Archive for January, 2009

قوموں کا مستقبل نوجوانوں کی مثبت خطوط پر

January 27, 2009 at 12:03 pm · Filed under قومی خبریں

 قوموں کا مستقبل نوجوانوں کی مثبت خطوط پر رہنمائی

میں مضمر ہے، معاشرے میں سدھار قلم سے ہوسکتا ہے

 

 

روزنامہ جنگ أ ۔  کراچی(اسٹاف رپورٹر)وفاقی اردو یونیورسٹی کا پہلا جلسہ تقسیم اسناد

پیر کو گلشن کیمپس میں منعقد ہوا۔ جلسے میں 9پی ایچ ڈی، 3 ایم فل کے علاوہ ماسٹرز اور گریجویشن کرنے والے چھ سو سے زائد کامیاب طلبہ کو اسناد دی گئیں ۔جلسہ میں صدر پاکستان آصف علی زرداری کا پیغام بھی پڑھ کر سنایا گیا وفاقی وزیر تعلم میر ہزار خان بجارانی نے خطاب کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ دنیا کے تمام مدبرین اس بات پر متفق ہیں کہ تعلیم یافتہ نوجوان ہی ملک و قوم کا مستقبل ہو ا کر تے ہیں۔ ملک و قوم کے مسقبل کی ذمہ داری انہی پر عائد ہوتی ہے۔انہوں نے کہا کہ یہ بات اطمینان کا باعث ہے کہ اس یونیورسٹی نے بہت کم عرصہ میں ترقی کے مدارج طے کیے ہیں اور فروغ تعلیم کے میدان میں کارہائے نمایاں انجام دیے ہیں۔ اس سلسلے میں دو رائے نہیں ہو سکتیں کہ کسی بھی قوم کا روشن مستقبل نوجوان نسل کی مثبت خطوط پر رہنمائی اور تعلیم اور تربیت سے وابستگی میں ہے، نوجوان ہی ملکی تعمیر اور ترقی اور استحکام میں ریڑھ کی ہڈی کی حیثیت رکھتے ہیں۔میں نے اکثر پاکستانی نوجوانوں کو معاشرے کے رسم و رواج اور معاشی و معاشرتی ناانصافیوں کے خلاف بولتے اور تبصرے کرتے سنا ہے۔ ان کے جذبات کی قدر کی جاسکتی ہے لیکن صرف گفتار سے بات نہیں بنتی انہیں بے صبری اور شدت خواہش سے پرہیز کرنا ہوگا اور انہیں اس حقیقت سے آگاہ ہونا ہوگا کہ کلاشنکوف کے بجائے صرف قلم ہی وہ طاقت ہے جس سے معاشرے میں سدھار پیدا ہو سکتا ہے۔ وائس چانسلر ڈاکٹرمحمد قیصر نے کہا کہ وفاقی حکومت کے زیر سایہ قائم ہونے والی بیشتر جامعات مسائل کے باوجود ترقی کررہی ہیں ان میں اردو یونیورسٹی بھی شامل ہے جس میں 13 ہزار سے زائد طلبہ زیر تعلیم ہیں ۔ایک سال میں اسلام آباد کیمپس میں کلیہ انجینئرنگ اور کراچی کیمپس میں کلیہ فارمیسی قائم کیا گیاہے۔

 

 

خواتین کو مساوی مواقع فراہم کیے جائیں تاکہ وہ ملک کی ترقی و استحکام میں اپنا کردار ادا کر سکیں، توقیر فاطمہ بھٹو

 

کراچی (اسٹاف رپورٹر) صنفی امتیاز کا خاتمہ کرکے ہی ہم معاشرے میں خواتین کو ان کے جائز حقوق دے سکتے ہیں۔ خواتین کو مساوی مواقع فراہم کیے جائیں تاکہ وہ ملک کی ترقی و استحکام کے لیے موٴثر انداز سے اپنا کردار ادا کر سکیں۔ ان خیالات کا اظہار صوبائی وزیر ترقی ٴ نسواں توقیر فاطمہ بھٹو نے محکمہ ترقی ٴ نسواں کے اشتراک سے منعقدہ سیمینار سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے کیا۔ صوبائی وزیر ترقی ٴ نسواں نے کہا کہ موجودہ جمہوری حکومت شہید بے نظیر بھٹو کے مشن کو آگے بڑھاتے ہوئے ایسے عملی اقدامات کر رہی ہے جس سے خواتین کو معاشرے میں اسلام کے مطابق جائز حقوق حاصل کرنے میں مدد ملے گی۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ صوبے میں خواتین کے حقوق اور ان کے تحفظ کے لیے ایک منصوبہ شروع کیا ہے جس کے تحت دیہی و شہری علاقوں میں خواتین کے ساتھ ہونے والے ظلم و تشدد کی فوری روک تھام اور ان کو قانونی تحفظ فراہم کیا جائیگا۔ صوبائی وزیر نے کہا کہ محکمہ ترقی ٴ نسواں نے خواتین کے حقوق کے لیے کام کرنے والی این جی اوز سے سفارشات جمع کی ہیں جن کو مدنظر رکھتے ہوئے موجودہ قوانین میں ترمیم کی جائے گی۔

Leave a Comment

وفاقی کابینہ میں توسیع، ایم کیو ایم اور جے یو آئی کے دو ، دو ارکان نے حلف اٹھالیا

January 27, 2009 at 11:54 am · Filed under قومی خبریں

وفاقی کابینہ میں توسیع، ایم کیو ایم اور جے یو آئی کے دو ، دو ارکان نے حلف اٹھالیا

روزنامہ جنگ  ۔  اسلام آباد ( ٹی وی رپورٹ) 4نئے وفاقی وزراء ڈاکٹر فاروق ستار‘ سینیٹر بابر غوری‘ سینیٹر اعظم خان سواتی اور مولانا عطاء الرحمن نے پیر کو ایوان صدر میں حلف اٹھا لیا، صدر آصف علی زرداری نے نئے وفاقی وزراء سے حلف لیا۔ نئے وزراء میں سے 2 کا تعلق متحدہ قومی موومنٹ اور 2 کا جے یو آئی (ف) سے ہے۔ چار نئے وزراء کے حلف اٹھانے سے وفاقی کابینہ کے ارکان کی مجموعی تعداد 55 سے بڑھ کر 59 ہوگئی ہے۔ ایم کیو ایم کی جانب سے ڈاکٹر فاروق ستار اور بابر خان غوری جبکہ جے یو آئی (ف) کی طرف سے اعظم سواتی اور مولانا عطا الرحمان شامل ہیں۔ ایوان صدر میں حلف برداری کی سادہ اور پروقار تقریب میں وزیراعظم یوسف رضا گیلانی‘ چیئرمین سینٹ محمد میاں سومرو‘ سپیکر قومی اسمبلی ڈاکٹر فہمیدہ مرزا‘ مولانا فضل الرحمن‘ سرحد اسمبلی کے قائد حزب اختلاف اکرم درانی کے علاوہ متعدد وفاقی وزراء اور ارکان پارلیمنٹ بھی موجود تھے۔ صدر اور وزیراعظم نے حلف اٹھانے والے چاروں وزراء کو مبارکباد دی۔جیو نیوز کے مطابق وفاقی وزراء کے قلمدانوں کا اعلان ایک نوٹیفکیشن کے ذریعے کیا جائیگا جو آج جاری کئے جانے کا امکان ہے۔

Leave a Comment

‘C-130 flights needed for Chitral’ F.P. Report

January 27, 2009 at 11:37 am · Filed under قومی خبریں

‘C-130 flights needed for Chitral’ F.P. Report

 

Frontier Post Peshawar - CHITRAL: Thousands of people including women, patients and students are stranded in Chitral and Peshawar due to inclement weather and non-availability of PIA flight. In the past, Kunar Afghanistan road was being opened for Chitralis after the closure of Lawari top for travel on both sides but this year due to fight in Mohmand agency and curfew in Khyber agency, the road has not been opened for security reason. PIA operates only two daily flights viz for Islamabad and Peshawar which are insufficient keeping in view the growing number of passengers in Chitral and Peshawar.

Leave a Comment

لواری ٹنل کو عارضی طور پر کھولنے کا مطالبہ

January 27, 2009 at 11:33 am · Filed under قومی خبریں

Temporary opening of Lowari Tunnel demanded

لواری ٹنل کو عارضی طور پر کھولنے کا مطالبہ

 

The News – By Bureau report  - Monday, January 26, 2009

PESHAWAR: Expressing gratitude over completion of initial work on the Lowari Tunnel, the Ulema Rabita Committee and Chitral Journalists Forum have asked the government to open the tunnel on a temporary basis keeping in view the problems of people.

A joint meeting of the two bodies held here Sunday adopted a unanimous resolution, urging the government to open the tunnel for the people of Chitral so that their travel problems could be addressed.

The participants said that with the completion of Lowari Tunnel, the remotest Chitral district would enter a new era of development. Besides national solidarity, the tunnel would also serve as the gateway to Central Asia, they said.

The speakers on the occasion said that with the onset of the winter season, Lowari Pass, the only land route to the district within the country, closed down and the alternate route via Kunar province of Afghanistan, too, could not be used because of the poor security situation on both sides of the border.

The limited number of flights and costly air tickets also hindered people of the valley use air service. Because of these problems most of the people of the district remained stranded in the provincial capital and other parts of the country. There were also problems with transportation of daily-use items to the district.

MNA from Chitral Shehzada Mohiuddin by using his personal relations with the Kunar governor had got assurance from him that people of Chitral could use the Kunar route. However, because of the poor security situation, the transporters as well as commuters avoided using the route for transportation.

The people of the district had persistently been demanding of the government to increase the number of flights to their district, reduce air fairs, restart helicopter service from Dir to Chitral and run C-130 service for carriage of necessary goods to the district. But none of their demands has been fulfilled.

The participants of the meeting, besides reiterating these demands, urged the government to open Lowari Tunnel temporarily.

Our correspondent adds from Chitral: After the public complaints, the local journalists visited the Lowari Tunnel and witnessed the hardships of the poor travelling to Peshawar. Talking to the media, they said the passengers had to bear enormous difficulties while crossing the Lowari Tunnel. The authorities concerned allegedly always allowed their relatives and friends to cross the tunnel without any hurdle whereas hundreds of other people were stopped. They accused the administration of providing vehicles to their favourites and denying many poor the means to reach their destinations.

Leave a Comment

Bush’s ‘War’ On Terror Comes to a Sudden End

January 23, 2009 at 6:46 am · Filed under Int'l Media Clips

Bush’s ‘War’ On Terror Comes to a Sudden End

By Dana Priest
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 23, 2009; A01

President Obama yesterday eliminated the most controversial tools employed by his predecessor against terrorism suspects. With the stroke of his pen, he effectively declared an end to the “war on terror,” as President George W. Bush had defined it, signaling to the world that the reach of the U.S. government in battling its enemies will not be limitless.

While Obama says he has no plans to diminish counterterrorism operations abroad, the notion that a president can circumvent long-standing U.S. laws simply by declaring war was halted by executive order in the Oval Office.

Key components of the secret structure developed under Bush are being swept away: The military’s Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, facility, where the rights of habeas corpus and due process had been denied detainees, will close, and the CIA is now prohibited from maintaining its own overseas prisons. And in a broad swipe at the Bush administration’s lawyers, Obama nullified every legal order and opinion on interrogations issued by any lawyer in the executive branch after Sept. 11, 2001.

It was a swift and sudden end to an era that was slowly drawing to a close anyway, as public sentiment grew against perceived abuses of government power. The feisty debate over the tactics employed against al-Qaeda began more than six years ago as whispers among confidants with access to the nation’s most tightly held secrets. At the time, there was consensus in Congress and among the public that the United States would be attacked again and that government should do what was necessary to thwart the threat.

The CIA, which had taken the lead on counterterrorism operations worldwide, asked intelligence contacts around the globe to help its teams of covert operatives and clandestine military units identify, kill or capture terrorism suspects. They set up their first interrogation center in a compound walled off by black canvas at Bagram air base in Afghanistan, and more at tiny bases throughout that country, where detainees could be questioned outside military rules and the protocols of the Geneva Conventions, which lay out the standards for treatment of prisoners of war.

As the CIA recruited young case officers, polygraphers and medical personnel to work on interrogation teams, the agency’s leaders asked its allies in Thailand and Eastern Europe to set up secret prisons where people such as Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh could be held in isolation and subjected to extreme sleep and sensory deprivation, waterboarding and sexual humiliation. These tactics are not permitted under military rules or the Geneva Conventions.

Over time, a tiny circle of federal employees outside these teams got access to some of the reports of interrogations. Some were pleased by the new aggressiveness. Others were horrified. They began to push back gingerly, as did an even smaller number of congressional officials briefed on the reports.

Eventually their worries reached a handful of reporters trying to confirm rumors of people who seemed to have disappeared: a Pakistani microbiologist spirited away in the dead of night in Indonesia. An Afghan prisoner frozen to death at a base code-named the Salt Pit. A German citizen who did not get back on his bus at a border crossing in Macedonia.

Front companies and fictitious people were used to hide a system of aircraft that carried terrorism suspects to “undisclosed locations” and to third countries under a little-known practice called rendition.

Unlike the federal employees, who could go to jail for disclosing the classified program, the reporters and their news outlets were protected by the Constitution — but not from government pressure. Then-CIA Director Porter J. Goss and, later, Bush summoned top editors of The Washington Post to press their case against disclosing the existence of the secret prison network.

The published reports in The Post and elsewhere earned the news media sharp recriminations from the administration, the Republican leadership in Congress and the public. Government leak investigations were launched. Bush administration officials argued that such methods and operations were necessary to effectively thwart terrorism, noting to this day that there have been no major attacks since 2001.

If there were dissenters back then, they were largely silent.

But in Europe, the reports set off a firestorm of criticism and government investigations in nearly every capital. Washington was pressured to move prisoners out of the secret jails. U.S. government officials scattered throughout the national security and foreign policy agencies scrambled to learn more about operations they knew little about. A growing chorus within the CIA and the State Department began to question how long the secret system of detention and interrogation could survive, and drew up plans for an alternative.

By then, the color-coded terrorist alerts had ended. Police disappeared from roadblocks around the Capitol. Washington the fortress drew millions of visitors again. Some Democratic members of Congress replaced the “war on terror” phraseology with language indicating vigilance and persistence, but not unending combat and military-only options.

On Sept. 6, 2006, Bush announced the transfer of 14 “high-value detainees” from secret prisons to Guantanamo. He suspended the CIA program, but defended its utility and reserved the right to reopen it. The secret was officially out.

Over the next 2 1/2 years, as Democrats gained power in Congress, as the violence in Iraq sapped public support for the president and as the fear of another terrorist attack receded, the debate over secret prisons, renditions and harsh interrogations grew louder. Presidential candidates felt comfortable to include these sensitive subjects in the debate on the efficiency of Bush’s war against terrorists, and even on the notion that it was still a war.

During his campaign and again in his inaugural address Tuesday, Obama used a different lexicon to describe operations to defeat terrorists. “As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,” he said. “. . . And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

Comments (1)

Obama urges Israel to open Gaza bordersاوباما کی طرف عزا کی سرحد کھولنے کے لیے اسراییل پر زور

January 23, 2009 at 6:17 am · Filed under Int'l Media Clips

Obama urges Israel to open Gaza bordersاوباما کی طرف عزا کی سرحد کھولنے کے لیے اسراییل پر زور

 

Financial Times - By Daniel Dombey in Washington and Tobias Buck in Jerusalem

 

Published: January 22 2009 22:07 | Last updated: January 23 2009 00:04

President Barack Obama urged Israel on Thursday to open its borders with Gaza.

The plea came in a speech that signalled the new US administration’s shift from Bush-era policy on the Middle East and the world as a whole. In a high-profile address on his second day in office, just hours after he signed an executive order to close the centre at Guantánamo Bay, Mr Obama proclaimed that the US would “actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians” in the wake of this month’s Gaza war.

 “The outline for a durable ceasefire is clear: Hamas must end its rocket fire: Israel will complete the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza: the US and our partners will support a credible anti-smuggling and interdiction regime, so that Hamas cannot re-arm,” the US president said.

“As part of a lasting ceasefire, Gaza’s border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce, with an appropriate monitoring regime, with the international and Palestinian Authority participating.”

Mr Obama and Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, also announced the appointment of George Mitchell, as the US special envoy for the Arab-Israeli conflict and Richard Holbrooke, former US ambassador to the United Nations, as representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan.

The moves signalled another shift from the foreign policy of the Bush administration, which had resisted appointing a high-profile envoy for Middle East peace.

Although Condoleezza Rice, who finished her tenure as secretary of state this week, brokered a 2005 deal to allow open border crossings to Gaza, access was often shut down, with Israel citing security concerns and Hamas launching rocket attacks. The issue is set to test the authority of the new administration as it begins to grapple with the Middle East conflict.

Before Mr Obama gave his speech, an Israeli official said there would be tough conditions for any lifting of the blockade, which he linked with the release of Gilad Shalit, a soldier held captive by Hamas since 2006.

“If the opening of the passages strengthens Hamas we will not do it,” the official said.

“We will make sure that all the [humanitarian] needs of the population will be met. But we will not be able to deal with Hamas on the other side. We will not do things that give legitimacy to Hamas.”

Under its ceasefire, Hamas has given Israel until Sunday to open the borders. Much of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure has been destroyed during the three-week Israeli offensive and, without building materials and other supplies, there is little hope of rebuilding the water, sewage and power networks as well as private homes and key government buildings. But many foreign donors share Israel’s concerns that the reconstruction efforts should not be led by Hamas, or enhance the group’s legitimacy.

“Let me be clear: America is committed to Israel’s security and we will always support Israel’s right to defend itself against legitimate threats,” Mr Obama said.

But in comments referring to the Gaza conflict he added: “I was deeply concerned by the loss of Palestinian and Israeli life in recent days and by the substantial suffering and humanitarian needs in Gaza. Our hearts go out to Palestinian civilians who are in need of immediate food, clean water, and basic medical care, and who’ve faced suffocating poverty for far too long.”

He called on Arab governments to “act on” the promise of a Saudi-led 2002 Arab peace initiative by supporting the Palestinian Authority headed by President Mahmoud Abbas “taking steps towards normalising relations with Israel, and by standing up to extremism that threatens us all.”

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Leave a Comment

Challenges of faith and education discussed at a seminar

January 23, 2009 at 5:51 am · Filed under قومی خبریں

Challenges of faith and education discussed at a seminar

مزاکرے میں مزہب اور تعلیم کو درپیش مقابلوں گفتگو ہویی

 

LONDON, Jan 22 (APP)- A seminar on “Faith, Culture and Education” discussed the challenges facing the educationists and concluded that more input was required to deal with the issues in a coherent manner.

The event was arranged by the Aga Khan University, Institute for the study of Muslim civilisations and the Commonwealth Foundation at the Marlborough House here on Thursday evening.

The panellists including Farid Panjwani, Jyotsna Jha, Rosemary Preston, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Janina Ainsworth, and Arif Jamal. Dr.Mark Collins, Director, Commonwealth Foundation and Dr.Abdou Filali-Ansary, Director, AKU-ISMC,London, acted as the moderators.

Dr. Ansary in his opening remarks explained the need to chart an innovative direction in the study of Muslim societies, emphasising the place and role of culture. He said the education was at the cross-road and there was a need to find new ways to make the people understand on the new challenges facing them.

The other panellists explored critical issues around the teaching of faith in schools both in the UK and in other Commonwealth countries. The issues of religious education versus education about religion, of religious education and the development of a common ethic of citizenship and the religious diversity came up for discussion.

Noted British journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown pointed out that quality education has thrived in secular societies whereas societies with predominant leaning towards religion have failed to benefit from   modern teaching methods and knowledge. Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Manzur-ul-Haq who was present among the audience while responding to a remark of a panellist said women are being encouraged to study beyond basic schooling with the education increasingly viewed as investment in future security.

Dr.Collins informed the participants about the 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers meeting which is to take place in Kuala Lumpur in June this year which will focus on key educational platforms at Commonwealth education co-operation moves into its second half century. The Conference, he added, will also foster new thinking and fresh ideas on building partnerships and collaboration between stakeholders in meeting emerging challenges in a new era.

Leave a Comment

Poverty fuelling organ trade in Pakistan: AKU study

January 22, 2009 at 5:23 am · Filed under قومی خبریں

Poverty fuelling organ trade in Pakistan: AKU study

 پاکستان میں غربت کی وجہ سے لوگ اعضاء کی تجارت کرتے ہیں، آغا خان یونیورسٹی کا مطالعہ

 The News – Wednesday, January 21, 2009

 By our correspondent,  Karachi -
Pakistan is fast becoming a ‘haven’ for the exploitative trade of human organs, according to a recent survey conducted by medical students at the Aga Khan University (AKU). The research revealed that poverty and lack of awareness are believed to be aiding the illegal organ trade.
According to an AKU statement issued on Tuesday, as part of a training rotation at the university’s Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS), medical students conducted a cross-sectional survey in several areas of Karachi to collect information about knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning organ donation and trade.

The major reasons for practicing organ trade stem from poverty as well as a general lack of awareness about ethical, legal and human rights implications of organ trade, the report states. The most important outcomes of the survey suggest that there is some awareness about organ donation (77.7per cent) and organ trade (65 per cent). However, only a few people (23 per cent) were aware that organ donations could be taken from the living as well as the deceased.

About 50 per cent said that organ trade included the selling, buying and ‘stealing’ of organs as well as exploitation of the needy through deception and coercion and 38 per cent were aware of local or international legislation regarding organ trade. Of this segment, only 6.7 per cent considered legislation as highly effective in achieving the desired effect on illegal organ trade. About 63 per cent supported the idea of organ donation, especially for the family. Some of the important factors for consideration were religious background of recipients and guarantee that organs will be treated with respect. Others cited religious beliefs as a cause for not donating organs. One person had donated a kidney, while about 3.5 per cent of the respondents had donated blood.

The study termed the promulgation of the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Bill in 2007 as an encouraging development, which attempted to regulate organ transplantation practices in Pakistan. Organ donation and trade are also actively debated bio-ethical issues in Pakistan, and researchers hoped that continued media coverage would help engage a wider audience on these issues, making them more receptive towards dialogue on the subject. However, better implementation of the bill is crucial to curb illegal organ trade.

The survey was conducted by Taimur Saleem, Sidra Ishaque, Nida Habib, Syedda Sadia Hussain, Areeba Javed, Amir Ali Khan, Muhammad Imran Khan, Mian Omer Iftikhar and Hamza Pervez Mughal. The project was facilitated by Dr Imtiaz Jehan, Assistant Professor Department of the CHS at AKU. The survey consisted of 408 adults, with 64 per cent men and 36 per cent women. Half of the respondents were either at graduate or post-graduate level, while only two per cent were illiterate.

 

 

Leave a Comment

چترال میں ماربل کی دستکاری، کان کنی اور تیاری کا یونٹ قایم کیا جاییگا۔

January 20, 2009 at 5:45 am · Filed under قومی خبریں

‘Chitral to have marble handicraft, mining & processing unit


چترال میں ماربل کی دستکاری، کان کنی اور تیاری کا یونٹ قایم کیا جاییگا۔

 

خواتین کو ترقی کے عمل میں شریک کرنے کے لیےسنگ تراشی اور دستکاری تربیتی مرکز اور ماربل نکالنے اور اس کی تیاری کے یونٹ جیسے دو اہم منصوبے بہت جلد شروع کیے جاییں گے، سر تاج احمد تحصیل ناطم نے اتوار کے روز اخبار نویسوں کو بتایا۔

 

PESHAWAR: To include women in the main pool of progress, two mega projects of Marble Handicraft Training Centre and Marble Mining and Processing Unit would be initiated soon, tehsil nazim Sartaj Ahmad Khan told reporters on Sunday.

The projects would certainly improve the life standard of Chitrali people particularly womenfolk, Sartaj Ahmad Khan opined. He said that the first mega project of Marble Handicraft Training Centre will be opened at Chitral to promote mosaic and handicraft sector for enhancing life standard of women and providing opportunities of earning livelihood in an honourable way.
The marble handicraft training centre would be maintained by a management board for the institute comprising representatives of Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) and All Pakistan Marble Industries Association (APMIA), he disclosed.


He said that this project would be completed within 12 months as it is funded by PSDP/ADP if not included in current five year plan.  Total cost of the project is Rs6.49 million. Main objectives of the project are to support local community in sustainable livelihood by creating economic activity especially by womenfolk of Chitral.


To develop cluster for marble handicraft manufacturing, including developing backward and forward linkages for SMEs in the marble handicrafts manufacturing and marketing as well as to encourage local people in initiating enterprises thus creating employment opportunities, he added.
NWFP produce 87 per cent marble, 1 per cent granite 12 per cent slate as overall 82 per cent product of the country while Frontier has 158 million tons of marble reserves.


A study was conducted by an NGO which indicated that 414 million tons of marketable granite reserves are available here in Northern Areas.
Currently, he said, 148 processing unit work in NWFP while still there will be more potential as well.


He said latest machineries would be purchased for this purpose.
This centre will contribute in economics growth of the region and will be soon self-sustaining after a year of its operation, he remarked.
Training will be provided to 500 people in five years at least 30 enterprises will be established here during this period.


He said that employments of 2,000 people are expected to be associated directly with the project while more chances are available for other labours as 12 staffers would be engaged in the centre. Another mega project of Marble Mining & Processing Unit (MM&PU) would be opened here with total cost of Rs275 million which is a joint venture of local and foreign investors, Sartaj added.


The project will be completed in 2 years as machinery would be borne by foreign investor whereas mine will be taken by local investors on equality basis of 40 per cent of total investment, he maintained.
He said that main objectives of this project are the same as of previous project with addition to minimise the ratio of wastage of marble in mining and processing besides convince the industry to adopt scientific mining techniques, use of mining machinery and ensure the machinery available on market price.
To develop an international level model project of marble mining & processing, more efforts would be needed, Sartaj further added.

 

He said that benefits of the projects were to increase the level of recovery of dimensional stone blocks from current 27 per cent to more than 50 per cent will also lead the greater sale of raw product in the international market resulting to increase profitability for local miners as well as processors.

Leave a Comment

Lowari Tunnel celebration in Booni

January 20, 2009 at 5:30 am · Filed under قومی خبریں, چترال اور چترالی

Lowari Tunnel celebration in Booni

January 20, 2009 – 2:08 am

booniCHITRAL, 19th January 2009: The residents of Mastuj tehsil (Booni) took out a grand rally for the celebration of Lowari Tunnel. Thousands of people took part despite snowfall and severe cold here on Monday. The rally was Led by district nazim Maghfirat Shah, district naib-nazim Sultan Shah, tehsil nazim Mastuj Shahzada Sikander ul Mulk, tehsil nazim Chitral Sartaj Ahmed Khan, union nazim Amiruallah and the representatives of civil society organizations, the rally passed through different roads of Booni town and converted into a public meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, the district nazim said that due to its proximity, Chitral is the gateway of Central Asia and with the completion of Lowari tunnel project, the dream is also coming nearer. He expressed his hope that President Asif Zardari will announce the project of Chitral-Tajikistan road during his proposed visit to Chitral during the forthcoming summer which he has promised. He said that venues of progress and prosperity will now open for Chitral and it will remain backward no more with the completion of the Lowari tunnel project for which the residents of Chitral yearned for the last 61 years of the establishment of Pakistan.

lowari-tunnelOn this occasion, a resolution was passed in which it was demanded of the government to take solid measures to connect Chitral with the Central Asian republics. It was also demanded of the government to allow the passengers of Chitral to use the tunnel daily for two hours to rid the stranded passengers in Chitral and Peshawar. Those who addressed on the occasion included Chitral DCO Motasim Billah Shah, Shahzada Sikandar Ul Mulk, Sartaj Ahmed Khan, Sultan Shah, Amirullah, Zaffarullah, Syed Sardar Hussain, Shamsur Rehman, , Fazlur Rahman, Kashafat Younis. They said that the residents of Chitral have got real freedom with the completion of the  Lowari tunnel after which Chitral has been connected with the rest of the country. They said that the residents of Chitral must prepare themselves for the post-Lowari tunnel scenario Chitral which will bring with itself competition in every field of life

Leave a Comment

Older Posts »