ISLAMABAD To augment Pakistan’s locust control efforts, Turkish government has offered its expertise to the Government of Pakistan. In this regard, on the special instructions of Pakistan Government, a PAF C-130 aircraft arrived at Adana, Turkey to airlift purpose built Piper Brave spray aircraft from the brotherly country. The aircraft, along with four crew members would be landing in Pakistan today, where it would be assembled before its departure for the pest infected areas in the country. This aircraft would be used to fight the locust onslaught on various crops and cultivable lands across the country, especially Sindh and Punjab. Turkey and Pakistan are all weather friends and this gesture would help improve a comprehensive pest control system to overcome the locust plague. PAF transport fleet has a rich history of serving the nation in various natural calamities and it has been in the forefront of providing air transport to the relief efforts in the country.
To honor the brave services of front-line police personnel safeguarding Lahore by putting their own well-being at risk during the Covid-19 outbreak, Hashoo Group has launched an initiative to benefit them by providing Sehr and Iftar meals at their checkpoints during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
This was agreed in a meeting held between the Superintendent of Police, Civil Lines Division Mr. Dost Muhammad and the Hotel Manager Pearl-Continental Hotel Lahore Mr. Hussain Abbas on Wednesday, May 6th, 2020.
Under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, Hashoo Group is going to provide daily Sehr and Iftar meals to on-duty law-enforcement agency (LEA) personnel deployed at security checkpoints under Lahore, Civil Lines Division. The Group, in collaboration with Lahore Police, is going to deliver a total of 7,000 hygienically packed, nutritious meals to the policemen manning these checkpoints throughout the Holy month of Ramadan.
Through this heartfelt gesture of gratitude, Hashoo Group aims to acknowledge and appreciate the dauntless courage of the law-enforcement personnel rendering tireless duties to ensure the safety and security of the citizens under the turmoil of the pandemic.
In addition, Hashoo Foundation – through its Hashoo Humanitarian Program – has already responded to the crisis with its emergency and relief activities such as the distribution of food packages, hygiene and medical kits to vulnerable communities and LEAs, and will continue to do so until the pandemic is over.
Mr. Haseeb Gardezi, Chief Operating Officer – Hashoo Group Hospitality Division, said: “We thank the courageous policemen for displaying genuine care and bravery in bringing us peace and security while we stay comfortable and feel safe at our homes during this unprecedented time.”
DNA BEIJING, May 6 ): The COVID-19 spreads will affect the construction of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to a certain extent, but the effect is likely to be within a controllable range, said a report published by China Economic Net (CEN) on Wednesday.
The report says, it is a matter of concern these days, COVID-19 spreads rapidly in Pakistan, as confirmed cases have crossed 22,000 with 476 deaths.
The CPEC is a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which runs through the northern and southern parts of Pakistan, where the pandemic is getting worse.
Now everyone is very much concerned about the COVID-19 impact on the construction of CPEC projects. Some people say that it has an impact, some say there is no impact, and others say the impact is very large.
The impact on CPEC will depend on the spread of the epidemic in days to come and the effectiveness of Pakistan’s epidemic prevention and control measures.
We should seek truth from facts. At the same time, we should be alert to the fact that there is a force in the world that does not wish to see the success of CPEC, so they arbitrarily exaggerate the impact of the pandemic on CPEC development.
The Chinese and Pakistani governments and peoples have firm determination to overcome difficulties caused by COVID-19 and promote CPEC construction.
Therefore, while fighting COVID-19 together, the two governments attach great importance to the continuous construction of CPEC projects.
Both governments have maintained close communication and coordination on specific issues of CPEC projects now. Normal flights between the two countries were temporarily interrupted due to the epidemic, but Chinese technicians had returned to the site by chartered airplanes.
The Chinese enterprises have implemented closed-off management and all CPEC projects have formulated prevention and control plans and implemented them very strictly, therefore effectively preventing the invasion of the novel coronavirus.
So far there is no COVID-19 spread at the project sites. The Chinese government and headquarters of the Chinese enterprises have provided sufficient prevention and medical materials to workers onsite, and sent medical teams to the construction sites.
In addition, the Chinese enterprises participating in the construction of CPEC projects are also actively making contributions to the prevention and control of the pandemic in various locations in Pakistan, donating materials to the local governments, schools and hospitals.
At present, Pakistan’s economy and its people are struggling, especially when facing the strike of COVID-19.
Therefore, in this special period, the continuous construction of CPEC is of great significance, because these infrastructure projects as well as special economic zones and industrial parks are closely related to future development of Pakistan.
All walks of life in Pakistan have reached a consensus that CPEC is the lifeline of Pakistan. Recently, I have read an article written by a Pakistani friend on social media, saying that Pakistan’s future development can be maintained only if CPEC’s development is further promoted, the report added.
Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab on Tuesday said the government had the capacity to test more people for coronavirus but people were avoiding to get tested due to social stigma.
Wahab, speaking in Geo News’ programme “Aaj Shahzaib Khanzada Kay Sath”said: “We have a testing capacity of 4,800 tests but people are afraid to get tested due to social stigma. The government cannot force them into it and that is why we are only conducting 2,500-3,000 tests everyday.”
Talking about the facilities available in public hospitals he said: “We have sufficient space available for patients in public hospitals, but naturally, people prefer to get treated from private hospitals and that has put a lot of pressure on them [private hospitals] .”
“There are some private hospitals in Karachi that have not established an isolation facility, so if you go there, those facilities will not be able to entertain you,” he said.
“9920445, 11206565, and 0316-0111712 are the numbers that the people can call on to get information regarding the hospitals treating patients for coronavirus,” Wahab said.
“Isolation facilities are available in Civil Hospital, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Lyari General Hospital, Dow University Ojha campus, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Indus Hospital, Aga Khan Hospital, Ziauddin Hospital, and the Expo Centre field hospital,” he said.
“We have given Indus Hospital an isolation facility at Gadap Town, while we have handed over another isolating facility to Indus in Dumba Goth,” he added.
Speaking about Dr Furqan-ul-Haq’s death he said that his case was “mishandled”. He said that Dr Furqan was set to go to a hospital but at the last moment was advised by a friend to go to SIUT. “Unfortunately, he was not able to reach there and passed away.”
“All the required facilities are available in hospitals. If he had reached there within time, his life could have been saved,” said Wahab regretfully.
MADRID: Rafael Nadal has said he views the rest of this year as “practically lost” for tennis and would even be relieved if the sport returned as normal at the start of 2021.
The men’s and women’s tours have been stopped due to the coronavirus pandemic, with Wimbledon cancelled for the first time since World War II and the French Open postponed until the end of September.
But Nadal, who has won 12 of his 19 grand slam titles at Roland Garros, believes the chances of tennis restarting before the end of this year are slim.
“I hope to play as soon as possible but if I think about it logically, we travel every week from one place to another, we are in contact with hotels, airports, all in different places,” Nadal said in an interview with Spanish newspaper ABC on Tuesday.
“If you gave me the ability to guarantee that in January 2021, a normal season like before will begin, I would sign for that now with my eyes closed.”
In a separate interview with El Pais, Nadal said: “I’m more looking to the Australian Open than what happens later this year. I see 2020 as practically lost.”
Nadal at 33 is in the latter stages of his illustrious career and the hiatus came just as he looked to be closing in on the 20 major titles won by the 38-year-old Roger Federer.
If tennis returns this summer, Nadal could choose to skip the US Open and save himself for the French, given there would be just a week between the two.
“It’s all hypothetical because I don’t think it will be like that,” said Nadal to ABC. “My feeling, and I say it with sadness and I won’t lie to you, is that we are losing a year of our lives.
“And at 33 or 34 years old that is much more valuable than at 20 when you have many more years ahead, even if it’s still a year.
“Frankly, I think that will not happen. From the US Open to Roland Garros with a week in between, I just don’t think we can play.”
ISLAMABAD: A session of the Parliament will convene on May 11 at 3pm, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Tuesday, adding that the meeting would only focus on coronavirus.
Speaking to the media here in the federal capital, Qureshi said the parliamentary session would continue every other day. “It was decided that no quorum will be identified in this meeting,” he added.
“The session of the Parliament will be limited to [discussion on] the coronavirus pandemic only,” the foreign minister underlined.
Qureshi also explained that no visitors would be allowed to participate in the session and that movement in the Parliament Lodges would also be limited.
Chaudhry laments virtual session idea being ignored
A day prior, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said the Opposition parties opposed technology by opposing a proposed virtual meeting of the Parliament amid the coronavirus lockdown.
“The Parliament session is necessary but people’s health is also necessary,” Chaudhry had said.
“The speaker [of the National Assembly] has contracted the coronavirus,” he had added, referring to PTI leader Asad Qaiser, who had tested positive for COVID-19 alongside his son and daughter on April 30.
The federal minister had said he earlier proposed a virtual meeting. “We don’t go to the Parliament to hug each other; one has to talk, make speeches,” he noted.
The Parliament, he had underscored, had a role in the political sphere, which was why it was necessary to call a virtual meeting. The Opposition parties, by opposing the idea of a virtual meeting had resisted technology, he had observed.
ISLAMABAD, May 5 (DNA):Pakistan on Tuesday rejected Indian allegations relating to indigenous Kashmiris’ resistance and said the recent incidents in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJK) were reflective of the inescapable reality that India’s brutal campaign of violence and repression was meeting its logical consequences.
Attributing the indigenous Kashmiri resistance to any alleged “infiltration” was a travesty, the Foreign Office said here in a statement.
“India’s typical allegations of ‘infiltration’ ring hollow also because all these incidents have taken place deep inside the valley, several miles behind Indian military’s extensive infiltration grid, comprising several layers of security,” the FO said.
Across the Line of Control (LoC), using the pretext of so-called “infiltration” and “launch pads”, Indian forces were deliberately targeting unarmed Pakistani civilians, including women and children, the statement said.
In over 975 unprovoked Cease Fire Violations by India since 1 January 2020, the Foreign Office said six innocent civilians had lost their lives and another 69 had been critically injured. This inhuman war tactics could not be condemned enough.
The FO said India could not mislead the international community with its unfounded allegations and aggressive actions on the ground. Indian insinuations against Pakistan were patently designed to divert international as well as domestic attention from India’s grave human rights violations in the IOJK, the treatment of Indian minorities, and mismanagement by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government of COVID-19 related challenges, said the statement.
Pakistan once again called upon the international community to take cognizance of the threat to peace and stability in South Asia posed by India’s irresponsible rhetoric and belligerent posture. The world must act to restrain India before the reckless policies of the ideologically-driven RSS-BJP dispensation caused grievous harm to regional peace and security, the FO said.
The people of Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir had been suffering under inhuman lockdown and military siege for over nine months, following India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, the FO said and added the entire region had been turned into a prison, with unprecedented restrictions which continued despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout the period, the FO said, every single right of the Kashmiri people had been trampled upon by the Indian occupation forces acting with complete impunity under draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Public Safety Act (PSA), and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
The FO said Pakistan had been assiduously highlighting at all international fora the gross and systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan had also consistently sensitised the world community about the consequences of India’s brutalisation of the Kashmiris and the imminence of their resistance to the cruel and inhuman treatment being meted out to them by the Indian occupation forces, day in and day out, it added.
At the start of a video conference on May 5, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev expounded once more on the efforts in progress in our country to combat the coronavirus infection as well as on the disasters in Bukhara and Syrdarya regions. The head of state noted in particular:
What we all observe today is how humanity is struggling with both the coronavirus and equally the resulting economic crisis.
A growing number of countries are gradually softening lockdown measures to overcome the difficult situation.
Thanks to the Almighty, the epidemiological situation in Uzbekistan has currently been stabilizing. With each passing day, there are more recovering patients that those sick. So are people leaving the quarantine regime than those getting shut down. As a result, out of 2,204 patients infected with coronavirus, 1,454 or 66 percent of patients have fully recovered.
83 percent of quarantined people have already returned home. Positive dynamics are evident. All necessary measures are being taken to treat 740 patients remaining in hospitals, restore their health and return them to their families.
All this has been barely easy. To date, we have streamlined 2 trillion 250 billion soums from the Anti-Crisis Fund and $ 500 million from funds of international financial institutions.
Today, no one in the world knows for sure how long this pandemic will last. Therefore, no matter how difficult it may be, we must learn to work and live in a pandemic, and in accordance with all its requirements.
Now, taking advantage of the fact that the epidemiological situation has changed for the better, we must gradually weaken the lockdown regime in our economy. These restrictions have a huge negative impact on economic development and the life of the population.
In this respect, we have taken the first steps to soften the quarantine requirements in order to create convenience for our people, especially farmers and entrepreneurs.
Dear friends!
This year, the entire human race, including us, are tested for strength. Over the past week alone, our people have faced a series of unexpected trials.
You are well aware of the severe natural disaster that occurred on the night of April 27-28 in the Bukhara region, especially in Alat and Karakul districts. It impaired more than 38,000 homes, as well as 847 social facilities and crops throughout the region. Serious damage was caused to agriculture, manufacturing sector, services and infrastructure.
We take all necessary measures to eliminate the consequences of the calamity. The government commission is working around the clock. To date, the roofs of 70 percent of social facilities and 20 percent of the homes have been restored. In addition, 5 thousand kilometers of power lines, 1.1 thousand transformers have been repaired and power supply restored for 286 thousand residents. Individual houses are also being overhauled.
Unfortunately, the trials did not end there.
As you know, due to the emergency at the Sardoba reservoir in the Syrdarya region, about 90 thousand people from 24 mahallas of the Sardoba, Akaltyn and Mirzaabad districts were immediately evacuated to safe areas. All of them are provided with basic necessities, food, clothing and other products. The government commission is working to remove the consequences and investigate the causes of the flood.
Until all issues related to the restoration and repair of damaged housing, the return of people to their homes, assistance to them in establishing their lives, restoring infrastructure, protecting public health are resolved, all executives assigned to Syrdarya shall continue working in emergency mode.
The life of people in these areas should not only be restored to its previous state, but also improved. I think we are obliged to build them new housing, social facilities, create new jobs.
To date, large-scale works have been undertaken in a number of mahallas to clear and do up. As a result, more than 53 thousand people have returned to their homes or moved to those of close relatives.
I repeat: our state and society will not leave anyone unattended in the face of such unexpected disasters.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defense, as well as the National Guard played an important role in saving lives and evacuating people. Today they are widely occupied with emergency recovery works.
Unfortunately, according to available data, 4 people died as a result of the natural disaster, 1 went missing. In particular, two officers of the National Guard were carried away by a strong stream of water during the warning and rescue operations. They sacrificed their lives and saved the lives of hundreds of people.
I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims. The courage of our gentlemen will become for all their colleagues and young people a model of devotion, selfless service to the Motherland and our people.
To be sure, the disasters in Bukhara and Syrdarya are a test sent to us by the Almighty. We must survive it steadily, working hard.
I would like to emphasize that despite these difficulties, our nation did not end up confused in the face of trials. You can see on TV how our people are showing cohesion; every day, every minute, they display kindness, compassion, immense generosity. Quite telling in this respect is the fact that residents of the Syrdarya, Jizzakh and Tashkent regions voluntarily sheltered 81 percent of those evacuated from Sardoba, Akaltyn, Mirzaabad districts.
Other regions, ministries, companies and associations, as well as compatriots collected within a short span of time a lot of aid for Bukhara and Syrdarya, sent building materials, food, clothes, medicines and household products.
I take this opportunity to once again express my sincere gratitude to our generous, munificent and compassionate nation.
Our people can be confident with regard to one aspect, and there should be no place for any speculation and rumors. At my request, the law enforcement authorities began an objective, impartial and comprehensive investigation into the flood incident. I assure you that all those guilty, regardless of who they are and what position they hold, will be liable before the law.
This flood has proved a bitter lesson for us. With the engagement of international experts, we will conduct a deep examination of the entire dam. Only then will we come to a final conclusion.
In addition, on my instructions, all relevant hydropower facilities, dams and water power plants that may be subject to erosion due to heavy rains are currently being studied by relevant government authorities.
Unfortunately, the flood in Sardoba extended to some settlements in the neighboring Maktaaral district of the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. With the Honorable President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev we discussed this issue during a recent telephone conversation, in the spirit of mutual understanding and openness. Yesterday, a delegation led by Turkestan region akim Umirzak Shukeyev visited the scene and studied the situation in detail.
For a long time, we have lived with the fraternal Kazakh people side by side, we drank water from the same river, we are close as relatives. We always stood shoulder to shoulder and supported each other, both on bright days and during trials.
We very much regret that this unexpected technological disaster has caused so many troubles and damage not only to our population, but also to our neighbors, our brothers, whose settlements and crops were hurt.
Our government, relevant ministries and agencies, local hokimiyats, other responsible officials and experts, as well as Kazakhstani partners will undoubtedly cooperate closely in combating the consequences of the disaster.
We also expressed our readiness to provide our Kazakhstani brothers with necessary assistance in the aftermath of the disaster.
I am convinced that together with our people, we will overcome these difficulties in cohesion and harmony.
ISLAMABAD (Dna) – Another member of the Sugar and Flour Inquiry Commission has tested positive for novel coronavirus which may further delay its report, Dunya News reported on Tuesday.
The first positive case was reported on Monday after which coronavirus tests of all other members of the commission were conducted and the tally has now reached two.
The Sugar and Flour Inquiry Commission was initially scheduled to submit its report on April 25 but was given another three weeks to complete the work.
The report may face further delay after two members of the commission have been tested positive for the pandemic.
