World Bank appreciates Pakistan’s growth
Pakistan stands to benefit from three tailwinds over the near-to-medium-term, with average growth projected at 5.5 per cent over the forecast period, said the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report for 2016. Lower inflation has enabled the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to cut policy rates to support economic activity, the bank said. The report identified the ‘tailwinds’ as rising investments from China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC); the anticipated return of Iran to the international economic community; and persistently low international oil prices. The report also pointed out that macroeconomic adjustment in Pakistan under an International Monetary Fund programme is progressing, while efforts to crackdown on violent crime in Karachi, the country’s industrial and commercial hub, are supporting investor confidence.
How Pakistan’s National Health Insurance Programme will Work
Pakistan’s government launched a national health insurance programme for its poorest households marking the start of the most-ambitious public health project in the country’s history.
The Prime Minister’s National Health Programme will cover families that make less than $ 2 a day through a gradual rollout. In the first phase, over 3 million families will get health insurance in 23 districts, with the ultimate aim to cover 22 million households across the country.
Pakistan-born first Muslim female to enter Australian state parliament
Pakistan-born migrant Mehreen Faruqi became the first Muslim woman to enter the Australian state parliament as she was selected by the New South Wales Greens to fill a position in the upper house of the state legislature. Faruqi was selected by a postal ballot of party members, from a field of seven in a contest in which only women could run. She is all set to become part of Australia’s first and oldest parliament in New South Wales in July as the first female Muslim in any of Australia’s state, territory or federal parliaments.
Fiza Farhan appointed member of UN’s first-ever panel on women empowerment
A Pakistani woman has been named as a member of the United Nations body dedicated to the economic empowerment of women. Fiza Farhan was elected as a member of the first ever High-Level Panel of the UN Secretary-General on Women’s Economic Empowerment. Fiza is CEO of Buksh Foundation and director of Buksh Energy. She was also part of the ’30 under 30′ list by Forbes magazine for Social Entrepreneurs.
Researcher from Quetta, Balochistan contributed to gravitational waves discovery
As the story of one of the world’s most influential scientific discovery unfolds, it comes to the forefront that not one (Dr. Nergis Mavalvala), but two Pakistanis were part of the various research teams which contributed to the discovery of gravitational waves.
A young researcher from Quetta, Imran Khan, currently pursuing his PhD at Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) in Italy, was one of the co-authors of the Physical Review Letter (PRL) paper, submitted to the LIGO Scientific Collaboration at the helm of this discovery.
Pakistani Documentary “A Girl in the River” wins Oscar
A documentary, “A Girl in the River”, about honor killings in Pakistan won an Oscar having already spurred the country’s government toward toughening laws to protect women. The film was the second Oscar for Pakistani producer and director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and won the award for best short documentary.
Laws that allow families to murder their daughters in the name of “honour” and avoid punishment will be changed as soon as possible, Pakistan’s prime minister has promised. Nawaz Sharif said the perpetrators of so-called honour killings must not be allowed to be forgiven by family members. “This is totally against Islam and anyone who does this must be punished and punished very severely,” the PM was quoted as saying. “Changing the law is something that needs to be done at the earliest possibility.”
Women on Wheels Hit the Road in Lahore
About 150 women motorcyclists after completing training with the collaboration of SpecialMonitoring Unit on Law and Order and City Traffic Police, participated in the Women on Wheels rally in Lahore.
The rally, a move to encourage female bike riding, was also attended by female diplomats of European countries and by human rights activists including Asma Jahangir.
YouTube Launches Site for Pakistan
YouTube says it has launched a local version for Pakistan. From now on, users in Pakistan will be directed to an Urdu-language version of the YouTube video sharing website at youtube.com.pk, which will feature videos trending in the country. “We aim to provide an even more tailored YouTube experience by launching versions that are optimized for Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. We also hope that this will pave the way for the work of local creators, personalities, and musicians to shine on the world’s largest and most vibrant video community,” said a Google spokesperson.
Pakistan province passes landmark law protecting women against violence
Lawmakers in Pakistan’s largest province, Punjab, gave unprecedented protection to female victims of violence. The new law criminalizes all forms of violence against women, whether domestic, psychological or sexual, and calls for the creation of a toll-free abuse reporting hot line and the establishment of shelters.
Pak parliament passes law against child sexual abuse
Pakistan’s Senate passed a bill that criminalises for the first time sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking.
The amendment to the penal code, which will go into force after being ratified by the president, also raises the age of criminal responsibility from seven to 10 years of age. Under the revised legislation, sexual assaults will now be punishable by up to seven years in prison. Previously, only rape was criminalised. Likewise, child pornography, which was previously not mentioned in the law, will be punishable by seven years in prison and a fine of 700,000 rupees ($7000). The new amendment also criminalises child trafficking within Pakistan. Previously traffickers were only liable for punishment if they removed children from the country. “This is a very important step to realise the obligations of Pakistan” under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sara Coleman, chief of child protection at UNICEF, stated.
Pakistani Parliament becomes world’s first to run on solar power
Pakistan’s parliament became the world’s first to run fully on solar power. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the solar power system, which provides 62 MW to the parliament and a surplus 18 MW to the national grid. The venture was funded by China as an act of friendship. It was officially launched during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pakistan last year.
