ISLAMABAD, Jan 26 (APP/DNA): Coordinator General of COMSTECH, Prof Dr M Iqbal Choudhary, said on Friday that SESAME has the potential to transform the entire scientific landscape of the Middle East and OIC region for good.

Inaugurating the OIC SESAME Users two-day meeting, Prof Choudhary said that the SESAME (Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science in the Middle East) is the most important and expensive scientific facility available in the entire developing region. He said that SESAME is an elaborate, expensive, and impactful facility in the OIC region. He expressed his thanks to the government of Jordan for hosting this facility.

Prof Choudhary said that by using this huge infrastructure, researchers can perform experiments not only in a much better, more precise, and more efficient manner, but they can also conduct scientific studies that are not possible without such a facility. He said that OIC-COMSTECH is pleased to work with SESAME and its users to facilitate its use in the least developed member states.

Prof Choudhary mentioned that we are discussing the possibility of holding three SESAME user meetings in Nigeria for Anglophone Africa, Senegal for Francophone Africa, and Kazakhstan for Central Asia. Prof Choudhary mentioned that COMSTECH offered 25 travel grants annually to SESAME users from LDC and OIC countries.
The Ambassador of Jordan, Dr Maen Khreasat, as chief guest of the inaugural session, said that our collective focus is on the future and advancing our understanding of the scientific and technical marvels within the domain of synchrotron beamlines and their diverse applications.

He said that SESAME stands as a beacon for collaboration, bringing together minds from across the OIC member states to push the boundaries of knowledge and innovation.

Dr Khreasat said that Jordan, as the host country for SESAME, has played a pivotal role in fostering an environment that encourages scientific inquiry and cross-cultural collaboration. He said that Jordan has committed itself to providing the necessary resources and support to ensure the success of SESAME.

Dr Khreasat said that the partnership between COMSTECH and SESAME serves as a shining example of diplomacy through science. This collaboration is a testament to the belief that, by working together, we can overcome obstacles and build a brighter future for all. He said that the collaboration between COMSTECH and SESAME holds immense promise for the Middle East.

Dr Khreasat said that as we celebrate the achievements of SESAME, it is crucial to highlight the bilateral relations between Jordan and Pakistan. The ties between the two nations are deeply rooted in history, culture, and shared values.

He said Jordan and Pakistan can explore opportunities for joint research initiatives, academic exchanges, and technology transfer. He said, Let us continue to build bridges, both scientific and diplomatic, and work towards a future where the pursuit of knowledge knows no borders.

The Director General of Science and Technology of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Saudi Arabia, Dr Abdur Noor Sekendi, was the guest of honor. He appreciated the organization of the SESAME Users Meeting by COMSTECH. He said SESAME is a beacon of collaboration.

He said that through such collaborative efforts, we can help overcome challenges, and he encouraged the participants of the meeting to enhance networking for enhanced collaboration.

The UK’s representative on the SESAME Council, Prof Dr Samar Hasnain, said in his lecture that SESAME has brought scientific development, economic prosperity, and people together. He shared the economic impact of SESAME. He lamented that, unfortunately, we are largely consumers of knowledge rather than the creators of knowledge.

He appreciated the emerging partnership between the SESAME and COMSTECH for the scientific development of OIC countries. Administrative Director, SESAME Prof Dr Atef Elkadime, was the keynote speaker. He gave a comprehensive presentation on the establishment, history, achievements, and future plans of the SESAME.

He invited all to visit SESAME and benefit from this facility for their research work. Experts from the UK, France, Jordan, and Pakistan have delivered lectures, whereas more than 100 participants attended the event in person and online.

DNA

Islamabad, JAN 27: The participants of a webinar on fair and free elections have shown their doubts on a reasonable turnout for the February 8 polling. About 10 million eligible youth and women will remain unregistered for casting their vote because they have not been issued CNICs. Meanwhile, the rumours about the threats of terrorist attacks on the polling stations are being spread. One of the main political parties has already been pushed out of the race. So, we shall not expect a good turnout even in the forthcoming elections. The result of the fresh polls will enhance the political fiasco. Such a situation would cause further embarrassment to a country’s national repute. But, the state institutions seem unbothered.  

The webinar was organized by the Devcom-Pakistan Centre for Geopolitical Studies on Saturday. The guest speakers included former Senator Farhatullah Babar, Kinnaired College Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Khushboo Ejaz, Bahria University Associate Professor Dr Hassan Daud Butt, and Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed.    

Former Senator Farhatullah Babr has shown his “no trust” on the new Election Management System (EMS) that the Election Commission of Pakistan introduced the other day. He termed the political parties were not briefed about the new system for the transmission of election results. It has added to fears and doubts on the merit of forthcoming elections. One of the main political parties has already been pushed out. We repeatedly listen about the level playing field but actually it is missing the most now. We shall not be surprised if the EMS fails at the moment of election results submission.

He said some powers are consistently maneuvering the parliament, judiciary and media. A resolution in the senate against the general elections, action against the protesting Baloachi families in front of the National Press Club and media maneuvering are the recent ones. We need to keep raising our voices against the maneuvers. He feared the new general elections will increase the political instability if rightful measures are not taken to get away from the maneuvering.

Speaking on the occasion, Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed said the people still have serious doubts on the merit of the February 8 elections. That is why the election campaigns are yet to take the conventional hype. On the other hand, the general public seems reluctant after the PTI is divided into factions, and one faction is pushed to the wall. It would hamper the overall turnout. Secondly, the people believe that the new Election Management System, a PKR 280 million system to ensure timely transmission of election results, would be used for maneuvering.  

He urged the citizens, especially the young voters to come out on the polling day to cast their vote in any case. Threats may be used by some quarters to keep the turnout low. But, everyone shall exercise its right to vote without considering the outcome.

Dr. Khushboo Ejaz we have not seen any fair and free elections in the history of the country. The coming elections will be the worst in the form of pre-election rigging. One party has already been divided and sidelined, while social media mapping is used for segregation of voters’ polling stations. Even the women of the same family have been assigned different polling stations, in most of the cases far away from each other. Women usually are dependent on their counterparts for commuting on election day in particular. This would limit the women voters’ turnout. Threats of untoward incidents and militancy are spread, perhaps, intentionally to keep the turnout low.

Dr. Hassan Daud Butt said 2024 will be the historic year as 60 percent of the world will be going to elections including Pakistan, India, Russia and the US. It would have a significant impact not only on the internal situation of the respective country, but its spillover to the region and internationally. The voters shall see Pakistan’s elections in the light of the manifestos of the contesting parties and their past performance in development, international relations and geopolitical positioning. He said the public’s distrust has increased on the system, political parties, and their agendas. The coming elections will be more urban-centric sans the young leadership, and with a meagre voice of the rural communities. The winning party is unlikely to be accepted by the losing ones.

 Dr Hassan highlighted that though our electoral process is aged, and needs reforms as it favours the elite,yet people  should vote based on their own ideologies and agendas and support candidates who promote development and create opportunities. He highlighted that the way that elections are held and manifestos are made can appeal to different groups of voters.youth he believed are more knowledgeable now and can use various platforms including social media to learn about candidates and their agendas and whether they are capable to address the contemporary issues pakistan is facing including geopolitical and economic challenges. False narrative needs to be addressed and in future all political parties will have challenges if they do not embrace technology and work together to strengthen parliament.

DNA

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF) President Syed Maaz Mahmood has warned the government of worsening circular debt in the power sector, which would continue to haunt it along with the challenge of dealing with the volitile crude oil prices in the global market.

Syed Maaz Mahmood said that the power sector circular debt issue should be resolved holistically without escalating electricity cost, as its size has more than doubled during the three and a half years in spite of raising the power tariff multiple times in the past.

At present, oil and gas sectors are reeling from Rs1.7 trillion worth of circular debt whereas the power sector has a circular debt close to Rs2.5 trillion. The rising gas demand forced the previous government to divert expensive LNG to the residential consumers in winter. However, there was no mechanism in place to recover dues from the domestic sector.

APBF Chairman Ibrahim Qureshi said that LNG has now become a major contributor to the circular debt, leading to deterioration in the financial health of Pakistan State Oil and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited. PSO has to receive over Rs360 billion from SNGPL on account of LNG supplies whereas SNGPL has to recover around Rs120 billion from the domestic sector, industry players say.

Ibrahim Qureshi said that the Petroleum Division was set to seek approval of the new government for the provision of Rs36 billion, out of a total of Rs53 billion, to SNGPL to cover the subsidy on LNG supplies to the export-oriented sectors. He said that apart from the circular debt woes, price differential claims of billions of rupees are emerging because of the freeze on oil price revision while in the international market crude oil has risen to multi-year highs. Already, the consumers in Pakistan are paying record high prices of petroleum products.

We have to resolve the circular debt issue by revamping the entire power sector, including tariff setting, efficiencies of power generating units, supply chain network and payment recoveries. If this is not done, the future of energy sector would remain at stake, he warned.

The APBF President said that the power sector problem is a multifaceted problem and the government must avoid increasing the cost further, especially for the industry.

Syed Maaz Mahmood said that the government claimed that it has been making efforts to improve efficiency but the power sector situation remains grim despite putting an additional burden of Rs145 billion on consumers in the past one year by increasing electricity prices. In fiscal year 2022-23, the government provided Rs144 billion less in subsidies as against the requirements based on reduced rate of tariffs for various categories of consumers.

The government has recently prepared a plan to reduce the circular debt but the new plan, drawn up in consultation with the International Monetary Fund, shows that the circular debt reduction will largely hinge up increasing the electricity prices.

Syed Maaz Mahmood said that the issue of circular debt will continue to haunt the government’s resolve of reducing cost of doing business and promotion of industry. The continuous increase in the flow of the circular debt was against the promises of the govt to bring the circular debt to zero. It is going to make another plan to reduce the debt, mainly by increasing electricity tariffs which is not the proper way to handle the issue.

ISLAMABAD, JAN 26 /DNA/ – Charge d Affaires of India Geetika Srivastava along with Ambassadors and High Commissioners of the SAARC countries cut the cake to celebrate the Republic Day of India.

A large number of guests hailing from various walks of life attended the reception.=DNA

ISLAMABAD, JAN 26 (DNA) — Several people were critically injured after a horrifying crash between a Metro bus and a passenger coaster near Bhara Kahu, here Friday morning. As per details, rescue sources 1122 said that a metro bus collided with a coaster near Bhara Kahu, and as a result Several people received serious injuries, a private news channel reported.

The coaster was carrying employees when it met with the accident, the sources added. — DNA