In partnership with
MPS BACK ‘SPEEDY ACTION’ AGAINST MAY 9 RIOTERS UNDER ARMY ACT
Profit
Tuesday, 13 June, 2023 I 23 Zilqad, 1444
NA, SENATE RESOLUTIONS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH ARMED FORCES, MARTYRS
I g
g
ISLAMABAD
JI OPPOSES TRIAL OF CIVILIANS IN MILITARY COURTS
STAFF REPORT
N an unprecedented move, the National Assembly on Monday adopted a resolution demanding speedy action against the May 9 rioters under the Army Act. The resolution was presented by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, demanding that action be taken against the perpetrators of the May 9 events under the Army Act, while ensuring respect for human rights. The text of the resolution stated that a group and its leaders had crossed all limits on May 9, launching attacks on military installations, causing irreparable damage to state institutions and the country. Therefore, the resolution demanded that action be taken against all such elements in accordance with the law and the Constitution. It stated that there should be no delay of even a day in taking action against the culprits, adding that even the party’s workers and leaders were distancing themselves from the May 9 events. The resolution stated that no violation of human rights took place during the action taken against the miscreants and criminals. The resolution mentioned that the military has the authority to take action in response to attacks on military installations worldwide, and all individuals involved should be punished under the Pakistan Army Act of 1952 for their actions. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, while expressing his views in the house, stated that military installations were targeted on May 9. “Our system has been compromised. No new laws
are being created against the culprits of May 9; the existing laws found in books are being utilised.” He stated that the cases related to attacks on military installations are heard in military courts worldwide. “We have not created any new law; rather, these laws already exist. Where there is terrorism, cases will be dealt with under antiterrorism laws,” he added. He also stated that where cases are supposed to be heard under Article 16 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO), they will be dealt with accordingly. However, those who targeted fighter jets and attacked the Bala Hisar Fort will face cases under the Army Act. Maulana Abdul Kabir Chitrali, a
Govt’s plea for larger SC bench to hear Punjab polls case turned down ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
The federal government’s petition to form a larger bench to hear the election commission’s review petition on Punjab polls was rejected. Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has decided to retain the three-member bench for hearing the elections case. A three-member bench headed by CJP Bandial will hear the case on June 13. Previously, the CJP had declared that the court will hear two cases – the election commission’s review petition against the apex court’s order to hold elections in Punjab as well as pleas against the review of judgments law – together. The top judge said both the cases will be taken up together next Tuesday. The Supreme Court issued notices to the federation on the pleas against the review of judgements law, while further hearing into the ECP’s review plea in the Punjab elections case was adjourned till Tuesday.
Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 344 I 8 Pages I Islamabad Edition
member of the Jamaat-e-Islami, opposed the trial of civilians in military courts, saying that no one is above the law, not even the prime minister, the army chief, or the chief justice. He questioned whether the government and the judiciary have completely failed. “If that is the case, then send the cases to military courts, and if not, then proceed with the cases in civilian courts,” he added. He stated that JI opposes the demand for cases to be heard in military courts as mentioned in this resolution. Senate resolution lauds martyrs’ sacrifices, condemns May 9 attacks The Upper House of the Parliament on Monday through a resolution
commemorated the sacrifices of martyrs rendered for peace, safety, security and stability. The resolution presented in Senate by Minister of State for Law and Justice, Shahadat Awan paid tribute to the unparalleled role played by the Armed Forces in safeguarding the nation against both external and internal threats. The resolution strongly condemned the shocking and distressing acts of vandalism and arson that occurred on May 9. These reprehensible actions targeted prominent landmarks such as Jinnah House Lahore, monuments dedicated to martyrs and national heroes, installations belonging to the Armed Forces, and the Radio Pakistan Peshawar building. Expressing their deep sense of dismay and resentment, the House deplored these attacks and demanded that those responsible for planning, facilitating, and instigating them be brought to justice under the full extent of the law. In a show of unwavering support and solidarity, the Senate extended its backing to the armed forces and other security agencies in the aftermath of this unfortunate incident. Additionally, the resolution expressed solidarity with the families of the martyrs, recognizing and honoring the tremendous sacrifices they had made for the nation. The Senate resolved to hold their invaluable services for the motherland in the highest regard for all times to come. The passing of this unanimous resolution in the Senate serves as a powerful testament to the nation’s unity and determination to protect the ideals of peace and stability that Pakistan holds dear.
Budget 2023-24 promises to turn things around despite constraints: PM ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said that despite the constraints imposed by domestic and global circumstances, the budget 2023-24 promised to turn things around and has outlined a clear path for the purpose. The prime minister, in a tweet, said that achieving economic selfsufficiency, remained the overarching goal where the economy was insulated from external turbulence and shocks. He said as the experts were analysing the various facets of budget 2023-24, he considered it important to highlight the special emphasis the government had placed on the growth- inducing sectors in the budget. He said the measures for the uplifting of information technology, agriculture, solarisation, youth development and other sectors were proposed after thorough deliberations. “They are aimed at incentiviz-
ing innovation and entrepreneurship of our talented youth and boosting the productivity of agriculture and attracting investment in the agro-industry.” At the same time, the prime minister said the government was working on a solarisation initiative to replace the costlier sources of
power generation by harnessing the vast solar power. “Affordable energy is key to economic growth and the provision of relief to the people. The procurement of crude oil from Russia is also part of the energy security plan,” the prime minister remarked.
At least 10 killed as bus plunges into ravine in AJK KOTLI
STAFF REPORT
At least 10 people were killed and 13 others were critically injured on Sunday night when a coaster plummeted into a ravine in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The bus was headed to Gujranwala from Nairiyan, a remote village in the Sudhnoti district near Kotli, where 35 passengers had gone to attend Urs festivities. The deceased and the injured were shifted to Mirpur District Headquarters Hospital. According to Mirpur Commissioner Chaudhry Shaukat, rescue personnel reached the site on receiving information. At least three of the 13 injured were in critical condition, he added. The commissioner told media that the accident was caused due to a brake failure and added that a large number of Jamia students reached the hospital to donate blood to the victims.
SBP interest rate stands unchanged at record high 21pc KARACHI
STAFF REPORT
In line with market expectations, Pakistan’s central bank left its benchmark policy rate unchanged at a record high of 21 percent. The bank maintains that the rate was appropriate considering inflation peaked at 38% in May and is expected to ease down from June and onward. In its monetary policy statement issued on Monday, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) stated “MPC (monetary policy committee) views the current monetary policy stance, with positive real interest rates on forward-looking basis, as appropriate to anchor inflation expectations and to bring down inflation towards the medium term target – barring any unexpected domestic and external shocks”. “However, the MPC emphasised that this outlook is also contingent on effectively addressing the prevailing domestic uncertainty and external vulnerabilities.” The bank noted that higher inflation outturns for April and May were generally as anticipated. The committee expects domestic demand to remain subdued amid tight monetary stance, domestic uncertainty and continuing stress on the external account. To recall, the central bank has so far jacked up the policy rate cumulatively by 7.25 percentage points in the outgoing fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2023. The rate was partially hiked on the recommendation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to win back its stalled $6 billion loan program expiring along with the ending FY23. The committee noted multiple important developments since the last meeting. First, the provisional National Accounts estimates show real GDP growth to have decelerated considerably during FY23. Second, the current account balance recorded back-toback surpluses in March and April 2023, which reduced some pressures on foreign exchange reserves. Third, the government unveiled the budget for FY24 on June 9, “which envisages a slightly contractionary fiscal stance against the revised estimates for FY23”. Fourth, global commodity prices and financial conditions have eased recently and are expected to persist in the short term. The MPC expects that reduced demand-side pressures and ease in inflation expectations, along with moderating global commodity prices and high base effect, would help bring inflation down from June 2023 onwards.
Evacuations begin as Cyclone Biparjoy nears Sindh coastal areas KARACHI
STAFF REPORT
While the evacuations began after Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said Cyclone Biparjoy came roughly 600 kilometres within the range of Karachi on Monday, the coastal areas of Sindh started to receive impact of the storm. “The Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm (ESCS) ‘Biparjoy’ over east-central Arabian Sea has moved further northward during last 12 hours and now lies near Latitude 19.5°N & Longitude 67.7°E at a distance of about 600km south of Karachi, 580km south of Thatta and 710km southeast of Ormara,” read the alert issued this morning. “Seawater has started to inundate the coastal areas of Ormara and Gwadar while the Cyclone Biparjoy is 600 kilometers away,” said a tweet carrying videos of string tides hitting the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan. The weather service elaborated that maximum sustained surface winds are 160180km/h and are gusting up to 200km/h around the storm’s centre with “sea conditions being phenomenal with maximum wave height 35-40 feet”. “The favourable environmental conditions (sea surface temperature of 30-31°C, low vertical wind shear & upper-level diver-
gence) are supporting the system to maintain its severity. “Under the existing upper-level steering winds, the ESCS Biparjoy is most likely to track further Northward until June 14 morning, then recurve Northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh) and Indian Gujarat coast on June 15 afternoon as a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS). “PMD’s cyclone warning centre, Karachi is continuously monitoring the system and will issue update accordingly,” it added. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in a tweet urged all citizens to stay alert adding that evolving situations and the impact of the cyclone “will only be certain with further development of the weather system”, The Met department advised fisherfolk to not venture into the open sea “till the system is over by June 17 as the Arabian Sea conditions may get very rough/high accompanied with high tides along the coast”. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has urged citizens to stay away from shorelines as the cyclone — heading towards the coastal areas of Pakistan and India — was likely to intensify during the next 24 hours. “The cyclone is expected to impact
southern and south-eastern parts of Sindh on June 13,” it tweeted. Thousands of people have been evacuated from villages near the coast in view of the possibility of the cyclone hitting Keti Bandar. The Sindh government has estimated that about 60,000 people in Sindh’s coastal districts, including Badin, Sujawal and Thatta. The district administration along with law enforcement agencies reached Keti Bander and Gorabari. The local residents told media that fear
prevails among them as Cyclone Biparjoy approached the coast. “We are leaving our homes to safer places,” said Shakeel Memon, a resident of Keti Bander. “We do not have any choice to live here,” he said quoting the authorities that evacuation is a ‘must’. Memon said that the majority of the residents will have to stay in nearby areas like Bhagan, some 35km from Keti Bander. He said that the district government set up camps in Bhagan to accommodate the dis-
placed families. Another resident said that he was planning to move to other cities like Gharo or Karachi. “It is not easy to live in a camp in this situation,” he commented. On the other hand, residents were being shifted to living in creeks, especially in Gorabari. “Some of the families have already left,” Memon said. He said that the situation was critical for them. “It seems that the cyclone is about to hit this area and I don’t know what will be there when we come back,” he said.
PM, CM Sindh discuss preparations to deal with cyclone ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday spoke on the phone with Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and discussed the preparations to deal with the cyclone and the present situation in the coastal areas. In a tweet on social media platform Twitter, the PM said, “I just spoke to CM Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and discussed the preparations to deal with the cyclone. I commend the Sindh government for the prior arrangements it has made under the leadership of the chief minister.” “I assured the Sindh government of complete support of the federal government. God willing, we will be able to overcome this situation with the support of the people,” he added. According to the PM Media Wing, the prime minister said that
an effective strategy should be formulated for implementation by the departments of federal and provincial governments to address concerns about ships, fishermen, coastal infrastructure, danger of flooding and issues related to Thatta, Badin and the southwestern areas. He said the evacuation of people from these areas to safer places should be ensured. The prime minister was informed about the steps taken for early warning and conveying of information to people in these areas. The PM inquired about the necessary items, equipment and goods required for prior preparation to deal with an emergency situation. He said the federal government departments were ever ready to assist the Sindh government in the protection of the life and property of citizens. The Sindh chief minister thanked the prime minister for his sentiments and for showing concern for the people of the province.