Issuu

Friday, 11 February, 2022 I 9 Rajab, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 224 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

SuSpicion, criticiSm of cpEc, Gwadar port by wEStErn world ‘makES no SEnSE’: imran g

SayS whole miSSion of the U.S. in afghaniStan waS 'baSed on a falSe premiSe'

ISLAMABAD staff report

rime minister imran Khan on thursday said the suspicion and criticism of the western countries about China-pakistan economic Corridor (CpeC) and the gwadar port makes no sense, adding that the projects were a great opportunity for boosting the regional development and trade. he expressed the views during an interview with dr eric li, the director of the advisory committee of the China institute at fudan University. the interview, which was filmed during the premier’s recent trip to beijing, was released on thursday with Urdu subtitles. “i do not understand why there is suspicion about CpeC and the gwadar port. it makes no sense because, as far as pakistan is concerned, my number one priority is the country’s 220 million people,” pm

imran said. he said that almost 25-30 per cent of the country was below the poverty line, adding that pakistan had suffered greatly due to past corrupt governments and the ‘war on terror’. “pakistan should never have participated in the war [on terror]. while the US lost 4,000 people in the 20 years since 9/11, pakistan lost 80,000 people and [suffered] a loss of over $100 billion to the economy.” he reiterated that the government’s top priority was to look after the people, adding that the emphasis was on geo-economics. “we want to build our economy and lift our people out of poverty,” he said, adding that pakistan looked towards China as a role model in this regard. “we see CpeC and gwadar as a great opportunity for geo-economics.” he noted that the initiative was not exclusive to China and pakistan and said that other countries were also welcome to in-

coronaviruS in

pakiStan

CONFIRMED CASES:

1,474,075

LAST UPDATED AT 9:01 AM ON FEBRUARY 10, 2022

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

NEW CASES:

3,914

RECOVERED:

DEATHS:

1,359,757 29,648 SINDH:

PUNJAB:

554,990

492,489

KPK:

BALOCHISTAN:

206,879

34,957

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

41,342/11,018

132,400

vest in CpeC projects. Commenting on afghanistan, pm imran said that the United States did not study the history of the war-torn country. “there is a saying that those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it again. So anyone who understood the history of afghanistan would never have done what the americans did.” he went on to say that he had pointed out from the start that the US would not succeed militarily in afghanistan. “first of all, they were never clear on what they were trying to achieve in afghanistan. was it nation-building? was it democracy? was it liberating the afghan women? they had no clear aims.” the prime minister said that the US mission was over once osama bin laden was killed as “theoretically they only came to fight al Qaeda”, adding that the terrorist group was “decimated” within the first two years of the US invasion. he said that when a country has no clear aims when invading another, it would always result in failure. “Secondly, they don’t understand the afghan character. the people of afghanistan do not accept foreigners in their country as rulers. they do not accept control from the outside.” he reiterated that there could not be a military solution in afghanistan as he was aware of the country’s history. “my ancestors came to india from afghanistan.” pm imran said that the US generals believed in their firepower and thought they were invincible. “but if the people do not want to be ruled, you cannot rule them.” he said that the US mission in afghanistan was “based on a false premise”, had “no clear goals” and was never going to succeed. the premier also commented on the humanitarian crisis in afghanistan, stating that the US was unable to distinguish between the taliban government and afghanistan’s 40 million people.

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

Court to charge Shehbaz, son in money laundering case LAHORE staff report

announcing that national assembly opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and his son and punjab assembly opposition leader hamza Shehbaz would be charged in a money laundering case against them on february 18, an federal investigation agency (fia) court handed copies of challan to the suspects. the court also increased the duration of interim bail granted to the father-son duo and other suspects in the case. the duo is facing rs25 billion money laundering charges. according to the prosecution of the fia, Sharif is accused of aiding and abetting his sons hamza and Suleman Shehbaz in accumulating more assets than their declared sources of income. in 2019, an accountability court in lahore declared Suleman a proclaimed offender in the case and issued fresh non-bailable arrest warrants against him. during the proceedings, national accountability bureau (nab) informed the court it had seized Suleman’s shares amounting to rs2 billion in 16 companies. according to a nab report, it also seized cash worth rs4.1 mil-

FM Qureshi invites Bilawal, Shehbaz for legislation on South Punjab foreign minister Shah mehmood Qureshi wrote letters to president pakistan muslim league-nawaz (pml-n) Shahbaz Sharif and pakistan peoples party (ppp) CoChairperson bilawal bhutto Zardari, once again urging them to cooperate on legislation regarding the establishment of the new South punjab province. as per the details, both letters were received in the respective chambers of the two leaders in the parliament. fm Qureshi’s letters, written as the vice-chairperson of the ruling pti, was in continuation of the letter sent on January 19, which drew attention towards the longstanding and important matter pertaining to the creation of a separate province of South punjab. “as Vice-Chairman of pti, i invited you to provide input on the way forward for reaching consensus on the formulation of a Constitution amendment bill for the creation of a separate province of South punjab. furthermore, i requested that two members be nominated for inclusion in a committee dedicated to the task of formulating a draft amendment bill for parliament,” the letter stated. the letter further added that unfortunately, no response to

the earlier letter had been received to date. hence, the aspiration of the people of South punjab remains unmet due to the lack of interest and will by elected representatives. “as leader of the opposition/Chairman of a mainstream political party with representation in South punjab, i would urge you to expedite your response,” the fm urged in his letters to Shehbaz and bilawal. “i write to you again following the release of the South punjab regional Sdgs indicators Comparison with Centre and north’ report prepared by the United nations development programme in partnership with the South punjab Secretariat.” the letter also highlighted certain points of the reports in his letter regarding the region. it stated that about 55pc of the population was living below 50pc of median income (per capita) in the rural southern region of punjab. it added that about 31% per cent of the population in the south is living below the national poverty line. data showed only 56.2 per cent of the population uses improved sanitation facilities. “more than a third of the children in South punjab suffer from stunted growth. infant

mortality in South punjab is higher than the rest of punjab (43 deaths per 1.000 births).” “this report reinforces the need for urgent action by all political parties. we must act now on the creation of a separate province of South punjab. i remind you this is a long-standing aspiration of the people of that region and the primary impediment to the realization of this desire of 35 million people. is a Constitutional amendment that requires a two-thirds majority of parliament,” the letter further stated. it is pertinent to note that fm Qureshi, reiterated his invitation to both leaders to work with pti to put the future of 35 million people foremost and to reach consensus on the formulation of a constitutional amendment bill for the creation of a separate province of South punjab. “to this end, i await nomination of members from your party to be added to a committee, dedicated to the creation of the province, who will be tasked with formulating a draft amendment bill for parliament,” Qureshi stated. he concluded by stating that “i look forward to your support in this matter of national importance.” news desk

lion held in three banks accounts as well as $4,000 dollars in two different bank accounts of the suspect. in addition, it also seized 10 marlas agricultural land and pieces of land spread over 209 kanal owned by the londonbased politician. nab alleged that assets worth rs3.3 billion had been identified so far as illegally accumulated by two brothers and their father. it said the whole family committed massive money laundering in the name of foreign remittances and loans. ‘NATIONAL DUTY’: later talking to the media outside the court, hamza said ousting the government of the pakistan tehreek-iinsaf (pti) government through constitutional means become a national duty now. he said it was now up to the pakistan democratic movement (pdm) to decide whether to bring a no-trust move in the provincial assembly of punjab or the national assembly first. he further said the government could not prove even a single accusation it leveled against him and his father who he claimed had even been given a clean chit by the authorities in the United Kingdom.

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

more inside

Punjab to conduct trial in Lankan man killing inside Lahore prison STORY ON PAGE 02

imran honours high-performing ministers, stresses innovation to improve results STORY ON PAGE 03

Dar says won’t return but ready to take Senate oath ‘virtually’ STORY ON BACK PAGE

Friday, 11 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Hijab row: No ‘religious clothes’ until decision, says Indian high court aGeNcies A court in the southern Indian state of Karnataka told students on Thursday not to wear any religious clothing until it delivers a verdict on petitions seeking to overturn a ban on hijabs, headscarves used by Muslim women. The court in Karnataka state is considering petitions filed by students challenging a ban on hijabs that some schools have implemented in recent weeks. “We will pass an order. But till the matter is resolved, no student should insist on wearing religious dress,” the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi as saying. The advocates appearing for the petitioners objected to the interim order, saying it amounts to “suspension of our rights”, according to The Wire. But the court said it was a matter of a few days and adjourned for the day. The court also directed the state to reopen schools and colleges which the chief minister had shut for three days as protests over the ban escalated earlier this week. The issue grabbed headlines last month when a government-run school in Karnataka’s Udupi district barred students wearing hijabs from entering classrooms, triggering protests outside the school gate. More schools in the state followed with similar bans, forcing the state’s top court to intervene. The uneasy standoff has raised fears among Muslim students who say they are being deprived of their religious rights in the Hindu-majority nation. On Monday, hundreds of students and parents took to the streets to protest the restriction. The dispute in Karnataka has set off protests elsewhere in India. A number of demonstrators were detained in the capital, New Delhi, on Thursday, and students and activists have also marched in cities including Hyderabad and Kolkata in recent days. A day ago, hundreds of students in Kolkata shouted slogans and blocked roads in protest against the ban. The protesting students were predominantly women wearing hijabs, an eyewitness said, adding the demonstrations were without incident. The students said that they planned to reconvene on Thursday. Meanwhile, MP Shashi Tharoor of Congress party said there is no law banning religious forms of dress in India. “(T)here is no law banning religious forms of dress like a Sikh turban or a crucifix around your neck or a tilak on the forehead, all of which are forbidden in France’s government schools but permitted in India’s,” he said in response to a question. Last week, Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party also voiced opposition to the ban and tweeted: “By letting students’ hijab come in the way of their education, we are robbing the future of the daughters of India.” The issue has also captured attention in Pakistan. “Depriving Muslim girls of an education is a grave violation of fundamental human rights,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted on Wednesday, calling the situation “absolutely oppressive.” Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi, special representative to the prime minister on religious harmony and chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council, announced that Friday would be observed as a day of solidarity with “daughters of India”. Nobel Peace Prize laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai also condemned the ban. “Refusing to let girls to go to school in their hijabs is horrifying,” the 24-year-old tweeted. For many Muslim women, hijab is part of their faith and a way to maintain modesty. It has been a source of controversy for decades in some Western countries, particularly in France, which in 2004 banned them from being worn in public schools. In India, where Muslims make up about 14 per cent of the country’s almost 1.4 billion people, they are not banned or restricted in public places and are a common sight. Some rights activists have voiced concerns that the bans could increase Islamophobia. Violence and hate speech against Muslims have increased under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing Hindu nationalist party, which also governs the Karnataka state.

PuNjaB to CoNduCt trIal IN laNKaN MaN KIllINg INsIde laHore PrIsoN lahOre

MoNItorINg rePort

UNJAB government has notified to shift the trial in the killing of Priyantha Kumara, a Sri Lanka national employed by a Sialkot business, to the Kot Lakhpat prison in Lahore with a special prosecution team (SPT) designated to plead the case against the suspects from a Sialkot factory. According to a notification, the trial will now be held inside the prison owing to its sensitive nature. A three-member prosecution team will proceed with the case and has been directed to submit a progress

report on a regular basis to Prosecutor General Punjab. The prosecution department said the development came after the case entered into final phases. It merits a mention here the first conviction in the case came from the anti-terrorism court (ATC) where a suspect was awarded one-year imprisonment. The suspect justified the killing at the factory on social media and later confessed to his crime before the court. The ATC judge while announcing the verdict awarded him one year of imprisonment besides also imposing a fine of Rs10,000.

IHC suspends ECP powers under local govt ordinance islamabaD INP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the powers of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) under the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Local Government Ordinance, 2021. The orders were passed by Justice

Mohsin Akhtar Kayani during the hearing of a petition challenging the ordinance. Justice Kiyani said the ECP has failed in holding local government polls in Islamabad in the past nine months, no one is representing the federal territory. During the hearing, the IHC reprimanded the director general (law) of

the ECP and suspended the delimitation rule. Suspending the powers of the ECP, the IHC directed the government to present the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Local Government Ordinance, 2021 in Parliament for approval. Later, the hearing was adjourned until March 3.

KU teachers call oﬀ protest after explanation from govt News Desk The faculty of the University of Karachi on Thursday called off their 10-day-long boycott of educational activities after the issuance of an explanatory circular by the Department of Universities and Boards. As per the details, the decision was taken at a general meeting of teachers where they decided to resume their teaching activities. It was demanded that the selection of teachers postponed on January 31 should be resumed at the earliest. In response to the teachers’ protest, the universities department issued an explanatory circular in which it said the circular issued on February 1 pertained to the varsities where rules were still being formed. “In continuation of this office circular of even number dated Feb 1, 2022, it is clarified that the statutes, regulations, and rules regarding recruitments, promotion, and other terms and conditions of the services, of teaching and nonteaching employees are being framed under the enactments of the concerned public sector university by the respective competent

authorities .i.e Senate, chief minister, government as the case may be through the syndicate and other authorities of the universities as provided under the enactment of the university.” It said the universities where rules and regulations have already been framed should strictly comply with them in the meetings of selection boards, syndicate and the senate. It further said most universities have “framed their statutes…in accordance with their enactment under a competent process”. “Some of the universities

have adopted the rules of a government or another university under a competent process with the approval of respective competent authorities as mentioned in their enactments. “There are also certain enactments of the universities which provide for the applicability of these statutes, regulations, and rules of another university or the government.” As per the circular, other universities have been directed to frame their rules and get them approved from the universities department at the earliest.

Under the ordinance, the local government elections are proposed to be held in May. The Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) ceased to exist on February 15 last year, after completing its five years terms. The last local government elections held in November 2015 were won by the PML-N.

KP launches CM Business Complaint Portal aziz buNeri The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has launched Chief Ministers Business Complaint Portal with the aim to facilitate businessmen and investors. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan formally launched the portal in a ceremony held here on Wednesday. Businessmen and investors can register their online complaints related to any government department on the portal. Such complaints would be forwarded to the concerned departments and entities for quick redressal. The Chief Minister’s Business Complaint Portal will be a dedicated online avenue for the businessmen to register their complaints which will be directly followed up by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. The chief minister reiterated his government’s resolve to facilitate the business community and investors and said that his government was taking all the possible steps to extend maximum facilitation to the business community and to ensure a conducive environment for business activities in the province. Mahmood Khan said that the provincial government had already launched One Window Business Portal to facilitate the business community and other private sector investors. Meanwhile, the chief minister also launched the revamped official web portal of the provincial government. The revamped web portal offers up to date information on various aspects of the government.

Govt initiates work on new fertilizer policy Ghulam abbas The government has started work on a framework for a new fertilizer policy aimed at resolving issues related to supply of gas, production and cost of fertilizer. Industries and Production Federal Minister Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar presided over the highlevel meeting related to the new fertilizer policy here on Thursday. The meeting was attended by Minister for Energy Mr. Hammad Azhar and Food Security and Research Minister Syed Fakhar Imam. The senior officials of these Ministers were also present. According to officials the meeting deliberated on the

framework of fertilizer policy in detail. It was briefed that the upcoming policy would be structured on three broad areas i.e. demand, supply and pricing of soil

nutrients. It was discussed that the issue of rationalization of gas sale agreements and supply-chain maintenance through local

production or imports in conjunction with demand projections would be addressed in the new fertilizer policy. After deliberation the committee has decided to constitute three subcommittees separately to work on supply, demand and pricing strategy of fertilizers within existing agronomic practices. During discussion, Minister Khusro Bakhtyar noted that unlike previous governments, the incumbent government utilized the optimal capacity of the urea plants to meet the demands in the outgoing rabi season. He said that the local industry witnessed record production of urea this year due to timely actions of the government.

Minister Khusro Bakhtyar emphasized to encourage the application of nutrient balance into soil in rabi & kharif season to enhance the productivity of cultivated areas in the country. For this, he advised to formulate a comprehensive policy framework with reference to infrastructure development and farmer support mechanism on a long-term basis. Minister for Energy Mr. Hammad Azhar laid stress on efficiency analysis of manufacturing plants with respect to gas consumption of the running plants to maximize the output production of fertilizers. As per the industry sources the fertilizer policy introduced in 2001

ensured that the growing urea demand could be adequately met with indigenous gas-based production. However, depleting gas reserves in the country pose a threat. As per recent estimates, the gas shortfall, currently at around 720 million cubic feet per day, will peak closer to 1 billion cubic feet per day in January 2022. The increased reliance on imported gas is creating a huge gas subsidy burden on the government. Therefore, there is a need for a revised fertilizer policy, which should eliminate the subsidy on gas for the sector and enable the muchneeded transition towards weighted average cost of gas.

Friday, 11 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

Imran honours high-performing ministers, stresses innovation to improve results islamabaD aPP

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Thursday asked the federal ministries to give precedence to the national interest and work on “out of the box solutions” to deliver as he awarded appreciation certificates to the “top ten best performing” government divisions. In his address at the ceremony to award certificates to ministries recognised for their outstanding performance, he said the resolution of public concerns through effective policymaking and good governance was of paramount importance to win approval. In order of marks secured, the departments include the Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Planning and Development, Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Ministry of Education and Professional Training, Ministry of Human Rights, Ministry of Industries and Production, National Security Division, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of National Food Security and Research. In line with Khan’s vision of good

governance, the performance agreements were earlier signed between the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the ministries to achieve their targets. The prime minister said no system could effectively function without the concept of reward and punishment. “This is a great opportunity to encourage ministries to improve their performance for the benefit

of people,” he said. He suggested that to assess the qualitative performance, weightage should be given to the ministries that kept national interest above everything else. He said increasing exports, finding import substitution and poverty alleviation were significant areas of national interest. He recalled that reforms had been made to amend the powers of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that allowed the bureaucrats to take initiatives. Khan said a quarterly review of the performance of ministries was a step taken to develop among them a sense of competition to give their best. The prime minister also congratulated Minister for Communications Murad Saeed for achieving the top position and said the youngest member of his cabinet delivered well in his ministry. He said the government’s agenda was transformed into an actionable form through the performance agreement system. He said 1,090 targets had been set by the ministries of which 424 would be completed this year, including 207 related to governance and 100 to infrastructure.

Pakistanis discover traditional China in celebrating Spring Festival beiJiNG XINhua

As a young man in China, Murad Haider, 36, is familiar with the Spring Festival as he spent this Lunar New Year’s Eve just like before: watching the Spring Festival Gala, making dumplings and enjoying a family reunion dinner. “I made dumplings quite well, and it’s fantastic for family members to build stronger family ties during the family reunion dinner,” said Haider. Murad comes from Rawalpindi. He has lived in Yinchuan, the capital city of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, for about 15 years since he came to Ningxia University for Chinese language learning in 2007. After obtaining his master’s degree, Haider also harvested his sweet love for this foreign country and got married to a Ningxia local in 2013. As a centuries-long tradition in China, the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese Lunar New Year, is a significant occasion for family reunions. Haider, deeply influenced by the traditional Chinese culture, used to travel back to Pakistan with his wife and seven-year-old daughter during the festival, and he would do the same this year if it were not for the pandemic. “I haven’t reunited with my family in Pakistan for two years,” said the man. “I miss them, but I’m not lonely at all, because I have family and friends in

Ningxia too.” Just like Murad Haider, Nawaz Shah, hailing from Malakand, is another China hand. He has been studying and living in China for the last 11 years and is now a postgraduate student at Ningxia Medical University. Nawaz Shah has been to over 20 cities across China. He visited Harbin Ice-Snow World and was impressed with the vivid ice sculptures. He also traveled to south China’s Hainan Province for a trip which he described as “entering warm spring after a three-hour flight in a thick down jacket.” He is quite familiar with China, as well as the Spring Festival. Nawaz Shah recalled the big surprise of receiving a red packet when he was invited to a friend’s home in a village in central China’s Henan Province.

Victims record statements before magistrate in Mirpurkhas rape case

“I know the Chinese elders would give the young generation lucky money or red packets during the festival, but I hadn’t expected I could have one,” said Nawaz Shah. “I felt touched and would never forget the day.” Zafar Iqbal, an expert from Pakistan in Ningxia Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, was also impressed about the big day for the Chinese. Because of the pandemic, he also chose to stay in China during the Spring Festival holiday. “I have experienced and witnessed many spring festivals during my stay in Ningxia. During the festival, people would exchange gifts, give red packets, visit friends and spend a joyful time with family members,” said Iqbal. Having worked in many places in Europe, Africa and Asia, he still likes

China’s Ningxia best. “Ningxia has a beautiful landscape, spanning from wetlands to mountains, rivers to deserts, green fields to well established and wellplanned city centres. Everything looks to me like a wonderland.” This year, Iqbal spent the festival with his Chinese friends, enjoying pleasant chat time just like their family members. In order to help the foreigners enrich their holiday life, the regional government of Ningxia has organized a series of celebration activities, inviting foreign experts to experience traditional Chinese art including paper-cutting and ink painting. “I experienced paper cutting this year, it feels to me like a wonderful piece of art which I experienced for the first time in my life,” said Zafar Iqbal. “I also tried to hold the pen and write the Chinese characters, and to play traditional Chinese music instruments. That was so much fun.” Along with the celebrations, the Pakistan nationals didn’t forget to make new year’s wishes. Zafar Iqbal hopes that the pandemic could go away so that he could go back to Pakistan for a family reunion, while Nawaz Shah wishes he could be like a tiger with a stronger body and will, and achieve academic excellence. “I hope my families could live a happy life and wish them good health and wealth,” smiled Murad Haider.

Govt, Etisalat agree to settle dispute, evaluate properties

News Desk

shahzaD Paracha & ahtasam ahmaD

Two teenage girls, who were abducted from their house in the Naokot area of Sindh’s Mirpurkhas district and accused men from the area’s Tungri community of raping them. The girls recorded their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before the judicial magistrate of Digri taluka on Thursday. As per the details, the girls were initially supposed to appear before the magistrate on Tuesday, but their attendance was delayed as police said they were not out of trauma yet. As per the Mirpurkhas Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asad Chaudhry, one of the girls told the magistrate today that she was raped by two men, Ali Nawaz and an unidentified man, while the other said suspect Nawab had subjected her to criminal assault. The SSP had earlier stated the girls were examined by medicolegal officers at a rural health centre and it had been established that they were subjected to rape. Professor Akbar Kazi, head of the forensic department at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, stated that the victims’ samples were sent to the varsity’s laboratory for DNA testing. He revealed that “the samples include the victims’ clothes with multiple stains that have been processed for DNA profiling” The two girls, aged 19 and 14, were kidnapped on Sunday, February 6, and were recovered the next day after a police raid at a house owned by Hayat Tungri, who is one of the 20 suspects nominated in the abduction case. SSP Chaudhry said today police had so far arrested 15 of the 20 suspects, with three of the arrests being made recently.

The government of Pakistan and Etisalat International on Thursday agreed to make an evaluation of properties and to settle their dispute. Finance and Revenue Federal Minister Shaukat Tarin, held a meeting with Etisalat International Group CEO Hatem Dowidar at the Finance Division. The finance minister underscored the significance of resolving outstanding issues between Etisalat and the Privatization Commission and moving ahead for a sustainable solution. He emphasized on fair evaluation of properties at the earliest. The finance minister also highlighted prospects of foreign investment in Pakistan especially in the IT and Telecom sector which is growing rapidly. The government is providing a conducive environment and incentives to attract foreign investment, he added. Etisalat CEO Hatem Dowidar reaffirmed to have evaluation of properties completed soon and expressed readiness to further invest in the IT and Telecom sector in Pakistan. Both sides agreed to proceed ahead for resolution of all outstanding issues between Etisalat and the Privatization Commission in a spirit of goodwill. In his concluding remarks, the finance minister said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the major economic partners of Pakistan. Pakistan gives great value to the brotherly relations with the UAE and intends to further strengthen business and trade linkages between the two countries, he added. Earlier, it was reported that the PTCL’s asset management department had mentioned 3,384

properties while originally owned only 3248 properties in the privatization agreement finalized in 2006. Etisalat had made upfront payments of $1.4 billion in a couple of installments but then stopped the remaining amount of $800 million on the premise of non-transfer of all properties in the name of PTCL. According to Etisalat, the number of non-doable properties was not 33 but 363 based on the list provided by the asset management department of PTCL as part of the sale-purchase agreement. The properties could not be transferred in the name of PTCL because they were either partiallyowned, rented out, owned by provinces but occupied by the federal government or were not owned by PTCL in the first place. The government sold 26 per cent stakes of PTCL to Etisalat with the management control in 2005 at the price of $2.6 billion. However, because of a dispute on PTCL properties, Etisalat withheld the payment of $800 million. In 2010, the government, aiming to cover the budget deficit, requested Etisalat to release an amount of $500 million from the remaining amount. However, the request was not accepted as the government failed to provide a cut off date for the sale of remaining disputed properties. In 2019, the then Adviser to Prime Minister, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, devised an offer of $60 million deduction from the final payment for Etisalat to settle. However, a few months later, Etisalat sent its counter offer of $275 million to settle the outstanding payment matter. The government didn’t entertain the offer and the deadlock continued.

NEWS

govt announces 15pc disparity allowance for employees islamabaD tLtP

The federal government has announced a 15 per cent disparity allowance for its employees in 19-grade and below.The Ministry of Finance sources told reporters in Islamabad on Thursday that the federal government has given relief to the employees by announcing allowance on the basis of their basic salary. It has also recommended the provincial governments to provide allowances to government employees from their own funds, the ministry sources said.The disparity allowance will be effective from March 01. The federal government has also decided to prepare a summary for time-scale promotion. Under this, the employees who have been working in the same grade for a long time will be promoted. Meanwhile, the government employees have announced a protest on Thursday to demand their rights. The Government Employees Association officials have demanded that the decisions about disparity allowance and promotion be announced by a government minister at a press conference to give them credence. They say if this happens the day of gratitude will be observed instead of protest.

MCB Bank posts highest ever rs51.989bn profit before tax for 2021 Press release The Board of Directors of MCB Bank Limited (MCB) in its meeting under the Chairmanship of Mian Mohammad Mansha, on February 10, 2022, reviewed the performance of the bank and announced Rs51.989 billion in profit before tax for the year ended December 31, 2021. The Board of Directors has declared a final cash dividend of Rs5.0 per share i.e. 50 per cent bringing the total cash dividend for the year ended 2021 to 190 per cent, continuing with its highest dividend per share trend in the banking sector. MCB’s Profit After Tax (PAT) for the year ended December 31, 2021, posted a growth of 6 per cent to reach Rs30.81 billion; translating into Earning Per Share (EPS) of Rs26 compared to EPS of Rs24.50 reported in last year. Average policy rate registered a decline of 19 per cent (166bps) from an average of 8.95 per cent in last year to 7.29 per cent in current year. However, on account of strategically aligned growth in average current deposits and a balanced mix of earning assets, net interest income of the bank decreased by only 10 per cent, from Rs71.33 billion to Rs63.99 billion. Non-markup income registered a growth of 11 per cent and aggregated to Rs20.1 billion against Rs18.1 billion last year. Improved transactional volumes, surge in business activities, diversification of revenue streams through continuous enrichment of bank’s product suite, investments towards digital transformation and an unrelenting focus on upholding the high service standards supplemented a growth of 14 per cent in fee income whereas dividend and foreign exchange incomes increased by 86 per cent and 48 per cent respectively. The Bank continues to prudently manage its operating expenses with a moderate increase of 8 per cent, despite sustained inflationary pressures amid currency devaluation and rising commodity prices, higher compliance related regulatory charges, expansion in branch outreach and regular performance and merit adjustments of the human capital. On the provision front, proactive monitoring and recovery efforts led to a net reversal of Rs910 million in specific provision maintained against non-performing loans (NPLs) while the general loss reserve of Rs4 billion created amid the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 outbreak was reversed, as the systematic risks surrounding the economic recovery have receded and the bank has created specific provision against exposures that reflected signs of financial distress. Persistent focus on maintaining a robust risk management framework encompassing structured assessment models, effective pre-disbursement evaluation tools and an array of post disbursement monitoring systems has enabled MCB to effectively manage its credit risk. The Non-performing loan (NPLs) base of the bank recorded a decrease of Rs698 million and was reported at Rs50.49 billion. The bank has not taken FSV benefit in calculation of specific provision and carries an un-encumbered general provision reserve of Rs636 million. The coverage and infection ratios of the bank were reported at 90.83 per cent and 7.94 per cent respectively. On the financial position side, the total asset base of the Bank, on an unconsolidated basis, was reported at Rs1,970 billion (+12 per cent). The gross advances of the Bank registered historic growth of Rs122 billion (+24 per cent), above the industry growth, to close the year at Rs636 billion. The corporate lending book grew by Rs106 billion (31 per cent) whereas the consumer loan portfolio garnered significant interest and increased by Rs9.5 billion (32 per cent) on the back of significant activity in the construction and auto segments. On the liabilities side, achieving growth in no-cost current account base remained a key strategic objective for the bank. Thereby, non-remunerative deposits grew by 15.1 per cent to close at Rs563 billion, improving their mix in the total deposits to 40 per cent in absolute terms as at December 31, 2021. CASA mix was reported at 93 per cent whereas the total deposits of the bank grew by 9 per cent to close out the year at Rs1,412 billion.

Friday, 11 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

04 NEWS

LHC ruLes deMand for presidentiaL systeM as ‘unConstitutionaL’

NEwS DESK

HE Lahore High Court has given a verdict that the demand for a presidential system of government in Pakistan is against the basic structure of the Constitution. Justice Jawad Hassan, while dismissing a writ petition seeking directions to the cabinet division to decide an application that seeks a referendum for presidential system in the country observed that “the writ of mandamus can only be issued, under Article 199 of the Constitution, to a person to do what is required by law to do” As per the details, a citizen, Hafeezur Rehman Chaudhry, had filed a petition

through Barrister Ahmad Pansota with multiple prayers, including a direction to the cabinet division to refer the matter to parliament for consideration, discussion and evaluation of the current system and holding a referendum to ascertain the will of people. The judge asked the counsel to satisfy the court on the maintainability of the petition, as the plea went against the basic structure of the Constitution and jurisprudence developed by the superior courts of Pakistan. Barrister Pansota explained that the reason for filing the petition was only that various applications of the petitioner addressed to the cabinet division had not been considered and decided so far. He said

the petitioner sought indulgence of the court by filing the writ of mandamus to direct the respondents to do what is required by law to do, specifically under the Federal Rules of Business 1973. However, Justice Hassan in his verdict observed that the plea for holding a referendum goes against the basic structure of the Constitution regarding democracy. He further explained that the LHC has already passed a detailed judgement by discussing the preamble of the Constitution on democracy in a 2021 case of ‘Jamshed Iqbal Cheema versus The Election Appellate Tribunal and others’, which clearly states that principles of democracy shall be fully observed.

The judge observed that such petitions brought before the court in this legal system will try to change the structure of the Constitution, the scope of which has been elaborated by the Supreme Court in ‘District Bar Association, Rawalpindi and others versus Federation of Pakistan and others’. Justice Hassan also referred to a Supreme Court of India judgement in the famous case of ‘Kesavananda versus State of Kerala (AIR 1973 Supreme Court 1461)’ wherein it held that the basic structure and framework of the constitution cannot be altered as it was made by the chosen representatives of the country. The petitioner’s counsel told the court

UK, Pakistan urge world to help avert humanitarian crisis, economic collapse in Afghanistan ISLAMABAD Staff CoRReSPoNdeNt

British High commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner called on National Security Advisor Dr. Moeed Yusuf in his office here on Thursday. Both sides agreed to strengthening bilateral ties in multiple spheres, including trade and investment. British High Commissioner and National Security Advisor stressed the need for further strengthening the diplomatic ties. In view of prevailing situation in Afghanistan, the officials agreed that the international community needs to stay engaged while averting a humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in the war-torn country.

The possibility of support for basic needs in addition to humanitarian assistance was discussed, especially with regard to the health and education sectors, they added. Dr. Moeed Yusuf stressed the need for the regional and international partners to constructively engage with Afghanistan including by supporting the country’s economy, reconstruction, rehabilitation and humanitarian needs. British High commissioner Christian Turner said that the UK government looks forward to strengthen relationship with Pakistan in years to come by capitalising opportunities to advance shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity in South Asia. The British High commissioner praised the efforts of Dr. Moeed Yusuf for devising first National Security Policy of Pakistan.

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KARACHI Staff RePoRt

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MP and controversial game show host Aamir Liaquat Hussain tied the knot for a third time with a teenage girl he introduced on Thursday as Syeda Dania Shah. “Last night, [I] tied [the] knot with Syeda Dania Shah, 18,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “She belong[s] to an honourable Najeeb ut-Tarfain ‘Sadaat’ family of Lodhran, South Punjab. [She is a] Saraiki, lovely, charming, simple

LAHORE INP

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab on Thursday arrested a stamp vendor purportedly involved in forgery to sell a prime property in a Karachi neighbourhood owned by a local church. The plot located at Fatima Jinnah Road in Karachi is the property of the Diocese of Lahore, Church of Pakistan. The ACE arrested Waheed Ahmed of Lahore who purportedly prepared a fake power of attorney in the name of one Zafar Iqbal. He somehow managed to get the property transferred in Iqbal’s name, Punjab ACE Director General Gohar Nafees said. The ACE is also inquiring into Ahmed’s involvement in the preparation of forged documents in other cases, the official added. Iqbal concluded a lease agreement of the land with one Afzal Qaimkhani in 2019, the official said.

return of militancy in borderlands pushes pakistan to reset strategy ISLAMABAD

Quadragenarian Amir marries teenage girl

Man arrested for attempted sale of church land

that he would not press the matter if the petitioner was granted hearing by any of the relevant authorities of the cabinet division because under the federal rules, the cabinet can decide any matter if provided therein. However, the judge stated that in this case, neither a proper party had been named to whom a direction could be issued, nor was the relevant law cited under which such directions can be issued, and dismissed the petition as non-maintainable. He further observed that “I am afraid the request of the petitioner regarding issuance of a direction by this court for expeditious disposal of his aforesaid application/request cannot be allowed being not tenable in the eyes of law.”

and darling.” He also tagged several fashion news outlets and an unverified Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) account in the post. The announcement came hours after his second wife, Syeda Tuba Anwar, announced divorce from Hussain. In his post, Hussain, 49, also requested his “well-wishers [to] please pray for us, I have just passed [through a] dark tunnel, It was a wrong turn,” in an apparent reference to his split from Anwar. Anwar, who married Hussain in 2018, shared the news of

her split through an Instagram post on February 9. “With a heavy heart I want to make people aware of a development in my life,” she said. “My close family and friends are aware that after a separation of 14 months, it was evident that there was no hope for reconciliation in sight and I had to opt to take khula from [the] court. “I cannot express how difficult it has been but I trust Allah and His plans,” she added. “I would appeal to everyone that my decision is respected during these testing times.”

For decades, Pakistan appeared to be pursuing a policy of supporting the Afghan Taliban while cracking down on the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). With the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, Islamabad may have won its “long game”. But its game of chicken may be backfiring with TTP coming home to roost. On August 15 last year, when the Taliban swept into Kabul and seized power in Afghanistan, there were exultations in neighbouring Pakistan. Afghans had “broken the shackles of slavery,” said Prime Minister Imran Khan a day after the takeover. In more circumspect military-intelligence circles, the so-called “double game” was the subject of jokes that sometimes leaked into the public domain. In 2014, during the peak of the US war in Afghanistan, former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Hameed Gul appeared on the talk show, Mazaq Raat. On live television, Gul — who was the nation’s spy chief towards the end of the Cold War — made a celebrated forecast. “When history is written, it will be stated that the ISI defeated the Soviet Union in Afghanistan with the help of America,” he declared, embellishing Pakistan’s role in ending the 1980s Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. It was a prelude to a punchline that Gul proceeded to deliver with pizzaz. “Then there will be another sentence: The ISI, with the help of America, defeated America,” he concluded to guffaws from the audience. America may be defeated in Afghanistan. But nearly six months after the Taliban takeover, the joke could well be on Pakistan – with cruel risks for its citizens.

Pakistani student grateful for Chinese support in battle against brain disease ISLAMABAD XINhua

While undergoing a crucial treatment for a life-threatening brain condition at a hospital in north China’s Tianjin, a Pakistani student communicated to his family back home that “I’m okay, please don’t worry.” Coming from a mountainous northern area in Pakistan, Ali Husnain had big dreams in his eyes to achieve new heights of success, fulfilment and happiness, and desired to serve his people in Pakistan when he got a scholarship for study from the Chinese government. However, in September last year during his PhD studies in the major of control science and engineering at the Tianjin University, Husnain’s whole world came crashing down around him when he was diagnosed with deadly viral encephalitis caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus which attacks the human brain and can result in significant brain damage or death. “When I was shifted to the hospital by the management of the Tianjin University, Chinese doctors told my family, who were

in constant contact with the hospital administration, that I have the least chances of survival and that they are exploiting every single option to save my life,” the 28-yearold said. Fortunately, after undergoing major surgery and staying more than a month in an intensive care unit of the hospital, the unremitting efforts of the doctors bore fruit as they were able to save Husnain’s life. After spending more than 60 days at the hospital while substantially recovering from the illness, Husnain’s family decided to bring him back to Pakistan where he would be surrounded by loved ones while getting his remaining treatment. “I cannot thank the Chinese government, university administration and the medical staff enough for the extraordinary kindness, love, care and support they have extended towards us, reflecting the unprecedented strong bonding between the two countries,” the student told Xinhua in Islamabad. Expressing his immense gratitude to the Chinese government and the medical staff, Ali Muhammad, father of Ali Husnain, said

CMYK

he really appreciated the way his son was taken care of in China. “China is like a second home for us. That’s why I have sent my son to China for higher education. The Chinese side also hired a full-time nursing worker for him to fully ensure his safety and health,” Muham-

mad told Xinhua. “Besides providing huge financial support, they (the Chinese side) are still in contact with us and always inquire about my son’s condition or if we are facing any financial problems regarding treatment,” he added.

Friday, 11 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS UBL crosses PKR 1 billion in disbursements for Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan, National Youth Development Programme

Mr. Usman Dar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, Mr. Haleem Adil Sheikh, Member of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh and Mr. Shazad G Dada, President & CEO, UBL seen at the UBL Head Office in Karachi, at an event to mark UBL’s crossing PKR 1 billion in disbursements for the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan, National Youth Development Programme. During his visit, Mr. Dar met with the senior management of UBL to discuss the Kamyab Jawan scheme and other government initiatives. A cake-cutting ceremony was held to mark the achievement. pr

INDONESIA SIGNS DEAL fOR RAfALE wARPLANES, AS fRANCE REThINKS REGIONAL ALLIANCES JAKARTA afp

NDONESIA signed a deal with France Thursday to buy six Rafale warplanes as part of an anticipated total order of 42, Jakarta’s defence minister said, as Paris bolsters military ties in the Asia-Pacific. The agreement was announced as Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto met his French counterpart Florence Parly in Jakarta. “We agreed on the purchase of 42 Rafale. The contract signed today is for the first six, which will be followed by 36 others,” said Subianto. It is the latest sign of warming ties between Jakarta and Paris, as France rethinks its alliances in the region following the collapse in September of a multibillion-dollar Australian submarine deal. Paris was left furious by the debacle, saying it had been given no warning that Canberra was negotiating a new defence pact with the United States and Britain. Australia is now obtaining nuclear-powered sub-

marines as part of the new defence alliance, named AUKUS, with Washington and London to counter a rising China. In November, France and Indonesia strengthened a strategic partnership agreement during a twoday visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to the vast Southeast Asian archipelago. Indonesia’s first order for French warplanes comes as Jakarta replaces an ageing fleet – consisting mainly

Shibli Faraz calls for product-oriented research at the opening of international moot in COMSATS University

ISLAMABAD pr

First International Conference on General Chemistry; From Fundamentals to Applications, was inaugurated in COMSATS University

Islamabad on Thursday. The two days international conference is being jointly organized by Karakorum International University, Gilgit-Baltistan and Department of Chemistry CUI-Islamabad Campus. Federal Minister for Science

and Technology, Shibli Faraz inaugurated the conference. While welcoming the participants of the conference, Rector COMSATS University Islamabad, Prof. Dr. Muhammad T. Afzal called on researchers to focus on local problems and engage in product-oriented research. Citing the example of Tesla Energy, he said that, a single corporation was able to amass revenues and create several thousand jobs during the covid pandemic. Furthermore, Prof. Afzal said that by understanding the chemistry of a single plant like industrial hemp, the west has built a billion-dollar.

UNESCO Representative in Pakistan Visits PTA Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr. Shireen Mazari receiving rewarding certificate from Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan. Ministry of Human Rights is among the top five best performing ministries for achieving maximum targets set under Performance Agreements with Prime Minister's office on February 10, 2022. pr

Awareness Session on Complex Financial Crimes held at QAU Director of Office and UNESCO Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Patricia McPhillips called on Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa (R) today at PTA Headquarters. During the meeting, areas of mutual interest especially reducing gender gap in availability and use of ICT services to female population were discussed. The UNESCO Representative highlighted UNESCO’s focus on access to information. Discussion was also held on long term and fruitful engagement with reference to provisioning of Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) to women and marginalized segments of the society and attainment of UN SDGs. Chairman PTA appreciated UNESCO’s proactive engagement with PTA and assured full cooperation. pr

An awareness session on “Complex Financial Crimes: Cyber Security, Money Laundering & FATF” was held at Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU). Dr. Sanaullah Abbasi, Director General Federal Investigation Agency was the guest speaker. Director General FIA briefed the audience about the phenomena of complex crimes in the society including money laundering, cyber security, and the role of FIA in tackling and combating these prevalent challenges. Director General emphasized that we should join hands with our youth to eradicate the emerging crimes as “young people are the change agents” and educational institutions are the assets of

the society. He also informed the audience that FIA has started E-Investigation system.

Transparency, accountability, communication hallmarks of good central banking: Experts "Transparency, accountability, and communication are hallmarks of good central banking, more so than independence." This was the key message of leading economists at the Webinar on ‘Central Bank Independence: Reformation or Deformation?’ organised by the Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies (CASS) in Islamabad. The discussion focused on the global evolution of the Central Bank Independence (CBI) debate and merits and demerits of CBI in Pakistan’s context. Eminent speakers included Prof. Dr Paul Wachtel from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, USA; Dr Shamshad Akhtar, former Governor State

Bank of Pakistan; Prof. Dr Shahida Wizarat, Dean, College of Economics & Social Development, Institute of Business Man-

agement (IOBM); and Dr Usman W. Chohan, Director, Economic Affairs & National Development, CASS.

CMYK

The webinar was chaired by President CASS Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan (Retd), while Mubashir Ehsan, Researcher at the Centre moderated the proceedings. Speaking from New York, Prof. Dr Paul Wachtel provided a comparative assessment of Central Bank Independence (CBI) in advanced and emerging economies and stated that CBI (or even the perception of it) should not be taken for granted in emerging market countries. He stressed that CBI was developed with the monetary policy role first and foremost, but reflection on post-global economic crises calls for more nuanced understanding.

of American F-16s and Russian Sukhois – as concerns grow about rising US-China tensions in Asia. ‘Technical excellence’ In Jakarta, Parly told reporters that Indonesia had chosen a warplane known for its “technical excellence”, which had demonstrated its “operational capabilities on numerous occasions”. Indonesia is also reportedly in negotiations to buy about 30 American F-15s and is participating in a South Korean programme to develop a warplane. Since the Australian submarine deal collapsed, France has been bolstering ties with long-time partners including Japan and India, as well as turning to Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia. Indonesia is one of several Asian countries that expressed concerns about the AUKUS pact, with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi warning it could trigger a nuclear arms race in the region. The Dassault Aviation Rafale aircraft, which entered service in 2004, has proved popular in the international market despite competition from American and other European manufacturers.

The Search for Pakistan’s Best Young Stock Investor – Registrations open for the 4th Trading Titans Competition The fourth season of KTrade Trading Titans Pakistan’s most popular student Fantasy Stock Trading competition is starting from the 1st of March. Launched by KASB KTrade’s Pakistan’s leading stock brokerage, in this three-month competition, students will get the opportunity to develop their own stock portfolios and learn about investing and stock trading through the KTrade App. Students will get the experience of real life investing but through a risk-free, virtual trading platform. More than 2000 students, from over 30 universities have participated in the past three Trading Titans competitions. The winners have consistently outperformed the market and even experienced fund managers. The top three achievers have been from IBA Karachi, LUMS and IBA Sukker and many have ended up with job offers and careers in capital markets. In this competition the participants will be given a virtual portfolio of PKR 1 Million which they will need to manage through KTrade over 3 months. The top 20 students who manage to generate the highest return will be awards cash prizes along with a job placement offer with KTrade Securities Limited. KASB KTrade’s goal is to democratize access to financial investment and to help transform people’s lives by helping them make better financial decisions. Trading Titans offers this opportunity to search for Pakistan’s Best Stock Investor. Registrations are open until 1st of March on www.kasb.com/tradingtitan ‘KASB KAKTrade has always been a pioneer in creating financial literacy and has taken multiple initiatives to ensure everyone has access to the financial markets including students who are future of the country’ said Ali Farid Khawaja Chairman & Co Founder KTrade Securities. pr

All steps being taken to address challenges faced by Motorway Police: Inam Ghani Inspector General National Highways and Motorway Police Inam Ghani has said that all possible steps are being taken to address the challenges facing by National Highways and Motorways Police and to meet the shortage of personnel. In this regard, National Highways and Motorways Police has published an advertisement of 440 different vacancies from Grade 01 o 05,including Dispatch Rider, Plumber, Electrician, Orderly, Helper, Barber, Gardener, cook, washer man and Sweeper etc. 10% of these posts are reserved for women. Transparent and merit based selected candidates will be recruited for the posts without any external pressures and recommendation. In this regard an advertisement has been placed in the newspapers dated February 06, 2022. Candidates seeking to be recruited for these posts should be Pakistani citizens, between the ages of 18 and 25 years. Send to the given address by February 21, 2022. The last date for submission of application forms is 21st February, 2022. pr

Friday, 11 February, 2022

06 COMMENT

Leaving the umpire unimpressed

Stop the mud-slinging match Are we preparing for elections or civil war?

heN prime Minister Imran Khan came to Faisalabad to inaugurate the Naya pakistan National health Card, he was expected to underline the importance of the scheme and respond to some of the relevant questions being raised about it. While the National health Card has undeniably some merits, it fails to address the problems of millions of people who cannot but costly medicines for common ailments like cough, malaria, typhoid or life-threatening diseases like blood pressure, sugar, and kidney-related ailments. The pM could have even highlighted what he considers to be the achievements of the pTI government. Instead he turned his guns on the opposition repeating almost compulsively epithets like ‘thieves’ and ‘dacoits’ which were used 18 times in a single address. This does not go well with the status of the chief executive of the country who is supposed to choose vocabulary that suits the dignity of his office. This would lead his critics to claim that Imran Khan had little to show as achievement and therefore concentrated on attacking the opposition leaders . Mr Khan claimed that ppp co-chairman asif Zardari was running from pillar to post to buy loyalties of politicians with the nation’s looted money. he described pML(N) president shehbaz sharif’s recent speeches in the National assembly “a job application” to achieve the combined objective of evading accountability and jail term. The speech led to a tit-for-tat response from the spokespersons of the ppp and pML(N) who maintained that the pM was scared of the no-confidence motion being brought to parliament against him and the long marches the oppositions parties are preparing for. paying Mr Khan back in the same coin they accused the “Imran mafia “of looting the people and the national exchequer with both hands, leveled charges of embezzlement in charity funds and the pM’s involvement in mega-corruption scams. The charges and counter charges are highly regrettable as they will further poison the political environment. When political leaders who are supposed to show maturity indulge in allegations and counter-allegations of the sort, there is a likelihood of their immature followers going much further. as the elections draw near, the rivalries could turn into enmities. Both the ruling party and the opposition have to ponder over the possible consequences of their irresponsible utterances.

at Penpoint M a niaZi

erhaps nothing illustrates the world of today more than prime Minister Imran Khan’s mission to China, and the hope that it would fork over the money needed to cover the required rise in forex reserves which are demanded by the IMF to be achieved by June The Us-China rivalry means that the rest of the countries of the world are now looking towards the latter for the money that the former can provide, and which it has hitherto used as an element of national power. perhaps that previous Us generosity has made pakistan dependent. actually, its people are not really dependent on that money. It is those with access to government resources.That money is not really meant to be repaid. It is meant to be embexled. It will be sent back to safe havens in the Usa. Indeed, one sign that China has not matured as a global power is that it does not have any tax havens where receivers of its largesse will park their money. The problem now is that the Usa sees no reason to slake the pakistani elite’s thirst for money. The afghan war is over, and pakistan has lost its utility. another difficulty for the Usa is that it is not sure where pakistan stands in its developing conflict with China. It has drawn closer to India because of this conflict, which has in turn driven away pakistan closer to China and away from the Usa. While the China-pakistan economic Corridor (CpeC) has been opposed by India, it should not be forgotten that the Usa also opposes it. India moreso, but the Usa too, are uncertain about what it would mean to have China come across the Indus for the first time at least since the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. and those were Mongols, not han Chinese, who would come across for the first time ever. While CpeC represents many things, it is perhaps unfortunate that too many policymakers see it as a source of foreign exchange. however it has not reached a stage where China has become flush enough with foreign exchange to buy influence in Islamabad by paying up. It should not be assumed that pakistan’s problem is caused merely by corruption in the elite. China itself, but also south Korea and Taiwan, are examples of countries with high levels of official corruption which have undergone massive industialization and done pretty well for themselves. The asian Tigers were not particularly honest. pakistan also has a problem because its imports are essentials: edible oil, pOL and pharmaceuticals.

The Hijab ban Events in Karnataka show how the BJP is dividing India

Zahid hussain

OUghLy the only thing in economic models constructed for pakistan plays a positive role– its young population. Over 60 percent of the population of the country is below 30 years of age. and nearly 35 percent below the age of 14. The young population of a country largely tells that the economy has potential. That the youth will give a push to the wheel of economy with their ideas, ambitions and capacity to work more. some economists in pakistan may celebrate this fact but the doctors, especially experienced pediatricians, may not agree with this. Because one in two people in pakistan are being raised malnourished with iron deficiency. It is among the top deficiencies among children, 49.1 percent of those under 5 years of age, according to the National Nutrition survey 2018 . Malnutrition is one of the biggest threats to our population and national productivity. Malnutrition is a condition when the diet of an individual does not contain the right amount of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, resulting in health problems. It can both be 1. under-nutrition, which is not getting enough nutrients, and 2. Overnutrition, which is getting more nutrients than needed. Out of the total children under five years of age, 22 percent are suffering from malnutrition, around the world. statistics show that malnutrition accounts for at least half of all childhood deaths globally. Unfortunately, pakistan has one of the highest prevalence of child malnutrition as compared to even other developing countries. In pakistan, malnutrition is same as undernutrition because overnutrition cases are negligible and easily addressable comparatively. poverty, poor maternal health and education are the main causes, but other factors like low birth weight, both inadequate and exclusive breastfeeding, parity, birth spacing, political context and lack of awareness may all contribute towards malnourishment in children. Besides death, there is a long list of disastrous effects of malnutrition in children, preventing them from

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The basic issue is what is to take the place of the CPC. Is there any force in national politics which plays a determining and dominant role in national politics? There may be, but it is not the PTI. The role of the CPC seems to be shadowed by the PTI’s sponsors, not the PTI itself.

We can only benefit from more people if they are healthy

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

M. A. Niazi

litical party which can fulfill the role. his own pTI would be a favourite, but it is not likely that it can play that role. The CpC has not only got a long history in power, but also waged an armed struggle in the years before independence. There are also no shadows over the CpC. It has been accused of many things, but it has never been accused of being ‘selected’. True, the general secretary of the CpC is also Chairman of the Military Commission of the CpC and the president of China, and thus in command of the armed forces Indeed, one of the accusations that has been made against the CpC is that membership is a requirement for moving up the military hierarchy. The military is under party control, and is actually an organ of the party. This makes a certain amount of sense, since the pLa developed from the forces the CpC used to engage in an armed struggle, first against the Japanese occupation forces, then the rival Kuomintang. pakistan’s military, on the other hand, developed from what were then the occupation forces, the British Indian army. The problem that confronts Imran is whether he can transform pakistan to obey the Chinese model. One leader who saw that dream was Zulfikar ali Bhutto. however, he found his party, the ppp, somewhat intractable. More to the point, the military refused to play ball. The result was the 1977 coup and his hanging in 1979. another underlying reality that Imran ignores at his peril is that there are two important components of the CpC’s success. First comes its following of the doctrine of democratic centralism, of free discussion within the party, and a united front outside it once a decision has been made. The whims of the party leader are not allowed for. second, the improvement in the life of the Chinese people, which has been phenomenal since 1949. The basic issue is what is to take the place of the CpC. Is there any force in national politics which plays a determining and dominant role in national politics? There may be, but it is not the pTI. The role of the CpC seems to be shadowed by the pTI’s sponsors, not the pTI itself.

The writer is a member of staff.

Is Pakistan raising a healthy population?

erhaps nothing showed the ugly face of the BJp more than the way that the hijab was banned in Karnataka, where a student wearing the hijab was heckled all the way from her institution’s parking lot to the main campus of the college by BJp goons, who used their apparent immunity from arrest to indulge in egregious bad behaviour. The decision to ban the hijab raised questions about whether this meant that other religious symbols were also to be banned. apart from the Jewish skullcap or the Christian crucifix, there would also be fingers raised at the carrying of the Kirpaan by sikhs,or the wearing of saris by hindus. It could also be argued that the hijab is more a cultural symbol rather than a religious one, for there are Muslim women aplenty who do not observe it. It is also worrisome for Muslims that the ban has been imposed by a BJp state government in a state where there is a modest Muslim presence. It is also not a state where the BJp government faces an electoral challenge. What if one of the BJp governments in the socalled Cow Belt, where there are more Muslims than in Karnataka, was to impose such a ban? going by the BJp’s past, such a ban is part of the BJp’s hate politics, but it seems that there are no voices left to tell it that it is playing with fire.It seems as if the BJp is building up to some great upheaval, which would allow thesangh parivar to engage in a general massacre to Muslims. apart from the abhorrent nature of this ambition, it is not practical politics. another aspect that needs to be kept in view is that the target is apparently a doubly-disadvantaged segment of Indian society. all Indian women are subject to discrimination, as are all Muslims. Targeting the hijab affects Muslim women, and preventing them from getting an education is an act of suppression, mind-boggling in a country where education is at such a premium.

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

It has not helped that the present government has made it now necessary to import wheat and sugar, items in which pakistan had been self-sufficient for a quarter or a century and more. pakistan’s real problem is its apparent inability to pay for its imports by its export proceeds, as well as overseas remittances, which are essentially generated by the export of labour. To meet the cost of these imports, it needs foreign exchange. so far, the Us has been paying its bills, mostly through the Washington Consensus institutions like the World Bank and IMF, but now it seems that Islamabad wants China to do so. China is a parvenu superpower, and is not confident in its wealth. It is not comfortable buying influence. It may develop a better understanding if it increases its involvement in afghanistan. There is a certain paradox in a Communist country proving to be the mainstay of an Islamic emirate, but the geoeconomic advantages are too great to be ignored. The main political concern is about the Uighurs, especially the east Turkestan Islamic Movement, and it should be noted that China has not tried to buy Taliban silence on the fate of the Uighurs with money.pakistan has been trying to present itself as a defender of China on the issue, though it is not known how much this will get China. Imran’s repeated statements of admiration for the Chinese model show a certain political naivete. China is not really a communist country. however, it is not capitalist in tjhe Western sense, since it is very much a one-party state. Unlike russia, which is merely authoritarian, it is a party that rules, not any particular individual. It does seem that president Xi Jinping may be trying to establish himself as above the informal term-limits introduced by Deng Xiaoping, but his vehicle for rule remains the Communist party of China. If the model is not stretched too far, it might match up with the riasat-e-Madina concept that Imran has used. By the riasat-e-Madina, it seems, he only means the welfare state. Therefore, his admiration for the Chinese model should not be taken too far. perhaps all he admires is the model of one-party rule. The main problem he faces is the absence of a po-

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

achieving success in school and pursuing purposeful work in adulthood. such effects include delayed development, increased vulnerability to preventable diseases, stunted growth and micronutrient deficiencies of which Iodine, Vitamin a and Iron are the most common. Take iron for instance. Iron is needed to form haemoglobin, which itself is a vital component of red blood cells. Deficiency of iron causes the most common type of anaemia, Iron Deficiency anaemia (IDa). IDa can either be due to diets low in iron, malabsorption of iron from the gut or due to blood loss. The common symptoms of IDa include abnormal paleness of skin, fatigue, irritability, sore or swollen tongue and if untreated can cause an enlarged spleen and increased heart rate. Chronic iron deficiency in early childhood results in poor cognitive function and lower scores in achievement tests in schools, suggesting that irreversible abnormalities may result from chronic iron deficiency at a critical period of growth and differentiation of the brain. Iron deficiency has an effect on a number of things – from physical and mental health to productivity. To address this, it is imperative that children be given good sources of iron like organ meat, dark green leafy vegetables etc. and products fortified with iron. Think tanks in pakistan should look for how other countries such as developed nations have tackled these major issues, which could affect the progress and development of a nation. For instance, the research community in other parts of the world is working on enhancing the nutritional value of food and food ingredients. Massey University

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

New Zealand has come up with a new and improved iron source (known as Iron+), which offers three times more absorption in the body against the existing best available source of iron. With this breakthrough research, in pakistan we can reinforce the prevention of iron deficiency and build a healthier generation for a better future. We can replicate the same for vitamin and iodine deficiency. Our optimist economists see a big motivated young population with a zeal to work and ideas and talent that would eventually help the country lift itself economically, making pakistan a strong nation. But if they are doing this and ignoring the menace of malnutrition, then they are mistakenly forming incorrect future expectations from the youth. at least make them fit enough to take the challenges head on and then expect. If this malnutrition continues to be ignored, the young population could not become an asset for a country, it would rather become a liability. stunted growth, often falling ill and the lack of a creative mind would not bolster the country in any way. For this, there is a dire need for awareness among people, political will and a helping hand from the private sector to bring easily available alternative food supplements in the country through food fortifications. The people before voting should see if the political party they would be voting for is sincere to solving their real issues such as malnutrition or not. Next time people vote, they should do it keeping in mind a healthier future and they should ask politicians they support to see and solve this menace of malnutrition the nation is facing.

The people before voting should see if the political party they would be voting for is sincere to solving their real issues such as malnutrition or not. Next time people vote, they should do it keeping in mind a healthier future and they should ask politicians they support to see and solve this menace of malnutrition the nation is facing.

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

The writer is a journalist and currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Bonn

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Friday, 11 February, 2022

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

The pandemic is far from over

Pakistan and Bangladesh’s growing trade and economic ties The growing ties make sense Pathik hassan

aNgLaDesh and pakistan together make up five percent of the world’s population. The possibilities of market value in the case of export and import between these two states are inevitably huge. But the trade between the two countries of 390 million people is now only $600-700 million. This is a very small share in the exports of both countries. In 2019-20, only $50 million worth of goods went from Bangladesh to pakistan. It has the potential to grow exponentially. The industrial sectors of both countries have expanded tremendously in the last 50 years. The industrialists of the previous generation knew the details of each other’s people and markets. The next generation of industrialists is unable to make use of that historical experience due to a lack of political action. India and China have been in the midst of a war frenzy for the past year. But in the meantime, they have done business worth about 109 billion dollars. The example of pakistan-India may be more relevant in this regard. The two countries exchange gunfire every week. There have been three full-scale wars between them. But in the meantime, they are selling products. In the 2019-20 fiscal year, goods worth $300 million went from India to pakistan. Last year it was almost four times more. They may go back to the previous state in the future. If pakistan-India can continue to trade despite the fragility of political relations, Bangladesh can do the same with both countries. Building a market in south asia is becoming more urgent for Bangladesh to escape the european-Us political caution. pakistan has put Bangladeshis on the priority list for visas since 2019. Both countries can make it easier to boost export trade. This will increase the market in pakistan of jute, tea and tobacco in Bangladesh, pakistan will also increase the export of yarn, sugar, among other products. however, in order to make the current trade balance more favourable for Bangladesh, policy support from pakistan is needed. after a long hiatus, pakistan has already shown diplomatic interest in developing relations by sending an ambassador to Bangladesh. They have to go further. Islamabad has a lot of responsibility to heal the historical wounds of Bangladesh. Many pakistani policymakers want Bangladesh to forget the 1971 Independence war and move forward. But it is not easy on the part of Bangladesh, it would be convenient in practical terms to solve the problems arising from the 1971 chapter quickly. It is high time for pakistan to realize the situation. It is not to be avoided. pakistan wants to increase trade relations with Bangladesh. The Canada-based International Forum for rights and security, a think tank, recently published a report on Bangladesh and pakistan. It has been shown there that Bangladesh is ahead in all areas of the index. Many Western economists have called on all countries to follow the Bangladesh model in the development of south asia. Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has said that pakistan is keen to boost trade and economic ties by maintaining good relations with

Bangladesh. On 26 January 2021. he said there were problems in some areas in trade with pakistan. If they were removed, trade would increase further. Both countries have huge potential to increase trade and commerce. This opportunity can be used. Munshi said Bangladesh’s trade with pakistan was ongoing. Tea, pharmaceutical products, readymade garments, ceramic products, shoes, leather and jute products were exported from Bangladesh to pakistan. he said pakistan had recently imposed antidumping on hydrogen peroxide exports. such measures hinder the development of trade. any existing problem can be solved through discussion. The problems can be identified and resolved at a meeting of the Joint economic Commission (JeC) between the two countries. Traders have an important role to play in increasing trade. Traders can increase trade by visiting each other’s countries. Necessary cooperation can be given in this case. pakistan’s high Commissioner Imran ahmed siddiqui, with whom he was speaking, said the pakistani government wanted to move forward by developing trade relations with Bangladesh. There was ample opportunity to enhance trade and economic relations between the two countries. Ceramic products made in Bangladesh are being widely used in various government departments of pakistan. siddiqui requested that visas for visits to Bangladesh be made easier for pakistanis for personal and business purposes and that DhakaKarachi direct communication be introduced for the transportation of goods. he also called for a single country fair for Bangladeshi products in pakistan and stressed holding the nin5hth meeting of the Joint economic Commission. In fiscal 2019-2020, Bangladesh’s exports to pakistan were worth $50.54 million and imports worth $543.90 million. If trade complexities are removed, the export of Bangladeshi products will increase. Bilateral trade between pakistan and Bangladesh for the year 2020-21 was $721.67 million, pakistani exports being $650.21 million and imports $71.45 million. Bangladesh is one of the top 10 export destinations for pakistani products. pakistan’s trade with Bangladesh witnessed a surplus of 46.65 percent during the first six months of financial year (2021-22) as compared to the corresponding period of last year. The overall exports to Bangladesh were recorded at $399.408 million during July-December against exports of $274.246 million, showing growth of 45.63 percent, Meanwhile, on a year-on-year basis, exports during De-

cember 2021 increased 52.01 percent, from $54.433 million to $82.746 million. similarly on month-on-month basis, imports rose by 14.38 percent during December 2021 in comparison with exports of $72.339 million in November 2021. Bangladesh and pakistan cam profit by growing business relations. pakistan can export cotton, yarn, fabric, leather, inorganic chemicals, vegetables and electronics (fan), halal foods to Bangladesh. There is a high demand for these products in Bangladesh. On the other hand, Bangladesh can export its world-class medicines, apparel, agroproducts, halal foods, ceramics, among other items. Bangladesh can benefit from using pakistan’s gwadar port and China-run CpeC. Bangladeshi products can be exported to Central asia and imports made from the region easily. as a result, pak-Bangladesh ties would be further boosted. Both sides can also work in promoting cooperation in the areas of science and technology, information technology, health care, digital cooperation, sMe [small and medium-sized enterprises] development, tourism, and so on. Bangladesh has vast experience in dealing with refugees, tackling climate change, countering terrorism, human resource development. pakistan has experience in the sector of religious tourism. Both countries can exchange these advantages. In the first three months of the current financial year, the trade volume between Bangladesh and pakistan is growing day by day. Bangladesh is now at the top of pakistan’s foreign trade list. although having some political problems, the bilateral relationship is growing. Bangladeshpakistan trade increased 36.90 percent in the first three months of 202122 over the previous year. The import of pakistan from Bangladesh has increased 43.96 percent this year. It is true that bilateral trade is increasing between Bangladesh and pakistan. pakistan and Bangladesh should reap the benefits from growing their trade ties. however, there is much potential in economic relations between Bangladesh and pakistan. But this should be realized by the government of pakistan in its own interest. Because it needs Bangladesh’s help and support in reviving their fragile economy and raising various regional issues at all international forums. The sooner the pakistani government realizes this, the better for them. pakistan and Bangladesh can thus benefit politically from growing trade ties.

However, there is much potential in economic relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan. But this should be realized by the government of Pakistan in its own interest. Because it needs Bangladesh’s help and support in reviving their fragile economy and raising various regional issues at all international forums. The sooner the Pakistani government realizes this, the better for them.

The writer can be pathikhasan1141@gmail.com

reached

The spread of the Omicron variant globally as well as locally is a serious reminder if one was needed at all, that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. The only silver lining about this rather dark cloud is that the variant is a milder version compared to the earlier ones, but it is turning out to be far more infectious than any of its predecessors. Omicron multiplies about 70 times faster than the Delta variant, and that is reason enough to err on the side of caution. Omicron has an unusually large number of mutations compared to the previous variants, and several of these mutations are novel that may at least dilute the impact of the vaccines even though it is probably the vaccines that have been keeping the severity level low. It is understandable that people are already feeling miserable due to the earlier four Covid waves and just when they thought the worst was over, there came the fifth wave which is bound to affect all segments of social, professional and academic life. as has been the case previously, Karachi is facing the worst crisis of all. Being the largest and the most densely populated city in the country, Karachi does come under pressure. The numbers speak for themselves, but there is every likelihood that the situation might be worse than the numbers show because not everybody is, or can be, tested. as such, the positivity rate, which has already crossed the 40 per cent mark, is based on the number of tests conducted and is not the actual number of positive cases in the city. The government needs to be concerned regarding this issue and enforce new rules so that the people may remain protected. regardless of how frustrated we feel, or how fatigued the official machinery happens to be, what everyone needs to remember is that there is no reason to lower our guard. The severity of symptoms is low, but not for everyone. For those clinically vulnerable, the prognosis is still not too bright. Omicron might be less able to penetrate deep lung tissue. Overall, the extremely high rate of spread, combined with its ability to evade both double vaccination and the body’s immune system, means the total number of patients requiring hospital care at any given time is still of great concern. preliminary evidence suggests there may be an increased risk of re-infection with Omicron compared to the other variants of concern. as advised by the World health Organisation (WhO), all countries should continue to implement effective public health measures to control the spread of the virus by increasing public health capacity. It is vitally important that inequities in access to the Covid vaccine are urgently addressed to ensure that vulnerable groups, including healthcare workers, the elderly and those in the rural areas, receive their first and second doses. Besides, strict implementation of the standard operating procedures (sOps) is the need of the hour. HAMMAL ZAHID, KoLAHoo

Skill-based education CUrreNTLy, around 64% of pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, which demonstrates that we are a youth-oriented nation. Therefore, the youth must be provided with ample resources and opportunities so that they are able to shape the future of the country. given the ever-changing environment and developments in technology, there is a need to facilitate skill-based education. This will allow students to apply concepts they learn in the real world. Introducing skill-based learning will also encourage students to strengthen their skills and grasp concepts in a practical manner. all types of students will be able to perform well because they will receive uniform training. such an initiative will boost employability in the future. as a result, students will be able to explore different career options. Consequently, the country will enjoy a diverse workforce and will be able to tap into different industries, which will help support economic growth and development. To introduce a skillbased system, educational institutions will be required to incorporate a practical learning environment. students will need to be introduced to mentors during their early stages of learning. These mentors will help them recognise their skills and foster different career paths. We need to bring about drastic changes in our educational system in order to generate a more adaptable and creative workforce. TAIbA AfZAL LAHorE

Unfair increase in prices ThrOUgh the column of your esteemed daily, I would like to highlight and want to draw the attention of the government towards the sudden increase in prices of essential commodities in the market. Nowadays, the rates of vegetables and fruits etc. rise in the twinkling of an eye which directly affects the purchasing power of a common man. rates are never constant in pakistan. Just the costs of essential items dry out the budget of the domestic people and poor wage earners. In such a state of affairs, a poor man cannot afford fruits and vegetables. according to the global hunger Index survey in 2021, pakistan ranks 92nd in the list. With a score of 24.7. pakistan has a level of hunger that is serious. It looks as if the government has failed to keep a check on the hoarders. If this remains the same in the upcoming few months, people will lose faith in the government. It is high time for the government to realize the problems of the public and initiate steps to make easier the life of a poor man. MUHAMMAD JUNAID ArSHAD, rAwALpINDI

Road safety in Karachi DrIVINg in a bustling city like Karachi can be a daunting experience for many. The general regard for traffic rules, road safety measures, and basic driving etiquette is moving further and further away from our daily commutes. Moreover, it is quite appalling to see the deteriorating conditions of the roads in the city to be hazardous to drivers and pedestrians alike. Karachi is ranked as one of the top metropolitan cities with the most traffic accidents. every other day I come across news about people being killed in road accidents either due to the negligence of drivers or failing to follow basic traffic rules. Major thoroughfares have the highest occurrence of accidents which lead to serious injuries or fatalities. What astonishes me the most is the fact that people can stop these road misfortunes from happening if we start focusing on the gravity of road safety measures that need to be implemented. areas such as the National highway, Quaidabad, shara e Faisal, rashid Minhas road, ayesha Manzil, to name a few, are mostly the centre of the news for casualties due to unsafe driving conditions or carelessness of the drivers. Not only that, even the traffic police are too casual to set law and order on the roads. There is a dire need for educating the masses including children about road safety measures. On one side it is indeed heartening to hear of publicprivate partnerships that aim to address road safety concerns holistically. SYED oVAIS AKHTAr KArAcHI

08 WORLD VIEW 11th February 22_Layout 1 2/10/2022 10:08 PM Page 1

Friday, 11 February, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

Putin and Xi manifesto signals start of a new era

Nikkei AsiA James crabTree

LOCKiNG in at more than 5000 words, the duo’s tract on “international relations entering a new era” presents a radical prospectus for future cooperation and one with potentially significant implications for the United states’ attempts to refocus its geopolitical efforts on Asia. The new sino-Russian manifesto is a spirited affair, lambasting “certain states” at length for foisting their vision of democracy and human rights on others. More specifically, it signs China up to Russia’s demand to cease the expansion of NATO, a body the

two nations accuse of “ideologized Cold War approaches.” The push back from Beijing and Moscow is not just against the U.s., but its partners in Asia too. They are “seriously concerned” by the AUKUs pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.s. Meantime, they “stand against the formation of closed bloc structures,” a likely reference to the Quad grouping of Australia, india, Japan and the U.s, whose foreign ministers meet this week in Melbourne. At one level, this ought not to be surprising. Of late, the U.s. and its partners have pushed a range of new security arrangements, of which AUKUs and the Quad are merely the most visible. Rather than alliances, these tend to be ad hoc “mini-lateral” deals promising cooperation in particular areas. China and Russia’s new relationship now looks similar. The two powers have been drawing closer for decades, leaving old Cold War-era enmities behind. No longer are their ties based mostly on trade in arms and energy. indeed, as China’s military has advanced, it has grown far less reliant on imported Russian weapons. Much as the Quad drew together via mutual anxiety about China, so Moscow and Beijing’s unity stems from distrust of the

U.s. Both desire a post-American “polycentric world order,” and both are increasingly willing to cooperate to achieve this vision. “Russia and China stand against attempts by external forces to undermine security and stability in their common adjacent regions,” the document states — a view suggesting both countries are quite comfortable with a new world of spheres of influence. here a note of skepticism is needed. Beijing and Moscow still have important differences, not least the fact that last week’s document pointedly did not back Russia’s actions in Ukraine, a sign that Beijing remains skeptical about Putin’s assertive approach. Other tensions are geographic, such as China’s aim of stronger ties in Central Asia, which Moscow views as its own backyard. scenarios in which the two combine to press the U.s. on two fronts also seem unlikely for now, especially via simultaneous military operations in Taiwan and Ukraine. Ultimately, China and Russia care about different things. Moscow wants to rearrange Europe’s security order, but it is more content with how things stand in Asia. China holds the opposite view, a point made by Michael Koffman of CNA, a Washingtonbased think tank. Rather than an alliance, Koffman suggests, Beijing and Moscow are now operating according to a kind of nonag-

Pay attention to russia and China teaming up

CNBC.Com Frederick kempe

his is big. The two leading authoritarians of our time have declared unprecedented common cause—perhaps even a de facto security alliance—with aspirations of shaping a new world order to replace the one fashioned by the United states and its partners after World War ii. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to make sure the world didn’t miss the importance of their thirty-eighth personal meeting in Beijing on Friday, just hours before the opening of the Winter Olympics and with more than one hundred thousand Russian troops threatening Ukrainian sovereignty. so they released the entirety of their audacious, 5,300word joint statement in English this weekend, declaring that “a trend has emerged towards redistribution of power in the world”—namely toward them, and away from the United states and its democratic partners and allies. There’s a lot in the statement worth reading and digesting, but here’s my rough executive summary: Russia and China are throwing in their lot with each other in an unprecedented manner in each other’s regions and around the world. For the first time, Beijing has joined Moscow in opposing NATO enlargement; Russia returned the favor by opposing the new AUKUs defense pact binding Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United states, as well as endorsing its One China Policy and growing role in the Arctic. Russia and China aren’t calling their partnership an alliance of the NATO variety. But they aren’t shy about its ambitions. Xi and Putin, the statement says, “reaffirm that the new inter-state relations between Russia and China are superior to political and military alliance of the Cold War era. Friendship between the two states has no limits, there are no ‘forbidden’ areas of cooperation [emphasis added], strengthening of bilateral strategic cooperation is neither aimed against third countries nor affected by the changing international environment and circumstantial changes in third countries.” A Biden administration official i spoke with sees a silver lining in the fact that the statement doesn’t mention Ukraine by name, perhaps showing China’s discomfort with the prospect of invasion. But at the same time, Xi has said nothing to dissuade Putin’s escalation. in the statement, the two sides are redefining the very meaning of democracy to embrace their repressive systems that censor media, prohibit dissent, lock up political opponents, and support like-minded authoritarian systems. Ludicrous as their definition of democracy might sound, it’s further evidence that China and Russia are trying to wrest the high moral ground from electoral democracies through Orwellian gobbledygook. “The sides note,” reads the statement, “that Russia and China as world powers with rich cultural and historical heritage have long-standing traditions of democracy,

which rely on thousand-years of experience of development, broad popular support and consideration of the needs and interests of citizens.” Further, “it is only up to the people of the country to decide whether their state is a democratic one.” Elsewhere, however, the statement warns “that the advocacy of democracy and human rights must not be used to put pressure on other countries.” The broad areas that the agreement covers are head-spinning. The sides agreed to more closely link their economies through cooperation between China’s Belt and Road initiative and Putin’s Eurasian Economic Union. They will work together to develop the Arctic. They’ll deepen coordination in multilateral institutions and to battle climate change. Back in June 2019, i wrote in this space: “it’s time to start worrying more about what could become the most profound geopolitical shift of the post-Cold War years. China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin are deepening their two countries’ strategic alignment even as long-time democratic allies across the Atlantic grow more distant.” Perhaps the biggest mistake Western strategists have made since then has been to separate the Chinese and Russian challenges to the post-Cold War international order as distinct and only loosely related. The Biden administration even hoped to “park” the Russia issue as it dealt with the more pressing and long-term China challenge. Yet for all the two countries’ historic animosities and considerable remaining differences, perhaps never in their history have they been closer. And never since World War ii have the leading authoritarians of their time been so strategically aligned or personally close—at a time when both are deeply contemplating their legacies. As Putin considers his own options regarding Ukraine, his relationship with China could help him manage any potential new sanctions, particularly through deepened energy agreements and financial arrangements. On Friday, China and Russia announced new oil and gas deals valued at an estimated $117.5 billion. Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, announced a new agreement to supply 100 million tons of crude through Kazakhstan to the Chinese state company China National Petroleum Corporation over the next ten years—while the Russian energy giant Gazprom pledged to ship 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China through a new pipeline. There’s no denying the numbers: Last year, trade between the two countries hit a record $147 billion, making China Russia’s largest trading partner. A European senior official i spoke with, who tracks intelligence on Ukraine, considers the time of maximum danger for Ukraine to be after February 20, the last day of the Olympics, which coincides with the end of the massive “Allied Resolve” Russian military exercises in Belarus (which could mask preparations for invasion). it is also when the Ukrainian ground and rivers remain sufficiently frozen to allow for heavy military equipment to move most effectively. Whatever Putin chooses regarding Ukraine, however, this week’s joint statement underscores a tectonic shift in global relations that will require far more creative, collaborative, and long-term thinking by the United states and its partners. The growing closeness between Russia and China has increased both countries’ advantage at a time when their leaders believe they have the momentum—and in a world where democracies have weakened, the United states is politically divided, and new technologies are empowering authoritarian leaders’ ability to surveil and control their societies. Frederick Kempe is president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council.

gression pact. Both are playing down tension with one another to focus on taking on the U.s. in their own areas. This is significant in two respects, the first being new forms of cooperation. The two nations are set to codevelop military technologies, from missile systems to artificial intelligence, just as is true for AUKUs. There are likely to be more joint military exercises, as well as more close coordination in forums like the United Nations. Closer ties in Asia are also possible, as Russia looks to play an enlarged role in the region. Last week’s recent sino-Russian tract was notable for including, albeit only in its very last paragraphs, a nod to the importance that both powers place in the 10-member Association of southeast Asian Nations and its regional security architecture. The second lesson is for Joe Biden’s strategy. Last June, the U.s. president opened a new dialogue with Putin at a summit in Geneva, aiming to stabilize relations and allow Washington to focus more efforts on China. Whatever the outcome of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, it will surely distract from that planned Asian realignment — a plan that Biden has, in any case, moved slowly to realize. Yet even if the U.s. moves only gradually forward with plans to refocus on Asia, it must expect a reaction. Washington tends to

view groupings like the Quad as defensive, with the aim of deterring China from actions that challenge the existing regional order. Viewed from Beijing, however, these groupings are offensive vehicles for containment, in much the same way Russia views NATO. This creates an uncomfortable dynamic for the U.s. and its Quad partners. in some areas, they may succeed in deterring China in Asia, much as NATO may succeed in deterring Russia in Europe. But in doing so, they are also likely to drive their adversaries to work together. The Asia Pacific is entering a new period of turbulence. Earlier eras of geopolitical instability — Europe prior to the second World War is a good example — have led to all manner of new security arrangements, concordats, pacts, treaties and indeed formal alliances. it would be naive to assume Asia’s recent rash of security arrangements will develop only between the U.s. and its friends. in this sense, Putin and Xi’s recent manifesto does indeed suggest that international relations are entering a new era — one in which the U.s.’s adversaries are likely to cooperate ever more closely. James Crabtree is executive director of IISS-Asia in Singapore. He is author of “The Billionaire Raj.”

iran emerges as catalyst for middle east realignment

Al-moNitor Fehim TasTekin

mid the crisscrossing moves of rapprochement on the Turkey-United Arab Emirates-israel triangle, Emirati and Turkish targets have faced a string of attacks, claimed by or believed to be the work of iran-linked groups. The iranian-backed houthis, fighting the saudiled coalition in Yemen, fired rockets on the UAE three times last month, with the last attack taking place on Jan. 31 as israeli President isaac herzog visited Abu Dhabi. Then a Turkish military base in iraq came under attack on Feb. 3, a day after Alwiyat al-Waad al-haq, a group linked to iraq’s Kataib hezbollah, claimed to have launched four drones targeting critical facilities in the Emirates. As israel looks to add a security dimension to its ties with the UAE and Bahrain after the Abraham Accords, iranian reactions via proxies should not come as a surprise. Targeting Turkey should not be surprising either, amid its quest to normalize ties with Gulf heavyweights and israel. it was not the first time that the Turkish troops at the Bashiqa base near Mosul came under attack, but the timing of the Feb. 3 incident, in which 18 rockets were fired, was obviously telling. A hitherto unknown group calling itself Ahrar sinjar said it attacked because the iraqi government had failed to protect sinjar, the Yazidi region where Turkey has pursued the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its local affiliates. The PKK — designated as a terrorist group by Ankara over its nearly four-decade armed campaign in Turkey — has long had bases in the mountains of iraqi Kurdistan along the Turkish border. since 2014, it has extended its presence to sinjar after helping the Yazidis against the islamic state. it is highly likely that Ahrar sinjar is linked to iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units, the mostly iranbacked shiite militia known also as hashd al-shaabi. immediately after the attack, hamid al-Musawi, a leader of the shiite Fateh Alliance and the Coordination Framework bloc in iraq, vowed to expel all “occupation forces” from iraq, including Us and Turkish troops. Ankara has ignored repeated calls from Baghdad to evacuate the Bashiqa base, which it set up in 2015 to train a sunni militia, called hashd al-Watani, to liberate Mosul from the islamic state. A day before the attack on the base, Turkey bombed targets in sinjar and Makhmour as well as Derik in syria. The Makhmour strike claimed eight lives, including five PKK members, and left 17 others injured. in Derik, four fighters from the Kurdish-led syrian Democratic Forces, which Turkey sees as a PKK offshoot, were killed. in remarks Feb. 3, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the Kurdistan Regional

Government, led by Nechirvan Barzani, for “increased solidarity” with Turkey against the PKK. Another common factor behind the attacks on the Emirati and Turkish targets might be the ongoing efforts to put together a coalition government in iraq. shiite cleric Moqtada al-sadr, the winner of the October elections, has irked Tehran by pushing for a majority government with two sunni blocs and the Kurds, excluding pro-iranian shiite parties. While Tehran is pressing for a united shiite front, as has been the case since 2005, sadr’s plan appears to overlap with the interests of both Turkey and the UAE. sadr, too, has opposed to Turkey’s military operations in iraq, but he seems to be a more reasonable option for Ankara than the rival shiite bloc whose leaders include former premier Nuri al-Maliki. sadr was given a high-level welcome in Ankara in 2009, including meetings with the then-president and Erdogan, who was prime minister at the time. several other contacts with sadr took place in ensuing years, but with little result. in 2016, sadr supporters were at the forefront of a protest against the Bashiqa base outside the Turkish embassy in Baghdad. sadr himself has argued against foreign powers using iraq as a theater of influence and criticized Turkey’s anti-PKK operations on iraqi territory. still, sadr’s more nationalist stance against iranian influence in iraq is important for Ankara. Both Turkey and the sunni Gulf states would be satisfied with a sadr-led government that curtails iranian influence in iraq. in the Emirates, the houthi attacks and herzog’s visit have overshadowed a recent thaw with iran, and reportedly precluded plans for an iranian presidential visit in early February. Citing the UAE’s ties with israel, the houthis have threatened further attacks, while israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has offered “intelligence and security support” to the Emirates in a letter to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed. israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, meanwhile, sealed a security cooperation accord with Bahrain during his first visit to the kingdom Feb. 3. israel’s addition of intelligence and defense cooperation to its ties with Gulf states is certainly alarming to Tehran. in a phone call with his Emirati counterpart Feb. 2, iran’s foreign minister said that no one would benefit from the continuation of the war in Yemen and warned that israel’s growing presence was a threat to all regional countries. iran has held fence-mending talks also with saudi Arabia, but because of the escalation in Yemen, the dialogue, brokered by iraq, has failed to ripen. Preparations are still under way for a fifth round of talks. Amid all those developments, Erdogan has made it clear that the energy rivalry in the Eastern Mediterranean is a major driver in Turkey’s quest for normalization with israel. in remarks to reporters Feb. 3, he played down iran’s temporary cut of gas supplies to Turkey, while highlighting gas cooperation with israel as one of the main topics in upcoming talks with herzog in Ankara. Turkey, he said, is ready “to use the israeli gas inside the country and, furthermore, be part of a joint endeavor to carry the gas to Europe.” As Ankara looking to woo israel with energy partnership and the UAE and the saudis with defense cooperation, including the sale of armed drones, such realignment of regional powers would hardly please Tehran. iraq appears to be the first front where iran’s annoyance with Turkey is surfacing.

Friday, 11 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

QNET launches Qlearn platform to promote learning for a fast-paced business environment KARACHI: The global e-commerce based direct selling company, QNET, recently launched Qlearn, an innovative, learning platform that promotes and nurtures lifelong continuing education. The Qlearn learning app offers users with a variety of learning programs that are interactive, adaptive and effective. The courses on the platform are designed and curated for the aspiring entrepreneur or business professional. Itofferscertification for a large array of courses that allow users to upskill themselves for higher professional,career,and business growth. “At QNET, we believe learning is a life-long continuing knowledge enhancement project. It does not stop with a traditional degree and particularly in a world of constant flux and progress, schooling up with new skills and knowledge is an imperative if you want to stay relevant,” said CEO of QNET, Ms. MalouCaluza, adding that Qlearn was launched with this higher purpose. According to Ms. Caluza, Qlearn education will be fun, interactive, and easily accessible from anywhere in the world. The courses are not just limited to text based learning and include various multimedia elements such as, animated videos and easy-to-move reinforcement exercises. Access to Qlearn can be purchased on the QNET store or on the Qlearn app which is available on the Google Play and the Apple Store. Courses can be accessed from the mobile app and also on the desktop browser. “We have conceived Qlearn as a versatile educational digital platform that is time and geography agnostic. Moreover, it is multiple language enabled, including English, Arabic, Russian, French, Turkish and Bahasa Indonesia. We will be increasing the language choices more in the coming days,” Ms. Caluza said. The new courses being offered on Qlearn are `Fundamentals of Social Media Advertising,’ for Facebook specifically. The course, according to QNET, will take a deep dive into paid advertising on social media. In the same vein, another course offered is FB Social Media Marketing – a course which will lay the foundation of social media marketing. Google Project Management is another course on foundational project management terminology and role and responsibilities of a project manager. Other courses are Google: IT Security: Defense against the digital dark arts – a course which will cover a wide variety of IT security concepts, tools, and best practices. Qlearn is also offering a course in `Introduction to Negotiation,’ which will help a person become a better negotiator. Unlike many negotiation courses, QNET has developed a framework for analyzing and shaping negotiations, which is unique, the company’s statement added. Finally, Qlearn is offering a course on ‘Women in Leadership’: Inspiring Positive Change is another course that aims to inspire and empower women and men across the world to engage in purposeful career development and take on leadership for important causes. pr

NICVD denies all the allegations that any kind of treatment provided free at NICVD has been stopped NICVD does all treatment based on medical evidences which currently shows that the survival benefits of angioplasty in only during heart attack (Primary Angioplasty) or in unstable Angina (heart attack knocking on the door), in these two conditions there is survival benefit with Angioplasty. The Evidences clearly show that Angioplasty in patients with Chronic Angina there is no survival benefit. There is only symptomatic benefit. Which can also be achieved with medicines. The benefit of Angioplasty for controlling of Angina is only when the medical treatment fails. NICVD is World’s largest Centre for Primary Angioplasty. NICVD did more than 25,000 Primary Angioplasties and patients with unstable Angina in 2021. For Elective Angioplasty, NICVD has a heart team, which comprises Cardiac Surgeon and Interventional Cardiologists. The Heart Team meets every day and decides if any patient’s medical treatment has failed that patient is referred for Elective Angioplasty and those are done totally free of cost. NICVD continues to serve the people of Pakistan, providing state-of-the-art treatment to everyone. NICVD, which has 10 state-of-the-art hospitals and 23 Chest Pain Units, provide all sort of treatment totally free of cost, where medically indicated. pr

NEWS 09 MobIlINk MICrofINANCE bANk bECoMEs fIrsT MICrofINANCE INsTITuTIoN To sECurE EfP MEMbErshIP

AKISTAN’s largest digital bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) has become the first microfinance institution to secure membership of the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP), an apex body of employers in Pakistan that spearheads the private sector in matters of employment, industrial relations, social and economic policy. EFP is also a member of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and with its virtue an important constituent of the International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations from Pakistan. The EFP membership was awarded to MMBL in recognition of its efforts to promote financial inclusion for all especially enabling individual entrepreneurs as well as small and medium industries in the country, particularly the ones led by women. The EFP, while notifying about the membership, applauded Mobilink Microfinance Bank’s tireless efforts in scripting Pakistan’s financial growth and recognized its role in revolutionizing the traditional banking system. It said the bank has led the way in empowering all segments of society, particularly women. Commenting on the achievement, Ghazanfar Azzam, President & CEO, MMBL said: “We are ecstatic to be the first microfinance bank in the country to become a member of EFP. The achievement comes as a validation of

the bank’s extraordinary growth and innovation to lead the country’s microfinance industry while digitalizing its core processes, hence creating an environment conducive to economic growth. MMBL, with its diverse portfolio, is not only committed to serving the financial needs of individuals and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) but is also focused on empowering women entrepreneurs through its flagship initiative, Women Inspirational Network (WIN). By becoming a member of EFP, we intend to continue with our leading role in the digital banking landscape and foster economic empowerment for all." Also commenting on the development, Samiha Ali Zahid, Chief Human

Resources Officer (CHRO) MMBL, said: “MMBL is a market leader for women in finance and it is continuously striving to make Pakistan more inclusive, both digitally and financially. We take great pride in being one of the primary pillars of Pakistan’s digital banking ecosystem, where we play a vigorous role in women empowerment; be it through initiatives on financial management or training the female borrowers. This membership is a testament to our passion for promoting women empowerment at all fronts." Remarking on the occasion, the President of Employers’ Federation of Pakistan, Ismail Suttar said: “Employers’ Federation of Pakistan welcomes MMBL as our valued member as it up-

Bank AL Habib declares Rs. 18.70 billion profit after tax The Board of Directors of Bank AL Habib Limited (the Bank) announced the Bank's financial results for the year ended 31 December 2021 and proposed 70 percent cash dividend. The Bank posted profit after taxation of Rs. 18.70 billion i.e. an increase of 5.00 percent compared to the previous year. The Bank’s profit before tax was recorded at Rs. 30.27 billion, translating into an EPS of Rs. 16.83 per share as against Rs. 16.03 per share for the prior year. The Bank managed to significantly increase its fee and commission income by 40.21 percent as compared to the corresponding period last year. The Bank reported an increase in foreign exchange income by 38.60 percent. Dividend income for the year ended 31 December 2021 was recorded at Rs. 655.08 million. Total Assets reached to Rs. 1.85 trillion, an increase of 21.52 percent as compared to 31 December 2020. Net loans and advances grew by 43.81 percent to reach Rs. 733.80 billion whilst the investments increased by 8.06 percent to reach Rs. 826.60 billion, demonstrating an overall growth in the total assets, compared to the previous year.

Due to the Bank's sound risk management practices and prudent financing strategy, the NPL ratio of the Bank fell to 1.04 percent. The Bank achieved a coverage ratio of 168.97 percent which reflects the prudent approach adopted towards nonperforming loans. Deposits of the Bank increased by 19.11 percent yearover-year bringing the total deposits to Rs. 1.31 trillion as on 31 December 2021. Gross Advances to deposit ratio stood at 57.02 percent. The Bank continued with its strategy for outreach expansion, adding significant number of branches every year. The Bank opened 107 branches during the year. The Bank’s branch network has now reached 956 branches / sub branches & 3 booths having coverage in 381 cities in Pakistan, 2 foreign branches (one each in Bahrain and Malaysia) and 4 representative offices (one each in Dubai, Istanbul, Beijing, Nairobi) outside Pakistan. In line with the Bank’s vision to provide convenience to customers, the Bank is operating a network of 1,160 ATMs across Pakistan. The Bank received the Runner Up award for “Best Bank of

the Year (Large-Size Banks) 2020” from the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society Pakistan. This award recognizes the outstanding performance of a financial institution. Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Limited (PACRA) has upgraded the Bank's long term entity rating from AA+ (Double A plus) to AAA (Triple A) while maintaining the short term entity rating at A1+ (A One plus). This long term credit rating (AAA) denotes the highest credit quality with the lowest expectation of credit risk, and indicates exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. The ratings of our unsecured, subordinated Term Finance Certificates (TFCs) were also upgraded from AA (Double A) to AA+ (Double A Plus) for TFC-2018 and from AA(Double A minus) to AA (Double A) for TFC-2017 (perpetual). The initial rating of our unsecured, subordinated TFC– 2021 issued during the year is AA+ (Double A plus). These ratings denote a very low expectation of credit risk emanating from a very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. pr

holds such integrity and values which are a major contributor in enhancing the image of Pakistan globally. To continuously work towards creating an environment that is progressive for women and encourage initiatives that not only benefit the economy but inspire the youth to have aspirations, MMBL has played a large role in facilitating aspects such as these. Therefore, EFP takes a great sense of duty in showcasing the Government of Pakistan and the international stakeholders the relevance of such associations. In the times to come, we greatly look upon such entities to further promote the soft image of Pakistan, which our Federation also duly aims to acquire.” In the same context, and to highlight the success stories on women empowerment in Pakistan, EFP will be hosting an event at Pakistan Pavilion, Dubai Expo 2020 on 11th February 2022 with the theme “Women of Pakistan; Leading a Change”. For many years, MMBL has been facilitating SMEs and women by providing them micro-loans to engage in self-empowering projects, which enables them to generate income and substantiate their earnings. The EFP membership will further enhance MMBL’s role in bringing broad-based socio-economic enablement to individuals and communities nationwide. The bank will be completing 10 years of operations in Pakistan this year. pr

Pakistan Cables completes third ACCC® conductor installation in Pakistan KARACHI: Pakistan Cables has supported Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO) in investing in new technology to upgrade its distribution system by successfully installing ACCC® conductor, a product that has increased the capacity of the transmission line by 78% and has resulted in a substantial reduction in line losses. This installation took place to upgrade the 132 kV double circuit transmission line from KAPCO to Kot Addu Grid station. With the re-conductoring of the existing AAAC Greely Conductor to the Pakistan Cables ACCC® Drake Conductor the capacity of transmission line increased from 1800 Amps to 3200 Amps. In addition, the Sag Profile of transmission has been improved, which is a major relief for the residents residing in the buildings under the transmission line. The clearance of line from residential buildings has improved significantly and without any modification in the existing structures and right of way problem. In March 2021, MEPCO awarded the project to Pakistan Cables for installation of locally Manufactured ACCC® Conductor, which was successfully completed in December 2021. During 2018-2019, Pakistan Cables completed the qualification process for producing ACCC® conductors at its manufacturing facility in Karachi which was conducted under the supervision of CTC Global Inc., USA. With the installation of Pakistan Cables ACCC® Conductor, the company has three successful installations across Pakistan. “This innovative technology is direly needed to transform the existing national transmission and distribution system from overloaded lines (specifically in crowded areas) to efficient and effective systems that offer long term gains for the country financially. pr

Huawei releases HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2021, delivering upgraded new smart productivity experience KARACHI pr

Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) has announced the newly upgraded HUAWEI MateBook X Pro 2021 in Pakistan now. Inheriting the aesthetic, innovation and intelligent DNA of previous Huawei laptops, the new HUAWEI MateBook X Pro is an innovative reinterpretation of a classic, with a full range of upgrades delivering efficient performance, all-scenario intelligence and a superior user experience. The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro delivers another dazzling FullView Display with 3K high-definition picture quality and an immersive viewing experience to unleash more excitement for users. The 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processors work with an intelligent new cooling system to deliver more efficient performance, making both work and everyday life easier for the user. Huawei Share

fully breaks down the barriers of cross-device interaction and makes it easy to enjoy every aspect of an All-scenario Seamless AI Life. Ingenious new technologies help to deliver incredible overall ease-of-use, with the HUAWEI Free Touch touchpad, high-precision multi-point touch screen, dual-edge microphones, and quad-speakers with an upgraded split-frequency set-up. "Huawei is continuing to work on its smart all-scenario strategy, focusing on five scenarios: smart home, smart travel, smart office, fitness and health, and entertainment, to create the ultimate smart life experience. Huawei laptops are spearheading the evolution of the modern office into an era of intelligence, creating a new integrated ecosystem experience and ever more intelligent PCs." Wang Yinfeng, President of PC and Tablet Product Line, Huawei Consumer Business Group (CBG), said, Lightweight and efficient to free your

creativity anywhere and anytime The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro is thin, lightweight and portable, but also packed with power to upgrade your productivity experience. The 11th Gen Intel® Core™ processor, combined with 16GB of LPDDR4x memory, delivers smoother performance and a more efficient experience across work, life, and entertainment. The powerful combination of the HUAWEI Shark Fin dual fan design and air-cooled ultra-thin VC technology unleashes even greater levels of performance and efficiency. As a Wi-Fi 6 laptop, the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro offers about three times the transfer rate of traditional Wi-Fi 5, so you can enjoy a stable connection and efficient transfers even in crowded places. Despite its thin and lightweight form, the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro is packed with energy. With a 56 Wh[1] battery and Huawei’s intelligent power management

system, you have a long and exciting life ahead of you after every charge. The 65W USB-C pocket charger not only provides fast charging for HUAWEI MateBooks but also supports HUAWEI SuperCharge for HUAWEI phones and tablets[2], so you can use it for multiple purposes. In addition, the HUAWEI MateBook X Pro features two fully functional USB-C ports that enable two-way data transfer, charging and connection with external devices, versatile enough to support the user through every aspect of work and life. Enjoy tHE IntEllIgEnCE of All-sCEnARIo IntERACtIon: The HUAWEI MateBook X Pro comes fully equipped with Huawei Share, which allows laptops and phones to work together and interact without barriers, allowing users to experience a greater level of intelligence and create more enjoyable experiences. Innovative technology upgrades deliver

a relaxing new experience HUAWEI MateBook X Pro has been upgraded with a number of innovative technologies to make work and life easier for the user. HUAWEI MateBook X Pro introduces the new HUAWEI Free Touch to upgrade touch control experience. The spacious touchpad offers an unrestricted experience, with full vibration feedback to open up a new level of interaction. HUAWEI MateBook X Pro is like an on-the-go cinema, perfected in terms of sound, with four upgraded split-frequency speakers to deliver immersive surround sound. Advanced audio algorithms also help ensure the user feels like the sound is coming from within the room, no matter their position in regard to the laptop. HUAWEI MateBook X Pro takes care of your privacy too. It has inherited the Fingerprint Power Button, allowing the user to power up and log in to their notebook in one easy step, making start-up incredibly fast and secure.

Friday, 11 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

10 ForeIgn newS

IndIa’s BIGGest state holds electIon In key test of narendra ModI’s popularIty

rEuTErs

NDIA’S most populous state of Uttar Pradesh began voting on Thursday in the first of a series of local elections that will be a key test of the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling party. With a population almost as big as that of Brazil, keeping power in the bellwether state would give the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a boost in its bid for a third successive victory at nationwide parliamentary polls due by 2024. Television footage from polling stations showed queues of people bundled up against the winter cold as they waited to cast their votes. Defeat in Uttar Pradesh, or in any of the other three states it holds that also stage elections this month, would add to pressure on the Hindu nationalist party amid criticism of high unemployment and its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. “If the BJP loses, especially in UP, that will be a big setback,” said Rahul Verma, a fellow at New Delhi-based think-tank Centre for Policy Research. “But you can call this a semi-final. The game in 2024 will be very, very different.” For the main opposition Congress party, led by the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, the calculation appears bleaker. Of the five states where voting begins this month,

it holds only Punjab in the northwest. “Congress desperately needs to win states, even if it’s smaller states, just to get back in the habit of winning. Otherwise, they are in trouble,” Verma added. Failure to do so would lead to more questions over the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather have all served as prime ministers but who has struggled to dent Modi’s high ratings. During campaigning, the BJP has appealed to large Hindu majorities in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Both are home to important holy sites, some of which are disputed by Hindus and minority Muslims. Opinion polls suggest the party will win the vote in both states, despite some opposition parties seeking to mirror its Hindu-first agenda and appeal to its support base. “We have seen all political parties playing within the same field of the BJP,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of a biography of Modi, on the campaign so far. “That is one of their biggest successes.” Congress and activists have criticised the approach, saying that it risks stoking communal tensions that have flared up into deadly violence in the past. Yogi Adityanath, a hardline Hindu monk who is seeking re-election as chief minister

of Uttar Pradesh, touted his record on fighting crime, and said that law and order took precedence over religion. “My government dealt with the issues of corruption,” he told a small group of reporters on Monday. “Law and order has improved markedly and police action during my rule was taken against gangsters and mafia groups without

discriminating on the basis of their caste or religion.” Uttar Pradesh, home to around 200 million people, votes in seven phases ending on March 7, while most other states begin polling in the coming days. Counting in the five states begins on March 10, with the results expected soon after. The BJP faces a challenge from Con-

Mosque in Germany vandalized with racist graffiti

US inflation might have hit a new 40-year high in January ThE assOCiaTEd PrEss With American consumers spending freely and many supply chains still snarled, year-over-year inflation may have notched yet another four-decade high in January. The factors that have accelerated prices since last spring remain largely in place: Wages are rising at the fastest pace in at least 20 years. Ports and warehouses are overwhelmed, with hundreds of workers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the nation’s busiest, out sick last month. Many products and parts remain in short supply as a result. And reports indicate that the expiration of stimulus checks and other government aid has yet to slow Americans’ appetite for shopping. Economists have forecast that when the Labour Department reports January’s inflation figures Thursday, it will show that consumer prices jumped 7.3 per cent compared with 12 months ago, according to data provider FactSet. That would be up from a 7.1pc year-over-year pace in December and would mark the biggest such increase since February 1982. At the same time, other figures could suggest that the price increases have begun to slow. When measured from December to January, consumer inflation may have declined for a third straight month. Analysts have predicted that prices rose 0.4pc from December to January, compared with 0.6pc from November to December and 0.7pc from October to November. Still, the fastest year-over-year inflation in 40 years has wiped out the benefit of rising paychecks for most Americans, leaving them less able to afford food, gas, rent, child care and other necessities.

Inflation has emerged as the biggest risk factor for the economy and a serious threat to President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats as midterm elections loom later this year. The Federal Reserve and its chair, Jerome Powell, have pivoted sharply away from the ultra-low-interest rate policies that the Fed has pursued since the pandemic devastated the economy in March 2020. Powell signalled two weeks ago that the central bank would likely raise its benchmark short-term rate multiple times this year, with the first hike almost certainly coming in March. Investors have priced in at least five rate increases for 2022. Over time, those higher rates will raise the costs for a wide range of borrowing, from mortgages and credit cards to auto loans and corporate credit. For the Fed, the risk is that steadily tightening credit for consumers and businesses, could trigger another recession. Many large corporations, in conference calls with investors, have said they expect supply shortages to persist until at least the second half of this year. Companies from Chipotle to Levi’s have also said they will likely raise prices again this year, after having already done so in 2021. Chipotle said it has increased menu prices 10pc to offset the rising costs of beef and transportation as well as higher employee wages. And the restaurant chain said it would consider further price increases if inflation keeps rising. “We keep thinking that beef is going to level up and then go down, and it just hasn’t happened yet,” said John Hartung, the company’s chief financial officer. Yet executives at Chipotle, as well as at Starbucks

gress in the northeastern state of Manipur, while in the western state of Goa, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is trying to expand its reach beyond its traditional base of India’s capital New Delhi. The fifth state, Punjab, looks like a close contest between the ruling Congress, AAP and several regional parties.

COLOGnE

and some other consumer-facing companies, have said their customers so far don’t seem fazed by the higher prices. Levi Strauss & Co. raised prices last year by roughly 7pc above 2019 levels because of rising costs, including labour, and plans to do so again this year. Even so, the San Francisco-based company has upgraded its sales forecasts for 2022. “Right now, every signal that we’re seeing is positive,” CEO Chip Bergh told analysts. Many small businesses, which typically have lower profit margins than larger companies and have struggled to match their sizable pay raises, are also raising prices. The National Federation for Independent Business, a trade group, said it found in a monthly survey that 61pc of small companies increased their prices in January, the largest proportion since 1974 and up from just 15pc before the pandemic. “More small business owners started the new year raising prices in an attempt to pass on higher inventory, supplies and labour costs,” said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at the NFIB. “In addition to inflation issues, owners are also raising compensation at record-high rates to attract qualified employees to their open positions.” Those pay gains could force additional price hikes in the future as companies seek to cover the costs of the extra wages. In the past year, sharp increases in the cost of gas, food, cars and furniture have upended many Americans’ budgets. In December, economists at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School estimated that the average household had to spend $3,500 more to buy the same amount of goods and services than they did in 2020.

AnAdolu Agency

A mosque in Germany was vandalized Wednesday when unknown attackers painted a swastika on one of its doors, according to a Muslim body head. Turgut Ulker from Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) stated that similar attacks on the mosques in Dortmund were carried out last month and these attacks, which have increased recently, worry them. “We demand that the authorities take urgent action and protect our places of worship. We will continue our fight against racism in Dortmund together with all democratic institutions. We will continue to do our best to ensure that Dortmund remains a city of tolerance,” he said.

Black diamond, largest ever cut, sells for £3.2 million aFP

China hopes U.S. cancels tariﬀs to improve cooperation Mian abrar

PID (I) 5558/21

China hopes that the U.S. side will remove additional tariffs and sanctions against China as soon as possible to create good conditions for the two countries to expand trade cooperation, Gao Feng, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOC), said at a press conference on Thursday. Gao made the comments when answering a question from an AFP reporter, who cited U.S. officials asking China to take solid actions to implement the Phase-1 deal between the two countries. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi said in early February that “the Chinese haven’t met their commitment in Phase 1.” “China has been working hard to implement the deal, overcoming hurdles including the COVID-19 pandemic, global economic recession and supply chain dis-

ruptions,” Gao responded. “The Phase-1 deal benefits China, the U.S. and the entire world.” China and the Trump administration signed the Phase-1 deal back in January 2020 with the aim of ending the trade disputes between the two countries in a stepby-step manner. But the outbreak of COVID-19, discovered in December 2019, severely disrupted the world economy, especially the global supply chain. The two-year deal expired at the end of 2021. The Biden administration has recently extended a Trump-era tariff on solar panels for another four years, which was one of the key topics during the trade disputes. Gao also described one allegation from Bianchi as “totally untrue.” Bianchi said China’s state aid to companies and non-market economic policies and practices are a “serious threat to American economic interests.”

“The Enigma”, the world’s largest known cut diamond at 555 carats, went under the hammer in London on Wednesday for £3.16 million ($4.3 million, 3.8 million euros) having recently gone on display for the first time. The rare black, or carbanado, diamond is believed to have been created when a meteorite or an asteroid hit Earth more than 2.6 billion years ago. The 555.55 carat, 55-faced diamond reached £3.16 million, excluding the buyer’s premium, at an online sale held by London’s renowned Sotheby’s auction house. Carbonados are usually found close to the Earth’s surface, suggesting extraterrestrial origins. “It is thought that this specific type of black diamond was created either from meteoric impacts producing natural chemical vapour deposition or an extraterrestrial origin — from supernovae explosions that formed diamond-bearing asteroids which ultimately collided with the Earth,” said the auction house. One of the most difficult substances to cut, the diamond had never previously been shown by its unnamed owner of the past 20 years. Experts took three years turning the rough diamond into a 55-face jewel and it recently went on show in Dubai, Los Angeles and London.

Friday, 11 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

SPORTS 11

PM IMran Khan May attend hBL PSL fInaL: rePort

tait expresses joy over appointment as Pakistan’s bowling coach News DesK

LAHORe

MoNitoriNg rePort

Former Australian bowler Shaun Tait has expressed joy over being appointed and associated with the Pakistan cricket team, Geo News reported on Thursday. In a video statement, the fast bowler said that Pakistan has several great fast bowlers and it’s a big responsibility to be a bowling coach for Pakistan. “Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Hassan Ali and Mohammad Abbas are some of the names of the great bowlers in Pakistan and I am passionate to work with them,” he said. “I can’t wait anymore to avail myself of the opportunity to work with the Pakistan team.” Earlier on Wednesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had appointed Shaun Tait as the bowling coach for the upcoming historic series against Australia. On Tuesday, Cricket Australia had announced an 18member Test squad for the much-awaited Pakistan tour in almost 24 years, starting on March 4 in Rawalpindi.

RIME Minister Imran Khan may attend the final of the ongoing HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, reports citing sources privy to the matter said. The game is scheduled to be played on February 27. Khan, who is the patron in chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has been invited by the body’s chairman Ramiz Raja to watch the game. The PCB also intend to invite other government officials and key figures from other walks of life to watch the final. The representatives of Cricket Australia, who will be in Pakistan on the day to participate in the upcoming series against Australia, will also attend the closing ceremony. The Lahore leg of the league kicked off Thursday with 50 percent capacity and children under 12 in the stadium under the updated National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) protocols.

Bookies tighten belts as Lahore sets stage for PSL News DesK Bookies and gamblers have tightened their belts, with the shifting of the second leg of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to Lahore. However, the police are on alert to catch if someone is involved in gambling on the matches. It is pertinent to note that Lahore is getting ready for the next phase of the PSL. So as the bookies have set up camps at safe places, while the police are ready to launch crackdown on any tip-off. The senior superintendent of police (SSP) operations, Lahore, says that teams have been formed to catch the culprits. However, catching and busting the networks of the bookies and speculators is still a challenge for the police, as the illicit activity has not, so far, been brought under control despite a number cases of match-fixing in the past. A major bookmaker from Lahore, who went by the

name of ‘Malik Sahib’, told The Express Tribune that the Multan Sultans were their favourites to lift the title this year based on their performance in the recent matches. He said the rate of betting on the Multan Sultans was 11.54. The rate means if a person places a wager of Rs1,000 on the victory of the Multan Sultans and the team wins, the person would get Rs1,540 in return, according to the bookmaker. According to ‘Malik Sahib’, different rates are fixed before the start of every match, adding that the rates kept changing with each ball of the game. He added that the bet started with the toss and continued till the last ball. In addition to the wager on the victory, bets were also placed on the score of the team playing first in six overs, 10 overs and 20 overs. This sort of betting was called ‘fancy’ in the jargon of gambling. Also there is bet on last digit of the total score after every five overs, which is called ‘Hindsa’ [digit].

Due to the risk of the police crackdown, no bookmaker has a permanent place or identity. Most bookmakers work from houses or hotel room or guesthouse rooms rented for a day or two. The betting is done through mobile phones or internet applications. In the PSL this year, the bookies from Lahore alone are betting an estimated Rs20 to 25 billion per match. When contacted, SSP Operations, Lahore, Mustansar Feroze said that the police continued to take action against bookmakers and bookies and also conducted operations against them on the basis of information. He further stated that special teams had been formed to crack down on speculators, adding that police were collecting data about those involved in this activity in the past, and keeping a constant check on them. He went on to add that Police were also conducting regular checks on new arrivals at hotels and guest houses.

Pindi express believes Kohli, not Babar azam, may smash tendulkar’s record KARACHI News Desk

BankIslami Joins CAS Open Golf Tournament as a Platinum Sponsor KARACHI Press rlease

BankIslami, the country’s leading and most advanced Islamic finance institution, has created an innovative opportunity for promotion of its brand message through a Platinum Sponsorship of the CAS Open Golf Tournament being held between 3rd till 7th February 2022 at the Airmen Golf Club Karachi. Through sponsorship of the event that

is a signature feature of the annual golfing calendar, BankIslami positioned itself in a unique place as a facilitator of leading social events across the country. Golf is amongst the most frequently played sports in Pakistan and the yearly CAS Open Golf Tournament attracts leading players and host of spectators that enjoy the game in all its glory. BankIslami being one of the country’s foremost financial institutions offering Sharia-compliant solutions to its customers and the masses

in general, has stepped up its efforts to promote the sporting ecosystem in Pakistan. Through sponsorship of various leading events, the organization is facilitating the growth and development of various sports in the country. Commenting on the development, President and CEO, BankIslami, Syed Amir Ali, stated; “By the grace of Almighty Allah, BankIslami is achieving significant milestones one after the other

in terms of performance and facilitating its stakeholders including customers. We believe in giving back to the nation because our accomplishments are due to the trust that the nation places in us. We remain committed to promoting various mainstream events in diverse fields over the course of time.” BankIslami is leveraging distinct opportunities for itself in the sporting arena as the organization recently became Platinum Sponsor of Karachi Kings franchise in PSL 7 as well.

Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes one of Pakistan’s best batters and skipper across all formats, Babar Azam, cannot break Indian great Sachin Tendulkar’s 100-century record. Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli is the only batter who can break Tendulkar’s record, Akhtar said while speaking on Geo News programme “Jashan-e-Cricket”. “I predict that Kohli will score more than 100 centuries,” he said, adding that if he were in place of Kohli, he would have never married before retiring. Kohli has 43 centuries and 64 halfcenturies in 259 matches to his name, while Babar has smashed 14 centuries and 17 halfcenturies in 83 matches. Talking about the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Akhtar said he would turn it into an even bigger brand than the Indian Premier League (IPL) if he is appointed the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

After Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram joins TikTok News DesK

figure skating: rocket man Chen wins men’s singles gold in Beijing BeIJING reuters

Nathan Chen of the United States claimed his maiden Olympic title when he won the gold medal in the men’s singles with a dazzling free skating at the Beijing Games on Thursday. The 22-year-old, who went home empty-handed after a meltdown in Pyeongchang four years ago, scored 218.63 in the free skating performance to ‘Rocket Man’ by Elton John. That added to his world record in the short programme for a total of 332.60.

After former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar made his TikTok debut, former cricketer and Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has also joined the popular videosharing site. Akram took to Instagram to announce his official TikTok account with his firstever video for the site. It seems like the cricketers joining TikTok have a special purpose behind it instead of just joining for leisure. Just like Shoaib Akhtar’s, Wasim’s video also contained a special message. The video opens with a girl gliding on a skateboard and then stepping on to a row of rings to do a stunt. The scene cuts and Wasim appears in the video, saying “you must have found the girl’s move great, but caution”. He says that such moves and stunts are only for highly trained stuntsmen and warned people that they need to think again before doing something like this if

they haven’t trained for it. Wasim concluded the video by saying: “We love you. Take care”. Meanwhile, Wasim’s wife Shaniera Akram responded with a cute comment expressing her excitement and said Wasim didn’t even tell her about joining TikTok. After Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram joins TikTok She further stated that she would obviously follow her husband’s account. It may be recalled that Shoaib Akhtar also had a similar awareness message about safety and responsibility before sharing any content on social media, more specifically TikTok. This might be an effort to introduce to society a more productive and positive use of the video-sharing application by cricketers after the Pakistan Super League joined hands with the platform as their social media partner. TikTok had recently been facing backlash and controversies over alleged morally inappropriate content.

Friday, 11 February, 2022

Prayer timinGs

NEWS

DAR SAyS Won’t REtuRn But READy to tAKE SEnAtE oAth ‘vIRtuAlly’ ISLAMABAD

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ORMER finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MP Ishaq Dar expressed his willingness to take his oath as a member of the Senate “virtually” from London but refused yet again to return for the purpose citing “prolonged illness”. Dar, who is in self-exile since 2017, was elected in absentia as a senator on a technocrat seat from Punjab in March 2018 but did not take oath due to his stay in the United Kingdom. The Supreme Court disqualified him from office in July 2017 after an investi-

gation into the undisclosed wealth of nowdeposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family. In May 2018, the apex judicial form suspended his membership of the House over his failure to appear in court despite repeated summons. He, however, later informed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) he was ready to take the oath but the only hurdle in doing so was the apex court’s suspension of his election. In December, the Supreme Court granted him two-month time to take the oath of the seat, dismissing the appeal for non-prosecution, thereby vacating the 2018 stay against the issuance of any notification in his favour by the commission. Following the ruling, the ECP re-

Govt to issue licence to Q-Airways to start flight operation

stored the notification of Dar as a senator on January 10. In a letter addressed to Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and shared by his party on Twitter, Dar said he was ready to take oath as a senator “virtually” or through the “mechanism provided under Article 255 (2) of the Constitution” now that “legal barriers” in his way have been removed. “Accordingly, I am writing this letter to convey my readiness and willingness to take the requisite oath as a member of the Senate of Pakistan, at the earliest,” Dar wrote. “It is, therefore, requested that arrangements may please be made to enable me to take the required oath, virtually, through any electronic mode as you may deem convenient; the same being within

the applicable legal framework and being used by the apex court of Pakistan.” In case the oath could not be administered online, Pakistan’s high commissioner in London or any other official of the mission could be nominated to administer the oath, according to the mechanism provided under the Constitution. Article 255 (2) article, cited by Dar, reads: “Where, under the Constitution, an oath is required to be made before a specified person and, for any reason, it is impracticable for the oath to be made before that person, it may be made before such other person as may be nominated by that person.” A copy of the letter has been forwarded to the ECP as well.

Power sector circular debt surges to Rs 2.47 trillion

ISLAMABAD

ahmad ahmadani

The government has granted approval to issue Regular Public Transport (RPT) licence (Passenger & Cargo) to M/s Q-Airways (Pvt.) Limited to launch a private airline in the country. According to sources, the federal cabinet has authorised the grant of RPT licence (Passenger & Cargo) to M/s Q-Airways (Pvt.) Limited for serving the domestic market and after the issuance of RPT licence, M/s Q-Airways (Pvt.) Limited is likely to start flight operation with a fleet of three Airbus-320 aircraft from Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad in upcoming April or May 2022. The Aviation Division during a meeting of the federal cabinet held on 25th January 2022 apprised that M/s Q-Airways (Pvt.) Limited had intended to launch a RPT airline in the country and requested for issuance of RPT licence. Under rule 177 (1) of the Civil Aviation Rules 1994 and National Aviation Policy (NAP)-2019, the federal government is competent authority for issuance of RPT licence, said sources. They added that approval of the cabinet was therefore solicited for issuance of RPT licence (Passenger & Cargo) to M/s Q-Airways (Pvt.) Limited. The sources said the cabinet while granting its approval to issue RPLT licence to M/s Q-Airways (Pvt.) Limited had also directed the cabinet division that in future all transport and logistics related issues requiring approval of the cabinet should be submitted through the Cabinet Committee on Transport and Logistics (CCoTL). It is relevant to note that the Minister for Maritime Affairs/Chairman CCoTL had earlier also pointed out that the cases for the air transport licence should first be submitted to the cabinet committee constituted to holistically examine the transport logistics issues and it was suggested that in future all transport and logistics related issues requiring approval of the cabinet should be submitted through the CCoTL.

CDWP clears Rs270bn Karachi Circular Railway project The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Thursday cleared the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) as a modern urban railway project worth Rs273.071 billion. The project was cleared in a meeting of CDWP chaired by Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr Jahanzeb Khan. The meeting was attended by the officials of Railways, representatives of the provincial government and other relevant stakeholders. According to officials, Secretary Railway while briefing the Committee apprised that under the project, the 43 km dual track Urban Rail Mass Transit System will be constructed in a period of three years on Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis. The main objective of the project is to provide reliable, safe and eco-friendly public transport to the metropolitan city of Karachi. He informed that the project is expected to serve a daily ridership of 457,000 which is expected to soar to one million a day by the end of the 33 years concession period. It will deploy the use of electric trains and will be operational round the week. Under the plan, 30 stations would be constructed along the corridor covering the most densely populated areas of Karachi. As per the route alignment, KCR commences from the existing Karachi city station, moves along the main line of PR on Drigh Road Station. Ghulam abbas

staff rePort

In spite of significantly increasing electricity prices, the power sector circular debt during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has broken all previous records as the circular debt reached the highest level of Rs 2,476 billion in the history of the country.

According to media reports, the power sector circular debt has increased by Rs 196 billion to a record high of Rs 2,476 billion during the first six months (July-December) of the Fiscal Year 2021-22 as compared to the same period of the previous year. The circular debt increased at a monthly average Rs 32.50 billion from July to December, the reports

said, adding that the volume of circular debt till August 2018 was Rs 1,148 billion which increased to Rs 2,476 billion by December 2021. The circular debt piles up due to the gap between the cost of electricity generation, transmission and distribution and actual money collected on account of bills including increase in tariffs and payment of subsidies.

FBR chairman misses PAC moot on ‘pretext’ of meeting PM Imran The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman missed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting on Thursday on pretext of having a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan exactly at a time when the latter was distributing certificates among ministers at a ceremony in Islamabad. The FBR officials appearing before the PAC revealed that Prime Minister Secretariat had called FBR Chairman Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed, implying that the chairman had to attend a meeting at the PM Secretariat rather than a meeting with the premier himself. They, however, were not sure. PAC Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain ruled that attending PAC meetings was more important for the principal accounting officers (PAOs) – FBR chairman in this case – than meeting the prime minister when they are summoned by the accountability arm of parliament. The PAC chief told the committee members that FBR chairman telephoned him to tell that he has an urgent meeting with PM Imran at 11am and wanted his permission to skip the PAC meeting. Tanveer said he would put the request before the committee. Upon asking, several PAC members strongly objected to the idea of seeking permission over the phone at the eleventh hour as the PAC moot is

usually scheduled days, and sometimes weeks, before such emergency meetings. They also raised objections on continuing the meeting in the absence of the PAO, especially, when there was nothing in writing before the PAC. A couple of members favoured going ahead instead of simply letting all the arrangements go to waste but PPP’s Naveed Qamar was absolutely adamant that he would not be a part of any such meeting. “You may go ahead; I can’t be a part of it,” Qamar said, adding, “No PAC without PAO”. PPP’s Hina Rabbani Khar stated “A phone call in the morning is not the way to seek permission, while adding that “this can’t be allowed in the main PAC meeting” She was referring to several PAC sub-committees that have been tasked to conclude specific issues or cases referred by the main PAC. Apparently, the timing of the FBR chairman’s meeting with the premier or attending a meeting at the PM Secretariat chaired by the prime minister clashes with PM Imran’s schedule on Thursday as he was busy awarding certificates of appreciation to the best performing federal ministries at around 11am and, subsequently, addressed the ceremony held in Islamabad. The PAC was scheduled to be

held at 11:30am and had to be adjourned when the FBR officials – Qaiser Iqbal and Badshah Khan Wazir, members operation and accounting, respectively – told the committee that they only knew that the FBR chief had a meeting at the PM Secretariat. The members refused to go ahead with the meeting in the absence of the FBR chairman and written request. Tanveer too agreed that the FBR chairman should have appeared before the committee to take permission in the absence of a written request, adding “such a precedent can’t be allowed to set”. He, subsequently, directed the FBR officials to ensure that the FBR chairman appears before the PAC next Thursday, saying he should postpone every other meeting the next time. Following the meeting, the PAC chairman and other members were taken aback when told that Premier Imran was addressing the ceremony when the PAC meeting was being held. Tanveer told the media after the meeting that it is felt now that the FBR chief was called in the PM Secretariat and did not have a meeting with the prime minister. “The PAC should be the priority even if the prime minister calls,” Tanveer added.

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Suspicion, criticism of CPEC, Gwadar Port by western world ‘makes no sense’: Imran contInueD froM pAge 01 He said that a humanitarian crisis was unfolding as the US was sanctioning the Taliban government in an attempt to “punish” them. “If Afghanistan descends into chaos because of the sanctions […] this will be the biggest man-made human disaster,” he said. He said the world needed to convince the Americans that this was not the way to go about dealing with Afghanistan as chaos would weaken the Taliban government’s ability to take on international terrorists such as ISIS. When asked about Pakistan’s relations with India, PM Imran said that he knew the neighbouring country “better than most Pakistanis” due to his cricketing career. “I used to play there a lot and I received a lot of love and respect from India.” When my government came into power, my first priority was to normalise ties with India, he said, adding that occupied Kashmir was the only issue between the two countries. He said that the current Indian government thought that India belonged only to the Hindus, and in doing so, it was marginalising around 700 million human beings who were now considered “second-class citizens”. He called it a “great tragedy” and dubbed it the reason why India was facing problems from within and with its neighbours. “We just hope that better sense prevails because as things are going, I think India will damage itself much more than anyone else.” At the tail-end of his interview, the prime minister was asked about allegations of genocide against Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang province and his perspective. “We asked our ambassador in China, Moinul Haque, to go and have a look in Xinjiang and find out what is actually going on. The report he gave us was completely different to what is coming out on Western media.” He quoted the envoy as saying that the emphasis on development in Xinjiang was “unprecedented”. “He did mention that there were terrorist attacks by East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) because of which there is a security issue,” PM Imran said. “But the sort of things we were told don’t exist in Xinjiang,” he concluded.

Court to charge Shehbaz, son in money laundering case contInueD froM pAge 01 Lashing out at the government for what he called wrecking the economy, Hamza alleged Prime Minister Imran Khan had made Pakistan, a nuclear power, subservient to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He went on to add the prime minister would have to be held accountable in foreign funding and gifts cases. “Lo and behold! Imran you will have to explain your position with respect to the accusations against you,” he said, adding Faisal Vawda, a member of your “kitchen cabinet”, had already been disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Budget deficit reaches Rs1,371.8bn in first six months of 2021-22 Pakistan’s budget deficit for the first six months of the current fiscal year 2021-22 has touched Rs1371.8 billion amounting to 2.1 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The Ministry of Finance on Wednesday issued the fiscal operation of the first half of the current fiscal year 2021-22 which indicates that total revenue clocked in at Rs3955.97 billion with Rs3191.04 billion tax revenue and Rs764 billion nontax revenue. In tax revenue, federal government collection was Rs2919.80 billion whereas provincial collection stood at Rs271.2 billion. On the other hand, the federal government has collected Rs697.3 billion and provincial governments Rs67 billion in non-tax revenue. shahzad Paracha

K-3 nuclear power plant set to commence operations by March ISLAMABAD mian abrar

Pakistan’s 7th Nuclear Power Plant, commonly known as K-3, is in the final stages of commissioning and after operational and safety tests, the plant is likely to start commercial operation by next month, Pakistan Today has learnt. Official sources say that with the commissioning of K-3 and decommissioning of K-1, the total installed capacity of six nuclear power plants would cross 3620

megawatts (MW) as the plant is expected to achieve Commercial Operation Date (COD) in March this year. With the induction of K-2 and K-3 into the national grid, the share of nuclear power in the energy mix would exceed 10 per cent, the sources said. After receiving a formal fuel load permit from the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority (PNRA), the loading of fuel to the nuclear power plant has already been completed. It is pertinent to mention here that a new era in the nuclear power development

programme of Pakistan commenced with the signing of ‘Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy’ between the governments of China and Pakistan in 1986. However, the first concrete step in the remarkable journey was taken 30 years ago when China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) signed the contract for construction and installation of a 325megawatt Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) at Chashma on December 31, 1991.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

The cooperation strengthened with the construction of three more nuclear power plants at Chashma Nuclear Power Generation Station (CNPGS) site. The contract for the construction of two more units (K-2 and K-3) having a generation capacity of 1100 megawatts each near Karachi was signed on February 18, 2013. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, construction work continued on both K-2 and K-3. K-2 successfully started commercial operation on May 21, 2021.