Issuu

Sunday, 6 March, 2022 I 2 Shaʽban, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 247 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

OppOsitiOn’s nO-trust mOve against gOvt will nOt succeed: Fawad LAHORE

APP

ederal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said that the opposition parties would not succeed in any no-trust move against the government as neither they have the required numbers nor the public support. addressing a press conference in lahore, he said that there is no possibility of tabling of a no-confidence move by the opposition parties as they are only giving time lines. He said faces of the opposition leaders, particularly of Pakistan democratic Movement (PdM) chief Maulana Fazl-urrehman, are reflective of their depressing

Govt vows to arrest masterminds as death toll climbs to 63 in mosque attack PESHAWAR stAff rePort

Officials vowed Saturday to hunt down and arrest the masterminds behind a deadly mosque attack in Peshawar a day earlier claimed by an affiliate of the so-called Islamic State militant group. The assault killed 62 people and wounded nearly 200. The death toll was likely to continue to rise, said asim Khan, spokesman for Peshawar’s lady reading Hospital. at least four of 38 patients still hospitalised are in critical condition, Khan said. In a statement, IS said the lone suicide bomber was from neighbouring afghanistan. He shot two police guarding the Shi’ite mosque before entering inside and exploding his device, it said. The attack took place as worshipers knelt in Friday prayer. The affiliate, known as IS in Khorasan Province, is headquartered in eastern afghanistan. Minister for Interior Sheikh rasheed ahmed said in a video statement that police will “track them down in the next couple of days”. He said the security agencies have identified all three suspects involved in the

attack and “closed in on them”. FIR REGISTERED: The Counter-Terrorism department (CTd) lodged a first information report (FIr) of the blast, on the complaint of the incharge of the Khan raziq police station. The complaint includes provisions of the anti-Terrorism act. The station house officer (SHO) said he rushed to the mosque after hearing gunshots and the subsequent explosion. The attacker first opened indiscriminate firing after entering the premises and then blew himself up, he recalled. The police said they would try to identify the bomber from two severed feet found at the scene. “There are seven bodies be-

yond recognition including two amputated feet which we believe are of the bomber,” Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan told aFP. “We are trying to ascertain the identity of the bomber through dNa testing.” Ijaz said officials were checking the biometric data of people who had recently crossed into Pakistan from afghanistan, where IS have previously planned attacks. The Taliban rulers in afghanistan, who have been fighting IS, condemned the attack. IS has proven to be the Taliban’s greatest security threat since sweeping into power last august.

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Opposition to submit no-trust motion against PM next week ISLAMABAD NAveed MirAj

after weeks of meetings and threadbare negotiations aimed at firming up a strategy to oust the PTI government before March 23, the opposition parties are set to submit a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National assembly’s secretariat next week, Pakistan Today learnt on Saturday. according to the sources, drafts of the no-confidence motion and letter for requisitioning the session of the lower house have been prepared to be submitted in the office of Na speaker. The sources said that the op-

position parties are fully cognizant of the fact that Speaker National assembly asad Qaiser may use delaying tactics in summoning the session or raise objections on the no-confidence motion. To deal with such a scenario and stop the speaker from violating the mandate of his office, they said, a legal team of the opposition parties has also prepared a petition, which will be filed in the Supreme Court to seek its intervention. “The government will not be allowed to hide behind any pretext even the renovation work currently being carried out at the Parliament House for the upcoming meeting of the OIC

Council of Foreign Ministers,” they said, adding the opposition wants to oust the government before March 23. It merits mentioning that the speaker can delay summoning the session for two weeks, if the requisition for the session is forwarded by the opposition. The offices of the National assembly secretariat have partially been closed from 7th to 11th March in connection with the preparation for the OIC meeting. However the notification issued by the National assembly’s secretariat states that the offices the Na speaker, deputy speaker and secretary will remain open.

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situation as they do not have anything in their pocket. The opposition parties are trying to create a political environment by staging marches and proposing a no-confidence move for a face-saving only, he added. He said that the two major opposition parties – Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMl-N) – have become regional parties as the PPP has been limited to some divisions of Sindh province while the PMl-N is confined to a few divisions of Punjab. On the other hand, Fazl-led JUI-F has presence in some Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa areas, Fawad said, adding that no other political party is standing with them in their plan of tabling a no-confidence

move against the government. He expressed gratitude to the ally parties for standing firmly with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government and said the opposition parties are not sincere with each other and all of them are looking for protecting their personal interests. He said that the PTI government would welcome PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s march in rawalpindi and added that around 100 people, which is the total strength of his march, would also be offered tea. He advised Bilawal to realise that Pakistan is hosting the australian cricket team in rawalpindi after a long time and such a show (long march), led by him, could have a negative impact at the international level.

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Sunday, 6 March, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

Some external PowerS want to deStabiliSe PakiStan: Fm QureShi HYDERABAD

APP

OREIGN Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Saturday said some external powers want to destabilise Pakistan by arming and funding the terrorist elements involved in the attacks like Friday’s suicide blast in a Peshawar mosque. Talking to media in Tandojam area, Qureshi said: “They back such elements by giving them arms and funds so that they can keep the western borders of Pakistan hot.” He said that the situation is worsening in the Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and the powers in question want to create a distraction for Pakistan on the western borders. He said that the mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic by India has caused a setback to their economy, adding that comparatively, Pakistan has been recognised to have managed the situation well. He said the foreign investment has begun to grow in Pakistan and that the country’s exports are also being increased. “The textile industry of Pakistan has received so many orders, which the mills are unable to supply,” he said, adding that no textile mills, looms or spindles are closed in

Faisalabad at the moment. According to him, the textile exports had stalled during the previous governments. He credited the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government for the growth of housing and tourism sectors and said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has also provided the industrialisation package. The FM recalled that when the cricket team of New Zealand was scheduled to visit Pakistan a scare was spread and the team’s visit was cancelled. He added that in that regard, he presented the statistics and proofs at a press conference at the foreign office, besides handing over dossiers to the Secretary General of the United Nations, President of the Security Council and their foreign ministers. Replying to another query, he said 900,000 Indian army troops are stationed in IOK and that there are also the so-called special laws and extra judicial killings are happening as well. “The occupying forces take away young men and after some days, their dead bodies are found. There were also mass graves. All these are tactics through which they have suppressed the people,” he added. He threw down the gauntlet to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him

Five in run for Vawda’s Senate seat ISLAMABAD INP

Five candidates are vying for a Senate seat that fell vacant following lifetime disqualification of PTI leader Faisal Vawda, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Saturday. The election monitoring body said PPP’s Nisar Khuhro, PTI’s Agha Arsalan, and independent candidates Ali Ahmed, Gul Mohammad Jakhrani, and Mukhtiar Damrah will take part in the by-election on the vacant general seat from Sindh. Polling for the by-election will take place on Wednesday from 9am till 6pm. On February 9, the commission had disqualified Vawda for lifetime under Article 62(1)(f) of the Constitution. An ECP bench, led by Chief Election Commissioner Faisal Sultan Raja, had disqualified Vawda for concealing his dual nationality with a direction to return the salary and other benefits he had received as a minister and a National Assembly member within two months.

to come to Muzaffarabad and present his case to the people. In return, he said, Modi should allow Prime Minister Imran Khan to go to Srinagar and present his case before the people there. “Then let the people judge who is right and

who wins,” he stated. He apprised that he has written 23 letters to the UNSC over the Kashmir issue, besides organising debates in the UN thrice since August, 2019, the month during which India illegally annexed IOK.

Qureshi said no other leader of Pakistan has fought the case of Kashmir more eagerly in recent history than Prime Minister Imran Khan. He asked the people to take up speeches of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and compare them with Khan’s speeches to find out which of the two leaders mentioned the Kashmir issue more times. Commenting on the creation of a new province in Punjab, he said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is deceiving the people to whom he is promising that he would create South Punjab province. He told that some time ago he wrote a letter to Bilawal and asked him to join hands with the PTI government to address the issue of South Punjab but the PPP leader did not even bother to reply. He credited the PTI government for having taken practical steps in the direction of materialising its promises with the people of South Punjab. The foreign minister elaborated that as part of the administrative actions taken by the PTI government, the secretariats of bureaucracy have been established in Multan and Bahawalpur. He added that the separate rules of business have been formed and additional chief secretaries and additional IGs have been posted there. “The region has been provided separate development funds which could not be utilised in any other part of Punjab,” he claimed. He said that the prime minister is planning to provide a fixed employment quota to the youth of South Punjab. He asked the PPP leadership to tell the nation what special measures have they taken to serve the people of Sindh.

Indian repression has made IOK a hell for its inhabitants: report ISLAMABAD APP

India has been resorting to the worst state terrorism in Indian-Occupied Kashmir (IOK) for the last seven decades, turning the territory into a living hell for its inhabitants. A report prepared by the Kashmir Media Service said that IOK continues to suffocate under unprecedented Indian repression and Narendra Modi-led fascist government in New Delhi has stepped up its brutal tactics after revocation of special status of the territory on August 5, 2019 to intimidate the Kashmiris into submission. “The Mod regime has broken all records of repression in Kashmir. The Kashmiris are killed, imprisoned and

tortured on daily basis. The Indian troops are enjoying a free hand to kill innocent Kashmiris,” it said. The report said that Pakistan has informed the ongoing 49th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that the Indian troops have intensified the use of torture to suppress Kashmiris’ freedom struggle. However, the report maintained that India must remember that its atrocities have failed to break the will of the Kashmiris in the past and will meet the same fate in the future as well. It said that India must be held accountable under international law for its crimes against the Kashmiris. It added that the world community must come forward in a big way to stop India’s brutal campaign of repression in IOK.

Faiz Festival: 25 sessions held on second day

Police confiscates bus after conductor slaps woman passenger KARACHI INP

LAHORE APP

The 6th Faiz Festival titled “Chalo Phir Se Muskuraain” continued at Alhamra Arts Council here on Saturday. On the second day of the festival, 25 sessions were conducted, in which a comprehensive session was held under the title of “Shehar-e-Adab Lahore”. Lahore Commissioner Captain (retired) Muhammad Usman, Government College University (GCU) Vice Chancellor Dr Asghar Zaidi, Alhamra Executive Director Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi, Professor Dr Rukhsana David also

attended the event as guest speakers. The commissioner said: “Under the banner of Shehar-e- Adab Lahore, we are increasingly working to promote and develop language and literature. We are proud to be associated with Lahore.” GCU VC Dr Zaidi said that the value of Lahore has increased in the world due to the honour of City Literature Lahore. Zulfi said that the people of Lahore are open-hearted as everyone coming from outside has become a part of Lahore. He said that Lahore is a brand that does not need any introduction and its value and prestige are increasing with each passing day.

In a shocking incident, a bus conductor in Karachi was caught on camera slapping a woman passenger during an apparent verbal brawl. The incident was captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed in a nearby shop in the Orangi Town neighbourhood of Karachi. The video shows the conductor slapping the woman on the face. The woman also tried to push him back as the conductor came out of the bus and asked her to disembark the vehicle. When the matter was raised with the president of the local transport union, Irshad Bukhari, he said he was unable to identify the suspect but assured to help in sending the suspect to prison if a formal complaint is lodged. Meanwhile, the police have confiscated the vehicle. “The driver has assured to bring the conductor to him tomorrow [Sunday],” a traffic police official said. “Strict action will be taken against the conductor.” The police have yet to arrest the suspect.

Sunday, 6 March, 2022 | LAHORE

3 days left for Pm imran to resign: bilawal

NEwS DESK

AKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan has only three days left to step down from his position before facing the no-trust move. Bilawal, while addressing the participants of his party’s long march in Okara, said that PPP did not provide empty ground to PM Imran Khan and gave a tough time to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. “We have defeated the selected in every by-election and in the Senate,” he said. He said that the people of the

country have given their verdict in favour of the long march and against the selected, incapable, and illegitimate government of puppet Imran Khan. He said that the PPP’s stance is that if farmers are prosperous, the entire country is prosperous, adding that Quaid-e-Awam Zulfikar Ali Bhutto gave the farmers right of ownership to their land. Slamming the incumbent government, the PPP chairman said that PM Imran has taken a U-turn on his promises to the nation and taking a U-turn is a sign of hypocrisy. He claimed that his political party will fulfil the basic needs of the people after forming the government.

Chief Secretary Punjab orders deflation AHtASAM AHMAD Punjab Chief Secretary, Kamran Ali Afzal, in a meeting held on Saturday at the Civil Secretariat, directed all deputy commissioners (DC) to ensure reduction in the prices of essential commodities and transport fares in proportion to the decrease in prices of petroleum products. However, the complete implementation of this order might not be possible due to some inherent systematic limitations. Fixing TransporTaTion Fares: The district transport authorities fall under the direct control of the DC who has the power to ensure that fares are charged according to the approved rates. However, due to the size of the market, it might not be possible for the district administration to implement a revised price throughout the province. Further, the inter-city AC bus services are not regulated under the price mechanism of the department. Hence, they are free to charge prices deemed appropriate by them according to the nature of facilities provided. reducing commodiTy prices: As per the regulations, the definition of essential commodities primarily includes vegetables, meat, spices and other essential cooking ingredients. The mechanism to fix prices of these commodities

HEC hosts consortium of nine universities to identify online courses

is laid under the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act 2021. As per the act, the DC has the powers to fix the price of an essential commodity. How is it done? Basically, the commodity prices are set mainly through negotiation with relevant trade associations. The district price control committee proposes a price arrived at by adding a reasonable margin to the cost of the commodity. This price is then presented to trade associations with whom negotiations are conducted to reach a converging point. However, the final decision is of the district administration. pracTical limiTaTions: Profit reached out to a few members of Punjab district administration to get a better understanding of the practicality of the chief secretary’s order. The officers explained that an across the board price reduction is practically impossible due to three reasons; (1) Trickle down effect of oil price reduction will take time to reflect in commodities markets (2) The essential commodity market is highly informal and scattered (3) The trader associations have substantial leverage over the city administration. smuggling oF FerTilisers and wheaT: The Chief Secretary also directed the administrative officers to continue measures for eradication of smuggling of wheat and fertilisers.

Television veteran Masood Akhtar passes away

ISLAMABAD APP

The Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) Higher Education Development Programme (HEDP) on Saturday hosted a consortium of nine universities in Lahore University of Management Sciences to identify high-quality asynchronous online courses as part of the new undergraduate core curriculum for the country. The purpose of offering nationwide online courses is to ensure all students across the country have access to the highest quality of foundational education. PakistanEdX has been selected as a formal name for this national platform, a press release said. HEC PakistanEdx platform is developed by the same organisation, which has been a major developer for several international learning platforms. The technology built by the firm has already served over 55 million students worldwide. HEC will use the same technology to increase access to quality education and make it available for farflung areas of Pakistan.

In the past, a shortage of wheat and fertilisers was created in the country due to the smuggling of these commodities to Central Asia. The demand for Pakistani fertiliser is high in these regions due to its quality and low pricing. Therefore, the dealers of the commodity smuggle it out of the country to earn better magins. The FBR is considering the implementation of a track and trace system on fertiliser production that can also help to curb the smuggling.

LAHORE MoNItoRINg RePoRt

Veteran actor Masood Akhtar passed away

Saturday morning after spending more than a month in a local hospital in Lahore. Akhtar, 82, was battling lung cancer for some time. He was admitted to the facility in critical condition on January 28, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. He is best known for playing a range of characters in movies, television dramas and theatre. One of his early plays, Paisa Bolta Hai, was played at Alhamra Art Center in 1970, earning him popularity. He also received the Pride of Performance award for his services. The funeral will be held at 4:00 pm in the Gulshan-i-Ravi neighbourhood of Lahore, SAMAA reported. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said the services rendered by Akhtar will be long remembered. He was one of the finest artists of our country, tweeted Senator Faisal Javed Khan.

arrangements in full swing to welcome anti-PPP marchers in karachi KARACHI StAff RePoRt

The Karachi chapter of ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) upped its arrangements to receive the participants of the so-called Huqooq-e-Sindh March which will enter the provincial metropolis on Sunday. The protestors will be welcomed at Quaidabad neighbourhood where top PTI officials will announce the

future course of action. In addition, at the district level in the city, preparations to greet the marchers are in full swing. Members of the federal cabinet — including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Ali Haider Zaidi — are among those who led and have participated in the march so far. The nine-day-long march started from Ghotki on February 26 and passed through virtually all the major cities of Sindh to reach Sindh.

NEWS

oCaC proposes mechanism for fortnightly reimbursement of PdCs to oil industry AHMAD AHMADANI The Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) has proposed the “funded subsidy” mechanism for fortnightly reimbursement of Price Differential Claims (PDCs). In addition OCAC urged the petroleum division to implement the mechanism for timely remittance of PDC of the oil industry. On March 2, 2022, Petroleum Secretary Ali Raza Bhutta and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman Masroor Khan, in an urgent meeting with the representatives of oil industry including Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and refineries asked to submit their proposals regarding formulating a mechanism for fortnightly reimbursement of PDCs of the oil companies. Petroleum secretary and OGRA chairman also gave assurances to the oil industry that its proposals would be immediately taken up with the finance ministry and a finalised mechanism would be shared with OMCs before seeking important approval from the federal cabinet’s Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). Similarly, it was also mutually decided by the government and the oil industry representatives in the March 2, 2022 meeting that a mechanism for fortnightly reimbursement of the PDC will be urgently formulated through a government funded facility of banking arrangement in consultation with the finance ministry. In a letter to Secretary Petroleum dated March 4, 2022 the OCAC proposed a mechanism to be based on government sponsored subsidy in the form of consortium of banks to facilitate business normalcy and support the ministry of energy in expediting the same. “We request you to approve the mechanism enabling swift implementation of the process for timely remittances of PDC claims,” said OCAC letter, further adding ”As discussed in the meeting, the management of cash flow is critically challenging for the downstream sector owing to insufficient margins, rupee dollar parity, constraints in financing facility, circular debt, outstanding PDCs since 2004 and other external factors such as the geopolitical situation, high premiums, etc.” “The sooner the process is approved and implemented, the quicker will be the redressal of already constricted working capital constraints faced by the oil industry,” said OCAC. OCAC further sought favorable consideration on the shared mechanism and looked forward to formal approval enabling immediate implementation of the same before the announcement of new PDCs in the next fortnight, if any. Earlier, the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) in a letter dated March 1, 2022 to petroleum secretary requested to remove the Price Differential Claim (PDC) by revising petroleum product prices immediately or develop an alternate subsidy mechanism in order to avoid imminent petroleum shortage of the petroleum products in the country.

nCoC daily update: 796 new cases, 10 deaths from Covid-19 ISLAMABAD StAff RePoRt

Pakistan on Friday confirmed 796 new Covid-19 cases and 10 more deaths, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Saturday. The NCOC said the overall tally has risen to 1,513,503 cases, including 1,453,496 recoveries. The number of active cases has dropped to 29,749 in the country, including 842 patients in critical condition. According to the NCOC data, 10 more people died from the pandemic on Friday, bringing the death toll to 30,258. Sindh is the most affected region in terms of the number of cases, with 569,637 infections, followed by Punjab which has reported 502,455 cases so far.

Sunday, 6 March, 2022 | LAHORE

04 NEWS

Markhor population doubles in three decades in pakistan: data IslamabaD

AnAdolu Agency

hEN the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified markhor, or wild goat, as an endangered species in Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa worked hard to protect its population, which has more than doubled in the last three decades. As the world celebrated World Wildlife Day on Thursday, the local community in the nation organised workshops and seminars to raise awareness about the importance of protecting markhor. They pledged to preserve the animal from illegal hunting and to work with the government to protect wildlife. Pakistan is well-known for its markhor, which is distinguished by its nimble and sure-footed nature, as well as its long winter coat and massive spiral horns that can reach more than 1.5 meters (150 inches) in length on males. They inhabit the highest mountains and can be found in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s

Chitral, Kohistan, and Kalam regions, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan. Markhor was listed as an endangered species by the IUCN in 1994 due to overhunting for meat and horns, and its population number was estimated to be less than 2,500 at the time. however, according to the most recent government data, there are between 5,000 and 6,000 wild goats. “We have created the best model of community conservators,” Muhammad Altaf Ali Shah, divisional forest officer in Wildlife Department’s Chitral office, told Anadolu

Agency. “The department issues licenses to hunt only older markhors. We do not allow the hunter to shoot females or newborns,” Shah said. hunting female markhor or young babies is prohibited, he said, adding: “According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Act 2015, any hunter who kills a female or a young markhor faces a six-year prison sentence or a fine of up to 150,000 Pakistani rupees (approximately $850), or both.” The government uses the license money, which is in dollars, to support local communities by building schools, mosques, health centres, and even providing scholarships to local students, the official said. These incentives encourage local communities to avoid killing markhor and instead push them to care for the wild goats, he explained. “The most recent markhor hunt license was sold for $160,000,” Salahuddin Jamaluddin, a divisional forest officer in Wildlife Department’s Peshawar office, told Anadolu Agency. “We spend 80 percent of the money on the local community, who help us with our

conservation efforts, and 20 percent on the government for administrative expenses,” he explained. Salahuddin said: “The locals have few job opportunities because the terrain is hilly and occasionally snow-covered. however, by conserving markhor, the locals may now earn a living while also preserving the animal.” he added that his wild goat has been a source of income for them as they have worked their way out of poverty. Pledges on World Wild life day: The name Markhor comes from the Persian language and means “snake eater.” There are about five different types of markhor, with Astor markhor and Kashmiri markhor being the most popular for hunting. “In early 2000, we began our nationwide campaign of seminars, workshops, and local gatherings. With the passage of time, the locals realized that it is essential for their benefit as well to save this beautiful species,” Shah said. “On World Wildlife Day, we gather them all in different areas and they make pledges to protect this animal at all costs, and most of the time locals notify us of illegal hunt-

ing,” the official added. When a foreigner hunts a markhor, he keeps the animal’s horns as a trophy, but the meat is given to the locals, and everyone celebrates the hunt. “One markhor meat can weigh over 110 kilograms at times, and it is distributed among all the people who assist the hunter,” said Sajmal Yoodon, a local who accompanied a foreign documentary filmmaker to film on markhor in 2019. “At the feast, they’re all having a great time together. This is another opportunity to promote local brotherhood and harmony,” he added. “We have a very strong attachment for this animal because it symbolizes the pride of our country,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s national animal. “When you set your eyes on this animal for the first time, it gives you a mixed feeling of adventure and fear,” he said of his hunting experience. “It took us eight days to complete the hunt because if you miss your first fired bullet, the animal flees to its caverns in the upper mountains and takes days to return,” he added.

Peshawar reels from suicide bombing PEshaWaR AnAdolu Agency

A pall of gloom gripped the city of Peshawar, which borders neighbouring Afghanistan, as thousands gathered to attend mass funerals for victims of Friday’s suicide bombing of a mosque that killed 57 worshippers and injured nearly 200. In the attack, a lone suicide bomber shot the police guards at the entrance to a packed mosque at Peshawar’s historic Qissa Khwani Bazaar before detonating his explosives-laden vest in the middle of worshippers offering Friday prayers. The bombing followed a string of

similar incidents in war-torn Afghanistan, whose border lies just about an hour away, where several mosques were targeted after the Taliban took control of the country last August. With damp eyes, thousands of mourners gathered near the site of the bombing to attend mass funerals for 10 victims of the terrorist attack, with many wailing as they moved the coffins from ambulances to the funeral site. Volunteers carried coffins draped in white sheets and covered with flowers to the funeral site, one after another, as mourners loudly recited verses from the Quran. Shopping malls, markets, and shops

remained shuttered in several areas to mourn the deaths as police and paramilitary troops patrolled the city. According to a spokesman for Lady Reading hospital, some 50 people injured by the blast are still being treated for moderate to severe injuries, while another 144 have been discharged. The police have taken two suspects into custody on suspicion of having links to the suicide bomber. Quoting security sources, the media reported that terrorist group Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) — an affiliate of the so-called Islamic State militant group active in the south and central Asian region — has

claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. The latest attack has stoked fears of terrorism returning to Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which after being a longtime hotbed of terrorism has been peaceful over the past several years amid improving security in the South Asian country. Unfazed by the attack, the Australian cricket team, visiting Pakistan for the first time in 24 years, continued to play a test match in Rawalpindi, just some 145 kilometres (90 miles) from Peshawar. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan was fully aware of the motives and perpetrators of the attack but stopped short of naming any group.

Ehsaas commodity subsidy program fails to achieve target for first two months Ghulam abbas Ehsaas Targeted Commodity Subsidy Program (ETCSP) worth Rs106.102 billion has failed to achieve its target in the first two months of the program. Apparently under the targeted subsidy program launched in January 2022, people across the country could avail subsidy of only Rs4.18 million out of the targeted fund of around Rs31.2 billion. The subsidy program, designed initially for a period of six months – from January to June 2022 is aimed to provide some relief to the people against the spike in food inflation in the country. According to documents, a subsidy of Rs4.1 million was used from January 1 to February 23, 2022 out of the estimated usage of Rs31.2 billion in the 53 days of the program which makes only 0.0134 per cent of the allocated fund in the same period. During January 1 to February 23, only 11 transactions involving subsidy amounts of Rs8,445 were recorded in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In Balochistan only 22 people had availed the facility with a subsidy amount of Rs8,765. At least 12 transactions

CMYK

were recorded in Gilgit Baltistan with subsidy amount involving Rs8,720 whereas 70 people in Islamabad have availed the facility of Rs43,710. At least 1315 people availed the facility in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which involved Rs91,7427 whereas in whole Punjab only 41,118 transactions of worth Rs2,824,409 were recorded in the same period. In Sindh 177 people had only availed the facility making a total 5725 transactions across the country under ETCSP in two months. According to sources, the subsidy on Kiryana stores and Utility stores for beneficiaries in Sindh and Balochistan were only Rs350 per transaction as the two provinces have declined to contribute to the program. For beneficiaries in other provinces the subsidy amount per transaction was Rs1,000 a month to each of the 20 million targeted families on the purchase of flour, pulses, ghee and cooking oil. Under the program, KPK and Punjab were supposed to contribute Rs15.3 billion and Rs42 billion to the subsidy fund respectively whereas AJK needed to give Rs1.1 billion. GB was also supposed to give Rs0.6 billion to the program making the total contribution of Rs59 billion (35 per cent) to the program

from provinces (including AJK and GB). Under the program the federal government would contribute Rs47 billion (65 per cent) making the total amount of the program Rs106 billion for six months. In view to the unexpectedly negligible disbursement of subsidy, the Ministry of Finance has decided not to get a share of provinces for March 2022 as enough funds have already remained unused. Decision about provincial contribution would be made after evaluation of disbursement in remaining months of the program. Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced the ETCSP or Ehsaas Rashan program on November 3, 2021 to provide relief to the poor. As many as 20 million families identified through the recently completed Ehsaas survey were to benefit from the program. Overall, 130 million people were estimated to get benefits nationwide which is 53 per cent of the population. Ehsaas had developed a digitally enabled mobile point of sale system in collaboration with National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to serve beneficiaries through a network of Kiryana stores designated by NBP, all over the country..

Sunday, 6 March, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS Is the Govt’s appreciation of PBS and SBP for transparent and timely data reporting well deserved? Zunairah Qureshi & aPP The Ministry of Finance here on Saturday said that transparent, independent and timely data reporting of key economic indicators were the hallmark of the incumbent government. The ministry believed that availability of accurate data was providing clarity for the general public, think tanks, businesses and media houses. It said that Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) were efficiently collecting the data as Pakistan was the only country in the world, which was publishing Consumer Price Index and trade data every month. Besides that, every Thursday, the SBP releases weekly details of foreign reserves and PBS releases weekly data on the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) each Friday. According to the ministry, even the advanced countries including those in the West don’t release data this efficiently or timely. Regarding current accounts, it is important to differentiate between sustainable and unsustainable deficits as for the first time in ten years, exports have enhanced, remittances have been channeled through more official sources, and services exports have been growing at a faster pace. Encouragingly, the import growth trend is now reversing and moving towards Covid-time level of deficits. It further added that in February, 2022, the trade deficit decreased by 10% month on month basis, with exports growing to a worth of $ 2.8 billion and imports decreasing to $5.9 billion from almost $8 billion in December. While PBS and SBP do publish weekly and monthly updates on prices through the SPI and CPI, respectively, to claim that it is the only country to do so is a stretch. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes monthly CPI updates in the US and speaking of Western countries, this is a pretty standard practice there. Furthermore, it is important to note that for the data and indicators that are published, there are many more indicators that are due but have not been updated in a good while. For instance, the Labour Force Survey which is supposed to be conducted by PBS in Pakistan annually, hasn’t been carried out since 2018. This means that many important indicators such as the labor force participation rate, employment, and unemployment rates have not been updated in a long time. Issues arise when PBS and affiliated bodies are unable to carry out data collection on time and keep putting off the necessary assignments in lieu of the next. The results of the Labour Force Survey for 2018-2019 were not published until September 2021, while the survey for 2019 – 2020 did not take place owing to preparations for an extensive survey that was to be held for 2020 – 2021. The results of this survey are not available as of yet and preparations for the 7th census are underway. As for the question of transparency, PBS and SBP make their reports, summaries, and raw data publicly available on their websites. Studying these reports help understand the validity of the data collected. For instance, as part of the quantum index of large-scale manufacturing industries (LSM) rebasing, a closer look at the data shows that a major chunk of data for certain industrial units in Sindh is missing. The report admits that unavailability of data forced them to alternatively use monthly exports value for the categories of wearing apparel, footballs, furniture and towels, instead of production value.

GOvt vOwS tO arreSt maStermIndS aS death tOll clImBS tO 63 In mOSque attack continued from Page 01

UNDREDS of mourners crying and beating their chests attended funeral prayers for 13 victims late Friday and for another 11 on Saturday at Peshawar’s Kahoti Gate. The coffins were covered with shrouds, some with Quranic sayings. They were lined up on the open ground, made visible by bare light bulbs. “These were human beings and worshipers inside the mosque, and they were brutally killed at a time when they were busy praying to God,” Hayat Khan told The Associated Press late Friday night as he buried a relative. One of the police officers who was

shot outside Kucha Risaldar mosque died immediately and the second died later from his wounds, police officials said. PROBE TEAMS ESTABLISHED: Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said in a statement that three investigation teams were established to study forensic evidence and closed-circuit TV footage to track down the attack’s organizers. In CCTV footage seen by The Associated Press, the lone attacker concealed his bomb beneath a large black shawl. The footage showed the bomber moving quickly up a narrow street toward the mosque entrance. He fired at the police protecting the mosque before entering inside. Within seconds, there is a powerful

explosion and the camera lens is obscured with dust and debris. The crudely made device was packed with ball bearings, a deadly method of constructing a bomb to inflict maximum carnage because it sprays deadly projectiles over a large area. The ball bearings caused the high death toll, said KP police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari. WORST ATTACK IN YEARS: Friday’s attack in Peshawar’s congested old city was the worst in years in Pakistan. In July 2018, a blast at an election rally killed 149 people — and was also claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group. Pakistan has seen renewed militant attacks after several years of relative

Opposition to submit no-trust motion against PM next week

quiet that followed military operations against militant hideouts in the border regions with Afghanistan. The attacks have mostly been carried out by the Tehreeki-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) since last August when the Afghan Taliban swept into power and America ended its 20-year involvement in Afghanistan. The TTP are not connected to the new Afghan rulers. However, they are hiding out in Afghanistan and despite Pakistan’s repeated request to hand them over, none have yet been found and expelled. The Islamic State affiliate, often referred to as IS-K, is an enemy of the Afghan Taliban and has carried out successive operations against them since coming into power last year.

Opposition’s no-trust move against govt will not succeed: Fawad continued from Page 01

continued from Page 01 The rules and procedures regarding the no-confidence motion against the prime minister state that it shall not be voted upon before the expiration of three days or later than seven days from the day on which such a resolution is moved in the house. Such a resolution is moved by not less than 20 percent of the total membership of the National Assembly.

The sources further claimed that the opposition has the requisite numbers to oust the prime minister, adding that even if the allies of the PTI, including the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), MQM-Pakistan and PML-Q do not come on board, the opposition has the support of sufficient numbers of PTI’s members for the success of the noconfidence motion. According to political analysts,

it will also be a tricky situation as the floor crossing will trigger the disqualification clause. In the house of 342 members, the opposition has around 160 votes in its ranks and for the successful adoption of the no-confidence motion, it has to get 172 votes at the time of counting. The voting on the no-confidence motion against prime minister is held via open ballot.

Qureshi discusses regional situation with Russian FM isLamaBad APP

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday held a telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and discussed bilateral ties and regional situation. Recalling his recent visit to Russia as part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s delegation, Qureshi stated that the two sides had held wide-ranging talks on the key subjects of bilateral agenda and the region, including Afghanistan. Lavrov conveyed deepest condolences over the loss of lives in the terrorist attack on a mosque in Peshawar on Friday and stressed Russia’s condemnation of terrorism in all forms. He also conveyed that the

Russian side would be followingup on the important bilateral matters discussed in Moscow and that the two sides would continue to work together on promoting shared goals of peace and stability in Afghanistan. Underlining Pakistan’s concern at the latest situation in Ukraine, Qureshi highlighted that Pakistan had emphasised on the fundamental principles of UN Charter, called for de-escalation, and underscored the need for a diplomatic solution in accordance with the relevant multilateral agreements, international law, and provisions of the UN Charter. He also apprised his Russian counterpart of his recent telephonic conversations with the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Poland, Romania and Hungary, and High Representative of the European Union, in

which he had shared Pakistan’s principled position and stressed the importance of finding a solution through dialogue and diplomacy. Qureshi expressed the hope that the talks initiated between Russia and Ukraine would succeed in finding a diplomatic solution. Lavrov shared Russia’s perspective on the situation, referred to the opening of the “humanitarian corridor”, and underlined readiness for the next round of talks with the Ukrainian side. Qureshi emphasised that safe and swift return of Pakistani citizens from Ukraine remains his government’s top most priority and requested for the Russian government’s assistance and facilitation in this regard. The two ministers agreed to remain in close contact.

Nadeem Afzal Chan to rejoin PPP: report Former spokesperson of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Nadeem Afzal Chan, has decided to part ways with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and rejoin Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), according to media reports. The reports said that Chan will meet PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during the party’s rally in Lahore and announce his decision to rejoin the party. Chan had resigned as PM Imran Khan’s spokesperson on January 13 last year after developing differences with the ruling party. He is returning to the PPP’s fold after close to five years as he had joined the PTI in April 2018. News Desk

cmYK

“We condemn the bombing of a mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan. There is no justification for attacking civilians and worshipers,” Taliban Deputy Minister for Culture and Information Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted. He refused to comment on the IS claim that the suicide bomber was Afghan. VICTIMS BURIED: Late into Friday night and early Saturday, relatives of the victims buried their dead amid heavy security, with sniffer dogs deployed. Police carried out body searches of mourners who were then searched a second time by security provided by the local Shi’ite community. The PTI government is following an independent and balanced foreign policy based on equal relations with all major countries, including the United States of America (USA) and Russia, he said. The minister said that Pakistan wants good relations with all major countries and it enjoys good relations with the US also. He said the Pakistan government, led by Imran Khan, has always declared that the use of military is not a solution to any dispute and it has also spoken in the United Nations that the RussiaUkraine dispute should be resolved through dialogue. Fawad said that the opposition leaders, who own properties abroad, are particularly in a shock over the prime minister’s visit to Russia, adding that Pakistan wants that country’s looted wealth stashed in foreign banks should be brought back and the government is progressing on the matter swiftly. He said the civil and military institutions are on the same page in the country and the people of the country are standing behind the PTI government, adding that the government is devising pro-people policies as the prime minister wants to work for the welfare of the people. He added that the entire nation has strongly condemned the Peshawar blast and is standing united against such incidents, adding that investigation into the incident is under process and the culprits would be traced out soon by the agencies. He said that many cricket teams received threatening tweets from Indian soil during their Pakistan visit. Such conspiracies should be avoided and the two countries should move forward while the Kashmir dispute should also be resolved, he added. To a question, he said the purpose of making an amendment to Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) was to check propaganda and stop dissemination of hate material on the print, electronic and social media.

Sunday, 6 March, 2022

06 COMMENT

Well-drafted but old

International relations Need to be extra sensitive

Pakistan Penal Code 1860- Comprehensive Overview

AKISTAN was one of the 35 countries which abstained from voting on a resolution in the UN General Assembly condemning the Russian attack on Ukraine. During the debate, critics of the resolution maintained that it exposed the double standards of the Western nations who have invaded countries including Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan in recent decades. The 35 countries wh5ch abstained from voting included Pakistan, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan however was alone to receive a warning from the USA for voting against the resolution. It was maintained that the Pakistan government had been briefed on the impact that Russia’s war against Ukraine could have on regional and global security. On Thursday, hours before the UN General Assembly meeting, 23 foreign diplomats stationed in Pakistan urged Islamabad to condemn Russia's action against Ukraine in the UNGA meeting. Besides Japan and Canada the signatories also included ambassadors from european countries. Some of these countries had been especially helpful to Pakistan like the UK, Germany, France, Italy Belgium, Canada and Japan. It is also significant that the British government on Friday unilaterally called off the visit of National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf without assigning any reason. PM Imran Khan claims that he does not support bloc politics of the Cold War era which is praiseworthy. But populist statements from top leadership of the country could be interpreted differently. One of the reasons why Pakistan has been singled out from a group of 35 is the uncalled-for provocations to the West coming from the highest quarters in the country. While the USA had not publicly requested for air bases, Mr Khan announced he was absolutely not going to allow the USA to use Pakistani soil as a base. The PM could have used diplomatic channels instead to convey the message. Mr Khan instead indulged in heroics to get political capital at home. Getting a cue, President Alvi claimed in a speech that the USA had not learnt any lesson from Vietnam. President Alvi compared Pakistan’s humanitarian treatment of Afghan refugees contrary to europe which he said let them drown in the Mediterranean, besides reports of rapes and murders. The uncalled-for statements from highest quarters in Pakistan might have provided a feeling of elation to those who made them, but have been detrimental to the national interest.

Changezi Sandhu and nhora elvira gomez

he Pakistan Penal Code is abbreviated as PPC and is a Penal Code of all offences within the territorial limits of Pakistan. It is a well-written and most comprehensive legal document that compiles basic terms related to offences, accused, and punishments. The Pakistan Penal Code is based on the Latin maxim "ex post facto law" that conveys the meaning of "out of the aftermath”. In legal connotation, "ex post facto law" refers to "Retroactive Prosecution" in which legal consequences depend on nature of actions. historically, the First Law Commission was given the task to prepare the document in British rule in the Sub-continent. Lord Macaulay chaired the Commission. The law of england was taken up as a standard in preparation of the document, and special help was also taken from other leading and well-established legal documents such as the French Penal Code and Livingstone Code of Louisiana. Sir Barnes Peach, Chief Justice, and judges of Calcutta Supreme Court who were also members of the Legislative Council, reviewed the draft carefully. Finally, it was passed. however, Macaulay died before enactment of his masterpiece into a law. After the emergence of Pakistan in 1947, Pakistan inherited the penal code to fulfil the vacuum of absence of laws to run affairs of the country. It was named as Pakistan Penal Code after independence of Pakistan. however, the code was amended multiple times to align it with Islamic injunctions. So, it is a mixture of Islamic and english laws now. It is applicable to the whole country. The Pakistan Penal Code comprises 23 chapters and 511 sections. The code revolves around two basic things regarding punishment of the Offences which are committed within Pakistan, and offences which are committed outside Pakistan. Section 2 of the document makes every person liable for punishment who shall be guilty within Pakistan in these words “every person shall be liable to punishment under this Code and not otherwise for every act or omission contrary to the provisions thereof, of which he shall be guilty within Pakistan.” On the other hand, section 3 paves the way for execution of the person who commits offence outside Pakistan, but he would be treated under this code in Pakistan in the same manner as if such an act is committed within Pakistan. In Section 53, a total 6f ten punishments have

Peshawar mosque blast Fresh approach to terrorism needed

he blast in the Peshawar Imambargah on Friday was a tragedy, extracting a horrendous toll, with 58 people killed and 70 injured. however, the tragedy indicates that not only is the menace of terrorism still alive, but it has a sectarian colouring. The claiming of responsibility by the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) should give warning to the government that there is yet another terrorist group operating in Pakistan, along with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Baloch Liberation Army and other assorted groups. The hope should have died long ago that the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan would bring about some relief, and it seems clear now that it has not. The post-takeover burst of attacks against the Pakistan Army indicated that there had been some change in targeting, but the attack on an Imambargah indicates that the terrorists have returned to an earlier form of violence, against religious minorities. This confirms the trend seen in the recent killing of a Christian priest in Peshawar as well. It is a sad comment on the situation that it appears to continue even after the government has tried various reconciliatory moves. The talks with the TTP and the offer of an amnesty do not seem to have worked. Obviously, the government is doing something wrong. There is a clear need for two things. First, there must be a major rethink by the government of the policy to be followed. This should involve all branches of government, both civilian and military. Second, the various intelligence outfits of the country must concentrate on the task of obtaining actionable intelligence about these terror groups, and avoid deploying resources to activities that take up too much energy that should be dispensed elsewhere. The government has done its best to deal with the terrorists generously, but it should note that this attack has come in the capital of what it still counts as a stronghold. Surveillance apparatus installed under the various safe city projects must be updated and maintained while on-ground field work to preempt attacks is amplified. Both mechanisms go hand in hand and are essential to thwarting future attacks.

A case study for others to learn from emilia Fernandez

N December 10, the Biden Administration imposed sanctions on Bangladesh’s elite paramilitary force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and seven of its current and former officials, accusing them of human rights abuses and abductions. even though the USA and Bangladesh have been enjoying a cozy relationship since the birth of Bangladesh, these sudden human-rights related sanctions have raised concern in the South Asian nation especially as they were imposed "unilaterally" without any "prior information". Sanctions, an instrument of foreign policy, can be used to create pressure on a state or non-state actor to influence those decisions and actions that are being perceived as threatening to security or violating international behavioral norms of conduct. The US government normally slaps sanctions, using it as a carrot and stick policy, on those countries that it thinks as enemies, such as rogue states, and threatening to its national interest or to coerce the target to do something. As Bangladesh is neither a rogue state nor a threat to US interests, the recent US sanction on Bangladesh, one of the most trusted US allies in South Asia, surprised political analysts across the world. Generally, when the USA imposes sanctions, the opponent states react in way that worsen the situation further. As a friendly country, how Bangladesh responded to the US sanction deserves analysis since it will help to understand how a US ally reacts to such sanctions compared to the reaction of US enemies. Initially, Bangladesh followed the diplomatic way to communicate with the US government to explain its stance against the allegations. Diplomatic efforts, on the part of Bangladesh, was mainly focused on convincing the US government by conveying the message that Bangladesh has been misrepresented by vested groups. This is how

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi

Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

of Theft, Offences relating to Oil and Gas etc., Offences relating to electricity, Offences relating to Documents and to Trade or Property Marks, the Criminal Breach of Contracts of Service, Offences relating to Marriage, Offences against Women, Defamation, Criminal Intimidation, Insult and An-

Changezi Sandhu Advocate is an advocate, human right activist, and Member of American Bar Association, USA. Nhora Elvira Gomez is a researcher in Chicago, USA, and can be contacted at nhoraelviragomez@gmail.com

How Bangladesh responded to the US sanctions

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

noyance, and Attempts to Commit Offences. Muhammad Iftikhar Ullah Dhillon who is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, on the dire need of amendments in the Pakistan Penal Code, opines that some of sections of Pakistan Penal Code are obsolete in nature which canbeen defined in the second chapter of this code. not be used for the demanding needs of our These punishments are Qisas, Diyat, Arsh (Pre- society. So such sections are required to be specified Compensation), Daman, Ta'zir (punish- amended and replaced according to the requirement, usually corporal, that can be administered at ments of modern society. Muhammad Iftikhar Ullah Dhillon further states the discretion of a judge), that some new sections are Death, Imprisonment for mandatory to add in the life, Imprisonment, Forfeidocument which relate to ture of property, and Fine. The Criminal Justice System modern devices, techThere are two types of Imniques and to define elecprisonment, which are should be built on modern tronic crimes and its named as Rigorous (with punishments. Certain penal standards to wipe out the hard labour) and Simple sections may be added in imprisonment. constraints in the way. PPC which are mandatory Other chapters of PPC to control exponential ecoPrime Minister of Pakistan are Chapter IV is about changes in PakGeneral exceptions as well Imran Khan and Federal Law logical istan. as Right of Private Defence; The Pakistan Penal Minister Barrister Farogh Chapter V discusses laws Code is a well-defined and related to Abetment; ChapNaseem already pledged to the most comprehensive ter VA talks about Criminal legal document for penal work on the Criminal Justice Conspiracy; Chapter VI consequences of offences. sheds light on Offences System by amending It has been amended multiagainst State; Chapter VII ple times to meet the needs Criminal Procedure Code, defines Offences relating to of the time for the best the Army, Navy and Air Pakistan Penal Code, and cause of justice. however, Force; Chapter VIII states there is a dire need to Qanun-e-Shahadat for the about Offences against the amend the document for Public Tranquillity, Chapter best cause of justice. The dispensation of justice in a IX defines Offences by or more refined and quicker Government along with Relating to Public Servants; way. Certain outdated laws Chapter IXA describes OfJudiciary and Bar Councils are considered the main fences Relating to election; barriers in the dispensation should take precautionary and Chapter X explains of justice in criminal cases. Contempts of the Lawful steps to refine the basic The Criminal Justice Authority of Public SerSystem should be built on legal documents for the vants. modern standards to wipe The next chapters of cause of justice out the constraints in the the Pakistan Penal Code way. Prime Minister of deal with False evidence Pakistan Imran Khan and and Offences against PubFederal Law Minister Barlic Justice, Offences relatrister Farogh Naseem already pledged to work on ing to Coin and Government Stamps, Offences the Criminal Justice System by amending Criminal relating to Weights and Measures, Offences Affecting the Public health, Safety, Convenience, Procedure Code, Pakistan Penal Code, and QanunDecency and Morals, Offences relating to Reli- e-Shahadat for the best cause of justice. The Govgion, Offences Affecting the human Body of Of- ernment along with Judiciary and Bar Councils fences Affecting Life, Wrongful Restraint and should take precautionary steps to refine the basic Wrongful Confinement, Offences against Property legal documents for the cause of justice.

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Bangladesh differentiated itself from other countries on which the US has imposed sanctions so far. For example: North Korea fires fresh missiles in response to US sanctions. Instead of accepting the criticism, the rogue states just react negatively against any sanctions. But Bangladesh showed a positive attitude and welcomed constructive suggestions from the US government. In response to human rights violations, the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh has established a human rights cell under the United Nations to look into human rights issues and abuses with required importance and attention. Besides, the cell will present the facts and figures of the human rights situation of Bangladesh before the international community by analyzing the situation properly. As it has been established under the UN, it can be expected that the situation will be monitored properly and the real data will be presented. According to the Bangladesh government, it has already sent data on the country’ human rights situation and its progress in rescuing people who allegedly fell victim to enforced disappearances. The law enforcing agencies of Bangladesh have also rescued several people which was also mentioned in the report. It was also mentioned that the government is working relentlessly to find the whereabouts of the rest of the people. Gregory W Meeks, the chair of the house Committee on Foreign Affairs and an influential US Congressman, in one of his speeches, delivered at a fundraising luncheon function in New York, said that there is no plan of the USA to impose further sanctions against the security forces of Bangladesh. Also, Meeks hinted about certain vested groups who are strongly lobbying with the Biden Administration for slapping further sanctions against more Bangladeshi officers and politicians. Though he clearly mentioned that he supports the Biden Administration’s stance on RAB, he also made it clear that wholesale sanctions against Bangladesh by the US government are currently unwarranted . April 4 will mark the golden jubilee of USBangladesh relations. In order to celebrate the 50

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years of the establishment of their diplomatic ties, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken invited Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen to Washington. This also indicates that the Biden Administration has taken Bangladesh’s responses to the US sanctions in a positive light. And, the relations of these two countries are still intact and friendly as before. Instead of reacting like rogue states, Bangladesh handled the US sanction on RAB professionally with much emphasis on diplomatic maneuvers. The crisis may be resolved soon, but Bangladesh should decode the hidden motive of Washington behind such sanction. What does the US actually expect from Bangladesh? The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), a strategic security dialogue between the United States, India, Japan and Australia, may be a relevant issue to be considered in this context. May be, the US is trying to create pressure on Bangladesh to join its IndoPacific military pact to contain China. Probably, Biden administration may slap more sanctions, in future, if Bangladesh fails to meet the US expectation on Indo-pacific which is to join the QUAD. Bangladesh’s economy is now at take-off stage with its potential of graduating from LDC by 2026 and has an aspiration to be a developed economy by 2041. Considering Bangladesh’s economic conditions, the global powers should not involve the country into any geopolitical tug-of-war. Neither Bangladesh can ignore the US and India nor China considering the current global geopolitical situation. Also, it does not comply with Bangladesh’s balancing foreign policy which emphasizes on “Friendship Towards All, Malice Towards None”. Now, Bangladesh has to ensure neutrality and strike a fine diplomatic balance among the major global powers for its development discourse. Otherwise, the country is going to face more sanctions which will worsen the USBangladesh relations and will ultimately push Bangladesh towards the strategic orbits of China. The writer is a PhD researcher at the University of Lucerne, Switzerland, and can be reached at emiliafernandez.ul@gmail.com

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Sunday, 6 March, 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

Mental health matters

Challenges of NATO-Ukraine Relations Ukraine grew increasingly afraid

dr rajkumar Singh

he whole current crisis of Ukraine and its direct war with Russia revolves around the issue of Ukraine’s clear intention to be a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), a Cold-War military alliance of european countries under the leadership of the USA. especially, from 2014 when a pro-NATO and anti-Russia government formed in Ukraine, the probability of its joining the said pact increased, as was shown in various public opinion poll results conducted between 2014 and January 2022. While in 2014 it was 44 percent in favour and 47 percent against, in January 2022 it became 64 percent in support and only 17 percent against the decision. With thr sharp territorial division of the country, with Western Ukraine always having been in favour of NATO, and the eastern part of the country more pro-Russia and against the government’s move to come near the alliance, the problem became more complicated in the recent past. Now, the three stakeholders, NATO, Russia and Ukraine, have their own points of view claiming to be right than the other and desirous to implement the scheme of things they have planned and prepared for years. Of the above three, only two, Russia and Ukraine, are involved in a direct fight and losing their energy, armies and resources along with heavy economic devastations across Ukraine. Although, there is no doubt in the fact that the USA and other NATO members are helping Ukraine with arms and ammunitions and humanitarian aid, while Russia is openly getting help from the People’s Republic of China and other small countries situated in its neighbourhood, they both must come forward and initiate fruitful dialogue in the interest of general public and mass of the people across the world. Relations between NATO and Ukraine started in 1992 after the disintegration of the USSR at the end of 1991 wherein Ukraine applied for the Membership NATO Action Plan (MAP) at the year 2008. It was followed by a Presidential election in 2010 and the new regime decided not to join NATO but keep the country a non-aligned in the comity of nations; it however, gave birth to a movement called euromaidan. In their relations the year 2014 when Russia attacked Ukraine and, the same year annexed Crimea into Russia proved

decisive and further paved the way in favour join NATO and two months later in December of joining the military alliance. In addition, 2014 it renounced Ukraine’s non-aligned stathe same year Parliamentary elections were tus saying it to be ineffective in guaranteeing also held in October wherein the nation got a country’s security and protecting Ukraine pro-NATO government and efforts for joining from external aggression and pressure. NATO became a national priority. It was followed by several joint exercises even a constitutional amendment was by Ukraine and NATO as well as the euromade in February 2019, which provided for pean Union (eU), reaching a climax on 10th Ukraine’s membership of NATO and euro- of March 2018, when the Parliament of the pean Union and enshrined it in the preamble’s country approved an amendment proposal basic law of the land. that would ensure Ukraine’s accession to A further development took place in June NATO and eU. Various other proposals and 2021 at the Brussels Summit of NATO coun- resolutions were passed in the Parliament and tries wherein its members reiterated the deci- outside to favour Ukraine’s membership, insion taken earlier in 2008 which provided in cluding a voting on the issue in the Parliament regard to Ukraine’s full membership of NATO which was passed with a majority of 334 out alliance and was an integral part of the Mem- of 385 to help the country joining the alliance. bership Action Plan (MAP) and preserved the however, these all steps were harshly critination’s rights to decide about their future and cized and condemned by Russian Federation foreign policy. on a number of occasions. On account of resistance by France and Still, the country Ukraine is not a fullGermany the membership of NATO was not fledged member of the NATO and its Memberoffered to Ukraine and Georgia, but the then ship Action Plan (MAP) remains unfulfilled, Secretary of the alliance said that both Geor- despite the fact that the alliance is present in gia and Ukraine would eventually become the Ukraine and the latter is making efforts to join members of the althe alliance, alliance. From there though, interactions onwards, the relaand mutual undertions between the standing between At the time Ukraine initiated its NATO countries and them arrived a new Ukraine remained strategic level and move for NATO membership, it cordial and co-opermaximum exchange was half-heartedly supported by of war material and ative In the Presiden- the then ruler, it however, changed other are going on in tial election of 2010, a big way. increasingly after the annexation membership of At the time NATO was not felt of Crimea in 2014 and extension of Ukraine initiated its urgent and all parties for NATO Russian military and armaments move expressed satisfacmembership, it was tion over its relations up to the border of the country. In half-heartedly supwith the alliance. ported by the then fact, the issue of Ukraine’s Thus, during the ruler, it however, whole regime of Vikmembership of NATO has become changed increasingly tor Yanukovych after the annexation of a bone of contention between (2010-2014), they Crimea in 2014 and Russia and Ukraine in accordance extension of Russian both continued to hold joint seminars, military and armawith the security perceptions of ments and joint tactical and up to the border both. While Ukraine supposes strategical exercises of the country. In fact, and operations. Russia a grave security threat for the issue of Ukraine’s Meanwhile, the membership of NATO its territorial integrity, euromaidan movehas become a bone of ment reached to a contention between independence as well as freedom, new height in FebruRussia and Ukraine in ary 2014 and, as a re- Russia, in context of Cold War and accordance with the sult, President security perceptions of rivalry with the USA, considers Yanukovych fled both. While Ukraine Ukraine’s membership a red alarm supposes from Ukraine, Russia a paving the way for grave security threat at its doorstep the formation of a infor its territorial interim government tegrity, independence headed by Yatseniuk as well as freedom, which on 29 August 2014, taking in view the Russia, in context of Cold War and rivalry with security of the country and reports that Russ- the USA, considers Ukraine’s membership a red ian military was operating in the country, ex- alarm at its doorstep. pressed the desire to put a proposal in the Parliament to move Ukraine on the path of The writer is presently Professor and NATO membership. he was also hopeful Head, Department of Political Science and about a major non-NATO ally status relation Dean of Social Sciences at B.N. Mandal with the USA. On the other hand, gradually, University, Madhepura (Bihar), India. His Ukraine began drifting away from the Russia- 19 books were published in addition to 900 dominated alliances and following the parlia- articles in national and international jourmentary election of October 2014, the new nals and daily newspapers from 25 foreign government declared its priority would be to countries.

ThIS needs to be understood that mental health holds equal importance as physical health does. There is a close relationship between physical and mental health. Mental disturbance surely leads to physical disturbance. For instance, people suffering from depression are at a high risk of blood pressure and cardiac issues. Mental health is a topic that calls for special attention because it is affecting our youth. According to the reports, suicide is the second leading cause of death among the youth. The most important reason behind the suicide commission is mental illness. Academic, peer, family, or financial pressure results in poor mental health and this incites thoughts of committing suicide. Another point to be taken into consideration is, being mentally unwell doesn’t always mean that one is having a mental disorder. It can be a temporary disturbance that can be overcome by proper counselling. The issue is that mentally disturbed people usually don’t share their problems with others. So parents should play their role in this regard. They should give their child the comfort and ease to share anything with them without the fear of being judged or punished. Unfortunately, mental health isn’t given much importance in our country. This is the responsibility of the government to organise mental health awareness campaigns and to lay the foundation of mental health care centres where such people are given proper care and treatment. These centres should offer courses that include activities to cope with mental disturbances. A proper consultation can also be beneficial for this purpose. I hope that the government will give ear to this issue. SYEDA RUMESAA LAHORE

Preserving Cultural Heritage OVeR the years, Sikhism in Pakistan has reached greater heights and accomplished far greater achievements, yet the hue and cry regarding the oppression and persecution of Sikhs in Pakistan kept rolling on. The work of Sardar Vikash Singh, President of Gurdwara Sachkhand Sahib Paheli Patshai Shikarpur cannot go unnoticed as the renovation and reconstruction of the Gurdwara had been in full swing since quite a long time and Akal Takht Jathedar Giani harpreet Singh is expected to reach Sindh for the inaugration of reconstructed new building of Gurdwara Sachkhand Phelli Patshahi in Shikarpur. But the recent news of taking down of the statue of hari Singh Nalwa by the local administration in haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has hit the sentimental and religious values of the Sikh community all over. The statue was erected in 2017 on the square named after the most successful general of the Sikh ruler of Punjab, Ranjit Singh. While installing the statue, tall claims were made that religious tourism and tolerance were being promoted. What has been promoted today by demolishing the statue is still incomprehensible to the Sangat. Those who make such decisions are forgetting that history can neither be changed nor reversed. Pakistan who has been taking major steps for the promotion of equity and inclusiveness of the Sikhs should remember that Sikhs all over have deep faith in their Gurus and their commandments. Same goes with hari Singh Nalwa who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army. he played a major role in the establishment of Ranjit Singh’s empire and its conquests. he has commanded or participated in at least twenty major and historic wars. The most important of these were the battles of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshawar and Jamrud in which hari Singh Nalwa commanded and won. There are very few instances in the Sikh era where the Sikh rulers have done any construction but hari Singh Nalwa had built at least 56 different buildings including forts, gurdwaras, gardens, mansions and inns. Thus, government of Pakistan should be careful in ensuring that their single step towards development of infrastructure could attract immense condemnation from the population, specially when they are in minority in the nation. Religious and cultural sentiments of the citizens should be taken into account while revamping. DR KULWANT SINGH BERLIN

The Kashmir dispute The Kashmir dispute is the oldest unresolved international conflict in the world today taking about more than six decades. In fact, this is the core circumstance between Pakistan and India that has bedeviled relations between the two countries since August 1947 while the State has majority of Muslim population, and it not only enjoys geographical proximity with Pakistan but also has essential economic linkages with the territories constituting Pakistan. While Pakistan has also proclaimed 20 July as the black day to pay tribute to the victims of Kashmir and once again, Kashmir is on the boil and the routine life is badly affected in the IIOJK because of a shutdown by local demonstrators over the deaths of protesters in clashes with Indian security personnel. Sadly, it has been the triumph of the unbeatable human spirit of people to seek freedom and the right to determine their political and everyday fate and the aggressive torture and approach of the Indian government to the Kashmiri people and its disputed nature has greatly led to the deteriorating circumstances and can lead to catastrophic consequences for the whole region. There isn’t anybody more interested and willing than Kashmiris to permanently end this conflict and live in peace. It is for this right that over 100,000 Kashmiris have laid down their lives. The baton-charge of freedom has passed on to their fifth generation and it is a moment of great pride and great pain as they all witness their next generation joining the journey of freedom and sacrificing their lives. Which nation wouldn’t? It is a question to those who call the young idealists “terrorists” that in which terrorist’s funeral will you witness hundreds and thousands of men, women and children participating that too defying restrictions, drowning their lives in risk and ready to face bullets. It is really pathetic that the two regional powers which have linkages with everything, be it cultural, religious, and so forth are disputing without any long-term ceasefire. In my own conceit, dialogue is the best option to amicably resolve all issues whether minor or vast between India and Pakistan, including the dispute of Kashmir. HAMMAL ZAHID KOLAHOO

Sunday, 6 March, 2022

08 WOrLd vieW

Will there be an iran nuclear deal? THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, CONSUMED BY RUSSIA-UKRAINE CRISIS, MAY BE CLOSE TO THE END ON ONE OF ITS TOP FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES t AL MoniToR

HE buzz is that the talks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of action (JCPOa), or iran nuclear deal, could be concluded as soon as this weekend in Vienna. state Department Principal Deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said on Thursday, March 3, "There has been significant progress and we are close to a possible deal, but a number of difficult issues still remain unsolved. … if iran shows seriousness, we can and should reach an understanding of mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOa within days." Given that us secretary of state antony Blinken is on a tour of European capitals to address the ukraine war, it will be little trouble for him to slip over to Vienna for a signing ceremony, if the parties are able to close the deal. The parties to the JCPOa, agreed in 2015, include the uK, France, Germany, Russia, China, and iran. The Trump administration withdrew the us from the deal in May 2018. The Biden administration, which made a return to the JCPOa and the prevention of an iranian nuclear weapon one of its top priorities, has little interest in extending the talks, given the crisis with Russia over ukraine. iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday, Feb. 28, that three issues remain to be resolved: closure on an iaEa investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites (which iran considers politicized), the scope and sequencing of sanctions relief, and whether the united states can "guarantee" a deal beyond the Biden administration. iran is also looking to have certain "terrorist" designations imposed by Trump rescinded by the us. There is also the matter of the us dual nationals held in iran, whose release could mitigate what will likely be at best a scratchy reaction to the deal in the us Con-

gress. in a new potential complication for the JCPOa talks, Russian Foreign Minister sergey Lavrov said saturday March 5 that there are “problems that have appeared recently from the point of view of Russia’s interests," because of Western sanctions on Russia over ukraine, and that Moscow has "requested that our us colleagues… give us written guarantees at the minimum level of secretary of state that the current [sanctions] process launched by the us will not in any way harm our right to free, fully-fledged trade and economic and investment cooperation and military-technical cooperation with iran." IAEA DG HOLDS KEY TO IRANIAN COMPLIANCE: For the Biden administration, the nut of the deal is getting iran's nuclear activities back into compliance. iran began to suspend some of its obligations under the JCPOa in 2019, after the us withdrawal from the deal.While the us assesses that iranian leaders have not taken steps to actively pursue a nuclear weapon, its breaches of the JCPOa have reduced the potential breakout time if it decided to do so. international atomic Energy agency (iaEa) Director General Rafael Grossi will visit iran to chart a roadmap for resolving the outstanding issues between the iaEa and iran. a draft iaEa report on iran, seen by Reuters this week, says that iran's stock of highly enriched uranium (HEu) at 60% has doubled, and now equals three-quarters of the amount needed, pending further enrichment, for one nuclear bomb. The JCPOa limits enrichment to 3.67% purity; 90% HEu is required for a nuclear weapon. While iran says its post-2019 steps are "reversible," Grossi may have a harder

time outlining a process for closing the books on the iaEa’s investigation into iran’s previous nuclear activities, which Tehran considers politicized. The iaEa reported in November that iran’s lack of cooperation has "prevented progress in clarifying the agency’s questions concerning the correctness and completeness of iran’s safeguards declarations, which seriously affects the agency’s ability to provide assurance of the exclusively peaceful nature of iran’s nuclear programme." iF THERE is a DEaL, iRaN OPEN FOR BusiNEss For iran, a return to the JCPOa means a windfall after the setback of us secondary sanctions on financial transactions and oil exports since 2018. The lifting of sanctions per the JCPOa would reportedly occur over a period of time, possibly ten days, as amwaj reported here last month, and could be linked to steps outlined by the iaEa. Once the sequencing is complete, and the us is back on board with JCPOa, iran is open again for business in the energy, shipping, metals, automotive, insurance and other sectors — what was known as "implementation day" in the 2015 nuclear deal. The following key "days" outlined in the JCPOa would then come up fast: Transition Day (October 2023): after the iaEa reports “that all nuclear material in iran remains in peaceful activities” and ratifies the additional protocol, the uN will end restrictions on missile transfers to iran, and “the us will seek such legislative action as may be appropriate to terminate, or modify to effectuate the termination of, the sanctions specified in annex ii on the acquisition of nuclear-related commodities and services for nuclear activities contemplated in this JCPOa, to be consistent with

the us approach to other non-nuclearweapon states under the NPT.” Termination Day (October 2025): On or about October 2025, and assuming iran’s compliance with JCPOa constraints on its nuclear program, the uN would close the iran nuclear file. ‘TERRiBLE NEWs FOR isRaEL’ israel has pressed for those sunset provisions to be extended, as Ben Caspit reported in January. The us has reportedly assured israel that if iran violates JCPOa constraints on its nuclear program, the us, or any member of the security Council, can reimpose sanctions via the “snapback” provision in uNsC Resolution 2231 (2015), which allows parties to the agreement to call for reimposing sanctions lifted in previous phases. it remains unclear, however, whether uNsC Res 2231, the implementing resolution for the JCPOa, sunsets on termination day — meaning the mechanism for snapback sunsets then as well. The prospect of an iran nuclear deal "is terrible news for us," a senior cabinet minister told Caspit on condition of anonymity. "israel will be the one paying the ultimate price." NO GUARANTEES FOR RAISI…OR BIDEN: iran Foreign Minister Hossein amir-abdollahian, in an interview with the Financial Times last month, suggested that Congress make a “political statement” demonstrating its commitment to an agreement. iran, feeling burned by Trump’s withdrawal from the JCPOa, wants a guarantee. But a guarantee, or political statement is a non-starter — for both Washington and Tehran. if there is a deal, its consideration by the Congress under the iran Nuclear agreement Review act of 2015 (iNaRa) would at best be a draw and a likely headache for the Biden administration.

Congress can’t stop the deal under iNaRa — the two-thirds vote required for a resolution of disapproval is too high a bar. But the debate, especially in the senate, could be messy for Biden, who will want to present an agreement as a foreign policy win — reuniting the JCPOa coalition, broken by Trump, to thwart an iranian nuclear weapon. The problem, as Elizabeth Hagedorn reports, is that the nuclear deal will be opposed not only by all 50 Republicans, but also by senate Democrats Bob Menendez (NJ), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, and probably Ben Cardin (MD), number two Democrat on the committee. Other Democrats may also oppose, given the cover by Menendez. in other words, if there is a vote in the senate, a bipartisan majority could end up voting against the deal — not enough to kill or stall an agreement, but a potential embarrassment, as legislative elections loom in November, where Republicans are expected to make substantial gains. and the political blowback in the Congress for Biden is likely to be even worse if the us, as part of the deal, lifts terrorist designations on key iranian figures and entities, including supreme Leader ayatollah ali Khamenei and the islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. PRISONER RELEASE: The Biden administration is reportedly engaged in separate but concurrent discussions with iran over the release of the four iranian-americans held in iran on what human rights groups and other describe as baseless charge of spying. The release of the prisoners would be a welcome and overdue event, and could, at least in the short term, blunt some of the political friction from opponents to an agreement.

Leading experts warned NATO expansion would lead to conflict. Why did no one listen? FROM KENNAN TO KISSINGER, WESTERN FOREIGN-POLICY THINKERS SAW NATO’S EASTWARD MARCH WAS A DANGEROUS GAME

Bradley Blankenship

ussia’s invasion of ukraine has provoked serious backlash around the world, particularly in the Western world – an understandable reaction against a war of aggression in violation of international law. However, it’s also true that this outcome had been predicted by the world’s foremost foreign-policy experts for decades. specifically, experts have consistently warned that NaTO’s eastward expansion would provoke conflict with Russia. so, this begs the question, how did we get here if so many people warned about it? Before getting into the answer, here are some examples of those warnings. For starters, the top american Russia scholar George Kennan, the man who laid the foundation for us Cold War foreign-policy strategy, said NaTO’s expansion into Central Europe in the 1990s was “the most fateful error of american policy in the entire post-Cold War era.” He warned that expanding NaTO would damage the us-Russia relationship so deeply that Russia would never become a partner and would remain an enemy. The us ambassador to the soviet union from 1987 to 1991 penned an essay nine

days before the invasion, answering the question of whether the brewing crisis was, at that point, avoidable. “in short, yes,” he explained. On whether it was predictable, “absolutely. NaTO expansion was the most profound strategic blunder made since the end of the Cold War.” Leading international relations scholar John Mearsheimer gave an interview after the Russian invasion, explaining that the situation “started in april 2008, at the summit in Bucharest, where afterward NaTO issued a statement that said ukraine and Georgia would become part of [NaTO].” according to him, “The Russians made it unequivocally clear at the time that they viewed this as an existential threat, and they drew a line in the sand.” Mearsheimer discussed in the interview, as he has maintained for years on this issue, that the issue of ukraine joining NaTO is key to Russia’s core national security interests. The famed Russian-studies scholar stephen Cohen likewise warned in 2014, during that year’s conflict in ukraine involving Russia, that “if we move NaTO forces toward Russia's borders ... it’s obviously gonna militarize the situation [and] Russia will not back off. This is existential.” Former us secretary of state Henry Kissinger, one of the most widely regarded american strategic thinkers of all time, said in a 2014 op-ed that “ukraine should not join NaTO.” This is because it would make ukraine a theater in an East-West confrontation. He said that “to treat ukraine as part of an East-West confrontation would scuttle for decades any prospect to bring Russia and the West – especially Russia and Europe – into a cooperative international system.” There are many others, including former us secretary of Defense William Perry, Russian-american journalist Vladimir Pozner Jnr., economist Jeffrey sachs, former

united Nations under-secretary-General Pino arlacchi, former Cia director Bill Burns, former us secretary of Defense Bob Gates and others listed by arnaud Bertrand in a great Twitter thread on this topic. With all of this out there, widely known and heavily discussed, we arrive back to that question: why? Well, it most likely has to do with controlling Europe and making sure that NaTO itself doesn’t fall apart. in that sense, Russia’s invasion of ukraine has ensured this goal and then some. Madrid will host a major NaTO summit this June that will see the formation of the first NaTO strategic concept document since 2010, which had been a major issue of contention both on the European continent and across the pond in Washington. it will be the alliance’s working strategic framework for at least the next decade and will clearly define its goals.

We had seen, prior to this, that Europe, particularly France, was pushing for a common European defense strategy – which, to be fair, was said to “complement NaTO” but was so clearly in spite of it that Washington routinely resisted this stance. after actions by the us that rattled European leaders, particularly the auKus agreement, the administration of President Joe Biden made clear concessions that it probably didn’t enjoy. This was clear from the read-out of a conversation between Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in september 2021, which included the sentence, “The united states also recognizes the importance of a stronger and more capable European defense that contributes positively to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NaTO.” Russia’s invasion of ukraine has seemingly rejuvenated NaTO overnight and put

Europe on high alert. This is evident in Germany’s foreign-policy pivot and the announcement that it will be increasing its military spending to over 2% of its GDP in direct response to the situation in ukraine; sweden and Finland having reportedly given consideration to joining NaTO; and even switzerland ending its neutral status and joining the Eu’s sanctions on Russian assets. The June summit in Madrid will undoubtedly elevate pro-NaTO voices that would otherwise be regarded as extreme, discussion of more bifurcation of the international system and, no doubt, direct mentions of Russia – maybe even China – in the organization’s strategic concept document. all of this falls neatly in line with us foreign policy. at the same time, this all has the benefit of increasing dependency on america – especially in the case of natural gas, with Nord stream 2 now scrapped and Russia being choked economically – and on military hardware, which the military-industrial complex is surely happy about. None of this minimizes Russia’s role in the conflict. it invaded ukraine and, whatever the justifications, committed a violation of international law. But strategic thinkers in the West clearly predicted this would happen and, because of that, we may only assume that it fits into the larger agenda described here. With that in mind, it’s clear that anyone who really supports the ukrainian people must be principally against NaTO’s expansion. Eu residents will also suffer the fallout, both economically and perhaps even in their basic physical safety. But let’s remember that, until Russia’s invasion, Europe – mainly Germany and France – was doing all it could to diffuse the situation in spite of Washington’s brinkmanship. Bradley Blankenship is an American journalist, columnist and political commentator. He has a syndicated column at CGTN and is a freelance reporter for international news agencies including Xinhua News Agency.

Sunday, 6 March, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

GRant of Rs136bn REquiREd to REducE powER taRiff by Rs5 pER unit

Chief Executive Officer of NCCPL Mr. Muhammad Lukman (L) and the CEO of JBS Mr. Veqar-ul-Islam (R) at the cloud security solutions completion at NCPL. PR

Experts advise people with diabetes to seek medical guidance before Ramazan • •

1 in 4 adults in Pakistan have diabetes Decision to fast should be based on medical advice

HE Power Division has asked for a supplementary grant of Rs136 billion in order to reduce the electricity price by Rs5 per unit, reported Business Recorder. The reduction in power tariff is for both commercial and domestic consumers of Discos and K-Electric, it will be applicable on base rate and Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA) for four months (March-June 2022) of the current fiscal year. As per the Prime Minister’s relief package the FCA is to be capped at Rs3.0966 per unit for four months. The FCA amount over and above Rs3.0966 per unit will be absorbed by the federal government. The relief package is to be applicable to commercial consumers and domestic non-ToU (Time of Use)

consumers with a consumption upto 700 units per month. This excludes lifeline consumers. The consumers eligible for the re-

lief package will be provided the Rs5 per unit tariff reduction in their bills based on the applicable notified Schedule of Tariff (SoT).

According to sources the financial implication of subsidy required on the base rate and the capping of FCA at Rs3.0966 will be around Rs136 billion. The relief package is based on estimated consumption patterns and FCA projections. Many factors will have implications on these projections and will impact the subsidy requirements under the package. The power sector is facing liquidity problems due to the prevailing prices of imported fuel. Therefore cash flow requirements of the relief package need to be budgeted and released in a timely manner. In its summary pertaining to the relief package Power Division has suggested proposals to the federal cabinet including the approval of a supplementary grant of Rs136 billion which also contains the additional cost of FCA. MonitoRing RePoRt

Karachi PR

“People with diabetes, eager to fast must consult with their doctor prior to the beginning of Ramazan and follow medical advice.” Medical Experts from Diabetes Task Force and Advice Academy said while speaking to the media on ‘Diabetes Management during Ramazan’ organized by Sanofi Pakistan. According to experts, fasting without following proper guidance could adversely affect the health of a person suffering from a chronic condition such as diabetes. Greater awareness and adherence to scientific guidelines on this topic will make Ramazan a safer experience for people with diabetes. Similarly, physicians should assess their patients’ ability to fast and advise accordingly. Patients must not place themselves at risk, as the decision to fast or not, should be based on medical advice. The speakers also emphasized that following a highly individualized management plan and close follow-up is essential to avoid the development of complications. The panel of speakers comprised: • Prof. Dr. A.H Aamir – Chairman Diabetes Task Force, KPK • Prof Dr. Saeed A Mahar – Past President, Pakistan Endocrine Society (PES) • Dr. S. Abbas Raza –Executive Committee member, International Society of Endocrinology • Dr. Faisal Masood Qureshi – Executive Member, Pakistan Endocrine Society (PES) Patients do not always fully understand the implications of diabetes and the impact that fasting could have on their health. People often consume large quantities of unhealthy deep fried, oily and sugary food items and beverages during Iftar and that can lead to complications. Patients should specifically ask their doctors about medication dosage and timing alteration, diet and fluid intake, physical activity, self-monitoring of blood glucose, and symptoms of low or high blood glucose that may necessitate breaking the fast in order to prevent damage or danger to the patients’ well-being. People with diabetes must perform regular blood sugar monitoring during Ramazan and focus on maintaining an appropriate diet in Sehar and Iftar for safe fasting. Sanofi has a rich heritage in diabetes research and development. In Pakistan, Sanofi has been regularly introducing new diabetes products for over half a century. Today, Sanofi Pakistan has the unique distinction of having the most comprehensive portfolio of insulins as well as oral diabetes management therapies. “At Sanofi, we are committed to supporting initiatives that answer the needs of the local community, placing the patient at the heart of the activity. We strive to improve the lives of people with diabetes by helping them to manage their condition well and live full, healthy lives. Ramazan is approaching and understandably, many people with diabetes are eager to fast. Therefore, it is imperative that any person with diabetes wanting to fast should visit their healthcare provider for a pre-Ramazan consultation.” Dr. Asim Jamal, General Manager & Managing Director, Sanofi Pakistan. Diabetes is increasing in Pakistan at an alarming rate. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas, almost 33 million adults or one in four adults in Pakistan are living with this condition. These figures make Pakistan the 3rd highest prevalence of diabetes in the world, after China (141 million) and India (74 million). Additionally, 11 million adults in Pakistan have Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), which places them at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Most alarming is that over than a quarter (26.9%) of adults living with diabetes in Pakistan are undiagnosed.

Gas supply to non-export industry: SHC rules in favor of govt The Sindh High Court (SHC) has dismissed a set of petitions challenging the federal government’s decision of suspending gas supply to the non-export industry in the province. The court pronounced the verdict on the petitions filed by more than 30 industries. The court also vacated its stay order against the impugned notification regarding the suspension of gas supply to the petitioners. In its reply to the petition, the government stated that the country’s natural gas reserves were fast depleting, due to which it was unable to meet the rising demand for the commodity. The Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGC) was facing a shortfall of 246 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) and the government had halted gas supply to the non-export industries as per its policy of load management. An SSGC lawyer said that the country is facing a shortage of gas and their priority is to ensure the supply of gas to domestic consumers as it creates a law and order situation in case of failure. inP

President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, delivers thought-provoking speech at MUNIK XII The Public Speaking Society (PSS) of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) hosted the President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi, at the twelfth edition of its event Model United Nations IBA Karachi (MUNIK XII). Inaugurated in 2008, MUNIK is an entirely studentrun non-profit event which provides a platform for young, bright minds to debate on diverse issues from across the globe. With this year’s theme, “Impact through Inclusion”, MUNIK XII strives to continue its legacy of discourse, diversity, and diplomacy. The panel of speakers comprised of the President himself, alongside key personalities from the IBA: Executive Director, Dr. Akbar Zaidi, Associate Professor Dr. Huma Baqai, and patron of the PSS, Mrs. Nadia Sayeed. Attendees included members of the IBA faculty and administration, MUNIK Host Team members, and delegates of the conference. The aim of this session was to discuss the Eastern political landscape and the role played by forums such as MUNIK to encourage discourse about pressing current issues. Dr. Akbar Zaidi delivered a warm

welcome address. He introduced the audience to the diversity, inclusivity, and high standards of the IBA and its various platforms and stressed upon the importance of discourse which results in peaceful settlement. Dr. Huma Baqai, Associate Professor at the School of Social Sciences at the IBA, was a keynote speaker. She shed light upon pressing current conflicts in the world, particularly highlighting the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. She urged the audience to recognize the importance and relevance of international organizations

SRB collects Rs89.9bn during last eight month Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) during the last eight month, July 2021 to Feb 2022 has collected Rs89.952 billion against a 12-month target of Rs150 billion. This was disclosed in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at CM house on Saturday. The meeting was attended by Advisor Law Murtaza Wahab, Secretary Finance Sajid Jamal Abro, Special Secretary to CM Rahim Shaikh, Chairman SRB Wasif Memon, and others.

The Chief Minister reviewed Sindh Sales Tax (SST) revenue collection and other related issues. SRB Chairman Wasif Memon briefing the CM said that the SRB has shown significant growth in revenue collection. He said that in February 2022, SRB collected Rs12.406 billion showing a growth of 23 per cent over collection in February 2021. “Progressive collection during the current financial year, for the period from July 2021 to February 2022 stands at Rs89.953 billion showing a growth of 17 per cent over

the same period last year,” the CM was told. In addition CM said SRB is performing its job with renewed enforcement efforts, and is hopeful that the revenue target set for the current financial year at Rs150 billion will be achieved. He expressed satisfaction with SRB’s revenue collection and appreciated the it’s performance. He further advised to maximize revenue efforts towards collection of the assigned target. The CM also directed SRB to keep reconciling claims and counter claims with FRB. aPP

and the role of conferences, such as MUNIK XII, to teach students crucial skills including negotiations, diplomacy, and conflict resolution. She concluded her speech with a powerful statement: “Competition is good, but cooperation is better”. The final speaker was Dr. Arif Alvi, the President of Pakistan, who initiated his speech by expressing his praise for the IBA and MUNIK team. The esteemed President spoke eloquently on the importance of communication in today’s world, especially how one should always remain empa-

thetic towards other’s experiences, emphasizing how communication is the “window to one’s mind.” On current political events, he expressed his sympathy for the people of Ukraine, expressing Pakistan’s stance to strive for “peace and negotiated settlement in any aspect”. To punctuate his statement, he shared glimpses of historical peace movements with the audience. However, the President also reminded his audience about how, historically and in the modern world, people of color have always been treated differently to their white and western counterparts, citing events such as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The President provoked the audience, especially the young delegates of MUNIK, to ponder the role of international organizations and how they can be improved by learning lessons from history. Ultimately, the President’s speech accentuated the need for morality and humanity to remain at the forefront during international conflicts. He lastly stated the importance of a platform like MUNIK XII to amplify young Pakistani voices. PR

Sunday, 6 March, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Taliban’s secreTive Haqqani neTwork leader finally sHows His face KAbul

AFP

NE of the Taliban’s most secretive leaders, whose only picture on US “most wanted” lists is a grainy semi-covered profile, was photographed openly for the first time Saturday at a passing-out parade for new Afghan police recruits. Interior Minister Sirajuddin

Haqqani, who also heads the feared Haqqani Network, has previously only been photographed clearly from behind — even since the hardline Islamists seized power last August. “For your satisfaction and for building your trust… I am appearing in the media in a public meeting with you,” he said in a speech at the parade. Before the Taliban’s return, Haqqani was the most senior of three

Unsc to meet Monday on humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: diplomats neW YORK AFP

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting Monday on the humanitarian crisis triggered in Ukraine by the Russian invasion, diplomats said. After this public session, the 15 members of the council will confer behind closed doors to discuss a possible draft resolution, a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP. This latter meeting has been proposed by Mexico and France, who are pushing a draft that calls for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, unhindered flow of humanitarian aid and protection of civilians. But it has run into obstacles, namely a warning from the United States that it will not support such a draft unless it states explicitly that Russia has caused the humanitarian crisis, another diplomat told AFP.France originally wanted a vote last Tuesday but it did not happen.Now, diplomats say France has shifted and in light of US criticism is no longer pushing for a vote as quickly as before.Any draft resolution that criticizes Russia by name is doomed because Russia has veto power on the Security Council.

north korea fires ‘unidentified projectile’: south’s military seOul AFP

North Korea fired at least one “unidentified projectile” on Saturday, South Korea’s military said, the nucleararmed country’s ninth suspected weapons test this year. “North Korea fired an unidentified projectile eastward,” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without giving further details. Pyongyang carried out an unprecedented seven weapons tests in January, including of its most powerful missile since 2017, when leader Kim Jong Un baited then-US president Donald Trump with a spate of provocative launches. Diplomacy has languished ever since, and despite biting international sanctions, Pyongyang has doubled down on military development. In January, the North threatened to abandon a self-imposed moratorium on testing long-range and nuclear weapons. Pyongyang said Monday it had carried out a test of “great significance” towards developing a reconnaissance satellite, a day after Seoul said it had detected a ballistic missile launch. Analysts had widely predicted Pyongyang would seek to capitalise on the United States’ distraction over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with more tests. Ukraine, which emerged from the Cold War with sizeable Soviet-era nuclear weapons stocks of its own, gave up its arsenal in the 1990s. North Korea last month accused the United States of being the “root cause of the Ukraine crisis” saying in a statement on its foreign ministry’s website that Washington “meddled” in the internal affairs of other countries when it suited them but condemned legitimate “self-defensive measures”. pre-emptive strike: Pyongyang’s latest testing comes at a delicate time in the region, as South Korea gears up to elect its next president on Wednesday. One of the two frontrunners, dour former prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party, has threatened a pre-emptive strike on South Korea’s nuclear-armed neighbour if needed. Under Trump’s successor Joe Biden, the United States has repeatedly declared its willingness to meet North Korean representatives — an offer Pyongyang has dismissed. Domestically, North Korea is preparing to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of late founder Kim Il Sung in April, which experts say Pyongyang could use as an opportunity to carry out a major weapons test. Recent satellite images analysed by specialist website 38 North suggest that the country may be preparing a military parade to showcase its weapons to mark the key anniversary.

deputies to leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Akhundzada himself hasn’t been seen in public for years, and many Afghan analysts believe he may not even be alive. Haqqani heads a powerful subset of the Taliban blamed for some of the worst violence of the past 20 years. The United States has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to his arrest, saying he was responsible for a string of terror attacks. Pictures of Haqqani were being widely shared on social media Saturday by Taliban officials who had previously only posted photographs

that didn’t show his face, or if it had been digitally blurred. At the police parade Saturday, Haqqani was dressed like many of the senior Taliban officials — very heavily bearded and wearing a black turban and white shawl. He said he was showing his face so “you could know how much value we have with our leadership”. Not seeN iN public: Haqqani’s appearance also suggests the Taliban have grown even more confident of their hold on the country since seizing power on August 15, two weeks before the last US-led foreign forces left. Several diplomats were in the

crowd — including Pakistan’s ambassador — even though no country has officially recognised the new Taliban regime. The Haqqani Network, founded in the 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani, was heavily supported by the CIA during the Mujahideen war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is believed to be in his 40s, is his son, and succeeded him following his death in 2018. The latter was blamed for the deadly 2008 attack on Kabul’s Serena Hotel that killed six people, as well as at least one assassination at-

tempt against former Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The FBI Rewards for Justice programme says he maintains “close ties” to Al Qaeda, and “is a specially designated global terrorist”. He is reported to have been the target of several US drone strikes — in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and in the rugged terrain between them that is the heartland of the Haqqani Network. He was also credited as the author of a New York Times opinion piece in 2020 titled “What We, the Taliban, Want”, sparking controversy that the newspaper had given “terrorists” a public platform.

Ukraine accuses Russia of continuing assault despite declaring partial ceasefire KYiV ReuteRs

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other on Saturday for a failure to provide safe passage to civilians fleeing two cities besieged and bombarded by Russian forces, on the 10th day of a war that has fuelled Europe’s biggest humanitarian disaster in decades. The war, which began with Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, has sent nearly 1.5 million refugees fleeing westward into the European Union and provoked unprecedented international sanctions on Moscow and warnings of a global recession. The Russian defence ministry said its units had opened humanitarian corridors near the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha, which have been encircled by its troops. But in Mariupol, the city council said Russia was not observing the ceasefire and it asked residents to return to shelters and await further information on evacuation. Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukrainian “nationalists” of preventing civilians from leaving, RIA news agency reported. The southeastern port has endured heavy bombardment, a sign of its strategic value to Moscow due to its position between Russian-backed separatist-held eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea Crimean peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. “This night the shelling was harder and closer,” a staff member from Doctors without Borders/Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) said, according to the aid agency. There was still no power, water, heating or mobile phone links and food was scarce. The Ukrainian government said the

plan was to evacuate around 200,000 people from Mariupol and 15,000 from Volnovakha. Only 17 people were evacuated from Mariupol on Saturday and no one had left Volnovakha, Tass cited pro-Russian separatists as saying. HumANitAriAN DisAster: Despite the limited ceasefire plans, the Russian defence ministry said a broad offensive would continue in Ukraine, where it denies targeting civilians or invading, calling its actions a “special military operation”. Russian forces were carrying out strikes on military infrastructure and forces from separatist-held Donetsk were tightening the encirclement of Mariupol, Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. Aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian disaster across the country. The number of refugees could rise to 1.5 million by the end of the weekend from

a current 1.3 million, the head of the United Nations refugee agency said on Saturday. Women and small children crossed at the Medyka checkpoint in southeastern Poland in freezing conditions. A man crossing the other way yelled at the crowd that men should return to Ukraine and fight. One woman, struggling to carry half a dozen bags, wept when the snacks she had packed for her and her young son, who was clutching a green dinosaur toy, fell to the ground. She gave the boy a bag to carry as they trudged slowly on. President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade has drawn worldwide condemnation. Officials in Ukraine have reported thousands of dead and wounded civilians. Moscow says its aim is to disarm its neighbour, counter what it views as NATO aggression and capture leaders it calls neo-Nazis. On Saturday it accused the West of acting like a bandit and threatened to retaliate without giving de-

tails. “As you understand, there must be a corresponding response to economic banditry,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. The conflict has also shaken international diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear programme, one of the few areas where Russia and the United States had been working together to curb what the West suspects is an Iranian plan to develop nuclear arms. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday the new Western sanctions imposed on his country had become a stumbling block for clinching a nuclear deal with Iran. A senior Iranian official told Reuters the Russian stance was not helpful. ‘pleAse close tHe skY’: Ukraine says Russian forces have focused efforts on encircling Kyiv and Kharkiv, the second-biggest city, while aiming to establish a land bridge to Crimea. Kyiv, in the path of a Russian armoured column that has been stalled outside the Ukrainian capital for days, was again under attack, with explosions audible from the city centre. British intelligence said on Saturday the overall rate of Russian air strikes and artillery over the past 24 hours had been lower than in previous days although Russian forces were believed to be advancing in the south of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was expected to press Washington for more help in a video call with the U.S. Senate at 9:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT) on Saturday. At a meeting on Friday, NATO allies rejected Ukraine’s appeal for no-fly zones, saying they were increasing support but that stepping in directly could make the situation worse. “Please close the sky … because people are dying,”

Analysis: Global banks face costly, arduous process to exit Russia Agencies Global banks face an arduous and costly process if they decide to close businesses in Russia, banking sources and experts say, complicating decisions over whether they should withdraw. Sanctions placed on Russia following its week-old invasion of Ukraine and retaliation from Moscow have raised questions over how much longer banks can continue. One banking source raised particular concerns about how banks navigate an order on rouble lending and the implications for foreign companies in Russia. Banks are also weighing the risk to their reputations in staying there. While banks have not yet announced exits, at least one global lender with operations in Russia is creating an in-house team and working with outside lawyers and consultants to determine whether and how it could exit before making public announcements, one banking source said. British energy giants BP and Shell (SHEL.L) last week said they would quit Russia. BP is abandoning its stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft, resulting in charges of up to $25 billion, it said. However, banks will find it harder to extricate themselves, experts say. “For an oil company, walking away from refinery assets in Russia might be as simple as dropping the keys and leaving but a unilateral exit is not possible for a financial services firm,” said Dan Awrey, a professor at Cornell Law School who specializes in fi-

nancial regulation. Under normal circumstances, banks would not be able to exit a country without the consent of its regulators and central bank. They would also need a willing buyer to take control of their loans and other commitments, experts say. “You can’t just unilaterally walk away from lending commitments and other types of financial claims,” said Awrey. “There’s somebody on the other side and that will make it much more complicated.” Of particular concern was an order from the Kremlin dated March 1, prohibiting rouble lending and credit to persons of foreign states that commit unfriendly acts, one banking source said. Banks would need to work out the implications of that for their operations and whether it prohibited overseas companies in Russia – from countries that sanctioned Moscow – from accessing rouble credit facilities, which would deal a blow to them being able to operate in the country, that source said. The source questioned whether foreign banks could continue to operate in Russia given the circumstances. Global banks are also trying to figure out how the U.S. sanctions on the Russian Central Bank may affect related infrastructure and market plumbing, and are being very cautious where they identify a nexus with the central bank, according to two U.S.-based industry sources. That could also make global banks reluctant to transact in roubles. Sanctions have effectively ended any realistic chance of global banks selling Russian assets, said one

senior banking source who asked not to be named. That leaves winding down assets or writing them off as the only viable options, the source said, which would involve a financial hit. One option being assessed is whether banks could be sued by clients in Russia if they walk away from commitments, that banking source said. Some banks could look to keep skeleton operations in Moscow, rather than pulling out entirely, the same source said. That would avoid the complication of having to re-apply for a banking license and build a business from scratch in the future. U.S. banks with Russia operations declined comment or did not respond to comment. Citigroup (C.N), the U.S. bank most heavily exposed to Russia, is already experiencing how difficult it is to leave. The bank announced last year that it would sell its Russian consumer business as part of a broader restructuring. The only publicly named buyer had been Russian state bank VTB Bank (VTBR.MM), which is the subject of U.S. sanctions. It is doubtful whether Citigroup would be able to transact with another Russian buyer due to the sanctions and foreign banks are unlikely to want to buy Russian assets at the current time, analysts and lawyers say. Citigroup Chief Executive Jane Fraser said Wednesday it was “too early to tell” whether a sale can proceed. Meanwhile, its Chief Financial Officer Mark Mason said the bank could have to write off nearly half of its $9.8 billion Russian exposure.

Sunday, 6 March, 2022 | LAHORE

SPORTS 11

AusTrALiA TrAiL PAkisTAn By 471 runs AfTer AzhAr ALi’s 185 RAWALPINDI The AssociATed Press

zHAR Ali hit his fourth Test hundred against Australia as Pakistan piled on 476-4 before declaring its first innings on the second day of the first Test on Saturday. Ali missed out on a double century and got dismissed for 185 with Pakistan declaring under overcast conditions late in the final session. Australian openers Usman Khawaja (5 not out) and David Warner (0 not out) survived the only over from offspinner Sajid Khan to take Australia to 5-0 before umpires ended the day’s play due to bad light with 15 overs still remaining.

Australia is playing its first Test in Pakistan in 24 years. Players from both teams wore black armbands in memory of spin wizard Shane Warne. They lined up before the start of play and observed a minute of silence to mark their respect for Warne, who died of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui, Thailand at the age of 52. Offspinner Nathan Lyon bowled the bulk of the overs on a slow wicket devoid of grass but finished with 1161 off his 52 overs. However, Lyon’s only wicket came in the first session on Day 1 when the veteran offspinner had dismissed opening batter Abdullah Shafique for 44 in his 11th over. Skipper Pat Cummins took 1-62 while part-time legspinner Mar-

nus Labuschagne had Ali dismissed off a top-edged sweep shot in the last session to finish with 1-53. Ali shared a 208-run second wicket stand with Imam-ul-Haq (157), whose wicket was the only one to fall in the first two sessions on Saturday when the left hander was trapped leg before wicket by Cummins after lunch. Ali and Imam frustrated Australia with their snail-paced batting by adding 57 runs in the first session after Pakistan resumed at the overnight 245-1 and reached 302-1 without further damage. Ali, 64 overnight, reached his century off 257 balls when he lofted Lyon over mid-on for his eighth boundary after lunch.

Cummins went for an unsuccessful caught-behind television review soon after Ali had completed his century before Imam, resuming on 132 overnight, played across the line in the same over and was adjudged lbw. Imam’s marathon innings, also spanning almost nine hours like Ali’s knock, included 16 fours and two sixes and came off 358 balls. Ali and Babar Azam accelerated the scoring as Pakistan scored 92 runs in the second session for the loss of only Imam’s wicket. Ali showed aggression against fast bowlers and the spin of Lyon after completing his 100 and reached his 150 off 317 balls with a dozen boundaries and two sixes before he

finally top-edged a reverse sweep to Cameron Green at short third man. Ali hit a further three boundaries and a six during his 361-ball knock before attempting an extravagant shot against Labuschagne. Australia conceded just 23 runs during the 13 overs in the first hour and further 34 in the second hour.

Babar (36) added 101 runs in a partnership dominated by Ali before he was run out while going for a needless run by a direct throw from Labuschagne from midwicket. Mohammad Rizwan (29 not out) and Iftikhar Ahmed (13 not out) were at the crease when the declaration came.

Pak-India skippers see their Sunday encounter as just another game ISLAMABAD APP

Turkish billionaire Bayrak enters race to buy Chelsea ANKARA AFP

Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak is the latest bidder to enter the race to buy Chelsea, according to widespread reports in the British press on Friday. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich put the Premier League club up for sale on Wednesday after 19 years in charge. Chelsea are understood to have already received several serious significant offers, with the team handling the sale still expecting more bids to be submitted. Construction, energy and technology magnate Bayrak has revealed he is among those to have lodged a bid for the Blues. “We can definitely confirm our bid for Chelsea,” Seda Bayrak, general manager of Bayrak’s AB Grup Holding, told Britain’s PA news agency. “We have forwarded our offer regarding this.” Merchant bank the Raine Group is handling the bid process for Abramovich, whose club have won 19 major trophies in his two decades in charge. Abramovich decided to sell the club following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but he has not been named on a growing British sanctions list targeting Russian banks, businesses and tycoons. The sale process is understood to be at the stage of gathering bids, with reviews only taking place once all offers are submitted. American billionaire Todd Boehly fronts the most high-profile bid for the Blues so far, with the LA Dodgers part-owner having teamed up with Swiss magnate Hansjoerg Wyss. “We will fly the Turkish flag in London soon,” said Bayrak. “We are negotiating the terms of the purchase of Chelsea with Roman Abramovich’s lawyers.” “We are in the negotiation phase for the signatures.”

Pakistan down Lithuania by 3-2 in Davis Cup playoff ISLAMABAD APP

Pakistan defeated Lithuania by 3-2 in the Davis Cup Group I playoff here at the Pakistan Sports Complex on Saturday. In the doubles, Pakistani duo of Aqeel Khan and Aisam Qureshi outplayed Lithuania’s Ricardas Berankis and Laurynas Grigelis by 2-1 (6-7, 7-6, 7-5) in 2 hours and 14 minutes. In the singles, Ricardas Berankis beat Aqeel by 2-1 (7-6, 6-7, 6-4) in 2 hours and 29 minutes and Aisam Qureshi defeated Lithuanian Edas Butvilas by 2-0 (6-4, 7-6) in 1 hour and 37 minutes. Earlier on Friday, Aqeel had defeated Lithuanian Laurynas Grigelis by 2-1 (7-6, 3-6, 6-3) and Ricardas Berankis had defeated Mohammad Shoaib by 2-1 (4-6,7-6,4-6).

Despite millions of fans watching on from either side of the border, both India and Pakistan captains are treating their match in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 just as another game. Pakistan and India are scheduled to play an ODI for the first time on Sunday since the 2017 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, but for Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof it will be nothing out of the ordinary, according to a press release. “We are prepared as we had good practice sessions and warm-up games. I think we have spoken about the things we had not done well in the last year. The team, which will take the pressure well and play to its strength, will win. We are hoping for a good match tomorrow [Sunday],” she said. “We have not lived up to the mark yet. We have spoken about that we have not scored much as the top order should, and we are hoping that in this event, we,

as a batting unit, would put up a good show.” Talking about the bowlers, she said that “we have improved as a fast-bowling unit…. and I think we have gelled together. It is just that we have the right combination in our bowling that all the bowlers complement each other. We are looking forward that if we can put up a good show in batting, our bowling can do well.” Only time will tell that which side will come out on top, but despite what the two skippers say, the

hopes of two nations are pinned on a win for their side. India’s Mithali Raj said: “I think as a team we are excited to get into the World Cup and start our campaign tomorrow [Sunday]. In the first game, we are not looking at it as it is Pakistan we are playing against, but we are looking at a team, which has come prepared, and we are equally prepared to put our best foot forward and set a momentum going into the tournament. So that is how we look at our first game.” “Every time we play a World Cup, every game is very different – different locations, different conditions, and different opponent. We have tried to give everybody a go in the warm-up game, so that everybody gets into the rhythm.” As she embarks on her sixth World Cup, a record for the women’s event, she shared her message for her teammates. “I think as a team, we need to get in with a clean slate and as a confident unit. And believe that we can always turn things around and play according to the situation… Be aware on the ground and play according to the situation,” she said.

Jadeja’s all-round show puts India in command against Sri Lanka MOHALI The AssociATed Press

Ravindra Jadeja impressed with bat and ball as India took a commanding lead of 466 runs in the first Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday. Jadeja scored a career-best 175 not out as India declared its first innings at 574-8. He picked up 1-30 as Sri Lanka was reduced to 108-4 at stumps on day two. Both teams lined up before the start of play and observed a minute’s silence in memory of Australian bowling legend Shane Warne, who died Friday at age 52 in Thailand from a suspected heart attack. “He went far too early. I am in disbelief and shock … For me, he was the greatest spinner to have ever played the game,” former India skipper Virat Kohli said. India coach Rahul Dravid also paid tribute to Warne, saying “the great privilege of getting to know him personally and playing with him and alongside him as a colleague … will probably be one of the highlights of my cricketing career.” In the morning session, Jadeja extended his seventh-wicket partnership with Ravichandran Ashwin to 130 runs. “I always enjoy batting with him, and bowling with him,” Jadeja said. “It is all about teamwork.” Ashwin scored 61, his 12th Test half-century. He fell shortly before lunch as India went to the break at 4687. Jadeja had reached triple figures just prior to lunch, celebrating the milestone in his inimitable sword-play style, regaling the small crowd gathered at the IS Bindra Stadium. After the interval, India continued its steady progress with Jadeja at the helm. The score crossed 500 in 120.3 overs while Jadeja reached 150 off 211 balls. In doing so, he put on a rapid 103 runs with Mohammed Shami (20 not

out) for the ninth wicket. Jadeja batted for 327 minutes, facing 228 balls. He hit 17 fours and three sixes. Surprisingly, India declared with Jadeja in sight of his first double hundred. Sri Lanka did not have any respite in an extended final session. Spin was introduced in the fifth over as India’s three-pronged attack went to work. Dimuth Karunaratne (28) and Lahiru Thirimanne (17) added 48 runs

for the first wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin (2-21) struck the first blow, trapping Thirimanne lbw in the 19th over. Six overs later, Jadeja got his first wicket, dismissing Karunaratne in the same fashion. The left-arm spinner suddenly got a lot of turn. Angelo Mathews (22) and Dhananjaya de Silva (1) added 37 runs for the third wicket. Jasprit Bumrah (1-20) broke the partnership and trapped Mathews lbw. He bowled a

superb second spell, and bowled Pathum Nissanka off a no ball as well. Ashwin got a second wicket before the end of play, trapping de Silva lbw as Sri Lanka collapsed to 103-4. At stumps, Nissanka was unbeaten on 26, while Charith Asalanka was 1 not out. “The wicket might turn more as the game progresses and the odd ball is also keeping low,” Jadeja said. “We will try to bowl wicket-to-wicket.”

Sunday, 6 March, 2022

NEWS

Are we heAding towArds Another petrol crisis?

AsAd UllAh KAmrAn

nother fuel crisis might be on the cards in the wake of the hascol scam case, as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) finds itself scrambling to get the banks to increase the credit limits of oil marketing companies (oMCs). In a virtual conference organised by the SBP, the central bank’s governor, Dr reza Baqir, spoke to the Ceos of habib Bank Limited, Bank Alfalah, Bank Al habib, and MCB Bank in the presence of top oMC representatives and said that the entire oil industry could not be paralysed on the pretext of the hascol scam. the meeting became necessary because of the reluctance among top banks to provide easy lines of credit as before since the events over at hascol. Between 2015 to 2020, the national Bank of Pakistan (nBP) and other private banks issued hascol bank loans to the tune of rs 54 billion, in funded and non-funded financial facilities allegedly in breach of prudent banking guidelines and standards. the scam, which involved 19 banks, has been detailed before by Profit, highlighted the complacency within the banking sector as well as the malpractices of the oil sector. this along with the statement of Dr reza Baqir that a single oMC’s actions should ot result in the entire oil industry being paralysed makes it seem like

the banks are simply taking a more cautious approach after being stung once by the oMCs. however, this is not the only reason that the banks are treading lightly. the other reason is soaring international oil prices. While the government is picking up the slack between the international and local prices through the Price Differential Claim, the banks are sceptical regarding the ability of the oMC’s to make due payments. has also resulted in the banks raising their ears. How it works: the price of PoL in its essence is determined by the demand and supply of these commodities. If we view the historic data for oil prices it is easy to see that the price of oil coincides with the major events of the world. For example, in the last one week, the russian invasion has resulted in the price of oil soaring through the roof. this happens in such cases because demand from major countries is increasing, so more oil is going there and then other countries have to match their prices to keep up with the country at war. During this current crisis, oil has climbed from 98$/bbl to 116$/bbl in a single week from February 25th to March 3rd. the changes in the global market for these commodities directly affect the oMC’s since they have to import these goods and any fluctuations have a direct impact on their revenues and profitability. It is a simple matter in essence. If international prices go down, the oMCs stand to lose and if prices rise they will make gains.

PROFIT ANALYSIS

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk