CHAKWAL: A local group of Christian community brought out procession on Wednesday and they chanted slogans in favour of Punjab Govt. The procession started from TMA Chakwal and the participants including men and women were carrying banners and placards in which slogans in favour of Punjab Govt. were in strike.

The participants marched on the various roads and it was converted into a public meeting at Bhoun Chowk and it was addressed by Ms. Agnes Pervaiz, Slamat Gil, Sardar Maseeh and Fakhar Yousayab and there were of the view that Punjab Govt. have provided protection and security to the christian community at district Chakwal and they were thankful to CM Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

The speakers also thanked local MNA Ch. Ayaz Amir for its assurance for protection. The procession dispersed peacefully later on. NNI

ISLAMABAD: Speakers here at an orientation seminar stressed the need for dissemination of national and demographic surveys at district and communities level to ensure proper implementation of policies in the country.

“The information and statistics on Public Health plays a significant role in decision making for managers at all levels. Besides, its is equally important for all stakeholders to help them make informed choice,” said Iftikhar Durrani, Project Director of TACMIL Health Project and Chief Executive Officer of the National Trust for Population Welfare ( NATPOW) in his inaugural address here at local hotel.

He said that the demographic Health Surveys 2006-07 (PDHS) and the National Health Surveys are meticulously conducted but never properly disseminated to the District-level Managers and communities. Meanwhile, there was disconnect between the government organizations, development partners and non-governmental organizations, he added. NGOs and Development Partners who provide funding for these expensive surveys and work in the communities are aware of the local health situation, but seldom share this information with general masses.

The Workshop was oganized by USAID TACMIL Health and NATPOW , and was attended by District Managers, EDOs and DPWOs participated from the selected Districts of Punjab and NWFP. Earlier, Dr. Zafar ullah Gill, Chief of Party, USAID TACMIL Health Project underlined the need for involvement of all community stakeholders in the sensitization process. He said that the present joint family system could best be exploited to create awareness on grass roots.

Mian Mozzam Shah, Director Gneral Program, Ministry of Population Welfare, in his concluding address deplored that relevant government authorities were still following old paradigms despite change on international level. “Policy makers, donors and other concerned officials are at fault as contemporary decline policy also focuses on education, environment and economics besides traditional reproductive health measures,” he said.

Mozzam Shah said there was gap between policy makers and implementers, therefore proper results could not be yielded for decline in maternal and infant mortality ratio in the country. NNI

KABUL: Thousands of people who lost their houses in January-May flooding in different parts of Afghanistan need help to repair or rebuild their homes, or find new ones, before winter. “Where houses are damaged or completely destroyed, people are in urgent need of shelter,” Asif Khairkhwa, chairman of the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) in the northern province of Balkh, told Integrated Regional Information Networks. “People should have a shelter before the winter.”

Similar concerns were echoed by officials in Takhar, Sar-i-Pul, Baghlan and Badakhshan provinces, where thousands of houses have been damaged by floods and avalanches over the past six months. “Emergency shelter continues to be a primary gap in the response,” said OCHA’s flood situation report on 15 June.

The floods killed at least 66 people and affected over 21,000 families in the northern and northeastern provinces, according to reports by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Aid agencies and the Afghan government provided emergency assistance.

In some flood-affected provinces government officials said there were no funds which could be used to help people rebuild their homes. The only feasible solution, they said, was to distribute tents. However, even tents are not available for all.

“We even don’t have adequate tents to distribute to those in need…We only have 150 tents for 800 families,” Khairkhwa, the ARCS chairman in Balkh, said. According to an OCHA map of unmet needs in flood-affected areas, thousands of tents and/or temporary shelters are needed in a number of affected provinces.

ROADS STILL BLOCKED: Many flood-affected roads are impassable, meaning that aid cannot get through to people in some places, according to provincial authorities and OCHA. “Roads to six districts are still closed while people in those districts need aid,” said Sayed Nasir Hemat, ARCS’s head in the northeastern province of Badakhshan. The blocked roads had also meant people could not access health services in some cases, and had increased food prices, he said.

Assessments by OCHA and other agencies have identified an urgent need to clear roads in Faryab, Takhar, Baghlan and Samangan provinces. However, Ghulam Haider, an adviser to the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, said the government had allocated funds only for the reopening of roads blocked by snow and avalanches. There were insufficient funds to repair and reopen flood-damaged roads: “Repairing these roads requires millions of dollars,” he told IRIN. NNI

ISLAMABAD: Dr. Syed Qandil Abbas, Professor of International Relations in International Islamic University on Saturday said that the US intervention in Pakistan internal affairs was intolerable. Talking to IRNA, he said that Pakistan is a sovereign state and fully capable to run its own affairs.

Expressing his views over the military operation in northwestern district of Swat, Syed Qandil Abbas said that there is a very complex situation in swat, the government had tried all peaceful methods to restore peace in the troubled area, however, the situation instead of improving started worsening.

He opined that military operation was carried out as a last option though it had displaced the people of the area. He was of the view that what actually US is doing in Pakistan is just to keep the government under pressure and wants to convey a message to the other countries of the region such as Iran and China that it can intervene in the internal affairs of any country to establish its unilateral system.

Commenting on the drone attacks led by US on Pakistani soil Qandil Abbas said that these attacks are against the sovereignty of Pakistan. He said the government of Pakistan has been opposing these attacks and the public opinion has also turned against them.

“These attacks have increased the anti American sentiments among the Pakistani people” he said. Syed Qandil Abbas, viewed that Iranian Islamic Revolution is a source of inspiration for Muslim Ummah and has triggered many Islamic movements around the world.

He said that the spread of Islam is unacceptable for the US and that is why it is trying to portray a dark image of Islam. “If you see closely you will come to know that US has been following only one agenda in Iraq, Iran, Palestine and Pakistan, they only want to establish unilateral system in the world”, added Syed Qandil Abbas. “However in my opinion US is not successful in accomplishing its designs and is in a difficult situation”, he opined. NNI

RAWALPINDI: 55 miscreants have been killed in various areas of Swat during last 24 hours while 3 security forces personnel embraced Shahdat and 11 others injured during the last twenty four hours. ISPR in a press release on Friday said the Security Forces have achieved success in various areas of Swat and request the civil population of Swat to come forward and help security forces in identifying the Taliban terrorists.

The security forces have confirmed reports that the taliban terrorists after shaving off their beards and cutting hair are fleeing from the area and asked people of Swat to identify them by pointing out at a check post where security forces are present. For this purpose contact may be made at cell number 0333-5239938. The army is publicizing through media and asked the people to send SMS which may help the arrest of thes Taliban Terrorists.

An important Terrorist commander, Dawa Noor has also been apprehended by security forces. Dawa Noor is known Terrorist Taliban Commander who was also member of TNSM shoora and was grossly involved in terrorist activities in Sultanwas and Daggar. Before security forces launched operation in Buner, Dawa Noor was instigating civil population of the area against security forces on FM Radio and with the help of a Loud Speaker on a Jeep. He played crucial role in facilitating taking over of Buner by Taliban Terrorists.

At Peochar Taliban miscreants attacked a security forces check posts. 13 miscreants were killed here and one of their vehicle completely destroyed.

Security Forces have successfully linked up at Udigram and Police force at Udigram have joined the Army troops. 100 policemen have joined back. Security forces have established various check posts between Matta and Bar Bamkhe.

Security Forces after clearing area Giga and Jura, have now reached northwest of Matta. During advance towards village Adai (south of Ramotai) security forces destroyed two miscreants Taliban compounds. Miscreant Taliban fired heavy weapons from Sultanwas, Resultantly, 1 soldier embraced shahadat and 3 soldiers got injured. At Kalpanai and Sultanwas 42 miscreant Taliban were killed and 15 vehicles were also destroyed. NNI

ISLAMABAD: The people of the United States are providing $28 million in agricultural commodities including 50,000 metric tons of wheat valued at $16.8 million, and 6,800 metric tons of vegetable oil valued at $11.2 million for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Approximately 37,500 metric tons of wheat arrived today (Friday, May 15) at Gwadar, Pakistan with the remainder due to arrive in the coming weeks. These shipments will feed an estimated 1.5 million people.

“The people of the United States stand with the displaced people of Pakistan during their hour of need,” said U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson. “We are moving as rapidly as possible to alleviate the immediate hardships and help the Government of Pakistan meet the basic needs of IDPs with confidence that they will be able to return to their homes as soon as possible.”

The United States will continue to monitor the situation and is committed to providing additional assistance as needed. On Monday (May 11), the people of the United State provided more than $4.9 million in immediate emergency assistance to families displaced by the recent conflicts in Pakistan’s Buner, Dir, and Swat Districts of the North West Frontier Province.

The funds are being used to purchase tents, blankets, cooking sets, jerry cans, soap, and bedding to the most vulnerable families including women and children who have temporarily relocated in the region. Tuesday (May 12), the United States sent logistical equipment including generators and transformers to power water pumps and lights. Other logistical and support equipment includes laptop computers, rental cars, and internet connectivity to assist emergency support operations.

U.S. relief to Pakistani Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) totals more than $66.8 million since August, 2008. Since 2002, the United States has provided more than $2 billion to Pakistan to improve economic growth, education, health, and governance and to assist with earthquake reconstruction. NNI

WASHINGTON: The US military for the first time has provided Pakistan with a broad array of surveillance information collected by US drones flying along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan, US military officials said yesterday. But it is not clear whether the cooperation will continue. US military drones flew a handful of noncombat surveillance missions along the border earlier this spring at the request of the Pakistani government, but requests for additional flights stopped abruptly without explanation, the officials were quoted as saying by the New York Times.

The offer to give Pakistan a much larger amount of imagery, including real-time video feeds and communications intercepts gleaned by remotely piloted aircraft, was intended to help defuse a growing dispute over how to use the drones and which country should control the secret missions flown in Pakistani airspace, US officials said.

In meetings last week with President Obama and other US officials in Washington, President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan repeated his insistence that his country be given its own armed Predator drones to attack operatives of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the Afghan border. But the US intelligence operatives who fly the armed drones inside Pakistan remain opposed to joint operations with Pakistani intelligence services, saying that past attempts were a failure. Several years ago, US officials gave Pakistan advance word of planned Predator attacks, but stopped the practice after the information was leaked to militants.

“We’re going after terrorists plotting directly against the United States and its interests,” said one US counter-terrorism official. “Nobody wants to gamble with those kinds of targets. We tried a joint approach before, and it didn’t work. Those are facts that can’t be ignored.”

US military officials said yesterday that there was no plan to allow the military to join the CIA in operating armed drones inside Pakistan. They disputed a report in The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that said Pakistan had been given joint control of armed US military drones inside Pakistan. Obama administration officials are vigorously resisting sharing the drone technology with Pakistani security forces, but officials from both countries said compromises were possible.

US and some Pakistani officials spoke anonymously because the CIA drone operations are classified.

Pakistani officials said Zardari wanted the drone technology partly to tamp down anger inside Pakistan over the campaign of CIA air strikes inside the country, which have killed civilians in addition to more than a dozen Qaeda leaders. If Pakistan had its own Predators, they said, the government in Islamabad could make a more plausible case to the public that Pakistani missiles, not US missiles, were being used to kill militants.

Meanwhile the Los Angeles Times has reported that the U.S. military has flown drones into Pakistan at least a dozen times in recent weeks in cooperation with the Pakistanis as part of a new program, U.S. officials acknowledged Wednesday.

The military conducted test flights in March to demonstrate intelligence gathering capabilities to the Pakistanis. Those were followed by Pakistani requests for additional Predator flights to collect intelligence on suspected militants, said an official from U.S. Central Command, which oversees forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The program’s existence was first reported Wednesday by The Times. Officials have told The Times that it represented an effort to have U.S. and Pakistani military officers work together on drones and to persuade Pakistan to fire the drones’ missiles at militant positions.

In response, the Central Command official and other military officers said Wednesday that a formal U.S. proposal for the joint effort did not include the use of armed strikes on suspected militant positions.

“This program is designed to provide an intelligence capability, not a weapons capability,” said the Central Command official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of Pakistani sensitivities about the program.

The government in Islamabad is ambivalent about the program, and strikes by the CIA’s separate fleet of unmanned aircraft have been deeply unpopular with the Pakistani public. The Pakistanis have not requested use of the drones since mid-April, the Central Command official said. The military’s Predator and Reaper drones are always armed with missiles.

Some of the flights over Pakistan involved drones that crossed over the border after armed missions in Afghanistan. Some U.S. military officials have expressed frustration at Islamabad’s reluctance to use the drones offensively. “This is an enhancement that will help you save your soldiers, your people,” one senior officer said he told the Pakistanis. “You will be more credible, you will be more effective.”-ONLINE

KARACHI: Pakistan Hypertension League (PHL) is observing World Hypertension Day throughout Pakistan. World Hypertension Day is organized worldwide on 17th of May every year under the auspices of World Hypertension League (WHL). This year’s theme for World Hypertension Day is ‘Salt and High Blood Pressure: Two Silent Killers’.

Speaking at a press conference held in Karachi, President PHL Professor Mohammad Ishaq said,

“High Blood Pressure is the largest single cause of death worldwide through strokes, heart attacks and kidney diseases. It is alarming that 18% of the Pakistan’s population is hypertensive of which 97% are uncontrolled. High salt intake is one of the major reasons for hypertension. It is established that if salt intake is reduced by half, it would save approximately 2.5 million deaths a year from strokes and heart attacks world wide.”

“To counter this menace PHL recommends to Cut down on foods high in sodium; eat in moderation the servings of processed foods and eat whole heartedly only those foods that are low in sodium.” Professor Mohammad Ishaq added.

Hypertension is a very common public health problem. The PMRC data published in 1997 revealed that 18% of the Pakistani Population has raised blood pressure levels. There are an estimated 12 Million hypertensives in Pakistan. This is an alarming situation. It was in recognition of this problem and the challenge of urgently doing something, that the PHL was founded in 1995 and officially launched in 1997, by a group of physicians. PHL is affiliated with World Hypertension League (WHL) and International Society of Hypertension (ISH).

The objective of PHL is to create awareness about high blood pressure- a silent killer in medical profession and public and also to carry out research related to high blood pressure. PHL has Eleven Chapters in all major cities in Pakistan who carry out activities in line with PHL objectives.

Mr. Mohammad Shakeel, a veteran TV artist and a hypertension patient himself, shared an emotional recollection of how he was diagnosed with hypertension and how he has balanced his lifestyle to best manage hypertension. He shared that once a person is diagnosed hypertensive, he can take measures to control the disease, but can never cure it. He also gave a personal three point agenda that to manage life with hypertension; regular light exercise, balanced nutrition with low salt intake, and timely medication’ are the three most essential ingredients one has to adopt if he intends to live a healthy life.

Others present at the occasion were CEO of Novartis Pharma, Mr. Shahab Rizvi. PHL’s Executive Members; Professor Ejaz Vohra, Professor Mansoor Ahmed, Professor Waris Qudwai, Dr. Maqbool Jafary, Dr. Abdul Rasheed Khan, Dr. Aziz Khan Tank and Dr. Bashir Hanif were also present.

Dr. Maqbool Jafary, Chairman, Scientific Committee PHL said, “PHL has initiated a large scale program to screen 20,000 patients across Pakistan for blood pressure and its risk with full support from CEO of Novartis Pharma, Mr. Shahab Rizvi.”

All participants at the venue were tested for high blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index to establish understanding and to spread realization of hypertension as a deadly disease.

Professor Ishaq also added, “To promote the objective of PHL, an educational symposium for General Practitioners is organized at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital on morning of 16th May and mass scale public screening for Blood Pressure and its risk factors (Sugar, Cholesterol, Body Mass Index etc) will be held at kidney Institute and Tabba Heart Institute on the same day. Similar programs are being organized in other cities by its local chapters throughout Pakistan on this auspicious day.” NNI

OTTAWA: Pakistan has shown the will and commitment to fight against terrorism and militancy and the international community needs to strengthen the anti-terrorism capacity of our armed forces to ensure a better future for the world, Mr. Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for Privatization has said.

The Minister was addressing the members of Standing Committee on Defence at the Parliament Hill, here today. He is heading a delegation of senior parliamentarians which include Ms. Fauzia Wahab, Member of the National Assembly, Chairperson, National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Mr. Riaz Fatyana, Member of the National Assembly/Member, National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Mr. Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Member of the National Assembly/Member, National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Mr. Abdul Rashid Godil, Member of the National Assembly/Member, National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance.

Pakistan, he said has a very large military that can fight and defeat the insurgents very effectively. But the intelligence sharing mechanism should be improved and the army should be provided with effective surveillance and night vision devices as well as effective helicopter force.

Mr. Naveed Qamar said innocent civilians have been killed in the drone attacks which has created resentment in the areas. Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected. Mr. Naveed Qamar said today more than ever before, the Pakistani nation stands firm in its resolve to combat the menace of terrorism and extremism. Our people are motivated, our armed forces galvanized and our resources mobilized to address this common menace.

Mr. Naveed Qamar said a humanitarian crisis has emerged in Pakistan as a result of the operation launched by our army in Swat. The world should come forward and support our government in its efforts for the rehabilitation of about one million internally displaced persons.

Answering a question Mr. Naveed Qamar said there is no possibility of nuclear assets of Pakistan falling in the hands of terrorists. The Government of Pakistan is fully cognizant of its responsibilities and we have a very well established control and command system.

Answering another question Mr. Naveed Qamar said the international community should impress upon Pakistan’s “traditional foe” to withdraw its troops from its border with Pakistan and resume the dialogue process with is imperative for peace and stability in the region. Pakistan he said has deployed 170,000 troops on the Pak-Afghan border. We have also offered the fencing of the border to Central unauthorised movement.

Mr. Maxime Bernier, Chairman Standing Committee on National Defence said Canada fully realizes Pakistan is going through difficult times and the country has made sacrifices in war against terrorism. They expressed strong support for Pakistan security and economic development.

From the Canadian side the meeting was attended by committee members including Claude Bachand, Bryon Wilfert, Steven Blaney, Ray Boughen, Denis Coderre, Cheryl Gallant, Jack Harris, Laurie Hawn, Anita Neville, Pascal-Pierre Paille and LaVar Payne. The delegation is visiting Canada to study its parliamentary system including legislative process, organizational structure, history and trends of Canada. NNI

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have expressed their resolve to root out militants and terrorists from their respective sides of Pak-Afghan border. During the meeting that took place at the Prime Minister House here Wednesday, President Karzai stated that his government would also launch an operation in Afghanistan similar to that of Pakistan against these elements in the immediate future and will fully back Pakistan’s efforts in combating terrorism.

Both leaders also discussed ways and means to enhance the mechanism for intelligence sharing, cooperation in the defence field and strengthening of people to people contacts through increased parliamentary exchanges. Prime Minister said that successful meeting of Third Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA), in Islamabad, was reflective of Pakistan’s commitment to support the development of Afghanistan by every possible means.

He termed RECCA meeting as a major landmark not only for greatly strengthening relations with Afghanistan under the democratic government in Pakistan but also for overall peace, stability and economic prosperity of the region.

The Prime Minister shared with the Afghan President his government’s steadfast commitment to do every thing necessary to sustain the new spirit of relationship between their two countries through development of regional infrastructure and integrated border management system as well as further improving bilateral trade and economic ties.

President Karzai agreed with the Prime Minister that continuous drone attacks had only served to the detriment of government of Pakistan’s 3-D strategy meant to isolate the militants from the tribes.

President Karzai appreciated government of Pakistan’s assistance and its constructive role in the development of Afghanistan and termed the continued strong Pakistan-Afghanistan friendship as vitally important for the peace, stability and prosperity of his country.

In the remarks during the luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister in his honour, the Afghan President thanked the government and people of Pakistan for extending hospitality and hosting the Afghan refugees for all these years.

Later a separate meeting was held between the Prime Minister and President Karzai which was also attended by Foreign Ministers of the two countries and the Chief of Army Staff. The overall security situation of the region came under discussion during that meeting. -APP