ISLAMABAD – The National Accountability Bureau  (NAB) on Tuesday  arrested  PML-N leader Khawaja Asif in assets beyond means case.

The PML-N leader was arrested from Ahsan Iqbal’s house in Islamabad.

NAB spokesperson Nawazish Ali Asim has confirmed to The News that Asif has been arrested in a case of assets beyond means.

The arrest was made soon after a PML-N meeting — held to decide whether the party’s lawmaker should resign from the Senate or not — concluded.

Sources informed Geo News that the chairman NAB had signed on Khawaja Asif’s arrest warrants and that he has been shifted to the anti-graft watchdog’s Rawalpindi office.

Khawaja Asif failed to declare the source of Rs220 million he received from Dubai, the sources said.

Moreover, PML-N lawmaker Hina Parvez Butt said that she condemned the arrest and warned Prime Minister Imran Khan that his “days in office were numbered”.

Khawaja Asif was ‘always ready to be arrested’

Geo News anchor Hamid Mir said on his show, Capital Talk, said that the former foreign minister knew he would be arrested and had even made preparations beforehand for it.

“He had prepared a bag as well and would say that the NAB would arrest him soon,” said Mir.

The spokesperson for Nawaz Sharif Muhammad Zubair, speaking on Geo News’ programme Capital Talk, said that the arrest came in response to Maryam Nawaz’s speeches.

“They wanted to do something, and now they did,” he said, adding more PML-N leaders would be arrested in the coming days.

Zubair said that people were questioning Sheikh Rasheed’s appointment and now we have seen his first move as interior minister.

DNA

ISLAMABAD– The United Kingdom reported the detection of a variant of SARS-COV-2; B.1.1.7, also called VOC-202012/01, earlier this month. Preliminary analysis by their experts suggests that this particular variant may be more transmissible; there is NO evidence so far to suggest that the infection caused by this variant is more severe. This strain has also been detected in other countries.

The Government has taken a number of steps to respond to this development. On the 21st December 2020, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) decided to limit and restrict travel from the UK to Pakistan only to certain categories of travelers and only under strict protocols that mandated a negative PCR test before the flight, a PCR test upon arrival in Pakistan and quarantine as prescribed by the authorities. Moreover, track, trace and quarantine was also initiated for passengers who had arrived from the UK as far as 7 days before the announcement of these travel restrictions. These measures are in place until 4thJanuary 2021.

In addition, viruses detected from individuals coming from the UK are also being evaluated in select laboratories for the presence of this variant. Based on this proactive effort, there are five samples [two at the National Institute of Health and three at the Aga Khan University hospital in Karachi] which may have the variant strain, based on preliminary analysis. These results have to be confirmed through further analysis (whole genome sequencing) which will take a few more days to complete.The NCOC and Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination are following this closely and necessary updates will be provided in due course.

DNA

Islamabad, DEC 29  – Finja, Pakistan’s leading digital lending platform, announced today that it has closed $9 Million of a $10 Million Series A1 financing round. This latest round brings in new investor ICU Ventures, with all previous institutional investors participating again including BeeNext, Vostok Emerging Finance, Quona Capital and Gray MacKenzie Engineering Services (a Descon company). Under the terms of the financing, the company has the flexibility to raise an additional $1 Million as a part of this round.

Finja subsidiaries operate under dual licensing regimes of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) for its lending and digital payments businesses. With this first-of-its-kind support from both regulators, Finja has forged digital partnerships with banks, FMCGs, distributors, kiryana stores and small businesses. The company has clocked over Rs. 100 Billion in transactional volume with its assets under management growing in excess of 110% during the pandemic year.

Supported by the credit books of its partner banks, Finja has disbursed over 50,000 unsecured digitally scored Islamic and conventional loans to businesses and salaried individuals. Small business and consumer lending represents a Rs. 10 Trillion (USD $60 Billion) market in Pakistan of which less than 4% is currently penetrated. As a result of this sector being neglected, small businesses have largely struggled to grow due to unavailability of capital.

‘‘With this new capital injection along with our strong partnerships with SECP, SBP, banks, FMCGs, distributors and so many other parts of the supply-chain and payment ecosystem, we are fully equipped and supported by the industry to rapidly scale to create unprecedented impact.” said Qasif Shahid, Finja’s Co-Founder and CEO. Qasif previously launched mobile banking products in Singapore, East Africa, UAE and Pakistan.

Finja’s Co-Founder and Chairman Monis Rahman added, “We are excited to scale our efforts to help small businesses and consumers reach their goals with dignity. We are grateful for the support of some of the world’s best fintech funds which have invested in Pakistan for the first time through Finja.” Monis is one of Pakistan’s digital pioneers and runs Rozee.pk, Pakistan’s largest jobs platform.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 29 – President Arif Alvi on Tuesday said disabled persons in the society deserved access to education and employment as their “equitable right, and not as charity”.“The State is responsible to transform the society in a way that it accepts and mainstreams the differently-abled persons in all segments of life,” the President said in his address at a wheelchair distribution ceremony, held here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The embassy of Azerbaijan in Islamabad gifted 100 customized wheelchairs to the disabled people in Pakistan, at an event attended by First Lady Samina Alvi, Azerbaijan’s ambassador Ali Alizada and a number of disabled persons including children.President Alvi emphasized on adopting inclusive approach towards persons with disabilities by providing them education at regular schools instead of secluding them at special institutes.He said persons with physical, visual or hearing impairment could be easily absorbed into the normal school system, to be followed by targeted skilled training for their accommodation at workplace.

“It is the time to shun the stereotype approach towards disabled persons and give them opportunities and access to facilities,” he said.He stressed proper implementation of 2.5 percent disabled quota in jobs and ensuring training through National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) and Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) for effective results.The President mentioned that of the social welfare agenda initiated by him and his wife, the uplift of disabled people was a priority and ‘a subject close to their hearts’.

He said the government under Ehsaas project had registered two million people with disabilities for disbursement of stipend, while banks had also launched schemes to offer loans for special persons to carry out small and medium enterprises.The President mentioned that the Chairman Capital Development Authority had assured him that all pavements in Islamabad would get ramps by March, besides 250 public parks to also become wheel-chair enabled in near future.He said the government was working with the business community of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi to make accessible the market places for disabled.He said a survey revealed that around 15 percent of the population of Pakistan was suffering with different forms of disabilities, which needed to be given an access-friendly environment in buildings and public places.

He pointed that lack of facilities at public places forced the families to confine their disabled members at homes.The President extended sincere gratitude to Azerbaijan for gifting wheelchairs to the disabled people of Pakistan, saying the precious gesture of compassion was a belief in respecting the rights of such people.He lauded Ambassador Ali Alizada for his commendable job of contributing to the socio-welfare development of Pakistan through launching projects in fields of education, culture, environment and health, including providing assistance to Thalassemia Centre in Islamabad.He mentioned that Pakistan and Azerbaijan enjoyed friendship based on common religion and culture of “caring for weaker segments of society”.

He also congratulated Azerbaijan on liberation of its territories captured by Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.Azerbaijan’s ambassador Ali Alizada said the memorable event of gifting of wheelchairs was manifestation of the support the two countries gave to the rights of persons with disabilities.He said the proposal by President Dr Arif Alvi to Azerbaijan for customized wheelchairs depicted his personal commitment to the welfare of disabled people.President Alvi and Begum Samina Alvi also took round of the exhibition of handicrafts and paintings made by children with disabilities aging 12 to 15 years and appreciated their talent.With majority of the audience on wheelchairs, the President and the First Lady approached each individually and greeted them with their words of encouragement and appreciation.

DNA

LAHORE, DEC 29 (DNA) – Balouchistan High Court Tuesday upheld  DGTO decision barring all the 30 bogus votes of 15 fake trade bodies in the province which were to be cast in the annual election of Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in December 30 (Wednesday) tomorrow.

It was also ordered that Mrs Sonia and Mrs Mehreen Akhtar can not be nominees of Quetta Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Fpcci election.

Engineer Daroo Khan Achakzai former President FPCCI and provincial chief UBG and Haji Jamal Uddin Achakzai had challenged these bogus votes on the grounds that these 15 trade bodies are not existing anywhere in the entire province and how their bogus votes can be included in the final list?

Khalid Tawab said Supreme Court also today restored the membership of Mian Zafar Iqbal from Faisalabad representing small chambers who is now contest VP election .

Chairman UBG Iftikhar Ali Malik said now UBG will sweep election with overwhelming majority of record highest number of votes in the history of country.

LAHORE – Education Minister Punjab, Dr. Murad Raas, has said that the provincial government would have no option but to extend the closure of educational institutes in Punjab if the ongoing Coronavirus related situation does not ameliorate.

While addressing a ceremony in Lahore, Dr. Murad noted that the provincial government is against shutting down educational institutes but it is the most viable option under current circumstances.

On Monday, Federal Educational Minister, Shafqat Mahmood, revealed that the Inter Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) will be held on 4 January 2021 to deliberate on the reopening of educational institutions.

Last month, IPEMC, in light of the recommendations of NCOC, had announced to shut down educational institutes from 23 November 2020 to 10 January 2021 after the Coronavirus situation deteriorated all over the country.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 29 –  Pakistan has envisaged renewed “Engage Africa Policy” to strengthen its ties with all African countries and has decided to increase its diplomatic missions in the countries in addition to open the Pakistan’s Embassy in Djibouti owing to growing economic and political importance of the African region.

The exchange of parliamentary delegations would steer the agenda for enhanced economic, political and defence cooperation not only between the Pakistan and Djibouti but also with other African countries.  Pakistan eyes vibrant interactions to share the experiences in public sector reforms, technical cooperation, infrastructure development and private investment with the African countries.

These views were expressed by Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani in a meeting with Mohamed Ali Houmed  Acting Chairman of the African Union Parliament and President Djibouti National Parliament here at Parliament House on Tuesday.  President of Djibouti National Parliament Mohamed Ali Houmed is leading a 12-member delegation to Pakistan on the invitation of Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani.

Chairman Senate appreciated the visit of President of National Assembly of Djibouti to Pakistan during this testing time of COVID-19 and expressed the hope that his visit would strengthen the existing foundation of strong brotherly relations between Pakistan and Djibouti and would open new vistas of diplomatic, parliamentary and economic cooperation with the African region.  Chairman Senate further appreciated the role of Djibouti to foster peace and stability among African nations and sought support to Pakistan to become observer member in Inter Governmental Development Authority (IGAD).  Chairman Senate apprised the visiting delegation that there is vibrant Pakistan and Djibouti Friendship Group in Senate of Pakistan and two sides can work together to devise plan for increased Parliamentary relations and organizational linkages for mutual benefits of the Parliaments.  Chairman Senate lauded the visionary role of President Djibouti Ismail Omar Guelleh for modernization and development of Djibouti.  He apprised that trade between Pakistan and landlocked Ethiopia takes place through Djibouti and Pakistan needs special treatment for expeditious delivery of goods to Ethiopia.  He emphasized to devise special package for Pakistani investors and entrepreneurs to invest and extend quality services for Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ) as it has been attracting investments from China, Italy, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries.

Chairman Senate expressed the need to build closer meteorological cooperation between Pakistan and Djibouti to monitor and track the movement of locust infestation in Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Horn of Africa.  He informed that Pakistan has been providing training facilities to Djibouti in the fields of diplomacy, banking and railways. Sadiq Sanjrani assured continuous provision of technical expertise in fields like Information Technology (IT), Education, Banking, Diplomacy and showed keen interest to build sports linkages especially between football teams of Pakistan and Djibouti.  He said that Pakistan is ready to provide technical and medical assistance to Djibouti to control COVID-19 pandemic.  Chairman Senate thanked the participation of Djiboutian Navy in AMAN exercise held from 8-12 February, 2019 along Pakistani coast in Arabian Sea.

He said that Pakistan enjoys great respect among the comity of African nations due to its constructive role as an important player of “UN Peacekeeping Operations” in Africa. Based on our earlier contributions towards development of peace in Africa, Pakistan has ample opportunities to build military to military cooperation with African countries. Such defense cooperation would create huge market for Pakistan’s defense production.  Chairman Senate apprised about the recent volatile situation in IOJ&K following the unconstitutional, illegal and unilateral actions of India to alter its disputed status, which was in contravention of the international laws and United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions which has become a grave humanitarian crisis.  He urged the importance of resolving the conflict in a peaceful manner and in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people by implementation of relevant UN resolutions.  He also apprised about the impending health emergency in the wake of the spread of Covid-19 which is hampering dissemination of information, supply of medicines and other essentials items to fight the pandemic. He stressed the need for a unified call from international community for lifting these restrictions.

Both the sides interacted on delegation level.  Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani led the Pakistan delegation during the meeting which also included Senators Sajjad Hussain Turi, Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Dr. Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Kuhda Babar, Naseeb Ullah Bazai and Secretary Senate Muhammad Qasim Samad Khan.  Speaking on the occasion Chairman Senate reiterated that African countries are socially and politically very close to Pakistan and we are ready to take measures for enhancing the trade ties between the two sides.  He said that Djibouti and other African countries should explore the prospects for investment in Gwadar which is developing as a trade hub not only for this region but would also facilitate the trade towards the African countries.  He said that Djibouti being centrally located in the African region should cooperate for promoting the trade through the channel.

The head of visiting delegation Mohamed Ali Houmed agreed with the views of Chairman Senate and said that visit of Pakistan despite difficult traveling conditions due to COVID-19, shows the importance of this country for us.  He said that people of both the countries are already very close and there is a need to establish parliamentary and trade relations on solid grounds.  He said that with the opportunities for the training of the parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from African countries in Pakistan would further strengthen these relations.  He said that we are looking forward to benefit from economic opportunities being offered by the development of Gwadar as a regional port.  He said that through this cooperation, trade volume between this region and African countries may increase many fold.  He said that the Kashmir issue must be resolved according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.  The head of the delegation invited Chairman Senate to visit Djibouti to further the agenda of mutual cooperation.

The 12-member parliamentary delegation of Djibouti led by President of National Parliament of Djibouti Mohamed Ali Houmed held meeting with Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate at Parliament House Islamabad and discussed matters of mutual significance and bilateral importance.  Welcoming the delegation, Chairman of the Committee Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed observed that both the countries are intertwined in social, political and cultural similarities. He said Pakistan and Djibouti are Muslim countries and their strategic locations enhance political importance in international arena. He said that Pakistan values its relations with Djibouti and other African countries and desires to expand mutual collaboration with a renewed zeal under Engage Africa Policy.  “Pakistan has adopted a balance policy towards East and the West and so is being done by Djibouti which brings both the countries more close”, Senator Mushahid stated. He said visit of the parliamentary delegation from a friendly country of African region would augur well for both sides. We need follow more robust approach to build strong multifaceted cooperation. He said that Pakistan believes in peace and has played active role in promoting regional peace security. He, however, pointed towards the atrocities inflicted upon the innocent people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and said that Pakistan wants resolution of the long standing issues in accordance with UN resolutions and international laws. He said that Pakistan and Djibouti share a special bond of friendship and have historically enjoyed cordial relations with Djibouti. The meeting was also attended by Senators Seemi Ezdi, Nuzhat Sadiq, Sitara Ayaz, Javed Abbasi, Mian Atiq Sheikh, Asif Kirmani, Mirza Muhammad Afridi.

Leader of the Parliamentary delegation thanked Senator Mushahid for his sentiments and warm welcome. He termed the visit highly important. He underscored the need for enhanced parliamentary cooperation. He emphasized the need for enhanced institutional linkages and cooperation to benefit from expertise in various sectors.  The delegation later on visited Senate Museum and Senate Hall.