PR No. 114
PRESS RELEASE
one day National Interfaith Consultancy in Islamabad on July 12, 2010: Shahbaz Bhatti
Islamabad, July 11, 2010Ministry of Minorities Affairs, Government of Pakistan, is organizing a National Interfaith Consultation in Islamabad on Monday July 12, 2010. This is one of the major initiative that the Ministry has invited all Leading Religious Islamic Scholars, Ulamas of all sects, leaders and representatives of all religions in Pakistan to attend this important meeting, said by the Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti.
He said, the main objective to hold this meeting is to promote religious harmony, interfaith dialogue for better understanding between different faiths living in Pakistan. This is in line with the vision of founding father Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah for creating equal opportunities for all citizens of Pakistan, irrespective of their color, caste, creed and religion.
After the meeting, a joint declaration will be signed by the participants.
**SJK/Ahmad**
PR No. 115
PRESS RELEASE
NEELUM-JHELUM HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT OF 969 MW TO BE COMPLETED
ONE YEAR BEFORE SCHEDULED TIME FRAME
Islamabad, July 11, 2010Following the directives of the Minister for Water and Power, Wapda authorities have geared up the work on 969 MW Neelum- Jhelum Hydroelectric Project to complete it one year before the scheduled time frame. Most modern equipment and tunnel boring machines worth eight billion rupees are being imported.
The Minister has directed the Wapda to take all necessary steps to complete it well before time so that the cheaper electricity can be generated for consumers. The Minister while talking to the media on this particular project said the government was following change of energy mix policy and paying attention to exploit all sources of energy including hydel, solar, coal and wind etc to bridge gap between demand and supply through cheap electricity. He said the project would cost $2.16 billion and would generate 969 MW to national grid system. There is no issue of financing, sufficient funds are available to complete the project.
The government is paying due attention to complete all hydel projects in order to generate cheap electricity and overcome energy crisis in the country,” he remarked. He dispelled the impression that the government is only focusing on thermal generation. The main target of the government is producing cheaper electricity by exploiting indigenous resources. Thermal generation is not a long term solution of future power requirements.
“The minister said the government has already provided funds for the completion of the project adding that it was being financed by Kuwait Fund, Saudi Fund, Islamic Development Bank and Abu Dhabi Funds. The consumers were also paying 10 pisas per unit for it as 50 % financing of the project. Now we can say that it is the project being completed with the contribution of people of Pakistan, the added. The minister said currently the ratio of thermal power generation is more than hydel in the national grid and the government has decided to enhance the share of hydel power and alternative energy generation as compared to thermal generation to provide cheap electricity to the consumers. He said that work on Kohala Hydel Power Project of 1100 MW would also be started soon. He said that besides reducing dependence on thermal power, the Neelum- Jhelum project will help saving foreign exchange, generating employment opportunities, improve standard of living infrastructure and social-economic uplift of the area.
Project Director Neelum-Jhelum Hydel Power Project Syed Ali Raza informed that round-the-clock work is going on the project to compete it before scheduled time period as directed by the Minister. He said project was kicked off in 2008 and would be completed in October 2015 instead of it stipulated time of year 2016. He said 3400 acres land was required for the project adding that 3200 acres land has already been acquired for the project. The remaining 200 acres would soon be acquired, he added. He said the project was being completed with the assistance of Chinese Company CGGC and CMEC consortium. US and Norwegian companies are its consultant. He said that about 47 KM long tunnels will be constructed and 6 KM have been completed. The powerhouse will be constructed at Chatter Kalas, 22 km south of Muzaffarabad.
**NJ/Ahmad**
PR No. 116
PRESS RELEASE
President Zardari arrives in Islamabad at conclusion of five-day China visit
Islamabad, July 11, 2010President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Islamabad Sunday morning at the conclusion of a five day visit to China during which he held talks with President Hu Jintao, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Chairman of the Chinese Peoples Consultative Conference (CPPCC), visited Pakistan and China pavilions at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai, addressed separately forums on Economic Development and Alternate Energy and touched base with provincial political leaders and leaders of corporate sector.
The top level talks and meetings with business and energy leaders during the visit focused on joint economic projects, promoting regional connectivity, harnessing new sources of energy, militancy and terrorism and measures for enhancing people to people contacts.
Briefing journalists Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said that during the visit, the fifth undertaken by the President since he became the President, China pledged to provide 50 million Yuan grant to Pakistan for new projects besides the two countries signing an agreement on economic and technical cooperation and four MoUs that were also witnessed by the two Presidents. The MoUs signed were in fields of health, geological survey, and agriculture.
Instruments of ratification were also exchanged as a follow up of the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and a Memorandum of Understanding of cooperation between Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation and China Radio International for Urdu service broadcasts in selected Pakistani cities on FM channel was also signed, he said.
The two sides also decided to urgently convene a meeting of the Pak-China Joint Economic Forum in Islamabad for taking decisions on a host of issues including currency swap, opening of branches of Chinese banks in Pakistan and relocating industries in the special proposed industrial zones in Pakistan. The Chinese Commerce Minister will lead his country’s delegation at the talks.
In response to Pakistan’s quest for new energy sources it was agreed that the China National Energy Administration will work out with Pakistani authorities modalities of tackling Pakistan’s energy needs. Special committees will be set up in both the countries to celebrate in a befitting manner the 60th anniversary of Pak-China diplomatic relations next year.
Connectivity projects including the 500 million dollars KKH up gradation project and the National Trade Corridor (NTC) were also discussed with the two sides agreeing to modernize the trade, transportation and logistics system in the country for enhanced regional connectivity, he said.
During the visit President Zardari also held separate meetings with Chinese Ministers for Water Resources and Agriculture reviewing progress on the hybrid seed and sprinkler irrigation projects.
The Chinese leadership directed Foreign Ministry to take steps for the exchange of youth delegations, cultural and writers’ delegations between the two countries and also increasing scholarships for young Pakistanis for studies in China.
President Hu Jintao promised “steady progress in cooperation with Pakistan in energy, telecom sectors, Neelum Jhelum project and Pakistan telecommunication satellite project”.
Appreciating Pakistan’s policy of one China the Chinese leadership assured President Zardari of continued support to Pakistan at the UN and at multilateral forums including SAARC and ECO and unflinching support to its fight against militancy. China has supported Pakistan’s full membership of the SCO.
Defence Minister ChaudhryAhmad Mukhtar, Petroleum Minister Naveed Qamar, Minister of State for water Resources Kamal Majidullah, Deputy Chairman Planning commission, Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir, Secretary General to President Salman Farooqui, Secretary Foreign Affairs Salman Bashir, Ambassador at large Khalil Ahmad Khan, Chairman WAPDA Shakil Durrani, Chairman NHA Chaudhry Altaf Ahmad, Additional Secretary Foreign Office Khalid Masood were members of the entourage..
During meetings with the top leadership of China the two sides reaffirmed at the highest level to strengthen the strategic relationship, increase the level of economic cooperation and take concrete measures to further bring their peoples closer together.
“China is a friend and a strategic partner committed to the promotion of stability and economic progress of Pakistan” is how President Hu described the relations between the two countries adding, “the two countries will continue to work together to further deepen the people to people contacts. In response President Zardari said, “It is our belief that Pakistan can act as force multiplier for China and we will continue to work towards this end”.
The two Presidents met twice in the Great Hall of the People; first on a one to one basis and later along with their delegations followed by a banquet by President Hu Jintao.
The President also had media interactions both in Beijing and Shanghai with about ten different print and electronic media outlets, visited the Mohenjodaro exhibition and met business and corporate leaders to bolster people to people contacts on the one hand and invite Chinese entrepreneurs to Pakistan on the other.
The spokesperson said that just on the eve of President’s visit China reaffirmed that it will go ahead with installation of two new nuclear reactors in Pakistan as the agreement ‘goes along well with the international non proliferation obligations of China and Pakistan’. President Zardari responded by asserting that the two countries decision ‘to honour the agreement within the framework of their obligations towards non proliferation was a demonstration of the strength of their relationship’.
He said that during the last two years more than five dozen new initiatives have been undertaken and nearly forty MoUs signed.
The new economic initiatives that have been launched recently include building hydro dams, transfer of hybrid seed technology, expanding banking operations, roads and communication networks, cooperation in agriculture focusing on optimum utilization of irrigation water and development of new high yielding varieties of wheat and cotton, the proposed Thar Coal project and dredging of Tarbela reservoir.
At the Shanghai airport the President was seen off by Ambassador Masood Khan and Chinese officials. Talking to the media Ambassador Masood said that the development of Pak-China relations has evolved over past decades and was steadily growing.
Ambassador Masood Khan said that the two- way trade which used to be less than $ 2 billion in 2002 is now around $ 7 billion. He said that there are about 120 Chinese enterprises working in Pakistan and that under the Five Year Program for trade and economic cooperation 62 projects have been identified, out of which 27 have been launched; 26 are being examined; and 12 are being reviewed.
A Pakistan-China Joint Investment Company (JIC) has been established and is acting as a conduit for investment. Chinese have invested in Pakistan in telecommunications, energy, infrastructure, heavy engineering, IT, mining, and defence production, he said. In 2008, Chinese and Pakistani enterprises signed contracts worth $ 4 billion. He said that it was a measure of strength of the relations between the two countries that all governments have been supporting it.**FU/Ahmad**
PR No. 117
PRESS RELEASE
Dr. Farooq Sattar addresses Overseas Pakistanis in Halifax & Bradford, UK
Islamabad, July 11, 2010We would launch new housing projects for overseas Pakistanis on Public Private Partnership basis in order to provide state of the art housing facilities to the overseas Pakistanis as well as to attract investment in the country. Moreover, we have chalked out a schedule for handing over physical possession of the plots to the overseas Pakistani allottes in the OPF Valley Zone, Islamabad. In this regard approximately possession of 200 plots would be handed over to the allottees in the next month (August 2010) while the remaining allottes would be handed over plots till June 2011. This was stated by Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis, Dr. Farooq Sattar, while addressing huge gatherings of overseas Pakistanis in Bradford and Halifax, UK. We are also working to establish a Skill Development Centre in Karachi to impart technical and vocational training to the intending emigrants so that they could earn better in the foreign countries, the Minister added. He also informed the community that the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis is working to reserve seats for the overseas Pakistanis in the parliament and to grant them the right to cast their votes during polls. He appreciated the role of overseas Pakistanis in the revival of the economy of the Pakistan, through direct investment and remittances.
Dr. Farooq Sattar is on an official visit to the United Kingdom, which he has undertaken upon the invitation of overseas Pakistani community of UK. During the visit the Minister is scheduled to interact with the Overseas Pakistanis community, Overseas Pakistani Associations and particularly the overseas Kashmiri community there.
Next day the Minister would visit Germany, where he is scheduled to attend a reception of overseas Pakistani community in Stuttgart city.
**MS/Ahmad**