PR. No. 73
PRESS RELEASE
Kaira expresses sorrow over the death of Samaa TV cameraman who was injured in Quetta
blast
Islamabad: September 6, 2010Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira has expressed deep sorrow over the sad demise of Samaa TV cameraman Ijaz Raisani who was injured in Mizan Chowk bomb blast in quetta recently and died in Quetta this morning.
He prayed to Almighty Allah to grant him Jannat-ul-Firdous and to give the family courage to bear this loss.
**S/Ahmad**
PR. No. 74
PRESS RELEASE
SIGNING OF MINUTES OF THE MEETING UNDER PAK-ITALIAN DEBT FOR DEVELOPMENT SWAP AGREEMENT
Islamabad: September 6, 2010Secretary Economic Affairs Division and Italian Ambassador signed Minutes of the approved projects under the ambit of Pak-Italian Debt Swap Agreement (PIDSA) totaling to an amount of Rs. 3.13 billion in Economic Affairs Division.
The Management Committee established for selection approval and evaluation of the projects, approved an amount of Rs. 5.41 billion for Federal/Provincial Governments/NGO’s and Italian Institutions in its third meeting held on August 19, 2010.
The above said signing of the Minutes ceremony was held to formally endorse the agreement signed between Pakistan and Italy for US $100 Million (Debt for Development Swap) on November 2006 which entered into force on May 14, 2007. Under this Agreement, development projects shall be financed sponsored by Federal, Provincial or Local Governments, Non-Governmental Organizations or channeled by relevant U.N. Organizations on the agreed sectors of Health, Education, Agriculture, basic Infrastructure leading to socio-economic development and environmental protection, etc.
**HP/Ahmad**
PR. No. 75
PRESS RELEASE
BIJARANI SEVERELY CONDEMNS TORTURE OVER UMAR CHEEMA.
Islamabad: September 6, 2010Federal Minister for Industries & Production Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani has severely condemned torture over Umar Cheema, a preminent journalist of an English Daily The News, by unknown masked and armed men on last Saturday night. The Minister expressed his full sympathy with Umar Cheema. This cowardly act by unknown persons is highly condemnable as no one has a right to take the country law into his own hands, he said.
Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani said that the present democratic government fully believes in freedom, stability and respect of every institution and person. Every journalist, even any citizen of the country, has a full freedom of writing according to his own will and wisdom and the journalists cannot be stopped writing truth by using these unlawful tactics. I hope the perpetrators of this heinous crime would be arrested very soon and be given such an exemplary punishment that in future no one could dare for such unlawful and dirty action.
**MAB/Ahmad**
PR. No. 76
PRESS RELEASE
HAMID SAEED KAZMI CONDEMNS LAKKI BLAST
Islamabad: September 6, 2010Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Syed Hamid Saeed Kazmi has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the City Police Station of Lakki Marwat which caused loss of several precious lives of Police officials and others including students who were on the way to their schools. The blast also damages the nearby buildings including Civil Hospital and created panic in the city. He expressed his grief and sorrow over the tragic demise of innocent people in this terrorist attack.
The Minister was of the view that terrorists have no religion as they are bent upon to kill innocent people in the sacred month of Ramazan. He said that the people have seen the real faces of the extremists and hoped that the terrorists would not succeed to fulfill their nefarious designs through such inhuman and brutal attacks. He urged upon ulemas and political leaders to come forward for maintaining unity among the people for combating the terrorist activities in the country which would help foiling the nefarious designs of the anti-Islamic elements.
**AJM/Ahmad**
PR. No. 77
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad: September 6, 2010Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education has started a Toll Free Service/Helpline for poor and neglected people including women, children and Senior Citizens to provide awareness, guidance, emotional support, professional help, immediate relief and referral services for alleviation of their hardships. In this connection trained Social Welfare Officers are available to provide guidance and referral support services in Federal Capital Islamabad and four Provincial Capitals Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi on Toll Free Helpline Number 0800-19478. The staff of the helpline are available from 08:00 a.m. to 08:00 p.m. The Helpline are located in the following location,
Integrated Social Development Project 1 A Education Town, Near Alamgir Flat, Khubaid Styreet Wahadat Road, Lahore. 0800-19478.
Integrated Social Development Project, House No. 03, Street No. 1, Saryab Road, Quetta. 0800-19478
Integrated Social Development Project, FD Plot 15, Gulshan-e-Johar, Karachi. 0800-19478.
Integrated Social Development Project, House No. 05, Street No. 4, Nasir Bhag Road, Peshawar. 0800-19478.
Ministry of Social Welfare & Special Educaiton, Hanna Road, G-8/4, Islamabad. 0800-19478.
Poor and needy people contact us on our Free Helpline (0800-19478) for assistance about their problems. Our officers always ready for your help.
**AY/Ahmad**
PR. No. 78
Press Release
Environment Ministry Attaches High Importance to Develop Renewable Energy Resources in
Pakistan……Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi
Islamabad, September 06, 2010Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi has said that Ministry of Environment attaches high importance to the development of renewable energy resources and special initiatives have been taken to promote cleaner forms of Energy. He also added that the aim of the government for energy sector remains the sustainable exploitation and efficient use of energy resources and power production in order to improve the quality of life of the people as well to ensure optimum use of cheaper resources of renewable energy. Federal Minister for Environment Hameed Ullah Jan Afridi said this during his visit to ENERCON, an attached department of the Ministry of Environment that is mandated to promote energy conservation and efficiency.
During the visit, he said that rapidly growing trend of Industrialization in developed countries, the whole world has come under threat of climate change and global warming. Pakistan is the most vulnerable country to these impacts of climate change and global warming. He said that extreme weathers and melting of our glaciers are the main outcomes of these effects. He specially mentioned the present scenario of high flood situation in different parts of our country and creation of Atta Abad lack, that are the major reasons of climate change.
Federal Minister urged that whole world should come forward to face this challenge. Moreover, developed countries have to play their key role to combat these challenges. He underlined that Pakistan realizes the importance of climate change and global warming and taking all possible initiatives in this context. He mentioned that despite all efforts, Pakistan requires financial and technical assistance to undertake appropriate measures to respond adequately to climate change impacts and developing sound adaptation strategies.
Environment Minister emphasized that in order to meet Pakistan’s growing energy needs, it requires specific assistance in environment friendly technologies and renewable energy development to embark on sustainable development path. While highlighting the given contribution of energy sector in the economic growth he added that such assistance would be required both technically and financially in the area of renewable energy development.
Earlier, Managing Director ENERCON Mr. Farid Ullah Khan gave detailed presentation to the Federal Minister on role of ENERCON and its ongoing and coming projects.
On this occasion, Secretary Environment Javed Malik and other high officials of Ministry of Environment and ENERCON were also present.
PR. No. 79
PRESS RELEASE
Periodic Report on CEDAW Implementation is with PM for his approval ------- YASMEEN REHMAN
Islamabad the 6th September, 2010“Currently, the Periodic Report on CEDAW Implementation is with Prime Minister of Pakistan for his approval and further it will be submitted to UN”, says Advisor to the Prime Minister on Women Development Mrs. Yasmeen Rehman while chairing while chairing a 4th Review Meeting of the CEDAW (Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women), here today in Islamabad.
Being the national focal machinery Ministry of Women Development (MoWD) is responsible for the preparation of CEDAW Country Report, in consultation with all the stakeholders on the basis of information/data, collected from all the line Ministries/Departments. MoWD is in process to submit Fourth Periodic Report on CEDAW Implementation to UN CEDAW Committee.
The Fourth Periodic Report covers the period from January 2005 to 2009 and is due this year, whereas, the Combined Initial, Second and Third Report was submitted in June 2005, covered the period from 1997 to December, 2004.
The Fourth Periodic Report has two sections. First Section is a response to the Comments of the CEDAW Committee on the Combined Initial, Second and Third Report and the Second Section covers the achievements of the Government of Pakistan against the Articles of the Convention.
Accordingly, and in line with the Harmonized Guidelines, MoWD undertook the following process: a) printed and disseminated the Expert Committee’s Concluding Comments along with the Combined Initial, Second and Third Report, amongst all the public-sector Ministries/Organizations, Civil Society Organizations and media, b) held press conferences on the Concluding Observations and the experiences with the UN CEDAW Expert Committee in May 2007 and c) designed sectoral matrix on the Concluding Comments of the UN CEDAW Committee on the Combined Initial, Second and Third Report and circulated amongst the key Line Ministries and Provincial Departments, to solicit information and data, on the Concluding Observations and on updated information on initiatives for gender equality and women’s empowerment. The matrix also solicited information on institutional, legal and administrative measures newly-initiated and/or planned by the Government of Pakistan from January 2005 to January 2009.
Advisor has revealed that MoWD has conducted consultative meetings with Federal Ministries/Divisions, Provincial Departments, Civil Society Organizations and other organizations to collect information/data for the Report according to the designed matrix. The Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Women Development reviewed the report in its meeting held on 28th April, 2009.
On the directives of the Standing Committee, MoWD has constituted a Working Group for the improvement of the report and to avoid shadow reports. Working Group included representatives from Federal Ministries with three leading CSOs headed by Chairperson NCSW. The Working Group was formulated in May 2009 and finalized the report in September, 2009.
The Report then went through a review in consultations at Federal and Provincial levels. The final draft of the Report was submitted to Standing Committee of the National Assembly on Women Development on 13th January, 2010. (SNA)
PR. No. 80
PRESS RELEASE
Islamabad 6th September,2010President Asif Ali Zardari today called upon the investment finance companies and development finance institutions DFIs in the country to devise a plan for raising money through stock exchanges for building infrastructure projects in the country on build, operate, own and transfer (BOOT) basis or on the basis of build, operate and own (BOO).
The President also tasked the DFIs whose heads were called to special meeting today to prepare a workable plan in two weeks that was a win-win both for them as private entrepreneurs and to the country desperately needing to rebuild the infrastructure devastated by floods.
The meeting with the heads of over a dozen finance investment companies and DFIs in the Bilawal House Karachi today was also attended by Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Law Minister Dr. Babar Awan, Provincial Finance Minster Murad Ali Shah, Secretary General Salman Farooqui, Secretary Information PPP Ms. Fauzia Wahab, State Minister Mehreen Anwer Raja, Managing Director ZTBL Zaka Ashraf and spokesperson Farhatullah Babar.
The DFIs and finance investment companies whose heads attended the meeting including Pak Brunei Investment Company Ltd, Pak Kuwait Investment Company, Pak Libya Holding Company, Pak Oman Investment Company Ltd, Pak China Investment Company and Saudi Pak Investment Company.
Briefing the media Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that the President also urged the DFIs to consider floating long term bonds for raising finances for viable projects and set up separate one-window operation counters in each DFI for this purpose.
However, raising funds through stock exchanges will regenerate the money market and also ensure wider distribution of dividend and benefits among small investors and ordinary public, he quoted the President as saying.
The President said that the infrastructure projects in highways, bridges, railways, heath and water offered unique opportunities to the investment companies while at the same time rebuild better the destroyed infrastructure. He also stressed the need for microfinance schemes to help the poor people.
Another area that needed massive investment was the housing sector, the President said adding that nearly 1.4 Million houses had been destroyed in floods. The President called for setting up a task force comprising of engineers, NESPAK and the House Building Finance Corporation to workout a plan for rebuilding houses using material and technology that enabled them to withstand natural disasters.
The President said that the entire nation had to brace itself for any eventuality assuming that floods were caused by climatic change and could recur again. He said the banks, investment companies and financial institutions had a critical role to play in this regard.
We have to extricate the people from the catastrophe and give them hope, the President said.The heads of the investment companies and participants also made number of suggestions ranging from the creation of a flood financing facility by the State Bank of Pakistan to marshaling of part of the Banks’ profits in the rehabilitation and reconstruction work.
The President advised them to prepare a collective plan of action in consultation with the State Bank of Pakistan which should then be brought before the Government for consideration. The blue print of the action plan should be completed in two weeks time, the President said.
PR. No. 81
PRESS RELEASE
MINISTER FOR FOOD & AGRICULTURE AND CHAIRMAN NCHD CALLS ON PRIME MINISTER
Islamabad 6th September,2010.Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has appreciated the spirit of volunteers working in flood hit areas and the generous contributions made by citizens of Pakistan to mitigate the sufferings of flood victims in various flood affected areas.
Prime Minister was talking to Mr. Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Minister for Food & Agriculture and Ms. Nafeesa Shah, Chairman, NCHD who called on him at Prime Minister’s Secretariat this afternoon.
Ms. Nafeesa Shah apprised the Prime Minister of her visits to the flood hit areas and various relief activities by NCHD in flood ravaged areas of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, and Balochistan.
The Prime Minister urged the Parliamentarians to focus on the health and environmental conditions of the relief camps. He further asked them to coordinate with the National Emergency Health Preparedness and Response network to take preventive measures to check outbreak of water borne diseases.
Mr. Nazar Muhammad Gondal apprised the Prime Minister of various relief activities in his constituency and also discussed the ways and means to improve the food and medicine supply in the relief camps.
PR. No. 82
PRESS RELEASE
MINISTER OF DEFENCE, MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS CALL ON PRIME MINISTER
Islamabad 6th September,2010.Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has stressed upon the transparency in the disbursement of the relief aid and non-discriminatory distribution of the relief goods among the flood hit areas.
Prime Minister expressed these views while talking to Ch. Ahmad Mukhtar Minister for Defence, Mr. Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Minister of State for Communications and Mr. Tasadaq Masood, MNA who separately called on him at Prime Minister’s Secretariat this afternoon.
The Prime Minister observed that transparency and credibility was the main concern of the people donating for the rehabilitation of the flood affectees. He apprised the Ministers of the deliberations of the meeting of the Council of Common Interest (CCI) held this morning. He told them that all the Chief Ministers in the meeting reposed their confidence in the leadership of the Prime Minister and assured their full cooperation in materializing the decisions of the CCI.
Ministers lauded the Prime Minister for his guidelines to tackle the issues of devastating floods in various parts of the country. They also apprised the Prime Minister of details of various relief activities in their respective constituencies.
PR. No. 83
PRESS RELEASE
AMBASSADOR OF JORDAN MEETS PRIME MINISTER
Islamabad 6th September,2010.Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan greatly appreciates the support extended by the International Community in the relief and rescue operations. He added that the assistance in the next phase of rehabilitation and reconstruction is very important as the affected population expects a lot from the government.
The Prime Minister was talking to Ambassador of Jordan, Dr. Saleh Ahmed Al-Jawameh who paid a farewell call on at PM’s Sectretariat here this afternoon.
The Prime Minister thanked the Jordanian Government for their assistance by sending medicines, food items, blankets and 25-members medical team to Pakistan to help the flood victims.
The Prime Minister said that Pakistan regards the Jordan an important ally and values the relationship between the two countries. He appreciated the outgoing Ambassador for his hard working in further strengthened bilateral ties between Pakistan and Jordan.
The Prime Minister asked the Ambassador to convey his good wishes to His Majesty King Abdullah and the Prime Minister Mr. Samir Rifai.
Dr. Saleh Ahmed Al-Jawameh apprised the Prime Minister that his country is standing by the government of Pakistan in this hour of trial. He informed the Prime Minister that two more medical teams are arriving in Pakistan to help the flood affected people. He thanked the Prime Minister for his government support in the discharge of his duties.
PR. No. 84
PRESS RELEASE
CHINA DONATES ADDITIONAL US $ 30 MILLION IN KIND FOR THE FLOOD AFFECTEES OF PAKISTAN
Islamabad 6th September,2010.Liu Jian, Ambassador of China to Pakistan called on the Prime Minister to convey the message of his Chinese Premier Mr. Wen Jiabao that the Chinese Government will immediately provide an additional assistance of 200 million RMB (equivalent to US $ 30 million) in kind, to supplement the flood relief efforts of the Government of Pakistan. China has already committed relief assistance worth of $ 20 million for the Pakistan’s flood victims in the past weeks and this additional contribution will raise the total of its assistance to $ 50 million.
The Chinese Ambassador also apprised the Prime Minister that while a a field hospital manned by 55 male and female doctors from his country was already operational in Sindh, another hospital, to be mostly manned by the female doctors of Peoples Liberation Army, will reach Pakistan in next few days time. Besides, his Government, has decided to dispatch more army helicopters to Pakistan to take part in rescue and relief efforts. The Ambassador also pointed out that cash donations of $ 310,000 from only two Chinese entrepreneurs (a businessman and woman) were deposited into Prime Minister’s Relief Fund Account operated by Pakistan Embassy in Beijing, earlier today, and thus the total of Chinese peoples and private sector’s donations to Prime Minister’s Relief Fund had now exceeded $ 1 million mark. He said that the provincial and local Governments in China had also been mobilized to contribute directly in cash and in relief goods assistance to help the Pakistani flood victims.
The Chinese Ambassador underscored that the assistance announced, so far by the Government of China (including that of today), was only for the immediate rescue and relief activities. He said, he has been directed to assure the Prime Minister that the Chinese Government will also steadfastly standby Pakistan during the rehabilitation and reconstruction phases by making substantial additional contributions in the future.
The Chinese Ambassador enquired from the Prime Minister about Pakistan’s immediate needs in the relief activities. The Prime Minister told him that tents were the foremost need of the hour to provide temporary shelter to the affected people. The Chinese Ambassador informed him that 10,000 tents would be supplied to Pakistan through ten chartered flights in next few days time.
The Prime Minister asked the Chinese Ambassador to convey his personal as well as of people and Government of Pakistan’s profound gratitude to the Chinese President and Premier for their expression of solidarity, support and assistance for the victims of the ongoing natural disaster in Pakistan. He said it was particularly gratifying to note that while around one hundred million people of China, themselves, have been affected by unprecedented floods in their country yet the Chinese Government and people had not forgotten their friends in distress, in Pakistan.
PR. No. 85
PRESS RELEASE
PRIME MINISTER PARTICIPATED IN SPECIAL PRAYERS ON LAILA-TUL-QADR FOR SAFETY,
SECURITY AND PROSPERITY OF PAKISTAN
Islamabad 6th September, 2010.Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani participated in a special prayer offered after the Isha prayer on Laila-tul-Qadr here at Prime Minister’s House this night. Prayers were offered for the prosperity and continued progress of the country. The recitation of the Holy Quran was also completed tonight at the Prime Minister’s House’s Mosque.
It was prayed to Almighty Allah to shower His blessings on the country especially in the aftermath of the recent floods which have affected millions of people. Very humbly it was prayed to Almighty Allah to ease the difficulties of the people who are suffering from this natural calamity.
It was also prayed that the scourge of terrorism and extremism which has haunted the peaceful people be eliminated with the help of Allah and the brave people as well as the security forces of Pakistan succeed in their fight against this menace.
