Tag pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education (PAGE) Monday announced Aamina Sheikh as its Global Ambassador for Girls’ Education.

Aamina is an acclaimed actress, well- recognized for her extensive work on television and film both, performing roles that highlight serious social issues particularly around gender and female empowerment.

Aamina Sheikh has joined hands with PAGE to bridge the gap between educational inequalities in Pakistan, and inspire young girls, with fewer opportunities, and poorer backgrounds towards prosperous futures, said a news release issued here.

PAGE strives for the provision of equal opportunities for education for both genders, particularly focusing on improving the female literacy landscape in Pakistan. PAGE works to improve the gender gap through policy analysis and recommendations, advocacy and supporting women entrepreneurship within the education sector.

PAGE in collaboration with American Refugee Committee Pakistan, (ARC Pakistan) provides a platform to promote girls’ education and leadership.

Under the partnership, PAGE has started to set up Star Schools which are a part of the nationwide Out-of-School-Children (OOSC) Program that aims to enroll One Million young boys and girls into schools, both formal and informal all over the country.

Amina Sheikh is committed to supporting PAGE. She says “The purpose of one’s life must be greater than the self, to bring lasting change”.

As a Global Ambassador for Girls’ Education campaign, she will inspire young girls and the community at large to understand how vital a role education plays, both in personal transformation and national development.

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has thrown an open challenge towards West Indies batsman Chris Gayle to six-hitting prowess.

Earlier this week, the veteran West Indies batsman had equalled Afridi’s record of 476 sixes in all formats during his 73-run knock in the third match against Bangladesh.

Taking to social media, Afridi congratulated the big-hitting batsman in his record.

“No worries at all in the Universe Boss taking over my record! Richly deserved, hope to play a single wicket match with you one day, let’s see who hits more sixes and there should be no rules for getting OUT!” he posted in a reply to cricket journalist Saj Sadiq’s tweet.

Earlier Gayle had been quoted as saying, “To be able to tie with Afridi with 476 sixes is great. I think I’ll keep it at that and hit no more sixes. I think we’re both big six-hitters, entertainers and it’s fantastic to be joint first with Shahid Afridi. So boom-boom, don’t worry, your record is safe, okay.”

Afridi has hit 351 sixes in ODIs, 73 sixes in T20Is and 52 in Tests while Gayle has slammed 275 sixes in ODIs, 103 sixes in T20Is and 98 in the longest format of the game.

KARACHI: Malala Yousafzai on Friday condemned the attacks on at least a dozen schools in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) that took place a day prior, stressing that “every girl and boy has the right to learn”.

Some 12 girls’ schools were attacked in Chilas, about 130 kilometres from Gilgit on Thursday night, police sources said, adding that the suspects were unidentified men who made educational institutes across Diamer district their target and had damaged school property.
“The extremists have shown what frightens them most – a girl with a book,” wrote Yousafzai, who, herself, was shot alongside two of her classmates by the Taliban back in October 2012 while on their way back from school in Swat in an attempt to suppress her advocacy.

The terrorists had since sometime before the assassination attempt on her notoriously made efforts to ban girls from getting an education in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Soon after, however, she rose to global prominence and became a renowned women’s education and human rights activist.

“We must rebuild these schools immediately, get the students back into their classrooms and show the world that every girl and boy has the right to learn,” she added.

On the other hand, Hafiz Hafeez-ur-Rehman, the chief minister for G-B had taken notice of the attacks and summoned a report from the local commissioner.

As per the district administration, the schools that were attacked were under construction. Officials added that they will ensure adequate measures are taken to safeguard schools and students.

Sanaullah Abbasi, the inspector-general of police (IGP) for G-B, told Geo News that authorities will help bring the culprits to justice with the assistance of locals.

At least 12 girls’ schools attacked in Gilgit-Baltistan

Girls schools targeted
Girls-only schools are often made the target of attacks by extremists in the northern areas of Pakistan.

In December 2011, at least two girls schools were damaged in low-intensity explosions in Chilas. Earlier that year, unidentified assailants also blew up two girls’ schools.

The year 2004 also saw a string of attacks on girls schools in Chilas. Nine schools, of which eight were for girls, were attacked and destroyed in five days.

Terrorists used to frequently bomb educational institutes in KP and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) before June 2014. Earlier, in May, bomb explosions hit two schools for girls in the Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan Agency.

According to a report, about 1,500 schools have been destroyed in the tribal belt during the past decade.

Further, in 2017, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a 71-page report — titled Dreams Turned into Nightmares: Attacks on Students, Teachers, and Schools in Pakistan — had said attacks by the Taliban and other militant groups disrupted the education of hundreds of thousands of children, particularly girls, in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court announced its verdict in the contempt of court case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Tallal Chaudry on Thursday, finding the former state interior minister guilty of violating Article 204 of the Constitution.

Chaudry, a former minister of state for interior, was ordered by the apex court to ensure his presence during today’s proceedings, which were based on a suo motu notice on his ‘anti-judiciary’ speech during a party rally in Jaranwala in January this year.

Chaudry appeared in court today along with his counsel Kamran Murtaza.

As Justice Gulzar Ahmad, who headed the three-member bench, read out the court’s verdict, Chaudry was sentenced ’till the rising of the court’ — a relatively lenient and symbolic punishment which remains until the court is in session — and fined Rs0.1 million.

Following the conviction, Chaudry, who lost the July 25 General Election from Faisalabad’s NA-102 constituency, will be disqualified from holding public office for five years.

Legal experts informed Geo News after the verdict that though the PML-N leader retains the right to file a review petition, in contempt cases it is very unlikely that a verdict is reversed.

The case

SC indicts State Interior Minister Tallal Chaudry for contempt of court

The court had reserved its verdict on the case on July 11 after beginning proceedings in February.

The Supreme Court had initiated contempt proceedings against Chaudry on account of “derogatory and contemptuous speeches/statements” with regard to the court, according to a notification issued on February 2.

In his response to the contempt notice, Chaudhry had written that scandalising the court or doing anything that tended to bring the court into “hatred, ridicule or contempt” was “not even the last thing on the respondent’s mind.”

“Whatever has been said might have been taken into account without relevance to the context due to media reporting,” his response stated.

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Babar Yaqoob reiterated on Tuesday that the July 25 polls were free and fair.

“We took measures to provide a level playing field to all parties,” the ECP secretary said while addressing the media in Islamabad.

Stating that acting upon Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) petition, the electoral body requested the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to not arrest political leaders till after the polls were over, Yaqoob said, “Elections were postponed in NA-60.”

ECP decided to postpone polls in NA-60, Rawalpindi constituency following PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi’s sentence to ensure that all parties have a level playing field, he noted.

Asserting that the polls were fair, Yaqoob reiterated that the ECP has rejected political parties’ demand for the resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC).

“The call for CEC’s resignation by a number of political parties has been rejected,” he maintained.

Further condemning the call for the CEC’s resignation, Yaqoob said, “If any candidate has complains then they will be dealt with as per the law and complains should be filed in line with the Constitution.”

ECP rejects chief election commissioner’s resignation demand

“We expect all candidates whether they won or lost to respect people’s mandate and not only accept the results but strengthen the democratic process,” the ECP secretary said.

Modi congratulated Imran during telephonic contact, according to the sources.

Modi expressed hope that democracy will take deeper roots in Pakistan, and reiterated his vision of peace and development in the entire neighbourhood.

Imran led-PTI had secured 116 seats in the National Assembly after the elections, however, the party is currently contacting other political parties to form the government in the centre.

Earlier in the day, the PTI had claimed it has the required number of seats to form a government in centre and Punjab.

According to PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry, the National Assembly is of around 328-330 members, out of which the PTI currently enjoys the support of 168 members, including women and minority seats.

Once the party forms the government in the centre, Imran Khan is expected to become the next prime minister of the country.

Iran extends warm felicitations
Moreover, Iran also extended warm and cordial felicitations to Imran Khan on the victory of his party in the parliamentary elections.

In a letter, Iranian ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost said people of Pakistan through their ambitious turn out in the elections not only bolstered the democratic pillars but also displayed their willingness to apply their right to self-determination and accomplish progress and development in the country.

He expressed the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran for promoting and enhancing cooperation in all fields with the new government of Pakistan.

Mehdi Honardoost prayed to Almighty Allah for good health and further success of Imran Khan and Tehreek-e-Insaf as well as welfare and progress of the people of Pakistan.

In the open market, the foreign currency fell by Rs2, to trade at Rs118 (buying) and between Rs120-122 (selling). According to sources, the dollar is likely to further depreciate later in the day as some exchange companies are yet to start trading.

As the markets opened, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) also witnessed a positive trend. The benchmark KSE-100 index gained 314 points to reach 43,100 points.

The positive economic indicators are considered to be largely driven by what investors consider the return of political stability following the July 25 polls.

The national debt will decline by Rs450 billion as the rupee consolidates gains against the greenback.

In a comment to Geo.tv, market analyst Samiullah Tariq said, “News of inflows from multiple channels including the credit line from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has created a positive sentiment about the balance of payments. This has resulted in a drop in dollar price in the interbank market against the rupee.”

Dollar sheds Rs4 after General Election 2018

As the future outlook becomes clear and investors gain confidence about the outcome of their future investments, the market will continue to incorporate the positive sentiment in trading activities, Tariq said.

On Saturday, the US dollar had depreciated by Rs4 in the open market. The positive development was attributed to the end of political uncertainty following elections.

In the past week, the greenback’s price had soared as high as Rs130 as Pakistan moved to its second democratic shift of power amid security threats and terrorist attacks in different parts of the country.

Pakistan’s economic fundamentals had deteriorated ahead of the July 25 general election. Since December, the rupee had cumulatively shed over 21% of its value after the State Bank of Pakistan reportedly abstained from intervening in response to the pressure exerted by a widening current account deficit.

JHANG: A senior member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) arrived here in the city to meet an independent MPA-elect to convince the latter to join his party.

Rana Sanaullah, the PML-N leader, met with Maulana Muavia Azam, an independent member of the provincial assembly, while independent candidate Maulana Muhammad Ahmad Ludhianvi was also present.

Afterwards, while speaking to the media, Sanaullah said his party needs 18 members to form the government in Punjab.

“We shall secure the support of the desired number of members in a few days,” he noted, before adding: “Unlike the PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf], we will not be bringing in one or two members every day.”

“We are only ramping up our efforts because the PTI seems to be in a hurry.”

The PML-N leader further went on to say that the PTI’s “Jehangir Tareen has money and an aeroplane but we don’t.

“PTI is engaging in horse-trading. There are reports of offers being made of Rs 100 million and 50 million for the centre and province, respectively.”

On the other hand, Maulana Muavia Azam commented that he has official had talks with representatives of both the parties and, therefore, will announce his decision in a couple of days after discussing the matter with his team.

Sanaullah also travelled to Chiniot to talk another independent MPA into joining his side.

Factually speaking, even without these seats, PTI still has considerable edge over its opponents.
(Web Desk) – Though Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) still needs assistance of some other members to form majority in the parliament, it has considerable edge over the opponents with almost 115 seats. PTI gave tough time to the preceding ruling parties, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). With a number of seats, it is evident that it will form next government in center. In a number of constituencies, it shocked its opponent especially PML-N. There are other some which if are won by PTI, could have been another major blow to its arch-rival PML-N.

KARACHI: Pakistan’s national Badminton champion Mahoor Shahzad has won the Annapurna Corporate Invitational International Badminton Tournament Championships 2018.

The tournament was played in Kathmandu, Nepal from 23rd to 28th July, 2018 in which players from India, Bangladesh Pakistan and Nepal participated in this invitational tournament.

In the final, Pakistan’s Mahoor Shahzad defeated Rashila Maharajan from Nepal by 21-15 and 21-10.

According to Pakistan Badminton Federation, the Badminton Asia confederation has also selected Mahoor Shahzad for the Asia Olympic Project (AOP) Program for the preparation of next Olympic games.

It is worth mentioning that Mahoor Shahzad had earlier won the women singles title in Pakistan International Series 2017 held at Islamabad from 9th to 12th November, 2017.