October 11, 2022 – Page 2 – Newswire Pakistan

October 11, 2022October 12, 2022

Punjab Govt to continue mission of public service: CM Ch Parvez Elahi

Lahore, October 11, 2022 (PPI-OT):While the opposition is engrossed in spreading propaganda, the government would continue the mission of serving the people and providing necessary relief to them. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said that numerous steps have been taken for facilitating the masses. Punjab has started the Ehsaas ration discount program with 100 billion rupees and under this program, eight million deserving families are getting flour, pulses, cooking oil and ghee up to 40% cheaper. People of three flood-hit districts have also been included in this program; he added and maintained that it is the vision of our leader Imran Khan.

People deprived of social protection are the responsibility of the State; he emphasised and added that the Ehsaas ration discount program is a big step towards achieving the goals of poverty alleviation and welfare State. Parvez Elahi noted that the national health card is one of the flagship programs of the incumbent government. 2. 2 million patients have been treated free of cost at a cost of Rs. 50 billion. Meanwhile, cancer patients are provided with the facility of treatment through cyber knife technology and this would provide much-needed relief to them.

He said that more than 54,000 cancer patients have been treated through the national health card program, while more than 4, 83, 000 kidney patients have also received free treatment. Through the national health card, every resident of Punjab has been provided with free treatment while the treatment of other diseases was being included in the national health card program, he added. It is my mission to ensure the provision of quality medical facilities to every citizen of the province, he emphasised.

The CM said that a 25 billion relief has been given to the people by ensuring a 100 % decrease in the ratio of stamp duty. For public convenience, the rate of stamp duty has been fixed at 1% across Punjab. By reducing the rate of stamp duty, urban property registration and transfers will increase. This would provide relief to citizens and the government would get more revenue, he said. This step will promote the construction industry and create new employment opportunities. The provincial government has taken this decision in the wider public interest, he concluded.

For more information, contact:
Mediacell, Pakistan Muslim League
30-C, Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi Road,
Gulberg-II, Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35878428
Fax: +92-42-35877329
Website: www.pmlmediacell.com

October 11, 2022October 12, 2022

Free legal support to 500 beneficiaries provided to human rights abuse victims in Sindh

Karachi, October 11, 2022 (PPI-OT):The Human Rights Department of the Sindh government has provided free legal aid supports in local courts to over 500 people belonging to poor and marginalized communities through two implementation partners across the province within a short period of four months. This information was shared at a conference “Bridging Barriers and Ensuring Access to Justice: A Dialogue for the Provincial Vigilance Committee” at hotel Movenpick, organized by Human Rights Department, Sindh government on Tuesday.

Special Assistant to Sindh Chief Minister for Human Rights Surendar Valasai pointed out that there is under-reporting of human rights violence cases in Sindh. Legal aid plays a vital role in providing relief to the victims of human rights abuses. Out of the total of nine UN Conventions and Covenants, Pakistan has ratified a total of seven Conventions. Five key conventions on human rights were ratified during the tenures of the PPP governments.

According to him human rights is a priority subject for the Pakistan Peoples Party and the provincial government of Sindh. The PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari accepted the Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Standing Committee during the last government’s tenure. Valasai said the provincial government has nominated key human rights defenders as members of the provincial Vigilance Committee. These people are already working as human rights defenders and can play an effective role in the monitoring of human rights violations in rural areas.

He called upon the members of the Vigilance Committee of Human Rights to play their effective role in monitoring, reporting and referring to human rights violations in Sindh. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rahim Awan, Director General of Legal Aid and Justice Authority, Government of Pakistan appreciated the Sindh government for making good laws and institutions.

He said his authority has trained over 100 mediators in Islamabad on alternate dispute resolution. More mediators are being trained, which would save a lot of funds. Normally, a case is heard by nine courts during hearing and appeals, which cost a lot to the government. The prolonged disputes affect families and relationships, he opened.

According to him the Legal Aid and Justice Authority provides free cost support to those below 18 years of age, above 60 years senior citizens, the victim of gender crimes, sexual abuses lower income paid employee whose saving is less than Rs 200,000 or registered with any social welfare programme like BISP, Baitul Mal.

Ms. Anis Haroon, a Member of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) from Sindh said the government has to protect the rights of its citizens. She said the current floods have badly affected the poor and downtrodden sections of society. Landless agriculture workers are the worst affected section of society, she added.

Ms. Anis Haroon appreciated the formation of a vigilance committee under the provincial Human Rights department and asked the members of the vigilance committee to monitor the violation of human rights. She said legal aid should also be provided to those women, who are involved in heinous crimes. Ms. Nuzhat Shireen, Chairperson of the Sindh Commission on Status of Women said the Sindh government department is working for the protection of the rights of people with limited human resources and funds.

She said her commission would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Human Rights Department of the Sindh government for the protection of women’s rights. The government has zero tolerance for human rights violations, she added. In their presentations regarding free legal aid support to vulnerable people in Sindh, Ms. Haya Zahid of Legal Aid Society and Mr. Altaf Khoso of PLUS legal Aid briefed the Vigilance Committee members about the working of Implementation Partner for providing legal aid to the poor.

They said the Human Rights department is providing the best kind of legal support to the poor as the best lawyers are hired even in rural areas. Preference is given to cases of orphans, old age citizens, women-related issues and victims of domestic violence. Emotional abuse is recognized as domestic violence, said Ms. Haya Zahid.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of, the Human Rights Department, Noreen Bashir said the formation of the Vigilance Committee is a major initiative, which is based on principles of accountability, sustainability and transparency. She said in the next phase, the provincial government is going to establish vigilance committees at the district levels.

Member of Sindh Human Rights Commission Aslam Sheikh that the Commission is assisting the victims of human rights violence. Zulfiqar Shah, Member of SHRC conducted the session. Members of the Vigilance Committee from different districts attended the conference.

For more information, contact:
PPP Media Cell (Sindh)
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
Peoples Secretariat Shikarpur Colony,
Behind Mazar-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Karachi, Pakistan
Cell: +92-305-3370383
Email: contact@ppp-tu.com
Website: https://www.ppp.org.pk

October 11, 2022October 12, 2022

Chairman PPP and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a school van in Swat

Islamabad, October 11, 2022 (PPI-OT):Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a school van in Swat. The reprehensible incident took place on Monday, as a result of which the driver of the van was martyred, while two students sustained injuries.

In his statement, Chairman PPP said that targeting innocent children is the lowest and ugliest form of brutality. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, while assuring the people of the entire country including Swat, said that government is committed to the protection of every citizen including children, and the accused in the brutal attack would be brought to book. Chairman PPP extended his condolences to the family of the driver of the van who was martyred in the attack and prayed for the speedy recovery of the students who were injured.

October 11, 2022October 12, 2022

Chhayakar banned for 14 years under anti-corruption codes

Dubai, October 11, 2022 (PPI-OT):Mehar Chhayakar has been banned from all cricket for 14 years after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of seven breaches of the ICC and Cricket Canada Anti-Corruption Codes.

Mr Chhayakar, was found to have breached the following provisions of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and Cricket Canada Anti-Corruption Code in relation to matches in the Zimbabwe v UAE series in April 2019 and matches in the GT20 in Canada in 2019.

Article 2.1.1 (on two separate occasions) – Fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly or being a party to any agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any International Match, including (without limitation) by deliberately underperforming therein.

Article 2.1.4 (on two separate occasions) – Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1.

Article 2.4.6 (on two separate occasions) – Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperation with any investigation carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the ACU (whether as part of a formal Demand pursuant to Article 4.3 or otherwise) as part of such investigation.

Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code (by any Participant), including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code)”.

Alex Marshal, ICC General Manager – Integrity Unit said: “We first encountered Mehar Chhayakar through his involvement in organising a corrupt cricket tournament in Ajman, in 2018. The charges for which he has now received a lengthy ban are further examples of his continuing efforts to corrupt and damage our sport.

“We will be relentless in pursuing and disrupting the people who try to corrupt cricket. With a ban of 14 years, the Tribunal has sent a clear message to anyone intending to corrupt our game.”

The Tribunal’s decision (which has been redacted to protect the identities of the ICC’s witnesses and other third parties) is available on the page here.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

October 11, 2022October 12, 2022

Great entertainers West Indies aim for third ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title

Dubai, October 11, 2022 (PPI-OT):The most successful team in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history are back. West Indies will be determined to regain their crown after a disappointing display in the UAE and Oman last year. After bidding farewell to the likes of Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and Chris Gayle, a new-look Windies team has a battle on their hands to recapture past glories.

2022 prospects

A fresh challenge awaits the two-time champions, with a tricky First Round to navigate before they can reach the Super 12s, where they exited in 2021.

They’ve been drawn in Group B along with a fast-improving Zimbabwe, last year’s Group B winners Scotland and seven-time qualifiers Ireland. If they manage to win their group, they will avoid 2021 finalists New Zealand and hosts Australia.

But even so, three of the top four teams in the world would stand between them and a fifth semi-final, including India and last year’s semi-finalists Pakistan.

West Indies have claimed series wins over England and Bangladesh since the last World Cup, but they have also suffered whitewash defeats to Pakistan and India and beaten recently by New Zealand and Australia.

T20 World Cup history

One of the greatest moments in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history belongs to the West Indies and Carlos Brathwaite, whose name certainly won’t be forgotten. At Eden Gardens in the 2016 final, the West Indies required 19 off the final over to better England’s 156 posting.

Up stepped Brathwaite, who wrote his name into folklore by hitting Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes to clinch their second title.

Their first title came four years previously where Sunil Narine’s 3/9 bamboozled hosts Sri Lanka as they comfortably defended a total of 137 to lift the trophy. Sri Lanka bit back in 2014, beating the reigning champions by the Duckworth-Lewis method in the semi-final.

Best batters

Middle-order batter, Nicholas Pooran, is the most experienced member of the squad and has big shoes to fill after taking on the white-ball captaincy vacated by the retired Pollard. But the 27-year-old keeper is more than up to the task with a career T20 strike rate of 130.17.

Pooran and Brandon King’s 95-run partnership was key to their warm-up win over the UAE on Monday and King is the other major threat with the bat for the West Indies.

Best bowlers

The West Indies attack is led by 29-year-old left arm slow bowler Akeal Hosein who has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence since his T20 debut in 2021 with 44 wickets from 29 matches.

No one can top former captain and fast bowler Jason Holder’s 23 calendar year dismissals, though.

A big concern is a lack of top-class spinners in Australia, and the Men in Maroon could come unstuck in the advanced stages without potent slow bowling options.

Fixtures

Three first round matches at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart will hopefully be the beginning of a very fruitful tournament for the Windies.

They face Scotland on Monday 17 October before taking on Zimbabwe two days later and Ireland on Friday.

October 11, 2022

AGC Obtains Its First Environmental Product Declaration for Architectural Glass Products in Asia-Pacific Region

TOKYO, Oct. 11, 2022 /Kyodo JBN-AsiaNet/ –AGC Inc. (hereinafter “AGC”), headquartered in Tokyo, has announced the acquisition of its first Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for float glass manufactured at its two Asian plants, PT Asahimas Flat Glass Tbk (*1) (headquartered in Indonesia) and AGC Flat Glass (Thailand) Plc. (headquartered in Thailand). This is the first EPD attained by the AGC Group for the architectural glass manufactured in the Asia-Pacific region (*2).

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202210047629-O1-xg94sU3n

EPD: ( https://ecoleaf-label.jp/pdf_view.php?uuid=ec3052ba-dff5-4cbe-b1ea-7155c94ab795.pdf&filename=JR-BS-22001E_ENG.pdf)

The EPD obtained by AGC discloses the environmental impact of the production stage for architectural glass, and it benefits owners, architects, specifiers, and building professionals by enabling to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with building materials.

The EPD is a type III environmental declaration which is compliant with the ISO 14025 standard and verified by the Sustainable Management Promotion Organization’s (SuMPO) Japan EPD Program. The environmental declaration also meets the requirements of the government’s building regulations, as well as contributing to earning points for obtaining green building scheme certifications, since green building rating systems (*3) award credits for building projects that use EPD-certified materials.

The AGC Group will utilize this EPD to contribute to green purchasing and procurement in the construction industry in Asia. The company will also widen its EPD coverage to high-performance glass products, such as coated glass, double glazing units and decorative glass manufactured at Asian plants.

The AGC Group has set the “promotion of sustainability management” as one of the priority issues in its medium-term management plan “AGC plus-2023,” and has set a target of achieving net zero GHG emissions from its business activities by 2050. The AGC Group will continue to contribute to the realization of a sustainable global environment by reducing GHG emissions and supplying products and technologies that contribute to energy conservation and energy creation.

Notes:

(*1) PT Asahimas Flat Glass Tbk is part of the global AGC group. Asahimas Flat Glass was established as a joint venture in 1973 between Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (now AGC Inc.) and PT Rodamas (Indonesian distributor of glass and related customer goods).

(*2) AGC Glass Asia Pacific leads the sales and marketing activities of architectural, interior, automotive, industrial and smart glass products for the Asia-Pacific region. It is part of the Architectural Glass Asia Pacific Company, AGC Inc., headquartered in Japan, and its regional headquarters in Singapore was established in 2013. For more information about AGC Glass Asia Pacific’s sustainability initiatives, visit https://agc-glassasia.com

(*3) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system by U.S. Green Building Council and Green Mark Certification Scheme by Singapore Building and Construction Authority are examples of green building rating systems.

Source: AGC Inc.