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Monday, 20 February, 2023 I 28 Rajab, 1444
Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 233 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Year of war in Ukraine leaves developing nations picking up pieces
Maryam questions judiciary’s ‘leniency’ towards Imran
ECP boss defies presidential summon for election date consultation
Minister claims former spy chief Faiz sought to repatriate TTP militants
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PM for More coordination over relief assistance to turkiye, syria LAHORE
P
staff report
RIMe Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said that for the purpose of coordination, all relief assistance to the earthquake-affected people of Turkiye and Syria should be dispatched through National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The prime minister lauded the humanitarian and charity organizations for their ongoing relief work in the quake-hit areas of Turkiye and said that Pakistani humanitarian organizations were in the forefront to support
their affected brethren and sisters in these countries. The prime minister was chairing a high-level meeting to review the ongoing relief activities on part of Pakistan, in the quake hit Turkiye and Syria. The meeting was attended by representatives of edhi, Saylani and Al-Khidmat Foundation, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, PM’s Special Assistant Syed Tariq Fatemi, ambassadors of Pakistan to Turkiye and Syria and other high officials, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release. The prime minister, during the meeting, observed that relief assistance to these countries
should be sent in accordance with the requirements of the earthquake-affected people and stressed upon ensuring of quality relief goods. The prime minister also constituted a sub-committee to be headed by the minister for planning. The committee would be tasked to share information among the government and humanitarian organizations over the dispatch of relief goods. The prime minister said through exchange of real-time information, the quake victims of Turkiye and Syria could be supported in a well-organized manner.
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Imran seeks SC’s ‘action’ to probe how audio clip recorded, leaked LAHORE staff report
Former prime minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that an audio clip, purportedly featuring a conversation between Dr Yasmin Rashid and ex-Lahore CCPO was aimed at sabotaging the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the attempt on his life, urging the Supreme Court to take notice of how an audio clip was recorded and leaked. In a televised address on Sunday, the PTI chairman linked the audio clips to an attempt to sabotage the investigation into the attack on his life in Wazirabad last year. “When someone needs to be blackmailed, their audio clip is released,” Imran said during an address, adding three PTI leaders were also being black-
mailed with deep fake videos. He also expressed concern about the use of phone-tapping for political gains. He questioned whether Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had obtained permission from the court before tapping phones, since the law prohibits the tapping of anyone’s phone. Referring to an earlier leaked conversation over landline allegedly featuring his wife, he said Bushra Bibi’s privacy and fundamental rights were violated with the unlawful phone-tapping. He also said that his conversation with his principal secretary was also recorded and leaked unlawfully when he was still the country’s prime minister. Speaking alongside Rashid, he said that all the officials included in the JIT were removed and some were “blackmailed
into resigning” but Dogar stood his ground and told the court that there were three attackers involved in the incident. “In the leaked audio, the PTI leader is speaking to the police officer asking if he had received the posting orders after he was reinstated as the Lahore capital police officer (CCPO) by a Supreme Court bench on Friday. As per the audio clip, the police officer replied that no orders had reached him.” The former Punjab health minister, without naming anyone, stated that she had made the phone call to find out what “their intentions are”. Making an apparent reference to Imran, she conveyed that he was “concerned” about the issues surrounding the reinstatement of the former Lahore police chief.
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IMF chief urges Pakistan to tax the rich, protect the poor MUNICH, GERMANY news desk
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has urged Pakistan to take necessary steps “to be able to function as a country” and avoid “getting into a dangerous place where its debts need to be restructured”. She said this while speaking to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle at the Munich Security Conference. The statement comes days after Pakistan and the global lender failed to reach a staff level agreement within the stipulated time to revive a stalled $6.5 billion bailout package. However, both the sides agreed on a set of measures that can still help clinch the deal to avoid a looming default. Pakistani authorities had hoped that they would convince the IMF about its good intentions regarding implementation of all outstanding conditions in a gradual manner. But the hopes were dashed during the 10-day visit by the IMF mission, which ended on February 9 without a staff level agreement.
Speaking at the Munich Conference, Georgieva gave more details of the measures that the global lender is expecting the Pakistan’s government to ensure. “I want to stress that we are emphasising two things. Number 1: tax revenues. Those who can, those that are making good money, they need to contribute to the economy,” she said, referring to the IMF’s conditions for the revival of the stalled bailout package. “Secondly, to have a fairer distribution of the pressure by moving subsidies only towards the people who really need it,” the IMF chief added. She emphasised the need for introducing targeted subsidies, saying, “It should not be like the wealthy benefit from subsidies. It should be the poor who benefit from them”. ‘The Fund is very clear that we want the poor people of Pakistan to be protected,’ she added. “My heart goes to the people of Pakistan,” said Georgieva, acknowledging that Pakistan was devastated by unprecedented floods in 2022 which affected over one-third of its population.
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