PAKISTANNATIONAL DAY

MARCH 23, 2017

On the auspicious occasion of Pakistan Day, I wish to convey my heartfelt facil-itations to my brothers,

sisters and friends of Pakistan resid-ing in the State of Qatar.

This day is a reminder of innu-merable sacrifices given by our forefathers to attain freedom and to create a separate homeland for their future generations. This date is a reminder of a historic day, 23rd March 1940, when Pakistan resolu-tion was passed which led to the creation of Pakistan and our inde-pendence. I urge you to celebrate this day with great zeal and fervor and inspire yourself as well as your coun-trymen with the national spirit.

Pakistan and Qatar enjoy close brotherly relations; our relations with Qatar are on an upward trajectory, three high level visits in the last two years and number of other impor-tant visits is a testimony of the brotherly relations between Paki-stan and Qatar. Frequent exchange of high level visits has further strengthened the close bond between the two countries. The impetus in our relations was further consolidated with the recent visit of H.E. Mr. Mam-noon Hussain, President of Pakistan to the State of Qatar on October 22-24, 2016 at the invitation of His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar. It was a goodwill visit aiming at strengthening the fraternal relations between Pakistan and Qatar.

The close relations between Pakistan and the State of Qatar have been institutionalized in the form of

a Joint Ministerial Commission. Fourth Session of the Joint Ministe-rial Commission was held in Islamabad on December 22, 2016. Qatar was represented by the Min-ister of Energy and industry H E Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada along with an official delegation compris-ing of officials form various ministries.

It gives me immense pleasure to witness the unprecedented develop-ment and success of our brotherly country and on this auspicious occa-sion I wish for the continued progress and prosperity of the people and the State of Qatar. Qatar is successfully completing infrastructure projects related to FIFA 2022 and is efficiently achieving goals set in its National vision 2030, and is setting a new example in the region, and we extend our complete cooperation and facil-itation in the development of Qatar.

I would like to applaud the dedi-cation and hardwork of the Pakistani diaspora who have made immense contributions to the development of Qatar and continue to do so to the best of their capacities. State of Qatar has always appreciated the important role played by Pakistani community. The Pakistanis in the State of Qatar have successfully integrated themselves in the fabric of Qatari society and are playing a meaningful role for the progress and prosperity of both Paki-stan and Qatar.

The present government in Paki-stan attaches high priority to the development of Pakistani Diaspora and is trying its utmost to facilitate the overseas Pakistanis. In this

connection, the Pakistani government has recently introduced online renewal of Machine Readable Pass-port and National Identity Card for overseas Pakistanis, the documents can be processed online and will be delivered at your doorstep. Pakistan Embassy in Doha is focused on resolv-ing the issues of Pakistani Community and practices an open door policy for its compatriots. I encourage fellow Pakistanis to engage and connect with the Mission.

Finally, I would like to sincerely thank His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Emir, the Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Gov-ernment and people of the State of Qatar for the cooperation and sup-port that my Mission has received from them.

Long live Pakistan-Qatar friendship.

Message from Ambassador of Pakistan

Shahzad AhmadAmbassador of Pakistan

to the State of Qatar

The impetus in bilateral relations between Pakistan and Qatar continued in 2016 with the visit of President of Pakistan to Qatar. Relations between Paki-

stan and Qatar are rooted in our common faith, heritage and values. The two coun-tries also have cooperated with each other in pursuing common goals in interna-tional organizations.

During the period from March 2015-March 2017, there has been a surge of high level contacts between the two countries. His Highness the Emir of Qatar visited Pakistan in March 2015, the Prime Min-ister of Pakistan visited Qatar in February 2016 and the President of Pakistan vis-ited Qatar in October 2016.

In the aftermath of these high level exchanges there has been a visible for-ward movement in the bilateral relations especially in the economic field.

President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain visited Qatar:

At the invitation of Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President Mamnoon Hussain paid an official visit to Qatar on October 22-24, 2016.

The President held meetings with Emir, Father Emir, Defence Minister and the Labour Minister. Talks during the meetings dealt with the promotion of investment opportunities and broad-ening bilateral cooperation in energy, economy and military fields.

In the political sphere, the two sides discussed a number of regional and inter-national issues of mutual concern, particularly the latest developments in the Middle East. The President also attended the funeral prayers of the late His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Al Thani and offered his condolences to the H H Emir and to H H the Father Emir.

Minister of Defence Affairs of Qatar visited Pakistan

H E Dr Khalid Mohamed Al Attiyah, Minister of State for Defence Affairs of Qatar, visited Pakistan from October 27-29, 2016. During the visit, he held meetings with the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Minister for Defense Production, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of Army Staff. The Defence Minister also visited various mil-itary institutions and defence equipment manufacturers. See next page

Pakistan-Qatar FriendshipA milestone in bilateral relations between the two countries

During the period from March 2015-March 2017, there has been a surge of high level contacts between the two countries. His Highness the Emir of Qatar visited Pakistan in March 2015, the Prime Minister of Pakistan visited Qatar in February 2016 and the President of Pakistan visited Qatar in October 2016.

Comparative Result Summary of SSC-II (2011-16): Overseas and Federal Board

SSC Comparative Result Summary

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Pakistan International School

98.05 % 100 % 92.62 % 100 % 97.79 % 95.05%

Overseas 84.96 % 83.36 % 81.53 % 86.15 % 85.40 % 85.55%

Federal Board 90.17 % 90.97 % 89.97 % 90.71 % 86.23 % 91.16%

Comparative Result Summary of HSSC-II (2011-16): Overseas and Federal BoardHSSC Comparative Result Summary

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Pakistan International School

91.72 % 92.96 % 90.13 % 88.16 % 88.41 % 93.91%

Overseas 77.22 % 76.77 % 80.34 % 78.01 % 80.89 % 81.48%

Federal Board 80.6 % 76.94 % 48.42 % 76.01 % 73 % 80.52%

Visit of Pakistan Naval Chief: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Zakaullah, visited Qatar from Janu-

ary 9-12, 2017 and held meetings with the Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Chief of Staff (CoS) of Qatar Armed Forces and the Commander of Qatar Emiri Naval Forces. Talks during these meetings focused on bilat-eral relations and ways of developing them as well as on issues of mutual interest

Visit of Pakistan Army Chief: Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa visited Qatar from March 5-8, 2016 and held sepa-rate meetings with the Emir of Qatar, the

Prime Minister and the Minister of State for Defence Affairs. Talks during these meeting dealt with bilateral relations and ways of developing and promoting them, as well as a number of issues of mutual concern.

The Fourth Session of Joint Ministerial Commission was held in Islamabad on December 22, 2016. The Pakistani side was led by the Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the Qatari side was led by the Minister of Energy and Industry H E Dr. Mohamed bin Saleh Al Sada. On the sidelines of the ses-sion the Qatari Minister also called on the

President of Pakistan. During JMC, cooper-ation in the field of investment, bilateral trade, banking and finance and export of manpower to Qatar came under discussion.

Sale of Super Mushshak Trainer Aircraft to Qatar Armed Forces: Qatar Armed Forces, after a gruelling selection procedure, purchased high tech trainer aircraft ‘Super Mushshak’ manufactured at Pakistan Aeronautical Com-plex. Eight in number, the aircraft will be provided alongwith support services through a 5-year contract. The contract signing cere-mony was held in Qatar on June 23, 2016.

Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani with the Chief of Army Staff of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, General Qamar Javed Bajwa at Al Bahr Palace earlier this month.

A milestone in bilateral relations between Pakistan and Qatar

A 54-member Pakistan Army Musical band visited Qatar on special invitation of QAF to participate at the graduation ceremony of batch (12) of Ahmed Bin Mohammed Military College on January 26, 2017. The performance of the Band was highly appreciated by the audience. The Band also displayed its expertise to the students at Pakistan International School Qatar and in front of large public at Katara Esplanade.

Pakistan Army Band enthrals audience

Pakistan International School Doha: Thriving in excellence

b) AdmissionsThere has been a gradual improvement in the number of admissions

and academic results of the school from 2011 to 2016. Following is a sum-mary of it for a quick review:

• The enrolment in the academic year 2016-17 is 3452 excluding the XI and XII students who joined the school in September.

• In the academic year 2012, total enrolments were 3025 students.• The number of admissions from March 2015 till March 2016 was 928.

Then there were 563 new admissions in just 3 months i.e. from April to June 2016. Whereas, in 2012, the number of admissions was 759.

• In academic session 2016-17, in addition to Pakistani students, there were enrolments of students from 27 different nationalities.

c) Academic and Professional Achievements• Syllabus Up-gradation and Streamlining• Introduction of Oxford Syllabus from Kindergarten to grade VIII• Initiation of Project-based Learning from grade IV onwards• Introduction of ESL (English Skill Learning) classes in KG and JR wing• Initiation of teacher training workshops and model lectures under

The development and progress of Pakistan International School is dis-cernable in many ways. This report intends to bring to light the achievements in this regard particularly made over the last 5 years.

1. ACADEMIC PROGRESSa) Results

Action Research and Reflective Teaching (ARRT) Plan to improve our teaching

• Managing to attracting more qualified faculty (i.e. MS, M.Phil)• Introduction of Project-based Learning along with main

stream teaching• Participation in International Youth Leadership Program,

run by the Supreme Committee of Delivery and Legacy• First Pakistani school in Gulf with the license to hold TEDx

projects2. CO-CURRICULAR ACHIEVEMENTS• In Literary Competition 2016, 1st position in Dramatic Dec-

lamation and Essay Writing and 3rd position in Humorous Speech event while competing against 18 schools. This competition is being held since last four years.

• Winner of Qatar School Debate League Championship 2016 by defeating more than 42 internationalschools at both senior and junior levels.

• 2nd position out of 12 participant schools in QCA U-16 Cricket Tournament 2016.

• 3rd position in Husn-e-Qirat Competition held at MES where 10 expatriate schools participated.

• Runner up trophy at 12th ICC One Toastmasters Communi-cation Championship in grand finale.

• Winning Trophyin Islamic Quiz Competition held at Stafford Sri-Lankan School Doha.

• Introduction of Project-based Learning. It has been fruitful and helping in preparing our students for participation in events like:

1. MUN (Model United Nation) [Our student won ‘Best Dele-

gate’ award in its project.]2. International Youth Leadership Programme that is run by

Supreme Committee of delivery and legacy3. TEDx Projects (Our students were selected after several

interviews, among students of international school.)In addition to soaring performance in numerous co-curricu-

lar activities, the following activities have been initiated and successfully maintained at Pakistan International School during last 5 years. They have provided the students an opportunity to reveal their creativity and progress with confidence.

• Open House(This socializing event has helped improve the school image

and has made the parents aware of the school’s progress in an effective way.)

• Science exhibition• Science Quiz Competition• Qatar National Environment Day Celebrations• Islamic and Qatar History Competition• Student Parliamentarian Elections• Sports Day• Spelling Bee Competition• Food Festival• Scrabble Competition• Inter-wing Debate CompetitionPakistan International School signed the MoU on August 31,

2016 with Jassim& Hamad bin Jassim Charitable Foundation for the construction of International General Certificate of Second-ary Education (IGCSE) Block. This is an important milestone in the success journey of Pakistan International School. Initiation of IGCSE classes at our campus will benefit the community to get their children international qualification within the socio-cultural context that is Pakistani. The IGCSE block is expected to be oper-ative by April 2018.

3. EVENING SCHOOLLast year, with the approval of the Supreme Education Coun-

cil, Pakistan International School started the evening school. In the beginning, there were only 17students and within this year the enrollment has reached to 130. The evening school has become a great service for the overage students.

PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY

THURSDAY 23 MARCH 2017 II

Pakistan President with officials

EMBASSY HOLDS EVENT TO INTRODUCE FOOD PRODUCTS: Pakistan Embassy Doha held an event on July 27, 2016 at a local hotel to introduce Pakistani food products, such as mangoes and red meat. The event was organised in collaboration with the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. Senior officials from the Qatar Chamber, ambassadors and local businessmen attended the function. The event was all about testing the new Pakistani trader’s products — rice, red meat and different varieties of mangoes.

The 13th ECO Summit was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 1, 2017. The Summit was chaired by Muham-

mad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The Summit was attended by Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Hassan Rowhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan; Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkey; Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, President of Turkmenistan; Bakytzhan Sag-intayev, Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic; Ulugbek Rozukulov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Askar Myrzakhmetov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan; and Hazrat Omer Zhakhilwal, Special Envoy of the President of the Islamic Repub-lic of Afghanistan.

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif

was elected as the Chairman of the Summit. In his welcoming remarks, Sharif highlighted the importance of the ECO region and appreciated ECO’s perform-ance in various fields. He reiterated Pakistan's commit-ment to the objectives of the organisation and expressed hope that progress towards regional integration would be further accelerated to transform the lives of over half a billion people.

In their remarks at the Sum-mit, the Heads of State/Government of the Member States underscored the need for expansion of cooperation in var-ious fields under the framework of ECO and reaffirmed their sup-port to the goals and objectives of the Organisation. The Heads of State/Government also reviewed the performance of the ECO, the progress made since the Baku Summit in 2012, and underlined the challenges and opportunities lying ahead, giv-ing directions to pace up progress

in various sectors. The Summit was preceded by

the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) on February 26-27, 2017 and the 22nd Council of Ministers’ Meet-ing on Februaryn 28. Sartaj Aziz, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, who had chaired the COM, submitted his report to the Summit on the deliberations of the 22nd COM. The Secretary-General of ECO, Halil Ibrahim Akca outlined the perform-ance of the Organisation.

The major takeaways from the 13th ECO Summit include:

a. An understanding among

member states to transform the ECO region into a zone of peace and collective prosperity. They underscored the intrinsic linkages between member states based on shared history, culture, geography and mutual common interests.

b. An emphasis by ECO member states to build and pro-mote connectivity in sea, land and air transport, energy, trade as well as in cyberspace in order to give further impetus to intra-regional trade.

c. Enhanced regional coopera-tion in the energy sector, focusing on energy efficiency,

energy infrastructure development, intra-regional energy trade and access to affordable energy.

d. Important steps to ease people-to-people contacts, as well as revive and rebuild his-torical connections and promote regional tourism.

e. Collective determination to face regional challenges together, such as extremism, ter-rorism and drug trafficking and address unresolved conflicts, in order to realize the leaderships’ vision of making the region a zone of peace and prosperity.

f. Strengthened collaboration

to address common regional and international developmental chal-lenges including climate change, food security and energy suffi-ciency as well as disaster risk reduction through an emphasis on innovation, research and devel-opment and partnership in science and technology.

g. Cooperation for an effec-tive implementation of the Agenda 2030.

During the Summit, ECO Awards 2017 were conferred on nationals of the ECO Member States. The awards were given in the field of Economics, History, Culture and Fine Arts, Science and Technology, Education, Agricul-ture and Environment.

The Summit unanimously adopted the Islamabad Declara-tion 2017 that represents the collective political will of Mem-ber States to focus on connectivity of energy, infra-structure, transport, and trade for regional prosperity. Another important outcome of the Sum-mit is ECO Vision 2025 which provides guidelines to the Organ-ization in all spheres of ECO activity.

ECO Summit 2017

PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY

THURSDAY 23 MARCH 2017III

The Next Generation School is one of the high perform-ing schools in Qatar delivering quality educa-tion. TNG has always been

at the forefront to introduce new techniques and to take new initia-tives to enhance quality education.

At TNG we always strive to :• Introduce and use of technol-

ogy to enhance the learning environment in the classroom,

• Hire teachers who are experts at their subject

• Provide continuous profes-sional development of teachers

• Consistently evaluate current teaching practices and keep abreast with educational trends.

Moving towards a more stu-dent-centered approach is the latest initiative of TNG School to allow more and more students to excel at the school. The term stu-dent-centred learning refers to a wide variety of educational strat-egies such as learning experiences,

instructional approaches, and aca-demic-support that are intended to address the distinct learning needs, interests, aspirations, or cul-tural backgrounds of individual students and groups of students.

http://edglossary.org/student-centered-learning/ We can begin unpacking this definition by evalu-ating our own dispositions:

• Choice: Students are empow-ered to take independent decisions and have appropriate choices.

• Passion/ Interests: Student’s inter-est is developed by stimuli that relate to topics that are of interests them and they

are passionate about it.• Motivation: Motivation helps

them create an opportunity to share their thoughts or ideas.

• Approach: Positive approach that students remain involved and atten-tive in a conversation where they have less or nothing to contribute

• Attitude: Matter of respect for stu-dents who feel they only know what is the best way to do something

• Collaboration: Collaborative environment for students that they enjoy working with people who believe in compliance rather than empowering others

At TNG we are encouraging our teachers to revisit their learning objectives and teaching strategies and evaluate how much time in their lessons is spent on targeting domains that develop intellectual skills rather than focusing on the remember and recall drill. Teachers at TNG are being asked to give students more choice and voice in class and design learning experiences that interest the child and inspire him or her to walk the extra mile and be willing to learn and put in more effort.

We are also introducing Learner Profiles as a means to allow teachers to understand and reach those stu-dents who are not inspired by the regular teaching practice in class and struggle to cope up academically. The Learner Profiles will hopefully give teachers a better understanding of their students; allow them to under-stand the barriers the student is facing to perform in class and understand things from their perspective so that appropriate support can be extended.

Student-centered learning initiatives at TNG

The International Defence Exhibition and Seminar,

more commonly referred to as IDEAS, is a defence

sector event, held biennially, in Pakistan. Since its

inception by former president Pervez Musharraf in 2000,

it has grown to include more than 30,000 delegates and

250 exhibitors from around the world. The Pakistan gov-

ernment attaches a high level of importance to IDEAS.

Despite the fact that it attracts a large number of

delegates, it is seen as a vehicle for facilitating their own

indigenous arms trade. The level of political involvement

has been known to reach the highest echelons, with former

president Asif Ali Zardari personally inviting Kuwait Emir

H H Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah to the event

in 2008 in order to boost the chances of Pakistan’s export

of its indigenously developed Al Khalid main battle tanks.

The Defence Export Promotion Organisation is the

government agency responsible for the success and organ-

isation of IDEAS. Typically they outsource some elements

of production of the exhibition to private companies. In

2000 to 2006, Pegasus Consultancy Private Ltd organ-

ised the event, but after the 2010 conference was forced

to cancel because of floods, the contract for production

of the event was awarded to Badar Expo Solutions. Assess-

ing how the event had grown, speaking at the ‘soft launch’

for IDEAS 2012, former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani declared

the exhibition a “mega event, that has become a global

event in a short span of 11 years.

During IDEAS 2016, a total of 418 companies from

34 countries, including 157 Pakistani firms, showcased

their products in this mega defence event. This year nine

new countries participated in the exhibition. These coun-

tries include Luxembourg, Denmark, Belarus, Poland, Czech

Republic, Switzerland, Belgium, Nigeria and Romania. The

delegation which participated from various countries were

represented by their defence ministers, defence secre-

taries, chiefs of defence staff and other senior officials.

It was very heartening and encouraging that for the first

time two delegations from Qatar participated in IDEAS

which manifests the growing confidence of Qatar in

defence production capabilities of Pakistan.

IDEAS 2016

Pakistan is full of breathtaking locations which will make you fall in love with this country all over again. If you are a tourist or love trav-

elling then you must compile a list of places you plan to visit.

NALTAR VALLEY: Naltar is famous for its col-ourful lakes. It is situated at a drive of 2.5 hours from Gilgit. World’s tastiest potatoes are cultivated here. If you really want to experience paradise in this world, you should visit Naltar at least once.

NEELUM VALLEY, AZAD KASHMIR: Liter-ally known as the Blue Gem Valley, Neelum is one of the most beautiful valleys of Azaad Kashmir, and it hosts several brooks, freshwater streams, forests, lush green mountains, and a river.

SHANGRILA RESORT, SKARDU: In the extreme north of Pakistan, Skardu, the central

valley of Gilgit-Baltistan, is an epitome of beauty, serenity and wilderness.

After Jaglot on the Karakoram Highway, a narrow road turns towards Skardu. After crossing the old wooden bridge built over the River Indus, one reaches Shangrila, a paradise on earth for tourists.

GOJAL VALLEY: The Valley borders China and Afghanistan, with its border meeting the Chi-nese border at Khunjerab — 15,397 feet above sea level — and remains covered with snow all year long.

DEOSAI PLAINS: Deosai is located on the boundary of Karakoram and the western Hima-layas, and at no point it is less than 4,000 metres above sea level. It remains covered with snow for 8 months. Sheosarlake is also part of this. This lake is one of the highest lakes in the world.

RAMA MEADOW: Just a little ahead of Rama

Village, which is 11km from Astore, is a beautiful and serene plain called Rama Meadow.

PAYE: Siri Paye retains its strong attraction for tourists as a green plateau on top of the Hindu Kush. With the Makra Peak set as a backdrop, the beauty of the Siri Paye meadows comes to life.

AYUN AND BAMBURET VALLEY: Ayun dis-trict is a village of Chitral. Located 12km south of the city at the confluence of the River Bamburet . There are no words to describe the beauty of the mountains surrounding the village. Beyond Ayun valley is Bamburet Valley, it is one of the three Kalash valleys.

WHITE PALACE SWAT: White Palace Mar-ghazar is the only breathtaking location in the Swat district that’s situated at a distance of around 12km from the city of Mingora. Not only do tourists visit Marghazar for its natural beauty and pleasant weather but also to visit the historic White Palace (1941), built during the era of Swat state.

On tourist trail: Places to visit

PAKISTAN NATIONAL DAY

THURSDAY 23 MARCH 2017 IV