Tuesday, 5 January, 2021 I 20 Jumada Al-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 187 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Educational institutions to reopen in phases from January 18
ISLAMABAD
t
STaff RePoRT
HE government on Monday decided to reopen educational institutions in phases from January 18 following a slight fall in the intensity of the second coronavirus wave that led to the nationwide closure in November last. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad after the meeting, Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said that in the first phase, classes from nine to 12 would be allowed to resume from January 18. In the following phase, classes from one to eight would resume on January 25, he said, adding that all higher educational institutions would resume from February 1. The education minister said that teachers and administrative staff would be allowed to return to schools from January 11 following the winter vacation period. Online learning can also be re-
sumed from January 11, he said. Elaborating on the decisions taken during the meeting, the minister said that board exams which were due to be held in March and April were postponed to May and June because “the children have not completed their coursework and we want to give them time [to prepare].” He added that the government would review the health situation again on Jan 14 or 15 to “see if the trajectory is under control”. Meanwhile, Dr Faisal Sultan, special assistant to the prime minister on national health services, said that while all the government’s preventative measures had helped to curb the spread of the second wave, the “largest visible impact” was seen from the closures of educational institutions. “When we examined the data from the second wave, the closure of schools had the greatest impact on slowing down the spread of the pandemic and giving us time to properly cope with it,” he said.
Coronavirus in
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
488,529
LAST UPDATED AT 8:21 AM ON JANUARY 4, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
39
RECOVERED:
NEW CASES:
1,895 DEATHS:
442,457 10,350 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
215,679
140,714
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
59,484
18,247
8,357 / 4,867 38,263
“However, the second wave is still ongoing,” he stressed, adding the nation “must continue to take care for some more time [to ensure our healthcare infrastructure] doesn’t get overwhelmed”. We need more clarity on the progress of the second wave before we can take any final decisions on ongoing preventative measures, he said. Meanwhile, the country on Monday posted 1,895 fresh cases of the coronavirus after conducting 30,139 tests, a positivity ratio of 6.29 per cent. The total death toll from the pandemic has now reached 10,350, while the number of patients who are in critical condition has been hovering above 2,200 for over two weeks. In November 2019, the federal government shut the schools and postponed exams to try to curb new infections and a rise in the number of people in hospital with the virus. Students, including those at higher educational institutions as well as in private schools, were directed to continue classes through distance learning until December 24, when schools went on winter break until January 11. “All efforts will be made to make sure that education continues from home,” Mahmood said at the time, adding that “if the situation improves” schools would reopen on January 11. The decision to close schools, officials said, was based on an increase in the rate of positive test results in the country. The rate of people testing positive in June was as high as 23 per cent, but dropped to a low of 1.7 per cent by September.
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SC issues notices to AGs, speakers, ECP on Senate polls reference ISLAMABAD TLTP
The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday issued notices to speakers of national and provincial assemblies, advocate generals and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over the presidential reference seeking its guidance on holding the Senate election through an open ballot. A five-member larger bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, and comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi, heard the reference. The bench also ordered for a notice to be published for all those who are interested to join the court proceedings. The apex bench asked all concerned parties to present a synopsis regarding their submission. Justice Afridi asked AGP Khan to satisfy the court regarding the maintainability of the presidential reference. “Why should the SC jump into the controversy?” he asked. Referring to the Charter of Democracy, in which political parties had agreed to end floor-crossing and corruption, Justice Ahsan asked the AGP why the government does not evolve a political consensus on the issue. Justice Ahsan asked the AGP if he wants to know whether the Senate election should be held under the Constitution or law. He further inquired whether the
Gen Bajwa, Khalilzad discuss Afghan reconciliation process RAWALPINDI STaff RePoRT
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad on Monday discussed the overall regional security situation with particular reference to the ongoing Afghan reconciliation process. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Zalmay Khalilzad called on Army Chief General Bajwa to discuss the regional security situation. The meeting took place at General Headquarters (GHQ) wherein matters of mutual interest were discussed, the military’s media wing said in a statement. “Both reaffirmed the commitment towards the common goal of peace and stability in the region and agreed on continued engagement at multiple levels,” said the statement. The visiting dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s ongoing efforts for enduring peace in Afghanistan and the region, said the military’s media wing. The development comes as Afghan government representatives and Taliban officials are due to resume their power-sharing talks, although battlefield clashes and targeted killings risk undermining efforts to end the war. Hours after the meeting, The US special representative tweeted that he was heading back to Doha “with expectations that the parties will make tangible progress in the next round of Afghanistan Peace Negotiations”. “Both sides must demonstrate they are acting in the best interest of the Afghan people by mak-
method of National Assembly elections could also be changed through a simple law. The hearing was adjourned till January 11. The presidential reference was filed by Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan, under Article 186 of the Constitution, invoking the court’s advisory jurisdiction. The reference sought an interpretation of Article 226 that stated that all elections under the Constitution, other than those of the prime minister and chief ministers, shall be held through a secret ballot. Article 186 of the Constitution states that “If, at any time, the President considers that it is desirable to obtain the opinion of the Supreme Court on any question of law which he considers of public importance, he may refer the question to the Supreme Court for consideration. “The Supreme Court shall consider a question so referred and report its opinion on the question to the President,” the article further stated. The presidential reference asks if the condition of ‘secret ballot’ referred to in Article 226, is applicable only to the polls held “under” the Constitution – such as the election to the office of the president, the National Assembly speaker and deputy speaker, the Senate chairman and deputy chairman and speakers and deputy speakers of the provincial assemblies – and not to “other elections”.
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MORE INSIDE
Thousands mourn Hazara coal miners killed in Balochistan attack STORY ON BACK PAGE
ing real compromises and negotiating an agreement on a political settlement as soon as possible and an immediate significant reduction in violence/ceasefire,” he added. He condemned the “current levels of violence” and said that those that attempt to perpetuate these vicious cycle are hindering the peace process. “They do not reflect the will of the Afghan people, who yearn for peace,” he added. Last month a similar conversation had taken place when Khalilzad and Commander Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan General Austin Scott Miller had called on COAS Bajwa. At the time, General Bajwa had lauded the role of RSM had played in creating peace and stability in Afghanistan. He had assured Khalilzad and General Miller that Pakistan would continue to play its positive part in enhancing the peace and stability of the region. The visiting dignitaries had also appreciated Pakistan’s untiring efforts for facilitating the process towards the mutual objective of peace in the region.
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PM orders crackdown against sale of smuggled oil products STORY ON BACK PAGE
Faraz for differentiating between prohibited & foreign funding STORY ON PAGE 03
Finance minister seeks to finalise privatisation plans STORY ON PAGE 05
02
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
NEWS
NAB HAS gotteN out of CoNtroL: MANdviwALLA
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NEWS DESK
ENATE Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla on Monday said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) needs to be brought back into line as it has now become an institution "beyond anyone's control," and called upon the Senate to "do something" about the anti-graft body. "I have received more than a hundred complaints against the NAB, all in written form," he said during Monday's Senate session. "Many federal secretaries also called me to say that they do not wish to work with NAB anymore." He reiterated that NAB was engaging
in human rights violations and "damaging people's respect" and called for legislation be done to stop it from doing so. According to a report by a local news outlet, Mandviwalla stressed that whenever NAB probes into anyone's businesses, it provides the information to media outlets to malign the concerned person's reputation first and starts investigating the matter later. Mandviwalla maintained that it was his responsibility to raise his voice against wrongdoing in the country. If there are black sheep in NAB, they should be exposed for the benefit of the institution itself, he added. Mandviwalla informed Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani that he had written
LHC declares ‘two finger test’ for sexual assault victims illegal The Lahore High Court on Monday declared that the two-finger examination to determine the virginity of survivors of sexual assault was “illegal and unconstitutional”, adding that it had “no forensic value”. LHC judge Justice Ayesha A Malik issued a 30-page verdict after hearing the petition challenging the virginity tests of rape survivors, wherein she stated that the test violates Article 9 and Article 14 of the Constitution, which deal with the security and dignity of a person. The judgement read that it “offends the personal dignity of the female victim.” “Consequently to the extent that the 2020 guidelines, SOPs, and the 2015 instructions that mandate the two-finger test or the hymen test for the purposes of ascertaining the virginity of the victim have been declared illegal and against the Constitution,” the judgment read. The judgement declared that virginity tests are “discriminatory against the female victim as they are carried out on the basis of their gender [and] therefore offend Article 25 of the Constitution”. She also directed the Punjab government to devise “appropriate medico-legal protocol and guidelines and standard operating procedures” which would include “regular training and awareness programmes so that all stakeholders understand that virginity tests have no clinical or forensic value”. The verdict was lauded by Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari on Twitter, where she said: “earlier the anti-rape ordinance already banned this test and it is applicable across the country.” Last month, President Arif Alvi had approved the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance, 2020, to expedite the case process of sexual assault victims. NEwS DESk
Head of CAA's investigation wing removed ISLAMABAD: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Monday removed the head of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) from the post midway through a probe into the 2020 Karachi plane crash that killed 97 of 99 people on board. Retired air commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani was presiding the investigative wing of the authority that studies such unfortunate incidents with the sole objective of the "prevention of future accidents and incidents of similar nature". A team to investigate the incident was formed in May 2020. Headed by Ghani, the team included Wing Commander Malik Muhammad Imran, Additional Director of Technical Investigation; Group Captain Touqeer, Operations Investigator, Pakistan Air Force Safety Board, Kamra; and Nasir Majeed, Joint Director of ATC Operations, AAIB. Ghani retired from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on December 30. Experts have expressed doubts over his sudden removal from the office before the completion of the investigation into the crash. The crash happened in May on the eve of Eid when the citizens travel to visit relatives. “The airplane first hit a mobile tower and crashed over houses,” a witness Shakeel Ahmed said near the site, a few kilometers short of the airport. The Airbus A-320 was flying from Lahore to Karachi in the south with 91 passengers and eight crew just as the government had resumed domestic flights in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. STAFF REPORT
a letter to the NAB chairman over two years ago, a copy of which was also sent to the house, which stated that the anti-corruption body should contact the offices of senators before summoning them, registering cases against them or arresting them. "The NAB chairman replied saying that it was correct and they would follow it. A good system was started and our senators started feeling confident that they would be listened to in the house. Despite this, some interesting things happened," he said, going on to mention Senator Rubina Khalid who he said was being called by NAB in inquiries pertaining to contracts signed by her deceased husband. He went on to cite other examples of NAB's purportedly overzealous attitude,
particularly the cases of inquiry into Hasil Bizenjo and Mohsin Aziz. He also revealed that Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman's exhusband was forced by NAB to record a statement under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure with reference to section 145 of Evidence Act. "He is an extremely decent man and the NAB forcefully made him write the statement. Every man values his respect. It has been 12 years that I have been in government and opposition [...] Can anyone stand and say that Mr Mandviwalla is corrupt?" "Is NAB above the law? I suggest there should be an investigation into the assets of NAB's personnel. Their degrees and domiciles should also be checked," Mandviwalla said. "When the NAB probed me for alleged benami transactions, they recorded everything. I demand them to hand the footage over to media so that everyone could see what actually happened," Saleem Mandviwalla said. The deputy chairman said that "private transactions" would have to be removed from the NAB's ambit if the country was to be run.
Abducted lawyer returns home, appears before IHC NEWS DESK Advocate Hammad Saeed Dar appeared before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after having been abducted on Saturday, stating that his assailants let him go after they realised they had kidnapped him "by mistake". The lawyer provided the details of his kidnapping to the court. According to him, a large group of people had gathered outside his house late on Saturday night to meet Dar. While only one of them had been allowed inside by the father, the more men had forced their way in and kidnapped Dar. The father had said that one of the armed men identified himself as DSP Tariq of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) when asked who it is on the intercom. "He said he wanted to meet my son. I opened the door after getting consent from my son. When I opened the door, 10 people were standing with that person who introduced himself as DSP Tariq. However, three people accompanying the DSP entered the house and sat in the living room to wait for my son," the lawyer's father said. Dar claimed that his personal belongings were taken and that he was blindfolded and then driven around in a car for a while until taken to a room. The father had confirmed that "they asked [Dar] to accompany them and took his laptop, cellphone, and wallet". Dar said that he could not identify his alleged abductors and did not know "what they wanted from me". "I said if there is a complaint or arrest warrant against me, I can present myself. [But] they didn't tell me
anything," he added. After hearing Dar's story, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the state had not taken sufficient action to rescue the lawyer and expressed concern over the "deteriorating law and order situation" in the capital. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Operations) Waqaruddin Syed, Saddar Superintendent of Police Sarfaraz Virk and SP (Investigations) Malik Naeem, and other officials were present at the hearing. "He has stated that the abductors after keeping him in illegal detention for forty-eight hours had released him," the detailed order of the judge said. Justice Minallah had remarked that the continued incidents of abduction were "a serious issue". "This court has been consistently pointing out the deteriorating law and order situation and alleged abduction of citizens," Justice Minallah wrote, noting that the 1400-square mile area of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) was directly supervised and administratively controlled by the federal government. "The most cherished and valuable fundamental right is [the] liberty of a citizen; the latter’s security and the right not to be deprived from freedom of movement; the right not to be detained otherwise in accordance with law," he added. The justice also directed that the order issued therein be placed before the prime minister and members of his cabinet. The court had earlier ordered Dar's recovery by Monday in a notice issued to the interior secretary and Islamabad inspector general of police (IGP).
Promotion to higher classes dependent 50pc on assignments: minister LAHORE STAFF REPORT
As the government announced to open educational institutions in phases, Punjab School Education Minister Dr Murad Raas on Monday said that 50 per cent of assignments would count towards promotion to the higher grades. Addressing a press conference, the minister said that board exams would be held in June but work would be started on deciding examination centres from now. "Children will not be promoted without exams," he announced. Terming the 50 per cent attendance policy "the most important thing", Dr Raas said that schools were being opened "not because the coronavirus situation [had improved] but because the children were incurring huge educational losses". His presser came hours after a meeting of the federal and provincial education ministers decided to open the educational institutions across the country in phases from January 18. Dr Raas in a tweet said that classes in the province would resume according to the schedule announced by Mahmood. "All institutions will have 50% students on alternate days as before," he added. In November 2019, the federal government closed schools and postponed exams to try to curb new infections and a rise in the number of people in hospital with the virus. Students, including those at higher educational institutions as well as in private schools, were directed to continue classes through distance learning until December 24, when schools went on winter break until January 11. “All efforts will be made to make sure that education continues from home,” Mahmood said at the time, adding that “if the situation improves” schools would reopen on January 11. The decision to close schools, officials said, was based on an increase in the rate of positive test results in the country. The rate of people testing positive in June was as high as 23 per cent, but dropped to a low of 1.7 per cent by September. More than 19 per cent of new cases were from educational institutions, where the rate of positive results had nearly doubled in one week to reach 3.3 per cent, officials said.
Shehbaz urges court to form board for medical check-up LAHORE TLTP
UK court rejects US firm's claim over Avenfield House LONDON/ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
A British court has dismissed a petition of a Washingtonbased asset recovery firm seeking an order for the attachment of Avenfield House, the London residence of deposed prime minister and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, in a default case against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). In 2000, Broadsheet LLC, a company registered in Isle of Man, an island, in the tenure of president Pervez Musharraf, helped the military government and the newly-established accountability watchdog track down foreign assets of some 150 Pakistan nationals including members of the Sharif family acquired through ill-gotten wealth. The agreement was terminated by the bureau in 2003, after which Broadsheet filed a claim with the High Court of Justice, London against Pakistan, seeking the award of compensatory damages. In 2019, a claim filed with the high court showed the company has applied for permission to enforce its judgement that it be paid $22 million by the government of Pakistan in compensation.
The firm had also asked for an interest rate of $4,758 a day to be applied, jacking up the amount to $28.7 million. Broadsheet laid its claim on the Avenfied House on the basis of a 2018 court order against Sharif, which directed for the state confiscation of the property, and sought its possession should the government fails to clear the dues. It argued since the bureau hinted at seizing the property, located in the posh London neighbourhood of Mayfair, Broadsheet also had a claim on it. To help enable it to do so, the firm had sought a court order which it said will allow it to take control of the property and sell it to recover the said money. In a 2019 ex parte ruling, the court had declared that the government of Pakistan and NAB had wrongfully ended the agreement with the firm and therefore the company was entitled to damages. Last month, the high court, in a blatant violation of international diplomatic protocol, ordered a debit of the amount from the bank accounts of the Pakistan High Commission, London. According to international laws, no attachment or seizure can be authorised over assets and bank accounts which are the property of or used by a diplomatic mission, unless the foreign state has issued a waiver that is both express and specific.
An accountability court on Monday put off the hearing of a money laundering case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and members of his family until January 6. Judge Jawadul Hassan adjourned the hearing due to the absence of Shehbaz’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz, who was stated to have gone to the Supreme Court to pursue a case. During the hearing, the PML-N president informed the court that his lawyer had gone to Islamabad where he fell sick. Stating that it is his legal right that his lawyer’s presence is ensured during the hearing, he requested the court to adjourn the case. Shehbaz, who is also leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, complained to the judge that a medical board has not yet been formed . “I am in your custody. You are powerful so you can call the board,” he said, addressing the judge. He once again requested the court to form a medical board to examine his health. At this, the judge told him to submit a written request, after which he will pass an order as per the law. Shehbaz asked the judge to use his powers, to which the latter remarked that the PML-N president was given a bullet proof vehicle for his transportation from jail to the court on his orders. “I will use power when the time to do so comes,” he said.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
NEWS
03
NiH CoNfirMS two CASeS of uK CoroNAviruS vAriANt ISLAMABAD
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TLTP
HE National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the presence of the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant amongst two individuals who had visited the United Kingdom. The B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant was confirmed via whole-genome sequencing following preliminary reports of the prevalence of the virus in some travellers. Since the emergence of the new coronavirus variant in the UK, which was reported during December 2020, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations
SC orders for making Jit reports in Perween rahman case part of record ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directives authorities to make the reports of two joint investigation teams (JITs) formed to probe the highprofile murder of Perween Rehman part of its record. Rahman, head of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), was gunned down near her office in Orangi Town on March 13, 2013. The bench, headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial, called for both reports to be presented in the trial court hearing the case within two weeks to review them as per law. It further ruled that if need be, the trial may issue necessary directives in light of these reports. The apex court further instructed the trial court to wrap up the trial at the earliest. In 2018, five suspects -Abdul Raheem Swati, his son Mohammad Imran Swati, Ayaz Shamzai alias Swati, Amjad Hussain Khan, and Ahmed Khan alias Ahmed Ali alias Pappu Kashmiri -were charged with the murder. According to the prosecution, some of the detained accused during interrogation had confessed to their involvement in the crime and disclosed that local leaders of the Awami National Party (ANP) had hired Taliban militants to kill her. The trial in the case remained stalled for around one and half years following a restraining order passed by the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the passing of the judgement without recording evidence of the heads of three JITs. The judge of the ATC-XIII already recorded statements of the accused persons when the proceedings got stalled. Later in September, the apex court directed Karachi’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) XIII judge to conclude the trial within one month since a fourth joint investigation of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had concluded reinvestigation on the directives of the court. STAFF REPORT
Pakistan embassy in washington closed due to coronavirus exposure WASHINGTON: Pakistan's embassy in Washington DC will remain closed from January 4 to January 6 after "possible exposure" to coronavirus, a notification issued Monday said. In the notification, the embassy said it will be closing down due to possible Covid-19 exposure. The embassy, including the consular section, will be closed for three days, it added. Consular services will remain suspended during this period, the notification said, but online facilities for visa and passport renewal and mail-in visa services will operate as per usual. A decontamination process will be carried out on the premises and all staff and personnel will be tested, the notification further said. STAFF REPORT
PML-N vP says Pti should leave 'with dignity' by Jan 31 Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said that the incumbent government should leave by the deadline given by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) if they wish to keep their dignity. Running off the success of the rally in Bahawalpur on Sunday, the PML-N VP warned that the opposition coalition would use "other options" if the ruling party did not concede by January 31. She added that the date of the long march would soon be announced. Regarding the PDM power show, Maryam on Twitter said that the turnout surprised her. "The people here were saying that such a large number of people had never come here before yesterday. That is why I said yesterday that Punjab has woken up," she said. "Neither do they [the federal and provincial governments] know how to work nor how to reassure those who are grieving. Such a government has no right to impose itself on the people," she said regarding the recent killing of 11 coal miners in Mach, Balochistan. "The whole nation sympathises with its oppressed brothers," she added. NEwS DESk
ncoc confIrmS 1,895 freSh InfecTIonS, 39 faTalITIeS In a day and Coordination has required all inbound passengers from the UK to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 on arrival. It is also of note that the variant virus reported in the UK has also been detected in 31 other countries so far. The preliminary epidemiologic and clinical findings suggest that the B.1.1.7 variant virus may have higher transmissibility but without any evidence of increased severity of illness. The first cases of the UK variant were confirmed in Sindh on December 29. The Sindh government
confirmed the cases in Karachi among passengers who had returned from Britain in the last 12 days, as the authorities launched a gigantic exercise to trace the patients’ contacts. Meanwhile, as many as 1,895 new cases of the coronavirus were reported across the country during the last 24 hours, lifting the national tally of infections to 488,529. According to the data released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 39 more people died during this period, taking the death toll from
'Govt should address miseries of Hazara community' ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart Sherry Rehman said on Thursday that innocent people of Hazara community were being targeted in Balochistan, and urged the government to address the miseries of the persecuted minority. Speaking on a point of order regarding tragic incident of Mach, Balochistan, during a Senate hearing on Monday, she said that 11 coal miners of the community were brutally assassinated in Mach on Sunday and were not buried yet. She added that the government should address the miseries of the Hazara community. Responding to the point raised by Sherry, Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem agreed that it was a tragic incident and the government was cognisant of its responsibility. Strongly condemning the incident, he said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken immediate action on the incident and has directed Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed to visit Mach. He said that the government would investigate all aspects of the incident and the culprits involved in this heinous act would be taken to task. He added that the country has witnessed a surge in terrorist incidents over the last few days and there was also information regarding the regrouping of such elements. However, he maintained that designs of all
such elements and their supporters would be foiled. Kabeer Muhammad Shahi of National Party and Usman Kakar of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party also condemned the killing of innocent coal miners in Mach. They said that around over 1,500 to 2,000 people of Hazara community had been killed since 2002. Moreover, they alleged that the state institutions have been failed to provide them security. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Abbasi also pointed out that an innocent student was killed by police in the federal capital. He said that an independent investigation into the tragic incident should be carried out. Speaking on the floor of the House, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan said that all officials involved in the killing of the student have already been arrested and the murder case has been registered against them. He said that a judicial inquiry into the incident has also been ordered. Regarding Mach incident, the adviser said that the interior minister was going to Balochistan to meet the bereaved families. Dr Jamal Jahanzeb, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Manzoor Kakar also condemned the tragic incidents and demanded for pragmatic measures to stop re-occurrence of such incidents. Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla suggested a committee comprising few senators should visit Mach and expressed solidarity with the bereaved families.
Faraz for differentiating between prohibited & foreign funding ISLAMABAD TLTP
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Syed Shibli Faraz has said that there should be a difference between prohibited and foreign funding. Talking to the media persons on Monday along with Parliamentary Secretary Railways Farrukh Habib, the information minister alleged that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have been accepting donations from criminals and corrupt elements and are not submitting evidence regarding their foreign funding cases, pending in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is not involved in any kind of accepting funding from prohibited entities like foreign governments or multinational companies. He said that PPP and PMLN have been using party funding for money laundering as well. The minister said that PTI, instead of accepting funds from the mafia, had sought cooperation from its workers and sympathisers, who deposited small amounts ranging from ten to a few hundred dollars. He said that the PTI has given complete detail of all its accounts to the ECP.
SayS PTI accePTed no fundIng from ProhIbITed enTITIeS Speaking on the occasion, Habib said that ECP's scrutiny committee while auditing accounts of PMLN and the PPP has issued three different orders, asking them to submit details of their accounts, but neither of them is ready to comply with the commission's directions. He said that PML-N is registered as a private limited company in the UK and the United States. He questioned as to how a political party can be registered as a private limited company in foreign countries. Similarly, he said, PPP's principal agent is Asif Ali Zardari in the US, where he has been receiving funding from foreign companies. He said that ECP is asking PPP to submit its foreign accounts' record, but to no avail. He said that Nawaz Sharif first donated Rs100 million to PML-N and, later on, got transferred Rs60 million of them to his personal account. He said that the PML-N is also not providing detail of its expenditure of Rs700 million, which it spent on media campaigns.
the highly contagious disease to 10,350. A total of 30,139 samples were tested, out of which 1,895 turned out to be positive. The national positivity ratio of infections was recorded at 6.28 per cent. There are a total of 35,722 active cases of the coronavirus while the number of recovered patients stands at 442,457. Around 2,242 of the Covid-19 patients under treatment are said to be in critical condition. So far Sindh has reported 218,597 infections, Punjab, 140,714, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 59,484, Balochistan, 18,247, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 38,263, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), 8,357, and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) has reported 4,867 cases.
South Punjab given new identity by Pti: Buzdar LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has given a new identity to south Punjab by taking concrete measures to facilitate the locals. In a statement issued on Monday, the chief minister regretted that the funds meant for south Punjab were spent on other districts in the past. The past governments re-appropriated the funds allocated for south Punjab to other projects while the people continued to mire in the quagmire of poverty, he deplored and added the past rulers deceived the people of south Punjab in the name of development. The chief minister lamented the past governments deceived the people through their political jugglery and used the demand for south Punjab province for political benefits. However, the incumbent government has ring-fenced the development budget of south Punjab to avoid the past practice, he stated. The PTI government is giving the rights back to south Punjab and ensured that allocated funds are aptly utilized for the welfare of the masses, he said. A journey of real development is accelerated in backward areas of south Punjab, he held and deplored that the rejected cabal is point-scoring for the sake of political mileage. All such elements will be unsuccessful and the government will develop the backward areas of south Punjab, he maintained. Buzdar maintained that a new era of development has been started in south Punjab and the public mandate will be fully honoured. It is sanguine that the PTI government has started a number of mega projects in south Punjab and no compromise will be made on the quality of the development work, he asserted. The chief minister further stated that the wicked enemy is trying to destabilise Pakistan, adding that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is also attempting to spread chaos. TLTP
Senator durrani, Chaudhry Nisar discuss grand national dialogue ISLAMABAD: Under track-II dialogue, former information minister and secretary-general of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) Senator Mohammad Ali Durrani had a quiet meeting with the former interior minister and Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan here in Rawalpindi, wherein they discussed the national dialogue. Senator Durrani, traditionally known for a very close relationship with the military, has been rather active for the past few weeks. Durrani’s meeting with Nisar is being closely watched by analysts as Nisar is also considered very close to the establishment. Moreover, Senator Durrani had met with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif in jail and had also met with Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and well as some other politicians. Regarding this meeting, a source in the PML-N told Pakistan Today said that Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has agreed to play an important role in the national political dialogue. The source said that Nisar and Durrani discussed their roles in bridging the gaps between the opposition and the federal government to end the confrontation in the country's politics. The source further said that the opposition’s movement was also discussed during the meeting. The two discussed a way forward to initiate a dialogue between the opposition and the government in a bid to converge their differences on the national agenda. MIAN ABRAR
nab 'clarifies' agreement with broadsheet llc NEWS DESK The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has attempted to clarify that the agreement to find "foreign assets" was signed between the law firm and the government of Pakistan on the orders of the Attorney General Office and then president General (r) Pervez Musharraf. Referring to the 2000 agreement, the anti-graft body in a statement on Monday said: “The foreign legal team was hired by the Attorney General for Pakistan with the approval of the Ministry of Law &
Justice and the then Prime Minister of Pakistan". It stated that the liability award passed on August 1, 2016, by Chartered Institute of Arbitrator in London Pakistan and that this was challenged before the High Court of Justice in London but no relief was given. “The whole matter to defend the Arbitration and subsequent developments were meaningfully shared and supported by the Office of the Attorney General for Pakistan and Ministry of Law & Justice,” said NAB. NAB had come under fire after its
non-payment to Broadsheet LLC led a UK high court to order that an amount of Rs4.5 billion be debited to the account of the Pakistan High Commission. According to the order of the court, millions of dollars must be debited to the accounts of the high commission by December 30, sources in the Foreign Office had said. United Bank Limited (UBL) had written a letter to the Pakistan High Commission, dated December 29, and had requested the provision of written debit account details for the payment of
$28,706,533.35 in line with Final Third Party Order issued by the high court. The letter had warned that the bank would unilaterally debit the accounts if no written details are provided. The high commission had replied, in a letter addressed to UBL Chief Executive Officer Brain Firth, that if any attempt to unilaterally debit the account would be a violation of international law and a breach of trust. The high commission had also warned that such actions would affect their relationship with the bank. In November 2018, the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) awarded a penalty of $17 million to the anti-corruption watchdog.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
04 NEWS Punjab cabinet committee approves 10 development projects ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Punjab Cabinet Standing Committee on Finance and Development has approved 10 development projects worth Rs12.25 billion. According to a report quoting a spokesman for the Chief Minister Secretariat, these projects include construction of a flyover in Karim Block Allama Iqbal Town Lahore at a cost of Rs2.20 billion; procurement of Electromedical Equipment for Neurosurgery Department of Mayo Hospital at a cost of Rs350 million; construction of 30 km long Mianwali-Sargodha Road to Wan Bhachran with Rs70 million; construction of Assistant Commissioner's residence and Tehsil Complex at Kot Chhatta at a cost of Rs120 million. The projects also include setting up of a civil dispensary at Moza Karoun in Tehsil Koh-e-Sulaiman at a cost of Rs10 million; upgradation of BHU of Kharar Buzdar to Rural Health Center with Rs5.3 million; construction of Sheranwala flyover Lahore with Rs4.5 billion and construction of Shahkam Chowk flyover Lahore at a cost of Rs3.80 billion among others.
Govt to form council for addressing Christian issues, Ashrafi says LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister's Special Representative on Religious Harmony Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Monday said the government has decided to form a high-level council comprising representatives of the Christian clergy and senior officials to address issues facing the minority community. Addressing a reception hosted in his honour by National Council of Churches in Pakistan President Bishop Azad Marshall at a local hotel here, Ashrafi said that the services of the Christian community in various sectors, particularly in health and education, were invaluable and the government would ensure that all challenges facing the community are resolved on priority basis. "We have decided to form a council with representation of the church leadership which will meet once every month to identify the issues and discuss their solutions," he said. He added that the government had already initiated investigations into cases of alleged forced conversion and marriages of minor girls belonging to the Christian community. Ashrafi said that all non-Muslim Pakistanis had equal rights as citizens of this country and no person would be allowed to undermine interfaith harmony in the name of Islam. "We will stand with you through thick and thin and I assure you that no one would be allowed to impose their faith on you," he said. Speaking on the occasion, Bishop Azad lauded Ashrafi's efforts for the nonMuslim communities and expressed the hope that he would use his office to effectively address the issues facing the Christian community.
Four arrested as police foil underage marriage attempt UMARKOT TLTP
The local police foiled an attempt to marry an underage girl with a middle-age man in Umarkot and arrested four persons on Monday. Those arrested for involvement in the illegal marriage attempt included 40-year-old would-be groom, his mother and mother of the underage girl. The women police have filed a case against the accused under the underage marriage law. It is to be mentioned here that underage marriages are common in all parts of the country. People below the age of 18 cannot be married under the Child Marriage Restraint Act.
LAHORE: A view of the provincial capital during rain on Monday. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ
Govt PrioritiSinG ProviSion oF bASiC heAlth FACilitieS to every Citizen, SAyS PM ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Imran Khan, while appreciating the measures taken by the Punjab government regarding health insurance for all, said on Monday that provision of basic health facilities to every citizen was the foremost priority of government. Besides improving system in public sector hospitals, the government, by providing cheaper land to private hospitals, was ensuring that no poor family remained deprived of treatment due to unavailability of resources, he added.
The premier was talking to Provincial Health Minister Punjab Dr Yasmin Rashid, who called on him. Special Assistant to PM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan was also present on the occasion. Dr Yasmin apprised the prime minister regarding issuance of health card to 22.2 million families across Punjab. She said that as per the instructions of PM Imran, process of distribution of health cards worth Rs720,000 each among all families of the province would be completed within next 12 months. By the end of June 2021, 45 per cent of Punjab population, including seven districts of Sahiwal and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions, would be provided with
the health cards, she informed. She further said that with the distribution of health cards among remaining 55 per cent population by December 2021, the target of issuing health cards across Punjab would be achieved.
HR minister urges world to prevent judicial murder of detained Asiya Andrabi ISLAMABAD PPI
Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari has urged the international community, human rights organizations, and the global media to act in preventing India from judicial murder of Kashmiri leader Asiya Andrabi, currently detained in New Delhi's Tihar Jail. Talking to the media on Monday, she said that Indian courts are preparing for a judicial murder of Kashmiri leader Dr Andrabi by awarding life imprisonment sentence to her. She also said life imprisonment in India has been defined as imprisonment till death, which is repugnant to all worldwide definitions in this regard. She added that Dr Andrabi has been facing imprisonment, along with the two other Kashmiri women activists, and In-
dian Supreme Court is likely to announce its verdict this month. The minister said that Dr Andrabi's husband has also been under detention for last 28 years. She said that Kashmiri leaders are facing Indian torture and oppression in jails in sheer violation of Article 148 of the Fourth Geneva Convention on human rights.
Shaking the global conscience, she called upon the international community, especially the human rights organisations, to immediately intervene in Dr Andrabi's matter to protect life and rights of the Kashmiri people. Dr Andrabi's son, who is studying in Pakistan on scholarship, and nephew were also present on the occasion.
Dr Yasmin told the premier that health card holders would be able to get the facility of medical treatment from any of the government hospitals or the private panel hospitals across the province.
‘Malala Scholarship’ bill for Pakistani women sails through US Congress ISLAMABAD TLTP
The United States Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that expands the number of scholarships to women in Pakistan under a merit and needbased programme. According to information posted on the congressional website, the 'Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act' was passed by the House of Representatives in March last year, and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote on Friday last. It has now been sent to President Donald Trump to sign it into law. The bill requires the USAID to award at least 50 per cent of scholarships to Pakistani women, across a range of academic disciplines and in accordance with existing eligibility criteria.The USAID is also required to consult with and leverage investments by the Pakistani private sector and Pakistani diaspora in the US to improve and expand access to education programmes in Pakistan as per the norms of the bill.
Masood seeks implementation of UNSC resolutions on Kashmir ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has called upon the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to ensure implementation of its resolution of January 5, 1949, by holding a plebiscite in Kashmir to enable the Kashmiri people to decide their future. In a message on the eve of the Right to Self-Determination Day (January 05), he said that the UNSC resolution of January 5, 1949, and other resolutions on the Kashmir conflict are still a reality which cannot be overlooked.
He, however, asserted that India has constantly been creating hurdles in the peaceful settlement of Kashmir issue by refusing to implement these resolutions. As a consequence, he maintained, hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and two nuclear powers of the region i.e. Pakistan and India are at the threshold of a war today. The AJK president said that India wants to resolve Kashmir issue through the use of force instead of peaceful political and diplomatic means, but the usurper must keep in mind that none of its tactics can deprive the Kashmiri people of their fundamental right to self-determination.
Declaring the right of self-determination as the mother of all human rights, the state president said that the principle of the right to self-determination is considered as the basis of all human rights and the human dignity across the world. Therefore, no power on the earth can snatch this legitimate and undeniable right of the Kashmiri people, he added. Referring to the worst atrocities and trampling of human rights by the Indian Army in occupied Kashmir, the AJK president asserted that the situation had become highly alarming because of the inhuman treatment being meted out to the defenceless Kashmiri people and now the occupation army is poised to eliminate the whole of
Kashmiri nation. "The appalling and inhumane situation in Kashmir, caused by the Indian Occupation army, has deteriorated to unheard levels of depravity," said Khan, who has dynamically pleaded Kashmir cause at different world forum, including UN, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and different world capitals, for years during his diplomatic career before becoming president of AJK. "There would be the worst humanitarian disaster of the human history if notice of the Indian repression is not taken in time," he cautioned and stressed that it was the moral responsibility of the international community to exert pressure on India and compel it
to stop repression in occupied Kashmir and resolve the Kashmir issue through peaceful political and diplomatic means. He appealed to the international community to intervene and help save the Kashmiris from the appalling conditions they are facing because of their legitimate demand for the peaceful grant of the right of self-determination. "After India's failure in implementing the UN Security Council resolutions, it is the responsibility of the world body to consider other options within the framework of its Charters, and compel India to grant the right of self-determination to the Kashmiri people," he underlined.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
NEWS
FiNANCE miNiSTER SEEKS TO FiNALiSE PRivATiSATiON PLANS ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
INANCE and Revenue Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has directed the Privatization Commission to present the privatization/management contracts plan of all entities within a week. He stated this while chairing a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCoP) on Monday. Energy Minister Omar Ayub, Adviser to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Adviser to PM on Commerce Abdul Razzaq Dawood, Special Assistant to PM on Revenue Dr Waqar Masood, Board of Investment Chairman Atif Bokhari, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Reza Baqir and other senior officials also participated in the meeting. The Privatization Division briefed the CCoP re-
A breath of fresh air: The CEO who’s expected to revolutionise SNGPL with His global managerial experiences Recently the news of appointment of Sui Northern Gs Pipelines (SNGPL) Managing Director made waves as the Company got MD from the corporate sector hence the appointment of Ali J Hamdani came as a big surprise for all those familiar with the oil and gas sector in Pakistan. Unlike in most of the cases, this was a pleasant surprise as the newly appointed MD has rich experience in managing mega projects at well known global organizations. Mr. Hamdani is said to be a visionary executive and transformational leader with foresight and imagination with 30 years experience. He has an impressive history of surpassing ambitious business goals, and creating revolutionary technical and industrial solutions that appeal to companies from all industries. He has a proven record of positioning organizations for success, spurring billion-dollar sales growth, leading global initiatives, and demonstrating a profound dedication to client satisfaction. In addition, he has a robust personal/professional network of contacts through multinational energy and industrial firms. Ali J. Hamdani headed the Middle East Region, sat on the Board of Directors, and served as Managing Director at Linde Healthcare Middle East LLC, a subsidiary of The Linde Group globally. PRESS RELEASE
FBR appoints focal person to resolve cases worth Rs647bn in Sindh ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has appointed a focal person for early resolution of 5,160 cases worth Rs647 billion lying pending in the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue (ATIR)-Karachi from 2016 to 2020. Sources said that Chief Commissioner Large Taxpayer Unit-Karachi Badruddin Ahmad Quraishi had written a letter to the chairman of the Appellate Tribunal Inland Revenue-Islamabad with regard to nominating a focal person for cooperation regarding pending cases in adjudicating ATIR Karachi. Consequently, the additional commissioner (headquarter) of LTU-Karachi has been nominated as focal person to coordinate as well as facilitate the resolution of pending issues therein. Sources disclosed that the majority of cases pending for adjudication at ATIR Karachi branch have not been fixed for hearing as yet. They informed that an amount of Rs453 billion was involved in some 4,251 cases related to income tax, Rs182 billion in 902 sales tax cases and Rs64billion in matters pertaining to federal excise duty (FED). SHAHZAD PARACHA
HAFEEZ SHAIKH DIRECTS PRIVATISATION COMMISSION TO SUBMIT ITS REPORTS WITHIN ONE WEEK Meanwhile, the Finance Division tabled a summary regarding the shareholding structure of Pakistan Credit Guarantee Company (PCGC). The ECC had already endorsed the proposal regarding the same on 24th December 2020. The subject matter was placed before CCoP for further deliberation prior to ratification by the cabinet. After due deliberation, Hafeez Shaikh directed the Law Division to provide its input in consultation with the Finance Division, Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and State Bank of Pakistan for consideration in the next meeting.
garding privatization status of National Power Parks Management Company Limited (NPPMCL). Different scenarios were presented before the committee for changing the capital structure i.e. debt-equity ratio of NPPMCL. After detailed discussion, the chair directed the PC to accelerate the privatization/management contracts of all entities, saying that an implementation plan may be presented before the CCoP within a week to proceed further. He also directed the sub-committee constituted for the NPPMCL to finalize its recommendations and place it before the CCoP accordingly.
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Educational institutions to reopen in phases from January 18 ContInueD froM pAge 01 More than 19 per cent of new cases were from educational institutions, where the rate of positive results had nearly doubled in one week to reach 3.3 per cent, officials said. Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out a wideranging lockdown, opting to close down non-essential public gatherings and impose smart quarantines in a bid to keep the fragile economy afloat through the pandemic. The government previously closed educational institutions between March and September to combat the spread of the virus. State television and radio stations were used to broadcast lessons for students at home for students in government schools.
SC issues notices to AGs, speakers, ECP on Senate polls reference ContInueD froM pAge 01
PTCL awarded Rs3bn contracts to provide connectivity to interior Sindh ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Universal Service Fund (USF) has awarded contracts for two Optic Fiber Cable (OFC) projects, worth approximately Rs3 billion, to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). The announcement for contracts, aimed at providing connectivity in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur and Khairpur districts of interior Sindh, was made at a ceremony held at Karachi Governor House on Monday. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, who was the chief guest of the ceremony, inaugurated the projects alongside Federal IT and Telecommunication Minister Syed Aminul Haque. The contracts were signed by USF CEO Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary and PTCL Acting CEO and Group Chief Financial Officer Nadeem Khan. Senior officials from the Sindh government, Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, USF and PTCL were also present on the occasion. Congratulating the IT minister, USF and PTCL on the award of these projects, Governor Imran Ismail said, "Today’s event marks another landmark achieved in the history of Pakistan and will go a long way in taking the developmental work being done by the Government of Pakistan to a greater level." The governor noted that the projects have been designed to connect 372 educational institutions, 170 health facilities, 217 government offices and 131 banks within five-kilometre radius of the node. Meanwhile, IT Minister Syed Aminul Haque lauded
the performance of his ministry and its affiliated organisations, saying that the ministry was engaged in constructing IT parks across the country, besides working on data centers, policy on cloud, cyber security and manufacturing of smartphones. He termed USF projects that aimed at providing broadband services and laying optical fiber cables in rural and remote areas of the country "a testament of good performance". Summarising these key initiatives and projects, he mentioned the tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Ex-FATA) and the underserved areas of Balochistan that have witnessed record development projects worth Rs8.81 billion. "These projects comprise broadband and optical fiber cables in the underserved and remote areas of Chaghi, Nowshki, Gwadar, Kech and Panjgur, whereas various other projects have been approved for Jhelum and Chakwal, covering an area of 86,773 sq km. A total of Rs4.15 billion is being invested for the provision of voice and broadband services for approximately 88,477 people," he added. In his address, PTCL Acting CEO and Group Chief Financial Officer Nadeem Khan said, "Being the national carrier, PTCL is the backbone of the country’s communication infrastructure and primary internet service provider. We are glad to collaborate with USF for establishment and operation of optical fiber connectivity in Ghotki, Kashmore, Sukkur and Khairpur districts. Aligned with the vision of a Digital Pakistan, we are committed to play our role in supporting the underserved communities and empower them for a better future."
It described “other elections” as the election for the members of the Senate “held under the Elections Act, 2017, enacted pursuant to Article 222 read with Entry 41, Part 1, Fourth Schedule, which may be held by way of secret or open ballot, as may be provided for in the Election Act, 2017.” The reference said this question of public importance had arisen in the context of “the malaise of vote buying” that has damaged the purity of elections. Every Senate election since 1985 had generated a debate followed by the commitment to reform and promise of open balloting.
Gen Bajwa, Khalilzad discuss Afghan reconciliation process ContInueD froM pAge 01 On December 15, 2020, Army Chief Bajwa had met with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Nawaf Saeed Al Malkiy to discuss matters of mutual interest, according to a statement released by the ISPR. The statement had added that during the meeting, the two leaders had shed light on several important matters, including the regional security situation and bilateral defence relations between the two brotherly countries. Pakistan facilitated a landmark deal between the US and Taliban signed on February 29, 2020. The deal envisages a road map of the US troops’ withdrawal in return for the Taliban promising not to let Afghan soil ever again be used by terrorist groups. But the deal hinges on the success of intra-Afghan dialogue, which will decide the political future of Afghanistan and pave the way to end the 19-year old conflict.
Cabinet likely to assign additional charge of AEDB CEO today ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI
The federal cabinet is likely to assign the additional responsibility of chief executive officer of Alternative Energy Development
Board (AEDB) to an officer from a proposed panel on Tuesday. AEDB is a statutory organisation established under AEDB Act, 2010, and the appointment of CEO of AEDB is governed by Section 5 of the Act.
Sources told Profit that Power Division had request the cabinet to accept Dr Rana Abdul Jabbar’s resignation with effect from December 26, 2020, and to approve the initiation of the appointment process. Meanwhile, it sought the tempo-
rary assigning of additional charge to an officer. The division further solicited cabinet’s approval for a selection committee comprising minister for power as convener, while secretary and additional secretary of Power Division, additional secretary of Establishment Division as members of the committee, and a renowned professional from the private sector.
Fear, chaos rules occupied Kashmir even after 72 years SAIfur reHMAn Can any amount of unending brute force and disrespect for universal laws, rights and liberties, be justified in the world of today that has come a long way to its present state of advanced civilisation and peaceful co-existence? Can any country of the world thrive on this basis, that too with the acquiesence of global heavyweights? The answer to the last question is yes because there is one country whose hegemonic actions have not at all jolted the world conscience despite years of brutalities perpetrated on a peace-loving, harmless fraternity that is demanding nothing except their fundamental right of self-determination that has been universally and formally recognized at all the fora as well as in universal declarations of freedom, worth the name. And that country is none other than India which cares a fig for universal laws and covenants or even for basic, inviolable rights to which every human being is entitled even under the laws of natural justice (the foundation of
all laws, worldwide). The theatre of these crudities and cruelties is occupied Kashmir which the world community is justified in calling it Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) where the hell has been let loose on the innocent Kashmiris demanding their due right of self-determination for which a resolution was unequivocally adopted by United Nations Commission on India and Pakistan (UNCIP) seven plus decades ago, on January 5, 1949. This resolution acknowledged the right to self-determination as a vital component of human dignity and it was clearly mentioned in the resolution that the question of accession of IIOJ&K would be decided through democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite. Nothing done so far in this direction. Nor did the major powers (barring China's support, on occasions) put their weight behind the just cause of Kashmiris. As a result of this apathy, even after 72 long years, Kashmiris are still living under brutal Indian occupation that New Delhi government has tried to justify by way of promulgating draconian laws and lately by
CMYK
abolishing the special status of Kashmir through unconstitutional and unjust repeal of Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian constitution. Surprisingly, this goes against the commitments and public pronouncements of India's own prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, for the holding of plebiscite to ascertain the will of the people of Kashmir. Additionally, Nehru is reported to be on record, having stated somewhat in this manner that neither the territory of Kashmir belonged to Pakistan, nor to India but to Kashmiris, exclusively. January 5's commemoration is aimed at reminding the global community that it cannot shy away from its responsibility towards Kashmir, as demanded in UN resolutions. United Nations should rather launch a more vigorous initiative to honour its commitments now that Kashmir's lockdown (read siege) at the hands of trigger-happy Indian troops has crossed 500 days in addition to a long list of Indian atrocities that include extra-judicial killings during search operations and in fake encounters. And the inhuman tool of rape has also been used quite often to sub-
jugate and humiliate Kashmiris. Of late, however, Indian actions have got fully exposed and, as such, have been widely rejected by international community, UN and international human rights organisations. Nevertheless, India's obduracy has not subsided despite this global realization. Consequently, people of IIOJ&K are being subjected to collective punishment by Indian occupation forces who have converted the territory into the largest militarised zone in the world by relying upon black laws like IIOJ&K Disturbed Areas Act, Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act. The powers drawn by Indian troops are used mercilessly to crush the freedom struggle. Quite brazenly, India has, time and again, tried to justify its illegal actions that 'special' circumstances have forced them to adopt 'special' (draconian) laws although these laws find no precedents in the history of civilised, tolerant world. The impression is being given to the world at large that whatever the number of reports of Indian bestialities are published, everything was being done according to law.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
06 COMMENT
Education now!
Bahawalpur rally Avoid use of religion for political gains
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O far as the numbers were concerned, the PDM’s Bahawalpur rally was impressive. The audience was motivated and responsive. The PDM succeeded in papering over the interparty and intraparty divisions over the issue of resignations by postponing the final decision. The alliance also managed to maintain the momentum created by its half a dozen rallies conducted during the first phase of its agitation. It continued the attempt to create a wedge between what it calls the “selected government” and its “selectors”. What was negative at the rally was the use of the religious card by the PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Attempts made by the Punjab government to foil the rally through bureaucratic measures didn’t produce the desired results and the PDM managed to gather a huge crowd that responded enthusiastically whenever prompted by the Maulana or by PML-n Vice President Maryam nawaz, the two star speakers. When the later asked whether the opposition should resign from the assemblies the audience responded with a thundering “yes”. Maulana Fazlur Rehman however reiterated that the alliance would keep making small adjustments to create confusion in government’s ranks. To keep up the momentum, it was announced that the alliance would stage a sit-in outside the ECP offices in Islamabad on January 19 to put pressure on it to expeditiously decide the PTI foreign funding case while on June 21 the alliance would take out ‘Israel not acceptable’ rally in Karachi and hold rallies on Kashmir Day on Feb 5. In their own peculiar styles both PDM chief and Ms nawaz asked the military establishment to distance itself from the PTI government. Maulana Fazlur Rehman wanted the establishment to clarify if it backs PM Imran Khan’s government as the latter claims so that the PDM may direct its movement towards the military establishment. A more careful Ms nawaz recounted several scandals while in every case playing upon Khan’s claim that the army supports him because it knows he is not corrupt. It was unfortunate on the part of the PDM chief to use religious card for political gains by describing the opposition’s drive against Imran Khan’s government as ‘jihad’ and announcing that stepping back from it would be a ‘major sin’. Introducing religion into politics is a dangerous trend which should be avoided.
Taking the classroom to the children
Salman munir
I
n 2013, I had urged the banks to take banking to the people to increase revenues, reduce costs, to create innovation and efficiency and to provide better service to the customers. In that write up, I had also asked them to take a leaf from cinema houses the world over and shift stand alone branches to shopping malls for service and security. Resort to mobile banking and reach out to customers to increase the customer base manifold. At that time, Pakistan was rocked by acts of terrorism, excessive load shedding, deteriorating law and order in cities large and small. Even the rural Pakistan was not safe anymore where everyone knew everyone. Increasingly, the culture of shopping malls and supermarkets was taking shape. So it made a lot of sense to start opening banks’ branches in these malls to make banking available to people where they go rather than ask them to come to stand alone branches where they usually do not like to go. not only would it be several times more convenient for the customers (parking is a nightmare in busy branches), it would be more secure, efficient and almost free of the every five minutes brownouts. Perhaps, I should have also urged the then government, the later government and the now government to use all its resources and innovate the spread of education like an education emergency all over the country. The Chinese like to say “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now.” So we should look at ways and means to take education to people now, just like the banks and other organizations did by taking money matters to people in and around small shops on street corners. I understand taking education to people is not the same thing and not quite as simple. While money matters attract people, the staterun education system and educational institutions repel students and sometimes parents alike. The teacher quality is poor if not worse than poor, infrastructure is almost non-existent especially in rural Pakistan, provision of water, electricity, classroom essentials, computers, WiFi, and learning atmosphere all are missing. Students have to commute or walk long distances to get to school, braving the weather both on road and in schools, fearing the lawless society that we have be-
Plight of the Hazaras Unending agony
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HE kidnapping and shooting dead at close range of at least 11 coal miners in Balochistan’s Mach area after being identified as belonging to the Shia Hazara community, a heinous act of terrorism carried out by the Islamic State (IS), is yet another grim reminder of the fear and danger this minority lives under in Pakistan. Back in April 2019, a bomb blast at a market in Quetta claimed the lives of 24 people, mostly Hazaras, with both the TTP and IS claiming responsibility. The government has been expectedly typical with its response to the attack with a shower of condemnations that mean little to the families who have lost their loved ones. For years the Hazara community has been demanding that the state take better and more effective security measures to protect them from violent Sunni militant groups that continue to successfully target and kill its members, but to no avail. Groups such as the Sipah-e-Sahaba, out of which an even more violent offshoot, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi emerged, were home grown terror outfits that emerged during the Zia era, fueled by his Islamisation policy, that gained tacit state support as part of a disastrously ill-conceived security strategy, eventually creating a monster that turned against the state. A more recent example of this, albeit to achieve a specific political outcome, is the rise to prominence of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in a matter of just a few years. Enjoying the support of a sizable section of the population as evidenced by its success in the past two general elections, the group has been relentless with its frequent lockdowns of the country through sit-ins characterized by fiery abusive anti-state speeches and clashes between its followers and law enforcement agencies. A video of TLP protesters getting cash handouts from men in uniform after the end to the long-drawn Faizabad dharna gave credence to the perception that the group enjoyed the support of the armed forces. Serious security lapses, such as the latest attack on the Hazara community also highlights a failure of the security apparatus in the country to preempt and thwart terrorist activity through intelligence based operations. Perhaps a more focused and revised strategy is required to solidify the gains made in the war against terrorism over the past decade.
OIC Challenges and Opportunities raja Furqan ahmed
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n 21 August 1969, an Australian born Christian Dennis Michael Rohan attempted to set fire to the Ancient Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Fire destroyed part of the roof and 800-year-old pulpit of Salahuddin Ayubi, a general who liberated Jerusalem from crusaders in the 12th century. After this accident, a former Mufti (chief Muslim Islamic legal religious authority) Amin al-Husseini of Jerusalem demanded to call on the summit of all Muslim heads of state. 25 Muslim countries also filed a complaint to the United nations alleging that Israel was complicit in the arson. Reacting to this accident, Moroccan King Hassan II invited Muslim leaders. On 25 September 1969, representative from 24 Muslim Majority countries met in Rabat, the capital of Morocco. In the conference, they decided to establish a body. Furthermore, they also passed the resolution which stated that, “Muslim government would consult with a view to promoting among themselves close cooperation and mutual assistance in the economic, scientific, cultural and spiritual fields, inspired by the immortal teachings of Islam.” March 1970, the first Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In the meeting, they planned for setting a permanent secretariat. The headquarters of OIC is located in Jeddah. It is the second-largest inter-governmental organization after the United nations. It consists of 57 states which cover four continents (Asia, Africa, Europe and South America). OIC is the collective voice for 1.9 billion Muslims. OIC has a permanent delegation to the United nations and European Union. During the 38th meeting of the foreign minister on 28 June 2011 in Astana, Kazakhstan the name was changed from the
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come, the depravity of our culture, the shame that poverty brings and utter helplessness that it produces. We are a poor country and we have criminally neglected education to our people just like medical, government after government. Several friends who visit their ancestral villages every few years have told me that they see no change in either the village or the people living there. As if the train of hope and progress bypassed them. Even the so-called remittances from the workers in the Middle East have made little difference, if at all. The state must do something for them. At least the state can take education to the children of a lesser God. The Prime Minister keeps talking about the youth of this country but this youth is and shall be of no use if uneducated and thus unemployed. Some who are lucky to have gone to State-run institutions are still as good as uneducated youth and also unemployable when compared to the students who have attended private sector institutions. As if this was not enough, COVID-19 has changed our world unrecognizably and we need to rise to the occasion with whatever limited resources we have. So how do we take education to the students in villages and remote areas so no child is left behind? In my view the least expensive and the most effective way to spread education is to deploy all the old and even new buses as roving air- conditioned free educational institutions. All fitted with WiFi, computers, one or two well paid and competent teachers and a driver, driven straight to villages and remote areas to impart the necessary education that really educates. Hubs or hot spots (activities that have low resource input but high potential performance gains) can be created around a cluster of villages and remote areas where teachers, buses and drivers can be stationed during the school year. Separate buses can be used for male and female students. I am certain that this mode of learning will be much less expensive than building and maintaining a school with all other paraphernalia and a host of expenses. This will be certainly more secure and attractive for the students. At
the very minimum, primary and secondary education can be widely provided to the students. And if the state can afford it, it may also decide to provide a healthy and hearty lunch to students to make it more attractive for the students and the parents alike. As we go along we can improve on this mode of education until we are able to build and maintain schools in buildings, hire real good teachers and provide students with learning tools. According to my understanding currently and for years the worst students opt to teach because of low pay, poor facilities and little or no opportunity to make additional money through corruption—bane of our society. The case for buses, reminds me of the new York Police Department (nYPD). In the mid-nineties nYPD decided to be innovative to combat crime in the crime capital of the world as the Big Apple was known then. Police found that on average it took sixteen hours for a policeman to take a criminal to a downtown police station to process even the pettiest crime. Instead of bringing criminals to the police stations, nYPD brought processing centers to the criminals by using “bust buses—roving old buses retrofitted into miniature police stations parked outside the subway stations”. This step cut processing time from sixteen hours to just one hour. This is just one way of combatting illiteracy and the lack of facilities to provide education to our young ones. The current government has been working on one syllabus for all. From all accounts the syllabus leans towards the far right. Both, far right and far left are equally bad for the country and the future of the students. What students need to learn is critical thinking, creativity, innovation and civic sense without which we will still be planting a new tree twenty years down the road and lamenting the time lost and leaving millions of children behind. Let’s leave no child behind this time!
Organisation of Islamic conference to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Following are some objectives of OIC: To preserve Islamic social and economic values, promote solidarity among member states, increase cooperation in social, economic, cultural and political areas; enhance and consolidate the bonds of fraternity, to promote inter-state relations based on justice; mutual respect and good neighborliness to ensure global peace, security and harmony; reaffirm its support for the rights of peoples as stipulated in the Un Charter and international law; support and empower the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and establish their sovereign State with AlQuds Al-Sharif as its capital, while safeguarding its historic and Islamic character as well as the Holy places therein; protect and defend the true image of Islam; protect the human right and fundamental freedom; Eliminate racial discrimination. In 1970 a conflict broke out between Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Jordan. The President of Egypt Gamal Abdel nasser and Saudi Arabia King Faisal jointly led the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to resolve the clash. OIC also played a vital role during the Ramadan War in 1973 against Israel. OIC also solved the issue of oil restriction against the supporters of Israel in 1974. Due to the OIC backing the Palestine liberation organization (PLO) get recognition from the international community to represent stateless Palestinians. One of the big achievements of OIC was to get PLO observer status at the Un and adopt a number of non-binding resolutions at the Un General Assembly, including one that declared Zionism a racist ideology (Resolution no# 3379). OIC has been also criticized by many people
for not providing any solutions in current crises in the Muslim countries. Another big challenge for OIC is that there is a political diversity as well as states having different political systems, either a monarchy or democracy. The OIC doesn’t have a unified voice because most of its member countries are not democratic. It is no secret that members of OIC face a variety of problems due to the trembling relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran due to the Shia-Sunni conflict. The Syrian issue is another challenge for the OIC. According to reports, more than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives during the civil war. During the last 9 years, OIC did not play its role to minimize the conflict. Many Muslim countries are infamous regarding sectarian violence. Equal participation of women is another challenge for the organization. The organisation is suffering from a structural problem, as organization members belong to different continents. Its budget is not enough for global activities because most of the member states are poor but still, the organization can play its part in the future. The major conflict in this contemporary world is going on in the Middle East so the OIC can play its role to minimize the conflict. Sectarian conflicts among states should be solved peacefully. The conflict should be resolved through bilateral or OIC can play its role by doing mediation or providing Good office. Economically OIC should help poor member for financial support. The lack of enforcement gaps must be full fill in the future.
While money matters attract people, the state-run education system and educational institutions repel students and sometimes parents alike. The teacher quality is poor if not worse than poor, infrastructure is almost nonexistent especially in rural Pakistan, provision of water, electricity, classroom essentials, computers, WiFi, and learning atmosphere all are missing.
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The writer is a management consultant and innocence lawyer. He can be reached at as1236m@gmail.com
One of the big achievements of OIC was to get PLO observer status at the UN and adopt a number of non-binding resolutions at the UN General Assembly, including one that declared Zionism a racist ideology (Resolution no# 3379).
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The writer is a student of International Relations and Freelance journalist currently based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He can be reached at furqanraja1122@gmail.com or @furqanraja1122 on Twitter.
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Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
Human Rights in Kashmir
Artificial dichotomy of religious and modern education A formulation that requires reconciliation rana Ziauddin
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UAID-E-AZAM, known as Baba-eQaum (father of nation), always admired modern education. His quest for knowledge was eminent that how he mustered the courage for a voyage down the Pacific Ocean to get into Lincoln Inn’s college, which is established in Europe. He was a great believer that advanced education blended with religion can be the sole plan of action that can pave the way for the nascent nation to become a developed one in no time. Unfortunately, he died after 1 year of his service to the nation. His death shook the confidence and exuberance of the infant nation. His admiration to education is evident from one of his sayings: “Education is a matter of life and death for Pakistan. The world is progressing so rapidly that without requisite advance in education, not only shall we lag behind others but may be wiped out altogether”. Since the beginning of the modern age, most of the developed nations have separated religious and modern education from their state level and have come up with concrete policies of religious education by making schooling compulsory for every child. Following these footsteps, Pakistan also made laws, like article 25 A of the Constitution which categorically states that, “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law.” Over 73 years, Pakistan has adopted almost 23 policies and action plans to uplift the education system of Pakistan which is at complete distress from the very start. All these attempts to modernize education have always been demolished by the torrents of culture and the notions of conservatism. Most religious leaders, clerics and teachers rejected modern education and made strong attempts to speak against it. They termed modern education as western and in opposition to religious teachings. Following Zia ul Haqq’s regime, many anti-secular groups depicted their own versions of education and promoted jihad in a completely deteriorated context and prioritized it as the only means of education in madrassahs. This resulted in fueling the skirmish between a ramified transformation of religious and modern education dichotomy, which was once a part of Subcontinent. The religious fanatics known to be the graduates of these seminaries started to destroy schools and modern education institutions by accepting it as an act of God. Therefore, the education system of Pakistan started to plunge into a ball game of extreme distrust between religious education and the modern education. Considering circumstance, the system took a journey where it became divisive. This division started producing alienation among the youth and ultimately between the society. It has further created an ideological fault line within the Muslim society where religious education has been praised to the skies and modern education has been criticized as conflicting with Islam. De facto, the administrative collapse of the
state and the absence of law and order, ergo suggest the decline. The system in its structure has adopted extreme disparity. It has started distributing lucrative and influencing jobs substantially to the elite, who are educated in the full English medium education institutions and prefer to get a modern secular form of education only because of their open-minded approach towards education. Meanwhile, students studying in seminaries (madrassas) or Urdu-medium educational institutions focus on religion or sacred text to be the utmost purpose of education and somehow are destined to join the increasing army of the unemployed. To converse they are further forced to use the idiom “Act of God” to defuse the sense of deprivation of their right of education. Many international and local organizations, working for the betterment of the education systems and diligently making efforts to roll back the grim of uncertainty prevailing had disclosed that more than eight categories of the parallel education systems are advising education in Pakistan. Under complete ignorance, each of the education system own the liberty to devise a curriculum which they think follows the ideology of Pakistan, ideology of religion, and ideology of secularism. Therefore, each system attracts a certain social class and year after year hurls batches of students who experience life as opposed to each other. It is direful that no one in Pakistan bravely holds the responsibility to deliberate into the matter of how and why; after all, the education system of Pakistan remained osmosed with equity and remained under the impression that studying sacred texts is religious and studying nature and research-based knowledge of science is secular. Admiration of a few mixed with ignorance of many has endorsed the formulation of this divisive education system, and it has deeply penetrated our culture and inevitably affected the ideology of Pakistan. Talking about the remarkable history of the Islamic Golden Age; when Arabs moved to the Iberian Peninsula in the hearts of Medieval Europe expounds that how various Quranic injunctions and direction of Hadiths of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) placed values on education and inoculated the sense to interrelate and not to draw fault line between religious and modern education. These 700 years (8th-14th century) contributed a lot to science and technology apart from religion. The development of Mathematics, concepts of astronomy, Ibn Al Khattab’s description of candle clock, the making of a globe by
Ibrahim ibn Sa’id al-Sahli, the introduction of 9 digit number to Europe, development of the compass, Al Zahwar’s contribution towards the science of physiology, pharmacology, therapeutics among other things, development of animalpowered waterwheel for water and agriculture and the introduction of new crops such as cotton, Asian rice, citrus fruits to Europe were all influencing. Inventions of that time have helped modern science. Modern day travel would be quite different in experience if there were no such things as airplanes. Although the invention of airplane is attributed to the wright brothers, but it was Abbas ibn Firnas the first person to invent the first flying machine. These astonishing contributions towards science and technology epitomize that the Muslims of that time accepted religious education as a guidance and modern education a tool to get recognition. Thus, all the systems, concepts of science which are eminent in modern Europe and other modern world countries are all inherited or being adopted from the Muslims or Greeks. This transformation of Europeans from their darkest times to the golden times and vice Versa for Muslims was just because of the artificial Dichotomy that was created between religious education and modern education. We should admit the fact that religious education is not just to read a sacred text and memorize the words of the Quran. It also includes the exploration of the universe and the production of new things for the betterment of human life. If we read the Quran by looking closely into the verses and their meaning, we cannot brush aside the main point. The Quran commands us to reflect on nature and everything it contains (3:1912). It is a matter-of-fact that the Holy Book justifies everything that is in modern education and former is only a tool to study nature and human. This antagonism between religious education and modern education must come to an end. We need to understand the spirit of the Quran which requires us to reflect on the entire universe. Religious education is about reflecting on the words of God and reflecting on the work of God. Some of the most useful gadgets that have brought great blessings to human life are the results of the ventures which are generally studied or practiced in modern educational institutions. Therefore, we need both to attain the maximum flair out of students. This will incorporate both skill and wisdom in students and help them achieve the glories of the past once again in modern times.
It is direful that no one in Pakistan bravely holds the responsibility to deliberate into the matter of how and why; after all, the education system of Pakistan remained osmosed with equity and remained under the impression that studying sacred texts is religious and studying nature and research-based knowledge of science is secular.
The writer is a science Student at Forman Christian College Lahore. He can be reached at ziauddinrana@hotmail.com
FEDERAL Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari, on Monday asked the International community and Human Rights organisations to take notice of the Human Rights violation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The Minister called upon the United nations, International Human Rights Agencies including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as women organisations including the International Women Caucuses to take action of the issue. Addressing a press conference here with the family members of imprisoned Kashmiri freedom fighter, Asiya Andrabi she said India under the Modi Government has continued and expanded violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. The Minister met with Asiya’s family upon their request, earlier today. Shireen Mazari pointed out that under Geneva Convention IV, Article 49, it was prohibited to transfer an individual or group of “protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupying power… regardless of their motive.” In complete violation, India has breached Article 49 multiple times by imprisoning Dr Ashiq Hussain Faktoo (the longest serving political prisoner), Asiya Andrabi and other Kashmiri leaders in Kashmiri prisons, particularly the notorious Tihar Jail, she said. This included Syed Ali Gilani, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Ashraf Sehrani, Dr Fayyaz, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik and Musarrat Alam Bhat, the minister said. Presently, Mazari said, Fehmida Sufi and naheeda nasreen were in Rihar Jail along with Asiya Andrabi. The detainment of these prisoners was also a war crime under Article 82 (2b, VIII) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), read with Article 143 of Geneva Convention IV. Moreover, the minister said, India was also in breach of Article 76 of the 4th Geneva Convention which stipulated that detained prisoners should have the right to be visited by delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Article 76 further stipulated that women should be confined in separate quarters and should be under the direct supervision of women, she said. The Minister duly pointed out that the Indian Supreme Court in a judgment in november 2012 defined life imprisonment as “till death”, a precedent they are using this to imprison Asiya for life. The judgement is expected between the January 14th to 18th. SoHaIl alI KHan ISlamabad
Foreign funding case MInISTER for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Monday said the opposition parties instead of holding a sit-in in front of the ECP should better submit documentary proofs of their foreign funding in order to avoid cancellation of their registration. The Pakistan Muslim-League-nawaz (PML-n), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) did not heed to repeated directives of the scrutiny committee of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit documentary proofs in the foreign funding cases filed by the PTI, which might result in forfeiture of the funds received from abroad, besides cancellation of their election symbols, he added. Flanked by Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Farrukh Habib, he told the media said the leadership of the three parties should answer to the questions asked by the ECP regarding their foreign funds instead of hurling threats of sit-ins. Both the PPP and the PML-n were trapped as they had no documents to prove their case, and that was why they were using pressure tactics and wanted to trap the PTI, he remarked. Shibli Faraz said unfortunately, the country’s political culture had changed altogether in the 1980s’. The then governments had totally destroyed the country’s moral facade, consequently the people (at the helm of affairs) no more differentiated between the modes of earnings - right or wrong (Halal or Haram) and they did not consider corruption as a crime. The successive governments of PMLn and PPP with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman hands in glove, he said, had played the key role in spreading such culture.They had changed politics into a business and in blatant disregard for moral values their office-bearers right from prime minister to ministers involved in corrupt practices. The minister said the political parties needed funds for carrying out routine activities. Prior to the entry of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) into politics, all the political parties, including the PPP and the PML-n, used to get donations from various criminals and mafias, and paid them back in kind of favours and protecting their interests after assuming power. alI aHmad laHoRE
The Bhutto legacy ZULFIKAR Ali Bhutto would have turned 94 this year if his life had not been decisively and irrevocably snuffed out of him. After 42 years of his death, there is still a question mark on the transparency and fairness of the trial in which he got the death sentence from Lahore High Court and that decision was upheld by the apex court of the country. That trial now has been widely recognized as judicial murder. If we had learnt from that trial and the tragic death of Mr. Bhutto his family would not have met the same fate. But only we can feel as a nation that what we had lost on 4 April 1979 it would be wrong to call Bhutto only a political leader; he was an intellectual, with marvelous command over international law and international affairs of his time, besides that he was perhaps one of the greatest diplomats Pakistan has ever had Bhutto was an internationally recognized political leader who took efforts for rebuilding Pakistan after the tragedy of the Dakkah Fall. It was just because of his intellectual brilliance and Political Insight that Pakistan crawled back on the path of development. Bhutto,s grasp over international law and international affairs of his time can be gauged from his books Myth of independence and peacekeeping by UnO in those books he had formulated the ways of ruling a newly formed country and the actual essence of independence. As a leader of an underdeveloped country, he was never satisfied with the role of UnO in maintaining peace across the world. In his book “peacekeeping by UnO ‘’ Bhutto had contended that the organization was formed to appease those forces which anticipated to rule over this world. And the doctrine of veto power had proved Bhutto right. His speech after the Indo-Pak war of 1965 in the Un Security Council over the Kashmir issue manifested his stance over Kashmir. He also vowed to continue his struggle for Kashmir in that speech. After India had launched an attack on Pakistan in 1971 he led the Pakistans delegation to the Security Council and apprised the world of Indian aggression he urged the security council and the member countries to play their part in ceasefire and reconciliation. But here again, Bhutto proved himself right. KamRan KHamISo KHoWaJa SuJaWal
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
THe JulIAn AssAnge exTrADITIOn rulIng: rIgHT resulT, wrOng reAsOn REFUSING TO EXTRADITE ASSANGE TO THE US ON MENTAL HEALTH GROUNDS IS HUMANE, BUT IT DOESN’T PROTECT FUTURE WHISTLEBLOWERS
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ULIAn Assange’s extradition to the US to face charges of espionage and hacking cannot take place. This ruling by judge Vanessa Baraitser is a victory, albeit one not won on the principled grounds that should form the basis of opposing his extradition. The legal
basis of the ruling is that “extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm”. The WikiLeaks founder has a “recurrent depressive disorder” and he was likely to be imprisoned in a supermax prison, where procedures would not prevent Assange “from finding a way to commit suicide”. It is not to critique the soundness of Baraitser’s legal judgment to argue that this was the right decision, but for the wrong reason. That a British court has ruled that the US prison system is too barbaric to guarantee the safety of Assange tells its own story. But this is about something much bigger than Assange: it’s about journalism, the free press, and most importantly of all, the ability to expose atrocities committed by the world’s last remaining superpower. Assange isn’t free yet: the US can appeal against a ruling by our lowest tier court – he
should now be released on bail rather than remain incarcerated in Belmarsh given his proven mental state – but legal experts believe that Baraister’s ruling would prove hard to overturn. What remains worrying, then, is that no precedent has been set to protect other whistleblowers – unless there are similar mental health grounds – and therefore the principled case must be spelled out all the louder. More than a decade ago, Chelsea Manning courageously downloaded classified documents from US military servers, uncovering – most notoriously – a 2007 video of US aircrew laughing after they killed 12 innocent people, including two Iraqi reuters employees. The aircrew had dishonestly claimed to have encountered a firefight: without Manning’s video, history would have continued to record it as such. Other
files showed how hundreds of civilians in Afghanistan – people whose lives are not judged worthy of being covered by most media outlets – had been killed by US-led forces. Yet another cable exposed scandals and corruption in the western-backed regime of Tunisia, helping to drive a protest movement which toppled its autocrat ruler, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. Manning had first approached US newspapers with the information but with no luck, so instead went to Assange’s WikiLeaks organisation, which published the material. It is for this reason that Assange is being pursued by the US: to set an example, pour encourager les autres. The US authorities fear that if Assange does not face the worst horrors of their inhumane prison system, then it will not disincentivise others to similarly expose US atrocities.Here’s why that
matters. The ability of the US to unleash violence against foreign populations depends on its domestic citizenry not being aware of the consequences. Consent for the Vietnam war, for example, began to crumble when US citizens saw footage from the conflict of screaming children with their clothes burned away by napalm, or became aware of the hundreds who were slaughtered by US forces in the My Lai massacre. Since then, the US government has become more adept at managing media coverage, including the embedding of journalists in military units. The use of drone strikes – drastically accelerated by Barack Obama, who used them 10 times more than his predecessor – killed unknown numbers of civilians who remained largely anonymous. Civilian deaths from airstrikes in Afghanistan increased by 330% in four years under Donald Trump, and he not only upped the drone strikes, he revoked a policy to publish the number of civilians killed by drone strikes outside of war zones. The US war machine depends on being able to airbrush out of existence the brutal human realities. If innocent civilians can be silently killed without consequences, then there is nothing to stop even more suffering the same fate. The US military cannot be allowed to operate with impunity: that’s what this case is really about. And while Assange’s freedom may be saved – though this is not certain – the argument for revealing the truth about wars conducted in the name of the American people must be made more stridently than ever.
Has COVID-19 killed Asia’s growth miracle? At 95, I don't fear dying
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Or decades, most Southeast Asian economies climbed the income ladder by pursuing a growth strategy based on ramping up investment in export-oriented manufacturing and services, relentlessly upskilling their domestic workforces, and leveraging technological advances. Today, the ASEAn+3 countries — the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian nations plus China, Japan and South Korea — can be proud of their accomplishments. The region’s economic transformation has been breathtaking, from its rising per capita income and share of global GDP to its human capital development and rapid ascent of global business competitiveness rankings. The region has become the “factory of the world,” with highly efficient and cost-effective supply chains. Its success hinges on individual economies benefiting from cost efficiencies by specializing in the production of key components of increasingly complex products, supported by global demand resulting from trade-driven growth. And this growth strategy remains viable today, even as advanced and emerging economies alike shift to the technology-driven “new economy.” But the ASEAn+3 economies must now continue to pursue catch-up growth, deeper regional integration, and further globalization in a much-changed and far more difficult environment. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the global economy to a standstill, disrupting supply chains and highlighting the vulnerabilities of a system of interdependent national economies — many of which are set to experience a deep recession this year. The pandemic has shown that disruption of one critical part of a supply chain can shut down an entire industry or sector. Governments and firms have been alarmed by their high dependence on a few countries for vital supplies of food, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical products, as well as key components of goods that they manufacture and export. As a result, national policymakers are exploring ways to localize production of essential goods and services. And countries with large domestic markets will find the argument for greater self-sufficiency especially compelling, potentially sounding the death knell for global supply chains in the post-pandemic world. Insourcing or regionalizing supply chains would further accelerate the deglobalization trend that started after the 2008 global financial crisis, and would cause the global economy to fragment into regional blocs. In response, countries that currently rely on global supply chains would have to restructure their economies to focus more on domestic or regional demand. The large-scale restructuring implied by such a scenario would result in suboptimal outcomes for all. Production costs would increase, and economies would
ironically become more vulnerable to exogenous shocks. For example, a country or region that was hit by a less infectious but deadlier disease than COVID-19 would have greater difficulties rebuilding its productive capacity in a deglobalized world. Inward-looking economic policies are not the answer. reducing the vulnerabilities related to global supply chains requires more globalization, not less. For most consumer and capital goods, apart from a few critical products such as medical supplies, economies can best minimize their dependence on a handful of other countries or suppliers by diversifying their sources of supply and building up adequate reserves. resilience should become a guiding principle of economic policy, as illustrated by Singapore’s diversification of its food supplies. Similarly, the ASEAn+3 economies demonstrated their adaptability and resilience in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis by successfully relying on domestic and intra-regional demand to support growth, while the U.S. and European economies were severely weakened. As a result, the contribution of external demand to the region’s growth — reflected in the export share of GDP by value added — declined sharply between 2008 and 2015. However, the trend decline in the ratio of world trade to global GDP after 2008 resulted from a rebalancing of growth, rather than a retreat from globalization, as many have implied. If anything, supply chains for most products lengthened as production locations for various components changed in response to market forces. Within the ASEAn+3 region, production of lower-cost components shifted significantly from more advanced to developing economies, benefiting consumers everywhere. Furthermore, the globalization of supply chains for services also accelerated during the decade after 2008. Advances in digital technology lowered communication and data-transmission costs, leading to the boom in demand for information-technology services and business process outsourcing from which emerging economies such as India and the Philippines have benefited. Likewise, more affordable air travel fueled a global tourism boom. new technology-driven solutions enabled tourism services to be reorganized into more complex but ultimately more cost-effective supply chains catering to travelers’ individual needs. It was no fluke that the ASEAn+3 region emerged unscathed from the 2008 crisis. Sound macroeconomic fundamentals, as well as sizable fiscal and financial-sector buffers, enabled policymakers to lead the region out of the crisis quickly by adopting expansionary measures to boost domestic demand. A similar response is needed today. Although the COVID-19 crisis has exposed the vulnerabilities of global supply chains and the economies that depend on them, pursuing a strategy of insourcing or localizing production would be devastating for the global economy. Instead, overcoming supply-chain weaknesses requires enhancing globalization and economic integration, diversifying sources of supply to build resilience, and reforming and strengthening multilateral institutions and multinational forums. These measures will help to ensure that when the next global shock occurs, governments will be equipped to cooperate effectively and resist the lure of protectionism. That would be the best outcome for the global economy, and ASEAn+3 in particular. Hoe EeKhor is Chief Economist at the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office and a former deputy director of the International Monetary Fund’s Asia and Pacific Department.
arizona republic
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Evan oswald
O say I’ve seen a lot in my 95 years is an understatement. Those of us who are dang-near a century old have a few stories to tell. Just ask us. If you asked me a year ago if I’d seen it all, I would have said yes. After all, I’ve lived through WWII, the Great Depression, Vietnam, 9/11 and multiple recessions. I’ve seen civil riots, natural disasters and decades of political discord. I watched Americans moon walk (including Michael Jackson) and the evolution of space-age computers. I dodged the Asian flu, swine flu, HIV and Ebola. As a career educator and coach, I’ve built countless athletic programs, mentored and coached thousands, from college to Olympiclevel. I’ve been married for a total of 60 years and outlived both wives.
I’ve had my share of loves and losses, to include children. Despite my challenges, I’m one of the more optimistic people you’ll meet. I “carpe diem” and encourage others to do the same.I don't fear COVID. But I'll take the vaccine I was the first paid activities director at Glencroft Senior Living (now GlencroftCenter for Modern Aging) in Glendale, Arizona, where I still live today. For 10 years, it was my job to encourage residents to get out and live — not just wait for the inevitable. At Glencroft, we eat, pray, exercise, learn, create, laugh and cry together. The freedom to bond with our peers is something we took for granted, until now. We understood it was necessary when Glencroft locked down. Heck, they did a lot to keep us safe. They delivered meals and activities, distributed masks and sanitizer. The staff often checked in on us. They broadcast workouts to our rooms so we could stay active. Despite their efforts, I missed my old routine and my friends. Even the church was shut down, and I’m very much into my church program. Isolation made me struggle with negative thoughts for the first time in my life.I didn’t expect that. At 95, there aren’t many “firsts” left.I know many are afraid of COVID-19, as it hits our population harder than most. Many my age are afraid to die. But I don’t fear it. When I hear of others passing from COVID-19, I know that’s just the way of life at this end of it. I’m not hardened to it, I’m just ready for
The world’s oldest crime Haaretz Editorial
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n December 2018 the Knesset unanimously passed into law a bill forbidding the consumption of prostitution. The law went into effect 18 months later, in July 2020, in an effort to allow the state to arrange the rehabilitation programs for those people trapped in the cycle of prostitution. Just before the law went into effect, the High Court of Justice dismissed petitions that had been filed against it. This historic achievement, by which Israel joined countries like Sweden, Iceland, France and Canada, which are facilitating a breakthrough in their approach to the phenomenon of prostitution and trafficking in women, was delayed for half a year in an unlawful fashion by Public Security Minister Amir Ohana, the lackey of Prime Minister Benjamin netanyahu. Ohana refused to sign the enforcement order for the police, ap-
parently in an attempt to gain some political capital for Likud. As a result, the Task Force on Human Trafficking and Prostitution petitioned the High Court. The court forced Ohana to obey the law, and the minister deigned to sign the authorization order – as noted, after a six-month delay. The Prohibition of the Consumption of Prostitution Law defines the consumption of prostitution as a crime. Its revolutionary approach is that it imposes both administrative punishment and rehabilitation on the “john,” recognizing him as the violator. The law also recognizes the damage done to those caught up in prostitution and presents a social-welfare approach that takes responsibility for the phenomenon and for eliminating it, without making the prostitutes responsible. Under the law, those trapped in prostitution will not be implicated, but instead will be offered options for rehabilitation. now that the responsible minister has finally signed the authori-
it. When the vaccine comes, I’ll take it like I take the flu shot and see what happens.I’m cautious. I wash my hands and wear a mask. The possibility of getting sick is always there. You have to discipline yourself. It’s easy to become complacent. WHAT I'D SAY TO YOUNGER GENERATIONS: On a global scale, I’m disappointed by the lack of collaboration in 2020. My wish would be that the whole world would work together. But the way the politics are, there isn’t much hope for that. Political parties don’t want the other side to achieve anything. As for the racial unrest we’ve seen this year, I don’t think there’s any comparison between now and the civil rights era. I found a recent map showing the rate of hate crimes across America. It looks like the U.S. has a bad case of measles. My advice to the younger generation is you need to be involved and express yourself by voting. To attack the next guy if he disagrees with you isn’t going to get you far. You can’t just hammer a guy. There are a few things in life, even in religion, where extremes are too much. Attitude is a choice. I have a choice to be happy or sad, fearful or optimistic. To enjoy living or to sit around and wait to die. People ask me if there’s anything left on my bucket list. My bucket doesn’t have a bottom. I’ll never get it all done. In 2021, I’ll embrace whatever comes my way. I just hope I can still drive. Evan Oswald, 95, is a resident of Glendale-based GlencroftCenter for Modern Aging.
zation, the police must reform their perception of prostitution. The police must stop treating the prostitutes as criminals but must see them as victims, while those paying for sex are the criminals. This law is a crucial step, but it needs enforcement, punishment, rehabilitation, prevention, information campaigns and education to be effective. The Social Affairs Ministry and the Health Ministry must work together to advance comprehensive and respectful rehabilitation projects for prostitutes, and the Education Ministry must invest in information campaigns against the phenomenon and promote curricula on healthy sexuality. Consuming prostitution is now a crime on the State of Israel’s books, and as such the state has joined the global effort to eradicate this phenomenon. The more countries adopt this revolutionary law, the greater the chances of reducing phenomena like sex tourism and trafficking in women. This is an important step in building a more humane and equitable society.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
BUSINESS 09
CORPORATE CORNER
IKEA OffICIALLy DENIES PLANS tO ENtER PAKIStANI MARKEt ISLAMABAD
KARACHI: During a media briefing, Shaukat khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre Acting Chief Executive Officer Dr Muhammed Aasim Yusuf shared the latest updates on the status of the project. He said the construction work at Pakistan’s third and largest SKMCH&RC is underway at full pace
BankIslami wins four awards at 6th Islamic Retail Banking Awards KARACHI: Adding another feather to its cap, BankIslami has won four accolades at the prestigious 6th Islamic Retail Banking Awards (IRBA) 2020. BankIslami won the Critic’s Choice Best Islamic Retail Bank Award in Pakistan along with the Best Fintech Application Award for this year. Syed Amir Ali, President and CEO, BankIslami, was recognized as the IRBA Personality of the Year while Rizwan Ata, Country Head of Distribution at BankIslami, was awarded the title of IRBA Islamic Retail Banker of the Year for 2020. BankIslami has had exponential growth in terms of revenues, assets and customer base in the year 2019. Over the year, BankIslami posted a profit increase of almost 400pc while the deposits for the institution saw a rise of 24pc.
Coca-Cola to establish 17 drinking water filtration plants for Karachi communities LAHORE: Coca-Cola Pakistan is partnering with Cantonment Board Clifton, Rotary International and 2 other organizations to establish 17 water filtration plants to provide clean drinking water for disadvantaged communities in various parts of Karachi. This project under the CSR leg of CocaCola’s recent ‘Karachi is Love’ campaign has a budget of Rs26.78 million. Speaking about this CSR project, Fahad Ashraf, VP & General Manager for Coca-Cola Pakistan & Afghanistan said, “This is not the first time that Coca-Cola has installed water filtration plants in Karachi. Previously also Coca-Cola had partnered with Rotary International to set up 5 solarpowered water filtration plants in several polio high-risk areas in Karachi.
JS Bank drives economic growth through remittance increase KARACHI: Foreign remittances continue to play a significant role in the State Bank strategy for bolstering economic growth with inflows spiking by 17.49pc YoY to $23.53 billion in 11MCY20. JS Bank continued to play a major role in this endeavor and facilitated over a million transactions valued at over $823 million during the year. Building on its robust partnerships, JS Bank facilitated overseas Pakistanis across the world, including the UAE, UK and GCC regions. The bank has also been recognized by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) for its leading role in driving home remittance. Basir Shamsie, President & CEO - JS Bank stated, “Our objective is to support the millions of Pakistanis abroad who need to get money to their family and friends in Pakistan in a simple, easy and convenient manner.”
OPPO gears up to launch Reno5 in Pakistan LAHORE: OPPO is set to introduce the latest addition to the OPPO Reno Series, the Reno5, to the Pakistani market. The very first Reno phone was released in mid2019, to empower smartphone photography among the young generation. From then on, OPPO brought numerous improvements to this series and released powerful phones in the last two years. Each new successor tops the camera qualities of the previous ones adapting to the changing needs of the fast-paced youth. Based on the concept of enabling youth to become champions in their life, the Reno series allows them to stand out while connecting them to their loved ones.
R
GHULAM ABBAS
EFUTING what the Pakistan’s ambassador in Germany claimed about IKEA “entering the Pakistani market“, the company on Monday officially confirmed this scribe that “it has not announced any plans to start retail operations in Pakistan”. “While we look forward to exploring [plans for] expansion of purchasing operations in Pakistan, we have not announced plans to start IKEA retail operations in the country,” the Range and Supply Office of the Swedish company said in response to a Profit email. “How-
ever, we are constantly evaluating potential new markets for the future.” Earlier, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Germany Dr Mohammad Faisal, through a tweet, had claimed that IKEA, a multinational conglomerate that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, was going to commence its operations in Pakistan. The ambassador had claimed that he had met Dieter Mettke from IKEA, who was en route to Pakistan to initiate operations. “Met Dieter Mettke. He is going to Pakistan to be in incharge of IKEA operations,” Ambassador Faisal had said on Twitter. “We look forward to IKEA opening up stores in major cities of Pakistan.” But surprisingly, soon after the news was picked
‘Free WiFi facility remains functional, to be expanded to all Punjab districts’ LAHORE TAIMOOR HASSAN
The facility of free WiFi remains active and functional at all public places in the province, Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Chairman Azfar Manzoor stated on Monday. "Punjab government is fully committed to the provision of free WiFi to the citizens and will expand the facility to the entire province as part of the Digital Punjab vision," said the PITB chairman. "The facility is currently available at public buildings, hospitals, education institutes, parks, government offices, and markets etc.," he claimed. On Saturday, it had emerged that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had shut down free WiFi service in Punjab, including in provincial capital, after heavy annual losses. PITB had been providing free internet service at public places for the past several years. The project was started by the Pakistan Muslim League-
Nawaz (PML-N) government in 2017, providing the facility at over 200 WiFi hotspots in Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi. It covered public places, including railway and metro stations, airports, colleges and universities. A local media outlet had reported that the project was costing Rs195 million annually, causing a heavy dent to the provincial exchequer. In January 2019, the project was suspended due to non-payment of dues to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL). However, the service was restored later following public backlash. The closure of the project was affecting a large number of students as well as many other common citizens of the province. Moreover, free WiFi facility for journalists in Lahore Press Club had also been suspended. PITB officials said that the project was scrapped last year and now the board, in collaboration with the Punjab government, was considering various proposals to provide a sustainable WiFi facility to the citizens.
Provinces directed to check hoarding, black marketing of essential commodities ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Finance and Revenue Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, while chairing a meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) on Monday, directed the provincial secretaries to check possibilities of hoarding and black marketing, particularly with regard to wheat and sugar, in order to ensure uninterrupted provision of commodities at fair prices. Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Special Assistant to PM on Revenue Waqar Masood Khan, provincial chief secretaries, FBR chairman, federal secretaries, along with representatives of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), Trading
Corporation of Pakistan, PASSCO and Utility Store Corporation also participated in the meeting. The NPMC reviewed the price trend of essential commodities, especially wheat, sugar and edible oil. The finance secretary briefed the meeting about the decline in Consumer Price Index, which was recorded at 8pc in December 2020 as compared to 12.6pc in December 2019. He attributed the improvement in figures to the "vigilant and regular monitoring of prices by NPMC". The committee noted a significant decline in food inflation, as urban food inflation declined by 2.1pc while rural dropped by 3.4pc on a monthon-month basis. It was further informed that there was a 0.7pc decline in weekly Sensitive Price Index. Prices of 10 essential food commodities -- tomatoes, onions, potatoes and
chicken -- had reduced notably during the Dec 24-31 period. Speaking on the occasion, the chair emphasised the need to increase the level of coordination among federal and provincial authorities in order to identify demand and supply gaps, and to take immediate remedial measures to ensure uninterrupted supply of items of daily use at affordable prices. Meanwhile, the NPMC took notice of price variation in wheat flour across Sindh and Balochistan, as identified by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The finance minister directed the chief secretaries to regulate smooth supply of wheat throughout the provinces by increasing daily release, if needed, and submit a comprehensive report in the next NPMC accordingly.
up by the media, the ambassador not only deleted his tweet, he also refrained from responding to queries sent to him regarding his aforesaid statement. When contacted by this scribe, the relevant ministry and institutions of the country (Ministry of Commerce, Board of Investment and Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan etc.) were also found unaware of the development. Nevertheless, the SECP’s website did show the registration of a company “IKEA TRADING (HONG KONG) LIMITED” in 2006, at CRO Karachi. Another firm in the name of “IKEA SUPPLY AG SWITZERLAND” was registered in Karachi in 2015. It may be noted that IKEA already has a purchase office in Karachi.
HBL, NCMCL join hands for development of Electronic Warehouse Receipt ecosystem KARACHI PRESS RELEASE
Naymat Collateral Management Company Ltd (NCMCL), Pakistan’s first collateral management company, has joined forces with HBL for the development of Electronic Warehouse Receipt (EWR) ecosystem in the country. EWR, the first of its kind in Pakistan, is a digital instrument which gives financial institutions real time information and access to farmers, traders, processors and aggregators who have placed their produce in an accredited warehouse, significantly reducing transaction costs and operational risks. Through this agreement, HBL and NCMCL will work towards poverty alleviation and enhanced inclusive growth targeted towards the rural population of Pakistan. This partnership will ensure that rural communities get easy access to finance. Kashif Umar Thanvi, Head – Rural Banking, HBL commented, “HBL is a market leader in farmer finance amongst commercial banks. The Bank has actively partnered with farmers across Pakistan for the timely provision of financial services to achieve the common objective of better crop yields and enhanced farm productivity. HBL is excited to partner with Naymat Collateral Management Company as this newly developed ecosystem will enhance financing to farmers and rural communities.”
Urea sales likely to fall 35pc in Dec 2020 LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI
The country’s urea sales for December 2020 are expected to decline by 35pc YoY, clocking in at 869k tonnes, taking CY20 urea sales to 6,028k tonnes as compared to 6,228k tonnes, down 3pc YoY. Sequentially, urea sales are up by 63pc MoM. According to Topline Securities Limited Research Analyst Sunny Kumar, urea sales during December 2019 were significantly up by 89pc YoY amid pre-buying by dealers in anticipation of a price hike due to potential increase in gas prices. However, he said that sales were up by 4pc as compared to Pakistan’s 5-year average annual sale of 5,802k tonnes.
MARKET DAILY
Stocks extend rally with 251-point gain KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued to head north on Monday, with the indices accumulating gains all day long amid improved market sentiment. Global equity markets also showed a positive trend, whereas crude oil prices inched up from the previous close; WTI crude oil price rising 0.89pc to $48.98, while Brent crude increasing 1.49pc to $52.56. "The market carried the positive momentum from the previous session, especially with reference to resolution of circular debt that resulted in strong buying in the energy chain. Exploration
& production sector also saw continuation of buying interest, not only due to an increase in international crude prices but also on the back of expected release of stuck up receivables of PPL and OGDC," a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read. "Cyclicals (cement and steel) saw a slump in stock prices owing to profit booking, whereas tech stocks bore selling pressure on NCCPL's latest circular regarding implementation of close out mechanism for future contracts." SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE100 Index remained in the green zone throughout the day, registering its intraday high at 45,074.37 after gaining 639.57 points in early trade. It settled
higher by 251.66 points at 44,686.46. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index appreciated 451.22 points to close at 72,906.06, while the KSE All Share Index accumulated 112.53 points, ending at 31,282.02. The overall market volumes fell from 642.58 million shares on Friday to 540.61 million shares (-16pc). Average traded value also declined by 2pc, from $170.7 million to $166.6 million. Pak Elektron Ltd (PAEL +4.45pc), Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC +5.49pc) and Hascol Petroleum Ltd (HASCOL 0.00pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 27.37 million, 25.36 million and 24.96 million shares, respectively. Sectors that painted the benchmark
index green included oil & gas exploration (+164.59 points), power generation & distribution (+127.84 points) and oil & gas marketing (+96.90 points). Among the companies, Hub Power Company Ltd (HUBC +104.78 points), Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd (PSO +80.22 points) and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd (PPL +78.85 points) remained the top contributors. Adding 4.53pc to its cumulative market capitalization, the oil & gas marketing sector ended as the session’s top performer, with Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Ltd (SNGP +2.79pc), Pakistan State Oil Company Ltd (PSO +7.12pc) and Shell Pakistan Ltd (SHEL +7.50pc) posting significant gains.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
10 foReiGn news yemeni boy, ravaged by hunger, weighs 7 kg SANAA AGENCIES
Paralysed and severely malnourished, seven-year-old Faid Samim lies curled up on a hospital bed in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, having barely survived the journey there. “He was almost gone when he arrived but thank God we were able to do what was necessary and he started improving. He is suffering from CP (cerebral palsy) and severe malnutrition,” said Rageh Mohammed, the supervising doctor of the Al-Sabeen hospital’s malnutrition ward. Faid weighs only 7 kg (just over 15 lb) and his tiny, fragile frame takes up barely a quarter of a folded hospital blanket. His family had to travel from Al-Jawf, 170 km (105 miles) north of Sanaa, through checkpoints and damaged roads, to get him there. Unable to afford Faid’s medication or treatment, the family relies on donations to get him treated. Mohammed says malnutrition cases are on the rise and impoverished parents are forced to rely on the kindness of strangers or international aid to get their children treated. Famine has never been officially declared in Yemen, where a sixyear war has left 80% of the population reliant on aid in what the U.N. says is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. U.N. warnings in late 2018 of impending famine prompted an aid ramp-up. But coronavirus restrictions, reduced remittances, locusts, floods and significant underfunding of the 2020 aid response are exacerbating hunger. The war in Yemen, in which a Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Houthi movement since 2015, has killed more than 100,000 people and left the country divided, with the Houthis holding Sanaa and most major urban centres.
niger village attacks killed 100, says prime minister NIAMEY AGENCIES
100 people were killed on Saturday in attacks on two villages in western Niger, Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said following one of the deadliest days in recent memory for a country ravaged by violence. Rafini announced the death toll in remarks broadcast on national television on Sunday from a visit to the zone, near the border with Mali. He did not say who was responsible. Security sources said on Saturday that at least 70 civilians had been killed in simultaneous raids by suspected militants on the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye. Niger has suffered repeated attacks by militants linked to al Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State near its borders with Mali and Burkina Faso. The violence is part of a wider security crisis in West Africa’s Sahel region that has unnerved Western allies like France, who have poured troops and resources into the region. Niger has also seen tit-for-tat killings between rival ethnic communities that have been stoked by militant violence and competition for scarce resources. Saturday’s attacks came on the same day that the electoral commission announced the results from the first round of the election to replace President Mahamadou Issoufou, who is stepping down after a decade in power. Ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum, who finished in first, expressed his condolences on Sunday to the victims.
Iranian state media says Revolutionary Guards seized vessel in Gulf DUBAI AGENCIES
Iranian media reported on Monday that the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards navy has seized a South Korean vessel “for polluting the Persian Gulf with chemicals”. A South Korean-flagged tanker appears to have been seized by Iran and is now in Iranian territorial waters, two maritime security companies said on Monday.
IRan says It Resumes 20pc enRIchment at FoRdow amId GRowInG tensIons wIth us DUBAI
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AGENCIES
RAN has resumed 20% uranium enrichment at an underground nuclear facility, the government said on Monday, breaching a 2015 nuclear pact with major powers and possibly complicating efforts by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to rejoin the deal. Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Iran’s arch foe Israel, said the move was aimed at developing nuclear weapons and Israel would never allow Tehran to build them. The enrichment decision, Iran’s latest contravention of the accord, coincides with increasing tensions between Iran and the United States in the last days of President Donald Trump’s administration. Tehran started violating the accord in 2019 in response to Trump’s withdrawal from the pact in 2018 and the reimposition of U.S. sanctions that had been lifted under the deal. The agreement’s main aim was to extend the time Iran would need to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, to at least a year from roughly two to three months. It also lifted international sanctions against Tehran. “A few minutes ago, the process of
producing 20% enriched uranium has started in Fordow enrichment complex,” government spokesman Ali Rabeie told Iranian state media. The step was one of many mentioned in a law passed by Iran’s parliament last month in response to the killing of the country’s top nuclear scientist, which Tehran has blamed on Israel. Such moves by Iran could hinder attempts by the incoming Biden administration to re-enter the agreement. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is set to inform members on Monday about develop-
ments in Iran, the IAEA said, after the announcement by Tehran. “Agency inspectors have been monitoring activities at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in Iran. Based on their information, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is expected to submit a report to IAEA Member States later today,” a spokesman for the nuclear watchdog said by email. NUCLEAR WATCHDOG: In Brussels, an European Union Commission spokesperson said that the “move, if confirmed, would constitute a considerable departure from Iran’s commit-
ments”. “All participants are interested in keeping deal alive. The deal will be kept alive as long as all participants keep their commitments.“ On Jan 1, the IAEA said Tehran had told the watchdog it planned to resume enrichment up to 20% at Fordow site, which is buried inside a mountain. “The process of gas injection to centrifuges has started a few hours ago and the first product of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas will be available in a few hours,” Rabeie said. “The process has started after taking measures like informing the U.N. nuclear watchdog.” Iran had earlier breached the deal’s 3.67% limit on the purity to which it can enrich uranium, but it had only gone up to 4.5% so far, well short of the 20% level and of the 90% that is weapons-grade. U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret, coordinated nuclear weapons programme that it halted in 2003. Iran denies ever having had one. In Jerusalem, Netanyahu said Iran’s enrichment decision could be explained only as a bid to “continue to carry out its intention to develop a military nuclear programme”. “Israel will not allow Iran to produce nuclear weapons,” he added in a statement.
UK judge rejects extraditing 'suicide risk' Assange to US LONDON AGENCIES
A British judge ruled on Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges including breaking a spying law, saying his mental health problems meant he would be at risk of suicide. U.S. authorities are likely to appeal the decision to London’s High Court. Ultimately the case could go to the UK Supreme Court. The United States accuses Australian-born Assange, 49, of 18 offences relating to the release by WikiLeaks of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which prosecutors said had put lives in danger. His lawyers argued the entire prosecution was politically motivated, powered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, and that Assange’s extradition would pose a severe threat to the work of journalists. While Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected submissions that extradition should be barred because it would breach Assange’s freedom of speech, she said there was a real risk he would commit suicide if he were held in a U.S. maximum security jail. Assange, she said, suffered at times from severe depression and had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and autism. Half a razor blade was found in his London prison cell in May 2019, and he had told medical staff about his suicidal thoughts and made plans to end his life.
“I find that Mr. Assange’s risk of committing suicide, if an extradition order were to be made, to be substantial,” Baraitser said in her ruling, delivered at London’s Old Bailey court. “The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man, who is genuinely fearful about his future,” she added, saying he had made regular calls from jail to the Samaritans charity. Wearing a navy suit and a mask, Assange showed little emotion at the ruling. U.S. prosecutors and Western security officials regard the Australian-born founder of WikiLeaks, as a reckless and dangerous enemy of the state whose actions imperilled the lives of agents whose names were in the material. The U.S. authorities say more than 100 people were put at risk by the disclosures and about 50 had received assistance, with some fleeing their home countries with their spouses and families to move to the United States or another safe country. ‘ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT HERO’: Supporters regard him as an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised because he exposed U.S. wrongdoing in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and say his prosecution is a politically motivated assault on journalism and free speech. WikiLeaks came to prominence when it published a U.S. military video in 2010 showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff. It then released thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic cables.
The legal saga began soon afterwards when Sweden sought Assange’s extradition from Britain over allegations of sex crimes. When he lost that case in 2012, he fled to the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he spent seven years, during which he fathered two children. When he was finally dragged out in April 2019, he was jailed for breaching British bail conditions although the Swedish case against him had been dropped. Last June, the U.S. Justice Department formally asked Britain to extradite him. In court, his lawyers argued that the case was political and an assault on journalism and freedom of speech. Baraitser rejected that, however, saying there was insufficient evidence that prosecutors had been pressured by Trump’s team and there was little evidence of hostility from the U.S. president towards him. She said there was no evidence that Assange would not get a fair trial in the United States nor that prosecutors were seeking to punish him, and said his actions had gone beyond investigative journalism. But she said there was a real risk that, if found guilty, he would be held in the ADX Florence maximum security prison (SAM) in almost total isolation, and that he would find a way around their suicide prevention measures. “I am satisfied that, if he is subjected to the extreme conditions of SAMs, Mr. Assange’s mental health will deteriorate to the point where he will commit suicide,” Baraitser said.
Georgia election guardian Raffensperger faces heat as Trump contests defeat CUTHBERT AGENCIES
Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, cemented his status as an unlikely hero for U.S. Democrats following a fresh clash in which he rejected President Donald Trump’s claims that his election defeat was the result of widespread fraud. Trump returned the 65-year-old former businessman to the limelight when he called Raffensperger on Saturday to badger him to “find” enough votes to reverse Democratic President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state, according to audio of the hour-long call published by the Washington Post on Sunday. As Georgia’s top election official, Raffensperger oversaw multiple recounts of the Nov. 3 ballots, each of which reached the
same result - that the southern state had narrowly favored a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in a generation. He has vowed to fight any future election fraud even as he echoed the findings of his counterparts across the United States that there was no evidence of widespread fraud in November. He has also repeatedly pushed back against Trump’s unfounded claims of fraud, even after the president labeled him an “enemy of the people.” He did so again on Saturday’s call, telling Trump the vote showed Biden was the rightful winner. “Well Mr. President, the challenge that you have is the data you have is wrong,” Raffensperger could be heard telling Trump on the recording of Saturday’s call. The White House declined to comment. But he and his colleagues for weeks have been warning that Trump’s rhetoric placed
them and their colleagues in danger. “Stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. Someone’s going to get hurt, someone’s going to get shot, someone’s going to get killed,” Gabriel Sterling, the manager of the state’s voting systems, said at an emotional Dec. 1 press conference. Noting Raffensperger’s wife had been getting sexualized threats, he added, “It has all gone too far. It has to stop.” It was unclear if the state had taken security measures around Raffensperger after the threats emerged. His office and that of Governor Brian Kemp did not respond to requests for comment. REPUTATION AS ‘STRAIGHT SHOOTER’: After years as a civil engineer and successful businessman, Raffensperger served two years on a city council and four years in Georgia’s House of Representatives
before succeeding Kemp in 2018 as the top election official. Acquaintances of Raffensperger in the state House described him as a “straight shooter” who backed traditional Republican priorities, supporting a bill to cut regulations on small businesses, for example, and voting against a tax on gasoline, according to a profile in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A lifelong Republican, Raffensperger was an early supporter of Trump in 2016, and the president returned the favor by endorsing him for secretary of state. But whatever goodwill existed between the two men has since disappeared. “Brad Raffensperger: he’s not some liberal. Like he’s no hero of mine,” Hillary Rosen, a Democratic strategist, said on CNN. “He is a solid conservative Republican standing up to the president. That’s what
makes it so significant.” Trump’s relentless attacks since the Nov. 3 election included an accusation that Raffensperger hid tens of thousands of illegal votes, ensuring Biden’s victory. Georgia’s Republican incumbent senators - David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler - have called on Raffensperger to resign. Perdue and Loeffler themselves are locked in tight campaigns ahead of Tuesday run-off elections that will determine which party controls the U.S. Senate. Raffensperger has come under fire from the party establishment across the state for not bending to Trump’s will. Ronald Ham, the Republican party’s head in rural Brantley County, said Raffensperger should take Trump’s allegations about voter fraud more seriously. He said there were discussions among some party leaders about recalling him.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
KAne WIllIAmsOn And Henry nICHOlls Help neW ZeAlAnd dICtAte terms A RECORD FOURTH-WICKET STAND OF 215 PUT PAKISTAN ON THE BACK FOOT
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ANE WILLIAMSON now has a century in every Test he has played this summer. This includes scores of 251, 129, and the 112 not out on Monday. All this after going nine months without any first-class cricket. These mean the prospect of a golden home summer and New Zealand’s No. 1 Test ranking look bright. New Zealand have nearly wiped out the deficit with seven wickets still remaining, with the unbroken partnership between Williamson and Henry Nicholls worth 215, the best fourth-wicket stand for New Zealand against Pakistan, shading the previous record held by Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan. Only Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have more century stands (five) than Williamson-Nicholls (four) since 2018. They came together with Pakistan on the ascendancy, having removed both openers and Ross Taylor in quick succession, the scorecard reading 71 for 3 shortly after lunch. This should have been 74 for 4, but for Shaheen Afridi’s front-foot no-ball to reprieve a tentative Nicholls, who nicked to Mohammad Rizwan. On three then, Nicholls made them pay.
STUMPS NEW ZEALAND 286 FOR 3 (WILLIAMSON 112*, NICHOLLS 89*) TRAIL PAKISTAN 297 (AZHAR 93, JAMIESON 5-69) BY 11 RUNS From there on, New Zealand were authoritative. Once they overcame Mohammad Abbas’ early burst after lunch, runs that seemed to be at a premium prior to the break became available in plenty. Williamson, who was mindful of not jabbing at deliveries, also grew in confidence. Williamson’s 24th Test century was a knock built on the old-school virtues of patience and hard grind. Leaving balls the manner in which he did came with the assuredness of where his off-stump lay. Dead defense early in his innings against the skillful Abbas meant respecting the bowler and the conditions. It wasn’t until he got to his half-century did Williamson break free. He was on 10 off 48 at one stage in the second session when Pakistan were putting ungodly pressure on either side of lunch. With that iron-clad technique and the keenness to play with his bat close to the body, he absorbed it all. Then, as the sting went out of the attack, he didn’t let the early approach dictate his batting tempo for the rest of the afternoon. His next 93 runs came off just 92 deliveries. As he strolled into the 80s, Williamson’s full range came to the fore particularly. One over off Naseem Shah prior to tea went for a four: a peerless cut,
a nonchalant whip from middle, an ondrive and a nick through the cordon. The edge flew between Shan Masood and Haris Sohail, who earlier in the day pouched an excellent reflex-action catch at first slip to remove Tom Latham after Masood appeared to have nearly grassed it. On 86 then, Williamson brought up his century soon after before once again settling down to shelve some of the flamboyance perhaps mindful of stumps looming. As New Zealand looked to shut off, Pakistan were caught snoozing too, as chances went abegging. Williamson was let off on 107 again with Masood fluffing a third chance moving to his right at gully off Faheem Ashraf. Then in the dying moments, Nicholls was let off when captain Mohammad Rizwan fluffed a straightforward offering off Shaheen Afridi. Nicholls, like Williamson, started slowly. Tentative to begin with, he showed patience to wear the bowlers down and played with soft hands. He was challenged a number of times by Abbas, but soon after lunch, he adjusted to mark a fresh middlestump guard and shuffled across to get closer and perhaps a touch outside off to negate away-going deliveries. Like he did earlier in the home sum-
mer against New Zealand, where an early reprieve set the stone for a career-best double-century in Wellington, he made Pakistan pay. Quick to pounce on anything short, he cut well and used the pace to glide the ball risk-free between point and third man. From time to time, the slow leftarm of debutant Zafar Gohar proved to be the release he needed to get going. Naseem looked out of sorts and short on pace, even as the rest of the attack wheeled away. It took Pakistan 11 overs to get the batsmen to play at deliveries, something Ashraf took cue from to get rewarded with the first breakthrough when he had Tom Blundell lbw with an inducker. Initially not given, Pakistan overturned it on review to break a threatening opening stand of 52. In the next over, Afridi, brought back into the attack, after a rather lacklustre first spell, did what he should have done much earlier. He made Latham play the ball, which jagged away just about enough to induce the edge. Masood made a mess of the catch at second slip, but was thankful to Sohail and his freakishly good reflexes as he grabbed the rebound at first slip. Suddenly, it was two in two for Pakistan, a frustrating morning magically transforming into a fruitful one. Taylor’s wicket soon after lunch put the cat among the pigeons. The match was on an even keel. Pakistan knew a wicket there and they would have he upper hand. They grassed the chance and saw not just the afternoon but even perhaps the Test slip away from their grasp.
Record-breaking Ghulam leads Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s victory push KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA 300 AND 243 FOR 5 (GHULAM 104*, ISRARULLAH 63, MAQSOOD 2-52) LEAD CENTRAL PUNJAB 257 (AKRAM 60, SALAHUDDIN 60, SHAH 4-73, USMAN 3-32) BY 286 RUNS
AGENCIES After securing a first-innings lead of 43, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa extended it to 286 at the close of day three, taking control of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final at the National Stadium in Karachi. Kamran Ghulam led the way
for KP, breaking the record for most runs in a Quaid-eAzam Trophy season, pushing his tally up to 1245. The record was previously held by Saadat Ali who had scored 1217 runs in the 1983-84 season. Ghulam ended day three on 104 not out - his second fifty-plus score of the match and his fifth ton overall this
season. “This has been an extraordinary season for me and I am grateful to my team-mates and my coaches who have played an integral role in my success this season,” Ghulam told the PCB website. “I also want to thank my family as this would not have been possible without their sacrifices in this extraordinary season which has kept the players away from their houses for the past four months.” Ghulam also credited coach Abdul Razzaq for his progress and set his focus towards making his international debut for Pakistan. He had previously represented Pakistan at the Under-19 level. “This season has given me a lot of confidence and now I have more faith in my abilities than before,” he said. “Having a legend like Abdul Razzaq as a coach has helped me in identifying my strengths and now my aim is to build on them. My aim is now to build on this and represent Pakistan at the highest level.” Opening batsman Israrullah also made his second fifty of the game, leaving Central Punjab facing an uphill task. CP added 45 to their overnight 212 for 8 before they were dismissed on the third day. Qasim Akram was the joint-highest scorer for them, staying unbeaten on 60; Usman Salahuddin had also hit 60 before he had fallen on the second day. Waqas Maqsood then struck early for CP, removing Fakhar Zaman for 4. Five overs later, Bilawal Iqbal got No.3 Zohaib Khan for 5, but Israrullah and Ghulam combined again, this time putting on an 88-run partnership. Ghulam hit 16 boundaries while Israrullah struck 10. Akram then pitched in with the ball, cutting short Israrullah’s innings at 63. Ghulam brought up his century off the 196th ball he faced, from CP captain Hasan Ali, when he pinched a single via an overthrow. Adil Amin and Rehan Afridi fell late in the day, but CP still have plenty of work to do. To add to their concerns, their regular wicketkeeper Ali Shan fell sick and Muhammad Akhlaq kept wicket in his place right from the start of KP’s second innings.
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India and Australia players and staff all test negative for Covid-19 Both the teams, their support staff and the match officials for the ongoing Test series between India and Australia have tested negative for Covid-19. The tests were administered on Sunday and the results received today (Monday), the day the teams are scheduled to travel from Melbourne to Sydney for the third Test of the series that stands level at 1-1 after the Boxing Day Test. The SCG Test will be played in front of 25% capacity crowds after a Covid-19 outbreak which began in the northern beaches region of Sydney and has since spread to other parts of the city almost forced Cricket Australia to take the New Year’s fixture out of its traditional home. This will involve a hectic process of refunding and reticketing with only three days to go to the Test. “In response to the public health situation in New South Wales, we are working closely with Venues NSW and NSW Health to put appropriate biosecurity measures in place for our staff, players, match officials, broadcasters and fans to ensure we play the third Test at the SCG safely,” CA’s interim CEO Nick Hockley said. “Reducing the capacity of the venue is crucial in achieving social-distancing requirements, and we sincerely thank ticketholders for their patience, as we process refunds today, reconfigure the SCG seating plan to deliver these social-distancing measures and go back on sale.” The teams’ negative tests were also significant given the possible biosecurity bubble breach by five India players, which is still being investigated. On January 1, a video on Twitter seemed to show the five players dining at an indoors venue in Melbourne. The person who posted the video also tweeted that he paid for their meals unbeknownst to the players and was rewarded with a hug by Rishabh Pant once his act came to be known, a claim the person later retracted. The five players - Pant, new vice-captain Rohit Sharma, Shubhman Gill, Navdeep Saini and Prithvi Shaw - were placed in isolation, away from the rest of the contingent, pending further investigation. AGENCIES
Australian Open quarantine plan faces legal challenge Apartment owners on the premises of a luxury Melbourne hotel are seeking to quash plans by Australian Open organisers to use the hotel to quarantine players ahead of the Grand Slam. The apartment owners at the Westin Melbourne are concerned for their health and never agreed to international players quarantining at the hotel, their lawyer Graeme Efron told Reuters on Monday. “My instructions are to get an injunction. So at this stage, that’s where we’re going,” Efron said. Hundreds of players are expected to arrive in Melbourne in midJanuary and undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine as part of Covid-19 protocols before the Feb. 8-21 Australian Open. Efron said the Westin had informed the owners on Christmas Eve about the quarantine plans and presented it as a “done deal.” “No-one has told us that this has been mandated by a government authority to turn a partly residential city hotel into a quarantine hotel,” he said. Owners, who include some of the country’s top business people, said they felt “ambushed” by the quarantine plan. “At 84, I’m in the vulnerable group and it’s shocking the way they tried to ram this through without any attempt to consult with us,” owner Digby Lewis told Fairfax media. Westin management said their “Covid safe” plan had been shared with the owners corporation, adding that residents would use a separate entrance and lifts and have no contact with players and quarantine staff. AGENCIES
Japanese PM says city hosting Olympics may go into lockdown starting January 9 AGENCIES Japan said on Monday it would consider declaring a state of emergency for the Greater Tokyo metropolitan area as coronavirus cases climb, casting fresh doubt over whether it can push ahead with the Olympics and keep economic damage to a minimum. Citing government sources, Kyodo News reported that preparations were being made for a state of emergency that would take effect on Jan. 9 and last about a month. Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures may separately ask residents to refrain from non-essential, non-urgent outings from Friday to the end of the month, public broadcaster NHK reported. Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who is in charge of coronavirus countermea-
sures, said on Monday that the government would aim to make a decision “as soon as possible” after hearing what experts had to say. An emergency declaration would mark a reversal for Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who has resisted any such drastic steps despite criticism that the government was acting too slowly. Japan saw a record 4,520 new cases on Dec. 31, prompting the capital, Tokyo, and three neighbouring prefectures to seek an emergency declaration from the national government. There were 3,158 new cases on Sunday, according to NHK; Tokyo and its environs accounted for about half of them. “Even during the three days of the New Year’s holidays, cases didn’t go down in the greater Tokyo area,” Suga told a news conference. “We felt that a stronger message
was needed,” he added, when asked to explain the change of heart on a potential emergency declaration. Suga did not say when the government would make a decision, or what restrictions would follow. The first state of emergency, declared last spring, lasted more than a month, shutting down schools and non-essential businesses. In the absence of specifics, hundreds of thousands of Twitter posts expressed dismay and confusion. “This morning the news said it’s 200 days till the Olympics, and in the afternoon, that there could be another state of emergency. What’s going on?” tweeted user Mii Mama. Since the start of the pandemic, Japan has recorded more than 245,000 cases and about 3,600 deaths. Although the figures pale in comparison to those of many parts of Europe and the Americas, Suga has the chal-
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lenge of hosting the Olympics in Tokyo this summer after the pandemic caused the Games’ first-ever delay in 2020. That task has been made more difficult by the discovery last month of a new, highly infectious variant of the coronavirus. That prompted Japan to temporarily ban non-resident foreign nationals from entering the country. Still, Suga repeated the government’s pledge to continue preparations for the Games, adding the country would aim to start vaccinating residents by the end of February. SHARES FALL: Japanese shares fell on the year’s first day of trading, reacting to news of the potential state of emergency. Although Japan has relied on voluntary closings rather than the sort of rigid lockdown measures seen elsewhere in the world, Suga said a bill would be submitted to the next ses-
sion of parliament to give state-of-emergency restrictions more teeth, including penalties. Suga repeated, however, that many of the new cases with unknown origins were likely linked to restaurants, and that the government’s latest request for eateries in the Tokyo area to close at 8 p.m. - rather than 10 p.m. - should be effective. Toshihiro Nagahama, an economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, estimated that a one-month suspension of non-urgent consumer spending in greater Tokyo would slash gross domestic product by 2.8 trillion yen ($27 billion), or an annualised 0.5%. “The loss of GDP could throw 147,000 people out of work,” he wrote in a note. A popular subsidised travel programme that was paused for two weeks through Jan. 11 would also stay on hold during a state of emergency, Suga indicated.
Tuesday, 5 January, 2021
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ThoUSANdS moUrN hAzArA coAl mINerS kIlled IN BAlochISTAN ATTAck
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AGENCIES HOUSANDS of mourners from the Shia Hazara community on Monday protested alongside the bodies of miners killed in an attack in Balochistan’s Mach coal-
field area. The 11 miners were kidnapped before dawn on Sunday as they slept near the remote coal mine in the mountainous area — 60 kilometres southeast of Quetta. The attack was claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group. Up to 2,500 protesters
gathered with eight of the bodies in coffins and blocked a bypass on the outskirts of Quetta, demanding justice. “We will not end our protest until the arrest of all the assassins,” chief of Balochistan Shia Conference, Agha Daud, told AFP. “The latest wave of killings will spread to
INTerIor mINISTer grIeveS wITh hAzArA commUNITy, vowS jUSTIce NEWS DESK Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Monday visited the protesting families of the 11 coal miners belonging to the minority Shia Hazara community who were gunned down in Mach, Balochistan, on Sunday.He also announced compensation amounting to Rs2.5 million for each family.“Each family of the martyrs will be given Rs1 million by the prime minister, while Rs1.5 million will be given by the Balochistan chief minister,” he told the media after meeting the victims’ families. Extending invitation to the families for visiting Islamabad to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan, he urged them to bury the bodies of their loved ones as early as possible.The minister said that he came to meet the victims’ families on the direction of the prime minister to offer condolences on his behalf. Condemning the tragic
Pakistan strongly condemns terrorist attacks in Niger ISLAMABAD
incident, he said that its perpetrators would be brought to justice at the earliest.Earlier, the interior minister, who was accompanied by National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, presided over a meeting to review the law and order situation of the province. The meeting was attended by the provincial chief secretary, inspector general of the Frontier Corps (FC) and others. During the meeting, the minister was given a briefing about the attack, and he termed it as a tragic incident.Before leaving for the provincial capital, Rasheed telephoned renowned religious scholar Allama Raja Nasir Abbas and conveyed his condolence over the killing of Hazara community members. He told the religious scholar that he was going to visit the families to listen to their grievances on the direction of PM Imran. He also vowed to bring the perpetrators of the incident to justice.
PM orders crackdown against sale of smuggled oil products
STAFF REPORT
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Pakistan on Monday condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks in Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye border villages in Niger’s Tillaberi region, in which so many precious lives were lost and a number of innocent people were injured. “Pakistan stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the brotherly government and people of Niger and shares their anguish at these cowardly and mindless acts of terrorism,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement. ”We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,” it said. “Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of terrorism in all forms and manifestations. We remain in strong support and solidarity with the government and people of Niger in this hour of grief and sorrow,” the statement maintained.
STAFF REPORT
US military blames Taliban for spate of Afghan assassinations KABUL AGENCIES
The US military on Monday blamed the Taliban for a spate of assassinations of prominent Afghans, the first time Washington has directly accused the insurgent group of the killings. The charge comes as the Afghan government and Taliban are due Tuesday to resume peace talks in Qatar, as both sides seek an end to the long-running conflict. “The Taliban’s campaign of unclaimed attacks and targeted killings of government officials, civil society leaders & journalists must... cease for peace to succeed,” Colonel Sonny Leggett, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said on Twitter. The deputy governor of Kabul province, five journalists, and a prominent election activist have been among those assassinated since November. Afghan officials blame the Taliban for the killings, but the hardline group has denied the charge, while the rival Islamic State group says its fighters were responsible for some of them. Leggett’s statement comes as the Taliban accused US forces of carrying out air strikes against insurgents in Kandahar, Nangarhar and Helmand provinces in recent days. The Taliban said the strikes violated an agreement signed in February that paved the way for the withdrawal of all foreign forces by May 2021. Leggett said the US would continue to defend Afghan forces against Taliban attacks.
other cities including Quetta if a decisive action is not taken at this stage,” he added. Security officials who did not want to be named told AFP the attackers first separated the miners before tying their hands and feet and taking them into the hills to kill them. At least four were beheaded, they added. Two of the miners were Afghans and their bodies have been sent to Afghanistan for burial, a local security official told AFP. Sunni extremist group IS claimed the attack, according to SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist activities worldwide. Also on Monday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed arrived in Quetta, where he is chairing a high-level official meeting regarding the Mach killings. He is expected to meet the Hazara protesters and speak to the press. Ethnic Hazaras make up most of the Shia population in Quetta. They have proven to be particularly vulnerable with their distinct Central Asian features making them easy targets for militants. Officials have long denied the presence of IS in the country, but the group has claimed a number of attacks in the past including a bombing at a vegetable market in 2019. Though mines in Pakistan are notorious for poor safety standards, such attacks against miners are rare.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered a crackdown on elements involved in sale of smuggled petroleum products, inflicting a loss of Rs150 billion per annum to the national exchequer. The prime minister ordered this while chairing a high-level meeting, which was attended by top civil and military officials. He said that the economy is suffering irreparable loss due to the menace of smuggling and called for final action against elements involved in such illegal acts. He approved an action plan, according to which a crackdown will be launched against illegal petroleum outlets, FIRs will be registered against their owners, their properties will be forfeited, and heavy fines will be imposed. The prime minister resolved that the money recovered from the antismuggling drive will be spent on the public. A report about trade of smuggled petroleum products in the country was presented to the premier during the meeting. The meeting was informed that the country is deprived of an estimated revenue of Rs150 billion per annum due to sale of smuggled oil. As many as 2,094 fuel stations were found to be involved in the sale of smuggled petroleum products in three provinces. Separately in a series of tweets on Monday, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that total recoveries by National
SAYS INDEPENDENT WORKING OF INSTITUTIONS BENEFIT NATION; TERMS ACCOUNTABILITY CRUCIAL FOR CIVILISED SOCIETY; DISCUSSES REGIONAL SECURITY SITUATION WITH DEFENCE MINISTER Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2019 and 2020 amount to Rs389 billion in comparison to previous 10 years (20082018) recoveries of Rs104 billion. He termed the decade before Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came into power as the “dark ages under corrupt rulers”. He said that following facts “reveal how the nation benefits when state institutions are allowed to function independently without political interference.” He said that the anti-graft authority recovered Rs206 billion in 27 months in comparison to only Rs3 billion in the past decade in Punjab. “These are clear indications of accountability working when institutions are independent,” the prime minister maintained. Separately in a meeting of the party’s and government spokespersons on Monday, PM Imran has directives to highlight corruption cases of the opposition leaders, besides elaborating the achievements of the incumbent government. The PM said that the process of accountability will be continued which is crucial for the development of a civilised society. He said that the opposition leaders joined hands to resist the
accountability process. While slamming the PDM leadership, the premier said that the opposition leaders have risked the lives of the nationals amid the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. He directed the spokespersons to highlight corruption cases of the opposition leaders for making the nationals aware of their tactics to loot the national treasury. He also instructed them to highlight the performance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government including the positive economic indicators. He added that the federal government will be more focused on further improving its performance this year. The meeting decided to respond to the propaganda of the opposition alliance, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), on every forum. The meeting agreed to give a full response to the opposition parties in the upcoming Senate elections. In yet another meeting with Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, the prime minister discussed the regional security situation, India’s ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) and its negative effects on the region.
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establishment protects state’s interests within legal limits: Fm SAYS HINDUTVA POLICY BURIED CONCEPT OF SECULARISM IN INDIA ISLAMABAD TLTP
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the establishment always ensures protection of the state’s interests while remaining within the framework of the Constitution and the law. Referring to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the foreign minister in a statement on Monday said, “We have from the beginning been questioning the national service that can be provided by those whose philosophy is in-line with India.” He said that the opposition promotes India’s narrative every time it criticises the state institutions, that too at a time when India is sponsoring terrorism inside Pakistan. He also said that India has been continuously shelling at Pakistan’s borders and violating the ceasefire agreement at the Line of Control (LoC) whereas terrorist incidents are occurring one after the other in Balochistan. “This country is not a property of any dictator or any particular institution. It is also not under anyone’s occupation. This country belongs to its people,” Qureshi added. PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on January 1 warned that the PDM could decide marching towards Rawalpindi - where the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters are located - instead of marching to Islamabad the parliament. The JUI-F reiterated the warning again at the Bahawalpur rally on Sunday last. Speaking of the Bahawalpur rally, the foreign minister said that he would not call it a power show as it was a show but “without any power”. “Who governed Punjab for the last several decades?” Qureshi remarked in reference to Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s comments at the rally that South Punjab has been kept deprived. “It remains to be seen who deprived South Punjab,” the FM said. “In whose era were the funds diverted elsewhere unfairly? In whose era was the slogan ‘we are prisoners of the throne in Lahore’ popular?” the foreign minister asked. Qureshi said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has taken two major decisions regarding South Punjab in the last two-and-ahalf years. “Two administrative secretariats have been set up in Multan and Bahawalpur to devolve power to lower levels,” the FM said. “Special funds have been allocated for South Punjab which will be spent on construction and its development,” he added. Qureshi said that India has buried the concept of secularism owing to its Hindutva policy. He said that the international media is openly criticising India. He added that minorities are being treated in discrimination in India and farmers are also protesting there. The minister said that Pakistan has put forth a dossier before the world community, exposing the Indian terrorism with evidence. He said that Pakistan will continue to raise the Kashmir issue at every forum and the movement of selfdetermination will succeed. The foreign minister said, “We have also written letters to the UN Secretary General and Human Rights Commissioner in Geneva, demanding free and fair trial to all the political prisoners in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and their release at the earliest.”
Afghan rivals to resume talks as civilian killings sow suspicion KABUL AGENCIES
Afghan government representatives and Taliban officials are due to resume peace talks in Qatar after a three-week break, officials said on Monday, although battlefield clashes and targeted killings risk undermining efforts to end the war. The negotiations, due to get going again on Tuesday, are expected to cover contentious issues such as power-sharing and a ceasefire after the two sides reached an initial agreement on procedural rules in December. The talks began in Qatar in September months after the Taliban reached an agreement with the United States allowing it to pull its troops out of
Afghanistan and end its longest war in exchange for Taliban security guarantees. The Taliban have refused to recognise the US-backed government and that was an issue that would have to be tackled, said a member of the team representing the government. “An interim government is an undeniable topic of discussion because we want a ceasefire and the Taliban aren’t ready to agree to one with the current government,” the delegate, Hafiz Mansoor, told Reuters in Kabul before setting off for Qatar. A Taliban spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. Under the terms of the agreement the United States struck with the Taliban, the formation of a “new postsettlement Afghan Islamic government”
would be determined through negotiations between the two Afghan sides. President Ashraf Ghani’s government was elected in 2019 for a five-year term but the Taliban rejected the election. But relentless violence is over-shadowing the bid to find peace. Government officials have in recent weeks accused the Taliban of a string of high-profile murders, including of bureaucrats and journalists, and bomb attacks. The Taliban have rejected some of the accusations but at the same time, they have made gains against government forces in fighting in various parts of the country. The level of violence has prompted occasional intervention by Western forces. On Monday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said US forces had con-
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ducted airstrikes against insurgents, terming it a violation of the agreement between the two sides. A spokesman for US forces, Colonel Sonny Leggett, said the strikes were defensive and not a violation of the agreement, and he called for a reduction in violence. European officials have also urged both sides to reduce hostilities and move quickly towards a settlement. The United States has been scaling back its presence in Afghanistan nearly 20 years after it intervened with its allies to overthrow the Taliban in the weeks after September 11, 2001, attacks on US cities. Afghan security officials expect the size of the US force to dwindle to about 2,500 troops early this year.