Saturday, 23 January, 2021 I 9 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 205 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Pakistan, india go head to head over minority rights in Unga
ISLAMABAD
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Staff report
AkISTAN and India sparred on Friday at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over the situation of minority rights in each other's countries as the assembly adopted a resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistan, condemning damage and destruction of religious sites. Rejecting what were termed India's “unwarranted assertions” on the burning down of a Hindu shrine in khyber Pakhtunkhwa's karak tehsil last month, Pakistani delegate Zulqarnain Chheena said India should set its own house in order rather than feigning concern for minority rights elsewhere. "This is not the first time India has tried to feign concern for minority rights elsewhere while being the most egregious and persistent violator of minority rights itself,” he added. The resolution was proposed by Saudi Arabia and co-sponsored by other Arab
nations including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, Sudan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Palestine, which is recognised as a non-member observer state by the United Nations. Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Venezuela were also co-sponsors. Speaking during the assembly, however, India's representative said it was "ironic" that Pakistan was one of the cosponsors of the resolution, alleging that the attack on the karak shrine was carried out with the "explicit support" of law enforcement agencies. "The resolution cannot be smokescreen for countries like Pakistan to hide behind," India Today quoted the Indian delegate as saying. Exercising his right of reply, Chheena said: "The clear difference between India and Pakistan with respect to minority rights can be gauged from the fact that the accused in the karak incident were immediately arrested, orders were
CoronavirUs in
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
528,891
LAST UPDATED AT 7:50 AM ON JANUARY 22, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
47
RECOVERED:
NEW CASES:
1,745 DEATHS:
482,771 11,204 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
239,186
152,158
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
64,651
18,696
8,753/4,899 40,548
issued for repairing the temple, the highest level of judiciary took immediate notice, and the senior political leadership condemned the incident. "Whereas in India, blatant acts of discrimination against Muslims and other minorities take place with state complicity." In this regard, the Pakistani delegate cited the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Register of Citizens, the 2002 Gujarat massacre, the 2020 Delhi pogrom, the 1992 demolition of Babri Mosque and acquittal of the accused in 2020, blaming of Muslims for spreading coronavirus, raising the bogey of 'love jihad', cow vigilantism and terming West Bengal Muslims "termites", extra-judicial killings of innocent kashmiris and blatant attempts to turn Muslims into a minority in occupied kashmir. "The RSS-BJP regime's record is replete with instances of gross and systemic violations of the rights of minorities, in particular Muslims,” the Pakistani delegate said. “The Indian leadership is yet to condemn the perpetrators of the Delhi massacre in February 2020 let alone bring those criminals to justice. "As a perennial purveyor of statesponsored discrimination against its minorities, India is in no position to pontificate on the issue of minority rights elsewhere," Chheena told the Assembly. Meanwhile, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said: "Pakistan will continue to play a leading role in denouncing violent attacks on religious sites." The resolution condemns the "increasing targeting of cultural property, including religious sites and ritual objects [...] by terrorist attacks and outlawed militias, often resulting in destruction as well as theft and illicit trafficking of stolen items".
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FM urges Biden to work on Afghan peace process, withdraw troops ISLAMABAD Staff report
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that US President Joe Biden should follow up on the ongoing Afghan peace process and withdrawal of the US troops from the country. In an interview with Al Jazeera, the foreign minister said that the new US administration should realise that there is an opportunity in Afghanistan and they should persevere with what was initiated. Qureshi stressed on the need for the intra-Afghan negotiations, currently continuing in the Qatari capital Doha, to focus on moving forward. “Pakistan is playing the role of a facilitator,” he said. “The ultimate responsibility […] is with the Afghan leadership. It’s their country, it’s their future.” “I have had a number of meetings [with them], and I have been telling them … and convincing them, please come into the mainstream,” said Qureshi. “You have come to the table, and by coming to the table you have earned respectability to a large extent in the international community.” Qureshi said he had urged Taliban Political Commission (TPC) chief Abdul Ghani Baradar, who had previously spent years in Pakistani custody, to “accept the change” in Afghanistan.
Senate chairman backs open ballot polls in Upper House ISLAMABAD tLtp
Submitting his reply in support of presidential reference, seeking the Supreme Court’s (SC) interpretation for open ballet in upcoming Senate election Friday, the Senate chairman termed the option will promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process. The federal government has filed the reference in the top court under Article 186 of the Constitution seeking its opinion about holding the upcoming Senate polls through the open ballot. The government has sought the opinion of the court if the issue can be decided without amending the Constitution by introducing an Amendment in Section 122 (vi) of the Election Act 2017. Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani submitted that Senate elections are held through secret ballot as per Election Act 2017 saying as per Article 226 of the Constitution all elections under the Constitution, other than those of the prime minister and the chief minister, shall be by secret ballot. He said that the top court has always interpreted the Con-
“Accept this new reality, and accept this change. You cannot turn the clock back. Understand what has happened, live with it and see what can be done.” During talks with Afghan government counterparts, Qureshi said Pakistan had been urging Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government to accept the “ground reality” of the Taliban’s support amongst some Afghans. “The Taliban and people who are sympathetic to them, they are a reality,” he said. “Who are they? They are Afghans. Talk to them, tell them, convince them that they should give up violence and shift from the bullet to ballot.” Qureshi said Pakistan aimed to have broad-ranging ties with Afghanistan, and that its ultimate goal was regional connectivity after peace was established in its northwestern neighbour. “It is not going to be an easy ride. It is going to be difficult, the road is going to be bumpy and it’s going to be time-consuming, one has to understand all of that,” he added. “And yet there are opportunities, we should not miss those opportunities.” Qureshi further stated that “there are elements from outside who do not share our vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”
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more inside
Govt to facilitate foreign, local investors: PM STORY ON BACK PAGE
SBP keeps policy rate unchanged at 7pc STORY ON PAGE 09 stitution of the country by keeping the public interest in view. “The Parliament has the prerogative to make amendments in the law, while the Supreme Court has the right to interpret the constitution,” Sanjrani added. The Senate chairman maintained that elected representatives are bound to party discipline and those voting against the party in the Senate polls should have the courage to exercise their right to vote openly. “It is consensus among all stakeholders including parliamentarians, political parties, intelligentsia, journalist and civil society that free and fair elections to elect members of the
Senate of Pakistan would promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process, acknowledge respect for will of the voters, strengthen political parties and their discipline which is essential for parliamentary democracy”, said the chairman of the upper house in his reply. It is pertinent to mention that during last week, in its reply submitted with the SC, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected the possibility of holding Senate polls through the open ballot saying the Senate elections would be held as per the Constitution of 1973.
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Bilawal seeks noconfidence motion against PM instead of holding rallies STORY ON PAGE 03
Ex-PM Abbasi calls for abolishing NAB STORY ON PAGE 03
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Saturday, 23 January, 2021
NEWS
Opp stages senate walkOut Over COnCerns On CpeC authOrity
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NEWS DESK
ppOsiTiON lawmakers staged a walkout from the upper house after receiving what they believed to be an "unsatisfactory" response to their concerns over the China-pakistan Economic Corridor (CpEC) Authority, particularly regarding the meeting of Lt Gen (r) AsimsaleemBajwa with the Chinese ambassador. "is [retired Lt Gen] Asimsaleem still receiving the salary of the chairman of CpEC Authority?" questioned pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (pML-N) leader shahid Khan Abbasi. Abbassi, along with Jamaat-i-islami (Ji) senator Mushtaq Ahmad, asked in what capacity was Bajwa working and meeting with the Chinese ambassador. They pointed out that the CpEC Authority no had a chairman and the CpEC Authority Ordinance had lapsed. "in the future, no such individual, who has allegations of corruption against them, should be appointed chairman of the CpEC Authority," Ahmad added, saying that there had already been allegations of corruption
against Bajwa. According to Minister for planning Asad Umar, the aforementioned ordinace had lasped in May 2020, and the CpEC Authority Bill was pending in the National Assembly. Umar had said in reply to questions posed by Ahmad previously that all administrative and financial decisions of the authority were being taken according to the rules and regulations of the related ministries. in response to the concerns of the opposition leaders, Minister for industries
Coronavirus claims 47 more lives in a day
HammadAzhar said: "The Chinese ambassador also meets with opposition leaders. There is nothing wrong with meeting a person who has been associated with the CpEC Authority." Retorting to their statements of corruption allegation disqualifying a person from leadership roles, he questioned why the opposition wanted Nawaz sharif to be the premier when he had been involved in the Broadsheet and panama cases. Members of the entire opposition found these responses inadequate and staged a walkout in protest.
ISLAMABAD: The novel coronavirus has claimed 47 more lives during the past 24 hours, surging the overall death toll to 11,204, said the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Friday. According to the NCOC, 1,745 fresh infections were reported during the aforementioned period. With fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 528,891. A total of 35,839 tests were conducted across the country during the last 24 hour, while 7,561,977 samples have been tested so far. The positivity rate of the Covid19 in the past 24 hours remained 4.86 per cent. As many as 2,075 patients recovered from the deadly virus in a day, while overall 482,771 people have recovered from the deadly disease so far. The total count of active cases is 34,916 at present. Around 2,362 patients are still in critical condition. TLTP
PPP, PML-N say ex-SC judge heading Broadsheet probe is a 'conflict of interest' NEWS DESK The pakistan people's party (ppp) and the pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (pML-N) have rejected the appointment of a former supreme Court (sC) judge, Justice (r) Azmat saeed sheikh, as head of the probe into the Broadsheet scandal, stating that it is a "conflict of interest". The former sC judge has a past affiliation with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), as he had served as deputy prosecutor general of the anti-graft body during the original signing of the Broadsheet agreement. “Conducting an investigation through someone who himself should be investigated is the murder of justice," said pML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb in a statement. The statement further read: "Being a legal officer, he [Justice sheikh] had fully understood the document of agreement with Broadsheet." According to the supreme Court's website, Justice Azmat was deputy prosecutor general NAB at islamabad in the year 2000 for a period of one year and was later appointed special prosecutor NAB in 2001 to prosecute cases
before Accountability Courts at Attock Fort and Rawalpindi. However, it is not clear if the retired judge had played a role, if any, in the formulation and signing of the asset recovery agreement and/or its eventual termination. “NAB, as an institution, is accused of causing losses to pakistan from Broadsheet," the spokesperson said and pointed out that the retired justice had been a member of the board of governors of the shaukat Khanum Hospital. she claimed that this showed prime Minister imran Khan's "ill-intent" behind handing over the Broadsheet inquiry to him. “imran should have the courage to tell the nation that he is the one who needs the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)," said the pML-N spokesperson. During the regime of former military ruler pervez Musharaff, she further said, Azmat saeed sheikh was tasked with filing cases against the sharif family and in particular against former premier and pML-N supremo Nawaz sharif. "The nation wants accountability for those who loot and squander their earnings, sprinkling salt on the wounds is not a joke," said the statement.
Addressing a press conference later in the day, pMLN leader and former prime minister shahid Khaqan Abbasi pointed out that Justice (r) Azmat saeed sheikh was part of the bench in the panama papers case which disqualified Nawaz sharif. iqbal also pointed out that during the Musharraf regime, when the asset recovery agreement was signed with Broadsheet, Justice Azmat had been part of NAB. similarly, ppp secretary-General (sG) Nayyar Bukhari showed reservations on the inquiry committee termed it as an attempt to distort the facts. He claimed that the dishonesty of the ruling party had been revealed through the appointment of the former judge. He also said that the purpose of appointing Justice sheikh was to cast all blame "on the opposition and previous governments". "Broadsheet is a very important issue [so] we want a transparent investigation," he said. Expressing similar concerns on sheikh's past relations with NAB and the shaukat Khanum hospital, the ppp sG claimed that this appointment was tantamount to "throwing dust in the eyes of the people". Meanwhile, the JamiatUlema-e-islam-Fazl (JUi-F) has
Imran Khan to complete 5-year term in PM office: Rasheed KARACHI APP
Minister of interior sheikh Rasheed Ahmad on Friday expressed confidence that prime Minister imran Khan would complete his five years constitutional term in the office. While addressing a press conference at a local hotel in the port city, sheikh Rasheed said that $100 millions property of the pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (pMLN) would come up from the probe of Broadsheet LLC. He added that this incident would turn into a "panama plus" and it would lead to the unearthing of more “financial scandals of its leaders”. The minister said that the pakistan Democratic Movement (pDM) did not have any real points to make, referring to the recent protest outside the offices of Election Commission of pakistan (ECp), adding the real
issue was the Broadsheet scandal. He said that the people had learned the reality of pDM and its motives, which had become apparent from the protest. On the other hand, he appreciated the pDM for keeping its promise of maintaining discipline at the protest outside the ECp office and extended an offer towards the multiparty alliance to stage the ‘long march’ on islamabad with the same spirit. “it is a very sensitive area, but they insisted on staging protest in the Red Zone. We allowed them and gave them a schedule of their programme. i am thankful to them that they met their commitment. With the same spirit, they are allowed to stage the long march in islamabad.” He said that prime Minister imran Khan took a bold step in asking for the live coverage of the foreign funding case. He added that imran Khan fought for the cause of
Kashmir at the United Nations platform and had declared Modi as a modern-day Hitler. He claimed that pDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman had not done even 16 per cent of what the pM has accomplished for the people of Kashmir. The interior minister said that the welfare of Karachi was a high-priority objective of the federal government and hoped that the sindh government would come forward to install 10,000 CCTV cameras in the metropolis to help make Karachi a safe city. He said that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Federal investigate Agency (FiA) and airports performances would be also improved. Replying to a question, he was of the view that powerful international elements were trying to harm pakistan and the China-pakistan Economic Corridor (CpEC). He further said that anti-pakistan elements did not want to see peace in the country.
also expressed reservations on the probe committee which is to be headed by former supreme Court judge to investigate the Broadsheet scandal. On the other hand, interior Minister sheikh Rasheed, during a press conference in Karachi, defended the appointment of Justice sheikh as head of the Broadsheet inquiry committee and said that sheikh was a big name of the legal fraternity. "And if we shouldn't appoint sheikh Azmat, should we appoint Justice Qayyum?" he asked, and further questioned if the selected probe head had ever been the prosecutor for NAB. The interior minister advised the pML-N to "first read" before commenting on his appointment and reiterated his belief that the Broadsheet scandal would turn into "panama part 2". Rasheed said Justice sheikh "had read Volume 10" of the Joint investigation Team (JiT) report in the panama papers case, telling the pML-N: "This news is enough for you." A day earlier, information Minister shibli Faraz had said on Twitter said that the inquiry committee for the Broadsheet case would be headed by Justice (r) Azmat saeed sheikh.
Replying to another question, he said that 88-90 per cent of the fencing on the pak-Afghan border and 30-40 per cent on pak-iran border had been completed, adding that the remaining fencing would be finished by the end of the current year. He also appreciated the pakistan Army, inter-services intelligence (isi), Rangers and other law enforcement agencies performance for their efforts in improving law and order situation in the country. Answering a question regarding the United states’ new administration under president Joe Biden, he said that it seemed to be better for the Muslim countries. interior Minister Rasheed, while replying to a question on oil smuggling, said that he had directed pakistan Rangers, Coast Guards, and other organizations to check and control the smuggling of oil. Replying on the relations of police and Rangers, he said that these were two-wheels of a vehicle and they enjoy good relations. Earlier, the interior minister visited the pakistan Rangers headquarters, where he held a meeting with Director General Rangers, sindh Major General iftikhar Hassan Chaudhary and officers of the paramilitary force.
Court sends Khawaja Asif to jail on 14-day judicial remand LAHORE TLTP
An accountability court on Friday sent pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (pML-N) senior leader Khawaja Muhammad Asif to jail on 14-day judicial remand in the assets beyond means case. The court rejected a National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) request seeking a 15-day extension in Asif's physical remand and issued orders for 14-day judicial remand instead. Earlier, the NAB presented Asif before the accountability court's Judge Jawad ul Hassan today and sought a 15-day extension in his physical remand.
Khawaja Asif's counsel argued that the accountability watchdog has finished the inquiry and is in possession of all records. The counsel further informed the accountability court that his client was cleared by the supreme Court for holding an iqama (work permit) in 2018 when pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (pTi) leader Usman Dar challenged his candidacy for the National Assembly (NA). The counsel contended that Asif has already admitted to being employed by a company overseas, adding that the NAB should provide in writing what it wants to investigate. The NAB prosecutor in turn informed the accountability court about the pML-N
leader owning a restaurant abroad and transactions it deemed suspicious. He said Rs20 million were transferred into Asif's account by Khawaja sultan, Rs30 million by Rana Waheed and there was another transaction worth Rs20.8 million. The prosecutor added that both Rana Waheed and Khawaja sultan had claimed the money was given to them by Asif. To this, Khawaja Asif said that he can submit in writing that he received the amounts. "Rs1.8 billion were transferred into his account which he said was for selling a plot. There are also transactions worth Rs100 million to foreign countries," said the NAB prosecutor. After hearing arguments from both sides, the bench rejected the anti-graft
watchdog's plea for extension in physical remand and sent Asif on a 14-day judicial remand. Khawaja Asif was arrested by the antigraft watchdog on December 30, 2020, from outside pML-N secretary-General (sG) Ahsan iqbal's residence in islamabad where he had come to attend a party meeting. The NAB said the former defence minister was arrested in a case pertaining to accumulating assets beyond known sources of income. On January 16, it was reported that NAB Lahore summoned the managing director of international Mechanical and Electrical Company (iMECO), a UAE-based international firm, in connection with the assets beyond means case against Asif. The regional
bureau of the anti-graft body asked Elias salloum to appear before a combined investigation team (CiT) at NAB Complex ThokarNiaz Beg on January 28 along with all relevant documents. Asif submitted a copy of a letter issued by the company that it may appear at a forum regarding his employment in the firm. The NAB has alleged that the accused Asif has allegedly committed offences of corruption and corrupt practices as defined u/s (v) of NAO-1999 and section-3 of Anti Money Laundering Act (AMLA) 2010 as he accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income and laundered such assets by concealing the origin and nature of assets.
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
NEWS
Bilawal seeks nO-COnfidenCe mOtiOn against pm instead Of hOlding rallies LARKANA
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TLTP
AKisTAN people's party (ppp) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for bringing a no-confidence motion against prime Minister imran Khan. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Larkana industrial Estate on Friday, Bilawal said that the no-confidence motion will be much more effective than the ongoing pakistan Democratic Movement (pDM) rallies. "Even 10 rallies will not yield the kind of results as a strategy meeting over a cup of tea which is sure to cause the government to break a sweat," he said. He said he will speak to the opposition parties to "strike" in the assembly. "The democratic way to send this incompetent, illegal, unqualified prime minister is through a no-confidence motion," said the ppp chairman. speaking of the newly inaugurated project, Bilawal said that Larkana indus-
trial Estate will benefit local industry and create employment opportunities. Bilawal lamented the "damage" caused to the economy over the last two years, since the pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (pTi) took the reins of power. "The pTi government wishes to use brute force as a corrective measure to get the economy running," he said, adding that the sindh government "did not employ such tactics to collect tax". He also claimed that the provincial government has increased tax revenue. The ppp chairman maintained that the sindh government considers its duty to take care of the business community, traders and the unprivileged sections of society. He said a Labour City with this in mind was inaugurated a few days ago in sukkur.The ppp chairman told the gathering Chief Minister sindh Murad Ali shah will also release funds for an industrial zone in Larkana, which the people of Larkana and the province at large will benefit from. He said in contrast, the people have yet to see the ten million jobs and five
million households promised by the pTi government, adding that "imran Khan's approach in dealing with the industries is there for all to see". "ppp and the chief minister are obstacles in the way of imran Khan's anti-
people policies," Bilawal said. He said the party's people had been "targeted by NAB [National Accountability Bureau]". Bilawal said: "We know what we have to do to get rid of non-democratic forces."
SC disposes of Hamza Shehbaz bail plea without relief ISLAMABAD TLTP
The supreme Court (sC) on Friday stated that was no option but to withdraw post-arrest bail application of Opposition Leader in punjab Assembly Hamza shehbaz, adding that it was not possible to grant bail concession to the accused person on hardship grounds which were not taken before the high court. The anti-graft body had arrested Hamza shehbaz from the premises of Lahore High Court (LHC) during June 2019 on charges of money laundering and assets beyond means. His lawyers called up the LHC for bail concession, but their application was turned down. Consequently, they moved the supreme Court in April last year, urging the apex court to grant post-arrest bail. However, the sC on Friday disposed of the matter after the counsel for Hamza withdrew the post-arrest bail application.
Resuming the hearing over post-arrest bail plea on Friday, a three-member bench comprising Justice MushirAlam, Justice sardar Tariq Masood and Justice YahyahAfridi asked Amjadpervaiz, the counsel for Hamza, whether he is in-
president directs agp to eliminate malpractices in organisation ISLAMABAD TLTP
president Dr ArifAlvi has directed the auditor general of pakistan (AGp) to prepare a roadmap in one month to eliminate malpractices within the organisation. Talking to AGp JavaidJehangir on Friday, the president emphasised that focus should be on identifying the grave irregularities instead of wasting energies on pointing out trivial issues. president ArifAlvi directed the auditor general to expeditiously complete the audit automation process so as to ensure transparency in the organization. He asked him to take corrective measures and improve the performance and efficiency of the AGp Office to address anomalies of the system. The auditor general briefed the president about the working of the AGp office and the steps being taken by him for improving the efficiency of the organisation by adopting information technology.
tended to pursue the matter on merit or hardship grounds. The counsel urged the court to grant the bail concession on hardship grounds, saying Hamza had been behind bars for more than a year now.
To this, Justice sardar Tariq Masood asked how the top court can take up the matter on such grounds which were not taken before the high court. pervaiz contended that at that time the situation was totally different because there were no grounds for hardship at the time, adding no one can be indefinitely detained. He further told the bench that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had yet to file reference against Hamza when he applied for post-arrest bail in the high court, adding charges against his client were for Rs7 billion whereas the reference has been filed for Rs530 million. in this regard, Justice YayhaAfridi observed that it would be appropriate for the petitioner to approach the high court on the basis of the accountability court report. After a brief hearing of the matter, the counsel for the accused person withdrew the post-arrest bail application to which the top court disposed of the case.
National Assembly adjourned to pay respect for PPP lawmaker ISLAMABAD APP
The National Assembly (NA) session was adjourned on Friday as a mark of respect for pakistan people's party (ppp) MNA pir Noor Muhammad Jeelani who passed away last month due to coronavirus. The session was started with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran and Naat, and NA speaker AsadQaisar presided over the proceedings. He announced the panel of chairpersons for the 28th session of the National Assembly, wherein the members included MNAs Amjad Ali Khan, RiazFityana, Munaza Hassan, Bashir Virk, Ghulam Mustafa shah and shahida Akhtar Ali. The house offered Fateha for both the former and incumbent lawmakers as well as their relatives who passed away in the recent past. The deceased personalities including senator Kalsoomperveen, mother of Jamaat-e-islami (Ji) chief siraj-ul-Haq, former prime minister Mir Zafar Ullah Khan Jamali, former National Assembly deputy speaker Nawaz Khokhar, the mother of Opposition Leader shehbaz sharif, journalist Arshad Waheed Chaudhry as well as the security personnel who had lost their lives in the line of duty. ppp MNA Naveed Qamar and pakistan Tehreek-einsaf (pTi) MNA Abulshaooor shad paid tributes to the
deceased MNA from NA-221 (Tharparkar) pir Noor Muhammad Jeelani and offered a few words regarding his political career. They said that pir Noor Muhammad was a humble person with a soft heart and he would be remembered forever due to this politeness and struggle for the people of his constituency. pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (pML-N) secretaryGeneral (sG) Ahsan iqbal complained about summoning the session of the National Assembly on short notice. He said there must be a schedule of National Assembly sessions and proper time should be given to lawmakers to join the session. ppp MNA Naveed Qamar backed up Ahsan iqbal and demanded that there should be timely information provided to lawmakers about the schedule of the sessions. Minister of state for parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan admitted that session was called on short notice. However, he appreciated pTi Chief Whip AamirDogar for ensuring the propagation of information to the MNAs about the session. He assured that MNAs would be informed well before time about the session but asked Ahsan iqbal to seriously participate in the proceedings of the session after its onset. Later, the house was adjourned as a mark of respect for ppp MNA pir Noor Muhammad Jeelani. The next sitting will be held on January 25, 2021.
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ex-pm abbasi calls for abolishing naB ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and senior leader of pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (pML-N) shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) should be abolished for the betterment of the country. He suggested this on Friday while addressing a press conference along with senior pML-N leaders Ahsan iqbal and Khurram Dastgir Khan. "Many other people are going to be exposed in the Broadsheet scandal," he said, adding that at present, pakistan has the "most corrupt government in power". "Those appointed to track down corruption turned out to be the most corrupt in the country themselves," he said. "Every job is being sold in the punjab government today. How will corrupt people stop corruption?" shedding light on the appointment of former supreme Court judge Azmat saeed as the head of the Broadsheet inquiry, Abbasi said that he "requests Azmat saeed not to head the inquiry because he himself was part of NAB." "Don't be a part of the deal which puts the country's honour at stake," he said. Abbasi further said that the Broadsheet scandal is not about probing corruption worth a few million rupees but it is the "story of destroying politics in the country." He also urged the pTi government to make the Broadsheet LLC inquiry transparent and share its findings with the public. TLTP
BOl news has licence suspended for 30 days by perma pakistan Electronic Regulatory Authority (pERMA) has suspended the license of BOL News channel for 30 days and imposed a fine of Rs1 million on it for using inappropirate language about honourable judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC). Accordng to pEMRA, host of BOL News' talk show Tajziya sami ibrahim and its main reporter Dawood used irresponsible and inappropriate language while discussing the procedure of judges' appointment. in this regard, a show-cause notice was issued by pERMA to M/s Labbaikpvt. Ltd. (Bol News) on January 13. During an episode of the talk show, the channel "aired contemptuous remarks against the [...] chief justice of the Lahore High Court and other honourable judges while discussing the matter of appointment of judges in the" LHC, according to a statement issued by pemra on Twitter. "The channel did not express any regrets or remorse and argued that [the] show-cause notice is uncalled for and must be withdrawn," the statement added. The suspension orders will take effect from today and all the cable operators have been directed to immediately stop transmissions of the BOL News channel. This is the second time sami ibrahim has landed in hot water due his remarks concerning members of the judiciary, as he had in April 2019, received a notice from the LHC for allegedly scandalising high court judges. NEWS DESK
naB summons fazl's son-in-law on 28th PESHAWAR: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Khyber pakhtunkhwa has summoned JamiatUlema-e-islam-Fazl (JUi-F) presidentFazlurRehman's son-in-law Fayyaz Ali on January 28. The anti-graft watchdog has directed Fayyaz to appear before it along with details of his source of income and assets. The NAB is investigating the alleged corruption and assets of Fazland others. in early December last year, the NAB started investigating a complaint filed against Fazl, according to which a government transport service illegally sold expensive land to the JUi-F chief at a low price.in the complaint, it was alleged that the JUi-F chief was given 64 kanals of government-owned land after former prime Minister Nawaz sharif closed the general transport service department, a source in the bureau said.The source added land worth Rs14 million was illegally given to the JUi-F supremo for Rs4 million. Fazl was reportedly asked by the NAB to provide details of his assets, including any inherited property till December 28.The JUi-F chief was also required to give details of his bank accounts, source of income and sold properties, sources said. TLTP
Bid to smuggle 3.8kg narcotics foiled at peshawar airport PESHAWAR: The Airport security Force (AsF) on Friday thwarted a bid to smuggle 3.8 kilograms (kg) of drugs, worth millions of rupees, at Bacha Khan international Airport and arrested three persons. The passenger onboard EK 637 was heading to Dubai when, during a search, the law enforcement agency found 3,800 grams of crystal methamphetamine from his possession. The drug was hidden in fibre sheets in his luggage. According to AsF, the apprehended man is a resident of peshawar, saying two others accompanying him, including one person from a courier company, were also taken into custody. The LEA further said that the main accused has been handed over to the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) for further investigation. previously, a bid to smuggle 4kg ‘white ice’ worth Rs40 million on January 12 had been foiled by security officials at Karachi’s Jinnah international Airport. TLTP
04 NEWS
Sindh forms committee to oversee Karachi uplift projects KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday formed an execution committee to oversee development works in the port city, projected by the Provincial Coordination and Implementation Committee (PCIC), with the city administrator as its chairman. The eight-member committee to see through the decisions made by the PCIC and speed up the developments was constituted via notification with immediate effect, issued by the Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah. The committee includes commissioner Karachi, CEOs of all cantonment boards of the city and representatives of Karachi Corps headquarters, K-Electric, National Disaster Management Authority, Karachi Port Trust, Pakistan Port Trust and Sui Southern Gas Company. For this execution committee, the terms of reference, among others, are to fasttrack completion of all the decisions and projects with mutual coordination of apolitical approach. The committee is expected to eliminate all the impediments along the way and ensure all the relevant government bodies are on board. In September last year, the NAB had summoned Fazl to answer allegations that he owns assets beyond known sources of income. In the notice sent to the chief, the NAB had stated that Fazl can be arrested if his answers fail to satisfy officials of the anti-corruption watchdog. TLTP
Govt set to transform railways into profitmaking entity: Shafqat ISLAMABAD: Chairman Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms Shafqat Mahmood has said that the government is determined to turn Pakistan Railways (PR) into a profit-making entity. Shafqat, who is also the minister for federal education and professional training, said this while speaking at a meeting of the committee that reviewed progress of Pakistan Railways Restructuring Plan on Friday. He showed his serious concerns over the encroachment of Pakistan Railways’ lands from Karachi to Peshawar. The committee suggested the PR to hire consultants and set up a separate directorate to deal with the issue of encroachment on priority basis. Out of 164,000 acres of land, almost 8,000 acres of land of Pakistan Railways is encroached upon. Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak advised the PR to resolve the issue of unmanned crossings at various points in the country before the beginning of work on the Main Line-1 (ML-1) project. TLTP
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
WB PreSentS countrY PartnerShiP fraMeWorK for PunjaB’S DeveLoPMent LAHORE
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Shahab oMEr
HE World Bank (WB) on Friday presented the proposal of the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) to focus on four sectors and good governance in Punjab. According to details, a consultative meeting on the World Bank Partnership Framework (WBPF) was organized at Planning and Development (P&D) Complex, in which representatives of all administrative departments of Punjab, as well as WB officials and federal government representatives, participated. The purpose of this session was to discuss Punjab's development priorities for the next five years and to gather input from the Punjab government in areas where the WB could provide assistance. During the session, Chief Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister Jawad Rafique Malik, additional chief secretary (South), Punjab P&D chairman, Punjab
P&D secretary, Power Sector managing director, and the secretaries for the departments of agriculture, communications and works, primary and secondary healthcare, specialized healthcare, industries, livestock, education, environment, and irrigation, presented an overview of their respective departments. The P&D Board Joint Chief Economist Dr Aman Ullah presented Punjab’s economic growth strategies, government’s interventions and economic growth landscape in Punjab. WB Country Director for Pakistan Najy Benhassine presented the proposed CPF, under which the WB will focus on four key areas and improved governance. He outlined the 5Gs; namely, girls and boys education, growing health, green and clean Pakistan, growth that is inclusive, and the aforementioned improved governance. According to the details, efficiency will be used to increase resources for fostering economic growth and techniques and technology will be improved. For
economic growth, address price volatility, quality of inputs and credit provision will be increased. The relevance and quality of extension and support services, product quality as per international requirements for export with special focus on agriculture and livestock, will also be increased. According to the strategic interventions of the framework, to enable services sector growth, the regulatory quality for efficient private sector operations will be improved, whereas the cost of transaction for efficient markets will be decreased. Similarly, the wholesale and retail markets will be modernized through interventions in domestic commerce. In order to promote Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) led economic growth, the loan and grants programs will be started for entrepreneurship and self-employment. Furthermore, 2.5 million graduates will be trained in five years, and institutional strengthening will be done through the
Punjab launches EODB application, monitoring dashboard LAHORE TLTP
The Punjab government on Friday launched the ease of doing business (EODB) application and monitoring dashboard for creating awareness about reforms and effective utilisation of government initiatives. Speaking on the occasion, Punjab Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht said that the application will ensure guidance for business start-ups. He said the creation of a dash-
board will improve the efficiency of reform processes and promote transparency. “The reforms are underway to resolve disputes in the courts regarding land issues expeditiously. In this regard, the establishment of civil courts will be an important milestone in the Punjab government’s reform agenda,” he said. The provincial minister said that countries around the world are providing facilities to increase investment during the Covid-19. “To participate in this global race, we need to review our rules.”
The provincial minister directed the law department to ensure necessary amendments in all business related laws as soon as possible, besides instructing to ensure the targets set for January by midFebruary to facilitate business. He said a dashboard should be set up to monitor amendments to all relevant laws. He lauded the performance of the Planning and Development Board in implementing the reform agenda to facilitate business and congratulated for the launch of the app.
Islamabad commissioner directs police, CDA to start operation against encroachers ISLAMABAD STaff rEPorT
Islamabad Chief Commissioner Aamir Ahmad Ali has directed the Islamabad Police as well as Capital Development Authority (CDA) to start a large-scale operation against encroachers, Pakistan Today learnt on Friday. The commissioner directed this while chairing a high-level meeting regarding encroachments on state-owned lands in his office. The meeting was attended by senior officials of police and CDA, including inspector general and deputy inspector general. The commissioner said that the government has decided to start
operations against mafias, who have occupied the government lands in the federal capital. It was decided in the meeting that the government lands around Islamabad highway, Margalla hills and green belts will be cleared from mafias and special measures will be taken to protect further encroachments. It was also decided to establish a special committee in police stations to deal with pending cases related to the Land Revenue Department. The committee will be comprised of senior police and land revenue officers. The commissioner said that no negligence will be tolerated in the operations and if any govern-
LAHORE: Students protest in favour of online examination near Governor House in the provincial capital. Zubair MEhfooZ
ment official is found involved in the encroachments, the police should take immediate action against the official.
efforts of the Punjab Skills Development Authority (PSDA) and Pak Society For Trainings And Awareness (PSTA). Similarly, gender economic empowerment will be achieved through inclusion and various programs. To develop emerging areas, the quality of life in key cities will be improved through the provision of infrastructure and the new local government will be supported in capacity development. Moreover, the independent administrative units for south Punjab will be supported for regional equalization and potential in renewable energy will also be supported through on-grid and offgrid solutions. P&D Board Chairman Abdullah Khan Sumbal said: “Punjab is a progressive province where development initiatives are always encouraged. I also appreciate and acknowledge the support of WB with Punjab province. Punjab Government has always been growth-centric and inclined to sectorial working.”
Law Society to host lectures under ‘Malala Yousafzai Professional Development for Women Lawyers’ programme The Law Society, an organisation working for the rule of law and capacity building of the legal fraternity, is all set to host a series of lectures under the project titled “Malala Yousafzai Continuing Professional Development for Women Lawyers”. The lectures planned under the initiative will be conducted by speakers, including legendary judges and accomplished lawyers. The lectures will primarily focus on law-related topics; though there will be dedicated sessions on professional leadership and motivation as well. The project is specially designed to protect the interests of women at-
torneys and help them win access to the rights, privileges and benefits, they are eligible to avail as law professionals. It is also hoped that the project will help them contribute to the empowerment of women in the society and timely administration of justice. Law Society Secretary Intazar Mahdi said, “The project will provide a forum to the women lawyers to empower themselves, improve their employability and contribute to their families’ wellbeing. They will be trained on how to play their role in the transformation of legal sector and elimination of corruption from the society.” NEWS DESK
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
NEWS Pakistan, india go head to head over minority rights in UnGA ContInueD froM pAge 01 it strongly deplores "all attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines [...] including any deliberate destruction of relics and monuments which violate international law". And it condemns all threats to attack, damage or destroy religious sites, and denounces any moves to obliterate or forcibly convert any religious sites. The resolution was supported by the United States and the european Union and adopted by consensus, with UnGA President Volkan Bozkir declaring: "it is so decided." The resolution notes that the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion are enshrined in the Un charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that previous international efforts also focused on preventing the desecration of religious sites. "Religious sites are representative of the history, social fabric and traditions of people in every country and community all over the world and should be fully respected as such," the resolution says. it reaffirms that addressing the destruction of tangible and intangible cultural heritage needs to be holistic, encompassing all regions. it must also contemplate both prevention and accountability, focusing on acts by state and non-state actors in both conflict and non-conflict situations, and terrorist acts.
senate chairman backs open ballot polls in Upper house ContInueD froM pAge 01 A five-member larger bench, led by chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice ijazul Ahsan and Justice Yahya Afridi has been adjudicating the matter. The bench was formed to hear the matter on January 18 but was not able to resume the hearing as per the cause list due to non-availability of the chief Justice of Pakistan.
Details of Bakhtawar's wedding released KArACHI TLTP
The details of the upcoming wedding of former president Asif Ali Zardari’s daughter Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari with Mahmood chaudhry have been unveiled by the Bilawal House on Friday A spokesperson of Bilawal House said that a Milad function will be held on Sunday (tomorrow) at the residence of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader with a simple Mehndi ceremony scheduled to take place on January 27. The nikkah of Bakhtawar will be held on January 29 while the Barat is scheduled for January 30. The spokesman said that PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will be suspending his political activities for a week to participate in the wedding. The Bilawal House also said that close to 1,000 guests have been invited to the wedding. The statement added that the invitations have also been sent to the important political leaders of the country, including military leaders and judicial heads.
Govt to soon finAlise MechAnisM to iMPleMent ev Policy: Minister ISLAMABAD
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STAFF REPORT
cience & Technology Minister Fawad chaudhry has hoped that the government would soon finalise the mechanism for successful implementation of 'electric Vehicle Policy for 4-Wheelers' in the country to boost economy, reduce pollution levels and generate employment in the transport sector.
Talking to a private news channel, Fawad said there was a delay in the issuance of an ordinance but hopefully the issue would be addressed soon, adding that eV policy proposals would be presented to President Arif Alvi for final approval. He said the PTi government was promoting the use of eVs in the country, and that people would soon be able to benefit from cheaper transport facilities under this new policy. "The eV policy will play a pivotal role in bringing a huge change in
Pakistan...changing the vehicle regime from combustion to electric will not only benefit the environment but will also bring a downward trend in prices," he opined. Separately, while addressing a ceremony at the Barani institute of information Technology in Rawalpindi on Friday, Fawad chaudhry noted the country was building military tanks but it "hasn't been able to assemble cars". "As civil-military ties have improved under the PTi regime, the government is looking to manufacture
LonDon imams across Britain are helping a drive to dispel coronavirus disinformation, using Friday sermons and their influential standing within Muslim communities to argue that covid-19 vaccines are safe. Qari Asim, chairman of the Mosques and imams national Advisory Board (MinAB) which is leading a campaign to reassure its faithful, is among those publicly advocating that the inoculations are compatible with islamic practices. “We are confident that the two vaccines that have been used in the UK, Oxford AstraZeneca and Pfizer, are permissible from an islamic perspective,” he said. “The hesitancy, the anxiety (and) concern is driven by misinformation, conspiracy theories, fake news and rumours.” Britain, the hardest-hit country in europe by the virus after registering nearly 95,000 deaths, is relying on its biggest-ever vaccination effort to end repeated cycles of lockdowns and restrictions. However, a report from the scientific committee advising the government showed stronger mistrust of vaccines among ethnic minorities than the rest of the UK population.
drones with the help of armed forces." The minister said the foundation of the modern world was not laid by politicians or clerics, but by universities, adding that the basis of development was argument and logic, besides learning from the past. He also talked about using industrial bio-technology and agricultural technology, stressing that the country was far behind the world. "We cannot rely on selling radishes and carrots only; the agriculture sector has to be modernised."
FM urges Biden to work on Afghan peace process, withdraw troops ContInueD froM pAge 01 He threw down the gauntlet to india to restart direct dialogue between islamabad and new Delhi, saying the “onus lies on [them]” to reverse steps in the disputed region of Kashmir and end alleged rights abuses there before the two countries can come to the table. Qureshi accused the indian government led by Prime Minister narendra Modi of adopting “aggressive rhetoric” and “acting irresponsibly”. “Who vitiated the climate? Obviously the indians. now if things have to improve, the onus lies on india,” he said, referring to steps taken by Modi’s government to revoke a special constitutional status for indian-administered Kashmir in August 2019 and a subsequent security crackdown in the region, which lasted several months. Qureshi said there are currently “no formal or informal parleys going on” between the two countries, including meetings between former officials that are commonly referred to as “Track ii dialogues”. Qureshi claimed the international community with which Pakistan has shared a dossier on indian involvement
in sabotaging regional peace is “certainly viewing things very carefully and they are looking at what we have presented very seriously”. Separately, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on national Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Dr Moeed Yusuf said the government wanted to pursue a bilateral relationship with the United States that not hyphenated or clouded by US interests in other regional countries, but rather based on mutual understanding. The above was said while the SAPM was addressed a gathering of US policymakers at a Washington-based thinktank in the Wilson center titled “US-Pakistan Relations in the Biden era” a day after the Biden inauguration, said a statement. “in the past, Pakistan was unfortunately seen by Afghanistan prism,” he said, emphasizing that the world had undergone an immense transformation in the past four years and the new administration should look beyond Obama-era conversation to build a truly bilateral relationship with Pakistan. He told the participants of the thinktank that they were now dealing with a different Pakistan.
A Pakistan which was self-confident and whose formal vision was squarely based on economic security paradigm, he said on the occasion. “Pakistan of today is very different. Terrorism in Pakistan is negligible, we have turned the corner,” the SAPM stated. Delving deeper into regional peace, Yusuf said that the international community was also dealing with a different india. He maintained that this new india was intolerant, had serious internal tensions, had human rights concerns and was taking the unilateral decision, including in illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (iiOJK). india is destabilizing the region and becoming a liability on anyone dealing with it, including the US, he said. SAPM Dr Moeed said that “we wish to achieve a peaceful region where international obligations are met by all countries”. Dr Moeed Yusuf, while elaborating Pakistan’s vision, said: “Our focus is connectivity and china Pakistan economic corridor (cPec) is an obvious example of it. This is the reason we desire peace and stability in Afghanistan for westward connectivity. Furthermore, we are looking for development partnerships.”
“Pakistan is talking about becoming a geo-economic melting pot that is ready to consolidate global positive interest in our territory. We are talking about providing the world with economic bases, not military bases,” he said. He noted that all Western multinational companies (Mncs) in Pakistan earned profits well above their global average, demonstrating that Pakistan remained a lucrative market for foreign companies. “How about having US reprocessing zones? expanding the reconstruction opportunity zones (ROZs)? Having USchina co-investments in regional connectivity?” He stressed that the Biden administration and Pakistan could work closely on important global challenges such as climate change – a priority area for both the Biden administration and Prime Minister imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) led government. He reiterated that there were opportunities for Pakistan to work with the US in regional diplomacy in Afghanistan, the Middle east and elsewhere to decrease global tensions and restore the multilateral system.
Oil down 2pc as China Covid-19 cases trigger clampdowns LonDon AGENCIES
Oil prices fell on Friday, retreating further from 11-month highs hit last week, weighed down by worries that new pandemic restrictions in china will curb fuel demand in the world’s biggest oil importer. Brent crude futures fell $1.31, or 2.3pc, to $54.79 a barrel by 1230 GMT, after a 2 cent gain on Thursday. US West Texas intermediate (WTi) crude futures dropped $1.3 cents, or 2.45pc, to $51.83, a day after slipping 18 cents. “The biggest source of concern for the energy complex
right now is rising coronavirus cases in china,” said Stephen Brennock of broker PVM. “This will dampen the near-term consumption outlook in the world’s epicentre for global oil demand growth.” Recovering fuel demand in china underpinned market gains late last year while the United States and europe lagged, but that source of support is fading as a fresh wave of covid-19 cases has sparked new restrictions. The commercial hub of Shanghai reported its first locally transmitted cases in two months on Thursday, and Beijing is urging people not to travel during the upcoming Lunar new Year holiday, when tens of millions of urban workers typically head to their home towns.
UK imams mobilise to counter Covid-19 vaccine disinformation AGENCIES
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it highlighted that 72 per cent of Black survey respondents were unlikely or very unlikely to get the vaccine. Among those from Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds, the figure was 42pc. imams are pushing back in particular at fears among Britain's estimated 2.8 million Muslims that the vaccines contain pork gelatin or alcohol, which are banned by islam. Asim said it was “legitimate” to question whether things were permissible under islam but without paying attention to unfounded claims. Among the falsehoods spread about the vaccine are that it can modify DnA, make recipients sterile, or even involve inserting a microchip in the body. MESSAGES IN URDU: Misinformation around the coronavirus is all the more dangerous given several studies have shown that it can impact minorities disproportionately. “These are precisely the communities we should be trying to target,” said nighat Arif, a general practitioner based in chesham, near London. When she received her vaccination, she posted a video in Urdu on social media aimed at the language's speakers living in Britain. “i'm hoping that because they see someone who looks like them, who is a practising Muslim, wears a
CMYK
hijab, someone who is Asian who speaks their language, that's more relatable than something that's coming through from the government,” she added. Arif is still surprised by the refusal of certain patients to be inoculated, noting they will often get vaccinated to undertake the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, or to visit Pakistan or india. She blames conspiracy theories spread online, which contribute to the science behind the process “being lost”. Samara Afzal, 34, a general practitioner at netherton Health centre in Dudley in the West Midlands, also shared a video in Urdu with her 35,000 Twitter followers to “debunk some myths”. She said some people had asked her to send the video directly to them so they could forward it to sceptical loved ones via social tools like WhatsApp. At her medical centre, Afzal estimates that around 40 to 50 people out of 1,000 have refused to be vaccinated when she had expected only one or two. “it's still a fair amount of people that are saying no and obviously we haven't even addressed the younger ones, so this is just the elderly,” she added. “So i'm sure when it comes down to the younger ones, there'll be a lot more that say no.”
The market is awaiting official oil inventory data from the US energy information Administration (eiA) on Friday, after industry data on Wednesday showed a surprise 2.6 million barrel increase in US crude inventories last week compared with analysts’ forecasts for a 1.2 million barrel draw. “Global oil demand could decline marginally in the first quarter of 2021 as many regions, including many european countries, have re-introduced mobility restrictions,” analysts at Fitch Ratings said in a note. “The positive effects of vaccination programmes on the oil demand recovery may not be visible for several months until a critical mass of population is inoculated.”
AJK to establish land routes with GB to strengthen bilateral linkage: AJK PM MIRPUR: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan has said that government of AJK would establish land routes with Gilgit Baltistan (GB) to further strengthen the relations with the GB population. He was talking to a delegation of members of Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA), which had called on to him late on Thursday and was led by Surriya Zaman in the state capital. The AJK premier said that Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan have a great potential in hydel power and tourism sector, adding that the people of both the regions should share their experiences and expertise to boost the tourism activities in both the regions. The Kashmiri prime minister said that he is fully aware of the difficulties being faced by the people of GB and urged the Pakistan government to start the work on Triple-M road to overcome the problems of the people of the area. Prime Minister Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan assured the GBLA that the Azad Kashmir government would also extend full cooperation with the GB government in health, education, and other sectors. APP
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
06 COMMENT
The poverty alleviation App
People continuing to die despite vaccine being found Waiting for gifts and doles
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A tech-driven solution to reduce poverty in our society
FTer a telephonic talk with his Chinese counterpart on Thursday, a jubilant Foreign Minister shah Mehmood Qureshi announced that China would gift half a million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Pakistan by the end of January. Ironically, the same day Bangladesh received two million doses of the OxfordastraZeneca covid-19 vaccine as a gift from India. India has dispatched similar donations to some of its neighbours where it was gradually losing influence while China was gaining dominance. New Delhi has used the vaccine as a tool of diplomacy, exploiting its manufacturing heft to generate goodwill with its neighbours. By projecting itself as the “pharmacy of the world”, India aims at capturing the vaccine market in low and middle-income countries. Pakistan would be the last country in south asia to provide a coronavirus vaccine to its population. This is on account of the begging bowl mentality that characterizes the PTI government as it did its predecessors. Countries that cared for their population like Malaysia, Indonesia, the Uae and Turkey placed orders for the vaccines on time and are currently administering it to large sections of their population. Turkey marked seven days of mass inoculations on Wednesday with more than 1 million people receiving jabs. Beginning January 13, Indonesia has rolled out a mass COVID-19 vaccination programme with President Joko Widodo becoming the first person in the country to be inoculated. Malaysia has 12.8 million doses already lined up while it has committed to purchasing an additional 12.2 million doses of the PfizerBioNTech covid-19 vaccine. Mr Qureshi is sadly mistaken to claim that China has considered Pakistan as the first country to be supplied with the covid-19 vaccine. Turkey’s first shipment comprised 3 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine developed by China’s sinoVac Biotech. The Uae is using China’s sinopharm vaccine. Indonesia too has so far purchased 3 million ready-to-use vaccines from China’s sinovac Biotech. By the time 2020 ended, Pakistan had already lost 70 doctors and 26 health care workers to covid-19. It would be tragic if more of those who are required to save lives continue to fall when the vaccine is already available. The claim that the PTI government wants to obtain a vaccine of the highest efficacy is no more than a fig leaf to cover its lack of urgency.
Burhan rasool
B
eggars can be extremely annoying. One cannot escape them be it at a traffic signal, marketplace, or car parking. They are everywhere. With their intruding eyes, they hardly care if you are having a serious conversation, eating something, or enjoying music in your car. They simply continue knocking on the car window till you give in and respond. The only reason that keeps me from giving them my piece of mind is because of my own personal experience with hunger during one of my longer stints in the remote parts of Baluchistan with a Tableeghi Jamaat along the border of Iran. Being a father of three, I know how it feels when one of them is hungry, unwell, or in pain and requires attention. This reminds me of what I saw a few weeks ago, on a smoggy chilling night. I was waiting in a long queue of cars at a local fast-food chain’s drivethru with my children. While randomly looking around, I froze at the sight of a shivering child selling balloons. The hut he was standing in front of was shabby and covered in a plastic sheet as a protective cover for the dwellers inside. I took out a five-thousand rupee note from my wallet, slightly rolled down the car window, and slid it out of the warm cozy car for him. “Was that enough?” I wondered. “How ungrateful have I been all my life!”, I thought. The fact of the matter is that a staggering 40 per-
Power tariff hike
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Nergy Minister Omar ayub Khan tried to pass off the blame for the latest power tariff increase on to the PML(N). He is a little behindhand, for the PTI government has now been in office for over two years now, and is fast approaching the midway point of its five-year tenure, assuming that there is no early dissolution. The government has thus had enough time to do something about any landmines that might have been left behind by the PML(N). If landmines can be planted for such a long time, what price landmines that might have been planted half a century ago (during the tenure of the late minister’s grandfather as President) or even less than a quarter century before, during the tenure of the minister’s father in the same portfolio? The PTI government should try to balance realism with populism. The tariff hike is no doubt unpleasant for the consumer, but it was still easily predictable. The PTI government tried to have its cake and eat it too, by campaigning with a commitment not to approach the IMF, but doing so once it was elected to office. The IMF package has been suspended for the last year, with one of its conditions for restoration being the tariff hike which has been made. This is the result of the IMF’s concern at the circular debt in the energy sector, which has crossed rs 1 trillion, and is still rising. That the government has raised the tariff because it wants to return to the IMF programme is the sort of thing that has made the IMF unpopular among the masses. It is not as if the present package did not bring harsh measures for it to be granted, such as a massive devaluation and gas tariff hikes. It should be noted that IMF preconditions are apparently always those tending to restrict growth, and thus unpopular with people whom it will cost a price hike, even if they do not lose their jobs. However, the government should realise that it has cried ‘wolf’ so often, that any new attempts to blame past governments for present woes, are unlikely to be believed even if true.
If classes are online, why not the exams? MohaMMad Fawad dawood
I
T was a beautiful, sunny day of spring. sportsweek 2020 entered its final day at the beautiful university located at the foot of the famous Margalla hills. The young scholars were celebrating their victories till late on the eve of February. There was awareness about the global pandemic situation spread by the social media, but nobody had even thought that the viral “social media disease” would change their lives and routines for many coming years. The country went into panic mode within days. There was hell presented on the TV screens, and the newscasters and anchors were shouting, politicians were caught unprepared for unconventional crises (they often caught unprepared, whether it’s conventional or unconventional). The younger generation of the 21st century has gone through some extraordinary circumstances. everything was going well but suddenly in March 2020 all changed at once. a viral disease, designated covid-19 by the WHO, originated from China in January and spread throughout the globe within just one month. The global community of 7 billion people was stunned and left in chaos by the rapid destruction caused by covid-19. all the educational institutions were immediately closed and classes were shifted over yo different online platforms. students took several months to get used to these new routines. But somehow teachers and students managed and the new covid19 educational system formed in Pakistan. There were problems with connectivity, gadgets, timings, educational environment, assignments, concepts and so on, but the students coped with all these conditions and gave the first online exams. There was a decrease in covid-19 death rates in september, and students were asked to join classes . But just after one and a half months, the institutions were closed again. students attended their final eight weeks of classes online and the government dropped a bombshell on January 15. The government announced the reopening of
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz
Asher John
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Deputy Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
The Writer is a member of the Prime Minister of Pakistan’s Task Force on Austerity & Restructuring Government and General Manager, Punjab Information Technology Board, Government of Punjab (Pakistan)
Why physical exams?
Blaming the past government won’t work
Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
cent of the population of Pakistan lives below the poverty line. To lay it out plain and simple, around 80 million people: every two out of five need some assistance to meet the basic necessities of life such as food, clothing, and shelter. according to a UNDP assessment, nearly 42 million children are now out of school, while 17 million children under five are missing routine vaccinations. With a sharp rise in the people falling below the poverty line, the need for government assistance is becoming all the more crucial, but it is not that simple. To put this into perspective, if only 50 rupees were to be given to every poor person, the government needs rs 4 billion (400 crores) daily. This amounts to a monthly sum of rs 120 billion– an expenditure no government should be expected to bear alone. To address this menace of unfortunate vulnerability, it is proposed that a digitally enabled community-led resilience and response system may be institutionalized by the government, whereby, the government acts as the custodian, guarantor, and overseer of the whole process. To start off, a poverty alleviation app may act as the pivot of the whole process. Using the latest ehsaas survey data, wherein a family is defined around the mother and her children, the government may share the list of all the needy families with their poverty index or score, while keeping their identities anonymous. Their geographical information, however, along with their specific financial needs per month, may be publicly shared. The monthly financial needs may be calculated based on the number of family members and their immediate priority needs, like assistance for food, health, clothes, education, or marriage, and so on. as a second step, the government may rally potential donors and encourage them to come forward and register themselves on the app, wherein they would have the option to choose a family in their respective locality and send the donation or zakat amount directly to that family without any intermediary via the recently launched National Digital Payment gateway, called raast. The donors may also have the option to adopt a family for a specific number of months. In this case, the donors would have to opt for a monthly recurring automatic payment option, whereby the amount committed shall automatically be deducted from their given bank account and transferred digitally at once to the preferred bank account of the needy family. Once a family has received the monthly donation, it
shall no longer appear in the list of needy families. against every successful donation transfer, a receipt of the payment shall be sent to the respective donor via sMs and/or email. at any point in time, if a donor wishes to leave the adopted family, the details of that needy family will be highlighted again for adoption. In case of an unsuccessful funds transfer, because of an insufficient account balance or some other reason, the concerned donor may be notified about the hiccup via sMs and/or email along with a request to get the issue with the respective bank resolved on a priority basis. Two more attempts in successive days may be made after which the government may step in to transfer the donation money from its own Zakat and Ushr pool on a loan basis. at this stage, the problematic donor’s account shall be suspended and the related family shall reappear in the list for adoption. The app’s artificial Intelligence (aI) engine at the backend may generate suggestions for the donors, based upon their location and preferences. a donor may able to give zakat or sadaqah at any time during the day, by selecting a family and specifying an amount of money below or equal to the monthly financial need (already calculated) being displayed against that family. Donors may also have the option to pledge to support a certain family in the next monthly cycle. It is important that such a system may be fully backed and monitored by the Federal government (perhaps by putting it under the umbrella of the ehsaas Program) so that the quantum of assistance to each family is recorded and that nobody gets more than their share to ensure wider and equitable distribution. The government, on the other hand, might want to reciprocate by giving tax rebates to certain regular donors or by giving priority customer status to them at the time of service delivery. z‘The Haves’ have to come forward and help the government in its bid to ease the lives of the poor. The government, in this regard, plays an important role in facilitating and encouraging them by devising easy processes for them to make donations. This app can play a critical role in fulfilling the Prime Minister’s vision of riasat-e-Madina by tapping into the national spirit of charity through smart use of technology to minimize societal inequity while ensuring transparency and accountability.
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the classes for grade 8 to grade 12 on January 18 which is allowed in the Constitution of Pakistan. Its and for higher educational institutions, the opening article 19 provides “every citizen shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, and there was announced for February 1. students all over Pakistan were furious over this shall be freedom of the press, subject to any reasondecision and they organized physical and online able restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the protests against on-campus exams. They had differ- glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof friendly relations with ent arguments in favour of online exams. The trend against on-campus exams has gone foreign states, public order, decency or morality, or global on twitter. students argue that, “If you teach in relation to contempt of court, [commission of] or us by online method, how can you judge students by incitement to an offence.” On a lighter note, one more famous argument physical exams? The future of thousands of students which has been circulating has put on stakes.” in social media circles is “if The federal education after attending online minister himself attended classes, we have to attend the meeting online. but kept physical exams, then why on asking the students to go By taking online exams, you not give commission to all to universities. are saving nothing, not the the PUBg players in the One student, Hafsa said, armed forces/” This may “Virtual learning is not suitfuture, not the students (the seem hiliarious but this able for physical exams, and rise in COVID wave) not even sounds logical somewhere. as students have not been The government argues prepared for physical exams your vote bank. PTI is that students have to live by online teaching methods, this is utterly unfair.” considered the party of youth with these new changing circumstances and they One bright student from and if it doesn’t listen to should have prepared for a leading university from any possibilities. The govthe capital showed his conyouth, it is going nowhere in ernment should communicern in Whatsapp and said, General Elections 2023 cate with students and try to the method of teaching by listen to them at least, adonline means was totally indressing the concerns is ansufficient for taking on-camother matter. pus exams. One can feel the The minister wrote on frustration of the young lady. she was both concerned at how online quizzes twitter on 19th of January that “ The future is our were made to substitute for vivas and the length of main priority.” But the honourable minister needs to understand, the syllabi given for the final exams. The police have used force against protesting stu- by taking online exams, you are saving nothing, not dents of NUML who were exercising their demo- the future, not the students (the rise in COVID wave) cratic right to protest but some of them were arrested not even your vote bank. PTI is considered the party of youth and if it doesn’t listen to youth, it is going and taken to prison. This behaviour of the government was totally nowhere in general elections 2023. The point to be understood for the government unacceptable when used against peaceful protestors who were raising voices for their educational rights. is, students are not against on-campus exams, “stuThe tragedy is that this is the very same government dents are only against online classes and on campus that came to power by street agitation, protests, dhar- exams”. nas and container politics and which is now putting The writer is a freelance columnist barriers on freedom of protest and freedom of speech
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Saturday, 23 January, 2021
COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. e-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
NEPRA is sleeping I would like to request the government to look into the energy generation of sugar Mill Bagasse cogeneration power plants. The previous government had given up-front tariff to all Bagasse power plants of sugar Mills. although these power plants were supposed to run on the waste material of sugar cane crushing and should only be useful during crushing season. But somehow all the Bagasse power plants are generating power all year round in Pakistan. another strange phenomena is the sheer size of power generation. For example one sugar mills (HsM) uses 1.5MW energy, but they installed 24MW power plant and are getting capacity payment from government against it. even the Upfront tariff discussion meetings dated November 2017, clearly showed that Central Power purchasing agency highlighting to NePra that upfront tariff was wrong idea and even highlighted that in past fuel charges were paid to Bagasse power plants without them producing the relevant power. But NePra efficiently sidelined these concerns and still issued upfront tariff to all sugar mills. The sugar mills were given bank loans for the power plants but than in up-front tariff they are given almost 25% for bank loan charges. Therefore I think the sugar Mills getting upfront tariff for power generation and NePra should be investigated. The excess amount recovered from the culprits and all Bagasse generation contracts cancelled. Shahryar Khan BaSeer P engr PeShawar
Population timebomb POPULaTION of Pakistan is increasing day by day. The high population is creating the biggest problems or obstacles in the growth of Pakistan’s economy. Due to this unstoppable population the rate of unemployment is too high in the country. The current population of Pakistan is 223 millions based on world’s meter elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Pakistan’s population in 2020 was 220 millions in the mid-year 2020, according to UN data. Pakistan’s population is equivalent to 2.83% of the total world’s population and that is a really devastating number for such a economically weak country. The current population of Pakistan as 223,559,520 as of Monday, January 18th, 2021. Population clock live 8,580 population growth today. such a huge increase is not less than a time bomb for our nation, so the policy makers need to consult its neighbouring country, China, about controlling this time bomb. Mahira haKeeM TurBaT
Us-China In the era of cold war
nadir ali
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He world-leading superpowers, the United states and China have been precariously embroiled in a Cold war situation right now. The Cold war was an ideological conflict between Communism and Capitalism. This Us-China Cold war is not an ideological but an old superpower and a new superpower that follow neoliberal ideals. The Us, who is considering itself, is an ultimate superpower whereas China is an emerging economic power and challenge the Us supremacy on the world. asymmetrically constrained relations are going to be more deteriorating once again since both of the states normalized its diplomatic relations more than four decades ago. The deterioration of sino-Us relations and the ongoing quarrel between Beijing and Washington are bringing these two superpowers closer to the new cold war. The escalation of competition between Beijing and Washington may bring huge losses. Hence, the situation is looking less like a trade war and more like the new cold war by current escalating assertions. Throughout history, the aggressiveness of american policies primarily affected the third world countries. The Us policies are self-indulgent, unsustainable and threaten the survival of mankind. Nonetheless, The United states has been involved in too many wars, and there is no evidence that China is directly involved in any war due to its co-operative policies. Concurrently, China is reversing desertification, developing non-fossil fuels, alternative technologies, aquaculture, and more eco-friendly, mass transport and industrial system. Therefore, an economically, militarily, diplomatically and politically strong democratic country, the Us – has an imminent
threat from the economically and technologically Chinese aid and products. secondly, the Minrising communist state. However, China is the istry of Justice accused Chinese hackers of stealUnited states largest trading partner, The Trump ing information about virus vaccines. China administration impose tariffs on Chinese imports strongly condemned the actions of the United in 2018. To retaliate, China devastated the Us im- states, called its unprecedented escalation, and ports essentially. although China’s economy is vowed to retaliate. Technologically, both states are very powerheavily dependent on the Us, whose relationship is now under considerable strain, the competition ful, despite that, the advancement of technology that began with trade and technological tensions increases many vulnerabilities, but the Chinese has transcended the economic realm. While the aspiration to become a global leader, in terms of economic competition shifted towards the geopo- technology, indirectly imposing a threat to the litical competition, tensions have oscillated from Us national security. There is one particular Chico-operation to competition, which could lead to nese firm, “Huawei”- Huawei is the world’s a dangerous confrontation between the liberal biggest telecommunication company. The Us democracy and the authoritarians who saw the and its allies are afraid that Chinese would hack other as an incapable foe. If China begins to ac- their sensitive information, such as location data; hence they blacklisted tively participate in supthe tech company porting authoritarianism under certain national and undermining security concerns. democracy around the Technologically, both states Then came the “Tikworld, the land alliance tok” fiasco, and it consystem led by the are very powerful, despite tinues. The Us United states will begin government is conto confront China’s authat, the advancement of cerned about TikTok’s tocratic allies. technology increases many uncontrolled existence President Trump in the United states, announced the “Decouvulnerabilities, but the the data it may collect pling” of relations with Chinese aspiration to become about american conChina- claims that sumers and how it will China’s trade is unfair, a global leader, in terms of handle it. This is underto restrict americans standable. However, access to the Chinese technology, indirectly China, and more immarket and manipulate imposing a threat to the US portantly, other countheir currency. Decoutries in the world, pling from China is a national security. There is one believes that the way completely difficult particular Chinese firm, the United states hanprocess because thoudles this issue is unreasands of american “Huawei”- Huawei is the sonable. However, companies are still opsuch technical compeerating in China. For world’s biggest tition can last for sevthese companies, it is a telecommunication company. eral years. similar difficult decision to get competitions are unrid of the Chinese marderway in the field of ket. Other than that, the artificial intelligence, whole world is sufferdigital currency and ing from the Covid-19 pandemic, commonly known as ‘Coronavirus’. even the “Covid vaccine”. However, the lesson Which originated in China, has devastated the of the first Cold War is that the ultimate test of entire global economy. Initially, the U.s. ex- any national security policy is its first concern. Interestingly, China does not aggressively President “Donald Trump” and secretary of state, “Mike Pompeo” started to blame China to response against such actions but quickly moved the outbreak of coronavirus by boycotting Chi- towards the next goal of connecting the world, nese products, and by using such terms “China for example, through the “Belt and road InitiaVirus” and “Wuhan Virus” in their statements tive” (BrI). Ostensibly, the american empire is and speeches, to retaliate such allegations, declining and may cause serious damage in a peChina’s administration denied such statements riod of deteriorating time, in order to cause as and criticized the Us government to the real rea- much damage as possible and destroy as many son of the outbreak of coronavirus by the care- countries as possible. lessness of Us soldiers. additionally, for The writer is a student of Strategic & Chinese citizens who are working in the media field in the United states, the Trump administra- Nuclear Studies at the National Defence tion accused the Chinese media of being propa- University, Islamabad. He can be reached at gandists and urged other countries to reject hafiznadirali7@gmail.com
Ravi project PrIMe MINIsTer Imran Khan on Friday said the ravi Urban Development Project was significant for the economic and social uplift of Lahore and would generate immense job opportunities. “The completion of the project will not only increase economic activity, but also create employment opportunities through quality construction on unused land,” the Prime Minister said while chairing a meeting regarding development projects of Punjab’s provincial capital. The review meeting discussed progress on projects including ravi Urban Development, Central Business District, relocation of Walton airport and provision of affordable housing to the people in adjoining small towns, under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The meeting was attended by special assistant Dr. shahbaz gill, Chairman Naya Pakistan Housing authority Lt. gen. (retd) anwar ali Haider and senior officials. Provincial Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht, adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Dr. salman shah, special assistant to CM Dr. Firdous ashiq awan, Chairman ravi Urban Development authority rashid aziz and senior officials attended the meeting through video-link. The meeting was informed that negotiations with the consultants and design issues in the ravi City project had entered its final stages. The meeting was updated about the progress regarding waste water plant and the steps being taken to organize an investors’ conference in near future. The participants were also briefed on the progress regarding land acquisition under the project. regarding the Central Business District project and the relocation of Walton airport, the participants were informed that the commercial, retail and residential zoning of the project was in line with international standards. The meeting was briefed on the proposed projects for construction of affordable houses for the low-income group under the vision of the Prime Minister, in the vicinity of small towns of Punjab. Prime Minister Imran Khan directed to set timelines and initiate the project as soon as possible in view of its usefulness for the poor and low income groups. The low-cost three-to-five marla housing project will initially cover 25 to 27 districts of the province and will be gradually expanded to 87 different areas. The Punjab government will provide land as well as capital in the initial phase, while in the next phase, the subsidy will be provided under mortgage financing. Sohail ali Khan iSlaMaBad
Protecting journalists a very bad thing is very common in our society that is honour killings. apart from this, journalists are targeted alot in this modern Pakistan. and seeing this bad accident, no one has taken an action or responsibility to undertake the issue fast. and the article continues to talk regarding the life of journalists as the UN Human rights Office expressed it’s concerns over the killing of media personnel in Pakistan. and next the death of shaheena who was a woman journalist was also killed . and according to the UNesCO data, four journalists have been killed in 2020 alone and 60 individuals belonged to the media industry have been killed in the country in 1997. as the killings of such personalities continued and no one has yet gained justice. sadly, the CPJ had ranked Pakistan among the top 12 countries for journalists. Pakistan is along stayed with Philippines. and due to weak economy and political disputes the deaths of journalists are increasing day by day till now as well. BarKaTullah TurBaT
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
Russia’s quesTionable claims oveRshadow good spuTnik v vaccine SPUTNIK V APPEARS TO BE A SOUND VACCINE, BUT RUSSIA DAMAGED ITS SCIENTIFIC CREDIBILITY WITH PREMATURE AND EXAGGERATED CLAIMS OF SUCCESS
MOscOw TiMes
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JUDy twigg
uSSIA’S signature Sputnik V (for “Victory”) Covid-19 vaccine has been enmeshed in controversy from the moment of its launch. Western analysts have questioned Sputnik V’s safety, efficacy, and most of all its leapfrogging of established clinical trial hurdles in a rush toward national regulatory approval last August. The Russian government has grown increasingly and visibly irritated with this external criticism. But they’ve brought it on themselves. It’s not that the product itself is bad. Sputnik V is grounded in well-established adenovirus vector technology. Its clever design bases its two doses on different viral vectors, in principle producing a strong, long-term immune response. unlike the
available alternatives, it’s cheap — reportedly less than $10 per dose—and it doesn’t require expensive ultra-refrigeration. Given the sadly predictable extent to which the united States and other Western countries have gobbled up supplies of the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford, and other leading vaccine candidates through advance purchase agreements that have left poor and lower-middle-income countries on the sidelines, this could have been Russia’s time to shine. But throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russians have damaged their own scientific credibility with premature and exaggerated claims of success. The habit isn’t a new one; Russia-watchers will remember their haughty declarations of wins in developing an hIV/AIDS vaccine (that still doesn’t exist), or an ebola vaccine (that’s never been administered in the field). Why should anyone be surprised, then, when the world’s dominant reaction to the Sputnik V announcement over the summer was a chuckling “there they go again”? It’s a reverse boy-who-cried-wolf scenario: when you’ve stretched the truth to the breaking point so often in the past, you shouldn’t act surprised when nobody be-
lieves you this time around. The overclaims have spanned the pandemic’s entire lifetime. First, there was the reporting of obviously deflated basic numbers on the pandemic itself — case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths. Russia is far from alone in underestimating the severity of its Covid-19 situation and overstating the speed and success of its response, but it’s widely speculated that politically motivated manipulation of the data, in addition to misreporting based on more benign factors like counting rules and administrative error, plays an outsize role in Russia’s case. Then there was the Aug. 11 first-in-theworld registration of Sputnik V. That muchheralded launch, complete with a ready-to-go website now in nine languages, happened just as the vaccine was entering large-scale clinical trials. The process wasn’t yet close to amassing important data and therefore clearing key milestones that are prerequisite for emergency use authorization in most other countries. Later, across late November and early December — as other vaccines made their way through phase-three trials more quickly — Sputnik V’s developers engaged in an almost comical display of one-upmanship on
Google is evil GOOGLE IS ACTIVELY WORKING TO MANIPULATE THE PUBLIC INTO A PERVERTED VIEW OF THE WORLD AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, A WAY OF THINKING THEY WANT TO IMPOSE. THERE ARE A LOT OF WORDS TO DESCRIBE THAT WAY OF ACTING, AND AT THE TOP OF THE LIST IS EVIL
TOwnhall.cOM.
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Derek hUNter
AMOuSLy, Google’s motto is “Don’t Be evil.” Maybe “famously” isn’t the right word. "hilariously” is more appropriate because Google is, in fact, an evil company. But it’s not just Google. Name the tech giant and they are pretty much working in ways that are detrimental, if not downright destructive, to the united States of America and the freedoms we hold dear. Google not only tracks every keystroke you make, but it also manipulates your worldview without you even knowing it. The biggest problem with Google is the monopoly control they have over internet searches. They control almost everything people see on the Internet. “Just Google it” has become a common saying – they’re the Q-Tip or Kleenex of getting information. But there’s a very big, very important difference between Google and other products that become “the name” of their brand. If you use a different cotton swab, it’ll pretty much do the same thing as a Q-Tip. If you blow your nose into another tissue, it’ll work the same way as a Kleenex. If you search in Google, you will get a completely different set of returns than you will if you use any other search engine. Others will show you what you are looking for, but Google will show you what they want you to see. A couple of weeks ago I was looking for a column I had written back in 2016 called, “how easy Do We have To Make It To Vote?” With all the talk for “voter suppression” and other liberal lies, I needed some of the information I wrote about how easy it truly already is to vote in the united States. So I went to Google and typed in the title without putting the search words in quotation marks (an “advanced search”). Simple, right? Not so much. It didn’t come up. What Google did return was a bunch of left-wing sites and stories about how to vote,
how to make it easier to vote, and how Republicans are suppressing the vote somehow. After scrolling through seven pages of results, I went to Bing.com. Searched exactly the same way, and my column was the first result. That made sense, as I was, after all, entering the exact title. It wasn’t just my column. It’s pretty much the same with everything conservative or insufficiently liberal. Go to Google and type, “hillary Clinton dissent is patriotic,” without putting it in quotes, and click on the video search option. What you will find are left-wing fluff videos of or about hillary. What you won’t find is the video of her screeching, “I'm sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and disagree with this administration, somehow you're not patriotic. We need to stand up and say we're Americans, and we have the right to debate and disagree with any administration,” in reference to the George W. Bush administration. Go to Bing.com and it’s the first result in videos. The same goes for every other search engine, like DuckDuckgo.com, just not Google. They don’t want people to get access to that audio. If you search “hillary Clinton sick and tired,” Bing will still return the correct video as the first result, DuckDuckGo has it second. Google does not return it at all or at least not in the first 10 pages of results. All you get from Google are videos of Bernie Sanders whiningly declaring in the 2016 primary that he’s “sick and tired of hearing about her damn emails.” Page after page of it. how many returns of the same exact thing could anyone need? Is this because Google has gotten sloppy? When they started their search engine it was by far the best. you could find what you were looking for, no matter what it was, almost immediately. Now, it’s different. If you want to know what huffington Post, Daily Kos, NBC News, or any other left-wing organization has to say on an issue, Google has you covered. If you want information contrary to a liberal narrative, you’re not likely to find it. One of the most pernicious powers the media had before the Internet was the power to ignore stories or information, deciding what the public needed to know. The Internet took that power away – allowing people to see what they’d left (and hoped would stay) on the cutting-room floor. Google is bringing back that business model, actively working to manipulate the public into a perverted view of the world and, more importantly, a way of thinking they want to impose. There are a lot of words to describe that way of acting, and at the top of the list is evil. Derek Hunter is the host of a free daily podcast, host of a daily radio show on WCBM in Maryland, and author of the book, Outrage, INC., which exposes how liberals use fear and hatred to manipulate the masses.
efficacy, responding to Pfizer’s early reports of 90% effectiveness with an announcement the very next day that its results hit 92%, and then to Moderna’s 94.5% data a couple of weeks later with revised findings that vaulted Sputnik V one point higher. And from then through January, we’ve seen repeated misrepresentation of both the speed of Sputnik V’s production rollout (which ran into trouble launching bioreactors for the second dose) and the numbers of Russians who have actually been vaccinated. Why do they keep doing this? It’s a baked-in feature of the system dating back to the Soviet period: political leaders set outlandishly high targets, and implementers do whatever it takes to make it look like those targets have been achieved. The behavior also finds roots in Russia’s fervent desire to reclaim its Soviet-era greatpower status both scientifically and politically, as well as more immediate aims for diplomatic and financial gain via vaccine licensing and export deals. In the longer term, they’d surely love to leverage a successful Covid-19 vaccine into international acceptance and expanded market share for other Russian pharmaceutical products.
underlining it all is Putin’s immediate need for a solid political win, which is why cheerleading for Sputnik V — served with a hearty side of snarky bashing of Western vaccines — has saturated state-controlled Russian media. Despite the skepticism, demand for Sputnik V is increasing. Initially anemic uptake at home — surveys have shown widespread mistrust in the vaccine, and there were plenty of no-wait opportunities to get the shot in Moscow in December — is morphing into more robust acceptance. Dozens of countries have signed up for direct purchase of Sputnik V and/or licensing and materials for their own production. Several have passed emergency use authorizations. Some began to use it in late December. It’s still not clear, though, whether these foreign deals are more attributable to the lack of an available, affordable alternative than to a firm judgment that Sputnik V is and will remain the best product on the market. All in all, Sputnik V appears to be a sound vaccine, Russia’s likely route out of the Covid-19 pandemic. Over time, experience with its safe, effective administration will probably erode the aura of doubt that surrounds it. The politically driven hyperbole that’s cast such a shadow on its integrity does a disservice to the hard work and reputations of the Russian scientists who made Sputnik V happen. And the world needs as many good vaccines as it can get. A little less hype and a little more candor would go a long way toward establishing Sputnik V as a credible element of the global pandemic response. Judy Twigg is a professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches courses on global health. She is also a senior associate with the Global Health Policy Center and Russia & Eurasia Program of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Diary of Kasturba Gandhi to offer new insights about the woman behind the Mahatma Open Magazine
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Ullekh NP
he Mahatma’s great grandson Tushar Gandhi will soon come out with an annotated diary of Kasturba Gandhi titled The Diary of Kastur, My Ba that will cover nine months from 1932 to 1933 when she and her husband were mostly separated from each other due to prison terms, post-Salt Satyagraha work and a vow by the father of the nation to not set foot in the Sabarmati Ashram, their home, until India was free from British rule. This is the first diary recovered till date of Kasturba who was unschooled but had picked up reading and writing in Gujarati during her years (1917-1930) at the Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, from fellow volunteers. She had earlier tried to learn writing and speaking english from Millie Polak, who along with her husband were companions of the Gandhis in community living in South Africa. “There is a misconception even among our family that she was illiterate. She writes in the diary that she started her days reading newspapers after the prayer,” says Tushar, who has now begun transcribing the diary, written in Gujarati. he will run english translations for each page alongside. “I will keep the style the way it is written without editing out the inconsistencies and incongruities,” explains the 60-year-old who emphasises that he will not make any efforts to ‘clean up’ the raw prose and rough expressions of his great grandmother. Kasturba’s diary was discovered by sheer chance from the loft of a locked-up room at the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, which was created by the Mahatma himself in 1945, a year after her death, with the aim of focusing on the welfare of rural women. Obviously, the diary was in a “deteriorating condition” and had to be cleaned up with extreme care so that it could be read and understood. Tushar soon took up the task of going through Kasturba’s notes. her handwriting is illegible and construction of sentences a bit awkward, he points out. “She wrote it apparently with the intention of reporting about her days and her work when she would meet her husband later,” Tushar states, adding stating that he had long been contemplating a book on Kasturba and then this diary was found. he feels that unlike most other close associates of Gandhi and the members of his family, Kasturba, who was a few months older than her husband, didn’t write her diary to please the great Indian leader. She even talks about occasions when she was totally bored, something that others wouldn’t do, notes Tushar, who, although was born 16 years after her death and 12 years after Gandhi’s, has often maintained that his great grandmother was an outstanding revolutionary in her own right. It was out of his admiration for her that Tushar named his daughter Kasturi. Tushar is the son of Gandhi’s grandson Arun, who is the son of Sushila and Manilal, one of the great man’s more ‘obedient’ sons. The period described in the diary, says Tushar, was marked by a nomadic life of sorts for ‘Ba’, as Kasturba
was fondly called by people close to her. In these pages, she describes the marriage of her youngest son Devdas to Lakshmi, the daughter of C Rajagopalachari, among many other incidents that include her own prison sentence and those of her children. Apart from her activities in the freedom struggle, her diary puts the light on her work in the Swadeshi and anti-liquor movements, Tushar discloses. She was then mostly in the company of Sabarmati Ashram’s satyagrahis who were also homeless and were moving from one location to another. “Mirabehn was there with her for some months. So were Sushila Nayyar and Prabhavati Devi (whom Kasturba regarded as her daughter) on other occasions,” Tushar elaborates, adding that most often her sons weren’t with her. Tushar calls this rare piece of Gandhi archive as an intimate account although it is not very articulate. “The writing is disjointed, mechanical at times, but yet revelatory,” says he. According to him, the significance of this diary by ‘Ba’ is that it gives Gandhi scholars a glimpse of Kasturba as an individual who was otherwise overshadowed by the towering presence of her husband. “Finally, we are getting an opportunity to recognise the individual called ‘Ba’,” says Tushar, who is the author of the nearly 1000-page volume titled Let’s Kill Gandhi! A Chronicle of his Last Days, The Conspiracy, Murder Investigation and Trial, an outcome of years of exhaustive research into the previous attempts on Gandhi’s life starting from 1934 by hindu fanatics and his assassination on January 30, 1948. Tushar has always maintained that it was ever since Gandhi launched his campaign for harijan assimilation and his work for the rights of harijans that he became a target of Sanatani hindus. “It was very evident from their public protests against Gandhi in various parts of the country,” he had told Open in an earlier interview. Kasturba’s importance in Gandhi’s life was stressed emphatically by none other than the great man himself, especially following her death. While she was alive, Tushar contends, she was great enough to not begrudge being seen as an “insignificant or an unnoticed” person, especially after Gandhi returned from South Africa and grew rapidly into a saintly global figure with tremendous mass following. Neither did she compete with others to gain her husband’s favour as fellow ashram dwellers often did. “But Bapu himself has admitted the role that ‘Ba’ played in shaping him as an individual and a leader,” Tushar says. Kasturba was certainly one of the most important people in Gandhi’s life and she fully backed him in his pursuit of an extraordinary life both as an individual and as a public figure. “All this while, biographies of Kasturba were more about Mrs MK Gandhi, but this diary will bring to light the real Kasturba and the philosophy of her life. It was not easy to be her,” says Tushar, who adds that in the forthcoming book by harper Collins, he will write an essay about the Mahatma’s own version of how Kasturba influenced him. Tushar says he will also reproduce tributes to Kasturba by the likes of Subhas Chandra Bose. Interestingly, Tushar will be the co-author of this book with the other being Kasturba.
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
BUSINESS 09
MARKET DAILY
Stocks drift lower, trapped in range KARACHI STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a rangebound session on Friday, as investors adopted a cautious approach ahead of monetary policy announcement. Global equity markets also showed a negative trend, whereas crude oil prices dropped further from the previous close; WTI crude price declining 2.50pc to $51.80 while Brent crude price falling 2.39pc to $54.76 (As at 5:08pm PST). "The 100 index witnessed across the board selling today, mainly due concerns over monetary policy decision, which was announced in the last half hour of the session, besides redemptions from mutual funds," a report issued by Arif Habib Ltd read. "Increase in electricity tariff also affected investor sentiment towards manufacturing concerns." MARKET SUMMARY: The benchmark KSE-100 Index swayed both ways on Friday, registering its intraday high at 46,116.85 (+132.39 points) and low at 45,690.50 (-293.96 points). It settled lower by 116.42 points at 45,868.04. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index dropped 421.17 points to end at 72,850.19, while the KSE All Share Index was down 72.94 points, closing at 31,840.92. The overall market volumes declined from 606.37 million shares in the previous session to 430.53 million shares (-29pc). Average traded value also dipped 12pc, from $111.5 million to $98.5 million. K-Electric Ltd (KEL -3.29pc), Fauji Foods Ltd (FFL +0.26pc) and Invest Capital Investment Bank Ltd (ICIBL +28.04pc) led the volume chart, exchanging 54.06 million, 24.68 million and 23.73 million shares, respectively. Sectors that dragged the benchmark index lower included oil & gas exploration (-45.22 points), fertilizer (-20.69 points) and oil & gas marketing (-13.91 points). Among the companies, TRG Pakistan Ltd (TRG 27.36 points), Engro Corporation Ltd (ENGRO -14.43 points) and Mari Petroleum Company Ltd (MARI -14.36 points) dented the index the most. Shedding 1.18pc from its cumulative market capitalization, the Refinery sector ended as the session’s worst performer, with Attock Refinery Ltd (ATRL -1.13pc), Byco Petroleum Pakistan Ltd (BYCO 1.97pc) and Pakistan Refinery Ltd (PRL -1.00pc) closing in the negative.
SBP keePS Policy rate Unchanged at 7Pc KARACHI
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MEIRYUM ALI
HE State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced on Friday that the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has decided to keep the interest rate at 7 per cent. It is a continuation of the policy from earlier in November 2020, when the central bank kept the main policy rate unchanged at 7 per cent, as “risks to the outlook for both growth and inflation appeared balanced”. The SBP noted that since the last meeting in November, the domestic recovery has gained some further traction. Most economic activity data and indicators of consumer and business sentiment have shown continued improvement. The SBP also said that in the absence of unforeseen developments, monetary policy settings would remain unchanged in the near term. This is the third time that the central bank has kept its main policy rate unchanged after cutting it by 625 basis points, down from 13.25pc, at the time the global pandemic hit its economy last February. In Friday’s meeting, the SBP said that the current growth projection for fiscal year 2021, would be slightly above 2pc. According to the SBP, inflation is still expected to fall within the previously announced range of 7-9pc for fiscal year 2021 and trend toward the 5-7pc target range over the medium-term. “With the inflation outlook relatively benign aside
INTEREST RATE LIKELY TO REMAIN UNCHANGED IN THE NEAR TERM from the possibility of temporary supply-side shocks, the MPC felt that the existing accommodative stance of monetary policy remained appropriate to support the nascent recovery while keeping inflation expectations well-anchored and maintaining financial stability,” the SBP said. The SBP noted that financial conditions remain “appropriately accommodative”, with the real policy rate in slightly negative territory on a forward-looking basis. Private sector credit saw an encouraging uptick since the last MPC meeting, driven by a continued rise in consumer and fixed investment loans on the back of SBP’s refinance facilities. The SBP was upbeat about inflation, noting that after remaining close to 9pc in the preceding two months, headline inflation fell to 8.3pc in November and further to 8pc in December, the lowest rate since June 2019. This decline is mainly attributable to easing food inflation. “Inflation expectations of both businesses and consumers remain well-anchored and have declined in recent months. As a result, at this stage of the recovery, any further supply-side shocks from food or utility tariffs are unlikely to have a lasting inflationary impact through second-round effects,” said the SBP.
‘Impounded plane’: Pilots’ body lambasts PIA over failure to clear lease payments
$16.4bn external debt paid in two years, Senate told ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Upper House of the Parliament was informed on Friday that the government has paid back $16.4 billion external debt and Rs19.9 trillion domestic debt during the last two years. Responding to various supplementary questions during the Question Hour, Industries & Production Minister Hammad Azhar said that record debt servicing was done during the last two years. The government was retiring approximately $10 billion debt annually, he added. To another question, Hammad Azhar said the country's foreign exchange reserves have increased to $20 billion despite record debt servicing, adding that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has forex reserves of around $13 billion. The reserves have increased due to improvement in exports and remittances, he maintained. The minister said the current account has shown a surplus of $1.6 billion during the first five months of the current financial year against a deficit of $ 1.7 billion in the corresponding period of last year. To a separate question, he said no cut on the NFC share of provinces has been imposed by the federal government. "It isn't true that the government has imposed a cut of Rs154 billion on the share of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the NFC Award." The minister said that special economic zones will be constructed under the mega China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework, adding that construction work on three SEZs has been expedited. "CPEC projects worth $1.7 billion are in the phase of implementation in Gwadar; two projects have already been completed; while seven projects worth $1.2 billion projects are in the execution phase," he added.
KARACHI/LAHORE STAFF REPORT
The Pakistan Airline Pilots' Association (PALPA) has lambasted the management of the national airline over its failure to clear lease payments of Boeing-777 that was recently impounded by Malaysia. In a statement issued on Friday, the PALPA spokesman said that the management of Pakistan International Airline has been taking away all basic rights of employees, including cutting their salaries, while showing profits to the media, which was far from reality. "PIA reduced the salaries of the staff, annulled their medical facilities, stopped their pension payments, and offered a VSS scheme just to show that the airline is in profit." It is to be noted that Malaysia had recently
seized a PIA's plane, which was taken on lease from a Vietnamese company in 2015, on the orders of a local Malaysian court over non-payment of aircraft lease dues. "Despite showing profits to the public, the management failed to clear lease payments on time, letting the nation down due to its incompetency," the statement read. According to media reports, PIA failed to pay the leasing fee of about $14 million for the last six months. "The national airline is not being run professionally as it is currently facing ban from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The PIA management has so far failed to adopt safety management programme as per international standards, thus missing out on business worth millions of rupees," the spokesman stated.
On the real sector front, the SBP noted that largescale manufacturing grew by 7.4pc year-on-year, against a contraction of 5.3pc during the same period last year. However, the level of manufacturing activity generally remained below average levels in fiscal year 2019, pointing to continued spare capacity in the economy. Service sectors, wholesale, retail trade and transportation are expected to benefit from improvements in construction and manufacturing activity. The SBP also noted that after five consecutive months of surpluses, the current account registered a deficit of $662 million in December. “While remittances and exports continued to grow steadily, the trade deficit rose due to a rise in imports of machinery and industrial raw material, in line with the pick-up in economic activity,” it explained. The SBP said that encouragingly, exports have recovered to their pre-COVID monthly level of around $2 billion since September, with a broad-based recovery in export volumes recorded in almost all categories in December. The SBP’s foreign exchange reserves have risen to $13 billion, their highest level since December 2017. The current account deficit for fiscal year 2021 is now projected to remain below 1 percent of GDP. The SBP also said that the net FBR revenue grew by 3pc and 8.3pc year-on-year in November and December, respectively. Driven by a rebound in direct taxes and the sales tax, FBR revenue during the first half of fiscal year 2021 has grown by 5pc year-on-year to come in close to the targeted level.
Pakistan seeks enhanced trade ties with US: envoy ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Asad Majeed Khan has said that Islamabad is looking to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties with Washington under the new administration of President Joe Biden. Talking to a private television channel on Friday, Asad Majeed said that Pakistan is not looking for assistance or aid but a strong trade and investment relationship. He said that Islamabad and Washington are working together for peace in Afghanistan along with other nations. "The US also wants that the Afghan soil is not used against any other country," he added. "There is no question of 'do more' or 'do less' for us now, taking the right steps is the need of the hour," the envoy said. He noted that the new US administration would realise Pakistan's efforts when it comes to know about ground realities. Earlier on Tuesday, Biden’s nominated defence secretary General Lloyd J Austin termed Pakistan an important partner in peace and maintained that the US is looking to revive military ties with the country. "If confirmed, I will encourage a regional approach that garners support from neighbours like Pakistan, while also deterring regional actors, from serving as spoilers to the Afghanistan peace process," he said during his confirmation hearing. The former US general said he would focus on shared interests including training future Pakistan military leaders through the use of International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi stated that Pakistan is ready to engage with the new administration, considering it an “opportunity to build a long-term, broad-based and multidimensional relationship”. “Such partnership would require an institutionalized and structured engagement, based on mutual respect and cooperation,” the Foreign Minister said at a webinar on Pakistan’s priorities with the Biden administration, organized by Karachi Council on Foreign Relations earlier this week. TLTP
Pakistan’s ICT exports likely to cross $2bn in FY21 ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS
As the export of information & communication technology (ICT) services increased 40pc during the first half (July-Dec) of the current financial year (2020-21), the Ministry of Commerce foresees the exports to cross $2 billion this year. According to officials at the Ministry of Commerce, the most significant increase in services' exports was witnessed in 'telecom & ICT' services’, which surged 40pc to $958 million in 1HFY21 as compared to $684 million in the same period of FY20. A consultative meeting was held on Friday at the MoC to discuss Pakistan's ‘global trade in services’ during the first half of FY21. The meeting was chaired by Advisor
EXPORT OF ICT SERVICES UP 40PC TO $958M IN JULY-DEC FY21, AS COMPARED TO $684M IN 1HFY20 to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood. It was noted that ICT would soon become an important sector in Pakistan's economy, as total exports are likely cross the $2-billion mark this fiscal year. The advisor was informed that during the first half of FY21, Pakistan’s total services' exports stood at $2.844 billion as compared to $2.835 billion in the same period of last year. On the other hand, the services’ imports declined 15.7pc to $3.821 billion in 1HFY21 as compared to last year. Meanwhile, during the period under re-
view, the export of insurance & pension services grew 21pc, financial services 26pc, while that of other business services (consultancies) inched up 2pc. However, travel and transport exports declined 28pc and 18pc, respectively, mainly due to impact of Covid-19 outbreak. According to MoC officials, these sectors are likely to improve once the pandemic subsides. Dawood noted with satisfaction that that the country’s services’ exports have finally turned its trajectory by showing a positive trend. “Services have a central place in both
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domestic and international economies as they account for the bulk of global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and trade,” the advisor stated. “They [services] connect countries to the international trading system by facilitating supply chains and e-commerce.” The meeting was informed that due to a surge in exports and fall in imports, the trade balance in the services sector has improved significantly during the first six months of FY21. The trade balance stood at $-977 million during July-Dec 2020 as compared to $-1,697 million during the same period of last year, thereby showing an improvement of 42pc. The advisor believed that this would contribute significantly to the improvement in the country’s current account deficit. The meeting was further briefed that
workers’ remittances all over the world are included in the ‘export of services’ as they come under the Mode 4 of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) classification of Services Exports, which relates to the presence of natural persons of a member in the territory of any other member. Workers’ remittances were hence included in the export of services as per the WTO practice. The advisor the urged the MoC officials to find new markets in order to further increase the services’ exports of the country. He also advised the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to focus on export promotion. “Market access and export promotion of services has to go handin-hand in a synchronised manner. MOC and TDAP must go an extra mile for facilitation of ICT exports,” he added.
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
10 FOREIGN NEWS
IndIan farmers to step up protests after rejeCtIng offer to defer ControversIal new laws NEW DELHI
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NDIAN farmers on Friday rejected an offer by the government to defer three farm reform laws for one-and-half years, warning they would step up protests as they seek a repeal of the laws and a guarantee on minimum crop prices. Farm leaders said hundreds of thousands of farmers from neighbouring states including Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh would drive tractors through New Delhi on January 26, the Republic Day national holiday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join a parade of military forces. Although some former government officials have expressed concern that the protests could turn violent, the leaders said they would remain peaceful and urged the police to grant permission for the convoy to enter the capital. The 11th round of talks between government officials led by Agricultural minister Narendra Singh Tomar and forty farm leaders earlier on Friday was inconclusive. Farmers stuck to their demands while the govern-
ment urged them to consider its offer to hold discussions to address their concerns after deferring the laws. “There is a sort of deadlock as the government repeated the offer of deferring the laws, which is not acceptable,” Darshan Pal, one of the farm leaders told reporters after the meeting. Modi’s government has said that the laws introduced in September will unshackle farmers from the obligation of selling produce only at regulated wholesale markets. But the farmers say the bills are designed to benefit private buyers. Tomar said the government was committed to the reforms. “If (farm leaders) agree with our proposal, we can meet tomorrow [Saturday],” he said. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been camping on the outskirts of national capital for nearly two months, blocking some of the roads connecting New Delhi with neighbouring states. Supporting the farmers, the main opposition Congress party said on Friday that the government had shown “shocking insensitivity and arrogance” towards farmers and urged it to accept their demands.
China authorises coast guard to fire on foreign vessels if needed BEIJING AGENCIES
Canada deporting thousands even as pandemic rages TORONTO
China passed a law on Friday that for the first time explicitly allows its coast guard to fire on foreign vessels, a move that could make the contested waters around China more choppy. China has maritime sovereignty disputes with Japan in the East China Sea and with several Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea. It has sent its coast guard to chase away fishing vessels from other countries, sometimes resulting in the sinking of these vessels. China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress standing committee, passed the Coast Guard Law on Friday, according to state media reports. According to draft wording in the bill published earlier, the coast guard is allowed to use “all necessary means” to stop or prevent threats from foreign vessels. The bill specifies the circumstances under which different kind of weapons - hand-held, ship borne or airborne - can be used. The bill allows coast guard personnel to demolish other countries’ structures built on Chineseclaimed reefs and to board and inspect foreign vessels in waters claimed by China. The bill also empowers the coastguard to create temporary exclusion zones “as needed” to stop other vessels and personnel from entering. Responding to concerns, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday that the law is in line with international practices. The first article of the bill explains that the law is needed to safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and maritime rights. This law comes seven years after China merged several civilian maritime law-enforcement agencies to form a coast guard bureau. After the bureau came under the command of the People’s Armed Police in 2018, it became a proper branch of the military forces.
AGENCIES
Canada deported thousands of people even as Covid19 raged last year, data shows, and lawyers say deportations are ramping up, putting people needlessly at risk in the midst of a global health emergency. Like many other countries, Canada is struggling to stop a second wave from spiraling out of control, and its political leaders are begging residents to stay home to prevent the spread. Lawyers and human rights advocates are decrying Canada’s November decision to resume deportations. Until now, the extent of the country’s pandemic deportations was not known, but recent interviews with immigration lawyers and scrutiny of government numbers has shed light on the situation. Canada counted 12,122 people as removed in 2020 - 875 more than the previous year and the highest number since at least 2015, according to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) data. The government says this was necessary and done safely. The CBSA says the high number last year is because it includes people who decided to leave on their own, termed “administrative removals.” In 2019 there were 1,657 administrative removals, compared with 8,215 last year. Even subtracting those numbers, that leaves thousands of people deported as the pandemic raged and governments cautioned against travel of any kind for safety reasons. Even as Canada continues to deport non-citizens
during a health crisis, US President Joe Biden paused deportations for 100 days within hours of being sworn in on Wednesday. Canada officially imposed a moratorium on deportations in March that it lifted at the end of November. “As much as a human rights concern it’s a common sense concern,” said Bill Frelick, director of Human Rights Watch’s Refugee Rights Program. Countries’ deportation practices have varied over the course of the pandemic. Several, including the United Kingdom, suspended deportations before resuming them. Others, like Ireland, have kept suspensions in place. The CBSA said it has been prioritizing deportations for reasons of “serious admissibility,” including criminality. The vast majority of people deported in 2020 were for reasons of “noncompliance.” Even taking into account administrative removals, more than 1,000 people were deported during the suspension, the data shows. ‘IT’S UNBELIEVABLE’: Public health experts have warned that travel of any kind can spread Covid-19 from one place to another, a risk that grows with the advent of more highly transmissible Covid19 variants. Many of the deportation trips involve transfers at multiple airports and flights during which people are placed in enclosed space in close quarters with other people for hours at a time, a situation ripe for transmission. Since August Canada has been conducting deportations with CBSA escorts, so Canadians are also making thousands of these round-trip flights for deportation purposes. Organizations including the Canadian Bar Association and the Cana-
dian Association of Refugee Lawyers spoke out against Canada’s decision to resume deportations. “As everybody is putting in place more restrictions in an effort to flatten the curve ... CBSA made a shocking decision to simply go back to business as usual,” said Maureen Silcoff, president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers. “Canada has taken the position that nonessential travel is barred yet people are now being removed and there’s no indication that those removals are essential.” The CBSA said in a statement it lifted the moratorium on deportations because foreign government offices and borders had reopened, airlines restarted their routes and public-health protocols “have contributed to a high degree of safety for persons being removed by air.” “Canada continues to uphold both its human rights and public safety obligations in relation to the removal of inadmissible foreign nationals,” the statement said. “The removal process includes many checks and balances to ensure that the removal is conducted in a fair and just manner.” But these deportations are endangering not only the people being deported but the government officers tasked with accompanying them to their destination, lawyers say. Immigration lawyer Lorne Waldman’s Toronto office went from getting no removal cases to getting three or four in the space of a week, he said. He is now fighting for a failed refugee claimant with two young Canadian children who faces deportation to Egypt Monday. “They’re ramping it up as if there was no pandemic,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”
New China swine fever strains point to unauthorised vaccines BEIJING AGENCIES
A new form of African swine fever identified in Chinese pig farms is most likely caused by illicit vaccines, industry insiders say, a fresh blow to the world’s largest pork producer, still recovering from a devastating epidemic of the virus. Two new strains of African swine fever have infected more than 1,000 sows on several farms owned by New Hope Liuhe, China’s fourth-largest producer, as well as pigs being fattened for the firm by contract farmers, said Yan Zhichun, the company’s chief science officer. Though the strains, which are missing one or two key genes present in the wild African swine fever virus, don’t kill pigs like the disease that ravaged China’s farms in 2018 and 2019, they cause a chronic condition that reduces the number of healthy piglets born, Yan said. At New Hope, and many large producers, infected pigs are culled to prevent the spread, making the disease effectively fatal. Although the known infections are limited now, if the strains spread widely, they could slash pork output in the world’s top
consumer and producer; two years ago, swine fever wiped out half of China’s 400 million-head pig herd. Pork prices are still at record levels and China is under pressure to strengthen food security amid the Covid19 pandemic. “I don’t know where they come from, but we find some mild field infections caused by some sort of gene-deleted viruses,” Yan said. Wayne Johnson, a Beijing-based veterinarian, said he diagnosed a chronic, or less-lethal, form of the disease in pigs last year. The virus lacked certain genetic components, known as the MGF360 genes. New Hope has found strains of the virus missing both the MGF360 genes and the CD2v genes, Yan said. Research has shown that deleting some MGF360 genes from African swine fever creates immunity. But the modified virus was not developed into a vaccine because it tended to later mutate back to a harmful state. “You can sequence these things, these double deletions, and if it’s exactly the same as described in the lab, it’s too much of a coincidence, because you would never get that exact deletion,” said Lucilla Steinaa, principal scientist at the Interna-
tional Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi. There is no approved vaccine for African swine fever, which is not harmful to humans. But many Chinese farmers struggling to protect their pigs have resorted to unapproved products, industry insiders and experts said. They fear illicit vaccines have created accidental infections, which are now spreading. The new strains could proliferate globally through contaminated meat, infecting pigs that are fed on kitchen waste. The virus is known to survive for months in some pork products. China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not respond to two requests for comment. But it has issued at least three warnings against use of unauthorised African swine fever vaccines, cautioning that they could have severe side effects and that producers and users could be charged with a criminal offence. In August, the ministry said it would test pigs for different strains of the virus as part of a nationwide investigation into illegal vaccine use. Any strains with gene deletions could indicate a vaccine had been used, it said. No findings have been published so far
on the issue, which is highly sensitive for Beijing. Reporting of the recent African swine fever outbreaks was extensively covered up. MAN-MADE STRAINS: After decades of research toward producing a vaccine against the huge, complex swine fever virus, researchers around the world are focussing on live-virus vaccines - the only type to have shown any promise. But such vaccines carry higher risks because even after the virus is weakened so it does not cause serious illness, it can sometimes recover its virulence. One such vaccine used in Spain in the 1960s caused a chronic disease with swollen joints, skin lesions and respiratory issues in pigs that complicated efforts to eradicate African swine fever over the next three decades. Since then, no nation has approved a vaccine for the disease. A vaccine with both MGF360 and CD2v genes deleted is undergoing trials by China’s Harbin Veterinary Research Institute after showing promise. Yan said he believes that people have replicated the sequences of virus strains being studied, which have been published in scientific literature, and that pigs in-
jected with illicit vaccines based on them could be infecting others. “It’s definitely man-made; this is not a natural strain,” he said. Neither Johnson nor Yan have fully sequenced the new swine fever strains. Beijing strictly controls who is allowed to work with the virus, which can only be handled in laboratories with high biosecurity designations. But several private companies have developed test kits that can check for specific genes. GM Biotech, based in China’s central Hunan province, said in an online post last week it had developed a test that identifies whether the pathogen is a virulent strain, a single-gene deleted attenuated strain, or a double-gene deleted attenuated strain. The test helps pig producers because the new strains are “very difficult to detect at the initial stage of infection and have a longer incubation period after infection,” the company said. The government has not said how widely used illicit vaccines are or who has produced them. But a “vast amount” of pigs in China have nonetheless been vaccinated, Johnson said, a sentiment echoed by many other experts. In 2004-5, when the H5 bird flu strains were spreading across Asia, Chinese laboratories produced several unauthorised live bird flu vaccines, said Mo Salman, a professor of veterinary medicine at Colorado State University, who has worked on animal health in Asia, raising fears that they could produce dangerous new variants. “The current ASF unlawful vaccine(s) in China is repeating history,” Salman said.
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
CliniCAl BAnglADeSh SeAl SerieS win over weST inDieS DHAKA
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AMIM Iqbal hit a half-century and spinner Mehidy Hasan claimed a career-best four for 25 on Friday as Bangladesh beat a weakened West Indies by seven wickets to seal the three-match ODI series 2-0. Tamim hit 50 off 76 balls to steer Bangladesh to 149-3 in 33.2 overs after West Indies, missing nearly all their top stars, were all out for 148 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka. Bangladesh won Wednesday's opening match by six wickets and kept up the pressure after the West Indies stand-in captain Jason Mohammad won the toss and opted to bat. Mehidy led the attack while spinner Shakib Al Hasan and pacer Mustafizur Rahman complemented with two wickets each. Rovman Powell hit 41 off 66 balls while debutant opener Kjorn Ottley and Nkrumah Bonner made 24 and 20 respectively to boost the West Indies score. BANGLADESH West Indies spinner Akeal Hos149 FOR 3 (IQBAL 50, sain trapped Liton Das for 22 before skipper Mohammed grabbed the SHAKIB 43 NOT OUT, REIFER wicket of Najmul Hossain for 17 again disappointed with the 1-18) BEAT WEST INDIES 148 was to give West Indies some hope. performance of his side. Tamim, who hit three fours and a (POWELL 41, MEHIDY 4-25, "We didn't build partnerships six, and the experienced Shakib and lost wickets in clusters, so BY 2-15) MUSTAFIZUR then frustrated the visitors to make that's just not good enough. SEVEN WICKETS sure of victory. Shakib remained unThere's some positives, but hopebeaten on 43. "It was nice to spend fully some other guys put their hands some time in the middle," Tamim said. up as well," he said. Mustafizur claimed "There is a lot of hunger in the dressing the first breakthrough for Bangladesh by reroom, and there are people breaking the door down moving Sunil Ambris for six hitting a catch to like Saif (Mohammad Saifuddiin) and Taskin Mehidy. West Indies' wicket woes only increased (Ahmed)," he added. West Indies skipper Mohammed when Bangladesh introduced their spinners. Mehidy
Tough draw for Djokovic's Serbia in ATP Cup SYDNEY AGENCIES
Defending champions Serbia were handed a “brutal” draw in the ATP Cup Friday, with Novak Djokovic’s team facing Germany and Canada in the group stage. The tournament – launched last year as a rival to the Davis Cup – has been slimmed down to 12 teams this year and will be played in Melbourne as a curtain-raiser to the Australian Open, rather than the multi-city format employed in 2020.It was delayed to February 1-5 because of Covid-19 restrictions in the host city and the prize money on offer has also been halved to US$7.5 million, reflecting a leaner, pandemic-affected budget. Commentator Mark Petchey said the Serbians faced a tricky draw in Group A against the Alexander Zverev-inspired Germany and a Canada team featuring Denis Shapovalov and Milos Raonic. “That first group that’s come out is pretty, pretty brutal really with Serbia, Germany and Canada,” Petchey said. “Obviously there’s a lot of talent in the Canadian team, particularly with someone like Raonic on these (hard) courts.”
removed Ottley and Joshua Da Silva (5) in the same over while Shakib bowled Andre McCarthy for only three. Kyle Mayers, the highest scorer in the previous match, was run out for zero before Shakib trapped skipper Mohammed leg-before for 11 to leave the West Indies floundering at 67-6. Powell and Alzarri Joseph put on 32 for the ninth wicket to help West Indies past 100 runs. Mustafizur, who gave away just two runs in his opening four overs, returned to remove Joseph for 17. Mehidy stumped Powell to wrap-up the innings in 43.4 overs.
Mathews ton lifts SL to 229-4 on day one of second England Test GALLE
Mathews reached his 11th Test hundred, and third against England, with a single off Jack Leach. He put on 36 runs with Dickwella, Angelo Mathews scored a stubborn century to take holding out after England took the new ball in Sri Lanka to 229-4 on the first day of the second the 81st over. Anderson, who replaced fellow quick StuTest against England on Friday after early art Broad as the only change for England, strikes by James Anderson made the home struck twice in one over in the morning side look vulnerable. session with the wickets of Kusal Mathews was at the crease on 107 SRI LANKA 229 Perera (6) and Oshada Fernando (0). with and Niroshan Dickwella at the FOR 4 (MATHEWS Perera was caught at first slip close in Galle. Sri Lanka had lost by England skipper Joe Root. Ferthe first Test by seven wickets. An107NOT OUT, nando played a rising delivery derson claimed three wickets, inDICKWELLA 19 NOT OUT) onto his stumps as Sri Lanka cluding opener Lahiru Thirimanne, slipped to 7-2. VS ENGLAND for 43 soon after lunch, that took his Thirimanne and Mathews rebuilt Test tally to 603 in 157 matches. the innings with a 69-run stand up to Mathews built crucial partnerships, lunch, but Anderson broke through after including a 117-run stand for the fourth the break. wicket with skipper Dinesh Chandimal who made The series resumed last week after being can52. Fast bowler Mark Wood trapped Chandimal lbw and the batsman went off after an unsuc- celled in March due to the coronavirus. It is being played behind closed doors. cessful review of the umpire's decision. AGENCIES
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Japan and ioC deny that olympics will be cancelled TOKYO AGENCIES
Japan and the IOC stood firm on Friday on their commitment to host the Tokyo Olympics this year and denied a report of a possible cancellation but the pledge looks unlikely to ease public concern about holding the event during a pandemic. Though much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to a third wave of Covid-19 infections, Tokyo Olympic organisers have vowed to press ahead with the re-scheduled Games, which are due to open on July 23 after being postponed for a year because of the coronavirus. A government spokesman said there was “no truth” to a report in Britain’s Times newspaper that the government had privately concluded the Games would have to be cancelled. The Times, citing an unidentified senior member of Japan’s ruling coalition, said the government’s focus was now on securing the Games for Tokyo in the next available year, 2032. “We clearly deny the report,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Manabu Sakai told a news conference. Later, Japan Olympic Committee head Yasuhiro Yamashita told Reuters the report was false and “a fabrication”. The governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike, said there had been no talk of cancelling or delaying the Olympics and a protest should be lodged over the Times report. The Games organising committee also denied the report, saying in a statement its partners including the government and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were “fully focused” on hosting the games as scheduled. “It is very disappointing to see that the Times is developing such a tabloid-like story with an untrustworthy source,” a source from the organising committee said. “The national government is fully committed to delivering a safe and secure Games,” the source added. ‘UNFOUNDED RUMOURS’ The IOC issued a statement echoing that line, adding: “We will be implementing all possible counter-measures against Covid-19 and will continue to work closely ... in our preparations for holding a safe and secure Games this summer.” The Australian and US Olympic Committees said they were preparing for the Games as planned. “Unfortunately, I need to address unfounded rumours that the Tokyo Olympic Games will be cancelled, rumours that only create more anxiety for athletes,” Matt Carroll, the chief executive of the Australian committee, told reporters in Sydney. “The Tokyo Games are on. The flame will be lit on July 23, 2021.” The Australian committee is run by the IOC’s pointman for the Tokyo Games, John Coates. The US and Canadian committees wrote on Twitter they had not received any information suggesting the Games would not happen as planned. Sebastian Coe, head of World Athletics, also moved to reassure fans and locals that it would go ahead in a secure environment. “There is an absolute, cast-iron determination,” Coe said, adding that the arrival of vaccines and ability of athletes to train meant the situation was far better than when the Games were postponed last year. CORONAVIRUS FEARS: Japan has been hit less severely by the pandemic than many other advanced economies but a recent surge in cases has forced it to close its borders to non-resident foreigners and declare a state of emergency in the Tokyo and other cities. Tokyo reported new daily coronavirus cases of more than 1,000 for nine straight days through Thursday and set a singleday record of more than 2,400 infections earlier this month. The death toll from the respiratory disease stands at nearly 4,900 people in Japan. There are public fears that an influx of athletes will spread the virus. About 80 per cent of people in Japan do not want the Games to be held this summer, recent polls show. In an interview ahead of Friday’s report, Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto said he was cautiously hopeful that successful Covid-19 vaccine campaigns could help ensure the safe staging of the world’s largest sporting event. The Olympic Games represents a major milestone for Japan and its premier, Yoshihide Suga, who has said the event would bring “hope and courage” to the world. Suga reiterated on Friday the Games would go ahead as planned.
Burnley end Liverpool’s unbeaten run at Anfield, Klopp terms it ‘punch in the face’ LIVERPOOL AGENCIES
Jurgen Klopp admitted the end of Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield was a “massive punch in the face” as the Premier League champions crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat against Burnley on Thursday. Klopp’s side were beaten in a home league game for the first time since Crystal Palace won at Anfield in April 2017. Ashley Barnes clinched Burnley’s first win at Liverpool since 1974 when he converted an 83rd-minute penalty after being fouled by Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker. “It’s a massive, massive punch in the face,” Klopp said. “We had the ball a lot, created some and didn’t finish the situations off.
“That keeps the game open and then they get the penalty. Alisson told me he didn’t touch him, but I didn’t see it back. We lost a game which I think it’s actually impossible to lose. But we did it.” Spluttering Liverpool have slipped to fourth place after a second defeat in their last three league games and trail leaders Manchester United by six points. They have gone five league games without a win and it is seven hours and 18 minutes since they last found the net in the league. The Reds have gone four league games without scoring for the first time since May 2000, failing with 87 shots since Sadio Mane’s 12th-minute strike against West Brom. ‘IT’S A TOUGH ONE’ Liverpool’s goal drought prompted Klopp to leave Mohamed
Salah and Roberto Firmino on the bench for an hour, but even the eventual introduction of the two star forwards couldn’t spark a strong finish. “It’s a tough one, not easy to explain. We worked tonight hard and it didn’t happen. It’s my responsibility, that’s the easy explanation,” Klopp said. “It is my job to make sure the boys are in the right position, that they feel right. If something doesn’t work you have to try harder, more often, longer. It was not easy to lose that game and we did it.” Liverpool would drop out of the Champions League qualification places if Tottenham at least draw their game in hand or if Everton win one of their two extra matches. After winning their first English title for
30 years last season, Liverpool are in danger of surrendering the crown unless they improve soon. Klopp conceded they could not think about finishing on top of the table given their current struggles. “We can’t imagine the title race at the moment,” he said. Backing his team to eventually resolve their problems, Klopp added: “It’s not about blaming, we have to sort it together and we will. “In football you don’t have a lot of time. In the final moment, obviously our decision-making is not right at the moment, that’s the problem. I have to make it clearer. How you come in behind their last line, these kind of things. That’s the job we have to do.” Klopp’s frustration with Liverpool’s travails appeared to boil over in a half-time row
with Burnley boss Sean Dyche. “I didn’t start it but all good. If he’s not talking about it, I won’t talk about it,” Klopp said of the dispute. Dyche refused to apologise for letting his emotions run high. “We come to these places, we are allowed to fight, we are allowed to try and win. That’s all it was. It’s just two managers fighting for their teams, wanting to win a game. There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. Burnley also drew at Liverpool last year and, on the secret of their success, Dyche said: “Doing the basics very well, structure of the side, shape of the side, individual diligence. You still need a bit of luck. They had a couple of chances where Pope’s had to make a good save.”
Saturday, 23 January, 2021
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RIME Minister Imran Khan has said that the government is committed to providing all possible facilitation to international companies to invest in various sectors of Pakistan. Talking to a delegation of Abu Dhabi Group of Companies on Friday, Prime Minister Imran said that Pakistan offers enormous investment opportunities. The premier added that the government has taken multiple steps to ensure ease of doing business in the country, including assistance being provided to foreign investors under one-window facilitation. Expressing confidence in the investment-friendly policies of the government, the delegation appreciated Imran Khan's vision to promote investment in the country and measures to facilitate foreign investment companies. It also expressed keen interest in increasing investment in Pakistan in future. Separately, Members of National Assembly (MNAs) Asim Nazir and Khurram Shahzad, along with Shahid Nazir from Faisalabad, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday. They presented suggestions to the prime minister regarding industrial development in Faisalabad and also shed light on steps taken on priority basis to resolve problems in their respective constituencies. Speaking on the matter, the premier said that industrial development is the top priority of the government as it is critical for job creation and enhancing exports. Furthermore, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the authorities concerned to immediately start work on the housing projects for the poor and low-income groups. He said this while chairing a meeting on Friday, which reviewed progress on a range of projects, including Ravi Urban Development, Central Business District, relocation of Walton Airport and the provision low cost housing units to the people in the surroundings of Punjab. Prime Minister Imran directed that timelines should be set for completion of the low cost housing units. The meeting was informed that low-cost houses of three to five marla will initially be constructed in 25 to 27 districts of Punjab and later its scope will be expanded to 87 different locations. In the initial phase,
the Punjab government will provide land and capital for the project. Regarding Ravi Urban Development Project, PM Imran stressed that this is of immense importance for the socioeconomic development of the people of Lahore. This will not only create economic activities but also provide job opportunities to the people, he said. The meeting was informed that matters pertaining to the design of Ravi City Project have reached the final stage. It was further told that steps are being taken to hold an investors conference. The meeting was also informed about the progress made so far for the acquisition of land for the project. Regarding the Central Business District Project and relocation of Walton Airport, the meeting was informed that the commercial, retail and residential zoning of the projects is being done as per the international standards. In yet another meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed to take timely measures to ensure uninterrupted availability of edible items at affordable rates and to bring down the prices of essential items ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. The premier issued these directions while chairing a review meeting regarding essential items, especially the availability of wheat and sugar, on Friday. The PM instructed to guarantee uninterrupted availability of essential items at the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) outlets and to continuously apprise him regarding the monitoring of prices. Finance Minister Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh informed the meeting that the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) of the last seven weeks shows that decline in prices of onion, tomato, chicken, and meat has begun.
The meeting was briefed about steps for release of wheat as well as Economic Coordination Committee's (ECC) decision to import sugar and its impact on reduction of sugar prices. Participants of the meeting were informed that the market has become stable as a result of the government's decision to import wheat. The meeting stressed the need to continue focusing on enhancing production of essential items, especially wheat and sugar for stability in their prices. Moreover, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that the government is announcing a special package for Waziristan so that the area, which was once neglected, could witness progress and development. “The people of Waziristan will witness a change in the next two to three years,” he said while talking to a private television channel. The Prime Minister while talking about the foreign funding case said he has called for an open trial of the case because he has no fears regarding the funding of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). “An open hearing of the foreign funding case should be ensured,” he said, adding that all funding received by the PTI is legal and on record. He blamed the previous chief election commissioner, appointed by opposition parties, for playing games in the foreign funding case against PTI which led to a delay in the matter. “The case was based on a bad intent,” he said while reposing his confidence in the incumbent chief election commissioner (CEC) of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Further speaking on the broadsheet scandal, the prime minister said that the inquiry committee would decide on the saga as PTI has nothing to do with the matter and it was former military ruler General retd Pervez Musharraf who gave NRO at that time. He also defended the immediate payment to the Broadsheet after a decision from the London court, saying a delay would have cost £5,000 per day to the country in terms of interest on the amount payable. While expressing regret over the hike in prices of commodities, PM Imran Khan blamed the previous governments for it and said that if they would not raise fuel prices in the country owing to an increase in the international markets then it would overburden the country’s economy. “We even had to raise the power tariff as any delay will further increase Pakistan’s debt,” the Prime Minister said.
for the first time; making history in the field of mountaineering. The delegation on the occasion shared their experiences during the momentous expedition and thanked Pakistan and its people for their warm hospitality. According to ISPR, the delegation also expressed their gratitude for facilitating the expedition to achieve the record. The history-makers included Nirmal Purja, Mingma David Sherpa, Mingma Tenzi Sherpa, Geljen Sherpa, Pem Chiri Sherpa, Dawa Temba Sherpa, Mingma G, Dawa Tenjin Sherpa, Kilu Pemba Sherpa and Sona Sherpa.
At least five mine workers killed in blast in southern India BENGALURU: At least five mine workers were killed in southern India when their trucks carrying blasting material exploded, officials said on Friday. Local media said the toll could be higher. The workers were transporting gelatin sticks used commonly as explosive material in stone mining quarries, a senior police official at the site of the accident, in Shivamogga district of Karnataka state, said. News18 said that the death toll could be as high as 11. Karnataka, home to the tech hub of Bengaluru, has vast mineral deposits and stone quarries, but the safety of mine workers has remained a concern. Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yedyurappa said five people were confirmed dead and three people including the owner of the quarry had been detained and an investigation was ongoing. “Pained by the loss of lives in Shivamogga ... the state government is providing all possible assistance to the affected,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a Twitter post. AGENCIES
Indian firing along LoC leaves girl injured RAWALPINDI: The Indian troops on Friday resorted to unprovoked fire along the Line of Control (LoC) yet another act of aggression and critically injured an 18-year-old girl in Chirikot Sector. According to a statement issued by the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR), the Indian army deliberately targeted the civilian population. "Due to indiscriminate fire of automatics and mortars in Polas village, an 18-year-old girl named Ansa Siddique suffered critical injuries," the ISPR added. TLTP
Reiterating the brotherly relations between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the Saudi military and naval authorities have acknowledged the contributions of Pakistan in spearheading various initiatives for maintaining peace and stability in the region. These views were expressed when Chief of the Naval Staff (CONS) Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi, who is on an official visit to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), held separate meetings with the Saudi chief of general staff (COGS) and the Royal Saudi Naval Forces commander. According to the spokesperson of Pakistan Navy, matters of mutual interest, including naval cooperation, came under discussion during the meetings. The Saudi officials also appreciated Pakistan Navy's role in the training of Saudi
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Turkey has deported 40 Pakistanis, who were reportedly residing in the country illegally. The Pakistani citizens had been residing in different cities of the country and they have been moved to Islamabad for the time being, said the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The FIA officials further said the deportees had earlier been provided food, clothes, and shoes at the Islamabad Airport, adding that agreements were signed with two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for the purpose. On April 1, 2019, Turkey deported 47 Pakistanis residing illegally in the country. The deported citizens had reached Islamabad via Sharjah through a special aircraft. Earlier, during the same year, the country sent home seven Pakistanis for trying to enter the country illegally. They were sent back on flight TK-710, with the FIA receiving them at the New Islamabad International Airport. Globally, immigration has emerged as the most prominent wedge issue. Over half a million illegal immigrants, deported during the last six years, hailed from Pakistan.
Pakistan condemns twin suicide blasts in Baghdad ISLAMABD TLTP
Pakistan has strongly condemned twin suicide blasts in Baghdad, which resulted in the loss of 32 precious human lives and injuries to several others. The Foreign Office (FO), in a statement, said Pakistan conveys its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for a speedy recovery of those injured in these gruesome terrorist attacks. The FO said that Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stands in solidarity with the brotherly government and people of Iraq in their fight against terrorism. Earlier on Thursday, two men blew themselves up in a crowded Baghdad market, killing at least 32 people in Iraq’s first big suicide bombing for three years, authorities said, describing it as a possible sign of the reactivation of Islamic State. Suicide bombings have been rare in the Iraqi capital since the defeat of the Islamic State militant group in 2017. The last took place in January 2018. The Iraqi military said two attackers wearing explosive vests blew themselves up among shoppers at a crowded market in Tayaran Square in central Baghdad, and that several people had been killed.
Saudi military high-ups acknowledge Pakistan's role in regional peace TLTP
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Located on Pakistan’s side of Karakoram range, K2 is one of the world’s 14 tallest mountains – all higher than 8,000 meters – and is known as the world’s most dangerous and challenging peak. Until the record was broken last week, the 8,611m peak was the only 8,000m peak that has never been climbed in winter. Since the maiden attempt in 1987-1988, just a handful of winter expeditions have been attempted on the storied 8,611-metre (28,250feet) mountain in the Karakoram range along the Chinese border. NEWS DESK
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COAS congratulates K2 team for reaching the summit Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday congratulated the team of Nepalese mountaineers for making history by reaching the summit of Pakistan’s K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in winter, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The military's media wing said that a group of mountaineers who were part of international winter K2 expedition visited GHQ in Rawalpindi and called on General Qamar. The COAS congratulated the climbers for their great achievement, scaling K-2 in winter
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naval forces. The naval chief also visited Saudi Naval Forces Headquarters in Riyadh. Admiral Niazi was received by Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) Commander Vice Admiral Fahad bin Abdullah Al Ghofaily. A smartly turned out contingent of RSNF clad in ceremonial dress presented guard of honour. The admiral was given a comprehensive briefing on RSNF setup and ongoing operations. The naval chief also visited their Command and Control Centre. Later, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi called on Chief of General Staff General Fayyad bin Hamid Al Ruwaili and Royal Naval Forces Commander Vice Admiral Fahad bin Abdullah Al Ghofaily separately. This visit is expected to greatly enhance the bilateral cooperation between both the countries in general and navies in particular, said the Navy spokesperson.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk