SIALKOT, Dec 14 (APP/DNA): Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has said that the aim of the Smart Village project under the government’s Digital Pakistan vision is to digitally connect remote and rural areas with internet connectivity, so that the quality of life of the people improves and it becomes easier to resolve daily issues including health and education digitally.

There is no shortage of talent and skills among the young population of Pakistan, but there is a need to highlight their talents. The Smart Village project will play a significant role in bringing forward talented youth and solving the daily problems of the residents of the area. She stated this while addressing the inauguration ceremony of Asia’s first smart village project in the village of Roras, Sialkot, as the chief guest. Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that this pilot project has been launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, International Telecom Union, Huawei, Bedari NGO and Tele-Education at the Roras village, located in tehsil Sambrial, 15-km from Sialkot. She said that the duration of completion of the project will be six months and 100 girls and boys will be given business and computer skills courses at the Digital Village Center, which would provide employment opportunities for them and is part of Pakistan’s Smart Villages project. Shaza Fatima Khawaja said that Pakistan is the first country in the Asia-Pacific countries where e-village facilities are being provided. “Our commitment is to connect the people living in our villages and remote areas to the digital world,” she added.

She said that the provision of digital facilities related to health and education in Roras is the first step. It is a good sign that the provision of modern computer lab and virtual education is going to be started in the secondary school for girls in Roras village. She said that in view of the difficulties in providing medical facilities, digital medical consultancy facilities are also being provided. She said that the initiatives of the International Telecom Union, Huawei Pakistan, Tele-Education, Bedari NGO and the Department of Education for the project are commendable. Similar smart village projects will soon be launched in all four provinces, she added.

Regional Director International Telecommunication Union Atsuko Okuda said, “The Smart Village Pakistan initiative promotes a complete government approach to bring the benefits of digital transformation in sectors such as health, education and agriculture to rural and remote communities”.

Huawei Technologies Pakistan Samar Abbas said that the challenges that come with digitalization are immense but the opportunities in Pakistan are even greater. Digitalization is essential for competitiveness, which represents an incentive to enhance the ability to play a more important role in the international community. Regional Director International Telecommunication Union Atsuko Okuda along with Director Ministry of Information Technology Hammad Waseem, Executive Director Bedari NGO Arshad Mehmood Mirza and Vice Chairperson Hina Noreen inaugurated the Smart Classroom and Digital Village Center at Government Girls High School Roras.

ISLAMABAD, DEC 14 – The Supreme Court’s Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel has responded in writing to a letter written to him by senior apex court judge, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, saying the latter’s suggestions regarding the rules and strict mechanism for appointing judges in the judiciary have been considered previously and his letter in this regard will also be studied.

Justice Mandokhel also said that Justice Shah could give his suggestions to the Rules Committee in the future also.

Justice Mandokhel further said in his letter that Justice Shah spoke about the 26th Constitutional Amendment also. “I will not respond to it because petitions against it are pending in the Supreme Court,” he replied. “I am also of the same opinion that the intention of the Constitution is that the judiciary should be independent and impartial. The members of the judiciary should be competent and honest, and the rules are being specifically made for this purpose. The Judicial Commission was reconstituted after the 26th Amendment.”

Justice Mandokhel, the head of the committee responsible for making rules for judicial appointments, said the new commission gave the chief justice of Pakistan the authority to form a committee to make the rules for judges’ appointment, which the CJP did under his leadership.

“The committee has held two meetings, and your recommendations have already been included in the draft and I have shared the proposed draft with you before writing the letter. The mandate of the committee is only to prepare a draft of the rules for the appointment of judges. It has been learnt that you suggested the names of judges for three high courts. My suggestion is to give the names of judges after the approval of the rules by the commission,” the letter stated.

On Friday, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah had written a letter to Justice Jamal Mandokhel, saying that after the 26th Amendment, the balance of the role of the judiciary in the appointment of judges had deteriorated.

According to Justice Shah, the judiciary once had a prominent role in appointing judges, but the 26th Amendment has shifted the balance of power, increasing the role of the executive. He warned that if any appointment were made contrary to established criteria and strict rules, it could significantly damage public confidence in the judiciary.

Justice Shah emphasized that the creation of transparent rules by the Judicial Commission is critical for the independence of the judiciary. He pointed out that without these rules, any proceedings or decisions made by the Judicial Commission regarding judicial appointments would be unconstitutional. Article 175(4) empowers the Judicial Commission to make rules, the letter stated.

The letter further noted that the 26th Amendment has disturbed the equilibrium between the judiciary and the executive, leaving the judiciary in the minority within the Judicial Commission. The executive now holding a majority in the commission increases the risk of political appointments.

LAHORE, DEC 14 – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on the sixth day of her official visit to China chaired an investment conference in Guangzhou, emphasizing Punjab’s economic potential and opportunities for foreign investors.

Representatives from over 60 prominent Chinese and Hong Kong companies participated in the roundtable discussions, representing diverse sectors such as health, artificial intelligence, agriculture, information technology, waste management, and renewable energy.

The meeting participants reviewed proposals and recommendations for Pak-China free trade.

Maryam Nawaz unveiled several initiatives to enhance economic collaboration with China, including the establishment of a working group, the appointment of a focal person, and a dedicated help desk to assist Chinese investors. She also announced a one-window operation to simplify procedures for Chinese companies interested in doing business in Punjab.

She also invited Chinese technology companies to start operations in Punjab. Addressing the participants, Maryam highlighted Punjab’s strategic importance as a gateway to Central Asia and the Middle East, positioning Pakistan as a valuable part of the global trade route. She referred to Punjab as a “land of opportunity” and invited Chinese companies to invest in technology, agriculture, and energy projects in the province.

“Punjab is ready to embrace innovation and collaboration. Our focus is on modernizing agriculture, promoting renewable energy, and advancing the IT sector. We want to revolutionise our industries and welcome Chinese expertise in automation, hybrid seed development, and nanotechnology,” she said.

Maryam Nawaz stressed Punjab’s commitment to sustainability, announcing the launch of renewable energy projects, including windmills, solar energy initiatives, and waste-to-energy programs under the ‘Suthra Punjab’ project. She highlighted the province’s ongoing “no-plastic” campaign, which bans the production, sale, and use of environmentally harmful plastic products.

“Punjab’s growing demand for solar energy and our mega solarization project present a golden opportunity for Chinese companies to invest in clean energy solutions,” she added.

She also detailed that agriculture sub-sectors like machine manufacturing, food processing, and hybrid seed development will be automated through collaborations. The CM said the province wants to return to the use of bio and hydrogen technology.

Maryam underscored the importance of innovation in IT and e-commerce, inviting investments in incubator centres, e-learning platforms, and a proposed state-of-the-art IT City in Punjab.

Additionally, the CM expressed interest in leveraging China’s health system to introduce telemedicine techniques in Punjab. “Through collaboration, we can revolutionise healthcare and agriculture in our province,” she noted.

Chinese technology companies expressed a keen interest in exploring investment opportunities in Punjab, appreciating Maryam Nawaz’s vision and her focus on environmental sustainability. The participants commended the launch of the “no-plastic” initiative and showed enthusiasm for partnerships in renewable energy and technology sectors.

Maryam Nawaz thanked the investors for their positive response and assured them of full support from the Punjab government. “This is the best time for Chinese companies to seize the business opportunities in Punjab,” she concluded.=DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 14: Amid ongoing consultation between the coalition government and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) over the contentious madrassa registration bill, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent a advice to President Asif Ali Zardari for holding a joint session of parliament on December 17, parliamentary sources told Geo News.

The premier has advised the president to summon a joint session of parliament on Tuesday at 11am, the sources said, adding that eight bills including the contentious madrassa registration bill are likely to be tabled. 

They also added that a consultation process was underway between the government and the Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led party on a new bill after President Zardari had “raised eight objections” over the previous legislation —  Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024.Play Video

The disputed madrassa bill, which has already been passed by both houses of parliament, has become a bone of contention between the JUI-F and the government. Its enactment was part of an agreement between the government and the religio-political party for supporting the 26th Amendment.

Following its approval from parliament, the bill now requires the president’s assent to become law but President Asif Ali Zardari had returned the bill earlier this month, citing legal objections. According to the Constitution, the bill must be tabled before a joint sitting after the president refuses to sign.

Reacting to objections to the legislation on Saturday, JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah alleged that the government’s “prime objective is handing over seminaries to FATF [Financial Action Task Force] at the behest of the global anti-money laundering watchdog”.

“It has also proved that this is not the parliament of Pakistan but FATF’s,” the JUI-F leader said. He went on to say that the country’s “parliament is not independent to legislate [laws]”.

He said that objections would not have been raised at the seminaries registration bill had the legal experts at the President’s House read the legislation.

Speaking to the media in Karachi earlier today, Federal Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that 10 out of 15 seminaries’ boards had raised objections to the bill which led the federal government to review it.

He added that the government was working to give a legal shape to the combative Societies Act.

Meanwhile, the president has also expressed fear that if the madrassa bill turns into a law, then it may lead to imposition of FATF, Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), and other sanctions on the country, reported The News on Saturday.

According to the objections, raised by the president, the registration of religious seminaries under the law would lead to spread of sectarianism and establishment of many seminaries in the same society that may disturb the law and order situation.

The president objected to the contradiction in the definition of madrassa in various provisions of the new bill.

Referring to the Madrassa Education Board Ordinance 2001 and the Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Act 2020, he said that the new legislation could not be enacted in the presence of both acts.

The registration of madrassas in the society would lead to a conflict of interest and such a conflict of interest would draw international criticism, while the approval of the bill could lead to a change in the FATF and other international organisations’ opinions and ratings of Pakistan, the objection by the president said.

The president suggested to the members of the assembly that international issues should be taken into account while drafting a bill related to madrassas.

Bill nothing to do with FATF: Tarar

Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the objections raised by President Asif Ali Zardari on the seminaries’ registration bill are completely “constitutional and legal”.

“In these objections, there is no mention of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), nor they have any connection with it,” said the minister in a post on X formerly Twitter today.

He said it is not in the interest of anyone to politicise the constitutional and legal matters. “Linking the registration of seminaries with FATF is nothing but a creation of complete imagination and speculation,” he said.

The Constitution elaborated the complete procedure for legislation, he said, adding the President objected in accordance with the Constitution and the parliament would also rectify it in the same spirit.

The purpose of these speculations is to target the powers of the President and Parliament, he said, while urging the people not to criticise the issue just for the sake of criticism.

The bill

The much-discussed legislation is an amended version of the Societies Registration Act, 1860, which emphasised the registration of madrassas (Islamic seminaries) in existence “within six months” from its enactment.

It also stated that a Deeni Madrassa established after the commencement of the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024, shall get itself registered “within one year of its establishment”.

A seminary having more than one campus shall need only one registration, it read.

Subsequently, each madrassa would be bound to submit its annual report of its educational activities and audit report to a registrar.

Under the law, a Deeni Madrassa was defined as a religious institution established or operated primarily for the purpose of imparting religious education, which provides boarding and lodging facilities.

ISTANBUL, Dec 14 (APP/DNA): Federal Minister of Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar on Saturday met Turkish Presidency’s Head of Communications, Fahrettin Altun and  discussed important issues including strengthening cooperation in the media sector, promoting public diplomacy and eliminating Islamophobia.

They also discussed measures to counter disinformation and misinformation, exchanged media delegations, and prepared joint productions. They also agreed to telecast Turkish dramas like Ertugrul Ghazi in Pakistan, including a joint broadcast of PTV and Turkish state TV “TRT.”

 Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and  Broadcasting and the Turkish Directorate of Communications also agreed to form a working group and appoint focal persons from both sides.

The minister said that  Pakistan and Turkiye have historical and fraternal relations and that there are vast possibilities for cooperation in the field of media.

Tarar said public relations would be more stable with enhanced media cooperation between the two countries.

 Cooperation and joint ventures in the field of entertainment and tourism were also discussed in the meeting.

 By preparing joint productions between Pakistan and Turkiye, the cultural exchanges between both countries will be enhanced, Attaullah Tarar said, adding, “We have to make the young generation aware of the historical relationship between Pakistan and Turkiye”.

 Federal Information Minister invited Professor Fahrettin Altun to visit Pakistan.

 Professor Ultun expressed a keen interest in the development of media in Pakistan.

He said Turkish drama Ertugrul Ghazi gained great popularity in Pakistan and Pakistani artists and musicians were very popular in Turkiye.  Media cooperation in both countries will help in the fight against Islamophobia and misinformation, he remarked.

 The minister thanked Prof. Fahrettin Altun for the coverage of the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in Turkish media.

ISLAMABAD, DEC 14: Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chairman Mahmood Khan Achakzai has urged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to postpone its planned civil disobedience movement.

In conversation with Geo News on Saturday, Achakzai, who is the president of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP), emphasised the importance of dialogue with the government to resolve the country’s pressing issues.

Achakzai stressed that discussions should focus on a clear roadmap for when the government will step down. He said: “If problems can be resolved through dialogue, there’s nothing better than that. However, if talks fail, the movement will have to proceed.”

He further proposed that successful negotiations should lead to elections within four months. Achakzai also announced plans to visit Peshawar tomorrow at PTI’s invitation to offer prayers for the martyrs of Kurram and PTI.

Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar said that while no conditions were set for negotiations, demands were certainly presented.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Barrister Gohar criticised the handling of the November protest, noting: “Such incidents have occurred globally, but no shots were fired during protests. Here, tear gas shelling began before protesters could even assemble.”

He reiterated PTI’s commitment to dialogue, recalling that the party’s founder, Imran Khan, had previously advocated for negotiations. However, he noted that prior talks were interrupted before reaching a critical stage.

The PTI chairman added: “Enough is enough. It’s time to steer the country towards improvement.”

The PTI has threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement, if the government does not engage in serious negotiations, a move that drew ire of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who termed it an “enmity with Pakistan”.

Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan — in a post on X — had warned the government of launching a “civil disobedience” movement if his demands — judicial inquiry of the May 9, 2023, riots and November 26 crackdown on PTI protesters and release of its “political prisoners” — are not met.

The ousted prime minister also constituted a five-member negotiation committee comprising Omar Ayub Khan, Ali Amin Gandapur, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Salman Akram Raja and Asad Qaiser.

The committee, he said, would negotiate with the federal government on two points — the release of “political prisoners” facing trial and the constitution of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9, 2023, and a late-night crackdown on PTI protesters on November 26.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif challenged the former ruling party to stand firm on its newly-announced civil disobedience movement after failed attempts to “attack” the capital.

Later, in a bid to create an “atmosphere of reconciliation” and defuse prevailing political tensions in the country amid PTI’s civil disobedience threat, the former ruling party and the government reportedly agreed to use parliamentary forum for negotiation.

However, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah on Friday revealed that the government has not yet received a formal message from PTI on initiating the process of dialogue despite the rival party’s claims of having formed a negotiations committee.

On the other hand, senior PTI leader Qaiser also clarified on Friday that his party was not engaged in any talks with the government, dismissing reports suggesting that dialogue might have kickstarted.

ISLAMABAD, 14 DEC /DNA/ – Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, called on the highest civil and military leadership during an official visit to Bahrain. The Naval Chief held meetings with the King of Bahrain, His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, His Royal Highness Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. During these meetings, discussions focused on strengthening defence cooperation and reinforcing the historic ties between Bahrain and Pakistan. The King appreciated Pakistan Navy’s role and commitment to regional maritime security and stability.

Later, Chief of the Naval Staff met Commander-in-Chief of Bahrain Defence Force (BDF), Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Commander of the Bahrain National Guard, General Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the Commander of the Royal Bahrain Naval Force (RBNF), Rear Admiral Ahmed Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Binali. During these engagements, professional matters of mutual interest, including regional maritime security and bilateral defence collaboration, were discussed. The Naval Chief emphasized the importance of enhancing interactions between the armed forces of both countries through joint exercises, mutual visits, and training exchange programs.

Admiral Naveed Ashraf also visited RBNF Ship MANAMA and the Royal Command and Staff College. In his address at Royal Command and Staff College, the Naval Chief elaborated on current and emerging environment in the Indian Ocean Region and highlighted the need for a region-centric maritime security construct.

The Naval Chief’s visit is expected to further strengthen and expand defence ties between the two brotherly nations.

ANKARA, DEC 13 (DNA): Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Mr. Atta Ullah Tarar participated in a panel discussion titled ‘’AI in National Strategy: Governmental Perspectives on
Digital Transformation and Strategic Communication’ held at International Strategic Communication Summit 2024 in Istanbul today.

The panel comprised of Ms. Laurence Ndong , Minister of Communication and Media of Gabon , Mr. Ziad Makary , Minister of Information of Lebanon, Mr. Dejan Ristic , Minister of Information and Telecommunications of Serbia and Ms. Yawa Ahofa Kouigan , Minister of Communication, Media and Culture of Togo .

In his talk , Minister Tarar highlighted the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence, challenges associated with it and delved upon formulation of an ethical framework for its fair and sustainable use. He reiterated that while integrating AI in our systems, due consideration must be given to the fact that it serves to uphold truth, contributes to social justice, complies with ethical values and used as an effective tool against disinformation.

While speaking , Minister Tarar also highlighted Digital Pakistan vision , which aims to transform Pakistan into a knowledge-based economy and create a conducive ecosystem for the responsible adoption of AI.
He stated that IT trainings would be provided to one million students in year 2025 to enable them to leverage AI tools. Referring to Pakistan Digital Dialogue , he said that the project exemplified the integration of generative AI and large language models LLMs to formulate communication strategy based on feedback of citizens and on anticipation of their needs. Pakistan looks forward to the responsible use of AI in Agri tech, health tech, Ed tech, gov tech and fin tech , to the benefit of people and economy, he added.

Emphasizing on the significance of presence of a ethical framework for AI , Minister highlighted the role played by AI in propagating disinformation, amid ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and unethical censorship on Kashmir on social media platforms. He reiterated that as we encourage investment in AI , mitigating the associated risk of misinformation should be accorded priority.

The International Strategic Communication Summit is being held under the theme ‘AI in Communication: Trends, Traps and Transition’ in Istanbul from 13-14 December 2024.