Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 I 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 111 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
InflatIon-hIt people may expect relIef after fIve months: asad Umar
ISLAMABAD
a
Ghulam abbas
S the rising oil prices and devaluation of currency are adding to the woes of inflation-hit people, the government sees no immediate relief but claims people may expect improvement after five months. Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, while addressing a press conference on Monday ruled out “immediate relief” in rising commodity prices, saying it could take at least five months for the “abnormal increase” in global prices to head towards normalcy. Citing the international market prices as the reason for the inflation in Pakistan, the minister said this spell was not expected to subside before March 2022. “We hope people get relief soon, but, according to experts, the relief may not be visible immediately and actual improvement may be seen from March,” Umar told a press conference in Islamabad. Umar said once international commodity prices stabilised and the trend
headed towards normalisation, “the government will then be responsible to pass on that relief to the masses.” He said most experts had predicted a decline in commodity prices from March, while a few felt the reduction in prices could take as long as June to take effect. While stressing that the world is going through an “extraordinary” situation in terms of commodity prices, he said the rates of basic commodities were still lower in Pakistan compared to the rest of the world. The minister, however, admitted that purchasing power of people had been directly affected in Pakistan in view of soaring inflation in recent months. “The government is now set to roll out targeted subsidies to the masses and this is the best time to take this measure,” Umar said. He said the prime minister would unveil details of the subsidy programme in the next few days, and subsequently, after a month, people would start getting some relief. He stressed that economies all over
coronavIrUs In
pakIstan
ConfirMed Cases:
1,265,047
last updated at 7:08 aM on oCtober 18, 2021
day's death toll:
new Cases:
11
663
reCovered:
deaths:
1,210,897 28,280 sindh:
punjab:
465,819
437,974
kpk:
baloChistan:
176,886 ajk/gb:
33,128 islaMabad:
34,402/10,369
106,469
the world were shrinking due to which the “production and supply of essential items had been adversely affected and in some cases, was paralysed”. He said economies had reopened after the pandemic with limited availability of products in the market which had resulted in rising prices all over the world. “This is the reason, not just Pakistan faced an increase in prices, it happened across the world,” Umar said. The planning minister recalled that the government took measures during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 and it opened industries in the first phase to keep the economic cycle going. He said the prices of crude oil, urea and sugar had drastically increased in the international market and Pakistan was feeling its impact. Recalling the tax rates on petroleum products during previous government led by PML-N, Asad Umar said, then government had charged tax worth as high as Rs 101 per liter and average of Rs 52 per liter during the whole tenure, but now it was less than half of the average tax of previous government, adding that at some stages, the present government had to charge zero PDL to pass on maximum relief to the people. The minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan had already provided maximum relief in terms of taxes on the petroleum products and henceforth there would be little room in this regard.
Continued on page 05
People fed up, government on defensive editorial on page 06
DG-ISI briefs COAS on ‘internal security, Afghanistan’: ISPR Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) headquarters on Monday. Director General ISI Lieutenant General Faiz Hamid received him, according to a statement from the military’s media wing. The COAS was briefed on “internal security and the ongoing situation in Afghanistan”, the statement from the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated. The statement added that General Bajwa expressed his satisfaction over the preparedness of the organisation. It is pertinent to note that the Army chief’s visit to the ISI headquarters comes amidst an alleged standoff between the military and the government over the appointment of the new spymaster. In this regard, the army had an-
Rupee nosedives to fresh alltime low of 172.78 against dollar The Pakistani rupee fell to a new all-time low of 172.78 against the US dollar on Monday, breaching Thursday’s low of 171.13, amid uncertainty regarding resumption of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF). According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the rupee shed Rs1.60 (-0.93 percent) as the US dollar opened at Rs171.18 and closed at Rs172.78. During intra-day trading in the inter-bank market, the rupee plummeted by a staggering Rs2.02 (-1.2 percent) against the US dollar to a record low of Rs173.2; however, it recovered some loss before the close of the session. Within the open market, the rupee was traded at Rs172/173 per dollar. The local currency had closed at Rs171.18 on Friday, according to the data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). According to a report by Mettis Global, strong demand for the greenback as well as rising prices of crude oil in international markets were behind the latest round of erosion in the rupee’s value. The report further said that additional pressure on the rupee was created due to no timeframe determined for the conclusion of the ongoing negotiations between the government and the International Monetary Fund that has led to a delay in the release of the next tranche
from the Fund. Currency experts state that clarity on the talks will stabilise rupee. However, the mentioned that another reason for rupee depreciation was that the market opened after two weekly holidays and Tuesday is also a public holiday on account of Eid Milad-un-Nabi. Last week, speaking at the launch of the Kisan Portal, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that the pressure on the Pakistani rupee is temporary and will be over soon. Media reports claim that Prime Minister Imran Khan is having a meeting on inflation and the economic situation in the country and is expected to make an important announcement regarding public relief in this meeting. It is pertinent to mention here that Fitch Ratings in September had revised down its forecasts for the Pakistani rupee for both this year and next due to a variety of factors including an increased flow of US dollars into neighbouring Afghanistan. For 2022, Fitch expects an average rate of 180 versus a previous forecast of 165. “Our expectation for the currency to weaken further is based on Pakistan’s worsening terms of trade, tighter U.S. monetary policy, alongside the flow of US dollars out of Pakistan and into Afghanistan,” it said. news desk
nounced on October 6 that the incumbent ISI chief, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, had been posted as Peshawar Corps Commander, while Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum was appointed in his place as DG-ISI. However, the Prime Minister’s Office has not yet issued an official notification of Lt Gen Anjum’s appointment, leading to rumours about issues in civil-military ties. Chaudhry had said that PM Imran Khan and the army chief had a “long sitting” the previous night to discuss the matter and the premier had subsequently taken the cabinet into confidence over the issue. “Gen Bajwa and the prime minister have close and cordial relations. And it is also important from a historical perspective that there are ideal relations between Pakistan’s civilian and military leaderships,” he had added. news desk
more inside
‘All matters have been resolved’: Fawad on civil, military relations story on baCk page
Shehbaz Sharif grills Imran Khan over skyrocketing inflation
story on baCk page
notice as per apns direction, the offices of pakistan today will remain closed on october 19 on the occasion of eid Milad-un-nabi. the paper will not be published on october 20.
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Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
MoRe Chinese AGRiCuLtuRAL teChnoLoGies to fLow into PAkistAn: ZhAo LijiAn BeiJing
AGRICULTURE SECTOR INCLUDED UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF CPEC
APP
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OREIGN Ministry Spokesperson Chinese Zhao Lijian Monday said that as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) enters the second phase, there will be more Chinese agricultural technologies flowing into Pakistan. “China-Pakistan cooperation in cultivating rice, corn, soybean, sugarcane and other crops has yielded fruitful results and playing an important role in promoting development of our bilateral relations and deepening friendship between our people,” he said. Addressing the launching ceremony of Kisan Portal for the farmers under Pakistan Citizen’s Portal in Islamabad, Prime Minister Imran Khan had said that
Pakistani farmers have to learn new techniques to boost productivity like China. The PM had stated that the agriculture sector has been included under the umbrella of CPEC. In response to PM Imran Khan remarks, Zhao Lijian said that agricultural cooperation is an integral part of CPEC an important pilot project of Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). “China would remain in close communication with Pakistan in the work to form efficient practical cooperation mechanism to promote socio-economic development and improve people’s well being to build an even closer China-Pakistan
community with shared future in the new era,” he added. It may be mentioned here that Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam has also stated that Pakistan has to adopt Chinese technology for abundant agriculture-food. “Pakistan can be successful like China by adopting their technology and discipline,” he had remarked while speaking as chief guest at an event in connection with World Food Day (WFD) jointly organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) in Islamabad.
On account of Eid Miladun Nabi, Sheikh Rashid announces 3-month relief in prison sentences of prisoners news Desk Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Monday announced a reduction in jail sentences of prisoners by three months on account of Eid Miladun Nabi. Addressing a presser in Islamabad, the interior minister said: “In the matter of Eid Miladun Nabi, the interior ministry is issuing a notification after the approval of the prime minister [and the] cabinet [whereby] all prisoners are being given relief of three months [in their prison sentences] — those prisoners who were convicted for any heinous crimes are
not included in this.” Besides, he said that the Capital Development Authority had done “fantastic arrangements” for the Ashra-e-Shan-eRehmat-ul-Lil-Alameen. The interior minister also spoke on other topics such as the situation at the Afghanistan border, saying that the visaon-arrival facility had been abolished and shifted to an online mechanism. He added that the visa fee was also being suspended till December 31 as a “goodwill gesture”. In regards to the opposition, parties Rashid referred to the Pakistan
Gold jumps to Rs119,700 per tola Monitoring report Gold in Pakistan shot up by Rs1,700 per tola to Rs119,700 on Monday. Gold prices in the local bullion market jumped Rs1,700 per tola and Rs1,457 per 10 grams to reach Rs119,700 per tola and Rs102,623 per 10 grams. The precious commodity closed at Rs118,00 per tola and Rs101,166 per 10 grams on Saturday. Gold in the international market was available at $1,764 per ounce after shedding $4.40 at 1230 hours GMT. Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market remained unchanged at Rs1,430 per tola and Rs1,226 per 10 grams.
Lt Gen Muhammad Aamer handed over command of Gujranwala Corps
news Desk Lieutenant General Muhammad Aamer has been handed over the command of the Gujranwala Corps on Monday, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated. During the ceremony, Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir handed over the command to Lt Gen Aamer, the statement added. According to the military’s media wing, the development took place during a change of command ceremony held at the Gujranwala cantonment.
Democratic Movement as a “dead political elephant”. “I will request them that the politics of the frog in the well has ended from August 15 [and] now politics is happening in deep-sea waters — look at the changing situation.” “Is there inflation [present]? Of course, it is. I’m not the minister who [denies] in front of you but you have to see that corona[virus pandemic happened], there were instalments to be paid of loans and debts,” the interior minister said. He said no government wanted inflation to be present during its tenure and Pakistan had been saved from sanctions under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership. Rashid said the prime minister had summoned a meeting to discuss the issue of higher prices of essential commodities,
adding that he thought the premier was doing his “utmost effort” to resolve the issue. “We have to eliminate this [issue] within the year,” he added. Responding to a question, the interior minister said opposition figures had no sting left to them. “They are young engines but they are giving off smoke,” he added. He said the country’s politics was continuing as usual and “they have no new sentence or thought. This is Imran Khan’s blessing to get such a fatigued opposition.” Questioned on PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s criticism of state institutions, he said it was an example of “great irresponsibility” and she was “only digging ditches for herself”. “Whoever is publicly targeting sensitive institutions like this, then I think … its effects will be felt for a long while.”
Man suspected of killing daughters, grandchildren in marriage feud: police LAHORE: A father in Muzaffargarh is suspected of killing his two daughters and their four children by setting their house ablaze because one of the women married against his wishes, police said late Sunday. Manzoor Hussain is being hunted by police after allegedly setting fire to the home that sisters Fauzia Bibi and Khurshid Mai shared in a village in the city, police official Abdul Majeed told Reuters by phone. Mai’s husband also died in the blaze, Majeed said. Bibi had married Mehboob Ahmad about 18 months ago against her father’s will in a so-called love marriage, according to the official, as opposed to an arranged marriage. “The incident is the outcome of the rivalry between the two families over the love marriage,” Majeed said. Hussain, the father being searched for, lives in a nearby village, he added. Bibi’s husband Ahmad told police he was not at home at the time of the fire and had found the house ablaze when he returned from work early in the morning, according to his statement to officers, which was seen by Reuters. Ahmad said his fourmonth-old son had died, along with Mai’s three children aged two, six and 13. ReuteRs
Former Sindh governor Ishratul Ebad considering a return to politics news Desk After being approached by some “prominent political players and Karachi stakeholders”, former Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan is considering a return to Karachi’s politics. Ebad revealed his future plans and views about the current turmoil in Pakistani politics, particularly Karachi. When asked if he was approached by influential figures to make a comeback to the politics of Karachi in particular as well as Pakistan before and after the 2018 elections, Dr Ebad didn’t deny it. However, the former governor avoided opening up about the proposals and promises that have been put before him but he did speak about his tenure as the longest-serving governor of Sindh. Dr Ebad said the Karachi operation got the full support of the Centre as soon as the PML-N formed its government in 2013. He stressed the importance of developing the city’s infrastructure, adding that he took advantage of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s passion for development projects. Dr Ebad said: “In one meeting, I told Mian Sahib that you are not only the prime minister of Punjab but Pakistan and that Karachi also deserves a mass transit system,” he said. “He asked me to meet him again. In the next meeting, he got convinced and immediately approved the Greenline, M-9 Motorway, and Malir Expressway and the work started. His support for the Karachi operation and development was decisive,” he added. Dr Ebad resigned in November 2016 as Sindh governor, bringing to an end the longest ever stint for any governor in the history of Pakistan. He left Karachi immediately for Dubai citing security issues. Ebad has been living ever since in Dubai, mostly out of the public eye and political affairs of Pakistan, but keenly watching the unfolding developments. Ideally, Dr Ebad should have landed in London to spend his time with his family but he has chosen not to step inside the UK. His home is a stone’s throw away from the MQM former’s International Secretariat and at a 10-minute drive from MQM founder Altaf Hussain’s Mill Hill residence. When asked if he wanted to avoid speculation and needless association with his former colleagues – now
operating under the MQM London banner – he confirmed that living in London would not give him the peace of mind that he much needed and would rather generate such assumptions. As one of the founding members of the MQM, Dr Ebad regrets that the party spiralled into selfdestruction after having achieved so much for the people of Karachi and the urban centres of Sindh. Moving forward to the recent years, he believes that every party has failed to deliver anything to Karachiites in the last three years and has created a political vacuum. “Despite PTI having a majority of seats in Karachi, unfortunately, they have failed to meet public expectations,” he said. Dr Ebad doesn’t pitch himself as the leader of the MQM-Pakistan or any other party but strongly believes that things need to change otherwise, they will get out of control. “The current geopolitical situation demands that
the political vacuum in Karachi be addressed, otherwise, the Afghan crises and anti-state elements can give rise to instability and create a law and order situation in Karachi. “If Karachi suffers, the whole state suffers, as Karachi is the economic engine of Pakistan.” He remains in touch with his former colleagues in the MQM-P. He accepts that a small group within the MQM-P may be against him in taking part in politics, whereas the majority is not only in touch with him but also wants him to return and be involved in a leadership role with the MQM-P. Dr Ebad firmly agreed that a robust, reputed, educated, and experienced leadership must unite to deliver governance and regain public trust. He also believes that the current convener of MQM-P, Dr Khalid Maqbool, is an educated face of the party and must be strengthened with experienced people, including Dr Farooq Sattar and Dr Farogh Naseem.
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
Shehbaz Sharif trying tO eScaPe frOm accOuntability PrOceSS: Shahzad akbar LAHORE
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sTaff RePoRT
DvISER to Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar on Monday said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif had tried to escape from accountability process as during his appearance in an accountability court on Monday in money laundering case pleaded for next hearing date on pretext of attending the National Assembly session. Addressing a press conference here at 90 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Shahzad Akbar
said that if Shehbaz Sharif was clear of money laundering charges from a London court, he should have present the evidences which became the base of his alleged clearance in money laundering allegations by London court in his today’s appearance in an accountability court. He said that Shehbaz Sharif and his accomplices tried to distort the facts and figures to befool the masses by projecting a narrative that London court had acquitted Shehbaz Sharif from money laundering charges, adding that Shehbaz Sharif was using delaying tactics to escape from accountability process. Shahzad Akbar said that the case in
which Shehbaz Sharif today appeared before an accountability court related to assets beyond known source of income was initiated in 1990 when he became a public office holder, adding that Shehbaz Sharif’s declared assets in 1990 were of Rs 2.1 million, Rs 14.8 million in 1998 and Shehbaz Sharif and his family’s declared assets were of Rs 21 million in 2003. Hazma Shehbaz had declared the Shehbaz’s Sharif’s family assets as Rs 34.4 million in 2005 in which he first time mentioned the Telegraphic Transfers (T.Ts), he added. The Adviser said that assets of Shehbaz
Sharif’s family were significantly increased by Rs 660 million as the source of income for declared assets was Rs 77 million which was 11 percent of total income, whereas the remaining income 89 percent came from telegraphic transfers which were presented by exchange companies not the banks, through forge documents which also had been proved in National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s investigation. Shahzad Akbar said that Shehbaz Sharif had started few companies, purchased two houses with a cost of Rs 115 million; one in Murree and other in DHA besides clearing tax payments of a land cruiser through forged or
Afghan traders unable to access funds in banks, halt imports PESHAWAR aziz BuneRi
After Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, money supply by banks has taken a serious hit causing difficulties for traders, who are forced to stop imports due to a shortage of cash. According to details, the Afghan government has allowed the withdrawal of $200 or 20,000 Afghanis, but the banks are not providing cash more than 10,000 Afghanis to account holders, which has increased the hardships of people who are facing the looming crisis of food insecurity. According to Afghan businessman Babarzai, the country is dependent on imports and unless the banks provide money to traders, it will be impossible to import goods.
Babarzai added that fluctuations in the value of the dollar in Afghanistan have also put traders in a difficult position, adding that a food shortage is not far if the situation continues.
PSX begins week on negative note KARACHI TLTP
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) snapped the two-day winning streak on Monday amid uncertainty regarding resumption of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF), with the benchmark KSE-100 Index shedding 192.08 points (-0.43 percent) to close at 44,629.45 points. Other reasons for the bearish trend included massive depreciation of Pakistan rupee against the US dollar during the day, as the rupee broke all the record for all-time low to close the day’s trade at 172.78, and increase in petroleum prices by up to Rs10.95 per litre and power tariff by Rs1.29 per unit. However, expectation of positive news from the IMF still supported the market and saved it from a free fall. The market opened on a negative note and fell by almost 380 points within the first half an hour; however, the traded volumes were less than 10 million at this stage, and later the market remained volatile throughout the session. The KSE-100 Index moved in a range of 547.9 points, showing an intraday high of 44,990.1 points and a low of 44,442.2 points. Among other indices, the KSE All Share Index shed 96.03 points (-0.38 percent) to close at 30,674.11 points, while All Share Islamic Index shed 68.6 points (-0.31 percent) to close at 21,847.04 points. A total of 339 companies traded shares in the stock exchange, out of them shares of 113 closed up, shares of 215 closed down while shares of 11 companies remained unchanged. Out of 95 traded companies in the KSE-100 Index, 30 closed up, 64 closed down and one remained unchanged.
According to Hamda, an Afghan woman, banks provide Afghani currency to people from dollar accounts due to which account holders are suffering a loss of millions.
IMF question’s AGP about audit of Covid-19 expenditure fund ISLAMABAD shahzad PaRacha
With negotiations between Pakistan and International Monetary Fund (IMF) negotiations currently underway in Washington, the lending organisation’s representative on Monday questioned the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) regarding the audit of Covid-19 expenditures. In this regard, along with AGP Muhammad Ajmal Gondal, IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Teresa Daban, Economist Saher Masood, DAG(FAO) Maqbool Ahmed Gondal, and DG (Policy) Tafakhar Ali Asadi attended the meeting. Sources said that the IMF representative asked the AGP about the audit of the $1.4 billion Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) amount which was given to Pakistan to overcome the balance of payment crisis. The AGP through a special audit of Covid-19 related expenditures had highlighted billion rupee irregularities. Sources further said that the IMF representative also asked the AGP if the government of Pakistan had exerted any pressure on the constitutional department over the audit of the expenditure of Utility Store subsidies on food items during the pandemic. They said the AGP assured the Fund that his department conducted the audit without any pressure. Meanwhile, a handout issued by AGP states that
US defence secretary says watching China’s weapons development after hypersonic missile report TBILISI ReuTeRs
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Monday Washington was closely watching China’s development of advanced weapons systems, while declining to comment directly on a report that Beijing had tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile. The Chinese foreign ministry denied the report in the Financial Times newspaper, which said Beijing had launched a rocket in July carrying a hypersonic glide weapon. Beijing said it was a space vehicle, not a missile. The United States and Russia have both tested hypersonic weapons, usually defined as missiles which fly more than five times the speed of sound, in a race
She added that after the Taliban took control, food prices are constantly on the rise and Afghans are starving due to lack of money. Hamda lamented that common people are facing difficulties due to lack of food supply and unemployment. According to Abdul Rashid, an Afghan citizen, his brother has sent money for household expenses from London through a bank but he is unable to withdraw the money as banks are reluctant to provide despite the Taliban order that people can withdraw 20,000 Afghani. He said that Western Union and other money transfer systems are also paralysed. He stressed that action should be taken against banks for not allowing the people access to their own funds.
for a new generation of weapons that are harder to detect and block. Austin told reporters during a visit to the former Soviet republic of Georgia: “We watch closely China’s development of armament and advanced capabilities and systems that will only increase tensions in the region.” He said Washington would remain focused on the military challenge from Beijing. Austin was speaking during a trip to Europe on which the Pentagon said he would “reassure allies and partners of America’s commitment to their sovereignty in the face of Russian aggression”. He said the United States would partner with Georgia, which fought a losing war with Russia in 2008, to help it strengthen its defence and deterrent capabilities.
PAKISTAN WAS GIVEN $1.4BN RAPID FINANCING INSTRUMENT (RFI) TO OVERCOME THE BALANCE OF PAYMENT CRISIS a meeting on the request of the Resident Representative of the IMF was held in Islamabad. Further, Sanchez briefed the chair about RFI and also extended an offer for the training of DAGP officials in the field of budgeting, financing, execution and reporting. The AGP appreciated the proposal and apprised the IMF team about the mandate of the department. The process of accountability and the timelines of audit reports. The chair also apprised about Parliamentary oversight and role of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as well as the procedure of public hearing on audit reports, especially the audit of Covid-19 expenditures. The meeting was also apprised of the coverage of pandemic expenditures in the report and the same Utility Store subsidies on food items during the pandemic. IMF representatives appreciated the recommendations made as part of the report.
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fake telegraphic transfers as a source of income. Salman Shehbaz and Hamza Shehbaz had accepted in written that “Manzoor Paparwala” was their real investor who invested in their businesses from London, he maintained. The Adviser said that telegraphic transfers of Rs 181 million were directly transferred to the personal account of Hamza Shehbaz while Salman Shehbaz received telegraphic transfer of Rs 3 billion in which he had shown that he received telegraphic transfers of Rs 1.5 billion as loan from Mushtaq alias “Chini”, adding that Mushtaq alias “Chini” had also confessed money laundering for Hamza and Salman Shehbaz.
One killed, 7 injured in explosion near Quetta varsity QUETTA sTaff RePoRT
At least one policeman was killed and 7 others injured after a blast took place near Balochistan University at Quetta’s Saryab Road Monday. The explosion took place near a police mobile. Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said the mobile deputed outside the university gate was targeted. An explosive device was planted in a motorcycle, he said. He added that those responsible for the blast will be arrested and brought to justice. Injured people were shifted to the Civil Hospital and Bolan Medical Complex Hospital. The nature of the blast is still unascertained but police and counterterrorism department (CTD) officials have arrived at the scene.
Value-added textile sector demands ban of cotton yarn export FAISALABAD aPP
The value-added textile sector has demanded an immediate ban on cotton yarn export and total elimination of the regulatory duty on import of raw material. Addressing a press conference, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA) Zonal Chairman, Mian Kashif Zia, said that the value-added textile sector was playing a key role in creating job opportunities and therefore, the government must resolve its issues on a priority basis. Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) President Atif Munir Sheikh said that despite an 80 per cent extra production of cotton, the sector was facing a cotton shortage of 35-45pc and would have to import cotton to fulfill the gap.He demanded that the government clamp a ban on export of cotton yarn and lower the regulatory duty on its import to zero. “We would have to depend on 70pc imports for our exports,” he added. He said the sector was indebted to the government for the clearance of Rs275 billion refunds that were pending for the last 11 years. However, it was a demand of the sector that the government ensure availability of raw material at reasonable rates.
04 NEWS 19th October 2021_Layout 1 10/18/2021 9:53 PM Page 1
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
04 NEWS
PM KHAN, GeN BAjwA LAud NCOC fOr rOLe iN fiGHtiNG COvid 19 PANdeMiC ISLAMABAD
P
Staff RepoRt
RIME Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on Monday visited the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the nation’s nerve centre in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. During their visit, NCOC Director General Maj-Gen Asif Mahmood Goraya briefed the forum of the latest Covid-19 situation, measures in place to contain the spread of the disease, vaccine administration efforts, and the future Covid-19 management strategy, according to a statement issued by the NCOC. In his remarks, Prime Minister Imran “appreciated the efforts of NCOC and all federating units for [a] synergised response during [the] pandemic for
ensuring the safety and well-being of the people of Pakistan”. He directed all stakeholders to maximise their efforts for the mandatory vaccination drive and enforcement of the requisite non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), the statement said. Later, the premier presented an NCOC
SC grants bail to suspect's mother in Noor murder case
memento to Lt Gen Hamooduz Zaman Khan on his retirement. He was recognised for his “outstanding services” as the national coordinator at the NCOC and for playing “an instrumental role in the nation’s fight against Covid-19 through flawless management of resources and seamless co-
ordination among all stakeholders”. Covid-19 cases have been on the decline in Pakistan. The country reported less than 1,000 infections for the third day in a row on Monday, recording 663 Covid cases during the last 24 hours. On Saturday, NCOC data had shown that the number of critical patients, which stood at around 6,000 in August, had fallen to around 2,000. Last week, in view of the slowing spread of the disease, the NCOC had lifted restrictions on one-day weekly closure of businesses and reopened cinemas and shrines for fully vaccinated people. However, it kept NPIs in place from October 16 till 31 in districts with a high prevalence of coronavirus cases. The forum also raised the number of guests attending indoor weddings from 200 to 300 and those participating in outdoor marriage events from 300 to 500.
LHC grants stay after sugar mills challenge CCP fine LAHORE: Granting stay in a petition filed by sugar producers, the Lahore High Court (LHC) Monday ordered the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) to not go ahead with the imposition of penalties on the growers until further orders. The mills’ owners had challenged the government’s decision of the imposition of fines on charges of selling sugar at exorbitant rates in the high court. On October 16, Pakistan Sugar Mills Association chief Zaka Ashraf said mills’ owners were being arrested and fined in violation of the law. Addressing a press conference along with other officebearers, he said the law should be equal for everyone. “Sugar mills’ owners are worried about the steps taken by the government [against them],” he maintained. He said the government was forcing the millers to crush the sugarcane in its raw form. “This will reduce the production of sugar in the country. The destruction of the industry will only benefit India,” he opined. Prime Minister Imran Khan had a few days ago ordered action against the sugar barons in view of increasing prices of the commodity in the open market. INp
Columnist Ajmal Niazi passes away
Pakistan seeks to strengthen relations with Japan, says PM ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Monday freed on bail the mother of the prime suspect 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 o 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). Asmat Adamjee, along with her husband Zakir Jaffer, was arrested days later on charges of abetting the murder. Their phone records show they were in contact with their son and household staff before and after the murder. Last week, they filed separate petitions in the top court challenging the rejection of their bail petitions by the Islamabad High Court. The court had also ordered authorities to keep them in detention until the completion of the trial. The petitions claimed the case against the suspects was not based on tangible evidence, and maintained the allegations against them were “highly speculative”. Ruling on the petitions, the apex court however rejected Jaffer’s request and disposed of his petition. It also ordered Adamjee to pay Rs1 million in surety bonds. Last week, a district and sessions court indicted Zakir, two members of his domestic staff and the owner of a mental health organisation that employeed him and his mother in connection with the incident. Following an extensive probe that included a total of 12 suspects, including the suspect’s parents, the court charged six people including Zakir, Jan Muhammad and Jameel — the domestic help — and Tahir Zahoor, chief executive officer of Therapy Works. The sessions court has summoned the prosecution witnesses on October 20. It has also ordered the authorities to complete the trial within two months. Staff RepoRt
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong desire to further deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation in the economic, trade, development, and investment sectors with Japan. The prime minister’s statement came during his meeting with the Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Kuninori Matsuda, where the premier congratulated the official on the successful completion of his tenure in the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan underscored the high importance Pakistan attaches to its relationship with Japan, which was embedded in mutual trust and understanding. PM Imran Khan underscored the high importance Pakistan attaches to its relationship with Japan, which was embedded in mutual trust and understanding, the statement said. In the regional context, the prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s vital interest in a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, the statement said. He stressed that the international community must remain positively engaged with the new Afghan administration, provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance, and take steps to prevent economic collapse there, in-
cluding through release of Afghanistan’s frozen assets. The prime minister also underlined the importance of national reconciliation and an inclusive political structure, according to the statement. Meanwhile, the ambassador thanked the premier for addressing a letter to the new Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida and recalled the prime minister’s engagement with the Japanese dignitaries on various issues. The Japanese ambassador thanked the prime minister for his strong leadership in further solidifying Pakistan’s relations with Japan and in support of peace and stability in the region and beyond.
The ambassador also conveyed profound thanks to the Pakistani government for facilitating the evacuation of Japanese nationals and others from Afghanistan. Ambassador Matsuda also highlighted the MoU signed between the two sides on the export of manpower from Pakistan to Japan under the Technical Intern Training Programme (TITP) and Specified Skilled Workers (SSW) Programme. “The year 2022 will mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Japan. The two sides envisage the celebration of this milestone in a befitting manner,” the statement added.
LAHORE: Prominent columnist and poet Ajmal Niazi passed away on the early Monday in Lahore, his family said. He was 75. His funeral will be offered at a cricket ground in Wahdat Colony neighbourhood at 4:30 pm today. Author of several books including a biography of late Hameed Nizami, Niazi penned a weekly column — Bay Niaziyan — for Urdu-language Nawa-i-Waqt newspaper for a long time. He also served as a lecturer in various colleges, including Forman Christian College and Government College University. In recognition of his services, the government had bestowed on him Sitara-i-Imtiaz — thirdhighest civilian honour. A large number of politicians, his readers and members of the journalism fraternity expressed their condolences over his death. In a tweet, President Dr Arif Alvi paid tribute to Niazi for his invaluable services. “Late Ajmal Niazi has left an eternal mark with his immense contribution to various domains, including literature and journalism,” the president said. He also prayed for the departed soul to rest in peace, and for the patience of the bereaved family. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said Niazi strived to reform the society through the might of the pen. He said Niazi’s services to the field of journalism will always be remembered. He also prayed to Allah to bless the departed soul and grant courage to the bereaved family to bear this loss with fortitude. Staff RepoRt
PDM a ‘dead political elephant’, says minister ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Monday compared Pakistan Democratic Movement to a “dead political elephant” and declared the politics of the opposition alliance died on August 15, the day Taliban took over Afghanistan. “I will request them [the opposition] that the politics of the frog in the well has ended from August 15 [and] now politics is happening in deep-sea waters […] look at the changing situation [across the world],” the minister said while speaking to reporters. When asked to comment on the latest wave of inflation and surging oil prices, he said: “Is there inflation [present in Pakistan]? Of course, it is.” Ahmed said he was “not the minister” who denied the fact that inflation was prevalent in front of the camera and acknowledged in private but “you have to see that corona[virus happened] then there were instalments to be paid of [foreign] liabilities”. The minister asserted
no government wanted inflation to prevail during its tenure. Pakistan, he claimed, had been saved from sanctions under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership, without further elaborating. During the presser, he also announced a reduction in jail sentences of prisoners by three months on account of the Eid Milad un-Nabi festival. “The Ministry of Interior is issuing a notification after the approval of the prime minister [and the] cabinet [whereby] all prisoners are being given a threemonth relief [in their sentences]. Those prisoners who were convicted for any heinous crimes are not eligible for the time-off.” The Capital Development Authority (CDA) had done “fantastic arrangements” for the Ashra-e-Shan-e-Rehmat-ul-LilAlameen. He said the visa-on-arrival facility had been abolished for people arriving
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from Afghanistan and the applicants were shifted to an online mechanism. He added
the visa fee was also being suspended till December 31 as a “goodwill gesture”. “We are also issuing a five-year business visa,” he said. Furthermore, the Integrated Border Management System would be rolled out to other areas as well including Badini and Ghulam Khan. Ahmed also censured Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz for targeting state institutions. “Maryam Nawaz is digging her own grave by making inappropriate comments about institutions,” the minister said. He also warned that targeting institutions on the streets would have a long-lasting impact.
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
CHINA CAllS oN BRI CoUNTRIeS To woRk foR SUSTAINABle TRANSPoRT beIJIng
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Mian abrar
xPERTS and speakers from Chinese enterprises working under the China, Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects shared their success story of working in Pakistan at a conference held in Chinese capital and announced that they would love to support Pakistan to achieve sustainable transport. The pledges were made at the UN Sustainable Transport Conference held here with government leaders, industry experts, and civil society groups charting out a sustainable pathway forward. “President xi Jinping announced that China will establish the China International Sustainable Transport Innovation and Knowledge Center, which will give a strong boost to the development of sustainable transport worldwide”, said Dr Abid Sulehri, Director of the Pakistan Institute of Sustainable Development Policy (PSDPI). China’s research and innovation ca-
pabilities will underpin the success of this new initiative, he added. On the occasion, Main Line 1 (ML1), KKH, Orange Line, Gwadar Port, and other projects under CPEC were emphasized as a successful case of sustainable transport. Participants agreed that following the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, China joins hands with BRI countries to accelerate cooperation in infrastructure connectivity and build a high-quality development path that is inclusive and beneficial to all – a road of peace, cooperation and prosperity. While transport is a core driver for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provides communities with an opportunity to access employment, health care services and attend schools, current systems of mobility present a number of challenges. According to the report released on the conference, transport is one of the single largest contributors to air and carbon pollution emissions globally, also ac-
Inflation-hit people may expect relief after five months: Asad Umar contInued from page 01 Asad Umar added that under Ehsaas programme, the government was providing relief of over Rs 260 billion compared to Rs 121 billion in 2018. Replying to a question, the minister said the Prime Minister did not wait for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and initiated reforms in key sectors even before the programme. Replying to another question, he said the incumbent government had taken actions against various mafias and cartels, however he regretted that since the cases were pending in court so the government was helpless in punishing the culprits till the conclusion of the case. When asked why the present IMF programme was very strict and inflexible, the minister explained that due to the worst economic policies of the previous government, macroeconomic sectors needed drastic reforms therefore the IMF was very strict. He said the previous government had thrown US$ 8-10 billion in the market only to maintain the exchange rates that resulted in plunging of foreign exchange reserves and surge of current account deficit to as high as $20 billion.
counting for about 64% of total oil consumption and 27% of all energy use. Over 1 billion people worldwide still lack adequate access to an all-weather road, especially in developing countries, including countries in special situations. In order to cope with the dilemma, countries, businesses and communities are using the power of technology and innovation to improve their transport systems and make them more sustainable. From the Volo copter, an all-electric air taxi in Germany to electrified bus networks in China to the rapid sale growth of electric vehicles in the United States, a transport revolution has begun. The COVID-19 pandemic has also prompted many cities to build more bicycle lanes and G20 countries have committed over $284 billion to the mobility industry. All modes of transport, including road, rail, aviation and waterborne, were discussed at the conference. It consisted of plenary sessions, a Ministers Forum, a Business Forum and a Science, Engineering and Technology Forum. Its six thematic sessions included dis-
cussions on the contributions sustainable transport can make to economic recovery, creating livelihoods and to climate change mitigation. The Conference culminated in new partnerships, commitments and initiatives to further advance sustainable transport. Amid those events, plenary session featured 15 Ministers of Transport and high-level government representatives, sharing their national experiences in advancing sustainable transport. “It has become more urgent than ever to accelerate the transformation to sustainable transport. This means decarbonizing transport systems, ensuring universal access, improved safety, enhanced resilience, greater efficiency, and lower pollution.” Said Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General of Economic and Social Affairs of United Nations, during his closing remarks where he urged all to “be determined and focused, continuing on a journey that started in Ashgabat, accelerated in Beijing and must now gather speed to deliver on the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement”.
CoP slams govt for rejecting anti-forced conversion bill KaracHI Staff report
The leadership of the Church of Pakistan (CoP) has expressed serious concern over the government’s rejection of the draft legislation against forced conversion, saying the “unilateral decision, without taking the leadership of the religious minorities on board, has increased fear and insecurity in the non-Muslim communities of the country”. According to a press statement issued after a meeting of the CoP’s bishops and members of the synod council ahead of the election for the Bishop of Karachi and Balochistan, the Moderator/President of Church of Pakistan, Bishop Dr Azad Marshall briefed the leadership about the concerns of the Christian community arising out of the government’s rejection of a draft bill aimed at protecting the minority girl child from rape and sexual exploitation under the guise of religious conversion. The statement said that the CoP leadership expressed its dismay over the rejection of the draft bill by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Parliamentary Committee for Protection of Minorities and Council of Islamic Ideology, saying the government bodies had termed the crucial legislation as “un-Islamic” even though the legislation prepared by the Ministry of
Human Rights was not against the Islamic faith and was a sincere effort to protect the girl child. The CoP leadership also approved a unanimous resolution on the crucial issue presented by the moderator bishop. “The Church of Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms the government’s volte face on the crucial legislation for protecting the girl child belonging to minority communities. “The draft bill, in no means, is an attempt to discourage people from changing their faith. The Church does not restrain its adult members from their willful conversion to the faith of their choice but the manner in which minor girls are being abducted, forcibly converted and married to their abductors under the guise of religion is condemnable,” the resolution stated. It called on the Pakistani government to adhere to its international obligations and constitutional provisions regarding the rights of minorities and of the girl child and reconsider its decision of rejecting the draft bill. “Pakistan is a signatory to several international conventions that guarantee religious freedom and protection to the girl child but it is unfortunate that the government has capitulated to certain vested religious interests by denying women and minority children their due right to security by rejecting the
anti-forced conversion and anti-domestic violence draft bills,” it stated. The resolution also demanded the government reconsider its decision of amending the communal properties law, which would allow criminal elements to sell minority properties illegally. It urged the government to return the control of the Edwardes College in Peshawar to the Church, saying nationalisation of missionary educational institutions was like rubbing salt on the wounds of the patriotic Christian community. “Christians have always contributed to nation-building and the country’s security since Pakistan’s creation and we believe that such decisions are detrimental to national unity and cohesion. We urge the government to take the religious minorities on board on all decisions concerning their communities so that all challenges are addressed through mutual consultation and consensus,” the resolution concluded. The joint resolution was signed by Moderator/President Bishop Azad Marshall, Deputy Moderator Bishop Kaleem John, Bishop of Peshawar Humphrey Peter, Bishop of Multan Leo Roderick Paul, Bishop of Sialkot Alvin Samuel, Bishop Emeritus of Peshawar Manu Rumalshah and CoP Synod Secretary Anthony Lamuel among others.
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Hamdard Naunehal Assembly holds Children’s Seerat Conference KARACHI: A Seerat Conference for children on the theme: "Virtue of our Beloved Prophet (PBUH)" comprised of recitation of verses from holy Qur’an, hamd, mehfil-i-na’at, rasm-i-bismillah and speeches, was held yesterday at Bait-ul-Hikmah Auditorium, Madinat al-Hikmah under the auspices of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan. Renowned Industrialist and a member of Shura Hamdard, Naushaba Khalil Sattar was invited as a guest speaker in the meeting. pr
President for promoting technical education and Information Technology in the country Islamabad pr
President Dr Arif Alvi has underscored the need for promoting technical education and Information Technology in the country so as to fulfil the requirements of the industrial sector as well as provide employment opportunities to the youth. Highlighting the importance of quality education, he said that the technological and industrial development of the country was directly linked to the quality of education and the higher education institutions needed to focus on research and development to put the country on the path of development. The President made these remarks during a briefing on Sir Syed Centre for Advanced Studies in Engineering (CASE) Institute of Technology, Islamabad, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today. Vice-Chancellor of CASE, Prof. Dr Shafaat Ahmed Bazaz, briefed the President about the role of his Institution in the promotion of advanced studies in the field of engineering and technology. He informed that CASE was offering various programmes from bachelor to PhD levels in the fields of Engineering, Management, Business and Computing. It was highlighted that currently over 900 students were enrolled in various disciplines in the Institute whereas more than 3500 students had graduated since its inception. The meeting was told that since 2017, the university had awarded scholarships and financial aid worth Rs 54.3 million to deserving students. Addressing the meeting, the President said that universities must focus on developing analytical and logical thinking skills among its students. He added that the teachings of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan could enlighten and guide the youth in future. He asked the management of the Institute to increase the number of students as well as enhance the virtual ability of CASE. He also underlined the need for collaboration with public and private universities to increase productivity and uplift the education sector. The President appreciated the role of CASE in promoting technological and IT education in the country.
‘Talks with IMF have not failed,’ Tarin says voicing optimism about success neW YorK Staff report & app
Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has dismissed reports that the talks between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the resumption of $6 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) had failed, asserting that they were headed in a positive direction. Tarin made these remarks in conversation with reporters after addressing the Pakistani community at the New York consulate general on Sunday evening. “The talks are continuing,” Tarin told reporters, after addressing members of Pakistani community at the consulate general in New York on Sunday night during which he said the government was working hard for an inclusive and sustainable economic growth that benefits all segments of the society, especially the poor. The finance minister came to New York on Friday from Washington where, besides the loan talks, he attended the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, “I don’t know what’s the basis on which an impression has been given by some that the talks have failed— they are totally
wrong,” he said. At this stage, the finance minister said, final details were being worked out and the negotiations would, inshaAllah, conclude successfully. Tarin said finance secretary Yusuf Khan was still in Washington pursuing the talks with relevant IMF officials, and that he was in contact with the FBR chairman as well as with him for any advice. There was an atmosphere of positivity and the next few days would show a productive outcome from the talks, he said. In this regard, he said his meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and other fund officials were also very “useful and positive.” Asked whether the IMF was demanding that Pakistan do more, Tarin said that every banker would put similar demands when someone applies for a loan. Tarin said Pakistan had its red lines to protect its interests, although it has been made clear to the IMF that the government would pursue the reform process for sustainable growth. Earlier, speaking to community members, Tarin and State Bank Governor (SBP) Dr Reza Baqir, who accompanied him to the
US, urged them to invest in the Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) under which they can directly invest into the shares of companies in Pakistan and units of funds. The event was attended by a large number of Pakistani-Americans, including professionals from the financial sector, IBA Karachi’s Alumni and many other community members from various professional
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backgrounds. In his remarks to the community members, Tarin highlighted the economic priorities of the government, saying that Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken “bold decisions that have resulted in stabilising the economy”. He claimed that forward-looking fiscal reforms had helped to improve the tax-toGDP ratio, bring down the current account
deficit and fiscal deficit while improving revenue generation. “Increasing tax collection and broadening the tax base were key targets of the government’s fiscal agenda,” he added. Tarin thanked the overseas Pakistanis for their role in sustaining the economy through high levels of remittances. Tarin also shared steps taken to help the underprivileged through the Kamyab Pakistan programme, which he said would help them achieve self-sufficiency and realise PM Imran Khan’s vision of a prosperous Pakistan. It may be noted here that the Finance Division had issued a similar statement regarding the IMF talks on Sunday. It had also rejected the media reports, saying that the talks with the Fund officials were underway in Washington amid a positive atmosphere. Later on, the Consulate General, New York hosted a dinner with Pakistani American professionals. While speaking on the occasion the adviser Finance stated that diaspora is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. He urged overseas Pakistanis to open RDAs and spoke at length about several products being offered under the initiative.
06-07 Comments - 19th OCTOBER 2021_Layout 1 10/18/2021 10:20 PM Page 1
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021
06 COMMENT
On reading vs reading into
People fed up, government on defensive Unmasking hidden wealth
How not to benefit from the Quran
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HE opposition is pointing an accusing finger at the PTI government for an unending rise in the prices of the commodities of daily use. Public opinion surveys by mainstream media reveal widespread public resentment over the hyper-inflationary trend. Even trade and industry leaders have rejected the hike in petroleum prices, maintaining that it would not only hit the country’s economic performance, but also multiply the difficulties of the masses. The latest to join the condemnations is the legal community. Maintaining that the increase in the prices of essential items had broken the common man’s back, the Pakistan Bar Council has threatened to launch a countrywide protest if the government failed to control inflation. The government calls rising prices a global phenomenon, with a cynical Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry asking “Are we living in another planet?” The government cannot exonerate itself of the responsibility for rising prices by calling the hike a global phenomenon. The govt took faulty decisions that led to the export of sugar while it failed to stop the smuggling of wheat. The fall of the rupee which is also responsible for costlier imports has been caused among other things by the government’s import policy. During the first half of the current fiscal year there was a 196 percent hike in imports of completely built-up (CBU) cars to $94 million. Import of luxury goods was used to raise more revenues but was bound to negatively impact the dollar-rupee parity. Bad governance expressing itself in unending transfers and posting of bureaucrats also played a role in failure to check the artificial rise in prices through hoarding and smuggling. The issue of rising prices has been high on the antigovernment agenda of the opposition parties. PMl Vice-President Maryam nawaz made it the central theme of her address at the Faisalabad rally. The PDM has decided to launch a countrywide movement against the PTI government for its failure to control prices. While people are really fed up with the situation, one wonders if they would be immediately drawn to the PDM’s protests for many are disenchanted by the divisions within the opposition. The PPP and AnP are out of the opposition alliance. Even more damaging is the division within the PMl(n). Unless the opposition is united, it is unlikely to turn into a formidable force.
HASAN AFTAB SAEED
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n an article that appeared some months ago in these pages, I lamented the fact that a big chunk of Muslims was content to ‘revere’ the Quran instead of understanding it with a view to implementing it in their lives. So that all but a small minority makes it a point to enthusiastically recite the Quran (for ‘blessings’) without ever feeling the need to read a word of it. Although that is sadly the case, it is not that the average Muslim (even if he does not know any Arabic) is completely unaware of the contents of the Quran. The Quran is ubiquitous in all Muslim societies, and one cannot help catching the translation of this fragment here and that fragment there. The question I propose to explore today is this: Despite knowing in varying degrees the contents of the Quran (albeit in bits and pieces), how come so many of the Muslims succeed in paying no heed to it whatsoever? By paying heed to the Quran, I mean adapting their lives to its teachings. The major stumbling block when it comes to receiving guidance from the Quran is the failure to surrender one’s ego. For if one is merely looking to rationalize one’s preconceived notions, then one is certain to find plenty of material in the Quran– one can find that kind of support from any book drawn at
More assurance?
random from the bookshelf. If, on the other hand, one is sincerely looking for guidance, it is imperative to leave one’s ego at the door so to speak. If one fails to do that (and way too many Muslims are guilty of it), then any part of the Quran that is brought to one’s notice is apt to only reinforce one’s delusions and wishful thoughts. A more subtle problem concerns the question of who exactly does any given part of the book address. Failing to get it right in either direction yields some very unfortunate results. We are all too familiar with the enthusiasts who mistake a specific instruction for a general one, and consequently are only too eager to, say, take up arms in their private capacity when the instruction is meant for the state and not the individual or the group. This sort of error is well documented, and it is not my subject today. I will focus here on the opposite error of mistaking a general instruction or criticism for a specific one. One comes across a verse that says, ‘O Prophet…’ (peace be upon him) or ‘O People of the Book...’ or ‘O Children of Israel...’ and it is very tempting to think that the verse is addressed specifically to the Prophet, to Christians and/or the Jews and has therefore nothing to do with the Muslim reader. Often, it is a mistake. Indeed, there are cases where a verse is specific to a certain time and place, but very often that is not the case. And it is not a riddle, provided one takes the trouble to examine the context. For example, on more than one instance the Quran censures the idolaters for trying to justify certain silly acts by claiming that their ancestors did the same. now it may be tempting to think that since the verse refers to the idolaters of the Quraish, it is not relevant to us Muslims. It never occurs to most of us that we extend the very same justification for some dubious habits of our own. Similarly, the Quran makes it clear that the belief that only Jews (and nobody else) will enter Paradise is nothing more than a fantasy. Many Muslims, who have the same belief (just replace the word
‘Jew’ by ‘Muslim’), nod their heads in agreement when they hear the verse. It never occurs to them that they are guilty of the exact same crime and that the verse could not be more relevant to them. Such verses are not addressed ‘O you who believe…’ but surely, what is unacceptable from idolaters (or the People of the Book) cannot possibly be kosher behaviour on the part of a Muslim. With this self-righteous frame of mind, a big part of the Quran can be dismissed as talking to this group or that, or delineating events of a distant past, stories that are not relevant to today’s reader. Even when a certain verse cannot so easily be dismissed, the weakness or vice it refers to belongs to other people (of course) and not to oneself (God forbid!). For example, when the Quran says: ‘Rivalry in worldly increase distracts you till you visit your graves’, surely it can only be referring to one’s rivals. The good old ego sees to it that no uncomfortable lesson is learnt from the Quran. Death happens to be one of the major themes of the Quran. But way too often, this reminder falls on deaf ears. It is a matter of common observation that the death of a close relation, which is supposed to refresh the consciousness of one’s own mortality, oft-times is a reminder of everybody else’s mortality. In a similar fashion, many people read the Quran and nod approvingly at the accounts of destruction of past civilizations and the demise of eminent men and kings and feel no small amount of satisfaction on reflecting that people whose guts they hate will die too, hopefully sooner rather than later. It never occurs to them that it was supposed to remind them, before anything else, of their own mortality. The Quran has a great deal to offer provided it is read; not if one insists on reading one’s preferred meanings into it.
It is a matter of common observation that the death of a close relation, which is supposed to refresh the consciousness of one’s own mortality, oft-times is a reminder of everybody else’s mortality.
The author is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed
Breaking the conventional rules of social grouping
What change is expected?
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Social media is changing how humans socialize
EDERAl Planning Minister Asad Umar has conceded that here is unusual inflation, but has held out two assurances that leave no one satisfied. The concession that prices are going up is actually not much of a concession, for it is obvious to all. However, to accept that, while not propounding a solution, is a not-sohidden indicator to the consumer that the government is as much at sea as anyone. The claim that things will mend is March, without any indication of how that will transpire, is to ask the consumer to take the assurance on trust, and not to ask any questions until March. By then, presumably, something would turn up. not necessarily an improvement in the economy, but a new excuse, a new deadline. The explanation by Mr Umar, that inflation in Pakistan, in particular the petrol price hike, is caused by rising international commodity prices, does not wash, for while Mr Umar eagerly showed the inflation was worse in other countries, he did not mention higher purchasing power parities, which better enabled consumers abroad to bear the shock. This also does not explain how a tonga driver in Vehari is supposed to feel better about his situation knowing that a taxi driver in Vienna suffers higher inflation. All he knows is that he has to pay higher power bills, and it is doubtful if he will have forgotten that by March. It is still not known what will happen then. What is known is that the Finance Minister’s delegation’s talks with the IMF, for resumption of its EFF, have not gone as well as the government had hoped. This lack of good news helped the rupee close at a new low on Tuesday. That also is the harbinger of a new round of inflation. There are now too many indicators of the economy going out of control, to be ignored. The PTI government must stop holding out hopes, as Mr Umar was doing with his talk of reductions in the prices of ghee and sugar, if it cannot fulfill them. He should know that the IMF does not approve of existing subsidies, and will not stand for introducing new ones, as he suggested.
SHAziA ANwEr CHEEmA
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ECEnTly I was evaluating research titled “Social Media Echo Chamber” published in March 2021 about social media’s impact on society at large. The research has been conducted by five eminent Italian academicians; Matteo Cinelli, Gianmarco De Francisci Morales, Alessandro Galeazzi, Walter Quattrociocchi, and Michele Starnini. The research deals with mechanisms social media platforms use to play with the human cognitive system, psychology, and how propaganda experts use them to generate narratives by creating echo chambers and how they create groups having nothing common in them except the emotional state of mind. Humankind evolves organically which includes socialization and co-existence. After decades of observation humanists coined the relevant term of “mankind being a social animal”. The primitive socialization and living in groups that transform themselves into societies over the period was a cognitive phenomenon solely based on basic human survival by keeping themselves safe from hunger and fear, and also for the purpose of reproduction. Individuals with shared goals on behalf of their collective consciousness formed social groups. Among those groups, each member shares his/her collective wisdom and participates with emotional relevance. The emotional relevance is not necessarily dominated by a single emotion, on the contrary there is a mixture and a combination of human emotions. Human emotions
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are key factors to set societal norms and higher-order long-lasting agendas for the greater good. However social media created inorganic social groups primarily based on uni-emotional priorities such as liking or disliking groups, based on a onepoint agenda. All the members of one particular social media group do not share their complete set of emotions and do not co-exist in a physical space and time. We understand that social media radically changed the mechanism by which we access information and form our opinions. Which again questions the basic idea of informed opinion; opinions lead to decision-making, judging and evaluation. Social media is involving artificial intelligence to craft opinions through different manipulations, regardless of the fact that every social media user is a lab rat and living in a controlled and contrived environment, totally detached from his/her reality. Platforms originally designed for user entertainment are being used to change the way information is spread. Indeed, feed algorithms mediate and influence content promotion accounting for users’ preferences and attitudes. Such a paradigm shift has affected the construction of social perceptions and the framing of narratives; it may influence policy-making, political communication, and the evolution of public debate, especially on polarizing topics. Indeed, users online tend to prefer information adhering to their worldviews, ignore dissenting information, and form polarized groups around shared narratives. Furthermore, when polarization is high, misinformation quickly proliferates. Detached facts, no matter how real they are, can never suffix the firsthand information gathered by sense perception. Some of us can say that the accuracy of the information might be used as a determinant for information spreading patterns. However, selective exposure dominates content consumption on social media, and different platforms may trigger very different dynamics. These dynamics could be contrary to the social, cultural, and geographical normativity of the user. While playing with the human mind, social media platforms are manipulating with homophilic patterns and creating a society that is vulnerable to emotions and mood swings, generating a chaotic society where the human brain is directly under the influence 24/7 by unseen manipulators and unknown enemies. This networking is creating like-minded groups where humans have no information about each other but work for the same cause. This situation has categorically broken conventional rules of Social
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Grouping. Social media limits the exposure to diverse perspectives and favours the formation of groups of like-minded users framing and reinforcing a shared narrative, that is, echo chambers. According to group polarization theory, an echo chamber can act as a mechanism to reinforce an existing opinion within a group and, as a result, move the entire group toward more extreme positions. The traditional theories confirm that echo chambers affect human tendencies, such as selective exposure, contagion, and group polarization. Different platforms offer different interaction paradigms to users, ranging from retweets and mentions on Twitter to likes and comments in groups on Facebook, thus triggering very different social dynamics. When an echo chamber is created with low moderation and regulation on content then it can result in strangulation of Truth and spread of False, and this is what we are facing today. The deterrence does not stop here if individuals having no shared collective knowledge get connected to each other forcefully such as they do not share place and even time in that particular space with each other, in that case, they become the source of hybrid culture with predominant non-commonalities, they not only misunderstand but also misrepresent the reality. By knowing others and living side by side is a buffer zone for the echo chamber effect. However social media exempt the necessity of group formation on shared commitment and shared goals which has made human arguments, decisions, and the beliefs they are supposed to base on, mere noises. Moreover, this noise has no substance and clarity plus a lack of direction for the sake of what next. Inorganic controlled groups and societal formations are creating an information influx that isan unnecessary cognitive load, irrelevant to existing realities of users. Algorithms working behind social media are converting humankind into a species that has no oral wisdom of generations nor they can relate to their own collective wisdom. They feel misfits and detached from their physical space as they no longer live there. This artificial phenomenon is a threat to human survival, human beings without having a commitment to their own anthropology, solely relying, and nurturing themselves on a provided alien virtual society can even cease to exist. It could sound like an overstatement at the moment, but evolution theory can provide all the answers. The writer is a Prague-based analyst. She is a Ph.D. Scholar of Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University Prague. She can be reached at her: Twitter @ShaziaAnwerCh Email: shaziaanwer@yahoo.com
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
06-07 Comments - 19th OCTOBER 2021_Layout 1 10/18/2021 10:20 PM Page 2
Tuesday, 19 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
Books over drugs THE dream that our children will hold books instead of heroin must not just remain a dream. In Buleda, Kech drugs are supplied so easily under the open sky with no fear, which is why every other person in buleda is a drug addict, including children. The people of Buleda region of district Kech has came out from their homes and took out the third rally on Sunday against the widespread use of drugs. The people had appealed the concerned authorities to take immediate action against the drug dealer and users. Particularly, the new generations who are our future, has to be protected against the use of drugs. The reason behind the unfavorable situations in Buleda is the increasing rate of drug trafficking. We beseech the government to take concrete actions against the smugglers to prevent the future of our youth against narcotics. Fiza NaSir TurbaT
Voice for justice A Baloch from Turbat, Hayat Mirza Baloch was killed by a FC personal, after a blast in absor, despite being innocent. now the question is how many parents have to lose their hayats like this? It was called a mistake but the young man was shoted eight bullets that clearly shows it wasn’t a mistake. He lost his life with the dream of being a CSS officer and serve his country. none of us can imagine the heartbreaking scenario of his parents as he was gunned down in front of them. Undoubtedly, Hayat cannot be back but raising our voice is necessary to give him justice. MahNaz MuShTaq TurbaT
The Future of Media and Expression in Pakistan The people must decide, not the government
AADil AHmAD
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HEn we ponder over the term “media transparency”, a lot of things come to our mind. What is the definition and degree under which media can be completely transparent? If media is sought in the definition that it is a mere joint that connects the people to the information surrounding the dynamics of their country, media is bound to be totally unrestricted and unbiased. Countries around the world, including Pakistan’s major ally and trading giant, the People’s Republic of China, observe a policy of retaining information that is considered sensitive either in relation to their authorities or in relation to the sovereignty of their state. It is no new tale that Pakistan has been a keen advocate of the policy for a considerable time, however the Chinese influence has been drawn in greater emphasis under the establishment of the current government of Imran Khan. Pakistan ranks 145th out of a list of 180 countries under the World Press Freedom Index created by the RSF in 2020, 3 ranks below neighboring country India and ahead of both Russia and China. It is predicted that as India is under the current Modi regime which has been criticized for imposing authoritarian control during crisis conditions, Pakistan will seep through the cracks in the wall of media freedom and hold a higher position by next year. However, this does not exempt Pakistan from being one of the worst countries for media freedom and hence, the generation almost solely connected by the media uproars silently. Pakistan has been said to be “under the establishment’s thumb” due to its influence in controlling and suppressing independent journalism. Examples have been cited in the argument as well that include interruption of certain daily newspa-
pers, signals of TV channels giving airtime to opposition speakers being jammed and the treatment of journalists in most provinces across the state. The government has issued a statement that it will be introducing a system of online regulation, which in simpler words would mean censorship. Censoring information that is propaganda can be promulgated as a right the government holds, and hence we will be focusing on latest developments for example PEMRA bans and so on. PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority) has been more in power and action recently. PEMRA banned a commercial by a biscuit company GAlA, which has received constructive criticism from all sides. The ad featured Pakistani actress Mehwish Hayat portraying the cultural diversity of the Pakistani community who liked the biscuit through various forms of dance. The authorities have deemed the commercial to be “indecent” and presented in a “bizarre” manner. The advisory has urged all stakeholders to stop the use of themes and content that does not link to the product itself for publicity and branding. This statement has been issued with a report to the Pakistan Broadcast Association as well as the Pakistan Advertisers Society. The digital community has raised a claim that the commercial had no sort of indecency and the decision to ban the commercial is a heartless use of power against artists. Citizens lashed out on Twitter by drawing a comparison between the success of Bollywood and the Pakistani media industry, with the belief that such bans were preventing the growth of the society as well as the promulgation of art in the country which is renowned for its outstanding preservation and heritage of art. Similarly, a production of Sarmad Khoosat has gotten him into trouble and has been under restriction from being released to the general public because mostly of the threats the director has been receiving. The award-winning film Zindagi Tamasha has not been released because of the great involvement of the religious parties
in influencing the standards upon which any sort of creative art form can be restricted in the country, even if it does not get a stay order from the Censor Board. Bans on apps like Tiktok have been around to and fro and have been criticized for portraying an undesired image of the youth. It is necessary to understand that Tiktok has attracted people from all across Pakistan even from the sparsely populated province of Balochistan. When these people are made aware that their favorite way of expression in a huddle of desperation and economic disparity is snatched without any detailed order to them, it would seem nothing more than a myopic exertion of authority that they can protest against through the power of livelihood. From a citizen’s perspective, the media is too explicit in certain cases and a bit too restricted in others. In a developing nation, where ideas of westernization are flourishing and spreading like wildfire, if our expression in the digital age is continuously controlled, the ability to be Pakistani in Pakistan would become contingent. It is obvious that whatever the Pakistani community is producing is a reality of what happens within the borders. Everyone agrees that a certain level of curtailment is always permitted, but the public opinion should decide that, because if the purpose of limiting information is saving the public, then the general public should have a responsibility in deciding what is and is not for their welfare. The community of Pakistan would prefer media channels and drama broadcasters to go on for less than 24 hours, but actually feature content and entertainment that is presentable to all audiences. When the media channels would go on for less than the entire day, they would not have to desperately look for controversial content from across the country but would only focus on a concentrated amount of news and art that is the talent of the people of Pakistan. As everyone speaks with their attained freedom, we ask the authorities to make sure that media remains what it is, which is by the public and for the public.
When the media channels would go on for less than the entire day, they would not have to desperately look for controversial content from across the country but would only focus on a concentrated amount of news and art that is the talent of the people of Pakistan. As everyone speaks with their attained freedom, we ask the authorities to make sure that media remains what it is, which is by the public and for the public
The writer is a freelance columnist
Transgender issue in Pakistan PAKISTAn is the second largest Islamic state in the world. Islam has given equal rights to everyone. Through electronic and print media, we found that being an Islamic state; still transgender are neglected by the government and the local society. There is many nGO’s working for human rights, but also they have ignored the transgender. We found, that in Pakistan the transgender are ignored in every walk of life including, education, government jobs, health care and even security for their life. The Supreme Court of Pakistan gave certain rights to the trans community, but these rights are still not properly implemented. Even their own families do not accept them. One of the most sensitive social issues in Pakistan is discrimination and violence against the transgender community. Trans people, also known as the “third” gender, are considered an abomination by society. We stand together in opposition to such abuse and inequality. As believers in human rights and justice, it is our duty to support all marginalised communities as they fight for respect and equality. And as feminists, we believe that we need to keep fighting for gender-based services and resources together. irMa youSuF Karachi
Power problems to continue THERE is a misunderstanding that recent negotiations between the government and IPPs resulting in signing of MoUs have settled the power issues in favour of the client . As a matter of fact , the contracts signed between the parties still hold good . The government does not gain anything materially through these MoUs , as their contents are not binding on the IPPs as long as the wishes of the client ( the government) as mentioned there in are not converted into fresh contracts between the parties . IPPs have not given any legal undertakings to undo the previous sovereign contracts already in force . So there is no occasion of being optimistic prematurely on the final fate of the MoUs . The problem of continuously rising circular debt haunts us as before and the authorities are silent on this grave issue which is eating away our economy. The wretched power distribution system continues unattended with its technical and commercial pitfalls . It is pity that many parts of the country suffer load shedding even in these times of surplus generating capability simply because power can not reach the end consumers because of transmission & distribution bottle necks . Only God knows when will our power system will be corrected . ENgr riaz bhuTTa LahorE
Reopening with caution THE Government took a bold decision to lift restrictions on many sectors following a drop in Coronavirus cases. This decision was taken for the sake of economic survival. The business community, industrialists, and mill owners and the general public will benefit from this concession as it would likely revive the economy. However, this also puts the responsibility on everyone to do their part to stop the spread of this deadly disease. It is our collective responsibility to avoid social and physical contact as much as possible. We must all do our part by wearing masks, avoiding unnecessary handshakes, hugging, and close interactions to reduce the spread of Coronavirus. The owners of big Stores and Malls should use their influence on their customers to encourage safe behaviors. I would go to the extent that the business community must not only follow all precautions itself but also refuse to entertain anyone not following the SOPs at their business. Similarly, politicians (MnAs, MPAs, and ministers) and prominent personalities should lead by example and follow all precautions in public. We must as a nation understand that the decision by the government to lift the restrictions was to revive the economy and by no means it should be taken as a declaration that the virus is over. The Coronavirus is still lurking around and we all must exhibit responsible behaviors to stay safe while keeping the economy going. raja ShaFaaTuLLah iSLaMabad
08 WORLD VIEW 19th October 21_Layout 1 10/18/2021 12:09 AM Page 1
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
What is ‘the West’? WHILE THE WEST BELONGED TO A EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHY, ITS NAME MEANT SOMETHING. NOW IT IS A VAGUE INVOCATION, LADEN WITH FEAR Aeon
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Faisal Devji
hen asked what he thought of Western civilisation, Gandhi apparently responded that he thought it would be a good idea. While this celebrated statement is taken to be an ironic dismissal, Gandhi had in fact given the matter of Western civilisation much thought. In his manifesto of 1909 called hind Swaraj or ‘Indian home Rule’, the future Mahatma had described imperial Britain’s desire to spread Western civilisation not as hypocritical so much as suicidal. For he thought that this civilisation was threatened by the very effort to replicate it using the means of industrial capitalism, in much the same way as european commodities were mass-produced for colonial markets. ‘It is a civilisation only in name. Under it the nations of europe are becoming degraded and ruined day by day,’ he said. ‘Civilisation seeks to increase bodily comforts, and it fails miserably even in doing so.’ What Gandhi called the modern civilisation of industrial capitalism sought to multiply the manufacture, desire for and consumption of its commodities the world over: They wish to convert the whole world into a vast market for their goods. That they cannot do so is true, but the blame will not be theirs. They will leave no stone unturned to reach the goal. The purely mechanical expansion of this process, Gandhi argued, would destroy Western civilisation in the very effort to spread it. Why? Because capitalism belonged to no particular people or history, and could be owned by anyone. Modern civilisation, in other words, was a kind of parasite that would grow strong and spread via its european host. europe would enable it to globalise and attack other parts of the world. Its driving logic was not european domination: that was just a means to an end. Other Asian and African thinkers upheld the distinction between europe’s particularity and the universal history of modernity. They claimed modern industrial capitalism as a human inheritance for which the West was merely a midwife. This allowed them to adopt it without any sense of civilisational risk or inferiority, and in Gandhi’s day such men often pointed to Japan as an example of the fit between an Asian culture and modern civilisation understood in a technical way. After Japan’s defeat in the Second World War, modernisation theory, now delinked from european civilisation, continued to promote capitalist development. More recently, the ferociously anti-Western Ayman al-Zawahiri, who led al-Qaeda after Osama bin Laden, made the same point in 2008 when justifying his use of modern technology. The Mahatma, however, considered the apparent universality of modern civilisation to be its most dangerous form. he wrote that ‘there is no end to the victims destroyed in the fire of civilisation. Its deadly effect is that people come under its scorching flames believing it to be all good.’ Gandhi saw Japan as being in thrall to the very forces of violence he thought were undermining Western civilisation, claiming that it might as well be the British flag flying over Tokyo. his compatriot and contemporary, the philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal, sought to rescue the european ideals both men often associated with Christianity from the destructive grip of capitalism. For Iqbal, these included Christendom itself as an arena for the universal ethics of Jesus. Gandhi suggested that colonised countries should not achieve their freedom copying or adopting the technological prowess and institutions of the West. Instead, they should repudiate the path of the United States and Japan in favour of the true idealism of a nonviolent struggle. If they did so,
the freedom of the colonised world might even redeem the West by returning it, through the force of Asian and African example, to a better way of life. Therefore, rather than following the european or American example, as in modernisation theory, the nonviolent struggles of colonised peoples should inspire the West to recall its own lost ideals. In other words, the Mahatma was not arguing for the superiority of Asian as opposed to european civilisation, but thought that the former could liberate the latter into its own truth. Indeed, apart from the Japanese who imitated europe’s modernity, the West has never faced any foe identifying itself as belonging to the east. The problem with modern civilisation and its vision of universality was that it inevitably escaped the West’s own grasp, as the expansion of Japan’s economy and empire demonstrated in Gandhi’s own day. europe’s imperial powers understood the risk posed by the universality of their claims, since they routinely denied their colonial subjects had achieved modernity by arguing that they were not yet ready for self-government by reason of their poverty and illiteracy as much as customs and mutual antipathies. This was the argument the British used to deny India selfgovernment even within the empire from the end of the First World War until the close of the Second, when the decision was taken out of their hands. The colony, for europe, thus became a school of civilisation to which non-europeans must be enrolled in perpetuity. Anti-imperialists recognised the hypocrisy of this reasoning but often sought independence only so as to complete the destruction of native society. Jawaharlal nehru, for instance, who went on to become India’s first prime minister after independence, argued that Britain was incapable of modernising India because it was too reliant upon the support of Indian aristocrats and other conservatives who had no interest in it. Only a democratic government, he claimed, would have both the determination and legitimacy to extend education, reduce poverty, abolish noxious customs and bring internecine conflicts to an end. In this way, he and other newly independent leaders proved Gandhi’s point about how anyone in the world could, in principle, fulfil modern civilisation’s universal promise. If european imperialism represented the first effort to spread Western civilisation abroad, preceded though it sometimes was by Christian missionary activity, it also signalled the first crisis of the West as an idea. Imperialism made the West into a mobile figure for the first time, by expanding its geography well beyond europe to include settler colonies in the Americas and Australasia. Describing the way in which the British empire became de-territorialised in its expansion, the German jurist Carl Schmitt quoted the Victorian prime minister Benjamin Disraeli’s recommendation in one of his novels that the Queen move to India should Britain be threatened. For, in doing so, she would only follow the precedent of the Portuguese crown, which moved to Brazil during the napoleonic Wars. Schmitt saw such mobility as being made possible by the industrial technology that Gandhi had recognised as lying at the basis of modern civilisation. In his book Land and Sea (1942), Schmitt reflected on the way in which the ship, as the most important technology of Britain’s maritime empire, represented modern civilisation in miniature. The ship, he pointed out, subordinated all its crew’s relations and activities to technical or instrumental ones. It could tolerate no principle but pure functionality, with all other ideals reduced to lower forms. The imperialist expansion of the West, therefore, entailed the diminution of its own historical
LIKE THE MODERN CIVILISATION GANDHI HAD CRITICISED, THE WEST’S EFFORT TO ACHIEVE GLOBAL HEGEMONY IN THE WAR ON TERROR HAS BEEN OVERTAKEN BY THE UNIVERSALISATION OF ITS PROCEDURES, WHICH HAVE LEGITIMISED AUTHORITARIAN STATES ALL OVER THE WORLD
and spiritual ideals in as suicidal a way. Like Gandhi, Schmitt had understood that the aptly named ‘ship of state’ was not merely a machine in which individuals were reduced to cogs, but that it was mobile and replicable, and so could never be the inalienable property of any one people or history. In this sense, the strength of national identity in such states represented nothing more than a desperate attempt to possess the country as a distinctive piece of collective property. But, like all capitalist property, its alienation was always possible in an economy defined by the universality of exchange. As long as the West belonged to a european geography, its name possessed some meaning. But with its globalisation in empire, terms such as the ‘east’ and the ‘West’ had to be reinvented. Schmitt saw the implications of the West’s globalisation in his book The nomos of the earth (1950). european empires brought settler colonies in different parts of the world into the fold of the West, but it was the US that made the West into a properly political category. empires like Britain’s, which were scattered across the world, had no geographical integrity, and so could not be politically divided into eastern and Western domains. Instead, with the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, an American president split the globe in half to place one hemisphere under his country’s undisputed sway. Called the Western hemisphere, this domain had the Americas at its centre and excluded europe along with its Asian and African empires as part of the eastern hemisphere. For the first time, europe was displaced from the West and separated from its former American colonies, in whose affairs it was no longer permitted to interfere. First enunciated in President James Monroe’s 7th annual message to Congress on 2 December 1823, the doctrine distinguished a despotic and monarchical europe forever engaged in internecine and colonial wars. The new home of freedom was in the Americas. Monroe claimed that ‘the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonisation by any european powers.’ he described europe in much the same way as its imperial powers did their Asian and African colonies, albeit with the promise not to interfere in their internal affairs. The US also took on an imperial role in South and Central America. The rise of the US led directly to the West’s crisis, to its doubling and displacement both as a geographical location and a political or civilisational category. This crisis has since been integral to the idea of the West. It is always in crisis and flux, and often in motion. The end of the Second World War and the decolonisation in Asia and Africa required changing the meaning and location of the West again. It now included both ends of the northern Atlantic Ocean, to exclude the Soviet Union and its Asian allies as part of the east in a new, Cold War division of the globe into rival hemispheres. And so the West was now nATO-claimed sovereignty, while the east was the Warsaw Pact. Francis Fukuyama’s book The end of history and the Last Man (1992) signalled the latest crisis of the West with the end of the Cold War. The West had emerged victorious against communism. The grand conflict, and therefore the ideological as well as the civilisational narratives of historical rivalry, had come to an end. henceforth, all politics would become a kind of internal mopping-up operation within a liberal world order no longer divided into east and West and so made safe for capitalism. Politics was to be subordinated to economics, and the global triumph of neoliberalism
represented this vision of the world made safe for the market and its mechanisms. eastern europe’s colour revolutions notably made no calls for equality. It was as if Gandhi’s vision of the parasite taking over its host had been fulfilled. There was something paradoxically Soviet about Fukuyama’s argument, which seemed to mimic Vladimir Lenin’s idea about the victory of communism leading to the replacement of politics by what, citing Friedrich engels, he called the administration of things. This notion was part of Lenin’s theory about history ending with the withering away of the state as an instrument of capital to be replaced by popular self-governance. however, Fukuyama’s move from political history to neoliberal governance simply foregrounded the problem posed by the newly internal, rather than traditionally external, enemies of a new world order no longer divided into east and West. In his bestseller The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1996), Samuel huntington argued against Fukuyama that this enmity, and so politics or history, was unlikely to vanish into the problems of governance. Rather, politics would reappear in battles defined by culture and civilisation that were not controlled by states. In this new iteration, the West, newly reattached to its religious roots in Judaism and Christianity, was engaged in a civilisational struggle with forces such as Islam, Buddhism and hinduism. here, states and even geographies would play a lesser role. With the terrorist attacks on the US of 11 September 2001, huntington’s focus on non-state actors and religion took on urgent meaning. The French historian Michel Foucault had written extensively about the devolution of power from the sovereign and top-down politics to everyday institutional procedures of discipline and regulation that normalise children, students, soldiers, prisoners or patients into good citizens. he showed how, in this genealogy, the enemies of society were not foreign countries but internal foes such as sexual deviants, criminals and, of course, religious fanatics and terrorists. In our own day, it is terrorism that play the role of such an enemy, one that is threatening because, like the race or class enemy of old, it is both internal and external to Western societies. Attempts are made to deny the interconnections between the West and its new enemy by externalising the latter through wars in Afghanistan or Iraq, restrictions on immigration, the surveillance of mosques and the criminalisation of practices such as veiling or ritual slaughter. Yet Islam is internal to Western societies not through immigration or conversion but because the varied trajectories of non-state militancy disallow us from defining it geographically as belonging to the non-West. The terrorist’s familiarity in Syria can coexist with his ignorance of that country and its language, while being quite at home in europe. There is no foreign power to which he can betray the West in which he belongs. having been smashed with the closing of the Cold War, it is no longer possible to put the humpty Dumpty of bipolar conflict between east and West back together again. If Islam has appeared as a new kind of civilisational foe in the 21st century, that is also because it can no longer play the role of a geopolitical rival. Dispersed among groups and individuals all over the world, it takes as its target not countries, but a global arena defined by flows of finance, commodities and migration. This postCold War world can be understood as a marketplace that has turned politics into a set of competing efforts by states and other actors to regulate or deregulate it. The goods subjected to such competition range from natural resources such as oil and fish, manufactures such as weaponry and nu-
clear technology, and individual rights such as that to life, privacy, free speech and the liberty of movement. Like their enemies if also against them, Muslim militants want to regulate some of these goods and deregulate others for a global marketplace. But rather than defining their activities in the economic terminology of self-interest, they seem willing to sacrifice both their bodies and societies in death and destruction to achieve their ends. Islamic terrorism poses no existential threat to any state; rather, what makes it important is its promise of civil strife as an internal threat. even the ‘Islamic state’ founded by ISIS in Iraq did not serve to define its war geographically since militants continued to attack targets in different and disconnected parts of the world. Its militancy crucially includes the apparently nihilistic repudiation of self-interest as the economic rationality that governs human behaviour. The sacrificial form taken by Islamic militancy has led not just to attempts at opposing it but also to surprising imitations of its ethic. Among these is the return of the West as a civilisational category now set explicitly against Islam. But rather than representing the universalisation and technical rationality of modern civilisation that Gandhi had criticised, the West, as huntington had argued, has returned in a specifically cultural and even theological incarnation. Pioneered in the war on terror, this can now be seen in the populist or ultranationalist repudiation of a universal, ‘rules-based global order’ with its freedoms of movement and standardisation. Growing in strength all over europe and the US, this view constitutes nothing less than a refusal of the West itself in its neoliberal incarnation as a free market for goods and labour. Brexit illustrated this form of sacrifice or repudiation. Its votaries are willing to accept economic and other losses to regain what they see as their sovereignty from the european Union as if imitating the struggles of their own former colonies. While not explicitly rejecting the principle of self-interest, they have stepped away from a vision of the post-Cold War world as a neoliberal marketplace of goods and ideas in which it can flourish. This sudden if disavowed identification with colonial subjects from Britain’s own past has been repeated all over Western europe, where Right-wing parties and governments claim to be fighting for their sovereignty and culture against the eU as much as the colonising potential of immigration, Islam and other forms of globalisation. Does this strange historical reversal represent a perverse fulfilment of Gandhi’s prediction that the civilisation of modern capitalism would be decoupled from the West? Like the modern civilisation Gandhi had criticised, the West’s effort to achieve global hegemony in the war on terror has been overtaken by the universalisation of its procedures, which have legitimised authoritarian states all over the world. From Turkey and Russia to India and China, the war on terror is no longer a Western project but has been deployed to join market-friendly economics with political repression. And so, the last project to reconfigure the West has also escaped its reach. Concomitantly, we have seen a tearing apart of the West’s institutional forms, whether in Donald Trump’s departure from alliances and agreements, or with Brexit and the reimposition of border controls in parts of the eU. These fraying bonds, however, have been complemented by a veritable rediscovery of the West as a civilisational entity, as if by way of compensation. Or are we indeed seeing a return of the West as a spiritual, rather than political or economic, phenomenon? Faisal Devji is professor of Indian history and fellow of St Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, where he is also the director of the Asian Studies Centre.
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 | islAMABAd
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corporate corner The Coca-Cola Foundation and uNdP Pakistan partner to #StopTheSpread of Covid-19
ShAukAT TARIN NoTIFIEd AS AdvISoR To PM oN FINANCE, REvENuE LAHORE staff RePoRt
T KARACHI: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) launched #StopTheSpread - a COVID-19 project to increase awareness about how vaccinations save lives. USD 20 million from The Coca-Cola Foundation will be utilized to work with non-profit organizations to respond to the Pandemic and it’s variants. Commenting on the initiative, Saadia Madsbjerg, President of TCCF, said, “We are proud to use our resources to fund initiatives to help curb the spread of COVID-19 around the world, including this grant to support UNDP Pakistan’s prevention efforts that focus on communities with limited access to health programs.” The signing agreement for the project was announced on 14th October 2201 at UNDP’s Islamabad Head Quarters. Ms. Laura Sheridan, Programme Manager, Youth Empowerment Program, at UNDP said, “We have worked together with TCCF to design the project on international best practices. We are aiming to impact thousands of people by the end of this campaign to not just get vaccinated but also actively guide others to follow the NCOC registration process till the point citizens have their vaccination certificates.” The program aims to reach about 20 million Pakistanis in about a year through its various interventions. To reduce exposure of participants, the event was live streamed with leading behavioural change scientists, digital media specialists, journalists and health experts who participated in a discussion on how to meet the pandemics fast-changing landscape. #StopTheSpread will involve training of youth volunteers, facilitation of local hospitals to conduct mobile vaccination drives as well as coordination with the Government for vaccination registration drives for greater vaccine coverage in Pakistan, particularly in areas with little access to medical support. Close to 3,000 young healthcare workers will be trained on effective vaccine administration and side effects management. The project also includes distribution of personal protective equipment for health care workers and volunteers. It will also engage at least 2 million people digitally with support from Google Ads and social media marketing for greater impact. PR
A Star-Studded Evening At The Pakistani Pavilion, Expo 2020 Endorsing Modernising Nature
HE federal government Monday appointed Shaukat Tarin as Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue after his sixmonth constitutional tenure as the country’s finance minister expired on October 15. A notification issued by the Cabinet Division in this regard stated: “The president, on the advice of the prime minister, has been pleased to appoint, with immediate effect, Shaukat Fayyaz Ahmed Tarin as Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue, with the status of federal minister.” It may be recalled that Tarin had been appointed
MOVE FOLLOWS END OF TARIN'S CONSTITUTIONAL TENURE AS FEDERAL MINISTER ON OCT 15 as finance minister by Prime Minister Imran Khan in a federal cabinet reshuffle, replacing Hammad Azhar — only a few weeks after he was given the portfolio. As the finance minister’s six-month term ends, as per law, Tarin will not be able to chair the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and other cabinet committees. However, he will get the finance ministry portfolio back after being elected as a senator.
Apple expected to unveil new Macs NEW YORK agencies
Analysts expect Apple to unveil new Mac laptop computers with more powerful processor chips at an event that will be streamed later Monday. Bloomberg has previously reported that Apple plans to release two new MacBook Pro models with 14-inch and 16-inch screens. The Cupertino, California-based company introduced some new laptop models last year that for the first time used its “Apple Silicon” chips, which it said would be phased into the company’s desktop and laptop lineup over the course of two years. Before Monday, Apple’s most powerful laptops still relied on chips from Intel. The company has already placed a first generation in-house-designed M1 chip into some MacBooks as well as its Mac Mini and iMac desktop machines, but the new larger MacBook Pro models are expected to feature a
second, more powerful generation of the company’s chip. The new chip, along with a general rise in laptop sales as employees and students stocked up on tech hardware to work and learn from home, prompted a boom in Mac sales during the pandemic. Revenue rose 11% to $28.6 billion in Apple’s fiscal 2020, even as iPhone revenue declined 3%. The expected MacBook Pro introduction comes weeks after Apple overhauled its iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad lineup. Some analysts believe Apple on Monday will also update its AirPods wireless ear buds, though rumors of an update have circulated ahead of other Apple events this year without coming to pass. Add-on devices like AirPods tend to be large sellers during holiday shopping seasons and have become one of Apple’s fastest-growing categories, with its home and accessories segment growing 25% to $30.6 billion in Apple’s fiscal 2020.
Bitcoin surpasses $62,000 first time since April MOSCOW agencies
The bitcoin exchange rate stood at above $62,000 on Monday morning for the first time since April, according to trading data. Data from the largest cryptocurrency exchange in
terms of trading volume, Binance, showed that bitcoin gained 1.6% to $62,080, as of 04:27 GMT, only 4. 5% less than the record high of $64,850, which it reached in April. On Sunday evening, its price was nearing the $63,000 threshold. The CoinMarketCap portal, which
Last year, the IHC had ruled that unelected advisers and special assistants could not head government committees. A report by Dawn has claimed that the government would announce its plan for election of Tarin from Punjab against Senator Ishaq Dar’s seat, which has remained vacant in the absence of the PML-N’s former finance minister, who has not taken oath because of his self-exile in the UK. In case Tarin is not elected on Dar’s seat due to a stay order by the court, the government has already made preparations to get a Senate seat vacated from KP for his election because of some uncertainties. The senator vacating the seat from KP would be compensated through some other political adjustment.
Byco Bestowed with Best Place to Work Award 2021 Byco Petroleum Pakistan Limited (BPPL) has won the Best Place to Work Award2021 at an event in Karachi. The event was organized by the Pakistan Society of Human Resources Management (PSHRM) and Engage Consulting with more than 100 organizations. Byco Petroleum secured the top honor as the Best Place to Work in the energy/oil and gas industry. The year 2021 has been a good year for Byco as it won many awards on different platforms. Byco Pakistan is proud of its inclusive and diversified work culture in addition to its flexible working arrangements, open office space, and sophisticated in-house amenities. The Company adheres to best practices in creating a healthy work environment for its employees. Mr. Azfar Saeed Baig, VP Information Byco Petroleum Pakistan, remarked on the occasion, “At Byco Pakistan, we take pleasure in our open working culture that fosters creativity and supports a variety of opinions and ideas that represent our team.” It's no secret that Byco's employees love working at the Company since the culture helps them develop both personally and professionally in every area of their jobs. At Byco, you have the ability to have a significant impact on millions of people by implementing new ideas that benefit society as a whole. Only through enabling employees, an organization can empower the community at large. PR
RCCI and FBR bestow Jazz with the Best Taxpaying Company Award
calculates the average price for more than 20 exchanges, displayed Bitcoin’s value gaining 1.6% to $62,060. Bitcoin has gained nearly 42% on $43,820 throughout October so far following the 7% decline in September, preceded by some 35% of growth during July and August.
Brent oil targets $86.64-$87.37 range, high volatility ahead
A first time in EXPO 2020, a celebrity meet & greet was hosted by the nature-vowing brand Hemani Herbals in the Pakistan Pavilion. The evening glittered with celebrities entertaining the visitors at the most-visited pavilion in the Opportunity District, on Friday. The prosperous evening was brimming with celebrities and important business signatories along with the Ambassador of Pakistan to the UAE as the Chief Guest of the event. The speakers brought to light the Treasures of Pakistan and how modernization led to a spurt in the growth of Made in Pakistan natural products over the course of time. The event summarized in the words of the Director, Mr Mustafa Hemani, “Modern Talents of Pakistan are now astounding the world unravelling its Hidden Treasures.” Hemani Group of Companies was grateful to Pakistan Business Council for supporting and promoting talents of Pakistan. Launching Made in Pakistan products on an international platform was a great achievement with a moment of pride highlighting the positive image of Pakistan. Another big launch was witnessed that evening, Pakistan's first sports fragrances brand in the name of "Squad" was revealed in collaboration with Fakhr Alam. The star-studded evening glittered with the likes of Wasim Badami, Aijaz Aslam, Fakhr Alam, Nadia Hussain, Ayesha Omar and Shafaat Ali. The event was also honoured by the presence of Mr Ahmad Shaikhani, President of the Pakistan Business Council, and Board of Directors of Hemani Group of Companies. PR
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SINGAPORE: Brent oil may climb into a range of $86.64-$87.37 per barrel, as it has cleared a resistance at $85.14. The resistance is identified as the 161.8% projection level of a bigger wave C from $70.43. It was strengthened by another one at $85.04, the 100% projection level of an upward wave (c) from $77.55. The break above these resistances is a major advance. It opens the way towards $86.46-$87.37 range. A break below $85.04, now a support, may cause a fall into $83.27-$84.02 range. On the daily chart, the uptrend remains steady within a channel, which suggests a target range of $89.63-$92.69. However, it is doubtful that oil could fulfil this target without a correction first. Such a correction has been missing on the steep rise from the Aug. 23 low of $64.60. It may be triggered by the resistance at $86.74. Even if the resistance fails to cause a correction, market is expected to be much more volatile around this level. agencies
Engage Consulting CEO, Paul Keijzer handing over the ‘Most Preferred Employer in the Telecom Industry’ award to the People and Organization team from Jazz at the ‘Best Place to Work Awards Gala 2021’. PR
KARACHI: Jazz has been bestowed the ‘Best Taxpaying Company’ award under the large taxpayers category (largest withholding agent nationwide) at the inaugural Taxpayer Recognition Awards organized by the Rawalpindi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) in collaboration with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The ceremony took place at the President House, where the president of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi handed over the award to Jazz’s Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer Syed Fakhar Ahmed. In the year 2020, Jazz contributed a total of PKR 65 Billion in taxes to the national exchequer in the form of corporate tax, advance tax, withholding tax, sales tax, and import/customs duties. In the last two years, Jazz has also invested over $560m towards the expansion of 4G network mainly in rural and semiurban areas. Speaking at the occasion, Syed Fakhar Ahmed, said, “Since its inception, Jazz has invested US$ 9.6 billion in the local telecom industry while having paid PKR 255 billion to the national exchequer in the form of taxes during last five years (2016 to 2020). We are delighted that our contributions to national revenue and tax collection are recognized today. This ceremony to celebrate companies that are duly fulfilling their tax obligations to foster economic growth and development is welcome, as it will promote the tax culture locally.” The award is reflective of Jazz’s commitment to Pakistan and an endorsement of its ethical business practices. The mobile operator advocates for fair, accountable tax systems that promote digital inclusion. This inaugural award ceremony is meant to recognize the largest taxpayers from across the country, coming from large scale as well as small and medium industries. By highlighting their achievements, RCCI believes other corporations will be encouraged to follow suit. Minister for Privatization Mohammad Mian Soomro, RCCI President Chaudhry Nadeem and representatives from the corporate sector were also in attendance. PR
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOREIGN NEWS
UnDer TalIBan, KaBUl’S DrUg aDDICTS FOrCeD InTO wIThDrawal KABUL
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AFP
ITH shaved heads, oversized tunics and the terrified gaze of the hunted, the drug addicts rounded up by the Taliban brace for 45 days of painful withdrawal. For some, the hardliners’ raids may potentially help them cast off the yoke of addiction. But for many, the stay at Kabul’s Ibn Sina centre will just mark a short change of scene, marked by a brutal approach to forcing users off their powerful dependence. Before the Taliban marched into Kabul on August 15, police in the capital would sometimes arrest addicts and transfer them to the centre. But since the hardline group took control, the frequency of raids on areas where
addicts gather appears to have increased. Hundreds of users shelter in squalid conditions at Pul-e-Sukhta, under a bridge in western Kabul synonymous with hard drugs and violent crime. They recognise the rehab clinic’s ambulance, and those who can lift themselves off the fetid ground stagger down the rubbishstrewn Paghman River to avoid capture, while many are too intoxicated to wake up. Two Taliban fighters, armed with M16 and AK-47 rifles, prod the comatose heroin and methamphetamine users with their gun barrels as outreach workers wrestle with men before forcing them to the vehicle. Raw sewage runs straight into the boggy river bed, and the stench of urine, faeces and vomit in the crowded drug den is overwhelming. Cushions, blankets, sandbags and tarpaulins make up the ramshackle camp, which is littered with the addicts’ parapher-
nalia: syringes, wraps, foil and pipes. The gunmen fire a few shots into the air to assert their authority and shock the addicts before about 20 are rounded up and whisked away. SEARCHES AND CHECKS: During their 45-day rehabilitation stay at the 1,000-bed centre, the men spend their time lying on cots in large dormitories or crouched in the yard, soaking up the autumn sun. There is little methadone available to help wean the opium and heroin addicts, and nothing to remove the withdrawal pains for those being weaned off of meth, doctors say. This morning, Emal, 36, shuffles into the registration room. A volunteer, who like many others working here is a former addict, opens his logbook. Name? Emal. Your father’s name? Abdul Matin. Married? Yes. I have three children, two
girls and one boy. Working? Not currently. What drugs do you take? Crystal (meth). Have you been here before? Yes, three times. This is my fourth. I was discharged 10 days ago. As Emal leaves, 22-year-old Bilal Ahmad, skinny and jittery, takes a seat. He is also addicted to meth, and has been through the programme before, “one or one and a half year years ago”. “I am happy to be here,” he tells AFP, casting fearful, furtive glances around the room that indicate he is not. “In 45 days, God willing, we can go home.” The men are searched carefully when they arrive. “Open your mouth. Wider. Lift your tongue,” another member of staff at the clinic tells the new arrivals, before checking their shoes and clothes for traces of drugs. In groups of six, they then shuffle to the
tiled building that houses the showers. There their baggy khaki tunics and trousers are removed and they are handed a packet of shampoo, but no towel. When they emerge, dripping, they are handed over to a team of barbers who shave their heads to prevent the spread of lice, but leave their scraggy beards. Some are taken to rooms lined with five beds, while others are ushered into a dormitory where around 30 men of all ages are already lying on top of their covers. One childishly plays a bamboo flute. Another gestures to his mouth indicating that he is hungry. ‘TERRIBLE PROBLEM’: Poppy cultivation was banned under the Taliban’s last rule in the 1990s, but the export of heroin from Taliban-controlled areas provided the hardliners with billions of dollars during their insurgency against the United States and the Western-backed government. With poppies cheap and easy to grow, Afghanistan provides around 90 percent of the world’s production of heroin. Crystal methamphetamine production has also surged, created from the ephedra plant which grows wild in the country. According to anti-narcotics experts, 11 percent of Afghanistan’s 34 million population are drug users, with four to six percent addicted.
Malala sends letter to Afghan Taliban one month after girls’ school ban KABUL AFP
Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell dies of COVID complications WASHINGTON: Colin Powell, the first black US secretary of state and top military officer, died on Monday at the age of 84 from COVID-19 complications, his family said in a statement. “He was fully vaccinated. We want to thank the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center for their caring treatment. We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American,” Powell’s family said in a post on his Facebook page. As a four-star Army general, he was chairman of the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George H W Bush during the 1991 Gulf War in which US-led forces expelled Iraqi troops from neighboring Kuwait. Powell, a moderate Republican and a pragmatist, later served as secretary of state under President George W Bush. Agencies
French ambassador expelled from Belarus MINSK: France’s ambassador to Belarus has left the country after the authorities in Minsk demanded he leave by Monday, the embassy said. The spokeswoman who made the announcement did not say why the Belarusian authorities demanded he leave the country. But according to reports in the Belarusian media, ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste never met President Alexander Lukashenko to give him copies of his credentials. France, like other EU countries, has not recognised the Belarusian strongman’s claim to a sixth presidential term in disputed elections in August last year. “The Belarusian foreign ministry demanded that the ambassador leave before October 18,” an embassy spokeswoman told AFP Sunday. “Ambassador Nicolas de Lacoste left Belarus today.” “He said goodbye to the staff of the embassy and recorded a video message to the Belarusian people, which will appear tomorrow morning on the embassy’s website.” The European Union has imposed waves of sanctions on Lukashenko’s regime over a post-vote crackdown on dissent in Belarus after the country erupted in historic protests against his rule. AFP
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Tehreek-e-Pakistan (TTP) as a schoolgirl, has urged Afghanistan’s new rulers to let girls return to school. It has been one month since the Taliban, which seized power in August, excluded girls from returning to secondary school while ordering boys back to class. The Taliban have claimed they will allow girls to return once they have ensured security and stricter segregation — but many are skeptical. “To the Taliban authorities…reverse the de facto ban on girls’ education and re-open girls’ secondary
schools immediately,” Yousafzai and a number of Afghan women’s rights activists said in an open letter published on Sunday. Yousafzai called on the leaders of Muslim nations to make it clear to the Taliban that “religion does not justify preventing girls from going to school”. “Afghanistan is now the only country in the world that forbids girls’ education,” said the writers, who included the head of the Afghan human rights commission under the last US-backed government Shaharzad Akbar. The authors called on G20 world leaders to provide urgent funding for an education plan for Afghan children. A petition alongside the letter had on Monday received more than 640,000 signatures.
Education activist Yo u s a f z a i was shot by militants from the TTP, in her home town in the Swat valley while on a school bus in 2012. Now 24 years old, she advocates for girls’ education, with her non-profit Malala Fund having invested $2 million in Afghanistan.
Explainer: What is behind the recent surge in violence in occupied Kashmir? NEW DELHI ReuteRs
A surge in violence in Indian-occupied Kashmir in recent weeks, including a spate of attacks on civilians and a widespread crackdown by security forces, has left 33 people dead in the heavily militarised region since early October. Kashmir, which is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but ruled in parts by both countries, has been the site of a bloody armed insurrection against New Delhi since the 1990s. WHAT IS HAPPENING? The fresh wave of killings by suspected militants appears to be targeted towards non-Kashmiris, including migrant workers, and members of the minority Hindu and Sikh communities in the Muslim-majority valley. On Sunday, unidentified gunmen shot at three migrant workers in Kashmir’s Kulgam district, killing two and wounding one, a day after two labourers from northern India were gunned down in two separate incidents. Last week, two teachers — one Hindu, another Sikh — were shot dead inside a government school in Kashmir’s main city of Srinagar. Suspected gunmen have killed a total of 11 civilians since October 6. WHO IS BEHIND THE KILLINGS? Indian security officials have said that some of the assassinations have been carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF) which they claim as a front for Lashkar-i-
Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, a group traditionally made up of local fighters. India says Pakistan supports the insurgency in Kashmir, a charge denied by Islamabad. Pakistan says it only provides diplomatic and moral support for the people of Kashmir. New Delhi has struggled for decades to dampen pro-freedom sentiments in what had been its only Muslim-majority state. Reasserting New Delhi’s control in August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi abolished Article 370 of the Constitution, ending the region’s autonomy and removing its statehood by splitting it into the federal territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Buddhist-dominated Ladakh. The TRF emerged in the wake of the August 2019 reorganisation of Kashmir, which was accompanied by a harsh communication and movement lockdown in the Kashmir valley to forestall any large-scale protests. In recent attacks, TRF members have mostly used easily-concealable small arms like pistols to shoot at their targets. In a statement on social media earlier this month, The Resistance Front said it was not targeting people on the basis of their religion but only those working for Indian authorities. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the statement. WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESPONSE? Indian security forces have launched a wide crackdown, killing 13 suspects in the last two weeks in mul-
tiple operations across the Kashmir valley. Last week, after the two teachers were killed in Srinagar, authorities detained more than 300 people for questioning, most of whom were subsequently released. Those detained included members of the banned religious organisation Jamaat-e-Islami, an umbrella alliance of pro-freedom groups known as the Hurriyat Conference, and others with previous links to fighter groups. Over the past week or so, the Indian military has also been battling insurgents in a forested area in the Jammu region, which abuts the Kashmir valley, and has lost nine soldiers — the most number of casualties in a single operation in recent years. WHY IS THE LATEST VIOLENCE SIGNIFICANT? The assassinations have spread panic among some sections of the population, with scores of minority Hindus and migrant workers fleeing the Kashmir valley towards Jammu and other areas. Political leaders in the region have condemned the killings but have also questioned the Modi government’s policies after deciding to split the former state in 2019. “None of these people deserved to die,” former state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a tweet. “One wonders what will it take for GOI (government of India) to realise that its policies have been a monumental failure in J&K [and] at what cost?” she said.
Malaysia court releases convicted former PM Najib’s passport for Singapore trip KUALA LUMPUR ReuteRs
Malaysia’s Court of Appeal on Monday granted a request from former prime minister Najib Razak, who was convicted on graft charges last year, to temporarily release his passport so he can attend the birth of his grandchild in Singapore, a prosecutor said. Najib was sentenced in July 2020 to 12 years’ jail for corruption
and money laundering in a case linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at now-defunct state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). He has denied wrongdoing and is out on bail pending an appeal. The court on Monday allowed Najib to retrieve his passport from October 20 to November 22 so that he could be with his daughter who is expected to give birth in Singapore next month, media reported. A prosecutor
in Najib’s case confirmed the reports to Reuters. His lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A lower court last week granted a similar request from Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, who is also facing graft charges, media reported. Najib was voted out in 2018 amid public anger over allegations that more than $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB, a state fund he helped establish in 2009, and
that he had received some of the stolen funds. Dozens of charges were filed against Najib and Rosmah following the election, after police raids found millions of dollars worth of cash, jewellery and luxury handbags in the couple’s homes. Rosmah has plead not guilty and remains on trial. Travel bans were also imposed on the pair, though it is unclear whether they have since been lifted. Najib has said the charges
against him were politically motivated and that he was misled on the source of the funds transferred into
his accounts. At least six countries including Singapore have opened criminal probes into 1MDB.
tuesday, 19 october, 2021 | IsLAMABAD
sports 11
PakiSTan beaT WeST indieS in firST WarM-uP MaTCh of T20 World CuP T News Desk
HE Pakistan squad beat West Indies by seven wickets through an all-out team effort in their warm-up match for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman were impressive with the bat as they scored 46 and 50, respectively, while the Pakistani bowlers had also picked up timely wickets to restrict West Indies to 130.
‘Skinny guy’ to ‘Pakistan life-saver’: Shoaib Malik eyes T20 World Cup glory with last hurrah AFP When Shoaib Malik takes the field for Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup, the 39-year-old allrounder could be forgiven for feeling his age. When Malik made his international debut in 1999, current teammates such as pace spearheads Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Wasim Junior, and batsman Haider Ali were not even born. Vice-captain Shadab Khan was just one while skipper Babar Azam and fellow all-rounder Hasan Ali had both just turned five. Malik, still fighting fit, played his first one-day international against the West Indies at Sharjah in October 1999. Legendary paceman Wasim Akram, who led Pakistan in Malik’s first game, retired 18 years ago. “I remember when Malik came into the Pakistan team in 1999,” Wasim Akram told AFP. “I picked him up, he was a 16-17-year-old skinny guy and I initially picked him solely as a bowler and as a fielder and never knew that he can bat very well.” Malik, however, is not the oldest player at the World Cup — Chris Gayle, 42, who made his ODI debut a month before Malik, will be looking to steer West Indies to a third T20 title. “He (Malik) has turned out to be a life-saver for Pakistan in limited-overs cricket. Even now, when you talk about fitness, he is superb and trains so extensively,” added Wasim. “I think young players should see him as a role model as he is still competing with them in domestic events and that shows how mentally strong he has been. “He is looking good and that shows he wants to go on a high.” Former teammate and captain Shahid Afridi also believes Malik can contribute as Pakistan go in search of a second T20 World Cup title. “Good to see Shoaib Malik recalled for the T20 World Cup,” said Afridi. “As a senior and experienced player, he can contribute big time for Pakistan.” Babar Azam believes Malik will have a key role on and off the field in the United Arab Emirates. “His experience will be an asset. He is still one of the fittest members of the squad,” Babar said on Sunday. “We have to make a plan on including him in the playing XI.” Malik, whose career has seen a series of ups and downs, led Pakistan to a runners-up finish in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in 2007. He was a member of the 2009 title-winning team and, after missing the 2010 event, featured in the last three editions. Despite calls from fans for his inclusion for this year’s showpiece, Malik was nowhere close to squad selection until last month. His 225 runs in seven domestic matches of the National T20 Cup strengthened his case but it was only after top-order batsman Sohaib Maqsood was ruled out with a back problem that Malik sneaked into the squad at the last minute. Malik retired from Test cricket in 2015 and ODIs after a miserable 2019 World Cup in England, where he fell for eight and two ducks.
Pakistani bowlers put up a strong showing against an aggressive West Indian side. The Windies never looked comfortable batting first, losing wickets at regular intervals and only managing to finish their inning at 130/7 from their 20 overs. Hassan Ali remained the pick of the Pakistani bowlers, picking up two wickets (Fletcher and Pooran) while giving away only 21 runs from his four overs. Right-arm pacer Haris Rauf
gave away 32 runs from his four overs but managed to pick up the two prized wickets of Keiron Pollard and Chris Gayle while Shaheen Afridi managed to take two scalps as well but gave away an expensive 41 runs from his four overs. Shaheen Afridi took the scalps of Shimron Hetmyer and Lendl Simmons. Left-arm bowler Imad Wasim put in an impressive performance with the ball as well, giving away
only six runs from his three overs at an economy rate of two runs per over. He also managed to take the scalp of Roston Chase. West Indies had won the toss and elected to bat first against Pakistan in the first warm-up match between the two sides. West Indies’ Ravi Rampaul had sent Mohammad Rizwan packing early at 13, while Hayden Walsh had taken the wicket of Babar (50), and Mohammad Hafeez who went for a duck.
Asia Cup 2023 will be played in ODI format: Ramiz News Desk Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja on Monday said that the 2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan would be a 50-over competition. “The ACC has agreed and approved that the 2023 event in Pakistan will be a 50-over competition. It will be held in September. The event aligns very nicely with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in October and November,” he said following his return from Dubai. “We are looking forward to hosting this tournament in Pakistan and I am confident it will be a well-organised event because this is what the fans want. The ACC has also confirmed next year’s tournament in Sri Lanka will be played on a 20-over format and it will be a prelude to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be held in Australia from October 16 to
November 13.” Ramiz Raja further said, “The ACC was set up to create a unified approach and collective stance so that we have one voice and if there is a situation, all stand together. I would like to see our relationship with other boards and the ACC to be strong so that if there is an issue, like we had with the withdrawal of a couple of sides, a strong and joint statement could come out from the ACC platform. My message at the ACC forum was that we should not forget this philosophy and I am optimistic there will be better outcomes in future.” On his meeting with the BCCI officials, Ramiz Raja said, “I met with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah on the sidelines of the ACC meetings. We need to create a cricketing bond. I believe that politics should stay away from sport as much as possible and this has always been our stance. A lot of work needs to be done to revitalise Pak-
istan-India cricket but there needs to be some comfortable level between the two
Braves walk off again to take 2-0 series lead over Dodgers LOs ANGeLes AFP
Eddie Rosario cracked a line-drive single up the middle to score Dansby Swanson and give the Atlanta Braves their second straight walk-off win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in baseball’s National League Championship Series on Sunday. The Braves, who twice trailed by two runs, rallied to beat the Dodgers 5-4 and take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The reigning World Series champion Dodgers will try to regroup when they host game three on Tuesday. Atlanta scored in each of the last two innings, Rosario leading off the eighth against Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias — a regular starter who was sent in as a reliever — with a single. Rosario advanced to second on Freddie Freeman’s flyout and scored on a single from Ozzie Albies — the sliding Rosario managing to avoid the attempted tag at home plate by Dodgers catcher Will Smith to pull the Braves within 4-3. Austin Riley, who delivered a walk-off hit in game one on Saturday, then belted a double over the head of Mookie Betts and off the centerfield wall that saw Albies score from first base for a 4-4 tie. After Braves pitcher Will Smith retired three straight Dodgers batters in the top of the ninth inning, the Dodgers sent Brusdar Graterol to the mound in the ninth. Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud greeted him with a single but was out at second after Swanson’s bunt. After another groundout, Rosario came to the plate with two outs to face Dodgers closing pitcher Kenley Jansen. Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager couldn’t corral the hard-hit ball from
Rosario that bounced into centre field, allowing Swanson to score the winning run. The ninth-inning drama capped a close game in which the Dodgers took the lead in the first inning on Seager’s two-run home run against Braves starting pitcher Ian Anderson before an out had been recorded. Former Dodger Joc Pederson answered with a tworun blast off a curveball from Dodgers starter Max Scherzer to tie the game in the fourth inning. Chris Taylor put the Dodgers up again in the seventh with a double that scored two runs before the Braves rallied in the final frame. Cy Young Award contender Scherzer didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, with Roberts going to his bullpen with one out in the frame. ‘Fun challenge’: For the second year in a row, the Braves now take a 2-0 lead in the NLCS into game three against the Dodgers. “That’s absolutely huge,” Riley said of gaining two home wins before heading to Dodger Stadium. “That’s a tough atmosphere, but I feel like it’s going to be a fun challenge.” The Braves have lost seven straight games and 10 of their last 11 at Dodger Stadium. They were swept in a three-game regular-season series there in August-September. The Dodgers won 15 straight home games at the end of the regular season and have won two of three at home this post-season. “I don’t have to remind them of anything,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said of what he will tell his team about the task that awaits. “I think that they’re going to realize, and we all do, last year when we were up 3-1, how hard it is to win a baseball game.”
boards and then we can see how far we can go. So overall, we had a good discussion.”
Yuvraj Singh arrested and released on bail in casteist remarks investigation News Desk Former Indian allrounder Yuvraj Singh was released on Saturday after being briefly arrested as part of an investigation into offensive remarks allegedly made by him against the country’s scheduled castes on social media, a news outlet reported on Monday. According to media reports, a senior police officer in Haryana said that Yuvraj was arrested as per court orders and later released on interim bail on Saturday. Yuvraj had come under fire after his June 2020 Instagram live video with ex-teammate Rohit Sharma was widely shared online. He was accused of using a casteist slur while discussing cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal’s TikTok videos. He had later apologised for what he termed his “unintentional remarks”, saying he had been “misunderstood” and that his “love for India and all its people is eternal”. A news outlet quoted sources as saying that Yuvraj had appeared before the police in Hisar city, accompanied by four to five staffers and security personnel. In February, a Dalit activist in Haryana had filed a complaint against Yuvraj, demanding his arrest and registration of a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which seeks to prohibit discrimination. On court orders, a first information report was registered in the case.
Tuesday, 19 October, 2021
Prayer TimiNgs
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FAJR SUNRISE
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ASR MAGHRIB ISHA
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All mATTers resolved beTween civil, miliTAry leAdership, sAys FAwAd ISlAmAbAd
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INISTER for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Monday shed light on the relationship between the civil and military leaderships and said that Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed held a routine meeting today as they often hold meetings. “All the matters have been resolved,” he said in a media talk. Talking about the opposition parties, he said that JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman should start a ‘rent a crowd’ service for political parties as his ‘political carrier has completely ended’. “Maulana Sahab is nothing more than Chla Hua Kartoos (fired cartridge),” he said while chiding Fazlur Rehman over bringing the students of different seminaries at the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) public meeting in Faisalabad. The minister said Fazlur Rehman has
already been used for crowding political gatherings in the past and now he has no importance in political arena. The JUI-F chief just wants to be politically relevant by making non-serious statements, Fawad said in response to a query. The nation does not take serious those who always indulge in political gimmicks, he said while referring to undue criticism of the government by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) senior leaders, including Ahsan Iqbal and Shehbaz Sharif. The opposition is left with no option, but to cry foul all the time, he said while pointing to their constant practice of looking for excuses to protest against the government. He said prices of different commodities including wheat flour have been brought down, while a visible reduction in sugar price is also being expected due to bumper crops of the sugarcane. The price of wheat flour is only high in Sindh due to delay on the part of provincial government for its release, he said, adding from today, the Sindh gov-
FATF to announce grey list updates on Thursday PARIS TLTP
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is set to meet to discuss and announce on Thursday updates on jurisdictions currently under the increased monitoring list, often referred to as the grey list. In a press statement issued on Monday, the FATF said that under the German Presidency of Dr Marcus Pleyer, delegates representing 205 members of the Global Network and observer organisations, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the United Nations (UN) and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units, will take part in a hybrid meeting of the FATF Plenary. The virtually connected delegates will join those that are able to travel to Paris for three days of meetings, during which they will discuss key issues to strengthen global action against the financial flows that fuel crime and terrorism, said the statement. It said the FATF will finalise key reports, including the revised guidance on virtual assets and their service providers and discuss next steps to strengthen its standards on transparency of beneficial ownership. Delegates will also discuss the outcomes of the FATF’s survey to identify areas where divergent antimoney laundering and counter terrorist financing rules or their implementation cause friction for cross-border payments. The FATF is leading work on this aspect of the G20’s priority to improve cross-border payments. The FATF will also update its statements identifying jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies in their measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The statement said that the FATF president will give a press briefing on the outcomes of the FATF Plenary on Thursday at 17:30 Paris time. Pakistan has been on the FATF’s increased monitoring list since June 2018. The country has been lauded for the progress made on its strategic deficiencies. Law Minister Farogh Naseem last week had said that the country has done everything to get off the FATF’s grey list, adding that the country is now a test case for the fairness of the money laundering watchdog.
ernment has started releasing the commodity and it is being hoped that its prices would decline soon in the province. “We are not living on another planet. If the price of [crude] oil will go up across the world, it will also go upward in Pakistan and if there will be a decline in its prices [globally], the same will happen in Pakistan as well,” he stressed. The minister asked the opposition leaders to come forward and hold discussion with the government if they have any worthwhile solution to the problem of global hike in the petroleum prices. He regretted that the opposition boycotted the National Assembly proceedings today despite knowing that the day was dedicated to have speeches on Seerat-un-Nabi. “There should be limitations for everything and there is no need to do politics on everything,” he added. He said the opposition always looked for an excuse to hold protest [against the government]. They were thinking that there were some differences between the government and security institutions but now their euphoria is gradually fading
away, he added. He said the opposition always talked about democratic credentials but they have no such things in their account rather to always seek a deal to evade accountability. Fawad said the opposition leaders quickly get ready with their curriculum vitae to jump on the bandwagon once they assume that there are differences between the government and the state institutions. But, when they came to know that they were not going to get any relief in their corruption cases from the government, their guns suddenly turned towards the state institutions. Basically, the opposition, he said, is not only devoid of political thinking, but also lacks administrative and economic policies. The opposition could not come into power by criticising Prime Minister Imran Khan all along, rather they should do some introspection and revise their policies. He once again invited the opposition to work with the government for bringing reforms including the electoral ones.
Shehbaz Sharif grills Imran Khan over skyrocketing inflation Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Monday came down hard over Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government over skyrocketing inflation in Pakistan. While addressing an NA session, Shehbaz said that the prime minister had made tall claims about transforming Pakistan into Riyasat-i-Madinah. “But he [Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who headed the state of Madinah] used to protect the oppressed and orphans,” he said, adding that the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, on the other hand, has done little for their welfare as inflation in the country has skyrocketed. Criticising the government over its budget for the current fiscal year, he said on June 17 this year, just days after the budget had been presented, he had warned during an NA session that multiple mini-budgets were in the offing. “I had said on this very floor that the budget was based on fraud. They (the PTI government) had claimed that the budget was tax free. But, I had said back then that it was a pile of lies,” he added. “Today, everyone is a witness that this is the worst government in the 74 years [of Pakistan’s existence], [and] that it has made survival difficult for the nation,” he remarked. “And what will be more cruel than hundreds of thousands of people facing unemployment?” Shehbaz asked rhetorically, adding that basic commodities like flour,
sugar and lentils are now out of the reach of an average family surviving on a monthly salary of Rs20,000. “This government has pushed Pakistan to the brink of destruction.” “This government has [also] deprived the poor, orphans and widows of free medicines and other medical facilities, pushing them towards death. What will you call this government?” he again questioned. Responding to Shehbaz, Communications Minister Murad Saeed said, “The opposition leader referred to Risyasat-i-Madinah multiple times in his speech. Today, we should be thankful for having a prime minister who aims to transform this country into Riyasat-i-Madinah.” He further said that, when the opposition leader’s party was in the government and they would go on tours to the US, they were asked about the difference between them and the PTI. And their reply would be that they were more liberal, whereas as Imran Khan was more inclined towards religion, Saeed said, adding that here in Pakistan, the former would continue to show that they, too, were inclined towards religion. “This is their state,” he said, only to be interrupted by opposition lawmakers shouting slogans. Soon after, most opposition lawmakers walked out of the assembly hall and the NA session had to be adjourned due to a lack of quorum, with Saeed’s speech remaining incomplete. News Desk
US diplomat meets COAS to discuss Afghanistan situation US Charge d’ Affairs to Pakistan Angela Aggeler on Monday called on Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan, said a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, current security situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed. The COAS said that Pakistan desires to maintain the tradition of bilateral engagement and wishes for an endur-
ing relationship with the United States. The army chief further reiterated the need for global convergence on Afghanistan to avoid a humanitarian crisis and coordinated efforts for the economic uplift of the Afghan people, added the ISPR. The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role in Afghan situation, efforts for regional stability and pledged to play their role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels. News Desk
pakistan’s desire for peace must not be misconstrued: air chief lAHORE sTaff rePorT
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Baber on Monday cautioned Pakistan’s desire for peace should not be misconstrued as its weakness. Addressing the passing out parade at Pakistan Air Force Academy Asghar Khan in Risalpur, the air chief said Pakistan desired peace with its neighbouring countries. The armed forces were ready to thwart any misadventure, he said, adding that while Pakistan did not wish to indulge in an arms race in the region, its forces will continue to enhance their capabilities to deter any foreign act of aggression. Baber underlined the need of solving the decades-long Kashmir dispute and said it was imperative to solve it for long-lasting peace in the region. He also urged the international community to play an effective role in ending the rights abuses in the held region. On the Afghanistan situation, Baber said peace in Kabul was critical to ensure peace in Islamabad. Pakistan has sacrificed a lot for peace in the region. Baber also congratulated the passing out candidates of the 145th General Duty Pilot course and 91st Engineering Courses. Saudi cadets were also among the graduates.
nA-133 by-election on december 5: ecp
ISlAmAbAd sTaff rePorT
The by-election in the NA-133 constituency of Lahore will be held on December 5, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced. The seat fell vacant after the death of Pervaiz Malik, MP and Lahore president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, last week. The prime minister has nominated his assistant on food security Jamshed Iqbal Cheema as the candidate of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the by-election. Formerly NA-127, the central Lahore constituency — covering the neighbourhoods of Liaqatabad, Model Town Extention, Kot Lakhpat, Chungi Amar Sadhu and Township — has traditionally been a PML-N seat that Malik secured in 2013 and 2018. In 2018, PTI Central Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry had contested the election against Malik and lost with a margin of some 12,000 votes. However, the tenure for the seat will not be more than one year, thus having a little charm for the aspirants.
PDM to hold countrywide protest rallies, strikes from Oct 20 ISlAmAbAd miaN abrar
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday announced that the Opposition alliance will hold countrywide protests and rallies from October 20. Speaking to the media here following a meeting of the alliance held in the federal capital, the Maulana reiterated that the Opposition has completely rejected the National Accountability (NAB) Ordinance 2021. “The institute of NAB has always been
used against the Opposition,” Fazlur Rehman said, adding that he has no hope of accountability from NAB. Rejecting the electoral reforms, Maulana said that the electronic voting machine (EVM) is another name for the old results transmission system (RTS). “The government which has come into power as a result of rigging has no right to give a formula for free and fair elections in the country,” the PDM chief said. Shedding light on the Afghanistan issues, he said that borders with Afghanistan and Iran have been closed, which is affecting people living in the bordering areas.
“Borders with Afghanistan and Iran should be opened immediately for trade,” Fazlur Rehman demanded. “Our demand is to hold a general election,” he reiterated, adding that unless there are transparent general elections in the country, there is no justification for local body elections. He announced that there will be rallies, protests and wheel-jam strikes in district headquarters starting from October 20. “PDM wants a democratic and constitutional system in the country,” he said. “We have to work hard and stand firm, the result is in the hands of Allah.”
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk