KARACHI : The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet on Tuesday (today) for sighting the Zilhajj moon.

The committee will meet at Met Complex in Karachi after Asar prayers.

Zonal Ruet-e-Hilal Committees would also meet in Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar, while the district bodies will meet at their respective headquarters on the day.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had predicted on July 4 that there is a fair chance of sighting the moon of Zilhaj, 1441 AH on the evening of July 21 i.e. on 29th of Ziqad.

In a statement the met office had said that the new moon of Zilhaj, 1441 AH will be born on crossing conjunction point at 22:33 Pakistan Standard Time (PST) on 20 July (Monday).

According to astronomical parameters, there is ‘fair chance’ of sighting the new moon of
Zilhaj, 1441 AH on the evening of Tuesday, July 21st i.e. on 29th of Ziquad, 1441 AH, the met office predicted.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry also announced that Eid-ul-Adha will be celebrated on July 31 in Pakistan. Zilhaj moon can be sighted in Karachi and it’s peripheral areas on July 21, the minister further said in a tweet.

Eid-ul-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Islamic lunar calendar, and lasts for three days.

Eid Al Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice, is one of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God. Traditionally marked by the slaughter of animals, whose meat is shared with family members and the poor.

The faithful slaughter their sacrificial animals in remembrance of the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim, which continues for three days of Eid.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the Peshawar High Court (PHC) order for the release of 196 alleged terrorists.

A three-member bench headed by Justice Mushir Alam passed this direction while hearing the case in Islamabad.

The court has sought a record of the cases of these 196 alleged terrorists from the federal government and issued notices to all parties.It is pertinent to mention here that the military courts had sentenced these 196 people for their involvement in terrorism.

Earlier on June 16, the two-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Mohammad Naeem Anwar set aside the conviction orders after hearing 300-plus cases of terror suspects convicted by the military courts.

The military courts had awarded death sentences, life imprisonment and ten years imprisonment to them. The court allowed the appeals of 200 petitioners and ordered their release from jail.

In its short order, the PHC bench said that the accused were convicted on the ground of their confessional statements while they were not provided the opportunity of fair trial.

LAHORE, JULY 20 (DNA) – The Meteorological Department had forecast rain with strong winds and thundershowers in different parts of Punjab including Lahore and Islamabad and torrential rain in some places.

It also rained in Lahore in the morning after which the sun rose but it was not so intense. As evening approached, the clouds settled in the sky and strong winds began to blow.

Rain was also recorded in Islamabad, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Lower Sindh yesterday but the weather remained hot and humid in other parts of the country.

Hafizabad 92, Mangla 70, Kasur 57, Murree 24, Lahore 21, Sialkot 13, Sargodha 12, Islamabad 10, Mandi Bahauddin 09, Jhelum 07, Gujranwala 05, Chakwal, Gujarat 03, Narowal 02, Rawalpindi 01, Balakot 30, Kakul 03, Kotli 19, Rawalakot, Garhi Dupatta 09, Muzaffarabad 04, Khuzdar 11 and Bunji 01 mm rain was recorded.

Yesterday, Nokandi, Dalbandin, Bhakkar recorded 44 degrees Celsius while Peshawar, Bahawalnagar and Sibi recorded 43 degrees Celsius. = DNA

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DNA

Islamabad, July 20 : While chairing the meeting of the Special Committee on CPEC, Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman asked if the news about CPEC losing its lead Ministry to the Authority is true.

“It has come to our attention that some important changes are under consideration on how the CPEC Authority will be run . We hear that the planning minister will be removed from lead roles to be replaced by the CPEC chairman, and various new powers will be given to the CPEC authority.

There should be more clarity on this as this news was not refuted. If this is indeed true then why are the powers of the planning minister being limited? Is it because of lack of performance? What is the role of the Prime Minister in this? Will CPEC Authority not be under the supervision of any Ministry?” she questioned

The Senator said, “The purpose of the Authority was to coordinate better between 16 ministries that are involved in the inter-ministerial coordination. The lapses in the project occur due to mismanagement and lack of strategic planning . Either way it is important to establish strong ministerial capacity and leadership in moving projects forward with inclusion and transparency.” she added.

This was then clarified by Chairman General Bajwa and Secretary Planning in the Senate CPEC committee meeting, that there is no move to change the lead ministry’s role in CPEC Authority, which is Planning.

While discussing the need for developing stronger  partnerships among provinces, snd noting a slowness in projects in Balochistan she said, “The province of Balochistan is close to our hearts and all the projects under the umbrella of CPEC are important for development”.

Rehman highlighted the importance of Gawadar in CPEC, and said, “The city of Gawadar and the Province of Balochistan would not only thrive but the trade and economic activities would leave a positive impact on the overall development of the country. The operationalization of Gwadar port and completion of development projects in the city would be a big achievement for the area“.

“CPEC is an important platform for Pakistan and all parties stand united on it. It is vital that the provinces are taken into confidence as their partnership is of immense importance, “she added.

The committee was briefed that 19 projects were completed, 28 were under implementation and 41 were in the pipeline. The CPEC Chairman assured the committee that all projects will be completed on time within the stipulated and given timelines as they were finalised at the time of signing agreements.

Parliamentary Leader of the PPP in the Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman concluded by emphasizing the need for expediting work on the various projects related to power generation, agriculture, science and technology and communication infrastructure. She said, “We want CPEC to progress, and the development initiatives under this project need to be made inclusive by taking all on board as it is a game changer for the whole region”.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, JUL 20 – On 20^th July 2020, a meeting was held between Engr. Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, Vice Chancellor, Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) and Major General Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery HI(M), (Retd), President CGSS at Islamabad.

The meeting was held to discuss future collaborative projects between CGSS and IUB. It was decided that Islamia University of Bahawalpur and CGSS will jointly collaborate to enhance cooperation and in the domain of research and development. Furthermore, both the institutions will work and explore opportunities to involve the academia in the multilateral fields. It was decided that CGSS will link Islamia University of Bahawalpur with various international universities and will also initiate student exchange programs.

Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed (Retd), Vice President CGSS and Lt Colonel Khalid Taimur Akram (Retd), Executive Director CGSS were also present during the meeting.