this vision. Ameen. On this occasion, I would like to join my countrymen in extending our sincere gratitude to

Transcription

1 AUGUST 14, 2015

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3 3 Message of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah If we want to make this great State of Pakistan happy and prosperous we should wholly and solely concentrate on the well-being of the people and especially of the masses and the poor. You are free - you are free to go to your temples, mosques or any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed that has nothing to do with the business of the state. In due course of time Hindus will cease to be Hinds and Muslims will cease to Muslims not in a religious sense for that is the personal faith of an individual but in a political sense as citizens of one state Address to Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, Karachi, August 11, 1947 Ambassador s message akistan s Independence Day, 14th August 1947, is the most auspicious occasion in our national calendar. This day is a powerful reminder of the heroic struggle undertaken by the Muslims of the Sub-continent for a separate homeland. They aspired to live their lives with freedom and dignity, and in harmony with their religious and cultural values. Today we reflect on the sacrifices that were made to achieve these goals, and pay tribute not only to our great visionary leaders but also our forefathers who underwent great trial and tribulation and made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, so that their children and grand children could have a country to call their own. The vision of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and other leaders of the Pakistan Movement was for a democratic, moderate and progressive state, governed by the rule of law and guaranteeing equal rights to all its citizens. May All Mighty Allah guide us in our efforts to achieve and sustain P this vision. Ameen. On this occasion, I would like to join my countrymen in extending our sincere gratitude to the government and people of Qatar led by His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, the Father Emir, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, for their goodwill towards Pakistan and its citizens, and for looking after their welfare. I would also like to re-iterate to the people of Qatar, that the ties between Pakistan and Qatar are both deep and strong, and that with your friendship and support, we will take the relationship between our two countries to new heights. Shahzad Ahmad Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Qatar CHAIRMAN Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani ACTING MANAGING EDITOR Hussain Ahmad DESIGN Abraham Augusthy CEO Abdul Latif Al Mahmoud ADVERTISING MANAGER Ali Wahba PRODUCTION Viswanath R Sarma SUPPLEMENT EDITOR P K Niaz TYPESETTING Deepak John EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dr Khalid Al-Jaber

4 4 During the visit, the Emir held meetings with President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. The two sides also discussed ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields including energy, investment, trade, defence and manpower. Pakistan- Qatar relations TWO GREAT LEADERS: The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is received in Islamabad by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. On the invitation of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the Emir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited Pakistan on March 23-24, The Emir was accompanied by a high-level delegation including Cabinet Ministers, Chairman of Qatar Airways and senior government officials. During the visit, the Emir held meetings with President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest. The two sides also discussed ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields including energy, investment, trade, defence and manpower. Both sides also signed various Memorandums of understanding (MoUs) aimed to increase cooperation in education and culture. Visits of Chief Minister of Punjab Chief Minister of Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif visited Doha from 1-3 December 2014 and then from February During the visits, the Chief Minister held meetings with the Emir, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar. Other important highlights of the Chief Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) delegation with the Ambassador of Pakistan. Minister s visits included his meetings with the officials of Qatar Investment Authority and Qatar Businessmen Association. Parliamentary Delegation On the invitation of the Speaker of Majlis-e- Shura of Qatar, a parliamentary delegation led by Honourable Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker National Assembly Pakistan, visited Qatar from 30 May-1 June The Speaker and his accompanying delegation held meetings with the Deputy Emir, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, the Foreign Minister, the Labour Minister, the Speaker Majlis-e-Shura and other important Qatari officials and dignitaries. Punjab Labour Minister Punjab Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, accompanied by a delegation, visited Doha from May During the visit the delegation held meetings with the Qatari Labour Minister and other important officials. The focus of the visit was

5 5 FROM LEFT: The Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashid Mahmood (left), and Chief Minister of Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. to enhance quota of Pakistani manpower in the Qatari market as well as assessing requirements of the Qatari market in terms of required skills. Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashid Mahmood visited Doha from May 2015 and held meetings with the Emir and Qatari Chief of Staff. Minister for Petroleum Pakistan s Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi visited Doha on 22 January 2015 to hold talks with his Qatari counterpart regarding import of LNG by Pakistan. SAFRON Minister s visit Minister for States & Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Lt General Abdul Quadir Baloch visited Doha to attend the 13 UN Congress on Crime Prevention & Criminal Justice. The Minister headed the Pakistani delegation in the Congress. During his stay in Doha from April 2015, the Minister also held meetings with the Prime Minister and Interior Minister of Qatar H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Major General H E Hamad Al Attiyah. PNS Aslat s port call Pakistan Navy Ship Aslat paid a goodwill visit to Doha from 9-13 November The ship was on a mission to secure and safeguard the sea lanes of communication in the region. During the trip, the ship s Commanding Officer hosted a reception for a large number of representatives of Pakistani community, diplomats from brotherly countries and government officials. Rice Exporters Association In order to increase the export potential of rice in the local market of the State of Qatar, a 14 member delegation of the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) visited Qatar from 13th June to 15th June, The Embassy of Pakistan Doha arranged meetings of the REAP delegation with various Government functionaries as well as important importers/suppliers of rice in Qatar.

6 6 Some facts about Pakistan L ocated in the heart of the South Asian sub-continent, Pakistan is famous for its monumments and landmarks. WORLD S LARGEST DEEP SEA PORT Gwadar port is the largest deep sea port in the world, located on the southwestern Arabian Sea along the coast line of Balochistan, Pakistan. This port is considered a lifeline in the region s economy. HIGHEST MOUNTAIN RANGES The world s highest mountain ranges exist in Pakistan. They include the Himalayas and HinduKush range in which four mountains are present in the list of 14 highest peaks in the world. K-2, the world s second highest peak, is also located in Pakistan. HIGHEST PAVED INTERNATIONAL ROAD Do you know the eighth wonder of the world is located in Pakistan? Karakoram Highway has been constructed at a height of 15,397 ft between

7 7 China and Pakistan. It is one of the popular tourist attractions in the region. HIGHEST POLO GROUND IN THE WORLD Shandur Top is located in Gilgit, Pakistan and called Roof of the World elevated at 12,200 ft. Every year a polo match is played between Gilgit and Chitral teams. People from all around the world come to watch this match. LARGEST IRRIGATION SYSTEM OF THE WORLD The world s largest irrigation network is present in Pakistan. It serves 14.4 million hectares of cultivated land. The irrigation system is fed by water from the Indus River. The main features of the system are its three major storage reservoirs, namely, Tarbela and Chashma on the River Indus and Mangla on the River Jhelum; 19 barrages; 12 inter-river link canals and 43 independent irrigation canals with the total length of the main canals is 58,500 km. SECOND LARGEST SALT MINE IN THE WORLD Khewara Salt Mines are the world s second largest and Pakistan s oldest salt mines. It was discovered by Alexander s troops in 320 B.C. These salt mines are the largest source of salt in the world producing 350,000 tons per year. However, the salt mines reserves are estimated to be about 600 million tons. ONE OF THE LARGEST DESERTS IN THE WORLD Thar desert is located on the border of Pakistan and India. It is the world s ninth largest sub-tropical desert. Continued on page 9

8 8 The fight for peace The whole nation came together to eliminate terrorism. Our valiant armed forces have been tasked to eradicate these terrorists regardless of hue and colour, along with their sanctuaries. During the year , Pakistan continued to grapple with some wide ranging challenges including the continuing threats of terrorism and extremism. In a major development, Pakistan Army in June 2014 launched a full scale operation Zarbe-Azb against local and foreign terrorists in North Waziristan Agency. Using North Waziristan as a base, these terrorists had waged a war against the state of Pakistan and had been disrupting our national life in all its dimensions, stunting our economic growth and causing enormous loss of life and property. The whole nation came together to totally eliminate terrorism. Our valiant armed forces have been tasked to eliminate these terrorists regardless of hue and color, along with their sanctuaries. Thousands of troops are participating in the operation. During the one year of the operation, significant achievements have been made in Fata, North Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency. At least 2,763 militants have been killed and 837 militant hideouts have been destroyed. A huge amount of weapons and ammunition has also been seized. During the one year of operation, significant achievements have been made in Fata, North Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency. At least 2,763 militants have been killed and 837 militant hideouts have been destroyed. A huge amount of weapons and ammunition has also been seized.

9 9 Continued from page 7 This desert is about 10,000 years old and was once a water source for Indus Valley Civilization. LARGEST AMBULANCE NETWORK IN THE WORLD Edhi Foundation is the world s largest nonprofit social welfare organization. This organization provides 24-hour emergency services, medical & healthcare services and shelter for orphans. Abdul Sattar Edhi started the service from a single room and now it has over 300 centers all over the country. It has branches in other countries such as UK, USA, Canada, Japan and China. FIRST ISLAMIC COUNTRY TO ATTAIN NUCLEAR POWER Pakistan became the first Islamic country to have Nuclear Power on 28th May OVER 50PC OF WORLD FOOTBALLS ARE MADE IN PAKISTAN Sialkot is a city famous for making sports equipment. Hand-stitched footballs are a trademark of this city. Around 60 million handstitched footballs are produced in world cup year in small firms in Sialkot, Pakistan. Last year 42 million official footballs Brazuca were exported to Brazil for FIFA World Cup Even NASA tested this football and declared it the best football ever made.

10 10 Pakistan Education Centre Pakistan Education Center (PEC) was inaugurated in 1985 by the then president, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq. PEC is run by Pakistan Embassy in Doha. The current school premises were given to the Pakistani community by the Government of Qatar. The school is affiliated to the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE), Islamabad, Pakistan. ACHIEVEMENTS OF PEC The students of PEC regularly take part in the Qatar School Debates leagues (QSDL) and make their mark by getting top slots in the competitions. One of the students, Zoha Sattar, has been awarded gold medal for being the best debater of the year This academic year the students of PEC have performed exceptionally well by achieving outstanding results in the SSC-II annual examination. FBISE announced the result on Saturday 4th July Enrollments in PEC have increased remarkably as the school has become a preferred choice of the parents from different nationalities. I am very happy with the performance of my daughter Mahnoor. The school is progressing steadily and the teachers are also very cooperative. Fozia Shahid M/O Mahnoor Shahid: (1st position) A Brilliant performance by Mahnoor Shahid, who secured 983 marks out of 1050 and stood first, whereas Mariam Azhar bagged 2nd position with 979 marks and Jaweria Rizwan grabbed 3rd position with 978 mark. This year 136 students appeared for the SSC-II annual exam out of which 133 passed with 38 A1 grade, 31 A grades and 32 grades. The overall pass percentage of the school was 98. This year 207 students took part in international Bench Mark Test organized by Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) four of them attained High Distinction certificates. I am very happy with the academic performance of my daughter. The staff and teachers are very cooperative and are working hard. Rizwan Ahmed Khan F/O Jawaria Ahmed (3rd position)

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