EpaperLHR_22-1-6 by Pakistan Today

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 I 2 Jamadi-al-Sani, 1443 I Rs 15.00 I Vol XII No 189 I 12 Pages I Lahore Edition

Military spokesMan rubbishes ruMours of deal with nawaz sharif RAWALPINDI

Staff RepoRt

rUSHING aside speculations suggesting the military was looking to cut a deal with former premier Nawaz Sharif to facilitate his return before the next general elections which are scheduled to take place in 2023, DirectorGeneral of the Inter-Services Public relations Maj-General Iftikhar babar said there was no trouble between the civil-military relationship. After spending a year in prison, Sharif, now 72, secured a one-month bail in November 2019 to travel to london on the pretext of medical treatment but has since refused to return. Addressing a presser here, Maj-Gen babar Iftikhar termed the deal rumours as ‘baseless chatter’, asking speculators to furnish evidence “if there is any”.

MQM holds ‘surprise dialogue’ with PML-N on ‘mini-budget’ KARACHI Staff CoRReSpondent

In a surprise move, Muttahida Qoumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) – an ally of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) – on Wednesday joined hands with the major opposition party – Pakistan Muslim league-Nawaz (PMl-N) to raise concerns on Mini-budget tabled by the federal government. MQM has a long history of making surprise political shifts and leaving allies in a lurch. In the past, the MQM has been blamed by previous governments of PPP and PMl-N for betraying allies in difficult situations. MQM convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told media here that his party would share reservations expressed by the PMl-N over Finance (Supplementary) bill 2021 and State bank of Pakistan (SbP) Amendment bill 2021 with the federal government. The two politicians were speaking to the media after a delegation-level meeting held between the two parties – perhaps the first such meeting after

General Elections of 2018. The government has tabled both the bills to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) conditions for the clearance of Pakistan’s sixth review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility by the financial institution, in turn paving way for the disbursement of a tranche of around $1 billion. both bills have been panned by the opposition, terming the finance supplementary bill a “mini-budget”, claiming it would increase people’s economic difficulties. The SbP bill, meanwhile, has been equated to compromising on the country’s economic sovereignty. Siddiqui said they had held discussions on multiple issues, including the two bills. “We are together in parliament and we have agreements and disagreements on various issues,” he said, adding that as far as the “mini-budget” was concerned, the MQM had held detailed talks with the PMl-N. He said the MQM — which is a crucial ally of the ruling PTI — planned to discuss with the

government such clauses in the bill that it believed would directly affect and burden people, and after talks with the PMl-N delegation, they were likely to add some more points to this agenda. “We have listened to them [the PMl-N] in detail and reconsidered certain aspects. And we might have to add one to two more points [to the agenda],” Siddiqui said. “We have recognised some new aspects after talks with them [the PMl-N delegation],” he added. With regards to the “impression” of Pakistan’s economy being “held hostage”, Siddiqui said his party would have discussions on these reservations with the government as well. However, he added, Pakistan had reached this stage because previous governments had been passing on the economic burden to their successors, which had led to the “shrinking of financial space” in Pakistan.

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan, GCC finalise Joint Action Plan for Strategic Dialogue 2022-2026 ISLAMABAD Staff RepoRt

Pakistan and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Wednesday finalised the Joint Action Plan for Strategic Dialogue (2022-2026) to help deepen institutional cooperation in various fields including bilateral trade and investment. The joint action plan was finalised during a detailed meeting between Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi along and GCC Secretary-General Dr Nayef Falah M Al-Hajraf here. The development comes in line with the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Strategic Dialogue between the two sides. The MoU provides an institutional approach to deepen cooperation in various fields, including political; security; trade and investment; agricultural and food security, transportation; energy; environment; health; culture and education. Welcoming the finalisation of the Joint Action Plan for Strategic Dialogue, both officials underscored that the action plan would impart a strong impetus towards “optimally realising the tremendous potential for increased cooperation between Pakistan and the GCC states”. The two sides also reviewed Pakistan-GCC cooperation in diverse fields and explored new avenues

for an enhanced mutually-beneficial partnership. During delegation-level talks, they also exchanged views on the regional developments, in particular the prevailing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and the deteriorating human rights situation in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Noting the progress on the ongoing efforts to conclude the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and the GCC, the two sides expressed determination to conclude the negotiations on priority. “Qureshi expressed gratitude to the GCC and its member states for strong expression of support for the people of Afghanistan in the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, held in Islamabad last month,” the statement read. The minister also urged the world community to 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. It is pertinent to mention here that this is the second visit of the GCC secretary-general to Pakistan in the last three weeks. He earlier visited Islamabad in December 2021 to attend the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.

“If someone talks of a deal [between the military and a political party], then you must ask them who is offering it,” he argued. “In my understanding, and I am very clear on that, this is baseless speculation.” Despite being summoned by the courts, which declared Sharif a proclaimed offender in separate corruption trials, his party insists Sharif will only return after the completion of his medical treatment — the nature of which remains a mystery to date. In August, britain’s Home Office refused to extend Sharif’s stay in the country on medical grounds in a decision he has appealed via immigration tribunal. Court documents showed Sharif was allowed to leave for medical treatment only after agreeing to a series of conditions preventing him from seeking exile in the United Kingdom. Sharif’s passport expired in February last

FENCING PAK, AFGHAN bOrDEr WIll CONTINUE AS PlANNED; DG-ISPr SAyS

year after the government refused to renew it in an attempt to speed up his extradition from the United Kingdom. The expired document rendered Sharif unable to travel anywhere on the Pakistan passport. However, in December, the media reported a “secret deal” between the establishment and Sharif to bring him back home, igniting speculation on the mainstream and social media. Gen Iftikhar, however, urged the media to “keep the establishment out of it”. During the press conference, he also spoke of a “campaign” against the state and its institutions aimed at creating a gulf between the public and the institutions, and to “damage people’s trust”. “The military is aware of these efforts and their various linkages,” he said, pointing at the rumours.

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 | LAHORE

nEws

Imran welcomes ecP scrutIny of PtI funds ISLAMABAD

stAff RePORt

FTER a report of the scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reported irregularities in the audit reports the Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf (PTI) submitted to it between 2009 and 2013, Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the probe saying the process will provide “factual clarity” on the much-debated matter to the nation. According to the report, the ruling party under-reported funds received from international donors and firms, and also concealed its bank accounts. The party under-reported an amount of Rs312 million over the four-year period, it claimed. The report also mentions an alleged refusal by the party to divulge details of large transactions and the regulatory body’s helplessness to get details of the party’s foreign accounts and the funds collected abroad.

“The more our accounts are scrutinised, the more factual clarity will emerge for the nation to see how PTI is the only political party with proper donor base premised on proper political fundraising,” the prime minister tweeted. In a subsequent tweet, Khan said he

roshan digital account inflows reach $3.16bn by 2021-end: sBP

looked forward to seeing a similar ECP probe into the funding of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). During Tuesday’s hearing in the case, Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib had urged the election regulator to

ISLAMABAD

KARACHI tLtP

Prices of essential commodities have registered a decline due to administrative measures taken by provincial governments for reducing the gap between the wholesale and retail price, the National Price Monitoring Committee (NPMC) was informed on Wednesday. While presiding over the meeting of the NPMC, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin was updated on the prices of wheat flour have marked a continuous decline in the prices in the country for the last five weeks. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib, secretary Ministry of NFS&R, secretary

Ministry of Industries and Production, provincial chief secretaries, economic advisor Finance Division, PBS chief statistician, MD Utility Stores Corporation (USC), ICT deputy commissioner and other senior officers participated in the meeting. The meeting expressed satisfaction over the availability of sufficient stocks of wheat in the country. The economic adviser Finance Division briefed the NPMC on CPI inflation and informed that prices of both perishable and non-perishable food items have shown significant decline in their prices. He highlighted that CPI inflation on a YoY basis was 12.3 per cent in December 2021 as compared to 8pc in December 2020 whereas CPI inflation on a MoM basis remained at -0.02pc in December 2021 compared to

PBIT sets up five global desks to increase investment in Punjab LAHORE shAhAb OmeR

The Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) has established the European, North American, China and South Asia, Middle East, as well as Central and South Asia desks to facilitate potential investors in these regions to whom Punjab will be presented as the a lucrative place for investment. In this regard, a meeting of the PBIT Board of Directors (BoD) held here on Wednesday approved the Strategic Roadmap 2022 to provide a conducive environment for promotion of foreign investment. The PBIT BoD also set basic objectives to attract foreign investment and help existing investors to expand businesses in the province. The meeting unanimously agreed that coordination

and facilitation would be offered to provide a better business environment as well as making effective support systems operational and to promote investment through comprehensive marketing and special programmes. The BoD also agreed to set targets for ensuring economic growth of the province through investment and financial growth in the current year. Moreover, PBIT will host mega events, panel discussions, public-private conversations and research publications to promote investment. Similarly, an international standard marketing strategy will be formulated to make the world aware of investment opportunities available in Punjab. “The government is introducing bold economic reforms that have boosted the business community’s confidence and helped the country improve in all areas of the economy,” PBIT BoD Chairman Fazil Asif Jah said.

ECC allows urea import, approves tariﬀ rationalisation on imported vehicles ISLAMABAD APP

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) here on Wednesday approved the import of 50,000 metric tonnes of urea from China on immediate basis subject to clearance from the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA). The committee meeting which was presided over by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin, allowed the import on government-togovernment (GoG) basis with China. Among others, the meeting was attended by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, Federal Minister for Privatization Muhammedmian Soomro, Federal

offices in Islamabad, Umar said the party collected funds in the most transparent manner and the nation has full confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Khan. The ministers addressed the media at the commission’s office following their appearance in the case. “Major blames were also made in the past by big leaders,” Umar said. “[Slain prime minister] Benazir Bhutto made allegations that Nawaz Sharif had party funding from al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden,” he recalled. He added the PTI had filed a petition with the ECP to summon the reports from the three scrutiny committees. “I have no doubt that when [the] ECP makes the party funding report public, the masses will see that it was Prime Minister Imran Khan who collected the funds in the most transparent manner and that is why people trust him,” he said. The minister further said the secret accounts of the PML-N and the PPP were coming to the surface, in a reference to the declaration made by Habib Monday.

Essential commodities register decline in prices APP

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday said that cumulative inflows under the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) reached $3.16 billion by the end of 2021. According to data released by the SBP, an inflow of $244 million was recorded in December, as compared to $239 million in November, recording a month-on-month (MoM) increase of 2.1 per cent. Out of the $3.16 billion deposited in RDAs, over 68pc i.e. $2,149 million, have been invested in Naya Pakistan Certificates (NPCs). Of this amount, $1.192 billion have been invested in conventional NPCs, $957 million have been invested in Islamic NPCs while $32 million were deposited into the stock exchange via the RDA. The data shows that 322,463 accounts were opened from 175 countries during the 16month period. On a monthly basis, the number of accounts opened increased by 7.6pc. Overseas Pakistanis have been a key priority for the incumbent government, which has taken a number of measures in order to attract foreign currency for the cash-strapped economy, which remains dependent on remittance inflows. The government is also set to launch the National Remittance Loyalty Programme (NRLP), aimed at offering monetary and other benefits to lure overseas Pakistanis to use official channels. The NRLP will offer incentives and rewards for sending remittances to Pakistan based on the point’s accumulation structure. Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly termed overseas Pakistanis as the “biggest asset” of the country and stated that the country will not need the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme in future if it is able to tap their full potential.

“complete scrutiny of [the] PPP and PML-N accounts” as well. Today, the prime minister said the process “will allow the nation to see the difference between proper political fundraising and extortion of money from crony capitalists and vested interests in exchange for favours at the nation’s expense”. In a post-cabinet meet on Tuesday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudry termed the report as “inaccurate” and demanded an inquiry into the accounts of opposition political parties including the PML-N and the PPP. “The report [of the ECP scrutiny committee] does not point towards foreign funding […] it has been decided that there is no case of foreign funding,” he said. PTI WOULD COOPERATE WITH ECP: MINISTER Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar Tuesday assured the election commission the ruling party will provide full cooperation in the case. lanked by Habib outside the ECP

Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Moonis Elahi, Adviser to the Prime

Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood, federal secretaries

and senior officers. The ECC tasked the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to negotiate price with a Chinese supplier authorised by government of China for further import of urea. Meanwhile, the committee also approved a summary, with some modifications, presented by Ministry of Finance for rationalisation of tariff on import of vehicles and other items requested by Ministry of Industries and Production (MOIP) and other sectors. The forum also decided to review some recommendations relating to automotive sector after six months. The ECC also approved requests of Technical Supplementary Grants (TSG) presented by Petroleum Division and Finance Division. The Power Division’s request for TSG was also approved subject to reconciliation with the Finance Division.

3pc in November 2021. The meeting was also briefed on the weekly SPI which decreased by 0.50pc in the week as compared to previous week, which increased by 0.40 percent. The meeting was while being briefed on sugar prices and its stock position in the country was told that sugar prices have recorded a slight increase in various cities. Somewhat similarly, there are also variations in the prices of pulses while there has also been a rise in the prices of eggs and chicken due to seasonal factors, the meeting was told. The NPMC also directed the Ministry of NFS&R to formulate a strategy for the provision of storage infrastructure for improving the supply chain of perishable food items.

oil steadies as investors weigh impact of omicron surge NEW DELHI ReuteRs

Oil prices steadied on Wednesday as investors assessed the impact of a massive spike in COVID19 cases caused by the Omicron variant, though the upside remained limited after US fuel inventories climbed. Brent crude futures fell 4 cents, or 0.03%, to $80.04 a barrel by 0716 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 2 cents, or 0.03%, to $77.01 a barrel. The United States reported nearly 1 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, the highest daily tally of any country in the world and nearly double the previous US peak set a week ago. US gasoline stockpiles rose by 7.1 million barrels in the week to Dec. 31, the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported late on Tuesday. Distillate stockpiles climbed by 4.4 million barrels in the week. The surging stockpiles, which exceeded analysts’ expectations, undermined the bullish outlook from investors in the previous session when prices climbed more than 1% as market participants took the decision of major producers to add supply next month as a sign of confidence that surging COVID-19 cases would not hit demand for long. “Rising US production as more and more producers find it lucrative to return to the well pad is weighing on oil prices,” said Sugandha Sachdeva, vice president of commodities research at Religare Broking. Meanwhile, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and allies, together called OPEC+, on Tuesday agreed to add another 400,000 barrels per day of supply in February, as it has every month since August. The decision to stick to their output increase reflected the group’s view that Omicron will only have a short-lived impact on global energy demand. “Two consecutive days of strong gains have put crude in over-bought territory,” said Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights, provider of oil market analysis. Market sentiment will continue to see-saw, Hari said. On one hand, there may be growing hopes that the Omicron variant may herald COVID-19’s shift from a pandemic to a more easily manageable disease, at least in highly vaccinated parts of the world. But on the other, prices may be hit by a sobering realisation that countries remain on high alert, and governments are not ready to relax restrictions as long as infections are spiking.

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 | LAHORE

nEws

Imran says ‘HIndutva’ IndIa ‘Brazenly’ vIolatIng un KasHmIr resolutIons ISLAMABAD

stAff RePORt

S people living across the Line of Control (LoC) and the rest of the world observed the Right to Self-determination Day to remind the United Nations to implement its resolutions on occupied Kashmir adopted this day in 1949, Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday censured the “Hindutva” government of his India counterpart Narendra Modi for “brazenly” violating the resolutions aimed at resolving the longstanding dispute. January 5 is observed every year to invite the attention of the international community and the United Nations towards the promise of the early grant of the right to the disputed mountainous region through an UNsponsored plebiscite. India-occupied Kashmir has been under lockdown since August 5, 2019, when New Delhi abolished the special status of the region, dividing it into two union territories. The prime minister, in a series of tweets, said the commitment of the Security Council of an UN-

supervised plebiscite remains unfulfilled due to the hostile behaviour exhibited by New Delhi. “The Hindutva Modi [government] brazenly violates UNSC resolutions, international humanitarian laws, and international conventions, including 4th Geneva Convention, and commits war crimes by seeking to alter status and demography of [occupied Kashmir],” he said. Khan said the international community, especially the world body, must take action against India’s war crimes and those against humanity in the region. “Pakistan remains steadfast in its commitment to the just Kashmiri struggle for self-determination,” he added. In a separate message issued in connection with the occasion, Khan, while reminding the world it cannot abandon its moral and legal responsibilities towards the people of Kashmir, said durable peace in the South Asian region is contingent upon peaceful resolution of the dispute in accordance with international legitimacy. The importance of the inalienable right to selfdetermination has been acknowledged in all important human rights covenants and decisions of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and Security

Council, he said. “While observing 5th of January as the Right to SelfDetermination Day for the Kashmiris, we reiterate our commitment to uphold the fundamental human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and pay homage to the Kashmiris’ just struggle spanning over more than seven decades,” he said. “We are commemorating this day to remind the world community that it cannot abandon its moral and legal responsibilities towards the Kashmiri people.” He pointed out the right to self-determination was granted to the people by the UN and cannot be unilaterally denied by India. Three generations of Kashmiris have waited for the world community and the UN to honour their solemn commitments made to Kashmiris, the prime minister said. “Indian atrocities in the [Kashmir] continue unabated but the courage and spirit of Kashmiris remain strong,” he added. UN URGED TO ‘FULFIL PROMISES’: In a statement, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry urged the Security Council to fulfil its

IMF delays world economic outlook release till Jan 25 FUND LIKELY TO FURTHER DOWNGRADE GLOBAL ECONOMIC GROWTH PROJECTIONS ISLAMABAD tLtP

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will release its World Economic Outlook on January 25, a week later than planned, to factor in the latest Covid-19 developments. IMF Spokesperson Gerry Rice said, “The World Economic Outlook update will be launched on January 25 to allow our teams to incorporate the latest developments related to the Covid-19

four dead, as many injured as ambulance falls in river UPPER DIR stAff RePORt

Four dead while as many sustained injuries Wednesday in an accident in the Upper Dir district in Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A speeding ambulance lost control and fell in the river, causing four to die on the spot. The deceased included two women and as many children. On receiving information about the incident, the security personnel and rescue teams arrived at the scene and shifted the victims to the hospital for medical treatment. Furthermore, a search operation for one missing child was also launched.

pandemic into the economic forecasts.” The IMF spokesperson last month told reporters that the update is expected on Jan 19. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva last month told the media that the IMF was likely to further downgrade its global economic growth projections in January to reflect the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In October, the IMF had forecast global economic growth of 5.9 percent in 2021 and 4.9 percent this year, while

underscoring the uncertainty posed by the new coronavirus variants. The coronavirus has killed nearly 5.8 million people worldwide over the past two years. The economists expect the IMF to cut its economic forecast for the United States, the world’s largest economy, given the rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant, as well as the failure of Congress to pass US President Joe Biden’s $1.2 trillion social and climate spending package.

In October, it had already slashed its forecast for US Gross Domestic Product growth in 2021 by a full percentage point to 6%, citing supply chain disruptions and a labour crunch, while forecasting growth of 5.2% in 2022. Since then, the pandemic has surged again, and divisions in Congress have deepened. The United States set a global record of almost 1 million new coronavirus infections on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, and its daily average has totalled 486,000 cases over the last week, a rate higher than that of any other country.

Sharp rise in tourism indicates prosperity: Fawad ISLAMABAD news desk

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry Wednesday insisted there was no inflation in the country, saying that an increase in tourism indicates prosperity. Taking to Twitter, the minister said that more than 100,000 tourist vehicles have entered Murree this year, due to which fares of hotels and guest houses have skyrocketed. Her said that rise in tourism shows the income of the common man is not stagnant. “These statistics show that an increase in tourism in the country indicates prosperity as well as an increase in the income of the common man,” he said. Fawad added that in the current year, 100 big companies in the country have earned a profit of Rs929 billion, while

all major media outlets have earned 33% to 40% in profits. It is worth mentioning that the ruling party PTI has always been criticised for rising inflation in the country as petroleum, gas, and electricity prices continue to skyrocket.

In a recent statement, Prime Minister asked the PTI spokespersons to inform the masses that there is “no inflation in the country,” as he expressed satisfaction over the economic team’s performance and falling prices of several key commodities.

Govt prepares draft of 5G policy INCENTIVES FOR SPECTRUM ROLLOUT TO BE ANNOUNCED IN FINANCIAL BILL FY23 ISLAMABAD AhmAd AhmAdAni

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoIT&T) has prepared a policy framework for rolling out 5G in the country in 2023. According to sources, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will appoint consultants for the auction process after the policy is issued. Recommendations by these consultants will be forwarded to the federal government by December 2022 as the ministry is targeting a commercial launch in the first quarter 2023. According to the draft available draft available with Profit, all relevant

stakeholders including MoIT&T, Ministry of Finance (MoF), PTA and Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) will work together for conducting the spectrum’s auction whereas the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) will make the maximum possible interference free bandwidth available. Likewise, efforts should be made for the expeditious resolution of respective court cases by MoIT&T, PTA, FAB and PEMRA. The spectrum assignment will continue to be technology neutral and the MoIT&T may review the Right of Way (RoWs) policy to facilitate telecom network deployment. Under the 5G policy guidelines, MoIT&T will finalize the spectrum re-

farming framework for IMT bands name for 3G/4G after consulting PTA, PEMRA and FAB. The process will be realised through a policy directive and spectrum re-farming committee comprising MoIT, FAB, PTA, PEMRA and incumbent users, in line with the Telecom Policy 2015. To enable the 5G technological ecosystem, the Ministry of Finance, in consultation with MoIT&T, PTA, FAB and any other relevant stakeholders, will finalise incentives which will be reflected in the Financial Bill 2022-23 (FY23). The guidelines also state that license holders of 5G will establish at least one innovation and test centers to scale up the spectrum ecosystem for startups and

entrepreneurship activities at their own cost for citizens, academia, and research purposes at government designated institutes all over Pakistan within two years of the grant of a license. Trials may include establishment of 5G hotspots in academic institutions, incubation centers, research organizations etc. Furthermore, the MoIT&T and PTA will lead awareness and orientation campaigns for other ministries and departments to help them to develop coordinated policies and use cases relevant to mobile broadband and 5G. Moreover, the MoIT&T and PTA, along with the Ministry of Health, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (PEPA) and other stakeholders will engage in a public education campaign to reassure the public about the technology’s safety.

promises made to the people of Kashmir. He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to providing political, diplomatic and moral support to the region until their right to self-determination was not recognised. Today, 73 years have passed since that promise of a plebiscite was made to the people, but unfortunately, it has not been fulfilled to date, said the minister. The minister said the people of Kashmir were awaiting a peaceful resolution of the dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions. He lamented that on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the UN resolution, India started a series of arrests of local leaders in occupied Kashmir to preemt demonstrations. The country has turned Kashmir into an open prison where arrests, detention of pro-freedom leaders and imposition of curfews and sanctions had become a matter of routine. India was making all-out efforts for changing the demography of the occupied region on the basis of religion, he observed. The worst sufferings and oppression were being inflicted on the people in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he said.

speakers demand civic education in national curriculum LAHORE news desk

Speakers demanded of lawmakers and policymakers to made civic education part of the national curriculum so that younger generation can be reached out and themes of peace, harmonious coexistence and acceptance can be spread in Pakistan. During a daylong consultation meeting, organized by the Centre for Peace and Secular Studies (CPSS) here for reviewing policy brief on civic education, they said that objective of the civic education was to empower citizens with their rights in the constitution so that they can participate in the national mainstream actively. Earlier, the Centre for Peace and Secular Studies formally introduced a book on civic education for youngsters to develop civic sense, and put in details what was absent or ignored from the single national curriculum. In the book, themes of democracy, civil rights, state, government, politics, people, festivals, peaceful coexistence and other topics are included. CPSS Executive Director Saeeda Diep told audience that it was ensured during development of the book that the content must be easy to understand, captivating and interesting. To maximize its reach, the book is written in both Urdu and English languages. She said that wording used in the book was easy to understand and the colourful layout was designed in a way to appeal to young audiences. She said that today’s youth need to be made aware of their rights and responsibilities and develop attitudes towards each other and the society.

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

SeNioriTy NeiTher reqUiremeNT Nor coNveNTioN for elevATioN To Sc: body ISLAMABAD

staff report

HE suggestion that seniority is a legal prerequisite for the elevation of a junior judge to the Supreme Court is a myth and “there is no [such] requirement in law and Constitution” of Pakistan, the Women in Law Pakistan, an initiative seeking to connect the female lawyers scattered across the nation, said. In August, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed nominated Justice Ayesha A. Malik of the Lahore High Court (LHC) for elevation to the top court as the first-ever woman judge in the nation’s judicial history but many in the male-dominated bar councils declared she’s no Ruth Bader Ginsburg, forcing the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to defer her appointment. The bodies advocate that only the sen-

ior-most judge of a high court should be the one elevated to the Supreme Court. Justice Malik is fourth in the seniority order of the LHC. The latest attempt at doing the same appears to be meeting a similar fate as a section of the legal fraternity called on Chief Justice Ahmed to postpone Thursday’s meeting of the JCP convened to consider the elevation of Justice Malik. In a statement issued Wednesday, Women in Law Pakistan said “at least 41 times judges have been appointed to the Supreme Court without them being most senior. There is, therefore, no such custom either. Seniority is at best a mere demand of some members of the Bars at the moment and has no legal basis”. The statement makes a reference to Article 175-A(3) of the Constitution which “speaks of seniority only in relation to the appointment of the Chief Justice of Pakistan”.

In addition, as per Article 177(2) of the Constitution, to be eligible for appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court, a person must be a citizen of Pakistan, a judge of the high court for five years, or an advocate of the high court for 15 years. Justice Malik has served as a judge on the high court since March 27, 2012. “Absence of the words, ‘the most senior’ in Article 177 for appointment of Judges of the SC shows that seniority of a Judge in the High Court is not an essential condition for their appointment as a Judge of the SC.” “Seniority as an interim measure will halt conversation for holistic reforms actually needed for greater transparency and representation,” it added. In case Thursday’s meeting of the JCP is not called off, the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and all bar associations would boycott all court proceedings, from the superior judiciary to the lower courts, PBC Vice

Chairman Khushdil Khan and PBC Executive Committee Chairman Muhammad Masood Chishti and others warned Monday. WHO’S JUSTICE AYESHA A. MALIK? Justice Malik received her B.Com from the Government College of Commerce and Economics in Karachi and studied law at the Pakistan College of Law in Lahore, according to her biography on the LHC website. She earned her LLM from Harvard Law School where she was a Landon H. Gammon Fellow from 1999 to 1999. The mother of three used to represent NGOs involved in poverty reduction, microfinance, and skills training on a pro bono basis. The historic decision prohibiting twofinger and hymen tests on rape survivors across Punjab was also delivered by her. The tests were deemed “illegal and unconstitutional” by her court.

Ombudsman intervenes to resume widow’s pension withheld since 1988 LAHORE staff report

On the orders of Punjab Ombudsman retired Maj Azam Suleman Khan, monetary relief of over Rs33 million has been provided to the plaintiffs of different districts in their cases of public importance. In the first instance, the continuous follow-up by the ombudsman office helped one Shaheena Khannum from Faisalabad to eke out Rs1.06 million out of total dues of her late husband who was employed with the health department. Earlier, she was given Rs1.2 million as leave encashment and salary arrears of Rs0.9 million on orders of the ombudsman office. The applicant has thanked the ombudsman office for its effective role in ensuring total payments.

Meanwhile, a 7.7-kanal portion of public passage has also been restored by the administration on ombudsman’s orders in Shakar Garh tehsil after retrieval from the illegal occupants. On a separate application, the office moderated to reimburse total dues worth Rs4.2 million to the widow of one Dr Zafar Iqbal from Jhang. The primary and secondary healthcare department has settled pension dues after eight years of the death of its employee. Alongside, the ombudsman office negotiated with Sundar Industrial Estate to return Rs1.8 million to four complainants who approached the ombudsman office for the payment of pending dues of their services. Also, the office of the ombudsman Punjab facilitated one Shamim Akhtar from Bhakkar district to get the family pension of her late husband who was employed with

Pakistani airlines cleared to fly to EU, US after international safety audit: CAA

ISLAMABAD news desk

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Wednesday that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had lifted all restrictions on the body to allow Pakistani airlines to resume operations to Europe, United States and the United Kingdom. PCAA spokesperson Saifullah Khan said the ICAO had lifted the ban on the authority from issuing new licenses to pilots as well as restrictions on Pakistani airlines barring them to fly to Europe, the US and the UK. Khan said that the global aviation body had also withdrawn all safety objections against the PCAA and had expressed satisfaction over the measures taken to address important safety issues. In a letter addressed to PCAA Director General Khaqan Murtaza, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the ICAO referred to the “significant safety concern” that was issued on September 18, 2020 and the subsequent audit conducted from Nov 20 to Dec 10, 2021. “During the audit, the ICAO team reviewed the corrective actions taken and related evidence presented by Pakistan to address the significant safety

concern regarding the licensing of the state, specifically in relation to the examinations conducted by the PCAA and by delegated or designated training organisations prior to the issuance of licenses and ratings,” the letter said. It stated that the ICAO validation committee reviewed the actions and relevant evidence validated in Pakistan and determined that the action taken had successfully resolved the significant safety concern. The letter, written by the deputy director of the Monitoring and Oversight Air Navigation Bureau, thanked the DG and his team for assisting the ICAO audit team and appreciated Pakistan’s active commitment towards achieving the body’s safety objectives. On June 30, 2020, the European Union had suspended the authorisation for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to operate in the bloc for six months. The move had followed the grounding of 262 pilots whose licences Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan had termed “dubious”. PIA was informed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in December 2020 that the ban wouldn’t be lifted until a safety audit of PCAA was carried out. The agency extended the ban in April 2021 and directed PCAA to get its safety audit done by ICAO. The audit team arrived in Pakistan on Dec 7 and completed its investigation in the next few days. The PCAA director general had subsequently told the participants of a meeting of the Senate Sub-Committee on Aviation that the ban was expected to be lifted soon as the ICAO’s validation committee had cleared a safety audit report after which the significant safety concerns would be gradually eased out.

the school education department there. The secretary school education department was directed in this case to ensure payment of family pension and pending emoluments according to departmental rules to her by giving six months and four days relaxation in the service period of her SED employee husband. As a result, Akhtar has succeeded in getting pension and arrears after a long period of 33 years as the matter was lying pending since 1988. After the involvement of the ombudsman office, the school education department has paid Rs0.9 million to the complainant. In compliance with the instructions of the ombudsman office given in a different issue, the labour department has paid educational stipends valuing Rs180,000 of 2015-17 to the daughter of one Muhammad Iqbal from Darya Khan town of Bhakkar.

Balochistan’s 17 cities receive overall 445 mm rainfall KARACHI: At least 17 cities of Balochistan received 445mm rain in aggregate within 24 hours, Pakistan’s Met Office said in a report on Wednesday. Pasni received maximum rainfall in Balochistan during the ongoing wet spell, according to the figures released by Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). According to the data Pasni received 115mm rain fall in 24 hours till 8:00 in the morning, while Gwadar received 64mm, Ormara 60mm, Khuzdar 42mm, Panjgur 29mm, Jiwani 27mm, Turbat 25mm, Lasbela and Pishin 21mm each, Quetta and Kalat 18mm each, Ziarat 09mm, Muslim Bagh 08mm, Barkhan and Kohlu 04mm each, Sibi 03mm and Lorala 02mm. Balochistan’s coastal belt as well as Turbat and other areas received heavy rainfall. Rainwater entered houses in southern part of the port city of Gwadar. staff report

At UN, Pakistan reiterates commitment to Kashmir’s right to self-determination UNITED NATIONS staff report

Pakistan will continue to extend moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir until they realise their right to self-determination in accordance with the UN resolutions, Ambassador Munir Akram said. “The United Nations, especially the Security Council, has an abiding responsibility to deliver on the promise it made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir 73 years ago,” he said in the message marking people of Kashmir’s Right to Self-determination Day observed on Wednesday. “On this day in 1949, the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP) adopted the historic resolution calling for a free and impartial plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir under the auspices of the United Nations to enable its people to determine their political destiny,” the envoy said. “The resolution is an emblem of UN’s commitment to the longstanding struggle of the Kashmiri people to realize their right to self-determination.” India’s extremist Hindutva regime and the 900,000 troops it has deployed in occupied Kashmir, Ambassador Akram said, are responsible for unleashing a brutal reign of terror in Kashmir. In doing so, India has used curfews and communications blackouts incarceration of Kashmiri political leaders, illegal detention of thousands of Kashmiri youth, extra-judicial killings, the violent suppression of peaceful Kashmiri protests, including by using pellet guns that have blinded even young children, and the demolition of entire neighbourhoods and villages as a form of “collective punishment”, he said. “The ominous ‘Final Solution’ espoused by the Hindutva leadership seeks to crush the Kashmiri freedom movement and permanently alter the demography of the internationally recognized disputed State,” the ambassador said. Since August 5, 2019, he said, India has issued millions of fake domiciles with the aim of eventually transforming the Muslim-majority state into a Hindu majority territory. “These actions constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law including the Genocide Convention.” In this regard, Ambassador Akram urged international human rights and humanitarian organisations to take cognizance of India’s crimes in Kashmir. “India should be asked to immediately end its blatant oppression of the Kashmiri people, reverse all unilateral and illegal measures instituted since August 5, 2019, and halt the genocidal settler project in the occupied territory. “At the same time, the international community must ensure that massive human rights violations and crimes committed by India do not go unpunished. “The perpetrators must be held accountable,” the envoy added.

PM's iconoclastic move on Kashmir S RAHMAN Long, long time after former Premier, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has come up with an iconoclastic approach on Kashmir dispute by reiterating Pakistan's never-ending support for the oppressed Kashmiris, not only on moral grounds but also as our constitutional responsibility. It is pragmatism and can be aptly described as a serious endeavour to put the resolution of seven-decade old Kashmir issue on a practical track instead of merely resorting to verbal condemnations and criticism. When the PM talks about Pakistan's constitutional obligations, he is, in a way, suggesting to the world fraternity in general and our Foreign Office, diplomatic corps and international law experts in particular to identify legal and constitutional remedies that are very much available for moving forward on this path practically and more effectively. This was needed much earlier. Eminent experts of international law and, likewise, some media seniors well versed with the legalcum-consitututional aspect of the matter, have been pleading for this strategy that now seems to be the axis of Islamabad's Kashmir policy, rather the entire foreign policy, under the incumbent leadership. This policy has brought all hands on deck in a concrete direction which just cannot be upset by the powerful, sustained bombardment of Indian propaganda against the Muslim ma-

CMYK

jority of Kashmir Valley or IIOJ& K (Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir). With this approach, Pakistan has cleared many obstacles created by repeal of Articles 370 and 35 A of the Indian constitution that conferred special status on the Kashmir Valley in accordance with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution adopted 73 years ago, on January 5, 1949. It is this UNSC resolution that grants irrevocable right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir. It is one of the fundamental rights included in the UN Charter and it prescribes the holding of a plebiscite under the aegis of the United Nations. And, in order to keep the record straight, the plebiscite was fully endorsed by the New Delhi government of the day that was headed those days by one of the most popular, influential Prime Ministers of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. PM Nehru is on record having openly declared that 'neither Kashmir belongs to India nor to Pakistan but to the people of Kashmir'. In the following years, India totally backtracked on its plebiscite promise. Instead, it let loose a reign of terror on the Kashmiris seeking their due right of self-determination. It is a horrendous tale of innocent and harmless Kasmiris' untold misery and suffering : mass graves, enforced disappearances, increase in the number of Kashmiris' killings and also in the number of widows, half widows and orphans, deployment of 0.8 million regular and 0.3 million Indian troops and paramilitary

forces against a hapless, limited Kashmiri community, one-to-two-plus year of siege and communication blackout/blockade and refusal to inspection by international observers and media, etc, etc. To add insult to injury, the extremist government of Narindera Modi crossed all the constitutional limits of its own constitution, against the norms of natural justice, UN resolutions and other international laws and conventions including the 4th Geneva Convention, to consolidate its forcible occupation of IIOJ&K. Modi government felt no remorse in its constitutionally unconstitutional step of repeal of Articles 370 and 35 A by way of which it has tried to virtually undo the UNSC resolution on self-determination. As if it were not enough, Modi Sarkar has gone to the farthest end by allowing non-Kashmiris' and foreigners' settlements inside the Valley. It is yet another brutal attempt to trample the right to live of the Kashmiri people, relying on the use of naked military might and strong Indian nexuses with countries having a say in the global affairs. These nexuses have worked incessantly to the detriment of the Kashmir cause and obviously to the advantage of Indian authorities enjoying connections and clout in many a capital of major powers and key players on the global chessboard. Pakistan now seems to have geared up to combat these negative and inhuman networks that stand in sheer conflict with the universal principles of peaceful coexistence.

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

Get vaccinated to remain safe from fast sPreadinG omicron variant, says asad Umar KP flour millers set one-week deadline for acceptance of demands PESHAWAR Aziz Buneri

Flour millers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have set a week-deadline for acceptance of demands, otherwise they will compel to shut down mills and go for indefinite strike across the province. Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club, the Pakistan Flour Mills Association Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter chairman Sabir Ahmad Bangash said despite the unfavorable conditions and financial constraints, the flour mill industry has played a pivotal role in the provision of food requirements in the province. He said if we hold a comparative analysis about Bardan or plastic bag in the whole country, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa policy has completely different from Punjab and Sindh because bardana or wheat bag is being issued at Rs4875/- as compared to price of wheat along with Bardana bag Rs5025/- and along with plastic bag from Rs4969 to Rs5064.20. Hence, for the obvious difference, the association president said the ex-mill rate in all three provinces is fixed at Rs1075/- On one hand, he added the mills were provided wheat at highest rates while mills/production cost has been increased manifold owing to rising prices of petrol, diesel and inflation, saying that flour mill industry has confronted with severe crisis situations. Therefore, he said, it was completely unfair and unjust of the provincial government, minister and food department to not give wheat to KP mills at equal rates of Punjab and Sindh. Flanked the association group leader, Muhammad Naeem Butt, divisional chairmans and millers, Mr Bangash informed the food department had issued 25 day quota but in month of December same quote was being issued despite 31 days of this month. He added the flour shortage created in the open market owing to nonprovision of wheat quota to mills continuously on two days that also surged up a 20-kg flour bag from Rs100-150 per bag in the local market. The Association president elaborated that KP flour mills provided 5500 metric ton quota of wheat per month against the total requirements 12000 metric ton per month to feed the whole population in the province, and the current quota is insufficient to prevent KP from crisis situations, he added. The PFMA provincial chief condemned the collection of Fuel Price Adjustment (FPA) from electricity bills, terming it as a sheer violation of the 18th constitutional amendment, unfair and unacceptable. Bangash Ahmad urged the Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, and Minister for Food, Atif Khan to ensure provision of wheat along with Bardana to flour mills, which was given to flour mills in Punjab and Sindh in order to ensure flour to people at a cheap rate in the province. The flour millers warned the demands were not accepted within the next one week [till January 11, 2022], they will shut down mills and start strike for indefinite period.

ISLAMABAD

stAff report

INISTER for Planning and chief of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar Wednesday warned people at large against fast spread of Omicron variant, asking the unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. Addressing a press conference here, the planning minister said people should take precautions in the wake of its spread. “Wearing masks and compliance with SOPs are important, but the most impor-

tant protection against the virus is vaccination,” said Umar who was flanked by PM’s health aide Dr Faisal Sultan. According to Umar, the Covid-19 vaccines play a major role against the virus. He said the rate of hospitalisation in the UK and US was lower than in South Africa – where the variant first emerged in November – because of the higher vaccination rate. In South Africa, within a few weeks, the cases rose from 116 to 25,000, said Umar, adding that along with 3,500pc increase in infections, the hospitalisation rate jumped to 700pc. In the US, there was 400pc increase in

the cases while the hospitalisation rate increased only to 92pc. Similarly, in the UK, there was 134pc increase in hospitalisation rate, whereas the infection rate jumped to 300pc. The lower rate of hospitalisation in the US and UK pointed towards the efficacy of vaccines against the deadly variant. In Pakistan, the positivity rate rose from 0.7 to 1.8pc in mere two weeks, he said, adding that after the emergence of Omicron, cases increased threefold. He said Karachi recorded 940pc increase in corona infections as a result of Omicron whereas Lahore reported 193pc spike in 10-12 days.

Senate Chairman launches Chinese enterprises report ISLAMABAD MiAn ABrAr

Pakistan-China Institute (PCI) and AllPakistan Chinese Enterprises Association (APCEA) launched the annual ‘APCEA Sustainable Development Report 2021’ during an event organized at the Chinese Embassy here. The event was attended by over 100 participants and featured five speeches, including the Chief Guest, Sadiq Sanjrani, Chairman Senate of Pakistan, Yang Jiandou, Chairman APCEA, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Senate Defence Committee & Pakistan-China Institute, Khalid Mansoor, Special Assistant to PM on CPEC Economic Minister Xie Guoxiang and Nong Rong, Ambassador of China to Pakistan. APCEA represents 200 Chinese Companies working in Pakistan. Speakers also welcomed the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister to China early February, as it would strengthen the bilateral bond. Hailing the launch of the report as a good step towards enhancing the understanding of work being done by Chinese enterprises in Pakistan, the speakers appreciated the role of APCEA and PCI for documenting the report which will serve to promote facts and information regarding the role of Chinese enterprises in Pakistan. Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in his keynote speech said that through this report, the people will learn more about CPEC and the opportunities being created by Chinese enterprises in Pakistan. Terming CPEC as a game changer, he said the project will create trade linkages and economic opportunities in the whole region. Moreover, he said that after overhauling the infrastructure and alleviating the energy crisis in the first phase, CPEC Phase two will initiate an

era of industrialization in the country. To harness the opportunities brought by the second phase, he advocated for enhancing communication with Chinese enterprises. He urged APCEA to closely coordinate with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Chairman Senate Defence Committee & Pakistan-China Institute said that APCEA report will serve the purpose of presenting facts and nullifying the fiction being propagated by the adversaries of China about CPEC. He pointed towards the recently passed “Strategic Competition Act” by the US Senate through which the US has allocated $300 million for a “Countering China Influence Fund”. Against this backdrop, he advised the companies to brace themselves for any disinformation campaigns. He also lauded the upcoming development related to slashing of the long bureaucratic red tape of 37 rules and regulations and said that it would facilitate and ease the work of Chinese enterprises. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed criticized the boycott of Beijing Olympics by certain Western Countries as biased and based on double standards. He said 2022 is the year of Pakistan’s Platinum Jubilee, in which Pakistan-China ties have always been Center-stage. Ambassador Nong Rong said that last year, China and Pakistan held series of celebrations to reinvigorate their time tested friendship as it marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Both sides have supported each other in their fight against the global pandemic and pushed forward high quality development of CPEC. He said China had invested over $25 billion in Pakistan on CPEC projects generating 75,000 jobs, producing 5500 kw of electricity and

building over 500 kilometers of roads and highways. Khalid Mansoor, Special Assistant to PM on CPEC, said that he has seen at first hand the difference being created by the work of Chinese enterprises in Pakistan. Through CPEC, the dream of Thar Coal energy became a reality. CPEC Authority, he said, is working tirelessly to remove any bottlenecks which may emerge during the execution of CPEC projects. He said the Prime Minister had ordered the removal of 37 regulations for a one window operation for foreign investors and the Prime Minister personally would be taking briefings on CPEC projects progress every 15 days. . Minister Counselor of Economic Affairs of Chinese Embassy Xie Guoxiang said the trade and economic cooperation between two countries has been further cemented since the start of CPEC. Chinese enterprises, he maintained, have done marvelous work which can be clearly seen in the report being launched on Wednesday. Yang Jiandou, Chairman APCEA said that Chinese enterprises have pursued sustainable development strategies in Pakistan and their role is not limited to building motorways and constructing power projects. The Chinese enterprises have improved people’s livelihood, implemented eco-friendly development, joined hands with Pakistani counterparts to fight pandemic and helped in developing local education. Moreover, he said that the leadership of APCEA has been committed to enhance the connectivity between Chinese enterprises and the local business bodies. The report launching was attended by a packed audience representing CEO of Chinese enterprises, including Senator Kauda Baber from Baluchistan.

Umar warned that the cases will increase further if no precautionary measures were taken. Vaccines are very important to contain the virus, he said while imploring people to get jabs. Speaking to reporters, Dr Faisal Sultan said vaccinated people, especially the elderly men and women, are less prone to severe illness as per the data compiled by the NCOC. In order to protect themselves against the virus, the health adviser urged people to get a second dose if they have not. He said people aged 30 and above are also eligible for a booster dose if their second dose was administered at least six months ago.

Plea seeking medical board to determine Zahir Jaffer’s mental status dismissed ISLAMABAD news desk

An additional sessions court under Judge Ata Rabbani on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking the formation of a medical board to determine Zahir Jaffer’s, the main accused, mental status in Noor Mukadam’s murder case. Arguments were completed in the court earlier today regarding Zahir’s request and judge Rabbani reserved the judgement after arguments of the parties were heard. Plaintiff’s lawyer Shah Khawar, Public Prosecutor Hassan Abbas and the primary accused’s lawyer Sikandar Zulqarnain Saleem put forth the arguments. The counsel of plaintiff Shaukat Mukadam – the father of Noor – had requested the court to reject the request. Khawar also submitted the written arguments in court. He maintained that Zahir Jaffer has been appearing in the court for remand and trials at various times, and reiterated that his petition claiming mental illness should be rejected. Shaukat Mukadam’s statement was not heard in the court and he was summoned by the court on January 15 to record his statement. Public Prosecutor Hassan Abbas presented arguments and references before the court, maintaining that the accused’s signature on the petition is not power of attorney and hence, not even admissible. “The lawyer who filed the case is a state councillor,” the prosecutor said. He further stated that after reading the charge, Jaffer had questioned why Section 201 was imposed on him and then signed it. The main accused had been counselling children at a local school, the prosecutor informed the court, reiterating his plea to reject Zahir’s request for the formation of a medical board.

People Magazine declares Pakistani-American entrepreneur ‘Man of the Year for 2021 in Pakistan’ KARACHI inp

Leading lifestyle and global publication People has declared Danial Schon as 2021’s ‘Man of the Year’ in Pakistan for his global entrepreneurship and contribution to Pakistan’s economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Pakistani-American entrepreneur Danial H Schon is credited for his achievements in philanthropy and business during the year which showed qualities of resilience, in line with the Year 2021 where the world got out of the COVID pandemic with vaccinations and bounced back. Dedicating a front cover to the entrepreneur, the People Pakistan has described Danial Schon as a “resilient, intelligent, sharp and compassionate man” who has saw ups and downs in business but continued to invest and grow.

The monthly magazine interviewed the entrepreneur over six pages, following him at iconic London locations to film him for the cover title and the pages. Danial Schon, Overseas Pakistani entrepreneur, resides in Central London and divides his time between Pakistan, America, UK and Middle East where his businesses operate. People Magazine said it has picked up Danial Schon for the prestigious “Man of The Year” title due to his business and civil contribution including getting involved in philanthropic work to help businesses and entrepreneurs grow, along with all other efforts linked to supporting education. Danial Schon, 38, shared his life story with the magazine; what it takes to do business in the West, how to be successful in life, how to grow business and why he sees potential in the Pakistani economy.

After receiving the recognition, Danial Schon posted, “All Praise is for Allah. I am Humbled and honored to be given this title of Man of the Year by People Magazine in Pakistan. I Have tried to be sincere, honest, and worked hard all my life. Like any businessman, I’ve had successes and failures along the way but with pure intentions I have always tried to be resilient and extremely positive in life. As an entrepreneur, my intention is to try and improve society around me. Adding value, jobs, assisting in philanthropic activities where I can and working to create prosperity.” He told the magazine that the fundamentals of success in business are “perseverance and extreme optimism”, powered by a positive outlook at life. He shared that he had started doing business when in school and has not looked back since then. Danial Schon said: “I started two

CMYK

businesses in college and when I graduated, I started a real estate brokerage company. The company did extremely well, and it made over $25 Million on my first deal which kickstarted my career. The family business has been started by my father and uncle, and I try to support wherever I can”. He said their key to success for Schon Group was working hard and being different and ahead of the competition. That hard work made them the largest exporter of Pakistan in textiles. “From there, they grew into Airlines, Banking, Modaraba, Fiber Production, Fertilizers, and Property Development. In 1996, they expanded the operation internationally and in 2015, Schon Group restructured and now acts as a Private Family Office globally. The Group is a debt-free entity, which is a huge benefit in cyclical times like the COVID Pandemic which just came.”

06-07 Comments - 6th January 2022_Layout 1 1/5/2022 11:42 PM Page 1

Thursday, 6 January, 2022

06 COMMENT

PML-N’s demand for an Awami Mandate

Scrutiny Committee report A challenge to the PTI’s claims

RIMe Minister Imran Khan has finally welcomed the eCP ‘s scrutiny of the PTI’s funding. he claims that the more the PTI’s accounts are scrutinized, the more factual clarity will emerge for showing his party the only one in the country with a proper donor base premised on proper political fundraising. Many will welcome his statement which accepts the challenge posed by the Scrutiny Committee’s report. One would also agree that there should be a similar eCP scrutiny into the funding of the other two major political parties, the PPP and PML(N), which should be given sufficient time to defend their financial statements as was done in the case of the PTI. had the PTI cooperated with the eCP when a petition by Akbar S Babar accusing Mr Khan of being involved in malpractices in foreign fundings was lodged in 2014, the matter would have been settled in a year or so. What is more, the scrutiny of the accounts of other parties, particularly the PPP and PML(N), too would have been completed years back. The PTI instead resorted to delaying tactics which created a perception that it wanted to cover up some wrongdoings. These included changing the PTI’s counsel, seeking delays, and calling into question the eCP’s authority to hear the case regarding the party’s financial matters. This consumed seven years. More recently it asked the eCP to keep the scrutiny report confidential which was interpreted as an attempt to hide facts from the public. The findings of the scrutiny committee support some of the apprehensions. The report confirms that the party received funding from foreign nationals and companies. Further that the PTI under-reported funds and concealed dozens of its bank accounts, disclosing only 12 accounts out of 77. Further, it denied access to its accounts in Canada and New Zealand. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has termed the report “inaccurate” he claimed that there were two relevant transactions of Rs150m and Rs160m, which had been duplicated and therefore counted twice by the committee. Minister Asad Umar claims that the PTI had the most transparent process of receiving funds as everything was documented. The PTI is within its right to challenge the conclusions drawn in the report at the hearings beginning from January 18. It is for the eCP to finally pass the judgment after listening to all side.

After all those manipulated mandates

Dr FariD a Malik

NDeeD democracy is the best revenge as stated by Benazir Bhutto who was rightly called the link between all the four provinces (Subon ki Zanjeer). A party that was created to neutralize the ‘ Awami Mandate ‘of Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is now demanding the same after 36 years (1985 to 2021). In the checkered political history of Pakistan, only one election, that held in 1970, remains credible; all others have been disputed. The government that emerged was rightly called ‘Awami hakumat’ (People’s Government), a government that served the people with honesty and dedication. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB) was so overconfident of the performance of his team that he decided to hold elections a year ahead of schedule in early 1977. Good governance was the hallmark of ZAB’s regime mainly because of proper paperwork and follow-up. Files were kept moving, bureaucrats could not hide behind documents and complicated anti-`people procedures. A manual National Identity Card (NIC) scheme was introduced together with a policy of generic medicine and effective passport reforms. In order to achieve absolute control of the legislature, rigging was alleged about the 1977 electoral contest which then led to a combined opposition movement under the banner of the Pakistan National Alliance. The fall of the ‘ Awami hakumat ‘ derailed the entire democratic process and pushed the Islamic Republic of Pakistan into the ‘Zia Dark Ages ‘. Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif of Gawalmandi and his party was created to neutralize the ‘Awami Mandate; now it desperatley seeks what it destroyed in the first place.

The politics of audio leaks The latest leak raises questions about PML(N) media management, but also about the direction of politics

Mubashir husain rehMani

he human quest for scientific knowledge results in expanding the body of knowledge. Looking at the fascinating scientific inventions, complex theories, and discoveries, one may be awe-inspired with the wonders of science and nature. Science helps us to understand nature and its underlying governing principles. Are these scientific discoveries, inventions, and theories reported on Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, or any other social media platforms? No, of course not. These complex theories, discoveries, scientific inventions, theoretical and experimental results are generally reported in scientific research papers which are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Looking back to 2019-20, the whole of humanity suffered from covid-19. Countries were locked down, and travel restrictions were in place. Billions of people were affected and millions died. Scientists who are working on virology (the domain of Science in which we study viruses) put their full efforts to understand this virus. Thanks to researchers and scientists who developed mRNA and other variants of vaccines for the cure of the coronavirus. Before such vaccines were used publicly, scientists performed extensive experimentation and once approved by the medical regulatory bodies, these vaccines were rolled-out. The experimentation results were reported in scientific journals: for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, results were published in Nature, and for the Oxford AstraZenica vaccine, results were published in The Lancet. In 1953, James D. Watson and Francis Crick published a one-page research paper in Nature, showing the structure of DNA – double helix - through a diagram. This single one-page research paper changed the world of biology and led to the human quest for search to the next level. This research of Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins led them to win Nobel Prize in 1962 in Physiology or Medicine “for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material.” Pakistan’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project, sup-

Arif Nizami (Late) Founding Editor

Yousaf Nizami Umar Aziz

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Yes, an ‘Awami Mandate’ is the way forward but not through the ‘Master Manipulators’ of the past. That is why the PML(N) is not in favour of an in-house change, it wants to come into power with an absolute majority for the third time with the help of another manipulated electoral contest taking its tally to five ‘ Manipulated Mandates’ (1985, 1990, 1997, 2013, 2023).

How research papers contribute to human advancement

Dedicated to the legacy of late Hameed Nizami

M. A. Niazi

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was denied its due share in Parliament. After his recovery from the fall, Imran Khan demanded scrutiny of only four constituencies. Serious election irregularities were reported. While three PML(N) stalwarts were unseated by the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) the fourth (Khawaja Asif) barely survived on a technical delay. With its history of reaching the corridors of power through manipulated mandates, the PML(N) now demands an ‘Awami Mandate ‘ which seems like a cruel joke. The Common Law was legislated to protect the rights of the common man, not the individuals holding powerful public offices, the requirement of ‘Innocent unless proven guilty’ does not apply to them. The Napoleonic Code’s ‘Guilty unless proven innocent’ applies to all the elected representatives, who must come clean or go home. Conviction for white collar crimes through the current legal system is almost impossible. The PML(N) men have succeeded in delaying the cases against them through adjournments on flimsy grounds. It’s a stalemate, neither conviction nor exoneration such accused individuals should not be allowed to contest elections till they come clean. Yes, an ‘Awami Mandate’ is the way forward but not through the ‘Master Manipulators’ of the past. That is why the PML(N) is not in favour of an inhouse change, it wants to come into power with an absolute majority for the third time with the help of another manipulated electoral contest taking its tally to five ‘ Manipulated Mandates’ (1985, 1990, 1997, 2013, 2023). Fortunately public memory is not that short, they just need to be reminded occasionally which is not being done effectively. The ‘Memory Joggers ‘ have to be activated and put into action. The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail.com.

Importance of research papers in science

he latest audio clip doing the rounds shows PML(N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz discussing the Nawaz government’s coverage with then Information Minister Pervez Rashid. It is almost as if this was a reply to the audio leak purportedly showing then Chief Justice Saqib Nisar telling a judge that Mian Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam were to be kept behind bars. This audio is disturbing enough in that it shows an unelected person discussing with a minister the merits of persons and organisations his ministry deals with, burt is given a more sinister context when it is remembered that a previous leak showed them discussing governmental advertisement policy. Governments for decades have made no bones about the fact that would reward favourable coverage. however, the PML(N) has taken to criticizing the government for its curbs on the freedom of press. The leak shows that it did the same thing when in office, and the difference is merely one of degree. There are some logistical issues raised. how was the recording made? Is it not possible for two people to have a conversation without some third person not just listening in, but recording? And for that recording to turn up years later? Is it possible that the two parties which are receiving the leaks are both being manipulated by the shadowy forces that installed the original taps? There is the larger issue of how to stop this degeneration of politics, where audio leaks and video leaks take precedent over rallies and speeches. Time was, the pronouncement of a political leader at a rally would convulse the entire country. Now it seems, such statements are merely punctuation for leaks and secret meetings. either politicians will paralyze themselves making sure that all their actions and conversations are innocuous, or they will become brazen and unashamed in private. either way, the country will lose.

Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

As an imposed political entity, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has always tried to camouflage its ‘manipulated mandate with the Awami Manmdate which it never had. MNS emerged after the 1985 partyless elections conducted by the third usurper. First he was inducted as Chief Minister of the largest province through the back door. As CM he started to induct his loyalists into the administrative and judicial machinery of the state, defying merit and due process. In the 1988 elections the Benazir Bhutto-led PPP, despite its clear victory, was denied the powerful slot of CM Punjab. As a duly elected Prime Minister, she was cornered by the establishment with the active connivance of the PML(N). President Ishaq Khan, the political mentor of MNS, dismissed the government of Benazir paving the way for MNS to reach the centre. The Awami Mandate came under attack with the help of the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI). Through a manipulated mandate in the 1990 elections, Nawaz was launched as PM while Ghulam haider WSyne was inducted as CM Punjab. The Sharifs started building their empire. When Ishaq Khan as President tried to intervene by dismissing his government, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) restored his regime. The ensuing crisis resulted in the resignation of both the President and PM, thus ending the political career of Baboo-e-Azam Ishaq Khan. In the 1997 electoral contest, Nawaz emerged as PM with an absolute two-thirds majority through another ‘manipulated mandate. It was during this term that the Supreme Court of Pakistan came under attack. Farooq Leghari as President was made to resign followed by the sacking of the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Jehangir Karamat. With control of Parliament Nawaz tried to declare himself ‘ Khalifa ‘ or ‘ Ameer-ul-Momineen ‘ of the Islamic State. Through a ‘ Manipulated Mandate ‘ MNS succeeded in becoming the PM for the third time in 2013 again with a total control of the legislature. he announced his election victory while votes were still being counted.

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

ported by United Nations environment Programme (UNeP), is a response to climate change and Ozone layer depletion. The discovery of the Antarctic Ozone hole by Joe C. Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin in 1985 was reported in a research paper published in Nature. Current communication systems are based on the theoretical foundations laid by Claude e. Shannon (also known as the father of information theory). he wrote a pioneering research paper published in Bell Systems Technical journal in 1948 on the mathematical theory of communication. This was one of the highly cited papers in communications. The higgs Boson, an elementary particle, was one of the greatest discoveries in science. It was discovered by ATLAS and CMS experiments at Large hadron Collider (LhC) at CeRN, Geneva, Switzerland. This discovery was reported in a research paper published by elsevier Physics Letters B journal. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine `in 1984 was given to Niels K. Jerne, Georges J. F. Köhler, and César Milstein “for theories concerning the specificity in development and control of the immune system and the discovery of the principles for production on monoclonal antibodies.” Again this discovery of antibodies was reported in a research paper published in 1975 in Nature. In the world of computers and the Internet,the TCP/IP protocol suite is the set of communication protocols that helps run the Internet and make computers communicate with each other. It was co-developed by Vinton G. Cerf and Bob Kahn (both of them are recognized as fathers of the Internet). One of the pioneering research papers about TCP/IP was published in IEEE Transactions on Communications in 1974 and the other one was published in the elsevier Computer Networks journal in 1983. Paul Mockapetris, with whom I had a chance to interact when he was a visiting research fellow at LIP6 - Sorbonne University, France, is the inventor of the Domain Name System (DNS). DNS was introduced in RFC 882 and 883 in 1983, and later details were published in ACM SIGCOMM Computer Communication Review in 1995. As pointed out by one recent study published in Nature Index, journals such as Physical Review Letters, Astrophysical Journal, Science, and Nature are

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

the journals in the domain of physics which published a large proportion of Nobel Prize-winning research papers. In simple words, if we collect the papers which received the Nobel Prize in Physics from 1995 to 2017, then 50 percent of Nobel Prize-winning research papers are published in these four journals. This clearly confirms that even Nobel Prize-winning research is reported in research papers published in top quality scientific journals and these are not merely “personal publications”, in fact, these “personal publications” provide the foundations of science. These aforementioned examples are sufficient to show the importance of research papers in science. even science itself cannot flourish without scientific research papers. Publishing in top quality scientific journals means researchers and scientists are conducting top quality research of technical worth, having an impact on society. Publishing research papers in top quality scientific journals is not an easy game. If we want to increase the quality of research and nurture scientific knowledge in Pakistani society, we need to give due importance to scientific research papers both at academic and government level, provide an enabling environment and encourage researchers and scientists to publish in top quality scientific journals. These top quality fieldspecific scientific journals can be identified through Clarivate Journal Citation Report (JCR) – which annually publishes the list of scientific journal rankings. Sadly, if a minority of scientists and researchers are conducting unethical practices in scientific research and publishing sub-standard research papers (has not been adding to the body of scientific knowledge) then we should not generalize this by denying all the scientific research papers and scientific journals. There is a dire need to enhance efforts of education and public engagement (ePe) activities. In some european countries, it is essential for scientists and researchers to communicate their research in easy words to the general public and educate the masses. The same can be done here and this will result in scientific attitude development in our nation. We, as a nation, should encourage quality research and discourage unfair and unethical means of publishing scientific research papers. The writer teaches Computer Science at Munster Technological University (MTU), Ireland, and tweets @MRehmani

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

06-07 Comments - 6th January 2022_Layout 1 1/5/2022 11:43 PM Page 2

Thursday, 6 January, 2022

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

Toxicity of Carbofuran

Thank You Putin, Well Done! When ‘freedom of expression’ is no excuse Mehjabin banu

USSIAN President Vladimir Putin has been praised by millions of devout Muslims around the world. “If anyone insults the prophet of Islam, it will not be considered freedom of expression,” he said. At a time when insults to the Prophet of Islam have become fashionable in today’s world, Putin’s bold utterances have taken everyone by surprise. he has won the hearts of Muslims at the moment. Muslims love their beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) more than their own lives. Whatever the purpose of insulting the Prophet of Islam, Muslims can never accept it. One of the causes of violence in the world is insulting the Prophet. It is a powerful tool to provoke the emotions of Muslims. It is a poisonous knife in the politics of global division through Islamophobia that has created unrest in the peaceful world. Over the past few years, it has become an epidemic. At such a moment, Putin’s speech has brought peace to the wounded hearts of Muslims. That is why Vladimir Putin is floating in the overwhelming praise of those who were outraged by the insult to the Prophet .(PBUh). “Freedom of expression is a sign of respect for the people around you,” Putin said. The BBC quoted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan as welcoming Putin’s remarks, saying “this is an echo of my message that insulting the Prophet Muhammad is not freedom of expression.” When the news was published on TRT World, Imran Khan said on his Twitter link that in order to fight Islamophobia, we Muslims, especially Muslim leaders, must spread this message to the leaders of the non-Muslim world. Russia’s state-run news agency Tass quoted the BBC as saying Putin said insulting the Prophet of Islam (PBUh) was a violation of religious freedom. he further added that insulting the Prophet of Islam (PBUh) is tantamount to hurting the sacred feelings of the followers of Islam. In this context, he mentioned the attack on the office of the magazine which published cartoons of the Prophet of Islam (PBUh) in France. he criticized the French magazine Charlie Hebdo for publishing an arrogant caricature of the Prophet of Islam (PBUh), saying such actions had created extremism. Criticizing France and other european countries without naming them, Putin said Muslims in european countries should show respect for their religious sentiments and passions. “There is a limit to freedom of speech,” he said. We should not go beyond the boundaries of other religions. People of several religions live together in Russia. We should respect each other’s religious freedom and customs.” This is the first time a non-Muslim world leader has spoken out after Turkish President Recep Tayyip erdogan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and several other Muslim leaders. And this is the first time that a world leader has publicly criticized the presumptuous behaviour in France. That is why the Muslims are congratulating him sincerely and he is floating in exuberant praise. Muslims cannot accept any insult of their Prophet (PBUh) in any way. Whether one prays

or not, whether one fasts or not, no one can accept the insult of the Prophet (PBUh). Wherever there is arrogance towards the Prophet (PBUh) in the world, Muslims see it as an attack on themselves. Putin’s remarks remind us again of Charlie Hebdo’s filth. It came to the forefront of worldwide discussion in 2006 with a reprint of a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUh). Protests erupted around the world. After a long hiatus, in 2012 the newspaper again published insulting pictures of the Prophet (PBUh). After that, the magazine started publishing one insulting picture after another. In this context, the newspaper was attacked in 2014. The newspaper then moved its office from its original location and resumed publishing from another location. In 2015, they again published insulting pictures of the Prophet. In response, the newspaper was attacked again. Pointing to this, Putin said that such actions have created extremism. Protests erupted in many Muslim countries in 2005 when a Danish newspaper published a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUh). The newspaper tried to make the publication of the cartoon an issue of freedom of expression. In 2006, some Swedish websites began publishing cartoons in the name of freedom of expression. Those websites are told to remove these cartoons. The matter was taken to court. Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds resigned. There were allegations against him, that he ordered the removal of the cartoons from websites, which was contrary to freedom of expression. Most european governments, even if they want to, cannot stop their media from publishing cartoons because of the so-called freedom of expression. Insulting the Prophet of Islam in the name of freedom of speech in europe is not just a fashion; Rather, it can be said that it has transcended the limits of the epidemic and turned into an epidemic. Proof of this is the display of insulting caricatures of the Prophet (PBUh) in France in 2020. French President Macron then hurled a series of 12 controversial cartoons at Muslims, hurting their religious feelings. Despite protests from around the world, Macron boasted that France would not withdraw the caricature. On the contrary, such cartoons will continue to be published. Insult to the Prophet of Islam (PBUh) in the name of freedom of expression is not limited to europe; On the contrary, this epidemic is also present in Bangladesh. Ninety percent of people are Muslims in this country. Occasionally, in the

name of freedom of speech a class of disgusting free-minded claimants of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUh) uttered insulting poison. They try to disturb the peaceful environment of this country. hurting the religious feelings of others can never be freedom of expression. Although Putin was the first to make such a statement as A leader of the non-Muslim world, it has long been said in europe that the arrogant behavioUr of Muslims towards the Prophet is not freedom of expression. In 2011, a court in Austria fined a woman 480 kronor for insulting the Prophet (PBUh). The woman appealed to the european Court of human Rights, saying her sentence violated freedom of expression. The european Court of human Rights ruled in favour of the sentence, saying that Muslims’ arrogant behaviour towards the Prophet (PBUh) was not freedom of expression. Because it spreads hatred. The ruling was announced in 2018 by a seven-member european Court in Strasbourg, France Not only the Muslim Ummah, but everyone around the world is looking with respect at the recent speech of the Russian President. he made the remarks in a global context in which conflicts and conflicts between different religions and cultures continue to erupt, with europe calling the events in response “extremism.” This is the first time a non-Muslim leader has spoken out against hurting the religious feelings of Muslims. What President Putin has said is in the hearts of Muslims around the world. Islam is not a religion of terror. So, Muslims are not terrorists either. Islam came to the world to suppress terrorism. Muslims are a peace-loving nation. The proof is that Muslims around the world have shown extreme patience despite the killing of Muslims during the Friday prayers in Christchurch, New Zealand. In retaliation, they did not resort to any form of violence. But the heinous act of inciting these peace-loving Muslims has been repeated time and again. Today, if this vile act in the name of freedom of expression or freedom of speech is stopped all over the world, the extremism seen in the world will be greatly reduced. We should think a little about Putin’s statement. At a time when the insanity of insulting the Prophet of Islam in the name of freedom of expression is rampant in europe, I thank Putin for his bold statement that “insulting the Prophet of Islam cannot be called freedom of expression.” Putin’s remarks could play a key role in our conviction, the establishment of world peace and the elimination of extremism.

We should think a little about Putin’s statement. At a time when the insanity of insulting the Prophet of Islam in the name of freedom of expression is rampant in Europe, I thank Putin for his bold statement that “insulting the Prophet of Islam cannot be called freedom of expression.” Putin’s remarks could play a key role in our conviction, the establishment of world peace and the elimination of extremism

The writer is a freelance columnist

PeSTICIDeS are the only hazardous substances that are intentionally discharged in a significant amount into the environment. The accumulation of these contaminants in different body organs, eggs, and prey samples of avian species has been reported worldwide. Carbamates, organophosphates, and organochlorines are commonly used pesticides. Organophosphates have been used extensively as pesticides for forty years and form an important category of pesticides. Organophosphates are generally known for their neurotoxic effects, particularly in insects, but they also induce other conditions, including rhabdomyopathy, delayed neuropathy, immunotoxicity, and teratogenicity. Carbofuran belongs to the anticholinesterase carbamate group and commonly being practiced in the agriculture sector. Due to its widespread use in agriculture, water, air, and food is being contaminated, resulting in an adverse impact on humans, the wild, and the aquatic ecosystem. Currently, carbofuran is primarily involved in malicious poisoning. We conducted an experiment in which 150 eggs were collected from different nests (50 eggs/breeding heronry) located in Kot hara Punjabi, Gondlanwala, and the Daska region of Punjab. Also, 200 cattle egrets were reared for six months at experimental units of the university of veterinary and animal sciences, Ravi Campus, Pattoki. The birds were divided into seven groups; group A: captured from Kot hara Punjabi, group B: captured from Gondlanwala, group C: captured from Daska, group D: carbofuran treated (0.03 mg/L), group e: carbofuran treated (0.02 mg/L), group F: carbofuran treated (0.01 mg/L), group G: non-exposed to any pesticide (negative control). Parameters including drug residue analysis, hematology, serum biochemistry profile analysis, immune response detection through cytokines analysis, egg quality parameters, micrometry of immune organ, and histopathological analysis of immune organs. It was investigated that carbofuran exposure to cattle egret may result in hemolysis of red blood cells, decreased packed cell volume, increased mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and decreased mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, leukocytosis, lymphopenia, eosinophilia, and increased heterophils (%), increased liver and renal parameters, decreased interferon-gamma and interleukin two levels, decrease in egg quality parameters, atrophy of bursa of Fabricius, spleen, and thymus accompanied by microscopic lesion induced in immune organs such as congestion, hemorrhages, necrosis, and atrophy. It can be concluded from the present study that carbofuran exposure to wild birds like cattle egrets has a potentially adverse impact on their health. Therefore, the wide use of carbofuran in the agricultural sector should be discouraged to mitigate the drastic changes in the ecosystem. DR KHALID MAHMOOD ANJUM LAHORE

Death Penalty The death penalty is capital punishment for people accused of loathsome crimes like murder, adultery, blasphemy, and others. The major purpose behind the death sentence is to reduce the crime rate and ensure public safety but its effects on criminal behaviour are still questionable. Countries all around the globe debate and question whether the death penalty should be sustained or abolished. Still, some of the countries do practice it and many have withdrawn it. The major reasons behind its withdrawal are it is against the justice system and fundamental human rights, it is irreversible and not 100% effective with many possibilities of errors. Therefore, the death penalty must not be legalized as capital punishment. Proponents of the death penalty believe that the death penalty saves public lives because the accused person can no more commit crimes. It is regarded as a lesson for other people and discourages those who intend to do any heinous crime. It creates fear among the masses for their wrongs will cause them to be condemned anyway. They think death is the only justification for violence of any kind. Besides, they assume it is a cheaper and humane act to execute people because it is expensive for them to bear the prisoner’s expenses and therefore, prefer the death penalty to other punishments like life imprisonment. however, it would be a serious mistake to disregard the other side of the coin for many reasons. First, the death penalty is portrayed as a judicial murder that justifies violence with another violence. It normalizes killing people who kill other people because killing is wrong. It is against human rights as advocated by Amnesty International (an independent worldwide organization against human rights violation), according to which 106 countries (many of the world’s states) abolished the death penalty in law for all crimes in 2019. Adding to this, 120 members of the UN voted against the death penalty last year in 2020, proving the death penalty is a severe cold-blooded punishment that needs to be abolished. Second, the rationale behind supporting the death penalty which is public safety is quite contradictory to its outcomes. The statements from the Death Penalty Information Centre indicate that in the past forty years, there have been 1,184 executions in the South compared to just four in the Northeast, and yet homicide figures in 2015 were nearly 70 percent higher in the Southern states. So, it is not the death penalty that makes any difference in public safety, but the increased number of police on roads, improved and advanced investigative tools that prevent crimes and ensure public safety. Another argument against the death penalty is the inefficiency of the justice system with greater chances of errors. Referring to George Ryan an American politician quoted, “I support the death penalty, but I also think there has to be no margin for errors”. Quite the contrary, such an err free justice system does not exist. According to new research by Death Penalty Information Centre, a total number of 185 accused people were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in the United States. It is problematic because it is irreversible and final. When a person is wrongfully sentenced to death, the vitality of human life is taken away. even if the sentenced person is at err, he must not be deprived of the chance to correct what has been wronged, to compensate and restore the loss. After all, everyone deserves a second chance with a belief of killing the negativity with positivity i.e., not choosing violence to kill violence. To sum up briefly, the death penalty is not the ultimate solution for criminal behaviour. It has failed to improve the safety of human lives. It does not address the root causes of crimes as it is considered a quick and easy way to kill the criminal but not the crime. Most importantly, it is not applied fairly due to the flawed system of justice. People are more than the worst things they have ever done because they all are capable of change. There must be a chance for rehabilitation and therefore, the death penalty must be abolished as capital punishment. FARIA MEMON SUKKUR

08 WORLD VIEW 6th January 22_Layout 1 1/5/2022 8:48 PM Page 1

Thursday, 6 January, 2022

08 WORLD VIEW

IndIa WIll coMe aparT IF secular conTracT Is Torn THE THEME OF MANY SPEECHES AT A RELIGIOUS CONCLAVE IN HARIDWAR WAS THE NEED TO ‘FINISH OFF’ MUSLIMS

tribuNE, iNdia mAnoJ JosHi

heRe is a famous Sherlock holmes story about ‘the dog that did not bark’. holmes solves the mystery by surmising that the murderer was known to the watchdog. In a like manner, we are witnessing scores of attacks, verbal and physical, on Muslims and Christians of the country. Yet, the watchdogs — those who rule the country and its law and order machinery — seem to have heard nothing. Perhaps, like the canine in the Sherlockian mystery, they are familiar and even friendly with the attackers and see no reason to bark, leave alone bite. The signs have been visible for the past few years, but the crescendo has now intensified. A week ago, brazen attempts were made to prevent Christians from observing their major celebration of Christmas. Churches have been vandalised in Karnataka, Assam and haryana. As for the Muslims, after a string of assaults and murders by the so-called cow protection groups, they are now facing open calls for their elimination. In Gurugram, a systematic campaign is on to prevent them from offering their Friday prayers. The reigning ideology of the country, hindutva, is based entirely on a semi-literate, if not illiterate, understanding of history. There is the bizarre notion that the

Muslim citizens of the republic today are somehow personally responsible for the atrocities that may have been committed by an invader or Muslim ruler hundreds of years ago. Christian charities and schools are accused of conversion, but there is no answer as to why after a century and a half of British ‘Christian’ rule, just 2 per cent of the people of this country profess that faith. Most shockingly, some of this campaign is being led by people who are camouflaging their murderous rhetoric by wearing the saffron robes of hindu renunciants. In mid-December, some of these leaders met at a religious conclave in haridwar, where the theme of many speeches was the need to ‘finish off’ Muslims. It would be easy to ignore this as the ranting of fringe hindutva elements, but it’s no longer clear whether they are the fringe or the vanguard of the hindutva. As of now, the proponents of hindutva are happy using these elements to harvest votes, but there should be no doubt that the India we know will come apart if their project proceeds further. Just look at the map. Along the periphery, there are three Christian-majority states: Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland; Arunachal Pradesh has a plurality of Christians; Indian Occupied Kashmir has Muslim majority; and Punjab is a Sikh-majority state. Worse, if threats of ethnic cleansing and mass violence are actualised, be sure that those affected will not

Why are protesters in the streets of Kazakhstan? IN THE FACE OF THE ESCALATING ANGER, THE GOVERNMENT MAY, FOR NOW, HAVE TO SHELVE ITS NOTIONS OF SWITCHING TO MARKET RULES EurasiaNEt A Kumenov & J LiLLis

he protests that began over the weekend in the western Kazakhstan town of Zhanaozen have rolled into their third day and are now spreading across the country. The demands of the crowds are sounding increasingly political, according to scant reports from the region. But they began with something very concrete: the price of liquified petroleum gas, or LPG, the fuel that many use to power their cars. What caused the spike in LPG prices? It all began with the phased transition to electronic trading for LPG that began in January 2019 and concluded on the first day of this year. The idea was to gradually end the subsidizing of prices for domestic fuel consumers and to allow the market to dictate prices instead. This means that almost all trade in LPG now happens over online trading platforms, with the exception of sales to industrial consumers in the petrochemical sector and a few other cases. This policy has, predictably enough, led to a particularly precipitous rise in costs where demand for this fuel is high. And that has been the case in Kazakhstan’s western Mangystau region. In a matter of days, prices for LPG at gas stations doubled from 60 tenge ($0.14) to 120 tenge ($0.28) per liter. The government estimates that 70-90 percent of vehicles in the region run on LPG. That is a higher proportion than in many other parts of Kazakhstan. Despite western Kazakhstan being rich in oil and gas, it is acknowledged that quality of life there is generally inferior to the capital, Nur-Sultan, and the business capital, Almaty. Roads are often poor, public amenities below standards, and because food has to be brought in over large distances, it can often end up costing more than in those richer urban centers. Fiddling with fuel prices was always bound to inspire rage. HOW HAS THE GOVERNMENT DEFENDED ITS LPG POLICY? Officials have scrambled to insist that the transition to electronic trading is not the only factor at play in Mangystau’s especially sharp price rises. energy Minister Magzum Mirzagaliyev has gone so far as to accuse gas stations in the region of price-fixing. Their mark-up on LPG sales stands at 25-50 percent, which is “higher than expected” and “gives us grounds to suspect possible price speculation among filling stations,” he said. The anti-monopoly agency is investigating. Sure enough, filling stations in Mangystau appeared to quickly respond to pressure from the government and reduced their prices for LPG to 85-90 tenge per liter as a way of mollifying the swelling

take it lying down. It is one thing to conduct ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, Serbia or Palestine, and quite another to contemplate it in India where the Muslim population is spread throughout the country and numbers over 200 million. As Naseeruddin Shah noted in a recent interview, “If it comes to the crunch, we will fight back”, and the country’s social and political fabric will be torn to tatters. Note that none of the senior RSS/BJP leaders has publicly advocated any of this. The BJP governments in various states and the Centre have walked a fine line and ensured that, barring the anti-CAA riots in January, there have been no incidents of mass communal violence since 2014. But at the same time, they have looked away from individual instances of lynching, intimidation and harassment that are enabling a climate of increasing impunity. Promoting religion by building temples is more of an opportunistic weapon to win elections than an act of religiosity. This is hindutva whose goal is political power and, where needed, they have not hesitated to build alliances with a clutch of “Christian” parties in the North-east, the Akalis in Punjab and the PDP in Indian Occupied Kashmir. The anti-Muslim card has played well in a huge chunk of the country. The Godhra incident was used to mobilise for the Gujarat elections that launched Modi’s political ca-

Joanna Lillis is a journalist based in Almaty and author of Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan. Almaz Kumenov is an Almaty-based journalist.

Manoj Joshi is the Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi.

Why is the IMF trying to be an aid agency? THERE ARE STRONG ARGUMENTS FOR REVAMPING THE FINANCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE IMF AND ITS SISTER ORGANIZATION, THE WORLD BANK

number of protesters. And then, on January 4, after talks between a government commission dispatched from Nur-Sultan to appease the demonstrators and representatives of the protesters in Aktau, an oil city near Zhanaozen where thousands of protesters have also gathered, officials announced that the price of LPG in Mangystau would be slashed once more, to 50 tenge ($0.11) per liter. That is 16 percent lower than it was before the protests began. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE OLD SYSTEM ANYWAY? This is the government’s account of things. Prior to the transition to online trading, LPG was generally sold at a loss for producers, because prices for domestic consumers were regulated by the state and set at a rate below the cost of producing the fuel. In those conditions, there was little reason to produce LPG, which in turn generated shortages. Another goal of the reform was to tackle illegal trading in LPG. Black-market operators are said to covertly export the commodity to countries where prices are significantly higher than in Kazakhstan. The government has produced data showing that the average retail price for LPG stands at 110 tenge ($0.25) per liter in Kazakhstan. That is two-thirds as much as Russians pay and around half the price LPG sells for in Kyrgyzstan. With market relations dictating prices, making and selling LPG would finally become a more attractive proposition for producers. Why, those producers will have asked themselves, were they paying 80 tenge to produce a liter of LPG in Mangystau, but only being allowed to sell it for 60 tenge? For long-term planners in Nur-Sultan, the transition to market rules was to be a cure-all. Investors in the fuel sector would now finally have enough money to refurbish aging and unproductive old plants, or maybe build new ones from scratch. And no longer would drivers endure the endless cycles of shortages. Those shortages were only due to worsen, by the way. Demand for LPG in 2021 rose by 14 percent year on year, up to 1.6 million tons – even as production remained flat. Indeed, mixed in with the raging over price rises this week, there was also fuming about deficits of the fuel. In the face of the escalating anger, the government may, for now, have to shelve its notions of switching to market rules. It’s either that, or riding it out and doing what it takes to solve the fuel sector’s intractable problems.

reer. Since then, anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions have been used to overcome caste divisions and polarise hindu votes, especially in the hindi-speaking heartland. Most hindutvavadis do implicitly, if not explicitly, support the notion of some kind of a second-class status for the minorities. But they are not aware of the price that will be paid for this. No country aspiring to be a leading economic and political power can afford to have an underclass of hundreds of millions who will, inevitably, be the source of constant social and political tension. India’s religions have a unique political sociology, as brought out by a Pew poll in June last year. Most people — hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs — are deeply conservative and prefer to be among their own when it comes to friendships, marriages and places of residence. Yet, all of them see respecting all religions as a core value. The survey found that conversions were rare. By promoting hindu nationalism as a means of gaining electoral power, the ruling party and its fringe/vanguard elements are disrupting this complex pattern without a clear idea as to where they are headed. This pattern has been fairly resilient till now. Recall that even in the high tide of Islamist radicalism in the1990s, the Indian Muslims remained largely free of the extremist virus. But today, they are being constantly hammered by discrimination and intimidation. how long they can bear the onslaught is not clear, except that the consequences of the breakdown of the Indian republic’s secular contract will not have pretty consequences.

ProjEct syNdicatE KenneTH RoGoFF

hO is going to clean up the inevitable financial mess in emerging markets if persistent inflation forces the US Federal Reserve to start raising interest rates significantly? The International Monetary Fund, normally tasked with pulling countries back from the brink, seems disenchanted with the job. Rather than embracing its traditional role of helping troubled debtor countries help themselves, the IMF has been attempting to morph into an aid agency. Of course, it is more fun to be Santa than Scrooge, and rich countries give far too little in foreign aid. I have long advocated establishing a world carbon bank to channel grants and technology. Likewise, the case for funding a restructured World health Organization to fight pandemics is compelling. But in a world where private capital flows far outweigh official lending, traditional IMF programs still have a critical role to play in mitigating and managing financial crises. That role has been abandoned during the pandemic, and re-establishing it will be difficult. handing out funding with few strings attached made sense in the initial phase of the COVID-19 crisis. But because the IMF is still very much structured as a lending agency, it eventually will have to be repaid or go bankrupt itself. To get a sense of what that might look like, consider the tensions with Argentina, which received a massive $57 billion loan in 2018 with uncharacteristically weak IMF conditions attached and is now balking at repaying. The lack of conditionality in some recent cases has been appalling. Should the IMF really be furnishing virtually unconditional loans to a government that is restricting food imports to an under-nourished population, thereby exacerbating the problems caused by the government’s own exchange-rate controls? It has done so in Nigeria in 2020. In other cases, the Fund has been extraordinarily generous in its normally cautious surveillance assessments, giving its gold seal of approval to countries with exploding debt-to-GDP ratios that stabilize only under very optimistic assumptions. The 2021 Article IV report for Ghana is a case in point. And the Fund has been even more sanguine about large

emerging markets such as Brazil and South Africa, again arguing that dealing with the pandemic is the absolute top priority, despite soaring debt levels, rising inflation, and simmering banking problems. This lack of conditionality has been by design. During the pandemic, the Fund massively expanded use of its Rapid Financing Instrument, a lending facility that does not require countries to enter into a “full-fledged” adjustment program (and that in practice requires few conditions or none at all). even more visibly, it has persuaded its members to approve an emergency issuance of $650 billion in special drawing rights (SDRs, the Fund’s reserve asset), which also have essentially no conditions. SDRs are basically direct aid that goes to every IMF member, including Russia and Iran. And yet, owing to the instrument’s arcane structure, developing economies stand to receive only a small fraction of the pot. There are strong arguments for revamping the financial structure of the IMF and its sister organization, the World Bank, so that the vast bulk of the funding they provide takes the form of outright grants, rather than loans. I have been advocating such a transformation for decades, and recently the idea has started to receive serious attention. Because the IMF is currently structured as a revolving fund, it would quickly run dry if it forgave all its loans, as some NGOs are always asking it to do. The only way this would not happen is if the advanced economies agreed to replenish the well, which they seem loathe to do. One key condition should be that IMF funds are not used simply to repay private creditors. Researchers have shown clearly that this happened during the 1980s, and again more recently. State-owned Chinese banks that charge private-market interest rates also are now a factor to consider. There should be ways to ensure that IMF loans do not go to pay off Chinese ones. There are striking parallels between a well-meaning IMF and a well-meaning Fed that now wants to foster greater equality. After long arguing that sharply rising inflation is transitory, the Fed now faces a dilemma. Unless it tightens monetary policy sufficiently over the next year (a much bigger risk than official rhetoric acknowledges), inflation could become embedded. If it tightens too fast, there will be a recession. Stagflation is also a real possibility. The IMF similarly needs to pivot in its core surveillance functions. The dire plight of emerging markets and developing economies commands great sympathy, but the IMF is not the World Bank, which really is an aid agency. Instead, forceful IMF conditionality is essential to establish financial stability and ensure that its resources do not end up financing capital flight, repayments to foreign creditors, or domestic corruption. The pandemic is not going away; nor should the traditional IMF. Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University and recipient of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics, was the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2003.

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 | LAHORE

NEWS

corporate corner Integration completed between USC and NBP for Ehsaas Rashan Riayat

CHINA PROvIDES BIOGAS DIGESTERS TO HOUSEHOLDS IN PAKISTAN FOR WASTES RECYCLING BEIJING

ISLAMABAD: Senator Dr. Sania Nishtar, SAPM together with MD Utility Stores Corporation (USC), Taha Aziz Magrabi visited a Utility Store in G-6 Islamabad to field test the integration of data and Point of Sales (PoS) systems between Ehsaas, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and USC under the Ehsaas Rashan Riayat programme. At the Utility Store, Dr. Sania witnessed the first transaction and met with the first cohort of beneficiaries who were declared eligible under the testing phase, after they enrolled for Ehsaas Rashan through 8171. Through the newly integrated system, the eligibility of the buyers was verified, and they were able to avail subsidy on the purchase of flour, cooking oil, ghee and pulses. “It is very encouraging to see the successful system and data integration which is a result of the hard work of USC, NBP and Ehsaas teams. This is, in fact, a great milestone. The integrated Point of Sale system will enable the USC to pass on the Ehsaas Rashan subsidies to eligible families”, said Dr. Sania. Adding further, she said, “Work under the Ehsaas Rashan programme is underway, registration and scrutiny of applicants is ongoing and very soon the Ehsaas Rashan subsidies will be available through a network of Utility Stores of Corporation and NBP authorized Kiryana stores all over the country.” With the launch of Rashan Riayat, close to 4000 locations of Utility Stores will go live on the same day. The beneficiaries will follow the same check out experience as they do at any other NBP enabled Kiryana store i.e. CNIC and cell phone. To make it easy for the customers Utility Stores will also have the signboard “Ehsaas Rashan Riayat” displayed. MD Utility Stores said that the Ehsaas Rashan subsidies will also be operationalized shortly through a network of Utility Stores all over the country. Under the Rs. 120 billion programme, a subsidy of Rs. 1,000 a month will be granted to each of 20 million eligible families on the purchase of flour, pulses, cooking oil and ghee. Captain (Rtd) Saeed Ahmed Nawaz, Additional Secretary Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division; Gul Bahar Khan, General Manager NBP; Hisham Jan Kiani, Regional Head North NBP; and senior officials of Utility stores including GM Store Operations, GM IT, Zonal Manager, Regional Manager Islamabad and Manager Coordination were also present. PR

Passing out parade of aero apprentices, held at PAF Airmen Academy, Korangi Creek

Passing out Parade of Aero Apprentices was held at PAF Airmen Academy, Korangi Creek, Karachi today. Air Marshal Zulfiqar Ahmed Qureshi, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff (Training), was the Chief Guest at the occasion. Earlier on arrival, Air Vice Marshal Zubair Hassan Khan, Air Officer Commanding, PAAK received the Chief Guest. A total of 1824 Aero Apprentices including trainees from allied countries and Pakistan Navy successfully completed their training. While addressing the ceremony, the Chief Guest said, “Emerging high-tech environment demands modern training to attain mastery in various disciplines”. He further emphasized the trainees to establish credentials for efficient handling of equipment and resources in line with upcoming challenges. He added that it would be their prime responsibility to maintain new technologies in the highest state of operational preparedness for aerial defence of the motherland. Felicitating the trainees for this singular honour, the Chief Guest wished them a bright future and success in their professional assignments. He also commended the Academy instructional staff for their sincere endeavours and commitment to the cause of training. The Chief Guest also awarded trophies to high achievers. Asghar Khan Trophy for the Best in Aeronautics was awarded to AFT-II Sheraz Hussain. Nur Khan Trophy for the Best in Avionics Technology was awarded to Aero Electromech Technician-II Mubashar Ul Hasan. Air Officer Commanding Trophy for the Best in General Service Training was awarded to Academy Sergeant Aircraftman Abdul Raouf Khan, whereas Trophy for best foreign trainee was awarded to LAC Bandhara of Sri Lanka Air Force. Chief of the Air Staff Trophy for the Overall Best Performance was awarded to AC Muhammad Ishtiaq. PR

Staff CoRReSPondent

rofessor of Lanzhou University, Gansu, China, Li Xiangkai has said that China provided biogas digesters to households of a small town in Pakistan to recycle wastes of farming and livestock aimed at reducing pollution and protecting environment. “In a small town southeast of Islamabad, we have provided biogas digesters to 50 households so that their wastes from farming, livestock raising, and cooking can be recycled instead of being burned, thus mitigating pollu-

tion,” he told media here. Pollution has become a prominent issue in Pakistan. In the past month Lahore repeatedly topped the daily ranking of most polluted city in the world. The adverse impact of chronic or heavy exposure to hazardous air is self-evident. The small town, or the “green town”, aims to provide a demonstration of circular agriculture and ecofriendly lifestyle. “The 50 digesters will not only provide electricity to the households, but also reduce stubble burning and protect the environment,” said Professor Li Xiangkai.

starting from biogas technology, Lanzhou University, in collaboration with Pakistan Agricultural research Council (PArC) and the research institutes in Gansu on natural resources, mechanics, mulching film, and aquaculture, is applying an array of green technologies in the demonstration zone. from solar water pumps, rainwater collection and purification, vegetable waste recycling for lighting or cooking, agricultural machinery for harvesting or stubble shaving, to trout aquaculture, residents are not only living an environment-friendly life, but also gaining income. Joint talent cultivation is a major

measure to facilitate technology transfer. “In 2017, we set the goal to cultivate 100 Pakistani PhDs in five years. Now, we have seen over 70 graduated with a doctor’s diploma,” said Li. Among the graduates, some continued academic study as post-doctors in China and some return to Pakistan to work in relevant field, including deputy head of Natural resource Division, PArC. “In the future, we will select more vegetable bases to transform vegetable wastes into energy. We will also work with PArC to develop agricultural waste discharge standards,” introduced Professor Li Xiangkai.

PTA resumes LDI license applications for Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has started accepting applications for Long Distance and International (LDI) license for Pakistan. This license shall be valid for a term of 20 (twenty) years. Applicants for the license will have to provide letter of application, CNIC or passport along with other relevant details/documents. The complete list of information and requirements is available at: https://pta.gov.pk/en/industrysupport/home/wireline/long-distance-international Applications can be submitted via postal service to PTA Headquarters, F-5/1, Islamabad or in person. PR

INAUGURATION OF HAKLA-DERA ISMAIL KHAN MOTORWAY Pakistan’s leading pharmaceutical company Martin Dow Marker Ltd. (MDM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two leading chain pharmacies of Pakistan i.e., “Fazal Din Pharma Plus” and “Imtiaz Pharmacy” today for Joint Patient Awareness, Access & Care Collaborations (JPAAC) focusing on different diseases and training of their pharmacists for better patient care. Group M.D. & C.E.O Martin Do, Javed Ghulam Mohammad, Taimur Ibrar Mumtaz, C.E.O. Fazal Din Pharma Plus and Ameen Razzaq C.F.O. Imtiaz Provision Store signing M.O.U, Chairman Martin Dow Group Ali Akhai and the management of Martin Dow & Chain Pharmacies was also present during the signinng ceremony. PR

AL Haj Automotive launch proton genuine oil Al Haj Automotive Pvt. Ltd (progressive assemblers and distributors of Proton Vehicles in Pakistan) and Euro Oil recently hosted an event at Royal Swiss Hotel to launch Proton Genuine Oil, powered by Petronas, for exclusive use in Proton Cars in Pakistan. Euro Oil is the exclusive distributor of Petronas in Pakistan. Petronas Lubricants have a strong presence internationally, powering high performance vehicles which include Formula1 cars, Moto GP, Dakar Rally and racing cars. The brand is available in 90 countries worldwide and is a leading name in the lubricant industry, driven by the latest technology, R&D and innovation, which enables the production of class-leading solutions. Petronas has been the official fluid solution provider for Proton vehicles since 1989. Since the launch of Proton vehicles in Pakistan, Al-Haj is making concerted efforts to introduce best industry standards and maintenance solutions in Pakistan, and the launch of Proton Genuine Oil is a step forward in this regard. Proton Genuine Oil is offered with a modern API grade to enhance the performance of Proton’s award winning powertrain, especially imported from Malaysia. Proton Genuine Oil is especially designed for superior engine performance and longer change intervals, reducing maintenance cost significantly. Proton Genuine Oil will be available nationwide all Proton 3S Dealerships. PR

POWER SUSPENSION SCHEDULES FOR 6th JANUARY 2022 According to Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO)’s spokesman, System Maintenance/Development Work is in process. Therefore power supply of below mentioned feeders/areas will be temporary suspended as per given schedule: On 06th January, 09:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Burma, F-10/4, G-9/2, GOR, Carriage Factory, G-11/3, NPF, AQ Khan, Company Bagh, Barin, Kotli Satyan , Blaura, F Block, B Block, Khurram Road, Zafarul Haq, Liaquat Bagh, Major Masood, Abu Bakar, Iqbal Road, Amin Town, Azizabad, Zeeshan Colony, Officer Colony, Bijnial, I-16, Rata, Bank Road. 2, Sir Syed Road, PAF, Swan Garden-1, Sawan, Gulistan Colony, Humayun Road, Adiala, Padial, Chungi No. 22, Sagri, Kahuta City-2, Doberan, Fazal Ahmad Shaheed, New Chawah, Ghazan Khan, Mandira. Jhatta Hathial, Karnab Kaswal, Syed Kasran, Bhal, Zebar Shaheed, F-5 Jeddah, F-3 Gul Afshan, Shukrila, Mandi Bhalwal, Shamsabad, Chapran, Akram Shaheed, F-8 Civil Line, Pakhwal, F-9 Chak Daulat, Chamala. M. Riaz Shaheed, Gadari, Captain Nisar Shaheed, Padial, Safdar Shaheed, Sanghoi, Nathwala, Dina-4 City, Sandal, Kachehri Sohawa, Mill Awan, Kantrila, Smoot, Bhoon, Line Park, Minara, Islamia Chowk , Bhikri, Dalwal, Duffer, Ahmedabad, KS Maniz, CWO, Dhala, Neela, Dharnal, Sukho, Mort, Dhalar, Mugla, Patwali, Nawababad, Jalala, Paswal, Shahia, Rashid Minhas, AWC Housing , Munirabad, Pathargarh, Ahmednagar, Col. Sher Khan, Hameed, Hatian, Miskinabad, GBHP-2. Zee Brotha Colony, Vinegar, Ishtiaq Shaheed, Malwali, Mort, Fateh Jang, Shehgan, Adiala Jail, Shahpur, Khasala, PM Colony, Race Course, Chakri, Arsalan Poultry Farm, SPD, Padial, Gagan, Chahan. Mahouta, Kohsar Valley, Tufail Shaheed, Farash Town, Alipur, AIOU, International School, H-8/2, I-8/2, Mathial, Basharat Feeders and surrounding areas will remain off. IESCO management apologizes to its esteemed customers for the power outage. If the work is completed ahead of time, the power supply can be restored even before the scheduled time. PR

Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Imran Khan is inaugurating Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway today. The project is an important component of the Western Route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. It is to recall that the Western Route of this corridor is being completed on priority basis. With the completion of the motorway, all areas from Islamabad to Dera Ismail Khan have been connected to the country's network of motorways and national highways. This has paved the track to usher in a new era of socio-development in such areas. The cost of this 293 km long motorway is more than Rs 110 billion. All the available resources were utilized for the timely completion of this motorway through difficult hilly areas and that of the Indus. The project includes construction of 11 interchanges, 36 bridges, 33 flyovers and 119 underpasses. To facilitate the construction of this 4-lane motorway, it was divided into five packages. With the completion of this motorway, Dera Ismail Khan will emerge as a business hub for North Punjab, South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Mango and date production is of world class. Completion of this motorway will facilitate the delivery of agricultural commodities to major markets. The Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway is not only an important part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but, all the areas connected to this easy and convenient route have also come very close to each other. This motorway is useful for the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan and for the access to Gwadar sea port as well. An integrated communications system plays an important role in the overall economic and social development and promoting national unity. The development process starts automatically with the construction and expansion of roads. In addition, Pakistan has an ideal geographical location on the world map, which makes Pakistan a regional hub in the region from a trade point of view. Government is paying special attention to the development and expansion of communications sector so as to pave the way for a strong economic structure in the country. PR

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 | LAHORE

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Demos, rallies helD to mark kashmiris’ right to self-Determination Day ISLAMABAD

stAFF RePoRt

HE All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHCAJK) chapter held protest demonstrations, rallies and marches in Islamabad, Muzaffarabad and other cities of Pakistan and AJK in connection with the Kashmiris’ Right to Self-Determination, Day here on Wednesday. The events were aimed at reminding the United Nations Security Council of its obligations regarding settlement of the Kashmir dispute. On this day in 1949 the UNSC had passed a resolution recognizing the Kashmiris’ right to decide their future by themselves through UN-sponsored plebiscite. A demonstration was organized outside the UN Observer’s Office in Islamabad. Despite rain, besides Hurriyat leaders, a large number of Kashmiris and Pakistanis living in Islamabad and Rawalpindi took part in the protest. The demonstrators held banners and placards with slogans that the Kashmiris must be given right to self-determination as

per the UN resolutions and the Kashmiris will continue their struggle till they achieve their inalienable right. Addressing on the occasion, the APHC leaders said that the UN resolution of January 05, 1949 provides legal base to the Kashmiris freedom struggle. They said that Kashmiris were rendering sacrifices to secure their right to self-determination and India had failed to suppress their just struggle despite exhausting all its resources. The speakers urged New Delhi to accept the ground realities and settle the Kashmir dispute by giving the Kashmiris an opportunity to decide their fate by themselves as per the UN resolutions. They appealed to the world community, particularly the UN, to take cognizance of Indian brutalities in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Later, a delegation of APHC-AJK chapter met the officials of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan. On the occasion, the APHC-AJK Convener, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, presented a memorandum addressed to the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

The memorandum contained the 5 January 1949 resolution, which was adopted by the UN Security Council that called for settlement of the Kashmir dispute through hold-

ing of a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir under the auspices of the world body. A protest rally was held at Manakpian in Muzaffarabad to remind the UN Security

Council of its January 05, 1949 resolution and other resolutions that called for resolution of Kashmir dispute by giving the Kashmiris their right to self-determination. The protesters were carrying banners and pesters bearing slogans “Kashmiris demand right to self-determination from UN”. Amid snowfall and rains, a protest rally was held at Athmuqam in Neelam Valley in AJK. The participants of rally demanded of the UN to take steps for holding a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir so that the Kashmiri people could decide their future by themselves. The participants of the rally were holding banner with slogans “Go India go back”, “We want plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir” and “We want freedom from India”. The protesters also raised high-pitched slogans in favour of Kashmir’s freedom from Indian occupation and against India. A protest demonstration was held at Jhelum Valley in Muzaffarabad to mark the Right to Self-Determination Day. The participants of the demonstration were holding banners and protesters with slogans condemning Indian state terrorism in IIOJK.

Media bodies condemn ‘Bulli Bai’ App, criticize police inaction in previous ‘auction’ NEw DELhI Agencies

Media bodies across India have strongly condemned the ‘Bulli Bai’ app that ‘auctioned’ prominent Indian Muslim women – including journalists – saying it is a direct consequence of the Indian police’s failure to act against previous ‘apps’ which made similar attempts. In a strongly-worded statement, the Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) said the app, which was hosted on GitHub, amounts to “online sexual violence”, saying

the ‘auction’ clearly promotes “the crimes of trafficking and sexual slavery, which GitHub purports to stand against”. “This is not the first time that such bigoted misogynists have ‘auctioned’ Muslim women. It is regrettable and unacceptable that the Indian state and its agencies have taken no action against them despite repeated violations. “Technology has been used as a weapon to humiliate, intimidate and terrorise Muslim women in the country multiple times, and ‘Digital India’ appears to have no concrete response aimed at bringing the perpetrators to book. No minister in the Union cabinet

has questioned, let alone condemned, this online harassment, or pressed for action against the perpetrators” NWMI said. The body also questioned the policies and ethics of GitHub, saying the platform, where the earlier ‘Sulli Deals’ app was also hosted in July 2021, “has evidently done nothing to ensure misuse of the platform to post material relating to sexual abuse, including child sexual abuse”. “Initiatives like ‘Bulli Bai’ and ‘Sulli Deals’ are a reflection of both misogyny and the increasing Islamophobia that is spreading across the country with the tacit support of those in power. They are a symp-

tom of the Hindutva agenda, which relegates people who belong to minority religions and marginalised castes to the status of secondclass citizens. As usual, women are seen as easy targets that can be used to humiliate, intimidate and exercise control over such communities,” the statement added. NWMI said it stands in solidarity with the Muslim women who have been targeted by the app. It appreciated the preliminary action taken by the Mumbai and Delhi police but called for “more decisive and determined action that indicates zero tolerance for such criminal conduct”.

Hong Kong bans flights from 8 countries, including Pakistan, to counter fifth Covid wave NEwS DESk

Uk school drops J.k. rowling name amid trans row LONDON AFP

A British school has dropped J.K. Rowling’s name from one of its houses because of the “Harry Potter” author’s controversial views on transgender issues. The Boswells School in Chelmsford, eastern England, said it had changed the name of its red house from Rowling to Holmes, in honour of Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes. “At The Boswells School we foster a vibrant, inclusive and democratic school community, where we encourage students to develop into independent, confident citizens,” said headmaster Stephen Mansell. “In autumn 2021, we reviewed and renamed one of our school houses following numerous requests from students and staff, as well as a whole school vote.” A newsletter last July from the school, for pupils aged 11-18, said its six houses are “represented by British citizens who have excelled”. “However, following numerous requests by students and staff we are reviewing the name of our red house ‘Rowling’ and in light of J.K. Rowling’s comments and viewpoints surrounding trans people. “Her views on this issue do not align with our school policy and school beliefs –- a place where people are free to be.”

Hong Kong announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries, including Pakistan and India, and tightened restrictions on Wednesday as authorities feared a fifth wave of Covid19 infections. The restrictions were announced as health authorities scoured the city for the contacts of a Covid-19 patient, some of whom had been aboard a Royal Caribbean ship that was ordered to cut short its “cruise to nowhere” and return to port. Incoming flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the United States, including interchanges, would be banned from Jan 8 to Jan 21, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam told reporters. Lam said the government would

ban indoor dining after 6:00pm from Friday, and close swimming pools, sports centres, bars and clubs, museums, and other venues for at least two weeks. Future cruise journeys would be cancelled. “We’re yet to see a fifth wave yet, but we’re on the verge,” Lam said. Hong Kong recorded 38 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, but only one was a local community transmission, while the rest were people who had returned to the city and tested positive during quarantine. The global finance hub has stuck to a zero-tolerance strategy by largely isolating itself from the world and enforcing a draconian and costly quarantine regime. On Dec 31, a streak of three months without community cases ended with the first local transmission of the Omicron variant. Since then, authorities

have scrambled to track down and test hundreds of people who had been in contact with a handful of Omicron patients. One patient, however, had no known links, raising fears of a large outbreak. “We are worried there may be silent transmission chains in the community,” Lam said. Lam said the government would not suspend classes for the time being “for the benefit of children”. In response to the outbreak fears, Standard Chartered Plc has started operating in split teams in Hong Kong, a bank spokesperson said. Dancing cluster: The latest contact tracing campaign was sparked by a patient who danced with some 20 friends in a central park on New Year’s Eve. Two of the fellow dancers, one of whom was a domestic helper, came up positive in preliminary tests.

north korea fires unidentified projectile into sea: south’s military SEOUL AFP

North Korea has fired an unidentified projectile into the sea, the South’s military said Wednesday, in what would be the first such test by Pyongyang this year. In the decade since Kim Jong Un took power, North Korea has seen rapid progress in its military technology at the cost of international sanctions. Despite severe economic difficulties during the coronavirus pandemic, Kim said last week the country would continue to build up its military capabilities. In its latest apparent test, an unidentified projectile was fired into the sea east of the peninsula, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, without immediately providing further details. In 2021, nuclear-armed North Korea said it successfully tested a new type of submarine-launched ballistic missile, a long-range cruise missile, a train-launched weapon, and what it described as a hypersonic warhead. The dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang remains stalled, following the collapse of talks between Kim and thenpresident Donald Trump in 2019. Under Trump’s successor Joe Biden, the United States has repeatedly declared its willingness to meet North Korean representatives, while saying it will seek denuclearisation. But Pyongyang has so far dismissed the offer, accusing Washington of pursuing “hostile” policies. At the end of a key meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party last week, where Kim spoke about building up defences, he did not mention the United States at all. Instead of the policy positions on diplomacy for which Kim’s New Year statements have been closely watched in recent years, he focused on food security and development in an extensive speech.

China says Xi’an outbreak controlled but other cities face restrictions BEIJING AFP

Covid cases in the locked-down Chinese city of Xi’an fell to their lowest in weeks on Wednesday, as officials said an outbreak there had been largely “brought under control” after two weeks of a stayat-home order. But other urban hubs where clusters have been detected face restrictions including a new partial lockdown in the city of Zhengzhou. China has stuck to a rigid approach of stamping out Covid cases when they appear with tight border restrictions and targeted lockdowns since the virus first emerged in the country in late 2019.

But the strategy has come under pressure with a series of recent local outbreaks in different parts of the country, and with less than a month to go until the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Although the reported cases in China are very low compared with elsewhere in the world, infections in recent weeks have reached a high not seen in the country since March 2020. But they showed signs of easing Wednesday with 91 cases reported Wednesday — including 35 more in Xi’an, the historic city’s lowest tally since mid-December. Provincial health officials said they were finally getting the spread of the virus under control and have curbed the

rapid rise in cases after a strict lockdown and rounds of mass testing for the city’s 13 million inhabitants. “Although the case number has been high for many days, the rapid rise in Covid spread at community level has been brought under control compared with the early stages of the outbreak,” said Ma Guanghui, deputy director of Shaanxi health commission at a press conference. “The overall trend of the epidemic is showing a downward trend.” Four cases were recorded in neighbouring Henan province Wednesday, where authorities have imposed a partial lockdown on the city of Zhengzhou which has recorded two cases and nine

asymptomatic infections in recent days. State media said some 500 close contacts had been traced of the two cases, linked through mahjong rooms and family gatherings. Eight residential communities were locked down. On Monday night a million people in Yuzhou city — also in Henan — were put under lockdown after three asymptomatic cases. Local authorities deemed to have failed in preventing virus outbreaks are often fired or punished, and two senior Communist Party officials in Xi’an have been removed from their posts over their “insufficient rigour in preventing and controlling the outbreak”.

Thursday, 6 January, 2022 | LAHORE

SPORTS 11

Bangladesh create history, crush world champions new Zealand in one of cricket’s Biggest upsets

NeWs Desk

ANGLADESH pulled off a crushing eight-wicket victory over world champions New Zealand at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday. The tourists needed only 40 runs in their second innings for the historic win, their first ever in New Zealand and only their sixth in 61 away Tests. The match was wrapped up in one session on the final day as Ebadot Hossain took a career best six for 46 and New Zealand were rolled in their second innings for 169. It was a “David and Goliath” result, with Bangladesh ranked ninth in the world while world Test champions New Zealand are second. Mominul Haque hailed Bangladesh’s “unbelievable” win over New Zealand on Wednesday after they beat the world Test champions by eight wickets to end the ‘Black Caps’ run of 17 matches without defeat on home soil. Seamer Ebadot Hossain took a career best 6-46 as the tourists dismissed New Zealand for 169 early on day five at Mount Maunganui and then knocked off the 40 runs for victory for the loss of two wickets. It was Bangladesh’s first win in any format of the game in New Zealand and gave them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. “I can’t describe it, it’s unbelievable. I

couldn’t sleep yesterday because of the pressure,” skipper Mominul told reporters. “It was very important to win this Test match. Two years ago, we didn’t play that much Test cricket, so we were keen to improve. “This could be a sign of our improvement in Test cricket. Everyone supported each other during this match. I have said in the past that playing well collectively is the key to our success.” Bangladesh had gone into the match focusing on the process rather than the result, he added. “You have to have a clear mindset, before playing anywhere. If you’re going out of the subcontinent, and you think to yourself that ‘it will be tough,’ then it will be tough,” said Mominul. “We didn’t focus too much on the result of the Test matches, we tried to focus on the process.” The Bangladesh captain also praised the performance of Ebadot, saying he had worked really well over the last two or three years, and added that the bowling attack was the star of the show. “He has come from the Air Force and used to be a volleyball player,” Mominul added. “Our coaching staff did a lot of work to support him and helped him bowl in the right areas, and it was an unbeliev-

able spell from him. “The bowlers played the biggest part in this win. Winning a Test match with four bowlers is unbelievable.” Mominul was also keen to temper ex-

Kane ‘totally involved’ in Spurs project, says Conte LONDON

pectations for Test cricket’s ninth-ranked side despite the massive win. “It helped that there was no expectation from us,” he said. “And I also want to say that don’t expect us to become the number

five or six in the world in Tests in the next one or two years.” The second Test of the series will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from January 9-13.

outrage over djokovic’s medical exemption to play at australian open

AFP

sYDNeY

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says Harry Kane is “totally involved in this project” at the club after the England captain attempted to engineer a move to Manchester City during the summer transfer window. Chairman Daniel Levy stood firm and the 28-year-old forward, who is under contract until 2024, was forced to stay at Spurs. Kane had a slow start to the season but has recovered his scoring touch under Conte, who replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as manager in early November. Conte, whose side visit his former club Chelsea in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday, said Kane was a key part of his plans. “I knew the situation in the summer and, when Harry decided to stay in Tottenham, I found a player totally involved in this project now,” he said. “I am happy to have him in my team because for sure we are talking about the top player, a top striker in the world, and if we want to win or if we want to think to build something to win, Harry must be a point of start.” Conte praised Levy for refusing to let his star man go, despite the lure of a huge transfer fee. “He wants to give 100 percent in every game and I am totally satisfied with his commitment and the relationship that we have created within the team,” he said. “He is a point of reference in the dressing room and an experienced player. I am totally enthusiastic about his involvement in the team and the Tottenham project.” Spurs are desperate to end their trophy drought, which stretches back to 2008. “I think that when Tottenham brought me here they wanted to send a signal outside,” Conte said. “And maybe also to our players. We see what happens because the coach that is used to winning, has to do. “I think this is important. And we have to try to build a situation where we are all involved and to try to create a situation that we can be competitive to try to win.”

ReuteRs

Novak Djokovic did not receive any special treatment in getting an exemption from Covid-19 vaccination requirements to play at the Australian Open later this month, Tennis Australia and the Victorian state government said on Wednesday. The world No. 1 announced on Tuesday he received an exemption to play in the Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne. Officials said he was one of a “handful” of successful applicants among 26 people who sought exemptions. “I think lots of people in the Victorian community will find this to be a disappointing outcome,” acting Victorian Sports Minister Jaala Pulford told a media conference. “But the process is the process; nobody has had special treatment. The process is incredibly robust. It’s deidentified and we are where we are, and so the tennis can begin.” The decision to grant Djokovic an exemption sparked sharp criticism in Australia, where more than 90 percent of people over 16 have had two vaccine doses against Covid-19. Melbourne had the world’s longest cumulative lockdown to contain Covid, and an outbreak of the Omicron variant has sent case numbers to record levels. Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said the two-stage application process was confidential and run by independent experts. All applications were assessed to ensure any exemptions met conditions set out by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI). Tiley said those reasons included previous adverse response to vaccines, recent major surgery or myocarditis or certified evidence of a Covid infection in the previous six months. The Serbian, who had declined to reveal his vaccination status, said previously that he was unsure whether he would compete at the Jan. 17-30 tournament in Melbourne due to concerns over Australia’s quarantine rules. ” “We completely understand and empathise with […] people being upset about the fact that Novak has come in because of his statements over the past couple of years around vaccination,” Tiley told reporters. “However it is ultimately up to him to discuss with the public his condition, if he chooses to do that, and the reasons why he received an exemption.”

SA vs Ind, day 3 | Defiant Elgar keeps South Africa’s hopes alive in pursuit of 240 Web Desk South African batters, led by their gutsy skipper Dean Elgar, dug their heels in to reach within 122 runs of a series-levelling victory against a determined India as the second Test seemed poised for a gripping fourth day finish here on Wednesday. Elgar (46 batting off 121 balls) took some nasty blows off deliveries that spat off the cracks but kept his team on course at 118 for 2 in pursuit of a tricky 240-run target set by India in the wake of a solid century-plus partnership from the under-fire duo of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Shardul Thakur (1/21), who is in the middle of a great Test match, got his eighth victim of the game in an over during which the ball seamed, bounced and kept low from the same spot with the last one finding opener Aiden Markram’s (31) pads. Keegan Petersen (28) added 46 with his skipper before Ravichandran Ashwin (1/14)

got one to drift and turn getting a leg before decision going his way. However, like every new innings in this game where heavy roller has made batting easier by ironing out the divots on the good length spots, Elgar was ready to play the ugly game putting his body on the line, getting hit on knuckles, chest, shoulder and even on head prompting a quick on-field concussion test. While South Africa will feel that they have half a foot through the victory door, there has been numerous instances in the series where a batting collapse has changed the course of the game. There are two things that would keep India worried going into the fourth day. In this Test, the batting conditions have improved as the match has progressed — 202, 229, 266 — and secondly, Mohammed Siraj is far from fit and bowled only four out of the 40 overs sent down till now. The Indian team, in its mind, knows that

it is a bowler short. While 240 as a target is more than decent, India could have pushed it a bit more had Rishabh Pant’s poor shot selection, that incurred legendary Sunil Gavaskar’s wrath in the commentary box, not happened at the most inopportune of moments. Having been hit by a Kagiso Rabada bouncer, Pant charged to another short ball like a raging bull only to be caught behind that prompted Gavaskar to question his sense of “responsibility” urging for the “nonsense” in garb of natural game” to stop. But it was a day when India’s middle order finally came good through combative half-centuries from Pujara and Rahane. Pujara (53 off 86 balls) and Rahane (58 off 78 balls) gave fresh lease of life to their respective careers with timely knocks while Hanuma Vihari (40 not out) also played a crucial part in swelling India’s overall lead as they finished their second innings at 266.

Thursday, 6 January, 2022

prayer tiMings

NEWS

Shehryar afridi SeekS UN iNterveNtioN to decoloNialize kaShmir oN chagoS archipelago model ISLAMABAD

staff report

hairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Khan afridi Wednesday called upon the United nations General assembly to request an advisory opinion of the international Court of Justice to characterize the Kashmir situation as an uncompleted decolonialization process and to recognize the legal force of the Security Council’s resolution calling for a plebiscite of the people of Kashmir so that the occupied people of Kashmir determine their own future. Speaking at an event held to commemorate the adoption of the United nations Commission on india and Pakistan (UnCiP) resolution on the accession of the Kashmir to either Pakistan or india through a free and impartial plebiscite, mr afridi said just like the United nations intervened and found that Britain had not properly completed the decolo-

nialization process in Chagos archipelago in the 1960s, it could offer a similar intervention vis-à-vis Kashmir. “United nations is responsible to intervene now as india is committing war crimes in Jammu and Kashmir,” mr afridi said while addressing the audience at the event organised by the institute of regional Studies (irS) here on the occasion of right to Self Determination Day being observed by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Citing news reports by international media organisations, mr afridi said that india is imposing severe restrictions on press freedom and committing gross human rights violations, including war crimes, mass rapes and other crimes against humanity in the indian illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “From the allegations we have heard, these crimes seem to meet the definition of genocide. Demographic changes are being made to turn muslim-majority Kashmir into hindu-majority state. This calls for Un intervention now,” he added.

pm inaugurates islamabad-d.i. khan motorway

afridi said that based on the evidence presented by area experts, the Kashmir issue should arguably be seen within a broader global context of settler colonialism, genocide, and crimes against humanity. “Serious accusations of genocide, crimes against humanity, rape as a weapon of war, unlawful arrests and mass blinding have been made. This is just the beginning of a long, arduous, and judicious process to uncover truth, but the live testimony we have heard thus far, and the reports and evidence we have seen, have left us with serious concerns about crimes, which appear to have been carried out on a massive scale,” he said. he said that Kashmir is disputed territory, a fact established by 18 United nations resolutions and it cannot be claimed legitimately by any country or claimed as an integral part until the time that the people of Kashmir have been granted the right to freely, and without fear, express their opinion in the referen-

dum that they were promised and that the Un continues to urge. “To date, that has not happened. Kashmir is not a secessionist movement. in fact, we heard convincing evidence that the people of Kashmir have been involved in a long struggle of freedom from foreign rulers. Kashmir is among the most heavily militarized areas on the planet, with upwards of 700,000 to 900,000 indian soldiers, paramilitary forces, and private security forces present,” he added. he said that iiOJK has been a story of tyranny, oppression, and siege. he called for greater involvement of the youth through interactive sessions in universities to counter the influence of the hybrid warfare waged against Pakistan by india through social media. Senior Vice President of Kashmir Youth alliance mr Taha muneeb emphasized that Kashmiris had never accepted indian occupation and no amount of development expenditure of the indian government in Kashmir could change that.

Military spokesman rubbishes rumours of deal with Nawaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: Prime minister imran Khan Wednesday inaugurated 285-kilometre long islamabad-Dera ismail Khan (m-14) motorway — constructed as part of the western route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The highway comprises 11 interchanges, 36 bridges, 33 flyovers and 119 underpasses. it would help transform D.i. Khan as one of the primary corporate hubs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, linking to southern Punjab and Balochistan provinces. it would also help ensure an uninterrupted supply of agricultural produce to far-flung towns. Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said previously the development of the country was confined only to G.T. road on the outskirts of Lahore and then onwards to Karachi — roads which are also dubbed as the eastern route of the CPEC. “But a country achieves progress if there is uniform development across its length and breadth. it is made possible due to long-term planning like China which has planned 30 years ahead,” he added. Khan said the future planning would envisage a roadmap towards progress, embracing all parts of the country. if few towns were developed then the people living there would become rich, leaving behind other populations of the backward towns in poverty. it was the biggest problem of the developing world but they successfully addressed it, he added. The prime minister recollected that during the 1960s, Pakistan had planned long term projects as the nation’s largest development works were conceived during that period. staff report

army extends emergency help to people trapped in Balochistan rains ISLAMABAD: Pakistan army assisted the civil administration of Balochistan on Wednesday in carrying out rescue and relief operations after the two-day heavy downpour triggered flooding in low lying areas of Gwadar and Turbat. according to the interServices Public relations (iSPr), stagnant water accumulated posing extreme problems for the local population and tourists in these areas. army troops immediately assisted civil administration in rescue and relief efforts, including dewatering of various areas and shifting stranded people to safer places, the military’s media wing stated. “Food and shelter was provided along the Coastal highway, Pasni, Surbandar, nigore and Jiwani areas,” the communique said. Similarly, Pakistan navy also continued rescue and relief operations to provide humanitarian assistance to the flood-affected populace in low-lying areas of Gwadar. staff report

contInueD froM pAge 01 “The elements who spew half-truths, fake news and false propaganda to target institutions and damage the country, have failed and will fail,” he asserted. FENCING OF AFGHANISTAN BORDER: Gen iftikhar also addressed issues pertaining to the nation’s eastern front facing india, western border linking Pakistan to afghanistan, achievements of Operation radd-ul-Fasaad. On the issue of the fencing of the afghanistan border which Taliban soldiers across the Durand Line disrupted on December 22, he said the process to fence the porous border will continue as planned, adding it was being done to “protect people and not divide them”. Pakistan has fenced most of the 2,600 kilometres (1,615 miles) border despite protestations from Kabul, which has always contested the British-era boundary demarcation that splits families and tribes on either side. Following the December 22 episode, Taliban and Pakistan forces came face-to-face over the incident, two Taliban officials told reuters, and the situation was tense. They added that following the incident there was cross border mortar fire from inside Pakistan further north along the frontier into afghanistan’s Kunar province.

But on monday, Foreign minister Shah mehmood Qureshi said Pakistan was engaging with the Taliban through diplomatic channels to resolve “some confusions” stemming from the installation of the security fence. according to Gen iftikhar, border fencing was being done in an effort to protect the people on both sides as well as to regulate trade. “The fence is needed to regulate security, border crossing and trade. The purpose of this is not to divide the people, but to protect them.” he also said the security situation along the afghanistan border remained “challenging” during 2021. “The border management, specifically the Pakistan-afghan border […] there were some specific local, operational and strategic dynamics and these are [being] addressed at the relevant level.” he added the border fencing was “94 per cent complete”, adding: “We are totally focused, and under the western border management regime, the work that is underway will be completed in some time.” TTP TALKS: Touching on the rather sensitive topic of peace talks with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), he confirmed the dialogue was “on hold” but said operations were “ongoing” against the terrorist group. The group, also known as the Pak-

istani Taliban, in December unilaterally announced an end to a month-long ceasefire with the government, accusing authorities of reneging on promises made in the initial stages of peace talks. The ceasefire came into effect on november 9, after islamabad announced the start of talks with the group, which has been fighting the state of Pakistan since 2007 and has carried out dozens of attacks targeting civilians and security forces across the country. “The ceasefire [with the TTP] ended on December 9. it [the ceasefire] was a confidence-building measure taken ahead of talks with these violent non-state actors at the request of the current afghan government,” Gen iftikhar said. “There was a requirement for the interim Taliban government that TTP should not be using their soil against us [Pakistan] so they said they would bring them to the table and make them accept what Pakistan wants. Obviously, those external conditions were yet to be settled. The TTP is not a monolith. They have internal differences. There were some problems […] some conditions that were non-negotiable from our side so there is no ceasefire [right now]. We are continuing with operations and will continue till we get rid of this menace. That’s how it goes.”

FAJR SUNRISE

ZUHR

ASR MAGHRIB ISHA

5:35

12:06

2:51

7:01

5:10

6:36

ppp top body for mass contact campaign LAHore staff Correspondent

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Central Executive Committee (CEC) has recommended continuing its public movement to topple Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi)-led government besides deciding to strongly protest against the rise in inflation. it merits mention here that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had announced to launch a countrywide campaign against the PTi government with taking out a rally in Lahore on January 5. however, rather than taking out a rally, Bilawal chaired the party’s CEC meeting on the same day he had to take out a rally. Later, a party leader said that January 5 rally had been cancelled for ‘security reasons’. a session of PPP CEC was underway in Lahore under the chair of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari till the filing of this report. The session is being attended by Sindh Chief minister murad ali Shah, Yousaf raza Gillani, raja Pervaiz ashraf, maula Bukhsh Chandio, Qaim ali Shah, Shazia marri, nafisa Shah and other central leaders. media reports said that a white paper on the PTi government’s performance was presented in the PPP CEC. it elaborated the dismal performance of the PTi government in providing relief to the nationals. The CEC members also held consultations over the minimum wage of a labourer and prices of gas and urea. The opposition party decided to hold strong protests in provincial, national assemblies and the Senate. moreover, it has been decided to re-organise the PPP in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. The political party is mulling over the continuation of its anti-government movement by emphasising the rise in inflation. The CEC will also decide on the next strategy of the anti-government movement and the venues of protest demonstrations. it is expected that PPP CEC will decide on starting contacts with the opposition parties to tighten noose around the PTi government besides mulling over to bring a no-confidence motion. it may be noted here that the alliance of the opposition parties, the Pakistan Democratic movement (PDm) had backed the stance of PPP for not tendering resignations from the assemblies.

rasheed warns fawad against picking fight with media ISLAMABAD: Federal minister for interior Sheikh rasheed ahmed Wednesday advised minister for information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry “not to fight with the media.” media reports quoted rasheed speaking during his book launch ceremony as saying that he had served as information minister in the past thrice and he better knew the importance of maintaining a congenial relationship with the media. “Fawad is a great man, however, i tell him not to fight with the media,” the minister said. Speaking on the occasion, Fawad mentioned that the interior minister was sent to jail for the first time by his uncle, Shahbaz Chaudhry, but the two later became friends. meanwhile, Federal minister for Planning and Development asad Umar, who was also present at the ceremony, said: “rasheed is a unique figure in our politics.” he was of the view that his experience helps other ministers in the cabinet. rasheed also said that Pakistan is all geared up for the elections, and very soon, the local government polls will also be held in Punjab just like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. at the same time, rasheed warned the Opposition and said that if they make a mistake at this point, the country’s politics will suffer. he also admitted some of the shortcomings of the PTi-led government and said that some of the initiatives taken by us [PTi] are ‘historic’, however, they weren’t executed properly. The minister maintained that the economy has been suffering because of COViD-19. Monitoring report

MQM holds ‘surprise dialogue’ with PML-N on ‘mini-budget’ contInueD froM pAge 01 “inflation has peaked,” he highlighted, stressing that the situation demanded that the government and the opposition should sit together and make mutual decisions to improve the country’s economy because it “dictates Pakistan’s politics and is now in a position to dictate a lot else as well”. he said he was giving the assurance on behalf his party workers and the entire party that the “country is more dear to us than our politics”. When a reporter pointed out that the mQm had parted ways with the erstwhile PPP government in the past after a “meagre” increase in the price of petrol and now the government was moving towards withdrawing tax exemptions worth around rs350 billion through the finance supplementary bill, Siddiqui replied: “Back then, too, the price of petrol was not raised by a small margin … We can surely consider.” he, however, did not elaborate on what his party would “consider”.

“But we have said this before as well … we have not just supported the government but also democracy,” he added. ahsan iqbal slams govt over ‘minibudget’, SBP bill Earlier in the press conference, iqbal criticised the government over the “mini-budget”, which he said would “burden people with additional taxes of rs350bn”. in this regard, he said, the opposition had decided to communicate to treasury members in the national assembly (na), including those from the PTi’s allies, that the na was a sovereign house. “and the approval of the imF package by holding the national assembly assembly at gunpoint will be a resounding blow to the house’s sovereignty,” he added. iqbal said the na or parliament was not bound by any of the imF’s conditions and it was the lawmakers’ responsibility to give due consideration to Pakistan’s economy, citizens’ benefits and future. The PmL-n leader pointed out that some recommendations in the finance sup-

plementary bill, such as taxes on medicines, would be “very damaging” for the country and its people. he added that before tabling the finance supplementary bill and the SBP bill, the government should have worked towards developing a national consensus on these matters, consulted the opposition and taken its allies into confidence. “and we would not have let them include clauses in the [finance supplementary] bill that will have a direct negative impact on the country’s economy and people,” he said. hence, he continued, “one of our requests to the mQm leadership is … to work together to get those clauses removed from the mini-budget that we believe will negatively affect the common man.” Speaking about the SBP bill, he said a country’s central bank is the “guarantor of its economic sovereignty”. “and a country’s economy cannot progress unless its fiscal and monetary policies are coherent,” iqbal said, warning that

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

the abolishment of the SBP’s fiscal and monetary board under the proposed law could lead to a “crisis”. “We have serious reservations regarding this and even economic experts have expressed reservations that abolishing the fiscal and monetary board will lead to a crisis at the policy level,” he said. moreover, he said, the SBP governor had been “made more powerful than the prime minister under the bill”. “The prime minister is at least answerable to parliament, but the SBP governor will not even be answerable to parliament. he will only take directions from international financial institutions,” iqbal commented. he further stated that the proposed law also paved the way to make the Pakistan government “a hostage to banks”. The proposed law, which barred the government from borrowing from the central bank, will lead the government to take loans from international banks, iqbal claimed.