Issuu

Thursday, 24 February, 2022 I 22 Rajab, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 237 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition

PPP, PML-Q vow to MAke future decisions together LAHORE

Staff CorreSpondent

s Prime Minister Imran Khan landed in Moscow to help expand energy cooperation between Russia and Pakistan, the leaders of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) decided to move along and take joint decisions. The development comes after Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi visited Bilawal House here and held final round with PPP chief Asif Zardari. Per sources, the PPP and PML-Q have decided to evolve joint strategy for the future and both the parties decided to go along together in future. Earlier in the day, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief

Maulana Fazlur Rehman visited the residence of crucial government ally PML-Q and tried to remove their reservations about sharif brothers and the Zardaris. PDM chief Maulana Fazl and Asif Zardari also visited the residence of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly shehbaz sharif who hosted a lunch at his residence for the two. At the feast, the trio discussed the current political situation and the noconfidence motion against the incumbent PTI government. sources privy to the matter said PML-N leaders Khawaja saad Rafiq, Ahsan Iqbal, Marrium Aurangzeb and Rana sanaullah were also present at the lunch. Tabling a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and

holding talks with the PTI-led government’s allies were discussed in the Opposition’s latest meeting. The development came during a meeting of three big Opposition parties — PPP, PML-N, and JUI-F — at the residence of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President shahbaz sharif. Another matter that came under discussion was the anti-government long march, sources told the media outlet, as the Opposition considers options of ousting the incumbent regime. Following the luncheon at shahbaz’s residence, PDM and JUI-F chief Fazl visited the house of crucial government allies in Punjab and the Centre: the Chaudhry brothers.

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Prayers pour in as Senator Rehman Malik passes away ISLAMABAD Staff report

Former interior minister and longtime Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stalwart Rehman Malik passed away on Wednesday after contracting Covid-19. He was 70. Malik, who was suffering from coronavirus-related complications for over a month now, was hospitalised in Islamabad in late January and put on a ventilator on February 1, his spokesperson Riaz Ahmad Turi had said at the time. “Deeply devastated to say that former interior minister [and] PPP senior leader Abdul Rehman Malik passed away,” Turi tweeted. “sorrow, pain and grief are indescribable. All are requested to pray for his soul.” Confirming the news of his death, PPP senator sehar Kamran tweeted: “Dr Rehman Malik left us today.” He is survived by his widow, saeeda Malik, and two sons, Ali and Omar Malik.

Malik remained the minister for interior from 2008 to 2013 during the PPP government. A confidant and security chief of slain prime minister Benazir Bhutto, he played a key role in the investigation into her assassination. But his role as Bhutto’s security chief at the time of her assassination in 2007 also came under question and he was criticised for not staying back on the site following the blast to ensure her safety.

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Thursday, 24 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

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PM APPRoveS RefoRMS foR fReelANce, IT SecToR

AhtASAM AhMAD

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, approved multiple reforms to facilitate the IT, freelancer and startup sector. Included in the reforms were tax benefits as well as other fiscal and non-fiscal incentives. The approval was made in a meeting chaired by the prime minister where officials of the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, Special Technology Zone Authority and Ignite National Technology Fund were also present in the meeting. “Long outstanding issue of IT companies regarding easy inflow/outflow of Foreign Currency, has also been addressed as Specialized Foreign Currency (FCY) accounts for IT/ITES Companies and Freelancers will be introduced to meet their operational needs. PM has directed to allow IT/ITES Companies and Freelancers to retain 100% of remittances received through proper banking channels, in FCY Accounts without any compulsion to convert them into PKR.”, The official press releases stated.

Security forces kill two terrorists in Dera Ismail Khan ISLAMABAD Staff report

Security Forces conducted an Intelligence Based Operation on reported presence of terrorists in Tehsil Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan. During intense exchange of fire, two terrorists got killed, who have been identified as Fazal Rehman alias Khairy, resident of village Luni and Mehran, resident of village Rori. Weapons and ammunition was also recovered which include sub machine guns, hand grenades and large quantity of multiple calibre rounds, said a statement issued by the ISPR. The killed terrorists were involved in terrorist activities against security forces, target killing and kidnapping for ransom. Locals of the area appreciated the operation and expressed their full support to eliminate the menace of terrorism from the area.

Tarin directs provinces to ensure stable price for wheat flour ISLAMABAD Shahzad paracha

Adviser to the Prime Minister for Finance and Revenue, Mr. Shaukat Tarin, presiding over the meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) to review the price trend of essential commodities - 24 November, 2021. Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has directed the provincial authorities to bring stability in the prices of wheat flour by increasing daily release of wheat to the flour mills. The Finance minister on Wednesday chaired the meeting of the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC), held at the Finance Division. Finance Division Economic Adviser briefed the NPMC about weekly SPI which witnessed an increase of 0.22 per cent as compared to decline in previous week by 0.08 per cent. 33 food items contributed an increase in the SPI by 0.31 per cent, whereas 18 nonfood items contributed a decrease of 0.09 per cent to the SPI. NPMC was informed that prices of 12 items remained stable in the last week. The prices of 11 items decreased, contributing to a 1.08 per cent decline in SPI by 1.08 per cent. The items which contributed to the decline included electricity by 0.91 per cent, eggs by 0.08 per cent, red chillies by 0.03 per cent and others by 0.06 per cent. While prices of 28 items slightly increased, that led to an increase in SPI by 1.3 per cent which included petrol by 0.65 per cent, chicken by 0.19 per cent, long cloth by 0.18 per cent and others by 0.28 per cent. NPMC was informed that chillies powder, eggs, electricity charges, onions, potatoes, gur, sugar, wheat flour, LPG cylinder, pulse moog, pulse mash have shown decline in the prices during the last week. It was informed that prices of onion are lowest as compared to its price three years earlier. The NPMC was updated on the wheat flour prices in the country. The Secretary Ministry of NFS&R informed on the stock position of wheat and further apprised on the future requirements and the strategy for sustainable availability of wheat in the country.

REVISED TAX REGIMES AND NEW STZS PROPOSED TO ATTRACT INVESTOR AND VC INTEREST Additionally, outward remittances from FCY account for PSEB registered IT Companies and Freelancers will be facilitated through lifting of restrictions. The Prime Minister also directed SBP to introduce Financing streams for the IT/ITES sector and Freelancers keeping in view operational architecture and industry needs for these sectors. While the proposed reforms also suggested the use of registered Firms/Professional’s USD balance as collateral for financing. Recommendations of Pakistan Technology Startup Fund was also approved by the Prime Minister for the creation of a public private partnership venture capital fund. As per the official statement,“ Ignite National Technology Fund will create this Fund through Public private partnership.” The objectives and structure of the fund will include; (1) Providing seed funding to 30-50 startups annually, (2) Rs. 500 Million to 1 Billion to be invested each year by IGNITE – matched by private investor(s) (3) Operations to be managed by a VC from pri-

vate sector (4) Overseas Pakistanis to be invited to participate in the fund. The proposed reforms also included suggestions on amending the tax regime for the IT and ITES Firms and Professionals. As per

the document released, “Tax exemption for IT/ITES Firms and Freelancers for 5 years to be implemented through amending the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 by April, 2022.” The sector suffered from double taxation as its services were charged taxes at a busi-

ness level as well as at an individual level when the profits were distributed to shareholders. The proposed reforms also aim to resolve this issue by onboarding all stakeholders. Furthermore, certain sectors of Islamabad are proposed to be declared as special technology zones after which a similar concept is to be replicated in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. The reforms are an attempt by the government to encourage the IT and ITES sector to bring in their foreign remittances to Pakistan (currently, parked in offshore accounts). While also encouraging foreign businesses and Vc firms to invest in Pakistan and Pakistani startups that will help create jobs for the skilled youth bulge of the country. The IT and ITeS sector has been labeled as the backbone of Pakistan’s future growth. The industry brought in more than $2 Billion of revenues in the last fiscal years. While as per MoiTT, Pakistani freelancers alone generated $216.788 million by exporting their services in the first half of fiscal year 2021-22 from July to December 2021, an increase of 16.74 percent from the same period last year.

KSE 100 recovers with tea maker buy-back, UBL financials SAAD tAnvIr & ArIBA ShAhID On February 23, the three indices used to reflect the Pakistani stock market and its performance, exhibited sharp decline for the first half of the day. The indices made a rebound following a notification on the PSX’s announcement page titled, “Financial Results for the Year Ended 31 December 2021 – United Bank Limited”. The news was posted at 13:50 PKT and can be seen to change the market’s trajectory. The market started with the KSE100 standing 45,012.18 points and then declining by 220.15 points (0.49 per cent) in a span of 5 hours. “The market remained under pressure throughout the day given the geopolitics and domestic politics situation. However UBL surprised with a bumper payout of 6rs which led the heavyweight bank to rise 3 per cent, pushing the index into green,” says Adnan Sheikh, Analyst at Pak Kuwait Investment Company. Why was there a bloodbath? As per sources the reason for the sharp slump in the index is due to Tapal shifting from the public fund of their asset management company to a separately managed account/ privately managed account. A massive sell off was witnessed on Tuesday as Tapal redeemed their fund and into a separately managed account. According to sources, Rs1.2 billion was moved from Tapal Tea to Tapal holdings. Profit has reached out to Aftab Tapal for a comment but did not get a response until the filing of the story. Sources claim the fund used were NAFA for conventional and Meezan for Islamic. NAFA took positions in banks while Meezan took positions in cement. However, when such massive selling occurs in a market, the market makes an uptick on the news of a buyback as investors rush to buy before the fund. What were the financials? In the notice, UBL revealed its financial results for the fiscal year 2021 and declared a final cash dividend for its

TAPAL REDEMPTION OF FUND INTO A SEPARATELY MANAGED ACCOUNT AND UBL FINANCIAL RESULTS CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE MARKET

shareholders amounting to Rs.6 per share in addition to an interim dividend of Rs.12 per share. This takes the total dividend per share of UBL to Rs.18 per share forming 180 per cent of the face value of its share (Rs.10). The total Profit After Tax (PAT) clocked in at ~Rs.30.62 billion from ~Rs.20.79 billion last year. The Earnings Per Share (EPS) posted an increase of a massive 45% from 2020 – clocking in at Rs.24.84. One important thing to notice here is that UBL maintained a dividend pay-out of ~72.5 per cent which made a significant impact on the demand for UBL’s shares. After the announcement, the market saw a major uptick

FIA digs deeper into Baig’s past record ISLAMABAD Naveed Miraj

Following arresting senior Journalist Mohsin Baig last week over making derogatory remarks against Minister for Communications Murad Saeed in a television show, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is holding further investigations into the past record of the journalist. FIA’s sources told that it has now emerged that Mohsin Baig remained a proclaimed offender and prime accused in FIR No 76/1987 registered under several sections of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in police station Aabpara, Islamabad. The sources said that the case was of straight firing in GPO Islamabad and a fraud/forgery of Defense Saving Certificates. The case was registered on the application of the Assistant Superintendent of Post Office. The sources said that Mohsin Baig remained proclaimed offender for 33 years and his name was recommended for delegation in January 2020 on

the pretext that he is no more traceable. It merits mentioning here that the FIA Karachi registered another case against Mohsin Baig after a couple of days of his arrest on the allegations of interference in a case of FIA, inducing and bribing FIA officials, money laundering and others. Hearing a case relating to a raid on Mohsin Baig’s residence, Islamabad High Court (IHC) the other day also issued a show-cause notice to an officer of the FIA for “exceeding authority”. Journalist Baig who is used to appear in TV talk shows as an analyst is critical of the government’s policies. He was a part of a TV panel last week in which the anchor and the guest had questioned the prime minister’s decision to award Murad Saeed the top prize in a ceremony celebrating the top 10 best performing federal ministries. Murad Saeed subsequently registered an FIR against Baig with the Cybercrime Wing of the FIA which then raided the residence and arrested Mohsin Baig.End

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with the KSE100 index closing at 45,132.92 points (+0.27 per cent), the KSE30 at 17,584.11 points (+0.41 per cent), and the KMI30 at 72,968.62 points (+0.33 per cent). From the minute the news unfolded to the closing time, the KSE100 posted 0.76 per cent returns, the KMI30 posted a 0.81 per cent return, and the KSE30 posted a 1.03 per cent return. UBL’s share also went through a similar path with its open price dropping from Rs.144.99 to 144.25 by 13:51 today. After the announcement, share price skyrocketed to Rs.148 in just 8 minutes. The bank currently stands at Rs.149.81 with a Rs.4.87 (+3.36) change in its share price.

NAB prepares to sell Ishaq Dar’s Gulberg bungalow for Rs250mn ShAhAB OMer The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore announced on Wednesday that it has made all preparations to sell former minister of finance Ishaq Dar’s bungalow located in Gulberg. The officials of NAB Lahore informed that the bungalow was stretched over four kanals of land having a market value of Rs250 million. In addition they said that NAB Lahore also issued a letter to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Lahore for immediate sale of the luxury bungalow. However, sources in NAB informed that when Dar’s property was confiscated, his wife claimed that the bungalow was given to her as a wedding gift. A writ petition was filed by Dar’s wife against the sale of the said bungalow in the Islamabad High Court in 2020 but the said writ No. 236/2020 was quashed by the Hon’ble court last month. On the other hand, the NAB officials informed that this would be the second major recovery of NAB from Dar in the case of assets in excess of income. “Earlier, NAB Lahore had recovered Rs500 million from Dar’s account and deposited it in the national treasury,” they said. It is pertinent to mention here that the Lahore accountability court had declared former minister Ishaq Dar as absconder in December 2017 for non-compliance in the corruption reference and the court had also issued orders to confiscate all the properties of the accused mentioned in the NAB reference.

Thursday, 24 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

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WoRK oN SeveN SMAll IRRIGATIoN DAMS WoRTh RS9BN INITIATeD IN KP

AzIz BunerI

HYBER Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has initiated construction work on seven small irrigation dams and water reservoirs, which would be completed at an estimated cost of Rs9 billion that would irrigate 14,135 acres of barren land in the newly merged districts (NMDs). Briefing the media regarding performance of provincial irrigation department in Newly Merged Districts (NMDs), the KP Minister for Irrigation, Arshad Ayub Khan on Wednesday informed that a total of 24 irrigation schemes have been launched worth Rs35 billion in newly merged districts under the Annual Development Programme (ADP), which would be completed with provincial funds.

Around 20,000 kanal land will be irrigated after completion of 200 small irrigation dams in merged districts, he added. The Minister said Bara dam would irrigate 85,000 acre while Jabba dam would irrigate 37,000 agricultural lands. He noted that 33 per cent of water was wasted owing to the lack of required number of water channels in the province. According to the Minister, as many as 420 irrigation channels have been initiated to irrigate around 25,000 acres of land in newly merged tribal districts of KP.. Similarly, the minister informed that around 475 tube-wells have been converted into a solar system in the Fata region. Arshad Ayub said that the provincial government had made a demand of Rs119 billion for supplying water to Punjab from 1992 to 2013.

However, he said there was no provision in law to get royalty on water. The federal government had approved the Chashma Right Bank Lift Canal (CRBC) project, which is a vital importance for ensuring food security of the province, in which 65 per cent share belongs to the centre and remaining is of KP. Barrister Saif Ali said that development of merged districts is one of the government’s topmost priority. Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan a holistic framework has been adopted for bringing the merged districts at par to settled areas of the province, he added. In addition he assured the provincial government will ensure availability of all required funds and resources for the newly merged districts (NMDs) to bring it at par with the settled districts of the province.

Book on history of performing arts published newS DeSk Shazia Anwer Cheema’s book titled “An Introduction to European Theater – History of Performing Arts from Greek Period to 20th Century” has been published. Shazia is a Prague-based columnist, writer, and foreign affairs expert, who writes for national and international media. She did her MPhil in Cognitive Semiotics from Aarhus University in Denmark and is currently registered as a PhD scholar of Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication at Charles University in Prague. The book is written on the history of European theatre from the Greek period to the 20th century. It covers the journey of visual and performing arts as well as philosophical movements spreading over 2500 years. According to the author, art is always a mirror of the time giving the absolute justification for the idea that any art form cannot be understood in a vacuum. Artistic work is an organic process that comes into existence with the help of certain binary forces such as poli-

Ncoc lifts PcR requirement for vaccinated travelers ISLAMABAD Staff report

The authorities will no longer require vaccinated individuals arriving in Pakistan to take a PCR test for Covid-19, National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Wednesday, as it made inoculation compulsory for international travelers. Under the revised policy for inbound passengers that will come into force Wednesday midnight, eligible international passengers will not be required to undergo preflight PCR tests. However, non-vaccinated individuals aged 12 and above will still have to provide a negative PCR taken no longer than 72 hours before departure. The NCOC made vaccination mandatory for all inbound passengers with an exemption for individuals under 12. Those between 12-18 years of age are permitted to travel without vaccination until March 31, it said. The platform said deportees and non-vaccinated pedestrians at border terminals will have to undergo a rapid antigen test (RAT) and those found positive will be required to self-quarantine for a period of 10 days.

tics, economics, and social fabrics of that time. First in the shape of an idea then it transforms into philosophy and later it gets executed into artistic forms. She said sometimes a philosophy provides nurturing ground for artistic genres and other times artistic experimentation creates a philosophical sphere, adding that in both ways, history, politics, and sociology cannot be filtered out from art. To understand, visual, performing, and literary art, the reader’s trajectory must be social, and political history of art and artist, she said, adding that any book that is written on visual art, performing art, and literary art is equally a book on history, philosophy and politics and it is useful for historians, philosophy students, and students of politics. When asked why did she decide to write this book, the author said that while doing her PhD in Semiotics and Philosophy of Communication and researching about theatre as an art form, especially European theatre, she came across an overwhelming number of books on almost all aspects of European the-

atre, which were written by experts for the experts, adding that a regular reader or student can hardly get any substantiative information from these books. She said books spanning from Greek theatre to contemporary theatre are neither written in proper chronological order nor provide any direct link from point A to B. “I decided to enter the labyrinth of fragmented history confused with politics, overlapping with socioeconomics, claustrophobic by the amount of provided information. I figured out one simple rule to find my way out, clutching history, politics, and philosophy in one hand and thread of chronology in another hand. I moved from one point to the next as a historian and tried to link performing art with its time. The organic process of evolution was a key factor throughout my journey. That’s why this book is not just about theatre history or theatre production,” she added. She said that everyday readers would not find the book laborious, adding that students and researchers would also find it useful for clarity of form and content.

Govt approves 15pc allowance to BPS 1-19 employees BASIt MunAwAr The federal government on Wednesday approved a 15 per cent disparity reduction allowance to civil employees in BPS 1-19 of the federal government. This allowance shall be admissible to civil employees in BPS 1-19 of the federal government (including employees of the federal secretariat, attached departments and subordinate offices) who have never been allowed additional allowance equal to or more than 100 per cent of the basic pay (whether frozen or not). As per the details, this allowance will not be admissible to the employees of the organization who are drawing additional allowances equal to or more than 100 per cent of the basic pay. Similarly, this allowance will be frozen at the level drawn on March 1, 2022 while the income tax conditions will also be applied.

Moreover, this allowance will be admissible during leave and the entire period of LPR except during extra ordinary leave. Document states that the government has declared that this allowance will not be treated as part of emoluments for the purpose of calculation of pension or gratuity and recovery of house rent. In addition, the allowance will not be admissible to the employees during the tenure of their posting abroad whereas this allowance will be admissible to the employees on their repatriation from posting abroad at the rate and amount which would have been admissible to them, had they not been posted abroad. Documents also state that this allowance will be admissible during the period of suspension and the term “basic pay” will also include the amount of personal pay granted on account of annual increment (s) beyond the maximum of the existing pay scales.

Marriyum Aurangzeb states ‘timing of no-trust move to be decided after consensus’ newS DeSk PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb on Wednesday stressed that the timing of the no-confidence motion against the government would be jointly decided by the opposition and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). The remarks from the PML-N came hours after by Information Minister Fawad

Chaudhry dismissed the opposition’s attempts at moving a no-trust motion as insignificant and ruled out its chances of success. “I dare the opposition to table a no-confidence motion within 24 hours,” the minister said at a presser earlier in the day. Aurangzeb, during the press talk also said that the PML-N had decided to challenge the recently promulgated Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act Ordinance 2022.

Terming the ordinance a “draconian black law”, Aurangzeb said the law should first be applied to Prime Minister Imran Khan for his “false statements accusing opposition leaders of corruption”. She claimed that through the ordinance, the premier was attempting to “silence” the government’s critics. She added that the prime minister should also be asked about the abuses he hurled at his political rivals in some of his recent speeches.

Seafood exports increase by 5.08pc in seven months

APP The exports of fish and fish preparations increased by 5.08 per cent during the first seven months of the current fiscal year as compared to the corresponding period of last year. The seafood exports during JulyJanuary (2021-22) were recorded at $231.584 million against the exports of $220.396 million in July-January (202021), showing growth of around 5.08 per cent, according to Pakistan Bureau of statistics (PBS). On a year-on-year basis, the fish exports increased by 24.28 per cent by going up from $25.032 million

during January 2021 to $31.111 million in January 2022. On a month-on-month basis, the seafood exports however decreased by 37.74 per cent in January 2021 when compared to the exports of $49.971 million in December 2020, the PBS data revealed. The overall food group exports from the country during the first seven months of the current fiscal year increased by 20.87 percent as compared to the exports of the corresponding period of last year. During this period, food commodities worth $2.952 billion were exported as against the exports of $2.444 billion during last year.

Thursday, 24 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

Government focuSed on induStrialiSation to create joBS, enhance exportS: pm ISLAMABAD

Sindh deploys police commandos on Karachi roads KARACHI staff report

Sindh government has decided to deploy police commandos from Special Security Unit (SSU) on roads in Karachi to deal with rising street crimes in the metropolitan city. The decision was taken by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in view of the prevailing law and order situation. As per the decision, the commandos will be deployed at major spots in Karachi from Thursday. They will be responsible for snap-checking, while Madadgar 15 personnel will be deployed at major thoroughfares across the city. A complete failure of law enforcers to counter an alarming rise in street crimes in Karachi has been witnessed as 13 citizens were killed so far during 11,000 reported incidents in 2022 alone. Collected records of street crime incidents in Karachi since the beginning of 2022 revealed the shocking rise in lawlessness due to the failure of Karachi police. 13 citizens including police officials and a journalist have lost their lives so far for resisting robberies, whereas, the reported dacoities during the past 1.5 months were 11,000. More than 80 persons got injured for resisting robberies in the port city. According to the latest statistics, 3,845 mobile phones were snatched in Karachi from January 1 to February 17, 672 motorcycles and 20 cars. The number of vehicles snatched by street criminals was other than the stolen cars and motorcycles. The police department confirmed that 6,087 motorcycles and 296 cars were stolen during the said period.

app

RiME Minister imran Khan Wednesday said the government was giving special attention to promoting industrialisation for creating employment as well as enhancing exports. The prime minister, chairing a meeting to discuss the planning framework for national development and systemic reformation, said that for the first time, a serving government was introducing export-oriented planning. He lamented that the past governments compromised on national interests. He said the skilled youth and manpower, tourism and overseas Pakistani in-

vestors were key to economic development. The government is also activating Pakistan’s missions abroad to play their due role in enhancing the exports, he added. The participants of the meeting were briefed on the government’s five-year development planning framework and reforms. it was told that the reformative strategy had been formulated keeping in view the modern-day requirements that were neglected by the previous governments. Following the reforms, special attention would be given to the development of industrial and exports sectors, employment opportunities and increasing the per capita income. it was told that while introducing the

reforms, Pakistan would not only consider the viewpoint of the international experts but also the changing scenario of the international market. The reformation process would be focused on turning direction from import-oriented development to export-oriented growth. The meeting was told that development planning would also feature the short and long-term targets which would also be reviewed in the future considering the global and local conditions. it was also told that as part of the planning process, all of the ministries would ensure their mutual collaboration to define the country’s course of comprehensive development. The process also included the incen-

Sindh SEZ to oﬀer 200,000 employment opportunities: Murad ISLAMABAD staff report

The Dhabeji special economic zone (SEZ) under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh will offer over 200,000 direct and indirect job opportunities, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said. The SEZ is being developed through a private partner at a cost of Rs18 billion to provide “plug and play” facilities to the investors within the next five years, the chief minister said on Tuesday, while speaking at the signing ceremony of a conces-

sion agreement for the SEZ development. He said that the CPEC has achieved significant milestones through joint efforts of the governments, enterprises, and people of both countries, according to a statement by the chief minister’s office. “The first phase of the CPEC, which focused on energy and infrastructure projects, met its successful completion and now the second phase is set to boost Pak-China cooperation in agriculture and initiate an era of industrialisation through

the establishment of Special Economic Zones,” he said. He added the SEZ is one of the priority projects of the CPEC for the provincial government because it will strengthen industrial cooperation between Pakistan and China besides enhancing trade with Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The project will facilitate potential investors of China and other countries to establish new enterprises or transfer their facilities to the special economic zone, he added.

Killers of Karachi journalist arrested from Balochistan KARACHI staff report

Sindh police, in collaboration with Balochistan police, arrested the suspected murderers of a Karachi-based journalist from Khuzdar, it said on Wednesday. Thieves on a motorcycle shot and killed Athar Mateen, a TV producer who worked for the SAMAA news channel, when he tried to ram them with his car to prevent a street.

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tives and facilitation for the best performing production units to further build their capacity. Moreover, the investors would also be encouraged to establish new industries in the information technology, automobile, and tourism sectors. The participants were also apprised of the shortcomings of the existing planning framework and the impediments caused by neglecting modern-day needs. The prime minister directed for early completion and execution of the planning framework. Ministers Shaukat Tarin, Asad Umar, Hammad Azhar, Khusro Bakhtiar, Fakhar imam, Commerce Advisor Abdur Razak Dawood, adviser to the prime minister on CPEC Khalid Mansoor and other senior officers attended the meeting.

NEWS Opposition holds session at local hotel as Punjab Assembly sealed continued from page 01 “The depuTy speaker can call The session in Bagh-i-Jinnah if he wanTs,” he said: However, a Punjab Assembly spokesperson said in a statement that the deputy speaker could not preside over a session of the assembly after the submission of a noconfidence motion against him. “Constitutionally, the deputy speaker does not have the authority to preside over any session,” the spokesperson said, adding that Mazari chairing any assembly session would be in violation of the Constitution. Punjab Assembly sealed off with barbed wire, gate locked Earlier, a large contingent of police carrying batons and equipped with shields was deployed outside the actual building of the assembly. Water cannons and Rescue 1122 vehicles were also present outside the assembly’s building. The development coincided with the submission of a noconfidence motion against Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari, after he said the session for the chief minister’s election would take place tonight at 7:30 pm, but a spokesperson for the provincial assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) denied the development. Bilawal decries sealing of punJaB assemBly: Reacting to the sealing of the provincial assembly, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari decried that the deputy speaker had been “locked out” of the assembly on the day of voting for the chief minister’s election. The PPP chief said in a tweet: “If it takes 30 seconds to pull off a coup, it should take 30 seconds to undo a coup. Justice delayed is justice denied. After last week’s constitutional breakdown in Islamabad, today Punjab deputy speaker was locked out of [the] assembly on [the] day of voting for CM. Barbered [sic] wire around people’s house.” Earlier, Maryam announced that she would be reaching the Punjab Assembly at 7pm tonight to support Hamza. “To stand with Hamza who clearly has the majority, I will be going to [the] Punjab Assembly ijlaas (session) at 7[pm] Insha’Allah,” she tweeted.

JOurnALiStS, FAwAd ChAudhry get invOLved in heAted Argument OutSide SC

AKISTAN Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry lashed out at a journalist after he was asked to comment on corruption allegations against Farah Khan, a close friend of former first lady Bushra Bibi. During a press conference with PTI members Asad Umar, Shahbaz Gill and Ali Muhammad Khan, the former information minister was asked to comment on reports alleging that Farah Khan was involved in corrupt activities and had recently left the country with her husband. Fawad, vexed at the question, claimed that the journalist was a “hired phoney” and that he knew where the reporter acquired his ‘bribe’ from. He also began hurling abuses at the reporter. All the journalists present at the press conference

were enraged at Fawad’s actions and demanded an apology from him, only for him to question why he should apologise and to whom. Soon after, Fawad started his statement but was cut off by chants from the journalists who refused to listen to him. Observing the severity of the situation, the other PTI leaders tried to convince the journalists to listen to Asad Umar instead, as they were boycotting Fawad Chaudhry and not the other PTI members. Simultaneously, however, Fawad questioned why his colleague should speak instead of him and maintained that he had not told any lies. He demanded that he speak and everyone must listen. The journalists, in protest, dropped their microphones on the dais and said that they would not allow Fawad to speak unless he apologised to the re-

ported who he abused. The PTI leaders soon ended the press conference and left. Earlier this week, Farah Khan left for Dubai following the dissolution of the National Assembly in the wake of the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan. In addition to Farah, other leaders of PTI have also started to leave for abroad, Express News reported. According to sources in the PTI, Farah left for Dubai on Sunday, adding that her husband also resides in the Emirati state. It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as well as Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice-President Maryam Nawaz mentioned Farah Khan several times recently and accused her of being involved in corruption. staff report

US eases Covid-19 travel advisory for Pakistan WaSHington staff report

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and State Department eased government Covid-19 travel ratings for Pakistan. The CDC changed its Covid-19 travel recommendation for Pakistan to “Level 1: Low” which urges unvaccinated Americans to avoid travel to those locations. The government had on March 16 lifted most restrictions — in-

Pakistan has zero coronavirus deaths for third consecutive day iSLamaBad staff report

The nation registered its third consecutive coronavirus death-free day with all other indicators also nosediving indicating that the health crisis was taking its last breaths in the country.

cluding mandatory self-isolation for people with the disease — aimed at stopping the spread of Covid-19. Pakistan has faced four infections waves in the last two years, which were effectively managed by the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC). On March 31, Pakistan has disbanded the National Command and Operations Center (NCOC), which was overseeing the Covid-19 response in the country, as the infection numbers were at the lowest

since the start of the outbreak early in 2020. “Today, as (NCOC) closes down, I want to congratulate the NCOC team and its leadership for a professional, nationally coordinated response to the pandemic,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a post on Twitter. “Our Covid response was recognised by international agencies and people in the field as one of the most successful globally,” Khan added.

Usman Buzdar denies allegations levelled against Bushra Bibi, Farah Khan Former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar on Wednesday denied allegations levelled by the Opposition and estranged PTI leaders against PM Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and her close friend Farah Khan. “I vehemently deny the fabricated allegations levelled by Aleem Khan, Chaudhry Sarwar and other members of the Opposition and condemn them because there is no proof,” tweeted Buzdar. The former chief minister maintained that political transfers in Punjab during his time were solely carried out on the basis of “merit and rules and regulations”. “The uncrowned kings of money laundering and corruption have always had a habit of levelling baseless allegations against their rivals and institutions so that they could blackmail them when they are defeated in the political arena,” claimed Buzdar. The former chief minister said that those who have faced political defeat cannot hide their humiliation by “levelling baseless and fabricated allegations [on opponents].” “The PML-N and its followers have not been able to bring to light a single corruption scandal against me or my cabinet in three and a half years,” claimed Buzdar, adding that no irregular contracts, letters written in the Calibri font, fake trust deeds, Maqsood chaprasi, or any of his Mayfair flats have been discovered. “If you have proof, then show it. I worked with honesty in Punjab throughout the three and a half years,” said Buzdar. The former chief minister said that the Opposition cannot level accusations against housewives — be it the first lady or Farah Khan — without substantial evidence. “The only purpose is to criticise Imran

Khan in any way — you will fail because no one can point a finger at Imran Khan’s honesty!” said Buzdar. Buzdar’s response to the allegations has come a day after PML-N leader and former finance minister Miftah Ismail alleged that the handbag carried by Farah Khan costs $90,000. The former minister’s comment came after a picture of Farah went viral on social media. Ismail, while addressing a press conference alongside former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, said that PML-N has been saying the same things that the estranged PTI leader Aleem Khan had previously said about Farah. The PML-N leader alleged that the first lady’s close aide “took the money” for the transfer of civil servants in Punjab. “Who did that money go to?” asked Ismail, adding that the PTI was claiming that Farah Khan cannot be a corrupt person as she was a “private person”. “She can engage in corrupt activities because she is friends with the wives of public officeholders. She was someone’s frontwoman,” alleged Ismail. Including Usman Buzdar into his broadside, Ismail said the former Punjab chief minister was “also someone’s frontman”. “When Aleem Khan claimed to inform Imran Khan about Usman Buzdar’s corruption but Imran Khan kept him, who was Buzdar paying?” wondered Ismail. He also asked who was Farah Khan paying the bribes. The former finance minister said that a picture was circulating yesterday showing her with a high-value bag.

Supreme Court asks for record of top security meeting on Lettergate continued from page 01 1The Supreme Court panel of five judges has not said when it will give a ruling. It could order parliament be reconstituted, call for fresh elections or bar Khan from power if he is found to have violated the constitution. It could also decide that it cannot intervene in parliamentary affairs. early polls: President Arif Alvi upped the ante Tuesday by issuing a letter to the opposition saying if they did not nominate a candidate for interim prime minister, the process would continue without them. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) president Shehbaz Sharif, who would have replaced Khan had Sunday’s vote taken place, said he would not participate. “The main issue is that the constitution has been abrogated,” he told reporters outside the court. “If we don’t get a remedy then Pakistan will, God forbid, become a banana republic.” Khan has already nominated former chief justice Gulzar Ahmad for the role. The military is facing growing opposition calls to weigh in on the legitimacy of Khan’s complaints about a foreign plot against him, which he said was being orchestrated by the United States. The United States dismissed the accusation. PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz said the military should clarify if it had told a top-level security meeting that the United States had conspired with the opposition to topple his government, as Khan has said it did. “Imran Khan has used the National Security Committee for his political gains,” she declared late on Tuesday. The military insists it is not involved in politics.

Saudi Ambassador distributes gifts from King Salman to deserving iSLamaBad staff report

The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance represented by the Religious Attaché in the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, on Wednesday inaugurated the programs of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, at an Iftar for the faithful and distributed the gifts from the King Fahd Complex for Printing the Noble Quran in the city of Medina and translated meanings of the Noble Quran. The Ministry of Saudi Arabia is implementing three programs through the Religious Attaché in Pakistan during the blessed month of Ramadan for the current year in cooperation with the Islamic societies in various cities and

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regions of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Inauguration ceremony was held at the headquarter of the Religious Attaché in Islamabad, in the presence of Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr. Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Malki, and the Religious Attaché in charge of Pakistan, Mr. Mutaib bin Muhammad Al-Jedaei, and a number of Employees of the Kingdom’s Embassy in Islamabad. The Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan stated on this occasion that these blessed programs are among those programs that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz, Directed to Establish in the Holy month of Ramadan, in a number of countries, including the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the ambassador added that he had

received from Pakistani brothers all thanks and appreciation for the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and for the Crown Prince, asking the Almighty Allah to guide them for doing good. On the other hand, the religious attaché in charge, Mr. Mutaib bin Muhammad Al-Jadaei, had explained that the three programs included 1,750 integrated Ramadan baskets, benefiting 14,000, in addition to distributing 12 tons of luxury dates, 24,000 copies of the Noble Quran and translation of the meanings of the Noble Quran in Urdu and Sindhi and Pashto language, and will be implemented and distributed in coordination with the official Islamic societies. Moreover, it will be implemented and distributed with the coordination of official Islamic associations.

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06 COMMENT

Maqsood is a Robin Hood?

The crisis persists SC takes time to pronounce judgment

N March 24, violating constitutional provisions and parliamentary procedures the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly disallowed members from presenting the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan when it was found that the majority of them were supportive of the no-trust move. Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri arbitrarily decided that the entire opposition comprising over 197 elected members of Parliament, was involved in a foreign plot to overthrow the government. It was claimed that this was also endorsed by the National Security Committee. This was sheer nonsense as the government failed to make public the NSC’s proceedings supporting the view. A day before the fateful National Assembly session, the PM had claimed that he still had a “trump card” or two up his sleeve that he would play a day before the opposition’s no-confidence motion. To avert attention from the constitutional violation, which has thrown the country into the dark abyss of a constitutional crisis, the PM has called on his party to prepare for elections. Keeping aside the issue of the alleged foreign conspiracy, the Supreme Court wants to determine the legality of the Deputy Speaker’s action. In view of the situation on ground this requires urgency. The government has taken the position that the Curt is not entitled to overturn the Deputy Speaker’s ruling. What the government wants is a prolongation of the court proceedings. Finding that it is likely to lose its government in Punjab, the PTI has urgently started preparations for elections. Its priority is to jail the main opposition leaders. This done, the PM will hold countrywide meetings where he will deliver high octane speeches to raise an anti-US wave, promise new pies in the sky and play the religious card. The delay in the Supreme Court’s verdict helps Mr Khan. He has already started issuing party tickets, with 135 party loyalists being the first recipients. He has directed party members to take out processions on daily basis. President Arif Alvi has permitted Mr Khan to continue to hold office till the appointment of a caretaker prime minister. Delay in the court’s decision would make it difficult to reverse the steps being taken by the PM.

How the no-confidence motion was funded?

Dr FariD a Malik

CCorDINg to Shahid Khaqan Abbassi, former Prime Minister and PML(N) Senior Vice-Presidentm, Maqsood is his relative who receives stolen money from Dubai. Though he is employed by ramzan Sugar Mills as a chaprhasi (peon) at a salary of rs 20,000 per month, his remittances in billions cannot be questioned by state authorities. Perhaps he is a 21st century robin Hood who robs from the rich to distribute amongst the poor while he himself survives on his basic income. According to the former PM the entire mechanism is kosher, but the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) thinks otherwise. Transfers of this magnitude have to be justified with money trails otherwise it falls into the category of laundering which the Western world is unwilling to digest as it is alleged that it has the potential of being used by terrorists to buy weapons. Today un-accounted finances are linked with terrorism. Such clandestine, questionable transactions cannot be justified. Maqsood and his employers have to be taken to task to satisfy FATF. Today financial corruption and money laundering are the biggest menaces faced by the country. The common law-based legal system is unable to contain this serious crime against the people of Pakistan. If the former PM admits on air that stolen money coming into the accounts of smallholders should not be a cause of concern for the state, then it clearly indicates a free-for-all scenario. The same person has also admitted to stealing elections in the past but then demands a

Cat out of the bag? PTI insiders’ allegations reach the PM

oULD anyone be more of a PTI insider than ousted Punjab governor Muhammad Sarwar? Not unless it was former Punjab Senior Minister Aleem Khan, who was once thought to be Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ATM. Both men have a grouse with Mr Khan, but especially over former Punjab CM Usman Buzdar. When both separately said that there was massive corruption in Punjab, through the shadowy figure of one Ms Farah Khan, the tale, even though apparently fantastic, deserves some credence. This is especially so because the story both men tell is not just the same, but also confirms rumours that had been swirling around Mr Buzdar, that everything in the provincial government, whether postings or executive decisions, was for sale, and that the sale price had to be paid to Ms Farah. She has now fled the country, but many question marks still remain. Quite apart from the optics of a party which had been elected for accountability and which alleged corruption by its predecessors, that both Mr Buzdar and Ms Farah Khan were linked to the Prime Minister’s wife, leads to the implication that Mr Khan benefited personally from what was a very basic level of corruption. It also explains Mr Khan’s clear reluctance to give up office, and especially to not allow the opposition to take control of the Punjab government. Whatever Mr Khan’s personal role in the matter, it is likely that an opposition administration would investigate the whole matter, and would do to Mr Khan things he had done to opponents. While posing as a knight in shining armour, clad with claims of honesty, he had not only labelled them unfit to talk to, but had also made sure that not just them but their daughters, sons and wives were dragged through the investigative process. Mr Khan would only be human if reluctant to face being at the receiving end of such treatment. Whatever Mr Khan’s reservations, the allegations by these insiders must be thoroughly investigated. According to the rumour mill, investigations have already been made, and the results placed before Mr Khan, only for nothing to be done. If that is the case, it will have to be determined how such investigations are to be protected, so that any corruption is stopped during the commission of the offence, rather than merely punished afterwards.

In the end, it is civil society which gives people a voice

MuhaMMaD anwar Farooq

perceptible and deep layer of groups and communities that exists between the individuals and the modern state is called civil society. In Pakistan, it is an emerging arena for social and political change. It includes various organizations and associations that represent the interests of the majority population. These organizations and associations include trade unions, bar associations, teacher’s associations, peasant organizations, student groups and charity organizations, etc. In the contemporary world, each society is continuously changing due to various social & political events, technological & economic advancements. Commonly, civil society provides ways for individuals to contribute to the overall process of social development for the common good. The outcome of such social development process is social accountability which involves corporations, faith-based and other organizations being accountable for their actions. Social accountability is necessary for the transparency of each process. It must be similar for all members of society. Commonly, civil society provides a platform for the disorganized to be organized. It provides ways for the empowerment of voiceless segments of society for spreading awareness on various social issues prevailing in society. Civil society also contributes to the governance process which includes policymaking and implementation. Simply, it pro-

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Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

The legacy of our brand of ‘Robin Hood’ continues. Jinnah’s political party is now being run by the Sharifs of Gawalmandi while Bhutto’s is firmly in control of the Zardaris of Nawabshah.

The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

Civil Society and Social Change in Pakistan

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

free and fair contest now that he is out of the corridors of power. Nawaz Sharif the three-times PM faked his platelets results to avoid a prison term and proceed abroad for treatment. He resides in the expensive London homes of his sons whose source and money trail he has not been able to provide. According to the family, the money was gifted by the grandfather to his teenage grandsons to buy property. How it was transferred remains a mystery. It is alleged that it was kickbacks received from the construction of the 375-km M-2 Motorway that connects Lahore with Islamabad. According to the House of Sharifs It was purely a family transaction from the old man to his second-generation teens who decided to reside abroad; the PM had no say in it, he only awarded the Motorway contract to a Korean company in the best national interest. In the 1960s the Sharifs got a big break when they managed to get two industrial plots in the Kot Lakhpat area. Mian Sharif together with his six brothers formed the Ittefaq group. on one of the plots Ittefaq Foundry was built while on the other seven mansions were constructed after getting an NoC (No objection Certificate) from Dulux Paints factory next door. In 1985 when Nawaz Sharif managed to enter the corridors of power, the Sharif group emerged, leaving the brothers behind. Sharif Medical City and the palatial Jatti Umra Estate were built during the period in power. The Habib Bank Limited branch of New York was fined $250 Million for money laundering. It was alleged that huge amounts were transferred from the Jatti Umra branch to New York which was intercepted by the international regulators. Despite several warnings the activity continued, until a heavy fine was imposed together with shutting down of the overseas branch. The President of the bank also had to retire as part of the operation clean-up. The area around Jatti Umra was then developed and secured at state expense. With the change of government, the security staff was withdrawn but the development could not be. robin Hood was a legendary heroic outlaw who

operated in the Sherwood forest around the 14th century. He robbed the rich and defied the corrupt officials to serve the poor citizens. His defiance was symbolic, he remained outside the reach of law. I am not sure who is being served in the land of the pure with this stolen money as the overall state of the land is deplorable. Even basic amenities of life are out of reach of the common man. It seems our robin Hood is feeding the rich not the poor as they are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer. In reality Maqsood Chaprhasi’ is a conduit to skim the resources of the nation. He is not alone, there is a Papparwala in Karachi whose account has also swelled without his knowledge. To be fair to the legacy of the folk hero robin Hood, we should adopt new titles for our outlaws like ‘Sharif good’ and ‘Zardari Stood’. The Sharifs of gowalmandi are unique in many ways. They were the first to intermingle business and politics. They started the ‘monkey business’ in the state set-up. There is a famous Punjabi saying; “ anna wanday reorhian murh murh apnay ghar” (The blind man kept distributing sweets to his own household). Benazir Bhutto resisted this onslaught till the noconfidence motion against her elected government in 1989. Her street-smart husband Asif Zardari came to the rescue. He countered the glitter of gold with his own wealth. While Nawaz moved his voters to Changa Manga, Zardari flew them to Swat. In the end it was Changa Manga versus Swat, Benazir survived but politics did not. The control of Bhutto’s party remained with his daughter but after her assassination in 2007, Zardari took over. Now like PML (Nawaz) PPP (Zardari) is in the arena with No-confidence Motion 2022 being tabled in the National Assembly against another elected PM. Perhaps the funds are coming from the accounts of the Chaprhasis and Paparwalas who will be deprived of their wealth for no fault of theirs The legacy of our brand of ‘robin Hood’ continues. Jinnah’s political party is now being run by the Sharifs of gawalmandi while Bhutto’s is firmly in control of the Zardaris of Nawabshah. It reminds me of another famous Punjabi saying “Khoti Rahe Borh Thaley” (The She-Ass remained under the tree).

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vides ways for all participants to build relationships and make connections based on their values, behaviours and beliefs to contribute to the common good. In developing countries, civil society is actively participating in the process of social change. Society is organized into different segments and each segment is working for its rights. For example,the women’s movement, lawyers’ movement, anti-government movements like PDM, religious movements and the struggle of teachers’ and doctors’ unions for their rights is gradually changing the face of society. Such movements put pressure on the government to deliver. The role of the media is always supportive of the struggling groups. In the significant presence of social media, it is not possible to strictly suppress such movements. Instead of such suppression or use of force, the government commonly prefers to sort out the issue with dialogue. Due to the pressure of civil society and the availability of communication resources, the governance style of the government is gradually changing. Civil society has also a deep impact on culture. Culture is a complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities acquired by people as members of society. The important force that can cause a culture to change is the evolutionary processes in the civil society as well as exposure to other cultures, political and economic philosophies, social structures, religions, languages, and styles of education. Western influences are gradually affecting the Pakistani culture. The situation of implementation of human rights in Pakistan is a complicated issue. Western ideas have changed the educational paradigm in the country. In Pakistan, the women’s march is another powerful factor of social change which is also based on some inspirations from the West. It is gradually enabling women to play their effective role in different sectors like politics, high profile jobs and international

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sports. It is a movement against gender inequality. The conversion of the joint family system into the nuclear family system is changing the social interface. Now the Pakistani youth believe in independence and individuality. These have become causes of evolution in civil society and appeared as a candid cultural and social change. Now the media has become an important contributor to social change due to its power to rapidly disseminate information to the masses. In Pakistan, the media is playing a positive role in spreading awareness on gender bias, poverty elimination, harmony and peace. The coverage of foreign content by the media is gradually reshaping the cultural, social and religious values. But on the other hand, thr media is also working positively to educate the masses about prevailing social and political issues and religious harmony. It is also highlighting the movements and struggle for change. Pakistani society is continuously changing due to all the above-described factors. It is swinging between two poles; one is tradition and the other is modernism. People want to adopt a modern lifestyle and benefit from modern urban facilities. Due to technology, media and modern education, exposure to western ideas is unavoidable. Interestingly, it is a priority of the middle class to evolve a way to carry tradition and modern lifestyle in parallel. A candid conflict is observable between the advocates of tradition and modernism. Currently, Pakistani society is partially traditional as well as partially modern. It is in a transition phase. Now, civil society must play its role to identify the change, to develop acceptability of change and to maintain a suitable pace of change because it will help to promote stability and peace. Indeed, such a balanced and peaceful society is necessary for the prosperity of our nation.

Interestingly, it is a priority of the middle class to evolve a way to carry tradition and modern lifestyle in parallel. A candid conflict is observable between the advocates of tradition and modernism.

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The writer is working as a lecturer in the department of humanities and social sciences, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 7th April 2022_Layout 1 4/6/2022 11:55 PM Page 2

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

Afforestation

Gender bonds: Unlocking the full potential of women empowerment Empowering women can also help greening economies

SyeD aSiM ali Bukhari, aSSociate ProFeSSor Dr. Fathyah haShiM anD ProF. Dr. azlan aMran

oMEN’S empowerment can only be achieved by facilitating the female population in attaining control over various areas of their lives. The attainment of gender equality is a human right, not a female fight, which can be made possible by providing women with strength, self-confidence and power by ensuring effective financial inclusion for women. The vision of women’s empowerment cannot be fulfilled without the development of women’s economic empowerment through financial inclusion. The lack of financial inclusion proves to be a major obstacle in the path of women’s empowerment. This problem is faced by a majority of developing countries like Pakistan. Based upon the Financial Inclusion Insights (FII) Survey 2020, the financial inclusion in Pakistan was approximately 21 percent. According to the available data, 36 percent of Pakistan’s adult male population is considered financially included whereas the ratio for adult women is still in the single digits, that is 7 percent. Pakistan ranked at 151st out of the total 153 countries in the global gender gap report 2020, having only Iraq and Yemen ranked lower. In comparison, Malaysia ranked 104th in the global gender gap report 2020. In this regard, on 17 September 2021, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) launched the “Banking on Equality Policy: reducing the gender gap in Financial Inclusion” to enhance women’s financial inclusion in Pakistan. The policy will prove to be a major milestone in shaping the landscape for women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan. This policy aims to achieve 20 million active women-owned accounts by the year 2030 and introduce women-centric financial products and services. Progress toward gender equality is not solely a question of greater investment, but also of having a wider variety of gender investments available to investors can accelerate this progress toward a more equal future. gender Bonds can play an important role in this regard by financing various projects related

to the socio-economic advancement and the empowerment of women. globally gender Bonds are still at a nascent stage of development.on 19 May 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) issued the gender Bonds guidelines for financing projects related to women’s economic empowerment. gender Bonds are a type of social or sustainability bond that can prove to be a game-changer for a country’s green economic transformation. As investors have become more sensitive to issues of women’s empowerment, the greater acknowledgment by investors will induce demand for more gender Bonds and induce more capital from a more diverse set of investors. A key catalyst to this acknowledgment will be a deeper understanding of the impact that gender Bonds can deliver alongside the financial returns they can generate. A key potential of gender bonds is the creation of bonds that are gender equality-focused but have the use of funds policies that address multiple issues. By diversifying the use of the proceeds framework for gender bonds, issuers may attract a wider base of investors who may not have considered gender Bonds beforehand,thus broadening the investor base .For example, gender Bonds can also play a vital role in the attainment of UN-SDgs 2030. gender Bonds, by investing in the full and effective participation of women in economic life, also have the potential to support efforts on poverty eradication (UN-SDg # 1), full and productive employment, promotion of sustainable industrial development and decent work (UN-SDg # 8 and 9), peaceful and inclusive societies (UN-SDg # 16). Pakistan can move forward in the journey of women’s empowerment through the issuance of gender bonds for financing to women-centric projects such as the provision of essential services including education and vocational training projects especially in rural areas; healthcare facilities; financing and financial services for women; housing and car financing schemes with low-interest rates; safe and dignified transportation service for females; development of daycare projects. on a global level the sustainable bond issuance has been growing rapidly, both in terms of volume and types of instruments. In 2020, sustainable bonds of approximately $732.1 billion were issued. Between the years 2017 to 2021, the International Finance Corporation

raised $3.8 billion through issuing 63 social bonds in 11 different currencies. gender-smart financing can be significantly increased through mainstreaming gender considerations and promoting gender equality in sustainable bond issues, including green, social, sustainability, and sustainability-linked bonds. To increase women’s empowerment via gender bonds is by issuing gender bonds that have green and social mandates as well.This will not only widen the gender bond market by adding different mandates and key performance indicators,but the market may also shift toward different understandings of gender impact. The issuance of gender bonds will encourage gender Lens Investments which is based on the premise that investing in companies that promote gender equality through their internal policies or through their business activities, is not only morally responsible, but can lead to higher financial returns. To accelerate Pakistan’s sustainable economic growth, it needs to be ensured that the female population is economically active. Banks can also provide low-interest-rate financing schemes to women entrepreneurs for green or ecofriendly businesses. The proceeds from the issuance of gender bonds may also be invested in organizations providing equal employment opportunities to females or breaking the glass ceiling with female leadership. The provision of suitable, affordable and quality financial services to all segments of society contributes to balanced as well as sustainable economic growth and development.gender inequality poses a significant threat to alleviating poverty and boosting shared prosperity. gender bonds can prove to be an indispensable tool to enhance women’s empowerment, especially in developing countries. Women’s economic empowerment is central to realizing women’s rights and gender equality. Advancing equality and diversity in the banking sector is a compelling proposition rather than a zero-sum game. Establishing gender as a pillar of strategies will produce a swifter and more-inclusive transition to sustainable energy.

Women’s economic empowerment is central to realizing women’s rights and gender equality. Advancing equality and diversity in the banking sector is a compelling proposition rather than a zero-sum game. Establishing gender as a pillar of strategies will produce a swifter and more-inclusive transition to sustainable energy

All the authors, Syed Asim Ali Bukhari, Associate Professor Dr. Fathyah Hashim and Prof. Dr. Azlan Amran, are associated with the Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malays

IN recent years, Karachi has lost much of its greenery owing to the growing urban developments. The absence of urban planning and the disinterest of the authorities are pushing the city towards destruction. Trees have been cut down for real estate developments, something which has drastically reduced the green belts and will contribute to environmental damage. green belts help combat climate change as greater tree cover provides shelter belts for crops; improves soil and water quality; and supports wildlife, etc. Even the mangrove forests in Karachi are faced with an existential threat because of industrial pollution, untreated municipal waste, local communities cutting down trees for firewood, and coastal development projects. Mangroves support marine life and act as a barrier against flooding and coastal erosion. Thus, they need to be protected. We are already witnessing the impact of climate change with heatwaves becoming more regular, which is a cause for alarm and requires immediate action. Whilst the Prime Minister’s ten billion tree programme is well-timed, it does not educate the common man on climate change and the importance of afforestation. Many people are still unaware of the risks of climate change. Therefore, people should be informed of climate change and ways to combat it through a widespread campaign. In the past, many projects have been undertaken in the city with little regard for the environment. The government must formulate policies barring real estate developers from cutting down trees. Before developing projects, the environmental costs must be considered, and the environmental damage should be compensated for by building new roads in residential and industrial areas. Kinza Fatima Karachi

Fatal highway THE National Highway in Balochistan previously known as the regional Cooperation for Development Highway (rCD Highway) has become a death trap because of the high number of accidents that occur every day. The highway provides a direct link from Quetta to Karachi and is also the only highway that links Balochistan to Afghanistan and Iran. Many locals suspect that the number of deaths on the highway could be as high as 6,000 per year. The single carriageway and high flow of traffic coupled with reckless driving is the main reason for fatalities. The single track also links the districts of Lasbela, Khuzdar, Surab, Kalat, and Mastung to Quetta, which is why it is severely congested during rush hours. Across Balochistan, poor roads and single-lane highways have been the major cause of daily casualties. The condition of the highway reflects poorly on the country as it is the main link to different industrial areas and is the second-largest highway in Pakistan. The relevant authorities must reconstruct it and convert it into a multi-lane highway to ease the flow of traffic and ensure the safety of all passengers. Also, motorway police must be always present to regulate traffic on busy routes. CCTV cameras should be installed to keep a check on the traffic and act against those found violating traffic rules. Lastly, the commissioner of the Kalat division must draw schedules for buses and other heavy vehicles to avoid traffic congestion on the routes as this will help curb accidents and reduce traffic. JavEd ahmEd Khuzdar

GM crops AroUND the world, genetically modified (gM) crops are used to improve agricultural activities and combat climate change. gM crops first emerged from the use of contemporary techniques of biotechnology/genetic engineering. The specific genetic material derived from plant, animal, microorganism, or synthetic material is introduced into different species of plants. These crops possess many novel properties including herbicide and virus tolerance, resistance to drought and salinity, and useful excretion during growth. Although the use of gM crops remains a contentious issue, it is considered as the solution to several food and agricultural problems. It can speed up food production for the fast-growing population, reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and help combat global warming. However, it threatens biodiversity because of the adverse effects of the crops, and the long-term impact it has on humans remains unknown. Nonetheless, many countries such as the US, Argentina, Brazil, China, etc have been leaders in gM crops. Considering that Pakistan is heavily reliant upon agriculture, many farmers have favoured the use of gM crops i.e., cotton and maize, which have been our major exports. However, Pakistan’s research focus shifted because of the development of insectresistant and herbicide-tolerant crops. To fight the impact of climate and environmental change on crops, Pakistan must refocus on the research of a variety of crops. The government must support the agricultural sector by allocating funds and resources to explore gM crops and genotypes of other crops that can lead to a greener and prosperous Pakistan. intiKhab ulFat Karachi

Resolving issues THE socio-political situation in the country is extremely tense as the masses struggle with rising inflation, unemployment, and other issues while the government and opposition are involved in a futile war ahead of the vote on the no-confidence motion against the prime minister. The incumbent government has accused the opposition of buying their loyalists hailing from the ruling party. While the opposition claims that the prime minister has lost a majority in National Assembly and should resign from his premiership. This is not the first time that the country is witnessing a game of musical chairs among political figures. Since the inception of the country, democracy has been weak because of dishonest politicians who have been focused on their gains. Mutual toleration and cooperation are absent amongst the government and opposition. None of the political parties seem to be interested in the development and betterment of the country. Instead of seeking power for themselves, both the government and the opposition should work on improving the lives of the masses and reforming state institutions. The need of the hour is to address the issues faced by the masses and steer the sinking economy towards recovery. The country requires a mature political leadership that can resolve domestic issues and engages diplomatically with regional and international players. muhammad SuFyan bhimbEr

08 WORLD VIEW 7th April 22_Layout 1 4/6/2022 11:55 PM Page 1

08 WORLD VIEW

NATO iS A dANgeR TO WORld peAce. iT muST gO THE CURRENT CONFLICT BETWEEN RUSSIA AND UKRAINE IS ROOTED IN THE EXPANSIONARY LOGIC OF THE MILITARY ALLIANCE

IndIan ExprEss D. Raja

he war in Ukraine has brought the spotlight on the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). NATO was formed in the aftermath of the Second World War by the Western powers in response to the rise of the USSR. The rapid allround progress made by the USSR, a planned socialist economy, made the capitalist economies uneasy and insecure. Thus, the capitalist West evolved a strategy to contain the spread of socialist ideology and NATO became its military instrument. NATO began as a military partnership between the leading capitalist nations of the world, led by the United States of America, ostensibly for “collective security”. But its real motive was to encircle the USSR and other socialist states in eastern and Central europe. The West made a narrative that Western europe is facing a military threat from the Soviet Union. The USSR-led Warsaw Pact came into existence only after NATO integrated West Germany into the alliance and started weaponising the region. The USSR at that time was supporting national liberation movements in the Third World. With the disintegration of the USSR in the early 1990s and the collapse of other socialist regimes in eastern and Central europe, NATO should have been dissolved. Instead, it was refashioned and expanded to realise the hegemonic ambitions of the US, which sought to build a unipolar world order. Ironically, NATO did not militarily intervene formally even once in the Cold War era; it started after the disintegration of the USSR! The leaders of Western powers had assured Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the 1980s that NATO would not expand into the east. But it kept expanding,

and now has 30 member states in the place of the original 12 — all the Warsaw Pact allies except Russia are now NATO members. Destruction and instability have marked NATO’s footprints. NATO’s involvement in Kosovo is well known. Over 500 civilians lost their lives due to NATO’s indiscriminate bombing in that campaign. During the 11-week long bombing, the Chinese embassy was destroyed causing an international furore. The Afghan war, according to the Costs of War Project led by Brown University, saw 1,76,000 deaths between 2001 and 2019. Over 46,000 of the dead were civilians. Similarly, the US-led intervention in Iraq resulted in over 1.5 lakh deaths from March 2003 to 2010 — 80 per cent of them civilians. NATO’s intervention in Libya to enforce a no-fly zone is estimated to have killed more than 400 civilians. Close to a million people have died in wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen etc. These numbers do not include indirect deaths nor do they reveal the havoc wreaked by forced migration, loss of property, psychological damage or geopolitical instability. NATO has a state-of-the-art arsenal and a combined defence expenditure of $1.036 trillion (2019) compared to Russia’s $60 billion defence budget. Moscow’s apprehensions of NATO reaching its borders need to be considered in this backdrop. After the deterrence offered by the USSR ended, NATO has become an instrument to achieve the US’ foreign and defence policy objectives in europe and Asia. A body of the size and influence of NATO, with its 30 members accounting for close to 60 per cent of the global defence expenditure, enjoys a disproportionate advantage and mastery over the international scene by its mere existence. The fact is that NATO’s continuous expansion and involvement in world affairs is a threat to global peace and a just world order. Peace-loving people and states of the Global South should be opposed to the very idea of such a military alliance for it thoroughly distorts the level-playing field at the international level where every nation state is supposed to be equal. As NATO’s track record suggests, instead of the “collective security” it promised, it has only offered grave insecurity to nations opposed to US interests. Its needs have filled the coffers of the military-industrial complexes and monopolies, effectively diverting funds from vital programmes that could otherwise be deployed to improve the lives and livelihood of the people. The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is rooted in the expansionary logic of the military alliance. We oppose the ongoing war in no uncertain terms. It should be stopped immediately and the parties should engage in a dialogue. At the same time, questions must be asked about the cost of NATO to humanity. If peace is to prevail in the world, NATO should be disbanded.

Strongmen and straw men: South Asian crises over Russia’s war MR MODI IS QUIET ABOUT HIS TRUE INTENTIONS. THIS RAISES HOPES IN MOSCOW OF INDIAN SUPPORT, HOPES IN BEIJING THAT DELHI MIGHT FORSAKE WASHINGTON, AND CONCERNS IN THE WEST THAT INDIA’S PRIME MINISTER PUTS A PREMIUM ON HIS NATION’S IMMEDIATE INTERESTS RATHER THAN ASPIRATIONS TO BE A NATURAL ALLY GuardIan EDitoRial

LYING from Islamabad to Colombo gives a bird’s-eye view of the fallout from war over the subcontinent. The three nations under the route are all governed by nationalists who won office by trading in populism. having gained power, such politicians tend to have a messianic faith in their capacity to effect sweeping change. This belief is being tested, perhaps to destruction, in south Asian democracies with a combined population of 1.6 billion people. Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan – who was in Moscow as the tanks rolled into Ukraine – claimed last week that the US had “threatened” him and tried to instigate regime change. Mr Khan has been at loggerheads with the west since Pakistan abstained in the UN resolution condemning Moscow’s attack. Mr Khan has refused to leave quietly. Instead of facing a no-confidence vote that he would have almost certainly lost, he precipitated a political crisis by dissolving parliament. Pakistan’s judges now have the casting vote on the prime minister’s fate. At the other end of the flightpath is Sri Lanka’s hardline president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. he imposed a state of emergency to forestall a popular revolt. With four brothers in the cabinet, the Rajapaksas dominate Sri Lankan politics. Their supremacy is largely down to the damaging polarisation of the country along religious and ethnic lines after a bloody civil war. Mr Rajapaksa’s quixotic economic policies came unstuck when the

war in Ukraine sent energy and commodity prices soaring. There is little sign of rational measures to halt the downward spiral. South Asia’s biggest strongman is India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi. Like Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia, Mr Modi has remained neutral on the war – refusing to condemn Vladimir Putin and sidestepping US-led sanctions. Delhi is caught in a bind. Despite clashes along their shared border, India’s trade with China has set new records. While the past decade has seen India deepen security ties with the US to balance Beijing, Russia still provides about half of India’s arms imports. This dependence might explain why, when Indian students in Ukraine were being killed by Russian bombs, Mr Modi’s ministers blamed them for being in harm’s way. Mr Modi is quiet about his true intentions. This raises hopes in Moscow of Indian support, hopes in Beijing that Delhi might forsake Washington, and concerns in the west that India’s prime minister puts a premium on his nation’s immediate interests rather than aspirations to be a natural ally. This may heighten Mr Modi’s sense of India’s difference, and see him embrace greater self-reliance. This would be welcome if his nation’s economic performance had been helped by his policymaking. But his penchant for dramatic gestures has stymied India’s rise. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could shape the contours of a coming wider global struggle between autocracy and democracy. history might side with that perspective – but it seems a straw man argument in a region where the slide into rightwing, nationalist populism should be, right now, a bigger concern.

Why liberalism has few friends in Asia IN THE ASIAN REGION, THE LIBERAL WORLD ORDER BACKED BY THE UNITED STATES APPEARS TO BE FALLING APART. THE CREDIBILITY OF THE AMERICAN BELIEF THAT “LIBERAL PEOPLES” ARE ENTITLED TO DEAL WITH “OUTLAW” STATES THROUGH “FORCEFUL SANCTIONS AND EVEN … INTERVENTION” IS CRUMBLING. IN MANY PARTS OF ASIA, AMERICA IS NO LONGER COOL Lowy InstItutE john KEanE

nxieties about the fate of liberalism are everywhere rising, as Francis Fukuyama makes clear in his latest defence of ideals he once described as “the endpoint of mankind’s ideological evolution”. Discontent with liberalism’s double standards and political resistance to the wealth inequalities generated by liberal, pro-market governments are flourishing. A new form of strong-state despotism is spreading globally. And, contrary to Fukuyama’s claim that liberalism was until recently “the dominant organising principle of much of world politics”, careful examination shows that his “end of history” fable was never applicable to the Asian region, where for several reasons liberalism failed to prevail. Considered as an early 19th-century european word for describing and recommending a way of seeing the world and acting politically to decide who owns what and how rights-bearing people should be governed, liberalism was from the outset an expansionist imperial project that impacted heavily on the Asian region. Analysts of the liberal script have sometimes overlooked this. For instance, Karl Polanyi’s classic account of the 19thand early 20th-century rise and fall of liberalism, The Great Transformation (1944) contains only fleeting, one clause references to “the British and the Russians … competing with one another in Asia” and to the way “China was forced by invading armies to open her door to the foreigner”. The silence is odd, for truth is that european liberals vigorously promoted the acquisition and government of colonies. James Mill’s ruminations on India and his son J.S. Mill’s defence of imperialism as the bringer of progress and civilisation to historically backward peoples (“barbarians”) are just two of many recorded examples.

even though the region today is home to plenty of avowed liberals, liberal networks and foundations, the reputation of liberalism in Asia was permanently damaged by the violent predation unleashed by liberal imperialism. In Indonesia, for instance, Dutch liberals cheered on imperial rule against the “lower races”, with new taxes and laws imposed, battles fought, cruelties dispensed and local rebellions crushed underfoot. european liberalism’s old love of Leviathan stretching back all the way to Thomas hobbes proved infectious. After independence, the instruments of military rule it helped to build were bequeathed to post-colonial rulers, as in Burma and Pakistan. historically speaking, liberalism gave liberalism a bad name, for which eventually public apologies would be made for the hypocrisies, degradation, and violence it left behind. The damage inflicted on the peoples of Asia by liberal imperialism was not easily forgotten, and it produced backlashes and left behind a motley assortment of polities, none of them “liberal”, if by that is meant commitment to the first principle set out by John Rawls in A Theory of Justice that “each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive system of equal basic liberty compatible with a similar system for all”. The list is familiar: imperial “fascism from above” or “cool fascism” (the phrase coined by hasegawa Nyozekan) in Japan; murderous totalitarianism in Cambodia; a large crop of cruel secular or communist military dictatorships (South Korea, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia); corrupted monarchies (Thailand); a non-liberal, secular, democratic republic in India; and (as James Scott pointed out in The Art of Not Being Governed) communities in upland Southeast Asia who consciously opted out of state rule. New Zealand and Australia, both former white-dominated colonies, are said to be regional exceptions, but they are better described as settler social democracies founded on the large-scale murder and marginalisation of indigenous peoples. No model “liberal” political order

appeared out of the ashes of liberal imperialism. except the United States, a global empire that seized the moment, claiming to be “liberal” and the military and economic guarantor of what came to be called the “free world” and the “liberal order”. The past half century of neo-liberalism, as it is widely called in the Asian region, hasn’t helped the reputation and appeal of liberalism, though the story of liberalism’s historic deep attachment to possessive individualism (C.B. Macpherson) is complicated. The Malaysian anthropologist Aihwa Ong long ago pointed out that neo-liberalism has only been selectively and partially adopted, for instance in the form of state-regulated free trade zones, industrial parks, tourism enclaves and special economic zones geared to global markets. In Japan, Liberal Democratic Party Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s talk of a “new capitalism” geared not just to growth but to tempering markets and the redistribution of wealth conforms to this tradition. Nevertheless, wherever neo-liberal adventures happened, most notably in India, environmental despoliation and social inequality have resulted. The resulting pathologies have given life to the oppositional language and politics of democracy, usually at the expense of liberalism. Throughout the region democracy means clean running water, decent roads, electricity, and education. It means free and fair elections and the refusal of arbitrary power, wherever it is exercised. Many sentiments and forces feed the trend. Muslims of faith appalled by discrimination and genocide. Garment industry workers struggling to form trade unions. Believers in dharma tired of military rule. Citizens angered by the destruction of local habitats by corporate vandals. Young people yearning for digital freedoms. Small entrepreneurs, as in South Korea, shaving their heads in protest at the damage done by Covid-19 lockdowns. Liberalism has no special claim on any of this resistance. To call it “liberal” or to emphasise its affinities with “liberalism” is a misdescription of things.

There is more bad news for liberals. In geopolitical terms, in the Asian region, the liberal world order backed by the United States appears to be falling apart. The credibility of the American belief that “liberal peoples” are entitled to deal with “outlaw” states through “forceful sanctions and even … intervention” (as Rawls put it in Law of Peoples) is crumbling. In many parts of Asia, America is no longer cool. By contrast, 50 years ago, amid a senseless war that it lost, the United States, said to be the guardian of the international liberal order, struck an historic deal with China. The diplomatic reversal triggered expectations of “free market liberalism” and “liberal democracy” and (with the collapse of the Soviet empire) even “the end of history”. These conceited liberal expectations have been proven wrong. The whole region is now facing a resurgent new Chinese empire, an expansionist form of state capitalism whose one-party rulers self-confidently dismiss liberalism (zì yóu zhŭ yì) as a synonym for unbridled capitalism, destructive competition, decadent social morals and the erosion of family life. In its place, the rulers of China embrace a mixture of governing values, ranging from “Marxism, economic pragmatism, and Chinese traditional values” (Yan Xuetong) through to welfare reforms, expanded rights of education and talk of “ecological civilisation”. With a strong measure of humility, liberals everywhere must pay attention to this trend, not only because it serves as a reminder of the need to give account of their earlier wrongdoings, but also because this watershed, epochal development is powerfully going to decide the future of liberalism. John Keane is Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney and the WZB (Berlin). He was nominated for the 2021 Balzan and Holberg prizes, for outstanding global contributions to the human sciences. His latest book is The Shortest History of Democracy (Black Inc, 2022).

Thursday, 24 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

NEWS

corporate corner oGdCL unveils financial results for half year ended december 31, 2021 ISLAMABAD: The Board of Directors of Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) in its meeting held on 23rd February, 2022 at OGDCL Head Office, Islamabad announced the financial results for the half quarter ended 31st December, 2021 of fiscal year 202223. Net sales revenue clocked at Rs.151.163 billion translating to Profit after tax of Rs. 68.882 billion and earnings per share of Rs. 16.02. The Board of Directors announced an interim cash dividend for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 @ Rs. 2.00 per share i.e. 20 percent. This is in addition to interim dividend already paid @ Rs.1.75 per share i.e. 17.50 percent to its shareholders. The dividend will be paid to the shareholders whose names will appear in the Register of Members on March 08, 2022. During the period under review, the Company paid Rs. 36.288 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. pr

NuSt job fair connects graduating batches with prospective employers

ISLAMABAD: With a view to providing a rendezvous point for final-year students to present themselves to their prospective employers and enabling the latter to address their human resources needs, NUST Placement Office kicked off a two-day event – NUST Career Connect at the university’s Islamabad campus on Wednesday. Mr Hassan Farid, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pak Steel Re-rolling Mills, was the chief guest who, accompanied by Pro-Rector (RIC-NUST) Dr Rizwan Riaz, inaugurated Day One of the Job Fair. Over 90 firms from Defence, Manufacturing, IT, FMCG, and others, held interviews to recruit students from the disciplines of Engineering, IT, Biosciences, and Architecture. Some of the top organisations represented at the fair included Pak steel Re-Rolling Mills, Mughal steel, Atlas Honda, Careem, Dawlance, Defence housing authority, FF steel, HBL, L’Oreal, National Logistics Cell and Packages group to name a few. Mr Farid extolled NUST for presenting its dynamic student pool to the job market and appreciated the industry for turning out in an overwhelming number to hire students from the country's premier Engineering & Technology University. Around 1,900 students from NUST constituent Schools and Colleges located in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Risalpur availed the opportunity. On Day Two of the job fair, over 80 industries from an array of fields would conduct student interviews from the disciplines of Business, Accounting & Finance, Social Sciences, Management Sciences and Humanities. Notable industries that are likely to be represented include Airlift Technologies, Army Welfare Trust, Canteen Stores Department (CSD), Bank Al Habib, Graana.com, HBL, Hashi Group of Companies, Imarat Group, and PTCL to name a few. pr

Power suspension schedules for today 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 24th February, 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM, Trait, Gulshanabad, Major Masood Kayani, BB Shaheed, Rata, Race Course, Mangtal, Railway Colony, Bank Road-II, City Center, AFIC, CGH, Kashmir Road, Main Bazaar, Dhadial Express, Latifal, Dhadial City, Dhadial Rural Feeders, From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, NCI (Toba), Lilla Town, Ahmedabad, Safdar Shaheed, Sanghui, Nathwala Feeders, 132 KV Destro Grid Station, From 09:00 AM to 04:00 PM, Ahmadal, Dharnal, Khor, Mahfooz Shaheed, Kamrial, Galyal, Gharibwal, Pindi Gheep, Nika Kalan, New City, Kharpa, Toot Oil Field, Malwali, Soni, Lehtar Road, ISI, Tramri, Taxila, Hussainabad, Ahmednagar, Burhan, Khanabad, Munirabad, Lala Rukh, Shadi Khan, Mansar, Dina. 3 Rohtas Feeders , From 09:00 am to 05:00 pm, Dheerkot, Rangla, Chamankot, Minhasa Sohawa, Nimbal, Dana Express, Beirut Feeders and surroundings will remain off. 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. pr

Shafqat INauGuRateS SChooL meaL PRoGRamme IN ISLamabad SChooLS

INISTER for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood on Wednesday inaugurated “School Meal Programme” to provide free lunch meals to students of government educational institutions in Islamabad. Under the initiative, the government has started providing free lunch meals to 25,000 students of 100 schools on daily basis. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Quaid-e-Azam University Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, IBCC Secretary Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah and Federal Directorate of Education DG Dr Ikram Ali Malik. Speaking on the occasion, Shafqat

said that the free meals for students will be provided by the Allahwala Trust and thanked the private trust for helping the government in this regard. “Such institutions are a beacon for us. We will take this programme forward at the government level as well,” he said. “I had a meeting with the director of UNICEF and looked forward to launching the model across the country but faced budget restraints,” he added. He said that poverty is among several other reasons due to which many children do not go to school. “This is the first step wherein food will be provided to primary school children, and soon it will be introduced in all primary schools across Islamabad”, he maintained. news desk

The Bank of Punjab to invest PKR 2 billion in TPL REIT Fund

A signing ceremony was held at BOP’s Karachi office to announce BOP’s investment commitment in TPL REIT Fund. Present on the occasion were Mr. Zafar Masud (President & CEO, BOP), Mr. Farid Ahmed Khan (Group Chief – Corporate & Investment Banking, BOP), Mr. Ali Jameel (Director, TPL REIT Management Company Ltd.) and Mr. Ali Asgher (CEO, TPL REIT Management Company Ltd.) along with

other senior representatives of both organizations. With a commitment of PKR 2bn, BOP will be one of the largest local investors in the initial REIT fund size of PKR 18.75 billion. TPL REIT is the first and largest shariah compliant Development Impact REIT Fund in Pakistan and its eventual size is envisaged at US$500mn. BOP has actively worked with TPL group on several real estate trans-

actions which have culminated into this REIT structure. BOP has been a prominent player in the real estate sector of the country over the past year and has played an active role in all facets of this segment like low cost housing, developer finance as well as housing finance under Kamyab Pakistan. This investment opportunity represents an attractive proposition to diversify bank’s real estate portfolio and is a testament to BOP’s continuing efforts towards promoting new eras of real estate development in the country. TPL REIT Management Company is a 100% owned subsidiary of TPL Properties and was incorporated to undertake REIT management services. The Company is capitalizing on the real estate development and management expertise of its parent company, TPL Properties Limited and tapping into the gap in Pakistan’s real estate market by launching the first development impact REIT Fund. pr

Mr. Shazad G. Dada, President & CEO UBL (seated, 2nd right) and Mr. Muhammad Raza Fecto, CEO FECTO-BELARUS (seated, 2nd left) along with senior executives of both organizations at an MoU Signing Ceremony to promote farm mechanization. pr

LNG Industry Rebounds in 2021 amid Supply Constraints and Volatile Prices KARACHI: The global trade in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) increased 6% to 380 million tonnes during 2021 as many countries rebounded from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Shell’s latest annual LNG Outlook published today. Rising LNG demand, combined with supply constraints, caused gas and LNG prices to remain volatile throughout the year. Prices reached record levels in October 2021 as Europe, with historically low storage levels, struggled to secure LNG cargoes to meet expected winter gas demand. “Last year showed just how crucial gas and LNG are in providing communities around the world with energy they need as they strived to get back on track following the difficulties caused by the COVID19 pandemic.” said Wael Sawan, Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions Director at Shell. “As countries develop lower-carbon energy systems and pursue net-zero emissions goals, focusing on cleaner forms of gas and decarburization measures will help LNG to remain a reliable and flexible energy source for decades to come.” LNG exports grew in 2021 despite a number of unexpected outages that dented LNG available for delivery. The USA led export growth with a year-on-year increase of 24 million tons and is expected to become the world’s largest LNG exporter in 2022. China and South Korea led the growth in LNG demand in 2021. China increased its LNG imports by 12 million tons to 79 million tons, surpassing Japan to become the world’s largest LNG importer. Overall, global LNG demand is expected to cross 700 million tons a year by 2040, a 90% increase on 2021 demand. Asia is expected to consume the majority of this growth as domestic gas production declines, regional economies grow and LNG replaces higher-emissions energy sources, helping to tackle concerns over air quality and to help progress towards carbon emissions targets. LNG has a key role to play to further the use of renewable energy and as a backup in the event of intermittent supply. Brazil, for example, tripled imports of LNG during 2021 – to over 7 million tons – as persistent dry weather led to weaker hydropower generation. pr

IBA Karachi organizes Career Fair 2022 KARACHI pr

After a wait of two years owing to the pandemic, the IBA Career Fair 2022 was brought back on campus physically in all its splendor and glory by the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi at the Main Campus for its students to explore the job market. The Career Fair is held each year by the efforts of the IBA Alumni and Placement Society with the help of the management at the IBA Karachi, to help provide both corporate companies as well as emerging ventures with the chance to engage with the diverse community of the Institute. The organizers were able to revive

it with exponential zeal by bringing onboard 120+ companies and 50 career counselors. The companies that were in attendance this year were from a variety of industries including consumer goods, banking, e-commerce, software development, textile, food, and many more. At the inauguration of the Career Fair, Executive Director, IBA Karachi, Dr. S Akbar Zaidi stated, “Today we have witnessed the largest number of companies and students we have ever had which is empirical evidence of the quality of education offered at the IBA Karachi.” Additional Commissioner Karachi and IBA Alumnus, Syed Jawad Muzaffar, was also invited to speak on the scope of CSS in the opening ceremony

of the event. He proudly mentioned that Civil Services had nine successful

students from IBA this year belonging to different departments.

Thursday, 24 February, 2022 | KARACHI

10 FORIGEN NEWS

2020 Delhi riots, 1991 mass rapes of Kashmiri women a scar on worlD’s conscience: fo ISLAMAbAD

APP

AKISTAN on Wednesday said that the reprehensible incidents of Delhi Riots Pogrom of 2020 and mass rapes of Kashmiri women in Kunan and Poshpura villages of IIOJK in 1991 continued to be a scar on the collective conscience of the international community. “Today, we somberly observe the second anniversary of the horrific Delhi Riots Pogrom of 2020 and the 31st anniversary of the despicable mass rapes of Kashmiri women in Kunan and Poshpura villages of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1991. These reprehensible incidents continue to be a scar on the collective conscience of the international community,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a statement. He said the Delhi pogrom of February 2020 was one of the most harrowing manifestations of India’s systematic campaign to

discriminate against, dispossess and dehumanize the Muslim community. He said the repugnant calls of ‘shoot the traitors’ by senior BJP leaders during the protests against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) only revealed the depth of the state-sanctioned hysteria and hatred prevailing in India against the Muslims. The spokesperson said in the aftermath of these calls, targeted campaigns against Muslims aimed at discrediting their legitimate right to protest were launched, which resulted in the mass killings of Muslims and vandalization of their properties, businesses and heritage sites and sacrilege of their religious places. “Equally frightful is the grim memory of 23/24th February 1991, when Indian soldiers mercilessly raped more than 40 Kashmiri women in Kunan and Poshpura villages of the IIOJK. Ever since, the victims of Kunan-Poshpura mass rape are awaiting justice against Colonel K.S. Dalal, the main perpetrator, and his 125

associates of 4 Rajputana Rifles,” he remarked. He said for 31 years, the lack of account-

ability for the heinous act was a frightening example of the brazen impunity which defines India’s gruesome human rights viola-

China accuses US of ‘raising tensions and creating panic’ over Ukraine crisis MIAN AbrAr China on Wednesday accused the United States of ‘raising tensions and creating panic’ over the Ukraine crisis, shortly after Washington announced sanctions against Moscow and said it would continue to supply weapons to Ukraine against a Russian invasion. Beijing has trod a cautious line on Ukraine as Moscow has massed thousands of troops on the borders, and criticised the West for new sanctions after Russia ordered troops into two breakaway Ukrainian regions it now recognises as independent. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying rejected imposing unilateral sanctions on Russia and reiterated resolving the tensions with Ukraine

through dialogue and consultation. “Sanctions have never been an effective way to solve problems, and China has

always opposed unilateral sanctions,” Hua told a daily press conference when asked if China would join Western coun-

tries in sanctioning Russia over Ukraine. “As the culprit behind the escalated tension between Ukraine and Russia, what role does the U.S. play? What have they done? It is irresponsible and unethical to accuse others of ineffective firefighting while adding fuel to fire,” she argued. When talking about China’s role in the Ukraine-Russian crisis, Hua said Beijing has been calling for dialogue and negotiations. The U.S. has spread fear by consistently sending weapons to Ukraine, she said, contrasting with China’s call on countries and relevant parties to respect and pay attention to each other’s legitimate concerns, to solve the problem through negotiations, and to uphold regional peace and stability jointly.

Biden announces ‘first’ sanctions on Russia over Ukraine WASHINGTON AFP

US President Joe Biden late Tuesday announced sanctions against Russian banks and the country’s wealthy elite after what he said was Moscow’s launching of an invasion against Ukraine. “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Biden said in a televised speech at the White House. Biden stressed that the measures were only a “first tranche” in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin “carving out a big chunk of Ukraine.” Biden said that more sanctions will follow if Putin extends Russia’s military grip beyond two small territories in the eastern Donbas region that are already under

the control of Russian-backed separatists. Putin announced Monday that he has recognized the independence of both areas and said the Russian military would mount a so-called “peacekeeping” mission in the territories. “He’s setting up a rationale to go much further,” Biden said. The first round of sanctions targeted Russia’s sovereign debt, cutting “off Russia’s government from Western financing,” Biden said. Also targeted are two banks and specific members of the Russian “elites,” he added. Biden said the United States will continue to send “defensive” weapons to Ukraine’s military but underscored there was “still time” for diplomacy and “to avert the worst-case scenario.” Biden’s tough approach followed an initially more

hesitant US response to Putin’s recognition of the two rebel-held enclaves in Ukraine on Monday. For weeks, the United States and its allies have said that a full invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces massing on its ex-Soviet neighbour’s borders would trigger devastating economic sanctions. But with doubts continuing over Putin’s ultimate intentions after a speech he delivered Monday, it took hours for the Biden administration to shift to a harsher tone. Biden announced limited sanctions against the two separatist enclaves, which already have next to no dealings with the United States. And in the first public comments from the administration after Putin’s geopolitical bombshell, a US official said merely that “we are going to assess what Russia’s done.”

tions in the IIOJK. “The people of IIOJK would never forget this brutality by the Indian Occupation forces, the scars and trauma of which cannot be healed until the perpetrators are punished for their heinous crimes,” the spokesperson remarked. He called upon the international community, particularly the United Nations and relevant international human rights and humanitarian organizations to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic human rights violations against minorities, especially Muslims, and take immediate measures against the worrying trajectory of Islamophobia which can regress into a genocide anytime. “India must also be compelled to halt its state-sponsored terrorism in the IIOJK, immediately cease human rights violations, lift the inhuman military siege, and let the people of IIOJK exercise their right to self-determination as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” he added.

taiwan condemns russia over Ukraine TAIPEI AFP

Taiwan’s president on Wednesday condemned Russia for ordering troops into rebel-held regions in Ukraine, and claimed the crisis was being used to hurt morale on the island, which has long been claimed by China. Self-ruled democratic Taiwan has watched the Ukraine situation closely, as China asserts sovereignty over the island and has vowed to seize it one day — by force if necessary. Beijing has ramped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, as she rejects the stance that the island is Chinese territory. “Our government condemns Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty […] and urges all parties to continue to resolve the disputes through peaceful and rational means,” Tsai said. She described Taiwan and Ukraine as “fundamentally different in terms of geostrategy, geographical environment, and the importance of international supply chains,” referring to the island’s status as a major plank in the global economy, especially semiconductors. “However, in the face of external forces attempting to manipulate the situation in Ukraine and affect the morale in Taiwan’s society, all government units must be more vigilant against cognitive warfare.” Taiwan’s defence ministry said last year that China has launched a disinformation campaign aimed at seizing the island “without a fight”. Tsai on Wednesday also told national security and military units to remain vigilant and step up surveillance of military activities around Taiwan. The final quarter of 2021 saw a massive spike in incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone. Last year, Taiwan recorded 969 such incursions, according to a database compiled by AFP — more than double the roughly 380 in 2020. Beijing has trod a cautious line on Ukraine but also offered growing support to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two powers signed a joint statement this month, agreeing on multiple foreign policy goals including no further expansion of NATO and that Taiwan is an “inalienable part of China”.

The Inspirations of Beijing Winter Olympics for Inter-state Relations NEWS DESk Yi Xin

Among all foreign dignitaries that attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games,Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan stands out for being a sportsman himself before entering politics. But his high expectation for the Beijing Games not only comes from his passion for sports but also grows out of the ironclad bond between Pakistan and China. His visit to China shows his love and passion for sports as well as solidarity between the two countries. In Pakistan, people’s passion has been ignited by the Winter Games. The country has high mountains with great skiing slopes. The China-assisted Karakoram Highway links northern Pakistan to other parts of the country, making it convenient for people to explore winter sports in the north. Team Pakistan has also competed in the Beijing Winter Games,with athlete Muhammad Karim participating in the slalom event. The Olympic Games have the power of

bringing people together. As the curtain falls for Beijing 2022, people begin to relish the many moments that capture the essence of the Games. In many ways, what happened at the Winter Games may well serve as a microcosm for inter-state relations. Our world would certainly be a better place if countries could learn a thing or two from their athletes. Lifting all together rather than a zerosum game We are inspired by the sportsmanship frequently on display during the games – pure joy and elation for other competitors’ excellent performance. These moments go beyond the competition and exhibit what the Olympics truly is: not a zero-sum game to take other athletes down but really to become one’s better self. This holds some truth for state-to-state relations. Keeping others from catching up economically, militarily, technologically is not as good as bettering oneself to stay ahead of the curve. In this age of globalization, countries’ interests are intertwined, and small steps forward in one part of the world

may bring a big step forward for all humanity. China and Pakistan set good examples in this regard. Despite the vast differences in history, culture and national circumstances, our two countries have stood with each other not only in times of peace and prosperity but also in the face of rising challenges. It is a relationship characterized by unwavering mutual support, mutual trust and mutual respect, come rain or shine. The gathering of athletes from throughout the world provides an opportunity for understanding, respect and friendship without concern for national, cultural or racial differences. When the Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, a two-time Olympic champion, failed to land the impossibly difficult quadruple axel, or “4A” during his performance, he earned applause from the spectators both on the venue and across the world. Such open-mindedness and respect is more needed at a time when information cocoons are making people increasingly parochial. To be known, to be heard, to be

seen as equal and worthy – these are shared desires even in international politics. World affairs should be discussed and decided by countries working together. This is the basic tenet of multilateralism. Despite the raging pandemic, the Beijing Winter Games has been hosted as scheduled, which in itself is a remarkable demonstration of global togetherness, as suggested by the Olympic motto. The Organizing Committee could not have put together such successful Games without the strong support of all participating teams, the IOC, the World Health Organization and many other international organizations. Such cooperation in itself is a boost to multilateral diplomacy. Its positive spillovers will go a long way in enhancing global solidarity as humanity battles a myriad of challenges, from the coronavirus to climate change and to terrorism. In many ways, the global village we live in is not unlike the Olympic Village for athletes. As IOC President Thomas Bach said at the opening ceremony, “it is possible to be

fierce rivals, while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together.” This message should not be lost on politicians and decision-makers anywhere in the world. As the Beijing Winter Games draw to an end,the enduring value of the Olympic Games cannot be measured in gold, silver or bronze. Rather, they are found in the brotherhood of athletes,who gathered in Beijing from the ends of the Earth in pursuit of excellence. We should not let the heartwarming moments pass,but instead embrace the power of sport to connect us all. Prior to the opening of the Beijing Games, some Pakistani teenage students created short videos to wish the success of Beijing 2022. This is just one small example of this Winter Olympic acting as a unifying force between countries. In a fractured world, we need more spirit of solidarity, just like that between China and Pakistan, to pursue a shared, better future of mankind. The author is a Beijing-based observer of international affairs.

thursday, 24 February, 2022 | ISLAMABAD

AustrAliA’s interim coAch sAys ‘Aussies wAtching Psl mAtches to understAnd PAkistAn’s gAme’

News Desk

strategy, keeping Pakistan’s training pitches and grass pitches in mind,” he said. Shedding light on the performance of the players, he told the media that bowling pressure on all-rounder +Cameron Green would increase in Pakistan. Meanwhile, batters Usman Khawaja and David Warner will be among the toporder during the series. Replying to questions regarding Pakistan team, the interim coach said one cannot predict about Pakistan team. “It is difficult to say whether Pakistan’s team playing on the home ground is different or the team playing in the UAE,” he said. McDonalds was of the view that Pakistan has some very good fast bowlers and especially mentioned Shaheen Shah Afridi, stating that his performance is constantly improving.

HE Australian cricket team is watching matches of the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) ahead of their tour to Pakistan next month in order to understand the game of the Men in Green, Aussies interim coach Andrew McDonald revealed Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, McDonald said that the Aussies have completed all their preparations before leaving for Pakistan. “Our squad is balanced,” he said, adding that keeping in view the conditions of the pitches we have options. The interim coach reiterated that it is a well-known fact the Australian team faces difficulties while playing in the sub-continent. “We have worked on foundational

HBL PSL 7: Will Shadab Khan return to field for United vs Zalmi match tomorrow? News Desk Islamabad United’s skipper Shadab Khan has recovered from his groin injury and is likely to play the playoff match of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) seventh edition tomorrow (Thursday). No official announcement, however, over his participation has been made yet. The all-rounder stayed outside the field during the last two matches against Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans — and the team lost both matches. The 23-year-old had picked up a groin injury in the game against Karachi Kings on February 14. During his absence, agressive batter Asif Ali led the team. Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United, who finished at the third and fourth spot on the points table, respectively, will be up against each other in eliminator 1 at the Gaddafi Stadium on February 24. The franchise welcomed the skipper and said that Shadab is feeling better and has returned to training. “Extensive work has been going on behind the scenes on his rehab,” the franchise wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, it is also worth mentioning that Zeehan Zameer will remain unavailable in tomorrow’s “do-or-die” clash due to his side injury. Meanwhile, Colin Munro’s status is unknown as the international player is still facing fitness issues. Fahim Ashraf and Hasan Ali are still recovering. However, their availability for tomorrow’s match is also unknown. If Islamabad loses the match against Zalmi tomorrow they will be out of the tournament; however, if they defeat Yellow Storm they will then take on the losing side from the Qualifier — Multan Sultans or Lahore Qalandars.

New captain Rohit happy to groom India’s future leaders New DeLHI AFP

Rohit Sharma said Wednesday he was happy to help train possible successors following his recent appointment as India’s cricket captain across all formats in place of Virat

Kohli. The star batsman was named Test captain on Saturday — he was already white-ball skipper — but since he will turn 35 in April, pundits do not expect his tenure to be a long one. India’s cricket board has identified three possible candidates all in their 20s to follow him eventually — Jasprit

CMYK

Bumrah, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. “I won’t have that much of a role of telling them each and everything, obviously they are all mature cricketers but someone needs to be around them to help and guide them in difficult situations and (I am) more than happy to do that,” Rohit told his first press conference after taking over the Test job. “We were groomed by someone else, so it’s a natural process. If you talk of Bumrah, KL, Pant, they have a big role to play in India’s success at the same time they are looked upon as leaders as well.” India’s pace spearhead Bumrah, 28, has been appointed vice-captain in the upcoming series of three T20s and two Tests at home to Sri Lanka beginning Thursday. KL Rahul, 29, who captained the ODI team in South Africa in January, remained unavailable due to injury. The 24-year-old Pant, a wicketkeeper-batsman who leads Indian Premier League team Delhi Capitals, has also been earmarked as a future captain by pundits including batting great Sunil Gavaskar. “Again we don’t want to put pressure on these guys,” Rohit said. “They are very critical to us and at the moment we just want them to enjoy their game, come out freely and execute (their) skills.” On Bumrah’s elevation to the deputy’s job in T20 and Tests, Rohit said the role would only add to his promise as a lethal fast bowler — with 113 Test wickets since his 2018 debut. “It doesn’t really matter too much if it’s a batter or bowler as the vice-captain, it’s the mind that matters of that individual. And I think Jasprit Bumrah has a great mind of the game,” Rohit said. “It’s a good way to step into the leadership role now. Obviously, he has taken his game to the next level and I am sure he will continue to do that even further. But this is only going to add and get him more confident in whatever he wants to do on the field.” Bumrah was named vice-captain for the first time in the ODI series in South Africa earlier this year.

SPoRtS 11

Alex hales returns to hBl Psl after withdrawal News Desk

Islamabad United’s opening batter Alex Hales on Wednesday made a surprise return to the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) to help his side progress to the final of the tournament. According to reports, Hales will be available for selection for Thursday’s eliminator match against Peshawar Zalmi. He had left the event just over a week ago, citing bubble fatigue as the main reason for his withdrawal. The availability of Hales will give a major boost to Islamabad United as the team has been facing fitness issues. Hales had played seven games for Islamabad United this season and scored 255 runs at an average of 42.50, smashing two halfcenturies.

multan sultans’ tim david tests positive for covid-19: report News Desk Multan Sultans all-rounder Tim David has tested positive for Covid-19, Geo News reported on Wednesday. According to the report, David’s test returned positive during a routine PCR testing. However, the team management has neither confirmed nor denied the news. David has been one of Multan Sultans top-performing players throughout the seventh edition of the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL). Earlier on Tuesday, Peshawar Zalmi players Ben Cutting, Usman Qadir, and Sohail Khan had tested positive for Covid-19. Other than the three players, support staff member and former cricketer Hashim Amla was also tested positive for Covid-19.

nadal wins Acapulco opener in first match since slam title New YORk AFP

Rafael Nadal made a triumphant return to the ATP Tour on Tuesday, winning his first tournament match since capturing the Australian Open title to reach the second round of the Mexican Open. The 35-year-old Spanish left-hander defeated US lucky loser Dennis Kudla 6-3, 6-2 to book a date with another American who advanced in a similar fashion, Nadal practice partner Stefan Kozlov, in the last 16. Nadal won his men’s record 21st Grand Slam title at last month’s Australian Open, breaking the career mark he had shared with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. World number five Nadal broke 100th-ranked Kudla in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead and held from there to claim the first set of their first career meeting. When Kudla sent a forehand long to surrender the first break of the second set, Nadal seized a 2-1 lead and held at love to 3-1. Nadal broke again for a 4-1 edge and held twice more, claiming the victory on a forehand winner after one hour and 16 minutes. Nadal fired eight aces and won 36 of 40 points on his serve in the dominating outing. The Spaniard seeks his 91st career ATP title and third of the year, having also won a Slam tuneup tournament at Melbourne. Russian top seed Daniil Medvedev, the reigning US Open champion whom Nadal rallied to beat in five sets in the Australian Open final, began his Acapulco run with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Thursday, 24 February, 2022

prayer timings

NEWS

PAkISTAN vALueS ITS reLATIoNS wITH eu CouNTrIeS: CoAS GeNerAL BAjwA ISLAMABAD

staff report

HIEF of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa Wednesday said that Pakistan values its relations with EU countries and we earnestly look forward to enhance mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interest. He expressed these views during a meeting with Mr Eamon Gilmore, European Union (EU) Special Representative

for Human Rights who called on the COAS here at the GHQ. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, overall regional security situation including Afghanistan humanitarian situation and bilateral diplomatic relations with EU were discussed. The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s sincere efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region and pledged to play his role for further improvements in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.

Three PTI MPs offered bribe to support no-trust vote: Fawad

Security forces kill ten ‘externally sponsored terrorists’ during an IBO in Hoshab, Balochistan

ISLAMABAD

staff report

At least three legislators of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were offered cash in return for their support to the crucial confidence motion proposed against the prime minister by the opposition alliance, Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry claimed. But Chaudhry neither disclosed their identities nor revealed who made the offer to the MPs who included a minority parliamentarian and a female legislator. Earlier this month, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced the alliance of major opposition parties had decided to move a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan and would contact the government’s allies in the Centre for this purpose. “All parties in the PDM have agreed on bringing a no-confidence motion against these illegitimate rulers and contacting the government’s allies in this regard,” he had told the media. Last Thursday, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz said the motion is “a risk worth taking” since the prime minister was “on his last legs”. She was responding to a question if PMLN president Shehbaz Sharif would resign from his position if the “no-confidence gamble” failed. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairmen Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had also met Sharif and Nawaz earlier this month in Lahore and agreed to leave their differences behind for the “common cause” of sending Khan home. Chaudhry, who was talking to media in Islamabad, said the trio of MPs was offered money to favour the vote in what he termed as “a shameful instance.” He dared the opposition to table the no-trust motion within 24 hours as he dubbed Zardari and Sharif the “two big traders”, accusing them of meeting to discuss the “contributions they would make for horse-trading”. He further said a meeting of the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) in Islamabad expressed complete confidence in the leadership of Khan. The meeting was called by the prime minister to take the parliamentary party into confidence about his Russia visit. The meeting appreciated the independent foreign policy being pursued by the government. Chaudhry said Khan, in an interview with Russian state-owned RT television, made it clear that Pakistan will not become part of any political bloc.

Security forces Wednesday killed ten ‘externally sponsored’ terrorists during an Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) launched in Hoshab, Balochistan. “On 23 February 2022, based on information of presence of Terrorists’ Camp and Hideout in general area Hoshab, Balochistan, Security Forces conducted an operation to apprehend

externally sponsored enemies of peace in Balochistan,” said a statement issued by the ISPR. “Once the troops started cordoning the area, Terrorists tried to flee their hideout and opened indiscriminate fire whereby, a heavy exchange of fire ensued. Resultantly, 10 Terrorists including terrorist Comd Master Asif alias Mukesh, killed in exchange of fire,” says the handout. “These Terrorists were involved

in recent firing and attack on security forces incidents in Turbat and Pasni areas. In addition, a huge cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered which was planned for use against security forces,” the statement said. “Operations to eliminate perpetrators of terrorist acts will continue and they will not be allowed to sabotage peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the statement concluded.

OGRA chairman hints at another price hike in petroleum products Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman on Wednesday signalled another hike in the prices of petroleum products from March 1, 2022 owing to unprecedented increase in oil prices in the global oil market and value depreciation of rupee against the dollar. OGRA chairman Masroor Khan while speaking in a meeting of the National Assembly (NA) standing committee on petroleum hinted at another oil price hike from March 1, 2022. He said that the price of oil has increased unprecedentedly in the last twelve weeks. He said the value of the rupee has been decreasing against the US dollar. The masses will bear the additional burden of rise in oil prices, said OGRA chairman. Responding to a question of MNA Khurram Dastgir, chairman OGRA said that there was no change in the oil price formula while Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) has expressed fear regarding hike in the price of diesel. Present on the occasion, secretary petroleum Ali Raza Bhutta informed the NA standing committee that import of two LNG cargoes for the month of March 2022 have been cancelled while only one LNG cargo for

the March has so far been arranged at high price. “One LNG cargo is arranged while the second cargo could not be arranged so far,” said secretary petroleum. The petroleum secretary also informed that construction of a gas pipeline will start soon as dialogue with Russia has been completed in this regard. He also said that two new companies are going to install LNG terminals and these two companies have been allotted land on the port for installation of the LNG terminals. Both companies have fulfilled licence conditions, said secretary petroleum. Officials of the petroleum division while briefing the NA stand-

ing committee informed that one LNG cargo has been arranged at $25 rate through spot purchase. Barjees Tahir, MNA, said that they were participating in the committee meeting for the last three years but so far no action was reported regarding gas schemes. He said that a project started some three years ago was still pending. Officials of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) said that the government has imposed a ban on old and new gas schemes. Secretary petroleum informed the NA standing committee that the government has been mulling to lift the ban on gas schemes. ahmad ahmadani

FAJR SUNRISE

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IHC orders FIA not to make arrests under Section 20 of Peca ordinance The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) not to make arrests under Section 20 of the recently promulgated Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Act Ordinance 2022. The IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah ordered while hearing a petition filed by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) against the ordinance on Tuesday. It is pertinent to note that President Dr Arif Alvi had promulgated the ordinance on Sunday to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca). Under the ordinance, online defamation was made a non-bailable, cognisable offence and the jail term for defamation was increased from three years to five years. The ambit of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was also broadened. The word “natural” was omitted from Section 20 of the ordinance, which was previously titled “offences against the dignity of natural person”. After the amendment, the definition of a “person” was expanded to include any company, association or body of persons whether incorporated or not, institution, organisation, authority or any other body established by the government under any law or otherwise. During the hearing today, the IHC chief justice remarked that the FIA had already submitted a document of its standard operating procedures (SOPs) to the court, stipulating that no arrests will be made under section 20 of the ordinance. “In case of violation of the SOPs, director general FIA and home secretary will be responsible,” the court observed. The FIA had submitted its SOPs to the court in July last year after the IHC had sought a report from the agency to stop misuse of the cybercrimes law. Justice Minallah remarked that even countries such as Zimbabwe and Uganda were also removing defamation from their criminal law. Earlier, PFUJ’s counsel Adil Aziz Qazi informed the court that the Senate session was adjourned on Feb 17 while the National Assembly session was scheduled a day after it. “However, the session of the lower house of the parliament was called off abruptly to pave the way for the promulgation of the Peca ordinance.” The chief justice inquired about the sections of the Act that had been amended. The PFUJ counsel replied that the scope of section 20 had been broadened, increasing the jail term for defaming any person or institution from three years to five years. After hearing the arguments, the court issued a notice to the attorney general, seeking a response from him on Thursday. The PFUJ had challenged the ordinance on Tuesday in which the president and the federation of Pakistan through the secretaries of the law and information ministries were made respondents. The petition stated that the respondents tried to “sneak amendments to existing laws at the eleventh hour” despite the fact that the upper house of Parliament was in session a day before the ordinance was promulgated. “It appears that the respondents had already prepared the draft of the ordinance and were waiting for the ongoing session to expire in order to avoid the due process of legislation,” the petition reads. The PFUJ said that the ordinance was promulgated without passing the “necessary tests imposed under the Constitution of Pakistan for legislation through the mode and manner of ordinances”, adding that the promulgation was based on “malice”. news desk

PML-N to move court against Peca ordinance LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided to challenge the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance, 2022, in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The party has prepared the petition seeking withdrawal of the laws which it insists are targeting the press and freedom of expression. It states the ordinance is a violation of fundamental human rights and the party rejects the recent amendments in the laws it introduced in 2016. Earlier, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) challenged the act in the high court and said the Constitution allowed everyone to exercise the right to freedom of expression. staff report

PM Imran lands in Moscow on historic two-day visit Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday evening arrived in Russian Capital Moscow to on a two-day official visit to push for the construction of a long-delayed, multi-billiondollar gas pipeline to be built in collaboration with Russian companies, an official said. Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Mr. Igor Morgulov greeted the Prime Minister and the Pakistani delegation at the airport. The prime minister would meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss issues including economic cooperation comes hours after a number of Western nations hit Russia with new sanctions for its military deployment into parts of eastern Ukraine. “Both countries are eager to launch the project at the earliest,” Pakistan’s energy ministry spokesman told Reuters about the

Pakistan Stream gas pipeline. He confirmed that Energy Minister Hammad Azhar is accompanying the PM on the visit. The Prime Minister’s Office also confirmed that Azhar was accompanying the premier alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar, Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood, National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf and MNA Amir Mahmood Kiani. In an interview ahead of his trip, PM Imran had expressed concern about the situation in Ukraine and the possibility of new sanctions and their effect on Islamabad’s budding cooperation with Moscow. It is unclear how the latest sanctions will

affect the project, which would deliver imported Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) from Karachi to power plants in Punjab. The project is important for Pakistan — particularly the power sector — as the country’s dependence on imported LNG grows in the face of dwindling indigenous gas supplies. The pipeline project has already suffered delays because of earlier sanctions. “This North-South pipeline suffered, one of the reasons … was the companies we were negotiating with, turned out that US had applied sanctions on them,” PM Imran told Russia Today on Tuesday. “So, the problem was to get a company that wasn’t sanctioned,” he said of the project. PAkistAn-RussiA cOLLAbORAtiOn On PiPELinE PROjEct: In

2015, Russia and Pakistan agreed in principle to build a 1,100 km-long pipeline to deliver imported LNG from Karachi to power plants in Punjab. The pipeline’s designed annual capacity stands at 12.4 billion cubic metres (bcm), with the possibility to be increased to 16bcm. The cost will require investments of between $1.5bn, according to Russia, to as much as $3.5bn, estimated by Pakistan, with 26 per cent of it to be financed by Moscow and the remaining 74pc by Islamabad. The project was to be launched in 2020, but Russia had to replace the initial participant after the company was hit by western sanctions not related to the Pakistan Stream project. Currently the pipeline, a rare example of

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Russian participation without state gas company Gazprom, involves the Eurasian Pipeline Consortium, steel pipe maker TMK, which produces steel pipelines for the energy sector, and Operational Services Centre run by the Russian Energy Ministry. Russian shareholders expect to return their investments from gas shipping fees. Currently, feasibility studies are taking place on the project but there is no firm date set for the launch. According to Russian media reports, shareholder agreement for the Pakistan Stream should be signed this month. On May 28, 2021, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov and Pakistan’s ambassador in Moscow Shafqat Ali Khan signed an agreement on behalf of their countries to build the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline. staff report