Profit PM Shehbaz hoPeful of lifting Pak-turkiye bilateral trade target to $5 billion In partnership with
Rs 40.00 | Vol XIII No 336 I 40 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Monday, 5 June, 2023 I 15 Zilqad, 1444
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SAYS OPPORTUNITIES EMERGED ESPECIALLY AFTER HISTORIC TRADE-IN-GOODS AGREEMENT BECAME OPERATIONAL ON MAY 31
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ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed the hope that the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Turkiye can reach to $5 billion annually over the next 3 years. Talking to his Twitter handle, the prime minister referred to his recent visit to Turkiye where he attended the swearing-in ceremony of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who had been re-elected for the third term in office. In his tweet, Prime Minister Shehbaz wrote: “In my meetings with heads of leading Turkish business groups Saturday, I highlighted the need for investment & trade in the fields of agriculture, energy, information technology and construction. Exciting opportunities have emerged for collaboration especially after the historic Trade-in-Goods
Agreement between Pakistan & Turkiye became operational on May 31 this year. The target of increasing bilateral trade volume to $5 billion annually over the next 3 years is very much achievable. Was glad to find discernible interest of the Turkish business community in building on the existing partnerships & establishing new ventures.” PM MEETS WORLD LEADERS IN TURKIYE, DISCUSS BILATERAL TIES, COOPERATION: Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif during his recent visit to Turkiye also met with different world leaders and discussed the bilateral ties and cooperation between Pakistan and their respective countries. The prime minister had travelled to Turkiye to join the world leaders in the inauguration ceremony of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The prime minister met former deputy prime minister of Turkiye and Chairman MHP Devlet Bahceli and con-
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veyed his felicitation over success in the elections, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. On the occasion, he also met with Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani- Sadriu. Both leaders reiterated their desire to promote bilateral relations and cooperation in different fields. The prime minister also interacted with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber. The prime minister referred to the establishment of market at the BalochistanSistan border and his recent meeting with the Iranian president. Welcoming the commencement of barter trade between the two countries, the prime minister expressed the confidence that it would mutually benefit the people of both brotherly countries. In his meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the two leaders discussed regional cooperation, connectivity and further strengthening of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields. PM, PRESIDENT ERDOGAN EXCHANGE PLEASANTRIES: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged pleasantries during their interaction marked by interesting remarks on the inauguration ceremony of the latter yesterday. The prime minister had traveled to Turkiye to join the world leaders in the inauguration ceremony of President Erdogan. President Erdogan’s spouse also joined the interaction. They appreciated Pakistani mangoes. The prime minister conveyed felicitation to the president on his re-election and said that the Pakistani nation was overjoyed at his success. He also thanked him for extending an in-
MET DIFFERENT WORLD LEADERS, DISCUSSED BILATERAL TIES AND COOPERATION BETWEEN PAKISTAN, THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES
vitation to attend the ceremony and share their joys, PM Office Media Wing in a press release, in Urdu language, said. PM PENS DOWN SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENT ERDOGAN: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif penned down his felicitation message along with his signatures on a special board set up on the inauguration of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the third time in office. He extended felicitation and good wishes to President Erdogan, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release on Sunday. Other visiting dignitaries including presidents and heads of governments also signed and wrote their messages. PM CONCLUDES HIS TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO TURKIYE: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday left for Pakistan after concluding his two-day official visit to Turkiye.
At the Ankara International Airport, the prime minister was seen off by senior officials of Turkiye’s Ministry of foreign affairs, members of the Turkish parliament, Ambassador of Pakistan Dr Yousaf Junaid and other members of the embassy, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. At the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister attended his inauguration ceremony in Ankara on June 3. During his stay, the prime minister also held interaction with world leaders and discussed bilateral ties and cooperation in diverse fields between Pakistan and their respective countries. He also held meetings with various delegations of business and trade companies and entities of Turkiye and discussed prospects of vast business and investment potential that existed between the two brotherly countries in various sectors.
‘Pakistani mangoes are very tasty, sweet’: Erdogan thanks Shehbaz for gift ANKARA
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his victory in the elections on behalf of the Pakistani nation. In an informal conversation with the newly inaugurated Turkish president and his wife in a cordial atmosphere, the PM told them he was now leaving for Pakistan. “The people of Pakistan are very happy at your election,” Prime Minister Sharif told President Erdogan. “Thank you very
much for your invitation; you shared your moment of happiness with us.” The premier told the Turkish president and his wife he had brought a gift of Pakistani mangoes. “Half of them are for my brother and half for my sister,” the prime minister said. President Erdogan and his wife smiled at the PM’s remarks and thanked him for his gesture. “I know Pakistan’s mangoes are very tasty and sweet,” President Erdogan replied. He then thanked PM Sharif for coming to his inauguration.
Top cop says will challenge ATC’s order NAB seeks vehicles’ record in name on ‘Dr Yasmin’s discharge’ in LHC of 22 members of ex-PM’s cabinet LAHORE
SALEEM JADOON
Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar on Sunday declared the Punjab Police will challenge the Anti-Terrorism Court’s order to discharge Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) leader Yasmin Rashid from Jinnah House attack case, insisting Dr Yasmin Rashid was among the main characters of the attack. “The police have solid evidence regarding Dr Yasmin’s involvement in the attack and based on these evidence, the ATC verdict will be challenged in the high court,” Punjab IG Police Dr Usman Anwar said while addressing a press conference along with CCPO Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamiyana and other senior police officers at Central Police Office here on Sunday. On this occasion, the IG Punjab also showed videos to the media based on the presence of Dr Yasmin Rashid and the statements of incitement on the occasion of the attack
on Jinnah House. He claimed that at the time of the attack on Jinnah House, 41 calls of Dr Yasmin Rashid, 10 of Hammad Azhar, 75 of Mahmood-ul-Rashid, 50 of Ejaz Chaudhary, 16 of Aslam Iqbal and 23 of Murad Raas were recorded. The IGP said that the May-9 attacks were clearly instigated by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership while inciting the workers on social media. The targets were preset and planned at a specific central point, he asserted. It was propagated that the police had killed his people even though they had weapons, the policemen were not given weapons, he informed. They first alleged that the police had killed 40 people, then it was claimed that 25 people had been killed.” We said that if it is true then show us dead bodies but they had no answer”, he maintained. Dr. Usman Anwar said through a multimedia presentation that a total of 215 calls were made to instigate the attack on Jinnah House
on May-9, including the calls of Yasmin Rashid, Aslam Iqbal, Murad Raas and Mahmoodur Rashid. According to the records, 154 calls were made on 8 and 9 May while 88 calls were made in the vicinity of Rawalpindi GHQ to provoke the protestors. Similarly, 25 calls to political leadership from sensitive installations in Faisalabad were recorded, the IGP asserted. There were 50 calls on the Mianwali base that were inter-linked with the top five leaders, he said and added that these calls were made from there to important people in the top leadership of PTI. The police have a record of each call which would be presented in the courts along with other evidence, he added. He said that 708 people have been identified in the Jinnah House attack and 125 have been arrested. Similarly, 170 people who were present at Jinnah House have been identified from their WhatsApp groups, he added.
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ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
With the aim to intensify investigation into Al Qadir Trust case, also known as illegal transfer of NCA’s £190m scandal, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has sought details from the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department regarding sale and purchase of vehicles “in the name of” 22 members of former prime minister Imran Khan’s cabinet. The anti-corruption watchdog has written a letter to the provincial excise department, stating that the bureau’s Rawalpindi office was “conducting an investigation against the subject of persons on the allegations of corruption and corrupt practices under the provisions of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999”. “In view thereof, you are requested to provide the details/ copies of certified documents of any vehicles’ sales/purchase during the period of Jan 2018 till date in the name of the following persons by June 20, 2023” before the NAB’s combined investigation team in Islamabad, the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, read. According to Al Qadir Trust case, the former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, obtained billions of rupees and hundreds of kanal land from Bahria Town Ltd for legalising Rs50 billion that was identified and returned to the country by the UK during the previous PTI government. NAB has sought details about the sale or pur-
chase of vehicles in the name of the following persons under Section 19 (power to call for information) of the NAB Ordinance, including: Asad Umar, Shireen Mazari, Pervez Khattak, Fawad Chaudhry, Hammad Azhar, Azam Khan Swati, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Zaheeruddin Babar Awan, Omar Ayub Khan, Shafqat Mahmood, Faisal Vawda, Murad Saeed, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, Syed Ali Haider Zaidi, Khusro Bakhtiar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Zubaida Jalal, Ijaz Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Farogh Naseem, Muhammad Soomro and Sahibzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan.
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