Industrial zone in offing at Islamabad

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

An Islamabad-based trade body has discussed various proposals for the establishment of new industrial estate/zone in the federal capital to promote industrialization under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). 

In this regard a delegation of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), led by its President, Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, called on Mathar Niaz Rana, Federal Secretary, Ministry of Planning & Development, and discussed various proposals for promoting industrialization in the region covering key areas of infrastructure, logistics network and trade routes. 

Tahir Abbasi, Senior Vice President, ICCI, and Malik Sohail Hussain, Chief Coordinator, UBG FPCCI, were also part of the delegation. 

The Federal Secretary for Ministry of Planning & Development briefed them about various initiatives of the ministry and shared details of the CPEC projects which offered great opportunity for joint ventures and investment to the private sector. 

He was of the opinion that the ICCI could play an important role to attract more investors from the private sector in order to exploit the potential opportunities of business partnerships in CPEC projects. 

Further he informed that an industrial zone had been planned in Islamabad under the CPEC project and desired that the ICCI should share its working paper for the proposed industrial zone that would be given due consideration. 

The Federal Secretary stated that sector-specific industrial clusters were required in Islamabad to facilitate the potential foreign and local investors in exploring joint ventures and investment opportunities in such clusters. 

Speaking at the occasion, the ICCI President talked about their efforts for the establishment of a new industrial estate in Islamabad to promote industrialization as there was no more space in existing industrial areas to set up new industries due to which the potential investors were facing problems. 

He stressed that the Planning Ministry should cooperate for materialization of the important project which would give boost to industrial activities and create plenty of new jobs in the region. 

He suggested that the ICCI should be taken on board for the establishment of industrial zone in Islamabad under CPEC project and assured that the ICCI would send its proposal for the said project to make it an industrial zone that could exploit the comparative advantage and human talent of the area and emerge as a hub of industrial activities in the region.

Pakistan’s remote sensing satellite orbiting earth efficaciously

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

PRSS-1, the first-ever Remote Sensing Satellite of Pakistan, along with Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite (PakTES-1A), has been orbiting the earth for the last two consecutive years successfully, providing high resolution satellite imagery that playing an important role in contributing for socio-economic development of the country.

These satellites services uplifted the socio-economic development of Pakistan and empowered the country in agriculture classification and assessment, urban and rural planning and water resource management. 

They have also helped in assessing the situation of forestation, rainfall and storage of rainwater. 

The satellites helped Pakistan end its reliance on commercial satellites for environmental monitoring particularly to address the challenges of floods, drought and water shortage. 

According to Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the PRSS-1 has been successfully launched in a dual launch configuration along with Pakistan Technology Evaluation Satellite (PakTES-1A) using China’s LM-2C/SMA Launch Vehicle on July 9, 2018 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC), China. 

Since then both of them have been operating efficaciously. The PRSS-1 weighing 1,200 kg and the 285 kg PakTES-1A functioned at an altitude of 640km and 610km correspondingly.

As per China National Space Administration (CNSA), the PRSS-1 was China's first optical remote sensing satellite exported to Pakistan. 

The information provided by the PRSS-1 is widely used in Pakistan's land and resources survey and evaluation, dynamic monitoring and management, resource utilization, environmental disaster monitoring, agricultural survey and urban construction and so on.

Population management described as need of hour

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

Senator Nisar Memon, a former federal minister, has emphatically stressed to tackle the issue of population management, describing it as need of the hour. 

“Pakistan had entered decade of 2020 with a population of 207 million putting a huge demand on already scarce resources. While the new regime was struggling to find its feet on the ground, the pandemic of COVID-19 arrived and caused death, disaster and economic hardships,” he observed in an interview with PNFS on the occasion of World Population Day on July 11. 

“The governance came to be tested and challenged, particularly in the weak public health system which had received scant attention in all these years. The country faced a double jeopardy of huge population and lockdown impact on economy and citizens leading to increased corruption, street crime and vulnerability to hitherto controlled terrorism,” he added. 

“Population planning was introduced in the 1960s as a government policy with international help but fell in with change of government and rise of conservatives. Since then neither serious attention to planning nor governance of population have been given with its consequences on citizens’ fundamental rights,” he regretted. 

“We have no option but to join the ranks of other Muslim countries like Bangladesh to control the population for progress and development. The continued status quo following the old beaten path of lack of population control has driven us to reliance on international support with aid and loan. Time has come to stand up as a sovereign nation mobilizing internal resources of human power and build on its own natural wealth by human resource development and allocation of budgets to education, skill building and social services,” Senator Nisar Memon emphasized. 

“COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to catch up with other nations by building a knowledge-based society enhancing existing telecommunication and information technology infrastructure to leapfrog in science, research, technology and education,” he pointed out. 

“It is time to remind ourselves of the Malthusian Theory of Population which states that population grows exponentially, thus outgrowing a society’s resources which grow arithmetically. This is an appropriate theory for preventive and positive checks on population,” he suggested.

Coronavirus Update: Karachi having highest CFR

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) for last 24 hours in Karachi was recorded 4.87, as the provincial health department declared registration of another 1,468 new cases on July 10, with 36 new deaths across the province.

According to the health department’s daily COVID-19 summary, Karachi reported 718 new infections, with 35 related deaths, during the last 24 hours ending on July 10 morning. Karachi’s CFR was 5.32 on July 9, the highest, among the districts and territories of Pakistan. 

The latest 35 fatalities at Karachi included 26 those of men and nine women. The deceased men aged from 42 to 81 years, while women were in the age brackets of 38 to 84 years. 

The city of Karachi in all had 77,639 infected people, since February 26 when the first COVID-19 case of the province was detected here. As many as 1,463 persons could not survive the lethal infection. 

A maximum of 188 patients have died so far at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, 185 at the Civil Hospital Karachi, 169 at DUHS Hospital, 140 at SIUT, 127 at Indus Hospital Karachi, 104 at AKUH, 73 at Ziauddin Hospital Clifton, 72 at the Karachi Trauma Centre and others.

In addition to fatalities registered at Karachi, death of a 45-year-old man was registered at Sanghar.

There was no information about the deceased persons’ hospitalization or home isolation from the health department.

The breakdown of districts, excluding Karachi, which reported new COVID-19 cases during the last 24 hours came as: Shaheed Benazirabad (74), Hyderabad (71), Ghotki (71), Khairpur (56), Tando Allahyar (54), Jamshoro (52), Sukkur (48), Kashmore (41), Thatta (39), Kambar Shahdadkot (28), Mirpurkhas (28), Tando Mohammad Khan (23), Naushero Feroze (22), Mirpurkhas (21), Sujawal (21), Larkana (16), Shikarpur (15), Badin (15), Umerkot (11), Tharparkar (11), Jacobabad (7), Sanghar (6) and Dadu (5).

Sindh recorded a total of 102,368 COVID-19 cases till July 10, out of which 59,165 recovered from the diseases, while 1,069 were still in in critical condition. The death tally rose to 1,713.

In the meantime, according to an official summary, 243 patients were admitted at the intensive care units of various hospitals of Karachi, while 127 ICU beds were unoccupied.

As many as 1,012 high-dependency unit beds were vacant at Karachi hospitals, while only six per cents of 4,035 beds within the isolation centres were occupied lately.

Health corridor offers affordable medical treatment

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The introduction of health corridor can greatly benefit common Pakistanis who have had to face difficulties due to expensive lab tests and other medical treatment particularly under severe situation arising out due to COVID-19 outbreak thus cooperation between Pakistan and China in healthcare sector could play an important role.

“Health corridor is another significant avenue of Sino-Pak cooperation as China has invested heavily in infrastructure and energy sectors in Pakistan and a lot can be done in medical education and medical tourism,” Dr Muhammad Shahbaz stated in an interview.

As a surgeon and PhD scholar at the Shandong University and having spent more than a decade in China as a medical student, he hoped that the CPEC will also bring about healthcare facilities and infrastructure cooperation in Pakistan and China.

“I have re-named it as the China Pakistan Health Corridor or simply the Health Corridor or the CPHC,” he pointed out. 

Dr Shahbaz had pioneered the concept of health corridor in 2017. Later, cooperation between Chinese and Pakistani institutes was initiated leading to the realization of the project. 

The health corridor establishes telemedicine, virtual classrooms, focussing on sharing medical data and experience and doctors training besides several mechanisms which were put in place such as Belt & Road Health Fund, Belt & Road Medical Force (BRMF), Silk Road Higher Medical Education forum (SRHMEF) and connectivity via Medical Tourism (BRM). 

He highly praised the actions and measures that Chinese government taken to cope with pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has brought huge opportunity for the BRI countries specially China and Pakistan for better cooperation. Frequent online meetings between the two sides are very important. Chinese experts can train Pakistani doctors in order to better combat the pandemic. Data sharing is very important. Pakistani hospitals should be digitalized. Big Data centres can be established in top 20 hospitals in the first stage, tracking and keeping record of patients will be easy in this way. Telemedicine joint sessions can be held frequently,” Dr Shahbaz explained. 

He also mentioned the importance that Pakistan cooperates with China in medical sector. Pakistan has conceived its medical system from Britain. The Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) is highly respectable and well recognized in western countries.

“The cooperation will create opportunities for private sector. Through this initiative, friendship between both countries will deepen further pointing out that China had made good progress in medical field and its technology. 

Referring to expensive diagnostic labs and medical treatment in Pakistan, he said that medical cooperation will reduce the burden on Pakistan medical system.

Railways hold seminar on fuel management, optimization

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

In order to have a detailed look into different perspectives of fuel management with special focus on optimal consumption and recommendations for its efficient utilization, a seminar was arranged at Technical Training Centre of the Pakistan Railways in Karachi.

All the officers of Karachi division and the concerned officials attended the seminar as Fasahatullah Baig, Divisional Mechanical Engineer, gave a detailed presentation on the subject. 

Fuel occupies a significant chunk of Pakistan Railways' budget as almost one-quarter (23%) of the annual budget is earmarked for fuel every year. During the FY 2019-20, the percent share on fuel expenditure was 18.71% (Rs.17.8 billion out of total budget of PKR 95 billion.

"Pakistan Railways has to earmark colossal sums in the heads of salary and pension that are not only unalterable but increasing every year. Nevertheless adequate fuel management targeting efficient and optimal utilization can pave the way for reducing the department's fiscal deficit from this head" a senior officer of the organization remarked. 

The divisional mechanical engineer informed that en route maintenance issues of track, rolling stock operational practices and drivers' behavior contributed to how fuel was consumed, adding that various measures have been taken to curtail fuel losses thereby ensuring savings. 

Major recommendations for further economizing included monitoring and control of fuel through intensive and frequent inspection by the concerned officers, immaculate signal system and record keeping as per modern standards. 

The Divisional Superintendent, Pakistan Railways, Karachi, Arshad Salam Khattak, in his concluding remarks, noted that fuel awareness campaign would be kicked off very soon aiming at efficient utilization. 

He invited the concerned officers to submit proposals and recommendations that could cover the gaps and loopholes in the existing system with efficient fuel manage

Disney World set to reopen on July 11

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Having shut its doors because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for nearly four months, Walt Disney World has announced that it will welcome guests back to its flagship theme park in Orlando, Florida, and reopen a cornerstone of its business over the weekend.

According to the media reports, the Disney (DIS) resort has planned to begin a phased reopening on July 11 for its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks, followed by EPCOT and Hollywood Studios on July 15. 

Disney will be implementing several measures to reopen safely but there remained question marks over reopening of a dense theme park around the size of San Francisco at a time when cases were spiking in Florida. 

The resort has more than 75,000 employees and it has been visited by millions of people every year. The Magic Kingdom alone, which houses trademark attractions like Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain, accounted for more than 20 million visitors in 2018, according to a report by AECOM. 

Disney World is also described as the heart of the brand as whenever one talked about Disney most of the people thought of Disney World immediately.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s infection crosses 100,000

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Sindh’s overall number of COVID-19 infected persons surpassed 100,000 on July 9 when the provincial health authorities confirmed 1,538 more infections across the province, with 40 related deaths, within the last 24 hours. 

The first positive case of coronavirus was reported in Karachi in a 22-year-old man on February 26 and since then there is no respite from the disease that originated from the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. 

Sindh’s overall COVID-19 infection tally was 421, with one death, on March 26, which increased to 4,615 on April 26, with 81 deaths, 23,507, with 374 deaths, on May 26 and 76,318, with 1205 deaths, on June 26.

In terms of positive cases, Sindh was followed by Punjab (84,587), KPK (29,052), Balochistan (11,052), Islamabad Capital Territory (13,731), Gilgit- Baltistan (1,605) and Azad Jammu Kahsmir (1,459).

According to the Sindh health department data, the overall infections rose to 100,900, with 1,677 deaths, involving all the districts of the province, on July 9.

The COVID-19 daily summary issued by the department revealed that Karachi reported the maximum of 714 new infections during the last 24 hours ending July 9 morning, followed by Hyderabad (96), Sukkur (89), Naushero Feroze (72), Badin (65), Mirpurkhas (63), Sanghar (56), Shikarpur (55), Matiari (42), Tharparkat (31), Sujawal (26), Thatta (24), Umerkot (23), Kambar Shadadkot (23), Larkana (22), Khairpur (21), Ghotki (21), Tando Allahyar (19), Jamshoro (14), Tando Muhammad Khan (9), Dadu (9), Jacobabad (8), Shaheed Benazirabad (7) and Kashmore (7).

According to an official report, the COVID-19 cases were reported mostly among the age group 21-30 years (24,016), followed by age group 01-10 (3,018), 11-20 (7,695), 31-40 (23,734), 41-50 (13,334), 61-70 (6,324), 71-80 (2,165), 81-90 (474), and 91-100 (50).

The highest number of the cases were reported from the Karachi division (76,921), followed by Hyderabad (3,626), Sukkur (3,081), Ghotki (2,691), Khairpur (2,114), Larkana (1,793) and others.

The male-female infection proportion remained 70.8% and 29.2%, respectively.

According to reports, Karachi Central Jail had 348 prisoners in isolation, while another 42 infected citizens were admitted at the Karachi Expo Centre’s field medical facility and one person was quarantined at Shaheed Benazirabad Labour Colony.

Coming to the deaths among the positive cases, the summary said that 25 men and 13 women lost their lives in Karachi. Men were in the age brackets of 35 to 84 years while women were aged from 40 to 70 years. Another man, aged 60 years, died of COVID-19 in Tando Allahyar, while a man of 33, not a resident of Sindh, also died in the province during the last 24 hours.

Of the deceased patients, a maximum of 184 were admitted at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, followed by 180 at the Civil Hospital Karachi, 167 at DUHS Hospital, 137 at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, 124 at Indus Hospital Karachi, 98 at AKU Hospital, 72 at the Karachi Trauma Centre, 69 at Ziauddin Hospital, Clifton, 51 at Lyari General Hospital, 41 at Ziauddin Hospital, North Nazimabad, and others.

Beijing services sector set for recovery

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

After Beijing reported no new COVID-19 cases for three consecutive days, the services sector from retail vendors, travel agents, delivery drivers to restaurant owners, were awaiting a much-anticipated recovery in the coming months. 

"Once the coronavirus is fully contained in Beijing and banquets are allowed, liquor sales will boom," Song Zongheng, who owns Beijing Yongsheng Cigarette and Liquor Co, was quoted as saying as he remained positive about the city's service sector revival. 

However, restaurants were more cautious about a quick recovery as the latest outbreak of COVID-19 started in the sprawling Xinfadi wholesale food market, infecting vendors and some restaurant workers who purchased food supplies there. 

The owner of a Sichuan restaurant in Beijing's Chaoyang district said that their customers had only recovered to half of its capacity and the recent outbreak had brought another blow to the city's catering industry. 

While dining-in services were hurt, many people who were laid off found work with couriers and food delivery companies thanks to the city's broad 4G and 5G coverage, which enabled mobile delivering platforms. 

"After the epidemic, delivery orders are surging now,” a deliveryman surnamed Zhang who works for Meituan-Dianping, an online food delivery platform, remarked. Some people in the tourism sector are struggling to pay their office rent while others refuse to close their business. 

Jia Jianqiang, CEO of 6renyou, an online tourism agency in Beijing, informed that the company had shifted its core business from arranging overseas trips to domestic service. 

Online travel agency Trip.com shared that flight reservations by Beijing residents for July and August, summer vacationing time for students, were the highest among cities in China. 

The Chinese guesthouse booking platform Tujia said that the bookings from Beijing surged four times after the capital city as the residents leaving the city no longer required a proof of negative COVID-19 test result. It estimated that bookings will recover up to 70 percent in the summer vacation. 

In 2019, the service sector had contributed 87.8 percent to Beijing's economic growth, having played a pivotal role.

Pakistan urged to export mangoes to China by land route

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Chinese scholars have urged the Pakistani mango exporters to avail land route, particularly during the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, in order to capture bigger market share. 

A talk show conducted by the China Economic Net (CEN) in Beijing on July 8, referring to a report from Professor Zhang Zoorwang, stated that Pakistani famous quality mangoes are very popular in China.

“There is a need that the Pakistani government should encourage their own people as well to enjoy popular tasty mangoes for which it should devise policies in such a way that could benefit the growers by safeguarding mango orchards from different contagious diseases thus earn maximum income,” it was observed. 

The participants of the talk show stressed the need for applying latest modern techniques and adopting such equipments for long time preservation of fruits including mangoes as they were needed to be preserved in boxes for export purpose. 

The experts mentioned various reasons for drastic nose dive of exports of mangoes from Pakistan. “The reasons include COVID-19, temporary suspension of international flights, closure of borders and manifold increase of freight charges,” the participants recognized, quoting media reports which suggested 35 to 40 percent decline of export of Pakistani mangos.