NEPRA approves another 660 mw coal power generation plant (Aaj News, Feb.19,2015)

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1 NEPRA approves another 660 mw coal power generation plant (Aaj News, Feb.19,2015) ISLAMABAD: National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Thursday approved generation license for Engro Powergen Thar (Pvt) Limited (EPGTPL). The Power Project of EPGTPL of 2 x 330 MW will be the first part of the Energy Park which would have total generating capacity of approximately 3600 MW. EPGTPL has already applied for the acceptance of the Up-Front Tariff for Coal. The project is also included in the least cost expansion plan of NTDC which would be responsible for evacuation and transmission of power from the Power Plant. Pakistan is a coal-rich country, with estimated reserves of around 185 Billion. Most of these reserves are situated in the area of Thar in Sindh. The Thar Coal for Power Generation the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company Limited (SECMCL) was established as a joint venture between the Government of Sindh (GoS) and Engro Powergen Limited. A subsidiary of SECMCL has been incorporated in the name of Engro Powergen Thar (Pvt.) Limited (EPGTPL) to develop a power project. Power Sector of the country is facing multifaceted problems. These include not only energy shortage at generation side but also of inappropriate energy mix. Both these basic issues can be resolved with the installation of bigger Coal based generation facilities/power Plants, said a press release. The decision to grant a license to EPGTPL for the setting up of an indigenous Coal Based Power Plant would be a milestone achievement and would envisage a strong commitment and desire towards utilizing the indigenous coal reservoir of Tharcoal, while ensuring compliance of international environmental standards and obligations. This factor would ascertain the national energy security for future. It would contribute towards the development of local communities and provision of jobs to local people in that vicinity. At the national level the coal fired power plants regime is a step in the right direction for self-reliance in energy and for generation of affordable electricity and to increase diversification in power generation. Overcoming energy crisis in short term would contribute towards economic sustenance. The interest in coal plants reflects the investor confidence in NEPRA s Tariff determination consequently mitigating the power crisis in the country.

2 Belarus, Pakistan to set up business council in 2015 (Belarusian News, Feb19,2015) MINSK, 19 February (BelTA) - Belarus and Pakistan will set up a business council in The agreement was reached during a working visit of Belarusian Ambassador to Pakistan Andrei Yermolovich to Karachi, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry. The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a presentation of trade, economic and investment potential of Belarus, which was attended by representatives of the business community of the region. The diplomat held talks with representatives of the companies that cooperate with Minsk Tractor Works to discuss the deliveries of Belarusian tractors to Pakistan. The parties discussed the prospects of assembling Belarusian tractors in Pakistan, and explored ways to supply other farm machines to the country. The Belarusian Ambassador held meetings with the executives of Karachi-based mining, engineering, pharmaceutical, gas and oil companies. The parties discussed the possibility of delivering the vehicles made by BelAZ, MAZ and Amkodor for the needs of the mining and road-building companies of Pakistan, setting up assembly facilities for Belarusian equipment, and joint production of medicines. Turkey can play vital role in Pakistan economic turnaround: LCCI chief (Brecorder, Feb.19,2015) The LCCI President Ijaz A Mumtaz said on Wednesday that Turkey can play an important role in economic turnaround of Pakistan. He said being the second fastest growing economy of the world after China, Turkey has a lot to offer their Pakistani counterparts who should avail the opportunities. He further said that ample opportunities exist in a number of sectors including construction and energy sectors of Pakistan and now it is duty of the policy makers to make this visit meaningful. He called for exchange of business delegations so that both sides could have first-hand knowledge of the available opportunities in Pakistan and Turkey. He further said that both the countries have marvellous untapped business potential that needs to be realized by maximising the involvement of private sectors of the two countries. He hoped that economic relations between the two countries would strengthen further to create a win-win situation for Pakistan and Turkey. Ijaz A Mumtaz said time has come that businessmen of the two countries should enhance their bilateral relations which will be beneficial for the people of two countries. "We can strengthen our economy by adopting the development and progress of Turkey as model," he added. He commended the efforts made by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and for accelerating two-way interaction among the businessmen of Turkey and Pakistan. He said that textile sector has traditionally been the biggest sector of the economy. Studies and surveys confirm that its contribution in total exports are almost 60 percent and it engages almost 38 percent of manufacturing labour force to acquire more than 46 percent share in overall manufacturing. In the context

3 of having won the GSP Plus status, the need of technology improvement and capacity building in textile sector of Pakistan is necessary, he mentioned. He further said that Turkey is well positioned to take advantage of Pakistan's economic potential and its geo-strategic location. "Let us make trade and investment, the central pillar of this co-operation." He said that with regard to solid waste management, it is proposed that waste-to-energy solutions are gaining a lot of success in modern world. He said that Pakistan is facing severe crisis in energy sector and it is the best way that we go for all possible options of alternative energy. He emphasised that some kind of understanding should be developed between the private sector representatives of both the countries that will certainly provide basis to convert that into business deals. He said that some analysts presume that the trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan can be increased as high as US two billion dollars with some joint efforts made by public and private sectors of both the countries. COMSATS to set up women business incubation centre (Pakistan Today, Feb.19,2015) An international moot on women empowerment organised by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in collaboration with Turkey s Duzce University kicked off on Thursday. The two-day conference aims to recommend effective policies and strategies to promote gender equity and encourage women leadership. The host university aims to develop Women Business Incubation Centre for guiding, mentoring and assisting women from all walks of life. Ever since Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced the package for women development back in 2012, many measures have been taken for women empowerment, provincial minister Zakia Shahnawaz said. She highlighted that an amendment to increase the minimum marriage age for girls to 18 years is under active consideration with the objective to reduce child mortality and improve mother-child health. With education and skills come empowerment and the government has taken measures for free school education of all, she said, adding that life changes with helping others. This is the basis of our Islamic values, she said and urged all the educated women to guide less privileged ones. While addressing the gathering, Punjab Ombudswoman Dr Mira Phailbus said women hesitate to speak about their problems, especially if these pertain to taboo issues such as harassment at workplace as they fear retaliation from the employers as well as their own families. They also fear losing their livelihood over such issues. The commissioners in districts could appoint focal persons to initiate hearings of complaints by women, she said.

4 Every public/private institution or department is bound by law to address complaints of harassment by women and set up three member committees which must actively forward their findings to the Punjab Ombudswoman office for hearing of the matter, she explained. Turkey and Pakistan move to strengthen relations (The Journal of Turkish Weekly, Feb.19,2015) JTW News Analysis, Yağmur Erşan Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu took part in a two-day official visit to Pakistan between February 17 and 18 with the aim of promoting relations between the two countries. The Turkish prime minister was accompanied by a high level delegation including cabinet members, government officials and businessmen. This was Davutoğlu s first official visit abroad since taking office last year. Co-chaired by Turkey s prime minister and his Pakistani counterpart, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, the 4th meeting of the Pakistan-Turkey High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) was held on Tuesday, February 17. Established in October 2009, the HLCC has brought together Turkish and Pakistani prime misters on three different occasions, in December 2010, May 2012 and September This year s meeting focused on Turkish-Pakistani bilateral cooperation in six core areas: finance and banking, energy, trade, transport and communications, education and culture, and tourism. In his address to the meeting, PM Nawaz Sharif hailed Turkey as an indispensable partner, stating that the two countries would continue working together to promote peace and prosperity for their respective peoples and in the region overall. Economic cooperation Pakistan s priority is to enhance trade relations with Turkey, Pakistani National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz told the Anadolu Agency on Monday. Although the bilateral trade volume between the two countries has the potential to develop in many areas such as energy and agriculture, it has decreased over the last several years. According to Trade Map Statistics, although the bilateral trade volume reached close to $1bn in 2010, it decreased to $695.2mn in Pakistan and Turkey signed 11 documents during the meeting of the HLSCC, including one agreement, five protocols, three Memorandums of Understanding, one additional protocol and a joint declaration to strengthen strategic ties in the field of energy, commerce, communications and scientific cooperation. In addition, they also agreed to work towards a Free Trade Agreement that foresees the enhancement of bilateral trade from $3bn through $5bn and finally to $10bn over the next couple of years. Sharif and Davutoğlu also attended the Pakistan-Turkey Business Forum Here, PM Sharif emphasized opportunities in Pakistan that could be capitalized on by Turkish businesses, whether they are in the country s energy, infrastructure or agriculture sectors. Besides highlighting the importance of bilateral trade and economic cooperation, PM Davutoğlu expressed that a better transport network is needed to connect the two countries while also articulating his

5 desire for more frequent flights between Pakistan and Turkey. Davutoğlu also vowed to afford Pakistan $20mn in support of the internally displaced persons and others affected by massive floods that rocked the country in the September of last year. Security and defense cooperation One of the crucial aims of PM Davutoğlu s visit was to discuss the possibilities of enhancing peace, stability and development both in the two countries themselves and in the region at large. After meeting with Davutoğlu, PM Sharif said that the two leaders were committed to strengthening security, defense and counter-terrorism cooperation between the two countries. PM Davutoğlu voiced word of praise on Pakistan s efforts in the fight against terrorism. In addition to discussing issues in bilateral security, the current situation in Afghanistan occupied an important part of agenda. In this sense, Sartaj Aziz said on Monday that Turkey has been a very strong supporter of Afghanistan in the last few years because of its cultural, religious and economic links. In 2007, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey formed a trilateral mechanism to advance cooperative efforts in the region. Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif expressed that Turkey is playing a much appreciated role in normalizing relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. PM Davutoğlu said that in spite of their great geographical distance from one another, Pakistan and Turkey enjoy an exemplary relationship. Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain honored PM Davutoğlu with a state medal at an official ceremony held at the presidency in Islamabad on Tuesday. Pakistan-US university partnerships boosting social sciences and humanities: Chairman HEC (The News Tribe, Feb.19,2015) ISLAMABAD: The university partnerships in Social Sciences and Humanities between the higher learning institutions of Pakistan and the United States are instrumental in providing a boost to the waning interest among academics and researchers in these fields. This was stated by Prof. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman, Higher Education Commission (HEC) while addressing the Follow-up Workshop for Pakistan-US University Partnerships in Social Sciences and Humanities that began here on Wednesday.

6 These partnerships, a joint initiative of Higher Education Commission and the US Embassy in Pakistan, are an on-going activity since 2012 and aim to establish long-term, ongoing relationships between Pakistani institutions of higher learning with those in the United States, in the fields of Social Sciences and Humanities. Under this programme, $1 million grant is funded by the US government and provided to American universities to establish a three-year partnership with a Pakistani university in Social Sciences and Humanities fields in order to assist universities with professional development for faculty, curriculum reform, joint research, as well as increasing mutual understanding between Pakistan and the United States through sustainable, peer-to-peer relationships. The two-day workshop will review the on-going projects under these partnerships. It involves sessions on Sustainability of Partnerships, Academic Linkages and Network, DVC Session with US Partners, University Partnerships Success and Challenges. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed urged the participants to share their achievements and learn from each other s experiences. Let s review what we have achieved through these partnerships and celebrate our success. I will request all of you to share success with people in your institution and also with other institutions in your surrounding community. He further added it was time to pay back society by providing it with solutions to local problems. The Chairman thanked the US Government, particularly US Embassy, for their continuous support for development of Pakistan s higher education sector and initiating these partnerships for promoting research in areas of Social Sciences and Humanities. Cooperation with Pakistan in higher education is a priority for the United States. U.S.-funded university partnerships between Pakistani and American universities are enhancing curricula and research quality. In doing so, they will benefit future generations moving through the Pakistani higher education system, said Thomas Leary, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Islamabad. All the University Partnerships are for three-year duration. The projects which started in 2012 will finish this year after completing their three years. This include partnership between National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad and University of North Texas in English Linguistics in Literature, and English Language Teaching; Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad and Ball State University in American Studies; Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad and San José State University in Distance Education, Computer Science; Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi and University of Texas at Austin in Behavioral Sciences; Gender Studies, Mass Communications; University of Gujrat and University of Oklahoma in Mass Communication and Media Studies; Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University, Peshawar and Southern Methodist University in Psychology; Isra University, Hyderabad and Ball State University in Business Administration; Consortium of Five Pakistani Universities in KPK and the University of Kentucky in Business Administration. KPK universities include Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, Kohat University of Science and Technology, University of Peshawar, Bannu University of Science and Technology, and IMSciences, Peshawar. The partnerships which started in 2013 and will complete next year include that of National College of

7 Arts, Rawalpindi and Boston Architectural College in Architecture and Cultural Preservation; Azad Jammu and Kashmir University, Muzaffarabad and San José State University in Linguistics and English Education; Karakoram International University, Gilgit and University of Oregon in Business Management and Environment Sciences; Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore and Arizona State University in American Literature; Lahore College for Women University and George Washington University in Gender Studies; University of Karachi and George Mason University in Public Administration; National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi and University of Texas at Austin in Composition, Instrumental and Vocal Music; and Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi and Southern Polytechnic State University in Communication Design. Similarly, the partnerships started in 2014 include International Islamic University, Islamabad and University of North Carolina Wilmington in Politics and International Relations and English; Lahore University of Management Sciences and American University in the field of Leadership Training and Entrepreneurship for Pakistani Females (for one year duration only). Two more partnerships will be formed between National College of Arts, Lahore and a US University in Film and Television Arts, and University of the Punjab, Lahore and a US Institution in Sociology and Development Studies.