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PAKISTAN SUMMONS GERMAN ENVOY TO PROTEST ‘ATTACK ON FRANKFURT CONSULATE’ Monday, 22 July, 2024 I | 15 Muharram, 1446
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GERMAN DIPLOMAT ASSURES ALL POSSIBLE MEASURES TO ENSURE SECURITY OF PAKISTANI DIPLOMATS AND PROPERTIES
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DAR URGES GERMAN GOVT TO ARREST, AND PROSECUTE THOSE INVOLVED IN ATTACK, RESPONSIBLE FOR LAPSES IN SECURITY
KH ASIF DUBS AFGHANS ‘UNGRATEFUL’, SAYING PAKISTAN SHOULD REVIEW DECISION TO HOST AFGHAN NATIONALS ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
AKISTAN on Sunday summoned Germany’s senior-most diplomat to register a “strong protest” over an attack “by a gang of extremists” a day earlier on the Pakistani consulate in Frankfurt. A group of Afghan nationals pelted stones at the Pakistani consulate and even brought down its national flag on Saturday. Reports indicate that the Afghan nationals were allowed to hold a peaceful protest by German authorities but they turned violent and threw stones at the consulate building, leading to heightened tensions. A private news outlet reported that the attack has drawn significant international attention, raising concerns about the security of diplomatic installations. German officials in Frankfurt have assured a thorough investigation and have arrested several individuals, who are currently under investigation following the video’s circulation. The German police claimed to have detained two Afghan nationals and anticipate more arrests as they continue to identify additional protesters with the help of video footage.
Pakistan lodged a formal protest over the attack and emphasised the need for increased security measures to protect Pakistani diplomatic properties and personnel. The senior German diplomat assured that all possible measures would be taken to ensure the security of Pakistani diplomats and properties. Earlier in the day, the Foreign Office in a statement emphasized that, under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, it is the host government’s responsibility to protect consular premises
and ensure the security of diplomats. “We are conveying our strong protest to the German government and urge them to take immediate measures to fulfill their responsibilities under the Vienna Conventions,” the Foreign Office declared. A video of the incident, showing Afghan nationals storming the consulate and reportedly attempting to burn the Pakistani flag, went viral on the internet. The FO statement issued on Sunday condemned the attack, saying: “In yesterday’s incident, the security of Pak-
istan’s consulate in Frankfurt was breached, endangering the lives of its consular staff. “We are conveying our strong protest to the German government,” it added, urging Berlin to take “immediate measures” to ensure the security of Pakistani diplomatic missions and staff in the country. It also urged the local government to take immediate measures to “arrest and prosecute those involved in yesterday’s incident and hold to account those responsible for the lapses in security”. It is to be noted the first time a section of Afghan nationals has exhibited hostility towards Pakistan at neutral venue. In 2019, Pakistan’s victory over Afghanistan at the Asia Cup in Sharjah was marred by clashes between the two sets of fans. Pakistan lodges strong protest with German over yesterday’s incident: DPM Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Sunday said that Pakistan had lodged a strong protest with the German Government in the wake of yesterday’s attack by a gang of extremists on Pakistan Consulate in Frankfurt. The DPM, foreign minister, in a post on X account, said that yesterday a gang of extremists breached the premises of Pakistan’s consulate in Frankfurt, Germany endangering the lives of its consular staff.
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Gov’t determined to provide free healthcare for deserving patients: PM
Sharif said. He said once completed, the medical complex would offer the world’s best healthcare facilities with various sections of diseases related to heart, kidneys, lungs, cancer and others. Furthermore, he said a modern first aid emergency section would also be established
at the hospital with facility of air ambulance service for patients belonging to hard areas. He said the nursing schools and laboratories would also be established in the hospital and the deserving patients would avail 100% lab tests facility. The prime minister emphasized that this was the same model envisioned by PML-N President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif to provide free medical facilities only to the poor and onpayment facilities to the well-off people at the same place. He specifically thanked Chairman HBL Sultan Ali Allana and Prince Rahim Agha Khan for providing technical consultancy support free of cost for the project. He paid tribute the decades-long services of the Agha Khan Foundation for the country.
being misallocated. During this period, NEPRA made monthly capacity payments amounting to Rs150 billion to various Independent Power Producers (IPPs). According to the former minister, half of these IPPs operate at less than 10% capacity, meaning they barely produce any electricity. “Four power plants are receiving Rs10 billion per month each with zero power supply,” he stated in X post. Dr Ejaz criticized this payment system as unfair, noting that a substantial amount of money, which he referred to as “halal in-
come,” is being funnelled to just 40 families under the guise of capacity charges. He maintained that these charges are meant to ensure plants are ready to produce electricity if needed, but in this case, they appear to be grossly mismanaged. “This money, our halal income, is being given to 40 families under the guise of capacity charges,” he added, criticizing the misuse of public funds. He argued that these power plants should be converted into merchant plants, meaning they would only be paid for the electricity they produce and deliver.
ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Bangladesh top court scraps most job quotas that triggered deadly protests DHAKA, BANGLADESH AGENCIES
Rs 50.00 | Vol XV No 22 I 36 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that have sparked student-led protests in which at least 114 people have been killed in the South Asian country, local media reported. The court’s Appellate Division dismissed a lower court order that had reinstated the quotas, directing that 93 per cent of government jobs will be open to candidates on merit, without quotas, the reports said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, sparking the protests and an ensuing government crackdown. It was not immediately clear how the protesters would react to the decision. The government had extended a curfew as authorities braced for the Supreme Court hearing on the job quotas. Soldiers were on patrol on the streets of the capital Dhaka, the centre of the demonstrations that spiralled into clashes between protesters and security forces. Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday, cutting the nation off as police cracked down on protesters who defied a ban on public gatherings. The curfew was extended to 3pm (0900 GMT) and was to continue for an “uncertain time” following a two-hour break for people to gather supplies, local media reported.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the government was determined to provide state of the art free healthcare facilities to the deserving patients across the country. Addressing a groundbreaking ceremony of Jinnah Medical Complex here, the prime minister said the Complex was going to be the region’s one of the best medical center where the deserving people would get 100% free medical treatment. “This is the gift of the coalition government not only for the residents of the Rawalpindi and Islamabad but for the people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu & Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan as well,” PM Shehbaz
Four IPPs ‘earning’ Rs10b monthly with zero power output, reveals ex-minster ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Former caretaker minister for Commerce and Industries Dr Gohar Ejaz, citing National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) data, on Sunday claimed that at least four power plants were receiving Rs10 billion per month without supplying a ‘single unit’ of electricity at all. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, Dr Gohar Ejaz referenced NEPRA’s data from January to March this year, highlighting how a significant portion of the country’s energy budget is
Pakistan plans shift from imported to local coal for Chinese power plants g
PAKISTAN MAY ALSO BEGIN TALKS ON REPROFILING PAKISTAN’S ENERGY SECTOR DEBT DURING VISIT TO BEIJING PROFIT
STAFF REPORT
Pakistan this month will ask Chinese power plants operating in the country to shift to using coal from Pakistan’s Thar region rather than imported coal, the power minister said on Sunday. Pakistan may also begin talks on re-profiling Pakistan’s energy sector debt during the visit to Beijing, Awais Leghari, head of the energy ministry’s Power Division, told Reuters. Leghari will be part of the delegation to discuss structural reforms to the power sector suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which last week agreed on a $7 billion bailout for the heavily indebted South Asian nation. Neighbouring China has set up over $20 billion worth of energy projects in Pakistan. “One of the key purposes of going along is the conversion of our imported coal units to the local coal. That would have a huge impact on the cost of energy, of power in the near future. So that is one of the biggest (items on the) agenda,” Leghari said in an interview. Such a transition would benefit the Chinese-owned plants in Pakistan by reducing pressure on Islamabad’s foreign exchange reserves, he said, making it easier to repatriate dividends and offering a better return in dollar terms. The transition could save Pakistan more than Rs200 billion ($700 million) a year in imports, translating to a decrease of as much as 2.5 Pakistani rupees per unit in the price of electricity, Leghari said.
Joe Biden pulls out of US presidential race in ‘uncharted territory’
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WASHINGTON AGENCIES
US President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign on Sunday after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in an ‘uncharted territory’. Biden, in a post on X, said he will remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and will address the nation this week. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote. By pulling out of presidential race, he clears the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to run at the top of the ticket, the first Black woman to do so in the country’s history. Joe Biden, 81, did not mention her when he announced his move. It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party’s nomination, who was widely seen as the pick for many party officials – or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations. Biden’s announcement follows a wave of public and private pressure from Democratic lawmakers and party officials to quit the race after his shockingly poor performance in a televised debate last month against Republican rival Donald Trump.
‘I am caged like a terrorist’, claims Imran in rare interview with UK publication ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, currently incarcerated, has voiced grievances about his treatment, claiming he is being “caged like a terrorist” and deprived of basic prisoner and human rights, according to a report by UK publication The Sunday times. In a rare interview conducted via his lawyers, Khan, 71, expressed his concerns about his conditions in Adiala Jail, where he has been held for nearly a year following his conviction in the Toshakhana reference, the cipher case, and the Iddat case, which also involves his wife, Bushra Bibi. Khan’s sentence for the Toshakhana reference was suspended on April 1, and he was acquitted by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the cipher case in June. Several other cases against him, stemming from the events of May 9, 2023, have also seen acquittals. His first arrest on that day had triggered nationwide riots and a subsequent
crackdown against him and his party. Recently, an Islamabad district and sessions court accepted appeals from Khan and his wife regarding their conviction in the Iddat case. Despite this, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) re-arrested them in a new Toshakhana case, casting doubt on his potential release. “I am confined in a 7ft by 8ft death cell, typically reserved for terrorists to ensure they have no contact with anyone,” Khan told the private news outlet. “It is solitary confinement with barely any space to move. I am under constant surveillance, being recorded 24/7, and denied basic prisoner and human rights such as visitation,” he added. Earlier this month, a United Nations working group on human rights criticized the legal basis of the cases against Khan, deeming them politically motivated to exclude him from politics. The group demanded his release and compensation. Khan and his wife have sought relief from high courts after their latest arrests, but
he was denied bail by the Lahore High Court for allegedly inciting supporters during the May 9 riots. To tighten measures against Khan, the government announced plans to ban his party, PTI. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar cited the foreign funding case, the May 9 riots, and the cipher episode, stating there was credible evidence to ban PTI under Article 17 of the Constitution. This decision has been referred to the Supreme Court. The move has faced criticism across the political spectrum, with many calling it “undemocratic.” The US State Department also expressed concern, stating, “Banning a political party would be of great concern to us.” Additionally, the government plans to submit a review petition to the Supreme Court against a verdict that made PTI eligible for reserved seats for women and minorities. The Supreme Court had ruled in favor of PTI after appeals against the denial of these seats by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and the Election Commission of Pak-
istan (ECP). PTI-backed candidates, who won the February 8 elections as independents after their party was stripped of its election symbol, had joined the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to form a coalition. The Supreme Court annulled the PHC’s decision and de-
clared the ECP’s ruling unconstitutional. Tarar stated that the PTI was not directly involved in the case and the candidates had submitted SIC affidavits, joining the party. He pointed out that according to SIC’s manifesto, a non-Muslim cannot be a member, thus the party couldn’t secure minority seats.