Tuesday, 31 August, 2021 I 22 Muharram, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 61 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition
Borders are secure, armed forces prepared to meet any situation: coas Fawad urges world to support Afghanistan for formation of inclusive government IsLAMABAD APP
c
News Desk
hief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has said that due to timely steps for western zone border management, Pakistan’s borders are secure. The army chief said this while talking to a delegation comprising members of Parliamentary Kashmir Committee and Defence Committees of the Senate and National Assembly, who visited the General headquarters (GhQ) on Monday, said a statement issued by the inter-Services Public Relations (iSPR).
General Bajwa said, “Due to our timely steps for western zone border management, Alhamdolillah today despite challenges, Pakistan’s borders are secure and we are prepared to meet any situation.” The army chief said that armed forces, with support of the nation, have achieved unprecedented successes in fight against terrorism and bringing normalcy in the country. Alluding to the benefits of regional connectivity, the COAS highlighted the importance of restoration of peace in Afghanistan for sustainable development of the region. he reiterated Pakistan Army’s
coronavirus in
pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
1,156,281
LAST UPDATED AT 10:05 AM ON AUGUST 29, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
66
3,800
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
1,036,921 25,670 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
430,594
391,297
KPK:
BALOCHISTAN:
161,381 AJK/GB:
32,200 ISLAMABAD:
31,988 / 9,870
98,951
support and commitment to Kashmir cause and people of Kashmir. “The world must know that without a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue, peace and stability will remain elusive,” the COAS reiterated. The delegation was given a detailed briefing on the security environment, including the situation on the borders and Pakistan Army’s efforts for peace and stability. The delegation had an exhaustive interactive session with General Bajwa that concluded with resolve to continue the struggle against violent extremism through a synergetic whole-of-thenation approach, said the iSPR.
The world needs to support Kabul, where the Taliban are struggling to form an inclusive government, in achieving the goal that was imperative for a stable Afghanistan, Minister for information and Broadcasting fawad Chaudhry said on Monday. Speaking to TRT World, a Turkish news broadcaster, he said the West has embarrassed itself by refusing to listen to Pakistan about its apprehensions and expressed fear that if mistakes of the past were repeated, the situation in Afghanistan would only further deteriorate. The government in Afghanistan has to be formed by the people of Afghanistan, he said. The regional and the world powers share responsibility in facilitating this process, he stressed. The minister said Pakistan was facilitating the process of installing an all-inclusive broad-based regime in Afghanistan. The wartorn country had been left alone in the past, he added, expressing fear that the international community was going to repeat the same mistakes. “if the same mistakes are repeated again, that means we will create a hub of extremist organisations right at the border of Pakistan which is obviously worrisome for us,” he said. he said when the Soviet Union withdrew from Afghanistan in 1988, Pakistan had to
Bilawal says PPP has shown country how to oust PM Imran News Desk Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said the party has already “shown a way to the whole country to get rid of Prime Minister imran Khan” when it managed to make former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani win in the Senate polls in March instead of Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf candidate Abdul hafeez Shaikh. Addressing a press conference in Sukkur on Monday, a day after the comeback rally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement, he said that if the other opposition parties agreed to “first attack Punjab and then go the national level, then this government will go home”. if the opposition was serious, then it could pull off “such a big feat, the example of which you won’t find in the democratic system” similar to how it had “defeated the prime minister from his own electoral college” during the Senate polls, he added. Talking about mass resignations — the issue which led to PPP’s separation from the alliance — the PPP chairperson said the PDM parliamentarians should resign “on principle
deal with the deteriorating situation on the ground and now the United States and NATO troops have withdrawn hastily from Afghanistan, and Pakistan again was again left to deal with the matter. Now Pakistan was keeping a close eye on this matter, said the minister. if the situation in Afghanistan did not stabilise, millions of people would start moving towards Pakistan, he said. he recalled Pakistan has been hosting 3.5 million Afghan refugees for more than three decades and the country’s economy could not afford the expenses of more refugees. The efforts of the international community were necessary to solve the Afghanistan question, said fawad. he said Pakistan was playing the role of a responsible state and striving for a stable Afghanistan and was working with regional and international powers in this regard. Unrest in Afghanistan was detrimental not only to Pakistan but to the entire world, he asserted. As the was Kabul was achieved without firing a single bullet, there was no crisis for refugees at the moment and the situation on the borders was normal right now, he said to a question. “We have evacuated foreigners and those working for foreign companies from Kabul”, he said, recalling that special Pakistan international Airlines flights have evacuated over 4,500 people from Afghanistan.
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MORE INSIDE
Rockets fired at Kabul airport as US troops race to complete evacuation STORY ON BACK PAGE
PM directs for completing construction of dams within stipulated time since we are not together [and] that was their problem”. The votes of PDM members who were a part of the National Assembly were being “wasted”, he claimed. Bilawal invited the opposition to support the PPP, stressing that it could “not only give a tough time to the government but also remove it”. The PPP chairman said that PTi promised to provide 10 million jobs and had instead snatched the livelihoods of the poor people. he said imran Khan also promised to construct 5 million homes for the poor adding that PM’s house in Bani Gala was regularized but the houses of
the poor in the slumps (Kachi Abadi) were demolished. Bilawal said that if imran Khan would have come in the power after winning the election he would have solved the problems of the people. “Peoples Party has a history of providing jobs to the people, “he said. While addressing party workers, Bilawal also said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf knows that patwaris and maulana are no threat to its government. Bilawal said that only PPP is standing firm against the incumbent government as jiyalas know how to face puppets as well as terrorists.
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STORY ON PAGE 02
PM scolds officials for failing to bring down prices of commodities STORY ON PAGE 03
US exit will stop iS attacks in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson says STORY ON BACK PAGE
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Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
LAHORE
NEWS
PM DirectS for coMPletiNg coNStructioN of DaMS withiN StiPulateD tiMe IsLAMABAD
P
tltp
RIME Minister Imran Khan has said that construction of water reservoirs will not only fulfil water needs but will also ensure provision of affordable electricity to meet energy requirements of the country. Talking to Chairman Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Lt Gen (retd) Muzammil Hussain, who called on him on Monday, the prime minister directed him to take necessary steps to complete the construction work of new dams within the stipulated time. The prime minister said expensive
Sindh to start vaccination of 1.4m students from September 6 News Desk The Sindh health and education departments have announced to start a Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the schools and colleges of the province from September 6 to vaccinate 1.4 million students. Sindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho and Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah co-chaired a meeting on Monday that was attended by Parliamentary Health Secretary Qasim Soomro, Health Secretary Kazim Jatoi, Education Secretary Akbar Leghari and other officials through video link. The meeting reached the decision that the health department’s 2,527 teams would participate in the vaccination drive against the deadly pandemic. During the campaign, about 1.4 million students from grades nine to 12 would be vaccinated against the disease. In the first phase, the vaccine campaign would commence at the district level which would later be extended to a sub-division level. The forum also decided that the school administration would contact the children’s parents and seek their consent whereas parents should be taken into confidence for the vaccination. “Registration should also be ensured once the vaccine is completed.” the provincial health minister said. He said that vaccination will be necessary for the continuation of the teaching process and for the safety of children. The health department would be responsible for making arrangements of Covid-19 vaccines in the educational intuitions, he added. Schools across Sindh resumed classes on Monday as per a notification issued by the provincial School Education and Literacy Department. According to the notification, schools shall remain open six days a week, with 50 percent attendance of students on alternate days.
Detention of suspect in Noor murder extended IsLAMABAD StAff RepoRt
A district and sessions court in Islamabad Monday extended until September 6 the judicial remand of the prime suspect in the murder of the daughter of a former ambassador. Noor Mukadam, 27, was found murdered at the residence of one Zahir Zakir in Sector F-7/4 of Islamabad in July. Zakir, widely believed to be the killer, was arrested the same day for his purported involvement in the gruesome incident. A first information report registered on the complaint of Ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam, Mukadam’s father, nominated Zakir under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Zakir was presented before the magistrate Monday after the completion of his previous twoweek remand period. Earlier this month, the police have disclosed that the DNA test and fingerprints of the accused showed his involvement in the murder. They said that photogrammetry tests conducted on a video in which Mukaddam was seen making efforts to save her life and being chased by the accused confirmed that it was genuine. The footage had been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency in Lahore to confirm its authenticity.
electricity causes price hike and inflation while inexpensive power generation from dams brings prices of daily use commodities down. He said that the construction of hydropower projects is imperative for sustainable economic growth and agricultural production, besides bringing prices of daily commodities and inflation down. The chairman Wapda apprised the prime minister of the progress in the construction work on the continuing big dams under the prime minister’s vision of ‘Decade of Dams.’ Separately, presiding over a meeting on Monday to get an update on the establishment of Universal Pakistan
Emergency Helpline 911, Prime Minister Khan said that protection of life and property of the people is the primary responsibility of the government. The prime minister directed the concerned authorities to remove all obstacles in the commencement of service as soon as possible to curb crime in the country. The prime minister was informed that all necessary work including inter-provincial liaison has been completed and the helpline will be ready for regular opening by the first week of October this year. The prime minister hoped the launch of this helpline would help ensure peace and security in the country by enabling timely action against crime.
Not a single person from Afghanistan granted refugee status: Rasheed News Desk Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed stated that no person from Afghanistan has been granted refugee status. “I can confirm as your [the] interior minister that we have not given the status of a refugee to even a single person,” he shared during a news conference on Monday, a day before the US and other foreign troops complete their pullout from the war-ravaged country. The interior minister’s comments came as thousands of Afghans have sought to leave the country since the Taliban took control of the country last month. The US had also requested Pakistan to provide transit facilities after which Islamabad made arrangements at the city’s hotels, according to a report by Geo. Rasheed clarified that people from Afghanistan arrive in Pakistan via the Chaman border on a daily basis and then go back to their country, adding that this was “a normal activity.” Regarding any possible influx of people from Afghanistan, he said that Pakistan has “made arrangements to accommodate 3,000 people in Islamabad only,” adding that “any person from any nationality, who comes to Pakistan from Afghanistan, will be granted a transit visa of 21 days.” He added that as of now, 1,627 people have entered Pakistan via the air route, while over 2,100 people arrived through the land route at Torkham. “We had been expecting a huge refugee influx from Afghanistan, but not a single person came to Pakistan as a refugee.” He said Pakistan Army is “the world’s greatest army”, adding that they had fenced the border and were keeping a close watch over the movement of people. Speaking further about developments in Afghanistan, the minister said that Pakistan had evacuated all but 30-40 citizens from the country. “Those 30-40 people want to remain in Afghanistan. They got married there and now have families. They told us they are happy in Afghanistan,” he added. ‘ThreaT of Terrorism from india’: The minister lashed out at India, saying that New Delhi can use militant groups to carry out subversive activities in
Pakistan. He said Islamabad hoped Afghanistan would not allow its territory to be used against Pakistan. Rasheed said Pakistan was the only country in the world that had sacrificed 80,000-plus lives to establish peace in Afghanistan and the region. He censured India, saying that the “country’s news channels are attempting to malign Pakistan through propaganda.” While speaking about the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan, he said that Pakistan is hopeful that the Taliban would not let their soil be used against its neighbouring country. “Daesh fighters are present in Nuristan and in the mountains of Kunar,” he admitted. rasheed lashes ouT aT Pdm: During the press conference, the interior minister took shots at the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), saying that the Opposition’s “timing and tuning” were both messed up. “Opposition should prepare for the next elections,”
he advised. “Their narrative will not get acceptance among the masses.” Rasheed said that the Opposition was not aware of Pakistani politics, adding that they were focused on petty issues while Pakistan’s politics was headed towards international matters. “Last December, you were coming for our resignations. You will be trapped [if you try again],” he said in response to PDM’s announcement of a march towards Islamabad. The minister said that the people of Pakistan were now aware of political issues, adding that by the time the next general elections are held, all pending NAB cases will be resolved. In response to another question, Rasheed urged UK authorities to take Pakistan off the red list. He declined to comment on a question relating to a ban on social media.
British MPs praise outgoing Kashmir president LONDON AnAdolu Agency
British MPs on Sunday praised the outgoing president of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir. President Masood Khan’s tenure was described by the members of the House of Commons as “productive” and a “golden era” for the cause of Kashmir on the international stage. It also highlighted the significant efforts undertaken by Khan in raising human rights issues in the Indian occupied territory. “For the first time in the history of AJK, after the end of the era of the highest government official, world political leaders have called his tenure productive through their separate video messages and hailed his contributions for
Kashmiris’ political rights widely,” prominent rights group Tehreek-eKashmir said in a statement. “The British parliamentarians paid tribute to the former AJ&K President Khan for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international level and for maintaining a constant liaison with the institutions and parliaments across the globe,” the group added. Prominent members of the Commons from both sides of the political divide sent messages of thanks and support to Khan, who will be ending his presidency of the territory after five years at the helm. Prior to his presidency, Khan was a seasoned diplomat to the UN and its various institutions in Switzerland. James Daly, a Tory MP and member of the Conservative Friends of
Kashmir said: “I’ve had the honour of meeting his excellency on many occasions, including in Kashmir. I think he is a great man who stood up against human rights abuses that are currently being suffered by the people of Kashmir, and he will be greatly missed.” The Conservative Friends of Kashmir, a group within the Conservative Party, campaigns for the preservation of human rights and selfdetermination for the occupied territory of Kashmir. Similarly, Rebecca Long-Bailey, a prominent member of the opposition Labour Party and a former shadow minister, also expressed her gratitude for Khan’s endearing work. “On behalf of the Salford and Eccles Kashmiri community, I wanted
to send our warmest wishes to Sardar Masood Khan, the outgoing president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He was a humble man who fought tirelessly for self-determination in the Kashmir region, and I know all those around him and all those that will come afterwards will continue that fight to promote human rights and peace in the region,” Long-Bailey said in a video message. Other prominent lawmakers from the Labour and Tory parties including Jess Phillips, Afzal Khan and Kate Hollern as well as a former UK member of the European Parliament, Phil Bennion, also sent out messages of praise, support and thanks to the outgoing president, acknowledging the hard work he put in during his presidency of the historically turbulent region.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
LAHORE
ShehBaz reiterateS call for NatioNal uNity goverNMeNt kArACHI
o
MIAn AbRAR
PPOSITION leader and President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reiterated his proposal for the formation of a national unity government to help jointly face the challenges posed to the country. “Pakistan is facing many problems and challenges. No single party can face the challenges we are facing. My view is that we can deal with these challenges only by forming a national government,” Shehbaz Sharif said while speaking to senior journalists here after paying regards at the mausoleum of the father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi. Calling for ensuring press freedom, Shehbaz Sharif said that no party in the parliament could support the black law that suppresses the voice of the media. “Pakistan is being criticized due to the black law aimed at media curbs. We are trying to resist the black
Bilawal says PPP has shown country how to oust PM imran CONtINueD frOM pAge 01 Taking a jibe at PML-N leadership, Bilawal said that if the opposition leader is from PPP, he is sent to jail but if the post is held by someone from Lahore, he continues to enjoy his life. PPP Chairman Bilawal further said that this is the last government of PTI and soon PPP will form a government and asked party workers to get ready to save the country. He further said that Peoples Party has always advocated for the rights of farmers, stood with the poor, and offered sacrifices for democracy. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also took a jibe at the opposition alliance’s rally in Karachi a day earlier, saying “maybe the rally would have been more effective if they (PDM) gave women permission to participate.” Moreover, he said he could not comment on whether the PDM rally — the alliance’s first power show after a months-long lull — was “successful”, adding that the PPP believed all democratic parties should play their role. However, it would have been “more effective” if the PDM allowed women to participate in the rally, he said. “This is not Afghanistan. This is Karachi, capital of Sindh,” he remarked. He questioned how a country and a city could be run when “even a home cannot be run without a woman”, recalling that Pakistan was the first Muslim country to appoint a female prime minister. No society can progress until men and women are equal participants in the economy and politics, the PPP chairperson said. “Maybe this was a reason that Karachi rejected them (PDM) and that [an] impression could not be built as in the past.” However, there was “more time” and the PDM would hold more events, he said. “Our best wishes are with them — that the government is harmed from their movement instead of benefitted because till now, we think the government is benefitting from the PDM’s way of [doing] politics.” He shared that he had asked Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to talk to the PDM President and Jamiat Ulema-iIslam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and inform them that “we are present if they need anything.”
law aimed at media curbs. When Imran Khan was in opposition, he was the darling of the media. No one gave freedom to media. We will fight against black law with all our might to thwart it,” he asserted. Shehbaz Sharif said that his proposal to form a national government in the country was a way forward as no single party can take the country out of problems alone. “My opinion is that if we get a chance in the upcoming election, we should form a national government,” he said. Sharif said that he had been stigmatized for calling for national reconciliation. “Those blaming me for calling for national reconciliation should tell me what benefit did I get for national reconciliation. I received many offers in the past 35 years of politics,” said Sharif. Shehbaz Sharif also admitted that his family also had committed blunders in the past. Shehbaz Sharif said that he did not believe that any past regime had full support of the ‘establishment’. “No government in the past even enjoyed 30%
support of the establishment. We all should be ashamed before father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. We ignored his guiding principles. The souls of Quaid-e-Azam and millions of martyrs would be unhappy today. So, the only way forward is to follow the principles of the founder of Pakistan,” he asserted. He said that Allah Almighty has given us Pakistan as a reward and Quaid-e-Azam dreamed of making Pakistan a welfare state. “It is a shame that we have forgotten the guiding principles of the Quaid and adopted a course of action which resulted in the dismembering of Pakistan,” he added. Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan had to lead the Muslim countries to achieve a prominent position in the comity of nations. “But today, we are far from our destination,” he added. Brushing aside the impression that while in power, he never visited Mazar-e-Quaid. He said as long as smaller provinces do not develop like Punjab, it will not be called development of Pakistan.
PM scolds officials for failing to bring down prices of commodities IsLAMABAD MIAn AbRAR
Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday came down hard over the senior officials of the federal and provincial governments and directed the bureaucracy to take action against those government officials who failed to bring down prices of the daily-use commodities. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin, Minister for Production & Industries Khurso Bakhtyar, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Minister for Food & Agriculture Fakhar Imam, Advisor for Commerce Abdur Razzak Dawood, State Minister for Information Farrukh Habib, Special Assistants to PM Dr Shahbaz Gul, Dr Sania Nishtar also attended the meeting. According to informed sources, while chairing a meeting held to review inflation and prices of dailyuse items, Prime Minister Imran Khan got annoyed with senior bureaucrats who started presenting the lists of suspended officials in government departments for their failure to control inflation and skyrocketing prices. However, Prime Minister Imran Khan interrupted and scolded the officials, terming the suspension as a traditional tool to fool him. “Expressing anger, the Prime Minister asked whether the suspension of government officials has solved the problem. He cautioned senior bureaucrats and secretaries of relevant departments to avoid traditional tactics and take steps to address the issues faced by the ordinary and poor citizens,” an
official source told Pakistan Today. The official said that the protection of the common man is the top priority of the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf government. “This action is insufficient. I should be informed of the results rather than informing me about suspending officials,” directed the premier. The Prime Minister was given a comparative overview of basic commodity prices. The meeting was also briefed on sugar and wheat stocks and measures to meet future needs. The Punjab chief secretary apprised the meeting of the administrative steps being taken regarding bringing down prices. It was said in the briefing that action was being taken against the negligent
officers in stabilizing prices and so far seven Assistant Commissioners, two Secretaries of Market Committees, two Deputy Commissioners have been warned while others suspended. It was said during the briefing that the issues with the stakeholders are in the final stages for the reduction of edible oil prices. On this occasion, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the common man is affected by the prices of essential commodities. He said that action against administrative officers alone was not enough while the results of administrative measures should be made public so that the people could get relief. The PM said that timely steps should be taken, keeping in view the needs of sugar and wheat.
Pakistan moving forward to criminalise enforced disappearances: Mazari IsLAMABAD Inp
Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari says Pakistan is moving forward in its commitment to criminalise enforced disappearances. Today ‘International Day of the Disappeared’ we are moving forward in our commit to criminalize Enforced Disappearances. There can never be any place for ED in a democracy. Our bill has been approved unanimously by NA SC on Interior last week. Sadly time was lost because no previous govt moved on ED, she said. In a series of tweets on the occasion of International Day for the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, she said a bill on enforced disappearances, prepared in consultations with the stakeholders, has been approved unanimously by National Assembly s Standing Committee on Interior. Our bill was done after consultation with stakeholders, the minister stated. “In our first meeting at the Ministry of Human Rights, we had the then PPP chair of the Senate human rights committee participate. Once introduced in NA it
was available on NA website so to say no one knew the content is absurd. No one objected on the floor of the NA or in the committee,” she said. The minister said there can never be any place for enforced disappearances in a democracy. Dr Shireen Mazari said Prime Minister Imran Khan met Baloch families of disappeared who shared their list of missing family members. She said some have since returned home while others are being traced. The minister also hit out at former governments for their lack of response on the issue. “[I] can’t recall any PML-N or PPP prime minister in the last two governments even recognising enforced disappearances, let alone meeting with these families.” In June, the PPP said the bill introduced by the government in the National Assembly to curb the practice of enforced disappearances would not end the menace as it required further deliberation and amendment.
PPP’s Farhatullah Babar was of the view that enforced disappearances must be treated as a separate autonomous crime and that a separate legal mechanism was needed for taking up complaints, holding perpetrators accountable and for providing compensation to the aggrieved families. “The amendment bill does not meet these requirements,” he had said. The PPP secretary-general had also cautioned against rushing through the bill and called for inviting all stakeholders to the relevant standing committee of the National Assembly or holding of public hearings. On January 19, the Islamabad High Court observed that the prime minister and his cabinet were responsible for ‘enforced disappearances’ in the federal capital, and sought a list of prime ministers who held the office since 2015.
NEWS
03
fawad urges world to support afghanistan for formation of inclusive government CONtINueD frOM pAge 01 The minister said a comprehensive strategy has been formulated to deal with the prospects of the influx of more Afghan refugees as the government did not want to a repeat of 1979 episode. This time, “Pakistan would not allow the refugees to go to the mainland”, he said. The world should come forward to help Pakistan in meeting the challenge, he added. He said the world did not pay heed to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s advice in the past, he lamented, observing the former Afghanistan President, Ashraf Ghani, did not hold general elections in the country which resulted in the present crisis due to lack of a consensual government in Kabul. He said two blocs including the Troika Plus — comprising Russia, China, US and Pakistan — and the other comprising regional countries Turkey, Pakistan, Central Asian states and Iran should take the lead. The minister said Pakistan and Turkey were in close cooperation on the issue and they were partners in peace in Afghanistan.
Sindh adopts rotation policy due to water shortage kArACHI Inp
The irrigation authority of Sindh has resorted to rotation programme due to an intense water shortage at barrages, reports citing sources said on Monday. The water shortage at barrages is worsening with each passing day due to reduced upstream flows, forcing the irrigation department to resort to a rotation programme to apportion limited water among all recipients in measured quantity. Presently, water shortage at Guddu and Sukkur barrages has reached 35 percent and 27 percent respectively. The farmers are facing a hard time which has prompted the irrigation department to initiate a rotation programme for four left bank canals at Sukkur Barrage so that water can be provided to the right bank canals. The provincial government had recently raised objections over the water distribution formula of the Indus River System Authority. In a letter to IRSA, the provincial irrigation department demanded the body to stop providing river water to ChashmaJhelum and Taunsa-Punjnad link canals. Kotri Barrage is the last barrage in the downstream and unanimous deduction formula of the river water for all barrages is unjust and incomprehensible, Sindh irrigation department wrote. The irrigation department also demanded of IRSA to provide authentic data of water discharge from all canals.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
04 NEWS
LAHORE
PNQP 2021 to Be imPlemeNted sooN: Faraz PESHAWAR
F
Aziz BuneRi
EDERAL Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz informed that the Pakistan National Quality Policy (PNQP-2021), which was recently assent by the federal cabinet, would be implemented soon for enhancement of exports for the progress of the national economy and provision of quality products as well as improve the functioning of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and other quality insurance certification institutions in the country. The minister was addressing the members of the business community here during a meeting, chaired by the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour at the chamber house on Monday. Speaking on the occasion, Bilour stressed the need of launching an advanced digital skilled program that can help to generate a skilled workforce and play their role in the development of the national economy. He went on to say that the youth population is nearly 63 per cent in Pakistan, which has the potential to excel in different fields, but there is a need to support and uplift them at every level. He also emphasized the role of the public and private sectors in the promotion of E-commerce and businesses. The chamber president emphasized that the PSQCA and Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC) should reach out to the business community for granting certifications to gain access to potential markets of developed countries and as well as PSQCA should also improve inspections so that would also help to enhance exports. Similarly, he also stressed the need
for improving the function of the Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to assist industries in testing and relevant credentials. Bilour called to find more water resources to boost up the agriculture sector. The meeting was attended by ANP former senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, SCCI Senior Vice President Manzoor Elahi, former president Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) Ghazanfar Bilour, former presidents Faiz Muhammad Faizi, Zahidullah Shinwari, Malik Niaz Ahmad, former vice presidents Abidullah Yousafzai and Javed Akhtar, executive members Muhammad Naeem Butt, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Waqar Ahmad, Minhajuddin, Rashid Iqbal Siddique, Fazl e Wahid, Saddar Gul, Faiz Rasool, Sohail Javed, Naeem Qasmi, member Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) executive committee Qurtul Ain, industrialists, traders, exporters and importers. The minister said that the ‘state of the art’ and specialized quality testing laboratories would be established to eliminate the manufacturing of sub-stan-
Faysal Bank shares transformation journey KARACHI: A local media house recently organized the 4th Round Table Conference on Islamic Banking intending to bring all stakeholders under one roof to discuss the way forward for the growth and development of Islamic Banking in the country. The conference was attended by Dr Arif Alvi (President of Pakistan), Mr Shaukat Tareen (Federal Finance Minister), Dr Reza Baqir (Governor State Bank of Pakistan), Dr Ishrat Hussain (Advisor to the Prime Minister), Mr Yousaf Hussain (President & CEO of Faysal Bank Ltd.) and other notable speakers. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Yousaf Hussain, President & CEO of Faysal Bank Limited, shared Faysal Bank’s successful transformation experience from a conventional to an Islamic Bank. As the fastest growing Islamic bank in Pakistan offering a complete range of Islamic banking products and services, Faysal Bank has emerged as one of the major players in Pakistan’s banking industry. Currently, almost 90 per cent of the Bank’s branch network is Islamic, making Faysal Bank the secondlargest Islamic network in Pakistan.patronage. PR
dard products. While keeping in view the reservation of the business community, he on the occasion, informed that the PSQCA headquarters would be shifted from Karachi to Islamabad. He stated that the federal government is keen to set international standards for quality production of vehicles in the country with priority to their safety. Acknowledging the importance of training for improving the quality of manufacturing products, the minister said the government has planned to outsource all quality testing laboratories across the country. Highlighting the importance of rich mine and mineral reserves, Faraz informed that proper research and mapping of natural deposits would be conducted to exploit these natural resources efficiently for attracting investment and earning huge foreign exchange. The minister informed that a triangle of government, industries and academics would be created to improve the standard of manufacturing products as well as providing young graduates with training/internships in industries
for their prosperous future. He said the incumbent government is keenly focused on the development of technology and software. In this regard, he added the policy and mechanism would be designed by taking relevant stakeholders. While talking about the political issues, the minister said that the elections have always remained controversial, which has created political instability in the country. He added the time has come to adopt such a way that would be acceptable to both losers and winners in the elections. He said the next general elections in 2023 will be held through technology, saying that the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is the first step toward the journey because holding transparent, fair, impartial and independent is inevitable for strengthening democracy in the country, he stressed. We thought that the political parties and other relevant stakeholders will judge the importance of EVM and they should identify technical errors or glitches, instead of rejecting them without examining, the minister said. The minister invited political parties to examine EVM through their experts if any reservations and objects would be addressed accordingly. He said now all issues would be resolved through using modern technologies. He highlighted the role of opposition parties in making the EVM successful. Talking about giving rights of smaller provinces, the minister said the incumbent government is keen to provide due rights to small federating units, saying that they are taking up issues of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) seriously and in this regard, Chief Minister (CM) KP, Chief Secretary and provincial minister for finance were taken on board, he informed.
Report shows hike in imports and exports NEWS DESK The economic outlook report released on Monday by the finance ministry for July 2021 shows a surge in exports and imports. The reports showed that the exports amounted to a total of US$2.3 billion with a 19.7 per cent increase, along with a 51.7pc escalation of the imports to US$5.4bn. There was an improvement in the portfolio investment as they reached US$1.02bn. Furthermore, tax collection and production of large-scale manufacturing also increased. However, according to the data in the report, the remittances from overseas Pakistanis, non-taxable income and foreign investment faced a slump as US$2.7bn remittances were sent from the overseas Pakistanis which was a 2.1pc decline. Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) stood at US$89.9 million with a 30.1pc decline. The imbalance led to a current account deficit of US$0.8bn which accounts for 2.8pc of the GDP. The total foreign exchange reserves were highlighted to be US$27.31bn with State Bank Pakistan
(SBP) holding US$20.26bn while commercial banks had US$7.04bn. Moreover, the interbank rate of the dollar was Rs165.2. Tax revenue for the month increased by 42.5pc to Rs414 billion while the non-tax revenues faced a 12.3pc decline to Rs1631bn. Public sector development programme (PSDP) approved funds equalled Rs133.7bn as the financial deficit saw an increase up to Rs3403bn.
textile sector records $1.49bn exports in July: Farrukh ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Monday said the textile sector achieved the pinnacle of its performance in July by recording $1.49 billion during the first month of the current fiscal year 2021-22. In a news statement issued by the minister’s office, he said when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government came into power in 2018, the textile sector was at a halt and the best price for power looms was being offered at scrap yards due to weak [economic and commerce] policies of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government. “Today, the textile sector is booming. In July [2021-22] alone, textile exports reached $1.49bn dollars which are 17 per cent higher than last year’s July,” he added. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s export friendly steps had started bearing fruits, the minister said while pointing to 19.7pc growth in overall exports during July 2021-22. The exports were recorded at $2.3bn in July, he noted. Farrukh said the surge in exports helped raise foreign exchange reserves of the country amid a whopping rise in the sector’s exports. APP
Hascol establishes vaccination centres on m2 motorway KARACHI: In coordination with the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) and the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), Hascol Petroleum Limited is establishing Drive-Through Vaccination Centres at selected retail outlets on the M2 Motorway near Lahore and Rawalpindi, and its Hascol One retail outlet on Shahra-e-Faisal in Karachi. The Covid-19 menace shows no signs of abatement in the country with the Delta variant claiming more and more precious lives. Therefore, the Government of Pakistan and the private sector are joining hands to meet the challenge head-on to promote vaccination amongst the entire population of Pakistan. Despite major efforts to inoculate people all over the nation, the percentage of people that are vaccinated is still a minority, unfortunately. This is why everyone in the country must join the effort to ensure that no one is left unprotected. In a recent meeting held at the NCOC headquarters in Islamabad, Hascol had committed to the Government to offer its key locations to set up drive-through vaccination centres which make it most convenient for people to get vaccinated. In addition, Hascol has started a promotional campaign to encourage all eligible people to get vaccinated. Mr Aqeel Ahmad Khan, CEO of Hascol Petroleum Ltd., said “Hascol is proud to offer its services to the nation to play its due role to promote vaccination and encourages every eligible Pakistani to get vaccinated to defeat the pandemic”. PR
Ke takes steps to improve electricity supply KARACHI: K-Electric is committed to the provision of a safe and reliable power supply to the bustling city of Karachi and has been investing heavily in upgrading its transmission and distribution infrastructure since its privatization. In this regard, the power utility is installing an additional transformer at its Korangi South Grid, which supplies electricity to areas including Gulistan Market, Landhi, Hasrat Mohani Colony, and others. This equipment is critical to transforming electricity arriving from generation plants to consumer premises through K-Electric’s network of 30,000 pole-mounted transformers. Since privatization, K-Electric has added 19 new grid stations to its network for a total of 71 grids and is actively working to increase this number. The 40 MVA transformer is capable of supplying almost 36 additional Megawatts of electricity to its neighbourhood, energizing between 10,000 to 20,000 additional homes. Earlier this month, K-Electric installed a similar transformer at the PRL Grid located at Korangi Creek, which enhanced the company’s ability to serve industrial and commercial activity in the area. Grid-level additions can be daylong operations, and KE has planned a shutdown of the Korangi South Grid on Tuesday, 31st August 2021 from 9 AM to 7 PM. PR
NGIA project to face one-year delay ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADAni
New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) project is likely to be completed by October 2023 instead of the original timeline schedule of November 2022 and the China Airport Construction Group has informed Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) about this delay. Documents disclosed that completion of the construction work of NGIA has been facing a one year delay and China Airport Construction Group has informed CAA in this regard. As per details, China was constructing an international standard airport in Gwadar for $23 million under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). And, initial timelines given for the completion of NGIA by the Chinese was 36 months from the start of the project in November 2019 and the completion date was Novem-
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ber 2022. However, it is now revised to October 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the progress of the project. So far, China Airport Construction Group Co., Ltd. had worked out the revised timeline schedule of the NGIA project and informed the CAA about the delay through a letter carrying the subject ‘Revised Project Timeline Schedule of NGIA project’. “Based on the discussion in the meeting and subsequent further meeting with a technical team of NGIA PCCA on the above subject, the Chinese General Construction Contractor has worked out the revised timeline schedule of NGIA Project,” said a letter from China Airport Construction Group Co., Ltd. According to sources, under the revised timeline, work on air traffic control engineering will be completed by March 2023 while construction of passenger terminal building will be completed in June 2023 and
Chinese have informed Pakistani authorities in this regard. Sources also informed that a Parliamentary Committee on CPEC had taken notice of the delay in completion of the project (NGIA) and had directed in different meetings to deliberate the issue with the Chinese project team and ensure timely completion of the project within the original timeline. “So far, several meetings between both sides (China & Pakistan) were held to deliberate the issue. However, the NGIA project is feared to be completed with a delay of one year,” said sources. They added that the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) has reviewed it and further processed it to the Chinese Government (MoFCOM) through the Chinese Embassy, Islamabad. It is pertinent to mention here that the grant agreement of the NGIA project was signed in May 2017 and the Prime Minister of Pakistan laid the foundation stone of this project in March 2019.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
lAhore
news
Reckitt Pakistan partners with PIA
HAbIbMetRo bAnk’s PRofIt InCReAses by 41PC H PR
PR Reckitt Pakistan, the multinational producer of health, hygiene and home products including Dettol, has announced that it is partnering with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to create a safer travel experience for all passengers. The idea of the collaboration came about due to the growing need for stricter protocols and precautions while travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Post the pandemic, frequent and occasional travellers alike stopped taking flights in fear of the virus. This led to a visible drastic decline for the airline industry. Dettol, being an effective disinfectant against Coronavirus, and a trusted brand in the matter, made the ideal partner for Pakistan’s leading airline. The collaboration is a unique opportunity to excite & protect customers, while Dettol continues to educate them about the high standards of hygiene and reassure them that they can now travel with their favourite airline with utmost trust and protection.
ABIBMetro Bank posted a profit-before-tax of Rs 9.7 billion for the first half of 2021, with its profitability increasing 41.4 per cent year-on-year. This boost in profitability was driven by strong performance in core earnings as the net interest margin improved by 34pc. The Bank’s return to shareholders also increased significantly with Earnings Per Share increasing by 51pc yearon-year to Rs5.94 (compared to Rs3.93 in H1 2020). The Board Of Directors, in its recently held meeting, approved an in-
terim cash dividend of 20pc (Rs2 per share). Total deposits of the Bank increased to Rs764bn at the end of June 2020, posting a growth of 27.7pc year-on-year. Meanwhile, current deposits increased to Rs286bn, growing by 29pc year on year. CASA increased to Rs491bn with a growth of 28.9pc year on year. Gross Advances amounted to Rs371.4bn, increasing by 19.7pc year on year. The Bank’s total assets increased to Rs1.2 trillion, posting a growth of 27.4pc year-on-year, while the trade finance business continued its growth trajectory in the reporting period. The Bank’s Net
Equity stood at Rs60.26bn with a strong capital adequacy level of 15.4 per cent. HabibMetro continued to focus upon its digital offering and retail banking proposition while continuing to drive returns through its commercial, corporate and Islamic banking business segments. HabibMetro operates with a network of 452 branches in 165 cities of Pakistan, including 41 Islamic Banking branches and 218 Islamic Banking windows. The Bank opened 46 new branches this year. The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA) has assigned premium ratings of AA+ and A1+ to the Bank for 21 consecutive yeaRs
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Commenting on the Bank’s financial performance, Mr Mohsin Ali Nathani, HabibMetro’s President & CEO, commented, ‘We are immensely grateful for the blessings of the Almighty, the patronage of our customers and the dedication of our staff that enabled the Bank to continue its growth trajectory. We will continue to serve the dynamic banking needs of our customers with a comprehensive suite of banking solutions.’’ HabibMetro Bank is a majorityowned subsidiary of Habib Bank AG Zurich, an international banking group that enjoys a financial presence in 10 countries across 4 continents.
Khushhali Microfinance Bank partners with Adal Fintech Islamabad PR
IMC celebrates as Corolla crosses 50m mark in global sales PR Toyota Corolla made history as it crossed the 50m mark in global sales, making it one of the most famous and widely sold sedans across the world, with Indus Motor Company (IMC) also playing a very prominent role. Toyota Corolla made its debut in November 1966 in Japan as a 1-litre compact 5-seater sedan, and within two years, doubled its annual production to 1.1m from 480,000 vehicles. The introduction of Toyota Corolla was a catalyst for mass car ownership in Japan, and the rest of Asia. There was no looking back, and its sales have grown from strength to strength over the past 55 years. Today Toyota Corolla celebrates a spectacular global sales milestone of 50m cars. This milestone underscores the robust confidence and belief in Corolla’s built-in quality, reliability, safety and durability. Chief Executive IMC, Ali Asghar Jamali expressed, “This is a once in a lifetime moment, one gets to witness.
Pakistan’s largest Microfinance institution Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited (KMBL) has now signed an agreement with Adal Fintech, a Techlogix subsidiary focused on ‘Digital Lending’. The scope of this collaboration is to provide digital lending services for Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) all over the country. This new partnership will create great value by facilitating retailers and distributors, ensuring convenient access to fully digital financing through instant real-time approval and processing. The venture aims to transform the distribution side of the supplychain ecosystem in Pakistan. This data-driven solution features highly innovative technologies. Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), this proprietary lending model evaluates the eligibility of each applicant/merchant to qualify and approve their loan more swiftly. It is fully integrated with the Core-Banking and Digital-Banking systems at Khushhali Bank, delivering real-time credit-disbursement, along with a completely digitized loan-lifecycle, from origination to disbursement and collection. The President of KMBL Mr Ghalib
Nishtar expressed his pleasure on the successful automation of the lending lifecycle in Pakistan and said, “This resourceful platform is in line with Khushhali Bank’s commitment to revolutionize financial inclusion in Pakistan, by nurturing the most advanced digital transaction channels. KMBL will continue to invest in building a robust technological infrastructure for digital banking while creating alliances with the most reliable and secured service providers.”
The CEO of Adal Fintech Salman Akhtar stated that “We are delighted to offer a breakthrough innovation for Digital Lending in Pakistan, in partnership with Khushhali Bank. Our solution will offer real-time access to lending and will help in significantly expanding the access to credit for the SME sector in Pakistan. Our Digital Lending Platform has already enabled more than 10,000 loans over the past few months and we expect to scale this out in collaboration with our partner banks”.
Three years of PTI governance
sahIbzada a. JahangIR On the 26th August 2021, the Prime Minister of Pakistan delivered an inspiring keynote speech, marking the three-year anniversary of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf coming to governance, in which he outlined the progress and achievements, as well as the positive outlook and vision he has for the future of Pakistan. Khan Saab praised his team and reminisced about his parents telling him how fortunate he was to be of the first generation born into a free country whilst they had been the ‘gulam’ of Hindustan, however with independence comes responsibility. The theme of the speech was to encourage the people of Pakistan to be proud and independent and acknowledge their selfworth, striving for the future of Pakistan. He urged the need for justice and humanity, aspects which had been absent during previous governments, whilst their leaders dance in and out of prisons. Without rule of law there could be no progress and to establish a Medina ke Riyasat, ie a just and humane system of governance, there needs to be a rule of law. In these difficult times, during the Covid Pandemic, the World Economic Forum had
singled out Pakistan to be one of the few countries which had managed to tackle the pandemic and keep its economy afloat. Imran Khan praised the Almighty for his mercy, as Pakistan could not have afforded to sink into economic despair due to the pandemic and the government made difficult and tactful decisions, which kept the economy alive and avoided the disasters seen in neighbouring India. Khan Saab praised the army which has been the backbone of Pakistan, the brave and courageous defender of our frontiers and spoke of his hurt and upset at the “Mafia” of Pakistan, who rallied hate speeches against the armed forces promoting the narrative of our enemies. Khan Saab reminded that if you spread your hands begging, it should only be spread before Allah who is pleased to see you seeking from him, but to all others, even if one goes for a third time begging to one’s parents, one falls from grace in the eyes of mere mortals. Khan Saaab noted with disdain, that the hardest thing for the PM, was having to ask for loans, given the dire straits of the economy he inherited from the previous rulers who looted from the crippled masses and took refuge in foreign countries. Bringing back looted money, paying taxes, tapping into natural resources, increasing export revenue and managing the pandemic, have all been pointers in the right direction, which lend to the hope and vision of the PM that Pakistan should become a proud and fiercely independent country standing tall on its own two feet, in the near future. Imran Khan pointed out how mismanaged export had been under previous governments, not growing at all under PMLN, whereas for the first time in many years, ex-
port has grown under PTI. There is a wealth of untapped natural resources in Pakistan and tourism alone could generate significant revenue. Foreign reserves have increased significantly. Tax collection has been increased. Overseas remittances have increased tenfold. Affordable housing is being established with construction underway. Agriculture and Industry has risen. Foreign direct investment is coming in. This was a speech from a fearless, strong and compassionate statesman offering, at last, a muchneeded ‘self-respect and hope’ to the nation. There are four main areas to help those who are less well off. There will be interestfree loans. Education is high on the agenda. Housing will ensure interest-free loans, enabling homeownership and a major development in respect of health, with health cards and health insurance. These are brave and bold, yet long-awaited reforms, which reminisce of the Welfare state System introduced into the UK, following the first World War. The Prime Minister said that NAB had recovered significantly more money in the last 3 years than ever before, from the corrupt mafia and more is yet to be recovered. This was not a speech glossing over difficulties and Khan Saab acknowledged the rise in sex crimes, which he said was the most shameful thing, and that there was a need to educate the youth and establish morality, and what better way than to demonstrate the life and teachings of the Prophet, peace be Upon him. By years 7 and 8, all students would be taught Seerath AlNabi. Education was clearly high on the list of priorities and the PM said Pakistan has a 3 tier system, which was English medium, Madrassas and Urdu medium. There would
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be the consistency of approach, providing English is taught to all students, as the reality is that English is a requisite for accessing higher education and should be available to all. This will be quite an achievement and should be supported and applauded. There will be 10 Damns in the next 2 years, providing water, a commodity which has long been overlooked by previous governments. PTI’s vision is securing a future for its people, something which was so important and yet so overlooked by previous governments. On the Taliban, Khan Saab spoke sorrowfully about Pakistan’s track record and tried to uplift the sense of pride and independence which has been trampled on in the past, whenever a superpower came waving an aid cheque. Prime Minister Imran Khan has never shied away from speaking bluntly, telling American News Channels that instead of having pumped trillions of dollars into a failed venture in Afghanistan, they would have done better to look at the Chinese infrastructure and take a leaf out of China’s books, by fixing their bumpy roads in New York. America used Pakistan, by asking it to train up Jihadi’s to get rid of Russia, before ceremoniously dumping Pakistan, until Pakistan was needed again after 9/11, when Bush promised this time America would not let down its ally. Khan Saab spoke up at the time, saying this was not Pakistan’s war to enter and the Taliban and the people of Afghanistan would never allow foreign invasion. History has proved him to be right. “Do you know of any country which has allowed a third country to invade its land to liberate its women?” Khan Saab asked an
It will inspire rapid progress by offering unmatched benefits for the nation, with ‘Zero-cost’ loan origination and servicing. Automation of the lending lifecycle will ensure 100% digital disbursement & collection, featuring a data-driven, prospect-identification process, for unmatched transparency and security. Moreover, its real-time creditdisbursement facility is fully integrated with the most advanced solutions like ‘Temenos’ and Khushhali Bank’s Digital Banking App.
animated audience. It’s never happened in history, as women have always liberated themselves, pointing to the Suffragette movement in the West. After all, it has only been in the last century that women were allowed to vote in the UK (1918), but Women got their independence without a Yankee President jumping in! Prime Minister reiterated that the way to liberate women was to ensure they had access to education and the government was committed to helping with this and reaching out to more rural areas, ensuring women have inheritance rights and enabling succession rights to be far simpler. Khan Saab reiterated that the Taliban had acquiesced to the demands made at Doha and were welcoming an inclusive government and agreeing to many of the conditions, including ensuring women’s rights, so let’s work with them. Why be fearful of them breaking their promises and have a knee-jerk reaction, before any promise is broken, and the only practical way forward was to work with them. The PM reminded the listener about the proud Afghan history and how they have laid down millions of lives, fighting against foreign invaders to their lands. The relatively peaceful handover to the Taliban, by a much larger US-backed force was no accident and no act of cowardice. They realised it’s not worth laying down their lives for a corrupt government, propped up by a foreign power. Whilst we listen to the fearlessness and plain sense talking of a Proud Pakistani Prime Minister, one can’t help feeling some concern for his safety, combined with admiration. The three-year mark has set a groundwork for the prospect of a healthier, progressive Pakistan, which is Independent and strong and one which looks after its weak, Inshallah. This is a bold and brave agenda and the Prime Minister’s speech enthuses a huge sense of optimism.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
06 COMMENT
On self-contradiction
Testing the waters in Karachi Opposition has yet to get into shape
Or how not to sound smart
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He PDM rally in Karachi was no doubt an impressive event with an extra-large and responsive audience. After the split in the opposition alliance in April, the PDM seemed to have gone out of commission. The well-attended Karachi rally and the tenor of the speeches delivered indicated that the alliance was again showing signs of animation. Among other opposition leaders, the rally was also addressed by both the Sharif brothers. The elder Sharif who spoke through a video link criticized individuals in the establishment for foisting the PTI government on the country through unfair means. The younger Sharif called on the PDM chief to lead the opposition parties in the march on Islamabad to bring Imran Khan’s government down. Fazlur rehman criticised the establishment for transgressing its role defined in the constitution while he called the PTI government unjust and illegal, holding it responsible for the economic sufferings of the common man. The PDM’s show of force has come at a time when the government has completed three years and is now fully concentrated on winning the next elections. The PTI has already decided to hold the elections through the evMs. The opposition fears that unless challenged in the streets the government will have its say by pressurizing the institutions. The opposition also thinks that the widespread unemployment and shrinking purchasing power has alienated millions who will respond to the PDM’s call. The PDM has serious shortcomings. With the PPP and AnP out of the alliance, it cannot call itself the representative of the entire opposition. With little presence in Punjab, the PPP can only hope to come to power at the Center in case there is a hung parliament and the PPP can win over a group of electables from South Punjab through wheeling and dealing. On the other hand taking the system head on suits the PMl-n. It has in fact already paid off during the bye-elections. The JUI-F hopes to win a few more seats in the country with the support of the PDM. It remains to be seen if the opposition leaders can overcome their petty party interests and join hands for civilian supremacy, media freedom and people’s economic and social wellbeing.
HASAN AFTAB SAEED
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lever one-liners and profound-sounding slogans have always been very popular with wannabe philosophers. These slogans help them pose as intelligent (when they are not), enlightened and well-meaning (when they probably do not know what these things even mean). With the advent of internet and the profusion of social media, matters have gone from bad to worse. To the extent that there are more philosophers and deep thinkers than anybody knows what to do with, each one with the correct diagnosis for all the ills afflicting humanity along with their infallible remedy. If the objective of the whole exercise is to sound smart, mindless parroting of such slogans is counterproductive because what it does instead is make one sound the exact opposite of smart. Unfortunately, mindless repetition of slogans is not a cognizable offence, and people take full advantage of the fact. They fail to realize that for a philosophy to be taken seriously the first condition that it needs to fulfil is that it is not self-contradictory. Questions regarding its other merits and demerits are important, but they
The TTP problem
Pakistan school curricula promoting misogyny
The Taliban term it an entirely ‘Pakistani issue’
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ArlIer this year the Tehrik I Taliban (TTP) terrorists fired on military posts in the two Waziristan agencies from inside Afghan territory. The terrorists also planted IeDs and land mines in bordering areas of the two agencies causing numerous casualties. There are social media reports now indicating that the TTP activists are sneaking into Pakistan’s tribal areas with sinister intentions. A Un report published in February had noted with concern the reunification of TTP splinter groups in Afghanistan. According to the report, five extremist outfits that pledged allegiance to the TTP in July and August 2020 included the Shehryar Mehsud group, Jamaatul Ahrar, Hizbul Ahrar, the Amjad Farooqi group and the Usman Saifullah group, formerly known as lashkar-e- Jhangvi. last month in an interview with the Cnn, TTP chief noor Wali Mehsud promised to fight to turn Pakistan’s tribal areas into an independent state. From introducing Sharia throughout Pakistan, the TTP has now decide to act as a secessionist network which wants to carve out Pakistan’s tribal areas into a separate country by launching terror attacks on Pakistan’s civilians and security personnel. In his first news conference on Tuesday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had declared that the Taliban would not allow Afghanistan to be used as a launching pad by terrorist networks to attack other countries. In what can only be described as an abrupt departure from that policy, Mujahid, in an interview to a private Pakistani news channel yesterday stated that the TTP is an issue that the Pakistan government must resolve on its own, not Afghanistan. That the two divergent views on the TTP problem come within weeks of each other demonstrates how fluid the situation in Afghanistan really is. Pakistan must understand that the new government in Kabul is in complete disarray and will take a considerable amount of time to reach some modicum of stability and until such a time, will tread carefully in dealing with the more volatile and violent groups present on its soil. They neither have the resources or capacity to tame a splinter group from amongst their cadre while attempting to run an entire country that is in state of turmoil. The PTI government and the military must now reassess the country’s security policy and up its efforts to ensure that peace is maintained within our borders.
MEHMil KHAliD KuNwAr
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n Pakistan, institutions are marred by patriarchy and often undermine the importance of women, giving them a subservient position in society. Observers have long noted how the male gender is considered highly reputable who deserves all kinds of respect and protocol while females are taught to surrender, submit and obey. Since childhood, girls are not only taught in their homes to make themselves flexible for the other gender, but the teachers at school also highlight the same narrative when delivering lectures. Schools are the most vital institutions to mould a pupil’s behavior and make them learn social values. The process of social change and inculcation of gender roles in one’s personality start right here. Yet, unfortunately, observers point out that the curriculum of the elementary school in Pakistan is mostly based on content that specifies a male’s dominant role in the society. even the examples given in the chapters, for most of the subjects are gender specified and determine the stronghold of men in the society. It has been noted that authors of the syllabus find it irrelevant to design the course outline mentioning the role of women in the development of the society and the country as a whole. not a single mainstream subject chooses to underline the achievements of Pakistani women and how they served at national and international level for upholding the image of the country. In a study that comprised of 194 textbooks from four provinces of Pakistan containing six subjects, it was discovered that the national curriculum propagates a significant gender bias towards males in at least three of these subjects. The analysis revealed that only 7.7% of the personalities in the textbooks were found to be female, having a background of Muslim history, and the rest were male. The textbooks on the history of the subcontinent contained
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personality development. “Textbooks represent the ‘tangible’ curriculum that is closest to students’ hearts and minds, thus the messages that textbooks deliver have a powerful impact on learners,” the report noted. only 0.9% of females from the historical icons. rights activists say that patriarchy starts from In another study with a smaller sample size, the presence of women in illustrations was also found to schools and homes where the dominance of male inbe minimal with 21.4% of illustrations portraying dividuals is being maintained by compromising the women and the rest portraying men. Gender bias in rights of females. Some are of the opinion that prolanguage was also observed with ‘he’ and ‘him’ being pelling the importance and contribution of women in the society and making them nescient of their rights used as a noun more often as ‘she’ or ‘her’. Gender experts have found out that when at the will undermine the overall image of men which they outset of their education, girls learn that they have a otherwise deliberately misuse while treating a meagre role in society to play and men are here to woman. When men feel that their established reputarule while they are expected to serve, they tend to tion is deteriorating due to the women catching up forge their personality likewise. They do not give it a with them due to their acknowledged abilities, they thought to argue about this biased set-up of society will feel insecure, gender activists point out. Also, the as they are so strictly embedded in them, they con- society itself does not want to make the female gender appear more refined and stronger than the male. sider everything around them as right. Observers have long reiterated that most of the Observers say that in classrooms or in games, girls social problems in Pakistan participate comparatively are due to the deep-rooted less than boys and feel shy in patriarchal norms and their front of their male counterreinforcement in the minds parts. This happens someIn a study that comprised of of the people. This behavior times due to lack of does not let the women 194 textbooks from four confidence but mostly is the emerge as a strong power, result of the fear that is being provinces of Pakistan and create hindrance in their imparted inside them for the male gender and its sucontaining six subjects, it was natural advancements. “education is one of the premacy. In textbooks, the discovered that the national key priority areas where male is shown as a potent gender equality is essential if member of the society while curriculum propagates a we are to move forward and the female when talked about take our position as a selfsignificant gender bias are revealed as someone who respecting nation,” said Adis weak and helplessly works towards males in at least three viser to the Prime Minister in the kitchen, washes dishes on Women Development and rears up children. of these subjects. nilofar Bakhtiar. recently there were “Curriculum reform is a even attempts under certain central issue in education and provincial education secit is our policy that curricula tions regarding biology curricula, with censorship being suggested by and textbooks should be sensitive to gender issues. The curriculum designers especially with regards to the knowledge we provide to our children will determine how they think and what they think and what kind of female reproductive system. “Are the informed bodies that determine curricu- human beings they become,” Bakhtiar added. According to the experts, if we address this problum content of the opinion that exposing students to the female anatomy will lead to immoral behaviour lem at an early stage, it will not grow into something or are they of the opinion that understanding female that threatens the existence of women in future. They physiology is of no consequence to the study of sci- say that besides the parents’ role in adopting a neutral ence and biology?” asks roshaneh Zafar, the founder strategy towards the upbringing of both the genders, the environment of the schools and educational instiand managing director of Kashf Foundation. experts reiterate that what children learn from an tutions can be changed if the government attempts to early age, they preserve in their memory forever. Per- revise the syllabus by admitting the contribution of haps, due to the same very reason, the gender stereo- women and add such contents in the subjects that types being learned by them in the school become a part change the traditional image of women and make and parcel of their existence in the society. Whatever women know their roles and rights. they allow to penetrate in their minds, build the base of The writer is a polymer engineer with a profound their personality. Over and above, it passes onto the interest in politics. She works on social issues and next generation, giving strong roots to the patriarchy. According to a study conducted by UneSCO, the gender bias. She can be reached on Twitter primary years of children are the deciding ones for their @mehmilkhalid
An obvious bias present in curriculum
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
is also predetermined, which makes the claim selfreferential. Again, applying a theory back to itself does the trick. Also, according to the materialists’ own doctrines, the mind itself is a collection of matter, subject exclusively to external forces. This would mean that the knowledge that ‘everything is predeare asked later. Unfortunately, most of the stuff that termined’ was generated by the arrangement of atoms passes as wisdom on the social media (including the and molecules inside man’s skull, which must have so-called philosophy forums) fails to satisfy the con- been caused solely by the laws of gravity and quandition of self-consistency. Some of these slogans can tum mechanics, etc. And since all this was predetereven be traced back to some very impressive sound- mined, it means that natural laws must cause knowledge, including knowledge of themselves, ing men and movements. For example, barely a day passes on the internet which is absurd. There are other philosophies like this that people without one coming across this one liner, attributed to Christopher Hitchens: ‘That which can be asserted subscribe to. each is enunciated in a manner as if it is the final word on philosophwithout evidence, can be ical thought. each one bites dismissed without evidence.’ the dust as soon as it is apIt sounds extremely proplied back to itself. For exfound until one thinks about ample: ‘You can never be it. Since those who keep triSelf-consistency is a huge sure of anything.’ really? umphantly quoting it usually subject, but it is always a Can we be sure of this prindo not believe in giving anyciple? Or ‘Thinking can lead thing a serious thought, they first step to apply any good you astray.’ Are we supposed fail to realize that this prinenthusiastically enunciated to think about it? Or ‘Beware ciple itself is being asserted of proofs because they could without evidence, and so the back to itself. For, as principle fool you.’ ‘Can you prove ‘golden’ rule demolishes itself as soon as it is applied seen above, many grandiose- it?’, one wants to ask them. Finally, my favourite back to itself. A self-defeatsounding philosophies fail slogan of this type: ‘There is ing ‘argument’, if ever there no point to the universe.’ Or was one. this first hurdle. its many variants, for examFlashback to the early ple, ‘The universe does not twentieth century when the make sense.’ Again, sounds logical Positivists presented intellectual enough. The their criterion of knowledge, namely: ‘To have a meaning, any factual statement problem however is that if there is no point to the unimust at least in principle be empirically verifiable.’ verse, then there is no point to anything in it. And that Again, one does not need to be an einstein to see that would include the statement itself. Therefore, there is this is a factual statement that is not empirically veri- no reason whatsoever to take it seriously. Similarly, if fiable. The logical empiricists were therefore forced the universe does not make sense, then the statement to take a step back and say instead that the statement to that effect should make no sense either. Which was only a methodological stipulation (whatever that makes its passionate pronouncement rather foolish. Self-consistency is a huge subject, but it is always meant). Unfortunately, nobody informed those who, to this day, keep asking for empirical proof for every a good first step to apply any enthusiastically enunciated principle back to itself. For, as seen above, statement before it can be considered. Then there are the materialists who are hell bent many grandiose-sounding philosophies fail this first on reducing human beings to the level of snooker hurdle. balls, atoms, and molecules. Their famous slogan is The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, that there is no free will, and that everything is predetermined. If the statement ‘everything is predeter- and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at mined’ is true, then the claim of this statement itself www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed
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Tuesday, 31 August, 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
Effect of COVID 19 on Mental Health
Alleviating Pakistan’s energy poverty without their costs which if incorporated in the total cost equation may make them as expensive as the conventional plants are, if not more. economic development. energy prices, if exceed Fortunately, we do not face anymore the limibeyond the affordability of citizens adversely af- tations of technology, size, and fuel, and the typical fect their quality of life, compelling them to cut ways of the past to deliver electricity to consumers. corners on food, education, and health. Higher en- The energy market has turned favorable lately, ergy prices also undermine the competitiveness of opening up a host of opportunities. Small power agricultural producers, commercial businesses, plants now beat the cost and performance features and industries. It is, therefore, critical that we look of large plants. renewables, even without governdeeper into the causes of our energy poverty and ment support, are proving competitive. Battery take measures to ensure that affordable, reliable, storage technologies are enabling consumers to resecure, sustainable energy supplies remain avail- duce, and even eliminate, their dependence on grid. able for our people and economy. electric vehicles (evs) are opening up new vistas Without dwelling on the past and making a for their dual role as loads well as supply. Choices passing note of the futility of continuing on the are, therefore, in abundance. existing approach to managing the energy sector We need to make a fundamental transformation in Pakistan, we move on to offer a broad-brush in the way we produce and deliver electricity, essensketch of an alternative approach that holds a tially turning it on its head, from our current “topbetter promise in turning our energy poverty into down” to a new “bottom-up” approach. Our at least self-sufficiency, if not affluence. Power planners must strive to serve the future demand as sector will be our focus, electricity being the much as possible at its source, from a nearby locachoice carrier even now and its increased impor- tion, or from the central grid whichever proves more tance in the future. feasible. In addition to avoiding a substantial portion The primary cause of capital and O&M of our energy (electriccosts required for keepity) poverty has been ing excessive and nowour over-reliance on unnecessary reserve Energy poverty may not centralized power supgeneration and transmisply system based sion facilities, it will also be the exclusive cause largely on imported help avoid excessive of our economic poverty, but technologies and fuels. losses in the system. This approach has led These distributed it’s certainly among the key to prohibitively expenelectricity supply opsive electricity suptions and their deploycontributing factors because plies. While one can ment will lead to a access to affordable and seriously debate the virange of additional benability of this approach, efits also. Their use will reliable energy supply and in let’s forgive our past contribute significantly particular that of electricity leaders as they might in making the electrichave just followed the ity “affordable” for conenable a decent standard of established practices. sumers by eliminating a There’s, however, no living for people and drives the substantial portion of excuse to continue on the costs that may othengine of economic the same path in the fuerwise be incurred in ture as this will lead to the supply systems. development. financial ruin, not just Distributed supplies of the power sector, but will also enhance the for the whole economy. “security” of supply in The traditional aptraditional terms and proach to managing the power sector essentially also by reducing risks of sabotage or terrorism consisted of aggregating consumers’ forecast de- that mega projects will always carry. Distributed mand and meeting it through a least-cost expan- systems will also contribute to “sustainable” ension of generation and T&D facilities. As bigger ergy supplies by virtue of their reliance mostly has always been better (more efficient) and on natural renewable energy flows and technolocheaper too (economy of scale), it made sense to gies, skills, and support that can easily be develdevelop generation projects as large as practica- oped within the country. ble closer to sources of primary energy supplies As aptly noted by the French writer Marcel or large water bodies for cooling. These ap- Proust: “The true voyage of discovery lies not in proaches have become obsolete in the wake of seeking new landscapes, but in having new disruptive market forces that have put small- eyes.” We do not need to go elsewhere for our scale, distributed, and renewable power genera- energy supplies. resources are already there in tion on a head-to-head competition with their our own backyards and in abundance too. The large-sized conventional competitors. key issue, however, is “can our leaders and deOur decision-makers’ recent love affair cision-makers, who are currently trained to look with utility-scale renewable power generation for mega and grand projects only, re-train their also may not lost long, as when the reality sets eyes to discover these hidden treasures in the in, they will have to grapple with issues of con- small places scattered all over the country?” necting these plants from resource-rich remote locations to serve distant urban centers, adding The writer is a freelance consultant, the requisite flexibility in the grid, and main- specializing in sustainable energy and power taining adequate backup by either conventional system planning and development. He can be plants or storage of some kind. Obviously, not reached by email at: msrahim@hotmail.com
Going ‘top-down’ instead of ‘bottom-up’
Dr SHAHiD rAHiM
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r. John P. Holdren (Adviser on S&T to US President Obama for his double term in office and a distinguished faculty at Harvard and Berkley for over two decades) believes that a society can get into trouble with “energy” either by not having adequate resources or by their costs moving beyond its reach. What Dr. Holden perhaps didn’t expect was that a society can have sufficient endowment of energy resources and still can push the energy out of the reach of its people and economy. Our present energy imbroglio is a classic case in point. As energy is lifeblood to modern society, access to a minimum quantum of affordable, secure, and sustainable energy supplies is inevitable to fuel the economy and keep the lights on. electricity is also a superior energy carrier for its versatility of use, ease of control, and cleanliness. As societies progress and their incomes grow, people switch from traditional fuels to electricity. Though not an absolute measure of it, electricity consumption per capita is a reasonable indicator of a country’s development. According to International energy Agency’s “Key world energy Statistics 2020”, Pakistan’s per capita annual energy consumption of half a ton of oil equivalent is only 29% of the average world consumption, 13% of the developed countries, and 23% of that of China. Its per capita annual electricity consumption of 593 kWh is only 18% of the world average, 7% of the developed country average, and 12% of that of China. Fifty to sixty million people in Pakistan still do not have access to electricity. Pakistan’s 1,250 USD per capita GDP is only 11% of the world average, 3% of that of the developed countries, and 16% of that of China. We thus face abject poverty, both in economic development and energy use. energy poverty may not be the exclusive cause of our economic poverty, but it’s certainly among the key contributing factors because access to affordable and reliable energy supply and in particular that of electricity enable a decent standard of living for people and drives the engine of economic development. energy poverty stifles both human growth and
SInCe the outbreak of COvID 19 in late 2019, hundreds of thousands have died worldwide. In order to control the spread of the virus, countries imposed lockdown, confining people to the boundaries of their home. With the outburst of Corona dating back to over a year, many people have suffered severe mental health issues due to the confinement faced after the announcement of lockdown. Mental health issues are a range of conditions which can have a negative effect on one's mood or behaviour. Common mental health issues include depression and anxiety. Stress, pressure and loneliness faced by people, often due to self-isolation can be inducing factors that can ultimately lead to mental health issues. In the months since COvIDs outbreak in Pakistan, the number of people diagnosed with mental issues has dramatically risen, as well as the suicide rate across provinces. Over 25 suicide cases have been linked with COvID since its outbreak, with likely more to come if measures aren’t taken. It is estimated that about 50 million people suffer from mental health issues in Pakistan, with a severe lack of psychiatrists to treat them. This means that obtaining mental health treatment can be an issue for many people, resulting in their disorders worsening. Fear of coronavirus as well as sadness caused by isolation and the thought of confinement has only increased the number of mental health issues not only in Pakistan but worldwide. However efforts are being made by the government in order to curb the spread of mental illnesses, through methods such as, providing relevant information about mental issues impact and methods of prevention. In addition the government has published a 26 page document providing instructions on how to avoid mental issues, especially during lockdown. nGOs across Pakistan have taken charge of raising mental health awareness as well, with talks being organized to achieve this. Waleed Qasim Bashir lahore
Afghan war: Who is to blame? SePTeMBer 11th is the deadline for the American army to leave Afghanistan and end it’s decades long war. A lot of people are asking questions of why this war went on for so long and why America has lost this war. And a lot of people end up blaming Pakistan for America’s failures. “Directorate S” is a book written by Steve Coll, that explains Pakistan’s position categorically from the start of the war till the end. From ex President Musharraf till current Prime Minister Imran Khan, every Pakistani military and civilian leader have been telling the US only one thing, negotiate with the Taliban as they are local Afghani’s and cannot be expelled from their own country. The book also categorically tells us how the USA always went against Pakistan’s advice, whether it was to help the northern Alliance take over Kabul, or whether to give Pakistan time to deploy troops to the borders before the USA bombed Tora Bora mountains or even when Pakistan asked them to negotiate a peace with Taliban. The book also highlights how the USA used India’s funded Ahmed Shah Masood’s northern Alliance group whose second command was Amrullah Saleh, the current vP of Afghanistan who likes to spew hatred against Pakistan at every opportunity he gets. Incidently Ahmad Shah Masood was killed in a suicide attack, two days before September 11th World Trade Center incident, and he was pronounced dead in an Indian funded hospital in Tajikistan. reading the book the readers would understand how Pakistan had always tried to help the USA and even how the Taliban continuously asked to negotiate Peace with the USA, but in both cases their requests were turned down. Therefore at this juncture the people of America, Afghanistan and Pakistan should be asking themselves is why the USA Government and CIA allowed the US Army and coalition forces to continue a war, when in the end the USA Government had to negotiate a peace settlement anyways? shahryar Khan Baseer P.engr. PeshaWar
Vaccine hesitancy THe Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc all over the country. Many countries are trying hard to get rid of the virus. The government of Pakistan is also working tirelessly to make Pakistan free from this highly transmissible virus. There is no doubt that the government is playing a laudable role in dealing with this disastrous situation. However, the people are not ready to listen to the authorities. Many people are still reluctant to get vaccinated because of the misconceptions that they are viral on social media and other platforms. A few days ago, I found myself in a queue outside a vaccination centre. While waiting for my turn, I talked to a few people who were standing behind me in the queue. They said that they are getting vaccinated because of the restrictions that the government had announced for the unvaccinated. They added that had it been up to them, they would have remained unvaccinated because they had heard that the Covid-19 vaccines have adverse side effects. These misconceptions are the reason that many people are still unvaccinated. religious scholars and political leaders must take steps to encourage people to get vaccinated. hammal Zahid Kolahoo
Protecting our kids AT this stage when the child abuse cases, be it in terms of sexual assault, pornography or child trafficking are taking alarming proportions and adversely affecting the individuals, families as well as the whole society, it was a beautiful piece of jurisdiction by the Senate. Dearth of laws and bodies to check such incidents had led the numbers to suffer in the past but today the imposition of this law would assist in curbing the rate of such cases which are leading to serious threats including guilt, self blames, nightmares, insomnia, suicidal ideation, self injury, depression, aggressive behavior etc among the children. Highly hoping to see a positive change. Usman mir Karachi
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
A UN peAcekeepINg MIssIoN coUld MAke All tHe dIffereNce IN AfgHANIstAN. Here’s WHy ASKING CHINA TO TAKE THE LEAD IN A UN PEACE OPERATION CAN BE VIEWED IN SOME AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY CIRCLES AS A PAINFUL SYMBOLIC AND GEOSTRATEGIC TURN OF EVENTS
los ANgeles Times
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lISe M HOWArd
N Monday, the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to consider options for how to respond to the failed Western-led counterinsurgency in Afghanistan. At the top of the list should be negotiating a large, multinational U.N. peace observation mission that is not led by the West. Such a mission is in the interest of the U.S. and the U.N. — and the taliban. taliban leaders want international legitimacy and need international aid. they have made three key promises: to not engage in revenge attacks, to not allow Afghanistan to become a haven for terrorists, and to uphold the rights of women and minorities (“within the framework of Sharia law”). the taliban also wants all Western troops to leave the territory. Non-Western, multinational U.N. peace observers could verify to the world that the taliban is keeping its promises. Such verification could, in turn, pave the way for normalizing relations. the taliban leadership is having trouble consolidat-
ing control over its own ranks. Moreover, an anti-taliban civil war is brewing on many fronts. Multinational observers and mediators — primarily from China and Muslim-majority countries — can help the taliban consolidate less radical control. Peacekeeping observers could also help prevent civil war by shining a spotlight on actions that violate peace and security and by mediating to de-escalate tension in the region. A large, multinational observer mission could be organized by the U.N.’s Department of Peace Operations. the U.N. already has a diplomatic presence, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, that coordinates the various United Nation agencies that continue to operate in Afghanistan. For example, the World Health Organization has staff in all 34 provinces and monitors 2,200 health facilities, most of which have remained open. Since China shares a border with Afghanistan, and has direct national security interests in preserving peace there, it could serve in a leadership role. China already has an 8,000-strong peacekeeping standby brigade. Pakistan, which also borders Afghanistan, has served in leadership roles in U.N. peace operations for decades, and has thousands of well-trained observers. As in most U.N. peace missions, troops should hail from dozens of countries, with no nation dominating, and patrol in mixed-nation units, in order to remain impartial. the international community must learn from its past mistakes in Libya and Iraq, when the options presented were either large military interventions or doing nothing besides sending a few diplomats. Doing nothing sparked and fueled civil wars not only in Libya and Iraq, but also in neighboring countries.
the implosion of Libya sent weapons and extremists across the region, fueling conflict in many countries, with devastating effects in Mali, Nigeria and Syria. the absence of a peace operation after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq in 2011 led to the surprise surge of the Islamic State group and massive bloodshed in both Iraq and Syria. U.N. peace operations present a middle ground for action between the extremes of military intervention and diplomacy. Peacekeeping also has a remarkably successful track record. U.N. peace operations are arguably the most effective form of intervention. Dozens of studies have demonstrated that when U.N. peacekeepers are present, belligerents are less likely to attack civilians and more likely to put down their weapons. Peace agreements are also more likely to hold. the U.N. has succeeded in implementing complex, state-building mandates in 11 out of 16 cases since the end of the Cold War — a 68% success rate. A monitoring mission in Afghanistan, however, would not include an ambitious, state-building mandate because the taliban would never agree to it. Most current missions are more traditional, monitoring missions and have been in operation for decades. Since 1991, such missions have helped bring about peace and stability in Macedonia and in neighboring tajikistan, for example. Peacekeeping works according to a different logic from war-fighting. Because peacekeepers do not take sides, and do not try to fight their way to an ending, they must rely on other means of power: diplomatic persuasion, financial inducements, and coercive tactics short of offensive military operations, such as surveilling armed actors, reporting and defending civilians against attack.
In Cambodia, for example, 200,000 Vietnamese troops could not defeat the extreme, genocidal Khmer Rouge, but a large, lightly armed U.N. peacekeeping operation enabled Cambodians to choose a different path. Cambodia remains under authoritarian rule, but the extremists are no longer a threat. Peace operations are not without risks; on average, approximately 100 peacekeepers die each year in service. If U.N. observers are invited as guests — deployed with consent, and promising impartiality — they stand a greater chance of acceptance and survival. Not all successful monitoring missions are conducted by the U.N. In Ukraine, for example, 1,300 unarmed Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe monitors from 44 different countries report daily in English, Russian and Ukrainian on conflict-related events. As a result, the war in Ukraine has one of the lowest death counts among current civil wars. Asking China to take the lead in a U.N. peace operation can be viewed in some American foreign policy circles as a painful symbolic and geostrategic turn of events. But in weighing the likelihood of tremendous bloodshed on the horizon versus supporting China acting through the U.N. to prevent violent conflict, the choice is clear. If China is willing to step up, it must be supported. History shows that peacekeeping missions are effective at preventing conflict, protecting civilians, and maintaining peace and security. Afghanistan, and the world, need such a mission right now. Lise M. Howard is professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University and president of the Academic Council on the United Nations System.
How Western books about the Muslim world fuel war and retribution DEEP-SEATED FANTASIES OF DARK-SKINNED DEPRAVITY AND WHITE INNOCENCE AID AND ABET THE PUBLIC IN LOOKING PAST THE SCANDALS AND CORRUPTION HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT
New Republic
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Audrey ClAre FArley
t didn’t take long after the taliban takeover of Afghanistan for nonfiction about captive or oppressed Muslim women to begin trending on Goodreads, nor for social media users to recommend such bestsellers as Betty Mahmoody’s Not Without My Daughter, Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in tehran, and Jean Sasson’s Princess trilogy for “insight into what’s happening in Afghanistan,” in the words of one Reddit user. It’s a bit of a reach. Both Mahmoody’s and Nafasi’s books are set in post-revolutionary Iran, and Sasson’s takes place in Saudi Arabia. But according to literary scholar Dohra Ahmad, who sardonically coined the genre “oppressed Muslim women narratives,” such stories have never been known for their “regional, doctrinal, or economic specificity,” even though some authors have presented nuance. Neither Ahmad nor other literary scholars have questioned the trauma experienced by the women portrayed— as a rule among the bestselling nonfiction—in the Middle East and Central Asia. (Ahmad notes that American readers are utterly uninterested in depictions of Islam outside these bounds, including in their own country.) Instead, she and other scholars tend to ask: Why do such singular stories of abuse capture the American imagination of Islam at large? Why do they spark such moral outrage when this country does next to nothing to protect women and children from abuse here at home? And what is their impact on Muslim women globally? As the reading masses turn to beloved nonfiction to process the crises abroad, as Americans more generally devour sensationalized (and often, inaccurate) media about women in Afghanistan, and as critics of the withdrawal traffic in canards about Afghan damsels in distress, these questions are well worth asking. there may be no more instructive case study of the cultural influence of the oppressed Muslim women narrative than that of the blockbuster Not Without My Daughter, the subject of two chapters in religious studies scholar Megan Goodwin’s book Abusing Religion: Literary Persecution, Sex Scandals, and American Minority Religions. Published in 1987, Mahmoody’s pulp memoir had all the makings of a potboiler. the story kicks off in Michigan with her marriage to a handsome foreign-born doctor. the sex is hot, and the couple has a beautiful
daughter. then the fairy tale turns into a nightmare. After the Iranian revolution, Mahmoody’s husband, who is from the country, demands to return, promising they’ll stay for only two weeks. Once there, he backslides into a “fanatical patriarchal,” beating the now black-clad Mahmoody, hiding her passport, and withholding money—all things the memoir repeatedly attributes to his religio-national commitments. But the American’s indomitable spirit wins the day. Mahmoody manages a harrowing escape with her daughter, trekking over mountains to make her way back to the freedom-loving U.S.A. In her chapters on the book, Goodwin writes that, in Mahmoody’s seeming determination to indict all of Islam as dirty, barbaric, and fundamentally un-American, the author heavily relied on language connoting reversion (“backsliding”) and made numerous factual errors. For instance, she mistook Iranians, many of whom are phenotypically white, for Arabs. Scholars noted this and other goofs, but their voices were drowned out by enthralled readers, reviewers, and high-seated members of the literary establishment. the book sold 15 million copies and was translated into 20 languages, in addition to being nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and earning the author an honorary doctorate of letters. television hosts Barbara Walters, Larry King, Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Raphael, and Oprah Winfrey invited Mahmoody onto their shows to gush about what was, in Goodwin’s view, a “garbage fire book.” In 1991, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adapted the memoir for the big screen, having scooped up the film rights before it even hit shelves. the Hollywood studio cast Sally Field as the heroine. this drove home the book’s xenophobic themes by spurring viewers to regard the wife and husband as stand-ins for America and Islam, respectively. As Goodwin explains: “[Field]’s not any white lady. She’s every white lady. She’s Gidget. She’s the Flying Nun. She is literally America’s sweetheart at this point [in her career]. So to watch her get the shit kicked out of her by this violent Muslim man … it’s like indicative of how Muslim men really are, even though they try to trick us and make us think that they’re just like us.” In 1993, in response to Mahmoody’s story, President Bill Clinton signed the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act, which made international abduction by a parent a felony offense. the same decade, the U.S. State Department made Mahmoody an adviser “on the plight of American women and children held against their will in foreign countries.” Ever since, the film has regularly played on television networks such as Oprah’s OWN, in addition to being screened in public schools and even a custody hearing “as a credible example of Muslim beliefs and practices.” the book remains in print, its cover having been updated to reflect current images of “scary Muslims.” (the heroine is now in full niqab.) Goodwin explains that the book’s enduring legacy is widespread disgust for Islam, pity for Muslim women, and pride for the supposedly human rights–loving U.S.
Other white-authored and marketed books in the genre have cultivated the same feelings, according to Ahmad. the first book in the Princess trilogy, for instance, romanticizes America and obscures the U.S.’s role in giving rise to the depicted atrocities in Saudi Arabia, leaving readers to conclude that “women of the Arab culture have no rights.” Suzanne Fisher Staples’ young adult novel about a child bride, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, is more nuanced, but its packaging and pedagogical uses give students an “illusion of global cultural literacy,” leading some to bully Muslim peers. As readers young and old consume bestsellers about Muslim women’s suffering (often in lieu of more meaningful engagements with Islam), Muslim women globally have been increasingly subjected to military force, surveillance, discriminatory policies, and hate crimes by those who claim to be liberating them. the Bush administration famously appealed to human rights to justify the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, devastating hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and creating the conditions for the current crisis. As religious studies scholar Juliane Hammer has discussed, recent decades have also seen the rise of physical and verbal harassment against Muslim women in the United States, including incidents where some have had their headscarves forcibly removed in public by strangers. Many Westerners have come to believe that by wearing such garments, Muslim women are either asking for violence or signaling their allegiance to terrorist men—therefore, they must be battered to take them off. Hammer recounts a particularly jaw-dropping expression of Islamophobia involving texas Representative Louie Gohmert, a Republican. In 2010, Gohmert defended an Arizona immigration restriction by claiming that young Muslim women were plotting to birth children in the U.S. and then return to their home countries, where the American citizens could be “raised and coddled as future terrorists.” One day down the road, the “terrorist babies,” as the media dubbed them—riffing on the disparaging “anchor babies”—would come back “to destroy our way of life.” Beyond inspiring imperialist sentiments, many pulp bestsellers about Muslim women have helped give rise to doublespeak. Muslim women can be talked about as “poor” victims and as irredeemably depraved beings who must be kept out at all costs. It’s impossible not to see this same contradictory rhetoric being used now, as President Biden’s critics profess pity for the women and children of Afghanistan while also retweeting viral images of a refugee-packed aircraft with the caption, “Raise your hand if you want this plane landing in your town?” Stephen Miller, the former trump adviser and architect of the first attempted Muslim ban, captured popular sentiment on the right when he told Fox News host Laura Ingraham last week, “there are a lot of people in Afghanistan, millions and millions and millions, who don’t like the taliban, and rightfully so. that doesn’t
necessarily mean that all those millions of people are Jacksonian Democrats who are pro-America and who will embrace our way of life.” As he has argued elsewhere, even the “good,” pitiable foreigners can never be fully American. the most logical thing to do, then, “is to find them a home in another country in Southeast Asia or the broader Middle East.” Ingraham agreed. But it’s not just right-wing bigots who stereotype Muslims and Muslim-majority nations. Liberals, too, attach themselves to stories of Muslim oppression, condemn all of Islam for the actions of certain authoritarians, and congratulate the U.S. for its alleged modernism. Lila Abu-Lughod, author of the influential 2013 book Do Muslim Women Need Saving?, tells of prominent atheist Sam Harris praising journalist Malala Yousafzai for standing up to “the misogyny of traditional Islam” when Yousafzai wrote a book about being subjected to taliban violence. Goodwin notes that Mahmoody’s memoir is listed in the 2014 Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature for exposing “Muslim misogyny.” Musing about the depth of moral conviction that people feel “about the rightness of saving the women of that timeless homogeneous mythical place called Islamland,” Abu-Lughod blames ignorance about the diversity of Muslim women’s lives and discomfort about the West’s role in creating horrific living conditions for people globally. But she also senses something else at work: “Representing Muslim women as abused makes us forget the violence and oppression in our own midst.” It is telling that, last week, exponentially more Americans publicly emoted about Afghan women’s plight than reacted to coinciding news of Hannah-Kate Williams filing suit against Southern Baptist institutions and leaders, including her own father, for failing to investigate her reports of sexual abuse, defaming her as a liar, and conspiring to protect the denomination from a scandal documented to have at least 700 victims. Williams’s filing comes on the heels of the Boy Scouts of America quietly agreeing to pay $850 million to more than 60,000 men who have sued over child sexual abuse. Catholic dioceses everywhere are in bankruptcy after paying settlements to their own abuse victims in a country where one in nine girls are sexually abused or assaulted before turning 18. Following revelations of abuse and cover-up in white institutions, many often proclaim their shock, despite the testimonies of the abused shining a bright light on the crimes. Deep-seated fantasies of dark-skinned depravity and white innocence aid and abet the public in looking past the scandals and corruption hiding in plain sight. Naming these fantasies is a step toward reconciling with both sexual and colonial violence, and building the humanitarian society America is touted to be. Audrey Clare Farley is the author of the forthcoming book The Unfit Heiress: The Tragic Life and Scandalous Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
BUSINESS 09
LAHORE
NFS&R, AJK Govt to FoRm JoiNt PRoGRAmme FoR uPGRAdiNG AGRi SeCtoR ISLAMABAD
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APP
INISTRY of National Food Security & Research and the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) here on Monday agreed to increase collaboration in shifting focus towards production of high value agricultural products for upgrading the agriculture sector in AJK. The consensus to this effect was developed in a meeting between Federal Minister
for National Food Security and Research, Syed Fakhar Imam, and AJK Prime Minister, Sardar Abdul Qayumm Niazi, who had called on the minister. Fakhar Imam assured the AJK premier that his ministry would provide every support available to help the agricultural transition towards high value crops. He said that AJK has high potential for high value products such as saffron, garlic, and fruits such as peach and plum. He said that a transition towards high value crops can uplift AJK economically. He said that the factors of production of these
crops are available such as bulbs for saffron. He said that average income of per acre saffron production is 25-30 lakh which is extremely high as compared to low value crops. Fakhar said that every technical support would be provided to the government of AJK to upgrade the agriculture sector, adding that the livestock sector has immense potential and should be a key area of focus as well. The minister highlighted the benefits of private and public partnerships and proposed that the local producer should be in-
centivised for transitioning towards high value crops. The two dignitaries pre-emptively discussed strategies to ensure that wheat shortage does not occur. Planning was also done to ensure that prices of wheat remain low and in the reach of common people across the country. He said that quality of silage plays a key role in the quality of livestock and thus collaboration to enhance the livestock sector should be prioritised. Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Abdul Qayuum Khan Niazi said that a new
Govt to reward remitters
Chinese company to invest $360m in Pakistan ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA
Chinese company Century Steel has decided to make a $360 million investment in Pakistan for which the government has allotted 20 acres of land in the Rashakai SEZ. According to details, the government commenced the sale of plots in Rashakai SEZ in January and has since then, allotted 585 acres of land to 24 zone enterprises with a planned investment of Rs136.7 billion, including FDI of $5.21 million in Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Faisalabad. Documents state that four out of nine CPEC SEZs are at an advanced stage of development. These include the Rashakai SEZ, Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Faisalabad Bostan SEZ and Dhabeji SEZ.
Country's debt over Rs38bn in June 2021: SBP MONIORING REPORT Pakistan's debt has soared to Rs38, 697 billion in June 2021 with most of it being acquired from local financial sources, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday. According to details shared by the SBP, the debt owed by the federal government has increased by 10 percent annually and currently stands at Rs38, 697 billion in June this year. It said that 68 percent of the loans have been acquired from national sources while 32 percent was obtained using foreign funding. “The long term debt stands at 12,297 billion, whereas short term loan is Rs135 million,” the central bank shared. It further added that Rs15, 457 billion has been obtained after the sale of bonds while investment bonds also garnered Rs14, 590 billion.
The government has also approved PC-ls worth over Rs16 billion for gas and electricity providers in the above-mentioned SEZs which are in the advanced stage of development. According to details, 10 MW electricity was provided to Rashakai SEZ in October 2020 as a short term arrangement and 50 MW is to be provided by June 2022, while gasification of the zone is to be completed by December 2021. Similarly, the government provided 10 MW of electricity in Allama Iqbal Industrial City in 2020 whereas the construction of grid stations for the provision of 20 MW of electricity is in progress with work expected to be completed by December. On the other hand, the government provided 5 MMCFD gas as a short-term arrangement in December 2020 in this economic zone.
MONITORING REPORT
It will also provide 5 MW electricity in Dhabeji SEZ till December 2021 whereas work is in progress for the provision of 13.5 MMCFD gas. On the other hand, 5 MW electricity will be provided to the Bostan SEZ by December while an amount of Rs731 million has been approved and allocated in PSDP 2021-22 for gasification of the zone which will be completed in 18 months’ time from the release of funds to SSGCL. It is pertinent to note here that the government has identified nine SEZs under the cooperation of industrial development, including Rashakai SEZ, Allama Iqbal Industrial City, Faisalabad Bostan SEZ, Dhabeji SEZ, Model ICT SEZ, Pak Steel Mills SEZ, Karachi Moqpandas SEZ, GB Mirpur SEZ, and AJK and Mohmand Marble City.
Toyota to restart self-driving Olympic village vehicles with more safety staff TOKYO AGENCIES
Toyota Motor said on Monday it would resume operations of its self-driving e-Palette pods at the Tokyo Paralympic Games village with greater operator control and more safety staff to ensure they did not hit any more people. The e-Palettes were halted after one of the vehicles collided with and injured a visually impaired Japanese athlete at a junction last week, prompting a YouTube video apology from Toyota Chief Executive Akio Toyoda. "The vehicle's sensor detected the pedestrian crossing and activated the automatic brake, and the operator also activated the emergency brake. The vehicle and pedestrians, however, came into contact before it came to a complete halt," Toyota said in a statement on Monday. Aramitsu Kitazono was not seriously injured in the inci-
policy will be made to oversee the transition towards high value crops in collaboration with the ministry of national food security and research. He said that tea plantation was once an area of focus but due to lack of vision of the previous governments it has seen little progress. He said that long term planning is the key towards meaningful output in the agriculture sector. Both the sides also agreed to make a long-term strategy to ensure that policies are implemented by the future governments as well.
dent, but had to pull out of the Games judo event on Saturday because of cuts and bruises, further embarrassing the Japanese company, which along with other global automakers is trying to develop autonomous vehicles that can operate safely on public roads. The e-Palette, a fully autonomous battery-electric vehicle, was adapted specifically for use during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, with large doors and electric ramps to allow groups of athletes to board quickly. Operators will now be given control over how fast the vehicles travel with two safety staff members, rather than one, on board to look out for pedestrians, a Toyota spokesperson said. Warning sounds on e-Palettes will also be turned up and pedestrian guides at busy crossings in the athletes village will also be increased to 20 from six said the company, which is cooperating with a local police probe to determine the cause of the accident.
The government has decided to launch National Remittance Loyalty Programme (NRLP) on 1 Oct to allow redemption in cash of reward points earned by overseas Pakistanis for sending remittances back home through official channels. This decision was finalised by the cabinet in a meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan. Finance Minister (FM) Shaukat Tarin explained, “requested that the decision of ECC on the NRLP be ratified with the stipulation that the points/rewards earned by the remitters may also be redeemed in cash” Under the scheme 1 per cent reward points on an annual remittance of up to $10,000 equivalent, 1.25pc reward on up to $30,000 and 1.5pc reward points on annual remittances of more than $30,000 are likely to be allocated. Additionally, a remitter of $25,000 a year would be entitled to a reward of Rs46,575 based on the points accumulated. This means the first $10,000 in remittance would get reward points at the rate of 1pc, followed by 1.25pc for the next $15,000. For this purpose, an android and IOS app has already been developed in both English and Urdu. Moreover, the NRLP will include three categories: green, gold and platinum. In addition to a feature of “Virtual Loyalty Card”. These reward points can also be redeemed against PIA tickets, extra luggage, duty on cars and mobile phones, renewal of CNIC/NICOP or passport. Other payments of utility bills, life insurance and taxes can also be made through these points. The estimated financial budget for this scheme is Rs13.107 billion for FY2022 and was approved by PM on 2 July.
Rupee loses further ground, closes at 165.96 MONITORING REPORT Pakistani rupee on Monday continued its losing streak against the United States (US) dollar in the interbank after shedding another 34 paisa against the greenback According to forex dealers, the US dollar rose by 34 paisa in the interbank before the mid-day and stood at Rs165.96. The greenback saw an increase by Rs1 in the interbank on August 25 to close at an 11-month high against the rupee. “The US dollar now stands at Rs166.20 against Pakistani rupee,” the dealers in the forex market said.
Oil mixed as Hurricane Ida slams US crude hub, Louisiana TOKYO AGENCIES
Oil prices pared early gains on Monday, off more than three-week highs reached earlier in the session as a powerful hurricane ploughing through the Gulf of Mexico forced shutdowns and evacuations of hundreds of offshore oil platforms. US gasoline prices rose more than 3% as power outages added to refinery closures on the Gulf coast. Brent was up 27 cents or 0.4% at $72.97 a barrel by 0337 GMT. It rose more than 11% last week in anticipation of disruptions to oil production from Ida. US oil turned negative and was down by 6 cents at $68.68 a barrel, having jumped a little over 10% over last week. The benchmarks hit highs not seen since early August, $73.69 and $69.64, respectively, earlier in the session, as Ida slammed into the coast near Port Fourchon, Louisiana,
a hub of the Gulf's offshore energy industry. "It's still early days to know the full impact of Hurricane Ida," said Vivek Dhar, commodities analyst at Commonweath Bank of Australia. "Oil products, like gasoline and diesel, are likely to see prices rise more acutely from refinery outages, especially if there are difficulties in bringing refineries and pipelines back online," he added. PBF Energy's 190,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana, has been shut down by a power outage caused by Ida, sources told Reuters. Marathon Petroleum Corp shut its 578,000 bpd in Garyville, Louisiana, as the storm approached. Colonial Pipeline Co, the operator of the largest petroleum products pipeline in the United States, said on Sunday it would temporarily halt fuel deliveries from Houston to Greensboro, North Carolina due to Ida. Hit to production On the production side, energy companies had halted more than
95% of crude output, or 1.74 million bpd's worth, in the US Gulf of Mexico by Sunday according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, as Ida headed toward drilling rigs and other infrastructure. The Gulf supplies about 17% of the nation's oil. Oil and gas companies had evacuated around 300 offshore facilities and moved more than 10 drill vessels out of harm's way, the offshore regulator said. Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the biggest privately owned crude terminal in the United States, halted deliveries before the hurricane. LOOP is the only US terminal able to unload supertankers, handling about 10% to 15% of US domestic oil, 10% to 15% of its oil imports, and is connected to about half of the US refining capacity, the Port Fourchon website says. Ida smashed into the coast near Port Fourchon at 1655 GMT on Sunday as an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said, before starting to weaken.
Those who either could not or would not evacuate will have to brace for the toughest test yet of the billions of dollars spent on levee upgrades around nearby New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina more than a decade ago. All of New Orleans has lost
power after "catastrophic transmission damage", Entergy Louisiana said. "This is one of the strongest storms to make landfall here in modern times," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told reporters at a briefing before Ida came ashore.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
10 FOREIGN NEWS
LAHORE
PalestiNiaN PresideNt, israeli defeNCe miNister hold rare talks TEL AVIV
i
ThE ASSociATEd PRESS
SRAEL defence minister held talks late Sunday with the Palestinian president in the first high-level meeting between the two sides in years, officials said. The meeting between Benny Gantz and Mahmoud Abbas signalled a possible shift of direction after the near-complete breakdown of communication between Abbas and Israeli leaders in recent years under former Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu pursued a hard-line policy toward the Palestinians, backed by former US President Donald Trump who had approved pro-Israeli policies such as moving the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to contested Jerusalem. Abbas halted most contacts with the US and Israel during those years. Netanyahu had repeatedly claimed Abbas was not a reliable partner for negotiating a peace deal, a portrayal dismissed by Netanyahu
New Zealand reports first death linked to Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine WELLINGTON REUTERS
critics as a pretext for avoiding making concessions. The Gantz-Abbas meeting came just after Israel’s current prime minister, Naftali Bennett, was received at the White House by President Joe Biden. The Biden administration views Abbas as an essential player in any efforts to resume longstalled talks on the terms of Palestinian statehood, even though Abbas is increasingly isolated and unpopular at home. The Haaretz daily said the meeting took place in the town of
Hurricane Ida lashes Louisiana, knocking out power in New Orleans WASHINGTON
New Zealand reported its first recorded death linked to US drugmaker Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine, the health ministry said on Monday after a woman suffered a rare side effect leading to inflammation of her heart muscle. The news of the death comes as the country battles an outbreak of the Delta variant after nearly six months of being virus-free. It followed a review by an independent panel monitoring the safety of the vaccines. “This is the first case in New Zealand where a death in the days following vaccination has been linked to the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine,” the ministry said in a statement, without giving the woman’s age. The vaccine monitoring panel attributed the death to myocarditis, a rare, but known, side effect of the Pfizer vaccine, the ministry added. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that can limit the organ’s ability to pump blood and can cause changes in heartbeat rhythms. In response, Pfizer said it recognised there could be rare reports of myocarditis after vaccinations, but such side effects were extremely rare. “Pfizer takes adverse events that are potentially associated with our vaccine very seriously,” it told Reuters. “We closely monitor all such events and collect relevant information to share with worldwide regulatory authorities.” The health ministry said other medical issues at the same time could have influenced the outcome after vaccination. But the vaccine’s benefit outstripped risks from side effects, it added. “The benefits of vaccination with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine continue to greatly outweigh the risk of both Covid-19 infection and vaccine side effects, including myocarditis.” New Zealand has provisionally approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines, but only the Pfizer produced vaccine has been approved for rollout to the public. Monday’s 53 new cases took New Zealand’s tally of infections in the current outbreak to 562, amid a nationwide lockdown enforced this month to limit spread of the Delta variant.
Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Abbas maintains his headquarters. Gantz told Abbas that Israel would take measures to strengthen the Palestinian economy, according to a statement by Gantz’ office. The economy of the Abbas-administered autonomous enclaves in the West Bank is dependent on Israel and has been stymied by movement restrictions Israel says are imposed for security reasons. Hussein Sheikh, a top Abbas aide, confirmed the meeting in a statement on Twitter.
REUTERS
Hurricane Ida ploughed into the US state of Louisiana from the Gulf of Mexico as a fierce Category 4 storm on Sunday, lashing the coast with 150 mile-per-hour winds, torrential downpours and pounding surf that submerged much of the shoreline under several feet of water. Power was knocked out on Sunday night to the entire New Orleans metropolitan area with the failure of all eight transmission lines that deliver electricity to Louisiana's largest city, the utility company Entergy Louisiana reported. One transmission tower collapsed into the Mississippi River, according to the Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Department. US President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Louisiana, ordering federal assistance to bolster recovery efforts in more than two-dozen storm-stricken parishes. Ida slammed ashore around noon near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, a hub of the Gulf's offshore energy industry, blasting the coast with hurricane-force winds extending 50 miles out from the eye of the storm. Landfall came 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina, one of the most catastrophic on record, struck the Gulf Coast. Sunday night, the sheriff's office in Ascension Parish reported the first known US fatality from the storm — a 60-year-old man killed by a tree falling on his home near Baton Rouge, the state capital. Flash flooding was reported by the National Hurricane Centre across southeastern Louisiana. Nearly all offshore Gulf oil production was suspended, and major ports along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts were closed to shipping. Residents of the most vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to evacuate days in advance of Ida. Those riding out the storm in their homes in New Orleans, less than 100 miles inland to the north, braced for the toughest test yet of major upgrades to a levee system constructed following devastating floods in 2005 from Katrina. "I almost found myself in a panic attack when news announced this was the anniversary of Katrina," Janet
Rucker, a lifelong New Orleans resident and recently retired sales manager who took shelter in a downtown hotel with her dog, Deuce. "This is just not good for our nerves and our psyche." The storm's approach forced the suspension of emergency medical services in New Orleans and elsewhere across a state already reeling from a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections that has strained Louisiana's healthcare system. For an estimated 2,450 Covid-19 patients hospitalised statewide, many in intensive care units, evacuation was not an option. A loss of generator power at the Thibodaux Regional Health System hospital in Lafourche Parish, southwest of New Orleans, forced medical workers to manually assist respiratory patients with breathing while they were moved to another floor, the state health department confirmed to Reuters. Farren Clark, a Nicholls State University professor who studied Katrina's impact and was riding out the storm at his mother's home in Thibodaux, called the arrival of Ida "nerve-wracking". "I can hear the howl of the storm getting stronger," he told Reuters by phone. "Having done research on Katrina, it is a little bit triggering." Michael Lewis, 45, a restaurant owner in nearby Houma, said he could see shingles blown off his roof and a downed fence through a window of his home but was unable to check the full extent of damage as the storm raged. "It's way too dangerous to go outside right now," he said in a phone interview. Officials of the US Army Corps of Engineers said they expected the city's newly reinforced levees to hold, though they said they said the flood walls could be overtopped in some places. "This is one of the strongest storms to make landfall here in modern times," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at a news briefing. Hundreds of miles of new levees were built around New Orleans after flooding from Katrina inundated much of the low-lying city, especially historically Black neighbourhoods. That monster storm claimed more than 1,800 lives. Edwards voiced confidence in the $14.5 billion in
levee improvements since then, saying they were "built for this moment". WIDESPREAD OUTAGES: Power outages were widespread in the first hours of the storm, with more than one million Louisiana homes and businesses losing electricity by late Sunday night, according to the tracking site Poweroutage.US. Just three days after emerging as a tropical storm in the Caribbean Sea, Ida had intensified into a Category 4 hurricane and swept ashore with top sustained winds of 150mph, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) reported. As Ida pushed inland past to New Orleans over the next 10 hours, its maximum sustained winds diminished to 105mph, ranking it as a Category 1 storm on the fivestep Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, according to the NHC. Palm trees trembled as rain blasted in sideways through New Orleans on Sunday, where retiree Robert Ruffin, 68, had evacuated with his family to a downtown hotel. "I thought it was safer," he said. "It's double-trouble this time because of Covid." Inundation from Ida's storm surge — high surf driven by the hurricane's winds — was reported to be exceeding predicted levels of 1.8 metres along parts of the coast. Videos posted on social media showed storm surge flooding had transformed sections of Highway 90 along the Louisiana and Mississippi coast into a choppy river. The NHC also warned of potentially catastrophic wind damage and up to 610 millimetres of rainfall in some areas. "We're as prepared as we can be, but we're worried about those levees," said Kirk Lepine, president of Plaquemines Parish, and one of the most vulnerable areas along the Gulf Coast. The parish later issued an alert on Facebook urging residents of one area to seek higher ground after reports of an overtopped levee. Offshore energy operations in the region were at a virtual standstill. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said nearly 300 offshore oil and gas platforms were evacuated, cutting Gulf-based petroleum and natural gas production by 96 per cent and 94pc, respectively.
‘Work is work’: Afghan ex-minister now delivers food in Germany LEIPZIG AFP
He was once a minister in Afghanistan but quit, fed up with the corruption. Now in Germany, Sayed Sadaat is making a living delivering meals as a bicycle courier. For six hours on weekdays and from noon to 10:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, Sadaat dons his distinctive orange coat and big square backpack, shuttling pizzas or other orders to customers. “There is no shame in the job at all. Work is work,” he told AFP. “If there is a job, it means there is public demand […] someone has to do it,” he said. Sadaat is one of the thousands of Afghans who have found a home in Germany over the last years. Since 2015, when Europe saw a huge influx of people fleeing wars mostly from Syria and Iraq, around 210,000 Afghans have sought asylum in Germany. This makes them the second biggest group of people seeking protection in Europe’s most populous country after Syrians. With the Taliban’s return to power earlier this month, Germany has also evacuated around 4,000 Afghans, including those who worked with NATO forces and others who
need protection. ‘FOR PRIVATE BENEFIT’: Sadaat’s journey to Germany was far less harrowing. He was minister of communications in Afghanistan from 2016 to 2018. But the 50year-old said he quit his post because he was fed up with corruption in the government. “When doing the job as a minister there was a difference between the president’s close circle and myself,” he explained. “Their demands were for private benefit, I wanted the money for government projects to be implemented properly. “So I could not fulfil their demands and then they tried to push me, put pressure on me from the president’s side.” He took on a consultancy job in the telecommunications sector in Afghanistan. But by 2020, the security situation had deteriorated, he said. “So I decided to leave,” he told AFP. As a dual Afghan-British citizen, he decided to move to Germany at the end of 2020 before Brexit made it no longer possible for Britons to obtain residency in the EU without conditions such as an offer of employment. He could have secured a post in Britain but said he saw more opportunities for his sector in Germany. But without German, Sadaat, who came
alone and refuses to talk about his family, said he has struggled to get employed. ADVISING THE GOVERNMENT? The coronavirus pandemic delayed his
plans to learn to speak German. But he is now taking language classes four hours a day, before getting on the bicycle for food delivery company Lieferando.
The job pays up to 15 euros ($18) an hour, enough for his living expenses, including rent of 420 euros a month. Sadaat said he does not regret his decision to move to Germany. “I know this challenge is for a short time, it is until I can get another job,” he said, touting the physical benefits of cycling 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) every month. With the return to power of the Taliban and the withdrawal of NATO forces from his native country, he sees another possible opening for him in Germany. “I can advise the German government on Afghanistan so that the Afghan people can benefit because I reflect the true picture there,” he said. He admits, however, that no contact has yet been made with the German authorities on the issue. As for the Taliban, he believes they may have “learnt from the past mistakes” in terms of human, women’s rights. But he calls on the international community not to turn its back on Afghanistan and continue providing economic support. As his shift begins at the stroke of midday, he flicks through his phone. “I have to go now,” he says, riding off through the rain for his first delivery of the day.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
SPORTS 11
LAHORE
VerstappeN wiNs FOrmula ONe's shOrtest raCe SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS
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REUTERS
ED Bull’s Max Verstappen won Formula One’s shortest race on Sunday, a wet Belgian Grand Prix with no overtaking that was called off as soon as enough safety car-led laps had been completed to award half-points. With no actual racing allowed, the Dutchman secured his sixth win of the season ahead of Britain’s George Russell, who had put Williams on the front row with a stunning display in a wet qualifying on Saturday. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, who again missed out on the chance to secure a record-extending 100th win, was third for Mercedes. It was only the sixth time since the first
championship in 1950 that half points had been awarded, and Hamilton’s lead over Verstappen in the overall standings dwindled to just three points. Red Bull also cut their deficit to Mercedes in the constructors’ standings to seven. “It’s a big shame to not do proper laps but the conditions were very tricky out there,” said Verstappen after sealing what will count as his 16th career win and first at Spa. “Of course it’s a win but it’s not how you want to win.” Hamilton said the fans, who sat huddled for three hours in the torrential rain and cold, should be given their money back. Russell, in his 50th race with Williams, secured his first Formula One podium and handed the former champions their first topthree result since Canadian Lance Stroll’s third-placed finish in Baku in 2017. “We don’t often get rewarded for
great qualifyings and we absolutely did today,” said the 23-year-old, widely tipped to land the Mercedes seat alongside Hamilton next year. “The whole team deserve it because there’s so much hard work going into this over the last few years and there’s not really been anything to show for it.” POOR CONDITIONS: Conditions at SpaFrancorchamps had begun deteriorating before the start of the race. The formation lap was initially delayed by 25 minutes but, with visibility poor, Formula One race director Michael Masi suspended the race start. After nearly three hours, race control found a window to send the cars out for two laps behind the safety car, ensuring they completed the minimum distance required for a race result to be declared. The governing FIA’s final race classifi-
Patrick Cantlay outlasts Bryson DeChambeau, wins BMW in playoff ANNAPOLIS REUTERS
Patrick Cantlay made a litany of must-have putts, culminating in a 17 1/2-foot birdie on the sixth playoff hole that carried him to a victory over Bryson DeChambeau at the BMW Championship outside Baltimore. The astonishing victory at Caves Valley Golf Club gave Patrick Cantlay 2,000 FedEx Cup points, enough to move into first place entering next week's Tour Championship. DeChambeau, who came up just shy of a round of 59 two days earlier, missed four putts to win the tournament -- the 72nd hole and each of the first three playoff holes at Owings Mills, Md. Cantlay drained his slightly left-to-right, mid-range putt at the par-4 18th hole, and DeChambeau missed a 9-footer that would have extended the playoff. Trailing by a stroke late in his round, Cantlay's hopes looked all but dashed when his tee shot at No. 17 landed short and dribbled into the water. But DeChambeau flubbed his second shot, a chip out of the rough.
Cantlay saved bogey from 8 feet and DeChambeau missed his par putt. It set Cantlay up to drill a nearly 22-foot birdie putt at his 72nd hole to get to 27-under 261. DeChambeau's first would-be winning putt of the afternoon, a 15footer for birdie, missed left, leading to the playoff. Both players carded rounds of 6-under 66. Among Cantlay's other highlights were a 21 1/2foot birdie at No. 14 and an important 9-foot par saved at No. 16. The duo opened the playoff by playing No. 18 twice. On the first play-through, Cantlay's approach sailed over the green, but his chip out of the rough hit the hole, which slowed the ball to about 5 1/2 feet. DeChambeau barely missed his birdie putt, and Cantlay saved his par. On their second go-round, DeChambeau dialed in a laser of an approach shot that landed right next to the cup and spun back to 6 feet. After Cantlay twoputted for par, DeChambeau's would-be winner lipped out. It was almost identical to the distance that he had at No. 18 Friday to make birdie for a 59 -- a
cation, however, gave the positions after lap one, explaining that this was in accordance with the sporting regulations. The race was ultimately called off three hours and 44 minutes after its scheduled start time and will also go down in the sport’s statistics as only the 11th without a single retirement. Mexican Sergio Perez crashed his Red Bull on his sighting lap before even forming
putt he also missed. The golfers played the par-3 17th for their third playoff hole, and after Cantlay missed a birdie, DeChambeau again hit the cup to blow another chance to win. Back at the par-4 18th, DeChambeau's tee shot sailed into a creek. He took a penalty stroke and recovered by hitting a wedge into the green, leaving himself a 4-foot par putt that he'd go on to make. This time, it was Cantlay who couldn't convert a birdie putt to win. They played No. 17 one more time and dropped their tee shots inside 5 feet of the cup to lead to matching birdies. Sungjae Im of South Korea shot 67 and finished third at 23 under. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy also turned in a 67, taking fourth place at 22 under. South African tour rookie Erik van Rooyen had a bogey-free 65 to get to 21 under, good for fifth place and a berth in next week's Tour Championship. The top 30 in FedEx Cup points qualified for the championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. Rooyen started the week 45th in points and moved up to 27th. Another golfer who played his way into the Tour Championship field was Spanish star Sergio Garcia. Entering the week 44th in FedEx Cup points, Garcia shot his fourth straight round in the 60s Sunday, a 69 that got him into a tie for sixth with Dustin Johnson(66) at 20 under. That finish was enough to move to 28th in the Cup standings and secure his trip to Atlanta.
up on the grid but stewards allowed him to start the race from the pitlane, with Red Bull mechanics taking advantage of the delay to complete repairs. It proved to be in vain as the 31-year-old was classified last. Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas, who started 13th after a five-position grid drop, moved up a place after Perez’s crash. He finished outside the points in 12th.
NCOC allows spectators during New Zealand matches NEWS DESK The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced that the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has approved 25 percent crowd attendance for the upcoming Pakistan-New Zealand series. As per schedule, New Zealand will arrive in Islamabad on September 11. Three ODIs will be played at the Pindi Cricket Stadium and five T20Is at Gaddafi Stadium. According to the NCOC’s decision, around 4,500 spectators will be able to attend the ODIs scheduled on 17, 19, and 21, while approximately 5,500 spectators will be able to watch the September 25, 26, 29, and October 1 and 3 T20Is, the PCB said. Only spectators who are fully vaccinated and have the immunisation certificate for coronavirus will be allowed entry inside the stadiums, the statement said.
Messi makes PSG debut as Mbappe steals the show PARIS AFP
Lionel Messi came on as a substitute to make his Paris Saint-Germain debut on Sunday but Kylian Mbappe stole the show by scoring both goals in a 2-0 win against Reims in Ligue 1. Messi, wearing the number 30 jersey, came off the bench in the 66th minute to replace Neymar at the Stade Auguste-Delaune, where fans in the sell-out 21,000 crowd had earlier chanted his name as he emerged to warm up. The Argentine had not played since arriving in Paris from Barcelona almost three weeks ago, his last appearance in any game dating back to the Copa America final on July 11, when he led his country to victory against Brazil. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner will have to wait for his first goal with his new club, and his first start, which could come when PSG host Clermont in their next match on September 11. "I'm very happy that he made his debut. It was very important for him," PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino told broadcaster Amazon Prime after Messi's low-key first appearance in a PSG shirt. "He is still far away from his best form but he has been training well and he will be fit in the next two weeks, after the international break and, yes, we are waiting for the best from him." The week leading up to this game had been dominated not by Messi but by talk of Mbappe's future, with Real Madrid reportedly
having two offers for the France World Cup-winning striker rejected. The latest of these offers was understood to be worth 180 million euros ($212m), an astronomical amount for a player whose contract expires at the end of the season and who will be free to negotiate a deal with a new club in January without PSG being able to get a transfer fee. That amount is also equal to what PSG paid Monaco in 2017 to sign Mbappe, who was clearly eager to go out on a high if this was to be his final appearance for the club. With the transfer deadline looming on Tuesday (today), the 22-yearold did not appear remotely distracted by the talk of a move as he headed in a glorious Angel Di Maria cross in the 15th minute to put the away side in front. Mbappe then scored his second of the night, and third of the season, just after the hour mark, finishing off an inviting low cross to the back post by Achraf Hakimi. "Kylian is our player and you know that in football and in business there is always gossip and rumours," Pochettino said of Mbappe. "I think our president and our sporting director were very clear and he is still here. I am really happy to have Kylian. "He is one of the best, one of the most important players in the world today and for him to be with us is a gift." Reims were once France's preeminent club, twice reaching the European Cup final in 1956 and 1959, but it is a long time since the footballing spotlight has been on the city, 150 kilometres north-east of Paris in the Champagne region, to
such an extent. The home side, whose coach Oscar Garcia played for Barcelona in the 1990s, had what they thought was an equalising goal by Zimbabwe's Marshall Munetsi early in the second half disallowed for offside.
They put up a good fight but the chances of any team in France stopping PSG -- even if Mbappe departs -- are slim. Neymar started, making his first appearance of the season, while Di Maria also played in an all-star attack.
They are the only team in Ligue 1 with the maximum 12 points after four games and they lie two points clear of surprise package Angers, who beat Rennes 2-0. Defending champions Lille recorded their first victory of the Ligue 1 campaign as Yusuf Yazici
and Jonathan David scored in a 2-1 win over Montpellier. Monaco bounced back from their elimination from the Champions League in the play-off round in midweek to win 2-1 at Troyes, Sofiane Diop's brace securing their first victory of the league season.
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S anti-missile defences intercepted as many as five rockets that were fired at Kabul’s airport early on Monday morning, a US official said, as the United States rushed to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan to end its longest war. US and allied forces are hurrying to evacuate their remaining citizens and at-risk Afghans before completing their own withdrawal by Tuesday to meet a deadline agreed between the Taliban and Washington. The mission became more urgent and dangerous after an ISIS suicide bomb attack on Thursday killed 13 US military personnel and scores of Afghan civilians outside the airport.
The US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters initial reports did not indicate any US casualties from the latest rocket attack, but that information could change. Afghan media reports said the rocket attack was mounted from the back of a vehicle. According to Pajhwok news agency several rockets struck different parts of the Afghan capital. The United States and allies have evacuated about 114,400 people — including foreign nationals and vulnerable locals — in an operation that began a day before Kabul fell to the Taliban on August 15, but tens of thousands more desperate Afghans face being left behind. “We tried every option because our lives are in danger. They (the Americans or foreign powers) must show us a way to be
saved. We should leave Afghanistan or they should provide a safe place for us,” said one woman outside the airport. Two US officials told Reuters evacuations would continue on Monday, prioritising people deemed at extreme risk. Other countries have also put in last minute requests to bring out people under that category, the officials said. US President Joe Biden attended a ceremony on Sunday at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to honour members of the US military killed in Thursday’s attack. Biden shut his eyes and tilted his head back as the flag-draped transfer caskets carrying the remains emerged from a military plane. None of the fallen service members was over the age of 31, and five were just 20, as old as the war in Afghanistan itself. Biden has vowed to avenge the ISIS at-
tack. A US drone strike on Sunday killed a suicide car bomber who Pentagon officials said was preparing to attack the airport on behalf of ISIS-K, a local affiliate of ISIS that is an enemy of both the West and the Taliban. US Central Command said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties from the strike, the second by the US military against suspected ISIS-K militants. “We know that there were substantial and powerful subsequent explosions resulting from the destruction of the vehicle, indicating a large amount of explosive material inside that may have caused additional casualties,” it said. The departure of the last troops will mark the end of the US-led military intervention in Afghanistan, which began in late 2001, after the al Qaeda September 11 attacks on the United States.
Pakistan faced terrorism for last two decades: Moeed Yusuf NewS DeSk National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf on Monday said Pakistan has faced cross-border terrorism for the last 20 years and now Islamabad is being asked to allow people coming from Afghanistan. Addressing a presentation session on the Afghanistan conflict, Moeed Yusuf criticised the world powers for neglecting ground realities in Afghanistan. He said the Taliban movement emerged from Kandahar and Pakistan started to host Afghan refugees from the 1980s. “We are saying to the world engage with Afghanistan for the sake of the average Afghan in your selfish national interest… Not as a favour to Afghanistan or anybody,” Moeed said. According to Moeed, it was time for the global community to learn from the “collective mistakes” for the sake of Afghanistan’s future and regional stability. He stated that in the 1990s, after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, the US turned on Pakistan and imposed sanctions on the country. Pakistan went from being an ally to a former ally and then a sanctioned country, he said alluding to the Pressler Amendment that barred military and economic assistance to Pakistan. Refugees used to come to Pakistan to avoid drone
attacks from the US, he added. The Pakistan NSA said, Afghan war badly affected Islamabad and after 2001, Pakistan faced terror attacks almost every day. After 2001, Pakistan emerged as the strongest ally of the US, he said. He said that 97 percent of fencing along the border with Afghanistan has been completed and the work is going on with pace. Yusuf asked how will we know if TTP or ISS terrorists enter Pakistan in disguise of Afghan refugees. The NSA said that Afghanistan spiraled into total chaos as he referred to the presence of global terror outfits in the country due to the security vacuum. He
said the average Afghans and Pakistanis were “betrayed” by the US and the western world. According to Moeed, the policymakers in Washington agreed that the US made a “huge mistake by breaking ties with the Pakistani military” as by doing so, the US and the west lost contact with the situation on the ground. Due to the West’s actions, the US and the west went from being the “leading patron to an untrusted, selfish foreign power”, Moeed said quoting people on the ground. After the US invasion of Afghanistan, Pakistan overnight became the most important ally of the US. The US president at the time said that the US will “never abandon Pakistan again”. Pakistan sacrificed thousands of lives in the war on terror led by the US, he said, adding that fingers were still being pointed at Pakistan despite all its help. On Sunday, two Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred in a cross-border attack as the terrorists from Afghanistan across the international border had opened fire on a military post in Bajaur, said InterServices Public Relations. According to ISPR, terrorists from inside Afghanistan across the international border opened fire on a military post in Bajaur. Two Pakistan Army soldiers, Sepoy Jamal, 28, from Mardan and Sepoy Ayaz, 21, from Chitral, have martyred during the exchange of fire.
CAA extends restrictions on inbound flights till September 30 ISLAMABAD TLTP
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has extended the restrictions imposed on inbound flights till September 30 in order to lessen the risks of spread of the coronavirus. According to a notification issued on Monday, all Pakistanis whose return to Pakistan from Category C countries is scheduled till September 30 may travel to the country without grant of a special exemption. They should also possess a nega-
tive PCR test result conducted within 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan, the notification said. The CAA, in the travel advisory issued earlier, had said all inbound passengers of age six years and above will be required to possess a valid negative PCR test result conducted within 72 hours prior to commencement of travel to Pakistan. “All arriving passengers of age 6 years and above will be tested through rapid antigen testing upon arrival in Pakistan,” the travel advisory had said.
Positive testing passengers between the age of six and 12 years will be home quarantined under the supervision of concerned authorities, it said. “Positive testing passengers above 12 years of age will be quarantined at a designated facility as per procedure already in vogue,” the travel advisory had said. “Considering the volatile nature of the Covid-19 situation, any or all arriving passengers may also be subjected to additional stipulations as mandated by the relevant health authorities upon arrival in Pakistan,” the advisory had added.
US-backed forced ousted a Taliban government that had provided safe haven for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was finally killed by US forces in 2011 and have involved in a counter-insurgency war against the militants for the past two decades. The Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule was marked by a harsh interpretation of religion with many political rights and basic freedoms curtailed and women severely oppressed. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said the group will announce a full Cabinet in the coming days, and that the difficulties will subside quickly once the new administration is up and running. But with its economy shattered by decades of war, Afghanistan now faces a sudden halt in inflows of billions of dollars in foreign aid.
Children among Afghan civilians killed in US drone strike in Kabul AFP Several children were among at least six civilians who were killed in a US drone strike targeting a suspected suicide bomber in Kabul on Sunday, international media reported. The US has said it is “investigating” reports of civilian deaths. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the airstrike launched to destroy a car said to be laden with explosives killed six civilians, including at least three children. CNN, meanwhile, reported that nine members of a family, including six children, were killed in Sunday’s attack in the crowded Afghan capital, where thousands of Afghans are still trying to flee the Taliban. A resident of the area where the strike took place said neighbours estimated “up to 20 people” might have been killed, according to the report. Local media also reported that civilians were killed in the strike. Different local and foreign media outlets cited varying numbers of casualties quoting residents, while there was no official confirmation from the authorities. But all of them reported that the victims were Afghan civilians and not militants affiliated with the militant Islamic State (IS) group, as the US has claimed. The youngest among those killed was a two-year-old girl, a brother of one of the deceased told CNN.They were “an ordinary family”, he was quoted as saying. “We are not ISIS or Daesh and this was a family home — where my brothers lived with their families.” A Taliban spokesman also said the US drone strike resulted in civilian casualties, and condemned the United States for failing to inform the Taliban before ordering the strike.Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told China’s state television CGTN on Monday that seven people were killed in the drone attack, describing the US action on foreign soil as unlawful. “If there was any potential threat in Afghanistan, it should have been reported to us, not an arbitrary attack that has resulted in civilian casualties,” Mujahid said in a written response to CGTN. ‘ASSESSING THE RESULTS OF THE STRIKE’: Pentagon officials said the suicide car bomber had been preparing to attack the airport in Kabul, where US troops were in the final stages of a withdrawal from Afghanistan, on behalf of IS-Khorasan, a local affiliate of IS that is an enemy of both the West and the Taliban. US Central Command said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties from Sunday’s strike. “We are aware of reports of civilian casualties following our strike on a vehicle in Kabul today,” Captain Bill Urban, a Centcom spokesman, said in a statement. “We are still assessing the results of this strike, which we know disrupted an imminent ISIS-K threat to the airport,” he continued.
US exit will stop IS attacks in Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson says kABUL AFP
The Taliban’s spokesman says they will crack down on the the militant Islamic State (IS) group’s attacks and expects them to end once foreign forces leave the country. “We hope that those Afghans who are influenced by IS […] will give up their operations on seeing the formation of an Islamic government in the absence of foreigners,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP in a weekend interview. “If they create a situation for war and continue with their operations, the Islamic government […] we will deal with them,” he added. A devastating suicide bomb attack claimed by IS outside Kabul airport on Thursday killed scores of
people who were hoping to flee the country, as well as 13 US service members. Retaliatory or pre-emptive strikes by the United States on IS positions over the past few days have angered the movement, however. The Pentagon said it carried out a drone strike on Sunday against a vehicle threatening Kabul airport that had been linked to IS. “There is no permission for them to do such operations […] our independence must be respected,” he said. The evacuation of tens of thousands of foreigners and Afghans who feel at risk of reprisal or repression under the Taliban is due to end on Tuesday, along with the full withdrawal of US and Nato troops. The militant Islamic State group has been highly critical of the troop
withdrawal deal struck between the Taliban and Washington last year, which saw the Taliban offer security guarantees. One IS commentary published after the fall of Kabul accused the Taliban of betraying jihadists with the US withdrawal deal and vowed to continue its fight, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant communications. During the Taliban’s prison break spree this summer to free its fighters, many battle-hardened IS militants were also released — increasingly looking like a lethal error. In recent years, IS has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They have massacred civilians at mosques, public squares, schools, and even hospitals. ‘Technical problems’:
Mujahid reiterated that the new Taliban government will not be announced until after the last US soldier has left. “It is important to announce the government but this requires a lot of patience. We are holding consultations to form the government responsibly,” Mujahid said. “We have some technical problems on this issue,” he added. Banks, government offices and other public institutions remain largely shut with employees prevented from entering offices since the takeover, which sent the Afghani sliding. The Taliban have promised to improve Afghanistan’s economy, but to do that the new regime will have to rely on foreign aid — and there is no guarantee it will get the funds it needs.
Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk