NEW YORK, Nov 15 (APP): Former US Vice President Joe Biden would lead President Donald Trump in a 2020 general election, according to a new poll.
Only 35 percent of voters would choose to reelect Trump in 2020, the Politico/Morning Consult poll shows substantially fewer than the 46 percent who would vote instead for Biden, who has said that he is not closing the door on a third attempt at the presidency in 2020. One in 5 voters are undecided.
Biden made the statement that he may challenge Trump in 2020 in an interview with NBC News while promoting his new book, Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.
“I honest-to-God haven’t made up my mind about that,” Biden, who is turning 75 later this month, told NBC. “I’m not closing the door. I’ve been around too long, and I’m a great respecter of fate, but who knows what the situation is going to be a year-and-a-half from now.”
According to the poll, a majority of white voters are divided in the matchup, with 41 percent saying they would support Biden and 40 percent backed Trump.
In the Midwest however, Biden has a 9-point lead over Trump in the potential matchup.
Biden is a strong critic of Trump and his leadership style. He has accused his administration of misunderstanding and misrepresenting the American values.
Biden, a favourite for the 2016 Democratic nomination, announced his decision to not run for the White House in October 2015, cementing former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s standing as the front-runner.
The new poll was conducted from November 9 to 11 among 1,993 registered voters. Its margin of error is 2 percent.
EX-VP Biden leads Trump by 11 points in potential 2020 matchup: Poll
Royal children set about learning Chinese
BEIJING,Nov 15 (APP):Learning Chinese has once again proven as a great investment in children’s education after U.S. President Donald Trump’s granddaughter successfully played her diplomatic role and facilitated Trump’s successful visit to China by singing a Chinese song and reciting poetry in Mandarin.
Arabella Kushner, a six-year-old Chinese learner, has been hailed by Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “little star,” who also graded her performance with an “A+”. She started learning Mandarin from her Chinese nanny when she was just 16 months old, China Daily reported on Wednesday.
Learning Chinese has already become a new trend in royal families. Elisabeth, 16-year-old Princess of Belgium, studied Chinese in a Dutch speaking school in Brussels. Such a move also happened in the neighboring Dutch monarchy. Catharina Amalia, the heir to the Dutch throne, started learning Chinese in Hague in 2016.
Meanwhile, the Danish monarchy is another European royal family which has shown a keen interest in China and its culture and language. Apart from Danish, French, and English, Chinese is among one of the four languages used on the royal family’s website since 2014.
Chinese also appears to be a popular second language in Asian royal families. Princess Sirindhorn has been learning about Chinese culture and arts and has been studying Chinese language for years. Her proficiency in Chinese has earned her a title of “good friend of China,” enabling her to be a true envoy for Sino-Thai relations.
The number of foreigners learning Chinese has grown from 30 million in 2005 to 100 million today, with more than 60 countries now offering Chinese as part of their national education system.
PML-N rendered service for national prosperity: CM
LAHORE, Nov 15 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad
Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said politics was no gimmickry but a selfless service to people.
He added that people had defeated the conjurers at every
front who made politics a victim of their tricks.
“The objectives of these political elements have remained
unsuccessful in the past nor will they succeed in future. The
elements indulged in spreading anarchy, falsehood and leveling of allegations have no concern for the public welfare,” he said.
The chief minister expressed these views while talking to elected representatives who called on him here.
He said the politicians who were devoid of public service had only wasted the precious time of the people. These elements
who erected obstacles in the journey of national development would have to be accountable for their negative behavior.
These tricksters would again face defeat in the general
elections of 2018 and the conscious people would reject the
negative politics of opponents of the development.
He said those demanding for early elections were unnerved
over the speedy development of the country. He inquired that
how the elements that had made the people disappointed in
their province were claiming about change and added that it
was unbecoming of such politicians to talk about making of
a new Pakistan.
He said the loot and plunder of former corrupt rulers
increased problems of the people as the poor nation was
looted through the plunder of national resources.
The chief minister said corruption, loot and nepotism
had become a story of the past in development projects. The
government had promoted transparency in development schemes
and the PML-N had rendered service for national prosperity.
“The services of the PML-N leadership are unforgettable
and targets of development have been achieved in
our government,” he added.
It was a historic achievement of the PML-N that it had
put the country on the road to development by getting rid
of the economic deficit, he said and added the pivot of the
strategy of the PML-N was welfare and prosperity of the masses,
the chief minister said
Those who called on the chief minister included MNAs
Chaudhry Khalid Javed Warraich, Dr Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti,
Ghulam Bibi Bharwana and Sardar Ashiq Hussain Gopang.
Russia keen to establish trade relations with Pakistan
SIALKOT, Nov 15 (APP): Commercial Counselor of Embassy
of Russia in Pakistan Sergey Baranov on Wednesday said Russia was keen to establish strong bilateral trade relations
with Pakistan.
He said this while addressing a meeting of exporters held at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Wednesday.
SCCI President Zahid Latif Malik presided over the meeting
while SCCI Vice President Abid Ahmed Khawaja, Dr Mariyam
Nouman, Chairman SCCI Departmental Committee on Women Entrepreneurs, Waqas Akram Awan and others also attended it.
The commercial counselor said the Russia was also keen to
develop strong Business-to-Business contacts between businessmen of Pakistan and Russia besides making sincere efforts to explore the mutual trade potential as well.
Meanwhile, Sergey Baranov showed keen interest in the
Sialkot-made sports goods and surgical instruments during his visit to several leading industrial units. He witnessed the
production process of sports goods and he highly hailed the
international standard craftsmanship of the Sialkot based
artisans.
On this occasion, Russian Envoy Sergey Baranov said that
Russia was intending to boost the mutual trade ties with Pakistan besides making all-out sincere efforts to strengthen the mutual trade.
Addressing the meeting, SCCI President Zahid Latif Malik
stressed the need to establish a proper and well-planned
banking channel between Pakistan and Russia, saying that
the mutual trade and business could never be developed
without proper banking system in Russia as well.
PM chairs meeting on net hydel profits; issue amicably resolved
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP): Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi chaired a high level meeting on the issue of net hydel profits here at the PM’s Office on Wednesday.
The issue of net hydel profits was amicably resolved during the meeting after taking into account the claims of the two provincial governments and modus operandi for the settlement of the amount involved, a press release issued by the PM’s Media Office here said.
The meeting was attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Punjab’s Minister for Finance Ms Ayesha Ghous, secretaries Finance, Water and Power divisions, chief secretaries and senior officials of the federal and provincial governments.
SP among four killed in Quetta firing
QUETTA, Nov 15 (APP): Four persons, including Superintendent of Police (SP) City Investigation Muhammad Ilyas, his wife and a son, were killed and his daughter was injured when their vehicle was fired upon by unidentified gunmen in Nawan Killi area of the provincial capital on Wednesday evening.
According to police sources, the SP along with his family was on the way to home when the assailants riding on a
motorbike opened fire at them. His daughter, who was received bullet injuries, was rushed to the Civil Hospital.
The dead bodies of the SP, his wife and son Abdul Wahab, and Muhammad Adeel Advocate, who was also accompanying them, were also shifted to the Civil Hospital.
Upon information, the police reached the site of incident and cordoned off the entire area.
PIIA hosts `Peace in South Asia’ conference
KARACHI, Nov 15 (APP):A two-day moot on `Peace in South
Asia: Opportunities and Challenges’ commenced here on
Wednesday.
The conference is being organized by the Pakistan Institute
of International Affairs (PIIA) to mark their 70th anniversary.
Dr. Masuma Hassan, Chairperson PIIA, in her welcome address
said `South Asia is no exception to war and conflict. It is home
to some of the most intractable disputes, including that of
Kashmir. We have invited scholars from south asia and other
countries so that we can discuss the dynamics and factors in
pursuit of peace in our region’.
Chairman Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC), Senator Mushahid Hussain, in his keynote address
further said that Peace in the region can help us achieve
untapped potential of South Asian natural resources while
providing employment opportunities to millions of youth and
eradicating poverty in the region. It will also help us wipe out
threat existing in the form of problems of water sharing, climate
change, environmental degradation.
Pakistan is the center of the regional trade and has
geo-strategic value. CPEC is the centerpiece and flagship in the
history of Pakistan, he added.
Scholars from leading think tanks, academia and diplomats in
the region were invited to participate in this conference.
Devika Mittal, Convener, Aaghaz-e-Dosti, Delhi, India,
through video message said about `Peace Education in
India-Pakistan Context: Praxis and Potentials’ in the same
session highlighted that `Focusing specifically on peace
education, a lot depends on the attitude of teachers like the
school management, towards peace education, its objective and
importance’.
`Teacher’s own understanding of these issues is crucial. In
the situation of a conflict between a teacher’s understanding and
the narrative in textbooks, it will be the teacher who will tend
to have an upper hand’.
Naresh Prasad Shrestha, Chairman, Director Institute of
Strategic and Socio-Economic Research, Kathmandu, Nepal, spoke
about Peace, Connectivity, Trade and Investment in South Asia: A
Nepalese Perspective.
The session three was about Informal Diplomacy and
Connecting with the People which was chaired by Ambassador
Najmuddin Shaikh, while Ambassador Aziz Ahmed Khan, Honorary Vice
President, Jinnah Institute, Islamabad, spoke about Informal
Diplomacy and Connecting People: Track II Dialogue Process.
Jehan Perera, Chairman, National Peace Council, Colombo, Sri
Lanka, spoke about `Priority Issues for Reconciliation in Sri Lanka’.
The session four is `Cooperation on Social Issues’ which
chaired by Senator (R) Javed Jabbar while Mahnaz Rahman,
Resident Director, Aurat Foundation, Karachi, delivered speech on
`Women’s Movement and Peace Building in South Asia’.
UK fully respects sovereignty, territorial integrity of Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP):United Kingdom fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, of which Balochistan is and will continue to be an integral part, responding to concerns about advertisements about Balochistan in London British High Commissioner, Thomas Drew CMG has said.
According to a message from the UK High Commission, here Wednesday, he said,“I understand the strength of feeling about adverts in London. The British Government does not and cannot control advertising in the U.K.” But our own position is clear about the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Pakistan, of which Balochistan is and will continue to be an integral part.
Opposition parties’ reservations on delimitation issue removed: Ayaz
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP):Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq Wednesday said reservations of opposition parties with regard to delimitation had been removed.
“The issue of delimitation had been solved after evolving consensus among the opposition parties,” he said while talking to media persons after chairing a meeting of parliamentary leaders on the delimitation issue in the wake of fresh national census.
He said on the demand of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP), the issue of delimitations had been discussed in the Council of Common Interests (CCI).
He said representatives of the PPPP could not attend today’s meeting due to certain reasons, however, it was decided to meet again on Thursday to take PPPP’s input. “We want to pass the amendments after taking PPPP into confidence, following which the bill will be tabled in the National Assembly.”
The speaker said it was decided in the meeting that the number of provincial assemblies’ seat would not be increased like the National Assembly.
As per initial report, the new delimitations will decrease nine National Assembly seats of the most populous Punjab province and increase four seats of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and three seats of the largest province of Balochistan.
The meeting was also attend by the official of Election of Pakistan and Statistics Department and other concerned departments.
Denmark wants to enhance bilateral trade ties with Pakistan: Envoy
FAISALABAD, Nov 15 (APP):Denmark Ambassador to Pakistan Rolf
Michael Hay Pereira Holmboe said on Wednesday that Danish government
was keen to enhance bilateral trade relations with Pakistan in
different sectors including textile and knitwear.
Addressing the traders at Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers &
Exporters Association (North Zone) here, he said that Pakistan
was a peace loving country and its picture was very good for
boosting trade relations. He said that Danish companies would
sign joint ventures in different sectors with Pakistani companies
to enhance bilateral trade.
The ambassador said that he would talk with Danish companies
for working with Pakistani companies in knitwear sector.
He said that new technology would be introduced in Pakistan
which would help increase production, improve quality of products
and cut production cost.
Earlier, Chairman PHMA (NZ) Mian Naeem Ahmed presenting a
welcome address and said that PHMA was a representative body
of knitted clothing Manufacturers & Exporters which had 1,600
member companies across Pakistan that were providing employment
to around half million workers.
He said the PHMA was earning around 3.2 billion dollars
foreign exchange for Pakistan.
He said the PHMA was also actively providing advisory to the
government on Textile related matters and formulation of policies
for the betterment of our value added textile industry.
He said that Denmark had played an important role in getting
us the GSP Plus status within the EU community and we appreciate
Denmark role in this regard.
GSP Plus has proven vital for Pakistan’s garments industry,
he said and added that trade between Pakistan and Denmark had
not capitalized on the full potential that exists.
He said that some well known internal brands of Danish were
popular in Pakistan and some Pakistani companies were famous in
Denmark.
He said the PHMA assured full cooperation for enhancing
clothing exports to Denmark.
Later, souvenirs were presented to Ambassador Rolf Holmboe
and Deputy Head of Mission Denmark Ulrich Sorensen.
Traders- Qamar Aftab, Kashif Zia, Amir Hafeez and others
were present on the occasion.
Stability in Afghanistan key to promote regional integration, trade: Speakers
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP): A group of eminent speakers during a conference here on Wednesday emphasised that stability in Afghanistan would be key in promoting regional integration and trade and for carrying out energy
projects across boundaries.
Speaking at an international conference on “Regional Dynamics and Strategic Concerns in South Asia”, former ambassador of Pakistan to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mohmand said ongoing conflict in Afghanistan had multidimensional implications for the countries in the region including Pakistan.
The conference was organized by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) in collaboration with Hanns Seidel Foundation.
Rustam Shah said instability in Afghanistan would jeopardise regional energy projects, affect trade on different routes and would obstruct smooth execution of work on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Rustam said concerted and relentless efforts were needed to keep stability in Afghanistan as continuing violence had robbed the region of immense economic opportunities.
The former envoy said Pakistan would benefit the most if there was stability and calm in Afghanistan and in the same way it would suffer the most if conflict continued in the country.
He said India had investment of $ two billion in various projects in Afghanistan which increased its influence in the country.
Afghanistan wanted that it should be treated as a sovereign country, which decided on its own what kind of relations it would have with other countries in the region, he noted.
He said however, Afghan soil should never be used for creating trouble in neighbouring countries.
Deputy Secretary General Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Vladimir Potapenko said SCO member states wanted Afghanistan to be peaceful and stable and as a country which respected human rights and freedoms and maintained friendly relations with its neighbours.
He said the Astana declaration resolutely supported the efforts of the government and the people of Afghanistan aimed at creating a peaceful and stable state, free of terrorism, extremism and illegal drug trafficking.
Dr Attaullah, Wahidyar, Senior Advisor, Ministry of Education, Government of Afghanistan in his presentation stressed that only regional cooperation would result in sustainable security.
He said better relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan would pave the way for a more
secure and prosperous region.
He said Pakistan had concerns about India’s interest in Afghanistan, which wanted good
relations with all neighbouring countries.
He said there was no chance of exploitation of mineral resources of Afghanistan unless
normalcy returned to the country.
Former National Security Secretary and former ambassador Mohammad Sadiq said there was
a war going on in Afghanistan and it was a stalemate between the forces in conflict.
He opined that the government in Afghanistan would not collapse, adding lack of unity in
the Afghan government was one of the reasons that the country could not achieve
peace.
Former Secretary Defence and member Advisory Board of the Center for Strategic and
Contemporary Research (CSCR) Lt Gen (R) Naeem Khalid Lodhi said countries in
the region should be talking to each other to resolve issues as maintaining status quo was not the way to overcome problems.
Professor Dr Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema, Dean Faculty of Contemporary Sciences, National Defence
University Islamabad discussed in detail the genesis of the Kashmir dispute.
He said the imperative of regional peace could not be achieved without resolving the Jammu
and Kashmir dispute.
He said Kashmir dispute could not be resolved as India was refusing to come to the
negotiating table.
Dr Christian Wagner, Senior Fellow, Asia Division, German Institute for International
Security Affairs, described in detail the role of global powers in building
cooperative security order in South Asia.
He said United Nations, United States, China, Russia and some other countries at different
times played a role in shaping South Asia and mediating conflicts between the
countries like India and Pakistan.
He said South Asia was afflicted with the problems of terrorism and instability and the
countries needed to build consensus for long term solution of issues.
Lahore B, Karachi W match abandoned due to rain
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP):The match between Lahore Region Blues and Karachi Region Whites of the National Twenty20 Cup 2017-18 was abandoned without a ball being bowled at Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi on Wednesday.
Both the teams will share one point each.
Two matches decided in railways inter division cricket
LAHORE, Nov 15 (APP):Two matches were decided on the opening day of the Pakistan railways inter division cricket championship here on Wednesday at two different venues.
In the first match PRSB XI beat Sukkur Division by an innings and 94 runs at Railways stadium and workshops division outplayed Railway Police by an innings and one run at Mughalpura institute ground and each got ten points.
Brief scores, PRSB batted first 383/5 in 83 overs. Left handed opening batsman Ali Zaryab played well and struck 105 with 1 Six & 13 Fours. Tanveer Javaid 92, Zain ul Hasnain 65, Salman Ali 39 and Muhammad Mohsin 54 Runs notout.
Sukkur Division bowling Haider Ali 3/103, Rao Sajid 1/66 and Waseem Raza 1/82 wickets. In Reply Sukkur Division were bowled out at 133 all in 37 overs. PRSB took lead 234 first innings lead and forced a follow on to Sukkur. Rao Sajid 40 remained unbeaten as Zafar Ali 40 and Kashif Siddique 24 runs were the other top scorers.
PRSB Eleven bowling Umair Khan 3/19, Muhammad Rameez 3/22, Ali Zaryar 1/1, Zain ul Hussain 1/2 and Shahid Ali 1/17 wickets. Sukkur Division second innings 140 all out after 32 overs. Ahmad Ullah 62 not out PRSB bowling Muhammad Rameez 4/45, Umair Khan 3/22, Muhammad Mohsin 1/6 and Aftab Azwar 1/53 wickets.
In the second match, Railways Police batted first 62 all out in 18.2 overs and got help from Khizar Abbas 17 and Shahriyar Jaffery 16 Runs. Workshops Division bowling Ali Zubair bowled well and captured 6/38 and Nisar Ahmad got 3/23 wickets. In reply workshops Division were all out at 193 after 37.5 overs. Shahrukh Ali 55, Usman Liaqat 23, Asim Ali Nasir 23 and Hamza Nazar 16 runs were the main run getters. Railways Police bowling Shariyar Jaffery 6/76 and Niaz Ahmad 4/55 wickets. Workshops Division first innings lead 131 runs. Railway Police Second Innings 130 all out in 38.3 overs. Fahad Alam 82 runs. Workshops Division bowling Muhammad Faisal 4/16, Nisar Ahmad 2/32 and Asad Ullah 2/53 wickets.
Polo in Pink tournament: Day 2
LAHORE, Nov 15 (APP):Remington Polo and Edezell chalked out
victories on the second day of Polo in Pink tournament here at the Lahore Polo Club (LPC) ground on Wednesday.
Remington Polo beat Artema Medical/Black Horse Paints by 6-5½ in the well-contested first encounter of the day. Bilal Haye emerged as star of the day as he slammed all the six goals for his team while from the losing side, which had one and half goal handicap advantage, Hamza Mawaz thwarted three goals and Abubakar Siddique one. The early part of the match was dominated by Remington Polo but Hamza Mawaz played superb polo and turned the tables on his opponents but in the last chukker, Bilal Haye led from the front and banged in a brilliant brace to steer his team to splendid victory.
The second match of the day was contested between Edezell and Guard Group, and the ultimate winners were Edezell who outsmarted Guard Group to 8-6 victory. Ahmed Nawaz Tiwana played heroic role in his team’s triumph by pumping in fabulous four goals while Abdul Rehman Monnoo hammered a hat-trick and Atif Yar Tiwana contributed one. From Guard Group, Taimur Mawaz Khan converted three goals while Taimur Ali Malik scored a brace and Samir Malik hit one.
Tomorrow (Thursday), Dewa’s Own, Sakuf and Terra Energy will vie against each other under American system at 2:00 pm while Newage will take on Rijas at 3pm.
Famous music composer Feroze Nizami remembered
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP):Famous film music composer Feroze Nizami was remembered on the occasion of his death anniversary here on Wednesday.
He was born in Lahore in 1910. He belonged to a family well versed in the art of music. He received his early education in this field from Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan turning him into a very competent classical vocalist of the Kiranagharana.
After completing his graduation, he joined all India Radio and served on Lahore, Delhi and Lakhnaw stations. After some years, he moved to Bombay and got the chance to exhibit his talent as a music composer. Feroze Nizami had enormous amount of range in his compositions, from classical to semi classical, thumris to western music; he had used all of them. He started his career in 1943, by composing the music of Vishwas with Chhelalal.
In 1946, he composed music for D.R.D. Wadiya’s Muslim social film Neik Parveen. It was a flop but some of Feroze Nizami’s compositions were good.
In 1947, Noor Jehan and her husband Shaukat Hussain had started Shauqat Art Productions in Bombay, and they had started work on their first film. Feroze Nizami was recruited to score the music. The movie was Jugnu, it was a big hit. After the partition, like numerous other artists, Feroze Nizami also moved to Lahore to support a weak Pakistani film Industry.
His first film Hamri Basti (1949) as a music director flopped in Pakistan.Noor Jehan was back again after a four years break from silver screen, and started her Pakistani film and singing career with a great melodious Punjabi film Chann Vey.
In this film, Feroze Nizami’s music reached new heights and almost all the songs created waves in subcontinent. After Jugnu and Chann Vey, in 1952, Dopatta was hat-trick of success by Feroze Nizami and NoorJehan. “Dopatta” was the only Pakistani film to celebrate an outstanding success in the sub-continent.Feroze Nizami passed on November 15, 1975, in Lahore, at the age of 59.
12 Countries keen to invest in Pakistan’s marble, granite sector: PASDEC
Islamabad, Nov 15, (APP):Trade delegations and business visitors from 12 countries have shown their interest in developing business connection with local entrepreneurs of Marble and Granite Sector.
Chief Executive Office of Pakistan Stone Development Company (PASDEC), Zahid Maqsood Sheikh said PASDEC is striving for the development of marble and granite sector of Pakistan.
In a statement issued here Wednesday, Zahid applauded the role of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in recognizing true potential of marble and granite sector.
With the recognition of TDAP as well as the government, the marble and granite sector would bring more investment and stability in dimensional stone sector of Pakistan, he added.
PASDEC established a marble and granite pavilion in the trade fair and Waheed Marble, Frontier Works Organization (FWO), Hussain Trading, Popular Marble Industries, Millat Marble , Skyworld Corporations, Mehran Marble and Balochistan Minerals showcased the products of marble and granite.
The trade delegations and business visitors from 12 countries including China, Korea, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Czech Republic and Bangladesh showed their keen interest for developing business connections with local entrepreneurs of marble and granite. The delegates from UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Italy also showed their interest in developing business connection with local entrepreneurs.
Pakistan Stone Development Company facilitated the representative from IMM Carrara Mr. Marco Antonio Ragone to study in depth about marble industry of the country.
Voters to cast vote in constituency on CNIC in 2018 polls: ECP
PESHAWAR, Nov 15 (APP):Additional Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Wednesday said that in next general election
the voters would cast their vote in the constituency of which he/she has given address on CNIC.
Addressing a media workshop here, he said that ECP is
introducing electoral reforms while keeping in view the past experiences,
adding that except the government servants all the voters would cast vote in
their own constituency.
He said that ECP remained fully engaged in meeting of
parliamentary committee on election reforms and floated various suggestions to
ensure transparent election in future.
He said that after thorough deliberations the Election Act
2017 was approved and now the ECP would draft rules under this act.
Zafar Iqbal said that under the act, all the officials to be
deployed on election duty would take oath to ensure transparent casting of
vote, adding provincial election commissioners would take oath from all
district returning officers while district election officers would take oath
from returning officers.
He said that under the act a formula has been drafted for
printing of ballot papers and the returning officer would seal record of
tempering in election in an evident bag to keep it preserve for future
investigation.
On the occasion Director General Election Muhammad Yousaf
Khattak briefed the media about new election act 2017 and told that if vote
count remains less than 10 percent in any constituency ECP would declare the
election result null and void for that constituency.
He further said that the data of voter lists is now shifted
to ECP from NADRA and as per the data the overall vote bank would be over 100
million. He said that any candidate or his agent can obtain a copy of voters’
list from ECP through a formal application.
He said that after May 1st, 2018 the previous voters’ list
would stand cancelled and sitting assemblies would complete the terms by June
1st, 2018.
Director MIS Haider Ali said that use of technology in NA-4
Peshawar by-poll proved very helpful in finalizing the election results.
Additional Director General Gender Affairs Nighat Saddiqui
told the participants of workshop that ECP is taking steps to ensure
participation of all segments of society, adding that district voters’
education committees have been activated at district level. She hoped an
increase in turn out in next general elections.
She said that as per the ECP data women voting was less in
79 constituencies of the country where the commission has decided now to
arrange mobile vans with the collaboration of NADRA for registration of votes
of the women.
The spokesman of EC Haroon Shinwari said that ECP is fully
ready for general elections at any time. He said that since the population
census has been completed therefore delimitation has become imperative now.
To a question, Additional Secretary told media that the
estimated cost for conduct of election process has also been increased.
He said that ECP is going to celebrate national voters’ day
on December 7 where awareness and sensitization would be created among media,
civil society and general public.
The workshop was attended by media representatives from
Peshawar. A total five sessions were
held and media persons were briefed about electoral reforms. Provincial
Election Commissioner Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pir Maqbool Ahmed also attended the
workshop.
Indian attitude of denying visa to cancer patient regrettable: FO
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP):Spokesperson of Foreign Office Dr Faisal Wednesday said Indian attempt to politicize a humanitarian case by denying medical visa to a cancer patient was regrettable.
Addressing a press conference here in Foreign Office with a cancer survivor, Osama and his parents , who recently returned from Turkey after getting treatment for liver cancer.
He said New Delhi demanded a letter of approval from the foreign minister to issue a medical visa to Osama, which was a clear violation of international laws.
Dr Faisal said the patient had to suffer because of the wait and delaying for the medical visa by Indian embassy.
Speaking on this occasion, Osama said he regretted the Indian attitude because it unnecessarily politicised a humanitarian issue.
He said India politicized the issue as “I hail from Azad Kashmir, it was painful for me and my family because delaying the visa can worsen my condition.”
“In Turkey, I received treatment with utmost respect. The Turkish government and administration took care of me,” he said.
Osama’s father also thanked both the Pakistani and Turkish governments for providing assistance during his stay in Turkey.
PML-N always accepted court’s decisions: Ranjha
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP):Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha Wednesday said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) always respected judiciary and accepted its decisions.
Former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and his party had struggled for the restoration of judiciary during the previous tenure of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), he said talking to a private news channel.
The minister said the PML-N government had not pursued the policy of confrontation as it had implemented the disqualification decision against Nawaz Sharif despite reservations.
He said no allegation of corruption had been proved against Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case. Nawaz Sharif was still the most popular leader of the country, he added.
Replying to a question, he said the Karachi operation was launched with consensus to eliminate terrorist
activities from the metropolitan city. Peace was restored in Karachi due to the operation, he added.
Date extended for filing of income tax returns till Nov 30
ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP):The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Wednesday extended due date for filing of income tax returns or statements by salaried individuals, other individuals and AOPs, till November 30.
Extension of date had been approved by Finance Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on the proposal of
FBR, in view of the requests made by tax bars, various trade associations and members of the business community
as they could not find ample time for filing of their tax returns, an FBR press release said.
It may be recalled that in the spirit of facilitating filers, the due date was earlier extended from October 31
to November 15.
The due date for filing of returns or statements of final taxation in case of companies had not been extended,
the press release said.