friday, 31 December, 2021 i 26 Jamadi-al-awwal, 1443 i rs 15.00 i Vol Xii no 183 i 12 Pages i Lahore Edition
Ruckus in nA As govt tAbles finAnce, sbP bills
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inAnce Minister Shaukat Tarin on Thursday presented the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021 in the national Assembly (nA) amid uproar from the opposition. it is pertinent to note that the bill was originally scheduled to be presented in parliament on Wednesday but the cabinet had rejected it’s approval. in this regard, speaker Asad Qaisar stated that the bill will not be forwarded to the standing committee concerned, as there would be a debate on the bill in the nA, following which the House would vote on it. it merits mention that the bill’s approval is necessary to ensure Pakistan’s sixth review of the $6 billion extended Fund Facility gets cleared by the international Monetary Fund’s executive board on January 12, paving the way for the disbursement of about $1bn tranche. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 was also presented in the House, which was referred to the relevant standing committee for necessary vetting. Main ProPosaL of thE finanCE biLL: n 17pc uniform sales tax on mobile phones n increasing the federal excise duty on imported vehicles having the engine ca-
pacity of 1,000cc to 1,799cc from 5pc to 10pc, on 1,800cc to 3,000cc vehicles from 25pc to 30pc and on those higher than 3,000cc from 30pc to 40pc n increasing the tax on imported electric vehicles from five per cent to 17pc n increasing the advanced tax on up to 1,000cc vehicles from Rs50,000 to 100,000, on 1,000cc to 2,000cc vehicles from 100,000 to 200,000 and on those higher than 2,000cc from 200,000 to 400,000 n Raising the federal excise duty on locally made vehicles of engine capacity between 1,000 and 2,000cc from 2.5pc to 5pc and on those higher than 2,000cc from 5pc to 10pc n increasing the federal excise duty on locally made double cabin vehicles from 7.5pc to 10pc n Raising the sales tax on imported oil seeds from 5pc to 17pc n increasing the general sales tax on 850cc to 1,000cc vehicles from 12.5pc to 17pc n 17pc tax on products sold in sachets and branded chicken products n 17pc general sales on flour mills n increasing the tax on packed dairy
products from 10pc to 17pc n Withdrawing tax exemption on sugarcane n 17pc tax on import of animals, raw material for pharma products and agricultural seeds n increasing sales tax on batteries from 12pc to 17pc PPP leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said in the last nA session, which was chaired by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, he had told the chair that there were reports of the government presenting a “mini-budget” in the assembly. “i had said that it will make life more difficult for the people of Pakistan, but the chair had dismissed my concerns,” Ashraf said. “When, in fact, that was the time for the opposition to speak on the matter.” He further complained that when the bill was presented today, even then the opposition was not being heard. The PPP leader also said that in his response to Asif, Umar had not addressed any of the questions and issues raised by the PML-n leader. “He (Umar) failed to satisfy this House,” Ashraf added. He urged the speaker to reject today’s (Thursday’s) proceedings so that opposition and treasury members could present arguments on the matters taken up in the session anew. Speaking on the occasion, PML-n leader Khawaja Asif said: “You’re giving SBP’s control to iMF. Please have mercy on the people of Pakistan. Don’t sell Pakistan. You allowed people to loot the country for three years,” he said, making a reference to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021 — another legislation needed to ensure the disbursement of $1bn tranche by the iMF. He urged the House to not let Pakistan surrender its sovereignty. “Surrendering Pakistan’s economic sovereignty is more dangerous than that of the surrender in 1971,” he said while referring to the east Pakistan debacle. He said the whole nation was ashamed of what was happening in the parliament. news desk
CONTINUED ON PAGE 05
at least 4 killed, 15 injured in Quetta blast At least four persons were killed and 15 others injured in a blast near Science college on Quetta’s Jinnah Road on Thursday. The death toll has been confirmed by Balochistan Health Department media coordinator Dr Wasim Baig, soon after the incident. Adviser to the Balochistan chief Minister on Home and Tribal Affairs Mir Ziaullah Langove the explosion was triggered by a remote-controlled device. civil Hospital Quetta Medical Superintendent Dr Javed Akhtar also confirmed to that the death toll from the blast had risen to four and the number of injured to 15. Balochistan chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo expressed dissatisfaction over security arrangements in Quetta, and condemned the incident, terming it an “act of terrorism”. in a statement, Bizenjo said he
was saddened by the loss of lives in the “act of terrorism”, and that those targeting innocent citizens deserved strict punishment. Bizenjo also issued directives for ensuring the provision of proper medical treatment to the injured, further instructing the provincial health minister to oversee the provision of medical treatment to them. The cM also sought a report on the incident and security arrangements in the city from the Balochistan inspector general of police. He also directed the cM’s adviser on interior to review the security plan for the city and make security arrangements more effective. “it is the responsibility of police and security agencies to protect the lives and properties of people. citizens cannot be left at the mercy of terrorists,” he stated. news desk
more inside
KP govt, ECP agree to hold 2nd phase of LG polls in March STORY ON PAGE 03
Pakistan sends 1,800 MT of wheat to Afghanistan STORY ON BACK PAGE
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Friday, 31 December, 2021 | LAHORE
NEWS
New daily coRoNaviRuS caSeS hit FouR-MoNth hiGh aS oMicRoN SPReadS ISLAMABAD
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FTER reporting around 300 infections for the last four weeks, the nation Thursday registered a jump in new cases of coronavirus as it announced 482 new patients during the last 24 hours, with about 80 percent of those believed to be highly infectious Omicron variant. Pakistan last reported more than 400 infections on December 3, data from the Ministry of National Health Services showed. The update from the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) coincided with a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that a Covid-19 “tsunami” threatened to overwhelm healthcare systems. “I am highly concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “This is and will continue to put immense pressure on exhausted health workers, and health systems on the brink of collapse.” First detected in November, the Omicron
variant has now been reported in 57 countries and continues to spread rapidly in
Glitch hits Rescue 1122 service The services of Rescue 1122 were affected across Punjab Thursday after developing a technical glitch. According to a spokesperson of the rescue agency, the people faced difficulties in contacting their offices after the glitch hit the service. The engineers of the National Technology Council (NTC) were working to restore the service, he added. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar launched the Rescue 1122 application, terming it a major initiative to ensure a timely response in emergency services. The CM said the application would help in timely responding in any situation. He said that more than 10 million affectees have so far been provided rescue services by Rescue 1122, adding that Rescue Air Ambulances will soon be launched in the remote areas of the province and Punjab will be the first province in South Asia where such a service would be started. Buzdar had said that the scope of Motorbike Rescue Service in Punjab was being extended to other 27 districts whereas rescue services would be made available in every tehsil by the coming June.
also heads the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), warned the Omicron variant will “inevitably” find its way to Pakistan, adding the nation had “only a few weeks” to contain the latest threat. “The emergence of new variant makes it even more urgent to vaccinate all eligible citizens 12 years and older,” he said. “It is my appeal to people, particularly those who’ve gotten one dose to get the second dose because this is one effective thing we have to protect ourselves from the danger of this variant,” the minister added. The alert followed a WHO communiqué warning its 194 member states the variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a “very high” global risk where Covid-19 surges could have “severe consequences” in some areas. The UN agency urged them to accelerate vaccination of high-priority groups and to “ensure mitigation plans are in place” to maintain essential health services. “Omicron has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerning for their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic,” the WHO said. “The overall global risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron is assessed as very high.”
Pakistan acquires squadron of elite J-10C fighter: reports ISLAMABAD News Desk
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South Africa, the WHO said. With the emergence of new cases, the
tally of the infected people climbed to 1,294,861 across the country, said the NCOC, the department leading the campaign against the pandemic. Sindh has been the worst hit, with a total of 481,381 cases, followed by Punjab where the virus was detected in 444,862 people. A total of 28,921 people died of the disease, including three patients who lost their lives to the pandemic over the last 24 hours, the NCOC said. The country currently has 10,009 active cases, while 1,255,931 others have recovered. Seperately, the NCOC announced that all vaccination centres across the nation will remain closed on January 1 and 2 (Saturday and Sunday) as “vaccination staff remained extensively engaged in achieving national targets for the year 2021”. “The vaccination campaign will resume from Jan 3,” the body said in a statement. Earlier this month, the government announced stepping up its vaccination efforts and is expanding the criteria for vaccine booster shots, amid fears of the Omicron variant. OMICRON ‘INEVITABLE’ IN PAKISTAN: In November, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar, who
Pakistan has acquired a full squadron of 25 multirole J-10C fighter jets produced by the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) of China, reports citing sources familiar with the development said. The squadron of highly reliable fighter aircraft will attend the annual Pakistan Day military parade on March 23, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said Wednesday. The J-10C aircraft were part of the China-Pakistan joint exercise last year, where experts from Pakistan had the opportunity to have a close look at the fighter jets. The drill started on December 7 in Pakistan and lasted for about 20 days, with China sending warplanes including J-10C, J-11B jets, KJ-500 early warning aircraft and Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, while Pakistan participated with the JF-17 and Mirage-III fighter jets. Also known as Vigorous Dragon in China, the model — a variant of J-10 fighter — is a single-engine, multirole jet capable of all-weather operation, configured with a delta wing and canard design, with fly-by-wire flight controls. Many aspects of the jet, including the size, aerodynamic characteristics, aviation and weapon systems and overall combat capability, are comparable to the Francemade Rafale, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times. Ever since the early 1990s, China has been working to slim and upgrade its military into a modern fighting force. That means developing fighters for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, and also planes that others would want. “Yes, we have been given the option of getting this aircraft, and we are studying
this option,” said Salman Ahsan Bokhari, then Beijing-based air attache from Pakistan, in 2010. “Until this time, we haven’t seen it physically flying […] It’s a good time for all the world’s air force to know the PLA has a valuable and important aircraft flying in the skies.” The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) possesses a fleet of US-made F-16s, which is considered a good match for Rafale — 11 of which India has so far received from France under a 2016 deal to procure 36 — but Islamabad was looking for a new multirole all-weather jet to further augment the air defence.
Body of Hindu leaders set up to take care of temples MOnItORIng REpORt The government announced the setting up of the first-ever body of Hindu leaders to take care of the community’s temples across the country. The Ministry of Religious Affairs constituted the Pakistan Hindu Mandir Management Committee on the pattern of the already-functional Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. According to a statement, the inaugural meeting of the body was chaired by Minister for Religious Affairs Noor ul-Haq Qadri. The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chief briefed the meeting on the matters. The ETPB is a statutory board that manages religious properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition. “The committee will look after matters related to Hindu places of worship,” Qadri said. The committee comprising Dewan Chand Chawla, Haroon Sarab Dayal, Mohandas, Naranjan Kumar, Megha Arora, Amit Shadani, Ashok Kumar, Versi Mill Dewani and Amar Nath Randhawa will be headed by Krishna Sharma. “Pakistan has created history by constituting the committee on the demand of the Hindu community,”
SBP bill won’t be a compromise on economic sovereignty: FM ISLAMABAD TLTP
Sharma said. Qadri said that the problems of the minority population of Pakistan are being solved on a priority basis and the formation of the committee will be instrumental in resolving the issues of the Pakistani Hindu community. The minister went on to say that despite religious and cultural diversity, tolerance and acceptance of each other is humanity, adding that evil elements want confrontation in Pakistan on the basis of religion, sect and linguistics.
“The new committee will act as a bridge between the non-Muslim population and the State,” he said. He said that according to the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, efforts were being made for the welfare of the non-Muslim population. Hindus form the biggest minority community in Pakistan. According to official estimates, 7.5 million Hindus live in the country. The majority of the Hindu population is settled in Sindh where they share culture, traditions and language with Muslim residents.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said that the proposed amendments to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) laws will not compromise economic sovereignty of the country. Talking to the media at the Parliament House on Thursday, the foreign minister said that members were briefed in the cabinet meeting regarding the State Bank (Amendment) Bill and Finance (Supplementary) Bill. He said that the government will protect the country’s economic sovereignty. He added that protecting the country’s economic independence is a prime responsibility of the government. He said that it is the parliamentarians’ right to be acquainted with the legislation. He said the finance minister also responded to the questions raised by the legislators about the supplementary finance bill as well as amendments to the State Bank laws. The foreign minister said the parliament is empowered to amend any law with a simple majority if required to remove any lacuna. Earlier, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired the meeting of the parliamentary party, wherein Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin apprised the participants of the finance bill and also addressed their concerns about the amendments to the SBP laws. The meeting of the parliamentary party was attended by the cabinet members as well as other members of the parliament.
Friday, 31 December, 2021 | LAHORE
NEWS
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KP Govt, ecP aGRee to hold 2Nd PhaSe oF lG PollS iN MaRch
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HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government along with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced on Thursday that they have agreed to hold the second phase of the LG polls in March. A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case. The provincial chief secretary appeared before the commission. “The second phase of local body
elections in K-P will be held on March 27,” said the CEC. The decision was made during the hearing of a petition filed by MNA Murtaza Javed Abbasi. It is pertinent to note that the chief secretary remarked that the KP government had requested to hold the first phase of LG elections in December 2021 and the second phase in May 2022. However, the commissioner maintained that the provincial government had agreed that the second phase of the LG polls would be held before Ramazan. “Since the month of Ramazan
would begin from April 3 or 4, it will be too late if elections are held in May,” Raja stated. To this, the secretary requested the commission to hold LG body elections by the end of March 2022. “The last Sunday of that month would fall on March 27,” the CEC responded. It is pertinent to note that earlier, the KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had given directive to ensure foolproof security for the second phase of local bodies elections in the province and said that the incidents of violence that happened during the
first phase of elections should not happen again. During a meeting with Chief Secretary Shahzad Bangash and Inspector General of Police Muazzam Jah Ansari, he was briefed about the incidents of violence that took place in certain places during the first phase of the elections and a broader strategy to avoid such incidents in the upcoming second phase was also discussed. He was also briefed about the matters related to the peaceful holding of upcoming local bodies polls in the remaining 18 districts of the province.
Watchdog arrests KDA boss on corruption charges kARACHI sTaff RePoRT
Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Thursday arrested Karachi Development Authority (KDA) Director General Asif Ali Memon on charges of corruption. Karachi (East) team of the agency Memon and his deputy Atif Khan and registered a case against them. It merits a mention here the arrests have been made in connection with separate corruption cases and are not related to the probe into the approval for the building of Nasla Tower. Reports citing sources claimed the graft watchdog received complaints against the officials. The two would now be grilled regarding the charges. Meanwhile, action has also been initiated against officials who approved Nasla Tower’s construction. The Ferozeabad police registered a first information report (FIR) against the builder of the unit, officials of the Sindh
Building Control Authority (SBCA), Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society — a residential neighbourhood in Karachi — and the plot owner. Nasla Tower is a 15-storey residential building which the top court in October directed to demolish for encroaching on the land reserved for a service road. On Monday, a two-judge bench — comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed — ordered the police and AntiCorruption Establishment (ACE) to probe officials who were involved in the process of approving the building plan for the tower. The case was lodged on behalf of the state under sections 34 (common intention), 161 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect to an official act), 167 (public servant framing an incorrect document with intent to cause injury), 218 (public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to
save a person from punishment or property from forfeiture), 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) and 447 (criminal trespass) of the PPC. The complaint said the city commissioner was ordered to submit a report to the court after an investigation from various departments related to the tower. “When the Karachi commissioner got the aforementioned plots investigated from all the departments, it was found that the aforementioned plot [for Nasla Tower] is 780 square yards in the SMCHS [Sindh Muslim Cooperative Housing Society] papers,” it read. It added the society had allotted 780 square yards to builder Abdul Qadir who — in collusion with his construction partners and officials from SMCHS, SBCA, Master Plan Department (MPD)
and other departments — had erected Nasla Tower on 1,121 square yards — illegally building on 341 square yards of a service road — and sold flats and shops to people. It said the court had ordered the Deputy Inspector General (East) to register a case against all individuals involved in the irregularities of Nasla Tower from the allotment, construction and mapping. The FIR added it was already proven from the investigation of records that the building was constructed with “mala fide intent and collusion of related departments”. As a result and because of the court order, the FIR said a case was being registered against Abdul Qadir, his accomplice builders, the SBCA chief and secretary who allotted the land, SMCHS officials, MPD director and deputy director, their officials as well as those of other departments involved in the scheme.
Train derails near Mian Channu due to brake failure nEwS DESk
hackers steal, put up for sale KP police data ISLAMABAD sTaff RePoRT
Sensitive data belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police has been accessed in an apparent cyberattack and put up for sale on the internet, it has emerged. “A foreign-origin hacker is selling 1,400+ official documents including facial records belonging to KP police,” a user, claiming knowledge of the matter, tweeted. “A sample has also been shared. Documents that are for sale can be sorted based on gender, district, police station, crimes etc,” Zaki Khalid said. Khalid’s Twitter bio introduces him as a former government official. Telecom and information technology authorities have repeatedly warned of serious threats that the government and business organisations have been facing in the modern digital era. Just in October, a cyberattack on the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) disrupted its services. However, the customers’ financial data had not been compromised and “has remained protected, confidential and secured”, the bank said at the time.
A train en-route to Karachi from Lahore derailed near Mian Channu due to a technical fault, on Thursday. As per the statement by Pakistan Railways, the accident took place after the brakes of the Khyber Mail Express failed and the train went off track. As per the sources, the driver has claimed that he left another driver in charge of the train after hearing about the death of a close relative. The other driver allegedly forgot to check the braking power of the train and ended up losing control over it. Sources further reveal that the train stopped at Mian Channu and was diverted to the loop line, adding that a
technical team was called from Multan to look into the matter.
It is pertinent to note that no casualties have been reported so far.
Karachi set for another spell of winter showers in first week of Jan: PMD nEwS DESk Karachi is expected to receive a fresh spell of winter rain in the first week of January, the Pakistan Meteorological Department revealed on Thursday. “Drizzling and showers are expected in the city from Jan 4 under the system,” Dr Sardar Sarfaraz, chief meteorologist at the Met department stated, adding that the new system — more powerful than the previous — would enter the country via Balochistan on December 31. He further stated that Karachi was likely to receive rain on Jan 5 and 6. He said moderate to heavy rainfall
was expected with thunder and lightning due to a new westerly system. “The system of wind and rain will more heavily impact the districts of Balochistan. The system can also cause rain in the northern parts of the country,” he stated. He went on to add that cold winds in Karachi could continue till Jan 3 and that it was likely to remain clear in the day and cold at night during this period. “The temperature is expected to remain at a minimum of 10 to 12 degrees Celsius,” he added. It is pertinent to note that Sarfaraz had previously mentioned the new
westerly system but at that time it was not expected to impact Karachi. The city experienced its first spell of winter showers on Monday, with various areas receiving light and moderate showers throughout the day. The rain spell brought with it a wave of cold weather to Karachi. Heavy showers led a 35-year-old man electrocuted in Saddar area after the rain. A rescue official had identified him as Ghulam Hussain who died near Frere Market. However, K-Electric had challenged the claim and called it a natural death on the basis of its own investigation.
vaccination centres to remain closed on January 1, 2: Ncoc nEwS DESk Covid-19 vaccination centers will remain closed on January 1 and 2, across the country, the National Command and Operations Centre announced on Thursday. The vaccination process is to resume from January 3, 2022, the statement added. The NCOC further stated that the vaccination staff have been working throughout the year to achieve the national goal. In the “wake of the rising threat of Omicron”, the forum urged all citizens to get fully vaccinated and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). “Wear a mask, avoid crowded places and ensure social distancing,” the NCOC said via its official Twitter handle. The NCOC also announced that 30% of Pakistan’s total population and 46% of the eligible population have been vaccinated against Covid. Approximately 1.5 million anti-Covid jabs have been administered across the country in the past 24 hours, bringing the national total up to 155,023,641.
Friday, 31 December, 2021 | LAHORE
04 NEWS CNS chairs meeting to discuss security matters IsLAmAbAd Pr
Command and Staff Conference of Pakistan Navy concluded at Naval Headquarters, Islamabad. The Conference was chaired by Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi. Matters related to geo strategic milieu, national security, operational preparedness, training and welfare of troops were reviewed. Briefings on various ongoing and future developmental projects of Pakistan Navy were also given to Chief of the Naval Staff. The forum reviewed evolving maritime security situation of the region and reaffirmed solidarity with the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K) for their rightful struggle of self-determination. The Naval Chief expressed confidence over high state of operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy to meet all challenges. The forum also discussed COVID-19 situation and reiterated strict compliance to SOPs in line with Govt policies. Command & Staff Conference is the apex decision making body of Pakistan Navy in which Chief of the Naval Staff along with Principal Staff Officers and Field Commanders undertake strategic review of Pakistan Navy’s Policies and Plans as well as the prevailing security environment.
Islamabad police finalise security plan for New Year night IsLAmAbAd Pr
Islamabad Police have chalked out a comprehensive security plan to deal with those involved in hooliganism, aerial firing, fireworks and onewheeling on New Year night, a police spokesman said on Thursday. He said that, the foolproof security plan was made on directions of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Ahsan Younas adding that more than 1000 well-equipped cops and officers would be deployed in the district on the night of New Year to maintain law and order situation. Special police squads would be deployed on main roads of the city while special police teams will patrol in main markets and rush areas. According to him, people involved in hooliganism, aerial firing, fireworks and one-wheeling on the new year night would be dealt with iron hands. Islamabad Police chief Muhammad Ahsan Younas directed all officers to keep their eyes on anti-social activities on new year night.
PM IMraN aPProveS PTI’S Pharma sector hints at raising medicine prices New orgaNISaTIoNal STruCTure LAHORE
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RIME Minister Imran Khan Thursday approved Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)’s new organisational structure upon the recommendations of the constitution committee. During a meeting of the PTI’s Central Executive Committee, Imran Khan instructed the newly appointed officials to complete the process of reorganisation at the lowest level as soon as possible. Imran, who is also the chairman of the PTI, said: “PTI is the most popular and organised political force in the federation.” In the new party setup, Asad Umar has been given the post of secretary-gen-
eral while Pervez Khattak, Ali Haider Zaidi, Qasim Suri, Shafqat Mahmood and Khusro Bakhtiar have been appointed as new provincial heads of the party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and Southern Punjab, respectively. Aamir Mehmood Kiani has been made the party's additional secretary-general. “We are moving towards the goal of empowering the people politically and administratively,” he said, adding that special attention is being paid to the welfare of the poor. He reiterated that the government is spending extraordinary resources on public welfare in the style of a welfare state. The meeting was attended by the cabinet members as well as other members of the Parliament.
The pharmaceutical sector has hinted at the rise in prices of medicines following the imposition of General Sales Tax (GST) on raw materials for medicines in the mini-budget. Reportedly, the sector has expressed reservations over the government’s decision, saying that the weight of the sales tax would have to be borne by consumers. Speaking to Profit, Mian Zaka-urRehman, a member of the executive committee of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), informed that the imposition of taxes on the pharma sector has made things complicated. “One of the main reasons is that we did not charge any tax on the sale of medicines before was that we were not paying any sales tax on the import of
raw materials. Traders other than the pharmaceutical industry, when they import anything and pay GST, are balancing their price by charging GST from the customer. But this is not the case in our industry as the prices are being controlled by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP). Now, if the industry is burdened with taxes, many medicines will either become more expensive or their production will stop,” he said. owever, Rehman said that not every medicine will be expensive as some have a margin would not cause sellers a loss if they are sold at a reduced price. “If DRAP has fixed the price of a medicine at Rs100, in some cases it is being sold for Rs90; even if sales tax is levied on such a drug, there is no need to increase its price,” he explained, adding that the problem is with medicines that are both essential and rated cheap.
Sania lauds top performers in Ehsaas School Stipends enrolment drive IsLAmAbAd Pr
Ehsaas hosted an appreciation award ceremony to honour the contributions of field teams and regional officials of Ehsaas engaged in Ehsaas School Stipends enrollment drive. Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM chaired the ceremony. Secretary Ismat Tahira, DG Naveed Akbar, DG Khalid Siddique and DG Zafar Kamal also graced the occasion. During the period of Jul to Sep 2021, majority of field teams met all enrollment targets on time and made substantial progress on creating awareness and leading enrollment drive for the education conditional cash transfer programme of Ehsaas. The programme enrolled 907,486 children in all tehsils of the country which shows 99.3% achievement against the target of 913,590. According to the breakdown by region, 520,071 children were enrolled in Punjab; 191,321 in KP; 126,680 in Sindh; 26,039 in Balochistan; 27,844 in AJK; 13,355 in GB; and 2,176 in Islamabad. To celebrate the achievement of this
major milestone, a cohort of 30 high performing field officers were invited to Islamabad. Terming field human resources, a great asset for Ehsaas, Dr. Sania said, “The active engagement of the Ehsaas field teams, NCHD, and district administrations has resulted in continuous increase in enrollments. Our all-field teams are to be applauded for
their crucial role in bringing out of school children particularly girls to schools.” She also applauded the efforts of high achieving officials and encouraged them for their future milestones. Adding further, she mentioned, “Children in all classes, in every tehsil, of all Ehsaas eligible families can benefit from Ehsaas
school stipends. Girls get a higher stipend amount. All enrollments are being made through Ehsaas School Stipends Enrollment App. The process is end-to-end digitized which has also eliminated the room for misuse in terms of ineligible children being enrolled.” The event was attended by the high performing officials from Gujranwala, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha, Multan, Lakki Marwat, Malakand, Abbottabad, Kohistan, Skardu, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Poonch, Hattian Bala, Mastung, Naseerabad, Karachi, Tando Allahyar and Islamabad. The ceremony also included field reflections. A plan was also discussed to expedite the enrolment drive in the first quarter of year 2022. Later, Dr. Sania gave away appreciation certificates among high performers. The Ehsaas Education Stipends programme is being implemented in all Tehsils of the country, providing financial assistance to deserving households for the education of their children at primary, secondary and higher secondary levels. To-date, over 6.44 million children have been enrolled countrywide.
PAF holds seminar PR “Mr Jinnah was right” when he wanted “Peace within and Peace without” for Pakistan to make its rightful place in the comity of nations. He was right when he desired an Air Force “Second to None” for Pakistan. This was the key message of former senior Pakistan Air Force officers and emin e n t diplomats at the National Seminar on “PAF’s Saga in December ’71 Air War”, organized by the Centre for Aerospace & Sec u r i t y S t u d i e s (CASS) in Islamabad. Air Marshal Masood Akhtar (Retd), former Deputy
Chief of Air Staff (Training), PAF was the Keynote Speaker, while other eminent speakers included Ambassador Khalid Mahmood, Chairman Board of Governors, Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI); Air Commodore Jamal Hussain (Retd), PAF veteran and Defence Analyst; Ambassador Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi Qureshi, former High Commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh, Bhutan, and New Zealand. The seminar was chaired by President CASS Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan (Retd), while Air Vice Marshal Faheem Ullah Malik (Retd), Director Warfare & Aerospace moderated the proceedings. Outlining why it was important to retell the stories of those PAF officers who had sacrificed their lives for the nation in the 1971 War, President CASS Air Marshal Farhat Hussain Khan (Retd) highlighted that the seminar was organized because their exceptional devotion, valour and sacrifice remained overshadowed by the great national catastrophe. “It is imperative to communicate to the younger generations PAF’s repeated admirable performance in times when all others had gone under,” he said. In his Keynote Address, Air Marshal Masood Akhtar provided an overview of Pakistan’s political environment after Quaid-i-Azam’s demise in both East and West Pakistan, the overall defence establishment construct, build-up of armed forces in general and PAF in particular, he pointed out that in the backdrop of 1971, we often shy away from looking at the constraints on PAF and how in spite of all those, the PAF performed above par. Analyzing the global and regional geopolitical environment between March
and December 1971, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood described that Pakistan had overwhelming diplomatic support from the United Nations General Assembly members during the 1971 crisis. However, it was in the Security Council, where veto power was repeatedly exercised by Russia to support India and to weaken Pakistan’s position, while China’s role in security council, in our favour, was of pivotal importance. Turkey, despite not being a UNSC member, also provided the utmost moral support. On the issues facing Pakistan domestically during 1971, Ambassador Afrasiab highlighted that internal political mismanagement, fragile economic conditions, absence of social justice, poor law and order, and leadership’s incompetency played a major part in fermenting the conditions that led to East Pakistan’s secession. He warned that even now, the world was increasingly moving towards religious fascism. 1971 was a tragedy but
Jinnah’s vision was 100% accurate since the Two Nation theory remains alive to this day, he concluded.
Friday, 31 December, 2021 | LAHORE
NEWS
05
Ruckus in nA As govt tAbles finAnce, sbP bills
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contInued from page 01
n response to Asif’s speech, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said the opposition had been trying to “scare the nation” by making a hue and cry over the SBP amendment bill. “The difference between them and us is that when they work to curb dengue, they have to advertise about it themselves. But when we work to curb Covid-19,” international forums praise the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf-led government, Umar added. Reacting to Asif’s remarks about surrendering the sovereignty of Pakistan, he said: “A Pakistani leader is speaking about surrendering the country’s sovereignty. I call that shameful.” He also lambasted the opposition for criticising the government over national security. “They invited [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi to their house,” he said, making an apparent reference to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the opposition had the right to present its point of view, however, “the government’s job is to put forth facts before people”. As Qureshi continued to speak, the opposition members pointed towards an incomplete quorum in the House. Responding to the opposition’s objection, the speaker adjourned the session till Dec 31. According to details, the House also adopted multiple resolutions, extending the validity of several ordinances for a period of 120 days. The ordinances that have been extended are the Federal Government Properties Man-
agement Authority Ordinance, 2021, Elections (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, Public Properties (Removal of Encroachment) Ordinance, 2021, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, Pakistan Food Security Flow and Information Ordinance, 2021 and Tax Laws (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2021. Objecting to the extension of the Elections (Third Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, Asif said the move was unconstitutional as the ordinance had lapsed. The speaker, however, disagreed and dismissed the objection. Meanwhile, two women lawmakers got into a fight after which one ended up slapping the other amidsr the National Assembly ruckus. The Opposition members were protesting around the speaker’s dice when PPP’s MNA Shagufta Jumani slapped PTI lawmaker Ghazala Saifi, creating chaos in the National Assembly. The Opposition staged a protest and held placards to oppose the mini-budget and chanted slogans calling it a “black day”. Ghazala Saifi said that her finger has been fractured, adding that her hand was twisted during the fight. She further said that she got her hand checked upon which the doctor has confirmed that one of her fingers have suffered a fracture. The lawmaker stated that she will take further action, adding that she slapped Shagufta in return as she “had no other option.” It is pertinent to note that no statement has been issued by MNA Shagufta Jumani, so far. Earlier today, PM Imran Khan played
down the chances of PML-N leader and rival Nawaz Sharif returning to the country, saying: “We also used to hear in the past about [Nawaz Sharif’s] return when he was in Saudi Arabia, but he only returned after a deal”. The premier was dismissive of the opposition’s claim that the government was in danger, saying “they make such statements every three months.” When asked about a statement of the opposition leader in the National Assembly, Imran taunted that Shehbaz Sharif’s speeches were more a “job application” than anything else. Following the NA session, Tarin while addressing a presser defended the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021, saying that tax exemptions worth Rs2 billion would be reviewed under it. “Whereas our sales tax amounts to around Rs3 trillion. How will [an addition of] Rs2 billion make a significant difference in inflation?” he questioned. He went on to say that tax exemptions would mostly be withdrawn on imported items. “A common man usually doesn’t use these items. How will it burden the poor then?” he asked. “We haven’t done anything to burden the poor,” he added. On the SBP Amendment Bill 2021, the finance minister said it was aimed at strengthening the central bank. “And strengthening institutions is in the PTI’s manifesto,” he added. Tarin said under the bill, the SBP would be given administrative independence, which would give it the authority to decide matters such as the salaries of the bank’s em-
ployees. Moreover, he said, members for the SBP board, which would have the authority of the central bank, would be nominated and approved by the government. “The president will approve them,” he said, adding that the board would also be answerable to relevant standing committees of parliament. So the notion that the government was selling out the country’s sovereignty was wrong, he added. He went on to add that criticism regarding the government imposing additional burden on the people and of a consequent rise in inflation is “baseless” Tarin further said that tax revision worth Rs343 billion has been revised in the bill. He went on to state that a Rs70 billion rebate included taxes on luxury and business items including imported fish, high-end bakery items, expensive cheese and imported bicycles. Tax exemptions worth Rs2 billion will be removed from items of general use like personal computers, sewing machines, matchboxes, iodised salt, red chillies, and contraceptives. “If we expect inflation to increase because of the imposition of tax on these items then they [the Opposition] are mistaken,” he said, adding that this is the “crux of the supplementary finance bill.” “The Opposition has been spreading rumours regarding an increase in inflation because of the finance bill,” the finance minister said. Tarin said that no sales tax will be imposed on fertiliser, imported second-hand clothes and cinema equipment. “The agreement with the IMF is not just
Alibaba holds summit to help Pakistani sellers sIaLkot PR
Leading global B2B e-commerce marketplace, Alibaba.com held a Seller Summit; titled ‘Unlock Business Growth Code’ in Sialkot to bring Pakistani sellers aboard its platform, thereby helping them to access over 200 markets globally. The summit featured talks by representatives of Alibaba.com, local trade associations, senior government officials and a number of successful online sellers. Alibaba is one of largest business-to-business marketplace platforms that drive global e-commerce and continue to register substantial growth by the day. The company is actively working to tap into Pakistan’s unexplored potential for e-commerce and has
launched multiple similar initiatives in the recent past. According to business estimates, Pakistan is expected to witness an annual growth of 28% in e-commerce in the next 3 years, crowning it as one of the biggest exporters of online goods. The Sialkot Summit will help Alibaba reach out to local micro, small and medium scale businesses, who can
grow their businesses by selling through Alibaba’s platform. In order to ensure sustainability of the new businesses, particularly those who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Alibaba.com will extend support services like advertising, logistics, payments and daily operations systems. The platform will help the SMEs connect with new buyers and explore new markets globally. The summit featured roundtable conference and keynote speeches of important stakeholders for exchange of ideas and consultation in order to chalk out a clear pathway for growth of local businesses and exports. Speaking at the event, Head of Alibaba.com, APAC, Mr. Stephen Kuo said we are thrilled by the enthusiasm and keenness of local business leaders and entrepreneurs to explore new horizons.
PTCL, Ufone welcome 4th batch of FUEL Leadership Programme IsLamabad PR
PTCL Group has welcomed the 4th batch of its flagship leadership development program, ‘FUEL’ that focuses on carving out the next line of business leaders through two-year immersive training of its most talented and top performing employees.
To welcome the new batch and bid farewell to the graduating batch, an event was organized in Islamabad that was attended by Hatem Bamatraf, President & Group Chief Executive Officer, PTCL & Ufone, along with the top management. On the occasion, Syed Mazhar Hussain, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, PTCL & Ufone shared his thoughts
with the audience & said, “I congratulate the graduating batch and wish them good luck in their professional careers. Moreover, I
would like to wholeheartedly welcome the new batch and encourage them to pursue their dreams with enthusiasm and passion.
Pakistani-American technology executives convene in LUMS
Lahore PR
In a bid to build stronger connections between tech diaspora in the US, and tech talent in Pakistan, Pakistani American and OPEN Seattle tech delegation, visited the National Incubation Center Lahore (NICL) at LUMS. The delegation comprised of technology executives from Amazon, Google, Facebook, Mi-
cmYk
crosoft, Educative, Leverify, and Data Science Dojo, looking to understand the growing entrepreneurial landscape in the country and pave the way for future collaboration. The guests were given a tour of NICL facilities including the Makers Lab, a suite of state-of-the-art prototyping workshops; the Facebook Innovation Lab, where virtual and augmented reality solutions.
a matter of $1 billion,” Tarin said. He further stated that “the Board of Governors (BoG) of SBP will be appointed on the recommendations of the government,” he said, adding that it was earlier thought the BoG will be appointed by the bank itself. Tarin clarified, however, that it was made clear to them that this wouldn’t be possible. “How can they make their own appointments?” he remarked. “No amendment has been made in the bill regarding the appointment of SBP’s board of directors,” he added. Tarin underlined that central banks of all developed countries have autonomy. Shedding light on the conditions of the IMF, Tarin said that the Fund wants them to impose sales tax “on all items”. He, however, reiterated the government’s revision will only mean an imposition of taxes worth Rs2 billion. “We are increasing taxes on luxury cars,” he said, adding that the Fund has not imposed any conditions regarding increasing taxes on vehicles. Speaking about inflation, he said that the Pakistan’s inflation based on consumer price index (CPI) clocked in at 11.5% in November 2021. “Inflation in the US and UK also surged to record highs, so if I have failed have Joe Biden and Boris Johnson also failed?” he asked. The minister also asked that if prices of edible oil in the international market are increasing he should stop importing the essential commodity, or if the price of coal is rising the government should stop importing that as well. Tarin concluded by assuring the media that prices of medicines will go down.
Friday, 31 December, 2021
06 COMMENT
Limiting the playing field
Deal on Reko Diq Lack of transparency gives birth to suspicions
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PTI’s bleak prospects in LG polls are if its own doing
N January 2013 a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry declared the Reko Diq agreement void and in conflict with the country’s laws. earlier there had been a media campaign against the deal between the Balochistan government and a foreign corporationby international business rivals and domestic sensation mongers. It was claimed that “$260billion gold mines” were going for a song behind closed doors. There was a need on the part of the apex court to seek the opinion of independent investment experts before passing the judgment, which was not done. Tethyan Copper Company Limited (TCC), the corporation involved, appealed to the World Bank Tribunal which found Pakistan to have violated the bilateral investment treaty and awarded $6 billion (approx.) plus interest against Pakistan. This came as bolt from the blue for PrimeMinister Imran Khan who was desperately trying to seek loans for the country. Mr Khan directed the formation of a commission to investigate the reasons as to how Pakistan ended up in this predicament; who were responsible for making the country suffer such a loss and what are the lessons learnt, so that mistakes made would not be repeated in the future. That was the last time one heard about the Commission. There is however still a need to probe the factors responsible for the debacle to avoid another shock of the type. The government has managed to reach an agreement with Barrick Gold PLC of Canada, one of the two partners of TTC. The firm would reportedly not demand its part of the $6 billion fine, pay to the other partner its share of the fine, and start work if Barrick Gold’s conditions are accepted by the government. On the face of it this is a good development for the country. The devil however lies in details which the government continues to keep confidential, thus causing suspicions. Questions are being asked about what the Pakistan government has offered in return and why it wants the untold conditions kept secret. The Balochistan Provincial Assembly has been given a secret briefing while the media was studiously kept away. The PM has assured that the Centre would bear all financial burden for Reko Diq’s development. Fine, but this requires taking Parliament on board. It is time that the proposed agreement is put before the National Assembly and Senate.
at Penpoint M a NiaZi
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he Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa local body elections must be taken in context. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) has been given a sharp rebuke by the people of a province that has been its stronghold in the last two general elections, as well as in the last local body elections. The presidential nature of the polls may have made matters worse. The oldest way of dealing with competing claims has been to let all contenders compete as independents, and for the government to adopt the winner as its own. In the prime ministerial system once prevalent, councilors were elected, and they them elected a chairman. Local body polls until recently were held on party-less basis, so all councilors were technically independents, free to throw their support to whoever they wanted, which used to be the party in power. It was a pretty poor chief minister who didn’t ensure that his party controlled all district councils and municipalities. however, those elected on party basis are stuck with the parity whose ticket they obtained. One reaction was by the PTI itself, with the Chairman, Imran Khan, dissolving all party bodies, and thus punishing three provincial organisations for the sins of the fourth. This raises the possibility that the dissolution was meant to bring about other changes within the party. For example, the removal of haleemAdil Sheikh as Sindh President came after he had been appointed in June. Aun Abbas Buppi had an even briefer period as South Punjab President, having been appointed in September, but has still had to make way for MakhdumKhusroBakhtiar. The appointment of ShafqatMahmood as Punjab President was doubly significant, for it came at the expense of ejaz Chaudhry. he held office by virtue of election; his replacement is an appointee. As the next election is that of the Punjab local bodies, this is particularly significant. Shafqat was in charge of the PTI’s local bodies election campaign in 2016. The PTI lost badly, but it was in opposition then, and the PML(N) had exploited the perks of power. Now the boot should be on the other foot. There are two roadblocks to the Punjab elections. The first is the introduction of electronic voting machines. The election Commission of Pakistan has got a tough enough task on its hands to introduce eVMs in time for the next general election, due in 2023, let alone be able to do it in a local body election to be held by March. The second is the passage of a new Local Government Act, on which the provincial government has set its heart. That is not an obstacle as such, for if the Act is not passed in time, elections would be held under the present Act. however, that is not something the government would like. everyone sees the coming Punjab election as important, not least to see if it confirms the result of the
Encroachment on park The mosque excuse wouldn’t work any longer
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he attempt to encroach on land meant for a park by building a mosque on it, and using its land for a cemetery may have been defeated in the Kidney hill Park in Karachi’s Tariq Road area by the Supreme Court’s ruling that a mosque or cemetery could not be built on illegally acquired land, but until the officials responsible for such violations are punished, or at least exposed, such practices will not stop. It is not simply a matter of looking away, for the mosque builders, who also wanted the whole area allocated for a park to be converted into a housing sheme. This is actually an old tactic, and has been used in other cities as well: to cover a piece of land in an odour of sanctity by having a mosque there, or a graveyard, or even a saint’s tomb, even if the latter two might be totally fake. Sometimes, the officials responsible for keeping such places clear, make money by looking the other way. however, bolder officials, probably for higher payment, will issue illegal certificates. This was the case in the Kidney hill park land, for the mosque had permission, which had been illegally issued by the KMC, which did not have the authority to allot away land originally allocated for a park. The illegal allocation had been done by the same Karachi east KMC Administrator as had tried to stop the demolition of Nasla Tower, which the Supreme Court had ordered because it had been built without legal authority. however, while the police is lead-footedly registering cases against the officials responsible for that, the latest case is upon them. This latest case has shown that such encroachments are not possible without the connivance of officials, and until they are pursued, accountability will not be possible. Such cases are also tests for the federal and provincial governments, and their commitment to accountability. While the federal government uses the accountability mechanisms to hound political opponents, and the provincial tries to save itself from the federal, political will will be missing, and the courts will be the only way citizens can protect their open spaces.
The conspiracy of silence must be ended Maha Bilal
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IOLeNCe and abuse which happens in domestic settings like cohabitation and marriage is allied domestic violence. The term ‘domestic violence’ is used when there is a close relationship between the victim and offender. It is the establishment of control and fear in the relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. It is important to remember that violence does not only refers to physical abuse but any kind of act to gain control or power over the victim is violence which cam either be sexual and emotional abuse. Women experience domestic violence at a far greater rate than men do. But men, children and elderly people are also subjected to domestic violence. It occurs at all levels and in every society. In these kinds of situation everyone needs to understand that the environment of the home holds an important position. Domestic violence may produce a cycle of intergenerational abuse in children and other family members. When children see domestic violence in their own house, it affects every single child differently, some of them are affected psychologically and others may assume that it is normal and acceptable. Countries that experience more domestic violence tend to have more gender inequality. Domestic violence is the most unreported crime because victims are threatened and scared to stay silent, and there is fear of cultural acceptance, rigid family customs, lack of financial resources, to protect a child, which are some of the main causes why the victims stay silent which encourages the abuser. Law enforcement authorities don’t view domestic violence as a crime therefore most of the cases brought to them go
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The only party which really wants the local bodies is the PML(N), and that is because it has traditionally used them as a sort of substitute for a grassroots organization. Local councillors’ support has counted in all parties’ calculations, but most in the case of the PML(N). Especially in Punjab, where the next elections take place
The writer is a member of staff.
Our Society And Domestic Violence
Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami
Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
KP election. If indeed the KP electorate punished the central government for inflation and economic mismanagement, the Punjab electorate is likely to do the same. If it does, it will pave the ground for something that has been doing the rounds, the return of Mian Nawaz Sharif, who has been in the UK since March 2019, and earlier in jail since July 2018. So far, PML(N) leaders have denied that such a move is afoot, but if the PTI takes bad enough a beating in Punjab, then the possibility would grow. As it is, that rumors have started to do the rounds indicates that the idea is getting serious consideration in quarters which had one dismissed it utterly, so deep was their commitment to the PTI. however, while Imran was obedient enough and watchful enough of their interests, he was so woefully bad at governing that the image of those who had brought him was being affected. Because of that, it is being said that the PTI did not get sufficient support from the forces that brought to power. The PTI’s having done as well as it did showed, it feels, that it was still an important political force. however, the ability to operate at the local level depends on election results, in making sure pro-government chairmen are elected. There is a limited ability to handle individual council seats on a micro-level. One of the most significant developments is how far Imran Khan seems invested in the idea that the KP defeat was caused by nepotism, which led to the wrong selection of candidates, which in turn led to the resounding defeat which occurred. This analysis makes sense for Imran, since it precludes any blame from attaching to him, or the fecklessness of his economic management team. One of the problems with this is that local bodies are seen by candidates, not so much as a nursery of democracy, as a springboard for contesting provincial and even national elections. There are also those MPAs whose seat is safe, and who are virtually guaranteed a seat in the provincial cabinet, and who wish to have someone represent them in Islamabad. The solution to all of these issues is to have relatives electedcouncilor, MPA and MNA. examples abound. Both the PPP and the PML(N) provide examples of
this kind of dynasticism, down to the party leadership going to children. The PPP seems to be most advanced in this, with the third generation, in the shape of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, now heading the party. The hereditary principle is not absolutely absent in other countries. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh provide examples. Both India and Pakistan can show examples of third-generation CMs. even in more developed democracies, the USA has seen two examples of father-and-son Presidents, while Canada’s PM is himself the son of a former PM. While politics is a demanding profession, practitioners see it as desirable. In Pakistan as well as the rest of the world, one of the things developed by a politician is a machine designed to fight elections. In developed democracies, parties control those machines, and thus can select candidates, but in Pakistan, the parties must find candidates who already have machines. They are the so-called ‘electables’: people with preexisting machines. There is a certain recognition of .genetic predisposition in this, as the voters, or rather the people who actually make up the machine, think that a leader lost to old age or death passed on to a child, traits enabling him to be a winning candidate. Local bodies test this. however, for a party which refuses to accept this genetic logic, which is trying to break this, to fall prey to the same syndrome, is a comedown. As a result, the PTI will now have a separate committee to decide the ticket applications of relatives. Relatives have not been defined. Sometimes, even brothers may fiercely oppose each other. At the next election, they might be contesting for different assemblies, but on the same ticket. A lot of the time, the relative may be without credentials, but at the same time, the ticket may be an introduction, with the younger brother or son left to find his natural level. The PTI may find problems in Punjab local body elections, where deciding against MNAs’ or MPAs’ relatives might cost them support the party can ill afford, in either house. The PTI has apparently tied itself into all sorts of knots. The only party which really wants the local bodies is the PML(N), and that is because it has traditionally used them as a sort of substitute for a grassroots organization. Local councillors’ support has counted in all parties’ calculations, but most in the case of the PML(N), especially in Punjab, where the next elections take place.
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unreported. Abusers use physical and sexual power, emotional insults, and economic deprivation to get their way over victims. When a woman stays silent on domestic violence she also teaches her daughter to stay silent that gives rise to fear in the personality of a child. Traditionally domestic violence was only associated with physical abuse but it also involves emotional and sexual abuse. It’s unlike any other crime as it is inflicted by the people who are supposed to actually protect the victims instead of making them targets. Domestic violence takes place quietly, but is dramatically affecting the whole nation. It is a global issue reaching across national and international boundaries as well as socio- economic, cultural, racial and class distinctions A big reason that domestic violence is so normalised in our society is the illiteracy of people and rigid cultural rituals that allow men to abuse their partners. Lack of education in rural areas makes them a part of society where domestic abuse is practised the most. Rigid mindset of men and especially the illiteracy of women keeps them unaware about how to handle and get out of the situation of domestic, emotional or sexual abuse. Many women also stay unaware about the rights they have according to the laws. The prevalence of honour killing in our country can be fairly described as an epidemic. According to research, 90 percent of women in Pakistan have experienced some kind of domestic violence. An estimated 5000 women are killed every year from domestic violence with thousands of others maimed or disabled. Domestic violence is not simply an argument but a parasitic evil that is eating the very fibre of our society. By destroying the prosperity of families it not only affects the marital relationship but also affects the upcoming generations. The most important thing to do about domestic violence is to raise awareness among people, especially in women, to speak up rather than
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suffering from domestic violence. Awareness is the most effective solution to these kinds of issues. Starting an awareness campaign especially in the backward areas of the country so that more people would avail the help. Counselling of the victims, community events related to social issues would have a positive impact on controlling and ending this crime from society. Making strict laws against domestic violence and implementation of it is the responsibility of the government. There is a lot of difference between legislation and implementation and with due sorrow those institutions that are held accountable for implementing the law and providing justice in our country don’t seem to take interest in doing so. Unfortunately there is no law to provide justice to the survivors and victims of domestic abuse due to pushback from religious authorities. The provision of justice through these laws is the most important thing. Many people involved in honour killing relate it with religion, but Islam is not a religion of violence but love and peace. The way Islam teaches about the rights of women and their protection was the first time in the history of mankind. Our holy Prophet hazrat Muhammad (PBUh) were the first person who told people about the rights of women in a society which non-Muslims follow in todays world and claims themselves to be the founder of women’s equal rights in the society. Change doesn’t come just in a day or just by one person standing for it, all of us must work until we start to see the results that are required to end this heinous crime from the country. The more we speak up today, the more silence will be broken and a healthy nation could grow in peace. That is what nations should do and many nations have worked hard yet collectively and are known as a successful and strong nation. Instead of teaching daughters to stay silent on any kind of abuse, everyone should teach their sons what the wrong use of power is. The writer is a freelance columnist
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Friday, 31 December, 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
Extravagant weddings exTRAVAGANT wedding ceremonies, especially of public or political figures, who aspire to hold elected public office, should never be reminiscent of the glamor displayed in movies. Any public display does not reverberate well with their constituents, who look up to them as role models. It does not send the right message especially when such weddings are held in Punjab, where former Chief Minister Shehbaz Shariff imposed strict rules on one-dish meals and time restrictions on wedding ceremonies. Unfortunately holding such extended ceremonies within the premises of farmhouses goes against the spirit and intent of the decision by the former Chief Minister, for which he will always be remembered. Wedding ceremonies of political families are normally private events, and not an occasion to show an abundance of wealth and riches. It does not serve politicians who, while addressing political rallies, talk about millions living below the poverty line. Arrogance has no place in democratic politics, nor is there any space for individuals who consider themselves to be ruling families. In most democratic countries, media coverage of wedding ceremonies of political figures is not permitted, nor are videos of the events uploaded on social media. Security measures are adopted to maintain the privacy of such events. At the most, a picture is released of the event to the media. Our political figures should also follow suit to uphold the spirit of democracy. ALI MALIK LAHORE
Know thy rights Important legislation for journalists is not perfect
MuhaMMad Zahid Rifat
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OR years and years, the journalists’ community has been clamouring about their rights as they perform their duties as professional mediamen in difficult and arduous circumstances with no security and safety of their lives. Some rights are there in Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan regarding freedom of expression, but their demand is much more than that on the basis of their facing dangers and threats of sorts while performing their professional duties over the years. Federal human Rights Minister Dr Shireen M.Mazari has taken lots of pains as she has put together all known, unknown and desirable and permissible rights for the working journalists. In doing so, she has also reminded them about their responsibilities such as avoiding subjectivity, sticking to objectivity and ensuring they only cover and report true news and shun filing and reporting fake news in any manner as their commitment to the society and the state. Not only the required and demanded rights have been put together but also a machinery has been perhaps, to the best of memory of this scribe for the first time, for ensuring implementation of these rights with or without complaints . All this and even much more has been put together in the new comprehensive law known as “Journalists and Media Professionals Bill, 2021” which has since been passed by both the houses of the Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, one after the other in November 2021. It attained the status of an Act of the Parliament when this historical legislation , as for as the journalists community inclusive of print and electronic media is concerned, was assented to by President Dr Arif Alvi on December 1 in the presence of federal ministers,and a large number of journalists and media professionals. Since the bill focused 6n protecting the lives of journalists, saving them from harassment and torture and ensuring their welfare by giving facilities and health insurance, the President underlined the need for a culture of tolerance for the journalists because they were only reposting and disseminating information, and said he was happy to sign the historic bill , as the act gave protection of life to the journalists who worked in hazardous conditions, the fake news was a serious issue and the holy Quran also warned against fake news as it could create chaos and wars between the nations, as the war in Iraq 6ccurred due to the fake news about the weapons of mass destruction. Dilating little more on fake news , the Pres-
ident went on to say that the damage was also done to Afghanistan due to fake news and now in this , the instruments and efficacy of news mediums had changed and fake news were more prevalent and India had also attacked Pakistan with fake news. Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad hussain Chaudhry, speaking on the occasion, remarked that the government would support the working journalists and strive to protect their rights. In her remarks, Dr Mazari, who piloted the historic legislation for the journalists, said that the new law was progress in nature and ensured insurance of life and health to the journalists and media professionals. Rights of journalists and media professionals, which have been put together in the new act, include the right to life and protection against ill-treatment; right to privacy and non-disclosure of sources; Independence in the performance of duties; good faith obligation of journalists and media professionals; protection from abusive, violent and intolerant behavior; and protection against harassment. The rights have been mentioned above briefly though the legislation provides details as these rights are to be exercised by the journalists and media professionals. The media should have information about their rights, as contained in the Act, and also how they are going to ensure their implementation by the official procedure provided therein. Besides the rights which have been mentioned in the legislation, it also provides for establishment of an independent Commission for entertaining the complaints of the journalists and media professionals regarding hindrances and obstruction by the public and private quarters in the performance of their professional duties and availing the facilities guaranteed in it. Importantly, the media people should also know the composition of the Commission with whom they have to lodge complaints about their grievances and these will be by and large entertained and solved within 14 days. The Commission will be headed by a Chairperson having demonstrable knowledge of, or practical experience of minimum 20 years in matters relating to law, justice and human rights, and will comprise a member of the Pakistan Bar Council, four journalists with over 25 years of experience nominated by the PFUJ, one nominated member each from the Islamabad Union of Journalists, the Karachi Union of Journalists, the Lahore Union of Journalists, the Quetta Union of
Journalists and the Peshawar Union of journalists, the Secretary of the National Press Club, the Secretary of the Parliamentary Reporters Association, the Secretary of the Supreme Court Reporters Association, a representative of the Ministry of human Rights, a representative of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and Secretary of the Commission who shall not have a right to vote. The composition of the Commission has been mentioned here purposely as it leaves much to be desired. Lahore-based Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) is among the oldest trade union bodies of the media people but it is missing somehow. Although PUJ has more than a couple of factions, there is no Lahore Union of Journalists as such which has been named in the Commission. It would have been better if the text of the new legislation had also been vetted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting officially to avoid such misnomers and ensure due mention of the PUJ. The new legislation is undoubtedly a milestone work done by the Ministry of human Rights but if the Information Ministry was involved in consultation prior to its finalization and submission to the Parliament then such blunders should not have occurred. The legislation has come into force but practically it will be on ground and working only after the appointment of the Chairman of the Commission and nomination of other members. The new legislation also provides for institution of the Journalists Welfare Scheme; Obligation to investigate, prosecute and penalize threats , coercion , acts of violence and abuse of journalists and media professionals; and combating impunity. Journalists’ representative organizations would be well-advised to remain in constant contact with the Ministries of human Rights and Information to ensure implementation of the new legislation and also to point out deficiencies, shortcomings and hindrances noticed in its implementation so that the good intentions and objectives behind it are ensured and the Commission established under it performs its functions and duties objectively in line with the spirit behind the new Act. Journalists’ representative bodies would also be doing a good work for the journalists’ community if the new Act is got published in english as well as in Urdu and freely distributed among the media people throughout the country. Unless the journalists and media professionals know their rights enshrined in it and machinery provided therein for ensuring prompt response to their grievances and complaints, the appreciable purpose behind this commendable legislation will not be realized and achieved.
Journalists’ representative bodies would also be doing a good work for the journalists’ community if the new Act is got published in English as well as in Urdu and freely distributed among the media people throughout the country. Unless the journalists and media professionals know their rights enshrined in it and machinery provided therein for ensuring prompt response to their grievances and complaints, the appreciable purpose behind this commendable legislation will not be realized and achieved
The writer is Lahore-based Freelance Journalist, Columnist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad and can be reached at zahidriffat@gmail.com
The unfortunate fate of Karachi IN 1947, Karachi was a relatively small port city with very few local inhabitants. When Karachi was declared the capital of Pakistan, there was a need to develop its infrastructure. This city also happened to be the birthplace of Father of Nation MAJ. People from all over Pakistan, including hundreds of thousands of Muslim migrants, chose to settle in this city and benefit from the vast opportunities that a new nation offered. Whilst Karachi and the Federal Government welcomed all shades of ethnicities and faiths to live in peace and harmony with each other, they all benefitted. With exception of a few original Parsi residents or mayor Naimatullah, this city has suffered neglect and abuse of both MQM and PPP ever since the 80s. For over 13 years Karachi and its destiny was in the hand of Altaf hussain led MQM, which enjoyed the patronage of Musharraf. The peace and security of life and property and the spirit of tolerance that was unique to this city, suffered a blow. Kidnapping for ransom, target killings and torture cells emerged in the city, which was once known as the City of Lights. Land allocated for amenity parks, including state-owned real estate was forcibly occupied by goons. There was no sense of ownership of Karachi by the beneficiaries of this plunder, who transferred billions, to their foreign bank accounts, where their leaders chose to live with their families. The PPP cannot absolve itself of gross misgovernance and neither can Altafled MQM. What Karachi needs is a sense of ownership and tolerance by the majority of its residents and the need to give back to the city which offered them jobs, home and prosperity. M TARIQ ALI LAHORE
Surging extremism in Sialkot The macabre manifestation of grisly extremism at the Sialkot Lynching incident has appalled and shattered every sane Pakistani. The cold-blooded and brutal killing of Sri-Lankan National, Priyantha Kumara Diyawadanage—who was a foreign worker in the garment factory of Sialkot—has experienced humanity hangdog and undoubtedly made a deadly and indelible scar on the gloomy face of Pakistan. The vicious/roughshod killing of a foreign national on alleged blasphemy is not the first case but horrifying and poignant remembrance of the killing of Mishal Khan and the burning alive of Shama and Shahzad Masih are a case in point. The weaponization of religion and squalid persecution in the name of it is strictly forbidden and against the teachings of the holy Prophet (PBUh). Pakistan is distinctly dissimilar in ethno-socio and religio-political dimensions. There is a strong need to reconstruct the misplaced religious thought by being diffused the narrative countering radical extremist ideologies. This complicated and labyrinthian task can be done by the intellectual and enlightened response to critical ideologies, the revival of moribund cultural and social values. Intolerance and extremist violence — has bred catastrophe and continue to mutilate Pakistan until and unless stringent and pragmatic measures are not undertaken to cripple and uproot the terrorists with all their vitriolic ideologues. Rehabilitation and reintegration of fanatic components/ elements can be done by forging a salubrious environment, enhancing jobs, proffering vocational training, after-care monitoring process, respectful involvement of parents and social reengineering of militants and terrorists. Conclusively, we demand exemplary punishment of those involved in this gruesome act and the speedy justice be dispensed to the aggrieved family and ensure absolute safety to other foreigners working in Pakistan. USAMA MUGHAL SINDH
Lahore: The city of gardens A thick cloud of smog has enveloped Pakistan’s cultural capital and has earned it the ignominious title of the world’s most polluted city, according to a Swiss air quality monitoring company. Platform IQ Air said that Lahore now stands at the top of its polluted cities ranking with an air quality index of 364 on the US AQI scale, as compared to Delhi 183, which was formerly the most polluted city. Increasing smog and particle-laden air have sickened thousands of people with respiratory and other illnesses, forcing many to stay at home on particularly dirty days. Increasing air pollution and smog have forced authorities to order a partial closure of schools in Lahore, once known as the city of gardens. Authorities said they closed some factories and some were fined for not using technology that helps in controlling pollution. But closing schools is not the right option instead the authorities should have taken action against these factories earlier which are responsible for pollution. Lahore was once known as the city of gardens, which were ubiquitous during the Mughal era of the 16th to 19th centuries. Intense urbanisation and surging population growth have left little room for greenery across the city. People should follow doctors’ advice and must wear face masks to avoid respiratory-related diseases. QAMAR UL ZAMAN LAHORE
Friday, 31 December, 2021
08 WORLD VIEW
In IndIA, cAlls for MuslIM genocIde grow louder. ModI’s sIlence Is An endorseMent. MODI HAS CULTIVATED THIS TYPE OF HATE FOR DECADES. WE KNOW WHAT’S HAPPENING IN INDIA NOW. I FEAR WHAT WILL COME NEXT
Washington Post
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HE first time it was reported that our friends were being butchered there was a cry of horror. Then a hundred were butchered. But when a thousand were butchered and there was no end to the butchery, a blanket of silence spread. When evil-doing comes like falling rain, nobody calls out ‘stop!’"
These lines, written by the German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, came to me as I heard the horrifying speeches delivered by Hindu nationalists during a religious conference this month, when leaders issued direct calls for genocide against Muslims. “If 100 of us are ready to kill two million of them, then we will win,” said Pooja Shakun Pandey, a leader of Hindu Mahasabha, a militant organization, at a conference in the city of Haridwar, 150 miles north of New Delhi. “Be ready to kill and go to jail.” At the same event, another Hindu seer invoked the crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar as a model for what can be done to drive Muslims away, a monstrous event that has been covered in the media. The Dharma Sansad (Hindu convention) was attended by members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party. Videos of the packed event have been circulating on social media. Attendees made pledges to turn India
into a Hindu nation. Unsurprisingly, the calls for violence and extermination have been met with silence by Modi and others — a silence that translates as an endorsement. Inciting violence is a crime in India, but Pandey and the other speakers remain free. The police are supposed to be investigating but have been very slow to act — since they know full well these leaders have the protection of the ruling political class. In fact, these Hindu leaders have now been emboldened to form a paramilitary force of monks who they claim will lead an armed fight against the 220 million Muslim population in India. Days after the conference, Tejaswi Surya, Modi’s handpicked youth leader and a BJP member of parliament, called for bringing Indian Muslims and Christians back to Hinduism, “the mother religion.” He then tried to walk back his comments. What is happening in India, where calls for genocide and ethnic cleansing are a centerpiece of our political debates? Where the
BJP-RSS hounding Missionaries of Charity HINDUTVA EXTREMISTS DISRUPTED CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN TWO SCHOOLS IN GURUGRAM (HARYANA) AND IN PANDAVAPURA (KARNATAKA) ON SATURDAY. A DAY LATER, A STATUE OF JESUS CHRIST AT THE HOLY REDEEMER CHURCH IN HARYANA’S AMBALA WAS VANDALISED BY A HINDU MOB
o
mG DeVasaHayam
N 25 December 2021, the Narendra Modi government’s Ministry of Home Affairs gave a Christmas present to the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity and its sisters by refusing to renew their registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010. The ministry said that the organisation’s application was rejected because “while considering the MoC’s renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed.” At the time of her beatification in 2003, the Missionaries of Charity (MoC) in Kolkata circulated this poignant quote from Mother (now Saint) Teresa: “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean but the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” It was not an ordinary drop, but a drop of love, the very elixir of life! My family and I had the rare opportunity to experience this ‘drop of love’ in Chandigarh once. My association with the MoC commenced towards the end of 1975 when Mother Teresa visited the “City Beautiful” at my invitation. Beneath the veneer of physical beauty, Chandigarh and its neighbouring areas had their share of the wretched, the poor, the unwanted, the abandoned, the leprosy patients, and the dying destitute. We wanted a healing hand to take care of these “lesser children of God.” We thought that Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity were best suited for the purpose since they “served the poorest of the poor, irrespective of all castes and creed, nationality, race or place – giving the individual person whole-hearted and free service.” To them, the “poorest of the poor are the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, the ignorant, the captives, the crippled, the lepers, the unloved, the alcoholics, the dying and the sick destitute, the abandoned, the
outcastes, all those who are a burden to human society, who have lost all hope and faith in life.” Fulfilling these purposes, ‘Shanti-Dan’ came up at Chandigarh in 1977 and since then has been rendering yeomen service. All over India, the MoC has over 240 homes for orphans, the destitute and AIDS patients. The worldly possessions of the sisters who run these homes include: three saris, two or three cotton habits, a girdle, a pair of sandals, a crucifix, a rosary, some cutlery, a cloth napkin, a canvas bag, and a prayer book. These sisters must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and of giving “wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor.” Their motto is taken from the Bible: “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren you did it to me.” (Mathew, 25:35-40). In the event of the Modi government’s refusal to renew, the MoC’s registration expires on 31 December and after that the bank accounts under FCRA cannot be operated. There was no clarity as to what the ‘adverse inputs’ that the government claimed it had noticed were. This sordid development follows a spate of attacks on Christians around Christmas. Hindutva extremists disrupted Christmas celebrations in two schools in Gurugram (Haryana) and in Pandavapura (Karnataka) on Saturday. A day later, a statue of Jesus Christ at the Holy Redeemer Church in Haryana’s Ambala was vandalised by a Hindu mob. Karnataka also enacted a draconian anti-conversion law. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted that the Union government had frozen all bank accounts of Mother Teresa’s MoC in India. But Sister M Prema, Superior General of the MoC, issued this clarification: “… There is no freeze order by the MHA on any of our bank accounts. We have been informed that our FCRA renewal has not been approved. As a measure to ensure there is no lapse, we have asked our centres not to operate any of the FC [foreign currency] accounts until the matter is resolved.” Semantics apart, the MHA’s refusal to renew the FCRA registration would disable the MoC from utilising the funds and result in effectively ceasing all their services and activities. This ipso facto would amount to freezing of bank accounts as stated by Mamata Banerjee. Father Dominic Gomes, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Kolkata, described the Centre’s move as “a cruel Christmas gift to the poorest of the poor.” He was emphatic when he said:
“This latest attack on the Christian Community and their social outreach is even more a dastardly attack on the poorest of India’s poor, who the MoC congregation serves.” Contrast this with the Modi government brazenly amending the FCRA retrospectively in 2016 to save the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from penal action in a matter on which the Supreme Court had passed an order. This amendment excluded the Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies from the definition of a “foreign company”, thereby permitting any foreign entity, desirous of funding the political parties in India, to do so by merely setting up a subsidiary in India that could be a shell company. This opened the floodgates of massive corruption and contributions to opaque electoral bonds that are filling up the coffers of the ruling party. A HATE CAMPAIGN LONG IN THE MAKING: The recent intensive hate campaign could be the trigger for this Christmas present after Prime Minister Modi had embraced Pope Francis at the Vatican. But the targeting of Mother Teresa and her MoC, by the RSS/BJP big guns has been going on for quite some time. At the height of the deeply polarising ‘ghar wapsi’ (homecoming) campaign soon after the BJP came to power in 2014, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had this to say about Mother Teresa while inaugurating a mahila sadan (women’s home) at Bharatpur, Rajasthan: “Her service may have been great but there was an objective behind her social work: she wanted to convert people to Christianity.” Later at Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, then Member of Parliament and current UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath dropped these pearls of wisdom: “Teresa was part of a conspiracy to Christianise India…When people are not able to provide medical aid to their sick or differently-abled children due to poverty, these people (missionaries) provide them facilities. During that period, they brainwash and make them Christians.” Given the minuscule population of Christians in India, these utterances are incomprehensible. The fact is that Mother Teresa and her MoC have been the beacon-lights of Christianity and its core values of love and compassion. It looks as if drying up of these has been long coming. M.G. Devasahayam is a retired IAS officer and chairman of People-First. He also served in the Indian Army.
Hindu nationalist who assassinated Mohandas K. Gandhi, a global symbol of nonviolent resistance, is glorified by national leaders. What is happening in India, where the majority Hindu community fails to repudiate acts of terror unleashed in its name? Where Muslims are lynched on the streets, where Christmas celebrations are attacked, where the government has blocked the charity of human rights icon and Nobel laureate Mother Teresa from receiving international donations. What is happening in India, where Suresh Chavhanke, the influential owner of a right-wing nationalist news channel, calls for people to “fight, die and kill if required” to make India a “Hindu nation” at an event on Dec. 19 in the national capital as the cameras rolled and the police looked on. What is happening in India, where law enforcement is more likely to investigate journalists over tweets and the sons of critical public figures over alleged marijuana
possession, than go after fanatics calling for mass murder? What is happening in India, where the captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli, loses his position for defending a Muslim colleague who was targeted for his faith? The answer is as loud and clear as the hate spewed at those events, as the mobs that have been given a free pass to attack minorities. Not only does Modi’s silence give encouragement to the most dangerous elements threatening India, but the silence of our allies is also enabling them. During the “Summit for Democracy” hosted earlier this month by President Biden, Modi claimed to be a champion of free speech, rule of law and a secular and pluralistic ethos, but the world is seeing how he and his party are willing to rely on threats, dog whistles, intimidation and violence to consolidate control. All these calls for genocide are happening in the context of state elections. Is this the type of “democracy” Biden and other allies are championing? Modi has cultivated this type of hate for decades. We know what’s happening in India now. I fear what will come next.
Antarctica: The next geopolitical hotspot? 19fortyfive.com James Holmes
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Chilean friend asks whether the craze for building “icebreakers or polar ships” will continue and whether it’s coming to the Antarctic. My rambling answer: probably so, to a degree. But I doubt polar operations will take on a martial character in Antarctic waters the way they have in the Arctic. In fact, the best way to espy the future of Antarctica is to compare it to the Arctic basin’s present. For one thing, the claimants to sovereign territory in Antarctica do not exactly make up a murderer’s row. NATO and Russia glare at each other across the Arctic, and their commercial and political interests often clash. Contrast that with Antarctica, where Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and Great Britain have lodged claims to parcels of ground. Now, much of the continent does remain unclaimed, principally Marie Byrd Land. Whether Antarctica becomes a cockpit for geopolitical competition probably depends on whether it harbors natural riches that can be harvested at a reasonable cost, advancing economic weal for the harvester. Resources have a way of fueling competition, whether it’s the 49ers rushing pell-mell to California in the mid-19th century to pan for gold, or Asian powers vying for jurisdiction over fish and undersea oil and gas in the China seas today. Relations should remain placid in polar climes unless and until Antarctica starts yielding enough riches to repay investments in the region. Tranquil times are good. But there’s a more basic reason why Antarctica should remain quiet compared to the Arctic, and that’s geography. The Arctic is not just a preserve for natural wealth; it’s a conduit for nautical traffic. If climatologists have it right and polar sea routes open to navigation for more and more of each year, merchantmen can cut their voyages between, say, East Asia and Western Europe by some 30-40 percent. Climate change promises massive savings in fuel, wear and tear on hardware, crew salaries, and kindred shipping costs. Manufacturers and shippers can sell their wares to consumers at lower costs while boosting their profit margins. A good deal all around. A navigable Arctic also has military value. Russia in particular would benefit from having a dependable sea route along its northern seacoast. Movement between Russian coasts is difficult at the best of times, demanding long transits through intricate maritime terrain, much of which could be contested in wartime. That’s one lesson from the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, when the Russian Baltic Fleet had to make an 18,000-mile trek through the Indian Ocean to reach the Far Eastern battleground. The Imperial Japanese Navy’s Combined Fleet lay in ambush at the Tsushima Strait, where it made short work of its weary antagonist— putting an end to Russian sea power in Asia for decades to come. Easy movement between European and Asian
UNLIKE THE ARCTIC, ANTARCTICA CONSTITUTES A MASSIVE BARRIER TO NAVIGATION, NOT A CONDUIT FOR IT. THERE WILL BE NO TRANSPOLAR SEA ROUTE IN THE SOUTH—AND THUS ANTARCTICA WILL NOT SPUR NAVAL COMPETITION TO THE SAME DEGREE NAVIGABLE ARCTIC SEAWAYS WILL Russia would spare the Russian Navy a rerun of the Russo-Japanese War. Hence the vigor if not stridency with which Moscow asserts jurisdiction over the Northern Sea Route. And there’s another aspect to Arctic geopolitics. The United States is an Arctic nation, as are fellow NATO nations such as Canada and Norway. If China or Russia wants to relieve American or allied military pressure in the Western Pacific or North Atlantic, they can do it by building up military strength in the Arctic. They can bring geopolitical competition to American and Scandinavian shores, and attenuate the allied presence along their shores. After all, the U.S. armed forces have to guard U.S. interests close to home, and that takes resources— resources that have to come from somewhere. Washington can either accept the northerly threat; siphon off forward-deployed forces to meet it, and thin out the U.S. forward presence in the process; or augment the U.S. military to provide sufficient ships and planes to handle the “new” theater, and potentially bust the defense budget. That’s a threehorned dilemma. Unlike the Arctic, Antarctica constitutes a massive barrier to navigation, not a conduit for it. There will be no transpolar sea route in the south—and thus Antarctica will not spur naval competition to the same degree navigable Arctic seaways will. Without the incentive to strive with one another at sea, Antarctic powers will have less need for naval power in the southern ocean, and thus less need for icebreakers to support naval operations. Whatever hulls they construct can go to commercial or scientific purposes. Plenty is going on in the world, much of it bad. Here’s hoping Antarctica and adjoining waterways remain an exception to that trend. Dr. James Holmes holds the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College and served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. His books include Red Star over the Pacific, an Atlantic Monthly Best Book of 2010 and a fixture on the Navy Professional Reading List.
Friday, 31 December, 2021 | LAHORE
NEWS
Pakistan’s Healthwire scores $3.3m in funding as startups end year on record high Lahore-based Healthwire, a health-tech startup aspiring to tread the healthcare superapp road, has closed $3.3 million in Series-A funding. Investors in Healthwire’s new round included Dilsons Private Limited, 47 Ventures, Habib Bank Limited and angel investors from Silicon Valley. Profit has seen internal documents which confirm that the amount raised was $3.3 million. Founded by Hamza Iqbal and Muhammad Nabeel in 2014, Healthwire started off by providing software solutions, digitising the operations of doctors, clinics, hospitals, labs and pharmacies in Pakistan. It now plans to focus on end customers, providing them end-to-end healthcare service on its app. “The platform is already connecting over 10,000 patients with doctors every single day. The startup intends to use the funding to further fuel its growth and become the healthcare super app of Pakistan,” reads a statement from the startup. The fresh funds in this regard will be deployed towards expanding the network of doctors, labs and pharmacies, building the super app capacity and marketing to end patients. In the health-tech space, Healthwire’s competitors include OlaDoc, Ailaaj and Marham to name a few, all of them having superapp ambitions. On how Healthwire plans to compete, Hamza Iqbal, cofounder and CEO of Healthwire said: “Adoption has to happen faster to stay ahead of others. In our case, we have better access to hospitals, doctors and labs because of our digital solutions already deployed at hospitals, clinics and labs. We have built the foundations and are positioned very well to become a superapp.” In a statement, Healthwire co-founder and CTO Muhammad Nabeel said: “The patient-doctor interaction is the point where the whole healthcare ecosystem converges. By having this interaction on our health-tech platform, we can ensure that quality healthcare is accessible to patients in the remotest areas of the country. The economies of scale of the tech platform allow us to ensure that this access is affordable and inclusive.” Khurram Zafar, managing director of 47 Ventures and a seed investor in Healthwire, said, “We are excited to be doubling down on one of the stars in our portfolio. The growth and momentum that Healthwire has built even during the tough COVID period is a testament to the strength and resilience of the team. It is destined to become the health-tech leader of Pakistan.” The Healthwire funding comes as Pakistan’s startups close the year on a record high. 2021 alone witnessed over $370 million raised by Pakistan’s startups which is more than the past few years combined. In the health-tech space, Sehat Kahani announced raising $1.5 million, Ailaaj $1.6 million, Marham $1 million and Dawaai claimed raising $8.5 million in 2021. TAimoor HAssAn
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Tarin announces financial suPPorT for 4m HouseHolds under Kamyab PaKisTan ISLAMABAD
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EDERAL Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin said on Thursday that four million households will be provided financial support initially under the Kamyab Pakistan Programme and this number will be extended to six million and then seven million households. Addressing a ceremony for disbursement of interest-free loans under the Kamyab Pakistan Programme, Tarin said that the incumbent government had laid the foundation of a welfare state to ensure that the country’s underprivileged segment does not suffer and has opportunities available to earn a respectable livelihood for themselves. “The foundation of a welfare state has been laid. This is a big day for the poor,” the federal minister said, adding that through this programme the low-income segment of the society will become prosperous. Tarin said that the country’s poor had always been shown dreams of food, clothing and shelter and were forced to believe that a trickle-down effect of a growing economy will have an impact on them too. However, the minister lamented that even after 74 years of Pakistan’s inception this did not happen. He said that the prime minister has urged for Kamyab Pakistan Programme, so that the underprivileged segment would get opportunities to earn respectable livelihood for themselves without their self-respect being hurt. The finance minister said that under the Kamyab Pakistan Programme big banks would lend to microfinance banks, which would in turn provide loans to deserving people on retail basis. Under the programme, he added, farmers would be provided interest-free loans up to the tune of Rs150,000 for one crop and Rs300,000 for two crops
and Rs200,000 for tractors. Likewise, households will be provided with loans up to Rs500,000 for setting up a business, and Rs2 million to Rs2.5 million for building a house. He added that loans were being provided purely on merit basis and with complete transparency. He also appreciated all the stakeholders, small and large banks, for making Kamyab Pakistan Programme successful within a short span of time. Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance (AIM) Founder and Chairman Dr Amjad Saqib said that no other scheme in Asia provides an interest-free loan to low-income people.
He said that following the vision of PM Imran Khan, AIM, has started loan disbursements in three categories of Kamyab Pakistan Programme including Kamyab Pakistan Low-Cost Housing, Kamyab Pakistan Enterprise Loan, and Kamyab Pakistan Kissan Loan. He said that Akhuwat Islamic Microfinance has disbursed 2,600 loans amounting to Rs400 million so far. Senator, Faisal Javed Khan, and HBL Islamic Head, Afaq Ahmed Khan, were also present at the ceremony. During the ceremony, AIM disbursed 415 loans worth Rs60 million whereas under the programme 600 loans worth Rs90 million were distributed across Pakistan on December 30, 2021.
KP govt departments’ electricity arrears rise to Rs1.90bn PESHAWAR Aziz Buneri
Several Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government departments including Health, Police, District Administration, Judiciary and others owe a combined total of Rs1.9 billion to the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO). According to PESCO’s documents, Public Health Engineering department owes Rs402 million in arrears while the Police, Irrigation, Judiciary, Health and Communications and Construction department owe Rs167, Rs83 million, Rs60 million, Rs33 million and Rs29 million respectively. Similarly, the Prison department has not paid bills amounting to Rs26 million, while Administrative, Higher
Education, Forest and Wildlife, Auqaf, District Government and Local Government departments owe Rs15 million, Rs1 million, Rs14 million, Rs9 million, Rs557 and Rs45 million respectively to PESCO. The PESCO administration has informed the provincial government that it will cut off the power connections of non-paying institutions, in case of further delays in bill payment. According to sources, the government has taken stern notice of PESCO’s complaint and has directed all departments to pay the arrears immediately. Similarly, the government has clarified that if any institution fails to pay its bill on time, the penalty imposed will be collected from the concerned head of the department.
SBP’s shariah compliant liquidity explained KARACHI AriBA sHAHid
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) announced the introduction of Shariah compliant Standing Ceiling Facility and Open Market Operations (OMO) injections for Islamic Banking Institutions (IBIs). This is in line with the central bank’s plan to improve liquidity management for the IBI and enhance the effectiveness of monetary policy implementation. “As the size of the Islamic banking industry is increasing, SBP recognizes the need to introduce Shariah compliant liquidity facilities for IBIs,” a SBP press release said. As per the SBP, this is done “to bring IBIs at par vis-à-vis their conventional counterparts in terms of liquidity management avenues, and to enhance SBP’s tools for managing market’s liquidity as part of its monetary policy objective.” What tools is the sBP going to use? standing Ceiling Facility through Mudarbah Based Financing Facility The Shariah Compliant Standing Ceiling Facility is a Mudarbah-based Financing Facility (MFF). For a better understanding Mudarabah is a partnership where Party A provides capital
while Party B provides labor. Both, however, share the profits. The party providing the capital is called the Rabb-ul-Maal (silent partner or financier), and the party providing labor is called the Mudarib (working partner). Mudarabah contracts are used in interbank lending. The borrowing and lending banks negotiate the PLS ratio and contracts may be as short as overnight and as long as one year. Under the SBP’s MFF, the bank will be the Rabb-ul-Maal, and will provide financing to IBIs on an overnight basis against Shariah compliant collateral. IBIs can obtain MFF against Government of Pakistan Ijara Sukuk (GIS), Obligations of GOP arising from Bai-Muajjal transactions (GOP BaiMuajjal), Obligations of SBP arising from Bai-Muajjal transactions (SBP Bai-Muajjal), and any other Shariah Compliant SLR eligible security notified by SBP for the purpose, from time to time. IBIs shall place the funds received from SBP in a special pool consisting of high quality assets. The MFF will be offered at an ‘Expected Rate’ – equivalent to conventional overnight reverse repo rate – based on a Profit Sharing Ratio agreed between the SBP and IBI at the onset of the transaction. The minimum amount for the MFF will be PKR 100 million, and in multiples of
PKR 50 million. The Expected Rate of Return on MFF will be equal to SBP’s Overnight Reverse Repo (Ceiling) Rate under Interest Rate Corridor Framework, prevailing on the day the facility is availed. On the settlement date of each financing transaction under MFF, the SBP will debit the IBIs current account to recover the amount of financing and the profit (as per the expected profit rate), and release collateralized/pledged/lien marked securities. As per the SBP, “On maturity of the MFF transaction, the IBIs will liquidate the pool and shall determine SBP’s share of profit in accordance with Profit Sharing Ratio (as per Mudarabah deal confirmation) in respect of each financing transaction, and intimate the actual profit (amount and rate) to SBP (BSC) Karachi Office. In case of any difference between the actual profit and expected profit, the same shall be adjusted accordingly.” shariah Compliant open Market operations (oMo) – injections For this tool, again Mudarabah mode of financing is used. Currently this is only available for injection of liquidity. The SBP, Rabb-ul-Maal, will announce OMO injections that invite financing requests from eligible participants as and when
deemed necessary. Eligible participants can submit up to three bids in a single OMO tenor. The minimum bid amount will be Rs100 million and multiples of Rs50 million OMOs will be based on a multiple price competitive auction process, where successful bidders will be provided financing on their respective quoted expected rate of return. SBP would decide the cut-off rate i.e. expected rate at and/or above which SBP would place its funds with successful bidders. The central bank reserves the right to reject all or any of the bids without assigning any reason in the OMOs. “Similar to conventional OMOs, SBP will be conducting Shariah Compliant OMOs (Injections) based on market liquidity conditions through a multiple price competitive bidding process for tenors as announced by SBP from time to time, against collateral. Once the expected rate of return is finalized through a competitive bidding process, the funds provided by SBP shall be invested in a pool of high quality assets by the respective IBI. SBP and IBI shall agree a Profit Sharing ratio at the onset of the transaction,” said the statement. Why introduCing islaMiC liquidity? The decision to introduce Shariah Compliant tools to enhance liquidity shows how
the Islamic Banking and Finance Sector is growing in Pakistan. “Islamic banking industry in Pakistan has become systemically an important component of the banking industry registering remarkable growth over the last two decades,” said the SBP in its statement. As of now there are 5 fully Islamic Banks and 17 Conventional banks offering Islamic Banking operations. As per the SBP, at the end of June 2021, the market share of the Islamic banking industry assets and deposits in the overall banking sector stood at 17% and 18.7% respectively and the branch network of Islamic banking institutions comprised over 3,583 branches and 1,562 windows. “Introduction of aforesaid liquidity facilities will bring Islamic Banking industry at par with their conventional counterparts and enable them to effectively manage their short-term liquidity. This would strengthen financial intermediation by IBIs and enable them to offer better returns and rates to their customers on deposits and loans. Further, introduction of proposed facilities will also strengthen monetary policy transmission mechanism & enhance the effectiveness of monetary policy implementation by SBP to achieve the ultimate objective of price stability,” said the SBP.
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WHO Warns Of COvid-19 ‘tsunami’ as OmiCrOn fuels reCOrd surges NEW YORK AFP
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Covid “tsunami” threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday, as record surges fuelled by the Omicron variant dampened New Year celebrations around the world once again. Governments are walking a tightrope between anti-virus restrictions and the need to keep societies and economies open, as the highly transmissible variant drove cases to levels never seen before in the United States, Britain, France and Denmark. The blistering surge was illustrated by AFP’s tally of 6.55 million new infections reported globally in the week ending Tuesday, the highest the figure has been since the WHO declared a Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. “I am highly concerned that Omicron, being more transmissible, circulating at the same time as Delta, is leading to a tsunami of cases,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “This is and will continue to put immense pressure on exhausted health workers, and health systems on the brink of collapse.” The variant has already started to over-
whelm some hospitals in the United States, the hardest-hit nation where the seven-day average of new cases hit 265,427, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker. “This virus will continue to evolve and threaten our health systems if we don’t improve the collective response. “Right now, Delta and Omicron are twin threats that are driving up cases to record numbers, which again is leading to spikes in hospitalisations and deaths,” Ghebreyesus added.
Harvard epidemiologist and immunologist Michael Mina tweeted that the count was likely just the “tip of the iceberg” with the true number likely far higher because of a shortage of tests. But there was some hope as data indicated a decoupling of the number of cases and hospitalisations. “We should not become complacent,” top US infectious diseases expert Anthony Fauci said Wednesday, but “all indications point to a lesser severity of Omicron”.
At a drive-through virus testing site in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, there were long lines of cars with people waiting to provide samples. “Half of my family has it, you know this new variant is very, very spreadable, like way more spreadable than the first time around,” said resident Victoria Sierralta. “It’s like we’re back in like the first stage of Covid. It’s absolutely crazy.” ‘thiS iS SeriouS’ Millions around the world will again welcome a new year in the shadow of the pandemic, which is known to have killed more than 5.4 million people so far, with festivities dampened or cancelled in many countries. Greece on Wednesday banned music in bars and restaurants to try and limit New Year’s Eve parties, with public events already cancelled. The mayor of Mexico’s capital has cancelled the city’s massive New Year’s Eve celebrations after a spike in cases. Despite the outbreak concerns, the streets of Mexico City were busy on Wednesday. “I don’t think that such an event with such economic importance should be cancelled, however health comes before everything else,” said 59-year-old teacher Victor Arturo Madrid Contreras. With the “cancellation, they are sending a message […] ‘You know what? This is serious’.” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
meanwhile defended his decision not to clamp down on festivities over the holidays, saying around 90 percent of Covid patients in intensive care had not received a vaccine booster. The number of people in hospital with the coronavirus topped 10,000 in England, the highest total since March, as Britain on Wednesday reported a new record of 183,037 daily cases. The high take-up of boosters in England “is allowing us to go ahead with New Year in the cautious way that we are”, Johnson said, despite new closures in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. recordS caSeS in France, denmark: Across the Channel, France too hit a new daily record of more than 200,000 cases — more than double the number on Christmas Day — as it extended its closure of nightclubs into January. Wearing masks outdoors will become compulsory in Paris on Friday for everyone over the age of 11 except those inside vehicles, cyclists, users of other two-wheelers such as scooters and those participating in sports. Denmark, which currently has the world’s highest rate of infection per person, recorded a fresh record of 23,228 new cases, which authorities attributed in part to the large numbers of tests carried out after Christmas celebrations. Portugal also saw a record with nearly 27,000 cases reported in 24 hour.
US at risk of paying ‘unbearable price’ over Taiwan: senior Chinese diplomat BEIJING ReuteRs
The United States is at risk of paying an “unbearable price” due to its actions over Taiwan, Wang Yi, state councillor and foreign minister, said in an interview with state media on Thursday. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and in the past two years has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to assert its sovereignty claim. By “encouraging ‘Taiwan independence’ forces” the United States “not only puts Taiwan into an extremely dangerous situation but also exposes the United States to an unbearable price”, Wang said. Taiwan has emerged as a key factor in
strained relations between China and the United States, the island’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties. Taiwan says it is an independent country and vows to defend its freedom and democracy. China regularly describes the island as the most sensitive issue in its ties with the United States. “Taiwan has no other way forward other than reunification with the mainland,” said Wang. While the United States recognises only one China, it is required by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself and has long followed a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would intervene militarily to protect Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
india saW reCOrd 126 tiger deatHs in 2021: data neW deLhi:India’s tiger conservation body said 126 of the endangered big cats died in 2021, the highest toll since it began compiling data a decade ago. The most recent death was recorded on Wednesday in the central state of Madhya Pradesh, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The previous highest number of deaths per year before the authority began compiling data in 2012 was in 2016, when 121 perished. India is home to around 75 percent of the world’s tigers. Two years ago, the government announced the population had risen to 2,967 in 2018 from a record low of 1,411 in 2006, an achievement hailed as “historic” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This may have been partly down to the survey size, however, which used an unprecedented number of camera traps to identify individual tigers using stripe pattern recognition software. Over the past decade the biggest cause of death was recorded by the NTCA as being “natural causes”, but many also fell victim to poachers and “human-animal conflict”. Human encroachment on tiger habitats has increased in recent decades in the country of 1.3 billion people. Nearly 225 people were killed in tiger attacks between 2014 and 2019, according to government figures. The government has made efforts to manage the tiger population better, however, reserving 50 habitats across the country for the animals. “India has now firmly established a leadership role in tiger conservation, with its benchmarking practices being looked at as a gold standard across the world,” a government release said in July last year. AFP
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell convicted of sex trafficking NEW YORK AFP
British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on Wednesday of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell, who turned 60 on Christmas Day, was convicted by a 12-person jury of five of the six counts she was facing including the most serious charge of sex trafficking a minor. She sat passively in the Manhattan courtroom, slowly removing her mask to take sips of water, as Judge Alison Nathan read out the verdicts, reached after five full days of deliberation by the jury. The Oxford-educated daughter of the late British press baron Robert Maxwell, who grew up in wealth and privilege as a friend to royalty, could potentially spend the rest of her life behind bars. Sex trafficking of minors carries a maximum 40-year sentence. The lesser charges have terms of five or 10 years. Maxwell was found not guilty of one count — enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. Nathan offered her “sincere thanks” to the jury for their service, adding that they served with “diligence.” After the verdict was read, Nathan adjourned the proceedings and Maxwell walked
out of the courtroom into detention as she has done every day of the month-long trial. No date was set for her sentencing. US Attorney Damian Williams welcomed the verdict. “A unanimous jury has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable — facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children,” he said in a statement. “The road to justice has been far too long. But, today, justice has been done.” The charges against Maxwell stemmed from 1994 to 2004. Two of Epstein’s alleged victims said they were as young as 14 when Maxwell allegedly began grooming them and arranging for them to give massages to Epstein that ended in sexual activity. One, identified only as “Jane,” detailed how Maxwell recruited her at summer camp and made her feel “special.” She said sexual encounters with Epstein became routine, with Maxwell sometimes present. Another, going by “Carolyn,” said she was usually paid $300 after sexual encounters with Epstein, often by Maxwell herself. A third alleged victim was Annie Farmer, now 42, who said Maxwell fondled her breasts when she was a teenager at the New Mexico ranch owned by Epstein. ‘SophiSticated predator’ Epstein, 66, killed himself in jail in 2019 while
awaiting his own sex crimes trial. Maxwell, his lover-turned-close friend, was arrested the following year. Maxwell had pleaded not guilty to all counts. The prosecution portrayed her as a “sophisticated predator who knew exactly what she was doing.” Prosecutor Alison Moe said Maxwell was “the key” to Epstein’s scheme of enticing young girls to give him massages, during which he would sexually abuse them. Moe cited bank records showing that Maxwell received $30 million from Epstein between 1999 and 2007 as evidence that her participation was motivated by money. “They were partners in crime,” she said. Maxwell’s defense team countered that there was a “lack of evidence” to convict and questioned the accusers’ ability to recollect quarter-century-old events. The team also argued that Maxwell was being used as a “scapegoat” for Epstein’s crimes after he evaded justice. Maxwell declined to take the stand during the trial but made a brief statement to the judge. “Your honour, the government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt so there is no need for me to testify,” she said. Maxwell’s siblings Kevin, Isabel and Christine were in the front row in the Manhattan courtroom as the verdicts were read out.
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INdIa make ‘peRfecT sTaRT’ To seRIes wITh vIcToRy oveR souTh afRIca CEntuRiOn AFP
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NDIA completed a convincing 113-run win on the fifth day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday to make a “perfect start” to the series. Resuming on 94 for four in a chase of 305 to win, South Africa were bowled out for 191, losing their last three wickets in the first two overs after lunch. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each. Fellow fast bowler Mohammed Siraj claimed two wickets and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin dismissed the last two batsmen off successive deliveries. The win gave India a 1-0 lead in the three-match World Test Championship series and boosted their chances of winning a series in South Africa for the first time. “We got off to the perfect start,” said Indian captain Virat Kohli. “Getting a result in four days (the second day was lost to rain) shows how well we played this Test match and how motivated and keen we were to start off in the manner we did.”
There was early resistance from South African captain Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, with Elgar surviving a caught and bowled chance to Shami when he was on 63. Bumrah switched to bowling around the wicket and trapped Elgar leg before wicket for 77 when the batter played around a delivery angled into his stumps. Siraj ended an aggressive innings of 21 by Quinton de Kock when the batter edged an attempted drive into his stumps and Shami had Wiaan Mulder caught behind with a ball which moved just enough off the seam to take the outside edge of the bat. Marco Jansen was caught behind off Shami in the first over after lunch before Ashwin wrapped up the innings, leaving Bavuma, South Africa’s top-scorer in the first innings with 52, stranded on 35. “You need runs to compete,” said Elgar of South Africa’s first innings of 197 in reply to India’s 327. “The basics of the game still apply and we didn’t do them well from a batting point of view.” IndIa Indebted to openers: India were in command from the first day, when KL Rahul’s century enabled them to reach 272 for three after winning the toss. Kohli said playing at Centurion, where South Africa had won 21 out of 26 previous Test matches, was always
difficult for visiting teams. “We had to be absolutely clinical with the bat, the ball and in the field,” he said. Kohli said a key factor was the discipline shown by India’s opening batters, Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who put on 117 for the first wicket on the first day. “Winning the toss and batting first in tough conditions overseas is always a tough challenge. A lot of credit
Babar nominated for 2021 ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year award LAHORE APP
Pakistani robust Skipper Babar Azam has been nominated as one of four contenders in the 2021 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s ODI Player of the Year award, it was unveiled on Thursday. A talismanic all-rounder, two dashing openers and the top-ranked batter in the 50-over format make the list of nominees for 2021 ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year awards. Azam, Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Janneman Malan (South Africa) and Paul Stirling (Ireland) were the four nominees for the ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year award. Babar scored 405 runs in six matches at an average of 67.50 with two centuries. Babar Azam might have played only six ODIs in 2021, but he made vital contributions in the two series that they played this year. He was the second-highest run-scorer with 228 runs and was the Player of the Match in both of Pakistan’s wins in the 2-1 series victory against South Africa. He was the architect of Pakistan’s chase of 274 in the first ODI with a century and laid the foundation with an 82-ball 94 in the final ODI where the visitors posted 320 batting first. The prolific batter was the lone warrior for Pakistan when they were swept by England 3-0. He accumulated 177 runs in three games but found no support none of the other batters managed to score more than 100 in the series. Azam’s best performance this year came in a losing cause in the final ODI
against England. With the series already lost, Pakistan were playing for pride as well as crucial ICC Cricket World Cup Super League points in the third ODI at Birmingham. Put in to bat first, Pakistan posted 331, with Babar scoring close to 50 per cent of the team’s runs. Walking in to bat early in the innings, Babar strung a 92-run stand with Imam-ul-Haq to bail Pakistan out of trouble. He was cautious in his approach initially, bringing up his half-century in 72 balls. He made up for it by bringing up the next fifty runs in just 32 balls – it was his second ODI century of the year. With the milestone out of the way, he exploded in the death overs and almost batted through the innings, getting out in the last over for 158, his highest-ever ODI score. Unfortunately for Pakistan, James Vince and Lewis Gregory stole the show with a stunning 129-
run stand for the sixth wicket as England chased the total down with two overs to spare. Meanwhile, Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), scored 277 runs in nine matches at an average of 39.57 with two fifties; 17 wickets at an average of 17.52. Shakib marked his return from a two-year ban (suspended for one year) in style with a Player of the Series-winning performance against West Indies in January 2021. Despite last playing an ODI in July 2019, there were no signs of rust as Shakib amassed 113 runs and scalped six wickets in Bangladesh’s 3-0 sweep. Janneman Malan (South Africa) scored 509 runs in eight matches at an average of 84.83 with two centuries and two half-centuries. Having made his ODI debut in just February 2020, Malan has quickly a vital cog of South Africa’s 50-over setup. Malan was given his first game of the year in the third ODI against Pakistan with the series tied at 1-1. Though South Africa lost the game and thus the series, Malan made an instant impact with a knock of 70. Paul Stirling (Ireland) scored 705 runs in 14 matches at an average of 79.66 with three centuries and two half-centuries. With 705 runs, Stirling finished 2021 as the highest run-scorer in ODIs this year. Stirling made a memorable start to the New Year in January 2021 with a stunning century against UAE, though it came in a losing effort. He was Ireland’s highest run-getter in the 3-0 series loss against Afghanistan with 285 runs in three matches. Though he scored two centuries in the three games, the rest of the Ireland batting order failed to live up to its billing as Afghanistan completed a sweep in the UAE.
Man City extend lead to 8 points as Chelsea stumble LOndOn AFP
Manchester City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to an ominous eight points on Wednesday, beating Brentford 1-0 as Chelsea conceded a last-gasp equaliser at home to Brighton. Phil Foden’s first-half goal was enough to give Pep Guardiola’s champions a 10th consecutive league win as they took full advantage of
Chelsea’s slip-up at Stamford Bridge. The defending champions now have 50 points after 20 matches, putting them eight clear of second-placed Chelsea who are themselves one point ahead of Liverpool, who lost to Leicester on Tuesday. Brentford created some good scoring opportunities in the opening stages in west London, but it was City who went ahead in the 16th minute when Foden cleverly tucked in a cross from Kevin De Bruyne.
City dominated possession but struggled to produce shots on target and Guardiola looked edgy on the sidelines as his team attempted to see out the win. They thought they had sealed the three points in the dying minutes when Aymeric Laporte rose to head home but his goal was ruled out by VAR for a marginal offside. Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, who kicked off 45 minutes before City, looked poised for victory after Romelu Lukaku gave them a first-half lead but substitute Danny Welbeck struck in stoppage time. Lukaku started his second spell at Chelsea in style after returning from Inter Milan in August but then struggled with his form and fitness before suffering a bout of coronavirus. He came off the bench to score in his side’s 3-1 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday and was rewarded with a spot in the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge on a mild December night. Chelsea wing-back Reece James limped off in the 27th minute with an apparent hamstring injury, to be replaced by Marcos Alonso. The home side went ahead imme-
diately when Lukaku shook off the attentions of Neal Maupay after a tussle to power a header past goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from a Mason Mount corner. Brighton’s complaints were waved away as Chelsea — for so long top of the league this season — celebrated. But Graham Potter’s side came back strongly, with Edouard Mendy forced to push away a fierce Adam Lallana drive. The impressive Yves Bissouma stung the hands of Mendy early in the second half as the visitors continued to trouble Chelsea. Minutes later Callum HudsonOdoi burst forward from his own half but failed to find Mason Mount before Maupay flashed wide at the other end as the game opened up. It looked as though it was going to be a familiar story for Brighton, who have struggled to score this season, but substitute Welbeck had other ideas, heading home Marc Cucurella’s cross in the 91st minute. City travel to face fourth-placed Arsenal on Saturday knowing a win would take them 11 points clear of Chelsea, who host Liverpool the following day.
has to go to Mayank and KL who set up this Test match for us.” The entire second day was lost to rain and conditions proved more difficult for batters when play resumed on the third day, with fast bowlers of both sides exploiting indentations on the pitch which caused variable bounce. Shami took five for 44 in the first innings to give India a crucial lead of 130 runs. He finished with match figures of eight for 107.
New Zealand veteran Ross Taylor to retire from international cricket
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor will retire from test cricket after the two-match series against Bangladesh and play his last limited-overs internationals against Australia and the Netherlands over the home summer, AFP reports. The 37-year-old has been a ‘Black Caps mainstay since his 2007 test debut, amassing a New Zealand record 7,584 runs in 110 matches at an average of 44.87. One of only four New Zealanders to play 100 tests, he also holds the nation’s record in one-day international runs (8,581) and centuries (21), and was the world’s first to play in 100 internationals in all formats. “It’s been an amazing journey and I feel incredibly fortunate to have represented my country for as long as I have,” the former captain said in a statement. “It’s been such a privilege to play with and against some of the greats of the game and to have created so many memories and friendships along the way. “But all good things must come to an end and the timing feels right for me.” Taylor hit the winning runs as New Zealand beat India to claim the inaugural World Test Championship in Southampton this year but speculation over his career has grown since a recent rough patch in India where he failed to surpass 11 runs in four innings. The Bangladesh series starts in Mount Maunganui on New Year’s Day. Coach Gary Stead said Taylor would bow out as one of New Zealand’s greats. “His skills and temperament as a batsman have been world-class and his ability to perform at such a high level for so long speaks volumes of his longevity and professionalism,” he said. “His experience has held the side together on countless occasions and his catching record speaks for itself. There’s no doubt we’re going to miss him when he’s gone.” Taylor will continue to play for his provincial side Central Districts until the end of the season before making a call on his future in domestic cricket. ReuteRs
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Pakistan sends 1,800 Mt of wheat to afghanistan ISLAMABAD
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IRST consignment of 1,800 metric tonnes of wheat as humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan from Pakistan crossed the Torkham border on Thursday. In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the consignment is part of the humanitarian package of Rs5 billion for in-kind assistance for Afghanistan announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan. He said the package includes 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat, winter shelters and emergency medical supplies. The spokesperson said the first consignment was handed over by Special Assistant to Prime Minister Shehzad Arbab to the Afghan side. He said that Pakistan believes that the current humanitarian and economic situ-
ation in Afghanistan requires immediate attention of the international community. He said that it is critical that the world
community upscale its efforts to reach out to the Afghan people on an urgent basis to help address the humanitarian crisis
and stabilise the economic situation. Asim said that Pakistan will continue its efforts in support of the fraternal Afghan people as part of its commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Shehzad said that Pakistan is eager for prosperity and development in Afghanistan. Talking to the media at Pak-Afghan crossing point Torkham, he said that Afghanistan is facing immense difficulty to meet its basic needs including clothing, food and shelter. The special assistant urged the international community to come forward and help Afghanistan in this critical time as the life of Afghan people is at risk. Earlier, Shehzad handed over the first consignment of 1,800 metric tonnes of wheat as humanitarian assistance by Pakistan for the people of Afghanistan to the Afghan officials.
COAS lauds services of medical community during pandemic ISLAMABAD TLTp
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa has appreciated the exemplary role and services of the medical community as front line warriors against the coronavirus pandemic. The army chief expressed this while addressing the 54th convocation ceremony of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) as chief guest at Jinnah Convention Centre on Thursday, said the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement. The COAS emphasised that doctors and healthcare workers are the heroes who despite all challenges worked tirelessly for the safety and well-being of the people of Pakistan during Covid-19. He reiterated that the nation
pays tribute to all those doctors and paramedics who sacrificed their lives as first responders in battling against pandemic while saving many precious lives. While mentioning the immense contributions of the Army Medical Corps to the national health care system, the army chief said that all available resources will be utilised to ensure safety and security of people of Pakistan. The COAS also lauded the role of CPSP in enabling Pakistan’s doctors, physicians to achieve specialisation in respective fields at par with contemporary international forums. The COAS awarded degrees to successful graduates and medals to high achievers. Earlier on arrival, the COAS was received by Vice President CPSP Professor Shoaib Shafi. He was also conferred a honorary fellowship of CPSP.
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last emperor to reign. By the time of Zafar’s coronation in 1837, the Mughal empire had shrunk to the capital’s boundaries, after the conquest of India by the commercial venture of British merchants known as the East India Company. A massive rebellion two decades later — now hailed as India’s first war of independence — saw mutinous soldiers declare the now frail 82-year-old as the leader of their insurrection. The emperor, who preferred penning poetry to waging war, knew the chaotic uprising was doomed and was a reluctant leader. British forces surrounded Delhi within a month and ruthlessly crushed the revolt, executing all 10 of Zafar’s surviving sons despite the royal family’s surrender. Zafar himself was exiled to neighbouring Myanmar, travelling under guard in a bullock cart, and died penniless in captivity five years later. Independence symbol Many of the Red Fort’s buildings were demolished in the years after the uprising and the complex fell into disrepair before colonial authorities ordered its renovation at the turn of the 20th century. It has since become a potent symbol of freedom from British rule. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
hoisted the national flag from the fort’s main gate to mark the first day of independence in August 1947, a solemn ritual now repeated annually by his successors. Begum’s court case hinges on the argument that India’s government are the illegal occupants of the property, which she says should have been passed down to her. The Delhi High Court rejected her petition last week as a “gross waste of time” — but did not rule on whether her claim to imperial ancestry was legitimate. Instead, the court said her legal team had failed to justify why a similar case had not been brought by Zafar’s descendants in the 150 years since his exile. Her lawyer Vivek More said the case would continue. “She has decided to file a plea before a higher bench of the court challenging the order,” he told AFP by phone. ‘Justice will happen’ Begum has endured a precarious life, even before she was widowed and forced to move into the slum she now calls home. Her husband — who she married in 1965 when she was just 14 — was 32 years her senior and earned some money as a soothsayer, but was unable to provide for their family. afp
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The Taliban's supreme leader has ordered fighters not to punish members of Afghanistan's former regime for past "crimes", days after a video of an army commander being beaten went viral on social media. The order, tweeted Thursday by group spokespeson Mohammad Naeem, also urged Taliban authorities to discourage Afghans from leaving the country as they would not be respected abroad. "Don't punish employees of the previous regime for their past crimes," Mullah Hibat-
ullah Akhundzada was quoted as telling followers in Kandahar, the birthplace of the movement. The Taliban chief -- who has not been filmed or photographed in public for years -- said a general amnesty announced after the group took power in August should be honoured. The Taliban are accused by the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of dozens of extrajudicial killings of members of the former security forces and administration. On Wednesday, the group said the fighter seen repeatedly slapping an ex-army commander in a widely shared video would
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SRINAGAR ReuTeRs
Indian security forces shot dead six people and lost one soldier in a series of operations in disputed Kashmir on Thursday, as a crackdown against profreedom groups continues after a spate of civilian killings this year, an official said. “Six militants, including two Pakistan nationals, have been killed in two separate encounters with the security forces in Anantnag and Kulgam districts of Kashmir,” the Kashmir valley’s police chief Vijay Kumar claimed. An Indian army soldier was also killed in the back-toback gun battles that took place in southern Kashmir, Kumar said. India has long accused Pakistan of stoking a freedom movement since the 1990s in Kashmir — a Himalayan region that both nucleararmed neighbours claim in full but control only parts of. Islamabad denies the charge, saying it only provides diplomatic and moral backing for the selfdetermination of the Kashmiri people. Earlier this year, the disputed region witnessed a wave of civilian killings, with fighters seemingly targeting nonKashmiris, including migrant workers, and members of the minority Hindu and Sikh communities in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley. Indian forces in the heavily-militarised region responded with a widespread crackdown. Anti-insurgency operations in federally-administered Jammu and Kashmir continue with more than 189 fighters and 44 security personnel killed in Kashmir this year, according to a police official. “41 civilians were killed this year as compared to last year when 33 civilians were killed in militancy-related incidents,” the official said, declining to be named.
Pia resumes direct flights to Mashhad after five-year hiatus
KARACHI sTaff RepoRT
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to and from the northeast city of Mashhad after a five-year hiatus in a bid to “develop people to people contacts and boost religious tourism” with Iran, Radio Pakistan reported. Flight PK-119 departed from Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore with 165 passengers on board at 12:45 am Thursday and landed at Mashhad International Airport at 2:00 am. PIA spokesperson Abdullah Niazi told Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency that direct flights from Karachi to Mashhad will begin from Saturday. Responding to the development, PIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arshad Malik said the move will provide direct and easy travel facilities to the people in Pakistan looking to travel to Iran. He further said the national flag carrier will remain at the forefront to ensure pilgrims can visit the holy places in Iran with ease. On the other hand, Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said the two nations have agreed to promote air cooperation. At present, state-owned Iran Air operates one weekly flight between Tehran and Karachi. Reports suggested Mahan Air, a private airline operating out of Iran, will begin direct operations from Tehran and Mashhad to Lahore.
Taliban chief orders fighters not to 'punish' former regime members KABUL
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india soldier among seven killed in occupied kashmir
Destitute 'heir' of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar demands ownership of New Delhi’s Red Fort A destitute Indian woman who claims she is heir to the dynasty that built the Taj Mahal has demanded ownership of an imposing palace once home to the Mughal emperors. Sultana Begum lives in a cramped two-room hut nestled within a slum on the outskirts of Kolkata, surviving on a meagre pension. Among her modest possessions are records of her marriage to Mirza Mohammad Bedar Bakht, purported to be the great-grandson of India’s last Mughal ruler. His death in 1980 left her struggling to survive, and she has spent the past decade petitioning authorities to recognise her royal status and compensate her accordingly. “Can you imagine that the descendant of the emperors who built Taj Mahal now lives in desperate poverty?” the 68-year-old asked AFP. Begum has lodged a court case seeking recognition that she is the rightful owner of the imposing 17th-century Red Fort, a sprawling and pockmarked castle in New Delhi that was once the seat of Mughal power. “I hope the government will definitely give me justice,” she said. “When something belongs to someone, it should be returned.” Her case, supported by sympathetic campaigners, rests on her claim that her late husband’s lineage can be traced to Bahadur Shah Zafar, the
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be disciplined. On Tuesday, a small group of women protested in the capital Kabul against the violence. Thousands of Afghans -- particularly those linked to the former regime -- are desperate to leave the country, but Akhundzada said Taliban officials should encourage them to stay. "Afghans don't have respect in other countries, so no Afghan should leave," Naeem quoted him as saying. The exodus has been exacerbated by a collapsed economy and a humanitarian crisis that the UN warns has caused "an avalanche of hunger".
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