Category: Lahore

Lahore: On the special invitation of Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Mohammad Ahmad Khan, a delegation of children of Sundas Foundation suffering from thalassemia Monday visited the Punjab Assembly (PA).

The delegation was accompanied by Sundas Foundation President Muhammad Yaseen Khan, CEO Abdul Sattar, Marketing Manager Imran Mehr, and other representatives.

According to a PA spokesman, the children were given a tour of various parts of the Punjab Assembly, including the new hall. Speaker Malik Mohammad Ahmad Khan welcomed the children and met with them individually, inquiring about their health.

The speaker assured the delegation of his commitment to effective legislation aimed at eliminating thalassemia and pledged full financial support to Sundas Foundation.

As the assembly session began, both opposition and government members stood to welcome the Sundas Foundation delegation. Members of the assembly applauded the children and the Foundation's efforts in combating thalassemia.

On this occasion, Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir also met with the children alongside the speaker and gave a detailed briefing on the measures being taken to fight thalassemia. He announced that a thalassemia centre would be established in every district, with the expertise of Sundas Foundation's specialists being consulted for the centre's setup.

Speaker Malik Mohammad Ahmad Khan emphasised the importance of pre-marital thalassemia screening for every couple to prevent the spread of this life-threatening disease. He also announced that children suffering from thalassemia would be granted special status and that immediate legislation on the issue would be introduced in the PA.

Health Minister Khawaja Imran Nazir praised Sundas Foundation's crucial role in the fight against thalassemia, stating that the foundation was his personal institution and that working with them was his top priority. He expressed his determination to work together to eliminate the dangerous disease.

The visit proved to be an inspiring experience for the children and further highlighted the importance of raising public awareness about thalassemia.

Lahore: Azerbaijan-Pakistan economic collaboration set to expand as significant initiatives are well on the way to enhance trade, investment, B2B (Business to Business) and people-to-people ties.

'We are going to establish Azerbaijan Trade Center in Lahore and Pakistan-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce to bring the business communities of both countries closer and open new avenues for mutual cooperation', said Ambassador of Azerbaijan Khazar Farhadov while speaking here at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Monday.

LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad and Senior Vice President Engineer Khalid Usman also spoke

on the occasion while LCCI Executive Committee Members, including Khurram Lodhi, Ahsan Shahid, Asif Malik, Asif Khan, Waqas Aslam, Abdul Majeed, Karamat Ali Awan, Riaz Shahid, Aamir Ali, Aamna Randhawa, Ali Imran and former Executive Committee Member Abdul Wadud Alvi were also present.

The ambassador said that Azerbaijan had a lot of respect and affection for Pakistani nation and is committed to strengthening bilateral ties. He highlighted the duty-free access granted to Pakistani rice by Azerbaijan until 2027, encouraging traders to capitalize on this opportunity, especially considering Punjab's reputation for producing high-quality Basmati rice. He assured that Azerbaijani authorities would provide maximum facilitation to Pakistani traders exploring opportunities in Azerbaijan.

Referring to the positive impact of direct flights between the two countries, the ambassador revealed that bilateral trade volume has tripled since 2022, growing from USD 10 million to significantly higher levels. He said that over 80,000 Pakistanis visited Azerbaijan last year which reflects the growing interest and people-to-people connections.

The ambassador also invited Pakistani investors to explore opportunities in Azerbaijan's infrastructure and energy sectors and highlighted the country's strategic position as a key international transport corridor between Asia and Europe. He highlighted Azerbaijan's strong trade surplus and assured robust support for potential collaborations.

On the energy front, Ambassador Farhadov stressed the importance of further collaboration in defense, petroleum products and other sectors. He also reiterated the USD 2 billion investment commitment made during Azerbaijan President's visit to Pakistan, with work underway to realize these projects.

LCCI President Mian Abuzar Shad underscored the excellent diplomatic, historical and cultural relations between Pakistan and Azerbaijan and called for joint efforts to boost bilateral trade to USD one billion in the coming years.

He said that Azerbaijan shares borders with Russia, Georgia, Iran, Turkey and Armenia. The geographic position of Azerbaijan makes it a key player in regional trade and transportation networks. Azerbaijan is also known for its huge reserves of oil and natural gas which make it a major player in the global energy market.

The LCCI president said that despite having such deep relations, we have yet to succeed in utilizing the real trade potential. According to the trade figures, our exports to Azerbaijan in 2023-24 were just 6 million dollars whereas the imports from Azerbaijan amounted to few thousand dollars. The main reason of such a low level of trade is lack of proper information about each other's markets.

'We are really keen to take fair share in the overall trade of Azerbaijan. The global exports of Azerbaijan were around 34 billion dollars while global imports were nearly 17 billion dollars in 2023. We need to make joint efforts to take trade volume between both countries to at least One Billion Dollars in coming few years', he added.

LCCI Senior Vice President Engineer Khalid Usman said that Pakistan's exports to Azerbaijan consist of rice, water pumps, fruits and fabrics of cotton etc. There is an urgent need of finding new products lines and new avenues of cooperation for enhancing trade between Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

He said that Pakistani products including pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, sports goods, value-added textiles, leather products, home-made crafts, processed food and engineering goods have great scope in Azerbaijan. There is a great potential of Joint Ventures in tourism sector as well. Azerbaijan can also benefit from the expertise of Pakistan in IT sector.

LCCI office-bearers said that the commercial sections of our embassies have to play a positive role in this connection. Similarly, in order to increase people to people contacts and mutual trade, the embassies and chambers should provide every possible support to the business communities of both the countries.

Mian Abuzar Shad said that organizing trade delegations and holding single country exhibitions on reciprocal basis will be effective in opening new avenues that are much needed for enhancing the mutual trade relations.

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Higher Education Rana Sikandar Hayat and MPA Mehmood Anwar paid a visit to the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Ravi Campus, Pattoki, and called on Vice Chancellor Meritorious Prof Dr Muhammad Younus (DLA.I, T.I) on Monday. Rana Sikandar Hayat visited various sections of Prof Dr Muhammad Akram Educational Complex, including library and auditorium. Visiting A-Block, the minister planted a sapling in front of Akram Complex while Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Younus, Dean Faculty of Animal Production and Technology Prof Dr Saima, Principle Officer Ravi Campus Prof Dr Arshad Javid, faculty members and administrative officer were also present. Addressing the audience, Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat appreciated progress of the UVAS through its quality of education and research in the country. The minister said in future he would manage E-buses for Ravi Campus students and would also provide better medical facilities by managing st aff and facilities at Ravi Campus university hospital, he added. He also ensured his full support and cooperation for the uplift of the UVAS and lauded VC Prof Dr Muhammad Younus leadership for providing quality education to students and services to communities.

Lahore: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on Monday foiled an attempt to supply 500-kg contaminated meat during a grand operation in the Bakra Mandi (goat market). According to a spokesman for the authority, the operation had been conducted upon a tip-off of the vigilance team during which 500-kg tainted meat was destroyed. The meat, which posed serious health risks, was found to have been sourced from diseased and dead animals.

As per DG Food Authority Asim Javed, the diseased animals were slaughtered and their remains were incinerated. Upon inspection, it was revealed that the meat from these animals was not only unfit for human consumption but could lead to various health issues if consumed. The animal owners were found to be in violation of regulations, lacking the mandatory Health Fitness Certificates required for slaughtering animals.

The DG emphasized that consuming such contaminated meat could result in severe health complications and increase the risk of infectious diseases. He also condemned the actions of the fraudulent mafia who driven by the greed for higher profits were essentially selling diseases rather than food.

Lahore: Provincial Minister for Higher Education Rana Sikandar Hayat and MPA Mehmood Anwar paid a visit to the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Ravi Campus, Pattoki, and called on Vice Chancellor Meritorious Prof Dr Muhammad Younus (DLA.I, T.I) on Monday. Rana Sikandar Hayat visited various sections of Prof Dr Muhammad Akram Educational Complex, including library and auditorium. Visiting A-Block, the minister planted a sapling in front of Akram Complex while Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Younus, Dean Faculty of Animal Production and Technology Prof Dr Saima, Principle Officer Ravi Campus Prof Dr Arshad Javid, faculty members and administrative officer were also present. Addressing the audience, Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat appreciated progress of the UVAS through its quality of education and research in the country. The minister said in future he would manage E-buses for Ravi Campus students and would also provide better medical facilities by managing st aff and facilities at Ravi Campus university hospital, he added. He also ensured his full support and cooperation for the uplift of the UVAS and lauded VC Prof Dr Muhammad Younus leadership for providing quality education to students and services to communities.

Lahore: Punjab Transport Secretary Dr. Ahmad Javid Qazi said on Monday that 27 electric buses for Lahore will reach Karachi Port on January 15.

He announced that eco-friendly electric buses will initially operate on two routes in the first phase.

Talking to reporter, the Punjab Transport Secretary said electric buses are arriving six days ahead of schedule.

He informed that Provincial Transport Minister Bilal Akbar Khan will complete the process of receiving the buses from Karachi Port during the current week.

He further said the process of purchasing 27 electric buses for Lahore has been completed, adding, these electric buses were purchased from China. Meanwhile the buses will reach Lahore from Karachi on January 21.

After the unveiling ceremony in Lahore, the electric buses will be made operational on two routes in the city.

The secretary said that preparations have been made to make the electric buses operational on January 31.

To a query, he said that two routes have been identified for the electric buses. Environment-friendly buses will be run on the route from Canal Road and Railway Station to RA Bazaar.

The electric buses will remain operational for twelve years, the cost of one bus is Rs.88 million. Currently, 27 buses will be operating at a cost of 2.46 billion.