ISLAMABAD, MAR 30 /DNA/ – Amb. Albert P. Khorev, Ambassador of the Russian Federation called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on 29 March 2024.

The Prime Minister expressed deep condolences on the loss of precious lives in the Crocus City Hall attack outside Moscow last week and said Pakistan stood in solidarity with Russia at this tragic hour.

The Prime Minister also thanked President Vladimir Putin for the congratulatory message sent to him on his re-election.

While noting the historic cordial ties between both countries, the Prime Minister said that Pakistan wanted to enhance bilateral cooperation with Russia in a number of areas particularly in energy, trade and investment. He stressed the need for early convening of the 9th session of the Inter-governmental Commission (IGC), due to be hosted by Russia later this year.

The Prime Minister also urged the Russian side to send a delegation to Pakistan to hold discussions with their counterparts to identify ways to enhance the existing level of trade and investment ties between the two countries.

While fondly recalling their meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand in 2022, he reiterated his invitation to President Putin to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at his earliest convenience.

The Ambassador assured the Prime Minister that Russia wanted to build stronger ties with Pakistan. He said that, in addition to energy, trade and investment, Russia was also keen to enhance cooperation in education and culture.

Both countries are also actively involved in SCO.

PTI to hold protest demonstrations across the country on daily basis: Raoof Hasan

DNA

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Core Committee hammered out a multi-pronged strategy to deal with the judges’ letter issue, ensure independence of judiciary and rule of law in the country.

Giving a briefing about the decisions taken in the PTI Core Committee, PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that the forum strongly rejected an inquiry commission tasked to probe the judges’ letter and demanded a commission comprising of sitting judges to conduct open and transparent investigation into the matter.

He said that judicial conference should also be summoned and all judges including the six who faced coercions and intimidations should be invited and they should be listen.

Raoof made it clear that the country cannot go forward and make progress until put a stop on the institutional interference, as PTI’s people were kidnapped and tortured and their homes were destroyed. 

Raoof Hasan announced that PTI would hold protest across the country for independence of judiciary and reclaiming stolen mandate on daily basis epically in Islamabad.

PTI CIS went on to say that PTI leaders and workers would tell the nation their stories of detentions and the hardship they faced during incarceration.

Moreover, he stated that PTI would enhance its interaction with local as well as international media. Raoof said that an adjournment motion was tabled in the national assembly so as to hold discussion of the issue of the letter in detail.

LAHORE, Mar 29 (APP/DNA) Secretary Establishment Division Inamullah Khan Dharejo on Friday stressed upon officers to stay loyal to the country’s constitution and follow an approach aimed at bringing about a positive change to serve people in the real sense.

Addressing the passing out ceremony of the 51st Common Training Programme at Civil Services Academy Walton here, he said that today all porbationary officers had accomplished a significant milestone. He said that the Civil Services Academy had also acheived a milestone by conducting an extremely productive training programme for 232 officers.

He said, “It is heartening to see that a good number of lady officers are passing out today.

There was time when the civil service was described as men bureaucracy but today the things have changed. Now women were working on most challenging fronts without any hesitation.”

He further said that the inclusion of women in all tiers of the government would surely bring more objectivity and inclusiveness in public policy formation and implementation.

He said, “Your presence here is a testimony to the fact that you have passed a very competitive selection process.”

Inamullah Dharejo said that officers must keep in mind that they owe this success to the country and nation which provided them with an opportunity to avail it.

He said that officers had not only gone through conventional academic modules but they also undertook multiple field exercises that helped them understand challenges of the common man.

The secretary said that it was very good that the training programmes consistent with evolving national requirements and international best practices, with the aim of enabling young officers to develop into responsible, responsive, empathetic, accountable and efficient civil servants, capable of creating public value by keeping public governance and institutional effort well-aligned with the community’s welfare.

He said it was a pleasure for him to announce that Islamabad study tours of officers would continue as it was devised for officers of the 51st Common training programme.

He said, “Military attachment stands resumed from the 52nd common training programme as this exposure will be very beneficial for officers.” He said that the government intended to make the CSS exam more competitive, analytical and logical besides re-defining the model of promotion.

Civil Services Academy Director General Farhan Aziz Khawaja, Common Training Programme Director Fizza Parvez Afzaal and others were also present.

Shields and prizes were also distributed among officers who showed best performance during

the 5-month training.

The Civil Services Academy DG also presented a souvenir to the Secretary Establishment Division.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 29 /DNA/ – Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting on measures against Spectrum of Illegal activities, today. Members of the Federal Cabinet, General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), Provincial Chief Ministers and high-level government officials were present in the meeting.

The agenda of the meeting was “Measures against Spectrum of illegal activities & Criminal Mafias”. The participants were briefed in detail on steps taken against the criminal mafias,  smuggling, hoarding, money laundering, power theft and repatriation of illegal foreigners etc.

The participants acknowledged the importance of such actions and their positive impact on the economy and well being of the people of Pakistan.  

The meeting showed firm resolve to take action against smugglers, hoarders and market manipulators, who have impacted the economic trajectory and to provide immediate relief to common citizens.

The meeting gave approval of agreements among Federal and Provincial governments on Anti-Power Theft policy, restructuring of Power Distribution Companies on modern lines, installation of Smart meters for full eradication of Power Theft and ordered strict action against the corrupt officers.

Chief of the Army Staff assured unwavering resolve of Pakistan Army to support government’s initiatives aimed at economic recovery of the country.

At the end, the Prime Minister directed all the stakeholders to vigorously pursue various initiatives against spectrum of illegal activities & criminal mafias to ensure their accomplishment within stipulated timeframe.

DNA

ISLAMABAD: The High Commissioner of Malaysia to Pakistan, Ambassador Mohammad Azhar Mazlan hosted the “Iftar Dinner Reception for Pakistan’s former participants of the Malaysia Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP)” at the Malaysian High Commission in Islamabad.

The reception was attended by distinguished guests including officials from Pakistan’s key ministries, the Malaysian High Commission and Pakistan’s former participants of the MTCP. The purpose of the reception was to promote continuous engagements with the aim of fostering a long-lasting and strong bond of friendship between the officials of both countries.

During the reception, Ambassador Azhar in his speech welcomed the guests and shared salient features of the program. He stated that the event aimed to establish closer relations and strengthen networking between the High Commission of Malaysia in Islamabad and Pakistan’s former MTCP participants. Malaysia attaches great importance to its bilateral relations with Pakistan. He added that the long- standing bilateral relations and close cooperation between the two brotherly countries have covered various areas including trade, investment, education, tourism, culture, defense, and technical assistance on human capital development, among others.

The MTCP was officially launched on 7 September 1980 at the Second Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to signify Malaysia’s commitment to South-South Cooperation in particular technical cooperation among developing countries, with its main objective to achieve sustainable economic and social development among the countries. The MTCP is a flagship programme of the Malaysian government, aimed at providing technical assistance and capacity- building to developing countries. The MTCP also emphasises human resources development mainly through training, short-term courses in public and private Malaysian training institutions, and long-term courses in Malaysian public universities. It entails prioritising developing countries of strategic interests, focusing on Malaysia’s area of expertise, demand-driven courses/ programmes, cultivation of potential participants who would later serve as ‘Friends of Malaysia’, Public-Private Partnership, and collaboration with new development partners beyond MTCP’s traditional partners.

Annually, Malaysia’s flagship MTCP offers more than 60 technical training and capacity-building programmes in vast areas of development in collaboration with leading local training institutions and international development partners. Since its

inception, the MTCP has benefited thousands of participants from various countries, including Pakistan, by offering training and knowledge-sharing opportunities in various fields.

The High Commissioner ended his remarks by mentioning that Malaysia aims to encourage more future participation from Pakistani officials in the MTCP, as it would not only be beneficial for the bilateral relations, but would also assist in the career development of the participants. He reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to further enhancing cooperation with Pakistan through programmes like MTCP.

Ms. Maryam Mushtaq, Assistant Director of Economic Diplomacy and International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is also a former MTCP participant, expressed her sincere gratitude to the Malaysian government for managing the MTCP efficiently. She stated that the MTCP not only provided a chance to further enhance her professional skills but also provided an opportunity to truly immerse in a cultural experience. She added that the MTCP has provided participants from an array of professional backgrounds to further polish their skills. She hoped that the MTCP would be continued as it benefited thousands of participants from various countries including Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 29: /DNA/ – Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan, Ahmed Jawad Rabei, called on President Asif Ali Zardari, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 29: /DNA/ – Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, called on President Asif Ali Zardari, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

ISLAMABAD, MAR 29 /DNA/ – Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb holds key meeting with SBP Governor Jameel Ahmed and Banking Sector Leaders.

The Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, convened a significant meeting with the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Mr. Jameel Ahmed during his visit to Karachi.

The meeting was also attended by CEOs and Presidents of various leading banks in Pakistan.

The primary agenda of the meeting was to discuss and strategize on enhancing financing and lending to priority sectors to stimulate economic growth and development in Pakistan.

During the meeting, Minister Aurangzeb provided a comprehensive briefing on the current economic situation of the country, highlighting the government’s ongoing efforts to promote economic stability, fiscal discipline, and sustainable growth. He emphasized the critical role of the banking sector in supporting the government’s development agenda and urged the banks to increase financing and lending to priority sectors, namely agriculture, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and Information Technology (IT).

Furthermore, Minister Aurangzeb requested the Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA) to lead a task force comprising representatives from the banking sector, government, and relevant stakeholders, with the primary objective to accelerate financing in the priority sectors and devise actionable strategies to overcome the existing challenges and bottlenecks hindering the growth of these vital sectors.

Governor Jameel Ahmed expressed his support for the Minister’s initiatives and emphasized the SBP’s commitment to facilitating an enabling environment for banks to increase lending to priority sectors. He highlighted the SBP’s role in providing regulatory support, policy guidance, and financial incentives to encourage banks to expand their financing activities in alignment with the government’s priorities.

The meeting concluded with a mutual understanding to strengthen collaboration between the Ministry of Finance, SBP, and the banking sector to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Pakistan. Minister Aurangzeb reiterated the government’s commitment to working closely with the banking sector to address the financing needs of priority sectors and ensure the effective implementation of the proposed strategies and initiatives.