Nation celebrated Founder of Pakistan
Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinah 142nd Birth Anniversary
A huge number of people visiting to the Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi to pay homage to the father of the nation, where a change of guard ceremony has taken place. The day, which is marked as a public holiday, dawned with special prayers for the progress, prosperity and security of the homeland. Different programmes are arranged to highlight Jinnah’s struggle for Pakistan.
Special events are arranged on the day to promote ideas and views of the National Hero, particularly with regard to rule of law. The national flag is hoisted on principal government buildings across the country.
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ISPR chief Reflects on nation’s fault lines
Islamabad : (6 Dec.) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor reflected upon the nation’s “fault lines” and mentioned that over the past 70 years Pakistan has suffered due to “weak economy, lack of governance, flaws in judicial and education systems, and religious extremism”.
Addressing a neCws conference in Rawalpindi, the military’s spokesperson said, “We have fought wars, tackled terrorism, rendered sacrifices our economy suffered from it but today we are at a watershed of history from where the situation can be turned towards betterment.”
Maj. Ghafoor recalled that the country has passed through tough times, “we lost half of our country, suffered economic crises and faced terrorism, but over the past few years, we have been moving towards betterment”.
The ISPR chief also raised concerns over the increasing ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary by the Indian forces, saying 55 civilians have been martyred due to Indian cross-border aggression this year the highest in history. He said that Indian forces were deliberately targeting civilians across the LoC.
Maj. Ghafoor highlighted that Pakistan has taken several positive initiatives for peace with India, the latest one being the groundbreaking of Kartarpur corridor. The ISPR chief, while regretting that the initiative was negatively presented in India, hoped that India (in time) will “positively respond to this goodwill gesture”.
He informed the audience that the corridor will be constructed in six months after which 4,000 Sikh pilgrims will be able to visit the Kartarpur daily. “It will be a one-way corridor from the Indian side to Kartarpur, and the Sikh pilgrims will remain restricted to Kartarpur,” the spokesperson said.
Giving an overview of the domestic security situation, the ISPR chief said law and order situation has greatly improved across the country. “Incidents of terrorism and other crimes like abduction and extortion have greatly decreased in erstwhile Fata, Balochistan, and Karachi,” he said.
Moreover, a total of 2,200 ferraris have laid down their weapons in Balochistan during the past three years. Ghafoor further urged the disgruntled elements in Balochistan to “relinquish their violent path and join the national mainstream”.
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Pak Navy’s survey vessel launched in China
According to PN spokesperson, the ship was launched into Yangtze River. Chief Naval Overseer (China) Commodore Azfar Humayun graced the ceremony as Chief Guest.
The vessel is under construction at Jiangsu DAJIN Heavy Industries Company Limited China and is the largest survey vessel to be built for Pakistan Navy under Sino-Pak collaboration. Once completed, the new ship will be one of the most technologically advanced survey vessels of Pakistan Navy and will strengthen Pakistan’s marine scientific research capability while providing flexibility to carry out underwater search and localisation operations. While addressing the ceremony, the chief guest highlighted that Pakistan Navy has strong traditions in hydrography and the newly-launched Survey Vessel with its extended endurance and advanced survey equipment will enhance Pakistan’s oceanographic survey capability. He also acknowledged concerted efforts made by Bestway Group, Dajin Shipyard and all involved in the project for timely achieving the significant milestone of launching.Earlier, Zhan Jin Feng, Chairman of the Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industries Co. Ltd welcomed the chief guest and highlighted significance of the project. The chairman expressed his resolve to complete the project in stipulated time to satisfaction of Pakistan Navy.
National anthems of both the countries were played at the occasion. After national anthems the ship was launched by the Chief Guest and Chairman Bestway Group.
The ceremony was attended by Chen Botao Deputy Mayor of Yang Zhong Municipal Peoples Government, Bill Chen Vice President of Bureau Veritas (BV) Society in China, Hang You Bing General Manager Jiangsu Dajin Heavy Industries Co. Ltd, Ma Shixiong President of Bestways Marine & Energy Technology company, Cdr (Retd) Shahzad Amir General Manger Aeroton, Pakistan Navy officials and reps from local government. The 3000 tonne Survey Ship is 80.8m in length, equipped with state of the art survey equipment and has an endurance of 50 days operation at sea. After completion of harbour and sea acceptance trials, the survey vessel will join Pakistan Navy Fleet by August 2019.
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3rd round of U.S.-Taliban talks start without Afghan Govt. Representatives
(17 Dec. 2018) The Taliban say they are holding another meeting on Monday with U.S. officials, this time in the United Arab Emirates and also involving Saudi, Pakistani and Emirati representatives in the latest attempt to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s 17-year war.
Khalil Minawi, director of Afghanistan’s state-run Bakhtar news agency said on that officials from the United States, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the UAE held meetings on Sunday ahead of “the Pakistani-sponsored U.S.-Taliban meeting.”
It will be the third round of direct U.S.-Taliban talks aimed at creating a roadmap for peace in Afghanistan to end the war that began in 2001 with the U.S.-led invasion to topple the Taliban regime. While the Afghan government recently announced a new 12-member negotiating team to engage in peace talks with the Taliban and appointed a former interior minister as special peace envoy, no one from the Afghan government side was to attend the talks starting on Monday, reports CBS News’ Ahmad Mukhtar in Kabul. The series of direct Taliban-U.S. talks have raised a lot of concern in Kabul that the Afghan government could be side-lined in the name of a short-term deal with the Taliban.
The Afghan government has made no official comment on the talks in the UAE, but one Afghan official told CBS News’ Sami Yousafzai that Kabul was “extremely disappointed” by not having a seat at the table as the future of Afghanistan is negotiated.
Also significant is the presence of the Saudis and Emiratis — both have significant influence over the Taliban — apparently geared toward pushing the insurgents toward concessions that could eventually lead to face-to-face talks with Kabul.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Pakistan were the only three countries to recognize the Taliban government during its five-year rule that ended with their 2001 overthrow. Washington, meanwhile, has considerable sway over the Afghan government, which it heavily bankrolls. The U.S. has spent $1 trillion in Afghanistan since ousting the Taliban and the war there has become America’s longest.
While the U.S. State Department has neither denied nor confirmed previous meetings with the Taliban, Washington’s special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad previously said he has held several meetings with all Afghans involved in the protracted conflict — a reference that would include the Taliban, who control or hold sway in nearly half of Afghanistan.
A Taliban statement last month said they held three consecutive days of talks with Khalilzad in Qatar, a Mideast country where the insurgent group maintains a political office. Afterward, Khalilzad went to Kabul where he urged Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to cobble together a team that could hold talks with the Taliban with the intent of reaching an agreement on a “roadmap for the future of Afghanistan.”
Khalilzad said he would like to see this agreement reached before Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for next April.
A senior member of the Taliban negotiating team in the UAE told CBS News’ Sami Yousafzai that Khalilzad was coming to this new round of talks armed with some possible significant concessions, including the prospect of changes to the Afghan constitution and some form of Taliban representation in the nation’s government. Another senior Taliban official told Yousafzai that it was clear the Trump administration wanted to end U.S. military involvement in America’s longest-ever war as soon as possible, leaving it, “up to the Taliban how to cash in on this golden opportunity.”
Since his appointment in September, Khalilzad has tried to jumpstart peace talks and has made several tours of the region. Earlier this month, he held meetings in Islamabad. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan later said Khalilzad asked Pakistan to assist in getting the Taliban to the negotiating table. Khan said Pakistan would sponsor the UAE talks and insisted that a military solution is not the answer. ‘Courtesy CBS Interactive Inc’
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Six Pakistani paramilitary troops ambushed by Iranian militants
ISLAMABAD (14 Dec.) Pakistan has lodged a protest with Iran over the killing of six paramilitary troops who were ambushed by militants while patrolling the border. The Foreign Ministry says it summoned Iran’s ambassador to demand it take action against the armed group responsible for the attack. No one has claimed the attack, and neither country has identified those responsible. Some 30 militants attacked the Frontier Corps convoy on Friday, killing six soldiers and wounding 14. Four attackers were killed in the shootout.
Iran condemned the attack and vowed to cooperate with Pakistan. A number of militant groups as well as drug smugglers operate in the border region. Militants captured around a dozen Iranian border guards near the border in October. Five were released in Pakistan last month, under unclear circumstances.
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Former (MQM) MNA Ali Raza Abidi shot dead in Karachi
Karachi (25 Dec. 2018) Two unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle opened fire on Abidi’s car on Khayaban-e-Ghazi street in DHA’s Phase V, According to Police sources. The former MQM leader sustained injuries and was shifted to PNS Shifa hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment. At least one other person has also been injured in the firing that took place near Abidi’s residence, initial reports said.
Abidi was one of the leaders who had stood with former convener Farooq Sattar in the buildup to 2018 elections when MQM-P was subject to an internal power battle. In Nov 2017, he had opposed then MQM-P chief Sattar and Pak Sarzameen Party Chairman Mustafa Kamal’s short-lived alliance, and even announced that he was resigning from his National Assembly seat as “this is not what I believed in and stood for”. Abidi was quite active on Twitter, with his last tweet coming just four hours before the fatal attack on him.
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Veteran actor Ali Ejaz dies of heart attack
LAHORE: 18 Dec: Renowned film and television actor Ali Ejaz passed away in Lahore on Tuesday at the age of 77 after suffering from a cardiac arrest. Ejaz, who started his career in 1967 was famous for his role in a popular television comedy-drama series Khawaja and Son. His other television hits include serials like Lakhon Mein Teen with Qavi Khan and Athar Shah Khan and Dubai Chalo(1979). He started his film career in 1961 and worked in super hit films such as FBI Operation Pakistan (1971), Sona Chandi (1983), and Chor Machaye Shor (1996).
Not only did Ejaz make a name for himself in the world of film and television but in 2015 he launched a social welfare project near Sialkot under his non-government organization Ali Ejaz Foundation. The project titled Homes for the Welfare of the Old People plans to build 132 homes.
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Pak Army hands over homes, shops of model village Balochistan’s Mashkai Dist. Awaran
December 19, 2018 : According to dthe Inter-Services Public Ralatins (ISPR) , the ceremony was held at model village in Mashkai, Commander Southern Command Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa distributes homes and shops amongst families who got displaced due to Earthquake 2013, the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces reported.
The model Village has all basic amenities including School, Market, Water Supply system and Solar Based electricity. This mega project has been built on self-help basis by Army in short span of six months. Locals showed complete satisfaction over efforts of Army for peace and stability and socio- economic development in the area.