Issuu

In partnership with

Profit

Wednesday, 22 march, 2023 I 29 shaban, 1444 Imran reiterates danger to his life as LHC grants him bail in two cases

Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 263 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition

ISI Brigadier martyred, 7 injured in South Waziristan encounter

FDI inflows rise in February but fall by 40pc over eight months

Hinopak Motors, Ghandhara Tyre & Rubber announce plant shutdowns

Story on Back Page

SPECIAL PARLIAMENTARY SESSION DECIDES PTI’S FATE TODAY

‘beleaguered’ PdM Pressing for iMran’s ‘ousTer’ froM PoliTical arena g

joINT SESSIoN lIKEly To TAKE IMPorTANT dECISIoNS To ENForCE wrIT oF STATE

FAwAd Ch wArNS oF rEACTIoN No oNE EvEr IMAgINEd IF PArTy’S ChIEF bANNEd

ISLAMABAD

saleem Jadoon

hE ‘beleaguered’ PMl-N-led government of PdM has convened a special session of both houses of the parliament on wednesday to “take important decisions” to enforce [writ of the state] in the face of ever-rising popularity of PTI and defiance of its supports against government “acts to contain its chairman.” The decision comes a day after couple of meetings of the country’s civilian and military high command took an extremely [unfavourable view] of the PTI’s ongoing protest movement wherein the military “agreed” with the government that elections to the national and provincial assemblies should be held simultaneously. during these [important] meetings, though the top leadership of Pakistan democratic Movement (PdM) failed to evolve a consensus on a proposal to ban Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) following the recent clashes between the PTI workers and police at Islamabad judicial complex and Zaman Park. on the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior vice president and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday warned that there would be a reaction “no one had ever imagined” if the party chief Imran Khan was [banned]…. on Monday, through its declaration, Shehbaz Sharif’s government, backed by the powerful military, indicated its willingness to violate the Constitution by disregarding the Supreme Court’s ruling, which mandates the holding of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within 90 days in accordance with the Constitution. Meanwhile insiders in the PMl-N,

seeking anonymity, opposed any proposal to ban the PTI or its chairman, saying any such step would [only] aggravate the current political turmoil, adding that “it’s very obvious the PMl-N is hijacked by [hawkish elements], having little or no knowledge of politics and democracy and hell-bent on stamping their authority both in the party and at the political spectrum of the country.” Some second-tier leaders of PPP also voiced concerns over the im-

plementation of any such proposal, saying they always preferred politics of principles and never favored [vendetta]. referring to the workerspolice clashes in Islamabad and Zaman Park, they termed any such act regrettable and condemnable, saying but “we should look at the reasons for any such act. The police did not try to handle the situation through peaceful means both in Islamabad and lahore. And from the events unfolded in the aftermath, it

appeared, (mighty people) have forced the police to deal with the protesters heavy handedly.” They pointed out that politician should sit together to resolve their issues in a political manner “without the involvement of the third force.” Khan had been prime minister from 2018 until 2022, when he was ousted from the office through a contentious no-confidence vote. Since then, he has been demanding fresh elections and has been holding protests across the country to press his demand. his supporters have clashed with police several times over recent days as authorities try to force him to appear in court in connection with various “politically-motivated” cases brought against him. The office of the speaker of parliament, in calling wednesday’s joint session, did not give a reason but the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan said the ruling coalition had called for parliament to “take important decisions” to ensure the writ of the state was enforced.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Khalilzad cautions govt against banning PTI, Imran Khan Islamabad: Former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad on Tuesday cautioned Pakistan government against taking an extreme step against former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan. In a series of tweets, Zalmay Khalilzad said that there are indications that Pakistan’s parliament, which is controlled by the governing coalition, might well ask the Supreme Court to disqualify Imran Khan from running for election and even prohibit PTI in the next few days. “The government appears to have decided to set up Imran Khan as Enemy No 1 of the State. Such steps will only deepen Pakistan’s triple crises: political, economic, and security. Already, some countries have suspended planned investments,” he said. “The IMF support remains doubtful. If the steps mentioned take place, international support for #Pakistan will decline further. Political polarization and violence will likely increase,” he added. “I hope the Pakistani political leaders rise above destructive petty politics that undermine the national interest. If not, I hope the Supreme Court says no to being used in games that undermine the nation’s interests. I am becoming increasingly concerned about Pakistan,” concluded the US leader. staff report

Not consulted on plan to raise fuel prices to finance subsidy: ImF g

SEEKS MorE INForMATIoN oN SChEMES’ dISCUSSEd wITh PAKISTANI AUThorITIES ProfIt rePort

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated that the Pakistani government did not consult the organisation regarding its plan to provide petrol subsidies for low-income groups, bloomberg reported on Tuesday. IMF’s resident representative for Pakistan Esther Perez, who spoke with the international publication, indicated that the lender was not informed about the government’s strategy to increase fuel prices for wealthy individuals to finance a subsidy for low-income people.

Perez stated that IMF staff members are seeking more information on the scheme’s operation, cost, targeting, protection against fraud and abuse, and offsetting measures, and will discuss these elements with the authorities. on the previous day, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik stated that the federal government had decided to provide relief in petrol prices to motorcyclists and owners of vehicles up to 800cc by up to rs100 to mitigate the effects of high petrol prices on inflation-affected people. Malik stated that the decision to provide fuel

at reduced prices would be implemented within six weeks and that the government would make petrol more affordable for the poor. The IMF has stated that Pakistan has made significant progress in meeting the policy commitments needed to unlock billions of dollars in loans, but a few remaining points must be addressed before a staff-level agreement can be reached. Finance Minister Ishaq dar had previously stated that the global lender wished to see countries fulfil the pledges they have made to assist Pakistan in bolstering its finances before approving the bailout package.

massive 6.8 magnitude earthquake rattles cities across Pakistan g

Two dEAd, 120 INjUrEd IN qUAKE rElATEd INCIdENTS ISLAMABAD staff report

ISlAMAbAd: A massive earthquake of 6.8 magnitudes jolted parts of Pakistan. The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan’s hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological department (PMd). losses reported in Islamabad, KP Two persons lost his life while 120 others were injured in incidents related to earthquake. Initial but unconfirmed reports suggested that heavy losses were witnessed in Upper Swat and many houses had been destroyed. Meanwhile, one person lost his life due to suffering heart attack while leaving the house through stairs during a quake in Sector g-7. he was shifted to Federal government Polyclinic but he couldn’t survive. losses to life and property reported in Upper SwatSome agencies have also put the magnitude of the quake at 7.7. witnesses said that the strong earthquake lasting for at least 30 seconds was felt across Pakistan. People ran out of their houses and were sitting in streets reciting quranic verses. Tv footage also showed citizens out on the streets from their homes and buildings after the quake shocks were felt. The US geological Survey said the quake rocked Afghanistan as well and the quake epicentre was 40 kilometres south-southeast of the Afghan town of jurm. Keeping in view the severe earthquake on Tuesday night, major government hospitals will remain on high alert in the federal capital. According to a spokesperson of the Ministry of National health Services, regulations and Coordination, the alert was issued to all the hospitals. The administration of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and the Federal government Polyclinic was also directed to ensure all necessary arrangements in this regard. Earthquake tremors were felt across country including Islamabad, rawalpindi, lahore, Multan, quetta, Peshawar, Kohat, lakki Marwat, Peshawar, Swabi, lodhran, dg Khan, bahawalpur, Skardu, Kohat, Toba Tek Singh, Parachinar, Nowshera, and Khanewal. Shaking could be felt as far as the Indian capital, New delhi, reuters reported. large parts of South Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate. rescue 1122 director general dr Khateer Ahmad said the department had received a phone call each from Swabi and lower dir on which rescue teams were despatched. “No confirmed reports of any loss of life or property have been received yet. rescue 1122 is on high alert and ready to provide services during any emergency,” he said.

Pm shehbaz admits politicians responsible for current ‘mess’ g

ANNoUNCES rS5b rAMZAN rElIEF PACKAgE; ACKNowlEdgES IT’S NoT SUFFICIENT ISLAMABAD Ghulam abbas

on Tuesday while announcing the rs 5 billion ramzan relief Packages, rs 3.24 billion less than last year, Prime Minister acknowledged that it is not enough. In response to a media query about rising inflation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that, “I admit that we, the politicians, are responsible for the mess created in the past 70 years.” he also added that he will visit stores personally to make sure the package is being delivered. The Ministry of Industries has allocated rs 1.15 billion for targeted and rs 3.84 billion for untargeted subsidies on selected commodities like vegetable ghee, tea, flour, sugar, milk, beverages, dates and gram flour at utility stores across the country. As per details the targeted subsidy will be only for the users registered under the benazir Income Support Program (bISP)

while the people of the entire country will be able to benefit from the general subsidy. Targeted subsidy customers will be provided with flour for 10 kg bags at rs 400, sugar at rs 70 per kg and ghee at rs 300 per kg. while in general subsidy, a 10 kg bag of flour will be available at rs 648, sugar at rs 91 per kg and ghee at rs 490 per kg, while white gram will be available at rs 20 less per kg. Addressing a press conference, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Syed Murtaza Mahmud claimed that the first priority of the federal government was to save the people from hardship and inflation and to bring conveniences to their doorsteps. According to the minister the federal government is already providing five basic food items at discounted rates to the public through the Utility Store Corporation (USC). In order to maintain this continuity of public convenience, the Prime Minister has extended the scope of the

relief package to the month of ramazan which will continue till Eid-ul-Fitr. The number of subsidized items has also been increased 19 which includes flour, ghee, sugar, cooking oil, tea, dates, basin, dal mash, dal mung, milk, drinks, spices etc. Along with this, the Prime Minister has also released a free flour package for the citizens of Islamabad. This gift of free flour is being distributed to the poor and deserving families who are registered under the benazir Income Support Program (bISP). Each registered family will get one bag of 10 kg as a gift for the first time and the remaining two bags will be received after 7 days. bISP has already notified its registered households through SMS. registered households do not need oTP to get the free flour bag. The flour bag will be given to them on the show the original National Identity Card. To check your eligibility for this package, the consumers can text their

NIC number to 8171 or visit the bISP offices. various vigilance teams have been formed to monitor the package and a control room has also been es-

tablished, the federal government will also monitor this package to remove the problems of the people and increase their facilities.