Beauty contest runner-up snatches crown from winner

BRASILIA: A Brazilian beauty pageant took a bizarre turn when the first runner-up snatched the crown off the winner, and threw it to the ground moments after the result was announced.

The incident took place Friday night at a convention centre in Manaus, where Miss Amazon 2015 was taking place.

As Carolina Toledo, 20, was being crowned the winner, runner-up Sheislane Hayalla, 23, ripped out the tiara, threw it to the ground, pointed an accusing finger at her adversary and insulted her before storming off stage, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Hayalla Saturday claimed her rival had bought her way to the title.

“Money talks in Manaus and I wanted to show the Amazon people money doesn’t talk here. She didn’t deserve the title,” she said.

The winner declined to comment on the incident, but said: “This is an unbelievable feeling. I don’t have words to explain the way I feel.”

Organisers of the competition are deciding whether to punish the runner-up, who would normally be expected to participate in events throughout the year in representation of her state.

The Miss Amazon winner will now represent her state in the national Miss Brazil beauty contest.

Man arrested climbing White House fence

A man was arrested at 2:15 p.m. EST Sunday afternoon outside the White House for attempting to climb a temporary bicycle rack on Pennsylvania Avenue, U.S. Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary confirmed to CNN.

Freed Al Jaz journalist speaks

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Making of the Magna Carta

Emily Naish, archivist at Salisbury Cathedral, speaks to CNN about the materials and techniques that would've been used in the writing of the Magna Carta.

Karachi school comes under grenade attack

KARACHI: At least seven unidentified assailants hurled two hand grenades at a school situated in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Express News reported on Tuesday.

Allegedly retaliating to government’s decision to hang terror convicts, the miscreants – riding a motorbike – threatened the residents and school staff.

No casualties were reported as schoolchildren were not present at the institution.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Rabita Committee condemned the grenade attack and criticised the government for failing to take effective security measures in the city.

Police and Rangers were also deployed in the area soon after the incident and Director-General (DG) Rangers Bilal Akbar also visited the site of the attack.

Manuscripts mark 800th anniversary

The four remaining copies of the 1215 Magna Carta have been united for the first time.

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U.S. football scores in the UAE

CNN's Amir Daftari explains how American football is becoming popular in the United Arab Emirates.

Toledo mayor has heart attack

Toledo, Ohio, Mayor Michael Collins has been hospitalized in critical condition after suffering a cardiac arrest while driving Sunday afternoon.

How the Philippines saved 1,200 Jews during Holocaust

Warren Sapp charged with soliciting prostitution

LIVE: NZ win toss, bat first in second ODI against Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan lost the toss in the second ODI and went with an unchanged squad against New Zealand at Napier on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, New Zealand brought Kane Williamson and Tim Southee back into the team replacing Corey Anderson and Kyle Mills.

NZ 0-0 (0 overs)

 

Christie bashes Obama in UK

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Bobbi Kristina Brown, in her own words

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Obama on India vs. China

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Amir’s return: Petition seeking ban on Amir filed in SHC

A petition was filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) seeking a lifetime ban on the spot-fixing trio of Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Asif and Salman Butt.

The request comes just days after the International Cricket Council eased restrictions on left-armer Amir, allowing him to return to domestic cricket before his ban officially ends later this year.

Former Pakistan captain Butt was banned for 10 years, and the fast-bowling pair of Asif and Amir for seven years and five years respectively in 2011 after being found guilty of deliberately bowling no balls in the Lord’s Test match played between Pakistan and England from August 26 to 29, 2010.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2015.

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‘Fresh Off The Boat’ draws backlash with tweet

Controlling pests: MoU signed to fund project

ISLAMABAD: 

The Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CAB International (CABI) and All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters, Importers and Merchants Association (PFVA) Karachi.

PARC through its regional centre Southern Zone Agricultural Research Centre (SARC) at University of Karachi signed the MoU at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) Islamabad.

Under this MoU, CAB International will provide funding through the USDA-funded project to work on the control of papaya mealy bug and apple mites and codling moth in Pakistan.

SARC and PFVA will be the main collaborators in the project while CABI will build capacity of SARC and PFVA members and will also initiate a research and development programme to control mealy bug.

This will be a key step towards reducing pests’ risks for the horticulture industry in Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2015.

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Prize airport reduced to rubble

Shells fall as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh visits Donetsk airport, which -- just months ago -- was state-of-the-art, and is now a destroyed husk.

$452K plus raised for mugging victim

Online solidarity strikes again.

Covering up for World Hijab Day

Women policing: From isolation to integration

The recent round table conference on the state of women police in Pakistan, organised by the women’s parliamentary caucus, is an endeavour to improve women participation in law enforcement. In a joint communique, the parliamentary caucus expressed concern over the less than one per cent representation of women in police and reaffirmed the need to opt for inclusiveness.

Traditionally, policing is regarded as a male-dominated profession where women find fewer opportunities. Women were employed in the police for the first time in Chicago in 1891. In the subcontinent, circumstances paved way for induction of women in police in 1938-39 to suppress brothels and to handle labour strikes in Kanpur. In Pakistan, the origin of women policing can be traced back to the 1970s. However, for decades, women policing has remained ceremonial and stagnant.

The contemporary women policing model in Pakistan was introduced by the first woman premier of the Muslim world. However, this model was based on isolation and remained confined to major urban centres only. After three decades, the failure of this isolation-based women policing model was finally realised. To push women policing from isolation to integration, positive initiatives like the establishment of a gender crimes cell, a women police network, as well as the establishment of 105 women police desks in police stations in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, were taken taken. The posting of three women police officers as SHOs in Karachi last year and the joining of 20 women as assistant superintendents will also boost the morale of all female officers, which will have far-reaching implications for gender mainstreaming of the Pakistani police.

The recruitment, retention, training and promotion of women are issues that require instant attention of the police management. There are 14 police training institutions in the country; however, none of these are exclusively meant for women police officers. The establishment of such a facility will definitely attract more women towards policing.

Gender bias within the police is a potent barrier against the advancement of women police. Decision-making bodies of the police are male-dominated. Without change in the outlook of police management, women may not get their due space in law enforcement. Practically speaking, during raids, body searches and interrogations, women accompany male officers as a mere legal formality, which means that female talent is yet to be tested. A proportion of total slots in investigation, forensics, IT, telecommunication, training and administration departments needs to be assigned to women. According to the national police bureau, in 2011, out of the total police strength of 453,901, 4,027 were women. This amounts to only one per cent representation of women in the police and highlights the biased attitude within the police and reluctance of society to encourage women to be part of law enforcement. It should be noted that in India, women constitute 5.33 per cent of the police force’s total strength. Similarly, according to a UN survey, Singapore has 19.1 per cent representation of women in police, Malaysia 9.5 and Sri Lanka 5.3. The Indian state of Gujarat intends to reserve 33 per cent representation for women in its police force.

The Security Council resolution 1325 reaffirms the role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction, and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. The UN’s goal is to have 20 per cent female police officials in police organisations. In this regard, Pakistan intends to achieve five per cent enrollment of women in police in 2015, but a mere increase in numbers will not serve the purpose. What is also needed is capacity-building so that women officials are more empowered.

Owing to cultural taboos, crimes against women are perceived as intra-family affairs. Consequently, countless such crimes go unreported. In 2012, the K-P police filed 147,788 FIRs, including 1,134 FIRs relating to crimes against women. This means that reporting of crimes against women constitutes only 0.76 per cent of total reported crimes. In addition, police stations hardly cater to the needs of females. Except for female lock-ups, there are no exclusive women reception areas, toilets or interrogation and interview rooms in police stations. While designing police stations, such structural requirements need to be incorporated.

The Police Management Board (PMB) is a high-powered advisory body empowered to advise the government on issues like recruitment, training and gender sensitisation within the police. The PMB needs to be effectively utilised for standardisation in recruitment, retention, training and promotion of policewomen. As per the government’s recruitment policy, in addition to open merit, women should have a 10 per cent quota of the total intake. It should be noted that despite a high rate of unemployment, policing is still an unattractive profession for females. In rural areas, parents are reluctant to encourage their daughters to join the police.

During the last seven years, seven women protection laws have been enacted but the real challenge is to ensure their implementation. Mere legislative initiative will deliver little. Structural reforms coupled with capacity-building will yield dividends in this regard. Increased women participation in police can improve the reporting of cases involving violence against women, as well as ensuring the protection of human rights and fostering a softer image of the police force. The issue at hand is not of scarcity of resources, but rather the primitive mindset that prevails within the police ranks. Therefore, the first step that is needed is to reform mindsets if we want to establish an integrated, humane women policing model.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2015.

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Child rights: A neglected priority in Punjab

Child rights have never been a priority for any federal or provincial governments in Pakistan and the current government of Punjab is no exception. The recent deaths of newborns in Sargodha and Vehari have exposed the weak health system in the most developed province of Pakistan, which calls for urgent attention of policy and decision-makers.

Children’s right to health is an area that requires serious attention of the government of Punjab. The neonatal mortality rate is at high 63 per 1,000 live births in the province. Maternal mortality is 227 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, higher than that of India, Sri Lanka and Yemen. The high rates of neonatal and maternal mortality are consistent with the high levels of malnutrition in the province.

Frontline health workers like lady health workers (LHWs), community midwives and vaccinators have a pivotal role to play in improving the above-mentioned health indicators of the province. However, following the Eighteenth Amendment and devolution of vertical programmes like Family Planning and the Primary Health Care Programme, the situation is challenging, particularly with reference to the LHWs. The LHWs were regularised following a Supreme Court intervention. But the posts are becoming vacant owing to fast resignations. The government of Punjab should respond to the situation by recruiting more LHWs from its own resources and making budgetary allocations for necessary supplies to reach out to the uncovered areas of the province. Similarly, the Punjab government should also take responsibility and start allocating resources to increase the number of community midwives. To be able to ensure that every pregnant mother has access to a trained birth attendant while giving birth, Punjab will require an additional 15,000 midwives.

The Punjab Protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition (Amendment) Act of 2012 has been enacted and recently, an Infant Feeding Board has been notified to ensure its implementation. The government of Punjab should immediately notify rules under the Breastfeeding Act of 2012 to ensure effective implementation of the law.

Following the Eighteenth Amendment in 2010, child rights have become a provincial subject. However, there is no body with a statutory status in Punjab to take care of this huge responsibility and ensure that child rights are protected and promoted in the province. The Child Rights Movement Punjab launched an advocacy campaign for establishing a Provincial Commission on the Rights of the Child (PCRC). It was heartening to listen to Ms Saba Sadiq, chairperson of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, and Rana Sanaullah during a Universal Children’s Day function at Lahore where both assured the establishment of the Punjab Commission on the Rights of the Child through an act of the Punjab Assembly.

Punjab is also home to approximately six million out-of-school children and requires serious steps in accordance with Article 25-A of the Constitution whereby education has been made a fundamental right for children between five and 16 years of age. As a very positive development, the Punjab Assembly recently enacted the Punjab Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2014. There is a need, however, to notify the rules immediately besides allocation of sufficient financial resources to ensure its effective implementation immediately and to improve the poor conditions in government schools across the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2015.

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Defining democracy

At a recent conference on democracy held in a swanky hotel in Islamabad, one of the speakers took exception to my comment that Pakistan did not fulfil the pre-conditions for a democracy. Upon reflection, it became clear to me that differences in our views were primarily due to the different ways we defined democracy. Because of alternating periods of army and political rule in Pakistan, it has become common to equate democracy with elections and political parties. With this interpretation of democracy, my statement would be seen as being in favour of army rule. However, to me, democracy is an idealistic vision of a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people”.

It is not difficult to establish that the government of Pakistan does not prioritise the needs of the people. At a time when the Food and Agriculture Organisation reports 24 per cent malnutrition in the country, I do not know of any government projects to address the hunger of the people — although projects worth billions and trillions are being proposed and approved every month. More than 50 per cent of enrolled children drop out at the third-grade level, and the majority of those who complete this level cannot read at the first-grade level. But while millions are being spent distributing laptops to university students, efforts to create universal literacy and basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic fall far short of the mark. Access to healthcare is dismal, and maternal and infant mortality is far above that of countries with comparable income. Our performance on the Millennium Development Goals has been disastrous, despite more than five years of political party rule, mainly because there is no interest on the part of the government to actually achieve these goals. It is not because of lack of resources, but because of lack of political will, that these basic goals remain unfulfilled. Definitely, this is not a government ‘for the people’ since the vast majority of the population derives no benefits from it.

It is important to dig deeper into the reasons for this failure to prioritise the needs of the people. Basically, it is part of the global phenomenon of increasing inequality and increasing power in the hands of a tiny minority that has all the wealth. The concerns of the government reflect the interests of the wealthy elite. For the vast majority of the population, a visit to any fashionable hotels would be like a visit to a very prosperous country.

An article entitled “How the Rich Rule” by Harvard professor Dani Rodrik shows how the wealthy elite have captured the supposedly democratic government of the US. On any issue where the interests of the elite conflict with those of the masses, the US Congress votes in favour of the elite and against popular interest. As just one striking illustration, when faced with widespread defaults on housing mortgages, the US government intervened by providing trillions in bailout money to the affected financial institutions, while virtually nothing was given to the distressed homeowners who lost their homes. This led to the highest levels of homelessness and hunger seen in the US since the Second World War.

Princeton economists Atif Mian and Amir Sufi, in their landmark book House of Debt, have shown that bailouts of homeowners could have achieved financial stability at a much lower cost and averted the economic crisis that ensued. Financial regulations to prevent repeats of this global financial crisis were blocked in Congress and court cases against the deliberately fraudulent activities of banks and insurance companies were manipulated to minimise damage to financial institutions, while defaulting mortgagors were prosecuted to the fullest. All of this illustrates the completion of the capture of the US government by the financial sector, a process started in the Reagan-Thatcher era using the powerful mantra of “financial liberalisation”.

Similar dynamics are in operation here in Pakistan. The government is not a means to serve the people but a means to exploit the people. Military dictators and political parties have been taking turns in extracting surplus from the suffering population — instead of the colonial practice of sending the surplus to England, they distribute it among themselves. A genuine democracy must be responsive to the needs of the people. The main agenda for a government of the people should be the provision of universal and equal education, free healthcare on the European pattern (instead of the terrible private system prevalent in the US), and decent livelihoods for all. Unfortunately, mainstream economic and political theories are ideological constructs designed to strengthen the status quo and the rule of the rich, and these have taken in the vast majority of those who are sincere to Pakistan, depriving them of the capability of seeing the solutions.

We do face a genuine and difficult dilemma in terms of how to persuade the rich and powerful to gracefully share power and privilege with the masses or the have-nots. The French Revolution achieved this goal by violent and radical means. But our destiny is in our hands and there are many other pathways, which can lead to achievement of this goal. Unfortunately, currently this is not on the radar screen as a desirable goal. Without creating consensus on the need of prosperity for the majority of the population, which lives below the poverty line, it is not possible to make progress towards democracy. Some defenders of the status quo offer the excuse that we are too poor to offer universal education and healthcare on the European pattern. These people are unaware that European societies started offering universal social protection at levels of GDP per capita similar to or less than our own historically. If we take the popular view that democracy means elections and political parties, then we have already achieved the goal. This seems like a facile approach that only avoids the problems we face. Rather, we should be struggling to solve them.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2015.

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Fire rips through Moscow library

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Japan: ‘We will never, never forgive’ ISIS

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Imran’s statements littered with discrepency: Pervaiz Rashid

ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said on Monday that Imran Khan was misleading the masses, and that there was discrepancy between his statements to the media, and what he said during his meetings with Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials, Express News reported.

While talking to the media outside the Parliament on Monday, Rashid said that Imran had failed to mention his basic arguments on poll rigging, i.e. ballot printing in Urdu Bazaar and change of results after the ‘victory’ speech by Nawaz Sharif – which he had repeated ad nauseam for the past eight months, in his meeting with the chief Election Commissioner today.

Rashid said that ballots had been printed on special paper at the security press and not on any ordinary press in the Urdu Bazaar.

The minister argued that now the PTI chief wants National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq to be suspended, and not be allowed to continue with his duties.

Regarding the forthcoming Senate elections, Rashid said that the PTI could not win the polls in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan.

From being shy to flying high

KARACHI: 

How good must an actor be for him to leave an industry thrice before finally coming back to make his mark in not only local television and film industries but also in those across the border? Perhaps, that artiste should be as good as Fawad Khan. As the rising Khan bags the Filmfare Award for ‘Best Debut (Male)’ for his stint in the Sonam Kapoor-starrer Khoobsurat, The Express Tribune talks to his first-ever co-stars from TV drama Jutt & Bond to explore how the once-acting novice has become a new-age acting sensation.

Screenwriter-actor Vasay Chaudhry, who starred alongside Khan on Jutt & Bond, shares how, ahead of the casting for the show, he was won over by Khan’s good looks and boyish charm. “We were looking for people to play the part of Bond in Jutt & Bond, and the most important requirement of the part was that the selected person should look like a desi James Bond. When he (Khan) came, I thought he was perfect for the part,” said Chaudhry.

Khan rose to prominence as a vocalist for nu-metal band Entity Paradigm (eP), but it was through his role on Jutt & Bond that he got his first break. Zain Ahmed, who directed Khan for his TV debut, recalls him as being a very “shy person.” He shared that he always believed Khan had that spark to earn his spurs as a distinguished actor.

Zain’s faith in Khan’s acting credentials is evident in how he used to shoot the show’s episodes on weekends, only to accommodate him in the project, as he was attending college at the time. “I knew him before Jutt & Bond, as I directed him in a theatre play while he was doing his A-levels. He was like every other boy at his age, but one thing that stood out about him, even back then, was his focus,” he noted.

According to Chaudhry, a major reason why Khan has been able to attain the stature he has today is that he has become less shy. “When we were shooting Jutt & Bond, he would never talk to his female co-stars and used to be reserved, even towards male cast members,” stated Chaudhry. “The fact that he has been able to overcome his shyness over time has not only helped him improve as an actor but has also facilitated him in reaching this point.”

Zain believes that Khan benefitted greatly from his off-screen rapport and chemistry with fellow eP member Ahmed Ali Butt, as he helped him come out of his shell. “Ahmed comes from an acting background and his friendship with Khan helped because, initially, he used to be hesitant while filming scenes. Also, whenever we used to shoot songs or over-the-top sequences, he used to worry, ‘Loge kya kaheinge’,” he shared. But, according to Chaudhry, “Even after Khuda Kay Liye happened, Khan did not become ‘the Fawad Khan’ that he is today, as he had to continue working on television for a while before finding success with Dastaan.”

Chaudhry stated that many people overlook the fact that Khan is very hardworking, citing the example of his acting career during which he quit thrice, only to make his final comeback with a role in the film Khuda Kay Liye — a part that was declined by Ali Zafar. Having worked with him both before and after the success of Humsafar, Chaudhry has witnessed Khan’s growth as an actor. “When we started out together, he used to treat acting more like a hobby,” he commented. “Initially, he used to have this instant coffee-like focus, but when we last worked together on the telefilm Armaan, he had become extremely professional and ensured that each and every frame he was a part of was perfect.”

Six reasons why Fawad Khan won the Filmfare Award

Humsafar: Although Khan managed to prove his mettle prior to his stint in Humsafar, there is no gainsaying that it was the success of the show that made him a household name and established him as the country’s most sought-after actor. The screening of the TV serial in India on the newly-launched Zindagi TV only served to boost his popularity and fan-following across the border, prior to the release of his Bollywood debut Khoobsurat.

Khuda Kay Liye: Khoobsurat was not the first time Khan graced the silver screen with his presence. He had already made his feature film debut in the movie Khuda Kay Liye, with veteran director Shoaib Mansoor helming the project. The actor depicted the role of a musician-turned-maulvi, which a much more daunting character as compared to the one he portrayed in Khoobsurat.

Rockstar status: The word ‘rockstar’ is an overly used term in Bollywood to describe a popular actor, but unlike his Indian contemporaries, Khan can stake his claim to the title as not only is he a renowned actor but also has a successful music career with his band eP. It was through the band that he came to the fore as an artiste, and, as eP’s frontman, he experienced how to pivot large crowds and audiences. It’s also interesting to see how he gained ground across the border while hailing from a music band, a relatively unexplored realm in Indian entertainment.

Stubble: In this day and age, when actors prefer to keep a ‘clean’ look in an attempt to appear younger, Khan went against all odds and sported stubble in his debut film. Not only did his beard accentuate his regal status in the film but also gave him a more natural and masculine look.

Maa, baap: It would be unfair to give no credit to Khan’s parents for his successful career. First, they deserve to be lauded for his great upbringing, as despite the fame and fortune he has garnered, he remains humble. Second, but more importantly, for his looks. He clearly has a good set of genes.

Lack of competition: Not to undermine his achievement, but Khan benefitted from lack of competition for the award this year. Other actors who were nominated include Tiger Shroff (Heropanti), Tahir Raj Bhasin (Mardaani), Sharib Hashmi (Filmistaan), and Freddy Daruwala (Holiday), and none of them had a high-profile debut like Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2015.

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Januzaj pins hopes on Cambridge chance

MANCHESTER: Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj hopes today’s FA Cup fourth-round replay at home to lowly Cambridge United will help him to prove his worth to manager Louis van Gaal.

The 19-year-old Belgium international was one of the few success stories during the disastrous reign of Van Gaal’s predecessor, David Moyes.

At the corresponding stage of last season, he had made 24 appearances and scored three goals, including two in a 2-1 victory at Sunderland that heralded his arrival on the Premier League scene.

But under Van Gaal, Januzaj has been involved in only 14 games to date this season, with his start in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Leicester City just his fourth of the campaign and first since November.

“I’ve not been playing for so long so it was good to get 90 minutes, even if I was really tired in the last 15 and got a cramp,” said Januzaj.

“Of course we want to win the FA Cup and this is a big chance to win it. We were good going forward against Leicester and could have scored more than three goals, but hopefully we can take this into Tuesday night and win the game.”

Van Gaal was more expansive when discussing the future of Januzaj, who turns 20 this week.

It was predicted that the youngster would be allowed to leave the club on loan during the January transfer window, but the United manager has been impressed by Januzaj’s efforts of late and chose instead to keep him at Old Trafford.

“He has a lot of talent, but you have to perform that talent in the matches. And also in the training sessions,” Van Gaal told reporters.

“I’m not making the line-up. The players themselves are making the line-up.”

According to the United manager, he observes players on a daily basis and then decides whether to let them play or not.

United, embarrassed by a 0-0 draw in the first meeting between the sides, therefore seem certain to field a strong line-up, with Van Gaal claiming he will resist the temptation to hand a debut to new goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

In Tuesday’s other replay, Premier League Sunderland visit Fulham.

 

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UN peacekeeping panel on review mission in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Chair of the United Nations’ High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations Jose Ramos-Horta has appreciated Pakistan’s longstanding contribution to UN peacekeeping, particularly lauding the dedication and professionalism of Pakistani peacekeepers, as it reviews the peacekeeping and political mission.

According to a statement released by the ministry of foreign affairs on Monday, Ramos-Horta met with Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz at the ministry in Islamabad on Monday.

Ramos-Horta, accompanied by two other members of the panel, Ameerah Haq and Abhijit Guha will hold consultations on the review of the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and Special Political Missions, initiated by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

He said the panel would benefit from the views of major and experienced troop contributing countries like Pakistan.

Recalling Pakistan’s leading role and contribution for the maintenance of international peace and security, Aziz reaffirmed Pakistan’s continued commitment and support for UN peacekeeping, and shared Pakistan’s perspective on the peacekeeping, peace building and conflict prevention activities of the UN.

The Panel will make a comprehensive assessment of the UN peace operations and make recommendations to enhance their effectiveness in face of the evolving nature of conflict.

The delegation also met the defence minister and DG Military Operations.