PR No. 195
PRESS RELEASE
PRIME MINISTER CONDOLES THE DEATH
OF KHAN DILWAR KHAN KHICHI
Islamabad 17th July, 2010Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has expressed his sorrow and grief over the sad demise of Khan Dilwar Khan Khichi Ex.MNA who died in Mailsi District Vehari.
Prime Minister’s and Khichi families enjoyed closed relations since generations.
In his condolence message to the brother of deceased Mr. Mumtaz Khan Khichi and his son Mr. Auranzab Khan Khichi, Prime Minister expressed his heartfelt sympathies and prayed to Almighty Allah to rest the departed soul in peace and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with equanimity. Ameen!
**PMMO/Ahmad**
PR No. 196
PRESS RELEASE
DR. FEHMIDA MIRZA CALLS FOR GLOBAL PLAN OF ACTION TO DEAL WITH CHILD
MORTALITY AND MATERNAL HEALTH.
Islamabad 17th July, 2010Dr. Fehmida Mirza, Speaker National Assembly has called for formulation of coordinated global plan of action to achieve millennium development goals related to child mortality and maternal health. She said that international commitments must be honored and the assistance must not merely remain restricted to debt servicing and emergency aid during natural or man-made crisis. She said this in her address to 6th Women Speakers Conference being held in Bern, according to message received from Bern, Switzerland.
Addressing the plenary session of the Speakers Conference, Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that the international community should join hands and devise a well coordinated strategy to deal with the child mortality and Maternal Health issues. She said that these issues concerns and affects women and children beyond geographical boundaries and irrespective of their economic status. She stressed for effective resource mobilization and allocation at the national and international levels and analyzing the existing political will to meet the targets set by the Millennium Development Goals.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza pointed out that the developing world was forced divert its meager resources to more immediate security concerns. She said that developing nations must not be left alone to deal with the fall-outs of international conflicts. The Speaker said that Pakistan’s efforts in meeting the MDG targets have become more daunting in wake of our continued fight against global terrorism. She said that the sudden melt-down in the global economy and sharp rise in the oil and food prices has further aggravated the situation and with the international commitments coming half-way, the budgetary allocations on health, education and women development remain much less than desired.
She said that despite numerous problems, democracy in Pakistan has moved forward, though at a slow pace, however, all the sectors including health sector has shown significant improvement. She said that the Maternal and infant mortality rates have declined and significant reduction has been achieved in the proportion of children under five who suffer from diarrhoea and other ailments. She said that 120,000 rural and low-income group women have been trained as skilled health workers for providing door to door reproductive and child healthcare, especially at the village level. This dynamic programme was initiated by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and it is today regarded as one of world’s largest and most successful health outreach networks, she added.
Pointing out the some of the critical issues, the Speaker said that female literacy and population control were the issues which have a binary impact on the overall development of any nation. She said that poverty and unequal access to schooling perpetuate early marriages and pregnancies, which not only jeopardize the health of girls but also place rising burden on available resources. She stressed the need for enhancing female literacy rate for improving maternal and child health. Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that Parliament of Pakistan has made history by reviving the constitution in its in its true democratic spirit through recent constitutional amendments. She said that “education for all” have been made a fundamental right, making it a State obligation for the first time.
The Speaker said that an all-party Women’s Parliamentary Caucus under her patronage in National Assembly of Pakistan has been formed which had made enormous contribution to the empowerment of women in Pakistan. She said that the National Convention of Women Parliamentarians on “Peace, Security and Reconciliation” was a milestone which enabling women legislators from SAARC region, all provincial and federal women legislators to gather on one platform and seek a meaningful role in peace, security and reconciliation efforts in Pakistan and beyond. The Convention adopted a strong Declaration, which provides a roadmap for bringing women and children issues into focus through legislation, parliamentary oversight and redistribution of resources, she said.
PR No. 197
PRESS RELEASE
OPENING REMARKS BY THE FOREIGN MINISTER
AT THE FODP SOM IN ISLAMABAD ON 17 JULY 2010
Islamabad 17th July, 2010“Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me a great pleasure to welcome you all in Islamabad. On behalf of the government and the people of Pakistan, I wish you a very comfortable and productive stay.
This is the first time a Senior Officials’ Meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan is being held in Pakistan. We are confident that this meeting would help give further impetus to our work, and help achieve good progress.
Your presence at this meeting is reflective of your country’s strong commitment to the FODP and its objectives which we greatly appreciate.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The FODP is a unique process led by Pakistan itself. It is unique for it is unprecedented and remains unparalleled.
The FODP is a vehicle for a long-term engagement with democratic Pakistan. It is about extending support to us in our peace and development efforts in accordance with our own national priorities with the view to strengthening Pakistan’s hands against extremism, militancy and terrorism.
Significantly, while the FODP is a multilateral process, it is expected to deliver on the bilateral plane as well. This forum is usefully serving to identify and discuss priority areas for FODP partners to engage bilaterally or multilaterally such as through the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Pakistan.
Indeed, the value of the FODP lies in its being flexible and open-ended.
Whereas on one hand the FODP process is focusing on Pakistan’s energy deficit, as well as helping in the implementation of the Malakand Development Strategy, on another hand it is expected to promote foreign investment in Pakistan through the mechanism of public-private partnership.
The FODP in a very short span of less than two years has come of age. It is therefore no surprise that high public expectations are attached with this forum.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pakistan has suffered and continues to suffer enormously by terrorism. Since 9/11 there have been 247 suicide attacks in Pakistan killing over 3000 civilians and injuring over 7000.
The evil forces of terrorism have not even spared mosques, other religious places and the shrine of a Sufi saint in Lahore.
We have lost over 2550 security personnel in our ongoing law enforcement operations.
Our cumulative economic losses are also substantial. According to conservative estimates, Pakistan has lost $43 billion in the last nine years. Our exports and foreign investments have been badly hurt.
But the people of Pakistan have shown remarkable resilience in the face of varied and daunting challenges.
Looking after 2.5 million dislocated population from Malakand Division following the law enforcement operation there last year, and facilitating their return to their homes within a few months, speaks volumes of our people’s and institutions’ inherent strengths.
That was the reflection of the real Pakistan----undeterred by difficulties however severe, and keeping the faith high in ourselves and in our future
Evil forces of militancy will never succeed in denting our national resolve and consensus against terrorism. But Pakistan cannot win against this hydra-headed global menace without international support.
As a matter of fact no country, however preponderant, can defeat terrorism alone. In this struggle, we win and lose together.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pakistan, no doubt, needs help.
Today we are having to divert significant resources from our development programme towards fighting the militancy. In the immediate term we need budgetary support so that our poverty alleviation and development programmes continue uninterruptedly. In this regard, the remaining amount of pledges made at the separate Donors’ Conference in Tokyo last year may be expedited.
We need greater market access for our goods, more foreign investment in Pakistan and institution capacity building.
We are of the considered view that in the longer term it is trade not aid that would help us achieve economic stability and prosperity in Pakistan.
It is in these areas we need this forum’s assistance the most.
The FODP Public-Private Partnership Conference held in Dubai earlier this year helped make a good start. We are thankful to the Government of the UAE, especially His Highness the Foreign Minister of the UAE for hosting and co-chairing the conference.
The good momentum generated at Dubai must be sustained. We expect the FODP partners to encourage their respective corporate sectors to invest in projects that were presented at the Dubai conference.
We are planning to hold the second public-private partnership conference in Islamabad sometime this year or early next year. Meanwhile, we will welcome joint public-private sectors delegations from FODP countries to visit Pakistan and invest in specific projects that offer enormous lucrative prospects.
There is huge potential in this country waiting to be tapped. Be it infrastructure development, energy, agriculture, agro-based industry, mineral resources, education or health, foreign investment opportunities abound.
All fundamentals are there to create synergetic win-win situations. The experience of over 600 foreign companies from across the world working successfully in Pakistan is a testament to Pakistan’s great economic potential. With a little push from FODP governments we can quickly put Pakistan on the path to a significant economic growth with benefits trickling down to Pakistanis across the board.
Extremism and terrorism are complex phenomena with many intricate dimensions. It goes without saying that these cannot be defeated in a pressing economic environment. We need more jobs and ever more economic opportunities to prevent impressionable young minds from falling prey to misguided and pernicious ideologies which are antitheses of peaceful Islam.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Pakistan is a democracy with vibrant civil society, free media and independent judiciary. Through the 18th amendment, the Constitution of Pakistan has been cleansed of many a distortions. As a result, we are slowly but surely moving towards making Pakistan a genuine federation with strong federal and provincial institutions to deliver.
We have also taken long overdue legal and administrative measures to empower Pakistani women. But we are not complacent. Every effort is being made towards their effective implementation.
Confronted with many internal and external challenges accumulated over the last several decades, Pakistan is trying to create an enabling regional environment. Our relations with Afghanistan have been significantly improved. We are committed to fully supporting an Afghanistan-led reintegration and reconciliation process.
The upcoming international conference in Kabul on 20 July should help break new grounds. The importance of a peaceful and stable Afghanistan for Pakistan can hardly be exaggerated. To this end, Pakistan will continue playing its positive and constructive role both bilaterally with Afghanistan and multilaterally with other partners.
We are very serious about normalizing our relations with India. I met with my Indian counterpart in Islamabad just day before yesterday. We agreed to embark on a sustained dialogue process. This is a good augury. For too long, Pakistan and India have been entangled in a conflictual relationship. It is high time our two countries engage, with full sincerity of purpose, to resolve all the bilateral disputes and make a new beginning of normal relations anchored in sovereign equality and mutual interest.
Normal relations between Pakistan and India would have far-reaching salutary effects for the entire South Asia and beyond. Pakistan will do its utmost to make this happen.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Today, we will consider the FODP report on the energy sector in Pakistan. This report, if implemented in full, will help Pakistan fix most of its energy problems. I would like to state the commitment of the government of Pakistan to make a determined effort for improving the structures and legislation that would make it easier for our international partners to assist us. I am sure our efforts will also provide greater comfort to potential investors in the energy sector. We are confident that all FODP partners will fully support timely and full implementation of this important report.
We will also review the status of the Malakand Development Strategy and the Post-crisis Needs Assessment (PCNA). We all agree how crucial the PCNA is in addressing the root causes of extremism and terrorism.
The Third FODP Ministerial will be held in Brussels on 15 October 2010. We will also take stock of our preparations for the Ministerial. We are thankful to the European Union for hosting the next Ministerial meeting.
Let me conclude by once again expressing our gratitude to you all for attending this meeting. This meeting provides us a good opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the FODP and its objectives.
Thank you very much”.
PR No. 198
PRESS RELEASE
FRIENDS OF DEMOCRATIC PAKISTAN
SENIOR OFFICIALS’ MEETING ISLAMABAD – 17 JULY 2010
CHAIR’S STATEMENT
Islamabad 17th July, 2010A Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan was held in Islamabad on 17 July 2010. The meeting was chaired by Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, The Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA and representatives of United Nations, the European Union, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the World Bank.
In line with the decisions taken at the New York FODP Summit (24 September 2009), the meeting was convened as part of preparations for the Third FODP Ministerial Meeting to be held in Brussels on 15 October 2010. The Ministerial Meeting will be preceded by a Senior Officials’ Meeting in Brussels on 14 October 2010.
In his opening remarks, the Foreign Minister underlined that the Pakistan-led FODP had helped generate significant international diplomatic support including for Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts. He said Pakistan had suffered enormously by terrorism. The FODP was an important forum to complement Pakistan’s efforts and strategies towards realizing its socio-economic development goals. In this regard, the Foreign Minister especially mentioned the need for according greater market access to Pakistani goods, as well as promoting foreign investment in Pakistan.
The senior officials in their statements applauded Pakistan’s successes in containing and reversing militancy and terrorism. They reiterated their commitments to Pakistan’s socio-economic development through the FODP process and bilaterally.
The meeting considered the FODP Integrated Energy Sector Recovery Report and agreed on implementation of its recommendations. The report will be submitted to the next FODP Ministerial Meeting to be held in Brussels for its formal approval. The Government of Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank had co-chaired the preparation of the report. The report includes recommendations on steps to reform the Pakistan’s energy sector. In addition, it notes a requirement for $ 7.7 billion to finance identified investments between now and the next three years which will add an additional 6,700 MW capacity. The report also identifies a requirement of $ 14.88 billion in private sector investments for priority projects in the energy sector.
FODP members confirmed their commitment to building on the Government’s efforts by generating greater interest in investment in the energy sector by international business and through economic assistance.
A presentation was given on the Malakand Development Strategy and the Post-Crisis Needs Assessment (PCNA). It was emphasized that the PCNA should be completed as soon as possible. The meeting underlined that implementation of the PCNA should help address the root causes of extremism and terrorism. It was noted that the World Bank Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Balochistan was now operational which would facilitate funding for projects in areas affected by terrorism, militancy and extremism.
The SOM was briefed about the preparations for the FODP Third Ministerial to be held in Brussels on 15 October 2010. The SOM agreed to propose a draft agenda for the Ministerial Meeting, namely, (i) Integrated Energy Sector Recovery Report; (ii) Malakand Development Strategy and Post-crisis Needs Assessment; (iii) Institution-capacity Building; and (iv) Public-Private Partnership.
The meeting welcomed the intention of the Government of Pakistan and FODP members to hold events with Pakistani and international corporate sector, focusing on energy and other priority areas. The meeting noted that one such event focusing on energy, is being planned on the margins of the Brussels Ministerial Meeting.
The meeting acknowledged the crucial role of Pakistan and the great sacrifices the people of Pakistan had made in confronting the pernicious scourge of terrorism, as well as Pakistan’s strong commitment to become an anchor of stability and peace in the region and beyond.
The meeting reaffirmed the solidarity of international community with the people of Pakistan for realizing the vision of democratic welfare state. The meeting decided to further deepen and broaden their investments in, and provide tangible support to, Pakistan with a view to establishing a robust partnership for peace and development.
Concluding the meeting, the Foreign Minister underscored that Pakistan attached immense importance to the FODP and greatly valued its multi-faceted activities. He expressed the hope that Pakistan’s partnership with the Friends would continue diversifying and strengthening in our mutual benefit.
PR No. 199
PRESS RELEASE
DR. MOJARRAD CALLS ON HAFEEZ SHEIKH
Islamabad 17th July, 2010Dr. Jaffar Mojarrad, Executive Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF) paid a courtesy call on Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Federal Minister for Finance here today.
During the meeting, the IMF Executive Director was briefed on the state of Pakistan’s economy and the progress made by the present government on the economic reforms being taken under the Standby Arrangement (SBA). Dr. Mojarrad appreciated the efforts made in addressing the challenges faced by the government.
It may be noted that Dr. Mojarrad represents the constituency to which Pakistan belongs in the IMF. He is on his way to Afghanistan to attend a Donors Conference being organized in Kabul on 20th of July, 2010.
It may be added here that Pakistan entered into Standby Agreement with IMF for financing of SDR 5.169 billion (US$ 7.6 billion) in November, 2008. In Board meeting held on August 7, 2009 IMF approved an augmentation of SBA by 200 percent (SDR 2.067 billion equivalent to US$ 3.236 billion), bringing the total financial support to the tune of SDR 7.236 billion (about US$ 10.854 billion). Pakistan got first installment of US$ 3.053 billion upon signing of the agreement. So far, Pakistan has received US$ 8.7 billion.
PR No. 200
PRESS RELEASE
FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES US SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN
Islamabad 17th July, 2010Today, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Qureshi received Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and discussed in detail the recently-concluded Pakistan-US 13-sectoral meetings held in Islamabad in June and July 2010 within the framework of the Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue.
The Foreign Minister observed that Pakistan-US relations had taken a new and upward turn following the commencement of the upgraded Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue in Washington last year. Since then, our two countries had been able to broaden the level and scope of bilateral interaction covering important socio-economic development areas, including energy, agriculture, education, health, science and technology, water, communications and public diplomacy, women empowerment, counter-terrorism and security issues. The intensive bilateral interaction in the last two years had given a new spirit and shape to our bilateral relationship, which was rooted in our mutual interest, respect and trust.
The Foreign Minister underlined that the upcoming visit of the US Secretary of State, Ms. Hillary Clinton, was very important and would help give further impetus to the Pakistan-US partnership. The visit would not only cap the current Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue but also define contours of the way forward. The Foreign Minister appreciated the US engagement in several socio-economic development projects of immense value across Pakistan, which would accrue direct benefit to the people of Pakistan.
Special Representative Holbrooke reiterated his country’s strong commitment to Pakistan’s stability and prosperity emphasizing that building a long-term strategic partnership between Pakistan and the US was important element of the US foreign policy.
Earlier, Ambassador Holbooke met with Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and reviewed the Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue, expressing satisfaction at the outcome of the sectoral meetings.