Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 I 7 Jamadi-al-Sani, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 194 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
OppOsitiOn demands Judicial cOmmissiOn tO prObe murree tragedy
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eader of Opposition in the National assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Monday demanded formation of a judicial commission to fix responsibility of the Murree snowfall tragedy that claimed around 22 lives over the weekend. Speaking in the House after both the treasury and opposition benches agreed to suspend the scheduled agenda and hold a debate on the tragedy, the opposition leader criticised the government over its failure in handling the situation. “There was heavy snowfall, but there
and formation of a judicial commission to investigate the Murree incident, fix responsibility and award exemplary punishment to all those found negligent. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari thanked National assembly Speaker asad Qaisar for specifying the sitting to debate the Murree tragedy. He alleged that there was delay in provision of assistance to the deserted tourists and demanded strict action against those involved in negligence. He also supported the demand of opposition leader to conduct a judicial inquiry into the incident. He also criticised the government over inflation in
was no one to ask about the people. Innocent children, the youth and the elderly died and nobody asked about their [well-being] for 20 hours.” “The reality is that there were no arrangements in place,” he said, adding that traffic officials and authorities responsible for removing the snow were not present. “People kept asking for help but no one showed up […]. This was a criminal act of negligence and inefficiency and cannot be pardoned. When the Met Office had warned of excessive snowfall, what measures did the government take?” He suggested for passing a resolution on the conclusion of the debate
Govt will retain control over SBP, finance czar tells NA committee IsLaMaBaD TLTP
Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Monday dismissed reports pertaining to granting complete autonomy to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), saying the government will still retain control over the central bank even after the passage of the SBP amendment act. Briefing the National assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Tarin said that the government will propose names for the SBP board of directors and appoint the board members as well. The impression that it will curtail powers of the government is not correct, Tarin said during a heated standing committee session, in which he traded barbs with the opposition leaders including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)’s ahsan Iqbal. “The IMF told us to stop borrowing money from the State Bank,” he said, adding that the government has not borrowed from the SBP for the past two and a half years. “However, the earlier loans by the SBP amount to rs7,000 billion,” the minister added. The finance minister further said that in March, Pakistan was given $500 million by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on strict conditions that were accepted by the government. “But the current legislation is very different with respect to those demands,” he added.
according to Tarin, it had cost Pakistan $60 billion to artificially stop the devaluation of the rupee. at this, PML-N leader ahsan Iqbal retorted that exports have not increased after the rupee went through a 40 percent depreciation. Meanwhile, briefing the committee, SBP Governor reza Baqir also claimed that the government will retain full control of the SBP despite the amendments in the law pertaining to the central bank. He termed the news reports regarding the “auction of the SBP to the IMF” as fake news and said the “draft of the bill is not secret any more which says that the government will retain control” of the SBP. Baqir said the impression that the IMF is getting control of the central bank is “wrong”. He added that he used to work for the IMF, but it was not a crime to work in a global financial institution. according to the SBP chief, he was a Pakistani national and didn’t hold another nationality or even a residential permit. “The reports in media over these issues are completely baseless,” he added. On January 2, the Prime Minister’s Office had expressed reservations over the SBP bill and sought deletion of certain parts. Sources said that the PM’s Office had also raised several other objections over the SBP bill, which envisages complete autonomy for the central bank and places a complete restriction on the government’s borrowing from the SBP. The premier’s office had disagreed with giving complete autonomy to the SBP and sought the deletion of section 46 B (4) from the bill. On January 8, the SBP had issued two papers to offer clarity on the issue. It had said the proposed law would neither compromise economic sovereignty nor would it become a “state within a state. The amendments, it had added, would help in boosting coordination between the finance minister and the SBP governor to better strike a balance between economic growth and inflation reading. Its officials would remain answerable before parliament and that the National accountability Bureau and the Federal Investigation agency (FIa) could investigate alleged criminal matters.
CONFIRMED CASES: cOrOnavirus in DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
LAST UPDATED AT 7:26 AM ON JAN 10, 2021
NEW CASES:
1,305,707 pakistan 3 1,649 RECOVERED:
1,258,987
SINDH:
PUNJAB:
ISLAMABAD:
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
487,668 448,091 109,396
DEATHS: 28,972 181,757
33,659
34,704/10,432
the country. Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Salahuddin said the Murree administration was responsible of the incident and strict action should be taken against the negligent officials. Parliamentary Leader of Muttahida Majlis-eamal Pakistan asad Mehmood said the the JUI-F workers and its volunteer organisation participated in the relief activities. No standard operating procedures were issued after the Met Office’s heavy snowfall warnings, he said and de-
manded to conduct a judicial inquiry into the incident. responding to Shehbaz, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain regretted that leader of opposition has nothing to offer except jugglery on the Murree snowfall tragedy. The minister said Shehbaz is a ‘habitual juggler’, who should have avoided doing politics on tragedies.
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Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
ECP rEInStAtES IShAq DAr AS SEnAtor IsLAMABAD
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LECTION Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday reinstated former minister for finance Ishaq Dar as Senator. “In pursuant to the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan dated December 21, 2021 in Civil Appeal No.352 of 2018 […] the Election Commission of Pakistan hereby recalls the notification dated June 29, 2018 and the notification of even number dated March 9, 2018, to the extent of Mohammad Ishaq Dar,
as returned candidate, is hereby restored,” an official notification issued in this regard read. It is pertinent to mention here that in 2018, the ECP withdrew a notification of former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s election as a senator. The notification was withdrawn in the light of the Supreme Court’s orders as in May 2018, the apex court had suspended Dar’s senatorship on a temporary basis. A petition, moved by PPP’s Nawazish Pirzada, had requested the apex court to suspend the Lahore High Court judgment allowing Dar to contest the Senate elections.
On February 17, an appellate election tribunal of the LHC had granted Dar permission to contest Senate elections, setting aside an order of the returning officer who had rejected his nomination papers. Dar was successfully elected to the Senate from Punjab but had yet to be administered oath. The former finance minister has been out of the country since October 2017 on account of his medical treatment. He has since been declared a proclaimed offender in a corruption case filed against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Humayun Saeed to play Diana’s beau Hasnat Khan in The Crown News DesK
Islamabad LG polls to be held in April through EVMs: Shibli IsLAMABAD INp
Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz on Monday said that the upcoming local bodies’ elections in Islamabad will be held through electronic voting machines (EVMs). Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Shibli Faraz said that the LG polls in the federal capital will be held in mid of April this year, adding that the government is cooperating with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the use of EVMs. He said the commission will be provided with the machines next week for testing and training of staff for the local government elections in Islamabad. The minister said the ECP has also asked the Punjab government to make arrangements for the use of EVMs in its local government elections. He said the use of EVMs in local government elections will ensure that the elections are possible through these machines. He said it has always been the effort of Prime Minister Imran Khan to ensure, free, fair and impartial elections, and these objectives will be achieved through the EVMs. Responding to a question, Shibli Faraz said a mechanism is also being evolved for I-voting in order to enable the overseas Pakistanis exercise their right of vote.
IMF asked to delay sixth country review meeting to end-January IsLAMABAD ReuteRS
Pakistan has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to delay a board meeting meant to consider the country’s sixth review until the end of January, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. The meeting was meant to take place on January 12 to review the recommendation to release $1 billion of Pakistan’s $6 billion, three-year programme. However, Pakistan has been so far been unable to pass recommended fiscal tightening measures tied to the funds’ release. “As soon as the legislative procedures are completed, the IMF board will consider it for approval,” the ministry said in a statement, referring to a mid-year budget that slashes a number of duty exemptions and introduces new revenue measures. The legislation was introduced to parliament late last month but has met fierce resistance from the opposition amidst rising inflation and a widening current account deficit. Last week, the government said it was confident it would pass the budget later this month.
Actor Humayun Saeed is set to play Dr. Hasnat Khan, partner of Princess Diana after her divorce from Prince Charles, in the upcoming fifth season of the hit Netflix series The Crown, according to a report from Variety. Hasnat Khan, identified as an “exlover” of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales. (Photo via Getty Images) Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell’s book Diana: The Royal Truth noted the significance of her relationship to Khan. He claimed Diana asked him “if it was possible to arrange a private marriage” between her and the British-Pakistan heart surgeon, recalling the princess saying that “this was her soulmate, this was the man she loved more than any other.” Khan said in a 2004 statement to cops in London that he was in a relationship with Princess Diana from 1995-1997, and that the pair moved on after Diana met film producer Dodi alFayed, son of Egyptian-British billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed. In the same statement, which was later part of a 2008 inquest into Princess Diana’s death, Khan said that he and Diana had discussed spending their lives together.
The couple saw a move to Pakistan as the only solution to escaping the British press, he said, adding Diana broached it with Jemima Goldsmith (née Khan) who was then married to Prime Minister Imran Khan. Film Producer Dodi al-Fayed (Photo via Getty Images) In the same year as Khan and Diana’s purported split, she and Fayed died in a car accident in Paris. The princess’s closest friends previously spoke of her distress when the surgeon ended their relationship. She had met his family during her 1996 visit to Pakistan, a trip on which she wore a traditional shalwar kameez — baggy trousers paired with a flowing dress. Saeed’s film and television career in Pakistan has been studded with success: he won the ARY award for best actor for the comedy film Jawani Phir Nahi Ani (2015) and is also known for romantic comedy Punjab Nahi Jaungi (2017), which he co-produced. Princess Diana will be played by Elizabeth Debicki in season 5 of The Crown, and The Kite Runner star Khalid Abdalla is slated to join the cast as Fayed. “So excited […] what a star,” tweeted actor Mahira Khan.
Punjab govt to modernise traffic control system following Murree calamity APP The Punjab government will soon introduce a modernised traffic control system to facilitate tourists across the province, stated Punjab government spokesperson Hasaan Khawar on Monday. Khawar stated that the Punjab government will develop a better system by identifying the flaws in the existing one that resulted in a tragedy that claimed 22 lives in Murree. Khawar said that the government will soon launch an awareness drive to educate people about the route and travel during the snowfall, and for a safe drive to tourist spots in winters through media platforms. He also stressed that there was a dire need to modernise the ‘regulatory structure’ and bring reforms in traffic as well as the Rescue 1122 for better management of emergency situations.
He went on to state that all roads are being cleared and travel advisory for citizens will soon be issued with the consultation of all departments. It is pertinent to note that the Punjab police on Sunday said over 500 families in the calamity-hit Murree were rescued and taken to safety. Separately, army rescuers cleared routes around the hill station, which was sheltering thousands of tourists. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar directed the Rawalpindi Division commissioner to initiate legal action against hoteliers for overcharging tourists. He said the government will not tolerate overpricing as it was akin to plundering. The local administration should take measures to ensure vendors at tourist spots follow the price lists, added the minister. CM Buzdar said those who hiked the prices of food items and room rents would face legal consequences.
Karachi administrator hints at strict measures to arrest fifth Covid wave KARACHI Staff RepoRt
As Karachi experienced an alarming increase in the latest coronavirus cases, with the positivity ratio reaching over 15 percent over the weekend, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab Monday hinted at adopting strict measures to limit the spread of the pandemic in the metropolis. According to the head of Dow Diagnostic Research and Reference Laboratory, 87 percent of patients were affected by the Omicron variant of the disease. Of them, 60 percent were women In a statement, Wahab observed Karachi has recorded a rapid surge in new cases in the last two weeks. He said the provincial government was carefully reviewing the situation and data. “If the people don’t want strict decisions to be made, they should cooperate with the government,” Wahab said. Last week, the Sindh government decided to begin a door-todoor vaccination drive as the country observes the fast spread of Omicron. The vaccinations have already been distributed by the provincial health department to dozens of private hospitals and laboratories. Today, Wahab urged the public to get vaccinated and follow the standard operating procedures. He expressed the hope the situation may not go out of control if the pressure of patients doesn’t weigh down the hospitals. However, the government will make decisions keeping the ground realities in view, he added.
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
ExtrEMISt AGEnDA oF MoDI ‘rEAL thrEAt’ to rEGIon: IMrAn IsLAMABAD
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restrained in their response, an indication of the degree to which right-wing Hindu nationalism has gripped the country since Modi came to office in 2014. “The continuing silence” of the Modi government on the matter “begs the question whether the BJP [government] supports this call”, the prime minister wondered. “It is high time [the] international community took note [and] acted.” Khan observed that under the government of the radical Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), “all religious minorities” in that nation have been “targeted with impunity by Hindutva groups”. “The extremist agenda of the Modi govt is a real and present threat to peace in our region,” he warned.
A speaker at the gathering told the crowd that people should not worry about going to prison for killing Muslims, according to a video that went viral. “Even if just a hundred of us become soldiers and kill two million of them [Muslims], we will be victorious […] If you stand with this attitude, only then will you able to protect sanatana dharma [an absolute form of Hinduism],” the woman said. But Modi has maintained a characteristic silence that analysts observe is interpreted by his radical supporters as a tacit signal of protection. The police, who readily detains rights activists and comedians on charges lacking evidence, have been slow to take action. Even opposition political groups have been
Staff RepoRt
HE extremist agenda of the government of Narendra Modi was a “real and present threat” to regional peace, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Monday, observing his Indian counterpart remained silent on a recent Hindu religious event calling for genocide against Muslims in the Hindu-majority country. In December, participants of a three-day event in the holy city of Haridwar, in northern Uttarakhand state, called for the mass killings and use of weapons against Muslims, sparking outrage and prompting demands for action which went unheeded.
Asad cautions people as virus cases surge News DesK
FM qureshi, romanian PM discuss bilateral ties, Afghanistan situation BUCHAResT Staff RepoRt
Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shah Mahmood Qureshi who is on visit to Romania called on Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc on Monday and discussed with him issues of bilateral interest, prevailing situation of Afghanistan and grave human rights violations by Indian troops in IIOJK. Earlier, the Romanian Chief of Protocol received the foreign minister upon his arrival at PM Office. While conveying good wishes from Prime Minister Imran Khan, the foreign minister highlighted the historic and cordial ties between the two countries. Shah Mahmood Qureshi informed the Romanian PM that Pakistan desired to establish broad-based and resultoriented ties with his country and the current improvement of the bilateral relations manifested the vision of the two leaderships. While appreciating the anti-COVID measures by Romania, he thanked the prime minister of Romanian for a donation of 500,000 doses of anti-COVID vaccines to Pakistan by his government. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc? appreciated the role of Pakistan in the context of Afghanistan particularly for the evacuation of the Romanian citizens. FM Qureshi while discussing the regional and international matters, particularly highlighted the Indian human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and the situation in Afghanistan. He also lauded the role of Romania to support Pakistan in obtaining the GSP Plus facility.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has urged the people to remain cautious to curtail the spread of coronavirus. Addressing the prize distribution ceremony organised by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) to honour teams that worked to tackle coronavirus pandemic, Asad said: “People should follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for saving themselves from Covid-19, which is currently spreading fast in the country.” He said the people, who are not vaccinated so far, must get vaccinated as soon as possible. The minister lauded the efforts of all vaccination teams, NCOC, health workers and federal as well as provincial agencies for coordinated efforts that helped to make the vaccination campaign successful. He said that the campaign against coronavirus would be remembered because the whole nation made collective efforts to stop the spread of the virus. According to a statement issued by the NCOC, appreciation certificates and shields were distributed among the provincial and district teams for achieving set vaccination targets and making efforts in tackling coronavirus pandemic. The shields and appreciation letters were awarded
NEWS
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Pakistan, romania sign MoUs to enhance cooperation in commerce, education sectors BUCHAResT Staff RepoRt
Pakistan and Romania on Monday signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance bilateral cooperation between the trade bodies of the two countries besides provision of educational scholarships to Pakistani students. The MoUs were signed during the visit of Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to Romania. FM Qureshi and Romanian Minister for Economy Florin Spătaru witnessed the signing of an agreement between the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) and the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Pakistan’s Ambassador in Romania Dr Zafar Iqbal signed the document and both sides termed the MoU vital for the promotion of bilateral trade and commerce. In another ceremony held at the Romanian foreign ministry, an MoU was signed for the provision of educational scholarships to Pakistani students by Bucharest Polytechnical University. Ambassador Dr Zafar Iqbal signed the MoU from the Pakistani side while University Rector Mihnea Cosmin Costoiu represented Romania. Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his Romanian counterpart Bogdan Aurescu witnessed the signing ceremony.
K-Electric Urges SSGC to restore Sufficient Gas Supply KARACHI pR
to those districts and provinces that achieved the target of vaccinating more than 60 percent of their population and to those three remote districts that achieved maximum vaccination targets despite limited resources and difficult terrain. According to the NCOC, almost 48 percent of the country’s eligible population has been administered vaccines against Covid-19. “Till December 31, 2021, the vaccination of 71.5 million individuals was completed. Only in December 2021, the vaccination of around 21.5 million people was ensured. The credit goes to the provinces,” the forum said in a statement.
K-Electric is currently facing an acute shortage of gas supply and receiving only 35mmcfd gas. KE Spokesperson on the matter has stated, “While the utility continues to provide uninterrupted power supply to the city by generating electricity through alternate fuels under Economic Merit Order (EMO), this chronic gas shortage is hampering the company’s ability to produce cheaper electricity that may adversely impact the consumers.” KE official further stated that, “in the broader interest of consumers, KE has requested SSGC to immediately restore the gas supply as per the requirement. Otherwise, the utility will be left with no other option but to produce power from expensive alternate fuels to keep the city energized.” K-Electric often faces gas pressure issues at its different power generation sites time to time that obstruct the utility from reaching its optimum power production efficiency as well.
Punjab govt to distribute Insaf Sehat Cards to all by March 31: Dr Yasmin Rashid LAHORe app
Punjab Minister for Health Dr Yasmin Rashid on Monday said the Punjab government would distribute Insaf Sehat Cards to all families of the province by March 31. She said this while distributing Naya Pakistan Qoumi Sehat Cards among the community at Union Council 48 here. UC Chairman Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Pappu, Haji Abdul Wahab, Zulfiqar Ali, Mian Zaheer Ahmed and a large number of residents were present on the occasion. Talking to media, Dr Yasmin Rashid said that on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief
Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, “We are giving Insaf Sehat Cards to the people at their doorstep”, adding, “Through Naya Pakistan Qomi Sehat Card we are providing top quality medical services to people”. She said that provision of universal health insurance was turning the dream of Prime Minister Imran Khan into reality, adding, “We salute Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar for this great service to humanity and health is their foremost priority”. She said that Insaf Sehat Cards would be issued to the family head, who could be a man or woman, asserting that widows or divorced women who were bread winners for their families would get Insaf Sehat Cards for their families.
Dr Yasmin Rashid said that transgender were also being given health cards, elaborating that thalassemia patients were also being provided Sehat cards for free treatment. She said that Naya Pakistan Qomi Sehat card app was getting very popular, adding that so far over a million people had been registered at the app. She said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government had considered the health of people important than bridges and roads. Responding to a queries of journalists, the Health Minister said the government had reserved funds for Naya Pakistan Qomi Sehat Cards for next three years. She said all family heads must get their families data updated at NADRA.
PM Imran urges opposition parties to submit evidence of their own foreign funding resources IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Imran Khan Monday told his party loyalists since the ECP scrutiny committee has cleared the party of all suspicions, its about time that the opposition parties should also provide the receipts of their funding too. The premier expressed these views while chairing a meeting of the spokespersons of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) here at PM House. During the meeting, the premier said that the party has presented its funding receipts to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the “scrutiny committee has cleared the party of all suspicions.” “All other political parties should provide the receipts of their funding too,” the premier demanded. He further said that out of total funding of Rs310 million, an amount of Rs150 was shown twice. “This [error] will be cleared in the next hearing of the ECP,” PM Khan said.
Talking about the electronic method of transferring funds (TTs) for overseas wire transactions, the prime minister said: “Isn’t Shahbaz Sharif ashamed of himself since he used too many TTs to launder money?” The premier talked about the foreign funding received by other parties and said that the “PML-N should give an account of the billions of rupees of funding it received from overseas sources.” The prime minister expressed sorrow over the Murree incident and said that the “government is working tirelessly to make tourism better,” adding that 12 tourist spots have been introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It should be recalled that more than 20 people had died of carbon monoxide poisoning in Murree on Saturday after their vehicles ended up being stranded in heavy snow. “A committee has been formed to inquire into the Murree tragedy and the administration, police and several institutions helped in evacuating the stuck tourists,” he concluded.
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
04 NEWS
Shahrukh Jatoi caught enJoying ‘laviSh lifeStyle’ at karachi hoSpital KARACHI
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HAHRUKH Jatoi, the murder convict of 2012 Shahzeb murder case, has been living a “lavish life” on the upper floor of a little known private hospital in Karachi’s Gizri area on the pretext of medical treatment. Home department sources told The Express Tribune on Monday that a senior official of the Sindh government played a role in transferring the murder convict from prison to hospital under the guise of medical treatment. Shahrukh was shifted to Qamarul Islam Hospital a few months ago, which is reportedly being rented by af-
SCBA to challenge lifetime disqualification penalty ISLAMABAD INP
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) is preparing a petition to challenge the lifelong disqualification of a public office holder under Article 62-1(f). Article 62-1(f) — which sets the precondition for a member of parliament to be honest and righteous — is the same provision under which deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif was disqualified by the Supreme Court in 2017 in the Panama Papers case. Former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) secretary general Jahangir Tareen was also disqualified later that year by a separate bench of the top court under the same provision.
The lawyers’ body is expected to challenge the disqualification of a parliament hopeful and has drafted a petition in this regard. It will submit the petition to the Supreme Court later this week. The petition reportedly requests the disqualification period of a candidate should be restricted to five years. In 2018, a five-judge Supreme Court bench unanimously held that disqualification handed down under Article 62-1(f) of the Constitution is for life. “The restriction imposed by Article 62-1(f) of the Constitution for the eligibility of a candidate for election to Parliament serves the public need and public interest for honest, upright, truthful, trustworthy and prudent elected representatives,” read the judgement. However, the SCBA petition notes that imposing
a lifelong ban on a candidate is a violation of their basic rights, adding that in the suo motu notices and other special prerogatives granted to the court, a petitioner must be accorded the right to appeal. It points that the apex court has already declared in the local government elections case that the elected representatives could not be kept aloof from people. It’s against the very fundamentals of Islam to not pardon those who contemplate and seek forgiveness for their mistakes, it says, citing cases of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the incumbent Imran Khan. “The Constitution is based on fundamental rights,” it says. The body has made the federal government party to the case.
Tourists question blizzard Murree tragedy ISLAMABAD AFP
As unprecedented snowfall thawed at a popular Pakistan mountain resort on the weekend, rescued tourists were found reckoning with the deaths of 22 fellow travellers in a frozen traffic jam. “We didn’t get any type of alert from society, from the government, from Google, from the news, from the weather,” said 18-year-old Dua’a Kashif Ali, a tourist from Islamabad. “Locals helped us,” she told AFP, after emerging from a guesthouse where she waited out the worst snowstorm witnessed by Murree in decades. The mountain-perch town — 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of Islamabad — has long been a favourite for tourists, who swarmed to see vistas dusted with fresh snowfall this week. Roads were jammed with traffic from some 100,000 visitors when a blizzard dumped four feet (1.2 metres) of snow from Friday onwards. Stuck in their cars overnight, 22 people died from the cold or carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust fumes. Among them were 10 children. “People here were literally weeping […] when they heard,” recalled 47-yearold tourist Kashif Ishaq. As he spoke, a convoy of hulking heavy machinery cleared the ice-bitten roads behind him, ending two days of snowbound isolation for the satellite village of Ratti Gali. Ishaq arrived here with his daughter Ali on Friday night. Alongside 13 other family members and friends, they ditched three stranded cars and hiked 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) to where a guesthouse owner took them in. “The locals really helped us,” said Ishaq. “They offered their services, they offered their homes, they offered their restaurants and hotels free of charge.” A ‘nAturAl’ disAster: In nearby Kuldana, about 5,000 people were taken in at the Army School of Logistics on Friday night. “It was like a natural disaster,” said Major Muhammad Umar. “There was no electricity, no gas, no telephone, nothing working.” 11-year-old Arosh Yasir, warming up by a gas fire with his family, said they spent the night in their car on Friday before being rescued the following
tal or moving them back to jail is taken in view of the report. There are prison rules in this regard.” Earlier in 2018, then Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar expressed displeasure after he found out that the VIP treatment was being meted out to Shahrukh and ordered the authorities to shift the murder convict to the death cell. The former top judge during surprise visit to Karachi’s Malir Jail caught Shahrukh enjoying B-class facilities at the prison. In 2018, the apex court had ordered arrest of Shahrukh and two co-accused in the Shahzeb murder case after setting aside their acquittal by a trial court and removal of anti-terrorism charges by the Sindh High Court.
fluent Jatoi family of the province. As soon as the news was leaked to the media, the murder convict was shifted back to the prison. Additional Chief Secretary Sindh Qazi Shahid Pervez, when contacted, told The Express Tribune that the Home Department did not give any permission regarding the transfer or admission of Shahrukh Jatoi from jail to hospital. “If a prisoner’s health deteriorates, the prison administration may transfer him to the hospital. However, the prison administration decides to transfer the sick prisoner from the prison to the hospital in the light of the medical report of the prison medical officer. “The decision to keep the sick prisoner in the hospi-
morning. “Our food was cold and there was no way back or forward,” he told AFP. “I started crying and praying.” Many people complained on social media that hoteliers had pushed up prices to capitalise on stranded customers, prompting them to sleep in cars. Arosh said on Saturday hotels were “either very expensive or had no space”, forcing them into the army camp. On Sunday afternoon, the rescue effort had largely morphed to a repair and salvage operation, aided by steady sunshine winnowing away snowdrifts. Workmen clambered mountainside pylons to knock free iced electricity wires, whilst others crowded around open car bonnets trying to coax engines back to life. Some vehicles still remained abandoned under vast snowbanks, forcing ploughs to slalom the precarious mountain tracks. Among clear spots in the ice were small scatterings of empty water bottles and snack food packaging, marking where many tourists spent Friday night in their cars. “It was my worst experience,” said 21-year-old Aafia Ali, a visitor from Karachi among the party taking shelter at Ratti Gali.
Daily coronavirus cases top 1,600 for first time in three months ISLAMABAD StAFF RePoRt
Pakistan reported 1,649 new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said Monday, marking the first time the nation’s daily infections have risen over 1,600 since October. On October 2 last year, the country had recorded 1,656 infections. The NCOC, the department leading the nation’s campaign against the pandemic, said the overall cases surged to 1,305,707 while 1,258,987 of them have recovered. The active cases also increased to 17,748, including 617 those who are in critical condition. According to the NCOC data, the pandemic killed three people on Sunday, increasing the overall death toll to 28,972. Meanwhile, a total of 162.1 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have so far been administered, with over 73 million people fully vaccinated and more than 99 million people partially vaccinated. Last week, the government authorised booster doses for citizens over the age of 30. Children over the age of 12 are being offered vaccinations at their schools. Meanwhile, the positivity rate in Lahore reached an alarming 7.5 percent after 465 new cases were reported during the last 24 hours. Following the suit is the port city of Karachi that has since late last week been witnessing an alarming rise in new infections, with the transmission ratio recorded at more than 15 percent, officials from the Sindh Health Department said. According to the head of Dow Diagnostic Research and Reference Laboratory (DDRRL), 87 percent of the patients were affected with the Omicron variant. Of the infected, 60 percent were women. To address the challenge, the Karachi administration has launched a door-to-door campaign to vaccinate women, who are lagging behind men in rates of coronavirus inoculation. “We have found that a sizable population of housewives are unvaccinated, and they socialise and attend weddings without face masks,” Qasim Siraj Soomro, parliamentary secretary health of the Sindh government, told Reuters last week. In contrast, the rate of vaccination among male family members who go out to work is higher than the rate among women, he added. The provincial government’s campaign will use female health workers, who have long played an instrumental role in country-wide polio vaccination campaigns in the nation.
Minister wants continued support for exports despite fiscal tightening ISLAMABAD ReuteRS
The nation’s top commerce official is pushing the government to bet big on the export industry by maintaining tens of millions of dollars of policy support even as the government looks to tighten the fiscal belt in a mid-year budget this month. The all-important textile industry is at the centre of this export-led growth strategy, said Abdul Razak Dawood, advisor to the prime minister, as the government targets ambitious growth of 4.8 percent in the 2021-2022 financial year. Authorities have supported the export industry since coming to power in 2018 by securing competitive energy prices and offering cheap credit. Dawood told Reuters he had spoken to the prime minister and finance minister about the need for continued support. The government is looking to end tax exemptions in a number of areas in its mid-year budget as part of fiscal tightening efforts aimed at securing the release of $1 billion in International Monetary Fund (IMF) funds. Pakistan entered a $6 billion support programme with the IMF in 2019. “People in this country don’t understand what the importance of exports … export-led growth strategy (is),” Dawood said in an interview with Reuters.
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He said continuing support for exports is the best way to tackle Pakistan’s long-standing economic woes and achieve sustained growth. Pakistan’s exports hit a historic high of $25.3 billion in the 2020-2021 financial year, with textiles making up a whopping 60 percent of those exports. That helped the country achieve 3.94 percent GDP growth last year after a coronavirus-induced slump. ‘reMArKABle JuMP’: Pakistan’s exports have risen 24.7 percent year-on-year in the first half of the 2021-2022 financial year, official data showed last week. “You can see that there’s been a remarkable jump,” Dawood said. One driver has been the government’s policy of securing regionally competitive power rates to allow our exporters to match prices offered by peers such as India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, he said. The central bank has also offered cheap credit to the industry after the coronavirus-induced economic slowdown. To sustain this, Dawood is encouraging the government to push through with a textile export policy which has faced push-back from various government departments. The policy could include billions of rupees in regionally competitive energy rate assurances, concessional funds, drawbacks and tax rebates, experts and local media reports say.
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS CORPORATE CORNER
DiplomaTS bRiEfED on ‘DEclaRaTion on ESTabliShing a global Social pRoTEcTion KnowlEDgE plaTfoRm’ iSLamaBad
Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research, Syed Fakhar Imam, inagurated Carrefour Pakistan’s hypermarket in Gujranwala in the presence of Carrefour Pakisan’s Country Manager, Umer Lodhi, ad other senior officials of company. Carrefour has boosted its investment to PKR 10.5billion with the opening of its 10th store in the country which will also provided economic support to 170 households in the city.
Efforts underway to resolve public grievances on priority, says igp iSLamaBad pReSS ReleaSe
Islamabad Police is taking all out efforts to resolve the public grievances on priority and to curb the crime in the city. It was stated by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Muhammad Ahsan Younas while listening public complaints during khuli kacheri. The IGP directed all police officials to resolve the public complaints on priority adding that the purpose of holding these khuli kacheries is to resolve public issues immediately and purely on merit. He strictly directed all zonal officers to take immediate and strict action against land grabbers. “No one would be allowed to grab property of any citizen” he added. Islamabad police chief said that it is our prime responsibility to provide protection to the lives and property of the citizens and resolve their problems on priority. He said that citizens at `Open Court’ should be behaved in a respectful manner and their trust on police department to be won through resolving their issues. The IGP also directed all SHOs to remain present in their offices from 03pm to 05pm daily and listen public complaints. The Such interaction with citizens are aimed to promote community policing, resolve the issues of people at their door steps through merit and curb activities of anti-social elements, he added.
Supreme court Suspends Shc’s order on fbR notices preSS reLeaSe While granting leave to appeal, Supreme Court of Pakistan has suspended the orders of Sindh High Court (SHC) on the issuance of notices by FBR to Pakistanis regarding their overseas assets, income and expenses. The Apex Court has accepted the plea of FBR for hearing of an appeal. A three-member bench of Supreme Court heard the plea under the Chair of Justice Umar Atta Bandial. Earlier, Sindh High Court (SHC) had declared FBR’s notices null & void and illegal in December, 2020. The lawyer of FBR stated during the hearing that in accordance with Income Tax Ordinance-2001, all the Pakistanis having assets or income abroad were obligated to declare their assets, income and expenses along with their annual returns. To comply with the stated legal provision, FBR had issued the notices to the Pakistanis having foreign source income or assets abroad but had not declared them alongwith the Income Tax Returns. Therefore, some individuals preferred to appeal before Sindh High Court against issuance of notices by FBR and pleaded before the court to declare the notices as illegal. While accepting the plea of hearing appeal, Supreme Court stated that notices issued by FBR could not be challenged before the High Court as per law settled by the Apex Court.
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Staff RepoRt
PECIAL Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr. Sania Nishtar briefed the Heads of Diplomatic Missions on the “Declaration on Establishing a Global Social Protection Knowledge Platform” here at Foreign Office, Islamabad on Monday. The Declaration is being steered by Pakistan in New York, in collaboration with a “Group of Friends on Social Protection” including Costa Rica,
Nigeria and Turkey, supported by the World Bank. According to press release issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Sania Nishtar introduced the Declaration and apprised the participants of its conceptualization as well as the operationalization of the Global Social Protection Knowledge Platform. She underscored that the importance of social protection had been vividly pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special Assistant to PM said that countries with robust social protection systems including Pakistan were
able to contain the fallout of the pandemic better than other nations. In order to benefit from each other’s experiences and share best practices, there was a need to fill the knowledge gap in the global social protection landscape, she added. Earlier, in his introductory remarks, Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood highlighted the objectives of the briefing, noting that there was a greater realization today of the need to increase investments in social protection systems to safeguard people against the shockwaves of the pandemic and future crises. Sohail Mahmood called on the
Provinces urged to pace up efforts to protect forests, assured of all-out support iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam Khan has urged the provinces to pace up efforts for protecting forests and vowed all-out support to increase the forest cover. This was stated by him while chairing the sixth meeting of the Federal Forestry Board held here on Monday at the Ministry of Climate Change. The forest secretaries of all provinces, AJK and GilgitBaltistan, attended the high-powered meeting and shared with the Board meeting the latest information regarding progress of the tree plantation under the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP), conservation of forests and wildlife across the country. Provincial Secretaries also shared details regarding the achievements against targets set for Monsoon 2021, update on state of stocks in nurseries and strategy for the upcoming Spring Tree Plantation – 2022. They also nformed the Forestry Board meeting about land identified for plantation, days and number of events planned for inauguration of the Spring 2022 plantation campaign was also presented. During the meeting, National Project Director of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP) briefed SAPM Malik Amin Aslam about the updated physical and financial progress of the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme TBTTP). The Board was informed that over 70 percent of the plantation target of 502.500 million set for three-month monsoon season 2021, which ended in September last year, has been achieved. A target of one billion tree plantation was set for the FY 2021-22 under TBTTP that included both monsoon and Spring tree plantation targets, the Board was apprised. SAPM Malik Amin Aslam directed the forest secretaries of the provinces, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan to mobilse all resources to achieve the target of planting one billion trees by the end of June 30 this year. Lauding the untiring efforts and smooth coordination with the federal government, he also pledged his all-out support to the provincial forest departments to achieve the target. The SAPM also suggested that dedicated days for plantation with judiciary, schools, media, teachers, prayer leaders, NGOs and other government and non-governmental sectors
Heads of Missions to apprise their respective governments to support this global knowledge-sharing initiative. The participants were also informed that Ehsaas, Pakistan’s social protection program, has organized a day-long event at the Dubai Expo Pakistan Pavilion on 16 January 2022 to promote the Declaration. It is envisaged that the Global Social Protection Knowledge Platform will provide a unique opportunity for government-to-government learning and collaboration that will contribute towards progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Eight injured in Rawalpindi gas cylinder explosion iSLamaBad Staff RepoRt
Eight people were injured when their house partially collapsed in a gas cylinder explosion in Rawalpindi, a police report said. Two brothers and their families living on the first floor of a two-story building in the city received injuries in the incident, the report said. The injured included four children and two women, who were shifted to a nearby hospital by locals and rescue teams. The incident happened due to leakage of gas in the house, the report added. Gas explosions were reported in Pakistan many times recently as people sleep at night leaving gas heaters on to keep themselves warm, and disaster occurs sometimes due to interruptions in the gas supply.
Three killed as train hits vehicle should be identified/set for plantation under upcoming spring tree plantation campaign for year 2022. He directed that all provinces should be taken on board for achieving the spring tree plantation target and a digital dashboard should be established for monitoring of the online progress of the tree plantations. Malik Amin Aslam stressed that data regarding plantations and other relevant activities TBTTP must be uploaded timely on the digital dashboard of the programme for public information. He also directed that 20% of the positions of forest Neghbans (forest watchers) should be set aside for females and women must be involved in nursery plantation. SAPM Amin Aslam directed the Board to plan for setting up woodlots on private lands in different parts of the country, which would serve as a parcel of a woodland or forest capable of small-scale production of forest products as well as recreational uses like bird watching, bushwalking, and wildflower appreciation. The Board also reviewed the progress of third-party independent monitoring of the TBTTP by IUCN, WWF – Pakistan and UN-FAO. The Board was further informed that KfW has provided USD 106,000 to the consortium for phase-I for third-party monitoring of the TBTTP and has agreed to provide USD 205 million for the programme’s monitoring during phase-II.
monitoring report Three people were killed when a passenger train hit a vehicle in Punjab late Sunday, police said. The incident happened in Rawalpindi when the train slammed into the vehicle parked very close to a railway crossing. The accident killed one man on the spot and injured two others who later succumbed to injuries at a hospital, the police added. The train was on its way to Rawalpindi from Multan when the accident occurred. The deceased were residents of Rawalpindi, and their bodies were handed over to their relatives after identification.
State land retrieved in Rajanpur on ombudsman’s order LaHore Staff RepoRt
NA session: Opposition calls for judicial commission to probe Murree tragedy Contineued from page 01 Shehbaz, he said, remained in power for almost 30 years but could not become a leader. Had the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) executed development projects across Punjab, including Murree, during its governments, today the people would not have faced such a tragedy, he said. The Sharif family had just focused on building their own empires as all kinds of development had remained limited to their homes, he added. The minister said no other political party except the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) participated in the rescue and relief operation carried out by different departments. Fawad said everyone is saddened over the Murree tragedy, adding that the PTI’s leadership and local workers remained actively engaged with the rescue and relief teams for safe and
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timely evacuation of the snow-trapped people. “We are proud that our workers, including the Punjab chief minister, federal ministers, MNAs and MPAs of PTI, stood with the people in Murree,” he said acknowledging the services of civil administration, Pakistan Army and other institutions for conducting a swift rescue operation in Murree and evacuating trapped people. In contrast, he said, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and PML-N workers were not seen in Murree as they did not bother to go there. The minister said around 164,000 vehicles had entered Murree in five days, adding that the rescue operation was carried out within 24 hours and all the roads were cleared without any undue delay. He said the PTI government is clearing the fuss created by the past regimes in every field, including economy, administration and tourism.
On the orders of Punjab Ombudsman retired Major Azam Suleman Khan, the irrigation department has retrieved 341.25 acres of state land from illegal occupants in Rajanpur Canal Division. The total value of the recovered land is estimated at Rs390.6 million. Meanwhile, the department also took into custody 36 illegal water pumps during its extensive operation to curb canal water theft and retrieval of state land. Alongside, it also demolished 63 illegally constructed shops. The retrieved state land has been handed over to the concerned sub engineer and the field staff has been directed to take necessary steps to save the government lands from being reoccupied. The irrigation department has further intimated to the ombudsman office that 28 cases were registered against 395 accused in Rajanpur during 201821 while taking into custody 333 illegally installed pumps.
06-07 Comments - 11th January 2022_Layout 1 1/10/2022 11:36 PM Page 1
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022
06 COMMENT
Decolonizing the mind
Better security without marring scenic beauty Need to take right decisions about Murree
Genuine liberation requires deeper analysis of the mechanisms by which colonization of minds occurs today
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heRe is a need to learn from the tragedy that occurred in Murree. The death of at least 23 helpless tourists has not only grieved the entire country but has also sent a negative image of the country abroad. It is all the more necessary as PM Imran Khan is keen to promote tourism in the country which according to him is endowed with 12 seasons while he also wants to project his image as a conservationist. Murree was once known as the Queen of the Kohsar for its scenic beauty. not long ago, the bulk of the tourists reached the town on buses that were unloaded a few kilometers below the town. There were few cars which were also parked near the bus stand. The tourists walked all the way to the town center. no car or motorbike was allowed on Murree’s Mall Road where people either enjoyed the season in restaurants or walked up and down the street from end to end. While there is a dire need to stop the recurrence of the tragic incident, equally important is to preserve Murree’s scenic beauty. There is a need to construct car parks at locations much below Murree town and start a shuttle service to take the tourists to a point from where they can walk to the Mall. Car parks should be constructed only where enough space is available without cutting the trees. As the arrangement will take time, there is a need meanwhile for public transport scheduling like banning all motorized traffic during the busiest months of winter and summer, with an efficient and comfortable shuttle service taking tourists from down below to Murree. The roads need regular improvement on account of the wear and tear. Any measure that leads to the cutting of trees and reducing the scenic beauty has to be avoided. It is unwise to give Murree the status of a district as it would involve constructing scores of offices and residential buildings for a whole lot of new officials in an already overcrowded town. Similarly it is unwise to construct alternate roads as this would require cutting thousands of trees.
Dr AsAD ZAmAn
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he process of global conquest and colonization by people of european descent led to european control over about 90% of the globe by the early 20th Century. The material effects of this conquest created the vast gap we see today between the rich and the poor countries on the planet. The looters of the world are the rich, and those who got robbed are the poor. But this material effect is of little importance compared to the largely unrecognized psychological effects of global conquest. The West and the east are convenient shorthand terms for the colonizers and the colonized. One aspect has been summarized by edward Said in “Orientalism”: all knowledge about the east by the West – whether its literature, movies, social media, or academic research – are colored by the superiority complex created by the conquest. In this essay, our main concern is with the inferiority complex created by colonization in the east. There is an extensive literature on how colonization, conquest, control, and slavery affects the enslaved. In this short essay, we will provide a crude and over-simplified account as a brief guide. how does Western conquest of the east shape the minds of the easterners? Minds are shaped by an educational system designed to produce admiration and awe of the West while instilling contempt and hatred for the east. A perfect illustrative example is Salman Rushdie whose books Shame, Midnight’s Children, and Satanic Verses ridicule his own family and culture, his people and their politics, and his religion and heritage. The goal of education in the colonies was to produce “a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but english in taste, in opinions, in morals, and in intellect”. These people were to mediate between the handful of white colonizers and the millions of the colonized, so the education ensured complete devotion to the colonizers. A Western education reinforces the story of the
The Taliban and TTP Failure of Pakistan’s Afghan policy?
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hOSe responsible for making Pakistan’s Afghan policy helped the Afghan Taliban in a number of ways. Pakistan played a significant role in arranging the US -Taliban dialogue in Qatar. In the aftermath of the overthrow of the Ashraf Ghani government, Pakistan bent over backwards to persuade the world to provide humanitarian assistance to the country facing acute food shortage. While Pakistan itself suffered from liquidity crunch and wheat shortage forcing it to import the items, it sent several consignments of food aid to the neighbouring country. Pakistan also sought aid for Afghanistan while raising the issue at world forums like Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the OIC foreign ministers summit. It appears that the establishment’s expectations from the Taliban that they would stop the TTP from launching terrorist attacks inside Pakistan were unrealistic. It was expected that while the Ghani administration allowed the Indian agents to use its territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan, the Taliban would stop hosting anti-Pakistan terrorists, the TTP being the foremost. What one sees happening is the opposite. Reportedly in 2021, there has been more than 40 per cent increase in terrorist violence in Pakistan compared with 2020. According to an Islamabad based think tank, August saw 45 terrorist attacks in Pakistan, the highest number in a single month since 2017. Any protracted conflict and insecurity in Afghanistan is bound to further endanger Pakistan’s border security particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The Taliban’s response to Pakistan’s demand for stopping the TTP from attacks has been dismal. This exposes the myth that the Afghan Interior Minister or for that matter the Afghan cabinet is sympathetic to Pakistan. Instead of telling the TTP to stop attacking a friendly country, the Afghan Taliban asked Pakistan to resolve its issues with TTP through talks for which they facilitated a ceasefire which ended without any progress. This would send a highly negative message to China, Russia and the Central Asian countries. Taliban government would be seen to be preserving and using various terrorist groups as levers to pressurise neighbouring countries.
AbiD HussAin rAtHer
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VeRyOne among us must be aware of the tragic incident that occurred at Lal Ded hospital Srinagar few days ago. yes, you are correct, the indirect murder of a new born infant due to entry restriction by security guards for the sake of just two hundred rupees. Though this event sent its shock waves across the whole valley but it was not first of its kind. If you remember correctly then you must be aware that same kind of event occurred two years back at the same hospital when a pregnant lady from Kupwara district was denied entry in the hospital by hospital administration which resulted in the birth of a child outside the hospital near the roadside. Such episodes have occurred recurrently in our valley in the past and believe me, they will occur in the future times also. My dear readers, I am not an astrologer to predict things here nor I believe in future presaging through stars but my harsh experience of the past is compelling me to write here that we have to make ourselves every time ready to listen such news items as there has been moral degradation in our society and we have become materialistic. humanity has become a bygone term in our valley. We have fallen prey to materialism, dishonesty, selfishness, falsehood, immorality and corruption. We have fallen from the standards of humanity and have turned into beasts for the sake of self-interest. history is witness to the fact that whenever a society turns out to be materialistic, the human values are lost and human life is least valued; then such events and episodes become common and unsurprising to people.
Founding Editor
Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz
Joint Editor
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
The writer is Ex-Vice Chancellor, Pakistan Institute Of Development Economics
Culture of Malversation
Arif Nizami (Late)
M. A. Niazi
of colonization. It continues to guide politics today as the killing of 4000 whites is taken as sufficient cause for complete destruction of two countries, killing millions of non-whites. The process of decolonization is long and difficult. First, we must learn to see through the lies we have come to believe through the process of our own Western education. Because all university courses are based solely on european authors, or followers of their intellectual traditions, this education teaches us that the only knowledge worth having today has been produced by the West. To undo this deception, we have to unravel a myth which has been manufactured over centuries. Christian hostility to Islam, generated by the Crusades, led to the “Greek Strategy”: all knowledge produced by the Islamic Civilization during the dark ages of europe (roughly 500AD to 1500AD) was either backdated be Greek, or post-dated and attributed to european translators and plagiarists. “Is Science Western in Origin?” by Professor C. K. Raju provides an excellent explanation of the “Greek Strategy” for denying creativity and rationality to non-whites. But exposing the fact that the West plagiarized from the east without acknowledgement does not take us very far towards the goal of decolonization. One cannot overcome the awe of the West by learning that they stole both wealth and knowledge from other sources. What is needed for decolonization is the construction of a genuine alternative to Western education, which builds on the intellectual foundations created by the Islamic Civilization. Both social and physical sciences were developed to justify and assist in the process of colonizing the globe, and exploiting the planet. This opens the pathway to the construction of an alternative approach based on Islamic moral foundations and perspectives. For an outline of how this can be done, see “Uloom ul Umran: An Islamic Alternative to Western Social Science”. Similarly, the physical sciences were created for enhancing the power to exploit the planet. Transforming them to serve humanity and the planet would avert the looming climate catastrophe, and also enable massive improvements in the lives of billions who live below the poverty line. To see this, note that world military expenditures stand at around $2 Trillion per year, whereas only about $700 Billion is needed to provide for basic needs of everyone on the planet. We need to rebuild the entire structure of knowledge on the foundational assumption that all of the creation of God is the family of God, and he loves most those who serve his family the best. This would be radically different from the current foundations which teach us the human beings are like animals, and survival of the fittest in the jungle of cut-throat competition is the best way to organize society.
Chai and mithayi
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
White Man’s Burden: colonization was meant to educate and civilize the savage and barbarian indigenous races. This policy of painting brutal methods of mass exploitation as beneficial to the natives continues to this day; the occupation of Iraq for control of oil was painted as an effort to bring democracy and civilization to the masses, and to free them from an evil dictator. Those with colonized minds wear their chains with pride. They proudly display the defects and evils of their own culture, heritage, religion, and character for all to see. however, they cannot stand the slightest insult to their White masters or their ideological Gods, like democracy, freedom, and capitalism. Any allegation of defects in the West will be countered by a set of automatic responses – whatever failings the West has, the east is even worse. Any account of Western brutalities and oppression of the east will be countered by shifting the blame to the victims – we were oppressed and colonized because we deserved to be. One of the most powerful arguments to counter discussions of the evils of colonization is that political independence was achieved more than 70 years ago. It is futile to discuss the remote past. Similar, we are counselled to look to our own defects, instead of seeking to shift the blame for our lack of progress to others. The problem is that psychological colonization of minds continues to this day – the educational systems currently in use all over the world continue to produce colonized minds, who are unable to think outside the constraints imposed by the current system. The ideological and philosophical colonization of minds continues in full force today, but the white colonizers have been replaced by the coconut class, which is brown on the outside but white inside. The path to de-colonization of minds and genuine liberation requires deeper analysis of the mechanisms by which colonization of minds occurs today. The main tool used for this purpose is the Western education which dominates the world today. This education instills certain ideologies deep within the minds and hearts of innocent students who are unaware that they are being brainwashed. The essence of colonization is conquest of minds, and as long as Western educational process continues to create respect, awe, and admiration of the West, there is no possibility of freedom. The first small step towards freedom is simply to expose the ideological foundations on which a Western education is built. The most fundamental of these is the idea that all useful & relevant knowledge available today is a creation of european intellectuals, or those trained in their intellectual tradition. That is, non-whites have made no significant contributions to production of knowledge in all of the thousands of years of human history. This massive lie leads major intellectuals and historians to statements like “Only the White races have the capability for rational and scientific thought”. This kind of racist thinking providing justification of mass murders, genocides, and enslavement of millions in the process
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Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
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Time and again occurrence of such events is an eye witness to the fact that we live in a society where there are only humans and no humanity. If we will introspect in our society we will find our society is full of every kind of social evils and the irony is that such social evils are no more considered as wrong deeds or sinful acts rather we have changed their nomenclature to normalize them in our society. We will find no department or institution in our society where there is no corruption and where rights of common massed are not violated and marred. each and every department in our valley is involved in corruption and bribery which results in the suffering of common masses. Lal Ded episode is an eye opener and an admonitory event for common people as well government agencies to curb many social evils prevailing in our society. When we keenly look at this event many questions arise in our mind. Was it the first time when an employee of the hospital asked for ‘chai and mithayi’ or this illegal and immoral custom is prevailing there from decades. We all are well aware about the fact that it is not only the Lad Ded hospital but most of the health centres in our valley are involved in this illegal and inhuman custom of ‘ chai and mithayi’. Rather this illegal custom is prevailing in most of the government departments of our valley which has resulted in the suffering of the common masses from past many years. But unfortunately this evil has been camouflaged in the four walls of government departments by the concerned culprits and no body complains about it. If sometimes somebody tries to complain or protest against this social evil, there is nobody to pay heed to his words. This illegal custom comes to forefront only when it results into a tragic situation or public aggravation as has been seen in the Lal Ded hospital few days ago. Secondly, we need to ponder upon whether only the lower grade employees are involved in this ‘chai mithayi culture ‘ of bribery or the higher officials are also involved in this callous act. here we all are well aware about the fact that higher officials are cognizant of this crime rather in
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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some cases they have their own share from this ‘ chai and mithayi ‘ otherwise no lower grade employee of any department can gather the courage for this heinous crime. So, punishing or terminating the service of only a lower grade employee can’t help in eradication of this crime rather the higher officials should be treated equally responsible for this bribery act and should be equally punished by the government authorities as the higher officials are caretakers of their departments and accordingly they are responsible for overall affairs and incidents befalling in their departments. Government authorities have taken different steps and adopted various strategies during different periods to eradicate this evil from various departments of the valley but they have hardly succeeded in abolishing this ‘chai and mithayi culture’. Instead this illegal culture is gaining popularity in different government departments and has turned out to be a black spot on our society and a question mark on humanity and the lower section of our society has always fallen pray of this evil. Unless and until every government employee from higher rank to a fourth grade chowkidar or gatekeeper involved in this heinous crime is not strictly punished we can’t make our society free from this illegal custom. There should be a strict scrutinizing system in every government departments to check this illegal custom of ‘chai and mithayi’. Finally, it is pertinent to mention here that a society is a cumulation of its individuals and every individual has his own role in eradicating these social evils from a society to make it a better place for one and all. So, all of us must develop our consciousness and sense of humanity in ourselves to remain away from these social crimes, so that we can develop our society an evil free society. Moral education in our educational institutions can be much successful in obliterating these social evils from our society. Let the good sense prevail everywhere. The author is an official member of JKIFTS columnists council and can be reached at rather1294@gmail.com
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
06-07 Comments - 11th January 2022_Layout 1 1/10/2022 11:36 PM Page 2
Tuesday, 11 January, 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
Be the change
Our democracy faces the gravest danger Unless the Republicans and Democrats put the nation above their party and personal interests, our democracy will face the gravest danger in more than a hundred years.
Dr Alon ben meir
O
n January 6, Trump was planning to hold a press conference during which he was expected to repeat lies for the hundredth time that the election in 2020 was stolen, that the insurrection a year ago was actually peaceful, and that he – not Biden – is the duly-elected president. he canceled the press conference at the urging of the GOP and now is expected to instead spread these lies at his Arizona rally next week. he will, needless to say, remain true to himself and deny any wrongdoing and blame the Democrats for persistently undermining his presidency as well as for all the ills that face America today. Trump is uniquely dangerous; he wants to solidify his absolute control over the Republican Party, rouse his followers, instill hatred of the Democrats, and of course raise enough money for his re-election campaign should he decide to run again. Moreover, the Arizona rally will be his first foray into the mid-term elections designed to rouse the rank-and-file of the Republican Party to recapture the house and the Senate as the forerunner to the 2024 election. The tragic aspect of the Trump phenomenon is that the elected leaders of the Republican Party continue to follow him religiously, regardless of the fact that he is corrupt, was defeated in re-election as an incumbent, was impeached twice, and faces several criminal charges. Indeed, no former president in American history has been able to maintain his grip on his party the way Trump has. And no Republican Party has abdicated its moral and constitutional responsibilities and willingly succumbed to a deranged egomaniac, misogynist, and habitual liar. how could this happen, and why? The answer is Trump’s and the Republicans’ voracious lust for power. The Republican Party has become a minority party and there is no circumstance under which the party can win nationally in a free and fair election. Demographically, Black, hispanic, Asian, native American, and other minorities currently represent more than 40 percent of the American population, and it is estimated that by 2045 they will become the majority, who largely vote for Democrats. Collectively, even at the present they can deny the Republican Party from ever capturing the White house again if they go out and vote en masse. The Republican Party faces two choices: one
is to adapt to the changing demographic reality and develop socio-economic programs that respond to the needs of people of color (POC) without sacrificing much of their conservative ideology. This includes lowering taxes, particularly for those who earn less than $200,000 a year, immigration reform, which the Republican Party has long-acknowledged needs addressing and will help in outreach especially to hispanic voters, and supporting minority small business owners with tax breaks and other financial incentives, which won’t incur further government spending. The second choice is to prevent or make it extremely difficult for POC to exercise their right to vote through a variety of deplorable measures. One state after another is passing discriminatory rules, including gerrymandering districts on racial lines, restricting early voting, which disproportionately affects Black Americans who are more likely than any other ethnic or racial group to cast early ballots (whether inperson or by mail and absentee ballots), enacting voter ID laws even though voter impersonation fraud is exceedingly rare and those who don’t have valid ID are disproportionately POC, and empower state legislators to invert their own elections and manipulate the electoral college to their advantage. Sadly, if not tragically, the Republican Party went for the latter option. Many Republicans simply believe that POC are illegitimate citizens and should not be able to vote and have the power, as they fear accurately or otherwise, to enact laws against whites, the way whites have enacted discriminatory laws against POC. America, from their perspective, was founded by white people, and the thought that the US is becoming browner every passing day scares them to the core. They needed a leader who is a bigot, shameless, and crude, with no scruples and no morals, but audacious—a performer with the ability to sway large audiences with his lies and sneering face. The Republicans need him to promote their agenda without fear of public repercussions, and he needs the party to satisfy his ego in order to exercise raw power, and also grant him its full support should he decide to run again. We are still reeling from the violent storming of the Capitol on January 6 to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. Trump, who incited his followers to attack the Capitol, was ready to shatter our democracy only to bask in his authoritarian impulse. What does that say about the Republican Party, which largely ignored or downplayed the insurrection in its determination to seize power and chose chaos and violence over voting, even at the expense of tearing our democratic institutions apart? how ironic and deeply troubling
that 52 percent of Republicans say that the insurrectionists were trying to protect democracy. The most ominous note that must be repeated loud and clear is that the party under the leadership of Trump will incite violence should they fail to win the 2022 election, as anyone who carefully listens to the many utterances spewed by reckless Republicans leaders can discern with clarity. In that context, although Trump during his rally will not openly encourage his followers to resort to violence to undo the result of the election, the message to them will be loud and clear. It is hard to exaggerate the transformation of the Republican Party since the rise of Trump in 2016, from a patriotic party that stood for democracy to a white supremacist party willing to destroy it only to stay in power. Many thousands of Republican leaders should follow the footsteps of Representative Liz Cheney, who stood up against Trump and in favor of the truth, and still rescue our democracy by accepting reality and being truthful with their followers. The election of Biden gave the country hope of preserving our democracy and attending to the political and social malaise that swept the nation, especially during Trump’s tenure in the White house. But to address these ills, the Democrats must spare no effort to hold onto the house and Senate in the 2022 mid-term election, as these will be the most consequential in more than a century. Indeed, should the Republicans manage to recapture both chambers of Congress, our democracy will slide toward the precipice of disintegration while authoritarianism creeps in, and Biden’s agenda will be shattered. The Democrats have their work cut out for them. They must rise in unison, which is bitterly still missing, stop short of nothing to strengthen voting rights, prevent the appointment of partisans to subvert the election, fight political corruption at every level, make political power decreasingly dependent on money, get out the vote, and eliminate the filibuster to pass the voting rights bill. Furthermore, they must hold accountable the traitors behind the insurrection on January 6, including Trump. Democrats and the millions of law-abiding Republicans should sound the alarm before it’s too late, and never waver to preserve and protect America’s 244-year-old democracy that served as a beacon of hope and freedom to the global community.
The most ominous note that must be repeated loud and clear is that the party under the leadership of Trump will incite violence should they fail to win the 2022 election, as anyone who carefully listens to the many utterances spewed by reckless Republicans leaders can discern with clarity.
Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. alon@alonben-meir.com
We have abandoned some good traditions and customs of the past. For example, in not-so-old times, whenever there was a long period of drought, people would gather at places of worship and offer special prayers for rain. On the one hand, this would show submission to the Almighty for forgiveness and mercy. On the other hand, it would show empathy for farmers who in some areas solely depend on rains for their crops. People as a community would also extend help as much as possible to the poor and marginalized during tough times. It strengthened the spirit of community and solidarity. Unfortunately, our country is going through very tough times. The pandemic, dry spells, and follies of the ruling class have crippled the economy. Poor are facing the worst of the times and our politicians are shamelessly engaged in calling each other “Mice.” It appears that our ruling elite is never going to get out of their old ways of self-righteousness and total disregard for the public interest. however, we as a society are also becoming indifferent and uncaring in our behaviour. The well-off people in the society must at least show some empathy for the poor and restraint their urge to devour imported products. We must also show some prudence in showing off at extravagant marriage ceremonies when the poor are struggling to keep their kitchens running. The farmers are not only worried due to dry spells but also struggling to get fertilizers and seeds in a timely manner. Black marketing and hoarding of urea and DAP are crushing them. We as a society must condemn such practices and call out the perpetrators of such terrible practices. If those who take advantage of the poor to make money know that they will face social backlash, they would refrain from such practices. I don’t see our ruling elite changing any time soon, so we must become the change ourselves to force them to fall in line. RAJA SHAFAATULLAH ISLAMABAD
Help Afghanistan PAKISTAn should lobby the international community in providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The best way to do so is to work closely with China, Russia, Iran and the Central Asian States. Some Afghans living in Pakistan have reportedly purchased millions of US dollars from Pakistani currency markets – mostly to hoard them. To discourage these purchases, as well as the smuggling of dollars, the State Bank of Pakistan has now made it mandatory that anyone buying more than 500 dollars a day must provide his or her biometrics so that the authorities can track and trace them. Foreign currency is not the only commodity being smuggled to Afghanistan. Wheat and wheat flour are also going illegally to the other side of the Durand Line — just as they have always done in recent decades. The smuggling of Urea fertiliser to Afghanistan is also being reported. Pakistan produces the fertiliser using subsidised gas so that its retail price in Pakistani markets is almost half of its international price. This makes it a lucrative proposition for smugglers to buy it from Pakistan at the local price and sell it in Afghanistan at the international price. Consequently, Urea shortages are being reported from several parts of Pakistan ahead of the wheat sowing in november. Uncertainty and volatility in Afghanistan and its possible ripple effects in Pakistan are another reason why foreigners are reluctant to invest in Pakistan. The suicide attacks and other terrorist activities being carried out by the Islamic State’s Khorasan chapter are adding yet another deadly element to the region’s already volatile mix of unrest and terrorism. The situation leaves Pakistan with very few policy options so it must tread carefully. It needs to maintain a high-stakes balancing act: desist from antagonising Afghan Taliban so much that they start fomenting trouble through their proxies and allies in Pakistan, and prove to the rest of the world that Pakistan is as much opposed to Taliban’s extremist and conservative policies as the rest of the world. This is not going to be easy. Already some leading American media outlets—such as the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg — are urging the US government to use its influence to make International Monetary Fund (IMF) assistance to Pakistan more difficult and to maintain financial restrictions on it through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). They argue that Pakistan’s support for the Afghan Taliban has been a major reason for the latter’s ascendency to power in Kabul. not being able to either get the IMF assistance or get off FATF’s grey list is something that Pakistan can ill afford given the fragility of its economic and financial sectors. Pakistan must persuade the Afghan Taliban that they need to form an inclusive government and respect the global human rights standards. yet, Pakistan can ignore the humanitarian crisis brewing in Afghanistan only at its own peril. having to live through a harsh winter without any external assistance, many Afghans will be left with no choice but to leave their homeland and migrate to Pakistan. Any large-scale exodus of Afghans to Pakistan will not only make the management of the Pak-Afghan border extremely difficult, but it could also lead to an influx of terrorists masquerading as refugees into Pakistan. Unvaccinated Afghan refugees can also bring new variants of the Covid-19 virus to Pakistan. Pakistan should both lobby and try not to lead the international community in providing humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The best way to do so is to work closely with China, Russia, Iran, and the Central Asian states— the countries that share borders with Afghanistan. Some quarters suggest that Pakistan should go “beyond the humanitarian approach” to help Afghanistan. They say the two countries should allow barter trade so as to avoid the use of hard-to-come foreign currency. They also put forward the idea that Pakistan should print Afghan currency, open the branches of its banks in Afghanistan and provide both human and financial resources to the Afghan Taliban to run their government in a smooth manner. To do so without jeopardising its relationship with the United States and its european allies is going to be hard. Jeopardising our relationship with the US would mean inviting more economic hardship. One way of getting out of it could be to chalk out a minimum common agenda— in consultation with China, the United States, european Union, Russia, and Iran—of economic and humanitarian engagement with Afghanistan. earlier this week, China reaffirmed its supporting role in Afghanistan. Iran has hosted a foreign ministerial conference of Afghanistan’s neighbours to chalk out a regional strategy for dealing with Afghanistan’s emerging situation. Such regional developments can take the onus off Pakistan to act as the sole saviour of the Taliban government. Balancing acts are never easy in statecraft. The challenge this time is to balance our Afghan policy with our economic policies. USAMA MUGHAL SINDH
08 WORLD VIEW 11th January 22_Layout 1 1/10/2022 9:45 PM Page 1
Tuesday, 11 Janauary, 2022
08 WORLD VIEW
The end of The AmericAn cenTury THE US HAS ENTERED A NEW ERA WHERE IN 2021, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN TRULY REAPED A BITTER HARVEST FROM THE IT CAN NO LONGER CHANGE REGIMES BY STRATEGIC FOREIGN POLICY ERRORS OF FOUR OF HIS PREDECESSORS. BUT FORCE OF ARMS OR SANCTIONS WASHINGTON WOULD DO WELL TO THINK BEFORE IT MAKES ITS NEXT MOVE IT’S NOT JUST THE FALL OF KABUL. WHAT UNRAVELLED THIS YEAR WAS NO LESS THAN THREE DECADES OF BUNGLED US GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
Middle easT eye DaviD Hearst
“A
MeRICA has just had its Suez Crisis,” commented a member of the Iranian delegation at the nuclear talks in Vienna about the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, “but it has yet to see it.” It’s not just the fall of Kabul. In 2021, President Joe Biden truly reaped a bitter harvest from the strategic foreign policy errors of four of his predecessors. As he was the vice president for one of them, Barack Obama, he has trouble seeing this as well. The seeds of each of the major global conflict zones post - Afghanistan, Ukraine, Taiwan, and Iran were planted long ago. What unravelled this year was no less than three decades of bungled US global governance. each US president in the post-Soviet period shared the belief that he had the file to himself. It was not something to be shared at the UN Security Council. he was the commander-in-chief of the largest, best-equipped and most mobile armed force in the world, one that could stage over the horizon attacks with devastating accuracy. The US president controls 750 military bases in 80 different countries. he also had the biggest pocket, the world’s reserve currency, so, ergo, he could now set the rules. What could possibly go wrong? With that belief came two assumptions that proved to be fatally flawed: that the US monopoly on the use of force would last forever - it ended with Russia’s intervention in Syria - and that the US could continue to enforce a “rules-based” world order - so long as it continued to make the rules. Biden has quietly buried both assumptions by admitting that great powers will be forced to “manage” their competition to avoid conflict that no one can win. But hang on a moment. There is something not quite right here.
The cAuSe And effecT Theory Major conflicts, which have the potential to produce tank battles not seen since World War II, like Ukraine, do not just happen. There is cause and effect. The cause was the unilateral but at the time uncontroversial decision to expand Nato eastwards in the 1990s, abandoning the model of a largely demilitarised and missile-free eastern europe that had been discussed with president Mikhail Gorbachev a decade earlier. This was done to give new meaning to Nato, a military pact whose purpose died when its enemy did. Complete rubbish was talked about Nato “cementing” democracy in eastern europe by guaranteeing its independence from Moscow. But remember the mood at the time. It was triumphalist. Not only was capitalism the only economic system left, but its neo-liberal brand was the only brand worth promoting. For a brief moment, Moscow became an eastern gold rush, a Klondike for venture capitalists, Ikea, Carrefour, Irish pubs, and bible bashers. The Russians, meanwhile, were obsessed with designer labels, not politics. The Americans in Moscow - at the time - did not
T
Tribune, india
he arrest of four young suspects in the heinous Bulli Bai case points to the disturbing trend of the vitriol perpetrated by the politics of hate having seeped into the minds of a new generation that has grown up in an atmosphere prickly with communal polarisation. The rogue elements in this tech-savvy generation seem to be skilled in evading or outpacing the cyber cops as they master the tricks of the ever-changing cyberworld. The Bulli Bai sordid online drama, woven around the derogatory mock auction of certain vocal Muslim women that erupted on January 1, is an action replay of a similarly hideous Sulli Deals of July last
bother much about what their hosts thought or did. Russia became irrelevant on the international stage. US advisers boasted about writing the decrees the Russian president Boris Yeltsin issued. And Yeltsin returned the favour by handing over the designs of the latest Russian tank and the wiring diagram of bugs placed by the KGB in the concrete foundation of an extension being built in the US embassy. For Russian nationalists, this was nothing less than an act of treason. But doors were open so wide to the West that literally everything that was not nailed down flew through them - nuclear scientists, missile engineers, the cream of the KGB, and suitcases full of cash. Where do you think the Russians who settled in highgate in North London, or the hamptons on Long Island, or Cyprus, or Israel got their money from? For a time, even the word “West” dropped out of Russian political vocabulary because the new Russians thought they had just joined it.
uKrAine, The WeST’S VicTim The first US ambassador to the newly created Russian Federation, Robert Strauss, spent more time defending what happened in the Kremlin than the White house. Western embassies became spokesmen for a Russia they thought they now owned. Strauss downplayed the first reports of the rise of the Russian mafia state, as a mere bagatelle. “This is what Chicago was like in the 20s,” he told me. This was followed by inanities about the green shoots of democracy and the time it took to mow an english lawn. As if he knew. Bill Clinton and Tony Blair were similarly blasé about what they did in Russia. The Russian army was “a joke”. When the Russians sent their armoured columns into Grozny in December 1994, the West thought it could be stopped by small bands of determined Chechens; their pilots had only three hours flying time each month: their frigates sailed in pairs - one to patrol, the second to tow back the first one when it broke down; their submarines sunk. And so Nato pushed eastwards. No one at the time bought the argument that all Nato would do was to push the line of confrontation eastwards. Russia’s pleas to negotiate a security architecture for eastern europe fell on deaf ears. They are not falling on deaf ears now, with 90,000 Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders. The victim of this gross act of western stupidity was Ukraine, which for at least the first decade after the fall of the Soviets had survived intact and largely in peace. Civil wars raged all around it, but Ukraine itself maintained its political and social unity despite being comprised of very different communities. With the exception of Western Ukraine, which never forgot that it had been captured by the Bolsheviks from the crumbling Austrohungarian empire, Russian and Ukrainian speakers lived in peace. Now it is divided forever, scared by a civil war from which it will never recover. Ukraine will never regain its lost unity, and for that, Brussels is as much to thank as the bully boys from Moscow.
The neW coLd WAr Then there is China. Pivoting eastwards surely did not mean ending one Cold War and starting a new one with China, but that too is inexorably happening. Biden cannot decide whether to calm President Xi down or confront him, but doing each in sequence will not work. To get a measure of what mainland China feels when British warships sail through the Taiwan Strait, how would Britain react if Chinese warships appeared in the
Irish Sea and sailed between Scotland and Northern Ireland? The game of “managing” competition has human consequences as devastating as the superpower triumphalism of the 1990s, and those can be observed in Afghanistan today. The Afghanistan of the ousted Afghani president Ashraf Ghani truly was a Potemkin village, a facade of independent statehood. An astonishing 300,000 troops and soldiers on its government’s books did not exist. “Ghost soldiers” were added to official lists so that generals would pocket their wages, Afghanistan’s former finance minister Khalid Payenda told the BBC. The black hole of the former corrupt regime’s finances was an open secret long before Biden set a date for withdrawal. A report for the US special inspector general for Afghanistan (SIGAR) warned in 2016: “Neither the United States nor its Afghan allies know how many Afghan soldiers and police actually exist, how many are in fact available for duty, or, by extension, the true nature of their operational capabilities.” Now that the tap of US income has been turned off, Afghanistan is on the verge of a nationwide famine. But, incredibly, the US is blaming this situation on the Taliban. It withholds money on the grounds of human rights, the night-time revenge killings on former state employees, or the suppression of education for women. Much of the Afghan central bank’s $10bn in assets is parked overseas, including $1.3bn in gold reserves in New York. The US Treasury is using this money as a lever to pressure the Taliban on women’s rights and the rule of law. It has granted a licence to the US government and its partners to facilitate humanitarian aid and it gave Western Union permission to resume processing personal remittances from migrants overseas. But the US does not hold itself to account for having nurtured a state that cannot function without the money that it is now withholding. The US has direct responsibility for the famine that is now taking place in Afghanistan. To withhold money from the Taliban because they took power militarily, rather than negotiate their re-entry with other Afghan warlords, also wears somewhat thin.
SAme STory The Taliban walked into Kabul with barely a shot fired because everything crumbled before them. The speed of the collapse of Afghan forces blindsided everybody. The only country that really knew what was happening was Iran, because officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were with the Taliban as they walked in, according to Iranian sources close to the IRGC. But we are where we are. “There were some improvements in the last 20 years. There was a middle class in Kabul, women’s education. But if you want to lose everything, this is the way to do it. The Taliban will go hardline if the place runs out of money. If you want to protect the liberal elements, you have to make Afghanistan stable.” Is it really in the US interest to stabilise Afghanistan? If they let the money through, it would mean supporting the very axis of China, Russia and Pakistan that they were now determined to push back. The faltering talks in Vienna, the crisis on Ukraine’s border, renewed tension and military posturing in Taiwan, are all part of the same story.
STrATeGic miSTAKeS Washington would do well to look at the map of the
Sullying young minds SULLI DEALS, BULLI BAI CASES POINT TO DISTURBING TREND year and on whose trail the law enforcers still are. Both the apps were hosted by the same platform, the California-based Github. The racket seems to be widespread as those arrested include the alleged ‘mastermind and creator’ of the egregious app, an engineering student from Assam, two students from Uttarakhand and one from Ben-
galuru. The accused allegedly used Sikh names to hide their identity. It is indeed distressing that youngsters — in their late teens or early twenties — should be misled or lured into misusing their talents to ostensibly bully and silence women of a minority community by spreading hateful and insulting comments against them on social media. Notably, among the targeted women,
PIVOTING EASTWARDS SURELY DID NOT MEAN ENDING ONE COLD WAR AND STARTING A NEW ONE WITH CHINA, BUT THAT TOO IS INEXORABLY HAPPENING world and think before it makes its next move. A long period of reflection is needed. Thus far it has obtained the dubious distinction of getting every conflict it has engaged with in this century wrong. The chance of a global conflict involving real armies and real arms has never been higher and the tripwire to using weapons of mass destruction has never been strung tighter. Nor have all the world’s military powers been better armed, able and willing to start their own inventions. Biden should bear this in mind. It is now in the US’ strategic interest to staunch any more bloodletting in the battlefields it created this century. That means the US should come to a deal with Iran by lifting the sanctions it imposed on Tehran since the 2015 JCPOA. If it wants to balance the growing Chinese and Russian influence in the Middle east, that is the surest way to do it. Iran is not going to give up its missiles any more than Israel is going to ground its air force. But a deal in Vienna could be a precursor to regional Gulf security negotiations. The emiratis, Qataris, Omanis and Kuwaitis are all ready for it. If Washington wants to apply rules, let it do so first with its allies, who have extraordinary impunity for their brutal actions. If Washington is the champion of human rights it claims to be, start with Saudi Arabia or egypt. If it is the enforcer of international law, let’s see Washington make Israel pay a price for its continued settlement policy, which makes a mockery of UN Security Council resolutions, and the US’ own policy for a resolution to the Palestinian conflict. The Abraham Accords were devised to establish Israel as America’s declared and open regional surrogate. had Donald Trump secured a second term, such a policy would have been a disaster for US strategic interests in the Middle east. Already Israel thinks it has a veto on US decision making in the region. With this policy fully in place, it would have been in charge of it, which would have meant permanent conflict created by a military power that always strikes first. Israel acts with ruthless logic. It will use any opportunity to expand its borders until a Palestinian state becomes an impossibility. It probably has already succeeded in that aim. however, this is not US policy. But this expansion continues, almost week in, week out, because no one in Washington will lift a finger to stop it. Doing nothing about armed lynch mobs of settlers attacking unarmed Palestinian villagers in the West Bank is the same as agreeing to them. If you want to be a champion of rules, apply those rules to yourself first. This is the only way to regain lost global authority. The US has entered a new era where it can no longer change regimes by force of arms or sanctions. It has discovered the uselessness of force. It should drop the stick and start handing out bucket loads of carrots. It should get on with the urgent task of deconfliction. After the damage done this century by conflicts ordered, created and backed by US presidents - Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya - that is not only a responsibility but a duty. Another US strategic mistake would be its, and Western europe’s, last. David Hearst is co-founder and editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye. He is a commentator and speaker on the region and analyst on Saudi Arabia.
whose morphed photos were used, are journalists, lawyers and the mother of a missing Muslim student. Muddling the dirty tale further and one that may fly in the cops’ face is the claim of a Twitter user from Nepal that he is the brains behind Bulli Bai. The law enforcement authorities need to up their game and get to the bottom of the case, the key to which is likely held by Github. With cybercrimes related to stalking, bullying, intimidating and blackmailing on the rise — over 50,000 were reported in 2020 as per NCRB data — a case is made out for bigger investments in cyber experts and budgets to curb crime. At the same time, every girl entering the virtual world must be armed with awareness of cyber safety rules and not be afraid of reporting anything untoward.
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
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MINIStER wANtS cONtINUEd SUPPORt fOR ExPORtS dESPItE fIScAl tIGhtENING ISLAMABAD
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REutERS
HE nation’s top commerce official is pushing the government to bet big on the export industry by maintaining tens of millions of dollars of policy support even as the government looks to tighten the fiscal belt in a midyear budget this month. The all-important textile industry is at the centre of this export-led growth strategy, said Abdul Razak Dawood, advisor to the prime minister, as the government targets ambitious growth of 4.8 percent in the 20212022 financial year. Authorities have supported the export industry since coming to power in 2018 by securing competitive energy prices and offering cheap credit. Dawood told Reuters he had spoken to the prime minister and finance minister about the need for continued support. The government is looking to end tax exemptions in a number of areas in its midyear budget as part of fiscal tightening efforts aimed at securing the release of $1 billion in International Monetary Fund
(IMF) funds. Pakistan entered a $6 billion support programme with the IMF in 2019. “People in this country don’t understand what the importance of exports … export-led growth strategy (is),” Dawood said in an interview with Reuters. He said continuing support for exports is the best way to tackle Pakistan’s long-standing economic woes and achieve sustained growth. Pakistan’s exports hit a historic high of $25.3 billion in the 2020-2021 financial year, with textiles making up a whopping 60 percent of those exports. That helped the country achieve 3.94 percent GDP growth last year after a coronavirus-induced slump. ‘REMARKABLE JUMP’ Pakistan’s exports have risen 24.7 percent year-on-year in the first half of the 2021-2022 financial year, official data showed last week. “You can see that there’s been a remarkable jump,” Dawood said. One driver has been the government’s policy of securing regionally competitive power rates to allow our exporters to match prices offered by peers such as India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, he said.
“NBP holds meeting with AGP on Audit Report” PRESS RELEASE National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) received an Audit Report from the Office of the Director General Commercial Audit & Evaluation (South), Department of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) on the 28th of December covering the period 2012 to 2020. In order to seek clarifications from AGP on statements made and data quoted in the report, a meeting was held on January 05th 2022 at the NBP Head Office in Karachi, where the AGP office was led by Director General (South) and included two other senior members. During this meeting, the AGP team informed NBP that the said Audit Report should be construed as a compilation of their preliminary observations which are yet to be reviewed and finalized after deliberations with NBP management i.e. the report is in draft form. The NBP management pointed out several factual errors in the report in actual paragraphs and the AGP officers agreed to review these and amend wherever warranted. In discussions with NBP seniors, the AGP has expressed concerns at the premature release of the referenced confidential draft observation report that is circulating in the media and confirmed that they are conducting an internal inquiry on this violation of protocol.
UPower’ empowers users to exercise power of choice for their connectivity needs – An industry first ISLAMABAD: Pakistani telecom operator, Ufone 4G is set to deliver unprecedented ease and enablement to its users by giving them greater control over their connectivity needs. ‘UPower’, coming with a catchy tagline ‘Apni Marzi Chala’ (exercise your choice) is designed to enable users to choose from multiple options covering all in one bundle, internet bundle and all network calling bundle that are best suited to their needs. UPower features three denominations and within each denomination four different options are offered, so that users can pick and choose from calling, internet, and hybrid bundles to cater their dynamic connectivity needs UPower being an industry first not only offers competitive value proposition but empowers customer to exercise Apni Marzi Chala by opting right bundles at the right time depending on their dynamic requirement.
AIOU uploads workshop results on its website ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has uploaded workshop results for the programs offered in spring 2021 semester including ADE, ADC, BS, B Ed and all post graduate programs whereas examinations results of these programs are in the final stage of compilation. Moreover, university will announce BA and Associate Degree programs’ results very soon. Furthermore, AIOU has rescheduled examination papers postponed on December 18 in KPK and December 20 in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on January 17 and January 18 respectively. PR
The central bank has also offered cheap credit to the industry after the coronavirusinduced economic slowdown. To sustain this, Dawood is encouraging the government to push through with a textile export policy which has faced push-back from various government departments. The policy could include billions of rupees in regionally competitive energy rate assurances, concessional funds, drawbacks
and tax rebates, experts and local media reports say. While Dawood said months of negotiation between the commerce and other ministries have delayed the policy’s release, it could be enacted as early as this month with certain “conditionalities”. ‘GOOD IMPORTS’ Growing exports have been accompanied by a surging import bill, which Dawood said has been driven by ris-
ing global fuel and food prices and purchases of Covid-19 vaccines. Imports grew 65 percent year-on-year to reach over $40 billion in the first half of this financial year, putting a strain on the country’s $24 billion foreign exchange reserves. The spike has not unnerved Dawood, who said it also reflected “good imports” of capital goods and raw materials — a sign that the country’s industries are growing. Some economic experts have criticised Pakistan’s over-reliance and continuous support for the textile industry. Dawood said he did not agree that the textile sector was “too pampered” but acknowledged the need to diversify Pakistan’s exports: “In the long run, we should not just depend on just textiles [… ] if something were to happen to textiles, where would the country go?” Other experts do not agree with Dawood’s policy of sustained support. “The government needs to evaluate subsidies given to export-related sectors in light of the fiscal challenges as well as misuse of those subsidies,” said Mohammed Sohail, CEO of brokerage Topline Securities. “In the past, we have seen that such support has not yielded desired results.”
Silkbank and the British Council join hands to offer a special discount on Digital Library Membership to Silkbank Credit Card customers PRESS RELEASE Silkbank Credit Card customers will now be able to subscribe to the British Council’s Digital Library for just PKR 2,625/year, availing a 25% discount on the membership. This membership includes unlimited access to the world’s best learning and entertainment content – including ebooks, audiobooks, research databases, e-journals, magazines, films and more – all with the convenience of a mobile and web app. Customers can avail the offer by
entering the discount code SB25 in the sign-up form on the British Council Library website and paying online with a Silkbank Credit Card. The agreement was signed by Mr. Nouman Butt, Head Alliances, Loyalty & New Initiatives at Silkbank Limited and Mr. Michael Houlgate, Director Sindh, Punjab and Baluchistan at the British Council. Both of them had positive views to share regarding this strategic partnership that supports Silkbank’s efforts to stay ahead of the market by offering innovative solutions.
KARACHI: Silkbank Limited, with its substantial market share in the credit cards segment, has partnered with the British Council to offer its Credit Card customers the ease of e-learning.
PTCL Group wins prestigious Global Diversity, Equityand Inclusion Benchmark (GDEIB) Award in five categories
Kiryana retailers will get 8% tax free commission on each Ehsaas subsidy sale: Sania ISLAMABAD PRESS RELEASE
ISLAMABAD PRESS RELEASE
In recognition of its forward-looking human resource practices and work culture, PTCL Group has won the prestigious Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Benchmark (GDEIB) Award in five categories. The achievement highlights the Group’s standing as a progressive and wholly employee-centric organization with unique attributes that have been validated previously as well. Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB) are global standards developed by The Centre for Global Inclusion (CBI) , with more than 112 experts from across the world. The standards help
organizations across the world determine their strategy and measure progress in managing diversity and fostering inclusion to strive for excellence in their respective fields. This year, PTCL Group won the prestigious award in five categories, thereby reinforcing its reputation as one of the most progressive organizations in the country. Among these three; Vision, strategy, and Business impact; Work-life integration, flexibility and benefits; and Assessment, Measurement, and Research were categorized as proactive whereas the other two; DEI Communications and Community, Government Relations, and Philanthropy were categorized in progressive stage. The GDEIB, ‘Diversity Hub’, a
center of expertise with HR Metrics, Islamabad, holds annual awards to celebrate the accomplishments of organizations in GDEIB in 15 categories on a maturity scale of 1-5. Award submissions are reviewed by globally renowned jury members through a democratic review process. Commenting on the achievement, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone, Syed Mazhar Hussain said, “We are thrilled to receive outstanding recognition at the GDEIB Awards for diversity and inclusion at PTCL. As an organization, we believe in making sustained efforts to foster gender and cultural diversity and continuously strive to provide an environment for these changes to take root.
Tanzania Navy Commander visits Naval Headquarters ISLAMABAD PRESS RELEASE
Tanzania Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Michael Mwanandenja Mumanga visited Naval Headquarters, Islamabad and called on Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi. Upon arrival at Naval Headquarters, the visiting dignitary was received by Chief of the Naval Staff. A smartly turned out contingent of Pakistan Navy presented him Guard of Honour. After wreath laying at shuhada monument, the dignitary was introduced to the Principal Staff Officers at Naval Headquarters. Later, Rear Admiral Michael Mwandenje Mumanga called on Chief of the Naval Staff in his office. During the meeting, various matters of maritime security and mutual interest including bilateral collaboration were discussed. Chief of the Naval Staff highlighted Pakistan Navy’s con-
tributions for ensuring maritime security and peace in the region. Both the dignitaries agreed on further enhancing mutual interactions in diversified military domains. It is expected that the visit of Tanzania Navy Commander shall further promote the existing bilateral cooperation between the two countries in general and the navies in particular.
Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM convened a progress review meeting with National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to track the cadence of Ehsaas Rashan Riayat Registration. The meeting discussed that with the collaborative efforts of Chief Secretaries of KP and Punjab, NBP team and district administrations, the Kiryana retailer registrations have risen substantively from 300 to 3,000 per week. President NBP, Arif Usmani; Chief Digital Officer NBP, Hamayoun Sajjad, executive leadership and over 500 regional officers from all over the country joined the meeting. Secretary of the Social Safety Division, Muhammad Ali Shahzada and Additional Secretary Captain (Retd) Saeed Ahmed Nawaz were also in attendance. The Rashan Riayat programme of Ehsaas is being executed in partnership with NBP. The registrations of Kiryana retailers and poor families are currently in full swing and preparations are underway to formally roll out the programme soon. NBP is facilitating the Kiryana owners to open their bank accounts. NBP authorized Kiryana retailers will disburse Ehsaas Rashan subsidy to eligible beneficiaries through a special purpose, ‘mobile Point of Sale’ (mPOS) App. Answering questions of NBP field officers, Dr. Sania reassured that Ehsaas Rashan Riayat system has been made hundred percent digital to checkmate misuse. It has nothing to do with bringing the Kiryana owners in the tax fold. The Kiryana owners centered communications plan was also discussed to apprise retailers of the 8% tax exempted commission on each subsidy transaction and quarterly raffles offering cars, motor bikes, mobile phones and various other prizes. Later, responding to another most frequently asked question from the field team, Dr. Sania stated, “Ehsaas Rashan Riayat is flexible to variety and quality of commodities. Eligible families will be free to avail a subsidy of Rs. 1,000 a month on the purchase of wheat flour, pulses, cooking oil or ghee of their preference. Accordingly, 30% subsidy will be given on these three items, per unit purchase.”
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOREIGN NEWS
Sehryar afrIdI warnS wOrld Of IndIa’S nefarIOuS deSIgnS agaInSt OverSeaS KaShmIrI rIghtS actIvIStS iSLaMabaD
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News Desk
HAIrMAN of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan Afridi Monday denounced the registration of criminal cases against overseas rights activists from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir Dr Asif Dar and Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur under malafide and false charges by the saffron-clad occupational police force. Speaking to a delegation of Kashmir Youth Alliance led by Dr Mujahid Gilani here, Shehryar Afridi said that the malafide charges against Kashmiri resistance activist and renowned anesthesiologist Dr Asif Maqbool Dar by the occupational police force in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIoJK) is biggest violation of basic human rights and mockery of the international law. Afridi said that his office has taken up the case of Dr Asif Dar with Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office, Pakistan Foreign Office, Pakistan National Security Division, offices of President and Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir for necessary action. “The targeting of Kashmiris by India and her rogue agencies, around the world, whether they are studying, working or carrying out their business, is a serious concern. My office is working with relevant departments in Pakistan to devise a strategy to
fight back India’s dangerous plans against overseas Kashmiris,” Afridi noted. “The police in IIoJK have completely been overrun by rSS ideology which has resulted in a dangerous and deadly combination of fascism and military might – both of which are being used jointly against innocent Kashmiris wherever they are,” said Afridi. The Indian police in IIoJK has leveled baseless and fraud allegations against Dr Dar, who works as a senior anesthesiologist in Middle East. “Dr Asif Maqbool Dar has emerged as voice of popular resistance against Indian occupation in IIoJK. His activism both off and online has brought nightmares to India and its stooges in IIoJK and that is why such fraud allegations are being leveled against these honest and brave Kashmiri resistance activists,” Afridi said. The Kashmir Committee chairman said leveling fraud allegations against Dr Dar shows ‘frustration of the saffron-clad Indian police in IIoJK’. “I had already intimated the international community about the nexus between Indian police and Israeli forces and how some Indian police officials from IIoJK received training in Tel Aviv. Bringing fraud charges against Dr Dar is a leaf from the same playbook formulated by Israeli state against Palestinian activists wherein they target anti-colonial and anti-occupation activists living outside their homelands,” Afridi said. “India can go to any extent to silence such vocal
and brave voices,” Afridi warned and urged the international community including the United Nations, OIC and UNHrC to hold India accountable. “The world community and people who claim to be torchbearers of human rights and peoples’ freedom must name and shame India for making mockery of international law and fundamental human rights.” Afridi said Dr Asif Maqbool Dar is a brave son of his Kashmiri motherland. “Dr Dar is an honorable man, son, husband, father and a thorough professional,” said Afridi. “Dr Dar’s clarity on India’s occupation of Kashmir and his passion for resistance against the occupation is an inspiration for thousands of Kashmiri youth and resistance activists. Pakistan is proud of such Kashmiris,” the Kashmir Committee chairman said. referring to reports of another fraud case filed by police stooges of India in Kashmir against UK-based Kashmiri activist Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur, Afridi said, “This is another brazen mockery of international law.” “The stooges of Indian police in IIoJK are behaving like international cops to police the world. Framing such cases against rights activists are self-serving to satisfy their blood-thirsty master who claimed to have ‘56-inch chest’,” Afridi said. “Kashmiris will fight back such mockery by resorting to lawfare and knocking every international institution since people in IIoJK have rejected India and its rule,” Afridi concluded.
Muttaqi meets Ahmad Massoud in Iran, offers safe return KabUL News Desk
The Taliban’s foreign minister said on Monday he held talks in Iran on the weekend with Ahmad Massoud, son of the late legendary Afghan resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, and guaranteed his security if he returned home. Massoud’s Panjshir Valley forces provided the last resistance in September to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, weeks after government troops capitulated. In a video posted on Monday by state media on Twitter, Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said he
also met Ismail Khan, a Herat province warlord who surrendered to the Taliban and left the country. The Taliban had announced Muttaqi’s departure to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials but made no mention of any plans to meet exiled leaders. “We met commander Ismail Khan and Ahmad Massoud, and other Afghans in Iran, and assured them that anyone can come to Afghanistan and live without any concerns,” Muttaqi said in the video. “It’s home to all, and we do not create insecurity or other problems for anyone. Everyone can come freely and live.” The Panjshir Valley is famed for being the
China voices firm support to Kazakhstan for ‘quelling the violence’ Mian abrar
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Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday delivered firm support to Kazakhstan for “maintaining stability and quelling the violence” as the Central Asian country has been witnessing a wave of extreme demonstrations since January 2. Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, three days after Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Kazakh President KassymJomart Tokayev for his “decisive and strong initiative” against the unrest in a verbal message. The disturbance, triggered by a sudden rise in fuel prices, has turned into the worst unrest that Kazakhstan has seen in its 30 years of independence. China stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to implement the important political consensuses reached by the two heads of state, and do its best to provide necessary support and assistance to Kazakhstan, Wang said. On the occasion of the national day of mourning in Kazakhstan, Wang said that China would like to pay tribute to the front-line law enforcement personnel who died in the fight against violence and terrorism in Kazakhstan, and express condolences and sympathy to the innocent dead and injured. At this moment, the Chinese government and people stand firmly together with the Kazakh government and people, Wang stressed. Certain foreign forCes don’t want peaCe for Central asia: wang Yi The unrest this time shows that there are challenges to control the situation in Central Asia, Wang noted, “and proves that certain foreign forces don’t want peace and tranquility for Central Asia.” “We are jointly opposing the penetration and interference from outside parties.” Local residents stand shoulder to shoulder with police officers in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, January 8, 2022. /Website of Nur-Sultan city hall. Handout via Xinhua China is willing to work with Kazakhstan by stepping up cooperation in law enforcement and security measures to preserve the safety of both political systems and ruling powers. The Chinese diplomat slammed “any sorts of ‘color revolution’ schemes.” He added that China trusted
Kazakhstan to ensure the safety of the Chinese nationals staying in the country. For his part, Tleuberdi sincerely thanked President Xi for sending the crucial verbal message to President Tokayev when Kazakhstan was in times of danger and being among the first to express support for President Tokayev and the Kazakh people. Monday marks the national day of mourning in Kazakhstan. The phone conversation with the Chinese foreign minister once again showed China’s firm support for Kazakhstan and the brotherhood between the two countries, Tleuberdi said. Tleuberdi briefed Wang on the latest developments in Kazakhstan, saying that the country had suffered well-planned terrorist attacks that broke out suddenly and simultaneously at many places across the country, with thousands of law enforcement personnel, military police, and medical personnel staff under attack. The Kazakh authorities have taken timely and decisive measures, and the situation has been under effective control, while peace and calm are being restored, Tleuberdi said. He promised that Kazakhstan will fully guarantee the security of foreign institutions and personnel as well as foreign investment and continue to fulfill its international obligations and agreements.
site of resistance to Soviet forces in the 1980s and the Taliban in the late 1990s, during their first stint in power. Its most revered figure is Ahmad Shah Massoud, known as the “Lion of Panjshir”, who was assassinated in 2001 by al Qaeda two days before the 9/11 attacks. His son has since picked up the mantle, and there have been reports of him organising a resistance with other exiled Afghan leaders. The Massoud-led National resistance Front has repeatedly denounced the Taliban — calling it an “illegitimate government” — but does not appear to have made any physical attacks.
India begins booster campaign as Omicron cases soar nEW DELHi AFP
India began a Covid-19 booster shot campaign for frontline workers and vulnerable people aged 60 and above on Monday as authorities grapple with a rapidly escalating outbreak driven by the Omicron variant. Daily case numbers are approaching the enormous figures seen last year, when thousands died each day and workers maintained roundthe-clock funeral pyres for the mass cremation of virus victims. Nearly 180,000 new infections were recorded overnight, up nearly six times from a week earlier, with several urban centres imposing nighttime curfews and restrictions on public gatherings. “We’ve seen the number of cases increasing,” said Sheetal Vaishnav, a doctor helping oversee Monday’s vaccinations at a clinic in the capital New Delhi. “It’s necessary that we start protecting our population more.” People aged 60 and above with pre-existing medical conditions, health professionals, and other essential workers are all eligible for a booster nine months after their second jab. “I want to keep myself safe in this pandemic, that’s why I got it,” said Sunil, a municipal worker who received his latest shot on Monday. “Nothing happened in the first one, and nothing in the second one, what can go wrong with the third one?” positive signs: India appears better placed to weather the Omicron strain than it was ahead of the calamitous Delta wave it suffered last year. During that period, more than 200,000 people died within a few weeks, according to official figures. Experts believe the real number is several times higher. That outbreak saw hospitals overwhelmed, oxygen run out and patients scramble to source medicine from depleted pharmacies. In the time since, Indian health workers have injected more than 1.5 billion vaccine doses, with teens aged 15-18 eligible since last week. As in other countries, deaths are a fraction of those during the Delta wave — with 146 fatalities recorded on Sunday, compared with more than 4,000 per day during last year’s spike. But experts still fear the number of new infections to come could test the country’s hospitals in a bleak rerun of last year’s catastrophe.
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022 | ISLAMABAD
SPORTS 11
PM IMRAN KHAN HoNouReD WItH INteRNAtIoNAL SPoRtS AWARD
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RIMe Minister Imran Khan on Sunday was awarded the “International Sports Personality Award,” at the 11th edition of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Awards ceremony held in Dubai, United Arab emirates. According to The Khaleej Times, the awards were distributed by the Crown Prince
Bank AL Habib’s 11th Rashid D. Habib Memorial National Professional Golf to tee off on 13th January 2022 KaRaCHI Pr
The most popular National Golf tournament - Rashid D. Habib Memorial National Professional Golf Tournament 2022, is all set to tee off on its 11th edition, on 13th January at the Karachi Golf Club (KGC). This tournament is sponsored by Bank AL Habib, and is one of the most prominent golf events in PGF's calendar. More than hundred top golfers will compete in the Professionals category for the coveted trophy. This year, Pakistan’s top golfer Muhammad Shabbir will defend his title. Prior to this event, a two-day match for local KGC Professionals, Senior Professionals and KGC Caddies, the 21st edition of Rashid D. Habib Memorial Golf Tournament, will be played on 11th and 12th January, with the aim to support and develop professional golf at KGC. Rashid D. Habib Memorial Golf has one of the highest prize money of Rs. 8.0 Million. The prize money also includes Appearance Money to be distributed amongst the top 5 Professionals and top 3 Senior Professionals, as per PGF current ranking. In addition, a brand new Toyota Corolla and a Suzuki Alto will also be awarded to the first player who achieves a hole-in-one in national and local categories respectively. Chief of Naval Staff would grace the occasion as a Chief Guest. The tournament will conclude on 16th January, followed by the prize distribution ceremony. COVID-19 SOPs will be strictly followed during the event.
Waqar Younis to undergo eye surgery
NewS DeSK Pakistan’s former fast bowler and the national cricket team’s ex-coach Waqar Younis is scheduled to undergo a minor eye surgery today (Monday). The former pacer shared his health status with his fans and followers on Twitter, as he asked them to pray for him ahead of his surgery. “Going for a small surgery please pray for me. Thank you for the company Asfand,” the former Pakistan captain tweeted along with his picture. TwiTTeraTi respond: Fans and cricketers responded on Twitter and prayed for his health.
Shoaib Malik launches his own restaurant in Lahore NewS DeSK Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik just launched his own eatery, The Rice Bowl, in a posh area of Lahore. The inauguration ceremony was attended by different cricketers, while Pakistani singer Atif Aslam also paid a surprise visit to the restaurant. Malik took to Twitter to thank the singer for attending the launch ceremony, saying that it was a “lovely surprise” for him to see Atif on the special day. “What a lovely surprise it was @itsaadee to see you pop out of the blue at the launch of #RiceBowl earlier today. Sir tussi great ho, love you,” Malik wrote. Meanwhile, cricketers Babar Azam, Hassan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Ahmed Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, and former cricketers Waqar Younis and Inzamam ul Haq along with others were also spotted at Malik’s restaurant.
of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Chairman of Dubai Sports Council and Mattar Al Tayer Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Dubai exhibition Centre. It should be noted that PM Imran Khan was announced as a winner back in November 2021 for dedicating his life to sports. During his illustrious 21-year cricket career, Imran Khan made numerous contributions to Pakistan cricket including leading
the green shirts to the 1992 World Cup title. After making his debut in 1971, he went on to unleash several records, becoming one of the greatest players ever to grace the game. In his stellar career, Imran represented Pakistan in the 88 Test matches and scored 3807 runs with six centuries as well as took 362 wickets at an average of 22.81. While in the ODIs, he represented his country in 175 matches and took 182 scalps at an average of 26.61, along with 3,709 under his belt as well.
Shahid Afridi expresses concern over increasing use of drugs among youth Staff RepoRt Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi has expressed serious concern over the increasing cases of drugs addiction among the youth and has urged parents and teachers to be more vigilant. In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Afridi said: “Many parents and teachers remain worried about their children and some of the families have to go to police stations due to the growing use of drugs.” The former captain added that substance abuse has “worried parents to a great extent,” adding that, “every parent loves their children, including me, but make sure not to be blinded by love.” Afridi appealed to parents and teachers to closely monitor the outdoor activities of their children and make sure to have dope tests carried out in schools, colleges, and universities at least twice a year. Talking about drug tests, he said that health-related issues could be prevented from happening in the future, adding that “parents will not regret such decisions later.”
No-vac’ Djokovic wins Australia visa case, judge orders his release afp World number one Novak Djokovic won a stunning victory on Monday over the Australian government, overturning the cancellation of his visa on Covid-19 health grounds, and ending his detention. It was an extraordinary setback for the government, which has imposed strict restrictions on its borders for the past two years to stop the spread of the coronavirus. In an emergency online court hearing, the judge ordered that the decision to cancel Djokovic’s visa “be quashed”. The judge ordered that the unvaccinated tennis superstar “be released immediately and forthwith from immigration detention”. “Such release must occur no later than 30 minutes after the making of this order,” he added. Australian taxpayers will be asked to pay costs for Djokovic’s high-powered legal team. “Novak, Novak, Novak,” chanted dozens of fans of the nine-time Australian Open champion as they marched in celebration, drums banging, outside Melbourne’s federal courthouse. The 34-year-old Djokovic had arrived in Melbourne last Wednesday ahead of the Australian Open, which starts in just one week, hoping to win a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title. But even as he savours an extraordinary win in the federal court, his tournament dream may yet be out of reach. The government’s lawyer told the court that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke may decide to use his “personal power of cancellation” despite the player’s legal victory. After touching down in Australia, Djokovic was taken into an overnight interview with border agents, who decided the champion had failed to present a solid medical reason for not being jabbed. Djokovic’s visa was revoked and he
was moved to a notorious immigration detention facility pending deportation. He spent four nights in the former Park Hotel, a five-storey facility that holds about 32 migrants trapped in Australia’s hardline immigration system — some for years on end. An early plea by Djokovic to be moved to a facility where he can train for the Australian Open had fallen on deaf ears, his lawyers said. ‘noT human condiTions’: The court’s finding, read out in an online hearing, said the player was not given the chance to reply fully before his visa was torn up. In the early hours of Thursday, Djokovic was told he had until 8:30 am to reply to the proposed cancellation of his visa. But instead, the border agent cancelled it at 7:42 am. Had Djokovic been given until 8:30 am as first promised, “he could have consulted others and made submissions to the delegate about why his visa should not be cancelled,” the judge said. According to a transcript of the airport interview, Djokovic told the border control agent: “I just really don’t understand what is the reason you don’t allow me
to enter your country.” earlier, at a rally in Belgrade, Djokovic’s mother Dijana claimed her son was staying “in not human conditions” during his four-night stay at the detention centre. “They detained him and even don’t give him breakfast, he has only lunch and dinner,” she said, quoted by local media. “He does not have a normal window, he stares at a wall.” Though it had no bearing on his court case, Djokovic’s claim of a positive test on December 16 stirred controversy after it emerged he had attended a gathering that day for the Serbian national postal service launching a stamp series in his honour. Pictures shared by the Belgrade tennis federation also showed him at a young players’ event in the city on December 17. It reported that he had handed over cups and prizes to players. No one was wearing a mask. Another tennis player — Czech doubles specialist Renata Voracova — has also had her visa cancelled after obtaining a medical exemption. She flew out of Australia on Saturday after being held in the same Melbourne centre as Djokovic.
Tuesday, 11 January, 2022
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COAS BAjwA underSCOreS SIGnIfICAnCe Of PeACe, reCOnCIlIAtIOn InItIAtIveS In AfGhAnIStAn
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OAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa met Major General Talal Abdullah Al-Otaibi, the military advisor to Saudi Minister of Defence, at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Monday, where he stressed upon the significance of peace and reconciliation initiatives in Afghanistan, stated the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security, the current situation in Afghanistan and bilateral defence relations between the two coun-
tries were discussed. The COAS stressed the urgency for swiftly devising an institutional mechanism for channeling humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in order to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe. Gen Bajwa said that Pakistan valued its historical and brotherly relations with the Kingdom and acknowledged its unique place in the Islamic world. The visiting dignitary acknowledged the professionalism of the Pakistan Armed Forces and vowed to enhance cooperation in various fields. He further appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation, special efforts for border management, role in regional stability.
PM’s talk of extending army chief tenure not mandated by Constitution: Abbasi Govt taking steps to improve road infrastructure for boosting tourism: Ali
kARACHI MoNitoRiNg RepoRt
Imran Khan was creating an “unnecessary fuss” over the tenure of Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, said Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who observed that per the Constitution, a prime minister was only mandated to talk about the appointment of the army chief and not of their extension. Abbasi’s comment came days after Khan said he is yet to give a thought to the matter of an extension in Gen Bajwa’s tenure which is coming to an end on November 28. 2022 “has just started and November is far away. Then why there is worry about extension in the tenure of” the military boss, Khan was quoted as saying by the press. Gen Bajwa was due to retire on November 29, 2019, at the end of his three-year term but Khan gave him an extension of the same length, citing the regional security situation. Today, Abbasi, who was speaking to the media in Karachi, questioned the use of the term “extension” by Khan, who used the word to answer a query relating to the matter posed during a recent interview. Abbasi said the Constitution was clear on the army chief’s appointment. It says “the Constitution says the army chief is appointed for a period of three years. There has never been a debate on the matter [in Pakistan’s history]”. Over the weekend, PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal also hit out at Khan for “prematurely” speaking about the extension.
ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Monday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was taking steps for improving road infrastructure to boost tourism in the country. Road networks and motorways were vital to promote tourism industry, he said while talking to a private television channel. The incumbent government after coming into power has started focusing on construction of roads and motorways to provide better traveling facility to people, he stated. Commenting on lack of resources in Murree resort that killed many people last weekend, he said it was a tragic incident and inquiry has been ordered to collect facts so that action could be taken against the responsible elements.
Most wanted TTP commander Muhammad Khorasani killed in Afghanistan ISLAMABAD
KHORASANI FLED TO AFGHANISTAN AFTER OPERATION ZARB-E-AZB
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Most wanted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander and a spokesperson for the proscribed outfit Khalid Balti alias Muhammad Khorasani was killed in the Afghan province of Nangarhar, sources told media on Monday. Khorasani was appointed as the new spokesperson for the terrorist group in 2014 after former spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid declared his allegiance to Da’ish. He had established a terrorist hub in Miranshah but after the successful operation “Zarb-e-Azb”, he escaped to Afghanistan. Khorasani was involved in the killing of many innocent civilians and personnel of security forces and was involved in uniting different factions of TTP. Sources said that Khorasani was planning attacks against Pakistan with Noor Wali Mehsood and had hinted at attacking different targets in the country recently. Last year, Pakistan had approached the Afghan Taliban leadership after the group returned to power in August with a list of demands that included action against the TTP. The interim Taliban government was even provided with a list of most wanted TTP terrorists. But Afghan Taliban instead offered its good offices to broker a peace deal with the TTP. Pakistan accepted the offer and after some face to face meetings between the two sides, a ceasefire deal was reached in November. According to a senior Pakistani official, Islamabad believes that TTP is a “test case” for the Afghan Taliban, as tackling the group would help the interim government establish its credentials in the eyes of the world with regards to dealing with other terrorist outfits.
“We are telling the Taliban leadership consider the TTP as a test case,” the official familiar with the development told media while requesting anonymity on Sunday. “If the Taliban can’t address concerns of Pakistan then who would trust them and their promise of cutting ties to al Qaeda and other such groups,” the official added. Last week at a news conference Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar for the first time publicly revealed why Pakistan entered into a ceasefire with the TTP. According to the chief military spokesperson, the in-
terim Taliban government facilitated ceasefire with TTP as a confidence building measure. The month-long ceasefire, however, was ended on December 9 with no further progress. General Babar said talks were now on hold as some of the conditions put forward by the TTP were non-negotiable for Pakistan. Although he did not divulge details, it is believed that the TTP was demanding the release of their senior commanders, establishment of a political office in a third country, reversal of FATA merger and introduction of Sharia law in the country. As per the DG ISPR, operations against the TTP were being conducted on a daily basis and the fight
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PM Imran gives directive to expedite investigation into Murree calamity NewS DeSk Prime Minister Imran Khan gave directive to the inquiry committee formed to probe the Murree tragedy to expedite the investigation so that fact could be brought to light as early as possible. “Everything needs to be regulated in tourist places, emphasis should be laid on overcoming the lack of infrastructure in Murree. The whole issue should be handled in a contemporary manner,” the PM stated. The PM gave orders to speed up the inquiry during a meeting in which the attendees were briefed on the Murree tragedy by Punjab government spokesperson Hassan Khawar. It is pertinent to note that earlier, a preliminary investigation report into the Murree tragedy – which claimed the lives of 23 tourists who were stranded in their vehicles on January 7 night – revealed that the roads in and around the hill station had not been repaired for the last two years and that caused the snow accumulated in the crevices to harden causing the traffic jam. The report further disclosed that a slippery spot outside a private cafe in Murree led to the main exit from the hill station. It has also been revealed by the report that there was no government machinery to remove the snow that could have allowed the tourists to escape. Separately, the foreign funding case was also discussed during the meeting. SAPM Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib gave a briefing on the case and Finance Minister Shaukat Tareen briefed the forum on the economic situation. SAPM Babar Awan stated that “we have provided the details of our donors to the Election Commission. It has also brought out the funding sources of other parties. The Finance Supplementary Bill will be approved by the Assembly this week”
against the “violent non-state actors” would continue till their threat was totally eliminated. The statement of DG ISPR clearly suggested that Pakistan was not hopeful of any prospects of talks or peace deal with the TTP at least in the foreseeable future. The official sources said Pakistan was talking to the interim Taliban government on the TTP issue. “It is a complicated process. Afghan Taliban are keen that the TTP no more uses Afghan soil against Pakistan but they are not willing to act against them,” said another official. Despite a month-long ceasefire, the number of terrorist attacks in 2021 saw 56 per cent increase compared to 2020. Interestingly, the surge in TTP sponsored attacks was coincided with the Afghan Taliban takeover in August 2021. As per the Islamabad think-tank report August saw 45 terrorist attacks in Pakistan, the highest tally in a single month since 2017. While Pakistan would continue operations against the TTP, it has been pushing the Taliban government to make sure that the Afghan soil is not used by these terrorist groups against the country. Who Was Khorasani: Aged between 48 and 50, Khorasani’s real name was Khalid Balti. At the time of his killing he was not just the TTP’s operational commander but also its spokesperson. Hailing from Gilgit-Baltistan, Khorasani received his initial education from his native town. In 2007, he joined the Tehreek Nifaze Shriat Muhammadi in Swat. He also established close terms with the former TTP chief Mullah Fazalullah. He fled to Afghanistan and remained the TTP spokesperson after Pakistan carried out military operations in the erstwhile tribal areas. He was having “cordial and close relations with all tiers of TTP”, as per sources. He was instrumental in the propaganda campaign of the TTP. After Kabul fell to the Afghan Taliban in August, he frequently used to travel to Kabul. He was planning terrorist activities in Pakistan and also seeking unification of different TTP factions. Also recently he issued details of terrorist activities in Pakistan and hinted at more such attacks. The killing of the operational commander of the TTP means that prospects of any talks or peace deal are now over.
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