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Kashmiris on both sides of the line of control and rest of the world are celebrating 75th Founding Day of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Monday with a renewed pledge to continue the struggle until the liberation of Indian Illeglly Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and accession of the whole territory to Pakistan.

The Founding Day is celebrated in commemoration of freedom from the Dogra regime on the 24th of October in 1947.

Special prayers will be offered in mosques for the integrity and prosperity of Pakistan and the early liberation of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Simple but impressive flag hoisting ceremonies will be held at all districts and divisional headquarters.  

On this occasion police march Past will be held while it will be a holiday in Azad Kashmir.

AJK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan, Cabinet Ministers, members of AJK Legislative Assembly and Kashmir Council will also attend the ceremony.

Simple but impressive flag hoisting ceremonies will be also held at all other district  and divisional headquarters. 

AJK Acting President Ch. Anwar ul Haq will hoist the National and AJK Flag and address the ceremony.

All three stations of Azad Kashmir Radio will broadcast special programs to mark the day.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated President Xi Jinping on his re-election as General Secretary of Communist Party of China for the 3rd term.

In a tweet today (Sunday), he said it is a glowing tribute to his sagacious stewardship and unwavering devotion for serving the people of China.

Source: Radio Pakistan

In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP government, blinded by revenge against Congress, has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, a non-government organisation associated with the Gandhi family.

Officials said the licence was cancelled after investigations carried out by an inter-ministerial committee formed by the home ministry of India in 2020.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Pakistan and Turkiye have decided to promote cooperation in film and drama industries, undertake joint ventures in screen tourism and establish a Pak-Turk Culture Center.

The understanding came during meetings of Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb with Turkish Deputy Minister for Culture and Tourism Ahmet Misbah and a delegation of film Industry in Istanbul.

The Minister for Information announced that Pakistan will participate in a film mela in Turkiye to screen its movies. She said three new films produced in Pakistan can be presented in the festival.

Both the sides also agreed to cooperate on setting up the latest film processing lab in Pakistan. They agreed to cooperate to include filmmaking and acting subjects in the curriculum.

Marriyum Aurangzeb recognized the unforgettable role of Turkiye in development of Pakistan saying both the countries enjoy deep rooted cordial relations.

She said both Pakistan and Turkiye can project their cultural diversity and natural beauty at the international level through screen tourism.

She said our government framed the country’s first film and culture policy. She said use of latest technology and quality and content of film are part of the policy. She said we have abolished tax on film industry, culture and tourism sectors in the current year budget. Foreign filmmakers are also being given rebates in joint film and drama projects at the local level. She said our aim is to promote business activities including tourism and culture in Pakistan.

The Information Minister said steps have been taken to establish new cinemas, rehabilitate them and give incentives to the artists.

The Information Minister said Pakistan will benefit from the experiences of Turkiye for the development of tourism sector.

Marriyum Aurangzeb pointed out there are several archaeological sites in Pakistan and significant funds have been allocated for their preservation. She noted our archaeological sites are the best assets to develop tourism

Alluding to the picturesque places in northern areas, the Information Minister said the Turkish filmmakers can film in these beautiful tourist areas.

The Turkish Minister said his country will provide all possible support to Pakistan in the field of tourism.

The Turkish delegation of film industry said the best companies from Netherlands, Turkiye and France which are based in Turkiye can provide technical support in film processing lab.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Pakistan’s pace unit has been lauded for their outstanding performances in the Asia Cup 2022, the England T20I series, and the tri-nation series in New Zealand despite their key pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi not being a part of the team.

Recently, former Indian batter, Gautham Gambhir, also heaped praise on the national bowling unit, as he rated Pakistan’s bowling unit the finest in the ongoing 2022 T20 World Cup.

While speaking in an interview he said, “Pakistan is the only team with three bowlers who can bowl at the speed of 140 plus. Comparing it with other teams, Australia has one bowler who can bowl at 140 plus while England has Mark Wood who can bowl at 150 plus.”

If you talk about the Pakistan pace attack, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi, all can bowl at a good speed. Thus their fast bowling is their biggest strength

It should be noted that the star pacer, Shaheen Afridi, returned to the national side last week ahead of the warm-up games after a three-month hiatus owing to an injury sustained during the Test series against Sri Lanka.

The left-arm bowler made the playing XI against England in the first warm-up match, conceding only 7 runs in two overs, then claimed two quick wickets against Afghanistan in his first spell in the second match.

Source: Pro Pakistan

Business leaders stressed on joint and sustainable efforts for economic growth at the inaugural launch and dialogue of Marketing Association of Pakistan (MAP) on the theme of “Imagining the Unimaginable” on Saturday.

Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, Former State Minister and Chairman Board of Investment (BOI), President Marketing Association of Pakistan (MAP) said the prevailing economic situation is temporary, and the economy needs to be revived in the months to come considering the billions of dollars of potential in the country.

He said Pakistan is a very attractive market for foreign investors even in this situation, evident from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) willing to initiate dialogue with Pakistan for exploring various venues of investment on a long-term basis.

He said that MAP’s role is crucial in the contribution of the private sector and the economy of the country however it needs to enhance its footprint through various chapters and the membership of experienced members and leaders including professional women.

Quoting the theme “imagine the unimaginable”, Faysal Bank Limited CEO & President Yousaf Hussain said the bank will be converted to a full-fledged Islamic bank by the end of 2022, which was a dream of its board of directors eight years ago.

The bank will enhance its presence with nearly 700 branches converted by the end of 2022 to be the second largest Islamic of the country with a wide range of innovative products including a Sharia-compliant credit card.

Muhammad Aurangzeb, President and CEO Habib Bank Limited and Chairman Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA) said Pakistan’s exit from FATF’s grey list is a prime example of the potential benefits of joint efforts that the policymakers, state institutions and the private sector can bring and this should be replicated with the same spirit for addressing the core macroeconomic issues.

He added that the Charter of Economy is a workable idea aiming to address key areas of the economy by stakeholders on a sustainable basis.

Ghias Khan, President Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) and Engro Corporation said the government should devise a comprehensive policy environment that can give a boost to productive sectors and industries rather than unproductive sectors like real estate.

He also said that the government should also realize that the country’s economic growth is bound to regional growth like in the case of the GCC and ASEAN, hence, bilateral trade with neighboring countries should be promoted.

Maheen Rahman, CEO InfraZamin said that Pakistan stands among the five most populous countries in the world but its contribution is negligible in the global economy. The 10 most populous countries account for 60% of the world’s GDP but unfortunately we only contribute 0.4%.

She highlighted that Pakistan can double its share in the global economy by doubling its GDP, labor productivity, and women’s participation in the workforce. In this regard, investment in human capital is indispensable mainly in the areas of health, education and skilled development.

Aamir Paracha, CEO Unilever Pakistan Limited said the government policy should also consider its focus from GDP growth rate to the development of Human Development Index (HDI), which we as a country stand among the lowest across the world.

He further said that the government and NGOs cannot fill the gap between society and the economy, the private sector should take ownership for the development of the socio-economic situation of the country, he further said.

Former Information Minister Javed Jabbar said Pakistan has immense development potential with various unique derivatives and lots of opportunities in addition to having an advantageous geographical presence.

The formation of Pakistan can also be attributed as imagining the unimaginable as not only British Empire but the Congress and Muslim scholars were against Quad-e-Azam, the founder of Pakistan, he added.

Country Manager SAP Pakistan was the moderator of the dialogue.

Source: Pro Pakistan