FM Qureshi set to embark on China trip today

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday said that he would be leaving for China on Tuesday (today) where he is scheduled to meet a number of foreign ministers of various countries. In a statement, Qureshi said during his visit to China, he would also hold meetings with his counterparts from the Central Asian countries, besides meeting the foreign ministers of Russia and Iran. During these meetings, he said, regional issues, peace and stability would be discussed, while issues related to the economic security of the region, bilateral relations and Afghanistan would also be reviewed. Qureshi said Pakistan enjoyed good relations with all the countries and it wanted to foster these ties further. He recalled that a large number of countries had recently attended the OIC session in Pakistan. Also read: NA session adjourned after no-confidence tabled against PM Imran The foreign minister went on to say that a certain country had expressed reservation over the Russian visit but they had reminded that it was a bilateral visit. No confidence motion The foreign minister also said that in a democratic system, the public took decisions. He regretted that during the recent no trust move, bribes had been doled out which was not a good thing for democracy. Qureshi, who is also the vice-chairman of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said they had conveyed to the ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid had decided to support the PTI. He further stated that the decisions made by the PML-Q would hopefully help the MQM-P in reaching theirs too. "Ousting governments from power on the basis of money is a detrimental practice," the minister warned. According to him, the government opted for geo-economics in relations with the regional countries.

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Fawad flays 'local players' part of 'global conspiracy' against PM

Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry has said that the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is part of a global conspiracy and local political players are a part of it. Talking to media persons flanked by Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar outside the Supreme Court on Monday, the federal minister added that the leader of these political players is in London's Mayfair’s apartments. LIVE #APPNews : Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting @fawadchaudhry along with Federal Minister for Energy @Hammad_Azhar talks to media outside Supreme Court #Islamabad https://t.co/QUMcw46M9L — APP 🇵🇰 (@appcsocialmedia) March 28, 2022 Calling the main opposition leaders "political dwarfs", Fawad said they are planning to enslave the country as these are the puppets whose control is in the hands of the man sitting in London. Alluding to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the PTI leader said he is involved in a conspiracy against the country in collaboration with the international establishment. Fawad further said PM Imran had given preliminary information about the conspiracy in Islamabad's power show on Sunday and with the passage of time, the rest of the pages would also be unveiled before the nation. “This conspiracy is not against Imran Khan but against the people of Pakistan,” he remarked, adding that its "objective is to subjugate the people of Pakistan". Also read: NA session adjourned after no-confidence tabled against PM Imran Earlier today, embattled PM Imran succeeded in wooing his estranged ally PML-Q to support him on the matter of the no-confidence motion tabled against him by the joint opposition in the National Assembly. Moreover, Premier Imran’s special assistant on political communication Shahbaz Gill said that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar had submitted his resignation to the prime minister who had decided in principle to nominate PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as Punjab CM. The much-anticipated session of the National Assembly to deliberate on the no-trust vote filed against the prime minister was adjourned till March 31 after Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif tabled the motion. On March 25, the lower house of parliament was scheduled to take up the no-confidence motion, but following parliamentary traditions on the demise of a lawmaker, only Fateha was offered and speeches were given after which the NA speaker adjourned the session till today. The opposition, which has 162 members, filed the on-trust motion on March 8. The motion said that Prime Minister Imran had lost the confidence of the house.

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UNCTAD lists Pakistan among vulnerable countries

Developing countries need urgent action to help manage their debt following the food and fuel price surges triggered by the war in Ukraine, a top UN official told AFP. The Covid-19 pandemic has already reduced developing countries' financial leeway and increased their debt, said Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which helps developing countries integrate into the global economy. "On top of what we already had, how to face the rise in prices of fuels, of food and fertilisers? That's a very difficult problem. Many countries are already feeling it," she told AFP in an interview. The cost of freight has shot up by 34 percent since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to UNCTAD. Transportation issues and global supply chain disruptions are also driving up costs and prices. Developing countries will not be able to cope without help and need solutions for their liquidity and debt problems, said Grynspan. Also read: No confidence in the economy "We need a better mechanism for debt restructuring and debt relief," the former vice president of Costa Rica said, calling for the issue to be discussed in the G20, and at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings next month. UNCTAD says developing countries are expected to need $310 billion to service external public debt in 2022, equivalent to 9.2 percent of the outstanding stock of external public debt at the end of 2020. It said Angola, Egypt, Mongolia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were among countries that appear vulnerable to seeing their economies ground to a halt due in part to towering debt servicing levels. The IMF announced last week that Egypt would seek financial support from the institution. Grynspan denounced the enormous pressure that debt servicing places on developing countries. "After the Second World War, when support was being given to Germany, it was established that Germany wouldn't be able to pay in debt service more than five percent of their export earnings," she said. By comparison, debt servicing has now reached 15 percent of export earnings in the least-developed countries, and 34 percent in small island developing states. "These are countries that are under huge stress," said Grynspan. Also read: External vulnerability takes economy back to stabilisation The economist, who is the first woman to lead UNCTAD, called for a suspension of debt servicing for low-income countries, as had been the case during the pandemic until the end of 2021. "We need to renew the debt suspension initiative for the low-income countries. We have to do that quickly. If not, they will be unable to pay their debts," she said. She also called for a surge in funding granted to multilateral development banks, including regional development banks, for them to provide increased support to low-income states. Coordinated action is urgently needed, said Grynspan, to avoid Russia's war in Ukraine triggering a "domino effect" of crises in debt, hunger and the global financial architecture. Net food importers will suffer the most from the economic repercussions of the war, according to UNCTAD, which lists 36 countries as highly dependent on wheat imports from Ukraine and Russia -- mostly in Africa and the Middle East. "The world has the necessary amount of food, of fuels, of fertiliser, of financing to face this crisis in the developing countries," Grynspan said. "The problem is distribution."

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Wasim Akram graces KPL showcase at Expo 2020

The festivities of the Kashmir Premier League showcase at Expo 2020 concluded on Sunday with astounding events leaving a phenomenal impact on visitors from around the world. Chief Guest Wasim Akram, the vice president of KPL, accompanied by Guests of Honor UAE Ambassador Afzaal Mehmood and Finance Minister of AJK Abdul Majid Khan graced the closing day and highly treasured this three-day-long extravaganza for the people visiting the Kashmir Gallery at Pakistan Pavilion. Arif Malik, the president of KPL, in his inaugural remarks said that KPL Season 1 heralded great shifts in technological advancement, improved international exposure, increased trade, culture, and tourism of AJK with a positive impact on the Kashmir region. “We launched the KPL Showcase Event at the right moment to set the tone for economic and tourism development and create a positive environment for businesses to thrive in AJK.” Read More: Wasim Khan to address HBL PSL franchises' reservations over KPL Furthermore, the initiative of the cricket academy at Muzaffarabad will enhance the skills of Kashmiri youth as well as the sports culture of AJK. He said that KPL Season 2 with the increased number of franchises and with its finals in the United Kingdom will be a major catalyst for AJK. Wasim Akram declared KPL to be a game-changer league not only for the youth of Kashmir but exclusively for the future of AJK with a long-lasting impact on the economy, sports culture, social harmony, and tourism.

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PML-N upbeat about PML-Q’s backing against PM

As political chaos churns up on the eve of the National Assembly’s no-confidence session, a high-level delegation of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) called on Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q)’s Chaudhry brothers’ residence in Islamabad on Sunday to hammer out an agreement for the no-trust vote. Following the one-and-half-hour meeting, PML-N leader Khawaja Saad Rafique declared to the media that the ice has been broken, adding that both the parties share cordial ties. “I hope the PML-Q will support the joint opposition in the National Assembly on the no-confidence motion,” he added. While highlighting that Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has always helped the PML-N, Rafique recalled that the former had issued production orders for PML-N lawmakers facing cases against them. Chaudhry brothers visited the residence of PML-N leaders in every difficult situation and on funerals, he added. Slot for CM Punjab In the short media interaction after the meeting, PML-Q leader Tariq Bashir Cheema also confirmed that the meeting with the PML-N leadership remained successful. Also read: PTI unable to break ice in talks with PML-Q He lamented that PML-Q, as a coalition partner, did not have good experience with the ruling party during the past three years of its government. However, both sides dodged questions related to the possibility of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi being nominated as Punjab’s chief minister. Sources disclosed that the meeting was held in a cordial environment. The PML-Q leaders warmly welcomed the opposition delegation and extensively discussed the current political situation. The PML-N delegation also conveyed the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s message to the Chaudhry brothers. It is pertinent to mention that a day ago, the ruling party had also told the PML-Q leadership that it was ready to give any other concession to its one of the main allies but not the chief ministership of Punjab in return for their support in the National Assembly on the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Sources indicated that the PML-Q is weighing its options by holding meetings with both sides. Sunday’s meet-up was to seek promise for Punjab’s chief ministership from the PML-N if they support the opposition alliance to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.   Also read: PML-Q's Elahi advises PM Imran to remain cautious of aides Earlier, it was reported that Nawaz Sharif had refused to give Punjab Chief Minister’s office to Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. A day earlier, PTI Vice Chairman Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and President PTI K-P chapter and Defense Minister Pervez Khattak met with Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, Federal Ministers Tariq Bashir Cheema and Moonis Elahi. Qureshi and Khattak conveyed the message of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the PML-Q leadership. Tariq Bashir Cheema apprised them of the problems their party has been facing for the last three and a half years and their solutions were openly discussed. The PTI leaders said that they would inform Prime Minister Imran Khan about the whole situation. Another round of talks between the PML-N and PML-Q is expected before the National Assembly Session today.

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PTI ‘flop show’ reflects Imran’s defeat: Maulana Fazl

Hours after the ruling PTI concluded its much-hyped public gathering in Islamabad, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman termed it as a “flop show”. “Despite using government resources, he [Prime Minister Imran Khan] failed to even fill seats at the ground..today we are announcing your defeat and our victory,” Fazl said while addressing his party workers in Islamabad late Saturday night. Responding to PM Imran’s claims that foreign elements are conspiring to overthrow his government, the PDM chief alleged that the premier is himself a “foreign agent” who he said is installed into power to damage the country’s national interests. “I want to clearly state that your agenda is to recognise Israel... You were imposed on the country to fulfil the foreign agenda..,” he added. Maulana Fazl, who also heads anti-government alliance PDM, said he had revealed this in the past as well that the West wanted to weaken Pakistan. “First, they created political instability in Pakistan through the Panama scandal and then created economic instability,” he added. “But I salute people of the country that they did not let any foreign conspiracy succeed in the country.” Also read: Foreign powers behind ‘conspiracy’ to overthrow my govt, says PM The JUI-F chief said that PM Imran was no more in a position to give an NRO-like deal to anyone, claiming that he has lost the power. “Your [PM Imran] days have been numbered... You are begging for the NRO but we are not accepting... now you are under our control and we can make you stand at any roundabout of the country,” the JUI-F leader said. He also posed a question that did people get any surprise at the PTI’s rally. “People did get the surprise in the shape of Shahzain Bugti's resignation... just wait more will come,” he added. “Now papers cannot save you, you have been defeated.” Fazl also accused the premier of surrendering Pakistan’s economy and comprising on the Kashmir issue. “You usurped their [Kashmiri] rights... you handed their rights to Narendra Modi.”

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'Lackluster' Islamabad rally has buried Imran's politics: Maryam

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz on Sunday claimed that the ruling party's power show in Islamabad had failed, saying the latter can take heed from the former for two successful rallies within a time span of just 24 hours. "[Prime Minister] Imran Khan could not gather 10,000 people, let alone 10 million," Maryam said as she addressed a charged gathering in Gujranwala. Gujranwala 🥇 pic.twitter.com/zGlcVRUY3X — Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) March 27, 2022 According to the PML-N leader, the people of Islamabad had proved that they are not supporting the PTI. "Islamabad has buried Imran Khan's politics today," she said and thanked the people of the federal capital for their 'no-trust vote'. In an apparent taunt aimed at PM Imran, she said: "You couldn't gather a good total even at a farewell meeting." Commenting on the premier's remarks regarding a "conspiracy to oust him from power', she asked if the international conspirers were behind the distancing of his allies from the ruling party. Gujranwala! Twice in less than 24 hours! Masha’Allah ♥️🥇 pic.twitter.com/Y13RkmT2RS — Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) March 27, 2022 "On the other hand, Nawaz Sharif has deprived the ruling party of two dozen of its members of the National Assembly," she added. Also read: Foreign powers behind ‘conspiracy’ to overthrow my govt, says PM She also called the prime minister a thief involved in the stealing of flour and sugar, and told latter that the PML-N won't tolerate abusive language anymore Maryam reiterated that Premier Imran was 'the biggest mice of the country' who wouldn't stop raising a hue and cry seeing his imminent ouster from power. Responding to the prime minister's criticism at ex-premier and her father Nawaz Shairf, she said: "He doesn't badmouth the military when he steps foot abroad." شیر انشاءاللہ اک واری فیر#مہنگائی_مکاؤ_مارچ pic.twitter.com/tAztsjzYIm — PML(N) (@pmln_org) March 27, 2022 "Had you been entrusted with any secrets, they would've have been broadcast by now," she told the incumbent prime minister. While concluding, Maryam told the crowd that Nawaz Sharif and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif will return to power and change the fate of the country. Addressing a large gathering in Islamabad's Parade Ground, PM Imran said that foreign powers are involved in the ‘conspiracy’ to overthrow his coalition government at the Centre through a no-confidence motion tabled by the country’s joint opposition. The premier also said that he would not spare 'corrupt leaders' even if he had to step down from his post. https://ift.tt/e4HOYVP Addressing the Gujranwala rally, Hamza Shehbaz said Prime Minister Imran Khan couldn’t prove a rupee’s corruption against Nawaz Sharif. “The people of Gujranwala have today cast their vote of no-confidence against the PM by taking to the streets.” He also accused PM Imran of failing to provide answers for the foreign funding case, saying public will soon hold him accountable. “The masses will end Imran’s rule and the youth will come forward to play their role for the country's progress.”  

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