DNA

RAWALPINDI, FEB 19: General Kenneth F. Mc Kenzie Jr, Incoming Commander US CENTCOM, called on General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at GHQ.

Matters of mutual interest, regional security situation with particular reference to ongoing Afghanistan reconciliation process were discussed during the meeting.

Both expressed unanimity of views on importance of political resolution of Afghan situation. COAS said that Pakistan is committed to efforts for peace in Afghanistan as it is important for peace in Pakistan.

Visiting dignitaries acknowledged Pakistan’s commendable efforts in the fight against terrorism and ensuring regional stability.

DNA

ISLAMABAD – Head of Massoud Foundation, Mr. Ahmed Wali Massoud, called on Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, today. The exchange of views focused on the Afghan Peace Process and Pakistan-Afghanistan bilateral relations.

During the meeting, the Foreign Minister welcomed Mr. Ahmad Wali Massoud’s visit to Pakistan and lauded the historic contribution of Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud as a key Mujaheedin leader during the Afghan resistance.

As regards Afghan peace process, the Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s facilitation of the U.S.-Taliban Peace Agreement and the commencement of Intra-Afghan Negotiations. The Foreign Minister stressed that this historic opportunity must be seized by the Afghan leaders to achieve an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.

The Foreign Minister expressed serious concern at the current level of violence and underscored that all sides must take measures for reduction in violence leading to ceasefire. The Foreign Minister also underlined the need for being vigilant about the role of “spoilers”. Highlighting that Pakistan had no favourites in Afghanistan, the Foreign Minister reiterated that Pakistan’s message to all sides was to work together constructively for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. He added that this would open new vistas for trade, economic cooperation and regional connectivity.

Foreign Minister Qureshi highlighted that Pakistan had taken a number of steps to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and people-to-people linkages including opening of border despite COVID-19, introduction of friendly visa regime, and scholarships for Afghan students. The Foreign Minister emphasized that all these measures were practical manifestations of Pakistan’s desire for closer ties with Afghanistan. The Foreign Minister also appreciated the role of Massoud Foundation in the social sectors and noted that it could play an important part in promoting civil society and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The Foreign Minister expressed the hope that the Afghan peace process would achieve its desired objective of return of peace and stability in Afghanistan. He reaffirmed that Pakistan, on its part, will continue to play a constructive role.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 19 (DNA) – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday has decided to re-challenge the nomination papers of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and joint candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for Senate elections, Yousaf Raza Gillani in appellate tribunal.

Sources told that PTI representative has obtained the verified copies from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in this regard. The decision came day after ECP had rejected the objections raised by PTI leader Fareed Rehman and approved nomination papers of Gillani, allowing him to contest the Senate elections.

On February 16, 2021, PTI had challenged Gillani’s nomination papers and accused him of concealing the facts. Yousaf Raza Gillani had not mentioned his sentence in contempt of court case in his nomination papers, PTI leader said. Fareed Rahman further said that Gillani didn’t fulfill the requirement of Article 62 of the Constitution.

While recording arguments on the objections, the counsel of PDM candidate said that his client was charged not convicted in the case and that Supreme Court (SC) had given him a symbolic sentence. The sentence of Yousaf Raza Gillani ended in 2017 and he contested the General Elections in 2018, he told. PTI’s allegations were lies.

The time of ECP was wasted on this matter and nomination papers of Yousaf Raza Gilani should be accepted, the lawyer argued. PPP leader Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that if the objectors had read Article 63 of the Constitution, they would have not come raised this issue as this article does not apply here.

It is to be mentioned here that a total of 170 candidates had filed their nomination papers in the ECP for the elections on 48 seats in the upper house of the Parliament. 29 candidates from Punjab, 39 from Sindh, 51 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 41 from Balochistan and 10 from the federal capital Islamabad had submitted their details.

As per schedule, the candidates can file appeals against acceptance or rejection of nomination papers on February 20 and the last date for disposing of these appeals is February 23. The revised list of candidates will be published on February 24. The candidates can withdraw their nomination papers on February 25. Polling on 48 seats will be held on the 3rd of next month at the Parliament house in Islamabad and the four provincial assemblies. = DNA

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DNA

RAWALPINDI: The furniture sector is playing an important role in boosting the country’s exports. Being part of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) it served as a backbone of the economy.  Inaugurating the Furniture and living Expo in Islamabad, The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) President Nasir Mirza said that such exhibitions should be held continuously to attract investors and people. Immediate steps should be taken to revitalize the furniture industry as this sector can create new employment opportunities along with increase in exports.

The government should give immediate attention. The furniture sector is an important component of the cottage industry. The government should provide tax breaks so that people associated with the industry can get quality machinery at cheaper rates. The price of electricity should be reduced.

He said that Pakistani furniture is popular all over the world. He also demanded the Government to reduce the import duty on the associated material. Later, the president along with organizers visited various stalls and appreciated the quality of the products.

KARACHI: The Employers’ Federation of Pakistan’s well sought and prestigious award has received overwhelming response and subscription this year. A record number of multinational organizations and medium to large scale organizations have registered up to now. The number has surpassed by 60% considering EFP’s eight years’ history of holding the award contest, showing tremendous enthusiasm of employers.

Welcoming the registered contestants, Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President and Focal Person of EFP reiterated the commitment towards recognition of the best performing employers in the country and reinforced the efforts by mentioning the transparency in recognizing the winner of the award. A committee comprising of high reputed professionals of the field has already been announced to be chaired by Zaki Ahmed Khan.

“This year 9 different contest areas are announced including Corporate and General Management, Human Resource Management and Employment Practices, Labor Laws and Core ILS Compliances, Working Conditions – Health and Safety at Work, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Training and Skills Development Initiatives, Compliance with Social Protection Floors, Strategic Alignment with SDGs, Women Empowerment, and Response to Covid-19 Challenge”, he added.

Awards will be announced on 16th March 2021, mentioned by Zaki Ahmed Khan.