Category: Information Technology

In a major development, Pakistan has successfully fulfilled all the prerequisites to request GAVI for the coronavirus vaccine through the COVAX facility, which is a coalition for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines by all countries.

After releasing the application template on 17 November, GAVI had set 7 December 2020 as the deadline to receive the application.

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Soon after this, the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), under the guidance of the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, established a technical working group that worked around the clock to complete the consultation process while having all the stakeholders on board.

The proposal drafted therein was endorsed by the National Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) on Immunizations on 1 December and was approved by the National Interagency Coordination Committee (NICC) today in a meeting chaired by the Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan.

The attendees of the meeting who had convened through video link included the Director-General Health, representatives of the Ministry of Finance, national and provincial EPI Managers, representatives of the WHO, UNICEF, and GAVI, as well as other development partners and international donors.

Speaking at the occasion, the SAPM highlighted the efforts of the Government of Pakistan in curtailing the impact of COVID-19 using all potential measures and available options.

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“Ensuring the availability of a safe and effective vaccine to the most vulnerable population groups at the soonest possible is yet another tool that the government is looking to benefit from,” stated Dr. Faisal Sultan.

“Protecting the healthcare workforce at the forefront of the response against the COVID-19 shall ensure our strength to tackle the challenge head-on while protecting the elderly with co-morbidities will help in reducing the associated morbidity and mortality,” he added.

Director-General Health, Dr. Safi Malik, congratulated the EPI team for their development of a concise proposal while taking into account the operational realities. The representative of partner organizations also praised the government’s commitment and proactive approach to benefitting from every opportunity that arises to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.

“The COVAX facility would best benefit countries at an advanced level of preparedness. Endorsement from all the stakeholders of a proposal developed through national consensus enhances Pakistan’s chances to be among the first countries benefiting from the initiative,” said Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, the National Coordinator for EPI and Polio Eradication.

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The NICC meeting was convened by the Ministry of NHSR&S today to deliberate on Pakistan’s application to GAVI. Depending upon the availability of resources, the COVAX initiative aims to ensure an equitable supply of the vaccine to all countries irrespective of economic status.

Pakistan and other GAVI-eligible countries are likely to receive free of cost vaccines for a designated proportion of the population as well as additional quantities on special subsidized rates.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the customers of banks to use the internet and mobile banking which recorded immense growth in transactions in the past two quarters.

According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the transactions carried out by internet banking users crossed the Rs. 1 trillion mark in the first quarter of the financial year 2020-21. It stood at Rs. 1.085 trillion with a 21 percent growth from the previous quarter. In the fourth quarter of the proceeding financial year from April to June, which was the peak period of lockdown across the country, the transaction values through internet banking stood at Rs. 894 billion with 19.5 percent growth from the previous quarter.

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In the previous two quarters, the transaction under internet banking stood at Rs. 748 billion and Rs. 736 billion respectively. The growth was mainly due to customers switching to digital banking from the conventional practice of branch visits.

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has taken commendable action to reduce branch visits to avoid the risk of the virus spreading. It waved off charges on digital banking, including interbank transfer and utility bill payments, etc. On the other hand, the banking regulator simplified the process of registration of customers for using the internet and mobile banking.

In the last two quarters, transaction values through mobile banking stood at Rs. 908 billion and Rs. 621 billion during the lockdown period as against the values of two previous quarters, which stood at Rs.467 billion and Rs. 382 billion.

Internet Banking Users
The number of mobile banking users also surged from 8.18 million to 8.96 million during the said period. Digital banking not only provided a convenient experience to new users, but it also helped banks to manage their operations during the testing times with a limited number of bankers at the branches.

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The digital banking of commercial and microfinance remains free of cost across the country. Although it reduced the earning of the banks, it also saved the expenses of dealing with customers through bankers.

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Pakistan cricket squad touring New Zealand has suffered a major setback as the country’s Health Ministry has denied permission to leave their hotel and start training.

New Zealand’s Health Ministry decided this after two more Pakistani players tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, taking the total tally of infected squad members to 10.

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An official statement released by New Zealand’s Health Ministry reads:

Following careful consideration, the Director-General of Health has today confirmed that he will not be granting the exemption which would allow the Pakistan men’s cricket team to leave their hotel to train in groups while completing their time in managed isolation in Christchurch.

Public health considerations will continue to remain New Zealand’s paramount priority, whether this involves individuals or teams, the statement added.

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Led by captain Babar Azam, the Pakistan team had landed in Christchurch on 24 November. The visitors are observing the two-week mandatory quarantine required by the New Zealand government and haven’t been able to train since then.

Pakistan is set to take on New Zealand in 2 Tests and 3 T20Is, with the tour set to formally begin with a T20I on 18 December.

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Graana.com, in collaboration with Urban Innovation and Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) partners with Islamabad Cycling Association, ITP, Tobacco Smoke-free Islamabad, Urban Platform, MTB Islamabad, Prime Minister’s Tiger Force, and Critical Mass Islamabad, to host ‘Cycling Sunday’.

The recreational event will be held on December 6, starting at 12 p.m. (noon), with all the SOPs in check.

It is aimed at transforming the Federal Capital into a bicycle-friendly city with better cycling infrastructure, including dedicated cycling lanes and parking spaces and promoting eco-friendly activities in the federal capital.

Apart from leisure cycling, the hosts have organized multiple racing competitions for kids, teenagers, and adults to participate in. The racing contest will start from Jinnah Avenue, and finish at D-Chowk.

The winners of each race will be awarded certificates. Moreover, certificates of participation will also be distributed amongst the contestants. The residents of Islamabad and nearby places are invited to participate in the event.

To further accommodate those who want to participate, the authorities have arranged bicycle registrations.

In case of registration, please contact:

EXO – 0305 5050906
Aero Cycling – 0313 2925478
Riders Zone – 0311 7756982

Venue: Jinnah Avenue (Opposite Graana HQ, Beverly Centre) to D-Chowk
Time: 12 pm – 3 pm
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/813799959468124/

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The European Commission has reportedly announced to retain the ban on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) operations in its member countries.

According to the local media reports, the commission has asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to remove the safety deficiency and to improve the issuance of pilot licensing process.

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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had barred the PIA from operating in EU member countries for six months in July this year.

Similar bans followed from the UK and US aviation authorities, crippling the already suffering national airline due to the worldwide lockdowns due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The European Union Air Safety Committee (ASC) met on November 17 and 18 in Brussels to update the list of airlines that have been banned by the European Commission.

The meeting unanimously reached a conclusion, following which, the European Commission formally adopted a regulation amending the list of air carriers, which are banned from operating within the EU.

The ASC informed the Secretary Aviation, Hasan Nasir Jamy of the development in a letter. It said that the situation of airlines certified in Pakistan was examined during the meeting.

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The letter detailed numerous correspondences received between the end of June and November from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).

During this correspondence, the EU Commission said that the ASC continued to show concerns over the insufficient safety measures taken by the CAA and to identify the reason for the reoccurrence of the same or similar safety deficiencies.

The Commission also recognized the efforts by the aviation authority to enforce corrective measures, however, it said more efforts were required to keep the country’s flag carrier off the ban list.

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Former ISI Chief, Lt. Gen. (retd.) Asad Durrani stated that ‘India is no longer a big threat to Pakistan’ because of the mess it created by illegally revoking the special status of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in August 2019.

In an interview with BBC Urdu, Durrani said, “After what India did to Kashmir, there is no threat to us on the eastern border. We should not lower our guard against a Balakot-like misadventure though, but they are so caught up in their own mess that they have little time to care about Pakistan.”

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Tensions between India and Pakistan spiraled back in February 2019, when Indian warplanes crossed the de facto border in the disputed region of Kashmir and carried out a botched airstrike in the Balakot area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP). In retaliation, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) carried out strikes, shooting down two Indian jets.

Durrani revealed, “India has not always been the biggest threat to us.” It is his belief that the inherent internal challenges faced by Pakistan are economic, political, and social.

Furthermore, he said, “There are some areas like Balochistan where there is unrest among people who feel politically alienated and deprived. The economy is in bad shape. The government’s credibility is bad because people believe it has been brought into power by the military.”

Regarding foreign challenges, he stated, “If you ask me [about] challenges from outside, I would say Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey pose new challenges.”

In his interview, the former ISI chief also said that the interference of the military in Pakistan’s political affairs is a damaging reality. However, Durrani said,

Whether it [military’s interference] should or should not be is a debate that has not led us anywhere thus far. Our experience tells us that whenever the military intervened, the political parties ostracized, staged a comeback. [Field Marshal] Ayub Khan was supposed to keep Zulfikar Ali Bhutto out, but he staged a comeback and got elected. After [Gen] Zia ul Haq, Bibi [Benazir Bhutto] came to power.

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A similar thing happened during Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s regime, he said. “The two parties which he thought should be kept out – PPP and PML-N – were elected to power. So, this [political] engineering is harmful [for the country],” the former ISI Chief said.

“Imran Khan’s biggest problem is the impression that he did not come to power by himself and that he came with a khaki burden. Some people don’t learn from history because they say we will create our own history.”

Durrani believes that changing Gilgit-Baltistan’s status will be a setback to the Kashmir cause.

He stated,

When I was looking after the affairs of Kashmir, a close friend of mine, Yusuf, explained to me that the day we made the mistake of changing Gilgit-Baltistan status, it would be a big blow to our Kashmir cause. You may give more rights to GB if you want to, but it should not be forcibly made a province of Pakistan.

Regarding the Balochistan issue, he believes it can be “better handled in three ways: politically, economically, and socially. But we took it and made it a province, and it is not being handled till date.”

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The Federal Minister for Education, Shafqat Mahmood, has instructed the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) to take measures to ensure the uninterrupted progression of the academic year from August 2021 onwards, and to hold the SSC and HSSC examinations in May and June 2021.

The minister issued these directives during a visit to the IBCC Secretariat in Islamabad. Parliamentary Secretary Education, Wajiha Akram, Federal Secretary Education, Farah Hamid Khan, and Additional Secretary Education, Mohyuddin Wani, accompanied the minister on the visit.

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The Secretary IBCC, Dr. Ghulam Ali Mallah, apprised the minister about the functions, activities, priorities, and future plans of the IBCC.

During the briefing, Shafqat Mahmood suggested that Secretary IBCC should consider conducting all the examinations as MCQs and technology-based assessments.

He also stressed for minimization of rote learning and fostering a culture of analytical thinking and reasoning among the students.

The minister also suggested inviting the SSC and HSSC high-achievers to Islamabad to meet with the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan.

He also praised the IBCC’s proposal to introduce Alternative to Practical (ATP) along with theory examinations for the SSC and HSSC, adding that the Pakistan Institute of Education (PIE) will train the officers of all the boards for the enhancement of their evaluation skills.

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Furthermore, Dr. Mallah informed Shafqat Mahmood that the IBCC had recently initiated online verification of equivalency certificates and attestation of certificates. It has also partnered with a courier company to collect and return the applications for equivalence and the attestation of certificates from the homes of the students.

Dr. Mallah added that the IBCC is making efforts to print QR codes on equivalence certificates to ensure that their quality remains uncompromised.

He concluded that the IBCC is also working to automate all of its processes to increase transparency and improve its delivery of services.

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China has appreciated the progress made in the infrastructure and energy projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.

“CPEC is an important pilot program in the joint efforts of China and Pakistan to build the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and there has been a major progress recently especially in infrastructure and energy projects,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson, Hua Chunying, said in response to a question about the speech of Chairman of CPEC, Authority, Asim Saleem Bajwa at the 11th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) in Macau Special Administrative Region.

“Many roads were built creating job opportunities and boosting economic development in the relevant area and benefiting the people there. It has been applauded by people in Pakistan,” she added.

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Hua Chunying said that after COVID-19 broke out, the CPEC projects went on, as usual, playing an important role in Pakistan’s presumption of economic growth. The recent meeting of the ‘14th Five Year Plan’ blueprinted future development.

“The two sides attach importance to this project and work together to implement our leaders’ consensus and vow to carry out good jobs with existing projects, focus more on livelihood, industrial and agriculture cooperation,” she added.

The spokesperson remarked that both China and Pakistan were committed to turn the CPEC into a demonstration project for the BRI and bring greater benefits to both countries and the region.

Speaking at the forum, the chairman of the CPEC Authority said that the CPEC was a major pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Over the past five years, there were 22 construction projects under the framework of CPEC, covering roads, railways, airports, thermal power, hydropower, renewable energy, special economic zones, and other areas.

“In face of the novel coronavirus, all CPEC projects have been moving forward, bringing hope for a future of peace and economic growth,” he added.

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He said that infrastructure investment and construction would be a key to reviving the jobs market and national economies.

“Under CPEC, no project has been suspended for construction, and no worker has been laid off,” he told the gathering via video from Islamabad.

Later at the forum, Moin ul Haque, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, invited members of the audience to applaud Chinese officials who made it possible for projects such as Lahore’s Orange Metro Line subway system to be completed.

The 11th IIICF brings together ambassadors from 32 countries, senior executives from over 20 financial institutions, and representatives of top contractors and engineering equipment companies, international consulting firms, and engineering and construction services. More than 1,000 people attended the first day of the conference, the largest public event in Macau so far this year.

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