Category: Islamabad

Islamabad: Prominent poet, researcher, critic and scholar Prof Sahar Ansari’s contributions to Urdu literature were celebrated at the launch ceremony of his book Nigarshat-e-Sahar held at the National Language Promotion Department (NLPD) here on Monday.

The event was jointly organized by the literary and cultural organization Zawiya and the NLPD. Renowned poet Iftikhar Arif presided over the ceremony, while Mehboob Zafar moderated the event.

NLPD Director General Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar attended as the chief guest. Addressing the gathering, Iftikhar Arif said literary schools rich in creative talent also produce better critics.

‘Literature must be viewed through a literary lens,’ he remarked. He noted that Ansari’s essays largely focused on figures associated with the Progressive Movement and described his scholarly and literary contributions as ‘a valuable asset to Urdu literature,’ adding that his writings are ‘a fine blend of research and creative insight.’

Chief guest and Director General of NLPD, Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar said the department considers hosting such literary events part of its responsibility. Calling Nigarshat-e-Sahar ‘an important addition to Urdu research and criticism,’ he said moving from creative writing to research is a difficult transition, but Ansari had done justice to both.

‘His vast study gives him command over words and their meanings. A creator makes an excellent critic because he himself experiences the emotions and states that emerge during the creative process. Sahar Ansari embodies that high standard,’ Dr Mazhar said.

Noted fiction writer Muhammad Hameed Shahid praised the intellectual depth, linguistic refinement and literary dignity of Ansari’s prose, calling the book essential reading for scholars. ‘It is proof of the author’s vast academic insight and deep commitment to literature. Young researchers can greatly benefit from it,’ he said.

Dr Arshad Mehmood Nashad observed that Ansari brought the classical ghazal into the contemporary era through his poetry, which earned him widespread recognition, but his prose had not received the attention it deserved. ‘When a creative mind turns to criticism, even those aspects are illuminated that remain hidden from an ordinary reader,’ he added.

Prof Muhammad Sabir, compiler of Nigarshat-e-Sahar, joined the event through a video message and said Ansari’s personality and literary work hold great significance in Karachi’s literary landscape. ‘Some people may not have even read as much as Sahar Ansari has written,’ he remarked.

A video message from Prof Sahar Ansari was also played before the presidential address. He thanked NLPD Director General Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar and Zawiya President Mehboob Zafar for organizing the event and expressed gratitude to Iftikhar Arif, Muhammad Hameed Shahid, Dr Arshad Mehmood Nashad and Dr Bibi Amina for their remarks and research papers.

The ceremony concluded with speakers, participants and organizers paying tribute to Prof Sahar Ansari’s academic and literary services and expressing hope that such events would continue to play an effective role in promoting the Urdu language and literature.

Islamabad: Pak Sporting Football Club Islamabad will conduct open trials for Under-17 football players from July 16 to 18 at Rovers Park Stadium, G-9/3, Islamabad.

The trials will be held daily at 5:00 p.m. to identify promising young talent for the club. Thirty outstanding players will be selected to join the club’s training programme in preparation for future football competitions across the country.

The club said special preference would be given to goalkeepers during the selection process to help develop quality talent in a position where Pakistan has long faced a shortage.

A selection committee will supervise the trials, while the names of its members will be announced before the event.

The trials are open to all eligible U-17 football players, and football enthusiasts from Rawalpindi and Islamabad have been invited to attend and encourage the young participants.

Islamabad: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday paid tribute to Pakistan’s security forces for what he described as the successful Operation Shaban against militants in Balochistan, praising their professionalism and resolve in ongoing counterterrorism operations.

In a statement, Naqvi commended the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan, and police for their joint operation, which he said resulted in the killing of five more militants. He also praised the security forces for carrying out effective ground and aerial operations against militant elements.

The interior minister said the campaign against what he referred to as “Fitna al-Hindustan” would continue until the complete elimination of the group’s militants from Pakistan. He said those seeking to undermine peace in Balochistan were being brought to justice and asserted that the entire nation stood firmly alongside the country’s security forces in the fight against terrorism.

Naqvi added that the reported killing of 114 militants in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations so far reflected the high level of preparedness, professionalism, and operational readiness of Pakistan’s security forces. He further said that those responsible for shedding innocent blood in Balochistan deserved no leniency, reiterating the government’s commitment to restoring peace and stability in the province.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Human Rights, Azam Nazeer Tarar on Monday announced that Pakistan has assumed the chairmanship of the OIC Ministerial Conference on Women for the next two years.

Addressing a press conference after the conclusion of the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women here, the minister said the chairmanship had been formally transferred to Pakistan, reflecting the confidence of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states on the country.

Tarar thanked the OIC General Secretariat, member states, partner countries, ministers, ministers of state, heads of delegation, and other representatives for their active participation, which helped make the two-day conference a success.

He said the conference adopted the outcomes of its deliberations during the closing session, with member states reaffirming their commitment to promoting the economic, political, and social empowerment of women across the Muslim world.

The minister said participants resolved to ensure that women were fully included in the development process, enabling them to contribute alongside men to building balanced, prosperous, and inclusive societies. Highlighting the importance of technology, Tarar said dedicated sessions focused on the opportunities and challenges of the digital age.

He said member states pledged to utilize all available resources to equip women with modern skills and technologies, enabling them to transform their achievements into success stories and contribute to their families, communities, and national economies.

The minister expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Human Rights team, led by the secretary, parliamentary secretary, and officials of the Ministry of Law and Justice, for their dedicated efforts in organising the conference.

He also acknowledged the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the foreign secretary, and the Ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Information Technology, saying all institutions had worked together over the past several months to ensure the event’s success.

Tarar extended special thanks to Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, for his leadership and patronage throughout the conference and congratulated the people of Pakistan on successfully hosting the high-level international event.

He said Pakistan’s assumption of the OIC chairmanship on women’s affairs presented an important opportunity to work closely with member states to develop stronger policy frameworks for the welfare, development, and future of women across the Islamic world.

The minister expressed confidence that through collective efforts and collaboration, women across OIC member states would continue to play an increasingly important role alongside men in the progress and prosperity of their countries and the wider Muslim world.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Syed Imran Ahmad Shah Monday reiterated the government commitment to expand Pakistan’s social protection system and empower vulnerable communities through market-oriented skills development, women’s economic empowerment and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

He expressed these views while talking to a high-level delegation of the New York Chamber of Small Business Corporation, USA, and members of the Sahiwal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who called on him to discuss Pakistan’s social protection initiatives, poverty alleviation, humanitarian work, skills development and avenues for future collaboration.

The delegation was led by Bishop Abraham Nazir Daniel and Founder of the New York Chamber of Small Business Corporation Alamdar Hussain Shah. It comprised professionals from journalism, pharmacy, law, education, business and social development, along with representatives of the Chamber’s chapters in New York, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Welcoming the delegation, the minister said the government, under the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, is working to build an inclusive and sustainable social protection system. He said the ministry is considering changing its name to the “Ministry of Social Security” in line with internationally accepted terminology to better reflect its mandate.

Additional Secretary Sumaira Samad briefed the delegation on the ministry’s mandate since its establishment in 2019. She said the ministry was created to bring Pakistan’s social protection and social safety programmes under one umbrella, ensure effective coordination with the provinces, avoid duplication of efforts and create greater synergy in service delivery.

She informed the delegation that the ministry oversees four key organisations: the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) and the Trust for Voluntary Organizations (TVO).

The delegation was informed that BISP’s evidence-based National Socio-Economic Registry underpins the government’s unconditional cash transfer, nutrition and social welfare programmes.

The minister said the government is committed to expanding the Unconditional Cash Transfer programme beyond its existing coverage of 10.2 million beneficiary families, adding that its allocation has been increased to Rs838 billion in the current financial year to extend support to more deserving households.

Emphasising sustainable poverty reduction, the minister said the government’s vision is not merely to provide financial assistance but to empower people with the skills to become self-reliant. He said 165 Women Empowerment Centres are being modernised to align their training with market needs and memorandums of understanding will be signed with relevant institutions to strengthen market-driven skills development.

He also stressed the importance of mainstreaming women into the national economy through enhanced employment, entrepreneurship and livelihood opportunities.

The delegation was also briefed on PPAF’s initiatives in adaptive climate resilience and interest-free lending, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal’s welfare programmes, including Women Empowerment Centres, orphanages, Senior Citizens’ Recreation Centres, financial assistance for deserving families and food kitchens, as well as TVO’s role in strengthening civil society organisations.

The meeting was informed that the IFAD-supported National Poverty Graduation Programme has been completed and succeeded by the World Bank-supported Pakistan Graduation of Extremely Poor (PGEP), which focuses on sustainable livelihoods through interest-free loans and targets the poorest and climate-vulnerable districts, particularly 12 districts of Balochistan, five districts in Sindh and three districts of the merged areas, in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision of “Khushal Balochistan, Mazboot Pakistan.”

Speaking about the education sector, the minister said Pakistan continues to face the challenge of around 28 million out-of-school children.

He said the government is promoting school enrolment through initiatives such as Taleemi Wazaif and Schools for Rehabilitation of Child Labour (SRCLs), adding that 12.8 million out-of-school children have been enrolled under the Taleemi Wazaif programme.

He emphasised that beneficiary families are encouraged to ensure regular school attendance of their children to secure a better future.

The delegation appreciated the Government of Pakistan’s efforts in poverty alleviation, humanitarian assistance and social welfare and presented souvenirs to the minister on behalf of different chapters of the Chamber.

Both sides agreed to explore collaboration in skills development, vocational training, women’s economic empowerment, entrepreneurship, social enterprise, private sector partnerships, investment promotion, market linkages and capacity building.

The delegation also expressed its willingness to facilitate international business connections, knowledge exchange and investment opportunities through its global network to support Pakistan’s socio-economic development.

Islamabad: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Monday set aside the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment in the Monal Restaurant case, allowing appeals filed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI).

A Constitutional Bench headed by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, announced a short order, vacating the stay order and ruling that issues relating to the ownership of the property would be decided independently by the trial courts without being influenced by the observations made in the earlier Supreme Court judgment.

The court directed the trial courts to decide the pending cases at the earliest, while administrative matters would be determined by the relevant regulatory authorities.

During the hearing, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi observed that several important aspects had not been taken into consideration in the Supreme Court’s judgment. He remarked that expressing displeasure merely because a case or a review petition had been filed was inappropriate. He further observed that the judgment contained matters that were unrelated to the facts of the case.

“The court does not deliver emotional judgments. Our decisions are based on law and the available record,” Justice Rizvi said, adding that the court would issue orders strictly on the basis of what had been argued during the proceedings. He also noted that, after reading the earlier judgment, it appeared to include several observations that fell outside the scope of the court proceedings.

Appearing on behalf of Monal Restaurant, counsel Ahsan Bhoon told the court that it had examined the case in great detail. Justice Rizvi, however, responded by asking counsel not to praise the bench during the proceedings.

Monal Restaurant was granted a lease in 2006 to operate within the Margalla Hills National Park. The matter remained under litigation before the Islamabad High Court and later the Supreme Court. On June 11, 2024, the Supreme Court ordered Monal, La Montana and other restaurants to vacate the national park, holding that commercial activities inside the protected area were inconsistent with environmental conservation principles.

Subsequently, the CDA informed the court that Monal, La Montana and other structures had been demolished and the land had been reclaimed.

In appeals filed before the Federal Constitutional Court earlier this year, the CDA and MCI argued that the Supreme Court’s decision had deprived the local government of lease rentals and other dues that would otherwise have been utilised for municipal services in Islamabad and development of villages surrounding the Margalla Hills National Park.

Accepting the appeals, the Federal Constitutional Court set aside the Supreme Court’s 2024 judgment.