Friday, 15 October, 2021 I 8 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 107 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
PM Khan says technical issues in DG-isi’s aPPointMent to be resolveD soon
IT ministry amends social media rules; faces backlash g
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rime minister imran khan thursday said the technical issues in the appointment of the director-General of the inter-Services intelligence (dG-iSi) would soon be resolved. the pm, according to the sources, made the statement during a meeting of the pti parliamentary committee here at the national assembly. the pm had convened an emergency meeting of the ruling party’s parliamentary group at parliament house to discuss important national issues. during the meeting, the premier took the participants into confidence over the prevailing political situation in the country. the pm said “no one has a better relationship with the mili-
tary than him”, adding that there was no misunderstanding between the government and the military leadership. Several pti members protested on being suddenly called for the meeting by the chief whip of the pti, malik aamir dogar, sources said. they reportedly questioned why an emergency meeting had been called at the last minute, saying it would take time to reach islamabad. following the meeting, federal minister for information and broadcasting fawad chaudhry held a press conference, telling media that “the decision regarding the appointment of the director general of the inter-Services intelligence (iSi) will be made in an atmosphere of trust”. chaudhry quoted the premier
coronavirus in
PaKistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
1,261,685
LAST UPDATED AT 7:14 AM ON OCTOBER 14, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
28
1,016
RECOVERED:
DEATHS:
1,193,175 28,201 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
464,142
437,032
KPK:
BALOCHISTAN:
176,366 AJK/GB: 34,372/10,361
33,100 ISLAMABAD:
106,312
as saying that the “ambiguity regarding the appointment has been cleared”. “pm imran khan said that civilmilitary relations have never been as good in the entire history of the country as they are now,” said chaudhry. the federal minister said that pm imran khan and army chief Gen Qamar Javed bajwa “settle every issue together through consultation”. the minister said that the dG iSi will be appointed “soon” with the process already “underway”. meanwhile, minister for interior Sheikh rasheed has said that everything has been mutually decided and finalised and that the government and the military have a very good understanding. staff report
Social media companieS eaSed to eStabliSh officeS in pakiStan 'aS and when feaSible'
the ministry of information technology and telecommunication (moit&t) on thursday notified the amended social media rules 2021 under which pakistan telecommunication authority (pta) will give 48 hours, instead of 24 hours previously, to a social media company for removing or blocking access to online content. according to moit&t notification, the rules, titled the “removal and blocking of Unlawful online content (procedure, oversight and Safeguards) rules, 2021”, have been framed under the prevention of electronic crimes act (peca), 2016. Under the new social media rules 2021, social media companies would have to register with the pakistan telecommunication authority (pta) within three months of the law coming into force. they would also have to appoint an authorised compliance officer and grievance officer based in pakistan within the same time-frame. these officers would have to address complaints within seven working days. the rules also direct social media companies to establish an office in pakistan. moreover, the pta would give 48 hours, instead of 24 hours previously, to the service provider or social media company for removing or blocking access to online content.
Pakistan–China strategic partnership, defence collaboration is a factor of stability in the region, says COAS KARACHI staff report
General Qamar Javed bajwa, chief of army Staff (coaS) thursday said that pakistan– china strategic partnership and defence collaboration is a factor of stability in the region. he expressed these views during his visit to the army air defence centre karachi. on arrival, the coaS laid floral wreath at Shahuada monument. Senior officials from china were also present on the occasion. later, the coaS witnessed commissioning of state of the art chinese origin hQ-9/p himadS (high to medium air defence System) into pakistan army air defence. lieutenant General hamooduz Zaman khan; commander army air defence command briefed the coaS about strategic weapon system. induction of himadS will significantly enhance comprehensive layered integrated air defence (cliad) shield of aerial frontiers of pakistan as the system is fully integrated through a well-knit digitised System on its inventory.
pta can start proceedings against any service provider or a social media company that fails to remove or block access to content or comply with pta’s directions within a specified timeframe. every person or organisation shall have the right to express and disseminate any online content as enshrined under article 19 of the constitution of islamic republic of pakistan, 1973. Spreading “immoral and obscene content” will also be a punishable offence after the passage of the rules. as per the new rules, the service providers and the social media company will deploy a mechanism to ensure immediately blocking of live streaming through online information system in the country of any online content particularly related terrorism, extremism, hate speech, pornographic, incitement to violence and detrimental to national security on receiving intimation from the authority. furthermore, any aggrieved citizen, ministry, division, attached department, sub-ordinate office, provincial or local department or office, law enforcement or intelligence agency, or a company owned or controlled by the state can file a complaint for blocking or removal of online content. ahmad ahmadani
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more inside
Traditional for PM to meet candidates for spymaster ’s job, says Fawad Chaudhry STORY ON BACK PAGE
US diplomat meets Shehbaz, maryam to discuss afghan situation STORY ON BACK PAGE capable of intercepting multiple air targets including aircraft, cruise missiles and beyond Visual range (bVr) weapons at ranges over 100 kilometres with Single Shot kill probability, hQ-9/p is considered as a strategic long range Surface to air missile (Sam) with remarkable flexibility and precision. Speaking at the occasion, coaS said that induction of high-tech systems will make pakistan’s air defence impene-
trable in the emerging threat scenario. highlighting the criticality of air defence in the overall defence of motherland, the coaS said exemplary synergy between pakistan air force and pakistan army air defence makes country’s air defence impregnable. the coaS said that induction of high-tech systems will make pakistan’s air defence impenetrable in the emerging threat scenario.
Tarin hopeful on success of IMF negotiations, resumption of $6bn programme STORY ON BACK PAGE
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Friday, 15 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
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Steel industry decries use of imported steel in CPEC projects, calls on PM
No MorE roadbloCkS duriNg CriCkEt MatChES, lhC ordErS
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The local steel industry has broken its silence over being ignored in mega projects under China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and has written to Prime Minister Imran Khan against the use of imported steel in these projects. In a letter sent to the PM office, the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) has informed that despite producing high quality and competitive products, steel is being imported for the construction of Gwadar AirPort, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Gwadar Free Economic Zone (FEZ) as well as other CPEC projects. The local steel industry has surplus capacity for producing world-class steel, the association stated, adding that this is a damaging situation for the local industry. “By all means, it amounts to exporting our jobs to other countries.” According to the association, in order to make these mega projects a win-win for the local steel industry as well as the country, the government must not allow duty-free import of all such goods and materials which are manufactured locally and ensure and permit only locally produced products, that meet international standards, to be used in infrastructural CPEC projects. ARTICLE CONTINUES AfTER THIS AdVERTISEMENT PALSP also urged the government to allow tax adjustments on all kinds of taxes to local suppliers for the above-mentioned projects. However, machinery that is not produced locally may be allowed to be imported, the letter stated. “It is high time for our decision makers to realise the situation and promote the domestic industry which is the back-bone of the country’s economy. The government has to take steps to safeguard the interests of the domestic industry. If we continue to rely on imports, this will result in the capture of our entire market by foreign entrants, and above all, it will immensely increase the burden on the balance of payments,” the association stressed. According to industry sources, other important materials such as locally produced cement were now being supplied by local manufacturers for CPEC projects. Earlier, both the cement and steel industries had been running pillar to post, persuading concerned ministries for getting supply shares in CPEC projects.
HE Lahore High Court (LHC) Thursday ordered the office of the Home Secretary, Punjab to not block the roads during national and international cricket matches. Hearing a petition which called the court’s attention to the matter, the judge asked the authorities: “Who ordered you to block [entire] road [sections] during the matches?” At this, the Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) of Lahore told the court these instructions are issued by the Home Department. “No police policymaking is involved in the
Court dismisses Zardari’s acquittal plea in suspicious transactions case STAff RepORT An accountability court in Islamabad on Thursday rejected a petition filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari seeking acquittal under the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 in a reference to a dubious transaction worth Rs8 billion, a news outlet reported. According to the report, Judge Syed Asghar Ali announced the judgment after listening to arguments from both sides on the admissibility of the petition. During the hearing, Zardari personally appeared before the court and his lawyer Farooq H Naek requested the judge to take a decision on the acquittal plea of his client, saying that the transaction was a private matter and it did not fall in the jurisdiction of the new NAB ordinance. He pointed out that there there was no allegation of misuse of powers or receiving illegal money against his client in the reference. Last week, President Dr Arif Alvi had signed an ordinance to curtail the jurisdiction of the anticorruption watchdog by excluding key government entities from the ambit of investigations and enabling the president to reappoint the agency’s chief or extend their tenure.
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decision,” he said. During the hearing, the home secretary personally appeared in the court. During the hearing, Justice Shahid Karim said Lahore has become one of the most polluted cities in the world and the atmosphere is polluted because of intense smog. The court said no roads will be blocked during cricket matches whether local or international. Responding to the directive, the official assured the court an alternative traffic plan would be issued to maintain the flow of traffic during the games. “If the Pakistan Cricket Board is hosting
international events, they should accommodate the teams near the stadiums,” Justice Karim said, observing closing or blocking roads was not a solution. “Every time an international event is scheduled in Pakistan, the first step taken by authorities is to block roads and traffic, people often complain,” the judge said. “When the New Zealand cricket team arrived in Rawalpindi, the Cricket Stadium Road was closed for all the matches. Murree Road from Faizabad to the Double Road was closed every time the cricket teams arrived at the stadium or left. People were told to use alternative routes to avoid inconvenience.”
Turkish aid agency sets up sports facilities for special children KARACHI anadolu agency
A state-run Turkish aid agency has launched cricket and football training facilities for children with special needs in Karachi. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) set up cricket training pitches and football stadium especially designed for hearing and visually impaired children at Ida Rieu School for Blind and Deaf, Karachi. The school is one of the largest educational facilities for special children in Pakistan with an enrollment of over 800 students. TIKA has also upgraded digital technology for better study opportunities at the 100-year-old school located in the heart of Karachi. Addressing the inauguration
ceremony, President Arif Alvi thanked Ankara for setting up the sports facilities for children with special needs, who are “inseparable” part of any society. Calling for incorporating the special
people into the society, Alvi said: “We must help them to feel normal because they are as normal as everyone of us.” He further thanked Ankara for lending its support to Islamabad in every
trying time. Highlighting the importance of sports among youth, the Turkish Consul General in Karachi, Tolga Ucak, hoped that the sports facilities set up by TIKA will support the talent and pave the passage for mainstream sports for children with special needs. The decades-long friendship between Pakistan and Turkey, he noted, has gained more strength with every passing day. TIKA’s Karachi Coordinator Ibrahim Katirci said the aid agency has established a number of projects for Pakistani youth in recent years, ranging from libraries to vocational training centres and to music classrooms. TIKA has already actualised a number of educational and sports projects across Pakistan, mainly the lessdeveloped areas of the Sindh and Balochistan provinces.
Pakistan to receive 2.4 million doses of Pfizer vaccine from US WASHINGTON Staff RepoRt
The US government will ship 2.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan on Thursday, bringing the total number of doses sent to the South Asian country to about 18.3 million, more than any other country, a White House official said. The latest shipments of the vaccine lots made by Pfizer and BioNTech of Germany, are due to arrive on Saturday through the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) distribution program, said the official, who asked to remain unidentified. Pakistan has administered at least
93.6 million doses so far, according to data compiled by National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). Assuming every person needs two doses, that would suffice to have vaccinated about 21.6 percent of the total population. Previous US shipments of Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have gone to Pakistan every month since June. The shipment is part of an ongoing US vaccine diplomacy effort that has sent vaccines to dozens of countries. In June, the government entered into an agreement to procure 13 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer. An exact timeline is not yet available but Minister
of State for Health Dr Faisal Sultan said the doses would arrive by the end of 2021, under an agreement the government has made with the manufacturer. Accelerating the pace of vaccinations, Pakistan in August hit a target to vaccinate one million people a day against Covid-19, making strides in the inoculation campaign. Also in August, the government barred workers in schools, shopping malls and hospitality businesses, and the transport and air travel industries from entering public offices unless they had a certificate. The government launched a nationwide vaccination drive, starting
with older people and frontline healthcare workers, in March. The drive began with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80, and worked its way down. Having to deal with vaccination hesitancy and a shortage of vaccine supplies initially, Pakistan hit the ambitious target of 1 million inoculations a day in August, relaxing the requirement of holding a national identity card for vaccination and allowing people to get their jabs by showing any valid identity. Initially, the government had to deal with vaccination hesitancy and a shortage of vaccine supplies and had limited shots to people aged 30 or over.
China-built road bespeaks CPEC’s commitment to development ISLAMABAD Xinhua
Fakhar ul-Hassan, a truck driver from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is among hundreds of drivers transporting cargo from GilgitBaltistan to Punjab through the Thakot-Havelian (M-15) motorway constructed within the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Sharing his experience about travelling along the new road, Hassan said he and other drivers of the heavy transport vehicles are delighted that the road has brought convenience to their lives. The road is one of CPEC’s early harvest fruits. Constructed by the China Communications Construction Company under the Karakoram Highway (KKH) PhaseII project, the 118 km-long road consists of the expressway section from Havelian to
Mansehra district of the province, which was inaugurated in 2019, and the class-two highway section from Mansehra to Thakot opened for traffic last year. GREAT CONVENIENCE TO COMMUTERS: The motorway has multiple advantages, and the greatest one is that it has greatly facilitated commuters by shortening travelling distance and bringing them a brisk and smooth ride, Hassan told Xinhua. “We used to travel for 7 to 8 hours on the old bumpy road from Havelian to Thakot before reaching the Karakoram Highway. Now on the new road, we cover the same distance in less than two hours, and unlike our previous experience on the old road, this one is very smooth and comfortable,” he added. Inzamam ul-Haq, a toll plaza operator, said according to the traffic survey data at just one of the tollbooths of the highway, about 5,000 to 6,000 vehicles
travel on the road every day, and during holidays and festivals the traffic doubles. “Commuters travelling on the road praise it for saving their time and giving them a good driving experience due to the smooth roads and well-built tunnels, which not only saved their time but also made their travel very safe,” he said. Local commuters also breathed a sigh of relief after the construction of the road, as major traffic load was shifted to the newly constructed road from the old highway that was always choked with the traffic during the peak hours of the day. “During the peak timing of office and school, it took us hours to wait in the queue on the old highway because all flow of local and outstation traffic was on the same small road. But after this motorway was opened, the major load of outstation traffic, including big trucks and buses, was shifted here, and the intercity commuters are very happy with
the CPEC project for bringing ease in their lives,” Khurram Nazir, a local resident working at the motorway, told Xinhua. TECHNOLOGICAL EXCELLENCE: The road has been made with state-of-the-art technology and has 105 bridges and 6 tunnels. Wang Benqian, general manager of the KKH phase-II project, said that apart from the mountainous terrain, the biggest challenge for the construction of the road was the area being located in one of the earthquake-prone zones of the country. “Through a series of scientific research and technological innovation, the project department ensured that the project completed the construction task with high quality (and) on schedule,” he said. He noted that they applied Chinese seismic design concepts and technology to the bridge design. “The bridge is located in the level 8 seismic intensity zone with great
seismic hazards.” “The project introduces China’s successful seismic protection concepts and measures, and for the first time adopts high damping and isolation bearings for high-grade highway bridges in Pakistan,” Wang added. The Chinese company adopted seismic designs such as the plastic hinges of piles and columns, increasing the width of cover beams and setting seismic ties at the end of beams to ensure that the bridges of the whole line meet the requirements of level-9 seismic protection, he added. The project also introduced the Beidou satellite navigation system, which has effectively improved the scientific tunnel construction management and provided a reliable technical guarantee for the safe construction of tunnels in complex geological conditions, helping achieve the goal of “zero casualties” in the construction of six tunnels on the whole line, Wang told Xinhua.
Friday, 15 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
aFtEr MEEtiNg with PM khaN, JaM kaMal EMErgES CoNFidENt CM BALOCHISTAN SAYS NO-TRUST MOVE WILL FAIL
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FTER meeting Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal expressed faith that no-confidence motion filed against him by his own party members would fail. Jam Kamal met PM Imran Khan at the PM office in Islamabad on Thursday, to discuss the situation in Balochistan, after the disgruntled lawmakers of the ruling Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) submitted a no-trust motion against the CM in the provincial assembly secretariat. It is to note that the motion was signed by 14 disgruntled members
of the BAP and allied parties. After his meeting with the PM, Jamal Kamal while speaking to the
media revealed that the no-confidence motion against him will not succeed. “It will be good if voting is held [on the
motion] so that the situation becomes clear,” he said. He went on to reveal that the voting would take place in the next 3-4 days. Jam Kamal further revealed that he has discussed the development schemes in Balochistan with the PM. He stated that Prime Minister Imran said that Balochistan’s progress was among the federal government’s top priorities. It is pertinent to note that the political crisis in Balochistan gained momentum when Chief Minister Alyani denied that he had resigned as the BAP president. Following the announcement by the CM, the BAP secretary general had appointed Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi as acting president till intra-party elections. On that, Jam Kamal wrote a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan, stating that the appointment of an acting president had “no constitutional or legal value”.
Pakistan Pavilion receives 55,000 visitors in opening week of Dubai expo 2020 STEPS BEING TAKEN FOR PROMOTION OF INVESTMENT, EXPORTS: PM IMRAN ISLAMABAD app
Adviser to Prime Minister for Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood on Thursday announced that the Pakistan Pavilion received 55,000 visitors in the opening week of the Dubai Expo 2020. “As I mentioned earlier, Pakistan is a wonderful country that has largely been misrepresented. The response we received ware overwhelming and the number of visitors we had in the first week was beyond
expectations,” he said according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Commerce here. The advisor added “we are here to show the real Pakistan to the world. I want to thank all the visitors for coming to the Pakistan Pavilion and exhibiting their interest in our culture, and appreciating the richness and diversity it holds. It is a country of great opportunity for tourism and investment.” “Also, I would like to thank our artists as their creativity and skills are the sole reasons we showcased the real Pakistan to a broader audience,” he said.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AfTER THIS AdVERTISEMENT: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said that with steps being taken for the promotion of investment and exports, investors were expressing confidence in the government’s business-friendly policies. The prime minister was talking to Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood and Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi who called on him here. During the meeting, the premier was briefed about measures taken for the promotion of investment in Dubai Expo 2020. The existing potential of organic cotton in Balochistan was also discussed in the meeting whereas the premier was also apprised of the progress on new textile policy and its early implementation.
Pak-Italy economic relations at all-time high ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Pakistan’s on exports to Italy, as well as workers remittances, continue to register record growth, it emerged on Thursday. Talking to the media, Pakistan’s envoy to Italy Ambassador Jauhar Saleem said that Italy has emerged as Pakistan’s largest source of workers remittances from the European Union (EU) and the second largest in Europe after the United Kingdom (UK). Jahaur applauded the 200,000 strong Pakistani diaspora in Italy, which he said has been contributing not only to the Italian economy, but has also been a source of pride and support for the mother country. He noted that legalisation of thousands of undocumented Pakistani workers through Italian amnesty scheme, the inclusion of Pakistan in Italian Seasonal Work Visa Program, State Bank of Pakistan‘s (SBP) consumer-friendly financial products and
programmes, as well as the Pakistan Embassy’s awareness campaign to promote formal channels of remittances have been the main factors driving the growth of the unprecedented remittance from Italy. Article continues after this advertisement The ambassador also shared that in view of the improved market conditions in Italy, the embassy is specially focusing on facilitating Pakistani businesses in marketing as well as match-making with other businesses. Recalling his recent meetings with Italian government officials and businessmen, he stated that there was keen interest in Italy for expanding economic ties with Pakistan. He mentioned that last month a 30-member Pakistani delegation from the leather sector had inked contracts worth €11.9 million with Italian companies whereas a delegation of 16 Pakistani companies from leather garments and sportswear will be visiting Italy next month.
International Rural Women Conference observed by PODA-Pakistan at Lok Virsa
“A substantial increase in business deals is expected as a result of the enhanced Pak-Italy B2B engagements,” he said. Ambassador Saleem shared that Italian investors are also in negotiations with Pakistani companies for investment in energy and transport sectors of Pakistan. “Italy suffered a massive GDP contraction of 9.6 per cent in 2020. However, GDP is expected to increase by 4.7pc in 2021 and by 4.4pc in 2022. As the Italian market recovers from pandemic related economic losses, Italian investors are regaining the confidence to resume expansion of international operations,” he added. The ambassador also shared that the embassy is taking special initiatives to promote the flow of tourism between Pakistan and Italy. A team to film tourismrelated documentaries on Pakistan for Italian National TV was sent to Pakistan in September 2021. Similarly, a team of Italian videographers and National Geographic`s photographers will visit Pakistan this month to promote tourism in Pakistan to Italians.
danish man suspected of killing five in bow-andarrow attack in Norway OSLO
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The 2nd Day of 14th Annual Rural Women Conference began with the dynamic presence and speech by Sharmeela Rasool, Country Representative UN Women Pakistan who enlightening the participants with her experience said that women needed to believe in themselves to do wonders in the world. Sharmeela Rasool, Country Representative UN Women Pakistan was addressing during the 2nd day of 3-day Annual Rural Women Conference organized by PODA-Pakistan in Lok Virsa, Islamabad. The 3-Day conference started yesterday (Wednesday 13th October) and it will culminate on a comprehensive set of resolutions tomorrow to celebrate International Rural Women Day that is observed every year on 15th of October. The resolutions will be passed with consensus as a shared document on which the rural women leaders will work back home throughout the year at grassroots level in four provinces and in the regions of AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. The 2nd Day of the conference has been marked by the presence of 300 plus rural women leaders including men. More than 100 districts of the country have been represented in the conference. She said that although there is no country that has
A 37-year-old Danish citizen is suspected of killing five people in a bow-and-arrow attack in the Norwegian town of Kongsberg in a rare incident of mass killing in Norway, police said on Thursday. Two people, including an off-duty police officer, were wounded in the Wednesday evening attacks, which took place in different locations in the town, 68 kilometres (42 miles) southwest of the capital, Oslo. “This very serious situation is of course making a deep impression on Kongsberg and those who live here,” district police chief Oeyvind Aas said in a statement. The suspect, who was apprehended, was believed to have been acting alone, police said. They said nothing about a possible motive. Several of the attacks were committed with a bow and arrow, Aas said late on Wednesday, though police were also investigating whether other weapons were used. The death toll was the worst of any attack in Norway since 2011, when far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people, most of them teenagers at a youth camp.
reached gender equality at this moment of time in the world, but we have heard stories of women whose success was spectacular in all spheres of life. We have had stories of women who were empowered and confident enough to set the path for the desired change to uplift women’s status, she added. “Women across the world are subject to discrimination and violence”, said Sharmeela Rasool adding that “for me there are three key elements which can serve a foundation to achieve success, including awareness about one’s rights and system.
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Fbr advises officials against untimely coercive recovery measures ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has instructed field formations that coercive recovery measures, including attachment of bank accounts, are only to be taken after exhausting the 30-day time period available to taxpayers for voluntary deposit of an assessed liability. As per details, the FBR issued these instructions to the chief commissioners of Inland Revenue to avoid unnecessary litigation. In this connection, the bureau announced two major decisions to avoid litigation and unnecessary freezing of bank accounts. “Firstly, coercive recovery measures like attachment of bank accounts should be avoided until a case passes the test of the appeal at the level of commissioner Inland Revenue (Appeals). Secondly, a committee comprising of senior commissioner IR headed by chief commissioner IR may be constituted at the formation level to deliberate on cases before approval of any action,” the instruction letter stated. According to the instructions, litigation involves costs of various types including opportunity cost, legal remuneration and man-hours spent on preparing appeals and defending cases before various appellate fora, both on part of the department as well as the taxpayer. Therefore, it is essential to avoid entering into a protracted litigation by exercising prudence and ascertaining the potential of a case to pass the test of appeal, so as not to divert resources from other potential cases involving substantial revenue. ARTICLE CONTINUES AfTER THIS AdVERTISEMENT: Furthermore, the letter said that in order to forestall potential litigation by taxpayers on procedural lacuna, it is also important to ensure that no procedural lacuna is left during the proceedings of the case.
Man arrested for allegedly raping woman near gojra NeWS DeSK The police on Thursday arrested one of the three suspects booked for the alleged rape of an 18-yearold woman on the M-4 motorway near Gojra on Monday, a news outlet reported. The suspects, including two men and a woman, were booked under sections 365 B and 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the report, Toba Tek Singh’s acting District Police Officer Mahavar Khan said that one of the suspects has been arrested while raids are being carried out for the arrests of the other two suspects. The woman’s medical examination has been conducted, which confirmed that she was subjected to sexual assault. A DNA test is also being conducted. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and the Punjab IGP have also taken notice of the incident and sought a report on the matter from the Faisalabad regional police officer.
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Friday, 15 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
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INdIa uRged To ReSume dIalogue WITh PaKISTaN ‘amId ThReaT oF RegIoNal ISolaTIoN’ ANKARA
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ESCRIBINg the challenge posed by China as the most significant issue in the country’s external security policies in the coming decade, India’s top eight strategic brains have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to work with regional powers like Turkey and Iran. In a policy paper entitled India’s Path to Power: Strategy in a World Adrift, the strategic experts including former national security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, among others, have also urged the government to stay away from some of the concerns it has with Turkey and Iran for the sake of overall benefit. “If crafting a continental geopolitical strategy implies setting aside some of our erstwhile concerns – say, Turkey’s relations with Pakistan – then we must be prepared to do so,” said the paper, released by the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), India’s leading public policy think tank. The group of experts had started drafting the paper in May 2020 and after meeting at
intervals completed it in September 2021. The group, which also included noted historians like Sunil Khilnani and Srinath Raghavan, besides top economist Ajit Ranade, asked the government to embark on a more active pursuit of land routes to Afghanistan and Central Asia, through Iran and possibly Turkey. “This quest is crucial not only for India’s integration with the region but also to craft a continental response to China’s growing strategic footprint in Central Asia – an essential counterpoint to India’s actions in the maritime domain,” said the experts. Maintaining that India’s ability to sustain a liberal democratic polity at home will be crucial in its ability and credibility to pose itself as a countervailing power to China, the policy paper said democratic values and human rights will retain their salience and significance – as evidenced by the current framing of the US-China competition. MAjorItArIAnISM DIMInISheS InDIA: “Political polarisation and majoritarianism will lead to a more diminished India – one that may struggle to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie in the decade ahead,” the experts wrote, referring
to violent communal incidents being reported from various parts of the country. About India’s neighbourhood, the paper said there is danger of India getting isolated in the region for the first time since independence. The experts said engagement with Bangladesh is now being undermined by domestic political stances, and in Nepal, the expectation that a shared Hindu heritage will help overcome its potent anxieties has been thoroughly belied. “If this trend of subordinating foreign policy to domestic political compulsions continues, India will find itself more isolated and challenged than at any time since Independence,” read the paper. The authors also called for effectively managing relations with Pakistan with the resumption of dialogue, promoting economic and cultural links, and reviving a process of confidence-building. “A limited engagement and improvement of relations with India may suit their (Pakistan’s) interests too. Therefore, as long as our objectives of policy towards Pakistan are modest, resumption of dialogue and a gradual revival of trade, transport, and other links are worth pursuing,” the paper said. But the experts warned that such an ap-
proach will be impossible to sustain if Pakistan remained a domestic factor in India – entwined with the growing salience of majoritarian, communal politics. The political leadership will have to make a conscious and deliberate effort to avoid succumbing to the temptation of using ties with Pakistan for domestic political purposes. They said avoiding engagement with Pakistan has not even helped manage the security concerns. Using neighbouring countries’ relations to shape the domestic political discourse further will harm the country’s strategic goals. “It is important that we acknowledge the perverse impact of domestic political and ideological factors that are driving our foreign policy. We have seen this in our relations with Pakistan and, to some extent, with Nepal and Bangladesh. This trend needs to be arrested and reversed,” the policy paper stated. BLockIng SAArc DetrIMentAL: The experts also lamented India for holding back the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) in a bid to isolate Pakistan. This has led to less than 7% of overall trade and just 3% of investment that comes from within the region.
PIA suspends flights to Kabul KABUL agencieS
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) said on Thursday it had suspended flights to Kabul over the “unprofessional attitude” of Taliban authorities. “Our flights frequently faced undue delays because of the unprofessional attitude of the Kabul aviation authorities,” Abdullah Hafeez Khan, the PIA spokesman stated. The route will remain suspended until “the situation becomes conducive,” he added. In a separate statement, the spokesperson emphasised the fact that the PIA had kept flying in and out of Kabul under “difficult circumstances” when others had ceased their operations. He was referring to the part the PIA played in the mass evacuations following the Taliban’s swift take over of Kabul in August, which created a rush among those stuck in the Afghan capital to get out amid a dearth of flights. “The PIA evacuated around 3,000 people after the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan,” said the PIA spokesperson, adding that among the people flown out of Kabul were officials of the United Nations, World Bank, the IMF, other global organisations as well as international journalists. The spokesperson said that the PIA’s captains and staff endangered their lives but still
kept the evacuation process going. But the airline said the flight operation was “not very lucrative financially” and it was only operating flights on “humanitarian grounds”. “We would pay more than $400,000 as insurance premium which could only be possible if 300 passengers are available,” Khan said. The development comes as Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Thursday asked the PIA and Afghan Kam Air to reduce fares on the Kabul-Islamabad route to previous levels or face a halt to their flight operations. Both airlines have not yet started commercial flights and operate chartered flights with high fares. A letter from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation asked the PIA and Kam Air to bring down the airfare for Kabul-Islamabad flights to the level that existed before the Taliban seized control of Kabul on August 15. The letter in Pashto and Dari languages was issued by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid and was also posted on the official Facebook page of the Afghan Aviation Ministry. “Information has been conveyed to PIA and Kam Air private company to bring down the fare on the Kabul-Islamabad route to the level prior to the victory of the Islamic Emirate. If the airlines do not agree to this proposal their operations on the route will be
stopped,” the letter said. It asked passengers to contact the ministry in case of the prices of the tickets were not changed. An Islamabad-based journalist, who returned from Kabul on Wednesday, stated that she paid $2,700 ($1,200 for the flight to Kabul and $1,600 for the return flight) for PIA’s Islamabad-Kabul-Islamabad ticket. Kam Air charges over Rs200,000 for return tickets, according to the airline’s office in Islamabad. PIA argues it charges more because of high insurance rates. Kam Air, which had announced the cancellation of its flights to Pakistan on Oct 9, resumed operations on Wednesday but the airline was unable to inform passengers on time and several missed the flight, according to a passenger who had reserved a seat but could not proceed to Kabul. Kam Air had claimed that it had announced the cancellation of flights after Pakistan denied permission to it. Pakistan has now made it mandatory for airlines to provide details of all passengers days before their departure from Kabul. The Afghan official further added that PIA was doing injustice with the Afghan people by overcharging for air tickets. The national flag carrier is one of the few airlines operating flights to the neighbouring country.
Five killed after jeep falls into ditch in Kashmir ISLAMABAD: Five people were killed and four others injured when a jeep plunged into a ditch in the Haveli district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, media reported Thursday. According to the reports, the accident occurred as the jeep driver tried to save the vehicle from an iron rod present in the standing position in the middle of the road, resulting in the killing of five people on the spot. The deceased and injured were shifted to the hospital, rescue workers said. rescue workers said. Staff RepoRt
Terrorist killed in N Waziristan operation: ISPR ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
A wanted terrorist was killed during an exchange of fire with security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military said on Thursday. The military personnel conducted the intelligence-based operation in the Mir Ali town of North Waziristan district in the province, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. The operation was carried out upon confirmed reports of terrorists’ presence in the area, said the statement by the army’s media wing. Pakistan has recently witnessed a rise in terror attacks on security forces in KP and Balochistan. A number of military operations have been carried out in the regions over the last several months to eradicate militants and their camps.
“If New Delhi continues to spurn Saarc, there is a distinct danger that other countries may remain committed to it and move ahead without India. This could open the door for China being invited to join a SAARC without the presence of India – a development that will reinforce Chinese penetration in South Asia.” Stating that while India will be valued as a significant partner in maintaining a measure of balance in Asia, the US and China’s phases of detente and cooperation on some global issues will limit New Delhi’s ability to leverage. Reminding that the global economy’s centre of gravity is shifting from the trans-Atlantic to the trans-Pacific, authors believed that geopolitical changes and transformations are loaded with risks as well as spaces for emerging countries like India to expand their strategic autonomy. Recommending India to re-join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (Rcep) – a free trade agreement among the Asia-Pacific nations, and seek membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (Apec), the experts said the prospects for India-US cooperation will remain limited by the increasing inwards turn in both countries.
Prime suspect in Noor murder charged with homicide ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday indicted the prime suspect, two members of his domestic staff and the owner of a mental health organisation in the gruesome murder of the daughter of a former diplomat. Noor Mukadam, 27, was found murdered at the residence of one Zahir Zakir in Sector F-7/4 of Islamabad in July. Zakir, widely believed to be the killer, was arrested the same day for his purported involvement in the incident. A first information report registered on the complaint of Ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam, Mukadam’s father, nominated Zakir under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Following an extensive probe that included a total of 12 suspects, including the suspect’s parents Zakir Jaffer and Asmat Adamjee, the court charged six people including Zakir, Jan Muhammad and Jameel — the domestic help — and Tahir Zahoor, chief executive officer of Therapy Works that employed the suspect and his mother. Zakir’s parents were arrested and placed in police custody in the days following the crime. Their phone records show they were in contact with their son and household staff before and after the murder. Also arrested were the household’s guards, cook, and gardener, all of whom were present at the time of the murder at the suspect’s sprawling home.
According to the police investigation and CCTV footage, Mukadam attempted to escape, but Zakir’s armed security guard did not let her leave. Later that evening, she jumped down from a balcony. This time, it was the gardener who locked the gate and refused to let her run. Zakir emerged from the house and dragged her back inside by her hair. She was never seen alive again. Meanwhile, the court also summoned the prosecution witnesses on October 20 and ordered the authorities to complete the trial within two months. Last week, a district and sessions court in Islamabad fixed October 14 for the indictment of suspects. The court had originally fixed October 6 for the purpose but extended the date after the parents approached a district and sessions court for bail — a request which was turned down. Later, they approached the IHC for bail which also rejected their petition and ordered authorities to keep them under detention until the completion of the trial.
Turkey presses Taliban for inclusive Afghan govt ANKARA agencieS
In talks with the Taliban, Turkey on Thursday reiterated the importance of government inclusiveness for Afghanistan’s unity, said a top Turkish official. Turkey repeated its advice to the visiting Taliban delegation on girls’ education and women’s employment in business life, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a news conference following a meeting with Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Ankara. Muttaqi led a Taliban delegation for an official visit to Turkey to discuss bilateral issues as well as cooperation on the future of Afghanistan. The Taliban officials have pledged to provide the utmost support to Afghan refugees who want to return to the country from Turkey, added Cavusoglu. He also underlined that the Taliban delegation conveyed requests to Turkey during the meeting, especially on humanitarian aid and continued investment in
Afghanistan. Last month, Cavusoglu said Turkey has contributed to stabilisation and development efforts in Afghanistan, including on the education of girls and empowerment of women since the 1920s, adding that Ankara contin-
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ues providing humanitarian aid through the Turkish Red Crescent. NATO member Turkey maintained its embassy in Afghanistan after Western countries withdrew following the Taliban takeover, and has urged those countries to
step up engagement. At the same time it said it will only work fully with the Taliban if they form a more inclusive administration. Turkey has been working with Qatar to help operate Kabul airport and re-open it to international travel.
Friday, 15 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
Punjab emergeD as best choice for chinese investors: cm buzDar LAHore
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staff report
UNJAB Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has expressed the satisfaction that Punjab has emerged as the best choice for Chinese investors as 1.5 billion dollars investment has been made by Chinese investors in a period of three years. He expressed these views while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the chief minister’s investment cell held at 90-SQA on Thursday. Usman Buzdar said that the biggest Chinese garments group “Challenge Fashion” is going to invest 15 crore dollars in Punjab. This cell would take every possible step to facilitate the investors while ensuring that no bureaucratic snafu could create any hurdle, he added. This cell would also help the investors to have direct access to high government officials to remove any restriction in their investment. The government is going to intro-
duce a zero NOC policy to encourage business activities, he added. ‘Challenge Fashion’ has been issued NOC in 14 days under this policy, he pointed out and maintained that more than 20 thousand new job opportunities were being created due to businessfriendly initiatives of the government. The boards of Punjab Industrial Estates Development and Management Company and Faisalabad Industrial Estates Development and Management Company have been fully functionalized to provide better facilities to the investors. The chief minister said the government was striving hard to promote trade and industry. It has issued 10 cement plant NOCs while the approval of as many applications is in process, he continued. Similarly, there were only two special economic zones before the PTI government but this government has started work on 12 special economic zones while the industrialization process has been started in 8 new SEZs. Simi-
larly, 4 industrial estates were being given the status of SEZs, he stated. Alongside, Punjab Rozgar Programme has started with the collaboration of BOP to provide 30 billion rupees loans to the needy youth. The government was also providing modern agri equipment to the small farmers on subsidized rates to promote agriculture and livestock sectors, the CM stated. Kisan cards have been issued to farmers, he noted. The Punjab government was also taking part in the Dubai Expo to showcase to the world the strong socio-cultural and economic potentials of the province; he said and handed over NOC to CEO ‘Challenge Fashion’ Ms Karen. Industries Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal said besides setting up 9 special economic zones, numerous steps have also been taken to arrange facilities for investment. Single challan farms will be issued to industrialists for payment of taxes as all taxes relating to industry were being integrated, he disclosed.
Finance Minister Hashim Jawan Bakht stated that ease of doing business has been ensured adding that a conducive environment was arranged for investment. This has helped in increasing investment in the province, he added. SAPM for CPEC Khalid Mansoor stated that tremendous facilities have been created for investors by the Punjab government and added that this cell would play a key role in this regard. The zero NOC regime would enhance investment, he added. Ms Karen thanked the PM and CM Punjab for extending full support to set up a facilitation cell and disclosed that her company was establishing an industrial park over an area of 100 acres to create a number of job opportunities. Qamar Khan also spoke on this occasion. Chinese Consul General, provincial ministers, SACM Hasaan Khawar, MPAs, Chinese investors, businessmen, administrative secretaries and others were also present.
IT ministry amends social media rules; faces backlash contInueD froM pAge 01 The rules will provide for, among other matters, safeguards, processes and mechanisms for the exercise of powers by the Authority under the Act for removal or blocking access to unlawful online content through any information system. Social media companies must publish community guidelines for access or usage of any online information system, which must guide their users not to host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, update or share any online content in violation of the country’s laws. Similarly, they will be required to provide any information requested by any investigation authority. The information can be in decrypted, readable, and comprehensible format or plain version. Social media companies must comply with the country’s user data privacy and data localization. They must deploy suitable content moderation methods including Artificial Intelligence (AI) based content moderation systems and content moderators familiar with the country’s laws. It is pertinent to note that last year, a few amendments have been introduced to the digital media rules, which have been approved by the federal cabinet last month. As per the amendments, global social media companies will have to register with PTA within three months. Moreover, social media outlets will be required to establish an office in Pakistan “as and when feasible” — instead of nine months as required previously. Furthermore, PTA will give 48 hours, instead of 24 hours previously, to a social media company for removing or blocking access to online content The IT and Telecom Minister Aminul Haque stated that under the rules, social media companies would have to abide by Pakistani laws and the rights of social media users. “Under the amended rules, Pakistani users will have the full right to freedom of expression under Article 19 [of the Constitution],” he said, adding that the rules would play an important role in facilitating contact between Pakistani netizens and social media companies. He further revealed that there would be a ban on the live streaming of extremist, terrorist, hateful, obscene and violent content, and “social media companies will be liable to remove content against Pakistan’s integrity and defence.” As per the rules, the propagation of “immoral and obscene content” will also be a punishable offence, Haque added.
Additionally, the social media companies and service providers will be required to devise community guidelines in order to inform users about uploading content. “No negative content concerning any individual will be uploaded,” Haque revealed while adding that uploading material about someone’s private life would also be banned. In the list of banned content, “content against Pakistan’s cultural and moral trends” as well as content that could “destroy” the morals and harm the mental and physical development of children has also been added. The minister further pronounced that the rules would apply to all social media outlets including Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter and Google. He added that after the issuance of the notification, the social media companies would be required to set up their offices in Pakistan “as soon as possible”. As per reports, the social media companies would have to appoint an authorised compliance officer and grievance officer based in Pakistan within the same time-frame. These officers would have to address complaints within seven working days. The rules also direct social media companies to establish an office in Pakistan, preferably located in Islamabad, upon PTA’s directions “as and when feasible”. Previously, the rules required the companies to set up their offices within nine months. It has been reported that PTA would give 48 hours, instead of 24 hours previously, to the service provider or social media company for removing or blocking access to online content. If the service provider or social media company fails to remove or block access to content or comply with PTA’s directions within the specified time, the PTA may initiate proceedings. Under the rules, the PTA has also been authorised to block or issue directions for blocking the entire online information system or impose a penalty of up to Rs500 million. The social media rules, which were approved in November 2020, had faced criticism from digital rights activists, the Internet Service Providers of Pakistan (ISPAK) and the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC). Tech companies had also threatened to discontinue their services in Pakistan if the rules were not amended, saying the regulations would make it difficult for them to continue their operations. It is pertinent to note that the rules were also challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). During one of the hearings on the petition, the attorney general had
Pakistan, South Korea ink MoU for preservation of Gandhara Buddhist heritage ISLAMABAD mian abrar
Pakistan and Republic of Korea have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the preservation and promotion of the rich Gandhara Buddist Heritage of Pakistan. Ambassador Suh Sangpyo called on Federal Secretary of the National Heritage and Cultural Division Mr. Asif Hyder Shah and both sides extended their felicitations on the signing of the significant MoU aimed at the preservation and promotion of the rich Gandhara Buddist Heritage of Pakistan between the Cultural Heritage Authorities of both countries. The Ambassador indicated that within the framework of the MoU, the focus will be on the preservation
of the rich Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan by providing capacity building opportunities and enhancing peopleto-people exchanges for those working in this field and also on the promotion of Buddhist Tourism from Korea to Pakistan. He said it was initially discussed during the visit of the President of Jogye Order in 2019. The Ambassador further added that Korea will be granting $4 million under this agreement to Pakistan for preserving and promoting the Buddhist heritage. Mr. Asif thanked the Ambassador and the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea for its tireless support to the preservation of Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan and assured that the Pakistani side will accelerate their efforts to achieve the desired outcomes of the MoU.
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assured the IHC that the government was ready to review the rules. In March, Prime Minister Imran Khan constituted an inter-ministerial committee to review the controversial social media rules. The committee prepared the rules by August and they were eventually passed by the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases on September 23. Despite the amendments, the updated version has received severe backlash, noting that the most problematic provisions remain unchanged in the latest draft that they say has in fact “regressed” in comparison with previous versions. “The Asia Internet Coalition and its member companies are disappointed with the proposed revisions,” AIC Managing Director Jeff Paine stated.
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Dengue cases in Punjab surge; 5,000 positive cases, 16 dead LAHore staff report
Punjab has recorded 5,133 cases of the dengue fever this year to date, while 16 people have died from the virus, as per the official data. Of the cases reported in Punjab, a majority of 74% have been reported from the city of Lahore alone, notes the data of Punjab’s primary and secondary healthcare department. In fact, in the last 24 hours, 231 dengue patients were recorded in the province, of which 146 were from Lahore, 39 from Rawalpindi, six from Sheikhupura, five from Nankana and Sargodha, amongst others. Imran Sikander, the secretary of the primary and healthcare department, has advised citizens to avoid letting water accumulate in residential areas. He added that to date, across the province, health officials have inspected 421,151 indoor places to eradicate the virus. According to medical experts, once bitten by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, an infected person will experience flu-like symptoms, including high grade fever, maculopapular rash, headache, severe pain behind the eyes and also pain in joints and muscles. There has been a sharp surge in the number of those who have fallen sick by the mosquito-borne virus in comparison to last year, especially after the monsoon season in the province.
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Friday, 15 October, 2021
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Pakistan’s Prometheus
The unrealised potential Pak-Iran ties
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hILe Pakistan and Iran have already had a number of shared interests, a new one has been added to the list after the Taliban’s assumption of power in Afghanistan. While Pakistan has held high-level talks with the leaders of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Iran has so far not been a part of the parleys except briefly at the SCO moot. In case the talks with the top level Iranian military team which is currently visiting Pakistan prove fruitful, these could lead to parleys between the two countries’ heads of government. Both Pakistan and Iran need peace and stability in Afghanistan as this alone can guarantee that there is no major outflux of Afghan refugees to the neighburing countries. Like other regional states, Iran also believes that there has to be an inclusive government in Kabul instead of a purely Taliban administration. Iran also shares Pakistan’s concerns about the looming terrorist threat in the region. Among other things like intelligence sharing, Iran is keen to send its military personnel to Pakistan to participate in anti-terrorism drills. Border security continues to be a matter of common concern between Pakistan and Iran. The two countries share a 959-km-long border, which is infested with criminal gangs, militants and drug traffickers. There have been violent incidents in the past on both sides of the border as well as attacks on security forces of the two countries. Action from both sides has improved the situation though occasional incidents keep straining the relations. The offer of amnesty to the TTP, which has frequently targeted the Shia community in Pakistan, could create doubts in Iran about the PTI government’s commitment to eradiation of terrorism. Pakistan and Iran can gain a lot from close relations. For the last over ten years Iran has supplied electricity to adjoining districts of Balochistan. It is willing to provide power to Gwadar also. The Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project initiated with much fanfare by former President Zardari has not been completed. There is sufficient potential of trade between the two countries. The sanctions imposed on Iran by the US stand in the way of the realization of the potential. There is a need for an out of the box solution to bypass the sanctions. Keeping in view the lack of imagination in the PTI government, there is little hope of its making an effort in that direction.
The end of an era At Penpoint M A NIAZI
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he death of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan brings to a close a complicated chapter in Pakistan’s history, and also should carry some lessons for Prime Minister Imran Khan. Perhaps the most important lesson is that the european powers are resisting the proliferation of nuclear weapons in much the same way that the Byzantines resisted the outing of the secret of Greek fire. That had been probably invented to fight the Muslims in the seventh century AD, but its secret was lost by 1203, when it was not used against the Fourth Crusade which sacked it. Though his passing has caused an outpouring of admiration because he is credited with being he ‘father of the Pakistani bomb’, he is also responsible for Pakistan being accused of nuclear proliferation. The ‘father of the bomb’ title is disputed. Dr Qadeer did not design the bomb; that was the Quaid-e-Azam University’s Dr Riazuddin. he never headed the Pakistan Atomic energy Commission, which had been tasked at the Multan Conference back in 1975, with making the bomb. That was Munir Ahmad Khan. That Conference determined that the route to the bomb would be uranium, not plutonium. It was only then that Dr Qadeer entered the scene. Uranium cannot be used for either a bomb or power generation. Its main component is the U-238 isotope, which is about 99.3 percent of natural uranium. The U-235 isotope is 0.7 percent in nature, but if enriched (by using this difference in atomic weights), the resulting metal can be used as either fuel for a power reactor, or the core of an atomic weapon. This is a birdseye view of a very complex process. It should be noted that the US anger at Iran, and Israeli worries, are caused by Iran’s attempts to master this same enrichment technology. Allegations of Dr Khan’s supplying not just knowhow but equipment to Iran were behind his ultimate downfall. Dr Khan was a metallurgical engineer by qualification, and was working with a Dutch firm, Urenco, which made fissile material for power reactors when he was tapped by Zulfikar Ali Bhuttto, after the Multan Conference, to make he fissile material for a Pakistani bomb using the uranium-enrichment
NAB Chairman
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The perils of having a small House AAdersh hAMZA
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ALOChISTAN is one of the most complex provinces of Pakistan, especially when it comes to its politics. A province comprising 44 percent of the landmass of the county has the least representation in its National Assembly, owing to its having the lowest population of all provinces. The scarcely spread population of the province also makes it challenging for the administration to provide civic amenities to its different nooks and corners, which ultimately results in grievances and political chaos in the province. The Balochistan Assembly is a legislative house of 65 members which has been the representative of politicians from different backgrounds. however, it unfortunately remains the only province in Pakistan which has not seen a Chief Minister completing his tenure.One such political theatre is being witnessed recently. The democratically elected Jam Kamal’s government is in a fix these days, after a sizeable chunk of his cabinet members have rebelled against him, demanding his resignation. The opposition, which was already looking for an opportunity to grasp, clung to this one and considered it fitting enough to move a no-confidence motion against the Chief Minister. In a house of 65, it is easier to manoeuvre things, easier to buy, convince and mould the affiliations of the members, and Balochistan has witnessed it all in the recent past. From the Provincial Assembly’s role in the Senate elections to its own functioning and business, instability and unpredictability have become the culture of the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan. Not going back too far, if we follow the political scene after Musharraf’s era, the general elections 2008 were followed by the PPP government in the centre and province. Aslam Raisani as a Chief Minister led the provincial government in Balochistan despite having no majority at all. he became a CM in the house of 65 with only 14 members from his party. Interestingly enough his government had only one member of opposition who also never bothered to take oath due to his personal tribal animosity. 64 out of 65 members of the assembly were sitting on the treasury benches, making a joke of the house.
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
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of trying to defend him, might have led to others being implicated. It is too much to imagine that Dr Khan acted alone. Who could have permitted him to operate what amounted to an independent foreign policy.? Only an institution with which he worked for many years. It would have contradicted something Pakistan was at pains to establish, that it was responsible, and not a proliferator. Imran Khan might do well to learn from that example. Just as Dr Khan was a national hero because so many thought he was the Father of the Bomb, Imran became a national hero because he captained a World-Cup-winning team. It wasn’t just achievement that counted for both. Dr Khan was credited with having kept India off Pakistani backs, but because that is all the atom bomb means for Pakistanis: it is not a great-power thing, a prestige project, a symbol of national pride, as it is for India: it is what stops India repressing Pakistan. In the same way, Imran was not so much reward for being a winner, as given a chance to solve people’s problems. Yet when push came to shove, the very establishment which had elevated him for its own purposes (to provide a distraction from the real force behind the bomb), threw Dr Khan under the bus. In the same way, Imran should rest assured that if his utility to the establishment declines, it will distance itself from him so fast he will not know what happened. Is it really a coincidence that Dr Khan also founded a political party. Nothing really came of it, and it was Imran’s entry into the field of politics that was crowned with success. According to Greek legend, Prometheus is supposed to have stolen fire from the gods and given it to men. Zeus punished him by pinning him to a rock, where daily an eagle came to eat his liver, which would grow back overnight. Only to be eaten again the next day. It is possible to see Dr Khan as just such a promethean figure, for he helped Pakistan get the uranium enrichment technology which was forbidden outside the Nuclear Suppliers Group as firmly as the gods forbade the use of fire outside their own circle. And like Prometheus, Dr Khan was punished with a long-lasting punishment. Dr Khan was not really a tragic figure, though. his life was more like a spy thriller than a Greek tragedy. And though his fall was tremendous, he retained a place in the hearts of his countrymen that no one could take from him.
The writer is a member of staff.
Political Instability in Balochistan
T seems that promulgating an ordinance allowing it to extend the tenure of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman was not enough. The Chairman is working because the ordinance provides the chairman shall continue in office until a successor is appointed. however, NAB is more or less not working, and will not start again until the present Chairman’s tenure is extended, or a new Chairman is appointed. A minor complication is the uncertainty within the Law Ministry on what to put in the notification that needed to be issued in place of the original 2017 notification of appointment, because that included the word ‘nonextendable’, which was according to the Ordinance then, but which the amending ordinance has deleted. There is the fear that the new notification will be legally challenged. That is likelier than not, because in the past, NAB accused have filed constitutional petitions against the NAB law, or any changes made in it. As a matter of fact, the NAB amendments are under challenge at the moment before the Islamabad high Court, which has issued notices to all concerned to file replies. Just because something can be done, is no reason to do it. even if the extension passes the legal test, it is a bad idea. even without the prospect of an extension, the NAB chairman has established his utility enough to the government that he cannot be replaced. Be that he has done well at his job; if he had, there would not have been strictures from the Supreme Court. It seems the PTI government has an objection to change, even though that was its slogan. After giving an extension to the COAS, it has also tried to ensure that the DG ISI stayed on. If the precedents keep piling up, it is possible that the hoary rule of retirement at 60 might be violated. The government is letting itself in for legal disputes because of its unwillingness to take the opposition along with it. One disadvantage may have been accepting at least some opposition demands, but one advantage would have been getting its support for changes it might have wanted.
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
technology. That all involved making the enrichment machinery. It was science of a very high order, and his organisation, the Khan Research Laboratories, also developed a reputation as something of a rival to the PAeC. he had insisted on a separate organisation, and it became a rival employer of physics postgraduates from Pakistani universities. KRL and the PAeC absorbed all the physicists, leaving only those for teaching those who did not like to get into the security measures that employment by these two organisations meant. That uranium enrichment was something that he achieved, after other scientists had struggled, is not disputed. It is also not disputed that much of the equipment necessary for this could not be bought legally. The black market had to be tapped. While the PAeC was kept out of this, because it was the national atomic energy body, KRL was not. It is possible that official circles touted Dr Khan as the father of the bomb and KRL as the centre of the nuclear programme as a diversionary tactic. It should not be ignored that it has been said that making a nuclear weapon involves 24 steps, with uranium enrichment being one of them. however, it is not the only one, so just as someone who is responsible for one step cannot claim to be its ‘father’, so the credit must go to the political bosses who took the decision. In Pakistan’s case, that credit must go to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. his inauguration of the nuclear programme was no mere knee-jerk reaction to India’s 1974 test, but something he had been arguing for from the time he was Foreign Minister in Ayub Khan’s Cabinet. India had decided to go nuclear in response to China doing so, but Ayub Khan decided against because he foresaw a slew of complications, which later did transpire, both because Pakistan initiated a programme, and after it achieved a successful test. Bhutto’s hanging occurred after henry Kissinger, then US Secretary of State, threatened to make a horrible example of him. however, the man who hanged him, Ziaul haq, went ahead with the programme. Though Bhutto had personally intervened first to get Dr Khan to come abroad, Zia retained him. It is interesting that the nuclear programme received support from governments of all stripes, whether Benazir’s or Nawaz Sharif’s upto the moment of testing. The allegations of proliferation may or may not have been true. Dr Qadeer confessed to them, was put under house arrest and stripped of KRL. The state he had served so well had turned around and let him down. The state had done so because the alternative,
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It did not end there; the 2013 general elections were marred by gross mismanagement and largescale accusations of rigging from almost every political party. That brought a new setup in Balochistan. Five years’ term was distributed like a feast between the National Party and the then ruling party in the federal government, the PML(N). The Murree Agreement made sure that the nationalists would rule for the first two and a half years and then a chief minister from the PML(N) would replace him, which resultantly meant no political stability in the province for another five years. General elections 2018 followed all that political chaos, and these elections were termed better than the general elections of 2013 by different independent observers like FAFeN and eU. Balochistan Awami Party, largely comprising old political horses from different influential backgrounds, emerged as the majority party of the province. Jam Kamal Khan, son and grandson of former Chief Ministers, became the new Chief Minister of the province. This was thought to be the government which might complete the five years tenure for the first time in Balochistan, since it enjoyed a good working relationship with different stakeholders. however, the divisions started to appear in his own ranks just after the three years of his tenure. So far, none of the efforts to appease the dissidents seem to be bearing fruits.Are we going to witness another regime change in Balochistan? Or will Jam Kamal Khan survive these challenging times? This is yet to be seen. Nevertheless,political instability is once again the order of the day in Balochistan. even if the current government, led by Jam Kamal Khan, survives this deadlock, the events that will follow might be very challenging for him politically. This again has become a major challenge for
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
the otherwise seemingly improving political environment of the province. Comparatively, a similar crisis with less than a score of members rebelling against the CM could have well been managed in any other province of Pakistan, for they have that space and liberty to divert such challenges. The higher number of MPAs in those legislative houses make the individual flipping almost irrelevant in such scenarios and resultantly they cannot take the house into hostage. however, the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is in a different case, it gets a diverse set of representatives, which makes the gelling difficult in most of the cases. Sometimes, just a couple of them form a parliamentary group on political, ethnic or on religious-sectarian grounds. These groups then keep switching their support with the changing tides,in favor of the government or opposition, suiting their own interests. Political stability is the essence of any developed society. Balochistan deserves that political stability at the moment. The economic and social development will eventually follow that. The instability in the political arena can lead to chaos and dissidence among the masses whichBalochistan cannot afford in any case. The province has come a long way and we deserve that continuity in the process at the very least. The politics can wait for later, the manoeuvring, the horse trading and the floor crossing can wait for later. Let the system run for now, let democracy flourish. Let the general elections 2023 be an audit for the Jam’s government. Let the people decide about their own fate. Let Balochistan experience political stability and continuity before instability becomes a norm.
The politics can wait for later, the manoeuvring, the horse trading and the floor crossing can wait for later. Let the system run for now, let democracy flourish. Let the general elections 2023 be an audit for the Jam’s government. Let the people decide about their own fate. Let Balochistan experience political stability and continuity before instability becomes a norm
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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
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The writer is a freelance columnist
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
06-07 Comments - 15th October 2021_Layout 1 10/14/2021 11:06 PM Page 2
Friday, 15 October, 2021
COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
Over population WheN the facilities and food of a country are not enough for its people are called overpopulation. Overpopulation leads to food insecurity and also environmental problems. In Pakistan 60 percent of Pakistanis already live with food insecurity. The main causes of overpopulation are, the decline in the death rate, agricultural advancement, better medical facilities, more hands to overcome poverty etc. however, Pakistan is among the most overpopulated countries in the world, and it remains the fifth most populous country in the world. The population of Pakistan is 224,770,387 according to the census of May 2021. And we can overcome population by these solutions, promote family planning, one-child legislation, government incentives etc. I request to the government of Pakistan to promote rules that overcome population. ASif RAShEEd TuRbAT
Beautiful Balochistan
Russia-Bangladesh Nuclear Cooperation provides benefits for Bangladesh
Freshwater scarcity
It also shows the way for the rest of South Asia PAthIk hAsAN
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ORK on the Rooppur nuclear power project on the banks of the Padma River at Rooppur in Pabna district in Bangladesh, the country’s most expensive power plant, is moving fast. This is one of the important projects of the 10 mega-projects of the present government. Bangladesh is going to be a model for the whole world, including South Asia, regarding the peaceful use of nuclear power. According to Bangladeshi media outlets, Bangladesh is going to enter the age of nuclear generation of electricity. Bangladesh’s nuclear activities are very peaceful, only to generate electricity. Bangladesh wants to meet the huge demand of electricity of the growing factories and companies. Bangladesh is an energy hungry nation now. Thus, it has initiated its nuclear programme by signing a treaty with Russia in 2013. The new door of Russia-Bangladesh bilateral cooperation was opened in 2013 through this agreement. At that time, the two countries signed a state export credit agreement with the nuclear-armed country to implement a nuclear project in Bangladesh. In light of this, the work on a nuclear power plant started at Rooppur in Pabna district in Bangladesh with the direct financial and technical cooperation of Russia. The Bangladesh government is implementing its visionary 10 mega-projects now. There are garment factories in Bangladesh which are producing large quantities. On the other hand, the consumption of electricity is rising day by day. So, Bangladesh needs electricity. Bangladesh is trying its level best to increase production of electricity. In 2009, where the power generation was 3200 MW; now it has exceeded 20,000 MW. Two reactors with a capacity of 1200 MW are being set up at Rooppur. If production starts from the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, it will undoubtedly start another revolution of development in the country. even in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, its work continues at a normal pace. The concerned people are hoping that the work will be completed on time. The first of the two units of the 1200-MW project will be launched in 2023 and the second in 2024. There is no alternative to energy and power security for the desired development and progress of any country. Bangladesh is expected to be upgraded to the status of a developed country by 2041. With this goal in mind, a comprehensive program of power generation has been taken. As economic activity grows, it is essential to ensure power supply as its driving force. In addition to the construction of large gas/oil-based power plants, several power plants and nuclear power plants are being constructed. The Prime Minister also mentioned the construction of another nuclear power plant. It will be in the south. The aim of these initiatives and projects is to meet the growing demand for electricity. Bangladesh has entered the era of nuclear energy. In a video conference from Ganobhaban (BD Prime Minister’s official residence) on October 10, Prime Minister Sheikh hasina Wazed inaugu-
BALOChISTAN is a land like a paradise, but unluckily, nation is unaware for some needful circumstances as about basic privileges. Balochistan is infixed by universal minerals; however, citizens are only engaged with working. We are not getting any profit from these minerals. People only concentrate on money, and it looks as they are unaware but everyone has mind, and right to know wrong or right. There are numerous expensive minerals like gold, silver, coal etc. They take out these minerals for money; however, they can get lots of work by these minerals. They work and earn money to finish the problems of their homes. I suggest people in Balochistan that they should get works instead of earning money. They should produce plenty of new and helpful objects from these minerals. NAvEEd AhmEd hub
rated the installation of the first nuclear reactor pressure vessel at the Rooppur nuclear power plant under construction in Pabna district in Bangladesh. The installation of this reactor is considered to be the most important step in the process of commissioning a nuclear power plant. After Rooppur in Pabna, Prime Minister Sheikh hasina has sought Russia’s cooperation in building another nuclear power plant in the southern part of the country. She hoped that in the future, Russia’s state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom, would cooperate with Bangladesh in this regard. The issue was discussed on October 11 morning at Ganobhaban when the DG of Rosatom, Alexei Likhachev, paid a courtesy call. Now Bangladesh Seeks Russia’s cooperation in setting up another nuclear power plant. ever since the original construction began in 2016, Prime Minister Sheikh hasina has been talking about the state’s plan to build another nuclear power plant in the south of the country. On October 11, she also spoke in the same context at the installation ceremony of the first unit in Rooppur. The implementation of the nuclear project in cooperation with Russia has come a long way. That is why Prime Minister Sheikh hasina has sought the country’s help in building the second power plant in the country. In the DG Rosatom’s courtesy call, the Prime Minister called upon Russa to further cooperate in the nuclear sector. emphasizing the importance of safety, the Prime Minister called upon the Director General of Rosatom to train the local people so that they could run the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP). At the time, the ROSATOM chief said his country wanted more cooperation in Bangladesh’s power sector. Likhachev also briefed Sheikh hasina on the construction and implementation deadline at Rooppur. he said that mutual cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia has entered the nuclear field and by 2023 Bangladesh will become a nu-
clear power. he said they would train Bangladeshis to run the RNPP and would continue their cooperation in Bangladesh’s power sector. Atomic scientists call this reactor the heart of a nuclear power plant. When the construction work is completed, the two units of Rooppur center are expected to generate 2,400 MW of electricity. The construction work of Rooppur project went one step further by installing reactor pressure vessels. The people of Bangladesh are hoping that the power generation will start after the completion of the project as per schedule. The Rooppur project will have two units of VVR-technology reactors with a capacity of 1,200 MW. According to the schedule, Unit-1 is scheduled to be launched in 2023 and Unit-2 in 2024. It is learned that the Rooppur nuclear power plant has utilized Russia’s best plans, many years of experience and scientific thinking. A senior official involved in the project said the unique combination of active and passive systems of the power unit would ensure the safe operation of the centre and ensure the planned level of power generation. hopefully, nuclear power will not only solve the problem of energy supply in Bangladesh, but also make an important contribution to the development of the overall quality of life of the people. The construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant has initially cost more than 1113,929.1 million Bangladeshi Takas. Despite the epidemic, thousands of workers are working there day and night. In fact, this power plant will be considered as a model of clean energy in the country, which will provide affordable, reliable and quality electricity in the long run. This will make Bangladesh more prosperous. RussiaBangladesh nuclear cooperation provides benefits for Bangladesh.
Hopefully, nuclear power will not only solve the problem of energy supply in Bangladesh, but also make an important contribution to the development of the overall quality of life of the people. The construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant has initially cost more than 1113,929.1 million Bangladeshi Takas. Despite the epidemic, thousands of workers are working there day and night. In fact, this power plant will be considered as a model of clean energy in the country, which will provide affordable, reliable and quality electricity in the long run. This will make Bangladesh more prosperous. RussiaBangladesh nuclear cooperation provides benefits for Bangladesh
The writer can be pathikhasan1141@gmail.com
reached
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DeAR SIR, freshwater scarcity is a reality which is threatening the sustainable development of human society. earth’s hydrological (water) cycle has been interrupted by the climate change that makes water-scarce regions of the world drier, and makes the other already-wet regions wetter. Recent reports show that two-thirds of the global population is already experiencing water scarcity for at least one month of the year. however, I believe that it is never too late to take small steps and make a huge difference. every drop will count when you try! The good news is that these alarming facts are being considered, and stakeholders and the general public around the world are all agreeing to take action. Various agencies are putting together policies relevant to sustainable development. equally important, the international scientific community is working to bring more solutions. Finally, and most importantly, increased public awareness and pressure means that there is still hope for a sustainable future. AzmEENA SiRAj KARAchi
Inflation is being exploited INFLATION, another benefit of the incumbent government, has made wretched every individual. Understandably, government had to impose such taxes and was left with no other option. however, this has increased the prices of basic commodities and has been worst borne by the poor. Furthermore, I feel that the business community including shopkeepers and retailers are availing undue advantage of this by charging more than the actual price in the name of inflation. Therefore, it’s difficult for a common man to meet his needs. The state and concerned authorities should take immediate action against these overcharging shopkeepers and ensure that no one misuses tax policies to their own profit. AwAiS AhmEd ShiKARpuR
Health problems in Pakistan UNDOUBTeDLY, with better health alone, one can perform, contribute, and play their part in the socio-economic progress and advancement of the country. On the contrary, in a condition of poor health one cannot contribute well to the country’s development. It is disheartening that quality healthcare in Pakistan is a distant dream. Almost all public hospitals lack the very basic facilities. every health center is facing an acute shortage of beds, experienced doctors, quality medicines, and kind support Pakistan, being a developing country, is facing a number of flaws in the health sector.Although the medical field has been targeted as a means of quick earning from the sick blood of poor patients. Through all the channels of social life, from government to the private hospitals ,we find health being sold on amount of money. The government is spending billions of rupees yearly on the health sector yet we only get poor infrastructure in hospitals led by poor management. One may occasionally and fortunately find cleanliness, punctuality, and a proper use of equipment in the so-called government hospitals. All these flaws are caused because of private clinics which provide a better environment and healthy medication only to those who can afford it. In first world countries the first step that a doctor takes in treatment is getting to know first hand the patient’s family background as well as their medical history. Moreover, they bring patients in a psychologically strong situation that he/she may fight the disease boldly. In Pakistan there is no rule of law for so-called better health. Doctors do not even comprehend the nature of patient and advise overdose to a psychologically weak patient that makes them more sick. Moreover, doctors are highly paid to provide selected expensive medicine on which they are paid heavy amount of percentage and various so-called gifts. At a larger scale the doctors keep an inexperienced nursing staff which takes charge in their absence.Similarly, unspecialised doctors who do not possess a valid medical degree, operate illegal clinics that lead to an unhealthy life. uzAiR biN jAlil ShiKARpuR
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Friday, 15 October, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
A meeTing wiTh King SAlmAn NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES ARE WELL AWARE THAT IF RIYADH SNEEZES, THE GULF WILL CATCH A COLD
al ahram
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ahMed al-MosleMany
met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on several occasions; when he was the emir of Riyadh, the crown prince, and as king. In two of those meetings, I had the opportunity to sit down with him for a long time. These were chances to get to know more about what was going on in his mind. The first was when I visited him with prominent scientist Dr. Ahmed Zewail in Riyadh city. Seated next to him was Prince Mohamed bin Salman. The second time, I was with former president Adli Mansour in Jeddah city. King Salman bin Abdulaziz was born in 1935. In 1954, at the age of 19, he became acting prince of Riyadh, and a year later, when he was 20, he was declared the prince of Riyadh. After spending more than half a century as the Riyadh prince, King Salman was appointed minister of defense, then he became crown prince while he maintained his position as defense minister. In 2015, he became king. Egyptians remember that King Salman volunteered to serve in the Egyptian army in 1956, when he was prince of Riyadh, to take part in the battle against the tripartite aggression against Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel. At that time, Egypt was still trying to find its way through the storm. The aggression was carried out faster than expected, putting Egypt in an early and dangerous face-off. The war ended with the defeat of the three allies. The assistance provided by noble friends at this critical juncture is etched in the memory of Egyptians. At the forefront stands King Salman, who has been greatly appreciated by Egyptians ever since. In 2016, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi hailed King Salman’s role, saying, “The Egyptian people have not forgotten your noble stances and your volunteering with your brothers in the Egyptian Armed Forces during the public mobilization against the Tripartite Aggression on Egypt in 1956, and your role in supporting the military efforts during the War of Attrition, which culminated in the October victory.”
When Salman became king, Western intellectual circles expected him to be more conservative than his predecessor, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. The US’ Washington Post newspaper said King Salman was conservative and would not support reform and change. The king proved them wrong. Along with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, King Salman embarked on wide reform: the conservatives were weakened, extremist circles cornered, and religious institutions directed toward moderation. The kingdom’s Vision 2030 was also launched, receiving a positive response. In May 2021, King Salman performed Eid Al-Fitr prayers in the city of Neom, which is regarded as a symbol of the new vision. I was with Dr. Ahmed Zewail the first time I met with King Salman in the Riyadh Palace. On our way to the palace, Dr. Zewail told me, “Saudi Arabia has more significance to me than it does to Arabs and Muslims. It is the foundation upon which my family, Dema, Nabil, and Hani, were brought up. You know the story, of course. We published it in the memoirs.” Dr. Zewail was referring to his book The Age of Science, which I had the honor of editing. The book included Dr. Zewail’s life story, and its honorary foreword was written by internationally acclaimed laureate Naguib Mahfouz. In 1989, Dr. Ahmed Zewail won the international King Faisal Prize. At the award ceremony, he met Dr. Dema Faham, who became his wife. Dr. Zewail said in his book ‘The Age of Science’ that “I was the first Arab to receive this award in science or medicine. The Saudi hosts were proud of me, and they welcomed me with affection. I met in Riyadh a young lady named Dema Faham, who came with her father, Dr. Shakir Faham, who was awarded the King Faisal Prize in Literature. Dr. Faham was the Minister of Education in Syria. We spoke repeatedly on the phone upon my return to Pasadena, and when, in May 1989, we could no longer afford to pay the phone bills, I traveled to Syria.” Right before arriving at the palace, Dr. Zewail told me, “Riyadh represents magnificent memories: the prize and the family.” Our meeting with King Salman took place in early 2008. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was then the emir of Riyadh. The architectural style of the palace caught the attention of Dr. Zewail. He told me, “This palace is exquisitely an amalgam of originality and modernity. We have to know more about its history.” King Salman governed the Riyadh emirate from his office in the palace for 50 years. The office is elegant, with the library taking center-stage opposite the main salon. At the beginning of the meeting, King Salman told me, “El-Moslemany is a big family in Ha’il Province, is it connected to Egypt’s El-Moslemany family?” The amicable question was, to me, an ice breaker in the meeting that lasted for 90 minutes.
King Salman at that time had already had a clear vision and sharp ideas. Following the meeting, Dr. Zewail told me, “Prince Salman is a well-versed reader. It is rare to find an Arab official making references to books and citations. I was also surprised by his vision for reform. As a scientist, I found the meeting closer to my mind. His ideas are totally clear and his words are far from those of politicians who use general talk, vague vocabulary, and words that may have two opposite meanings.” Dr. Zewail added, “Prince Mohamed bin Salman was nodding in agreement to the conversation. It seems they have talked about and agreed on the path the kingdom should adopt towards reform.” King Salman spoke with us about the theory of the state in the Saudi experience. He also discussed the history of Islam, the kingdom’s geography, and the regional and international status quo. The king’s convictions became apparent to me in the following: The first standpoint concerned the threat posed by Iran, and the dangers of Shiite expansion in the region and the world. The king spoke for a long time about Tehran’s insistence on exporting the revolution, which means exporting its doctrine, intellect, jurisprudence and politics, until it eventually spreads Khomeini’s theory of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in other regions of the Islamic world. The king warned against the growth of a Shiite empire in the same form of the Fatimid state if the Islamic world does not stand against the Iranian project. He called on one of his assistants to bring from the library a book by historian Gamal Badawi about the Fatimid state. The king knew where the book was placed in the library, saying he frequently referred back to it, especially to the parts on the Fatimid mechanisms of infiltrating Sunni communities. The king believed a compromise with the Iranian project is very difficult, and that it is not easy to bridge the ideological gap between Iran and the Islamic world. The king stressed that the rivalry was with the project, not the state, and that the discord did not exist at the time of the Shah, when Sunni and Shia matters were not raised, until Khomeini rose to the helm and divisions appeared in the Islamic world. The king opined that it is difficult to attain “religious peace” if the Iranian project remains in the same form, that the situation may later become an “existential conflict, not a border conflict,” and that the entire region may slide to the brink of war, which must be prevented by any means. The second vantage point, according to the king, is the role of religion in protecting the kingdom. He said, “Saudi Arabia is a vast land. It comprises many tribes. It is difficult for all these tribes to live in this spacious land without a real unification project. This project is Islam. Islam is the bond upon which the state was established; without this bond, there would have been no state. It will
always be in the state’s interest to rely on religious legitimacy. This is what will preserve it.” Dr. Ahmed Zewail said, “Some Western media outlets claim that Saudi Arabia is governed by Wahhabism and that ‘Wahhabi Islam’ is the foundation of the state’s legitimacy.” The king replied that “there is no such thing as Wahhabism. They attack us using this term. We are Sunni Muslims who respect the four schools of thought. We follow Islam’s Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him), and not anyone else.” “Imam Muhammad bin Abdel-Wahab was a prominent jurist and a man of knowledge, but he did not introduce anything new. The first Saudi state did not establish a new school of thought. They make this claim to link us to extremism and terrorism. This is not true. The Islamic thought, which rules in Saudi Arabia, stands against extremism and fights terrorism. We have grown tired of being described as Wahhabis. This is incorrect and unacceptable.” Then the king spoke about the kingdom’s need for modernization and opening up to the world. He said, “Development is the norm in life. Some of our laws cannot persist, such as banning women to drive. Moreover, the performance of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice should be re-evaluated and reviewed. We have a large number of youths who are finely educated, and hundreds of thousands of young people were educated abroad. All of them want to see a ‘new Saudi Arabia’ that is fit for their ambitions and aspirations. We are well aware of that, and this change is going to come.” One of the king’s viewpoints is that no Arab vision can materialize without Egypt and that regional and international challenges cannot be overcome without the presence of Egypt assuming its natural role. The king repeated these words during the meeting with former president Adli Mansour. The king spoke about his deep knowledge of Cairo that may exceed the Egyptians’ understanding of the capital. He spoke about the time he volunteered in the Egyptian army in the 1956 war and his great attachment to the Egyptian culture and lifestyle. Today, Saudi Arabia, as the king stated years ago, is continuously trying to adjust the balance with Iran and weaken the theory of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist. The kingdom is ushering in a bold era of modernization and openness. Some people may see these steps as taking place faster and on a wider scale than expected, and that a number of them were, until some time ago, impossible to materialize. Despite the openness, the kingdom is still trying to strike a balance between religious rulings and the state’s needs, between values and the age’s modernism, between the mosque and modernity. Visitors to the kingdom say the atmosphere is getting better and that youth and women, in addition to many circles of intellectuals, are becoming more hopeful. Many eyes are closely monitoring the kingdom. Neighboring countries are well aware that if Riyadh sneezes, the Gulf will catch a cold. The kingdom and the region are facing historical challenges. The better they overcome them the better the future will be.
A new global economic consensus THE WASHINGTON CONSENSUS DEFINED THE RULES OF THE GAME FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY FOR ALMOST A HALF-CENTURY
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Mariana Mazzucato
he Washington Consensus is on its way out. In a report released this week, the G-7 Economic Resilience Panel (where I represent Italy) demands a radically different relationship between the public and private sectors to create a sustainable, equitable, and resilient economy. When G20 leaders gather on October 30-31 to discuss how to “overcome the great challenges of today”, including the pandemic, climate change, rising inequality and economic fragility, they must avoid falling back on the outdated assumptions that landed us in our current mess. The Washington Consensus defined the rules of the game for the global economy for almost a half-century. The term came into vogue in 1989, the year that Western-style capitalism consolidated its global reach, to describe the battery of fiscal, tax and trade policies being promoted by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. It became a catchphrase for neoliberal globalisation, and thus came under fire — even from its core institutions’ leading lights — for exacerbating inequalities and perpetuating the Global South’s subordination to the North. Having narrowly avoided a global economic collapse twice, first in 2008 and then in 2020, when the coronavirus crisis nearly brought down the financial system, the world now confronts a future of unprecedented risk, uncertainty, turmoil and climate breakdown. World leaders have a simple choice: continue supporting a
failed economic system, or jettison the Washington Consensus for a new international social contract. The alternative is the recently proposed “Cornwall Consensus”. Whereas the Washington Consensus minimised the state’s role in the economy and pushed an aggressive free-market agenda of deregulation, privatization, and trade liberalisation, the Cornwall Consensus, reflecting commitments voiced at the G-7 summit in Cornwall last June, would invert these imperatives. By revitalising the state’s economic role, it would allow us to pursue societal goals, build international solidarity and reform global governance in the interest of the common good. This means that grants and investments from state and multilateral organisations would require recipients to pursue rapid decarbonisation, rather than rapid market liberalisation, as required by IMF lending for structural adjustment programmes. It means that governments would pivot from repairing, intervening only after the damage is done, to preparing: taking steps in advance to protect us from future risks and shocks. The Cornwall Consensus also would have us move from reactively fixing market failures to proactively shaping and making the kinds of markets we need to nurture in a green economy. It would have us replace redistribution with pre-distribution. The state would coordinate mission-oriented public-private partnerships aimed at creating a resilient, sustainable, and equitable economy. Why is a new consensus needed? The most obvious answer is that the old model is no longer producing widely distributed benefits, if it ever did. It has proven to be disastrously incapable of responding effectively to massive economic, ecological and epidemiological shocks. Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015, was always going to be difficult under the prevailing global governance
arrangements. But now, in the wake of a pandemic that pushed state and market capacities beyond the breaking point, the task has become. Today’s crisis conditions make a new global consensus essential for humanity’s survival on this planet. We are on the cusp of a long-overdue paradigm shift. But this progress could easily be reversed. Most economic institutions are still governed by outdated rules that render them unable to marshal the responses needed to end the pandemic, let alone achieve the Paris climate agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 C, relative to pre-industrial levels. Our report highlights the urgent need to strengthen the global economy’s resilience against future risks and shocks, whether acute, such as pandemics, or chronic, like extreme wealth and income polarisation. We argue for a radical reorientation in how we think about economic development, moving from measuring growth in terms of GDP, GVA (gross value added), or financial returns to assessing success on the basis of whether we achieve ambitious common goals. Three of the report’s most salient recommendations concern COVID-19, the post-pandemic economic recovery, and climate breakdown. First, we call on the G7 to ensure vaccine equity globally, and to invest substantially in pandemic preparedness and missionoriented health financing. We must make equitable access, particularly to innovations that benefit from large public investments and advance purchase commitments, a top priority. We recognise that this will require a new approach to governing intellectual-property rights. Similarly, the World Health Organisation’s Council on the Economics of Health for All, which I chair, stresses that IP governance should be reformed to recognise that knowledge is the result of a collective value-creation process. Second, we argue for increased state investment in the
post-pandemic economic recovery, and we endorse the recommendation by the economist Nicholas Stern that this spending be increased to 2 per cent of GDP per year, thereby raising $1 trillion annually from now until 2030. But marshaling more money is not enough; how that money is spent is equally important. Public investment must be channeled through new contractual and institutional mechanisms that measure and incentivise the creation of long-term public value rather than short-term private profit. And in response to the biggest challenge of all, the climate crisis, we call for a “CERN for climate technology”. Inspired by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, a mission-oriented research center focused on decarbonising the economy would pool public and private investment into ambitious projects, including removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and creating zero-carbon solutions for “hard-to-abate” industries like shipping, aviation, steel and cement. This new multilateral and interdisciplinary institution would act as a catalyst for making and shaping new markets in renewable energy and circular production. These are just three of seven recommendations we have made for the years ahead. Together, they provide the scaffolding for building a new global consensus, a policy agenda for governing the new economic paradigm that already is beginning to take shape. Whether the Cornwall Consensus sticks remains to be seen. But something must replace the Washington Consensus if we are to flourish, rather than simply survive, on this planet. COVID-19 provides a glimpse of the momentous collective-action problems confronting us. Only renewed international cooperation and coordination of enhanced state capacities, a new social contract underwritten by a new global consensus, can prepare us for tackling the escalating, interlocking crises ahead. Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London, is founding director of the UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose. She is the author, most recently, of “Mission Economy: A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism” (Allen Lane, 2021).
Friday, 15 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS corporate corner
GalaxY racer annOunceS PakiSTan’S biGGeST Prize mOneY eSPOrTS TOurnamenT aT mOu SiGninG wiTH STza in PreSence Of PreSidenT arif alvi DUBAI
Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited (FFCL) celebrated the Climate Week on October 8, 2021 at the Pakistan Pavilion of Expo 2020 in Dubai, UAE. Being a prominent sponsor of the Pavilion, FFCL brought the attention of all stakeholders towards accelerating action against climate change and its impact on the region, especially in Pakistan, through virtual reality (VR) based engagement and a unique QR code based tree plantation activity. Pr
PrOTOn Pakistan invites President dr arif alvi to Plant inauguration & lineoff ceremony
karachi: Progressive assembler and authorized distributor of Proton vehicles in Pakistan, Al-Haj Automotive Pvt. Ltd. inaugurated its state-of-the-art vehicle assembly plant. The day also marked the muchawaited roll-out ceremony of the first locally assembled Proton SAGA. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of Al-Haj Automotive, Mr. Hilal Khan Afridi said, “The completion of the PROTON Pakistan project is the result of the hard work and untiring efforts of the entire Al-Haj team, its suppliers and vendors. InshaAllah, this assembly plant will set New Industry Standards and enable us to introduce New Generation of Products by following international quality standards set by PROTON.” Proton Pakistan plant will have an initial capacity of 25,000 units per annum which can be further increased as per market demand. The technology and equipment used for the production of PROTON cars also includes the use of robots in Weld and Paint shops. High-end vehicle testing equipment including Advance Driver Assistance System and Multifunction Testing Equipment are installed to ensure best quality vehicles are rolled out. Manufacturing Execution System (MES) has been deployed for computerized monitoring and control of production, thereby ensuring high efficiency and quality. Pr
k-electric Holds 111th annual General meeting karachi: K-Electric (KE) held its 111th Annual General Meeting (AGM) for FY 2021. With the on-going COVID19 pandemic, the AGM was hosted virtually. The meeting was chaired by Shan Ashary - Chairman of the KE Board, with Moonis Alvi - Chief Executive Officer, KE also in attendance, along with Aamir Ghaziani - Chief Financial Officer, Rizwan Pesnani – Chief Risk Officer & Company Secretary, Rizwan Dalia - Chief People Officer, Sadia Dada – Chief Marketing & Communication Officer, among other members of the Board and KE leadership. Shareholders were briefed about prevalent challenges such as continuous accumulation of outstanding net receivables from government entities (over PKR 56 billion on principal basis, and delays in determination of tariff variations which had a direct impact on Company’s liquidity position and resulted in high levels of borrowings for working capital requirements. Despite the aforementioned issues, the company remained committed and during the year invested around PKR 81 billion across the power value chain, as a result of which, the company showed strong operational performance with increase in units sent out by 9.6% as compared to last financial year, Further, with targeted loss reduction initiatives, the company managed to reduce its T&D losses to 17.5% in FY 2021 from 19.7% in FY 2020. Construction of the 900 MW RLNG-fired BQPS-III is being pursued on fast track basis. Successful completion of the required rehabilitation works on 220 kV KDAJamshoro circuit along with the implementation of cross-trip scheme enabled KE to off-take additional power of around 450-600 MW from National Grid, which remained critical in managing the peak summer demand in 2021. Additionally, the projects of 500 kV KKI and 220 kV Dhabeji grids have also been initiated that will allow the company to import a total of up to 2,050 MW from the National Grid, thus managing the growing power demand in KE’s service area. Pr
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alaxy Racer, the world’s fastest growing eSports company, takes a massive leap by signing with the newly established STZa (Special Technology zone authority) in the presence of Pakistani President Dr. arif alvi and the patron of Galaxy Racer His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Dalmook Maktoum at a special ceremony held in Dubai UaE. STZa is a new Pakistani government initiative that encourages foreign technology companies to invest in Pakistan. Galaxy Racer has become the first Esports company to establish itself with STZa. On the occasion, the GxR Group also announced that they are hosting the biggest Esports tournament in Pakistan with Esports titles such as Tekken, PUBGM and FIFa that offers a total winning prize of PKR 20 million (US$ 118,000/-). It is scheduled to be held in December 2021. The event will also be hosting an Influencer Con, and a Toys and Gaming Festival, bringing the world of entertainment to Pakistan. Further details will be announced soon. Fakhr-e-alam has said that forthcoming Esports tournament will be the first in Pakistan to be televised nationwide through a partnership with Ten Sports Pakistan. Galaxy Racer has recently announced its partnership with celebrity entrepreneur Fakhr-e-alam as part of its South asia expansion plans to grow the local
ecosystem, with Fakhr-e-alam spearheading Galaxy Racer Pakistan. Pakistan has recently legitimized Esports in 2021, by granting it the ‘regular sports’ status, a big win for the Esports industry in Pakistan. With the rise of mobile games, developing countries have been recognised as one of the largest untapped emerging markets for Esports and gaming. With 100 million broadband subscribers, Pakistan’s gaming scene has the potential to dramatically evolve and many youngsters have already made their mark. Galaxy Racer has a global footprint with over 400 million followers worldwide, with over 2 billion monthly views. Esports has gradually grown in popularity over the years and the global market is set to
ubl & OPay collaborate on expanding digital acceptance and financial inclusion in Pakistan UBL and OPAY recently joined hands with the objective to expand digital acceptance and financial inclusion in Pakistan. An MoU was signed by both institutions in this regard. Picture shows Mr. Sharjeel Shahid, Group Executive Digital Banking UBL (seated right) and Mr. Zeb Khan, Vice President, OPay Pakistan (seated left) at the signing ceremony along with senior executives from both organizations. UBL and OP Digital Services Pvt. Ltd (OPay) have agreed to join hands for a strategic collaboration in the areas of merchant acceptance (point-of-sale acquiring) and financial inclusion (branchless banking). OPay is a Fintech company based out of Beijing, China, having presence across Africa and Asia, with a valuation close to US$ 2 billion. This partnership furthers UBL’s resolve in pushing SBP’s vision of the Cash-toDigital journey by creating a sustainable digital ecosystem. The UBL-OPay collaboration will focus on expanding the merchant acceptance foot-print across Pakistan by enabling SMEs and retail merchants to accept card payments through smart-terminals and other innovative digital solutions. UBL is amongst the leading players in branchless banking and this collaboration with OPay will usher a new wave of products and services to be offered through the agent network with the objective of creating a positive impact on financial inclusion. Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Sharjeel Shahid, Group Executive - Digital Banking, UBL said, “This collaboration is a prime example of how cross-border synergies can be leveraged to create a meaningful impact. UBL takes pride in its digital services menu and this will further augment our contribution in this space.” Mr. Zeb Khan, Vice President, OPay Pakistan said, “Partnering with UBL forms the basis of our key strategy in this territory. Our plan includes enabling online and offline payments in the retail space and we have no doubt that this collaboration will put Opay amongst the front runners and revolutionize POS Acquiring and Branchless Banking in the Pakistan market.” Pr
17 Years Of Service To Humanity I7 years of Service to Humanity commonly known as Rescue 1122 provided sense of safety to the millions of citizens of Pakistan. About two-decade journey of continuous efforts was started from scratch by Dr. Rizwan Naseer with political ownership and support of then Chief Minister Ch. Pervaiz Elahi in 2004. This comprehensive emergency preparedness, response and prevention system established under the Punjab Emergency Service Act, 2006 to provide right to emergency care to all citizens without any discrimination. The Service started from city of Lahore as Ambulance Service and gradually evolved into an integrated emergency services model for South Asia. Today Rescue 1122 is available in all 36 districts of Punjab and is being replicated at tehsil level and other provinces of Pakistan. One of the main reasons for success of the Service is Emergency Services Academy, which was established on modern lines with purpose-built simulators for sustainable human resource development in the field of emergency management. So far, this Academy has trained over 20,000 emergency services personnel across Pakistan, organized 10 National Rescue Challenge, 5 National CERTs/Volunteers Challenge and One SAARC Rescue Challenge. Now the Rescue Service has become the leading emergency service of South Asia after getting international certification from United Nations in the field of Search and Rescue. The support of United Nations INSARAG, UNOCHA Pakistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NDMA Pakistan for international certification is highly appreciated. The successful model of Emergency Service Rescue 1122, Pakistan was presented in 16th Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) on invitation of Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) of the Republic of South Korea and Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)for the financing resilient development in Asia and the Pacific region. Rescue 1122 extended their cooperation to promote regional cooperation for emergency preparedness and effective response especially in developing countries. Likewise, the model of Emergency Medical Rescue Services of Pakistan has been presented to Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States. Pr
reach US$1 billion for the first time in 2021, according to a report by esports data intelligence firm, Newzoo. Fakhr-e-alam, CEO of Galaxy Racer Pakistan commented, “ This is the beginning of E sports and influencer marketing in Pakistan. We are all set to take Pakistani gamers and influencers to the rest of the world. with a vibrant youth and huge digital growth we will see a massive paradigm shift in gaming and content consumption in Pakistan. as GxR our aim is going to be simple and that is to fuel this growth at lightning speed and with STZa one window operation we will be able to execute our plans at lightning speed. AMIR HASMI CHAIRMAN SPECIAL TECHNOLOGY ZONES AUTHORITY commented “We are delighted to welcome Galaxy Racer group to Pakistan. at STZa we look forward to working with GxR in establishing a better and healthier video gaming environment for Pakistani youth and create an atmosphere of further investment and growth in this segment in Pakistan”. Earlier in July 2021, Galaxy Racer joined forces together with arsenal superstar English Premier league footballer Pierre-Emerick aubameyang by hosting the first-ever Fortnite esports tournament between Europe and the Middle East with a EURO 10,000 prize pool. Galaxy Racer has formed a three-year partnership with Spanish football league laliga. The partnership will see both entities collaborate to create an original content series that will feature players from laliga, as well as Galaxy Racer’s influencers.
mou Signing ceremony between bank alfalah and The city School for laptop/device financing & digital fee financing Solutions karachi: Bank Alfalah and The City School (TCS) have collaborated to offer a first of its kind solution for digital financing of laptops, electronic devices and school fee to The City School staff and parents of the students through the Bank’s digital payment and credit rails. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed to reaffirm this partnership. The solution makes Bank Alfalah’s suite of affordable financing solutions available to both the school staff and parents, catering to evolving technological and personal needs. Employees of TCS and parents may purchase laptops through affordable plans while parents may further benefit from the platform by digitally applying for loans to finance their children’s school fee in these testing times. Atif Bajwa, President and CEO of Bank Alfalah commented, “This association between Bank Alfalah and The City School is the beginning of a promising relationship, which will evolve to offer complete banking solutions in the future. Bank Alfalah is keen to support organizations in their efforts to adapt to these challenging times and to enable them with digital banking solutions. We look forward to furthering our relationship with The City School.” The Chairperson of The City School, Dr. Farzana Firoz, underscored the benefit of the alliance to both teachers and parents, emphasizing the need for affordable and accessible financing solutions. Pr
mobilink bank recognized as the ‘best retail bank in Pakistan’ by rbiT railblazer awards asia iSLaMaBaD: Pakistan’s largest digital bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) has won the prestigious Retail Banker International (RBI) Asia Trailblazer Award 2021 for being the ‘Best Retail Bank in Pakistan’, along with an honorable mention of “Highly Commended” for its House Loan in the Best Loan Offering category. Organized in collaboration with Arena International, UK, Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), Dubai, and Global Data (Singapore), the Annual RBI Asia Trailblazer Awards celebrate remarkable innovations and achievements in customer service in the financial and banking industry across the Asian continent. For the 12theditionof the coveted awards this year, more than 300 submissions were received in various categories from 25 countries. The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony in view of the COVID-19 safety protocols. Commenting on the achievement, Ghazanfar Azzam, President & CEO MMBL said: “The award comes as a testament to MMBL’s strong commitment to customer excellence. We always strive to improve the banking experience of our customers by offering customized digital products and services that enable and empower individual users and small and medium businesses in the country. The recognition has reinvigorated our resolve to further innovate, optimize and modernize our retail services to better facilitate our customers, and foster financial inclusion in the country.” Pr
Friday, 15 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOREIGN NEWS
Qatar advises West not to isolate taliban DUBAI
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atar’s foreign minister said isolating afghanistan and its new taliban rulers will never be an answer and argued on Wednesday that engaging with the former insurgents could empower the more moderate voices among them. sheikh Mohammed bin abdulrahman al thani spoke amid a flurry of diplomatic meetings taking place in Qatar, where the taliban have maintained a political office for years in the lead-up to their takeover of afghanistan in august. the world has been looking to see how the taliban transition from two decades of insurgency and war to governance after they seized control of Kabul and the rest of afghanistan as Us and Nato forces withdrew from the country. this week, the United states, 10 European nations and European Union representatives held face-to-face
talks with taliban leaders in Doha, the Qatari capital the first such meetings since the taliban blitz. al thani told an audience of counter-terrorism specialists in Doha that Qatar believes the international community should urge the taliban to take the right steps and to incentivise” that rather than talking only of penalising them for negative steps.” We see that its very important to provide guidance for them,” he said. this will create an incentive for progress and for the way forward.” this will help the moderate power (voices) to also provide an in-
centive to be more influential and more effective in their government, al thani added. Us state Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has made it clear in talks with the taliban this week that the group will be judged by their actions on issues related to combating terrorism and protecting human rights. He declined to discuss various carrots and sticks approaches related to afghanistan’s central bank reserves, currently frozen abroad and inaccessible to the taliban leadership. We engaged on a practical and pragmatic basis with the taliban, as we
have done in recent weeks, focusing on security and terrorism concerns, Price told reporters in Washington on tuesday. the taliban and Us share common concern about the militant Islamic state group in afghanistan, but the taliban have ruled out cooperation with the Us in fighting Is. However, the most pressing issue facing afghanistan is deepening poverty, with the country heavily reliant on international aid. Its financial system is collapsing and millions face hunger. the taliban are struggling to pay the wages of most teachers, doctors and some half-million civil servants. Prices of food staples have increased and the country is struggling to import medicine because it is blocked from the global financial system. the EU on tuesday announced a support package worth 1 billion euros ($1.15 billion), including 300 million euros ($346 million) that had been committed earlier, to help the afghan people amid the crisis. the United states, the single biggest donor to afghanistan, provided $330 million this year.
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Beijing gAMes reAdy for olyMPiA flAMe ATHENS
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HE Beijing 2020 Winter Olympics will come into sharp focus with the ceremonial torch-lighting ceremony in Greece’s ancient Olympia on Monday but opposition to the Games continues to grow more vocal. The Chinese capital will become the first city to host both the Winter and Summer Games when it stages the Feb 4-20 event but, as was the case with the 2008 Beijing Olympics, protests and calls for boycotts over the country’s human rights record have marred the run-up. Rights groups and US lawmakers have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the Games and relocate the event unless China ends what the United States deems ongoing genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups. Chinese authorities have been accused of facilitating forced labour by detaining around a million Uyghurs and other primarily Muslim minorities in camps since 2016. China denies wrongdoing, saying it has set up vocational training centres to combat extremism. Next week’s ceremony in Olympia, the site of the ancient Games, will be held without spectators and only a limited media presence due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The flame handover to Beijing Games organisers will take place in Athens a day later at an event also without spectators. Hundreds of Greek police officers are expected to lock down the sleepy town in western Peloponnese for the weekend in a bid to ensure there are no disruptions to the ceremony. For police, the lack of crowds will make it easier to safeguard the ceremonies, with authorities desperate to avoid a repeat of the protests during the torch-lighting ceremony for the Beijing Summer Games.
SPORTS 11 Mexico, Canada remain unbeaten in World Cup qualifying Mexico claimed a 2-0 win at El Salvador while Canada thrashed Panama 4-1 at home as both teams remained unbeaten in CONCACAF qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Leaders Mexico are on 14 points from six matches, three points clear of the United States, who beat Costa Rica 2-1. Canada, bidding to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986, are third on 10 points. The top three in the eight-team group qualify automatically for Qatar 2022 with the fourth-placed finisher going into an intercontinental playoff for another spot. In San Salvador, Hector Moreno struck 31 minutes into the first half to put Mexico ahead at Estadio Cuscatlan before Raul Jimenez added a second
Back in 2008, Tibetan activists sneaked into the ancient site in Olympia, lighting their own torch before the official ceremony, upsetting Chinese organisers. Activists also breached tight security and interrupted the Beijing Games torch-lighting ceremony itself, unfurling a banner condemning China’s human rights record in a globally televised event. They then disrupted the relay start in Olympia, marking the beginning of months of international protests. “There is heightened mobility of the Greek police regarding the Beijing torch lighting, especially compared to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,” a Greek official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. “The scenario of potential disruption is obviously being seriously considered by police.” Human rights groups, without revealing details, have told Reuters they will be present
in Greece during the ceremonies to highlight China’s human rights record and to call again on the IOC to stop the Games. The IOC is also facing criticism for awarding two Olympics to China in a span of 14 years despite what rights groups say are no improvements in the human rights situation since the 2008 Games. But IOC Vice-President John Coates defended the Olympic body’s stance on Wednesday. “The IOC’s remit is to ensure that there is no human rights abuses in respect of the conduct of the Games within the National Olympic Committees or within the Olympic movement,” he said. “We have no ability to go into a country and tell them what to do. All we can do is to award the Olympics to a country, under conditions set out in a host contract … and then ensure they are followed.”
in stoppage time. The flag-waving U.S. crowd in Columbus were stunned when Costa Rica took the lead in just the second minute when Keysher Fuller strolled unmarked into the penalty area and bounced a Ronald Matarrita cross past Zack Steffen. Sergino Dest equalised in the 25th minute with a left-footed howitzer that found the top corner and the United States went ahead in the 66th minute, Tim Weah firing home from close range. After draws at Mexico and Jamaica in their last two qualifiers, Canada fell behind at home to Panama early on when Rolando Blackburn scored after five minutes. But the Canadians then began to dominate and were rewarded with their own goal from Panama’s Michael Murillo off an Alphonso Davies corner.
Zeeshan Malik suspended by PCB under Anti-Corruption Code NEwS DESk PCB has suspended Northern opener Zeeshan Malik under Article 4.7.1 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code. It is to be noted that Malik cannot take part in any cricket-related activity pending the investigation being carried out by PCB’s AntiCorruption Unit, the board said in a presser. Malik was the sixth highest run-getter of the Shadab Khan-led side, which was knocked out by
champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the semi-finals. The 24-year-old was Pakistan’s third-highest run-scorer at the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, scoring 225 runs at an average of 56.25. The Chakwal-born batsman made his first-class debut in 2016 for Rawalpindi. It is pertinent to note that the article 4.7.1 of PCB’s anti-corruption code says provisional suspension is effective when the PCB charges an individual with a corruption offence or other exceptional circumstances where law enforcement agencies arrest the individual under the criminal law. The article is also applicable in cases where the integrity of the sport could be seriously undermined. The PCB holds the discretion to suspend a player pending the anti-corruption tribunal investigation of the said offence.
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TrAdITIOnAl fOr PM TO MEET cAndIdATEs fOr sPyMAsTEr’s jOb, sAys fAwAd chAudhry ISLAMABAD
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INISTER for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry Thursday said it was a tradition for the prime minister to meet candidates for appointments to key offices, including the spy chief. The statement came a day after consultation between Imran Khan and the army chief, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, for the appointment of the new boss of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency. He reiterated the assurance Thursday in a tweet wherein he said the process
“will be completed soon”. “The game that a specific section wanted to play on [the matter] has been defeated. Now, it is being said that the prime minister will hold interviews for the new DG ISI. A meeting before such appointments is conventional,” he said. “Making this process controversial is highly inappropriate.” Separately, while speaking to reporters outside the Parliament, the minister said the situation was “fine, Alhamdulillah [praise be to God]”. “Everyone, at the turn of every hour, is attempting to twist the matter to attract some attention,” he said, without elaborating. The military last week announced the
Oil prices climb on upgrade to IEA demand forecast LONDON Agencies
Oil prices rose by about 1% on Thursday after the International Energy Agency said that record natural gas prices would boost demand for oil and top oil producer Saudi Arabia dismissed calls for additional OPEC+ supply. Brent crude futures gained $0.89, or 1.1%, to $84.07 a barrel by 1204 GMT after falling 0.3% on Wednesday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures climbed $0.87, or 1.1%, to $81.31, more than recouping the previous day’s 0.3% decline. Oil demand is set to jump by half a million barrels per day (bpd) as the power sector and heavy industries switch from other more expensive sources of energy, the IEA said, warning that the energy crunch could stoke inflation and slow the world’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. In its monthly report, the IEA increased its global oil demand growth forecast by 170,000 bpd to 5.5 million bpd for 2021 and by 210,000 bpd to 3.3 million bpd for 2022. The agency now expects total oil demand in 2022 to reach 99.6 million bpd, slightly above prepandemic levels. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia dismissed calls for additional OPEC+ production increases, saying its efforts with allies are sufficient and serving to protect the oil market from the wild price swings seen in natural gas and coal markets. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, collectively known as OPEC+, have done a remarkable job acting as so-called regulator of the oil market, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told a forum in Moscow on Thursday. At its meeting earlier this month, OPEC+ stuck to its previous agreement to increase output by 400,000 bpd a month as it unwinds production cuts. A larger-than-expected fall in US fuel stocks also boosted prices on Thursday. The American Petroleum Institute (API) said on Wednesday that US crude stockpiles rose by 5.2 million barrels for the week ended October 8, but gasoline inventories fell by 4.6 million barrels and distillate stocks declined by 2.7 million barrels, according to market sources who saw the API data.
appointment of Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum, a seasoned soldier who has battled hardened militants, as director-general of the spy agency, replacing Lt Gen Faiz Hameed who was appointed commander of the XI Corps stationed in Peshawar. The appointment of the spy chief is the prerogative of the prime minister. However, per standard practice, the prime minister makes the choice in consultation with the army chief. However, despite the passage of days following the Inter-Services Public Relations’ announcement, the notification confirming the appointment was not issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, leading to feverish speculation.
In a surprising development on Tuesday, Khan informed his cabinet he had told Gen Bajwa that he wanted Lt Gen Hameed to continue for some time due to the critical security situation in Afghanistan. Later that day, addressing a post-cabinet meeting press conference, Chaudhry said the authority to appoint the spymaster “lies with the prime minister”. He added the set procedure would be followed for the purpose for which both [Gen Bajwa and Khan] were in agreement. Khan and Gen Bajwa held a long meeting late Monday night to discuss the matter and the prime minister had subsequently taken the cabinet into confidence over the issue, Chaudhry revealed.
US diplomat meets Shehbaz, Maryam to discuss Afghan situation US Charge d’Affairs Angela Aggeler on Thursday met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and VicePresident Maryam Nawaz and discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, a news outlet reported. According to the report, Aggeler met Maryam at her residence in Raiwind and Shehbaz in Lahore’s Model Town.
During the meeting, Aggeler lauded the services of Shehbaz as the former chief minister of Punjab and discussed the steps taken during the tenure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to end load-shedding, fight against terrorism and economic development. Earlier, Aggeler visited Karachi from September 29 to October 1 to strengthen bilateral ties between
Pakistan and the United States and promote efforts against the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. During her meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Aggeler highlighted the US partnership with Sindh provincial authorities to fight Covid-19 and US support for education in Sindh, including the USAID-funded Sindh Basic Education Programme. news desk
President promulgates ordinance for establishment of Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority President Dr Arif Alvi on Thursday signed an ordinance for the establishment of Rahmatul-lil-Alameen Authority. According to the ordinance, Prime Minister Imran Khan will be the patron-in-chief of the authority. The authority’s six members will have scholarly eminence and impeccable credentials. The prime minister will appoint the chairman of the authority and members of the board. The advisory board of the authority shall meet at least once on a quarterly basis. The authority will educate the world about Islam. It will undertake national level consultations with religious scholars, researchers, and education-related entities in all provinces.
It will promote modesty, non-materialistic approach, simple and dignified lifestyle. It will also provide an international counter-narrative to various misconceptions against Islam. Earlier on Sunday, the premier had said that the government has already started the search for a chairman to head the authority, who will be a top scholar. He had said that the authority will monitor the curriculum being taught at schools and organise research in universities regarding the true message of Islam in light of the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). He had stressed the need to undertake research on Muslim heroes.
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Tarin invites American enterprises to invest in sEZs WASHINGTON stAff RepoRt
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has invited American enterprises to take advantage of ample opportunities offered by the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Pakistan. He stated this while addressing a round table meeting organised by the United States Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) in Washington DC. Representatives from the US Chamber of Commerce, leading business enterprises, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir, Finance secretary and ambassador of Pakistan to the US participated in the meeting. The finance minister underlined that that the government is taking a number of initiatives to attract foreign investment into the country. For the purpose, full facilitation is being extended and all hurdles are being removed. He quoted the example of MetLife whose long standing issue had been recently resolved. In his concluding remarks, the finance minister stated that the government is firmly committed to provide an enabling environment for the foreign investors and businessmen. He also invited American enterprises to take advantage of ample opportunities offered by the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and affirmed full support and facilitation on the occasion. Separately, Shaukat Tarin reiterated that the government is fully committed to implementing structural reforms, protecting social spending and boosting social safety nets in order to protect the vulnerable segments of the society. He was holding a meeting with World Bank, South Asian Region Vice President Hartwig Schafer along with his team at Embassy of Pakistan, Washington DC. Federal Minister for Energy, Mohammad Hammad Azhar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division Omar Ayub Khan along with their teams joined virtually. Also, Governor State Bank of Pakistan Reza Baqir, Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan, Secretary Finance Division and senior officials participated in the meeting. He appreciated the pivotal role being played by the World Bank in strengthening governance and service delivery through institutional reforms in Pakistan over the years. The World Bank acknowledged that a lot of progress has been made on implementation of structural reforms in various sectors; however, it added that there is a need to keep up the momentum to achieve the projected growth targets.
netflix prices in Pakistan decline As per the reports, Netflix has hiked prices in New Zealand, Netherlands as well as Spain. However, the video streaming platform has reduced prices in Pakistan. Standard and Premium price plans have seen a decrement of Rs 400. The Standard plan now costs Rs 800 per month whereas the Premium plan is now priced at Rs 1,100. The plans were earlier, Rs 1500 and Rs 1200 respectively. The move is motivated by Netflix’s desire to increase subscribers in the region. It is pertinent to note that Netflix has experimented with a different price offerings in different countries to attract customers, especially in developing nations. The mobile plans offered in India and Pakistan are one such example. news desk
Tarin hopeful on success of IMF negotiations, resumption of $6bn programme ISLAMABAD App
Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin on Thursday expressed hope that top-level negotiations between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would be successful and the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) would be put back on track. “I believe that the progress we have made to date is really encouraging and as we say, God willing, I see this happening now in this visit,” he said in an interview at the United States Institute of Peace. The minister said that the concluding sixth round of talks with the IMF was the most important part of his visit to the US, adding that many virtual meetings had already taken place while the technical level discussions had also concluded. He said, at the final stage, meetings would be held with seniors at the IMF, including the Fund’s managing director. The minister said his government believed that IMF’s demand to increase power tariffs would trigger inflation, adding that this point was made in the technical discussion with the Fund, which was also informed that the increase in tariff would be made in a gradual manner so that it does not have an abrupt impact on inflation. Tarin said that there were some problems in the power sector, including excess capac-
ity, for which the government had to pay, adding that the performance of distribution and generation companies was also being improved. He said all this was being successfully negotiated with the IMF. Economy and growth ratE: The minister said that there was no stagnation in growth and the Pakistani economy would grow by over five per cent during the fiscal year 2021-22. He said that back in the 1960s, Pakistan’s economy was the fourth-largest in Asia. However, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s nationalisation policy and the Afghan war in 1979 disrupted economic growth, he added. Tarin said Prime Minister Imran Khan took over an economy that was struggling in 2018 with a $20bn current account deficit, unsustainable fiscal deficit, adding that the premier had to go for a tough IMF programme besides taking some politically unpopular decisions including currency devaluation, increasing the discount rate and increasing utility prices. The minister said that as the country’s economy started consolidating and growing, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. However, it was skillfully dealt with by the government as was indicated by the far lesser human and economic losses caused by the pandemic in Pakistan compared to the rest of the world. He said the government kept investing in two productive sectors,
agriculture and industry, as well as housing during Covid-19. He said during FY2021, growth was recorded at over 4pc compared to -0.5pc the previous year, showing a V-shaped recovery. The minister noted that around 60pc of Pakistan’s population is below the age of 30 years. They need jobs, so the government revitalised agriculture, industry, exports and housing, he said. However, there was a need to make sure the growth was “not overheated”, he added. ‘Bottom-up approachEs’ Tarin said the government was also ensuring that underprivileged people were not ignored and made to wait for the trickledown effect of positive economic growth, which has never reached them for many decades. Hence, the government had utilised bottom-up approaches to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth. For this purpose, the government was providing interest-free loans to farmers and low-income families besides issuing health cards and giving technical trainings to help around four million households. Focus on gEo-Economics: The minister said the premier had changed the country’s focus from geopolitics to geoeconomics to ensure the economic welfare of people. “This kind of change in focus means everything changes in terms of foreign policy, economic policy, internal security, and whatever else and relationship with neighbours.”
He said Pakistan has good relations with all neighbouring countries, but there were issues with India, which needed to be resolved. tradE with india: Tarin said that there was a fundamental issue between Pakistan and India and that was Kashmir, which he said was a disputed territory as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions. However, he said the current Indian government was not accepting its disputed nature and had taken some unilateral decisions, depriving Kashmiris of various rights. He said that trade and economic activities between India and Pakistan were suffering, adding that PM Imran had told India so many times that if they take one step, Pakistan would take two steps and urged the Indian government to respond positively. The minister said at the political level, there was a need to provide some space for economics and the welfare of people of both countries. aFghan situation: The finance minister said like all other countries, Pakistan also wanted an inclusive government in Afghanistan and was striving for that. However, he cautioned that the Taliban were running out of cash and if the world did not come to support them on humanitarian grounds, there would be complete chaos, which would spill over to Pakistan and other countries. He said that since the Taliban were say-
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ing that they would cooperate with the world, become a responsible country, take care of human rights, protect women rights and pledge not to promote terrorism, “we should help them step by step and encourage them to demonstrate improvements in their behaviour.” Tarin said if the situation in Afghanistan worsened it would affect Pakistan the most. “Pakistan believes if the situation in Afghanistan deteriorates we will directly get affected, ” the minister remarked. Talking about the security situation in Pakistan, the minister said that Pakistan had fenced its border with Afghanistan, except for a small strip near Chaman while traffic flow to and from Afghanistan had been controlled and security forces were also taking necessary action to maintain security. pakistan-china-us rElations: Tarin said Pakistan wanted to have friendly relations with every country including the US and China. He said that Pakistan had a “major strategic partnership” with the US and its friendship with China would not affect its relations with the former. “We believe we can work with both powers equally.” The finance minister said that China had helped the country in building infrastructure but that did not mean that Pakistan had become China-centric.