As nation celebrates Pakistan day, president Zardari reiterates no compromise on national sovereignty
As Pakistan Day celebrations are underway, President Asif Ali Zardari has stressed upon the nation to participate in the nation-building process actively, embracing the values of hard work, integrity, and compassion. This day commemorates the Lahore Resolution passed on March 23, 1940, and the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan on March 23, 1956.
Speaking at a parade in Islamabad, President Zardari honored the commitment and sacrifices made by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his compatriots… “However, let me make it clear that we will not compromise on our sovereignty. Our nation and armed forces are always ready to respond to any aggression at all times.
“We will not tolerate any efforts by terrorists or any group to destabilize our country,” he said, adding that today’s parade is a reminder of the country’s unity, strength, and pride.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked the nation to renew the firm resolve to follow the footsteps of founding fathers to make Pakistan a trivet of peace, progress, and stability.
Courtesy: Dawn
UN chief says blocked Gaza aid is a ‘moral outrage’, calls for war to end
On a visit to the Rafah crossing, Antonio Guterres urges Israel to give people in Gaza unfettered access to humanitarian aid. The line of blocked aid trucks stuck on Egypt’s side of the border with the Gaza Strip while Palestinians face starvation on the other side is a “moral outrage”, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on a visit to the Rafah crossing.
“I have come to Rafah to shine a spotlight on the pain of Palestinians in Gaza,” the UN chief said on Saturday (March 23, 2024), addressing a news conference in El Arish, in Egypt’s northern Sinai, where much of the international relief for Gaza is stockpiled as Israel continues to block aid from entering.
“You cannot see so many people being killed, you cannot see so much suffering without feeling hugely frustrated,” Guterres said while taking questions from reporters. “We don’t have the power to stop [the war in Gaza], I appeal to those who have the power to stop it to do it,” he added.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
Security pledges for workers as CPEC set to expand
Pakistan on Friday (March 22, 2024) assured Chinese workers of top-level security as it pushed for the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) through the launch of five special industrial zones. At a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zaidong, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal assured the Chinese side that Pakistan had made significant efforts to safeguard the security of Chinese workers and would further implement top-level security measures for Chinese personnel.
He said security was a prerequisite for development, and Pakistan acknowledged the full recognition of CPEC construction and security risks. However, these risks would not disrupt work on CPEC projects, he added. The two sides agreed to intensify efforts to establish a new working group on five new economic corridors under the second phase, aligning with the Five Es framework export, energy, equity, environment and e-Pakistan already prepared by the planning ministry.
Courtesy: Dawn.
General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), COAS, visits kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) visited Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on March 20, 2024. During the visit, COAS called on His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of KSA; HRH Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Defence Minister of KSA; His Excellency General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al-Ruwaili, Chief of General Staff (CGS) Saudi Armed Forces and Engineer Talal Abdullah Al Otaibi, Assistant Minister of Defence of KSA and other senior military leadership.
Courtesy: ISPR.
Russian Soyuz rocket with 3 astronauts blasts off to ISS, days after glitch
The successful take-off to the International Space Station follows an aborted launch on Thursday (March 21, 2024) after a voltage drop in a power source. A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) blasted off on Saturday, two days after its launch was aborted at the last minute. The spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson, Russian Oleg Novitsky, and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus launched smoothly from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera.
Modi’s India plans its own democracy index, after global rankings downgrade
The index is being finalized ahead of elections, with the Modi government worried about global criticism hurting sovereign ratings. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has approached a major Indian think tank to develop a homegrown democracy ratings index that could help it counter recent downgrades in rankings issued by international groups that New Delhi fears could affect the country’s credit rating.
The Observer Research Foundation (ORF), which works closely with the Indian government on multiple initiatives, is preparing the ratings framework, according to two people closely involved in the discussions on the project. The index is expected to hew more closely to New Delhi’s narrative than Western-based rankings that Modi’s team has criticized.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
Australia to contribute $3bn for construction of Aukus submarines
Defence Minister Richard Marles says allies working ‘at pace’ to ensure the security deal becomes a reality. Australia is set to provide 4.6 billion Australian dollars ($3bn) to British industry to help support the construction of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS deal with the United Kingdom and the United States and ensure its new vessels arrive on time. Senior officials from the UK and Australia, as well as the US ambassador to Australia, visited the naval shipyard where the submarines will be built in the South Australian city of Adelaide on Friday.
Courtesy: Al Jazeera
