RAWALPINDI, MAY 13 /DNA/ – GHQ Investiture ceremony was held at General Headquarters Rawalpindi. General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) conferred military awards upon Army personnel for their acts of gallantry during operations and meritorious services rendered to the nation.

A large number of senior Army officers and families of awardees attended the ceremony. officers & soldiers were awarded medals including Sitara-I-Imtiaz (Military) and Tamgha-I- Basalat. Medals of Shuhada were received by their family members.

Paying rich tribute to Shuhada and Ghazis, COAS said that there is nothing more noble than laying one’s life for defence of motherland and the sacrifices of our martyrs strengthen our resolve to fight with utmost dedication and spirit of sacrifice.

COAS also lauded brave families of Shuhada for their high spirits and sacrifices rendered by them. COAS said that Shuhada and Ghazis are our national heroes and the nation owes its independence and security to the sacrifices of its valiant warriors. Our Shuhada are, indeed, the beacons of hope and resilience for the nation.

ISLAMABAD, MAY 13: Shehbaz Sharif has resigned as the PML-N president, sources said on Monday, two weeks after senior party leaders urged party supremo Nawaz Sharif to take up the party’s reins.

The new president would be elected in the party’s general council meeting on May 28.

Shehbaz was elected the PML-N president unopposed at a convention of the party’s General Council on March 13, 2018.

He preceded his brother Nawaz, who was removed as party president by the Supreme Court but was later rechristened as the party’s “leader for life”.

“I believe Nawaz Sharif is the only Pakistani politician and leader that can be called Jinnah’s political heir,” he told a roaring crowd chanting party slogans. “We are lucky to have been blessed with a Quaid [leader] like Nawaz Sharif.”

Last month, Rana Sanaullah, the adviser to the prime minister on political and public affairs, said that senior leaders of the party have urged PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to take over the party’s presidency.

“We have hope and believe that his [Nawaz Sharif] passionate leadership will become more popular among the masses,” Sanaullah said at a press conference in Lahore on April 26, 2024.

When asked, he had said that a “quaid” position was created for Nawaz after he was “forcefully” removed from the party in 2017. He added that only Nawaz’s narrative would be followed whether it was about reconciliation or resistance.

In response to a question, he said that the designation of “quaid” was created in the party’s constitution for respect and the operational post was with the president.

“In the past, Shehbaz Sharif may not have taken any decision without his approval. We want to redress the humiliation of 2017.

BEIJING, MAY 13 (APP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar  Monday met with Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Ambassador Zhang Ming here wherein he emphasised an effective collaboration among SCO member states to harness the region’s potential for sustained progress and prosperity.

The deputy prime minister is on a four-day visit to China to co-chair the Fifth Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi which would cover the full spectrum of Pakistan-China relations.

Senator Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the SCO Charter and the Organization’s fundamental ideals as enunciated in the ‘Shanghai Spirit.’

He expressed Pakistan’s strong commitment to advancing SCO’s security and development cooperation agenda.

The discussion also touched on Pakistan’s initiatives and contributions in its ongoing Chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government.

Ambassador Zhang conveyed his best wishes to the Government of Pakistan on assuming the Chair and reiterated SCO Secretariat’s continued support to Pakistan during its tenure as Chair of the Heads of Government of the Organization.

ISLAMABAD, MAY 13 /DNA/ – Park Ki Jun, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Pakistan, called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House today.

The Korean Ambassador congratulated the Prime Minister on behalf of the Korean leadership upon his re-election. The Prime Minister thanked the Korean leadership for the warm message of greetings that he received and expressed the desire to work closely to further strengthen bilateral ties.

The Prime Minister said that Pakistan and Korea enjoy good relations, particularly in trade and investment. He said both countries had cooperated since the early 1960s for economic development and conveyed admiration for Korea’s remarkable transformation into a modern technologically advanced economy. He added that Pakistan was keen to learn from Korea’s experience of industrialization and SME sector growth as well as in the field of IT including artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister also offered to enhance export of skilled manpower from Pakistan to meet Korea’s human resource needs.

To promote mutually beneficial trade, he proposed the exchange of business delegations between Seoul and Islamabad. In this regard, the Prime Minister said that he would instruct relevant Cabinet Ministers to coordinate with the Korean side to discuss existing investments by Korean companies as well as to explore new opportunities.

The Prime Minister also extended an invitation to President Yoon Suk Yeol to undertake an official visit to Pakistan.

The Korean Ambassador thanked the Prime Minister for receiving him and conveyed the desire of the Korean government to enhance its bilateral cooperation with Pakistan in a number of areas of mutual interest, particularly trade, investment, IT, culture, tourism and people to people exchanges.

ISLAMABAD, May 12: /DNA/ – Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday unanimously decided to actively engage with the “AJK’s Joint Action Committee,” for resolving issues through negotiations. The leadership of PML-N Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) held an urgent meeting at the Kashmir Council here Sunday, with Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engineer Amir Muqam in the Chair, to thoroughly deliberate on the present situation in Azad Kashmir.

The federal minister stressed the importance of the PML-N and other parties in peaceful resolving the issue. He affirmed their commitment to address the concerns of Kashmiris and vowed to contribute positively in any capacity possible. The meeting also called upon the Azad Jammu and Kashmir government to actively participate in resolving the problem. In a later segment of the meeting, the forum paid respects to the martyred police officer ASI Adnan Qureshi and conveyed heartfelt condolences to his family. They offered prayers and recited Fatiha for ASI Qureshi, while also praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.

The meeting was attended by Shah Ghulam Qadir, the President of Pakistan Muslim League-N Azad Jammu and Kashmir, along with former AJK Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan, Secretary General Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, Vice Presidents Chaudhry Muhammad Aziz and Dr. Najeeb Naqi, Central Deputy General Secretary Abdul Khaliq Wasi and Information Secretary Barrister Iftikhar Gilani.

ISLAMABAD, MAY 11: In a sigh of relief for inflation hit-masses as the prices of petroleum products are anticipated to take a significant dip, effective May 16.

Reports suggested a notable decrease in the price of petrol by Rs12 per litre, while diesel prices are likely to follow suit with a decrease of Rs9.70 per litre.

Globally, the price of petrol has witnessed a downward trend, plummeting by $6.32 per barrel. Presently, the global price stands at $99.93 per barrel. Similarly, the global diesel price has fallen to $4.97 per barrel, reflecting a positive shift in the market.

This upcoming reduction comes as a relief to many, especially after a similar decrease in petroleum prices was witnessed on May 1.

Current petrol, diesel prices in Pakistan

on May 1, Shehbaz Sharif-led government reduced the price of petrol by Rs5.45, taking the new rate to Rs288.49 per litre.

On the other hand, the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has also been slashed by Rs8.42 per litre to Rs281.96.

However, amidst these developments, data from the Oil Companies Advisory Committee (OCAC) and Topline Securities unveil a concerning trend in petroleum product sales.

Over the first 10 months of the current financial year, a substantial decline of 11 per cent has been recorded in sales. Comparing July 2023 to April 2024 with the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, the sale of petroleum products has dwindled from 13,970,000 tons to 12,443,000 tons.

April figures paint a similarly bleak picture, with sales totaling 1,104,000 tonnes, marking a 6 percent decrease from the same month last year and a 4 per cent drop from March this year.