PTA between Pakistan, Turkey much awaited

KARACHI: The Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Pakistan and Turkey is under technical discussions for more than three years. Both the governments should move fast ahead by resolving the technical issues to materialise the PTA. 

Zakaria Usman President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) at interactive session of Pakistan-Turkey Business Council of FPCCI said the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Turkey would be further developed by the implementation of the decisions of Istanbul Forum 2014 held in Turkey. Though the balance of trade is in favour of Pakistan but statistics show the volume of trade have been reduced to $621.5 million in 2013 as compared to $1.2 billion in 2011.

Pakistan plans huge desert solar park

For years Pakistanis have sweated and cursed through summer power cuts, but now the government plans to harness the sun's ferocious heat to help tackle the country's chronic energy crisis.

In a corner of the Cholistan desert in Punjab province, power transmission lines, water pipes and a pristine new road cross 4,000 hectares of parched, sandy land.

The provincial government has spent $US5 million ($A5.35 million) to put in place the infrastructure as it seeks to transform the desolate area into one of the world's largest solar power parks, capable one day of generating up to 1,000 megawatts of electricity.

Pakistan library named ‘bin Laden,’ as memory fades

ISLAMABAD: Most didn’t notice the new library at this Islamic seminary for girls near Pakistan’s capital, until locals saw the paper sign in Urdu posted on its wooden door: “Library of Osama bin Laden, the Martyr.”

Cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, a radical preacher who runs the Jamia Hafsa madrassa, wanted to honor the memory of the al-Qaida leader, killed in a May 2011 raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on his hiding place in Abbottabad, a garrison town about 125 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Islamabad.

Pakistan Horti-Fresh Processing approves SOP: HWT to serve exporters as Common Facility Centre

Pakistan Horti-Fresh Processing Hot Water Treatment (HWT), a joint venture of the Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Company (PHDEC) and Durrani Associates, is ready to serve the exporters as Common Facility Centre. The Board of Directors of Pakistan Horti-Fresh Processing (Pvt) Ltd has approved Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to facilitate mango exporters of the country. 

According to a spokesperson of the PHDEC, Pakistan Horti-Fresh Processing (Pvt) Ltd has been established as Joint Venture between Durrani Associates and PHDEC through funding from Export Development Fund (EDF). The purpose of the project is to meet SPS requirements of importing countries of mango and other horticulture products, quarantine pest management, post-harvest disease management and improved produce quality and shelf life.

Pakistan among best performing stock markets in world: MSCI

KARACHI: Positive news on the economic front and aggressive foreign buying has led Pakistan among the top performing markets in the world during April, as according to MSCI, whose benchmark indices are widely followed by investors, Pakistani market gained 10 percent so far in April, analysts said on Saturday.

Among 12 countries in Asia as defined by MSCI, the Pakistani market has so far generated highest return in dollar terms during April, they said.

Pakistan will have to act against Taliban

KARACHI: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, while talking in Geo programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Sath’, said that an organised network of terrorists involved in sectarian terrorism had been busted in Lahore and its members arrested. The objective of the network was to trigger Shia-Sunni riots and to spread terror in the country.

Brigadier (R) Saad Mohammed said in the programme that Pakistan would have to ultimately act against the Taliban. MQM’s Faisal Sabzwari said that hundreds of party activists had been implicated in false cases.

Road accident kills 36 in southern Pakistan

KARACHI, PAKISTAN: Pakistani police say a passenger bus has rammed into a disabled flatbed trailer parked on the side of a highway in the south, killing at least 36 people, including 17 women and children. Police officer Zia Soomro says the bus was headed north near the town of Pannu Aqil when it hit the truck early Sunday. He also said 20 people were injured in the crash. He said some of the injured were admitted in serious condition to the town hospital and that the death toll could increase.

Soomro said the accident's cause is unclear. He said one track of the road is closed at the site due to construction work. Bad road infrastructure, poor driving and massive disregard for traffic rules often cause such accidents in Pakistan.

Karachi: Two Pakistani UN staff members kidnapped by gunmen

Islamabad: Gunmen have kidnapped two men working for the U.N. Children's Fund from Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, police said Saturday. Image for representation only (courtesy: PTI) The two Pakistani men were on their way to a bus terminal to pick up some relatives when they were taken, the police official said. The men were taken on Thursday night, he said. So far, no ransom call had been received, he said, and it was unclear who was holding the men. The police officer asked not to be named since he was not authorized to speak to the media. A spokeswoman for the U.N. Children's Fund, also known as UNICEF, was not available to comment. The port city of Karachi is Pakistan's financial heart and home to 18 million people. Many neighbourhoods are considered Taliban strongholds, including the area of Shorab Goth, which is near where the men were taken. In February, gunmen kidnapped three Pakistani men working for the U.N.'s World Health Organisation in the northwestern town of Tank. They are still being held. Pakistan is plagued by kidnapping gangs. Foreigners and wealthy Pakistanis are frequently targeted and kidnappings are reported on a near-daily basis. Current hostages include an American aid worker, the son of a former prime minister, the son of a former provincial governor, and many professionals such as doctors and lawyers. Militant groups such as the Taliban often use such kidnappings to raise money for their insurgency. The Taliban have been fighting for years to overthrow the democratically elected government and impose strict Islamic law on the country of 180 million people.

Pakistan to Import 3000 MW Electricity from Iran

The federal cabinet okayed signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the import of electricity from Iran, the Pakistani International News reported.

The MoU between the two countries would be signed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during his visit to Iran. Pakistan would import 3,000MW of electricity from Iran according to a draft of the MoU.

Early in March, media reports said that Iranian and Pakistani officials were in talks over the import of 1,000 MW of electricity by Islamabad to overcome its power outages as soon as possible.

A 500-kilovolt power transmission line, stretching for 700 kilometers (about 435 miles), would also be set up from the Iran-Pakistan border to the Southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta.

Pakistan is battling chronic electricity shortage, which is inflaming public anger and stifling industrial output, as power outages can last eight to 10 hours a day in cities, with much more frequent cuts in rural areas.

Electricity imports from Iran reportedly cost Pakistan around $3 million a month.

17 persons belonging to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir detained

Seventeen persons, including three women and 10 children, from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir were detained for illegally crossing into India from Nepal through Sonouli border, SSB sources said on Saturday.

Four men, three women and 10 children were detained from here on Friday for illegally crossing into India after reaching Kathmandu from Pakistan, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) Deputy Commandant of Sonouli Mithul Kumar said.

Kumar said all of them hailed from POK's Muzaffarabad town and had left Jammu and Kashmir in 1989 and 2009 in separate groups.

17 persons belonging to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir detained

It is suspected that some of them had been involved in terrorist activities, Kumar said.

The group, accompanied by SSB personnel, has been sent to Jammu and Kashmir cell in Delhi from where the central intelligence agencies would take over, he added.

Pakistan police bust gang of suspected sectarian killers

Lahore: Pakistani police said on Saturday they have arrested six men suspected of carrying out a series of high-profile sectarian killings in the eastern city of Lahore as part of the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

The arrests were a rare success for the police in the country's battle against homegrown terrorism and on Friday they paraded the suspects, whose faces were covered with black cloth, before the media.

"The six-member group arrested, including the ringleader, has confessed to the high-profile killings of doctors, lawyers and religious leaders of the Shia sect," Zulfiqar Hameed, a senior police official, told AFP on Saturday.

Pakistani 'mercenaries' being sent to Syria?

Senator Afrasiab Khattak of Awami National Party (ANP) on Friday made shocking revelations on the floor of Senate that Pakistani labourers working in the Gulf are being sent to Syria as mercenaries to fight against the Syrian government. Speaking on a point of order, he said Pakistani labourers in the Gulf are being exploited by their Saudi sponsors and being sent to Syria to fight along with insurgents in order to topple Bashar al-Assad's regime. 

He said the government should ensure its citizens working in the Gulf must not indulge themselves in such activities as it would tarnish the image of the country in the comity of nations. At the same time, the opposition lawmakers in Senate called upon the government to review its foreign policy by breaking the alleged links with militant groups in Afghanistan.

Gunmen kidnap two Pakistani U.N. staff members from Karachi

ISLAMABAD: Gunmen have kidnapped two men working for the U.N. Children's Fund from Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, police said Saturday.

The two Pakistani men were on their way to a bus terminal to pick up some relatives when they were taken, the police official said. The men were taken on Thursday night, he said.

So far, no ransom call had been received, he said, and it was unclear who was holding the men. The police officer asked not to be named since he was not authorized to speak to the media.

100 Pakistani youngsters visit China to improve ties

Islamabad: A delegation of Pakistani youth has left for Pakistan after wrapping up their visit to China.

According to reports, a delegation of one hundred Pakistani youth completed their visit to China and left for Pakistan from Beijing. The visit was part of bilateral exchanges of youth and people to people contact programme. The objective of this programme is to bring people of Pakistan and China closer through enhanced exchanges of youth visits.

Nation stands united behind Pakistan Army: PM

KAKUL: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said that the whole nation was standing united behind its Armed Forces and the state despite financial problems was providing the defence forces with all the possible resources to make the country's defence invincible.

Addressing at the passing out parade of 129th Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) Long Course, 48th Integrated Course and 3rd Mujahid Course, the Prime Minister told the newly graduated cadets that the profession of arms they were now beholden to, demanded by its very nature the unquestioned spirit of allegiance and sacrifice embodied in the oath they have all taken today.

"But don't you ever forget, your nation will stand united behind you. The state despite calls of economy and austerity is providing the defence forces all possible resources needed for making the defence of the country impregnable," he added.

Pakistan to assist Saudi Arabia in building railway network

Islamabad: Pakistan has set its sight on a financially beneficial mutual agreement with Saudi Arabia which would enable it to earn billions annually for providing technical assistance in building a strong railway network in the oil-rich Arab country, reliable sources said here on Thursday.

“Saudi Arabia has itself sought technical help and a high-powered Saudi delegation is likely to visit Pakistan in the coming weeks to sort out modalities for a mutual agreement with regard to construction of railway network in Saudi Arabia,” sources said.

Pakistan apex court seeks advice on adoption

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has enlisted the assistance of keen legal minds as it seeks to answer key questions about the rights and modalities of adoption for parentless or deserted children in Islam.

“The answers to these questions could have far-reaching consequences and it is necessary to seek assistance before an order is passed,” Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani observed yesterday.

IOC accepts Pakistan’s proposal to continue dialogue for resolving crisis

LAHORE: While giving no indication of reviewing its stance over imposing a possible ban on Pakistan in July for violating the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Charter, the world body accepting the government request has proposed May 21 to continue the dialogue with the government, as per the agreed road map of October 2013.

In a communication to Secretary of the Inter-provincial Coordination ministry Mohammad Ejaz Chaudhry, dated April 15, the IOC stated: “We take note of the appointment of Mohammad Ejaz Chaudhry, secretary, Ministry of Inter-provincial Coordination, as the focal person, on behalf of the government of Pakistan to deal with the IOC and resolve the situation as per the agreed roadmap of October 2013.

Pakistan to hold fresh talks with Taliban

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government is planning a fresh round of talks with Taliban negotiators at the weekend, officials said today, despite the militants’ refusal to extend a ceasefire called to help peace efforts.

Talks to end the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s bloody seven-year insurgency have been under way since February, with little clear progress made so far. On Wednesday the militants said they would not extend the ceasefire they began on March 1 to help talks, complaining of a lack of movement from the government side. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said in a statement that he has called a meeting with the TTP’s talks committee to decide how to proceed.

Pakistan's masses the hardest hit by energy crisis

Pakistan is facing a severe energy crisis that is having a catastrophic effect on its industries and on its citizens. Now it's looking to Iran to meet its growing energy needs, but the US has other ideas.

ISLAMABAD: The gas shortage in Pakistan is severely affecting the lives of its population.

Fehmida Hassan, a housewife, faces this issue every day. She must make the little gas she has last all day -- the mother of two has to prepare meals for her husband and young children, but often there is not enough to go around.

Food is not the problem, but the gas shortage is. In Islamabad, there is no guarantee that there will be enough gas to do even the simplest of things. Fehmida said: "I am facing a lot of problems as there is a lack of gas. The children have to go to school in the morning but I can't prepare breakfast for them and a lot of times, even my husband goes to his office hungry."