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Barter trade, other measures to boost Pakistan, Russia ties: ambassador

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Barter trade, other measures to boost Pakistan, Russia ties: ambassador

The Russian ambassador to Pakistan, Danila Ganich, says both countries have reached an agreement on a free payment structure for barter trade, eliminating the need for the US dollars in bilateral transactions. 

Ganich, while speaking to Dunya News, emphasised that no third party would determine their efforts and that Russia and Pakistan would be allies and partners amidst geopolitical changes.

President Vladimir Putin, he announced, was set to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, further accelerating the process of regional cooperation. The  ambassador also expressed hope that Russian oil would provide relief to Pakistan. He said that being a member of the Paris Club, they had rescheduled Pakistan’s loans. 

Pakistan is an independent sovereign state and in this regard, it is to take a political decision concerning the construction of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline and Russia’s Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline. 

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The ambassador refrained from commenting on the internal politics of Pakistan, emphasising his commitment to upholding the best relations with the country regardless of which party rules. 

Ganich urged Pakistan and India to resolve the Kashmir conflict at the negotiating table rather than involve any third party. He suggested that Russia could play a role in resolving the core issue if both sides requested it. The ambassador added that there was no immediate solution to the war in Ukraine and that defeating Russia on the battlefield would be unrealistic and dangerous for the world. 

The relationship between Pakistan and Russia, he said, was friendly and grounded in realism, with the former being viewed as a reliable partner and friend by the latter. Both nations had excellent political and diplomatic ties and had been working to improve their public and commercial interests, he said. 

Their mutual influence in the world is significant, with Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan being especially crucial.

He further said that during the 1990s the trade between the two countries was only $100 million which reached one billion dollars recently. There was a five-fold increase in trade between Pakistan and Russia in recent years, he said. 

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The ambassador further noted that the shift from a unipolar world to a multipolar world had led to an increased closeness between Pakistan and Russia. The world at large was witnessing attempts at domination, which in turn was leading people to seek self-reliance or to become real allies.

The geopolitical changes, he pleaded, were expected to accelerate the regional cooperation process and facilitate the formation of new alliances. Based on the shared values that Pakistanis and Russians hold precious, the two nations are expected to become rich allies and partners. The ambassador remarked that various regional integration projects such as China’s One Belt One Road, Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union, and Pakistan’s connectivity project have different names but share the goal of promoting connectivity and infrastructure development in the region.

He said a strong defence relationship exists between Pakistan and Russia. He said cooperation in the military, anti-narcotics and educational sectors was there.

The ambassador added that Russia’s economic strength may be not that strong, but it remains a nuclear superpower. He warned that countries should avoid escalating tensions on the military front. Moreover, it is notable that Pakistan has recommended to Shafqat Ali Khan, a skilled diplomat in Russia, to establish a payment infrastructure free from the dollar to minimise reliance on it. 

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M.M Alam’s 11th death anniversary being observed today

M.M Alam’s 11th death anniversary being observed today

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M.M Alam's 11th death anniversary being observed today

 The 11th death anniversary of the 1965 war hero Muhammad Mahmood Alam, popularly known as M.M Alam, is being observed today (Monday). 

Alam is considered a national hero for Pakistan, most significantly, for his remarkable show of brilliance in the 1965 Pak-India war when he was posted at Sargodha. During this war he was involved in various dogfights while flying his F-86 Sabre fighter. He downed nine Indian Hawker Hunter fighters in the aerial fighting, and damaged two others. 

In one mission on Sept 7, 1965, Alam downed five Indian aircraft in less than a minute, the last four within 30 seconds, establishing a world record, with total of nine aircraft downed in the war. 

Alam was born on July 6, 1935 to a well-educated family of Calcutta, British India and was the eldest of 11 siblings. The family migrated from Calcutta to eastern Bengal which became East Pakistan following the formation of Pakistan in 1947. He joined the then RPAF (now PAF) in 1952, being commissioned on Oct 2, 1953. 

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His family moved to West Pakistan around 1971 after the secession of East Pakistan. 

In 1982, Alam retired from PAF as an air commodore and took up residence in Karachi. Alam died in Karachi on March 18, 2013 at 77.

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IHC to resume hearing of PTI founder, Bushra’s appeals against conviction in gifts, cipher cases

IHC to resume hearing of PTI founder, Bushra’s appeals against conviction in gifts, cipher cases

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IHC to resume hearing of PTI founder, Bushra's appeals against conviction in gifts, cipher cases

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will resume today hearing of appeals filed by PTI founder, his wife Bushra Bibi, and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi against their convictions in the cipher and Toshakhana cases.

A special bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb will conduct hearing.

Previously, the bench had dismissed the objections raised by prosecution over maintainability of the petitions after PTI founder’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar advanced arguments against the objections raised by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah over the maintainability of the appeals.

Special prosecutor Hamid Ali Shah pointed out that since the original law, promulgated in 1923, did not provide the right of appeal.

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A provision of the Secrets Act (section 10) allowed an appeal to the extent of trial proceedings, but not against conviction, Shah added.

In reply to a query by Justice Farooq whether there was no provision of filing an appeal under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), the prosecutor replied that the law was silent on the matter.

Shah further contended that the two-member division bench could not hear an appeal against conviction under the Special Secrets Act. On the other hand, Barrister Salman Safdar argued that CrPC was applicable in this case.

He further claimed that the CrPC would indeed apply to the Official Secrets Act, allowing for an appeal.

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Resolution condemning Mir Ali checkpost attack submitted in Punjab Assembly

Resolution condemning Mir Ali checkpost attack submitted in Punjab Assembly

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Resolution condemning Mir Ali checkpost attack submitted in Punjab Assembly

A resolution condemning the attack on Mir Ali’s checkpost of North Waziristan was submitted to the Punjab Assembly.

The resolution was submitted by Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz’s (PML-N’s) member of Punjab Assembly Kanwal Liaquat advocate.

In the resolution, it was stated that this house (Punjab Assembly) strongly condemns the cowardly attack of the enemy on the checkpost in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan.

The entire nation pays tributes to the soldiers who embraced martyrdom in this terrorist attack.

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The resolution further stated that the salutes its brave sons, the nation was standing united with the forces of Pakistan.

The eternal sacrifices of the martyrs of the country were unforgettable, the martyrs who sacrificed their lives were people’s pride, the resolution said .

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