ISLAMABAD : President Dr. Arif Alvi has announced that the nation will observe Youm-e-Dua on Friday (tomorrow) to pray to Almighty Allah for protection from the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking after an interaction with Ulema in Islamabad on Thursday, he said a strategy of a combination of prayers, precautionary measures, and taking care of the weak segment of the society will be pursued in the second wave of COVID-19. reported Radio Pakistan.President Arif Alvi said Pakistan remained successful in controlling the pandemic in its first wave.

He appealed to the masses to strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures to check surge of the pandemic. He said Ulema have an important role in spreading awareness about precautionary measures. He said they have also agreed to play their effective role in this regard.

The president said Ulema have reaffirmed the SOPs issued for mosques on April 17. He said the Ulema observed that politicians also need to demonstrate unity against the pandemic and postpone their public gatherings.

He also urged the media to enhance its role in spreading awareness among people about SOPs against the pandemic.

RAWALPINDI : Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar has said that Pakistan has exposed Indian state sponsorship of terrorism in its dossier containing incontrovertible evidence.

In an interview with Global Village Space, DG ISPR Major General Babar Iftikhar said that Pakistan’s dossier containing irrefutable evidence of India’s sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan has exposed New Delhi’s nefarious designs at the international level.

Responding to a question about how the world reacted after his [DG ISPR] joint presser along with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi about Indian involvement in terrorism in Pakistan, the military’s spokesperson replied, “After Pakistan’s dossier, the world now is openly talking about India’s sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan.”

The dossier also contains details of rights violations by the Indian government in the occupied Kashmir., the DG ISPR said and added that New Delhi is on the back foot after August 5, 2019.

He said that a copy of the dossier was also submitted to the office of the United Nations Secretary General’s office.

CPEC

Responding to a query related to the security threats for China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) from India, he said that Indians have openly said that they won’t let CPEC projects to be completed on the time.

Major General Iftikhar said that CPEC is the target of the enemies of Pakistan as it is a game-changer project for Islamabad and the entire region.

India formed an anti-CPEC cell which is directly reporting to Indian PM Narendra Modi, to destabilized the mega projects, DG ISPR maintained.

Afghan issue

Replying to another question about Afghan soil being used in terrorism in Pakistan and targeting CPEC, Major General Babar Iftikhar said that, Islamabad has been talking with the Afghan leadership about the issue.

Due to the capacity issues of the Afghan government, Pakistan does not blames Kabul much for use of its soil in terror activities in Pakistan.

“India using Afghan soil to target CPEC, New Delhi patronizing terrorists.” The DG ISPR said that Pakistan is fully capable and prepared to defend CPEC and national security.

Our Chinese partners are also happy with the security steps placed by Pakistan for the labour and companies working on the CPEC projects.

DG ISPR said that a special division has been raised for the protection of CPEC projects and eight to nine regular regiments are also deployed to protect the economic corridor.

Occupied Kashmir plight

On occupied Kashmir’s plight, Major General Babar Iftikhar said that India linking Kashmiris fight for freedom with Pakistan to distract the world’s attention from the IoK.

The recent declaration of the Organisation of the Islamic Organisation (OIC) has supported Pakistan’s stance over occupied Kashmir that India is carrying out worst right violations in the valley.

DG ISPR said Pakistan always tried to settle its dispute with India through dialogue, but India always walked away.

He underlined the need to normalize the situation in the region.

ISLAMABAD – (DNA) : Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman on Thursday condemned the terrorist attack in response to last Friday’s terrorist attack in Iran and the cowardly assassination of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist.

At his weekly news conference in Islamabad, in response to an IRNA reporter’s question, Zahid Hafiz Chaudhry announced the official position of the Pakistani government on the assassination of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist.

The spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan expressed his condolences on the martyrdom of Dr. Mohsen Fakhri Zadeh to the honorable family of this great martyr and also to the people of Iran. Zahid Chaudhry stressed what he called Pakistan’s firm call on all sides to exercise maximum restraint and prevent escalating tensions in the region.

Earlier, Pakistani political and religious parties in Karachi, including politicians and heads of prominent think tanks, condemned the assassination of a prominent Iranian scientist as a result of the terrorist act of the Zionist regime and its allies in the region and condemned this cowardly act.

Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Deputy Minister of Defense and Head of the Research and Innovation Organization of the Ministry of Defense, who was described by the Supreme Leader as a distinguished nuclear and defense scientist of Iran, on Friday evening, November 27, in Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Boulevard in Absard, Damavand, east Tehran was martyred during a terrorist operation by the criminal elements of the Zionist regime.

Islamabad, Dec. 03 (DNA). Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a Canadian organization, NextGen-U, and a Pakistan-based non-governmental organization Network for Human and Social Development (NHSD) for offering jointly certificate courses focused on public health in Pakistan.

The MoU signing ceremony was held here at the main campus of the university the other day. Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, Vice Chancellor, AIOU presided over the session. On this occasion Prof. Dr. Zafar Ilyas, Dean Faculty of Sciences, AIOU welcomed the participants while Dr. Hajra Ahmad, Chairperson Department of Environmental Design, Health and Nutrition Sciences highlighted the aims and objectives of collaboration between the three organizations. Sohail Nazir Rana, Registrar AIOU, Dr. Fozia Moghees Executive Director, NHSD, and Prof. Dr. Erica Frank founder and Executive Director of NextGen-U signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations. Senior faculty members and administrative officers of AIOU were present of this occasion. Prof. Dr. Erica Frank and Miriam Chickering joined the ceremony online. The function was arranged by Department of Environmental Design, Health and Nutrition Sciences AIOU.

Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum while speaking on this occasion said that AIOU has been mandated with the responsibility of mass education in Pakistan. He said that his university is joining hands with national and international organizations for promotion of education and changing lifestyle of poor strata of the country by educating them. Prof Zia further said that promotion of Public health education is the dire need of the day. He hoped that the joint venture of the three collaborating organizations would play a key role in this regard. He urged upon the partner organizations to work for converting these certificate level courses into degree programs in the domain of Public Health. Prof. Zia Ul-Qayyum viewed that this collaboration would help Pakistani students to get international standard education without visiting aboard. He further informed that AIOU is working on collaborations with various international organizations based in America, United Kingdom, Gulf countries, etc.

The Vice Chancellor briefed the partners organization about the services of AIOU which the university provides across the country. He said that AIOU has a rich and extensive network of regional services in the areas of Pakistan where there are no educational facilities or there are very few educational facilities.

Dr. Hajra informed the participants that six certificate level courses on Community Oriented Primary Care, Epidemiology in Health, Ethics in Public Health and Nutrition, Lifestyle and Health, Environmental Health, and Climate Change and Health have been produced and approved by the statutory bodies of the AIOU and admissions in these courses would be offered in the upcoming semester i.e., Spring 2021.