CMYK
2 May, 2021 I 19 Ramzan-ul-Mubarak, 1442 I Rs 25.00 I Vol XI No 303 I 32 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Imran renews offer for talks wIth opp on electoral reforms g
PM rEITErATES rESOlvE TO PuT IN PlAcE ElEcTOrAl rEFOrMS ThrOugh uSE OF TEchNOlOgy
ISLAMABAD staff report
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rIME Minister Imran Khan on Saturday once again invited the opposition parties to participate in bringing electoral reforms in order to restore the credibility of elections. In series of tweets, the prime minister said all parties are crying foul and claiming rigging in the NA-249 by-election — that was held in Karachi on Thursday — but the same had happened in the Daska by-election and in the Senate elections. In fact, apart from the 1970 election, in every election claims of rigging have raised doubts over the credibility of election results, he pointed out.
“In 2013 there were 133 NA constituencies’ disputes before elec[ion] tribunals. We asked for examination of just 4 constituencies’ votes & in all 4 rigging was established, ” Imran said. “But it took us a y[ea]r & a 126-days dharna to get a Judicial comm[ission] which found over 40 faults in conduct of elections.” “unfortunately no substantive reforms were put in place,” he lamented. “Technology & use of Electronic voting Machines are the only answer to reclaim credibility of elections,” he stressed, inviting the Opposition to “sit with us & select from EvM models we have available to restore our elections credibility.” The prime minister recalled former uS president Donald Trump’s team did every-
coronavIrus In
pakIstan
CONFIRMED CASES:
825,519
LAST UPDATED AT 8:19 AM ON MAY 1, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
146
4,696
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
717,009
17,957
SINDH:
PUNJAB:
283,560 303,182 KP:
118,413
BALOCHISTAN:
22,369
AJK/GB: ISLAMABAD: 17,187/5,310 75,498
thing to “dispute” the 2020 presidential election result but because latest technology was used in the electoral process, not one irregularity was found. “For a year now we have been asking the Opposition to cooperate with us & help reform our present electoral system,” he recalled. Imran reiterated his government’s resolve to put in place reforms in the electoral system through the use of technology to bring transparency and credibility to elections and strengthen democracy. Imran has on several occasions expressed his desire to pursue electoral reforms in order to ensure that in future elections are not disputed and winners and losers both accept the result. But in the past, the opposition has rejected these proposals and has said it would bring its own set of proposals for a comprehensive reform of the electoral process. Opposition leaders explained that while they will not engage with the government as a matter of principle, they will continue to proceed with their parliamentary duties as well as their work in the committees. The prime minister’s tweets come a day after he directed the ministry of finance to arrange funds for purchasing electronic voting machines (EvMs) within the next six months. he directed his Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Finance to arrange required funds within the time for the purchase of the equipment. Similarly, the minister for science and technology and adviser on parliamentary affairs have been directed to consult the Election commission of Pakistan (EcP) to remove hurdles in this regard and submit a report within one month.
ECP withholds NA-249 by-poll result on Miftah Ismail’s request ISLAMABAD staff report
The EcP has issued a stay order, withholding results of the by-poll after accepting PMl-N candidate Miftah Ismail’s request for a recount of votes of the Karachi-West NA249 by-election. Ismail had written a letter to the chief election commissioner seeking a vote recount in NA-249 and the PMl-N had also requested a forensic audit of the votes as well. Ismail has alleged that presiding officers from 34 polling stations did not WhatsApp the results. According to a notification by the EcP the hearing will be held on May 4. Notices
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143 violations observed in NA-249 by-poll: FAFEN The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has revealed that 143 violations of election laws were observed during the NA-249 by-elections in Karachi. The FAFEN report said that its observers reported 143 violations on the election day, out of which 55 were regarding the presence of party camps in the polling stations’ surroundings. It said in 11 instances, the polling staff did not allow voters to cast votes and sent them back, adding that the coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) were not implemented at 19 polling stations. news desk CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
NCOC slashes international flights to curb Covid-19 cases ISLAMABAD staff report
The government has planned to reduce the number of inbound international flights to 20 percent of current numbers to curb rising covid-19 cases, the National command Operation center (NcOc) said on Saturday. “In view of prevailing global and regional disease trends, Pakistan has decided to reduce inbound international travel from 5 May to 20th May,” said the NcOc on Twitter. It was not immediately clear which routes and air carriers would be affected. The NcOc added the decision would be reviewed on May 18. In a related development, the forum imposed a ban on youm-e-Ali processions but granted permission to hold majalis at congregation halls under strict observance of guidelines already in place for ramadan. The decision was taken at a meeting held to discuss the conduct of youm-e-Ali. chaired by Minister for Planning and Development Asad umar, it was attended by Minister for Interior Sheikh rasheed Ahmed, Minister for religious Affairs Noorul haq Qadri and Minister of State for
have been sent to all respondents. Ismail said that the party “did not receive results from more than 30 polling stations”. “We have serious concerns about the behaviour of some presiding officers,” he added. he also claimed that many Form 45s were not signed and vote count on the forms given to the party is different from the forms issued by the returning officer (rO). he further claimed in the letter that the rO did not provide the polling stations wise result summary to the party nor was a receipt of the time the results received via WhatsApp.
more inside
PM, president pledge to improve working, living conditions for labourers STORY ON BACK PAGE
PTI, PPP reject recount, call for reelection in NA-249 STORY ON PAGE 02
health Dr Faisal Sultan. “Keeping in view the risk factor due to the ongoing surge in covid[-19] spread across the country and particularly in major urban centres, it was decided to ban all sort of processions while holding of Majalis has been permitted under strict cOvID SOPs which are already in place for ramazan ul Mubarik,” a statement issued after the meeting announced. The country has seen record deaths in recent days from the coronavirus, and stricter restrictions on movement and gathering in public are planned for the upcoming Eid holidays.
Officials are worried the health care system, already under strain, could reach breaking point if more contagious variants of the virus begin to spread, as has happened in India. On Saturday authorities reported 4,696 new confirmed covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours and 146 deaths from the disease. Earlier on Thursday, the Pakistan civil Aviation Authority (PcAA) notified the extension in travel restrictions on category c countries amid the third wave of coronavirus pandemic on Thursday.
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Kabul urged to engage with Taliban, end crossborder terrorism STORY ON BACK PAGE in today’s issue
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Sunday, 2 May, 2021
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PTI, PPP rejecT recounT, cAll for re-elecTIon In nA-249 IsLAMABAD
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N a new twist to the controversy surrounding the recent by-election in NA-249 Karachi, Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders have called for reelection in the constituency. However, the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) wanted recount of votes polled in the election. In a tweet, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry demanded re-polling instead of recounting in NA-249. The minister said that re-polling should be held in NA-249 as voters’ turnout was very low in the election. On the other hand, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said that if the results of NA-249 by-polls are transparent,
FAWAD LAUDS ECP'S MOVE OF WITHHOLDING RESULTS then no party should have any problem in recounting. “There is difference of a few hundred votes while the rejected votes are more than the margin of victory. It is our legal and constitutional right to get the votes recounted,” she said. Referring to the PML-N’s reservations, Fawad said that the PML-N is objecting now but they were not ready for electoral reforms. He lauded the Election Commission Pakistan’s (ECP) move of withholding the results, saying that the ECP did a good job by issuing a restraining order. Meanwhile, PPP leader and Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani has advised his party to demand re-election instead of
Islamabad hospital detects first case of Brazil, South African variants IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
The National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad recorded its first confirmed case of the highly contagious coronavirus variants discovered in South Africa and Brazil in one sample each through genome sequencing. A statement from the Ministry of National Health Services said authorities were actively engaged in tracing the positive cases. The detection of additional variants adds to concerns that a brutal Covid-19 wave battering Pakistan may keep breaking grim records for weeks to come. On Saturday, the health ministry reported 146 deaths and 4,696 new infections. Brazil’s P1 coronavirus variant, behind a deadly Covid-19 surge in the Latin American country, is mutating in ways that could make it better able to evade antibodies, according to scientists studying the virus. Studies have shown the P1 variant to be as much as 2.5 times more contagious than the original coronavirus and more resistant to antibodies. The South African variant, B.1.351, was found to make up about 1 percent of all the Covid-19 cases across all the people studied. The variant can break through the protection provided by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech’s vaccine to some extent, a real-world data study in Israel found. The ministry as well as the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) are regularly monitoring Covid-19 variants of concern in the country, the statement said. The health ministry urged people to follow coronavirus SOPs and get themselves vaccinated against Covid-19. The development comes a day after health officials in Sindh detected the two coronavirus variants — the first detection of those variants in Pakistan confirmed by officials. “Yesterday, 13 samples underwent genomic study at the Agha Khan University Hospital, of these 10 were of the UK variant and two were of the [South] Africa and Brazil variants”, Minister for Health and Population Welfare, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho said on Friday. The highly contagious variants were discovered at a hospital in Karachi, which has also reported the most deaths in any city, accounting for 3,903 of the country’s 17,957 deaths. “You can see these strains and the kind of pressure that can be put on our health facilities,” Pechuho said. “If you contract the Brazilian or South African variants, you can become extremely ill.” Pakistan has seen record deaths in recent days from the coronavirus, and stricter restrictions on movement and gathering in public are planned for the upcoming Eid holidays. Officials are worried the health care system, already under strain, could reach breaking point if more contagious variants of the virus begin to spread, as has happened in India. “This should be an alarm bell for our health system,” Pechucho said. “Our hospitals can be overwhelmed, our ventilators and beds will not be enough, and you have already seen this happen in India.”
recounting in NA-249. “I would advise my party to go for re-polling in NA-249 rather than a recount. There was no rigging in the election but mismanagement was recorded. All the parties, who are crying for rigging, have no evidence to submit with the ECP,” he said while speaking to media in Karachi. “We have nothing to do as the elections were transparent. However, there was mismanagement in the elections, but there was no rigging at all. No matter how many parties are crying about the alleged fraud, they have no evidence to prove their claims,” he said. He said that the PPP will go to the ECP on May 4 with all the documents and evidence will be placed before the ECP.
“I hope our voice will be heard in the ECP,” he said and added that there is a difference between allegations of fraud in Daska and NA-249 by-elections. “The firing
in Daska was proved and the presiding officers had disappeared. No shooting took place in NA-249 and the presiding officer did not go missing,” he said.
Senate chairman settles heads of committees between two Opp groups IsLAMABAD Mian abRaR
The federal government has agreed to hand over the chairmanship of the 10 standing committees of the Senate to the opposition coalition of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). According to sources, the PML-N parliamentary leader and chairman of independent opposition group in the Senate, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar and
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) senators had met Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and finalised the agreement. During the meeting, Azam Nazir Tarar told Sadiq Sanjarani that PDM does not consider PPP’s Yousuf Raza Gillani as the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. The PML-N Senator said that the PDM senators wanted to head 10 standing committees. He said that PDM would not go to the leader of the opposition for this purpose and it wanted
this honor to be given to the PDM group by the Senate chairman. The Senate chairman agreed, promising to issue a notification next week to make it official. According to the arrangement, the PML-N, the largest party in the PDM in terms of seats in the Senate, will get the chairmanship of six standing committees as it has a total of 17 senators. Four committees chairmanship will go to other smaller parties in the coalition, including the JUI-F.
The opposition alliance headed by Gillani will head 12 committees while the rest will be headed by the coalition government. Senator Tarar will head the all-important joint committee of MNAs and senators tasked to decide the appointment of judges. The committee will meet soon to confirm the appointment of 13 judges of the Lahore High Court (LHC). All members of the committee chair this committee on rotational basis.
NCOC bans Youm-e-Ali processions, allows majalis with SOPs News Desk The NCOC on Saturday disallowed any processions or jaloos for Youm-e-Ali on May 4 or Ramazan 20 while majalis will be permitted under strict SOPs which are already in place for Ramadan. Federal ministers attended an important session of NCOC to review COVID-19 situation chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar with Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed, Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ulHaq Qadri and SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan also in attendance.
“Keeping in view the risk factor due to the ongoing surge in COVID spread across the country and particularly in major urban centres, it was decided to ban all sort of processions while holding of Majalis has been permitted under strict COVID SOPs which are already in place for Ramazan ul Mubarik,” read an NCOC statement. A similar decision was taken last year on May 15 by the government to stem the spread of coronavirus. A complete lockdown was ordered in Sindh from 6am to 3pm on Youm-e-Ali. The federal government had banned processions as well. In Lahore, the
district administration sealed procession routes with containers. Amid an alarming spike in Covid-19 cases the NCOC has already hinted at
stricter restriction. The country has reported 4,696 new confirmed COVID19 cases in the past 24 hours and 146 deaths from the disease.
Committee reviews latest gear to improve online education IsLAMABAD app
The steering committee of Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP), a World Bankfunded project, on Saturday reviewed the use of new technology initiatives including state-of-the-art learning management system (LMS) to help improve the quality of online learning and make it accessible even in the remote areas of the country. The third steering committee meeting was held in Islamabad at the office of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) which was presided over by HEC Executive Director Dr. Shaista Sohail and attended by key members from all four provinces. The committee comprises senior officials from key federal ministries and provincial departments of higher education, Vice Chancellors of universities from across the country, and industrial representative. HEDP is a five-year-long project that began in 2019 and is being implemented by HEC to expand its key higher education priorities. It aims to support research excellence in strategic sectors of the economy, improve teaching and learning, and strengthen governance in higher education, said a press release. The project comprises five key components including improving and expanding research grants, roll out of the new undergraduate education policy, extending Pakistan Education and Research Network (PERN) to universities and affiliated colleges, Higher
Education Management Information Systems and Data Repository, and the establishment and strengthening of National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE). Project Coordinator Maryam Riaz gave an overview of the project, its restructuring, and future plans. The restructuring focuses on the changes necessary due to the circumstances higher education faces due to Covid-19. Extensive use of the latest technology in higher education is a key element of restructuring. The new technology initiatives included state-of-the-art LMS to help improve the quality of online learning and make it accessible even in the remote areas of Pakistan. Blockchain technology would be implemented to ease the process of degree verification and attention thus saving the students money and time it takes to get degrees attested, she added. It would help address and eradicate the issue of fake degrees. The latest enterprise resource planning (ERP) system including Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence would be deployed at HEC to improve the efficiencies of the organisation. A central data warehouse linked to a powerful business intelligence platform would provide reports and insights to senior decision-makers in higher education thus supporting evidence-based policy and planning. The research grants offered under the HEDP project during 2020 covered sectors where there was a dire need for research to find practical solutions to issues being faced by Pakistan.
For example, a grant award under the grand challenge fund was awarded to a research proposal in the food security sector, and would focus on making vaccines for animals to save their lives from ticks. Another grant was focused on finding the solution to the locust issue and saving crops from locust attacks. Rapid Research Grants covered issues related to Covid19. Participants also discussed the new undergraduate education policy which has been rolled out nationwide. Dr. Syed Zulfiqar Gilani informed the committee of the new distance and online learning policy and distance and online quality assurance framework. HEC has implemented its own MOOCS (Massive Open Online Courses) which would soon be opened to faculty members across the country and after that they would be able to use it for developing their own courses. NAHE Rector Dr. Shaheen Sardar briefed the members on the faculty and HEC staffers’ training conducted over the last six months. NAHE also focused on training teachers on how to deliver courses online and use online learning management systems. NAHE was moving towards self-reliance and has generated significant funds through conducting some specialised training, she said. HEC provided internet and WiFi services to faculty and staff. This network has further expanded to remote universities and affiliated colleges, she informed. The committee members were informed that despite the challenges faced due to Covid-19 the project was still on track and a successful World Bank mission has recently concluded.
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
ISLAMABAD
Pakistan inFlatiOn rate rises tO 11.10PC in aPril: PBs ISLAMABAD
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AGENCIES
AKISTAN Bureau of Statics (PBS) said Saturday the country's annual consumer price inflation (CPI) clocked in at 11.1 per cent in April, up from 8.5 per cent in the same month last year. The CPI was recorded at 9.1 per cent last month, according to the PBS. Prime Minister Imran Khan has made several changes to his economic team in the past last month, aiming to bring in policies to control inflation that has been on an upward trend.
An increase in prices of vegetables, fruits and meat caused the latest hike in inflation, the statistics bureau said. The price rises have been hitting the country’s poor, who are also struggling with the economic fallout from the pandemic. The CPI inflation Urban increased by 11.0 per cent in April as compared to an increase of 8.7 per cent in the previous month and 7.7 per cent in April 2020, the PBS said. CPI inflation Rural increased by 11.3 per cent in April as compared to an increase of 9.5 per cent in the previous month and 9.8 per cent in April 2020, it added.
ISLAMABAD TLTP
US lawmakers introduce bill to set up economic zones along Pak-Afghan border TLTP
The US senators have introduced a bipartisan bill to promote and generate economic benefits for Pakistan and Afghanistan. The bill is called the 'PakistanAfghanistan Economic Development Act'. The legislation proposes the set-up of reconstruction opportunity zones along Pak-Afghan border areas. “The bill would establish Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s border regions to allow certain products from these areas to enter the US duty-free,” a statement read. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Democrat
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Faisal allays Pakistanis’ fear on Covid-19 vaccination
ISLAMABAD: Labourers are busy during repair work of a road in the federal capital. ONLINE
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Senators Van Hollen, Maria Cantwell and Republican Senator Todd Young. The outlined objectives of the say that fostering trade with the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region will help bolster economic development and improve the livelihoods of local populations. The publication reported that the effort will further US diplomatic objectives in the region by contributing to political stability and addressing the root causes of violent extremism, as well as expanding trade with Pakistan will strengthen ties with a key strategic partner and enhance economic development in a region important to US interests. Pakistani-born American Democrat leader and well-
known businessman Tahir Javed said this legislation allows textile goods to be sent to the US without duty. "If [this] bill becomes part of law after approval, it will be of great benefit to Pakistan for 10 years," he said, adding that Pakistan's exports to the US could increase tenfold. Javed expressed the belief that the legislation will bring economic benefits to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The democrat leader said the bill has been introduced to promote stability in the region and can solve many of Pakistan's problems. The Democrat leader said this bill could mean relations between Pakistan and the US may find a new direction. Efforts will be made to get 60 votes in making the economic bill a law, he said.
WHO gives emergency use listing to Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine The World Health Organization has listed Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, the agency said on Friday, the fifth to be given the status meant to expedite countries' own approval of shots. "The objective is to make medicines, vaccines and diagnostics available as rapidly as possible to address the emergency," the WHO said in a statement. WHO Assistant Director-General Mariangela Simao said on Friday it was important to have more vaccines available because of supply problems for other shots, including from India, a main source of vaccines for the global COVAX vaccine sharing programme. India has restricted exports because of a crisis of infections. Moderna announced this week an expansion plan for its production network to boost its capacity to up to 3 billion doses in 2022. The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) already in January had recommended Moderna's vaccine for all age groups 18 and above. Pfizer and its German partner BionTech's shot, also an mRNA vaccine like Moderna's, was the first vaccine to get a WHO emergency use listing in the final hours of 2020. Since then, the WHO has added vaccines from Astrazeneca-SK Bio, Serum Institute of India and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the list. AGENCIES
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on National Health Services Dr Faisal Sultan said on Saturday that Pakistanis can get vaccinated with full confidence with any of the available vaccines in the country. The special assistant said some variants increase the chance of reinfection, and urged people to get inoculated. He noted all viruses evolve with time and as a result, new forms of the virus are witnessed. He said a few days back, a Covid-19 variant was found in the United Kingdom, which was termed as B117 and it is present in several countries. Talking about the South African variant, B1351, he said that studies have found that this form of coronavirus spreads faster than other variants. Earlier in the day, the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination said the South African and Brazil variants of coronavirus had been detected in the country, urging the people to continue taking precautions and register for a vaccine. It said that the health authorities and the National Command and Operation Centre are regularly monitoring Covid-19 variants of concern. “As a result of this proactive effort, one sample of the SARS-COV-2; B.1.351 ("South African" variant) and one sample of SARSCOV-2; P1 ("Brazil") variant have been detected at the National Institute of Health through genome sequencing.” According to officials of the National Institute of Health, the B.1.351 variant was detected in a sample taken from a man belonging to Mianwali while the P1 virus was identified from a person whose test was conducted at Islamabad’s Polyclinic hospital. The NIH officials maintained that these strains spread at a fast pace and it is premature to say about the vaccine efficacy against these variants. “The authorities are actively engaged in contact tracing of these positive cases,” the ministry added. Regardless of which variants have been detected, the SOPs recommended globally continue to be our first line of defence against the coronavirus, it added. “Please ensure that you wear a mask, practise social distancing, and do not leave your home unnecessarily.” In a video message on Friday, Sindh Minister for Health Dr Azra Pechuho said that in a genomic study carried out by Aga Khan University Hospital of 13 samples, 10 were found to have the UK variant, one had the South African variant and one had the Brazilian variant. "So you can understand the nature of the emergency, the pressure that it can cause on hospitals. The UK variant is one that spreads very fast. It has an infectivity rate of 60 per cent and a fatality rate of 68 per cent," she said, adding that the fatality rates of the South African and Brazilian variants are also "very high".
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Sunday, 2 May, 2021
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Lahore authorities faiL to impLement Covid-19 sops LAHORE
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HE authorities have failed to ensure implementation of coronavirus standard operating procedures (SOPs) in Lahore as most of the markets remained open on Saturday. A survey conducted by Pakistan Today found that some of the city's large and small markets remained open despite lockdown. Mohammad Waqas, a mechanic at a local market near the Walton Road, informed that he is a motorcycle mechanic and did not close his workshop on any day. “Not only my workshop is open in our market but all kinds of shops are open. Grocery stores and dairy shops are allowed, but shops of garments, sanitary, meat and some others are not closed. There is a lower middle class population living in extreme poverty. Now if we close the shops, how will we eat? I take every precaution on my part but in this market, people do not even like to wear masks,” he said. Shergul Khan, a trolley driver in Ichhra Market, complained that the entire market was open but the local police kept on threat-
ening him and telling him to return home. “All sorts of shops were open in the entire Ichhra Market. Marble, furniture, carpenters and other shopkeepers, including cloth merchants, kept their businesses open. Police patrol the market, take bribes from shopkeepers and leave without closing any shop. Closing a business does not make a difference to big businessmen, but a worker like us misses out on two meals a day. The government should also take concrete steps for our livelihood,” he said. On the other hand, it was revealed that restaurants and cafes in some areas of the city were also open till late at Friday night. However, the district administration officials claimed that SOPs and lockdowns are being fully implemented. Raiwind Assistant Commissioner Adnan Rasheed informed that he and his team raided a cafe on Friday night. “The cafe was open and a party was going on there. Our team arrested 11 people from there and registered an FIR. The operation was carried out at the Arman Centre in Johar Town,” Rasheed said. Model Town Assistant Commissioner Ibrahim Arbab said his team had closed the entire Ichhra Market. “The market was
Number of centres being increased to vaccinate 80,000 daily: Yasmin LAHORE TLTP
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said that the provincial government is increasing the number of vaccination centres to vaccinate 80,000 people daily. The provincial health minister said this while chairing a high-level meeting to review the emerging coronavirus situation in the province on Saturday. Law Minister Raja Basharat, a senior member of Board of Revenue, additional chief secretary, additional chief secretary (home), and senior military and civil officials were present in the meeting, while provincial Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bukht joined the meeting via video link. Dr Yasmin Rashid said that the government is ensuring uninterrupted supply of oxygen in Punjab. “We are in complete coordination with private hospitals for treatment of the
Covid-19 patients. Compliance with the SOPs is being ensured in cities having higher positivity ratio,” she said, adding that there will be no compromise on the lives of people and joint efforts are being made to overcome the pandemic. The meeting was informed that all institutions are working in collaboration for the control of the coronavirus pandemic in Punjab. Due to rising number of cases, the government has made corresponding increase of facilities in public sector hospitals and the situation is being monitored continuously in Punjab. The meeting was informed that staff is being doubled at vaccination centres to cope with increasing rush. The SOPs are being implemented as per directions from the NCOC. The additional chief secretary (home), commissioner Lahore and secretary Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department presented details of actions taken for the control of the pandemic in Punjab.
Sindh launches Benazir Mazdoor Card KARACHI TLTP
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari launched the Benazir Mazdoor Card for the welfare of labourers on Saturday. The launching ceremony of Benazir Mazdoor Card through National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) was held at Chief Minister House. Addressing the ceremony, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that all the workers in the province will be registered for their entitlement of the benefit of the card. Under the Benazir Mazdoor Card scheme, over 600,000 registered workers in the province would be able to obtain all necessary facilities and benefits in-
cluding education, health, marriage grants, financial assistance, and scholarships. Furthermore, the family of the labourers will be given compensation in case of accidental deaths as well. This programme includes all types of labourers, including construction workers, hotel workers, domestic workers or anyone working for daily wages across the province. The agreement for the Benazir Mazdoor Card was signed between the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) last year. As a result, the labourers will get these cards from NADRA and the programme will also computerise the registration of labourers and their families.
10,000 loans provided under Kamyab Jawan Programme ISLAMABAD TLTP
The government has completed the first target of providing 10,000 loans, worth Rs8 billion, to the youth under Kamyab Jawan Programme. Special Assistant on Youth Affairs Usman Dar said this in a tweet on Saturday. Terming it just the beginning, Dar said, “Our aim is that every youth of the country benefits from the Kamyab Jawan Programme.” Dar highlighted that the programme offers subsidised loans to young entrepreneurs for self-employment schemes. The programme would uplift the youth by offering opportunities to utilise their entrepreneurial potential to
the fullest, he added. Dar also underlined the special measures for the provision of modern education to the youth of the country, saying the government has launched a skill development programme to impart technical and vocational training to the youth to enhance employment opportunities for them. He said that the programme has been developed to provide self-employment opportunities to unemployed youth and contribute towards small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) growth. Meanwhile, in a tweet, Adviser on Commerce Razaq Dawood expressed confidence that this programme will transform Pakistan's industry and economy.
crowded and the SOPs were not being implemented, which led to the immediate closure of the entire market,” he said. “Several shops at Mall Road, including
Stylo Shoes, Riaz Pan Shop, Mary Dawn Bakery, Nafis Pan Shop, Lala Pan Shop and KFC, were sealed. Similarly, Cantonment AC Zeeshan Nasrullah Ranjha sealed the Natural Fresh
and Healthy Grocery Store, located in DHA Y Block. All our officers are active and are fully implementing the SOPs and lockdown,” the district administration spokesperson said.
Punjab increases minimum wage to Rs20,000 LAHORE sTAff rePorT
Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has announced to increase the minimum monthly wages of workers from Rs17,500 to Rs20,000 on the occasion of the World Labour Day. Presiding over a high-level meeting on Saturday, the chief minister said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has increased the minimum wage of workers by Rs5,000 in the last three years. The chief minister said the marriage grant for workers has been increased from Rs100,000 to Rs200,000 and death grant from Rs500,000 rupees to Rs600,000. He bashed that former rulers paid no attention to the welfare of workers and did not take any step in providing relief to this indigent class. He mentioned that former rulers added only Rs3,000 in the minimum wage of the labourers in their last five years tenure. He said that grant of over Rs7 billion under Punjab Workers Welfare Fund is a proof of the government's labour friendliness. He, terming the labourers as national heroes, said the Labour Day is being celebrated with simplicity due to the coronavirus. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the modern online labour inspection system has been introduced after eliminating the outdated system. He said that a self-assessment scheme has been launched for ensuring transparent and easy payment of social security contributions. The free of cost emergency medical services in Social Security Hospitals has been ensured while Social Security Inspection has been limited to 20 per cent. He said that online and transparent system
Hot, dry weather likely in most parts of country ISLAMABAD: Hot and dry weather is likely to grip most parts of the country, while gusty winds with rain are expected at isolated places in Balochistan, upper Sindh, South Punjab, western districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa and Kashmir. Moist currents are reaching southern and western parts of the country. In last 24 hours, weather remained hot and dry in most parts of the country, while very hot in south Punjab, Sindh and south Balochistan. 6mm rain was recorded in Murree, 4mm in Tando Jam and Panjgur, 3mm. APP
has been introduced for awarding scholarships to the children of workers and labourers. He said that flats have been allotted to the labourers in the labour colonies of Lahore, Nankana Sahib and Multan. A transparent allotment of 992 flats has been made in Labour Housing Colony Multan. The labour secretary briefed the meeting about the steps being taken for the welfare of the workers. Provincial Minister for Labour Ansar Majeed, principal secretary to the CM, secretary labour, secretary information and concerned officials were also present on the occasion. Separately, Chairman Punjab Faisalabad Industrial Estates Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) Mian Kashif Ashfaq called on Usman Buzdar and discussed
the strategies to further accelerate the industrial process and create ease in business. The chief minister said that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, seven special economic zones are being established in Punjab, adding that state-of-the-art facilities are being provided in Allama Iqbal Industrial City in Faisalabad. Usman Buzdar said that he will visit Faisalabad soon and launch development projects worth billions of rupees including the setting up of a modern business park over 300 acres of land having expo centre and a golf club. He said that special incentives will be given for promoting the hotel business. He assured that all facilities will be provided to promote commercial activities in the business park.
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
ISLAMABAD
PBF dEMANds MOrE rElIEF FOr AgrI sECtOr LaHore
t
APP
HE Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) on Saturday urged the government to announce more relief and effective measures for agriculture sector in the upcoming federal budget for financial year 2021-22 (FY22). Talking to media here, PBF Vice President Ahmad Jawad stressed the need
for reducing prices of agri inputs such as fertiliser, seeds, besides low power tariff for agri tube-wells. He also urged the government to support farmers in purchase of machinery, fertilisers, pesticides and other inputs. Like the textile policy, he added, a workable Horticulture and Agriculture Export Policy, in consultation with all stakeholders, needs to be introduced in the next budget. Ahmad Jawad also suggested the government to announce in-
centive package in the budget for the horticulture industry as global trade of this industry crossed $200 billion. He asserted that government should allocate funds to promote the hybrid seed industry in Pakistan under privatepublic partnership (PPP) to increase peracre productivity. “The world is focusing on the use of certified seed for enhancing agriculture productivity due to better profitability and international recognition,” he mentioned.
The PBF president called for setting up different projects including cool chain infrastructure, ripening centres, food processing and value addition industry, agroprocessing industry and accredited testing laboratories at special economic zones (SEZs) under PPP mode to ensure availability of good quality produce for exports and also proposed a soft loan scheme for new agriculture graduates for promoting agricultural services should also be priority in the budget.
143 violations observed in NA-249 by-poll: FAFEN continued from page 01
NCOC slashes international flights to curb Covid-19 cases continued from page 01 The aviation authority extended the travel restrictions of 23 countries placed in Category C until May 4 in view of the decisions taken by the NCOC. Brazil, India, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and others are among 23 countries included in the Category C. Those coming from countries in the C travel category will have to take prior permission from the NCOC. The restrictions will also be imposed on holders of the green passport, National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP), and Pakistan Origin Card (POC). The travellers from Category A will not have to present their Covid reports for boarding or landing in Pakistan. However, those coming from countries in the B travel category will have to make sure a negative Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) report at a maximum of 90 hours prior to boarding. The rest of the guidelines will remain the same and their implementation will be mandatory, PCAA said. The new travel restrictions will remain in effect until May 4.
The report, however, said the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had ensured strict compliance to the SOPs overall. “The other 58 instances of violations pertained to procedural irregularities, mainly in voting and counting processes. On average, the observers reported 1.3 violations per polling station,” it said. Discussing the turnout, the report said the by-polls recorded a turnout of 21.6 per cent of registered voters, compared to 40 per cent reported for the constituency during the general elections in 2018. The by-polls saw a substantial decline in voter turnout due to the hot weather and Ramazan. “The observers found election material in enough quantities at all of the observed polling stations. Except for two incidents of unauthorized individuals going behind the secrecy screens at two polling stations, there were no other incidents that compromised voters’ secrecy. Except for two cases, the observers did not see party workers persuading voters inside the polling stations,” the report noted. “The polling agents of contesting candidates were present at all the observed polling stations. All were seated perfectly and could easily observe the process.”
The party analysis showed significant changes in the vote shares of different political parties. The ECP has issued a stay order on the results and set a hearing for May 4 after Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) candidate Miftah Ismail challenged the result. Abdul Qadir Mandokhel of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had won the by-election by securing 22 per cent of the total polled votes. Twelve political parties had fielded their candidates while 18 candidates had contested independently in the by-election. The seat had fallen vacant due to the resignation of PTI MNA Muhammad Faisal Vawda. staff report Maryam alleges rigging, demands re-election in NA-75 Levelling pre-poll rigging allegations against the ruling party, Maryam said that the ECP officials were “abducted” and the results of various polling stations were changed overnight. “The PML-N workers snatched their seats from the jaws of crocodile and everyone knew that those seats belonged to PML-N,” she said. “The government in a state of chaos resorted to firing to scare the voters away so that they could not come out of their houses to cast ballots and two innocent people lost their lives,” Maryam added while referring
to Friday’s incident in Sialkot’s Daska town. Referring to the alleged rigging videos shared by her last night, Maryam said a man, who could be seen sitting in a car with a “white bag of ballots”, was a presiding officer. “The presiding officer was running away with a bag full of votes in a police vehicle and some Rangers’ personnel were also present there in Wazirabad,” she said. She also referred to the statement of ECP, wherein it had said that the results of NA-75 have been halted due to “suspicion of falsification of results” from polling stations in Daska. She asked the ECP to take action against officials involved in Daska rigging and hold re-election in the constituency. Maryam informed that she will visit the families of party workers, who were killed on the polling day as a result of violence erupted outside a polling station. Earlier, the ECP ordered to withhold the results of the NA-75 by-election as the returning officer (RO) had feared about alteration in the results of 20 polling stations. On a plea of PML-N’s candidate Nosheen Iftikhar to withhold the results, the RO had forwarded a reference to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.
Business community asks govt to cut short Eid holidays The business community on Saturday asked the government to cut the “unprecedentedly long” six day Eid holidays, saying it will be counterproductive for the economy. “Shutting down the country for nine consecutive days was unacceptable would create a lot of problems for the economy and the business community,” Businessmen Group Chairperson Zubair Motiwala said. “It will particularly hurt exporters, who will not be able to dispatch shipments to foreign countries due to complete
closure of banks, ports, customs and all other departments during excessive holidays. The government must review this decision and announce Eid holidays from May 12 to May 15, which will enable exporters to dispatch shipments on May 10 and May 11. “We cannot afford prolonged holidays as they result in losses worth billions, terribly affect trading activities particularly exports, and deprive daily wagers from desperately needed earnings,” he added. MONITORING REPORT
NEWS
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ECP withholds NA-249 by-poll result on Miftah Ismail’s request continued from page 01 Citing these concerns, Ismail asked the CEC to stop the ECP from announcing final results and approve a recount of votes in all polling stations of NA-249. RECOUNT RULE: As per the rules of the Election Act, if the differential between the winning candidate and runner-up is less that 5 per cent of total votes polled, a recount is allowed. In the case of NA-249, with PPP leading by only 683 votes from a total of 72,740, the margin is much below the required 5 per cent. NA-249 RESULT: According to provisional results, PPP’s Qadir Khan Mandokhail secured 16,156 votes to win the election while Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz’s (PML-N) Miftah Ismail came in second with 15,473 votes, followed by the candidate from the recently banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Mufti Nazeer Ahmed Kamalvi, who secured 11,125 votes. Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal was at fourth place with 9,227 votes, followed by PTI’s Amjad Afridi with 8,922 votes. Counting started after polling ended on Thursday at 276 polling stations comprising 796 polling booths which were established in the constituency. The voting process began at 8:00 am and continued till 5:00 pm without any pause. The NA seat was created in 2018 by amalgamating neighbourhoods that previously fell in two Upper House constituencies — NA-239 and NA-240 — during three general elections between 2002 and 2013. The constituency, with 339,591 registered voters, has emerged to be a highly contested seat with candidates belonging to almost every major political party fighting for it. PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has hinted at challenging the by-elections results of the NA-249 constituency in Karachi where PPP candidate won the polls. She slammed the political opponents in a Twitter message, saying that the tactics to defeat her political party will be exposed soon. The PML-N VP threatened that the lion could not be hunted down so easily, adding that they should remember it and wait for the response. She said that PML-N will take back the right of the citizens. Maryam said that the political party will accept defeat if it is the decision of the citizens. Maryam Nawaz added that PML-N will fight against every decision taken by stealing ballot boxes and vote-rigging. ‘Make no mistake about it.’
Volkswagen expects chip supply to remain tight in coming months BerLin AGENCIES
Volkswagen expects semiconductor supplies to the car sector to remain tight in coming months, the head of the carmaker's namesake brand was quoted as saying on Saturday. "I think the situation will remain tense," Ralf Brandstaetter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand and member of the carmaker's management board, told German news agency dpa. He said a fire at a factory operated by automotive chip maker Renesas Electronics Corp as well as snowstorms in Texas that have hurt factory production, had effectively idled output. "The impact will certainly be felt in the coming months," Brandstaetter said, adding Volkswagen's procurement task force was busy around the clock dealing with the issue which remained at the top of the agenda of Volkswagen's management board. Volkswagen AG has been unable to build 100,000 cars due to the shortage, CEO Herbert Diess said in March, adding the group would not be able to make up for the shortfall in 2021. Brandstaetter said the situation was expected to ease somewhat in the second half of the year. Wayne Griffiths, president of Volkswagen's Spanish brand SEAT, said last month the challenges caused by the shortage were likely to intensify in the second quarter.
Scuffles in Paris, different demands on display at May Day rallies across France Police scuffled with protesters in Paris on Saturday, firing tear gas as thousands turned out across France for May Day workers' rights demonstrations. A police source told AFP that far-left "black bloc" protesters had repeatedly tried to block the trade union-led march in the French capital, with 34 people detained. Some protesters smashed the windows of bank branches, set fire to dustbins and threw projectiles at police, who responded with volleys of tear gas and stingball grenades. An injured policeman had to be evacuated, an AFP journalist saw. The CGT union said nearly 300 May day protests were planned around the country, with authorities expecting around 100,000 demonstrators to join them in total. The crowds held placards with different demands, ranging from the end of the nighttime curfew in place as part of coronavirus
restrictions, to a halt to unemployment reforms due to come into force in July. Members of the yellow vest anti-elite movement, which rocked Emmanuel Macron's presidency two years ago before largely fizzling out, could also be spotted at protests up and down the country. Five people were arrested in the southeastern city of Lyon as black bloc protesters again clashed with police at the demonstration, which drew some 3,000 people despite the rain. "There are so many motivations for a revolt that are building up -- the management of Covid, the so-called reforms that are going to take away people's ability to live, job-seekers who are going to lose their benefits," said a pensioner who gave her name as Patricia. "We absolutely need to express ourselves," the 66-year-old said.
cmYK
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
06 COMMENT
For less than two happy meals
GSP status after concessions to TLP Religiosity versus governance
There are many things we don’t know. There are many things we forget.
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rIME Minister Imran Khan believes that the West suffers from Islamophobia and he has been assigned the mission to unite the Muslim world to fight the trend. After the recent episode concerning the French cartoons Mr Khan condemned it in a number of tweets. He also castigated French President Emmanuel Macron for deliberately provoking Muslims and encouraging the display of blasphemous cartoons targeting Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH). "This is a time when President Macron could have put a healing touch and denied space to extremists rather than creating further polarization and marginalization that inevitably leads to radicalization." The criticism should have sufficed to silence the religious lobby without affecting state-to-state relations between Pakistan and France. Mr Khan however went a step further by mollycoddling TLP leader Khadim rizvi who was allowed to take out rallies against France in Karachi and Islamabad calling for the expulsion of the French ambassador and declaration of jihad against France. Instead of restraining the firebrand cleric from meddling in the affairs of the state, two federal ministers and the Deputy Commissioner Islamabad were sent to hold talks with the TLP. They signed an agreement to take a decision from the Parliament regarding the expulsion of the French ambassador within three months and not appointing Pakistan’s ambassador to France. As the government sought a delay in taking the matter to Parliament, the TLP went on the rampage last month, destroying government and private property, attacking passersby and kidnapping and torturing police officers. The government arrested TLP leaders and banned the organization though allowing it to appeal against the decision. A Treasury member meanwhile introduced a resolution in the National Assembly as promised to the TLP, which was sent to a parliamentary committee. As if this was not enough, the PM clarified that TLP and government have the same objective “though their methods are different.” The EU Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for a review of trade relations with Pakistan and ending its eligibility for the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) status. The resolution was overwhelmingly passed, with 662 for, three against and 26 not voting. Pakistan got GSP status when the country was under Nawaz Sharif. It would be sheer incompetence on the part of the PTI if the country was to lose it under Imran Khan. Meanwhile the FATF verdict is yet to come.
Rabia ahmed
F
or a while there was a furore about the carpet-making industry in Pakistan and how children were forced to work cruel hours at the loom. They have small hands, you see, and those little hands can make more knots per square inch. But then other things happened and we forgot. As we do. Let this remind you. Muridke is a city near Lahore. It is the hometown of six world-class cricket players and it was home also to one little boy called Iqbal Masih, Muridke’s most heroic son. Iqbal was born in 1983 to poor Christian parents, which in Pakistan counts as a double whammy. When he was four years old, Iqbal’s parents borrowed rs 600 from a man who owned a carpet weaving business. That’s rs 600, which was less than $12 at the time and is under $4 at today’s rates and less than the cost of two happy meals at a McDonald’s in Pakistan. To pay off this unhappy debt Iqbal became a bonded labourer. At the age of four, an age when our children are enjoying Chinnoy’s 3 Bahadurs, or are thrilled by the antics of Sponge Bob Square Pants,
Taliban consolidating their position
It must be countered
A
S per the Afghan peace deal signed during the Trump presidency, the US troop exit was set to begin yesterday, however, soon after the new Biden Administration took over, the agreement was reviewed and the deadline pushed ahead, much to the ire of the Afghan Taliban who in the last 24 hours, have given a preview of things to come. Strategic areas of Kandahar, Balkh, Herat and Nangarhar have all seen a rise in violence with at least 16 security force members killed. Kabul is now on high alert as military presence at checkpoints was beefed up with an expectation that more attacks are imminent after a suicide bombing at a guest house in the capital yesterday killed at least 21 with 90 others wounded. According to a report, since the deal in 2020, the Taliban have provided protection to US and NATo bases against rogue Islamic extremist groups, while targeting Afghan civilians. Although there has been no admission by either side that such an agreement exists, the fact that there have been no US combat deaths since February 2020, and only isolated attacks on US bases, it becomes clear that there is some understanding in place. If the Taliban are not pacified in the coming days, it seems the same security may no longer be available and US troops will be left to fend for themselves, or perhaps even have to face some action from the Taliban as well. An extremely volatile situation has developed over the past few months after President Biden announced a complete exit from the ‘endless war’, as he puts it, by September, as the Taliban refuse to come to the negotiating table, refusing to attend talks to take place post-Eid in Istanbul after already skipping the ones that took place in Qatar this past week. A high-level delegation from Pakistan visited Kabul a few days back where Afghan counterparts pleaded to somehow convince the Taliban to rejoin the peace process. A joint effort is now required on part of regional players China, russia and Iran along with Pakistan to somehow make the Taliban understand that the only route to a stable and prosperous Afghanistan is if all stakeholders work together as a coalition rather than continue fighting.
Sana ahmed
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HANGE is a permanent feature of world politics. Similarly, warfare is also transformed with the advancement in technology and socio-political dynamics. According to Clausewitz, “Every age has its type of war and it adapts itself to the prevailing environment”. Though the revolution in military affairs has made a total or full-scale conventional war less relevant between states as an instrument to settle down disputes, the military remains a useful tool to deter the enemy. The advent of nuclear weapons has tilted the cost of conventional war. The evolution of Hybrid warfare compelled nations to achieve their objectives while remaining under the nuclear threshold. India, using non-traditional means, is trying to achieve this. This concept entered the strategic lexicon in the 21st century, including both kinetic and non-kinetic means to jeopardize the enemy’s ability to fight. "Hybrid is defined as an externally evoked war, and is fueled by external actors to exploit socio-economic, geographic, ethnic, cultural, and religious fault lines". It is war without any direct violence. The concept of hybrid warfare existed in history. Suntzu said; “To fight and conquer is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's will without fighting". Another military strategist, Kauilya, wrote Arthashastra. His postulates are still relevant to hybrid warfare; diplomacy, information warfare, subversion, sabotage, and covert operations. Arthashastra suggested the techniques of concealed warfare, in which the use of irregular forces, ambushes, treachery in the enemy's camp, were prominent factors; another was silent warfare, which includes the use of allies, vassals, tribal chiefs and, suborned friends of the enemy. Therefore, the purpose of hybrid warfare is not to achieve immediate victory but to hit the soft targets of the adversary, isolate it, and demoralize it before actual war. India waged hybrid warfare in Pakistan, based on Ajit Doval's Doctrine. This indicates engaging the enemy on three fronts; defensive, defensive-offensive, and offensive. Defensive-offensive means going into Pakistan and intercepting the problem where it originates. Doval once said: “You can do one Mumbai, you may lose Balochistan." This indicates that Indian intelligence agencies are involved in destabi-
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Arif Nizami Editor Managing Editor
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Rabia Ahmed is a freelance columnist. Read more by her at http://rabia-ahmed.blogspot.com
Indian Hybrid warfare against Pakistan
Is this a glimpse of a post-US-exit Afghanistan?
Yousaf Nizami Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
Iqbal was chained fast to a loom and made to work. At the time there were no laws against debt bondage in the land of the pure. That law came about thanks to Ehsan Ullah Khan who belongs to Gwadar and was born the year Pakistan came into being. It was he who mobilized workers for the cause, and that was when the Supreme Court of Pakistan declared bonded labour illegal in 1989, 43 years after the birth of the nation. Ehsan Ullah’s role in this story does not end here. Iqbal had by then been working for two years. He learnt about this law when he was ten years old– a testimony to the cruelty of the life he led that he took note of that law, understood it, and related it to his own condition. That was when he escaped his slavers and went, poor child, to the local police station, little realising his mistake. The police returned the boy to his slavers who treated him even worse than before. Iqbal escaped again and joined a school run by the Bonded Labour Liberation Fund (an Indian NGo with a branch in Pakistan) for children like him. He wanted to become a lawyer to help free other children in his position. In the meantime Ehsan Ullah helped him to travel around the world where this small child spoke against bonded labour and the urgent need to help other child slaves. When he was 12, Iqbal Masih was shot and killed in Muridke. It has never been proven who his murders were although there were many allegations. What was your child doing when he or she was 12? An entire country of adults has failed to bring the issue of bonded labour to the forefront in Pakistan with notable exceptions such as Asma Jehangir, who championed the cause of bonded slaves, both women and children, and many other such causes. Bonded labour still thrives in Pakistan. According to a report by the Bureau of International Labour Affairs Pakistan made some efforts to eliminate the worst kind of child labour in Pakistan in 2019 by means of some Acts that were passed by the National and Provincial Assemblies. Nevertheless, children in Pakistan are (still) engaged in the worst forms of child labor, including in commercial sexual exploitation and domestic work. Children also engage in forced labour in brick kilns
and agriculture. The federal government and Balochistan Province have not established a minimum age for work or hazardous work in compliance with international standards. In addition, provincial labour inspectorates do not receive sufficient resources to adequately enforce laws prohibiting child labor, and the federal and provincial governments fail to publish data on their efforts, or to enforce criminal or labour laws related to child labor. Further, police corruption, particularly the taking of bribes from suspected perpetrators to ignore child labor crimes and lack of willingness to conduct investigations hindered Pakistan's ability to address the problem throughout the country. In all of Pakistan 9. percent% of children between the ages of 10 and 14 are working. In Punjab 12.4 percent between the ages of five and 14 and in Sindh 21.4 percent between the ages of five and 14. Figures for the other provinces are not available. 69.4 percent of these children are employed in agriculture, 10.9 percent in Industry, and 19.7 percent in ‘services’, which includes domestic work, hotels, restaurants, gas stations and automobile repair. The rest work at scavenging, sorting garbage, recycling, begging and street vending. To summarise: Do we know that children bonded to carpet weaving continues today in Pakistan? It is classified as the worst form of forced child labour and is often a result of human trafficking. The list of worst forms of child labour includes forced labour in agriculture, brickmaking, and coal mining. That is by no means all. Children are also exploited in the production of pornography and sex, and used in armed conflict by non-state armed groups. They are also used in other illicit activities such as producing drugs. These children are subject to the worst kind of physical abuse, aside from being enslaved. Let us never forget Iqbal Masih, who was shot in April 16years ago when he was just 12. Never forget the horrendous life that child led, and his courage in speaking out against his slavers. Let us not forget the people who helped him. Until these matters are resolved, can Pakistan ever be proud of itself?
Umar Aziz
lizing Pakistan. Indian hybrid warfare has 3D objectives: Destabilize, Demoralize, and Disintegrate. Vikrant Deshpande wrote in Hybrid warfare: changing character of warfare that after the overt nuclearization in 1998, India failed to pressurize Pakistan conventionally, and changed strategy towards hybrid tactics. India is constantly provoking territorial conflicts between provinces, hitting the identity indicators, and ideological transformations in Pakistan. Hybrid warfare against Pakistan includes targeting vulnerabilities including political, economic, cultural, religious, and diplomatic. Furthermore, there are several fronts Indian is waging hybrid warfare against Pakistan, containing proxy wars in which India is using irregular forces because India cannot afford the risk of all-out war, and fueling several proxy forces playing a decisive role inside and affecting the overall security matrix of the country. Since its inception in 1947, Indian is continuously triggering the fault lines of Pakistan. Indian is trying to propagate the false narrative that Partition as a big mistake, creating an inferiority complex among Muslims and trying to promote the fascists ideology of Hindutva. Besides this, numerous groups are exerting pressure to achieve their objectives by blackmailing, sabotage, promoting insurgency, and being actively supported by Indians. These include BLA and BrA, which are responsible for the attack on the Chinese Consulate and the hijacking of PIA Flight 544 in 1998 and many more terrorist activities in Pakistan. other separatists contain hostile groups undermining the territorial integrity. Indian support of Mukti Bahini was a hybrid tactic. Consequently, PTM is also working on the agenda fuelled by neighbours, that aims to undermine social instability and harm the international image. Another important factor is information warfare, which changed after the emergence of the World Wide Web, the dark net and social media, and complicates the 21st-century battleground because we are living in the era where data has been weaponized and become more dangerous than a bullet; media is used to spread hopelessness and uncertainty. recently European news agencies revealed how India influences the public perception of Pakistan. For this, India is using 256 fake websites for propaganda against Pakistan. In September 2017, an analyst, Agha Iqrar, said, "India spent rs 7 billion to run an anti-Pakistani campaign in Geneva." Likewise, during the Asia Bibi episode the interior minister claimed that “India tried to exploit the religious crisis because the enemy’s religion is always a soft target". Sheryar Afridi said that “Around 160 tweets per minute were generated from
India to incite people". Political warfare is one more type of hybrid warfare whose purpose is to weaken the country’s political unit. The main features included lobbying, containment, and global isolation. In this case, Indian lobbying in Washington is believed to have been a contributing factor for the denial of six oliver Hazard Perry frigates which are due for release to the Pakistan Navy. Indian lobbying was used to undermine Pakistan's self-defense capabilities, with a devastating effect on its national security. To globally isolate the state, strong lobbying is required to exploit its weak diplomacy to degrade and denounce its positive efforts. Also, India is working on the policy of containment to prevent Pakistan from global trade, relations, technological development, and military cooperation. The 1990 embargo imposed under the Pressler Amendment gave India an advantage over Pakistan, due to which India has a greater say in geopolitics. Lastly, India uses its influence on international financial organizations to create conditions for the provision of the maximum amount of loans to further weaken the economy of Pakistan. Economic warfare is used against the country to stagnate and weaken its economy. India’s chief purpose of India is to weaken its economy to the point where it can't be even a regional power. Moreover, pressing Pakistan on the FATF issue is propaganda to malign Pakistan at international forums. Indian best efforts to declare Pakistan a terrorist state is another form of hybrid warfare. India’s main objective is to make Pakistan economically and politically unstable through the use of hybrid tactics and propaganda which hurts the country’s national security. Pakistan needed a credible strategy to counter Indian hybrid propaganda. According to Yuval Noah Hariri, “In a world deluged in irrelevant information, clarity of mind is power.” Keeping this in view, Pakistan needed to formulate a strong counter-narrative to make its position clear on domestic and international forums, but unfortunately Pakistan always acts apologetically, which strengthens the Indian propaganda. our leadership must address this grey area and our political parties must be assigned to educate. Pakistanis must have a world view and can act as good ambassadors. A social media campaign should be launched to present a soft image of Pakistan, and should be defended through democratic institutions and inclusive patriotism, also educate and aware citizens about hybrid warfare, then there are fewer chances of success of the Indian agenda. The writer is freelance columnist
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Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme
The ever-lengthening shadows of time We are just about there, but we are not there yet
Candid Corner Raoof haSan “In truth it is inequality that is the illusion. The extreme disproportion between men that we seem to see in life is a thing of changing lights and lengthening shadows: twilight full of fancies and distortions.” –G. K. Chesterton
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HE recent past has been witness to a gruesome lot happening with much more continuing to unravel as time flows past casting its ever lengthening shadows. one wonders about what shall emerge from behind these shadows when the tide of time strikes a different note. Having been a humble student of history, I have always been aware that change is not an easy idea to implement. The multiple layers of the beneficiary elite which are deeply dug in, fully supported by a string of aiders and abettors, are absolutely unwilling to even think of changing their wicked ways which have traditionally brought them power and profit. More still, there are hordes of cronies and accomplices to further perpetuate the syndrome which has helped them advance in life, totally insensitive to the interest of the state or the needs of the impoverished and the marginalised people. Such challenges do occur in every nation’s life, but there is a clear direction which is chiselled and pursued with courage and dedication to get out of harm’s way. Challenges would persist when the nature and extent of problems is not properly gauged, when the direction is vague and the pursuit without conviction and assurance. There is also the need not to underestimate the adversaries and how desperately they would fight when their traditional profit-making indulgences are challenged and their survival endangered. For much too long, Pakistan has been denuded of its prime assets by all those who have come to rule it, wearing deceptive apparel and making tall claims. They all departed leaving behind a country plunging into pits of despondency and darkness. The mistakes made early on in our existence as an independent country have been systematically exploited by succeeding bands of rulers, both of the military and civilian hues, who remained unable to look beyond their immediate personal interests. To secure their illicit gains, they bred partnerships among all alleys of power. In addition to the three pillars of the state, these partnerships encompassed all institutions which are traditionally entrusted with the task of securing the country from damage by the vagrant interests. The bureaucracy has been a major beneficiary in facilitating this remorseless spree of loot and plunder as also the biggest hur-
dle in the way of reform. Bureaucrats’ existence and advancement are inextricably linked with maintaining the status-quo which they have corrupted immeasurably over time. Another bounty which has been lavished liberally upon this hapless country comes by way of hordes of degenerate extremists roaming the streets with abandon. In times past, they knew full well that the hands of the rulers were irremediably soaked in corruption and they would be able to hold them, and consequently the state, hostage to their whims. And the state, having weakened because of the toothless policies it pursued, was constantly beseeching them to the negotiating table. We didn’t seem to understand that, sitting at the table with this breed of degenerates, was tantamount to extending legitimacy to the message they carried and the violent tactics they used to promote it. In fact, this has been a perennial failure of our policy-makers. Instead of nipping this evil early and eliminating the space for them to continue operating, we have dealt with them out of fear, thus allowing them to grow into unmanageable monsters. They keep feeding into rampant deprivations and the streak of extremism and violence existing at the grassroots level which, owing to lack of investment in education and allowing a parallel stream of seminaries to mushroom which indoctrinate people in radicalism and militancy from an early age, have only become more unmanageable with the passage of time. Extreme intellectual and moral bankruptcy of leadership had its consequences which Pakistan had to endure, but not without damaging its ethos and standing among the international comity of nations. They have always looked upon Pakistan with lingering suspicion which has had a telling effect on harnessing its inherent growth potential. Yet we continue suffering from this illusion that this monstrous union among the beneficiary elite, hell-bent on maintaining a corrupt status-quo, and the violence-mongers operating by exploiting the impoverishment across vast swathes of the country, can be controlled without bringing about a paradigm shift in our thinking and approach. When Imran Khan came into power advocating change, he knew that this was not going to be easily digested as it struck at weakening the very roots the beneficiary elite had grown through decades of corrupt indulgences. But, he may also have under-evaluated is the extent and intensity of a venomous opposition that he would face from across all divides. It is as if the mafias and cartels, feeding illicitly on the state largesse, converged as one in blocking the drive for rooting out corruption from Pakistan which has held it back from evolving into a beneficent country devoted to lifting its people out of
poverty, ailment and strife. Some institutions of the state, whose interests are also linked with the prolongation of the status-quo, readily joined hands with the beneficiary elite to block the surge for change. In this context, the roles of the judiciary and the bureaucracy have been the most damning. The former has been instrumental in denying the provision of justice, even protecting the criminals and facilitating their escape from the clutches of law and the country, and the latter has effectively sabotaged the very process of governance. Their disdain at the prospect of change has not been hidden as they have repeatedly demonstrated their allegiance with the corrupt elite of the past who have been responsible for the horrible plunge the country has been repeatedly pushed into. They want the reins of power to be passed back in their hands so that they could restart the spree of unchecked and unhindered loot and plunder. one sees that there is a different outlook now as compared to the past. The nature and extent of the threat is recognised and the resolve to eliminate the dastardly alliance is also visible. But over 30 months of ceaseless struggle in combating the combined evil might of the opposition and their support emanating from some key institutions of the state, most notably the judiciary and the bureaucracy, has been instrumental in holding back the advent of change. This has frustrated the people who, given the deplorable conditions they have survived in, expected change to come quickly. Having been denied the relief they hoped for, there is increasing restlessness among them, rendering them prone to falling into the trap of the extremist bands with their strongholds among the very communities which are most vulnerable to exploitation. It is not that change will not come. The relative inability in unravelling the illicit partnership among the beneficiary elite, the judiciary, the bureaucracy and some state institutions has held it back a while. But this mafia-combine is definitely weakened. Afraid of what is coming their way, they are holding on ever so tenuously to their fleeting hopes. We may not be there yet, but we should have the confidence that we can’t be eternally lost in the muddy waters in our quest for moorings to steer us to the shore. In the words of Confucius, “the end of the day is near when small men make long shadows.” The beneficiary elite comprise small men, indeed, and they are fast nearing the end of their dastardly pursuits.
We should have the confidence that we can’t be eternally lost in the muddy waters in our quest for moorings to steer us to the shore. In the words of Confucius, “the end of the day is near when small men make long shadows.” The beneficiary elite comprise small men, indeed, and they are fast nearing the end of their dastardly pursuits
The writer is a political and security strategist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – an Islamabad-based think tank. Email: raoofhasan@hotmail.com. Twitter: @RaoofHasan
AS an economy observer I would like to record my appreciation of Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme launched by the government of Tehreek e Insaf which is aimed at strengthening the economically weaker segment of society by giving opportunity to financially underserved people who don’t own house to buy homes at affordable prices provided they are employed and capable of repaying housing loans. This scheme will boost country’s economy because millions of houses will be constructed under this scheme when successfully implemented. The Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme consists of two broad initiatives taken by the government of Pakistan .The first initiative is establishing Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority ( NAPDHA ) at federal government level which will build 5 millions homes in concert with provincial governments ( Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Gigit Bultistan ) . I believe it will take long time to build 5 millions houses because things do not move very quickly in government offices as compared to kprivate companies offices. However, I have good wishes for the NAPDHA and pray for it’s success . The second very important initiative of Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme is Government‘s Mark Up Subsidy Scheme ( GMSS) . Under GMSS , the Government of Pakistan will give subsidy on mark up to home buyers on housing loans and I believe this will work quicker and bring positive results . The homes buyers under this Government’s Mark Up Subsidy Scheme will take loans from commercial banks including Islamic banks , micro finance banks and House Building Finance Company and buy homes from the open housing market beside homes to be built by NAPDHA. I believe Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme has a great economic potential for both the weaker segment of our society and for the country as whole . I am confident that all my countrymen/ countrywomen who are working in different organisations which are entrusted to implement Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme will leave no stone unturned to make it a great success because it is very good deed to help weaker segment of our to buy a home and thus strengthen our country . I must write here that anybody who holds a National Identity Card , does not own a house , is employed and can repay the housing loan to taken can benefit from Government’s Mark Up Subsidy Scheme and realise his/ her dream to own a house in Pakistan. There are millions of construction labourers, domestic helpers, drivers, guarded, gardeners, technicians, clerks and many others can get housing loans under Government’s Mark Up Subsidy Scheme. I have following two suggestions for the improvement of Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme which may be looked into by the honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan and respectable governor of State Bank of Pakistan : (1) As per the above mentioned Mark Up Subsidy Scheme ( reference : State Bank of Pakistan’s Circular No. IH&SMEFD 03 of 2021 dated 25th March 2021 ) all home buyers will take loans from commercial banks including Islamic banks , micro finance banks and House Building Finance Company. But I am afraid Micro Finance Banks have not started working on this scheme yet . I have spoken to at least three Miscro Finance Banks in Lahore on 27th April 2021 and was told they have not started working on it. Micro Finance Banks have more expertise of managing smaller loans . They can play a very important part in making Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme a great success. (2) As per above mentioned Circular No. IH&SMEFD 03 of 2021 , State Bank will issue quarterly data of total loans approved under Mark Up Subsidy Scheme . I believe this data should be monthly published so that whatever improvement is needed may be done on monthly basis rather than quarterly basis. Ejaz ahmad maGoon LahorE
Big exporter of wheat IN January, despite being a big exporter of wheat, Pakistan suddenly suffered a wheat shortage. The wheat crisis started in Sindh and later spread to other provinces. Then we had the sugar crisis. The probe team was also receiving threats which made Imran Khan express great displeasure. PM’s Citizens’ Portal, Sasta Bazaar, Ehsaas scholarship project, all have failed to deliver and could not yield results. There is only one reason for this, corruption, which is deep rooted in our country. Taking advantage of our flawed system, culprits mostly go scot-free. We will keep on suffering unless we get rid of corruption. We need to review our policies to eliminate corruption. Laiba baqai KaraChi
Increasing prices of oxygen cylinders The cases of coronavirus are rapidly increasing and after the deficiency of oxygen in India, the same problem is rising in Pakistan. In these crucial times the people who are taking advantage of the situation are profiteers. The prices of oxygen cylinders are increasing. The price of small cylinder has increased from 11000 to 15000 and large cylinder from 18000 to 25000. The authorities are requested to take strict action against this issue to prevent them from making Illegal profit from this pandemic situation. asma zuLfiqar KaraChi
Benefits of yoga YoGA is a very safe, easy and healthy way to get fit your whole life without any problems. It just needs regular practice in the right way of body movements and breathing. It regularizes the connection between three components of our body such as body, mind and soul. It regularizes the functioning of the all body organs and prevents the body and mind to get disturbed because of some bad situations and unhealthy lifestyle. It helps in maintaining the health, knowledge and inner peace. By providing a good health it fulfills our physical needs, through knowledge it fulfills our psychological needs and through inner peace is fulfills the spiritual need thus it helps in maintaining the harmony among all. regular practice of the yoga in the morning provides outer and inner relief by keeping away from the countless ailments at the physical and mental level. Practicing postures or asanas strengthens the body and mind as well as creates the feeling of well being. It sharpens the human mind, improves intelligence and help in high level of concentration by steadying the emotions and feelings. The feeling of well being creates helping nature within us and thus enhances the social well being. Improved concentration level helps in meditating and provides calming effect and inner peace to the mind. m irfan hub
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
TAnzAniA’s firsT femAle presidenT TAkes office, breAking new ground for women in hijAb
religionnews.CoM
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JoSePh hammond
few years after becoming the first female vice president in tanzanian history, Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in friday (March 19) as the country’s sixth president and the first female leader of east Africa’s largest country after the death of President John Magufuli on Wednesday. Samia Suluhu Hassan, 61, is the third Muslim to lead tanzania, is also the second woman to become head of state in east Africa, and the second Muslim woman who wears hijab to become president of a country in which Muslims are a minority. the first was Halimah Yacob, president
SAMIA SULUHU HASSAN IS THE SECOND MUSLIM WOMAN WHO WEARS HIJAB TO BECOME PRESIDENT OF A COUNTRY IN WHICH MUSLIMS ARE A MINORITY of Singapore since September 2017, but under the Singaporean system, the bulk of executive power is invested in the prime minister’s office. A 2010 Pew forum report said that 61% of tanzania is Christian, with 35% Muslim and the remainder members of other faiths, but tanzanian Muslims claim that demographic shifts in the past decade have made the numbers roughly even. Magufuli will be remembered for his series of economic reforms while limiting civil rights and for being an avid COVID-19 denier. He curtailed international trips for many officials and himself, never traveling outside of Africa on state visits. He pushed back
against a large-scale Chinese investment project. His salary of $4,000 was reportedly the lowest in Africa. Hassan is a change from the bombastic predecessor. “In terms of personality she is very calm, considers matters thoroughly before making a decision,” said Omar Mjenga, president of the Centre for International Policy in tanzania. “She is a mother; mothers are leaders. She has already proven herself in her other roles as both a good listener and someone the people listen to.” Mjenga expects Hassan to appoint a Christian as her vice president in keeping with customary traditions of governance in the country. Hassan regularly attends friday
Saudi-Iran detente: What rivals’ dialogue could mean for Middle East
Christian sCienCe Monitor
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Taylor luck
fter six years of asymmetric warfare, proxy battles, and mutual recriminations, Saudi Arabia this week offered its bitter regional rival Iran something new: dialogue. In a televised interview tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for the two nations to overcome differences that have divided the region. “Iran is a neighboring country, and all we aspire for is a good and special relationship with Iran,” Crown Prince Mohammed, the kingdom’s de-facto ruler, said in a 90-minute interview on Saudi state tV. the Saudi-Iran rivalry that has shaped the Middle east may be moving from a not-so-cold war of proxy battles to a cool peace where cooperation is possible. the region stands to benefit. “We do not want Iran’s situation to be difficult. On the contrary, we want Iran to grow and prosper,” the crown prince said, noting their joint “interests” to “push the region and the world toward prosperity.” It was a stark change in tone from someone who three years ago called Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “the new Hitler,” and ruled out dialogue and cooperation with Iran as “appeasement.” Some say the new tone reeks of Saudi desperation to wind down its military entanglements; others call it a shrewd reading of the Biden administration’s diplomatic engagement with Iran. But while indicating a Saudi shift away from a confrontational policy toward Iran that has failed to achieve its goals, the conciliatory tone and talks signal something deeper: an understanding that the two rivals can exist side by side, even if they don’t agree. It is an understanding that could improve lives in the region. On thursday, Iran’s foreign Ministry spokesman welcomed a “dialogue-oriented approach,” saying in a statement to Iranian media that “Iran and Saudi Arabia … can enter a new chapter of interaction and cooperation to achieve peace, stability, and regional development by overcoming differences.” In the Saudi tV interview, citing among other differences Iran’s “negative behavior,” such as its support for armed proxies, Crown Prince Mohammed also said, “We really hope we would overcome them and build a good and positive relationship with Iran that would benefit all.” CONFRONTATIONAL APPROACH the olive branch comes weeks after Saudi Arabia and Iran held their first direct talks in years in Iraq, where their spheres of influence collide. It also comes six years after the crown prince and his father, King Salman, shifted the traditionally cautious, slow-moving kingdom to an aggressive foreign policy confronting Iran and its proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Crucially, that included launching a military intervention in Yemen. Now Saudi Arabia is desperately looking for a cease-fire there. Its assertiveness has failed to make the kingdom safer. While missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthis previously landed on the Saudi side of the Yemen-Saudi border, neardaily missile and drone strikes from Yemen now hit airports, military bases, residential neighborhoods, and oil installations deep in the kingdom. this was epitomized by the Iran-originated drone strikes on Aramco facilities in Abqaiq and Khurais in 2019, which pushed 50% of Saudi Arabia’s oil production offline and shook the leadership to its core. “the confronta-
tional policy with Iran really hasn’t worked,” says f. Gregory Gause, head of the international affairs department at texas A&M University. “It didn’t win in Yemen, it didn’t win in Syria, didn’t win in Lebanon.” “the failure of this more confrontational policy is probably leading to some rethinking in riyadh, but the new U.S. administration’s outreach to Iran is a driving factor” in riyadh’s new approach. AMID ENMITY, MUTUAL INTERESTS But what could the talks and Saudi olive branch mean for a region that has been torn apart by proxy wars and regional competition? rather than tackle the core disagreement over Iranian influence and armed proxies in Arab states, the detente, say observers and insiders, will likely focus on immediate areas of mutual interest, such as maritime security. “If they start getting into a practical dialogue, the most obvious place to start is where other Gulf countries have already begun discussions with Iran: maritime security,” says Hussein Ibish, senior scholar at the Washington-based Arab Gulf States Institute. the Persian Gulf and the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which 25% of the world’s oil is shipped, became a flashpoint of tensions from 2018 to 2020 under former President Donald trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran. the waters have seen a “shadow war” of acts of sabotage, miscues, and close calls that could have led to military escalations. the United States is spearheading a maritime security arrangement featuring Arab Gulf states that crucially excludes Iran. Iran-Saudi talks are likely to expand to regional counterterrorism, namely against Al Qaeda, which recently has grown its influence in Yemen, and Islamic State, which has threatened both Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. YEMEN PEACE DIVIDEND? the country that could see the most immediate benefits from dialogue is Yemen, home to the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe, where Iran maintains links to a Houthi movement that has continued a bloody offensive despite a Saudi and United Nations-backed peace offer. According to Gulf diplomatic sources, Yemen was among the main topics discussed by Saudi Arabia and Iran in Baghdad this month. It is believed that riyadh is asking tehran to withdraw support from the Houthis and push it to agree to a cease-fire and negotiations. Less than 24 hours after the Saudi crown prince’s conciliatory message, Iranian foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stressed his country’s support for a cease-fire in Yemen and a return to talks as he met with a Houthi spokesman in Oman. Although Iran has supported the Houthis to drag Saudi Arabia deeper into a military quagmire, observers and analysts agree it has few stakes in Yemen, more than 1,000 miles away from tehran and separated by multiple land and sea borders, and see the issue as an “acceptable concession.” “Yemen will be the barometer if there is going to be any serious Iranian-Saudi detente,” says Professor Gause. It remains unclear, however, whether tehran holds enough sway over the Houthis, a Yemeni ethnic group with a fierce independent streak. PATH FORWARD IN IRAQ After Yemen, the more difficult subjects would be Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria – three Arab countries with significant Shiite populations where Iran has methodically nurtured armed non-state actors loyal to tehran. An area of progress may be in Iraq. Over the last three years, Saudi royals have reversed a boycott on post-Saddam Hussein Iraq and have built ties with Shiite political leaders riyadh saw as more independent from tehran. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who maintains ties with both riyadh and tehran, helped broker the recent talks. Officials hope in Baghdad and other Arab capitals that with the SaudiIran dialogue, alongside U.S.-Iran talks, Iraq will be used less as a proxy battleground. It remains unclear how a detente would play out in Syria, where Iran has propped up Bashar al-Assad’s regime with its proxy Hezbollah, and where turkey also holds sway. Observers and officials agree that, while not a peace, detente and dialogue between Saudi Arabia and Iran, no matter how modest, could offer a pathway to progress. “there is a lot that can be done to get dialogue going to reduce tensions, to mitigate misunderstandings, and for Saudi Arabia and Iran to reassure each other that they can in fact live together,” says Mr. Ibish, “even in competition.”
prayers at Masjid Mikocheni, a mosque in Dar es Salaam. In tanzania, just like other African countries and the world more broadly, “some men have a myth that women are incapable of assuming certain duties like the presidency,” said Abbas Mwalimu, a tanzanian political analyst. “this is what drives such skepticism among the people. Nevertheless, others believe that President Samia Suluhu Hassan will follow President Magufuli’s footsteps.” female politicians have played important roles in tanzania, including during its struggle for independence after World War II. Hassan began her government career in 2000, when she became minister for labor,
gender development and children. She subsequently served as minister of tourism, trade and investment, and, from 2010 to 2015, she was minister of state for union affairs, a role in which she worked to head off a nascent independence movement in the semi-autonomous state of Zanzibar, her birthplace, in favor of continued union with tanzania. She was elected tanzania’s 10th vice president in 2015. Dismas Karungu Massawe, director of programs at the Africa Center for Peace and Conflict research, says he expects her to further cement ties between tanzania and Zanzibar. “She will foster stronger ties that cement unity further. … her Zanzibari origin will play a critical role in making Zanzibari citizens feel more represented and nurture their loyalty to the Union.” “We (hope) she will be keen on spearheading the country back toward the democratic path by creating a free and fair democratic space,” said Massawe.
A monumental failure of governance indian express
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SuhaS PalShikar
S the distress reaches epochal proportions, it may force our attention on questions of human suffering and immediate relief. However, the monumental failure of governance cannot be hidden behind moments of grief or waves of self-pity. It will be nobody’s case that we as a society are blameless, nor that there were no structural constraints to the handling of the pandemic. But the history of this pandemic will have to clearly shout out the key failure — the failure of governance. Governance, despite much scholarship, continues to be an enigmatic term. the pandemic has brought forward in a stark manner, however, the opposite of governance: Misgovernance. Within a span of 15 months, our government has presented a textbook lesson in misgovernance. the pandemic was not going to be an easy affair, it was bound to be an ordeal for any government and “mistakes” were bound to happen. But precisely because of that, wisdom was in not claiming wisdom. As India gropes for a glimmer of light, it is important to frankly list out at least five instances that must haunt any ruler left with an iota of conscience. first, we began with a long and inhuman lockdown. It looked good because the pandemic had yet to grip us fully. the lockdown also looked good because in the recent past, our public sensibility has been nourished on the diet of being an aspirational middle class society. therefore, every segment began clapping in celebration of the lockdown. We were afflicted by amnesia about how many people earn on the basis of daily wages. If “preparation” for the health crisis was the objective, we do not know what preparations happened during the long and extended lockdown, or why those have failed today. If the lockdown in March 2020 was a kneejerk reaction, it was supported by a weak legal instrument. One may argue that there was no alternative but to invoke the century-old epidemic diseases act and disaster management act. But 15 months down the line, there is still no discussion of a more relevant and more humane legal framework that will enable the government to handle epidemics without harassing citizens. If the enforcement of the lockdown was characteristic of a middle class mentality dominating governance, the absence of any thinking and action on the legal framework represents cynicism about legal instruments of governance. third, both pre-budget and budgetary provisions for economic safety, relief and protection have been far too inadequate, mired in misleading numbers and unnecessarily centralised. What should have been a component of the early announcement of lockdown, came months later and without clarity about the source of funds and modality of utilisation. By then, on the twin axes of harshness of lockdown and adequacy/inadequacy of relief, India’s policy left much to be improved. All these three instances of mishandling point to an imaginary division between governance and democracy. the non-sense of the past two decades called “good governance” had prodded administrators, analysts and the general public into believing that good governance is only about outcomes, and less about procedures. the primary lesson is that governance is so called only when its delivery and authority are practised democratically.
four, knowing full well that vaccination can be a mid-term method to handle the crisis, our government waited too long to roll out the vaccine policy. Initial haste was followed by prevarication about which vaccine, to whom and when. We shall not know the details of vaccine-diplomacy and what it yielded, but we know by experience that what followed is vaccine chaos. that chaos is further compounded by a complex and multilayered pricing policy. So, we are now caught between the populist attraction of “free-vaccineto-all” and a very real scenario of vaccine-to-the-middle-class-only. finally, 15 months later, what is our preparedness in terms of health infrastructure? Most states have taken recourse to temporary “jumbo” facilities which do not even serve the current purpose. Publicity that railway coaches are turned into temporary Covid shelters may be good Pr, but that surely is not health infrastructure. While it does take time to be built, collective policy imagination lacks determination to improve health infrastructure for the citizens. Neither longterm plans nor new budget provisions have emerged from this crisis. the second wave proved much more fearsome because we had only makeshift shelters erected earlier which were then “closed” down and were often not usable when the second wave came. Misgovernance often looks for tactical distractions. Just as the above instances are unforgivable, the distractions, which in ordinary times might seem laughable at best and cynical at worst, only become additional sins in the current tragedy. the approach to handling the pandemic remained that of event management. there was no dearth of cheerleaders for this approach and all those who encouraged it have blood on their hands. then, huge resources flowed in to the PM CAreS but quickly this fund was firewalled and we simply do not know how much money went into it, who decided on its use and what use it was put to. this is not just about transparency, it is also about how we understand governance. Similarly, in the midst of the economic slowdown came the distraction of “atma-nirbhar”. While there can always be a healthy debate on the extent and use of self-reliance, the timing was curious and avoidable. But, more generally, this distraction only reflected the overall abdication by the Centre. Postlockdown, the pandemic disappeared from its public communication. Suddenly, everything was dumped into the laps of the states. At any point, such a largescale human tragedy required statesmanship, partnership and collaboration. But misgovernance began with a one-way street to salvation in the early stages and then degenerated into a dirty blame game. While one layer of this blame game is party-based, the larger part is structural — how the Centre and the states should have joined hands. When narrow politics dominates, governance turns into continuous one-upmanship. When one party begins doing that, the temptation of doing the same becomes attractive for other parties too, consolidating the syndrome. the last resort of misgovernance is to penalise the citizen and the political opponent. We have now entered that stage with threats of seizure of property for criticism of the mistakes and misdoings and probably even for stating the facts. Authoritarian rule is the quick but durable outcome of misgovernance and the pandemic has shown this the hard way. The writer, based at Pune, taught political science and is currently chief editor, Studies in Indian Politics.
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
BUSINESS 09
ISLAMABAD
MAzdooR KA EHSAAS REPoRT lAunCHEd FoR lABouR wElFARE
corporate corner PSo enters into partnership with PARCo and PAPCo* KARACHI: A A Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has signed multiple infrastructural MoUs of strategic importance with Pak Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) and Pak Arab Pipeline Company (PAPCO) which aims to safeguard the country’s petroleum product supply chain and enable economical and environment friendly transportation of fuels. The entities will jointly develop a strategic pipeline link of 20 km between the ports of Keamari and Port Qasim for the transportation of motor gasoline and high speed diesel called the Keamari Korangi Link Pipeline 2 (KKLP-II) which will create sustainable and environment friendly initiatives as it will significantly reduce harmful tailpipe emissions, ensure safe transportation of highly volatile petroleum products and ease traffic congestion in Karachi and other cities. PRESS RElEASE
ISLAMABAD
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APP
HSAAS has launched 'Mazdoor Ka Ehsaas Report' to safeguard the labour welfare. The report was launched in a webinar on Saturday on the eve of World Labour Day which was co-chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar and SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Syed Zulfikar Bukhari. The panel included Labour Economist Dr Aliya Khan and representatives from Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Employers Federation Pakistan (EFP), Pakistan Workers’ Federation (PWF), World Bank and Asian Development Bank
Pre-bookings for Huawei watch Fit open nationwide KARACHI: A A Huawei Consumer Business Group has opened pre-bookings for its latest fitness watch, H HUAWEI WATCH H FIT for Rs21, 999/- only. This is Huawei’s first smart sports watch which encourages users to get into new forms of exercise through a variety of animated fitness courses, workout modes and scientific health tracking features. The HUAWEI H Watch Fit can be pre-ordered from retailers nationwide or exclusively on Daraz.pk, Telemart.pk, OLX.com.pk and cubeonline.pk. PRESS RElEASE
(ADB). Addressing the webinar, Dr Sania Nishtar said the report is the first of its kind that will help the government focus on universalising the social protection system in Pakistan and with a particular emphasis on including informal economy workers in the fold of social protection. As per details, the newly launched report recommends that every labour worker in Pakistan should be provided with the social protection and minimum standard of living. Interventions for expanding social protection with maximum multiplier gains for the labour class have been proposed by the Ehsaas Labour Expert Group (LEG) which includes distinguished experts representing the government at the federal and provincial levels, employers, trade unions, academia, private sector, development partners and NGOs.
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia to sign loan deal Islamabad and Riyadh will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a $500 million loan during next week’s visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan, as both countries seek to revive bilateral ties which were strained for a year over differences on regional issues. As per local media reports, Pakistan is going to share a new oil refinery policy with the kingdom. Two years ago, Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood had announced that Saudi Arabia would set up a $5 billion to $7 billion oil refinery with the deadline to complete feasibility and technical studies in 15 to 18 months. However, the project remains untouched.
LAHORE: A Raaziq Group launches new e-Commerce portal, Reana, today with up to 40 per cent discounts on some of the largest brands such as L'Oréal, Huda H Beauty, MAC, and The Body Shop among others at https://reana.pk/. PR
According to Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Power and PM’s Aide on Petroleum, Tabish Gauhar, the Petroleum Division had cleared a draft oil refinery policy, which would be shared with Saudi Arabia during the prime minister’s visit. “A draft summary has already been circulated among relevant ministries for their input. Saudi Arabia could avail 20-year income tax holiday on investment in the oil refinery under the new policy,” said Gauhar, adding that the government will not give guarantees on the internal rate of return on investment, product offtake and pricing, and it will be a commercial
decision by Saudi Arabia to invest in the oil refinery. He said that the existing five oil refineries would also be given protection under the new policy, stressing the need for providing environment-friendly products to consumers. Moreover, the two countries may also sign an MoU on green partnership under which existing oil refineries would be asked to upgrade their products to Euro-V standards under a new time frame. It is pertinent to mention here that around 40 per cent of the upgrade cost will be borne by consumers and the remaining will be borne by the refineries. MONITORING REPORT
Pakistan to seek debt restructuring of CPEC power projects
KP releases 22pc of PFC Award with fiscal year ending PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has so far released just 22 per cent of the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) Award for the fiscal year 2020-21 (FY21). The government has allocated Rs15.24 billion for the current financial year under the PFC out of which a total of Rs3.277 billion has been released so far, failing to release 78 per cent of the award that totals Rs11.965 billion. According to sources in the Finance Department, the commission, despite the availability of funds, has a very low disbursement rate of 22 per cent whereas it should have released more than 60 per cent to Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs) of the province. Earlier, the funds of the PFC Award were released through the Local Government Department but are now released directly by the Finance Department which results in selective disbursement of funds, leaving many TMAs deprived. Moreover, tribal districts have not received their share either as new TMAs have not received a separate status. At present, there are 94 tehsil municipal administrations in the province.
Islamabad will seek debt restructuring of $3 billion against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) energy projects in an effort to eliminate the need for increasing the power tariff by Rs1.50 per unit, Special Assistant to the PM on Power and Petroleum Tabish Gohar told The Express Tribune on Saturday. According to the report, Pakistan is scheduled to make Rs435 billion or nearly $3 billion principal repayments to 12 Chinese independent power producers in three years. “The government will request China to consider restructuring of the $3 billion repayments for 10 to 12 years, which in return will reduce the tariff increase requirements by Rs1.50 per unit.” China has set up 12 power plants under the CPEC and the repayments of the Chinese debt are included in
the electricity tariffs. The consumers would pay them in rupees. However, the government would return them in dollars. Explaining the preposition, Gohar said Pakistan would request China to set up a one-time CPEC debt refinancing fund of $3 billion, which will be used to pay to the Chinese companies. After 12 years, the government would recover the amount from the consumers to repay to China, he added. “The proposal has been discussed with the Chinese ambassador to Pakistan and now it needs to be taken up at the highest level by both the countries,” the SAPM elaborated. “We do not want to embarrass our friend but the fact is that half of the IPPs’ payments are related to Chinese power projects.” MONITORING REPORT
Sri Lanka declares worst economic downturn in 73 years COLOMBO AGENCIES
Sri Lanka announced Friday that its economy shrank 3.6 per cent last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, making it the worst downturn since independence from Britain in 1948. The unprecedented recession compared with a 2.3 per cent GDP growth in 2019, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said in its annual report for 2020.
It hoped the economy would rebound in 2021 and record an optimistic six percent growth on the back of improved local manufacturing and services. “The pandemic has also offered an opportunity to reset the economy’s focus and to address longstanding structural weaknesses and establish a production-based, productivity-driven economy,” the bank said. The pandemic hit the island’s lucrative tourism sector while sharp contractions were seen in construction, manufacturing as well as in services, the bank said.
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It said the central government’s debt also rose to 101 percent of GDP last year, up from 86.8 percent of GDP in the previous year, underscoring the debt crisis faced by the South Asian nation. International rating agencies have expressed fears for Sri Lanka’s ability to service its huge foreign debt as the country’s foreign reserves fell sharply in the past year. The island’s economy was trying to recover from the effects of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people when the pandemic hit in early 2020.
The report recommends a mechanism to register all informal sector workers, including those in the agricultural sector. To this end, Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division (PASSD) is setting up a dedicated unit to continuously work for the welfare of informal sector workers, agriculture sector workers as well as workers in the formal sector who are not protected by current social security measures. SAPM Dr Sania said that the Labour Force Survey 2017-18 microdata suggests that 24.89 million workers are at-risk for jobs disruption and income losses; however, the government has taken unprecedented steps to minimise the economic damage due to the coronavirus pandemic. The panel of experts widely lauded and endorsed the insightful findings of the report and its recommendations for implementation.
‘Suki Kinari Hydro Power project to be completed next year’ ISLAMABAD APP
China Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC Authority Chairman Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa Friday said that about 60 per cent work of the Suki Kinari Hydro Power Project had been completed. He said the project that is being executed under the framework of CPEC would become operational in December 2022. In his tweet after attending the secondary river closure ceremony of the 884 MW hydro power project, Bajwa said the project was located at River Kunhar, Kaghan and the total cost of the project was $2 billion.
PM commends FBR on 57pc growth in April tax collection Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday commended the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on achieving growth of 57 per cent in tax collection in April, 2021. Taking to Twitter, the prime minister said, “I commend FBR efforts on achieving growth of 57pc in April 2021 with collections recorded at Rs384 billion compared to Rs240bn in April 2020. During July-April, tax collections reached Rs3, 780 billion, which is 14pc higher than the same period last year”. The prime minister said that the rise in FBR revenue indicates that the government policies have led to broadbased economic revival. According to sources, the tax department collected Rs3, 780 billion during the first ten months of the current fiscal year. “FBR achieved its ten-month revenue target, as well as that of the month of April, due to increase in imports,” they said. The tax department now has to collect Rs911 billion in the remaining two months of the fiscal year 2020-21. Officials are optimistic that the tax department will meet the revised revenue target of Rs4, 693 billion easily. It is pertinent to note that the government has set Rs4, 963 billion as revenue target during the current fiscal year, but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has allowed the government to revise it down to Rs4, 693 billion during its review held in March. NEWS DESK
Turkey adds crypto firms to money laundering, terror financing rules ANKARA: Turkey added cryptocurrency trading platforms to the list of firms covered by anti-money laundering and terrorism financing regulation, it said in a presidential decree published early on Saturday. The Official Gazette said the country’s latest expansion of rules governing cryptocurrency transactions would take immediate effect and cover “crypto asset service providers”, which would be liable to the existing regulations. Last month Turkey’s central bank banned the use of crypto assets for payments on the grounds such transactions were risky. In the days that followed two Turkey-based cryptocurrency trading platforms were halted under separate investigations. AGENCIES
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
10 FOREIGN NEWS
ISLAMABAD
Formal start oF Final phase oF aFghan pullout by us, nato KABUL
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Agencies
HE final phase of ending America’s “forever war” in Afghanistan after 20 years formally began Saturday, with the withdrawal of the last US and NATO troops by the end of summer. President Joe Biden had set May 1 as the official start of the withdrawal of the remaining forces — about 2,500-3,500 US troops and about 7,000 NATO soldiers. Even before Saturday, the herculean task of packing up had begun. The military has been taking inventory, deciding what is shipped back to the US, what is handed to the Afghan security forces, and what is sold as junk in Afghanistan’s markets. In recent weeks, the military has been flying out equipment on massive C-17 cargo planes. The US is estimated to have spent more than $2 trillion in Afghanistan in the past two decades, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University, which documents the hidden costs of the US military engage-
ment. Defense Department officials and diplomats told The Associated Press the withdrawal has involved closing smaller bases over the last year. They said that since Biden announced the end-of-summer withdrawal date in mid-April, only roughly 60 military personnel had left the country. The US and its NATO allies went into Afghanistan together on October 7, 2001, to hunt the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks who lived under the protection of the country’s Taliban rulers. Two months later, the Taliban had been defeated and alQaida fighters and their leader, Osama bin Laden, were on the run. In his withdrawal announcement last month, Biden said the initial mission was accomplished a decade ago when US Navy SEALS killed bin Laden in his hideout in neighboring Pakistan. Since then, al-Qaida has been degraded, while the terrorist threat has “metastasized” into a global phenomenon that is not contained by keeping thousands of troops in one country, he said. Until now the US and NATO have re-
ceived no promises from the Taliban that they won’t attack troops during the pullout. In a response to AP questions, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said the Taliban leadership was still mulling over its strategy. The insurgent group continues to accuse Washington of breaching the deal it signed with Biden’s predecessor more than a year
ago. In that agreement, the US said it would have all troops out by May 1. In a statement Saturday, Taliban military spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the passing of the May 1 deadline for a complete withdrawal “opened the way for (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) mujahidin to take every counteraction it deems appropriate
against the occupying forces.” However, he said fighters on the battlefield will wait for a decision from the leadership before launching any attacks and that decision will be based on “the sovereignty, values and higher interests of the country.” Violence has spiked in Afghanistan since the February 2020 deal was signed. Peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government, which were part of the agreement, quickly bogged down. On Friday, a truck bomb in eastern Logar province killed 21 people, many of them police and students. Afghans have paid the highest price since 2001, with 47,245 civilians killed, according to the Costs of War project. Millions more have been displaced inside Afghanistan or have fled to Iran and Europe. Afghanistan’s security forces are expected to come under increasing pressure from the Taliban after the withdrawal if no peace agreement is reached in the interim, according to Afghan watchers. Since the start of the war, they have taken heavy losses, with estimates ranging from 66,000 to 69,000 Afghan troops killed. The Afghan military has been battered by corruption. The US and NATO pay $4 billion a year to sustain the force. Some 300,000 Afghan troops are on the books, although the actual number is believed to be lower. Commanders have been found to inflate the numbers to collect paychecks of so-called “ghost soldiers,” according to the US watchdog monitoring Washington’s spending in Afghanistan.
Hospital fire kills 18 virus patients as India steps up jabs NEW DELHI Agencies
A fire in a Covid-19 hospital ward in western India killed 18 patients early Saturday, as the country grappling with the worst outbreak yet steps up a vaccination drive for all its adults even though some states say don’t have enough jabs. India on Saturday set yet another daily global record with 401,993 new cases, taking its tally to more than 19.1 million. Another 3,523 people died in the past 24 hours, raising the overall fatalities to 211,853, according to the Health Ministry. Experts believe both figures are an undercount. The fire broke out in a Covid-19 ward on the ground floor and was extinguished within an hour, police said. The cause is being investigated. Thirty-one other patients at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, a town in Gujarat state, were rescued by hospital workers and firefighters and their condition was stable, said
police officer B.M Parmar. Eighteen others died in the blaze and smoke before rescuers could reach them, Parmar said. On April 23, a fire in an intensive care unit killed 13 Covid-19 patients in the Virar area on the outskirts of Mumbai. Eight Covid-19 patients, including a doctor, died at a New Delhi hospital after it ran short of oxygen supplies, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. There was no confirmation by hospital officials. The New Delhi television news channel also said an attorney for the Batra hospital told a New Delhi court that the hospital ran out of oxygen supply for 80 minutes on Saturday before the tank was replenished. Hospitals in the Indian capital have been complaining of emergencies caused by irregular oxygen supplies by manufacturers due to the sudden rise in demand. Faced with an unprecedented surge in cases that has filled hospitals and crematoriums, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government described the pandemic as a
“once-in-a-century crisis.” Modi held a Cabinet meeting Friday that discussed steps to save the country’s crumbling health system by adding hospital beds, resolving issues in production, storage and transport of oxygen and tackling the shortage of essential medicines. Television images showed a woman gasping for breath in her car while her family looked for a hospital bed on the outskirts of New Delhi. The 33-year-old woman couldn’t find room at three hospitals and died in the car on Friday, The Times of India newspaper reported. Eight Covid-19 patients, including a doctor, died at a New Delhi hospital after it ran short of oxygen supplies, the Press trust of India news agency reported. There was no confirmation by the hospital officials. Media reports said that an attorney for the Batra hospital told a New Delhi court that the hospital ran out of supply of oxygen for 80 minutes before the tank was replenished. Hospitals in the Indian capital have been complaining of disruption in oxygen supplies by manufacturers due to sudden rise
in demand caused by the massive spike in coronavirus infections. The government on Saturday shifted its faltering vaccination campaign into high gear by saying all adults 18 and over were getting their shots. Since January, nearly 10 percent of Indians have received one dose, but only around 1.5 percent have received both, although India is one of the world’s biggest producers of vaccines. Some states already said they don’t have enough doses for everyone. Even the ongoing effort to inoculate people above 45 is stuttering. The state of Maharashtra has said it won’t be able to start on Saturday. Satyender Jain, the health minister in the capital, New Delhi, said earlier this week that the city doesn’t have enough doses to vaccinate people between 18 and 44. The US meanwhile joined a growing list of countries restricting travel from India, the White House said, citing the devastating rise in Covid-19 cases and the emergence of po-
tentially dangerous variants of the coronavirus. President Joe Biden spoke Monday with Modi about the growing health crisis and pledged to immediately send assistance. This week, the US began delivering therapeutics, rapid virus tests, and oxygen to India, along with some materials needed for India to boost its domestic production of Covid-19 vaccines. Additionally, a CDC team of public health experts was expected to be on the ground soon to help Indian health officials move to slow the spread of the virus. Other nations have also sent assistance, and the Indian air force airlifted oxygen containers from Singapore, Dubai, and Bangkok. A German military aircraft with 120 ventilators for India departed Saturday morning from Cologne, and plans were being made for other flights with more supplies. Also on board was a team of 13 that will help prepare to set up a mobile oxygen production unit that will be flown to India next week, German news agency DPA said.
Scientists say India govt ignored warnings amid coronavirus surge NEW DELHI Agencies
A forum of scientific advisers set up by the government warned Indian officials in early March of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country, five scientists who are part of the forum told Reuters. Despite the warning, four of the scientists said the federal government did not seek to impose major restrictions to stop the spread of the virus. Millions of largely unmasked people attended religious festivals and political rallies that were held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition politicians. Tens of thousands of farmers, meanwhile, continued to camp on the edge of New Delhi protesting Modi’s agricultural policy changes. The world’s second-most populous country is now struggling to contain a second wave of infections much more severe than its first last year, which some scientists say is being accelerated by the new variant and another variant first detected in Britain. India reported 386,452 new cases on Friday, a global record. The spike in infections is India’s biggest crisis since Modi took office in 2014. It remains to be seen how his handling of it might affect Modi or his party politically. The next general election is due in 2024. Voting in the most recent local elections was largely completed before the scale of the new surge in infections became apparent. The warning about the new variant in early March was issued by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genetics Consortium, or INSACOG. It was conveyed to a top official who reports directly to the prime minister, according to one of the scientists, the director of a research centre in northern India who spoke on condition of anonymity. Reuters could not determine whether the INSACOG findings were passed on to Modi himself. Modi’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
INSACOG was set up as a forum of scientific advisers by the government in late December specifically to detect genomic variants of the coronavirus that might threaten public health. INSACOG brings together 10 national laboratories capable of studying virus variants. INSACOG researchers first detected B.1.617, which is now known as the Indian variant of the virus, as early as February, Ajay Parida, director of the state-run Institute of Life Sciences and a member of INSACOG, told Reuters. INSACOG shared its findings with the health ministry’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) before March 10, warning that infections could quickly increase in parts of the country, the director of the northern India research centre told Reuters. The findings were then passed on to the Indian health ministry, this person said. The health ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Around that date, INSACOG began to prepare a draft media statement for the health ministry. A version of that draft, seen by Reuters, set out the forum’s findings: the new Indian variant had two significant mutations to the portion of the virus that attaches to human cells, and it had been traced in 15 percent to 20 percent of samples from Maharashtra, India’s worst-affected state. The draft statement said that the mutations, called E484Q and L452R, were of “high concern.” It said “there is data of E484Q mutant viruses escaping highly neutralising antibodies in cultures, and there is data that L452R mutation was responsible for both increased transmissibility and immune escape.” In other words, essentially, this meant that mutated versions of the virus could more easily enter a human cell and counter a person’s immune response to it. The ministry made the findings public about two weeks later, on March 24, when it issued a statement to the media that did not include the words “high concern.” The statement said only that more problematic variants required the following measures already underway — increased testing and quarantine. Testing has since nearly
doubled to 1.9 million tests a day. Asked why the government did not respond more forcefully to the findings, for example by restricting large gatherings, Shahid Jameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of INSACOG, said he was concerned that authorities were not paying enough attention to the evidence as they set policy. “Policy has to be based on evidence and not the other way around,” he told Reuters. “I am worried that science was not taken into account to drive policy. But I know where my jurisdiction stops. As scientists we provide the evidence, policymaking is the job of the government.” The northern India research centre director told Reuters the draft media release was sent to the most senior bureaucrat in the country, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, who reports directly to the prime minister. Reuters was unable to learn whether Modi or his office were informed of the findings. Gauba did not respond to a request for comment. The government took no steps to prevent gatherings that might hasten the spread of the new variant, as new infections quadrupled by April 1 from a month earlier. Modi, some of his top lieutenants, and dozens of other politicians, including opposition figures, held rallies across the country for local elections throughout March and into April. The government also allowed the weeks-long Kumbh Mela religious festival, attended by millions of Hindus, to proceed from mid-March. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of farmers were allowed to remain camped on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi to protest against new agriculture laws. To be sure, some scientists say the surge was much larger than expected and the setback cannot be pinned on political leadership alone. “There is no point blaming the government,” Saumitra Das, director of the National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, which is part of INSACOG, told Reuters. STRICT MEASURES NOT TAKEN: INSACOG reports to the National Centre for Disease Control in New Delhi. NCDC director Sujeet Kumar Singh recently told
a private online gathering that strict lockdown measures had been needed in early April, according to a recording of the meeting reviewed by Reuters. “The exact time, as per our thinking, was 15 days before,” Singh said in the April 19 meeting, referring to the need for stricter lockdown measures. Singh did not say during the meeting whether he warned the government directly of the need for action at that time. Singh declined to comment to Reuters. Singh told the April 19 gathering that more recently, he had relayed the urgency of the matter to government officials. “It was highlighted very, very clearly that unless drastic measures are taken now, it will be too late to prevent the mortality which we are going to see,” said Singh, referring to a meeting which took place on April 18. He did not identify which government officials were in the meeting or describe their seniority. Singh said some government officials in the meeting worried that mid-sized towns could see law and order problems as essential medical supplies like oxygen ran out, a scenario that has already begun to play out in parts of India. The need for urgent action was also expressed the week before by the National Task Force for Covid19, a group of 21 experts and government officials set up last April to provide scientific and technical guidance to the health ministry on the pandemic. It is chaired by V.K. Paul, Modi’s top coronavirus adviser. The group had a discussion on April 15 and “unanimously agreed that the situation is serious and that we should not hesitate in imposing lockdowns,” said one scientist who took part. Paul was present at the discussion, according to the scientist. Reuters could not determine if Paul relayed the group’s conclusion to Modi. Paul did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Two days after Singh’s April 18 warning to government officials, Modi addressed the nation on April 20, arguing against lockdowns. He said a lockdown should be the last resort in fighting the virus. India’s two-monthlong national lockdown a year ago put millions out of work and devastated the economy.
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
SPORTS 11
ISLAMABAD
PakisTan beaT ZiMbabwe by an innings and 116 runs in firsT TesT
Top seed Zverev crashes out in Munich MUNICH
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Top seed Alexander Zverev crashed out of Munich's ATP clay court tournament after a shock defeat to qualifier Ilya Ivashka in the quarter-finals on Friday. Despite winning the opening set on a tie-breaker, Zverev, the 2017 and 2018 Munich champion, bowed out 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 3-6 after Ivashka of Belarus converted his first match point. The 27-year-old is ranked 101 places below world number six Zverev, 24, who made numerous errors. "This is a match I should never have lost - I'm sad and disappointed", admitted Germany's Zverev. Half of his 14 double faults came in the deciding set as Zverev lost after two hours, 33 minutes while Ivashka reached a semi-final on tour for the first time in his career. In Saturday's semis, Ivashka faces Germany's JanLennard Struff who needed exactly three hours to seal a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3) win over fourth-seeded Filip Krajinovic. "Ivashka is playing quite good tennis here," said Struff after the 27-year-old Belarusian "blew away" Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 6-1, 6-2 in the first round. This is the first time the 31-year-old Struff has reached the semis in Munich since 2014 and this will be his eighth attempt to reach the final of an ATP tournament for the first time. "I haven't yet taken that final step to play for a title and, of course, I would like to do that," Struff added. The remaining quarter-finals between Australia's John Millman and Norway's Casper Ruud, plus Nikoloz Basilashvili's match with lucky loser Norbert Gombos, will be finished Saturday after rain interupted both ties.
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EAMER Hasan Ali took nine wickets in the match as Pakistan defeated hosts Zimbabwe by an innings and 116 runs after tea on the third day of the first Test at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday. Hasan moved past 50 Test wickets as he took a career-best 5-36 to help bowl Zimbabwe out for 134. He recorded figures of 4-53 during the home side's firstinnings score of 176. Pakistan posted 426 in reply, anchored by Fawad Alam’s superb 140 which put the tourists into a commanding position. Tarisai Musakanda top-scored in Zimbabwe's second innings with a career-best 43 before he was needlessly run out chasing a suicidal third run. It was a wasted opportunity for the PAKISTAN batsman who had been elevated from his usual number three position to open due 426 (FAWAD 140, BUTT to an injury to Prince Masvaure who 91, ABID 60, MUZARABANI did not bat in the second innings. DEFEAT ZIMBABWE 176 4-73) Hasan's ability to get reverse swing on the slow surface helped him (KAIA 48, AFRIDI 4-43 HASAN 4-53) rip through the Zimbabwe middle AND 134 (MUSAKANDA 43 and lower order, and he was ably sup, HASAN 5-36) BY AN INNINGS ported by left-arm spinner Nauman Ali (2-27). AND 116 RUNS Fawad’s 140 from 204 balls included 20 fours, before he was the last man out by wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva. Seamer chasing quick runs to boost his side’s total. Donald Tiripano completed figures of 3-89. He became the fourth wicket for seamer Blessing Fawad, who takes a bizarre front-on stance at the Muzarabani (4-73) after a bottom edge that well taken crease, has now scored a century on all four occasions
he has passed 50 in Test cricket. Openers Imran Butt (91) and Abid Ali (60) also scored fifties for the touring side. The second and final Test will be played at the same venue from Friday.
Jayawickrama takes six Madrid Open: Osaka makes winning wickets as hosts boss return to clay, Brady beats Venus Bangladesh in Kandy MADRID
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KANDY AGENCIES
The left-arm spinner snared 6-92 on day three, including Bangladesh top-scorer Tamim Iqbal (92), as the Tigers were rolled for 251 in reply to their hosts' 493-7 declared before Sri Lanka closed on 17-2 in their second innings with a lead of 259 having opted against enforcing the follow-on. Jayawickrama follows Kosala Kuruppuarachchi (vs Pakistan in 1986), Upul Chandana (vs Pakistan in 1999), Akila Dananjaya (vs Bangladesh in 2018) and Lasith Embuldeniya (vs South Africa in 2019) in claiming a debut fivefor, with his figures the best of that group having beaten Chandana's 6-179. The 22-year-old made Saif Hassan (25) his maiden Test scalp when he had the right-hander caught at gully by Dhananjaya de Silva to break an opening stand of 98 with Tamim. Jayawickrama then went on to have
Tamim caught at slip by Lahiru Thirimanne, while his lbw dismissal of Mushfiqur Rahim (40) triggered Bangladesh losing their final seven wickets for 37 runs. The debutant also had Liton Das (8) caught in the cordon by Thirimanne and trapped Mehidy Hasan Miraz (16) and Taskin Ahmed (0) lbw. Fellow spinner Ramesh Mendis inflicted back-to-back ducks on first-Test centurion Nazmul Hossain Shanto and also removed Tigers captain Mominul Haque (49), while seamer Suranga Lakmal dismissed tailenders Taijul Islam (9) and Shoriful Islam (0). Mominul - dropped on one and 11 off Jayawickrama - had shared half-century stands with Tamim and Mushfiqur to steer Bangladesh to 214-3 but the subsequent collapse left them 242 runs behind on first innings. Thirimanne (2) and Oshada Fernando (1) - who had hit 140 and 81 respectively in Sri Lanka's first innings - fell cheaply before stumps but the home side are still well on top.
SRI LANKA 493 FOR 7 DEC (THIRIMANNE 140, KARUNARATNE 118, TASKIN 4-127) AND 17 FOR 2 LEAD BANGLADESH 251 ALL OUT (TAMIM 92, MOMINUL 49, JAYAWICKRAMA 6-92) BY 259 RUNS
Japan’s Naomi Osaka began her bid to capture a first clay court title with a 7-5, 6-2 win over compatriot Misaki Doi in the opening round of the Madrid Open on Friday. The 23-year-old world No 2 recovered from an early break to ease into the last 32 in 87 minutes on the back of six aces, the last of which came on match point, and five breaks of serve. For left-handed Doi, the world 79, it was a 21st loss in 21 meetings against top 10 players. Osaka, the reigning US and Australian Open champion, has seven career hard court titles to her name, but has never managed to lift a clay court trophy. The closest she came to breaking that run was a semi-final spot in Stuttgart in 2019. “I try to play my natural way. I would say if I start thinking about grinding too much, I become a bit of a pusher and it’s not really good for me,” said Osaka who is playing her first clay court event since a thirdround loss at Roland Garros in 2019. “When I was playing on clay that year, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I didn’t feel uncomfortable sliding or I didn’t feel that tired. “So I’m actually really excited to get that mindset back and to start feeling more comfortable on clay,” added Osaka after firing 26 winners past Doi. Osaka, a quarter-finalist in Madrid two years ago, will tackle Karolina Muchova, the
20th-ranked Czech, in the next round after securing her third win in three meetings with Doi. “I definitely do feel a lot of extra pressure,” said Osaka on facing other Japanese players. “I never really know what to expect because I feel like she always plays better when I play against her, so it’s a bit tough to manage controlling my emotions.” Greek 16th seed Maria Sakkari, who ended Osaka’s 23-match winning run in Miami earlier this month, also made the next round. Sakkari dropped the opening seven games against Amanda Anisimova of the United States before hitting back to win 0-6, 6-1, 6-4. Like Osaka, big-hitting Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, a nine-time champion on the WTA Tour, is still seeking a first clay court title. On Friday, the 22-year-old at least broke her Madrid duck after first round exits
in 2018 and 2019. Sabalenka was too strong for 36-yearold Vera Zvonareva of Russia, winning 6-1, 6-2 on the back of 37 winners. Jessica Pegula of the United States defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 7-6 (7/5), 6-3. Cirstea, 31, had won the Istanbul clay court title last weekend, her second career triumph coming 13 years after her first. Romanian third seed Simona Halep, the Madrid champion in 2016 and 2017, defeated Spain’s 46th-ranked Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-0, 7-5. Russia’s Daria Kasatkina, meanwhile, needed eight match points to knock out Romanian qualifier IrinaCamelia Begu 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/1) in just over three hours. Former world number one Victoria Azarenka, twice a runner-up in the Spanish capital, made the last 32 with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia.
Leicester miss consolidating third place after draw at 10-man Southampton LONDON AGENCIES
Leicester missed a chance to cement their grip on third place in the Premier League after a 1-1 draw against 10-man Southampton at St Mary’s on Friday. Southampton had to play 80 minutes without Danish defender Jannik Vestergaard after he was sent off for a foul on Jamie Vardy. But James Ward-Prowse’s second half penalty briefly put Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side ahead before Jonny Evans headed Leicester’s equaliser. Leicester remain in third place, but fourth placed Chelsea would close the gap to just two points if they beat struggling Fulham on Saturday. Fourth place will be reduced to a Europa
League qualification spot if Chelsea win the Champions League, Arsenal win the Europa League and both clubs finish outside the top four. So Leicester need to hang onto third place to be sure of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Fourth place might still be enough for Brendan Rodgers’ team, but they have only four matches left to guarantee their berth in Europe’s elite club competition. “A little frustrating, but I don’t think we did enough to win the game. A great opportunity against 10 men and we’re normally very good at that,” Rodgers said. “Give credit to Southampton, they defended deep and compact but we’re disappointed. The speed was too slow. We didn’t really start to play with that tempo until we got the equaliser.
“When we get back in again on Monday it is another point towards where we want to go. We’ve now got four games to go. We’re in a brilliant position.” In an FA Cup semifinal rematch after Leicester’s 1-0 win at Wembley two weeks ago, Southampton gave a better account of themselves to end their three-game losing streak. DEFIANT SOUTHAMPTON: Leicester had powered to a top-flight away record 9-0 win against Southampton on their previous visit to St Mary’s in 2019. But they found it much tougher this time and should have been behind early on when Nathan Tella, unmarked eight yards from goal, shot weakly at Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel. Southampton were reduced to 10 men in the 10th minute after Vestergaard’s slip left
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Vardy clean through on the edge of the penalty area. Vestergaard responded to his blunder with a desperate lunging tackle, but although the centre-back made contact with the ball, he clattered into Vardy’s ankle in the process, earning a red card from referee Robert Jones. It took over half an hour for Leicester to carve out a serious chance when Kelechi Iheanacho picked out Youri Tielemans and the Belgian’s low drive forced a fine save from Saints keeper Alex McCarthy at his near post. Southampton were battling impressively and they took the lead in the 61st minute thanks to a helping hand from Iheanacho. Stuart Armstrong’s shot thumped into Iheanacho’s out-stretched arm and Jones pointed to the spot, with Ward-Prowse
smashing the penalty past Schmeichel for his ninth goal this season. Finally hitting their stride, Leicester equalised in the 68th minute as Evans met Iheanacho’s pin-point cross with a powerful header that gave McCarthy no chance. Vardy, set up by James Maddison’s pass, could have won it for Leicester with seven minutes left, but McCarthy made a brilliant save with his legs to repel the closerange effort. Meanwhile, Manchester City moved to the brink of a third title in four seasons as a piece of magic by Sergio Aguero set it on the way to a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace. Pep Guardiola's side was totally dominant, but missed a cutting edge until Aguero's stunning half-volley finish just before the hour mark broke Palace's resolve.
Sunday, 2 May, 2021
Prayer Timings
NEWS
FAJR SUNRISE
ZUHR
ASR MAGHRIB ISHA
3:54
12:00
4:44
5:21
6:39
8:07
PM, PresideNT Pledge To iMProve workiNg, liviNg CoNdiTioNs for labourers ISLAMABAD
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TLTP
RESIdENT dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on the occasion of International Labour day have reiterated the government’s commitment to improve working and living conditions, provide housing and education facilities, and extend health cover to the labourers and their families. In his message, President Alvi urged workers and employers of the country to come forward and play their role in making Pakistan a symbol of efficiency, cooperation and progress. He said, “On this day, we reaffirm our resolve to continue our efforts for the dignity of labour and pay tribute to their valiant and heroic struggle for their fundamental rights.” Prime Minister Khan in his message said the day provides an opportunity to acknowledge invaluable contributions of the labourers, both inland and abroad, towards nation building. He said the government also aims to develop automated, integrated systems for workers’ welfare institutions to ensure transparency and to curtail delays in providing relief to the workers. The premier further consoled the nation by stating that the government is fully aware of the challenges faced due to the
Covid-19 situation. He said a policy is being constructed that strikes a balance between the lives and livelihood of people and enable the workforce to earn sufficiently for their families during the pandemic. Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that bringing change in the lives of
labourers and the downtrodden segments of the society is a mission for Prime Minister Imran Khan. In his message on the Labour day, he said, giving importance to health and employment, the Prime Minister’s foremost priority is to take steps for the betterment of labourers.
He said steps for the development of the housing sector and Ehsaas programme is manifestation of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s strong commitment to the labourers. He said development of labour and protection of his rights can become the guarantor of collective development of the society and public welfare. Meanwhile, the information minister, in a tweet on Saturday said Prime Minister Imran Khan has special empathy for the labourers and his heart beats for them. He said half of the Saudi Arabia’s embassy has been suspended over allegations of mistreatment with labourers. He said the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution has doubled the pension for the labourers who have also been given share in the housing scheme. He said, “Prosperity of labourers is our goal.” Meanwhile, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib has expressed the government’s determination to support the daily wagers in getting their rightful place in society. In a tweet today (Saturday) on the occasion of Labour day, he commended the contributions of the workers for the development of the country. He said when the world was closed due to the Covid-19, it was the compassion of Prime Minister Imran Khan for the labourers that he did not shut the livelihood opportunities for them.
Car bomb kills at least 30 in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province KABUL agencies
A huge car bomb blast killed at least 30 people and injured dozens more in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province on Friday, officials said. The car detonated in Logar’s capital of Pul-e Alam near the home of the former head of the provincial council and not far from a hospital, didar Lawang, the spokesman for Logar’s governor, said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast.
Violence in Afghanistan has escalated in recent weeks after US President Joe Biden announced the US would withdraw troops by September 11 to end two decades of foreign military presence. That decision angered the Taliban who had signed a deal with previous US president donald Trump that specified troops would be gone from the country by May 1 subject to certain security guarantees. Interior ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian said that the death toll from Friday’s blast could rise. Around 60 people were wounded, according to the head of Logar’s
provincial council, Hasibullah Stanekzai. A ministry of health spokesperson said
around 40 people had been taken to hospital, some in a critical condition.
Pakistan condemns attack Pakistan issued a strong condemnation of the terrorist attack in Logar province of Afghanistan. The foreign office, in a statement on Saturday conveyed Pakistan’s heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured. Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stands by the Afghan brethren in their struggle against the scourge of terrorism. news desk
China, Turkey start work on new warships for Pakistan Navy ISLAMABAD TLTP
China and Turkey are preparing new warships for Pakistan to help modernise the naval force of the South Asian nation. According to details, China has begun construction of a third 054A frigate for the Pakistan Navy. A ceremony to this effect was held at Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard. On the other hand, keel laying ceremony of the second MILGEM Class Corvette being constructed for the Pakistan Navy was held at Istanbul Naval Shipyard in Turkey. Chief Naval Overseer Pakistan Navy Commodore Ehsan Ahmed Khan speaking at the ceremony said the event is a defining moment to further cement the friendship between the two strategically aligned nations. Pakistan Navy has concluded a contract for construction of four corvettes fitted with state of the art surface, subsurface and anti-air weapons and sensors integrated through an advanced Network Centric Combat Management System. The induction of corvettes will become a core element of Pakistan Navy’s kinetic response to traditional and non-traditional challenges and to maintain balance of power in the Indian Ocean Region. A spokesperson for the Pakistan Navy said both the ships being prepared by China and Turkey will be laced with modern technology, equipment and sensors. The spokesperson said the induction of these ships into the fleet will further strengthen the country's maritime defence and help maintain balance of power in the region.
Kabul urged to engage with Taliban, end cross-border terrorism ISLAMABAD sTaff rePorT
Pakistan, United States, Russia, and China have jointly called on Kabul and its negotiators to “engage openly” with their Taliban counterparts and ensure that Afghanistan’s soil is not used to threaten the security of any other country. The delegations of the “Troika” member countries met with representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban in doha to discuss ways to support intra-Afghan negotiations and help the parties reach a negotiated settlement and a permanent cease-fire. The meeting comes less than two months after the Troika countries who met in Moscow called on warring Afghan sides to reach an immediate cease-fire to end the decades-long war. The talks were meant to breathe life into negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban that opened in Qatar in September but have stalled over government accusations that the insurgents have done too little to halt the violence. Friday’s extended Troika meeting has been seen as an attempt to
convince the Taliban to be at the Istanbul Conference that is expected to be held after Eidul Fitr. The major summit was scheduled to be held earlier this month but was postponed after the militant refused to participate unless all foreign forces left Afghanistan in accordance with the group’s deal with Washington that in February last year set May 1 as the deadline for US troops to leave Afghanistan. “We urge the Government of the Islamic Republic and the High Council for National Reconciliation to engage openly with their Taliban counterparts regarding a negotiated settlement. We do not support the establishment in Afghanistan of any government imposed by force.” a joint statement issued after the doha meeting said. The governments also tried to create space for Taliban leaders to join the Afghan government by asking the United Nations to reconsider their designation as terrorists. “We support a review of the status of designations of Taliban individuals and entities on the UN 1988 sanctions,” the statement said. Practical measures to reduce violence and sustained efforts to advance intra-
Afghan negotiations by the Taliban “will positively affect this review process”, it added. The statement also called on the militant group not to “pursue a spring offensive” as a rise in violence has been feared with US President Joe Biden’s recent decision that the US withdrawal would overshoot the May 1 deadline agreed by the previous US
administration. As the deadline passed on Saturday, around 2,000 US troops still remain in Afghanistan, although Gen Scott Miller, their commander, earlier this week said an orderly withdrawal and the handing over of military bases and equipment to Afghan forces had begun. “We reiterate our call on all par-
ties to the conflict in Afghanistan to reduce the level of violence in the country and on the Taliban not to pursue a Spring offensive,” the statement said. “We condemn in the strongest terms any attacks deliberately targeting civilians in Afghanistan and call on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitar-
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
ian law in all circumstances, including those related to the protection of civilians.” The US said it also expected the Taliban to fulfill their commitment to prevent “terrorist groups and individuals from using Afghan soil to threaten the security of any other country”. Pakistan is credited with arranging the US-Taliban talks that culminated in the signing of the agreement in February last year. The deal encouraged the Taliban to open peace talks last September in doha with Afghan government negotiators, though the process has long been deadlocked and has largely failed to reduce deadly violence. Zalmay Khalilzad, the American chief peace negotiator, told lawmakers in Washington on Tuesday that the US administration had urged Islamabad to exercise their “considerable leverage” over the Taliban to reduce violence and support a negotiated settlement to the conflict. “Pakistan has a special responsibility given its influence over the Taliban, so we appreciate what Pakistan has done so far,” Khalilzad told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.