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Thursday, 8 April, 2021 I 24 Shaban, 1442 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XI No 280 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

With eyes on AfghAnistAn, RussiA And PAkistAn to bolsteR secuRity ties g

PM IMrAN reAFFIrMS reSOlve TO COMMeNCe WOrK ON gAS PIPelINe PrOjeCT AS eArly AS POSSIBle

ISLAMABAD

staff report

ONClUDINg his visit with a pledge to focus on efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan, russian Foreign Minister Sergey lavrov on Wednesday said that Moscow and Islamabad will boost ties in the fight against terrorism, with his country providing defense equipment to Pakistan and the two holding joint military exercises. In Pakistan on the final day of a two-day visit, lavrov’s visit is the first by a russian foreign minister in nine years, part of a warming in once frosty relations. The visit comes as Moscow seeks to increase its stature in the region, particularly in war-torn Afghanistan, where it has sought to inject itself as a key player in accelerated efforts to find a peaceful end to decades of war. Pakistan has been a key player in setting up direct negotiations, first between the United States and the Taliban — which has been fighting Afghan forces

since it was toppled in a US-led invasion in 2001 — and again in facilitating the now-stalled intraAfghan dialogue process in Qatar capital of Doha. expressing concern over the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, lavrov said Pakistan and russia have agreed to further facilitate the stakeholders to reach an amicable solution through an inclusive political dialogue to bring an end to the decades-long war. “We stand ready to strengthen the anti-terrorist potential of Pakistan, including by supplying Pakistan with special military equipment,” he said, without going into detail about the equipment. As Washington reviews an agreement it signed more than a year ago with the Taliban and rethinks a May 1 withdrawal of its soldiers, Moscow has stepped up its involvement in Afghanistan, emerging as a significant player. last month it hosted talks between the Taliban and senior government officials and

lavrov suggested another highlevel meeting could again be held in Moscow. lavrov arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday from India, with whom Moscow has had a long relationship. The apparent reset in Pakistan-russia relations, however, is, by contrast, a recent phenomenon. Addressing a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, lavrov expressed satisfaction over a 46 per cent increase in trade between the two countries. he, however, stressed there is a need to further diversify it, radio Pakistan reported. Discussing the opportunities in the energy sector, he said that both the countries are now discussing a new protocol on the Stream gas Pipeline Project — an ambitious project to transport 1.6 billion cubic feet per day of regasified liquefied natural gas (lNg) from Karachi to lahore — and as soon as it is signed, the construction work will begin.

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Confirmed Covid-19 cases cross grim 700,000 mark ISLAMABAD staff report

Struggling to contain a third wave of Covid-19, the country reported 4,004 new cases over the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 700,188, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said on Wednesday. Sindh has been the worst hit with 267,238 cases followed by Punjab where 237,594 people have been tested positive, the NCOC said in a statement. A total of 102 people died across the country during the last 24 hours, raising the death toll to 15,026, the official statement said, adding that 4,529 patients are being treated in hospitals across Pakistan. Urging the people to strictly follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stop the spread of the virus, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the third wave of Covid-19 is extremely dangerous in

comparison to the previous two waves. “We have so far been protecting our people. We are not imposing a complete lockdown or closing our factories. We are only imposing minor restrictions so that this wave does not spread rapidly,” he said in a recent telethon. “But if this spreads, it will have a very negative impact and we will be forced to take steps.” To counter the deadly third wave, the authorities have recently taken several measures by banning all kinds of both indoor and outdoor mass gatherings, closing educational institutions in some areas of the country, and suspending inter-provincial transport two days a week from April 10 to 25. Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who also heads the NCOC, said on Tuesday that increased restrictions, broader lockdowns, and strong enforcement of standard operating procedures (SOPs) have started to show give dividends.

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more inside

Disgruntled Tareen says ‘loyalty being tested’ STORY ON PAGE 02

Majestic Fakhar leads Pakistan to ODI series win against South Africa STORY ON PAGE 11

COAS BAjWA SAyS PAKISTAN WelCOMeS All INITIATIveS FOr PeACe AND STABIlITy IN AFghANISTAN

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

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DisgruntleD tareen says ‘loyalty being testeD’ TAREEN SAYS NO TRUTH IN REPORTS OF MEETING WITH ZARDARI NEXT WEEK LAHORE

STAFF REPORT

DAY after Jahangir Tareen refuted speculation about him joining the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), estranged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader on Wednesday regretted that his “loyalty [to PTI] is being tested”. Tareen had returned to Pakistan in November after ending his seven-month-long self-imposed exile after falling out with Prime Minister Imran Khan following an inquiry into the last year’s sugar scandal that accused several sugar producers — including him — of “underreported sales and fraud”. In March, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered three cases against Tareen

and his son Ali Tareen, among others, on charges of corporate fraud and money laundering. In a tweet, Tareen rejected the “fabricated” charge sheet, denying any wrongdoing. Last week, a banking court in Lahore granted one-week pre-arrest bail to them. Today, the court extended the bail period. Speaking to reporters in Lahore after appearing in the court, Tareen said: “I have given my blood and sweat [for the PTI]. Do you think I can leave the party [to join PPP]? Absolutely not.” “I was and will continue to remain a part of the PTI,” he said. Tareen also denied reports of a future meeting with PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari — as tweeted by PPP leader Syeda

PTI PUNJAB MPAS ATTEND HEARING TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY

Shehla Raza who claimed the meeting had been scheduled for next week. Raza deleted the tweet after it drew rejection from both parties. During his talk, Tareen also condemned the legal action initiated against him and his family. “Despite these things happening against me and my family for the past year [following the sugar inquiry report], I have remained silent. What more proof do you need of my loyalty,” he questioned. “Not one, not two, but three FIRs [first information reports] were registered against me,” he said, adding that his “loyalty was being tested”. Tareen wondered why he was being singled out among the owners of 80 sugar mills

functional across the country. He said that his and his son’s bank accounts had been frozen without any development in the case concerned. “Why was this done? Who is benefitting from this, [… ] who is behind this?” Tareen also urged the prime minister to expose those exacting revenge against him. “Only the prime minister and the loyal supporters of the party can do that,” he said. In a show of support, PTI legislators from Punjab — including Raja Riaz, Noman Langrial, Salman Naeem, Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, and Khurram Leghari — accompanied Tareen to court to expressed solidarity with him. Meanwhile, Riaz, who was also present during the presser, said the prime minister

PML-N candidate set to win after ANP withdraws from NA-249 polls HAJI AURANGZEB KHAN BUNERI WITHDRAWS HIS CANDIDACY NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Miftah Ismail has been given an edge in the upcoming NA-249 by-polls after the Awami National Party (ANP) on Wednesday announced the withdrawal of its candidate. Haji Aurangzeb Khan Buneri from the ANP was previously slated to contend the by-elections, which will take place on April 29, after talks between the ANP and PML-N, the former decided to withdraw their candidate.

The seat fell vacant after Faisal Vawda of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gave it up to contest in the Senate elections. This development comes one day after ANP had announced it would part ways with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). ANP leader Amir Haider Hoti on Tuesday afternoon had told a presser in the federal capital that his party had decided to part ways from the PDM in wake of the show cause notice issued to it. However, he had added that the ANP would continue to support the PDM’s manifesto.

NAB gets time to submit response in CSM case

Talking to media in Karachi on Wednesday, ANP Sindh General Secretary Younis Buneri said that ANP candidate Khan dropped out of the electoral race in favour of Ismail in accordance with a party decision. He said that ANP’s members were democratic people, “and we are free to make our own decisions; though we are no more with the PDM our struggle for democracy will continue”. Buneri also said that he had decided to support Ismail after consulting the Provincial Advisory Council. Aurangzeb, who withdrew his candidacy in favour of Ismail, said that the party was committed to its decisions and hoped that the PML-N would win the by-election.

ECP announces fact-finding inquiry into Daska by-poll fiasco ISLAMABAD

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

INP

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday took up a petition filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking cancellation of bail granted to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz in Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) graft case. A two-judge bench headed by Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar heard the case during which Maryam submitted her response to NAB’s request. During the proceedings, a NAB prosecutor requested the court to gave the agency some time to go through Maryam’s response submitted a day earlier and file a rejoinder. Accepting his request, the court adjourned further hearing for an indefinite period.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday announced to hold a fact-finding inquiry into the NA-75 Daska by-poll fiasco besides appointing an officer to commence a thorough probe. The provincial joint election commissioner of Punjab, Saeed Gul, has been appointed as the inquiry officer and tasked to present its report till May 15, it emerged. The inquiry will uncover the fact about the disappearance of the presiding officers (POs) on February 19.

The inquiry officer will scrutinise the violations of duties made by the POs and election staff besides recording the statements of the presiding officers, INP reported. Saeed Gul was given powers to seek assistance from any federal or provincial institution to conclude its probe. The transportation and security plan will also be reviewed during the inquiry, as well as ascertaining the concerned officers who were involved in alleged result tempering and helping those who took away the polling staff on the byelection day. Meanwhile, it emerged on Wednesday that the ECP has barred the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) from holding a rally in Daska.

MoST orders action against corrupt oﬃcials at PSQCA ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has finally directed to take action against officials serving at important positions at Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) despite inquiries in corruption cases at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). In this regard, in a letter to PSQCA Director General (DG) Abdul Aleem Memon written on April 5, the science and technology ministry has asked the authority to submit a compliance report that will be submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology. The committee had earlier directed the ministry and the authority to take action against corrupt officials at PSQCA. According to the letter, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, the ministry has directed PSQCA DG “to expedite the action on all pending inquiries of corruption cases against officers/officials of PSQCA and submit a report on the matter”. As per the letter, the compliance report on the relevant directives was due on March 1, 2021, how-

ever the same was still awaited which may be furnished to the ministry till April 6, 2021, before closing of office hours for timely submission to the Senate Secretariat. On February 3, the Senate committee had admitted that almost all the directives given by the body during the past three years were neglected by the Ministry of Science and Technology. Talking to Profit, Senate Committee Chairman Senator, Mushtaq Ahmed, had claimed that almost all the directives given by the committee during meetings held in the past three years were neglected by the ministry’s officials. In public interest and in order to resolve issues related to the ministry and its attached departments, the Senate body had issued at least 227 directives in various meetings. “Unfortunately almost all were neglected,” he said, adding that the committee completes its term this month with admission that the bureaucracy in the ministry is not ready to change the status quo. During the last meeting of the committee, Senator Nauman Wazir had also given his conclusion that the departments of the ministry have become salary paying centres. “The attitude of the bureau-

cracy needed to be changed,” he had opined. Interestingly, the officials at MoST kept dodging the Senate body meetings whenever the committee highlighted the cases of corruption, irregularities, mismanagement and fraudulent activities reported in the ministry and attached departments. This was also an admission of the chairman of the committee that the instructions of the committee regarding inquiries into corruption cases were never taken seriously by the ministry. In earlier meetings, the committee had directed the ministry to suspend all officials facing inquiries under corruption charges in various departments of the ministry. The committee had given repeated directions to the ministry to at least remove the high officials from their posts to maintain transparency till the investigations were complete. During the meetings, the committee took up various issues of importance including irregularities in the seniority list of Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR), details of ongoing corruption cases at PSQCA, and pending promotion cases at both organisations. The ministry had even not paid heed to the cases at courts and contempt cases

regarding promotions and appointments, which also came under discussion at the Senate committee. During previous meetings of the Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology, it was disclosed that at least 33 inquiries were pending against the PSQCA officials, at FIA and NAB for years. According to documents, among other officials, PSQCA Secretary Ghulam Umar Kazi, who is enjoying the post for around 10 years, was facing at least five different inquiries at NAB and FIA. As per the documents these cases are related to corruption, malpractice, misuse of authority, irregularities and holding assets beyond known source of income. As per the list, MosT Legal Director Kalid Ahmed Bablani is facing at least five inquiries at NAB and FIA. He is also facing departmental inquiries related to corruption, misappropriation of funds in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), ‘Purchase of Laboratory, Equipment Provision of Furniture for PSQCA Complex at Karachi’ project, and also for Illegal issuance of TRC for clearance of consignment in the import exports section of PSQCA. Bablani also faces inquiry for holding assets beyond known sources of income. PSQCA License, Standardisation and Conformity Assessment Director Ali Bux Soomro is also facing three inquiries at NAB and FIA related to irregularities pertaining to the issuance of a license for substandard products and illegally issuing TRC for clearance of consignment for import and exports.

“would not have been successful” in securing the vote of confidence from parliament in March without Tareen. “He [Tareen] played the biggest part in obtaining the vote of confidence [for the PM]. Perhaps he [Imran] would not have been successful had Tareen not played his part.” He said that Tareen had played a part in forming PTI governments in Punjab and at the Centre. “Now people close to the prime minister are hatching conspiracies against him and exacting revenge.” Riaz further said all the MPAs and MPs, that had gathered for today’s hearing, were united in denouncing the “injustice” against Tareen. “We think the prime minister should take action against this.”

razak seeks stakeholders’ feedback to finalise Pak-uzbek Pta ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Adviser to the PM on Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood on Tuesday directed the Ministry of Commerce to consult with all stakeholders for reviewing the progress being made between Pakistan and Uzbekistan on the proposed Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). In a tweet, Dawood said that the Ministry of Commerce is finalising the Agreement with Uzbekistan in consultation with all the stakeholders. “As we approach the finalisation, any business that may not have given the views are requested to communicate their input in this regard to MoC. So that these are properly considered,” he tweeted. An official announcement said the Ministry of Commerce is in the process of finalising Pakistan’s request list in consultation with public and private sector stakeholders. The input of the private sector, concerned ministries and departments was obtained via detailed consultations in the last three months. Dawood directed the ministry to carry out a final round of consultation with the private sector stakeholders, various chambers and associations as well as companies trading with Uzbekistan to review the ground situation before finalising Pakistan’s request lists. The meeting decided that seminars will be held by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) in Karachi and Lahore to apprise the business community about the PTA. Moreover, TDAP will organise sector-specific webinars in the next two weeks to complete the process.

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

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iMF Projects PaKistan’s growth rate at 4Pc in Fy22 t NEWS DESK

HE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected Pakistan’s GDP growth at 1.5 per cent in 2021 and 4 per cent in 2022, as the IMF is expecting a stronger economic recovery in 2021 as Covid-19 vaccine rollouts get underway. The IMF said Tuesday that it expects the world economy to grow by 6 per cent in 2021, up from its 5.5 per cent forecast in January. Looking further ahead, global GDP for 2022 is seen increasing by 4.4 per cent, higher than an earlier estimate of 4.2 per cent. The IMF, in its annual World Economic Outlook (WEO), said the Pakistan economy is expected to grow at 4 per cent in 2022

INDIAN ECONOMY GROWTH PROJECTED AT 6.9PC IN 2022

after a contraction of 0.4 per cent in 2020. Emerging and developing Asia is anticipated to grow by 8.6 per cent in 2021 and 6 per cent in 2022. China, the only major economy that had already returned to pre-pandemic GDP in 2020, witnessed a positive growth rate of 2.3 per cent, is projected to grow by 8.4 per cent in 2021 and 5.6 in 2022. On the other hand, IMF projected a stronger recovery for India with growth projected to be 12.5 per cent in 2021 and 6.9 per cent in 2022. On the other hand, the financial institution projected a 12.5 per cent growth rate for India in 2021, stronger than that of China. The Indian economy is expected to

grow by 6.9 per cent in 2022. Notably in 2020, India’s economy contracted by a record eight per cent, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said as it projected an impressive 12.5 per cent growth rate for the country in 2021. The divergent recovery paths are likely to create significantly wider gaps in living standards between developing countries and others, compared to pre-pandemic expectations, the IMF says, explaining that cumulative per capita income losses over 2020–22, compared to pre-pandemic projections, are equivalent to 20pc of 2019 per capita GDP in emerging markets and developing economies (excluding China),

while in advanced economies the losses are expected to be relatively smaller, at 11pc. “This has reversed gains in poverty reduction, with an additional 95 million people expected to have entered the ranks of the extreme poor in 2020, and 80 million more undernourished than before”. “Even with high uncertainty about the path of the pandemic, a way out of this health and economic crisis is increasingly visible,” IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said in the latest World Economic Outlook report. The latest round of fiscal stimulus in the US, along with the vaccine rollouts across the world, have made the group more confident about the global economy this year. “Nonetheless, the outlook presents daunting challenges related to divergences in

Pakistan committed to structural reforms: hammad tells wB FEDERAL MINISTER SAYS GOVT WORKING TO STREAMLINE POWER SECTOR, HARMONISE GENERAL SALES TAX ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The government is fully committed to implementing structural reforms, protecting social spending and boosting social safety nets in order to protect the vulnerable segments of society, said Finance Minister Hammad Azhar. The minister’s comments came during a virtual meeting with World Bank Group South Asia Region Vice President Hartwig Schafer on Tuesday. In his remarks, the finance minister appreciated the pivotal role being played by the World Bank in strengthening governance and service delivery through

institutional reforms in Pakistan over the years. Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub Khan and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Power Tabish Gauhar, who were also present in the meeting, outlined the steps being taken to streamline the power sector, improve service delivery and serve the larger interest of electricity consumers. They emphasised that the government was fully committed to making the power sector dynamic and more sustainable. The minister for economic affairs lauded the World Bank’s IDA financing for the Crisis-Resilient Social Protection (CRISP) and other projects. Furthermore, the finance minister said that the

harmonisation of general sales tax is a priority area of the government. “The federal and provincial tax authorities are working out procedures for its smooth implementation,” he added. The World Bank vice president appreciated the government’s relief initiatives to ease the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic effectively. Schafer reiterated the World Bank’s continuous support to the government of Pakistan during testing times. The international financial institution also acknowledged that a lot of progress had been made on the implementation of structural reforms in various sectors. “There is a need to keep up the momentum once the health crisis abates,” he added.

Pakistan launches peace talks to pursue Modi-Imran meeting: report AGENCIES The latest initiative, reportedly launched by General Qamar Javed Bajwa in January and backed by Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the UAE’s ruler, and his national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al-Nahyan made a positive start with a ceasefire on February 25, Financial Times reported. The next steps include reopening border trade, pandemic response co-operation and India’s participation in an anti-terror drill to be held in Pakistan. If successful, a meeting between the prime ministers could happen in the next 12 months. “There is a senior-level dialogue going on in preparation for a potential meeting between Modi and Imran Khan,” said a person with knowledge of the back-channel efforts. Multiple previous attempts at

peace talks have unravelled, sometimes because of terrorist attacks against India. Gen Bajwa is pushing for peace almost two years after Modi revoked the special status granted to the state of Jammu and Kashmir under India’s constitution that allowed the region to govern its own affairs. Pakistan flip-flopped last week on the trade commitment, announcing it would allow sugar and cotton imports from India, then backtracking, saying trade would only resume once Kashmir’s special status was restored. Shireen Mazari, Pakistan minister for human rights, said Imran had declared there would be no normalisation of relations with India until the situation in Kashmir returned to the “status quo” of two years ago. Pakistan military’s public relations arm also denied that Gen Bajwa had pledged a moratorium on hostilities. “It's a pack of lies,” said a spokesman. “It is

all speculation.” India’s external affairs ministry declined to comment on the talks. However, an Indian government official said the talks were still going ahead and that the rhetoric from Imran’s government was intended to satisfy the conservative element in his support base. Politicians “have to make these symbolic gestures”, the official said. Analysts said Gen Bajwa was desperate to end the costly military engagement with India and reset frayed ties with the US. Infiltration attempts by Pakistani militants into Indian Kashmir have reportedly fallen sharply. “Khan’s government is also under pressure after failing to expand the economy and fulfil promises to build an Islamic welfare state. On Monday, the former cricket captain appointed the third finance minister of his administration after restarting a $6bn IMF bailout programme.

Steel industry demands end to fake invoices, protection of legal businesses ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

The representatives from the steel industry have urged Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Revenue, Dr Waqar Masood, and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to curb fake invoices in the steel business as this was hurting and discouraging the documented segment of the industry. In separate letters to the prime minister’s special assistant and FBR, Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) has complained that the ongoing practice of taking claims/ inputs through fake and flying sales tax invoices was resulting in loss of billions of rupees to the exchequer every month. At the same time, this practice was destroying the documented steel manufacturers who were paying the government taxes ethically. According to the association, as a result

of this menace, the documented and revenue contributing sector had been put in a state of great disadvantage and as a result, the documented sector was likely to shrink further in comparison to tax evaders. “The menace of flying/fake invoices that remains unchecked so far is going to result in the closure of the documented steel sector and this will further discourage future investments in the sector,” PALSP Secretary General Wajid Bukhari said in the letters. “As we understand, the FBR has a standing operating procedure (SOP) to deal with the cases involving fake/flying invoices and the directorate general of internal audit of Inland Revenue (IR) has powers to check cases of fake/flying invoices in the field formations across the country,” he added. Bukhari appealed to the apex body to regulate the problem by mutually working with the association. The association has suggested to the FBR to identify the fake/flying invoices and

extended its support regarding finding a way out to deal with the problem. The association suggested bringing structural changes in sales tax law to make it impossible for any taxpayer to use flying invoices. Meanwhile the association, in another letter sent to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), has also requested the ministry to rationalise the marking fee for the steel sector, licensing and enforcement of PSQCA standards. “Apart from the issue of production and unchecked sale of substandard steel which is creating national risk for the future generations, the high marking fee, license fee etc. are creating unfair competition within the steel sector and putting the documented sector at great disadvantage,” the association said. In the recent past, the documented sector invested heavily for capacity enhancement and acquired most modern technology for steel making.

the speed of recovery both across and within countries and the potential for persistent economic damage from the crisis,” Gopinath added. The IMF estimated growth of 5.1 per cent for advanced economies this year, with the United States expanding by 6.4 per cent. The IMF said the governments should continue to focus on “escaping the crisis” by providing fiscal support, including to their healthcare systems. In a second phase, “policymakers will need to limit long-term economic scarring” from the crisis and boost public investment, it added. “Without additional efforts to give all people a fair shot, cross-country gaps in living standards could widen significantly, and decades-long trends of global poverty reduction could reverse,” Gopinath said.

three dead in Karachi cylinder explosion KARACHI: Three people including two children were killed and seven others hurt on Wednesday when a cylinder exploded inside a car at Sachal Goth neighbourhood near Regional Meteorological Centre in Karachi. Rescue teams shifted the injured to a nearby hospital for treatment. Karachi (East) SSP Sajid Amir Suddozai said that the LPG cylinder blast also caused a traffic jam on the University Road. Police have launched further investigation into the incident. APP

Polio vaccination campaign in balochistan deferred QUETTA: The polio vaccination campaign in Balochistan was postponed on Wednesday for an indefinite period due to a protest by the government staffers. A five-day vaccination campaign against the crippling disease was scheduled to begin on Wednesday in 33 districts of the province. However, it was put off for a third time. According to Quetta Emergency Operation Centre, the campaign to be held on April 5 had already been postponed. Balochistan health department had postponed the vaccination campaign against polio across the province due to the ongoing strike of the government employees who have been holding a sit-in for the past week, a statement said. STAFF REPORT

bakhtawar says isolating after contracting coronavirus KARACHI: Bakhtawar Chaudhry (née BhuttoZardari) on Wednesday announced she has contracted coronavirus, urging people not to be deterred from getting vaccinated. “I tested positive for Covid19 on April 2nd – isolating and recovering,” she said in a tweet. “Just a reminder to keep being cautious, call people out if their masks don’t cover their nose, get vaccinated & help those less fortunate to get vaccinated too. May Allah keep us all safe.” STAFF REPORT

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

LHC direCts Punjab govt, MiLLers to ConsuLt over sugar PriCe LAHORE

TLTP

BENCH of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday heard the sugar mill owners’ petition challenging the government’s order of fixing the ex-mill sugar price at Rs80. The high court, earlier, restrained the Punjab government from implementing a notification about fixing the ex-mill and retail price of sugar at Rs80 and Rs85 re-

spectively. Justice Shahid Jamil Khan heard the case. “Will you take the stakeholders on board over the price?” the bench asked the official of the provincial ministry of industries, present in the court. “The sugar mills do not respond to the ministry,” the official said. “They have affirmed that they will come for a meeting. Sit with them and fix the price,” the court said. “Under the Article 18, sugar mills owners have the right to bring the matter to the court,” the

bench further observed. “You have to grant a subsidy if you will fix the price below the cost,” the bench said. “Hear their point of view and then determine the price with mutual consultation. Ramzan is around the corner and your authority of fixing the price has been challenged in the court,” the court further said. “They were summoned and even advertisements were published in newspapers, but they failed to heed,” Advocate General Punjab said.

“The price of sugar was fixed at Rs70 per kilogram with mutual agreement in Islamabad High Court and now they do not agree to sell the commodity at Rs85 per kilogram,” the government counsel argued. “Keep the Federal Board of Revenue’s data before you, sit and decide the matter with mutual consultation,” the court told two sides. “Currently price hike is the most critical issue of the country,” the bench observed.

Work on fencing border underway at fast pace: Langau DENIES OFFICIAL DELIBERATIONS ON TURNING GWADAR INTO BALOCHISTAN’S SOUTHERN CAPITAL NEWS DESK Balochistan’s Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau has said that Pakistan is speedily fencing its border with Iran and Afghanistan to curb cross-border militant attacks. Admitting that the measure would impact the livelihood of people who depend on cross-border trade, the minister told a foreign news agency that maintaining law and order is the government’s top priority. “Our long western border is not safe, due to which terrorism happens and people’s lives are under threat,” Langau said. “So, the first thing you do is to protect the lives of people,” he said. He said that it is the responsibility of the state to help people make a living, adding that a committee under his chairmanship is already looking into the

issue. “We are making a free economic zone and trying to promote legal businesses,” he said. “We have decided to employ people who may suffer due to border fencing in four government departments: police, Levies, Frontier Constabulary and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.” He said that the overall security situation in the province has improved though more work needs to be done. “There was a time when we were witnessing daily suicide attacks,” Langau said. “However, the sacrifices of our security forces have brought down the number of such incidents to a significant extent, though terrorism has not entirely disappeared.” Langau said that the provincial government believes in resolving issues through negotiations. “Our government wants to talk to everyone and resolve is-

Ahad Cheema secures bail from LHC in assets case NEWS DESK A bench of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted bail to Ahad Cheema in the assets beyond means case. The court ordered Cheema, former director general of Lahore Development Au-

thority (LDA), to deposit two surety bonds of Rs1 million each with the court. The court had earlier reserved its decision on the bail petition. Earlier, Cheema’s counsel told the court that the statements of 63 witnesses have been recorded out of a total of 210 prosecution witnesses so far. “A supplementary reference has also been filed on 21 December, 2020.” Cheema has already been granted bail in the Ashiana Iqbal Housing case, the counsel said. The lawyer pleaded to the bench for granting bail to his client over lingering court proceedings. The NAB prosecutor asked the court to grant him some days to submit the reply over the matter.

sues through negotiations, but terrorism should stop. It is not possible to hold dialogue in an atmosphere of terrorism,” he added. The provincial home minister denied any official deliberations on the idea of turning Gwadar into the province’s southern capital. “Balochistan is a very big province and constitutes about half of Pakistan’s landmass,” he said. “There is no harm if such a decision is taken for administrative purposes. However, this thing has not been discussed in the cabinet or any official forum,” he added. However, he said turning Gwadar into a capital would benefit the area’s people. “If the chief minister and his cabinet are there in Gwadar,” Langau added, “they will be able to address the challenges faced by locals in their native environment instead of Quetta.”

Viral video: Miftah explains why he abused elderly man KARACHI TLTP

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail has reacted to a video which has gone viral on social media, in which he can be seen abusing an elderly man who insults former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. “The video is a month old. I had gone to a market where workers of another political party were shouting at me,” explained the former finance minister. Ismail said the man had termed the PML-N supremo as a "thief". The PML-N leader said he told the man not to call Nawaz a thief. However, the former finance minister said when the man repeated the slight again, he

called him a thief as well. "However, I should not have abused, that was a mistake I made," he said. A video of Ismail at a marketplace arguing with people had gone viral on social media. In the video, a group of people could be seen heckling Ismail and surrounding him. An elderly man referred to the PML-N supremo as a thief, prompting Ismail to abuse him. The video was also shared by Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shahbaz Gill on his Twitter account. PML-N’s Miftah Ismail is contesting from the NA-249 constituency, which has fallen vacant due to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Faisal Vawda's resignation, who had resigned from the seat.

KP set to turn ancestral homes of Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar into museums PESHAWAR TLTP

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has set the legal process rolling to buy the ancestral houses of two Indian film legendary actors and friends, Dilip Kumar and the late Raj Kapoor, in Peshawar. The KP government has enacted a necessary section of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 of the state, which authorises the government to take possession of both the houses on emergency basis. The amount will soon be released to the deputy commissioner (DC) of Peshawar for payment to the landowners. The price of Dilip Kumar’s 101 square metres house has been fixed at $50,517 while that of Raj Kapoor’s 151.75 square metres at $94,061 by the Archaeological Department of Pakistan. According to a report, the owners for a long time were not willing to sell these houses as the

government was not willing to pay the market prices. Their objections were that the prime location properties have been severely undervalued. The owner of Kumar’s ancestral house has demanded Rs250 million for the property and the owner of the ancestral house in Peshawar of Raj Kapoor demanded Rs2 billion. The KP government claimed that the owners were demanding exorbitantly higher prices and blackmailing the authorities due to the importance of these premises. Kapoor’s ancestral home, known as Kapoor Haveli, is located in the fabled Qissa Khwani Bazaar. It was built between 1918 and 1922 by the legendary actor’s father Prithvi Raj Kapoor. These buildings , which are in shambles, were declared a national heritage by the provincial government of KP last year. In the past, the owners of the two buildings have made several attempts to demolish

them for constructing commercial malls in view of their prime location. Fortunately, this was stopped as the archaeology department wanted to preserve them, keeping in view their historic importance. The two homes are right near the 2,000-year-old Qissa Khwani Bazaar. The bazaar once served as a camping ground for the caravans of travelling merchants. Last year, when news broke about making Kumar’s house a museum, his actress-wife Saira Banu took to Twitter to thank the KP government. “I wish the provincial government success in its efforts and sincerely hope that this time the dream comes true. Masha’Allah. My heart fills up with joy each time I receive the same news about the ancestral home of Yusuf Saheb in Peshawar in North West Frontier province which the provincial government has been repeatedly trying to turn into a monument for posterity,” she tweeted.

LHC accepts plea seeking execution of sC verdict on Lgs for hearing LAHORE TLTP

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday set aside objections over a petition seeking implementation on the Supreme Court’s (SC) verdict for restoration of local governments in Punjab. The high court directed the court officials to fix the date for hearing of the petition seeking implementation of the apex court’s order. The petition was earlier returned by the Registrar Office with objections. Earlier on March 25, declaring the Section 3 of the Punjab Local Government Act, 2019 unconstitutional, the apex court restored local bodies in the province. Hearing the case, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed said that the local government representatives were elected for five years and their tenure cannot be shortened on the basis of a single notification. He added that laws can be made under Article 140 but the same cannot abolish the government institutions.

govt prioritises prosperity of balochistan’s people: asad Qaiser NEWS DESK National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser has said that development and prosperity of the people of Balochistan is an important component of the government's priorities. Talking to Balochistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Sardar Babar Khan Musakhel, who called on him on Wednesday, Qaiser said that Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision is to alleviate the sense of deprivation of the people of the province. He said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a game changer for the entire country especially for Balochistan which would usher in progress and prosperity of the province and its people. He also said that Gwadar port will become the hub of development.

Mother dies, daughter injured in roof collapse PATTOKI INP

A woman died while her daughter was critically injured when roof of their house collapsed on Wednesday. According to details, dilapidated roof of a mud-stone made house located in village Har Chowki of Pattoki tehsil Chunian suddenly came down. As result of roof collapse, a woman Parveen Bibi died on the spot while her daughter Tayyeba was critically injured. The rescue personnel pulled out the body and injured from debris and shifted them to Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital Chunian.

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

LAHORE

NEWS

US SayS SUpporTS direcT pakiSTanindia TaLkS on ‘iSSUeS of concern’ iSLamaBad

Technical, contractual issues of Matiari Lahore Transmission Line resolved amicably LAHORE: During the latter part of the testing and commissioning of the ±660 kV HVDC Matiari Lahore Transmission Project on 02.12.2020, severe frequency oscillations were experienced throughout the network and to avoid the network outages, HVDC system was blocked after around 14 minutes’ operation on lower power at 200 MW flow on Line. Afterwards, NTDC revisited all the technical and contractual details pertaining to testing and commissioning and after a detailed analysis, the testing activities of the Project were halted on 11.12.2020 and a Notice of Dispute was served by NTDC to the Project Company on various technical and contractual grounds. The Project Company prepared a detailed Root-Cause Analysis Report of the frequency oscillations event and submitted the same for review of Owner Engineer, M/s. Hatch Canada, and Independent Engineer, M/s. CESI. Both recommended some changes, suggested mitigation measures, and highlighted certain pre-requisites to be fulfilled before resumption of testing and commissioning. Apart from that, there were certain contractual obligations which were impacted by Covid-19 pandemic and were considered essential to proceed with testing. Therefore, the process of negotiations between NTDC and the Project Company was started in order to devise a way forward based on good faith between the Parties. Thereafter, a series of high-level discussions were started between NTDC and Pak MLTC to resolve the issues under the dispute resolution mechanism provided in the contract documents. Detailed discussions between the Parties to resolve the issues continued for around 2 months and each and every issue was deliberated upon during the said period. Currently, low power testing of the project is complete, uptil the level of 800 MW, for both Monopole and Bipole, and further trial run at low power will continue till April 30, and then high-power testing for 2200 MW and 4000 MW will be started which will be continued till August 31. PRESS RELEASE

TLTP

HE United States has said that it encourages direct dialogue between Pakistan and India on “issues of concern,” as signs have emerged in recent weeks of rapprochement in relations between the South Asian neighbours. “What I would say is that we continue to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on issues of concern,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news briefing. When asked about the decision by the Pakistani cabinet not to import sugar and cotton from India,

Price said, “I wouldn’t want to comment on that specifically.” Islamabad downgraded its diplomatic relations with New Delhi and suspended bilateral trade in August 2019 after India revoked a special clause from its constitution to remove the special status of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan replied to a letter by his Indian counterpart on the occasion of Pakistan’s republic day, saying the people and government of Pakistan wanted “peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India”. In his letter to Imran, Modi had also said that India wanted “cordial relations with the people of Pakistan”.

Confirmed Covid-19 cases cross grim 700,000 mark continued from page 01 The rising trend of positivity rate has been flattened, but the number of critical patients and mortality will stay at high levels for some time due to the momentum of the last two weeks, Asad said. Meanwhile, the country’s Covid-19 vaccination campaign is in full swing, with authorities urging eligible citizens to get themselves vaccinated against the disease. So far, more than 1 million people have been vaccinated, and the total number of people who have registered themselves for vaccination is now over 2 million, according to Asad. Private hospitals in major cities have also started inoculation with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine imported by a private pharmaceutical company. Health experts believe that the variant of Covid-19 initially discovered in the United Kingdom has been behind the surge in the number of infections in the country. “The new variant seemed to be more contagious and deadly, and the only way we can control it is to shut all kinds of activities that may play role in the spread of the disease,” Ejaz Ahmad Khan, an infectious disease specialist at the Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad, told Xinhua. He said that the government is trying hard to control the situation, but the cooperation of the Pakistani people is also very important. “Solely, the government cannot take control of this fatal disease without our help.” ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan in a group photo with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Fehmida Mirza, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Federal Minister for Energy Omar Ayub and Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal. inP

With eyes on Afghanistan, Russia and Pakistan to bolster security ties continued from page 01 The top Russian diplomat termed the relationship between the two nations mutually beneficial and constructive. He recalled that Russia has provided 50,000 doses of its Covid-19 Sputnik-V vaccine. Qureshi said that Islamabad will also buy 5 million doses of the vaccine and expressed a desire to eventually manufacture it in Pakistan. Lavrov said that Russia has not forgotten the task of the establishment of a sovereign state of Palestine. “We feel we may continue in the path toward peace so that the Palestinian state will be established.” He further said that Russia was ready to moderate a direct dialogue between Palestine and Israel. In his comments, Qureshi said that Pakistan was keen to build a strong, multifaceted relationship with Russia. He observed there was a new thinking in Pakistan with regard to building a renewed relationship with Russia. “The two countries, we feel, not only share geographic proximity […] Russia is a factor of stability in the Asian region and the world,” he said. Qureshi said that Pakistan wanted to build a relationship with Russia that is based on trust. He said that Moscow has always advocated the primacy of international law and multilateralism. “These are principles that Pakistan adheres to. Our coordination and cooperation at the United Nations level have been excellent.” At this, Lavrov reaffirmed the commitment to deepen ties with Pakistan and create win-win cooperation between the two countries. Pointing to the discussion that took place on the spectrum of bilateral relations, Qureshi said that the two countries have agreed to hold an intergovernmental commission meeting later this year in Moscow, expressing the confidence it will lay the foundation for a meaningful economic relationship between Pakistan and Russia. Qureshi further said that Moscow acknowledged Islamabad’s successful campaign against terrorism and extremism. He said that he also briefed his Russian counterpart about the gravity of the human

rights situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). Describing Lavrov’s visit as an important one, Qureshi said that it is taking place after almost a decade. He noted that the visit will further deepen the bilateral relationship as we intend to maintain this momentum and highlevel contacts. PM REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR PIPEPLINE: Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolve to expeditiously conclude the requisite legal process for the Pakistan Stream (North-South) Gas Pipeline project and commence the work as early as possible. Talking to Russia Foreign Minister Lavrov, who called on him in Islamabad, the PM reiterated the importance Pakistan attaches to its relations with Russia as a key foreign policy priority. He expressed satisfaction at the steady growth in bilateral ties, including deepening cooperation in trade, energy, security and defence. Enhanced bilateral cooperation in the fields of energy, industrial modernization, railways and aviation was discussed. It was agreed that the Inter-Governmental Commission, due to meet in Moscow later this year, would closely pursue specific proposals and projects in this context. Views were exchanged on the health and economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The prime minister congratulated Russia on its development of the Sputnik-V vaccine and underscored Pakistan’s procurement plans in this regard. In the regional context, the premier stressed the importance of a negotiated political settlement of the conflict in Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan appreciates Russia’s efforts in promoting the Afghan peace process including through the hosting of the recent meeting of Extended Troika in Moscow. With reference to the situation in IOK, Prime Minister Imran shared Pakistan’s perspective on issues of peace and security in South Asia, including the need for peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Views were also exchanged on the situa-

tion in West Asia, the Gulf, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. The prime minister reiterated his invitation to President Putin to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience. LAVROV MEETS COAS: Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while talking to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, said that Pakistan welcomes all initiatives which can bring peace and stability in Afghanistan as the whole region will benefit from it. The Russian FM called on COAS Bajwa in Rawalpindi and during the meeting, matters of mutual interest including enhanced defence and security cooperation, regional security, particularly the Afghan peace process, were discussed. General Bajwa said that Pakistan has no hostile designs towards any country and it will keep on working towards a cooperative regional framework based on sovereign equality and mutual progress. The visiting dignitary acknowledged Pakistan’s achievements in the war against terrorism and contributions for regional peace and stability especially Pakistan’s sincere efforts in the Afghan peace process. IMPORTANT VISIT: The visit underlines the waning influence of the United States in the region, while Russian and Chinese clout grows, The Associated Press quoted Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Programme at the Washington-based Wilson Center, as saying. “There’s a good reason why this is the first Russian foreign minister visit to Islamabad for nearly a decade: Russia-Pakistan relations are on the ascent,” he said in an interview, also noting a new 25-year development agreement between Iran and China. Pakistan also is a key player in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a massive, cross-continental infrastructure development project aimed at expanding China’s commercial connections globally. “America will soon be ceding important real estate to its top rivals,” said Kugelman. “That’s the cost of an impending US withdrawal from the region. But with the US intent on pulling back, it is seemingly a cost it is willing to bear.”

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Thursday, 8 April, 2021

06 COMMENT Travail of undoing one’s own wrongs

While power struggle continues technology suffers Focus on TOT is the way forward

The PTI and electoral reforms

he Prime Minister is in a hurry to get electoral reforms enacted. he conveyed his wishes to S&T Minister Fawad Chaudhary who passed the buck to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. The Speaker offered the Opposition unlimited time for debate, considering it a sufficiently generous offer to bring the opposition round. Both the PML(N) and PPP rejected the Speaker’s offer out of hand despite their ongoing infighting. Not that electoral reforms are not required. As there are enough loopholes in the electoral system, election results continue to be challenged by the losing parties. The use of money to win a seat is not confined to the Senate alone as the PM thinks. elections at all levels— national, provincial and local— are becoming highly costly, with the so called electables and local elite crowding out the middle class candidates. The role of muscle power and government machinery for the influential people also needs to be controlled. The PM favours electronic Voting Machines which are shunned by a majority of the most technologically developed countries for not ensuring public scrutiny and transparency. Before being introduced the reforms need to be debated in Parliament. What stands in the way is the absence of a climate conducive for civilized debate in the National Assembly. During more than two years of its rule the PTI leadership has used the house to spread hatred against the opposition leadership. PTI MNAs were encouraged to take recourse to unparliamentary language, thus adding to the bad blood. Instead of acting independently, the Speaker sided openly with the PTI’s loose guns. he violated parliamentary traditions by refusing to allow the Leader of the Opposition to speak and by declining to order the production of Opposition MNAs languishing in custody. There is a dire need for debate on national issues in Parliament. For this the PM has to take an initiative to reduce the extreme polarization currently prevailing both inside and outside the Parliament The Speaker has to follow parliamentary rules, procedures and precedents. What is more, he has to be seen to be an independent custodian of the house rather than a died-in-the-wool PTI leader. Unless an atmosphere conducive for serious debate is created by the ruling party it would be difficult to pass not only constitutional amendments, but also ordinary laws.

Dr FariD a. Malik

eChNOLOgY is the strongest resource of our times, essentially needed to improve quality of life in the 21st century. While most scientific publications go through peer review, technology has to face stiff market acceptability. Unfortunately in the land of the pure the focus on technological development has been very limited. As periods of nation building have been brief (1947 to 1958, 1971 to 1977), technology development has immensely suffered due to this serious lapse. A lot of effort was put into development in the first decade after independence. The framework included: PCSIR (Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), PAeC (Pakistan Atomic energy Commission), PIDC (Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation), PPL (Pakistan Petroleum Limited-Supplying Sui gas), POF (Pakistan Ordinance Factory), KSeW (Karachi Shipyard and engineering Works) etc. Then again in the 1970s basic industrialization took place, together with Defense Production units being established as under: PSM (Pakistan Steel Mills), FCP (Fertilizer Corporation of Pakistan), NCST (National Commission for Science and Technology), PCST (Pakistan Commission for Science and Technology), PSF (Pakistan Science Foundation), PAC (Pakistan Automobile Corporation),RDC (Resource Development Corporation) , hIT (heavy Industries Taxila), PAC (Pakistan Aeronautical Complex), PeC (Precision engineering Complex), MTL (Machine Tool Factory) KRL (Kahuta Research

Lavrov visit

Laboratories) etc. There was a major revamp of the PAeC with a go-ahead to develop the Nuclear Device under the leadership of engineer Munir Ahmed Khan. On 14 August 1973, with the passage of the unanimously agreed constitution, Pakistan achieved the status of a constitutional republic. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) took oath of office as the first elected Prime Minister under the new consensual arrangement. A new era of technological development started with emphasis on Transfer of Technology (TOT). PAF’s JF 17 Thunder, and the Army’s Al-Khalid tank are the result of these efforts. Pakistan also started producing steel. Till 2008 the Steel Mill was profitable. In 2018, Pakistan started large-scale coal mining at Thar to tap its huge energy potential, and the PSF played a major role in this project. It was hoped that this development would continue now that the power framework had been put in place. Unfortunately, the very first electoral contest was disputed. By this time, the establishment had recovered from the east Pakistan debacle and the evergreen, but lethal for democracy, electables had managed to regain their lost turf by sidelining the ideologues who had brought ZAB into power. The nine-party opposition took to the streets, paving the way for the third Martial Law in July 1977. It was back to the starting point all over again. Not only the Constitution was disfigured, most civilian institutions also came under attack, thus engulfing the nation in Zia Dark Ages which refuse to come to a close. With the ongoing power struggle, the growth of technology continues to suffer. The choices are clear, either we resolve both of them or detach the technological advancement from the unending power struggle. With the recent upheaval in the higher education Commission (heC) it seems the power struggle has started to hit vital institutions as well. heC was formed in 2002, replacing the University grants Commission (UgC). Funds were provided to upgrade research facilities in academia. By some estimates over a thousand billion rupees have been granted for this purpose. After two decades, when the heC decided to evaluate the impact of this expenditure the Ordinance has been amended, the Chairman has been removed by decreasing the term from four to two years. This is the first time that such an approach has been adopted to remove the head of an autonomous body. During the Zia era, when one of the generals wanted to replace the Chairman of Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) with his relative the act came in the way. An ordinance was issued enabling the President to replace the Chairman as he was the appointing authority. Such adhoc ordinances have to be avoided to protect the autonomy of institutions. In principle all

those being audited for performance by heC should be asked to step down from their positions in order to ensure a fair evaluation. Technology should be de-linked from this power struggle for real development to take place. Scientific research should be more focused on national issues and leading to technological development. Publishing papers is an academic activity that has been ongoing for decades, now application and output is required. Technology is the application of science to solve real life problems. Focus has to be on end products like the JF-17 Thunder, Al-Khalid and the Nuclear Device. Industry-Academia Linkages have to be established for which, Business Plans, not Technical Papers are required. In the New Product Development Course that I teach, I usually classify it as a journey from, ‘Romance to Finance ‘. Technological growth will come with application and commercialization of our own indigenous technologies. The Technology Road Map carefully prepared in the 1970s should be revisited, debated and discussed. Now that the party in power has a major presence in the Senate, such consensus can be achieved. President Farooq Leghari took keen personal interest in this vital sector. he had formed committees of prominent technologists who met regularly to advise him on the way forward. The deregulation of the Telecom Sector came from this forum, today the country has one of the fastest growing Telecom Densities in the world. Then again when Zardari Sahib tried to take control of the Sui gas field through privatization of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), the President intervened in the interest of the state. The PM should form a Technology Transfer Office directly reporting to him to evaluate the and then ensure TOT to the industry for commercial applications. The recently formed National export Development Board will be meaningful if we apply our own developed, not borrowed, technologies as has been the case thus far with no substantial transfer of our indigenous knowledge base. In the 1970s, we were ahead of China in technical know how, now we seriously lag behind as the ‘Romance’ has been extended far too long while ignoring much needed ‘Finance’ that our technology can generate, with over 83 research centres and 224 R&D organizations under the federal government alone, together with about 200 research centres with the provinces, mostly pushing papers, and also with no effective academia-industry linkages of our universities. Focus on TOT is the way forward. The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

Shows the way ahead

The crisis of the Federal Higher Education Commission

he visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was ostensibly about such solid issues as trade, counter-terrorism and Afghanistan, but in a wider contest, it was about Russia and Pakistan coming closer together so as to balance the burgeoning relations between India and the USA. Both countries have to come to terms with the new reality that prevails after the end of the Cold War. It goes almost without saying that both need to show the USA and India that they are not friendless, and that their prior hostility was because of their allies’ wishes, not because of any inherent antipathy. The visit ended with a mutual commitment to increase trade. Though the membership of both countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, provides a platform for economic cooperation, bilateral discussions, particularly between top diplomats, shows both the seriousness of the other. Pakistan and Russia have taken some initial steps, involving arms sales to Pakistan. Russia can see the Indian market drying up, because of access to US arms, at a time when Russia’s arms industries really need the business. While no arms purchases come without some political conditions, Pakistan is unlikely to find Russia as finicky as the USA. Meanwhile, Russia could certainly find opportunities in Pakistan, like the North-South gas pipeline, the Steel Mill or other projects. The Chinese factor should not be ignored, as the New Silk Road has important components for both countries. The aspect of counter-terrorism is significant, and is related to how both countries must cooperate in an Afghan settlement. Russia’s involvement, seen in the recent conference of Afghans it hosted, is key to a settlement, which it wants as much as Pakistan, and for much of the same reason: the need for a peaceful continent, so that the New Silk Route can do its job of providing continuity with that much ease. Pakistan must realise that improving relations with Russia will prove less of an irritant in its relationship with the USA than any increase in its closeness with China. however, this relationship will cause a commotion in New Delhi, which is probably not going to faze Islamabad.

How institutions are ruined

FahaD SiDDique

he higher education Commission of Pakistan is in the news these days. The reason is that on 27 March, the federal government removed the head of the commission, Dr. Tariq Banuri, from his post. In May 2018, the Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi appointed Dr. Banuri. his four-year term was due to end in May 2022. But the federal government, through a presidential ordinance, fixed the term of the chairman of the higher education Commission at two years instead of four and removed Dr Banuri from his post. Dr Banuri went to the Sindh high Court and got a stay order against the government notification. he may succeed in getting a reinstatement order from the Sindh high Court. Whether he does or not, it will not make much difference. The reputation of the organization has been breached. The Federal higher education Commission is a regulatory body. It oversees colleges and universities across the country, provides them with all possible assistance, and advises the government on policy making. It was a pity to see how easily the law and its head were blown away by an order issued at midnight. The fact is that there were many complaints related to Dr. Banuri. Most Vice Chancellors complained that it has become very difficult to keep in touch with them. The media complained that the concerned staff and Dr Banuri himself were not avail-

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able to provide information on various matters of the commission. There was dissatisfaction among the people associated with the education sector about many of the policies he formulated. Launching an associate degree program, abolishing programmes like BA and MA, allowing a doctorate after BS, and many other issue,s caused anxiety and uneasiness. The employees of the commission themselves were protesting that Dr Banuri was recruiting retirees at exorbitant salaries. There were also recruits to higher positions who had only a graduate degree. According to Dr Banuri, he was under a lot of pressure from government officials. his work was interfered with. Some government officials wanted to reap financial benefits by doing illegal things of their own accord. Dr Banuri also says that NAB investigations were launched against him to put him under pressure and he was asked to resign. he was fired by a presidential ordinance for refusing. The improper dismissal of the head of Pakistan’s higher education Commission cannot be supported. If this tradition continues, it will be very easy to remove the head of any institution with a stick. At the very least, it is important to keep the education sector (especially higher education) free from such decisions. If Dr Banuri has been removed due to poor performance, are the heads of all other agencies performing well? Most companies are running at a loss. If billions of rupees of people’s taxes are not provided, then the breath of these institutions will be broken. Similarly, there are federal ministers whose performance Imran Khan himself is not satisfied with. Should all these heads and ministers be removed one by one in the same manner? even if the removal of heads of institutions really begins, higher education institutions should be exempted from this tradition. We first banned our national airline worldwide by declaring our pilots’ degrees to be fake before the investigation. We called our politicians thieves and looters and branded Pakistanis all over the world as corrupt and dishonest. India is always on the lookout for such news. Assume that its embassies in the UK and other major countries are tasked with collecting negative news about Pakistan’s higher education and disseminating it to key institutions where Pakistani youth can get admission in its universities, so as to stop it. The tussle between the head of Pakistan’s higher education Commission and the federal government must have caught India’s attention. If the head of the Federal higher education Commission were to be re-

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moved, an appropriate procedure could have been adopted. even if governments are weak, they have unlimited resources and powers. Persuading Dr Banuri to resign was not difficult for the government. If there were complaints about Dr. Banuri, education Minister Shafqat Mahmood could have informed him, and urged him to rectify the situation. If the amendment to the law was so necessary, it could have been resolved by bringing it under discussion in Parliament. h.e.C is a very important institution. In 2002, under the leadership of Dr. Ata-ur-Rehman, it performed very well. Thousands were sent out to study. It helped those who came to study to get jobs. There is no denying the competence of Dr Atta-ur-Rehman. however, he was fortunate to have huge funds and unlimited options. Otherwise, during the PPP government, the same heC’s condition was critical. Funds were so scarce that young people in different countries on scholarships were forced to beg in those countries due to funds drying up. The situation of the Commission has improved in the PML(N) government. The budget increased to Rs. 112 billion. But one of the reasons why universities, vicechancellors, teachers, and students are angry with Dr Banuri is that the Commission has failed miserably to provide them adequate funding. The Commission made significant cuts in university funding. What should the Commission do? Where did you get the funds to give to the universities? Inflation has risen sharply in recent years, but higher education budgets have shrunk rather than increased. For the year 202021, the Commission had demanded Rs 105 billion from the federal government. But the government gave only Rs 64 billion. After a 40 percent decline in the value of the Pakistani rupee, estimate the value of these Rs 64 billion. In such a case, where should adequate funds be provided to the universities? There is another side to this. The federal government is currently being criticized for improperly removing the head of the Commission. The fact is that the government and politicians alone cannot be blamed for this whole story. It did not happen overnight. Punjab Minister for higher education Raja Yasir humayun has rightly said that “politicians alone cannot be blamed for all kinds of wrongdoings. A mafia in the education sector has been trying for a long time and finally succeeded.” The writer can be reached fahadsiddique789987@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 8 April, 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

Politicians vs people The PDM leaders claim that it is their democratic right to protest the sitting government to highlight its poor policies. The right to gather and speak might be guaranteed by the constitution, but only if the protestors remember the rights of their fellow citizens. Creating traffic blocks, damaging property, and most importantly endangering peoples’ lives in times of a pandemic for sure is not guaranteed under any provision of the constitution. One person’s freedom ends where the rights of another person start. Most importantly, the opposition parties must understand that their infights between the old and new faces of the PPP and PMLN are benefitting nobody. The government is incapable of doing anything and the opposition parties are no less in their movement against the government. While the farce between opposition parties and the government continues, people sigh under the burden of inflation. I wonder if anyone cares about the people of Pakistan? Raja Shafatullah ISlamabad

Needless political stalemate

Erroneous government priorities Human Security is on the backburner Taliya ejaz

INCe independence, individual interests have hijacked the institutions, public interests have been jeopardized, human security was kept back and traditional security remained the cornerstone. Recently, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that Pakistan ranks tenth amongst the largest arms importers of the world. On the other hand, according to the latest United Nations human Development Index Rankings, Pakistan is positioned at 154. These annual rankings are measured by combining indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment and income. Moreover, on the global hunger Index, Pakistan stands in the 88th position which highlights serious issues of undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting and child mortality due to inadequate nutrition and unhealthy environments. According to the Corruption Perception Index 2020, Pakistan ranks 124 which indicates immense public sector corruption. Understanding the actual predicaments and devising satisfactory solutions is paramount in order to pave way for development. While the country’s citizens are fighting numerous problems, politicians are busy in internecine verbal clashes and incessant efforts to criticize their opponents. Former ambassador Maleeha Lodhi has rightly termed this as the ‘poverty of political discourse’. After all the aggressive rhetoric and slandering, the public can only perceive these clashes between political representatives as ‘games to acquire power’. For 20 years, the citizens of this country have been performing funerals of those who died in suicide and terror attacks. For all these years, civilians as well as the Army struggled to fight terrorism. People are deprived of basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, education, health and adequate sanitation facilities. Furthermore, increasing unemployment and inflation has wreaked further damage on the country. Recently, an exorbitant increase took place in the prices of food products. The prices of fundamental kitchen commodities like flour and sugar have risen and posed a precarious challenge for the government. Amid this crisis, the coronavirus pandemic proved to be the final nail in the coffin. Most of the businesses were shut down, people were left unemployed and economic slowdown was observed, not only in Pakistan but worldwide. Though Prime Minister Imran Khan has initiated the ehsaas programme in order to eradicate poverty and feed the poor, it has made little progress. Despite the current account surplus, fruits of governmental policies are not reaching the common populace. One cannot ignore the inflation rate and gDP growth rate. Pakistan’s gDP growth rate recorded for 2019 marks a 4.85 percent decline from 2018 and it was 0.99 percent. Whereas, the inflation rate of Pakistan in 2019 was 10.58 percent, a 5.5 percent increase from 2018. Formulating policies and making decisions is not a problem, rather implementation and timely evaluation of those policies is an actual challenge. Despite rampant corruption and political instability, a weak institutional setup is another obstacle in the country’s development. As an illustration, statistics relevant to poverty in the country were last updated in 2015-16 and the

responsible institutions are blaming each other instead of performing their task. When there are so many internal issues relevant to human security, the focus of successive governments has always been traditional security. The defence budget in the fiscal year 20202021 has increased 11.9 percent from the previous budget, in 2019-2020, which was Rs. 1,227 billion. Whereas, Rs. 83.3 billion were allocated for education for 2020-21, being no significant increase upon the previous Rs. 81.2 billion. Strong military forces are crucial to maintain deterrence amid the prolonged conflict with India, the threat from Afghanistan and terrorist organizations that can further exploit the sectarian fault-lines, like the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (IS-KP). however, the significance of human development cannot be overlooked. Survival is the foremost national interest for Pakistan, which will not only be ensured by border security but also human security. People with empty stomachs can neither think about border security nor environmental security; they are just luxuries for them. Albeit Pakistan is ranked as the tenth largest importer of major arms, the neighbouring countries, India and China, hold the second and fifth positions respectively. India has also not addressed its fault-lines, rather stifled voices which have resulted in frequent demonstrations in the country. The prevalence of Islamophobia and the hindutva ideology, within the society under Modi’s regime, has resulted in polarization. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of farmers abandoned their fields after the Indian Parliament enacted the three laws in September 2020. The months-long peaceful protests transformed into violent ones when on Republic Day, 26 January 2021, hundreds of protestors changed their pre-approved routes to enter the capital amidst the Republic Day parade. Instead of addressing the grievances of the farmers, the Indian government tried to oppress their voices just like it did to protesters after the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the repeal of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution by arresting citizens under the Sedition Law. Anyway, if such issues and grievances are

suppressed, they erupt as contradictions and violence later on. The case for Pakistan is no different because problems in the agricultural sector remain unresolved but fortunately, the farmers have not yet started protests for their rights. Similarly, one cannot turn blind eye to the resentment in the hearts of the people of Balochistan. Dozens of coal miners are dying due to accidents and delinquency of mines inspectors to ensure safety standards. Contrarily, the fifth largest arms importer, China, has been working on human security and economic development for years. Lately, China has announced victory in tackling poverty and achieved its long-trumpeted goal of lifting its entire population above a poverty line of $2.30 in daily income. In conclusion, the problems are the same since the partition of the Subcontinent and the solutions by this government are not different from the previous ones. The government ought to comprehend that, even after so many years of independence; only dialogue over human security will not be enough. Tr a n s p a r e n c y, merit, accountability, rule of law, implementation and timely evaluation of policies are pre-eminent. Furthermore, a stable institutional setup is crucial along with efficient and honest public servants. In addition, political leaders need to engage in negotiations, address the grievances of the people, formulate and implement favorable policies instead of suppressing their voices. Confronting such concerns at the latent stage is preferable otherwise; these agitations flare-up in the form of direct violence. Over and above that, engaging in an arms race has never benefitted any nation. From plenty of historical conflicts, one can deduce that there is no victory in war, rather there is humanitarian and material loss. Ultimately, when conflict is ripe and warring factions reach a mutually hurtful stalemate, they look for a peaceful solution to terminate the violence. Therefore, it is high time to realize that in this globalized world, cooperation and understanding the root causes of nuisance is the only way to progress.

Confronting such concerns at the latent stage is preferable otherwise; these agitations flare-up in the form of direct violence. Over and above that, engaging in an arms race has never benefitted any nation. From plenty of historical conflicts, one can deduce that there is no victory in war, rather there is humanitarian and material loss. Ultimately, when conflict is ripe and warring factions reach a mutually hurtful stalemate, they look for a peaceful solution to terminate the violence. Therefore, it is high time to realize that in this globalized world, cooperation and understanding the root causes of nuisance is the only way to progress

The writer is a freelance columnist

SIR, When political workers rise from the grassroots level, they emerge as mature individuals, with tolerance for dissent, trained to work as team mates. There is no place for egoistic pursuits in the political arena, where democracy and people’s will must dominate. It is the political process with free and fair elections that separates the chaff from the wheat. PDM has become a victim of the egoistic immaturity of its leadership. The All-India Muslim League was one such party, and so was the Congress or KhudaiKhidmatgar headed by Bacha Khan, although they had varied goals. All these political parties, despite their differences, wanted independence from tyrannical British Raj, which had over a century, indulged in institutionalized plunder of the subcontinent and sowed seeds of divide and rule, which unfortunately has been adopted by remnants of the Raj. Despite all these pitfalls Quaid-e-Azam, because of his commitment, emerged as a leader of all Muslims, who believed that Congress was slave to hindu supremacists and their belief that hindus and Muslims were two separate nations and could not live together as one nation. Modi has proven that the likes of Abul Kalam Azad were wrong. Pakistan’s political problems started when those politicians who had risen from grass roots in the political struggle waged by All India Muslim League were banned from politics under eBDO by a military dictator and political engineering process started, creating King’s party under varied brand names. We have witnessed the shameless manner in which Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah was subjected to a slanderous campaign and called a traitor, by those, who themselves were serving interests of foreign powers. It is also very ironic that those who opposed the political struggle for independence from British Colonial Raj and served them were exempted from restrictions imposed by eBDO. Let us not forget the political drama where a tinpot dictator chose his own brother as an Opposition Leader. malIk taRIq alI lahoRE

Genetic engineering geNeTIC engineering is a kind of technology which is related to the transformation of genes. It is not just part of the human body, but it can be helpful to make things artificially. Pakistan is not adopting such technological benefits. On other hand, Chinese people eat a heavy amount of non veg food. Currently they are working to make all kinds of meat artificially through genetic engineering to save the life of animals. The US also adopted genetically modified organism (gMO) techniques to make soyabean, corn, sugar, and cotton. In 2018, the US made 94% of soybean and cotton, 92% of corn and in 2013, 99.9% sugar was made through genetic engineering. On the other hand, A researcher said, Pakistan made corn and maize through genetic engineering, but few farmers claimed this technology damaged the land and caused allergies and cancers. Still many issues arise in implementation of genetic engineering. however, such reasons and research does not seem effective. Because the world is going to be competitive. When competition increases then moving back or giving arguments is considered as defeat. If there is a problem then a solution is also present. Why have other countries adopted such technology? Are they not faced with such issues? genetic engineering is a kind of technology where making profits is easy by enhancing the ratio of imports. Specifically, Pakistan is taking on a large amount of debt to fulfil economic demands. RagnI lund dahaRkI

Expensive marriages I want to draw your attention towards lavish marriages in Pakistan. Marriage is an occasion, where everyone in our society celebrates more than their means. In Islam, it's only about 2 people bound to each other for their whole life; which needs to be celebrated, but it's now started as a trend for people to show off their money. Places organized, expensive clothes, special costumes for bride and groom, more than one item served to be eaten and much more. Specially in well-known famous personalities, rich people and political personalities are giving it a push that, wedding is nothing without a lavish set-up and there should be at least 3-5 functions organized because two people are getting married. And yes, of course the dowry; how can a girl moved from her own house to new one without bringing anything with her. Although the bills has passed by government of Pakistan to ban such dowry and rituals. Still, they failed to strictly enforced on these kind of people. amna Shahab kaRaChI

Poor road condition I want to draw the attention of concerned authorities towards the slowconstruction of main Quaidabad bridge it’s in poor condition having ditches of various sizes causing continuous traffic problems particularly at the rush hours and the condition worsens because of an absence of the street lights on the whole bridge. Driving has become difficult as the drivers can’t see properly at night and many accidents could have happen owing to poor visibility. SavERa haSSan kaRaChI

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

08 WORLD VIEW

Is Iran ready for reconcILIatIon WIth amerIca? THERE APPEARS TO BE ACCEPTANCE FROM BOTH SIDES THAT MORE TIME SHOULD NOT BE LOST TO SAVE THE LANDMARK NUCLEAR DEAL

iNdepeNdeNT KiM senGuptA

He most important talks between international powers and Iran since Donald Trump’s campaign to dismantle the agreement on the country’s nuclear programme got under way this week – and timing has become a key factor. The meeting in Vienna of signatories Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and Iran, with the european Union in the chair, is aimed at paving the way for the Biden administration to return the US to the JCPoA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action); it is the crucial step needed to salvage the deal. A US delegation was present in the Austrian capital, but did not directly participate in the conference. Tehran has continued with the stance that there will be no direct negotiation with Washington until the punitive sanctions imposed by the Trump administration are lifted. But the presence of Biden’s special envoy to Iran,

Robert malley (and his team), means that a choreographed sequence of moves by America and Iran, for both sides to return to compliance on the agreement, is under way. There has been growing concern that, despite President Biden’s stated policy of returning to the JCPoA, vital time and opportunities were being lost with no sign of real progress since the US election last november. In that time Iran, too, has been stepping away from the deal by enriching uranium levels and restricting access for Un inspectors. Tuesday’s meeting, however, appears to present a structured path forward. All parties agreed to the forming of two working groups. one would focus on the US lifting sanctions, the other on Iran getting back to compliance on uranium. malley said the process will “identify the steps that the US has to take and verify the steps that Iran is going to have to take”. Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabei stated that “we are confident that we are on the right track, and if America’s will, seriousness and honesty is proven, it could be a good sign for a better future for this agreement”. Rabei stressed that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani are in agreement over the talks and “everything can happen really quickly in a series of independent but connected synchronised steps”. But it is in the interest of some countries and political factions for this impasse to continue. Israel and Saudi Arabia, long-term adversaries of Iran, have lobbied hard against the nuclear deal. Benjamin netanyahu declared in Jerusalem that “the danger is that Iran will return, this

How Black and Asian American women are working together to overcome racism to be “othered.” We have each had harmful stereotypes cast upon us that date back centuries and continue to affect our lives today. From the fetishization of Asian women to the trope of the angry Black woman, these stereotypes have real life consequences.

USA TodAy A’shAnti F GholAr And linh nGuyen

omen of color have suffered greatly during the pandemic. Whether it is being among the most highly infected with CoVID-19, being forced out of jobs at an alarming rate due to lack of childcare and support, or making up a large portion of the essential workers who put themselves at risk to keep the country going, women of color continue to bear the brunt of inequality and our nation’s broken systems. So it was another substantial blow when six Asian and Asian-American women were murdered in a mass shooting on march 16 in Atlanta at their places of work. In the immediate aftermath of the shootings, police officers described the white male assailant as having a “bad day” and naming his sex addiction as a potential motive. This initial assessment from law enforcement was massively disappointing if not surprising, least of all to Black women. After all, days before the shooting, thousands mobilized to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Breonna Taylor, who senselessly died at the hands of police officers. Yet, despite this shared understanding and mutual experience of what if feels like to be targeted for who you are, a dangerous media narrative has re-emerged. In the wake of a recent spike of antiAsian violence and with little evidence, many have begun to point to a divide between Black and Asian Americans as the real issue facing our communities, instead of naming the true culprit: white supremacy. Hundreds of people gathered in Atlanta, Ga. on Saturday, mar. 20, 2021 to protest the killing of eight people, six of them Asian, in Atlanta area massage businesses shootings on march 16, and the increasing violence toward Asian people in the country. newly elected Democratic Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock of Georgia offered his support to the crowd, and promised to use his position to fight discrimination, racism and gun violence. They conveniently ignore the fact that Black and Asian communities, especially women, not only have a shared history of oppression in America but also a long and storied tradition of solidarity. Black and Asian women know what it means

DISCRIMINATION ON THE JOB IS COMMON: Both Black and Asian women report being discriminated against, pigeonholed in the workplace or simply held back in their careers due to assumptions made by their bosses or peers. Black and Asian women are also woefully underpaid, with Asian women making as low as 52 cents and Black women earning just 63 cents for every dollar earned by white men. We’ve both felt the sting of being called a racial slur or told that we are “articulate” because someone is surprised at how well we speak english. But these painful experiences are not the only things that bind us. The famed Third World Women’s Alliance was born out of the Black feminist movement and the efforts of Black women leaders to create space for other women of color, including Asian women, who were interested in civic engagement, combatting racism and sexism, and ensuring liberation of all forms. Asian American activists like Grace Lee Boggs and Yuri Kochiyama fought alongside Black women activists and lent their voices to the movement for civil rights. We’ve built alliances and worked together to not only identify the problems that plague both communities and hold women back, but also to exchange ideas on how to create a society that works for everyone. many Asians and Asian Americans attended last summer’s Black Lives matter rallies across the country and joined Black Americans in the call for an end to police brutality. And now, as Asians and Asian Americans increasingly suffer attacks, Black activists have shown up and marched with them. When our communities stand together, we are more powerful than we know. CANDIDATES FIND SHARED SUPPORT: We’ve also seen the many ways that Black and Asian women in elected office have supported each other and the causes that matter to their communities. At emerge and Run AAPI, we want to continue to empower Black and Asian women to run for office so that they can keep speaking truth to power, build even stronger alliances and make it possible to combat white supremacy through policy and political reform. Time and time again, generations of Black and Asian women have come together during the darkest times in our nation’s history to create incredible progress and move our democracy forward. As white supremacy continues to be as big a threat as ever before, our solidarity will be essential to defeat it. A’shanti F. Gholar is president of Emerge, which recruits and trains Democratic women who want to run for office. Linh Nguyen is executive director of Run AAPI, an Asian American and Pacific Islander political engagement organization.

time with an international imprimatur, to a path that will allow it to develop a nuclear arsenal on our doorstep on this very day ... We cannot go back to the dangerous nuclear plan, because a nuclear Iran is an existential threat.” on the same day the Israeli premier issued his warning and the Vienna meeting was taking place, an Iranian ship was hit with a limpet mine on the Red Sea, off the coast of Yemen. The new York Times reported that Israel has notified the US that it had carried out the attack. It has been claimed that the vessel, the Saviz, was an intelligence gathering base for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and part of Tehran’s operations to aid the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war. Iran maintains that it was on an anti-piracy mission. The ship, however, has been present in those waters for more than two years, with its presence known to regional and western states. There is no discernible reason why the attack was carried out on Tuesday, unless it was an attempt to draw a reaction from the Iranians, which may impact on the Vienna talks. There are those in Iran, too, who are not keen on an early resolution. Hardliners who had opposed the JCPoA from the start won a sweeping victory in the parliamentary election last year, overturning the control gained by reformists in the previous election. The reformists had won in a groundswell of optimism which had followed the signing of the nuclear deal in 2015. President Rouhani, whose government signed the deal, also won resoundingly in the presidential poll which followed. The reason for the parliamentary triumph of the hardliners last year was not a huge surge in support. It

was because disillusioned reformist voters stayed away. And one of the reasons for the disillusionment was that the promise of economic and social gains from the agreement failed to materialise. Iran’s presidential elections are due in June. Rouhani, having served two terms, cannot stand again, and the hardliners appear confident that their candidate will win the presidency. The hardliners have been clamouring to play their part in the negotiations. A group of conservative mPs have demanded that there should be a minimum of two months verification period to ensure that American sanctions are lifted, before Iran takes its step towards compliance. And any subsequent steps taken by the government must have parliamentary approval. There are additional demands from them, such as a guarantee from the international powers, including the US, that Iran is allowed to export at least 2.3 million barrels of oil per day: billions of dollars of Iranian assets held overseas are released, and at least £4bn of international transactions are allowed to take place each year without hindrance. These conditions are aimed at ensuring that the nuclear deal remains in limbo until the presidential election, which would suit the hardliners who, with a victory, can tailor the negotiating stance to fit their aims. The next set of talks is due to take place on Friday. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister who is leading the country’s delegation and was heavily involved in drafting the JCPoA, wanted to stress that the “Islamic Republic of Iran is fully ready to stop its retaliation nuclear activity and return to its full commitments as soon as US sanctions are lifted and verified.” It will not be easy to get to that point quickly. But there appears to be acceptance from both sides that more time should not be lost to save the landmark agreement, which took prolonged and hard negotiations to achieve.

Can Lebanon’s military hold country together? AT A TIME WHEN LEBANON IS UNDER THREAT, THE ARMY CAN YET HOLD THINGS TOGETHER

NATioNAl

MichAel younG

eBAnon may see a government in the near future, after a delay of eight months. Yet waiting on the political cartel in power to take decisions that are beneficial for the country is rarely advisable. That is why foreign countries that want to avoid a complete collapse of Lebanon should look at ways of reinforcing the Lebanese armed forces and integrating them into their efforts. The military is a rare institution that retains appeal across Lebanon, embodies national unity and acts as a reminder of a state project – against sectarian parties and leaders who are ensuring the country’s ruin. If a cabinet is not formed soon, fragmentation could accelerate. no one has been more guilty of this situation than the militant party Hezbollah. In october 2019, when anti-government protests began, Hezbollah sought to undermine calls for change because the corrupt system in place protected its interests. Today, the party is facing the system’s collapse. That its leader Hassan nasrallah called for a new cabinet last week may show he recognises the risks. Then again, nasrallah often makes statements hiding his intentions. Yet the economic crisis is having a harmful effect on the Shiites as well, particularly on communal unity. A portion of Hezbollah’s followers earn salaries in US dollars, creating resentments from supporters of the Amal movement, another Shiite party, many of whom work for the state. Their Lebanese pound income has melted amid hyperinflation. A continued vacuum in the government that leads to insecurity and further economic disintegration could mean the state’s breakdown. This could create dynamics that encourage sectarian parties to manage areas under their control, taking the country back to the civil war years. even if conflict is averted, what the sectarian parties gain is lost to the state, to the disadvantage of a functional order. In contrast, the armed forces, whatever their shortcomings, can maintain a certain level of security and represent a national alternative to the politicians and parties that have blocked progress. This is hardly an appeal for military rule, which would be a disaster for Lebanon and for the military itself. However, the armed forces have long been a cause of worry for Lebanon’s political cartel, especially as they enjoy popular support. The military is a paradox in that it embodies all the contradictions of Lebanon’s sectarian society, but

also has an alternative institutional belief system, allowing it to stake out an independent position with regard to the sectarian leaders and parties. That is why a reinforcement of the military should focus on pushing the political class to be more flexible towards compromise and reform, for fear that the armed forces could gain from any popular backlash against the leadership’s behaviour. How the army should engage with this situation is complicated. The idea is not to precipitate a war between the military and Hezbollah. This would lead to stalemate, destroy Lebanon and alienate many Shiite Lebanese. nor should the armed forces be prompted to openly oppose the government. This would undermine the idea of civilian control over the military and encourage political parties to exacerbate the sectarian contradictions in the institution. A more achievable role is to encourage the army to assert its differences with the political parties, above all Hezbollah. It could do this by imposing itself as the main balancer in Lebanon, along the lines of what the army did during the civil war of 1958, enhancing its credibility. The military would maintain order, protect public property but not intervene to break up legitimate protests. The armed forces could also highlight relations with Lebanon’s partners in the West and the Arab world. In a recent speech, army commander Joseph Aoun noted that foreign states – by which he meant the US, among others – had provided vital assistance to the armed forces when the state had failed to do so. more subtly, the military could boldly begin defining itself as the axis of a national vision in its public statements, one contrasting with the lack of vision from the political leadership. That is not to say that the army should strive to take power, but that as a national institution it should be blunter about what it regards as the ideals necessary for protecting the county in a time of crisis. Some will see this as an electoral platform for the army commander, but this should be an institutional not a personal initiative. The aim would be to show that amid Lebanon’s myriad parochial and regional agendas, there is still a platform to take steps that can appeal to all Lebanese. There will be those who recklessly argue that the army must be denied assistance because it is a front for Hezbollah. This is a line being pushed in the US, the armed forces’ main supplier, by the Republican Study Committee, a group of conservative congressional Republicans incited by rightwing think tanks. However, this approach fails to see that at a time when Hezbollah is concentrated on weathering a storm of social dissatisfaction, there is room for the military to exploit the situation. The notion that the army is a Hezbollah tool misstates reality. At a time when Lebanon is under threat, the army can yet hold things together. Michael Young is a Lebanon columnist for The National.

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

BUSINESS 09

LAHORE

KP GoVt to BoRRow RS99BN FRoM ADB

corporate corner

PESHAWAR

AZIZ BUNERI

HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to take a loan of Rs99 billion from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the local government department. The loan, which will be the largest loan borrowed in the history of the province, will reportedly be used to improve the living standards in five LAHORE: Archroma has signed a MoU with NED University of Engineering & Technology in Pakistan to enable textile industry in Pakistan to align itself with global advancements and collaborate in fields of chemistry, civil and industrial engineering. PR

major cities including Swat, Peshawar, Mardan, Abbottabad and Kohat for the project. As per details, the ADB has proposed a mega project to provide clean drinking water, sanitation services and basic amenities in the selected cities. As per the agreement, the regional development bank will provide Rs93.118bn in phases over the next five years. Furthermore, ADB's management has also approved a separate loan of $500 million for the provincial government.

The project has been named 'Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project'. The plan includes the provision of clean drinking water, improvement of drainage situation, water treatment plants for re-use of drainage, setting up of dumping sites including disposal of waste and construction of public parks. The main objective of the project is to improve the living standards of more than three million people living in these cities

NAB probing PLL for making excess payments to LNG companies FORMER MANAGING DIRECTOR, CFO HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR CORRUPTION ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI

LAHORE: UBL Digital signed a strategic agreement with NIFT to enable digital payments via ‘NIFTePay.’ This partnership will allow UBL Branch and OMNI customers to conduct secure e-commerce transactions directly through their accounts. PR

Winner of the Jazz Sajao 2020 competition, Vehari’s AlMadina Mobile, being handed over the prize by Jazz’s Head of Channel Planning & Distribution Umer Afzal and Regional Business Head Tariq Durrani. Over 8,5000 retailers across Pakistan were engaged and participated in the competition, which ran for over two months. PR

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has launched an inquiry against Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) for paying an additional amount of Rs7 billion to foreign Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) companies in the name of port charges. The Petroleum Division had constituted an inquiry committee to analyse the transactions on November 12, 2020. According to sources, the four-member committee headed by Ministry of Energy Joint Secretary, Sajid Mehmood Qazi, verified the excess payments with the help of a firm in Britain and has held former PLL managing director (MD), Adnan Gillani, and ex-chief financial officer (CFO), Nadeem Nazeer, responsible for the unnecessary heavy payment. “The Petroleum Division has submitted a 31page inquiry report into the matter to the Rawalpindi National Accountability Bureau (NAB),” sources added. As per details, PLL through a letter dated November 3, 2020, had informed the Energy Ministry about a payment that was against LNG purchase agreements. The PLL stated that its management had conveyed the issue of over-

billing to suppliers in November 2018. However, one term supplier did not agree with the stance while another term supplier preferred to keep mum on the matter and did not respond. Profit also learnt that two term suppliers were given above 80 per cent payments. At the time, PLL’s management formed a committee to resolve the matter and suggested stopping additional payments to spot suppliers of LNG in 2019. This committee recommended continuing payments to the said two term suppliers on the basis of term and spot supply to maintain good relations. Similarly, the management was informed about excess payments under contract and the legal department also agreed to take action and stop the deposits. However, instead of stopping payments, then MD Adnan Gillani and CFO Nadeem Nazeer remained engaged in discussions with LNG suppliers and the Port Qasim Authority (PQA). Besides this, approved port charges are explained in detail in the PLL’s LNG contract. But an external legal opinion was not sought till August 2020 whereas a preferential treatment was made with two LNG suppliers.

The Sputnik-V vaccine controversy: AGP pharma explains the price breakup KARACHI ARIBA sHAHID

Drugs in Pakistan mean controversy and this is evident yet again with the commercial launch of the Russian Sputnik-V Covid-19 vaccine that has been made available by Karachi-based AGP Limited for private sales. The controversy this time is about the high price of the vaccine, currently priced at Rs12,268 (approximately $80), which is 300% higher than the global price of Sputnik-V which is being sold at $20 for two doses. AGP, however, contends that the price of the drug is justified against the costs associated with making the drug available on a mass scale, and gave Profit some estimates around the costs associated with making the drug available at hospitals. Before we go down to the breakup provided by the company, we’d like to briefly revisit the run-up to the controversy. Controversy begins: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) authorised AGP Limited to be the first company to import and introduce Sputnik-V vaccine in Pakistan for private sales. AGP was allowed to import Russian Sputnik-V vaccine in February this year and received its first shipment of 50,000 vaccines on March 17. But like all things drugs and drug companies, Sputnik-V and AGP have also not remained untouched by controversy. Drug pricing is a controversial subject in Pakistan because drug prices are fixed by the government that focuses more on the affordability of the drug than profits pharmaceutical companies can earn by selling these drugs. In the case of Sputnik-V as well, the controversy began when the government had approved importing the vaccine without setting a maximum price of the drug, deciding only later to fix the maximum price. The government had initially fixed the sale price of the vaccine at around $55 (Rs8,449) for two jabs. Transparency International Pakistan (TIP), in a letter to the prime minister, objected to the price set by the government, noting that it was too high because globally, the Sputnik V vaccine was priced at $20 for two doses. While TIP objected that the price was too high, AGP Ltd. grumbled that the price set by the government was too low for it to be commercially feasible. Subsequently, the company, AGP Ltd. took the government of Pakistan to Sindh High Court. The court decided to immediately allow private sales of the Sputnik-V vaccine at the price of Rs12,268, as recommended by the company AgP defends the PriCe: However, accord-

ing to AGP Ltd., the vaccine is priced higher considering the supply chain and distribution constraints. While most vaccines have to be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius, the Sputnik vaccine needs to be stored and transported at -18 degrees Celsius and that comes with a higher cost. The product is frozen and then is later converted for usage. An official from AGP said the vaccine is specially packaged in dry ice which keeps it in required temperatures for 72 hours. There are also data loggers in the package that monitor the drug from the manufacturer to the destination. As Profit has learnt, the shipment from the manufacturer of each vaccine comes through global logistics company DHL, which has an agreement globally with all the vaccine manufacturers for special handling. All of the companies use special containers and packages with data loggers to monitor the temperature throughout the supply chain. It eventually makes the landed cost of the drug $45 which is roughly Rs 6,900, according to the company. Following that, there is a 40% margin build up on the drug that is distributed among the storage facilities, related taxes, logistics and distribution and the margin for the importer. On top of the 40%, 15% of the margin goes to healthcare facilities, like hospitals, alone that administer the vaccine, whereas 6-7% is taken by the government in form of taxes. Therefore, according to the company, the only way to make the vaccine commercially feasible is if it is priced at Rs 12,268. the Controversy Continues: Private vaccination of Sputnik-V has started and continues at select healthcare facilities. And while the vaccination drive continues, citizens on social media have complained of hospitals charging higher than the price set. However, that has reportedly been rectified as the hospitals were reminded that the retail price of the vaccine was Rs12,268, inclusive of their margins. The government has registered some hospitals in the country where Sputnik-V vaccines are available. For instance, some of the places you can get vaccinated at are South City Hospital, Ziauddin Hospital, AKUH, and OMI Hospital in Karachi; Doctors Hospital, Chughtai Lab and Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore; and Shifa Hospital in Islamabad. seArLe to enter the ComPetition with Chinese vACCine: In a recent development in the Covid-19 private vaccine market, SEARLE pharmaceutical made its intentions of entering the market known. In a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) dated April 1, 2021 (not an April

CMYK

Fool’s joke), SEARLE announced that it had signed an exclusive licensing and supply agreement with the Chinese Livzon Pharma Group for the recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine called V-01. The agreement is important considering this also provides SEARLE the license to manufacture in Pakistan. The V-01 vaccine has shown promising results in the Phase-I and Phase-II of clinical trials and before any production of the vaccine begins in Pakistan, it has to go through Phase-III of clinical trials. For this purpose, upwards of 20,000 individuals will participate in the trials across five countries. SEARLE aims to enrol 10,000 Pakistanis into the Phase-III of clinical trials. Following the successful completion of Phase-III trials, the company will seek emergency authorisation from DRAP to initially import finished products, followed by manufacturing the drug locally under a technology transfer from Livzon Pharma Group in China. Though SEARLE intends to sell both to the government and to the private sector, cost estimates are not known yet. A company source, however, said that because of the technology used in manufacturing and the nature of the drug itself, manufacturing efficiency would be possible, hinting that the V-01 vaccine might be available at a cheaper rate. PrivAte vACCinAtion And eLite PriviLege: The controversy surrounding drug prices will continue as long as the government decides at what price a drug is going to be sold. It has been a long-running demand of the pharmaceutical industry that the government should allow market forces to determine the drug prices. But we have DRAP that is fixing the prices which means price controversy around drugs will continue. We also have Covid-19 which means circumstances are extraordinary and as things are happening, private vaccination can help avoidable controversies such as those of elite privilege. There have been virulent pictures, videos and debates online about how the well-connected skip queues and get themselves and their families vaccinated. Unlike instances where people had cheated the system to get vaccinated by the government despite being ineligible, private vaccination allows them to pay for it and avoid any controversies. While it can be asserted that the pricing makes the vaccine beyond the reach of an average Pakistani, it allows the privileged to vaccinate themselves without being a burden on the already financially burdened government.

According to a report prepared by the ADB, the project pays special attention to the downtrodden sections of society and includes special scholarship and training projects for women living in selected districts. The report said that Rs3.447 billion will be spent on the establishment of a project management unit which will be completed in five years with the help of water and sanitation services companies and Tehsil Municipal Administrations (TMAs).

NEPRA approves Rs0.64 increase in electricity tariff The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Wednesday approved an Rs0.64 per unit increase in the electricity tariff on account of monthly fuel price adjustment. A notification has also been issued in this regard states that the fuel adjustment has been made for the month of February. The increase will only be applicable on bills for the month of April, while lifeline and K-Electric (KE) consumers will be exempted from the change. According to details, the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) had requested the authority to increase the tariff by 0.65 paisa after which the authority held a public hearing on March 30 and approved a 0.64 tariff hike. MONITORING REPORT

Mitchell’s Fruit Farm’s & Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) join forces to create Bone Cancer Awareness in Pakistan

LAHORE: Addressing rising concerns regarding Bone Cancer awareness within Pakistan, Mitchell’s Fruit Farm’s Limited & Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital (SKMCH) join hands to support 4.4M patients currently under Bone Cancer treatment (1.7M Adults & 2.7M Children). PREss RElEAsE

Hamdard hosts 29th International Children’s Health Conference

KARACHI: Hamdard Foundation Pakistan (HFP) hosts 29th International Children’s Health Conference organised by Hamdard Public School (HPS) and Hamdard Foundation Pakistan to mark World Health Day 2021. PREss RElEAsE

Vivo’s 5G flagship smartphone X60 Pro now available for sale LAHORE: Vivo has announced the launch of its X-series smartphone, X60 Pro, in Pakistan. After successful prebooking, the X60 Pro is now available for sale starting April 6, 2021 across country. Vivo X60 Pro is available for purchase in two variants of Blue and Black colours inspired by nature at Rs129,999 only. On the purchase of vivo X60 Pro, customers can also claim their VIP Experience Card and Free Goodies Box. Vivo offers one-year warranty for X60 Pro along with a 15day free replacement and 6 months warranty for accessories. vivo X60 Pro is duly approved by PTA and supports all mobile networks in Pakistan. Zong customers can also get 12GB Free Mobile Internet by using their 4G SIM card in Slot 1 (2GB Internet / month for 6 months). For more details, visit the official product page: https://www.vivo.com/pk/products/x60pro. PREss RElEAsE

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

10 FOREIGN NEWS

LAHORE

Bloodshed in MyanMar as troops open fire on protesters YANGON

Agencies

yANMAR troops stormed an anti-coup protest camp on Wednesday, a resident said, in a pre-dawn operation that local media said killed and wounded several demonstrators, as activists defied a bloody crackdown and internet blockade by the ruling junta. Myanmar has been in chaos since a February 1 coup that ended a brief period of civilian-led democracy and sparked nationwide protests and strikes, despite the ruling military’s use of lethal force to quell the resistance. Violence erupted as troops entered the protest site on Wednesday in the town of Kale in the Saigang region, a hotspot of unrest, where demonstrators were demanding the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government, a resident told Reuters. News outlets cited witnesses saying there were casualties and repeated gunfire. Mizzima news outlet said three people were killed and posted pictures on Facebook of a fire burning near parked vehicles and soldiers with rifles in the street. The Kale resident said the information was provided

to him by witnesses, who took pictures of five dead bodies. Reuters could not independently verify the information. The mostly youth-led movement’s ability to organise anti-coup campaigns and share information via social media and instant messaging has been severely hamstrung by curbs on broadband wireless internet and mobile data services. Fixed-line services, which few in Myanmar have access to, are still available. “Myanmar has been subject to a stepwise collapse into the information abyss since February,” Alp Toker, founder of internet blockage observatory NetBlocks told Reuters on Wednesday. “Communications are now severely limited and available only to the few.” With print media also halted, protesters have sought workarounds to get their message across, producing their own A4-sized daily news pamphlets that are shared digitally and printed for distribution among the public. On Tuesday, Dr Sasa, who leads a parallel government of remnants of Suu Kyi’s administration, said in a statement that its legal counsel would be submitting evidence of military atrocities to different United Nations human rights bodies. He said lawyers for his Committee Representing the

Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) had received 180,000 items of evidence and would meet on Wednesday with representatives of an independent investigative mechanism for Myanmar. Some 581 people, including dozens of children, have been shot dead by troops and police in almost daily unrest since the coup, and security forces have arrested close to 3,500 people, with 2,750 still detained, according to advocacy group the Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). JUNTA ‘LOSING CONTROL’: Arrest warrants have been issued for hundreds of people, with the junta this week going after scores of influencers, entertainers, artists, and musicians. The country’s most famous comedian, Zarganar, was arrested on Tuesday, local media reported. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab discussed how Britain and the international community could support a Southeast Asian effort to resolve the crisis in Myanmar, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Wednesday, after meeting her British counterpart in Jakarta. Indonesia is among several Southeast Asian countries leading a push for high-level regional talks on Myanmar. Western countries including the United States, Britain, and Australia have imposed or tightened sanc-

World powers, Iran hold ‘constructive’ talks on reviving nuclear deal VIENNA Agencies

Iran and world powers held what they described as “constructive” talks on Tuesday and agreed to form working groups to discuss the sanctions Washington might lift and the nuclear curbs Tehran might observe as they try to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. European intermediaries have started shuttling between Iranian and US officials in Vienna as they seek to bring both countries back into compliance with the accord, which lifted sanctions on Iran in return for curbs to its nuclear programme. Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, prompting Iran to steadily overstep the accord’s limits on its nuclear program designed to make it harder to develop an atomic bomb – an ambition Tehran denies. Tuesday’s talks included a meeting of the remaining parties to the original deal: Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia in a group called the Joint Commission that is

chaired by the European Union. The United States did not attend. While neither Washington nor Tehran say they expect any quick breakthroughs from the talks, both they and the EU described the early exchanges in positive terms. “Constructive Joint Commission meeting. There’s unity and ambition for a joint diplomatic process with two expert groups on nuclear implementation and sanctions lifting,” said EU chief coordinator Enrique Mora said on Twitter. “I will intensify separate contacts here in Vienna with all relevant parties, including US,” he added. The two expert-level groups have been given the task of marrying lists of sanctions that the United States could lift with nuclear obligations Iran should meet, and reporting back on Friday, when the Joint Commission will meet again. “The talks in Vienna were constructive […] our next meeting will be on Friday,” Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi told Iranian state television. “It is a welcome step, it is a construc-

tive step, it is a potentially useful step,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters in Washington even as he repeated the US expectation that the indirect talks would be “difficult.” A resolution of the nuclear issue could help ease tensions in the Middle East, notably between Iran and Israel as well as with US Sunni Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia who fear the possibility of Shia Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. In a possible sign of such strains, an Iranian cargo ship came under attack in the Red Sea, Al Arabiya TV reported, citing unnamed sources, and semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim said the vessel was targeted by a limpet mine. Al Arabiya cited its sources as saying the ship was attacked off Eritrea and was affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, but gave no evidence to support the assertion. Speaking on condition of anonymity, US officials told Reuters the United States did not carry out such an attack.

US to restore about $150 million in aid to Palestinians: report AGENcIES The Biden administration plans to unveil a package of about $150 million in US aid to the Palestinians, restoring part of the assistance that was cut off by then-president Donald Trump, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The aid, mostly to be provided through the United Nations relief agency UNWRA, is expected to be announced by the State Department as soon as Wednesday as part of an effort to repair US ties with the Palestinians that all but collapsed during Trump’s tenure. Democratic President Joe Biden has made clear he intends to roll back parts of his Republican predecessor’s approach that Palestinians denounced as heavily biased in favour of Israel. The new administration has previously pledged to resume hundreds of millions of dollars in economic and humanitarian assistance and work toward reopening the Palestinians’ diplomatic mission in Washington. Biden’s aides have also made clear they want to re-establish the goal of a negotiated two-state solution as a priority in US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

tions on the generals and the military’s huge network of business monopolies in response to the coup, detentions, and use of lethal force against demonstrators. The European Union is expected to follow suit. Russia, which has shown support for Myanmar’s ruling military council, on Tuesday said the West risked triggering a civil war in the country by imposing sanctions on the military junta. Fitch Solutions in a report issued on Wednesday said targeted Western sanctions alone were unlikely to succeed in restoring democracy. It predicted in the mediumterm a violent revolution between the military on one side and an armed opposition comprised of members of the anti-coup movement and ethnic militias. Some ethnic military, which controls large swathes of Myanmar’s border regions, have said they can not stand by as the junta kills people and already engaged the military in skirmishes. Fitch said Myanmar was heading towards being a failed state. “The escalating violence on civilians and ethnic militias show that the Tatmadaw is increasingly losing control of the country,” it said, adding that the vast majority of people backed the parallel government.

A third of Covid-19 survivors suffer neurological or mental disorders: study ISLAMABAD Agencies

One in three Covid-19 survivors in a study of more than 230,000 mostly American patients were diagnosed with a brain or psychiatric disorder within six months, suggesting the pandemic could lead to a wave of mental and neurological problems, scientists said. Researchers who conducted the analysis said it was not clear how the virus was linked to psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression, but that these were the most common diagnoses among the 14 disorders they looked at. Post-Covid cases of stroke, dementia, and other neurological disorders were rarer, the researchers said, but were still significant, especially in those who had severe Covid-19. “Our results indicate that brain diseases and psychiatric disorders are more common after Covid-19 than after flu or other respiratory infections,” said Max Taquet, a psychiatrist at Britain’s Oxford University, who co-led the work. The study was not able to determine the biological or psychological mechanisms involved, he said, but urgent research is needed to identify these “with a view to preventing or treating them”. Health experts are increasingly concerned by evidence of higher risks of brain and mental health disorders among

Covid-19 survivors. A previous study by the same researchers found last year that 20 percent of Covid-19 survivors were diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within three months. The new findings, published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, analysed health records of 236,379 Covid-19 patients, mostly from the United States, and found 34 percent had been diagnosed with neurological or psychiatric illnesses within six months. The disorders were significantly more common in Covid-19 patients than in comparison groups of people who recovered from flu or other respiratory infections over the same time period, the scientists said, suggesting Covid-19 had a specific impact. Anxiety, at 17 percent, and mood disorders, at 14 percent, were the most common and did not appear to be related to how mild or severe the patient’s Covid-19 infection had been. Among those who had been admitted to intensive care with severe Covid19, however, 7 percent had a stroke within six months, and almost 2 percent were diagnosed with dementia. “Although the individual risks for most disorders are small, the effect across the whole population may be substantial,” said Paul Harrison, an Oxford psychiatry professor who co-led the work.

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

LAHORE

MajeSTIC FakhaR leadS PakISTan To odI SeRIeS wIn agaInST SoUTh aFRICa JohAnnesbuRg

AGENCIES

AKHAR Zaman hit his second successive century and captain Babar Azam made 94 to set up a 28-run win for Pakistan in the series-deciding third and final oneday international against South Africa in Centurion on Wednesday. South Africa’s chances of chasing down Pakistan’s total of 320 for seven were effectively snuffed out by left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, who took three wickets in successive overs to reduce the hosts to 140 for five in the 28th over. Promising batsman PAKISTAN: Kyle Verreynne (62) IN 50 OVERS 320-7 and all-rounder (IMAMUL HAQ 57, FAKHAR Andile Phehlukwayo (54) put on ZAMAN 101, BABAR AZAM 94; K. 108 off 100 balls MAHARAJ 3-45) for the sixth wicket but both were disSOUTH AFRICA: 292 IN 49.3 OVERS missed in the space (J. MALAN 70, K. VERREYNNE 62, A of seven balls. PHEHLUKWAYO 54; SHAHEEN South Africa were before Babar was bowled out for 292. caught on the deep SHAH AFRIDI 3-58, Earlier, Fakhar point boundary to fall six MOHAMMAD NAWAZ Zaman hit his second runs short of his second successive century and century of the series. 3-34) captain Babar Azam scored 94 Babar faced 82 balls, while as Pakistan made 320 for seven. Hasan thrashed an unbeaten 32 off 11 Fakhar again scored rapidly, although balls, hitting four sixes off left-arm spinner he fell short of repeating the carnage he in- Jon-Jon Smuts in the 49th over. Fakhar and flicted on the South African bowlers in the Imamul Haq (57) laid a solid foundation second match in Johannesburg on Sunday, with an opening partnership of 112 after falling for 101 off 104 balls. Pakistan were sent in on a cloudy day. It took a late assault by Babar and Fakhar’s 99-ball century was eight tailender Hasan Ali to take Pakistan’s total balls slower than his effort in a losing beyond Babar’s pre-match target of 300. cause in Johannesburg, where he unThe pair added 63 off the last four overs leashed a furious assault, needing only an-

Rio cancels plan to rename Maracana RIO DE JANEIRO: The Rio de Janeiro state legislature backed down Tuesday from plans to rename Brazil’s iconic Maracana stadium for football legend Pele, after the proposal triggered controversy. In an unusual move, legislative speaker Andre Ceciliano, who sponsored the bill, asked interim governor Claudio Castro to veto rather than sign it. After lawmakers voted on March 9 to change the stadium’s official name to “Edson Arantes do Nascimento - Rei Pele” to honor the threetime world champion, critics questioned why they were spending their time on such matters in the middle of a raging health crisis in Brazil, hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. “My intention was to pay tribute to the king of football, the best player of all time. But the Maracana will always be called the Maracana,” said Ceciliano, of the left-wing Workers’ Party (PT). There was also a squabble over the fate of the stadium’s current official name, “Jornalista Mario Filho,” for a beloved Brazilian journalist and sportswriter credited with helping give football the nearreligious devotion it enjoys in the country today. The bill retained Filho’s name for the sports complex surrounding the stadium, which also includes gymnastics and athletics venues. But Filho’s family and admirers resented the change. The Maracana, which takes its unofficial name from the surrounding neighborhood, has been the scene of historic matches including the 1950 and 2014 World Cup finals, as well as the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2016 Olympics. It is the home stadium for two local football clubs, Fluminense and reigning champions Flamengo. But the giant 78,000seat stadium’s history is also loaded with trauma for Brazilians. AGENCIES

MADRID AGENCIES

“Unforgettable,” said Roberto Soldado, remembering the first professional goal he scored. The header against Olympiakos from a David Beckham cross kept Real Madrid alive in the 2005 Champions League, giving way to a pile-on with Roberto Carlos, Raul, Sergio Ramos and Robinho. Now, 16 years after his first game in European competition, the 35-year-old Soldado is trying to put off his last. The days of the Galacticos are long gone as he hopes to engineer one of the biggest victories in Granada’s history

other 48 balls to take his score to 193. But he added only one more run on Wednesday before an attempted lap shot against leftarm spinner Keshav Maharaj looped off his arm and provided a simple catch to wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen. He hit nine fours and three sixes. Maharaj, one of seven changes in the South African team, took three for 45 in his 10 overs. With three frontline fast bowlers missing because of Indian Premier League commitments, South African captain Temba Bavuma juggled an inexperienced seven-man bowling attack, making frequent changes and using spin bowlers for

28 of the 50 overs. Six of the wickets fell to spin. Pakistan made four changes. Legspinner Shadab Khan was ruled out with a toe injury and replaced by new cap Usman Qadir. Batsmen Danish Aziz and Asif Ali were replaced by Mohammad Nawaz and former captain Sarfraz Ahmed, while fast bowler Hasan Ali came in for Mohammad Hasnain. South African captain Temba Bavuma earlier said he hoped to take advantage of early overhead conditions which could help swing bowling. He said the new players were like-forlike replacements. “They are fully aware of what is expected of them,” he said.

FIFA suspends Pakistan for violating statutes

IsLAMAbAD AGENCIES

FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) due to third-party interference and also the Chadian Football Association (FTFA) with immediate effect due to government interference, soccer’s global governing body said on Wednesday. A group of football officials led by Ashfaq Hussain, which was elected by the Supreme Court in 2018 to run the PFF but was not recognised by FIFA, took over the headquarters recently and

seized control from the FIFA Normalisation Committee headed by Haroon Malik, media reported. FIFA said in Wednesday’s statement that its decision to suspend the PFF was prompted by the “hostile takeover” which constituted a serious violation of its statutes. “FIFA issued a letter warning that, should the illegitimate occupation of the PFF headquarters not be lifted and the office bearers recognised by FIFA not be permitted free access to the building to carry out their mandate, the matter would be immediately submitted to the

Bureau of the Council for decision,” FIFA said. “As the situation remains unchanged, the Bureau of the Council has decided to suspend the PFF.” Pakistan was also suspended by FIFA for third party interference in 2017 The Chadian Ministry of Youth and Sports had stripped the country’s FA of its powers on March 10 following concerns over the way it was being run and a breakdown in communication. Last month, the country was disqualified from the Africa Cup of Nations by the Confederation of African Football due to interference.

Soldado dreams of Man Utd upset against Manchester United in the Europa League quarter-final, first leg on Thursday. “We don’t know how many years it might take for this club to play in Europe again and I don’t know if I will ever play in Europe again,” Soldado told AFP ahead of the match at Los Carmenes on Thursday.”We all have to make the most of it.” Soldado has played for eight teams in three countries, from Real Madrid to Tottenham Hotspur and Fenerbahce. None have climbed as fast as Granada,

who finished 10th in Spain’s second division three years ago and have been guided by coach Diego Martinez to the verge of the Europa League semi-finals. “Since he arrived, the club has gone up and up,” said Soldado, who has scored 11 goals this season. Martinez was just 37 when he took charge and is now rated as Spain’s most talented up-and-coming manager. “Everyone got in the boat with him, everyone puts themselves at the service of

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the team, that is the identity,” said Soldado. “No matter how old or young you are, we work the same and for the same thing. There are no egos. I try to contribute my little grain of sand, with the experiences I’ve had, but I have the same desire to learn like a youngster. “We know we are small but we have the ambitions of a giant.” They face a colossus in Manchester United, the fourth-richest club in the world up against the fourth-poorest in La Liga.

SPORTS 11 Injured Tiger keenly missed at Masters AUGUSTA: Tiger Woods is in “decent spirits” at home recovering from serious leg injuries in a February car crash but his absence from the Masters is keenly felt by friendly rivals. Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy and second-ranked Justin Thomas, both expected to contend starting Thursday at Augusta National, visted Woods at his South Florida home since he went there from the hospital last month. “I went over and saw him a couple times last week,” Thomas said Tuesday. “Try to go over a couple times during the week whenever I’m home and see him. “We texted Friday morning, and he said it’s kind of starting to set in. He’s bummed he’s not here playing practice rounds with us, and we hate it, too.” Woods, a 15-time major winner and five-time Masters champion, would have been at Tuesday’s Masters Champions Dinner — hosted by top-ranked defending champion Dustin Johnson — if he were not at home recovering. “I’ll miss running up @DJohnsonPGA’s bill at the Champions Dinner tonight,” Woods tweeted Tuesday evening. “It’s still one of my favorite nights of the year.” Woods, 45, suffered a shattered lower right leg and ankle in the one-car crash near Los Angeles. He underwent hours of surgery to repair the damage, a rod inserted into his tibia with screws and pins used to stabilize the joint. McIlroy, who talks of Woods making a comeback to play again, visited last month and saw Woods in much better condition than he expected after seeing photos of the car wreckage. “It was good to see him in decent spirits,” McIlroy said. “When you hear of these things and you look at the car and you see the crash, it’s like, you think he’s going to be in a hospital bed for six months. But he was actually doing better than that. “I know he’d love to be here and I’m sure he’s going to put everything he has into trying to be ready to play here next year.” McIlroy said PGA players who live nearby such as Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Thomas “all have a responsibility to try to keep his spirits up and keep him going and try to get him back out here.” Woods, whose 82 US PGA titles are level with Sam Snead for the all-time win record, won the 2019 Masters for his first major title in 11 years to complete an astonishing comeback after multiple back surgeries. AGENCIES

China hits out at US over boycott row BEIJING: China accused the United States of “politicising sports” on Wednesday, after Washington said it would discuss calls to boycott the Beijing Olympics with its allies after growing pressure to shun the Winter Games on human rights grounds. Republican politicians in the US have led calls for a boycott of the Olympics, in part over what rights monitors say is the mass incarceration and indoctrination of more than a million Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim people in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. China has rejected the claims and said Wednesday that allegations of genocide are “the lie of the century from top to bottom”. “As for the idea of a so-called joint boycott of the Beijing Olympics, I want to stress that politicising sports goes against the spirit of the Olympic Charter, and damages the rights and interests of each country’s athletes and the global Olympic cause,” said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. He said it would “not be accepted by the international community.” On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price was asked if the United States would consider a joint boycott with allies and said it was “something that we certainly wish to discuss.” But he later stressed that the United States does not “have any announcement regarding the Beijing Olympics,” writing on Twitter that “we will continue to consult closely with allies and partners to define our common concerns and establish our shared approach.” “When it comes to our concerns with the government in Beijing, including Beijing’s egregious human rights violations — its conduct of genocide in the case of Xinjiang,” Price said, US action is “meaningful” but an effort that “brings along our allies and partners will have all the more influence with Beijing.” AGENCIES

“They have great players, not just one or two but several, individually they are far superior to us,” said Soldado. “But our strength is the team and that’s where we have to feel superior. Dreaming is free. What we have to dream is that we can knock out Manchester United.” Soldado knows what it feels like to beat the Old Trafford club, his last appearance against United was for Tottenham in a 2-1 win on New Year’s Day in 2014. “I remember it well, it was January 1 and the night before I was sitting on my own at home eating grapes, like the Spanish tradition on New Year’s Eve,” Soldado said. “It wasn’t the best feeling but the next day it was worth it.”

Thursday, 8 April, 2021

PRAyER TIMINGS

NEWS

Pia to oPerate 11 uk Flights ahead oF aPril 9 Ban: sPokesPerson ISLAMABAD

facing a resurgence of the virus. “With a total of 11 flights operating in the sector, PIA would be actually transporting more than 3,000 passengers, ex-pat population, back to their country or back to their homes in the UK,” Arab News quoted PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez Niazi as saying. The airline had already planned a number of scheduled flights to cater to a load of people returning to England for Easter, but the new travel restrictions had created “demand panic” in the market, he said. “Consequently, we actually had to ask permission from all concerned, and we thankfully and very, fortunately, we were able to mount the flights and we are now able to report that a lot of demand has now been catered to.

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN International Airlines (PIA) will operating 11 special flights to the United Kingdom to transport around 3,000 stranded passengers until April 9 after which it will ban entry to people from four countries, including Pakistan, as part of measures to combat the new, deadlier Covid-19 variant it exported to the world. Last week, London banned international arrivals from four more countries — Pakistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, and the Philippines — unless they hold dual nationality of Britain or Ireland in view of concerns over new virus variants but opted against including European nations that are

PIA on Monday requested London to allow four additional flights to Britain until April 9. “After two days of ‘panic’, passengers had now been adjusted on all available flights and new flights had ample capacity for everyone,” Niazi said Wednesday. While London claims the decision to suspend travel from the aforementioned nations was based on advice from public health experts and scientific data, no European nations are placed on the red list, even though much of Europe is witnessing a resurgence of the virus that has prompted many countries to reimpose lockdown restrictions. Health experts say that the surge is being driven by virus variants, including Britain one, that are sweeping the continent. Minister for Planning and Develop-

ment Asad Umar on Saturday questioned the decision to place Pakistan on the socalled red list of countries. “Every country has a right to take decisions to safeguard the health of their citizens,” he said in a tweet. “However, the recent decision by the UK government to add some countries, including Pakistan, on the ‘red list’ raises a legitimate question whether the choice of countries is based on science or foreign policy.” The government of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced questions in recent days as to why France, which is suffering one of the worst outbreaks in Europe, is not on the list. Yet putting France on the red list could have serious implications for trade flows in and out of the UK, given its reliance on traffic from crossChannel ports.

Dozens of UK MPs raise concerns on putting Pakistan, Bangladesh in red list travel ban Finance minister claims economic growth beyond forecast Federal Minister of Finance Hammad Azhar has said that the country’s economy will grow sustainably and beyond the anticipated figures and forecasts. In a set of tweets on Tuesday night, the minister said the economy will “grow at a faster rate than earlier forecasts”. “Starting from next fiscal year, we will be targeting an even higher growth rate that may exceed 4 per cent per annum,” he claimed. “This growth will not be based on deficits or depleting reserves but will be sustainable.” He added that the country is seeing healthy growth in revenues and that the government is confident in achieving our targets. Whilst we will continue to crackdown on tax evasion, we will treat tax broadening as a real priority and not just a cliche. Solid programmes will be devised for this objective. In its World Economic Outlook report – released at the start of the IMF’s and World Bank’s spring meetings- the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shared that the GDP growth for Pakistan remained at negative (-) 0.4pc during 2020. It said that the GDP growth would remain at 1.5pc during the ongoing fiscal year and would witness an upward trend to touch the 4pc mark in 2022. NEWS DESK

Coronavirus in

Pakistan

CONFIRMED CASES:

700,188

NEW CASES:

102

4,004

RECOVERED:

ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Around 38 lawmakers of the United Kingdom (UK) have written a letter to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, raising concerns over putting Pakistan and Bangladesh on the red list travel ban, which they said would have a huge impact on many residents of the UK. “We are writing in relation to the decision to place Pakistan and Bangladesh on the travel ‘red list’ with the ban coming into force at very short notice at 4 am on 9 April 2021. The placing of these countries on the red list will have a huge impact on many UK residents,” the letter reads. The MPs said that the UK has over 1.1 million British Pakistanis as well as a large number of British Bangladeshis. “Whilst we support measures where there is a clear need to act to protect the UK in relation to Covid19, we have major concerns about the way this plan has been implemented without providing clear evidence for that decision,” the letter read. The letter stated that many UK citizens have travelled to those countries in accordance with the government’s guidelines and a vast majority will have travelled to visit family, including elderly relatives, whom they may not have seen for over a year.

“They will have already paid for return flights but are now in a position where they will have to pay for new flights in order to return before the ban is put in place. Flight costs are currently around £2,000 per single ticket. Most of the people who have travelled will have paid for return flights priced at around £500 which are now useless,” the letter pointed out. “The vast majority of UK residents currently in those countries will have had to save up for some time to fly over there. Most are not rich or even moderately wealthy people but are working-class citizens. We feel that the government should do everything it can to help our constituents left stranded by this decision,” it added. “They are being put into a position of either being stuck abroad or getting into considerable debt to pay to get home. We are asking for the government to explore charter flight options or to provide financial support for those stranded. If this cannot be done, then measures need to be put in place to extend the cut-off date,” the letter added. “We have major concerns about the lack of available data and evidential and scientific reasoning which have been used to put these countries on the red list. Based on available data, many other countries not on the red list have more positive Covid tests per 100,000 people than Pak-

DEATHS:

620,789 15,026

LONDON: Global airline industry body IATA said international passenger traffic plunged 89% in February compared to the same month last year as Covid-19 infections climbed once more, and there was no sign of an aviation recovery yet. “International passenger traffic was down almost 89% and is showing no signs of recovery in the current environment,” IATA’s new director general Willie Walsh said at a presentation on Wednesday. Walsh, formerly the chief executive of British Airways-parent group IAG, was holding his first media briefing since taking on the IATA director general job at the beginning of April. AGENCIES

PUNJAB:

267,238

237,594

KP:

BALOCHISTAN:

AJK/GB:

ISLAMABAD:

93,862

13,713/5,064

19,942 62,775

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

12:14

3:07

7:01

5:27

6:52

WB puts Pakistan growth rate at 1.3pc BASELINE ECONOMIC GROWTH FORECAST HIGHLY UNCERTAIN AS COUNTRY FACES THIRD WAVE OF VIRUS ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The resurgence of recent infection rates and slow vaccination coupled with high inflation rate and consolidation policies could impact Pakistan’s nascent and fragile economic recovery and worsen poverty, according to a World Bank report. In its flagship ‘Pakistan Development Update-Navigating in Uncertain Times’ released on Tuesday, the World Bank said the country had been showing signs of a fragile economic recovery with a gradual resumption of economic dynamism and was expected to achieve a growth rate of 1.3pc and strengthen to an average of 2.7pc in FY23. The baseline economic growth forecast, however, is highly uncertain, especially given the third and a more contagious wave of the pandemic currently circulating in the country, it said. The “resurgence in infection rates and slow vaccination deployment poses downside risks to the economic outlook and near-term economic prospects are subdued”, it added. At the same time, economic activity is projected to be dampened in the short-term by fiscal consolidation measures associated with the IMF stabilisation programme, which is expected to resume as the economy regains its footing. The outlook entails a gradual postCovid recovery, during which economic growth is expected to remain below potential, reaching 1.3pc of GDP in FY21 and strengthening to 3.4pc in FY23. The fiscal deficit, excluding grants, is projected to reach 8.4pc of GDP in FY21, partly due to subdued economic activity and the settlement of arrears in the power sector. As critical revenueenhancing reforms gain pace, the fiscal deficit (excluding grants) is projected to gradually narrow to 7.8pc in FY22 and 7pc of GDP by FY23. Under the baseline scenario, revenue collection is expected to increase over the medium term as growth recovers and the government implements structural reforms related to GST harmonisation, rolls back tax expenditures, streamlines tax rates, and improves the withholding tax regime. The public debt including govt guaranteed debt-toGDP ratio is projected to peak at 94.4pc by end-FY22 on account of elevated fiscal deficits, before easing to 94.1pc by FY23. The decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio will be mainly due to moderately higher economic growth and declining primary deficits. The bank said that Pakistan’s poverty rate in FY20 was expected to have increased for the first time in two decades due to Covid-19. The sizeable labour market shock brought about by the Covid-19 containment measures and economic slowdown is expected to have translated into an increase in poverty. “Simulation results indicate that poverty in FY20, as measured at the official national poverty line, might have increase by 2.3 percentage points, which translates into 5.8 million additional people falling into poverty as a result of the pandemic”. After two decades of uninterrupted decline in poverty, the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to have reversed the progress of more recent years. The pandemic is expected to not only increase poverty, but also worsen the depth and severity of poverty among the already poor, as indirectly demonstrated by the increase in the share of the severely food insecure population, which stood at 10pc during the lockdown phase, compared to 3pc at the baseline. Rural areas are expected to have suffered from an increase in poverty incidence at least as large as the one anticipated in urban areas.

Oil prices rise on stronger economic outlook, US stockpile draw SINGAPORE AGENCIES

SINDH:

istan,” the letter said. “The current rate of infection in Pakistan is also reportedly lower than the UK’s. We would be grateful if the full data and evidence can be provided to show why these specific countries have been added to the red list and provide an urgent clarification of the decision-making process,” the letter read. “We would also like to know if the government has a roadmap of how countries are added and removed from the red list to see the consistency of how this is applied. “We would also be grateful if the government could clarify when the next review date will be for removing countries from the red list so that constituents can make realistic travel plans,” the letter added. “Last year, we note that countries were added and removed from the travel corridor list following regular reviews and in light of emerging evidence,” the letter further stated. The letter has been co-authored by chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pakistan, Yasmin Qureshi, Co-Chair Rehman Chisthy; chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh, Rushanara Ali, MP Debbie Abrahams, MP Tahir Ali, MP Paula Barker, MP Hilary Benn, MP Paul Blomfield, and MP Tracy Brabin. Other MPs who coauthored the letter are Dawn Butler, Liam Byrne, Ruth Cadbury, Rehman Chishti, Stella Creasy, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Mary Kelly Foy, Lilian Greenwood, Andrew Gwynne, Rachel Hopkins, Imran Hussain and more.

Aviation industry showing no sign of recovery: IATA

LAST UPDATED AT 7:19 AM ON APRIL 7, 2021

DAY'S DEATH TOLL:

UK HAS OVER 1.1 MILLION BRITISH PAKISTANIS AS WELL AS A LARGE NUMBER OF BRITISH BANGLADESHIS

FAJR SUNRISE 5:36

Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday on the prospects for stronger global economic growth amid increased Covid-19 vaccinations and a report that crude inventories in the United States, the world’s biggest fuel consumer, fell. Brent crude futures for June rose by 34 cents, or 0.5%, to $63.08 a barrel by 0123 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for May was up 32 cents, or 0.5%, to $59.65. “Optimism on the global economic

outlook boosted sentiment in the crude oil market,” analysts from ANZ bank wrote in a note on Wednesday. Prices were buoyed as data on Tuesday showed U.S. job openings rose to a two-year high in February while hiring picked up. This followed earlier data showing U.S. services activity touching a record high in March and China’s service sector showing the sharpest increase in sales in three months. The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday unprecedented public spending to fight Covid-19, primarily by the United States, would push global

growth to 6% this year, a rate unseen since the 1970s. Optimism on a wider rollout of vaccines also boosted prices with U.S. President Joe Biden moving up the Covid-19 vaccine eligibility target for all American adults to April 19. U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell in the most recent week, while fuel inventories rose, according to three market sources, citing American Petroleum Institute (API) figures ahead of government data on Wednesday. Crude inventories fell by 2.6 million barrels in the week ended April 2, the sources said, citing the API data. Fore-

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore, for PT Print (Pvt) Limited. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

casters had predicted a drop of just 1.4 million barrels. Oil production in the U.S. is expected to fall by 270,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2021 to 11.04 million bpd, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Tuesday, a steeper decline than its previous monthly forecast for a drop of 160,000 bpd. Iran and world powers held what they described as “constructive” talks on Tuesday and agreed to form working groups to discuss potentially reviving the 2015 nuclear deal that could lead to Washington lifting sanctions on Iran’s energy sector and increasing oil supply.