Wednesday, 7 December, 2022 I 13 Jamadi Awwal, 1444 I Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 158 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
FOOT-DRAGING ENDS
Capital poliCe registers Fir oF arshad shariF’s gruesome murder g
TAkInG SuO-MOTu, SuPREME COuRT ORdEREd FIR In BRuTAl SHARIF MuRdER
iSLAMABAD
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staff report
InAllY, the Islamabad Police late Tuesday night registered a First Information Report (FIR) of grisly murder of top investigative journalist Arshad Sharif in line with the directions of Supreme Court. Sharif, 50, a fierce critic of the military, died in a suspected police shooting near kenya’s capital nairobi on October 24. In an FIR registered at Ramna police station of the federal capital, three accused Waqar Ahmed, khurram Ahmed and Tariq Ahmed Wasi have been nominated. However, the spouse of late Arshad Sharif rejected the FIR, arguing why it was registered with Islamabad Police as complainant. “While the heirs of Arshad [Sharif] are still alive, the FIR would be registered with my mother-in-law [mother of Arshad].
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PM WElCOMES SC’S nOTICE On ARSHAd SHARIF’S MuRdER, ASSuRES Full COOPERATIOn
Rest, why the FIR was registered with Police as complainant? Arshad has his heirs,” she wrote in urdu language. Earlier in the day, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court — headed by Chief Justice umar Ata Bandial and comprising justices Ijaz ul-Ahsan, Jamal khan Mandokhail, Mazahar Ali Akbar naqvi and Muhammad Ali Mazhar — directed the government to register a first information report (FIR) of the event by tonight. “The police report should be registered by tonight,” Justice Bandial said, as his court directed the authorities to submit a copy of the FIR to the court by Wednesday. He also sought the inquiry report of a panel formed by the government to probe the murder. The suo motu provision allows the judge to take up cases on his own initiative. Arshad Sharif fled Pakistan in August — first to the united Arab Emirates (uAE) and later kenya — after sedition charges were levelled against him for allegedly
criticising institutions and “abetting mutiny” within the army. His employer, ARY news, had fired Arshad in August, saying the journalist had violated its social media policy, without specifically mentioning the post. His talk show, Powerplay, which aired on Mondays and Thursdays, was discontinued. Sharif’s family, his friends and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), including its chairman Imran khan, have demanded a fair investigation into the murder. They claimed he was forced to leave the sheikhdom at the request of the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office has, however, dismissed the claim. last week, khan penned a letter to the chief justice, requesting him to conduct an independent judicial inquiry into the assassination. Responding to the letter, the court fixed the matter for hearing at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, according to a statement. The apex judicial forum also announced that notices have been issued to the interior, foreign, and information secretaries; bosses of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB); and the president of the Pakistan Federal union of Journalists (PFuJ). during the proceedings, the chief justice wondered why the court had not yet been provided with the report by the fact-finding committee. At this, the additional attorney general informed the court that Rana Sanaullah khan, the minister for interior, was in Faisalabad when the report was received. “The report will be handed over to the court once Sanaullah khan peruses it,” he said. “does the interior minister have to make changes to the report?” the judge wondered, saying his court could summon the minister.
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Bumpy year ahead as tractor industry braces for lowest sales in 15 years g
TRACTOR SAlES ARE PREdICTEd TO ExPERIEnCE A HISTORIC dIP OF 67% In THE MOnTHS TO COME profit report Daniyal ahmaD
In an emergency meeting held on Monday, Chairman of Pakistan Association of Auto Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) Munir Bana predicted a collapse in the sale of tractors by 67% in FY 2022-23. The impending slump Bana predicted tractor sales to drop significantly from FY 2021-22’s sale of 60,000 units to a measly 20,000 units in FY 2022-23. At 20,000, tractor sales would effectively be at their lowest number in 15 years with an all time low being set since the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA) began collecting industry sales data. The current lowest sales record stands at 32,727 units sold in FY 2019-20. Bana cites several reasons for this dip in the tractor sector: The rupee’s depreciation, import restrictions on auto parts, delays in refunds of sales tax by the government, and the existing dutyfree import of second-hand tractors. “Yes this is an accurate assessment of the market. I would say it is fairly representative, compared to the same period last year. We (Millat Tractors) have seen a reduction, and so have our competitor (AlGhazi),” mentioned Millat Tractors’ CEO Raheel Asghar in a conversation with Profit. The current market situation “There are a number of factors affecting the market. The most evident one is the flash floods of
2022 that rampaged across Sindh, Balochistan, and lower Punjab and directly hit the purchasing power of farmers. Other than that, the government had previously exempt tractors from the sales tax. We were able to obtain refunds from the government for our input costs. We will not receive this refund now, and subsequently we had to increase our prices to cater to this,” explained Asghar. He cited “the combination of these two factors alongside the general economic downturn in the country responsible for this decline.” FY 2022-23’s Four month industry wide sales at 9,258 units is 47% lower compared to last year’s 17,386 units over the same period last year.
Furthermore, the 9,258 units also amounts to a 24% decline from the 12,256 units sold in FY 2019-20 over the same period. On its current trajectory, FY 202223 will likely record lower sales than FY 2019-20.