Pakistan - On advice of PPP Chairman, CM Sindh prepared Karachi Development Package worth Rs.150 billion

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has on advice of Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari prepared a Karachi Development Package worth Rs.150 billion.
According to details, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had in past few days suggested to the Sindh CM that he should prepare a giant Karachi Development Package so as to facilitate the people of the city and provide to them a better environment.
In order to bring revolutionary changes in city’s infrastructure and civic facilities for the people of the mega city Karachi, the Rs 150 Billion Karachi development Package thus designed for the mega city would include storm water drains, Roads and Streets, Bridges and Flyovers, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, Traffic Management Plan, Fire Brigade, Solid Waste Management, Passenger Transport Facility, Emergency Situations, Environment, Parks and recreational Sites, and others.
On having been briefed about the details and the Karachi Development Package, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while showing his satisfaction urged upon Sindh CM to complete the required legal procedures so that the work on Karachi development package should be commenced at the earliest.

https://ppppunjab.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/on-advice-of-ppp-chairman-cm-sindh-prepared-karachi-development-package-worth-rs-150-billion/

Pakistan - At least seven killed, 50 injured in Multan blast

At least seven people were killed and 50 others injured in an explosion at Vehari Chowk in Multan on Sunday night.

According to sources, the explosion occurred in a rickshaw as a man was exiting the vehicle.

Rescue sources said the injured have been rushed to Nishtar Hospital for treatment.

The Capital Police Officer (CPO) said the bomb disposal squad was trying to ascertain the nature of the blast.

Pakistan’s food security

By Anum Pasha

Pakistan’s agriculture sector is a mainstay of its economy and is critical to future improvements in economic growth, employment, food security and poverty reduction. Over the past decade, an unstable political and security environment has slowed investment and caused the loss of human life and human capital, while major natural disasters have resulted in displaced populations, damaged productive infrastructure, diverted budgets and cutbacks in services. These developments have negatively impacted Pakistan’s economy and the competitiveness of its agricultural sector, as translated by a marked slowdown in GDP growth and a decline in Pakistani exports. Yet Pakistan’s economy is now showing signs of moderate growth, and there is potential to capitalise on this progress over the coming years.

Consider the example of citrus fruits, especially kinnow, that are among the top fresh fruit exports from Pakistan with a major share in the Middle East, Russia and other Eastern European markets. Over the past few years, yields of exportable kinnow fruit from Pakistan dropped by over 30 percent, indicating a decrease in grade A fruit and increased competition in traditional markets. The conventional marketing system in Pakistan for citrus does not encourage farmers to use best agricultural practices. Consequently, farmers are less interested in adopting modern crop husbandry methods. However, Pakistan is still among the top 15 citrus-producing countries of the world, with 94 percent of the total kinnow production occurring in Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Bhalwal, Kot Momin, Sillanwali, Shahpur, Sahiwal and Lalian.

Similarly, livestock plays a significant role in the lives of farming communities in Pakistan because it ensures food security and a source of income. The role of the livestock sector in the rural economy of Pakistan is critical, since approximately 35 million people living in rural areas raise an average number of two to three cattle/buffalo and three to four sheep/goat per household which represents a contribution of 35-40 percent to their incomes. In Pakistan, livestock made up 55.9 percent of the total agricultural output and contributed 11.8 percent to the national GDP during 2013-14. Despite these encouraging statistics, Pakistan is constrained from taking full advantage of this global trend due to a lack of consistent supply of quality and traceable meat products.

Despite the high growth statistics, the vegetable sector in Pakistan is still performing below its potential due to the large range of challenges that it continues to face during the production, post-harvest and marketing phases. This situation is further aggravated due to the lack of awareness of international market prices and standards.

Recently, a new US initiative was launched to boost the competitiveness of the commercial agricultural and livestock sectors through improving sales and building technical capacity in Pakistan. The programme, ‘US-Pakistan Partnership for Agricultural Market Development (AMD)’, consists of a series of grants, training sessions and technical improvements that will create new gateways in international markets for Pakistani meats, vegetables, mangoes, and citrus.

While the government of Pakistan remains strongly committed to the agricultural backbone of its economy, there is huge potential in this sector. A cost benefit analysis conducted by AMD confirms that upfront investment in technology, infrastructure, and operational costs are offset by incremental sales and profits.

Nearly forty percent of Pakistanis are employed in agriculture, and 21 percent of the country’s gross domestic product is generated through the agriculture sector. Therefore, profitability, innovation and sustainability can move the sector towards increased competitiveness.

During the launch event for the AMD programme, Federal Secretary National Food Security and Research Mr Seerat Asghar said, “US-Pakistan Partnership for Agricultural Market Development is the first step towards increase in export of agricultural products.” Investments such as these in partnership with the government of Pakistan can increase the linkages between Pakistani farmers and international markets.

The development of Pakistan’s commercial agriculture and livestock relies heavily on the sector’s ability to meet both international and domestic demand and requirements for transforming product lines into efficient, private sector-led value chains that deliver competitive products to domestic and export markets. In addition, there is need for developing the institutional capacity of catalytic actors within these chains.

Compliance with international food safety standards and acquiring certifications by engaging globally-recognised certification bodies is also an important step forward for key catalytic agents of the sector, so that growers gain access to lucrative international markets and utilise their export potential in an improved, efficient manner. With these improvements, increased technical capacity and technological innovations, Pakistan has the potential to become a fully food-secure, prosperous country that allows high quality food on the table for everyone

'Islamic State' militants say attacked Pakistan-Afghan border post

BY SAUD MEHSUD

Pakistan militants who have pledged allegiance to Islamic State said on Sunday they had attacked a paramilitary checkpoint along the Afghan border, in the first such assault claimed by a former faction of the Taliban in several months.

A militant affiliated with the faction told Reuters the group attacked Damadola district of the Bajaur tribal area in Pakistan's northwest, where the military has been battling a militant insurgency since 2007, late on Saturday.

"Our men destroyed the post, set it on fire and left it after our operation was complete," he said by telephone.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials confirmed a checkpoint had been attacked, but there were no casualties.

The Pakistani government says that Islamic State, a group founded in Syria and Iraq in 2013, does not have a credible presence in the country. Several smaller militant groups and factions of the Pakistani Taliban have, however, pledged allegiance to Islamic State and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi since last year.

So far, Islamic State has not formally accepted any of those pledges, nor has its central leadership claimed responsibility for any attacks carried out in Pakistan.

On Sunday, at least 12 militants were killed after military jets bombed the Mana area of Shawal Valley in northwest Pakistan, two security officials said. The deeply forested valley is a key Taliban stronghold and a main smuggling route into Afghanistan.

The Shawal Valley is still dotted with Taliban bases and foreign fighters more than a year after the military announced an offensive to clear the Taliban from the North Waziristan region along the Afghan border.

A drone strike across the border also killed four members of the Afghan Taliban on Sunday morning, said Taliban fighters.

Hypocrite Saudi Arabia BANS National Geographic featuring Pope Francis for 'cultural reasons'

By REBECCA PERRING

King Salman's Middle East kingdom banned the Arabic edition, whose front showed the pontiff standing in the Sistine Chapel. 

There has not yet been any official statement from the Saudi government spelling out its cultural opposition to the magazine, but its regional editor-in-chief, Alsaad Omar Al Menhaly made the puzzling announcement on Twitter. 

It read: "Dear readers in Saudi Arabia, we apologize for you not obtaining August’s magazine. According to the publishing company, the magazine was denied entry for cultural reasons. Chief Editor" (sic) 

The cover story addresses Pope Francis' "silent revolution" and hopes to create a church "that is poor and for the poor". 

From his bold pronouncements on climate change and divorce, to his recent call for parishes and dignitaries to take in Syrian refugees, some see Pope Francis as a revolutionary. 

The very act of putting the Vicar of Christ on the cover would have been controversial enough for senior officials of a country where the mosque and state are so closely entwined. 

But Saudi officials may have been rattled by the Pope's groundbreaking reforms of his church, given the strict rigidity of the Wahhabi state. 

Wahhabi, members of the strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim sector, advocate a return to early Islam and a literal interpretation of the Koran. 

It is not the first time the magazine has been censored in King Salmon's Middle East kingdom. 

Earlier this year, a line in the magazine's 'War on Science' March issue stated "evolution never happened". This was emitted from the magazine's front cover for unknown reasons. 

Kacem El Ghazzali, a secular activist from Morocco who is currently serving as International Humanist and Ethical Union‘s representative at the United Nations, said it was fairly common for scores of “scientific, secular, and philosophical” to be banned in the oil-rich kingdom. 

He added: "Thousands of blogs and websites are also banned in the country and contrary to most Arab countries, Saudi Arabia never tries to hide its intentions and recognition of censorship.”

A spokesperson for the National Geographic Society said: “We are aware of the issue, but we are still currently in the information gathering phase.”

Fascist Saudi regime conducts fresh air raids on Yemen

The Saudi military pushes ahead with its brutal military campaign against neighboring Yemen, with reports of casualties in the latest wave of Riyadh’s airstrikes on the Arab country.

Saudi warplanes launched air raids on Nahdein Mountain, located in the Hafa’a area of Yemen’s capital Sana’a on Wednesday.

Saudi military jets further struck Haddah residential neighborhood in Sana’a, where there were reports of casualties.

In a similar airstrike, the Faj Attan area in the Yemeni capital was pounded while Kitaf district of the northwestern province of Sa’ada was targeted with 40 rockets.

Elsewhere, the Saudi attacks on a hotel in the Abs district of the northwestern Hajjah province claimed the lives of four people, among them a Yemeni child, the Lebanese Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news network.

People walk past a house destroyed by a Saudi airstrike in the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a, September 8, 2015. ©AP

The Yemeni al-Masirah news channel also reported that a gas station and a security base came under attacks by Saudi fighter jets in the central al-Bayda province.

Al-Masirah further said that the Saudi jets conducted air raids in the Baqim and Ḥaydan districts in the Sa’ada province.

In response, the Yemeni armed forces fired rockets at an army training camp and a border guard base in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Najran region.

Yemen’s army and allied popular committees also fired rockets at two Saudi military sites in the kingdom’s southwestern Jizan border region, destroying five armored vehicles.

Meanwhile, in another development on Wednesday, Egyptian security sources, whose names were not released in reports, said as many as 800 Egyptian troops were deployed to Yemen to join Saudi Arabia’s military campaign.

According to the sources, four Egyptian units, consisting of 150 to 200 troops each, along with transport vehicles and tanks arrived in Yemen late on Tuesday.

Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain have already dispatched army forces to Yemen in support of the Saudi military offensive against Yemen.

Yemeni officials say around 2,000 foreign troops are operating in Yemen, but Qatari-owned Al Jazeera TV puts the number at some 10,000.

Children play amid the rubble of a house destroyed in a Saudi airstrike on the Yemeni capital city of Sana’a, September 8, 2015. ©AP

On March 26, Saudi Arabia began its aggression against Yemen – without a UN mandate – in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to the country's fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

The conflict has so far left about 4,500 people dead and thousands of others wounded, the UN says. Local Yemeni sources, however, say the fatality figure is much higher.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/09/09/428482/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-Yemen-Sanaa-Najran

Putin: question of Donbass future should be decided not by Russia

Russia's President Vladimir Putin says Donbass future should be decided not by Russia.

"Our souls and hearts are with Donbass," he told reporters. However, he said, "this serious matter is not decided by Russia".

Russia's President is sure there is no alternative to the Minsk agreements.

"The most important is that there should be established a direct contact" between the Kiev authorities and the authorities in Donetsk and Lugansk "in order to implement the Minsk agreements."

He said those agreements "read both the changes to the constitution, and the elections should be done with approval from Donbass."

"However, it (approval) is not organised," Putin said, stressing the importance of amnesty and "at last to implement the law adopted by Rada (on changes to the Ukrainian constitution regarding de-centralisation)."

The president pointed to the economic aspects of Minsk2.

"Coal from Donbass is being supplied now, and this means we also may begin supplies."

"I believe, we shall settle the issues regarding gas supplies, too," Putin added.

Putin: It may be possible to consider delaying execution of Minsk agreements

Vladimir Putin does not rule out delay of implementation of the Minsk agreements.

"A delay may be considered," he told reporters, adding most important is that the agreements are observed.

"Mister Kuchma (representing Kiev at the peace talks) told me they do not manage everything in time," he said. "In fact, it may be possible to consider some review of the timing, but it is much better to be implementing what we have achieved in Minsk."

"It is extremely important today that the shelling of Donbass from the positions of the (Ukrainian) military and from the volunteer battalions has stopped. I believe it is the most important recent achievement," the president said.

Minsk accords on settlement of crisis in Ukraine

A peace deal struck on February 12 in Minsk, Belarus, by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France envisaged a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and people’s militias starting from February 15, followed by withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of military engagement and prisoner release.

The package of measures envisages the pullback of all heavy weapons by both parties to locations equidistant from the disengagement line in order to create a security zone at least 50 kilometres wide for artillery systems with a calibre of 100 mm or more, a zone of security 70 kilometres wide for multiple rocket launchers and a zone 140 kilometres wide for multiple rocket launchers Tornado-S, Uragan and Smerch and for Tochka-U tactical rocket systems.

The Ukrainian forces and the self-defence forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics (DPR and LPR) have repeatedly accused each other of violating ceasefire and other points of the Minsk agreements.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the violence in Ukraine has killed 6,500 people in the past year, wounded 16,000 and left 5 million people in need of humanitarian aid. With more than 1.3 million registered IDPs, Ukraine has now the ninth largest number of internally displaced in the world, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

President Obama directs administration to accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year

By Juliet Eilperin and Carol Morello 

President Obama has directed the U.S. government to accept at least 10,000 refugees from Syria in the next fiscal year, White House press secretary Josh Earnest announced Thursday, a six-fold increase over the number admitted this year to the United States.

The new figure, which Earnest described as an “ambitious goal,” reflected the growing pressure the administration faces to develop a more robust response to the spiraling humanitarian crisis that has grown out of armed conflict in Syria as well as neighboring countries. Earnest also urged other nations in Europe and the Mideast—including some that don’t typically welcome asylum seekers—to “ramp up” their willingness to take in Syrian refugees.

The administration’s response comes as a top European Union official earlier this week proposed spreading about 160,000 refugees across nearly two dozen countries.

So far, the United States has lagged far behind several European countries in its refu­gee aid efforts, largely due to the time-consuming screening procedure to block Islamist militants and criminals from entering the United States under the guise of being legitimate refugees.

Almost 1,600 Syrian refugees have arrived in the United States since the civil war began, according to State Department figures. Many of the Syrians so far have ended up moving to Michigan and California, where there are sizeable Arabic-speaking communities and where they often have family living already, said Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which helps resettle a quarter of all refugees to this country.

When asylum seekers accepted for resettlement first arrive in the United States, most go to orientation programs run by a coalition of faith-based and refugee non-profit groups. These groups receive federal funds to help welcome the arriving refugees, determine the best place in the country for them to relocate, find housing, learn some English and start looking for jobs.

As refugees, they are eligible for Medicaid and become permanent residents authorized to work in the country. After a year, they are eligible for a green card, and five years after that, they can become U.S. citizens.

Video - President Obama's Weekly Address: A New College Scorecard

Punjab being run by ‘friends of terrorists’: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday criticised the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government, saying that the people of Punjab were being punished since their province was run by 'extremists,' their 'sympathisers' and 'friends of dictators.'

Punjab being run by ‘friends of terrorists... by dawn-news

“There can be no reconciliation with those who sympathise with extremists,” said Bilawal.

Speaking at a Kisan convention in Lahore, Bilawal claimed that the incumbent PML-N government was making it difficult for farmers and the masses to survive via its “anti-farmer policies.”

Amid chants of “Go Nawaz Go,” Bilawal accused the PML-N government of robbing farmers.

“Farmers are committing suicides and setting their own crops on fire as they are not being paid the due return of their hard work by the government.”

“The times are changing and the farmers and common people will not allow you to rule if you do not solve their problems”, Bilawal warned the ruling PML-N.

Reminding peasants and workers about what he said were the “farmer friendly” policies of the past PPP governments, Bilawal claimed his party had always paid the country’s farmers well for their produce and provided them power and urea on subsidised rates.

“Farmers are dying of hunger and you are rubbing salt on their wounds by launching projects like metro bus,” said Bilawal, taking a jab at the transport project for Lahore.

The PPP chairman also slammed PML-N's leadership for failing to live up to their promises of eliminating load shedding in two years.

About the ongoing anti-terror operation across Pakistan, the PPP chairman again took the PML-N to task, saying it was only after students of Army Public School of Peshawar lost their lives that the rulers realised an anti-terror operation was necessary.

“Otherwise they were holding dialogue with the Taliban.”

“Today they say that the whole nation is on the same page against terrorists and terrorism. But the reality is you have finally joined our ranks. I spoke against militancy and extremism when you were holding talks with them.”

Bilawal paid homage to the martyrs of Pakistan's war against terror.

After concluding his address, Bilal jumped into the crowd from the stage to meet party workers and farmers – a gesture appreciated by the crowd.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1206566/punjab-being-run-by-friends-of-terrorists-bilawal

Video - " Zinda Hai Bhutto "

Video - BENAZIR BHUTTO - Last Address

Video - Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's Speech

#BilawalKiLalkaar - Kal Bhi Bhutto Zinda Tha

#BilawalKiLalkaar - Dilan Teer Bijan

#BilawalKiLalkaar پنجاب پر ایسے حکمران مسلط کیے گئے جو بابا بلھے شاہ کی دھرتی کے لئے سزا سے کم نہیں

پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیرمین بلاول بھٹو نے کہا ہے کہ حکمرانوں کو جو کرنا ہے وہ سیاسی انتقام سے نہیں بلکہ عدل اور انصاف سے کریں اور کسی کو سیاسی انتقام کا نشانہ نہ بنایا جائے جب کہ ملک میں انتقام کی سیاست کی روش ختم کی جائے۔
لاہور میں پیپلز پارٹی کے ورکرز کنونشن سے خطاب کے دوران بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ لاہور داتا کی نگری، ترقی پسندوں اور جمہوریت پسندوں کا شہر ہے لیکن اسے رجعت پسندوں کی نذر کیا گیا جب کہ پنجاب پر ایسے حکمران مسلط کیے گئے جو بابا بلھے شاہ کی دھرتی کے لئے سزا سے کم نہیں ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ایک طرف فوج بزدل دشمنوں سے تو دوسری طرف دہشت گردوں سے لڑرہی ہے اور ایسی نازک صورت حال میں حکمران معیشت پر ضرب لگارہے ہیں جب کہ کسان جو کماتے ہیں وہ (ن) لیگ والے لوٹ کر لے جاتے ہیں۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ کشکول توڑنے کی باتیں کرنے والے آج قرضہ لے کر بغلیں بجارہے ہیں،حکمران نا تو خادم ہیں اور نا ہی اعلیٰ، ظالم حکمران کسان، مزدور اور غریب کے دشمن ہیں، کسان کھڑی فصل کو کاٹ نہیں رہا کیونکہ اسے معاوضہ نہیں مل رہا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ حکمران اپنی سمت درست کرلیں کیونکہ آنے والا وقت عوام کا ہے، آج غریب عوام پریشان ہے اور آپ میٹرو بسیں بنارہے ہیں جب کہ ملک میٹرو بسوں سے نہیں عوام سے ہوتا ہے اور یہاں میٹرو بس کے نام پر 20 کروڑ عوام کوبے وقوف نہیں بنایا جا سکتا۔
چیئرمین پیپلز پارٹی کا کہنا تھا کہ ملک نے بھی اور ہم نے آپ کی گڈ گورننس دیکھ لی ہے، 6 مہینے میں بجلی لانے کے وعدے کہاں گئے اور اب بجلی نہ لاسکنے والوں کو کس نام سے پکاراجائے جب کہ جس نندی پور پاور پروجیکٹ کو دھوم دھام سے شروع کیا اس کا کیا بنا، نیب اور ایف آئی اے نندی پور پاور پروجیکٹ کی تحقیقات کب کرے گی۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ آج ملک کے اہم ادارے بغیر سربراہوں کے کام کررہے ہیں او ر وزیراعظم نواز شریف کے میرٹ کے وعدے کیا ہوئے جب کہ وہ اپنے پسند کے لوگوں کو ملکی اداروں کے سربراہ لگاتے ہیں اور قومی اداروں کو کوڑیوں کے مول بیچا جارہا ہے،کیا نیب کے ہاتھ لرز اور ٹانگیں کانپ رہی ہیں ، پی آئی اے اور اسٹیل ملز کو کوڑیوں کے بھاؤ بیچنے نہیں دیں گے۔
بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ حکمرانوں کو جو کرنا ہے وہ سیاسی انتقام سے نہیں بلکہ عدل اور انصاف سے کرے، کسی کو سیاسی انتقام کا نشانہ نہ بنائے۔ انتقام کی سیاست کی روش ختم کی جائے جب کہ ہم شہیدوں کے وارث ہیں اورہم پرہی دہشت گردی کے الزامات لگائے جارہے ہیں، ہم کل بھی اپنے بہادرجوانوں کے ساتھ تھے آج بھی ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا جارہا ہے ضرب عضب اب شروع ہوا ہے ضرب عضب اب نہیں سوات آپریشن سے شروع ہواتھا، وزیر اعظم نواز شریف کہتے ہیں کہ دہشت گردی کے قوم ایک صفحے پر ہے ، شائد وہ بھول گئے ہیں کہ میں نے مذاکرات کے وقت دہشت گردوں کوللکاراتھا، درحقیقت حکمران اب میرے پیج پر آئے ہیں۔
پیپلز پارٹی کے سربراہ کا کہنا تھا کہ پیپلزپارٹی کی سیاست اب بھی غریبوں کی سیاست ہے، اپنے نانا ذوالفقار علی بھٹو کی طرح وہ سرمایہ دارانہ اور جاگیردارانہ نظام کے مخالف ہیں، وہ میں آج بھی یہی کہتے ہیں کہ سرمایہ دارانہ نظام نہیں چلے گا، وہ آج بھی کہتے ہیں کہ کسان کے دشمن سے کوئی مفاہمت نہیں ہوسکتی، کشمیر کی بات نہ کرنے والے سے مفاہمت نہیں ہوسکتی۔

Pakistan - Govt has handed over Lahore to sympathisers of terrorists: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday took aim at the Nawaz-led government at a rally held in Lahore, a bastion of PML-N support. 

“Lahore has been handed over to sympathisers of terrorists by the incumbent government,” said Bilawal, who arrived in Lahore earlier this week to hold meetings with members of PPP’s central and provincial executive councils in a bid to revamp the party in the province.

“At a time when our armed forces are driving terrorists’ out of the country, the current government is destroying the economy,” Bilawal said, while addressing farmers at the Kissan Convention.

Highlighting his party’s progressive stance on the economy, Bilawal said the country’s development is only possible through the introduction of fair and equitable policies, not by introducing the Metro Bus system.

Criticising the PML-N government, Bilawal said most government’s institution were operating without any heads or visionary leadership, leaving a big question mark over the government’s claims of good governance.

“The current government has destroyed Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and they are unable to give salaries to Steels Mills’ workers,” he said.

Commenting on the army’s ongoing operation against terrorists, Bilawal said Operation Zarb-e-Azb was launched seven years ago when operations were launched in Swat and North Waziristan.

“Nawaz says that we all are on the same page against terrorism, whereas I say that he is now on my page as he only launched the operation when we lost the future of our country in the APS attack, while I called out at terrorists a long time back,” he said.

Video - #BilawalKiLalkaar: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s speech

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Speech In Lahore - 12th... by ayaz18

Pashto Music - Sardar Ali Takkar - پورته بدر راښکاره شو ـ ر حمان بابا

Video Report - Refugees: ‘Thanks for shelter, but we wouldn’t need it if West hadn’t intervened in Syria’

Video Report - U.S. House votes against Iran deal in two symbolic votes

Video Report - U.S. officials accused of altering intel on ISIS

Presidential Proclamation: - Sep - 11 - Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2015

On September 11, 2001, America experienced the worst terrorist attack in her history when nearly 3,000 men, women, and children were taken from us, leaving their families and our Nation with a void that can never be filled.  But those who brought hate to our shores and smoke to our skies did not expect our country to emerge stronger, and our beacons of hope and freedom to shine brighter as a result.  In the years since, we have stood strong as one people ‑‑ determined to further embolden our country's character with acts of endurance and strength; rebuilding and resilience; renewal and progress.  In remembrance of the innocent victims who lost their lives and in honor of the families they left behind, let us continue to answer these heinous acts by serving our communities, lifting the lives of our fellow citizens, and spreading the hope that others tried to dim that day.

The compassion that rose in the hearts and minds of the American people on September 11 still serves as the ultimate rebuke to the evil of those who attacked us.  First responders who risked and gave their lives to rescue others demonstrated the unwavering heroism that defines our great Nation.  Volunteers donated time, money, and blood to ensure wounds gave way to healing and recovery.  Young people, raised until then in a time of peace, stepped forward to serve and defend us, and meet the threats of our time.  And people from across our country and the world joined together in the days that followed to stand up and turn toward one another with open arms, making of a tragedy something the terrorists could never abide ‑‑ a tribute of hope over fear, and love over hate.

As we reflect on the lives we lost and pay tribute to the families who still live with extraordinary pain, let us resolve to continue embodying the American spirit that no act of terror can ever extinguish.  I call on all Americans to observe this National Day of Service and Remembrance with acts of selflessness and charity.  In doing so, we prove once again that the power of those who seek to harm and to destroy is never greater than our power to persevere and to build.  I encourage everyone to visit www.Serve.gov to learn of the many opportunities available to give back to others and to reaffirm the fundamental truth that we are our brothers' and our sisters' keepers, and that we can forge a brighter future together.

Today, we continue our unfaltering march forward, enduring in the perennial optimism that drives us and brightening the light that the darkness of evil can never overcome.  We remember and yearn for the presence of the beautiful lives lost, and we recommit to honoring their memories by shaping the days to come ‑‑ in as stark a contrast as possible to those who took them from us ‑‑ with courage, liberty, and love.

By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress has designated September 11 of each year as "Patriot Day," and by Public Law 111-13, approved April 21, 2009, the Congress has requested the observance of September 11 as an annually recognized "National Day of Service and Remembrance."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2015, as Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.  I call upon all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States to display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of the individuals who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.  I invite the Governors of the United States and its Territories and interested organizations and individuals to join in this observance.  I call upon the people of the United States to participate in community service in honor of those our Nation lost, to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities, including remembrance services, and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor the innocent victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

                               BARACK OBAMA

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/09/10/presidential-proclamation-patriot-day-and-national-day-service-and

The White House Observes a Moment of Silence on the 14th Anniversary of September 11th

Pakistan - US Consul General Zachary Harkenrider calls on Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto

US Consul General in Lahore Consulate, Zachary Harkenrider called on Pakistan Peoples Party’s Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Bilawal House Lahore here yesterday.

According to a news release issued by party’s media office, Mr Zachary Harkenrider remained with Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for quite some time and discussed issues pertaining to their area of interests.

https://ppppunjab.wordpress.com/2015/09/11/us-consul-general-zachary-harkenrider-calls-on-chairman-ppp-bilawal-bhutto-zardari/

Pakistan - Bilawal Bhutto approves internal accountability system

PPP’s Patron-in-Chief, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday approved a suggestion regarding setting up of an internal accountability system to probe allegations of corruption by party men. 
The proposal came from former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf during a meeting of south Punjab leaders on Wednesday. The ex-PM is himself facing a number of corruption charges currently being investigated by FIA and NAB. 
Raja suggested formation of a 4-member internal accountability commission to probe the charges against party leaders. Bilawal reportedly accepted the suggestion and desired that modalities for formation of such a body should be worked out. 
Pervaiz Ashraf later told reporters after the meeting that PPP leaders were being implicated in false cases of corruption and their media trial was going on unabated. He said that an internal accountability system was necessary to ascertain the facts behind the corruption allegations against party men. 
The meeting was attended by Bakhtawar Bhutto, Faryal Talpur, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Sherry Rehman, Makhdum Ahmed Mehmud, Nadeem Afzal Chan, Hina Rabbani Khar and others. 
Speaking on the occasion, Sherry Rehman said that all party men should fight together to take the party to new heights by organizing it in each town and village. 
She also stressed the need for holding of youth conventions and policy dialogue in each province. She said PPP never compromised on rights of people and fought against terrorism. But it was hard to fathom that PPP was facing allegations of terror financing, she lamented. 
Earlier, during course of the proceedings, Major Imtiaz, Benazir Bhutto’s security officer, broke to tears when he was given the mike to speak his mind. He was accompanying BB at the time of attack on her vehicle in Rawalpindi in 2007. Bilawal went to him and consoled him with a hug. 
Meanwhile, Bilawal has announced to address a workers’ convention at Bilawal House Lahore on coming Saturday. For security reasons, party leaders have been asked to prepare lists of workers who would be attending the gathering on that day. 
Also, Bilawal’s media advisor, Jamil Soomro Wednesday dismissed rumors that Bilawal was leaving Lahore for Dubai to meet his father Asif Ali Zardari.
“There is no truth in these reports”, he told The Nation, adding that Bilawal was scheduled to address a workers’ convention at Bilawal House, Lahore on Saturday.

How safe is Pakistan for journalists?

Two journalists were recently killed in Pakistan despite claims by the government that its military operations have secured most big cities. DW analyzes why Pakistan continues to be an unsafe place for reporters.

Aftab Alam, a senior journalist, was gunned down near his home in Karachi on Wednesday, September 9. Alam was employed at Geo TV, which has been facing the wrath of the military and its spy organization, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for its critical reporting of the army's involvement in politics.

Just hours earlier, Arshad Ali Jaffery, a 45-year-old Geo TV satellite engineer, was killed by three gunmen in the city. On that same day, Abdul Azam, a journalist working for state television, PTV, was wounded after being shot at in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

"The IFJ and PFUJ are outraged by the attacks … and call for prompt action to arrest those responsible" said a statement released by the journalists' unions on September 10.

"The incidents are yet another reminder that Pakistan is the most dangerous country for journalists," they added. Both organizations also re-affirmed their calls on the Pakistani government to take decisive steps against ongoing attacks on the media in the South Asian country.The killings come at a time when the Pakistani government is carrying out a paramilitary operation against "terrorists and criminals" in Karachi. Just recently, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif declared Karachi free from "targeted attacks."

Threatened by extremists and government alike

Religious extremists and security forces continue to intimidate journalists in Pakistan. Ghazi Salahuddin, a senior journalist at the Jang Group of Publication, told DW that Pakistani media professionals had to work under very difficult circumstances.

"Many journalists feel scared and threatened. It has become increasingly difficult for them to perform their tasks freely," he said, calling on journalists' unions to ensure the rights and lives of people working in the media are protected.

According to David Griffiths, Amnesty International's (AI) Deputy Asia Pacific Director, Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. In a report released last year, AI documented 34 cases of journalists being killed since the restoration of democratic rule in Pakistan in 2008 until April 2014.

"This is something authorities must address urgently. A critical first step must be for Pakistan to investigate its own military and intelligence agencies and ensure that those responsible for human rights violations against journalists are brought to justice. This will send a powerful signal to those who target journalists that they no longer have free reign," Griffiths told DW.

Freedom comes with a price

But it is also true that the Pakistani media now enjoys a greater amount of freedom to criticize governments, politicians, the country's powerful military and its ubiquitous intelligence agencies. A decade ago, all this was unimaginable. But this "freedom" has come at a price as the country has become more insecure for reporters over the past few years.

Nasir Tufail, a Karachi-based Geo TV journalist, told DW that the Pakistani media was "definitely freer than before," though "not absolutely free."

Tufail says the most perilous issue for Pakistani journalists is to report on issues regarding terrorism and Islamism, and that the reporters who are working on these issues have to be very cautious.

For instance, Tufail says that local and foreign media rely mostly on a few journalists for their coverage of events in the restive northwestern tribal areas of Pakistan. But most journalists cannot even enter these areas; therefore it is impossible to get reliable news about the Taliban and the "war on terror."

"Most journalists can't even think of going to most parts of Balochistan, where the military is operating against separatists. How can you expect independent reporting from there?" Tufail said.

Imtiaz Alam, Secretary General of the South Asian Free Media Association, also said that both state and non-state elements were against press freedom in Pakistan.

"So many journalists in Pakistan have been killed yet nobody has ever been convicted for these murders. The recommendations of the judicial commission investigating Saleem Shahzad's murder (allegedly killed by the ISI in 2011) have never been implemented," Alam told DW.

Saudi Arabia to review relations with 'untrustworthy' Pakistan

After Pakistan failed to join the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm, in which numerous airstrikes were conducted throughout Yemen against Houthi forces between March 26 and April 21 this year, Saudi Arabia has now decided to review its military and economic ties with Islamabad.

According to high-level Arab sources based in Dubai, Saudi Arabia has decided to "cool off " its relations with Pakistan after it failed to join the Operation in which 10 Arab states including Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain took part.

Pakistan was missing from the operation because it claimed that its Parliament passed a resolution that the country would remain "neutral" in the Yemen conflict.

Later, in a damage control exercise, Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Saudi KingSalman Bin Abdul Aziz had held a luncheon meeting at the Royal Palace in Riyadh. However this failed to placate the Saudis.

Providing details of Saudi anger at Pakistan, sources said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who arrived with a powerful delegation, including Army Chief General Raheel Sharif and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, was received by Deputy Crown Prince. This in itself was a snub because normally Sharif would be received by the Crown Prince.

Expressing his anger over Pakistan's inability to choose side in the Yemen conflict, Saudi King Salman during the meet made it clear that Saudi Arabia would not ask help from Pakistan in the future if they didn't join them.

As per Dubai-based high-level Arabian insiders, even though Pakistani political parties have been receiving funding for their political activities since 1947, the nation ditched Saudi Arabia's reciprocal relationship.

Recalling the helps provided to Pakistan, sources said that since the Cold War, the nation supplied pilots to repel advances by communist South Yemeni forces into Saudi Arabia, while Saudis funded the Afghan Mujahedeen in accordance with the US and Pakistan that repelled the Soviet invasion.

When Pakistan was facing possibilities of international sanctions in 1998 for conducting nuclear tests, the Saudis offered 50,000 free barrels of oil to help cushion the blow, they added.

The insiders further stated that Nawaz Sharif, who was deposed from office in 1999 and was facing murder charges, and his family were rescued through Saudi intervention and provision of comfortable exile until former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf permitted him to return to the country in 2007.

They further pointed out that because Sharif's daughter was married to a grandson of King Fahd, he became a member of the Saudi royal family. In 2014, Saudi Arabia, which continues to be the largest source of petroleum for Pakistan, boosted the nation's weak reserves with a gift of 1.5 billion dollars after Islamabad's reversal of policy of neutrality in the Syrian War. This has funded the LeT and LeJ as well.

Noting Pakistan's unfaithfulness towards its major ally and donor the US, Arabian sources further said that there was nothing new in the nation ditching them during a crisis.

Branding Pakistan as the 'epicentre of terrorism', sources added that the genocide against minority ethnic communities is growing and military and civil government are at odds with each other with army exercising supremacy.

In 2003, Musharraf helped revive the Afghan Taliban to fight the Americans in Afghanistan, which led to the rapid spawning of the Pakistani Taliban who instead chose to fight the Pakistan Army with the aim of turning the country into a theocratic state.

In 2008, Pakistan under President Asif Ali Zardari failed on every level of governance and quickly became so threatened by the army that Zardari decided to hand over all security and foreign-policy making to Army Chief General Pervez Kayani.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and General Raheel Sharif are at loggerheads once again as has been the past practice between Prime Ministers and Army Chiefs.

Concluding that Pakistan will remain a breeding ground for terrorist groups if its funding isn't stopped immediately, the insiders said that Saudi Arabia has decided to distance itself from Pakistan with terror breeding being another factor going into the Saudi decision.