The Destination Issue 27 Vol 1

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Ramadan 11 1468 AH.

Pakistan wants balanced relations with regional countries Spokesman to the Prime Minister Dr. Musadik Malik has said that Pakistan’s foreign policy was of maintaining balanced relations with regional countries. Talking to a private news channel, he said, “The government had adopted foreign policy based on economic development and Pakistan was following it.”

Musadik Malik said, “The government had held many meetings with heads of Iran and Afghanistan to develop our relations.” “Huge Chinese investment under ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was evident of our effective foreign policy,” he said. He said, “The government has clear policy of economic development and to get access to central Asian states for trade was our goal.” Dr. Musadik said, “CPEC was center point of our foreign policy and economic development and it would change fate of the entire region.”

Punjab govt to privatize 10,000 schools across province The Education Department Punjab has announced to outsource around ten thousand government schools located across the province, including Rawalpindi Division, to private sector. After this decision, Education Department P u njab m a de a for m al announcement to handover the primary, middle and high School control to private sector. Secretary Education Punjab has sought a list of all schools, which should be outsourced in this phase and process will be completed during the ongoing summer vacations. However, various teachers associations have expressed reservations on this decision.

Nehal Hashmi takes back resignation from Senate Former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Nehal Hashmi asked the Senate chair man on Tuesday not to consider his resignation from the upper house. Hashmi had handed in his resignation as a PML-N senator after PML-N leadership had asked Hashmi to resign following his recent incendiary remarks against the judiciary. As a result, Hashmi, who had been suspended from the party had submitted his resignation to Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani. On Monday, Hashmi failed to show up in Rabbani’s office to personally verify his resignation.

Crude oil production stands at 24.2 mbl in nine months Pakistan’s domestic crude oil production stood at 24.2 million barrels (mbl) in first three quarters of the current fiscal year as compared to 24 mbl during the corresponding period last year.

“Indigenous resources of oil are not enough to quench energy thirst of a growing economy, so the country imported 5.9 million tones crude oil to meet its domestic needs from July 2016 to March 2017,” official sources said. They said the government was making all-out efforts to accelerate oil and gas exploration activities in different potential areas of the country, for which it would spend Rs 554.291 million in the next fiscal year.

China defends Pakistan on terrorism ahead of SCO Summit

China has defended its allweather ally Pakistan on the issue of terrorism ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit, saying tackling the threat posed by terrorism was not something that ‘one country’ alone can successfully do, the Indian media reported on Tuesday.

China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai, during a media briefing in Beijing, sidestepped a question on Afghanistan blaming Pakistan’s intelligence

agency for the recent bomb attacks in Kabul, saying China condemned the recent terrorist assaults in Afghanistan, Britain and the Philippines.

“China strongly condemns these violent terrorist incidents and in fact we oppose all forms of terrorism,” he said. “At present the international community in terms of opposing terrorism has broad consensus, and all parties emphasise that tackling the threat posed by terrorism is not something that

one party or one country alone can successfully do,” Li said, without naming Pakistan.

“The international community should step up cooperation and work together to jointly tackle terrorism and China stands willing to work together with other parties, bilaterally and multilaterally to step up cooperation and take all necessary measures to jointly protect respective countries and regional security and development,” he said.

His remarks come just days ahead of the summit of the SCO, which is considering a treaty on terrorism. The highlight of the SCO summit in Astana this week is the admission of India and Pakistan as new members of the organisation. The SCO comprised of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan acts as Chinadominated security group focusing on Central Asia.

Afghanistan is an observer state in the SCO.

CPEC, stable macroeconomic environment to spur private investment in Pakistan: WB

The World Bank says successful completion of an IMFsupported program has helped achieve macroeconomic stability in the country. According to the World Bank’s June 2017

Global Economic Prospects, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and a stable macroeconomic environment will give a spur to private investment in Pakistan. It said favorable

weather and increased cotton prices are supporting agriculture produce. The report says Pakistan’s growth is expected to be 5.7 percent s during the current financial year.

President Mamnoon Hussain has said that moderate forces should join hand to eliminate the evils of terrorism and extremism from the world.

He was addressing an Iftar dinner hosted in the honor of Ambassadors of different countries in Islamabad tonight. The President said Pakistan took a bold step to eliminate terrorists and extremists despite having limited resources. He said Pakistan’s fight against terrorists is a precedent for the world.

President highlighting Kashmir dispute urged India to cooperate with the United Nations and International Community to resolve this lingering issue. He

said Kashmiri people must be given their fundamental right to self-determination. President urged the international community to take notice of human rights violations in occupied Kashmir. He also called on India to resume dialogue

process to resolve all outstanding issues with Pakistan including Kashmir. Mamnoon Hussain said religious teachings provide a good road map to discourage the menace of terrorism and extremism.

Well known scientist Dr Samar Mubarak Mand has said that Pakistan has sufficient resources of coal which can be utilized for making

cheap electricity. In an interview, he stressed the need for provision of required funds to complete the Thar-Coal project.

He said many energy projects would also be completed th rough China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

President urges world to take notice of human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir

Dr. Samar stresses need to complete Thar-Coal project

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CCE approves establishment of LNG-based power plant

Cabinet Com mit tee on Energy in its meeting in Islamabad today accorded in-principle approval for establishment of a new LNG based 1,200 MW capacity power plant. Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif chaired the meeting.

The Prime Minister emphasized that pro-active planning should be exercised regarding power supply and demand. He said it is very unfortunate that planning by relevant authorities is undertaken without inculcating important contingency factors that could not be ruled out.

He directed the Ministry of Water and Power to undertake power supply and demand analysis till the year 2023 so as to undertake integrated long-term planning

with regard to fulfilling energy requirements of the country over the foreseeable future.

Nawaz Sharif also directed to work out shifting of scheduled outages of power plants on account of repairs and maintenance from summer season to winter season so that maximum power is provided when most required during months of peak power demand.

The CCE meeting unanimously approved that no power shutdowns be carried out on account of development works during Ramzan.

The meeting also decided t hat factor s i nclud i ng increase in use of electric appliances due to economic prosperity and behavioral patterns of power consumers be included in the estimation

of projected power demands.

Secretary Water and Power Division briefed the meeting on progress of decisions made in the previous meeting including working of the inter-ministerial committee of Finance, Water and Power and Petroleum and Natural Resources ministries, power supply and demand analysis till September 2018 and utilization of idle power plants.

M i n i s t e r fo r Fi n a n c e Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Minister for Petroleum and Nat ural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Minister and other senior officials attended the meeting.

2 Wednesday - June 7, 2017

THE DESTINATION

NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL

Ghani urges Taliban to join political process

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Shangrila Lake, Skardu, Pakistan is one of the most beautiful lakes around the world.

Exclusive photo by The Destination team

EU to give 50 million Euros for new African joint military force The European Union (EU) has agreed to give more than 50 million Euros to fund a new African joint military force in the Sahel region. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, while speaking in Mali’s capital Bamako, said stability and development of the Sahel region are crucial not only for Africa but also for Europe.

The force will be made up of ten thousand troops from Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger and become operational by end of the year. Its main mission will be to combat jihadist groups active in the region, besides tackling trafficking networks and illegal migration.

(SCO) meeting would help in resolving issues in the region. Talking to Radio

Pakistan, he said, “SCO is vital in many ways as both India and Pakistan are going to be the full members of this organization that will also benefit other countries in the region.” He said, “SCO will reduce the influence of United States in our region.

China is emerging as a super power and fortunately we have strong bilateral relations with it so we could take maximum advantage of this fact. United States wants to isolate China but it looks impossible as China is economically strong.”

Former Ambassador Mushtaq Ahmed Mehar said, “The meeting of SCO is vital as Pakistan will officially participate in the meeting for

the first time as full member.” “This organization was established with three members that increased to five members and once again the numbers of members has been increased. The main aim of this organization is to control drug trafficking and terrorism,” he said.

“This for um will also improve regional connectivity. Pakistan should take maximum advantage of its bilateral relations with China. Pakistan should keep on focusing the economic development and should not be the part of any conspiracy in the region,” he added.

‘We’re not going to let Trump divide our communities,’ says London mayor LONDON—London Mayor Sadiq Khan accused Donald Trump on Monday of seeking to divide communities in Britain after the US president criticised his leadership following a terror attack in the city. “Some people thrive on feud and division. We are not going to let Donald Trump divide our communities,” Khan told.

He also told : “I just haven’t got time to respond to tweets from Donald Trump.

“Honestly I’ve got better and more important things to focus on.” Trump accused K han — London’s f irst Muslim mayor — of offering a “pathetic excuse” for comments that the US president earlier misconstrued about policing in response to Saturday’s attack, which left seven people dead.

Khan had told Londoners there was “no reason to be alarmed” about an increased police presence in the coming days. Trump has leapt on the London attacks as evidence of the need for hardline security measures in the

US: Business, govt leaders intent Global airlines call for reopening to honor Paris climate accord borders after Gulf rift

In the United States, a group of one thousand business and gover nment leaders have declared their intent to honor the Paris climate accord, which was shunned

by President Trump. Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg who leads the

Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO to help resolve issues in region

Former Ambassador B.A. Malik has said that Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Afghanistan’s president Ashraf Ghani has again invited the Taliban to peace talks. In his opening remarks at the “Kabul Process” in Afghan capital today Ashraf Ghani called it as their last chance to give up their 16-year insurgency and join the political process. A gathering of 23 nations, the EU, U.N. and NATO in Kabul is intended to discuss security and political issues in the country. Taliban have expanded its reach since U.S. and NATO forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014 and have refused to negotiate with the government until all foreign forces leave Afghanistan.

group said in a statement that American society remains committed to achieving the emission reductions it pledged to make in Paris in 2015. The group calls Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the climate accord a grave mistake.

Saudi Labor Ministry limits work hours under sun

A global airline association has called for reopening of border for air traffic after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar which also caused disrupting air travel across the region. Head of the International Air Transport Association, Alexandre de Juniac said that our industry

depends on open borders and we would like borders to be reopened. Saudi Arabia has banned Qatari airlines from its airspace, while Abu Dhabi’s stateowned Etihad Airways and Dubai’s Emirates Airline said they would suspend all flights to and from Doha from yesterday.

Qatar says Kuwait trying to mediate diplomatic rift

RIYADH: A three-month ban on working under the sun between noon and 3 p.m. for employees of all companies will be implemented on June 15, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Development.

The ban, effective through Sept. 15, is to guarantee the safety of employees in the private sector, the ministry said. The step also reflects the ministry’s commitment to protect workers from any potential risks in accordance with safety and occupational health considerations.

Ministry spokesman Khalid Aba Al-K hail called on employers to comply with the decision when organizing working hours. He said the ministry is working to upgrade protection to minimize work-related incidents.

He said some provinces will be exempt from the decision due to differences in temperatures. He added the ministry will coordinate with governorates of various regions to check weather conditions during the banned working hours.

Qatari foreign minister has said that Kuwait is trying to mediate a diplomatic crisis in which Arab countries have cut diplomatic ties with Doha. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Kuwait’s ruler had asked

Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to hold off on giving a speech about the crisis late Tuesday night. Sheikh Muhammad said that Emir of Qatar received a call from the emir of Kuwait asking him to postpone it in order to give time to solve the crisis.—PBC

UN rights chief decries Palestinian, Israeli suffering

United States, including a ban on travellers from some Muslim countries. His comments caused outrage among British officials.

Br itish Pr ime Minister

Theresa May was among those who came to Khan’s defence, though she declined to criticise Trump over the row. “I think Sadiq Khan is doing a good job and it’s

wrong to say anything else — he’s doing a good job,” she told a press conference on Monday.

The U.N. human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein has said ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian areas was essential for peace. In his speech to human rights council on Tuesday, he said Palestinians are suffering for a half-century under occupation and he also decried Jewish suffering for a long time culminating in the colossal crime of the Holocaust.

THE DESTINATION

Wednesday - June 7, 2017

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NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL

T

he history of Uzbekistan lasts longer than one millennium. The area between the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers was inhabited by ancient people in the early Paleolithic.

Years and centuries passed away, the cities grew and civilizations developed, which today are rightly considered to be the most ancient in the East. For centuries, there were heroes and scientists, thinkers and poets among the people – the people who created the history of our region and praised it for the whole world.

Works of Al Ferghani are valued in the scientific world to this day. For example, his invention called nilometer – a device which measures the water level in the Nile – is still used today.

Publishing 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

Abu Ali Ibn Sina

A

bu Ali Ibn Sina is known around the world as the founder of modern medicine. His works in this area are appreciated all over the world to this day. He has made significant contribution also to science and philosophy. For 57 years of his life, he wrote more than 450 works in 29 fields of science.

Ibn Sina, or Avicenna, as he was known in Europe, was born in 980 in the village of Afshan, near Bukhara. He began to show his genius at a young age – at the age of 10 he knew the Koran by heart, but at 20 he began to provide treatment to people. The treatment method, which was unusual for that time, allowed him to cure seriously ill people, for which he was called “Prince of Physicians”.

The life of Abu Ali Ibn Sina was not smooth and comfortable – wandering alternated his prosperous life often. He was also an architect and adviser to the rulers, and sometimes he was imprisoned because of the change of power. Avicenna died in 1037, leaving behind a huge legacy, which is still being used by his descendants today.

Abu Rayhan Beruni

B

iruni is called a polymath, and this is quite true. He wrote works on mathematics, astronomy, physics, botany, geography, general geology, mineralogy, ethnography, history, chronology, and others.

Historians have often referred to the first half of the XI century as the “Age of Biruni” in science. They say that a posthumous list of his works, compiled by students, took 60 closely written pages. Among his major works we can state “The Canon of Mas’ud in astronomy and the stars”, “Pharmacognosy in Medicine”, “India, or book, containing an explanation of Indian teachings, which are accepted by reason or rejected”, “The Science of Stars” and others.

Today, there is a city in Uzbekistan called Biruni, there is also a Tashkent University named after Abu Rayhan Biruni. The name of the great scientist, a genius of his time, is revered everywhere, his works are studied and used in various fields of science.

Al-Bukhari

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ull name Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari – the famous hadith collector.

This figure is well known throughout the Muslim world, he is the author of the collection of hadith, “Al-Jami al-Salih,” or “Authentic”, which is the second Muslim book after the Qur’an. His birthplace is encrypted in the name – the future theologian, was born in Bukhara in the year 810.

Historians claim that Imam al-Bukhari had a phenomenal memory. As soon as he read the book, he memorized it by heart. It is believed that the theologian collected and recorded about 600 thousand hadith – traditions, based on the cases of life or some saying of the Prophet. Some of

Uzbekistan—Famous People the hadith, the most reliable, are entered in his book “As-Salih.”

Al-Bukhari is the author of many books, which are still revered throughout the Muslim world.

Al Ferghani

A

l Ferghani – the greatest astronomer of Central Asia in VIII – IX centuries. The exact date of his birth is not known, scientists name 798. Full name of the scientist is Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Kathir al-Fargani. A native of the Fergana Valley was respectfully called Hasib, which means “mathematician”, and in Europe he was known as Alfraganus.

He made his contribution to astronomy, mathematics and geography while working in the “House of Wisdom” or the Academy of Al-Mamun (Baghdad). Among his major works there are “The Book of astronomic Movements and Summary of the Science of the Stars”, “Thirty Elements”, “Theoretical calculations on the sphere”, “Treatise on the time, when the moon is under the ground and above it” and others. Ahmad alFerghani has also written comments on the work “Almagest” of Ptolemy.

Al Ferghani is one of the first scholars of the Middle Ages who proved sphericity of the Earth, detected the presence of spots on the sun, identified the June 22 as the longest day of the year and 23 December as the shortest. The works of Al-Ferghani were used as a teaching tool for a few centuries in Europe.

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Alisher Navoi

“P

eople can not be alive forever, but happy is he whose name will be remembered.”

The author of these lines is Alisher Navoi, he wrote it very much about himself, because his memory will live forever. The great philosopher and poet, was born in 1441 in Herat. The house in which Nizamaddin Mir Alisher grew, who later took the pseudonym Navoi (songful), was visited by prominent philosophical thought and art leaders of the time.

His father Giyaseddin Kichkina was an officer in the Timurid State, for this reason his son Alisher was brought up with the children of Timurid families. A strong friendship bound Navoi with Sultan Hussein Baykara, who later became his patron and collaborator.

Creativity of Alisher Navoi showed up quite early. By the age of 15 he was already known as a poet. Navoi wrote his poems equally well in the Chagatai and in Farsi languages.

Al-Khwarizmi

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he founder of the classical algebra Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi was born in Khiva at the end of the VIII century. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but theoretically it is 783. Also, nothing is known about his childhood. In some sources he is called “al-Majusi”, the magician, which implies that he originates from a sort of Zoroastrian priests, which later converted to Islam.

In all sources this scientist is called the father of algebra. We can not say that it did not exist before him. Even in ancient times people solved simple algebraic problems, but al-Khwarizmi made algebra an independent science about the general solution methods of numerical linear and quadratic equations.

It should be noted that the term “algebra” is derived from the word “Al Jabr”, which is taken form the al-Khwarizmi’s treatise “Al Jabr Hisab val Muqabala ” (“Method of Completion and Balancing”). But “algorithm” (the general solution of any mathematical problem) is derived from the name of the scientist, so the algorithm is a corruption of the name al-Khwarizmi.

Amir Temur

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he significance of this figure has a special status in Uzbekistan. Amir Temur, who was known in Europe as Tamerlan, is considered a national hero and a legend.

The future Mawarannahr’s (Transoxiana) liberator from foreign invaders, was born in 1336 in the village of Khodja-Ilgar (modern city Shahrisabz). Temur ibn Barlas Taragay (son of Timur Taragay of Barlases) is the full name of the “Iron” commander. His name Temur comes from Turkic language and means “iron”. Many historians describe his character as an ironwilled. Amir Temur was a brave and courageous. In one of the trips he was wounded in the leg, causing noticeable limp, but it only gave him a frightening appearance. It is known that Temur had athletic build, his height was 172 cm (it became known after the opening of his tomb), he was strong much more than any of his soldiers, and always personally involved in all the campaigns.

(Source: welcomeuzbekistan.uz)

Colombia to provide some initial funding for rebels’ Traders denounce negative reporting on Kashmir by political party Indian TV news channels

Colombian government will provide initial funding for FARC rebel group’s new political party.

Under a peace deal signed last year by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the government, the rebels will turn over all their weapons to the United Nations and become a legal political party after more than 52 years of war.

SRINAGAR Kashmir-based traders associated with the tourism industry have strongly denounced the negative reporting by Indian TV news channels on Kashmir.

Addressing a joint press conference in Srinagar, the traders said that New Delhi and Mumbai based channels were deliberately running a vicious campaign against occupied Kashmir.

The representatives of various tourism bodies urged people to boycott such news channels until they stopped negative campaign against Kashmir.

The Valley-based hoteliers

and travel agents associations also condemned the raids conducted by the Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the residences and offices of some businessmen in the valley.

Those who were part of the joi nt press conference included Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir (CCIK), Kashmir Houseboat Owners A s s o c i a t i o n ( K H B OA) , Hoteliers Club, Travel Agents Society of Kashmir called (TASK), Travel Agents Association Of Kashmir ( TA A K ) , J a m m u a n d Kashmir Tourism Alliance (J KTA), Association of Kashmir Tour Operators (AKTO), Pilgrim and Leisure

Tou r O per ator s For u m (PILTOF), Urban Travel Agents Association (UTAA), Tourist Trade Interest Guild (TTIG) and Domestic Tour Operators Association Of Kashmir (DTOAK).

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Khan in a statement said that the NIA raids on business houses in Kashmir and the reporting of the raids by New Delhi-based news channels were a conspiracy to crush the economy of Kashmir.

Yasin Khan, who also heads the Kashmir Traders and Manufactures Federation (KTMF), said that after wounding the people of Kashmir with human rights

US to rebuild relationship with Russia: Tillerson The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that President Donald Trump has asked him to rebuild the U.S. relationship with Russia. During a short stopover in Wellington, New Zealand, where he met with Prime Minister Bill English, Tillerson said that relations with Russia are at a low point and deteriorating and Trump has asked him to stabilize the relationship and rebuild trust between the two countries. The New Zealand Prime Minister said he was reassured by Tillerson about the intention of the U.S. to engage in the Asia-Pacific region.—PBC

Montenegro becomes 29th member of NATO Russia warned of retaliation against Montenegro’s decision to join Western military alliance.

Montenegro has become t he 29 t h member of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The former Yugoslav state is the first new member of NATO in nearly ten years. Meanwhile, Russia has warned of retaliation against Montenegro’s decision to join the Western military alliance.

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abuses, the Indian government wanted to hurt their economy. He said, the NIA raids are aimed at crushing the economy of Kashmir.

K a s h m i r C h a m b e r of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President, Mushtaq Wa n i , i n a s t a t e m e nt demanded a strong and punitive action against the channels. “Such false and malicious and defamatory reporting by a section of electronic media is adding fuel to fire thereby subjugating the economy of Kashmir and complicating the already volat i le sit u at ion ,” he said.—DNA

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4 Wednesday - June 7, 2017

Development work at Dasu Hydro-power Project is in full-swing The construction work on i n f r a st r uct u re develop ment at the proposed Dasu Hydropower Project of 4,320 MW is in f ull-swing in Kohistan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These include relocation of Karakoram Highway, construction of right bank access road and 132 KV transmission line from Duber Khwar hydropower plant to Dasu at a cost of about nineteen billion rupees.

WAPDA sources told, the construction work on first phase of 2160 MW Dasu Project will be started soon. For this purpose, the government has awarded two contracts to a Chinese firm for carrying out the main civil works.

President urges International community to take notice gross human rights’ violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir The President said that wars, religious, racial and linguistic prejudices and a sense of superiority have brought the world at a stage of extraordinary situation. These complex problems have further widened the divide between the different societies and nations. He stated that different regions of the world are grappling with the menace of terrorism and in such situation of dangerous collision it is sometimes feared that moderate forces may fail in their endeavour.

The President emphasized that the universal teachings of religion and the spiritual power of fasting, as a common value of humanity, can provide us strength to tackle this danger and the intricate issues of the modern society.

The President said that terrorism has inflicted enormous losses and during this war

thousands of our civilians and soldiers have sacrificed their life and property. But I am proud to say that Pakistan, like other countries of the world, bravely fought this war and despite limited resources also took difficult decisions with determination. He added that as a result, the terrorists are now in retreat, law and order situation is improving and Pakistan is gaining economic stability. Our secret to this success is the political resolve of the nation, unity and courageous decision to undertake military action which is an example for the world, stated the President.

President Mamnoon Hussain stated that it is not possible in this modern era that some societies and nations become victim of war and chaos, while their neighbors reap the benefits of development

and prosperity. Therefore, it is necessary to work for the betterment and welfare of the humanity by joining hands for the greater goal of peace, security and development of the neighboring countries. I think that cooperation between the international community is a must to achieve these objectives.

The President highlighted that Pakistan is a pluralistic society which is home to the people of different ethnicities, cultures, faiths and religions enjoying equal rights under the constitution. The President underscored that Founder of the Nation, Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had guaranteed equal rights and religious freedom to all citizens. These are the golden principles which give strength to the Pakistani society and also on the basis of these we

are striving to build a democratic and pluralistic society.

The President underlined that fasting is a universal concept and a religious duty which gathers people belonging to different religions on some natural commonalities. It is a religious duty which creates feelings of discipline, courage to face hardships, self-sacrifice, fortitude, patience and humility, said the President.

He further added that fasting is an act of worship wherein people stand equal without any discrimination and these feelings bring the mankind on one platform for noble cause of serving humanity. Earlier, the President welcomed the diplomatic corps for attending the Iftar Dinner and also prayed that by the blessings of the holy month of Ramazan the world becomes a cradle of peace and security.

PIA to bring home hundreds of stranded pilgrims on Doha airport

COAS visited Pak Army mountaineer

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Mountaineer Lieutenant Colonel Doctor Abdul Jabbar Bhatti (Retired) at CMH Rawalpindi today. COAS congratulated him for his achievement as fourth Pakistani to summit the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. COAS appreciated his outstanding achievement as a great contribution to keep our green flag high. COAS expressed best wishes for his speedy recovery and health.

U.S. State Department approves $1.4bn in military sales to Saudi Arabia

The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of more than 1.4 billion dollars of military training and equipment for Saudi Arabia. Pentagon says, it is a part of 110 billion dollars arms deal U.S. President Donald Trump has signed with the kingdom last month.

The proposed sales include a radar system made by Lockheed Martin Corp as well as a training program for the Royal Saudi Air Force and other Saudi forces inside and outside of Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said in two separate notices on its website.

Lockheed is the prime contractor for 26 AN/TPQ-53(V) Radar Systems that were approved for potential sale.

The Pentagon said Saudi Arabia intended to use the radars to support its border security by locating the source of incoming artillery, rockets

and mortars and defending against them. The radars were a part of a $662 million State Department approval which included ammunition, trucks and technical support.

A separate $750 million “blanket order training program” contract, included flight training, professional military

education, and English language training, the agency said. The contractor was not disclosed by the Pentagon in the notice.

The Pentagon said the training would include how to avoid civilian casualties, legal instruction related to armed conflict, and training about

human rights. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which implements foreign arms sales, said it had delivered notification to Congress of both sales. U.S. lawmakers have 30 days to block the sales, but that rarely happens.

OIC urges member states to raise awareness about orphans’ issues Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called on member states to undertake appropriate activities to raise awareness about the orphans’ issues and their needs. OIC has launched the appeal on the occasion of the Orphan’s Day in the Islamic World, which is commemorated on

the fifteenth of Ramadan.

Natural disasters, wars and crises across the Islamic world particularly in Syria, I r a q, Yemen, Somalia , Sudan and Afghanistan have resulted in the loss of many human lives, leaving in their wake hundreds of thousands of orphaned children.

Kabul to host peace summit after week of deadly violence

Pa k ist an I nter nat ional A i rl i ne s ( PI A) w i l l be bringing back hundreds of Pakistani pilgrims who have been reportedly stranded on Doha airport for more than 48 hours. PIA CEO Nayyar Hayyat has directed national carriers’ Qatar manager to coordinate with the Pakistanis stranded in Doha.

PIA officials in Doha have also been directed to contact Pakistani embassy in Qatar.

Over 500 Pakistani pilgrims who were travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah via Qatar were stranded in Doha after Riyadh, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt decided to sever ties with Qatar on allegations that Doha supports terrorism

and extremism. The move followed severing of all land, air and sea links with Qatar and vice versa.

On Monday, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing their diplomatic staff from Qatar and regional airlines announced they would suspend service to its capital,

Doha.

According to local media outlet, it has been almost 48 hours that the passengers have been stranded at the airport. Passengers also reportedly stated that the Pakistani embassy in Doha is yet to contact them to provide any sort of relief.

AL Secretary General expresses regret on suspension of diplomatic relations b/w Qatar, regional powers

The Secretary-General of Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit has expressed regret that relations between Qatar and major regional powers had got to the point of suspending diplomatic relations.

In a tatement, he hoped that Arab states would overcome their differences and present a united front against common threats to their national secu r it y. Ea rlier, Saud i Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar today, accusing it of supporting terrorism and extremist groups in the region.

KABUL—Kabul will host a multinational peace conference on Afghanistan Tuesday, as the capital reels from a wave of bombings and clashes last week that left more than 100 people dead and hundreds wounded. Much of Kabul remains on lockdown ahead of the conference, labelled the “Kabul Process”, with tighter than usual security including more armed checkpoints and armoured vehicles patrolling the streets.

Representatives of around two dozen countries will attend the meeting, which aims to build international support on ways to restore security in the conflict-torn country, the government said on Monday.

“The Kabul Process is meant to reach a consensus with the region and the world for peace in Afghanistan,” said presidential spokesman Shah Hussain Murtazawi. Kabul has been on edge since a truck bombing last Wednesday in the highly fortified diplomatic quarter killed at least 90 people and wounded hundreds, the deadliest attack in the city since 2001.

The dead included at least 31 staff and business partners of Roshan, Afghanistan s leading telecom provider, with their main office in Kabul heavily damaged and nationwide operations disrupted.

Four more people were killed Friday when hundreds of protesters incensed by the bombing clashed with police, prompting officials to beat them back with live rounds

in the air, tear gas and water cannon.

The protesters, holding a sitin for a fourth day Monday near the bombing site, have demanded the resignation of Afghanistan s security chiefs, including national security advisor Hanif Atmar.

The attacks have exacerbated tensions between rival ethnic groups and raised the prospect of a political crisis. Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, who heads the mainly Tajik Jamiat political group, also called for Atmar’s dismissal on Monday. But President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, firmly rejected the demand.

Rabbani survived an attack at the funeral of one of the protesters on Saturday where suicide bombers tore through a row of mourners. He blamed “terrorists within the system” for the blasts, suggesting it

was an inside job. The government has accused the Talibanallied Haqqani Network of Wednesday s bombing and said the funeral was targeted by bombers trained at a religious seminary in Pakistan.

Previous international efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table have failed, but diplomats in Kabul hailed Tuesday s conference as a stepping stone to peace.

“The launch of the Kabul Process tomor row is an important marker for each and every country in the region to show its true support for Afghanistan s aspirations for peace,” said Dominic Jermey, the British ambassador to Kabul. “This includes taking steps to tackle the challenges posed by terrorist networks and to prevent terrorists receiving support, whether from states or individuals.” The

conference will be attended by a host of nations, including the United States, India, China and regional nemesis Pakistan, which Afghanistan has long blamed for sponsoring the resurgent Taliban.

The tense week of violence during the holy fasting month of Ramadan has left hospitals in Kabul overwhelmed, with many running beyond capacity to treat the injured.

The Italian-run Emergency hospital, seen as a medical lifeline, has voiced fears for the safety of its staff with protesters camped close to the facility. “With the unfortunate events… in Kabul, our hospital has been put on the frontline,” Emergency said in a statement. “To continue our work we are asking only one thing: Security around our hospital and not to be targeted intentionally.”