Saturday, 30 October, 2021 I 23 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 121 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
NSC deCideS Not to allow tlP to ChalleNge writ of State
a
meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) was convened by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday to discuss the law and order situation across the country in the backdrop of the violent demonstrations by the workers of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TLP). The meeting was attended by relevant members of the federal cabinet, national security adviser, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman, all three services’ chiefs, DGs of ISI, IB and FIA, and senior civil and military officers. The prime minister stressed that no group or entity will be allowed to cause public disruption or use violence to pressure the government. Taking serious note of the unprovoked violent attacks committed by TLP members, the committee resolved not to tolerate any further breach of law by this proscribed group. The committee praised the police for their professionalism and restraint despite being directly targeted and suffering casualties, including four martyred and over four hundred injured, but warned that the state’s restraint should not be seen as a sign of weakness. While emphasising that the government recognises the right of peaceful protest of all Pakistanis, committee mem-
bers were unanimous that TLP is deliberately employing violence against public property, state officials, and ordinary citizens to create instability in the country and that this shall not be tolerated. All organs of the state stand ready to act as per the law to protect the life and property of citizens. The prime minister and committee members expressed condolences at the loss of life of policemen and committed to compensating and looking after their families. Commending the exceptional performance of the law enforcement agencies, the prime minister assured that the government will firmly stand behind them as they act to enforce the law and protect the public. The committee took notice that no previous government or prime minister had taken such an unequivocal and public international stance on the issue of Namoos-e-Risalat and Islamophobia. Under the current government, Pakistan has successfully brought these issues to the fore of international diplomatic discourse in the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and European Union, among other fora. One key objective of establishing the Rehmatul-lilAlameen Authority is also to intellectually counter international propaganda
CoroNaviruS iN
PakiStaN
against Islam. Participants decried TLP’s misuse of religion and the issue of Namoos-e-Risalat for political gains, which was misleading the common man and creating internal discord within society. TLP’s violence has ended up furthering the agenda of sectarian elements and external enemies of the state. Participants recalled that TLP has adopted the ploy of violent street agitation on numerous occasions since 2017 and made unrealistic demands each time, solely as a tool to gain political strength. In the process, TLP’s actions have caused public disorder, serious economic losses to the country, besides boosting the morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge the state’s writ. The committee unanimously resolved to guard its sovereignty from all internal and external threats and to not allow TLP to challenge the writ of the state in any way. Participants endorsed the government’s decision to negotiate with the group only within the bounds of law, without offering leniency for any crimes committed by TLP operatives. Endorsing the view of the committee, the Prime Minister instructed that all measures and actions necessary to enforce the law and protect the interests of the state and public shall be ensured. Addressing the media following the meeting, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said that fresh negotiations between the government and the detained chief of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party are underway to end the proscribed group’s long march towards Islamabad. Rasheed said the government seeks to resolve the matter “amicably” and acknowledges it has plunged several cities of Punjab into a crisis for the last two weeks. He added that the government is still willing to negotiate, however, the writ of the state will be established. “We have not closed the doors on the dialogue process, however, the writ of the state also needs to be maintained.” news desk
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
Bizenjo elected as Balochistan chief minister QUETTA staff report
Abdul Quddus Bizenjo of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) was elected unopposed as the 17th chief minister of Balochistan on Friday. Bizenjo, a former chief minister of the resource-rich province, secured 39 votes during a special session of the assembly convened by Governor Zahoor Ahmad Agha for the sole purpose of the election of the new leader of the House and its speaker. The BAP party has 24 seats in the House of 65 and is supported among others by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the secondlargest party in Balochistan with seven lawmakers. After the election, the governor administered the oath to the newlyelected chief minister at the Governor House. Members of the House submitted the nomination papers of Bizenjo for the post of new provincial chief executive and Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali for that of speaker, which fell vacant after the former had resigned Monday, on Thursday.
4 killed, 6 injured in Karachi explosion
Bizenjo belongs to the Awaran district of Balochistan. He was elected on a Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) ticket during general elections in 2013, and on a BAP seat in the 2018 elections. He had served as chief minister of the province between January and May 2018. The election was held after Jam Kamal Khan, also of the BAP party, resigned from the office of the chief minister Sunday night, hours ahead of a vote of no-confidence against him tabled by lawmakers from the opposition, as well as his own party, who had accused him of governing poorly, including doing little to counter soaring unemployment. He was also criticised for approving a budget that according to his opponents, increased poverty in the province. However, Khan had rejected the charges as unfounded. CENTRE SAYS WILL AGREE WITH BAP CHOICE: Earlier on Monday, the federal government had decided to agree with any candidate the BAP party, who enjoys a majority in the House, chooses as the new chief executive of the province.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
more inside
T20 World Cup: Asif helps Pakistan down Afghanistan by five wickets
CONFIRMED CASES:
1,271,687
STORY ON BACK PAGE
Rangers draw ‘red line’ near Wazirabad as TLP resumes march
LAST UPDATED AT 8:43 AM ON OCTOBER 29, 2021
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
NEW CASES:
17
659
RECOVERED:
STORY ON PAGE 02
DEATHS:
1,220,105 28,431 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
469,122
439,845
KPK:
BALOCHISTAN:
177,807 AJK/GB:
33,228 ISLAMABAD:
34,461/10,389
106,835
At least four people died and six others suffered injuries in an explosion in North Nazimabad area of Karachi on Friday. According to a news outlet, Deputy Inspector General West Zone Nasir Aftab confirmed the number of lives lost in the incident and said that the explosion occurred at an electric room of a petrol pump near Abdullah College. He ruled out the possibility of sabotage and said that the incident appears to be an accident. However, according to the police, the report of the bomb disposal squad will reveal the facts. A spokesperson for Edhi, which shifted the dead and the injured to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, said that all the deceased were men.
Another police official told a media outlet that a “cylinder blast” was occurred at a Byco petrol pump in North Nazimabad and the police are investigating the incident. He identified one of the deceased as 50year-old Sultan Imran and five among injured as Alia Humayun, 21-year-old Humera Waqar, 30year-old Abdul Waheed, 35-year-old Sohail Ishaq, Abid Muhammad and 24-year-old Waqar Siddiq. Meanwhile, Karachi Administrator Barrister Murtaza Wahab expressed grief over the loss of lives and directed the concerned officials to provide the injured with the best possible medical treatment, besides vowing to present the facts after the inquiry is completed. news desk
Dozens detained in India for disrupting Muslim prayers STORY ON BACK PAGE
Fawad asks TLP protestors to return home STORY ON PAGE 03
02
Saturday, 30 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
RaNgeRS dRaw ‘Red liNe’ NeaR waziRabad aS TlP ReSumeS maRCh IsLAMABAD/LAHORe
i
Staff RepoRt
N defiance of the government’s warnings, the activists and supporters of proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) resumed its long march to Islamabad from Gujranwala on Friday, plunging the cities on their way into a crisis. Per an estimate, some 4,000 activists are travelling in cars, rented passenger buses and on foot continuing their journey towards the capital to demand the release of the hardline group’s chief, Saad Hussain Rizvi, and the expulsion of the French ambassador over the publication of a series of blasphemous caricatures depicting Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by a French weekly. The demonstrators spent the night near the General Bus Stand on the G.T. Road and resumed their rally in the morning, despite repeated warnings to the group to call off the march or face “consequences”. Days earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan made it clear his government would not be blackmailed by the proscribed outfit and would deal with it as a militant organisation. Citing a police official, a report said the next encounter between the group and the police was expected at two security points
would not accept the group’s demand to close the French embassy and expel the envoy. Khan’s decision infuriated supporters of the party who over the weekend suspended their march to Islamabad to give the government three days to consider their demands but resumed it later, accusing the government of “lies and deceit”. The party started demanding the expulsion of the ambassador in October 2020 when French President Emmanuel Macron defended blasphemous caricatures as freedom of expression. Macron’s those comments came after a young man beheaded a French school teacher who had shown caricatures in class. The images were republished by the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to mark the opening of the trial over the deadly 2015 attack against the publication for the original caricatures. Since then, Rizvi’s party had been threatening a march toward Islamabad, which it launched last week amid clashes that killed several people, including police officers, in Lahore and elsewhere. Rizvi’s party gained prominence in the 2018 general elections, campaigning on the single issue of defending the blasphemy laws, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam ad the prophet.
established at Chenab and Jhelum rivers, the only route for the marchers to reach Islamabad. The government Wednesday announced to deploy the Rangers for two months in Punjab while the regular armed forces would also be used in case police and civilian security forces needed reinforcement to control the mob. The official said this time the Rangers would lead the command, while the Punjab Police would assist them as per the standard guidelines also issued on Wednesday. Earlier today, hundreds of Rangers and police personnel were deployed at the Chenab toll plaza to counter the protestors. The security personnel also have armoured vehicles with them and are equipped with riot gear. About 500 metres from the Chenab toll plaza, the Punjab Rangers marked a socalled red line and put up a notice nearby warning the protesters “not to breach the line or face consequences”. “Attention: Beyond this line, the responsibility for law and order lies with Pakistan Rangers (Punjab), who have been given the authority to open fire at the miscreants. All the people are strictly warned to return to their homes,” the banner read. The violence erupted after the government of Prime Minister Khan said it
SC orders demolition of another ‘illegal’ Karachi tower kARACHI INp
The Karachi registry of the Supreme Court on Friday ordered the demolition of Tejori Heights, an underconstruction structure being built on a land reportedly owned by Pakistan Railways, and directed the city commissioner to bring it down within a month. The counsel representing the builders of the tower, Raza Rabbani, yielded to the court order but sought time to reimburse the allottees. “My client has agreed to give up the land,” said Rabbani, but added the builder has requested some time in order to timely recompense the people who bought units in the project. At this, the court recalled it gave at least three months to the builders for the purpose. It then directed both the authorities and the builders to submit a report on the demolition. Pakistan Railways has claimed that the subject land had been allotted for the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and the same had been encroached on by the builders. In December last, the apex court had ordered the immediate suspension of work on Tejori Heights and barred the builders from creating a third-party interest. It had said that on the basis of documents, prima facie there was no right of Tejori Heights on the land in question and directed the commissioner of Karachi to take over the site till further order. The lawyer for the PR had contended the land belonged to his department and an illegal construction was being made on the basis of forged documents.
32 ARRESTED FOR ‘PEDDLING PROPAGANDA’ ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry said that as many as 32 people associated with a “proscribed organisation” were rounded up late last night for their purported involvement in anti-government propaganda on social media platforms. “32 members of the proscribed outfit have been apprehended in an overnight
operation. These people were spreading hateful propaganda through fake accounts,” he said in a Twitter post. He added that more arrests are likely to be made soon as the government has launched a clampdown on fake news and propaganda outlets. A previous phase of talks between the TLP and the government representatives ended in inconclusion on Thursday.
Court orders to block CNICs of Nawaz’s close relatives News Desk A banking court in Lahore on Friday gave directive to put names of Nawaz Sharif’s close relatives to the Exit Control List (ECL), while adding that their CNICs should be blocked for being bank defaulters. Earlier, a petition was filed against Kashmir Sugar Mills. During the hearing, the counsel argued that the owners of mills obtained the loan in 2013. The counsel prayed that the owners Hasnain Tariq Shafi, Mian Pervez Shafi and Khaleda Pervez from Kashmir Sugar Mills gave a guarantee for the loan, while Zahid Shafi, Ali Pervez, Javed Shafi, and Ibrahim Tariq in this regard, gave a personal guarantee. The owners of sugar mills had mortgaged 217,400 sacks of 50 kg sugar for the loan but the accused stole the mortgaged stock to avoid payment of the bank dues, the lawyer further pleaded before the court. “Kashmir Sugar Mills was declared a defaulter on March 26 for non-payment of the loan. Criminal action should be taken against Mian
Shahid Shafi and other cousins of Nawaz Sharif for disappearing’ the mortgaged stock of the bank from Kashmir Sugar Mill,” the lawyer
stated. The court summoned the accused Mian Shahid Shafi, Javed Shafi, Ali Pervez, Ibrahim Tariq and others for trial.
LHC turns down BZU’s decision to suspend Ahmadi student News Desk The Lahore High Court on Friday turned down Bahauddin Zakariya University’s (BZU) decision to suspend a student belonging to the Ahmadi community, calling the university’s decision “persecution”. In September, a student named Umer Taimur Tahir was enrolled in the Pharm-D programme on a minority quota at the BZU in September. A month later, on October 11, the university suspended his admission without intimating him prior, without giving any justification for it. According to the court, at the time of being contested in the LHC, the university claimed that the concern was “gratuitous, unwarranted and untrue.” The student has also submitted a plea in the court while challenging the university’s decision to suspend his admission, by stating that he “treated as an object and not a human being”. Tahir’s petition read that “Some event
which is not discernible from the record and about which the petitioner has no information or knowledge allegedly took place by virtue of which his admission has been suspended without informing him, without hearing him, without providing any reason for the same.” In this regards, Justice Muhammad Shan Gul noted that “amounts to persecuting the already persecuted!”. While adding that the varsity’s decision showed no regard for students along with “a conscious disregard for minority rights”. The vice-chancellor of the university has also been summoned to inquire into the matter to probe further that why the petitioner had been singled out “for such callous and insensitive treatment”. It has been pointed out by Justice Gul that Article 36 of the Constitution calls for safeguarding the legal rights and interests of minorities. “Even this right contained in Article 22 and the principle of the policy contained in Article 36 of the Constitution clearly protect the petitioner from such attacks,” the judge stated.
Adding to that, the banking court also ordered the entry of names of close relatives of former PM, Nawaz Sharif in ECL and blocking their CNICs.
NCOC daily update: 659 new cases, 17 deaths from Covid-19 IsLAMABAD Staff RepoRt
Pakistan added 659 new Covid-19 cases over the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) said on Friday. The number of overall confirmed cases has risen to 1,271,687, according to the NCOC, the department leading the campaign against the pandemic. Another 17 people lost their lives to the coronavirus over the last 24 hours in Pakistan, taking the overall death toll to 28,431, the NCOC said, adding that 1,395 are in critical condition. Over the last 24 hours, 931 patients recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total number of recoveries to 1,220,105, said the NCOC. Sindh is the worst-affected province by the pandemic with 469,122 infections, followed by Punjab which has reported 439,845 cases.
Saturday, 30 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
03
Fawad aSKS TlP PROTeSTORS TO ReTuRN hOme
T
News Desk
HE Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry gave a stern warning to the TLP protestors, urging them to return home. The National Security Committee (NSC) held on Friday lauded the professionalism and restraint shown by police, despite being targeted directly by the TLP protestors. On Friday, the government issued a stark warning that it has had enough while acknowledging that Punjab Police have suffered multiple casualties, including four martyrs and over four hundred injured. “The state’s restraint should not be seen as a sign of weakness,” a press release issued by the NSC read. “I am telling the protestors to return home. I am telling their families: call your people home. The state will not stop at anything to assert itself,” Chaudhry stated in a presser after the meeting. The minister went on to warn that “No mob can stand up to the state,” while revealing that the government would be taking all possible measures to put any further violence at halt. “The civilian and military leadership are like one clenched fist on this issue,” he stated. Chaudhry further stated that the state did not wish for blood to be shed in the streets.
Therefore, urged the banned outfit’s members to return home. Chaudhry added that the state can not be “blackmailed” by this “mockery”. He further revealed that the state has asked the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to sit on the negotiation table, while adding that the protestors should now consider the state “weak”, as “Pakistan has defeated terrorist organisations before.” Later, a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) was convened by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday to discuss the law and order situation across the country in the backdrop of the violent demonstrations by the workers of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TLP). The meeting was attended by relevant members of the federal cabinet, national security adviser, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman, all three services’ chiefs, DGs of ISI, IB and FIA, and senior civil and military officers. The prime minister stressed that no group or entity willbe allowed to cause public disruption or use violence to pressure the government. Taking serious note of the unprovoked violent attacks committed by TLP members, the committee resolved not to tolerate any further breach of law by this proscribed group. The committee praised the police for
OgdCl announces financial results IsLAMABAD
their professionalism and restraint despite being directly targeted and suffering casualties, including four martyred and over four hundred injured, but warned that the state’s restraint should not be seen as a sign of weakness. While emphasising that the government recognises the right of peaceful protest of all Pakistanis, committee members were unanimous that TLP is deliberately employing violence against public property, state officials, and ordinary citizens to create instability in the country and that this shall not be tolerated. All organs of the state stand ready to act as per the law to protect the life and property of citizens.
The prime minister and committee members expressed condolences at the loss of life of policemen and committed to compensating and looking after their families. Commending the exceptional performance of the law enforcement agencies, the prime minister assured that the government will firmly stand behind them as they act to enforce the law and protect the public. The committee took notice that no previous government or prime minister had taken such an unequivocal and public international stance on the issue of Namoose-Risalat and Islamophobia. Under the current government, Pakistan has
PM takes notice of heated spat between Shoaib Akhtar, Nauman Niaz
pR
The Board of Directors of Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in its meeting held on 28TH October, 2021 at OGDCL Head Office, Islamabad announced the financial results for the first quarter ended 30th September, 2021 of fiscal year 2021-22. Net sales revenue clocked at Rs. 71.530 billion translating to Profit after tax of Rs. 33.630 billion and earnings per share of Rs. 7.82. The Board of Directors announced first interim cash dividend to its shareholders @ Rs. 1.75 per share. The dividend will be paid to the shareholders whose names will appear in the Register of Members on November 09, 2021. During the period under review, the Company paid Rs. 18.640 billion on account of Taxation. On the exploration and development side company recorded significant enhancement in seismic efforts and drilling activities. The Board of Directors appreciated the efforts of the management for taking effective steps for the implementation of company’s aggressive exploration program.
PTa launches mobile app to facilitate consumers ISLAMAbAD: In an effort to facilitate telecom consumers even further, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has launched user friendly Complaint Management System (CMS) mobile application. The app is available on Android (Google Play) and iOS (Apple App store). The aim of the user friendly mobile app is to provide ease and facilitation to the public for lodging complaints pertaining to telecom services. Consumers can register their complaints related to telecom services, mobile registration/ Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS), web content reporting, and stolen handset blocking etc. The App also allows user to track their complaints and provide feedback on complaint resolution. It also includes FAQs on different issues for consumer awareness and better understanding. The launching of PTA CMS App demonstrates PTA’s commitment to innovation, deeper understanding of the consumers’ needs and provision of progressive solutions. pReSS ReLeaSe
successfully brought these issues to the fore of international diplomatic discourse in the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and European Union, among other fora. One key objective of establishing the Rehmatul-lil-Alameen Authority is also to intellectually counter international propaganda against Islam. Participants decried TLP’s misuse of religion and the issue of Namoos-e-Risalat for political gains, which was misleading the common man and creating internal discord within society. TLP’s violence has ended up furthering the agenda of sectarian elements and external enemies of the state. Participants recalled that TLP has adopted the ploy of violent street agitation on numerous occasions since 2017 and made unrealistic demands each time, solely as a tool to gain political strength. In the process, TLP’s actions have caused public disorder, serious economic losses to the country, besides boosting the morale of other terrorist outfits seeking to challenge the state’s writ. The committee unanimously resolved to guard its sovereignty from all internal and external threats and to not allow TLP to challenge the writ of the state in any way. Participants endorsed the government’s decision to negotiate with the group only within the bounds of law, without offering leniency for any crimes committed by TLP operatives.
News Desk PM Imran Khan takes notice of the on-air spat between Shoaib Akhtar and PTV Sports anchorperson Nauman Niaz. The Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohammad Khan revealed that PM Imran Khan has taken notice of the issue and has given directive to the committee to take immediate action. The minister went on to reveal that the premier was upset over the spat, and took notice of how the host of the show insulted the national star. This is an unpleasant event, no one is bigger than the state and nobody can misuse his/her power,” he added. “You cannot ask anybody to leave the show on the air, this is arrogance,” he said, adding that Dr Nauman Niaz should have evaluated his and Akhtar’s value. He went on to state that no matter what the reason is, one cannot insult anybody. Adding that a common man should also be
respected in the same manner as any celebrity, politician or minister. “Dr Niaz should have thought a hundred times before insulting Akhtar,” he maintained, questioning that is this how we treat our National stars in front of International cricket greats. “Akhtar has raised Pakistan’s flag high he was the only person who silenced India after he hit the middle stump of Indian great Sachin Tendulkar,” he recalled. He stressed that the way Nauman Niaz treated the former cricketer is not how anybody should treat our national stars. He opined that it was a big day for Pakistan, as everybody was celebrating New Zealand’s defeat, and this incident was upsetting for many. He went on to acknowledging Akhtar’s efforts to resolve the issue on-air by stating that “I would also appreciate Akhtar because contrary to his nature he acted calmly although he is known for his aggression because he is a fast bowler. While talking about Nauman
Niaz’s statement that he would not allow anybody else to host the show, the minister asserted that neither PTV, nor the show belongs to anybody’s father. Not even the “President and Prime minister of Pakistan cannot do this,” as the channel is run through the national exchequer. “I don’t have any personal grudges with Niaz but he had no right to insult our national star by doing so he has insulted the entire nation,” Khan added while revealing that he was informed by the media that on Thursday all the members of the panel were present in the studio and Niaz did not let the show proceed. “Investigation in this regard will be held in this regard the immediate action will be taken,” he stated. He concluded by stating that Akhtar has raised Pakistan’s flag around the world and he is among those very few stars, including Imran Khan and Javed Miandad who have no controversy attached to their careers.
IESCO announces power suspension schedule IsLAMABAD pR
According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)’s spokesman, System Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule: On Dated 31st October From
09:00 AM to 02:00 PM, Daultallah, Adi, Rawalpindi-III, Sawan, VIP, Feeders, From 08:00 AM to 01:00 PM, Puran, Borian, Chipboard, Industrial Feeders, From 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, CWO, Major Riaz (New), Dhariyala Jalib, Sagarpur, Rawal, Abdullahpur Feeders From 10:00 AM to 02:00 PM, Jhanda, State Bank, Humayun Road, Rawalpindi-III, CNC, VIP Feeders From 09:00 AM to 3:00 PM bhekri,
Line Park, Millat Chowk Feeders From 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Kamra T-1 Consumer Grid Station, From 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM Kamra T-2 Consumer Grid Station and surroundings will remain closed. IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage. If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time.
NEPRA chairman and senior officials interact with employees. PR
Kashmiris to stage protests in uK, Rome against indian brutalities News Desk President of Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK chapter Fahim Kayani has stated that Kashmiris, Pakistanis along with other communities will stage protests in Glascow on October 31 and November 2 to expose the atrocities the Kashmiris face at the hands of brutal Modi-led government in IIOJK. Indian PM Narendra Modi arrived in the Italian capital on Friday to attend the G20 Summit, intergovernmental forum comprising of world’s major economies. “TeK has arranged more protests in UK and Europe to mark 74 years of Indian occupation in IIOJK”, Fahim Kayani stated. Kayani went on to state that TeK has also arranged a digital van campaign along with a protest outside the Indian High commission London. He went on to reveal that AJK President Barrister Sultan Mehmood will attend the protest demonstration in London as the chief guest. It has been further revealed by Kayani that TeK will also stage protests outside Indian embassies in Norway, Germany and Denmark to expose the brutality of Indian occupation forces, violating basic human rights in the occupied valley. “Modi [Indian prime minister] is not welcome at G20 summit in Rome and COP26 in Glasgow. He shouldn’t be given a chance to present India as no minority or state is in peace in India and IIOJK,” stated Muhammad Ghalib, Preident TeK Europe chapter. “Many extrajudicial killings have taken place in the last few days. The world knows Indian army has modern weapons so how can it blame innocent Kashmiris for creating terrorism in the region. We will expose India to show solidarity with the Kashmiris.” He revealed by adding that more than 1,500 Kashmiris have been detained under false charges with religion being used as a tool to divide and rule the Muslim-majority region.
Sweet Home serving orphans to make them responsible citizens: IGP IsLAMABAD pReSS ReLeaSe
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Qazi Jamil ur Rehman on Friday visited sweet home Islamabad and appreciated its contribution towards serving the orphans in dignified manner. The IGP Islamabad met with the children residing there and getting education. He mingled with them and distributed gifts among them on behalf of Islamabad police. The children expressed their happiness after meeting with the Islamabad police chief and thanked him over his visit. MD Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, Zamurd Khan was also present on the occasion who later briefed IGP about functioning and
programs of of sweet home. He informed the diplomat that four to six years old children were brought up in healthy home atmosphere, where all facilities, including educational and food were provided to them upto 14 year of age. Zamurd Khan said that the program was first of its nature in the country and facilitating thousands of children. The IGP Islamabad Qazi Jamil ur Rehman said that Pakistan Sweet Homes program is building up selfconfidence in orphans to make them progressive citizens of the society. He said extra ordinary care is being provided to children in Sweet Homes and it is really a good effort in making them responsible citizens.
04 NEWS 30th October 2021 (ISB)_Layout 1 10/30/2021 12:15 AM Page 1
Saturday, 30 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
04 NEWS BankIslami Pakistan declares PAT of Rs1.85bn for 9M 2021 KARACHI: BankIslami Pakistan on Friday announced its financial results for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. Despite reduction in discount rates, BankIslami Pakistan posted Profit After Tax (PAT ) amounting to Rs1,855m for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, depicting a growth of 5.3% from PAT of Rs1,762m posted during same period last year. This is mainly attributable to improvement in Current Account (CA) deposits, which grew by 15.0% during the outgoing nine months, translating into an overall contribution of CA deposits in overall deposits to 35.5% at the end of Sep’21 as compared to a 32.6% as at Dec’20. On the back of growth in CA deposits, the bank’s overall Deposits went up by 9% during nine months ended Sep’21. Comparing the same with the Deposit position at the end of Sep’20, total deposits of the Bank depicted a year on year growth of 20.7%. Keeping in view the growth in domestic demand underpinned by supportive fiscal budget and accommodative monetary policy, BankIslami Pakistan expanded its Islamic Financing book by 19.6% via growing its exposure towards corporate and consumer segments on the back of its robust risk underwriting framework. Owing to this, infection ratio of the bank also reduced to 10.7% at Sep’21 vis-à-vis 12.1% at Dec’20, consequently improving the credit health of the overall financing portfolio. Net spreads of the Bank tapered by 18.9% during 9M’21, due to downward repricing of floating rate assets consequent to reduction in benchmark rates during latter half of last year; however, nonfunded income of the bank increased by 13.6% mainly attributable to the growth in service based income earned through digital delivery channels, trade business, wealth management desk and consumer business. PR
GOvT ASkS NEPRA TO INCREASE POwER TARIff By RS1.39 PER uNIT NEPRA SCHEDULED TO CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARING OVER TARIFF HIKE ON NOV 2 ISLAMABAD
P
AhMAd AhMAdAni
OWER consumers are likely to face an additional burden of Rs1.39 per unit as the federal government has asked the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to approve a hike in basic power tariff. As per details, the government has submitted an application with NEPRA and requested the authority to increase the basic power tariff by the said amount for the power consumers. NEPRA is scheduled to conduct a public hearing in this regard on November 2. The hearing will take up issues pertaining to financing impact on each category of consumer and has directed for an instant motion to be applied retrospectively or prospectively.
Pakistan, Germany sign treaty for 26.2m euro debt service suspension Pakistan and Germany signed an agreement on Thursday for suspension of debt service of 26.213 million euro under the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). According to a report by Dawn, the signing of the agreement coincides with the forthcoming celebrations for 60-year development cooperation between Pakistan and Germany. KfW maintains an active portfolio of more than 600 million euro financial cooperation with Pakistan in the fields of energy, climate, governance, training and jobs creation for sustainable economic growth. MonitoRing RePoRt
Jazz invests Rs9.5bn in Q3 2021, 4G population coverage crosses 65pc mark KARACHI: During the third quarter of 2021, Jazz invested Rs9.54 billion maintaining its strategic focus on 4G and digital services. Jazz’s 4G user base reached 33.8 million with population coverage of its 4G network crossed 65%, while its total customer base grew by 11.2% YoY to reach 71.4 million. Digital services were another key area of growth with JazzCash reaching 13.9 million monthly active users and recorded a rise in the total number of registered wallets to 35.4 million. JazzCash’s retail presence continued to expand and reached over 92,000 active agents and more than 89,000 active merchants by the end of the third quarter. Jazz’s selfcare app, Jazz World, continued to enjoy strong levels of customer adoption, as its monthly active user base grew by 40.6% YoY, reaching 9.4 million, cementing its position as Pakistan’s largest telecom app. Other streaming and entertainment platforms such as Jazz TV, Bajao, Jazz Cricket and Deikho, enjoyed further growth; usage time of these platforms increased by an average of 75.4% YoY. PR
Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan announces Q3 2021 results
According to sources, if NEPRA grants its approval in this regard, then the hike in the basic power tariff will be applicable on all power consumer categories except lifeline consumers who use 200 units a month. Sources said that the govern-
ment is leaving no stone unturned to fulfill the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) demand to increase the power price. It is pertinent to mention that the federal cabinet had earlier granted approval to increase the power price on October 15.
KP filling stations warn govt of protests over dealers’ margin PESHAWAR Aziz BuneRi
Owners of petrol filling stations of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have warned the government of a province wide agitation campaign from November 5 if the dealers’ margin is not increased. The warning was issued by Sarhad Petroleum and Cartage Dealers Association (SPCDA) KP chapter Chairman, Abdul Majid Khan, while chairing a meeting of the association here on Friday. Filling station owners and dealers were present in large numbers on the occasion. The gathering lamented that the government did not materialise its commitment regarding increase in commissions, adding that doing business is not only difficult but has been made impossible due to the increase in production cost and inflation.
Abdul Majid said they have taken up demands before the government time and again through relevant officials but the authorities concerned are least bothered to pay attention towards these demands and fulfill them. He said that like everyone, daily household expenses have increased manifold for petrol pump owners and dealers but the government didn’t think about their miseries. The association chairman threatened that pump owners have no other option but to protest if the government continued to be apathetic towards their demands. “We have decided that if our demands are not fulfilled till November 4, we will close down all filling stations from November 5 and go on complete strike, which will continue till our needs are met.” Pump owners expressed confidence that the government would fall to their knees after the protest.
Fatima Fertilizer rewards its top performing dealers at the Sarsabz Royals Awards 2020-2021 ceremony held in Bhurban. PR
KARACHI: Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Limited announced its Q3 Results for 2021. The bank delivered a resilient financial performance in Q3 2021 with year to date Profit before tax of Rs18.4 billion, compared to Rs19.9billion in the corresponding period last year. The bank achieved revenue in excess of Rs26 billion, despite challenging external environment and margin compression. While YoY revenue was down, the q/q momentum has picked up with a growth of 10% in Q3’21 compared to same period last year. Administrative costs continue to be well managed through operational efficiencies and disciplined spending resulting in YoY increase of 1% compared to same period last year. Moreover, strong recoveries of bad debts, coupled with lower impairments because of prudent risk approach led to a net release of Rs0.8 billion in YTD Sep’21 compared to a charge of Rs3.2 billion in the comparative period. All businesses have positive momentum with strong growth in underlying drivers. This is evident from pickup in net advances, which have grown by 26% since the start of this year. PR
BOP records 50pc growth in after tax profit LAHORE: A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Punjab was held on October 28, 2021, to consider and approve the un-audited financial statements for nine months of the year ended on September 30, 2021. While reviewing bank’s financial performance for the nine months’ period, the Board appreciated the efforts of bank’s management for improvement in all areas of operations and posting strong financial results. During the period under review, the bank’s Net Interest Margin (NIM) significantly improved to Rs21.91 billion as against Rs17.15 billion during corresponding period last year, registering a growth of 28%. Similarly, nonmarkup Income, excluding gain on securities, increased to Rs4.42 billion as against Rs3.26 billion in same period of 2020 with a rise of 36%. Accordingly, the bank posted after tax profit of R 8.72 billion as against Rs5.83 billion earned during Jan-Sep 2020, with a substantial growth of 50%. Earnings per Share (EPS) for 9 months of 2021 also improved to Rs3.30 per share as against Rs2.20 per share for same period of last year. Bank’s Total Assets as at September 30, 2021 increased to Rs1, 121.55 billion as against Rs1,095.45 billion on December 31, 2020. Deposits grew to Rs884.39 billion as against Rs835.07 billion as on December 31, 2020. Investments stood at Rs544.08 billion as against Rs567.79 billion on December 31, 2020. Similarly, Gross Advances improved to Rs495.27 billion as against Rs442.76 billion as on December 31, 2020 registering a growth of 12%. Equity improved to Rs53.59 billion and Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) stood at 14.45% against regulatory requirement of 11.50%. The Pakistan Credit Rating Agency (PACRA) has upgraded bank’s long term entity rating to “AA+” with short term rating being already at the highest rank of “A1+”. PR
KE condemns violent mob attack on staff in Bela KARACHI PReSS ReLeASe
K-Electric on Friday strongly condemned the violence exacted against its employees in the Bela area, which has resulted in severe injuries to staff members. The incident occurred on Friday while KE teams were disconnecting an illegally installed Pole Mounted Transformer (PMT) which was being used to steal electricity. Reports indicate that area residents accosted and overpowered the KE teams working in the area, surrounding them and assaulting the staff. Several employees sustained harsh injuries and the mob also snatched personal belongings before releas-
CMYK
ing them. The team has been evacuated to the city and is currently undergoing medical treatment. Expressing alarm, the KE spokesperson stated “This incident highlights the immense difficulty and challenges of KE’s operating environment. We are extremely relieved to know that our staff has been safely evacuated and will be extending our fullest support in their recovery; we laud them for their bravery in the face of such extreme difficulties. The area of the incident was being disconnected on account of theft of electricity via an illegally installed Pole Mounted Transfomer. It is alarming that people involved in theft of electricity resort to violence instead of cooperating with KE to become a regular-
ized part of the network to avail safe and reliable energy supply. KE strongly condemns this incident and will be pursuing legal action against the culprits. We appeal for support from law enforcement agencies in bringing those responsible to accountability.” K-Electric has been aggressively cracking down against theft of electricity across the city, with regular kunda removal drives and action against chronic defaulters. At the same time, the utility has been setting up facilitation camps and extending support to the communities to facilitate consumers who wish to clear their dues and become regularized with their billing cycles. These efforts are a strategic part of KE’s mission to achieve a load-shed free Karachi.
Saturday, 30 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NSC deCIdeS Not to Allow tlP to ChAlleNGe wrIt of StAte continued from page 01
t
HE minister hoped that the issues can be resolved amicably. “The government has to ensure the safety of lives and property of the people as well,” he stated. Thousands of members of the group are gathered since last Friday on the GT Road, just outside Lahore, with a series of demands including the release of their imprisoned leader.
On Friday morning, they began marching towards Islamabad after a series of deadly clashes with police the previous evening. The government has said it would agree to most of the group’s demands, including freeing Saad Hussain Rizvi, but would not agree to formally expelling the French ambassador. Rasheed announced Khan would address and take the nation into confidence on Saturday about the current security sit-
Pakistani detainee at Guantanamo tells ‘US military court of CIA torture’
uation. The prime minister will “present the entire situation before the nation and his speech will explain the government’s narrative [on the dispute],” he added. The minister said so far four policemen have been killed in clashes with protestors, while more than 80 have been injured, eight of them are in critical condition. He asked the protesters to clear the roads, warning them if issues are not settled amicably, nothing will be under his control.
Taliban govt calls for unfreezing Afghan assets abroad franKfurt
WaSHington
ReuteRs
AnAdolu Agency
Afghanistan's Taliban government is pressing for the release of billions of dollars of central bank reserves as the drought-stricken nation faces a cash crunch, mass starvation and a new migration crisis. Afghanistan parked billions of dollars in assets overseas with the US Federal Reserve and other central banks in Europe, but that money has been frozen since the Taliban ousted the Western-backed government in August. A spokesperson for the finance ministry said the government would respect human rights, including the education of women, as he sought fresh funds on top of humanitarian aid that he said offered only "small relief". Under Taliban rule from 19962001, women were largely shut out of paid employment and education and normally had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative when they left home. "The money belongs to the Afghan nation. Just give us our own money," ministry spokesperson Ahmad Wali Haqmal told Reuters. "Freezing this money is unethical and is against all international laws and values." One of the top central bank officials called on European countries including Germany to release their share of the reserves to avoid an economic collapse that could trigger mass migration towards Eu-
A former al Qaeda courier who was detained by the US in the wake of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks and imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay has told a court about the brutal torture he endured at the hands of the CIA, according to a recently published report. Majid Khan was addressing jurors as they weighed his sentence for war crimes. He said during his sentencing hearing, which is expected to conclude on Friday, he was subjected to "days of painful abuse" at CIA black sites, the Associated Press reported on Thursday. Khan's case marks the first time a high-profile Guantanamo detainee testified in court about his experience in enduring the US intelligence community's "enhanced interrogation" techniques, a programme that has been a black stain on the CIA and been widely condemned as torture. "I thought I was going to die," Khan said, according to the AP. "I would beg them to stop and swear to them that I didn't know anything," he added. "If I had intelligence to give I would have given it already but I didn't have anything to give." Khan reportedly told the court that he was forced to remain awake for days on end, and was doused with ice water to prevent him from sleeping. Khan, a Pakistani national, moved to the US along with his family in the 1990s and was granted asylum. He pleaded guilty in 2012 to a host of crimes, including murder and attempted murder, according to the AP. A military judge ruled in June that a jury could grant the former al Qaeda operative a more lenient sentence due to the torture he sustained, National Public Radio reported at the time. Khan apologised during Thursday's hearing, taking full responsibility for his actions while saying he forgives the individuals who tortured him. "I have also tried to make up for the bad things I have done," he said, according to the AP.
Responding to a question about TLP’s demands, Rasheed said a resolution has been presented before the National Assembly, without eloborating further. To another question about the expulsion of the French ambassador, he said the ambassador has returned a while ago and the “whole world knows about it”. He said the government will take all possible steps to ensure peace and tranquillity in the country.
rope. "The situation is desperate and the amount of cash is dwindling," Shah Mehrabi, a board member of the Afghan Central Bank, told Reuters. "There is enough right now ... to keep Afghanistan going until the end of the year. "Europe is going to be affected most severely, if Afghanistan does not get access to this money," said Mehrabi. "You will have a double whammy of not being able to find bread and not being able to afford it. People will be desperate. They are going to go to Europe," he said. The call for assistance comes as Afghanistan faces a collapse of its fragile economy. The departure of US-led forces and many international donors left the country without grants that financed three quarters of public spending. The finance ministry said it had a daily tax take of roughly 400 million Afghanis ($4.4 million). Although Western powers want to avert a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, they have refused to officially recognise the Taliban government. Haqmal said Afghanistan would allow women an education, although not in the same classrooms as men. Human rights, he said, would be respected but within the framework of Islamic law, which would not include gay rights. "LGBT... That's against our Sharia law," he said.
Mehrabi hopes that while the United States has recently said it will not release its lion's share of roughly $9 billion of funds, European countries might. He said Germany held half a billion dollars of Afghan money and that it and other European countries should release those funds. Mehrabi said that Afghanistan needed $150 million each month to "prevent imminent crisis", keeping the local currency and prices stable, adding that any transfer could be monitored by an auditor. "If reserves remain frozen, Afghan importers will not be able to pay for their shipments, banks will start to collapse, food will become scarce, grocery stores will be empty," Mehrabi said. He said that about $431 million of central bank reserves were held with German lender Commerzbank, as well as a further roughly $94 million with Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank. The Bank for International Settlements, an umbrella group for global central banks in Switzerland, holds a further approximately $660 million. All three declined to comment. The Taliban took back power in Afghanistan in August after the United States pulled out its troops, almost 20 years after the Taliban were ousted by US-led forces following the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Bizenjo elected as Balochistan chief minister continued from page 01 Defence Minister Pervez Khattak had said: “We will support the decision of the majority within the BAP. We will support the decision made by the parliamentary group of BAP.” However, later that day, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) parliamentary committee in the assembly had said it has decided to nominate lawmaker Yar Muhammad Rind as the candidate for the post. It was mutually decided in a meeting that Rind would be nominated as the candidate for the post and Musakhel as the speaker of the House.
NEWS
05
corporate corner Careem further strengthens safety protocols by taking specialised agencies onboard LAHORE: Reiterating its commitment to safety as its utmost priority as well as targeting service excellence, Careem has further strengthened its safety protocols by onboarding specialised agencies including Mohafiz and OLX Car Pro and initiating testing new state-of-the-art tech safety features including facial recognition. Careem has been actively working to improve safety and security protocols in the country. To create an even safer ride-hailing service, Careem is now conducting thorough background checks on all Captains by actively screening them through NADRA’s and police verification portals, undergoing LEA criminal background checks and performing rigorous criminal background checks for all vehicles being on-boarded to the platform. Mohafiz by Humanetek is a crisis and risk mitigation company with the expertise to deal with any onground crisis across all 361 cities of Pakistan. Their responsibilities now include; A 24/7 on-ground support in case of any emergencies related to a Careem ride, mapping out all rescue agencies and hospitals for timely needed action, assist in lodging first information reports (FIR) against any criminal or fraudulent activities. With the addition of OLX Motors, Careem further ensures that the vehicle health is also uncompromised while registering new captains and vehicles in the existing fleet. The job responsibilities include; matching of vehicle chassis number with its original documents, a thorough vehicle inspection, including examination of brakes, lights, visible dents, door locks and seat belts, quality assurance of the vehicle in terms of air-conditioning, seats and overall cleanliness to enhance the customer experience. PR
PSo sets all-time records as profits soar in Q1fY22 KARACHI: Pakistan State Oil (PSO) continues to assert its dominance in the energy market as it outperforms the industry, demonstrating its resilience and strength despite the lingering impacts of the pandemic. The market leader reported an all-time high net profit after tax of Rs11.9 billion in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2021-22 (Q1FY22), a growth of 133% compared to the same period last year. PSO's Board of Management reviewed the performance of the company together with its subsidiary Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) for the first quarter ended September 30, 2021, during the meeting held at PSO House, Karachi on October 28, 2021. The group collectively posted a net profit after tax of Rs11.7 billion (Q1FY21: Rs5.2 billion). PSO’s aggressive market penetration and growth strategy resulted in an increase in market share across its diverse portfolios, achieving substantial volumetric growth compared to the same period last year. A cumulative volume growth of 22.4% in white oil and 40.5% in black oil was witnessed during the period. The company’s market share increased by 2.1% in white oil to 47.7% and by 8.0% in black oil to 64.5%. PSO continued to fast track infrastructural projects to gain operational efficiency and expand its business, adding 13 new outlets to the company’s extensive retail footprint, while also working on rehabilitation and new storages. First-quarter results suggest the outlook for the rest of the financial year remains bright, despite the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. As a responsible corporate citizen, PSO, through its CSR Trust extended support of Rs30 million in healthcare, launching a massive nationwide campaign in collaboration with NCOC, inoculating approximately 150,000 citizens in all corners of the country through vaccination centers and mobile vaccination vans. The board noted that receivables from the power sector and SNGPL increased by Rs12.4 billion and Rs17.1 billion compared to June 30, 2021. SNGPL’s receivables increased to Rs115.7 billion becoming a growing area of concern for PSO’s financial health. PR
Pakistan leadership greet Turkey on Republic Day iSLamaBad AnAdolu Agency
Top leadership congratulated the government and people of Turkey as the nation celebrates its 98th Republic Day. The day marks the declaration of the Republic of Turkey on October 29, 1923. “The Republic Day of Turkey is a reminder of the valiant and successful struggle of the Turkish nation under the leadership of Ghazi Mustafa Kamal Ataturk against colonial-
cmYK
ism and imperialism,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a letter to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said the progress and prosperity achieved by the Turkish nation in these 98 years is a source of pride for the people of Pakistan. “The people of the two countries have always stood with each other, and will continue to do so in the future,” Khan added. He underlined that Pakistan and Turkey enjoy fraternal bonds forged centuries ago through a shared culture and religious, spiritual
and linguistic heritage. Both countries also share a common vision and approach on contemporary challenges and finding common solutions, Khan added. “Pakistan and Turkey have always endeavoured to promote peace and stability in their respective regions and beyond,” he said. In a separate letter to Erdogan, President Arif Alvi said the government and people of Pakistan will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Turkish nation for peace, development and security.
06-07 Comments - 30th October 2021_Layout 1 10/29/2021 10:15 PM Page 1
Saturday, 30 October, 2021
06 COMMENT
Pakistan’s Poverty Alleviation Ehsaas Programme
TLP marches on Restricting media coverage is not the answer
T
hERE is no denying that the PTI government has bungled the handling of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan as it continues to challenge the writ of the state at every stage of its march towards the capital. The delayed banning of the group is perhaps the most significant error that has been made as an earlier ban would have enabled the government to treat them as such early on rather than allowing them the space to regroup, plan and launch another violent attempt to get their demands met. What the government has shown excessive speed and reiteration in doing is directing all broadcast media to refrain from providing coverage to the TLP’s long march. This is in stark contrast to how the very first TLP sit-in, the Faizabad dharna, led by the late Maulana Khadim hussain Rizvi, was given uninterrupted coverage across all TV channels. at the time, the PML(N) government was similarly struggling to find a nonviolent amicable solution to the confrontation, and had also directed the media regulator to restrict coverage. If evidence recently shared on Twitter by the PEMRa chairman at the time is to be believed, a concerted effort was made back then to ensure every channel was on air and reporting on the situation in the capital minute by minute. One only need to go over Mr Justice Qazi Faez Isa’s Faizabad sit-in judgment to deduce what variety of forces were directing that particular upheaval in the law and order situation of the country. What was true back then is true now as well: the TLP’s message is not disseminated through print and electronic media, but rather through social media where the TLP is very active with various pages and handles with a sizable following. Putting coverage restrictions on conventional media or excessively airing the TLP’s activities are both therefore redundant exercises. The more rational approach would have been to timely ban the group for its extremist hate speech and acts of violence bordering on terrorism and then to approach the likes of Twitter and Facebook, demanding that their various accounts and pages be taken down. It seems unlikely that the government will take this route now as it is perhaps too late with the protesters already on the streets, advancing each day towards their final destination. No amount of media censorship will be effective now. One hopes the government is soon able to find some common ground with the TLP and establish the rule of law without any further loss of life.
Poverty can only be eliminated by political reform Wali Kamran Khalil
E
hsaas Poverty alleviation Program was created in March 2019 as an umbrella programme for the current Benazir Income support Program (BIsP), Bait ul Maal, and numerous other similar programmeCs to alleviate the suffering of the severely poor by direct action. Its prime objective was to alleviate the economic miseries of Pakistan’s most vulnerable, which is around 3 to 5 percent or 8 million individuals, and includes economically impoverished men and women, handicapped persons, and marginalized elements. The real question is whether the Ehsaas Program0e significantly helps the disadvantaged. Prime Minister Imran Khan intends to institutionalize the govt’s active engagement in social protection. senator sania Nishtar, the head of the Ehsaas programme, embarked on this new role after overseeing BIsP and brought with her extensive expertise in disbursing financial handouts to the most vulnerable. Years of dealing with phoney claims, inaccurate national poverty ledgers, and unscrupulous bureaucrats had prepared her for the task of cleaning up poverty data this time. she rolled out an IT-enabled hybrid system that crossmatched online queries by applicants with their spending histories on the FBR, sBP, commercial banks’ and NaDRa databases. Over a million people were removed from the list of deserving persons. Then came the april 2020 Corona shutdown, and Pakistan’s already disadvantaged segment began to feel the strain of reduced economic activity as Pakistan’s growth rate plummeted from 5.8 percent in 2018 to 0.5 percent in 2020 . During this period, Dr Nishtar distributed a record Rs 160 billion to 13.2 million individuals, with an additional 7.5 million receiving Emergency Cash Disbursements, preventing “starvation” for the most disadvantaged groups. The procedure is so clear that you may check your eligibility by just texting your CNIC number to 8171. Dr Nishtar and the Ehsaas programme have received several worldwide accolades for their timely effort. as a result of this achievement, the asian Development Bank (aDB) contributed more , and the World Bank agreed to pay $600 million for 2021, placing it fourth globally in terms of people covered and third in terms of percentage population covered among countries surpassing 100 million people. Disbursements totaled 6.2 million individuals and Rs 77 billion in January-June 2021. This institution, like other government entities,
The Balochistan question Speaker Bizenjo’s election covers too much meddling
T
hE return of abdul Quddus Bizenjo to the Chief Ministership of Balochistan marks a return to office that is seemingly more favourable than the last time he was elected. When he replaced sardar sanaullah Zehri of the PML(N) in January 2018, there were hardly six months to the coming election. This time around, after he took over following Jam Kamal alyani’s resignation, there are well over two and a hlf years to the end of his tenure. It is almost as if Mr Bizenjo is the go-to guy for those who topple Balochistan governments. The fall of the Zehri government came after that of Nawaz sharif in the Centre. The formation of the Balochistan awami Party (BaP) took place at that time, thus preparing what is today a component of the ruling coalition. Jam Kamal at that time was a minister of state in the Centre, but joined the BaP in time for the election, and duly became Chief Minister. however, though a coalition was cobbled together for him, he could not hold it together, with the result that he has been replaced by a virtually identical coalition. Only time will tell whether Mr Bizenjo will be able to hold his government together. however, it should be clear that attempts to control the politics of the province are become worn ragged, which is why it seems they will no longer work. It should not be forgotten that Balochistan is home to the only separtist movement in the country, as well as religious militancy, and both are waging armed struggles. after several decades, the armed rebellion of the Baloch had been ended, only to have it pop up again. apart from the underdevelopment of the province, there has been an impression formed, apparently well-formed judging by recent events, that politics is not the proper route by which to reach one’s goals. Balochistan has become a target of India, especially RaW and the only thing to do is to leave Balochistan alone, even if it means giving up the leverage it gives certain quarters in the centre. The people of Balochistan must be trusted to decide for themselves. It might take a little time for the Baloch electorate to elect representatives who can give it a stable government, but that wait must be made.
Feminism and US The three waves of feminism have created on traditions Syed Sarim Fatmi
A
N apparent storm of the term “feminism” has recently gripped the country owing to some unfortunate incidents, including one in Lahore recently. soon after such incidents, “feminist” warriors jump in to malign the “men” of this society who, according to them, are at the heart of all issues facing women. It is a pity however that the cannons fall silent once realities are exposed of certain women, including the one involved in the aforementioned case. sadly, most of the self-proclaimed “feminists” are even unaware of the destination their chosen path leads to and blindly side with the “popular” view amongst peers. adding Insult to injury, it is also unfortunate that most conventional media acts as fuel to the fire by conducting debates involving those who asininely attack each other bringing much-craved ratings to the outlets but doing little to address the core of this new divide midst men and women. I, therefore, attempt to studiously highlight this ideology (and would wholeheartedly welcome any future critique grounded in academia too!) To quickly summarise, three waves of feminism are critical to the field with the first initiated in the 18th century by Mary Wollstonecraft who, in her famed Vindication for the Rights of Women, rightly envisioned the “humanization” of women which inculcated their right to education, and treatment not as property but independent human beings Once the first wave became efficacious (especially manifested in women suffrage of the early 1900’s in Europe), the upcoming years saw the “second” wave led mainly by simone de Beauvoir, a French writer known for her book “The Second Sex” (a title that self-evidently signifies the decoupling of women from men). Briefly, for these relatively newfeminists, the whole system was unfavourable to women which could only be mended once women were able to break out of their domestic chains or
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor
Yousaf Nizami M. A. Niazi
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
Umar Aziz
Joint Editor
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
has increased in size and mission since then. Ehsaas currently comes under the newly formed Ministry of Poverty alleviation and social safety Division and has various additional high-profile subprogrammes such as n Ehsaas Kifalat– to offer Rs 2000 stipend to orphans, widows, and smartphones to increase digital inclusion. n Nashonuma - Founded with the primary goal of assisting with the diet of malnourishment widespread among newborns and mothers, believed to be up to 40 percent of the population. Until august 2021, Rs 114 million has been distributed in Pakistan’s 14 lowest districts. n Tahafuz - It provides unscheduled expenditure Protection safety net of monetary outlay for unexpected health difficulties. n Undergraduate scholarship – This programme has awarded up to 100 percebt of a five-year degree tuition fee and Rs 4000 per month living stipend to 50,000 meritorious candidates. n Emergency cash transfer - this is the main initiative of the Ehsaas programme, comparable to BIsP but on a bigger scale. It distributed emergency payments of Rs 12,000 per household in 2020, with a total outlay of Rs 203 Billion. The easiest method to judge the performance of any of these projects is to look at where Pakistan stood in 2019 and what data shows today. In 2021, the government has successfully brought together all safety net programmes and elevated social Protection from a division to ministerial level, with the Prime Minister’s ear, which has enhanced efficacy. an amendment to article 38 of the Constitution to include food, clothes, housing, and health as basic rights of people makes sense, given that a Muslim society is primarily a welfare society. The main issue is getting a constitutional amendment ratified in Pakistan, which has a profoundly divided political system. as a result, the amendment is still pending. The Ehsaas programme’s vision paper mentions “addressing elite capture” of society against inequalities in taxes and water management, which is a long ask from a simple emergency cash disbursement platform. Furthermore, elite capture in Pakistan has been linked to a lopsided political structure that a single senator cannot overcome. The Tahafuz Program aims to provide disadvantaged people with legal help, educational subsidies, and medical insurance. None of these responsibilities are directly tied to social protection; each of these tasks is overseen by a distinct ministry. The Kifalat Programme offers financial stipends, orphan refuges, health coverage, and livelihood recovery activities. It appears noble on paper, but it is
I
Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
I
“comfortable concentration camps” (a term used for the family home by Betty Friedan; another key figure of the times). Equality in jobs distribution was also demanded with equal pays for women other than the amelioration of structured domestic oppression within this wave. But it was not long that this wave met internal opposition from another blend of activists/academics generally termed as the “third wave” feminists. alluding to the privileges held by white women (who were the flagbearers of the second wave), the third-school called for the de-structuring of the feminist discourse and the addition of “intersectionality” (a term introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw to study how women of color encounter differing layers of oppression). Briefly, according to the third wavers, singular generalization of women was not enough, and. one needed to address black women distinctly since they were in double jeopardy compared to those from white backgrounds. The same post-structuralist thought is propelled further by the likes of Judith Butler, who tend to question the whole idea of “gender” by delinking it with the biological “sex” believing that gender is a self-construction which further reinforces the binary relations between men and women that needs to end. While attacks made by the third wave upon the second seem substantial considering the absence of other-women within the key contributors of the second wave, the more notable issue with it is its provision for “equality within jobs” which is not literal “equality” since threatening chores like coal mining are not where equality is demanded. secondly, the wave counted domestic chores as a “burden” on women (akin to oppression) uncovering the hidden capitalist tendencies within it which aim to only glorify that which is price-tagged. The hypocrisy is explained best in The Myth of Male Power by Warren Farrell who illustrates how getting more subordinates in an office is considered an increase in “authority” but managing more children is not, but rather a burden. however, coming from white, middle-classed women, it is less surprising that the wave is inclined toward capitalism and
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
I
Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
I
a crowd-financed social protection initiative. The Prime Minister anticipates creating legislation and programmes for the welfare of the poor, aged, orphans, widows, labourers, and Pakistani workers overseas. This has a decent possibility of success in a democratic framework, but does not correspond with globally recognized social protection techniques . The Ehsaas manifesto then talks about access to quality education, skills and jobs, Universal health Coverage, and measures to empower women and girls, which appear daunting for a government office that specializes in direct emergency fund disbursement and a better compiled database of deserving people. T%he National Poverty Database, available to all benefactors to pick and select their areas of engagement, promotes transparency, which should be appreciated. similarly, the ease with which technology, particularly after 2018, can be used to reach out to the most disadvantaged and prune data is unparalleled in Pakistan. The general public searches for Ehsaas programme Cash distribution and has no interest in any other programmme, indicating Pakistanis’ interest in it. Western countries have established social protection institutions that focus on n Chronic poverty (in the UK) n health, education (in australia) n social Justice, Micro Insurance (in Germany) n Jobs as the best social safety measure (at the World Bank). The Pakistan Ehsaas programme would better assist the needy if one of these areas was addressed, which is unanticipated health costs - the most catastrophic for the lowest portion of society. If the goal of this ministry was to ease the suffering of the poorest sector, it would take a long time because the underlying issues are far more complicated and need significant political decisions to even begin moving in the right direction. The underlying cause of poverty in Pakistan is Low financing for education and health, with Pakistan ranking 152 out of 189 nations in terms of hDI; inequitable support of non-development expenditures like defence, which accounts for more than 7 percent of GDP, compared to 2.3 percent for education; a scarcity of assets and skills; political disempowerment of the general populace; elite acquisition of power centres and property holdings; uninterested and unaccountable political class; unaccountable government employees; lack of affordable justice; regressive societal norms; and extractive institutions. These real reasons for chronic vulnerability among the poorest strata are beyond the scope of a social protection ministry or organization. It is no surprise that the number of severely poor people in Pakistan has risen from 4.4 percent to 5 percent by 2020, a 2 million-person increase, according to the World Bank. although direct intervention is a good thing, Pakistan must undertake fundamental reforms in its political institutions to produce genuine leaders with the vision and aptitude to confront serious structural challenges and deliver outcomes that increase the wellbeing of the population— the primary goal of democracy. The writer is a freelance columnist not “equality” which it claims to confer. The third wave which largely breaks away from the second is also self-refuting especially in our context, since if women can identify themselves with their ethnicity, then they can with their religion too. a British-Muslim, Muhammad hijab, in his exceptional work The Fifth Wave Feminism deciphers in-depth how the feminism of the West not only serves capitalism (as depicted above) but also men. Men? Well, since the enhanced freedoms imparted to women by feminism lower responsibilities of men, they are subsequently better placed to exploit women than ever before and it is probable that simone De Beauvoir was encouraged by her partner, a maleFrench philosopher Jean-Paul sartre, to continue her work for similar reasoning according to hijab. While going through hijab’s work, I was reminded of a friend in the UK who once wondered that people here apparently talk of gender equality but once they dress up for a formal occasion their men are all covered, but their women are not! Is that he asked, was the manifestation of their equality? Trigged by that, I too observed the society there before reaching a conclusion that the best way out of such social ambiguities is the word of God, who gracefully accords an “equality of value” within genders rather than “identicality in roles” (a futile pursuit made by second/third wavers), and that too well before Mary Wollstonecraft or any other feminist was even born. Thus, in these times of dubiety, it is incumbent upon us to open the Quran as these worldly theories may make us look “cool” but today they are self-conflicting and overtly defying nature as in the works of Judith Butler; and it goes without saying what fate God holds for the aberrants who defy his nature. also, let us collectively fight against all layers of oppression; may that be men doing against women, or women against women, or women against men, by targeting that “vice” and not the “gender”, for this is the ultimate path towards a prosperous society and not the one taken by a handful of “feminists” that are detrimental to our social and religious fabric. a Pakistani poet Nadeem Bhabha in the following lines rightly wishes for us something I reiterate today. Yeh log jaa to rahay hain naya zamane mein Dua karo inhain raasta samaj main aajaye (These people are going into the world Pray that they understand the path) The writer can be sarimfatmi1@gmail.com.
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
reached
out
at
06-07 Comments - 30th October 2021_Layout 1 10/29/2021 10:15 PM Page 2
Saturday, 30 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
Ghost schools and teachers in Balochistan
Outlines of Social and Economic Democracy Going beyond mere political democracy
dr rajKumar Singh
I
N contrast to the conventional definition of economic democracy which often conflated with industrial democracy and mainly focuses on collective bargaining and trade union representation or the existence of cooperative ownership, while taking an expanded view of economic democracy, the emphasis is on workplace plus employment rights. It includes levels of employment protection and insecurity, employee participation and managerial attitudes; ‘degree of associational economic democracy’, involving levels of trade union organisation, employees ’organisation and collective ownership, distribution of economic decision-making powers’, a range of measures of the concentration of economic power, and transparency and democratic engagement in macroeconomic decision-making. according to findings during the era of globalisation the countries such as Norway, Denmark and Iceland, having higher levels of economic democracy, have much lower levels of inequality and poverty than the Usa and the UK. This policy wisdom brings a suggestion, that a combination of individual employment security, decentralized economic decision-making, and a greater transparency and democratic engagement in macroeconomic decision-making can enhance economic democracy and counter the pressures associated with rising inequality and poverty. In the context, although no perfect model has been developed to eradicate discrimination and inequality the two common features of strong performing countries indicated that high levels of individual employment rights which provide largely the protection of income levels when people become unemployed and strong social partnership and collective governance institutions. In a nutshell, in the current global economic scenario inequality and unemployment are likely to increase in days to come. Originally, the concept of social democracy began as a political ideology and advocated an evolutionary and peaceful transition from capitalism to socialism using established political processes in contrast to the revolutionary ap-
proach to transition associated with orthodox Marxism. In the early years of the post-war era in Western Europe, social democratic parties rejected the stalinist political and economic model and adopted an alternative model between capitalism and Marxian socialism. Further, it is characterised by a commitment to policies aimed at curbing inequality, eliminating oppression of underprivileged groups, and eradicating poverty as well as building support for universally accessible public services like care for the elderly, child care, education, health care and workers’ compensation. When on 15 august 1947, India became Independent, the constitution of India was already in the making and its framers were well aware of the glaring social inequalities that existed in Indian society. In the prevailing situation they understood the need to provide a form of justice which could fulfil the expectations of the freedom movements as put before the Constituent assembly, ‘First work of this assembly is to make India independent by a new constitution through which starving people will get complete meal and cloths, and each Indian will get best option that he can progress himself’. as a result, this exercise fully reflected in its totality in the Preamble of the Constitution which sought to attain Justice-social, economic and political, Liberty-of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, Equalityof status and of opportunity and promotion of Fraternity-assuring the dignity if the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation. In fact, the Indian model of social democracy will be totally different from the social democracy as it emerged in northern Europe in relatively small, homogeneous, highly educated and wealthy countries with export-oriented economies. Compared to northern Europe, India differs on every one of those counts and the challenge of specifying an Indian social democracy is in every respect greater than Europe’s politicians and intellectuals ever faced and in the given situation we need and also have a chance to create our own alternative: an Indian social democracy. Despite our impressive growth path, we should recognise the fact that it also brings insecurities and social risk and these two coming together form the problem of worker and citizen security. The political leaders and intelligentsia know only how to make growth, and claim a monopoly of wisdom, over how to distribute the benefits of growth but they lack the idea about how to sustain them. In the context, the policy of the government may be highly fruitful and
useful, but 5t however, becomes a political strategy for delivering votes and not a way of thinking about social justice. Both election and social justice are separate things and need to be handled apart to avoid inequality, frustration, alienation, sense of insecurity and economic fear. The social security of the poorest is uppermost, as failing 5n this will have a wider implication for our future. In a nutshell, growth will largely depend on domestic consumption as well as increase of the purchasing power of most Indians, which involves some degree of redistribution of income and entitlement. In other words, the main challenge for the Indian model of social democracy is to create both-social protection and social opportunities. at the time the political democracy was adopted and implemented in India in the form of the parliamentary system of government, it mostly followed the British pattern; but it however, was unmatched with the public mood and basic eligibility applied to democratic rule across the world, particularly in Western countries. In the established system the founding fathers of the Indian Constitution felt proud to make it a sovereign Democratic Republic where all sovereign power vested in the people with no internal or external superior and where people themselves became their own masters. It works together with an integrated Legislature and Executive and a separate Judiciary, which was constitutionally made guardian and chief interpreter of the rule of law. The President, who is head of the state, is elected indirectly by a national electoral college which comprise members of legislatures from all over India for a period of five years. The parliamentary system operates through a bicameral legislature og the Lok sabha and the Rajya sabha, also called Lower and Upper house respectively. The supreme Court of India is situated at the head of Indian judiciary headed by the Chief Justice of India, with 21 high Courts and a large number of trial courts. The political change that took place in 1947 preferred an intermediate way between traditional and modern with the hope that new leadership and institutions would offer economic opportunity, administrative patronage, and positions of power essential for the modern network and outlook to move further the society and politics as well. The system, so established, undoubtedly worked for several years following India’s independence.
The political change that took place in 1947 preferred an intermediate way between traditional and modern with the hope that new leadership and institutions would offer economic opportunity, administrative patronage, and positions of power
The writer is head of the political science department and dean of the Social Sciences faculty of the B.N.Mandal University, Madhepura, Bihar, India. He can be reached at rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com
hOshaB is one of the beautiful villages of Balochistan. Unfortunately, the students there are suffering because a common practice of employing ghost teachers is prevalent here. The future of the students is being ruined by such teachers. These ghost teachers give their best while teaching at private schools but don’t bat an eye towards educating the students at government schools. It must be noted that majority of the people in the villages are poor and don’t afford to send their kids to private schools at Turbat. Teachers must be held accountable for this negligence. article 25-a of the constitution of Pakistan says : “state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to 16 years in such manner as may be determined by law”. Unfortunately state has failed to implement article in true spirit as Balochistan is in bad governance for many decades which has caused low literacy rate in the province. The provincial governments come in power and completed their term by just making political slogans of promoting education and brining reforms in the education sector. In real, nothing has happened. The rich province is in state of poor education. Its education sector including all sectors are in crisis. It is said that CPEC will change the fate of Balochistan. The irony is that such slogans cannot improve anything in the natural resources rich province unless problem-stricken province gets good governance under leadership of dynamic leaders. The Chief Minister of Balochistan including other concerned authorities have received reports that there are approximately 10,000 ghost teachers in Balochistan and a majority of government schoolteachers remain absent from the duty. somehow this illegal practice is continuing in connivance with some senior officials of the education department & political parties. It is matter of great concern that such ghost schools receive funding but have no teachers or students & some teachers get salaries while sitting at home which have created hurdles in raising literacy rate of Balochistan. Ghost teachers and ghost schools are responsible of educational crisis of the Province; Government of Balochistan should start crackdown on emergency basis without any delay to remove ghost schools & dismiss ghost teachers across the Balochistan. I request the concerned authorities to take action over the ghost teachers and save the students’ future. ESSa M. NaEEM TurbaT, balochiSTaN
Pakistan, Inflation and Child Labour ChILD labor is something that has spoiled numerous children’s lives. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, the rate of child labor is on peak as kids in early ages are sent to work. Causes behind this curse, are of expanded taxes from government, the expensiveness of essential goods which have compelled poor citizens to send kids for labouring. Moreover, people who even lack a roof to hide themselves, can never bear the high reached prices of goods. In order to handle economic hurdles, little kids are sent to garages and companies. Consequently, teens remain deprived of education, which in future obviously will help develop an illiterate society. In this case, I would definitely accuse the government rather than fingering on parents of sending kids to work. Because every father wants a well built future for his children. In sindh Province, 21.5 percent of children ages 5 to 14 are working. about 11 million children in Pakistan perform domestic tasks and work in agriculture. Other children work alongside their families as bonded laborers in the brick industry. The use of this type of forced child labor in Pakistan happens in the brick, carpet and coal industries. Regardless of Pakistan’s introduction of the Bonded Labour system (abolition) act 1992, bonded labor still exists due to the country not having enough resources to enforce child labor laws. In 2018, labor law agencies have acted against child labor in Pakistan and are still working toward closing gaps that allow child labor to exist. according to the law, employers who use bonded labor risk punishment of imprisonment for a term of at least two years and a maximum of five years, or a fine of at least PKR 50,000 or both. Pakistan still has the worst form of child labor which includes hazardous work that can damage children’s health and development, or worse, put their lives at risk. Children working in carpet factories sometimes work up to 20 hours a day, seven days a week, and often sleep and eat at their place of work. Many children end up with eyesight and lung issues due to the amounts of dust they come in contact with on a daily basis. UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) believes that children aged 4 to 14 make up to 90 percent of the carpet industry’s workforce. Workshop owners manipulate parents into believing that their children will learn new skills that outweigh any knowledge gained at school. such manufacturers target children because they can pay them significantly less than adult weavers which allows them to compete with other companies by offering a quality product at a lesser price. To combat the worst form of child labor in Pakistan, more provinces are enforcing laws. The Employment of Children act states that a child or adolescent cannot work more than seven hours a day which includes one hour of rest during that time. a child also cannot work between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. The minimum age for hazardous work is 14 years in Balochistan and ICT, and 18 years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and sindh. according to UNICEF, Pakistan has the world’s second-highest number of children who do not attend school. Only 60.6 percent of children in sindh Province between the ages of 5 to 14 attend school with 11.6 percent combining work and school. however, UNICEF is working on improving the number of children who attend school through studies, supporting provincial sector plan development, development of review of non-formal education policy and direct program implementation. Due to the prevalence of poverty, approximately 90 percent of the 170,000 street children in Pakistan work in the sex trade, an extreme form of child labor. The federal government in Pakistan convicted its first child pornography case after passing the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons act in 2018. Pakistan has also approved the Prevention of smuggling Migrants act 2018 in order to protect victims who traffickers have smuggled to other countries. riaz ahMEd hub, balochiSTaN
08 WORLD VIEW 30th October 21_Layout 1 10/29/2021 10:32 PM Page 1
Saturday, 30 October, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
Disagreement betWeen bennett, biDen esCalates WITH ISRAEL ADVANCING THE CONSTRUCTION OF 3,200 HOUSING UNITS IN WEST BANK SETTLEMENTS, IT SEEMS THAT THE HONEYMOON BETWEEN ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NAFTALI BENNETT AND US PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN IS OVER
Al mOniTOr
i
beN Caspit
SRAELI Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made a difficult decision this week. His government was about to advance plans for the construction of nearly 3,200 housing units in West Bank settlements. The Biden administration was furious, far more so than Israel had anticipated, and as reflected in an angry Oct. 26 phone conversation between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Minister Benny Gantz. And then, as if on cue, an opportunity arose for Bennett to douse the flames: A strike broke out at the offices for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT, formerly known as the Civil Administration), casting doubt on prospects of convening its Supreme Planning Council charged with approving construction in the settlements. Bennett deliberated for several hours, and then instructed his Chief of Staff Tal Gan-Zvi to do whatever it took to end the strike so that the council could convene. It worked. The council met and advanced the plans for the housing units, many of which had already been given initial green light under the government of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Bennett did not blink. Next week, his government will approve the construction of over 1,000 housing units for Palestinians in the Israelicontrolled Area C of the West Bank in order to maintain the fragile balance between the two halves of his complex coalition — the right-wing pro-settlement parties and the
center-left settlement opponents. Despite US pressure and the high-level protest, Bennett walked into the storm with his head held high and emerged in one piece. Every honeymoon, successful though it may be, comes to an end. This is what Israel’s newbie premier is discovering these days at particularly inopportune timing, just days before the crucial Knesset vote on the state budget, which will make or break his government. Israeli legislation considers the vote on the budget as a vote of confidence in the government. While the crisis with the United States was to be expected, given the deep disagreements between the sides, its intensity and timing set off reverberations in both the political and diplomatic arenas. “None of us had any illusions,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “The Biden administration is not the Trump administration. Under [former President Donald] Trump, the chief lobbyist for construction in the settlements was Trump’s Ambassador [to Israel] David Friedman. That’s in the past. The current administration views settlements as an obstacle to peace. Period. That is their position in principle. They have to accept our constraints and we have to recognize theirs.” Blinken’s call to Gantz was described by associates of the defense minister as unpleasant, and by Bennett associates as furious. It followed the US condemnation just days earlier of Gantz’s announcement designating six Palestinian organizations and institutions as terrorist organizations operating under the guise of human rights groups, an announcement that set off a major political storm in Israel and beyond. The backdrop for both developments is yet another sticking point between the sides — the administration’s continued insistence on making good on its campaign promise of reopening a consulate in Jerusalem to serve the city’s Palestinian residents. These back-to-back events brought the honeymoon between the new administrations in Washington and Jerusalem to a resounding end.
Will international tax changes move the stock markets?
JerUSAlem POST
H
LeoN HaRRis
ERE’S an item that won’t affect your tax bill unless you happen to be Google, Facebook, Apple or one of the other 100 or so most prominent companies in the world. But it may affect your pocket if you invest in them or your pension fund does. The item is a joint announcement on October 21 by the governments of the US, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Austria (with the bland title: “Joint Statement Regarding a Compromise on a Transitional Approach to Existing Unilateral Measures During the Interim Period Before Pillar 1 is in Effect.” If you missed it, one of the world’s leading financial journals also missed it. US President Joe Biden’s administration is hurrying to wrap up an OECD package of income tax proposals, known as the Two Pillar Package. It would help pay for investment in US infrastructure of $2-3 trillion. In short, big bucks. Pillar 1 proposes to shift some taxable income of large multinationals to the country where customers are located if their annual global revenues exceed €20 billion. Pillar 2 proposes a global minimum corporate income tax rate of 15%. Currently, 136 countries have signed up for the OECD Two Pillar package. But there is one obstacle to the two pillars. Several countries have jumped the gun and have started to impose Digital Service Tax, or will soon do so. This prompted the Biden administration to threaten trade tariff sanctions on DST countries. DST is considered bad because it is a second tax on internet sales over and above VAT/sales tax. Worse still, VAT and sales tax generally cannot be credited against income tax in any country, resulting in double or triple taxation. It is not Biden’s fault he came late to the OECD Two Pillar Package party – it came up last year, and US president Donald Trump’s administration suspended consideration of the package indefinitely.
This delay prompted many countries to adopt a DST tax regime “unilaterally.” DST rates imposed or proposed (subject to detailed rules, of course) in the countries covered by the joint statement are UK 2%, France 3%, Italy 3%, Spain 3%, Austria 5%. DST rates in other countries not covered by the joint statement include: India 2%-6%, Turkey 7.5%, Belgium 3%, Canada 3%, Czech Republic 5%, Hungary 7.5%. WHAT THE JOINT STATEMENT SAYS: The six countries agreed to a compromise to head off US trade sanctions. Assuming most countries adopt Pillar 1 by 2024 in place of DST, the extra corporate income tax caused by Pillar 1 in the first year may be credited against DST until the DST is wiped out. But not all the DST – because a formula restricts the DST wipe-out to DST in 2022 and 2023 minus double the first year’s Pillar 1 tax. EXPECTED EFFECT: We did figure it out. We crunched some numbers simulating the joint statement rules and made a few hopefully reasonable assumptions. We predict that affected multinationals may be tempted to do some tax planning that may impact their reported earnings in the coming years. And economic theory tells us that changes in reported earnings affect stock market stock prices many times over – for example, 15 times if the price/earnings (P/E) ratio is 15. So, such tax changes may move the stock markets in the next few years. COMMENTS: The joint statement leaves many open issues, for example: Why did six governments agree to such a volatile tax mechanism? Will it happen? Will your investments fluctuate? Or will you take action to profit from it all? Once DST is repealed in a country, will its government keep refunding DST wiped out? What about the countries not a party to the joint statement? Double or triple taxation? Will smaller multinationals with global annual revenue below €20b. be slammed by double or triple taxation? Extreme complexity. Multilateral tax treaties may be used to expedite the implementation of all these measures and to spell out more detailed aspects. As yet, nothing has been published. Taxation without representation? Disputes are likely, the dispute resolution procedure across the 136 countries is still unclear. What’s needed? If civil servants in an ivory tower drafted the joint statement, prepare like you would for the Tower of Babel. Consult both your tax adviser and your investment adviser. As always, consult experienced tax and other advisers in each country at an early stage in specific cases. The writer is a certified public accountant and tax specialist at Harris Horoviz Consulting & Tax Ltd.
“Despite the disagreements, we are maintaining discretion and we are determined to iron out issues behind closed doors and to maintain each other’s dignity,” a senior Israeli political source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. Asked why the Americans were so furious when they are well aware of Bennett’s settlement expansion views, the source replied, “It’s a matter of timing and mass.” The Americans, he added, insist on checking in detail every planned housing unit, and they are particularly angry about construction in settlements deep in the West Bank. “Anything that threatens the future of the two-state solution sets off vibrations that also affect us,” he said. A very senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem concedes that while disagreements between the sides exist, “there is also trust, transparency and cooperation. Both sides are careful not to go over the top or test each other’s limits.” According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, during the preparatory meetings ahead of Bennett’s September meeting with President Joe Biden, the Israelis made it clear that the new government would not annex any territory but would also reject any freeze on construction within the settlements. “We will have to be more attentive and a little less ‘greedy’ on this issue down the line. Approval of housing units at this time is intended to help the government push through the budget, and it was no coincidence that right afterward we approved Palestinian construction in Area C for the first time in years,” he said. Is this the end of the promising first chapter in relations between the sides, and particularly between Biden and Bennett? Some of the Americans are pessimistic on this question. “There are initial indications of disrespect for the president in at least three incidents,” a Western diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “You cannot promise at a meeting with the president to ‘limit the conflict’ and ‘strengthen the Palestinian Authority’ and then do the exact opposite,” he said.
In response to a question, the diplomat added, “The steps taken to keep these promises were minor, whereas the steps threatening them are far more substantive.” According to the diplomat, Biden had listened attentively to Bennett’s lengthy explanation about the need for balance in his fragile coalition, but “de facto, he sees mainly measures that favor the right. In addition, no one is discounting his coalition constraints, especially after the approval of an additional $1 billion for Iron Dome. We would have expected more Israeli understanding on the consulate issue.” Nonetheless, the crisis is likely to pass. What unites Washington and Jerusalem appears stronger than what divides them. The true test will come the morning after the budget is approved. Are the Americans preparing to retaliate in order to tame the Israeli coalition and demonstrate the limits of US patience? Probably not. The domestic challenges facing Biden will make it difficult for him to open yet another front, which is apparently far less crucial for him. What’s more, the real strategic threat continues to hover over him, as it does over Bennett and Lapid. Its name is opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu. That was the main argument raised by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on his latest Washington visit, on Oct. 12-14, in discussing the consulate reopening, which the political right views as an infringement of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. If you insist on this now, you are bringing back Netanyahu, Lapid reportedly told his hosts. None of the president’s associates wants such an outcome. Officials in Jerusalem identify the State Department as the toughest nut in the administration to crack, while viewing the National Security Council and the White House as more attentive to Bennett’s coalition woes. If the Knesset approves the budget next week, providing the government with a measure of stability, Bennett, Lapid and Gantz will have to come up with a plan to bolster trust with Washington — assuming they are able to do so first among themselves.
Facebook changed its name but not its practices THAT IS WHY MY SECOND REASON FOR IT’S TOO LATE IS THAT CONGRESS AND LAWMAKERS HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ACTUALLY REGULATE IT USA TODAY
C
Louie ViLLaLobos
an we just be honest about Facebook and social media in general? Things aren’t going to get better. We don’t, on a global level, really care about our privacy. Tech companies know all this. We’re a couple of weeks into pearl-clutching and handwringing about how shady Facebook has been and about just how little they plan to change that. Now you’re going to hear reaction to the announcement that Facebook isn’t Facebook anymore. We are now asked to refer to the company as “Meta” because, you know, there’s more intrusion coming. None of that angst and concern will translate into change, though. An actual whistleblower has testified, twice. A massive document dump, so revealing it’s officially the “Facebook papers,” is causing all sorts of heartburn. And calls for government regulation have resurfaced. It turns out that Instagram, owned by Facebook, is bad for children. These are all signs of a coming reckoning for social media and Facebook, right? Something has to be done. We’re too late to stop it. So, revolution is upon us? Nope. It’s too late for that. We’ve given up too much of ourselves. We’ve plugged in too much of our lives and turned a blind eye for too long. While we were sharing our lives online and jockeying for likes, tech companies were behind the scenes monetizing it as the foundation of an intrusive and powerful digital empire. They did it with our full approval and accidental help and that’s not going to stop, for three huge reasons. First, and honestly foremost, we don’t want it to stop. Not enough of us are going to disconnect or delete our accounts for it to matter. In fact, we’re going to do it more. We’re going to double down and actually further grow social media’s influence and footprint in our lives. Did you notice that during all the recent Facebook-shaming and online protesting the company’s bottom line saw almost no impact? A breakdown by CNBC says the recent third-quarter earnings included a rise in Facebook stock shares and daily users hovered around 1.93 billion, which met analysts’ expectations. That’s not a fluke. That same report, and many others, show the next step for Facebook. Spoiler
alert, they want to be involved in much more of our lives. Enter “Meta.” CEO Mark Zuckerberg and several other Big Tech executives have been pretty open about plans and a vision for a future that involves more of our lives being tied to their technology. The good of what can be big quality of life improvements will come with the bad that will be more of us being turned over to more of them. LAWMAKERS CAN’T HELP US : That is why my second reason for it’s too late is that Congress and lawmakers have no idea how to actually regulate it. They’re focusing on the issues of yesterday while tech companies are well into creating the problems of two years from now. It doesn’t help that lawmakers can’t even agree on the COVID19 vaccine, or whether a group of angry people scaling the walls of the U.S. Capitol and assaulting police officers are terrorists or just precocious tourists. But sure, we can trust that lot to help keep an advancing technology invasion at bay. That’s it. Reason No. 2 is short. Congress is way over its collective head on technology. Help is not coming. Where else are we supposed to go? Lastly. Third, I mean, is that there honestly isn’t a better alternative for what has become the societal norm. I’m old enough to remember when social media wasn’t a thing. I didn’t get my first email address until I was 22 years old. I know this because the number 22 was in my Hotmail account. I remember life before all of this. It was glorious. But every generation since mine has grown up in an exponentially more digital world. That’s not going away. We want to have shared experiences so much that we’ve collectively decided it’s OK if that means giving up some of ourselves. It’s a need that tech geniuses saw a mile away and used to create the social media landscape we see before us. All that to say social media isn’t going away and our love for it will only keep growing. So we need an outlet and, so far, Facebook has done the best job of providing it. We’re not, in any numbers that matter, going to stop using it because we love the idea behind it, myself included. Maybe I’m wrong, though. Maybe humans will rise up against Big Tech in a meaningful way and demand we get back control of our data and push for better protection, right? Perhaps there will be a straw that breaks the digital camel’s back and we can regress a little to a time when we rebelled against increased surveillance instead of welcoming it. Until then, please share this column on Facebook. I could use the likes.
Saturday, 30 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
NEWS
09
TARiN ORdeRS uNiNTeRRuPTed gAS SuPPly TO FeRTiliSeR uNiTS ISLAMABAD
FBR extends warehousing period up to Nov 25 ISLAMABAD App
The federal government on Friday provided relief to the business community by extending the warehousing period and waiving off the penal surcharge on overstayed goods, lying uncleared in the Customs Bonded warehouses. In this regard, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) through a notification stated that penal surcharge on goods not cleared within the prescribed period has been fully waived off. The measure has been taken to facilitate trade and industry along with commercial importers who have not been able to clear goods on time by payment of duty and taxes. FBR further clarified that the facility was for ex-bond clearances made within thirty days from the date of commencement of the notification up to November 25.
Oil rally resumes on tight supply expectations
A
stAff report
DVISER to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has directed gas companies to streamline gas supply to fertilizer units so that there are no hiccups in the production of fertiliser. He made these remarks while chairing a meeting on the fertiliser industry at the Finance Division on Friday. Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, secretary Ministry of Industries and Production, secretary Ministry of Petroleum Division, additional secretary Ministry of Finance and other senior officials participated in the meeting. Secretary Ministry of Industries
50pc of total services export in Pakistan remains unchecked ISLAMABAD App
LONDON Agencies
Oil rose further above $84 a barrel on Friday, within sight of a multi-year high hit this week, as expectations that OPEC and its allies will keep supply tight countered rising US inventories and the prospect of more Iranian exports. Algeria said on Thursday that a crude output increase by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies in December should not exceed 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) because of market uncertainties and risks. The alliance, which is gradually unwinding last year’s record output cuts, meets on November 4. “Supply will therefore continue to play catch-up with demand in the immediate term,” said Stephen Brennock of oil broker PVM. “In short, OPEC+ is intent on continuing to act as a key pillar of price support.” Brent crude rose $0.11, or 0.1%, to $84.43 a barrel by 1213 GMT and US West Texas Intermediate crude slipped $0.08, or 0.1%, to $82.73. Both benchmarks touched multi-year highs on Monday. Crude has surged in 2021 as economies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, but prices are on track to fall this week, with Brent facing its first weekly decline in about two months. This week’s US inventory figures showed crude stocks rose by a more-thanexpected 4.3 million barrels. Iran, meanwhile, has said that talks on reviving the international deal on its nuclear programme will resume by the end of November, bringing it a step closer to boosting oil exports. “The sharp rise in US crude oil stocks and the expectation of nuclear talks being resumed with Iran have temporarily eased concerns about supply to some extent,” said Commerzbank’s Carsten Fritsch. The heat also came out of the rally because of easing concern over high coal and natural gas prices that have spurred fuel switching in power generation. British and European gas prices continued to fall on Friday after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia could start pumping gas into European storage.
and Production briefed the meeting about the demand and supply situation of fertiliser in the country. He said that the supply of gas to SNGPL based urea plants will assure production of additional 300,000 MT till January 2022. “The government is firmly committed to ensure maximum gas supply to all fertiliser units including Pak Arab and FFBL,” he said, adding that the tender for import of 100,000 MT of urea has also been advertised. Speaking on the occasion, Tarin expressed satisfaction on urea availability and directed the gas companies to streamline supply of gas to the fertiliser units for smooth production of fertilizer. He directed all the stakeholders to evolve consensus on matters related to sales tax refund and GIDC payments on a fast track basis.
The World Bank has said the Pakistan’s services sector’s relevance in exports is likely to be underestimated in the available data as approximately $1.5 billion of exports, roughly 50 per cent of total services exports, are not reported. According to the World Bank’s recent report: Pakistan Development Update: Reviving Exports, this is because some exporters are freelancers who register their receipts as remittances for taxation reasons. It said the export quality upgrading was notable in the Pakistan’s services sector. During the past decade, services exports have been stagnant in the vicinity of $6 billion. However, within services, knowledge-intensive sectors such as computer and professional business services have grown relatively fast, at rates above 10pc annually. A composition of export growth of the different sub-sectors within services shows knowledgeintensive services accounting for
almost all the growth, compensating for the contraction of transport and other services exports, the report said, adding that the global trend of internationalisation of business services facilitated this transformation, as Pakistani freelancers and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) embraced it. The trend has been amplified by an increase in remote working, fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic. The share of knowledge-intensive services exports in total services exports grew from 10pc in 2010 to 50pc in 2020. The sector’s current exports receipts are almost equal those of Pakistan’s vegetable sectors combined, however, its relevance in exports is likely to be underestimated in the available data. Further, given that Pakistani firms face challenges transferring foreign currency to another country which is often needed to pay foreign suppliers, some firms choose to hold accounts in foreign banks and receive payments in those accounts instead of within the country. Meanwhile, the report recom-
mended Pakistani exporters to expand their size coupled with enhancing competivieness saying that countries do not export, firms do. It said that analysing exporterlevel data is crucial to better understand export competitiveness patterns in Pakistan. To this end, the Bank analysed Pakistan’s exporter-level data for the three latest available years, FY15 to FY17, and the results benchmarked against relevant comparators. Pakistani exporters are relatively small. On average, they export $1.4 million per year, almost one-third of the average Bangladeshi exporter. The comparison with Bangladesh is particularly informative since the sectoral composition of Bangladesh’s merchandise export bundle is similar to Pakistan’s. The fact that exporters are small is also consistent with a feature of Pakistan’s private sector: firms struggle to grow. An alternative explanation is that entering export markets for Pakistan is relatively easy and therefore, even small firms can succeed at it, the report added. However, it said if that were the case, the Bank would expect to see many exporters, something that is not observed for Pakistan. There are approximately 14,000 active exporters in Pakistan, which, normalised by population, places Pakistan in low levels, almost on par with Bangladesh and Nepal. Rather, the prevalence of small exporters is more likely to be related to frictions that prevent firms from scaling up, the report concluded.
Pakistan, Russia to sign SHA for gas pipeline in Nov
Pakistan and Russia have reaffirmed unequivocal commitment towards the strategic Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline project and resolved to finalise the Shareholders’ Agreement (SHA) during the month of November, according to a report by the Express Tribune. During the fourth RussiaPakistan Joint Technical Committee meeting on Pak Stream Gas Pipeline, which concluded on Thursday, the two countries discussed the draft of Shareholders Agreement (SHA) of the scheme. The Pakistan side was headed by Petroleum Secretary Dr Arshad Mahmood while the Russian Technical Committee was led by the CEO of Russian nominated entity Vladimir Shcherbatykh. Having signed the Head of Terms (HOT) in July this year, the parties held in depth discussions covering all major issues pertaining to the SHA and developed consensus on key issues. The Russian side arranged a meeting with the financial advisers led by banks. The two parties agreed to continue working on the draft SHA during the next week. They further reached a consensus to resume negotiations in Islamabad from the week beginning November 8, 2021. Monitoring report
SECP to investigate ‘glitch’ in new trading engine of PSX ISLAMABAD shAhzAd pArAchA
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has decided launch an inquiry into the suspension of share trading of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) for around two and a half hours in the middle of the session that occurred on Wednesday. Sources said that SECP has constituted a three-member team to inquire into the matter. The PSX on Monday had made the changeover to the NTS; however, it experienced hiccups due to some glitches in the jade trading terminal. “Most of the technical issues pertaining to the JTT have been resolved; however, if the glitches still persist then the old version could be restored,” sources said.
Sources said that the halting of the New Trading Engine was also discussed in the last federal cabinet meeting and relevant officials briefed the Cabinet over the newly installed system. It is pertinent to note that SECP Chairman Aamir Ali Khan also holds the portfolio of Commissioner Securities Market Division, the most coveted post which is responsible for the regulation of capital markets. Meanwhile, refuting the rumours of flaw in the new trading system, the PSX has said that the new trading engine (NTS) was working exactly as per the specifications. “The processing speed of the system held true in the live environment,” the statement highlighted, adding that around 580 million shares were traded in the market on Thursday. The NTS was procured from the Shen-
zhen Stock Exchange (SZSE) and deployed on October 25, 2021 at the PSX. The additional benefit of the NTS was system-readiness for new products and additions, according to the statement. However, teething issues were experienced, which are common with any major technological transition. Prior to the deployment, 18 mock trading sessions were held for all brokers. The concerns, enhancements and issues highlighted by the broker committee were examined by PSX and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). PSX and the local vendor are working round the clock, with the full support of SZSE, to resolve the remaining issues in JTT and we expect the trading experience to continue to improve. We are in constant touch with SECP and the brokers and are working in full coor-
dination with them to resolve all issues. We appreciate the understanding and patience of brokers, investors and SECP as we work
through the issues and deliver NTS, which is critical for the growth of Pakistan’s capital markets, the statement.
Saturday, 30 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
10 FOreIgn newS
US FDA exPecteD to AUthoriSe FirSt coviD-19 vAccine For yoUnG chilDren: nyt
Biden to meet ally Pope Francis ahead of G20 summit VATICAN CITY AFP
As world leaders flock to Rome for the G20 summit, US President Joe Biden was set Friday to meet Pope Francis and France’s Emmanuel Macron at the start of a trip aimed at reasserting US international credentials. Shortly before leaving Washington, the president unveiled a “historic” blueprint for remaking America’s economy, but it remains to be seen if he can persuade lawmakers to back it. After weeks of internal party feuding, and with his personal ratings slumping, Biden had hoped to arrive at twin summits in Europe this week — the G20 and UN climate talks in Glasgow — with the deal in hand. The 78-year-old sees himself as the spokesman for democracy in the face of authoritarian regimes, notably China — although Xi Jinping, like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, is not attending the G20 in person. The president opens the trip on a more intimate note. After landing overnight, he has a lunchtime meeting with Pope Francis, the head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics. They have met three times already, but this is their first tete-a-tete since Biden was elected. Only the second-ever Catholic president, Biden attends mass regularly and is open about his faith and how it has helped him through a series of family bereavements. The White House said it expects the meeting to be “warm”, and certainly, Biden and the pope share a range of concerns, from poverty to climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. But the question is whether either leader raises the red-button issue of abortion. Biden supports the right to choose, while Francis, 84, has slammed terminating pregnancies as “murder”. The pontiff has nonetheless distanced himself from a push by conservative US bishops to deny communion to politicians supportive of abortion rights — which would include Biden. The meeting will be behind closed doors and the Vatican abruptly cancelled a live camera feed, to protests from journalists. It was also cancelled for an earlier meeting between Francis and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Charm offensive: Biden then crosses the Tiber into the heart of the Eternal City to meet Prime Minister Mario Draghi — the man, dubbed “Super Mario”, tasked with reforming Italy after the devastation of Covid-19. The G20 host, a former head of the European Central Bank famous for his efforts to save the euro from collapse, is being closely watched in Washington for his plans to set debt-laden and politically fractious Italy back on track. But while Draghi is feted as the new star of European politics, particularly with the exit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Biden appears to have lost some of his shine. The president is banking his domestic legacy on passing the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better social welfare package, and also hopes it will present the US as a global leader on climate change at the crucial COP26 summit starting on Monday. He said it includes “the most significant investment to deal with the climate crisis ever” — 550 billion dollars to cut greenhouse gas emissions. “America is back in a leadership position on climate in a way that will be broadly welcomed,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on the flight over.
WASHINGTON
t
reuTers
HE US Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorise the Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and BioNTech SE coronavirus vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years on Friday, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the agency’s planning. The agency’s decision will make it the first Covid19 shot for young children in the United States. The decision is expected to make the vaccine available to 28 million children – many of whom are back in school for in-person learning – in the coming days. It comes after a panel of advisers to the FDA voted overwhelmingly to recommend the authorization on Tuesday.
In Afghanistan, a girls’ school is the story of a village SALAR The AssociATed Press
Mina Ahmed smears a cement mixture to strengthen the walls of her war-ravaged home in rural Afghanistan. Her hands, worn by the labor, are bandaged with plastic scraps and elastic bands, but no matter, she welcomes the new era of peace under the Taliban. She was once apprehensive of the group’s severe style of rule in her village of Salar. But being caught in the crosshairs of a two-decade long war has granted her a new perspective. Taliban control comes with limits, even for women, and that is alright, the 45year-old said. “With these restrictions, we can live our lives at least.” But she draws the line on one point: Her daughters, ages 13, 12 and 6, must go to school. From a bird’s eye view, the village of Salar is camouflaged against a towering mountain range in Wardak province. The community of several thousand, nearly 70 miles from the capital Kabul, serves as a microcosm of the latest chapter in Afghanistan’s history — the second round of rule by the Taliban — showing what has changed and what hasn’t since their first time in power, in the late 1990s. Residents of Salar, which has been under Taliban hold the past two years, are embracing the new stability now that the insurgents’ war with the US military and its Afghan allies is over. Those displaced by fighting are returning home. Still, they fear a worsening economic crisis and a drought that is keenly felt in a province
where life revolves around the harvest. In Kabul and other cities, public discontent toward the Taliban is focused on threats to personal freedoms, including the rights of women. In Salar, these barely resonate. The ideological gap between the Taliban leadership and the rural conservative community is not wide. Many villagers supported the insurgency and celebrated the August 15 fall of Kabul which consolidated Taliban control across the country. But even in Salar, changes are afoot, beginning with the villagers’ insistence on their local elementary school for girls. That insistence helped push the Taliban to accept a new, small school, funded by international donors. But what the school will become — a formal public school paving the way to higher education, a religious madrasa, or something in between — is uncertain, like the future of the village and the country. a village DemanD: By 8:00 am, 38 small faces framed by veils are seated on a carpeted floor looking up at their teacher, Qari Wali Khan. With a stick in hand and furrowed brow, he calls on the girls to recite from the Quran. Rokia, 10, is the unlucky first. Merely three words of classical Arabic escape her lips when Wali Khan interrupts, correcting her pronunciation. When she repeats again, he exclaims, “Afarin!” — “Excellent,” in Pashtu. In three hours, the students, ages 9-12, will cover Quranic memorization, mathematics, handwriting, and more Islamic study. Homework: What is 105 x 25? The school opened two months ago,
marking the first time in 20 years girls in the village have ever stepped foot in a classroom, or something like it. In the absence of a building, lessons are held in Wali Khan’s living room. The classes are the product of UN negotiations with the Taliban. In 2020, the UN began working on a program to set up girls’ learning centers in conservative and remote areas, including ones under Taliban control at the time, like the Sayedabad district where Salar is located. Taliban interlocutors were initially reluctant to embrace the idea, but an agreement was eventually reached in November 2020, said Jeanette Vogelaar, UNICEF’s chief of education. International funding was secured, $35 million a year for three years to finance 10,000 such centers. The launch was delayed by COVID19. By the time centers were scheduled to open, the Taliban had taken over in Kabul. To everyone’s surprise, they allowed the project to go ahead, even using the previous government’s curriculum — though they have introduced more Islamic learning and insisted on gender segregation and female teachers. Wali Khan, a madrasa teacher by training, got the job in Wardak because most educated women had left for the capital. The program enables girls without formal schooling to complete six grades in three years. When completed, they should be ready to enter Grade 7. It remains unresolved whether they can continue after that. In most districts, the Taliban have prohibited girls ages 1217 from going to public school.
Still, it’s a good start, Vogelaar said. “Based on what we see now, somehow the Taliban doesn’t seem to be the same as how they behaved before,” she said. Ten years ago, the Taliban were at the forefront of a deadly campaign targeting government officials in Wardak, with particular venom reserved for those campaigning for girls’ schools. Two village elders recounted the shooting death of Mirajuddin Ahmed, Sayedabad’s director of education and a vocal supporter for girl’s’ access to education. Several public girls’ schools were burned down in 2007 in the province. To this day, not a single one stands. times have ChangeD. “If they don’t allow girls to go to this school now, there will be an uprising,” said village elder Abdul Hadi Khan. The shifting attitudes may be part of a broader trend in support of education. In 2000, when the Taliban were last in power, there were just 100,000 girls in school, out of a total 1 million schoolchildren. Now they are 4 million out of 10 million schoolchildren, according to the UN. Salar’s villagers wanted no different. They convinced Wali Khan to teach. “They put their trust in me, they told me, this is a need in our society,” he said. That might be one reason why the Taliban decided to cooperate; with the economy in ruins, they could not risk alienating a constituency that supported them throughout the insurgency. There are concerns of how much the Taliban will shape the schooling. The UN is aware the Taliban enter villages and insist on more Islamic study, said Vogelaar.
Turkey pressing US for F-16 fighters after F-35 plan killed WASHINGTON AFP
The United States is discussing Turkey’s request to buy F-16 fighters after a deal for more advanced F-35s was scrapped due to Ankara’s purchase of a Russian missile system, officials said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on October 17 that Ankara wants to buy the cheaper F-16s using the $1.4 billion it allotted for the cancelled F-35 deal. But one US official said that any possible F-16 order could be dogged by the same issue that forced the cancellation of the F35s: Turkey’s decision to buy an S-400 missile system from Russia. The S-400, used to track and shoot down attacking aircraft, was seen as a threat to the F-35 joint strike fighter program adopted in several NATO countries. US defense officials met in Ankara Wednesday with Turkish counterparts to resolve remaining issues from the F-35 program, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke Thursday with Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, saying in a statement that the Pentagon recognised “Turkey’s military modernisation needs.” The F-16 request could be discussed when US President Joe Biden meets with Erdogan on the sidelines of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow which begins on
Sunday. russian intelligenCe platform: According to Turkish media, the country wants to buy 40 F-16s and kits to upgrade 80 warplanes in its current fleet. In 2002, Turkey joined several other NATO allies who agreed to buy the F-35, and five years later, reached a deal to participate in its production, an agreement worth potentially billions of dollars to Turkish industry. But just as the United States was preparing to deliver the first two of 100 aircraft planned for the Turkish air force, in 2017 Ankara announced it was buying an S400 battery. One week after the Turkish ministry of defense received the first delivery of S-400 components in July 2019, Washington announced the cancellation of Turkey’s F-35 program. US officials said the presence of the S400 would allow the Russians — NATO’s primary adversary — to collect information on the aircraft’s crucial stealth capabilities. “Turkey cannot field a Russian intelligence-collection platform in proximity to where the F-35 program makes, repairs, and houses the F-35,” said Pentagon Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Ellen Lord at the time. Five months later, Washington slapped sanctions on Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries, which is in charge of defense technology imports, for violating US sanc-
tions on Russia. ageing air forCe: The decision left Turkey with an air force in need of rejuvenation, said Aykan Erdemir, head of the Turkey program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. “Turkey definitely needs modern fight-
ers to replace its ageing fleet,” Erdemir told AFP. “Hence, this alternative path of procurement would be crucial,” he said, referring to the F-16. In broaching the F-16 idea, Erdogan hinted that he could turn to Russia for fighter jets if spurned by the United States.
But it’s not clear if that would sway Washington. “We’ve urged Turkey at every level and opportunity not to retain the S-400 system and refrain from purchasing any additional Russian military equipment,” Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said at the beginning of October after Erdogan held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. opposition in Congress: Any military sales would have to be approved by the US Congress, where anti-Turkish sentiment is strong. Echoing pressure that helped lead to the F-35 cancellation, on Monday a group of 11 lawmakers in the US Congress wrote a letter to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken objecting to any F-16 sale. “We cannot afford to compromise our national security by sending US-manufactured aircraft to a treaty ally which continues to behave like an adversary,” they said. Both Washington and Ankara face risks in outright rejecting the other, and Erdogan likely feels pressure both from Biden and Putin, Erdemir said. “I don’t think there is any immediate solution to this deadlock, and that’s why I think Washington and other European capitals are eyeing the 2022 election, hoping that that could be a way out,” he said, referring to the upcoming midterm vote that could change the composition of Congress.
Saturday, 30 October, 2021 | ISLAMABAD
WIN toss, WIN World Cup: Is t20 tItle all oN flIp of a CoIN? DUBAI
a
AFP
team may be blessed with the fastest bowlers, most destructive batsmen, wiliest spinners and sharpest fielders, but will the fate of the T20 World Cup rest merely on the outcome of the coin toss? Until Friday, nine out of 10 second round Super 12 matches at the tournament had been won by the team batting second. The only exception was Afghanistan’s 130-run rout of Scotland in Sharjah where they won the toss, batted first, piled up 190 before dismissing their opponents for just 60 in a shade over 10 overs. On Thursday, opening batsman David Warner led Australia to a comfortable sevenwicket victory over Sri Lanka in Dubai with opposition bowlers having few answers in a night match played in heavy, humid conditions. Warner admitted batting second remains an advantage after he hit form with 65 off 42 deliveries. “I think just being able to assess bowling first what you have to do from a batting group, I think that gives you a little bit of the upper edge,” said Warner.
Win toss, win World Cup: Is T20 title all on flip of a coin? You bat you’ve got to have the intent, even when you bat first.”
He added: “You actually have to try and assess as fast as you can and try and put an above-par total, especially out here.” Maheesh Theekshana returned wicket-
less from his four overs of mystery spin and although Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets, Australia eased to their 155-run victory target in 17 overs.
“But then again, if someone gets 190 or 200, you’re going to have to go hard. I think
New Zealand’s Milne hopes to make impact against India DUBAI AFP
New Zealand’s Adam Milne is hoping to make a difference in Sunday’s must-win clash against India at the T20 World Cup after being left frustrated on the sidelines for the opening loss to Pakistan. The reserve paceman had travelled to Sharjah for the Pakistan match but upon arriving was told he would have to sit out because the International Cricket Council had not approved him as an injury replacement for Lockie Ferguson. New Zealand went with legspinner Ish Sodhi instead, and the ICC’s approval arrived shortly before Pakistan completed a five-wicket win. Milne’s late clearance left a sour taste in coach Gary Stead’s mouth, and the bowler said he might have helped New Zealand do better against Pakistan. “I think if you’d looked at the way the pitch played throughout the course of the IPL (Indian Premier League), the faster guys that had been able to hit the wicket hard and create some uneven bounce had caused some problems for the batters,” the 29-year-old told reporters. “I think I would have been able to add something to the team, but it wasn’t meant to be, and I thought our guys bowled really well and unfortunately for us, they came out and batted really well towards that end part of the game.”
SPORTS 11
However, Theekshana played down the importance of the coin toss that seems to play a key role across the three venues in the United Arab Emirates. “Actually I don’t think like that because there was no dew today,” Theekshana said on being asked about the trend of winning the toss and winning the match. “It was a good wicket. They were better than us.” Apart from Afghanistan, Bangladesh have been the only team in the second stage to have opted to bat first after winning the toss. The under-performing Tigers got a below-par 124 for nine as England overhauled the total with 35 balls and eight wickets to spare in Abu Dhabi. India captain Virat Kohli awaits his team’s second match of the tournament on Sunday but had predicted that the toss would be crucial in the tournament. “The toss is definitely going to be a big factor in this tournament especially if dew keeps creeping in the latter half of the game,” Kohli said after India’s opening 10wicket loss to rivals Pakistan. “You need those extra runs in the first half.” On Friday, meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad won the toss against defending champions West Indies in Sharjah and continued the trend by also electing to bowl first.
Bullish Pakistan have ‘mindset of T20 champions,’ says coach DUBAI AFP
Interim head coach Saqlain Mushtaq declared Pakistan have “the mindset of champions” as they play Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup in Dubai tonight. The 2009 champions thumped arch-rivals India by 10 wickets in their opening match followed by a nervy five-wicket win over New Zealand, making them well placed for the semifinals. “We are playing with the mindset of world champions,” Saqlain said. “The two wins have given us the confidence and belief to achieve that goal.” Saqlain replaced Misbah ul-Haq, who resigned last month, and is bringing his experience as a spin-bowling consultant for England, Bangladesh and New Zealand in the past. Saqlain said his team needed to be wary of a
dangerous Afghanistan. “We know Afghanistan is a very good team but our plans are well-placed and we need to execute those plans as we have done in the first two games,” he added. Afghanistan crushed qualifiers Scotland by 130 runs in their first Group 2 game with offspinner Mujeeb ur-Rahman taking 5-20 and leggie Rashid Khan 4-9. Himself a great off-spinner who played 49 Tests and 169 one-day internationals for Pakistan, Saqlain called Afghanistan’s spinners “world-class.” “Rashid and Mujeeb are quality spinners and have been doing well for their team as well as in the private leagues around the world, but we have plans against them,” said Saqlain. He praised the unity of his players, saying it has helped them achieve good results. “Our theme is ‘together we achieve’ and
it’s not ‘I did well’ or ‘he did well’, but it’s ‘we did well’ sort and that has helped us gel well.” Saqlain pointed out that Pakistan have played most of their cricket in recent years in the United Arab Emirates. “These conditions of the UAE are very familiar for my players and we have been playing home international matches and Pakistan Super League games here and that has, and will, help our players.”Pakistan will play Namibia on November 2 and Scotland five days later in the Super 12 stage. But looking farther ahead, Saqlain hopes to meet India again at the World Cup — this time in the final. “If India comes in the final, then it would be very good for the International Cricket Council, fans around the world and for world cricket,” he said. “That will bring the two countries closer. For me, it should be a win for love and defeat for hate.”
Socceroos to play first Bamford’s absence not home match in more the only reason for Leeds than two years not scoring, says Bielsa SYDNEY AFP
LONDON
Australia will play their first match on home soil in 763 days after next month’s World Cup qualifying clash with Saudi Arabia was Friday confirmed for Sydney. The Socceroos last played in front of their fans against Nepal in Canberra in October 2019 before being forced overseas when Australia’s borders slammed shut because of the coronavirus. It has seen them play 11 of their 12 qualifying games for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar abroad, although it hasn’t hurt their form. They clocked 11 wins in a row — a new record in the same World Cup qualifying campaign — before Japan ended the run this month with a 2-1 triumph in Saitama. Australia’s strict coronavirus rules have begun easing and coach Graham Arnold said the 20,000-plus fans expected for the game between the top two in Group B would give the team new energy. “I believe that playing in front of home fans at a beautiful stadium and on a great pitch will help us,” he said. “Fans can provide energy to players and teams, and after having been away from Australia for so long, I expect that our players will harness and utilise the support that will be in Western Sydney Stadium on November 11.” Japan’s win blew Group B of Asian qualify-
ReuteRs
ing wide open in the battle for the two automatic spots for Qatar. Saudi Arabia are in control with four wins from four and top on 12 points, with Australia second on nine. Japan and Oman are three points further adrift.
Leeds United have created fewer goal-scoring chances in recent matches but the issue cannot be only blamed on the absence of striker Patrick Bamford, manager Marcelo Bielsa said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Norwich City. England international Bamford, Leeds’ top scorer in the league last season with 17 goals, has not played since he injured his ankle in their 1-1 draw at Newcastle United on September 17. Bielsa’s team have recorded two defeats in the four league games without Bamford, scoring three times. They are 17th in the standings after nine games with seven points, three above the relegation zone. “This is a question that to answer properly would need 10 minutes,” the Argentine coach said when asked about the impact of Bamford’s absence. “If you listen to my previous answers on this subject you will see the answers I have made. I always try to give conclusions upon reflection. “We have clearly lowered the amount of dangerous chances created. Of course, (if) Bamford was here his presence would be valued, but our drop is not linked to him.” Bielsa said Bamford will miss Sunday’s game, along with defenders Luke Ayling and Robin Koch, but winger Raphinha and midfielder Kalvin Phillips are available. “There is no precise return date for the injuries of Bamford, Ayling or Robin Koch,” the 66-year-old added. “They can’t be calculated exactly, they are all subject to their evolution.”
Saturday, 30 October, 2021
PRAyeR timings
NEWS
T20 World Cup: Asif helps pAkisTAn doWn AfghAnisTAn by five WiCkeTs
p
AKISTAN defeated Afghanistan by five wickets at Dubai International Cricket Stadium and continued their dominance in the T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday. The 2009 champions restricted Afghanistan to a modest 147-6. Skipper Babar Azam anchored Pakistan’s chase with a fluent 51 but it was Asif Ali who smashed four sixes in the penultimate over from Karim Janat to clinch the see-saw contest with six balls to spare. Having beaten India and New Zealand in their first two matches, Pakistan are effectively in the last four with clashes against minnows Namibia and Scotland remaining. “Afghanistan have some of the best spinners, they were getting a lot of help and bowling really well,” Babar said. “I wanted to stay till the end but got out unfortunately. So credit to Asif Ali. “Asif has played many such innings at the Pakistan Super League. I was very confident he’d get us out of any trouble,” Babar added. Earlier, Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi repeatedly hit Hazratullah Zazai’s pad after
Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi elected to bat. Pakistan blew a review trying to get Zazai lbw but went on to wreck Afghanistan’s top order to reduce them to 39-4 in the sixth over. Haris Rauf took a brilliant tumbling catch in the second over to send back Zazai and then caught Asghar Afghan off his own bowling.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz nearly ran himself out after a mix-up with Afghan but could not capitalise on the reprieve and Afghanistan lost the top half of their batting order even before the halfway stage of their innings. Nabi and Gulbadan Naib came to Afghanistan’s rescue striking identical unbeaten 35s to lend some respectability to their total. “We didn’t start really well, the total
on the board was decent but maybe not enough,” Nabi said after their first loss of the tournament. “There are many positives to take from this match. We fought to the end and it’s given us more motivation to win games.” Pakistan lost Mohammed Rizwan early in their reply but Babar and Fakhar Zaman (30) combined to shave off half the target. Babar, then on 36, was adjudged lbw to Rashid Khan but the Pakistan skipper successfully reviewed the decision which was overturned. Fakhar was not so lucky and fell lbw to Nabi in the next over blowing a review in his bid to prolong his stay. Rashid (2-26) dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Babar to inject fresh drama into the contest but the Afghans, who dropped two late catches, failed to ramp up pressure. Pakistan needed 24 runs off the last two overs and Asif sealed the victory with an incendiary 25 not out off just seven balls, which also earned him the man-ofthe-match award. More than 1000 ticketless Afghan fans tried to forcibly enter the stadium for the match and were thwarted by the local police. news desk
APP
Pakistan’s consulate in New York organised a special event to observe Kashmir Black Day, with the Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Munir Akram, urging the youthful audience to get involved in building public opinion in support of Kashmir’s struggle for its right to self-determination.
About half of the gathering at the event, which marked the anniversary of India’s invasion and occupation of Kashmir on October 27, 1947, was Pakistan-American students from various colleges in New York state. Addressing the attendants, Akram asked them to help create awareness among people in the US about the Kashmir dispute, highlighting the gross rights violations
ReuteRs
The Taliban government has sent an envoy to run the nation’s embassy in Islamabad, senior Taliban sources said, as the new administration starts to take over Afghanistan’s network of foreign delegations. Mohammad Shoaib was appointed first secretary or charge d’affaires at the embassy, which has not had an ambassador in place since the previous Western-backed government withdrew its envoy in July over the alleged kidnapping of his daughter. As Pakistan does not officially
recognise the new Taliban government, Shokaib will not have the formal title of ambassador but will be in charge of the embassy to help supervise visa issuance and other functions, the sources said. In addition, two officials were appointed to run the consulates in Quetta and Peshawar, close to the two major border crossings with Afghanistan. “We understand that Pakistan has not yet recognised us as a legitimate government but we made these arrangements for public facilitation,” a senior Taliban leader told Reuters on condition of anonymity. No comment was immediately
in the disputed territory. “This [US] is a democratic country and its leaders are responsive to the pressures from their constituents.” On the diplomatic front, he said, Pakistan was doing all it can to enable Kashmir people to exercise their right of self-determination through an UN-supervised plebiscite in accordance with the Security Council resolutions.
available from the foreign ministry in Islamabad or from Taliban spokesmen in Kabul. Two other Taliban officials in the foreign affairs and interior ministries confirmed the appointment to Reuters and said similar arrangements had been made in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. No country has given formal recognition to the Taliban, who ousted the Ghani-led government in Kabul in August, and Afghanistan’s embassies are largely still run by ambassadors appointed by the previous government, many of whom are outspoken critics of the Taliban.
Dozens detained in India for disrupting Muslim prayers NEW DELHI AFP
Dozens of people, many from Hindu right-wing groups, were arrested on Friday in India for disrupting Muslim prayer gatherings, local media reported, in the latest sign of growing communal tensions in the country. Hindu groups have been pressuring authorities for weeks in the northern city of Gurgaon on the outskirts of New Delhi to stop Muslims offering Friday prayers in open spaces. On Friday police deployed several hundred extra officers and arrested at least 30 people as crowds of locals and Hindu groups chanted
slogans, local media reported. Critics have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindunationalist Bharatiya Janata Party of persecuting minorities, including India's 200-million-strong Muslim population. Modi's government rejects having a Hindu agenda and insists that people of all religions have equal rights. Haryana state, of which Gurgaon — also called Gurugram — is the capital, is ruled by the BJP. It is not the first time such an incident has been reported in the city, home to scores of multinational companies. In 2018, many from the major-
ASR MAGHRIB ISHA 2:58
5:22
6:45
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday condemned the vandalisation of mosques and private property of local Muslims in the northeast state of Tripura in India, saying the state had failed to protect its minority subjects. A mosque was vandalised and shops and houses were attacked in the Panisagar sub-division of North Tripura district on Tuesday during a rally of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a far-right Hindu organisation. A video showing the vandalism has gone viral on social media and people who were part of the mob could be heard chanting “Tripura mein mullah-giri nahin chalegi, nahi chalegi”. “These senseless attacks are continuing since last week. The state machinery has reportedly not only failed to protect Muslims and their properties but remained non-responsive to desperate calls for help by the local Muslim organizations,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. It further said it was reprehensible the Hindutva driven combination of the Bharatiya Janata Party and its parent body, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had a track record of conducting massacres and systemic rights violations targeting Muslims under its watch from Gujarat in 2002 to New Delhi in 2020. “In today’s India, there is little space for minorities and their way of life,” it said. The Foreign Office said it was equally condemnable that targeted and brutal eviction of Muslims from their ancestral homes in Assam continued unabated. The statement said Pakistan called on the international community to play its role to stop the rising tide of Islamophobia and attacks against minorities, particularly Muslims, in India. This must ensure safety, security and well-being and protection of their places of worship and heritage sites, the statement said. stAFF RePoRt
Taliban appoint new envoy to run mission in Pakistan ISLAMABAD
ZUHR 11:52
6:21
india failed to protect its minorities: foreign office
Islamabad will always stand by occupied Kashmir, ambassador says UNITED NATIONS
FAJR SUNRISE 4:59
ity Hindu community raised similar objections to Muslims praying in the open. District officials mediated between the communities and identified around 35 open spaces for Muslims to offer Friday prayers. Many of those detained on Friday held up placards that read "Gurgaon administration, wake up from your sleep", NDTV television channel reported. Images on social media showed a group of mostly unmasked people demanding the prayers be stopped. Others chanted "Jai Shri Ram" (hail Lord Ram), a rallying cry for Hindu nationalists.
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