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Renowned Qawal of Pakistan Mr. Sikandar Badar Miandad Khan release his new Kalam “Roza Namaz Farz” regarding the importance of Ramadan. Sikander Badar Miandad says that Namaz and Roza is base of our religion Islam. The famous Qawal Sikandar Badar Mian Dad saying that he compose his own kalam, while the music was Ali Badar Mian Dad, Poetry MS Abad and video director D.J. Rabi. Sikander Badar Mian Dad said that he will continue his late father’s step Badar Miandad Khan, So that the fans who keep their family stay tuned further. Shahzaib Badar Miandad and Ali Badar Miandad along with Sikandar Badar Mindadad also included attached with the art of Qawali. Renowned Qawal Sikander Badar Miandad Said Soon some of my videos are releasing, which will definitely like my fans and my fans love me a lot in the gateway.

 

LAHORE: The energy sector industry circles have urged the Federal Minister for Power and Petroleum Division Omar Ayub Khan to resolve the ongoing controversy between SPEC Energy DMCC and Pakistan Petroleum Limited with regard to setting up of a gas process facility (GPF-III) at Gambat, Sindh in order to ensure the availability of gas before coming winter.

The industry circles believe that the remaining span of four months before the start of winter the season is crucial to complete the project and the federal minister should ensure completion of the project without delay.

The project is an LPG recovery project being awarded to SPEC in 2016. Almost 80 per cent of the project has been completed. However, both the sides have entered in successive litigation that has caused undue delay in completion of the remaining 20 per cent work on the project.

The energy sector circles are of the view that availability of 50MMCFD gas with the completion of the project would be highly useful for the industry in case the project is completed before the coming winter. This induction of 50MMCFD gas would make many industries operative in the country, they added.

They have urged upon the PPL to sit down with the contractor and resolve it amicably, especially when SPEC Energy is ready to settle down the disputed scope of work and completed remaining work as early as possible. These circles have stressed the point that excessive litigation would result in a loss of national exchequer at the end of the day and the project can be operational in five to six months subject to the readiness of both sides to sit down and resolve it amicably.

The contract was a turnkey project where SPEC was responsible for all the completion of the works on the project against the price of the contract, which payments were to be made on the completion of work done by SPEC in line with the terms and conditions of the Contract. In order to ensure the timely completion of the Project, SPEC Energy started off with the work and performed ahead of schedule in the finalizing of initial drawings and designs, and for the procurement/preparation of various equipments in advance had even taken a loan for this purpose.

Matt Yeknian, a representative of SPEC Energy said all the works done by SPEC in line with the contract, and in accordance with the norms of an EPC contract were rejected, objected, delayed and repelled by PPL. This led to the performance of additional works being performed by SPEC which was beyond the contract, which resulted in the increase in price of the contract and also the extension of the contract.

However, all goodwill gestures on both sides are proving a futile exercise and both sides are stuck up despite their intention to resolve it amicably. Therefore, the industry circles have urged the Federal Minister for Power and Petroleum Division to play its part in bringing an end to the dispute in the larger interest of the national economy.

Despite repeated attempts, no one from PPL was available to comment. Head of Corporate Communications Saqib Anis was also not available to comment on the dispute.

Regarding the Extradition Case of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei CFO and Daughter of Huawei Founder Ren Zhengfei

1. Background:

The fifth court hearing for Meng Wanzhou’s case took place in Canada on May 8 at 10:00 a.m. local time (Beijing time: 01:00 a.m. May 9). As follows is the media statement regarding this hearing, and the case management memorandum is also attached for your reference.

Media Statement

2019-05-09

From the outset, Huawei has expressed confidence in Ms. Meng’s innocence. We have maintained that her U.S.-ordered arrest was an unlawful abuse of process – one guided by political considerations and tactics, not by the rule of law.

Today in court, lawyers for Ms. Meng made three new and important disclosures.

First, the criminal case against Ms. Meng is based on allegations that are simply not true.  To the contrary, it was made clear in court today that business activities by Ms. Meng were conducted openly and transparently with full knowledge of banking officials. The lawyers noted in court today that the PowerPoint presented was not misleading, the bank had knowledge of the nature of Skycom’s business and operations in Iran, and the bank understood the relationship between Huawei and Skycom. Therefore, no evidence to prove that Meng committed acts of “deceit, dishonesty, or other fraudulent means” or the bank was placed at a risk of deprivation by relying on Meng’s Presentation.

Second, it was revealed that actions directed in part by the FBI led to serious and repeated violations of Ms. Meng’s rights under the Charter. According to the evidence disclosed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) of Canada, the arrest of Meng at the airport was a coordinated effort of three departments: the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), and the FBI. The RCMP intentionally delayed the presentation of the arrest warrant in order to carry out unlawful detention and search against Meng under the pretense of a routine border check. Her luggage was searched. Her cellphone and other electronic devices were seized at the direction of the FBI – and she was compelled to reveal her passwords.  More key evidence regarding this case remains in the hands of the RCMP, the CBSA and the DOJ. Ms. Meng will apply to the court, asking the RCMP, CBSA, and DOJ to disclose more evidence on this matter.

Third, it was revealed that the arrest of Ms. Meng violated a core principle of the Canada – US Extradition Treaty and Canadian extradition law – because the allegation she faces is not a crime in Canada. The US allegations against Meng are based on violations of US sanctions against Iran. However, Canada does not impose sanctions on financial services in relation to Iran. Therefore, the extradition request does not satisfy the double criminality requirement.

Furthermore, it was stated that political factors at play during the extradition process may lead to a serious violation of justice. Ms. Meng’s legitimate rights may also be harmed. Thus Ms. Meng intends to apply to this Court for a stay of the extradition proceedings.

Canadians value the rule of law – and the Charter of Rights. Law enforcement officials are expected to follow the rules at all times, in all cases and for all people – citizens and visitors alike.

We have trust in the Canadian judicial process – and we look forward to seeing Ms. Meng’s freedom restored.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Some 13 million Muslims in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) have been living under harsh occupation conditions, but the international community, including the Muslim countries, seems to have turned its back on the issue. This was stated by Mark Siegel, the world-renowned American journalist and lobbyist, in an exclusive interview given to Pakistan-based international magazine SouthAsia for its April 2019 issue.

In the interview, which is a part of the magazine’s cover story on the Pakistan People’s Party, Mark Siegel has talked about the tensions currently prevailing between Pakistan and India. He says the world’s countries shout out for self-determination for the West Bank and Gaza, but they are ‘deaf and dumb’ to the occupation of the Muslims in the Indian-occupied Kashmir (IOK). Even the Muslim Ummah has turned its back on the simmering issue, says Siegel.

“There are some 13 million Muslims living under harsh Indian occupation of Kashmir. Why is the Arab League quiet? Why is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) quiet?” asks Siegel in the interview.

Expressing his opinion about India’s continued inflexibility on the UN resolution on Kashmir, Mark Siegel says the original UN resolution on Kashmir is probably politically unrealistic at this point. ‘The recent events (between Pakistan and India) are disheartening, but an inevitable result of the failure to deal with the “elephant in the room” is the continuing human rights travesty of Kashmir,’ he says.

Siegel believes somehow Pakistan is viewed as the militant instigator against India while the world is blissfully unaware that the source of tension, the occupation of the Muslim principality of Kashmir, was mandated by the United Nations to be settled by self-determination and free elections under a UN resolution which India has blocked for 70 years.

“Similar to the two-state solution as the only logical way to secure peace between Israel and Palestine, a three-state solution would seem to be the only sensible way to secure long-term peace between Pakistan and India,” according to Siegel. “Three states economically tied together, living in peace. A dream? Absolutely. But I’m a dreamer. Always have been, always will be.” 

In reply to a question about Pakistan’s deteriorating image internationally, Mark Siegel says Pakistan’s international image has no relationship to reality as it is labelled a terrorist state when it actually has been the worst victim of terrorism in the world.

Appearing in the April 2019 issue of SouthAsia Magazine, the interview is part of the magazine’s cover story on the PPP titled ‘Is the Party Losing the Pulse?’

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir)  The two-day Latif National Conference was held at Mohatta Palace Museum on 6^th and 7^th April 2019 on the great Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif. Latif National Conference was organized by Siraj Institute of Sindh Studies (SISS). The purpose of this conference was to redefine the message of Shah Latif’s Poetry to the youth and the urban audience.

Scholars from all over Pakistan were present to discuss and share their research papers regarding the diversity of Shah Latif’s poetry. The speakers present at the event shed light on different aspects of Shah Latif’s life and highlighted the philosophy of his work and how he emphasized on compassion and love.

Dr. Fahmida Hussain – Chairperson, Siraj Institute of Sindh Studies (SISS) a nonpolitical, academic and research institution said “We at SISS have been conducting research on the different aspects of art, culture, heritage, language and literature of Sindh. We have been organizing lectures, seminars and conferences every year. This time around we are humbled to have the opportunity to honor one of the greatest poets from Sindh, Shah Abdul Latif. We have also given life time achievement awards to Ms. Sadiqa Salahuddin in the field of Education and Mr. Imdad Hussaini for his contributions to Literature”

The esteemed speakers emphasized on how it is important to promote a new narrative of Sufism. Dr. Sadia Kamal speaking on Influence of Shah Latif on Khawaja Ghulam Farid said, “I am humbled to be here and have the opportunity to speak about the impact he made on other poets. The audience will take back a lot of his teaching that they can implement in their everyday lives”

The 2-day event included musical nights with famous classical and folk artists performances and a Dance-Drama performed by classical performers based on Shah Latif’s “Sat-Saoormian”. Other renowned speakers who spoke at the event were Noor ul Hudda Shah, Imdad Hussaini, Dr. Fatima Hassan, Dr. Ghazala Rehman, Yousuf Bashir Qureshi (YBQ), Dr. Sahar Imdad, Jami Chandio, Mazhar Jamil, Dr Suleman Shaikh and Mazhar Sidiqui. The mentioned touched upon various topics like Philosophy of Shah Latif, Cultural Ethos of Sindh, Defiance in the Poetry of Shah Latif and Themes of Surs of Shah Latif.

 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) White Ribbon Pakistan, a social sector organization working for gender equality, has resorted to an unorthodox approach to raise awareness about ending violence against women by launching playing cards with moral messages printed on them.

Each of the four Queens in the deck has been illustrated to depict a different form of abuse i.e. acid attacks, honor killings, psychological abuse and physical abuse. On the side of these 4 cards, there are informational messages both in Urdu and English.

These cards are being distributed by influential women, celebrities and social workers at different places like chai dhabbas, snooker and gaming clubs, road side cafés & tuck stops.

The ‘Queens Campaign’ intends to not only spark conversation around the topic, but also inform men of the laws on women protection.

In Pakistan, every 5^th woman is subjected to physical violence with 80% of the total women population suffering this abuse. About 40% of all married women go through domestic violence in their lifetime.

White Ribbon is working with a different approach to counter the issue of violence against women by addressing the patriarchal mind-set of individuals, society and state; and spreading awareness about the consequences of domestic violence.

Speaking at the eve of the launching ceremony of the campaign, Chief Executive Officer of White Ribbon, Omer Aftab said, “One issue with most communication campaigns on domestic violence is that the media is either ignored or doesn’t reach the target market. In an effort to connect directly with its intended audience, White Ribbon used a highly innovative medium that has never been utilized before.”

 

 

Promoting specialized human rights reporting on social issues in Pakistan

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)  Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry has said that his ministry is planning to table a bill in the National Assembly for the protection of journalists. The new legislation will be similar to the one enacted in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

This was stated by Chaudhry at an awards ceremony, organised by the Centre for Excellence in Journalism, in collaboration with the Centre for Communications Programmes Pakistan, Palladium Pakistan and the Sukh Initiative at the Institute of Business Administration’s city campus on Tuesday.

Journalists from across Pakistan submitted their news stories that had been published between July 1, 2017 to September 30, 2018. The aim of this independent annual award is to recognize and promote rights-based reporting in Pakistan, especially on issues that affect the most ignored and marginalised factions of society. Awards were distributed to print and broadcast journalists who developed exceptional stories, that brought to the fore some of the most imperative issues afflicting society. 

An independent jury, comprising veteran journalists, assessed the shortlisted submissions following a comprehensive criterion to select the winners. The panel of judges comprised Ashraf Khan and Owais Tohid for Excellence in Reporting for TV and Radio, Farah Zia for Excellence in Reporting for District Correspondents, Ayaz Khan for Excellence in Reporting for Urdu Newspapers and Online Content and Zaibunissa Burki for Excellence in Reporting for English Newspapers and Online Content.

The stories were divided into three categories – child rights, health rights and women rights. These were then further divided into four awards for each category namely; Excellence in Reporting for Urdu Newspaper and Urdu Online Content, Excellence in Reporting for English Newspaper and English Online Content, Excellence in Reporting for TV and Radio and Excellence in Reporting for District Correspondents.

In his welcome address, Kamal Siddiqi, Director, CEJ said that the idea behind the award was to encourage good journalism and highlight distinction in reporting on social issues. “We all know that we can do much better and this is one way to recognize people doing good journalism,” he said. “These are challenging times and good journalism is under threat,” he added.

Ghazi Salahuddin concurred with Mr Siddiqi that times were indeed challenging for the media. “Media shouldn’t be alone in its fight for freedom, rather the society should also support it, as the media is the voice that protects the freedom of the society.” 

Fawad Chawdry, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, who was the chief guest at the ceremony spoke at length of the reforms he is trying to bring about at the ministry. “I am honored to be here, and I think this is a brilliant initiative,” he started, praising the CEJ’s efforts. He announced that the information ministry is trying to work on the development of a media technology school in Pakistan and the development of a journalist protection act, similar to the legislation in KP.

The information minister added that he is working on providing health insurance to working journalists and is committed to safeguarding the interests of journalists in Pakistan. “The future is of ideas, where only superior ideas will win and they can only be generated through constructive debate and dialogue,” he added. 

Commenting on how crucial such initiatives are, Zaibunissa Burki, one of the judges, said, “It’s wonderful to see the sort of work our journalists; men and women, seniors and those new to the field are continuing to do despite all the challenges they face. It was a pleasure to read so many stories that focused on human rights. This award becomes all the more important at a time when such stories don’t make it to prime-time TV and to our very overly political front pages.”

Xari Jalil, who won the award for her story on child sexual abuse, agreed. “It’s very encouraging when journalists are rewarded and recognized for the hard work that they do. Reporting is after all not just a job. You have to devote your life to this work and bring change through your writings, so this should not go unnoticed. I am honored to have received the award,” she said.

“It gives me immense pleasure to be receiving such kind of award. It is a great achievement for my journalistic career, being a district correspondent of Dawn, I’m also proud my organization that provided me the opportunity to do such work,” said Umar Bacha, another recipient of the awards.

 

The winners of the awards are as follows:

Excellence in reporting for Urdu newspaper and online content

Health rights – Muhammad Atif Sheikh

Child Rights – Henna Saeed

Women Rights – Muhammad Atif Sheikh

Excellence in Reporting for TV and Radio

Health Rights – Henna Saeed

Child Rights – Rashida Sadiq Kiani

Women Rights – Saman Khan

Excellence in Reporting for District Correspondence

 Health Rights – Mureeb Mohmand

Child Rights – Umar Bacha

Women Rights – Muhammad Yousaf

Excellence in Reporting for English Newspapers and English Online Content

 Health Rights – Zofeen Ebrahim

Child Rights – Xari Jalil

Women Rights – Ghulam Dastageer and Muhammad Rizwan Safdar

The event was attended by media professionals from across the country, members of the academia, development sector and the corporate sector. Some of the prominent people present were Farhan Iqbal, Dr. Farrukh Iqbal, Afia Salam, Tasneem Mirza, Lubna Naqvi, Zubeida Mustafa, Azhar Abbas, Ahmed Iqbal Baloch, Sara Siddiqui.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  The first Thar Foundation All-Sindh Female Football Tournament ends with an exhilarating show of sportsmanship, skill and dexterity in the final, in which Tharparkar Terminators beat Karachi Royals by 2:1 in penalty kicking. It was but a high-strung play as both the teams came very hard on each other, causing the match to end at zero goal, leading to the decision through penalty kicking.

The Thar Foundation in collaboration with Diya Women Football Club hosted the 3-day football tournament – played from December 23rd to 25th at Thar Coal Block II, Islamkot – focused on under-13 females of Sindh. The tournament, organized by the Foundation’s education wing, brought together female teams from across 8 districts of Sindh including Karachi, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Khairpur and Hub. It was based on the Foundation’s initiatives to empower the Thari girls and women through its various initiatives.

The event was graced on the 2nd day by the Provincial Minister of Women Development, Shehla Raza. She celebrated the involvement of Thari girls in such avenues and was appreciative of the efforts of Thar Foundation which is not only focusing on educating the girls but also providing them with avenues which can help them actualize their potential.

“We saw football teams of all the 8 districts in action. It has been a treat to watch them play with such skill and dexterity,” said Sabeen Shah, Manager Education, Thar Foundation. She further added, “Thar Foundation is focused in its mission to not only educate the female population of Thar but also provide them with other avenues for their empowerment. Alongside providing them opportunities to develop their skills through sports, the Thar Foundation schools are also providing these girls with access to karate and other life-skills.

On the last day, Karachi Royals won the first semi-finals against Tharparkar Thunders by 1:0 goals. For the 2nd semi-final, Khairpur Knights and Tharparkar Terminators were to play against each other, but, with a twist of events, Knights were disqualified over lack of adherence with the rules and the Terminators got a walkover, pushing them to the finals.

In the finals, after a real tough competition, Tharparkar Terminators beat Karachi Royals by 2:1 in penalty kicking sessions. It followed a ceremony of songs and music where all the players and community present danced to the famous international football songs and some traditional Sindhi tunes. The celebrations were also due to the fact that the 02 Tharparkar teams managed to secure positions in the top three teams. Earlier, Thar Foundation with the help of the FIFA-approved Diya Women’s Football Club organized its pilot Inter-School Female Football Tournament in June 2018. Vast majority of individuals claimed to love and appreciate this initiative and said that this tournament was a significant beginning towards woman empowerment and the fact that such avenues and opportunities were being created for the women folk in Tharparkar.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The Institute for Art and Culture showcased the earliest architectural drawings and renders of Shaukat Nawaz Raja, one of the most revered architects of the subcontinent and an internationally respected cultural figure. His own architectural practice emphasized his organic approach that complimented the surrounding land while using local materials and techniques. He relished designing religious structures and civic buildings because it gave him the opportunity to think about how architecture could influence public life.

His work included extensive housing schemes in Lahore such as the Eden Canal Villas, Eden Palace Villas, Eden City, Royal Garden and the Eden Defence Villas. He was commissioned with important commercial projects such as the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries Head Office Building and the UBL Head Office Building at Hayatabad, Peshawar. He also designed the 400,000 square foot Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, Surgical Equipment Factory at Sialkot and Lahore Cantt Medical Complex among many others. SNR & Associates became a renowned name in the field of architectural designing and consultation, especially in the field of housing and state of the art residential design.

His career in Pakistan earned him a number of notable professional titles. He was one of the founding members of THAAP in 2006, a registered nonprofit organization, a forum of academics and professional dedicated to improving the state of education, particularly in the multidisciplinary fields of Art and Culture. He was Executive Member of the PCATP from 1986 to 1994, and President of the Institute of Architects Pakistan (IAP) from 1997 to 2001, after which he was awarded life time membership. He led IAP delegations to ARCASIA events in Tokyo, Jakarta and SriLanka and was also member of several IAP and PCATP juries. He was forefront in establishing the Pervaiz Vandal Award trust and served as its president.

He passed away at the age of 70 in Lahore and his legacy of great architectural works lives on in the young minds he inspired and the influence of the so many that have carried on his simple, yet direct and unique style.

 

THE EXHIBITION OF HIS ARCHIVAL WORK WILL BE OPEN FROM 13^th TILL 27^th DEC, 2018, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, AT IAC.