Pakistan Philatelic Association Lahore (PPA) Meeting for the Month of October 2024:-

On the second Sunday of October i.e. 13th of October in the afternoon, our meeting was held in Lahore. The meeting looked more like a get together than a meeting, in which around 25 to 30 friends participated.

Now, people enjoy this gathering very much and everyone's arrival continues with great enthusiasm and all the friends are engaged in heartily conversation and gossip, which makes it seem like as if no one is in a hurry to return.

This meeting of ours has turned from the traditional style to a gathering with friendly and brotherly atmosphere. All the friends talk and exchange information related to their hobbies, according to their heart’s desire. So, Alhamdulillah this time too, the atmosphere was enjoyable.

For some time, there were continuous group discussions, during which our permanent host Jameel Bhatti had arranged tea and sweet meats outside the meeting hall, so while all the friends were engaged in conversation, hot samosas and crispy jalebi were also. All the attendees also exchanged, bought and sold various items and few hours went by in this without anyone realizing.

150th Anniversary of UPU, celebration event held at GPO Multan

Multan; Commissioner Multan Madam Maryam Khan, Postmaster General Zaheer Ullah Khattak, Deputy Postmaster General Rai Saifullah, Educationist Prof. Dr. Hameed Raza Siddiqui, Chief Postmaster Arif Khan Niazi were present at the event held at Multan GPO on the occasion of World Post Day. Senior stamp Collector Tayyab Ehsan and other important personalities addressed the event.

After the ceremony, Commissioner Multan Maryam Khan also inaugurated the exhibition of commemorative stamps.

Postmaster General South Punjab Zaheer Ullah Khattak during his speech on the event

Commissioner Multan Madam Maryam Khan during her speech on the event

Cake cutting ceremony for the 150th Anniversary of UPU

Commissioner Multan and Postmaster General at the commencement of stamps show

Tayyab Ehsan presenting Commissioner Multan with stamps gift

Group photo of the participants

150th Anniversary of UPU, celebration event held at Allama Iqbal Open University Multan Campus

Multan; On the occasion of World Post Day, Stamps Seminar was organized by Multan GPO and Multan Stamp Society at Allama Iqbal Open University Multan Campus.

Deputy Postmaster General Rai Saifullah, Ghulam Hussain Khosa Regional Director Allama Iqbal University, Chief Postmaster Arif Khan Niazi, Divisional Superintendent Abu Bakr, Manager Express Post Ishaq Baloch were the chief guests in the ceremony. Senior Postmaster Shahid Yusuf, Senior Stamp Collector Tayyab Ehsan, and other postal staff.

Deputy Postmaster General Rai Saifullah during his speech on the event

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF TARBELA DAM. October 1st, 2024 (2024-10)

 

Year 2024 marks a momentous occasion for development of water and hydropower resources in Pakistan, as the iconic Tarbela Dam turns 50 this year. After completion of the civil works of Tarbela Dam by WAPDA in third quarter of 1974, filling of water in the reservoir commenced 50 years ago.

Tarbela Dam stands as a symbol of national pride over the last five decades. Tarbela is the capstone of the Indus Basin Plan to ensure the continued and improved supply of water to millions of acres of irrigated land in Pakistan, mitigate floods and generate green, clean and most affordable hydroelectricity to move wheel of the national economy.

Tarbela Dam Project has been playing an instrumental role for economic development and social uplift in Pakistan during the last 50 years. The contribution Tarbela Dam Project has made towards progress in the country can be judged from the fact that it has released 406-million-acre feet (MAF) of stored water from the reservoir for agriculture and contributed 590,361 million units of low-cost and environment friendly hydel electricity to the National Grid. It is important to note that the economic and financial benefits of one MAF of water in Pakistan are estimated at US$ 1,000 million (US$ 1 billion). Therefore, total benefits accrued from Tarbela Dam during the last 50 years stand at US$ 406 billion.

Tarbela Dam, the largest earth and rock-fill dam in the world at the time of its completion, is located across River Indus 64 Km north-west of Islamabad. The construction work on Tarbela Dam commenced in 1968, while all the civil workscompleted in 1974. Development of powerhouses commenced in phases starting from 1974 onwards.

Tarbela Dam Project consists of a 9,000 feet (2,743 meters) long and 470 feet (143 meters) high embankment across the entire width of the river. It has two spillways with cumulative discharge capacity of 1,500,000 cusecs (42,476 cumeces). Two auxiliary embankment dams close the low- level ridges in the left bank valley. A group of 4 tunnels, each 0.8 Km long through the right abutment, were constructed for irrigation releases and power generation.

Tarbela reservoir which spans over an area of 259 square Km, had initially a live storage of 9.68 MAF. However, it has reduced to 5.77 MAF due to natural phenomenon of sedimentation during the last 50 years.

A power station on the right bank near the toe of main dam houses 17 power units at Tunnels 1, 2,3 and 4. Tarbela is the biggest electricity generation facility in Pakistan with installed capacity of 4888 MW51.6% of the total hydel capacity of WAPDA. The installed capacity at Tarbela will further increase to 6418 MW after completion of the under- construction Tarbela 5th Extension Hydropower Project.

Cost of Tarbela Dam Project including power units 1 to 14 amounts to US $ 2,630 million. Cost of Tarbela 4th Extension Hydropower Project with power units 15 to 17 stands at US$ 1,075 million, while that of under-construction Tarbela 5^th Extension, with power units 18 to 20, is estimated at US $ 807 million.

To mark 50 years completion of Tarbela Dam, the Commemorative Postage Stamp of Rs.50/-denomination is being issue by Pakistan Post on October 1st, 2024.

Convention On The Rights Of The Child Decade Celebration. 1999-17)

 

Every society hopes and expects that its children will grow up to be capable and responsible citizens who contribute to the well being of their communities. Yet, around the world children are denied the rights that would enable them to survive, develop fully and participate actively.

Children whose basic needs and fundamental rights are denied can not be expected to mature into caring, productive adults who will respect the rights of others. Violations of rights are not only the cause of personal suffering, they also sow the seeds for political and social unrest, even for violent conflicts.

For the sake of both individual and global development, children around the world need to understand the concept of rights.

WHAT IS THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

The convention on the rights of the child is a United Nations agreement that spells out the range of rights that children everywhere are entitled to. This convention is the first Universal legally binding code of Child Rights in history. It brings together in one treaty all the relevant Child Rights issues, rather than having them scattered in a number of international treaties. Countries that ratify the convention (thereby becoming “State Parties” to it) agree to be legally bound by its provisions.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child contains 54 articles, each of which details a different type of Right.

Four broad categories of the document are as follows.

1. Survival Rights

2. Development Rights

3. Protection Rights

4. Participation Rights

HOW DID THE CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD COME ABOUT?

In 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This document includes Children’s Rights.

In 1959, a declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations. It consisted of 10 rights, and was not a legal binding on the countries that signed it. In 1978, a draft convention on Children’s Rights was submitted to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights by the Government of Poland.

During the International Year of the Child in1979, the Commission set up a working group to coordinate the range of ideas on the draft convention being submitted by governments around the world.

On 20 November 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was completed and adopted by the General Assembly. The convention entered into force in 1990, after being ratified by 20 countries.

As of 1 December 1993,153 countries have demonstrated their commitment to the future of their children by ratifying the convention on the Rights of the Child.

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND PARENTS

While the Convention on the Rights of the Child upholds a number of basic rights, it dose not in fringe on the rights of parents to decide what is best for their children. Instead it specifically states that government shall make every effort to keep families intact, and shall provide support and assistance to parents in fulfilling their primary responsibilities with regard to the upbringing and development of their children.

The promotion of Children’s Rights is not a matter of placing children in conflict with adult authorities in their lives, but of encouraging all citizens to work together for a safe, healthy and productive future for children.

To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post Office is issuing a commemorative postage stamp of Rs 2 denomination on November 20, 1999.