Shehri TV – Pakistan News, Current Affairs, Entertainment

  By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) Prime Minister Imran Khan has declared that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a transformational project and reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment for timely completion of the CPEC projects.  The Prime Minister expressed these views when he met the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong, at Islamabad on November 11. “The Prime Minister congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment and extended best wishes for a fruitful term,” the statement issued by PM Office noted.  The premier also accentuated the significance of special economic zones (SEZs), relocation of industry, and improved productivity in agriculture sector.  The Chinese envoy on the occasion expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Imran Khan and reassured China’s support in completion of CPEC projects and enhancement in industrialization and agricultural sector in Pakistan.

By Masood Sattar Khan   (Pakistan News & Features Services) Pakistan accorded great importance to strengthening its relations with China as both countries had shared destiny. The strengthening of business-to-business ties of the two people was the foremost priority, Prime Minister Imran Khan informed a Chinese delegation on August 25.  He was talking to a delegation of 10 leading Chinese companies, undertaking business ventures in vital sectors including energy, communications, agriculture, science and technology, financial sector and industry which called on him in Islamabad.  The delegation comprised of representative of Power Construction Corporation of China (Power China), China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC), China Gezhouba (Group) Pakistan, China Three Gorges South Asia Investment Company Ltd, China Railway Group Limited, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Machinery Engineering Corporation and China Mobile Pakistan Limited.  The...

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) Prime Minister Imran Khan has forcefully declared that Pakistan's future was linked with China as it remained steadfast with Islamabad at times of weals and woes.  In a television interview, marking the completion two years of his government, he divulged upon the achievements and accomplishments besides shedding light on the challenges being faced and steps taken to address the issues.  The Prime Minister categorically told the interviewer that it was China that always came out and defended Pakistan.  The Pakistani nation received with jubilation the Prime Minister's announcement that the Chinese President, Xi Jinping will be visiting Pakistan later this year.

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 17 reviewed the progress made so far on the Pakistan Railways ML-1 project, one of the major components of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).  The meeting deliberated upon the timelines set for its implementation and the benefits to be reaped from the project.  The high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan was attended amongst others by Minister for Railways, Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad, Minister for Planning, Asad Umar, Adviser on Finance, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. and Chairman, CPEC Authority, Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa.

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) The newly elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has expressed gratitude to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan for congratulating him on his victory.  “Many thanks to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for your phone call and warm wishes,” the Sri Lankan Prime Minister tweeted on August 8.  "I look forward for mutual high level visits between our two countries to strengthen our friendly bilateral ties,” he added.

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) To ensure provision of low cost electricity to the masses, the government has decided to concentrate more on wind and solar energy sources, it was disclosed by the Federal Minister for Information, Shibili Faraz, while briefing the media after a weekly cabinet meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad July 1. The cabinet approved three hydro power projects including Kohala Hydro power project. The minister pointed out that it was the policy of the present government to generate low cost electricity, instead of going after expensive power.  In this regard the cabinet emphasized to specially encourage setting up solar and wind energy projects in the country and any obstacle in projects would be removed, the minister informed while sharing the decisions of the cabinet to the media. "Through these steps foreign investment would be pour in the country and on the other hand i...

Pakistan News & Features Services A top official of Dreamworld Resort, Hotel & Golf Course, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan in which matters pertaining to tourism and hospitality industry in the country were discussed.  According to the details made available to PNFS, Dreamworld Resort was represented by its Director Business Development, Omar Saleem, while the meeting, taking place at the Prime Minister office in Islamabad, was also attended by Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Minister of State and Special Assistant for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, who also heads the national task force on tourism.  During the meeting, the Dreamworld official briefed the Prime Minister and his team about the challenges being faced by the hospitality industry during the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic besides requesting for the reopening of the activities under specific guidelines and standard operation procedures (SOPs) to overcome the financ...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) Dewan Mohammad Yousuf Farooqui, an eminent industrialist and a former provincial minister, has advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to avail the existing infrastructure instead of creating a task force for ration distribution among the masses. Talking to PNFS in Karachi on March 30, he didn’t mince words in declaring that considerable resources will be required to build a new task force for the purpose of reaching out people affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19). “Both time as well as funds will be needed for carrying out this task of creating a new infrastructure for such an activity which makes little sense to me. Instead the government should utilize the information which is already in possession of area Deputy Commissioners. NGOs and welfare organizations could also be pressed into service to do the job with the collaboration of DCs,” he suggested.  Dewan Yousuf expressed confidence in the abilities of DCs and the social ...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) A proposal has recently been submitted to Dr Ishrat Husain Sahib, Advisor to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms, Government of Pakistan, for investment in Pakistan Railways through Public Private Partnership.  In view of the deteriorating condition of Pakistan Railways and increasing trend of train accidents the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, had entrusted Dr Ishrat Hussain to devise and prepare a comprehensive restructuring plan to make the organization a profitable department through public-private partnership.  Mir Mohammad Khaskheli, Member, FPCCI Standing Committee on Railways, has submitted a comprehensive paper in this regard, a copy of which was also obtained by PNFS.  In what has been described as an essential policy paper, it appears to be precisely well timed and could be extremely useful for future strategy of the government for the development of sustainable rail s...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, in his message on the World Tourism Day (WTD) 2019, pointed out that the country was blessed with natural beauty and had enormous opportunities of tourism.  “The tourism sector plays a pivotal role in socio-economic growth. It also provides an impetus for employment opportunities and promotion of entrepreneurial activities, globally,” he recognized.  “The tourism experience provides synergies between communities having diverse cultural backgrounds. It also enables people to adapt themselves to the cutting-edge traveling facilities of modern days,” the Prime Minister remarked.  “Pakistan has immense potential in tourism sector. It generates economic activities, brings in valuable foreign exchange and generates investors' interest in the tourism sector by attracting myriad foreign tourists. Influx of visitors is also correlated to law and order situatio...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) Pakistan will be playing host to the World Tourism Forum (WTF) in 2020. The decision in this regard was taken during a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and a delegation of the WTF in Islamabad on August 9.  The WTF delegation was led by the President of its executive board, Bulut Bagci while the chairman of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, was also present in the meeting.  Over 1,000 foreigners are expected to attend the five-day proceedings of the forum in Islamabad next year. The date of the event will be announced later. The WTF is an Istanbul-based organization, dedicated to developing tourism around the world with its annual meetings. It was founded under Bulut Bağcı’s leadership in 2014.  The WTF principally intends to develop tourism around the world. Accordingly, it was launched in 2015 following the extensive connectio...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) Prime Minister Imran Khan has declared that the government was making all out efforts for promotion of tourism in the country and new tourist resorts would be developed in coastal areas of Balochistan.  Maintaining that there existed great potential in different areas of tourism in the country needs to be exploited, the Prime Minister made the announcement during his meeting with a delegation of the World Tourism Forum (WTF) which called on him in Islamabad on August 9.  He informed the delegation that eight new tourism resorts would be developed in eight coastal areas in Balochistan, emphasizing that natural beauty, social values and environmental protection would be ensured for promotion of tourism. Earlier this year, the government had announced a new visa policy for 175 countries to promote tourism and investments in the country. The visitors from these countries will be able to apply for an o...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi  (Pakistan News & Features Services) The Divisional Superintendent, Pakistan Railways, Karachi Division, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, got the much talked about the newly introduced Karachi-Rawalpindi Sir Syed Express inaugurated on July 4 through Muhammad Suleman, the first passenger to have booked the ticket from Karachi.  Talking to media on the occasion, he informed that the train having a total capacity of 646 seats, offers three classes of AC Sleeper, AC Business and Economy. It had 100% booking for the opening day. The train, branded as luxurious, had the facilities of dining car and wi-fi. The train will reach its destination in 21 hours via Faisalabad. Upon completion of ML-1, the travel time of the train will reduce to 10 hours.  Besides facilitating passengers it’s being expected to earn the much-needed revenue for the Pakistan Railways.  The train, named after the legendary scholar and thinker, Sir Syed Ahmad K...

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) China has extended an invitation to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan to be the guest of honour at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) due to be staged in Shanghai from November 5 to 10, 2018.  The Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, met his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in Islamabad on September 8where he extended invitation to Prime Minister Imran Khan to be the guest of honour at the CIIE.  China and Pakistan also agreed to strengthen the strategic cooperation in a one-on-one meeting between the two Foreign Ministers. Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman, Dr Muhammad Faisal, informed the delegation-level talks between the two delegations led by the two foreign ministers were also held at the Foreign Office.  "Chinese State Councillor Yi underscored Beijing’s firm support to Pakistan’s socioeconomic progress and development," the FO spokesperson said.  ...

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services) China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, has reiterated his country’s support to Pakistan for accomplishment of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). "China is willing to support Pakistan to uphold its sovereignty and right to development and make joint efforts with Pakistan to boost the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as well as to deepen the bilateral all-weather strategic cooperative partnership," Wang said while meeting with Chairman, Senate of Pakistan, Sadiq Sanjrani, in Beijing.  Pakistan has just held a successfully general election, Wang said, adding that he believes Pakistan's national construction would gain new achievements under the new government.  Reciprocating the sentiments on behalf of government and the people of Pakistan, Chairman Senate, Sadiq ...

By Masood Sattar Khan (Pakistan News & Features Services)  The newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, who had cited examples of China's poverty alleviation programme during an interview with the Chinese media, has already moved in this direction by sending a special team to China for in-depth study of its poverty reduction model. The globally-admired initiative which China had undertaken has enabled millions of people to escape from poverty and Pakistan’s new leadership also considers it a way forward in this regard.  The representatives of the ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI), have already visited China's Yunnan province where the local government briefed them how they attained the poverty-reduction goals, said a report appeared in China.org.cn, a news web portal.  Pakistan, one of the forefront countries supporting New China in its initial opening-up years, is today being repaid by assisting it in becoming a trade and econ...