Live Streaming Pak Vs Indian

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span style="font-size: x-large;">Live Streaming Pak Vs Indian</span><br /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_falDKs6z8sew_fiQIiO6Y2ODBVXjqOjGQc4sacttTllucSROHN6Hurt_vOjGtt5ndid4XwkyABT3U6J9CpgT9RovcwMObeTjlSR-UY6WWfI0rFd03lmI5g1Tlo4G7eutiWeSMeBzbHL/s640/FB_IMG_1497778871386.jpg" /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span> <br /> <br /> Click on link....<br /> <br /> http://cricketerspoint.us/pak-vs-india/</div>

‪Academy Award for Best Director‬ ICC champion trophy pak vs India Pakistan Live Streaming Pak Vs Indian

Live Streaming Pak Vs Indian Click on link.... http://cricketerspoint.us/pak-vs-india/

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Pakistan Ranks Closer to USA for Average 4G Speeds:

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> Pakistan Ranks Closer to USA for Average 4G Speeds: Survey<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> Pakistan’s 4G users experience an average speed of 11.71Mbps on local 4G networks, which is just below USA’s average speed of 14.99Mbps, reported OpenSignal in its latest network report on 4G services.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9IoqnNGv4K_l0dwDjn_c_xdjf5T1KT2mfdbtfAC0Kb0ZFLdVS_HgVc0wnWuQr0bfBGh7_1BZxQ-RzP-IQSL4JLdksRx5CTkkP3PLc_dIM3sBnx_hwA9LBSRG_usFbcol9NKgVytcHvnD/s1600/FB_IMG_1497418391833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="720" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9IoqnNGv4K_l0dwDjn_c_xdjf5T1KT2mfdbtfAC0Kb0ZFLdVS_HgVc0wnWuQr0bfBGh7_1BZxQ-RzP-IQSL4JLdksRx5CTkkP3PLc_dIM3sBnx_hwA9LBSRG_usFbcol9NKgVytcHvnD/s320/FB_IMG_1497418391833.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /> According to a comprehensive survey, which is based on billions of tests conducted from several thousand devices, Pakistan ranks higher than Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Argentina, Iran, India and Indonesia in terms of 4G average speeds.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <br /> <br /> Report said that highest average speeds for 4G networks were recorded in Singapore that stood at 45.62 Mbps. South Korea won the second slot while Hungary was third for the highest average 4G speeds.<br /> <br /> OpenSignal said that more than half of Pakistani population had access to 4G services at the time of survey. It said that 4G is accessible to 53% Pakistanis but didn’t say where 4G coverage was available geographically</div>

Pakistan Pakistan Ranks Closer to USA for Average 4G Speeds:

Pakistan Ranks Closer to USA for Average 4G Speeds: Survey Pakistan’s 4G users experience an average speed of 11.71Mbps on local 4G net...

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3G, 4G users in Pakistan reach 3.98m

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h1 class="news-title" style="color: #111111; font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Medium', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> 3G, 4G users in Pakistan reach 3.98 mln</h1> <div class="tag-wrapper" style="color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <span class="news-time" id="newsTime" style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding: 0px;">26/05/2017 11:39</span><span class="news-rf" id="newsRF" style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding: 0px;"></span></div> <div class="news-mainbody" id="newsMainbodybrowser" style="color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <article class="type-post hentry" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="pic post_thumb" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <img alt="" height="auto" src="http://img.apusapps.com/news/lock/20170526/b389ece0007e2a949c2dcbc813205592.webp" style="display: block; height: auto; margin: 10px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" width="100%" /></div> <div style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Number of broadband users has reached 40.23 million.</div> </div> <div class="post_content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> ISLAMABAD (Dunya News)- The number of 3G and 4G users in Pakistan has soared to 39.8 million.</div> <div style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> According to details available, amount of 3G and 4G subscribers has gone up by 10.3 million in first nine months of fiscal year 2016-17 alone. These statistics were issued by Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA).</div> <div style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Stats further disclosed that number of broadband users has reached 40.23 million by the end of March, recording a hike of31pc in the nine months of FY 2016-17.</div> <div style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Likewise, figure for local loop consumers stood at 3.1 million by December-2016.</div> </div> </article></div> </div>

Pakistan Pakistan team Technology world 3G, 4G users in Pakistan reach 3.98m

3G, 4G users in Pakistan reach 3.98 mln 26/05/2017 11:39 Number of broadband users has reached 40.23 million. ISLAMABAD (Dunya...

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US envoy reminds Pakistan of pledge in anti-terror fight . pak America

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <h1 class="news-title" style="color: #111111; font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Medium', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> US envoy reminds Pakistan of pledge in anti-terror fight</h1> <div> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddcEY5n7n3Vf-4ApFsURG96h3OaQHsq3H_3HUj28aA-I4K4BVx83zsB3nGXybIH8gyCC9tlxE7yd_x9ZvWcSVxDAljlUr8-Dq4kQt81ycsrZtpnm2Fl5Weu3dK8TvSoymsaxs0P8tkY0K/s1600/Pak-US-relations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddcEY5n7n3Vf-4ApFsURG96h3OaQHsq3H_3HUj28aA-I4K4BVx83zsB3nGXybIH8gyCC9tlxE7yd_x9ZvWcSVxDAljlUr8-Dq4kQt81ycsrZtpnm2Fl5Weu3dK8TvSoymsaxs0P8tkY0K/s400/Pak-US-relations.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <div> <br /></div> <div class="news-mainbody" id="newsMainbodybrowser" style="color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <article class="story" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="slideshow portable--one-whole slideshow--main " data-slick="{"dots":true,"dotsClass":"slideshow__pager","asNavFor":null,"cssEase":"ease","speed":250,"autoplaySpeed":4000,"slidesToScroll":1,"slidesToShow":1,"responsive":{"breakpoint":720,"settings":{"slidesToShow":1,"slidesToScroll":1}},"fade":false,"autoplay":true,"infinite":true}" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div class="slideshow__slide slideshow__slide--first slideshow__slide--horizontal" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <figure class="media media--stretch one-whole palm--one-whole " data-focus-x="16.75%" data-focus-y="34.375%" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><figcaption class="media__caption " style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">RAWALPINDI: US Ambassador David Hale calls on Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa at the GHQ on Monday.—PPI</figcaption></figure></div> </div> <div class="story__content pt-4 " style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> ISLAMABAD: US Ambassador David Hale on Monday hoped Pakistan would live up to its pledge of not allowing terrorists to use its soil against any other country as he called for greater Pak-US cooperation for peace and stability in the region.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Ambassador Hale made this observation during a meeting with Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa at the General Headquarters, which looked like a close follow-up to US President Donald Trump’s speech at the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh in which he had called on Muslim countries to ensure that “terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil”. The US president had called it as the first needed step in the combined effort to defeat terrorism.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> The Inter-Services Public Relations, meanwhile, in its statement said: “COAS (Gen Bajwa) reiterated Pakistan’s stance that its soil is not being used for terrorist activities against any other country nor shall we tolerate any such action against Pakistan.”</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> The US ambassador while meeting the army chief recalled that President Trump had in his Riyadh speech talked “for a vision of peace, security, and prosperity, and unity in conquering extremism and terrorism”.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Mr Hale’s meeting with Gen Bajwa also comes ahead of the Nato Summit in Brussels on Thursday. President Trump is expected to unveil his administration’s policy on Afghanistan at the summit, which could include an increase in the numbers of US troops deployed in that country.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Afghanistan currently has 8,400 US troops. It is widely speculated that President Trump could add another 3,000 – 5,000 in a bid to break the stalemate in the war in Afghanistan. The announcement could also see a change in the role of the troops deployed in the war-torn country. US and Nato troops are currently on a non-combat mission for advising and training the Afghan army, but they could get a combat role under the new policy.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Mr Trump had a brief meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of Riyadh Summit.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> The two statements on the GHQ meeting issued by the US embassy and ISPR pointed to the American ambassador taking up the issue of alleged Taliban sanctuaries on Pakistani soil. Furthermore, it was unusual for the US embassy to issue a statement on the ambassador’s meeting with the army chief. Such press announcements are usually made by the ISPR only.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> The US embassy said: “Ambassador Hale thanked General Bajwa for his public commitment on May 18 that Pakistan is taking measures to ensure that militants do not use Pakistan’s soil to conduct attacks against any country. In this vein, during their meeting General Bajwa offered renewed assurances that Pakistan would not permit its territory to be used to plan or conduct attacks against Afghanistan.” The US embassy noted that both Ambassador Hale and Gen Bajwa “reiterated their nations’ commitment to a secure, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan”.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> The ISPR quoted Ambassador Hale as telling the army chief that the US and Pakistan could work for peace and stability in the region through enhanced coordination and cooperation.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2017</em></div> </div> </article></div> </div>

Pakistan USA Windows world US envoy reminds Pakistan of pledge in anti-terror fight . pak America

US envoy reminds Pakistan of pledge in anti-terror fight RAWALPINDI: US Ambassador David Hale calls on Chief of the Army Staff G...

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<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCLUDXKKsqJbBvL1AUpB_vnn6gLh_mbE08EgiyNsuBMq86SeOES_azSYiqgGWqQBmi00olEL-vA9td2W24Zc2jOy55RHvp5U3j1MrweboPczbBOs_SfOK0uAqEInfONlTrwaWoCfbTHVg/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCLUDXKKsqJbBvL1AUpB_vnn6gLh_mbE08EgiyNsuBMq86SeOES_azSYiqgGWqQBmi00olEL-vA9td2W24Zc2jOy55RHvp5U3j1MrweboPczbBOs_SfOK0uAqEInfONlTrwaWoCfbTHVg/s400/images-2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div> <h1 class="news-title" style="color: #111111; font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Medium', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 30px; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;"> Younis returns home to Karachi to a hero's welcome</h1> <br /> <div class="news-mainbody" id="newsMainbodybrowser" style="color: #444444; font-family: Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <br /> <br /> <article class="story" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="story__content pt-4 " style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> A large crowd gathered at the Jinnah International Airport on Monday to welcome recently-retired Younis Khan as he touched down in Karachi after his <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1333278/pakistan-win-thriller-for-first-windies-series-victory-in-history" style="color: #6b63e1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">final Test against the West Indies</a>.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Thanking the gathered crowd, Younis said he felt overwhelmed with the love he had received.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> "I would like to congratulate Pakistan for all the achievements I have in cricket: they are wins for the nation and not just myself. I am grateful for the welcome I have received," Younis said while taking to the media.</div> <br /> <br /> <figure class="media one-half palm--one-whole media--right media--embed " style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="100%" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eyOPR7WT9gI?enablejsapi=1&showinfo=0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" width="100%"></iframe></div> </figure><br /> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> "I have a number of offers on the table and I will choose the option that is the best, for myself and for Pakistan," he said while talking about his future plans.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Laughing off the idea of a foray into politics, the batsman said: "There are already great politicians in the country, I would like to continue serving the nation in my own way."</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Younis Khan cemented his place in Pakistan's cricket history as an iconic batsman with unparalleled success. He returns to Pakistan on the back of a historic win against the West Indies, as the jinx of Pakistan never winning a Test series in the Caribbean was lifted.</div> <br /> <br /> <figure class="media one-half palm--one-whole media--right " style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></figure><br /><br /> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Over the 17-year span of his career, Khan has been a hugely successful batsman. With a Test average of over 50, a triple-hundred, a double-hundred against India in India and a memorable partnership to clinch Pakistan's 3-0 Test whitewash over England: Khan’s career speaks for itself.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Khan also became the only batsman to have scored a century in 11 different countries when he smashed the 34th ton of his career at the Sydney Cricket Ground against Australia in 2016.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> He is the only Pakistani to have <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1328900" style="color: #6b63e1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">reached the 10,000-runs mark</a> in Test cricket.</div> <br /> <br /> <figure class="media one-half palm--one-whole media--right " style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></figure><br /><br /> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> He was a busy batsman at the crease. His batting style, in all its uniqueness, drew a fair amount of scepticism, but his ownership of his style remained unapologetic and firm.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> Khan first's major break in international cricket came with his debut Test hundred against Sri Lanka in February 2000 at the Karachi National Stadium.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> In the second innings of the match, he scored a 107, cementing his place in the team as a strong lower middle-order batsman.</div> <br /> <br /> <figure class="media one-half palm--one-whole media--right " style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></figure><br /><br /> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> One of his major achievements was leading the Pakistani team to win the 2009 T20 World Cup.</div> <div class="" style="font-family: 'Droid Sans Fallback Regular', Roboto, 'Droid Sans', 'Myriad Set Pro', 'Microsoft YaHei', STXIHEI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 17px; margin-top: 17px; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"> While the cricket board would have to work hard to replace Khan, his retirement will bring him closer to pursuing his life-long passion of sport fishing and spending more time with his family.</div> </div> </article></div> </div>

Cricket Pakistan Pakistan team

Younis returns home to Karachi to a hero's welcome A large crowd gathered at the Jinnah International Airport on Monday to we...

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Punjab Group of Colleges introduces app for entry tests' preparation

<p dir="ltr"></p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="http://img.apusapps.com/news/lock/20170521/678faf42cd15825967a4377872f5e37f.webp"></p> <p dir="ltr">The app titled 'STEP by PGC' will assist the students to prepare for numerous entry tests.</p> <p dir="ltr">LAHORE (Daily Dunya) – Punjab Group of Colleges has introduced an app for the students which will help them in preparing for entry tests.</p> <p dir="ltr">The app titled ‘STEP by PGC’ will assist the students to prepare for numerous entry tests like NTS, NUMS, MCAT, ECAT and others. The app includes more than 30,000 MCQs and past papers of last five years.</p> <p dir="ltr">The registered students of STEP will be able to download the app through their android mobile. While terming the facility as convenient, students say that the app is a blessing for them to prepare the tests anywhere in a short time period.</p>

Pakistan science Technology Punjab Group of Colleges introduces app for entry tests' preparation

The app titled 'STEP by PGC' will assist the students to prepare for numerous entry tests. LAHORE (Daily Dunya) – Punjab Group of...

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Panama Papers issue raises political risks in Pakistan: World Bank .Pakistan

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9wTmWOH7qvPtdC9j0Eut39EmL7WBGlu1uHAEVskvdLKOak6IA5cpZ1BeiY4YGsE6VRVXtSbxTxWzuFXdkyhPoFNN8rahbm976tgV_POc56xct4XTBWUEFrsllJ7Skt0-UOXZDKriclN_/s1600/50606776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9wTmWOH7qvPtdC9j0Eut39EmL7WBGlu1uHAEVskvdLKOak6IA5cpZ1BeiY4YGsE6VRVXtSbxTxWzuFXdkyhPoFNN8rahbm976tgV_POc56xct4XTBWUEFrsllJ7Skt0-UOXZDKriclN_/s320/50606776.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Sat­ur­day warned that the Panama Papers issue has “enhanced political risks in Pakis­tan” and created “some policy uncertainty”.</div> <div dir="ltr"> In its report titled ‘Pakistan Development Update’, launched on Saturday, the bank cautioned that the country was “exposed to natural disasters, political events and terrorism” on the domestic front, while the upcoming national elections may affect “reform momentum and macroeconomic policy orientation”.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Released twice a year, according to a World Bank statement, the report sets out “recent developments across the economy and identifies risks and opportunities in the near-term future before focusing on a handful of key development challenges”.</div> <div dir="ltr"> The bank is not the first international financial institution to warn that Panama Papers issue may have consequences for Pakistan’s growth.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Ex-govt adviser says investors have gone into ‘wait-and-see’ mode</b></div> <div dir="ltr"> Last year, International Monetary Fund President Christine Lagarde had noted that the perception of corruption in Pakistan would hurt private investment and impede efforts to promote sustainable and inclusive growth.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Increasing transparency, making people accountable and removing red tape could help address the issue of perception of corruption, she had advised.</div> <div dir="ltr"> A former economic adviser to the Ministry of Finance explained that the Panama Papers issue had raised political risks, since investors had already gone into ‘wait-and-see’ mode. This, he said, was due to the uncertainty surrounding the issue.</div> <div dir="ltr"> “When political risks increase, economic growth falls,” Dr Ashfaque Hassan Khan said, adding that the bank’s projections for the country’s economic growth over the next two fiscal years were not consistent.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Since the Supreme Court’s decision to form a joint investigation team to probe the assets of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family, experts are divided over whether this would yield concrete results or whether it was a mere “eyewash”.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Despite this, the bank notes that Pakistan’s economic growth is expected to climb to 5.2pc during the fiscal year ending in June, which is the highest in nine years.</div> <div dir="ltr"> However, there are significant downside risks to the projected outlook, and the country remains vulnerable to domestic and external shocks.</div> <div dir="ltr"> According to the report, the country’s growth rate will continue to accelerate, reaching 5.5pc in FY2017-18 and 5.8pc in 2018-19.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Slower progress in much-needed structural reforms would weaken growth prospects and discourage private investment, while a stable rupee-dollar exchange rate has resulted in the appreciation of the real effective exchange rate, which can erode Pakistan’s export competitiveness. Protracted global economic weakness, especially in the EU area, could negatively affect exports, it warned.</div> <div dir="ltr"> “Pakistan’s accelerating growth is good news and reflects the country’s success in building confidence. But the pace of reforms has slowed and it is important for the structural reforms to accelerate,” a statement quoted World Bank Country Director for Pakistan Illango Patchamuthu as saying.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <i>Published in Dawn, May 21st, 2017</i></div> </div>

Pakistan world Panama Papers issue raises political risks in Pakistan: World Bank .Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank on Sat­ur­day warned that the Panama Papers issue has “enhanced political risks in Pakis­tan” and create...

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Exclusive: CPEC master plan revealed

<p dir="ltr"><br></p> <p dir="ltr">Plan eyes agricultureLarge surveillance system for citiesVisa-free entry for Chinese nationals</p> <p dir="ltr">The floodgates are about to open. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Beijing over the weekend to participate in the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1332660">One Belt, One Road</a> summit, and the top item on his agenda is to finalise the Long Term Plan (LTP) for the China-Pakistan Economic Corri­dor. [See next tab for details on how the plan was made].</p> <p dir="ltr">Dawn has acquired exclusive access to the original document, and for the first time its details are being publicly disclosed here. The plan lays out in detail what Chinese intentions and priorities are in Pakistan for the next decade and a half, details that have not been discussed in public thus far.</p> <p dir="ltr">Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the One Belt One Road summit in Beijing. — APPTwo versions of the Long Term Plan are with the government. The full version is the one that was drawn up by the China Development Bank and the National Development Reform Commission of the People’s Republic of China. It is 231 pages long.The shortened version is dated February 2017. It contains only broad brushstroke descriptions of the various “areas of cooperation” and none of the details. It was drawn up for circulation to the provincial governments to obtain their assent. It is 30 pages long. The only provincial government that received the full version of the plan is the Punjab government.</p> <p dir="ltr">For instance, thousands of acres of agricultural land will be leased out to Chinese enterprises to set up “demonstration projects” in areas ranging from seed varieties to irrigation technology. A full system of monitoring and surveillance will be built in cities from Peshawar to Karachi, with 24 hour video recordings on roads and busy marketplaces for law and order. A national fibreoptic backbone will be built for the country not only for internet traffic, but also terrestrial distribution of broadcast TV, which will cooperate with Chinese media in the “dissemination of Chinese culture”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The plan envisages a deep and broad-based penetration of most sectors of Pakistan’s economy as well as its society by Chinese enterprises and culture. Its scope has no precedent in Pakistan’s history in terms of how far it opens up the domestic economy to participation by foreign enterprises. In some areas the plan seeks to build on a market presence already established by Chinese enterprises, eg Haier in household appliances, ChinaMobile and Huawei in telecommunications and China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) in mining and minerals.</p> <p dir="ltr">In other cases, such as textiles and garments, cement and building materials, fertiliser and agricultural technologies (among others) it calls for building the infrastructure and a supporting policy environment to facilitate fresh entry. A key element in this is the creation of industrial parks, or special economic zones, which “must meet specified conditions, including availability of water…perfect infrastructure, sufficient supply of energy and the capacity of self service power”, according to the plan.</p> <p dir="ltr">But the main thrust of the plan actually lies in agriculture, contrary to the image of CPEC as a massive industrial and transport undertaking, involving power plants and highways. The plan acquires its greatest specificity, and lays out the largest number of projects and plans for their facilitation, in agriculture.</p> <p dir="ltr">The plan states at the outset that the corridor “spans Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and whole Pakistan in spatial range”. It’s main aim is to connect South Xinjiang with Pakistan. It is divided into a “core area” and what they call the “radiation zones”, those territories that will feel the knock on effects of the work being done in the core area. The core area includes “Kashgar, Tumshuq, Atushi and Akto of Kizilsu Kirghiz of Xinjiang” from China, and “most of Islamabad’s Capital territory, Punjab, and Sindh, and some areas of Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, and Balochistan” from Pakistan. It has “one belt, three passages, and two axes and five functional zones”, where the belt is “the strip area formed by important arterial traffic in China and Pakistan".</p> <p dir="ltr"><i>Header photo courtesy Reuters.</i></p> <p dir="ltr"><b>Agriculture</b></p> <p dir="ltr">For agriculture, the plan outlines an engagement that runs from one end of the supply chain all the way to the other. From provision of seeds and other inputs, like fertiliser, credit and pesticides, Chinese enterprises will also operate their own farms, processing facilities for fruits and vegetables and grain. Logistics companies will operate a large storage and transportation system for agrarian produce.</p> <p dir="ltr">It identifies opportunities for entry by Chinese enterprises in the myriad dysfunctions that afflict Pakistan’s agriculture sector. For instance, “due to lack of cold-chain logistics and processing facilities, 50% of agricultural products go bad during harvesting and transport”, it notes.</p> <blockquote><p dir="ltr">A full system of monitoring and surveillance will be built in cities from Peshawar to Karachi, with 24 hour video recordings on roads and busy marketplaces for law and order.<br> </p> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><br> Enterprises entering agriculture will be offered extraordinary levels of assistance from the Chinese government. They are encouraged to “[m]ake the most of the free capital and loans” from various ministries of the Chinese government as well as the China Development Bank. The plan also offers to maintain a mechanism that will “help Chinese agricultural enterprises to contact the senior representatives of the Government of Pakistan and China”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The government of China will “actively strive to utilize the national special funds as the discount interest for the loans of agricultural foreign investment”. In the longer term the financial risk will be spread out, through “new types of financing such as consortium loans, joint private equity and joint debt issuance, raise funds via multiple channels and decentralise financing risks”.</p> <p dir="ltr">— Reuters photo</p> <p dir="ltr">The plan proposes to harness the work of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps to bring mechanization as well as scientific technique in livestock breeding, development of hybrid varieties and precision irrigation to Pakistan. It sees its main opportunity as helping the Kashgar Prefecture, a territory within the larger Xinjiang Autonomous Zone, which suffers from a poverty incidence of 50 per cent, and large distances that make it difficult to connect to larger markets in order to promote development. The prefecture’s total output in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery amounted to just over $5 billion in 2012, and its population was less than 4 million in 2010, hardly a market with windfall gains for Pakistan.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, for the Chinese, this is the main driving force behind investing in Pakistan’s agriculture, in addition to the many profitable opportunities that can open up for their enterprises from operating in the local market. The plan makes some reference to export of agriculture goods from the ports, but the bulk of its emphasis is focused on the opportunities for the Kashgar Prefecture and Xinjiang Production Corps, coupled with the opportunities for profitable engagement in the domestic market.</p> <p dir="ltr">The plan discusses those engagements in considerable detail. Ten key areas for engagement are identified along with seventeen specific projects. They include the construction of one NPK fertilizer plant as a starting point “with an annual output of 800,000 tons”. Enterprises will be inducted to lease farm implements, like tractors, “efficient plant protection machinery, efficient energy saving pump equipment, precision fertilization drip irrigation equipment” and planting and harvesting machinery.</p> <blockquote><p dir="ltr">The plan shows great interest in the textiles industry in particular, but the interest is focused largely on yarn and coarse cloth.<br> </p> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><br> Meat processing plants in Sukkur are planned with annual output of 200,000 tons per year, and two demonstration plants processing 200,000 tons of milk per year. In crops, demonstration projects of more than 6,500 acres will be set up for high yield seeds and irrigation, mostly in Punjab. In transport and storage, the plan aims to build “a nationwide logistics network, and enlarge the warehousing and distribution network between major cities of Pakistan” with a focus on grains, vegetables and fruits. Storage bases will be built first in Islamabad and Gwadar in the first phase, then Karachi, Lahore and another in Gwadar in the second phase, and between 2026-2030, Karachi, Lahore and Peshawar will each see another storage base.</p> <p dir="ltr">Asadabad, Islamabad, Lahore and Gwadar will see a vegetable processing plant, with annual output of 20,000 tons, fruit juice and jam plant of 10,000 tons and grain processing of 1 million tons. A cotton processing plant is also planned initially, with output of 100,000 tons per year.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We will impart advanced planting and breeding techniques to peasant households or farmers by means of land acquisition by the government, renting to China-invested enterprises and building planting and breeding bases” it says about the plan to source superior seeds.</p> <p dir="ltr">In each field, Chinese enterprises will play the lead role. “China-invested enterprises will establish factories to produce fertilizers, pesticides, vaccines and feedstuffs” it says about the production of agricultural materials.</p> <p dir="ltr">“China-invested enterprises will, in the form of joint ventures, shareholding or acquisition, cooperate with local enterprises of Pakistan to build a three-level warehousing system (purchase & storage warehouse, transit warehouse and port warehouse)” it says about warehousing.</p> <blockquote><p dir="ltr">One of the most intriguing chapters in the plan speaks of a long belt of coastal enjoyment industry that includes yacht wharfs, cruise homeports, nightlife, city parks, public squares, theaters, golf courses and spas, hot spring hotels and water sports.<br> </p> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><br> Then it talks about trade. “We will actively embark on cultivating surrounding countries in order to improve import and export potential of Pakistani agricultural products and accelerate the trade of agricultural products. In the early stages, we will gradually create a favorable industry image and reputation for Pakistan by relying on domestic demand.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In places the plan appears to be addressing investors in China. It says Chinese enterprises should seek “coordinated cooperation with Pakistani enterprises” and “maintain orderly competition and mutual coordination.” It advises them to make an effort “seeking for powerful strategic partners for bundling interest in Pakistan.”</p> <p dir="ltr">As security measures, enterprises will be advised “to respect the religions and customs of the local people, treat people as equals and live in harmony”. They will also be advised to “increase local employment and contribute to local society by means of subcontracting and consortiums.” In the final sentence of the chapter on agriculture, the plan says the government of China will “[s]trengthen the safety cooperation with key countries, regions and international organizations, jointly prevent and crack down on terrorist acts that endanger the safety of Chinese overseas enterprises and their staff.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><b>Industry</b></p> <p dir="ltr">For industry, the plan trifurcates the country into three zones: western and northwestern, central and southern. Each zone is marked to receive specific industries in designated industrial parks, of which only a few are actually mentioned. The western and northwestern zone, covering most of Balochistan and KP province, is marked for mineral extraction, with potential in chrome ore, “gold reserves hold a considerable potential, but are still at the exploration stage”, and diamonds. One big mineral product that the plan discusses is marble. Already, China is Pakistan’s largest buyer of processed marble, at almost 80,000 tons per year. The plan looks to set up 12 marble and granite processing sites in locations ranging from Gilgit and Kohistan in the north, to Khuzdar in the south.</p> <p dir="ltr">The central zone is marked for textiles, household appliances and cement. Four separate locations are pointed out for future cement clusters: Daudkhel, Khushab, Esakhel and Mianwali. The case of cement is interesting, because the plan notes that Pakistan is surplus in cement capacity, then goes on to say that “in the future, there is a larger space of cooperation for China to invest in the cement process transformation”.</p> <blockquote><p dir="ltr">“There is a plan to build a pilot safe city in Peshawar, which faces a fairly severe security situation in northwestern Pakistan”.<br> </p> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><br> For the southern zone, the plan recommends that “Pakistan develop petrochemical, iron and steel, harbor industry, engineering machinery, trade processing and auto and auto parts (assembly)” due to the proximity of Karachi and its ports. This is the only part in the report where the auto industry is mentioned in any substantive way, which is a little surprising because the industry is one of the fastest growing in the country. The silence could be due to lack of interest on the part of the Chinese to acquire stakes, or to diplomatic prudence since the sector is, at the moment, entirely dominated by Japanese companies (Toyota, Honda and Suzuki).</p> <p dir="ltr">One of the CPEC transport routes. — AFP</p> <p dir="ltr">Gwadar, also in the southern zone, “is positioned as the direct hinterland connecting Balochistan and Afghanistan.” As a CPEC entreport, the plan recommends that it be built into “a base of heavy and chemical industries, such as iron and steel/petrochemical”. It notes that “some Chinese enterprises have started investment and construction in Gwadar” taking advantage of its “superior geographical position and cheap shipping costs to import crude oil from the Middle East, iron ore and coking coal resources from South Africa and New Zealand” for onward supply to the local market “as well as South Asia and Middle East after processing at port.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The plan shows great interest in the textiles industry in particular, but the interest is focused largely on yarn and coarse cloth. The reason, as the plan lays out, is that in Xinjiang the textile industry has already attained higher levels of productivity. Therefore, “China can make the most of the Pakistani market in cheap raw materials to develop the textiles & garments industry and help soak up surplus labor forces in Kashgar”. The ensuing strategy is described cryptically as the principle of “introducing foreign capital and establishing domestic connections as a crossover of West and East".</p> <p dir="ltr">Preferential policies will be necessary to attract enterprises to come to the newly built industrial parks envisioned under the plan. The areas where such preferences need to be extended are listed in the plan as “land, tax, logistics and services” as well as land price, “enterprise income tax, tariff reduction and exemption and sales tax rate.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Chinese troops march as they take part in Pakistan Day military parade. ─ AFP</p> <p dir="ltr"><b>Fibreoptics and surveillance</b></p> <p dir="ltr">One of the oldest priorities for the Chinese government since talks on CPEC began is fibreoptic connectivity between China and Pakistan. An MoU for such a link was signed in July 2013, at a time when CPEC appeared to be little more than a road link between Kashgar and Gwadar. But the plan reveals that the link goes far beyond a simple fibreoptic set up.</p> <p dir="ltr">China has various reasons for wanting a terrestrial fibreoptic link with Pakistan, including its own limited number of submarine landing stations and international gateway exchanges which can serve as a bottleneck to future growth of internet traffic. This is especially true for the western provinces. “Moreover, China’s telecom services to Africa need to be transferred in Europe, so there is certain hidden danger of the overall security” says the plan. Pakistan has four submarine cables to handle its internet traffic, but only one landing station, which raises security risks as well.</p> <p dir="ltr">— AFP photo</p> <p dir="ltr">So the plan envisages a terrestrial cable across the Khunjerab pass to Islamabad, and a submarine landing station in Gwadar, linked to Sukkur. From there, the backbone will link the two in Islamabad, as well as all major cities in Pakistan.</p> <p dir="ltr">The expanded bandwidth that will open up will enable terrestrial broadcast of digital HD television, called Digital Television Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting (DTMB). This is envisioned as more than just a technological contribution. It is a “cultural transmission carrier. The future cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani media will be beneficial to disseminating Chinese culture in Pakistan, further enhancing mutual understanding between the two peoples and the traditional friendship between the two countries.” The plan says nothing about how the system will be used to control the content of broadcast media, nor does it say anything more about “the future cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani media”.</p> <blockquote><p dir="ltr">Judging from their conversations with the government, it appears that the Pakistanis are pushing the Chinese to begin work on the Gwadar International Airport, whereas the Chinese are pushing for early completion of the Eastbay Expressway.<br> </p> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><br> It also seeks to create an electronic monitoring and control system for the border in Khunjerab, as well as run a “safe cities” project. The safe city project will deploy explosive detectors and scanners to “cover major roads, case-prone areas and crowded places…in urban areas to conduct real-time monitoring and 24 hour video recording.” Signals gathered from the surveillance system will be transmitted to a command centre, but the plan says nothing about who will staff the command centre, what sort of signs they will look for, and who will provide the response.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There is a plan to build a pilot safe city in Peshawar, which faces a fairly severe security situation in northwestern Pakistan” the plan says, following which the program will be extended to major cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, hinting that the feeds will be shared eventually, and perhaps even recorded.</p> <p dir="ltr"><b>Tourism and recreation</b></p> <p dir="ltr">One of the most intriguing chapters in the plan is the one that talks about the development of a “coastal tourism” industry. It speaks of a long belt of coastal enjoyment industry that includes yacht wharfs, cruise homeports, nightlife, city parks, public squares, theaters, golf courses and spas, hot spring hotels and water sports. The belt will run from Keti Bunder to Jiwani, the last habitation before the Iranian border. Then, somewhat disappointingly, it adds that “more work needs to be done” before this vision can be realized.</p> <p dir="ltr">The plans are laid out in surprising detail. For instance, Gwadar will feature international cruise clubs that “provide marine tourists private rooms that would feel as though they were ‘living in the ocean’”. And just as the feeling sinks in, it goes on to say that “[f]or the development of coastal vacation products, Islamic culture, historical culture, folk culture and marine culture shall all be integrated.” Apparently more work needs to be done here too.</p> <p dir="ltr">— AFP photo</p> <p dir="ltr">For Ormara, the plan recommends building “unique recreational activities” that would also encourage “the natural, exciting, participatory, sultry, and tempting characteristics” to come through. For Keti Bunder it recommends wildlife sanctuaries, an aquarium and a botanical garden. For Sonmiani, on the eastern edge of Karachi, “projects like a coastal beach, extended greenway, coastal villa, car camp, SPA, beach playground and a seafood street can be developed.”</p> <p dir="ltr">It is an expansive vision that the plan lays out, and towards the end, it asks for the following: “Make the visa-free tourism possible with China to provide more convenient policy support for Chinese tourists to Pakistan.” There is no mention of a reciprocal arrangement for Pakistani nationals visiting China.</p> <p dir="ltr"><b>Finance and risk</b></p> <p dir="ltr">In any plan, the question of financial resources is always crucial. The long term plan drawn up by the China Development Bank is at its sharpest when discussing Pakistan’s financial sector, government debt market, depth of commercial banking and the overall health of the financial system. It is at its most unsentimental when drawing up the risks faced by long term investments in Pakistan’s economy.</p> <p dir="ltr">The chief risk the plan identifies is politics and security. “There are various factors affecting Pakistani politics, such as competing parties, religion, tribes, terrorists, and Western intervention” the authors write. “The security situation is the worst in recent years”. The next big risk, surprisingly, is inflation, which the plan says has averaged 11.6 per cent over the past 6 years. “A high inflation rate means a rise of project-related costs and a decline in profits.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Efforts will be made, says the plan, to furnish “free and low interest loans to Pakistan” once the costs of the corridor begin to come in. But this is no free ride, it emphasizes. “Pakistan’s federal and involved local governments should also bear part of the responsibility for financing through issuing sovereign guarantee bonds, meanwhile protecting and improving the proportion and scale of the government funds invested in corridor construction in the financial budget.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Illustration by Sana Nasir/Herald</p> <p dir="ltr">It asks for financial guarantees “to provide credit enhancement support for the financing of major infrastructure projects, enhance the financing capacity, and protect the interests of creditors.” Relying on the assessments of the IMF, World Bank and the ADB, it notes that Pakistan’s economy cannot absorb FDI much above $2 billion per year without giving rise to stresses in its economy. “It is recommended that China’s maximum annual direct investment in Pakistan should be around US$1 billion.” Likewise, it concludes that Pakistan’s ceiling for preferential loans should be $1 billion, and for non preferential loans no more than $1.5 billion per year.</p> <p dir="ltr">It advises its own enterprises to take precautions to protect their own investments. “International business cooperation with Pakistan should be conducted mainly with the government as a support, the banks as intermediary agents and enterprises as the mainstay.” Nor is the growing engagement some sort of brotherly involvement. “The cooperation with Pakistan in the monetary and financial areas aims to serve China’s diplomatic strategy.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The other big risk the plan refers to is exchange rate risk, after noting the severe weakness in Pakistan’s ability to earn foreign exchange. To mitigate this, the plan proposes tripling the size of the swap mechanism between the RMB and the Pakistani rupee to 30 billion Yuan, diversifying power purchase payments beyond the dollar into RMB and rupee basket, tapping the Hong Kong market for RMB bonds, and diversifying enterprise loans from a wide array of sources. The growing role of the RMB in Pakistan’s economy is a clearly stated objective of the measures proposed.</p> <p dir="ltr"><b>Conclusion</b></p> <p dir="ltr">It is not clear how much of the plan will be earnestly followed up and how much is there simply to evince interest from the Pakistani side. In the areas of interest contained in the plan, it appears access to the full supply chain of the agrarian economy is a top priority for the Chinese. After that the capacity of the textile spinning sector to serve the raw material needs of Xinjiang, and the garment and value added sector to absorb Chinese technology is another priority.</p> <p dir="ltr">Next is the growing domestic market, particularly in cement and household appliances, which receive detailed treatment in the plan. And lastly, through greater financial integration, the plan seeks to advance the internationalization of the RMB, as well as diversify the risks faced by Chinese enterprises entering Pakistan.</p> <blockquote><p dir="ltr">In some areas the plan seeks to build on a market presence already established by Chinese enterprises, eg Haier in household appliances, ChinaMobile and Huawei in telecommunications and China Metallurgical Group Corporation (MCC) in mining and minerals.<br> </p> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><br> Gwadar receives passing mention as an economic prospect, mainly for its capacity to serve as a port of exit for minerals from Balochistan and Afghanistan, and as an entreport for wider trade in the greater Indian Ocean zone from South Africa to New Zealand. There is no mention of China’s external trade being routed through Gwadar. Judging from their conversations with the government, it appears that the Pakistanis are pushing the Chinese to begin work on the Gwadar International Airport, whereas the Chinese are pushing for early completion of the Eastbay Expressway.</p> <p dir="ltr">But the entry of Chinese firms will not be limited to the CPEC framework alone, as the recent acquisition of the Pakistan Stock Exchange, and the impending acquisition of K Electric demonstrate. In fact, CPEC is only the opening of the door. What comes through once that door has been opened is difficult to forecast.</p> <p dir="ltr"><i>Addendum: Apropos a story titled “CPEC master plan revealed” appearing in Dawn on May 15, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform </i><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1333380/cpecs-long-term-plan-is-not-project-document-clarifies-minister"><i>Ahsan Iqbal has said</i></a><i> that CPEC’s Long Term Plan is not a project document, rather it “delineates the aspirations of both sides”.</i></p> <p dir="ltr"><i>“It is a live document and both sides [China and Pakistan] have an understanding to modify it as per the need besides reviewing it periodically,” Mr Iqbal claimed on Monday.</i></p> <p dir="ltr"><i><b>To read more about how the plan came together click the tab below.</b></i></p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG7zxIz1iAjeCBrLJt5a64eT8Sw38CGJaMJQtu-QDNF34_sG8j78YTvZAXIcH9IbqG6Ii3qANMivyER7ZSQscd63dxKxy2sLLTGU22O3b9FWF7pYEc-UsOmpTLWhnIJsiAthA9BZxDRcv/s1600/FB_IMG_1494700129756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDG7zxIz1iAjeCBrLJt5a64eT8Sw38CGJaMJQtu-QDNF34_sG8j78YTvZAXIcH9IbqG6Ii3qANMivyER7ZSQscd63dxKxy2sLLTGU22O3b9FWF7pYEc-UsOmpTLWhnIJsiAthA9BZxDRcv/s320/FB_IMG_1494700129756.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFwEYrcdvkeQa-Gp0S9TrIfMqvEdOwB2CPokGqOiRRBmaJ3pc0H9mfV1NDNwIXOKpeF5kdUkJ-4SeAIhRJNchAuF5i2Er7K6SFa1JXKltDVUnfBerhOYtv9K1ID3XFp-cDiBdJ7J8OX3i/s1600/21627959-grunge-flag-of-chaina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSFwEYrcdvkeQa-Gp0S9TrIfMqvEdOwB2CPokGqOiRRBmaJ3pc0H9mfV1NDNwIXOKpeF5kdUkJ-4SeAIhRJNchAuF5i2Er7K6SFa1JXKltDVUnfBerhOYtv9K1ID3XFp-cDiBdJ7J8OX3i/s320/21627959-grunge-flag-of-chaina.jpg"> </a> </div>

#CPEC Chain Pakistan Exclusive: CPEC master plan revealed

Plan eyes agricultureLarge surveillance system for citiesVisa-free entry for Chinese nationals The floodgates are about to open. Prime Min...

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SEDPL Brings 50MW Wind Power Project Online in Sindh

<p dir="ltr">SEDPL Brings 50MW Wind Power Project Online in <u>Sindh</u></p> <p dir="ltr">Sachal Energy Development (Pvt.) Ltd. ( SEDPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of of Arif Habib Corporation Limited, has achieved  its Commercial Operations for 49.5 MV Wind Energy Project on 11th April 2017. In a notification to the Pakistan Stock exchange, the company secretary confirmed that the formal notification from the Central Power Purchasing Agency (Guaranteed Ltd) has been received by their subsidiary</p> <p dir="ltr">SEDPL’s Wind Energy Project is the first Pakistani-owned early harvest project of CPEC. It has been constructed on 680 acres of land situated at Jhimpir Wind Corridor, Sindh and is committed to supply electricity to National Grid through National Transmission and Dispatch Company Ltd for 20 years under Energy Purchase Agreement.</p> <p dir="ltr">Alternate sources of energy are the way forward. SEDPL will contribute to national development by reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels and producing 136.5 GWh yearly of clean energy.</p> <p dir="ltr">The project comprises of 33 Wind Turbine Generators manufactured by Goldwind of China and Hrdrochina is the EPC and O&M Contractors for the project. The Project has guaranteed return on Equity of 17%and payback period of 5.9 years. Debt portion of the project has been financed by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (Backed by SINOSURE).</p> <p dir="ltr">The Company had acquired generation license and tariff determination by NEPRA and had received a Letter of Support from the Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB). Similarly, the Company had executed its EPA with NTDC and IA with AEDB. Furthermore, foreign and local financing facility agreements with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China were signed in February 2015 and May 2015 respectively.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrll1V8ap26gD7T98P_orqJULdkQ2OBN1f0DqPW2ufD4cvqokYXMslQq_GqKnN99XwSLovD49_WIFg7C7S0XUSFSM3vs3hQKGUVIzXoLrGdQ9ThWLaNqfcvIyrrmBEEFEQxr7iPbikJ9Y/s1600/FB_IMG_1495275332793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihrll1V8ap26gD7T98P_orqJULdkQ2OBN1f0DqPW2ufD4cvqokYXMslQq_GqKnN99XwSLovD49_WIFg7C7S0XUSFSM3vs3hQKGUVIzXoLrGdQ9ThWLaNqfcvIyrrmBEEFEQxr7iPbikJ9Y/s320/FB_IMG_1495275332793.jpg"> </a> </div>

#CPEC Chain Pakistan SEDPL Brings 50MW Wind Power Project Online in Sindh

SEDPL Brings 50MW Wind Power Project Online in Sindh Sachal Energy Development (Pvt.) Ltd. ( SEDPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of of Arif H...

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Hyundai to Set Up Auto Manufacturing Plant in Pakistan as #China #Pakistan Economic Corridor #CPEC continues to gain momentum

<p dir="ltr">Hyundai to Set Up Auto Manufacturing Plant in Pakistan as #China #Pakistan Economic Corridor #CPEC continues to gain <u>momentum</u>. </p> <p dir="ltr">South Korean Auto brand, Hyundai, and Al-Haj group have joined hands to introduce heavy commercial vehicles (HCV) in Pakistan. With an expected investment of around Rs. 4 billion, the company initially plans to assemble trucks and luxury buses.</p> <p dir="ltr">The joint venture company has already purchased 30 acres of land outside Karachi and is expected to start production within the next 12 months. During the first phase, Al-Haj Hyundai (Pvt) Limited, a separate company of the joint venture, will invest Rs. 1.5 billion. When the two companies agree to move forward, Hyundai will invest in the production plant in 2019.</p> <p dir="ltr">Al-Haj Hyundai will introduce a bunch of new trucks, buses and light duty vehicles in Pakistan.</p> <p dir="ltr">Heavy duty truck Xcient will be assembled and sold here.</p> <p dir="ltr">The South Korean auto maker plans to introduce other cargo and passenger handling vehicles as the production progresses.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hyundai Global Motors Co Ltd Chairman, Kyung Sik, said that he was confident in the company’s partnership with Al-Haj Group and it will help both players as Pakistan is a huge market with a rapidly growing demand.</p> <p dir="ltr">Competition Heats Up<br> Currently, there are four Chinese truck assemblers in Pakistan and have gained 40% of market share in just 10 years while the rest is held by Japanese companies who have been present in Pakistan for decades.</p> <p dir="ltr">Chinese trucks are cheaper (at Rs. 7.8 million), Japanese are slightly expensive (at Rs. 12.6 million), while European trucks from Volvo go as high as Rs. 16.5 million. Hyundai will launch their vehicles with a price ranging between the Japanese and Chinese brands.</p> <p dir="ltr">German truck maker, MAN SE, is also expected to set up its plant in Pakistan and other companies have also shown interest in Pakistan hinting at a much more competitive market in the coming years.</p> <p dir="ltr">About Al-Haj Group<br> Al-Haj Group has a market presence since 1960 and is already assembling Chinese trucks and passenger cars in Pakistan. Al-Haj CEO, Bilal Khan Afridi, believes that Hyundai chose it as its partner because of the company’s history with heavy vehicles.</p> <p dir="ltr">Both companies plan to tap into the growing heavy vehicles segment as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) continues to gain momentum. The company will set up a completely new infrastructure to take advantage of the tax benefits provided with the Auto Policy 2016-21.</p> <p dir="ltr">Truck sales have rebounded strongly after seven years of below par performance. Thanks to a higher demand, Pakistan produced a record 6,736 trucks and buses in 2015-16. 40 percent of the market has already been taken over by Chinese truck makers.</p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0_z5aX2fJyklx-xup112rmYNas29jYWHxRkS2Oy0gIulhHXye7xSfWsXRxuPS-fDB584Fvt0dc4MzcNpOHNzs05duuLqS4DX3rbewo4ltMrhyJDuLGS2SCBrBc-QzecgNMVv776FFx6g/s1600/FB_IMG_1495275146509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0_z5aX2fJyklx-xup112rmYNas29jYWHxRkS2Oy0gIulhHXye7xSfWsXRxuPS-fDB584Fvt0dc4MzcNpOHNzs05duuLqS4DX3rbewo4ltMrhyJDuLGS2SCBrBc-QzecgNMVv776FFx6g/s320/FB_IMG_1495275146509.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWxHlSUhlfb73HMms-OdZ4G989DG5Hm4qY9NzhsUQaI4Hk-XEwd1ldkd9Vh7-JrTeOXovtLr576b3e_I30rXhZq5i3MRGVvYpdCO84tYuWfhDqk-8ViRIQmGVjNCT0jLFuyHsIZRA7nGM/s1600/FB_IMG_1495275142879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWxHlSUhlfb73HMms-OdZ4G989DG5Hm4qY9NzhsUQaI4Hk-XEwd1ldkd9Vh7-JrTeOXovtLr576b3e_I30rXhZq5i3MRGVvYpdCO84tYuWfhDqk-8ViRIQmGVjNCT0jLFuyHsIZRA7nGM/s320/FB_IMG_1495275142879.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByQIbrkMGl4TWB114lD8PlUKAhOF3GiS-hWOVl0FSR4okhnr5k74ywjpolNrDpXeuGlHYG2saOu0iin-BJV0-iCavx27yQVktG2ij8yMj7QuPaSL7f9en_STVStrjlRJR4bhHdh-HbGOp/s1600/FB_IMG_1495275139059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByQIbrkMGl4TWB114lD8PlUKAhOF3GiS-hWOVl0FSR4okhnr5k74ywjpolNrDpXeuGlHYG2saOu0iin-BJV0-iCavx27yQVktG2ij8yMj7QuPaSL7f9en_STVStrjlRJR4bhHdh-HbGOp/s320/FB_IMG_1495275139059.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7glrlhCzTlDkdRgSWE7RGB-t0c4C9X_HweqeiyHOLeSt1Jd3h_RKYenI1NHvQ_EGuETojRAW2_4M48AFCCcgIUczrTbKEsCNcq4_A1iBehUWb1tn4tZ1imnzNRa6p7i1jZAfEbHgBWUu/s1600/FB_IMG_1495275135144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY7glrlhCzTlDkdRgSWE7RGB-t0c4C9X_HweqeiyHOLeSt1Jd3h_RKYenI1NHvQ_EGuETojRAW2_4M48AFCCcgIUczrTbKEsCNcq4_A1iBehUWb1tn4tZ1imnzNRa6p7i1jZAfEbHgBWUu/s320/FB_IMG_1495275135144.jpg"> </a> </div>

#CPEC Chain Pakistan Hyundai to Set Up Auto Manufacturing Plant in Pakistan as #China #Pakistan Economic Corridor #CPEC continues to gain momentum

Hyundai to Set Up Auto Manufacturing Plant in Pakistan as #China #Pakistan Economic Corridor #CPEC continues to gain momentum . South Korea...

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Nawaz Sharif set to attend ‘Arab Nato’ summit in Riyadh

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PoHMncm7yHOMc42ZG0Kn6TWw_2LD-NxeaCmUKiOx3XalR59jaTsPFgUvHEzVkOzx1tysxgnRAkanq3xtR63WRazIjoRZ5AtD6jt0VCIiqoZqqRUNt87gKROxTbycJPG2z_eQbQV5lrFa/s1600/50606776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9PoHMncm7yHOMc42ZG0Kn6TWw_2LD-NxeaCmUKiOx3XalR59jaTsPFgUvHEzVkOzx1tysxgnRAkanq3xtR63WRazIjoRZ5AtD6jt0VCIiqoZqqRUNt87gKROxTbycJPG2z_eQbQV5lrFa/s320/50606776.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div dir="ltr"> <br /></div> <div dir="ltr"> ISLAMABAD/WASH­INGTON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to Riyadh on Sunday to attend the first-ever <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1333821">Arab-Islamic-American Summit</a> being held to develop a security partnership against a growing threat of violent extremism.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Mr Sharif is among the 54 leaders who would join US President Donald Trump for the summit being held on Sunday.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Read: <i><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1307613">The Saudi temptation</a></i></div> <div dir="ltr"> On Friday, President <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1320909">Trump left Washington for Riyadh</a> for a visit that he and his allies hope could lay the foundations for an “Arab Nato force” to push back Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East as well as combat terrorism.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Saudis back Pakistan’s request for PM-Trump meeting; US president will deliver a speech on terrorism fight, Islam</b></div> <div dir="ltr"> The decision to choose the Muslim holy lands for Mr Trump’s first foreign visit has been noted with interest in Washington but his decision to speak about Islam in his address to the summit in Riyadh has generated even more interest, and some derisions too.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz invited Mr Sharif for the summit. The invitation was delivered by Saudi Information Minister Awwad bin Saleh al Awwad, who visited Islamabad last week.</div> <div dir="ltr"> The official website set up by the Saudi government in connection with President Trump’s trip, while explaining the objective of the summit, states: “US President Donald Trump and leaders of the world’s Islamic nations will meet to address ways of building more robust and effective security partnerships to counter and prevent the growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism around the globe through promoting tolerance and moderation.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> The Arab-Islamic-American summit is one of the three Riyadh has planned for President Trump’s visit. The other two summits being held on this occasion are the Saudi-US Summit, and Gulf Cooperation Council-US Summit. The purpose of the entire exercise, apparently, is to reassert the Kingdom’s position as the main political and security force in the region. The eager Saudis have been running a countdown clock on the website for the trip, which started late on Friday night.</div> <div dir="ltr"> ‘Fantasy of Arab Nato’</div> <div dir="ltr"> Pakistan is one of the closest allies of the Kingdom. The two maintain a strong defence partnership. The Pakistani government granted special permission to the former army chief retired Gen Raheel Sharif to lead the multinational military force being created by the Saudis. British journalist Robert Fisk, an expert on Middle Eastern affairs, in his article in the Independent wrote that Mr Trump’s visit was for realising “the fantasy of an Arab Nato”.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Mr Sharif, while accepting the invitation for the summit, has reaffirmed Pakistan’s alliance with the Kingdom by recalling the commonality of views of two countries on most regional and international issues and their collaboration for achieving common interests and objectives.</div> <div dir="ltr"> It is unlikely that Prime Minister Sharif would get a one-on-one bilateral meeting with President Trump on the sidelines of the summit. At least, Mr Trump’s schedule does not show any possibility for such an interaction. The Foreign Office was silent on chances of a speculated meeting between the two.</div> <div dir="ltr"> The Washington-based Pakistani media, however, have learned that the Saudis are backing Pakistan’s request for a brief Sharif-Trump meeting before the US president flies out to Israel and then to Europe for more talks with America’s Nato allies.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Diplomatic sources in Washington say that since scores of world leaders are attending the summit, it would be difficult to arrange exclusive meetings between the US president and other leaders but “Americans are trying to find space for a very brief one-on-one between Mr Sharif and Mr Trump”.</div> <div dir="ltr"> “Unfortunately I don’t have anything for you,” a State Department official told Dawn when asked if the two leaders were going to have an exclusive meeting. Officials at the Pakistan Embassy said that since this matter was handled in Islamabad, they had no information about this.</div> <div dir="ltr"> The summit is being discussed at every forum in the US, from Congress to think tanks and the media. The US media and think tanks pointed out that days before the summit, the Trump administration announced two major arms deals: $1 billion worth of missiles for the UAE and a much larger, $100bn deal with Saudi Arabia.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Media reports pointed out that these weapons would be used to equip “a Muslim Nato army,” headed by Saudi Arabia. The reports also noted that Gen Raheel would lead this force.</div> <div dir="ltr"> An anti-Iran alliance?</div> <div dir="ltr"> Reports also pointed out that while 54 leaders from across the Arab and Muslim worlds had been invited to the summit, Iran has been kept out. Commentators in Washington noted that Iran’s absence made it look like an anti-Iranian alliance, despite its declared aim of fighting terrorism.</div> <div dir="ltr"> And President Trump’s meetings and conversations with Arab and Muslim leaders opposed to Iran’s growing influence in the region, particularly in Syria, consolidated this impression.</div> <div dir="ltr"> A readout of President Trump’s meeting with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates at the White House said that the two leaders did talk about “the threat to regional stability posed by Iran.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> The US media reported that the UAE Crown Prince, who is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of his nation’s armed forces, is helping prepare Mr Trump for the summit. This was his second visit to the White House since Mr Trump took office.</div> <div dir="ltr"> They also discussed “steps to deepen our strategic partnership and promote stability and prosperity throughout the Middle East,” said the White House. “Bilateral defence cooperation, counterterrorism and resolving the conflicts in Yemen and Syria” were some of the other key issues that the two leaders discussed.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <i>Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2017</i></div> </div>

Pakistan Nawaz Sharif set to attend ‘Arab Nato’ summit in Riyadh

ISLAMABAD/WASH­INGTON: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to Riyadh on Sunday to attend the first-ever  Arab-Islamic-American S...

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‘Pakistan’s endangered species more vulnerable than ever’

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR55zLW8NheKVDzvq23yIJpS9d4VZTB20O_peh6FX3d7ySGym4eL7OzqS8RQ_sLiWOGfkfopBaIlizGA5uE2nKnQlOtR-5eqrgHCVQ52Z0eOtqALbDswesPP-o2NHpuv1QyYcJImWsRUtj/s1600/dolpin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR55zLW8NheKVDzvq23yIJpS9d4VZTB20O_peh6FX3d7ySGym4eL7OzqS8RQ_sLiWOGfkfopBaIlizGA5uE2nKnQlOtR-5eqrgHCVQ52Z0eOtqALbDswesPP-o2NHpuv1QyYcJImWsRUtj/s640/dolpin.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <br /> Indus River Dolphin PHOTO: WWF-PAKISTAN</div> <div dir="ltr"> <b>LAHORE: </b>WWF-Pakistan celebrated Endangered Species Day and urged to intensively manage protected areas for these species to thrive within their natural habitats.</div> <div dir="ltr"> WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan, in his message for the day, called for “a last-ditch effort” to not only save all endangered species, but conserve their habitat. “The risk faced by many species in Pakistan is growing in urgency and it is about time we start valuing the importance of each to the sustainability of local ecosystems and ultimately the global ecosystem.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> He also encouraged the youth to get involved in this global effort and add renewed vigour to the cause. “Our organisation is committed to conserving endangered species and we cannot achieve this without heightened public awareness and enthusiasm to preserve the environment that has led to the success of many of our projects,” he added.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <a href="https://tribune.com.pk/story/1408796/lahore-zoos-darling-suzi-dies-31/"><b>Lahore Zoo’s darling Suzi dies at 31</b></a></div> <div dir="ltr"> This year, the organisation conservation milestones included the birth of two oriental white-backed vulture chicks. The species is on the endangered list. The foundation also reported positive results from the recently concluded Indus river dolphin survey. While these efforts bode well to save these species from extinction, the organisation still believed a lot was yet to be achieved.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Living in a time when the impact of human activity is contributing to, if not causing, climate change, species around the world are in peril, a statement said. “Under the current trajectory, the future of many living organisms in the Anthropocene (current geological age) is uncertain. In fact, several indicators are a cause for alarm.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> WWF International’s Living Planet Report 2016, which measures biodiversity abundance levels based on 14,152 monitored populations of 3,706 vertebrate species, showed a persistent downward trend. On average, the population of the species monitored showed a decline by 58% between 1970 and 2012. Monitored species were increasingly affected by pressures from unsustainable agriculture, fishing, mining and other human activities which contribute to habitat loss and degradation, overexploitation, climate change and pollution.</div> <div dir="ltr"> “In a business-as-usual scenario, this downward trend in species populations continues into the future. United Nations wants to halt the loss of biodiversity and wants to achieve this by 2020,” the statement said. “However, species populations may have declined on average by 67% over the last half-century.</div> <div dir="ltr"> Pakistan is home to a number of endangered species, including the Indian pangolin, snow leopard, the Indus river dolphin and the green turtle. The facts and figures in Pakistan tend to paint a challenging picture, yet there is still plenty of room for optimism.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <i>Published in The Express Tribune, May 20</i>^<i>th</i><i>, 2017.</i></div> </div>

Pakistan ‘Pakistan’s endangered species more vulnerable than ever’

Indus River Dolphin PHOTO: WWF-PAKISTAN LAHORE:  WWF-Pakistan celebrated Endangered Species Day and urged to intensively manage pr...

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Fight terrorism along Muslims, not against, Rehman Malik advises Trump

<p dir="ltr"><b>Fight terrorism along Muslims, not against, Rehman Malik advises Trump</b><br></p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="http://img.apusapps.com/news/lock/20170520/85c0b80811df1f4dc43aadd922e64870.webp"></p> <p dir="ltr">Senator Rehman Malik advised U.S President Donald Trump to fight along with Muslims in terrorism not against them.</p> <p dir="ltr">Donald Trump before leaving for Saudi Arabia, his first foreign trip after being elected as the President of U.S, tweeted saying,</p> <p dir="ltr">Getting ready for my big foreign trip. Will be strongly protecting American interests - that's what I like to do!</p> <p dir="ltr">To which Pakistan’s Senator and Pakistan Peoples Party representative Rehman Malik advised him on Twitter by saying,</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr president,How abt the interest ofall being killed through sponsored terrorism.pl Create common strategy agst ourcommon enemy/terrorists <a href="https://t.co/mMxW4EPTQK">https://t.co/mMxW4EPTQK</a></p> <p dir="ltr">In the next Tweet he talks about Muslims and tells him that all Muslims are not terrorists,</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr president,welcome to Islamic world/remember i advised u to fight along with Muslims &not agst Muslims as every muslim is not terrorist <a href="https://t.co/m7zJju8AQW">https://t.co/m7zJju8AQW</a></p> <p dir="ltr">According to A.P, U.S President is to deliver his speech on Sunday in Saudi Arabia. According to the draft he will be calling for unity in the fight against radicalism in the Islamic world, characterizing the effort as a "battle between good and evil." It will also urge Arab and Muslim leaders to “drive out the terrorists from your places of worship.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Trump will avoid the tough anti-Muslim language from his presidential campaign as well as mentions of democracy and human rights, according to the draft speech, which remains subject to revision.</p>

Pakistan world Fight terrorism along Muslims, not against, Rehman Malik advises Trump

Fight terrorism along Muslims, not against, Rehman Malik advises Trump Senator Rehman Malik advised U.S President Donald Trump to fight al...

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PTA launches SMS crackdown against blasphemy

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div dir="ltr"> </div> <div dir="ltr"> <img height="320" src="http://img.apusapps.com/news/lock/20170511/057a244439612ec0b36f1717154e8a60.webp" width="293" /></div> <div dir="ltr"> Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has asked people to report online blasphemy, saying it is a punishable offence. The latest message reads: “Uploading and sharing of blasphemous content on internet is a punishable offence under the law. Such content should be reported on (email address) for legal action.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> <img src="https://scontent.flhe2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-12/18387033_1369560743134735_183543192_n.jpg?oh=b81418ccfa9b10b3fb3ce6905ddf9487&oe=5916BD5E" /></div> <div dir="ltr"> A day later some people received the edited/refined version of the message it said, “Uploading and sharing of blasphemous content on internet is a punishable offence under the law. Instead of taking law in hand, such content should be reported on (email address) for legal action.” The addition has changed the uncertainty and connotation of the message. It seems more like an awareness message as compared to the earlier message. </div> <div dir="ltr"> <img height="640" src="https://scontent.flhe2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-12/18425732_1370884686335674_689417740_n.jpg?oh=3ecf75d934f2df0b50d8439b74a0ccd8&oe=5916F3C5" width="586" /></div> <div dir="ltr"> The latest initiative comes after in wake of a trilogy of blasphemy-related incidents;<a href="http://nation.com.pk/national/13-Apr-2017/student-killed-in-mardan-over-alleged-blasphemy">Mardan mob lynching</a>, a man almost beaten to death on reports he declared himself an<a href="http://nation.com.pk/national/21-Apr-2017/man-attacked-by-mob-over-blasphemy-allegations-in-chitral">apostle in Chitral</a>, and a child’s death after a charged mob attacked a <a href="http://nation.com.pk/national/04-May-2017/charged-mob-demands-custody-of-blasphemy-accused-in-hub">Hindu man alleged of blasphemy in Hub</a>.</div> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Divided public opinion</b></div> <div dir="ltr"> PTA’s latest bid to tackle blasphemy has divided public opinion. Dr Khalid Zaheer, a religious scholar told The Nation, “I think PTA wants to convey a positive message to the citizens of Pakistan through their latest initiative.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> “Religion doesn't allow any action against an individual's freedom of expression except if it causes someone's life to be in danger. It seems that possibility was at the back of their mind when they took the decision.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> Gul Bukhari, a journalist said, “PTA is working on the directives of the prime minister and interior minister. A similar initiative by Federal Investigation Agency resulted in public outcry. PTA should stop sending such messages.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> <b>Undebatable issue</b></div> <div dir="ltr"> She said blasphemy cases are an excuse to settle personal disputes, and those found guilty of blasphemy are mostly suffering from some kind of mental disease. “It’s a fire burning us all up. A fire that should have been doused by government institutions, it is being fuelled by them now.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> Bukhari said blasphemy has become an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan. It’s so unfortunate that when one talks about blasphemy law people call it blasphemy. Even though Justice Asif Saeed Khosa has said criticising the law does not make it a punishable offence.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> Jibran Nasir, a lawyer and social activist speaking to The Nation said, “This is not (a) surprising (outcome) as Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court has recently tasked the Federal Investigation Agency to issue a notice to the public asking them to inform FIA of anyone committing blasphemy, now the learned judge is after Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> Jibran Nasir further said, “The public has been given the impression that they are responsible to safeguard the dignity of the Holy Prophet; however they have not realized how dangerous this can be. Till today there is no specific definition of blasphemy even in Section 295-C of the Penal Code. If people are left to their own devices then any person irrespective of sect who writes or will write any material on the Prophet that the other sect does not agree to, will be targeted for blasphemy.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> Jibran Nasir also said this may further enmity, “Earlier people who wanted to get even with their enemies would hire assassins to get the enemy killed, however now such notices are enough to create chaos in the country. It is shameful how the entire bar even the Supreme Court bar, is silent on this issue. Why this issue is not being talked about in the Parliament? If state institutions are going to be promoting this then we are turning into a banana republic. Making people frustrated, angry, insecure and relying on the intellect of a lay person of what blasphemy is, thus allowing people to take out their grudges against each other.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> According to press reports a case was recently filed by Salman Shahid the son-in-law of Maulana Abdul Aziz of Lal Masjid in Islamabad contending that blasphemous content on social media websites was "hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims."</div> <div dir="ltr"> When IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui heard the case he dictated the order with tears rolling down his checks that “the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) will be our savior on the Day of Judgment is the most sacred personality and blasphemy has been committed against him. We would not leave this issue for the bureaucracy to handle.”</div> <div dir="ltr"> He further observed that “there will be proceedings against blasphemers and against those who remain silent spectators. This is the greatest form of terrorism and people involved in this heinous act were the biggest terrorists.”</div> </div>

Pakistan PTA launches SMS crackdown against blasphemy

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has asked people to report online blasphemy, saying it is a punishable offence. The latest messag...

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