The Pakistan Army and the Special Communications Organization (SCO) have set up a freelancing hub at the Independent Living Center in Skardu, aimed at empowering children with special abilities in the field of Information Technology (IT).
As per details, the Pakistan Army and the Special Communications Organization (SCO) have set up a freelancing hub for special children at the Independent Living Center in Skardu.
The main purpose is to provide these children with valuable opportunities to develop digital skills and earn livelihoods through freelancing platforms. The freelancing hub will offer training and resources to help them excel in the IT sector, fostering inclusivity and self-reliance.
The Pakistan Army and SCO’s collaborative effort underscores their commitment to social welfare and digital empowerment, ensuring that individuals with special abilities are not left behind in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.
This initiative is expected to open new doors for special children in Skardu, allowing them to contribute to the economy while gaining independence through IT-based skills.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb virtually addressed the third Pakistan Climate Conference organized by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Karachi
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Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has emphasized that the government should resolve the integrated climate by making it a part of national economic planning.
Reportedly, while virtually speaking to the Pakistan Climate Conference organized by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Karachi, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said that Pakistan is currently facing many challenges but among them population growth and climate change as two major challenges.
He emphasized that the government should resolve the integrated climate by making it a part of national economic planning.
The Minister said that there is work in collaboration as the Ministries of Finance, Climate, and Planning will work together to bring Pakistan onto a sustainable pathway of growth and resilience.
He highlighted that the success of Pakistan’s first green Eurobond in 2021, which raised 500 million dollars, illustrates our capacity to attract sustainable investments.
Muhammad Aurangzeb conveyed the Finance Ministry’s commitment to fostering an environment conducive to green investments. He highlighted that through fiscal reforms, regulatory assistance, and capacity-building efforts, the goal is to draw both international and domestic investments into green projects, ensuring a sustainable future for Pakistan.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar
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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has announced that Pakistan will be part of the world’s G20 economic group by 2030. He also highlighted the country’s significant economic potential.
As per details, while speaking at the Pakistan Business Council’s Dialogue on the Economy in Islamabad, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called all stakeholders to work together for the country’s economic sovereignty.
He also informed the all participants that Pakistan will be part of world’s G-20 economic group by 2023.
During the conference, he also mentioned that Pakistan is now the 24th largest economy globally as inflation is reducing from double digits to 4%.
Ishaq Dar also acknowledged the government’s diplomatic successes by highlighting the Pakistan’s election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and hosting major international events like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting and a conference on girls’ education last year.
He also endorsed the URAAN Pakistan initiative as a key to the country’s economic growth, expressing confidence that Pakistan will progress significantly and gain its rightful place in the international community.
It is world mentioning here that the G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries formed to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation and sustainable development, through annual meetings of heads of state and heads of government
Commonwealth Asia Youth Alliance (CAYA) Summit 2025: Empowering Youth, Building Futures, Picture Credit : Radio Pakistan
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The Commonwealth Asia Youth Alliance Summit is underway in Islamabad, bringing together Youth Ministers from over 12 countries along with international delegates.
Reportedly, the event will organized under the Prime Minister’s Youth Program.
The summit will hold several sessions today to focus on building connections among young people from different nations.
Discussions will cover topics such as job opportunities for youth and the promotion of entrepreneurship.
Members of the National Youth Council are also participating in the event
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the Un Ambassador Munir Akram warns against UNRWA dismantling at UN Security Council Meeting, Picture Credit: Radio Pakistan
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Pakistan warned the United Nations (UN) Security Council (SC) regarding the risks of dismantling the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, especially for Palestine.
Reportedly, on Wednesday, Pakistan warned against the risks of dismantling the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), stressing its crucial role in supporting Palestinian rights and humanitarian efforts.
Speaking at a UN Security Council briefing on UNRWA, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, stated that Israel’s targeting of the agency aims not only to disrupt essential humanitarian aid but also to undermine the Palestinian identity and their legitimate rights.
He emphasized that UNRWA plays a key role in facilitating a ceasefire, delivering humanitarian aid, and rebuilding Gaza.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the agency and called on the international community to ensure its continued operation for the welfare of the Palestinian people.
A photo of the government committee at the fourth meeting for negotiations with the opposition that was skipped by the PTI at Parliament House on Tuesday. — National Assembly
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The government negotiation committee has decided to give one more chance to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to rejoin the dialogue process.
Reportedly, on Tuesday, the opposition party did not come for the fourth round of talks with the government. During this round, the government had promised to share its response to its charter of demands.
The spokesperson for the government negotiation team, Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that committee has decided to give one more chance to PTI and they will wait until the end of the month.
“Following the meeting of the committee, which was skipped by the PTI, we (the government) sat together and decided… we will wait till Jan 31, the deadline given by the PTI for the fulfilment of their demand”, the senator said.
He said the talks were almost over after the opposition party skipped the fourth round. He added that they would now ask the prime minister to dissolve the committee since he had created it for the negotiations.
When asked if the government had shared its response in the meeting, the PML-N senator said that PTI would have been satisfied if they had attended on Tuesday. He mentioned that the government’s response was very close to meeting PTI’s demands. “The government could have been even more flexible if PTI had not walked away from the talks,” he added.
“If they can approach the speaker by their deadline of January 31 or if they think this door should be opened again…then they can contact the speaker and our committee will still sit down and talk to them before the 31st, or even after that date we can continue this process,” he added.
Senator Siddiqui said the government “took this process forward with a lot of patience”.
“We won’t share publicly since it had been decided that this was a committee-to-committee matter and they (PTI) didn’t join,” he replied to a question about the government’s response to the PTI demands
Meanwhile, NA speaker Ayaz Sadiq said , “My doors remain open. I again express hopes for the government and the opposition to hold talks to find a way forward,” he said, adding, “In negotiations, you don’t put forward conditions first — you sit (for talks) and negotiate, where decisions are made on what is accepted and what isn’t, whether there is an alternate proposal.”
“The committee met today. We waited for about 45 minutes for our friends in the opposition to come. We messaged the secretary to the leader of the opposition who said ‘it seems like they won’t be coming to the meeting’,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar told media persons, “We had prepared for the talks; I wish they had come”.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told reporters in Islamabad that the party had already made it clear that it was not sitting down for talks for “hi hello or photo sessions” as government had still not announced the commissions as we demanded.
Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Engineer Amir Muqam, has announced plans to establish Danish Schools in Gilgit-Baltistan to enhance educational opportunities in the region.
As per details, he shared this commitment during a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Gilgit-Baltistan President Hafiz-ur-Rehman in Islamabad.
The minister reaffirmed that integrating Gilgit-Baltistan into the national mainstream remains a key priority for the PML-N government. He also emphasized the government’s dedication to allocating significant development funds to uplift the region.
This initiative aims to improve access to quality education and accelerate development in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the Chinese BGI Group Chairman Wang Jian , Picture Credit : Radio Pakistan
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Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif met Chinese BGI Group Chairman Wang Jian to discuss the cancer treatment and advance genetic research.
Reportedly, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met with Wang Jian, Chairman of China’s BGI Group, to discuss a proposed agreement on cancer treatment and genetic research.The meeting focused on a public-private partnership to set up a Center of Excellence for Genetic Science and a Biological Gene Bank in Punjab.
The Chief Minister welcomed the Chinese group’s offer of a pilot project for rice and corn cultivation in the desert area of Bahawalpur. CM welcomed the offer and appointed the Provincial Agriculture Minister as a ‘Focal Person’ in this regard.
In the meeting, both the parties agreed to cultivate GMO cotton with the cooperation of Chinese institutions to increase cotton production by 15 percent.
Moreover, the Chinese group also made an offer of complete collaboration by the Chinese BGI Group with regard to cancer treatment and genetic testing in Punjab.
In response to the said offer, Maryam Nawaz sought a workable plan from the Secretary Health.
The CM said, “Collaboration between BGI Group and the Punjab government will prove to be a game changer in the health sector. The Punjab government strives to establish region’s most advanced genetic testing laboratory in the province. Modern genetic technology for cancer diagnosis and treatment will be used in Punjab.
“The Chinese BGI Group will play a revolutionary role in cancer diagnosis and treatment by extending its due cooperation. A state-of-the-art government hospital will also be established for cancer diagnosis and treatment in Punjab. The Punjab government is determined to complete development projects in the health sector swiftly”. She added,
It is worth mentioning here that BGI Group Chairman Wang Jian praised CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s efforts in the health sector and reaffirmed that Pakistan, particularly Punjab, would receive support to achieve a significant position in cutting-edge medical research on the global stage.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator Irfan Siddiqui. — Reuters/APP/File .
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The government negotiation committee’s spokesperson Senator Irfan Siddiqui endorsed that the committee would be dissolved if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not attend the fourth round of talks today.
As per the details, today’s fourth round of negotiation will be held between the government and PTI. The committee’s spokesperson Senator Irfan Siddiqui informed the media that the committee would be dissolved if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not attend the fourth round of talks today.
Senator Irfan informed the journalist that he did not make public announcement regarding the PTI charter of demands.
He was also called by the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to gave him briefing about the dialogue with the PTI, “I informed the PM that we are ready for talks but the PTI is reluctant to sit again in today’s meeting,” the senator said.
“They (PTI) should attend the meeting because, in case of any reservations on the government’s reply, we could discuss moving forward towards fulfilment of their (PTI) demands,” he urged the PTI to attend the meeting so that progress.
He mentioned that an agreement had been made between the PTI and the government, allowing the government seven working days to present its response to the PTI’s demands to the NA speaker. “We have finalized our responses but will refrain from disclosing them if the PTI chooses not to attend the meeting,” he stated
Prime Minister Shehbaz in the press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), expressed the desire for continuous talk between the government and PTI, “These contacts help in preparing a joint strategy to resolve issues facing the country and nation,” he added.
He said avoiding negotiations was an undemocratic attitude that created tensions and damaged the atmosphere of national solidarity.
It is worth mentioning here that the meeting is expected today in the Parliament House summoned by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq at 11:45 am.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial confirmed the purchase of over 1,000 new vehicles for its officers, despite strong objections raised by the Senate Standing Committee on Finance.
Reportedly, on Sunday, while talking to the reporters at a ceremony to mark the International Customs Day FBR Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial in Karachi, confirmed the purchase of over 1,000 new vehicles for its officers.
Langrial highlighted the significance of the 2025 International Customs Day theme, “Customs delivering on its commitment to efficiency, security, and prosperity,” emphasizing its relevance for Pakistan Customs in its efforts to evolve into a modern, forward-thinking, and dynamic institution
Langrial emphasized that “the new vehicles were necessary for new officers for their field trips, “The FBR officers need the vehicles for tax collection. As per the cabinet decision, 1,010 vehicles will be purchased for tax officers”.
“These are young officers, how will they collect sales tax if they do not have proper transport? Sales tax cannot be collected unless you visit the site. The purchase will help achieve the tax collection target set for the fiscal year 2024-25,” he added.
Recently, the Senate’s Standing Committee on Finance raised concerns last week about the purchase of 1,010 vehicles valued at Rs6 billion and directed the FBR to suspend the procurement process. Committee member Faisal Vawda emphasized that the FBR should prioritize addressing the Rs386 billion revenue shortfall before proceeding with such expenditures.
Responding to a question about the standing committee’s objections, the FBR chairman explained, “We will review this procedure and the objections will be answered appropriately and positively.”
He also informed the reporters that the live tracking system is being improved, “The new tracking system will be implemented within two to three months under which tracking sensors will be installed on both vehicles and containers,”
“The FBR has received the bids. The DG [director general concerned] is likely to announce the names of new applicants this week,” he further added.
The FBR chairman stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had established a task force to address challenges in the housing sector. He identified high transaction taxes as the sector’s primary issue, noting that efforts were underway to review the matter. Additionally, he suggested that the Competition Commission of Pakistan should investigate concerns regarding cement prices.
Speaking as the chief guest at the ceremony held at the Customs House, Langrial highlighted the notable progress Pakistan Customs has made in modernizing its operations, particularly through initiatives like the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) and the Faceless Customs Assessment (FCA) System.
He said that the trade bodies of Karachi were happy with of introduction of the PSW and FCA systems, which had made the trade process faster, transparent and easier. He added that those systems had resulted in a significant increase in revenues and enabled the clearance of export goods in a short time.
