Category: Islamabad

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Local Tennis Stars shine in National Ranking Championship

Islamabad:: The 10th Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan National Ranking Tennis Championships continued 2nd day at the PTF-SDA Tennis Complex, showcasing top tennis talent from across Pakistan.

According to press release issued here on Thursday, the tournament named in honor of Begum Kulsum Saifullah Khan, mother of PTF Patron Senator Salim Saifullah Khan, saw impressive performances in multiple categories.

In Men's Singles 2nd Round matches, Abdullah Adnan defeated Uzair Khan 6-3, 6-0 while Muzammil Murtaza dominated Omer Jawad with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. Other notable winners included Aqeel Khan who defeated Saqib Hayat 6-2, 6-3 and Muhammad Shoaib who overcame Hamza Asim 6-2, 6-2.

The Ladies Singles 2nd Round featured Mahrukh Sajid beating Natasha Zaman 6-2, 6-0 and Lalarukh Sajid edging out Laiba Iqbal 6-1, 7-5.

Young talents also made their mark in the Boys 18 and under Quarter-Finals with Muhammad Yahya staging a comeback against Ahtesham Humayun, winning 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The tournament continues to provide a platform for emerging tennis players to showcase their skills and compete at a national level.

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NA body on HR meets


Islamabad:: Meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights was held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza, MNA.



The Committee expressed grave concern over the rapid growth of child begging, child abuse and increase of drugs in private and government educational Institutions and directed that the Ministry of Human Rights and the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) may take effective measures to curb these social evils.



The Committee urged upon the need for introduction of effective legislation and proper implementation of existing Laws to protect the Rights of Child. The Committee directed that M/o Human Rights may come up with the proposals to strengthen NCRC so that the protection of child could be implemented in real sense.



The Committee directed that M/o Human Rights may develop proper liaison with M/o Education to create awareness about drugs, child abuse and use of social media platforms to prevent our young generation from these social evils.



The Committee deferred the briefing of remaining departments of M/o Human Rights till its next meeting.



Earlier, the Secretary and Chairperson NCRC briefly apprised the Committee about the mandate and scope of activities of NCRC which was appreciated by the Committee.



The meeting was attended by the MNAs Danyal Chaudhary, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Dr. Nelson Azeem, Ms. Naz Baloch, Naveed Aamir, Ali Muhammad, Sher Afzal Khan, Muhammad Riaz Fatyana, Gohar Ali Khan, Ms. Zartaj Gul through video link besides Ahmad Kan, Ms. Sehar Kamran and Ms. Wajiha Qamar.



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DIG holds Khuli Kachehri to address public grievances

Islamabad:: Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Ali Raza reiterated the Islamabad Police's commitment to resolving public issues on priority during a Khuli Kachehri (open court) on Thursday.

A public relation officer told reporter during the Khuli Kachehri, DIG listened to the complaints of the citizens and marked their applications to the concerned officers for timely action on merit. He also directed them to send reports to his offices in the given time frame.

DIG Raza further said that strict action will be taken against officers involved in bribery or corruption and a zero-tolerance policy will be adopted in this regard.

Raza emphasized that Islamabad Police would not leave any stone unturned to secure the lives and property of the citizens. 'Such interaction would be continued in future to provide maximum relief to the citizens.' he added.

DIG Syed Ali Raza further said that interaction during 'Khuli Kachehris' would help to promote friendly policing and will also ensure self-accountability, immediate resolution of citizens' problems. The protection of life, property and self-respect of citizens comes first, he maintained.

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UN chief slams deadly truck attack in US city of New Orleans

United nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned Wednesday's truck attack that killed at least 15 people in the US city of New Orleans.

Media reports indicated that a male US citizen had intentionally driven a pick-up truck into a crowd of people celebrating the new year in the city's French quarter shortly early Wednesday morning.

The 42-year-old suspect was killed in a police shootout that injured two officers. His potential allegiance to ISIL extremists is under investigation after a flag of the terrorist organization and improvised explosives were found in the rented vehicle and in other locations nearby, according to the FBI.

'The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack in New Orleans, where a driver struck a crowd gathered to celebrate the New Year, reportedly killing at least 15 people and injuring over 30 others,' said his Associate Spokesperson, Florencia Soto Nino-Martinez.

'He extends his condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives and to the Government and people of Louisiana and the United States. He also wishes a swift recovery to those persons injured.'

The US authorities are also investigating possible links between the outrage and a deadly vehicle explosion in Las Vegas on Wednesday morning.

Reports indicated that a Tesla Cybertruck exploded near the entrance of Trump International Hotel on New Year's Day. Police said that the driver was killed and seven others were injured when a combination of fireworks, gas tanks and camping fuel was detonated.

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NA body on HR meets


Islamabad:: Meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights was held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza, MNA.



The Committee expressed grave concern over the rapid growth of child begging, child abuse and increase of drugs in private and government educational Institutions and directed that the Ministry of Human Rights and the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) may take effective measures to curb these social evils.



The Committee urged upon the need for introduction of effective legislation and proper implementation of existing Laws to protect the Rights of Child. The Committee directed that M/o Human Rights may come up with the proposals to strengthen NCRC so that the protection of child could be implemented in real sense.



The Committee directed that M/o Human Rights may develop proper liaison with M/o Education to create awareness about drugs, child abuse and use of social media platforms to prevent our young generation from these social evils.



The Committee deferred the briefing of remaining departments of M/o Human Rights till its next meeting.



Earlier, the Secretary and Chairperson NCRC briefly apprised the Committee about the mandate and scope of activities of NCRC which was appreciated by the Committee.



The meeting was attended by the MNAs Danyal Chaudhary, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Dr. Nelson Azeem, Ms. Naz Baloch, Naveed Aamir, Ali Muhammad, Sher Afzal Khan, Muhammad Riaz Fatyana, Gohar Ali Khan, Ms. Zartaj Gul through video link besides Ahmad Kan, Ms. Sehar Kamran and Ms. Wajiha Qamar.



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Services exports grew by 7.8% in 05 months of FY 2024-25

Islamabad:: Services exports from the country during first five months of the current financial year grew by 7.8 percent as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of the last year.

During the period form July-November, 2024 services worth $3.275 billion were exported as compared to the exports of $3.044 billion of the same period of the last year, according to the trade data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

During the period under review services imports into the country also grew by 2.88 per cent as it was recorded at $4.425 billion as against the imports of $4.301 billion of the same period of the last year, it added.

In first five months of the current financial year, the services trade deficit contracted 9.48 percent as compared to the five months of the last financial year, the data reveled.

On year on year basis, the services exports from the country during the month of November 2024 grew by 6.15 percent as it was recorded at $657.69 million as compared to the exports of $634.39 million of the same month of the last year, it added.

Meanwhile, the services imports into the country grew by 4.60 percent and reached to $828.56 million in November 2024 as compared to the imports of $792.15 million of the month of November 2023, it added .

On year on year basis, the services trade balance narrowed by 3.10 percent as compared to the trade balance of the same period of the last year, the data reveled.

On month on month basis, the services exports from the country decreased by 1.76 percent in November 2024 against the month of October 2024 as it was recorded at $675.69 million as compared to the exports of $687.79 million, it added.

Meanwhile, services imports went also down by 13.07 percent during the period under review as it was recorded at $828.56 million as against the imports of $953.16 million of the previous month (October), it added.