PR No. 117 Press release President felicitates Senator Rehman Malik for the conferment of honorary Ph.D. Degree Islamabad; October 12, 2011 President Asif Ali Zardari today felicitated Federal Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik on the conferment of honorary PhD degree by Karachi University at a special convocation on Tuesday. Spokesperson to the President Mr. Farhatullah Babar said that the president described the award of doctorate as a “well deserved recognition” by the University of its former student’s role in bringing back light and restoring peace to the city of Karachi. It is recognition by the academia of the courage and steadfastness of Senator Rehman Malik in fighting militancy as well as of his long and tortuous journey in pursuit of high achievements, he said. Any Alma mater would be proud of such achievements by its student. The President also wished Rehman Malik greater success and glory in the future, the Spokesperson said. PR No. 118 Press release Islamabad; October 12, 2011 Today i.e. 12th October, 2011, 2548 Hujjaj will proceed to perform Hajj in 10 flights in Government Scheme from Peshawar, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Faisalabad and Sukkur and Sialkot. A total number of 62104 (31606 from Government Scheme and 30498 from Private Scheme) Hujjaj have reached Saudi Arabia for performance of Hajj up till 11th of October 2011. PR No. 119 Press release Islamabad; October 12, 2011 Complaint Centres and Toll-free numbers are working efficiently to help and facilitate Hujjaj round the clock. It is worth mentioning here that a total number of 352 complaints have been received from Hujjaj-e-Karam of various nature so far which includes lost of baggage, lost of pilgrims, accommodation, building etc uptill 11th October 2011. All complaints were attended and redress at the earliest possible. Similarly Hajj Medical Mission’s Hospitals in Makkah tul Mukkramah and Madinah al Munawwarah are working efficiently to provide medical facilities to Pakistani pilgrims. Further in all sectors of above Holy Cities. Free Medial Dispensaries have also been established and working round the clock since start of Hajj Operation. Till date 4450 pilgrims have been treated for various diseases in these Hajj. PR No. 120 Press release Pakistan-Turkey inks media cooperation agreement Islamabad; October 12, 2011 The Anadolu Agency of Turkey and Associated Press of Pakistan here today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Director General of Anadolu Agency H.E. Mr. Kemal Ozturk and Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkey H.E. Mr. Muhammad Haroon Shaukat signed the agreement while Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan witnessed the signing ceremony, says a press release received here today from Ankara. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said Pakistan’s relations with Turkey are based on historical linkages and shared cultural heritage. She termed the agreement as an important step towards information sharing and projecting true image of the two countries. Dr. Firdous proposed opening up bureau offices of the two agencies in each other countries. Director General Anadolo Agency accepted the proposal and said his agency will soon open a bureau office in Islamabad and would offer full cooperation to Associated Press of Pakistan under the terms of the agreement. The Minister later on visited different facilities and witnessed a pictorial slide show depicting various aspects of the 2010 floods. The same photos were supplied to all Turkish and international media that helped galvanize Turkish support. Dr. Firdous presented a documentary on 2011 floods and requested all the Turkish media outlets to release the same in order to mobilize the Turkish people and civil society to come forward for the rehabilitation of the affectees. Director General Mr. Kemal Ozturk said his agency is proud to have the agreement with Pakistan. He said every Turk love Pakistan and every school going child could sing ‘Jeeway Jeeway Pakistan.’ PR No. 121 Press release Islamabad; October 12, 2011 A meeting of the Inquiry Commission on Abbottabad Operation was held in the Cabinet Division on 12th October, 2011 under the Chairmanship of Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Former Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the President of the Commission. The meeting was attended by Mr. Abbas Khan, I.G ®, Mr. Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, and Lt. Gen. ® Nadeem Ahmed Members of the Commission. The Commission conducted exhaustive interviews of Director General Military Intelligence, GHQ, Rawalpindi and Inspector General Police, KP, Peshawar who gave their perspective of the Abbottabad operation. The Commission also carried out detailed examination/ inspection of recovered items and material evidence from alleged OBL Compound, Abbottabad. The Commission will meet again on 13-10-2011 and record the statements of Home Secretary, KP, Peshawar and Adjutant General, GHQ, Rawalpindi. PR No. 122 Press release MALDIVES FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS ON PRIME MINISTER Islamabad; October 12, 2011 Maldives Foreign Minister Mr. Ahmed Naseem called on Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and thanked the Government of Pakistan for extending all out assistance in holding the forthcoming SAARC Summit in the Maldives next month. The Prime Minister said that it was heartening to mention that relations among SAARC countries were improving and by espousing the theme of “connectivity”, the people of the region will come closer leading to improvement in their relations on sustainable basis. The Prime Minister recalled his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at Mohali, which was followed by Ministerial and Secretary level exchange of visits between the two countries focused to improve multifaceted cooperation especially enhancing trade and people to people contact. The Prime Minister said that excellent relations among the member countries were reflection of the aspirations of the people who shared centuries old history, culture and traditions. The Prime Minister also recalled his meeting with the Maldives young and dynamic President Mr. Mohamed Nasheed at Thimphu (Bhutan) during the last SAARC Summit. The Prime Minister urged upon the importance of ‘connectivity’ through air, land and sea, necessary to promote regional transit-trade besides building bridges among the people of member states. The Prime Minister said that he was looking forward to meet the Maldives President at the SAARC Summit and asked the Foreign Minister to convey his best wishes to the President. The Foreign Minister also handed over a personal letter of the Maldives President to the Prime Minister of Pakistan in which the President expressed his deep sense of gratitude for extending generous support to his country in connection with the holding of the SAARC Summit. The Foreign Minister said during the Summit his country would welcome a meeting of the Indian Prime Minister with Pakistan’s Prime Minister on the sidelines. The Foreign Minister also gave some tangible suggestions to improve trade between the two countries. The Foreign Minister said that Ferry links between the two countries can increase trade substantially because Maldives imports a huge quantity of fruits and vegetables. The import of the same from Pakistan will be far less expensive through sea link. Maldives can export fish to Pakistan. Similarly, Maldives import poultry products from Brazil and the same can be imported from Pakistan if there were sea and air links between the two countries. The Foreign Minister of Maldives appreciated the initiatives of Pakistan and India to improve their relations. Its criticality to realize the full potential of the SAARC forum needs no further explanation, he said. The Foreign Minister also disclosed that his country was holding Convention on Shaiah jurisprudence and inter-faith harmony. The Prime Minister said that the Saudi King has been actively engaged to promote inter-faith harmony at global level. The Foreign Minister said that the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz had accepted the invitation to participate in the Convention. PR No. 123 Press release FEDERAL CABINET MEETS Islamabad; October 12, 2011 Prime Minster Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani presided over the meeting of the Federal Cabinet at the Prime Minster’s Secretariat today.  The following decisions were made by the Cabinet: - PEPCO will be dissolved in the month of October 2011. Professional Management will be appointed in the power distribution and generation companies. Performance contracts will be signed with the new team of the companies. The Prime Minister directed all Government Ministries / Divisions / Departments to pay the electricity dues immediately, failing which their power connections will be cut off indiscriminately. The Prime Minister offered that the implementation of this decision be started from the Prime Minister’s House. All Provincial Governments will also pay arrears of electricity dues. The connections of the defaulters of WAPDA over 45 days will be cut off. Two months security deposit will be charged from new and defaulting consumers. Lifeline consumers consuming electricity upto 100 units will be exempted from payment of security deposit. Possibilities will be explored of co-opting private sector in billing and metering of electricity consumption. Campaign will be launched for recovery of outstanding dues from private consumers within six months. Cabinet directed the energy committee to hold discussions with Balochistan and AJK governments to solve issues of recovery and subsidy in their areas and the report will be submitted in the next Cabinet meeting.  It was further decided that uniform tariff rate will be applied throughout the country.  Improved and efficient load shedding plan will be presented by the energy committee in the next cabinet meeting. Government to give GST refund to PEPCO. Two holidays in a week will be observed. Key banking branches will be exempted from two weekly holidays in consultation with State Bank.  Implementation of the following steps will be made by the Provincial Governments. Commercial areas will be shut down at sun set. Billboards and neon signs will not be disconnected after sunset. LED Technology will be adopted. Marriage halls will be closed at 10:00 p.m. Ordinary light bulbs will be replaced by CFL technology.  Staggered weekly holidays for industry will be observed. PM directed the energy committee to come up with specific financial plan in the next cabinet plan. Robust regulatory mechanism will be put in place and NEPRA will be strengthened. Increased investment in public private partnership will be ensured. Fast track installation of new power stations will be made and within the next 18 months 5000 MW electricity will be added to the system, henceforward. 1000 MW will be added through O&M. 1000 MW will be saved through energy efficiency. 1497 MW will be the new addition through thermal power generation. 1000 MW will be added through wind energy. The present government has already paid Rs. One Trillion on account of payments in subsidizing the power sector. The present government has already added 3400 MW of electricity into the system. PR No. 124 Press release IMPLEMENTATION OF TEXTILE POLICY REVIEWED Islamabad; October 12, 2011 A meeting of Textile Policy Implementation and Liaison Committee was held at Ministry of Textile Industry, Islamabad. The meeting was chaired by Secretary, Ministry of Textile Industry, Shahid Rashid. Representatives of stakeholders like APTMA Chairman, Towel Manufacturer Association (TMA), Fiber Group, Filament Yarn, National Textile University (NTU), Engineering Development Board (EDB) and APBUMA were also present in the meeting. The agenda of the meeting was (i) to review the Textile Policy Implementation and discuss the way forward (ii) Technology up-gradation fund scheme (iii) Draft Textile Law (iv) Disbursement Plan for the first tranche of short term scheme. Speaking on the occasion Secretary Textiles, Shahid Rashid said that short term measures under Textile Policy are being implemented Ministry is also now moving to work on the implementation of medium and long term initiatives which include Technology Up-gradation development of standards, projects for skill development and infrastructure development in partnership with private sector. Stakeholders were informed that more than 17 billion rupees have been disbursed to the industry under various schemes, and further request has been sent to Ministry of Finance to allocate more funds to support industry and settle remaining claims. On the issue of Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme, the eligibility criteria and technology parameters were presented to the stakeholders who sought two weeks to provide their feedback. Furthermore, draft copy of the Textile Law was also shared with the stakeholders, which includes, inter-alia the establishment of the Federal Textile Board comprising of 14 members from public and 14 members from private sector. The board will have legal framework to develop standards and make recommendations on developmental issues. The ministry also shared the status of allocated funds for current financial year with the stakeholders. Secretary informed the participants that they are in close consultation with the Ministry of Finance for release of more funds as approved by the Cabinet Committee on Textiles. In reply to the major concern of the stakeholders about the drawbacks on local taxes and levies DLTL, Secretary informed that in the 2011-12, a sum of Rs. 7.5 billion had been allocated and the Ministry of Textile Industry has sought 3 billion from Ministry of Finance but only 1 billion could be released so far. Efforts are underway to seek additional funds to pay the pending liabilities of textile sector to provide relief. PR No. 125 Press release “Pakistan Recovery Fund” to raise funds for flood affectees in Pakistan  Islamabad; October 12, 2011             John O’Brien, Prince of Wales’s Senior Representative called on Pakistan High Commissioner for UK Wajid Shamsul Hasan to brief him on Prince Charles’s initiative “The Pakistan Recovery Fund” which aims to raise significant investment in funding and support in-kind and goods in the aftermath of  devastating floods in Pakistan. The initiative aims at raising between 2 to 5 million pounds over two years, says a press release received from London here today.             In order to achieve this target, a whole set of fundraising activities has been planned by the organisers. In this connection, the Prince would attend a major gala fundraising event in December this year in the UK. The event would be a major showcase, attracting significant individuals from all walks of life who  are concerned about the humanitarian plight of the people affected. Similar linked events overseas would also be arranged.              It was informed that the Fund was convened because the Prince wished to personally respond to an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. The Fund also demonstrates His Royal Highness’s wish to help mobilise those around the world to support this vital cause.              Brien, who had visited the flood affected areas recently said that he had never seen such an enormous calamity anywhere else in the world. He agreed to establish linkages with National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan for coordinated efforts. He also sought Pakistan High Commission’s support in  disseminating the information about the Fund’s activities.              The High Commissioner expressed his deep gratitude for this benign and humanitarian gesture of the Prince and assured his full support to make the  initiative a success so that the sufferings of the affected people could be mitigated. Although Pakistan was doing its best to cope with the situation, yet  it needed assistance from the international community, said the High Commissioner. He expressed confidence the Fund would go a long way in  rehabilitation of the flood affectees.  PR No. 126 Press release Islamabad; October 12, 2011 Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting in a meeting here today with Deputy Speaker of Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) H.E. Mr. Mehmet Saglam discussed exchange of parliamentary delegations. She also requested him to mobilize Turkish parliamentarians to come forward and help their Pakistani bretheren affected by recent floods in Southern parts of Pakistan, says a press release received from Ankara here today. Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that Pakistan is keenly following the current debate in Turkish Parliament regarding legal and constitutional reforms and would like to take benefit from the relevant laws, particularly those promoting freedom of speech and expression. She said that it is gratifying to note that our bilateral relations are reflected in our close parliamentary linkages.  H.E. Mr. Mehmet Saglam assured the visiting Minister of their full cooperation to provide relief to flood victims. He invited her to witness the proceedings of TGNA. Dr. Firdous and her delegation members were received with applause in the visitor’s gallery by the TGNA members attending the session. She also met with Turkish Energy Minister ….and apprised him of recent energy crisis in Pakistan. Dr. Firdous said Pakistan’s energy sector thus provides best opportunities for investors. The Turkish Energy Minister agreed to send a delegation of Turkish investors to Pakistan. Later on, the Information Minister met with President of Turkish Red Crescent Society (Kizilay) Mr. Ahmet Lutfi Akar and updated him about latest relief and rehabilitation efforts made by Pakistan and international community. She emphasized on deeper collaboration between the Turkish and Pakistani Red Crescent Societies. She solicited Turkish support for building the capacity of Pakistan’s Red Crescent Society. Mr. Akar on the occasion assured the visiting Minister about sending more medical supplies to Pakistan to help the maternal and neonatal healthcare requirements in the affected areas. PR No. 127 Press release CABINET TO MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ITS DECISIONS: PM Islamabad; October 12, 2011   Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, while addressing the cabinet meeting held here today under his chairmanship highly appreciated the efforts of the High Powered Committee on Energy headed by Finance Minister Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, which also included Mr. Naveed Qamar, Minister for Water and Power, Dr. Asim Hussain, Minister for Petroleum, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission and Governor State Bank of Pakistan as its members. The Prime Minister said that the Committee held a series of meetings spread over more than one hundred hours  to deliberate upon all aspects of power sector with a view to seeking out a short- and long- terms solution of the lingering problem, which has badly affected the industry and the daily routine of life. The Prime Minister said that it was only due to the in-depth introspection of the Committee that the Cabinet has taken such important decisions pertaining to conservation, distribution, power generation and above all restructuring of the power sector enabling it to become viable on sustainable basis. The Prime Minister directed that the decisions taken in the Cabinet meeting today be implemented indiscriminately. The Prime Minister said that the Cabinet would review the status of implementation of the decisions in alternate cabinet meetings. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST OR TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 13, 2011 PR No. 128 Press release MESSAGE OF SYED YUSUF RAZA GILANI PRIME MINISTER OF PAKISTAN ON WORLD SIGHT DAY (OCTOBER 13, 2011) Islamabad; October 12, 2011 The observance of World Sight Day around the globe draws our attention to the need of raising awareness about the issues of blindness and visual impairments. It also highlights the importance of rehabilitating the visually impaired through concerted efforts. With the world population aging, visual impairments have been spreading very fast especially among the old. It is regrettable that 1.8 million people are blind in the country. The day calls for collaboration of the public and private sector organizations to join hands to control the incidence of blindness. This is in this context that “Vision 2020: The Right to Sight”, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness is of critical importance in shaping our response to the challenge of visual impairments. Media has a critical role to play in raising awareness among the people in this regard. A timely diagnosis and cure of visual ailments restore the sight. With the health ministry devolved to the provinces, it is important that both provincial and district governments expand their capacity to cater to large number of patients on this count. There is a need to focus on medical research and impart training to the medical practitioners to come up to the expectations of the people. While observing the World Sight Day, we must resolve to fight this menace with all available resources and the government of Pakistan is committed on its part.  NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST OR TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 13, 2011 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST OR TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 13, 2011 PR No. 129 Press release MESSAGE FROM MR. ASIF ALI ZARDARI PRESIDENT OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN (ON THE OCCASION OF WORLD SIGHT DAY 2011) Islamabad; October 12, 2011             World Sight Day which is observed on second Thursday every year, is an occasion to create awareness about the problems and requirements of visually handicapped persons and rehabilitation of the visually impaired.             Our visually handicapped brothers and sisters are men and women of great courage. They have taught us, who are blessed with sight, that we will never be able to count the blessings of Allah for bestowing a life free of any disability to pursue a life according to their desires.             On this occasion, we must reiterate that it is our duty to encourage and motivate people to be caring to the needs of visually handicapped citizens. All those individuals and associations, engaged in the task of rehabilitation of visually impaired persons deserve our commendations.             It is reassuring that Government has made concerted efforts to educate the visually impaired youth and children, provided them adequate skills and technical training and generate employment opportunities for them.             I also call upon the people and relevant government agencies to reflect on the problems of visually handicapped people and think about what needs to be done to achieve the same standards in caring for the disabled as exists in other civilized nations and to work towards achieving those standards. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED/BROADCAST OR TELECAST BEFORE THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 13, 2011