LAHORE, May 19 (DNA): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday contacted Ambassador of Pakistan in the Kyrgyz Republic Hassan Ali Zaigham and directed him for making necessary arrangements for a special flight being sent to Bishkek this evening to bring back Pakistani students.

The special aeroplane will bring back 130 students to Pakistan on Sunday night, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.  

At the instructions of the prime minister, the government of Pakistan will bear all the expenses of the special plane.

The prime minister directed for keeping continuous contacts with all the students and their families, emphasising that the return of injured students should be a priority.

He further asked for bringing back those students back whose families were residing with them in Kyrgyzstan on urgent basis.  

The ambassador of Pakistan Zaigham apprised the prime minister of his meeting with the Kyrgyz deputy foreign minister. According to Kyrgyz authorities, the situation was under control and no new incident of violence took place in the last two days. Security measures had been enhanced and the foreign students including Pakistanis were safe.

The prime minister directed that despite return of normalcy in Bishkek, those students should be facilitated who wanted to return to Pakistan.  

A number of students have already returned from Kyrgyzstan on Sunday via commercial fli

ISLAMABAD, MAY 18 /DNA/ – Not arms, but critical thinking, unity, and passion for change can drive the youth of this region forward. They need to have an inquisitive mind to question socio-economic injustices. These remarks were made by Ambassador Durrani, Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan, addressing a gathering of Afghan and Pakistani youth leaders, hosted by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) as part of Pak-AfghanYouth Peace Initiative – Building Bridges, Improving Perceptions.

The envoy urged the youth from both sides to take an active role in regional development by focusing on their education, skills, and personal growth as they are the future leaders of the countries.

Regarding the sociopolitical situation in Afghanistan, he said that the pursuit of common interests in a fair socio-political environment is intrinsically linked to unity. By fostering solidarity, empathy, and collaboration, Afghans, especially the youth, can create a more just, developed, and equitable nation where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and contribute to the greater good. The youth of Afghanistan has the opportunity to change Afghanistan’s decades-long label of ‘conflict zone’ and take an active part in nation-building.

The participating Afghan youth voiced their concerns on the issues facing the education landscape in Afghanistan, particularly for females, the delays in visa issuance for Afghan students studying in Pakistan, as well as the challenges faced by those who have to return to Afghanistan due to their illegal status or expiration of the visa.

Mehnaz Akbar Aziz, former MNA, also joined the discussion where she underscored the significant role youth dialogues play in fostering unity between Pakistan and Afghanistan and that engaging the youth from both nations is crucial for bridging diplomatic gaps and building mutual understanding. She highlighted opportunities for youth engagement, such as academic exchanges and collaborative projects, which can help bridge diplomatic gaps.

A vital point of her address was the importance of supporting women’s education and their involvement in politics and law in both countries. She drew attention to the economic and psychosocial challenges faced by Afghan women as education remains banned for them in the country. Mehnaz lauded Pakistan’s efforts in educating Afghan refugees and shared statistics, noting that currently, 1.4 million Afghan refugees reside in Pakistan, with 50,000 enrolled in primary education. She stressed the importance of continued support for Afghan refugee youth’s education in Pakistan and urged the international community to help Pakistan create a more enabling academic environment for them.

The executive director CRSS, Imtiaz Gul noted that with the tons of information available in the offline and online space, youth have a huge onus to critically evaluate every bit of information they come across for its authenticity before disseminating it.

Elsa Imdad, CRSS research fellow and Global UGRAD alumna, concluded that Track III engagements and youth participation are only effective if the Track I stakeholders take ownership of such efforts and give agency to youth in the policymaking.

The forum concluded with policy recommendations aimed at fostering better relations, such as establishing educational corridors to empower women and ensuring their involvement in decision-making. They also suggested forming youth committees to address common challenges and prioritized collaboration over discord in diplomatic efforts. Additionally, there was a call for increased youth engagement for peace and unity and for promoting political maturity among young leaders. Strengthening academic exchanges and addressing longstanding issues in trade and transit – which are one of the major issues causing bad blood and negative perceptions – were seen as crucial steps.

The Pak-Afghan Youth Peace Initiative is a track III diplomacy effort supported by the US State Department, Global UGRAD Pakistan, and IREX. This initiative aims to foster goodwill and improve public perceptions between Pakistani and Afghan youth through dialogue, interactive workshops, community engagement, meetings with key stakeholders to discuss practical aspects of enhancing youth diplomacy and media interactions.=DNA

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Investment & Other Fields of Mutual Interests for Socio-Economic Development need to be explored: Maryam Nawaz Sharif meets Japanese ambassador

Abid Raza/DNA

Lahore, 19 May 2024: “Punjab is emerging as a major consumer market. There are good investment opportunities for Japanese companies in Punjab,”said Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif in a meeting with Japanese Ambassador, Wada Mitsuhiro, in which all possible opportunities for strengthening trade, business and investment relations were discussed.  She added,”Skilled young manpower of Punjab can perform unprecedentedly in Japanese institutions.”

Exchange of cultural and educational delegations between Punjab and Japan were also discussed in the meeting. Madam Chief Minister said,”People-to-people interaction between Punjab and Japan is indispensable for the development of bilateral relations.” Moreover, the promotion of student-faculty programs between Punjab and Japan was also agreed in principle in the meeting.

Ambassador Wada Mitsuhiro said,”Japan attaches great importance to its relations with Pakistan.” He added,”We are determined to collaborate with Punjab government for the development of technology..”

H.E. Mr. Wada Mitsuhiro apprised Madam Chief Minister,”

Eleven Pakistani students are studying in Japan on MEXT scholarships for Masters/PhD degrees.” He added,”A number of Japanese projects are ongoing for public welfare in Pakistan.”

ISLAMABAD, MAY 18: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam will depart for Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek to support Pakistani students after several foreigners were subjected to mob violence late on Friday night.

Kyrgyz police said they had mobilised forces in the Central Asian nation’s capital yesterday to quell the violence, in which hundreds of Kyrgyz men attacked buildings housing foreign students, including Pakistanis.

What we know so far

Locals attack international students after video of fight with Egyptians goes viral on social media
Kyrgyz media outlet describes violence as “protest against foreigners”
Kyrgyz deputy PM meets Pakistan ambassador, assures situation is under control
Pakistan embassy says 5 Pakistanis injured, asks nationals to remain indoors; India issues similar instructions
FO hands demarche to Kyrgyz envoy
PM Shehbaz orders FM Dar, Kashmir Affairs Minister Amir Muqam to go to Bishkek
According to Pakistan’s embassy in Bishkek, foreign students living in the Kyrgyz capital, including those from Pakistan, were attacked by locals in the aftermath of their brawl with Egyptian nationals on May 13.

Kyrgyz private media outlet 24.kg reported that a “spontaneous protest against foreigners” that began last night in Bishkek ended this morning after police came to an agreement with the rioters and they dispersed a little later.

The report quoted the Kyrgyz health ministry as saying 29 people were injured in the violence. The country’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said 14 foreigners were discharged from hospitals after treatment.

The Pakistani embassy in Bishkek reported there were no deaths. “Moreover, Kygyz Ministry of Internal Affairs has also issued press releases stating that the situation is under control,” it said.

A statement carried by state-run Pakistan Television said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided to send Dar and Muqam to Bishkek after monitoring the situation throughout the day and remaining in touch with the ambassador in Kyrgyzstan.

The two will leave for the Kyrgyz capital on Sunday morning via a special flight.

“Despite the satisfactory situation, it has been decided to send this delegation to provide necessary support and facilities to Pakistani students.

“The foreign minister will hold meetings with senior government officials in Bishkek and ensure the provision of medical facilities to the injured students,” the statement said, adding that Dar will also review issues regarding repatriation of Pakistani students.

An earlier statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said PM Shehbaz ordered Muqam to go to Bishkek immediately to provide assistance and support to Pakistani students.

“Engineer Amir Muqam will meet Pakistani students, listen to their problems and ensure that Pakistani students do not face any kind of difficulties in the current situation,” the premier said.

He added that the embassy should ensure support of the injured Pakistani students with the best treatment facilities.

The embassy “will not leave the sons and daughters of Pakistan alone in difficult times”, PM Shehbaz said.

He further said that officials should ensure the immediate return of those students who wanted to return to Pakistan at the government’s expense.

PM Shehbaz earlier said his office was in touch with the Pakistani embassy and “constantly monitoring the situation”.

“Deeply concerned over the situation of Pakistani students in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I have directed Pakistan’s ambassador to provide all necessary help and assistance,” the PM wrote on X.

FM Dar earlier today said the reports of mob violence against Pakistani students in Bishkek were “extremely concerning”.

“We have established contact with the Kyrgyz authorities to ensure the protection of Pakistani students,” he said in a post on X.

“I have instructed our ambassador to Kyrgyzstan to fully facilitate them.”

Muqam also said that the Pakistani government was in contact with the Kyrgyz authorities to ensure the protection of its students in the incidents of violence in Bishkek.

In a statement, the minister expressed concern over the violent clashes in Kyrgyzstan and asked the students to stay in touch with the Pakistan embassy, adding that the safety of Pakistani students was more important to the government

He confirmed that no Pakistani student died in the violence.

ISLAMABAD, May 18 (DNA): Khyber Tobacco Company (KTC) has taken an exception to a report “Pakistan Cigarette Market Assessment 2024” by Ipsos Pakistan and described it as false and fabricated.
 
The KTC in a statement issued here said KTC is a leading cigarette manufacturing company in Pakistan, and “is compelled to address the public regarding the baseless and defamatory allegations levelled against it” by Ipsos.
 
“The said report contains unsubstantiated claims and defamatory remarks regarding KTC’s business practices. These false allegations…have caused significant harm to KTC’s reputation and business interests,” it said.
 
KTC vehemently denies all accusations made in the report and asserts its steadfast commitment to compliance with all regulatory requirements, it added. 
 
“We assert with pride that we are among the preeminent national cigarette manufacturing entities, employing a workforce exceeding 400 individuals within the country, and serving as Pakistan’s foremost tobacco exporter during the fiscal year 2022-23. These factors significantly bolster our contributions to the national exchequer, in direct contradiction to the assertions made by Ipsos,” says KTC.
 
“Besides, KTC was among the initial proponents of executing the track and trace agreement with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), as evidenced by public records. The company has cooperated fully with regulatory authorities, including the FBR, and maintains a robust system of internal controls to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,” it says.
 
“KTC’s manufacturing units are subject to stringent oversight by FBR officials, with monitors stationed on the production floor,” it said.
 
“The defamatory nature of the report has not only harmed KTC’s reputation but has also triggered a detrimental media campaign against local cigarette manufacturers. KTC’s name, synonymous with quality and compliance, has been unfairly tarnished by these baseless allegations,” it says.
 
It says that “formal legal notices concerning defamation have been appropriately served to Ipsos Pakistan and its parent entity located in Paris, France.”
 
The KTC statement goes on to claim that “It has been brought to our attention that Ipsos Pakistan conducts its business operations within Pakistan through a single-member company (SMC) named ASB Associates, lacking a registered presence within Pakistan.”
 
“The evident non-compliance of Ipsos with established legal protocols within Pakistan is substantiated and verifiable,” it says.
 
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrity and compliance across all facets of our operations, and we extend our gratitude for the continued support and trust of our esteemed clientele and stakeholders,” it says.