The landmark building of Thar integrated coal-mine power project has been completed

DNA

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 21 – The landmark building of Thar integrated coal-mine power project has been completed , says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Monday.

According to the report, the concrete casting of the chimney (170 meters in height) of the 2×660MW Thar Block-1 Coal Project is now finished.This laid down the foundation for the subsequent construction of desulfurization area of the power station.

Tang Jiayu, the project manager of Shanghai Electric’s Thar Coal Project stated that, the chimney is the highest structure of the project.

The construction of the chimney has lasted more than 10 months, using 1,200 tons of steel reinforcement and 7,452 cubic meters of concrete.

Since the spread of the COVID-19, the construction progress of the project has been interrupted by the pandemic-induced travel restrictions which have made it difficult for the workers and equipment to enter the country, causing a substantial shortage of the on-site workforce and logistics delay, slowing down the overall progress.

Shanghai Electric coordinated with other participating units in advancing resumption of work and production on the premise of effective epidemic containment. The company has arranged multiple charter planes for 465 technical and managerial staff back toPakistanas part of the support to speed up the progress of the project.

As a major energy project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine-Power project is of great significance for comprehensively promoting the construction of the CPEC and forging a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future.

Since the start of the project, thousands of jobs have been provided to local people, which has greatly promoted the local social and economic development and improved people’s living standards.

Shanghai Electric will continue to work hard to ensure the smooth construction and operation of this project, promote the construction of Pakistan’s energy projects, and benefit the Pakistani people as soon as possible.

DNA

BEIJING, Sep. 21 – A Chinese scholar and former Defense Attache in South Asian countries Prof. Cheng Xizhong lauded Pakistan’s leading role in pushing forward Afghan peace process.

In an article published by Gwadar Pro on Monday, he said Pakistan has come out as a strong supporter and mediator of the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan and played a key role in realizing the US-Taliban negotiations and signing the peace agreement aimed at ending the war in Afghanistan on February 29 this year.

Similarly, Pakistan, together with all parties concerned in the international community, has done a lot of work to facilitate the opening of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

Prof. Cheng pointed out that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated on September 13 that Pakistan will continue to fully support the Afghan people’s unremitting efforts for peace and development.

The “Afghan owned and Afghan led” peace talks are essential to the realization of peace in Afghanistan and the region. He hopes that the Afghan leaders will seize the historic opportunity and work together to reach an inclusive, extensive and comprehensive political solution.
Although the intra-Afghan talks have been launched, peace and reconciliation process in the country still faces many difficulties.

First, the United States will not withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan. US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said recently that the United States will reduce its troops in Afghanistan to 4,500 within one to two months.

As long as the US troops continue to stay in Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban will not completely stop the resistance movement. To truly achieve peace in Afghanistan, the US troops must leave Afghanistan completely.

Second, the United States will not give up its control of the Afghan regime. The Taliban believes that the current Afghan government is a puppet regime of the United States.

In fact, without the support of the United States, the current regime in Afghanistan will collapse immediately. Under such circumstances, the intra-Afghan talkswill likely go ahead along with fighting, and the security situation in Afghanistan will not be fundamentally improved.

To truly achieve peace in Afghanistan, the United States must thoroughly give up its control over the Afghan government.
Third, as the United States reduces its military presence in Afghanistan, some regional force is trying to deeply intervene in Afghan affairs, which will add complex factors to the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan

Cheng Xizhong added, that as a neighbor of Afghanistan, Pakistan is not only the biggest victim of the US military occupation of Afghanistan and the terrorism caused by the US military operations, but also has been in a very difficult situation in the subsequent peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

In order to seek regional peace, Pakistan has overcome various difficulties, worked with the relevant parties of the international community and successfully facilitated the Afghan Taliban to accept the offer of peace talks.

LAHORE : Punjab Information Minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan Monday said Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Fazal-ur-Rehman are deceiving each other.

The provincial minister said in his video statement that the opposition has given four months for making deal with the government but all parties should know that Prime Minister Imran Khan will not NRO to anyone.

Fayyaz Chohan said, “Twelve opposition parties finalized corruption plan for next four months on Sunday. The nation witnessed such a plan of corruption in 2000 also.

“Former premier Nawaz Sharif was making alliance with erstwhile prime minister Benazir Bhutto on one hand and finalizing deal thorough his frontman with the then Army Chief Pervez Musharraf on the other.

“As a result, Nawaz Sharif went abroad with around 100 suitcases and personal servants.

“The nation was given the lollipop of the Charter of Democracy on 2006 in which it was decided that the signatories will not contact any dictator but Benazir Bhutto made a deal with Pervez Musharraf regarding her return to Pakistan and took NRO.

“Nawaz Sharif deceived the opposition through the platform of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) in 2008 and contested elections after making other parties to boycott the polls.”

ISLAMABAD: A bench of the Supreme Court on Monday barred the extradition of Talha Haroon, a Pakistani origin American suspect of terrorism, to United States till further orders.

A bench of the apex court also sought the details of extradition agreements with the United States and the UK.

The bench asked, if Pakistan have treaties of the exchange of accused with the US and UK and details of the accused wanted in cases to Pakistan.The court barred handing over of Talha Haroon, a suspect in New York Times Square terrorist attack, to the United States till further orders.

The bench also summoned the Attorney General of Pakistan and concerned officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with relevant record.

“How an accused could be handed over to the United States if the country have no extradition treaty with Pakistan?, ” Justice Qazi Ameen asked. “What is evidence that could become basis of handing over the accused to the US,” the Justice questioned.

“Pakistan is a sovereign state, how could it hand over its citizen to other country,” Justice Ameen asked.

“The court will definitely protect our citizens as per the law,” the court maintained.

The defence counsel said that the Islamabad High Court in an intra court appeal had left it to the inquiry magistrate to decide the nature of the offence. The counsel apprehended that the magistrate could decide handing over of the accused to the US with superficial inquiry.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case for next two weeks.

According to the investigation carried out by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Talha Haroon was in Pakistan in April 2016 and had planned multiple terrorist attacks in New York City.

ISLAMABAD : Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif should have announced to return to Pakistan in his speech.

In his reaction over the former prime minister’s speech in APC, Fawad Chaudhry said that elder Sharif is inviting masses to initiate agitation movement, but he should have announced the date of his return to the country first.

The minister said he was not in favour of allowing Sharif to fly to London as he was not ill and added that his recent visits of resturants in London shows that he is fit and sound.

Nawaz Sharif should come back to country and serve his punishment, the minister added.
On Sunday, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had alleged in his virtual speech that the institution of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has turned into a tool for revenge against political opponents.

Nawaz Sharif, while virtually addressing the all parties conference (APC) hosted by Pakistan People’s Party, had thanked the participants of the event and prayed for health recovery of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Sharif said that he believed the organisation of the opposition’s APC as a decisive turn in the country’s politics and brave decisions are needed to be take.