E-Paper PDF 24th November (LHR)

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24 November, 2019 I 26 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 30.00 I Vol X No 144 I 72 Pages I Lahore Edition

Govt questions ‘silence’ over nawaz’s health g

musharraf moves lhc against reservation of verdict

pm’s aide says sharif family hasn’t updated gOvt On fOrmer pm’s medical cOnditiOn since his departure tO lOndOn

SIALKOT

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Staff RepoRt

M’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan on Saturday questioned the silence over former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s health condition ever since his departure to London when once “his every breath was being counted”.

“They (Nawaz Sharif’s representatives) kept saying Mian sahib’s life is in great danger and the media used to count every breath he took. [Now that] he has been gone for so long, we have no updates from his representatives whatsoever.

“The people of Pakistan, who were so closely following his health condition, wish to have more news from him. So does the media,” said Awan while addressing a press conference here.

Nawaz had left for London on Tuesday, 20 days after he was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Azizia case on medical grounds.

Awan, while declaring that “the truth can never be hidden”, also reminded the people of the former premier’s words for his “beloved” country.

“The former prime minister with his sleeves rolled up had been seen going to every village in the country and declaring ‘I will not only respect the vote while living here in Pak-

istan but I also dedicate my entire life and death to this country’.”

She also questioned why the doctors abroad had not issued any sort of advisory over his treatment.

“Doctors had said the illness could only be treated abroad. But now, ever since he has been gone, we have not seen a final recommendation by the foreign doctors.

“We know full well the true nature of his illness and their (the Sharif family’s) associated agenda,” said the spokesperson.

Awan also criticised the “role” played by Nawaz’s brother Shehbaz Sharif over the course of the former’s illness and said that it was the first time that a person, who is named in multiple corruption cases, assumed the role of a guarantor.

In order to secure permission for Nawaz to leave the country for medical treatment, Shehbaz had signed an undertaking, approved by the Lahore High Court, which stated that the PML-N president would “ensure return” of his brother “within four weeks or on certification by doctors that he has regained his health and is fit to return back to Pakistan”.

Awan’s remarks come a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed doubts over the nature of the PML-N supreme leader’s health predicament, saying he was shocked to see the way the former premier ran up the stairs of the air ambulance.

“After seeing him going up the plane stairs, I once again went through the medical reports that suggested he has a heart problem, his kidneys are also not functioning properly and that he is a diabetic,” the premier had told a gathering in his hometown on Friday.

The premier noted that Sharif’s medical reports listed 15 diseases, including cardiac complications, which suggested that the ex-premier was on the verge of demise.

“But after seeing Nawaz board the air ambulance, I wondered if the former prime minister got healthy with the first glance of the London-bound airplane,” he had said.

FEW MONTHS TO RECOVER: Dr Adnan Khan, the personal physician of Nawaz Sharif, on Friday said the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) supremo may take few months to recover from his illness.

Speaking to media outside the Harley Street Clinic in London, Dr Adnan said that Nawaz’s treatment would resume from where it was stopped before his departure on Wednesday.

He said that Nawaz’s appointments for the coming days had been booked before his arrival. As per Dr Adnan, the former prime minister’s PED scan will be conducted next week. He said that doctors were of the view that the dose of steroids being given to the former prime minister should be reduced immediately and gradually stopped.

He said that Nawaz had gone through the process of cardiac intervention seven times as arteries carrying blood to his brain were 80 per cent blocked. “He was monitored by a doctor from Switzerland,” he added.

“Nawaz’s health is the same for now, it will take some time for him to recover,” he said, adding: “He can’t heal overnight.”

Dr Adnan said that Nawaz was being provided all medical facilities at Hussain Nawaz’s abode where he was staying last year before coming to Pakistan.

shehbaz says pm discredited own govt, doctors

Pakistan witnesses 102 polio cases in 2019 g

HIGH TREASON CASE

STORY ON PAGE 02

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petitiOn says special cOurt reserving verdict is ‘uncOnstitutiOnal, vOid’ STORY ON PAGE 02

CJP says suo motu notices not a solution

STORY ON BACK PAGE

massive irregularities unearthed in Kp’s billion tree tsunami project: audit STORY ON PAGE 02

Asad Umar terms US concerns over CPEC ‘factually incorrect’

a day after five cases in sindh and Kp, twO mOre cases emerge in upper and lOwer KOhistan

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STORY ON BACK PAGE

‘Our tOtal public debt right nOw is $74bn Of which chinese debt amOunts tO $18bn – even less than One-fOurth Of the tOtal debt’

STORY ON PAGE 11

CMYK

CMYK Sunday, 24 November, 2019

02 NEWS

MusHarraF Moves LHC aGaInst reservatIon oF verdICt In treason Case LAHORE

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Staff RepoRt

ormer military strongman General (r) Pervez musharraf on Saturday moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) to challenge the reservation of the judgement in the high treason case against him, calling it “unconstitutional and void”.

A special court seized with the treason case will announce the verdict on Tuesday. musharraf’s counsel, Khwaja Ahmed Tariq rahim, approached the high court on his client’s behalf, contending that the reserving of the verdict on November 19 was “unconstitutional and void”. It was pleaded that the impugned order from that date be suspended and that “the trial in absentia being conducted against the petitioner” be stayed until his physical appearance before the court.

The petition asked the court that the government and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) “be directed to con-

duct a proper and unbiased investigation including the names of all alleged aiders and abettors for the proper appreciation of facts and evidence at trial”.

It has also pleaded that the petitioner be granted his “constitutional right to a fair trial and audience in the

IHC fixes Zardari's plea for transfer of case to Karachi ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday fixed for hearing an application filed by former president Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur in which it was requested to proceed with the case related to money laundering through fake bank accounts in Karachi instead of rawalpindi. A two-member bench will hear the application on November 26. meanwhile, a medical board of PImS performed a complete medical examination of Zardari’s health. Staff RepoRt

Massive irregularities unearthed in billion tree project: audit The Auditor General of Pakistan has uncovered massive irregularities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Billion Tree Tsunami project. According to its 2016-17 audit report, there are over rs470 million in irregularities in the project. In Chitral, the report said there were only a handful of trees on the 267 hectares of land allotted for the plantation of hundreds of thousands of trees. In Dir Upper, 55 people were given nursery contracts but 44 of them didn’t even supply the minimum number of trees needed for the project. In Upper Dir, trees on thousands of cubic feet of land were cut down and steps were not taken against the perpetrators. This illegal tree cutting cost the government rs235.5 million. In Dera Ismail Khan, only around a hundred trees have been planted in a space meant to be home to hundreds of thousands. newS deSk

instant trial” according to the law.

Furthermore, it has contended that the section of the Criminal Law Amendments (Special Court) Act 1976, which denies the accused an adjournment even on the grounds of illness, “be suspended and declared unconstitu-

Akbar S Babar urges ECP to hear foreign funding case itself IsLAMABAd Staff RepoRt

Disgruntled founding member of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Akbar S Babar on Saturday filed another petition in the foreign funding case against the party.

Babar filed the original petition accusing the party of receiving funding from abroad on November 14, 2014. He has now filed another petition accusing the PTI of using delaying tactics in the case. He said the

party was misleading the scrutiny committee and asked the eCP to hear the case itself. Babar said the eCP should summon all the records in the case and then make a decision itself.

In his petition, Babar said the scrutiny committee has held 42 sessions but no records have been presented yet. Sixteen directives have not been adhered to, he added.

He asked the eCP to hear the case soon. The original case accused the party of corruption and illegal funding. The eCP has so far dis-

Shehbaz says PM Imran discredited his own govt, doctors nEws dEsk Pakistan muslim League-Nawaz (PmL-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has said that Prime minister Imran Khan has made irresponsible statements about the health of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, discrediting doctors appointed by his own government and from his own Shaukat Khanum hospital. on Friday, the prime minister took a dig at Nawaz, saying that the ailing former premier suddenly recovered and looked perfectly fine as he got a glimpse of the London-bound air ambulance. Shehbaz said that he didn’t want to talk about Pakistani politics as he was in London for his brother’s health-related issues but said: “In the last few days,

tional”. In this regard, it has also requested that the trial be adjourned until the petitioner’s medical condition “allows for his safe return to the country to face trial”. musharraf’s petition has requested that an independent medical board “at the expense of the petitioner” be constituted to assess his present medical condition.

The court has fixed the petition for a hearing on November 25. Justice mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi will preside over the proceedings. musharraf was indicted on march 31, 2014, and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September the same year.

However, due to litigation at appellate forums, the trial of the former military dictator lingered on and he left Pakistan in march 2016 and has been an absconder ever since.

In September this year, a special court bench had decided to conduct the trial on a daily basis from october 8 to conclude the case.

missed four petitions filed by the PTI in this case. The PTI had alleged that the scrutiny committee of conducting an investigation without informing party members and then leaked the details. The third petition said that Babar’s petition was based on malicious intent and the fourth was on providing details of the accounts provided by the State Bank.

The proceedings were delayed because the PTI had filed a writ petition in october 2015 in the Islamabad High Court seeking to restrain the eCP scrutiny of its accounts. The eCP took up the case once again in 2017. recently, the eCP accepted the opposition’s petition in the case and said it would be holding hearings every day.

he (Imran Khan) has said things which don’t suit him.”

Shehbaz said that PTI govt appointed its own independent doctors to check Nawaz Sharif’s health. He said Imran asked Shaukat Khanum Hospital doctors to independently verify medical reports of Nawaz and was told that the former prime minister was in highly critical condition and treatment for him was not available in Pakistan. on Saturday, Shehbaz took Nawaz to the University College Hospital, Westmoreland Street (The Heart Hospital) for checkup. He said: “Dr Lawrence checked Nawaz Sharif related to his cardiac issues. The doctor has recommended few tests for him. For his other episodes, he has seen doctors at the Guy’s Hospital and further tests and checks have been recommended. We request for prayers for Nawaz Sharif.” Nawaz Sharif’s personal physician Dr Adnan Khan said that he had a cardiac consultation & evaluation by Dr David Lawrence, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, at University College Hospital.

Parliamentary committee formed to protect minorities from forced conversion ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Saturday formed a 22member parliamentary committee to work on legislation to prevent the forced conversion of minorities. According to a notification by the Senate Secretariat, the Parliamentary Committee to Protect minorities from Forced Conversions was formed after consultations with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Leader of the House in Senate Shibli Faraz and Leader of the opposition in Senate raja Zafarul Haq. minister for religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri, minister for Human rights Shireen mazari and minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali muhammad Khan are part of the committee. The committee also includes Senators Sikandar mandhro, Ashok Kumar, rana maqbool Ahmad, Nauman Wazir Khattak, Sajjad Hussain Turi, muhammad Ali Khan Saif and Anwaarul Haq Kakar. mNAs malik muhammad Amir Dogar, Shunila ruth, Jai Parkash, Lal Chand, muhammad Aslam Bhootani, rana Tanveer Hussain, Dr Darshan, Keshoo mal Kheeal Das, Shagufta Jumani, ramesh Lal, Naveed Amir Jeeva and Abdul Wasay are also members of the panel. The committee will decide its terms of reference in its first meeting, the date of which has not been announced yet. Staff RepoRt

PM approves promotion of 23 Grade-21 officers Prime minister Imran Khan has approved promotions of dozens of civil servants belonging to various groups. As per details, the premier on Saturday gave approval to promote 23 officers of grade 21 to grade 22. The officers getting promotions include IG Sindh Kaleem Imam, Chief Secretary Balochistan Fazeel Asghar and Secretary Health Allah Bux Awan. The promoted officers also include those who are currently facing allegation of corruption. newS deSk

NADRA submits reply in Hafiz Hamdullah citizenship case IsLAMABAd Staff RepoRt

The National Database and registration Authority (NADrA) on Saturday submitted its reply in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a case related to the suspension of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Hafiz Hamdullah’s citizenship.

The reply submitted by DG NADrA, Tahir maqsood Khan says

that despite investigation, the old CNIC of the JUI-F leader has no family link in the record.

The court has been pleaded to reject Hamdullah’s plea as he was declared an Afghan National on December 12, 2018.

“Hamdullah’s national identity card had been blocked for the first time in December 2018 after writing a letter to him, whereas, a district-level committee was also informed where the politician

CMYK

had also appeared. The particulars presented by Hamdullah to the committee were found bogus”, the reply reads. earlier in october, IHC had suspended an order released to cancel the Hamdullah’s citizenship.

IHC’s Chief Justice Athar minallah had conducted the hearing on a petition challenging the higher authorities’ decision that revoked the citizenship of Senator Hamdullah by calling him ‘alien’ for being an Afghanistan national.

on october 26, Pakistan electronic media regulatory Authority (PemrA) had issued notice to all television channels, barring to invite Hafiz Hamdullah in TV programmes.

PemrA ordered all television channel in its letter to stop inviting and projecting the firebrand senator as he is a ‘confirmed alien’ as per records of the National Database and registration Authority (NADrA) and ‘not a citizen of Pakistan’.

CMYK Sunday, 24 November, 2019

NEWS

03

MaryaM nawaZ wants to joIn aILInG FatHer: aIde

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AKISTAN muslim League-Nawaz (PmL-N) leader Ataullah Tarar on Friday said that the party’s senior leader maryam Nawaz wishes to join her ailing father, former Pm Nawaz Sharif, in London.

Speaking on a local news channel, Tarar said that maryam wants to go abroad so that she can look after her father is not in good condition whereas the PmL-N is mulling over ways to make her

wish come true through legal channels. “A legal consultation, a thought process is underway, and there is a legal way too but final decision and the timing of such a petition is yet to be agreed upon,” said Tarar. Soon after the show, federal minister Faisal Vawda said that the government will not strike her name off the exit Control List (eCL) come what may. “I have said previously that they will deliberately create situations that allow her uncle (Shehbaz Sharif) and then

Chief election Commissioner to retire on dec 6 ISLAMABAD: Chief election Commissioner Justice (r) Sardar raza is scheduled to retire on December 6, according to reports. As per details, the chief election commissioner wrote to the secretary for parliamentary matters stating that his tenure will end on December 6. In the letter, Justice Sardar raza called on the government to take steps to appoint new chief election commissioner.

“If steps are not taken to appoint a new chief election commissioner then the eCP would become inactive on December 7,” stated his letter. In the letter, he also said that two members of the election commission from Sindh and Balochistan had already retired. He said that with two eCP from Sindh and Balochistan respectively had already retired, the eCP will be unable to function in the absence of the chief election commissioner. “The eCP won’t be able to conduct by-elections or local bodies elections,” he said in the letter. reports suggested that a deadlock exists between the government and opposition over appointment of eCP members from Sindh and Balochistan. Staff RepoRt

Govt put country on right track, says FM Qureshi Foreign minister Shah mahmood Qureshi here on Saturday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led government has put the country on the right track.

Talking to party leaders and workers in multan, Fm Qureshi said that the government’s effective economic policies were yielding positive results and added that the foreign investors were heading towards Pakistan.

He said that foreign investment will ultimately generate new jobs for youth in the country. Speaking on the occasion, the foreign minister said that PTI’s government will complete its tenure. He termed multibillion dollar China Pakistan economic corridor project a sign of change in the region. The foreign minister said, “CPeC has entered its second phase.

The government has constituted CPeC authority for timely completion of the projects. newS deSk

herself to go abroad earlier this week, former prime minister and PmL-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, who was serving a prison sentence, left the country to receive medical treatment in London. Sharif reportedly had an immune system disorder and other health problems.

His brother Shehbaz – who also traveled with Nawaz – signed a court document that said: “If at any stage, the federal government has credible information that Nawaz

Sharif is living abroad despite his fitness to travel, a representative from Pakistan’s High Commission would have a right to meet with his physician(s) to verify or confirm about his health.”

Nawaz’s daughter, maryam Nawaz, who is also on bail in Chaudhry Sugar mills case, has her name on the eCL and her passport is with the authorities as the court, which granted her bail, had ordered her to surrender her passport to secure release. newS deSk

Imran lying about economic indicators: Marriyum LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Pakistan muslim LeagueNawaz (PmL-N) Information Secretary marriyum Aurangzeb has said that Prime minister Imran Khan’s mental state needs to be evaluated because after destroying the national economy, he has now started lying about economic indicators, turning Pakistan into Problemistan. marriyum said the pack of lies Tweeted by the selected Prime minister regarding economic state of the country raises serious questions over his mental stability and ability to hold this August office.

She said Imran is insulting the intelligence of Pakistanis by trying to misguide the nation with false and made-up economic indicators in his tweets and rage-driven speeches.

“The real economic indicator are the screams of agony of the Pakistanis crushed under the avalanche of this government’s incompetence. The real economic indicator is the State Bank’s predictions

that the inflation rate will continue at 14 percent and the growth will remain stunted at 2.4 for the coming years. The real economic indicator is the 200 percent increase in natural gas and 100 percent increase is electricity tariffs.

The really economy indicator is that the PTI regime has buried the country under rs 11,000 billion new loans while reducing country’s per-capita income by 11 percent”, she said.

The former Information minister told that the FBr has withheld over rs 75 billion in refunds of the exporters to register a fake uptick in revenue collection. But despite this foul-play the revenue target felt short by rs 167 billion in four months, she pointed out.

She explained that the artificial increase in foreign exchange reserves is a result of the capital by those who have put in money to take advantage of the extremely high interest rate by thus regime.

This increase in reserves took place in the form of group investment because foreign banks are exploit-

ing the unreal heightened interest rate.

The reality of this matter and the true indication of foreign exchange is the fact that foreign remittances by Pakistani expats has fallen by two percent which shows that they don’t trust Imran and his regime, she stressed. marriyum said, “The truth of National economy under this regime is that public hospitals and educational institutions are being told to generate their own funds as the government has slashed their money.

The truth about the economic vision of this regime is that free treatment and medicine at public hospitals has been stopped. The truth is that for past 4 years hundreds of billions have been spent digging up potholes of Peshawar metro.”

She said the devastating economic disaster created by this PTI regime has pushed the society in to desperation which has shot up the street crime and homicide pushing the country into anarchy.

Imran and his regime has paralysed Pakistan, she concluded.

Most adolescents worldwide don’t exercise enough to stay healthy: WHO UnITEd nATIOns app

most adolescents aren’t getting enough exercise as screen time increasingly replaces physical activity in homes across the world, putting their current and future health at risk, the World Health organization, a United Nations agency, warned in a new study.

In the first study of its kind on global and regional trends among 11 to 17-year-olds, the WHo said that around 80 per cent of them do less than 60 minutes of activity per day – the minimum daily recommendation. According to the study, the Philippines had the highest inactivity levels among boys, at 93 per cent, while in South Korea, researchers found that 97 per cent of girls failed to do enough exercise.

In gender terms on average, 85 per of girls failed to do enough globally, only slightly worse than boys (78 per cent).

“From 2001 to 2016 we found that there’s been no improvement in patterns of activity in this age group…one hour out of their lives each day to be physically active and

to get a health benefit from being physically active,” the WHo study co-author, Dr. Leanne riley, said.

“That can be made up of different small chunks of their time, anything that adds up to 60 minutes.”

Insisting that physical activity needn’t be overly strenuous or vigorous for it to be beneficial, Dr. riley explained that jogging, walking, cycling or “just trying to be active” can all make a positive difference. Dr. riley also cites some of the causes behind this high level of inactivity. “We have had this electronic revolution that seems to have changed adolescents’ movement patterns and encourages them to sit more, to be less active, to drive more, walk less, be less active in general and then be more involved in digital play rather than the active play,” she said.

WHo urged schools to encourage physical education and get students to be more active in competitive and non-competitive sports. It recommends city and community leaders should create paths for young people to walk and cycle safely and independently.

In the long-term, failing to do

enough exercise leaves people vulnerable to a range of non-communicable and preventable illnesses, WHo has repeatedly warned.

These non-communicable diseases include heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, breast and colon cancer. An additional benefit of physical activity is improved mental health, Dr. riley insisted, highlighting that exercise also promotes learning, delays the onset of dementia and can help maintain a healthy weight. “If they do it… they’re likely to be healthier adults too,” said the WHo study lead coauthor Dr. regina Guthold, insisting on the importance of establishing healthy habits early on.

According to the study of 1.6 million school-going students from 146 countries, girls were less active than boys in all but four of them: Tonga, Samoa, Afghanistan and Zambia.

The difference between the amount of exercise between boys and girls was greater than 10 per cent in almost a third of countries in 2016, and this trend became more pronounced in almost threequarters of nations surveyed be-

tween 2001 and 2016.

The countries showing the most improvement in activity levels among boys were Bangladesh (from 73 per cent to 63 per cent), Singapore and Thailand (78 to 70), Benin (79 to 71) and the U.S. and Ireland (71 to 64).

In the case of the US, the study authors noted the likely positive impact of national sports promotion initiatives, although these appeared to have had more success with boys than girls, they said.

Among girls in general the changes in activity levels were small over the review period, the WHo study found, ranging from a two per cent increase in Singapore – from 85 per cent to 83 per cent – to a one per cent increase in Afghanistan (87 per cent to 88 per cent).

Under the 2030 Global Goals Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted in 2015 by the international community, Governments agreed to a 15 per cent improvement in activity levels by 2030.

“We are off-track; this target will not be met if these trends continue,” Dr. Guthold insisted.

CMYK

Govt forms national body to fight polio The federal government has formed a national body called National Strategic Advisory Group on Polio eradication and Immunisation to materialise the dream of polio-free Pakistan. The body constituted in consultation with Prime minister Imran Khan will be led by his Special Assistant on Health Dr Zafar mirza and include former Pm’s focal persons on polio wradication Shahnaz Wazir Ali and Senator Ayesha raza Farooq besides former Pakistan Permanent representative at the UN Zamir Akram. other key members include Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Health Khalid magsi and Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services Dr. Nosheen Hamid and member of the Sindh Assembly Dr. Sanjay Gangwani. “We have constituted this National Strategic Advisory Group to eradicate polio from Pakistan and effectively protect children from other vaccine preventable diseases through a truly national effort,” Dr. Zafar mirza said. He said this decision has been taken in consultation with the Pm in the wake of a spike in polio cases in the country this year. So far 91 Wild Polio Virus (WPV1) cases along with the recent emergence of circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus Type 2 (cVDPV2) in northern Pakistan have been surfaced, he said, adding the high burden of vaccine preventable diseases in Pakistan has been a daunting challenge over years. moreover, the special assistant said the ministry of National Health Services, regulations and Coordination was particularly concerned over the steep polio upsurge that affected all provinces touching alarming proportions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. newS deSk

naB approaches interior ministry to place akram durrani’s name on eCL The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has approached the interior ministry to place JUI-F leader Akram Durrani’s name on the exit Control List (eCL), according to reports.

In this regard, the sources said, the country’s top corruption buster has penned a letter to the interior ministry fearing that Akram Durrani is facing corruption charges. The bureau has requested the ministry to place his name on the eCL as he might fly abroad to escape corruption charges. on the last hearing of Durrani’s case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking another extension in his bail, the NAB officials had submitted a report in the case and not opposed his bail plea. Sources quoting the NAB report had said that it was submitted with the IHC that the bureau has only issued warrants for the personal secretary of Durrani.

“No warrants are issued for the arrest of Akram Durrani and his family members,” said the report adding that the NAB issues warrant of a person only if it wants to arrest him.

Akram Durrani has served as the Chief minister of KhyberPakhtunkhwa from 2002 to 2007. He served as federal minister for Housing and Works, in the Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to may 2018. Last year, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal had ordered an inquiry against Akram Khan Durrani over misuse of power and illegal allotment of plots.

Durrani was re-elected to the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a candidate of muttahida majlis-eAmal (mmA) from Constituency PK-90 (Bannu-IV) in general election of 2018. on october 2, 2018, Durrani became the leader of the opposition in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). newS deSk

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THe ruling party has cast some doubts on whether former Pm Nawaz Sharif actually was ill. Not without some criticism: he pulled wool over your eyes, then.

Nawaz’s confident, surefooted body language might have been an I’m-down-but-not-out message but what are sticking out like a sore thumb are the sartorial choices of his brother.

At times, in parrot green safari suits. And at times, wearing double breasted three-piece suits with a hat to boot. Straight out of Coppola’s costume design. Strange choice of wardrobe for someone accused of running a mafia. * * * * * * * * * It’s not the Powers That Be alone but the ruling party as well that has it in for the news media.

Apparently, a particular cabal of advisors are after the Pm to use any and all leverage that the federal government has, be it through the courts or regulatory bodies like PemrA, to punish anchors and channels.

With friends like these...

04 LAHORE

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

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LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Police on Saturday arrested the brother-in-law, Adnan, of 19-year-old Hira Riaz for murdering her in Gulberg area on Friday, three days before her wedding. According to the details, Adnan was arrested with another relative after police recovered data from Hira’s phone that led them to the culprits. Police sources said suspect Adnan had killed Hira over a personal dispute as some of the text messages found in the victim’s phone pointed out that Adnan had immoral feelings for his teenage sister-in-law. Further, a few local media channels also reported that Adnan and Hira had held long conversations and sent messages to each other just before her murder. Meanwhile, police are awaiting scientific analysis of mobile phones of detainees and the deceased girl. The incident happened in Lahore’s Gulberg area when the deceased went to answer the doorbell. She was dragged out of her house and taken to a nearby park where she was shot six times. Eyewitnesses to the murder informed that unknown men on motorbikes had opened fire on the girl, before fleeing towards the Liberty Market despite facing resistance from bystanders.

According to her autopsy report, the bullet that struck her in the head was the cause of her death. Later, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar while taking notice of the incident, sought a report from the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO). The family of the victim has declined to comment on the matter.

Sarwar attends mass marriage ceremony of 200 couples BAHAWALPUR app

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar attended the mass marriage ceremony of 200 couples at Goth Shah Muhammad, tehsil Khairpur Tamewali, on Saturday. The ceremony was organised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Naeem Warraich. Governor distributed Quran Pak and cash among the couples. Speaking on the occasion, he said that he feels immense pleasure on attending this mass marriage ceremony and will attend every such marriage ceremony in which 50 or more couples will be wedded. He said that soon he will arrange a mass marriage ceremony of 200 couples at Governor House to continue the tradition set by former governor Khalid Maqbool. Governor Punjab said that our government will provide clean drinking water to every city and village of the province. He said that 50 per cent affectees of water-related diseases end up at the hospital. He said that he has a deep-rooted connection with Bahawalpur and he used to visit the city to spend holidays.

He said that members of the British Royal Family feel indebted to Nawab of Bahawalpur and always remember him in good words. He praised the efforts of ViceChancellor the Islamia University of Bahawalpur for improving the university and expressed hope that the varsity will achieve the highest ranks. Punjab Minister Food Samiullah Chaudhry and other notables of the city also attended the wedding anniversary.

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Shahab omeR

HE Excise Taxation and Narcotics Control (ET&NC) department is planning to give a hard time to elite restaurants and cafes in the city that are involved in selling and serving alcoholic beverages in violation of hudd laws, Pakistan Today here on Saturday.

These 7-10 restaurants are situated in the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) and Gulberg.

After the raids on café Aylanto and Gai’a, the department had issued 250 warning letters to all such cafés, restaurants, and clubs, including Lahore Gymkhana and Royal Palm Golf and Country Club, regarding the liquor consumption on their premises.

After the issuance of that warning letter, most of the hotels, restaurants, cafes, and clubs started to avoid such activities. However, a number of restaurants still sell and serve alcohol.

“Almost seven to 10 restaurants in the area of DHA and Gulberg are still serving liquor to

EXCISE SAYS WILL SOON CONDUCT RAIDS ON THESE RESTAURANTS AND CATCH THEM RED-HANDED their customers. They start their business in late nights and students comprise the major part of their clientele,” an excise official disclosed.

“We are keeping an eye on such places and we do not want to raid them in a hurry, because the raid on Gia’a was not conducted on the right time, and the department failed to catch them red-handed. We also have the video footage and pictures of selling and serving the liquor at Gai’a, but the time when the raid was conducted was the family time so our teams were unable to find anything,” the official claimed.

He said this time the department has all the proofs and the plans and strategies were discussed to raid such places.

Foreign funding case lodged to ‘blackmail’ PTI, Chohan claims LAHORE Staff RepoRt

Provincial Minister for Colonies Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said on Saturday that the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been lodged to “blackmail” the party.

Addressing a press conference, Chohan said, “Opponents have made accusations for their vested interests […] looters haven’t gained anything before except that they have become a laughing stock.”

“They had said that they won’t allow [us to pass] the budget […] they were failed then,” he said, while recalling that PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi had also taken the foreign funding case to the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court had referred the case to the Election Commission […] PML-N’s repre-

sentatives have been continuously lying,” he added.

“Feudal lords and investors had been ruling here […] PTI performs its audit report from the top-rated companies,” he mentioned while claiming that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has registered two of its parties with the Election Commission of Pakistan.

“Zardari has even not submitted any file of his party with the election commission […]

Ahsan Iqbal is an iqama holder in the UAE,” he went on to say.

“Members of the opposition have been organising halwa parties and giving a new lollipop of the foreign funding case […] whosoever was terminated from the party, [he/she] had started making accusations against it,” he stated, adding that opposition parties had even failed in giving resignations from the assemblies.

Rain eases smog’s grip over Lahore, other parts of Punjab LAHORE: Rain in Lahore on Friday reduced the severity of smog in the city on Saturday as the weather remained considerably clearer. According to details, rain broke out in the city, bringing an end to the “dense smog” which had engulfed the city and other parts of the province. Schools remained closed across Lahore, Faisalabad, and Gujranwala as per a notification issued by the Punjab government in this regard. Meanwhile, widespread rain, wind-thunderstorms (with snowfall over mountains) are expected in the following days in districts of upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Kashmir and Islamabad, at scattered places in districts of north Punjab, lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while at isolated places in districts of central/south Punjab, northeastern and southern Balochistan. Heavy fall is also expected at few places in northern parts of the country. Earlier on Thursday, a thick blanket of smog covered large swathes of Punjab, including Lahore forcing the diversion of three flights to Islamabad. According to reports, flights from Doha, Dammam, and Urumqi heading to Lahore were diverted to Islamabad due to poor visibility. Staff RepoRt

Record legislation done by Punjab govt so far: CM LAHORE app

Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has said that record legislation has been done by the Punjab Assembly during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led coalition government so far.

While talking to members of the Punjab Assembly, who called on the chief minister at his office here on Friday, he issued instructions for solving problems in their constituencies related to development matters. He pointed out that the magnitude of work done by the incumbent government in just one year was more than all previous governments.

The 'Punjab Khal Panchayat Bill' was the right step to stop theft of canal water, whereas thousands of contract employees would benefit from the decision of their regularisation in three

130C

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CaféS Serving alCoHol on exCiSe’S radar LAHORE

Hira murder case: police arrest brother-in-law

TUESDAY

years instead of four years, he said.

Usman Buzdar maintained that Workers Welfare Fund Bill was aimed at welfare of workers and Aab Pak Authority law was also important for pro-

viding clean drinking water to people.

He said that improving devastated economy was praiseworthy step of the PTI government. Prime Minister Imran Khan would lead Pakistan to the height

of economic glory, he added.

The chief minister emphasised that honest leadership was essential for durable economic development. The corruption committed in previous tenures to the tune of billions of rupees had devastated the country while the incumbent government had taken important steps against corruption, he added.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had exposed idols of corruption.

The chief minister said that national exchequer was wasted through exhibitory projects in the past but the government had ended this wrong practice.

Punjab Minister Mian Khalid Mahmood and MPAs including Nawabzada Mansoor Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Raza Hussain Bukhari, Muhammad Aun Hameed, Mian Alamdar Abbas Qureshi, Niaz Hussain Khan, Sardar Ahmed Ali Dreshak and Chief Whip Syed Abbas Ali Shah met the chief minister.

A café owner said liquor was a profitable business and most of the customers demand them to serve them.

“We are also not in favor of sale the liquor to underage. The laws and regulations cannot stop the consumption of liquor and due to this kind of regulation the people will shift on alternates, which are more dangerous rather than alcohol,” he added.

He said the government should formulate a policy on the sale of liquor but this kind of enforcement will create only depression in the society.

Excise and Taxation Officer Saffer Abbas Jappa said: “After the issuance of warning letters the sale and service of liquor is almost controlled in Lahore. Lahore Gymkhana is following the law.

However, some of the cafes and restaurants who are still involved in this business are on our radar.”

Excise Director General Zahid Hussain said at least 10 restaurants situated in posh areas were still serving liquor to their customers. In a comment on the potential raids, he said the purpose to raid such places is only to curb the illegal sale of alcohol, not to harass families.

3,700 dog bite cases reported in Bahawalpur BAHAWALPUR: Over 3,700 cases of dog bites were recorded in Bahawalpur this year, according to reports. “Every day, almost 10 people are brought to the hospital who are bitten by stray dogs,” said the director of a local hospital. “To treat these cases we follow two regimes at the hospital. In one regime four injections are administered and in the second one five injections are administered to the patient,” he added. Reports said that most dog-bite cases came from rural areas.

Cases of dog-bites are increasingly being reported in several districts across the country. In Sindh, more than 100, 000 cases were reported this year as the government has launched a campaign to vaccinate stray dogs in the city. The campaign, which is partly funded by the Ayesha Chundigar Foundation aims to prevent diseases spreading from dog-bites. Staff RepoRt

Punjab govt to establish furniture city in Chiniot: minister LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Industries & Trade Mian Aslam Iqbal has announced establishment of a furniture city on 200 acres of land near Chiniot to promote furniture industry in the region. He announced this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of 11th Interior Expo, organised by the Pakistan Furniture Council at the Expo Centre, here on Friday. He said that the initiative would create more than 50,000 job opportunities and it would help stabilise furniture industry in the country. He said that furniture makers would be given plots on subsidised rates for setting up furniture making units in the city.

It was need of the hour to enhance export of furniture and the government would provide every possible support in this regard, he added. He appreciated the quality of furniture repaired at the local level. He congratulated organisers of the Expo and said that such exhibitions were helpful to promote local production. He said that proposal of furniture makers would be welcomed for enhancing export of furniture. To a question by the media, the minister said there were no chances of any changes in the Punjab cabinet in near future. "Making change in the cabinet is prerogative of the Punjab chief minister," he added. He said that the meeting of Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi with Chief Minister Usman Buzdar was a routine matter in a democratic setup.

He said that the PTI government had taken solid steps to provide relief to masses. All price control magistrates in the province had been made fully active and Rs 380 million fines had been imposed on profiteers. Later, the provincial minister inaugurated Print Park 2019 exhibition and visited various stalls. app

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

NEWS

05

Police arrest rickshaw drivers’ gang involved in street crimes KARACHI INP

KARACHI: A broken down truck is stuck at Shahrah-e-Pakistan in the provincial capital. ONLINE

FingerPrinTs in nimriTa murder case noT cLear enough: nadra LARKANA INP

T

He National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) on Saturday sent back all eleven fingerprints submitted by the police in the Dr Nimrita Chandani murder case by saying that no identification can be made using these prints.

The NADRA in its report said that

Burst water pipeline in Liaquatabad damages road KARACHI INP

A road near Karachi’s Liaquatbad suffered major damage on Saturday after a water pipeline in the area burst. The damage worsened when a truck got stuck on the road. The road has now been closed for public use. “It has been a week since the pipeline burst,” said a resident of the area. “Officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board never got it repaired.” According to the truck driver, he was driving a truck full of gravel to Saddar when it got stuck on the road. “We had called for a crane, but it wasn’t equipped enough to pull the truck,” said a traffic police officer. “We have called for another one. The water board teams come and leave but never properly repair the pipelines.” The traffic police officer added that the road has been blocked for the public, which is affecting the traffic in nearby areas.

the fingerprints and a letter requesting them to be examined was sent a month after Nimrita died. They said the fingerprints aren’t clear enough to identify anyone using.

Dr Nimrita, a 25-year-old dental student at the SMBB Medical University, was found dead in her dorm on September 16.

A post-mortem report said she died of asphyxiation. The first report claimed there were no marks on her

body but after her family requested another post-mortem, the second report confirmed that male DNA was found on the deceased.

It says the forensic and molecular biology lab reports detected “male DNA profile obtained from semen stains/sperm fractions from HVS and clothes indicates sexual act with deceased.”

Police on September 18 claimed to have arrested at least two suspects in

the alleged murder case of Nimrita Chandani.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Larkana, the suspects were close friends and classmates of Nimrita Chandani.

Two suspects, namely Ali Shan Memon and Mehran Abro are currently being probed.

Sources privy to the matter revealed that the slain student’s credit card was being used by Mehran Abro.

No Karachi land, property transaction without paying KMC utility bills NEWS DESK No one can sell or transfer their property or land leased by the Karachi Development Authority or Karachi Metropolitan Corporation if they have not paid their municipal utility bill.

The Karachi city government collects this money in order to finance building infrastructure and maintenance around the city (roads, green belts). It isn’t a large amount.

The monthly municipal utility charges for housing goes by plot size: Residential units (houses, flats) Rs0 for units up to 39 square yards Rs70 for 40 to 80 square yards Rs150 up to 120 square yards Rs200 up to 240 square yards Rs300 up to 500 square yards Rs500 up to 1000 square yards Rs800 over 1,000 square yards Commercial sites or businesses (offices, restaurants and shops) must pay Re1 per square foot.

The third category applies to these units: industrial, agricultural, gardens, nurseries, wedding halls, clubs, thellas, dhobi ghats, hammams, cattle ponds and high-rise commercial plazas: Up to 200 sq yards = Rs500 201 to 500 sq yards = Rs1,000 501 to 1,000 sq yards = Rs1,500 1,001 to 2,000 sq yards = Rs2,000 2,001 to 3,000 sq yards = Rs2,500 3,001 to 5,000 sq yards = Rs3,000 5,001 to 10,000 sq yards = Rs4,000 Above 10,000 sq yards = Rs5,000

The fourth type of establishment is: schools, colleges, hospitals, clinics, mosques and imambargahs.

Rs500 for units up to 1,000 square yards Rs1,000 for those that are 1,001 to 5,000 square yards Rs2,000 for anything larger KMC’s director for municipal utility charges & taxes is Nayab Saeed. He said that they have written the senior member of the Sindh Board of Revenue about the collection of municipal utility charges to be applied for mutations, sub-leases, transfers and the registry of government land.

Section 19-A of the Registration (Sindh Amendment) Act, 2013 says that no deed or document on a transaction for immovable property shall be registered if the utility bills have not been paid, he explained.

This much was confirmed by property dealer Arshad Sikandar who said that no leased property from KDA and KMC is being transferred or sold if the municipal utility bills are not cleared. He said that this rule is already mentioned on the KDA and KMC forms.

The municipal utility bill was introduced in 2009 under the Mustafa Kamal administration.

The city police has exposed and arrested members of a gang of rickshaw drivers involved in street crimes in the metropolis on Saturday. A rickshaw driver arrested by Frere Police Station personnel made sensational disclosures and informed the police about the gang involved in robberies and mugging crimes in Karachi. According to police, arrested rickshaw driver Waqas in his confessional statement said he had beaten a woman on resistance and deprived her of gold bangles. “I can easily assess about the ornaments wearing by a person is made of gold or fake metal,” Waqas informed police in his confession. “Gizri, Defence and Clifton were focus areas for the gang to commit crimes,” he further said.

“We could assess in a glance about the valuables that can be robbed from a victim,” Waqas said. The rickshaw drivers’ gang, comprising of three members, had also misbehaved with women in Delhi Colony of Karachi, police said. Police arrested two members of the gang after the CCTV footage of the incident, officials further said. “The third member and ring leader of the gang, Riaz, has been at large so far,” policemen added.

Police arrest three housemaids involved in robberies KARACHI INP

The police on Saturday claimed to have arrested three women of a gang of housemaids, involved in several robberies in Karachi’s area of Ferozabad. As per details, the arrested women identified as Fatima, Humera and Sabeen were involved in looting several houses. The group was carrying out their activities after gaining the confidence of the house owners. The case against the arrested women has been registered, while the investigation into the matter was also underway. Back in the month of September 2018, police had arrested a three-member dacoit gang from Karachi’s Zaman Town area. A threemember gang involved in at least 200 cases of robbery and street crime was arrested from Zaman Town area of the city. The three suspects namely Ateeq, Adnan and Wasif belong to influential families. The law enforcement agency says that all three are sons of civil servants- with one of them belonging to police- and have themselves applied for civil service. At least 200 cases have been registered in 12 police stations across the city.

Two more die of dengue, death toll rises to 37 KARACHI INP

Two more people died of dengue in Karachi on Saturday, taking Sindh’s death toll to 37.

The two men were identified as Shahzad, a 40-year-old resident of Korangi, and Abdul Rafay, a 60-year-old from Shah Faisal Colony. Both of them had been admitted at a private hospital. According to a spokesperson for the Dengue Prevention and Control Program, over 13,000 cases of dengue fever have been reported across Sindh since January 2019.

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

The 66-year alliance beTween The US and SoUTh Korea iS in deep TroUble SOUTH KOREA HAS JUST PAID 90 PERCENT OF THE COSTS OF A NEW NEARLY $11 BILLION US BASE AT CAMP HUMPHREYS, THE US MILITARY’S LARGEST OVERSEAS INSTALLATION washingTon posT richArd ArMitAge And Victor chA

T

HE 66-year alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea is in deep trouble. The U.S.-China trade war, the South Korean government’s quiet leaning toward Beijing and President Trump’s transactional view of alliances have created a unique constellation of forces. The result could be a premature withdrawal of U.S. troops from the peninsula at a time when North Korea’s nuclear threat and China’s regional dominance grow unabated.

The 11th-hour decision by South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s administration on Friday to postpone its planned termination of an intelligence-sharing agreement among the United States, Japan and South Korea was wise, but damage to the reservoir of trust in the relationship had already been done. Seoul’s apparent leveraging of the valued agreement to compel Washington’s involvement in economic and historical disputes between South Korea and Japan — the

United States’ two major democratic allies in the Pacific — was an act of alliance abuse.

The threat to end the intelligence cooperation not only degrades the ability of the three to respond to North Korean nuclear or missile tests but also represents a potential decoupling of South Korea’s security interests from those of Japan and the United States, in a significant sign of alliance erosion. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe regards North Korea’s nuclear weapons as an existential threat, but Moon — whose party will face challenging national elections in the spring — prefers to play down the threat. He focuses instead on inter-Korean economic engagement projects to boost the flagging South Korean economy. Trump added to the friction in the U.S.-South Korea relationship on Nov. 19 when he demanded that South Korea pay more for the cost of stationing 28,500 U.S. forces on the peninsula. Seoul is likely to reject the demand. The current defense burden-sharing negotiations, with a $5 billion price tag set by U.S. negotiators, had just completed another round this week where the

U.S. team walked out of the talks early. It was a rare public acknowledgment of an open rift in the alliance.

The U.S. demand is politically unfeasible for the Moon government because it represents a fivefold increase in payments over previous agreements. Moreover, South Korea has just paid 90 percent of the costs of a new nearly $11 billion U.S. base at Camp Humphreys, the U.S. military’s largest overseas installation. The Korean people’s anger at perceived Washington greed was evident in demonstrations this month when protesters broke the perimeter of the U.S. ambassador’s residence.

China looms as a significant factor in the deteriorating relationship. The U.S.-China trade war has strained ties between Washington and Seoul — South Korean mobile phone carriers are chafing at a U.S. demand that allies stop using Huawei equipment for their 5G networks. And even though China has punished South Korean businesses over Seoul’s 2017 acceptance of a U.S. antimissile defense system, South Korea still wants to join China’s proposed multilat-

Can America handle a gay President Buttigieg?

THIS MAN IS A RHODES SCHOLAR AND IVY LEAGUE GRADUATE. HE’S A WAR VETERAN WHO SERVED IN AFGHANISTAN. BUTTIGIEG HAS THE MONEY TO STAY IN THE RACE FOR THE LONG HAUL, AND VOTERS ARE TAKING NOTICE OF HIS PROPOSALS indianapolis sTar suzette hAckney

Is America ready to elect its first openly gay president?

I hate that I just started a column with a question, and I hate that the question has to be asked.

Yet as South Bend Mayor and presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg's campaign continues to build momentum, particularly after the last Democratic debate, his electability is being carefully examined. Buttgieg, 37, is the first openly gay Democrat to run for president. And for some Americans, his sexuality could become an issue.

According to a Politico/Morning Consult poll published Wednesday, half of U.S. voters say they are personally ready for a gay president, but they are divided on whether they think the country is ready.

Fifty percent of respondents say they are either “definitely” or “probably” ready for a president who is openly gay, compared with 37 percent who say they are definitely or probably not ready.

But only 40% — four in 10 voters polled — say they think America is ready for a gay president; 45% do not believe so. The poll was conducted Oct. 25-28.

Similarly, a Quinnipiac University poll released in early May, showed that 70% of voters said they were open to electing a gay

commander in chief, though only 36% thought the country was ready.

In essence, these voters are saying: "Yes, I’m progressive. Yes, I’m openminded. Yes, I denounce homophobia and bigotry.

But my neighbors Becky, Jack and Billy are not and do not."

Can we trust the polls?

Or the voters?

It’s an interesting if puzzling dichotomy — voters who claim they would not penalize Buttigieg for being gay, but are fearful others would.

I call baloney. I want to believe these folks, really I do. But I think it’s easier to point the finger at a fellow countryman than to acknowledge that one may have bigoted or prejudiced feelings about Buttigieg.

Because who wants to admit to homophobia? People tell pollsters what they think sounds good, and more so what they think makes them sound good.

How many Americans flatout lied about supporting Donald Trump's candidacy for president in 2016? No one wanted to publicly declare it, but behind the privacy of an election booth Trump was their guy.

Democrats, desperate for an electable nominee, are likely squeamish about these tolerance indicators.

On one hand, it would easy to ignore polls of this sort because they are so unreliable these days. But it would be a fool's errand to dismiss them and the senti-

ments of potential voters — even if the numbers aren't precise. So, can Buttigieg become the country's first openly gay president?

During Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, we were barraged with a similar question: Is America ready for its first black president?

More directly, will white people vote for an African American man?

Remember all the think pieces? The constant punditry by cable news commentators? It took Obama’s victory in the Iowa caucuses, with its heavily white electorate, to convince Democratic voters around the country that a black candidate could win.

And it turns out, America did elect the nation’s first black president. That doesn’t necessarily mean America was ready to elect Obama, and some argue the current occupant of the Oval Office is evidence of that.

This country has struggled with race and homosexuality — no, I’m not comparing the two — for generations. But America is also experiencing an evolving view of homosexuality and acceptance of LGBTQ individuals, particularly in the last decade.

A focus group of black voters in South Carolina, commissioned in mid-July

by Buttigieg's campaign, found that his sexual orientation could be part of the reason Buttigieg isn't gaining ground among African

Americans.

What criteria should voters consider? Still, it comes down to another question in my estimation: Is a president’s personal life or sexual orientation aligned with his ability to do the job? Absolutely not.

And let’s not lose sight of Buttigieg’s pedigree.

This man is a Rhodes Scholar and Ivy League graduate. He’s a war veteran who served in Afghanistan. Buttigieg has the money to stay in the race for the long haul, and voters are taking notice of his proposals. In a crowded field, Democrats would be smart to suss out the real issues with each candidate.

After all, there can be arguments made that some of the Democratic candidates are too old. Some could certainly debate — given past voter behavior — whether the field of candidates is too, um, female.

(Shout out to Hillary Clinton!) My point is this: Buttigieg, like all candidates, must pass the most important test of all, the political test. If he is to win the Democratic nomination and a shot at the White House, he needs people to believe in his proposals and his ability to get the job done.

Should voters reject Buttigieg or that potential because he is gay? Of course not. But I have no doubt that there are some who will.

Suzette Hackney is a columnist with the IndyStar.

eral trade arrangement (which does not include the United States) and will not support Washington’s Free and Open Indo-Pacific concept, which is designed to check China’s challenge to freedom of navigation in Asia.

This week, in another ominous sign of the U.S.-South Korea alliance weakening, the South Korean and Chinese defense ministers on the sidelines of a multilateral gathering in Southeast Asia inked an agreement to increase defense exchanges and establish military hotlines.

The collision of all these events could cause Trump to do the unthinkable by withdrawing U.S. troops from South Korea. Doing so would be in keeping with his long-held suspicions about the value of U.S. military commitments to allies, whom he thinks are free riders exploiting the U.S. security umbrella.

Trump could use the failed burden-sharing negotiations with Seoul as an excuse to draw down or pull out troops. His list of indictments, beyond accusing South Korea of refusing to pay its fair share, would likely include criticism of South Korea’s delinking from the United States

and Japan and its leaning toward China.

In the 2019 Defense Authorization Act, Congress added language to discourage such recklessness from the White House. It bars any military spending to cut the U.S. troop level in South Korea below 22,000 unless the Pentagon certifies that allies have been consulted and the reduction won’t harm the security of the United States or its allies. But Trump could remove more than 6,000 troops and stay above the floor; such withdrawal would be a major escalation of tensions with Seoul. Or Trump could defy Congress and take out even more troops, prompting a constitutional confrontation.

That would be a U.S. foreign policy disaster, with shock waves ranging from Japan to NATO. It would make the abandonment of the Kurds look like a harbinger of U.S. isolationism, and it would represent the beginning of the United States ceding global-power status to China.

Richard Armitage, a former deputy secretary of state, 2001-2005, is the president of the business consultancy Armitage International. Victor Cha, a former member of the National Security Council, 20042007, is a professor at Georgetown University and senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Russia-Israel relations: Expectations and reality

Moscow TiMes Micky AhAronson

Russia has sought to maintain good relations with Israel over the past few years.

The relationship between the two has been multi-faceted and sensitive to developments in the Middle East and further afield.

In the military dimension, particularly with regard to Syria, there is continuous coordination between Israeli and Russian armed forces on a number of levels, as has been the case for several years.

This coordination is exemplified by the deconfliction line aimed at preserving the countries' interests in regard to Israeli operations in Syria.

Russian-speaking officers occupy both ends of the line.

Russia and Israel both have an interest in avoiding confrontation, even a tactical one, between Israeli and Russian forces, in addition to any clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and Syrian Forces.

From Israel’s perspective, the Russian presence in Syria creates an address to which it can turn and an entity with authority that can and will influence any future settlement.

From Russia’s viewpoint, Israel and its military actions have a direct impact on the stability of the region and the order that Russia is seeking to establish in Syria under Assad, or any other figure that it chooses to support.

Israel's ability to serve as a spoiler for Russia's plans in Syria, which may be the result of Israel's demonstrated capacity and willingness to operate against Iranian military entrenchment in the re-

gion, has been well noted by the Kremlin.

However, both Russia and Israel have unmet expectations where the other country is concerned.

Israel expects Russia to support its primary goal of distancing Iranian military presence from Syria in general, and the Israeli-Syrian border in particular.

Russia expects Israel to "pay" for what Moscow perceives as its cooperative approach in regard to Israeli airstrikes in Syria. Israel’s alliance with the U.S. creates a situation in which Russia views Israel as a bridge to Washington and expects Israel to function accordingly.

So far, these expectations have received only symbolic answers. This is due, in part, to limits on what Israel can achieve in Washington, especially in the current environment, and the U.S. security establishment’s view of Russia.

This summer, Russian and U.S. National Security Advisers convened in Jerusalem, under the auspices of Israel's National Security Council. The meeting, which was unprecedented, received extensive press coverage due to the strategic issues discussed and the significance of the two powers meeting in Jerusalem, but ended without agreement.

Israel has therefore not yet provided Russia with the value it expected for its de facto understanding and acceptance of the Israeli strategy in Syria, and other Russian gestures.

One of these gestures was the Russian endeavor to deliver to Israel, from a territory under fire in Syria, the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in battle in 1982.

Russia sees the close American-Israeli alliance as a means of compensation for its goodwill, and so far Israel, in Russian eyes, has not returned the favor. This is creating growing antagonism among Russian forces deployed in Syria toward Israeli operations.

Russian expectations for

a reward are not necessarily restricted to the Middle East.

For example, Russia would appreciate a message being conveyed to the U.S. about the importance of allowing Syria under Assad's rule to be reaccepted as a legitimate regime to be readmitted to regional structures such as the Arab League.

Russia is also seeking global returns for its constructive behavior in Syria. These could take the form of easing sanctions or a more cautious approach by the West in the former Soviet region.

These expectations are likely to increase the frustration of the security apparatus in Russia and put additional pressure on Jerusalem.

While cooperation is likely to continue at all levels, the growing discomfort of Russia's military establishment with Israel is eroding Russia's willingness to tolerate Israeli operations in the region.

So far, Russia settles for the fact that Israel respects its priorities and takes great caution in relation to Russian assets in Syria, and in relation to critical Syrian regime assets.

However, without what Moscow perceives as a welldeserved compensation, Russia can be expected to take Israeli interests into account only to the degree that these do not coincide with core Russian interests. Future Russian decisions will serve Israeli interests only if they achieve Russian objectives.

Any flexibility in Russian policy in response to Israeli demands will be subject to continuing re-examination of Israeli co-operation and how well Israel can assist Russia in achieving its interests.

Micky Aharonson was head of the foreign relations directorate of the National Security Council in the Prime Minister’s Office (20062014). She is an expert on Russia; on foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority; and on military-political decision making.

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

BolIvIa accuses ex-presIdent morales oF 'terrorIsm' SUCRE

B

Agencies

OLIVIA’S caretaker government on Friday filed a complaint accusing Evo Morales of “sedition and terrorism” after the ex-president allegedly called on supporters to maintain blockades in the crisis-hit country.

Interior Minister Arturo Murillo referred the case to federal prosecutors in La Paz, which has been choked by road blocks for weeks, causing food and fuel shortages in the seat of government.

In a separate announcement late Friday, the interim government said it would hold talks with protest groups Saturday in the hope of striking an agreement “to pacify the country” and end its worst political crisis in 16 years.

“We are seeking the maximum penalty for sedition and terrorism,” Murillo told reporters after launching legal action against Morales.

Murillo also accused Morales’ former top minister Juan Ramon Quintana, whose whereabouts are unknown, of the same crimes.

If Morales — who fled to Mexico after resigning on November 10 — were charged and convicted, he would face a

maximum penalty of 30 years in jail.

The legal action against Bolivia’s first indigenous president comes as Congress debates when to hold new elections seen as crucial to quelling weeks of unrest that erupted after the disputed October 20 ballot.

Morales, who had been seeking a fourth term, claimed he won the vote, but opposition groups said it was rigged.

A poll audit by the Washington-based Organization of American States found irregularities in the results.

At least 32 people have been killed since the election, including 17 in clashes with security forces as antigovernment protesters block main roads. Morales has accused Bolivian security forces of engaging in “genocide” against his indigenous supporters and called for action by the international community.

The legal action comes after Murillo played a telephone recording to journalists on Wednesday, allegedly of Morales issuing instructions to a leader of the opposition movement in Bolivia.

“Don’t let food into the cities, we’re going to block, really encircle (the cities),” says the voice Murillo attributed to Morales.

Morales’s order was a “crime against humanity,” Murillo told re-

porters Wednesday, accusing the expresident of “terrorism.”

Bolivia has lodged a formal protest to Mexico over Morales’s remarks, saying they “contravened” his political asylum status, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

Morales, who claims to have been a victim of a coup after losing the support of the security forces, tweeted Friday —

several hours before Murillo filed the complaint — that the investigation was based on “planted evidence and manipulated recordings.”

Political consultant Ivan Arias told AFP the probe could make Morales’s supporters even more loyal to the expresident or lead them to think “Evo is already history.”

Right-wing Senate speaker Jeanine Anez, who declared herself interim leader after Morales quit, on Friday called on anti-government protesters to “let us govern” and lift the road blocks around La Paz. Anez and her ministers will meet with opposition groups at the presidential palace on Saturday at 2000 GMT in an attempt to reach a deal to lift the crippling blockades and end the unrest, Public Works Minister Yerko Nunez told reporters.

Congress must approve a law that would allow for new elections. It also needs to agree on a new seven-member electoral court, after members of the previous panel were charged with manipulating results.

Many Bolivians are fed up with the violence and want new elections in the hope they will stabilize the country.

“If (Anez) calls elections everything will calm down and hopefully this time there will be no fraud and everything will be transparent,” Tatiana Vicuna, 18, told AFP in La Paz. In the latest unrest on Thursday, police tear gassed indigenous protesters who marched on La Paz with the coffins of five of the eight people killed in clashes at a key fuel plant Tuesday.

The protesters from El Alto, a Morales stronghold near La Paz, branded Anez a “murderer” and called for her to resign.

The killings have deepened divisions between indigenous people loyal to Morales and Bolivia’s mainly citydwelling middle and upper classes.

The United States on Thursday suggested that Morales should stay out of upcoming elections, which should be “free, fair and transparent.”

In bid to repair ties, Japan and South Korea agree to summit next month NAGOYA Agencies

US judge awards $180million to Post reporter held by Iran DUBAI: A US federal judge has awarded a Washington Post journalist and his family nearly $180 million in their lawsuit against Iran over his 544 days in captivity and torture while being held on internationally criticized espionage charges. The order in the case filed by Jason Rezaian comes nearly a week after Iranian officials shut down its internet and launched a security crackdown on protesters angered by government-set gasoline prices sharply rising. As internet access has slowly trickled back on, the U.S. government sanctioned Iran’s telecommunications minister in response to the internet shutdown.

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon in Washington entered the judgment late Friday in Rezaian’s case, describing how authorities in Iran denied the journalist sleep, medical care and abused him during his imprisonment. “Iran seized Jason, threatened to kill Jason, and did so with the goal of compelling the United States to free Iranian prisoners as a condition of Jason’s release,” Leon said in his ruling. The judge later added: “Holding a man hostage and torturing him to gain leverage in negotiations with the United States is outrageous, deserving of punishment and surely in need of deterrence.” Iran never responded to the lawsuit despite it being handed over to the government by the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which oversees U.S. interests in the country. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday. Rezaian and his lawyers did not respond to a request for comment. Martin Baron, the executive editor of the Post, said in a statement that Rezaian’s treatment by Iran was “horrifying.” “We’ve seen our role as helping the Rezaians through their recovery,” Baron said. “Our satisfaction comes from seeing them enjoy their freedom and a peaceful life.” Rezaian’s case, which began with his 2014 gunpoint arrest alongside his wife Yeganeh Salehi, showed how the Islamic Republic can grab those with Western ties to use in negotiations. It’s a practice recounted by human rights groups, U.N. investigators and the families of those detained.

Despite being an accredited journalist for the Post with permission to live and work in Iran, Rezaian was taken to Tehran’s Evin prison and later convicted in a closed trial before a Revolutionary Court on stillunexplained espionage charges. Agencies

Japan and South Korea agreed on Saturday to hold formal talks next month, taking a step toward improving relations strained by decades of bitterness over their wartime past and now exacerbated by a simmering trade dispute. The decision to return to the table came a day after Seoul made a last-minute move to stick to an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan. Seoul on Saturday hailed its own move as a “breakthrough” after months of worsening relations.

Yet neither side gave any sign of a fundamental shift in stance, meaning that their feud will likely remain as intractable as it has been for the half century since the two U.S. allies normalized ties.

The feud is rooted in a decades-old disagreement over compensation for South Korean laborers forced to work at Japanese firms during World War Two. Seoul has seized local assets of Japanese companies and Tokyo this year curbed exports of materials used to make semiconductors.

“We bought time for intense discussions, but there’s not much time left for us,” South Korea’s foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, told reporters.

She was speaking after meeting her Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, at a gathering of the Group of 20 (G20) foreign ministers in the central Japanese city of Nagoya.

Motegi had earlier said that he wanted to discuss the issue frankly.

“I aim to hold a candid exchange of views on the matter of laborers from the Korean peninsula, which is the core problem, and other bilateral issues,” Motegi told reporters in Nagoya.

Tokyo has been frustrated by what it calls a lack of action by Seoul after a top South Korean court ordered Japanese company Nippon Steel to compensate former forced laborers. Japan says the issue of forced labor was fully settled in 1965 when the two countries restored diplomatic ties.

South Korea’s Kang acknowledged that “the gap was very big” between the two countries over the issue of forced labor.

Japan’s Motegi told Kang that bilateral

ties would further worsen if Korea decided to liquidate previously seized assets of some Japanese companies, a Japanese official said.

In her meeting with Motegi, Kang also repeatedly stressed the need for Japan to withdraw the export curbs. South Korea’s chip industry is heavily reliant on specialized chemicals produced by Japan and now impacted by tighter trade restrictions.

South Korea made a last-minute decision on Friday to stick with its General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) intelligence-sharing pact with Japan.

The agreement was set to expire at midnight on Friday and South Korea had earlier indicated it would let it lapse.

At least 3 killed in car bomb attack in Syria, says Turkey

Ex-CIA officer gets 19 years in China spy conspiracy

ANKARA: Turkey’s Defense Ministry says a car bomb exploded in a northern Syrian town along the border with Turkey, killing three civilians. The ministry said on Saturday that more than 20 people were injured in the explosion in an industrial zone of Tal Abyad. The ministry blamed Syrian Kurdish fighters for the attack. Two other car bombs have hit Tal Abyad this month, killing at least 21 people.

Turkey-backed fighters captured the city from Kurdish-led fighters in October. Turkey is seeking to expand its areas of influence in Syria’s north, pushing Kurdish fighters away from its borders. Ankara views those Kurdish fighters as terrorists. The same Kurdish fighters were the United States’ main partner in combating the militant Islamic State group in Syria.

ALEXANDRIA: A former CIA case agent was sentenced to 19 years in prison for an espionage conspiracy in which prosecutors say he received more than $840,000 from China to divulge the names of human sources and his knowledge of spycraft. The sentence imposed on Jerry Chun Shing Lee, 55, was significantly longer than the 10-years sought by defense attorneys. Lee pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage, but prosecutors and defense lawyers disagreed about whether there was proof Lee carried out any actual espionage. Lee’s lawyers disputed that their client’s conduct was anywhere near as severe as the government described. Prosecutors say Chinese intelligence officers gave Lee more than $840,000 over a three-year period beginning in 2010, and that Lee likely gave them all the information he had from a 13-year career as a CIA case officer. Agencies

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

08 COMMENT

General Bajwa II

Pakistan, China and the USA No hegemons, please

Any different from the first?

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aTIonal interest led Pakistan to cultivate friendly relations with both China and the USa. despite belonging to opposing camps, neither Pakistan nor China let down each other during the Cold War era. The two countries finalised border demarcation amicably and KKH was jointly built by them. PIa was the only airline from a non-communist country to be given permission to land in Beijing. In 1971 Pakistan facilitated the then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger’s secret visit to Beijing that led to a breakthrough in ChinaUS relations. It was widely appreciated that China never tried to dictate to Pakistan.

Soon after its creation in 1947 Pakistan reached out to the USa as it was looking for aid and military equipment.

For this it joined SEaTo and CEnTo, the US-led military pacts. Thousands of Pakistani students benefitted from the US scholarships and hundreds of military officers got training in american military academies. The US aid was helpful, but was frequently used to pressurise governments to follow policies dictated by the USa. This not only created an anti-US sentiment among the masses but often led to protests from governments too. Soon after the Soviet defeat in afghanistan, the USa withdrew from the region leaving Pakistan to deal with the monster of extremism created by the USa. The USa has warned Pakistan of what it considers ‘risks’ from the CPEC. Pakistan’s political parties are bitterly divided over numerous issues but have unanimously endorsed the Corridor. To start with, the project has helped the country overcome the power shortage that was harming commerce, industry and agriculture besides disturbing domestic life. What is needed now is to bring down the power bills. one also expects many more Pakistanis to be provided jobs through the projects while 75,000 are already employed in Corridor-related activities. at a time when the USa and other industrialised countries were reluctant to invest in Pakistan, China staked billions of dollars in infrastructure and is expected to invest more in Special Economic Zones.

US President donald Trump’s South asia policy aims at turning India into its regional satrap, lording it over smaller countries. While many in Pakistan want normal relations with India, none would support the idea of India as a hegemon. Pakistan needs US friendship without strings attached.

Save, don’t spend Discount rate remains unchanged

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HE State Bank of Pakistan, in its latest monetary policy statement issued every two months, has kept the discount rate unchanged at 13.25%. The rate had been kept the same in the previous MPSs as well.

This was largely expected owing to inflationary pressures that have thus far continued to intensify rather than abate.

The report highlights how inflation has remained and will continue to hover in the 11-12% range for the remainder of the current fiscal year, meaning in all likelihood the higher interest rate will remain in place for a considerable period of time. The primary factor causing “inflation outturns” has been the increases in food prices that the central bank deems “temporary”. Yes, there are some seasonal factors influencing prices but it remains to be seen if prices really settle down; so far they have consistently been increasing, and why wouldn’t they?

Continuous hikes in electricity prices and the higher cost of diesel and petrol also add to costs, translating into higher prices. and with the IMF unwilling to budge on either one of these primary business input costs, it is unlikely that inflation will come down to the targeted 57% in the next two years.

The situation is better on the external account front, with the current account balance recording a surplus for the first time in four years largely owing to a drastic fall in imports. This is however a result of a higher exchange rate and government policies that have discouraged imports, as opposed to the significant increase in exports which would be more desirable. Private sector credit falling by Rs4.1 billion during the first four months of the current fiscal year, displays a severe slowdown in business activity as borrowing is expensive and investment in the current scenario is not an attractive prospect. This is why an increase of Rs11.3 billion has been recorded in the governments fixed investment instruments as people take advantage of the higher interest rate. as long as this monetary policy tightening continues, those who have the capital to save and earn interest will be much better off than those already having trouble making ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck.

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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aRif Nizami

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UST days before the chief of army staff (CoaS) general Qamar Javed Bajwa’s three years term was coming to an end the prime minister’s office finally announced an extension in his tenure for another term. Contrary to speculations, it was always a done deal.

The notification for the additional threeyear term was issued as early as august this year. But the inexplicable inordinate delay led to all kinds of conjectures in the media. amid a period of incremental political turmoil, it was being speculated that the military and civilian leadership were not on the same page.

PMl-n’s (Pakistan Muslim league nawaz) ailing supremo Mian nawaz Sharif being allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment provided the necessary grist to the rumour mill.

The incarcerated Sharif was granted bail by the lahore High Court. But interestingly the last straw was a visibly enraged prime minister publicly accusing the superior judiciary of harbouring double standards. nawaz’s departure was anathema to Khan’s oft-repeated mantra that he will not spare the corrupt Sharifs or Zardari. as pointed out by the CJP the next day, it was the government not the courts that had allowed Sharif to leave on an air ambulance for london for treatment.

If Khan really did not want Sharif to leave the country, was it the military leadership that forced his hands? In this context, the timing of JUI-F (Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl group) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s so-called azadi march/dharna was considered ominous as well.

Many a conspiracy theorists were of the view that some hidden Machiavellian hand was orchestrating all this to pressurise the government to grant the CoaS a three-year extension in his term. Even the wily Maulana had been throwing broad hints in his various public meetings that his abortive putsch was not without a purpose.

But Maulana’s road show has finally ended without a whimper. now he and his madrasah stalwarts are packing their bags to go home empty handed.

The current month has seen a lot of political activity leading to the completion of the CoaS’s first tenure on 29 november. Some

analysts view the Chaudhrys of Gujarat’s minirevolt in the same context. But now, after the event, they are visibly mending fences with their senior coalition partner.

In this backdrop it was not at all surprising that the military spokesman had to clarify twice within a period of a few weeks that the army is firmly behind the elected government and also on the same page.

This is clearly how it should be. But rarely has been the case in our checkered political history.

Civilian control over the armed forces- a sacrosanct principle of democracy- has perennially remained a pipedream in the Islamic Republic. Even a healthy civ-mil partnership has remained elusive.

The PTI government however is an exception to this rule. Khan has enjoyed an excellent rapport with the military chief- a rarity in Pakistani polity.

Whether General Qamar Javed Bajwa sought an extension or the prime minister thrust it upon him, remains a moot question.

The easy answer is that Khan needs the military leadership’s continuous support and mentoring. Why change horses in midstream?

This is not the first time that a civilian government has granted extension to an army chief. Previously Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani gave General ashfaq Parvez Kayani a three-year extension in november 2010.

The then PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) government had an uneasy relationship with the military. Gilani was not too enamoured with Kayani.

When I asked him soon after the event why then did he grant the CoaS an extension, the former PM shrugged: “he simply just took it”.

Plainly put, the PPP government had no other recourse but to extend Kayani’s term. appointment of the CoaS every three years is the sole prerogative of the prime minster. But once appointed, civilian leaderships-partly owing to their own acts of omission and commissionare quite dependent on the Chief’s largesse.

But it seems the Khan-Bajwa combination is a rare exception to the rule. It is more of a happy marriage of convenience.

With the advent of Khan, the military ostensibly embarked upon a hybrid model where it could call the shots without being blamed for the consequences. The model suits both parties. Khan, perhaps at the outset, correctly surmised that without the army chief’s mentoring he would be unable to navigate the labyrinth of Pakistani politics.

That is why the government’s detractors allege that Khan is a ‘selected prime minister’.

Prior to the 2018 elections manoeuvrings to ‘persuade’ electable candidates to join the PTI

is an undeniable fact.

The other day Pervez Elahi, a senior-most member of the ruling coalition, disclosed that the now retired ISI (inter-services intelligence) lt General Shuja Pasha was instrumental in coercing a few important members of his party to switch loyalties to PTI. Will General Bajwa in his second term be any different from his first? His first term saw an increasing military footprint in civilian matters. Khan not only welcomed it, he actively sought the Chief’s advice. despite key appointments made in consultation with the military chief, the PTI government is yet to find its bearings. Hence, unlike general Kayani who in his second stint as CoaS seemed weaker, Bajwa (II) will be more involved in making the PTI government a success story.

The delay in the announcement of his second tenure gave rise to unnecessary conjectures. Perhaps Khan was a bit hesitant to announce the extension possibly as was speculated, because of the military leadership forcing his hands on certain matters. allowing Sharif to travel abroad for treatment seems to be a case in point. Perhaps he had to relent, only to claim later that he was duped about Sharif’s medical condition.

That is why he vented his anger on the judiciary only to be badly snubbed by the CJP (the chief justice of Pakistan) asif Saeed Khosa.

The good news is that despite the increasingly authoritarian bent of the PTI regime, democratic institutional framework becoming more assertive has proved to be more resilient.

The superior judiciary has surely become more independent. Similarly owing to stiff resistance from the opposition the government has been forced to revert to the parliament.

However, on the flip side an overbearing military is never a good idea for strengthening of democratic institutions.

Hopefully with Pakistan precariously facing an existential threat from India and the afghan imbroglio still not settling down, the army’s hands will remain largely full with performing its mandated role. of course good governance- hitherto lacking- is a sine qua non for a stable civilian polity. Khan, instead of chasing mirages should start getting his act together before it is too late.

He is this time lucky that the opposition deliberately stayed away from Maulana’s moves to oust him through street power. This is not out of love of the PTI chief but to obviate demise of the democratic project.

Arif Nizami is Editor, Pakistan Today. He can be contacted at arifn51@hotmail.com

Just let them talk No need to use emotive words

Rabia ahmed

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onald Trump is known for many things, including his discriminatory policies. Several years before he became President, his company Trump Management was sued by the department of Justice for discrimination against african-american tenants on its properties. So, perhaps the reason why the President is so critical of the newspaper The New York Times today has to do with the fact that its Executive Editor since 2014 dean Baquet is black, the first black man to serve in this capacity. although he is known for abusing journalists generally, Mr Trump has frequently criticised the Times in particular, saying earlier this year that the White House would stop subscribing to the newspaper, adding that he would also direct federal agencies to follow suit.

The New York Times is the winner of 127 Pulitzer prizes, a greater number than any other Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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newspaper in the world. It has a wide international readership and has been ranked at number three in circulation within the USa. noam Chomsky said that The New York Times was the first thing he looked at in the morning, that “despite all its flaws— and they’re real— it still has the broadest, the most comprehensive coverage of I think any newspaper in the world.”

Returning to the President, Mr Trump has been accused of racism as well as sexism, yet Mr Baquet, himself a Pulitzer Prize winner for investigative reporting, has refused to call the President ‘racist’ or ‘sexist’.

Jim Waterson, Media Editor for The Guardian questioned Mr Baquet about this in an interview, at which Mr Baquet raised an important point. He said he did not believe in making value judgments and putting them into words. In other words, he said that he did not believe in ‘branding’ people. He said his job was to “cover the world with tremendous curiosity” not to act in opposition to the President. He said he was not in a position to know if the President said the things he did because he was a racist and a sexist or because he was trying to “stoke his base”, because he was

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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not in his– Mr Trump’s– head.

“I will tell you the most powerful writing I’ve ever seen about race, as a black man who grew up in the south, did not use the word ‘racist’. It quoted people saying what they had to say, and described the world they live in. and you made your own judgment. and the judgment was pretty clear. and I think that’s the way to write about donald Trump and everybody else.

It’s just to let them talk.” and we hear this talk. It is a problem that few people seem to know how to use what they hear to arrive at the right decision, since people are taught to react to certain catchphrases, and politicians learn to use this habit.

Baquet’s suggestion to ‘let them talk’ is a powerful concept. It would be an interesting exercise to apply the idea to the many things people say and then to see what you end up thinking about them. What would you think about Maulana Fazlur Rehman, for example, when he declares the entire country to be his war zone, in a war that would end only when the government falls. do such statements make you question just how much the Maulana values peace, democracy and the well-being of the people of this country? If not, they should.

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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This is a thing that ought to be taught; how to listen closely, and to assess persons based on their actions rather than on superfluous things. If this were to become more common the fact that a leader spent time and resources for the welfare of the people should raise him in people’s opinion, but that he elects the persons he does to important office would bring him down. and that he was once a dashing international star would hold very little water.

How is a democracy to succeed when people have no idea how to judge the worth of a public figure, so they may decide who is to lead them? How is anything rational to be achieved when a few strategically used arabic words and the mention of some historical religious figures raises people beyond criticism, and the label kafir (disbeliever) or murtid (apostate), is enough to condemn a person to death? The first could be true of Mr Qadri, and the second of abdul Sattar Edhi.

If such throw away words, such cleverly used accusations, can easily obtain approval or condemnation, then government, judiciary, the country, and the life of its people….everything is at risk, and it is.

Rabia Ahmed is a freelance columnist. Read more by her at http://rabia-ahmed.blogspot.com/

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Sunday, 24 November, 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

The Maulana’s Azadi RECEnTlY Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman has announced a protest and a sit in in Islamabad calling it as the “azadi March”. However, it is still unclear what the ultimate motive of this azadi March is, whether it is to show solidarity with the Kashmiris against the Indian aggression in Indian occupied Kashmir or it is merely to topple the government of Imran Khan. But one thing is crystal clear that the azadi march is going to create an environment of chaos and conflict in the capital which will not just be the ultimate challenge for the government but it will not be in the greater national interest of Pakistan. a protest and march against the government at this time when geopolitics is very active in the region and Kashmir issue is at its peak of either exploding or dissolving, although protest is their democratic right but the opposition must reconsider it for the sake of national issues and national interests.

MuHAMMAd ASIM KHAN Islamabad

Our battle

Matching crime with crime A concerted and coordinated effort to create judicial tyranny

Candid Corner Raoof hasaN “There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.”

– Charles-Louis de Secondat, Montesquieu: “The Spirit of the Laws”

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TS only when my mind races back in time to lay hands on the one institution which has played the most diabolical role in legitimising violations of the constitution and savouring the criminal indulgences of the rich and the mighty that I am reminded of the judiciary.

By validating the use of the emergency powers by Governor-General Ghulam Mohammad in 1954, Chief Justice Mohammad Munir laid the foundations of a judiciary which was destined to remain entangled in issues which neither fell within its domain, nor were they handled in accordance with the long-established principles of jurisprudence.

Instead, exceptions were created periodically for turning the judiciary into an institution not engaged in dispensing justice without discrimination, but allowing it to be used to suit the predilections of those who commanded more power, more wealth or more relevance.

The process continued unabated through phases both military and civilian, thus accentuating the fall of a key pillar of the state which is integral to establishing the rule of law and ensuring that every institution would abide by it, without exception. Instead, ‘exception’ became the law over time with the ones feasting on illicit billions meriting a different treatment than those struggling to survive on the fringes. The courts would dutifully conduct special hearings on a holiday for the former and announce a decision as desired while the latter would wait for generations for even a chance to be heard.

Can one imagine a convict being allowed to travel abroad by a court of law against a sim-

ple undertaking that he would come back after his treatment in four weeks? Can one imagine that this would be supplemented by another undertaking by his brother, who himself is an alleged criminal, currently out on bail in multiple cases? Can one imagine the context of the judgement when virtually the entire families of these people are absconders in multiple cases pending in various courts of law in the country, and even their properties have been confiscated by the state? Can one imagine that this would be done knowing full well that the two brothers have a history of lying in Parliament, in public and before the courts of law?

To put the record straight, it is the lahore High Court (lHC) which granted bail to nawaz Sharif on medical grounds in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case together with permission to get his treatment in Pakistan or outside. It is then that the Cabinet discussed the matter and granted him a one-time permission to travel abroad for treatment against the provision of indemnity bonds valued at Rs7 billion which, incidentally, is the cumulative amount of the fines imposed on him by the court together with a prison term of seven years in the al-azizia reference. The decision was challenged by the respondents in the lHC amidst a deafening uproar around the state of health of a convict with voices raised for dealing with the matter in a humane way. Instead of standing by the executive, the court decided that asking for the indemnity bonds was untenable and a simple undertaking, for whatever it would be worth in the end, would suffice.

This prompted the Prime Minister to appeal to the Chief Justice as well as Mr Justice Gulzar ahmad, who will succeed the incumbent in december, to work for restoring public trust in the judiciary by dispensing equitable justice to the powerful and the stricken alike.

There was no hidden threat or ‘taunt’ in the statement. Instead, it was a call from the Chief Executive of the country made in good faith.

But, Chief Justice Khosa took exception and cautioned the Prime Minister to be careful while making such statements. He went on to recount the many achievements of the judiciary including convicting one Prime Minister and rendering another ineligible for the office.

He also mentioned the judgement in the case of Gen Pervez Musharraf which is likely to be announced in the next few days.

The Chief Justice also said that the existing judiciary should not be compared with the one before 2009. notwithstanding the contentiousness of the claim that 2009 marks the transition to a better judiciary, there is a long history of the institution which does not make for elevating reading. Mr Justices Muhammad Qayyum and Rafiq Tarrar may belong to times past, but Judge arshad Malik and the one who demanded a guarantee for the life of a convict are manifestations of the post-2009 judiciary, as are the pending cases pertaining to the Model Town massacre, Baldia Town factory

fire, May 12 mayhem and the dubious judgement in the Hudaibiya case. But, by far, the worst is the precedent that this case is going to set for the future.

Much that I may respect the Chief Justice, I would beg to disagree with his contention regarding the current judiciary being an independent one. Technically, it may appear to be so, but there is a lot that is still missing in terms of transforming the institution into an entity that would work without fear and look upon its supplicants without discrimination.

But one would agree with him if he made the statement in the context of acknowledging the weaknesses of the past which may still be there, and which need to be remedied. The glaring perception is that there is a long way to go before one would be able to call the judiciary independent unless, of course, there may exist a vast divergence regarding the meaning of the word ‘independent’ as it is understood by the institution itself and the people who suffer at its hands. The perception from within an institution is usually flawed on account of a natural partisanship for being a part of it. a more appropriate perception would be the one formed by the people who deal with it in various cases which are of concern to them.

Judiciary is not just another institution. It is a cardinal pillar of the state, the one that deals with dispensing justice on which the foundations of an equitable state and society are laid. an unjust dispensation would inevitably lead to the weakening of these foundations, thus generating strong feelings of having been wronged among those who inhabit the state.

My critique emanates from an inviolable faith that, without having a just judiciary, we cannot have a just state. The two are intertwined and must work together to help the evolution of a non-partisan state and society.

It is even more critical in the current times when an effort, no matter how weak and how feeble, is underway to forge a culture of accountability.

There is a strong perception that a pernicious effort is afoot for creating an environment of judicial tyranny. That would, indeed, be a sad spectacle. Crime cannot and should not be matched with crime. Being a key constituent of the state, the judiciary should become both its face and its strength by incorporating the long-overdue reform within its echelons.

Without that, the state will continue to be rendered weak and the judiciary would, inevitably, crumble under its own weight.

For genuine reform to set in, much may have to be sacrificed, a bloated ego being on top of the list. let’s all begin there.

Raoof Hasan is a political and security strategist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – an Islamabad-based think tank. He can be reached at: raoofhasan@hotmail.com; Twitter: @RaoofHasan

PaKISTan is among 10 countries affected most by climate change. Pakistan is in a geographic location where average temperature is predicted to rise faster than elsewhere increasing 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Pakistan has faced catastrophic floods, droughts and cyclones in recent years that have killed and destroyed livelihoods and damaged infrastructure. Climatic changes are expected to have wide ranging impacts on Pakistan, reduced agricultural productivity, increased variability of water, increased coastal erosion and seawater incursion. In the last 50 years the annual mean temperature has increased by roughly 0.5 degrees Centigrade.

The number of heat waves days per years has increased nearly fivefold in the last 30 years. Sea level along the Karachi coast has risen to approximately 10 centimetres in last century. By the end of this century, the annual temperature in Pakistan is expected rise by 3 degrees Fahrenheit to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pakistan is expected to experience increased variability of river flows due to increasing the melting of glaciers. deforestation and increase in the use of chemicals in domestic and agricultural life are the main cause of climate change in Pakistan.

RAFIA KHALId Islamabad

Winter rain WElCoME to the first heavy spell of the winter rain. Though it may be a cause of little concern for cotton growers, it is mostly good news for everyone in the country. Hopefully, it will help fight the gravely dangerous issue of smog in lahore.

Heavy rain in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi has ended the dry spell causing health issues for people. now the air will be free from pollution and dust and dirt will be washed away from roads. The agricultural land in the Pothohar region is arid, which primarily depends on rains for irrigation. These rains will be a blessing for farmers in the Pothohar region as it will benefit them preparing their land for the Rabi crop. The government needs to supply better quality seed to farmers to enable them to increase agriculture production. The farmers must put in extra efforts to preserve water any way they can for use during dry days. Similarly, the citizens should avoid wasting water and littering as that chokes drains and cause problems. Even a step further, they take small steps such as growing vegetables in their lawns and backyards to bring about a change. This would not only be a healthy activity but also will help fend off the adverse effects of exorbitant prices of daily use vegetables on their budgets. overall, a small effort by everyone can help bring about a big change.

RAJA SHAFAATuLLAH Islamabad

Treating our teachers better TEaCHERS are supposed to be spinal cord of a nation in terms of socio-economic and cultural development of a country. In Pakistan, especially in Sindh teachers are treated badly.

Yesterday, on november 6, there was called a well-managed and peaceful protest in front of CM house by the Sindh Professors and lecturers association (SPla) for their time scale and promotion. Meanwhile, police contingent reached there and arrested many of teachers including female professors. Perhaps, government is unaware that protest is a democratic right of every citizen. Moreover, college teaching staff from all over of Sindh has said they will remain in peaceful protest until their resolution of time-scale, and furthers it was explained that colleges will be closed till to meet their demands. on the other hand, by closing of colleges the already lowest rate of literacy in Sindh is going to be in a worst condition if demands are not meet. The protestors reminded the government that summary of time scale had been sent to the secretariat on 2010, but perhaps it has not yet been pursued. Surprisingly, all other provinces have resolved its time scale issue of the college education.

ZAKIR HuSSAIN Wahi Pandhi

Justice for Nimrita laST month, on 16th September, a girl medical student named nimrita Kumari was found dead in her hostel room. according to the reports she had committed suicide. The Hindus and her family members were not trusting that she committed suicide.

In current reports, in her body male dna was found and she was raped by someone before her death. So, the one who has raped her he should be caught as soon as possible.

ZAHEER AHMEd Turbat

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

10 NEWS

FBI lawyer suspected oF alterIng russIa proBe document WASHINGTON

Chinese spy defects to Australia with trove of intel: report BEIJING: A Chinese spy has defected to Australia with a trove of intelligence on China’s political interference operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan and elsewhere, according to a media report Saturday. The Nine network newspapers said the defector, named as Wang “William” Liqiang, had given Australia’s counter-espionage agency the identities of China’s senior military intelligence officers in Hong Kong and provided details of how they funded and conducted operations in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. Wang said he was personally involved in infiltration and disruption operations in all three territories, according to the report, published in Nine’s The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers. Wang “revealed in granular detail” how Beijing covertly controls listed companies to fund intelligence operations, including the surveillance and profiling of dissidents and the co-opting of media organisations, the report stated. Wang is currently living in Sydney with his wife and infant son on a tourist visa and has requested political asylum, it said. Wang said in an interview to be aired Sunday night on Nine’s TV news programme 60 Minutes that he would be executed if he returned to China. “Once I go back, I will be dead,” a youthful and bespectacled Wang said through a translator in a clip from 60 Minutes shown on Nine’s websites Saturday.

Wang was also shown holding his son and walking with his wife along Sydney harbour beside the popular Luna Park amusement centre. According to the news organisation, Wang gave a sworn statement to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in October saying: “I have personally been involved and participated in a series of espionage activities”. This allegedly included infiltrating Taiwan under an assumed identity and with a South Korean passport to run local operatives in efforts to meddle in 2018 municipal elections and presidential polls due next year. He said the operation used local media executives to influence the election campaigns and defeat candidates seen as hostile to Beijing.

He also claimed to have coordinated a “cyber army” to shift political opinion, similar to Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election. “Our work on Taiwan was the most important work of ours – the infiltration into media, temples and grassroots organisations,” he was quoted as saying. It was his fear of being discovered by Taiwan’s counterespionage authorities working to influence next year’s elections that led Wang to seek asylum in Australia, he reportedly said.

Iran asks Russia for $2 billion loan to make power plants, railroads: Russian minister MOSCOW: Iran has asked Russia to provide an additional $2 billion loan for projects including the construction of thermal power plants, hydroelectric power plants, railroads and subway carriages, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Saturday. “They’re asking for about $2 billion… They say they were promised $5 billion in 2015…

We had loans allocated to them, they ask us to bring the total amount up to $5 billion,” Novak said, without providing further details. Agencies

p

Agencies

RESIDENT Donald Trump, who has long attacked as a “hoax” and a “witch hunt” the FBI’s investigation into ties between Russia and his 2016 presidential campaign, immediately touted news reports about the accusation to allege that the FBI had tried to “overthrow the presidency.”

The allegation is part of a Justice Department inspector general review of the FBI’s Russia investigation, one of the most politically sensitive probes in the bureau’s history.

That election interference probe was ultimately taken over by special counsel Robert Mueller and resulted in charges against six Trump associates and more than two dozen Russians accused of interfering in the election. Inspector General Michael Horowitz is expected to release his report on Dec. 9.

Witnesses in the last two weeks have been invited in to see draft sections of that document.

The inspector general report — centered in part on the use of a secret surveillance warrant to monitor the communications of a former Trump adviser — is likely to revive debate about an investigation that has shadowed Trump’s presidency since the beginning. It will be released amid a House impeachment inquiry into Trump’s efforts to press Ukraine’s leader to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden at the same time as military aid was being withheld from the country.

Trump and his supporters are likely to seize on any findings of mistakes or bad judgment in the report to support their claims of a biased investigation. Supporters of the FBI, meanwhile, are likely to hold up as vindication any findings that the investigation was done by the book or free of po-

litical considerations.

The allegation against the lawyer was first reported by CNN. The Washington Post subsequently reported that the conduct of the FBI employee didn’t alter Horowitz’s finding that the surveillance application of Page had a proper legal and factual basis, an official told the Post, which said the lawyer was forced out. “This was spying on my campaign — something that has never been done in the history of our country,” Trump told “Fox & Friends” on Friday. “They tried to overthrow the presidency.”

A person familiar with the case who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke to AP only on the condition of anonymity confirmed the allegation.

Spokespeople for the FBI and the inspector general declined to comment Friday.

The New York Times and the Post have reported that the investigation is expected to

find mistakes by lower-level officials within the FBI but will not accuse senior leaders of being motivated by political bias.

The FBI obtained a secret surveillance warrant in 2016 to monitor the communications of Page, who was never charged in the Russia investigation or accused of wrongdoing. The warrant, which was renewed several times and approved by different judges in 2016 and early 2017, has been one of the most contentious elements of the Russia probe and was the subject of dueling memos last year issued by Democrats and Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee.

Republicans have long attacked the credibility of the warrant application since it cited information derived from a dossier of opposition research compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British spy whose work was financed by Democrats and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Netanyahu’s woes mirror those of his ally Trump JERUSALEM Agencies

He was accused of using his high office to advance his personal political interests. He derided the investigation as a “witch hunt” fueled by “fake news” — an “attempted coup.” He counted on his right-wing base, his hand-picked attorney general and his media savvy to weather the crisis.

Not U.S. President Donald Trump, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was indicted Thursday on corruption charges.

Netanyahu’s indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust marks the culmination of three long-running corruption cases. In the most serious, he is accused of

accepting bribes from a telecom magnate by promoting regulations worth hundreds of millions of dollars in exchange for favorable media coverage on a popular news site owned by the company.

The announcement of the charges coincided with the final day of public impeachment hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives, in which officials provided a mountain of evidence to support allegations that Trump used the powers of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

Trump and his supporters have furiously denied any wrongdoing, alleging a deep state conspiracy fanned by a hostile media aimed at reversing the 2016 election.

Netanyahu has adopted similar tactics

and even the same language, alleging a conspiracy by police and prosecutors to end the 10-year rule of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. He has held large Trump-like rallies in recent months and has repeatedly taken to the airwaves and social media, banking on his legendary political skills as the walls closed in. “Police and investigators are not above the law,” Netanyahu said in an angry televised statement late Thursday, in which he said the country was witnessing an “attempted coup.” “The time has come to investigate the investigators,” he declared, adopting an oft-used Trump line.

On Thursday, Trump called the Democrats leading the impeachment inquiry “human scum” in a tweet, saying it was the “most unfair hearings in American history.”

Pope Francis arrives in Japan to preach anti-nuclear message TOKYO Agencies

Pope Francis arrived in Japan on Saturday, where he is expected to deliver a robust anti-nuclear message of peace in the only country to have suffered an atomic bomb attack.

The 82-year-old Argentine is fulfilling a long-cherished ambition to preach in Japan, where years ago he hoped to be a missionary.

He arrived in Tokyo in heavy rain and high winds, the white cape of his papal outfit blowing up around his face as he stepped gingerly down the staircase from the Thai Airways plane that carried him from the first stop of his tour in Thailand.

His four-day trip will begin with visits to Nagasaki and Hiroshima, cities forever associated with the nuclear bombs dropped on them at the end of World War II, killing at least 74,000 people and 140,000 people respectively.

In a video message to the Japanese people before he left the Vatican, Francis railed against the “immoral” use of nuclear weapons.

“Together with you, I pray that the destructive power of nuclear weapons will never be unleashed again in human history,” said the head of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics.

Francis arrives from Thailand, where

he preached a message of religious tolerance and peace.

He is expected to do the same in Japan, a country with only approximately 440,000 Catholics out of a population of 126 million.

The majority of Japanese practise a mixture of Shinto and Buddhism, two closely intertwined faiths based on the worship of nature and spirits, but many in Japan also observe Christian festivals such as Christmas.

Christians endured centuries of bloody repression in Japan after the religion was introduced to the country by a Spanish Jesuit priest in 1549.

In the 17th century, Japan was closed to the outside world and Christians were persecuted, tortured, crucified and drowned as they were forced to recant their faith.

When Japan reopened to the world in the mid-19th century and the missionaries returned, they were astonished to find an estimated 60,000 who had secretly kept the faith alive and followed a unique version of Catholicism blended with Japanese culture and religious rites.

Francis is expected to pay tribute to these so-called “hidden Christians” — or “kakure kirishitan” in Japanese — during his trip on Sunday to Nagasaki, where they were discovered.

Francis will also visit Hiroshima and deliver remarks at the world-famous

peace memorial that marks the day on August 6, 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped.

Father Yoshio Kajiyama, director of the Jesuit social centre in Tokyo, was born in Hiroshima shortly after the war and is eagerly awaiting the pope’s antinuclear speech.

“My grandfather died the day of the bomb in Hiroshima, I never knew him.

Four days later my aunt died when she was 15 years old,” said the 64-year-old.

“If you grow up in Hiroshima, you can’t forget the bomb.”

In Tokyo on Monday, Francis will met victims of the “triple disaster”, the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown in 2011 that devastated large swathes of north-eastern Japan.

His trip will also include meetings with the new Emperor Naruhito and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as well as delivering a mass in a Tokyo baseball stadium.

On the first leg of his latest Asian tour, Francis spent three nights in Buddhist-majority Thailand, another country where just a sliver of the population is Catholic.

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

BUSINESS 11

FBR to launch POS system for mega retailers next month The Federal Board of Revenue (SBR) will launch an automated ‘Point of Sale’ (POS) system for all mega-retailer outlets and shopping malls in order to bring them into registration. This was stated by FBR Chairman Syed Shabbar Zaidi in a Twitter statement on Saturday. He said FBR will launch the automated ‘Point of Sale’ (POS) for all large retailers from next month and has asked all large-scale retailers to integrate with the system. “This will greatly assist such retailers as in such cases personal interaction with FBR will be minimised. A way forward,” he said. Last month, the FBR chief had said the tax body is seriously considering installing Point of Sales invoicing system at all prominent private hospitals and medical centres. “A campaign for the same will start very soon,” he had said. “Tax collection from such centres is disproportionate to charges recovered from patients.” BUSINESS DESK

EU countries back tough line on 5G suppliers

BRUSSELS: EU countries have endorsed a tough line for selecting 5G suppliers, including vetting the domestic legal framework to which they are subjected, potentially dealing a blow to telecoms equipment market leader Huawei Technologies.

Ambassadors meeting in Brussels agreed to the approach, a spokeswoman for Finland, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said in a tweet. EU countries should consider non-technical factors such as the legal and policy framework to which suppliers may be subject in third countries, a draft document seen by Reuters ahead of the meeting said. The document did not mention any specific countries or companies. EU governments should also diversify their suppliers and not depend on one, the document said. EU ministers will give the green light to the approach at a meeting next month. The United States has urged the EU to ban Huawei equipment, saying that its gear could be used by China for spying. Concerns have focused on a Chinese law on domestic companies’ cooperation with the government on security matters, with critics saying that these could compel them to be a vehicle for Chinese spying. The Shenzen-based company, which competes with Finland’s Nokia and Sweden’s Ericsson has denied the US charges and dismissed the concerns as groundless. Last month, the EU warned of the risk of increased cyberattacks by state-backed entities but did not name any company or country. The bloc sees 5G networks as key to boosting economic growth. The EU is now looking into a so-called toolbox of measures by the end of the year to address cyber security risks at national and bloc-wide level. The European Agency for Cybersecurity is also finalizing a map of specific threats related to 5G networks. AGENCIES

ASAd UmAR tERmS US cOncERnS OvER cPEc ‘FActUAlly incORREct’ ‘OUR TOTAL PUBLIC DEBT RIGHT NOW IS $74BN OF WHICH CHINESE DEBT AMOUNTS TO $18BN – EVEN LESS THAN ONE-FOURTH OF THE TOTAL DEBT’ ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

N response to US concerns over China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Planning Minister Asad Umar on Saturday said the US diplomat’s statements regarding CPEC loans were “factually incorrect” and that the relations between the two countries “will always remain strong”.

United States diplomat Alice Wells, who is in charge of South Asia affairs at the US State Department, had “warned” that CPEC will further add to Pakistan’s debt burden.

“She said that CPEC is not an aid but an investment and this is correct.

There is a small grant element contained within it but fundamentally it is an investment. Pakistan has always recognised that this is not aid and especially this government has always maintained that it wishes to move past the initial scope of the arrangement,” said Umar while addressing a press conference in Karachi.

“The aid that Pakistan received in the past did not really contribute in real terms towards the country’s progress and she was right to point out that we must stand on our own two feet,” the minister added. Umar, however, rejected the notion that China was the sole benefactor of the arrangement.

“We have said this on many occasions in the past [...] that both coun-

tries have benefitted [from CPEC].

Chinese firms got business as their machinery was exported and came to Pakistan. The lack of infrastructure in Pakistan, especially in the power sector, was where a lot of the country’s needs were met. Besides that, CPEC became a source of financing in large amounts which was previously unavailable for Pakistan. So a base for infrastructure was laid out in the first phase and now further developments will take place in the next phase,” explained the minister.

“This is what developed countries do. With countries they have good relations with, they enter into agreements that are mutually beneficial.

Otherwise, there can never be a relationship of equality and self-respect.”

Regarding a specific query related to ML-1, Umar said that Pakistan’s biggest weakness when it comes to transportation is that it does not have a low-cost transport system.

“The world over, and in America especially, a big reason for their industrial competitiveness is the low-cost transportation system. The cheapest is the river system especially the Mississippi River System and their train systems. Pakistan has long-neglected its train system. “I was looking at data from the late 60s and saw that 79pc of fertiliser was being transported through the railways and now that number is not even 2pc. So there is no doubt that we must improve our railway systems.

‘INFRASTRUCTURE WAS LAID OUT IN CPEC’S FIRST PHASE AND NOW INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN NEXT PHASE’ “What the ideal structure will be, the final cost, etc., is being worked out feasibility-wise and of course the most competitive structure will be chosen regardless of whether ‘billions of dollars of investment’ have been made. Even Pakistan’s road structure has seen billions of dollars of investment,” he pointed out.

The minister said that Wells’ primary contention was that Pakistan is sinking further into the quagmire of debt with CPEC. “She said that Pakistan’s economy has begun to be crushed under the weight of the Chinese debt. There is no doubt that Pakistan’s external debt has mounted to an extent that economic progress is being impacted and a year ago there was a crisis-like situation. But that has nothing to do with China,” said Umar.

He then went on to explain the role that China has played in Pakistan’s debt crisis. “Our total public debt right now is $74 billion of which the Chinese debt amounts to $18 billion — even less than one-fourth of the total debt. And if I further break it down, the CPEC debt under this figure of public debt is $4.9 billion — not even 10pc of the total debt,” the minister noted.

“As far as the money taken from China is concerned, it was taken at such a time when our trade deficit was dangerously high and our reserves were falling. We were unable to easily procure loans from other sources. This was the hallmark of

China’s friendship with Pakistan that in such a time of crisis, it provided us loans from its commercial banks.”

He said that over the course of the next three years, debt servicing will see about a third being spent on settling the commercial loans from China. “After three years this commercial borrowing will be substituted by long-term, multi-lateral debt and so the portion of Chinese debt servicing will witness a sharp decline.”

He said that Wells’ argument that the commercial loans were expensive and do not have a long enough payback period was incorrect. “The public debt obtained from China has a maturity period of 20 years and the interest is 2.34pc, which is cheap.

And if I include the grant element, the interest value slides down to about 2pc,” the minister explained.

Dismissing her allegation that Pakistan’s development will be limited under CPEC, Umar said that in the first phase the infrastructural development had focused on roads and energy projects. On this basis, he added, Pakistan will see industrial development.

“Beginning in about two months’ time, special economic zones will start opening. She was right to say that not many jobs have been created because in the first phase, when infrastructural development is the goal, that happens. But on the basis of that when industrial development takes off, that will pave the way for jobs.”

RAWALPINDI: WAPDA officials repair electricity wires near Raja Bazaar area. ONLINE

OGDC discovers ‘huge’ oil, gas reserves in Sindh AUTHORITIES BELIEVE GAS RESERVES ARE ENOUGH TO FULFIL THE COUNTRY’S NEEDS FOR 90 YEARS KARACHI INP

The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC), during its exploration of Shale gas and tight oil deposits in the potential areas of Sindh, has claimed to

have found huge new oil and gas reserves.

Sources familiar with the matter told media on Saturday that the authorities expect the presence of 95 trillion cubic feet (TCF) Shale gas and 14 billion of stock tank barrels (BSTB) oil in place resources.

“The gas reserves are enough to fulfil the country’s needs for 90 years.” In October, the company discovered oil and gas reserves at its Exploratory Well Tog-1 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kohat district.

According to a preliminary test, the well could produce 50 barrels per day (BPD) of crude oil and 4.1 Million Standard Cubic

Feet per Day (MMSCFD) of gas.

The OGDC had said that the discovery would not only increase hydrocarbon reserves in the country and would also have a positive impact on the country’s economy.

In August, the OGDC also discovered new oil and gas reserves in Kohat. According to data available at that time, initial testing was being considered as it showed the flow of crude oil at 240 barrels per day and 12.7 million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas.

Earlier in June, the OGDC announced that it had discovered oil and gas reservoir in district Sanghar of Sindh.

Months ago, Petroleum Concessions Director General Imran Ahmed had told the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum that the total oil and gas production in the country stood at 89,030BOPD and 3,935MMCFD in 2018-19.

The energy mix of the country comprised 34 per cent natural gas, 31pc oil, 13pc coal, 9pc liquefied natural gas and 1pc liquefied petroleum gas while the rest came from other sources, the committee was informed. The total sedimentary area was said to be of about 827,268 square kilometres while the area under exploration was 224,976 square kilometres.

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

12 BUSINESS

‘GOvt tO hElP FURnitURE indUStRy REAliSE itS POtEntiAl’ Jazeera Airways launches direct flights between Kuwait and Karachi Jazeera Airways, Kuwait’s leading low-cost airline, operating regionally and internationally, has launched its direct flights to Karachi, serving Pakistan’s most populous city with a weekly flight. According to a statement issued by the airline, the new service is the first in two decades between Kuwait and Karachi, and the second for the airline to Pakistan. It supports the growing trade relations between both countries.

In 2018, Kuwaiti exports to Pakistan crossed the $1.5 billion mark, mainly driven by oil exports, while exports from Pakistan to Kuwait reached $180 million. Kuwait is home to over 130,000 Pakistanis.

Jazeera Airways CEO Rohit Ramachandran said, “We are very pleased to have launched our new service to Karachi and offer our customers direct and transit routes to Pakistan’s premier economic and social hub. The launch comes as part of our strategy to cater to the large expatriates and business communities in Kuwait as well as connect customers from our network to popular business, tourism and religious destinations in the Middle East and Europe through Kuwait.” Commenting on behalf of the Embassy of Pakistan in Kuwait, Chargé d’Affaires Ashar Shahzad said, “It is a matter of great pleasure and pride that Jazeera Airways is starting flights from Kuwait to Karachi as its second destination in Pakistan. Currently, there are no direct flights between Kuwait and Karachi. We are hopeful that the new direct route will enhance trade, political, social and cultural relationship between the two countries. We are thankful to Jazeera Airways for this and wish them success in its all operations.” The scheduled flights leave on Thursdays from Kuwait on flight J9 507 at 10:00 pm local time and return from Karachi on flight J9 508 at 3:30 am of the next day (Friday).

The total duration of the flight is 2 hours and 45 minutes from Kuwait to Karachi, and 3 hours and 30 minutes from Karachi to Kuwait. BUSINESS DESK

PUNJAB GOVERNOR CHAUDHRY MUHAMMAD SARWAR SAYS GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE VISIBLE SUPPORT TO FURNITURE BUSINESSES IN TERMS OF ‘SIMPLE AND EASILY OBTAINABLE GRANTS’ LAHORE

P

INP

UNJAB Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar said on Saturday that Pakistan’s handmade furniture products have a tremendous potential to capture the world market.

He expressed these views while visiting various stalls on the 2nd day of the three -day 11th Interiors Pakistan exhibition held at the Expo Centre. Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq also accompanied him on the occasion.

The Punjab governor said that

Pakistan was moving forward in a better position to attract investment and it was highly appreciable that PFC was exerting full force to create opportunities for foreign investment in the country by creating business-to-business contacts with foreign furniture producers.

He said the government would fully support the furniture industry exploit its potential so that the volume of export could be maximised.

Ch Sarwar further said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government aims to establish strong liaison with this particular sector in order to understand the market conditions as well as industry requirements.

“The government will direct the concerned authorities to provide more visible support to the furniture businesses in terms of simple and easily obtainable grants,” he stated.

“This will not only help the sector exhibit and attend trade shows but will also promote local exports.”

The governor said that the exhibition was a good platform for new talent to come forward and be recognised. “Through these exhibitions, the PFC has laid the groundwork for furniture-related commerce to move forward effectively, expand its market and in turn, serve the economy of Pakistan.”

He lauded PFC for promoting interior designers and furniture man-

Amazon files suit, challenging Pentagon’s $10bn contract to microsoft Amazon.com Inc filed a lawsuit in a federal US court, contesting the US Defense Department’s decision last month to award a Pentagon cloud computing contract worth up to $10 billion to rival bidder Microsoft Corp.

The complaint and supplemental motion for discovery were filed in the US Court of Federal Claims under seal, according to a spokesman for Amazon Web Services, a division of the online retail giant founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos. The company did not explain the basis for its complaint. The filings contain “proprietary information, trade secrets, and confidential financial information” that could “cause either party severe competitive harm,” Amazon said in a court document seeking a protective order. “The record in this bid protest likely will contain similarly sensitive information,” it said. Last week, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper rejected any suggestion of bias in the Pentagon’s decision to award Microsoft the contract after Amazon announced plans to challenge it.

“We believe the facts will show they (DoD) ran a detailed, thorough and fair process in determining the needs of the warfighter were best met by Microsoft,” Microsoft said in an emailed statement. Amazon had been considered a favorite for the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud (JEDI) contract, part of a broader digital modernization project at the Pentagon, before software developer Microsoft emerged as the surprise winner. Amazon has previously said that politics got in the way of a fair bidding process. Bezos, the chief executive officer of Amazon and owner of the Washington Post, has been an outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump. AGENCIES

local industry to be lifted through ‘lucrative incentives’: dawood Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Textile Abdul Razak Dawood said on Saturday that the government was making policies to increase the volume of export and decrease the inflow of imports in order to ensure economic stability. Presiding over a meeting on “Export Strategy” in Karachi, Dawood said the government wanted to support local industry by offering lucrative incentives to industrialists and businessmen. The adviser said the government was working on short and long-term policies simultaneously to boost country’s economy. Earlier on November 18, former planning minister Khusro Bakhtiar had said that under China Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) next phase, the industrial base of the country would be expanded which would help in increase the country’s exports.

Addressing the 3rd annual two-day conference on CPEC Consortium of Universities in Islamabad, he had said the Chinese government would invest $1billion in the socio-economic sector of Pakistan including cooperation in higher education. “China had a total trade volume worth $4000 billion with the world; however, Pakistan had only $80 billion of trade with the global market,” he had noted. BUSINESS DESK

KARACHI ISLAMABAD

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed volatility throughout the outgoing trading week, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index changed directions on a daily basis before closing 341 points higher at 37,925.79, thanks to 824-point rally on Friday.

Over the course of the week, foreign investors bought shares worth $8.4 million, which in turn contributed to the total volume of shares amounting to Rs33 billion.

Earlier this week, State Bank of Pak-

ufacturers from all over Pakistan both nationally and internationally.

Speaking on the occasion, PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq extended his gratitude to the Punjab governor for giving assurances to the furniture sector.

He seconded the view that handmade Pakistani furniture market provides a huge opportunity to investors, given the government makes policies in accordance with the suggestions of the industry stakeholders.

Mian Kashif said with its previous experience, PFC remained one of the most distinctive channels for regional and international companies to penetrate the global market.

‘US-Pak trade to set new record this year’

KARACHI: A labourer unloads meat from a pickup truck near Jutt Line area. ONLINE

WASHINGTON: The United States, in a statement following a telephonic conversation between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Imran Khan, asserted that its trade ties with Pakistan were set to witness a new record this year. White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said the two leaders in their conversation reaffirmed commitment for a stronger relationship. The statement maintained that they also reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the US-Pakistan trade relationship, investment and people-to-people ties between the countries. The relationship between Pakistan and the US entered into a fresh phase of rejuvenation after Prime Minister Khan assumed his office last year.

Later, the meeting between Khan and Trump in Washington this July gave a positive dimension to the otherwise roller-coaster bilateral ties as the discussion featured Trump’s mediation offer on Kashmir. INP

KSE-100 closes volatile week in green istan Governor Reza Baqir had hinted at maintaining the status quo in the monetary policy, which provided much-needed clarity and helped the bourse trade in the green zone. In the monetary policy announcement, the State Bank of Pakistan kept the interest rate unchanged at 13.25pc.

The SBP had said that the market sentiment has begun to gradually improve on the back of sustained improvements in

the current account and continued fiscal prudence. It said that the current account balance recorded a surplus in October 2019 after a gap of four years, a clear indication of receding pressures on the country’s external accounts. “The end of deficit monetisation has qualitatively improved the inflation outlook.”

RUPEE RECOVERS: Pakistani Rupee appreciated 10-paisa in interbank against

the US Dollar during the outgoing week, closing at Rs155.27 on Friday.

Likewise, in the open market, it was traded at Rs155.40 against the greenback with slight fluctuations during the week.

In the last three months, the local currency was observed to recover against the greenback in both interbank and open markets. Analysts had expressed fear that the intense ongoing trade war between the

United States and China could result in fluctuation of the US dollar in the local market, and the value of the Pakistani rupee could stabilise depending on the measures taken by the government with appropriate economic policies.

Currency traders were of the view that the increasing inflows of remittance have supported the local rupee in the market. Until June this year, the rupee was observed to cumulatively depreciate against the greenback, which in turn had resulted in increased prices of goods and hardships for the general public.

CMYK

13

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

“Something....is...happening…”

“S

The Tube

ITUATIoN in Nigeria seems pretty complex.”

This was the title of an ersatz talk show by the Onion News Network. If The Onion (on which Pakistan Today’s satirical newsweekly The Dependent is modelled) sticks strictly to the Associated Press stylesheet (their quality editors work as diligently as those in actual newspapers) the Onion News Network, the ersatz television show employs all the tropes and production protocols in its news bulletins,

package features and talk shows.

The aforementioned talk show clip is a decade old and, despite the seachange that the newsmedia has seen in the past ten years, is as relevant today as it was back then.

The anchor starts with a quick description of the emerging situation in Nigeria and opens the floor for the ‘experts’ to discuss. The initial, longdrawn out silence makes it immediately clear that none of the panellists have any idea about the issue at hand. The video then becomes classic ‘cringe comedy’, funny and uncomfortable at the same time. What is hilarious is struggle to maintain the pretence of knowledge.

“Yes, but...we must consider all the...the factors involved,” says one hapless panellist. “A lot of issues are at play here,” chimes in another.

Talking out of one’s proverbial is a common feature in the Pakistani commentariat at the best of times but mostly it is still okay to get away with. It is relatively clear what it happening and even it a turnout isn’t as expected, the analysts cover their bases by not saying something specific enough to be conclusively proved to be utterly wrong. Doesn’t do the viewers a whole lot of good but the pretence of informed analysis is still maintained.

All that flew out the window during the dharna by the JUI-F. It didn’t have any easy answers, with many struggling to understand the situation and the various actors’ motivation. The problem was that all possible theories (and there were many, this time around) had gaping holes in them. The military high-

command is behind this; a faction in the military is behind this, no one is behind this, whatever explanation that was espoused, was so flimsy that it wasn’t regurgitated by other analysts. each of these was weak enough to be punctured by two or three solid counter questions.

Matters were further complicated by the fact that most of the theories involved the military, a clear discussion on which was never possible in the best of times and certainly not at a time like this, after the media’s great closing up of 2018.

A double combo of incomprehension and discretion made the television news media particularly painful to watch. even after the dharna winded up, it left in the debris behind it television talking heads that were

scratching their heads, trying to give an explanation for what happened.

The Maulana got what he wanted, didn’t get what he wanted, the government played well, the government was played, everything was on the table and nothing was forcefully proclaimed.

All this very very clear on Fahd Hussein’s In Focus on Dawn News. on the show: Moeed Pirzada, Meher Bukhari and Kashif Abbasi. An hourlong struggle of trying to pull things out of the ether, all of them eventually dropping whatever fig leaves of certainty that they were holding up. An exasperated Fahd Hussein (who wasn’t particularly clued up himself) reminded his guests that he had told them there were going to be no conspiracy theories on the show. g

‘She saved us’: Mourners pay tribute to Toni Morrison

The Nobel laureate, who died in August, was honoured at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine in New York. Speakers included Oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis and Fran Lebowitz The New York Times

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By ConCepCión de León

ore than 3,000 people gathered at the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine on Thursday to celebrate Toni Morrison, a giant of American literature whose work won acclaim for its groundbreaking style and complex exploration of black American identity. oprah Winfrey, Angela Davis, Fran Lebowitz, edwidge Danticat and Ta-Nehisi Coates, among other speakers from the worlds of literature, journalism and the arts, shared memories of their time with Morrison and her impact on their work and lives.

“She took the canon and broke it open,” said Winfrey, who selected many of Morrison’s novels for her book club. reading them, Winfrey said, she experienced “a kind of emancipation, a liberation, an ascension to another level of understanding.”

For Coates, author of the novel “The Water Dancer” and nonfiction that includes “Between the World and Me” and “We Were eight Years in Power,” Morrison taught him that “Black is beautiful, but it ain’t always pretty,” he said, and that good work sometimes required ugliness.

“The beauty must ache. The beauty must sometimes repulse, even as it enchants, even as it informs, even as it arrests,” he said.

Morrison, who died in August at 88, published 11 novels as well

as children’s books and essay collections over her career. She was praised for her style, which sometimes contained a mythic quality, incorporating multiple voices and story lines and exploring the legacy of slavery in incandescent prose.

A number of Morrison’s early novels are now considered classics, including “The Bluest eye” (1970), “Sula” (1973) and “Song of Solomon” (1977), for which she won a National Book Critics Circle Award. Morrison was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1993, and also received the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for “Beloved,” widely considered her masterwork.

Winfrey recalled feeling starstruck when she first met Morrison.

It was at Maya Angelou’s house in 1993, at a party to celebrate Morrison’s Nobel Prize. “My head and my heart were swirling,” Winfrey said. “every time I looked at her I couldn’t even speak. I had to catch my breath.”

When Winfrey noticed Morrison trying to get the waiter’s attention for some water, she almost “tripped over myself trying to get up from the table to get it for her,” she said.

The commentator Fran Lebowitz, a longtime friend of Morrison’s, recounted times when Morrison would comfort her after a bad review. Morrison herself was impervious to criticism, Lebowitz said, so she “assigned myself the task of holding Toni’s grudges for her.”

The celebration was open to the public and drew more than 3,000 people. Toni Morrison, who died this year at 88, published 11 novels and won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature.

[Toni Morrison: a writer who “enlarged the American imagination in ways we are only beginning to understand.” Read our critic’s appraisal.]

Born in Lorain, ohio, in 1931, Morrison was survived by her son Harold Ford Morrison and three grandchildren. Before she started writing her own books in her late 30s, she was an editor at random House, working with such writers as Angela Davis, Gayl Jones and Toni Cade Bambara. “editing was her job, but it was also her activism, her community work,” said David remnick, the editor of The New Yorker.

Davis echoed this idea, saying

that though Morrison did not march or participate in protest, she wanted to “make sure there was a written record of those who did march and put themselves on the line.”

“So many of us feel that we had found ourselves through, because of and in relation to Toni and her work,” Davis said. For those who knew Morrison, she said, the greatest challenge is “to envision the world without the glorious laughter of our dear, dear Toni.”

St. John the Divine was filled to capacity by admirers of Morrison’s work. The mood was at times jovial, at times sombre. Some attendees snapped their fingers and clapped their hands, while others bowed their heads.

The rev Thurselle C Williams came from New Jersey for the event but said she would have travelled much farther. “When she passed, I knew wherever there was going to be a memorial, no matter where it was, I needed to be there,” she said.

Morrison’s work, she added, “not only shaped the lives of AfricanAmericans but helped them understand themselves even more.”

Waiting outside the church in a line that wrapped around the corner, Arielle Isack, a 21-year-old student at nearby Columbia University, said that through books like “Sula” and “Beloved,” Morrison had given her “access to a reality” she would not have been privy to otherwise. “You learn the history of black people in America, but I feel like she brought me there,” Isack said.

Another Columbia student, Delia Anderson-Colson, called it a historic event that she could not miss.

In a moving speech, the novelist and National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward recalled the horrors of slavery with detailed descriptions of Africans being stolen from their homes. “We wandering children heard Toni Morrison’s voice, and she saved us,” she said.

She did it by telling her readers, “You are worthy to be seen,” Ward said. “You are worthy to be heard.

You are worthy to be sat with, to be walked beside.” g Concepción de León is a staff writer covering news and culture for the Books section.

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

14 SportS

Nadal powers spaiN iNto davis Cup semis, djokoviC's serbia ousted London

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Agencies

AfAeL Nadal won back-toback matches to propel Spain to a 2-1 victory over Argentina and a place in the semi-finals of the new-look Davis Cup on friday.

World number one Nadal thrashed Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-2 to pull Spain level after Guido Pella put the Argentines ahead with a 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 win over Pablo Carreno.

Nadal then teamed with Marcel Granollers to beat Maximo Gonzalez and Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in a mustwin doubles match to see Spain into a final-four clash with Great Britain.

"I had a good singles match, but the doubles came down to a few balls because the game was very close," Nadal said. "It's a great victory, but we don't have time to enjoy it -- we have to rest because tomorrow it will be difficult again."

Britain meanwhile eased into the semis with an efficient 2-0 effort over Germany.

Andy Murray was rested on friday but will likely feature in the semi-finals.

In his absence Kyle edmund beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-5 in the first rubber with Daniel evans taking three sets to see off Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 7-6 (7/2). earlier Russia beat Novak Djokovic's Serbia to reach the semi-finals following a cliff-hanger match that went all the way to a deciding tie-breaker.

With the quarter-final level at 1-1 following the singles, the Russian pairing of Karen Khachanov and Andrey Rublev faced Djokovic and Viktor Troicki in the deciding rubber.

After a see-saw match of high drama the Russians came out 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10/8) winners and face Canada, quarter-final victors over Australia, in Saturday's semi-

finals. "It was heads or tails and the coin fell on our side," Rublev said.

"God gave me a chance to be a hero," he added.

Kachanov was already looking forward to the next match.

"We'll have to get it together for Canada," he said of the semi-final.

"Luck was on our side here, but this was one of the biggest games of either our careers." earlier in the day Rublev won the first singles over filip Krajinovic 6-1, 62 to give Russia a lead, cancelled out later

by Djokovic, who overcame Khachanov 6-3, 6-3.

The world number two Djokovic, winner of 16 Grand Slams said the match had been "a real roller-coaster of a game, very, very emotional and very tense".

"Sport is not all about winning and losing but this hurts me personally," said the 32-year-old.

"Anyway the season is over now, we'll get over it. Tomorrow is another day."

In the absence of Daniil Medvedev, the Russian star who pulled out of the event citing exhaustion, captain Shamil Tarpischev placed his faith in Rublev and Khachanov for both singles and doubles.

In the end, it all hinged on the doubles with Russia taking the first set 6-4.

In the second set and with the Serbs up 4-2 Djokovic appeared to suffer discomfort from his right elbow, the same place where her reported pain at the ATP finals last week.

"A sudden movement caused a sharp pain, but I was still able to serve," said Djokovic.

After receiving two massage sessions during changeovers Djokovic appeared to have recovered and Serbia were back on level terms one set-all.

The third set went to 6-6. Then the Serbs missed three match points in the tie-breaker, most agonisingly when Troicki missed an easy volley for victory.

The Russians made no mistake when their turn came, clinching victory with their first match point.

Russia's anti-doping chief says he expected WADA suspension proposal

Guardiola wants to stay at Man City, embraces another title challenge London MoSCoW Agencies

Russia's anti-doping chief on Saturday said the World Anti-Doping Agency's recommendation that his country was non-compliant with international rules was technically fair and expected.

If WADA chiefs adopt the panel recommendation in December, Russia faces severe sanctions including a possible ban from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games."everything is in accordance with legal logic, as was expected," RUSADA chief Yury Ganus told Interfax news agency after WADA said its Compliance Review Committee had recommended the Russian agency's suspension again.

"RUSADA is being issued non-

compliance because the compliance decision it was handed in September 2018 was contingent, and to keep it, two demands had to be met. These were met formally but not properly," Ganus said.

He added that the Russian agency will wait for the WADA executive Committee meeting on December 9 "where they will discuss measures that need to be taken, and what we should do."

Ganus stressed that suspension was not due to "the quality of RUSADA's work," adding: "It's a purely technical decision... conditions were not met whose implementation was not up to us."

Sports minister Pavel Kolobkov told Russian agencies that he would reserve comment until December 9.

"It's only a recommendation," he said. "We'll discuss it on the 9th."

Russia's agency was reinstated in September 2018 on the condition that it discloses all data from its Moscow laboratory that is believed to be the centre of a systematic conspiracy to switch tainted samples from the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games.

The Russian government has said all data has been sent over as required and that Russian investigators had concluded it had not been tampered with.

It had dismissed accusations that authorities handed over falsified data.

Russia's athletics authorities were also meeting on Saturday to choose a new president of the Russian athletics federation following the suspension of the current chief by World Athletics this week.

The Russian federation has been banned for doping since November 2015.

CMYK

Agencies

Pep Guardiola has said there is no chance he will quit as Manchester City manager at the end of the season, even if they miss out on a third consecutive Premier League title.

City have slipped to fourth in the table and a 3-1 defeat by leaders Liverpool two weeks ago left Guardiola’s team nine points off the top.

“Why should people think I’m not happy here? Because we lost at Anfield or I’ve lost three games this season?

That’s an odd reason to say I’m not happy or satisfied to be here,” he told reporters.

Guardiola will complete four years at City at the end of this campaign, matching his spell at Barcelona before he chose to step down.

After setting records for goals scored and points tally with City over the last two seasons, the Spanish coach said he is enjoying the challenge of trying to topple Liverpool.

“I love to be in this position,” said Guardiola, who is contracted with City until the end of the 2020-21 season.

“If they (the club’s hierarchy) decide the results are getting worse then they are going to take a decision, that’s normal.”

Ahead of Saturday’s match against Chelsea, Guardiola said the deficit means his players have no room for further slip-ups.

“You never always win in sport. It’s part of normality. People say: ‘It’s gone, it’s over’ but the people, the pundits – all of them – have to remember that it’s November,” he added.

“Until May, we are the Champions and we want to defend that until the end.”

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

SportS 15

labusChagNe's maideN toN aNd starC's late surge set up viCtory push BriSBane

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Agencies

USTRALIA look certain to take a 1-0 lead in their series against Pakistan after dominating with both bat and ball on day three of the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday.

Big centuries to Marnus Labuschagne (185) and David Warner (154) PAKISTAN helped Australia to a first innings 240 AND 3 FOR 64 total of 580 in (MASOOD 27*, STARC 2-25) reply to PakTRAIL AUSTRALIA 580 istan's 240.

"We've got At stumps 185, WARNER to give (LABUSCHAGNE them Pakistan were 154, BURNS 97, WADE 60, YASIR time and hope in big trouble learn, and on 64 for three, 4-205, HARIS 2-75, AFRIDI 2- inthey a year or so still needing 276 26) BY 276 RUNS they'll be a force." runs to make AusMitchell Starc tralia bat again. did the early damage Shan Masood was when Pakistan began their not out 27 and Babar Azam second innings, trapping captain was 20 at the close.

Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Azhar Ali leg before for five.

He then enticed Haris Sohail to Younis said later that with such an inexperienced attack at their dis- waft at a ball well outside off stump, posal, it was only natural that there only to get a thick edge to Australian wicketkeeper Tim Paine. would be tough times.

Asad Shafiq was next to fall, "Naseem (Shah) is only 16 remember and even Shaheen (Afridi) edging Pat Cummins to second slip is only 19, so of course they are where Steve Smith took a comfortgoing to learn a lot from this tour," able catch.

Labuschagne had earlier scored a he said.

magnificent maiden Test century in front of his home crowd at the Gabba.

The 25-year-old scored four 50s in the recent Ashes series but had been unable to convert any of those until his near chanceless innings on Saturday. "(On 97) I was thinking 'stay patient, stay calm' but I thought if the ball was up I'd have a crack," he said of the thick edge that flew through a vacant third slip area for a boundary.

"You always think as a kid how you are going to celebrate a hundred -- that was nothing like I thought.

"My emotions took over, it was very exciting - a dream come true." earlier, teenage pace sensation Naseem claimed his first Test wicket when he had Warner caught behind for 154.

Warner only added three runs to his overnight score of 151 when he became the 16-year-old's first scalp.

Naseem, whose pace has been impressive during this Test, eventually claimed Warner when the nuggety opener was unable to avoid a short pitched ball and edged it to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, to leave the Australians 351 for two.

But that was the last hurrah from Naseem, who appeared to be injured and only bowled four overs in the day, with Waqar conceding he had been rested Saturday to protect his young body.

The Pakistanis' hearts must have sunk when they saw Smith striding to the crease to replace Warner.

But after hitting a boundary off Yasir Shah, the leg-spinner then clean bowled Smith, the seventh time in six Test matches that Yasir has dismissed the Australian number four.

Labuschagne and Matthew Wade shared in a 110-run partnership before Wade was well caught by Rizwan for 60 off Sohail.

Sohail and Rizwan then combined to have Travis Head caught down the leg side for 24.

The Pakistan bowlers toiled hard throughout the day and were rewarded when they took the last five Australian wickets for 35 runs, with Yasir (4-205) and Shaheen Afridi (296) the pick.

Ishant strikes twice after India declare in day-night Test KoLKata Agencies

Ishant Sharma claimed two early Bangladesh wickets on Saturday after India declared their first innings on 347 for nine on day two of the maiden day-night Test for both teams.

The hosts, leading the two-match series 1-0, managed a crucial lead of 241 in response to Bangladesh's 106 in India's pink ball debut in Kolkata.

The tourists were in early STUMPS trouble at seven for two at dinner -- the second session INDIA 174 FOR 3 break of the day-night 59*, RAHANE (KOHLI game, still needing 234 23*) LEAD BANGLADESH runs to avoid an innings defeat.

106 (SHADMAN 29, Ishant trapped ShadISHANT 5-22) BY man Islam lbw for nought and then claimed skipper 68 RUNS Mominul Haque for his second duck of the match.

Mohammad Mithun, on four, and Imrul who were hit on the helmet on day one.

Kayes, on three, were batting at the break.

Kohli stood out with his dominant knock and Ishant, who claimed five wickets in the first completed his 27th century before falling to a innings, bowled at a lively pace as one of his rising stunning catch by Taijul. deliveries hit Mithun on the helmet after the batsTaijul, a left-arm spinner, made it count with man was trying to duck under the ball. a wicket of Ajinkya Rahane for 51 and then took Bangladesh have already been forced to take a diving catch at fine leg to send back Kohli off two concussion substitutes in Mehidy Hasan and paceman ebadat Hossain.

Taijul Islam for Liton Das and Nayeem Hasan India lost a few quick wickets, but Saha and

Shami got a few boundaries and a six by the last man in pulverised the Bangladesh bowlers.

Pacemen Al-Amin Hossain and ebadat took three wickets each.

Kohli built crucial partnerships including a 99-run stand with overnight partner Rahane.

The star batsman smashed paceman Abu Jayed for four straight boundaries in one over before finishing with 18 fours in his 194-ball stay.

bj watling whittles away at england's overseas resolve NEW ZEALAND 394 FOR 6 (WATLING 119*, SANTNER 31*) LEAD ENGLAND 353 (STOKES 91, DENLY 74, BURNS 52, SOUTHEE 4-88) BY 41 RUNS Mount Maunganui Agencies

A gritty BJ Watling, New Zealand's go-to man when the chips are down, produced an unbeaten 119 to put the Black Caps ahead of england in the first innings of the opening Test on Saturday. After rescuing his country as he has done many times in the past, Watling was at a loss to explain his ability to produce his best when New Zealand are in trouble. "It just kind of happens" he offered at stumps on day three in Mount Maunganui, after guiding the Kiwis to 394 for six to lead england by 41. He toiled under a blazing sun for almost seven hours to notch his eighth Test century and pull New Zealand up from a precarious 197 for five. "I love scoring hundreds for New Zealand and I really enjoyed that one," he said. "I know I didn't want to field today... so that ws driving me. "I think I'm very limited and try and play to how I know best works for me." Much of Watling's inningssaving mission was in partnership with Colin de Grandhomme in a 119-run stand for the sixth wicket and followed by an unbroken 78 with Mitchell Santner, who was 31 not out at stumps. When de Grandhomme joined Watling after the dismissal of Henry Nicholls for 41 before lunch, New Zealand's top five were out and they were still 156 runs behind england's 353. The tourists were feeling they were heading for a comfortable first innings lead, but Watling patiently chipped away at the deficit. De Grandhomme, meanwhile, characteristically punished anything loose -- with a six and seven fours as he raced to 65. Stokes was surprisingly kept out of the attack through the onslaught until the first ball after tea, when he had instant success. De Grandhomme slashed at a wide delivery which Dom Sibley grasped one-handed in the gully, and the New Zealand allrounder returned immediately to the dressing room.

Watling, carrying on with Mitchell Santner as his partner, levelled the scores turning Sam Curran to the fine-leg boundary and then put New Zealand ahead with a single through square leg. Despite fears from both sides the previous day that the Bay Oval pitch would start to deteriorate during its debut Test, the surface offered little support for the fast bowlers, although Somerset spinner Jack Leach was able to extract some turn. Watling has been involved in three of the six best New Zealand partnerships for the sixthwicket. He scored 124 when partnering Brendon McCullum in a 352-run stand -- then a sixth-wicket world record -- to save a Test against India in 2014.

The following year he broke that record in a 365-run effort with Kane Williamson against Sri Lanka, and a few months later scored a century at Leeds in a famous win against england. Against Sri Lanka in August, New Zealand won the second Test to square the series when Watling scored an unbeaten 105 in a 113-run sixth-wicket stand with de Grandhomme.

In a first, Bangladesh name two concussion subs in one day dhaKa Agencies

Bangladesh had to use two concussion substitutes after Liton Das and Nayeem Hasan were both hit on the helmet by Mohammed Shami. The visitors' choice of replacements, though, put their planning for this series in poor light, as they had no specialist batsmen in reserve despite two batsmen in the original squad going unavailable well before the start of this match.

While there was one bowler-forbowler swap with Taijul Islam taking Nayeem's place, Mehidy Hasan, a specialist spinner, took over from Liton, a wicketkeeper-batsman. That means he cannot bowl in the game. As per the ICC playing conditions, a concussion substitute has to be a like-for-like replacement and perform the same role as that of the concussed player.

Both Liton and Nayeem went to the

hospital for scans, where concussions were confirmed. "Both players have been diagnosed with delayed onset of concussion by the medical team after being struck on the helmet while batting," a BCB statement said. "Consequently their symptoms have ruled them out of the rest of the Test Match and they have been substituted with Mehidy Hassan Miraz and Taijul Islam respectively. They will now follow their concussion recovery protocol to ensure their safe recovery."* It is unclear why the BCB didn't call in replacements much earlier, considering both Saif Hassan and Mosaddek Hossain were ruled out long before day one of the eden Gardens Test.

Saif's injury was confirmed on November 20, two days before the game, and although there are 30-minute flights between Dhaka and Kolkata, no one was was flown in. Mosaddek, meanwhile, had left the Test squad on November 11, even before the first Test, to be with an

ailing family member, but the BCB didn't name a replacement then either. This, in a squad missing Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.

CMYK

Liton was hit on the helmet by a Shami bouncer in the 20th over of Bangladesh's innings. He decided to bat on, struck two more fours, but

walked off seven balls after the injury.

Nayeem was hit off the third ball he faced and he too continued batting, whacking Shami for four boundaries before he lost his off stump to Ishant Sharma after making 19 runs.

The concussion-sub rule came into effect in time for the Ashes earlier this year and since then it has been used five times in men's Test cricket and India have been involved in four of them.

In August, Steven Smith was replaced by Marnus Labuschagne after being hit by Jofra Archer. A few days later, in the Caribbean, Darren Bravo took a blow from Jasprit Bumrah and Jermaine Blackwood took his place. In October, Dean elgar found himself in trouble after being struck by Umesh Yadav, which brought Theunis de Bruyn into the game.

There is potentially a sixth instance on the cards with New Zealand's Tom Blundell being on standby for Henry Nicholls, currently playing a Test against england.

Sunday, 24 November, 2019

NEWS

PAkistAN witNesses 102 POliO CAses iN 2019 A DAY AFTER FIVE CASES IN SINDH AND KP, TWO MORE CASES EMERGE IN UPPER AND LOWER KOHISTAN PESHAWAR

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Staff REpoRt

HE total number of polio cases across the country has touched 102, including nine vaccine-derived cases, after two cases were reported in Upper and Lower Kohistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In spite of tall claims by the government and several anti-polio drives, there has been no let-up in the polio cases across the country, as only yesterday five cases were reported in Sindh and KP. These two provinces are among the worst-affected regions, witnessing a spike over the recent months.

Poliovirus was found in the sample of a girl child in Tehsil Pattan of Kohistan. Her samples were sent to the national institute of health in Islamabad on October 27. Similarly, the same virus was found in a five-year-old girl child in Tehsil Dasu of Upper Kohistan.

FIVE CASES IN SINDH AND KP: On Friday, three cases were recorded in Sindh and two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The first case was a 36-month-old female from Sakran in Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh. She had received three doses of routine immunisation and seven doses of supplementary immunisation.

The second case was a 12-year-old male from Karachi’s Keamari Town. He had received three doses of routine im-

munisation and seven doses of supplementary immunisation. The third case was a three-month-old female from Lakki Marwat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

She had received no polio drops.

The fourth case was a 30-month-old female from Kotri in Jamshoro, Sindh.

It is not clear whether she received any dose of the polio vaccine. The fifth case was a 10-month-male from Wazir in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. His im-

munisation record was incomplete.

According to an Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio: “Lakki Marwat and Bannu have become high-risk districts for polio cases in 2019, as 15 and 24 polio cases were reported in both the districts, respectively. Polio cases from Lower and Upper Kohistan have been reported for the first time this year.”

This week, the Gates Foundation pledged $1.08 billion and, along with other development partner organisations and governments, the meeting got total pledges worth $2.6bn, including $160 million announced by Dr Mirza on behalf of Pakistan to eradicate polio in the world.

Polio remains endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The number of wild poliovirus cases stood at 77 in Pakistan and at 19 in Afghanistan as of Oct 29 this year. The corresponding figures during the same period last year were six for Pakistan and 19 for Afghanistan.

However, the authorities show resolve, again vowing to enhance their efforts.

“We have conveyed to the international donors that we are developing consensus among all provinces to enhance our vaccination campaign with a new strategy. We need to give new confidence to the entire team as we had controlled polio virus in the past and we can do it again.”

IHC forms commission to investigate HR violations ISLAMABAD Staff REpoRt

Opp calls APC on Nov 26 The joint opposition has called an all-party conference on Nov 26 to chalk out a future strategy against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). According to media reports, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Fazlur Rehman telephoned Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ahsan Iqbal to discuss the political situation in the country, especially after the Azadi March and the departure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The two leaders agreed to set up contacts with the opposition parties to strengthen the antigovernment Rehbar Committee and chalk up ‘Plan C’. Maulana Fazlur Rehman had led a two-week protest against the government in Islamabad which began in Karachi on Oct 27 but was later called off. It was followed by a ‘Plan B’ that included blocking key roads and highways across the country but that too was called off by the opposition’s Rehbar Committee on Tuesday. nEWS DESK

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has formed a commission to investigate the serious human rights violations in prisons across the country.

The IHC issued the orders in its judgement, authored by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, in a complaint turned petition filed by a prisoner in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

The commission, to be headed

by Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, includes former chairman of Human Rights Commission Zohra Yousaf, journalist Ghazi Shahabuddin, Supreme Court advocate Zia Awan, former director general Federal Investigation Agency Tariq Khosa, the interior secretary, the federal health secretary, and chief secretaries of the four provinces.

The secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights will serve as the secretary of the commission.

The judgement said that the commission has been formed in view of the “alarming state of affairs regarding the serious violation of human rights and civil liabilities of prisoners incarcerated in prisons across the country.”

According to the terms of reference set by the court, the commission will investigate human rights violations in the prisons across the country. The court has also directed the body to probe the lack of medical assistance and obstacles in access to a court of law for prisoners who do not have the means or assistance in this regard.

The body will also probe the federal and provincial governments’ failure to fulfill their obligations and enforce the Prisons Rules and the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.

The commission will also review the prison rules and other relevant laws.

The commission has also been asked to provide solutions to deal with human right violations in prisons and amendments in any law, rules or regulation. It would also send proposals regarding appropriate governance and management systems. The commission will also investigate how individuals and institutions can be held accountable.

The court further directed the secretary of the human rights ministry to call a meeting of the commission within seven days, and submit a report to the court after the first meeting.

The high court also ordered the

federal health secretary to constitute medical boards, in consultation with the chief secretaries, in each province to examine the health conditions of prisoners. The secretary has been directed to submit a compliance to the court in the next seven days.

Earlier this month, Khadim Hussain, the petitioner, had written a complaint to the IHC in which he had highlighted the neglect of the authorities, which damaged his eyesight.

The judgment read: “In his written complaint, he [Khadim Hussain] has asserted that he is an orphan and does not have the financial means to approach a Court of law for redressal of his grievances relating to neglect of the executive authorities in providing adequate medical assistance.”

The chief justice, in the judgment, said that it is the right of the state to provide health services to a prisoner.

The judgment said that the conditions in prisons across the country raises serious questions regarding serious violation of human rights, civil liberties and international commitments made by Pakistan.

The court will resume its hearing on 29 November to follow up on its orders.

CJP says suo motu notices not a solution LAHORE Staff REpoRt

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa on Saturday said the court won’t have to interfere in other institutions’ domain if everyone was working efficiently, downplaying the need for court intervention in public domain. Addressing a ceremony, he said: “Whenever a matter captures the public’s attention, people expect a suo motu notice.” However, there won’t be a need for these notices if the government institutions were active beforehand, he added. He said respect must be given to those who appear in the courts, but summoning senior officials to courts was not a good practice. He said we must ensure that courts were providing justice to the public. He said a matter comes to SC after investigation and trial. “One should maintain the dignity of a police official or any other person who appears before the court,” he said. The CJP said retired police officers played an important role in the reforms committee, adding that a lawyer and as judge he had a pleasant relation with police. He said model courts have brought revolution in the judicial history of Pakistan. Earlier, the CJP chaired the session of Police Reforms Committee (PRC) – which was constituted in January to table recommendations for improvements in the policing system of the country – to examine progress achieved in reforms in the police department.

Pakistan summons Norwegian envoy over Holy Quran desecration ISLAMABAD Staff REpoRt

Pakistan conveyed its ‘deep concern’ to the ambassador of Norway on Saturday after a man desecrated the Holy Quran in the Norwegian city of Kristiansand.

“Pakistan’s condemnation of this action was reiterated. It was underscored that such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world, including those in Pakistan. Furthermore, such actions could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said in a statement. Pakistan called on the Norwegian authorities to “prevent the recurrence of any such incident in the future”. “The Ambassador of Pakistan in Oslo has also been instructed to convey Pakistan’s protest and deep concern to the Norwegian authorities,” stated the press release. A scuffle broke out after the leader of the ‘Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN)’ rally, Lars Thorsen, tried to burn a copy of the holy book in the city of Kristiansand despite warnings from local police officials. In a video on social media, the ‘Muslim hero’ could be seen jumping into the barricaded circle to save the holy book from being desecrated. The rally soon turned violent, after which police took Thorsen and his attackers into custody. The man who stopped Thorsen from burning the Holy Quran was being called Ilyas on social media, but his exact identity could not be ascertained.

New documents show contacts between Pompeo and Trump’s lawyer Giuliani WASHINGTON DC agEnciES

Documents released late on Friday show United States President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was in contact with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the months before the US ambassador to Ukraine was abruptly recalled.

The State Department released the documents to the group American Oversight in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. They show that Pompeo talked with Giuliani on March 26

and March 29.

Austin Evers, executive director of American Oversight, said the documents reveal a clear paper trail from Giuliani to the Oval Office to Secretary Pompeo to facilitate Giuliani’s smear campaign against a US ambassador. Last week, former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch told House impeachment investigators she felt kneecapped by a smear campaign Giuliani led against her. She was withdrawn from her post in Ukraine in May. The documents released on Friday also include a report, that

appears with Trump hotel stationery, that appears to summarise a January 23, 2019, interview with Ukraine’s former prosecutor-general, Victor Shokin. The summary says Giuliani and two business associates, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, were present.

Parnas and Fruman were arrested last month on a four-count indictment that includes charges of conspiracy, making false statements to the Federal Election Commission and falsification of records.

The men had key roles in Giuliani’s efforts to launch a Ukrainian cor-

ruption investigation against Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden and his son Hunter. In the document, Shokin claims he was removed from his position under pressure from Biden.

A second memo appears to be a summary of an interview with Yuri Lutsenko, also a former prosecutor general of Ukraine, conducted in the presence of Giuliani, Parnas and Fruman. Lutsenko is quoted raising questions about compensation that Hunter Biden received from the Ukrainian oil company Burisma.

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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