attempts to change the demography of occupied territory by settling non-Kashmiri Hindus in the disputed territory, and demanding withdrawal of all unilateral illegal actions.

“The reiteration of the OIC’s principled position on Kashmir was also reflected in the declaration and people of the Jammu and Kashmir are thankful to all OIC’s countries for their steadfast support to their cause,”

Khan also expressed his deep appreciation to Pakistan and member-states to help the representatives of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to address the OIC foreign ministers at Niamey and listen to them. “The adoption of an effective, strong and comprehensive resolution by OIC Foreign Ministers is the victory of Pakistan’s principled stand on the Kashmir issue, and at the same time, it is an important development for the struggle of the Kashmiri people.

President Masood said that Pakistan Foreign Office headed by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had played a key role in this achievement. The foreign ministry under the leadership of FM Shah Mehmood Quarashi, he added, worked day and night, and turned the tide at the Niamey moot, getting the resolution approved and ensuring meaningful participation and address of the Kashmir delegation in the conference.

The State President said that the OIC had steadfastly stood by the people of Jammu and Kashmir since the approval of its first resolution on Kashmir in 1990. He asserted that nine million Muslims of occupied Kashmir, who are part of the Muslim world, were looking towards the Muslim community around the world for the help and rescue from Indian tyranny.

He told the ambassadors that the Indian regime, under a well-planned strategy was settling non-Kashmiri Hindus transferred from different parts of India in order to change the majority of Muslims into a minority in IOJK, and to grab the land and resources of Muslim majority state.

While describing Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir as the biggest hotspot of Islamophobia and anti-Islam activities, the AJK president said that the Muslims in IOJK were being systematically massacred, displaced, dispossessed and disenfranchised within their own homeland. He said 13,000 youth have been arrested and detained in prisons and detention centres for the purpose of indoctrination.

The President also interacted with the ambassadors of various Muslim countries before and after the briefing, and apprised them of the latest situation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier the Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi thanked the OIC ambassador for their arrival in the Foreign Office, and said that Pakistan being a founding member of the organization, considers it the highly important and effective forum for the resolution of Muslim issues.

While expressing thanks for supporting Pakistan’s stand on the Kashmir issue, Islamophobia and other issues of the Muslim world, he said that we welcome the condemnation expressed by the OIC member states for the flagrant human rights violations at the hands of Indian occupation troops in Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to the OIC resolution adopted at the Niamey Conference and the reiteration of the principled stand of OIC on the Kashmir issue, the foreign minister said that the whole Muslim world is equally concerned over the serious situation prevailing in occupied Kashmir.

OSLO – In a new report, PST states that Russia and China are spying on the Norwegian oil sector. At the same time, Russia believes PST is engaged in “primitive propaganda.”

“Russian, Chinese, and other countries’ intelligence services gather information about the Norwegian petroleum sector,” the Police Security Service (PST) stated in a report dated November 5, which was published on the agency’s website on Thursday.

Newspaper Dagens Næringsliv was the first to report on the information.

“NTNU and Sintef could be targets”

PST believes that, in addition to the Norwegian authorities, targets include public and private companies, technology environments at universities, and research institutes.

Sintef and NTNU are mentioned as examples of research environments that could be intelligence targets.

PST also points out that parts of petroleum technology “have a multi-use potential in military purposes, and part of the petroleum technology can also be used in the development of renewable energy.”

The security agency also believes that people who work or have a connection to the petroleum sector, and people who work with oil and gas policy, are exposed to potential recruitment from foreign countries’ intelligence sources.

In August, a Norwegian citizen employed by DNV GL was arrested for revealing state secrets to Russia.

“Primitive propaganda”

“There is nothing new in PST statements about “Russian threats” to the petroleum sector. It is only general speculation.

“The special service has been engaged in primitive propaganda for several years, intimidating Norway’s population, looking for enemies where they do not exist,” the Russian embassy wrote in a statement to Dagens Næringsliv (DN).

They believe that Norway should think about facilitating more cooperation “instead of demonizing Russia.”

The Chinese embassy has not responded to the newspaper’s inquiry.

BEIJING, Dec. 4 /DNA/ – China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as one of its most prominent and successful flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, had laid a sound foundation for modernization of Pakistan’s economy.

This was stated by Pakistan’s ambassador Moin ul Haque while addressing opening ceremony of the 11th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) in Macao, says a report published by China Economic Net (CEN) on Friday.

“In the next phase, the convergence of traditional and digital infrastructure would be essential for unleashing the potential for growth in diverse areas such as agriculture, science and technology, industrial relocation and vocational training”, the Ambassador said.

CPEC’s growth and success had highlighted the centrality of modernizing infrastructure to achieve the sustainable development goals. 

The Ambassador called on enterprises and private capital to play a greater role in enhancing international connectivity alongside governments, financial institutions and MDBs.

At the invitation of the China International Contractors Association (CHINCA), Ambassador Moin ul Haque participated in the opening ceremony and spoke on the theme of “Challenges and Opportunities: Outlook on International Infrastructure Development in post-COVID-19 era”.

Ambassador Moin praised China’s positive economic growth, which he said was reflective of its effective pandemic control and prudent economic policies.

He expressed confidence that China would continue to drive global economic growth and recovery after the pandemic.

The Ambassador noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had changed the modes of life and work, and new modes of infrastructure investment would play a key role in post-pandemic recovery.

The opening ceremony and theme forum were addressed by the Chief Executive of the Macao SAR, Vice Minister for Commerce, as well as senior executives from MDBs and enterprises. 

A video message from Chairman CPEC Authority, Asim S. Bajwa, was also played at the event. 

New plan aims for at least 68% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, compared to 1990 levels

DNA/Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new ambitious target to reduce the UK’s emissions by at least 68% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.

Recognising the urgency to go further to tackle climate change, the UK’s new target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – our Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Climate Agreement – is among the highest in the world and commits the UK to cutting emissions at the fastest rate of any major economy so far.

Today’s target is the first set by the UK following its departure from the EU, demonstrating the UK’s leadership in tackling climate change. Over the past decade, the UK has cut carbon emissions by more than any similar developed country and was the first major economy to legislate for net zero emissions by 2050.

The announcement comes ahead of the UK co-hosting the Climate Ambition Summit on Saturday 12 December, which will coincide with the fifth anniversary of the historic Paris Agreement. The summit calls on countries around the world to submit ambitious NDCs or other climate plans as we head towards the UN COP26 climate talks, which the UK Government is hosting in Glasgow next year.

This new target meets the recommendation of experts at the independent Climate Change Committee who advise the government on emissions targets.

The UK’s path to meeting this target is backed by the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, which will create and support up to 250,000 British jobs by 2030. The plan sets out ambitious policies and investment, with the potential to deliver over £40 billion of private investment by 2030, so that we can develop innovative technologies and make significant strides in cutting emissions across energy, transport and buildings. It also provides a roadmap of further action the UK will be taking to reduce emissions in the coming decades, encouraging similar levels of ambition from businesses, organisations and nations around the world.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

“We have proven we can reduce our emissions and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process – uniting businesses, academics, NGOs and local communities in a common goal to go further and faster to tackle climate change.

“Today, we are taking the lead with an ambitious new target to reduce our emissions by 2030, faster than any major economy, with our Ten Point Plan helping us on our path to reach it.

“But this is a global effort, which is why the UK is urging world leaders as part of next week’s Climate Ambition Summit to bring forward their own ambitious plans to cut emissions and set net zero targets.”

Business and Energy Secretary and COP26 President Alok Sharma said:

“Tackling climate change is the one of the most urgent shared endeavours of our lifetimes, demanding bold action from every nation to prevent catastrophic global warming.

“As a country, we have demonstrated we can both rapidly cut carbon emissions, while creating new jobs, new technologies and future-proof industries that will generate economic growth for decades to come.

“The UK’s new emissions target is among the highest in the world and reflects the urgency and scale of the challenge our planet faces. I hope other countries join us and raise the bar at next week’s UN Climate Ambition Summit, and ahead of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow next year.”

Each party to the Paris Agreement – including countries and international blocs such as the European Union – determines what domestic action it will take and communicates it in a Nationally Determined Contribution.

NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Agreement goal, set at COP21 in 2015, to hold the global temperature rise to well below two degrees and pursue best efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C.

Together, these plans will determine whether the world will achieve the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement, including global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.

Many countries have now made net zero commitments and this round of NDCs, which set a 2030 emission reduction target, will need to be consistent with those longer term commitments. The UK’s announcement, which reflects the independent Climate Change Committee’s advice on net zero, does just this.

Today’s announcement comes ahead of the UK co-hosting a virtual Climate Ambition Summit on 12 December, which will coincide with the fifth anniversary of the historic Paris Agreement.

The Climate Ambition Summit provides a platform for leaders who are ready to come forward with announcements of new, more ambitious nationally determined contributions and long-term strategies to net zero, as well as new climate finance pledges and ambitious adaptation plans.