E-Paper PDF 24th July (LHR)

CMYK

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019 I 20 Zul-Qadah, 1440 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 25 I 16 Pages I Lahore Edition

highlights of the day

Political storm in India after Trump claims Modi asked for Kashmir mediation

Imran Khan to brIng talIban to talKs table g

STORY ON PAGE 03

Afghanistan seeks clarification on Trump talk of wiping it out g

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan-US relations revived, Trump to visit Pakistan

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STORY ON PAGE 02

Bilawal supports govt’s efforts to engage world, Maryam not impressed

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STORY ON BACK PAGE

No relief for Nawaz unless IHC rules in his favour: SC STORY ON BACK PAGE

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PM IMraN SayS wIll PerSUade TalIbaN leaderSHIP To Hold PeaCe TalKS wITH afgHaN govT SayS ‘we are all blowN over’ by US PreSIdeNT TrUMP’S welCoMe aNd CoNverSaTIoN deNIeS MedIa CeNSorSHIP IN PaKISTaN, SayS MedIa eNjoyS CoMPleTe freedoM bUT govT waNTS To regUlaTe IT SayS ISI ProvIded INforMaTIoN To CIa wHICH eNabled US To KIll oSaMa bIN ladeN HINTS aT SwaPPINg dr SHaKIl afrIdI for dr afIa SIddIqUI; waNTS PeaCe wITH INdIa STORY ON PAGE 03

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CMYK Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

02 NEWS

pak-us relaTions revived, Trump To visiT pakisTan WASHINGTON DC

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STAFF REPORT

INISTer for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday said US President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan extended to him by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The foreign minister was addressing a press conference in Washington after three consecutive meetings between the senior leadership of both countries. “During this tour, the thing that I find unique is that these people have seen the US [Pakistani] community’s closeness to this prime minister. You saw that there were thousands gathered in the Capital One arena. “even in this very room, we have seen extremely powerful prime ministers and presidents in the past having to address empty chairs. “The point is, the people that came there and the love that they expressed — that was a message from overseas Pakistanis. I have never seen this kind of a show before. “This was a very positive message and we are very happy with it,” Qureshi said.

REVIVAL OF PAK-US RELATIONS: According to Qureshi, the exchanges in all three sessions were frank and Pakistan’s delegation was able to deliver the message they had come with, “which was to present Pakistan’s point of view, as there had been a long gap [in discussions between the two sides] as an interaction of this level had not taken place in the past five years. “For five years, the top leadership of the two countries had not met. Our country did not have a foreign minister and for five to six years we

did not have any lobbyists appointed here — all of this led to a vacuum in the relationship between the two sides.”

Talking about the seriousness from both countries towards rebuilding the relationship, Qureshi said: “We cannot forget the fact that the relationship between the two countries was such that no door was being opened for us in the time of Alice Wells and Lisa Curtis. We used to ask for time [for discussions] and they were not ready to give that to us. That was the level [we were at] a few months ago, please understand that. Wasn’t our stance the same at the time? Was our Foreign Office not the same at the time? “From that, we have come this far. I am not saying that this sitting has completely changed the way things were for us. I am saying that a door that was completely shut for us … a possibility has been created for that door to be opened. We have come here in all seriousness to rebuild this relationship. The stiffness that once existed in our relationship has been lessened.

ECONOMIC TIES: Speaking on the trade front, the foreign minister said: “Interactions between two countries are heavily based on economic ties, which is why it is important that we now pay attention to economic diplomacy too — like I mentioned yesterday during my interaction with the investors. “The world looks at economics and looks for ways to cater to its own economic needs, so we will try that we also move forward in that direction.”

When asked about US economic assistance which had been withdrawn in recent times, Qureshi said: “The first thing that we need to see is why the [economic] programmes had stopped. It was because

Trump wanTs sTronger economic, Trade Ties wiTh pakisTan afTer imran meeTing: whiTe house WASHINGTON: The declaration released by the White House stated that the US President Donald J. Trump showed willingness ‘to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan on issues that are vital to the peace, stability, and prosperity of the South Asia region’ during his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. President Trump and PM Khan discussed a range of issues including counterterrorism, defense, energy and trade. President Trump wants to build stronger economic and trade ties with Pakistan, which would benefit both of our countries, as we make progress on core United States security concerns. “The United States is committed to creating the conditions necessary for a peaceful South Asia.” According to the declaration, President Trump expressed the desire to President ‘to build stronger economic and trade ties with Pakistan’ which would benefit both countries.

PEACE AND STABILITY: Pakistan has made efforts to facilitate the Afghanistan peace talks and taken acknowledgeable steps for regional security and counter-terrorism. It added that Islamabad has also taken some steps against terrorist groups operating within the country. “It is vital that Pakistan take action to shut down all groups once and for all.” The declaration stated, “The path to a strong and enduring partnership between Pakistan and the United States lies in working together to find a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan.”

TRADE RELATIONSHIP: The United States and Pakistan enjoy a strong economic partnership while both countries have set a new record for bilateral trade in 2018 of $6.6 billion.“United States exports to Pakistan reached a record high of $2.8 billion in 2018, supporting approximately 10,000 American jobs. Over the past 15 years, the United States has been one of the top five investors in Pakistan. The United States is the largest export market for Pakistan’s goods.”

The US energy producers are seeing more and more business opportunities with Pakistan and the American companies are incorporating cutting-edge technologies into energy projects throughout Pakistan, it added. AGENCIES of the trust deficit that had been built between the two countries. “Now that we are making an effort to curb that deficit, we can hope that those programmes will be reinstated.” Speaking of the FATF and the pressure being exerted on Pakistan, Qureshi said: “The FATF’s greatest focus is on money laundering. Prime Minister Imran Khan has openly said that the plight of South Asian countries lies in the fact that the elite class their takes the money that the country is making and the foreign assistance it gets and misuses it.

They send their money out of the country through money laundering.

“America needs to help us out, keep a check on money laundering. Until that

happens, the common man in third world countries will continue to suffer and poverty will remain on the rise there.

These are words used by the prime minister himself today. He made these comments in today’s sitting. This is his commitment, as far as money laundering is concerned. “The other thing is terror financing. You all know what our stance is on that, we have paid a hefty price for it.

We make very clear cut statements in this regard today. We have not come here to lie, nor have we come here to make promises that we cannot keep. There is no point in promising something that you cannot deliver on — that is what we have been doing in the past. We as a govern-

ment will not promise that which we cannot deliver. “That said, we want progress in both these things (against money laundering and terror financing). I don’t know how much political will the previous governments had in these matters, but one thing is sure, the current government has a very strong will to move forward in these matters — and we have taken concrete measures in this regard. We even have told everyone about the measures we have taken. “However, there are limitations, but we are trying to get past those. earlier, there was neither will nor capacity in this regard — now there is will and capacity is being built, so we believe there will be progress in this regard.”

Maryam booked in several cases for holding Faisalabad rally, protest without permission Several cases have been filed against ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz for holding a rally in Faisalabad without prior permission from the district administration, according to media reports.

On July 21, Maryam announced that she was holding a rally and protest in Faisalabad to gather support for her incarcerated father, however the administration had not given her permission to carry out the activity. Local police stations registered cases under the loudspeaker and maintenance of public order acts. Other members of the party who are accused in the case include former Sindh governor Mouhammad Zubair, Javed Latif, Talal Chaudhry, and others.

Punjab Information and Culture Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal said Maryam should ‘account for her corruption’ instead of leading political rallies.

The provincial minister also said the opposition wants to create unrest in the country. NEWS DESK

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CMYK Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

NEWS

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pm imran To bring Taliban To Talks Table WASHINGTON

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to explain to them that there was going to be no military solution, but felt they had no understanding of Afghanistan. “Fortunately this time,people now understand,” he added. “We are all on the same page that is why we have the best relationship now in years,” Imran Khan said regarding President Trump’s ongoing quest to find a negotiated settlement to the Afghan conflict. “Peace in Afghanistan will come about through peace talks,” he said. referring to the ongoing process of facilitating talks with the Taliban, he said, “If we all work together then this is the best chance for peace in Afghanistan.”

He said that Pakistan wanted its ties with the US based on mutual trust and as equal partners sans seeking any aid.

“Pakistan does not seek a friendship of the past, which was based on seeking aid from the US,” the prime minister said.

After his maiden visit to the US, Imran said he was happy to have a dignified relationship between the two countries with a mutual trust over peace process in Afghanistan.

He said he hated the phrase ‘aid’ when someone asked about it and termed this expression as ‘one of the biggest curses for his country.’ The prime minister said “the dependent syndrome was the most humiliating for a country.”

“When I returned home from Saudi Arabia, everybody asked what have you got from there, as if I went there asking for money. I think it is humiliating for a country. Countries rise because of self-respect and self-esteem and no country rise by begging for money,” he said.

‘PEACE WITH INDIA’: He also spoke about Islamabad’s efforts to launch peace bids with India. He said the Kashmir dispute had held back development in South Asia. Kashmir should be resolved as per aspirations of Kashmiri people, he added. “There is a solution and the solution has to be with the will of the Kashmiri people,” he said. “Because of one issue, India and Pakistan are unable to

STAFF REPORT

rIMe Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that he would meet the Afghan Taliban leadership after returning to Pakistan and would persuade them to sit on the talks table with the Afghan government, a day after US President Donald Trump patted Pakistan on the back for cooperating with the US in bringing peace to Afghanistan.

Imran said that a Taliban delegation wanted to meet him a few months back but he did not because of opposition from the Afghan government. “Now that I have spoken to President Trump and Afghan President Ghani, I will meet the Taliban and I will try my best to get them to talk to the Afghan government,” he said, adding that he has gained their trust for professing right from the first day that the issue could only be resolved through dialogue,” Imran said while speaking at the US Institute of Peace (USIP), a day after meeting the US president at the White House. Hailing his meeting with President Trump as a “pleasant surprise”, PM Imran said the Pakistani side was “blown over” by the US leader’s welcome and conversation.

“It was a pleasant surprise. We were all blown over. We loved the meeting,” Imran said, adding that Pakistan and the US now had the best relationship in years.

“Now we will ensure that there is no communication gap,” between the two sides, he said referring to years of mistrust between the two countries in the past. The worst phase in the Pakistan-US relationships was over, he said referring to the years when the US escalated the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan region and Pakistan fought America’s war on terror at a high human and economic cost, but was still not trusted.

Imran Khan recalled his meetings with Democrats in 2009, and said he tried

improve their relations. Any time the two countries make any progress, some incident happens and we go back to square one,” he added. He said that his government had reached out to all neighbouring countries to iron out differences and rebuild confidence to establish better trade ties after coming into power last year. He said that one of the biggest issues plaguing the region at the moment is poverty and it can be resolved by increasing trade between Pakistan and India.

MEDIA CENSORSHIP, PTM & MINORITIES: He said his government had “stabilized the economy” which he inherited in a state of virtual bankruptcy. “Now we can move ahead and start reforms,” he said, citing his government’s agenda of improving the education sector, stepping economic growth, expanding tax collection, boosting exports and narrowing fiscal account deficit. To a question about censorship on press in Pakistan, Imran said the present government would be the most inclusive government as far as the freedom of press was concerned. “Pakistani media is more freer than British media,” the prime minister said adding that strengthening media watchdogs was not censorship.

He said he himself was the biggest beneficiary of free media as he forwarded his message to the people through media.

But added that media should avoid personal attacks and not a become party.

“There are 70 to 80 TV channels in the country and only two or three of them are complaining of censorship,” he maintained. When asked about the military’s crackdown on the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), Imran said that the PTM leadership had started attacking the army even though the government was making efforts to remove the sense of deprivation in the tribal people.

“We are now investing heavily in the development of the tribal districts. The tribal people have suffered a great deal in the war on terror and we are now trying to address their grievances through devel-

opment,” he said. About minorities issue, the prime minister said that the minorities had full protection in Pakistan and what the present government had done for them, no government had done before. referring to the case of Aasia Bibi, a blasphemy accused, the prime minister said when the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted her, thousands of protesters mainly belonging to the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) came on the streets in protest, but the government took them out and put their leadership in jails.

“We are treating our minorities as equal citizens as according to Pakistani constitution minorities are equal citizens of the country,” the prime minister added.

Prime Minister Imran said that his government was rebuilding the state institutions which bore the brunt of previous rulers’ unchecked corruption through money laundering. He said corruption was a major threat to Pakistan’s economy and when the PTI government came to power, the country was on the brink of being declared bankrupt. He said the previous ruling elite had targeted the state institutions by weakening them as in the presence of strong anti-graft institutions, they could not have laundered the money abroad. “rebuilding these institutions may take time and we are rebuilding them,” though the process would be slow, he said.

He termed the flight of money in the developing countries through money laundering as the biggest threat than hunger and poverty. Talking about the US-Iran tensions, he said that people do not understand the gravity of the situation. “A war between US and Iran can be catastrophic for the region,” he added.

‘SWAPPING AFRIDI WITH AFIA’: earlier, during an interview with Fox News, PM Imran also discussed the possibility of a prisoner swap agreement between the two countries which could lead to the exchange of Dr Afia Siddiqui with Dr Shakil Afridi. “There are some decisions which even a prime minister finds

difficult because we have an opposition but this is something that can be negotiated,” the premier said. “We did not discuss it today but we know that the US wants Dr Shakil Afridi so we can negotiate an exchange with Dr Afia Siddiqui,” he said. He added that the issue was quite emotive as Afridi was considered a US spy in Pakistan while Pakistan and US were allies. “We in Pakistan have always felt that we were an ally of the US but had we been given information about Osama bin Laden, we would have taken him out,” he said.

‘ISI LED US TO OBL’: The interviewer then asked if Imran understood the skepticism around Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for leaking key information. PM Imran replied that it was the ISI which provided the information that led to Osama bin Laden. “If you ask CIA [Central Intelligence Agency], it was ISI which gave the initial location through a phone connection,” he said.

Discussing the possibility of a nuclear war with India, the premier said, “Nuclear war with India is not an option because it means self-destruction as we share a 2,500-mile border with them.” “The people of subcontinent are aware of the dangers of a nuclear war. We had some regional tension earlier in February when Pakistan shot down an Indian fighter aircraft that illegally crossed the border,” the premier said, adding that this is why he had asked the US president to play a role in resolving the conflict. “US is the most powerful country in the world and has the ability to mediate the longstanding Kashmir dispute between the two countries,” he said while expressing hope that India would come to the table for negotiations.

He also called upon India to abandon its nuclear weapons. “If New Delhi complies with this demand, Pakistan will not use its nuclear weapons either,” he said, adding that Islamabad has a comprehensive and effective nuclear command and control system.

Political storm in India after Trump claims Modi asked for Kashmir mediation NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India’s foreign minister issued a strenuous denial to an infuriated opposition in parliament on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited him to mediate in the conflict with Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region.

Pakistan has often sought thirdparty mediation in the decades-old dispute which has cost tens of thousands of lives, but the idea is anathema to India, which insists the issue can only be resolved bilaterally.

Trump set off a political storm in India by claiming during a meeting in Washington on Monday with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan that Modi had asked him two weeks ago to mediate in the Kashmir dispute.

“I’d like to categorically assure the house that no such request was made by the prime minister to the US president,” Foreign Minister S Jaishankar told the Indian parliament, barely able to make his voice heard over the opposition tumult. Trump’s comments touched on one of the most sensitive topics for New Delhi, as Jaishankar insisted the conflict

2 killed, 16 injured in QueTTa ied explosion QUETTA STAFF REPORT

At least two people were killed and 16 others injured in an improvised explosive device (IeD) explosion in the eastern Bypass area on Tuesday. According to Quetta DIG Abdul razzaq Cheema, unknown miscreants had planted the explosive device in a motorcycle and parked it outside a medical store. The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Quetta and an emergency was declared in the hospital. razzaq Cheema said that two victims of the blast succumbed to their injuries on their way to the hospital.

He added that all the injured were civilians. A total of 119 people — including 15 police personnel — were killed and 114 injured in terrorism-related incidents in Balochistan during 2018. As many as 25 terrorists were killed in encounters and 55 arrested in 1,245 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the province.

could only be settled bilaterally.

Indian opposition leaders demanded that Modi make a personal statement to parliament to confirm that there was no change in New Delhi’s policy of only direct talks with Islamabad.

Pakistani PM Imran Khan – on an official visit to the United States – stirred the controversy further by saying Kashmir could only be resolved with outside help.

“Bilaterally, there will never be (an end to the Kashmir conflict),” Khan told Fox News, adding that Pakistan

and India were “poles apart”.

“I really feel that India should come… (to) the table. The US could play a big part, President Trump certainly can play a big part.”

The State Department also issued a statement.

“While Kashmir is a bilateral issue for both parties to discuss, the Trump administration welcomes #Pakistan and #India sitting down and the United States stands ready to assist,” tweeted Alice Wells, the Acting Assistant Secretary of the department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.

Senate prorogued after Opp holds back resolution for chairman’s removal ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The sole agenda of 291st Senate session could not be taken up on Tuesday as Leader of the Opposition in Senate raja Zafarul Haq refused to move a motion in the House under rule 218 for discussion regarding removal of the chairman. Speaking in the House, Haq said the opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion in the Senate Secretariat but it was placed for discussion under rule 218. “Neither the motion can be discussed under the said rule nor the opposition will take part in it,” he said. He said the Senate session had already been summoned on August 1 for taking up no-confidence motion against the chairman. earlier, the chairman announced the panel of presiding officers for the session which included Senators Sitra Ayaz, Ahmad Khan and Agha Shahzaib Durrani. On Monday, President Dr Arif Alvi summoned the Senate session on August 1 for voting on the no-confidence resolutions against Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala. According to a notification issued by the Senate Secretariat, the president has called the session

of the upper house of parliament “for taking up motions for leave to move resolutions for removal of (the) chairman and (the) deputy chairman Senate, in pursuance of the summary sent by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs”.

On July 9, opposition senators had submitted a resolution against Senate Chairman Sanjrani to the secretariat of the upper house with signatures of 38 opposition members.

The government and coalition legislators hit back with a similar motion against the deputy chairman on July 12.

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strong pak-us ties essential for regional peace, imran tells pompeo Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that a strong Pakistan-US partnership is vital to promotion of mutual interests of the two countries as well as broader regional peace, stability and prosperity. He said this while meeting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called on him at Pakistan House in Washington on Tuesday. PM Imran is on a three-day official visit to the United States in a bid to reset the strained ties between the two countries. expressing satisfaction at his wide-ranging talks with President Trump at the White House a day earlier, the prime minister said that convergence on promoting a political solution in Afghanistan had created the opportunity for regional peace and stability.

“A peaceful and stable Afghanistan is vital for Pakistan,” said the premier and emphasised on the importance of close collaboration between Pakistan and US to advance that objective. The US State Department also tweeted a video of the Pompeo-Imran meeting. reiterating his government’s support to a broad-based and enduring Pakistan-US relationship, the premier stressed upon the need to further enhance and diversify the bilateral content of the relationship in a wide range of areas.

Prime Minister Imran also spoke about his government’s successes in countering the scourge of terrorism and his initiatives to build peace in the region. He noted that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had taken myriad administrative and legal measures to mainstream madrasahs. As part of his policy of “peaceful neighbourhood”, the prime minister highlighted Pakistan’s desire for peaceful and cooperative relations with all neighbours. NEWS DESK

04 LAHORE ARCHAEOLOGY DEPARTMENT ISSUES NOTICE TO BUILDING’S OWNER, ASKING HIM TO TAKE IMMEDIATE STEPS FOR ITS CONSERVATION, MAINTENANCE LAHORE

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SHAHAB OMER

HE Punjab Archaeology Department has issued a notice to the owner of the famed Ghulam Rasool Building, directing him to take immediate steps for conserving the building from decay as the building is a part of Lahore’s heritage and is protected by the special premises ordinance.

This development comes amid rumours that the building may be demolished owing to its decaying structure, raising concerns among the masses as the building continues to be a prominent landmark in the heart of the city.

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

WEATHER UPDATES WEDNESDAY

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No, GHulAm RASool BuildiNG iSN’T BeiNG demoliSHed The notice, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today, was issued on July 23, 2019 by the director general of the archaeology department to Chaudhry Zahid Moeen, the owner of the building.

The notice reiterates that the building is a heritage site and the recent rains in Lahore had caused significant damage to its infrastructure.

The notice clearly states that if the government finds that a heritage site is not being taken care of or no specific measures are taken for its conservation, the government is fully powered to direct the owner to ensure its protection. The notice mentions that the owner had already been directed to take measures to prevent the building from decaying but no steps had been taken in this regard.

The notice further mentions that the owner has been directed to take immediate steps to conserve and restore the damaged portions of the building within 30 days.

The building is special to Lahore’s architectural heritage.

Speaking about

the building’s history, Tania Qureshi, a historian, said, “The Ghulam Rasool Building was completed in 1916 and was owned by Haji Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool Tarar, one of the richest tycoons of Lahore. Although he was of humble origins, he greatly helped the British overcome opposition in 1857, for which he was generously rewarded.” It is worth mentioning that the building also houses Ferozsons, one of the oldest bookshops of Lahore.

On June 16, heavy rains had seriously damaged the building with a great chunk of its upper portion falling down as debris. Two days later, the district administration had inspected the building and after declaring the structure as a possible safety hazard, sealed it to prevent any untoward incident. It had also informed the archaeology department about the building’s condition, prompting the latter to issue a notice to the owner.

Meanwhile, there were reports that Lahore Conservation Society (LCS) was planning a protest outside the building over rumours of its demolition. However, the rumours were rebuffed by LCS Convener Imrana Tiwana, who said that Lahore’s assistant commissioner had

assured her that the concerned departments would take immediate action for conserving the building. She said that the conservation society would still stage a demonstration to prompt the authorities to speed up efforts for its conservation.

Advocate Azhar Siddiqui told this scribe that he would personally file a petition against the administration’s negligence of heritage. “The building is

protected under Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance, 1985, why is it then that no preventive measures were taken?” he asked, adding that the archaeology department should share the details of the surveys conducted for the protection of historical buildings.

He further said that it appears that the authorities have taken no serious steps towards conserving the heritage of Lahore.

Govt has released Rs52 billion for various development schemes, says Buzdar CM SAYS PM’S MEETING WITH TRUMP PAVED WAY FOR PEACE, STABILITY IN REGION LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that the provincial government has released 52 billion rupees for various schemes and a comprehensive mechanism has been devised for the monitoring of development projects.

In a statement on Tuesday, Usman Buzdar said that strict monitoring will be done at every level and no compromise will be made on the quality of work done.

He also directed that the pace of work should be expedited on

ADP schemes and correct utilization of development budget be ensured as well. He made it clear that delay in the utilization of funds will not be tolerated and added that the annual development program is reflective of governmental priorities which are aimed at the welfare of the masses.

The public-private partnership will be promoted for attracting more investment in different sectors and public-private partnership authority is also being formed to move further in this regard, the Chief Minister added.

The Punjab government has given importance to meeting public needs in its ADP

and more funds are provided for the development of the social sector, Usman Buzdar said adding that the provincial government has also protected the rights of the farmers who remained a victim to an exploitative system during the past tenures.

IMRAN-TRUMP MEETING: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that meeting of Prime Minister Imran Khan with US President Donald Trump has paved the way for peace and stability in the region, while Imran Khan, who was accorded warm welcome, also achieved important diplomatic success during the visit.

In a statement issued here on

ANF challan declares Rana Sanaullah ‘guilty’ LAHORE: Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Tuesday completed investigation against PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah and declared him guilty in the drug smuggling case. According to details, the challan against PML-N‘s Punjab president was submitted in the court while the hearing of the case will be resumed on July 30.

ANF, in the challan, wrote that “heroin” (drugs) was found from the vehicle of Sanaullah and he was found responsible during the investigation. The challan presented before duty judge nominated six suspects altogether including the PML-N stalwart. Police personnel had also registered nine cases against four front men of Rana Sanaullah in connection with the matter. INP

Health minister orders Alzheimer clinics at all govt hospitals LAHORE: Provincial Health Minister Punjab Dr Yasmeen Rashid has directed to establish memory and Alzheimer clinics in all govt hospitals. She directed these instructions on the inauguration of Memory and Alzheimer clinic in services institute of medical service. Principal SIMS Prof. Mehmood Ayaz, Medical Superintendent Services Hospital Dr Saleem Cheema and other senior doctors were also there on this occasion. Dr Yasmeen Rashid talked with doctors and patients in Memory and Alzheimer clinic.

She also participated in the walk related to World Mental Health Day. Health Minister Punjab Dr Yasmeen Rashid has also said on this occasion that basic purpose of inauguration of this Memory and Alzheimer clinic is to ensure best treatment of patients of Alzheimer.

World Mental Health Day is being celebrated today. Four billion people in Pakistan are facing this Alzheimer and short memory problems. This disease is increasing in large. STAFF REPORT

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Tuesday, Usman Buzdar hoped that the US President’s mediation offer on the core issue of Kashmir will play an important role in the solution of Pakistan-India disputes.

He said that it was sanguine that Pakistan-US relations were getting improved and the visit would give new impetus to the bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan gave importance to the national interest, he maintained.

The Chief Minister said that PM’s visit would help to promote trade and economic relations as well. Those who conspired to isolate Pakistan internationally have faced defeat and now they should realize facts, he added. Usman Buzdar said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was moving ahead with the new vision and Pakistan will achieve its destination of development and prosperity under his leadership.

TikTok video wiTH piSTol lANdS youTH iN jAil LAHORE: A boy landed himself in trouble for uploading video with a weapon on social media. Media reports said that a youth named Sajid had uploaded a TikTok video with a pistol. As the video went viral, Jehlum Police arrested the youth and confiscated his 30-bore pistol. Earlier in a simlar incident, TikTok video landed a Lahori youth in trouble as he uploaded video carrying drugs outside a police station. According to details, a boy had made a TikTok video where he leaves the police station with drugs. The video had gone viral on social media, raising questions over the performance of police and police stations as the person was easily able to carry drugs along with him – either with the aide or negligence of police. As the video went viral, police started searching for the accused and finally caught him.

Police sources said that the accused has been identified as Asad Ali and a case has been registered against him. As the accused reached the police station, he confessed that he had made the video to defame the police.

Police said that the accused has no connection with any police official while they are searching for his other friend involved in the video. STAFF REPORT

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 05

TruMP hoPes To decIde soon on when To releAse MIdeAsT PeAce PlAn UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES

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Former Israeli PM apologises for killing of Arab protesters JERUSALEM: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak apologized Tuesday for the killing of 13 Arab protesters by Israeli police in 2000.

Ehud Barak’s statements on Israeli public radio addressed a point of friction between him and Israel’s Arab minority. The comments were made as Barak tries to make a political comeback that appears to largely hinge on uniting liberal parties, some of whom depend on Arab voters.

“There is no place for protesters to be killed by their country’s security forces,” said Barak, the leader of the newly formed Democratic Israel party.

In early October 2000, Arab citizens of Israel staged a series of protests over several days in solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at the outset of the second Palestinian uprising.

The protesters blocked roads and hurled firebombs and stones at police, who responded with live fire. Barak was prime minister at the time.

A total of 13 Arab protesters were killed, along with a Jewish Israeli civilian who was killed by stones thrown at his car.

Barak was responding to an op-ed written

by Esawi Frej, an Arab parliament member from the left-wing Meretz party, who called on him to apologize for the October 2000 killings. Frej’s party Meretz, which earned crucial support from Arab voters in April’s election, is viewed as a possible electoral partner for Barak. Both parties are consistently hovering around the electoral threshold needed to enter parliament in polls for upcoming September elections.

Ahmad Tibi, a veteran Arab lawmaker, said Tuesday on Israeli TV “those who apologize are preferred to those who do not, but it is hard to shake off the impression that this is an electoral apology that is related to the elections and him (Barak) wanting to merge with Meretz.”

Barak returned to politics last month with a stated ambition to help opposition forces create a large enough bloc to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and form the next government after the Sept. 17 election.

Earlier this week, Labor, another center-left party, announced a joint run focused on social and economic issues with the small “Gesher” party.

Following the April election, Netanyahu failed to form a parliamentary majority amid infighting between allies. To avoid giving his opponents a chance to build a government, he dissolved parliament and forced the new election. AGENCIES

S President Donald Trump hopes to decide soon on when to release a plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians that “will not be ambiguous,” his Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday. Greenblatt and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner have spent two years developing the plan, made up of political as well as economic components, which they hope will provide a framework for renewed talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

“President Trump has not yet decided when we will release the political portion of the plan, and we hope to make that decision soon,” Greenblatt told the 15-member Security Council. While Greenblatt did not reveal any details of the “60-or-so”-page plan, he said the conflict could not be solved using global consensus, international law and references to U.N. resolutions sparking strong rebuttals from council members.

“For us, international law is not menu a la carte,” Germany’s U.N. Ambassador Christoph Heusgen told the council. “There are other instances where U.S. representatives here insist on international law, insist on the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, for instance on North Korea,” Heusgen said.

Several council members, including Russia, Britain, France and Indonesia, echoed Heusgen.

“Security Council resolutions are international law, they merely need to be complied with,” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said.

France would support any peace effort “so long as this aligns with the approach that we have set out together, so long as this adheres to international law, specifically all resolutions of the Security Council,” French U.N. Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said. The U.S.’ Middle East proposal has two major components - a political piece that addresses core issues such

as the status of Jerusalem, and an economic portion that aims to strengthen the Palestinian economy.

Kushner and Greenblatt have not said, however, whether it calls for a two-state solution, a goal of past peace efforts. “A comprehensive and lasting peace will not be created by fiat of international law or by these heavily wordsmithed, unclear resolutions,” Greenblatt said. “The vision for peace that we plan to present will not be ambiguous, unlike many resolutions that have passed in this chamber.”

He said it would provide enough detail for people

to see “what compromises will be necessary to achieve a realistic, lasting, comprehensive solution to this conflict.” Greenblatt called on the Palestinians “to put aside blanket rejections of a plan they have not even seen” and show a willingness to engage in talks with Israel. He also urged the Security Council to encourage the parties back to the negotiating table.

Nebenzia suggested a visit by the Security Council to the region was overdue and could be helpful.

The United States has long objected to a council visit, which has to be agreed by consensus, diplomats said.

US finally gets a new Pentagon chief as Senate confirms Esper

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed former soldier Mark Esper as secretary of defense, filling America’s longestever Pentagon leadership vacuum as

Washington faces mounting tensions with Iran and struggles to end its long war in Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump’s second Defense Department chief will take over nearly seven months after the shock departure of Jim Mattis, the

deeply respected career US Marine who broke with Trump over policy towards the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Two others were made acting defense secretary this year to fill the void — including Patrick Shanahan, who served a six-month temporary stint but resigned for family reasons in June and withdrew from consideration for the full-time top post.

Esper sailed through the confirmation process in lightning speed. He earned broad bipartisan support and was confirmed by a vote of 90 to 8. He is expected to take his oath of office later Tuesday, according to the Pentagon.

Esper’s confirmation brings ballast to a Pentagon destabilized by the leadership revolving door since late December, and as the world’s primary military power is engaged in two wars — in Syria and Afghanistan — and being tested by Tehran.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in Congress, hailed Esper, who served a two-year stint as secretary of the US Army beginning in 2017, as “a thoroughly well prepared nominee” who has the respect of the national security community and can hit the ground running.

“The world is full of serious threats to America, to our allies and to our interests, not least among them obviously is Iran’s insistence on continuing to ratchet up tensions in the Middle East,” McConnell said in a Senate floor

speech Monday. “Having a Senate-confirmed secretary of defense, especially one of this quality, could not come a moment too soon.”

COMBAT EXPERIENCE: Esper has significant Middle East experience. He fought in Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991, and was part of the US Army’s famed 101st Airborne Division known as the “Screaming Eagles.”

He is also close to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with whom he studied at the prestigious West Point Military Academy. Both men graduated in 1986.

On the political front, he served as an advisor for several lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Republican senator Chuck Hagel, who later became secretary of defense under Democratic president Barack Obama. But his links with the defense industry raised eyebrows during his confirmation process.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, a 2020 presidential candidate, highlighted Esper’s potential conflicts of interest regarding his affiliation with defense contractor Raytheon, for whom he was a lobbyist when Trump tapped him for the army secretary post. “At the age of 18, I went to West Point, and I swore an oath to defend this Constitution, and I embraced a motto called duty and honor and country,” he told Warren during his confirmation hearing. “And I’ve lived my life in accordance with those values ever since then,” he said, adding: “I went to war for this country.”

Widespread blackout hits Venezuela, government blames ‘electromagnetic attack’ CARACAS AGENCIES

More than half of Venezuela’s 23 states lost power on Monday, according to Reuters witnesses and reports on social media, a blackout the government blamed on an “electromagnetic attack.”

It was the first blackout to include the capital, Caracas, since March, when the government blamed the opposition and United States for a series of power outages that left millions of people without running water and

telecommunications.

The blackouts exacerbated an economic crisis that has halved the size of the economy.

Venezuelan Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the outage on Monday was caused by an “electromagnetic attack,” without providing evidence. He added that authorities were in the process of re-establishing service.

Power returned for about 10 minutes to parts of southeastern Bolivar state, site of the Guri hydroelectric dam - the source of most of Venezuela’s generation -

but went out again, according to a Reuters witness. Electricity was still out throughout Caracas.

“It terrifies me to think we are facing a national blackout again,” said Maria Luisa Rivero, a 45year-old business owner from the city of Valencia, in the central state of Carabobo.

“The first thing I did was run to freeze my food so that it does not go bad like it did like the last time in March. It costs a lot to buy food just to lose it,” she said.

The oil-rich country’s hyperinflationary economic crisis has

led to widespread shortages in food and medicine, prompting over 4 million Venezuelans to leave the country.

Venezuela’s national power grid has fallen into disrepair after years of inadequate investment and maintenance, according to the opposition and power experts.

“These blackouts are catastrophic,” said 51-year-old janitor Bernardina Guerra, who lives in Caracas. “I live in the eastern part of the city and there the lights go out every day. Each day things are worse.”

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

Boris Johnson is how Britain ends NOT WITH A BANG, BUT WITH A BURST OF BLOND AMBITION

new YoRk Times

B

JaMes Butler

ORIS Johnson, to whom lying comes as easily as breathing, is on the verge of becoming prime minister. He faces the most complex and intractable political crisis to affect Britain since 1945.

That should be concerning enough.

But given Britain’s political system — which relies for its maintenance on the character and disposition of the prime minister — it carries even graver import.

Mr Johnson, whose laziness is proverbial and opportunism legendary, is a man well practiced in deceit, a pander willing to tickle the prejudices of his audience for easy gain. His personal life is incontinent, his public record inconsequential.

And his premiership could bring about the end of Britain itself.

The state of the United Kingdom, a constitutional compact founded in 1922 and stretching back, in one form or another, for centuries, is severely strained.

Though Brexit is primarily driven by

English passions, two of the four territories in the Union — Northern Ireland and Scotland — voted to remain. Both present immediate problems for Mr Johnson — and for the future of Britain.

In Scotland, rancour at the sense that the country’s vote counted for little and subsequent repeated bouts of parliamentary chaos have led to renewed calls for a second independence ballot. Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, insists Scotland will hold one if Brexit takes place. One of the most adroit politicians in Britain, Ms Sturgeon knows that despite widespread misgivings about Brexit, the majority needed for independence does not currently exist. But recent polling suggests a Johnson government might tilt the scales in her favour. An independent Scotland may be conjured out of the chicanery of Mr Johnson’s rule.

In Northern Ireland, Mr Johnson is beholden to the Democratic Unionist Party, a hard-line Northern Irish Protestant party on which he will depend for a majority in Parliament. That severely curtails his room for manoeuvre as he attempts, one way or the other, to take Britain out of the European Union. The DUP will not countenance separation from the rest of the United Kingdom — hence why the so-called backstop, effec-

tively an insurance plan to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and its southern neighbour, fatally scuttled Theresa May’s thrice-rejected deal. It is hard to see how Mr Johnson can extricate himself from this problem, whose protraction may have a decisive effect on the country’s internal politics. Calls for a United Ireland, encouraged by demographic change and the waning of unionist sentiment, appear to be gathering more support.

The traditional solution to such an impasse is to call fresh elections. But here too there are problems for Mr Johnson.

Current polls show a fluctuating four-way split with Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which peeled off much of the Conservative vote in the recent European elections, the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party. Tory activists believe only Mr Johnson can woo back the faithful from Mr Farage, but if he steers the party farther right it would be likely to lose more liberal-leaning seats. Though the temptation of a resounding victory may pull on Mr Johnson’s vanity, the risk of a disastrous rout from a split base, handing Downing Street to Jeremy Corbyn and shattering the Tories, will surely be too great. And any successor to Mrs May will fear the unpredictability of a snap election.

No way out there then. And the overall political situation has only worsened since Mrs May’s resignation. The European Union — newly configured after parliamentary elections, with an incoming head of the commission who has emphatically ruled out reopening negotiations

with Britain — is likely to be short on patience and good will. (It doesn’t help, of course, that its officials regard Mr Johnson as a dangerous buffoon.)

At home, the rise of the Brexit Party constrains his options further. In part to nullify its threat, he has promised that unless a deal is reached by the end of October, the deadline for Britain’s departure from the bloc, he will leave without one.

And as Parliament, which remains intractably divided, is very unlikely to ratify anything Mr Johnson presents, a No Deal exit looks far from impossible. The consequences of such a development cannot be foreseen — but they will surely not redound to the benefit of Britain.

So, the political situation is inclement, the room for manoeuvre limited, the stakes high. For another politician, assuming power in such circumstances would be daunting — but not necessarily dangerous. In a system that grants significant autonomy to prime ministers and relies on their propriety, character matters.

The same scenario can play out differently in different hands. That’s why, in the end, analysis comes back to Mr Johnson and his terrible personality.

He prizes victory above government — his first ambition as a child was to be “world king” — and his political career has been marked by ferocity of campaigning and indifference in office, as both London mayor and foreign secretary. His contempt of scrutiny is plain to see: He was irked and petulant when challenged over budget cuts, the waste of public money on vanity proj-

ects or diplomatic gaffes. His easy talk of parliamentary prorogation — effectively suspending the legislature — may be a taste of the chaos to come.

He seems not to have principles. In the late ‘90s he told a surprised colleague he was “worried I haven’t got any political opinions” — before going on to rehearse a hit parade of right-wing classics about “picanninies” and “bum boys” in his Telegraph column. While the insight into the void at the heart of Mr Johnson’s blond ambition is striking, there are some constants to his politics other than his spectacular mendacity: his defence of bankers and pursuit of tax cuts, and a loathing for those who call him to account over facts.

Reality will prove unavoidable on Oct 31, however Mr Johnson bluffs. Predictions about Brexit generally assume too much stability in the status quo; Mr Johnson’s slipperiness makes it harder still to predict. Tackling Britain’s deep divisions requires depth of character, conviction and principle, none of which its incoming prime minister has ever hinted at possessing. In Mr Johnson’s queasy novel, thankfully his only one to date, a thinly disguised Boris-like politician muses that “the whole world just seemed to be a complicated joke.”

Britain may be about to discover how it feels to be the punch line.

James Butler is a co-founder of Novara Media whose writing has appeared in The Guardian, The London Review of Books and Vice.

By punishing Iran, Trump risks a full-scale You’d have to be mad to war between our two countries think Boris Johnson is the answer to Britain’s problems THE US PRESIDENT SHOULD RESIST THE PRESSURE FROM HIS ADVISERS AND DE-ESCALATE THE EXPLOSIVE TENSIONS IN THE PERSIAN GULF

GuaRdian MohaMMad KhataMi

Twenty-one years ago, on my recommendation, the UN general assembly named 2001 the year of “dialogue among civilisations”, and signalled its commitment to peace and its rejection of war and violence. The Iranian people, despite their own historic grievances and troubled history, opened a hopeful new chapter of engagement and dialogue with the Great Powers (US, UK and Russia).

These hopes, however, were dashed by the terrorist atrocities of 11 September, 2001 and their tragic aftermath in devastating wars in west Asia. The catastrophic wars of Iraq and Afghanistan and other interventions in the region exacerbated already extant problems, and paved the way for the growth of international terrorism, civil wars in Syria and Iraq, and the depredations and war crimes still unfolding in Yemen. These conflicts have made the region unsafe and have impinged on security around the world.

In the same period, the development of Iran’s peaceful nuclear programme became a test of the dialogue on peace. In order to build trust with the international community my administration sought dialogue, and after years of difficult and tumultuous negotiations, President Rouhani’s government succeeded in concluding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – known as the Iran nuclear deal – with six other world powers.

Iran has repeatedly declared that it is not seeking to build a nuclear weapon.

In addition to observing its obligations under the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), as a gesture of goodwill Iran accepted the JCPOA’s measures to ensure transparent verifiability of the peaceful na-

ture of its civilian nuclear programme.

The successful conclusion of the JCPOA was a major achievement which showed that reciprocity and mutual trust between Iran and the E3+3 were not only possible, but desirable. Furthermore, it acted as an important basis on which to build, containing within it the prospect of more fruitful and positive relations between our respective nations in the future. Sadly, Iran was the only country to abide by all the provisions of the JCPOA, while the other signatories have either breached or shirked their responsibilities under its terms.

While Iran was playing a decisive role in defeating the Islamic State’s reign of terror, the Trump administration decided to initiate a new round of hostilities against my country by illegally withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, violating UN security council resolution 2231 that the US had itself jointly sponsored, and waging a campaign of economic sanctions against the Iranian people. President Trump is thus punishing Iran and indeed the world community not for violating the JCPOA, but for complying with this UN-sanctioned international legal agreement. By exiting the JCPOA, the Trump administration has moved against the very principles of dialogue, engagement and coalition-building. It has spurned the cause of peace. Unrelenting sanctions and what is effectively a blockade on Iran impose collective punishment on a nation that has done absolutely nothing wrong. The present US administration is ratcheting up tensions in the Persian Gulf, making a conflagration or even a full-scale war between our two countries increasingly likely.

But the re-imposition of brutal sanctions and renewed military threats will not force the Iranian government or my people into submission. Sanctions, like terrorism, are indiscriminate in their targets and ruinous in their consequences.

Today, the Middle East once again faces a crisis not of its own making; a crisis which was both unnecessary and avoidable. It doesn’t have to be this way, and escalating tensions can still be defused. Cool heads must prevail if the region is not going to find itself dragged

into yet another violent maelstrom. This cycle of imperious unilateralism and the substitution of military solutions for political ones must stop, and the US administration must respect its international obligations by choosing dialogue over coercive diplomacy and threats of war.

As someone who has made it his life’s mission to defend the dialogue of cultures and civilisations, world peace, democracy, tolerance and human rights, I express my deep concern for the future of the Iranian nation and other nations of our region. It is in this spirit that I call on people of conscience in the US and across the world to promote peace and “dialogue among civilisations” instead of promoting the idea of a “clash of civilisations”. We must form a #CoalitionForPeace that says #NoWarWithIran to prevent disaster. With a view to the acute level of tensions in the Persian Gulf region, the situation is both fragile and explosive.

Despite the pressure coming from some of his advisers, President Trump still has the choice to reverse his administration’s unnecessary escalation. He should be aware that Iranians are steadfast. For well over a century since our 1905 constitutional revolution, Iranians have fought to preserve our dignity and independence. The JCPOA negotiating process was proof of Iran’s good faith and commitment to a respectful international peace. The question is whether the current US administration is willing to respond in kind, instead of continuing to issue insults and threats and using the kind of colonial language more befitting of 19th-century imperial administrators than a 21st-century world power.

It is easy to destroy, but far harder to build. Obstacles to a lasting peace are real. But they are not insurmountable. We must be proactive in our advocacy for peace and dialogue for our own sake and that of future generations. Dialogue, empathy and a willingness to listen to one another is the only way towards hopeful horizons of a bright future.

Mohammad Khatami was president of the Islamic Republic of Iran from 1997 to 2005.

RT GeorGe Galloway

As Noel Coward sang, “Only Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun.” You could say the same about the Conservative Party, which just chose Boris Johnson to lead it.

Getting his sole challenger Jeremy Hunt’s name wrong has become a national obsession. Mind you, he got his own wife’s nationality wrong when he claimed she was Japanese (she’s Chinese) on a mission to...China!

You’d have to have been out in the noonday sun, would certainly have to be English and being mad would help, if you thought Boris Johnson was the answer to Britain’s now rather critical problems. Britain’s (almost) new prime minister is the perfect encapsulation of all of the vices (and one or two virtues, to be fair) of the upper-class English elite (even though his grasp on Englishness is itself tenuous).

The feeling that one is born to rule, buttressed by an expensive education at the world’s most exclusive school, Eton (which has educated precisely half of all Britain’s prime ministers) and Oxford. An effortless belief in one’s racial and national superiority over Johnny Foreigner (including the upstart Americans). A contempt only blunted a little by noblesse oblige for one’s

own countrymen and women who either don’t look like you, or even for those that just don’t sound like you.

In this sense Boris Johnson is a throwback to former times – not quite to the 19th century like his aide-decamp Jacob Rees-Mogg but at least to the middle of the 20th century. On the face of it, Harold MacMillan, the then British PM, was a straight-laced, slightly eccentric upper-class Englishman.

That his wife was upstairs in bed, for years, with one of his parliamentary colleagues Sir Robert Boothby didn’t seem to faze him. Or us, but then we weren’t to know about it.

In deference to the new age, Boris Johnson has skipped the straight-laced bit; he has cuckolded his colleagues, even leaving cuckoos in their nests, has left a trail of lurid love-life stories to make a thriller-writer blush, and will likely bed down in Downing Street on Wednesday night with his 31-year-old girlfriend. But the rest is just the same. Johnson is (or has fashioned himself) as an upper-class English eccentric and will be hoping the deference is not dead amongst 21st century Britons.

To be fair it should be said that Johnson is as colourful as his predecessor Mrs May was bloodless. He is clever and quick-witted (you get what you pay for at Eton), is well read and is a good writer too (he should be, he is Britain’s most expensive newspaper columnist). Like his hero Winston Churchill, he believes history will treat him kindly because HE intends to write it.

He is also possessed of a brand of courage, the kind of courage that showed in the Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War. He led the Tory-Brexit campaign from the front and –unlike the Light Brigade –

he emerged the winner.

He has come back from terrible setbacks and humiliations. His baggage hangs about him, unable to be shaken off. A British citizen languishes in an Iranian jail as a result of his lazy, slovenly approach to his briefings. A non-existent garden bridge stands in his name in London.

It cost the taxpayer over £37 million though it was never built and never will be. He has insulted half the world personally. Calling the French “turds” calling the Turks an unmentionable name (despite being part-Turkish by heritage), he even declared that he would not visit some parts of New York (he was a joint UK-US citizen at the time) because of the “high-probability” of “bumping into Donald Trump” if he did. Because he didn’t tweet that, he’ll be hoping now that President Trump didn’t hear that one.

His sure-touch on the Muslim world he demonstrated when he called half of them –the women– “letter boxes.” Good luck on your first tour of the Islamic world, Boris. He described black people as “piccaninnies,” though he liked their “watermelon smiles.” Good luck in Africa, Boris!

Like Harold MacMillan, Boris Johnson sees himself as Donald Trump’s missing brain and sees Britain as Greece to America’s Rome. A land of learning sophistication and culture firmly fastened to the rectum of brute American power. He is the wisest fool in Christendom. Poor Boris, he doesn’t realise that both empires are history…

George Galloway was a member of the British Parliament for nearly 30 years. He presents TV and radio shows (including on RT). He is a film-maker, writer and a renowned orator.

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Boris Johnson wins race to Become Britain's next Pm LONDON

B

AGENCIES

oRIS Johnson won the race to become Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday, heading straight into a confrontation over Brexit with Brussels and parliament, as well as a tense diplomatic standoff with Iran.

The former London mayor easily beat his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in a vote of members of the governing Conservative Party.

He is expected to be confirmed as prime minister on Wednesday, when his predecessor Theresa May formally tenders her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. US President Donald Trump was the first world leader to offer his congratulations, saying: “He will be great!”

It is a triumph for a man who has always wanted the top job, but Johnson, known for his jokes and bluster, is taking over at a time of immense political upheaval.

Three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union, Britain remains a member amid continued wrangling in a divided parliament on how to proceed.

Johnson led the 2016 Brexit campaign and — after May delayed Brexit twice — insists the latest deadline must be kept, with or without a divorce agreement with the EU. “We’re going to get Brexit done on october 31,” he declared after winning 66 percent of almost 160,000 votes cast.

However, Brussels says it will not renegotiate the deal it struck with May to ease the end of a 46-year partnership — even after MPs rejected it three times.

EU negotiator Michel Barnier said he

wanted to work with Johnson “to facilitate the ratification of the withdrawal agreement and achieve an orderly #Brexit”.

But he said he was ready to “rework” an accompanying declaration on future UK-EU ties.

Although parliament dislikes May’s deal, Johnson faces significant opposition from MPs to his threat to leaving with no deal, including from Conservative colleagues.

Several ministers said they will not serve under Johnson, warning that severing ties with Britain’s closest trading partner with no new arrangements is deeply irresponsible.

But addressing Conservative mem-

bers after his win, Johnson insisted with his trademark optimism that he would find a way through the deadlock.

“Like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity,” he said.

Johnson promised to “work flat out from now on”, saying he would announce his top team in the coming days.

But Westminster is watching for any early challenge which could stop him automatically becoming prime minister.

May’s government has a majority of just two in the 650-seat House of Commons, made possible through an alliance with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The main opposition Labour party is

not expected to force a confidence vote this week — but some in his own party have already tried.

Junior foreign minister Alan Duncan, who quit this week, revealed he had sought to force a vote on Tuesday but was blocked by Commons Speaker John Bercow.

However, other colleagues who do not agree with Johnson are still willing to give him a chance.

“I think he needs to be given an opportunity to go out there to engage with the European Commission,” outgoing justice minister David Gauke told BBC radio.

MPs are expected to go on their summer holidays on Friday, giving Johnson

some breathing room over the summer to try to get a new Brexit deal.

But when he returns, if “no deal” looks likely, many MPs have vowed to stop him — a move that could trigger an early election. opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn challenged Johnson on Tuesday to call a vote, although both his party and the Tories are struggling amid a splintering of support among a public deeply divided over Brexit.

They face a challenge from Nigel Farage’s eurosceptic Brexit Party on one side, and the pro-EU Liberal Democrats on the other. outside parliament, where pro- and anti-Brexit protesters gather daily, reaction to Johnson’s win was mixed.

“What a disaster!” said Janet Ellis, 68, who opposes Brexit. But eurosceptic Michelle Pearce, 64, said: “It’s the most we can hope for.”

“He’ll be brilliant or a disaster,” Pearce said.

GULF TENSIONS: Johnson’s domestic battles might have to take a backseat during his first days in office as he manages tensions with Iran.

The Islamic republic seized a UKflagged tanker in the strategic Strait of Hormuz last Friday — two weeks after UK authorities detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar.

The standoff comes amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States over the Islamic republic’s nuclear ambitions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted his congratulations to Johnson, saying: “Iran does not seek confrontation.

“But we have 1500 miles of Persian Gulf coastline. These are our waters & we will protect them.”

Iran warns new British PM Trial opens for Philippine it will 'protect' Gulf waters journalist critical of Duterte TEHRAN

PHILIPPINE

AGENCIES

AGENCIES

Iran warned Britain’s next prime minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday that it will “protect” waters of the oil-rich Gulf, amid a standoff between the two countries over the seizure of tankers.

In the face of rising hostilities with the United States, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Friday impounded a tanker sailing under the flag of US ally Britain.

The seizure of the Stena Impero ship has been seen as a tit-for-tat move after British authorities detained an Iranian tanker on July 4 in the Mediterranean on suspicion it was shipping oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.

“I congratulate my former counterpart, @BorisJohnson on becoming UK PM,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted after Johnson beat his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in a party vote.

“Iran does not seek confrontation. But we have 1500 miles of Persian Gulf coastline. These are our waters & we will protect them.”

Iran’s top diplomat warned Britain against “implementing the ploys of the B team”, in a video message posted along with his tweet.

Zarif uses the term “B team” to refer to US national security adviser John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Saudi and Abu Dhabi crown princes Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, who are all pushing a hard line on Iran.

“The B Team is losing ground in the United States and now turning their attention to the United Kingdom,” he tweeted.

Iran has impounded the Stena Impero at its port of Bandar Abbas for allegedly breaking “international maritime rules”.

“Throughout history, Iran has been and will be the main guardian of security and free navigation” in the Gulf, President Hassan Rouhani said late Monday, adding that Tehran was not seeking to stoke tensions.

In new footage aired by Iranian state television,

High-profile Philippine journalist Maria Ressa’s libel trial opened Tuesday in a case that she and press freedom advocates see as government retaliation for her news site’s critical reporting on President Rodrigo Duterte.

Ressa, who leads online outlet Rappler and was named a Time Magazine “Person of the Year” in 2018 for her journalism, is out on bail and faces years in prison if convicted under the criminal cyber-libel law. The news portal has written extensively and often critically on Duterte’s policies, including his deadly drugs war that rights groups say may be a crime against humanity.

Besides the libel case, Ressa and Rappler have been hit with 10 other criminal charges over the past year, prompting allegations that authorities are targeting her and her team for their work.

“The government hopes to intimidate us by siphoning both my personal time, our resources,” Ressa, who was not in court, told AFP. “I won’t be intimidated. We continue to do our jobs. The mission of journalism has never been as important as it is today in the Philippines,” she added.

Tuesday’s brief hearing ended after testimony from one minor witness, with the case set to resume on July 30.

The case centres on a Rappler report from 2012 about a businessman’s alleged ties to a then-judge of the nation’s top court.

Government investigators initially dismissed the businessman’s 2017 complaint about the article, but state prosecutors later decided to file charges.

The legal foundation of the case is a controversial “cybercrime law” aimed at online offenses ranging from hacking and internet fraud to child pornography.

– ‘Not exempted from assassination’ – Ressa, 55, argues the law did not take effect until months after the story was published.

Government lawyers say it is effectively a new article since Rappler had updated it in 2014 to fix a typographical error.

the crew of 18 Indians, three Russians, a Latvian and a Filipino are seen sitting around a table and seemingly going about their daily routines.

Since the US began reimposing sanctions on Iran, tensions have mounted with drones shot down and tankers mysteriously attacked in sensitive Gulf waters.

At the height of the crisis, US President Donald Trump called off air strikes against Iran at the last minute in June after the Islamic republic downed a US drone.

Iran also said Monday it had arrested 17 suspects and sentenced some to death after dismantling a CIA spy network — claims Trump dismissed as “totally false”.

Tehran has been at loggerheads with Washington and its allies since May 2018, when Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran said it would attend a meeting in Vienna this weekend with countries still party to the troubled accord.

The meeting was requested by the European parties to discuss the “new situation”, Iran said, referring to its reduced nuclear commitments under the deal in response to the US withdrawal. The EU confirmed Iran would meet envoys from the remaining parties — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — on Sunday.

Because the law allows the filing of charges up to 12 years after libel is committed, Ressa said it will have far-ranging implications on constitutionally protected freedom of expression as well as the way Filipinos use social media.

Ressa, who has been arrested twice this year, also faces tax and corporate fraud cases, as does Rappler.

The libel case has drawn international attention, with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright expressing concern over democratic rights.

Prominent rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who joined Ressa’s legal team this month, said the case echoed a recurring theme in her work, where “journalists who expose abuses face arrest while those who commit the abuses do so with impunity”.

Duterte, who denies being behind the case, has singled out Rappler for criticism, also banning it from covering his public events and forbidding government officials from talking to Rappler reporters.

Shortly before being sworn into office in 2016, then president-elect Duterte declared: “Just because you’re a journalist, you are not exempted from assassination if you’re a son of a bitch.”

Rights monitor Reporters Without Borders ranked the Philippines at 134 out of 178 countries on its annual “World Press Freedom” index this year, when at least three journalists were killed “most likely by agents working for local politicians”.

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

08 COMMENT Quest for a multidimensional relationship A laudable move by Imran Khan

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he credit goes to Imran Khan for moving ahead to end the impasse in Pak-US relations. the summit in Washington on Monday ended on a positive note. US President Donald trump has accepted Mr Khan’s invitation to Pakistan. As President trump observed, relations with Pakistan are much better now than before and can be elevated to a higher level depending on the kind of understanding reached between the two sides. What Pakistan is required to do is to continue to provide help to the USA for a dignified exit from one of the most costly wars fought by it. Pakistan meanwhile is being asked to take irreversible and sustainable measures against terrorist groups. the USA in return will restore aid, its level depending on the kind of understanding reached between the two leaders. President trump has also offered to help improve Pakistan-India relations, expressing willingness to intercede to resolve the Kashmir issue, claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shown willingness to accept US mediation. India however has hurriedly contradicted the statement. President trump’s claim needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as he is known for making catchy and off-script statements that lead to clarifications by the White house and State Department.

Whatever the PtI government might say in public, it needs US aid both to overcome the all-encompassing economic crunch and fulfil the military’s needs. What is more, it wants more access for Pakistan’s exports to the USA and investments by US firms in Pakistan. Pakistan’s economic and military teams are discussing the nitty gritty with their US counterparts. Whether they are able to sort out the devil that lies in details remains to be seen.

Pakistan has to act within limitations imposed by the country’s capacity and its national policies while cooperating with the USA. It is doubtful if Pakistan enjoys sufficient clout with the Afghan taliban to be able to pressurize them to accept permanent ceasefire and enter into talks with the Afghan government. Similarly it might not be possible for Pakistan to become a part of the US strategic plan for the region. In case Pakistan fails to meet trump’s expectations, he may quickly change his approach to Pakistan.

Record borrowing

Life after the ralks Pakistan’s importance is because of Afghanistan

Dr zeeshAn khAn

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NCe US statesman henry Kissinger said, “Donald trump is a phenomenon that foreign countries haven’t seen. So it is a shocking experience to them that he came in to office. “ Meeting first time after the twitter spat in last November. All eyes were fixed on the outcome of the meeting between trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. When trump, the incumbent king of the world, meets other smaller counterpart statesmen, the scenario is drawn towards not what is going to happen but what comes to mind is the exploitation game at the end of the day as the result. that would have been the condition if the things did not get off the track. President Donald trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan have similarities too: both are populist and sincere to their cause but unorthodox; and their chemistry could iron out many crests and troughs in the Pakistan-US relationship. Imran Khan should recognise that spoilers and lobbies, who view the Pakistan-US relation with suspicion, would try their utmost to spoil the atmosphere of goodwill through trivia and controversies. No matter which side of the US-Pakistan relationship you are on, you cannot but agree that playing by the rules hasn’t worked. And it won’t— because divergences in interests on key issues are real and their respec-

Crawling out of the perpetual debt trap

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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Dr Zeeshan Khan tweets at @DrZeeshanKhanA1 and can be contacted at dr.zeeshan.alias.ghazikhan@gmail.com

People and politics

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Ith $16 billion in foreign loans taken in 201819, the PtI government has added another record to its ongoing streak of debilitating firsts in the history of the country’s economy. Apart from the $2.4 billion that was taken months before the general elections by the caretaker setup; $13.6 billion was borrowed in the past 11 months by the current government making it the highest ever external borrowing undertaken by a single government within a year. $5.5 billion has been disbursed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAe, providing crucial support for immediate relief as the country was on the brink of default, unable to meet foreign debt obligations. reportedly, this amount will be moved to the SBP balancesheet rather than being parked under the foreign debt, thereby reducing the total debt amount. however, the reduction will be somewhat offset as $2 billion out of the $6.7 billion of Chinese debt marked under SAFe deposit, will be part of the federal public debt due to pressure from the IMF. A gross requirement for external financing stands at $25.6 billion for the current financial year as projected by the IMF. With $14.5 billion public sector debt repayments due this year, a large chunk of the external financing will be used to retire debt. A sharp depreciation in the rupee has not helped matters either while sources of foreign exchange such as exports and FDI are declining. While recent measure such as a standard 17 percent GSt on export-oriented sectors has resulted in the closing down of many small textile mills, and even the larger ones are feeling the pinch, resulting in lower volumes. An unfavorable investment climate is coupled with reduced ease of doing business due to an over-zealous tax collection and accountability drive. the country is still entangled in a vicious debt trap that it is unlikely to crawl out of anytime soon. the PtI had vowed not to take any loans when it came to power; that promise went out the window immediately after coming to power and realizing what it had inherited. One year gone, it is simply not enough now to continue blaming previous governments for its economic woes; it is high time this government takes responsibility for the current mess and starts working towards solving it.

tive positions on them are too dug in. the global norm of statecraft is to play safe: be boring, go slow, do not spring surprises, and stick to talking points. But for the time being, let the two leaders be themselves.

If going by ‘the script’, trump echoed Washington’s negative energy: he would have blame Pakistan for the mess in Afghanistan, talked of sanctuaries and terrorism, the danger of nuclear weapons, and promised to keep the pressure up till Pakistan delivered. Khan will fire away by accusing the USA of using Pakistan as a scapegoat, of destabilising South Asia and being in cahoots with India, and ask for support on FAtF, IMF, Kashmir, and so on.

But, the arrest of JuD head hafiz Saeed before the visit and opening Pakistani airspace to Indian planes had some specific indications. With India in the US embrace, and Pakistan the new poster child of the Chinese Belt and road Initiative, any conflict between New Delhi and Islamabad will also have higher stakes. After the February faceoff at the border between the two countries, when the Indian Air Force crossed into Pakistan for the first time since 1971, a defence build-up in one country will automatically trigger anxiety in the other. On the Line of Control dividing disputed Kashmir, the risks of military escalation are sky high. Unless New Delhi accepts Islamabad’s offer of talks, further regional instability is likely.

Against this backdrop, with US-Iran tensions on the boil, a modicum of diplomatic courtesies for Islamabad may stay on the menu in Washington, but these will have a limited shelf life if the situation in Afghanistan worsens. When the storm gathers, US anger— which is rarely based on what actually went wrong in the region— could spark fresh tensions. In the age of twitter tripwires, facts won’t matter much. It is heartening to note that the US State Department and its Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs have updated their info portal on the relations with Pakistan, which as of June 21, 2019 stated, “the United States has been one of the largest sources of foreign direct investment in Pakistan and is Pakistan’s largest export market. trade relations between the United States and Pakistan continue to grow and the US government

supports this relationship by funding reverse trade delegations, business conferences, technical assistance, and business outreach. Pakistan remains an attractive market for US companies due to favourable demographics, english language skills, low labour costs, and natural resources.” the U.S. agenda clearly focuses on countering terrorism. equally important was Pakistan’s key role in pushing the Afghan taliban to reduce battlefield violence and engage in direct talks with the Kabul government, both of which are tough asks at this point. Beyond that, the politics of the visit will likely be boilerplate: Pakistan should do more to stabilize Afghanistan while also doing more to comply with global money laundering requirements and International Monetary Fund (IMF) benchmarks. If trump is in a good mood, he may even invite Khan to dinner at the White house.

In US eyes, stabilizing Afghanistan is Pakistan’s only real trump card. Islamabad would prefer to have a broader relationship with Washington beyond being seen as a window into a changing Afghanistan. Yet, in international politics, hopes matter as little as intentions. the visit is meant to push the Afghan peace process on a positive trajectory. this visit is taking place to find common grounds based on the changing dynamics of the region. trump’s policy on Afghanistan has to be implemented before 2020 and an amicable solution found which preserves US interests and guarantees that Afghanistan does not become a base of terrorism directed against the USA and the West. the peace talks that US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been conducting with the Afghan taliban and other Afghans have gone a long way toward breaking down barriers. Still, too many members of the Afghan taliban see violence as a means of boosting their negotiating power. the irony is not lost on anyone. Once upon a time, the USA wanted to fight and talk. Now the taliban seem to be doing so.

For its part, Pakistan has been instrumental in making the talks happen and has belatedly received some muted recognition of its unprecedented efforts to facilitate these delicate negotiations. the U.S. government’s listing of the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army as a terrorist group is one of the tokens of that recognition. But, now a fresh start is needed for both the countries and the region for peace, stability and prosperity.

The option of political agitation holds little promise

AskAri rAzA MAlik

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hether the opposition is united or not, only time would tell the founder of the nation died. his only sister, the ‘Mother of the Nation’, was not allowed press coverage for two long years. Nothing happened. Liaquat Ali Khan, the ‘leader of the nation’ was killed. Ayub Khan, the then C-in-C, cut his London tour short and rushed to join the nation in mourning. According to him it was a shock to see ‘business as usual’, a queer calm, in the corridors of power. then came big events like the dismissal of the government of Khawaja Nazimuddin, one of the stalwarts from the eastern wing, followed by the premature demise of Muhammad Ali Bogra’s government, when not a leaf stirred.

Much to the grief and shame of his party men, Abdul Qayyum Khan offered apologies to Ayub Khan to secure his release from the prison.

According to him, he was old and sick and could no more bear the hardships of imprisonmebt. In those days there were no ACs, no team of medical experts and no ‘home made cuisine’ available to political prisoners. According to the Khan from KPK, the previous day he had led a political rally with its head at Lahore and the tail wagging at Gujranwala. that had led to the President handing over the country to the ‘Valiant Armed Forces’, the first martial law. the next day Khan was driven back in an open jeep, handcuffed and lonely, on the same road that had been a witness to his spectacular show of political power. Not one single soul out of the mammoth crowd that Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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had followed him the day before had come out to protest, not a rotten tomato, egg or a stone thrown on his captors. With such a passive people, he lamented; he alone could not have suffered any more.

Z A Bhutto was hanged, Mujib murdered in Bangldesh and Muhammad Morsi died in captivity in Cairo. Morsi was a hero of the muchtrumpeted ‘Arab Spring’. his following had dissipated in the thin air of political passiveness and nonchalance. the history of the Saracens bears a witness to the fact that tragedies, big and small, seldom evoked a worthwhile public reaction. the corridors of power were never seriously challenged and the oppression of the masses continued unabated. the Muslims as a nation, for a long period of history, had been bullied into accepting monarchy as the only form of government. they were compelled to accept any person as their ruler who wielded power without ever questioning the legitimacy of his rule or actions, as long as he was a Muslim, even though in name only. they are ruler worshippers and entertain no ambitions about personal freedom and sense of honor. When the Abbasids rose against the Umayyadd, they could not muster enough support from within the status-quo-loving Arabian Peninsula. they had to bring an army from Khurasan to defeat their opponents. they ruled for hundreds of years as the people were lulled into slumber by the rulers’ handpicked religious scholars propagating ‘Patience, predestination’ and ultimate reward in the hereafter. today, the woe-stricken majority of people of Pakistan suffer from an additional handicap. they are too busy in their struggle for survival to cherish delicacies like freedom, honour and a democracy that at best remains only nebulous. the so-called political leadership chanting democracy in the name of the people who never existed in their real lives seems to be struggling to reoccupy the centers of power recently vacated by them through, what they describe as political manipulations by the establishment. their slogans are old, hectic and trite. they seem to be losing their mantra in the noise and din of corruption charges, which seem to have no end. It

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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is extremely difficult to catch a white-collar thief but the accountability whiz kids seem to be coming at the criminals again and again with renewed vigour. Where the whole conundrum is going to end no one can tell. But any thoughts of public agitation, that could force the government out, needs to be thoroughly examined. the opposition might be able to stage rallies and sit-in strikes. But in the present political scenario the opposition has limited capacity to sustain a long-term agitation. It would not be in terms of days or weeks but perhaps months of ‘the Arab Spring’ type outings, that it would take to produce substantial results. It does not seem to be possible with the prevailing living conditions in Pakistan. A good majority of the abject poor and the rest teetering on the borders of ‘to be or not to be’ have neither leisure nor the inclination to indulge in active politics. For them all rulers are the same. they were born poor and most will die of hunger and or disease. the socalled middle class has only to lose in a political agitation. the rich are too comfortable in their safe niches to stick their neck out. the option of political agitation holds little promise.

Whether the opposition is united or not, only time would tell. But its behaviour is definitely ambivalent; part hawkish, part dove-like. PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari seemingly intends withdrawing from active politics while his son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been launched on a clear warpath. the younger Sharif seems to be toying with the hazy idea of some sort of economic reconciliation with his niece threatening to expose institutions and personalities alike. It seems to be a two-pronged strategy. Such an approach has the inherent disadvantage of dilution of effort becoming evident in the opposition’s increasing frustration. the opposition has no plan or individual or collective charisma to upstage the government unless outside help comes to their rescue as another Lawrence of Arabia or some Mr Farland landing in Pakistan in the twilight of Z A Bhutto’s rule.

Askari Raza Malik has served Pakistan Army as Major General. He is author of book “Pakistan in Search of a Messiah”. He can be reached at ask7121@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

COMMENT 09 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.

Yemen war: Reasons and solutions

Resolution of Kashmir issue India goes on committing human rights violations

MAlik MuhAMMAD AshrAf

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NDIAN Defence Minister rajnath Singh, while addressing a ceremony held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War on Saturday reportedly said, “the Kashmir issue will be resolved and no power on earth can stop it. If not through talks we know how. I have made several appeals to the so-called leaders as home Minister.

Kashmir is in my heart and the government wants it to become not only the paradise of India but the tourist paradise of the world”. his statement constitutes a blatant repudiation of the UN resolutions with regard to the resolution of the Kashmir issue through a plebiscite held under the auspices of the world body and reaffirms Indian sinister designs to keep the people of Kashmir under subjugation through ruthless use of force. the Indian minister is however right to the extent that no power on earth could stop the resolution of the Kashmir issue. the people of Kashmir have been waging a struggle for their freedom since 1989 when they launched an armed struggle after having been frustrated due to the Indian refusal to honour her commitments under the UN resolutions. the Indians have been using ruthless force since the beginning of the current uprising in the backdrop of the martyrdom of Burhan Wani in 2016, which continues unabated. reportedly the Indian security forces have killed 755 Kashmiris, raped 903 women, maimed and injured thousands of them through use of pellet guns and destroyed 3002 structures and buildings. the year 2018 was the bloodiest as more than 500 people were killed. In September 2018 alone the Indian security forces martyred 42 Kashmiris. the people of Kashmir, undeterred by the Indian atrocities, are determined to win their freedom. the Indians have not been able to dent or dampen their resolve in this regard. history is a witness to the fact that freedom struggles cannot be suppressed with the barrel of the gun. the people of Kashmir will ultimately be successful in casting off the Indian yoke. It is an irrefutable lesson of history.

International human rights organizations like Amnesty International have been regularly compiling reports on human rights abuses in the IhK by the Indian security forces. the UNOhCr has also compiled two reports in this regard. the first report on the subject, issued in June 2018,

highlighted serious violations of human rights, unwarranted use of force by the Indian security personnel leading to civilian casualties, subjective detention and impunity for human rights violations. the report had also demanded setting up of a commission of inquiry for a thorough probe into the continued perpetration of atrocities on the people of Kashmir under Indian occupation. the report lamented, “No security forces personnel accused of torture or other forms of degrading and inhuman treatment have been prosecuted in a civilian court since these allegations started emerging in the early 1990s.” the second report released on the eve of the third anniversary of the martyrdom of Burhan Wani indicates the rise in bloodshed and the abuse of human rights. the repot pertaining to the period between May 2018 and April 2019 says that in the backdrop of the Pulwama incident the Indian paramilitary forces unleashed a floodgate of civilian casualties and the situation impacted the rights of the Kashmiris, including the right to life.

India, with a view to hoodwink the international community, has also adopted a belligerent posture towards Pakistan. Indian belligerence towards Pakistan almost led to a fullfledged war between the two nuclear neighbours in the backdrop of the Pulwama incident. It is continuously violating the ceasefire agreement of 2013 along the Line of Control and Working Boundary and also trying to portray the freedom movement in IhK as Pakistani-abetted terrorism notwithstanding the fact that the freedom struggle in IhK is an indigenous phenomenon, as has been corroborated even by saner elements within India.

Notwithstanding provocative belligerence by India, Pakistan has shown the utmost restraint even when its territory was violated by the Indian aircraft and took only defensive action by downing two of them. It also tried to defuse the burgeoning tensions between the two countries by

releasing the captured Indian pilot and by seeking the intervention of the international community, which reinforced her credentials as a peace-loving country in spite of the fact that it possessed matching nuclear capability. the continued killing of the people of Kashmir by the Indian security forces with impunity is an affront to the conscience of the civilized world and the United Nations, which is under the obligation of having its resolutions on Kashmir implemented. the indifference shown by the world community, particularly by those powers which cry hoarse from every convenient rooftop to announce their credentials as champions of human rights, is extremely regrettable.

India must realize that it cannot stop the inevitable by any means.

Acting like a war-like state can ultimately prove harmful to her own security and strategic interests as well economic wellbeing. resolution of the Kashmir issue and normalization of relations with Pakistan undoubtedly is a prerequisite for peace in the region and realizing the dream of shared regional economic prosperity. the UN as a peace-promoting international organization has the responsibility to ensure the implementation of its resolutions on Kashmir.

It is a globally acknowledged fact that Kashmir is a nuclear flashpoint. therefore in the interest of peace and security in the region it is incumbent on the UN to use its good offices in ending the ordeal of the people of Kashmir by having its resolutions implemented. It is also the responsibility of the international community to exert pressure on India to end the reign of terror in IhK and fulfill her obligations towards the people of Kashmir as enshrined in the UN resolutions on the subject.

In the interest of peace and security in the region it is incumbent on the UN to use its good offices in ending the ordeal of the people of Kashmir by having its resolutions implemented

Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.

the war in Yemen has been going on for three years now. thousands of Yemeni civilians have been killed, while millions have been displaced from their homes. the Yemen war has pulled in many nations into the conflict, but essentially it is a Saudi Arabia versus Iran clash. the Saudi’s are backing the 2012 elected Yemeni government of Abdrabbuh Mansur hadi, while the Iranians are backing the houthi rebel forces of Yemen. the Yemeni houthis may seem like an impoverished and weak army, but they fight with such intensity and fury which the Saudi coalition forces could never match. Add new weapons and ammunition, smuggled from Iran, the houthis becomes an even dangerous force that can never be tamed in Yemen. the Yemeni houthis along with support from local Yemenis oppose Saudi Arabia with an intense anger, which has been boiling for almost 100 years. In 1932 when Ibn Saud created the new state of Saudi Arabia, the borders of this new country remained unmapped, unmarked and un-demarcated. At that time there were many small tribal Yemeni states between Saudi Arabia and Coastal Yemen. Saudi Arabia were influencing these small tribal states and convincing them or annexing them, to join Saudi Arabia, while at that time the Imam of Yemen also raised objections to losing Yemeni states to KSA. this annexation of tribal Yemeni areas by Saudi Arabia resulted in the first war, in November 1933, when the Yemeni advanced on Najran. the Saudis were better equipped and eventually won the war. In June 1934 a Peace treaty was signed, whereby Jizin/Jizan, Asir and Najran areas of Yemen were annexed by Saudi Arabia and the remaining areas were returned. But every Yemeni leader after 1934 has rejected the annexation of their land under the Peace treaty. the latest surveys have found that these 3 regions, Jizin, Asir and Najran, have very high oil and gas reserves. Yemeni people know that and they think that Saudi Arabia is taking away their oil resources that can help the impoverished nation of 26 million become a developed nation. Under some estimates Yemen can become a major oil producer and has 30% of the world’s oil reserves in Yemen including the disputed region.

From 2004 till 2010 internal conflict between Mr Saleh’s Yemeni Army and the houthis started a new conflict in Yemen that eventually resulted in massive demonstrations in 2011, also called the “Arab Spring”. Alarmed by the unrest, Saudi led Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) forced Mr Saleh to resign and there are also reports that he signed a new agreement with SA for forfeit of disputed lands to SA. In Yemen people say that Mr. Saleh was paid 18 millions dollars for this deal.

Mr. Saleh’s departure did not appease the people of Yemen and the conflict intensified until Saudi Arabia entered the war with a coalition force to fight against the houthis who were accused of harboring terrorists like Al-Qaeda in Yemen.

But the three year conflict has resulted in a stalemate with neither side being victorious. While the nations of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Yemen suffered, the developed nations selling weapons, equipment and buying cheap smuggled oil, benefited substantially from the Yemen war. UAe sees that and has retreated from the Yemen War, while Saudi Arabia and Iran are also realizing this fact.

Pakistan can use this opportunity to create a peace deal for Yemen. Pakistan is friends with Iran and KSA while Pakistan was not a participant of the Yemen War. therefore Pakistan can propose a peace deal that ensures Yemen’s development and increased trade between the three nations to reduce future conflicts.

Pakistan can propose a joint ownership in the disputed Yemeni regions, where Yemeni citizens can enter freely with all rights, but the area is governed, developed, and secured by KSA. KSA to develop homes, utilities and oil processing factories in the disputed regions where 50% of homes and jobs will be given to Yemeni citizens. the cities will be connected to Port cities by rail. Iran will be asked to develop ports and port cities for oil and goods transport.

EnGR SHAHRyAR KHAn BASEER Peshawar

Regimes in Pakistani history PAKIStAN’S sixty-year history is the history of heretical proclamation. truly, since its inception, Pakistani nation has faced a number of insurgencies. One civilian and three military regimes.

Parvez Musharraf and General Ayub Khan both were military rulers from 1958 to 1969 and 1999 to 2008 respectively. they tried to follow the paces of turkish founder named Mustafa Kamal ‘Ataturk’. he was the great secular modernising nationalist. however, General Zia-Ul-haq, from 1977 to 1988, took different matter to make country stable. he insisted to follow the Islamic pattern. But, luck was not in the favor of Gen Zia and due to some external forces he mixed both Islam and politics.

Besides, a civilian leader, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the founder of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the 1970s, was the ruler of Pakistan. It was not fortunate for our nation that he was dependent on the same old local clans, chieftains, barons and local patronages. the military governments which took their power promising to sweep away elites and their rampant corruption also found themselves under the sway of the parliament. Because no government can run their affairs without parliament.

It is not power, but it is itself a power house. We must take awareness of our country’s affairs and understand everything with our instinctive mind. nAvEED ABBAS MAitLo islamabad

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

S Korea SayS fired warning ShotS at ruSSian military jet SEOUL

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AGENCIES

OUTH Korean fighter jets fired over 400 warning shots and Japan complained to Moscow on Tuesday after a Russian military plane violated airspace claimed by both Seoul and Tokyo.

Seoul said a Russian A-50 warplane twice entered South Korean airspace near the disputed Dokdo islets — which Japan calls Takeshima.

Seoul officials said they responded by scrambling F-15K and KF-16 fighters, which first issued warnings and fired flares. They fired 80 warning shots at the plane during the first breach, and 280 rounds during the second, a military official told AFP. “We are assessing this incident in a very grave manner and will take a much tougher measure if it happens again,” said National Security Advisor Chung Euiyong, according to the Blue House spokeswoman.

Japan complained to both Moscow and Seoul over the incursion.

“We learned that Russian military planes flying over the Sea of Japan this morning twice violated our airspace near Takeshima,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular press conference.

“Based on this knowledge, we made strong protests.”

Suga, who said Japan also scrambled military jets, added South Korea’s response was “extremely regrettable”.

But South Korea’s presidential Blue House insisted the disputed islets were an “integral part” of Korean territory “historically, geographically and under international law”.

Russia denied any airspace violation,

insisting Seoul’s complaint was based on an “arbitrarily established” air defence identification zone that Moscow did not recognise.

“It was not the first time that South Korean pilots tried to unsuccessfully interfere with the flights of the Russian aviation forces above the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

“Such ‘zones’ are recognized by nei-

ther international law nor Russia,” it said, adding Moscow had repeatedly informed Seoul about it.

Russia later released a separate statement, saying Russian and Chinese longrange planes had staged a “first joint patrol mission in the Asia-Pacific region” to “deepen and develop Russian-Chinese relations”.

“Both countries acted in strict accordance with international law,” Moscow’s

defence ministry said in the statement, adding the event was “not aimed against third countries”.

Seoul officials said the Russian plane first entered South Korean airspace just after 9:00 am (0000 GMT) and lasted three minutes.

It returned half an hour later, staying in South Korean airspace for four minutes, the military said.

At one point, the South Korean and Russian warplanes were just one kilometre apart, the official added.

The Russian plane “didn’t appear to have hostile intention” during the manoeuvers, the military official said, as it flew “at constant speed and direction”.

He added that more investigation is required to determine the motives for the breaches.

Dokdo, or Takeshima, are a series of rocky islets in the sea between South Korea and Japan that have long been disputed and the source of diplomatic friction between the two economic powerhouses. They lie in rich fishing grounds that may also contain large deposits of natural gas.

Lingering tensions between Seoul and Tokyo over compensation for South Korean victims of Japan’s wartime forced labour policy worsened this month when Tokyo restricted exports of high-tech materials to South Korea.

Paris braces for record heat as Europe scorched again PARIS AGENCIES

Palestinian building is bombed by Israeli forces in the village of Sur Baher which sits on either side of the Israeli barrier in East Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. AGENCIES

Religious circles defend China’s position on Xinjiang BEIJING INP

Around 100 scholars and religious personnel have sent a joint letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to express their strong indignation against those irresponsible remarks related to Xinjiang.

This was stated by the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang at a regular news briefing. The letter was written by China Islamic Association, China Buddhist Association, the China Daoist Association, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) and the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC), and the China Christian Council.

All strongly condemned the US attacks on China's ethnic and religious policy.

According to the spokesperson, last week the US kept slandering and smearing China's religious policy and freedom of religious belief and interfering in China's internal affairs.

“In response to the US wrongdoing, we have stated our stern position repeatedly.

What the US did has aroused strong opposition from the Chinese people.

In fact, what the US did has also encountered aversion and opposition in many countries, and some

of them refused to attend the meeting.

The head of the biggest Muslim group in Indonesia expressed their support to Chinese government 's Xin Jiang-related policy in public recently, saying that certain Western countries’ accusations against China are out of political motives and inconsistent with facts. Not long ago, ambassadors to the UN Geneva Office from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, among other 37 countries, sent a joint letter to the president of the UN Human Rights Council and High Commissioner for Human Rights, in which they recognized the progress of human rights protection and counterterrorism and deradicalization in Xinjiang.

Recently, many more countries have joined them in supporting Chinese government by sending jointly signed letter.

As to the so-called International Religious Freedom Alliance, it's nothing more than a tool for the US to promote its own values and interfere in others internal affairs under the pretext of religious freedom.

It will surely encounter opposition in most countries and is doomed to fail.

We advise the US to respect facts and abandon bias, refrain from politicizing religious matters, blaspheming the sacred name of religion and interfering others domestic affairs and stop playing so-called world police, he added.

Parisians were on Tuesday bracing for potentially the hottest ever temperature in the French capital this week as a new heatwave blasted into northern Europe that could set records in several countries.

Temperatures were already topping 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday in Paris, but the mercury could soar beyond 40C on Thursday and topple a record dating back to 1947.

The severe heat, which forecasters say will only last a few days but will be exceptionally intense, is also expected to affect parts of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

“It’s likely that these three countries will see temperatures at or above 40C for the first time,” Francois Jobard, a forecaster from the French Meteo France weather office, told AFP. The new blast of hot air comes less than a month after a heatwave scorched Europe at the end of June, forcing new attention on the issue of climate change.

“The heatwave that is too much,” declared the headline in Le Parisien newspaper, highlighting that “Act II” of this summer’s severe weather would further hurt production of crops from potatoes to grapes.

Jobard from Meteo France said that Thursday was shaping up to be “a potentially historically hot day”.

“We are forecasting 41 or 42 degrees in Paris on Thursday and there is the strong chance of beating the record,” he added.

The highest ever temperature recorded in Paris was 40.4 degrees Celsius (104.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in 1947. Since records began in 1873, this was the only time a plus-40 temperature was recorded in the French capital, he said.

Britain will also see high temperatures, but will still be significantly cooler than countries on the continent.

Germany was already experiencing several forest fires and drying river beds while farmers fear another bad crop after last year’s low yield which was also caused by an unusually hot summer. With pollution climbing, only vehicles with a special clean air certificate will be allowed into central Paris on Tuesday, the local authorities said.

The French government has warned that wine production will be down by between six to 13 percent over 2018, notably because of the ongoing heatwave.

French Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume has said that the government will ask the EU to bring forward the payment some one billion euros

in aid to farmers to help them through the dry spell.

He said farmers in around three dozen departments (regions) in France are being allowed to cut fallow fields as there was no food left to feed animals in the regular pastures.

Huge wildfires that have ravaged the mountainous Castelo Branco region of central Portugal and left dozens injured have been “90 percent” controlled, firefighters said Monday, but warned that strong winds could cause the flames to spread.

The new heatwave in northern Europe came as the United States also sweltered in extreme hot temperatures.

The New York City Triathlon, which had been scheduled for Sunday, was cancelled for the first time since its founding in 2001.

Scientists are increasingly confident that manmade climate change is driving up the length and intensity of heatwaves.

The three-day temperature peak from June 2628 in France was four degrees Celsius (7.2 Farenheit) hotter than an equally rare June heatwave would have been in 1900, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) team said this month.

One study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology also said the deadly, weeks-long heatwave across northern Europe in 2018 would have been statistically impossible without climate change.

France saw its highest ever temperature on June 28 — 46.0 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Verargues in the Herault department of southern France.

Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who highlighted the problem of global warming through school strikes, is due to visit the French parliament on Tuesday.

Some right-wing MPs have said her visit is needless, with Julien Aubert of the Republicans describing her as a “prophetess in shorts, a Nobel Prize for Fear” in comments denounced by green activists.

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

BUSINESS 11

Trump’s decision To enhance Trade relaTions wiTh pakisTan lauded 'US CAN CAPITALISE ON PAKISTAN'S VAST POOL OF SKILLED HUMAN RESOURCE, A LARGE AGRARIAN BASE, TREMENDOUS TOURISM POTENTIAL, DIVERSE MINERAL WEALTH, AND A DEVELOPED IT INFRASTRUCTURE' ISLAMABAD

h

APP

AILING the decision of United States President Donald Trump towards enhancement of trade volume with Pakistan, the business community has said that Pakistan is an ideal and attractive investment destination that offers a rich array of resources.

Pak US Business Council Chairman and SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry Senior Vice President Iftikhar

pharmaceutical exports increase 8pc to 211.6m ISLAMABAD APP

The exports of pharmaceutical products from the country during the Financial Year 2018-19 grew by 8.6pc as compared to the corresponding period of last year. Pakistan exported pharmaceutical products worth $211.674 million during July-June 2018-19 as against the export of $194.910 million during July-June 2017-18, according to the latest data issued by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). In terms of quantity, the export of pharmaceutical products increased by 29.27 per cent, from 10,189 metric tonnes to 13,171 metric tonnes.

Meanwhile, on a year-on-year basis, the pharmaceutical exports witnessed a decrease of 5.99pc in June 2019 when compared to the same month of last year. The pharmaceutical exports in June 2019 were recorded at $14.061 million against the export of $14.957 million in June 2018. On a month-on-month basis, the exports of pharmaceutical products also witnessed a decrease of 21.15pc in June 2019 when compared to the exports of $17.832 million in May 2019. It is pertinent to mention that the country's merchandise trade deficit plunged by 15.33pc during the fiscal year 2018-19 compared to the corresponding period of last year. The trade deficit contracted to $31.820 billion in FY2018-19, as against the deficit of $37.583 billion recorded in FY2017-18.

us sanctions on chinese oil trader ‘illegal’: Beijing BEIJING AGENCIES

China on Tuesday called US sanctions against Chinese companies “illegal”, a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced he was putting a leading oil importer on a blacklist. Pompeo said Monday that the US was imposing sanctions on Zhuhai Zhenrong and its chief executive Li Youmin as part of a “maximum pressure campaign” for trading in Iranian crude oil.

“They violated US law by accepting crude oil,” he said. But Beijing said Tuesday it has “consistently and resolutely opposed unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States,” slamming the sanctions as “illegal”. “The Chinese side has expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation of the relevant US authorities that have sanctioned Chinese enterprises,” said foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing. “The Chinese side has repeatedly stressed that energy cooperation between Iran and the international community, which includes China, falls within the framework of international law and is reasonable and legitimate, and must be respected and protected.”

Ali Malik welcomed the joint statements of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying that the private sectors of both countries could increase the bilateral trade volume by playing a constructive role.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, he said overseas businessmen and investors should take advantage of the economic and business opportunities provided by Pakistan's strategic location.

Both Pakistan and US governments have clear economic agendas; therefore, there should be meaningful result-ori-

ented dialogues on trade and investment between the two countries, he maintained.

"The United States is the largest trade partner of Pakistan and over one million Pakistani expatriates are housed there," he noted. "Both countries have the potential to enhance bilateral cooperation in energy, agriculture and education sectors."

Malik urged both the governments to facilitate their entrepreneurs so as to encourage trade and business collaborations. "US could capitalise on Pakistan's vast pool of skilled human resource, a large agrarian base, tremendous tourism potential, diverse mineral wealth, and a developed IT infrastructure," he added.

The business leader said both countries should focus on developing sectorspecific cooperation, as it would help in increasing two-way trade.

He also highlighted various impedi-

ments being faced by the Pakistani business community in doing trade with the US. He urged the US to remove all trade barriers, including strict visa conditions, for the promotion of bilateral trade.

"Many Chinese investors are taking a keen interest in Pakistan and the US should also encourage its investors to explore the Pakistani market. The visit of US investors to Pakistan will also send a positive signal to other foreign investors."

Malik requested the Trump government to consider allowing duty-free access to Pakistani merchandise in lieu of Pakistan's sacrifices in the US war against terrorism.

"Direct market access to the US will bring economic stability in Pakistan, which is imperative to crush terrorism in the region."

He said aid or grant is undoubtedly a

Market Daily

KSE-100 gains 131 points amid range-bound trading KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) managed to close another session in the green amid range-bound trading and low market turnover. Foreign investors closed the previous session (Monday) as net buyers with a net inflow of only $0.343 million.

According to news reports, Pakistan has borrowed $16 billion foreign loans in one years’ time in order to avoid being a defaulter of international debt obligations as well as to finance its imports. Out of the total amount, the incumbent government borrowed $13.6 billion worth of loans (highest amount taken by any government in a single year), while the remaining $2.4 billion were received in July 2018 during the tenure of the caretaker government.

Adding 173.89 points, the benchmark KSE-100 Index touched its intraday high of 32,758.44. It then oscillated in the opposite direction and lost 129.45 points to touch its intraday low of 32,455.10. The index finally closed higher by 131.33 points at 32,715.88.

The KMI-30 Index gained 298.71 points to end at 51,603.74, while the

KSE All Share Index gathered 17.80 points to end at 23,896.48. The cement sector ended as a major contributor to KSE-100, as it added 42.55 points to the index, while food and personal care products sector continued to drag the index for the second consecutive session, pulling it back by 14.57 points.

On the market front, Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited (HCAR +2.59pc) declared its financial results for the first quarter of FY20. The company’s

sales declined by 25pc while it's earning per share depreciated from Rs7.36 in 1QFY19 to Rs1.69 in 1QFY20.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PAKT 0.00pc) announced its financial performance for the second quarter of FY19. The company declared an interim cash dividend of Rs13 in addition to financials. Sales appreciated by 21pc YoY, while earnings per share increased from Rs10.55 in the same period last year to Rs16.68 in the current year.

remedy but it has never been a substitute to trade, adding that greater market access will not only help rehabilitate and reconstruct the totally damaged industrial infrastructure but will also generate jobs for millions of people.

He said that the war against terrorism that had engaged Pakistan for more than a decade proved to be the biggest hurdle in the way of Pakistan's progress.

"As per some careful estimates, our involvement in the effort to curb terrorism across the borders has caused a colossal loss of almost $120 billion to Pakistan's economy," he noted.

He said that a new history is in the making as the country has left the difficult times behind, adding that the overall security situation today is far better and Pakistan is emerging as a hub of economic activities.

Huawei first-half revenue up about 30pc despite US ban Huawei Technologies Co Ltd’s revenue grew roughly 30pc in the first half after select teams secured critical supplies to keep production going despite US technology export restrictions, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The United States has put Huawei on an export blacklist citing national security issues, barring US suppliers from selling to the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker and No.2 maker of smartphones, without special approval. Huawei’s revenue growth of 30pc in the first half is a slowdown from 39pc in the first three months of 2019, but is up sharply from 2018, Bloomberg said.

Huawei has so far managed to boost revenue by aggressively securing contracts for fifth-generation networking equipment. The company is said to have rewarded a number of employees for helping it accelerate revenue despite US ban. Huawei declined to comment on the Bloomberg report.

Huawei last month cut revenue expectations for the year, with its founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei saying the company had taken a harder-than-expected hit from the US ban. The firm has denied its products pose a security threat. AGENCIES

iMF lowers global growth forecasts as trade, Brexit uncertainties persist WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday lowered its forecast for global growth this year and next, warning that more US-China tariffs, auto tariffs or a disorderly Brexit could further slow growth, weaken investment and disrupt supply chains.

The IMF said downside risks had intensified and it now expected global economic growth of 3.2pc in 2019 and 3.5pc in 2020, a drop of 0.1 percentage point for both years from its April forecast, and its fourth downgrade since October.

The global lender said economic data released so far this year and generally softening inflation pointed to weaker-than-expected global activity, with trade and technology tensions and mounting disinflationary pressures posing future risks.The IMF slashed its forecast for growth in global trade by 0.9 percentage point to 2.5pc in 2019. Trade should rebound and grow by 3.7pc in 2020, about 0.2 percentage point less than previously forecast. Trade volume growth declined to around 0.5pc in the first quarter, it said, with the slowdown mainly hitting emerging Asian countries.

“The principal risk factor to the global economy

is that adverse developments – including further USChina tariffs, US auto tariffs, or a no-deal Brexit – sap confidence, weaken investment, dislocate global supply chains and severely slow global growth below the baseline,” the IMF said.

Weak trade prospects were creating headwinds for investment, and business sentiment was particularly pessimistic about new orders, although sentiment in the services sector had proven resilient, bolstering employment and consumer confidence. Other risks, including tensions in the Persian Gulf, had picked up in recent months, and civil strife in many countries raised the spectre of “horrific humanitarian costs, migration strains … and higher volatility in commodity markets.”

The IMF said growth was better than expected in advanced economies like the United States, and oneoff factors that had throttled growth in the eurozone were fading as anticipated. The IMF raised its forecast for US economic growth to 2.6pc in 2019, but left its 2020 forecast for 1.9pc growth unchanged. It lifted its growth forecast for the euro area to 1.6pc in 2020, leaving the 2019 growth outlook unchanged at 1.3pc.

TARIFFS HITTING CHINESE ECONOMY: At the same time, activity across emerging market and developing economies in Asia was disappointing, and

second-quarter indicators for China suggested weaker activity there, the IMF said.

Escalating US tariffs and weakening external demand were pressuring China’s economy, which was already in the midst of a structural slowdown. China’s economy was now expected to grow 6.2pc in 2019 and 6.0pc in 2020, a 0.1 percentage point drop for each year, the IMF said. The IMF also cut its forecast for growth in emerging markets and developing economies to 4.1pc in 2019 and 4.7pc in 2020. It slashed the forecast for Latin America and the Caribbean downward by 0.8 percentage point to just 0.6pc in 2019, reflecting downgrades to the forecasts for Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. Venezuela’s economy was expected to shrink about 35pc in 2019.

Russia also had a weak first quarter, the IMF said, revising downward its forecast for economic output in the Commonwealth of Independent States by 0.3 percentage point to 1.9pc in 2019.

Slower global growth and the drop in inflation across advanced and emerging market economies had revived the risk of disinflation, the IMF said, warning that missteps in macroeconomic policies could have a severely debilitating effect on sentiment, growth and job creation.

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

12 BUSINESS CORPORATE CORNER

sindh govT approves Two mega projecTs for karachi KARACHI

RAWALPINDI: Counsellor of Chinese Embassy Chen Wei inaugurates new filling plant at Murree Brewery Company Limited. PRESS RElEASE

KARACHI: Toyota-IMC recently held its annual Customer Satisfaction Kaizen Evolution Cup (CSKE).

The celebration was attended by all qualifying dealerships and their principals, guests from Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, and top management of Indus Motor Company. PRESS RElEASE

s

STAFF REPORT

INDH government has approved two mega industrial and business projects for Karachi. These include the establishment of ‘Karachi Marble City’ as well as a state-of-the-art technology park in NED University.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the public-private partnership (PPP) policy board presided

by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, a statement issued on Tuesday said.

It was decided that both the projects would run under the public-private mode. The Sindh Invest-

PROJECTS INCLUDE ESTABLISHMENT OF ‘KARACHI MARBLE CITY’ AND A STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY PARK IN NED UNIVERSITY ment Department was directed to complete the projects at the earliest.

According to details, both the projects would have the status of ‘special economic zone’ as per the Special Economic Zones Act 2012; investors of both these projects could avail the facility of a 10-year exemption from income tax and customs duty on the import of machinery.

The fast emerging IT industry of Pakistan had earned $1 billion foreign exchange last year and keeping in view this fact, the Sindh government, in collaboration with

PTC contributed Rs103.5bn to national exchequer in FY19 ‘WITH FISCAL MEASURES APPROVED IN BUDGET 2019-20, ILLICIT CIGARETTE TRADE MAY INCREASE FROM ITS EXISTING 30PC SHARE OF THE MARKET’ ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

LAHORE: USAID’s Pakistan Agricultural Technology Transfer Activity (PATTA) held a consultative working group meeting to discuss innovative approaches to enhance the use of their agricultural technologies by farmers in Punjab. PRESS RElEASE

Senate penal seeks explanation over non-appointment of NPO chief

NED University, was planning to build a 20-storeyed state-of-the-art building as a ‘technology zone’.

Professionals and experts of information technology would set up their businesses in the tech zone, which would create employment opportunities for the talented and the deserving.

The building of the said technology zone was proposed to be completed by 2021 with an estimated cost of Rs12 billion. The IT companies in this technology park would be able to acquire offices on

30 per cent less rent and with full logistical support.

The other project approved to run on PPP mode was the Karachi Marble City, consisting of 300 acres of land near the northern bypass.

The meeting decided to encourage investors working in the marble industry so that by using modern methods, they could produce value-added marble, granite and other stones.

It was also decided in the meeting that 200 acres of additional land adjacent to Karachi Marble City was to be reserved for the industries related to the construction sector and a feasibility study for this sector would be conducted prior to its development.

The Board of Directors of Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC), one of the first multinationals to operate in Pakistan since 1947, released its results for the first half of 2019.

The board announced that PTC, for the first time, has crossed the landmark achievement of contributing Rs103.5 billion towards the government revenues through payment of federal excise duty, sales tax and income tax (FY2018-19).

“This translates to a 32pc growth as against the same period last year (FY2017-18), whereby Rs78.4 billion was contributed.”

The board also declared an interim dividend

of Rs13.0 per share.

The company's efforts to embark upon its "Made in Pakistan" exports initiative was appreciated by the board, saying that this project would bring in an estimated $50 million in the next 18 to 24 months.

"This has been possible due to the exceptional management practices adopted by PTC and the internationally benchmarked standards embedded across the company and its manufacturing and supply chain operations.

"Through its flagship afforestation programme running since 1981, PTC has planted and distributed more than 78 million saplings, all free of cost. This, along with several other initiatives that are aimed at rural and economic uplift, improving and embedding sustainable agricultural practices etc., reflects PTC’s unwavering commitment to its nation."

However, the BOD said with the fiscal measures approved in the Federal Budget 2019/20, illicit cigarette trade may increase from its existing 30pc share of the market. This is due to the massive increases in excise rates by 106.3pc and re-

sultant widening price differentials between legitimate tax paid brands and tax evaded brands which has gone up to Rs50, it added.

"Other than local tax evasion, there are also many smuggled cigarette brands that do not pay the requisite duties and do not have 60pc pictorial health warning mandated by the Ministry of Health. Availability of such smuggled cigarettes negatively affected farmers and business partners across the legitimate supply chain and hurts government revenues."

The board further noted that the adjustable advance excise duty of Rs300 per kg levied on the tobacco processed for manufacturing of cigarettes introduced in the Interim Supplementary Finance Bill in October 2018 has now been reduced to Rs10 per kg in Federal Budget 2019/20.

"This was an effective measure towards strengthening the documentation of illicit leaf purchases. However, it has now unfortunately been abolished.

"This may have an adverse impact on government revenues in the coming months."

ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

Senate's Standing Committee on Industry and Production has sought an explanation from the Ministry of Industries and Production over non-appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO) for the National Productivity Organisation (NPO), an attached department of the ministry. According to details, the committee on April 3 had directed the ministry to send a summary regarding the appointment of a new NPO chief. However, the process in this regard remained incomplete. The standing committee has now issued directions to the ministry to submit a detailed explanation on July 30. According to sources, the contract of the NPO chief executive expired in October 2018 but he got an extension with the "approval" of the industries and production secretary despite the fact only the prime minister can approve such extensions.

The Senate panel took up the matter of illegal extension of NPO chief in April this year. The industries and production secretary had assured the forum that the process of appointment of a new CEO has been started and the ministry would send the summary to PM within fifteen to twenty days. However, the ministry failed to initiate any process in this regard. Sources said that the company secretary of the NPO board wrote a letter to his fellow members on June 25, seeking initiation of the process regarding the appointment of the new CEO, "but no one replied to him".

Female buyers can share CNIC of male relatives: FBR BUSINESS DESK Female customers who do not want to share their identity card number, or do not have an independent source of income, can give the identity card of their male relatives when making purchases, according to a new rule by the Federal Board of Revenue.

The FBR issued a sales tax notification to explain the amendments being made to the Sales Tax Act, 1990. Buyers are now mandated to show their Computer National Identity Card (CNIC) when making purchases over Rs50,000 from a sales tax registered person.

“At present there are only 41,484 sales tax registered persons who are paying some tax with their returns,” stated the notification available with a private

media outlet. “This (step) will help bring all people in the tax system.”

One amendment proposes that female buyers show the CNIC of their husband or father when the total bill crosses Rs50,000.

“FBR is fully conversant of cultural constraints and traditions of the country,” the notification stated. “Therefore, in case of purchase of Rs50,000 by an ordinary consumer being a female, the CNIC of the husband or the father will be considered valid for the purposes.”

The FBR officials later explained that this only applies to women who do not have a valid CNIC or those who do not want to share their CNIC details or those who do not have an independent income, due to which they will not be registered in the tax network.

Pakistan’s exports to South asian countries fall by 14pc BUSINESS DESK Pakistan’s exports to its neighbours in the South Asian region have fallen by 14 percent in the fiscal year 2018-19, according to the data of the central bank. Exports in the South Asia region fell to $2.672 billion from the previous $3.104 billion. The decline was mainly attributed to the dip in exports to Pakistan’s three immediate regional neighbour, India, Afghanistan and Iran. Exports of goods and services from Pakistan to Afghanistan—the major trading partner in the region—fell to $1.189 billion in July-June FY 2018-19 from $1.494 billion in the preceding year. The State Bank of Pakistan’s export destination-wise receipts figures revealed that exports to India stood at $312.032 million during the last fiscal year, compared with $419.773 million in JulyJune FY 2017-18. The country exported $4.293 million worth of goods and services to Iran in FY 2018-19, compared with $17.530 million in the previous fiscal. Meanwhile, the numbers have also fallen for other countries in the region such as Sri Lanka, where exports fell to $303.817 million from $340.018 million. Only exports to Bangladesh have increased, where they have gone up fell to $303.817 million from $340.018 million.

aDB approves $50m additional contribution to expand CGiF's operations ISLAMABAD APP

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $50 million additional capital contribution to support the guarantee operations of the Credit Guarantee Investment Facility (CGIF), a trust fund of ADB created to promote the development of deep and liquid local currency and regional bond markets in the ASEAN+3 region.

The CGIF was established in April 2010 with an initial capital of $700 million, including a $130 million capital contribution from ADB. It was formed as an integral part of policy actions agreed under the Asian Bond Market Initiative to promote the development of bond mar-

kets, mainly by providing credit guarantees to ASEAN+3 bond issuers.

“Having a developed and integrated bond market is integral for a country to unlock more investments geared towards economic growth and development,” said Director General of ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department Michael Barrow. “But some bond markets in the Asia and Pacific region remain underdeveloped. CGIF, which utilizes guarantees and credit enhancements, can help as it provides greater confidence for local and foreign investors as well as encouraging more companies to tap bond markets, thereby spurring their development.”

ADB’s additional capital contribution will support regional cooperation

within ASEAN+3 and promote financial resilience by allowing corporations and infrastructure projects to gain access to local currency and regional bond markets. It will encourage crossborder issuances, especially for corporations domiciled in those ASEAN countries still developing a fully functioning bond market. Additional benefits include a broadening of issuers’ investor base by providing increased credit protection and more harmonization of standards and practices for bond issuance within ASEAN+3, paving the way for greater regional financial market integration.

ADB will continue to support CGIF as its third-largest contributor (after Japan and China) and as trustee. CGIF Chief

Executive Officer Kiyoshi Nishimura commented on the increase of ADB’s contribution, “ADB has been playing a crucial role in CGIF’s past development, not only as CGIF’s key contributor but also as its important partner in various joint works to support bond market development in the region. ADB’s extensive knowledge and involvement in the region are essential for the success of our joint efforts. This additional capital contribution from ADB will further enhance our collaboration.”

Since the start of its guarantee operations in May 2012, CGIF has issued 31 guarantees as of 31 March this year, with outstanding guarantees totalling $1.37 billion. None of the CGIF-guaranteed bonds has defaulted and no CGIF guaran-

tee has been called upon to date.

Earlier on July 18, the Asian Development Bank said South Asia will remain the fastest-growing sub-region in the world in its Asian Development Outlook Supplement.

The region projected by the ADB to grow by 6.8pc in the year 2019 and 6.9pc in 2020.

“Pakistan’s outlook is for a sharp drop in growth as growth rate in the country remained at 3.3 per cent in the past fiscal year, which is the minimum in past eight years,” the bank said. “Pakistan’s economy faces key challenges of current account and trade deficits.”

Inflation rate in Pakistan registered a sharp i n c r e a se in the previous year, it noted.

"For My Family I Was Different Because I Was So Feminine" - Kami

For My FaMily i Was DiFFerent Because i Was so FeMinine Kami Sid did not let her gender identity hinder her from achieving her goals. Not only that she helped herself, she has beenconstantly working as an activist to work for the rights of trans community by also changing people’s narrative towards this group of people.We had a chance to talk to this gem, first Pakistani trans model, and that is what we found out.

Tell us about your past?

Since my childhood, I was a very normal (At least, that is what I thought). But for my family, I was a different child because I was so feminine. In my school and college life, I faced so many difficulties coping with people’s weird comments and taunting stares. Before starting comedy and music, When I started working, people did not realise that I was different. They would mock me or bully me. But, I never let my confidence shatter. This is the main thing and that is why I am here right now.

In my opinion, it is not about who you were, where you were from. All that matters is what I am today.

My confidence gave me all the strength.

Kami created her own ways of living a life of her dreams.

What makes your story different from other people?

So, my story is different from other people. First, I come from a Muslim conservative family. Secondly, I am a trans-person. Third, being a trans in a muslim conservative family is quite different and full of hurdles at the same time. It is not like I am against my religion or any other religion but my beliefs are not as conservative as my family’s. Though, I am not a practicing muslim, I do believe in God and I believe that one day we all will stand in front of God. We are answerable for everything.

Being a trans-person, does this make you any different from other people in terms of your goals?

Although I am a trans person, I don’t believe I am any different. We get life for once. I want to do so much not for myself but for those who are unheard. I want to be the voice of people who are helpless and who nobody wants to listen to.

DEPILEX GARNERING OVERWHELMING PRAISES FOR ITS WORK IN THE FILM BAAJI

How did you start modelling?

I was not ready for this because I never thought somebody would help me or like to work with me considering I was unfit for the setup. But, there are so many good people in the industry that recognised the talent inside me and they loved my work. When I started modelling, some people from Depilex approached me for a trans-shoot. When the shoot came out on national television, my family called me and stopped me saying this is not a right job in our society. I convinced my parents that if I am having a career in modelling, I am not doing something bad.

When did you start modelling and is it the only thing you do?

I started my modelling career in 2016.

Professionally, I am running an organisation “Subrang Society”. So, I am a social activist as well. Modelling is my part time job and I enjoy it a lot. I have recently done HUM Showcase and it was a wonderful experience.

Who you think has supported you throughout your journey?

When I started my career, I had friends, my companion and my partner, all of them helped me to become who I am today. If you have good friends and companions in your life, you can achieve anything.

Apart from that, your confidence takes you anywhere you intend to reach.

How have you been impacting people’s life and how are you changing people’s stereotypical prospective towards trans community?

Through modelling, I changed people’s mindset. Now, Trans people get jobs in multinational companies, media house and this was all I wanted to do for my community i.e. to be loud and proud of who you are.

What is y o u r m e s sage for people o u t there?

The message is all about respect and love.

Please respect and love not on the basis of gender but on the basis of humanity.

By AfshAn ZAhrA Masarrat Misbah and her phenomenal work and projects have always remained in the limelight for all the good reasons. Pakistan’s pioneer beauty salon, Depilex, founded by the legend herself, has once again managed to grab the spotlight for its spectacular work in styling the stellar cast of the recently released Pakistani movie Baaji, which is a grand comeback of Meera Jee on the silver screen.

Since Baaji is a movie that revolves around the razzle-dazzle, glam and pomp of the showbiz industry, the experts from Depilex have had to work very wisely to pull off the completely on-point, glamorous makeovers of the actors. Now that the movie has been released and we have personally witnessed the dazzling looks of the actors on screen, we can certainly say that they have done an excellent job.

Each and every character was given their own personalized looks, appropriate to their character, while staying in line with the theme of the movie. Audiences have been massively appreciating the stunning smoky eyes, majestic hair styles and ultra-glam looks, especially for Meera Jee and Amna Ilyas.

All the lead actors from the movie including Meera Jee, Amna Ilyas, Osman Khalid Butt and Mohsin Abbas Haider have publicly shown appreciation. Viewers all over social media have also been appreciating the efforts made by Depilex in portraying the real glitz and glamour of the film industry.

Directed by Saqib Malik, Baaji has been doing great on the box office and Depilex takes away some of that credit, for creating those alluring looks for the cast of Baaji.

Depilex has always been a benchmark for makeup and hairstyling in Pakistan and it has proven its mettle yet again by uplifting the characters in Baaji, showcasing their expertise. Kudos to team Baaji for a great movie, and to team Depilex for an impressive job done.

Aries: Your spontaneity is often the ticket to fun, but the consequences can be costly.

Taurus: You may be overly confident that your personal strategy to soothe the troubled soul of a friend is the only possible answer.

Gemini: Public displays of affection may not be your cup of tea.

However, due to extenuating circumstances, you’re about to make an exception to your own rule.

Cancer: An eccentric person crosses your path now, revealing a whole new way of seeing the world.

Leo: Take stock of the people in your life who are the most influential to you, and compile a list of contacts based on those conclusions.

Virgo: A lovely surprise is in store for you today. Someone who has resisted your efforts in the past may suddenly come around to your way of thinking.

Libra: Your mind might be racing with radically brilliant ideas which you believe could make a great foundation for a business plan.

Scorpio: The law of attraction is reverberating in your thoughts now, and it’s a clear directive.

Sagittarius: A family member’s insistence that you need to spend money to make money isn’t ringing true for you today.

Capricorn: Showing your love rather than talking about it may be more your style, but someone you care for very deeply needs your reassurance now.

Aquarius: Your famous independent streak strikes today.

Pisces: Your senses are particularly keen today, making you hypersensitive to your surroundings.

CMYK

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

14 SPORTS

Guardiola blasts ‘false’ report of Man City ‘disrespeCt’ in China LONDON

M

AGENCIES

ANCHESTER City boss Pep Guardiola blasted a report in Chinese state media as “false” on Tuesday after the Premier League champions were accused of showing “utter disrespect” during their tour of China.

Guardiola hit out at the lengthy commentary posted on the English-language website of Xinhua, the state news agency, which said Manchester City snubbed fans and only visited China for commercial reasons. “I don’t agree but I should say too that it’s false. To make a statement like this they have to know exactly what’s happening in our club,” Guardiola told media in Hong Kong.

“I don’t understand how people can say that. Maybe one journalist is a little bit upset, I don’t know why. But it’s far away from what is reality,” he added.

The opinion piece, which accused City of an “attitude of arrogance” and lashed out at arrangements for Chinese media, brought a sour end to a difficult tour of mainland China.

A frazzled City — minority-owned by a Chinese state investment company — arrived two days late and played two

games in four days, before heading off for further friendlies in Hong Kong and Japan. “So we came here, 23 hours. One day later we travelled two hours by train to play in another city, then came back to Shanghai and now here, and then we’re going to Tokyo,” Guardiola said.

“And always with the biggest smile.

We don’t sleep that well during the night but we had good training sessions. I’m impressed with all my players, what they have done so far.”

Guardiola, who earlier said the whirlwind visit was all about “survival”, will take City into the Community Shield, the English season’s curtain-raiser, against Liverpool in less than two weeks.

England striker Raheem Sterling said he thought the players had made a “really good connection” with fans during their time in China.

“We took a little bit longer than we expected to get to China, the turnaround was a bit fast and there was a lot we had to catch up on as well. A lot of us have been struggling with sleep,” he said.

“But no, in China I thought it was a great experience. We all loved it.”

Guardiola also insisted he felt completely safe in Hong Kong, which has been rocked by weeks of anti-government protests and where a stick-wielding mob

indiscriminately attacked people at a railway station on Sunday, injuring dozens.

“I’m pretty sure that people are going to reach an agreement,” he said. “Just sit

and talk like human beings. Both sides talk and talk and they are going to solve the problem.”

Wednesday’s friendly against Hong

Cristiano Ronaldo will not face rape charges in US TURIN AGENCIES

Horton and Sun continue bitter feud GWANGJU AGENCIES

Mack Horton and Sun Yang continued their bitter feud at the world championships in Gwangju Tuesday, hours after the Australian was warned by FINA over his podium snub of the controversial Chinese swimmer.

The pair eyeballed each other as they closely passed on the pool deck during the morning's 800m freestyle heats, prompting Sun to glare back over his shoulder at Horton before waving to fans as he left the arena.

The pair swam in separate heats of the 800m free with Sun scraping through eighth fastest, but there will be no renewal of their row in Wednesday’s final because Horton failed to qualify.

Horton, who took silver behind Sun at the weekend, refused to step onto the top step of the podium for photos after the medal ceremony for Sunday's 400m free, as doping allegations swirl around China's multiple Olympic champion. The Australian's protest reignited their row at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where Horton labelled Sun a "drug cheat" over a prior doping ban before pipping the Chinese giant to gold.

It also angered Sun, who accused Horton of "disrespecting China," and triggered a backlash on social media. The Australian's Instagram account has been trolled by Chinese users, some even posting death threats against Horton and his family.

Australian team mate Jack McLoughlin condemned the threats after Tuesday's heats.

"They're pretty bad -— I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. It's just really bad for everyone, and swimming and sport in general. I think what he's standing for is right," he said. A statement was issued late Monday from swimming's governing body warning Horton and Swimming Australia of their responsibilities to the sport.

"While FINA respects the principle of freedom of speech, it has to be conducted in the right context. "As in all major sports organisations, our athletes and their entourages are aware of their responsibilities to respect FINA regulations and not use FINA events to make personal statements or gestures," it added. Horton chose his words carefully after his 800m heat. "As much as I want to protect the sport, I still need to protect the team," he said.

"The focus now is the team's performances and making sure we get through the week."

Swimming Australia backed Horton's stand. "Swimming Australia respects the position Mack Horton took during the medal ceremony and understands his sense of frustration," said CEO Leigh Russell.

Sun, who has always protested his innocence over the three-month suspension he served in 2014, is again competing under a doping cloud after a leaked FINA doping panel report alleged he smashed blood samples with a hammer after being visited by testers last year.

FINA cleared Sun to take part in the world championships, but the World AntiDoping Agency has appealed that decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo will not face any charges over an alleged rape in Las Vegas a decade ago after US prosecutors said Monday they did not have enough evidence to proceed. A district attorney in the state of Nevada said it would not prosecute the Portuguese soccer player because it “cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt” that a sexual assault occurred. Kathryn Mayorga, a former model, alleges that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2009. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward reached a financial settlement with her one year after the incident. He has always denied allegations of sexual assault, insisting their encounter was consensual. The Clark County District Attorney’s Office said it had received a report from Mayorga — who it identified only as “V” — on June 13, 2009, reporting that she had been the victim of a sexual assault. Police could not conduct “any meaningful investigation” at the time because she declined to say who assaulted her or where it occurred, the office said in a statement. As a result, detectives were “unable to search for and impound vital forensic evidence,” and video showing Ronaldo and Mayorga together was lost, it added.

Mayorga contacted police in August of last year to ask that the case be reopened, at which point she named Ronaldo as the alleged assailant. The case was reopened “in spite of the passage of over nine year,” prosecutors said. “Based upon a review of the information presented at this time, the allegations of sexual assault against Cristiano Ronaldo cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” prosecutors said. “Therefore, no charges will be forthcoming. Mayorga’s attorney has stated that she agreed to an out-of-court settlement to keep her name from going public, but was later inspired to speak out by the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.

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Kong club Kitchee could be affected by the political turmoil, as there have been calls for a protest against Hong Kong police during the game.

USA go high-tech to tackle Tokyo challenges US Olympic officials are counting on cutting edge technology to help American athletes refine their training and prepare for the unique challenges of Tokyo in pursuit of another dominant display at the 2020 Games.

Wednesday marks the start of the one-year-to-go countdown to Tokyo 2020, and Finbarr Kirwan, the vice president of summer sport performance for the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), said the milestone was a good opportunity to assess preparations for the Games.

The US topped the medals table in Rio with 46 gold medals and a total of 121.

Kirwan, speaking to reporters on a conference call on Monday, said the USOPC had already fostered sophisticated projects aimed at boosting performance.

That included the use of radar technology to aid the training of athletes in the track and field throws such as shot put, javelin and hammer, which allowed athletes and coaches to better analyze data on flight, speed of release and angle of release to improve performance.

"I think there was a realization coming out of Rio that we basically needed to up our game in the use of technology because other nations were getting the jump on us," Ireland's Kirwan said.At the USOPC's high altitude training facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, endurance athletes can artificially experience the kind of high heat and humidity expected in Japan. "What that allows us to do then is adjust fluid intake, we can look at feeding strategies, there are a whole bunch of things we can put in place to support those athletes," Kirwan said.

"We're also looking at straightforward stuff like ice baths. We're in middle of project with those to make sure our athletes are able to get access to the best quality ice baths that are out there."

Kirwan said USOPC sports sci-

ence and medical staff would also work with national governing bodies of all sports to determine "appropriate sleep protocols" for athletes.

"We have experienced athletes, but travelling to Asia you need to be prepared for that," he said.

Some US Paralympic athletes may have a chance to acclimate by training on US military bases in Japan, Julie Dussiliere, USOPC chief of Paralympic sport, said.

Dussiliere said officials were working with the Department of Defense to try to provide "unique training opportunities" for up to five parasport NGBs to place athletes at bases. She said such a move "clearly gives us a little bit of a home court advantage in terms of being on a US base surrounded by other Americans with top-notch facilities and group support services."

There has been plenty of turmoil in the US Olympic movement since the 2016 Rio Games, with the US Olympic chiefs coming under fire for failing to react swiftly when first warned of abuse allegations surrounding former national gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. The scandal has brought Congressional scrutiny, and a reform commission has recommended an overhaul of the USOPC to increase athlete representation. Amid continuing uncertainties, however, the US team for Tokyo is already taking shape.

Haley Anderson, a 2010 Olympic silver medalist, earned 10km open water silver at the FINA World Championships in South Korea last week to punch her ticket to Tokyo. Open water teammates Ashley Twichell and Jordan Wilimovsky also qualified. While America's powerful pool swimmers and track and field athletes will be tested at World Championships this year before they try to qualify for the Games next year, the upcoming Pan American Games in Lima will offer competitors in some sports a path to Tokyo. AGENCIES

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

oldest slinGer in town: sri lanka to farewell shaGGy-haired MalinGa COLOMBO

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AGENCIES

RI Lanka will start looking to replace key wicket-taker Lasith Malinga when the shaggyhaired fast bowler calls it quits after the first one-day international against Bangladesh on Friday.

Both teams go into the three-game series nursing a World Cup hangover, with Sri Lanka facing an especially tough rebuilding task with the loss of the instantly recognisable Malinga.

The blond-highlighted bowler with the distinctive sling action proved his enduring worth when he tormented England during the World Cup, taking four for 43 as Sri Lanka stunned the eventual champions in the group stage.

Malinga, 35, is Sri Lanka’s thirdhighest ODI wicket-taker with 335 wickets from 225 matches, behind only Chaminda Vaas (399) and Muttiah Muralitharan (523). Malinga needs three wickets to overhaul Anil Kumble’s 337 for ninth place on the international list.

Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne said finding a replacement for Malinga, who is retiring from one-day internationals, is just one of many challenges ahead follow-

PCB chief Ehsan Mani appointed as ICC financial affairs committee chair LAHORE PRESS RELEASE

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani has been appointed as Chairperson of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Financial and Commercial Affairs Committee (F&CA). The appointment was made by ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar during last week’s ICC Annual Conference. According to a PCB press release, the F&CA is one of the ICC’s most important committees, which assists the organisation in discharging its responsibilities in relation to all financial and commercial matters relating to and concerning it. For Mani, who is a chartered accountant by profession, it is a return to the prestigious role after nearly 17 years. He was the ICC’s first-ever F&CA chairman in 1996 and served until 2002, and was instrumental in commercializing international cricket in 2000 by leading the ICC to sign its first-ever commercial deal worth approximately $550m. Mani will chair the committee that will also include Indra Nooyi (independent director), Amitabh Choudhary (BCCI), Chris Nenzani (CSA), Imran Khawaja (ICC ViceChairman), Earl Eddings (CA) and Colin Graves (ECB). Manohar and Manu Sawhney (ICC CEO) will be the ex-officio members.

ing a disappointing World Cup. “I think if you take the World Cup, we did fairly good. In patches we did really well and sometimes we didn’t do very well,” he said. “We know we need to find a wicket-taking bowler because Lasith Malinga is not available after this series.

“We need to find the bowlers who can take wickets in the middle part and

the early overs. Those are the areas. I need some good youngsters, we need to groom some youngsters for the next World Cup,” he said.

However, Sri Lanka’s problems don’t end there, as coach Chandika Hathurusingha and his assistants will be shown the door after the Bangladesh series because of their sixth-place finish in England.

Bangladesh, who finished eighth of the 10 teams, are also entering a new era after they sacked coach Steve Rhodes following the World Cup. The visitors are also without key players, including skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and inspirational vice-captain Shakib Al Hasan.

Mashrafe has a hamstring injury while Shakib, who scored 606 runs and claimed 11 wickets in the World Cup, is being rested.

Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, interim captain for the series, said Bangladesh’s younger players will get a chance to impress.

“I thought we had a pretty decent World Cup. There were a few games that we should have won. We, the cricketers also felt that we could have done more,” said Tamim.

“I think that whoever plays the first one-day match they need to cash in on the opportunity,” he added.

Bangladesh are the first foreign sports team to visit Sri Lanka since the Easter Sunday suicide attacks this year, which killed more than 250 people.

The team were given security usually reserved for visiting state dignitaries, with extra forces at their hotel and armed guards for their bus.

Ireland set for landmark Lord’s Test against England DUBLIN AGENCIES

Ireland’s march to becoming a fullyfledged member of cricket’s elite will reach another important staging post when they play their first Test against England at Lord’s on Wednesday.

The Irish men’s side only made their Test debut last year, suffering a final day defeat by Pakistan in Dublin in a creditable display before being well beaten by fellow newcomers Afghanistan. Since the turn of the century, Ireland have become known for their one-day exploits, beating the likes of Pakistan (2007) and England (2011) at World Cups. But Test status was always the dream. Now this match at Lord’s is set to be the highlight of Ireland’s year given they did not qualify for the reduced 10-team World Cup won just over a week ago by tournament hosts England in a thrilling final against New Zealand, which also took place at ‘the home of cricket’.

The sport has a long history in Ireland and cricket was hugely popular there in the 19th Century.

But a rising tide of Irish nationalism and the growth of the Gaelic Athletic Association led to cricket being declared a “garrison” or “foreign” game. Irish cricket went into

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trump gifts cricket bat to imran WASHINGTON DC STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan was gifted a cricket bat by US President Donald Trump along with the picture of President Eisenhower – the only US President who had watched a Test match in Pakistan. President Trump said that it is a great honour to have a “very popular, a great athlete, one of the greatest, the prime minister of Pakistan.” Underscoring PM Imran’s leadership, the US president said that “a lot of things are happening for the US, and I think a lot of great things are going to be happening for Pakistan too, under your leadership. I really feel that”.

The world cup winning captain on Sunday arrived in Washington on his three-day visit to the US on the invitation of President Trump.

The premier was accompanied by Adviser to PM on Commerce, Abdul Razzak Dawood, Special Assistant on Overseas, Zulfi Bukhari, and Chief of the Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, while Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was already in Washington as part of the entourage.

narine and pollard recalled for t20is against india NEW DELHI AGENCIES

something of a retreat although memorable occasions such as a televised win over the touring West Indies in 1969 helped to change attitudes.

Several of the present side have played county cricket, including Tim Murtagh, a stalwart for Lord’s based-Middlesex, who recently took his 800th first-class wicket.

Meanwhile fast bowler Boyd Rankin was briefly an England player when that was the only way Irishmen could play Test cricket before switching back. “It is a dream come true, and it is something I never thought would happen in my playing career,” said Rankin, who played just the one Test for England on their ill-fated 2013/14 Ashes tour

of Australia. “You can’t get much better than a Test match at Lord’s.”

England will be resting several of their World Cup stars, including fast bowler Jofra Archer, all-rounder Ben Stokes and batsman Jos Buttler.

Eoin Morgan, their victorious Dublin-born captain, no longer plays Test cricket with Joe Root, a fellow World Cup winner, in charge.

But they could still field Test newball bowler Stuart Broad, with all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson struggling with a calf injury. Somerset’s Lewis Gregory and Warwickshire’s Olly Stone could come into the attack. As for the batting, England could give a Test debut to World Cupwinning opener Jason Roy.

Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard have been recalled to the West Indies T20I squad for the opening two matches against India, with uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Anthony Bramble also earning a call-up. Allrounder Andre Russell has been included subject to passing a fitness test following the knee injury which forced him out of the World Cup. John Campbell, the opening batsman, takes the spot vacated by Chris Gayle who is unavailable due to playing in the Canada GT20. Narine, who last played T20Is nearly two years ago, is joined in the spin attack by left-armer Khary Pierre. Narine was in the frame to be part of the World Cup, but did not feel confident getting through 50-over cricket after a finger injury. The selectors are casting their eye forward to next year's men's T20 World Cup in Australia, where West Indies will defend their title, with the captaincy reverting to Carlos Brathwaite after Jason Holder took charge for the series against England earlier this year to try and bring some continuity ahead of the World Cup. "We felt that players like Narine and Pollard, who have played well in T20 leagues around the world, once they are fit and mentally ready to play, we must give them the opportunity to represent the West Indies again," Robert Haynes, the intern chairman of selection, said.

Richardson begins comeback from injury, could feature towards end of Ashes CANBERRA AGENCIES

Jhye Richardson, Australia's impactful young quick, could be back in contention for the latter stages of the Ashes after he makes his return to cricket from a dislocated shoulder. His route back to match fitness will come via the same path that David Warner and Cameron Bancroft took following their bans last year - a stint in the Northern Territory's winter competition.

Richardson was highly destructive in his two Test matches against Sri Lanka at the start of the year and may also have figured in Australia's World Cup plans were it not for a painful shoulder injury suffered when diving in the field during the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE in March.

Mystery has surrounded Richardson's

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fitness status and potential return dates, but it has now been revealed that Richardson will resume bowling competitively on Saturday in the Northern Territory Strike League, a multi-format winter tournament that also offered Warner and Bancroft the chance to play in the wake of the Newlands scandal.

While there is no question of Richardson being named in Australia's Ashes squad at the conclusion of this week's internal trial match in Southampton, the natural attrition of a fiveTest series and the obvious eagerness of the Australian selectors to get him back involved may yet see the West Australian return to the fold for the pointy end of the series.

When Richardson was injured in late March, the team doctor Richard Saw indicated that the dislocation was at the moderate end of the scale. "Jhye Richardson has had scans on his right shoulder to assess the

extent of his injury," Saw said.

"The scans demonstrated the usual soft tissue damage we expect following a dislocation but fortunately has excluded any bone damage or fracture. "We are hopeful that Jhye will not require surgery but he will see a shoulder specialist early next week for a further opinion. We will be able to provide an update in respect to next steps once we have all the information on the table."

In May, before Australia's departure for the World Cup, Langer said there had been questions over Richardson's exact return date but none over his quality as a bowler.

"Probably a bit more of a cloud over him to be honest," Langer said, when asked about Richardson's fitness. "We'll just keep monitoring him. He's played a lot of cricket leading up to his accident. He's doing everything possible with his rehab. He's a little ripper."

Wednesday, 24 July, 2019

NEWS

No relief for Nawaz uNless iHC rules iN His favour: CJP KHosa top judge wonderS why no one from SharIf famIly had approached Ihc for relIef ISLAMABAD

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sTAFF RePORT

HIEf Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa on Tuesday remarked that the Supreme Court (SC) can provide no relief to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif unless the Islamabad High Court (IHC) rules in his favour, as it ordered the federal Investigation Agency (fIA) to complete its probe in the video leaks controversy involving accountability court judge Arshad Malik within three weeks, saying it wants to ascertain the truth of all allegations against the judge before proceeding in the matter.

The court further observed as to “why no one from the Sharif family had approached the high court to seek relief for the deposed premier from his conviction”.

The three-judge bench headed by the CJP and comprising Sheikh Azmat and Justice Umar was hearing the petitions seeking probe in the leaked video case involving accountability court judge Arshad Malik.

“It is strange that those [PML-N] interested in the release of Nawaz have not yet approached the IHC because that is the only real forum to get relief,” the CJP remarked.

He further said that the leakedvideo scandal along with the alleged misconduct of the accountability

cjp khoSa SayS court ‘wIll not take a leap In the dark’ In judge arShad malIk’S vIdeo leak caSe

court judge will not go unattended.

“However we are not in a hurry, we don’t want a prejudiced trial,” he added.

“The high court, too, has the authority to probe the matter,” CJP Khosa said, adding that the IHC can launch an investigation through an appellant forum or through its constitutional authority under Article 203 wherein it supervises affairs of the accountability court.

Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan, while deliberating the matter earlier, recommended that the SC should leave the matter at the discretion of the IHC. However, another member of bench Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that they have to establish the truth.

“We are looking for remedy for those who are aggrieved. We want to protect integrity of institution. We are not just examining the allegations of complainant,” he added.

The AGP, who was assisting the top court in deciding the appropriate course of action in the video leaks issue, opposed the three identical petitions filed by Ishtiaq Ahmed Mirza, Sohail Akhtar and Tariq Asad seeking a directive from the apex court for the constitution of an inquiry committee or a judicial commission.

Anwar Mansoor said that there was no need for its constitution because a separate forum exists to deal with such matters.

gIveS fIa three weekS to complete probe In vIdeo leak caSe aS agp oppoSeS formatIon of judIcIal commISSIon

But the chief justice made it clear that the SC would examine all evidence to prevent any loss being incurred by anyone. He said the court was considering different options — the last of which would be setting up a judicial commission — but would take a decision after perusing the inquiry report.

“We will not take a leap in the dark,” Justice Khosa said, observing that some people might want the apex court to rush through the matter.

The chief justice observed that the judicial commission, if constituted, can only give its opinion on the matter and not pass any judgement.

The chief justice wondered whether the SC should interfere in the matter at all. “Would the intervention have any benefit or will it only generate headlines?” he asked.

One of the questions being examined by the apex court, according to Justice Khosa, was whether it was appropriate for judge Malik to visit Nawaz’s residence after sentencing him.

Justice Bandial remarked that the SC had to ascertain the truth of allegations levelled by both sides while maintaining the sanctity of the court.

The bench subsequently directed the fIA to complete its probe in the matter within three weeks. The attorney general was asked by the court to ensure the inquiry is completed in a timely manner.

The attorney general earlier informed the court that the fIA had arrested Mian Tariq Mahmood, a central suspect whom judge Malik had accused of making a controversial video concerning him.

According to the law officer, Mahmood had sold the video to a man named Saleem Raza, but he (Mahmood) claimed that the cheque he received in exchange for the video could not be cashed.

The hearing of the petitions was adjourned for three weeks.

THE SCANDAL: The matter of the video had surfaced earlier this month after PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz released a secretly filmed clip that showed judge Malik telling a man — identified by her as Nasir Butt — that he had been “blackmailed” and “pressured” to issue a verdict against Nawaz Sharif that landed the former prime minister in jail in the Al-Azizia reference.

In a rebuttal, Malik said that Butt had forced him to make the aforementioned claims by using a “secretly recorded manipulated immoral video [showing him] in a compromising position”, which was shot in Multan, as a threat.

Judge Malik had already been removed by the Islamabad High Court on July 12 over the scandal following weeklong consultations, inclu ding with the Supreme Court.

Imran thanks trump for 'gracious hospitality' pm SayS pakIStan ‘wIll do everythIng’ to facIlItate afghan peace NEWS DESK Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday thanked US President Donald Trump for hosting him at the White House with “gracious hospitality” a day earlier and assured his American counterpart that Pakistan “will do everything within its power” to facilitate the process aimed at ending Afghanistan’s nearly 18-year war.

Taking to Twitter, the premier also appreciated Trump for “his understanding of Pakistan’s point of view”, “his wonderful way of putting our entire delegation at ease” and for showing him around the White House.

“I want to assure President Trump Pakistan will do everything within its power to facilitate the Afghan peace process,” he wrote, adding that the world owed it to the people of Afghanistan to bring about peace after four decades of conflict.

1. I want to thank President Trump for his warm & gracious hos-

pitality, his understanding of Pakistan’s point of view & his wonderful way of putting our entire delegation at ease. Appreciate the President taking out time to show us the historic White House private quarters.

Imran also said he was “surprised” by the reaction given by India to President Trump’s offer to mediate between Pakistan and India to enable dialogue for resolving the Kashmir conflict.

“Generations of Kashmiris have suffered & are suffering daily and need conflict resolution,” the prime minister stressed, noting that the Kashmir dispute has held the subcontinent hostage for 70 years.

3. Surprised by reaction of India to Pres Trump’s offer of mediation to bring Pak & India to dialogue table for resolving Kashmir conflict which has held subcontinent hostage for 70 yrs. Generations of Kashmiris have suffered & are suffering daily and need conflict resolution.

His comment came hours after

SayS IndIa’S reactIon to trump’S medIatIon offer SurprISed hIm India’s foreign ministry denied Trump had been asked by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mediate the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan.

“We have seen President Trump’s remarks to the press that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India and Pakistan, on the Kashmir issue. No such request has been made by Prime Minister Modi to the US President,” said Raveesh Kumar, official spokesman of India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

“It has been India’s consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally.”

While speaking to the press alongside Trump at the White House, Prime Minister Imran had said that the US, being “the most powerful” country in the world, could play the most important role in bringing peace to the subcontinent.

In response, Trump said that India had also asked him to mediate.

“I was with Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi two weeks ago. We talked about the subject and he actually said, ‘Would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?’. I said where, he said Kashmir, because it has been going on for many, many years.

“I was surprised to know how long it has been going on. I think they would like to see it resolved, you [Pakistan] would like to see it resolved […] and if I can help, I would love to become a mediator,” said Trump.

In a separate tweet on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran thanked the Pakistani-American community “for showing up in such large numbers” at the Capital One Arena in Washington DC to welcome him on his maiden visit to the US after assuming office.

I want to thank the PakistaniAmerican community for showing up in such large numbers at Capital One Arena in DC to show support and welcome me on my first visit to the USA as PM of Pakistan.

Bilawal supports govt’s efforts to engage world, Maryam not impressed A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday said that the government has his “unconditional” support when it comes to engaging the global community.

Taking to Twitter, Bilawal said: “I’ve many reservations about our PM, his undemocratic politics and economically fatal polices. I also believe much of his conduct abroad, particularly his jalsa, is unbecoming of a PM who is supposed to represent Pakistan, not just PTI.” “Having said that in the greater national interest everyone should support Pakistan’s efforts to engage the world. I therefore unconditionally support governments efforts.

Will always provide constructive criticism when needed but will always support Pakistan first”. A day earlier, opposition parties lambasted Prime Minister Imran over his speech in the US and termed it “provocative, anarchic and full of venom”. The premier, while addressing a community event at Washington’s Capital One Arena on Sunday, had stated that the problem in Pakistan was that when political leaders were asked for answers, they said that political revenge was being taken.

While referring to political leaders in the country, the premier had said they had just one purpose — they wanted him to offer them a deal. Responding to the speech, Bilawal said that it seemed the prime minister had not come down from his container, saying that Imran Khan had become a ruler but not a leader. “Pity, even when representing our country abroad (the) selected PM can’t get off his container.

Imran is a ruler not a leader. Pakistan needs a leader who speaks for all Pakistanis not just himself. If government does opposition and opposition does opposition then who’s left to run the country?” asked Bilawal. Meanwhile, speaking at a news conference at National Press Club, PML-N leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Musadik Malik had also hit out at the prime minister, saying that it was a pity that even in Washington, Imran Khan was only thinking about Nawaz Sharif. Iqbal said the “selected PM” had delivered the same speech in Washington, which he had been delivering for the past many months as he had nothing more to say. He said the prime minister was damaging the country’s image by declaring it a corrupt country. “On a foreign visit, you should be a representative of Pakistan.

He delivered a speech which a politician does while standing at Mochi Gate,” he said. News Desk

afghanistan seeks clarification on trump talk of wiping it out KABUL AGeNCIes

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Tuesday the United States should clarify remarks President Donald Trump made about Afghanistan, including a claim he could easily win the war but didn’t “want to kill 10 million people”.

The US leader made several surprising statements on Monday alongside Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House, including that he had plans for a

quick end to the Afghan conflict, but which would wipe the country “off the face of the Earth”.

Afghanistan “would be gone. It would be over in literally, in 10 days,” Trump said, adding, “I don’t want to go that route” and that he didn’t want to kill millions.

His comments sparked upset and outrage in Afghanistan, where the war-weary and traumatized population is already worried about a precipitous pull-out of US forces and whether that means a re-

turn to Taliban rule and a spiraling civil war. “The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan calls for clarification on the US president’s statements expressed at a meeting with the Pakistan prime minister, via diplomatic means and channels,” Ghani’s office said in a statement.

Trump also said Pakistan would help the US “extricate” itself from Afghanistan, adding there was “tremendous potential” in the relationship between Washington and Islamabad.

Meanwhile, Ghani is furious about being continually sidelined by the US in ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.

“While the Afghan government supports the US efforts for ensuring peace in Afghanistan, the government underscores that foreign heads of state cannot determine Afghanistan’s fate in absence of the Afghan leadership,” Ghani’s office said.

Everyday Afghans took to social media to vent after Trump’s comments.

“I feel shocked, threatened and humiliated. We trusted Americans to help us

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

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in the war against terror, and now President Trump is threatening us with genocide,” facebook user Mohd farhad wrote.

Trump’s peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, meanwhile arrived in Kabul on Tuesday ahead of what will be the eighth round of direct talks he’s held with the Taliban.

Those discussions are expected to get underway in Doha in the coming days, with Ghani and his administration once again locked out.