Voice For Peace

  Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs Dr Shahbaz Gul has said that petrol price is being increased by Rs .71 per liter. The other day, he tweeted his message on Twitter and said that according to the data of July 26, the price of petrol in 27 countries of the world is lower than Pakistan and in 140 countries it is higher than Pakistan. According to him, the average price of petrol in the world is 19 1.19 per liter. He said that the prices of petroleum products in the world increased by 47% while in Pakistan it increased by 11%. Now, on the recommendation of OGRA, the price of petrol is being increased by 71 paisa per liter with effect from August 1. He said that increase in diesel prices affected the common man and farmers more so its rates were not increased. Now, after the increase in petrol price, it has been fixed at Rs 119.80 per liter. On the other hand, the price of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) has also been increased by Rs 10 per kg, which was announ...

 In view of the increasing cases of Corona epidemic, the government is seriously considering implementing SOPs. Dr. Faisal Sultan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Health, said last day that the help of Pakistan Army could be sought for these measures. The rapid rise in the number of new cases of corona epidemic in recent days is undoubtedly a cause for concern, while the type of corona that has caused catastrophic conditions in India is a cause for concern. Therefore, precautionary measures should be taken to ensure compliance. Pakistan's strategy to deal with the corona epidemic is valued in the world. Pakistan ranks third with a score of 84.4, according to a recent Economist Magazine ranking of 50 countries recovering from the Corona epidemic. The first two countries are Hong Kong and New Zealand, respectively, while China and the United States are ranked 19th and 20th respectively. Proper and timely measures to deal with the epidemic are fundamentally important for...

  Eventually, US officials decided to maintain high-level contacts with Pakistan, and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to discuss Afghan issues. Anthony Blinken assured that the United States would continue its support for peace in Afghanistan, regional stability and the elimination of Corona. The telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of the two countries is important in the sense that Anthony Blanken had earlier ordered Prime Minister Imran Khan to speak instead of the foreign minister, to which Pakistani officials assured him that the prime minister will speak with the US president only. Blanken should talk to his counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. US officials persisted in their decision not to contact Pakistan for several weeks, but as the situation in Afghanistan changed, the United States had to change its approach and contact Pakistan in accordance with diplomatic protocol. The United States has been part of the ...

  Central President of Voice of Pakistan Journalists Union (Registered) Madam Azra Mehar has stated that her team is her pride.   Team of sincere journalists is not less than a blessing.   No one is a lone leader as he becomes a leader by himself.   “Congratulations to the whole team.   Congratulations to all of you.   It is a matter of great honor for your union and I hope you all will continue to work like this and inshAllah very soon you will all be successful as a successful team,” she stated in a statement shared in the group of the Union. Meanwhile, the Lahore team of the Voice of Pakistan Journalists Union led by Central President Madam Azra Mehar visited the inauguration of the Punjab office of the Voice of Pakistan Journalists Union. District President Madam Noshin Rana, Tehsil President Phol Shafiq, District General Secretary Reza Zaidi, Member Shabir Hussain participated in the event which was fully attended by journalist friends from all over ...

  Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken, wherein the two sides stressed the need for continuing close coordination and cooperation to ensure meaningful progress in the Afghan peace process. Both the sides discussed bilateral relations and important developments in the region, according to Foreign Office statement. On bilateral relations, the foreign minister emphasized Pakistan’s commitment to forging a broad-based, long-term and sustainable relationship with the United States that was anchored in deep economic cooperation, regional connectivity and peace in the region. He highlighted Pakistan’s focus on geo-economics as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and reiterated the importance of enhancing economic, trade and investment ties between Pakistan and the United States. As regards the situation in Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Qureshi stressed that there was a fundamental convergence between Pak...

  The federal cabinet has amended the procurement rules to allow the government to award contracts to the state-owned enterprises without floating public tenders, which may compromise transparency in public sector deals. The federal government notified the amended Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules on June 29 after approval from the cabinet, according to the notification. According to the amended rule 42 (f), “A procuring agency may engage in direct contracting with state-owned entities such as professional, autonomous or semi-autonomous organizations or bodies of the federal or provincial governments for the procurement of such works and services, including consultancy services, which are time-sensitive and in the public interest”. Only time-sensitive cases are allowed exemption, Managing Director of the PPRA Rizwan Malik said, adding that these cases would also be subjected to four major conditions to ensure efficiency and transparency. He said the gover...

  The United States is repeating the same mistakes in Afghanistan. Leaving Afghanistan after nearly two decades of war, she wants to push Afghanistan back into the war. Operations are being carried out by India not only in Afghanistan but also in Pakistan to destabilize the country. Pakistan has made many sacrifices for a peaceful world in the last twenty years, but the US inclination towards India out of Afghanistan makes it clear that Pakistan's sacrifices for world peace have been ignored. Pakistan's neutrality is hurting the United States. Now, once again, the situation is deteriorating as the United States moves towards violating the agreement. If anything goes wrong, everyone will suffer. A Pentagon spokesman said a small number of US troops would remain in Afghanistan despite the withdrawal. The withdrawal will be completed by the end of August. In place of General Miller, General Mackenzie will serve as commander of US forces in Afghanistan. According to a Pentagon sp...

  There was a time when Pakistan has aligned itself with the United States as frontline state in the war on terror launched by the US after 9/11 terror attacks. As main culprit in the eyes of the United States was Osama bin Laden, who has made Afghanistan his base from where he was operating his network of terrorism. Though Pakistan was the frontline state in the war on terror, but this is tragic to note that it has remained the breeding ground for terrorism. Pakistan has been playing the double game just for getting dollars. But now the situation has completely as now friends have become foes. According to a leading newspaper report being published from the capital of Pakistan Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s (PMIK) interview with the New York Times revealed that Pakistani-American relations are entering an unprecedented era, though it doesn’t necessarily have to be a negative one provided that the US has the political will to finally treat its historical South Asian partner...

Inaugurating several projects in Gwadar, including the first phase of the free zone, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the future is tied to Gwadar, which is emerging as an important center of development and ensuring prosperity for the entire region. With the completion of the first phase of the Gwadar Free Zone, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the second phase of the 2200-acre Free Zone and inaugurated three factories and an expo center. These projects can be considered as a major step towards development in Gwadar and it is hoped that the economic fruits of these projects will begin to emerge in the near future. The economic prospects and hopes associated with Gwadar are not without reason. The location of this seaport, the depth of this port and its geographical location make it an important trading hub for Pakistan, China, Central Asia and Afghanistan According to him, development is the main task. The sooner this work is completed, the sooner the fruits will be ...

  Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said the future of Pakistan belonged to Gwadar emerging as the ‘focal point of development’ and ensuring prosperity for the entire country. Addressing at the launch of development projects and the signing ceremony of Memoranda of Understanding here in the port city, the prime minister said Gwadar would open up new avenues of opportunities for regional trade. The prime minister who arrived in Gwadar on a day-long visit inaugurated the first phase of Gwadar Free Zone besides performing the groundbreaking of the its second phase spread at 2,200 acres and opening of three factories. The prime minister said his vision of an emerging Pakistan was a steadfast nation which was committed to the prosperity of the country. He said the government was focused on ensuring provision of basic amenities in Gwadar and Balochistan, particularly clean water and electricity to encourage industrialization. He said the recently announced Rs 730 billion deve...

 Ayub Khan Afridi, who has been performing his duty as account section incharch as before reaching to this position he has also worked as canteen manager, Liberian, security system operator, has sent a letter to the Director of Human Rights Cell of Peshawar High Court seeking his help against the administration of the Club for dismissing him without reason. “I have given blood to this Press Club as I have been severely injured in the suicide attack on the club,” wrote Ayub in his appeal. The following is the full text of the letter sent to Human Rights Cell.     Mr. Director, Human Rights Cell Peshawar High Court Peshawar   Sir!   With respect it is stated I belong to a poor family. I have started working in Peshawar Press Club in 2009, which remained until June 2021. I have been working in various positions. These range from canteen in-charge to account matters, which are done with diligence and honesty. * That the petitioner was dismissed w...

    The State Department has reacted sharply to Pakistan's inclusion in the Child Soldiers Prevention Act list, calling for a review of the allegations made by the United States as untrue and misunderstood. The list is part of the State Department's "Trafficking in Persons" report, for which Pakistan has been providing information to the United States since 2007; therefore, Pakistan rightly expects human trafficking, "forced recruitment and Provide credible information on allegations of support for groups that use minors. The State Department's report comes at a time when the United States is withdrawing from Afghanistan and this important development has a profound effect on the situation in the region. The progress of the withdrawal from Afghanistan as a neighbor and the importance of Pakistan in the subsequent situation is also extraordinary; hence the release of this report by the US State Department on this occasion and the inclusion of Pakistan against ...

  NEPRA allowed the federal government to increase the electricity tariff by Rs 2.97. From October 2021, the government's requests to revise the price of electricity for domestic consumers by Rs 1.72 per unit were approved. In addition, a surcharge of Rs 25 per unit was allowed on commercial and agricultural consumers, but domestic consumers will be exempted from the surcharge. According to government sources, the federal government has decided to increase the price of electricity through various quarterly adjustments. In this regard, it was decided to increase the price of electricity by 85 paisa per unit in the fourth quarter of 2019-2020, while in the first second quarter of 2021, it was decided to increase the price of electricity by 90 paisa per unit. Additional charges from power consumers will be made in one year. The NEPRA price hike will not apply to lifeline customers. NEPRA's quarterly adjustment period will end in September this year and the increase in electricity ...

  A day after an all-important meeting of the parliamentary and military leadership in parliament, the controversy surrounding the attendance of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the meeting is not dying down as the government and the PML-N have blamed each other for the premier’s absence. Surprising as it may seem, a key cabinet minister had informed The Express Tribune on Thursday night that “the prime minister wanted to attend the meeting but the PML-N gave a message to the National Assembly speaker that they would stage a walk out if the premier attends it”. Sharing more details, the source revealed that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari pointed out in his speech that the PM’s absence from such an important meeting was not a good gesture. To this, he said that NA Speaker Asad Qaiser had asked him to “enquire from Shehbaz Sharif (opposition leader in NA) why the PM is absent”. On Friday, a BBC Urdu story quoted Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry saying...

  Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri on Friday said that Indian claims alleging a drone flying over Indian High Commission in Islamabad had no basis in facts and no proof has yet been shared with Pakistan in this regard. In response to queries from media regarding the Indian propaganda, the spokesperson said they had seen the Indian MEA’s statement and reports in certain sections of the Indian media alleging a drone flying over the premises of the Indian High Commission in Islamabad. “This has been taken up officially with Pakistan. We expect Pakistan to investigate the incident and prevent recurrence of such breach of security,” NDTV quoted the Indian Ministry of External Affairs as saying in a statement. “These preposterous claims have no basis in facts and no proof whatsoever has been shared with Pakistan to substantiate these allegations,” he remarked. The spokesperson said curiously, this propaganda campaign by India was also happening at a time when the evidenc...