PM calls on President, Discusses Country’s Current Situation

News Trends: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has called on President Asif Ali Zardari at presidency and discussed current situation in the country and Presidents recent visit to Sri Lanka.

Briefing the media, Spokesperson to the President Farhatullah Babar said the Prime Minister felicitated the President on very successful and productive visit to Sri Lanka that would help to further cement and strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

The President briefed the Prime Minister about a series of separate meetings with the Sri Lankan leadership and signing of three agreements and two Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) pledging to abolish visas, facilitate customs clearance, further promoting cooperation in agriculture and promoting arts and creative studies, that would help to further strengthen the relationship that traces its foundation from the shared civilizational heritage.

Chinese Premier Wen to visit Pakistan in December

GUANGZHOU: President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao Friday vowed to further cement Sino-Pak ties and strategic relationship through increased cooperation in diverse fields.

The two leaders, who met here on the sidelines of the 16th Asian Games being hosted by China, had a delegation level and later a one-on-one meeting here.

President Zardari and Chinese Premier Jiabao exchanged views on various issues of regional and international importance, with particular reference to peace and stability of the region.

The Chinese Premier appreciated the role Pakistan was playing in countering terrorists.

Both leaders also expressed their firm resolve to further strengthen their bilateral ties in economic, defence and energy sectors.

President Zardari noted that the two-way trade between the two countries had risen to around $7 billion,

U.S. acknowledges India’s role in AfPak agreement

WASHINGTON: The Obama Administration has publicly acknowledged the significant role played by India in the signing of the historic transit trade agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which took more than four decades of painful negotiations between Kabul and Islamabad.

Special U.S. Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said the U.S. is grateful to India for the key role played by it, in the absence of which Afghanistan and Pakistan would not have been able the sign the agreement in this regard in Kabul a day earlier.

“I’m very grateful to the Indian government for not interposing any objections to this bilateral trade treaty,” Mr. Holbrooke told reporters at a special State Department briefing.

The Transit Trade Agreement, signed in Kabul on Friday by the commerce ministers of the two neighbouring nations, according to Mr.

Karachi: Munter reiterates US take on drone strikes

Terming the drone attacks as part of war on terror, US envoy to Pakistan Cameron Phelps Munter has assured Pakistan of all-out support in this regard, Dunya News reported on Friday.
Talking to media after paying homage to Qauid-e-Azam at his mausoleum at Karachi, Munter said I want to strengthen the bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan, and wished that the people of both the countries also respect each other.
The envoy said that instability in Afghanistan would harm Pakistan too but assured complete support to the latter in the ongoing war on terror. He said that Donors Conference would be held in mid November. He said that the US wanted to boost trade ties with Pakistan. He thanked the people of Pakistan for extending a warm welcome to him on his arrival here. Munter was flanked by his wife and US Consul General William Martin.

Pakistan to continue fighting terrorism: Malik

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that despite daunting challenges Pakistan would continue to fight the menace of terrorism for the sake of peace and prosperity of the world. He said that intelligence sharing would be enhanced with Britain and action would be taken against the militants jointly. He said that British PM will visit Pakistan in December.
In a joint press conference with Mrs. Theresa May, British Secretary of State for Home Affairs and Women and Equality, Rehman Malik said that a Pakistan-UK task force has been formed as a long term answer to extremism. He emphasized that the British visa service for Pakistani citizens should be resumed from Islamabad as earlier, since the underlying reasons for its shifting to Abu Dhabi did not exist any more.
Mrs. Theresa appreciated Pakistans efforts and its role as a bulwark against terrorism to contribute towards the regional and worlds stability.She said that her government wanted to work in a cooperative way with Pakistan on matters relating to counter-terrorism and she would like to have in-depth discussions during her recent trip to Pakistan to prepare and finalize cooperative framework on these issues before Prime Minister Camerons visit.
She said that no country in the world had faced such magnitude of devastation, as did by Pakistan in the recent floods. She recalled the British government and peoples efforts to generate assistance to Pakistan for relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
Mrs. Theresa said that her government had allocated extra funding, particularly for rehabilitation and reconstruction of damaged bridges and would continue to do so even in the future.
She welcomed the Pakistan governments commitment to introduce economic reforms in the country and renewed the pledge of her government to help it in the education sector through the bilateral task force.

Pakistan to emerge victorious against all odds: Gilani

Reiterating his firm resolve to steer the country out of all the crises facing it, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Friday said that Pakistan would emerge victorious against all the odds.
Talking to mediamen in Islamabad, the PM said that Pakistan is a responsible atomic power, and the capability is meant for defence only.
Referring to the neighbouring countries with particular reference to India, the PM said, Dialogue is the only way for India and Pakistan to move forward in their bilateral ties. However, he said that Pakistan would continue to provide diplomatic and political help to the Kashmiris for their justified right to self-determination.
The Premier stated that Pakistan wants peace in Afghanistan while IranPak relations are deeply rooted. He said that Pakistan also enjoyed good ties with all the Middle Eastern states.

Obama claims he is devoted to Pakistan

US President Barack Obama has said that he is devoted to Pakistan and there would not be any compromise on democracy.
Pakistani delegation led by Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani met US President Obama at the White House. This meeting continued for an hour and US President underlined the importance of the dialogue to boost the bilateral ties based on mutual respect and common interests.
The US President and the Pakistani delegation agreed on the need for regional stability, and specifically on the importance of cooperating toward a peaceful and stable outcome in Afghanistan. Talking exclusively to Dunya News, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that this meeting is a breakthrough and fruitful results of this visit will appear very soon.

Holbrooke said US values Pakistan’s desire for peace in region

Asif Ali Zardari President of Pakistan on Friday said that the upcoming round of Pak-US Strategic Dialogue would further advance progress made so far in the mutually agreed areas of cooperation between Pakistan and the United States.

He said that the roadmap prepared during previously held meetings between the officials of the two countries for making consistent progress would be pursued further for implementation of the projects identified in those meetings.

This he said during his dinner meeting with Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The US Ambassador in Islamabad Anne W. Patterson, Secretary General to the President M. Salman Faruqui and Pakistan’s Ambassador in Washington Hussain Haqqani were also present in the meeting.
Matters relating to the bilateral relations and mutual cooperation, security situation in the region and the shared terrorist threat were discussed in the meeting. Discussing regional security situation, the President said that Pakistani people and “our armed forces have made great sacrifices in the ongoing fight against militancy.”
Despite great human and material toll, “we are determined to pursue our struggle till its logical end,” the President emphasized. He said that the international community must take into considerations “our requirements and valid concerns” while chalking out any strategy in this regard.
The President stressed that the development of conflict ridden areas was essential for changing the militant mindset and winning the battle of hearts and minds.
President Zardari said that he has been urging the international community to specifically focus on prioritised areas of development for preemption of proclivities breeding militancy and extremism.
On Afghanistan, the President said that a stable, prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan was in the interest of Pakistan and it firmly believes in the policy of neutrality and non-interference in internal matters of Afghanistan.
Pakistan, he said, supported the Afghan led process of political reconciliation and efforts for the stability of the neighboring country. The President said that Pakistan is ready to assist Afghanistan in all possible manners for the development of infrastructure and strengthening of its institutions.
Reiterating US administration’s long-term and multifaceted commitment towards Pakistani Government and its people, Ambassador Holbrooke expressed the hope that the dialogue would yield positive results and would contribute in further strengthening the bilateral relations and mutual cooperation.
He said that United Stated values Pakistan’s desire for peace and stability in the region and we greatly appreciate sacrifices made by Pakistan in the war against terror.

New thermo molded ball technology in Sialkot

SIALKOT: Development work on Sports Industries Development Centre (SIDC) and Sialkot business and commerce centre has been further accelerated and the project would be accomplished by middle of the next year at a cost of more than 43.

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New thermo molded ball technology in Sialkot

Fake degrees: HEC to submit report on Monday

ISLAMABAD: Higher Education Commission (HEC) will submit report on verification of degrees of the parliamentarians to National Standing Committee on Education and Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday.

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Fake degrees: HEC to submit report on Monday

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