Category: Islamabad

Islamabad: The prices of gold witnessed a significant decrease in the local market on Friday, with the price of 24-karat gold per tola decreased by Rs1,400 to settle at Rs432,436, according to rates issued by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association.

Similarly, the price of 10 grams of 24-karat gold decreased by Rs1,200 to Rs370,744, while the price of 10 grams of 22-karat gold went down by Rs1,100 to Rs339,861.

In the international market, the price of gold decreased by $14 to settle at $4,100 per ounce.

Meanwhile, the price of silver per tola increased by Rs11 to Rs6,432, while the price of 10 grams of silver also went up by Rs10 to Rs5,514.

The price of silver in the international market increased by $0.11 to at $59.53 per ounce, the association reported.

Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has urged all stakeholders including the federal and provincial governments, members of parliament, development partners, civil society, academia, the private sector, religious scholars, the media, and local communities, to recognize the urgency of the population rise as a national issue and fulfill their shared responsibility by promoting informed decision-making, responsible parenthood, gender equality, and sustainable development.

The prime minister, in his message on the World Population Day, said that the day provides an important opportunity to highlight the significance of population issues at the global level.

He added that this year’s theme, “Realizing the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People, Today and for the Future,” underscores the pivotal role of young people in shaping a prosperous future. Creating an enabling environment for the younger generation is our collective responsibility.

“Today, Pakistan joins the international community in observing World Population Day and reaffirms its commitment to responsible population planning as a cornerstone of sustainable development and national prosperity,” the prime minister said.

Responsible and prudent population planning and management, he said form the foundation of a welfare-oriented society, adding that a population that remains commensurate with available resources ensures equitable access to public services and contributes to the well-being and prosperity of all citizens.

“Pakistan is the fifth most populous country in the world and ranks among the countries with a significant youth population. More than 65 % of our population is under the age of 30, this no doubt represents a tremendous national asset and a powerful driver of economic and social progress,” PM Shehbaz said.

At the same time, he added that an annual population growth rate of 2.55 per cent, presents significant challenges for a country with regards to economic planning, employment generation, education, healthcare, housing, food security, infrastructure development, and environmental sustainability.

He mentioned that to fully harness the demographic potential of our youth and realize the benefits of this demographic dividend, sustained investment in our national resources and a comprehensive strategy are indispensable. Human development and the ultimate nurturing of people’s capabilities must remain at the heart of our national development agenda, he added.

He highlighted that the federal government has recently established the National Population Council for formulation of a comprehensive and an effective national strategy on population and development. This high-level national forum, he said will ensure policy coordination between the federal and provincial governments, strengthen institutional collaboration, and provide strategic policy guidance for the implementation of the National Population Programme and will also facilitate timely and effective decision making in line with national priorities.

“Furthermore, the Council will duly accord priority to integrating population related issues into the national development agenda, promoting women’s empowerment, advancing human resource development, and formulating evidence based policies that support long term social and economic prosperity,” he said.

To achieve the overarching objective of developing capable, responsible, and empowered citizens, the government is also implementing the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and several other important national initiatives, he added.

The prime minister emphasised that every citizen, irrespective of race, ethnicity, or background, particularly the most vulnerable segments of society, deserves equal access to essential services and due consideration in future planning.

The education, healthcare, economic inclusion, and equal opportunities for women and girls remain among the Government’s foremost priorities, he said.

“Insha’Allah! through collective resolve and coordinated action, we can create an environment in which every citizen enjoys equal opportunities to lead a healthy, dignified, and productive life.

Together, we can transform Pakistan’s demographic potential into enduring national strength and secure a stable, prosperous, developed, and resilient future for both of our present and future generations,” the prime minister concluded.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday said providing basic healthcare facilities at people’s doorsteps was the government’s foremost priority.

Addressing the inauguration ceremony of a digitalised health centre in Phulgran, he said nearly 50 per cent of Islamabad’s population lived in rural areas.

Patients from these areas had to travel to major hospitals in the city for treatment, while Islamabad’s hospitals also catered to patients from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Jhelum, Murree and Kotli Sattian.

He said the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) previously received around 400 to 500 patients daily, but the number had now increased to between 8,000 and 10,000 patients a day.

The minister said the federal government had allocated Rs 1,163 billion for the health sector.

He added that Islamabad had 22 Basic Health Units (BHUs), many of which were not fully functional, adding that making these facilities operational was the need of the hour.

He said Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal was doing commendable work to improve the health sector.

“If the commitment he has expressed is implemented, we will be able to provide healthcare services to our population at less than half the current cost without any difficulty,” he said.

Dr Tariq said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif believed the country’s challenges could be overcome through reforms and effective policymaking, adding that providing quality healthcare was one of the government’s fundamental responsibilities.

Recalling an official visit to the United States in 2009, he said he had witnessed robotic surgery at a hospital.

He added that technology had advanced to the point where doctors could now perform surgeries while sitting in another country.

Describing the establishment of the digitalised health unit in Phulgran as a welcome initiative, he said there was a need to create public awareness about this model Basic Health Unit.

He added that women from the area, particularly mothers and sisters, would be able to visit the facility to receive quality medical treatment.

The minister said modern warfare had become a battle of intellect and technology.

Referring to the recent conflict with India, he said Pakistan had demonstrated the effective use of technology without crossing the border and had achieved remarkable success.

He added that nations investing in technology were advancing faster than others.

He announced that telemedicine facilities would be introduced in all Basic Health Units across Islamabad.

He said the government’s priority was to ensure Pakistan excelled in every sector under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

Dr Tariq further said Pakistan’s diplomacy, under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, was being appreciated around the world.

He said the situation in Balochistan was no longer a struggle for rights but a proxy war imposed by India. He added that the entire nation was determined to play its role in ensuring peace and prosperity in Pakistan. He said more than 40 security personnel had laid down their lives in the line of duty.

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to multilateralism and reiterated its strong and unwavering support for the central role of the United Nations in global affairs.

The prime minister, in a meeting with candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations Macky Sall, who called on him here, expressed the hope that the incoming UN leadership would continue to advance the three pillars of the United Nations-peace and security, development, and human rights-in a balanced and effective manner.

While welcoming Macky Sall, he reiterated Pakistan’s abiding commitment to upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, ensuring the faithful implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, and promoting respect for international law and international treaties as the foundation for global peace, security, and prosperity.

Macky Sall expressed his deep appreciation for Pakistan’s longstanding contributions to the United Nations and commended the country’s leadership for playing a constructive role in ongoing international peace efforts.

Islamabad: The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), in collaboration with its technology partner KHASTECH Solutions Friday launched KALAAM, an indigenous Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) virtual meetings platform designed to provide secure, scalable, economical and locally optimized digital communication services.

The platform was launched following the signing of an agreement between COMSATS Executive Director Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria and Chief Executive Officer of KHASTECH Solutions Brig. Dr. M. Ashraf at the COMSATS Secretariat.

The agreement signing ceremony was witnessed by senior officials from the COMSATS Secretariat, KHASTECH Solutions and COMSATS Internet Services (CIS).

The participants said KALAAM had been developed as an enterprise-grade virtual meetings solution with a strong emphasis on data sovereignty, advanced security and high performance, making it an ideal choice for government institutions, financial organizations, the education sector and corporate environments.

They said one of the key distinguishing features of KALAAM was its adoption of locally hosted infrastructure, ensuring that organizational data remained within the country.

This approach enhances regulatory compliance, strengthens data protection and supports national digital security objectives.

By keeping all data within the country, the platform provides complete control, compliance readiness and enhanced protection for sensitive communications, making it particularly suitable for government entities, banks and other critical organizations where data security is of paramount importance.

The platform incorporates end-to-end encryption and secure authentication protocols, enabling organizations to maintain strict governance, oversight and confidentiality of communications.

KALAAM offers a comprehensive range of advanced collaboration features, including high-definition video conferencing, screen sharing, interactive whiteboards, session recording and virtual classroom tools.

It also supports multiple concurrent meeting rooms, enabling organizations to efficiently conduct parallel meetings, training sessions, webinars and large-scale online events under a single account.

Designed specifically to adapt to the country’s network conditions, the platform delivers stable performance even in low-bandwidth environments, helping organizations maintain seamless communication across diverse geographic regions without compromising quality or reliability.

To meet varying enterprise requirements, KALAAM offers flexible deployment options, including cloud, private cloud and on-premise installations, allowing organizations to align the solution with their operational, infrastructure and security requirements. In addition, a dedicated local technical team will provide rapid support, deployment assistance and customization services for institutional clients.

According to COMSATS, KALAAM has been purpose-built to serve government departments and regulatory bodies, banks and financial institutions, universities and educational organizations, as well as corporate and enterprise sectors requiring secure and reliable virtual collaboration.

With the launch of KALAAM, COMSATS said it had reinforced its commitment to strengthening the country’s digital ecosystem by delivering a platform where organizational data remains within the country.

The initiative aims to support technological independence, improve cybersecurity resilience and provide institutions with a

trusted indigenous alternative for secure virtual meetings and digital collaboration.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Friday forecast rain-windstorms and thundershowers in the upper parts of the country during the weekend as moist currents from the Arabian Sea and a westerly wave are expected to influence weather conditions from Saturday.

According to the PMD, rain-windstorms and thundershowers, with isolated heavy falls, are likely in Kashmir from the night of July 10 to July 13 with occasional gaps. Similar weather is expected in most districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on July 11 and 12, while scattered rain accompanied by windstorms and thundershowers is forecast for Islamabad, Rawalpindi and several districts of Punjab on July 11 and 12.

The Met Office said rain-windstorms and thunderstorms are also expected in various parts of Gilgit-Baltistan from the evening of July 11 to July 13, while isolated rain-windstorms are likely in northern and northeastern districts of Balochistan on July 11 and 12.

In Sindh, mainly hot and very humid weather will prevail, although isolated rain-windstorms and thundershowers are expected in Tharparkar, Sukkur, Shikarpur, Larkana, Dadu and Jacobabad on July 12 and 13.

The PMD warned that windstorms and lightning could damage vulnerable structures, including solar panels, electricity poles and billboards, during the forecast period.

It said landslides may occur in vulnerable areas of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir on July 11 and 12, while water levels are likely to rise in local streams and nullahs in these regions as well as in hill torrents of Dera Ghazi Khan.

The department also cautioned that heavy rainfall could trigger localized urban flooding in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Gujranwala, Lahore and Faisalabad on July 11 and 12.

The PMD advised tourists and travellers to avoid unnecessary journeys during the forecast period and urged farmers to plan agricultural activities according to the weather conditions while taking necessary care of their livestock.

It added that the prevailing hot and humid conditions are expected to ease during the forecast period and advised all concerned authorities to remain vigilant and take precautionary measures to avoid any untoward situation.