DNA

ISLAMABAD, OCT 10  – Justice (R) Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB has said that NAB Rawalpindi is flagship Regional Bureau of NAB which has played a prominent role in contributing towards the overall performance of NAB.

He said that NAB’s top most priority is on cases of mega corruption cases, money laundering, misuse of authority, assets beyond known sources of income, embezzlement of state funds, cheating the public at large, housing/cooperative scams and Modarba/Masharka scandals etc.

Since NAB’s inception, one of NAB’s major achievements has been the recovery of around Rs. 466/- billionof ill-gotten money which was deposited in the national exchequer which is a remarkable achievement of NAB. He appreciated the performance of NAB Rawalpindi under the supervision of Irfan Naeem Mangi, DG NAB Rawalpindi for recovering Rs. 23 billion in fake accounts cases on account of plea bargain which is deemed conviction.

Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB said that NAB has established its first Forensic Science Lab (FSL) in NAB Rawalpindi which has facilities of Digital Forensics, Questioned Documents and Fingerprint Analysis. The Chairman NAB said that NAB has rationalized its workload and timelines have been prescribed for efficient, effective and expeditious disposal of cases.

NAB has also introduced a new System of Combine Investigation Team (CIT) in order to benefit from the collective wisdom of senior supervisory officers, a system of CIT comprising of Director, Additional Director, two Investigation Officer, financial expert, land revenue expert and a Senior Legal Consultant has been put in place which lending quality to the work.

Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB said that NAB had adopted an effective Anti Corruption Strategy i.e.; Enforcement, Awareness and Prevention to eradicate corruption and to aware people about the ill effects of corruption at large.

He said that NAB’s performance has been appreciated by reputed national and international organizations which are proud of Pakistan due to NAB’s efforts. Honorable Justice Mr. Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB said that our success as country’s biggest apex anti-corruption agency inspires us to redouble our efforts in performance of our national duty with more dedication and commitment to eradicate the menace of corruption from our beloved motherland Pakistan in all its forms and manifestations. He said that our overall conviction rate in the trial court is about 68.8 percent which is one of the best conviction ratios as compared to other any corruption organizations.

He said that today NAB’s about 1230 corruption references are under trial and their approximate amount is Rs. 943 billion. He said that NAB is the first chairman of SAARC Anti-Corruption Forum. NAB is the only Organization in the world to whom China has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in order to streamline cooperation in the field of anti-corruption and oversee projects being undertaken China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

DNA

BAKU, OCT 10  –  A telephone conversation took place between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic Turkey Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

During the telephone conversation, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov briefed his Turkish counterpart about the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia held in Moscow with the mediation of the Russian Foreign Minister.

The Minister noted that a temporary truce had been declared between Azerbaijan and Armenia for humanitarian purposes, and that the occupying country had been given one last chance to negotiate and withdraw Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Mevlüt Çavusoglu said that the truce declared to exchange prisoners and dead bodies was an important step, but it is not a permanent solution, and Turkey would only support solutions that Azerbaijan agrees with.

Referring to the principled position of Azerbaijan, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stressed the need to implement relevant UN Security Council resolutions to ensure peace in the region.

ISLAMABAD, OCT 10 (DNA) – The experts have urged the federal government to avoid construction projects in the two islands Bundaal and Bundu that are habitats of the local biodiversity and the habitats of the migratory birds too. Under the Ramsar Convention and Convention on Biological Diversity and many other international and multilateral treaties signed by the Pakistan government, we need to fulfil our national and international commitments that are more important for us as a nation than obliging a few influential elites.

Speaking at a webinar on “Migratory Birds: where we stand now”, the experts urged the provincial governments to take necessary measures to protect the ‘guest birds’ from overhunting, ensuring safe flying through Pakistan and resting on the lakes and ponds.

The webinar was organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) on Saturday to mark the World Migratory Bird Day that falls on October 10. The experts included EV-K2 CNR Scientific Representative on Biosphere and Climate Change Ashiq ahmed Khan, IUCN Pakistan Country Head Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, WWF Pakistan Director Sindh and Balochistan Programme Dr Tahir Rasheed, Secretary Agriculture and Wildlife (Sindh) Abdul Rahim Soomro, Biodiversity and Habitat expert and former staff of the Ministry of Climate Change Umeed Khalid, Project Manager Biodiversity (Gilgit-Baltistan) IUCN Pakistan Saeed Abbas, Cholistan Institute of Desert Development Shazia Anjum and Prof Saleem Azam, a longtime hunter. The webinar was hosted and conducted by Devcom-Pakistan and DTN Executive Director Munir Ahmed.

Ashiq Ahmed Khan, Ev-K2-CNR Scientific Representative on Biospheres and Climate Change, said the migratory birds connect the world in one ecological order. But 60 percent of them lose their life on the journey to several hazards including storms, hunting, collisions with man-made objects such as wind turbines, and starvation. The risk of starvation is increased when stopover sites are lost through climate change or loss of habitat to development or agriculture.

In Pakistan, he said, they face massive licensed overhunting while their habitats have been destroyed due to criminal negligence by the authorities. All the Ramsar sites are in the worst condition despite Pakistan having signed all the international treaties very eagerly. Unfortunately we see no action accordingly. After devolution it is the responsibility of the provinces but they lack capacity and political will.

Mahmood Aktar Cheema said rapid population growth and ill-planned change in the land-use are the core challenges for Pakistan that has created most of the critical issues facing the nation. We handle the issue of migratory birds despite all policy frameworks available.

We need a 10-year integrated sustainable development plan starting off from 2021 while preparing ourselves for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) next year. He said the federal government should have a fresh look on the National Policy on Wetlands pending for the last eight years.

Tahir Rasheed said we have no source to collect data on the migratory birds though we are one the eight most important routes for the migratory birds.

A huge percentage of the migratory birds lose their lives to overhunting and lack of habitats in Pakistan. The migratory birds help in ecosystem balance by eating up the crops’ enemy insects. Many influential people have developed their own ponds and lakes with toy-ducks to attract the guest birds for their illegal hunting. Unfortunately the district management and local authorities play blind on these criminal activities.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed said devolution of the environment after the 18th Amendment in the Constitution has played havoc to all the social sectors including environment, habitats and community health. Provincial governments need to take care of their mandate and responsibilities by allocating sufficient resources and investing in the capacity of districts to face the challenges of sustainable development and environment.

Federal government shall take inclusive and participatory measures to fulfil its national and international obligations for the best environmental, economic interests and community health.

Sindh Secretary Wildlife Abdul Halim Soomro said that the Sindh government has taken several steps for the protection of lakes, habitats, biodiversity and wildlife.

Hale Je Lake has been rehabilitated while work is in progress on other lakes too. Restoration of habitats for biodiversity is also in progress besides planting a million saplings and initiating urban forestation.=DNA

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DNA

ABBOTTABAD, OCT 10  –   Passing out parade held at Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Kakul, Abbottabad. Passed out cadets were of 142nd PMA Long Course, 32nd Technical Graduate Course, 61st Integrated Course, 16th Lady Cadet Course and 1st Basic Military Training Course.Cadets from Palestine, Maldives, Qatar and Sri Lanka were also among the passed out courses.

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa was the chief guest on the occasion.COAS reviewed the parade and gave awards to distinguished cadets.

The coveted Sword of Honour was awarded to Academy Senior Under Officer Muhammad Faateh of 142nd PMA Long Course.

The President’s Gold Medal to Battalion Senior Under Officer Junaid Khan of 142nd PMA Long Course, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Overseas Gold Medal to Under Officer Naazim Naseer of 142nd PMA Long Course from Maldives, Chief of Army Staff Cane to Company Junior Under Officer Tanawosh of 32nd Technical Graduate Course and Commandant Cane awarded to Sargent Hamza Tariq of 61st Integrated Course, Company Sargent Major Ada Urooj of 16th Lady Cadet Course and Company Under Officer Mehwish Anjum of 1st Basic Military Training Course.

DNA

ISLAMABAD  —  Former President ICCI Shahid Rasheed Butt on Saturday said incompetent rules have inflicted more harm to the economy than the enemies of Pakistan have.

Volumes can be written on the promises of the rulers which were never honoured, he said.

Shahid Rasheed Butt said that the overwhelming majority of rulers have depended on promises and claims while damaging national interest for their gains with the exception of a few.

He noted that a neighbouring country is destabilising Pakistan since decades with transforming our country into a desert high on her agenda but the rulers have ignored this threat for the last 53 years. Rather they have amassed billions in the name of overcoming energy scarcity.

There is not a single political party in Pakistan which can claim to have substantially improved area under cultivation, yield, irrigation system or quality of life of farmers.

Despite being an agricultural country our import of fruits and vegetables is more than what it was fifteen years back, he observed.

Mr. Butt said that nothing was done to boost industrialisation in the country to improve employment, production, exports resulting in unsustainable import bill.

Bringing the bleeding energy sector, PIA, Steel Mills, Railways and many other institutions were never considered a good decision by successive governments as reforms in the institutions have a political price no one is ready to pay.

The political struggle among politicians has taken the economy as hostage and masses have to pay the bill for uncertainty, he said, adding that majority of rulers were good in borrowing pushing up debt to over Rs 44000 billion and burdening country by foreign debt worth 112 billion dollars.

MUHAMMAD TAHIR

DNA

FAISALABAD, OCT 10 – Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO is striving hard to provide maximum facilities to its consumers, protection of the rights of consumers as well as officials is top priority of FESCO, said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) FESCO Eng. Arshad Munir he was addressing to the officers at FESCO headquarters here today.

CEO directed to escalate the speed on different electricity related development projects in all eight districts of FESCO region and said that provision of uninterrupted power supply to its consumers is FESCO’s top priority.

He said that many projects are in pipeline to strengthen and upgrade the distribution system.He made it clear that we have to work together for consumers satisfaction because a satisfy consumers reflects the company success.

He also directed the senior officers to transfer their expertise and skills to the juniors to improve the performance of company and facilitate the consumers.Director Public Relations Officer Tahir Mahmmud Sheikh told.

Earlier, different delegations of the unions also met the Arsahd Munir and presented him bouquets of flowers. CEO thanked them and directed to follow the safety-first principal so that company could be saved from fatal and non-fatal accidents.

The 2020 research will assess the impact of extremism and terrorism on mental health and national psyche. The Research will also explore public policy options for increased investments in mental health.

Islamabad, OCT 10  – Pakistan is fighting its war on terror for the last 40 years, this has greatly impacted the national psyche towards others and especially how citizens react to any external stimuli. Mishal Pakistan, a country partner institute of the Future of Economic Progress System Initiative of the World Economic Forum will be conducting this longitudinal study to measure the state of mental health in Pakistan and beyond.

The study is announced on the World Mental Health Day, which is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.

The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. Specifically, goal 3 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focuses on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages. World leaders have committed to “prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases, including behavioural, developmental and neurological disorders, which constitute a major challenge for sustainable development”.

Neuropsychiatric disorders in Pakistan make up the 11.9 percent of the global diseases while only 2.62 percent of the GDP is spent on health, and data on incidents related to suicide remains unavailable. Mishal Pakistan’s research study will look in to the psychological health of Pakistan to assess the impact of violence as a result of the war on terror. This research initiative focuses on assessing the impact of terrorism on a society’s mental wellbeing and how it effects the individuals belonging to these respective communities. The recent data shows that the overall mental health of communities has been majorly impacted during the COVID-19 outbreak while violence remains one of the key factors of the collective consciousness of the society.

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan and the Member Experts Network of the World Economic Forum said, “Mental Health is one of the most ignored areas of research in Pakistan, while the nation is exposed to multiple challenges the policy makers need the said research data for public policy design and allocation of appropriate resources”. He further said, the research will seek help from the academia sector to incorporate the research findings into the knowledge platforms across the globe and suggest public policy options for increased investment in mental health”. This is also the theme of the World Mental Health Day 2020 as well.

Pakistan has been fighting the war on terrorism for more than 40 years. It is anticipated that the war has had a serious impact on the mental health of the society and has created an overall negative effect on the communities and their well-being. A 2019 study by American Psychological Association indicated that 41% women in KPK who were temporarily placed from Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan (FATA) to Jalozai Camps were experiencing PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Mishal Pakistan aims to study the correlation between extreme circumstances and mental health while highlighting how it impacts the population of the country in different segments.

Speaking on the occasion, Nadim Salim, Chief Executive Officer of Insights Research, said that, “one of the things that motivated us to conduct the Research study is that working on mental health helps improve our communities by making it more acceptable for those suffering from mental illnesses to seek help, learn to cope, and get on the road to recovery”. He also said, “In addition, mental health isn’t just about mental illnesses. It’s also about maintaining a positive state of wellbeing”.

This year’s World Mental Health Day, on 10 October, comes at a time when our daily lives have changed considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The past months have brought many challenges: for health-care workers, providing care in difficult circumstances, going to work fearful of bringing COVID-19 home with them; for students, adapting to taking classes from home, with little contact with teachers and friends, and anxious about their futures; for workers whose livelihoods are threatened; for the vast number of people caught in poverty or in fragile humanitarian settings with extremely limited protection from COVID-19; and for people with mental health conditions, many experiencing even greater social isolation than before. And this is to say nothing of managing the grief of losing a loved one, sometimes without being able to say goodbye.

The economic consequences of the pandemic are already being felt, as companies let staff go in an effort to save their businesses, or indeed shut down completely.

Given past experience of emergencies, it is expected that the need for mental health and psychosocial support will substantially increase in the coming months and years. Investment in mental health programmes at the national and international levels, which have already suffered from years of chronic underfunding, is now more important than it has ever been.

According to a joint research of the Pakistan Psychiatric Center, Fountain House and the Shaukat Khanum Research Center published in the Taiwan Psychiatric Review 2020, Pakistan has only 400 trained psychiatrists for a population of 220 million, while more than 15 million people are suffering from one form of mental illness or the other. Moreover, Pakistan is a traditionalist society where discussing mental illness or related dysfunctional behavior is highly discouraged. The study by Mishal Pakistan will also examine the social structures and the pressure associated with discouraging people to seek professional help.

Mishal Pakistan is Pakistan’s leading strategic communication and design company. It is also the country Partner Institute of the Future of Economic Progress System Initiative, World Economic Forum. Mishal is responsible to generate primary data on more than 150 indicators measuring Pakistan’s competitiveness and other indicators. Mishal’s foremost domain of activity is behaviour change communication, strategic communication with a spotlight on media and perception management.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, OCT 10 –  Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused drastic decline in the business activities across the country and it was high time that the government should focus on formulating more conducive policies besides taking supportive measures for the private sector to enable businesses to revive and boost business activities in the country.

He emphasized that the State Bank of Pakistan should work with commercial banks to provide loans on low interest rates to the private sector for revival and expansion of business ventures. He was addressing a dinner reception hosted by Sheikh Abdul Waheed, Chairman, Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA) and Faad Waheed, Executive Member ICCI in honor of new Office Bearers of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said promoting ease of doing business should be the top priority of the government so that the economy could come out of the difficulties created by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, instead of taking facilitative measures for businesses, FBR was issuing regulatory orders like SRO-924 and SRO-931/2020 that would create additional problems for businesses of Construction and automobile sectors. He stressed that FBR should take stakeholders fully on board before issuing any new SRO that would save the economy from unnecessary problems.

Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, Chairman, Punjab Board of Investment and Trade highlighted the potential areas of investment in the Punjab Province and said that the business community should capitalize on them for future business promotion and growth. He stressed the need of close cooperation and regular interaction between policymakers and business leaders to make new policies that should put the economy on the path of sustainable growth.

Mian Akram Farid Chairman Founder, Ms. Fatma Azim Senior Vice President, Abdul Rehman Khan Vice President ICCI, former Presidents FPCCI Abdul Rauf Alam, Zubair Ahmed Malik, Ghazanfar Bilour, former Presidents ICCI Khalid Javed, Tariq Sadiq, Zafar Bakhtawri, Mian Shaukat Masud, Ejaz Abbasi, Atif Ikram Sheikh, Zahid Maqbool, Sheikh Amir Waheed, Baser Daud, Ahmed Mughal, Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, as well as Ch. Waheed ud Din, Nasir Qureshi, President Haripur CCI Shehbaz Sheikh, President RCCI Nasir Mirza, Sohail Altaf, Khalid Tawab, Samina Fazal, Rafat Farid, Ahsan Bakhtasari, Ajmal Baloch, Khalid Chaudhry, Malik Sohail Hussain, Tahir Mehmood, Executive Members ICCI, Presidents of Market Associations and a large number of business community attended the dinner reception.