E-Paper PDF 28th November (KHI)

CMYK

Thursday, 28 November, 2019 I 30 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 17.00 I Vol X No 148 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition

GovT lefT red-faced as sc conTinues scruTiny of Gen Bajwa’s Tenure exTension g

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Baffled CJP says Pm requested ‘reaPPointment’ of Coas BaJwa while President issued ‘notifiCation for extension’

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Govt secures restraint order on verdict in Musharraf high treason case

Court questions three-year extension in army Chief’s tenure, says it won’t overlook illegalities

ag mansoor says though army aCt doesn’t mention extension, it is mentioned in the rules ISLAMABAD

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lawyers strike today over musharraf case, Bajwa extension

staff report

he Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday resumed the hearing of a case pertaining to the extension in army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure and censured Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan over the government’s incompetence in dealing with the matter.

An SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Mian Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the case, whereas the army chief was represented by former law minister Farogh Naseem.

During the day-long hearing which was adjourned twice, the chief justice said that the prime minister had requested a reappointment whereas the president had issued a notification for extension in the army chief’s tenure, questioning the lack of seriousness in the case.

The attorney general informed the court that the summary which notifies Gen Bajwa’s extension had referred to Article 243 and Article 245 of the Constitution.

“Please do not do something like this,” said Justice Shah.

It seems they never bothered to read the summary once again, the CJP observed. The attorney general, however, said the faux pas was due to “clerical errors” by the ministry.

The attorney general said that the army chief is due to retire at midnight on Thursday.

Justice Shah wondered how an army chief can be reappointed to the office “when he is no longer part of the staff”. The attorney general said that “until command is handed over to another general, the army chief cannot be considered retired”.

The CJP said the government should step back for assessment; there is still time. “They

STORIES ON BACK PAGE & 02

should not do something like this with a highranking officer,” he said, referring to Gen Bajwa.

The extension in the tenure of army chief was nothing new, said the attorney general, adding that they had been notified in the same manner as well.

“In the past, the court never stepped in to assess someone’s extension in tenure,” said Justice Alam.

The proceedings were adjourned till Thursday.

At the outset of the hearing, AG Mansoor told the court that a retired general can be appointed army chief but there was no precedent.

“Article 243 of the Constitution talks about the appointment of an officer,” said Justice Shah, inquiring whether it pertained to the period of appointment as well.

Justice Shah asked if a general can continue

to work if his tenure is extended two days before his retirement. “Where does it say that it is a three-year term [for an extension]?” he asked.

The attorney general admitted that the period of the tenure was not specified in the rules.

“The term tenure is used but the duration has not been specified anywhere,” the AG said.

'Unidentified' assailants thrash JUI-F's Mufti Kifayatullah, sons with iron rods

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Farogh Naseem's 'suspended' licence thwarts court argument STORY ON PAGE 02

Govt prepares new summary for Gen Bajwa’s term extension

STORY ON BACK PAGE

US takes step back after criticising CPEC STORY ON BACK PAGE

Peshawar metro bus project misses 6th deadline File photo

STORY ON PAGE 03

STORY ON BACK PAGE

CMYK Thursday, 28 November, 2019

02 NEWS

lawyerS Strike today over muSharraf Should not have CaSe, Bajwa extenSion SC intervened in army Chief'S

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HE Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) moves to contest special court’s verdict in Pervez Musharraf treason case and the award of a three-year extension to Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa didn’t go down well with the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) that has decided to go on a strike on Thursday.

The PBC termed these decisions “unconstitutional moves” of the federal government.

According to a press release issued by the body on Wednesday,

lawyers will observe a full-day strike on Thursday when they will hold protest and condemnation meetings in their respective bar rooms against the government measures to grant an extension in service to the incumbent army chief and “rescue” Musharraf from punishment in the high treason case. PBC Vice Chairman Syed Amjad Shah and the chairman of its executive committee, Sher Muhammad Khan, strongly condemned the “belated efforts and maneuverings of the federal government” after yesterday’s order of the Supreme Court in

the case pertaining to Gen Bajwa’s extension, according to the statement.

They said the government had rectified its mistakes and brought about amendments in some relevant laws in an attempt to “overcome their inefficiency” in the matter of granting extension to the army chief.

The PBC officials also condemned what they called the government’s “unjustified and unprecedented move” to approach the IHC to restrain the special court from announcing its verdict in the case against Musharraf. NEWS DESK

Farogh Naseem’s ‘suspended’ licence thwarts court argument NEWS DESK The Pakistan Bar Council on Wednesday thwarted former law minister Barrister Farogh Naseem from presenting his arguments in a case pertaining to the extension in tenure given to army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Naseem had on Tuesday resigned from his office to represent army chief General Qamar Bajwa in the Supreme Court. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Jus-

tice Asif Saeed Khosa and comprising Justice Mazhar Alam and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah is hearing the case.

Following the arguments of Attorney General (AG) Anwar Mansoor, Naseem tried to take to the rostrum but the representatives of the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) protested that he could not present his arguments because his licence had been suspended. CJP Justice Asif Saeed Khosa remarked that Naseem hasn’t been called to rostrum yet, however, he should resolve his issue. To which Naseem said that his license has been reinstated.

extenSion, SayS aitzaz

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan on Wednesday said that it is the constitutional right of any prime minister to appoint the army chief of his choice. “This is a principle of parliamentary sovereignty,” argued Ahsan, adding: “The court should not have intervened in the matter.” “The [Supreme Court] is a respectful institution, but the principle of parliamentary sovereignty is also supreme,” he said. “Regardless of whether Prime Minister Imran Khan made the right decision or the wrong one, It is not the prerogative of a judge or anyone else to make this appointment.”, Ahsan declared. The PPP stalwart observed that under Article 48 of the Constitution, the court should not be commenting on how many people voted or did not vote in a cabinet meeting. “One can challenge the extension on the basis of qualification, but the prime minister, not the court, has the right to make the decision.” NEWS DESK

Govt left red-faced as SC continues scrutiny of Gen Bajwa’s tenure extension coNtiNuED from pagE 01 However, the CJP said this was an important matter and the court would look at this closely so that it doesn’t happen in the future. “This is an extremely important matter and the constitution is quiet about this,” he added.

“This is about the matters of extension and reappointment,” Justice Shah said.

“How will you prove this legally?” The attorney general insisted that the “definition of appointment also includes reappointment”. “The rules mention retirement and discharge,” the chief justice noted. He observed that the federal government can only suspend a retirement after an individual retires. He further said that the retirement of an army chief “can be temporarily delayed” if a war is underway. The attorney general, however, argued that the delay in retirement is not temporary. The AG said that according to Article 176 of the Army Act, officials can be granted an extension of two months in case of a war.

“According to the law, during a war, the army chief can stop officers’ retirements,” the CJP noted.

“However, the government wants to stop the army chief’s retirement.” Referring to the amendment in Section 255 of the Army Rules and Regulations, the chief justice asked: “Under which section of the constitution and law was the rule amended?” He then pointed out that Article 255 did not concern the army chief. “The section that you amended is not about the army chief at all,” Justice Khosa said. “Article 255 is regarding those officials who have retired or have been expelled from service.” In the second part of the hearing, the chief justice said the court wanted to understand the Army Act first as it would be better than getting “answers in pieces”. AG Mansoor said the appointment and tenure of an army officer are decided under the 1947 Convention. The CJP responded

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that the court was looking at the rules regarding the tenure of an army chief specifically.

He said the court won’t hesitate to give its verdict if it found something is wrong as per the law, adding it was a court of law and that it could not overlook illegalities. In a rather sardonic tone, the AG asked the court “not to be so strict about the law” as sometimes, the “stick can break from stiffness”. “First, present your legal arguments,” the chief justice told him. The issue of tenure’s duration came up once again when Justice Shah asked the attorney general to tell the bench about it through in the light of the Army Act. The AG said the act in itself doesn’t mention the duration, but the rules do discuss the extension in tenure. CJP Khosa said rules were drafted in line with acts and laws, adding there was nothing in the act that stopped the retirement of a very capable officer.

As AG Mansoor read out Section 16 and 17, the chief justice pointed out that they were regarding dismissal from employment. The attorney general told the court that the army chief has the authority to dismiss anyone from their post. Justice Shah questioned if the federal government could remove someone from their post. The federal government has complete authority, while the army chief, with his limited authority, can dismiss junior officials, said the AG. The chief justice said that the government can order the retirement of any officer, including the field marshall “voluntarily or by force”. AG Khan then read out the oath sworn by officers when they are appointed in the army. “The oath of an army officer says that they would lay down their lives if need be. This is a very significant thing,” the chief justice observed. “‘I will never involve myself in any political activities.’ This sentence is also part of the oath. It is a very good thing to stay away

from political activities,” Justice Khosa remarked. The hearing was adjourned again. As the court resumed the case, CJP Khosa clarified that the court had not taken suo motu notice. “We are continuing your petition,” the top judge told the petitioner. The AG took to the rostrum and said he wished to “clarify something”.

“I referred to army rules yesterday. The court wrote ‘law’ in its order,” the AG said, to which the chief justice said: “The court had given its order after looking at your documents.” Justice Shah, while referring to the point raised by the court yesterday that only 11 members of the cabinet had earlier approved the extension, observed that answers were not submitted in the time fixed for cabinet members. The AG said the silence of a minister was considered a ‘yes’ in line with the Rule 19. He said the cabinet cannot send recommendations for the army chief’s appointment in accordance with Article 243.

“If the recommendation of the cabinet is not required, then why was this matter sent to the cabinet twice?” the chief justice inquired.

The chief justice also appreciated that the government “admitted the shortcomings pointed out yesterday and they were corrected”. However, the AG said the government didn’t consider the points raised by the bench in previous hearing as shortcomings. “If they were not accepted as shortcomings, why were they corrected?”

Justice Khosa inquired. “I will clarify this,” the AG said. “The impression that only 11 members of the federal cabinet had answered ‘yes’ is wrong.” “If the rest answered ‘yes’, tell us how much time they took,” said Justice Khosa. “Eleven members had written ‘yes’ in the document you submitted yesterday.

“If you have received a new document then show it to us,” the top judge quipped.

CMYK Thursday, 28 November, 2019

NEWS

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govt PrePareS new Summary for gen Bajwa’S term extenSion FAROGH NASEEM SAYS GEN BAJWA HASN’T BEEN GIVEN ANY ASSURANCE

ControverSy over gen Bajwa'S extenSion emBarraSSing for army: ex-general Defence analyst Lt Gen (r) Amjad Shoaib has said the controversy surrounding the extension of General Qamar Javed Bajwa was a matter of embarrassment for the Pakistan Army. Speaking on a talk show aired on a local news channel, the retired army general said that it was the bureaucrats who supplied such information to the ministers, who usually do not know about such matters and emphasised that “those involved in the process should be held accountable”. “I can tell you that General Bajwa was not interested in an extension but the government convinced him after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s visit to the United States,” the former military officer said. The COAS has helped the government foreign policy and economic affairs and he also arranged loans from the Middle East to assuage the crippling economy. When asked about the response of the army chief in the Supreme Court, he said the COAS, in his opinion, would tell the court that it is the prerogative of the government and that the civil bureaucracy must be aware of the procedure and the rules and regulations in this regard. NEWS DESK

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STAFF REPORT

HE government on Wednesday prepared a new summary for extending the tenure of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, according to media reports.

Prime Minister Imran Khan held an emergency with the army chief in the presence of senior members of the federal cabinet to discuss the recent situation which escalated following Supreme Court’s (SC) suspension of government’s notification pertaining to General Bajwa’s tenure extension.

The government’s legal team briefed the premier and the cabinet about the objections raised by the apex court in the case during Wednesday’s hearing. General Bajwa was also consulted on the matter.

The high-level meeting held consultations over the amendments made

in the rules of the Army Act. Reportedly, in the new summary, the government replaced the word “reappointment” with “extension in service” in light of the apex court’s order.Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Education Minister Shafqat Mehmood, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak, Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar and Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari among other Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) leaders attended the meeting. Gen Bajwa’s counsel former law minister Farogh Naseem, Attorney General (AG) Anwar Mansoor Khan,

senior PTI leader and legal expert Babar Awan as well as law secretary were also present. Meanwhile, a meeting of PTI’s parliamentary party has been called at 6pm on Thursday, wherein political, economic and security situation will be discussed. All parliamentarians have been directed to ensure their presence at the meeting.

Earlier in the day, an SC bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Mian Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah heard the case, whereas the army chief was represented by former law minister Farogh

Naseem. The hearing was adjourned till Thursday.

NO ASSURANCES GIVEN: Meanwhile, former law minister Farogh Naseem said that that the government did not give any assurance to the army chief neither did he seek any. Speaking to on a television programme, the former law minister said that the army chief had been provided an extension just like it had been done in the past.

"The Army Act is from the time of the British, some things are old and some needed amendments," he added. He said that the army chief did not require any assurance from the government.

Miftah Ismail files for bail in LNG case iSLamaBaD STAFF REPORT

Shujaat says Pakistan in dire need of general Bajwa as army chief Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Wednesday said that Pakistan is in dire need of General Bajwa as the army chief since he is a very capable general.

Addressing the media, the Shujaat voiced support for prime minister’s decision of granting extension in General Bajwa’s tenure, adding that the army chief’s appointment is done through a proper process. He lashed out at the Indian media for interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs, saying they have been targeting the Pakistan’s army, judiciary and parliament. The PML-Q chief further said that the armed forces are supported by the entire nation and if India tried any misadventure, it would have to pay a very heavy price. "General Bajwa has defeated all conspiracies against the country.

Pakistan Army has the capability to defend the nation,” he added. NEWS DESK

Shehbaz seeks exemption from court appearance in CSm case LAHORE: PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif’s counsel on Wednesday filed an application before the accountability court seeking his exemption from personal appearance in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.In his plea, Shehbaz said that he out of the country to look after his ailing brother, PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif, who undergoing treatment in London, therefore, he will be unable to appear before the court.He appealed to the court to grant him exemption from personal appearance and said that his counsel Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry will appear before the court on his behalf. INP

Former finance minister Miftah Ismail on Wednesday filed a bail petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a case pertaining to allegedly illegal awarding of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) contract. Ismail, an accused in the case, has filed the bail petition after the high court granted bail to former managing director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Sheikh Imranul Haq, another accused in the case, on Tuesday.

Miftah Ismail has pleaded for his release on bail until decision of the case. In the petition, he has nominated the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the law secretary as respondents.

The IHC on Tuesday granted bail to Imranul Haq in LNG case. Haq’s counsel apprised the court that his client is under the custody of the NAB since the last four months while the anticorruption watchdog has not submitted its written reply as yet. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah

asked the prosecution to satisfy the court whether the authority was misused or not.

To this, the NAB investigation officer replied that the accused is the owner of four different companies while the contract for LNG terminal was expected to be awarded to a small-scale company.

Justice Minallah remarked that the authorities have failed to prove the involvement of the accused and misused the authority in the case and granted bail to Sheikh Imranul Haq. Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail, exPSO MD Imranul Haq and other facing charges of corruption and awarding an LNG import contract at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer.

NAB sources said that Abbasi, in 2013, had awarded an LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws.

PoliCe arreSt teaCher for Sexually aSSaulting, videotaPing Student PESHAWAR: A teacher was arrested for sexually assaulting his student in Peshawar on Wednesday. According to media reports, the teacher, Jamal -- a student of Peshawar’s Agriculture University, who used to give private tuition at his place -- sexually assaulted his student and made a video of the incident. The video subsequently went viral on the internet, spurring the police into action. “He assaulted one of his students at the tuition centre and also filmed the entire episode,” said Hayatabad Police Station assistant superintendent of police (ASP). A case was registered against the accused and further investigation is underway. STAFF REPORT

gen nadeem raza takes charge as CjCSC General Nadeem Raza has assumed charge as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) at the Joint Staff Headquarters, ISPR, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday. Gen Nadeem was appointed to the slot as four-star general Zubair Mahmood Hayat’s retirement was due this week.

For the post of the CJCSC, there were three contenders: Gen Nadeem, Lt Gen Sarfraz Sattar, the head of Strategic Plans Division (SPD), and Lt Gen Humayun Aziz, the Karachi Corps Commander.

However, unlike many other countries, in Pakistan, the army chief is the most powerful while the CJCSC acts for promoting better coordination among the three forces. The CJCSC also advises the government on the issues of national security and defence. In the past, the CJCSC was also picked from the navy and the air force but that practice has been discontinued for long. Gen Nadeem was corps commander Rawalpindi before being appointed as the Chief of General Staff at the GHQ, considered the most important position after the army chief, in August last year. As CGS, who heads both intelligence and operational wings of the army, he worked closely with the army chief. He was commissioned in 1985 and is from infantry’s 10 Sindh Regiment. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College Quetta and the National Defence University (NDU) Islamabad. NEWS DESK

kashmir curfew shows ‘fascist mindset of indian govt’, says Pm imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that ongoing curfew in occupied Kashmir has “shown the fascist mindset of the Indian government’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology”. In a tweet, the premier said that Kashmiris are being subjected to the worst violation of human rights by Narendra Modi-led Indian authorities. “The powerful countries remain silent on Kashmir dispute because of their trading interests,” he added. The statement came day after Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three youth in Pulwama district, occupied Kashmir during a cordon and search operation. Several people were injured when Indian troops used brutal force and fired bullets and pellets on mourners in different areas of Pulwama. The killings triggered massive anti-India protests across the district. On the other hand, the youth including Basit, Saqlain Mushtaq, Baber and Jehangir were also arrested by police in house raids in different areas of the town. NEWS DESK

Pakistan promoting defence, economic ties with African countries: Qureshi iSLamaBaD STAFF REPORT

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that Pakistan and other Asian countries are facing challenges including security threats. Addressing a two-day Envoys Conference titled “Engage Africa”, the foreign minister said Pakistan is willing to promote defence and trade relations with African countries,

adding, “we jointly want to enhance security situation in the region.”

Pakistan Army rendered services in many African countries for maintaining peace under the UN Peacekeeping missions, he recalled.

Qureshi said we have initiated economic diplomacy under which we are committed to enhance export and strengthen the economy by undertaking efforts in various economic sectors.

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The foreign minister said that over 700 diplomats are getting training in Islamabad.

He further expressed hope that this conference will further strengthen the mutual relations and economic cooperation of Pakistan with the African countries.

Meanwhile, President Dr. Arif Alvi emphasized on enhanced collaboration between Pakistan and the African region in common priority

areas of peace, education, health, trade, tourism and climate change.

Pakistan and Africa have several similarities, and the two sides need to work in close cooperation for achieving peace and prosperity for their peoples, he said.

Appreciating the initiative of the conference, the president said such interactions provide valuable opportunities to engage and communicate with the people of other countries.

04 KARACHI

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

WEATHER UPDATES THURSDAY

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SATURDAY

270C 150C

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Govt puts heAds toGetheR oveR tRiGGeR-hAppy poliCe KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

INDH Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over Provincial Public Safety & Police Complaint Commission (PPS&PCC) meeting here at CM Secretariat expressed serious anger over the incident of Nov 22 that claimed life of Nabeel Hoodbhoy and injured his friend, Raza. He also approved Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for nakabandi and snap checking issued in the light of Amal Umar case.

The agenda of the meeting was to discuss the incident of 22 Nov 2019 in which a citizen, Nabeel Hoodbhoy, died and another citizen Ali Raza Imam got injured besides reviewing SOP/Rules of engagement related to the use of force as practiced by the Sindh police and implementation status of the orders of Supreme Court in Amal Umar case.

The AIG Police briefing the commission on the incident said that Syed

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION TAKES NOTICE OF CITIZEN NABEEL HOODBHOY’S COLD BLOODED MURDER BY COPS Raza and Nabeel were coming from Khayaban-e-Hafiz in a car when they were asked to stop at Khayaban-e-Hafiz, but they sped up after which the police chased them till PACC where the police party fired upon them. Nabeel received fatal injury and died.

He added that HC Aftab fired five rounds from his pistol, of them four were aerial and one was straight which resulted in the death of Nabeel.

He said that the incident took place at PACC, the jurisdiction of Civil Line police. An FIR No.149/2019 of the case has been registered. The police party comprising SI Ghaffar of Gizri police, HC Aftab and PC Mohammad Ali have been taken into custody. Investigation into the incident under SSP Investigation, South has been ordered. The other members of the investigation include SSP South Shiraz,

DSP Akhtar and Inspector Ghulam Ali. AIG Karachi said that meanwhile, an inquiry under Amjad Hayat SP Sadar has also been started into the incident.

The commission was told that an SOP for `police stop and search’ has already been issued. An aggressive campaign for weapon handling and refresher courses for firing was started after Amal incident.

Around 6000 police officers have been trained so far. 7000 official pistols were issued to police officials in the city. New purchase of 4500 pistols was under process. A separate module was being prepared to train the police how to exercise the right of self-defense.

The commission members urged the IG police to transfer those policemen right from constable, head constable, head muhrar and others who were working in a police station from last many years.

stAffeR Attempts to RApe disAbled womAn in hospitAl A ghastly incident occurred at a Karachi hospital where a ward boy attempted to sexually assault a disabled woman, a local news outlet reported on Tuesday. According to reports, the incident occurred at a private hospital where the victim had been admitted after falling ill and was being kept under observation. The incident reportedly took place while she was alone. She told her husband about the incident when he came to visit her afterward. A report was registered at the local police station and the accused was subsequently arrested and is currently behind bars. According to law enforcement officials, the suspected accused confessed during investigation. Police on November 14 arrested a man for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl in Karachi’s district central area. A complaint was lodged at Ajmer Nagri police station by the parents of the eightyear-old girl; they alleged a person named Bashir had raped their daughter. According to police, the accused managed to flee from the Ajmer Nagri area after the case was registered against him. NEWS DESK

The members also urged the police to change the mindset of the policemen working on a police station. People must feel safe and secure in presence of the police not threatened or insecure. “The people of Karachi have reposed confidence in the police after successful Karachi operation and now it is the responsibility of the police department to maintain it through their behaviour and actions,” the chief minister said.

The commission through a resolution condemned the incident of Nov 22 which claimed life of an innocent citizen, Nabeel. AIG Karachi brushed aside the impression of sending policemen on visa (drawing salaries without performing

duty) and said Karachi police had an strength of 34,000 but there were 7700 vacancies. Deployment at police stations has been counted as 18670 and 2095 policemen were in police offices.

The commission member expressed serious reservation on the refusal of Ziauddin Hospital for providing medical treatment to the bullet injured person of Nov 22, 2019, Ali Raza and directed home secretary to issue a circular to all public and private hospital to treat injured of police cases, otherwise, initiate action against the refusals. The chief minister approved SOP for Nakabandi, SNAP checking as was worked out in the light of Amal Umar case.

Woman dies of dengue, death toll reaches 41 in city

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

A woman suffering from dengue fever in the Nazimabad neighborhood died on Wednesday.

She had been admitted to a private hospital and was being treated for the infection, according to hospital authorities. She was 26 years old.

So far this year, 41 people have died of dengue in Sindh. In the last 24 hours, more than 151 people have been diagnosed with the disease in Karachi. This country-wide toll has exceeded 50,000.

The World Health Organisation has included dengue in the top 10 global public health threats to the world. In the Philippines, as many as 322,693 people were infected by dengue this year and 1,272 of them had died. In Sri Lanka, 234,078 cases had been reported with over 100 deaths. In Thailand, 146,000 cases with 89 deaths, Vietnam 124,751 cases by Sept 26, Malaysia 104,950 cases with 204 deaths by Oct 13, and Bangladesh 122,136 cases with 104 deaths.

According to the data of Pan American Health Organisation, Brazil 2.04 million cases of dengue with 676

Court indicts four accused in Ali Raza Abidi’s murder

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday indicted four accused involved in murder of MQM leader Ali Raza Abidi. The accused named Farooq, Ghazali, Abu Bakr and Abdul Haseeb have pleaded innocent. The court has ordered investigating officers to present their witnesses at the next hearing on November 30. The ATC has declared four MQM party workers, Hassnain, Bilal, Ghulam Mustafa alias Kali Charan and Faizan, wanted and absconding from court. Arrest warrants have also been issued for them.

According to the police, the murderers were paid Rs800,000 to kill the former parliamentarian. “The motorcycle used in the killing has been burnt,” a police officer said. Abidi was gunned down last year on December 25 outside his residence in Defence Housing Authority by unidentified armed men. The former MNA had resigned from the MQM shortly before his death. STAFF REPORT

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deaths were reported till Oct 23, Mexico 181,625 cases with 89 deaths till Oct 30, Nicaragua 142,740 cases with 26 deaths, Colombia 101,129 cases with 69 deaths and Honduras 86,705 cases with 148 deaths.

It is pertinent to mention that dengue is spread by the mosquito bite and patients face deficiency of platelets due to which transfusion of platelets is required as patient’s blood does not have the normal clotting ability. If timely treatment is not provided, the disease may turn into life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever. Fever may lead to bleeding, low levels of platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome — a dangerously low blood pressure.

Pakistan has experienced many dengue outbreaks since the first outbreak was observed in 1994. During the last two decades, two major outbreaks were reported in Pakistan — in 2005 in which over 6,000 cases with 52 deaths were reported from Karachi and in year 2011 in which more than 21,000 cases were reported from Lahore with 350 deaths. Moreover, from 2011 to 2014 more than 48,000 laboratory confirmed cases of dengue were reported from across the country.

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

SinDh to Seek ADviCe from PunjAb to imProve emergenCy reSPonSe KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

INDH Police shall be seeking expert advice from Punjab Safe City Authority for upgrading its emergency response mechanism and Dolphin Force for the training of its personnel.

DIG of recently formed Police Security & Emergency Service Division Maqsood Ahmed conducted a study tour of Punjab Safe City Authority and Dolphin Force HQ. He was briefed by DIG Kamran Khan & PSCA CEO Akbar Nasir.

Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) is the exclusive security organisation in Pakistan with its own advanced 4G-LTE communication system in place and more than 8000 operational cameras.

Maqsood Ahmad visited vari-

ous wings of the project dealing in 15 Operations, Police Dispatch Unit, Video Control Unit, Media Monitoring Unit and the PSCA cam-surveillance operations management center.

He was briefed with audio visual presentations on various objectives, operational approaches and response mechanisms of PPIC3, which when employed together, ensured optimum performance.

At Dolphin Force Headquarters DIG Maqsood Ahmed was briefed about its operational capabilities.

It was decided that Punjab Dolphin Force training will be given to Karachi Police Emergency Responding units to improve working of emergency response teams and technical team of PSCA will visit Karachi to suggest improvements in emergency response system in Karachi.

State must not curb students’ solidarity march: HRCP LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has deplored the state’s response to the Students’ Solidarity March, being held on Friday across cities and towns of the country. In a statement, HRCP said that it was alarmed over the reports that students supporting the march were being harassed, facing rustication or being dislodged from their hostels in an effort to restrain them from participating.

This is a flagrant violation of their right to peaceful assembly. Moreover, the propaganda that is being circulated on social media platforms to malign the march’s supporters is not just repugnant, it could also put them at risk of harm. HRCP expressed concern that the Governor’s Secretariat in Quetta had issued a notification to the University of Balochistan, banning all political activity and gatherings, and clearly giving security personnel the authority to prevent these. HRCP urged the state to take the legitimate demands of the solidarity march seriously. Students have the right to oppose fee hikes and budget cuts to higher education, and to call for an end to unnecessary interference by security forces on campus, for functional anti-harassment committees with student representation, and above all, for the restoration of student unions. STAFF REPORT

NEWS 05 Universities freed from political interference: Sarwar LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on Wednesday said that bureaucratic ineptitude will not be tolerated in universities and educational institutions.

While addressing the Universities Rectors Conference 2019 here at Governor House, Governor Sarwar said that the Provincial government is working to ensure transparency and merit in universities across the province.

Among those attending the conference included the governor’s wife, Perveen Sarwar, Punjab University (PU) Vice-Chancellor Niaz Ahmed, Superior University’s Rector Sameera Rehman, University of Health Sciences (UHS) Vice-Chancellor Prof Javed Akram, Lahore Garrison University (LGU) vice-chancellor along with heads and faculty members of other universities across Punjab.

The governor said that the government has ended the culture of political interference in universities and that all decisions involving universities were made keeping in view merit and transparency.

The education system has been seriously affected by political appointments made to top posts of universities, he said.

He also added that a plan to establish business centres in universities which would allow graduate students business opportunity is underway.

He said that a plan to incorporate representatives of chambers of commerce and industry in the syndicate of respective universities is also being considered.

Governor Sarwar said that universities will have to play their role in the knowledge economy, adding that the research sectors in universities needed to be enhanced.

He further said that Girls Guide and Scouts will also be revived in universities and Girls Guide will be imparted a sixmonth free nurses course which will be initiated from Superior University. He also vowed to empower women and youth in every field.

The governor said that Pakistan is advancing on the economic front due to the economic policies of the government which has narrowed down the current account deficit to an unprecedented level. PTI government has launched ‘Kamyab Nowjawan Programme’ worth Rs100 billion under which the youth can receive loans ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs5 million and start their own businesses, while 25 per cent quota for women has also been allocated in the porgramme, the governor added.

PAC seeks detailed briefing on Railways’ affairs ISLAMABAD APP

The Subcommittee of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday sought a detailed briefing on the affairs of Pakistan Railways.

Secretary Railways told the committee headed by Sherry Rehman that ML-1 project is inevitable for the survival of the Railway, otherwise the entire system would disintegrate in two to three years.

The secretary informed the committee that total land of Pakistan Railways was 168,000 acres out of which 124,000 acres was used for operational purpose whereas on 6,000 acres, Railway colonies and workshops were located.

He said 5,000 acres of Pakistan Railways' land had been encroached by the land grabbers and 10,000 acres of Railway land was given on lease.

He said the railway’s track length was 7800 kilometers and 80 percent track was 80 to 90 years old on which the train could run at the speed limit of 120 kilometer per hour, but the locomotive drivers maintain their speed at 60 to 70 kilometer per hour on this century old track.

He said the work was being done to improve the signal system and old coaches were also being renovated to provide maximum luxury to the passengers.

He said the total cost of ML-1 project was Rs.8.2 billion, the track would be dualized and up-graded to maintain the speed of train at 160 kilometer per hour.

From the safety point of view the entire railway track under ML-1 project would be fenced on both sides, he added.

About the recent railway accident, the secretary said that investigations were still in progress and the report would be shared once it was finalized. Responding to a question of Syed Mushahid Hussain about the delay in ML-1 project, the secretary said that feasibility study of the project had been completed and the PC-1 of the project had also been sent to the Planning Commission.

Secretary told the committee, the Chinese government was earlier reluctant to provide funds for the project but now they had agreed to initiate the consultation process to finance the project.

While reviewing the audit report of 2015-16, the convener reprimanded the officials from both audit and railways for presenting incomplete paras to the committee.

Senator Sherry Rehman directed the both sides to resolve petty issues at the level of Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC).

RaIlway woRkeR kIlled In attock tRaIn accIdent ATTOCK INP An employee of the Pakistan Railways was killed on Wednesday morning after a Multan-bound train hit him.

At the time of the incident, Nisar Ahmad was working on the track near Jhammat. According to the police, Ahmed was busy in his work and didn’t realise that Mehr Express was approaching nearer.

The dead body has been sent to the Asfandiar Bukhari District Hospital.

In most of the audit paras the committee directed the Railway Ministry to provide record to the audit department for their satisfaction.

Meanwhile, chairing the Public Accounts Committee meeting, Member National Assembly (MNA) Noor Alam said that they would summon the Director General National Accountability Bureau (NAB) if the progress in corruption cases remained slow.

Discussing the audit report of 2017-18 about the Capital Development Authority (CDA), he expressed displeasure on NAB for slow progress in the cases referred by PAC committee against CDA. At the outset of the meeting, he expressed discontentment on the absence of Chairman CDA, member state CDA and FIA representative.

He also summoned Director General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to appear in person before the committee and explain what action was taken against the representatives from being absent from the PAC meeting. Discussing the audit report, convener Noor Alam remarked that audit kept asking for record, but the record was either burnt or gone missing and the irony was that NAB also keep eyes shut despite directions to proceed against the culprits.

He directed NAB to look into the matter of illegal construction of flats in the basement of residential buildings in Islamabad.

He said illegal construction of flats in the basement of residential buildings cannot take place without the in-connivance of CDA officials.

ISLAMABAD: A beautiful view of the federal capital after light rain turned the weather pleasant on Wednesday. ONLINE

Govt to eliminate illegal immigration: Ijaz Shah ISLAMABAD APP

Federal Minister for Interior Brig (r) Ijaz Ahmad Shah Wednesday said that government would ensure complete elimination of illegal immigration during this tenure.

"We will take all possible measures at our end to overcome this issue" the minister state this during a meeting with 6-member delegation led by Italian Under Secretary Manilo Di Stefano.

Italain delegation congratulated

the Interior Minister on improved security situation in Pakistan and upgrading capital Islamabad as a family station, said a press release issue here.

The matters of mutual concerns and proposals to improve PakistanItaly ties were brought under discussion. "Number of Pakistanis are living and working in Italy and contributing positively for the economic progress there" the minister said.

The Italian Under Secretary showed complete satisfaction over facilitation and support provided to them

FIR lodged against woman for misbehaving with traffic warden KARACHI INP

An FIR was registered against a woman for misbehaving with an on-duty traffic police officer who stopped her vehicle over violation of traffic rules in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighborhood.

The case was registered at the Darakhshan Police Station on behalf of Sub Inspector Nawaz Siyal against an unidentified woman. According to a video making rounds on social media, the woman denied to accept a violation ticket and instead misbehaved with the traffic cop, calling him buddha (old man). Later on, she managed to flee from the scene.

CMYK

by Pakistani government.

The matter of illegal immigrants was brought under discussion, to which the Interior Minister responded by saying that Pakistan government would take all possible actions to eradicate this menace.

The Italian delegation seemed affirmative that there had been a decline in such matters and also said that in order to solve this problem completely, they were ready to provide maximum possible support to the government of Pakistan.

CDA’s operation against encroachments continues ISLAMABAD INP

Capital Development Authority (CDA)’s ongoing operation against illegal encroachments remains continue on Wednesday in the city.

Staff of the Enforcement Directorate demolished a number of illegal structures, illegal encroachments and illegal construction established on State land. During an operation, Staff of the Enforcement Directorate demolished illegal fence / hedge and kabaar khana in the area of Haj Complex, Sector I-14 with the help of wheel dozer.

One chapper hotel, crush / sand selling points and poshesh stall were removed / demolished during operation in sector I-13, ultimately state land were also vacated from the illegal encroachers.

Similarly, Pushcarts and other encroachment materials were confiscated near Mandi Morr and deposited into CDA store. During another operation conducted in katchi abadi behind the youth hostel in Sector G-6/4 and demolished 02 rooms, 04 wooden walls and 03 fences / hedge. While in the area of Barii Imam illegal stalls established on footpath were also eliminated.

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

A lAnguorous look At lAhore

3 Quarks daily

A

Claire Chambers

few tall, dreamy-eyed Sikh men were on my plane to Lahore.

Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary celebration was taking place nearby about a month later, on 12 November 2019, so I guessed their final destination was Nankana Sahib, Guru Nanak’s birthplace. The British-Indians’ presence was a reminder, if any were needed, of Punjabiyat’s close binds.

To take another example, after the violence of the 1984 raid (known as Operation Blue Star) of Amritsar’s Golden Temple, some Sikhs took refuge in villages just across the border in Pakistan. It is unsurprising, then, that in Imagining Lahore, one of the bestknown recent books about the ancient West Punjabi capital, Haroon Khalid takes pains amid rising Islamization to stress the region’s earlier Sikh rulers and the presentday city’s neglected gurdwaras and crumbling havelis.

As ever, the trip from the airport afforded a veritable binge for the eyes. I made my way through the Beijing Underpass with its sign wishing the Pak-China Friendship a long life. Other less geopolitically-named channels evoked poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Waris Shah, emphasizing Lahore’s rich and proud literary culture.

Whereas I have written in a few different places about British chicken shops being an alphabet soup from AFC to ZFC, in Lahore I saw Yasir Broasts and FriChicks. Passing the brightly-lit shopfront of Cakes & Bakes made my mouth water.

Meanwhile, educational institutions had equally imaginative handles, including Success College and the Bluebells School.

A man, his peach shalwar kameez flapping in the wind, rode pillion on a motorbike, clutching a brace of goldendomed pots precariously as his friend accelerated. Squat, pineapple-like palm

I HAD A FINE TIME AT THE CONFERENCE AT FORMAN CHRISTIAN COLLEGE (FCC). THE CAMPUS WAS LIKE A UNIVERSITY SET FROM A BOLLYWOOD MOVIE. SOME STUDENTS SPORTED CHIN AND SEPTUM PIERCINGS, GYPSY CURLS, OR BLEACHED DYE JOBS trees lined the road. A blue cement peacock emerged from the grass, its expression quizzical. A neon sign proclaimed YOUR SAFETY, OUR PROTECTION. When I lived and taught in Peshawar during the 1990s I had taken buses everywhere, lived with the family of the headmaster I worked for, and travelled around the country during school holidays. I reflected that nowadays the security situation and my short trips fit around childcare meant I was reduced to catching glimpses of Pakistan through car windscreens.

In his book The Tourist Gaze 3.0, John Urry identifies a plethora of different ways of seeing employed by holidaymakers, which includes the ‘spectatorial gaze’. This involves a group of people being shown various sites, often through windows, which are ‘very briefly seen in passing at a glance’. Later in the book, Urry challenges the urge to travel at all, given the rise of television, the internet, and video streaming services: The typical tourist experience is anyway to see named scenes through a frame, such as the hotel window, the car windscreen or the window of the coach. But this can now be experienced in one’s own living room, at the flick of a switch, and it can be repeated time and time again.

This trip was particularly framed for me. It was hard to get off the bubble of Forman Christian College’s campus, where I was speaking at a conference, because of the chaos primarily caused by Prince William and Duchess Kate’s visit.

Lahoris I spoke to said they were happy enough to have the royals visiting, but that the lack of municipal infrastructure was creating havoc on the roads. One friend joked that if I put on a long wig I would get mistaken for Kate at least once.

She began calling me ‘Duchess of Leeds’ and sent me the gif on the left to com-

pletely finish me off. I was deceased.

There was also an important urs taking place for three days at Data Darbar. I found it a little ironic that the state visit of my country’s bigwigs and the shrine I went to on my previous trip were causing gridlock and frustrating my attempts to get out and about.

On my second morning in Lahore, I was woken by a dramatic thunderstorm: a natural alarm clock that went off at 7 a.m. A version of this storm further west prevented Kate and Will’s plane from landing in Islamabad and now they had apparently returned to Lahore for a short time before jetting back to the UK. Before her abortive departure, Kate had given a speech about the importance of family in Pakistan that was being widely reported for her few words of Urdu. I had noticed something similar on my trip the previous month when I had been able to get beyond the spectatorial gaze (at least for a short while) to see relatives of many different ages out together at all hours. I enjoy that sense of togetherness, though I do worry that Kate’s comment works to marginalize those outside what Jack Halberstam would call ‘reproductive time’, such as the unmarried, homeless people, sex workers, and other ‘queer subjects’.

I had a fine time at the conference at Forman Christian College (FCC). The campus was like a university set from a Bollywood movie. Some students sported chin and septum piercings, gypsy curls, or bleached dye jobs. These seemed like people who would push against Kate’s equation of Pakistan with family values.

FCC is the only place in Lahore theatre performance and science undergraduates study alongside each other. There is much traditional respect for teachers here, with colleagues held in easy reverence by the young people they teach. I had my wrists

garlanded in rose petals to watch a cultural evening of song, dance, and drama.

This included a comic poet in Urdu performing ‘The Internet Generation’, as well as folksong renditions by the amazing Punjabi musician Fazal Jutt.

Auspices of changing times could be seen in signs announcing zero tolerance for sexual harassment, as well as anti-corruption measures being implemented at the university. Beyond the ivory tower, an advertisement for crowd-funding on the back of an intricately decorated rickshaw was another harbinger of our incredibly shrinking world. Someone told me that Pakistan has now entered global culture, so this generation of students are the first to know their rights and things are changing fast.

But FCC is one of the most liberal of liberal arts institutions in Pakistan, and has a special status given its Christian origins. As I watched one dance number, I couldn’t help but think of the Kohistan ‘honour’ killing case. In 2011 five women were recorded singing and clapping at a wedding as two men briefly danced, in a video that went viral on social media. All were killed for the alleged impropriety of their actions in this very conservative region near the Swat Valley. Earlier this year Afzal Kohistani, the slain men’s brother, was also shot dead in Abbottabad for his fearless whistle-blowing against jirga violence. In light of this recent murder, it is important not to exaggerate the veneer of global capital uneasily overlaying deep-grained patriarchal structures.

As I returned home all too soon, I hurt my back lifting my suitcase onto a table to have my underwear rifled through by a judgemental woman in blue uniform at the airport. Despite this farcical precaution, I was able to pass through the metal detector and body-scanning with a litre of water.

It was a challenging journey home.

The real problems were at the UK end because, although the flight took off on time, it arrived late and then my luggage took ages to arrive. An anti-Brexit march of about a million people meant there were no Heathrow Express trains, so I gambled everything on an extremely expensive taxi. I think the driver cheated me – ironically, as I had encountered no problems in Pakistan. As the metre clicked higher and higher and I could see from Google Maps I wasn’t going to make it to King’s Cross in time for my pre-booked train. (I had naively thought that three and a half hours would give me plenty of time to cross London.) In the end I asked the driver to drop me at Ladbroke Grove, thinking it might be lucky because I’m a big fan of A. J. Tracey’s song of the same name. From there I was able to take a direct Tube. But it was a stressful race, with a painting I had bought from an exhibition in Lahore banging against my shalwar-clad legs, as I pulled along my massive suitcase wrapped in raggedy green clingfilm.

Somehow managing to sprint despite all my baggage, I said a feeble ‘Help!’ to a few train guards, but they looked at me as though I was mad. I only just jumped on the train just as the doors closed.

Despite this ordeal and the languorous nature of my spectatorial gaze on this quite restricted visit, it had all been worthwhile to see my favourite country of Pakistan. Like the Duchess of Cambridge although a little less sheltered, I would say my trip was ‘really special’.

Claire Chambers is a senior lecturer at the University of York, where she teaches contemporary writing in English from South Asia, the Arab world, and their diasporas.

Angela Merkel must go FOR GERMANY’S SAKE, AND FOR EUROPE’S

Guardian TimoThy GarTon ash

If Germany is the heart of Europe, then it is currently the slow-beating heart of a well-fed businessman resting on his office couch after an ample lunch. For Europe’s sake, and for Germany’s own, that heart needs to beat a little faster.

It’s not that German elites don’t intellectually recognise the problems gathering all around them.

Berlin, which is beginning to rival London as a thinktank hub, is pullulating with clever people who can tell you exactly why, faced with the challenges of Brexit, populism, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, climate change and AI – to name but a few – Europe needs more strategic autonomy, digital innovation and sustainable growth. What is missing is a sense of urgency and the ability to translate these abstract goals into dynamic policies that German voters will actually support. For now, Germany is effectively willing the ends but not the means.

Why this stasis? Because Germany has been doing quite nicely, thank you. It has not felt the pain that, one way or another, most other parts of the continent have experienced. Crisis, what crisis? Obviously, this is not true of everyone, but even those East Germans who have recently voted in shockingly large numbers for the far-right, xenophobic Alternative für Deutschland are not primarily complaining about their economic circumstances.

Beneath the surface of the country’s success story, there is a growing drumbeat of anxiety. Has it wasted the fat years?

Most Germans probably still view the long period of Angela Merkel’s chancellorship – a staggering 14 years on Friday – as a stable and good time for the country. The German economy has done well over this period. This is partly because it can draw

on all the familiar German business strengths, and partly because the Merkel chancellorship has benefited from reforms of the labour market and welfare system introduced under the Social Democratic chancellor Gerhard Schröder. But it has also profited very significantly from external circumstances.

The post-1989 opening-up of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and their subsequent accession to the European single market gave a wonderful opportunity for German manufacturers to relocate production facilities just next door, using cheap skilled labour in a kind of Mitteleuropa 2.0. Not least, the euro has kept the German currency at a lower external exchange rate than it would otherwise have soared to (witness what happened to the Swiss franc).

So the German export machine has powered ahead, generating eye-popping trade surpluses. And because the country has an evangelical protestant commitment to running a balanced budget – the totemic “black zero” – and a constitutionally anchored “debt brake”, it has healthy public finances that most democratic capitalist countries would die for.

Yet beneath the surface of this success story there is a growing drumbeat of anxiety. Maybe the country has wasted the fat years, not investing enough in its ageing infrastructure? Maybe it is missing out on the digital revolution, so its fabled car industry now looks distinctly old-fashioned compared with the self-drive electric cars being developed by the giants of Silicon Valley and China. (Tesla’s announcement that it will build a factory near Berlin is both a tribute to Germany and a frontal challenge to national champions such as Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen.)

Maybe all that has been achieved over many decades will now be eroded thanks to immigration, Trump’s tariff war, populism and other uncertainties. The anxious leitmotif of popular sentiment, especially in the predominant western part of the country, is “let’s hang on to what we’ve got”.

So 30 years on from a peaceful revolution that opened the door to German unification, we have a defensive, conservative society underpinning a defensive, status quo power. The French president, Em-

manuel Macron, impatiently wants to revolutionise Europe, giving the old continent Napoleonic strategic ambition, but Merkel’s Germany is not playing ball.

As one adviser to Macron memorably put it to me: “Aristocrats don’t vote for revolution.” (If the Germans are the pre-1789 aristocrats in this analogy, does that make the French the sans-culottes?) German responses to Macron’s European initiatives have ranged from the lukewarm to the dismissive.

The politics match the economics and society.

Germany is the only country I know where politicians actively strive to sound boring. This is part of a culture of responsibility, sobriety and moderation that embodies a conscious rejection of the wildness of German political behaviour between 1914 and 1945. The speeches can rapidly send one to sleep, but if the alternative is Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, I’ll settle for serious and boring.

For 10 of the last 14 years, Merkel has presided over grand coalition governments, bringing together the centre-right Christian Democrats and the centreleft Social Democrats. This has given continuous stable government, but at a cost. Consensual centrism has not encouraged the robust political debate essential to a liberal democracy. Conservative Germans have long complained that “we have two social democratic parties”. This is a perfectly competent government for undemanding times, but with none of the ambition needed to face the giant challenges of today. Meanwhile, having both main parties in power together for so long has strengthened support for the extremes, on both left and right.

Everyone knows that this is the twilight of the Merkel era, but the Merkeldämmerung is taking longer than the most epic Bayreuth production of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods).

Yet in a recent Politbarometer poll, more than two thirds of those asked said they want Merkel and her government to continue until the end of the current electoral term, in autumn 2021. Of course, it’s entirely up to the German people to decide who they want to govern them, but I would respectfully suggest that this is not in the best interest of either Ger-

many or Europe.

Merkel and her Social Democrat vice chancellor, Olaf Scholz, have a cunning plan to outlive even Wagner’s gods. First they have marked their own homework, producing a half-term report on the grand coalition government that suggests it has done, on the whole, quite brilliantly. Second, they had a nice little row about pensions that ended – surprise! – with a constructive compromise. Now they aim to get support for continuity at their respective party conferences: the Christian Democrats at the end of this month, the Social Democrats early next month.

Fortunately, even German politics are not that predictable. Merkel and her putative successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, will face criticism from a rightwing challenger, Friedrich Merz. Scholz has to compete for the party leadership with a pair of contenders from the left. If, under Teuto-Corbynista leadership, the Social Democrats actually decided to leave the grand coalition, then a variety of possibilities would arise. Perhaps a Christian Democrat minority government? Or a “Jamaica” coalition of Christian Democrats (black), Free Democrats (yellow) and Greens (green). Or new elections, possibly leading to a black-green government.

Whatever happens, one thing seems to me clear: in Germany’s own long-term interest, and in Europe’s, it’s time for a change.

Timothy Garton Ash is a Guardian columnist.

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

NexT phase of TruMp iMpeachMeNT heariNgs seT for DeceMber WASHINGTON

T

Agencies

HE House Judiciary Committee said Tuesday it would begin hearings on December 4 in the next phase of the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, inviting the US president and his lawyer to attend.

Lawmakers in the Democratic-led House of Representatives spent the last two weeks publicly questioning witnesses including White House officials and diplomats over allegations Trump abused the power of his office when he pressured Ukraine to launch investigations that would help him politically.

With that stage complete, chairman Jerry Nadler of the Judiciary Committee, which is tasked with considering whether to draft articles of impeachment against the president, said the first public hearing before his panel would begin at 10:00 am (1500 GMT).

“The committee looks forward to your participation in the impeachment inquiry as the committee fulfills its constitutional duties,” Nadler said in a letter to Trump.

The hearings will address “the historical and constitutional basis of impeachment,” and “whether your alleged actions warrant the House’s exercising its authority to adopt articles of impeachment,” he added.

Under procedural rules passed by the House last month, Trump is invited to attend the judiciary committee hearings, and “the president’s counsel may question any witness called.”

Nadler in his letter reminded Trump that if he continued to refuse to

Trump says will designate Mexican cartels as 'terror' groups WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said in an interview posted online Tuesday that he planned to designate Mexican drug cartels as terror groups.

The move comes after Trump called for a “war” on the cartels in early November when nine women and children from a Mormon community in northern Mexico were killed in a hail of gunfire. The victims were dual US-Mexican citizens.

“Are you going to designate those cartels in Mexico as terror groups and start hitting them with drones?” asked Bill O’Reilly, a conservative media personality, in an interview posted on his personal website.

“I don’t want to say what I’m going to do, but they will be designated,” Trump answered. He added: “I will be designating the cartels… absolutely. I have been working on that for the last 90 days. “Designation is not that easy, you have to go through a process and we are well into that process.”

Trump’s remarks on Mexico came from a short sample of a longer interview available for paid subscribers on the O’Reilly website.

Mexican authorities reacted swiftly, with the foreign ministry saying that it has contacted US officials “to understand the meaning and scope of the remarks”. Mexico will also “seek a high-level meeting as soon as possible to present Mexico’s position” and hear Washington’s views, the foreign ministry said in an official translation of their statement. Mexico will seek talks to “make progress with reducing the flow of arms and money from the United States to organized crime in Mexico, in addition to precursor chemicals and drug precursors that cross Mexican territory en route to the United States,” the statement read. Mexico has long complained about the flow of weapons bought in the United States and smuggled south of the border. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard’s reaction was more forceful on Twitter. “Mexico will never allow any action that means a violation of its national sovereignty,” he wrote. He said that Mexican officials had already made their views known to Washington “as well as our resolution to deal with transnational organised crime.” The case of the slain Mormons has cast a spotlight on drug cartelfueled violence in Mexico and leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s struggles to rein it in. The victims, including twin eight-month-old babies, were killed as they drove on a remote road between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, a lawless region disputed by warring drug cartels. Mexican officials say a drug cartel called La Linea (The Line) may have mistaken the victims for members of a rival gang. Relatives, however, believe the families were deliberately targeted. Agencies

allow administration personnel to testify or turn over documents sought by the inquiry, the chair may “impose appropriate remedies,” including denying presidential requests to question witnesses.

Democrats leading the probe said ahead of Tuesday’s announcement that they could present their report detailing presidential wrongdoing as early as next week, when Congress reconvenes after the Thanksgiving break.

House Intelligence Committee

Adam Schiff presided over two weeks of dramatic public hearings that he said uncovered a “massive amount of evidence” despite efforts to obstruct the investigation by Trump and his administration.

Schiff said the evidence “conclusively shows” that Trump conditioned a White House meeting with Ukraine’s new president and critical US military assistance on Kiev announcing investigations that would help Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign.

Those include a probe of a Ukrainian energy company where Hunter Biden, the son of Trump’s potential election rival Joe Biden, sat on the board. Trump in recent months has repeatedly described the Bidens as “corrupt” despite no evidence of the family committing any wrongdoing related to Ukraine.

The remaining transcripts from closed-door impeachment interviews were released on Tuesday — including testimony from Mark Sandy, a career official in the White House’s budget office, who said an attorney at the office had resigned in part due to concerns over the hold on military aid to Ukraine.

In US, climate anxiety churns up psychological storm WARWICK Agencies

In the melting Arctic, communities are racing to maintain their way of life. In the rising Pacific, residents are sounding alarm bells. And in Rhode Island, Kate Schapira and her husband are not having a baby.

Fears about climate change are prompting worldwide action, but one knock-on effect in the United States is mounting anxiety about everything from plastics to classbased environmental disparities.

Schapira, a 40-year-old senior lecturer in the English department at Brown University, is addressing that unease in a number of ways. The decision not to have children was not just about concern for their future wellbeing amid environmental degradation, she explained, but also about not wanting “my sense of responsibility to the world to shrink down to the size of one person.” Schapira also says she has likely taken her last flight.

She said she was troubled that

people were treating her climate fears “like a personal, individual problem,” she said, and she wanted to “see if that was actually the case.”

So in 2014, Schapira started setting up a “climate anxiety” booth in public spaces, such as farmers’ markets.

It’s a bit like Lucy’s psychiatry stall from the beloved comic “Peanuts.”

“Climate anxiety counseling, 5 cents. The doctor is in,” the booth’s sign reads, welcoming passersby in Providence to talk about their fears.

As it turns out, Schapira was far from alone. About six in 10 Americans say they are at least “somewhat worried” about global warming and 23 percent say they are “very worried,” according to a survey conducted by Yale and George Mason universities in March and April.

Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, said Americans can be broken into six categories based on their reaction to climate change, ranging from alarmed to dismissive.

“The common wisdom is that only upper-middle-class, white, well-educated, latte-sipping liberals care about climate change. Turns out that’s not true,” Leiserowitz said.

None of the six groups is majorly driven by one demographic, he said, with the exception of the “dismissives” — where “well-educated conservative white men” reign.

They are “dramatically different in terms of how they perceive the risk than everybody else” he said, thanks in large part to “a worldview that we call individualism” — particularly pronounced in that group.

Of course, that same demographic also happens to control the White House, half of Congress and many of the nation’s richest companies, such as in the fossil fuel industry. As the world’s top experts head to Spain for the UN summit on climate change opening Monday, Americans must deal with the idea that President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord.

Large explosion rocks Texas chemical plant HOUSTON: An explosion at a chemical plant in Texas early Wednesday sent a large fireball into the sky, reports and witnesses said, triggering a mandatory evacuation.

Dramatic videos and photos shared on social media showed a large blast, with one resident describing waking up to a huge boom and “glass all over us”. Ryan Mathewson, who lives roughly two minutes from the plant in Port Neches, near Houston, told AFP: “We woke up to glass all over us and parts of the ceiling caved in, (and) doors blown in.” The 25-year-old said he and his family were “shook up and scared” following the blast. County Judge Jeff Branick told local news site KFDM News that there were no fatalities reported and only three people with minor injuries. He called it “a miracle”. At least two people have been taken to hospital, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told the New York Times. “Please be aware that there is a mandatory evacuation for everyone within a 1/2 mile of the TPC plant in Port Neches,” local fire officials said in a post on the Nederland Volunteer Fire Department’s Facebook page. TPC Group, which operates the plant, said the explosion happened in what it said was a “processing unit” at around 1am local time (0700 GMT). Agencies

albania mourns as search for earthquake survivors continues TIRANA: Albania was in national mourning Wednesday as emergency workers continued to pull bodies from the ruins of buildings gutted by a violent earthquake, with nearly 30 found dead and hundreds injured. Tirana declared a state of emergency in the areas hardest-hit by Tuesday’s 6.4 magnitude earthquake: the coastal city of Durres and the town of Thumane, where victims were trapped by toppled buildings.

With the help of dogs and more than 200 experts flown in from across Europe, rescuers worked through the night to locate survivors. Early Wednesday in Thumane, emergency workers backed by Greek teams retrieved the body of a young man, an AFP reporter at the scene reported. They were also attempting to free a young woman who they believe is still alive after the 24-hourordeal. By Wednesday morning, the death toll was up to 28 while 45 people had been rescued, the defence ministry said in a statement. Some 650 people have also been treated for injuries, mostly minor, according to the health ministry. The powerful quake, which struck just before 4:00am (300GMT) on Tuesday, was the strongest to jolt Albania in decades, according to authorities.

“The priority is to save people’s lives,” said Prime Minister Edi Rama, who declared Wednesday a national day of mourning and announced a 30-day state of emergency for Durres and Thumane. Agencies

On Hong Kong campus, elusive protesters and an uncertain future HONG KONG Agencies

Staff at one of Hong Kong’s top universities picked through the chaotic aftermath of a violent occupation by protesters for a second day Wednesday as the school searches for elusive holdouts — and a way forward for a devastated institution.

Compared to the city’s more hothouse campuses, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) had a more relaxed vibe, its students known for parties and light-hearted hazing as they pursued degrees in design, engineering, and other technical disciplines.

But the school, a stone’s throw from Hong Kong’s dramatic harbour, now resembles a disaster zone 10 days after the start of a violent siege that saw clashes between police and protesters during the latest flare-up in the city’s political turmoil. The first task before a police cordon can be dismantled and normality can return is to determine whether any hidden protesters remain.

But sweeps through the campus by university personnel have been inconclusive. Just one young female protester was found by university officials

— though AFP journalists saw another suspected holdout — suggesting that the dozens of hardcore protesters who had held their ground in recent days may have melted away.

Either way, a university that regularly makes lists of top-ranked Asian institutions faces a massive clean-up and uncertain future.

Its entrance is scarred with the charred evidence of a savage fight last week when protesters armed with bows, arrows, and petrol bombs held their ground against police wielding tear gas,

rubber bullets, and water cannon.

AFP journalists at the site found a battleground covered by brick fragments — flung at police by protesters — and the shattered bottles of Molotov cocktails.

Helmets, gas masks, and goggles are among the debris, as well as discarded clothing stained with the blue dye fired by police water cannon.

A foul odour from rotting food in a canteen and overflowing garbage bins permeates parts of the campus, and defiant graffiti has been scrawled every-

where by protesters, part of a movement resisting a perceived Chinese encroachment on Hong Kong’s freedoms.

“Give me liberty or give me death,” read one, not far from where a makeshift Statue of Liberty stood.

Others denounced Beijing as “ChiNazis”, and declared “I will only marry a brave fighter in my life”. In a gymnasium, the floor was covered by dozens of yoga mats, discarded clothing, shoes and face masks, underneath a huge group photo of student athletes lined up and smiling during happier times.

A nearby room was turned into a triage unit, strewn with supplies such as disinfectant, bandages, and asthma inhalers. A major concern for university authorities is widespread vandalism to PolyU’s laboratories and other technical facilities. “A large number of facilities at the site, including many laboratories, were damaged to varying degrees, and some chemicals and dangerous goods were also missing,” university officials said in a statement Wednesday.

“At the same time, many scientific research projects were interrupted due to the incident, which will seriously affect PolyU’s teaching and research.”

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

08 COMMENT

Pakistan hates vegetarians

Risks of on job training Botching the COAS’ extension

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HE PM has the right to appoint the COAS after following the due procedure. It appears however that there is no law governing the extension to the COAS. All the four army dictators granted extensions to themselves while Gen Kayani was given a second chance by the PPP government. Mr Nawaz Sharif on the other hand declined to give Gen Raheel Sharif another tenure.

Meanwhile murmurs against the extensions given to army chiefs continued. Before coming to power, Prime Minister Khan railed against the practice. Once in power he took a U-turn on the issue.

Keen to take the credit, Mr Khan himself announced Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension without giving it a second thought. Later, realizing the mistake, he hastily took the matter to the Cabinet and sent summary to the President. However the President’s notification differed from that of the PM over the reappointment/extension, issue underlining the confusion prevailing within the ruling party.

The issue might have been settled amicably if the Attorney General had admitted that the government committed gross procedural errors and promised to remove them in line with the court’s observations. The AG however insisted that the government had made no mistake. When the court questioned him about provisions in the Army Act regarding extension, it was discovered that there was a legal void on the issue. What complicated the matter further were the amusing stands taken by the AG. At one stage the government’s chief law officer maintained that a General never retires till he hands over command to another General. Going a step further he claimed that even a General who retired years back could be re-employed as COAS. The CJP advised the government to step back and assess the damage it is has already inflicted.

The three-year term of General Bajwa as COAS is ending on Thursday midnight. He will be able to continue his service only if the Supreme Court decides the case in his favour before the deadline. The only positive thing that could emerge from the crisis that is embarrassing for the Army is the laying down of rules regarding reemployment and extension in services of the COAS.

Changes in Punjab Too little too late?

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HAT Prime Minister Imran Khan intended radical changes in Punjab reflected the growing feeling that something had to be done about the poor governance afflicting the largest province, not least because it was last year’s win in the province that had allowed the PTI to get enough seats to form the government. Added to the poor performance of the federal government on the economy was the malaise of governance in the country’s largest province, where no change was visible despite the tall claims of the government. It was hoped that Mr Khan would make radical changes on his recent visit to the province, which would include the sacking of non-performing ministers, or even perhaps Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, on whose selection Mr Khan particularly prided himself, even though his total previous experience had been as a tehsil nazim.

Mr Buzdar, it seems, has survived, as have his ministers, but neither the Chief Secretary nor the IGP have. It seems that the bureaucracy has once again been obliged to carry the can for the government’s failures of governance. It does seem too frequent an occurrence for comfort. This would be the third Chief Secretary and fifth IGP of this government’s tenure of only 15 months.

Going by the past, one would expect either official to have a tenure of about two years. Apart from the question of frequency, there is the issue of manner. That the heads of the provincial bureaucratic hierarchies can be so summarily removed militates against the good governance the PTI promised, and is a dampener on the spirits of their juniors. Both officials have not had the courtesy of a word of explanation offered and the likelihood of another reshuffle down the line is a further dampener on bureaucratic spirits.

The idea that the bureaucracy is still somehow beholden to the Sharifs is now wearing thin as an excuse for non-performance. It almost seems that PTI stalwarts do not want so much to remove that influence they are supposed to have had over officialdom, as to be able to exercise it themselves. However, while the government must be wished every success in its attempt to improve, scepticism must be excused. Reshuffling bureaucrats has been tried before, and now it seems that everyone has been tried, so why should they succeed now?

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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Being vegetarian in Pakistan can be an utterly alientating experience

Faraz TalaT

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’ll start with an anecdote that should seem unusual, but isn’t. It’s happened several times. Going through the ‘Salads’ section of any major restaurant’s menu, I’ve learned to not be surprised at the presence of meat in every salad. Chicken Caesar salad.

Thai beef salad. When meat isn’t in the name of the salad, it’s certainly there in the fine-print description underneath. A few days I asked my server if the chef can prepare a salad without meat. “No meat, just chicken?” he asked. No, not even chicken. My poor server did not have a script for people who stubbornly refuse to partake in any and all animal flesh.

And neither do most of my friends and relatives. When I ask my host for a vegetarian option, I get a confused look that asks why I’m even there. In Pakistan, a ‘dawat’ doesn’t begin until a chicken clucks its final cluck. A butcher’s counter is the altar of good times. What’s the point of an ‘outing’ if you’re eating nothing but veggies?

Pakistan is no stranger to wholesome vegetable-based foods. In many parts of Pakistan, one can conceive biryani without meat but never without potato. Who hasn’t enjoyed a homely fiesta of daal maash and chapati, or the mouthwatering delight that is saag with makai ki roti?

Who hasn’t over-indulged in rajhma-chawal as the ultimate comfort food, or had chickpea palau with a side of mixed achar. Who hasn’t torn bits of fresh naan on his drive back home from the tandoor, not complaining about the lack of meat?

All of our scrumptious delights from maithi aalu to daal chawal are utterly irresistible until you put the ‘vegetarian’ label on them. The moment you do, these foods lose their desi wholesomeness and begin to taste like a foreign

conspiracy. ‘Vegetarian’, as in Hindu? Or ‘veg- for six months. Yes, improper consumption caretarian’ as in the egregious Western trend that’s ries the risk of anemia and poor musculoskeletal turning our Muslim children into protein-de- development, but vegetarians don’t need to be prived, animal-loving cowards who wince at the constantly told about them. When I see a person sight of a goat bleeding to death on our front eating chicken karahi at a wedding, I don’t rush porch? We’re all in for a family-sized platter of to him on the risk of salmonella. Why would you delicious parathas and aalu anday, but what’s assume that your vegetarian friend is always two this unearthly ‘vegetarian’ nonsense that these finger-breadths away from a fatal nutritional deficiency? About 38 percent of the India’s 1.3 bilout-of-touch liberals keep whimpering about?

The association of meat-eating with ‘mas- lion population is vegetarian, mostly by choice, and nature doesn’t seem culinity’ was inevitable. to be holding a grudge Men aren’t men until against their ‘omnivothey’ve killed somerous’ existence. Something. What’s manhood The hardest part is being how, they find a way to without a bit of blood, live and grow in numtorment, and sacrifice? constantly made to bers.

Oh, and not a sacrifice of Being vegetarian in one’s own, but of some apologize for one’s Pakistan can be an utunsuspecting gentle environmental or moral terly alienating experibeast minding its own ence. While hanging out business in the meadow. values. I’m sorry, I just with non-vegetarian A man needs his big and don’t want to hurt animals to friends at homes and juicy steak, never mind a restaurants, I often feel wealth of vitamin and put food on my plate. I’m like I’m eating ‘alongminerals that come exside’ them and not clusively from vegetasorry if you feel like I’m ‘with’ them. Even when bles and fruits. judging you. Yes, I’m aware vegetarian options are It’s just nature, you available (cucumber see. As if slaughterof the potential health salad and water don’t houses and supermarproblems that can be caused count), it’s always a bit kets sprung naturally uneasy watching others from the earth to supply if I’m not careful with my sharing platters and an environment-destroyhandis, while I eat from ing overabundance of meal plans. No, I’m not my own separate pot of animal flesh, a massive doing this for attention mixed vegetables. chunk of which will exThe hardest part is pire unconsumed. As if being constantly made those same supermarto apologize for one’s kets don’t also supply a cornucopia of fresh fruits, vegetables, and veg- environmental or moral values. I’m sorry, I just etable-based foods capable of fulfilling all our don’t want to hurt animals to put food on my nutritional needs. I suppose I’ll just forward my plate. I’m sorry if you feel like I’m judging complaints and grievances to Ms Nature then? you. Yes, I’m aware of the potential health Nature made no comment when humans began problems that can be caused if I’m not careful defying gravity to fly through the air at 900 kilo- with my meal plans. No, I’m not doing this for meters per hour; but human innovation just sur- attention. Are you ‘seeking attention’ when you renders and flat-lines before our craving for fried ask for halal food at a restaurant abroad? If I’m willing to respect your religious values, why chicken, doesn’t it?

“But what about your health?” is what me must I be made to explain my own values and and my medical degree are both tired of hearing. conscientious food choices? I don’t quite feel What is it about my chicken-less Greek salad that like I need to. makes meat-eaters see morbidity and death?

Faraz Talat is a medical doctor from There’s no vitamin, mineral, or essential amino acid that you cannot find in fruits and vegetables, Rawalpindi and an ardent traveller who writes considering that you’re consuming a healthy va- frequently about science, social politics and riety and not living on canned mushrooms alone international relations.

A wake up call The whole change agenda is in danger at the Interior Ministry Syed Fawad ali Shah

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government has been very attractive for our educated youth for a long time.

Every person graduating from a college or university wants to get a government job, preferably in a lucrative department. There are many filters while recruiting a person to any public office, but unfortunately after induction, there is no system while promoting or transferring a public servant. In recent years many public servants were found involved in such illegal activities as corruption, corrupt practices, misuse of authority and even terrorism. The main reason being there is no mechanism to keep a check on their inside and outside office activities.

There is a complete lack of coordination even among the government offices. Due to this communication gap, the officer of one department can easily take undue advantage of his position by deceiving and misleading the officers of other departments. Taking the example of the Ministry of Interior will show that many government officials are able to get passports without disclosing their official position. Many public servants of attached organs of the Interior Ministry acquire long leave in the name of studying inside Pakistan but after availing it, they immediately go abroad for some business or pleasure trip. Due to this lack of coordination within different strata of the Interior Ministry, many public servants are able to acquire dual nationality easily. Similarly inquiries and investigations may be pending against a government officer under this Ministry in a law enforcement agency but his own department remains completely ignorant of it. Officers mat be convicted by courts of law yet Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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they keep enjoying their official perks and privileges. Such officers get lucrative postings and even get promotions by evading the due process.

A strange phenomenon is that of the Federal Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Interior. Here one FIA circle may be conducting an enquiry against its own officer yet the same officer might be heading another important circle of FIA. The most alarming part is the issue of FIA promotions. The persons with tainted record are not only considered for promotion but even assigned lucrative postings as well. Interestingly the policy makers at the FIA headquarters are so strong that they don’t even bother to inform the Interior Ministry about the departmental proceedings pending against some of FIA’s notorious officers. The promotion board for inspector to Assistant Director is going to be held this week in the Ministry of Interior. There are some inspectors against whom departmental inquiries are pending at the orders and instructions of courts and even the Senate’s Standing Committee on interior. However, some FIA high ups are so bold that they have deliberately concealed this fact from the promotion board. One can imagine that such corrupt officers will become bolder after getting promotion. It is an established government policy to suspend an officer under enquiry so that he cannot misuse his official position to influence the ongoing proceedings. On one hand such corrupt officers are being facilitated, while on the other hand some FIA officers are being grilled simply for not obeying the illegal commands of their high ups. Prominent officers like Bilal Aslam, Rizwan Aslam, Afzal Niazi, Mian Sabir and many others have been sidelined for last couple of years for no good reason.

But here the name of one Assistant Director FIA, Shahid Ilyas Khan, is worthy to mention, who is not only a well-educated and competent

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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person but also an honest and upright officer. He is a shining star of FIA who remained the first ever in-charge of Pakistan’s foremost cybercrime police station. The gentleman has many achievements to his credit, such as arresting the notorious human trafficker Moula Bakhsh Irani who was involved in sending thousands of illegal immigrants through the Pak-Iran border. But his biggest achievement so far may have been playing an active role in the Joint Investigation Team of the famous Mashal Khan Public Lynching case which occurred in 2017 at Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan. He made day and night efforts for ensuring justice to the devastated family of Mashal Khan against all odds. Unfortunately it was some unscrupulous elements in FIA who played a dirty role by maligning his career through fabricated and concocted allegations. Shahid Ilyas Khan is not only a man of action but a man of letters as well. But instead of taking advantage of his literary and investigative skills, his great talent is being pushed into oblivion. There seems dual standards for different officers within FIA. Luckily both the incumbent Interior Minister Brigadier (R) Ijaz Shah and Secretary Interior are very honest and dedicated persons. It is hoped that they will take notice of the illegalities going on in FIA. They must devise some scrutiny mechanism at the ministry level to counter the nepotism and favoritism pursued by FIA while recommending officers for posting and promotion. Because FIA needs a massive operation clean up within its ranks. The main slogan of transparency and corruption-free Pakistan seems in doldrums at FIA. The Interior Minister should review how many officers and officials spend their entire service at one station although the structure of FIA is entirely federal. The officers of one province should be posted to other provinces as well. Moreover a centralized database should be maintained at the Ministry level to check the track record of posting, transfer and promotion of all FIA officers. Only this way FIA can be purged of any nepotism and favouritism.

Syed Fawad Ali Shah is a Pakistani Journalist Currently Based in Malaysia.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 28 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

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 potest 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

Will not let you go zaeem mumTaz BhaTTi

“I

will let you go come what may, I will not give NRO at any cost”.

These stock phrases ring hollow, with Nawaz Sharif going to London. However, this does not prevent the Prime Minister from reiterating them with more vigour and force. Or perhaps, he seems to have lost touch with political realities that have undergone a paradigm shift.

Not a single day goes without IK getting on his hobbyhorses of corruption, and political vengeance. With his minions, Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Farogh Naseem, he leaves no stone unturned in selling this narrative to the nation, blithely ignoring every other thing. They say, revenge is sweeter. The modus operandi is simple enough: throw all the blame on previous governments, clamour about their alleged corruption and get away with your shockingly poor performance. It goes without saying, when the foundation is shaky, the superstructure built thereon would come crashing down with it. No longer are people buying this narrative.

Voice cracked with emotions, anger and frustration writ large on his face, Imran Khan was seen making a frontal assault on all of his political rivals, Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman, Shahbaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in the speech he made at the inauguration of the Hazara Motorway. He mimicked Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and made a mockery of Shahbaz Sharif. It was unbecoming of him to stoop so low. But if anything, given his disposition, it was by no means unexpected. He lamented in so many words that there was one law for the mighty and another for the weak and that some were more equal than others, given the fact that Lahore High Court allowed Mian Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad. In the same breath, he said that it was he who took pity on Nawaz while other cabinet members were opposing it.

He asked the incumbent Chief Justice, Mr Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa and the incoming CJP, Mr Justice Gulzar Ahmed, to take steps to dispel this impression, disregarding the crucial facts that the High Courts of this country are not subordinate to the Supreme Court, and it was the government that had decided not to prefer an appeal against the Lahore High Court’s judgment. This statement came at a critical juncture when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was to decide the application to hear the matter pertaining to foreign funding of the PTI on a day-to-day basis. The application was allowed afterward.

In a scathing reply, the CJP came down hard on him that it was the Apex Court that had sent three Prime Ministers packing and it was the government that allowed Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad.

It was reported that Nawaz Shari’s health was in a critical condition. He was suffering from life-threatening diseases. His life was hanging by a proverbial thread. The medical

board constituted by the government and doc- tomatoes were available for Rs 17 a kilio. To tors of Nawaz Sharif recommended that he get say the least, it was downright ludicrous, bafhis treatment abroad. In the wake of six weeks fling and comical. An economic minister is not bail granted by the Islamabad High Court and supposed to make statements far removed from subsequently by the Lahore High Court’s in- reality. But then again, this is not unusual given terim order, he was allowed to travel abroad the PTI’s track record. At this juncture, one is with his name not taken off the ECL (exit con- reminded of an utterance attributed to Marie trol list). Doctors gave him a high dose of Antoinette, the French queen: “If they have no steroids so that his blood platelets level be in- bread, let them eat cake”! Needless to say, creased and stabilised during traveling. He was oblivious to ground realities, rulers often live in seen wearing a suit and appeared to be physi- ivory towers.

Sheikh Rasheed, the Railways Minister, cally fit, contrary to the reports that his body was swollen with 80 percent of his arteries dug his heels in and refused to throw in the blocked. Another photo from the plane showed towel in the face of a heart-wrenching railway accident where 74 pashim sitting with a large sengers became the bowl of grapes placed victims of the conflabefore him. Yet another gration. video showed him It is high time Imran Khan Imran Khan does walking comfortably not tire of harping on when he landed in Lonset his own house in order the same chord about don. It defies compreand put his finger on the Riyasat-e-Madina, for hension that a person, all the wrong reasons. who was reported to pulse of the fast-changing Deplorable as it is, have suffered from lifepolitical landscape. every step he takes and threatening diseases everything he speaks and was on the verge of Arguably, Imran Khan’s grip are offensive to the death, could miracuvery idea of the lously have been so fit. on power has been Riyasat-e-Madina. The No matter what the acundermined by Maulana state of Madina was not tual situation is, it is a supposed to make the bitter reality that those Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi lives of the common who fall from grace March and Nawaz’s men miserable. With and power, often fall the price of everything victim to mysterious departure abroad. This is going up on a weekly diseases. Needless to basis, it is hard for them remind, the trademark not all. Tongues are to keep their heads slogan, “Mujhe Kyun wagging that the deep above the water. It was Nikala”, pithily capnot the custom of the tured the pain suffered state is not happy with the Riyasat-e-Madina to

by Nawaz Sharif. disappointing performance breathe down political This brings us to enemies’ necks and to the gross incompebeing put in by the ruling persecute them by tence, abject failure, witch-hunting in sham and countless U-turns party and it may not trials. It was a welfare that mark the rule of stomach it for a state where the lives of the present governthe common men were ment. Rampant inflalonger tenure. highly valued. Imran tion and poverty have Khan should stop abusbecome a byword for ing the name this government. Elecof Riyasat-e-Madina. It tricity, gas and water bills and petrol prices have really broken the is no laughing matter. He should stop seeking back of the common man. The ruling party has refuge in religion to cover up the fiascos.

Last but by no means least, it is high time made their lives a living nightmare.

Corruption, instead of being controlled or that Imran Khan set his own house in order and uprooted, it has taken firm root. Needless to put his finger on the pulse of the fast-changing mention, the Auditor General of Pakistan political landscape. Arguably, Imran Khan’s (AGP) pointed out irregularities of more than grip on power has been undermined by Rs15.67 trillion by the federal ministries and di- Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s Azadi March and Nawaz’s departure abroad. This is not all. visions during the audit year 2018-19.

It was claimed that the reforms would be in- Tongues are wagging that the deep state is not troduced in the police. Far from it. The horren- happy with the disappointing performance dous and gut-wrenching incidents like Sahiwal being put in by the ruling party and it may not have failed to move the government out of its stomach it for a longer tenure. lethargy and inaction.

Zaeem Mumtaz Bhatti is a lawyer based in As for the Cabinet of Imran Khan, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, the PM’s Finance Adviser, Lahore. He tweets at @zaeem8825. He can be made himself a laughingstock when he said contacted at zaeem.bhatti89@gmail.com.

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 commited 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

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

Our battle 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 centimeters 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 increased the melting of glaciers.

RAFiA KHALid islamabad

Welcome to Pakistan!

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Tuesday as part of their ongoing tour of the country.

A guard of honour was presented to Prince William and Kate Middleton as they reached Pakistan. The royal couple will visit along with their three children on an official tour, which is expected to repair Pakistan’s international image a great deal. Over the course of the visit, Prince William and wife Kate Middleton will meet a wide variety of people, including children and young people, leaders from government, business and the charity sector, inspiring conservationists, and well-known cultural figures and sporting stars. The royal couple were greeted by PM Imran at his residence and met President Alvi at Aiwan-e-Sadr. The trip was the first of its kind undertaken by any member of the British royal family to Pakistan in 13 years. we Pakistani welcome you with the core of over hearts.

ARooJ MALiK Lahore

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

BlaCk BoxeS fRom CRaSHed HeliCopteRS found in mali BAMAKO

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Agencies

HE black boxes from two French military helicopters that collided in Mali killing 13 soldiers have been found, a French military spokesman said Wednesday.

The crash occurred late Monday during an operation against jihadists in the Liptako region, near the borders with Burkina Faso and Niger. It was the heaviest single loss for the French military in nearly four decades. “The two black boxes from the helicopters have been recovered, they will be handed over to the relevant authorities to be analysed,” the spokesman, Colonel Frederic Barbry, told BFMTV. Three helicopters and a squadron of Mirage jets had arrived on Monday to support ground troops pursuing Islamist extremists. Shortly after troops engaged the insurgents, who fled on motorbikes

and in a pickup truck, a Tiger attack helicopter collided with a Cougar military transport helicopter.

All 13 onboard the two aircraft were killed. Barbry said no theory as to the cause of the crash was being ruled out.

The conditions for flying at the time of the crash were “extremely difficult” because it was a dark night with no moonlight, the spokesman said.

“The pilots work with night-vision binoculars that intensify the residual light when there is no moon, no sources of artificial light like in cities, as is the case in this region.” Barbry said the soldiers’ bodies will be repatriated to the French mainland. In the southwestern French town of Pau, home to a helicopter unit that lost seven troops in the crash, several hundred army veterans, serving officers, officials and ordinary citizens gathered Tuesday evening to pay tribute to the men.

The accident brought to 41 the num-

ber of French troops killed in the Sahel region since Paris intervened against jihadists in northern Mali in 2013.

Since then, armed groups affiliated with the Islamic State group, Al-Qaeda and others have advanced into southern Mali as well as into neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

The chief of staff of the French armed forces, General Francois Lecointre, warned Wednesday against expecting total victory over insurgents roaming an area the size of Western Europe.

“We will never achieve a definitive victory,” he told France Inter radio, while insisting that France’s intervention was “useful, good and necessary”.

“We are producing results but we must be patient and persevere,” he said, adding that a lasting solution to the unrest in the region required “military action but also action on the development front.”

France has 4,500 troops deployed to

help local forces hunt jihadists in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

It had been hoping that a joint counter-terrorism force set up by the five African countries would gradually take over the operations. But the G5 Sahel force has been plagued by a lack of manpower, funds, training and weaponry.

Regional armies have also suffered heavy losses in the fighting.

In some of the deadliest incidents, 43 Malian soldiers were killed in an attack in the east of the country in mid-November whereas Burkina Faso lost 24 troops in an assault on a base near the Malian border in August.

The UN’s 13,000-strong peacekeep-

ing mission in Mali, MINUSMA, has also regularly come under attack, losing over 200 troops since 2013.

Despite the challenges and the growing hostility towards French troops in Mali and Burkina Faso, both former colonies, President Emmanuel Macron’s government is adamant it has no plans to scale back operations. France has presented the battle against the jihadists operating on Europe’s doorstep as a battle for the security both of Africa and Europe.

On Tuesday, outgoing EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker also held that line, saying that “in Mali as elsewhere, it is the French army that is defending Europe’s security and honour.”

Incoming EU chief vows to build green superpower as MEPs vote BRUSSELS Agencies

Brussels’ next top official Ursula von der Leyen set out an ambitious plan for a green and digital transformation of the EU economy Wednesday, as she urged MEPs to approve her top team.

The 61-year-old conservative takes office with Europe challenged to find its new role in a dangerous world, and with Brussels’ power undermined by FrancoGerman rivalry and Britain’s imminent exit. But, addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the former German defence minister endeavoured to strike an upbeat note, urging lawmakers to approve her 27-strong commission so that she can get to work on December 1.

“I ask for your support to give Europe a new start,” she said, in a largely well-received speech attended by the massed ranks of the nominated commissioners and in which she shifted fluently between English, French and German.

“Our union will embark on transformation that will touch every part of our society and economy and we will do it because it will be the right thing to do, not because it will be easy,” she said.

Hailing the Dutch vice-president that she was obliged to pick as her deputy by EU member states, socialist

Frans Timmermans, as the right man for the dossier, she promised a “European green deal… for the health of our planet, our people and our economy.”

As well as promising measures to combat climate change, von der Leyen insisted that Europe has the heft to lead the world in a digital economic revolution. “We are the world’s trading superpower,” she boasted. “We are the largest source and destination of foreign direct investment anywhere in the world.

“We should harness this twin power of digitalisation and climate transition

to boost our industrial base.”

Von der Leyen can expect to see her commission approved, but her own appointment to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as president was approved in July with only nine votes more than she needed, a narrow margin in EU politics.

Three of her initial nominees to the commission were rejected during the parliamentary confirmation process — an unprecedented snub — weakening her from the outset.

Nevertheless, EU diplomats and parliamentary leaders are cautiously op-

timistic she will clear Wednesday’s hurdle, a public vote of MEPs at 12:30pm (1130 GMT).

“Our priorities are a crucial part of the von der Leyen commission,” said Manfred Weber, head of the parliament’s centre-right EPP bloc and himself a disappointed former presidential hopeful.

“In 2024 Europe will have the most ambitious and inclusive climate policy in the world, a European border and coast guard, transformed Europol into a European FBI, a master plan to fight cancer and created millions of jobs.”

The July vote to confirm von der Leyen was conducted by secret ballot, allowing many MEPs to vote against her in protest at the EU leaders’ political tactics. But Wednesday’s roll-call to approve the commission as a whole will be conducted openly, helping the main centre-right, social democratic and liberal factions to whip support.

The commission has members from across the political spectrum and 12 out of 27 of the members will be women, not quite the parity that was promised but the highest number ever in the European Commission. There will nevertheless be opposition. The parliament’s eurosceptic, far-left and right-wing populist parties will vote against, and the sceptical Greens have said they will abstain.

Tears and prayers as Vietnam village mourns cousins killed in UK truck tragedy HANOI Agencies

They wailed and clutched white roses, praying for their dead — families of two cousins who were among 39 Vietnamese found in a truck in Britain held emotional homecomings for the young men Wednesday.

Relatives have waited weeks for their bodies to come home, after they were discovered lifeless in a refrigerated container in Essex, east of London, last month. Hoang Van Tiep, 18, and his 33-year-old cousin Nguyen Van Hung were among 39 people found in the truck, a tragedy that has paralysed communities with grief across central Vietnam, where most of the victims came from.

On Wednesday, 16 canvas-covered coffins finally arrived in Hanoi, unloaded off a flight from London in the early hours before being rushed to their hometowns in ambulances. The coffins carried a grim warning message for their minders: “Human remains, handle with care”. In a tucked-away corner of Dien Chau district in central Nghe An province, hundreds

of relatives, friends and villagers gathered to greet the bodies of the two cousins.

The men boarded the ill-fated truck together, sending their final messages to family on October 21, two days before their bodies were discovered.

Huge crowds of mourning villagers mobbed a pair of ambulances carrying the bodies Wednesday, some relatives jostling to get the caskets out to carry them to their ancestral homes.

Priests stood nearby and prayed, as black-clad relatives wailed. “It’s so sad. Two funerals for two young men, just a few steps away from each other,” said neighbour Thu Nga, carrying a white rose, a common funerary flower in Vietnam.

“They were good men, they just wanted to earn money for the family. So unlucky,” she told AFP. The two men had hoped to find good jobs in Britain.

They paid brokers thousands of dollars for a spot on the truck, and boarded with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and a bit of cash tucked in their wallets. “No one expected him to return home like this,” said one of their relatives, refusing to be named.

Their small town has been in mourning since the news emerged that Tiep and Hung were among the victims. Ahead of their grim homecoming, members of the local Trung Song church hung a purple banner on the main drag in a sign of support for the griefstricken community.

“From the family of Trung Song parish, condolences to our two children,” the banner read.

Later, crowds piled into Hiep’s home where his casket lay before a picture of the young man wearing a tie and with a warm smile on his face.

Floral funeral wreaths lined the entrance to the home, where villagers gathered to sing hymns. Many wore white headbands in line with Vietnam funeral customs. It was bittersweet for some — bereaved but relieved to finally have Hung back on home soil.

“After some time in pain, more than one month since we lost him… it’s great that he is finally here,” said priest Nguyen Van Nien, standing at the home.

“Death is painful for the living… but (Hung and Tiep) would be so happy to be received by so many villagers today,” he added.

CMYK

'Serious' rights violations during Chile protests: Human Rights Watch SANTIAGO: Chile’s national police committed “serious human rights violations” as weeks of violent demonstrations across the South American country claimed 25 lives, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday in a report calling for reform of the force. HRW said the police, known as Carabineros, “committed serious human rights violations, including excessive use of force in the streets and abuses in detention,” during the protests.

The New York-based right group had received hundreds of disturbing reports of abuse, including cases of beatings and sexual assault, Jose Miguel Vivanco, HRW’s director for the Americas, told a press conference in Santiago. “We believe that the abuses are not isolated cases, they are not coincidences,” said Vivanco. The rights groups said in a statement it met with President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago on Tuesday, recommending a series of reforms to help prevent police misconduct. The reforms were needed “in the wake of compelling evidence of excessive use of force and abuses against demonstrators and bystanders.” Among its recommendations is a thorough reform of the Chilean police, including reviewing detention protocols for identity checks, setting up internal control mechanisms and strengthening police training. “We recognize the value of the Human Rights Watch report and the recommendations that have been made to us,” said Lorena Recabarren, the Chilean minister with responsibility for human rights.

She said the findings “concern us and, of course, are ones we receive with pain.”

Meanwhile university student Gustavo Gatica became the first demonstrator to be left fully blind after being hit in the eyes by pellets fired by riot police on November 8 during a protest in Santiago. Gatica’s case has become a symbol among the more than 200 demonstrators who have suffered eye injuries — often resulting in being blinded in one eye — from rubber bullets and pellets fired by riot police. Due to the high number of injuries and pressure from humanitarian groups, police said they would stop using such weapons. Meanwhile violent demos continued in Chile’s main cities, with looting and burning reported in places like La Serena and Iquique in the north, and San Antonio and Valparaiso, in central Chile. Agencies

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

busiNess 11 AEDB, stakeholders discuss bidding process for wind projects ISLAMABAD: A consultative workshop was organised by the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) to discuss with the public and private sector stakeholders RFP (Request for Proposal) packages for competitive bidding of wind power projects. The workshop was attended by many wind power developers falling under category-III of the Cabinet Committee on Energy, along with associated technology providers, technical & financial consultants, provincial energy departments and relevant Federal Government agencies including Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). The meeting was informed that AEDB was pursuing the development of renewable energy-based power generation projects in line with government policies through private sector investors on IPP mode. It was told that more than 1,900MW of wind, solar and bagasse-based power generation projects were already operational and supplying electricity to the national grid. The CCoE, in February 2019, had decided to allow the RE projects in the pipeline to proceed ahead with the development of their respective projects by segregating them into three distinct categories based on the progress and status of the projects. The projects falling under category-I and category-II were allowed to be developed on their respective tariff determinations as made by NEPRA, while the projects falling under category-III were allowed to proceed ahead subject to becoming successful in a competitive bidding process specifically designed for them and based on the quantum identified by NTDC. In compliance with the CCoE decision, AEDB has been facilitating the RE projects under category-I&II for their development. As a result, 12 wind power projects have recently achieved financial closing of their respective projects having a cumulative capacity of 610 MW and will be providing more than 2 billion units of electricity per annum. In order to carry out the competitive bidding for RE projects falling under category-III, AEDB developed RFP documents with the support of USAID SEP programme and based on inputs and suggestions from relevant public sector stakeholders.

In order to seek inputs and suggestions from all relevant stakeholders especially the LOI holders and associated technical and financial experts and lenders, AEDB has planned to carry out consultative workshops on the draft RFP packages for wind and solar projects on 27th and 29th November 2019, respectively. STAFF REPORT

TDAP formulating strategy to facilitate exports: CEO KARACHI: The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), in consultation with various stakeholders, was formulating an export strategy which would soon be submitted to the government for approval. "The purpose of this strategy is to lessen the tax burden on export sector and to extend maximum facilities to exporters," said TDAP Chief Executive Officer Arif Ahmed Khan during a meeting with the members of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) on Wednesday. He underlined the need for rapid industrialisation so as to ensure economic development and prosperity in the country. "Only those countries have strong economy who focused on industrialisation and exports," he remarked. The TDAP chief emphasised the need to diversify export products as the country could not sustain by confining to the export of traditional items. “The development of services sector will help increase exports and IT products can be the main player in this regard.” He noted that rice, leather, engineering and pharmaceutical sectors have massive potential, as exports from these could be increased significantly. He said documentation of the country's economy was essential to formulate better policies aimed at strengthening the economy. Arif Ahmed Khan further emphasised on skill development of workers to increase industrial productivity. "The overall economic environment needs to be changed," he added. APP

PM CAllS fOr PuBliC-PrivATE PArTnErShiPS TO BOOST grOwTh ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

P

RIME Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday directed the officials concerned to form partnerships with the private sector for the execution of development projects, saying that the existing laws should be reviewed to provide maximum facilitation in this regard.

Presiding over a high-level meeting in Islamabad, PM Imran Khan said the development process could be accelerated through the facilitation of the private sector and utilisation of latest resources in various fields like energy, infrastructure, tourism, and communication.

“In this way, projects worth billions of rupees can be initiated.”

The PM directed the ministers and provincial chief secretaries to identify development projects in their respective departments and to start their work on them by simplifying the laws.

PM Imran said the creation of job opportunities for youth and acceleration of the economic process in the country was among the top priorities of the government.

“Our youth is a valuable asset of the country and there is a need to utilise their talents in a positive manner,” he said. “Out of the box thinking is required for this purpose.”

The prime minister also highlighted the importance of capacity building in ministries and provincial departments.

The meeting identified various projects in energy, communication, aviation, tourism, logistics, technology, waste management, social and real estate sectors where public-private partnership could be formed.

It was informed that the government was striving hard to promote public-private partnerships and that maximum facilitation would be extended to facilitate the private sector and to ensure job opportunities for youth.

‘CONDUCIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT’: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated the government’s resolve to further improve the business climate in the country in order to accelerate the pace of economic development.

He was chairing the meeting of government’s economic team in Islamabad on Wednesday.

The PM said the country was experiencing economic stability owing to the prudent policies

Queen maxima lauds fintech OFFICIAL activities in lahore UNAPPRECIATES LAHORE APP

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, in her capacity as the United Nations Secretary General's Special Advocate (UNSGSA) for Inclusive Finance for Development, on Wednesday spent an eventful and busy day on the last leg of her visit in the Punjab capital.

Upon her arrival, she visited Bykea, a Pakistani company providing mobile application-based services for transportation, logistics and cash on delivery payments.

Queen Maxima interacted with a group of Bykea users and appreciated the success stories, profiling and approaches to the concept. The group members apprised the Queen of their experiences, expertise and financial inclusion with the Bykea.

Earlier, Bykea Pakistan Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Muneeb Maayr and employees accorded a warm welcome to the Queen on her

arrival and briefed about the vision performance, evaluation criteria and social impacts of the company.

Separately, the Queen visited Tez Financial Services, a financial technology (Fintech) startup, which was an instant small amount loan provider for short term through its mobile application to its subscribers.

The next stop was a merchant shop powered by Finja, a financial technology (Fintech) startup, where she was given a briefing on the usage of digital technology for financing small businesses by Finja Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Qasif Shahid.

Queen Maxima appreciated the idea of the company which was financing more than 700 small merchants in the city.

Moreover, the next thing on Queen Maxima's itinerary was GharPar, a mobile app and web-based solution providing women with high quality, hygienic, and timely

SERVICES OFFERED

BY BYKEA, TEZ FINANCIAL SERVICES, FINJA AND GHARPAR at-home beauty services. The Queen was briefed about functioning, products and services of the company.

The Queen also met with the trainee girls at the facility and inquired about their learning experiences.

Queen Maxima is visiting Pakistan in her capacity as UNSGSA for Inclusive Finance for Development.

Since 2009, she has been actively engaged worldwide in promoting access of individuals and enterprises to financial services at a reasonable cost, with the aim to improve economic and social development opportunities.

FPCCI laments deClIne In PrIvate seCtor CredIt KARACHI: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Engr Daroo Khan Achakzai has shown his serious concern over the decline in private sector credit by Rs4.1 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal year. He said the decline in demand for private sector credit is due to the high cost of borrowing and slow economic activity in the country, which will subsequently affect the next year economic growth and unemployment. Commenting on the monetary policy, he said that State Bank of Pakistan continuously adopted contractionary monetary policy and kept the policy rate at 13.25pc, while on the other hand, the government had declined profit rates on the National Saving Schemes (NSS) which were discouraging the savings culture in Pakistan. PPI

of the government. “The trust of investors and business community has now been restored,” he remarked.

Terming the overseas Pakistanis an asset, the prime minister said all out steps would be taken for their facilitation. He said the foreign remittances received from overseas Pakistanis were a milestone in the national economy.

He directed his team to ensure that remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis were received by their families without any deduction.

A proposed incentive package for overseas Pakistanis regarding transfer of foreign remittances through legal channels was also presented to the prime minister.

The proposals contained give special incentives for banks and exchange companies to promote foreign remittances.

The representatives of Pakistan Post apprised the meeting that number of post offices providing the service of foreign remittances would be gradually increased to 3,200 from existing 240.

The Naya Pakistan Housing Authority chairman on the occasion briefed the meeting on steps taken for promotion of the housing sector in the country.

market daIly

KSE-100 rises 327 points in volatile session KARACHI STAFF REPORT

It was a partly cloudy day at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), as the indices remained volatile throughout the trading session before landing in the green zone. Foreign investors offloaded equities worth $7.97 million on Tuesday with major selling witnessed in the cement ($1.48 million) and oil and gas exploration ($3.14 million) sectors. Losing 123.42 points, the KSE-100 Index slipped to its intraday low at 37,671.63. The index then managed to recover its losses and closed higher by 327.67 points at 38,122.72. The KMI-30 Index gained 140.77 points to end at 61,361.57, while the KSE All Share Index accumulated 257.23 points, closing at 27,062.69. The overall volumes declined from 488.70 million in the previous session to 228.35 million. Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +0.39pc), Fauji Foods Limited (FFL +3.53pc) and Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF +5.01pc) led the volume chart. The scripts had exchanged 24.03 million, 20.01 million and 15.32 million shares, respectively. Sectors that helped the index accumulate gains included banking (+132.30 points), power generation and distribution (+31.05 points) and tobacco (+30.90 points).

Among the companies, MCB Bank Limited (MCB +53.38 points), Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC +39.13 points) and Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PAKT +32.09 points) contributed the maximum points to the index. The automobile parts and accessories sector (+4.07pc) turned out to be the top performer of the day. Atlas Battery Limited (ATBA +5.00pc) and Exide Pakistan Limited (EXIDE +5.00pc) touched their upper circuit breakers, while Thal Limited (THALL +4.83pc) and Agriautos Industries Limited (AGIL +4.40pc) also closed with decent gains.

China’s industrial profits post steepest fall in eight months BEIJING AGENCIES

Profits at China’s industrial firms shrank at their fastest pace in eight months in October, tracking sustained drops in producer prices and exports and underscoring slowing momentum in the world’s second-largest economy.

Industrial profits fell 9.9pc in October year-on-year to 427.56 billion yuan ($60.74 billion), data released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday, marking the biggest drop since January-February period and compared with a 5.3pc decline in September.

China’s industrial sector has been under pressure in recent months as slowing demand at home and the fall-

out from the Sino-US trade dispute undercut earnings.

“The big drop in October profits suggests the real economy is still facing plenty of difficulties,” said Nie Wen, economist at Shanghai-based Hwabao Trust, adding that the country’s industrial firms now face a double whammy of falling prices and higher funding costs.

“Profit growth is expected to stay negative for a period of time in the future, likely prompting authorities to unveil more growth-boosting measures in a gradual and restrained way.”

Profit declines for the manufacturing sector deepened in October, as margins contracted by 4.9pc in the January-October period, compared with a 3.9pc drop in the first nine months of the year. Mean-

while, the mining sector profit growth also moderated.

For January-October, industrial firms’ profits fell 2.9pc from a year earlier to 5.02 trillion yuan, compared with a 2.1pc decline in January September.

China’s producer price index, seen as key indicator of corporate profitability, posted its sharpest fall in more than three years in October as prices for raw materials weakened. The country’s official manufacturing PM also showed a contraction in activity for the sixth straight month in September with new export orders falling for their 17th straight month.

China’s exports fell in annual terms for the third straight in October, albeit at a slower-than-expected rate.

Despite recent signs of progress in

trade negotiations, there is growing uncertainty about whether Beijing and Washington can reach an agreement that would put off another US tariff hike on Chinese goods scheduled to take effect on Dec 15.

“We expect industrial profit growth to remain sluggish, given the deteriorating growth outlook and elevated uncertainty amid the U.S.-China trade conflict,” said Nomura analysts in a note to clients after the data release.

With growth at near 30-year lows, China’s central bank has recently lowered some of its key lending rates while its governor has pledged to step up credit support and lower funding costs to help those parts of the economy that have struggled with financing.

China’s central bank warned on Mon-

day of increasing downside risks for the economy as growth continues to falter despite various fiscal and monetary stimulus introduced this year.

A Reuters poll of analysts tipped China’s growth to slip to a near 30-year low of 6.2pc this year and then ease further to 5.9pc in 2020, underlining the challenges faced by Beijing.

Industrial firms’ liabilities increased 4.9pc from a year earlier to 66.74 trillion yuan at end-October, compared with a 5.4pc increase at end-September.

Private sector profits rose 5.3pc in January-October, slowing from 5.4pc for January-September.

The data covers firms with more than 20 million yuan in annual revenue from their main operations.

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

12 busiNess

ECC APPrOvES rS30Bn grAnT fOr SAlES TAx rEfunDS TO ExPOrTErS

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD: Metro Pakistan organised the inauguration ceremony of its Solar Power Solution as part of its pledge to reduce Co2 emissions and as a step towards its ‘Clean & Green Pakistan’ initiative. German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck and Adviser to PM on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam Khan joined the ceremony as the chief guest and guest of honour, respectively. PRESS RElEASE

LAHORE: With Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited’s support, Arwa Afridi of Pakistan Railways won two gold medals at the 2nd World Alpagut Championship – a martial arts tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov 22-24, 2019. PRESS REl E A S E

T

GHUlAM ABBAS

HE Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs30 billion for the FBR Refund Settlement Company Limited in order to ensure payment of sales tax refunds to exporters.

The proposal of technical grant for the proposed company was forwarded by the Federal Board of Revenue.

Meanwhile, the ECC, which was headed by Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, also approved the renaming of 'Zero-Rated sector' as 'Export-Oriented Sectors'.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, since the removal of the zero-rated regime through an SRO in June 2019, the continuation of subsidized gas/electricity to the identified sectors has become an issue. For continuation of the facility, it has been renamed as 'Export-Oriented Sectors'. The erstwhile zero-rated sectors, namely textile (including jute), carpets, leather, sports and surgical would be now included in Export-Oriented Sectors.

The ECC meeting approved amendments

in 18 laws and 25 legal procedures to simplify and facilitate investments in oil exploration and production. The amendments in the laws were proposed by the Energy Task Force and other stakeholders.

Earlier, the Ministry of Energy had informed the ECC that a careful review of the Pakistan Onshore Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Rules, 2013, undertaken in consultation with petroleum industry, consultants engaged for the purpose and under the guidance of the Energy Task Force, had revealed that the rules were unduly stringent and had never been objectively updated to capture the latest regulatory and best business practices with a progressive approach to regulate the energy sector and encourage investment in this sector.

Moreover, the committee considered a proposal from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication regarding the extension of government's sovereign guarantee in respect of Telephone Industry of Pakistan for a further period of two years from 16th September 2019 to 15th September 2021 and payment of loan amounting to Rs150 billion, inclusive of mark-up of Rs1.030 billion, for smooth process

Pakistan spent rs87.6bn in four years to ‘bailout’ Psm

Air india will have to close if not privatised: minister NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India’s state-run airline will have to cease operations if it is not privatised, the country’s junior minister for civil aviation said in parliament on Wednesday, in response to a lawmaker’s question on the subject. A group of officials, including India’s home and finance ministers, is finalising the process of inviting bids from the private sector for the loss-making national carrier. The company has lucrative landing slots in India and across the world but has been a burden on the exchequer for years. Officials are still deliberating over some details, said junior civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Once they are finalised, the government will invite bids, he said, adding that India is committed to selling the company. Last year it failed to attract any bidders when it tried to sell a 76pc stake in the airline and offload about $5.1 billion of Air India’s debt. It is now re-evaluating some of the terms and is open to selling the airline in its entirety, Puri said in a written response to a separate question in parliament today. It is also significantly reducing its debt to make it more attractive. One of the biggest hurdles, however, is its large number of employees – Air India has about 9,400 permanent staff and 4,200 contract workers. Puri said in parliament that the government is committed to securing a deal that is favourable for the employees. “The government is committed to the strategic disinvestment of Air India,” Puri said in a written response to a further question in parliament on the same subject on Wednesday. “Any further financial support in a mature and competitive aviation market would not be the best use of scarce financial resources of the government,” he added. “Air India would have a status on a par with other designated carriers of India, post-disinvestment.”

ISLAMABAD GHUlAM ABBAS

As the governments of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have failed to decide about the fate of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), the country has borne over Rs87.6 billion for bailing out the dysfunction mill in four years.

As the mill became completely dysfunctional in 2015, the salaries of thousands of employees and fixed overheads were being met through “bailout packages” from the federal government without any output from PSM. According to officials of the Ministry of Industries and Production, the total bailout package given to the mill was worth Rs87.611 billion till October 2019.

Briefing National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatization, the ministry officials informed

that PSM was at zero production level since 2015.

“The accumulated profit of PSM till 2007-2008 was Rs9.54 billion but after that it started suffering losses and its production was suspended in June 2015,” they added.

The ministry representatives further said PSM was a public limited company with a production capacity of 1.1 million tonne per annum, adding that its total assets were Rs149 billion, total liabilities were Rs219 billion, accumulated losses were Rs207 billion while its net worth was Rs70 billion.

It was informed that the PSM has been placed on the active list of privatisation and that the appointment of a financial adviser has been approved by the Board of Privatization Commission.

According to documents, the mill’s management has not made any effort to recover Rs2.79

billion shown as taxes refundable on its balance sheet from the tax authorities. In addition to financial woes, the mill has continuously failed to recover around 344 acres of its township land encroached by various entities. The value of land has been estimated at Rs3.44 billion by the expert appointed by Privatisation Commission.

Privatization/Commission Secretary Rizwan Malik apprised the committee that the First Women Bank Limited and the SME Bank would be privatised because the government has a fiscal deficit and there was no fiscal space. He said a strategic partner would be required for injecting capital, but the ministry assured that the special character, especially of First Women Bank Limited, would be maintained and majority employees would be protected.

of revival plan of the TIP. The ECC discussed the proposal in detail and constituted a seven-member committee, to be headed by Adviser to PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, to review the proposal and submit its recommendations to ECC within two weeks.

On another proposal by the Ministry of IT & Telecom for exemption of 8pc minimum income tax for National Telecommunication Corporation, the ECC constituted a body comprising Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar, IT Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Board of Investment chairman and a representative from FBR to review the proposal and present suitable recommendations to ECC. The committee also considered and approved an amendment to the implementation agreements in relation to Thal Nova Power Thar Private Limited and Thar Energy Limited after the ECC in its meeting held on 8th November had approved a proposal by the Power Division for amending the implementation agreements in relation to both the firms by increasing the time period from 400 to 490 days for the exercise of Government of Pakistan’s right to terminate both the projects.

Oil falls after surprise uS inventory build NEW YORK AGENCIES

Oil fell about 1pc on Wednesday after a report showing US crude inventories grew unexpectedly last week and gasoline stocks surged, but optimism that a US-China trade deal would be reached soon limited losses. Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 45 cents, or 0.7pc, to $63.82 a barrel by 11:27am EST (1627 GMT). US West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 fell 61 cents, or 1pc, to $57.80 a barrel. US crude stocks swelled by 1.6 million barrels last week as production hit a record high at 12.9 million barrels per day and refinery runs slowed, the Energy Information Administration said. Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast a drop of 418,000 barrels. The more bearish news from the EIA was that U.S. gasoline inventories soared 5.1 million barrels, compared with expectations for a 1.2 million-barrel gain. US gasoline futures RBc1 dropped 3.63 cents, or 2.1pc, to $1.67 a gallon. “The report was somewhat bearish with the across-the-board inventory increases, most notably the 5 millionbarrel increase in gasoline inventories,” John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital Management in New York. “That rise came despite continued strong demand and a down tick in the refinery utilization rate.” Hopes that Beijing and Washington would strike a trade deal limited losses in oil. Prices had risen for the last two days on expectations that China and the United States, the world’s two biggest crude users, would soon sign a preliminary agreement, signaling an end to their 16-month trade dispute. “Trade deal optimism persists,” said Tamas Varga of oil broker PVM. “The belief in a positive trade deal continues unabated.” That was fueled by comments from US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, who said the United States and China were close to agreement after top negotiators spoke by telephone and agreed to keep working on remaining issues. Expectations that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia will maintain their deal to restrain supply have supported prices. The producers, known as OPEC+, hold their next oil policy review meetings on Dec. 5-6 in Vienna. They are expected to extend their supply cut agreement further into 2020.

Govt not to renew agreements with IPPs, NA body told ISLAMABAD GHUlAM ABBAS

As the losses of the power sector continue to swell, the government has decided not to renew the agreements with private power producers (independent power producers) charging a higher rate on electricity.

According to the Petroleum Division officials, the government would not renew power purchase agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) that are expiring in a couple of years.

During a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Privatisation, Special Assistant to Prime

'GOVT-OWNED POWER PLANTS THAT ARE PRODUCING ELECTRICITY ON A HIGHER RATE WILL ALSO BE SHUT DOWN WITHIN TWO YEARS' Minister (Petroleum Division) Nadeem Babar said that the agreements of private electricity producers supplying power on a higher rate would not be renewed. "Not only the IPPs but those governmentowned power plants/units that are producing electricity on a higher rate will also be shut down in next one and half years,” he added.

Earlier, the cabinet had also backed a proposal that opposed the renewal of power purchase agreements with IPPs having 5,000MW electricity generation capacity. The proposal was submitted by Nadeem Babar.

According to officials, the power purchase agreements with the IPPs, including Kapco and Hubco, are going to expire

in the coming years and the government has decided not to renew the agreements.

"This means that the government will not continue to follow the power purchase agreements on a 'take and pay' basis, which binds the government to pay capacity charges," officials said. "However, these power plants will be able to sell electricity to the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) in the summer season when demand is higher compared to the winter."

The power plants were set up under the Power Policy of 1994 and were based on furnace oil. The only flaw is that the past government had not foreseen the fu-

ture scenario of prices of different fuels.

Nadeem Babar informed the committee that the previous government had not paid subsidy worth Rs825 billion announced for industrial and domestic consumers which ultimately contributed in swelling the circular debt.

The meeting of the Standing Committee on Privatization was held under the Chairmanship of MNA Syed Mustafa Mahmud. MNAs Zulfiqar Ali Khan Dullah, Umer Aslam Khan, Shandana Gulzar Khan, Syma Nadeem, Jamshed Thomas, Sikandar Ali Rahoupoto, Khurram Shahzad, Faheem Khan and Muhammad Ameer Sultan were also present on the occasion.

FItness Is not a DestInatIon; It Is a LIFestyLe

I

By Rohama Riaz

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

N our today’s success story, we have Shahid U. Rehman and his transformation journey. We found his fitness struggle quite inspiring and we decided to share with our readers.

“I always wanted to have an active lifestyle and athletic body, but didn’t get an opportunity to transform this desire into reality. However, the spark did not die inside me and kept smoldering into my heart. Two years ago, I decided to materialize this dream by joining the gymnasium at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). The passion to get an athletic body helped me to undergo a rigorous and tough training program under the supervision of my trainer Mr. Muhammad Shakeel. I firmly

followed a workout and diet plan for three months. The consistent exercises and healthy eating habits resulted in a considerable weight/fat loss. Incredibly, I jumped from 216 pounds – 166 pounds in short span of 12 weeks. Right after three months from the day I started training, I had an athletic body which was full of strength and void of unnecessary muscle mass. The Dream comes true! My success of revamping my fitness lifestyle revolves around the four important factors, which are: Discipline, Consistency, Hard work, and Healthy balanced diet. Indisputably, these factors have contributed in swift improvement of my lifestyle, body strength, and cardiovascular health. Moreover, now I am aware of all my body needs.

This transformation was a turning point and paved my future as fitness enthusiast. I joined LUMS Shredded Club as a fitness trainer and helped LUMS community to achieve their fitness goals by organizing HIIT, Cross fit, and weight training sessions. As a token of appreciation, I bagged the most prestigious fitness title of Mr. LUMS (J) 2019 and silver medal in annual LUMS marathon race.

Continuing my passion for fitness, I received an international certification in nutrition and fitness training from University of Colorado, USA. Afterwards, I started online personalized trainings and consultations as a certified fitness trainer. I helped a lot of people to transform their unhealthy routinue to active lifestyle. My fitness plans are very flexible considering one’s diet habits and activity level. Devising fitness plans, I have a realistic approach for everyone like if one is a corporate professional or staying at home or hostel. From my clients, I always receive wonderful response, and their

progress is fantastic. Currently, I’m working on my online fitness club “MAGNETS” aiming to transform people’s life towards healthy, energetic, more dynamic, and maintainable lifestyle. Also, I have registered for International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) Personal Trainer Certification, a more advanced certification in the field of fitness world.

Beside this fitness world, I’m also doing a full time corporate job and executing a collaborative recycling project “biomass ash conversion into commercialized concrete and fertilizer products” of Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Bulleh Shah Packaging (Pvt) Limited Group and Higher Commission of Pakistan. This is another success story of my life.” – Shahid

COKE STUDIO ALL SET TO RELEASE THE SEASON FINALE OF SEASON 12 Coke Studio will be releasing the sixth and final episode of Season 12 on 29th November 2019, featuring Bo Giyam by Kashif Din and Nimra Rafiq, Mundiya by Ali Sethi and Quratulain Balouch, Aaye Kuch Abr by Atif Aslam, and Tiri Pawanda by Harsakhiyan.

Bo Giyam: Newcomer Kashif Din has traveled all the way to Coke Studio from Hunza with Bo Giyam, an original composition with Burushaski lyrics written by Nas Nafees, a poet who also hails from the same valley. Fusing the folk music of Hunza with contemporary colors, Bo Giyam is a song of heartbreak and disappointment. Its lyrics express the speaker’s complaint, wrapping his grief in images of nature: seeds that they have sowed, only to watch them ripen in someone else’s garden, fruits that have fallen in another’s home, the desolation of mountains. Joining Kashif on stage is Coke Studio family member and backing vocalist Nimra Rafiq, who adds Urdu lyrics to the composition, echoing the yearning that is being expressed in the song’s Burushaski lyrics. Fusing the traditional with the contemporary, Burushaski with Urdu, Bo Giyam creates a space that invites listener to feel the gentle longing of its poet’s sorrow.

“When the world came into existence, so did music. There is music in everything. There is a scale in every voice. Everything moves to a timing. Our whole lives move to a beat and even the heart beats to a specific time. As far as I’m concerned, the entire world is music.” said Kashif Din. “It feels nice to have reached this stage and to look back and think of the struggles I had faced as a musician. It doesn’t feel bad; it feels like it was worth it.” said Nimra Rafiq. mundiya: Rediscovering coy banter between romantic partners from the film Mukhra, 40 years later Ali Sethi and Quratulain Balouch take the stage with the festive Mundiya. Originally titled Mundiya Dupatta Chadd Mera, the song was sung by the iconic Madam Noor Jahan and Nadeem Baig and composed by Wajahat Attre.

The lyrics tell the story of two strong-willed characters in a flirtatious back and forth conversation with each other. Enamored by the original, Ali heard something in Quratulain’s voice, a “khanak” (trill) that reminded him of Madam Noor Jehan’s bold, uninhibited, “Mundiyaaaa,” from the original song. What began as a chance studio jam between the artists turned into the genesis of Coke Studio’s Mundiya. The character’s conversation is complemented by the contrasting vocal tones of the two artists at play — Quratulain’s open, uninhibited vocals juxtaposed next to Ali’s more controlled, calculated vocal movements exhibit the ebb and flow of the song. To accentuate the energy between the characters, the song is playful and cheeky, with flamenco elements that create a colorful soundscape.

“Music has enabled me to feel. It has simplified emotions for me. It has helped me understand life.” said Quratulain Balouch.

HULK VS WOLVERINE PITCHED BY MARK RUFFALO

FANS HATE GOOFY STAR WARS MARVEL JOKES: 'THEY FLY NOW' BACKFIRES

While one of Mark Ruffalo's idea is straight out dumb as heck, at least he confirms that a Hulk vs Wolverine movie has been talked about, which follows those recent rumors.

It's claimed that since Universal still owns the distribution rights to Hulk solo films, that the flick will be more about Wolverine, hence "Wolverine vs Hulk" (or whatever it ends up being titled) and similar to how Thor: Ragnarok adapted the "Planet Hulk" comic book storyline but was more about Thor, the Wolverine vs. Hulk movie will focus on Wolverine's MCU origins that see the Immortal Hulk go into Canada for some reason with Alpha Flight and Wolverine in hot pursuit.

If you are not familiar with the Immortal Hulk from the comics, it's pretty awesome and more adult and horror-oriented, and the complete opposite of the cruddy and goofy Hulk from Avengers: Endgame that disappointed so many fans.

Rumors also offer the flick is three to four years away and that it may even feature Hugh Jackman back as Logan as they are leaving the door open for Jackman to return.

It appears as if all the rumors suggesting Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker may be a complete disaster may be true as a new clip offers absolutely no hope for the final film in the Skywalker saga.

Similar to those cringe-inducing Poe jokes at the beginning of Rian Johnson's awful The Last Jedi, we see that J.J. Abrams is not going to fix Star Wars as a new clip recently released offers perhaps an even cringier line with: "They fly now."

I'm guessing Disney was hoping that #TheyFlyNow would go viral and help promote the movie, but just the opposite has happened, as it's simply awful.

Fans on social media have even pointed out that Poe being clueless, as well as Finn, about the fact that Stormtroopers can fly, makes zero sense - just like all of the Disney Star Wars movies - because, in the comics, Poe has seen the Stormtroopers fly before, not to mention Finn was a Stormtrooper.

So we see J.J. Abrams and those that worked on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker didn't bother doing their homework, and similar to Rian Johnson, just didn't care.

CMYK

PARVATHY WINS THE INTERNET WITH HER APOLOGY FOR USING ‘BIPOLAR DISORDER’ CASUALLY Malayalam actor Parvathy Thiruvothu spoke with great clarity on a recent chat show, hosted by film critic Anupama Chopra.

While Parvathy has received all-round appreciation for calling out Arjun Reddy and Kabir Singh’s misogyny, she has been called out for casual use of the phrase ‘bipolar disorder’.

A Twitter user, highlighting it, wrote: “Okay ya’all Parvathy is definitely rocking it here but DID SHE JUST SAY “THAT’S A BIPOLAR BEHAVIOUR?!” - Sorry i couldn’t continue watching it post that.” The user also retweeted a part of Parvathy’s portion from the show, where she is explaining how Arjun Reddy/Kabir Singh is different from Joker and casually uses the phrase ‘bipolar disorder’. Clearly, it didn’t go down well with many. On seeing the said tweet, Parvathy immediately apologised. In a series of three replies, she explained that she is trying to ‘unlearn usages’ about ‘using grave mental disabilities’ as mere adjectives.

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

14 SPORTS

Mbappe stars as psG snatch draMatic point at real Madrid MaDriD

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Agencies

YLIAN Mbappe instigated a dramatic Champions League comeback on Tuesday as Paris Saint-Germain scored twice in two minutes to rescue a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid and secure first place in Group A. Madrid dominated the majority of a pulsating contest at the Santiago Bernabeu and looked to have sewn up an impressive victory when Karim Benzema scored his second goal in the 79th minute.

But PSG pulled off an unlikely turnaround as Mbappe capitalised on a defensive mix-up to pull one back in the 81st minute before Pablo Sarabia, once of Real, drove into the top corner second later.

"Real were better for long periods," said PSG coach Thomas Tuchel. "We were lucky but that's not a crime." Gareth Bale, who came on as a substitute to a mixed reception from the home fans, almost won it in injury-time when his bending free-kick struck the post.

The draw means PSG will go through as group winners while Madrid are guaranteed to

finish second after Club Brugge drew 1-1 at Galatasaray in the early kick-off. Madrid's late capitulation tarnished an excellent display that highlighted their transformation since the 3-0 thrashing at the Parc des Princes in September.

"It was a great performance," said Zinedine Zidane. "The players are not happy with the result but you have to be happy with what we have done for 80 minutes. I'd take that performance all day long."

There was also the worrying sight of Eden Hazard hobbling off with what looked like an ankle injury in the second half, with the Clasico against Barcelona only three weeks away.

"It's more than just a knock but I hope the twist is a minor one," said Zidane.

Neymar was also left on the bench by Tuchel despite recovering from a hamstring injury, only to be brought on at half-time. It was his dummy that led to Sarabia's equaliser.

"I didn't want to risk him," said Tuchel. "I prefered to be sure he could finish the match."

Zidane's press conference on Monday became another ode to Mbappe, who will reportedly be Madrid's number one target next summer.

Kremlin says Russia remains 'open to cooperation' on doping Moscow Agencies

recommended a four-year sporting ban on Russia. The WADA committee's recommendation came after Russian authorities were accused of falsifying laboratory data related to the country's doping scandal, which was handed over to investigators in January.

Under the proposed WADA sanctions, individual Russian athletes could still compete in Olympic events if they are able to prove they are not implicated in the broader doping scandal that was unveiled after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Russian athletes who could prove they were above suspicion were able to compete under the designation of "Olympic Athlete from Russia", marching under the Olympic flag.

Full disclosure of data from Moscow's testing laboratory was a central condition of the suspension of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) being lifted in 2018.

WADA's executive committee is expected to approve the proposed sanctions at a meeting in Paris on December 9.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said Russia regrets a proposed four-year blanket ban for the country's athletes over doping but will remain open to cooperation. "This is definitely concerning information. We regret this," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists. In the Kremlin's first reaction to anti-doping watchdog WADA's compliance review committee's recommendations issued Monday, he stressed that Moscow was open to cooperation with international authorities "You know the Russian sporting authorities have been, are and will remain as open as possible to cooperation and collaboration with the international sporting community and also with WADA," he said. If WADA chiefs adopt the review committee's recommendations, Russia faces exclusion from key sporting events including the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The doping scandal has tainted Russia's sporting reputation for the last five years, after revelations of large-scale statesponsored doping aimed at improving Russia's medal performance at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Monday's call from the World AntiDoping Agency's review panel came after Russian authorities were accused of falsifying laboratory data related to the country's doping scandal, which were handed over to investigators in January. Peskov said news of the possible ban was "far from joyful for us," but Moscow would await the final decision on the proposed ban by WADA's executive committee on December 9 before making an assessment.

Ibrahimovic invests in Swedish club Hammarby

Pakistani figure-skater wins gold in Austria

US anti-doping boss wants blanket Russia ban at Olympics Moscow Agencies

United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) chief Travis Tygart on Tuesday called for a blanket ban on Russian athletes at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

In a strongly worded statement, Tygart said proposed World Anti-Doping Agency sanctions which included allowing Russian athletes to compete under an Olympic banner were "inadequate." "WADA must get tougher and impose the full restriction on Russian athlete participation in the Olympics that the rules allow," Tygart said.

"Only such a resolute response has a chance of getting Russia's attention, changing behavior, and protecting today's clean athletes who will compete in Tokyo, as well as future generations of athletes in Russia who deserve better than a cynical, weak response to the world’s repeated calls for Russia to clean up its act."

Tygart's comments came a day after WADA's Compliance Review Committee

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has acquired roughly a quarter of the shares in Stockholm-based football team Hammarby, the club said Wednesday.

The 38-year-old former Juventus, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United forward has bought 50 percent of American sporting and entertainment company Anschutz Entertainment Group's (AEG) stake in the Swedish team, according to a separate statement by AEG. AEG also owns LA Galaxy where Ibrahimovic has played the last two MLS seasons, although he has confirmed he will leave when his contract runs out at the end of the year.

Ibrahimovic had hinted that something

was in the works earlier this week when he posted a short video on Instagram showing a football jersey in Hammarby's colours and the name Ibrahimovic on the back.

He said he would not have a playing role for Hammarby. "For 10 years I’ve said I won’t return to Allsvenskan (Sweden's top league). It’s not going to happen," he told sports magazine Sportbladet.

"I had agreed with the team from Hammarby and AEG to get this thing as global as possible. We were to be seen all over the world. Not just in Sweden."

"This is still new to us, but of course very exciting," Hammarby's chairman Richard von Yxkull said in a statement. Agencies

sports Desk Mallak Faisal Zafar won an international competition for figure skating in Austria, beating hundreds of other contestants from around the world.

The young twelve-year-old Pakistani girl grabbed the first position in the two-day Basic Novice Girls II category at the 24th International Eiscup Inssbruck. Zafar brought immense pride to her own country after standing out among the other participants who were participating in the competition from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and other countries.

CMYK

Manchester City owners in record valuation after US investment LonDon Agencies

The parent company of Premier League champions Manchester City has been given a global record sports valuation of £3.73 billion ($4.8 billion) after US equity firm Silver Lake acquired just over 10 percent of the company on Wednesday.

Silver Lake have signed a definitive agreement to make a £389 million ($500 million) investment in City Football Group (CFG).

CFG, which has a stake in seven football clubs globally, including in the US, Australia, Japan and China, already has 12 percent of its equity held by a consortium

of Chinese institutional investors led by Chinese media and entertainment conglomerate CMC Inc. California-based Silver Lake has moved into entertainment in recent years after being primarily known for investing in technology companies such as Alibaba, Dell and Skype.

CFG chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement the investment would help the company grow. "We and Silver Lake share the strong belief in the opportunities being presented by the convergence of entertainment, sports and technology and the resulting ability for CFG to generate long-term growth and new revenue streams globally."

Dybala stunner seals top-spot for Juventus but Atletico must wait Turin: Paulo Dybala's ferocious curled free-kick earned Juventus a 1-0 home win over Atletico Madrid and top spot in Champions League Group D. The Italian champions had already booked their place for the last 16 with two games to spare but made sure of top spot with an impressive win on Tuesday. Dybala struck two minutes into first-half injury time. His left-footed effort whipped into the net from a seemingly impossible angle leaving goalkeeper Jan Oblak with no chance. Diego Simeone's Atletico will need to win their final group game against Lokomotiv Moscow in Madrid to be sure of advancing to the knockout rounds. "I think Dybala scored a goal that we can't recommend," said his coach Maricio Sarri. "The first thing a coach says when he sees someone trying to shoot from that position is 'but why the hell are you shooting from there!' "He did something extraordinary, he deserved the applause," said Sarri.

"It was an extraordinary piece of skill." Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the side and played for the entire match after missing last weekend's game against Atalanta and was substituted in their previous two games because of a slight knee problem. Agencies

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

SPORTS 15

rahKeeM cornwall seven-for Gives west indies the edGe on turninG pitch Lucknow

r

Agencies

AHKEEM Cornwall picked up a career-best 7 for 75 as Afghanistan squandered a sound start to be dismissed for 187 on the first day of the inaugural Test at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

In response, West Indies lost two early wickets before John Campbell and Shamarh Brooks took them to 68 for 2 at stumps, 119 behind Afghanistan's first-innings total. With the surface offering sufficient help to the spinners, run-scoring may become even more difficult as the game progresses.

On a turning track, the most difficult delivery to negotiate is the one that goes straight, and the newest entrants to Test cricket discovered it first-hand as Cornwall ran through them.

Three of his wickets came off balls that spun little, while one turned significantly less than what the batsman expected. Cornwall showed great control over line and length during a 21-over spell, interrupted only by the lunch break.

Having been 84 for 1 at one stage, Afghanistan lost six wickets for 27 runs and slipped to 111 for 7. Wicketkeeper-batsman Afsar Zazai and debutant Amir Hamza added 54 for the eighth wicket before Cornwall struck again, dismissing Zazai off the last ball before tea. He then picked up the

ner but the ball went on straight final wicket after the interval.

West and Shai Hope pouched the The collapse was trigedge at first slip. gered by Jomel Warrican, 2 foR 68 InDIes After the break, Rahthough. Having added 56 (CAmPbell 30*, mat Shah fell to a sharp for the second wicket with Ihsanullah, Javed bRooKs 19*, RAshID 1-24) offbreak with Jason Holder taking his second Ahmadi holed out to tRAIl AfghAnIstAn 187 catch at leg slip. Nasir long-off off the left-arm spinner. After that, Corn(AhmADI 39, hAmzA 34, Jamal, the other debutant, to work one on the wall was all over the opCoRnWAll 7-75) by leglooked side but the ball went position. In the last over with the arm and Hope before lunch, Ihsanullah tried 119 Runs pouched it at first slip. Lack of to defend one from the offspin-

Pink ball challenge is the chance we need, says Imamul haq Opener Imam-ul-Haq says he is hopeful the team will put up a good show when they take on hosts Australia in the second day/night Test in Adelaide on Friday. The second Test at Adelaide Oval is a pink-ball affair, with Australia having the upper hand, having won all five pink-ball Tests they have played since the concept was launched four years ago. The batsman while speaking to the media said the Pakistan camp was not accustomed to the pink ball and admitted that, like every other Australian clash, would be a “challenge”. “We haven’t trained with the pink ball but we have been given two days to prepare and being professional cricketers it should not be too big of a challenge,” Imam said. The 23-year-old added that if picked he could not wait to be a part of the pinkball Test, which he hailed for its entertainment factor. “A lot of people attend Test matches because of the day and night aspect,” Imam said. “The wicket seems good and it will be a good match for sure.” sports Desk

PCB announces women's ODI, T20I squad for England series Lahore Agencies

The Pakistan women’s selection committee has announced the 15-member squads for next month’s three ICC Women’s Championship ODIs against England in Kaula Lampur.

The ODI's will be followed by three T20Is from December 9 to 20. The women’s selection committee, chaired by Urooj Mumtaz made four changes in the ODI squad from the one which took on Bangladesh women in the two-match series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium earlier this month.

Right-handed batter Kaynat Hafeez and right-arm off-spinner Rameen Shamim have earned maiden call-ups, while all-rounder Nida Dar and left-arm orthodox Anam Amin have made returns.

They have replaced Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Sadia Iqbal and Sana Mir (who has taken a break from international cricket).

There were four changes in the T20I line-up as well.

Fifteen-year-old leg-break bowler Aroob Shah has received a maiden call-up for the T20I squad after making an impressive ODI debut against Bangladesh.

Fatima Sana and Rameen have been recalled after they missed Pakistan’s last T20I assignment, the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh women, due to their participation in the ACC Emerging Women's Teams Cup. Nida Dar, who returns after a stint with Sydney Thunder in the Rebel Big Bash League, will also be part of the squad.

neil Wagner rises to no 3 in ICC test bowling rankings weLLington Agencies

New Zealand left-arm quick Neil Wagner has moved up to No.3 among bowlers in the ICC Test rankings. He gained five places after bagging eight wickets, including a five-for in the second innings, to lead New Zealand to victory in the first-ever Test in Mount Maunganui. Wagner's team-mate BJ Watling, who became the first New Zealand wicketkeeper to make a Test double-hundred, shot up 12 spots to be placed 12th among Test batsmen.

Watling had soaked up 473 balls in Mount Maunganui - only Sri Lanka's Brendon Kuruppu has faced more balls than the New Zealander among wicketkeeper-batsmen in a Test innings.

Watling's effort took his points tally to a careerbest 693. Australia's Marnus Labuschagne also reached career-best points of 684 and slotted in at 21 - nine places behind Watling.

turn and extra bounce did for Asghar Afghan, who edged a cut to wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich to complete Cornwall's maiden five-for.

Holder got rid of Rashid Khan from the other end before Zazai and Hamza staged their brief recovery. The West Indies captain once again turned to Cornwall for the breakthrough and the offspinner didn't disappoint. Zazai shouldered arms to one he expected to spin down the leg side only to be trapped in front of the stumps for 32.

Hamza and Yamin Ahmadzai added 22 for the ninth wicket before the last two wickets fell on the same score. Afghanistan's innings ended 30 minutes into the final session, and lasted 68.3 overs in all.

Earlier, it had seemed like a mistake from Holder when he opted to bowl, citing moisture in the pitch, on a hazy morning in Lucknow. While a couple of deliveries did seam and bounce - especially from the captain himself - there was hardly any venom in them to trouble the Afghanistan openers.

Having scored 21 and 87 on his Test debut against Bangladesh, Ibrahim Zadran once again showed the temperament of a proper Test opener. He was decisive in his footwork, whether defending on the front foot or back, or even while leaving balls outside off. And when the West Indies seamers pitched the ball up in search of movement, he drove them through the covers.

Labuschagne's 185 in the Brisbane Test was central to Australia securing an innings victory over Pakistan. David Warner, who endured a horrid Ashes series in England, opened the home Test summer with 154 and consequently gained six places to move to 17th. Steven Smith continues to be the No.1ranked Test batsman with 931 points. India captain Virat Kohli is hot on his heels, with 928 points, having hit a century in the firstever pink-ball Test in India.

England captain Joe Root, meanwhile, dropped out of the top ten for the first time since August 2014. India opener Mayank Agarwal replaced Root in the top ten, also achieving career-best points of 700.

Ishant Sharma, who took nine wickets in the pink-ball Test in Kolkata, moved from 20th to 17th while Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim gained four places to reach 26th among batsmen after making a counterattacking 74 in Kolkata.

The three ODIs, part of seventh round fixture of the ICC Women’s Championship, serve Pakistan, ranked fifth in the eight-team table, with an opportunity to secure direct qualification in the ICC Women’s World Cup New Zealand 2021 by beating second-ranked England. Top four teams by the end of the two-year cycle, which concludes next year, along with the hosts will secure berths in the upcoming World Cup.

Inam to defend wrestling title in South Asian Games Wrestler Inam Butt has set his sights on defending his title in December’s South Asian Games in Nepal, despite difficulties the wrestling camp has been facing. Butt spoke to a local media channel and revealed that preparations for the games have not been up to speed as training camps were not made available. “We do not have a proper training camp and we face difficulty in preparing for the games whereas, our opponents from India and across Asia have been training with the intention of competing in the Olympics,” he said.

Inam, who won gold in the Asian Games earlier in November, admitted that the setback brought his spirits down but despite that, the wrestler was aiming to lift the title. “We make the most of what we have and we know that we cannot quit so we find a way around it. At the end of the day, our aim is to lift the nation’s name which is why we continue to push despite our obvious drawbacks,” he said.

The wrestler revealed that Pakistan would be competing in seven weight categories and has hoped to see a medal in each category. “Pakistan is participating in seven weight categories and we hope to get medal in all seven, I am hopeful to win around four to five medals,” he said. The 30-year-old recently won gold medal at World Beach Games in Doha and has bagged medals at the Commonwealth as well as the Asian Beach Games. sports Desk

Former Sri Lankan spinner Muralitharan to become provincial governor Sri Lanka cricket great Muttiah Muralitharan is likely to be appointed as the Governor of the Northern Province by President Gotabaya Rajapakasa, according to a report in The Daily Mirror. The presidential secretariat sources revealed on Wednesday that the former spinner was personally invited by the president to accept the post. Besides this, the president has also invited Chairperson of the Nationalist Entrepreneurs Association to take charge as the Governor of the Eastern Province as well as former Minister Tissa Vitharana for the appointment of Governor of the North Central Province. sports Desk

Chris Gayle says no to India ODIs, takes 'break' from cricket triniDaD Agencies

Chris Gayle is not contemplating his future. He is planning it instead.

Part of that plan is taking a "break" from cricket for the rest of 2019.

Gayle will miss the ODIs against India in December after the selectors checked on his availability for the three-match series. Gayle will instead utilise the time to "recharge" and "reflect" on what he really wants in 2020.

On Sunday, on his way out of the MSL where he was playing for defending champions Jozi Stars. Gayle opened up on the "burden" he feels when he does not perform. Gayle's comments came in the wake of poor returns in this MSL: 101 runs from 6 innings including 54 on Sunday

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against Tswhane Spartans.

Gayle made it evident that he was hurt by the constant scrutiny not just from the media but also from franchise, owners, team managements, coaches and players. But he is not giving up, Gayle made it clear that he wanted to sort things out and return in 2020 with a clear mind.

That is what he told the West Indies selection panel which is headed by former allrounder Roger Harper. It is understood the squads for the India series comprising three T20s and three ODIs, have been finalised and will likely be announced this week by Cricket West Indies (CWI).

It is also understood that when the selectors checked with Gayle on his availability for the ODI series in India, he shared with them his thoughts about the break. "West

Indies called me to play ODIs, but I am not going to play," Gayle said on Sunday during the media briefing after the Stars' defeat. "They (selectors) want me to play with the youngsters but for this year I am going to take a break."

Gayle said he would not be playing the Big Bash, too, this season and was surprised that his name had been listed in one of the teams in the Bangladesh Premier League.

It could not be confirmed whether Gayle is part of the T20 World Cup plans where West Indies are the defending champions.

But both Harper's panel and the team management comprising head coach Phil Simmons and Kieron Pollard, the ODI and T20 captain have stressed that the door is open to all players including the seniors like Gayle.

Thursday, 28 November, 2019

NEWS Peshawar metro bus project misses 6th deadline PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government headed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has missed its sixth deadline despite announcements by the KP information minister that the project would be completed in time. Addressing a press conference, Info Minister Shaukat Yousafzai said the project would be completed in 2020 and people would start getting its benefits from next year. He claimed 87 per cent work on the mega project has been completed and added that 30 stations had been finalised, while work on the remaining 10 stations was underway. Earlier, the minister had said the project would be finished by December this year, but reports claimed that the flagship project of the PTI government was unlikely to be completed in December, citing completion of only 16 stations out of over 40.

According to reports, three bus depots made for Peshawar BRT were also under construction. “Even 10 per cent work has not been done on the Haytabad bus depot. No work has been done on the route from Hayatabad to Karkhano Market,” they claimed. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had earlier decided to approach the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to conduct a forensic audit of the BRT project which has fallen massively short on its development targets, achieving mere six per cent progress in the past six months. The ADB will decide who is responsible for the repeated delays in completing the project and carrying out low standard work. Once the bank gets hold of the forensic audit, the government will take legal action against the responsible elements. According to a local media channel, the ADB would determine who among the contractor, consultant, engineer or PDA is dishonest and unprofessional. According to the additional chief secretary, only one per cent work had been conducted in the past six months on the project whereas the secretary was also quoted as saying that the project would not be completed within the expected time.

Institutions should work within constitutional limits, says Bilawal Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday said that institutions should work within their constitutional limits and governance should be in line with the Constitution so that rule of law can prevail. In a meeting with a delegation of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) at the Zardari House, the PPP chairman said that bar associations should be at the forefront in upholding democracy and supremacy of the Constitution. “This is the only solution to the problems plaguing the country,” he added. The meeting was attended by newly-elected president of the bar association, Qalb-e-Hussain, along with members Ahsan Bhoon and Abid Saqi. PPP leaders Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Farhatullah Babar, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf Sherry Rehman were also present in the meeting. NEWS DESK

Iran hosts Taliban to discuss Afghan peace process Iran's state TV says a delegation of the Taliban visited Tehran and discussed efforts to bring a negotiated end to Afghanistan's 18-year war. Wednesday's report said Taliban politburo chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif. It said they discussed Tehran's readiness to help facilitate intra-Afghan dialogue. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted that the meeting took place on Tuesday. While rare, these are not the first talks between the Taliban and Iranian officials.

US-Taliban peace talks collapsed in September. In the following weeks, a Taliban delegation travelled to Russia, China, Iran and Pakistan. Last Tuesday, the Taliban freed an American and an Australian held hostage since 2016 in exchange for three top Taliban figures. The insurgent group said the swap could help rekindle peace negotiations. AGENCIES

The United States appeared to take a step back from its criticism of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), following a strong reaction and point-by-point rejection of “wrong analysis” of Washington’s top diplomat for region by Beijing and Islamabad last week.

US Ambassador to Pakistan, Paul W Jones, said during a visit to Lahore that Acting Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells had intended to generate a debate on the matter and that it was the “sovereign right” of Pakistan to

Govt secures restrAInt order on verdIct In GenerAl MushArrAf hIGh treAson cAse SPECIAL COURT WAS SET TO ANNOUNCE ITS RESERVED VERDICT IN HIGH TREASON CASE AGAINST FORMER MILITARY STRONGMAN TODAY ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

day before a special court was set to announce its judgement in the long-drawn high treason case against former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday stopped it from issuing the verdict.

The Interior Ministry had requested the IHC to set aside the special court’s decision to announce its judgement in the high treason case on November 28.

The court accepted the ministry’s petition and barred the special court from announcing the verdict. A similar petition filed by Musharraf was disposed of with the court issuing directions on it.

“For reasons to be recorded later, we allow writ petition […] filed by the Ministry of Interior,” the court said in its short order, setting aside the special court’s Nov 19 decision to reserve its judgement in the case.

The IHC has directed the federal government to notify a new prosecutor or a team of prosecution in the treason case by December 5. In addition, the special court has been ordered to fix a date “for affording a reasonable opportunity of hearing” to the notified prosecutor or prosecution team as well as the counsel appointed for Musharraf.

According to the short order, the special court is also “expected to take into consideration” the grounds raised in an application filed by Musharraf seeking his acquittal in the high treason case.

“The learned special court is

expected to conclude the proceedings expeditiously having [regard] to the cardinal principles of fair trial,” the order reads.

The IHC has also allowed Musharraf’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar to assist the counsel appointed for the former military ruler during the hearing, if he so wishes.

The court had earlier in the day reserved its verdict on both Musharraf and the Interior Ministry’s petitions.

The special court had on November 19 concluded the trial proceedings in the high treason case against Musharraf for declaring a state of emergency on November 3, 2007, and had ruled that a verdict would be announced on November 28 on the basis of the available record.

The three-judge court, headed

by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth, had observed that the prosecution team before being sacked had submitted detailed arguments which were sufficient to understand their point of view. The incumbent PTI government had denotified the entire prosecution team in the high treason case on Oct 24.

COURT GRILLS GOVT LAWYER: During Wednesday’s proceedings, a three-member larger bench of the court — comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani — asked Musharraf’s lawyer Salman Safdar to sit down as they were going to first hear the petition filed by the Interior Ministry.

“Is there an official notification about the formation of the special court?” Justice Minallah asked the

IHC DIRECTS FEDERAL GOVT TO NOTIFY NEW PROSECUTOR OR A TEAM OF PROSECUTION BY DEC 5

government’s lawyer, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Sajid Ilyas Bhatti, as the hearing began.

Bhatti responded in the affirmative.

The high court chief justice asked where Law Secretary Muhammad Khashih-ur-Rehman was. On Tuesday, the IHC had summoned the relevant record from the law secretary.

When told that Rehman was not present, the court expressed its displeasure. He was told to appear within half an hour along with the required record. When he arrived, the court expressed its displeasure.

“This is your attitude. The case starts at 12:30pm and you arrive at 1:30pm,” remarked Justice Farooq.

Justice Minallah said as per the record, the special court had been formed correctly and enquired why the interior ministry had written that it was formed incorrectly in its petition.

“Our case is that the prosecution team that presented the final arguments is not legal,” responded AAG Bhatti.

“You made a mistake and you will fix it. So what should we do?” asked Justice Farooq, adding: “You didn’t tell the special court all of this. Now that the verdict is about to be announced, you’ve come here.”

GOVT MOVES IHC: In a surprise move, the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) government had on Monday come in aid of Musharraf, seeking deferment of the announcement of the verdict in the high treason case.

In a fresh petition that was interestingly identical to an application filed by Musharraf’s lawyer, the PTI government even ‘dis-

owned’ the complaint filed by the previous government against him under Article 6 (High Treason) and requested the IHC that “the special court be restrained from passing final judgement in the trial”.

In the petition filed through its secretary in the IHC, the interior ministry stated that the special court’s decision to reserve its verdict in the case is in violation of the Constitution because it was issued without giving the ministry the opportunity to notify a new prosecution team in the case and because the judgement is set to be passed without hearing the prosecution during the trial.

Gen Musharraf, who has already been declared an absconder, and the incumbent government separately submitted identical petitions before the IHC to stop the special court from pronouncing the verdict.

The government petition was filed by the interior ministry through the additional attorney general.

HIGH TREASON CASE: The high treason trial of the former military dictator for clamping the state of emergency on Nov 3, 2007, filed during the PML-N government, has been pending since 2013.

He was booked in the treason case in December 2013. 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 with the nod of superior courts as well as the interior ministry.

Since then he has been an absconder in the case.

'Unidentified' assailants thrash JUI-F's Mufti Kifayatullah, sons with iron rods PESHAWAR STAFF REPORT

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayatullah, his two sons and a friend, were injured in a violent attack on Baidra road in Mansehra early on Wednesday.

Kifayatullah’s sons have been identified as Shabbir Mufti and Hussain Mufti while his friend’s name is said to be Jan Mohammad.

According to doctors, the injured JUI-F leader had sustained injuries on his back, hand and other parts of his body.

Following the incident, Kifayatullah’s son Hussain lodged the First Information Report (FIR) at City police station under Section 324 (attempt to murder), 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common

object) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

Hussain said that attackers had intercepted their vehicle and attacked them with iron rods.

“Attackers are those against whom Mufti sahib speaks publicly and we moved police for [an] FIR against [the] unknown attackers,” Kifayatullah’s elder brother, Habibur Rehman said.

According to Rehman, Kifayatullah was on his way to Mansehra from Islamabad when a group of people in two vehicles intercepted the car at Baidra road and attacked them.

“Though attackers didn’t want to eliminate Mufti Kifaytullah and his sons, it was a strong message for him not to speak against them,” said Rehman. Kifayatullah made several appearances on local TV channels criticising retired army officers for commenting on national politics on current affairs shows.

Last month, the JUI-F chief was taken into custody for 30 days under Section 3 (power to arrest and detain suspected persons) of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) and shifted to Haripur jail. “He has posed constant threats to law and order which may disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the district,” Mansehra Deputy Commissioner Aurangzeb Haider Khan said at the time.

“The activities of Mufti Kifayatullah are posing a grave threat to public safety which may create a disturbance of public tranquillity, danger to human life, health and safety,” stated the order issued under Section 3(1) of the West Pakistan MPO.

US takes step back after criticising CPEC decide about its future.

It was very “thoughtful speech”, and the idea of her speech was to generate debate, Jones told the media. “We do not expect everyone to agree with us or agree with every aspect of her speech,” he said, while responding to a question. A heated debate was generated last week, after Wells, speaking at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said Pakistan faced

long-term economic damage with little return if China keeps pursuing its giant infrastructure push.

Hours after her speech in Washington, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing, gave a pointby-point reply to Wells assertions, stressing that the CPEC was winwin cooperation for the benefit of the two countries.

And on Saturday, a day after a rare public slugfest between top Chi-

nese and American diplomats, Planning Minister Asad Umar jumped into the fray, brushing aside US concerns as “wrong analysis” and called CPEC a “blessing” for Pakistan.

On Monday, China’s foreign ministry responded to the US reservations over CPEC, saying Beijing would work with Islamabad to advance their strategic cooperative partnership to bring more benefits to Pakistani people and deliver more

benefits to the region and beyond.

“No matter what the US says or does or how it tries to spoil the CPEC development, we will work together with Pakistan to develop CPEC and advance our all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,” foreign ministry’s spokesperson Geng Shuang told a daily briefing.

The US ambassador, while visiting the Wazir Khan Mosque to review the ongoing restoration

work of some historic houses under the ‘US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation’ (AFCP), said that there should be plenty of debates, which her (Wells) speech was meant to contribute.

However, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson observed that Wells’s remarks had nothing to add anything. “She just copied what certain people in the US said to smear the CPEC and BRI,”Geng Shuang said, adding that certain individuals in the US repeated their accusations. NEWS DESK

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