Theatres, streaming may co-exist in future: Hajra Arbab

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Movies remain a massive value creator. Global box office revenues were reported to have totaled $42 billion in 2019, an all-time high, contributing almost one-third of the estimated $136 billion in the value of worldwide movie production and distribution. Hollywood supports more than two million jobs and 400,000 American businesses; British film and TV are worth around £60 million each day to the UK economy. 

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the content pipeline, halting film production and closing cinemas. Film production has restarted in some countries and the industry has adopted remote-work protocols where possible. But the virus creates uncertainty, and the biggest short-term risk seems to be consumers’ dwindling confidence in physical venues. 

Bibi Hajra Arbab, currently working at one of the largest media companies of the world, has completed her masters from San Francisco State University and then moved to Los Angeles. She has worked at various media production and distribution companies over there and the list includes IMAX Corporation, Lionsgate Entertainment, STX Entertainment, and The Walt Disney Company. For a short time, she was also associated Paramount Pictures and NBC Universal. In a recent interview with PNFS, she shared her views and thoughts about current issues of the industry. Excerpts: 

Q: How much did the COVID-19 impact the movie industry? 

A: The industry is on the cusp of the biggest shift in the history of Hollywood. The movie production was indeed hit hard by COVID-19. Theaters and movie sets were shut down for months, causing the US box office to lose $5 billion in 2020. Only 338 movies were released in theaters in 2020, a 66% decline from 2019. 

The number of movies that began production in 2020 declined significantly, taking a 45% drop to 447. The delay in the current slate of movies also puts future movies up in the air. Many studios are focused on managing the logistics of their movies that are currently in production or pre-production instead of actively hunting for new films. That could lead to a sparse pipeline in coming years.  

Q: Is Hollywood completely looking into the streaming model? 

A: With theatres closed all over the world, many movies moved to streaming. Universal Pictures made a deal with one of the theater chains to shrink the time its movies play exclusively in theaters from 90 days to 17. Warner Brothers started releasing its new movies on HBO Max the same day they go into theaters, a move that will extend through at least the end of 2021. 

Disney followed a similar model by releasing some new movies on streaming for an additional cost, and others included in the basic subscription price. 

Q: Will theatres survive in future? 

A: The customers indeed love having access to new releases from the comfort of their homes. One studio released its latest movie in theaters and for premier customers and made more than $20 million on each channel in the first weekend alone which means that this model is working for them. 

Theatres and streaming are battling for customers but many experts believe the two can co-exist. Although movies will likely be released simultaneously or much closer together on streaming and in theaters than they have in the past, watching a movie at home versus watching it in a theater offer wildly different experiences. There are pros and cons to both, but customers will likely continue to want to watch new releases both in the luxury of a theater and in the comfort of their own home. 

Q: How people make their movies and how they expect the movies to be seen? 

A: The flip side is the majority of movies, whether we like it or not, are being consumed at home and it’s not realistic to assume that we’re not going to change, that this part of the business isn’t going to change, like all parts of the business are going to change. 

Q: How do you see future of the film business? 

A: Going forward, what movies look like and how they are consumed could be very different. Larger studios tend to have the resources to fund and market their movies and can take bigger financial risks but independent studios and filmmakers now have the added struggle of finding more funding. At least for the next few years, there will likely be fewer independent films. In the future, more movie studios will expand their animated offerings. 

Q: What kinds of movies seem more likely to succeed in future? 

A: Animated movies for families and adults tend to be easier to produce virtually with animators working from different locations, reducing the need for safety measures. First, the business model is moving from third-party distribution and single-ticket sales towards owned distribution and recurring revenue. This is seen by investments in SVOD services, where a single movie or TV series is rarely a profit driver; rather, recurring subscriptions (and, in some cases, advertising revenue) produce value. 

As a result, media companies no longer optimize releases for fixed schedules, primetime TV slots or popular holiday weekends. Instead, the goal is increased engagement, thereby improving user retention and data on content popularity. The corollary is an expansion of demand for proprietary content. We still have to see how things unfold but one thing I can say for sure that the demand in content is higher than usual, which is a good sign for the Pakistani content creators as well.

Pakistan, UK researchers make blood cancer treatment discovery

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

 (Pakistan News & Features Services)

Almost one third people living with an untreatable form of blood cancer can now look forward to the development of new therapies for their disease after researchers discovered a mechanism that makes existing treatments ineffective and how this can be overcome. 

Leukemia is one of the three major types of blood cancer. While most cases of leukemia, including a subtype of the disease, Philadelphia-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Ph+ALL, are treatable, almost one-third of Ph+ALL patients have become impossible to treat due to developing resistance to current treatments. Until now, the mechanism for this type of resistance has remained unknown. 

A recent study in the Neoplasia journal by faculty at Aga Khan University’s Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) and Cardiff University has pinpointed a series of cascading chemical reactions or a signaling pathway that, when targeted, can kill, or suppress the growth of resistant leukemic cancerous cells. 

Cells in our body communicate using chemical signals. These chemical signals, which are proteins or other molecules, are meant to facilitate different functions of cells. These signals usually stop after serving their purpose. If they don’t stop, as it happens in some cases, they can cause serious health problems such as cancer. 

“Our study detected a signaling pathway which is switched on and doesn’t switch off in treatment-resistant Philadelphia-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Ph+ALL,” Dr Afsar Mian, an assistant professor at CRM, remarked adding that blocking this pathway would prevent a protein from activating another protein thereby preventing the development of resistance in cancer cells and ultimately their growth and spread. 

Over the course of his career, he has investigated a number of signaling pathways and his past work and experience led him to partner with a leading researcher in the field, Professor Oliver Ottmann of Cardiff University, United Kingdom, to investigate the AKT/mTOR pathway. In this study, researchers used cell lines from a child and an adult with Ph+ALL. Drug resistance was induced in the child’s sample while the adult’s sample was already resistant to treatment. 

In both cases, they found the AKT/mTOR pathway to be responsible for promoting drug resistance and noticed how a specific chemical compound acted as a ‘brake’ on the functioning of the pathway, halting the growth of cancerous cells.

“The first step to discovering a new cancer drug is to know the mechanisms underlying the development, progression and resistance of a specific cancer. We now hope that our research will help us develop more effective and novel targeted treatments,” Dr Afsar Mian stated.

Stem cell researchers at the CRM are already in the process of developing new therapies for Ph+ALL. The contributors to the study included Professor El-Nasir Lalani, founding director of CRM and the Khatija and Mohan Manji Dhrolia Endowed Chair in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Usva Zafar and Syed Muhammad Areeb Ahmed, research associates at CRM.

Significant changes to accountability law

 By Tanzeel Rauf Farooqui

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The performance of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has affected all branches of the state; the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The affairs of the legislature, lawmaking, has been subject to a constant disruption due to the lack of trust in the NAB and demands of adopting amendments to curtail it before any other course of legislative business, the executive has been unable to function as the bureaucracy fears that the wide and its arbitrary powers will engulf them based on the duties that are discharged without any malice, and the judiciary has also been affected as numerous litigation has been instituted against I which includes decisions being passed by the superior judiciary questioning the modus operandi of the NAB. 

Therefore, it is not a surprise that reaching a consensus on what is to be done regarding the same seems to be utterly difficult, if not impossible, between the treasury and opposition benches. Adding fuel to fire, the performance of the NAB has caused a lack of trust for all. The government complains that the bureaucracy does not function, whereas the bureaucracy points towards the wide and arbitrary powers that have been bestowed to it which have been allegedly ‘misused’ at the expense of the public officeholders. The opposition alleges that they have been subject to brutal punishment under the garb of accountability by the government ‘backed’ NAB whose performance has been criticized by the judiciary in infamous cases. 

In an attempt to restore the confidence of all, the government has taken another initiative to amend the existing law, with the introduction of the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021. However, the response tendered by the opposition for the same, and the mode of lawmaking adopted by the government depicts that this attempt may, once more, not achieve the purpose, if that was the case. 

 A bare perusal of the Amending Ordinance reveals the intention through which the government has introduced the same. Amending Section 4 of the original law, the government has decided to exclude certain matters, which include the affairs of the federal and provincial cabinets and the sub-committees, Council of Common Interests, National Economic Council and its Executive Committee, National Finance Commission, Development Working Parties at the Federal, Provincial and Departmental levels and the State Bank of Pakistan. 

Further, jurisdiction of the NAB over transactions, persons or entities that are not directly or indirectly connected to a holder of the public office have also been attempted to be curtailed. The same had been a concern of many businessmen and women and was inevitably steering the economy to a crisis due to lack of investments. Moreover, the same Section 4 has also excluded procedural lapses, where there is no connection between the said lapse and any monetary or material benefit or gain being accrued that the recipient was not entitled to receive. This aspect of the amendment was aimed at the bureaucracy as the functions of the government on every level had been virtually withheld due to the fear of initiation of criminal proceedings by the NAB over discharging of duties. 

What is to be noted that now, for any action taken by the NAB regarding procedural lapses by bureaucrats, establishing that monetary or material benefit has been gained by the bureaucrat, directly or indirectly, in lieu of the alleged ill-act will need to be presented by the NAB, a mammoth of a standard to attain, if applied in letter and spirit. The same standard has also been introduced for advice, opinion or report which had been given in course of duty by a bureaucrat. 

Furthermore, the amendment has also directed that all the pending inquiries, investigations, trials or proceedings, instituted under the original ordinance that fall under the relevant clauses of the amended Section 4 shall be transferred to the concerned authorities, departments and courts under the respective laws, a measure which is long overdue as authorities such as the Anti-Corruption Establishment, the Federal Board of Revenue and the Federal Investigation Agency have been present before the creation of the NAB. The changes introduced by the government by amendments to Section 4 of the original accountability law, if applied and construed strictly to the amended ordinance, will be widely welcomed by businessmen and women and the bureaucracy alike, as pending cases will have to meet the newly introduced standard and any new action taken by the NAB will also be subject to the same standard, a standard which cannot easily be discharged in a criminal matter before a court of law. 

The implementation of this part of the amendment is key to the revival of the economy, efficient functioning of the government and clearing of mistrust due to the unfettered powers of the NAB, which has been the concern of, directly or indirectly, all the citizens of Pakistan. Amendment in Section 5 have altered the definition of certain wordings of the accountability ordinance, most notably the change in the definition of the word ‘assets’, which has now been widened to include the property owned, controlled or belonging to the accused, directly or indirectly, or benami properties which are held in the name of the spouse, relatives or associate or any other person, whether inside Pakistan or abroad, which the accused cannot reasonably and lawfully account for. 

The widening of the definition of assets will allow more assets to be taken into consideration by the NAB, however how the same is proved to be connected to any accused, beyond reasonable doubt, still remains to be seen. The lack of the accountability courts had been cited as one of the reasons as to why there was slow progress of the trials, which remained pending for years. 

By adding Section 5A to the 2001 ordinance, the President has been empowered to establish as many accountability courts as needed throughout the country, with the consultation of the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Additionally, the pool through which a judge of the accountability court may be selected has been widened to include persons who have been judges of the High Court or acted in the same capacity, judges at the level of District or Additional District Judge or judges of a Special Court or Member Judicial of tribunals, however, the said persons shall be required to be under the age of sixty-eight (68) at the time of their appointment. 

The increase of the pool of candidates allows a greater choice of persons that may be appointed in the accountability court and the same should not only speed up the process but shall further allow capable persons to be appointed to the accountability courts. However, what is interesting is that the government has virtually granted the status of a judge of the High Court to judges of Accountability courts, as they will be entitled to draw pay and allowances of the judge of the High Court. 

This is another important aspect to consider as with the clear intent of the government of forming more courts, the judges that will be appointed on the said courts will draw much greater remunerations, which all will have to be paid by a government that is taking loans for payment of installments of other loans. 

The extension of the incumbent chairman of the NAB can be stated to be the central issue of current political deadlock between the government and opposition, where it had been argued by the opposition that under the original law, the chairman cannot be granted an extension due to the ‘non-extendable’ wording of the post in the original law. In order to overcome this hurdle, the government has scrapped the non-extendable wording through substitution of Section 6 of the original ordinance with the amended version, thereby allowing extension in the term of office a Chairman, following the same procedure for appointing a chairman. 

The procedure of the removal of the chairman has been amended to be the same procedure that is adopted for the removal of a Judge of the Supreme Court, making the removal of the chairman much more difficult. The amended ordinance has empowered the President to appoint the Chairman, after consultation by the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader and if no consensus has been reached, the matter of the appointment of the chairman NAB is to be sent to a Parliamentary Committee that will be formed for the purpose of the same and until the said committee is not able to decide upon the mandate given to it. 

In the event of expiration of the tenure of the outgoing chairman, the incumbent shall continue to act in the same capacity until a successor is appointed. This issue had been at the center of the argument between the treasury and opposition benches, however, the government, by the promulgation of an Ordinance rather than an Act, can be seen to be adamant on their position. 

Overall performance of the NAB had reflected as poor, and the cases having been filed had been severely questioned by the superior judiciary in several decisions. What can be said to be an effort of ensuring that the taxpayers' money is not wasted and the rights of the accused that were once seen to be non-existent due to the modus operandi of the NAB have been attempted to be restored by the amendment to Section 8 of the 2001 Ordinance. 

The amendment introduces the rendering of advice by the Prosecutor General and Special Prosecutor in order to ensure that the rights and interests of the accused are protected. The chairman NAB shall also share the investigation report to the Prosecutor General and seek concurrence for the commencement or continuation of prosecution. Once again, the manner in which the text is interpreted is of prime consideration as seeking concurrence may be interpreted as seeking an agreement of the Prosecutor General, and in the absence of the same, cases may not be commenced or continued to be prosecuted by the NAB, therefore the way that the amending ordinance applied by the NAB and more importantly, interpreted by the judiciary will need to be observed. 

Another matter which was always the center of debate for cases falling under the Accountability Ordinance of 2001 was that there was no provision of grant of bail to the accused. The superior judiciary of Pakistan, upholding the Constitution of 1973 and ensuring that the rights of the accused are protected, granted bail in the past utilizing the extraordinary jurisdiction that was granted to it by the Constitution. The right of bail has been recognized in jurisdictions world over to be a right of the accused, and the superior judiciary sought to enforce the same for accused arrayed in cases by the NAB. 

The draconian nature of the original ordinance, which effectively resulted in an economic crisis, has made the government realize through actual experience that inclusion of bail is a need and has amended Section 9 by granting the powers for bail to the Accountability Court. However, in adding the same, the government has also made it a requirement that the surety amount of the said bail shall be fixed to be no less than the charge that a person is facing by the NAB. The inclusion of these wordings are pivotal as the government has not accounted for, or does not want to account for, the fact that the NAB had been argued to accuse persons based on financial charges that, at times, have had no quantum. 

The disqualification from the provision of finance facilities under Section 15 has been omitted by the amending ordinance, thereby allowing those convicted for offences falling under Section 9 to still be able to apply for financial facilities. The intention for doing the same has been met with criticism by the opposition and is seen as a tactic by the government to protect certain classes of individuals. As important as speedy trials are, the perception that legal proceedings are actually leading to justice also needs to be maintained. 

If the confidence on the judicial system as a whole is lost, and it is a presupposed thought that speedy trials will evidently result in what can be stated to be an equivalent to a miscarriage of justice, then the entire purpose behind the creation of a watchdog to uphold the rule of law goes in vain. Therefore, placing a six (6) month limit, without adequate measures being taken to ensure confidence, will result in more harm then benefit, and the same is a point to ponder upon for the government. 

Allowing audio and/or video evidence through modern devices can be viewed to be a commendable effort by the government, however, it needs to be ensured that the standards requiring the same evidence, especially in cases of criminal nature, must be met by the government at the end, as the court will require the government to facilitate recording of such evidence, therefore the instant attempt might need to be reconsidered by the government. 

The chairman has been allowed powers to withdraw in part or whole, with consultation with the Prosecutor General, a reference which the NAB is yet to file before the court, or one which is already being adjudicated upon before the courts. Insertion of Section 33F therefore bestows the power of withdrawal of a reference and restricts legal action or claim being initiated against not only the NAB and its officials, but also against the federal, provincial and local governments. 

Whether the instant ouster clause will stand in the eyes of the law will have to be seen through the interpretation given to the same by the courts. It must be reconsidered that in the presence of authorities such as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Anti-Corruption Establishment, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and even the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to name a few, why is there a need for the NAB especially when it has been the centre of controversy since its inception. Whatever the outcome may be, between all of this, the real sufferers will be those who genuinely raised concerns against the vague jurisdiction of the NAB and the entire economic arena of Pakistan. 

As many political leaders, primarily from the opposition used to state, the economy and the NAB cannot function together, and it seems that the government is beginning to realize the same, but still has a long way to go. Till then, we can only hope that the withering state of the country, from virtually non-existent lawmaking to the bureaucracy unwilling and hesitant to function and the bare minimum investments from the business sector, maybe stabilized somehow. Hope is what one needs, and is only what many actually have, however, hope in absence of genuine actions from the legislature, unfortunately, only projects continuance of the status quo that is at the expense of the state in its entirety.

Cottage industry in Karachi

By Abdul Matin Ghani 

LAUNCHED by the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) in 1995, about 4,000 plots were allotted through ballot in the Cottage Industrial Zone at Orangi Township. Some initial work was done by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), but due to the area having been encroached upon, further development was stopped. It is now claimed by the authorities that all encroachments have been cleared, but in spite of several appeals to many officials and political leaderships, neither the allottees have so far been given physical possession of their plot of land nor have they been refunded the amounts already paid.

Small industries are the backbone of emerging economies. It is now time to revive all such dead projects, making them operational without which the vision of seven to eight per cent growth with greater employment opportunities can never ever be fulfilled no matter how dedicated an individual or relevant a ministry is.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2021

New chief selector accords importance to domestic performance

 By Naeem-ul-Haq in USA

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Although the battle in the middle didn’t reflect this kind of total supremacy for the home side but lady luck continued smiling on Pakistan all along and they managed to whip South Africa 2-0 in the two-Test series and followed it up with 2-1 victory in the three-match series of Twenty20 Internationals. 

Both the Test matches were keenly contested and while South Africa’s big guns, notably skipper Quinton de Cock and his predecessor Faf du Plessis, failed consistently with the bat, Pakistan rallied through their tail-enders to undo the good work of the South African bowlers who continued to be troubling and testing the local batsmen. 

Already the big news has broken from South Africa with du Plessis having announced his retirement from Test cricket. He didn’t mention it but it’s obvious that his miserable failure in the Pakistan series was the reason of his sudden decision to hang his boots. He had not looked out of form or jaded in either of the two Tests in Pakistan but his inability to convert starts into something substantial cost his team both the matches. 

The newly appointed Pakistan’s chief selector, Muhammad Wasim, has every right to celebrate the victories over South Africa both series even though neither of the two conquests could be considered emphatic. The bottom line, however, was that Pakistan emerged triumphant in both the formats against a fancied outfit. 

Wasim’s policy of blooding the top performers of the domestic tournaments into the national team looks a good move and I will like to compliment him for doing it. 

The domestic events deserve to be accorded due significance in order to maintain their sanctity and allow them to be competitive. It’s heartening to watch Pakistan’s debutant left-arm spinner Nauman Ali picking up wickets in both Tests and also contributing vital runs down the order. Hasan Ali made a forceful comeback while Fawad Alam extended his brilliance to prove how wrong the national selectors were in having sidelined him for nearly a decade. 

The performance of the newcomers also remained impressive in the T20 series. Zahid Mahmood made a dream debut in the decisive third game while Usman Qadir continued to remind us of illustrious father, the great Abdul Qadir. 

The chief selector will be advised, in the larger national interest, to provide opportunities to other fringe cricketers as well in order to create a larger pool of youngsters who could be pressed into service anytime to fill vacuum created by sudden injuries or illness to the established players. Similarly those talented cricketers, who sparkled and showed promise in the limited chances coming their way, should also not be ignored or treated harshly which will be detrimental to their confidence. 

One example is that of speedster Muhammad Hasnain. He surely deserves to get more matches after having proved his mettle earlier. He had bowled so brilliantly and it was really shocking to watch him getting dropped.

New edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is round the corner and there’s excitement all over the country. We hope to see the best players of the country engaged in highly competitive matches that would indeed be enjoyed by the spectators and television viewers. 

Wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan has become a star overnight. Without going to details, let me say that the kind of luck and support he’s enjoying at the moment 

I won’t be surprised if he starts picking four or five wickets in every match when choosing to bowl. He has been batting well undoubtedly and the new feather in his cap is the captaincy of Multan Sultan in the PSL, having taken over from Shan Masood.

Railways retrieve precious land in Karachi

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

In continuation of the land retrieval and anti-encroachment drive launched by the Pakistan Railways Karachi Division about a couple of weeks ago, the department has swiftly retrieved its 42 acres of land worth billions of rupees from a famous cloths brand in Jama Goth Karachi. 

The land had been illegally occupied by a well-known cloths' brand for the last 25 years where they had constructed a warehouse/godown for commercial purposes. 

The failure in retrieving that land in the past had resulted in conclusion of departmental action against many officers of Karachi Railways. 

The Divisional Superintendent Karachi Railways, Arshad Salam Khattak, has commented the concerned divisional officers and its police force for accomplishing a major task. 

He announced that the Karachi railways' anti-encroachment and land-retrieval operations would be escalated further owing to categorical directives from the apex court on December 29. 

This was the third successful operation by the Karachi Railways' during the stern drive initiated on December 22 last year.

Dadu-Kotri rail infrastructure inspected

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The annual DS Special inspection of the 181-kilometere long single line ML-II track from Dadu to Kotri was carried out by the divisional officers of the Karachi division led by their Divisional Superintendent Arshad Salam Khattak. 

The Pakistan Railways operates 213Up/214Down Moen-jo-Daro Express destined between Kotri and Rohri on this line. 

The track and its right-of-way area were examined from the glass window, in the back, of the last coach during the running train as the process called as window trailing. The entire infrastructure entailing manned as well as unmanned level crossings, bridges, level between rails, conditions of stations and available record at all the stations en route were inspected physically by the visiting officers.

The anomalies that had been pointed out four months ago on August 24 during the inspection conducted by Federal Government Inspector of Railways FGIR had been rectified by the concerned officials and were appreciated by the Divisional Superintendent. 

The paraphernalia available to the level crossings' staff was checked and its operational understanding was judged during the inspection.  

Running test of deputed staff was also conducted that determined their physical ability to cope with any untoward situation. 

As per customary practice, cash prizes were also awarded to the staff members for their sound knowledge and display of masterful skills.

Seminar highlights shortage of diabetes specialists in Pakistan

 By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan has too few diabetes specialists to treat the nearly 19.4 million people suffering from the disease according to the experts who spoke at a seminar at the Aga Khan University (AKU) held to announce the launch of a six-month certificate course in diabetes that seeks to expand access to the knowledge and skills needed to treat and manage the disease. The course, set to begin from January 2021, will offer the most updated and evidence-based knowledge to manage patients.

The country has only one specialist, also known as an endocrinologist, for every 200,000 diabetes patients, according to Pakistan Endocrine Society. Similar shortfalls in training and awareness of diabetes are present at all levels of our healthcare system, speakers added. 

The current deficits in managing the illness, which has no symptoms, mean that many patients often seek care when they are suffering from advanced complications from the disease. 

The new course is part of collaboration between the University, the British Medical Journal and Royal College of Physicians, London, to help doctors across Pakistan improve their theoretical and practical knowledge of the disease. 

It will include modules covering managing diabetes, its complications, lifestyle and obesity management, inpatient diabetes control and how to handle comorbidities in diabetes. The course is open to all registered healthcare professionals who hold an MBBS degree. 

Diabetes not only reduces the quality of life of patients but also puts them at risk of a range of complications such as heart attack, stroke, kidney problems, nerve damage, serious eye problems and even disability. 

A total of 60 percent of non-traumatic lower limb amputations in Pakistan occurred in patients with diabetes. 

“To reduce the burden of complications of diabetes, physicians have to be well-equipped with the knowledge to confidently diagnose the disease and refer for tertiary care in the case of a complication or inability to achieve good control of diabetes,” Professor Najmul Islam, chair, section of endocrinology, department of medicine at AKU, and course director of the diabetes certificate course, remarked. 

The experts at the seminar shared that Pakistan’s healthcare professionals often lack the expertise to manage the disease adding that short courses can bridge the gap and equip clinicians to manage the high burden of diabetes in the country. 

The model of improving knowledge through educational courses for controlling and treating diabetes has proven to be effective worldwide. The studies in United Kingdom have shown that diabetes education in healthcare professionals can help in reducing the amputation rate, a condition that can develop in both type 1 and type 2 patients.

Pak movie widely praised in China

 By Masood Sattar Khan

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistani movie ‘Parwaaz Hai Junoon’ has been premiered successfully in China, having earned praise from the Chinese movie lovers.

It’s for first time in the 45 years when a Pakistani film has been screened on Chinese cinema houses. 

The film had attracted a lot of attention in China even before its premiere as leading institutions like Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University and Southwest University participated in its promotion. 

According to reports, as many as 57 universities launched online campaigns to advertise the film. In addition, a large number of celebrities spontaneously promoted the film as the Chinese netizens expressed their delight at having watched the movie. 

A delegation of Chinese journalists visited the Capital Cinema, SDDYY, the largest cinema in China with a history of 70 years. 

The head of marketing for SDDYY introduced that Parwaaz Hai Junoon was a military film which succeeded in having aroused a heated discussion among Chinese viewers. 

“Compared to commercial films, this movie may not have as many gimmicks. However, it has profound significance and holds a very important place in the hearts of Chinese audience. In order to support the film industry of Pakistan and pay tribute to Pakistan-China friendship, we increased the layout rate of Parwaaz Hai Junoon,” he added.

“I had been looking forward to this film and it didn't disappoint me. It proves the capabilities of the Pakistani film industry and gives the Chinese viewers a wide exposure to the Pakistani culture. The introduction of this film before the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan is of great significance to the friendship between the two countries,” an a film lover remarked after watching Parwaaz Hai Junoon. 

Francaise Film, a famous film critic, evaluated that the quality and industrialization of the film was amazing, the portrayal of the characters was vivid and easier to resonate with the audience.

Pakistan committed for CPEC projects’ timely completion

 By Masood Sattar Khan

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Prime Minister Imran Khan has declared that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a transformational project and reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment for timely completion of the CPEC projects. 

The Prime Minister expressed these views when he met the newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Nong Rong, at Islamabad on November 11.

“The Prime Minister congratulated the Ambassador on his appointment and extended best wishes for a fruitful term,” the statement issued by PM Office noted. 

The premier also accentuated the significance of special economic zones (SEZs), relocation of industry, and improved productivity in agriculture sector. 

The Chinese envoy on the occasion expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Imran Khan and reassured China’s support in completion of CPEC projects and enhancement in industrialization and agricultural sector in Pakistan.