Issuu

friday, 8 July, 2022 i 8 Zil hajj, 1443 i rs 15.00 i Vol Xii no 369 i 12 Pages i Lahore edition

PM Shehbaz inaugurateS green, blue Metro buS Service ISLAMABAD

StAff report

RIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated the Green and Blue lines of the mass transit metro bus service, the first interconnected four-line metro service in the country, terming the step relief for commuters of the twin cities dealing with soaring fuel prices. Addressing the launch, the premier said the service would be a gift to the residents of the twin cities and will serve the common man, students and workers plying on the routes. The service will connect Bhara Kahu, GT Road, Koral and Rawalpindi through the Green, Orange, Blue and Red Lines, respectively. The bus service will run from Bhara Kahu to PIMS (Green Line) and from Koral to PIMS (Blue Line). The two lines will merge with the Red Line and from the Faiz Ahmad Faiz bus stop, passengers can take the Orange line to Islamabad International Airport. The premier remarked that a decent and on-time transportation

service was a service to the common man and lauded the efforts of the interior minister and the chairman of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). He also announced free transportation services to commuters for one month. The premier said the shuttle service from Rawat to Koral was under

consideration and funds would be provided for an early launch. He added that every penny of the national exchequer would be spent judiciously for the uplift of citizens and stressed that every public project is monitored to avoid lapses in delivery. The prime minister said efforts were afoot to control inflation in the

country through short-term relief measures and added that the government would promote solar power generation projects to mitigate the shortage of electricity. Shehbaz also lauded steps taken by the Punjab government to provide free electricity to consumers consuming 100 units and hoped that other provinces would emulate the facility. The prime minister also laid the foundation stone of a command and control centre for metro buses at Bhara Kahu, which is set to be completed in six months. Chairman CDA Amir Ahmed Ali said 30 buses from China had been added to the fleet to facilitate the service. The route from Koral to PIMS saw the addition of 13 bus stations, with a headway of six minutes, he added. The chairman said that eight stations were completed on the Green Line, whereas the remaining six stations would be completed by August 14. A bus depot has also been established at Bhara Kahu to save dead mileage.

ECONOMY TIGHTENED

Monetary Policy at 15% after a 125 bps hike KARACHI AribA ShAhid

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has decided to hike the policy rate by 125 basis points bringing it to 15 percent, the highest since 1999. The discount rate is now 16 percent, the highest since July 1998. In addition to hiking the policy rate, the SBP announced that the interest rates on EFS and LTFF loans are now being linked to the policy rate to strengthen monetary policy transmission. The SBP states that this is being done while continuing to incentivize exports by presently offering a discount of 500 basis points relative to the policy rate. This means the rate offered would be 10% based on the current policy rate. At the start of 2022 EFS rate was 3%, while LTFF was at 5% Taking these moves in mind, the SBP is continuing with the tightening cycle underway since September 2021. The SBP claims that this is aimed at ensuring a soft landing of the economy amid an “exceptionally challenging and uncer-

tain global environment.” The MPC also announced that going forward it will remain data-dependent, paying particularly close attention to month-on-month inflation, the evolution of inflation expectations and global commodity prices, as well as developments on the fiscal and external fronts. This has been a demand of the IMF since March 2021. Why hike? “I think this is an IMF-directed decision,” says Fahad Rauf, Head of Research at Ismail Iqbal Securities. He adds, “SBP has probably gone a little bit far with tightening looking at past numbers on different industries. These numbers will be very different in the coming months. The impact of fiscal measures (reversal in energy subsidies) is yet to be reflected in economic indicators.” Rauf adds that there is no forward guidance in the statement. According to him, this implies that the SBP wants to keep the option open for a further hike. Tahir Abbas, Head of Research at Arif Habib Limited says that the SBP acted prudently keeping in mind the expected inflation due to energy and food prices, alongside fiscal adjustments,

Through this contractionary policy, the SBP aims to cool economic activity, prevent the deanchoring of inflation expectations, and provide support to the Rupee in the wake of multi-year high inflation and record imports. The SBP called the reversal of the “unsustainable” energy subsidy package an encouraging development. The statement also noted that the FY23 budget was centered on strong fiscal consolidation. “This has paved the way for the competition of the on-going review by the IMF program, which will ensure that rail risks associated with meeting Pakistan’s external financing needs are averted.” The SBP also stressed the importance of the completion of the ongoing IMF review. It said if completed, it will “catalyze important additional funding from external sources that will ensure that Pakistan’s external financing needs during FY23 are met. Pressures on the Rupee should then attenuate and SBP’s FX reserves should gradually resume their previous upward trajectory during the course of FY23.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

nePra okays rs7.90 per unit hike in Fca for May ISLAMABAD StAff report

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday approved Rs 7.90 per unit increase in power tariff for May under the monthly fuel cost adjustment (FCA) mechanism. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA-G) had sought Rs 7.96 per unit increase in the power tariff for the said period. After holding a public hearing on the CPPA’s petition on June 27, NEPRA approved Rs 3.99 per unit increase in the FCA for April and Rs 3.91 per unit more than that of April for May i.e. Rs 7.90, it was notified. The FCA would be applicable to all consumers except lifeline and K-Electric and would be recovered in the billing month of July, the notification said. rs9.52 Per unit hike for ke consuMers The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday notified Rs9.52 per unit increase in power tariff for consumers of K-Electric for May under the monthly fuel cost adjustment (FCA) mechanism. The FCA would be recovered from the consumers in two months, the notification said. The company would recover Rs2.63 per unit increase from the consumer in July while Rs6.89 per unit would be charged from the consumer in August, it further said. The KE had sought Rs11.34 per unit increase in FCA for the period in question. The authority held public hearing on July 4. The increase would be applicable on billing for July and August only. The FCA would be applicable to all categories of KE consumers except lifeline.

Don’t follow ‘illegal’ orders, imran warns Punjab officials SHEIKHUPURA StAff report

Former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan has warned incumbent government officials against following “illegal” orders of Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz ahead of by-polls in 20 constituencies. “The ECP [Election Commission of Pakistan] and Hamza Shehbaz are plotting to rig the elections to ensure the victory of turncoats,” Imran said while addressing a rally in Punjab’s Sheikhupura district on Thursday. The PTI chief’s rally was a part of the campaign for upcoming by-elections scheduled to be held on July 17 on 20 Punjab Assembly seats. He also warned that his party will take legal action against those police officials who allegedly tortured PTI workers during his party’s “Azadi March” in May. Addressing the Punjab police chief and chief secretary, Imran said: “I had appointed both of you, because you were honest and don’t follow the illegal

orders of Hamza.” Terming the by-polls decisive, the ousted premier said the results of elections will decide whether this country would head towards progress or destruction. “No matter what you do you cannot win elections because people have decided that they will not accept ‘imported government,” he remarked. He also alleged that the Punjab government was pouring a large amount of money into the by-elections to ensure the victory of turncoats in the elections. “Take money from them [PML-N} but cast ballot for the PTI,” he told the supporters. Reiterating his allegations of the ‘foreign conspiracy’, Imran said he held only one grudge against the US as to why did it impose ‘thieves’ on Pakistan. “You do not even appoint a corrupt man to the post of peon but here you have imposed a man [Shehbaz Sharif] and his son [Hamza Shehbaz] who are facing serious money laundering charges,” he added. The PTI leader said his political struggle is based on the ideology of coun-

try’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah while his opponents are ready to compromise on every issue including being ready to recognise Israel to save their looted wealth. “They can never speak about Pakistan’s interest because their assets are stashed abroad. We want friendship with all countries including the US but will not accept its slavery,” he said, adding, “Likewise, I cannot improve ties with India at the expense of the Kashmir issue.” Imran said the time has changed in the age of social media where it’s impossible to stop the flow of information. “Now you cannot win polls through political victimisation and use of state machinery.” iMran khan says reaDy for negotiations on one-Point agenDa: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has asserted that he was ready for negotiations on the issue of holding early elections. Speaking to journalists during a meeting, the former premier said he was ready to hold talks with anyone if

early elections are guaranteed. “The doors of negotiation are open, but only on general elections,” he added. Imran Khan said that he was concerned about the country’s situation and will continue to raise his voice for the betterment of people of Pakistan.

The PTI Chairman added that he can never see the army becoming weak, while appointment of the army chief had never been his issue. “The only solution to the current crisis in the country is an immediate and transparent election,” he added.

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Friday, 8 July, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

FrAMework devISed To SAve 50PC CITIzeNS FroM GAS PrICe HIke: MUSAdIk IsLAMABAD

stAff RepoRt

INISTER of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik on Thursday claimed his ministry had devised a broader framework under which 50 per cent of the country’s total population, comprising the poorest of the poorest people, would be saved from the gas price hike. “We have presented a principle, for which the Federal Cabinet’s guidance and approval to be sought. The Petroleum Division has evolved a framework that 50 per cent of citizens of the country, which means the poorest of the poor, will be protected from the additional burden of increased price [of gas]. Implementation of the proposal will be subject to approval by the cabinet,” he said while addressing a

news conference. Before leaving the government, he said, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) made legislation under which the Federal Government had no authority to change the gas price determined by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). “We are working out for the last twothree weeks how the gas consumers can be given relief as OGRA has informed us about the new rate which is far high as compared to the last year because the rate had not been increased for the last two years,” he said. As the PTI government had committed blunders in the energy sector coupled with its mismanagement and inefficiency, a detailed meeting was held to examine whether rationing or re-pricing of the gas was required to rectify the situation, he added. Dr Musadik said it was unfortunate

that the past government did not procure Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cargoes that were available at the reduced rate of $4 per MMBTU (Metric Million British Thermal Unit) two years ago, which now cost $40. “It means that now per LNG cargo cost is around $138 million, which was available at $12.5 million two years ago for 2-4 years, but the PTI government did not pay any heed towards buying the commodity.” It was beyond understanding as to why the PTI government did not arrange the LNG when regasification terminals were available, whom the country was making ‘capacity payment’ but those were not utilized, he added. As the long-term agreements were not signed by the PTI government, he said, now the much-needed gas was not available in the country, even at an increased price, despite

frequent tendering in the international market. Commenting on the prevailing gas supply situation, he said on the network of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited around 670 MMCFD was available against the average winter demand of 1,170 MMCFD of domestic consumers in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa only. He said it was unfortunate that the poor segments of the society were using the expensive Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in the country, while those who had multiple geezers, stoves and cooking ranges, were using the cheap natural gas. The price of LPG was five times higher than the natural gas, he added. The minister said it seemed that nobody bothered to plan how the gas would be purchased in the winter which was the peak season for demand. However, the current

Govt increases duties levied on CBU vehicles

management was striving to resolve the issue by engaging the governments of different countries. “The governments of the countries to whom we are negotiating asking us why you did not sign the contracts in the last winter when the entire Europe was signing the contracts for purchasing the gas at the low rates,” he observed. “This is not the way the state functions. However, we will leave no stone unturned to steer the country out of the current crises,” he said, adding the coalition government took tough decisions in the supreme national interest. The minister said national development and due care to the poor should be the main focus of politics, instead of criticizing the relief given by the Punjab government to the consumers using up to 100 electricity units per month.

PTI announces moving LHC against 19 Punjab by-poll contestants IsLAMABAD

LAHORe

Agencies

DAniyAl AhmAD

The Government of Pakistan has increased the regulatory duty levied on completelybuilt-up (CBU) vehicles for the upcoming fiscal year through S.R.O. 966(l)/2022. The increase in custom duties may be an attempt to improve the current account position whilst also generating additional revenue through customs given the success in 2021/22. Furthermore, this hints that the government is providing some relief to Pakistani automotive importers by overturning the ban on CBUs. A “new vehicle” means a vehicle manufactured during 12 months preceding the date of importation and neither registered nor used more than 500 kilometers prior to importation.

Army rescues stranded mountaineers Shehroze, Ali from Nanga Parbat RAwALPINDI stAff RepoRt

Pakistan Army aviation helicopters have successfully rescued both stranded mountaineers, Shehroze Kashif and Fazal Ali, from Nanga Parbat and landed at Jaglot near Gilgit. According to the ISPR, Pakistan army, since Wednesday has been coordinating a high risk rescue operation to evacuate stranded mountaineers Shehroze Kashif and Fazal Ali who were stuck at Nanga Parbat. “Pakistan army aviation helicopters and a ground search team comprising high altitude porters and rescuers are employed to rescue the mountaineers. Pakistan army aviation pilots, in a daring attempt, flew Two helimissions despite bad weather conditions but couldn’t pick up the mountaineers due to dense clouds and very high altitude,” said the ISPR. Later, the ISPR shared that the army helicopters were able to rescue both the mountaineers. Meanwhile, the ground search team went close to the stranded mountaineers who were stuck at the Camp-3 at 21000 feet height. The army aviation pilots flew again despite weather conditions as ground team attempt to rescue the mountaineers to Camp-2. The two mountaineers had summited Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres, on Tuesday morning. However, the duo was reported to have gone missing while on their way back. The Gilgit-Baltistan government had started a rescue operation within hours. On Wednesday morning, the regional government announced that police officials and climbers present at the base camp had confirmed that telescope visuals showed the mountaineers descending from camp 4 and they were “okay”. However, bad weather did not permit Pakistan Army helicopters to rescue the stranded climbers on Wednesday while the ground rescue team could not move up to camp 1.

LAHORE: Traffic bumper to bumper on Canal Road due to a mass exodus of people to their hometowns for Eidul Azha celebration. photo by ZubAiR mehfooZ

ECC approves revision in consumer gas sale prices IsLAMABAD stAff RepoRt

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet on Thursday approved the proposed revision in consumer gas sale prices with direction to further reduce the gas rates for export and non-export industry/ captive power. Petroleum Division submitted a summary on the natural gas sale pricing FY 2022-23. It was submitted that since FY 2015-16, the gas prices were not revised in line with revenue requirements determined by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), according to press statement issued by Finance Ministry. This resulted in accumulation of revenue shortfall/tariff differential amounting to Rs. 547 billion as of March 2022. Similarly, gas sector circular debt remained at Rs. 299 billion in June, 2018

increased to Rs. 1232 billion on 31st March 2022. To overcome revenue losses, contain gas sector circular debt, to sustain the supply chain and invest in exploration and production, Petroleum Division placed broad principles/parameters for revision of the category – wise consumer gas sale prices. ECC meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Miftah Ismail while among others it was attended by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal; Federal Minister for Commerce, Syed Naveed Qamar; Federal Minister for Power, Khurram Dastgir Khan; Minister of State for Petroleum Division, Musadik Masood Malik; Member National Assembly Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Federal Secretaries and senior officers. Ministry of Industries and Production

also submitted a summary on continuation of PM’s relief package, 2020, Sasta Atta initiative for KPK and expansion of Utility Stores network across Pakistan. The ECC approved the continuity of distribution of subsidized Atta under Prime Minister’s Sasta Atta Initiative on 1200 additional sale points in KP for the two months from 1st July to 31st August, 2022 with further directions to submit in the next meeting of ECC complete mechanism on distribution of subsidy packages through USC. Ministry of Industries and Production submitted another summary on provision of funds to HEC to release markup amount. The ECC allowed funds in the form of grant amounting to Rs. 96.873 million already released as loan to HEC in pursuance of ECC’s decision dated 22nd November 2021.

The PTI will move the Lahore High Court (LHC) against 19 Punjab by-poll candidates who had been de-notified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in May, the party’s senior vice president Fawad Chaudhry announced Thursday. The ECP had de-notified the 19 PTI members over casting votes for PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz against their party line in the Punjab chief minister’s election on May 23. The by-elections will take place on July 17 in 20 constituencies after the disqualification of more than two dozen members. In a press conference, referring to Article 63 of the Constitution, Fawad said that the candidates are not qualified for contesting the elections, adding that the PTI would file a petition in the LHC in this regard on Friday (tomorrow). “Aleem Khan is not contesting the by-election, hence, we would not file a petition against him,” he added. Fawad went on to say that the PML-N’s workers are not ready to cast their votes for turncoats and claimed that the alliance of the PTI and PML-Q will win all the 20 seats during the upcoming by-elections in the province. “Hamza Shahbaz’s government is a guest of 10 days,” he said, adding that PML-N has lost the majority after the addition of five more PTI members in the House.

President writes to PM; conveys deep concern over journalists harassment News Desk President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif conveying his deep concern on the rising trend of harassment and torture against journalists and media persons in Pakistan. The president, referring to recent incidents of violence against journalists, said such events reflected a mindset of intolerance having negative repercussions both on the future of democracy as well as freedom of expression as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan and Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Such actions also come under international focus and tarnish the image of our country,” he remarked.

ECP suspends CM Hamza’s Roshan Gharana programme till by-polls IsLAMABAD Agencies

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday suspended the Punjab government’s scheme of not collecting electricity bills from consumers that use less than 100 units under the Roshan Gharana programme until July 17. The notice of the case sent to Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz was heard in the ECP earlier today on the basis of a violation in the code of conduct regarding byelections. The PML-N leader’s lawyer told the electoral watchdog that the programme was

not related to the provincial by-elections, rather, it was announced in the provincial budget. The Sindh Election Commission member maintained that making announcements such as this would be considered an attempt to impact the elections, to which Hamza’s lawyer replied that the Punjab chief would have never increased petrol prices if he truly wanted to impact the elections. “Raising the price of petrol is not the prerogative of the provincial government,” the commission counterargued. The chief election commissioner (CEC) inquired why the programme was announced again if it had already been

introduced in the budget. Hamza’s counsel claimed that because of the hike in inflation, the programme was announced a second time to include consumers using 50 and 100 units of power. During the hearing, the director-general of law for the ECP said that the function of the commission was to provide a level playing field to all parties and that the Punjab government’s programme was an attempt to influence the upcoming byelections. “There are 10 days left in the by-elections. This programme should be stopped,” he said. The Punjab chief executive’s counsel, however, stated that the programme would

benefit consumers in August. Subsequently, the CEC suspended the Punjab government’s Roshan Gharana programme till July 17, maintaining that action would be taken for violating the code of conduct. “Therefore, the development programme should not be announced until the by-elections. The ECP rejects all propaganda to make by-elections controversial,” he said. The electoral watchdog emphasised that elections would be transparent in the 20 constituencies of Punjab. The CEC further added that the provincial government should start the Roshan Gharana programme after the byelections on July 17.

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Friday, 8 July, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

PAC CALLS For reMovAL oF JAved IqBAL AS HeAd oF MISSING PerSoNS CoMMISSIoN IsLAMABAD

news Desk

HE Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said on Thursday that it had sent a recommendation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the removal of former justice (retired) Javed Iqbal, as the chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances was established in 2011 and Iqbal, who was also the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) until recently, has been heading it since then. The development followed Tayyaba Gul’s recent appearance before the committee. In 2019, Gul was involved in a leaked video clip showing alleged

President appoints three additional judges in PHC IsLAMABAD news Desk

clandestine and illicit relations between her and Iqbal. Gul, and her husband, Mohammad Farooq, were facing inquiries in NAB when the scandal surfaced. Later, NAB had filed a reference against them before an accountability court in Lahore. Last month, it was reported that she submitted an application with PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan, seeking inquiry against Iqbal, NAB Lahore DG retired Maj Shahzad Saleem and other officials of the bureau for implicating her in a corruption reference. During today’s meeting, which the former NAB chairman chose to skip, the PAC reviewed the alleged video scandal involving Iqbal. At the outset of the meeting, Khan asked Gul whether she had filed an application

against the former NAB chairman, to which she replied in the affirmative. Appearing before the PAC, Gul said Iqbal had filed a Rs20 million reference against her. “I was not issued a call-up notice nor was an inquiry conducted,” she said. Gul went on to say that officials from NAB Lahore arrested her. Two days prior to this, Gul said she had an argument with Iqbal over the phone. At one point, the PAC chairman inquired about the relationship between Gul and Iqbal. “How was he in direct contact with you?” he asked. She replied that she had met Iqbal in relation to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances. She went on to say that he “silenced” her at every forum. “I was not heard at any stage”. Gul went on to say that 40 first information reports were registered against her while a false

Terror bid foiled, ammunitions recovered in Gwadar News Desk The Police failed a bid of terror and recovered ammunitions from Girog’s mountain area of Gwadar on Thursday. According to police sources, on special directive of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Makran Ghulam Azfar Maser and SSP Gwardar Tariq Ilahi Mastoi, CIA police team led by ASP Tehlah Wali conducted a successful raid at a place and recovered ammunitions including large numbers of rocket launchers, RPG and others arms. The police source said that these ammunitions were concealed in the mountain for plan of sabotage activities in the area by unknown men. Police cordoned off the entire area and started search to trace out suspects.

MTP directed to protect tourists during eid MUREE: Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan has said that during Eidul Azha holidays, best arrangements should be made by utilizing all available resources to facilitate tourists, ensure safety and uninterrupted flow of traffic in Queen of Kohsar “Murree”. He directed Murree Tourism Police (MTP) personnel not to spare any effort for the service, guidance and security of the citizens. Punjab IG Police gave the instructions to MPT and Traffic Police officers at the inauguration of Patriata Police Cottage during a visit of Murree here. stAff RepoRt

stAff RepoRt

Around 1,500 cattle heads diagnosed as having been infected by lumpy skin disease in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the past 24 hours, increasing the number of ill animals to more than 15,000. According to the Livestock and Dairy Development Department, with detection of lumpy skin disease in 15,00 more cattle heads, the total number of infected animals has reached to 15,482. The outbreak has caused mortality of around 97 animal in one day, increasing the number of dead animals due to fatal skin infection to 728. An official of the livestock department told APP that 1500 cattle infected in one day was the highest figure in the province

since the outbreak reported about one and half month ago. Such intensification in infection was caused by the arrival of cattle from across the country for sacrifice on upcoming Eidul Azha, he opined. The department had deployed teams in different cattle markets for monitoring of animals and for spraying insecticides, the official added. Similarly, check posts had been established at all the entry points of the province to check all the coming animals. The official urged the cattle owners to ensure cleanliness and use mosquito repellent as a safety measure for protection of animals from the disease. In case of illness of any animal, isolate it and inform livestock officials for forthwith starting the treatment.

AJK PM lauds global organisations for colossal support in health sector News Desk Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan has appreciated the UN-WHO, UNICEF and other global organisations for their colossal support to improve the health sector in AJK. The AJK PM made these remarks during his meeting with Dr. Palitha Mahipala Country Head, UN-WHO and representatives of UNICEF, Global Alliance for Vaccine and ImmunizationGAVI Mission held at PM House in the State metropolis on Thursday. While welcoming the participants of the meeting he said that the government was looking forward to building a stronger partnership with international organizations in the coming future. “I am pleased to say that this (AJK) is the most developed region of the country”, the PM said, adding the region’s literacy rate was 77 percent and health indicators

were also better as compared to the national level. He said that the government of AJ&K has made good progress on 17 sustainable development goals-SDGs. “We are grateful to our global and federal partners in health sector with high regards to Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), UN-WHO UNICEF and Federal Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) through regular programmatic interventions and during emergencies in the health sector”, he said. “We have faced major challenges, several disasters and constantly facing challenges at the Line of Control”, the PM said adding that global agencies’ support had been instrumental in dealing with these challenges. “We are thankful to Worthy WR for your special consideration and medical supplies for Line of Control in the current year. You have always honored your commitments”, the PM said, adding that

the government was looking forward to strengthening the partnership. The Prime Minister assured the visiting delegation that his Government was ready to provide any support and guidance to the donors for operating their functions in AJ&K to help achieving the “2030 Agenda for Sustainability Development”Dr. Palitha Mahipala Country Head, UN-WHO thanked the AJK PM for ownership of UN-WHO interventions in the state and great hospitality extended by him to the visiting delegation. Dr. Mahipala shared the detail of interventions of UN-WHO in AJ&K and substantial methodological and enduring support by GAVI and United Nations in particular WHO and UNICEF to Azad State of accomplishing and supporting public health emergencies in the state, along with the smooth organization of regular programmes like Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI)/ Polio eradication initiative (PEI), Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health (MNCH) and others.

LHC grants protective bail to Dua Zahra’s husband Zaheer till 14th LAHORe stAff RepoRt

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday granted protective bail to Zaheer Ahmad, husband of Dua Zahra, the love-marriage couple, till July 14 and stopped police from arresting him. LHC single bench comprising Justice Aalia Neeluim passed the orders on a petition filed by Zaheer Ahmad, seeking protective bail. During the proceedings, Justice Aalia questioned Zaheer Ahmad’s counsel as to when the FIR was registered.

in office. “We were shown many laws and were told that the PAC cannot take up this matter,” he said. “Then we showed them the Rules of Procedures and the laws, which state that it is within our scope,” he added. “A lot of good people work in NAB [… ] but when wolves enter an institution, they need to be removed and pointed out,” Khan said, adding that Iqbal was being given a chance to appear before the committee. “If he does not show up again, then I will issue a warrant for Javed Iqbal.” We have recommended the removal of Iqbal from the post until the matter is decided, he said, adding that proof in the form of videos and pictures was also present. “I was under a lot of pressure not to expose this matter. We will look into it according to the law. Those who are guilty will be prosecuted,” he said.

Toll rises to 15,000 as lumpy skin disease found in 1,500 more cattle in KP PesHAwAR

President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday approved the appointment of three additional judges in the Peshawar High Court. The president, on advice of the prime minister, appointed the judges for a period of one year. The district and session judges who have been appointed as additional judges in the Peshawar High Court included Fazal Subhan, Shahid Khan and Dr Khurshid Iqbal.

reference was also filed. She alleged that the NAB Lahore DG had stripped her naked and filmed her. My name was placed on the no-fly list, she said, adding that cases were registered against her for stealing coal trucks. Gul also said that Saleem blackmailed Iqbal with the video he had made of her. “The owner of a private news channel, Tahir A. Khan, and the former prime minister’s principal secretary, Azam Khan, took the videos from me,” she said. The PAC chairman said that the committee would also listen to Iqbal even though he skipped today’s meeting. Speaking to the media after today’s meeting, the PAC chairman said that the voices of many women are left unheard. He said that public office holders should be stopped from misusing their authority while

He submitted the FIR of kidnapping was registered on April 16. At this, the judge questioned what were you doing so far, how did you come to know that police wanted to arrest the petitioner, the judge asked. The counsel submitted that in a statement, the investigation officer had said that the matter was being reinvestigated. He submitted that it was feared that the police might arrest his client. He pleaded with the court to grant protective bail to his client so that he could approach the court concerned for the relief of interim bail in the matter.

Subsequently, the court granted protective bail to Zaheer

Ahmad till July 14 and stopped police from arresting him. Zaheer

Ahmad through his petition had submitted that he solemnized marriage with Dua Zahra but it was being alleged that she (Dua Zahra) was kidnapped. He submitted that the police might arrest him in the matter while pleading for the relief of protective bail. It is pertinent to mention here that Syed Ali Kazmi, the father of Dua Zahra, had approached the Sindh High Court again for the recovery of her daughter on the basis of a new medicalboard report, which determined the girl’s age to be between 15 and 16 years.

Govt urged to immediately release anchorperson Imran riaz News Desk Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) President Kazim Khan has demanded the government to immediately release senior anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan. The CPNE President Kazim Khan condemned the arrest of senior anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan. He said that the detention of the anchorperson was an illegal and unconstitutional step. The council urged the government to end the trend of lodging fake cases and arrests of journalists. Khan said, “The government must clarify its position on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) ordinance. It is concerning to include sections of PECA in cases against the journalists. Should we stand against the PECA ordinance once again?” Kazim Khan said that the government should stop exhibiting cowardliness and refrain from banning the freedom of expression. “We condemn martial law-like dictatorial measures against the journalists.” The CPNE president said that Pakistan is becoming more dangerous for journalists and journalism is becoming a serious crime here.

IHC seeks comments on removal of prosecutors ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday sought written comments from Ministry of Law and Justice in a petition challenging the removal of two special prosecutors from their posts. Justice Aamer Farooq of IHC heard the case filed by the two ex-prosecutors Mian Aamer Sultan Goraya and Fakhra Aamer Sultan. The two were removed from the posts on the recommendations of Advocate General Islamabad on favoring the acquittal plea of PTIís chief Imran Khan in Parliament building attack case. news Desk

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Friday, 8 July, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS

China’s Wang meets Lavrov in BaLi ahead of g20 taLks

AgEnciEs

HInESE Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Bali Thursday to discuss RussiaUkraine conflict ahead of a G20 ministerial meeting overshadowed by the conflict. The pair were pictured holding a bilateral meeting on the Indonesian resort island as the world’s top economies gather to discuss the most pressing global issues on Friday, with the conflict at the top of the agenda. Despite criticism, Beijing has upheld friendly ties with Russia as Western nations have sought to isolate President Vladimir Putin’s government from the global financial and diplomatic order over the military assault on its neighbour. Lavrov informed Wang “about the implementation of the main missions of the special military operation” in Ukraine and reiterated Moscow’s rhetoric that its aim is to “denazify” the country, a Russian foreign ministry statement said.

“Both parties underlined the unacceptable nature of unilateral sanctions adopted by circumventing the Un.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in attendance and is set to hold bilateral talks with Wang on Saturday. But he will shun a direct meeting with his Russian counterpart even though they are set

for their first showdown since the start of the conflict in February. Blinken last saw Lavrov in January in Geneva, where the top US diplomat warned Russia of massive consequences if it went ahead and attacked Ukraine. Washington has argued Russia should no longer be a member of the international forum, a position echoed by some

Western allies. But the Russian foreign ministry said Lavrov and Wang stressed “the need for the maintenance and development of the G20” in their meeting. Blinken will use the meeting — which is a prelude to a leaders’ summit in november — to lobby allies that have been at odds with its position on Ukraine, such as India, to pull away from Moscow. But China has refused to condemn Russia and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for the Kremlin by blasting Western sanctions and arms sales to Kyiv. Beijing pursues an independent foreign policy toward Russia and both reject interference from what they have called “third parties”. A meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in February ended with the pair declaring a “new era” of international relations with “no limits” to their relationship. Xi assured Putin of China’s support for Russian “sovereignty and security” in a phone call last month. The United States swiftly weighed in, condemning China for “investing in close ties to Russia” despite claiming to be neutral.

religious leaders to be taken onboard for peace in muharram, says sanaullah nEws DEsk Minister for Interior Rana Sana Ullah Khan on Thursday said consultation would be held with all religious leaders/scholars of various schools of thought to ensure maintenance of law and order during holy month of Muharram. The minister expressed these views in a meeting with delegation of Islami Tehreek-e-Pakistan (ITP) headed by Secretary General Allama Dr Shabbir Hassan Meesami here, said a statement. He said the constitution guaranteed complete freedom to practice religious rituals to followers of all schools of thought. The minister lauded efforts of ITP for promotion of sectarian harmony in country. Allama Syed Sajid Ali naqvi always played constructive role in maintenance of law and promotion of brotherhood in Pakistan, he added. He said we accord full respect to all religions and schools of thought and also stay in contact with them. Bibi Pak Daman shrine in Lahore would be opened during

all sources to be utilised for dengue, corona control: salman rafique nEws DEsk

35,000 cops to guard 27,645 Eid congregations across Punjab: IGP LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan has said that foolproof arrangements have been made in all districts of the province for security of mosques, Imambargahs and Eid congregations to be offered in open spaces on Eidul Azha. “A thorough clearance of all mosques, imambargahs and other Eid congregation venues should be carried before Eid prayers”, he directed and added that snipers should be deployed on rooftops of mosques and imambargahs in sensitive besides deployment police commandos in plainclothes during Eid gatherings. Punjab IG Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan issued the directives during a review of the security plan for Eidul Azha here Central Police Office on Thursday. Rao Sardar Ali asked the officers to ensure that monitoring of all sensitive places through CCTV cameras, walk-

through gates and metal detectors. He urged the DIG Traffic to devise a comprehensive plan to ensure smooth flow of traffic across the province on Eidul Azha, adding that special attention should be paid to traffic flow in the vicinity of cattle markets on the eve of Eidul Azha. The IG Police directed that patrolling hours of Dolphin, Peru and QRF on major highways in all major cities including Lahore should be increased. “Implementation of Home Department SOPs should be ensured in all cases and efforts to collect skins by changing names or in any other way should not be allowed to succeed by making the monitoring process of banned organizations more effective. According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Police, more than 35,000 personnel would be deployed for the security of 27,645 Eid congregations to be held across the province. The IG Police directed the officers to continue search, sweep, combing and intelligence based operations in all the districts on a daily

basis. He said that DPOs, RPOs of all the districts should be seen in the field for checking foolproof security arrangements

and additional teams should be deployed in the vicinity of cattle markets on moon night to facilitate citizens.

Mehbooba says raising voice for Kashmiris’ rights becomes punishable act in IIOJK DELHi app

Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday said that raising voice for Kashmiris rights has become a punishable act in the eyes of Bharatiya Janata Party-led Indian government. According to Kashmir Media Service, Mehbooba Mufti in a tweet said, “Of

all the crimes we could commit as Kashmiris, advocating for ourselves carries the greatest punishment. And punished we are through measures like arrests, killings, raids and chance encounters so that we learn to accept abuse and not stand up for ourselves”. Referring to the killing a Kashmiri youth, Showkat Sheikh in a fake encounter in Kupwara, she said he was arrested in Shopian and was being

investigated in police custody while there was an encounter in Kupwara and the police claimed he was among the militants killed there (Kupwara). “For a Kashmiri to walk to his corner shop has become a risky proposition. If he is lucky he will be briefly accosted by military, but there is a good chance he may never make it home and instead make the headlines for being shot in a chance encounter,” the newsletter said. new Delhi says “you never know who you truly are until your back is against the wall. We cannot stick our head in the sand. Fear is a primal emotion that will keep us stuck and turn us into zombies that do and say exactly

what the oppressor wants us to.” Referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders’ photos with an alleged militant in Jammu and the man who killed at tailor in Udaipur, Rajashtan, Mehbooba Mufti said if an opposition leader would have been photographed with “arrested militant Talib Hussain”, he would have been slapped with FIRs and the BJP “trolls” would have been crying for his blood. “Both men have been photographed with BJP top leadership including the Home Minister Amit Shah. Could you imagine an opposition leader being photographed with these men? They would have been slapped with multiple FIRs and BJP trolls would have been crying for their blood,” the PDP head said.

Punjab Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique has said that all measures will be taken to control dengue and corona viruses in the province. Chairing a meeting at the Institute of Public Health here on Thursday, he said that final warning was being issued to the departments concerned that no negligence would tolerated in the preventive activities. Kh Salman said that all departments concerned should continuously monitor the dengue dashboard. He said that the Health Department teams were being further mobilised for home surveillance. He said that none of the dengue patients, being treated at any government hospital in Punjab, was in critical condition. He stated that no deaths due to dengue had been reported in the province since January, 2022. He said that 4,202 beds had been allocated for dengue patients in government hospitals in Punjab. He directed all deputy commissioners to again impart training to the dengue staff in indoor residual spray (IRS) and fogging. Additional Inspector General Special Branch Dr Usman Anwar, Director Centre for Diseases Control Dr Shahid Hussain Magsi, Deputy Secretary Vertical Programs Syeda Ramla, Dr Razaq Anjum from the Institute of Public Health and officials of the Punjab Information Technology Board attended the meeting. Provincial Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique reviewed the dengue situation in the province. Dr Usman Anwar, Dr Shahid Hussain Magsi and the PITB officials were briefed about the overall situation.

five of a family die as jeep falls into ravine in gilgit nEws DEsk At least five members of the same family were killed when a jeep they were travelling in fell into a ravine in Gilgit-Baltistan on Thursday. According to police, the incident occurred on Karakoram highway near Dasu when the ill-fated vehicle plunged into a deep ravine near Gilgit, killing five people of the same family. The police said the incident occurred due to speeding in the hilly area. On receiving information, rescue 1122 teams and police reached the spot and shifted the bodies to hospital for medico-legal formalities. The deceased included Mir Alam, Muhammad Farooq, Fazal Wahid and Bulbul nabi. In a similar incident reported this year in March, seven members of a family had died when a car they were travelling in fell into a canal in Khanpur tehsil of Rahim Yar Khan district. As many as nine members of the same family had been travelling from Khanpur to Rahim Yar Khan when their vehicle plunged into the Abbasia canal near Kot Samaba 86-pul.

Friday, 8 July, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS Secretary agriculture alerts field teams to combat post rain impact on cotton News Desk Secretary Agriculture South Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel on Thursday asked the field teams of agriculture department to be on alert and scramble in the cotton belt within their respective domains, and ensure observance of experts’ guidelines to lessen the negative impact of rains on the silver fibre crop and keep the pest pressure away. Presiding over a meeting to review cotton crop situation in the light of post-rain impact at the agriculture secretariat south, the secretary said that the monsoon rains might continue for a few more days and urged the field staff to remain alert and help and guide farmers to drain out excess rainwater from fields in case of heavy rains. He also advised farmers to be vigilant during rains, adding that accumulation of water affects food formation process in plants and may cause small bolls to fall. Monitoring officers informed that cotton crop situation in South Punjab was satisfactory so far. They said the incidence of white fly, Jassid, Cotton Leaf Curl Virus and Plants wilting was observed, but added that the pest pressure was still under the economic threshold level (ETL). They said that the demonstration plots being nurtured under integrated Pest Management (IPM) model were witnessing increase in number of crop friendly pests by virtue of avoiding chemical spray and applying botanical extracts spray. The fields with early sown varieties have even yielded first picking at the rate of 8-10 Maunds per acre, they added. They said that farmers should immediately apply botanical extracts spray if not applied earlier. They said that 600 gram of Colosynth (Kor Tumma), 600 grams of tobacco, 600 gram of Neem leaf, 600 grams of Sodom Apple Leaf (Akk) and 10 grams Asafoetida (Hing) should be mixed in 100 litres of water and this liquid would be sufficient for spray on an acre of cotton crop. It would help plug chances of pest flare up. After rain, farmers should apply two kilogram Urea, 250 gram Zinc Sulphate (33%), 200 gram Potassium Nitrate, 300 gram (17 %) Boric Acid and mix it in 100 litres of water. Its spray should be applied on the crop and repeated after a week. A bag of Urea per acre be applied by ridger when soil is moist. To combat plant wilting, farmers should apply spray of one kilogram Thyophenate Methyl, and two kilogram Sulphur (80%) in water on the crop. Moreover, 250 gram Phostile Aluminium in 100 litres of water be also sprayed. Saqib said that increase in humidity after rain can trigger attack by Aphid and advised farmers to perform pest scouting regularly and adopt measures to control pests when their incidence goes beyond ETL after consulting experts. Additional secretaries Imtiaz Ahmad Waraich, Syed Naveed Alam, DGs Rana Faqeer Ahmad, Zafarullah Sindhu, director cotton Dr. Sagheer Ahmad, deputy director Naveed Asmat Kahlon and others attended the meeting.

Exploring KP’s forests carbon stocks imperative to mitigate environmental changes PesHAwAR staff report

Driven by high population growth and climate change vulnerabilities, Pakistan is losing about 27,000 hectares of forest per year mostly in Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakthunkhwa, making an adverse affect on carbon sequestration process, which resulted an increase in temperature. According to National Forest Policy 2015, the axing of forests mostly in community and private lands in Khyber Pakthunkhwa and Giligt-Baltistan owing to rapid population growth and poverty has increased chances of floods and glaciers’ melting due to climate change susceptibility besides made negative effects on carbon sequestration. “Carbon sequestration is very important for humans, animals and even aquatic resources as it help make our environment clean and control temperature,” said Dr Muhammad Mumtaz Malik, former Chief Conservator Wildlife while talking to APP. He said it was the process of capturing, securing and storing carbon dioxide from atmosphere and makes our planet worth living. In case carbon sequestration process was affected then temperatures would become rise, chances of floods to increase due to fast melting of glaciers and heatstroke’s case would substantial rise.

PTI To fIlE dISquAlIfICATIon rEfErEnCE AgAInST MArrIyuM AurAngzEB isLAmABAD

staff report

HE Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced to file a reference seeking disqualification of Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb over alleged tax relief to her husband’s tobacco company. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry while addressing a press conference said that the cigarette agency is represented by Marriyum Aurangzeb’s husband. He also questioned in what capacity the minister participated in the meeting on

the industry? Fawad Chaudhry said that Marriyum had allegedly given her husband billions of rupees tax relief. This is a case of utter dishonesty. Today, PTI has written a letter to the Secretary Cabinet on this issue, the former minister said. The PTI leader said that they would file a reference regarding the disqualification of Information and Broadcasting Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb in this regard. Criticizing the Sharif family, Fawad Chaudhry said whenever Sharifs come into power, billions of rupees are laundered abroad.

Economy tightened: Monetary Policy at 15% after a 125 bps hike coNtiNueD fRom PAge 01 The SBP explained that the FX reserves had been diminishing since January due to current account pressures, external debt repayments, and paucity of fresh foreign inflows. The $.23 billion commercial loan from China helped provide support to the FX reserves. The statement noted that economic activity has remained robust. “with the momentum of the last two years of near 6 percent growth carrying into the start of FY23. As a result, Pakistan faces a significantly lower trade-off between growth and inflation than many countries where the post-Covid recovery has not been as vigorous.” In the eyes of the MPC, the positive news of the growth rates Pakistan has been able to achieve has been overshadowed by several adverse developments such as global inflation being at a multidecade high in most countries. The SBP anticipates this growth rate to moderate to 3-4 percent in FY23, on the back of monetary tightening and fiscal consolidation, helping to close the positive output gap and diminish demand-side pressures on inflation. “This will pave the way for higher growth on a more sustainable basis.” The MPC states that headline inflation is likely to remain elevated around current levels for much of FY23. It believes that inflation will fall “sharply” to the 5-7 percent target range by the end of FY24. SBP SayS time for otherS to do more: The SBP points out monetary tightening steps taken by other central banks across the world, especially in emerging market countries. “This strong monetary tightening has occurred despite concerns about a slowdown in global growth and even recession risks, highlighting the primacy that central banks are placing on containing inflation at this juncture” Domestically, as energy subsidies were reversed, both headline and core inflation increased significantly in June, rising to a 14-year high. The FX reserves took a hit and the rupee remained under pressure as the current account deficit unexpectedly spiked in May and the trade deficit continued its post-March widening trend to reach a 7-month high in June; primarily due to energy imports. The depreciating rupee, however, further worsened the inflation outlook. Non-energy imports have continued to moderate in the last three months on the back of curtailment measures by the government and the SBP. Despite that, the decline has been more than offset by the significant increase in energy imports, which rose from a low of $1.4 billion in February to an estimated record high of $3.7 billion in June. This is not entirely due to higher prices, but instead higher volumes of petrol added pressure. While not in the mandate of the SBP, it provided various methods to curtail energy imports.

“…for instance through early closure of markets, reduced electricity use by residential and commercial customers, and greater encouragement of work from home and car pooling” The MPC noted that without such measures containing the trade deficit could become challenging. However, if such measures are undertaken, “the current account deficit is projected to narrow to around 3 percent of GDP as imports moderate with cooling growth, while exports and remittances remain relatively resilient.” “It is critical that the envisaged fiscal consolidation is delivered. It would allow monetary and fiscal policy to resume the well-coordinated approach that characterized Pakistan’s successful Covid response in FY20 and FY21, which supported growth while preserving fiscal and external buffers” The SBP stressed the importance of the new taxation measures being progressive. “In particular, their burden should mainly be absorbed by the relatively better off while adequate protection is provided to the more vulnerable, for whom high food prices are a particular concern. In this context, curbing food inflation through supplyside measures aimed at boosting output and resolving supply-chain bottlenecks should be high priority” runway inflation iS a concern? : The statement further comments on the income shock to individuals as a result of high inflation due to “necessary but difficult increases in utility prices and taxes”. The MPC notes that without decisive macroeconomic adjustments, there is a significant risk of substantially worse outcomes that would compromise price stability, financial stability, and growth. “This could take the form of runaway inflation, FX reserve depletion, and the need for sudden and aggressive tightening actions later that would be significantly more disruptive for economic activity and employment,” warned the statement. The MPC states that headline inflation is likely to remain elevated around current levels for much of FY23. It believes that inflation will fall “sharply” to 5-7 percent target range by the end of FY24. The decline in the inflation rate will be driven by “tight policies, normalization of global commodity prices, and beneficial base effects.” The SBP acknowledges that adjustment is difficult but necessary in Pakistan, as it is all over the world. Unlike itself, the MPC talks about fiscal consolidation and equitable impact absorption. The statement reads, “However, in the interest of social stability, the burden of this adjustment must be shared equitably across the population, by ensuring that the relatively well-off absorb most of the increase in utility prices and taxes while well-targeted and adequate assistance is provided to the more vulnerable”

Make Building Control Authority functional on war footing, directs KP-CM

PesHAwAR staff report

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has directed the authorities concerned to take concrete steps to make Building Control Authority (BCA) fully functional on war footing. The CM also directed to make the newly-established Land Use for which the authority was established be achieved at all costs. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has established the authority to protect agriculture land and prevent haphazard housing schemes on them. He issued the directives while chairing a meeting regarding Land Use and Building Control Authority here the other day, said an official handout issued here on Thursday. Provincial minister for Local Government Faisal Amin Gandapur, Secretary Finance Ikram Ullah, Secretary Law Masaud Ahmad and other relevant senior officials attended the meeting. The meeting approved the constitution of Provincial Land Use and Building Control Council under the Land Use and Building Control Authority Act. The chief minister directed the quarters concerned to convene the first meeting of council in a couple of weeks. Provincial Land Use Council will be headed by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa while Additional Chief Secretary, Senior Member Board of Revenue, concerned administrative secretaries and experts from private sector will be the members of council. Land use council is mandated to provide policy framework and is the highest forum of approval of land use, master plans, and spatial plans in the province. Further, council will keep oversight as well as monitor and implement the policies and strategies. The chief minister on the occasion also directed the authorities of local government department to devise lease policy for acquiring lands on lease for establishment of markets and bus stands.

Justice Reforms Project to help needy litigants: IHC CJ isLAmABAD staff report

Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Thursday said that Justice Reforms Project would help to ensure provision of justice to the needy litigants in a certain time. This project was for the litigants who didn’t have access to the high court for justice. He was addressing a ceremony regarding the launch of the website of Justice Reforms Project in the federal capital. The project would have a steering committee and chief justice, IHC judges and some institutions would be it’s members. Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Jahanzeb Khan, IHC judges,

judicial officers, representatives of lawyer bodies and others attended the ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the injustice with the litigants usually made by revenue offices and police stations, and judiciary was the only option for the people to get justice. He said even jails were holding way more prisoners than their capacity. Who would be responsible for this injustice if a person was kept in jail for 12 years and then his appeal was accepted, he wondered. Justice Minallah said that the CDA affectees were still waiting for compensations after passing 50 years. Their lands were snatched and big buildings were constructed on it, he said. He said there was no justice even in judicial system and it might not be a priority

of the state as well. The chief justice said that the district courts were established in shops at commercial areas. The rights of lawyers, judges and litigants were being ruined, he said, adding that it was a good sign that the previous government had laid foundation of district courts’ complex. Justice Minallah said an effective justice system was necessary to address the problems of public but it should not be dependent on judiciary only. A person approaches the court only with the complaint of injustice. He further said he had seen a 50 years old case and the petitioner and his wife both had died. The chief justice said that they were aware of the problems but they didn’t have the expertise for institutional reforms. They know that a big part of the population of the

country had no access to the justice, he said. Addressing the seminar, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar said that the whole system was to facilitate the public but it was not practically working. It was the right of the citizens to be given facilities to get timely justice, he said. He appreciated the efforts of the chief justice IHC for taking this initiative for provision of justice to the needy litigants. The criminal justice system also required reforms for provision of justice to complainants, he added. The minister said that the project seemed a good step towards the betterment. He said he expected from the bar members that they would take the project in a positive way. The minister said that the project should be implemented in spirit. He further said it was the mission of the prime minister to fa-

cilitate public in their quest for getting justice, adding that the jail reforms were also under consideration.

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Friday, 8 July, 2022

06 COMMENT

Will things fall apart?

A rare consensus But does Qureshi have Imran’s support?

HE PML(n) and PPP are currently part of the coalition ruling the country. It would have been no surprise if their leaders had agreed to talk on a public platform on an aspect of civil military relations. Among other things, the PPP and PML(n) have long histories of uneasy relations with the military establishment. What was intriguing this time was the presence of the PTI also at a high-level political party leaders’ dialogue hosted by an Islamabad think-tank on the civil–military imbalance. Interestingly, the PTI was represented at the dialogue by the party’s vice chairman, Shah Mahmud Qureshi The PTI is bitter over the Army turning neutral instead of coming to its rescue when, according to party chief Imran Khan, his government was removed through a conspiracy. The PTI has however a love-hate relation with the establishment with Mt Khan wistfully asking why it opted for what he calls a coalition of the corrupt. The PTI however still reserves the worst epithets for the PML(n) and PPP leaders vowing to continue to fight against them till the end. It was intriguing therefore to find Mr Qureshi declaring that all three major parties had suffered from the imbalance in the relationship with the military, therefore they should prudently look at the past mistakes and try to rectify them. Further that “If we continue with the blame game, we won’t be able to move ahead.” This leads to a number of questions. Do some of the PTI leaders differ with Mr Khan’s policy of no conciliation with the parties of the ruling coalition? Or is he having second thoughts about his policy of fighting simultaneously on a number of fronts and is sending up a trial balloon to find the ruling alliance’s response? Or is it no more than a personal signal from Mr Qureshi that he can’t go any more with PTI’s isolationist policy? There is a need for the PTI and all other parties to heed what Mushahid Hussain said in his speech. Political parties, he maintained, should decide among themselves that the “road to Islamabad would not lie through Rawalpindi, Washington or London, but through Constitution and the ballot box” and if they remain steadfast on this then “neither ISI nor any general can encroach on their domain.” Further, that if political parties use the military to get power and then rely on them for running affairs, the military would keep deciding the time of their exit.

The CM’s fresh election depends on the coming by-elections At Penpoint M A NIAZI

HE need for a re-election to the office of Punjab Chief Minister shows the shambolic nature of the regime. At the Centre, though the central government is not suffering the sort of instability the Punjab is, it can hardly be said that it is settled. Perhaps the most potent symbol of its instability is the thin-ness of the majority on which it rests. Further, the ‘difficult decisions’ it has taken have not really brought about the economic change that was expected, particularly as far as inflation goes. Hamza Shehbaz’s troubles centre around the fact that he was elected CM only because PTI defectors voted for him. Those defectors have now been unseated, but the votes they cast in his favour have been excluded from his total, which means that a re-election is again necessitated. This is not the second stage election, where the CM elected does not have to have a majority of the 371 total membership of the House, but simply of the members present and voting. However, it is somewhat of a relief to see that no one is trying to revive the claims of Usman Buzdar, whose resignation had caused the vacancy. When things were threatening to go awry for the PTI, Governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema came out with a rejection of Buzdar’s resignation, on the ground that it had been addressed to PTI chief Imran Khan, not the Governor. This was despite the resignation having been accepted by his predecessor, Ch Muhammad Sarwar. Punjab has become crucial for a number of reasons, not least that Buzdar (through Farah Shezadi, a.k.a. Gogi) is one of the main figures in one of the major accusations of corruption against Imran Khan. The main federal accusation, which involves Malik Riaz, the property tycoon, will probably come to nothing, because Malik Riaz has friends all over the place, not least Asif Zardari, one of the pillars of the Shehbaz coalition. There is also the fact that Punjab has the majority of seats in the national Assembly. One of the major problems faced by the PTI was the poor governance of Usman Buzdar, not to mention the corruption allegations against him and his family. The province is also crucial to obtaining power. The PTI has been unable to crack interior Sindh, and though it has targeted the area it is iffy. Balochistan does not have many

Miftah vs Ishaq Dar The debate adds nothing to solving the country’s economic woes

Panic is not the solution

HERE has been a riding tide of reports that former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar is not just returning to Pakistan, but will reclaim his old ministry. The reports have been fuelled by ministers speaking out in his favour, the latest being Kh Saad Rafique, and others supporting incumbent Miftah Ismail. Dar is eminently qualified, having held the job in the last two nawaz governments. However, Miftah has also got formidable academic qualifications, not to mention he has done the heavy lifting on the IMF, and has taken the blame for the stringent measures the IMF has insisted on, which have included ending the fuel subsidy and hiking the power tariff. It seems that the difference is not about relative merits, but the desire of Mian nawaz Sharif to assert control over the party, more specifically over Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The debate has also laid bare divisions within the PML(n), which have little to do with economics, and more to do with those divisions. The existence of the debate has created the sort of market instability the country can ill afford, and which drive away the IMF package Dr Ismail has worked so hard to get. It is also not clear what rabbit Mr Dar will pull out of his hat if he assumes office. The elder Mr Sharif also needs to ask himself whether Mr Dar should take office and share in Dr Ismail’s obloquy, or whether he should be kept in a kind of reserve to offer the electorate hope. The PML(n) should not treat this choice lightly. That a decision will have to be made soon is likely to be precipitated by Mr Dar’s return to Pakistan. However, he cannot waltz out of the airport into the Finance Ministry, because he must settle the cases against him, and only then will he be able to take oath as a Senator, which he has not done after being elected in 2018. Whatever decision the PML(n), it must make sure that it keeps a careful eye on what effect that decision has on the economy, which is more important than any internal party struggle.

…but reverse engineering can be

ShAZIA ANwer CheeMA

n interesting thing here is that Chinese technology is based on reverse engineering, the parts which China gets hold of over the course of time become a source of study material, and the Chinese beside using them also explored the mechanics and later made their own. For example, a certain type of batteriesimport for industrial usage simultaneously provides the open field to reconstruct it. I am not an engineer so my opinion about that does not hold weight, but my opinion does hold weight in another kind of engineering commonly known as political engineering. I am blessed and cursed at the same time for witnessing one of the kinds in my life, before I explain the form and attributes of that engineering let me give a preamble for its logical requirement. Pakistan is a so-called democracy, every now and then we suffer from an electoral process where political manoeuvring based on wealth, prestige, cast, and kinship is being done. The notion of “Democracy for the people by the people” is a farce for us, it is farcical for the first world even, but their reasons are more capitalistic rather than a social hierarchy based on which womb and by whom you have been conceived to grace the world. In Pakistan; the political system is inherently dysfunctional but to get the good grace of more humane nations, that is richer and more powerful, we must

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seats, and the PTI has not made many inroads there. It was obliged to work with local parties, whose switching brought down the government. True, electables come in large numbers from Punjab, but the majority are sticking to the party. It is with reference to the next election that Punjab has become crucial. Though the province will be under a caretaker administration for the election, who governs in the run-up to the election is important, especially if the PTI can show an administration under Pervez Elahi that did a good job of governance. Ch Pervez may be at a greater advantage, because becoming CM might mean that he keeps alive his faction of the PML(Q), which seems headed for a split. The by-elections thus become crucial, for if the PTI wins enough seats, then it will be able to deny the PML(n) the chief ministership. There will be no boycott of elections this time, and the PTI MPAs not having tendered their resignations, Of course, if Hamza does his job like his uncle and father before him, he will make sure than the majority of those seats flip. In that case, one can expect the PTI to cry foul, and to refuse to accept the results. The by-elections will be a general election on a small scale. These were all seats held by the PTI, so winning them becomes crucial for both parties. Losing them would mean that the sitting government could swing results. Also, it might also mean that the PTI was losing its appeal in the Punjab. That would encourage the central government to have the PTI MnAs’ resignations accepted, except for those who apologized abjectly enough to join the floor-crossers in the Opposition. It would be a major boost for the Shehbaz government, and imply that its narrative, that the petrol price and electricity tariff hikes are because of PTI mismanagement, and it should not have to carry the can, is making headway. The PTI narrative is that the present inflation and loadshedding must not be blamed on it, because it is out of office. There is the rather unedifying spectacle of the country going through one of its worst economic crises, with the government and the opposition blaming each other for it, and neither offering a solution. The government’s management has not affected the crisis, and the PTI is still blaming the woes on the government being ‘imported’. The prospect for the ordinary citizen is therefore bleak. Someone who has lived through the Musharraf era, the terms the PPP and the PML(n) had, then the

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orchestrate this political symphony which is highly unpleasant, cost-effective, and useless. now if democracy is corrupt and hence dysfunctional then how has this country been functioning for seven decades? It is functioning on auto-mode by judiciary, bureaucracy, and military. These three pillars silently support the fourth pillar, the “democratically elected government” and. Political change apparently does not affect them. This has been done smoothly and systematically until a few politicians got the itch of having democracy in true form, but with their own definition of it, in which they somehow got this mystic revelation that they too are capable of running a country. This gives integral responsibility for those actually running the country to abruptly devise a plan B. This was to construct a manufacturing unit and make a political leader. The available raw material was socially awkward, with dysfunctional family life, no work experience, never got a paycheck, never spent from his own pocket, self-obsessed, fame-hungry, self-righteous, and self-indulgent. If I would have been part of that manufacturing team my profiling would have never come to any logical conclusion of him as a raw form. The plan was to give an alternate 1; to shut down the ambitious politicians and 2; to keep the country functional. If nonsensical ambitious ungrateful politicians would have sensed the pulse they would have withdrawn all their ambitions. In the “political leader manufacturing plant” all resources were funnelled toward a defamation campaign against all others and one person was crafted as a saviour of all, the future of Pakistan, a symbol of changing a hope for a new Pakistan, etc. As the manufacturing plant was run by the most prestigious and experienced engineers, there was no margin for anything less than perfection. Engineers are deployed to it. Hundreds were assigned to prove the product already in the market was flawed, and tons of resources were pushed into a fleet of unemployed youth to sit on the computer and abuse and abuse with full strength and spare no one who dares to question the product. Factory-made media experts, best known as “Paratroopers” under the guise of journalists were launched with technical/tactical support and were told to discard all old norms, and formulate new norms, where cursing, slurring, puns, and even dirty jokes became normal on family TV channels. They were spoon-fed with information that must not be made public, and invited to high-end meetings. As a result, their credibility was established as seasoned

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PTI, have all resulted in the present situation. Of course, there have been external factors, such as covid-19 and the Russo-Ukrainian war, but basically, the solution to the common man’s problems are because no one has one. The parties and the military are shown as being as feckless as each other, and as the people in being unable to provide solutions. The establishment has dismissed the PM in midterm since 1988, four times. As the dismissal was by the President under the old Article 58 (2b), elections had to be held. When Parliaments were restored in 2003 after there was an actual Martial Law, the presidential dissolution was off the table. Zafarullah Jamali resigned, Yousaf Reza Gilani and nawaz Sharif were disqualified as MnAs, and Imran Khan was removed by a vote of no-confidence. In the last case, the government was also changed. In the three previous episodes, the Cabinets were more or less unchanged, apart from minor adjustments. However, this is the first time any CM has been changed. Balochistan CMs get changed, but that has more to do with internal dynamics rather than any deep connection with the centre. This time, round the Punjab’s CM’s fall was intimately connected with the vote of no-confidence, as the job was being offered to Ch Pervez in exchange for support in the no-confidence motion. Perhaps one of the reasons for this heightened profile is to be sought in Imran’s admission that he refused to replace Usman Buzdar. Whom did he refuse? The same neutrals he feels let him down. The simple fact is that the Punjab includes the establishment’s recruiting grounds, and mismanagement in Punjab means dissatisfaction at the establishment’s decision to have the PTI run the province. It was only later that the establishment came to see that the problem was not Punjab, or Buzdar, but the PTI itself. The coming by-elections, and CM’s election, should yield a victory for the incumbent. However, that will not do two things. One is to make the PTI accept the results. It will cry ‘foul’ no matter what. The other is that there will be no change on the economic front. It might be possible that slavish compliance will bring the IMF to grant Pakistan resumption of its ESAF, but relief is nowhere in sight, no matter which way the wind blows in Punjab. The writer is a member of staff

journalists. Brain-washed, mission-oriented engineers spend day and night accomplishing the goal of introducing the first-ever factory-made political leader and later prime minister. Mission accomplished, target achieved, the narrative got sold, the public got convinced change was coming, our messiah is ready to resurrect us from our sufferings. I and a few others got anxious from the very beginning and wrote, many articles foretelling every event. The raw material is rotten, the course of actions in acquiring the finished product will be undoable, the so-called narrative constructor will turn into a slur brigade and your final product will do the kind of damage to you that you cannot imagine in your wildest dreams. But who cares, I am sure no engineer ever read what I and a few others are yelling for the past three years. now the manufacturing unit was abandoned by the engineers and there is chaos in the country. I am saying not to abandon the manufacturing unit, and use it for reverse engineering. Panic is not the solution, admit, repent, and move on. All those brainwashed engineers are still positioned at the same key places; convince them it was a task, not a life philosophy, they are still working on the same programmed default mode, they are operating with the same mindset, and not convinced with what should be done. Debrief them, redeploy them and reprogramme them. If you think your engineering has just surface effect and will fade away with time, no it will not, your engineers are angry, your paratrooper journalists feel betrayed. Use the same factory to reverse your engineering with the same zeal, the same tactical level, the same budget, and break what you have created. Admit your product was destructive and must not be left in the open, then reshuffle the key narrative building posts bringing those ones not working on the old format who somehow escaped the virus, identify social media irritants and deal with them by checking the source of their income, if the factory is not paying them who is? And renegotiate with political parties to co-exist for their own and for this country’s sake. My message for the chief engineer is candid but honest: Please trust the voices who do not care for any material gains. You can find patriots even outside your factory. The writer Shazia Cheema is an analyst writing for national and international media outlets. She heads the DND Thought Center. She did her MA in Cognitive Semiotics from Aarhus University Denmark and is currently registered as a Ph.D. Scholar of Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University Prague

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COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Why is Quetta an amazing tourist spot

Geopolitical Strategic Competition and Global balance Ukraine provides a bad example

Dr MuhAMMAD AkrAM ZAheer

EOPOLITICAL is defined as a struggle for the control of geographical entities with an international and global dimension, and the use of such geographical entities for political advantages. It may include territorial acknowledgements, border and trade agreements, war treaties, climate agreements and more. Debates on modern strategic competition consider states as key actors in the international context where competition takes place. The competition between states is ideological and mainly through state capabilities. Strategic competition has many levels and operational dimensions, but when we talk about global competition, two issues are very important, military power and economic power. It also suggests that states balance each other by using their economic strength. Hard power has also not lost its significance; nonetheless, soft power options have also become more available and less expensive for states to gain a clear competitive power advantage. However, as the strategic competition has become more pronounced, states have been looking for opportunities to use their geographical potential for their interests. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the most devastating event for the post-Afghan War world. The world is going through a new era of geopolitics. The world needs a new strategic approach to ensure unity to prevent future aggression. History has shown that aggression is like a contagious disease that is difficult to control, especially when it starts to spread. Russian President Vladimir Putin is not alone in seeking to destroy the world order that was imposed to maintain peace in the world, but also the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping has outlined and predicted his vision. Supporting Putin’s aggression could advance China’s geopolitical and political interests. The president is convinced that Putin will succeed, but the unanticipated resistance of the Ukrainian people, the courageous leadership of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the Western response are also astonishing. Zelensky is satisfied that key European countries oppose President Xi’s aggressive deterrent design. China is also trying to transform

the US coalition system into a “partnership” network. However, to create a new world order, The USA has to tear down the old world order. China and Russia believe the USA is playing the role of an arrogant player. This thinking has emerged in many parts of the world, including China. It places all responsibility for the violence and destruction in Europe on Washington. Russia supports the Chinese principle and affirms that Taiwan is a part of China and opposes any form of Taiwan’s independence. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has shown that the world should take seriously what Xi and Putin are saying, especially when they speak in their own languages. Both countries are determined to destroy the US alliance by force whenever it would be possible. Xi and Putin mean that the US alliance has been formed over their opposition and they will oppose it. Statements by top Chinese diplomats should not be dismissed as mere propaganda. This is a clear warning to Washington to abandon its strategy in the Indo-Pacific, and Beijing reserves the option of resistance. From this point of view, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sets an example. Beijing has also warned small countries such as Ukraine to stay away from US plots. According to Beijing, sympathy for Ukraine is good but it is not good to be used as a pawn in Washington’s efforts to maintain geopolitical dominance. These messages are also being heard in those countries that remain neutral in international politics. Russia and China continue to oppose any attempt by foreign powers to undermine security and stability in their respective territories. That is why China and Russia also oppose further nATO expansion and have called on nATO to abandon Cold War ideological methods. China and Russia also oppose the formation of a bloc in the Asia-Pacific region and remain wary of the negative effects of the US Indo-Pacific strategy on peace and stability in the region. The two countries also express deep concern over the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the USA and the UK, which provides deep cooperation between its members in the areas of strategic stability, especially in the nuclear field. Both Beijing and Moscow believe that such measures contradict the security and sustainable development goals of the Asia-Pacific region and it will increase the risk of an arms race in the region, which also poses a serious threat to nuclear non-proliferation. Xi’s and Putin’s opposition to the Biden Administration’s new Australia-British-US (AUKUS) initiative is because they feel it has led to violations of non-proliferation treaties. This opposition is also echoing in the West. On the other hand, Australia, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan are committed to supporting Ukraine. Most Southeast Asian nations have supported nATO, Ukraine and the USA. The Philippines and Indonesia also voted in favor of condemning Russia but India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam did not. Indo-Pacific countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have also not backed coalition efforts against Russia. Such neutrality and indifference is a growing problem in international affairs and undermines counter-terrorism efforts. There is a growing sense in the West that a new Cold War is going to start but most of the world does not see things that way. China is a bigger threat to Asian countries than Russia, but in the absence of a comprehensive US-led diplomatic campaign, Washington

cannot support Taiwan in the Taiwan crisis. Many analysts believe that if China invades Taiwan, many countries will remain on the fence. Such a campaign by Beijing to tarnish Taiwan’s international image could be dangerous as if a dispute erupts, it may signal Taiwan’s diplomatic isolation and the view that Taiwan is only aprovince China will bring back. China also has strong economic ties with every country. The USA will need to defend Taiwan, and it often uses its diplomatic and other tactics to keep it at bay. Many countries and US allies do not necessarily agree with all Chinese statements about Taiwan and justify their neutrality. US diplomacy should highlight that China is backtracking on its commitment to peace and endangering the stability of law and order in the region while it is committed to maintaining peace under the Taiwan Relations Act. Washington needs to make sure that it does not distance itself from countries or regions that oppose China and Russia. However, the USA has also given China and Russia the opportunity to wield considerable influence in key regions such as the Persian Gulf. The lack of a US trade vision for Southeast Asia and the lack of a security system are obstacles to form a bloc. But Washington only sees how quickly military aid can be delivered and how quickly the right weapons system can get into the right hands in a crisis. Washington does not need to provoke China, but the two states must make promises and work for peace. There are lessons to be learned from Ukraine’s failed deterrence efforts. It should be noted that the prevention of war in Ukraine has failed. The USA has no military ties with Ukraine, so it could not help Ukraine directly except through rhetoric. Although the USA has armed Ukraine with disproportionate weapons that could destroy Russia’s major weapons systems, but it has not been able to stop Putin from going to war. On the other hand, Taiwan is also under threat from China and a similar approach will not work to stop China because the USA is not militarily engaged with the island. The USA must build Taiwan’s military so that it can work together as an ally to counter the various threats of repression. But that requires careful coalition management, as Washington has been practicing with other potential coalition partners. China relies on global markets for everything from technology and energy to food and agriculture, major metals, minerals and capital. In fact, China’s dependency on the global economy did not stop it from trading with Russia. Washington will have to maintain strong ties with all major suppliers in China. In short, President Xi is using the war in Russia and Ukraine to forge a “new era” that will either destroy or weaken the US alliance. Putin has taught the world that aggressive statements and threats can wreak havoc. Washington must also review its strategy and highlight the growing threats posed by Beijing to peace and security in Asia in order to protect thousands of innocent people from the effects of war. It will take time for the two countries to come down from the mountain of arrogance and stand side by side. Although it is difficult to do so Asia can be saved from war. The writer has a PhD in Political Science and can be reached at akramzaheer86@yahoo.com

QUETTA is the largest city in Balochistan with a dense population. It is a paradise with tranquillized weather and beautiful mountains. The population of Quetta is approximately 2.1 million and the old name of Quetta was Shallkot. The most spoken languages in Quetta city include Balochi, Pashto and Bravi. Quetta is the provincial capital and the most densly populated city. It is the biggest city in Balochistan and is also listed as the top 10th largest city in Pakistan. Specifically, Quetta is surrounded by tremendous mountains. Additionally, Quetta is famous for its snowfall. Therefore, many outer citizens come to visit here and enjoy it a lot. Apart from this, Quetta is famous for its educational institutions. Here several students come from all corners of Balochistan for getting an education because there are many governmental and private educational institutions. Likewise, Manoj Academy, Aspire Academy, Excellence Academy, Balochistan University and Sardar Bahadur Khan University are the most famous education institutions in Quetta. These educational institutions play a vital role in the educational atmosphere. Apart from this, this city has many shopping malls which are not only famous in Quetta city but also famous in all of Balochistan. Therefore, thousands of people come to Quetta city for shopping and other purposes. Quetta is the main metropolis city in Balochistan since all the governmental institutions are there, like the provincial assembly, High Court, Secretariate etc. To sum up, Quetta is one of the most famous cities in Balochistan. AMJID AFZAL QUETTA

Suicide and youth SUICIDE is the leading cause of death in young people. A major cause of suicide is mental illness, very commonly depression. People feeling suicidal are overwhelmed by painful emotions and see death as the only way out, losing sight of the fact that suicide is a permanent “solution” to a temporary state—most people who try to kill themselves. This not only results in a direct loss of many young lives, but also has disruptive psychosocial and adverse socio-economic effects. From the perspective of public mental health, suicide among young people is a main issue to address. There are many warning signs that can lead people to believe someone is thinking about suicide. Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves. Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live. Talking about being a burden to others. Extreme mood swings. Such changes may be an indication that the person needs help. People needs suicides stopped education programs. Provide information to students in high schools, build awareness. Provide Workshops and seminars in school, colleges and universities. Little research showing the effectiveness of suicide prevention, crisis intervention, distresslines or suicide education programs in reducing suicide rates. ZUNERA ABDUL SATTAR KARACHI

Beauty of Punjabi language WHY is speaking Punjabi at educational campuses deemed uncivilized? Being a native language of a large population in Punjab, it must be given its due status. Once during a chit-chat with my daughter, a student of grade two, I interjected a Punjabi word in a moment of glee, she abruptly and victoriously objected to it. Upon my inquisitive prodding, she surprised me that her school teachers and friends always ridicule the one who speaks even a single word or phrase of Punjabi. I involved her and other siblings in polemics that if we can use English words while speaking Urdu, why we can’t use Punjabi ones in Urdu. I reminded my daughter that last year she danced with her friends to a Punjabi song at some school function ‘’Ballay ballay ni tore Punjaban di’’, is it allowed then? Schools hold cultural programmes to highlight the cultural variety and the importance of various local cultures. Once, my daughter made us purchase a Punjabi outfit provided by the school itself. All this is just a facade and a manoeuvre to mint money! Being myself a teacher of English, once at an English medium school, the only complaint against me was I used Punjabi words, though quite sparingly. The same arguments that I gave to my daughter, had been put forward assertively then, but the school management was shockingly paranoid against the use of Punjabi words, and sustained its objection. Once a student asked me whether my English are also weak. It is ingrained in our students that speaking English is a sign of intelligence and brilliance. I cannot understand why we feel insecure and inferior while speaking our mother tongue. I abide by it fanatically to use Urdu or English at formal platforms but a few Punjabi words I use to add colour to otherwise dull and drab activities of English to Urdu translation of a text. Why is my social status, my background or even my upbringing judged on what particular language I speak? Why is speaking Urdu or English to our children considered a sign that we are educated, and speaking Punjabi is a stigma, a telltale sign of being uncouth, illiterate, uncultured, unrefined —-my anguish forces me to blurt out more derogatory epithets to vent my catharsis. What a yardstick! Is ever a language literate or illiterate? Recently, one of my friends who is invited as a judge at na’at competitions at school and college levels, surprised me that na’ats in Punjabi are strictly prohibited at such formal competitions, despite the major chunk of Sufiana poetry being in Punjabi. Waris Shah, dubbed as the Shakespeare of Punjabi, Bullah Shah and Mian Muhammad Bakhsh are the icons of divine poetry in Punjabi. When Shakespeare and Francis Bacon can use Latin and French in their literary pieces, why can’t we use Punjabi words in Urdu or English? Why is speaking Punjabi at campuses wherein a dominant majority is Punjabi speaking, deemed a violation of discipline and so-called civilization? To me, it’s just snobbery! NADEEM NADIR KASUR

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Friday, 8 July, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

Boris Johnson is finished. But will Billionaires’ government go too?

Middle east eYe Peter ObOrne

oris Johnson’s squalid premiership is coming to an end. He will be remembered as a liar, fabricator and cheat who presided over a culture of rule-breaking in Downing street and turned Britain into a pariah state. The United Kingdom was long admired for its gentle tolerance and respect for the rule of law. Johnson has sought to turn our country into a place of bigotry and even hatred. We were a respected member of the international community. Now we are renowned for reneging on treaties and breaking international law. Johnson is a member of a small group of global leaders – others include Narendra Modi, india’s prime minister, who Johnson profusely praised; Vladimir Putin, russia’s president; Victor orban of Hungary, and former Us President Donald Trump - who have mobilised dangerous forces in order to reach the top and then stay in power. Johnson admired them all. Along with them he has fought a campaign to destroy liberal democracy. Yet, he was a man of remarkable intellectual gifts and acute understanding. Great talent can be harnessed for good or evil. Johnson chose to use his for evil. ‘HE’S FINISHED’: He’s squatting in Downing street this morning, having hastily reconstructed his government after the resignations of his chancellor, rishi sunak, and Health secretary sajid Javid. Don’t read anything into that. Johnson may last a few more days, weeks or even - supposing he limps on

THE MURDOCH PRESS, ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS AND THE TELEGRAPH GROUP CONTROL APPROXIMATELY THREE QUARTERS OF THE NEWSPAPER READING MARKET. THESE THREE GROUPS HAVE BEEN CENTRAL TO JOHNSON’S SUCCESS till the summer recess - a few months. He faces a mutiny inside the Tory Party, while nationally he is held in contempt. sentiment against him among his own MPs is now so strong that he will be obliged to resign to avoid being forced out in a vote of no confidence. He’s lost all authority. He’s finished. The real question is not the soap opera of how much longer Johnson survives. it’s about whether the rotten system of government he has come to represent falls with him. Johnson is the billionaires’ useful idiot. He has given them contracts, peerages, tax breaks, exclusive access to his inner circle of power. remember that when Johnson faced a vote of no confidence a month ago, 17 of Britain’s richest men came together to express their “unwavering support” in a letter published in rupert Murdoch’s sun newspaper. This letter was driven by self-interest, not personal affection. PREDATORY BILLIONAIRES: The outwards forms of liberal democracy still exist in Johnson’s Britain – law courts, free speech, general elections, political parties, parliament. The reality is that with the collapse of mass party memberships at the end of the 20th century, the super-rich saw an opportunity. Predatory billionaires in effect bought British politics, securing power and influence in exchange for cash. Tony Blair patented this system, cultivat-

ing the super-rich to create a private fund which enabled him to turn on the trade unions. Johnson developed it further. His Tory chairman, Ben Elliot, avoids the traditional duties of a party chairman, concentrating on raising cash from the global financial elite. Johnson has been perfect for the rich. His cheerful populism gave the impression that he was on the side of the working classes. Like so much else about Johnson, this was a lie. He has long been the instrument of a deracinated, amoral, global financial elite. He depends on it to supply funds to run the Tory Party - and sort out his own financial difficulties. To give one example among many, Lord Bamford, owner of construction giant JCB, has given £10 million ($12m) to the Tories since 2001 while arranging food deliveries worth more than £20,000 to the Johnsons. When the British prime minister visited Modi’s india, his first stop was at one of Lord Bamford’s factories. Perhaps Lord Bamford was motivated by innocent generosity. But do we want a country run along these lines? The Murdoch Press, Associated Newspapers and the Telegraph group control approximately three quarters of the newspaper reading market. These three groups have been central to Johnson’s success. Every title in all these groups supported

WHO AND WHAT COMES NEXT? THE GLOBAL SUPERRICH ARE LOOKING FOR A BRITISH PRIME MINISTER WHO WILL LOOK AFTER THEIR INTERESTS WITHOUT THE REPUTATIONAL DAMAGE. EX-CHANCELLOR SUNAK, NOW THE BOOKIES’ FAVOURITE, LOOKS LIKE THEIR CHOICE Johnson’s bid for the Tory leadership, his 2019 general election campaign, and through last month’s vote of confidence. Throughout all of this they played down the corruption, fabrication, scandal, cronyism, law-breaking and incompetence of the Johnson government. Historians will marvel at the role played by Britain’s mainstream press at keeping Johnson in office for so long. The exception proves the rule. When Geordie Greig, editor of the Daily Mail, ran a series of stories highlighting the role of a Conservative donor in funding the refurbishment of Johnson’s Downing street flat, Associated Newspapers fired him. Turning a blind eye to scandal and playing up imaginary triumphs, the big newspaper groups have played a huge role in ensuring Johnson’s survival. But this week the Pincher affair – to summarise the sordid details, Johnson appointed Chris Pincher, who is accused of inappropriate behaviour, to an important management role, then falsely claimed he had not been warned - has finally changed the mood. WHAT NEXT? Very late in the day the reputational damage of sticking with Johnson has struck home. The newspapers, finally scared of their readers, are running for cover. on Wednesday, rupert Murdoch’s Times belatedly pulled the plug – “The prime minister has

lost the confidence of his party and the country. He should quit now”. others will follow. Who and what comes next? The global super-rich are looking for a British prime minister who will look after their interests without the reputational damage. Ex-chancellor sunak, now the bookies’ favourite, looks like their choice. A near-billionaire himself, he at least has no incentive to take bribes. But he’s been at the heart of the bent Johnson system of government for almost three years, repeating the prime minister’s lies and tolerating his incompetence, bigotry and incessant sleaze. sunak means a more subdued renewal of the same Johnson system of government. As for Johnson himself, he will soon leave office in shame and disgrace, the first British prime minister ever to do so. This salutary moment can be one of hope and renewal but only if we are ready to learn the dark lessons of the ugly, corrupt strategies which Johnson practiced to win and retain power. That means tackling not just Johnson himself but – far more important - the system that created him. Peter Oborne won best commentary/blogging in both 2022 and 2017, and was also named freelancer of the year in 2016 at the Drum Online Media Awards for articles he wrote for Middle East Eye.

how Boris Johnson’s government finally collapsed IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, MORE THAN THREE DOZEN MINISTERS AND AIDES DESERTED THE PRIME MINISTER

New Yorker Sam Knight

oris Johnson announced his resignation just after 12:30 p.m. in the U.K. on July 7th, indicating that he will stay on as Prime Minister until a new leader of the Conservative Party is elected. “Them’s the breaks,” he said. At 6:02 p.m. on Tuesday evening, sajid Javid, the British Health secretary, announced his resignation from Boris Johnson’s government. Nine minutes later, rishi sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the country’s second most powerful elected official, also quit. Javid and sunak are both telegenic, superficial, and right-of-center British politicians who are not known for their ideological stances or, indeed, for their moral character. Before entering politics, Javid was an executive at Deutsche Bank. sunak has a background in hedge funds. Both have worked closely with Johnson and stood by him since he became Prime Minister, almost three years ago. But, on Tuesday night, they saw the end. “We may not have always been popular, but we have been competent in acting in the national interest,” Javid wrote, in his resignation letter. “sadly, in the current circumstances, the public are concluding that we are now neither.” sunak said he was leaving because voters expected the government to be run seriously. “We cannot continue like this,” he wrote. The double resignation was the start of a twenty-four-hour putsch in which more than three dozen ministers and aides deserted Johnson—his moral authority had evaporated some time ago—and left the nation with gaping holes in its government. Junior ministers, the solicitor general, and the U.K.’s trade

envoy to Kenya were among the first out the door. “i just don’t think the Prime Minister any longer has the support—not just my support but he doesn’t have the support of the Party, or indeed of the country, anymore,” Bim Afolami, the Conservative Party’s vicechair, told a cable news show at 7:28 p.m. “You’re the vice-chairman of the Conservative Party,” the anchor said. “Probably not, after having said that,” Afolami replied. The momentum grew on Wednesday morning. During a radio interview on the BBC, Nadhim Zahawi, sunak’s hastily appointed successor as Chancellor, was informed that a colleague had resigned while he was on the air. By the time Johnson stood up to face Prime Minister’s Questions, in the House of Commons, at noon, it was becoming hard to keep count of the resignations, or to know on which social-media platform to find them. “i can no longer pirouette around our fractured values,” Victoria Atkins, a minister responsible for prison operations and policy, wrote in her resignation letter, which she posted on instagram. At around 2:30 p.m., five junior ministers resigned en masse in a collective letter that looked like a farewell card which had been passed around the office. By a stroke of misfortune, or cruel planning by his rivals, Johnson had to spend the afternoon being questioned by a senior parliamentary committee about the progress of his government. “How is your week going?” Darren Jones, a Labour Member of Parliament, asked him. “Terrific,” the Prime Minister replied. As darkness fell in London, Johnson was reportedly taking meetings with members of his party. some were telling him to go; others were urging him to stay. According to various reports, Johnson was determined to stay in office, despite the staggering political damage. in the past, he was more perceptive about others in his current position. “i tell you that the prime minister will not go early—because it is simply not in his nature. it is a wonderful and necessary fact of political biology that we never know when our time is up,” Johnson wrote, in 2006, about Tony Blair. “We kid ourselves that we must stay because we would be ‘letting people down’ or that there is a ‘job to be finished.’

in reality, we are just terrified of the comedown.” since the “Partygate” scandal broke, in December—during which Johnson, being Johnson, first denied and then half-admitted and then apologized for breaking covid rules during lockdowns—each week has seemed to bring another scandal for his government, so it’s understandable if you missed the details of this one. on June 30th, Chris Pincher, a Conservative Member of Parliament and the Party’s deputy chief whip—responsible for the welfare of his fellow-M.P.s—resigned after getting drunk at the Carlton Club, the Party’s gentleman’s club on Pall Mall, and allegedly groping two men in a bar. “Last night i drank far too much,” Pincher wrote in his resignation letter to Johnson. “i’ve embarrassed myself and other people which is the last thing i want to do and for that i apologise to you and to those concerned.” He is coöperating with an investigation into his behavior. in the course of five days, ministers and Downing street officials denied that Johnson was aware of past complaints against Pincher of predatory behavior when the Prime Minister first promoted him to the job, in February. (spoiler alert: he was.) in the slippery, weasel language of Westminster, of which Johnson is a native speaker, officials said that Johnson did not know about “specific allegations” and claimed that the accusations “were either resolved or did not progress to a formal complaint.” on Tuesday morning, Lord McDonald of salford—the former top official at the Foreign office— called bullshit, publishing a letter on Twitter saying that Pincher had been previously accused of similar behavior, that an investigation upheld the complaint, and that Johnson had been personally briefed on the situation. “The original No 10 line is not true,” McDonald wrote, referring to 10 Downing street, “and the modification is still not accurate.” Johnson acknowledged that a complaint had been raised with him and said that he should have acted on it, but he also said, “i’m fed up with people saying things on my behalf or trying to say things about what i did or didn’t know.”

The dread of being sent to another TV studio in response to yet another tawdry story and dubious denial may be what pushed Javid, sunak, and the rest to the edge. But Johnson’s constant lying was only a symptom of a deeper condition, which is an absence of purpose for being in government at all. As the resignation letters piled up on Tuesday night, Johnson’s former appointees seemed to search for ways to describe this hollowness. Andrew Murrison, the trade envoy to Morocco, described the “rolling chaos” of his premiership. Even backbench Conservative M.P.s, who don’t hold official government positions, published resignation-style letters in which they mused on what has gone wrong. “Government is not working for most people,” robert Halfon, an M.P. for Harlow, in Essex, mused. “Much policy delivery is a mirage.” in recent weeks, Johnson has seemed increasingly out of touch. His bombast and optimism—a powerful political tonic that enabled Brexit, and all its vicissitudes, to take place—have come across as discordant. Last month, after a hundred and forty-eight Conservative M.P.s, or forty-one per cent of the total, joined a vote of no confidence in him as leader, Johnson described the outcome as an “extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result.” A few weeks later, on a visit to rwanda, he said he was “actively thinking” about a third term.

At the Prime Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, Johnson reached for his usual bluster, but it was not there. His shirt came untucked. He turned his body sideways and addressed most of his answers—to questions about his mendacity, his future, and Pincher—to the speaker of the House, rather than see the embarrassed faces of his Party colleagues behind him, or the glee of the opposition benches across the way. At one point, when Johnson tried one of his usual attack lines on the Labour leader, Keir starmer, and his team, the Labour front bench began to wave farewell, in unison. ian Blackford, the parliamentary leader of the scottish National Party in Westminster, compared Johnson to a dead parrot. some Conservative M.P.s used their questions to encourage the Prime Minister to step down. “We’re going to get on with our jobs,” Johnson said. When the questions were over, Johnson had to sit through Javid’s resignation speech, which effectively urged the rest of Johnson’s team to abandon him. “i know just how difficult this choice is. But let’s be clear. Not doing something is an active decision,” he said. When Javid sat down, Johnson hustled for the exit, head down, his shirttails trailing behind him. The voices of M.P.s followed him out the door: “Bye, Boris!” Sam Knight is a staff writer at The New Yorker, based in London.

Friday, 8 July, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS corporate corner

RUSSiA-UkRAinE WAR: A CRiSiS bEyond boRdERS iSLaMaBaD Staff rePort

P FrieslandCampina Pakistan was awarded Gold Standard Award 2022 for Corporate Citizenship by Public Relations & Communications Association Asia Pacific (PRCA APAC) at a ceremony in Singapore. FrieslandCampina Pakistan was only company nominated from Pakistan in any of categories. Pr

Pakistan navy Personnel Conferred Military Awards islamabad: In an impressive Investiture Ceremony held at Naval Headquarters Islamabad, Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Faisal Rasul Lodhi conferred military awards upon Pakistan Navy personnel. The recipients of Sitara-l-lmtiaz (Military) were Cdre Ahmed Hussain, Cdre Muhammad Khalid, Cdre Dr Nazir Ahmad, Cdre Asim Zaman Malik, Cdre Dr Muhammad Farhan, Cdre Muhammad Naeem Anwar, Cdre Jawad Ahmed Qureshi, Capt Mahmood Ul Haq, Capt Muhammad Farhat Abbas, Capt Omar Farooq Malik, Capt Kamran Haneef Chaudhry and Capt Hamid Sohail. The recipients of Tamgha-i-lmtiaz (Military) were Cdr Umar Ali Farooq, Cdr Majid Mahmood, Cdr Roomi Jabeen and Lt Cdr Sadia Mazhar. The recipient of Tamgha-i-Basalat was Lt Cdr Malik Abbas Hassan. The recipients of Imtiazi Asnad were Lt Cdr Muhammad Niaz and Muhtram Shah LINTT. 8 Awards of TK(M)-I, 3 awards of TK(M)-II and 14 awards of TK(M)-III were conferred upon CPOs and Sailors. Letter of Commendation by Chief of the Naval Staff have been awarded to 31 Officers, CPOs/ Sailors and Navy Civilians. The ceremony was attended by serving and retired officers of the Pakistan Navy. Pr

AKISTAN’s policy, when it comes to relations with major powers, has always been consistent. Pakistan wants balanced, objective, and broad-based relations, based on mutual interest, mutual benefit, and mutual respect, with all major powers, including the US, China, Russia, and others. This was the key message of the seminar on ‘Russia-Ukraine War: A Crisis beyond Borders’ organised by the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) in Islamabad. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar was the Keynote Speaker, while other eminent panellists included Ambassador Riaz Khokhar, former Foreign Secretary, GoP; Lieutenant General Aamer Riaz (Retd), President, Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS); Dr Usman W. Chohan, Director (Economic Affairs & National Development), CASS; and international security analyst Squadron Leader Fahad Masood (Retd). President CASS Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan (Retd) chaired the seminar, while Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani, Advisor (Foreign Policy) moderated the proceedings. In her Keynote Address, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar stressed that war and conflict was not in anyone’s favour. Its impacts and repercussions were devastating and long-lasting even when the conflict ended. The Minister highlighted that Pakistan understood the trials and tribulations of war having experienced the same for a decade on its own borders. She stressed that Pakistan continued to call for immediate cessation of hostilities and the need for diplomacy and dialogue for an early, negotiated end to the Ukraine conflict. While expressing concern at the increasing number of casualties on both sides, deteriorating humanitarian situation, and refugee crisis, she reiterated Pakistan’s principled stance of consistent application of UN Charter principles – including primacy, universality

of the application of international law without exceptions, indispensability of equal security for all, and diplomatic settlement of disputes in order to ensure lasting peace and security. ‘Pakistan followed a nonpartisan position in the current crisis. This has remained our consistent position, regardless of the government in power. We are a sovereign state and cannot be forced to take sides,’ she said. Answering a question, Ms Khar pointed out that Pakistan has always wanted friendly and cooperative relations with its neighbours, including India, and a result-oriented and meaningful dialogue that can lead to progress on outstanding issues between the two sides. ‘However, the environment for such dialogue does not exist since India had gone rogue. The onus is, therefore, on India to take necessary steps to create an environment conducive for dialogue.’ To a question about oil and food imports, she said in terms of expanding economic and trade relations with other states, ‘Pakistan has an open policy, driven by national interest.’ Former Foreign Secretary, Ambassador Riaz Khokhar emphasised that the US does not want a challenger in Europe nor in the Indo-Pa-

PTCL to provide ICT services to DHA Phase-VIII Karachi

nHA Executive board takes key decisions islamabad: The 400th meeting of the Executive Board of National Highway Authority was held today under the chairmanship of Chairman NHA, Capt (Retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha at NHA HQ. The National Highway Executive Board, in line with the vision of the Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif approved a number of measures pertaining to the procurement process to award contracts to construction companies which are both technically and financially sound. These include measures to ensure improved eligibility of contractors for construction, extension and repair of motorways and National Highways. According to details, NHA will Pre-qualify contractors for all projects. Measures have further been added to enhance technical expertise and financial capability during prequalification. To be eligible for prequalification, the condition of past specific experience of construction of having executed similar projects for a contractor has been enhanced from 70% to 80% of the project cost. Further, contractors will now be required to provide bank guarantees instead of insurance guarantees. Physical inspection of machinery, equipment and technical staff availability will be conducted during the prequalification process and a certificate with evidence to that effect will be provided by the Planning Wing of NHA. Additionally, a third party ground validation of projects will be conducted at various stages of projects by a firm of international repute. The National Highway Board unanimously supported these measures which will help eliminate delays and ensure timely completion and quality construction of motorway and national highway projects in the country. All these measures have been adopted with immediate effect. The meeting was attended by Inspector General National Highways and Motorways Police Khalid Mahmood, Chief NTRC Hameed Akhtar, Additional Secretary Finance Division and Planning Division, Vice President NESPAK and senior officers of Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority. Pr

Karachi Pr

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) is set to provide ICT services to Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Phase-VIII in Karachi through its state-of-the-art Flash Fiber; Optic Fiber Cable (OFC) service. The premium service will provide uninterrupted high-speed internet to the residents and business community of the society to fulfill their connectivity needs. Head of Fixed & Wireless Access Technical South, PTCL Group, Ashar Hayat Siddiqui, and Brigadier Hafeez Ullah Khan

(Retired) Secretary DHA Karachi, signed the agreement in presence of Shehzad Yousuf,Chief Business Operations Officer, PTCL, Mr Khurram Noor Chief Financial Officer DHA Karachi and other senior officials from both organizations. Speaking at the event, Shehzad Yousuf, Chief Business Operations Officer, PTCL, thanked DHA for their continued trust in PTCL. He said: “PTCL is the pioneer and backbone of Pakistan’s ICT landscape, supporting theoperations, expansion and services of a number of sectors within the country. We continue to scale-up and transform our in-

frastructure and service delivery system, to meet the growing demands of our individual and enterprise customers. Through such partnerships, we endeavor to further strengthen the communication network across the country, and be able to better serve our valued customers.” Also sharing his thoughts at the occasion, Brigadier Hafeez Ullah Khan (Retired) Secretary DHA Karachi, said: “We are glad to partner up with PTCL for provision of high-quality ICT services to DHA Phase-8 community. Over these years, a reliable internet connection has gained importance at par with other crucial commodities; therefore, our focus remains on the evolving needs of our community members. We commit to delivering the highest quality of service in every domain. I am positive that PTCL’s high speed connectivity will effectively fulfill the needs of residents and the business community.”

cific and was deeply committed to its pre- eminence as a superpower. On the likely impact of the RussiaUkraine war on the world order, he was the view that the ‘world order was already in disorder’ due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was now in a ‘tailspin’ due to the Ukrainian crises. He stressed that any solution to the current crisis in Kyiv would require an assurance to Russia that Ukraine would not become a member of NATO and that no NATO forces, missiles or equipment would be deployed on Russia’s borders. While discussing the land war strategy and its outcome vis-à-vis Russian objectives, Lieutenant General Aamer Riaz (Retd) suggested that despite lapse of several years, Russia had not yet recovered from the shock of the break-up of the Soviet Union. In fact, he argued that while nobody could be fully prepared for war, Russia had been preparing for years for the day when NATO would cross the ‘red line’ and expand eastwards. This, he pointed out, was possible only because Russia had maintained continuity of leadership, strategy, and preparedness over the past years, including supplying the cheapest energy to Europeans. Lieutenant General Riaz posited that Kyiv could be a diversionary objective meant to dissuade other states wanting to opt for NATO membership. On US’ role, he pointed out that its power had reached a peak point and was receding with challengers like China on the rise, which he predicted would match or even overtake the US in a few decades. Analysing the economic fall-out of the Ukrainian conflict, Dr Usman W Chohan shared that the use of economic sanctions had been a key aspect of the current conflict, but Western attempts to hurt the Russian economy had not yielded desired results. In fact, Russian oil export revenue was up 50% since the start of 2022 with the Kremlin generating close to USD 20 billion per month in sales, according to the speaker. Export volume had rebounded to levels seen before Russia invaded Ukraine with increased demand from India and China offsetting declines from the US and Europe.

All Utility Stores across Pakistan to remain open on Eidul Azha: Spokesman USC Islamabad: Inayatullah Dola, spokesperson of the Utility Stores Corporation, said that all the utility stores would remain open on Friday and Saturday during the Eid-ul-Adha holidays for the convenience of the people. People across the country will be able to benefit from the federal government's relief package on July 8 and 9. Adequate supply of subsidized items has been ensured at all utility stores across the country. In addition to subsidized items, a wide range of standard branded items are also available at discounted rates. So that the people do not face any difficulty in shopping for Eid. All warehouses and regional offices will also remain open to improve demand and supply. The Utility Stores Corporation strives to provide the best retail services to the people at their doorsteps on every religious and national holiday. Pr

PTA Formulates Cyber Security Framework Islamabad: Through extensive consultation and deliberation with Telecom Industry and leading cyber security experts, PTA has formulated "Cyber Security Framework”. This framework is based on Critical Telecom Data and Infrastructure Security Regulation (CTDISR) by PTA and defines the obligation for auditors and PTA’s licensees. It provides guidance to the auditors for performing gap assessment in the light of PTA’s Cyber Security Regulations including interpretation and expectations against each security control where necessary. As part of the framework, a maturity model has also been devised, whereby the controls have been classified on the basis of their criticality. It is pertinent to highlight that International Telecommunication Union (ITU) gives significance to the Cyber Security Framework of each member state while calculating Global Cyber Security Index (GCI). The framework is a significant step towards improving the security landscape of the telecom industry and will enable organizations to better manage and reduce cyber security risk. Pr

Indus Motors Partners with ChildLife Foundation for a Child-Safe Pakistan Indus Motor Company (IMC) joined hands with The ChildLife Foundation, pledging its support with a Rs 6.50 million donation, towards establishing the ChildLife Resuscitation Room equipped with cutting-edge life-saving medical equipment - at the Children’s ER (Emergency Room) at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad. In addition, this Resuscitation Room will also provide Telemedicine support through its Telemedicine Control Room at the

Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi. The facility is set to be operational in August 2022. The cheque was presented by IMCs Head of CSR and Media Management, Asad Abdullah to CEO, ChildLife Foundation, Ahson Rabbani at the Foundation’s corporate office at Karachi. ChildLife provides life-saving treatment to more than 1 million children annually - free of cost. It manages 24x7 Children Emergency Rooms & Telemedicine Satellite Centers in 75+

public sector hospitals across Pakistan, in partnership with the government. The Foundation, currently, has 11 state-ofthe-art model ERs in government teaching hospitals at Karachi, Nawabshah, Larkana, Sukkur, Quetta, Hyderabad and Lahore. CEO IMC, Ali Asghar Jamali expressed, “Pakistan has one of the world’s highest child mortality rates. According to UNICEF, over 1,000 children below the age of 5 years die every day, 80% owing to preventable causes.

Our CSR program, Concern Beyond Cars, aims at initiatives that are sustainable with a visible impact and this partnership with The ChildLife Foundation is one such instance. Tele-Resuscitation is very revolutionary and the soon to be set-up, Resus Telemedicine Room at the Children’s ER at the country’s leading tertiary care hospitals, PIMS, will offer not only easy accessibility but also open a whole new world for paediatric care for children living in the twin cities, Gilgit-Baltistan and KPK.” Pr

Friday, 8 July, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

WHo CoUld tAke over As Uk prIMe MInIster? LONDON

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RITAIN’s Boris Johnson will reportedly announce his resignation as Conservative leader, paving the way for an internal party contest to replace him and become prime minister. While several possible successors have been suggested, there is no clear favourite. – Rishi Sunak – The UK’s first Hindu chancellor of the exchequer, who quit on Tuesday, was until recently the bookmakers’ favourite. But his prospects were dented by questions over his private wealth and family’s tax arrangements. His resignation has seen him return as one of the bookies’ frontrunners for the top job. Sunak, 42, has a high profile on social media, and won plaudits for shoring up the economy during the pandemic. But his refusal initially to authorise more support over a surging cost-of-living crisis has hurt his popularity. – Jeremy Hunt – Former foreign and health secretary Jeremy Hunt, 55, lost to Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest, when he branded himself as the “serious” alternative. Hunt sent a thinly veiled campaign message for a new leadership bid last month, arguing that under Johnson “we are no longer trusted by the electorate” and “we are set to lose the next general election”. But the fluent Japanese speaker lacks Johnson’s charisma. His pre-pandemic record as health secretary was recently savaged by a Johnson ally. – Liz Truss – Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, 46, is

popular among Conservative party members, liked for her outspokenness and willingness to go on the political attack. But that has also stoked questions about her judgement, for instance when in February she encouraged Britons to fight in Ukraine. Critics say her leadership posturing is too overt. When she headed the Department for International Trade, some MPs dubbed it the “Department for Instagramming Truss” because of her prolific output on the social media site. Away this week at a G20 meeting, she has reportedly cut her trip short to return to Westminster and make a statement later Thursday. – Sajid Javid – Javid, who also quit as health secretary on Tuesday, had previously resigned as finance minister in 2020. The 52-year-old is the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver who went on to become a high-flying banker. Like Sunak, he also faces questions about his personal wealth and tax affairs. – Ben Wallace –

The defence secretary, 52, has narrowly topped some recent polls of Tory grassroots’ preferred next leader due to his role in the Ukraine crisis. The former army officer and Johnson ally has downplayed wanting to lead the party but is seen as a straight-talking and competent. – Nadhim Zahawi – Newly appointed as finance minister, Nadhim Zahawi, 55, was praised for overseeing Britain’s pandemic vaccines rollout, before helming the education department. Zahawi is a former refugee from Iraq who came to Britain as a child speaking no English. Before entering politics, he co-founded the prominent polling company YouGov. But his private wealth has also drawn adverse attention, including when he claimed parliamentary expenses for heating his horse stables. – Tom Tugendhat – The former army officer, 49, is a prominent backbencher who chairs parliament’s influential Foreign Af-

fairs Committee. Tugendhat has indicated he will stand in any leadership contest but there is no love lost between him and Johnson loyalists. A hawk on China, he has been critical of the government’s handling of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. – Penny Mordaunt – Mordaunt, 49, is the first woman to have been UK defence secretary and is currently a junior trade minister. The Royal navy reservist is seen as likely to run but considered a long shot. A strong Brexit supporter and key figure in the 2016 “Leave” campaign, she has been tipped as a potential unity candidate who could draw support from the Conservative party’s warring factions. – Dominic Raab – Deputy prime minister and justice secretary Dominic Raab, 48, led the country when Johnson was in intensive care in hospital with Covid-19 in 2020. The former lawyer and karate black belt is seen as a reliable ally. But his move to justice from the post of foreign secretary was seen as a demotion after he initially failed to cut short a holiday as the Afghan capital Kabul fell to the Taliban. – Suella Braverman – Attorney General Suella Braverman has revealed she intends to stand in a party leadership contest during media interviews since Wednesday in which she urged Johnson to go. The arch-Brexiteer, 42, is another long-shot candidate, popular within the party for her Euroscepticism. She is one of 28 so-called “Spartan” Tory MPs, who refused to back ex-Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal on all three occasions it was voted on in parliament.

China firmly against engagement by any country with Dalai Lama: Zhao Lijian

MMU demands immediate release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq SRINAGAR: A special meeting of the leading and founding members of Jammu and Kashmir Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU) was held in Srinagar on Thursday. According to Kashmir Media Service, a resolution passed on the occasion demanded release of MMU chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq before Eidul Azha so that he could lead the festival prayers. The Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema extended its heartfelt greetings to the Muslim world, especially the Muslims of Jammu & Kashmir on the occasion of Eidul Adha, and appealed to them to celebrate the festival with simplicity. The MMU resolution urged the rulers not to lay restrictions for Friday prayers at the historic Jama Masjid Srinagar, the largest place of worship in Kashmir. The resolution expressed deep concern over the arbitrary and illegal detention of its patron Mirwaiz Umar Farooq for the last three years. The MMU called for urgent release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in view of Eidul Adha so that he can carry out his centuries-old religious obligations and responsibilities as per the practice of his forefathers. agencies

A Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson on Thursday reaffirmed that Tibet affairs was internal matter of China and Beijing was firmly against any engagement by officials of any country with 14 Dalai Lama. “Tibet affairs are China’s internal affairs which brooks no foreign interference. China is firmly against any engagement by official of any country with 14th Dalai Lama,”ť Zhao Lijian said during his regular briefing in response to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulations to Dalai Lama on his birthday. He said that over the long term, Tibet had enjoyed flourishing economic development, social harmony, stability and the cultural traditions in Tibetan had been well protected. “People from various ethnic backgrounds in Tibet have the religious freedom and free right to use and develop their own region and spoken language. The international community bears witness to this,” he added. The spokesperson said that

the 14th Dalai Lama was a political exile disguised as a religious figure who has long been engaged in antiChina separatist activities. “We urge the US side to have full understanding of the important and sensitive nature of the Tibet related issues, respect China’s core interests, have a clear understanding of the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group and abide by its commitment on Tibet related issues, stop engaging with Dalai Lama in any form and stop sending any wrong signal to the outside world,” he added. Zhao Lijian said that the Indian side should also fully

recognize the anti-China separatist nature of the 14th Dalai Lama and abide by its commitment to China, speak and act prudently and stop using Tibet related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs. Responding to a question about details of talks between the foreign ministers of India and China held on sidelines of G-20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Bali, Indonesia, he said that the relevant information would be released in due course. He, however said that the overall situation at the IndiaChina border area was stable. “The two sides have agreed to follow the important consensus reached by the two leaders in accordance with the treaties and agreements signed by both the sides to properly resolve the relevant issues in the western sector of our border with the principle of equality and security,” he added. Zhao Lijian said that China and India were each other’s important neighbours, adding, “We have the capability and willingness to safeguard peace and stability around our border areas.” agencies

Fact-Checker Zubair moves Indian top court against death threats from extremists NEW DELHI agencies

Fact-checker Mohammed Zubair on Thursday told the Indian Supreme Court that he is getting death threats, and sought a halt on the case against him in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh. According to Kashmir Media Service, Zubair is in Delhi’s Tihar Jail and has at least two cases against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments – one in Delhi over a four-year-old tweet in which he shared a screenshot from a film; the other in Sitapur, over calling three Hindu rightwing leaders “hatemongers”. His plea in the Supreme Court is against the Sitapur case. He has challenged the Allahabad High Court’s order by which the court had refused to quash the FIR on June 10. Zubair’s lawyer, Colin Gonsalves, argued for urgent listing at 2pm: “There are death threats against him… People have said that they will kill him. We are worried about his safety. Please see the urgency.” Justice Indira Banerjee ordered it to be listed tomorrow, “subject to clearance by the Chief Justice of India”. Mohammed Zubair, a resident of Bengaluru and co-founder of fact-checking outlet Alt News, was first arrested on June 27 by the Delhi police over a four-year-old tweet. His arrest came days after he had flagged a video of nowsuspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s provocative remarks on Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) on a TV show. The legal position now is that Mr Zubair remains in Tihar Jail as a Delhi court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days on July 2, after he’d been in police custody for five days. That’s for the case registered over his tweet of March 2018, in which he’d shared a screenshot from a 1983 film.

Another Hindutva leader commits blasphemy of Quran, Muslims BENGALURU agencies

Another Hindutva leader, Keshav Murthy, has committed blasphemy, this time, of the Holy Quran in the Indian state of Karnataka. Keshav Murthy is the state convener of an extremist organization called Hindu Jagaran Vedike. In a speech this week- when some Hindu activists were protesting the killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur, Rajasthan Keshav Murthy said, “The Quran says kill people. So, don’t you think those who read the Quran will follow the same? Those who read the Quran are terrorists.” Police in Kolar in Karnataka have registered a case against him and others for making derogatory statements against the Quran and Muslims. The complaint was lodged by Zameer Ahamad, president of the organization Anjuman-e-Islamia. The case against Keshav Murthy has been registered under Indian Penal Code.

‘No one is remotely indispensable’: Johnson’s resignation speech LONDON agencies

Boris Johnson has announced he will stand down as Conservative leader, clearing the way for his departure as Britain’s prime minister once a successor is selected. Here are some of the highlights from his sixminute resignation speech delivered outside No 10 Downing Street. – On resigning – “It is clearly now the will of the parliamentary Conservative party that there should be a new leader of that party and therefore a new prime minister… the process of choosing that new leader should begin now and the timetable will be announced next week. “And I’ve today appointed a cabinet to serve, as I will, until a new leader is in place.” – On this week’s events –

“The reason I have fought so hard in the last few days to continue to deliver that mandate in person was not just because I wanted to do so, but because I felt it was my job, my duty, my obligation, to you to continue to do what we promised in 2019. “In the last few days, I’ve tried to persuade my colleagues that it would be eccentric to change governments when we are delivering so much and when we have such a vast mandate… “And I regret not to have been successful in those arguments and, of course, it’s painful not to be able to see through so many ideas and projects myself.” – On his legacy – “I’m immensely proud of the achievements of this government — from getting Brexit done, to settling our relations with the continent for over half a century; reclaiming the power for this country to make its own laws in parliament; getting us all

through the pandemic; delivering the fastest vaccine rollout in Europe, the fastest exit from lockdown; and in the last few months, leading the West in standing up to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.” – On the next leader – “In politics, no one is remotely indispensable, and our brilliant and Darwinian system will produce another leader, equally committed to taking this country forward through tough times, not just helping families to get through it, but changing and improving the way we do things… “And to that new leader I say, wherever he or she may be, I will give you as much support as I can.” – To the British public – “I know that there will be many people who are relieved, and perhaps quite a few who will also be disappointed.

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Friday, 8 July, 2022 | LAHORE

SPORTS 11 ASIA CUP 2022

PAKISTAn SeT To fAce IndIA on AuguST 28 iSLaMaBaD

stAff RepoRt

AKISTAN will lock horns against India on August 28 in Asia Cup 2022. According to details, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) will host the tournament next month. India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh have already sealed their spots for the tournament, while the likes of UAE, Nepal, Oman, Hong Kong and others will play qualifiers, which are set to begin from August 21 as per reports. The main round of the competition will start from August 27. India will likely clash with Pakistan on August 28 and it will be the first time the two

opponents square off on international stage since the 2021 T20 World Cup in UAE, where they met during the group stage. Pakistan had beaten India by ten wickets then – their first ever victory against them in a world cup match. The Babar Azam-led team finished as the semi-finalist while India exited in the group stage. The latest edition of Asia Cup will be played in T20 format. It was originally scheduled to be held in 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. India are the defending champions, having beaten Bangladesh in the final in 2018 to win a record sixth title. It must be noted India will enter the tournament as defending champions as they defeated Bangladesh in the final of the last edition of the Asia Cup.

Shahid Afridi to be Brand Ambassador for KPL Season-II Karachi

Limited-overs series in England to decide King Kohli’s T20 future NEW DELhi

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Agencies

Kashmir Premier League has announced on Thursday that, the former captain of Pakistan Shahid Khan Afridi as the Brand Ambassador of the 2nd Season of the League. The official announcement was made during the press conference held in Karachi. The champion cricketer was also being a part and a Brand Ambassador of the defending champions Rawalakot as well. The motive of this mega cricket event is to promote the talent of Kashmir Internationally. The league is designed to provide a quality platform to the young cricket talent of Azad Jammu and Kashmir through which they can showcase their talent by gaining experience from national and international stars. The inclusion of a superstar like Shahid Khan Afridi as a Brand Ambassador for the Season 2 of the league will strengthen the quality and brand value of the League as now he has become the face of this League. PResident KashmiR PRemieR league aRif maliK: Kashmir Premier League’s President Arif Malik has expressed his gladness as Shahid Afridi has become KPL’s Brand Ambassador, considering this to be an auspicious moment for the League, he said that Shahid Khan Afridi is a legendary name from the world of cricket and all around the world people love him, Shahid Afridi has always raised his voice for Kashmir and for the rights of Kashmiris and now he will be serving in Kashmir Premier League as a delegate to preach the message of Kashmiris to the world, Arif Malik further said that Kashmir Premier League is not just a League but a mission by this we want the world to know that in Azad Kashmir the citizens have full freedom and they also play cricket freely besides watching it, Arif Malik cordially welcomes legend Shahid Khan Afridi and he believes this decision will be the motive ensuring success of KPL, and he has shown in confidence in collaborating upon making necessary changes in cricket alongside him. Arif Malik said that Season 2 will get reinvigorated with celebrations of Pakistan’s Independence Day, Pakistan’s 75th Independence “Diamond Jubilee” will be celebrated with nationwide zeal and zest, on this special occasion Kashmir Premier League will deliver the message of peace to the world “Khelo Dil Se Khelo Azadi Se” this day will also include showtime of splendiferous fireworks.

Virat Kohli’s spot in the Indian T20I side is uncertain, and the upcoming T20I series against England will be crucial for the 33-year-old. According to Times of India, the former Indian captain may find himself in a situation where he may have to fight hard to retain his place in the upcoming T20 World Cup in October. On Wednesday, the national selectors picked an ODI team for three matches in West Indies later this month. Shikhar Dhawan will lead the team with Ravindra Jadeja as his deputy. Regular all-format captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah have all been rested. However, Rohit, Pant and Pandya are likely to travel with the team to the Caribbean for the subsequent five-match T20I series. As for Kohli, his T20I

future will depend on how he performs in the two T20Is and ODIs in England. “The T20I team has been withheld to evaluate the rest needed to be given to the top players. Rohit, Pant and Pandya are likely to play the T20Is in West Indies. Bumrah most likely will not be travelling to the Caribbean. As for Kohli, one needs to see what the team management decides on what it needs for the T20 World Cup. This limited-overs series in England is very crucial for Kohli,” a source told The Times of India. Kohli’s form across formats has not been convincing for over a year now. His struggles in T20 cricket surfaced even in this year’s IPL. He has looked a shadow of his free-flowing self. With India having multiple young and dynamic middle-order options in Suryakumar Yadav, Pant, Pandya, Jadeja, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer, Kohli may be falling behind in the race.

England begin Buttler era with T20 rankings summit in sight

Shadab Khan shines as Yorkshire moves to quarter finals of T20 Blast Agencies

LONDON Agencies

Agencies

There have been several debates to drop pacer Hasan Ali from the Pakistan cricket team due to a dip in his bowling form over the past six months. But bowling coach Shaun Tait is unfazed about the form of the 27year-old as it is just a matter of time for the right-arm pacer to regain his form. “There’s never, never a shortage of hard work, personally, that’s for sure,” said Tait while talking to ESPNcricinfo. “I think it’s a bit of an illusion, too, because I think I’ve sort of just got a bit of time, obviously, with the boys recently, and I’ve watched them pretty closely, and I think he’s bowling quite well. “So it’s just a matter of taking wickets, right, so if he runs it and takes wickets, the media and the public all of a sudden they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s in great form’. So now we don’t want to think about that too much. They’re all bowling well, so there’s no pressure there.” Hasan had a forgettable series against Australia in March. He took only two wickets averaging 96 in two games. Tait also stated that despite the conditions in Sri Lanka favoring spinners, he is expecting his fast bowlers to do well. “I think obviously it’s not a place renowned for fast bowlers to go and take bags of wickets usually. But I think as a pace bowler you’ve got to go in with a positive mindset.

In order to promote inclusivity and diversity in sports in the country, the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) presented a cheque of Rs. 1.5 million to Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC). Mr. Rehmat Ali Hasnie, President (A), National Bank of Pakistan presented the cheque to Mr. Salman Tariq Bukhari, Director Operations, PBCC. Ms. Naushaba Shahzad, EVP & (A) Group Head, Inclusive Development Group, NBP and Mr. Mirza Babur Baig EVP & Divisional Head CSR, NBP also graced the occasion. Pakistan Blind Cricket Council is the governing body of blind cricket in Pakistan and is a founding member of the World Blind Cricket Council. Since its establishment in 1997, the Council has been actively organizing national and international tours for talented and visually impaired cricketers in the country. Sharing his thoughts on the occasion, Mr. Rehmat Ali Hasnie said ‘NBP, as the Nation’s Bank, has always believed in reaching out and supporting talent across all segments of society, including differently-abled athletes. We are proud of our 12-year association with the T-20 Blind Cricket Tournament in Pakistan which has brought out some of the best-talented sportsmen. It is quite admirable that PBCC is now focusing on team creation for female players. We are optimistic that other organizations will also step forward and help differently-abled players to play a positive role in society and set an example for all.’ Thanking NBP for the support, Salman Tariq Bukhari said ‘We are grateful to NBP for the constant and regular backing over the years. Our recent 12th Edition of Blind Cricket Tournament T20 was a national success with participation by about 250 visually impaired players.’

iSLaMaBaD

Tait backs Hassan Ali ahead of Sri Lanka series iSLaMaBaD

nBP extends support to Blind cricket council to promote inclusivity in sports in Pakistan

England will begin the Jos Buttler era hoping to climb the summit of ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings, with a series victory against India. With Eoin Morgan’s retirement, the three-match series against India will be the perfect opportunity for Jos Buttler to begin moulding the white-ball side in his own image. Though England will be without the services of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes for the T20I series, there is still plenty of firepower in their ranks, especially on home turf. A 3-0 or a 2-1 series victory will help England overtake India to become the new No.1 ranked team in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings. White-ball regulars Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali will all be available at Buttler’s disposal. It will also be a big opportunity for the likes of Phil Salt, Sam Curran and Reece Topley to further stake a claim to be featured more regularly in the side. India though will be chomping at the bits to get over the disappointment of the loss in the fifth Test and will be bolstered by the return of their skipper Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah will miss the first T20I after a quick turnover from the fifth rescheduled Test. But this will provide a perfect opportunity for some of the fringe players

to make a strong case for a place on the flight to Australia for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The absence of some of the regulars in the first match will further give the likes of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Umran Malik and Deepak Hooda a chance to make a case for a selection. The return of the seniors from the second T20I onwards will give the Indian team management to test close to their fullstrength side in preparation for the upcoming World Cup in Australia. RemembeR the last time: The two teams last faced off in a bilateral T20I series in 2021. It was a nail-biting five-match series, with India eventually prevailing by a 3-2 scoreline. All the matches were played in Ahmedabad, with England starting strongly by winning the first contest. India emerged as victors in the second match, while England again prevailed in the third T20I. The pressure was now on India and they fought back brilliantly by winning the fourth and fifth matches, to seal the series. Virat Kohli was the leading run-scorer in the series with 231 runs, while Shardul Thakur was the leading wicket-taker with eight wickets. What they said: Jos Buttler (England captain): “I think I’ll learn that as I go along. In terms of a place to take over from, if I’m not ready to take over now I’ll never be I don’t think. I think I’m in the best place I’ve ever been to become a captain of the team at this moment so I’m excited for the challenge ahead.”

Pakistan’s limited-overs vice-captain Shadab Khan starred for Yorkshire against Surrey in the quarter-final of T20 Blast 2022. The 23-year-old stroked 21 off 12 balls while also bagged figures of 2/29 in Yorkshire’s one run win over Surrey at The Oval. It was Jordan Thompson, who held his nerve to defend five runs off the final over and send Yorkshire through to Blast Finals Day. The home side looked firm favourites to reach Edgbaston after a fiery partnership of 67 from 35 balls between Jamie Overton and Laurie Evans had taken them to the verge of victory. But Overton was run out by wicketkeeper Tom Kohler-Cadmore – whose knock of 62 from 48 had anchored the Vikings’ total of 160-5 – and Thompson removed Sunil Narine next ball before conceding only a bye off the final delivery. With Chris Jordan away on England duty, Will Jacks stood in as Surrey captain and led by example, sending down four consecutive overs for just 20 after he had opted to put the Vikings in. They lost both openers inside the first nine deliveries, with Adam Lyth slapping Jacks to the diving Overton at short cover and Finn Allen perishing when the same fielder clasped a skier off Dan Worrall. Kohler-Cadmore and David Willey rebuilt with a partnership of 93 from 80 balls, although they took their time to get going, finding the boundary just four times during the first half of the innings. Apart from a Dan Moriarty over that went for 16, with both batters clubbing the spinner straight back over his head into the pavilion, Yorkshire struggled for momentum and Willey (30) eventually holed out to long-on off Narine. KohlerCadmore departed next over in identical fashion, but some inspired hitting from Shadab Khan (21 from 12) and Will Fraine, who ended unbeaten on 32 from 14, ensured the visitors posted a competitive total. Willey almost struck with the first ball of Surrey’s reply as Jacks nudged him to point, where Jonny Tattersall stretched and failed to hold on, but the Vikings skipper did take his opposite number’s scalp later in the over courtesy of a top edge to third man. However, Rory Burns and Tom Curran regained the initiative by savaging Matt Revis – whose second over cost 22 – and Yorkshire quickly turned to spinners Shadab and Dom Bess to plug the flow of runs. The pair succeeded in that task, with Shadab (2-29) also picking up the valuable wickets of Burns – bowled for 28 – and Ollie Pope, who swept him into the waiting hands of deep square leg as Surrey began to lose their way.

Friday, 8 July, 2022

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PrIMe MInISTer receIveS TurKIye’S new AMbASSAdor ISLAMABAD

Staff RepoRt

RIME Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif received Turkiye’s new Ambassador Mehmet Pacaci today. The Prime Minister felicitated the Ambassador on his appointment and extended best wishes to him for a successful term in Pakistan. The Prime Minister stated that PakistanTurkiye fraternal ties were unparalleled in inter-state relations in terms of mutual trust, understanding and mutual support on each other’s national causes. He expressed hope that during the Ambassador’s tenure, bilateral cooperation will be further strengthened, especially in the trade and investment domains.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude for Turkiye’s steadfast support on Jammu and Kashmir dispute and reiterated Pakistan’s commitment on Turkiye’s core interests. Recalling his visit to Turkiye in June 2022, the Prime Minister conveyed that he was looking forward to welcoming President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the 7th session of High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in Pakistan in September 2022. The Prime Minister also highlighted the significance of 75th anniversary of PakistanTurkiye diplomatic relations and underscored the importance of celebrating this milestone in a befitting manner through commemorative events in both countries.

‘Fitna Khan’s ego satisfied by snatching free electricity from masses: Maryam LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday took a dig at PTI chairman Imran Khan, saying that Fitna Khan satisfied his ego by snatching free electricity relief package from the poor masses of Punjab. It is pertinent to mention the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on July 7 suspended Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz’s free electricity relief package till the Punjab by-elections which will be held on July 17. After the ECP decision’s, taking to Twitter, Maryam Nawaz wrote that the ego of ‘Fitna Khan’ was satisfied by snatching free electricity from the poor, adding that he sacrificed the relief of the poor for the sake of bad politics. “How Imran Khan can ask for votes from the people of Punjab after snatching necessities from them,” she further wrote. Staff RepoRt

Sherry briefs John Kerry on climate change impacts over Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman briefed the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry about the hazardous impacts of climate change faced by Pakistan during a telephonic conversation on Thursday. US Envoy Kerry during his telephonic call congratulated Sherry Rehman on assumption of her office and expressed the desire to continue working together for tackling climate change issues, said a news release. The minister underscored that Pakistan was consistently placed in the top ten ‘most vulnerable’ countries in the world impacted by climate change which has now become an existential threat to the country. Staff RepoRt

PM fOR LIvE tELEcASt Of PARLIAMEnt’S StAnDIng cOMMIttEES’ PROcEEDIngS: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday decided to telecast live the proceedings of Parliament’s Standing Committees, an essential and vital part of the Parliament. The Prime Minister, in this respect, has written a formal letter to Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. He said that since the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, in the past, had taken a revolutionary step of launching PTV Parliament, second phase of that process, which had been halted by the previous government during the last four years, should be initiated at the earliest. The Prime Minister, in his letter to the

Speaker National Assembly, said that an appropriate procedure and parameters for live telecast of the meetings of Standing Committees should be finalized. He further said that former Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq in coordination with Marriyum Aurangzeb had started the process of telecasting the Parliament’s Proceedings for general public in a very appreciable manner. That step was much appreciated and welcomed by masses, journalists and people from other segments of life, the Prime Minister added. He said that Raja Pervaiz Ashraf being a political worker and an important leader of the party, which had achieved the distinction of making constitution, was well aware of

Miftah hints at likely reduction in edible oil prices ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said on Thursday that the price of edible oil and ghee has seen a reduction and hoped that the lower prices would translate to an Rs100 – Rs150 reduction in edible oil prices in the local market. Addressing a press conference along with Ministry of Finance, Privatisation Committee member Bilal Kayani, the finance minister said he was also optimistic about lower prices of petroleum products in the near future and said that as the price of crude in the international market had come down to $100, the people of Pakistan will ‘benefit’ from lower prices at the ‘right time’. Miftah added that reduced prices will also reduce Pakistan’s import expenditure. Criticising the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the finance minister reiterated that the previous government had left an economic minefield, but despite challenges, the economy was now stabilising and foreign exchange reserves were improving. Miftah added that Imran’s government left a ‘historic trade deficit’. Elaborating on the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $6 billion loan programme for Pakistan, the finance minister expressed hope that the remaining issues with the international lender will be resolved soon and the country will re-

cieve the next tranche. He also said prices of flour will reduce in the local market as wheat prices were stabilising in the international market and tenders will be opened soon. Wheat prices saw historical highs following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war in February this year as the two countries are major wheatproducing nations in the world. The finance minister also touched upon the ongoing power shortfall in the country and said the current generation level is lower than the required 30,000, however, he expressed hope that the shortfall will be eliminated in the coming weeks. Blaming the Imran-led government for the power crisis, he said the PTI government failed to issue timely LNG tenders and the liquified gas is now in short supply. With Europe now curtailing the use of Russian gas, major LNG producers around the world are now supplying the continent with LNG and the fuel is in short supply for other customers. Miftah added that a nuclear power plant will be commissioned soon and the government is actively promoting the use of solar energy. He also criticised the PTI for moving ECP against the free electricity initiative launched by Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz. Miftah said while Imran gave relief to real estate tycoons, he is against helping the poorer segments of society.

the importance of constitution and Parliament. The Prime Minister said that he has directed Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb to speed up the process of the live telecast under the guidance of Speaker National Assembly. “I hope that this joint effort will bring further respect to the Parliament,” he said, adding, that masses especially the youth will get awareness about constitution, their rights, the importance of parliament and its performance in democratic system. The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ensure implementation of second phase of the project in coordination with Speaker National Assembly on urgent basis.

Pakistan rubbishes ‘so-called dossier’ by Indian Army ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday outrightly rejected “baseless allegations” levelled by Indian Army through a “dossier” reported by various sections of the Indian media. According to India Today, the Indian army prepared a 33-page defence dossier containing claims of Pakistan’s alleged “terror plots” against the neighbouring country. The so-called dossier claims Pakistan is allegedly aiding militants to infiltrate across the border for “terror activities”, the Indian website added. Responding to the claims, the FO said: “We outrightly reject this false and fabricated so-called dossier, the reported contents of which have been crafted using disinformation, fake assertions and insinuations that seek to divert the world’s attention from India’s own brazen and well-documented campaign of state- terrorism and widespread human rights violations in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.” The FO spokesperson highlighted that instances had been reported where direct links between the ruling BJP and perpetrators of violence in the IIOJK, Udaipur and elsewhere had surfaced. “Pakistan has regularly shared with the world irrefutable evidence of Indian occupation forces’ gross and widespread violations of human rights abetted by draconian laws in the IIOJK through comprehensive, evidence-based dossiers.” The spokesperson said the evidences compiled by Pakistan had extensively documented the “truth behind India’s active planning, promoting, aiding, abetting, financing and execution of terrorist activities in Pakistan”. Staff RepoRt

‘Threatening calls from unknown numbers’ should stop: Fawad ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said “threatening calls from unknown numbers” should stop hours after PTI leaders claimed a pilot flying party chairman Imran Khan to his rallies had received them. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry alleged that “threatening calls” were being made, adding that Imran’s pilots were receiving calls from “unknown numbers”. He also played a clip of the alleged call, holding his mobile phone close to the microphones on the table where he was sitting and terming the development as “unfortunate”. In the clip Fawad played, a male voice can be heard asking the receiver of the call to delete what is presumably a social media post. “You will be picked up by 5pm tomorrow,” the unknown caller can be heard saying. Imran has embarked on a whirlwind campaign ahead of the by-elections in Punjab. From July 7-15, he is expected to address dozens of public gatherings. He has also held several in the past few weeks. On Tuesday, he had fired off a warning that he would be forced to “reveal everything” about the characters involved in the alleged conspiracy to oust his government if harassment of him and his party did not cease. Fawad reiterated that this was “unfortunate”, expressing the hope that the relevant authorities would investigate this. “There are only two big [security] agencies,” he said. Fawad said that recently, Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa and the “DGI” had issued orders for their institutions to stay away from “such matters”. “I am hopeful these directives will be implemented. If people from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) are doing this, then I would urge their head to look at their institution.” He alleged that “calls from unknown numbers are made by two institutions”. “These calls from unknown numbers should stop. People have the azadi of free will. “Fear doesn’t last forever,” the former information minister said, adding that “Pakistan is not Burma”. He noted that martial law had been imposed in the country four times but had also subsequently ended. “If you think you can rule over Pakistan on the basis of power, this doesn’t happen here. There will be retaliation, the people will stand up.” NewS DeSk

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk