WEATHER ISLAMABAD Scattered Thunderstorms
ISLAMABAD ISSUE: 52 VOL: 1
31°C 87°F
Precipitation: 50% Humidity: 80% Wind: 29 km/h Tuesday – July 11, 2017
|
PAGES: 4 RS: 15/www.thedestination.com.pk
Shawal 16, 1438 AH.
Pak army destroys two Indian army posts, kills 4 soldiers
Pakistan Army on Monday destroyed two Indian army posts and killed four soldiers in response to unprovoked Indian firing in Rawlakot sector along the Line of Control (LoC). “Pakistan Army has befittingly responded to Indian unprovoked firing, causing substantial losses in men and material. Two Indian Army posts firing on innocent civilians have been destroyed. Four Indian soldiers killed,” said a press release issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
Pakistan’s candidate Khalid Mehboob has been elected as Independent Chairperson of the Council of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for the term 2017-19. “The decision was taken in an election held in Rome,” said a Foreign Ministry statement on Monday. “Mehboob, nominated by Pakistan, was one of the six candidates along with Albania, Bosnia, Cypr us, Slovakia, and Indonesia. He won the election by an impressive margin by securing 64 votes. The closest runner up received 32 votes,” the Ministry said. Mehboob brings a vast experience of over 54 years encompassing both private sector and FAO. He has been serving as Advisor/Alternate Permanent Representative of Pakistan to FAO, W FP and IFAD from 2010 to date. At Present Mehboob is Chair man of the FAO Finance Committee (2015-17). This successful election is an acknowledgment of Pakistan’s role and contribution to the FAO.
Steps being taken to eliminate load shedding: Shahbaz
Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif on Monday said the government has taken practical and effective measures for the elimination of load shedding in the country. In a statement in Lahore, he said, “The completion of the energy project will boost the economy of the country.” He said, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the concrete steps taken by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) government are yielding positive results.”
6 - m o nt h t e c h n i c a l training programme launched for tribal youth
- The federal government has launched a six month technical training programme for tribal youth. A spokesman of FATA Development Authority said, “Youth will be trained in Quantity Surveyor, Civil Land and Draftsman, Basic Computer course, AutoCad, Solar Panel and U PS Installation and Repairing.” “Besides training, they will also be provided free boarding, lodging and monthly stipends,” he added. Interested candidates have been asked to submit their applications in the office of agency coordination officer of their respective agency till July 19.
BEIJING— A third countr y’s ar my could enter Kash m i r at Pa k ist an’s request, using the ‘same logic’ the Indian Army used to stop the Chinese military from constructing a road in the Doklam area in the Sikkim sector on behalf of Bhutan, an analyst at a Chinese think tank said. “Even if India were requested to defend Bhutan’s territory, this could only be limited to its established territory, not the disputed area,” Long Xingchun, Director at the Centre for Indian Studies at China West Nor mal University, said in the article he wrote in the Global Times. “Otherwise, under India’s logic, if the Pakistani government requests, a third country’s army can enter the area disputed by India and Pakistan,” the article said. The Chinese state media have car ried a bar rage of critical articles on the Doklam standoff criticising India, but this was the first time Pakistan and Kashmir have been brought into the narrative. “Indian troops invaded China’s Doklam area in the name of helping Bhutan, but in fact the invasion was intended to help India by making use of Bhutan,” it said, referring to the June 30 statement issued by India’s External Affairs Ministry. China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for the past three weeks after a Chinese Army’s construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the
Indian name for the region that Bhutan recognises as Doklam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Of the 3,488-kmlong India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220km section falls in Sikkim. “For a long time, India has been talking about international equality and noninterference in the internal affairs of others, but it has pursued hegemonic diplomacy in South Asia, seriously violating the U N Charter and undermining the basic norms of international relations,” it said. “Through mass immigration to Sikkim, ultimately leading to control of the Sikkim parliament, India annexed Sikkim as one of its states,” it alleged. “This incursion ref lects that India fears China can quickly separate mainland India from northeast India through military means, dividing India into two pieces,” it said. “In this case, northeast India might take the opportunity to become independent. India has inter preted China’s infrastructure construction in Tibet as having a geopolitical intention against India. India itself is unable to do the same for its northeastern part, so it is trying to stop China’s road construction,” it said. “India’s incursion, based on its own strategic judgment, is a clear violation of international law,” the article said, claiming that the western countries will not unconditionally support
India as they have a wide range of ‘common interests’ with China. “As for the territorial dispute between China and Bhutan, it should be resolved by both sides and India must respect Bhutan’s sovereignty,” it said. “China can show the region and the international community or even the UN Security Council its evidence to illustrate China’s position. It highlights China’s sincerity and effort to maintain peace as a responsible big power. It will never resort to force till it is the last choice,” it said. Another article in the same daily said India must desist using the ‘Dalai Lama card’ and mess up relations with China. Referring to reports that the ‘Tibetan national flag’, a pro-independence symbol adopted by the Tibetan government-inexile, was unfurled on the shores of Bangong Lake, k now n as Pangong Tso Lake in India’s Ladakh region, the article said the timing on the incident coincided with the standoff between the two militaries in Doklam area and whether Indian authorities instigated the political activity of Tibetan separatists to exert pressure on China. “The lake sits astride India and China, with the Line of Actual Control passing through it. It’s the first time the Tibetan exile administration in northern India has flown the flag at this location,” it said. “The timing of the flag-hoisting on Indian territory has sparked wide
speculation over whether the Indian authorities instigated the political activity of Tibetan separatists to exert pressure on China. Although the involvement of New Delhi remains unclear, we hope they did not send any signal of approval,” it said. “New Delhi publicly promises not to allow any antiChina political activities by Tibetan exiles on Indian territory. But it has long used the Tibet question as a diplomatic card in dealing with Beijing,” it said. “When the Indian government attaches great importance to its relationship with China, it keeps a tight grip on antiChina political activities on its soil. However, when it is dissatisfied or has conflicts with Beijing, the Tibet card is played up. But India may overestimate the influence of Tibetan exiles,” it said. “With the rise of China and as Tibet becomes better off, Tibetan independence runs counter to the will of Tibetans. The space for Tibetan separatists has been largely squeezed as more Western countries have snubbed the Dalai Lama. The Tibet card is gradually losing its value,” it said. “If New Delhi is pulling the strings of the Tibetan exiles’ political act of flaghoisting, it will only have burned itself. Both border issues and the Tibet question concern China’s core interests and China won’t yield to provocations,” it said.— Diplomatic News Agency
Students should work hard to keep in line with changing circumstances: Mamnoon ISLAMABAD—President Mamnoon Hussain on Monday said that the world is going through rapid changes and Pakistani students should work hard to keep in line with these changing circumstances so that the country could progress and earn a rightful place in the comity of nations. The President was talking to a delegation of students of Habib Public School, Karachi who called on him at the Aiwan-e- Sadr Islamabad. The President
emphasized that, “No nation in the world could progress without focusing on research therefore the youth should promote culture of research in all walks of life. Information and digital technologies are the future technologies in which the new generation of Pakistan should acquire special expertise to enable them to serve the country to cope with the challenges of modern era.” The President underlined that, “Healthy and pro-active youth are
fb.com/TheDestinationNews |
twitter.com/th_destination
JIT recommends action against PM, his sons
China says third country’s army could enter Kashmir on Pakistan’s request
Pak istan elected as Independent Chairperson of Council of FAO
|
ISLA M A BA D —Joi nt Investigation Team (JIT) ha s re com me nde d t he Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) to order National Accou nt abilit y Bu reau ( NA B) to pu rsue case against Sharif family over Panamagate. Copy of the JIT report filed in the top court today that comprises of 256 pages and ten volumes. Out of the ten volumes, nine were made public by the top court
and are available at the registrar office. According to the report, the probe committee has found lifestyle of the first family not in lines with the income that they are shown to earn in documents. Which is why, it is recommended, the JIT states, that the case be forwarded to NAB to lodge a reference against the family. A lot of offshore companies are linked with family’s businesses in
London, the report reads. During the proceeding, SC has directed to immediately lodge case against Chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Zafar Hijazi for tempering the record that was forwarded to Panamagate JIT. The court has also ordered to expose the name of the person who incited him.
R AWA LPI N DI — Cor ps Commanders Conference on Monday reviewed geostrategic security environment with focus on evolving situation in Middle East, Afghanistan and its implications on Pakistan. The Conference chaired by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar
Javed Bajwa was held at G e ne r al He a d qu a r t e r s here. According to Inter Services Public Relations, the forum reiterated to continue supporting and enabling national efforts to play positive role in line with Pakistan’s national interests. Prog ress of O peration Radd-ul-Fasaad, military
to military engagement with Afghanistan for better border management, internal security situation of country including preparations for flood relief operations if required and force development plan was also discussed.
Corps Commanders review geo-strategic security environment
Iran welcomes U.S.-Russia ceasefire agreement in Syria: spokesman TEHRAN (Xinhua)—Iran welcomes recent U.S.Russia ceasefire agreement in Syria “provided that it would be a comprehensive plan for the Arab state,” Iran’s Foreign Mi n ist r y Spokesma n, Bahram Qasemi, said here on Monday. “If the U.S.Russia ceasefire agreement in Syria could be extended to whole Syria ..., for sure, it can be helpful,” Qasemi told reporters in his weekly press
true assets of any nation and for this reason promotion of sports is a must.” The President noted that, “In the past Habib Public School and other educational institutions of Karachi earned great goodwill and produced big name in different fields including sports. But during the last two years Karachi has not been able to maintain its distinct position therefore it is imperative that educational institutes of Karachi should promote curricular as
conference. To implement the agreement, the United States should stop targeting the Syria government forces, he said, adding that Washington is better not to overlook the facts on the ground in Syria. For any agreement, taking notice of the sovereignty and integrity of Syria is of primary importance, he stressed. On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United
well as extracurricular activities adding that Habib Public School should lead in this regard.” President Mamnoon Hussain said, “Pakistan is a great blessing of Allah and its development and security is our foremost responsibility. This responsibility can only be discharged if our younger generation focuses whole heartedly on education with full sense of responsibility to become the true architect of national development.” Commending the services
States and Russia had reached ceasefire agreement to quell fighting in southwest Syria, covering the provinces of Sweida, Daraa, and Qunaitera. The agreement went into effect on Sunday. Besides, a new round of intra-Syrian talks aiming at ending the seven years of war in the country started in the Swiss Geneva on Monday.
of the founder of Habib Public School Muhammad Ali Habib, the President said, “Being the trusted companion of Quaid-eAzam he not only rendered extraordinary services in the realm of education but also laid the foundation of banking industry in the country for which he will always be remembered.” On the occasion the president was also presented a memento of Habib Public School.
2 Tuesday- July 11, 2017
THE DESTINATION
NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL PHOTO OF THE DAY
Economic growth promotes business linkages with Canada
ISLAMABAD—It is a fact that Pakistan is emerging as a trading nation, primarily because of its location at the crossroads of South Asia, China, Central Asia, West Asia and the Indian Ocean. With its liberal pro-investment policies, Pakistan is a combination of a rapidly growing economy with a highly skilled and moderately priced workforce.
Pa k ist a n’s economy has shown a relatively well economic trend for the last few years. Numerous Canadian companies are already exploring opportunities in Pakistan in various sectors, including solar energy and information technology. However, our economic ties haven’t been reached to its true potential. In a report by Statistics Canada,
bilateral merchandise trade alone topped the $1 billion mark in 2016, depicting a 49%. A recent meeting was held between Pakistan’s Finance Minister – Ishaq Dar, and the Canadian High Commissioner - Perry Calderwood, where the commissioner said “a robust economic growth and a visible improvement in the security situation in Pakistan had provided a good opportunity for further strengthening economic and business linkages between the two countries”. The President of All Pakistan Business Forum (APBF) – Mr. Ibrahim Qureshi expressed his opinion over Pakistan and Canada’s economic relations and said: “Pakistan and Canada have been traditionally enjoying friendly relations over the years, with close co-operation in development,
people-to-people contacts and regional security. Pakistan’s exports value at $350 million+, whereas Canadian exports totaled $690 million. Canada has vast business opportunities in Pakistan, such as oil, gas and minerals exploration, information technology, agro-business and power generation.” The current state of bilateral ties including economic cooperation between Pakistan and Canada were discussed along with the steps that had been taken to reactivate the bilateral Trade and Investment Working Group to help promote economic cooperation. The Canadian High Commissioner also encouraged Canadian investors and firms to explore and benefit from the business and investment opportunities available in the country.—DNA
Indonesian students’ convocation held at IIUI Mahodand Lake (“Lake of Fishes”) is a lake located in the upper Usho Valley at a distance of about 40 km from Kalam, Swat District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The lake is accessible by a four-wheel drive vehicle, and is often utilized for fishing and boating.
German trade surplus swells in May FRANKFURT—Germany’s trade surplus widened in May, official data showed Monday, just days after a stormy G20 summit that saw clashes with the United States over protectionism. Exports from Europe’s largest economy grew 1.4 percent compared with April adjusting for seasonal effects, reaching 107.9 billion Euros ($123.02 billion), according to federal statistics office Destatis. With exports gaining 1.2 percent to reach 87.6
billion Euros, Germany’s trade surplus -- the amount its exports outweigh its imports -- grew to 20.3 billion Euros in May, compared with 19.7 billion in April. Looking to a year-on-year comparison, exports were 14.1 percent higher than in May 2016. The trade surplus reached around 250 billion Euros across the full year last year. The surplus is a major source of tension between Germany and historically close allies in the US and
the European Union Critics accuse Berlin of failing to import and invest enough to allow other countries to profit indirectly from its success. Alongside China, Germany has been one of US President Donald Trump’s most frequent targets for complaint, featuring as a key argument in his “America First” trade policy. For now “the protectionist talk of the new US administration has had no impact so far on German exports
to the US,” ING Diba bank analyst Carsten Brzeski said. The United States account for almost nine percent of all German sales abroad. “Brexit, however, has clearly left its mark,” Brzeski added, noting that Britain was the destination for just 6.9 percent of all German exports between January and March -- well below the 7.5 percent recorded over the whole year in 2015.
Japan’s Okinoshima island becomes UNESCO site
OKINOSHIMA—Japan’s male-only Okinoshima island recently gained the status of a world heritage site. the island has been declared a World Heritage cultural site by United Nations Educational, Scientif ic and Cult ural
Organization (UNESCO). Okinoshima is an important part of Japan’s history. The island was first used for rituals in which prayers were offered for the safety and wellbeing of ships. During that time, it was also used
as a point for building trade ties with Korean and Chinese people. Later on in the 17th century the Okitsu shrine was build upon the island to pray for the safety of sailors. Due to its rich history thousands of old artifacts have
been found upon the island, including artifacts from far off places such as gold rings from the Korean Peninsula. The island is also known for its curious rituals and for a having a specific number of visitors. A cleansing ritual in which clothes are removed is required by all men who visit the island and when the visitors leave they are not allowed to disclose any specifics of their visit or take away any sort of souvenirs. The ablution rites are performed at sea. Additionally, unlike most historical sites that welcome tourists all year around, Okinoshima is only opened to the general public on the 27th of May of each year. Moreover, the number of people allowed is highly restricted with only 200 visitors allowed on the island so if you have the bad luck of missing your turn you have to wait till next year to visit again. Japan is home to numerous World Heritage sites which have allowed it to become a major tourist destination with the JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization) estimating that the country attracted 24.03 million international tourists in 2016.
DOH A— Qat ar’s mai n commercial port is operating at full capacity and the only change has been that the Doha-bound ships were transiting through two Omani ports, rather than the Emirati Jebel Ali port, a regional hub. “There has not been an increase in traffic since the beginning of the blockade by Saudi Arabia and its allies,” Al Jazeera reported Abdulaziz Nasser Al-Yafei, Hamad Port Director as saying.
“The only thing that has happened is that the ships in the past were depending on Jebel Ali Port (in Dubai) as a hub port, but now we are cooperating with our brothers in the Sultanate of Oman, and we thank them, of course, for their generous cooperation with us and the quickness of their action,” he said. Al-Yafei also said, “There were plans to increase the port’s capacity, and that they were continuing on schedule.” Qatar depends almost
entirely on food imports to feed its more than two million residents. The majority of the imports came through its only land border with Saudi Arabia. It had been forced to look elsewhere for food since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar early last month and imposed air, sea, and land blockads against the country. Qatar has increased imports by air of foodstuffs from
Turkey, Iran and China since the crisis began. Turkey also started shipping products to Qatar by sea. On Friday evening, at least five large ships were docking at Hamad Port, unloading sheep from Australia, food products from Turkey, and a ship carrying cars made in South Korea. Port officials say that the port received 212 ships in June, and can process 7.5 million containers a year.— Diplomatic News Agency
Sri Lankan delegation arrives to finalize export of 300,000 tons rice ISLAMABAD—A delegation of Sri Lanka has arrived here to negotiate with the Pakistani team to finalize the issue of exporting 300,000 tons rice to Sri Lanka. A high level Sri Lankan delegation has started bilateral negotiations for reaching the final agreements to export non-basmati rice to Sri Lanka, Senior official of ministry of commerce told media here on Monday. A meeting in this regard would be held here Monday headed by Secretary Commerce
Younas Dhaga in which the two side would discuss the modus operandi and procedure for exporting nonBasmati rice to Sri Lanka, he said. Pakistan produces roughly 700,000 tons of rice annually, and is leading the regional countries in production of Basmati and non Basmati rice, official said. He said the government would support the Sri Lankan delegation for talks at government to government, and government to business level.
The official said that Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and representative of local rice association were also participating in negotiation. He said that domestic production of rice in Sri Lanka was low and they are willing to import non Basmati rice from Pakistan. It may be mentioned here that Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was operational from 2005. He said under the FTA, both of the country has already agreed to offer
preferential market access to each others’ exports by way of granting tariff concessions. Additionally, he said according to FTA, Sri Lanka would be able to enjoy duty free market access on 206 products in the Pakistani market including tea, rubber and coconut. Pakistan, in return, would gain duty free access on 102 products in the Sri Lankan market, including oranges, basmati/non basmati rice and engineering goods.—DNA
Pakistan to provide 25,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka on urgent basis: Younus ISLAMABAD —Federal Secretary for Ministry of Com merce Moham mad Younus Dhaga on Monday said that considering it is the end of season, Pakistan will initially provide at least 25,000 MT rice to Sri Lanka on urgent basis. “For the remaining quantities, the trading arms of two countries i.e. Trading Corporation
of Pakistan (TCP) and Cooperative W holesale Establishment (CWE) in Sri Lanka will discuss procurement schedule and price in September/October on the advent of new crop,” he said. He expressed these views while talking to a high level Sri Lankan delegation led by Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry,
Sri Lanka, Chinthaka S. Lokuhetti. The meeting discussed the possibility of procurement of 300,000 MT rice from Pakistan to meet the domestic shortfall because of drought in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan side is looking to procure rice on government to government basis. Both sides also discussed about signing a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) between TCP and CWE, Sri Lanka counterpart in Sri Lanka for supply of other commodities as well such as sugar. The meeting was also attended by Chairman Trading Cor poration of Pakistan (TCP), Mushtaq Ahmed Sheikh.
New UN-led peace talks on Syria kick off in Geneva
Brazil reports net USD outflow in June amid political uncertainty
Ireland mulls changing naval operations status in Mediterranean
Petroleum congress in Istanbul discusses energy’s future
A new round of intra-Syrian talks aiming at ending the seven years of war in the country started here on Monday. The UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Monday met with the Syrian government delegation headed by Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari for bilateral talks. De Mistura is expected to meet Syrian opposition representatives later in the day. A UN source said this new peace effort, the seventh of its kind, is scheduled to go on until July 14. “In addition to the formal sessions of the intra-Syrian talks, expert meetings of the consultative process on constitutional.
The Brazilian central bank announced a monthly net outflow of 4.3 billion U.S dollars in June, reversing the situation of net inflow during the past three months. The net outflow in the first half of 2017 reached 7.47 billion U.S. dollars, compared with a net inflow of 10.04 billion U.S. dollars in the same period last year. With increased greenback outflow, the Brazilian real (BRL) depreciated against the U.S dollar last month. The latest data came out amid political instability in Brazil. General Prosecutor Rodrigo Janot charged President Michel Temer last week in a graft scheme involving the world’s largest meatpacker, JBS SA.
Ireland is considering a change in the status of its naval operations in the Mediterranean, according to public broadcaster RTE. Currently, Irish navy operations in the Mediterranean are based on a bilateral arrangement with Italy. In the last two years, Irish naval forces have saved about 16,000 migrants in southern Mediterranean on a humanitarian search and rescue basis. RTE reported that Irish Minister of State for Defense Paul Kehoe will bring proposals to cabinet on Tuesday, seeking approval for the country to join the UN mandated Operation Sophia. The cabinet will then on Wednesday propose a motion to the Dail Eireann,
Representatives from the global petroleum sector in Istanbul, the capital of Turkey on Monday focused on the future of energy in the face of a growing population on the planet in the decades to come. “Today we have around 7.5 billion people on the planet and by 2100 we can expect about 11.2 billion,” Ben van Beurden, CEO of the Royal Dutch Shell, told the 22nd World Petroleum Congress that kicked off on Sunday evening in Istanbul. Recent projections suggest that the population in Asia alone would increase by 750 million by the middle of the century, with its energy demand increasing by around half, noted Van Beurden.
THE DESTINATION
Tuesday- July 11, 2017
3
NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL
T
he Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) is the section of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated to providing aid and financing pro-development activities in developing countries worldwide. The new strategy for Denmark’s development cooperation ”The Right to a Better Life’’ creates the foundation for an effective Danish development cooperation, which aims to combat
Rana Tahir Shahbaz Source: pakistan.um.dk
Founder and Chief Editor: Rana Tahir Shahbaz Editor: Tayyaba Imran Contact #: 051-8314196 Fax#: 051-8315196 Mob#: 0300-8503803, 0347-5959747 www.thedestination.com.pk info@thedestination.com.pk
Denmark—DANIDA
poverty and promote human rights. Economic growth is central to the strategy, but growth should be green and promote social progress in order for it to contribute to improving the lives of poor people and their ability to create a better life for themselves. Denmark has been granting development assistance since the end of the Second World War. It is one of the five countries in the world that meets the United Nations’s target of granting 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) in development assistance.
Development Cooperation
On the successful implementation of the first phase of development cooperation programme 2010-12, Denmark launched a new framework programme for Pakistan in November 2013. With a total budget of USD 50 million, this new programme provides support to the interventions on peace building, livelihoods, and education and to civil society organizations with a clear mandate in the areas of democratization, human rights and gender equality. The overall objective of the new cooperation is to alleviate poverty through stabilization and peace building, improved livelihoods and service delivery, as well as through strengthened democratization, human rights and gender equality.
Areas of Intervention
The new program cooperation consists of two major components: The first component aims to provide support to peace building, livelihoods and education in
Opposition party challenges Erdogan, holds big rally in Istanbul
ISTANBUL: Tens of thousands of Turkish opposition supporters on Sunday massed in Istanbul to mark the end of
a nearly month-long march protesting alleged injustices under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a rare challenge
to Turkey’s powerful leader. A sea of people filled the vast shore-side square in Maltepe on the Asian side of Istanbul for the rally celebrating the culmination of a 450-kilometre “justice march” from Ankara to Istanbul by Republica n People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu. The rally is by far the biggest by the opposition seen in Istanbul since the mass May-June 2013 demonstrations against Erdogan’s rule sparked by the planned redevelopment of Gezi Park in the city.
5.9-magnitude quake jolts Philippines The quake had a depth of 12 km at the epicentre
An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale jolted central Philippines on Monday without any casualties or material damage. The quake was located 13.3 km west of Burauen in Leyte province, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake had a depth
of 12 km at the epicentre, but did not trigger a tsunami warning, reports Efe news. On July 6, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake killed a 19-year-old girl in Ormoc and a 40-year-old man in Kananga, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council. The agency also repor ted 72 injured. The Philippines sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a region of high seismic and volcanic activity where some 7,000 tremors, mostly mild, are felt around the year.
Trump’s son met Russian lawyer after promise of information on Clinton
President Donald Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. agreed to meet with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 campaign after being promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton, citing three advisers to the White House. Trump’s then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting, the Times reported. The Times quoted a statement from Donald Trump Jr. in which he acknowledged meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. (courtesy by New York Times)
Trump expresses desire to work constructively with Russia The United States President Donald Trump has expressed desire to work constructively with Russia. In his statement, President Trump said this is time to move forward and both countries can work together on some areas. He also said he had not discussed US sanctions imposes on Russia relating to Ukraine, interference in the 2016 election. He said nothing will be done until the Ukraine & Syrian problems are solved.
About 30 Muslim leaders from Europe hold rally against terrorism Around thirty Muslim leaders from across the Europe held a rally against terrorism at the site of a deadly truck attack in Berlin in December. The event was part of a “March of Muslims Against Terrorism”.
Supporting and financing pro-development activities Writers are requested to send their contributions at editor@thedestination.com.pk
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan. The support is provided through Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), which is administered by the World Bank and implemented by the provincial authorities. The MDTF program focuses on reconstruction and economic development in the areas bordering Afghanistan and will strengthen the writ of the state. In addition, in this component further support is provided to the common country programme of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for improvement of educational services in the border areas. This programme aims to enhance the educational services by improving child health & nutrition, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene in schools. The second component focuses on enhanced democratization, human rights and gender equality in Pakistan. The support is provided to civil society organizations including democracy & governance project with PILDAT; promotion of human rights education and research with Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP); Pakistan peace initiative with Search for Common Ground (SFCG); Dar-ul-Amans in Punjab with MdM; gender empowerment & institutional development program of OXFAM Novib; media support programme with International Media Support (IMS); and culture programme with Center for Culture and Development (CKU).
Humanitarian Aid
The Government of Denmark has since the earth quake in 2005 supported humanitarian assistance in Pakistan, and it has primarily consisted support to food, shelter, emergency medical care and child protection, education and nutrition interventions. From 2010-2014, the total contribution has been USD 56 million and funds have been channeled through a number of Danish NGOs like Danish Refugee Council, Danish Red Cross, Dan Church Aid and Save the Children, who work in partnership with Pakistani organisations. In addition, support has been provided through multilateral channels like UNHCR, WFP, ECHO and others. Pakistan is affected by three types of humanitarian crisis and the Danish support is targeting all three areas: • Internal displaced persons in conflict affected areas in the north-west part of the country. • High presence of Afghan refugees. • Yearly flooding in Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan especially after the monsoon season and earthquakes. The objectives of Denmark’s humanitarian action are to save and protect lives, alleviate suffering and promote the dignity and rights of civilians in crisis situations; as well as to initiate recovery, build resilience to and prevent future crises by breaking the cycle between crises and vulnerability. Thereby, Denmark’s humanitarian action contributes to improving human security and reducing poverty. For further information The Destination’s readers may contact the Embassy of Denmark, Islamabad (ISBAMB@UM.DK).
US Secretary of State decides to personally intervene to end Middle East crisis US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has decided to personally intervene in the Middle East diplomatic crisis that threatens US counterterrorism efforts in the region, a Washington Post report said. Tillerson is heading for Kuwait which is trying to mediate between Qatar and other members of the GCC to end the crisis which US fears could drag on for months. President Trump last week spoke with GCC leaders to defuse the tension and end blockade of Qatar, where US has its largest military base in the region. The US top diplomat, according to a senior US official, will meet leaders of the Gulf countries involved in the crisis. While there hasn’t been any serious threat to operations at the US base in Qatar, a major US naval base in Bahrain, or cooperation by other regional states necessary to its central role in the conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, US feels that the dispute can divert the attention. Secretary Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have called on all parties to resolve their differences.
Turkish govt creating new energy corridors to reach regions from Central Asia and from Middle East
Turkish government has been creating new energy corridors to reach regions from Central Asia and from the Middle East. This was stated by president of the World Petroleum Council Jozsef Laszlo Toth at the 22nd World Petroleum Congress the largest meeting of the oil and gas industry in Istanbul. He said these energy corridors will play an important role to secure the safe and economically viable access to
markets from hydrocarbon. Fifty energy ministers, highlevel executives, international organizations and government leaders, experts from all areas of the industry and researchers are gathered in Istanbul to collectively analyse and determine the future of the petroleum sector. The theme of the 22nd World Petroleum Congress is “Bridges to our Energy Future”.
Trump backtracks on US-Russia cyber unit after harsh criticism Agencies Trump had shared that Russia and US could form “an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to address cyber meddling in elections. US President Donald Trump on Sunday backtracked on his push for a cyber security unit with Russia, tweeting that he did not think it could happen, hours after his proposal was harshly criticized by Republicans who said Moscow could not be trusted. Trump said on Twitter early on Sunday that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on Friday forming “an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to address issues like the risk of cyber meddling in elections. The idea appeared to be a political non-starter. It was immediately scorned by several of Trump’s fellow Republicans, who questioned why the United States would work with Russia after Moscow’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US election. “It’s not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it’s
pretty close,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC’s “Meet the Press” program. Ash Carter, who was U.S. defense secretary until the end of former Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration in January, told CNN flatly: “This is like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary.” Trump’s advisers, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, had recently sought to explain Trump’s cyber push. Mnuchin said on Saturday that Trump and Putin had agreed to create “a cyber unit to make sure that there was absolutely no interference whatsoever, that they would work on cyber security together.” But Trump returned to Twitter on Sunday to play down the idea, which arose at his talks with Putin at a summit of the Group of 20 nations in Hamburg, Germany. “The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn’t mean I think it can
happen. It can’t,” Trump said on Twitter. He then noted that an agreement with Russia for a ceasefire in Syria “can & did” happen. Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona acknowledged Trump’s desire to move forward with Russia, but added: “There has to be a price to pay.” “There has been no penalty,” McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” program according to a CBS transcript. “Vladimir Putin ... got away with literally trying to change the outcome ... of our election.” Trump argued for a rapprochement with Moscow in his campaign but has been unable to deliver because his administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of Russian interference in the election and ties with his campaign. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the matter, including whether there may have been any collusion on the part of Trump campaign officials,
UN strongly condemns terrorist attack in Egypt
The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Egyptian city Rafah, in which ten soldiers were killed and several injured. In a statement, the Council said that “terrorism constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.” It urged international community to actively cooperate with relevant authorities to track down the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of the terrorist acts. Meanwhile, an Egyptian military spokesman said that forty militants have been killed, following the attack at the Rafah checkpoint.
Sanctions against Russia to remain in place, says US
The United States says sanctions against Russia will remain in place until Moscow reverses its actions in Ukraine. This was stated by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson while speaking at a joint news briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev. Tillerson said it is necessary for Russia to take the first step to de-escalate the situation in eastern part of Ukraine. He called on Russia to honour its commitments to halt the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and the rebels.
Germany begins withdrawing troops from Turkish air base Germany began to pull its troops from Incirlik air base in Turkey today, where they were supporting international operations against Islamic State.
Published by Rana Tahir Shahbaz from Office # 2 , First Floor, Abbasi Plaza , Bani Gala Islamabad (ph: 051-8314196, fax: 051-8315196) & Printed at Roohani Art Press Islamabad
THE DESTINATION
4 Tuesday- July 11, 2017
Senator Mushahid Hussain elected as Vice Chairman of ICAPP
SEOUL—The Chairman of Pakistan-China Institute and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on CPEC, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed was elected as the Vice Chairman of the International Conference
of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) in Seoul, South Korea. ICAPP was launched in September 2000 in Manila; it represents over 300 political parties from 52 Asian countries. Giving his keynote
ECNEC approves 11 projects of worth over Rs234b
I S L A M A B A D —T h e Executive Com mit tee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved eleven projects of worth over 234 billion rupees. The approval was granted in ECNEC meeting held in Islamabad today with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in the chair. The projects approved today include 40.8 MW Koto Hydropower Project in Lower Dir at a cost of over 13 billion rupees, enhancing Public Private Partnerships in Sindh of worth over 19 billion, Integration of Health Ser vices Deliver y i n Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a cost of over 13 billion rupees, and establishment of Children Hospital at Bahawalpur at cost of over five billion rupees. The projects also include the efforts of MMI Hospital Karachi Neighborhood translating the like that of Improvement Project and speech at the first Asia Europe Political Forum organized by ICAPP Senator Mushahid said that ‘the time has come for the destiny of Asia to be decided by the Asians themselves, not outsiders.’ Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed has been unanimously elected as Vice Chairman of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties. The election took place at a meeting of the forum’s Standing Committee, comprising twenty seven members, in Seoul. Mushahid Hussain represented Pakistan in the Conference that was attended by over three hundred political parties from fifty two Asian countries.
Murad for provision of healthcare services through Public Private Partnership
Our Staff Reporter K AR ACHI—Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Mondayendorsed that creating a healthy society is the vision of the government of Sindh and it remains our top priority to provide the best possible healthcare services for the masses through Public Private Partnership (PPP). He expressed these views during
his visit to Memon Medical Institute Hospital in Karachi. He was extremely delighted to see the facilities created in the outskirts of this mega city. During his address he said, “It has been a pleasure to be at a great institution “Memon Medical Institute Hospital” and see excellent work being done for the poor communities.” He also recognized
“Eradication of Hepatitis C in Karachi” and especially in the interior of Sindh for the poor, local residence of the area. He said “I am committed to support MMI Hospital and will continue this association on other projects, including the formation of Nursing School at MMI Hospital.” The event at MMI Hospital was also attended by the minister of health Dr. Sikandar Ali Mandhro, Abdul Hakeem Baloch – M NA , Pe e r Mohammad Diwan – Founder Chairman of Memon Health and Education Foundation, Muhammad Shabbir Kassim – Chairman of Memon Medical Institute Hospital, Abdul Razak Diwan, Ajaz Saya, Shabbir Diwan and senior health professionals from MMI Hospital and government of Sindh.
SECP establishes Investor Education, Awareness Fund under Companies Act 2017
ISLA M A BA D —T he Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has established a dedicated Investor Education and Awareness Fund to be used for the investor awareness and to educate investors on Pakistan’s capital market. The new fund is being created under the requirement of Companies Act 2017. The SECP has directed companies to initiate process for issuance of notices to the shareholders and certificate holders to lodge claims for unclaimed shares and unpaid
dividends. Section 244 of the Act requires that any shares, modaraba certificates that remained unclaimed for a period of three years (or more) as well as any dividend which remained unpaid for a period of three years (or more) are to vest with the Federal Government. The law requires the companies to deposit any unclaimed or unpaid amount to the credit of the Federal Government, if no claim is made before the company after giving due notices to the shareholders or certificate holders. The
unclaimed shares or modaraba certificates are to be delivered to the SECP for their sale and deposit of sale proceeds to the credit of Federal Government. The law further requires the federal government to notify opening of a profit bearing account to maintain unclaimed or unpaid amount as well as the proceeds from the sale of shares or modaraba certificates. The interest / profit accumulated from this account shall be credited to the Investor Education and Awareness Fund, managed and controlled by the SECP. This fund will be utilized for the promotion of investor education and awareness activities. Subsequently, to establish the fund, the SECP has directed the companies to furnish st atement of u nclaimed shares/amount as available on their books to the SECP and initiate process of notice issuance under the Act to the shareholders and certificate holders. The said direction to Companies is also available on SECP website for public information.
Karachi Transformation Project of worth over 10 billion rupees, improvement, upgradation and widening of Jaglot-Skardu Road at a cost of 32 billion rupees, and improvement and widening of additional 2-lanes on either side of Thokar Niaz Baig to Hudyiara Drain Multan Road in Lahore costing over ten billion rupees. Peshawar Sustainable Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Project of worth 49 bill io n r u p e e s , P u nja b irrigated-agriculture productivity improvement Project costing over 67 billion r upees, Prime Minister’s Youth Skill Development Program worth over six billion, and Karachi Neighborhood improvement and Karachi Transformation Project of worth over 10 billion rupees were also approved by the ECNEC.
Business community to remain united for economic stability of country: UBG
K A R ACH I — Un it e d Business Group (UBG) Chief S M Muneer on Monday said that business community would remain united for the progress and prosperity and struggle for economic stability of the country. Speaking at a core committee meeting of the group, he expressed the need of providing incentives to industrial sector to attract new investment and increase job opportunities. He said, “The group is here to strengthen
Federat ion of Pa k ist a n Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and work for wellbeing of business community.” Chairman UBG, Iftikhar Ali Malik said, “The group is a symbol of unity among business community. In last three years members of the group elected as representatives of FPCCI have delivers unprecedented results and made all possible efforts to get their issues resolved.” President FPCCI, Zubair
Pakistan, China to enhance exchange of youth delegations: Pak Envoy
B E I J I N G — P a k i s t a n’s Ambassador to China, Masood Khalid said on Monday that Pakistan and China would enhance exchange of youth delegations under the cultural and education corridors to further strengthen timetested friendship between the two countries. “Pakistan and China have multi-faceted relations. We are not only cooperating under the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but also enhancing friendship between our younger generations under cultural and education corridors,” he said while addressing a group of Chinese students who visited the Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing. Ex-Ambassador of China to Pakistan, Lu Shu Lin, Director General International De pa r t ment of Ch i na Communist Youth League Wang Shu, Principal, Teachers and Students of Pakistan Embassy College were also present. Ambassador Khalid said, “The interaction between the youths of Pakistan and China was extremely important as these young leaders would carry the present bonds
of friendship between the two brotherly countries in future.” He hoped that the exchange of youth delegations would be a regular feature of PakChina friendship. He informed the visiting students that, “Pakistan Embassy School was the first international school established in China in 1969. Former Chinese Prime Minister Zhu En Lai had proposed to the Pakistan government of setting up such a school in China. At present, more than 450 students, a combination of Pakistani and international students were studying in the school.” Shedding light on the history of Pak-China friendship, he said, “Both the countries had been enjoying deep rooted, strong and closed friendship for the last 70 years.” He appreciated the role of ex-Ambassador Lu Shu Lin who served for a long time in Pakistan and played an important role in building and strengthening deep-rooted Pak-China relations. “We also find same commitment and resolve among the present leadership of both the countries to take the Pak-China friendship to
the new heights,” he added. Ambassador Khalid commended the efforts of China Communist Youth League for organizing this trip of Chinese students to Pakistan Embassy and taking a lead. Speaking on the occasion, ex-Ambassador Lu Shu Lin said that being the future of two countries, the younger generations could play a role of bridge between China and Pakistan. He expressed the confidence that friendship between China and Pakistan would become stronger with the passage of time and endured to the next generations. Director General, International Department of China Communist Youth League, Want Shu said, “Jointsinging of national anthems of two countries by the students of two countries was manifestation of bonds and friendship which was higher than mountains, deeper than oceans and sweeter than honey.” He hoped that, “Youths would make more contributions to enhance friendship, adding, the frequent visits between youth delegations could play a vital role to further promote China-Pakistan friendship.” He said, “A youth delegation from China recently visited Pakistan and they were warmly welcomed and looked after during their stay in Islamabad.” The Chinese and Pakistani students delivered speeches and highlighted the historical and friendly relations between the two countries. The separate cultural performances by the visiting Chinese students and Pakistani students enthralled the audience. Paintings by Pakistani and Chinese students and souvenirs were also exchanged on the occasion.—DNA
K-electric unveils plan for us$ 1bn 900 mw power project
KARACHI—K-Electric on Monday unveiled plan for the development of a 900 MW power project that will significantly increase generation capacity and play a critical role in further supporting the energy needs of Karachi. The 900 MW Bin Qasim Power Station III will be built at K-Electric’s Bin Qasim site at an estimated cost of US$ 1 billion and includes simultaneous upgrades to associated transmission infrastructure. The plant will be dual fired with primary fuel expected to be RLNG (Re-gasified Liquid Natural Gas). Once completed, it will represent one of the largest private sector
investments of its kind in the country’s power sector. According to K-Electric CEO Tayyab Tareen, “The 900 MW BQPS-III is a big investment for K-Electric but our conviction is that this is essential in meeting Karachi’s immediate energy demands. We aim to commission the project in the fastest possible time and are confident that with the right facilitation from all quarters, power from the plant may be added to our supply as soon as summer of 2018.” Waqar Siddique, Chairman K-Electric and Managing Partner The Abraaj Group said, “An investment of
the size and magnitude of BQPS-III once again reinforces Abraaj’s commitment to improving the lives of K-Electric’s customers.” “We believe the company is ideally poised to continue its investment in generation, transmission and distribution projects within an investment friendly environment. Shanghai Electric Power (SEP), as a potential incoming investor, have also expressed complete confidence in this project and fully endorses K-Electric’s vision for Karachi’s transformation. This 900 MW project marks the beginning of a multi-billion dollar investment plan which is
set to accelerate Karachi’s economic potential,” he said. Wang Yundan, Chairman Shanghai Electric Power (SEP) stated that, “Shanghai Electric Power issued a fresh public announcement of our intention to acquire up to 66.4 percent shares of K-Electric. While the transaction is yet to be completed, we are actively following K-Electric’s plans which have been comprehensively outlined in their Multi Year Tariff review petition. This is indeed an exciting milestone and we fully endorse their vision for Karachi. SEP looks forward to leveraging its strengths as a strategic investor to further realize K-Electric’s potential in providing better services to the people of Karachi.” The investment for the 900 MW plant and associated transmission upgrades is in addition to over US$ 1.4 billion which has already been invested since 2009 by K-Electric. As a result of these investments, K-Electric has substantially improved services for Karachi’s consumers and businesses.
Amongst other initiatives, the company added 1,057 MW of generation, reduced transformer trips by 58 percent and reduced line losses from 36 percent to 22 percent. These improvements have enabled the company to make 61 percent of Karachi load-shed free (from 23 percent in 2009), including all industrial customers, and reduce the duration and frequency of outages by 45 percent and 41 percent respectively (from 2011). K-Electric additionally created 29 Integrated Business Centers (“IBCs”) to improve and en hance customer engagement. Adding new generation capabilities and strengthening its transmission and distribution network are currently K-Electric’s highest priorities. The power utility is also taking major steps towards enhancing transformation capacity and improving the reliability of power supply to its customers. The development work of TP-1000 (Transmission Enhancement Plan), a US$ 450 million project, is progressing on a fast track.
Opple Lighting Pakistan launched its advertisement campaign
OGDCL added 1,337,395 bbl oil, 9,348 mmcf gas in production gathering system
SBP sets rules for banks wanting to be fully sharia compliant
Coal mine survey in progress in Punjab
Opple Lighting Pakistan, a premium LED lighting solution has recently launched its advertisement campaign in collaboration with Sahara Trust, a charitable organization. Streamers allocated all over, where 70% of the space given to Sahara Trust and Opple utilized only 30%. The complete cost of this initiative was borne by Opple Lighting Pakistan. Opple is an innovative, fast-growing company and an integrated lighting company concerning R&D, production and sale. Its products include light source, lamps, electrical appliances, integrated ceiling lamps etc.
The OGDCL has injected around 18 new wells in its production gathering system during the last financial year, The wells including Qadirpur HRL-II, Kunnar-II, Rajian-9, Nashpa-6 and 7, Unnar1, Thora Deep- 1 and 2, Pasakhi West Deep-I, Pasakhi East-I, TAY-2, 3 and 4, Dars-I, Dars Deep-I, Dars West-1, 6 Shah-I and Qadirpur-56 have been injected in the existing production gathering system. Besides, it completed pressure build-up survey jobs at various wells of Uch, Bobi, Nashpa, Pasakhi, Sinjhoro and TAY fields to induce improvement in the current well flow parameters.
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has issued guidelines covering how banks that want to be fully-fledged sharia compliant can achieve that status, setting a three-year time frame for applicants to complete the process. The rules aim to accelerate the growth of Islamic banking in the Muslim-majority country. The sector enjoys double-digit growth but lags conventional banks in terms of size and profitability. Islamic banks follows religious principles such as bans on interest and pure monetary speculation, ruling out the use of interest-based financial instruments such as bonds and treasury bills.
A third party validation of coal mining survey is in progress to assess and evaluate whether such resources of Trans-Indus Range are sufficient for supply to proposed coal based power plants for thirty years. Directorate General Mines and Minerals has also engaged a German Consultant (SST-Fugro) consortium for third party validation of the coal mining survey data collected by the department. Official sources said the study would cover goals which includes conducting a mining lease based available coal and/or coaly shales/high carbonaceous shales resource estimation and verify coal mines survey data through review of existing data.