Category: Pakistan

Lahore (NUT- Desk)

The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet gather today in Quetta for the sighting of the Muharram-ul-Haram moon which will ring in the new Islamic year, 1443 AH.

Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Moulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabir Azad will preside over the meeting, which will be held at the Deputy Commissioner office in Quetta.

The provincial and district Ruet-e-Hilal Committees will also meet, simultaneously, on Monday, at their respective headquarters for the moonsighting.

Information regarding the sighting of the crescent moon should be passed on to Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabeer Azad on his mobile no 0321-9410041; to Syed Mushahid Hussain Khalid, DG (R&R), Ministry of Religious Affairs, on mobile no 0300-6831822; and to Hafiz Abdul Qudoos, Director (R&R) on mobile no 0333-2697051.

According to astronomical parameters, there is a good chance of sighting the new moon on Monday evening. Thus, the first day of the new Islamic lunar year, 1443 AH, 1st Muharram, will likely fall on Tuesday, August 10.

Lahore (NUT- Desk)

Pak Nation salutes the second recipient of Nishan-e-Haider Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed on his 63rd martyrdom anniversary, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Taking to Twitter as the national hero’s martyrdom marks 63rd anniversary, the ISPR said, “His fortitude, determination and valor remain hallmarks of a soldier who dares to fulfill his mission at all costs.”

“Tribute to bravery and resilience of Major Tufail Mohammad Shaheed Nishan- E- Haider. Despite being mortally wounded during combat, he completed the mission and embraced martyrdom setting a noble precedence of valour and determination,” said a statement by the ISPR.

Major Tufail Muhammad Shaheed was born in Hoshiarpur, an eastern Punjab city, on 22nd July in 1914 and he earned his commission in the year 1943 for the Punjab Regiment.

In August 1958, he was assigned to counter the Indian offensive and progression in the area of Lakshmipur. The conqueror of Lakshmipur, as Shaheed is also referred to, he carried on with his mission despite heavy resistance and embraced martyrdom.

It was this valor that won him Nishan-e-Haider award, Pakistan’s highest military award bestowed for courage and bravery.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Hunger, the distress associated with lack of food, and food insecurity are strongly interconnected with poverty and are caused by an array of social, political, demographic, and societal factors.

According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) 2018-19 reveal that 16% of Pakistan’s population is experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity with the incidence of being twice as high in rural areas than urban areas: 20% and 9.2% respectively.

Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement surveyed Pakistani households in 2019-2020 and has apprised that 16.4 out of every 100 households face moderate-to-severe food insecurity. In 2020, factors like high food prices, locust outbreaks, climate events such as rains, flooding, droughts, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic all exacerbated these numbers.

While the issue is being handles well at both national and local level by the government and the non-profit charity organizations, the challenges surrounding food security are still prevalent. Although hunger is not the only major issue, nonetheless it’s a major problem faced by Pakistanis on daily basis.

Charity organizations contribute a positive role in improving the lifestyles of Pakistani nation; one such charity organization, Yusaeid Foundation aims to ameliorate the living standards of the under privileged in Pakistan. Established in 2014, the foundation regularly distributes rations to those in dire need.  Ration and Iftar drive along with free healthcare are just two of their initiatives aimed to provide relief to the needy and destitute population of the twin cities.

Speaking about the need to ease hunger in Pakistan, Lt. Col. (Retd) Shahzad Kiani said, “Hunger alleviation and increasing food security are core elements of Yusaeid Foundation’s mission. I strongly believe that a concerted volunteer effort, coupled with empathy and volunteer action will go a long way towards making our dream of a hunger-free Pakistan come true.”

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The multi-faceted actor, musician and biker Umair Jaswal visited “Mari Mobile Dastarkhawan” in Islamabad where he participated in the evening meal distribution to over 300 underprivileged citizens.

Umair Jaswal also visited the kitchen and catering facility of “Mari Mobile Dastarkhawan” where the meals were being freshly prepared and packed for distribution.

“Mari Mobile Dastarkhawan is an initiative that is close to our hearts. With this setup, we try our best that no one from our community, our kids, our women and our men go to sleep hungry. We provide meals twice a day to over 600 people daily. The setup is organized really well with all COVID-19 SoPs being followed and If you see, the people are in proper queues wearing masks and the garbage is disposed of properly in the trash cans.  The reason for my visit here was to show Pakistanis that there are still people around us, who are below the poverty line and we need to think about them. My purpose behind coming here is to show you that a large segment of our society lives below the poverty line and we need to think about them. I am highly thankful to Mari Petroleum, CDRS, all the team members, volunteers, and donors. Let’s all join hands and take this project to our fellow citizens across Pakistan. Pakistan Zindabad.” said Umair Jaswal about Mari Mobile Dastarkhawan.

Indeed, “Mari Mobile Dastarkhawan” has served over 67,000 underprivileged citizens in Rawalpindi and Islamabad in a span of just over 3 months.

Launched in partnership with Todd Shea’s Comprehensive Disaster Response Services (CDRS) in April 2021, “Mari Mobile Dastarkhawan” provides two meals a day [breakfast and dinner] to over 600 daily wage laborers, street children, and people who are in search of employment away from their villages, as well as those residing at “Panah Gah”.  

Inspired by the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s Ehsaas Program, MPCL hopes to play its part in tackling the burden of poverty and malnutrition in Pakistan and aims to cater to over 200,000 people during this 1-year pilot project, with plans to scale-up this project to other parts of the country including MPCL operational areas.

In addition to quality cooked meals and its distribution every day, Mari Petroleum and CDRS teams also ensure COVID-19 pandemic awareness by educating the people during the daily food drives and providing them with preventive essentials such as masks and hand sanitizers.

Lahore (Nut-Desk0

Federal cabinet approved Pakistan’s first National Cyber Security Policy that the IT ministry had prepared to ensure the safety of online data on Tuesday 27th July. The policy has been introduced keeping in view the enhanced significance of the cyber regime.

The policy highlights that to counter these threats, the IT ministry will help establish active cyber defence and cyber security governance, protect internet-based services, ensure protection and resilience of national critical information structures, protection of the government’s information systems and infrastructure, develop information security assurance framework, increase awareness of cyber security and develop cybercrime response mechanisms and regulations.

The primary objective of the policy is to ensure the protection of online data and information of citizens, public and private institutions. Under the policy, the government will form computer emergency response teams at the national, sectoral and institutional levels.

It will set up Cyber Governance Policy Committee to ensure the protection of online data and information of citizens, public and private institutions. IT Minister Aminul Haq said that the government had also approved a budget of Rs1.92 billion for a national-level response team, which the government would constitute under the new cyber security policy.

The government will set up the Cyber Governance Policy Committee for the implementation of cyber security policy, its oversight, strategy and action.

The minister said that cyberattack on a Pakistani institution would be considered an attack on national security. In case of a cyberattack, the government will take all necessary measures and retaliatory action. He added that the government would also equip experts with all essential and modern tools to ensure national cyber security under the new policy.

DEMO and KPITB delivered the first SheMeansBusinessTraining Workshop for Women Entrepreneurs in Durshal Peshawar

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) DEMO and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) are pleased to share that they have launched SheMeansBusiness training workshops in Durshals, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The first 3-day digital marketing and financial management workshop was conducted in Durshal Peshawar.

Launched in 2016, the SheMeansBusiness program by Facebook supports women-owned enterprises to enter the digital economy through skills training and business inspiration. Global research reinforces the importance of women entrepreneurship as a building block in leading the economic progress of a country. To carry this mission forward, DEMO, along with KPITB, partnered to conduct a series of 3-day capacity building training workshops across the seven Durshal community spaces. Durshals are community spaces based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which aim to provide youth with an opportunity to collaborate, innovate, access training, and launch new businesses.

The training was attended by women entrepreneurs belonging to various industries; from hospitality and recreation, to healthcare and education. Through presentations and practical demonstrations, they were taught skills related to the use of social media tools, content creation, online marketing, and financial management.

Muhammad Bin Masood, CEO at DEMO, while speaking at the workshop commented: “I am very pleased to see the response and motivation of our participants. The launch of SheMeansBusiness program will help women from KPK to learn from a world class curriculum and apply digital and financial literacy tools to improve their businesses. I believe digital skills are the skills of the present and the future and it pleases me to be able to play a part in imparting knowledge to a talented pool of women entrepreneurs. I am very excited and looking forward to the response we receive in the upcoming workshops at the rest of the Durshals.”

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Sahibzada Ali Mahmud, Managing Director KPITB remarked, “The launch of this program has created an exciting opportunity for the entrepreneurs who want to equip themselves with the required expertise to be successful in this digital age, especially women-led businesses. Seeing the response, I am very hopeful that this initiative will help in advancing the scope of digital skills of KPK’s women entrepreneurs and bring a significant change in our economy.”

The next workshops will be conducted in the upcoming months in Durshals at Abbottabad, Swat, Swabi, Bannu and Mardan.