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Chairman reviews overall performance of NAB

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DNA

ISLAMABAD:- July 06, 2020. A meeting of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was held at NAB headquarters under the chairmanship of Honourable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal Chairman NAB.Deputy chairman, Prosecutor General Accountability,Director General Operations and other senior officers of NAB were present. While all Director Generals attended the meeting via video link.

The meeting reviewed the overall performance of NAB.Speaking on the occasion, Chairman NAB said that NAB firmly believes in pursuing the policy of accountability for all. NAB doesn’t have affiliation with any political party, group or individual. The only affiliation of NAB is only with the state of Pakistan.

The NAB is mandated to recover the looted amount from the culprits, besides taking mega corruption cases to their logical conclusion. NAB officers are performing anti corruption duties by considering as their national duties.

The meeting reviewed the progress in the cases of former Prime Ministers Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Shaukat Aziz, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, former President Asif Ali Zardari, former Chief Ministers Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Qasim Ali Shah, Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani; Sanaullah Zehri, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah, former Ministers Ishaq Dar,Khawaja Saad Rafique, Dr Asim Hussain, Ahsan Iqbal,Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Miftah Ismael, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Aamir Kayani,Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Babar Khan Ghouri, Manzoor Wasan, Agha Siraj Durrani, Sohail Anwar Sial,Adil Siddique,Rauf Siddique, Sharjeel Inam Memon, Khursheed Shah,Waseem Akhtar, Sardar Ashiq Khan Gopang, Barjees Tahir, Ejaz Jakhrani, Rana Sanaullah, Sabtain Khan, Aleem Khan, Sahibzada Mehmood Zaib,Sher Azam Khan, Engineer Amir Muqam,Captain Safdar, Sardar Mehtab Abbasi,Usman Saifullah,Anwar Saifullah, Asfandyar Kakar,Asim Kurd , Saadat Anwar, Rehmat Baloch,Tamash Khan, Hamza Shahbaz, Salman Shahbaz, Hassan Nawaz, Hussain Nawaz, Ahad Cheema, Fawad Hassan Fawad,Amjad Ali Khan, Siddique Memon, Manzoor Kaka, Shahid ul Islam,Imran ul Haq,Abdul Ghani Majeed,Anwar Majeed, Ejaz Haroon,Zahid Mir, Asif Akhtar Hashmi, Tahir Basharat Cheema,Tariq Hameed,Dr Ehsan Ali, Ghulam Mustafa Phal, Farkhand Iqbal,Imtiaz Inayat Elahi,Kamran Lashari,Akhtar Nawaz Ganjera, Kamran Shafi and Khalid Mirza.The meeting also reviewed progress of ongoing investigations  against Bank Islami,Bank of Khyber,Malam Jabba,Billion Tree Tsunami and others.It merits mentioning here that Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan as granted stay order in BRT case. NAB will proceed ahead in this case in light of the instructions of the apex court in this regard.The meeting decided to utilise all resources to arrest the proclaimed offenders and Absconders as per law. Appeals will be filed against all the cases after getting certified copies of the decisions so that the looted amount could be recovered and deposited into national exchequer.The ongoing inquiries, complaint verifications, investigations will be completed as per law which is the firm resolve of NAB under the dynamic leadership of Honourable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman NAB as NAB’s actions speak louder than words. Therefore our accumulative success conviction ratio is about 68.8 percent which is one of the highest in the world.

PM Imran Khan holds video conference with DG WHO

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, JUL 6 – Prime Minister Imran Khan held a video conference with Director General World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom.

While noting progress made by Pakistan in containing the spread of virus, WHO appreciated the steps taken by the Government of Pakistan in fighting the pandemic.

The Prime Minister appreciated the support extended by WHO  to the international community including Pakistan  to fight COVID-19.The Prime Minister highlighted Pakistan’s strategy of deploying scientific and data driven interventions as well as rapid upgrades of health care facilities,  all while attempting to a maintain a balance between life and livelihood that has yielded positive results with a current downward trajectory in the spread of pandemic.

The Prime Minister observed that travel restrictions imposed by developed countries in the wake of COVID-19 can further exacerbate economic difficulties of developing countries struggling to mitigate adverse economic impact of the pandemic.

He called upon WHO to play its role in engaging member states to remove COVID-19 related travel restrictions for Pakistan and other developing countries and to work towards a data driven system of non discriminatory travel rules.Dr. Tedros Adhanom stated that WHO was working to suggest COVID-19 related travel guidelines to help the international community in making these decisions.

JS Bank crosses Rs. 400 billion in deposits

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DNA

Islamabad, 6th July, 2020: JS Bank, one of the fastest growing financial institutions in Pakistan, recorded another milestone with its deposit base reaching the Rs 400 billion (approx. USD 2.3 Billion) mark.

Acknowledged as one of Pakistan’s largest SME banks and mortgage providers offering diverse individual and institutional banking solutions; JS Bank has been recognized by the State Bank of Pakistan as the best performer under the Rozgar Refinance Scheme, a concessional credit scheme for SME’s that ensure zero job layoffs. The Bank is also driving entrepreneurship amongst women and differently abled persons through provision of targeted lending facilities.

Earlier this year, JS Bank won ‘Best Bank for SMEs’ and ‘Best Bank for CSR’ awards at the Asiamoney Awards 2020, as well as the Best Bank for SME (Pakistan) at the Asian Banking and Finance Awards.

“Deposit growth is a key indicator of customer confidence and financial stability”, said Basir Shamsie, President and CEO – JS Bank. “It is the support and patronage of our clients that has enabled us to scale so rapidly despite our relatively short time in the market.”

Growing from strength to strength, the bank’s continuous rise in deposit base and accounts, reflects highest standards of service and satisfaction experienced by an ever-increasing customer base.

Committed towards its role as a catalyst towards the progress and prosperity of Pakistan, the Bank hopes to continue this journey of impact by providing a variety of innovative conventional and digital solutions in the years ahead.

ICCI greets new FBR Chairman

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ISLAMABAD, JULY 6 (DNA) – Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) has welcomed Mohammad Javed Ghani on taking over the charge as Chairman FBR and hoped that he would take measures to address the key tax issues of the business community on priority basis.

He said that the current government and SBP have made many commitments to streamline tax refunds of the business community, but the pace of work on this process was quite slow due to which the business community was facing liquidity issues.

He said the Covid-19 pandemic has created extraordinary problems for the business community, while the lockdown has put many businesses at risk of permanent closure. This situation demanded that FBR should ensure speedy payment of tax refunds to taxpayers to mitigate their liquidity issues so that they would be able to revive business activities.

Mohammad Ahmad Waheed urged that Chairman FBR should focus on automation of all refunds including customs duty, sales tax and income tax so that all refunds were automatically transferred to the bank accounts of the concerned taxpayers and they do not have to go to FBR for this purpose.

He further said that another better solution to the problem of refunds was to allow taxpayers to adjust their payable taxes against refunds. Such a mechanism would not only address the liquidity and refunds issues of taxpayers; it would also improve the tax revenue of the government.

The ICCI President said that under Section-8B of Sales Tax Act, taxpayers were currently allowed to claim input tax of only 90 per cent of the output tax while they have to deposit 0.10 percent of the sales tax amount in cash at the time of depositing sales tax returns.

However, in these tough conditions paying cash of sales tax amount was very difficult for the business community as they have to incur expenditures on salaries of employees and on other expenses.

He stressed that FBR should abolish the cash payment of sales tax amount while filing sales tax returns to ease the problems of the business community, otherwise many businesses could face permanent closure.

He said that Islamabad Chamber of Commerce had repeatedly demanded from the government before the budget that taxpayers should be allowed input tax of the 100 percent of output tax but the government did not pay any attention to this issue in the budget. He requested that the new Chairman FBR should pay special attention to this issue and allow the taxpayers to claim input tax of the 100% of the output tax that would reduce their financial problems.DNA

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CPEC, a parallel world order focusing on economic cooperation, development: Masood

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DNA

Islamabad; July 06: Sardar Masood Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is one of six main projects coming under the mega Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project. Comparing the BRI to the Marshall Plan, he said that this project is of considerable economic and strategic importance as this unparalleled transcontinental project will connect countries and continents; thereby, creating a parallel economic world focusing on economic cooperation and development.

The President made these remarks while addressing a Q&A session organized by Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution (IICR) on “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and its impact on Societal Emancipation of Pakistan and Afghanistan”. The session was moderated by Maj. Gen. (R) Raza Muhammad, member IICR Advisory Board.

Masood Khan said that CPEC – a $62 billion spanning around 15 years project – comprises of ports, power generation plants and infrastructure development, which has now been made holistic and substantive with the addition of socio-economic development projects like skill development, employment and people to people contacts. “.The focus is not merely on Gawadar Port but Gawadar and every other city of Pakistan, skill development, improving our overall human resource capital and indexes. The CPEC has transformed into an organic relationship between two brotherly nations”, he said.

The President said that there is an overwhelming national consensus on CPEC. “All political leaders, political parties and stakeholders have been brought on board. The people of Balochistan are very optimistic for CPEC”, he said while adding that India has been trying to jeopardize peace in Pakistan by carrying out proxy wars in not only Balochistan but other areas of the country. “We have to brush aside these risks and stay the course”, he said.

The AJK President that CPEC must not be mistaken as a substitute for the growing Pakistani economy rather it shall act as a catalyst for economic transformation, modernize its industry, develop its maritime economy, build its human capital, and diversify its trading partners and sources of investment.

Responding to a question, the President said that in 2015 when CPEC was finalized, the US State Department gave a very positive statement over this initiative saying it would help towards development. But later during the Trump administration, the US expressed reservations. India, he said objects because they cannot bear to see Pakistan economically progress. India has contested that CPEC passes through a disputed territory (GB and AJK) – which in turn accentuates Pakistan’s stance that this area is a disputed territory while all the while India claims it as their “integral” part, he said. ”India’s claims lack clarity and are instead counter-intuitive”, said Masood Khan.

President Masood said that India, the lynchpin of QUAD, has tried to garner the support of Australia, USA and Japan in an attempt to sabotage CPEC by claiming it to be a disruptive programme. “Despite the opposition of India and its allies, completion of the Corridor will not see any delays. We have to look at the bigger picture; this project not only benefits Pakistan and China but the whole region including CARs and Afghanistan.

President Masood Khan said that China has established its writ in the Galwan Valley during the recent Ladakh standoff with India. India, he said is facing national humiliation and their reaction is more of self-emulation rather than punitive.

This standoff, said Masood Khan, will have an impact on the situation in IOJK as India brought Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir under union rule. He said that India further went on to issue fake maps bringing GB, AJK, Ladakh and Aksai Chin within India’s “so-called” territorial boundaries. China has in the recent past facilitated an informal debate on Jammu and Kashmir in the UN Security Council and now, not only does Pakistan and China have an economic alliance but also a military alliance and united against India’s expansionism.

To another query, the AJK President said that Afghanistan has always been very keen to join the CPEC. He added that the Afghan’s leadership and Pakistan’s government have a greater understanding and keenness in the project and despite complicating factors like security issues in Afghanistan, US presence along with the opposition of India, the ground is being prepared for including and incorporating Afghanistan in CPEC. Pakistan has recently played a positive role in the Afghan peace talks and its stock has increased in Washington too and is seen as a peacemaker, facilitator and mediator, he said while hoping the diplomatic process continues and there is peace and security not only in Afghanistan but the whole region.

Being asked about the apprehensions of debt-trap diplomacy rumoured by India, US and its allies; the President said that Pakistan does not more than 10 per cent of its total debt to China. He said that $33 billion of CPEC’s principal amount was not credited to Pakistan but instead was given to their corporations. The amount given directly to Pakistan under concessional and preferential credit lines amount to only $12 billion, said the President.

“We are a sovereign nation and we are fully capable of paying back these debts extended to us on a concessional basis”, he said.

The AJK President also rejected the notion that China could be the next East India Company and trashed observations that the BRI and CPEC could somehow lead to colonialism. The President said that historically China has never been a colonial power; Pakistan is a strong, pivotal country in the comity of nations and the East India Company, he said, was an imperial legacy.

Despite all these challenges and regional turbulences, the AJK President said that our leadership has to focus on economic development. “We can meet all the upcoming challenges if we are economically robust and have a rich human capital”, he said.

Fawad Ch. offers full support to COMSATS activities

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SAIFULLAH

DNA

ISLAMABAD: The Executive Director of the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), Dr. S. M. Junaid Zaidiin a meeting with the Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Mr. Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, briefed about the ongoing programmes and activities of COMSATS in various fields of science and technology for the benefit of its Member States, including Pakistan.

Mr. Fawad who is also the ex-officio Chairperson of COMSATS’ Consultative Committee.The meeting was also attended by Capt. (R) Nasim Nawaz, Secretary Science & Technology,Dr. Hussain Abidi, Member (Science and Technology), MoST; Dr. Ahsan Feroze, Director (IL), Pakistan Science Foundation; and other high officers of COMSATS Secretariat and Ministry of Science and Technology.

Dr. Zaidimade a detailed presentation on COMSATS and its programmes. He informed that COMSATS,being an inter-governmental organization based in Islamabad, is the apex forum of science and technology forthe developing countries represented by Heads of State/Government in the Commission. Other important organs of the organization are Minister-level Consultative Committee; Heads of Centers of Excellence-level Coordinating Council; and Technical Advisory Committee.It was informed that Hon. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (President ofthe Republic of Ghana)is the current Chairperson of COMSATS, which currently has 27 Member States and a Network of 24 International S&T Centres of Excellence.

The Executive Director apprised the Hon. Minister regarding the capacity building programmes, International Thematic Research Groups (ITRGs),South-South & Triangular cooperationendeavors; national, regional andinternational collaborations; scholarship&fellowship programmes, etc.He stated that despite having limited resources, COMSATS has made enormous contributions in the fields of science and technology in Pakistan via its flagship projects including COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI – established in 1998 that is a leading educational institution in Pakistan); COMSATS Internet Services (CIS – established in 1996 as pioneer internet services provider in Pakistan); and COMSATS Telehealth Services (CTH – initiated in 2001 as pioneer e-health service in Pakistan).

The Executive Director also deliberated upon the plannedprogrammes and initiatives of COMSATS for sustainable development of the member countries. The COMSATS’ Centre for Climate and Sustainability (CCCS) is one such initiative which has been taken in order to promote regional and global partnerships for climate action and sustainability in which over 15 countries are participating. It was recalled that COMSATS is also acting as aconduit between Governments of Pakistan and China for establishing an S&T Park in Jhelum, Pakistan.The future plans of the organization also include establishment of the COMSATS Innovation Lab in Islamabad; upgradation of CIS; provision of wireless broadband services for socio-economic development in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK); Distance Learning Support Network; establishment of 50 Rural Telehealth Clinics in Pakistan; and promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in Pakistan. It was informed that the possibility of establishing new universities on the lines of CUI in other member countries is also being explored.

The Federal Minister appreciated the efforts of COMSATS for promoting science-led sustainable development in Pakistanand other member countries. Hereiterated that Pakistan will continue to play its role as an active member of COMSATS and shall also contribute towards multilateral cooperation through other international forums. Being the Chair of COMSATS Consultative Committee, the Hon. Minister advised that a meeting of the Consultative Committee be organized virtually amid physical restrictions due to Coronavirus outbreak. He stated that Pakistan is ready to support COMSATS’ member countries as well as other developing countriesin COVID response through sharing expertise and providing PPEs. The Hon. Minister shared the plans of the Government of Pakistan for next three years and sought collaboration with COMSATS member states particularly in the areas of agriculture, electronics and chemical sciences. The Hon. Minister took keen interest in COMSATS Scholarship Programme, and advised COMSATS to give priority to the underprivileged brotherly countries.

The Minister and Secretary MoST alsoexchanged views with Executive Director COMSATS on various other issues including the strengthening of CIS, enhancing the effectiveness of CCCS, establishment of the Innovation Lab, and development and management of Science &Technology Park in Pakistan. Heacknowledged and appreciated the COMSATS’ Telehealth programmefor providing essential medical services in the rural areas of Pakistan. He advised to expand the scope of Telehealth services in Pakistan and other member countries.The meeting concluded with the FederalMinister’sofferoffull support towards the activities and programmes of COMSATS.

Specialized committee meeting of trade facilitation of ECO-CCI held via video link

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, JULY 6 – The Specialized Committee Meeting of Trade Facilitation of ECO Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ECO-CCI) was held via video link and attended by representatives of the Chambers of Commerce & Industry of member countries including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Pakistan and ECO Secretariat.

The meeting was presided over by Mr. Amjad Rafi, Chairman National Committee of ECO-CCI (Pakistan Chapter) and Chairman Specialized Committee of Trade Facilitation and Shaikh Sultan Rehman, Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) also attended the meeting from Pakistan.

While chairing the meeting, Mr. Amjad Rafi Chairman stated that the real challenge of trade facilitation is to minimize transaction costs and the complexity of international trade for businesses, without compromising efficient and effective levels of collection of customs revenues and other border controls. He also highlighted the pandemic situation and measures taken by the Government to minimize the risk for trade and industry. He also discussed in details the issues related to regional cooperation, trade cost, ECO visa sticker scheme, intra-ECO investment, exchange of knowledge, tariff rationalization, implementation of ECO Trade Agreement (ECOTA), ECO Trade Fair, ECO exhibition, technological transformation, joint ventures, promotion of barter trade and opening of border gates, implementation of ECO trade transit agreement etc.

Shaikh Sultan Rehman, Vice President FPCCI emphasized on promotion of intraregional trade and investment among the ECO countries. He pointed out that intra ECO trade is very low: 7-8 percent while the Intra-regional trade of other trading blocs is more than 50 percent; for example in EU it is 55% and 58% in NAFTA. He added that expanding of trade volumes require trade liberalization, harmonization of policies, reducing the cost of doing business, financial infrastructure, economic efficiency and institutional capacity building. He urged the member countries to move towards export of high value added, medium-to-high technology exports by upgrading and diversifying their industrial structure.

Dr. Syed Yahya Akhlaq, Deputy Secretary General ECO Secretariat also updated the status of implementation of ECOTA. He further informed that the agreement will come into force after approval in the next meeting ECOTA Cooperation Council likely to be held in August 2020 and ECOTA will be implemented either in the end of 2020 or early 2021. The house also suggested the holding of training sessions and work shop regarding the imports/exports procedures among member countries. During the meeting, the participants shared the experience of pandemic and measures taken by their government for facilitating their trade and investment by their government.

Bandhay ek dour se takes twitter by storm just after its second episode!

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Bandhay Ek Dour Se aired its second episode, and it is safe to say that the show has already taken over social media. Produced under the banner of 7th Sky Entertainment, under Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi, the show had managed to attract a lot of attention with its first promos and the release of its original soundtrack.

After two episodes, it is safe to say that the hype surrounding it was completely justified. This is evident with the ratings, the millions of views that every episode has on YouTube, the popularity of the OST, and acclaim from audiences and critics alike.

Within its second episode, the show has won another seal of approval from audiences when it was amongst the top ten trends on Twitter, something that other shows don’t manage to attain during their entire run. It remained the most tweeted about show on the micro-blogging site where everyone declared their love and affection for the show, story, and performances.Fans loved the way the show was executed and written and was praised for its performances by the lead as well as the supporting actors.
https://twitter.com/splendeurr/status/1278794267180371969
Then some couldn’t help but adore Umar and Maheen’s friendship in the show. They spoke of how their bond was one of the highlights of the show. Fans appreciated their chemistry and the spark in their relationship.
https://twitter.com/splendeurr/status/1278796598101843971
https://twitter.com/ina_mina_dika98/status/1278975639907758080
https://twitter.com/ina_mina_dika98/status/1278978542089322497

It will be exciting to see what happens in the upcoming episodes. We are just as excited as the audiences and fans. Bandhay Ek Dour Se is one of the latest outing of production maestros Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi that has instantly struck a chord with masses owing to its relatable storyline, progressive plot and heartfelt performances by the cast. Bandhay Ek Dour Se airs on Thursdays on Geo TV.

Indian Charge d’Affaires summoned to register protest over Ceasefire Violations by India

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, JUL 6 – A senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on 5th July 2020, resulting in serious injuries to five innocent civilians, including three children.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Nikial Sector of the LoC, on 5th July 2020, 10 year old Junaid s/o Dr. Muhammad Aziz, 7 year old Aryan s/o Muhammad Ishfaq, 70 year old Jahan Begum w/o Muhammad Wazeer, 50 year old Zubaida Bibi w/o Saddique Muhammad and 15 year old Kamran Shafique s/o Muhammad Shafique sustained serious injuries (all injured are residents of Truthi and Ghim Bala village).

The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 1595 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 14 shahadats and serious injuries to 121 innocent civilians.

Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct. These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security. It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).

Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding; investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB. The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.

Pakistani mangoes all set to hit Japanese market

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DNA

ISLAMABAD:  Mango export from Pakistan to Japan has started this season. Last year, these exported Pakistani mangoes reached a record high of 120 tons and were favorably received in the Japanese market.

Normally, mango exports to Japan require pre-clearance by Japanese inspectors who are dispatched to Pakistan and other countries following to quarantine regulations. However, the Government of Japan could not dispatch these Japanese inspectors due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year.

In light of this situation, the Government of Japan introduced a temporary measure, which allows mango exports by taking measurements and sending necessary data and documents to Japan for quarantine.

Japan will continue to support Pakistan in the agricultural field such as taking measures against locust control, expanding export of agricultural products, and investment in the food processing sector.

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