Top Story
April 5, 2021
KARACHI: Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar on Sunday said the projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) were progressing at a fast pace during the tenure of the incumbent government.
The way the government handled the pandemic situation and made efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, it would also continue working day and night for the success of CPEC, he said while addressing a reception ceremony held in connection with the arrival of the first consignment of equipment and machinery for the Century Steel at the Karachi Port, for setting up of a steel mills in the Rashakai Special Economic Zone. The minister termed the occasion another manifestation of exceptional relations between Pakistan and China.
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#YearOfTheOx Happy Chinese New Year! May this year of the Ox bring you a prosperous and healthy 2021. Kiong Hee Huat Tsai! #China” this tweet, dated 12 February 2021, is one of the first tweets by a brand new Twitter account created in early February 2020 that gained, within minutes, 11.9K engagement, and more recently, huge popularity in Pakistani media because of a tweet praising the ‘decency and kindness’ of Pakistani men towards women solo travellers.
Beautiful Gwadar Balochistan Pakistan. Peaceful Balochistan, Beautiful Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/km1zQW7EOr Katherine George (@iKatherineGeorg) March 13, 2021
The account shows the picture of a white blonde girl claiming to be a ‘sportsperson, tourist, eReader addict and blogger’, whose name is ‘Katherine George’. It took minutes for the Twitter and Instagram audiences to find out that the pictures posted by the traveller were actually of a Polish girl working in Pakistan with a travel agency, and that
NHA contractors did not get payments for the last three months because of non-release of funds. DawnNewsTV/File
ISLAMABAD: Billions of rupees’ development projects of the National Highway Authority (NHA) have virtually come to a halt due to a lack of disbursement of funds under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the third quarter of the current fiscal year.
The NHA contractors did not get payments for the last three months because of non-release of funds and as a result they adopted a policy of either go-slow or abandoned the infrastructure projects, including those being executed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
KARACHI, Apr. 5 (Gwadar pro)-Federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said on Sunday afternoon said that Century Steel, a Chinese firm with an investment of US $240 million, would set up a steel mill in Rashakai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) which would produce about 1.5 million tons of steel.
Addressing the reception ceremony of the first consignment, carrying equipment and machinery for Century Steel at Karachi Port to set up a steel mill in the Rashakai SEZ, Umar said this occasion was another manifestation of exceptional relation between Pakistan and China.
He said the Chinese firm would also employ over 600 Pakistanis during the construction phase while in the second phase over 1000 people would be provided jobs.
National
April 5, 2021
Mostly in the developed countries, making state institutions autonomous is indeed a goal for attaining prosperity. Pakistan is also aiming towards this aspect and making institutions independent, including the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Though Pakistan has become independent and sovereign but it is still in a colonial mode. Hence, limited autonomy to the institutions may work well, as one cannot have a country which is in the colonial mode but whose institutions are fully autonomous and sovereign.
Indeed, there are three characteristics which distinguish a sovereign country from one in the colonial mode. One, its policies are made abroad. Two, those who implement these policies are imported. Three, colonial transfers from the colony to the colonial power take place. In the light of these three characteristics, Pakistan is still in the colonial mode. Its policies are believed to be made abroad, its ministers and advisers are often foreign and dual nationa