PESHAWAR, July 18 (APP): At least seven people were killed as a car, they were traveling in, was Monday targeted with a remote control device on mountainous Dogdara road in Sheringle tehsil of Dir Upper District.

Police told APP that a remote controlled bomb, planted in Double Cabin exploded with big bang killing seven people. No occupant of the double cabin survived.

Police said local peace committee Chief Haji Motabar Khan was the target of the bomb blast, however, he had changed the vehicle and remained safe.

Those died in the blast were identified as Khan Muhammad, Adil, Mehmud Jan, Kabir, Amanullah, Samiullah and Habibullah.

ISLAMABAD, July 18 (APP): The Senate on Monday strongly condemned the recent wave of brutal and extra-judicial killings of Kashmiri Muslims and called upon the international human rights organizations, the United Nations, the OIC and the international community to take notice of the atrocities, besides taking appropriate steps for stoppage of the same.

Veteran politician Syed Muhashid Hussain Syed on behalf of all members moved the resolution in the House, which also strongly condemned maiming of boys and girls by the Indian forces in the occupied Kashmir.

The House also demanded the UN to get implemented its resolutions without any further delay and to take effective steps for a fair and free plebiscite in Kashmir under its own supervision.

The House urged the government to highlight the matter at all international forums and take all possible measures at diplomatic level to resolve the Kashmir issue.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): Secretary General ITU Houlin Zhao on Monday called upon the Minister of State for IT and Telecom Anusha Rahman at her office.

The Minister welcomed Secretary General (ITU) in Pakistan and appreciated the efforts of the ITU in harmonizing the use of ICT’s throughout the world. The Minister also briefed the Secretary General regarding the recent development and key initiatives being taken by Pakistan in the field of ICT’s, said a press release issued here.

Anusha said that GOP is fully cognizant of the fact that
development of ICT’s is a key to spur socio economic growth.

Therefore we are rigorously pursuing the agenda of Digital Pakistan on priority basis. Our vision of accelerated digitalization will surely transform Pakistan in to a knowledge based economy.

She stated that her Government staunchly believes in
ubiquitous development of ICT’s infrastructure across the country with special emphasis on serving marginalized segment of the society.

Therefore we have already rolled out programmes of worth
Billions of Rupees through USF in order to connect un-served areas of Pakistan under “Rural telephony project” and we are also ensuring the provisioning of 2G/3G services to all these remote and far flung areas and by end of 2018 such parts of Pakistan will be connected.

Anusha further said that our broadband penetration has
phenomenally rose to more than 19% from less than 3% within the shortest span of two years and we are anticipating 38% increase by the end of 2020.

She said that our Government has successfully curtailed the
menace of “Gray Trafficking” Through an appropriate policy
intervention and succeeded to bring white minutes back to more than 1.5 Billion per Month.

She apprised the Secretary General ITU that provision of ICT
services to the marginalized segment of the society and women empowerment are the main focused areas which are being dealt on priority basis by the current government of PMLN. We have started a special program for the girls of lower income strata/poor segment of the society through ICT for Girls Project and Latest Skills of Coding and Computing are being taught to them.

She further said that in order to promote and train the young
entrepreneurs, the first National Incubations Centre has been
established which will start functioning soon. First State Of The Art Technology Park is being established in Islamabad and two more such parks will also be established soon at Lahore and Karachi respectively.

She also raised the “Afghan sim’s issue with Secretary General ITU. These sim’s are reportedly being sold at “Pak-Afghan border” area.

Secretary General ITU appreciated the visionary leadership of
the Minister and congratulated her for hosting a global event of Asian pacific round table conference first time being held in
Pakistan.

In his maiden visit to Pakistan Secretary General discussed
areas of further expansions in ICT including mechanism for handling cyber crimes and cyber security.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): Pakistan and United Kingdom
have resolved to work together for enhancing and diversifying cooperation in the fields of defence and security.

The two sides expressed this commitment during the 15th round of United Kingdom-Pakistan Defence Cooperation Forum held in London, UK on Monday, says a press release.

Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Under Secretary of State for
Defence led UK side while Lt Gen (Retd) Muhammad Alam Khattak, Secretary Defence headed the Pakistan delegation.
The forum is one of the five strands of cooperation under the umbrella of “Enhanced Security Dialogue Forum” between the two countries.

Prior to the holding of the Plenary Session Secretary Defence
Lt Gen (Retd) Muhammad Alam Khattak called on Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Under Secretary of State for Defence in his office during which issues relating to bilateral security cooperation and counter terrorism were discussed.

Both leaders also exchanged views on enhancing and
diversifying defence cooperation between the two countries.

During the talks, both sides deliberated upon various areas of
mutual interest including respective regional security, counter
terrorism, Afghanistan situation and carried out a review of
national security priorities including extremist threats, border
management and maritime security.

Both sides discussed the successes achieved by government of Pakistan through Operation Zarb-e-Azb and National Action Plan.

Talks of defence cooperation Forum were held in a cordial
atmosphere.

They also agreed that the 16th Round of Pakistan-UK Defence Cooperation Forum will take place in Pakistan in 2017.

ISLAMABAD, July 18 (APP): As many as two private members bills including the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health (Amendment) Bill, 2016 were introduced in the Senate on Monday.

Senator Mohammad Azam Khan Swati moved the bill to amend the Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2010 [The Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace (Amendment) Bill, 2016] in the House.

Mshahid Hussain Syed also moved the bill further to amend the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance, 2002 [ The Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health (Amendment) Bill, 2016] in the House.

Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani referred both the bills to the concerned Standing Committees for further deliberation.

Meanwhile, Senator Azam Khan Swati withdrew his two bills including the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the Senate (Election) (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

ISLAMABAD, July 18 (APP): The Senate of Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned the recent wave of brutal and extra judicial killings of Kashmiri Muslims in occupied Kashmir and called upon the international Human Rights Organizations, the United Nations, the OIC and the International Community to take notice of these atrocities besides taking appropriate steps for stoppage of the same.

Veteran politician Syed Muhashid Hussain Syed on behalf of all members moved the resolution in the House. The resolution also strongly condemned maiming of boys and girls by the Indian forces in the occupied Kashmir.

The House also demanded the UN to get implemented its resolutions without any further delay and to take effective steps for fair and free plebiscite in Kashmir under its own supervision.

The House urged upon the government to highlight the matter on all international forums and take all possible measures at diplomatic level to resolve the Kashmir issue.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): Ambassador of Netherlands Jeannette Seppen has appreciated pro-poor initiatives of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) during her meeting with Managing Director of PBM Barrister Abid Waheed Sheikh at PBM Head Office on Monday.

The Ambassador was greatly impressed by the value efforts for accommodating the deprived persons in the field of healthcare, education, self-reliance and rehabilitation.

Barrister Abid Waheed, on this occasion highlighted various
steps taken for ensuring socio-economic rights to the most
vulnerable groups, said a press release.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to take practical measures in social protection. Barrister Abid Waheed said that Pakistan and Netherlands relations are well-regarded.

While appreciating Managing Director PBM, Jeannette Seppen
pledged to facilitate cooperation with PBM in poverty reduction and social development.

LAHORE, July 18 (APP): American Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale and Consul General in Lahore Zachary Harkenrider met Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, here on Monday.

Matters of mutual interest, promotion of bilateral ties and
cooperation in various sectors including energy were discussed on the occasion.

The Chief Minister said that relations between America and Pakistan were multi-dimensional and it was hoped that they would further improve ties in days to come.

He said that terrorism was an international issue and could not be countered by any country alone. He said that collective efforts are needed for rooting out the menace of terrorism. He said that big powers should understand the problems of the countries facing terrorism.

Shehbaz Sharif said that present government was determined to make Pakistan a welfare state in accordance with the vision of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and equal opportunities were available to all citizens including minorities in the country.

American Ambassador and Consul General appreciated speedy development activities in all sectors in Punjab under the leadership of Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and also commended the measures for elimination of child labour and protection of the rights of brick kiln workers.

Other American diplomats as well as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatimi were also present on the occasion.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): Minister of State for Capital
Administration & Development Division Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary on Monday distributed compensation cheques among the families of those killed in Islamabad storm.

Speaking during the distribution of cheques, he said that the
cheques of 5 million have been given by the Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

The price of human lives can not be paid, he said and added,
these cheques are only to encourage the affectees. Dr Tariq further said that Prime Minister has expressed grief and sorrow over the sad demise of the people of capital by storm.

He said that all out arrangements have been made to avoid loss of lives in natural disasters.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 18 (APP): Pakistan will host the Senior
Officials Meeting (SOM) of Central Asia Regional Economic
Cooperation (CAREC) and related events.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance
here Monday the event is scheduled from July 19-20, 2016 in
Islamabad.
The meeting aims at to promote development through
cooperation, leading to accelerated growth and poverty reduction in
the four priority areas of transport, trade facilitation, trade
policy and energy.
About 80-100 participants from member countries and
multilateral institutions will attend senior officers meeting.
The SOM will be chaired by Anjum Assad Amin, Additional
Secretary, Economic Affairs Division who is the National Focal
Person of Pakistan for CAREC.
Updates and key issues in the four priority sectors of CAREC
including transport, energy, trade facilitation, and trade policy
will be presented.
This will be followed by discussion of the Senior Officials.
On 20th July, the meeting of the Governing Council will take place.
Pakistan will also host 15th CAREC Ministerial Conference
schedule to be held on October 26, 2016.
CAREC program, it may be added, is a consultative forum of
Asian Development Bank (ADB). It consists of 10 member countries
including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, People’s Republic of China,
Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Georgia an Observer supported by 6 multilateral institutions
(Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Nations Development Program
(UNDP), International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank (WB), Islamic
Development Bank (IDB)and European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD).

ISLAMABAD, July 18 (APP): The Senate on Monday strongly
condemned the murder of Amjad Sabri and urged the Sindh, Federal governments and law enforcement agencies to take immediate action to apprehend all the culprits involved in this heinous murder.

Saeed Ghani of Pakistan People’s Party moved the resolution in the House which was adopted unanimously.

The Senate acknowledged the contributions of Amjad Sabri Shaheed as a qawwal, artist and humanitarians. Sabri’s death is a great loss to the world of “Qawwali” but his mesmerizing “Kalams” and “Qawwalis” will never let him die in the hearts of his fans, the resolution said.

Amjad Sabri has brought many laurels and honours for Pakistan. His contributions have enriched the culture of this country. His death is a great loss, not just for his family but also for Pakistan and the entire Muslim world, it further said.

Amjad Sabri was born on December, 23, 1976 to a household which was famous for qawwali, the traditional form of music associated with devotion to holy personalities in Islam. His father Ghulam Fareed Sabir and uncle Maqbool Sabri formed the duo of the Sabri brothers, who went
on to garner national and international acclaim.

Late Amjad Sabri presented the work of his father and uncle in a new light, which helped the younger generation connect to ‘qawwali’, something which had not happened earlier.

MULTAN, July 18 (APP): Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Margaret Adamson said that Australia and Pakistan enjoyed cordially relationships in various fields especially in agriculture sector.

She was happy to know that mango was second major fruit of Pakistan.

She said that besides cricket, mangoes were also recognition of Pakistan.

Margaret Adamson congratulated Pakistani people on excellent victory in test match at Lords Cricket Ground. She said this while addressing the two days Mango Festival, at Mango Research Institute Multan. The event was organized jointly by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture and Agriculture department Multan.

She informed that Australia was extending immense cooperation especially in agriculture field, adding the Agriculture Sector Linkages Programme (ASLP) launched by Australia in Pakistan was yielding good results. It aimed to improve contemporary farm practices, establishing disease free nurseries, improving marketing opportunities and value added chain system, she said and added that training to scientists and farmers was also being managed under the ASLP.

She said that scientists of both countries were sharing their
experiences with one another and benefiting the farmers, adding that nearly 5000 farming families were being supported through this programme in the country. She maintained that the both countries were also working on dairy and livestock sectors. Punjab was heavy weight of Agriculture and Australia was also offering agriculture assistance in Sindh and Balochistan, she informed.

On this occasion, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Bosan, MNA Muhammad Khan Daha, MPA Rana Mehmoodul Hassan and others were also present.

LAHORE, July 18 (APP): Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Monday said that a lot of work had been done under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to cope with energy crisis.

He said that power projects were delayed due to sit-ins staged by the elements against development of the country and prosperity of masses.

He said that energy projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor were being speedily implemented and 1320 megawatts Sahiwal Coal Power Plant would be completed much before stipulated period. He said that power production from this project would start from the beginning of next year. He said that a coal power plant of 1320 megawatts was usually completed in four to five years.

He said that federal and Punjab governments and concerned institutions were working round the clock for early completion of energy projects.

He was addressing a high level meeting through video link, here.

The Chief Minister said that former rulers paid no attention to the solution of people’s problems and misappropriated national resources in the name of development projects. He said that had the former rulers paid attention to resolving energy crisis, the country would not have been plunged into darkness.

Shehbaz Sharif said that work was continuing expeditiously on 3600 megawatts gas-based power projects in Punjab and these projects had been obtained at the lowest rate in the contemporary history. He said that saving of 112 billion rupees had been made on these projects while funds of billions of rupees had been saved in development projects through transparency. He said that gas-based energy projects would result in availability of low cost electricity to the masses. He said that work on solar projects was also in progress.

The Chief Minister said that thousands of megawatts electricity would be generated with the completion of several energy projects till 2018 which would fulfill electricity requirements while industrial and agriculture sectors would also progress.

He said that the sincere efforts of the government would prove fruitful and darkness would soon be removed from the country.

The Chief Minister said that journey of progress and development started under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was continuing and the problems being faced by the nation would be resolved.

The meeting reviewed progress on development projects including power projects.

Chairman Planning & Development, Secretary Industries, Chairman Investment Board and concerned authorities attended the meeting.