(NUT Desk) LAHORE: All provinces have been asked by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) to make sure doctors prescribe medicines with their generic names in the public and private sectors.
DRAP gave the instructions after public complaints on the PM’s Citizen’s Portal against pharmaceutical companies and doctors reportedly colluding to provide people with costlier medicines under a brand name.
A letter was written to the health secretaries of all four provinces, Azad Jammu Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and the Islamabad commissioner by DRAP Pharmacy Services Director Dr Abdur Rasheed.
It said citizens had complained through the Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit (PMDU) against company-influenced brand-based prescription of medicines by doctors in government and private sectors.
“This practice adds to the economic burden of the country and puts financial load on patients due to purchase of pricier brands. Such practice is also against the Code of Ethics for medical and dental practitioners,” the letter read.
DRAP, therefore, directed the health authorities across Pakistan to take necessary measures to promote generic prescriptions by doctors and discourage the practice of incentivised prescription.
The Drug Act 1976, in its Section 7 “Registration of Drugs”, Clause-8, says that single-ingredient drugs (containing one active ingredient) shall be registered generally by their generic names, while compound drugs (containing more than one active ingredient) shall be registered generally by their proprietary names. Drug Lawyers Forum President Noor Mahar said doctors and pharmaceutical companies collude and are involved in the unethical practice of writing even single-ingredient drugs with their brands names in violation of the regulatory law.
For instance, he named a brand medicine manufactured with Amlodipine salt for heart patients is being sold at Rs460, while same drug with the another brand name is available for Rs49.
NUT (Web Desk) Actor Sarwat Gilani has thanked her mother for giving her a strong foundation to grow and become a better person.
“Ma, I know it’s not Mother’s Day,” she wrote, adding, “and I may not say it everyday but you were my first crush, first friend, first love and first teacher.”
Sarwat shared a photo of herself with her mother on Sunday and wrote a long note on how her mother has played an important role in her life and made her an optimistic, caring, and empathetic person.
“I’m so lucky to have a strong, independent, and awe-inspiring mother like you,” Sarwat said. “Thank you for being you. I love you.”
Two weeks ago, Sarwat was in the news for expressing her disappointment over Pakistan being ranked low on the Freedom of Expression Assessment by Media Matters for Democracy. The report stated that there has been a decline in freedom of expression during the pandemic, with media persons facing threats due to the absence of laws for their protection. Sarwat’s own award-winning web series Churails was removed from ZEE5 Global for “vulgar” content in October 2020.
She remarked that as a society, people are not honest to themselves, but quick to judge others.
Lahore (WEB DESK) Punjab has reported 28 more Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, health department officials said on Monday.
According to Punjab’s Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department, 2,766 infections of the novel coronavirus were reported across the province in the last 24 hours.
The tally of deaths by Covid-19 in the province has reached 7,457 with 28 more deaths. The provincial capital city of Lahore reported 1,413 new cases of Covid-19 in last 24 hours, according to the health department.
The novel coronavirus claimed 73 more lives across Pakistan during the last 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 16,316.
According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Covid-19, the country reported 73 more deaths due to the pandemic, while 5,152 new cases were reported during the said period.
ISLAMABAD (NUT DESK) Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday lauded the three armed forces of Pakistan as well as the organizers for holding a marvelous parade in connection with the Pakistan Day. The prime minister, who could not attend the parade for being tested positive for the COVID-19, said in a statement that the participants of the parade, including the contingents from the friendly countries, showed a fabulous performance. Annually held on March 23, this year”s parade was rescheduled for March 25 due to inclement weather. Imran Khan said the event also featured the exhibition of the culture of four provinces as well as Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. The prime minister said through the Pakistan Day Parade, the whole world had witnessed the remarkable performance and professional capabilities of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force. “We are one nation. We are resolved for national development and public prosperity while moving ahead with unity,” he added.
The Punjab Culture Day is going to be celebrated on 14th March (Sunday) for which several steps were taken in a meeting held at Punjab civil secretariat under the chair of Minister for Culture Khayal Ahmed Kastro.
For the Punjab Culture Day, a major function will be held at Alhamra where a cultural village will also be built. Stalls of Punjabi food, cultural arts and crafts will also be on display. Punjabi artists will perform folk songs and dances. A song would also be released on Punjab Culture Day. About 24 cultural floats would be taken out by different departments. The floats will leave the Town Hall and end at Gaddafi Stadium. Performances on Punjabi dance and music will be presented on the floats.
Minister for Culture and Additional Chief Secretary Irum Bukhari praised the efforts of the Information and Culture Department for preparing a Punjab Culture Day plan on short notice.
NAB is playing a vital role in eradication of corruption in order to establishing the rule of law, transparency and good governance so that the corrupt should be brought to justice.
Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) The World Economic Forum released the Global Competitiveness Report 2020 earlier this month. Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, a Country Partner Institute of New Economy and Societies Platform, World Economic Forum called on Honorable Mr. Justice, Javed Iqbal, Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at NAB headquarters, Islamabad.
Honorable Mr. Justice, Javed Iqbal, Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) thanked Mr. Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of Mishal Pakistan, a Country Partner Institute of New Economy and Societies Platform, World Economic Forum for their confidence and appreciation of efforts of NAB undertaken in eradication of corruption and recovered Rs. 714 billion through directly and indirectly from corrupt elements as NAB’s faith is corruption free Pakistan. There are more than 1230 corruption references of NAB are under trial in the respected Accountability Courts of the Country and their approximately amount is Rs. 947 billion. NAB under clause 33-C of NAO, 1999 has adopted strategy of aware and prevention to aware people about the ill effects of corruption which is the mother of all evils.
Mr. Amir Jahangir said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Pakistan is playing a vital role and efforts for eradication of corruption in order to establishing the rule of law, transparency and good governance so that the corrupt should be brought to justice as per law. He appreciated NAB for recovering Rs. 714 billion directly and indirectly since its inception. Mr. Amir Jahangir also appreciated the efforts of NAB in creating awareness among citizens under its media and communication strategy on the anti-corruption drive involving all other stakeholders including business community so that country should become prosperous.
The Chairman NAB was briefed by Mr. Amir Jahangir that almost one year after the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the deep economic recession has triggered continues around the world to have profound economic and social consequences. While no nation has emerged unscathed, this year’s Global Competitiveness Report finds that countries with advanced digital economies and digital skills, robust social safety nets and previous experience dealing with epidemics have better managed the impact of the pandemic on their economies and citizens.
Mr. Jahangir further said, “the World Economic Forum has long encouraged policymakers to broaden their focus beyond short-term growth to long-term prosperity. This Report makes clear the priorities for making economies more productive, sustainable, and inclusive as we emerge from the crisis”.
Mr. Jahangir briefed the Chairman and said, “the success stories from Pakistan in the light of the Global Competitiveness Index 2020 is the performance and strengthening of the institutions, scaleup of digitization and service delivery both at the public and private sectors. He appreciated the digital presence of NAB among masses and hoped that it will be enhanced accordingly.
The recognition of the extraordinary developments in 2020 and of the unified global effort required to tackle the health crisis and its socioeconomic fallout, the Global Competitiveness Index rankings have been suspended for 2020. The 2021 edition will see a return to benchmarking, providing a refreshed framework to guide future economic growth.
During the year, the World Economic Forum will be hosting a series of communities and dialogues to develop new benchmarks, new standards, and new actions for building new economic models that combine productivity, sustainability, and shared prosperity. The Global Future Council on New Agenda for Fiscal and Monetary Policy, the Global Future Council on New Agenda for Economic Growth and Recovery, the Community of Chief Economists, the Champions for a New Dashboard for the New Economy and the Stewardship Board of the New Economy and Society Platform will be involved in shaping this effort. All readers are invited to share their views into this conversation, supporting collective efforts to “build back better”.
The Global Competitiveness Report is the flagship publication of the World Economic Forum’s Platform for Shaping the Future of the New Economy and Society. The Platform provides the opportunity to advancing prosperous, inclusive, and equitable economies and societies. It focuses on co-creating a new vision in three interconnected areas: growth and competitiveness; education, skills, and work; and equality and inclusion. Working together, stakeholders deepen their understanding of complex issues, shape new models and standards, and drive scalable, collaborative action for systemic change.
Over 100 of the world’s leading companies and 100 international, civil society and academic organizations currently work through the Platform to promote new approaches to competitiveness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution economy; deploy education and skills for tomorrow’s workforce; build a new pro-worker and pro-business agenda for jobs; and integrate equality and inclusion into the new economy, aiming to reach 1 billion people with improved economic opportunities.
Mishal Pakistan is Pakistan’s leading and reputed strategic communication and design company. It is also the country Partner Institute of the Future of Economic Progress System Initiative, World Economic Forum. Mishal is responsible to generate primary data on more than 100 indicators measuring Pakistan’s competitiveness. Mishal’s foremost domain of activity is behavior change communication, strategic communication with a spotlight on media and perception management.
Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The National History Museum Lahore, Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) and The Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) hosted day-long celebrations in the remembrance of the founder of this nation, Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, on his 144th birth anniversary that took place on 25th December 2020. The event took place under strict COVID-19 SOPS.
Staying true to its core objective of setting itself as a place where our national heroes are remembered, commemorated, and celebrated, National History Museum organized a series of interactive and fun-filled activities, particularly for the younger generation, to introduce them to the greatest leader in the history of this nation. The day long list of activities included Painting Competition, Quiz Competition, Interactive Playsheets, Letters to Jinnah, Storytelling Session, Puppet Show and Musical Choir.
Speaking of the occasion Mr. Jawad Ahmad Qureshi (Director General of Parks and Horticulture Authority Lahore)said “The National History Museum through its programming aims to build a strong relationship between the museum and communities. Together, we celebrate the 144th birth anniversary of our founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah- a man of great vision whose teachings must be inculcated in our younger generations for a prosperous and progressive nation. The Parks and Horticulture Authority looks forward to hosting many more educational and cultural events at NHM for the public and families in the New Year to come.”
Going forward, NHM will continue to organize regular programming to promote National History Museum as a vibrant learning place, educating Pakistanis on the important subjects of partition, national history, and cultural heritage.
NUT 2020 Overview of Pakistan Entertainment Industry
Corona Pandemic and demise of leading artists overshadowed the cultural scene.
Due to the global epidemic Corona, the year 2020 proved to be extremely devastating for Pakistan as well as the rest of the world, which badly affected all sectors. Although the people of the showbiz industry did not get much joy and progress this year, in many respects this year became a memorable one forever as many artists embarked on a new journey of life in which Most of them got married. On the one hand, if we talk about happiness, on the other hand, this year also brought a lot of sorrow because many people left us forever. New guests arrived at someone’s house and the relationship ended in divorce and khula.
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If we talk about showbiz industry, it was the worst year in the history of Pakistan which affected the film industry the most because from the beginning of the year traditionally many films were being made and everyone screened their films was planned but no one was under the illusion that no film would be released this year because Allah Almighty had approved something else. At the beginning of the year 2020, two or three small budget non-commercial films were definitely released which can’t even get much success.
After the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, when lockdowns were imposed across the country, cinemas, like other sectors, were closed. Films that were being shot also stopped. When conditions returned to normal, Conditions were not conducive at the time as Corona was not ready to go out of fear. The screening of the film had already been announced. In addition, about fifteen more films were ready but none of the producers took the risk of releasing their films. Along with the film, the theater industry also suffered due to the closure of all theaters. Due to the ban on music shows and concerts, singers, musicians and other people were also in trouble. Similarly, if we mention the fashion industry of Pakistan, there is the same. Due to the ban on gatherings, all the fashion weeks across the country were postponed.
This year, many artists have embarked on a new journey of life, the first being model Iman Salman, who got married to Jamil Haider. Apart from modeling, Iman Salman gained fame from Sarmad Sultan’s film “Zindagi Tamasha”. Singer Rachel Wakaji also got married.
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TV actor Saad Qureshi chose a life partner. Actress Armina Khan got married to a young man named Faisal Khan. Actress Saadia Ghaffar also got married with great fanfare. Another important wedding of the year that took place during the lockdown was that of senior actress Samina Ahmed and Manzar Sehbai who not only got married at the age of seventy but also got married in Dubai. Surprised everyone but also introduced a new trend.
Leading TV actress Nimrah Khan got married on April 19, 2020 to a man named Koharon Wajid who was a police officer in London. On May 22, well known artists Agha Ali and Hina Altaf also got married and surprised everyone who had previously kept their relationship secret. In the same month, actors Daniel Raheel and Faryal Mehmood got married in a simple ceremony in Lahore which was attended only by their family members. The sudden marriage of Sadaf Kanwal and Shahruz Sabzwari was also one of the most important news of the year because Both of them continued to refuse to acknowledge their relationship as Sadaf Kanwal was blamed for Saira Yusuf’s divorce. Actress Amna Sheikh also got remarried. Actress Sanam Baloch reported not only marriage but also the birth of a daughter. She surprised everyone because she was missing from the scene after her divorce from Abdullah Farhatullah. Singer Haroon also got married with his ladylove in 2020.
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Actor Saeem Ali’s Marriage, Sara Khan and Singer Falak Shabbir’s Marriage, Actress Zahra Ali, Actor Salman Saeed, Actress Habali’s Second Marriage, Sana Javed and Umair Jaswal’s Lomer, Rabab Hashim, Amna Ilyas and Dawar Mahmood, and Bushra Ansari’s Daughter. This was Mira Ansari’s second marriage.
This year, there is a long list of losers, including Aamir Hatami, Athar Shah Khan Jedi, actress Nighat Butt, singer Mahjabin Qazlbash, stage actress Roop Chaudhry and Dholak Nawaz Ustad. Karam Hussain, Tabla Nawaz Salamat Ali Khan, Singer Farid Nawaz Sanol, Singer Ijaz Qaiser, Actor Fakhr Shah, Senior Actor Saghir Elahi, Model Fajr Ali Singer Ustad Rafiq Hussain, Model Zara Abid (PIA Plane Crash) Actor and Producer Asad Bukhari, Mudassar Hussain Kazmi, Stage Director Tanveer Alam, Singer Ustad Krishna Lal Bheel, Cameraman Ali Jan, Actress Akhtar Sherani, Popular PTV Series “Guest” House means Tariq Malik, young singer Shakeel Sohail, actress Sabiha Khan, the country’s most popular host Tariq Aziz, singer Shafaatullah Rokhri, Mirza Shahi, Latif Mina, Shahid Nazir Khan, director Raqbal Kashmiri, Sanam Nazi and Heer Firdous Begum of Pakistan film industry.
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Divorce between actress Saira Yusuf and Shahrooz Sabzwari in the same year, Lucky Ali divorced actress Anjuman, famous host Farah Hussain’s second marriage ended in divorce. Divorce between singer Sanam Marvi and Hamid, singer Farah Anwar Khula and Aafreen Khan also got khula while designer Mahin Ghani got divorced, actress Rabia Chaudhry and Mikal Hassan also got divorced. Urva Hussain and Farhan Saeed got divorced. New guests arrived at the homes of many artists including Bonita David, Anam Fayyaz’s son, Eraj Fatima Kar’s son, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Nemal Khawar’s son, Jagan Kazim’s daughter, Sanam Chaudhry’s son Daughters were born to Momal Sheikh and Sara Razi, daughters and a son to Faisal Qureshi. In the year 2020, many controversies arose between the artists, including the controversy over the PSL song between singer Ali Zafar and Ali Azmat.
Leading model Azmi Khan and Huma Khan’s scandal with a close relative of Malik Riaz came to light which gained fame in the country very fast. Actress Ayesha Sana’s fraud case of crores of rupees also came to light. Actress Veena Malik and her ex-husband Bashir Khattak continued to make accusations on social media. Actress Meera was accused of embezzling funds from choreographer Shaukat Ali Lada. Echoes of the quarrel between Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar and Marvi Sarmad were heard for many months. Singers Ali Zafar and Mesha Shafi had to go round the courts again and again to hear the case. The shooting of the song was not only criticized but also sued.
The controversy between actress Salma Zafar and Sherry Shah over non-payment of Saud and Jawariya dramas also escalated in which serious allegations were leveled against each other also moved. If we talk about TV dramas, the Turkish serial “Ertugrul Ghazi” aired on PTV set new records of popularity in Pakistan while the serial “Jalan” aired on ARY was also very much liked.
Lahore (News Update Times) Arshad Ansari of the Journalist Panel has been elected the president of Lahore Press Club (LPC) after the annual elections 2021 held on Sunday 27-12-2020 in the club premises.
As many as 1,983 voters exercised their right to vote to elect President, Senior Vice President, Vice President, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer and nine member Governing Body during polling that started at LPC premises at 9am and continued without any break till 8pm on Sunday.
Ansari bagged 734 votes while his rivals, Abdul Majid Sajid, of the Progressive Panel got 576, and Grand Alliance’s Babar Dogar managed to secure 588. Ansari, who also heads the Journalist panel, was elected to the top LPC office for the second time in a row and eleventh time as total.
Javed Farooqi was elected senior vice-president with 871 votes, Zahid Chaudhry secretary-general with 663, and Zahid Sherwani of the Journalists Panel treasurer with 765 votes. Hence Journalist Panel comprehensively sweeps all the top five top seats.
Counting for nine member Governing Body in underway and the results of the nine governing body seats will be declared today (December 29).Speaking on the occasion, President Arshad Ansari paid rich tributes to the Election Commission for holding peaceful and fair elections.
He said that the journalist group would restore the group insurance of LPC members in this month as per its manifesto while the establishment of journalist colony phase 2 would also come into effect in the same year which has already been approved by the Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar. He also appreciated the services of the club employees and announced to give them half salary as a bonus.
Every year, Engro Foundation – the social investment arm of Engro Corporation – recognizes local change agents and highlights projects that aim to improve lives across different spheres, through its flagship initiative of I Am The Change (IATC) awards. Amidst the global pandemic, the IATC 2020 invited frontline workers, who could be self-nominated or nominated by supervisors/head of organizations, to share their inspiring stories of creating community impact in the fight against COVID-19.
Following an extensive review of more than 100 applications in five categories, an external jury and IATC team at Engro Foundation chose eight recipients from public sector health professionals, doctors, healthcare workers and blue collar staff involved in NGOs or industries tackling COVID-19 relief efforts. Each recipient will be given a cash award of PKR 500,000 in recognition of their efforts.
Below are some inspiring stories of the IATC 2020 recipients, who created strong community impact in the fight against COVID-19:
Raja Muhammad Iqbal
Raja Muhammad Iqbal is a retired subedar from Army Medical Corps, currently appointed as the Senior Nurse to Mian Muhammad Bukhsh Trust Hospital. During the pandemic, Mr. Raja has remained available for duty and had more interactions with the COVID-19 suspected and/or positive patients than any other nurse at the hospital. At the start of the pandemic, Mr. Raja stayed on the premises of the hospital 24/7 and volunteered his services for over-time work, recognizing the need to serve his country once again.
Speaking on behalf of healthcare professionals, Mr. Iqbal shares,“we will continue to remain steadfast and work towards decreasing the footprint of the disease. I have been deployed on the border and contributed in wars so it was my passion to help that propelled me to continue to serve in the line of duty. I am truly humbled to be presented with the IATC award and hope that such initiatives continue to reward and recognise frontline workers.”
Bilqees Abdul Shakoor
Bilqees Abdul Shakoor, a Master of Philosophy and Economics graduate, volunteered as a camp manager under civil administration at the Chief Minister Delivery Unit Quetta, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her main duties as the camp manager were to ensure proper disposal of medical waste, which was used to treat COVID suspected and/or positive patients. While volunteering at the COVID camp, she contracted the virus herself but that did not weaken her resolve.
“Past my recovery, there was evidence to support that COVID-19 recovered patients were not at immediate risk and this only encouraged me to continue my work. I felt that this shared experience allowed me to connect with the patients even more”, she said.
As one of the few women working at the RDA camp, Ms. Shakoor overcame the challenges her gender posed and continued to work in the quarantine camp. She also worked at Fatima Jinnah Hospital laboratory to take samples of the COVID-19 suspected patients and volunteered at Quetta’s online team to reach out to families who cannot afford basic food and provide them with Rashaan by fundraising.
Naveed Parvez
Naveed Parvez was nominated for his contributions in outdoor work at the Karachi Down Syndrome Program. As the main frontline worker, his efforts furthered KDSP’s mission of assisting families of individuals with Down syndrome that were severely affected during the pandemic, including households where there was a serious risk of infection. Naveed led grocery drives to support various poverty-stricken families and provided 40 families with material kits including stationery, study tables, toys, arts and crafts material to assist virtual sessions for children with Down syndrome.
Speaking about his experience, Naveed shared that prioritizing his own and his family’s safety was the hardest task considering he had to distribute rations to areas where SOPs were not being strictly followed.
“This serves as an immensely memorable experience and I feel fortunate to have been given an opportunity to serve in such dire circumstances”, he added.
Sana Sharif
In the wake of the pandemic, there are many communities that were at the risk of being forgotten, one of them being the incarcerated. Through her association with Legal Aid Society (LAS), Program Manager Sana Sharif conducted a series of meetings with senior prison officials including the IG Prisons and DIG Prisons in order to understand the nature of demands from prisons in the context of combating the threat of COVID-19. She ensured timely achievement of legal aid clinics, free legal advice and interviews, and representation of the incarcerated in 8 Sindh-prisons. With a Master’s degree and extensive experience in Development Sector Support programs to her credit, Sana supervised LAS staff across 15 districts in Sindh during their visits to Superintendents of all 24 prisons and led the distribution efforts of the required PPEs in the entire Karachi and Hyderabad division. These efforts are what led her nomination and recognition for the IATC award.
According to Ghias Khan – President & CEO of Engro Corporation and Trustee of Engro Foundation, “The IATC award recipients truly depict how heroes are born in times of crisis. As a Pakistani organization committed to solving some of the most pressing issues of our time, it is a very humbling experience for us to learn from and celebrate the achievements of these individuals and institutions who rose to the occasion. Together, InshAllah we will emerge stronger and united as a nation from this pandemic.”
