Pakistan rendering excellent services in UN Peacekeeping: PM
Congratulates newly elected officials of CPNE
ISLAMABAD:Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday congratulated the newly elected officials of Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE). In his message, the prime minister conveyed his heartfelt congratulation to IrshadArif, Anwar Sajidi and EjazulHaq on their election as President, Senior Vice President and Secretary General of CPNE respectively.
Expressing best wishes for the newly elected officials, Shehbaz Sharif said CPNE was a beautiful collection of distinguished names of writers and journalists.He said the election of the new officials was reflection of the confidence of their colleagues at CPNE.
The prime minister assured that the government would fully cooperate with CPNEs efforts in the welfare and betterment of the journalist community. “I pray for the newly elected officials to excel in their responsibilities and live up to the trust of their community,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Pakistani soldiers had rendered excellent services in the UN Peacekeeping, including the sacrifice of life in the most complex and dangerous conflict zones. In a tweet, the PM said as the eight Pakistani peacekeepers were honoured posthumously on the completion of 75 years of the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Mission, Pakistan was proud of being one of the largest contributors to the peace missions under the UNs umbrella. “We are proud of our peacekeepers for their unprecedented commitment to duty,” he added.
On May 25, the UN honoured at a solemn ceremony 103 military, police and civilian personnel from around the world, including eight Pakistani peacekeepers, who lost their lives serving under the UN flag last year. The special ceremony was presided over by Secretary-General (SG) Antonio Guterres which marked the 75th anniversary of UN peacekeeping.In the ceremony, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal was awarded posthumously to the peacekeepers, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of peace, during the preceding year.
According to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) foreign correspondent news report, Pakistans Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Aamir Khan accepted the awards on behalf of the families of the fallen Pakistani peacekeepers — Havildar Muhammad Ismail, Major Faizan Ali, Lt. Col Asif Ali Awan, NaibSubedar Sami Ullah Khan, Major Muhammad SaadNomani, and Lance Havildar Muhammad Jamil Khan — the six martyred while serving with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) when their helicopter crashed on March 29, 2022. Moreover, Havildar Babar Siddique lost his life while also serving in MONUSCO and Corporal Rana Muhammad Tahir Islam, who was working with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan is currently the fifth largest contributor to UN peacekeeping with nearly 4,200 military and police personnel serving in Abyei, the Central African Republic, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, South Sudan and Western Sahara.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that provision of equal opportunities to the country’s youth to excel in different fields and get respectable jobs was among the top priorities of the government.
He said that provision of international standard educational and skills facilities was being ensured for the young people, besides arrangements were also made for holding of different games. The prime minister expressed these views during a meeting with his Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Shaza Fatima Khawaja, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
The prime minister also expressed his pleasure over the youth taking part in the positive activities during the ongoing 34th National Games in Quetta. Their objective was to provide opportunities to the young segment of society so that they could utilize their complete energies for positive activities and save them from the negative effects of propaganda. SAPM Shaza Fatima Khawaja apprised the prime minister of the progress achieved on the youth programme.
She informed that 60,000 youth had been imparted different professional training in different skill sets under the youth programme which was initiated during the last year. A free training programme to 40,000 young people would be initiated soon, she added. The special assistant further said that a total of Rs 13.5 billion loans on affordable terms had been extended to the young people in business and agriculture sectors while Rs16.5 billion worth loans would be provided in the next few months. The prime minister appreciated the progress on the youth porgramme. APP
