ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan highlighted the importance of stronger cooperation between Beijing and Islamabad in order to complete the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as soon as possible on Friday (CPEC).
“It is a revolutionary project, and Pakistan and China should collaborate more closely on it to make it a high-quality demonstration project of China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said in Islamabad during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Nong Rong.
During the meeting, Mr Khan and Ambassador Nong Rong addressed bilateral ties, CPEC, Covid-19 vaccines, and mutual cooperation in other sectors, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister Office.
“Cooperation in trade, commerce, and investment between China and Pakistan, as well as people-to-people contacts, mining, and natural resources,” the statement added.
The prime minister addressed the situation in Afghanistan, emphasising that the issue could not be resolved through military means.
The PM Office noted, “He reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to persistently support efforts for a negotiated political settlement.”
Prime Minister Khan referred to Pakistan and China as “iron brothers,” saying that “no hostile forces will be permitted to undermine the iron-clad brotherhood” between the two countries.
The Prime Minister’s Office said in a series of tweets that the envoy conveyed greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang as well as felicitations on Pakistan’s Independence Day.
PM Khan, for his part, “warmly reciprocated” the pleasantries from the Chinese leaders, according to the statement.
He praised China for providing Pakistan with “consistent support” in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccines, including through the Covax facility.
Pakistan initiated a coronavirus immunisation campaign earlier this year after China contributed 500,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine. Since then, China has donated and purchased millions of vaccines in the form of donations and purchases.
President Dr. Arif Alvi was notified earlier this week by the Chinese ambassador that his country would supply 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccines to Pakistan before the end of the year.
PM for end of fake voters
On Friday, Prime Minister Khan called for an end to the registration of fraudulent voters in order to hold free, fair, and transparent general elections in 2023 that are acceptable to all.
“For the first time in the country’s history, the government will synchronise technology and data to remove any risk of fraud in general elections,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the opening of the National Database and Registration Authority’s many programmes (Nadra).
On his arrival to the authority’s headquarters, PM Khan was greeted by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Nadra Chairman Tariq Malik. Farrukh Habib, Minister of State for Information, was also present.
The Alien Registration Card, Pak Covid-19 Mobile Vaccination Pass, national certification and renewal campaign, and other projects were launched by the prime minister, including the establishment of 66 Nadra registration centres across the country and the introduction of 90 mobile registration vans.
Mr Khan stated that “the results based on the free and open exercise will be acceptable to all,” adding that “technology would be synced with data to stop false voter registration.”
Mr Khan stated that the Alien Registration Card and work permit for immigrants will bring a part of the population into the social and financial mainstream.
He claimed that the facility will let over three million registered Afghan refugees conduct their enterprises in a legalised manner, and that it was the government’s responsibility to assist the masses in any way possible.
The prime minister also unveiled an artificial intelligence-based strategy to combat phoney ID cards.
The mechanism, which would help detect foreigners in the database, was built in a short amount of time by the newly-appointed Nadra chairman in a short amount of time.
The family’s head of household will be able to check the details of his family members by sending an SMS and will notify Nadra if there are any additions or deletions.
The prime minister inspected the specially-designed mobile registration van, which is fully equipped to deliver services to people in rural locations, during his arrival at the Nadra headquarters.
Mr Malik informed Prime Minister Modi on the van’s features, which include data collection, fingerprint scanning, and photo scanning.
Foreigners and their families will be able to start enterprises, enrol in private educational institutions, seek private jobs, apply for mobile phone SIMs and utility connections, create bank accounts, and register their vehicles with the Alien Registration Card and work permit. Under the Foreigners’ Act, cardholders will likewise be protected from legal action.
By scanning the QR code on the vaccination certificate, the smartphone application ‘Covid-19 Pass’ will instantly verify it.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Khan has urged authorities to provide all privileges to Pakistanis living abroad who send large amounts of remittances.
