Friday, 1 January, 2021 I 16 Jumada Al-Awwal, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 183 I 12 Pages I Karachi Edition
PM extends fixed tax regiMe for construction sector till end 2021
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
P
RIME Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced that the fixed tax regime for the construction sector that was introduced earlier this year had been extended to Dec 31, 2021. “I want to give [the construction sector] good news for the new year. We have extended the fixed tax regime to Dec 31, 2021,” the PM said during a live address to the nation, adding that the “extra year” had been given in view of the construction industry’s demand. According to a report compiled by Dawn, the premier also announced that “projects worth Rs186 billion have been registered with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) under incentives given for construction in April”. “The projects that are in the process of registration amount to Rs116bn. We believe that the economic activity that this will generate will be equivalent to Rs1,500bn in Pun-
jab alone, and will result in 250,000 jobs. Similar projects have also been started in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Karachi and Balochistan,” he added. Talking about the incentives his government had given so far, the premier said: “We gave packages for low-cost housing for salaried people who were unable to afford houses [previously]. Its first success was the foreclosure law. For the first time in Pakistan, banks are financing houses. Banks have vowed to allocate Rs378bn for construction activity till Dec 31, 2021. “The subsidy we have given for low-cost housing [will remain in place]. The interest rate will not be more than five per cent on houses of five marlas and the interest rate for houses of 10 marlas will not be more than 7pc. For the first 100,000 houses that will be built [under this scheme], we have decided to give Rs300,000 per house. “Our government decided to give subsidies of Rs30bn for low-cost housing,” he added in reference to the package announced in July for the Naya Pakistan Hous-
coronavirus in
Pakistan
CONFIRMED CASES:
479,715
LAST UPDATED AT 8:01 AM ON DECEMBER 31, 2020
DAY'S DEATH TOLL:
55
RECOVERED:
NEW CASES:
2,155 DEATHS:
435,073 10,105 SINDH:
PUNJAB:
214,425
137,949
KP:
BALOCHISTAN:
AJK/GB:
ISLAMABAD:
58,379
18,148
8,256/4,856 37,702
ing Project (NPHP) so that people could build their dream house at an affordable cost. The prime minister also extended other exemptions, including the exemption from Section 111 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 for builders which empowered tax authorities to inquire about the sources of a person’s assets or cash. “We have extended that to June 30, 2021.” “[The deadline for ] projects that were due to be completed by Sept 30, 2023, has been extended for another year. We have also extended the exemption for [the law that requires] buyers to disclose sources of income to March 31, 2023.” The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the process of housing finance in the country, saying “it took us a lot of time to get a positive verdict on the foreclosure law from the courts but for the first time in Pakistan, the segment [of society] that could not afford to buy houses have gotten the opportunity [to have their own homes].” I am very happy that banks are “far ahead in house financing”, he said. He further said the construction industry faced trouble in taking advantage of the government’s incentives earlier because the “coronavirus was its peak and implementation took time”. This created the demand to extend those incentives, he explained. “By opening the construction [industry] early, we avoided the negative impact [of coronavirus] on our economy. Pakistan suffered [losses] in the service industry but by opening construction, we fared a lot better than other countries.” He said this was the “first government to raise industries” after the 1960s and it would lead to “wealth creation, loan repayment and giving livelihood to Pakistan’s young population”. He also vowed to “fully back” the sector in the future and remove obstacles and red tape.
Govt approves Rs2.31 petrol price hike against OGRA's proposal of Rs10.68 ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday approved an increase of Rs2.31 and Rs1.80 in the prices of petrol and diesel, respectively, contrary to Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority's (OGRA) recommendation of Rs10.68 and Rs8.37. "While considering relief for the people, Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the minimum possible increase in prices of petroleum products against Ogra's recommendations," a Prime Minister's Office (PMO) press release said. OGRA had proposed an increase of Rs10.68 in petrol price and Rs8.37 in diesel price but the prime minister rejected the proposal in the public interest. Similarly, OGRA had proposed an increase of kerosene oil price by Rs10.92 and light diesel oil (LDO) by Rs14.87 which the prime minister reduced to Rs3.36 and Rs3.95 respectively. Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles,
Pakistan to purchase 1.2m Covid-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm, a minister said on Thursday, the first official confirmation of a vaccine purchase by the South Asian country as it battles the second wave of infections. China approved a Covid19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm on Thursday, its first approved shot for general public use. “The Cabinet Committee has decided to initially purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinopharm, which will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in the first quarter of 2021,” Pakistani Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Twitter. The minister told Reuters the purchase would be of the vaccine candidate developed by Sinopharm’s Beijing Institute of Biological Products. Sinopharm has another candidate, developed by the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products, which is also in phase III trials.
Pakistan earlier this month approved $150 million to buy Covid-19 vaccines, initially to cover the most vulnerable 5 per cent of the population, but did not announce which one it would procure, saying it could tap more than one source. “If the private sector wants to import any other internationally-approved vaccine, it can,” Hussain said on Thursday. The country of 220 million is in the midst of another spate of infections, with 58 deaths on Wednesday taking its death toll past 10,000. It also reported 2,475 new infections, taking the total to 479,715. Pakistan is currently running phase III clinical trials for
CanSino Biologics’ vaccine candidate, Ad5-nCoV, led by the government-run National Institute of Health. Hassan Abbas of AJ Pharma, CanSino’s local representative, told Reuters on Wednesday that recruitment for the trial will be completed in 10 days. “Preliminary results will be shared 4 or 5 days after recruitment is completed, and these will include the efficacy of the vaccine,” Abbas said, adding that thus far there have been no serious side effects. AJ Pharma is one of five companies that have applied for a license to distribute the vaccine in Pakistan once approved, he added.
NCOC announces vaccination centres at public healthcare centres ISLAMABAD: After the federal cabinet authorised the procurement of coronavirus vaccines from a Chinese company, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was informed on Thursday that vaccine administration cells would be established in all district and tehsil headquarter (THQ) hospitals, as well as regional health centres, to ensure that immunisation was conducted at the grassroots level. A cabinet committee on Thursday authorised the procurement of over one million coronavirus drops to cover frontline healthcare workers. STAFF REPORT CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
rickshaws and two-wheelers, while the high-speed diesel (HSD) is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers, and so on, while LDO is consumed by flour mills and a couple of power plants. Earlier, the Ministry of Finance on December 15 had announced prices of petroleum products for the remaining days of the month. At present, petrol is available at Rs103.69/litre, HSD at Rs108.44/litre, kerosene oil Rs70.29/litre and LDO at Rs67.86/litre in the open market. After the changes take effect, petrol will be available at the new rate of Rs106 per litre while diesel will be sold for Rs110.24 per litre. The new prices will take effect from January 1, 2021. Meanwhile, the new price of kerosene oil is Rs73.65 per litre and light diesel oil will be available for Rs71.81. The new prices are applicable from midnight tonight till January 15.
more inside
CJP to hear Karak temple attack case on Tuesday; 31 arrested STORY ON PAGE 03
3 more extrajudicial killings in IOK; Pakistan renews call for independent probe STORY ON BACK PAGE
Pakistan, China reaffirm commitment to regional peace STORY ON PAGE 02
Pakistan highlights massive HR abuses in IOK at UN: Akram STORY ON PAGE 02
02
Friday, 1 January, 2021
NEWS
PAkiStAN, ChiNA reAFFirm CommitmeNt to regioNAl PeACe ISLAMABAD
F
STAFF REPORT
OREIGN Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday reaffirmed the commitment of their countries to collaborate for peace and stability in the region. During a telephonic conversation, FM Qureshi said that India’s Hindutva policies are a threat to regional peace. Matters of mutual interest, bilateral ties, Afghan peace process, Covid-19 vaccine and other issues came under discussion during the telephone call. Qureshi said that Pakistan will continue to support the “One China Policy”. He also greeted his Chinese counterpart on the eve of the new year. Meanwhile, the second meeting of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Joint Working Group on
International Cooperation and Coordination was held in Urumqi, China. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood and Chinese Vice-Foreign Minister Luo Zhaouhi. The meeting reviewed the progress of the JWG since its inaugural meeting held on 9 April 2019 in Beijing. The foreign secretary underscored that the CPEC is a transformational project and has opened up significant and far-reaching economic opportunities for Pakistan. “There is complete national consensus on CPEC’s indispensability for our national development efforts. In the first phase of CPEC, we have made major advancement in the domain of energy and infrastructure,” he said. The foreign secretary said that the CPEC has entered its second phase with vigorous focus on industrialisation, agriculture and socio-economic development. Pakistan hopes that the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) being
developed under CPEC will rejuvenate Pakistan’s process of industrialisation and further spur economic development, he added. He reaffirmed the government’s resolve to complete CPEC projects in a timely manner. the foreign secretary hoped that the 10th JCC, to be held in the near future, will help create more economic opportunities and contribute to further expansion of CPEC projects. He reiterated that Pakistan would welcome relocation of industry from China and in that regard was instituting a regime to encourage inflow of Chinese investments to Pakistan. Qureshi highlighted efforts made by the Pakistan government, think-tanks, academia, and the media to promote a factual, objective, and coherent view of the CPEC projects carefully and transparently designed through mutual consultations. He particularly underlined that there was a need for the international community to
NAB gets more time to file reference against former Sindh minister
comprehensively and objectively analyse the impact of CPEC on Pakistan and the regional economy. Emphasising that CPEC was a fiscally responsible project, he reiterated that both sides will welcome third party participation in CPEC projects through mutual consultations. It was reaffirmed in the meeting that China and Pakistan will continue to work closely to promote CPEC’s positive contributions and would encourage think-tanks, media and opinionmakers to understand and examine it as a case-study for international cooperation, economic development, and people-topeople exchanges. The foreign secretary also welcomed efforts of academia community and policy experts to enhance sharing of best practices and experience in CPEC and BRI development through greater international communication and cooperation. The next round of JWG will be held in 2021 on mutually agreed dates.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday extended interim bail granted to former Sindh minister Jam Khan Shoro and others till February 4 in a case pertaining to the allegedly illegal allotment of 19 plots of the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) said to be worth Rs1 billion. A two-judge bench of the SHC was hearing the case wherein the accused appeared before the court. During the hearing, a NAB prosecutor requested the court to grant the bureau some more time to complete its inquiry. Accepting the request, the court directed the watchdog to file a reference at the earliest. Shoro is facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of his income and is also accused of illegally allotting state land for a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station in Hyderabad’s area of Qasimabad. According to the NAB, the allotment of land cost the national exchequer a sum of Rs180 million.
School exams in Punjab on Feb 1
Shafqat for early constitution of internal audit policy board
LAHORE STAFF REPORT
The Punjab government has decided to hold December examinations in all government schools across Punjab on February 1. In November, the country shut its schools and postponed exams to try to curb new coronavirus infections and a rise in the number of people in hospital with Covid-19. In a meeting of the Punjab School Education Department Thursday, it was decided the department will conduct objective-type papers for students while the annual exams are expected to be held at the end of April. The provincial school education department will also provide online training to teachers. As per the policy introduced by the provincial government, the department will be promoting students in the next class on the basis of 50 per cent marks homework and 50 per cent examination marks.
ISLAMABAD TLTP
Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood has directed the Finance Division to complete the consultative process and constitute the Internal Audit Policy Board as early as possible. Mahmood said this while presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms (CCIR) on Thursday. The minister said that with the enforcement of this Public Finance Management Act 2019, many financial issues of the respective ministries will be addressed at initial stages and the efficiency and good governance of the ministries will improve many times. The committee exhaustively deliberated on Public Finance Management Act 2019. According to this act, every ministry/ division will have a chief finance and accounts officer (CFAO) to assist and work under the principal accounting officer of the respective ministry/division. This act will strengthen the financial powers of the principal accounting officer of the ministry/division. Under this act, for the first time, chief internal auditors (CIA) will be introduced in the ministries/ divisions who will evaluate all the transactions of the respective ministry/division. It will also point out the weak areas to the principal accounting officer before the external audit initiates. The meeting was also attended by SAPM on petroleum, auditor general of Pakistan, controller general of accounts, deputy chairman Planning Commission, secretary establishment, secretary finance, special secretary Cabinet Division and joint secretary (Institutional Reforms Cell) Prime Minister's Office. The meeting was adjourned till next Thursday.
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
LAHORE: The sun descends for the last time in a year filled with difficulties and sorrow, making way for a hopeful dawn. ZUBAIR MEHFOOZ
NAB secures 14-day remand of Asif LAHORE STAFF REPORT
An accountability in Lahore on Thursday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) fourteen-day remand of former minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif. The anti-graft body arrested Asif from Islamabad on Tuesday after he failed to provide required evidence in an inquiry pertaining to being in possession of assets beyond his declared sources of income. A day earlier, an accountability court in Islamabad handed him to the bureau on one-day remand for him to be transferred to Lahore where the case will be heard. During the proceedings, the NAB prosecutor informed the court that the former minister was facing charges of accumulating assets beyond known sources of income. Asif had amassed wealth in the names of his wife and children as
well, the prosecutor said, adding that initially worth Rs5.1 million in the early '90s, the assets ballooned to Rs812.1m in 2020. The prosecutor told the court that the PML-N leader had not disclosed the means through which he accumulated these assets and requested physical remand of Asif so that the investigation against him could be completed. However, the defense counsel objected to the request, maintaining that the case against his client was “baseless” and “false”. Asif alleged he had been shifted to NAB's custody in Lahore because Prime Minister Imran Khan "couldn’t get the desired result when an inquiry was launched against him by the watchdog's Rawalpindi chapter". The defense further told the court that the NAB, Rawalpindi, had summoned his client multiple times and his client had appeared before the anti-graft watchdog each time. Besides, he appeared before the NAB, Lahore, all five times he was summoned, the counsel added. He said all records asked for by the NAB
too had been provided, objecting to the watchdog’s request of a physical remand. The court, however, sent Asif on a physical remand till January 13, directing the NAB to submit a progress report on the investigation at the next hearing. It further directed the watchdog to let Asif meet his relatives, adding that Asif must be presented before the court at the next hearing as well. THE CASE: In a detailed charge sheet against Asif, the agency said it was carrying out investigations against the PML-N leader under Clause 4 of the NAB Ordinance, 1999, and Section 3 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010. “Before assuming the public office in 1991, the total worth of Khawaja Asif’s assets was Rs5.1 million which increased to Rs221m in 2018 after serving on different posts which do not match with his known sources of income,” said the statement. “Accused Khawaja Asif claimed to have received Rs130m from a UAE firm M/s IMECO, but during the course of the investigation, he failed to present any solid evidence of receiving this amount as a salary,” it said, adding: “This clearly shows that the accused tried to prove his income through fake sources.”
Asif, another PML-N leader asked to quit party, claims Ayaz LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Former National Assembly (NA) speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday claimed that Khawaja Asif and one other Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader were asked to part ways with the party. Ayaz, while speaking to reporters,
said Asif was asked about a month ago to quit and he also informed the party leadership about the development. He also revealed that Asif rejected the offer and said that he has spent three decades in the party and cannot leave now that the party was in the opposition. The PML-N leader further said that the name of the person, who pressurised
Asif, will be revealed at the right time. He also said that a forward bloc cannot be formed because no one wants to be part of it. The former speaker also expressed reservations on the appointment of the new interior minister and said that all praise to the wisdom of the person who handed over the portfolio to Sheikh
Rasheed Ahmed. The anti-graft watchdog arrested Asif from Islamabad Tuesday after he failed to provide required evidence in an inquiry pertaining to being in possession of assets beyond his declared sources of income. A day earlier, an accountability court in Islamabad handed him to the bureau on one-day remand for him to be transferred to Lahore where the case will be heard.
Friday, 1 January, 2021
CJP to hear KaraK temPle attaCK Case on tuesday; 31 arrested ISLAMABAD
C
TLTP
hIEF Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed will hear a suo motu case on the burning of a hindu temple in Karak on January 5 of next year. The CJP, while issuing the notice, also directed the chairman of the minority rights commission, inspectorgeneral of police and chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to submit a report on the incident by January 4. Separately, the CJP also met Pakistan hindu Council Patron-in-Chief Dr Ramesh Kumar. During the meeting, Kumar informed the CJP of the burning of the shrine of a hindu saint by an angry mob in Karak district of KP. The CJP had deplored the incident in the meeting with Kumar.
Meanwhile, at least 31 people were arrested on Thursday over vandalism charges and 350 nominated in an FIR registered after enraged protesters set on fire a hindu temple over its expansion in the Teri area in KP’s Karak. Karak DPO Irfanullah confirmed that JUI-F district leader Maulana Mirza Aqeem has also been nominated in the FIR. The KP government spokesperson Kamran Bangash has said that the government will rebuild the hindu temple. he said that Prime Minister Imran Khan and the provincial chief executive had condemned the incident. he also said that the Karak DPO and deputy commissioner have been directed to investigate the matter and submit a report. Bangash stressed that the culprits will be punished and rights of minorities protected. Confirming the arrests, Pakistan
new master plans of all big cities to be prepared: Pm ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that new master plans of all the major cities of Pakistan will be prepared to prevent the unplanned spread of urbanisation and to protect nature. In a televised briefing on Thursday, he said that the unplanned spread of cities can create food security problems for Pakistan in future if this practice is continued unabated. The premier said that economic activities of around Rs1,500 billion will be started in Punjab alone and will generate around 250,000 jobs as a result of the massive package announced by the government for the construction sector. he added that so far, 186 construction projects have been registered on the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) portal, while work on projects worth Rs163 billion has already begun. PM Imran said that banks have reserved Rs378 billion until December 2021 to support the construction sector. he added that a subsidy of Rs30 billion will be provided to low-income households, enabling them to get their own house under the affordable housing scheme. he further said that loan subsidies will be available on houses of five Marla and above at an interest rate of five and seven per cent, respectively. he added that a grant of Rs300,000 will be given to first 100,000 houses. The premier said that an automated approval system has been introduced in the federal capital, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) for the speedy approval to start a housing project. he said that land digitisation in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad will be completed by August next year. Furthermore, records of state land in these cities is also being completed on a priority basis. The government will fully back the construction sector and encourage wealth creation so that we can generate jobs for our youth and pay back our debt, PM Imran said. he said that it is a good sign that record sale of cement and steel has been witnessed, which shows boom in the construction sector.
Ulema Council Chairman Tahir Ashrafi emphasised that it is the state's responsibility to protect the rights of nonMuslims living in the country. "Pakistan's Ulema cannot support any such form of terrorism," he said, adding that no one is allowed to desecrate the sanctities of believers of any religion. On Wednesday, a highly-charged mob vandalised and set ablaze a historic hindu temple in KP’s Karak district. The temple in Karak's Terri area was considered a site of pilgrimage for hindu community due to its importance as a Yogi Astan. however, local residents were resentful due to the ongoing renovation work in the temple and they attacked the building, demolished it and then set it ablaze. Police and local authorities were unable to prevent the incident due to the large number of people involved. The
historic temple became non-functional after the Partition when all local hindu families migrated to India but four years ago it was handed over to the hindu community by the Supreme Court and ever since it was a site for pilgrimage for the community from all over the country especially from Sindh who paid a weekly visit to the site every Thursday. Local clerics were reportedly not happy over the decision and repeatedly demanded the closure of the temple. Federal Minister for human Rights Shireen Mazari, while condemning the incident, urged the KP government to ensure the culprits are brought to justice. "MOhR [Ministry of human Rights] is also moving on this. We as a govt have a responsibility to ensure safety & security of all our citizens & their places of worship," she wrote on her official Twitter handle.
Pakistan highlights massive HR abuses in IOK at UN: Akram ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Munir Akram on Thursday said that during the year 2020, Pakistan’s key objective at the UN remained highlighting the continued military siege and massive human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). In a video message, Munir said that the legal, political and moral case for Kashmiris freedom struggle was laid out, citing the Pakistan-sponsored resolution on the peoples to self-determination which was unanimously adopted by the General Assembly. he said that the Security Council discussed the situation in occupied Kashmir twice in the year and India’s state terrorism was continually exposed. Akram said, “We are also working to counter disinformation networks by alerting the world to the real and present danger emanating from false Indian propaganda through identity theft, technical abuse and false attribution to the UN system.” India’s state terrorism was continually exposed, and a detailed dossier presented to UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres. “We are also working to counter disinformation networks by alerting the world to the real and present danger emanating from false Indian propaganda through identity theft, technical abuse and false attribution to the UN system,” the Pakistani envoy said. Pakistan also raised the issue of Islamophobia, and its resolution on “inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue” calling for respect for religious symbols and legitimate restrictions on freedom of expression was adopted by an overwhelming majority by the 193member Assembly. he noted that this year both the UN chief and the President of the General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, visited Pakistan highlighting Islamabad’s
multifaceted and vital relationship with the UN. Pakistan’s key role in facilitating the Afghan peace process and its efforts to ensure a lasting peace led and owned by Afghans projected. The General Assembly also adopted four Pakistani resolutions on regional disarmament, conventional arms control, and confidence building measures at regional levels and negative security assurances. As one of the top troop contributors to UN Peacekeeping, the role of Pakistani blue-helmet was greatly appreciated, with 69 Pakistani peacekeepers awarded medals in the Liberian mission. Pakistan had the honour of presiding over the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) following the election of Ambassador Akram to the post. he led the UN’s economic arm amidst a global pandemic that has brought unprecedented economic and social challenges. Pakistan advocated for a strong people-centric international response to coronavirus based on solidarity and cooperation to support global economic recovery, achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while addressing the challenges faced by developing countries. During the Special Session of the UNGA on Covid-19, Prime Minister Imran Khan presented a comprehensive 10-point agenda aimed at supporting developing States in the recovery process, and advocating a strong call for an equitable and universal access to vaccines, while giving priority to vulnerable groups. On Climate Change, Ambassador Akram said that this year will be remembered for Pakistan’s bold leadership and ambition, highlighting the need for investments in sustainable infrastructure to eliminate poverty to build back better. “The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN is committed to serve to the fullest of its abilities as a viable member state at the United Nations,” Ambassador Akram said.
Study finds news coverage helped curb Covid misinformation NEWS DESK A new study conducted has suggested that media outlets should continue to provide practical information to the public as the efforts of journalists and media organisations has helped keep the general public informed and safe during the pandemic. The research titled “Public Trust in the Media during the Coronavirus Pandemic” was published by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) as part of the Civil society for Independent Media and Expression (CIME) initiative jointly undertaken with the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives and the Pakistan Press Foundation. While the Covid-19 pandemic was inarguably accompanied by an overwhelming amount of false medical information, rumours, and conspiracy theories, journalists and media organisations fought against health risks to bring reliable information to the public. The study attempted to understand the news consumption patterns and levels of public trust for Covid-19 information and asked people about the lockdown’s effects on their ability to access information. A notable 74 per cent of the respondents reported that the pandemic had not reduced their ability
to access news and information. People felt the Pakistani media coverage of Covid-19 provided them with the information they needed, supplied largely accurate information, and ensured the benefit of the public, according to the study, which relied on a national public opinion survey of 345 respondents. Around 57 per cent of the respondents considered the mainstream media as trustworthy sources of coronavirus news and information. People also frequently relied on their friends-andfamily networks to get coronavirus updates and a majority (56 per cent) also trusted these sources of Covid information.
On the other hand, 30 per cent of the respondents saw social media as untrustworthy when it came to information about the pandemic. While half of the respondents said they had never used the Pakistan government’s Covid-19 web portal or smartphone app, a majority (52 per cent) still trusted official sources for information and updates on the virus. The TV medium was the most used media type for Covid-19 news, according to the survey, and people were most interested in getting information about coronavirus safety precautions. In its conclusion, the research recommended that the government use TV mediums for its Covid-19 public awareness campaigns and supply messages in local languages to reach the majority of the public.
NEWS
03
Covid-19 vaccine will be available in march 2021, says P&shC secretary LAHORE SHAHAB OMER
Following the federal cabinet's decision to purchase the Covid-19 vaccine from a Chinese company and regarding its purchase and availability, Punjab Primary and Secondary healthcare (P&ShC) Secretary Captain (r) Muhammad Usman on Thursday said that work is underway on the purchase and it will be available by March 2021. According to sources, the federal government has started preliminary preparations for the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, and in this context, the federal government has sought details of health workers from all the provinces, and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The federation has also sought data from the provinces on the staff of hospitals allocated for coronavirus treatment and the data of health workers provided by the provinces will be scrutinised in the preparation of the final list. In the first phase – which is expected in early March – the staff of public and private Covid19 wards will be vaccinated. Moreover, suggestions on the Covid-19 vaccination campaign have also been sought from the provinces as, currently, 726 public and private hospitals across the country are dedicated to treating coronavirus. Sources claimed that Covid-19 vaccination of healthcare workers across the country will be done in two parts. In the first, more than 500,000 health workers will be vaccinated while the process of vaccination of the remaining health workers will be completed later on. Furthermore, healthcare workers will be immunised with two Covid-19 vaccines according to international standards and in this regard, 1.2 million coronavirus vaccines will be procured from Sinopharm Group. It is pertinent to mention here that the first case of coronavirus was reported in the provincial capital on March 14, 2020, after which the Punjab health Department set up field hospitals, quarantine centres and focal hospitals and a lockdown was imposed by the government. Meanwhile, OPDs and operating theatres in hospitals, including educational and business establishments, had to close. Moreover, during the first wave of coronavirus, the rate of ventilators and oxygen beds in Lahore hospitals reached 95 per cent in June, followed by a significant decline in patients in July and August. According to statistics, more than 137,000 cases of coronavirus were reported in Punjab while more than 3900 patients died and more than 122,000 patients recovered.
speaker decides against accepting two Pml-n mnas’ resignation ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser on Thursday decided not to accept resignations of two Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) lawmakers. The spokesperson said in a statement that it has been decided not to accept resignations of two PML-N lawmakers of the lower house of the parliament. PML-N Members of National Assembly (MNAs) Sajjad Awan and Murtaza Javed Abbasi had earlier written to the speaker requesting not to accept their resignations as they reneged from the party’s stance of en masse resignations. Other than the written plea to the NA speaker, MNA Abbasi had also met in private with the speaker in his chambers as well. It is pertinent to note that NA Secretariat had written to both MNAs for the confirmation of their resignations and directed them to furnish their response of confirming or denying the development within seven days. Earlier, the PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had claimed in her address that her lawmakers will chuck their resignations to the speaker. In another development, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan has held a meeting with NA Speaker Asad. The meeting was also attended by the chief whip in the NA Malik Mohammad Amir Dogar. During the meeting, the high-ups deliberated upon the strategy to summon the session of the lower house besides reviewing the proceedings in accordance with the parliamentary calendar amid the coronavirus pandemic. The PM’s aide also apprised the speaker regarding the pending legislation. Qaiser said that he will hold consultation with the parliamentary parties to summon an NA session. They have also exchanged views on the NA Secretariat’s letter to the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. Earlier, the federal government had decided not to convene the session of the NA scheduled from November 20 owing to rising Covid-19 cases.
04 NEWS
Friday, 1 January, 2021
PM aPPrOves OnlIne agrI-dasHBOard tO MOnItOr FOOd PrICes, avaIlaBIlIty ISLAMABAD
10 booked after forest department team taken hostage in Benazirabad BENAZIRABAD STAFF REPORT
Following the directives of Supreme Court (SC), the forest department on Thursday took action and registered a case against 10 persons on account of occupying the Kandah Bailey forest land. According to the police, the suspects, who are occupying the government land spreading over hundreds of acres, took a forest department’s team hostage at gunpoint in Benazirabad when it went to get the land back from their possession. The incident led to the registration of a case against them. On Wednesday, the SC had ordered the Sindh Board of Revenue to ensure that all encroached lands, including that of irrigation and forest departments, are recovered within a month. Hearing the application about computerization of revenue record in Sindh, the SC’s three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed, had observed that despite computerization of land record, dozens of cases were filed daily over fake documentation of properties. The court had observed that some officials of the revenue department were involved in forging land documents by keeping parallel records. CJP Gulzar had remarked that removal of encroachments from government lands was the responsibility of the revenue department, as the whole of Karachi was developed on encroached lands. It was also observed by the court that high-rise buildings were constructed on encroached government lands at the Super Highway ahead of the University Road, where boundary walls were raised by encroachers.
P
STAFF REPORT
RIME Minister Imran Khan on Thursday approved the online agri-dashboard, developed by National Security Division (NSD) to monitor food prices and availability at national, provincial and district levels.
The dashboard will use authentic indicators to prevent any food crisis. It will also be effective in preventing hoarding and profiteering. With the approval of dashboard, the PM directed to take urgent measures to control inflation of items such as flour, sugar and pulses. He also instructed to increase exports and find local alternatives to imports to ensure increase of current account surplus.
This was the first of the series of weekly meetings meant to review progress of priority sectors. PM's Special Assistant Dr Moeed Yousuf, secretaries of the ministries concerned, and senior officials attended the meeting, whereas chief secretaries of the four provinces participated via video-link. On the direction of the PM, the sectors, including food security, agriculture,
Daniel Pearl murder case: SHC issues notices on contempt petition KARACHI INP
The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday issued notices to the provincial chief secretary and some others in a contempt petition regarding the detention of the accused persons in the case of slain American journalist Daniel Pearl. A bench of the court had declared the notification regarding detention of four accused persons in the case, Ahmed Omer Saeed Shaikh, Fahad Naseem, Salman Saqib and Sheikh Adil, as null and void and ordered their immediate release from the jail. A contempt petition was filed against the provincial chief secretary, jail officials and some others over the
government’s failure to comply with the court orders. The court issued notices to the chief secretary, additional chief secretary and jail officials over the contempt petition and sought reply from them by January 7. “Why the accused persons were not released as per the court orders?” the bench asked the Sindh advocate general. “Issue a notice. We will submit a written reply over the matter,” the advocate general replied. While declaring the notification as void, the bench had also ordered to put the names of accused persons in the exit control list (ECL). The court had observed that the accused persons were in jail for last 18 years and ordered the accused persons to appear as and when the court summons them after their release. Earlier, the four accused had moved to the SHC and
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
ISLAMABAD TLTP Karachi: A view of the last sunset of 2020 at Seaview Beach. PPI
Maryam is daughter of absconder: Firdous LAHORE: Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Thursday lashed out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, saying she is a daughter of such ‘brave man’, who runs away in hard times. The SACM took to Twitter and asked Maryam, “When former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif–who put a turban on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s head after inviting him at his home–will return to Pakistan.” Firdous said that Maryam discusses Prime Minister Imran Khan more than her father in public gatherings, which clarifies that the premier is on her nerves. She termed Nawaz as the godfather of corruption and said Maryam should be ashamed of herself for false swearing to portray her father as innocent. The CM’s aide further said that the PML-N vice president can run election campaign in Kashmir with full force, but the results will be no different than Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). STAFF REPORT
Engineer nears retirement with no promotion in 30 years
ISLAMABAD INP
The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) on Thursday issued notices to the Sindh chief secretary and other officials after a government servant filed a petition for not getting promotion for over 30 years. The SCP heard the petition of Ashraf Ali Jumani, who was appointed as a mechanical engineer (BS-17) in 1989, at its Karachi Registry.
challenged their convictions, handed down by the Hyderabad Anti-Terrorism Court in 2002 after finding them guilty of abducting and killing the American journalist. The ATC had handed death sentence to main accused Omer Saeed and life sentences to other three accused persons. The high court had heard the appeals and overturned the verdict of the ATC by acquitting the convicts on April 2 this year. The Sindh government and the family of Pearl then filed appeals against the court’s verdict in Supreme Court (SC), where the case is under hearing. The 38-year-old Pearl was researching a story on religious extremists here in January 2002, when he was abducted and killed.
Opposition knocked down due to undemocratic tactics: Faraz
IHC issues notice to PMC in licence cancellation case The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued a notice to Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) in a case pertaining to the cancellation of a doctor's licence. A bench led by newly-appointed Justice Babar Sattar heard the petition seeking a stay order against the PMC decision. During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel informed the court that the doctor's license was cancelled two years ago due to a botched operation. He maintained that a medical tribunal was formed to look into the matter, but the inquiry remained inactive. Justice Sattar remarked that the court cannot issue a stay order without hearing the PMC's side of the story. He issued a notice to the commission and sought a reply by January 14. Later, the hearing was adjourned.
electricity, manpower, foreign investment, privatisation, information technology and exports, were given a priority status to implement major reforms in sectors that faced neglect in the past. According to PM Office, from now onwards, there will be a review meeting every week, chaired by the PM, where he will be given briefings on the progress with special focus on each sector.
The petitioner’s counsel said a summary for the promotion of his client was sent to the Sindh chief minister, but it remained pending for approval. Seeking court’s intervention, he argued that Jumani urgently requires promotion orders as he is going to retire shortly. Earlier this month, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had warned senior government functionaries of contempt proceedings, ordering them to implement the earlier directions about promoting over 10,000 professors and lecturers, who were awaiting promotion for the last 30 years. Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar had remarked, “A simple thing is not being understood that promotions must have to be given.” “Why a person would perform, if he knows that he is not going to get a promotion?” Mazhar had asked. The court had also mentioned that the people were not given promotions to higher posts as well as timescale promotions even after working for 30 years. “Do not you think the working in departments is affected due to such issues?” the court had asked and remarked that the Sindh government’s departments were not interested in performing duties.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Thursday said that the opposition parties were knocked down in 2020 due to their undemocratic tactics. In a series of tweets on Thursday, Faraz said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance, which was formed to dislodge the government, has become ineffective due to their vested interests, thinking and narrative. “If they had moral courage, the PDM would have been dissolved after the Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) decision to contest the Senate elections,” he said. The information minister also said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has set a right direction for economic progress of the country by taking bold decisions. “A new phase of decisive struggle will begin this month [January] under the leadership of PM Imran to resolve the problems of people,” he added. The minister said that the focus of the government’s decisions and policies is the people of the country. “2020 was a difficult year at global level, as the coronavirus pandemic shook the health systems and economies across the world. But Pakistan, under the leadership of the prime minister, handled the challenge smoothly, giving importance to both health and economy. The smart lockdown policy of Pakistan was widely appreciated at international level,” he concluded.
Friday, 1 January, 2021
NEWS
Global supply, uncertain subsidy mechanism may increase dap price LAHORE
t
HASSAN NAQVI
hE increasing price trend of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) in the international market is likely to exert pressure on local prices and impact application on crops by farmers as the direct subsidy mechanism announced by the government is yet to be finalised. In October, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had approved the Rabi package to extend 25 per cent reduction, equivalent to Rs1,000 per 50kg bag, in the price of DAP. To avail this highly targeted subsidy, farmers were required to register using their national identity cards after which the amount was to be disbursed through scratch card schemes. however, the subsidy programme has not yet materialised as the federal
and provincial governments have failed to achieve a consensus on its implementation mechanism. The total market for DAP in Pakistan is approximately 2 million tonnes, out of which around two-third volume is imported to meet the country’s agricultural needs. In the year 2020, DAP prices surged globally by around 27 per cent from $296 per tonne to $376 in December. In comparison, domestic DAP prices have only increased marginally (12 percent) from Rs3,575 per bag to Rs4,000 per bag, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Despite higher prices, global demand of DAP remains strong and most suppliers are already sold out through January and February 2021 due to record imports from India and Brazil. The short global supplies have pushed the current price for DAP in the range
Fbr to register new entrants in 9 export-oriented sectors ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA
The federal board of Revenue (FBR) will start registration of new entrants in nine export-oriented sectors for availing concessionary tariff rates on the supply of electricity and gas with effect from January 2021. Sources said that the tax department has issued standard operating procedures (SOP) for the registration of new manufacturers under concessionary tariff rates on the supply of electricity and gas. In this regard, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has directed the FBR, Ministry of Commerce and other stake-holders to devise SOPs for the enrolment of registered persons under the export-oriented sectors – erstwhile zero-rated sectors, to qualify concessionary regime of electricity, LNG and gas tariff. Accordingly, a meeting was held on December 22 after which all stakeholders agreed over the required SOPs. The tax department explained that applicants may apply through respective representative associations for new registration of manufacturers for the concessionary tariff rates. Similarly, the association concerned, after verifying particulars on the prescribed format, may forward the application along-with its element recommendations, duly signed by its chairman, to the Export-oriented Sector Registration Cell (ESRC) of FBR. The ESRC would then examine the particulars and recommendations of the respective associations and counter-verify particulars of the taxpayer, including declarations in the registration profile etc. as required, and forward the case to the Ministry of Commerce for allowing the concession through respective gas companies. In case the ESRC spots any discrepancies in the verification report and data available with FBR, the matter will be referred to Inland Revenue field formations for ground-check report and recommendations. The FBR has mentioned that newly enrolled taxpayers shall be entitled to avail the concession tariff prospectively, while DISCOs and gas companies shall ensure that the taxpayers are active on FBR’s sales tax 1 Active Taxpayers List (ATL) each month before generating the monthly utility bill. In case the taxpayer is found to be non active on the ATL, standard utility tariff shall apply on the supply of utilities for the relevant period. Any taxpayer aspiring to avail concessionary utility tariff rates, and who is not registered with the respective sector association, may approach the IR field formation concerned for verification of its business particulars and onward submission of report on the prescribed forum to the ESRC within 15 days of the submission of the application. The procedure for registration of new entrants in export-oriented sectors shall become applicable with effect from January 2021. It is pertinent to mention here that FBR has included APTMA, PRGMEA, PhMA, PTEA, PLGMEA, APTPMA, Pakistan Denim Manufacturers & Exporters (PDME), surgical instrument manufacturers and Pakistan Sports Goods Manufacturing & Exporters Association (PSGMEA) in the export oriented sectors association.
of $425 to $440. In the coming weeks, Pakistan is likely to witness a rise in DAP import cost by $70 to $80 per tonne, translating to around Rs500 per bag. Figures of National Fertiliser Development Centre (NFDC) reveal that till November 2020, despite the price increase, DAP sales recorded a 7 per cent increase to 1,966 tonnes as compared to the same period last year. Similar trend has been witnessed in urea sales that have jumped by 6 per cent versus last year, with dealers taking advantage of official urea pricing at 2012 level and the willingness of farmers to pay more by charging them Rs50 to Rs100 additional per bag. The higher sales can be attributed to significant improvement in the country’s farm economics owing to a general rise in international commodity rates and better support pricing by the government to
facilitate the farmers. According to Research at Topline Securities Limited Deputy head Shankar Talreja, “By announcing timely support packages, the government has done well to maintain lower cost of inputs to control inflation and maintain growth momentum of the agricultural sector”. Globally, DAP is recognised as the most standard source of phosphorus and used with urea to provide balanced nutrition for crops. The balanced use of fertilisers can improve wheat productivity by 35 per cent and maize by 40 per cent, which are the leading contributors to Pakistan’s economy. With the price of DAP 2.5 times higher than urea, and direct subsidy mechanism yet to be finalised, there may be sub-optimal application by farmers that may prove to be detrimental to crop yields, thus affecting Pakistan’s food security.
NCOC announces vaccination centres at public healthcare centres CONtINuED fROM PAGE 01 Separately, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government hopes to deploy it within the first quarter of 2021. “The Cabinet Committee has decided to initially purchase 1.2 million doses of the vaccine from the Chinese company Sinopharm, which will be provided free of cost to frontline workers in the first quarter of 2021,” Chaudhry tweeted. “If the private sector wants to import any other internationally-approved vaccine, it can do so,” he added. In November, the government approved $250 million in funding to buy the vaccines, initially to cover the most vulnerable 5 percent of the population. The initial phase of vaccinations would focus on providing free shots for frontline health workers and people above the age of 65 years. The NCOC session, organised to discuss the national vaccination drive, was further informed that master trainers would be imparted knowledge about the inoculation process who in turn would train healthcare workers on administering the vaccine. The training sessions for master trainers will be held in all provinces and Islamabad. NCOC Director General Operations and Planning Major General Asif Mehmood Goraya assured the participants of the meeting that all-out efforts would be made to facilitate federating units in carrying out smooth vaccination.
In the first phase, only frontline health workers would be inoculated, and the vaccine would be administered to people above the age of 65 in the second phase, as both the groups were at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus. During the third phase, health workers and individuals between the ages of 60 and 64 years will be vaccinated. Moreover, the forum was told the NCOC, in collaboration with the Ministry of National health Services, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), and National Information Technology Board (NITB), had developed the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS) — an online portal that would serve as the “brain” of the vaccination process. The cabinet committee that took the decision to prebook doses of the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday had also elaborated on the NIMS, stating: “NIMS [will] ensure efficient supply chain management and administration of Covid-19 vaccine. The system will enable automated phase-wise registration of citizens for vaccine through SMS/ internet, based on CNIC numbers. Immunisation mechanism will be intimated to citizens shortly. NIMS will be made available by mid of January.” Besides, NCOC National Coordinator Lt Gen hamood Uz Zaman Khan briefed the session on national vaccine strategy, in line with decisions taken by the NCOC.
Pakistan wants strong trade ties with Djibouti: President Alvi ISLAMABAD
AU PARLIAMENT ACTING CHIEF SAYS GWADAR, DJIBOUTI PORTS TO HELP BOOST TRADE
TLTP
President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan wants to further improve economic ties with Djibouti for mutual benefit of the two brotherly countries. he said this during a meeting with a visiting Djibouti parliamentary delegation, led by President of National Parliament of Djibouti and acting-Chairman of African Union Parliament, Mohamed Ali houmed on Wednesday. Both Pakistan and Djibouti reiterated their desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the areas of commerce, culture and defence. While welcoming the delegation, the president sought the support of the government of Djibouti to expeditiously process and clear Pakistani goods at Djibouti port meant for Ethiopia and other destinations in the horn of Africa. President Mohamed Ali houmed underscored the need for expanding bilateral cooperation in every sphere, including culture, trade and defence. he said that Gwadar and Djibouti ports would help boost trade between the two brotherly countries. Both sides emphasised the need for parliamentary, cultural and defence exchanges which would help in bringing the two countries further closer. Earlier, Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani had said that Pakistan has envisaged a renewed “Engage Africa Policy” to strengthen its ties with all African countries and has decided to increase its diplomatic missions
there in addition to opening its embassy in Djibouti owing to the growing economic and political importance of the African region. he said that exchange of parliamentary delegations would steer the plan for enhanced economic, political and defence cooperation not only between Pakistan and Djibouti but also with other African countries. The Senate chairman said that Pakistan is looking forward to vibrant interactions to share experiences of public sector reforms, technical cooperation, infrastructure development and private investment with the African nations. Sanjrani told the delegation that trade between Pakistan and landlocked Ethiopia took place through Djibouti and Pakistan needed special treatment for expeditious delivery of goods to Ethiopia. he emphasised the need for devising a special package for Pakistani investors and entrepreneurs looking to invest and provide quality services in the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ) as it had been attracting investment from China, Italy, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other countries.
Pakistan LNG seeks two cargoes for April delivery SINGAPORE AGENCIES
Pakistan LNG is seeking two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for delivery in April, a tender document posted on the company website showed. The state-run procurement agency is seeking the cargoes on a delivered ex-ship (DES) basis at Port Qasim, Karachi, for delivery over April 5 to 6 and April 19 to 20, according to the document. The tender closes on Jan. 29 and remains valid until February 12.
CMYK
05
Govt eyes rs400bn revenue from ravi city’s first phase ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday was told that work on Ravi City’s first phase spanned over 5,000 acres was about to start to bring in an estimated revenue of Rs400 billion. During a meeting to review progress on the Ravi Urban Development Project chaired by the prime minister, it was informed that out of 5,000 acres, 3,000 acres land would be used for protection against floods and rest 2,000 acres for construction. Federal Ministers Senator Shibli Faraz, Ali haider Zaidi, Naya Pakistan housing Authority Lt. General (r) Chairman Anwar Ali hyder and Pakistan Islands Development Authority Chairman Imran Amin attended the meeting. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Dr Salman Shah, Special Assistant to CM Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Ravi Urban Development Authority Chairman Rashid Aziz and other senior officers participated through video link. The meeting was told that the first phase had been named Sapphire Bay for which the purchase of land had been started and road work had also been launched on December 29. Moreover, request for proposals for the investors and developers would be issued by next week. APP
scci laments commercial banks’ declaration of Kp as ‘red zone’ PESHAWAR: Commercial banks have declared Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as a ‘red zone’ due to lack of facilitation and provision of loans to the business community. This was stated by Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Sherbaz Bilour in a meeting with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Deputy Governor Sima Kamil in her office at Karachi. Concerned officials of the SBP were present during the meeting. Bilour said that commercial banks had an unfriendly attitude with the business community despite the present circumstances, wherein the whole country is suffering due to an unprecedented pandemic. he demanded that the government announce special incentives and interest-free loans to give a boost to Covid-19 hit businesses and industries in the province. “Businesses and industrial growth were already miserably affected due to a prolonged war against terrorism in this region. Now the situation has further deteriorated after the outbreak of coronavirus.” Praising the SBP for introducing a cashless system, Bilour expressed hope that the initiative would be helpful to bring further improvement and transparency in the banking system. Bilour also appreciated the government for introducing business-friendly policies, i.e electric vehicle policy, reduction in tax ratio, special incentives for the construction industry, and added that the government should also benefit allied industries of the construction sector, urging for their inclusion into the fiscal relief package announced for the construction industry. The chamber president further proposed that SCCI and SBP make joint efforts for creating a favourable environment for business and industrial growth as well as attracting new investment in the province. Furthermore, he suggested the establishment of risk management units for commercial banks in KP, urging the SBP to direct commercial banks to make sufficient lending in the province by excluding it from ‘red-zone’. AZIZ BUNERI
Friday, 1 January, 2021
06 COMMENT Life in the year of the pandemic
Eroding the parties from inside Will the new moves work– for anyone?
Will the new year be equally challenging?
At Penpoint
P
M A NIAZI
AKISTAN fared better than many other countries as it grappled with covid-19. Despite this millions were pushed under the poverty line as the economy shrank and businesses collapsed. The government could have performed better had it not displayed a lack of urgency at the initial stage and had not taken decisions dictated by religiosity that helped spread the virus. But for the resilience in the masses, the impact of the pandemic could have been more deadly. The government’s handling of the economy reflected an ineptness which has remained one of its constant features. Right at the beginning of the year, inflation surged to 14.6 percent, the highest in 12 years. The government tried to control the prices of commodities of daily consumption but failed. The unwise decision of exporting wheat considerably raised the price of the staple, forcing the poorest sections to cut down food consumption. This was followed by the rise in the price of sugar. In both cases imports failed to bring down the prices to the early-2018 level. The rise in the prices of medicines added to the burden on the common man while it could further bring down the life expectancy figure. The failure to control circular debt, combined with pressure from the IMF, has led the government to enhance the electricity rates. The belated decision to import LNG hasraised its price and caused considerable loss of revenue. The petroleum scandal is yet another blot on the government’s performance The quality of governance in 2020 was once again marked by Incompetence. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s unguarded statement about 150 Pakistani pilots holding dubious or fake flying licences led global airlines to initiate probes against Pakistani pilots while PIA flights continue to be banned in europe. Again governance shortcomings continued to play a role in the country’s failure to satisfy the FATF with the result that Pakistan continues to be on the grey list. Pakistan’s influence among the Gulf states considerably declined in 2020. Pakistan wasg required to pay back Saudi Arabia $1 billion of its loan within six months of the loan’s renewal. Meanwhile UAe has halted employment and visit visas for Pakistanis causing fear that Pakistan might be losing job market to India. Foreign Minister Qureshi’s meeting with Dubai’ ruler last month failed to affect any change in the UAe policy. Last month Indian army chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane visited both UAe and Saudi Arabia which was the first ever visit by an Indian army chief to the two countries. This too is seen as a sign of the shrinking Pakistani influence in a region of vital importance to the country. FM Qureshi’s highly undiplomatic remarks delivered in August were obviously not helpful. Mr Qureshi had asked the Saudi-led OIC to stop dragging feet on Kashmir. “If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask Prime Minister Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris.” India is trying to consolidate its grip in Occupied and bifurcated Kashmir by incentivising sections of nonKashmiri population to settle in the Valley and thus turn the Muslim majority into a minority. It is simultaneously threatening Pakistan by increasing pressure on te LoC. The PTI’s critics maintain that its government has no clear policy to respond to the challenge. For the opposition 2020 was yet another year of political victimisation. Shahbaz Sharif was arrested in September while hamza Shahbaz has completed a year in custody. Kh Saad Rafique and his brother were finally bailed out after 16 months in jail. Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal too were arrested but given bails BY the court. The last to be taken into custody by NAB is Kh Asif. The opposition has taken recourse to agitation at a time when Pakistan is in the grip of the second wave of coronavirus and there are reports of confirmed cases in Pakistan of the fast spreading UK covid-19 variant. PDM, the newly formed opposition alliance, is meeting today to take important decisions to step up the ongoing agitation. The government has tried to suppress the opposition through use of force but failed to achieve the purpose. Unless those who matter take recourse to persuasion, the confrontation could harm Pakistan.
T
he government seems to be so rattled by the PDM’s threat to have its MNAs resign; it is trying to create splits within its components. The split is all cases over whether the resignations should be made. Another issue that seems to be arising is whether there should be any dialogue with the military. The most effective split is in the JUI(F), where important members of the Balochistan branch, headed by Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, have suddenly engaged in criticisng Maulana Fazlur Rehman both for an undemocratic attitude, and having contacts with ‘The establishment.’ The accusations that the Maulana was the establishment’s man surfaced during his Long March on Islamabad. The Maulana apparently was against the establishment when the MRD was confronting Zia ul haq in the 1980s, but a strong nexus developed between the intelligence agencies (and thus the establishment) and the Pushtu-speaking Deobandi ulema who supported (and still support) the JUI(F) and who ran the madrassas which provided so much of the cannon fodder for both the Afghan Jihad and the Kashmir freedom struggle. `however, the move that most clearly showed the worry in some ruling circles was the visit in jail by PML(Functional) Secretary General Muhammad Ali Durrani to PML(N) President Mian Shahbaz Sharif. As Secretary General of a GDA component, he was a government ally. More important, his links to the establishment were both old, going back decades to the Afghan Jihad (the time when Misn Nawaz Sharif was a provincial minister) and deep. his party’s founder, the elder Pir Pagaro, had been associated with the Zia regime. That Mian Nawaz Sharif rejected the move so promptly ensured that the possibility of a grand national dialogue in return for the postponement of the Assembly resignations could not take off. One of the corollaries would have been the release of PML(N) leaders held by NAB, or at least Mian Shehbaz, who rightly pointed out that he could do nothing while in jail. his being imprisoned has meant that the party’s leadership has passed from him, with his conciliatory policy towards the military, to his niece Maryam, who is much more confrontational. The PPP is not quite facing a division, but there
The anatomy of corruption The dimensions of an evil eating away at society
AskArI rAZA MAlIk
“T
he concept of the imperceptible is a decisive factor distinguishing man from animal”, said Syed Qutab. Translated in Muslim spiritual parlance, it is God consciousness or Taqwa. It provides a strong defence against the baser human instincts of slipping back into animalism or jahiliya, characterized by unbridled greed for zar, zan and zameen, (wealth, women and land). A religion must have element of ‘the holy’ as its central theme– the holy God, the holy Prophet. All religions create a culture. An ‘ism’, a philosophy or an ideology also moulds life into a certain pattern, like ‘Socialism’, and creates a culture of its own, but has no spiritual claims. It is the religion alone that creates and demands the awareness of the imperceptible. The three Abrahamic religions have the essential of ‘holy’ as the focal point in their religious lexicon. This is what creates the difference between a believer and a non-believer. Man makes laws as a social necessity. God has made laws to govern the universe. Physical or scientific laws like gravity; these are inviolable, compelling and control the universe. A parallel set of laws, ‘the spiritual laws’ are contained in the scriptures. These are not immediately applicable but re-
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
Umar Aziz
Asher John
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Deputy Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
are definitely voices claiming that ex-President Asif Zardari is unhappy at the confrontation with the establishment his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is carrying out. There are also said to be worries among the PML(N) that the PPP could betray it on the resignations. An immediate way would be not to hand over its resignations, while letting the PML(N) do so. The PML(N) has more members in the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly, the PPP more in the Sindh Assembly and the Senate. Getting them all to resign creates peculiar problems. The first is the belief that resignations are a bad idea. This is particularly common among those who do not see themselves winning again. It is also a bad idea to those who have been adopted by the establishment. It should not be forgotten that the establishment has got supporters within the ranks of the major parties, people who have been cultivated over many years, even multiple generations. One weakness that electables have is other electables in the constituency. Thus the establishment is certain of having a supporter if it has all two or three of a constituency’s electables beholden to it for winning. even if the party they are in loses, the electable makes it to the National or Provincial Assembly, and the establishment keeps control. There has been an apparent loophole left, as there is some debate over whether the parties will contest the by-elections. That is the means by which the members are to be allowed to come back. On the face of it, the gesture would be spoilt if the parties were to contest again. It should be remembered that these are the opposition’s most competitive seats, and their chances of being retained are best. The by-elections will be so many that they will constitute a sort of general election. If the parties boycott the elections, the seats will probably be won by the PTI. It will be the duty of the Chief Minister to ensure that his party wins. If there is dissolution in Sindh, a caretaker CM has to come to office. The PPP CeC meeting has made it clear that the attempt to prevent the Senate elections has been jettisoned, and there will be no resignations before them. There is the prospect raised of the handing in of resignations going as far as next winter, indicating that the PDM is not yet ready to carry out a sit-in. Also. If a sit-in begins in March, as was earlier planned, if it prolongs, it will soon run into first the dry hot weather, and then the monsoons. It should not be forgotten that Imran Khan’s own dharna began on Independence Day, which meant that the dry heat was behind it, and the monsoon, while not over, was to-
I
Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
I
main inescapable. Their manifestations are slow, subtle but sure. People describe these as ‘poetic justice’, ‘Divine Justice’ or ‘deus ex machina’. The scriptures, the Prophets and the saints elaborate the spiritual laws as Divine principles and traditions. God emphasizes, “And never will you find in the way of Allah any change” (48:23). Patience is his essence. he has granted us unlimited personal freedom. We make the choice, Good or evil, honour or disgrace. To deliberately sin is to defy God. While in rebellion a Momin ceases to be a believer. Persistence with the sin triggers off repercussions, reactions opposite and equal to the actions. We learn that arrogance results in ignominy; adultery invites violence and usurpation of others’ rights ushers in misery and disorder. Corruption is a multi-dimensional evil. It defies Allah and his Prophet (PBUh) and also flouts public laws. It is coercive, exploitative and when it comes to embezzlement from the public exchequer, it adds another heinous side to it– breach of a sacred trust. Worst of all, it creates unnatural inequality. The family of the corrupt suffers multiple psychological and spiritual wounds. It induces a false sense of wellbeing in the family directly affecting the children’s psychology, drastically reducing their pain threshold and resilience. It causes inexplicable moral and physical degradation in the coming generations. The absence of God’s grace is evident in the life of the corrupt. happiness and peace of mind deserts him and his loved ones. According to the Prophet (PBUh), a leader or ruler is like a shepherd for his people. his entire focus is to safely lead his flock to greener pastures. In Islam, a ruler is only a trustee of the resources that actually belong to his people. he is allowed to spend on himself only the minimum for subsistence. hazarat Abu Bakr while dying returned all the stipend drawn from Bait-ul-Maal, as he thought he could have actually lived without it. Jinnah drew only one Rupee as token salary, because he had enough of his own to meet his personal expenses. A corrupt Muslim ruler is doubly unfortunate as he has to be answerable to God and also his people. We commit excesses on others. We derive material and sadistic pleasure. Allah says we instead ex-
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
I
Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
I
wards the end. The dharna lasted through autumn, and ended in winter, with the APS Peshawar massacre providing the excuse for ending something that was visibly running out of steam anyway. Allowing more time might mean more time to PDM components to get resignations, but the resignations of two PML(N) MNAs, which they claim they never filed, indicates how the government intends to operate. Resignations were received, perhaps forged on genuine letterheads, and the Speaker has not asked for a personal appearance to verify the resignations, as was done for Imran’s dharna when the resignations were sent in, but has said he will accept the resignation if the member does not make a personal appearance to deny the resignation. A contradictory sign, showing a government softening, is Information Minister Shibli Faraz’s declaration that the government is willing for a dialogue, but not with Maulana Fazl or Ms Nawaz. That means conceding the principle of dialogue while quibbling with who the PDM delegates. The attempt to create divisions between parties continues, for it makes Bilawal, an MNA, the person the government is willing to talk to. however, the readiness to hold a dialogue indicates that the government and establishment are both feeling the heat. The underlying reality that the PDM is trying to exploit is the economy tanking. It blames this on the military, for having chosen the PTI, which it accuses of incompetence. The PDM claims it does not want military interference, but seems to be aiming to obtain the sort of blessing its components used to enjoy at one time or another. That is a strong force for dialogue. There is no other way known of coming into power. This includes the view that the military is, after all, a national institution. however, the PPP in 1988 is recalled, when it came to power even though the establishment did not want it to. At the same time, it is also recalled that the PPP became dependent on that very same establishment. Another factor is that the PTI seemed to have a programme. Though PDM components have been in power, do they have a programme? The PTI, already under pressure because of the economy, especially inflation, may not be mending matters by saying it will not talk to those who malign the military. The military does not like it said that it is involved in politics. Yet Imran keeps involving it every time he invokes it as a supporter (the ’same page’ narrative), or claims to be a defender.
The writer is a member of staff.
cess against ourselves. “Tell them, (O’ Prophet): “My servants who have committed excesses against themselves” (39:53). All the evil and good we invest is returned with interest. how and when? Individual experiences vary. One has to keep eyes wide open. Usually, indicators come as warnings until the inevitable strikes. Then it is too late to repent. The enormity of Natural Forces around us makes us feel helpless, mere slaves of a predestined scheme. The notion is downright passive, pitiful. We live in a neighborhood and follow its by-laws. On our planet we must also obey God’s laws for continued human existence. God gives all the rope to a man, to either hang himself with it or enjoy playing by the rules of the game. It is absolutely free will. Dumping every good and bad on the destiny is running away from our responsibilities. Some occurrences, like where we are born, are not in our control, but are insignificant. history is replete with examples where the men of humblest of birth rose to everlasting glory and the noblest were lost in oblivion. Rituals, according to Maulana Maudodi, are the physical manifestations of Islam. The ‘Din’ containing social, moral and human obligations is the ‘Soul’, the driving force. Today our body throbs but the soul is dead. Corruption is compromise. When compromise pervades, the purpose of life becomes nebulous. Baser human instincts take control, the consciousness of the ultimate reality becomes meaningless and man is back to animalism. Animalism is a harbinger of destruction, the scriptures warn. An early morning visitor to Baghdad would hear a melodious humming rising from the city towards the skies, recitation of the holy Quran. All the recitation, night worship and fasting could not save the Muslims from the most shameful and devastating defeat at the hands of the Mongols. Corruption is just not one of the killer diseases. It is a deadly cancer for the society. It nurtures coercion, exploitation, oppression, inequality, lawlessness, insecurity and injustice. Without justice a country is worse than ‘the Animal kingdom’. Pakistan is galloping towards the precipice. All those who matter, the judiciary, executive, Parliament, law enforcement and the media must join hands together to counter the menace. Animalism can only be eliminated with extraordinary, unconventional, ruthless and extreme measures, not with the laws of a civil society. The writer has served Pakistan Army as Major General. He is author of book “Pakistan in Search of a Messiah”. He can be reached at ask7121@gmail.com
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Friday, 1 January, 2021
COMMENT 07 Editor’s mail send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. e-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
4G services in Turbat ALL educational institutions are off due to covid-19. Thus, government announced to conduct online classes so that studies remain continued. But the government has forgotten that there are places in Pakistan which are deprived from 4g network including Turbat. Likely, the students of Turbat are not able to take online classes. The inadvertent government decides things without facilitating people who do not have access to internet. The government should establish 4g network in Turbat so that students do not remain deprived from education. Farahnaz Farooq ahmed TurbaT
Why not technology?
The dwindling world order his government. This complex nature of war Iran’s economy and connecting her with the One led the powers to exploit Syria as well as the Belt One Road initiative will increase the animosity in the Strait of hormuz. These alliances whole region. Thirdly, the Afghan war where the situation and counter alliances will increaase the conflictArslAN AshIq was “ the war of all against all”. The thrust of ual legacies, because the world due to these dominance killed more than 70,000 people with problems will face a new cold war in the coming more numbers of collateral damage. Finally, a decades. OR the last decade and a half, the world report revealed that Russia aid the Taliban bounThen there is the power of social media to as been facing immense challenges. ties in exchange for killing US soldiers. This lust spread hate. With the rise of globalization, techThese issues are emerging after the War for military hegemony exalted Afghanistan, Pak- nological advancement has also surged. The total on Terror in which the USA with NATO istan, and the Central Asian region for more than population of the world is around 7.8 billion and and other multilateral institutions in- 19 years. the total cellphone users are about 5 billion. The vaded Afghanistan. In reality, the war changed rising number of techSecondly, there as the course of governance, put Afghanistan into been a decline in diplonological gadgets also the stone age, and shackled the eurasian regions. matic power. Machigives rise to the spread After this bloody spate, the hyper-power, the avelli said, “If a ruler of fake or hateful mateUSA, attacked Iraq, on the unreasonable agenda wants to survive he rial. As in the case of We must work collectively that its leader Saddam hussein was working on must learn to stop Pakistan, and India, the for the welfare of the world, Weapons of Mass Destruction. Later on, the being good.” That is eU leading DisInfo Lab Arab Spring in 2011 in the Middle-east paved true for today’s world, accounted that India is by expanding the the way for superpowers to exhibit their power. as with an increasing using more than 750 international human rights The second decade also witnessed the Great number of wars diplomedia outlets to spread Depression of 2008, after which China and Rus- macy is waning. Rulers hatred and disinformaregime, developing sia emerged again to deter or challenge the sole are becoming readier to tion against Pakistan at power of the USA and to end unipolarity. After display hard power and different forums like the international criminal law, the Arab Spring, the state of war and regime inflict wars, change UN and in the eU, and showing a commitment change became redundant. The war in Yemen, regimes, adopt new using individuals, fake Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and Iraq changed the way warfare technologies NGOs, think tanks, and to cooperative solutions to of fighting and quarrels. The triad of powers, and launch cyberatnews agencies. Morecommon problems Russia, the USA, and China with lethal tacks, and reducing the over, Cambridge Anaweapons, equipment and available resources soft power or diplolytica turned the tides in tried to do down each other in the region. favor of Trump in 2016 macy to solve the matIn these two decades, with some mass ters. For example, the election, later causing a events, there emerged some problems which not trade war between scandal. Facebook has only eroded the new world order but damaged China and the USA could be averted by using said it believes that up to 87 million users’ data the peace in the world. As Barack Obama said good offices, reconciliation, or diplomacy. But was improperly shared by Cambridge Analytica. while receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009: both countries supported unilaterally calling They claimed that their data and research helped “We must begin by acknowledging the hard their diplomats back, raising tariffs, and applied Donald Trump in winning the election. truth that we will not be able to eradicate violent protectionists policies which further escalated The rise of Nationalism and Populism in the conflicts in our lifetimes. There will be times the tension. world is another factor. In the present decade, when nations acting individually or in concert Also, the death toll in the Nagorno- we are witnessing populist and nationalist leadwill find the use of force not only necessary but Karabakh region could have reduced if both par- ers. For example, the rise of Donald Trump morally justified.” As he said: “The wars are jus- ties had diplomatically avoided the war, which halted the democratic norms with the unilateral tified today e.g in the Iraq invasion of 2003 ended with Azerbaijan’s victory. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, and where the USA found nothing except oil.” The third problem includes; Changing Al- Trans-Pacific-Partnership. he also threatened The first problem liances. The interest the eU to raise more money for NATO. his prothe world is facing is game has led the world tectionists policies de-globalized the world. the redundancy in to change its alliances. Along with this, Narendra Modi is in power with global military domiIn the Middle-eastern fascist and hindutva ideology hating Muslims nance. The justified region the triad of as well as Sikhs. India always claimed secular The first problem the world wars filled the vacuum Saudi Arabia, Israel, politics which is not seen in the region. Further, of conflicts. The wars and the UAe is a spear- erdogan and Imran Khan in power, in Turkey is facing is the redundancy in different regions, for head for almost 58 and Pakistan respectively, equally distorted the in global military dominance. Muslim example, Russia’s incountries Be- liberal political values. vasion in Ukraine in Robert Oppenheimer said: “The optimist cause Saudi Arabia is a The justified wars filled the 2014, were struggles Muslim hub of reli- thinks it is the best of all possible worlds. The vacuum of conflicts. The for power among the gious and holy places. pessimist fears it is true.” Since the human presgreat powers. Ukraine To reduce the power of ence in the universe, people have been facing a wars in different regions, for was willing to join the Iran and to dominate plethora of problems. eU. The second reason They include pandemics, wars, civilizational the whole oil-rich reexample, Russia’s invasion was the discovery of gion, it decided to join conflicts, climate change as well as political proin Ukraine in 2014, were natural gas in the hands with Israel with lems. With the dawn of every new century, exBlack Sea. Because 40 the help of Donald isting problems became old and coming issues struggles for power among percent of the eU’s gas Trump. Moreover, the distress umanity. We had faced around two the great powers. needs are fulfilled by changing nature of world wars in the last century and the USA beRussia through power politics in the came the hegemonic power controlling the new Ukraine, the independeurasian region is world order. As we see, in the second decade of ence of Ukraine would makin old alliances to the 21st century its power seems waning with harm Russia economijoin hand with the ris- the rise of Russia, China, and Multilateralism. cally and geographically. This wish of the eU ing powers. For example, the signing of ReCP ( We must work collectively for the welfare and the USA was not fulfilled by the Russian Regional Comprehensive economic Partner- of the world, by expanding the international invasion. Moreover, NATO along with the US ship) on November 15 by almost 15 countries is human rights regime, developing international forces helped to curtail the Russian invasion a rival multilateral agreement against the Trans criminal law, and showing a commitment to cobut failed. Pacific Partnership from which the USA with- operative solutions to common problems. OthThe war in Syria was also a military power drew in 2017. It will strengthen the power of the erwise, power in few hands will demolish this show because Russia was supporting hafez al- members or will balance power between eastern fast-moving world. Assad’s regime, and the USA was the ally of and Western nations. Along with this, China’s Saudi Arabia, which was inclined to overthrow entry into the Middle-east to help to alleviate Arslan Ashiq is a freelance columnist
The world is changing
F
The federal government appointed Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad as the chairperson of Ruet-e-hilal Committee by removing the previous chairman Mufti Muneeb. Mufti Muneeb has been paying his services as a member of the assession since 1997. however, the newly established committee is comprised of 19 members which is to be led by Maulana Khabir. Meetings of this committee are held every month for seeing the moon. Very large amount of funds are spent on this committee every year besides salaries of constituents. The government has to bear all expenditures of the committee. however, this is unnecessary in the modern era. It is an extra burden on the economy of the country. Pakistan is a developing country and it can’t afford any extra expense as the economy is already lowered and resisted with the advent of COVID-19 pandemic. As the minister of science and technology Fawad Choudhary said that this committee should to wiped out. I am totally agree with the Choudhary. By the termination of this committee, a whopping amount of funds can be saved which would be used on the welfare of the public. Where others countries are using modern techniques to see the moon there we are using committees and large telescopes for seeing the moon. Instead of using large telescopes we can point out the moon with satellite technology. Which would be more cheap and easy than this old technology. In the era of science, we can easily make calendar of upcoming decades. Therefore, it is unimportant to invest on old methodological organizations and institutions. muzaFFar Khoso suKKur
Good riddance The year 2020, was full of sorrows and bad news. People have faced multiple problems during this year. One of the biggest problems is covid19 which has added countless issues to people. Millions of people have been effected by the virus and many have lost their priceless lives due to the covid19. however, other problems like inflation, joblessness, poverty and more which have putted the people in hot water, have rose in this year. Moreover, in some countries like Pakistan, it has closed the schools during the full year. Many children have lost their learning abilities during this pandemic. So, it was the year of problems and I pray the new would be a good for for all of us and we will live a happy life. sameer aslam awaran
New Year Hopes and Wishes LeT us all pray and hope that year 2021 brings good tidings for common citizens of Pakistan and those who hold public office finally submit and start upholding in letter and spirit their oath to the constitution. I pray to Almighty Allah SWT for divine intervention to eradicate COVID19. It is about time that elected and paid public office holders start delivering to the people what Quaid had promised that Pakistan will be a modern democratic welfare state and not a country where the will of people becomes hostage to the greed and ambitions of few. Perhaps it is time to curtail this practice of giving subsidies to fertilizer, sugar and real estate mafias and for a change focus on welfare of common citizens by ensuring that prices of essential basic food items are not escalated through hoarding, black marketing and smuggling. Subsidies if any, should be given to provide health, education and security of life and property to the most deprived sections of our society. That Father of Nation Quaid-e-Azam warned us about this curse and institutionalized corruption which we inherited in his 11 August 1947 address and the importance and legal implications of the oath to the constitution he stressed upon in June 1948. Let us hope that the Supreme Court of Pakistan takes up with same zeal, to curb with an iron hand, this practice of illegal encroachments of state lands, public amenity plots like Kidney hill etc., as they have done recently in Karachi. maliK Tariq ali lahore
Welcome 2021 DeCeMBeR has ended which calls for a farewell to the year 2020 with all the pain, pandemic, and good it brought. I hope and pray that the worst is over and 2021 will bring in good news and respite for us. With the vaccine insight, we can hope that humankind will eventually beat the menace of Coronavirus. The farmers are done with the sowing of Rabi crops and hoping for rain and respite in the coming months. Though the bone chilling cold is at its peak, it will be over in the coming months. As Shakespeare said, “if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” Spring indeed is not far behind. The spring will bring great warm weather and hopefully we will start getting vaccines for the Coronavirus. The farmers will start preparing for harvesting their crops. hopefully, the government will provide timely support and guidance to farmers so that we have a bumper crop that rids us of dependence on imports. The government must also devise a clear plan for the administration of the Coronavirus vaccine to avoid chaos. The government must also make timely preparations to deal with abrupt and early monsoons, which has been the pattern for the last few years due to climate changes. Finally, I hope that our politicians for once shun the futile farcical mudslinging against each other and genuinely start thinking of people and Pakistan. Let us pray to the Almighty to shower his blessings on our country and its people, Amin. raja shaFaaTullah islamabad
Friday, 1 January, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
HAve THe IslAmIsTs fAIled In polITIcs? THE ISLAMIC MOVEMENT, AND BY THIS WE MEAN THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND OTHER POLITICAL ISLAMIC MOVEMENTS IN THE ARAB WORLD AFFILIATED WITH IT, MUST HURRY TO ORGANISE A COMPREHENSIVE AND INCLUSIVE CONFERENCE WHERE MATTERS ARE FRANKLY AND OPENLY ADDRESSED
MIddlE East MonItor
I
MohaMMad ayeSh
SLAMIC movements need a comprehensive internal review to assess their political experiences over the past years and decades. This assessment should not stop at a single incident, but instead expand to include all contemporary experiences in order to come up with the necessary recommendations to pave the way for the required reform. Unless this happens, the presence of Islamists in politics will gradually disappear, especially in Arab countries. The argument that the Islamists have always used to justify their failures is that they were not allowed to participate in gover-
nance, nor to implement their vision of it. They also claim that they are always subjected to a fierce war by repressive traditional regimes in the Arab world, or that they are facing systematic campaigns and plans by the US and its allies in order to thwart them, oppress them and frustrate their audience. This claim may be true in some cases, but it cannot be generalised to all experiences. The question of whether Islamic movements succeeded or failed has recently resurfaced after the Moroccan prime minister signed the normalisation agreement with Israel. This has destroyed the most important foundations upon which the Islamic movements were built – the principle of rejecting the settlement process and the insistence of boycotting Israel. This, in fact, caused a skyhigh rise of the Islamic movements since the beginning of the nineties of the last century – that is, since the convening of the Madrid Peace Conference – which was one of the symbols of the collapse of the socialist-communist camp, and one of the indicators of the
rise of US imperialism. At that point, the Islamists were the only ones who refused to bow down to Washington. Thus, the Islamic movement benefited from the Palestinian Liberation organisation (PLo) direction towards settlement and the disappearance of the left-wing forces. This allowed the Hamas movement (the Palestinian arm of the Muslim Brotherhood) to seize the Arab and Palestinian public, backed by the Islamic movements in the Arab world, all because of its adherence to the slogans of refusing to surrender to the occupation and calling for the liberation of Palestine, the need to outlaw normalisation and to boycott the occupiers. The argument that the Islamists are subjected to, or have been subjected to, is a conspiracy that prevents them from succeeding in government and political action, and may be true for some cases. In Egypt, for example, everyone knows that the late President Mohamed Morsi was not allowed to rule the country even for one day. There was a deep state that was more adept and skilled in po-
A phobia called love jihad
litical action than a group that, for seven decades, had been banned. So, Islamists quickly ended up killed, imprisoned or as fugitives. This case, however, cannot be generalised or applied to other experiences. In Sudan, the Islamic movement ruled the country and the people for three decades, resulting in the president ending up in prison. In Jordan, the Islamic movement has been involved in political work on the largest scale since 1989, including its participation in the government with five ministers in 1991. It recently lost many seats in parliament with only 10 per cent currently, compared to 30 per cent in the past. In Iraq, the Muslim Brotherhood participated through the Islamic Party in the Governing Council, headed by the American civil ruler Paul Bremer – a historical disaster for the Islamists. They were hoping to get a piece of the cake after the end of the occupation, and to participate in building the country and ruling the people. They ended up with a vice president of the republic, who was a fugitive sentenced to death. He abandoned them as
soon as he assumed the position of vice president, so they were out of the political game, whether in his presence or absence. In Syria, too, there was a miserable early experience in 1982 which cannot be overlooked. It ended with those from the Muslim Brotherhood who remained alive, either in exile or prison. Finally, the ruling Islamic party in Morocco slipped into signing the agreement to recognise Israel and normalise relations, thus committing a sin that erases all previous virtues and achievements. The only common denominator between these experiences is that they have not yet been studied nor reviewed, which is what the Islamic movement needs in order to clearly answer the question of whether it has failed or succeeded. After answering this, the causes of the failures must be identified. Unless this occurs, the Arab street will retreat from supporting political Islam and rallying around it. The Islamic movement, and by this we mean the Muslim Brotherhood and other political Islamic movements in the Arab world affiliated with it, must hurry to organise a comprehensive and inclusive conference where matters are frankly and openly addressed. They need to study past experiences and consequences and look into their futures in politics. otherwise, they must strip themselves of the robe of faith, so that their failures are not pinned to the Islamic movement. Translated from Al Quds Al Arabi.
A military history of political wars ModErn War InstItutE
FOR THE LARGER HINDUTVA PROJECT IS FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT CONSOLIDATING HINDU SOCIETY ACROSS CASTE DIFFERENCES AND THE MUSLIMS ARE THE PUNCHING BAGS. THE PREJUDICE AND FEAR AGAINST THEM IS DESIGNED TO INSTIL SUCH UNITY IndIan ExprEss
T
Saba Naqvi
o put this in context, it’s important to recognise how strongly the current system reacts against any retelling of caste atrocity.According to a report published in this newspaper (‘Walking home with friend after birthday party, Muslim youth booked under ‘love jihad’ law’, IE, December 25), a Muslim boy who stepped out with a young girl in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, after a birthday party, landed in jail for apparently trying to induce the girl into marriage and conversion. The boy is now guilty till proven innocent, although the girl is vocal that her friend made no such attempt. The girl’s father says the police dictated the complaint and pressured him into making it. The young man’s future is potentially worse than that of other Muslim males picked up since the so-called love jihad laws came into effect in the state on November 24. This is because the girl is a Dalit, which means the punishment can be doubled to 10 years — the young man has also been charged under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Protection of Children from Sexual offences (PoCSo) Act). His life has been blighted. The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion ordinance operates at various levels. It comes no doubt from a visceral hatred of the Muslim male and the need to show him his place, a process that is of a piece with the political tactics and the hearts and minds of those who rule the nation’s most populous state. It is, however, important to note that although the law has been used only against Muslim males, it is actually about banning mass conversion per se. For the larger Hindutva project is fundamentally about consolidating Hindu society across caste differences and the Muslims are the punching bags. The prejudice and fear against them is designed to instil such unity. The badly and hastily-drafted ordinance was brought in months after the
brutal Hathras gang rape in Uttar Pradesh — the victim from the Valmiki Dalit sub caste was raped, allegedly by upper caste men on September 14 (she would die two weeks later). As the police action invited charges of a cover up, the incident became an embarrassment for the state government. Leading national dailies would subsequently report that 200 Valmikis in Ghaziabad district in Uttar Pradesh had converted to Buddhism on october 14 in protest against the caste prejudice displayed in the handling of the Hathras rape/murder. The district administration would downplay the conversion. Indeed, the words “love jihad” find no mention in the ordinance but it takes a serious view of any incident where two or more people (say an entire family) convert to another faith. It is designed to harass those who wish to do so and makes the process the punishment. It is in this sphere too, that the ordinance is fundamentally against the vital principle of free will. To put this in context, it’s important to recognise how strongly the current system reacts against any retelling of caste atrocity. BhimaKoregaon, for instance, located 30 kilometres from Pune is a site where the Mahars (a Dalit sub caste to which BhimraoAmbedkar belonged) have celebrated their role as soldiers in the British victory against the Peshwas in 1818. A gathering on January 1, 2018 to mark 200 years of that battle was attacked and subsequently, the attempt to tell the story through the subaltern perspective was criminalised. The name BhimaKoregaon is now associated with cases and arrests of activists/ lawyers/academics. Similarly, the leader of the Bhim Army from Saharanpur in UP often finds himself behind bars because he has another narrative to offer. Chandrashekhar Azad is a small player, yet he seems to invite repeated jail terms and house arrests. He has incidentally attached the name Ravan to his name, an act that some see as an insult to the belief in Rama, the God-King, for
whom a splendid temple is being constructed at Ayodhya. Azad has repeatedly urged Dalits to assert their own distinct identity and not get submerged in the Hindutva stream. As a new socio-political construct is being created by the BJP-RSS, there is a need to silence awkward voices. Mass conversions are few and far between but have been an important protest tool used by Dalits since Ambedkar himself famously converted to Buddhism in 1956. There is no pretence at fair-play as the same law that criminalises conversion makes it possible for people to “reconvert” to their faith. This is to ensure that the “gharwapsi” (home-coming) initiatives by RSS linked organisations to get people from tribal communities, Christians and Muslims to “return” to what they see as the Hindu fold, face no hurdle. In other words, you can check-in any time, but you can never leave. There are many historical fears, essentially that of the caste Hindu male, that lie behind the new law. To sum it up in a sentence — it is about the historical belief that somehow their numbers will decline if Muslim men wed Hindu women and if Dalits and Adivasis have the option of leaving the Hindu fold. A study of the pamphlets and literature of the right wing groups such as the VHP and Bajrang Dal reveal a phobic obsession with the two themes of seduction and conversion. As all these neuroses come into play, the rights of women have been completely subjugated in this law. Any relative of the woman can file a complaint to get the police and bureaucracy engaged in an inter-faith marriage. The law presumes the woman is a chattel of the family, community and relatives who now have greater agency than her and can invite police and bureaucrats to interfere in an adult’s personal choice. Naqvi, a senior journalist, is the author of Shades of Saffron: From Vajpayee to Modi.
A
Paul barNeS
S a single-volume history of the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ben Barry’s Blood, Metal and Dust is currently unrivaled; its analysis of Western military capability, organizational transformation, and doctrinal development since 9/11 is simply exceptional. But in attempting to tell the story of those campaigns in just one volume, Barry seeks to do the impossible; that he produces such a readable and informative book is testament to his ability as an analyst and writer. Like the wars themselves, Blood, Metal and Dust is incomplete in chronology and content; it lacks both the perspective of the West’s opponents and access to unreleased and as yet confidential primary sources. Furthermore, the character of the book leads Barry to make conclusions that remain matters of conjecture. For example, his assessment of Iranian strategy throughout the period in question concludes that it has been successful; this may appear compelling through the lens of 2020, but as an ongoing project, that strategy may look far less impressive with greater hindsight. Barry’s overarching narrative is one of capable, innovative, and adaptable militaries ultimately failed by poor political judgment and weak strategy. Superficially, particularly for those of us who fought in these campaigns, this is a comforting perspective, but at a deeper level it is rather troubling. To be sure, politicians on both sides of the Atlantic failed dismally, but so did soldiers. The parallels with the mythology of the Vietnam War are abundantly clear: the book suggests that military lessons were learned coherently and that the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq could have been fought to a successful military conclusion if only politicians had listened to the accumulated wisdom of soldiers. What is clear is that the learning experience of coalition militaries was far from linear and somewhat dependent upon the character and personality of those driving it; officers like Petraeus, Mattis, and McMaster were successful, but many others were not. While counterinsurgency operations often have common characteristics, insurgencies are particular and cannot be defeated by adherence to doctrinal prescription. It is beyond naïve to believe that approaches that bear fruit in one context will be equally successful in another. War is a political act, and force has a part to play, but peace can only be concluded by a return to politics. We should be wary, particularly when considering popular insurgencies, of those who advocate military primacy and recommend off-the-shelf solutions—political strategy should determine tactics, not vice versa. Barry is also excoriating in his assessment of some politicians and soldiers. George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Hamid Karzai, and Nouri Al-Maliki attract significant, and perhaps deserved, ire and it is difficult to view the methods and actions of Gen. Tommy Franks sympathetically. But it is notable that he is far less critical of Barack obama, whose administration bore responsibility for both campaigns for two presidential terms and whose withdrawal from combat operations arguably emboldened both insurgencies. This imbalance continues with criticism of the response of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson to the CoVID-19 pandemic, an uncharacteristic outlier in a book of this type that perhaps, like
other political judgments in the book, say more about the author’s personal perspective than one might expect from a history of the post-9/11 wars. Blood, Metal and Dust is enigmatic. It is a history written without comprehensive access to either unreleased archives or the views of the opposing side, a commentary that on occasion lacks political balance; but it is an easy and compelling read that includes insights from some of the most influential US and British soldiers of the era. In those circumstances, it should be viewed cautiously as a valuable primer for anyone engaging with the subject of the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, particularly for those interested in military adaptation, but it should not be accepted uncritically. Ben Barry’s military analysis is strong, as one might expect from a career soldier who commanded an armored infantry formation in Bosnia in the 1990s. Fundamentally, he understands and articulates the experience of war well; as the senior fellow for land warfare at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, he is also well placed to talk about military transformation. overall, this book is highly recommended now and articulates the zeitgeist; whether it remains relevant is, like the wars it narrates, yet to be determined. Paul Barnes is a serving warrant officer in the British Army and a Fellow of the Modern War Institute at West Point. He is also uniquely a Chief of the General Staff’s Fellow and a Chief of the Air Staff’s Fellow; he has seen operational service in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the United States Military Academy, Department of the Army, or Department of Defense. Ben Barry, Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq (Osprey Books, 2020)
Friday, 1 January, 2021
BUSINESS 09
corporate corner Silkbank launches Visa contactless credit cards LAHORE: Silkbank Limited, a dominant player with a substantial market share in the credit cards industry, announced the successful launch of its contactless Visa credit cards in December 2020. Contactless technology enables safer and faster transactions that do not require you to swipe or dip your card at Point of Sale (POS) terminals, making purchase experience more convenient. While commenting on the launch, Business Head – Credit Cards Naveed Mushtaq mentioned that with the introduction of contactless (tap to pay) credit cards, Silkbank has taken a giant leap towards enabling its credit cardholders to access growing global trends and offering better customer experience to attain top-of-wallet status. As per data from Visa, contactless transactions share has increased from 35 per cent in January 2020 to 47pc in August 2020 globally, therefore, it had become all the more important to timely adopt this technology. Silkbank has launched the contactless cards with new designs speaking of greater freedom and global access and has also added a new variant to its existing menu, Visa classic cards, targeted at lower-income groups. The bank has many other strategic initiatives in the pipeline for its credit cards business, which will further cement the bank’s market leadership position in the cards industry. PRESS RELEASE
Engro Polymer & chemicals ltd initiates IPo listing LAHORE: Engro Polymer & Chemicals Limited has successfully undertaken the Initial Public Offering of its Preference Shares. The public subscription was held successfully on December 17 and 18. The listing of the said shares will take place on December 31, 2020. The prospectus of the company was published and made available to the public on December 10, 2020. Arif Habib Limited were the Consultants to the Issue. Bankers to the issue were Askari Bank Limited, Bank Al Habib Limited, Faysal Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, Habib Metropolitan Bank Limited, Soneri Bank Limited, United Bank Limited, Allied Bank Limited, JS Bank Limited, and MCB Bank Limited. Shares of Engro Polymer & Chemicals Limited is getting listed at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). It is a proud moment for us at Arif Habib Limited to have facilitated this journey for the company and that we were able to generate an excellent response for Preference Shares – the IPO has been oversubscribed 5.4x with broad-based participation from institutional, corporate and retail investors “. PRESS RELEASE
KP govt to relocate Warsak, Shabqadar marble units to Mohmand Economic Zone PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to relocate marble factories at Warsak Road and Shabqadar tehsils to the Mohmand Economic Zone, also known as Mohmand Marble City. The decision was taken during a meeting regarding Mohmand and Buner marble cities chaired by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan on Wednesday. Marble factory owners who voluntarily relocate to Mohmand would be provided with grants as well as plots at affordable rates. So far, owners of 19 marble factories on Warsak Road have applied for the relocation. Mohmand marble city covers an area of 350 acres and so far, 106 plots have been allotted for setting up new industrial units. The remaining 184 plots will be allotted to factories being reallocated from Warsak Road and Shabqadar tehsils. During the meeting, it was also decided to convert the Mohmand Economic Zone into a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). “A plan of action should be formulated in consultation with the owners of these factories to shift the marble factories to Mohmand Economic Zone,” the chief minister directed, adding that all paperwork in this regard should be completed and submitted within 15 days. Furthermore, the meeting decided to start practical work on the proposed Buner Marble City project, which will spread over 126 acres. The PC-1 to purchase land for this purpose would be approved within a week. AZIZ BUNERI
IS IKEA rEAlly coMIng to PAKIStAn? ISLAMABAD
P
GHULAM ABBAS
AKISTAN’s ambassador to Germany, Dr Mohammad Faisal, through a tweet on Thursday, claimed that IKEA, a multinational conglomerate that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, is going to commence its operations in Pakistan. However, surprisingly, soon after the news was announced in the media, the ambassador not only deleted his tweet, but did not reply to queries sent to him regarding the development either. To add to the surprise, when contacted, relevant ministries in the country were also unaware of the development. Concerned officials at Board of Investment (BoI), the premier investment promotion agency of Pakistan working under the administrative control of the
AmbAssAdor deletes tweet After shAring news; boi, moC, seCP unAwAre of develoPment Prime Minister’s Office, mandated to promote and facilitate both local and foreign investment was also unaware of the development. The official claimed that there was no development, not even at the initial stage, regarding investment by IKEA. Similarly, the Ministry of Commerce, and officials at both the offices of adviser to prime minister on commerce and investment as well as secretary commerce were also unaware about the development. The official spokesperson at Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said that no application for the registration of the company was received by the commission.
However, SECP’s website shows the registration of a company “IKEA TRADING (HONG KONG) LIMITED in 2006, at CRO Karachi. As per the SECP’s record, another firm in the name of “IKEA SUPPLY AG SWITZERLAND was registered in Karachi in 2015. This scribe also tried to take IKEA’s official version on the development through an email sent to their offices in Sweden and Netherlands. However, no reply from the company was received until filing of this report. Earlier, referring to the ambassador’s tweet, it was reported that IKEA, one of the world’s largest furniture retailers since 2008, is going to
commence operations in Pakistan. The ambassador had claimed that he had met Dieter Mettke from the multinational IKEA conglomerate, who was en route to Pakistan to initiate operations. “Met Dieter Mettke. He is going to Pakistan to be the incharge of IKEA operations,” Ambassador Faisal had said on Twitter. “We look forward to IKEA opening up stores in major cities of Pakistan.” The company, founded in Sweden in 1943 by the renowned businessman Ingvar Kamprad, is one of the world’s largest furniture retailers since 2008. The conglomerate designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances and home accessories. For years, IKEA has been pushing into Asia and South America as growth slows in Europe and North America, particularly targeting the growing middle class of emerging markets.
ogrA notifies massive raise of rs16/kg in lPg prices for January ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Thursday notified a record increase of Rs16 per kilogramme in the prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), which will be effective from January 1, 2021. According to OGRA’s notification, the LPG prices for the month of January are raised by Rs16 per kg, raising the price of an LPG cylinder for domestic users by Rs188 and commercial users by Rs722. As per details, LPG will now be available at Rs 148/kg and domestic cylinder will be available at Rs1,741, while commercial cylinder at Rs6,697 dur-
ing the month of January, 2021. Previously, LPG was available at Rs132 per kg and domestic cylinder was available at Rs 1553 while commercial cylinder was available at Rs5,976 in the month of December, 2020. Annoyed with already high rates of levy and other taxes in LPG price, LPG Industries Association of Pakistan Chairman Irfan Khokhar has demanded that the government put an end to these taxes, warning that the LPG sector will go on an indefinite strike across the country from January 15 if their demand is not met. He said that the nonviable policies and high number of taxes have put a negative impact on the LPG industry. “LPG distributors are paying over Rs6 bil-
lion in taxes. If this unnecessary burden is not relaxed, then we will have no other choice but to go on a countrywide strike.” Khokhar also stressed that levy tax on LPG import from the Taftan border must not be imposed, adding that the move would make LPG too expensive for the masses. It is pertinent to mention here that LPG is one of the most environmentally friendly fossil fuels available, besides being cost effective and convenient. It is currently being used as the main source for heating, cooking, and lighting purposes in remote and hilly areas of the country as well. Over 40,000 homes in the country enjoy the benefits of LPG, while more than 10,000 motorists in Pakistan use it in their vehicles.
SECP warns public against fake investment entities ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has issued a public warning to refrain from investing in any fraudulent investment schemes that promise hefty profits and unrealistic incentives. Officials said that few registered companies and unregistered entities portraying to be registered with SECP and FBR, or otherwise, are offering unauthorised business activities of leasing facilities, MLM, pyramid schemes, and seeking deposits from the general public in the name of jobs, investment and trading. The SECP has further clarified that the registration of a company does not authorise it to solicit deposits from the general public or offer investment schemes. Officials said that SECP has initiated legal proceedings against various companies under the relevant provision of the Companies Act 2017. The
companies included BH Online Jobs Services (SMC-Pvt.) Limited Karachi, IDG Enterprises (Pvt.) Limited (Islamic Dubai Group) Islamabad, Pakistan Edification Services (SMC-Pvt.) Limited Islamabad, 3A Alliance (Pvt.) Limited Karachi, Galaxy Typing Jobs (SMC-Pvt.) Limited Islamabad, Black Diamond Goat Farm (Pvt.) Limited Multan, Memon Corporation (Pvt.) Limited Karachi, Best Day Innovative Solutions (Pvt.) Limited Faisalabad, Corporate Automobiles (Private) Limited Peshawar, Pak Memon Impex (Private) Limited Islamabad, Montviro (Private) Limited Islamabad, M/s Neamat Ullaha & Amjad Javed and Company (Private) Limited, Multan, Ayat Enterprises (SMCPrivate) Limited Islamabad, FS Links (SMC-Pvt.) Limited Multan, Brand testing Servicing Pakistan (Private) Limited Multan, Induction and Assessment Initiative (Private) Limited Islamabad, Fragrance Land (SMCPvt.) Limited Islamabad, Humanitas Meritus (SMC-Private) Limited
Karachi, Direct Testing Services (Private) Limited Islamabad, Gold Transmit Network Technology (Private) Limited Karachi, Green Apple SuperMarket (Private) Limited Karachi, Tianshi International Pakistan Co. (Pvt.) Limited Islamabad and DXN International Pakistan (Private) Limited Karachi. Apart from these companies, SECP also frequently receives complaints and queries against various companies regarding unauthorised activities. These companies include Global Testing Services (Private) Limited Islamabad, Online Mass Solutions (Private) Limited Lahore, Go Big Trade (Private) Limited Karachi, Memon Merchandise Limited Karachi, Btech Online Work (SMC-Private) Limited Karachi and A & F Online Jobs Services (Private) Limited Karachi, Get by Adds (Private) Limited Quetta, View Advice Marketing (SMC-Private) Limited Sukkur, Speed Bikes (Private) Limited Multan, Global Ads & Mar-
keting (Pvt.) Limited Karachi, Global Sky Trade (Pvt.) LimitedPeshawar, View Ads (Pvt.) Limited Islamabad, HR Butt & Sons (Private) Limited Karachi, First Vehicle (Pvt.) Limited Karachi, Hope Alliance Trading (SNIC.Pvt.) Limited Karachi, Lasani Oil Traders (F,7) Limited Lahore, New Lassani Chicks and Chicken (Pvt.) Limited Islamabad, Paradise Alliance (Pvt.) Limited Karachi, Memon international Management (Pvt.) Limited Karachi, MGI Inures (Pvt.) Limited Lahore, M. N. M. Motorcycle (Pvt.) Limited Faisalabad, Sambrosons Enterprises (SMC-Private) Limited Peshawar, MM Qureshi International (Pvt.) Limited Peshawar, Paradise Merchant Karachi, Alliance in Motion Global (Pvt.) Limited Lahore, Graana (Pvt.) Limited Islamabad, British Lyceum (Private) Limited Lahore and B4u group Lahore as well as Karachi. The general public is hereby advised to not be misled by any schemes, investment plans and programmes offered by these entities.
Emergency cash calls, tech IPO frenzy push 2020 banker fees to record high MONTREAL AGENCIES
Emergency corporate fundraising and a clamour for tech stock market listings pushed equity capital market volumes to over $1 trillion in 2020 and fees for investment bankers in the sector to a record high, data showed. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the world, companies turned to their shareholders in droves to get the funding needed to get through a bruising global recession. Combined with demand for new growthoriented companies — particularly tech — in an era of record low interest rates, that was responsible for a record-shattering year in stock market fundraising, bankers and analysts said. Global equity capital markets (ECM) ac-
tivity rocketed by 55% to a record $1.1 trillion in 2020, data from Refinitiv showed. The year was characterised by companies spanning from airlines to retail and hospitality scrambling for funds to weather the pandemic or to repay emergency government loans. Airlines operators such as Lufthansa and British Airways owner IAG led the way, tapping markets for billions of dollars to navigate a severe crunch in the sector. But as the year progressed and as unprecedented central bank action supercharged markets, a slew of initial public offerings hit the market, pushing IPO volumes in the United States to a 13-year high of $80.23 billion, the Refinitiv data showed. These were characterised by unprecedented first-day pops, with the likes of
Airbnb and Warren Buffet-backed Snowflake doubling in value on their market debuts,. “In a world of incredibly low interest rates, any company able to demonstrate growth in future cash flows is going to be rated highly. Sectors such as healthcare, fintech and tech are a huge part of this,” said James Fleming, Citi’s global co-head of equity capital markets. Fleming expects the trend of tech IPOs to continue into the first half of 2021, while equity raises for balance-sheet purposes are also likely to continue into the new year with many sectors yet to fully recover from the COVID-19 crisis. While the United States has been at the forefront of the IPO boom, the trend is likely to spread to Europe in 2021. Overall, bankers made $28.7 billion
CM YK
from ECM fees, the biggest yearly pot ever. IPO fees also hit a 13-year high of $10 billion, the data show. Those figures rise to $32.5 billion and $13.8 billion respectively when including the listing of so-called special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), though the fees on such deals are only payable in full if the vehicle ends up acquiring a company. Issuance in 2021 could be supported by a continued surge in mergers and acquisition activity. “In Europe, we will see much more M&A-related equity financing in 2021 across a broad range of sectors, as opposed to just balance sheet repair situations,” said James Palmer, head of EMEA ECM at Bank of America. The cancellation of Ant Group’s planned
$37 billion listing — in what would have been the largest IPO in history — was the one fly in the ointment. It raised the threat of regulatory hurdles for tech firms, particularly those with operations in China. But with more positive news around vaccine rollouts emerging across the world, investors are also expecting to see the flow of IPOs continue unabated. Companies that were satisfied with private funding rounds in the past are now coming to the public market to take advantage of buoyant stock market valuations. “There is a pendulum shift that’s ongoing,” said Emiel van den Heiligenberg, head of asset allocation at Legal & General Investment Management. “As long as valuations stay high, there is an incentive for private equity to go to market.”
Friday, 1 January, 2021
10 FOREIGN NEWS Iran's Zarif says US plotting to fabricate war pretext DUBAI AGENCIES
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the United States on Thursday of trying to fabricate a pretext for attacking Iran, and vowed Tehran would defend itself even though it does not seek war “[US President] Donald Trump and cohorts waste billions to fly B52s and send armadas to our region. Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to fabricate pretext for war,” Zarif said in a tweet. “Iran does not seek war but will openly and directly defend its people, security and vital interests”, he wrote.
Record Covid-19 cases in Tokyo, heavy snow curtail New Year celebrations in Japan
BRexIT TakeS fUll effeCT aS Uk leaveS eU SINgle maRkeT LONDON
B
AGENCIES
RExIT became a reality on Thursday as Britain left Europe's customs union and single market, ending nearly half a century of often turbulent ties with its closest neighbours. The United Kingdom's tortuous departure from the European Union took full effect when Big Ben struck 11pm in central London. Brexit has dominated British politics since the country's narrow vote to leave the bloc in June 2016, opening deep political and social wounds that still remain raw. Legally, Britain left on January 31 this year but has been in a standstill transition period during fractious talks to a secure a free-trade agreement with Brussels, which was finally clinched on Christmas Eve. Once the transition ends, EU rules will no longer apply, with the immediate consequence being an end to the free movement of more than 500 million people between Britain and 27 EU states. Customs border checks will be back for the first time in decades, and
despite the free-trade deal, queues and disruption from additional paperwork are expected. Britain–a financial and diplomatic big-hitter, and a major Nato power–is the first member state to leave the EU, which was set up to forge unity after the horrors of World War II. The EU has lost 66 million people and an economy worth US$2.85 trillion (S$3.77 trillion), but Brexit, with its appeal to nationalist populism, also triggered fears other disgruntled members could follow suit. Leaders in both London and Brussels signalled their wish to draw a line. "It has been a long road. It is time now to put Brexit behind us. Our future is made in Europe," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday, as she signed the trade pact. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Brexit was designed to resolve "the old, tired, vexed question of Britain's political relations with Europe, which has bedevilled our post-war history". Thursday "marks a new beginning in our country's history and a new relationship with the EU as their biggest ally", he said after British parliament
voted to back the trade deal. "This moment is finally upon us and now is the time to seize it." Unlike in January, when flag-waving Brexiteers led by populist anti-EU former lawmaker Nigel Farage cheered, and pro-EU "remainers" mourned, no formal events were planned for the end of the transition. Public gatherings were banned due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed more than 72,000 lives and infected more than 2.4 million in Britain, including Johnson himself. But Mr Johnson is looking not only to a future free of Covid-19 but also of rules set in Brussels, as Britain forges its own path for the first time since it joined the old European Economic Community in 1973. On Wednesday, he hailed regulatory approval of Oxford University and AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, and a new beginning for a prosperous, more globally focused Britain. As well as ensuring tariff- and quota-free access to the EU's 450 million consumers, Britain has recently signed trade deals with countries including Japan, Canada, Singapore and Turkey. It is also eyeing another with India,
Saudi-led coalition strikes at Yemen capital after attacks on Aden blamed on Houthis
TOKYO AGENCIES
ADEN
New coronavirus infections in Japan’s capital hit a record high of 1,337 on Thursday, Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government said, and New Year’s Eve celebrations were curtailed as the country battles a third wave of the pandemic. Nationwide, new cases surpassed 4,000 for the first time, local media said. Scores of flights were also cancelled as heavy snowfall hit several areas of Japan on Thursday. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has urged people to celebrate New Year quietly and avoid nonessential outings. Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways cancelled or planned to cancel a total of around 140 flights, public broadcaster NHK reported, adding that bullet train services had been suspended in some parts of the northern Yamagata prefecture. A 70-year-old man died in the northern Iwate prefecture after he apparently fell into a river while trying to shift snow with a shovel loader machine, NHK said. Japan has been battling a third wave of Covid-19 infections in recent weeks and on Monday started barring the entry of non-resident foreign nationals after detecting variants of the virus from Britain and South Africa. Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Wednesday the government may have to consider declaring a state of emergency if the number the Covid-19 cases grow. Japan’s Imperial Household Agency has cancelled an annual New Year’s event set for January 2, at which Emperor Naruhito and other imperial family members were due to greet well-wishers. People have been asked to stagger visits to shrines, traditionally popular destinations on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. In Tokyo, where the governor has warned of a potential explosion in Covid-19 cases, extra train services will be suspended from late December 31 to January 1. “I want to emphasis again that there is no New Year holidays for the coronavirus. I urge people to spend quiet holidays staying at home with families,” Kyodo news agency quoted Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike as telling reporters on Thursday. The health ministry confirmed on Thursday six cases of a mutated coronavirus variant in people returning to Japan from Britain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between December 23 and 26. About 3,480 people have died in Japan from around 235,700 cases during the pandemic so far.
AGENCIES
Saudi-led coalition warplanes struck targets in Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa on Thursday in retaliation for attacks in the southern port city of Aden the previous day that took place as officials in a government-backed by Riyadh arrived there. The coalition accused the Houthi movement, which it has been fighting for six years, of staging the attack on Aden’s airport and a second one on the presidential palace. Thursday’s coalition airstrikes hit Sanaa airport and several other sites in and around the city, residents said. Loud blasts were heard and warplanes flew overhead for several hours, they said. Houthi-run Masirah television said the planes hit at least 15 locations in different districts in the capital. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Coalition airstrikes have killed thousands, including many civilians, over the course of the war. But they have been less frequent in recent years as the conflict has reached a stalemate, with the Houthis controlling most population centres and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s internationally recognised government– supported by Riyadh and Western powers–basing itself in Aden. The main war has been eclipsed by a powerstruggle between Hadi’s government and southern separatists in Aden. Saudi Arabia has been trying to unite them to focus on fighting the Houthis. At least 22 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Wednesday’s attack on Aden airport, which took place just as members of Hadi’s new cabinet arrived from Saudi Arabia. A second attack was made on the Maasheq palace, where they had been taken to safety. A coalition statement said the alliance had downed an explosive-laden Houthi drone that was targeting the palace. “The desperate, terrorist attack to target
Maasheq palace confirms the responsibility of the terrorist, Iran-backed Houthi militia of the attack in Aden International Airport,” the statement said. There was no immediate reaction from the Houthis, who had earlier denied responsibility for the airport attack. Aden has been mired in violence because of the rift between the separatists and Hadi’s government, which has been based there after being driven from Sanaa by the Houthis in 2014. The Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks independence for south Yemen, declared self-rule in Aden in April, triggering clashes with Hadi’s forces and complicating United Nations efforts to forge a permanent ceasefire in the overall conflict. The new cabinet unites the STC with Hadi in an effort to fulfill the Saudi aim of ending the feud. Government officials were among the casualties in the Aden airport attack. Three International Committee of the Red Cross staff members were also killed, the organisation said. Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik said all members of the cabinet were “fine” and will remain in Aden despite the attack.
where Johnson plans to make his first major trip as prime minister next month, and with incoming US president Joe Biden's administration. In the short term, all eyes will be closer to home and focused on how life outside the EU plays out in practical terms. That includes disruption at the ports, which have stoked fears of food and medicine shortages, as well as delays to holidaymakers and business travellers used to seamless travel in the EU. British fishermen are disgruntled at a compromise to allow continued access to EU boats in British waters. The key financial services sector also faces an anxious wait to learn on what basis it can keep dealing with Europe, after being largely omitted from the trade deal. Northern Ireland's border with EU member state Ireland will be closely watched to ensure movement is unrestricted - a key plank of a 1998 peace deal that ended 30 years of violence over British rule. In Scotland, where most opposed Brexit, Johnson faces a potential constitutional headache from a resurgent independence movement.
US warships transit Taiwan Strait, China denounces 'provocation' TAIPEI/BEIJING AGENCIES
Two US warships sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Thursday drawing protest from Beijing, the second such mission this month and coming almost two weeks after a Chinese aircraft carrier group used the same waterway. China, which claims democratically run Taiwan as its own territory, has been angered by stepped-up US support for the island, including arms sales and sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait, further souring Beijing-Washington relations. The US Navy said the guided missile destroyers USS John S. McCain and USS Curtis Wilbur had “conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit December 31 in accordance with international law”. “The ships’ transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows.” This is the 13th sailing through the strait by the US Navy this year. China’s Defence Ministry denounced the trip as “provocation” and “a show of force”, adding Chinese ships and aircraft trailed the US ships. The passage of the ships sent the wrong message to supporters of Taiwan independence and are a serious threat to peace and stability, it added. “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army maintains a high level of alert at all times, responds to all threats and provocations at all times, and resolutely defends national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the ministry said. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the ships had sailed in a northerly direction through the strait on what it termed an “ordinary mission”. Taiwan’s armed forces monitored the sailing and the situation is “as normal”, it added. China’s military said it had tailed the last US warship to pass through the Taiwan Strait on December 19, and denounced the mission. The day after that trip, Taiwan’s navy and air force deployed as a Chinese aircraft carrier group led by the country’s newest carrier, the Shandong, sailed through the Taiwan Strait. China said the group was on its way to routine drills in the disputed South China Sea.
China gives conditional approval to Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine BEIJING AGENCIES
China approved its first Covid-19 vaccine for general public use on Thursday, a shot developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm, as it braces for greater transmission risks over the winter. “There was no paper presented, which makes it hard to accept at face value, but an efficacy of 79 per cent sounds rather realistic, rather than an idealistic-sounding 95 per cent effectiveness in mRNA based vaccines,” said Korea University College of Pharmacy Professor Song Dae-Sub. International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Deputy Director General of Science Song
Man-Ki said, “The lack of fully reviewed papers or data published by official institutions makes it difficult to comment on the efficacy of the Chinese or Russian vaccines. Some numbers are just hard to believe statistically. Experts try their best to collect as much data as possible, but we cannot simply evaluate a vaccine based on a drugmaker’s statement. Since other Covid-19 vaccines are also rolled out on emergency use authorisations (EUA), more data will be compiled once some countries begin vaccinations. And once more data is compiled on human trials and if the country of the vaccine’s origin is trustworthy, the vaccine could also have a shot. Trust is pivotal when it comes to vaccines, but the history of the
country and the firm with their vaccines is also important. But trust is built up over a long period of time. Yet the distribution of the vaccine really depends on the situation of the country’s outbreak. Singapore and Taiwan, for instance, must have lesser demand for vaccines now since they are doing well. Once the infections peak, countries scramble to get vaccines, then the interest dies down when the cases drop.” University of Queensland Professor and Infectious Diseases Physician Paul griffin said, “A conditional approval like this obviously very much contingent on the on-going clinical trial results as well as the close-up observation of the people who were receiving the vaccine. I think it is acceptable, but
it is really important for people to understand that for conditionally approved, there’s further research currently under way. Most countries’ regulatory systems are fairly independent, so receiving approval elsewhere does not necessarily guarantee approval in each individual country. Most countries will still have their own process to be applied. But the fact that it has gotten to the stage where it has received its approval is certainly positive in that, provided the data reviewed by other countries demonstrates what we think we knew already, it is very likely it could be approved elsewhere as well.” “I do not think the Chinese approval or the UK emergency use approval of their re-
spective vaccines should be taken too seriously by third party countries, who will need to perform their own independent assessments. There is an ongoing paucity of data on the Chinese vaccines, so despite headline results suggesting 79 per cent effectiveness it is hard to know what this means without access to all the data. There is a lot of politics right now in the Covid-19 vaccine market with each country that has a vaccine under pressure to get them approved and made available. I would be very surprised to see any western country approving this Chinese vaccine without a lot more data,” said Adelaide’s Flinders University College of Medicine And Public Health Professor Nikolai Petrovsky.
Friday, 1 January, 2021
LackLuStre LiverPooL heLd to another draw at newcaStLe
SPORTS 11 williamson overtakes Smith and kohli to be top test batsman NEW DELHI: New Zealand captain Kane Williamson enters the New Year as the topranked Test batsman after leapfrogging Australia’s Steve Smith and India skipper Virat Kohli in the latest official rankings issued on Thursday. Williamson, who returned from paternity leave this month, hit a match-winning century in the opening Test against Pakistan to help New Zealand win by 101 runs at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday. Smith is in the middle of a rare slump in form and dropped behind Kohli after registering four single-digit scores at the halfway stage of the ongoing fourTest series against India. Kohli, who topscored for India in their eight-wicket thrashing by Australia in the series opener in Adelaide, has returned home for the birth of his first child. India’s stand-in skipper, Ajinkya Rahane, jumped to number six after his stellar hundred in the second Test inspired the tourists to a series-levelling victory in Melbourne. Australia’s Pat Cummins remains the topranked Test bowler, while compatriot Mitchell Starc jumped two places to enter the top five. India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (seventh) and quick Jasprit Bumrah (ninth) improved their top 10 positions after their impressive performance in the Melbourne Test. AGENCIES
australia-india women's odi series postponed due to covid-19
NEWCASTLE
a
AGENCIES
N off-key Liverpool were frustrated for a second successive game by struggling opponents as they were held to a 0-0 Premier League draw at Newcastle United on Wednesday. Juergen Klopp’s side had the chance to open up a five-point lead at the top of the table, but a combination of wastefulness and Newcastle’s valiant rearguard kept them at bay. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino were all guilty of poor
finishing for the champions while Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow produced a couple of fine saves. Liverpool were held 1-1 by second-bottom West Bromwich Albion on Sunday and also drew with struggling Fulham earlier this month. Klopp’s team lead the table going into the New Year with 33 points from 16 games, but second-placed Manchester United are only three points behind with a match in hand. “You might not think I have to tip my hat to my team but I like the performance,” Klopp said. “It was really good, can we play better football? Yes, but in this game we did more than enough to win it. “The boys are frustrated and rightly so
Querrey given suspended $20,000 fine for quarantine breach WASHINGTON: American Sam Querrey was handed a suspended $20,000 fine by the ATP for breaching Covid-19 protocols at the St Petersburg Open in October, the governing body for men’s tennis said on Wednesday. Querrey, 33, was withdrawn from the tournament after he returned a positive Covid-19 test a day before the main draw began but left the country on a private plane despite being placed in isolation by Russian authorities. The ATP called Querrey’s conduct “contrary to the integrity of the game” but added that the fine will be lifted if Querrey does not commit further breaches of health and safety protocols related to Covid-19 within a probationary six-month period. The governing body also said it took Querrey’s “many years of otherwise good standing with the ATP and other mitigating factors” into consideration when deciding on a suspended fine. AGENCIES
Fakhar, Qalandars part ways ahead of PSL 6 LAHORE: Pakistan batsman Fakhar Zaman and Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Lahore Qalandars, who played the final last season, have parted ways ahead of the sixth edition of the league. The left-hander was in the platinum category of players for the league. He will now go back to the players' draft for the sixth edition, to be picked by a new team. He revealed the decision through a tweet on his official Twitter account, thanking the franchise for contributing in his career development. “Thank you, Lahore Qalandars, for the last 4 memorable seasons. You have played a huge role in my career by providing me an opportunity to showcase my skills. Looking forward to a new challenge in the upcoming season,” Fakhar posted on his social media account. The development was also confirmed by the official Twitter account of the PSL. “Star batsman Fakhar Zaman will be moving on to another team this season,” the PSL’s official handle tweeted. STAFF REPORT
but not about the performance. You have to respect the result. It will not stay like this forever and I know the boys will finish these situations.” Newcastle climbed a place to 14th, eight points above the bottom three. Liverpool enjoyed overwhelming possession early on but lacked their usual zip and it gave heart to a Newcastle side who had lost two and drawn one of their last three league games. The visitors struggled to carve out chances but did so just past the half hour when Salah found himself in acres of space in the area but his shot was turned around the post by Darlow. Darlow then beat away Firmino’s
header from Mane’s cross as the hosts arrived at halftime on level terms. Liverpool raised their tempo in the second half and Newcastle were forced deeper and deeper. Mane headed wide and Salah again found himself with the goal at his mercy after taking Firmino’s slide rule pass but he guided his shot wide of the post. Firmino headed another chance wide and Mane looked poised to tap in a loose ball but Fabian Schar produced a last-ditch clearance to avert the danger. Darlow made another excellent save to keep out Firmino’s header but Ciaran Clark almost netted late on for Newcastle with a header that was clawed out by Alisson.
NZ's Wagner ruled out of second Pakistan Test with broken toes WELLINGTON AGENCIES
New Zealand pace bowler Neil Wagner battled through the pain of two broken toes in the first Test against Pakistan but coach Gary Stead said he would miss the second match at Hagley Oval in Christchurch starting on Sunday. Wagner needed pain-killing injections during the Test, which the hosts won by 101 runs, after he was struck on the foot while batting on the second day at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. He bowled several lengthy spells over the next three days and was instrumental in New Zealand sealing victory
late on the final day when he captured centurion Fawad Alam and the dangerous Faheen Ashraf to expose the Pakistan tail. “Neil was absolutely outstanding,” Stead told reporters at Christchurch airport on Thursday. “I do not think there are too many individuals who could do what he did in that Test match. “Neil has not travelled with us. The injections he was getting (to lessen the pain) were wearing off (quickly) and we cannot let him go through that again.” The left-arm quick would be out of action for up to six weeks. Stead said they would likely name his replacement on Friday, adding that they would go “like for like”. Matt Henry, who has often been
drafted in when a pace bowler goes down injured, is in contention after recovering from a hand injury. Stead was pleased with the first Test performance against a tough Pakistan side, who were behind for much of the match but were still in with a chance of snatching victory in the final session. “That was tough, really hard Test cricket and it was good to come out on the right side of it against a tough Pakistan team,” he said. “I thought Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam’s partnership was outstanding ... and they nearly took the game away from us. That is what makes Test cricket what it is.”
MELBOURNE: The Australia-India women’s ODI series slated for next month has been postponed to next season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia said on Thursday. CA boss Nick Hockley said Australia would host India’s women next season with three extra Twenty20 internationals added to the schedule on top of the three ODIs originally earmarked for January. “We had initially hoped to play India this summer, however the impact of the global pandemic made it necessary to postpone until next season,” Hockley said in a media release. Australia are currently hosting the India men’s team in a four-Test series. Australia defeated India in the women’s T20 World Cup final in March at the Melbourne Cricket Ground the last time the teams met. AGENCIES
india's Yadav to miss last two tests with calf injury: report NEW DELHI: India quick Umesh Yadav will miss the last two Tests against Australia with a calf injury, the ESPNcricinfo website reported on Thursday. Yadav bowled only 3.3 overs in Australia’s second innings in the second Test before limping off as India went on to level the series 1-1 with an eight-wicket victory in Melbourne. An India team spokesman could not immediately provide an update on Yadav’s injury but ESPNcricinfo said the 33-year-old would miss the matches in Sydney and Brisbane. Yadav’s absence would further deplete India’s pace attack, leaving Jasprit Bumrah as the lone frontline quick in their squad. Veteran seamer Ishant Sharma missed the tour with a side strain while Mohammed Shami has been sidelined after fracturing his forearm while batting in the opening Test in Adelaide. Shami’s replacement Mohammed Siraj impressed in his debut in Melbourne where he picked five wickets and proved his ability to bowl long spells. AGENCIES
Arise Sir Lewis; Formula One champion Hamilton gets his knighthood LONDON AGENCIES
Seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton was awarded a knighthood in the UK New Year’s honours list published on Wednesday. The 35-year-old this year became the most successful F1 driver of all time after equalling Ferrari great Michael Schumacher’s record seven titles and beating the German’s 91 race wins. The sport’s only Black driver, who grew up in social housing as the grandson of immigrants from the Caribbean, Hamilton has also used his profile to campaign for diversity and speak out against racial injustice.
The Monaco resident’s presence on the overseas and international list, rather than a main one with many rewarded for service to public health in a pandemic, was seen as a reflection of his tax status. The Daily Mail newspaper said Prime Minister Boris Johnson had “bent the rules” to get around the tax requirements for domestic awards. The citation referred to Hamilton’s sporting record and his “charitable and philanthropic contributions in the UK and overseas”. Cinematographer Roger Deakins, famed for his work on movies such as “1917”, “Shawshank Redemption” and “Skyfall”, was also knighted on the same overseas list. Hamilton’s supporters have
CMYK
long felt his achievements have not been sufficiently recognised at home and they expressed delight at the Mercedes driver joining a select group of sporting sirs. “Lewis is a true giant of our sport and his influence is huge both in and out of a car,” said newly-appointed Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali, a former Ferrari team principal. “What he has achieved is phenomenal with still more to come.” Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff hailed Hamilton, who won his first title with McLaren in 2008, as the most successful British sportsperson of his era. The knighthood, he added, showed that Hamilton–often seen as a polarising
figure–was “now receiving the recognition he has earned during a career of unparalleled success in motorsport”. “The UK can be very proud to have a champion and ambassador of the calibre of Sir Lewis Hamilton,” added the Austrian. Hamilton is the fourth F1 driver to be knighted after the late Australian Jack Brabham, Stirling Moss and triple champion Jackie Stewart and the only one to have received the award while still racing. Cycling’s Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, Olympic 5,000 and 10,000 metres gold medallist Mo Farah, twice Wimbledon tennis champion Andy Murray and England cricketer Alastair Cook have also been knighted as active sportsmen.
Friday, 1 January, 2021
PrAyEr TImINGS
NEWS asian stocks on path to finish turbulent 2020 at record highs SINGAPORE AGENCIES
Shares in Asia-Pacific were trading higher on the final day of this year as vaccine rollout elevated hopes for next year’s economic recovery. However, the market’s optimism also pushed the dollar lower. While some markets of the region are already closed for holidays, like bourses in South Korea and Japan, most of the stock markets that were open on Thursday edged higher. Most of the gains were seen in China, the only major economy set to expand this year, with its benchmark Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 Index adding nearly two percent to reach its historic peak. Other major indices in China were also up on Thursday after official data showed that activity in the country’s services and manufacturing sector expanded again this month, although at a slower pace than in November. Meanwhile MSCI Asia Pacific Index – the gauge of Asian Pacific shares outside Japan – rose 0.1 percent to its latest peak. Trading in Australia went against the trend, with All Ordinaries index losing more than one percent. The drop came as the government introduced harsher restrictions amid a rising number of coronavirus infections in some parts of the country. The rally in the region could have also been driven by the developments on a China-EU trade deal, which is meant to expand access to each other’s markets. After a year of talks, the two sides reached an agreement “in principle” on Wednesday. While stock markets mostly bottomed out after the coronavirus pandemic caused a panic sell-off in March and have even hit new highs since then, the US dollar is finishing the year lower.
FAJR SUNRISE
ZUHR
ASR MAGHRIB ISHA
5:56
12:35
4:18
7:17
5:54
7:16
3 more extrajudicial Killings in ioK; PaKistan renews call For indePendent Probe ISLAMABAD
P
STAFF rEPOrT
AKISTAN has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of three more innocent Kashmiris in yet another fake encounter by Indian occupation forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in a statement on Thursday, reiterated Pakistan's call for independent inquiry under international scrutiny to investigate the unabated extrajudicial killings of Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces and to bring the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice. During the year 2020, in their brazen acts of state terrorism, the Indian occupation forces martyred more than 300 innocent Kashmiris, including women and children, in fake encounters and staged cordon-and-search operations. During the same period, 750 Kashmiris were critically injured and 2,770
Families claim Kashmiri youths Killed in encounter were not militants NEWS DESK: In a rare protest, the families of three people killed in a gunfight in Kashmir have said that they were not militants, adding that two of them had only left their home for some work. Two teenagers and a young man were killed after a firefight with a joint team of police and government forces at Hokersar on the city outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday. According to the police, a 20-hour gun battle had taken place, wherein the so-called 'terrorists' were repeatedly told to surrender. The families of the deceased have spoken against the label of terrorist.
“Yesterday at 10 a.m., he had tea with me and I swear about it. I don’t know where he was brought down from Sumo. Is this what is going to happen in Kashmir. Is this democracy? Is this the governor Raj? Kill me. Why you killed him. He was a student,” said Bashir Ahmad Ganie, grandfather of Aijaz Maqbool, one of the men killed. Ganie added that Aijaz was the son of a policeman posted in Ganderbal. The families of the other victims — high school student Athar Mushtaq and carpenter Zubair — also insisted they were innocent.
innocent Kashmiris were arbitrarily detained, while 922 houses were destroyed as part of collective punishment inflicted on the Kashmiri communities.
The FO said that the recent revelations of planting weapons on the bodies of the victims of extrajudicial killings in Shopian by the Indian occupation troops
to make it look as though they were armed fighters are deeply disconcerting and an affront to the collective conscience of humanity. The statement said that it is a well-known fact that those guilty of gross human rights violations in IOK have never been prosecuted. In the previous cases of extra-judicial killings, custodial deaths, and mass rapes of women in Kunan-Poshpora 1991, Pathribal 2000, Ganderbal 2007, Machil 2010, and several others, there has been an abject failure to provide justice to the Kashmiri victims and survivors. The spokesperson said that Pakistan has consistently emphasised that the gross and systematic violations of human rights being perpetrated by the Indian occupation forces warrant an investigation by a UN Commission of Inquiry, as recommended by the OHCHR in its reports of 2018 and 2019. He reiterated that nothing short of an inquiry under international scrutiny can meet the requirements of justice.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk