Pakistani mangoes reach China; swift customs clearance

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The first consignment of Pakistani mangoes, popularly known as ‘king of fruits,’ has arrived at Kunming, the capital city of China's Yunnan province. 

This is the first consignment to have arrived Kunming, the importer revealed in a communication on August 10. 

In order to keep the mango original in taste as it’s classified as a perishable fruit, the Customs authorities acted swiftly as soon as the consignment arrived at the airport. 

According to details it had landed there at 19:03 China time, the customs clearance was quickly completed at 20:49 and handed over to the importer who promptly began the process of sorting out the consignment.

Khunjerab Pass temporarily reopened

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The land link between Pakistan and China, the Khunjerab Pass, was temporarily reopened early in August to facilitate flow of goods between the two countries. 

On August 4, four vehicles loaded with agricure products and one comprising anti-epidemic materials were allowed to cross through the Khunjerab Pass, which was closed because of COVID-19. 

Also a major tourist attraction, the Khunjerab Pass is a high mountain pass in the Karakoram mountains, in a strategic position on the northern border of Pakistan’s Gilgit–Baltistan's Hunza and Nagar districts and on the southwest border of China’s Xinjiang province. Its elevation is 4,693 metres or 15,397 feet.

Railways’ chairman visits KCR tracks

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The chairman of Pakistan Railways, Habib-ur-Rahman Gillani, has held important meeting regarding revival of the Karachi Circular Railways (KCR) project during his visit to the metropolis on August 10. 

The meeting was attended by Divisional Superintendent Karachi, Arshad Salam.Khattak, Project Director KCR, Ameer Mohammad Daudpota, Deputy DS, Farid Ahmad, besides concerned engineers working on the KCR project. 

The Railways chairman visited various stations and level crossings of the KCR project from City to Drigh Road while travelling en route Baldia, Shah Latif, SITE, Orangi, Nazimabad, Gillani and Urdu College stations. He also held a trolley inspection of the loop. 

He carried out a detailed review of KCR Revival project and directed that ongoing work be further accelerated so that the Karachiites could benefit from the revived KCR facility at the earliest. 

While inspecting the SITE area, he expressed concerns over the disposal of hazardous pollutants on the KCR track. 

He was informed by the DS Karachi that the Sindh government had been approached for resolution of this issue and it would soon be sorted out. 

The chairman, after visiting the area of Green Line route that crosses the KCR track in Nazimabad, called for expeditious communication with the relevant authorities so that the proposed underpasses or overhead bridges could be timely built. 

The Project Director KCR informed that various meetings had already been held with the Sindh government which has allocated Rupees three billion during the current fiscal year for this purpose.

NBP wins prestigious Asian awards

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has been declared as the Corporate Client Institution Award of the Year by the famed magazine Asian Banking & Finance (ABF). 

NBP has also won the Best Innovative Deal of the Year Award for Pakistan. 

These are acclaimed as the most prestigious banking awards in Asia, having been reintroduced this year to honor outstanding banks that had launched groundbreaking products and services which successfully adapted with the rapidly evolving tech landscape. 

The banks with successful deals and innovative initiatives which made a positive impact to their clients were recognized and NBP, one of the leading financial institutions of the country, has earned more feathers to its cap. 

Established in 1949, NBP currently has more than 1,500 branches in the country besides have 20 plus branches abroad.

Xinjiang Islamic scholar rebuts propaganda

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Prominent Islamic scholar and the President of the Xinjiang Islamic Association, Abdulrickv Tumyazi, in a text and video message, has urged some Western leaders as well as media to refrain from kite flying reporting and not to disseminate baseless news.

"Our message to some of those in the West is to come and visit Xinjiang and learn the truth. Don't say anything baseless,” Tumyazi asserted in the video.

He added that they lived in Xinjiang as free as fish in sea. He pointed out that the religious people and scholars were not happy over what was being propagated against Xinjiang by the people with vested interests. 

“We believe that if things in Xinjiang are not observed in person it’s not possible to assess the reality. Our message to some of the Western leaders is to come here and witness the truth,” he stated.

Shanghai Electric inducts more workers to accelerate Thar Coal project

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Shanghai Electric has flown in around 500 engineers and management staff from China to expedite the development task on the Thar Coal Block-1 project under the auspices of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). 

The implementation on development work on fast track on the Thar Coal Block will help employment opportunity for local population as well, a Chinese social media website reported on August 10.

Meanwhile, in order to ensure foolproof protection to the Chinese workers from COVID-19, the standard operating procedures (SoPs) defined for the pandemic will fully be implemented while executing the project.