A Retort to Barack Obama

 

A retort on the following statement of American President.

Barack Obama, at a press conference to wind up the summit, made no attempt to conceal his exasperation, issuing a pointed warning to Pakistan that it was in its wider interest to work with the US to avoid being "consumed" by extremists.

Retort.

Barack Obama, better mind your own business, as your policies have already consumed the United States of America.

As for Pakistan you can't scare us of extremists.

Firstly, America is the biggest extremist this planet has ever witnessed and secondly, Pakistan has successfully survived through all intrigues of sectarianism, suicide waves, drone attacks, civil and military sanctions & other all types of conspiracies, perpetuated by your country, to destabalize us.

Pakistan has even progressed, on it's own, to the extent that it's a nuclear power today.

So keep your advice for your own country and see if, you can manage to take it out from bankruptcy.

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore - Pakistan.

Sent from my iPad3 4G LTE

Extension in warehousing period and waiver of penal surcharge on overstayed warehoused goods

 

PRESS RELEASE

Extension in warehousing period and waiver of penal surcharge on overstayed warehoused goods

The Federal Board of Revenue has provided relief to the business community by extending the warehousing period and waiving off the penal surcharge on overstayed goods, lying un-cleared in the Customs Bonded warehouses.

This measure has been taken to facilitate the trade and industry and commercial importers who have not been able to clear their goods in time on payment of duty and taxes. A notification No.SRO 522(l)/2012 dated 21.05.2012 has been issued whereby penal surcharge on goods not cleared within the prescribed period has been fully waived off. This facility is for ex-bond clearances made during the period from 21.05.2012 to 15.06.2012.

A copy of the issued notification is enclosed.

--
Mohammad Shahzad
Secretary PR
Federal Board of Revenue (FBR)
Islamabad
+92 051 920 8407
+92 333 5201233
http://www.fbr.gov.pk/

PR--Multiple Sales Tax Rates be Reduced to to Curb Parallel Economy

 

Multiple Sales Tax Rates be Reduced to Single Digit to Curb Parallel Economy – Tariq Sayeed  

Mr. Tariq Sayeed, Founder and former President SAARC CCI and former President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) while apprising Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Federal Minister for Finance about the  aims and objectives of FPCCI's Proposals for the Federal Budget 2012-13 said that GDP growth should be increased at least 5%; relief and facilitation should be provided to the common man through the taxation system; investment should be attracted in the manufacturing sector through a Tax Amnesty Scheme and tax net should be broadened by identifying new taxpayers. The Finance Minister was accompanied by Mr. Mumtaz Haider Rizvi, Chairman FBR and other high ranking officers of the Federal Board of Revenue during his visit to FPCCI.

Highlighting the salient features of the proposals Sayeeed urged that multiple rates of sales tax be reduced to a single uniform rate of 9% to curb smuggling and reducing the size of the parallel economy. This will eliminate fake and flying invoicing and other mal-practices and the Government will generate more revenue, on one hand and give relief to common man on the hand, as indirect taxes are regressive in nature.

The meeting was chaired by Sheikh Shakil Ahmed Dhingra, Acting President-FPCCI. Also present as speakers at the event were former Presidents-FPCCI, Mr. S.M. Muneer and Mr. Iftikhar Ali Malik; and FPCCI Vice Presidents Mirza Abdur Rehman, Mr, Zubair Ali, Mr. Iqbal Dawood Pakwalla. The Secretary Finance, Mr. Abdul Wajid Rana, Mian Zahid Hussian, Mr. Zakaria Usman, Mr. Mansha Churra, Mr. Khalid Tawab, Shaikh Manzar Aalam, and Mr. Zubair Tufail also spoke on the occasion. The meeting was widely attended by businessmen throughout Pakistan.  

Sayeed started his presentation by giving all participants a review on the state of Pakistan's economy, which has been performing far behind regional countries. He mentioned some key recommendations that the Government should consider in order to achieve the above objectives. He suggested that there must be a focus on social development as the ranking of the country has slipped from 146 to 148 in the Human Development Index (the lowest in South Asia). The Government must devise proactive and long-term strategies instead of short-term policies in the following areas, namely: Concerted efforts of the Government are needed to facilitate economic diversification, and reduce the direct role of the public sector. In this regard, export-led diversification must be achieved through the state's role in making the private sector dominant in the economy. Documentation of the informal sector will lead to an increase in the tax-net. Implementation of the rule of law is crucial in all areas. The energy shortfall which has reached 6500MW must be removed on a war footing. The allocation of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) should not be utilized for non-development purposes, as has happened in the past. Smuggling should be made unattractive by reducing the rate of duty on smuggle prone items. The institution of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees (ADRC) must be revitalized for seeking out-of-court settlement to tax disputes. Finally, the working of the Sub-Committees of the Business Persons Council constituted by the Finance Minister must be made more efficient.

While agreeing with many of the concerns raised by Mr. Tariq Sayeed and other participants, Dr. Shaikh said that those who are already paying taxes would not have to bear any additional taxes, and would get some relief in the Budget for 2012-13. He said that the upcoming Budget would be investment, employment, pro-poor and growth-oriented. He conceded that there was no bigger stakeholder in Pakistan's economy than the private sector, which must be supported by the Government. He assured the business community that industry-specific issues would be addressed by FBR in the forthcoming Budget.      

--
Malik Sohail Hussain
Chairman Media FPCCI,
VP National Traders Alliance
Former SVP, Islamabad Chamber,
Cell: 92-03335155300 and 92-03215155500
Alternate email malick.sohail@yahoo.com
Phone: 92-51-2251891-3. Fax:  92-2251894

_

PR--United Nations Secretary-General's Message, on The International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May 2012

 

PRESS RELEASE

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY

22 May 2012

ISLAMABAD, 21 May 2012 (UN Information Centre) – The United Nations General Assembly, by its resolution 55/201 of 20 December 2000, proclaimed 22 May as The International Day for Biological Diversity, to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The date designated for the day was chosen to commemorate the adoption of the text of the Convention on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act of the Conference for the Adoption of the Agreed Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Theme 2012: Marine Biodiversity

The UN Secretary-General issued the following message on this Day:

 "Oceans cover almost three-quarters of the surface area of the globe.  They are home to the largest animal known to have lived on the planet – the blue whale – as well as billions upon billions of the tiniest of microorganisms.  From sandy shores to the darkest depths of the sea, oceans and coasts support a rich tapestry of life on which human communities rely.  Fisheries provide more than 15 per cent of the global dietary intake of animal protein.  Oceans and coastal areas provide invaluable ecosystem services – from tourism to protection from storms.  Minuscule photosynthesizing plants called phytoplankton provide 50 per cent of all the oxygen on Earth.

Yet, despite its importance, marine biodiversity – the theme of this year's International Day for Biological Diversity – has not fared well at human hands.  Commercial over-exploitation of the world's fish stocks is severe.  Many species have been hunted to fractions of their original populations.  More than half of global fisheries are exhausted, and a further third are depleted.  Between 30 and 35 per cent of critical marine environments – such as seagrasses, mangroves and coral reefs – are estimated to have been destroyed.  Plastic debris continues to kill marine life, and pollution from land is creating areas of coastal waters that are almost devoid of oxygen.  Added to all of this, increased burning of fossil fuels is affecting the global climate, making the sea surface warmer, causing sea level to rise and increasing ocean acidity, with consequences we are only beginning to comprehend.

But, there is hope.  A scientific review conducted in 2011 showed that, despite all the damage inflicted on marine wildlife and habitats over the past centuries, between 10 and 50 per cent of populations and ecosystems have shown some recovery when human threats were reduced or removed.  However, compared to the land – where nearly 15 per cent of surface area is under some kind of protection – little more than 1 per cent of marine environments are protected.

 

Lately, some progress is being made, particularly with the establishment of large-scale marine reserves and documenting areas of ecological or biological significance in open-ocean and deep-sea habitats.  On this International Day for Biodiversity, as we look ahead to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June, we need to recommit to building on these advances. 

Rio+20 must galvanize action to improve the management and conservation of oceans through initiatives by the United Nations, governments and other partners to curb overfishing, expand marine protected areas and reduce ocean pollution and the impact of climate change.  By taking action at the national, regional and global levels, including enhancing international cooperation, we can achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Target of conserving 10 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2020, a crucial step in protecting marine biodiversity for the future we want."

Book on Mohajir Militancy in Pakistan

 

This is a captivating book, but not an easy read for residents of
Karachi, who live in close proximity with the MQM and cannot escape the
culture of violence fostered by the party. Whether they love or hate the
MQM, the reality of the partys ethos cannot be denied. And no matter
which way you look at it, no matter how much MQM apologists may justify
militant ways, a killer is a killer.
Furthermore, when the party holds a city hostage by bloodshed and
destruction under the guise of fighting for human rights, it is a
downright insult to peoples intelligence.
The antipathy felt for the MQMs terror tactics by organisations and
people desirous of social change through non-violent democratic
processes is matched by their abhorrence for all perpetrators of
violence, whether they inflict it in the name of religion, or in the
name of nationalism. Nonetheless, fear and aversion aside, there are
many who would like to understand how so many young men get sucked into a
system that so flagrantly defies the law, that disregards basic human
tenets and which has, apparently, no value for life.
A fine anthropological study by Nichola Khan, a lecturer at Brighton
University, is now available that can perhaps answer these questions.
We learn through Khans book, that the killers are not psychopaths
they have made choices, and then proceed to follow instructions handed
down to them. The men engaged in such activities talk of their
experiences clinically, describe their acts of violence in graphic
detail, and discuss what motivated them to adopt their chosen paths. The
stories of their very personal pathways to violence are eye-openers,
and often very sad. They are not mechanical beasts, and often their
disillusionment with their party leadership can be sensed. Yet, they
continue on their course. That such people can be amidst us for they
have not been apprehended, tried or punished for their crimes, is eerie
is a cold hard reality in Pakistan today.
Nichola Khans book, Mohajir Militancy in Pakistan: Violence and Transformation in the Karachi Conflict
provides a vivid glimpse into the lives of four MQM killers, and one of
the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI). There is also a brief account of a woman, a
widow, and the induction of her two sons into the MQMs militant cadres.
The book neither comments on, nor judges the various characters, and
only describes what they did and how they came to do so. The author
analyses some of the actions by invoking several researchers of similar
violence in other countries Northern Ireland, Spain and India, to name
a few. The purpose is not to compare acts and forms of violence, but to
examine how various researchers explain the many possible causes
underlying violence. This is a scholarly enterprise and the 20 pages of
reference material is ample proof of the sincere effort made by the
writer to lay bare a very complex phenomenon. In doing so, the many
determinants of violence come to light. Exploring the life of some MQM
militants, the writer states:
�.. whilst diverse social contexts shaped the process of acquiring
adult autonomy for militants, reproducing dominant-gender hierarchies of
dominance, militancy also represented a particularistic disinvestment
of parental values and societal conventions. But why, in a situation of
large-scale political mobilisation, did only some men become notorious
killers? How do the highly disciplined male-dominated cultural aspects
of political violence bear on the gendered dynamic of boys relations in
the family, particularly with fathers?
She then reflects:
From Anna Freud to Erikson, theorists of adolescence have stressed
the establishment of emotional autonomy and independence from parents as
a central feature, whilst also acknowledging the influence of earlier
intra-psychic dynamics in the formation of adult identities, and the
role of history and society in determining the duration and modalities
of social adolescence.
In her profiles of the MQM militants young men of modest
backgrounds, inspired by the partys message to address the unfairness
experienced/observed by the Mohajirs one can perhaps understand to
some degree, where the rage stems from. But would this explain or
justify the wide-scale murders committed by the party cadres, the mayhem
engendered and the petty crime indulged in, with poor Mohajirs the
people who the MQM claim to champion the cause of often being the
victims?
Thus, while those readers of Nichola Khans book who live in Karachi
and have been exposed to the many bouts of violence unleashed by the
MQM on their city, may begin to get a glimmer of understanding of the
genesis of the party and the complexion of its cadres, it is unlikely to
dislodge their contempt for the violence perpetrated by the party.
The underlying causes of the making of a killer are not easy to
establish, especially among those who are the direct or indirect victims
of violence. A purely intellectual reaction is perhaps possible only
when the violence has abated, and even if not forgotten, receded in
memory. Pakistanis may find it easier to understand the ruthless
killings in other conflict-ridden countries, but to clinically
understand and discuss the killings within Pakistan would be a
monumental task.
All that notwithstanding, Nichola Khans expos� of the thoughts and feelings of some killers in their own words is eye-opening.
Says one killer: By 1997, life was unbearable. Many loyalists died.
There was immense government pressure to eliminate us. Many top-class
boys were martyred. I left for South Africa on fake papers. My friends
remained, but I built a good business there. Why stay and be killed?
Says another young MQM man: Nobody murders for nothing.
Circumstances forced us� After my brothers and brother-in-laws were
killed in 1996, I fled to Bangkok. On my return in 1998, the police
remanded me for 14 days. They registered 33 false murders against me.
Those I had committed, they werent aware of ! I received bail and fled
to Bangkok. Im keen to forget that life.
There are also narratives of how a pregnant woman was decapitated in
her house and how workers sleeping on Karachi footpaths were gunned
down. Orders were given, received, and acted upon, but the book does not
describe the source of these orders. There is also an account of a
�friendship between two rival militants one from the MQM and the
other from the Jamat-e-Islami. This relationship reveals a human
dimension that is retained through the madness, despite the gross
inhumanity engendered by the mens actions. What sense/meaning can be
derived from this reality? The reader is left to draw his/her own
conclusions.
This book is a �must read for all those keen to understand the MQM.
But it would perhaps be most beneficial for MQM supporters and workers,
not least because the book lays bare the suffering that violence
inflicts on the militants themselves and their families.

[Pakistan Acquires Nuclear Second Strike Capability

 

A great news (reported by Times of India) for all Pakistanis in the world, that :- ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Navy completed the establishment of a new Naval Strategic Force Command, described by the military as the custodian of the country's nuclear second strike capability.

This is really a red letter day, in the history of the nation and a great morale boaster for all Pakistanis living in Pakistan and abroad. Pakistan Paindabad.

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad

Lahore - Pakistan

Sent from my iPad3 4G LTE

Pakistan's poor power generation is rising political instability

 

Dear Friends,

Electricity in Pakistan is generated, transmitted, distributed and retail supplied by two vertically integrated public sector utilities: Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) for all of Pakistan (except Karachi), and the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) for the City of Karachi and its surrounding areas. There are around 20 independent power producers that contributes significantly in electricity generation in Pakistan.

For years, the matter of balancing Pakistan's supply against the demand for electricity has remained a largely unresolved matter. Pakistan faces a significant challenge in revamping its network responsible for the supply of electricity.

While the government claims credit for overseeing a turnaround in the economy through a comprehensive recovery, it has just failed to oversee a similar improvement in the quality of the network for electricity supply.

Some officials even go as far as claiming that the frequent power cuts across Pakistan today are indicative of an emerging prosperity as there is fast rising demand for electricity. And yet, the failure to meet the demand is indeed indicative of a challenge to that very prosperity. Pakistan's electricity producers are now seeking a parity in returns for both domestic and foreign investors which indicates it to be one of the key unresolved issues in overseeing a surge in electricity generation when the country faces growing shortages.

Contrary to Pakistani government and expatriate claims, Pakistan suffers from a massive electricity shortage. Electricity generation in Pakistan has shrunk by up to 50% in recent years due to an overreliance on Fossil Fuel. In 2008, availability of power in Pakistan falls short of the population's needs by 15%[4] Pakistan was hit by its worst power crisis in 2007, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the following riots. Production fell by 6000 Megawatts and massive blackouts followed suit. The blame was laid on the then president, Pervez Musharraf, and was instrumental in his defeat. Load Shedding (deliberate blackouts) and power blackouts have become severe in Pakistan in recent years. The main problem with Pakistan's poor power generation is rising political instability, together with rising demands for power and lack of efficiency.

With power shortages in Pakistan, Iran has been offering to export electricity to Pakistan at subsidized rates but the government of Pakistan has not yet responded to the offers for unknown reasons.

The current shortfall 7500 MegaWatts.

In the short run addressing difficult challenges such as the demand for a parity of treatment to both domestic and foreign investors must make some difference by way of attracting investors across the board. Given the growing demand for electricity, foreign investors must have a role in helping Pakistan meet this challenge.

But the challenges faced by Pakistan are by no means easy. It is indeed the case that the business of reforming the electricity supply network is just not about short term and often incomplete measures of the kind that Pakistanis have been accustomed to.

Even if Pakistan successfully set aside the vast funds which are necessary to finance such a turn-around, the time taken to ensure the supply of all the technical ingredients must in itself make the task formidably challenging.
In the environment which prevails across the world today, there is already a considerable line-up of both individuals and countries which have placed orders to buy new equipment. Indeed, Pakistani officials are all too aware of international market conditions which only add to the difficulty surrounding their task.

Though sorting out global market conditions are just not in reach of one country alone, other matters are indeed within Pakistan's grasp. These include the need to turn around popular habits which hardly help to curtail the usage of electricity, with wastages and deliberate inefficiencies being the principal factors. But the lead for such an endeavour must come in part from Pakistani leaders.

During 2010 Pakistan floods and 2005 Kashmir earthquake power stations, power distribution and transmission and other energy infrastructures were damaged. During the floods the recently constructed Jinnah hydroelectric power plant was flooded in addition to severe damages to transmission and distribution network and installations while several power plants and refineries were threatened by rising waters and had to be shut down. Natural gas field output had to be reduced as the flood waters approached the wells. There has also been some concern by Pakistani nuclear activists over the effect of natural disasters on nuclear plants specially over the Chashma Nuclear Power Complex, since the plant lies over a geological fault. Due to over reliance of Pakistan on dams for electricity generation,some environmental impacts of dams such as submergence of usable/ecological land and their negative impact on Pakistan's mangrove forests due to loss of river silt
load, as well as increased risk of severe floods have become evident.

Sources

Pakistan's Ongoing Electricity Shortage". Energy Tribune. 19 October 2011.
More Crises in Pakistan: Electricity, 19 October 2011.

Regards
Shoaib Habib Memon
Cell.0314 2090252

EDITORIAL IN NEWS THIS MORNING

 

Setting boundaries

Saturday, May 19, 2012

When the Asghar Khan case was first revived for hearing before the Supreme Court on February 29, many hailed it as the harbinger of a transformative moment in the history of civil-military relations in Pakistan. But very quickly, the case has become all about unsubstantiated claims, accusations and counter-accusations. While former army chief Aslam Beg says the revelations of the then head of Mehran bank, Younus Habib, are a bolt from the blue, ex-DG ISI Asad Durrani claims that his boss, Gen Beg, was fully on board and issued the initial orders to disburse 'donations' among politicians and also oversaw the entire operation of distribution of funds. Shedding light on the political role of the ISI, Gen Durrani repeated a widely accepted argument to make his point about the centrality of Gen Beg to the whole operation: while in theory, the ISI responds to multiple centres of power – the president, three service chiefs, chairman of the Joint Services Headquarters and the prime minister – in practice, the army chief wields more power over the ISI than any of its other "bosses."
But one claim that Generals Beg and Durrani have in common is that whatever they did, it was on the orders of then president Ghulam Ishaq Khan and in the service of the 'national interest.' This raises a fundamental question, one that may get to the heart of many of Pakistan's problems, not least the civil-military imbalance: is it justified for an officer of the armed forces – or for a civilian politician for that matter – to follow a command even when it is blatantly unconstitutional and illegal? In the affairs of state, at what point should principles take precedence over the holy chain of command? Pakistan's history is littered with examples when army officers and civilian leaders have obeyed the illegal orders of superiors and set the country on the path of self-destruction. Thus, if one were to imagine the ideal verdict in the Asghar Khan case, it would be one that mandates punishment for those who willfully and knowingly act outside the ambit of the law and the constitution in the discharge of official duties. Red lines must be drawn, and this is the perfect opportunity to do it, given that we have the case of top officers who knowingly violated their oath of office and defiled the constitution. What must also be checked are the political workings of the ISI. The court has now ordered the government to submit the notification under which the ISI's political cell was set up by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1975. For as the chief justice himself said on Thursday, while everyone recognises the ISI's sacrifices for, and services to, this country, it must not be allowed to use its capabilities against politicians. If clear lines are drawn, this will also save the institution itself from suffering the adverse ramifications of the illegal actions of top bosses and individual officers.

_

PR--Agahi Award Winners Discuss Media Ethics with a Visiting American Academician

Media Contact: Aiesha Butt

Contact No. +92-345-8228666

Email: media@mishal.com.pk

Website: www.mishal.com.pk

Twitter: @agahijournalism


Agahi Award Winners Discuss Media Ethics with a Visiting American
Academician

Professor Sherry Ricchiardi shares her views on the importance of "Media
Ethics" for Pakistani media.


Islamabad, PK – 17 May 2012 –* A "TALK" was held between Professor Sherry
Ricchiardi and the AGAHI Award Winners on Media Ethics. Professor Sherry
Ricchiardi is a senior writer for American Journalism Review (AJR)
specializing in international issues, and a Professor at the Indiana
University School of Journalism. She has won many awards and has conducted
various workshops and trained journalists all around the globe. Dr. Sherry
is currently on her week-long visit to Pakistan and had the first media
interaction with the AGAHI Award winning Journalists from all over Pakistan.

Prof. Sherry Ricchiardi in her talk discussed Media Ethics and the
importance of code of conduct in Journalism by sharing examples from her
experience. A follow up discussion, with an interactive session with the
Agahi Award Winners/Participants was also held. Journalists in Pakistan are
working in one of the most challenging environment and keeping media ethics
intact makes them professionals in their field.

Puruesh Chaudhary, Ambassador to Pakistan by the Center for International
Media Ethics (CIME) and President AGAHI welcomed the participants and
Professor Sherry Ricchiardi. She commenced the talk with a brief
introduction of the AGAHI initiative and its goals and objectives.

Idrees Bakhtiar, senior Journalist with Herald (winner of AGAHI Award for
Business and Economic issues) spoke about Media Ethics by elaborating the
role of ethics in journalism. "Journalists have responsibility towards
society by providing information in a truthful, objective and a balanced
form, while respecting the privacy and importance of secrecy of issues
related to National Security" said Bakhtiar.

Speaking on the occasion, Safdar Hayat Khan, President, Tribal Union of
Journalists from FATA said, that the media stakeholders in Pakistan need to
reconsider the role of the media in Pakistani society and come up with a
collective ethics and compliance code for journalists from the print and
electronic media. Such measures will not only bring a positive change to
Pakistani society but also strengthen the media itself and bring more
institutional credibility.

Hamid Mir, winner of the Agahi Award's People Choice for the Journalist of
the Year 2012 said, "the biggest issues journalists' are facing is the
security issue, security for life and security of job".

Matiullah Achackzai, winner of the Agahi Award for Photojournalist from
Chaman, Baluchistan said that it is important to have such interactions,
especially journalists from the far flung areas of Baluchistan.

The session was concluded with a note of thank to the participants and a
presentation of a shield to Professor Sherry Ricchiardi given by Amir
Jahangir, CEO Mishal Pakistan and Young Global Leader, World Economic
Forum. Jahangir thanked Prof. Ricchiardi for taking time out for her first
media interaction with the Agahi Award winners.

Established in 2003, Mishal Pakistan has been engaged with some of the most
dynamic organizations, including media enterprises and global development
agencies helping them develop their communication strategies and solutions
for better understanding and creating synergies with their concerned
stakeholders. In March this year Mishal launched the first ever journalists
awards in the country. Sixteen journalists from the journalistic community
won the AGAHI Awards in different categories across print, television,
radio and internet media. The Agahi Awards received enthusiastic response
from the journalists across Pakistan.

As a Country Partner Institute of the Center of Global Competition and
Performance, World Economic Forum, Mishal is at the forefront of devising
and delivering communication solutions for a cross-section of stakeholders
and is actively pursuing and supporting initiatives to improve the state of
media and journalism in Pakistan.

Mishal has undertaken the task to build the capacity of press cubs and
journalist associations in Pakistan by creating a learning platform for the
media and journalists across Pakistan. The initiative will build the
capacity through interactive workshops, conferences, collaborative thinking
and knowledge sharing. It is also focusing on improving the competitiveness
of the media by creating competition amongst the various verticals through
media and journalism awards for the professionals in the field of
communications.

Professor Sherry Ricchiardi-Folwell is an award winning journalist. She has
trained journalists around the world, including Pakistan, Yemen, Indonesia,
China and Kyrgyzstan. She worked in Pakistan in May-June 2012 and has
conducted workshops for Pakistani journalists for the International Center
for Journalists in Washington, D.C. She has developed online courses and
media manuals for ICFJ to serve media in Latin America, Iran, Armenia,
Egypt, and Turkey.

Ricchiardi is a senior writer for American Journalism Review (AJR),
specializing in international issues, and a professor at the Indiana
University School of Journalism. She has written stories for AJR on media
coverage of conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, interviewing
dozens of correspondents on assignment there. She serves on the advisory
committee of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia
University and has conducted safety trainings for media working in conflict
zones.

Ricchiardi was an investigative reporter and Sunday magazine writer for the
Des Moines Register, the largest, newspaper in lowa. She later became city
editor for the Columbia Missourian, a newspaper produced at the University
Of Missouri School Of Journalism, her alma mater. She received her Ph.D. in
1986 from lowa State University.

She has won the top National Press Club award for press criticism twice,
including stories about violence against journalism in the West Bank,
Afghanistan and Iraq. She has won numerous awards for excellence in
teaching at Indiana University. Her stories from the frontlines of the
Balkan conflict appeared in several American publications, including Miami
Herald, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and USA Today. She received a courage award
from Society of Professional Journalists for her coverage from the war
zones.



####

--

Join us in Shaping the Future of Journalism: www.agahiawards.com



AGAHI <http://agahi-investigative-journalism.blogspot.com/>

a capacity building initiative for Press Clubs and the journalistic
community in Pakistan on Investigative Journalism by
Mishal Pakistan <http://www.mishal.com.pk>
a) 250-B, North Service Road, E-11/3, Islamabad - 44000, Pakistan
e) media@mishal.com.pk
t) +92-51-2228559
m) +92-343-333-3337
f) +92-51-2228559
web: www.mishal.com.pk

PR--Pakistan among the most vulnerable countries facing climate risks

 

              

Press Release

Pakistan among the most vulnerable countries facing climate risks

Asia-Pacific can no longer afford to grow first and clean up later, says UNDP Human Development Report

 Islamabad, Pakistan, 16 May 2012- Countries in Asia and the Pacific are at a crossroads and must now strike a balance between rising prosperity and rising emissions. Their success or failure will have repercussions worldwide, predicts Asia-Pacific Human Development Report launched here today.

The Asia-Pacific region must continue to grow economically to lift millions out of poverty, but it must also respond to climate change to survive. Growing first and cleaning up later is no longer an option, advises, the Asia-Pacific Human Development Report 2012 – One Planet to Share: Sustaining Human Progress in a Changing Climate. The publication is aimed at reinvigorating climate change dialogue by bringing people’s concerns to the fore in the lead-up to the Rio +20 conference.

What happens in this region – which is home to more than half the world’s population and half of the planet’s megacities - can make a global difference. The report says that “countries of the developing Asia-Pacific are much less locked into the old, carbon-intensive ways of production and consumption. Asia-Pacific not only has the imperative, it also has the opportunity to manage development differently.”

The report argues that in the face of climate change, countries in Asia and the Pacific “will need to change the way they manufacture goods, raise crops and livestock, and generate energy.” This will mean “moving to greener, more resilient, lower-emission options that not only sustain the environment but also offer opportunities to the poor for employment and income.”

The ceremony was chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, Mr. Muhammad Javed Malik. Addressing the ceremony he reiterated that the recommendations of these strategic documents and report must be translated into concrete actions and must form an integral part of the human development agenda in Pakistan.

While presenting the findings of the report, Toshihiro Tanaka, Country Director, UNDP said that “Asia-Pacific region including Pakistan needs to walk the tightrope between the pursuit of economic growth and vulnerability to climate change. We witness increasing frequency and impacts of climate related disasters. Disaster risk reduction is a must for any sustainable development strategy to be successful.”

At the launch, a presentation on Pakistan’s National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) was also shared. The NSDS will be presented at Rio +20. The NSDS envisions to evolve a just and harmonious society in Pakistan through the promotion of sustainable and inclusive growth without over exploitation of the country’s natural resources. The NSDS focuses on integrating economic, social and environmental dimensions into the current development model with a view to make it more sustainable and equitable.

In his remarks,  Mr. Timo Pakala, UN Resident Coordinator Congratulated Pakistan for preparing the NSDS and the National Climate Change Policy. These two documents and testimonials to the commitment of Federal and Provincial governments to promote sustainable growth and address the effect of climate change in Pakistan.

Also presented at the launch was the much awaited National Climate Change Policy which was recently approved by the Federal Cabinet. The policy provides a framework to address the issues Pakistan faces vis a vis the phenomenon of climate change and suggests ways and means to adapt to and mitigate the ravages posed by climate change.

The ceremony was attended by representatives from government, national and international development partners, civil society organizations, academia and media.