The Destination Issue 31 Vol 1

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Ramadan 15 1468 AH.

Announcement Today’s The Destination carries special supplement on The Day of Russia Russia strongly opposes U.S. strikes on pro-government forces in Syria M O S C OW— R u s s i a i s strongly opposed to U.S. strikes on pro-government forces in Syria and hopes Washington will take measures to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held a phone conversation on Sat urday, in which they exchanged views on the current situation in Syria and confirmed their intention to strengthen cooperation in the efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

Iran comes to Qatar’s rescue, sends planes of food Iran has sent five planes of vegetables to Qatar, Iran’s national car r ier told on Sunday, days after Gulf countries cut off air and other transport links to the emirate. “So far five planes carrying… vegetables have been sent to Qatar, each carrying around 90 tonnes of cargo, while another plane will be sent today (Sunday),” Iran Air spokesman Shahrokh Noushabadi said. “We will continue deliveries as long as there is demand from Qatar,” Noushabadi added, without mentioning if these deliveries were exports or aid. Three ships loaded with 350 tonnes of fruit and vegetables were also set to leave an Iranian port for Qatar.

Leading Polo Player Sufi Amir reaches home Pakistan Leading Polo Player Pakistan World cup Team member Sufi Amir reached Lahore last night after a successful trip of European Countries. Sufi Amir played polo from last 15 years in Pakistan and various parts of world. Sufi Amir who played lot of polo around world. He played from Lahore Polo Club, Garrison Polo Club, Islamabad Polo Club, Rawalpindi Polo Club, Hungr y, Slovakia, England, and Argentine. On his tour first round he played in Hungry in Hungarian Open club where his team reaches in final and he scores total 8 goals in that Championship.

Pakistan, China to embark upon Cultural Caravan on CPEC route Pakistan and China will embark upon Cultural Caravan on CPEC route to strengthen region’s economic, cultural connectivity, showcase soft image and trade potential of the region. Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb along with Chinese Minister for Culture would formally launch the Cultural Caravan from Urumqi (China) in August this year. The 60-member troupe comprising Chinese and Pakistani artists, musicians, dancers, photographers, anthropologists, writers and filmmakers riding on 15-fully equipped vehicles would reach Gwadar in 30 days from Urumqi.

Caravan would pass through Athushi, Thumshuk, Shulay, Shefu, Akto and Tashgul in China, and Gilgit to Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Dera Ismail Khan, Quetta, Sukkur, Karachi and Gwadar in Pakistan.

Pakistan not positioning its troops in Qatar: Foreign Office

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has disproved reports that it was deploying its troops in Qatar in the wake of the oil-rich country’s current standoff with other Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia. A statement issued by the Foreign Office on Sunday described the reports that appeared in some foreign media outlets about the deployment of Pakistan army in Qatar as “completely fabricated and baseless”. “These false reports appear to be part of

a malicious campaign aimed at creating misunderstanding between Pakistan and brotherly Muslim countries in the Gulf,” Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakria said.

He further said that the foreign media reports were “fabricated and baseless”, adding that they were part of a “malicious campaign” seeking to drive a wedge between Pakistan and its Gulf allies. Last week, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United A rab Emirates

(UAE), Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives severed their ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism in an unprecedented rift between the most powerful members of the GCC. Qatar denied these allegations, terming them as ‘false and baseless’.

The crisis is being touted as the biggest in the Middle East and has left Pakistan, along with countries around the world, picking sides and scrambling for solutions.

On Thu rsday, Tu rkish

ASTANA— Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Pakistan is an important partner for Russia in South Asia.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana on Friday.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, includi ng t rade and economic cooperation, and also current international issues during the meeting. Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Minister for Commerce

Khurram Dastgir were also present at the meeting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Pakistan’s accession to the SCO. President of Russia Vladimir Putin said: “I am glad that we met for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit”.

He said Russian-Pakistani relations have been constructive and mutually beneficial.

President Putin said: “our relations are developing in many areas, and our trade has increased, even if only by a few percentage points. Of

course, we are able to do much more than we are doing now.”

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif thanked President Vladimir P ut i n , a nd t he Ru ssia n Federation for supporting Pakistan’s full membership in the SCO. PM Nawaz Sharif said: “while in Ufa we did agree on improving Pakistan-Russian bilateral trade, there is improvement but not the level that we agreed upon. It has been always my endeavour to build and strengthen our relationship and I am continuing to strive for that.”

Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Pakistan Friday signed a loan agreement of $86.41 million for the extension of the Pehur High Level Canal in the Swabi and Nowshehra districts of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

Finance Minister Mohammad

Ishaq Dar witnessed signing

by Xiaohong Yang, ADB’s Country Director for Pakistan, and Secretar y Economic Affairs Division (EAD) Tariq Mahmood Pasha for the government of Pakistan.

Tariq Rashid, KP’s Irrigation Department Secretary, signed the project agreement. The

project would be completed by 2023 at a cost of US$ 96.6 million. The finance minister appreciated ADB’s assistance for the Pehur High Level Canal Extension Project, and their continued support and partnership for development projects in Pakistan, including in the agriculture sector.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved legislation for increased military cooperation with Qatar, including a deal for the deployment of Turkish troops there.

The legislation, which also foresees cooperation in military training, was rapidly passed in parliament on Wednesday, a day after Erdogan openly sided with Qatar and criticised other Gulf countries’ moves to isolate it.

Pakistan important partner for Russia in South Asia, President Putin

ADB extends $86.41 mln for irrigation project in KP

Pakistan, China to embark upon Cultural Caravan on CPEC route Pakistan and China will embark upon Cultural Caravan on CPEC route to strengthen region’s economic, cultural connectivity, showcase soft image and trade potential of the region. Minister of State for Information Marriyum Au r a n g z e b a lo n g w it h Chinese Minister for Culture

would formally launch the C u lt u r al Ca r ava n f rom Urumqi (China) in August this year. The 60-member troupe comprising Chinese and Pakistani artists, musicians, dancers, photographers, anthropologists, writers and filmmakers riding on 15-fully equipped vehicles would reach

Gwadar in 30 days from Urumqi. Caravan would pass through Athushi, Thumshuk, Shulay, Shefu, Akto and Tashgul in China, and Gilgit to Peshawar, Lahore, Multan, Dera Ismail Khan, Quetta, Sukkur, Karachi and Gwadar in Pakistan.

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Full membership of SCO to boost Pakistan’s image, economy

ISLAMABAD—Efforts of the Prime Minister Nawaz Shar if must be lauded which has resulted in full membership of Pakistan in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a business leader said Sunday.

The SCO will not only give Pakistan a powerful platform to promote its economy, but it will also help our voice to be heard more clearly on regional and international matters, said Shahid Rasheed Butt.

Now Pakistan will be better equipped to ensure peace, build trust, spur economic development, combat terrorism, reduce arms race, eliminate poverty, deal with natural disasters, tackle climate change and assure water security, he added.

He said that expansion of the SCO has taken place at

a time when China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) initiative has transformed the global economic landscape.

He also lauded the move of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to use the opportunity to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of the SCO moot in Astana. Both the leaders have agreed to combat terrorism which is a positive development, he added.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan frequently hit bilateral relations trade which is damaging both countries, he said. Shahid Rasheed Butt said that both the brotherly Islamic countries should resolve this issue amicably as Pakistan plans to import 1300 megawatt electricity from central Asia through Afghanistan which will cost it 5 cents per KWH

while Afghan government will get 1.25 cents per KWH as transit fee. Similarly, Pakistan plans to import gas from Turkmenistan which will be added to the national gas grid in Quetta for which friendly relations with Kabul are imperative.

Afghanistan is full of mineral, iron ore and coal which can be transported to Fata or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for value addition. A big steel mill can be established in northern Pakistan for the purpose which can provide jobs and earn foreign exchange.

The ongoing projects will bring Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan closer and make them interdependent with every country wanting stability in the partner nation.

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akistan considerably a developing nation is facing multiple hurdles in terms of availability of resources rather more importantly regarding the efficient and effective utilization of the resources. Reference to the article published in Dawn news by Sakib Sherani titled “Facets of inequalities” dated June 9, 2017, Wealth and income inequalities have risen sharply around the globe. Pakistan is one of the major contributors in the increase of inequalities in all aspects of life. Though the disparities based on income inequalities only cannot justify the other issues well however it gives a picture of the real scenario in Pakistan. Tax issues, food insecurities, access to justice, administrative equality for all, job opportunities for the youth, and many more issues are common across Pakistan however; there are areas where the government in position is taking measurable actions for the institutional reforms instead of focusing the hard form of development that includes the infrastructure only.

Being a common member of the society facing all the issues the only reason observed is the lack of assessments prior to the planning and execution of projects and interventions.

Interestingly, this is observed in the social development sector where the programs are developed based on the requirements of the funding agencies. The activities are planned based on the interests of the funding sources despite of the major focus on the areas where the need is identified as different on priority. In today’s social development sector of Pakistan an individual is hired based on his personal linkages with the funding sources so that the organization can be benefited and considered as functional for the real cause i-e. Social development. Despite of the abilities and technical capacities including the owned skills, the development practitioners are in deep trouble to survive and retain their position in any organization playing it’s so called role in the social development. On the other hand, the unemployment ratio is on its peak in Pakistan and employments can only be ensured

Masood Ali Khan M. Phil International Development Studies (cont.)

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

Veracities of the Social Development Sector of Pakistan Writers are requested to send their contributions at editor@thedestination.com.pk

Chinese think tank delegation calls on education minister A delegation of China Special Econom ic Zone T h i n k Tank from Shenzhen led by Director of Development Resea rch Center of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, Mr. Wu Sikang called on Minister of State for Federal Education and P rofe s sion a l Tr a i n i ng, Engr. Muhammad Baligh ur Rehman. The purpose of the meeting was to explore avenues of collaboration in the field of technical and vocational education, particularly in intelligent manufacturing, intelligent education systems and robotics.

Minister welcomed the delegation and appreciated the interest of China in the

development of the region.

He said that Government of Pakistan appreciates the One Belt One Road vision of President Xi Jinping and proclaimed that CPEC Project envisions progress and development of not only both countries but the entire region. “We look upto China as our sincerest friend and highly acknowledge its contribution in the development of energy and communications infrastructure in the country”, he added. Mr. Wu Sikang said that Shenzhen is the center of commercial and industrial activity and one of the two biggest financial hubs in China. He proposed that the academic

and business community of Shenzhen would be more than happy to share the experiences and expertise in high end technology with their counterparts in Pakistan.

“We will share a detailed plan for training in robotics with the Ministry soon”, he added.

Minister welcomed the proposal and said that we want our vocational training programs to be more extensive and equip students in specialized technical skills that can be used in high end industrial production.

“In the coming years we would like to see our human resource well trained and skilled in line with the new

industrial trends so that it provides sustainable support to CPEC Projects and a lot can be learned from Chinese expertise in industrial automation”, he said.

Minister shared with delegation that the new education policy also envisions smart schools in the country that make use of information and communications technology (ICT), and train students for intelligent manufacturing. He said that Ministry is also in the process of launching Open Educational Resources (OER) which will ensure easy availability and accessibility of educational resources to teachers and students through technology.

300 years old Sapalbandi Mosque’s spellbinding woodwork a source of attraction for tourists

SWAT—The Sapalbandi Mo s q u e i n Sw a t w a s built 300 years ago by the Yousafzai tribe. The mosque is majorly made of wood and still survives to this day depicting the heritage of the locals.

The most significant and attractive feature of the mosque is its intricately detailed woodwork due to which tourists from areas far off in Pakistan come to visit the mosque.

The richly detailed engraving in the wood used in the construction of the mosque is proof of the skill of the craftsmen that built this mosque.

The mosque is the only one for the village s 2000 people.

The mosque also serves as a community meeting centre for the people of the village.

The roof, mihrab and pillars

of the mosque are made of cedar wood from the forests of Swat. The fact that the wood is from trees that grew from the soil of Swat three hundred years back adds to the historical importance of

the mosque.

The engravements and decorations on the wood used in the mosque have been done according to the local style, called the Swati style, and is an example of Pakhtun

craftsmanship. A visitor to the mosque told the media that the mosque had been beautifully made and the engraving done on the wood is praiseworthy

on Qatar and resolve the ongoing dispute th rough talks. Early this week, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on it on the grounds that Doha supports terrorism, with Libya, Yemen and the Maldives following suit. Qatar has rejected the accusations as “unjustified” and “baseless.” “We will not

abandon our Qatari brothers,” Erdogan said. “There is no such thing. Until now I have not seen Qatar give support to terror.” On Thursday night, Erdogan ratified two deals on deploying Turkish troops to Qatar and training its gendarmerie after they were passed

by Turkey’s parliament a day earlier.

May says only her party has the legitimacy to govern.

Br itish Pr ime Minister Theresa May has decided to form coalition government with the support of the Democratic Unionists Pa r t y. Sp e a k i n g a f t e r

visiting Buckingham Palace, she said only her party has the legitimacy to govern.

Conservative Party of Prime Minister Theresa May has emerged as the single largest

party in general election, though it could not win overall majority. According to election results so far, Conservative party secured 318 seats, Labor party 262,

the Scottish National Party 35, Liberal Democrat 12 seats and Democratic Unionist Party bagged 10 seats.

interest were discussed in the meeting.

Sardar Ayaz Sadiq applauded Dr. Irfan Yusuf Shami’s diplomatic services rendered in Pakistan Foreign Service by building better relations with various countries. He asked him to utilize his diplomatic expertise to further improve the relations with Uzbekistan by presenting a favorable image of Pakistan to secure trade and investment in Pakistan.

Ambassador Designate to Uzbekistan, Dr. Irfan Yusuf

Russia and Iran have underlined the need to resolve the Qatar and Syrian disputes through meaningful dialogue. The demand was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, who met in Astana today on the sidelines of the SCO summit. The two leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation and regional security situation.

Scotland’s premier sees independence from UK by 2025

LONDON—Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon said she expects Scotland to become independent from the United Kingdom by 2025 in an interview published. “I think Scotland will be independent, yes, but that’s a choice for the Scottish people,” Sturgeon, who is f irst minister in Scotland, replied after she was asked in an ITV interview if she thought the UK will have broken up by 2025.

UN rights chief seeks international inquiry into Congo massacres

Pakistan desirous to reinforce trade relations with Uzbekistan: Ayaz I S L A M A BA D — S p e a k e r National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that Pakistan attaches immense importance to its relations with Uzbekistan and wants to further reinforce them through escalating parliamentary and trade relations as well as people-to-people contacts.

He was talking to Ambassador Designate to Uzbekistan, Dr. Irfan Yusuf Shami who called on him at Parliament House, Islamabad. Matters of PakUzbek relations and mutual

UK Elections: Theresa May to form coalition govt with support of DUP

Russia, Iran underline need to resolve Qatar, Syrian disputes through talks

Turkey urges lifting of blockade against Qatar I S T A N B U L — Tu r k i s h P resident Rece p Tay y ip Erdogan called for lifting the blockade against Qatar, reaffirming Turkey’s support for the Arab country. “I call on the leaders and citizens of the Gulf states, there will be no winner in this fight and slanders will get us nowhere,” the president said at a fasting-break dinner in Istanbul. He urged Saudi Arabia to end all restrictions

based on personal linkages as experienced in the last five years of my role as development practitioner.

The terminologies used as deprived and underprivileged communities remain the same even after the interventions of the Non-Government Organizations.

The reports are mostly and usually manipulated because of the donors’ requirement, no indicators can be measured realistically and most interestingly after the evaluations the reports show a drastic and positive change due to the intervention of the projects/programs.

It is always observed that there are people in the target groups who are well prepared for any meeting with the representatives of the government or the funding agencies. The realities are presented differently through the deprived and underprivileged people of the target areas.

It is very unfortunate and the development practitioners of the current era needs to assess their own internal satisfaction so to come up with their actual role in the sector. During my role in the development sector, I have badly observed that not a single funding agency/ donor is interested in the sustainability factors which is a true aspect to be considered. May be this is due to the layers from where the funds are collected and to whom it is spared.

The current government has played a different role to ensure the public private partnership which is somehow a positive aspect but again the mechanism of accountability of the representatives involved in it is yet lacking. The role of government is important however, most importantly the role of individuals as part of the social development sector and government should be based on certain life principles where one can rely on the mores of doing right or wrong to others. If not than blaming the government for corruption can also be applied for the social development sector where we come up with fake reports and techniques keeping the only thing i-e. monetary aspects without considering the impact of interventions in the target areas.

Shami expressed his gratitude to Speaker National Assembly for kind words and assured to make all out efforts to further strengthen the relations between both the countries.

He also assured that he would meet Uzbek political and diplomatic hierarchy after assuming his charge and discuss ways and means to strengthen Pakistan’s relations with Uzbekistan.

The United Nations has called for an Int investigation into massacres and other crimes committed in Congo claiming hundreds of lives. The demand was made

by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein while addressing a meeting of Human Rights Council in Geneva. The UN high commissioner also offered technical assistance to Congo government for holding transparent investigation into violence and mass killings in Congo. Hundreds of people were killed and nearly 1.3 million persons went missing in central

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

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Overseas Pakistani workers remit $17.5bln in first eleven months of FY17

Overseas Pakistani workers remitted US$ 17463.62 million in first eleven months (July to May) of Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, compared with US$ 17843.68 million received during the same period in the preceding year, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Friday.

During May 2017, the inflow of worker’s remittances amounted to US$ 1867.34 million, which is 21.36 percent higher than April 2017 and 3.77 percent higher than May 2016.

The countr y wise details for the month of May 2017 show that inflows from Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA, UK, GCC countries (including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman) and

EU countries amounted to US$ 514.5 million, US$ 427.25 million, US$ 248.88 million, US$ 239.2 million, US$ 209.95 million and US$ 51.19 million respectively compared with the inflow of US$ 547.77 million, US$ 380.74 million, US$ 202.1 million, US$ 240.62 million, US$ 216.71 million and US$ 41.64 million respectively in May 2016.

Remittances received from N o r w a y, S w i t z e r l a n d , Australia, Canada, Japan and other countries during May 2017 amounted to US$176.37 million together as against US$169.85 million received in May 2016.

Islamabad police hold training for behavioral change in policemen ISLAMABAD—Islamabad police organized training on character building and attitudinal change for police officers and officials deployed at police check posts as well as front desks to improve their attitude and behaviors with the general public.

Followi ng di rections of Inspector General of Police K halid K hat t a k , Police Trai n i ng School ( PTS), under the supervision of AIG Operations Dr Farhan Zahid organized training on character building and attitudinal change for police officers and officials.

During visit to training session, the IGP Islamabad appreciated the arrangements made by ASsP to organize the training and for the participation from lowers subordinates of ICT Police. He said that the real foundation of training is to inculcate the basic behavioral trait and the ways to handle tactical situations by

the police officers, dealing with the public on the roads as well as in police stations.

The training is being imparted to empower the real face of police i.e lower subordinates and to revamp the image of Islamabad Police.

The modules of the training include Leadership,

Behavioral G roomi ng, Stress Management, Communication, and Community Policing. This revolutionary initiative has been taken to polish the skills of police personnel to facilitate the public in a best possible way.

NADRA rebuts sharing database with any country

ISLAMABAD—In response to the media reports, attributed to a WikiLeaks cable dating back to 2011, the National Database and Regist rat ion Aut hor it y (NADR A) Friday vehemently denied that its database has ever been shared with any country or entity.

NADRA has very strong internal security control mechanisms that prevent any individual from permitting to or causing to share the

database, a statement said.

The authority has never compromised on the security of the citizens’ data and no outsourcing was ever done at the expense of national security.

In reference to the media reports, it is pertinent to mention that such kind of misguided revelations can severely affect the internat ional bu si ness t hat NADRA is undertaking and strengthen its competitors

Introducing women’s safety audit in Pakistan for safe transport LAHORE—In making public transportation facilities accessible, ‘safe’ and ‘harassmentfree’ for women and girls, a pilot has been launched in Lahore, Punjab, to conduct women’s safety audit in public transport to assess women’s perceptions of safety as well as actual safety, and increase their participation in local decision-making.

Internationally recognized as a ‘best practice,’ a women’s safety audit tool is being introduced in Pakistan for the first time. Local studies on women’s mobility reveal that women’s movement and their use of public transport is compromised due to the discomfort, social stigma and fear of harassment when they are compelled to sit in close contact with unrelated men.

Women also face distinct challenges from men when accessing public transport, including threats to their safety when walking to and waiting at bus-stops and while traveling on public transport.

The Government of Punjab

has attempted to address these concerns through their transport policy by introducing separate sections in buses and running women-only buses.

However, the challenges still remain in ensuring women’s safety and comfort on public transport.

As a part of its ‘Safe Cities’ project, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (U N Women) in collaboration with Punjab’s Wo m e n D e v e l o p m e n t Department (WDD) and Aurat Foundation (AF) will pilot a Women’s Safety Audit in Lahore City with support from the Government of Australia.

This initiative will be carried out together with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA), the Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit (SRU) and the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW).

In addition to determining onground safety issues faced by female commuters, through interviews, focus group discussions and safety walks,

the Safety Audit will: (i) provide statistics on the types and level of threats faced by women; (ii) identify gaps and barriers of transport services to prevent and respond to harassment; and (iii) put forward actionable recommendations for the local government, transport authorities, corporates and other stakeholders to end violence against women travelers. The Safety Audit will be conducted in select bus stops operated by the Lahore Transport Company (LTC) and the Metro Bus System (MBS).

Jamshed Ka zi, Cou nt r y Representative, UN Women Pakistan speaking of the ‘Safe Cities’ project said, “Gender equality, women’s empowerment and the prevention of violence against women in

private and public spaces is a precondition for and objective of sustainable urban development.

It means making cities sustainable for women and girls but it’s also about making it sustainable for all. UN Women has recognized that violence against women and girls impacts not only women, but entire families, communities and cities.”

“We have taken an important first step to bring this neglected issue to the forefront by hearing first-hand from women and girls of sexual harassment and violence against them in public spaces, highlighting the impact and the universality of the issue.

With our partners, we look forward to creating safer, smarter and more sustainable

cities and communities where women and girls can move around easily travel to school, markets, work or for leisure with equal rights, dignity and equal opportunities,” he said.

Speaking of the pilot, Bushra Aman, Secretary WDD said, “In aspiring for a safe city for everyone, a focused initiative is being undertaken to assess safety of public spaces for women. The planned Safety Audit will serve to supplement the government’s priorities for women empowerment in Punjab.”

“The new initiative of UN Women to conduct a Women’s Safety Audit in collaboration with WDD will contribute significantly to assessing women’s experiences and sources of harassment in Lahore,” she said.

Pakistan joins regional trade group at Kunming trade expo

BY Ansar M Bhatti in Kunming KUNMING (CHINA) — Pakistan joined the regional trade group here, capital of China’s Yunnan province to develop cooperative partnership in business and trade, through expo and a consolation mechanism. The group, included India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand , Vietnam, Indonesia, besides China.

The group is participating in a week-long mega event (South AsianSoutheast Asia Commodity Expo and Investment Fair (SSACEIF), being held here at on Monday. Organizers provided a big p pavilion to Pakistani businessman to display their variety of products. There will be more than fifty stalls by the Pakistan’s side. The expo will provide them opportunity

to enhance bilateral investment and trade’s exchanges. This is a part of overall policy of the Chinese Central government to develop connectivity and people-to-people contacts among the regional countries to achieve their social-economic goals.

There is have a special significance of the event, in view the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and President Xi Jinping’s One Belt One Road’s initiative.

Preventatives of the participating countries who arrived here showed curiosity to know more about CPEC, while talking to DNA. They expressed their countries’ desire to join it for common development.

Executive committee’s members of SSACEIF said here at news conference that the event has become a regular

feature and proved very successful in increasing trade column of the participating countries, as well as deepening people-to-people. The Chinese government, they said attached high priority to this joint forum, pushing forward their common economic interest and promoting regional connectivity.

Welcoming Pakistan in the event, they said we are iron brother and heading towards shared destiny in order to improve the livelihood of our people. The CPEC is major development between the two countries and had open numerous opportunities for consolidating their economy and business’s links.

They hoped that Pakistan and regional counties will be a big boost in their trade activities, by participating in SSACEIF. An official delegation is

also expected to arrive here tomorrow to take part in the event. The local government has invited media’s representatives from the participating countries to project the event for their peoples’ awareness as China’s huge economic potential for common development and prosperity Pakistan media delegation’s includes Ansar Mahmood Bhatti (DNA), Naveed Miraj (Express Tribune) Javed Akhtar (INP). It is hoped that the expo will be attended by around eighty-eight countries. It is one of biggest commodities’ fair in the World.

According to the organizers, the consultative meetings among the members of think-tank and the businessman is also aimed at serving for the building of ‘One Belt, One Road’