QUETTA : Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani on Sunday said that foolproof security arrangements have been made by the provincial government for the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) public gathering.

On Thursday, NACTA had warned that outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan is planning attacks on political and religious leaderships across Quetta and Peshawar in the near future.

Addressing a press conference in Quetta, Liaquat Shahwani said bomb-proof vehicles have been provided to the PDM leadership and roads going to the hotels, where the leadership is residing are cordoned-off.

“Balochistan government has taken NACTA’s alert seriously.”
He said that parking for the vehicles of the people coming to Jalsa has been kept at some distance to the stadium.

The provincial government spokesperson said that PDM leadership is reaching Quetta from yesterday and added that MNA Mohsin Dawar was aware that his entry is banned in Balochistan.

He should have sought permission from the government before landing in Quetta, he maintained.

Responding to a query, Liaquat Shahwani said that Balochistan government has not arrested any of PDM worker, nor it has any plans.

Preparations for the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) public gathering are in full swing.

President PDM Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, ANP leader Asfand Yar Wali, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, and other leaders will address the rally while PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address the rally via video link.

ISLAMABAD : Social parameters, policy making/implementation, necessary legislation, knowledge-management for evidence-based policy making, and multi-stakeholder/sectored approaches to water governance constituted the core of the deliberations of an international webinar of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS).

Experts from Ghana, Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, and Turkey shared ideas, experiences, best practices and policy measures from the platform of the webinar on “Sustainable Water Governance in the Global South under Changing Climate” held by COMSATS Centre for Climate and Sustainability (CCCS) in collaboration with Princess Sumaya bint Hassan led Royal Scientific Society of Jordan that is also COMSATS’ Centre of Excellence.The webinar’s discussions revolved around the overarching theme of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) – Clean Water and Sanitation.

Speakers of the international webinar included three from COMSATS Centres of Excellence in Ghana, Pakistan and Turkey, i.e., Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), respectively.Other experts belonged toInternational Water Management Institute (IMWI), Jordan; and Middle East Desalination Research Centre (MEDRC), Oman.

Moderated by Dr. Almoayied Assayed, Manager Climate Change Studies at RSS, Jordan, the event highlighted challenges to sustainable water governance in the speakers’respective countries.Climate change and its secondary impacts were considereda major threat to natural ecosystems, as well as water, food and energy sectors, which necessitate reviewing existing policies and institutional frameworks.

The event recommendations stressed the need for: community-based water governance, water metering and accountability; strengthening public-private partnerships; prioritizing capacity-building of institutions and stakeholders; promoting development and integration of new technologies; and integrating researchin the governance systems for finding innovation solutions.

Karachi : Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah directed police to install 10,000 cameras at different spots across Karachi, including its red zones areas where criminal activities take place frequently.

Addressing a meeting on law and order at the CM House, Shah said that the city’s overall situation has considerably improved, which can be gauged from the fact that Karachi’s ranking in the World Crime Index has gone from sixth in 2014 to 103rd in 2020.

The World Crime Index surveys crime levels of 396 international cities. It had ranked Karachi sixth in 2014, 10th in 2015, 26th in 2016, 47th in 2017, 50th in 2018, 61st and then 71st in 2019, 88th earlier this year and 103rd by mid-October.

Sindh police chief IGP Mushtaq Mahar told the meeting that Cape Town has been ranked 19th, Mexico 29th, Kuala Lumpur 38th, Houston 50th, Washington 52nd,and Delhi 71st.

In order to further ameliorate the security and safety situation as well as the quality of life in the port city, the chief minister decided to start the implementation of the Safe City Project in Karachi.

CM Murad said the city can be made safer and more secure if the Safe City Project is implemented at the earliest. He told Mahar to convene a meeting with the National Radio & Telecom Corporation next week for a detailed discussion on the project’s technical and financial proposals.

The Safe City Project was conceived in 2011, aiming at installing 10,000 high-powered CCTV cameras across the city in the first phase. The CM had approved Rs10 billion for the purpose but the project cost escalated to around Rs20 billion later.

KARACHI, Oct 24 (DNA): Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said on
Saturday Sindh government is ready to hold Pakistan Super League 5
(PSL-5) remaining four matches, originally scheduled in Lahore.

CM Shah said Karachi welcomes the decision and is all geared up to hold
matches here as it did in the past while ensuring the Pakistan Cricket
Board (PCB) of all sorts of cooperation at the administration level.

Shah stressed that he hopes COVID-19 standard operating procedures
(SOPs) will be strictly adhered to hinting at his concern over the
second wave of novel coronavirus with an evident jump in case positivity
ratio.

Furthering his stance on how the province feels about matches in its
stadium, Shah said Karachi will readily host international matches in
the metropolis as well. On the other hand, earlier on Saturday the CM
chaired a high-level session to review law and order situation of the
province.

The session was attended by the chief secretary, Corps Commander
Karachi, IT minister Taimur Talpur, Inspector General (IG) Sindh,
Rangers director-general (DG), principal secretary to CM and other
senior officers.

During the session, Murad Ali Shah praised the police operation in
Katcha areas of Khairpur and Larkana where six bandits including Pathan
Narejo and Iqbal Narejo were killed, the two notorious dacoits for which
the government announced prize money worth Rs2 million each. The police
personnel had also recovered the anti-aircraft gun, two G3 rifles, SMG
and a rocket launcher during the operation. DNA

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LAHORE, Oct 24 (DNA): Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said
that eight more trains will be privatized from 12th of next month and
rail car between Lahore-Rawalpindi will also be restored from 30th of
next month.

Addressing a news conference in Lahore, he asked the private parties to
come forward and run their freight trains using railway’s infrastructure
and properties.

He further said that online booking of freight trains has also been
started to stop irregularities in this regard. Sheikh Rashid said four
freight trains have been given to private parties under public private
partnership. DNA

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 24 (DNA): Pakistan is setting up its own medical
equipment industry by starting the production of various equipments,
said Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry in a
press conference on Saturday.

“We import medical equipment worth $1.6 billion. If we manage to replace
that it will be a huge achievement,” said the minister.

Items such as disposable syringes, cannulas and vials for blood tests
were not manufactured in Pakistan before. Now the Ministry of Science
and Technology is setting up factories for this, Chaudhry said.

This will also improve the country’s economic condition, said the
minister, adding that technology exports bring in a lot of money. He
also announced that Pakistan will start making electric buses. “On
Friday we signed a MoU with Chinese company Skywell for electric buses.”

On Sunday, the ministry will sign another MoU with a German company,
said Chaudhry. This will be the second electric bus company to invest in
Pakistan. He also said the opposition’s demonstrations and protests were
hurting the country’s image which then negatively impacted the economy.
DNA

DNA

ISLAMABAD, OCT 24  –  Pakistan National Council of the Arts Islamabad launched a series of colorful musical programs named “Raagistan”. This series is aimed to revive the traditional aspects of classical music like khayal, thumri and kafi giaki etc. This is an effort not only to promote the classical music awareness among the young lot but also” to provide an opportunity of listening quality music for the classic lovers.

This venture will be a mile stone in order to pay tribute to the legendary classical singers and a source of encouragement for their upcoming generation who is custodian of that precious art form.The first program of this series was held today at PNCA’s auditorium.

Famous classical singer from Iconic “Jalandhar Family” Mr. Akbar Ali was the lead performer of that evening accompanied by the renowned flutist Hassan Badshah and a bunch of some extremely talented musicians.He showed an excellent exhibition of Khayal, thumri and kaafi gaiki . PNCA is looking forward to organize more programs of this series in near future to revive the rich classical art form. Director General PNCA Dr Fouzia Saeed hosted that musical evening.

GUJRANWALA , OCT 24 – Gujranwala Commissioner Gulzar Hussain Shah and RPO Gujranwala Riaz Nazir Gara have said that celebrating the birth of the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) and expressing love for him in one’s own way is a fundamental part of every Muslim’s faith and  without  any doubt, no Muslim’s religion and faith can be complete without  love for the Holy Prophet.

The commissioner and the RPO expressed these views while addressing the Deputy Commissioners, CPOs, DPOs, Chairman Divisional Peace Committee Qari Zahid Saleem and esteemed members  from across the division who participated in the video link meeting of the Divisional Peace Committee. 

The Commissioner and RPO said that on the occasion of Eid-ul-Milad-un-Nabi, where the world of Islam is expressing its sentiments with full enthusiasm and religious devotion, the anti-national and anti-Islamic forces are also mobilized for the fulfillment of their nefarious aims.“It is the duty of the religious leaders and members of the peace committees to work with the district administration and the police to thwart these destructive and anti-peace forces by demonstrating ideal peace and unity, brotherhood and religious harmony,” they  said.They  said that on the auspicious occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi, all possible means would be utilized for the establishment of peace, provision of best municipal services and fulfillment of other governmental responsibilities so that the devotees of  Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH) could fully participate in these processions and gatherings.

The commissioner said that instructions have also been issued for  the provision of  street lights, proper  sanitation facilities and  removal of  encroachments on the procession routes. About the security arrangements, the RPO said that more than 7816 police officers and men have been deployed for 496 processions in the division on 12th Rabi-ul-Awal.In addition, 1437 national volunteers  will also perform security duties on the occasion. Chairman Divisional Peace Committee Qari Zahid Saleem and other members expressed satisfaction over the administrative and security measures and assured that the ulema and religious scholars would fully cooperate with the  administration for the  implementation of  all government directives and code of conduct and to ensure maintenance of law and order across the division.