Ministry of Religious Affairs to compensate Hujjaj

Islamabad, December 18, 2012 (PPI-OT): Ministry of Religious Affairs will provide compensation to the Hujjaj against losses such as death, road accident and emergency evacuation due to illness.

The compensation will be provided as per Hajj policy-2012 under the Hujjaj Mohafiz scheme. An amount of Rs. 300,000 will be given to each family of a deceased, who died due to natural cause, road accident, suffocation or stampede. Similarly, Rs. 50,000 will be given for the accidental disablement resulting in loss of one limb while Rs. 100,000 will be paid in case more than one limb is permanently disabled.

Those Hujjaj who were repatriated or evacuated in emergency due to illness will get Rs. 275,000 as compensation.

The claims may be submitted in the Hajj section of the Ministry of Religious Affairs along with necessary documents related to the aforesaid casualties and accidents. For further details the website www.hajjinfo.org can be visited.

For more information, contact:
Haji Ahmed Malik
Principal Information Officer
Press Information Department (PID)
Tel: +9251 925 2323 and +9251 925 2324
Fax: +9251 925 2325 and +9251 925 2326
Email: piopid@gmail.com

Final of President’s Trophy will be played from 15-19 Jan 2013

Lahore, December 18, 2012 (PPI-OT): The Final of President’s Trophy Grade-I (2012-2013) will be played from 15th January -19th January, 2013 at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

The decision has been taken to ensure the participation of Pakistan Team Players for the final. National Team is scheduled to return from India on 7th of January and will be leaving for South Africa in the last week of same month.

For more information, contact:
Nadeem Sarwar
Media Manager
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +9242 571 7231 -4
Fax: +9242 571 1860

Government committed to Polio Free Pakistan: Prime Minister

Islamabad, December 18, 2012 (PPI-OT): Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has reiterated the resolve of the government that it would not rest until the country is rid of polio.

This the Prime Minister said while chairing a meeting of Polio Task Force at the PM’s Secretariat this afternoon.

The Prime Minister said “We cannot and would not allow polio to wreak havoc the lives of our children”. Seeking a polio-free life is the fundamental right of our people and we would not allow polio to plague their lives, he added.

The Prime Minister said that Polio-free Pakistan is the cherished goal of the government. “This is the least we owe to our children and we would stay the course unless polio is wiped out from the country” said the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister recalled that since 1994 when anti-polio drive was launched for the first time by Shaheed Mohtarama Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan has come a long way from having 20,000 polio cases in 1994 to 56 cases in 2012. It indeed is a great stride forward, he added.

The Prime Minister however pointed out that the very fact that Pakistan is one of few countries where polio still exists should only strengthens our resolve to leave no stone unturned to banish polio from the country.

The Prime Minister appreciated the personal interests of President Mr. Asif Ali Zardari and UNIESCO Ambassador for Polio Eradication, Ms. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari for her inspiring leadership and commitment for the eradication of polio in the country.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the fact that improved coordination has played its role in reducing the problem of accessibility. He lauded establishment of special vaccination points at to ensure that each child moving in and out of FATA is immunized against the polio virus.

The Prime Minister also expressed satisfaction over the acknowledgment by Independent Monitoring Board of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative its report in June 2012 regarding the efforts in Pakistan which has shown marked improvement. This was an endorsement of our strategy and measures taken in this regard, he added.

The Prime Minister said that government has involved religious scholars, District Khateebs and Parliamentarians as part of effective communication strategy to achieve optimum results of anti-polio campaigns. He said that this policy of engagement has been quite successful .

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf stressed on the need to neutralize the message of those who resist the government’s efforts of immunization against polio. He called on participation of Media, political parties, civil society organizations and opinion leaders to play their role to raise public awareness and promote advocacy of the cause.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to improvise the polio campaigns from time to time in the light of new experiences and changing local conditions. He also urged on the need to further strengthen coordination at various tiers to achieve results. This is where National Task Force on Polio Eradication has a job cut out for itself, the Prime Minister observed.

The Prime Minister also commended the cooperation of global partners such as WHO, Rotary International, Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation, and UNICEF for their support and technical expertise in the fight against polio. “Without their support, we could not have come this far” he added.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf also strongly condemned the attack on polio field workers in Karachi and Peshawar in which woman workers lost their lives. He also expressed deep shock and grief over their death.

The Prime Minister while paying rich tribute to the services rendered by the polio field teams said that they have been instrumental in wiping out the disease from the country.

The Prime Minister also ordered the concerned authorities to conduct an enquiry into the incidents and bring the real culprits to book.

The Prime Minister also ordered the interior Ministry to coordinate with the national polio eradication authorities and provide foolproof security to the polio teams.

The Prime Minister expressed the resolve the take every step for the complete eradication of polio from the country.

The meeting was informed that 34 million children would be covered under the National Emergency Plan 2013 which will involve over 25000 polio workers.

The meeting was attended by Minister for IPC, Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani, SAPM, Begum Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Governor KPK, Masood Kausar, Minister of State for Commerce, Mr. Abbas Khan Afridi, MNA, Ms, Asma Arbab Alamgir, Chief Secretaries Punjab, KPK, Representatives from International Donors, Ambassador of Japan and other senior government officials.

For more information, contact:
Haji Ahmed Malik
Principal Information Officer
Press Information Department (PID)
Tel: +9251 925 2323 and +9251 925 2324
Fax: +9251 925 2325 and +9251 925 2326
Email: piopid@gmail.com

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman given briefing by Management

Lahore, December 18, 2012 (PPI-OT): PCB Chairman Ch. Zaka Ashraf was given a briefing by the PCB Management at the PCB Headquarters Tuesday (December 18) with regards to the Faysal Bank Twenty2012 Tournament that concluded on December 9, 2012. In a thorough review the whole range of organizational aspects were discussed threadbare, with a view to identify the areas to improve for the future events.

The marketing department reported an increase of more than 60 per cent in revenue yield in comparison with the preceding year.

While expressing general satisfaction on the organization of the Faysal Bank T20 National Championship, the Chairman directed that all concerned should make an effort towards continuously setting up new benchmarks

For more information, contact:
Nadeem Sarwar
Media Manager
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +9242 571 7231 -4
Fax: +9242 571 1860

Ministers and Parliamentarians meet Prime Minister

Islamabad, December 18, 2012 (PPI-OT): Minister for Religious Affairs, Syed Khursheed Shah, MOS for Interior, Mr. Imtiaz Safdar Warich, SAPM, Chaudhry Aslam Gill, MNA, Syed Ali Musa Gilani, Mr, Aimal Wali Khan and Mr. Ali Muhammad Mehar called on Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf at the PM’s House separately today.

The Prime Minister said that the development works undertaken by the PPP-led government during the past 5 years were unprecedented. The government allocated record amount of funds for development projects across the country without any political discrimination.

The Prime Minister said that the development work carried out by the government has been initiated with sole objective to bring betterment in the lives of the people of Pakistan.

The Prime Minister urged the people’s representatives to engage the public in the government’s development activities so that their participation could be utilized for achieving maximum benefits from these projects. He said that timely completion of these development projects is vital for the reaping its benefits.

The MNAs apprised the Prime Minister about the status of the ongoing development projects in their respective areas. They also informed the Prime Minister about issues relating to public.

For more information, contact:
Haji Ahmed Malik
Principal Information Officer
Press Information Department (PID)
Tel: +9251 925 2323 and +9251 925 2324
Fax: +9251 925 2325 and +9251 925 2326
Email: piopid@gmail.com

Dr Paul lauds govt for increasing the seats of minorities

Islamabad, December 18, 2012 (PPI-OT): Dr Paul Bhatti, Minister In Charge for the Ministry of National Harmony and Advisor to Prime Minister on inter-faith harmony lauded the decision of government and thanked it for increasing the reserved seats of minorities in the provincial and national assemblies.

“On behalf of minorities I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to the government and its allies for supporting our demand to increase the seats of minorities”, said the minister.

Dr Paul also stated that this step by the government shows that it is committed to bring minorities into mainstream of society by giving them equal rights in almost all spheres including political, economic and social as well. Mr Bhatti further stated that increase in seats would provide more opportunities to minorities to serve their country.

For more information, contact:
Haji Ahmed Malik
Principal Information Officer
Press Information Department (PID)
Tel: +9251 925 2323 and +9251 925 2324
Fax: +9251 925 2325 and +9251 925 2326
Email: piopid@gmail.com

Landhi Law College to be inaugurated next month

Karachi, December 18, 2012 (PPI-OT): Sindh Governor, Dr. Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, will perform the inauguration of the Landhi Law College in the first week of January.

This institution would be established in the public sector, says a statement. It said that to give final shape of affairs of Landhi Law College a meeting was held at the Governor House here on Monday. The meeting was attended by MNA Asif Hasnain, Dean of Karachi University Faculty of Law, Justice (Retd) Qazi Khalid Ali, MPA Syed Khalid Ahmed and others.

The Governor also announced an initial grant of Rs. 60 million for the Landhi Law College. With the activation of this institution in January, the LL.B and LL.M classes would be initiated. The University of Karachi has approved the setting up of this college which would be affiliated with the first Law University being set up in Karachi.

The Landhi Law College would help the students of Landhi and adjoining areas to acquire education of law. The Governor said that the government is paying attention towards fostering of education and impartation of quality knowledge. He said that the already established institutions of learning are being strengthened and more such institutions are being established.

For more information, contact:
Sindh Governor House
Syed Wajahat Ali
Press Secretary to Governor
Tel: 99201217, 99201201-3
Email: press_secretary@governorsindh.gov.pk