Author: web Desk

Pakistan has strongly urged India to respect basic norms of inter-state relations and refrain from commenting on the bilateral ties between the United States and Pakistan.

Responding to media questions about unwarranted remarks by the Indian Minister for External Affairs, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said Pakistan has longstanding and broad-based relationship with the United States, which has been vital in promoting peace, security and stability in the region.

He said in recent months Pakistan-U.S. relations have become robust and multidimensional, further deepening people-to-people and bilateral ties. Both countries are constructively engaged to maintain regional peace and security.

The Spokesperson said India also needs serious introspection of its diplomatic conduct.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the world community to stand by Pakistan to overcome the challenge posed by climate induced catastrophic flooding.

He was talking to the media persons during his visit to a flood affected village of Dadu District today (Tuesday).

He expressed his gratitude to the countries extending help to Pakistan in this difficult hour. He, however, said they will have to be more forthcoming as Pakistan alone cannot handle this unprecedented situation on its own.

He said the devastating floods have inflicted a loss of thirty billion dollars to Pakistan.

Shehbaz Sharif said during his meetings in New York and while addressing the UN General Assembly, he forcefully raised the problems faced by Pakistan. He was confident that the international community is also cognizant of our problems.

Shehbaz Sharif also stressed for collective efforts to heal the wounds of flood victims.  He said it is not time for politics or political point scoring rather diverting attention to the rescue, relief and rehabilitation of flood affected people.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister visited a medical camp established at a tent city in Jakhro where he was briefed about the medical facilities being provided to the flood affectees.

Shehbaz Sharif also visited a temporary tent city school set up for the flood affected children where he met the students and announced to establish a smart school for providing better education to them.

Shehbaz Sharif was briefed that standing crops had been fully destroyed in Dadu.

He was briefed that 37 people had died due to flood and rain in the district.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan

Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sajid Hussain Turi has appealed to the international community and international organizations, including International Labor Organization to help Pakistan compensate the flood-affected workers.

Addressing media in Islamabad on Tuesday, he said due to this calamity, many of our workers and daily wagers are jobless and looking for government’s support.

The Minister said the flood has affected over 30 million people and also destroyed basic infrastructure, triggering the unemployment across the country.

He expressed hope that with effective planning and support of international community, we will come out of this difficult situation. He also reiterated government’s commitment not to leave workers alone at this difficult time.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan

Pakistan and the United States have agreed to continue coordination for ensuring peace and stability in the region in general and in Afghanistan in particular.

An understanding to this effect came during a meeting between Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and a delegation of US Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington DC on Monday.

The USIP delegation was led by Vice-President of Asia Program Andrew Wilders.

The two sides discussed the prospects of broad-based engagement between the two countries.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan

Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal has said that the government is committed to protect the affected people despite the fact that the scale of the disaster is huge.

He was addressing a roundtable conference in Islamabad on Monday.

The minister said that the recent flood has not only claimed lives , but also affected infrastructure and livelihood at a mega scale. He said that the government has taken a number of initiatives as federal and provincial governments have been doing rescue operations since the flood came into the surface.

In order to implement the rehabilitation plan for the flood-affected people, the minister engaged the country’s top economists, key development stakeholders and donors before sending a comprehensive rehabilitation plan to the Prime Minister for the approval.

Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, heading Pakistan’s premier policy research think-tank, Sustainable Development Policy Institute suggested the government to start the rehabilitation process at the district level which he believed is a more effective way to start the rehabilitation process.

Aqdas Afzal, Program Director at Habib University emphasised the importance of Benazir Income Support Programme BISP which is effective for the flood-affected people and suggested the government to link it with the index.

The minister appreciated the ideas and assured the participants to incorporate their ideas with the rehabilitation plan before sending it to the Prime Minister.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan

President Dr Arif Alvi has termed the incidences of audio leaks as a worrisome trend.

Talking to Karachi-based journalists at Governor House in Karachi on Monday, he said that leaking private conversations fell within the category of “backbiting”, which needed to be discouraged.

He said that the privacy of every person was a trust which should be upheld, and leaking private conversations or comments and spreading fake news is unethical as it gives rise to fear and anxiety in society.

He said that politicians should play their role in making the nation intellectually strong. He said that intellectual strength could make our country strong in a minimum time period rather than brick and mortal model.

He said that the world had made important innovations and progress in Cyber Security which has become an important discipline for the safety and security of any nation. He emphasized that Pakistan needed to take decisive and committed initiatives to adopt cyber security technology to lay down the foundation of stability and progress.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan

The United States has appreciated Pakistan’s efforts for digitalization and connectivity projects launched by the government for the people of remote areas.

The admiration was expressed by high-level US delegation led by Deputy Secretary of Communication Mcclain Delaney during a meeting with Minister of Information Technology Amin-Ul-Haque at the International Telecommunication Conference in Bucharest Romania.

Amin-Ul-Haque informed the US delegation about the loss of lives and property caused by floods in Pakistan and the government’s relief efforts.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returned home after attending the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb and PML-N leader and former Minister for finance Ishaq Dar.

 

Source: Radio Pakistan