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Govt taking steps to introduce technology, innovation in various sectors: Minister

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ISLAMABAD, FEB 22 (DNA) – Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) and the Hans Seidel Foundation (HSF) Pakistan jointly organized a Conference on the topic of “Technological Transformation in Pakistan: An Asset or Liability?” at Margala Hotel in Islamabad on Monday.

The discussion commenced with the opening remarks by Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed Gondal, Former Federal Secretary Information and Broadcasting and Senior Member Board of Advisors, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

He stated that technological transformation is a very significant topic because things are changing very rapidly vis-à-vis technological development. Technology is an asset as it opens new avenues of development and prosperity on a broad level. It is a powerful tool for business growth if used prudently. If we fail to use it init’s true essence, it can become a liability.

Dr. Steffen Kudella, Resident Representative, HSF Pakistan in his welcome remarks discussed significant aspects of the topic at this conference. He stated that an algorithm is a mechanistic formula that automaticallyproduces an answer for each new case that appears. This happens with no orwith very minimal human intervention. Algorithms are marking the current ageof technology.However, algorithms face serious limitations.

Dr. Steffen stated that Artificial Intelligence is still far awayfrom having real super-human abilities.It is important for us to see not only the potential, but also the limitations ofArtificial Intelligence. However, it isunlikely that they will be able to replace human beings completely inthe future. Knowing this, human beings can and should adjust theirskills througheducation and training as per the needs of the future society.

Ali Muhammad Khan, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Pakistan was the Chief Guest at this conference. He stated that Germany, China and Japan have re-emerged because of their focused economic development through technology which has resulted in rapid economic growth within their societies.

He stated that the Government of Pakistan is taking efficient steps to introduce technology and innovation in various sectors within the country.

“We have aptly invested in health and education during the past years. Our youth is doing great and if we have not performed in the last seventy decades, we surely have the vigor and energy to do it now. We have great potential to deliver to the world and we should not be overwhelmed by any challenges.

Barrister Waqas Aziz Qureshi – Senior Law Expert and Managing Partner, Transact Advisorypresented speech on the topic “Legal and Legislative Perspective on the Technological Transformation in Pakistan.” He stated his concern regarding what is required in terms of legal framewok to enhance better technological development. Pakistan is inclined towards traditional investment patterns. Technology has not transformed our economy because of our lack of interest in its development. The Government of Pakistan has taken vigilant steps to match pace with the world in this regard. He recommended that special economic zones for technological development can be setup for economic boost in this field. There should be technology-based companies which should benefit from Government’s incentives and initiatives.

Mr. Amir Zafar Durrani, President, Reenergia(Expert of renewable energy, development, trade and connectivity) presented speech on“Adapting Pakistan to Post COVID-19 Technology Gains: Some Thought Pathways.”He stated that the biggest compression of technology is happening in our region. Life patterns are changing, with some job opportunitiesat lower vocational drying up.  During such perilous times, resilient businesses have benefitted by adopting and embracing digital methods, showing new pathwaysabout how best to adopt technological development. “Unfortunately, we are teaching our kids everything but cognitive thinking which, in the long run, can be extremely dangerous and counterproductive for us. He stated that this is the era of fast emerging East because of the Chinese widespread investment in its immediategeographical vicinity and beyond. “We need to train our people and must stand as a nation to protect CPEC which is virtually the economic lifeline of our country in times to come. If technology is not used efficiently and prudently, it can become a lability. If we handle our resources and youth smartly, technological transformation has all the elements in it to become an asset”.

Mr. Ammar Jaffri, Director General, Center of Information Technology (CIT) presented speech on the topic “Technological Transformation in Pakistan through BRI & CPEC.” He stated, “challenges are present and we need to have joint platforms for facilitating and bringing technology in Pakistan. As for the government, it must regulate andintroduce suitable environment and should keep a strict check”. He stated that our biggest opportunity and trump card is our youth. “They have passion and I have faith in them if are guided well. Our universities must deliver the right manpower”.

Mr. Jawad Majid, Director, Silk Bank highlighted the “Impacts of Technological Transformation on Pakistan’s Financial Sector.” He stated that there are several opportunities that are present for the youth nowadays vis-à-vis this topic. “We can include youth by giving them initial capital to induce them towards financial betterment via technical development in monetary and banking sectors. Private banks can collaborate and work together cohesively with the government institutions and other stakeholders related to technological sector for exponentially boosting prospects of better technological development of Pakistan in due course of time”.

Mr. Tariq Malik – Former Chief Technology Officer, GHQpresented speech on the topic “Challenges to Social Security under the Technological Transformation in Pakistan.” He stated that millions of jobs are expected to be lost or displaced during the coming decades because of the technological development happening today and fear of losing job is rampant. He stated that “Artificial Intelligence can revolutionize segments of life and can bring new opportunities. If technology is not understood and adopted, unemployment is not far away. When we are part of the global economy, we ought to change ourselves. We need to understand destination jobs for tomorrow. On the other hand, if technological development is embraced with open arms and is allowed to sensibly grow in our country, many job opportunities can emerge”.

Dr. Minhas Majeed Marwat, Department of International Relations, University of Peshawarpresented speech on “Evolving Education Sector in the Prism of Technological Transformation: Challenges and Solutions.” She stated that technology has affected all aspects of life. Technology and learning process has become more effective due to technological development. Technology has changed the traditional role of teachers now. Presently, massive information is present on the internet and formal learning has consequently become much easier. Due to technological development, feedback between students and teachers has also become better because of this technological development. She concluded by stating that such development might be widening social gap within Pakistan but on the other hand, it can be a blessing as well.

Mr. Aamir Ghauri, Editor, The News presented speech on the topic “Technological Transformation Impacting Media: Increasing Challenges and the Way Forward”. He stated that the mushroom growth of media in Pakistan has created bigger challenges. He stated that the journalists work as the watchdog in public interest. Mr. Aamir stated that the biggest challenge that we are facing today is fake news. Mainstream media has to work under certain policy framework regulation. Having said that, lawmakers and legislative bodies must also catchup with the evolving technology. We also need to research sources to fact check the information. He also comprehensively elaborated the responsibilities of the media and reporters.

Ms. Bareerah Fatima,Program Liaison Officer Associate, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR)gave a glimpse of usage of digital technology for various multifaceted purposes vis-à-vis water conservation and management. She stated that at the moment, water conservation in agriculture sector requires quick improvement through technological development.

The esteemed speakers gave presentation on various aspects related to water conservation and management. Indus telemetry initiative is significantly helping in water management and conservation through its data gathering through its advanced technological mechanism and techniques. She also stated facts vis-a-vis aspects related to groundwater management and monitoring present in Pakistan at the moment. Real time canal monitoring was also discussed in considerable length. Satellite based water resource management has also significantly helped in this regard.

The event was attended by approximately130participants, and was moderated by Ms. Palwasha Nawaz, Project Executive, CGSS.

All Sops were followed diligently…

Chinese New Year – A memorable event held at China window

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By : Naz Parveen

Till the recent past, very few Pakistanis were having the knowledge of the fact  that their Chinese friends strictly follow the times old practice of observing the First day of their new year with great pump and show.   It brings festivities for them.  With the beginning of February every year, the Chinese start preparations for observing their new year which occurs as per Lunisolar Calendar.

Illumination of houses and buildings; lightening of a red Lantern here and there; fireworks; having families get to gathers; parades; traditional dances and visiting each other’s families to exchange festivities of the day are the most common customs and traditions of the Chinese society as part of the festivities.

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With the successful progress on implementing plans like BRI Project and continuing with worldwide trade and business activities, the Peoples Republic of China has virtually accessed the nations across the globe.   One can witness Chinese people doing businesses and availing employment opportunities not only all over the Asia continent but Europe, Africa, America and Australia as well.   It is because of this very fact that like Christmas, the Chinese Spring Festival is also observed all over the world.

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The Chinese New Year is attributed to bull.  Extremely doing hard work, positive thinking, sincerity and honesty are judged the core qualities of an ox.   The Chinese initiate preparations of observing the festivities of the year by cleansing and white washing of their houses in a colourful manner.    The entire family joins hands with the elderly lady of it in doing all this.  Whether it is a small flat of an urban locality or a sprawling house in the countryside, cleansing is a common practice with the beginning of the Chinese New Year.  All the households and utensils as well as each and every nook and corner of each home are cleansed by the respective families and occupants.    In fact a loud message is conveyed that all the backlogs are cleared.

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After proper cleansing of homes, each and every thing is properly decorated and ornamented therein.   The color:  Red, gets prominence in all respects.    The traditional red lanterns, red paper cuttings, Chinese knots would be seen everywhere and anywhere on the sagacious occasion.   Home and family are the core points of observing the Spring Festival.   It always is an earnest desire of each and every Chinese citizen to be with family members at the beginning of the Chinese New Year.   Backing Chinese traditional “Pakwan” is another common practice on the occasion across the Chinese society.

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Making complete roasted fish, noodles, van tan, rice cakes, dumplings and roasted ducks as part of festive menu is another common requirement of the festival.  Some people also present dances of dragons and lions.  The Chinese are in fact very fond of eating.   There is an old Chinese saying: “eatables are the most important necessity of human beings”.    Having got added the body weight to at least three pounds at the end of each festival, is a compulsory part of life, concludes a modern Chinese saying.    The observance of Chinese New Year is a times old practice which dates back to 0011 to 0017 B.C.

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Now let me come to the Pak China Friendship.  Both Peoples Republic of China and Pakistan are staunchly bound in this historic relationship.   Pakistanis also fully share the festivities of their Chinese friends.    Here in Pakistan, special events were arranged to celebrating the Spring Festival.  The Peshawar based China Window is emerging as an illuminating sign of Pak China Friendship.    To share the festivities of the Spring Festival, a special program was arranged at the premises of the institution.

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Mr. Abid Majeed, Secretary for Sports, Culture, Tourism and Youth Affairs – a dynamic personality – has been proved the moving force in doing all this possible at the China Window.  Mr. Tashfeen Haider, Additional Secretary of the Department accompanied by his office colleagues, Mr. Saleem Jan Marwat,  Director, Youth Affairs and Mr. Ajmal Khan, Director Culture have indeed spared no effort in translating the event into truly a success story.  Mr. Abid Majeed himself formally inaugurated the event on the occasion.  Talking to the media persons on the occasion, he said, “The Pak China Friendship is a living reality which also is an admitted fact world over”.  The Peoples Republic of China, he added, bears an important role in our national history as well.    Both the friends, he remarked, enjoy the exemplary brotherhood.

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It is because of this vary fact that we, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have chosen the China Window to observing the Chinese New Year festivities in a colorful way.  What I conclude from the event, Mr. Abid Majeed said, a message of love and affection has gone to every Chinese world over from here today.  While mentioning the relay of a video highlighting various aspects of the spring festival as part of the colorful event, he said, it is a very objective and meaningful attempt to developing better understandings about the festival.  Hundreds of people, attending the various Spring Festival oriented activities will watch the video which contains traditional musical displays, Chinese and local foods.  Children adorned with special clothes along with their families were enjoying all such festivities.   

Amongst the participants of the festivities also included the students of Hayatabad Model School who had reached China Window early in the morning.    To express their feelings, the students cut a cake at the China Window as part of the festivities.  All the participants have been enjoying the event.   

To the utter astonishment of the participants, the Chief Secretary of the province, Dr. Kazim  Niaz had made his presence at the ceremony all of a sudden where he also cut a cake and shared his views with the participants befitting to the occasion.

A member of the provincial assembly, Mr. Wilson Wazir, Honorary Consul General of Tajikistan, Eng. Said Mahmood, provincial Secretary Sports, Culture, Tourism, Mr. Abid Majeed; Director Youth Affairs of the provincial government, Mr. Saleem Jan Marwat were also present on the occasion.   The Chief Secretary was of the view that the Pak China Friendship is a time tested reality and it is being strengthened with the every passing day.

The Peoples Republic of China has always been found rushing towards Pakistan in every hour of its need.  The exemplary state of support extended to Pakistan by Chinese friends, is one such example.   The successful implementation of China Pakistan Economic Corridor, he said, is another example of the deep rooted friendly relationships between both the countries.   All such factors, the Chief Secretary said, encourage the Pakistani people to whole heartedly share the festivities of the Spring Festival.   

He also expressed pleasures over the arrangements which were made by the China Window to observing the Chinese New Year.   The role of China Window, he said, in holding such a colorful event to mark the auspicious occasion, is indeed impressive.  He expressed the hope that China Window would continue to hosting such events in future as well.  Meanwhile, the guests continue to joining the festivities at the institution amongst them were also the representative figures from cross sections of the society.    

The presence of the Inspector General of Police of the province, Mr. Sanaullah Abbasi at the China Window on the eve of Chinese New Year celebrations was another encouraging development which was highly welcomed.    While talking on the occasion, the IGP said, the police force of the province has formally launched the security plan meant for CPEC and almost 10,500 new recruitments have been effected for the purpose.    

Further, he said, 1200 newly recruited cops are going through hectic training and the first lot of security vehicles meant for the purpose has already received.    The projects completed under CPEC, he said, are indeed tremendously contributing in ensuring accelerated development of the country.    “We consider all the projects being implemented as off shoots of CPEC, extremely important and doing our best to ensuring their proper security”, he remarked.    

He also congratulated the administration of the China Window for holding colorful ceremony and appreciated its efforts which are underway towards promotion of Chinese language.   Meanwhile, the participants enjoyed the festivities; had tasty foods and danced in tune with the music tunes.  A group of children adorned with Pakhtun kulah and lungi as well as traditional clothes of Kalash tribe attracted the audience to the utmost.   All such activities continued till late night.

Naz Parveen

Author is Columnist of Daily Kasoti Peshawar and also Director of state of the art Chinese Cultural and Information Center China Window Peshawar

WhatsApp explains what will happen if users don’t accept its terms of service

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ISLAMABAD – WhatsApp’s new Terms of Service and privacy policy changes will come into effect on May 15, 2021. As per reports, the company has started sending in-app alerts to its users in order to prompt them into accepting the change.

The in-app alert that the company is sending to its users indicates that users will not be able to use the service if they don’t accept the company’s ToS by May 15.

But it remains uncertain as to what exactly will happen if WhatsApp users fail to hit the Accept button when the prompt shows up in the app. Now, the company has issued some clarification in this regard.

TechCrunch reviewed an email sent by the company to one of its merchant partners. In the email, the company said that it would ‘slowly ask’ the users who don’t accept its new ToS by May 15 to comply with the new terms.

If these users still don’t accept the new terms, “for a short time, these users will be able to receive calls and notifications, but won’t be able to read or send messages from the app.” WhatsApp has also updated its FAQ pages to reflect these changes.

The Facebook-owned messaging app on its FAQ page wrote that its policy related to inactive users will apply to users who don’t accept its new Terms of Service by May 15.

Notably, the company didn’t exactly define how long they will be able to use some of the app’s features if they fail to accept the new terms. But the company’s policy for inactive account states that “WhatsApp accounts are generally deleted after 120 days of inactivity. Inactivity means the user hasn’t connected to WhatsApp.”

This means that after May 15, WhatsApp users have 120 days or roughly four months to accept the company’s new Terms of Service or risk losing access to their WhatsApp accounts completely.

FIRs to be registered instead of Challanon on traffic violations

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LAHORE, FEB 22 – The Lahore chief traffic officer (CTO) has said that FIRs will be registered instead of challan on serious violations.

He said that challan tickets were issued to 514,707 vehicles so far in an ongoing campaign. Action was taken against more than 451,000 vehicles for not having number plates according to the pattern issued by the government.

Tickets were issued to 43,522 motorcycles and vehicles for not having number plates. Tickets were issued to 4,456 vehicles for erasing registration numbers. As many as 19,657 vehicles tinted glass were ticketed.

Dolphin: Dolphin Squad and PRU of Lahore police showed immediate response to the all 443 calls received on helpline 15 during the last week. Dolphins and PRU helped around 39 people on different roads of the city.

Both the wings checked more than 151,000 motorbikes, 3,090 other vehicles and more than 155,000 persons. Around 1,407 motorbikes and three other vehicles were impounded and 244 persons were arrested in different police stations due to having incomplete documents. Dolphin Squad and PRU also arrested 15 criminals on the allegations of flying kites, doing wheelie and firing in the air.

EU Drug Abuse Prevention Education Initiative “Unplugged – Hum Saath Hain” Launched

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, FEB 22-  In continuance of its mission to fighting the war on drugs in Pakistan, the Karim Khan Afridi Welfare Foundation launched on February 17ththe European Union best practice drug prevention education initiative “Unplugged – adapted in Pakistan as Hum Saath Hain”, at Mashal community school, Bari Imam, Islamabad. KKAWF is the first civil society outfit to bring this prevention awareness programme to local schools in Islamabad.

Delivered by KKAWF Board member and education advisor Ms. LubnaHayauddin a UN certified life-skills trainer, the programme  willhave participation of 100 students and run for 12 weeks with one session each week. This interactive life skills program is targeted at 12-15 years old,  where the students during the course of the programme are exposed to the knowledge on drugs and their ill-effect on the physical and social health of the individuals and others associated to these people. The youth are equipped in skills such as communication, problem solving, critical thinking to handle peer pressure and make wise decisions, raise drug use awareness and understanding to promote healthy behavior.The student participants will receive their completion certificates at a concluding ceremony with attendance of distinguished guests.

KKAWF plans to continue implementation of Hum Saath Hainprogramme among teachers and students in schools across Islamabad and other areas. Schoolteachers are trained on the Unplugged modules and enabled to deliver to more students, which will allow for benefits of the programme to outreach more students continually.

Speaking at the occasion Cristina von Sperling Afridi, Chairperson KKAWF said that drug use is one of the biggest public health challenge we face as it is further putting at risk the young population under 30 – 0f 130 million in Pakistan to addiction of drugs during the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. She said that only last year, hundreds of teenagers had lost their lives and other hundreds of thousands unfortunately have started to indulge on drugs resulting in this big epidemic menace in our society and the future of the Country.It is imperative that stigma is broken and prevention is used as a powerful tool to fight the menace of the drug problem.

KKAWF is working since 2015 with rich experience on promoting healthy behavior among youth regarding adverse effects of drug abuse. KKAWF implements its mission by equipping youth with better knowledge and awareness, breaking taboos through prevention education using its five pillars of drug abuse, arts, sports, environment, civic sense to build protective factors for youth and engage with them to make healthy life choices and better identify, understand and manage emotions.

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www.kkawf.orgwww.facebook.com/kkawf.official

Pakistan attracted over 50% of BRI’s renewable energy investments

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BEIJING, Feb 22 (DNA): The Green Belt and Road Initiative Center (Green BRI Center) released China BRI Investment Report 2020 which says overall, Pakistan attracted more than 50% of renewable energy investments (47% of which in hydropower)

According to Gwadar Pro, the highlights of this report is that renewable energy investments (solar, wind, hydro) constitute the majority of Chinese overseas energy investments – increasing their share from 38% in 2019 to 57% in 2020.

The report also points out Pakistan has been benefited in eco-friendly and economic respects by BRI investment.

Among the BRI countries, investments were spread broadly across the continents. Asia continued to receive the largest share of Chinese BRI investments (about 54% in 2020), and Pakistan is listed as one of the countries that received most investments.

Dr. Christoph Nedopil, a German scholar, and the Founding Director of the Green BRI Center, introduced that affected by COVID-19, the global economy has been sluggish.

Consequently, Chinese overseas investments into BRI countries were about $47 billion in 2020, about 54% less than in 2019. Compared to non-BRI countries, the decline of Chinese investments was moderate in BRI countries.

Under such a context, including Pakistan, several BRI countries bucked the trend and saw an increase in China’s investments in 2020 compared to 2019.

Amidst them, renewable energy investments for the first time were the majority of Chinese overseas energy investments. In 2020, the majority of energy investments went into hydro power (35%), followed by coal (27%) and solar (23%).

Accordingly, investments into renewable energies constituted the majority of energy investments in the BRI in 2020, and the positive trend is expected to continue in 2021.

“This trend exactly matched Pakistan’s recent de-coal policies and demands for cleaner energy. More positively, we can see BRI and CPEC are playing a powerful role in the national green development, says Christoph.

“Analyzing Chinese energy investments in different countries, we find that Pakistan was the country which received most energy investments from 2013 to 2020, followed by the Russian Federation and Indonesia.

Pakistan is both the largest recipient of coal-related investments and also the largest recipient of investments in hydropower.

Overall, Pakistan attracted more than 50% of renewable energy investments (47% of which in hydropower), while Russia and Indonesia received predominantly fossil fuel related energy investments,” the report analyzed.

Meanwhile, investments in Gwadar Port and other transport infrastructure projects will see an obvious increase in 2021.

The report forecasts Chinese BRI investments to focus on strategic assets (e.g., ports) as well as regional transport infrastructure investments in Asian countries.

“Pakistan is also one of the largest recipients of Chinese investments in port infrastructure, such as the Gwadar port operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company,” the report said.

PM Imran Khan to visit Peshawar today

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ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Imran Khan will pay a visit to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) capital Peshawar on Monday (today).

Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Peshawar today to review preparations from Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in Senate elections besides meeting members of the PTI parliamentary group in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly.

PM Imran Khan will personally address reservations over the nominations of candidates for the Senate elections from KP. He will also review strategy for the elections and coordination with other political parties.
PM Khan, the sources said would also meet with the Senate candidates from KP province.

Moreover, a briefing will be given to the premier regarding the cricket stadium project in Kalam which would be completed in two years. The 120-kanal Kalam cricket stadium having a capacity to accomodate 6,000 spectators will be constructed at the cost of Rs358 million, sources said.

Pakistan to Host 60 International Creative Expressions by Youth

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Islamabad, PK – 22 February 2021 :  Critically acclaimed 60 Second International Film Festivals will open for the first for public voting to choose best films for the year 2020-21. RINSTRA Technologies, Pakistan’s first short-form digital media platform will host the festival. 60 Second Intl. Film Festival (60SIFF) is a platform for young talented filmmakers from all over the world that is one step closer to bridging the gap between cultures and creating strong global ties among aesthetically driven individuals, encouraging filmmakers to step up and ‘film’ their thoughts in 60 seconds.

60 Second International Film Festival received more than fifteen hundred entries. The best 60 films were shortlisted by a jury panel. These films will be made available for public viewing and voting on RINSTRA’s state-of-the-art digital platform. The films shortlisted are in the genres of Action, Comedy, Fiction, Drama, Animal, Arts and Culture, Social and COVID.

RINSTRA is hosting the festival on its interactive platforms where films will be voted on five scales i.e Direction, Cinematography, Editing, Scripting and Sound. RINSTRA is the outcome of the thought leadership of Dice Foundations USAs Creative Arts and Media Initiative (DICE CAM). It is part of Dice Foundations National Innovation Basket NIB program, Which aims to create media as corner stones of Pakistan’s growth Strategy.

Speaking on the occasion Abrar-ul-Hassan Founder & Festival Director 60SIFF said “This year we have partnered with RINSTRA for public voting of the films which will motivate the filmmakers to create more human centric stories. Digital is the future and moving 60SIFF on RINSTRA will help the filmmakers to think beyond borders to showcase their work to the global audience’

Chief Creative Officer of RINSTRA, Misbah Ishak Khalid said, “we are so excited to have 60 Seconds International Film Festival to partner with us. The Festival is serving the creative industry and filmmakers globally, together RINSTRA and 60SIFF will create more space for content creativity and to strength expression and the creative industries.

60 Second Intl. Film Festival promotes storytelling through the use of powerful visuals and the exchange of ideas through a purposeful platform that serves as a medium to conduct discourse sessions amongst youth. 60 Second Intl. Film Festival has been a celebrated initiative and has had the opportunities to conduct screenings across Pakistan, and internationally at Open Space Network, Delhi International Film Festival in India, AIESEC Blida in Algeria, the USIP headquarters in Washington DC and the Harvard University in Boston, USA including several other locations. 60 Second Intl. Film Festival works with the drive to empower the youth by nurturing a positive learning experience, improve the understanding of deep-rooted issues and enable freedom of expression by providing a platform that promulgates views of masses.

Imran Khan Sri Lanka visit to strengthen economic cooperation

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PM Imran Khan 2-days maiden visit to Sri Lanka will  further cement relations and boosting economic co-operations. Iftikhar Ali Malik SAARC Chamber Chief 

LAHORE Feb 22 (DNA) :  President SAARC chamber of Commerce and Industry Iftikhar Ali Malik Monday said that 2-days maiden official visit of Prime Minister Imran  to Sri Lanka will further cement bilateral ties with special focus to gear up trade and strengthen economic cooperation between two countries.

Talking to media here today he said it’s good omen for the private sectors of either countries that PM Imran Khan will also participate in a joint ‘Trade and Investment Conference’ aimed at promoting trade and investment between the two countries followed by a number of MoUs to enhance bilateral cooperation.

Iftikhar Ali Malik who remained actively associated with SAARC Chamber for the last three decades having deep insight said current visit is poised to help further strengthen the relationship and enhance mutual cooperation in diverse fields. He said that the current trade between both countries is not entirely encouraging, but both countries have markets for each other’s primary products.

SAARC Chamber Chief observed that Pakistan is an important market for tea products, which also happens to be a top Sri Lankan export item, and Pakistan is also a significant importer of copra and rubber, both items are important Sri Lankan exports.

Similarly, Sri Lanka is an important market for textile products, machinery, and pharmaceuticals along with other products that Pakistan records significant exports . He said therefore there exists a huge trade potential between both countries if the FTA is utilised properly he remarked.

Iftikhar Ali Malik said that Pak companies have invested significantly in agriculture,information technology and construction sectors of Sri Lanka while it’s construction industry is growing rapidly creating huge demand of Pak cement. Pak private sector can also capture sugar export market in Sri Lanka which imports its 90 % sugar requirements.

He said what’s both countries needed is to diversify their products through research,innovation and value addition adjusting according to the demands of each other markets.He said non tariff barriers have smothered the impact of tariff rationalisations.He said due to lack of awareness,exporters do not make full use of market potential and benefits under free trade agreement.

Iftikhar Ali Malik reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to SAARC and expressed the hope that the process of regional co-coordination would be allowed to move forward, he concluded.

Birthday anniversary of Japanese emperor celebrated

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Ambassador Matsuda says Japan has remained one of the major bilateral development partners of Pakistan since 1954, extending assistance in multi-faceted sectors. The total amount of Japan’s economic assistance to Pakistan by March 2020 amounts to USD 13 billion and this makes Japan the second largest economic partner of Pakistan 

Ansar M Bhatti

ISLAMABAD:  On the auspicious occasion of February 23rd, which marks the 61st Birthday of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito, MATSUDA Kuninori, the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan, has expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to the Government and the people of Pakistan for extending their messages of felicitation and good wishes for His Majesty the Emperor and his family.

In the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, the Embassy this year does not host a grand reception in Islamabad which is usually an annual feature to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty the Emperor.

Since his accession to the throne on 1st May 2019 as the 126th Emperor of Japan, His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito stands as the symbol of Japan and of the unity of the people. His Majesty and the Imperial Family facilitate the fostering of good relations with foreign countries including Pakistan.

Ambassador MATSUDA, while recalling the cherished memories of Pakistan’s relationship with the Japanese Imperial House, said that His Majesty the Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Her Majesty the Empress Emerita Michiko, who are the parents of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito, visited Pakistan as the then-Crown Prince and Princess in 1962, on the 10th anniversary of our diplomatic relations which became the first visit by the members of the Imperial House to Pakistan. Also, President Dr. Arif Alvi and the First Lady Mrs. Samina Alvi on the invitation of the Government of Japan, paid an official visit to Japan to attend the enthronement ceremony of His Majesty the Emperor Naruhito in October 2019.

Highlighting the decade’s old historical and amicable relations between Japan and Pakistan, the Ambassador said that Japan has remained one of the major bilateral development partners of Pakistan since 1954, extending assistance in multi-faceted sectors. The total amount of Japan’s economic assistance to Pakistan by March 2020 amounts to USD 13 billion and this makes Japan the second largest economic partner of Pakistan, said the Ambassador.

As the year 2022 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Pakistan, the Ambassador has invited all Pakistani people to come forward and join hands with the Embassy to celebrate this historic relationship in a splendid way. Cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the Ambassador said, are the foundation of our friendship from a long-term perspective.

The Ambassador, on this occasion of the birthday celebrations of His Majesty the Emperor, stressed that we must renew ourselves to further develop our close relations and make a firm resolve to deepen our cherished ties, which will amplify the welfare of people of both the countries.

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