E-Paper PDF 5 October (LHR)

CMYK

Saturday, 5 October, 2019 I 5 Safar-ul-Muzaffar, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 95 I 16 Pages I Lahore Edition

Govt set to crack down on ‘azadi’ marchers g

interior Minister ijaz shah says govt will call in Military iF needed

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PM says Fazl aFraid oF govt’s Madrassa reForMs, Frustrated by growing irrelevance

LAHORE

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Khalilzad meets Taliban in Islamabad

STAFF REPORT

day after the Jamiat Uelma-eIslam-Fazl (JUI-F) announced its ‘Azadi march’ on Islamabad, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has hinted at mass arrests of the JUI-F central and provincials leaders to scuttle the anti-government sit-in.

The JUI-F chief, it seems, has decided to take a solo flight when he announced Oct 27, as the date for his long march despite requests by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to postpone the march.

Speaking to reporters, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah said the government would not let go anti-government protesters run amok and it would resort to calling in the Pakistan Army.

He said to call in the military would be the last option, “but I hope situation won’t deteriorate to that level”.

“The government is fully prepared to control any kind of situation and no one will be allowed to take the law into his hand,” the interior minister said, adding that Section 144 will be imposed in Islamabad’s Red Zone and police would be deployed to block its entry points. However, the primary duty to stop these protesters lies with the provincial governments, the minister said, adding that the provinces must make sure that people do not join the protest rallies.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, meanwhile, also summoned a meeting of the government spokespersons.

“Fazl is trying to save his sinking political career [by initiating a march on the federal capital]. The government is introducing reforms in madrassas which has gotten the Maulana worried.

After these reforms, madrassa students will not be used for such acts,” said the prime minister, commenting on the motives of the march. The government’s decision to thwart the JUI-F’s ‘Azadi march’ contradicts the promise made

by Imran Khan during his first speech in parliament as the prime minister that his government would facilitate anti-

government protests and even provide protesters with containers to stage sitins in Islamabad’s D-Chowk.

On the other hand, JUI-F Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri said it was the democratic right of the opposition to hold a protest and that the government could not usurp their rights. He said the protest by the JUI-F would largely remain peaceful. “We will not end our protest till the ouster of the PTI government,” he vowed.

‘LIST OF JUI-F LEADERS’: The KP chief minister also threatened the JUIF, saying the KP government has prepared lists of the JUI-F leaders and office-bearers for their arrests and house arrests prior to their Islamabad march.

“We will not allow the marchers to proceed to Islamabad,” he said, adding that the government has several options and strategy in this regard would be finalised in the light of directions from the federal government.

He said that the government had devised a strategy and strict action would be taken against protesters in case of violation.

Despite a request by his allies to defer the ‘Azadi March’ till November, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman on Thursday said his party will begin its anti-government movement on October 27.

The JUI-F is not taking a solo flight, said Fazl, clarifying the party was “in touch with all the other parties and making decisions in consultation with them”. He said he will consult his

party’s central executive committee to review the decision to hold the march in October instead after a visiting PML-N delegation urged him for postponement of the event on Wednesday.

After a “fruitful” meeting with the PML-N on Wednesday, he said he met PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari earlier in the day and that some very “positive developments took place during our meeting”.

According to informed sources, the JUI-F has prepared a threepronged strategy to deal with any possible move by the government to stop its Azadi March.

These plans will be implemented if the government tried to arrest the JUIF’s leaders and workers or barred them from entering the federal government.

The first plan is the lockdown of Islamabad. The second plan comprises protests sit-ins at key places and highways of the country. The third plan includes a call for a wheel-jam strike.

One of these options will be selected in light of the prevailing situation.

The JUI-F’s leadership has devised these three strategies after detailed consultations.

PM imran ‘undermining parliament’, says bilawal STORY ON PAGE 02

UAE to invest $5bn in refinery project in Pakistan by end of 2019

STORY ON BACK PAGE

File photo o o

govt denies PM imran met taliban delegation STORIES ON BACK PAGE & 03

India admits Mi-17 chopper was shot down by own missile on Feb 27 STORY ON BACK PAGE

PMl-n seeks details of Pti’s ‘undeclared funding accounts’ STORY ON PAGE 03

Zardari, Talpur’s judicial remand extended till Oct 22

STORY ON PAGE 02

CMYK Saturday, 5 October, 2019

02 NEWS Two CAses oF Congo vIRus RePoRTed In IslAMABAd ISLAMABAD: Two suspected patients of Congo virus have been brought to PIMS Hospital in Islamabad on Friday. The couple belongs to Haripur that was brought to PIMS Hospital today where medics confirmed that the man is suffering from Congo virus, whereas, his wife’s blood samples were sent to NIH for its confirmation, sources said. It is pertinent to mention here that at least two cases have emerged so far since Eidul Azha festival in PIMS Hospital. It must be noted that the tick-borne viral disease had infected 37 people this year so far out of them 17 died. On July 25, a Congo virus alert had been issued for the metropolis, stipulating precautionary instructions for all those people who are visiting cattle farms. The disease is caused when a tick attaches itself to the skin of cattle and when that infected tick or animal comes in contact with people, the highly contagious virus is transmitted into the human body and the person falls ill. STAFF REPORT

PHC grants bail to detained doctors, orders FIA to probe torture allegations PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday passed a short order in which it directed the government to free all doctors and paramedical staffers detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance against surety bonds worth Rs50,000 each and also to obtain written assurances of good conduct from them. As per the contents of this order, health practitioners will also have to furnish an undertaking about resuming duties in their respective hospitals as well as provide two personal sureties before their release. Police arrested 16 health practitioners in Peshawar on September 27. During the hearing, the high court also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the alleged torture of doctors in Peshawar asked director-general of the FIA to submit a detailed inquiry report to the PHC deputy registrar within 14 days. STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of “undermining the parliament”, saying that opposition had no choice but to take to the streets. Referring to the Azadi March by Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazal (JUI-F) in a media talk, he said: “If you do not make the parliament functional, democratic forces will be forced to take to the streets.”

When asked about his father, PPP C0-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, whose judicial remand was extended by an accountability court earlier in the day, Bilawal said the former president had in the past remained in jail for 11 years without a conviction but had “never compromised on his

PM IMRAn ‘undeRMInIng PARlIAMenT’: BIlAwAl

principles”. “Regardless of the arrests [of our party leaders], we will not compromise on the 1973 Constitution or the 18th Amendment,” he declared. The lawmaker said that the “tadeeli sarkar” (regime of change) had failed. The PPP chairman also commented upon a meeting between Pakistan’s top corporate executives and the army chief a day earlier and said that the business community was so “fed up” with the government that they went to the army chief.

“Insha Allah their problems will be solved, but this is a very bad prece-

dent that the people are approaching general headquarters instead of the parliament,” he said.

“How much burden can we place on our institutions? Every institution will have to do its job. Our defense and intelligence institutions are supposed to deal with elements that are conspiring against our country. If Khan sahib starts directing them to deal with elections, economy and foreign policy, when will they protect our borders, which is their foremost job?” Indicating noncommitment to Jamiat Ulema-e-

Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Fazlur Rehman’s long march, Bilawal said that the PPP has called a meeting to discuss “the extent to which they can help”. “We and the PML-N hoped that a joint opposition rally or protest could be held, [but] Maulana sahib has announced this march himself,” he said.

Reportedly, the PPP had expressed unwillingness to participate in the anti-government march because of the inclusion of the issues of blasphemy laws and Namoos-iRisalat on its agenda.

Zardari, Talpur’s judicial remand extended till Oct 22 ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

An accountability court on Friday extended the judicial remand of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur till October 22 in cases pertaining to money laundering through fake bank accounts and Park Lane reference. The former president and his sister were produced before the court amid strict security arrangements.

During the hearing, Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir remarked that a course of action should be determined to avoid delay in proceedings as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecu-

tor Sardar Muzaffar argued that a procedure was determined earlier as well. To which, the judge replied that the number of suspects has now surged to 30 from 2 ever since.

The investigation officer of the case told Judge Bashir that the anticorruption watchdog had asked the Interior Ministry to issue red warrants for Younis Qadwai and Azam Wazir, both of whom are nominated in the case and are currently abroad.

He said a supplementary reference will be filed by the next hearing. He further said that the supplementary reference has yet to be approved by the NAB chief. The hearing was subsequently adjourned till October 22. The case pertains to

a massive money laundering scam that was being probed by the Federal Investigation Agency. The suspects include Zardari, Talpur, former Pakistan Stock Exchange chairman Hussain Lawai, Omni Group CEO Anwar Majeed and his sons and several other high profile persons. The case was later taken over by NAB on the Supreme Court’s orders.

ZARDARI MEETS CHILDREN: While in court, the former president also met his daughters, Aseefa and Bakhtawar BhuttoZardari. He also met Bilawal BhuttoZardari, who briefed him on his meeting with JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman, who has announced he will be setting out on a ‘long march’ on

Maryam Nawaz not provided better-class jail facilities despite court order, alleges doctor LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The personal doctor of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday claimed that jail authorities had not provided Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif better jail facilities.

In a press statement, Dr Adnan Khan claimed that despite court orders, jail authorities had failed to provide Maryam Nawaz with better jail conditions.

According to Khan, he met with Maryam Nawaz in Kot Lakhpat Jail and was appalled to see the small room in which she had been incarcerated. The doctor said that the jail cell of Maryam Nawaz lacked basic

facilities and was infested with bed bugs and mosquitoes. Maryam Nawaz is also not allowed to get home-made food in her cell.

Dr Khan noted that as per court orders, Maryam Nawaz was entitled to better-class jail facilities, and urged authorities to provide these to his client on an immediate basis. Last month, an accountability court in Lahore sent Maryam Nawaz and her cousin Yousaf Abbas to jail on judicial remand in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. Maryam and Abbas had appeared before the court after the expiration of their physical remand.

The National Accountability Bureau had requested a 15-day extension in the remand of the PML-N leader who was arrested along with her cousin last month.

Protest in Comsats University after student dies of cardiac arrest ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A student of Islamabad’s Comsats University expired due to a cardiac arrest on Friday, triggering a protest on the campus by students who held the administration responsible for the young death.

As per students, death could have been avoided if a timely provision of medical treatment was given to the boy. “Unfortunately a student of BBA 2nd semester at CU, Islamabad who got low blood pressure and cardiac arrest has died due to unavailability of ambulance on time, moreover a private car was not allowed to enter in the university,” read a statement issued by a body of the university’s students.

“So called policies by the management took an innocent life today,” it said. As per the students, Inam suffered a heart attack and when fellow students asked the university administration to call an ambu-

lance, they refused. They added that multiple requests were made but every time it was denied and meanwhile Inam remained in intense pain for half an hour. The university, through a press release, rebuffed the allegations of delay saying that the student had been provided emergency treatment at the university’s medical centre.

“The student suffered from a massive cardiac arrest and was immediately rushed to the Medical Centre where he was administered emergency medical treatment by trained medical professionals,” read the press release. “After administering emergency treatment, the student was rushed to National Institute of Health Medical Complex, Islamabad, for further medical treatment. However, the hospital authorities declared the student dead on arrival,” it added.

“The student’s family refused the postmortem of deceased student and the subsequently the body was handed over to the family.”

CMYK

October 27 in a bid to bring down the government.

The two also discussed the country’s general political situation.

Zardari, in an informal conversation with the media, said his doctors had recommended that he should be shifted to a hospital because his blood sugar level often drops. He said that if he suddenly falls ill, the jail administration will not be able to get him medical help in time and suggested that a hospital ward be declared a subjail for him instead. He also expressed support for the ‘Azadi march’ announced by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman that seeks to oust the Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) government.

Two injured in Peshawarbound train derailment TAXILA INP

At least two passengers were injured when two bogies of Peshawar-bound Rehman Baba Express derailed at the Taxila railway station on Friday. The train was on its way to Peshawar from Karachi. A railway engineering team reached the scene and removed the derailed coaches from the track to restore the rail service. Passengers from the rest of the bodies were safely helped out of the train. No deaths were reported.

Cop martyred in Rawalpindi firing RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

A police sub-inspector was martyred in Rawalpindi late on Thursday night when unidentified gunmen opened fire at him.

According to details, the gunmen, who were riding a motorcycle, fired bullets at the police official in the jurisdiction of Civil Lines police station resulting in his instant death. The shooters managed to escape the crime scene. Following the incident, contingents of law enforcement agencies cordoned off the neighborhood and started a search operation to arrest the shooters.

CMYK Saturday, 5 October, 2019

NEWS

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kHAlIlzAd MeeTs TAlIBAn In IslAMABAd ISLAMABAD

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AGENCIES

Taliban delegation met US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad for more than an hour on Thursday, two sources told Reuters, the first known contact between the sides since US President Donald Trump called off talks last month.

Trump halted the talks, which aimed at a plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, following the death of a US soldier and 11 others in a Taliban bomb attack in Kabul. The Taliban is ready to stand by a tentative agreement struck in Doha before Trump canceled the talks, according to Pakistan’s foreign minister and sources from the militant group, who said the insurgents were eager to resume negotiations. However the meeting in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad did not represent a resumption of formal negotiations, official sources cautioned.

“The Taliban officials held a meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad … all I can tell you is that Pakistan played a big

role in it to convince them how important it was for the peace process,” a senior Pakistan official told Reuters, but declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak publicly. He added that the meeting, which was confirmed by a second source, did not involve formal negotiations on the peace process, but aimed at building confidence. He declined to elaborate further on the discussions. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told Reuters that the Taliban were set to meet with Khalilzad during their visits to Islamabad though he was not aware of what they discussed and exactly when a meeting was taking place.

“They were due to meet Zalmay Khalilzad. I think that might have happened. I’m hoping that they have met,” he said on Friday. He added that the Taliban considered themselves as abiding by a tentative agreement signed with Khalilzad in Qatar before Trump called a halt to talks. “They’re ready to own their commitment,” he said. Two Taliban sources confirmed they viewed themselves as committed to the agreements reached in Doha and were disappointed when Trump pulled out of talks. The US embassy in Islamabad and the State De-

election tribunal rejects shehbaz's plea to nullify nA249 election

partment in Washington declined to comment on whether there had been a meeting between the Taliban and Khalilzad. A State Department representative said Khalilzad had spent several days in Islamabad this week for consultations with authorities in Pakistan, but his meetings in Islamabad did not represent a restart of the Afghan peace process.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, would not confirm or deny that Taliban had met Khalilzad, adding that the Taliban delegation was still in Islamabad for meetings on Friday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Taliban leader in Afghanistan said the delegation’s visit to Pakistan was intended to revive negotiations to end the 18-year war.

AFGHAN INCLUSION: A Pakistan government source said that Pakistan would do “whatever possible” to get stakeholders, including Russia and China, to meet and work on guarantees of any successful peace arrangement.

“The Taliban want all stakeholders like America, Russia, China…to sit together and give some guarantees that any deal done and signed wouldn’t be backed out before they resume the negotiations,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s government was also trying to

Qureshi urges Fazl to review Azadi March date FAzl sHould 'RAId' loC InsTeAd oF TAkIng ouT AzAdI MARCH: AwAn

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Sindh High Court’s (SHC) election tribunal on Friday turned down a petition

by National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif to nullify the election in NA-249 (Karachi West-II) constituency which he lost to Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda in general elections in July last year. According to details, Sharif had moved the election tribunal to declare as void the election which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker won with 35344 votes. The PML-N president came second with 34626 votes. Sharif, in his plea, had taken the stance that Vawda had “rigged” the elections and requested the tribunal to nullify the poll. Following the verdict, Vawda, in a media talk outside the high court, said that truth always prevails.

CPne says no to media courts ISLAMABAD INP

Council of Pakistan Newspapers Editors (CPNE) said that the government’s decision to set up media tribunals is not acceptable and warned that protests would be launched if the decision is not withdrawn. The announcement was made during a meeting of the CPNE,’s Islamabad chapter, here on Friday which was presided

by CPNE Vice President Sardar Khan Niazi. CPNE General Secretary Dr Abdul Jabbar Khattak, Joint Secretary Shakil Ahmed Turabi, members Amir Ilyas Rana, Tariq Sumer, Sajjad Abbasi, Safeer Hussain Shah, Mumtaz Ahmad Sadiq, Abdul Aslam Bath, and Syed Naqi Kazmi also attended the meeting. Possible effects of the government’s decision were discussed at the meeting, while members pointed out that the decision to set up media tribunals was an attempt to curtail media freedom.

The meeting demanded the immediate withdrawal of the decision of setting up media tribunals and threatened to lodge protest against the government for imposing restrictions on the freedom of media. The CPNE decided that a future course of action would be devised after holding consultations with the journalistic community and that all stakeholders would be taken on board. The meeting also said that the equal policy based on merit should be formed for issuance of government advertisements for media organizations.

The meeting also decided to activate CPNE’s Islamabad chapter.

ensure the Afghan government was included. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has complained bitterly about the Taliban shutting his administration out of the previous talks.

The U.S. government told Kabul that Khalilzad planned to meet the Taliban in Islamabad, a senior Afghan government source said. However, Afghan officials were told the meeting was to discuss the 2016 kidnapping of two university professors, American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks, in Kabul by the Talibanaffiliated Haqqani group. The source said the Afghan government does not want the peace process to resume unless it is led by Afghans. The Taliban delegation led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the group’s founders, met Pakistan’s foreign minister on Thursday and both sides called for a resumption of the talks as soon as possible. The United States has long considered Pakistan’s cooperation crucial to ending the war in Afghanistan. Before the talks broke off, the United States and Taliban said last month they were close to reaching a deal, despite concerns among some U.S. security officials and in the Afghan government that a U.S. withdrawal could bring more conflict and a resurgence of Islamist militant factions.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday urged the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) to reconsider its decision of marching on Islamabad on October 27. “Maulana has announced to protest in Islamabad on October 27, and it was October 27, when New Delhi took over the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).

This day is associated with the Kashmiri people. By protesting on this day, JUI-F will not only damage Pakistan but also the Kashmir cause,” said Qureshi, speaking to a private television channel.

“Maulana is a respectable man.

If on October 27, there is a debate over an issue other than Kashmir, then India will find exaggerate it,” warned the foreign minister FM Qureshi further requested Maulana Fazlur Rehman to rethink his decision. “He can protest but his protest must not be merged with the matter of Kashmir.” Meanwhile, the ruling

ISLAMABAD: Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Media and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan criticised JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman on Friday, saying that he is merely after self-interest.

Awan also said that Fazl had vast experience on matters pertaining to held Kashmir as he has remained chairman of the Kashmir committee in several governments. Awan added that “those assuring you [Fazl] of their support are actually trying to make you a scapegoat for their own personal and political gains”. “We will not let innocent Madrassa children be exploited for political gains,” she said, adding: “Those who are looking to raid Islamabad should focus on raiding Line of Control (LoC).” A day earlier, Fazl had announced to hold ‘Azadi march’ in Islamabad from Oct 27 against the incumbent government. STAFF REPOR Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has hinted at mass arrests of the JUI-F central and provincials leaders to scuttle the anti-government sit-in.

The JUI-F chief, it seems, has decided to take a solo flight when

he announced Oct 27, as the date for his long march despite requests by the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to postpone the march. NEWS DESK

shehbaz won’t take part in Azadi March: sheikh Rasheed ISLAMABAD INP

Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Friday said that he believed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif won’t take part in the ‘Azadi March’. He said this while addressing a joint press conference alongside Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda. He congratulated Vawda on his success against Leader of Opposition Shehbaz Sharif at the polls as the Karachi Election Tribunal rejected the PML-N President’s petition against Vawda’s victory in NA-249 Karachi elections. The Railways Minister further said that all opposition-led agitations would end if Prime Minister Imran Khan granted an NRO like clemency to major opposition leaders. He cautioned the JUI-F against launching the so-called Azadi March because of the ongoing dengue outbreak in the twin cities. The day of Azadi March (October 27) will pass peacefully, Sheikh Rasheed hoped.

PMl-n seeks details of PTI’s ‘undeclared funding accounts’ ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has written a letter to chief election commissioner (CEC), demanding the release of details of Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf’s (PTI) “undeclared foreign funding accounts” and the hearing of case on priority basis. PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Friday said that the letter points out that Prime Minister Imran Khan had submitted a request for secrecy, which is a “clear indication of ill-intentions and points to the fact that the premier is desperate to hide his wrongdoing”.In the letter to the CEC, the party has demanded that the data shared by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), “hidden bank accounts and the details of illegal billions transferred from abroad” be made public.The letter also pleaded that the proceeding of the case should be declared open for the people because they have the right to know about it.The former information minister said that the premier is desperate to keep the documents and the hearings of the case under wraps because he has “violated the constitution of Pakistan and abused power to influence the outcome”.

Senate body wary of govt, ECP deadlock ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Standing Committee of National Assembly on Parliamentary Affairs on Friday lamented lack of consensus over the appointment of new members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and urged the government and the opposition to work for an amendment in the constitution through a joint session of parliament.

Chaired by Senator Sassui Palijo, the meeting was attended by Senator Abida Muhammad Azeem, Senator Brig (r) John Kenneth Williams, Senator Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Senator Muhammad Yousuf Badini, Senator Farooq Hamid Naek, Senator Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Senator Gian Chand, Senator Walid Iqbal, Senator

Abdul Qayyum, Senator Taj Muhammad Afridi and senior officers from the Ministry for Parliamentary Affairs attended the meeting. The committee members observed that since the matter was sub-judice, so after the decision of the Islamabad High Court, the only way forward was to bring an amendment in the constitution to resolve the conflict.

The members were of the view that in present circumstances, most of the members of the committee regarded it as violation of the constitution and appreciated the chief election commissioner for showing a bold stance against the government’s appointment of new members. The Election Commission secretary endorsed the CEC’s action of not administering an oath to the unilaterally-appointed members. The Committee was briefed by the

CMYK

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs on the report regarding low percentage of cases received from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Prime Minister’s Public Affairs and Grievances Wing. It was informed that the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs visited eight districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Quetta. During the visits, the minister held meetings with officers of provincial as well as federal Organisations.

This process sensitized officers on the importance of redressal of public grievances. The Committee was of the opinion that visiting Quetta, Balochistan was not enough and directed the Wing to visit multiple areas to ensure that public grievances are redressed.

Discussing promulgation of Ordinances by the President of Pakistan in

terms of Article-89 of the Constitution of Pakistan the Committee took serious notice this practice and stressed the need to curb it. Committee Chairperson Senator Sassui Palijo said that such practice is detrimental to the spirit of democracy and as a matter of policy it must be determined that parliament is regarded supreme. The Committee stressed that Article 89 can only be invoked in the case of an emergency situation in which parliament ceases to operate; at any other time, this is a violation of the constitution. The Foreign Private Investment (Amendment) Bill, 2018 and the Board of Investment (Amendment) Bill, 2018, was on the recommendation of members, was referred to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue.

04 LAHORE

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

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Two men acquiTTed afTer 10 years in jail in 395kg marijuana case LAHORE

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FIDA HUSSNAIN

HE Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday acquitted two men, who had been in jail for over 10 years, after the Millat Park police failed to present solid evidence against them in a case that involved 395kg of marijuana.

A LHC division bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan heard the appeal of the two men. The bench noted that "safe custody of the parcels of case property and samples have not been proved in this case beyond a shadow of a doubt”.

"In view of the law and the abovestated facts, while extending benefit of doubt to the appellants, both the appeals are allowed and judgment dated March 31, 2016, handed down by the learned additional sessions judge/judge special court, Lahore, is set aside, resulting in acquittal of the appellants, namely Ayyaz Ahmad and Shakir Ali. The appellants are behind bars. They be released forthwith if not required in any other case," the court order stated.

On July 11, 2009, Lahore’s Millat Park police arrested Ayyaz Ahmad, Shakir Ali and their co-accused Zubaida alias Bali Jati and lodged FIR (First Information Report) 249/09 under Section 9-C of the Control of Narcotics Substances Act, 1997, framing the charge that they recovered 5kg hashish from Bali Jatti, and 395 kg hashish

LAHORE’S MILLAT PARK POLICE FAIL TO SUBSTANTIATE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST APPELLANTS

from Ayyaz Ahmad and Shakir Ali. The police in its, First Information Report (FIR), claimed that they recovered the substance from secret cavities of a vehicle parked in the Millat Park area.

Later, on May 31, 2016, a special court in Lahore sentenced Ayyaz Ahmad and Shakir Ali to life imprisonment with a fine of Rs100,000 each. The sentence further stated that if the convicts failed to pay the fine they would be subjected to further one-year imprisonment.

Couple booked over alleged rape, extortion of Lahore woman LAHORE: A married couple were booked by the police on Friday for the alleged rape and extortion of a woman in Lahore’s Mohlanwal area. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed at Sundar police station on the complaint of a woman who alleged that the man raped her, while his wife recorded videos and took photos – with which the couple had been blackmailing her for the past six months. The two suspects were charged with Sections 376 (offense of rape) and 509 (word, gesture or act to insult a woman’s modesty) of the Pakistan Penal Court. In a statement to the police, a neighbor of the suspects claimed that the wife had taken the complainant to her home where she was raped by the husband. “He started behaving in an obscene manner with me before shutting the door and raping me, while his wife began recording a video of me,” the complainant told the police. “They continued to ask for money and I was continually subjected to rape,” the woman further alleged. She claimed that the suspects had recently demanded Rs10,000 from her and threatened to humiliate and kill her if she failed to pay. The woman has called for the suspects to be brought to justice and that she be provided protection. The case was registered on Friday evening and no arrests have been made as yet. STAFF REPORT

Zubaida alias Bali Jatti, the co-accused, confessed her guilt before the court and was awarded punishment in a separate case. Appellants Ayyaz Ahmad and Shakir challenged the verdict of the special court before the LHC through their lawyer Advocate Saiqa Javed, pleading that their innocence.

Advocate Saiqa Javed argued that the appellants were not driving the vehicle from which the illegal substance was recovered nor did either of them own it. She stated that police officials

made false statements in the trial and failed to establish any link between the appellants and the recovered vehicle.

The complainant, she further argued, did not state that he handed over the case property or the parcels of samples to the investigation officer or to the moharrir malkhana of the police station.

"The moharrir also did not state how many parcels he received and how many parcels he handed over to other police officials for investigation purposes. They just implicated innocent citizens in a defamatory case, wasted 10 years of their lives and failed to provide evidence," she contended.

On the other hand, the prosecution opposed the arguments of the appellants saying that 395kg hashish was recovered from the possession of the appellants while the appellants failed to establish any malafide intentions on the part of the prosecution for their false involvement in the case.

Police officials also told the trial court that the appellants led them to recovery of the contraband substance from the secret cavities of the vehicle while Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) also could not prove any doubt in the prosecution evidence.

After hearing arguments of both sides, the bench ordered their immediate release from jail.

It is pertinent to mention here that there is no compensation policy of the state for those citizens who suffer in jail for years and are later declared innocent by the courts.

Punjab govt submits report on smog preventive measures in LHC LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Punjab government on Friday submitted a report in Lahore High Court (LHC) about the decisions taken to avert smog in the upcoming winter season.

A law officer submitted the report before Justice Shahid Karim, who was hearing a petition seeking a ban on operation of brick-kilns and burning of crop remains in the province.

The law officer stated that teams had been constituted for inspection of brickkilns. He submitted that brick-kilns – other than those running on zigzag technology – would be closed for four months.

He submitted that Section 144 had been imposed in the province to curb pollution and prevent smog and a ban had been imposed on burning of trash, plastic and crop residue for the next three months.

Subsequently, the court adjourned further hearing of the petition till Oct 11.

On Thursday, while adjourning the hearing till Friday, the court had sought details of the measures taken to avert smog, after a law officer submitted that several decisions had been made at a meeting, chaired by the chief secretary.

The petitioner had submitted that brickkilns were the main contributing factor to smoggy conditions, as they had failed to use fuel-efficient technology, besides burning of crops stubble, emissions from factories and polluting vehicles. He said the government should give subsidy on zigzag technology to encourage brick-kilns.

He argued that it was highly important to stop functioning of brick-kilns, halt the burning of stubble and control emissions from factories in the entire province to prevent the imminent threat of smog in the upcoming winter season.

TUESDAY

320C

190C

Boy dies after being trapped in elevator of Mayo Hospital LAHORE INP A 13-year-old boy died after being stuck in the doors of an elevator at the Mayo Hospital in Lahore on Friday.

The boy, who was later identified as Fahad, was trapped in the elevator of the HIV department. The rescuers rushed the scene and shifted the unconscious boy to an intensive care unit (ICU) of hospital where he breathed his last.

Hospital administration said that an inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate into the incident.

Omer Ayub chairs meeting at SNGPL LAHORE PRESS RELEASE

A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Minister for Energy Omer Ayub Khan on Friday at the SNGPL Head Office here. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Petroleum Division Nadeem Babar, Secretary Petroleum Division Mian Asad Hayauddin and Director General (Gas) Shahid Yousuf also accompanied the minister.

The minister and the SAPM, during the meeting, highlighted the need for conducting an extensive company wide exercise to drastically reduce the Unaccounted For Gas (UFG).

The company executives were advised that UFG specific benchmark would be given on region-wise basis while an efficient monitoring mechanism would be set to ascertain progress. The follow up meetings to review progress would now be held on monthly basis.

The minister and SAPM also highlighted the need for conducting an effective media campaign to educate the masses to consume gas in an efficient manner particularly during winter.

The impact of high energy use in respect of gas bills would also be addressed in the campaign with special focus on ways and means to use energy efficient devices.

The number of other key challenges faced by the Company in respect of utilization of LNG, power sector demand, the company financial position etc. were also discussed.

It was also directed to ensure utilization of manpower in an efficient manner similar to corporate sector enterprises.

SNGPL BOD Chairman Syed Dilawar Abbas, Managing Director Amer Tufail, DMD (Ops) Sohail Gulzar along with senior management and regional heads attended the meeting.

Mobile franchise owner among three arrested in NADRA data theft GUJRANWALA INP

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested three persons, including the owner of a mobile phone franchise, over allegedly stealing citizens’ data from the database of the National Database and Registration Authority’s (NADRA) Gujranwala center.

The arrests were made during a raid carried out by an FIA team at a mobile phone franchise located in the Rahwali cantonment area of the city and three suspected persons were taken into custody.

An FIA official confirmed that the franchise owner is among the detainees. He revealed that the suspects had activated SIM cards by using the stolen data which they copied to silicon from the fingerprint software for the citizens.

The raiding team also recovered 10,000 SIM cards, eight bio-metric machines and 10 laptops from their possession, he said.

A case has been registered against the ar-

rested persons over stealing and using confidential public data and its usage in illegal purposes.

In separate raids, the officials of FIA cybercrime cell seized 14 illegal gateway exchanges in Sargodha and Sillanwali besides arrested three suspects. The FIA personnel have also recovered three exchanges, 1,000 cellular sim cards and a laptop.

CMYK

In Sillanwali, the raid was conducted in the Nishatabad area where 11 exchanges were recovered from two suspects. The officials said that the arrested persons are involved in giving loss to the national exchequer by making illegal phone calls.

Earlier in June last year, two former employees of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) had been identified and subsequently booked for stealing sensitive records.

The authority had nominated a former deputy chairman and a deputy director in the First Information Reports (FIRs). The complaint was lodged by Nadra HQ Chief of Staff, retired Col Tahir Maqsood Khan.

The former employees were booked after incidents of thefts from Nadra Headquarters were reported to the Secretariat police in Islamabad.

The FIR had stated that a former deputy chairman stole sensitive information, adding that he was dismissed from service a few months back.

He also carried along with some belongings of the authority, the complaint had said.

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

BRItISh ROyAL cOuPLe 'LOOk FORwARd tO BuILd A LAStINg FRIeNdShIP' wIth PAkIStAN The couple will also spend time understanding the complex security picture in Pakistan.

“They will learn more about the challenges and opportunities, both of the past and today. The UK has been a key partner for Pakistan, and Duke and Duchess will meet UK and Pakistan military personnel who are sharing expertise to improve security,” the statement added.

Over the course of the visit, the Royal couple 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.

“This is the most complex tour undertaken by Duke and Duchess to date, given the logistical and security considerations. Pakistan hosts one of Britain’s largest overseas networks, with the British High Commission in Islamabad being one of the UK’s largest diplomatic mission in the world. The UK’s links with Pakistan are extensive, and Royal Highnesses are looking forward to building a lasting friendship with the people of Pakistan,” the statement concluded.

ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

O M M U N I C AT I O N Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has said that the Royal couple’s visit to Pakistan would largely focus on showcasing how dynamic, aspirational and forward-looking Pakistani nation is.

In a statement, the Communications Secretary said that Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton would undertake an official visit to Pakistan between 14-18 October, at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

This will be their first official visit to Pakistan.

“Whilst the Duke and Duchess’s visit will pay respect to the historical relationship between Britain and Pakistan, it will largely focus on showcasing Pakistan as it is today – a dynamic, aspirational and forward-looking nation,” read the statement.

From the capital Islamabad to the vibrant city of Lahore, the mountainous countryside in the North, and the rugged border regions to the West, the visit will

span over 1000km and will take in Pakistan’s rich culture, its diverse communities, and its beautiful landscapes.

Throughout the tour, the royal couple will attend programmes which empower young people and organisations that help ensure they have the best possible start in life.

“Access to quality education, particularly to girls and young women is one of the UK’s top priorities in Pakistan. The Duke and Duchess are looking forward to meeting young Pakistanis, and

FO dismisses insinuations Maleeha Lodhi was ‘removed for any reason’ The Foreign Office (FO) has put an end to numerous speculations and rumours about the recent appointment of Pakistan’s permanent envoy to UN saying, “There is no truth whatsoever in insinuations that Dr Maleeha Lodhi was ‘removed’ for any reason.” The statement has been issued to dispel all the speculative theories which were making rounds on the social media about removal of Maleeha Lodhi.

“She [Lodhi] completed her tenure and as FM [foreign minister] has said, she served Pakistan with distinction and commitment and organised the Prime Minister’s successful UNGA visit with skill and dedication,” FO spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said in a tweet on Friday. Earlier, on Thursday, Dr Faisal had also said that a “slander campaign” against newly-appointed UN envoy is uncalled for. “Unfortunately, there has been a slander campaign against the appointment of Ambassador Munir Akram, which is reprehensible. It must be noted that he [Munir Akram] is a distinguished and experienced member of Foreign Service of Pakistan and an eminent diplomat,” he said. “The newlyappointed envoy will soon assume his duties in New York and his contributions are internationally acknowledged and recognized,” he also said. NEWS DESK

hearing more about their aspirations for the future,” the statement also read.

The programme will also cover how communities in Pakistan are rapidly responding and adapting to the effects of climate change.

“This is a key area of interest for the Royal Highnesses; they are keen to learn more about the climate change issues affecting Pakistan and our world, and the positive work being undertaken to combat these challenges,” the statement added.

Man booked for injuring Mustafa Khar’s dog FORMER PUNJAB GOVERNOR SAYS HE LODGED AN FIR AGAINST THE SUSPECT TO MAKE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS TOO LAHORE FIDA HUSSNAIN

Former Punjab governor and chief minister Ghulam Mustafa Khar lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against a poor man for inflicting injuries to his dog during an accident in Sinawan area of Muzaffargarh district.

Khar, a dog-lover, has a farm with nearly 50 dogs in Sinawan.

On September 25, when Abdur Rasheed, one of his employees, was taking the dogs back to the farm from a nearby a field, a speedy motorcycle struck a dog named ‘Kathia Bul-tari-ya’, leaving it seriously injured. The politician had bought the dog for Rs130,000 a few months ago.

Soon after the incident, Khar asked his employee to submit an application at Sinawan Police Station against accused Muham-

mad Ismael for causing injuries to his dog. After examining the medical report of the dog, the police registered a case against the accused under Section 429 and 279 of Pakistan Penal Code, 1860. However, the police have not arrested the accused yet.

The medical report annexed with the application stated that the dog was “dull, depressed and unable to stand and move”.

“On forceful movement, the dog is dragging his both legs. No response of both rear legs on pinching with needles. It is suspected that the vertebral disc is compressed due to which nervous system appears to be affected,” the medical report stated.

On the condition of anonymity, a senior official of Sinawan Police Station, said that they entertained Khar’s application because they did not have any other option. “The powerful exercise a significant influence over the police through which they get their work done easily,” the official said, adding that the police do not have the liberty to make their own decisions.

The official further said that if the police were independent indeed, they would have denied Khar’s request because in a country where people are being humiliated and deprived of their rights, lodging a case for one’s dog seems insignificant.

NEWS

PM Imran's Skardu visit cancelled owing to bad weather SKARDU STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Skardu was cancelled on Friday owing to the bad weather. Officials didn’t give his plane clearance because of continued bad weather in the area. However, PM Imran’s cancelled visit to Skardu didn’t discourage thousands of supporters who gathered there to attend the rally supervised by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders including Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Ali Amin Gandapur. As per PTI sources, the rally was to be addressed by PM Imran himself but due to weather conditions, he couldn’t travel to the venue.

NAB says Rs460m transferred to companies owned by Shehbaz's sons LAHORE STAFF REPORT

“I am not saying animals do not have rights because they do but our first priority should be to protect the people,” the official added.

When contacted, Khar said that he got the case registered against the suspect because the suspect had ignored the dog’s pain despite the fact that it was a medical emergency.

“We often forget that animals too have rights. He left my dog seriously injured on the spot and ran away,” he said, adding that it would have been far better if the suspect had shifted the dog to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

“We cannot ignore animal rights just because the people are being deprived of their rights. All living things have rights and we have to accept that,” he added.

“Why does the suspect expect to be treated mercifully when he did not show mercy to an injured animal?” Khar asked.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday submitted in an accountability court a report regarding the investigation of suspect Shoaib Qamar in a case pertaining to accumulating assets beyond means against the Sharif family. According to the report, an amount of Rs460 million was transferred to the companies owned by National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif’s sons, Hamza Shehbaz and Suleman Shehbaz. Earlier, an investigation officer told the court that his team had obtained additional evidence from the chief minister’s office. He said that benami companies were made in the name of two employees of the CM office – Ali Ahmed Khan and Mehr Nisar Ahmed. The investigation officer said the Bureau had received the details of a property in Chiniot and asked for information from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and other concerned departments. On June 11, the accountability watchdog had arrested Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz in the same cases and shifted him to Bureau’s headquarter at Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore after the Lahore High Court (LHC) turned down his applications for extension in his interim bail. In a hearing on June 11, defense counsel argued that according to the NAB Ordinance, the bureau could not issue arrest warrants unless an inquiry into the case was completed. To which, Justice Naqvi remarked that the judgment would be done according to the constitution, and justice would be ensured. The prosecutor had submitted complete details of assets owned by the family members of Shehbaz Sharif in the court.

“Their assets were beyond their known sources of income,” he had said at the time, adding: “Billions of rupees were added to their assets, whereas Hamza couldn’t provide details of the sources of his income.” The bench was further told by the NAB that in 2018, his assets were found to be worth Rs410 million, whereas he could not account for Rs380 million.” “The money was, subsequently, laundered to Dubai and England, and 40 individuals were involved in the money laundering net.”

EU allocates 300,000 euros for Pakistani quake victims NEWS DESK The European Union has allocated 300,000 euros in order to provide emergency relief to victims of the earthquake that jolted Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and Punjab on September 24.

According to a press release issued by the European Commission on Friday, the funds, equivalent to Rs51.4 million, will “address the most pressing needs of around 3,000 vulnerable people in some of the hardest-hit areas”.

Additionally, it will ensure access to clean water for the communities in the affected areas with special attention being paid to those who are most in need, includ-

ing people with limited sources of income.

AJK’s Mirpur city suffered the most damage from the 5.6 magnitude earthquake, which left at least 38 people dead, over 500 injured and damaged thousands of houses and road infrastructure. Following the quake, at least 67 individuals were injured after shallow tremors struck Mirpur city.

On Tuesday, the AJK government declared the earthquake-affected areas of Mirpur and adjoining areas as “calamity hit” to facilitate survivors.

The European Commission press release added that the EU funding was being made available by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations

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(ECHO) through its ‘Small Scale Response’ mechanism, which was described as a “global mechanism which allows for rapid funding for up to 300,000 euros for humanitarian aid in countries affected by natural and man-made disasters”.

The head of the ECHO office in Islamabad, Bernard Jaspers-Faijer, said: “We are acting fast to channel emergency aid to those most affected in Pakistan.”

“Our funding will assist the most vulnerable and help provide shelter to those who have lost their homes and belongings in the aftermath of the strong tremor. Our thoughts are with all the victims and first responders working around the clock to save lives,” he added.

CMYK

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

The IraqI people are In revolT THE RIOT POLICE INADVERTENTLY DETONATED THE EXPLOSIVE RESENTMENT FELT BY ALMOST ALL IRAQIS TOWARDS THE KLEPTOCRATIC STATE WHICH HAS STOLEN AS MUCH AS $450BN SINCE THE OVERTHROW OF SADDAM HUSSEIN IN 2003

indePendent

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PATRIcK cOcKbuRN

RAq is poised at a turning point in its modern history as its people wait to see if the government curfew and close down of the internet will end the ongoing demonstrations.

I am staying in the Baghdad Hotel, off Sadoon Street in central Baghdad, not far from Tahrir Square, the focus of most protest movements in Iraq. On Tuesday I was expecting to visit Iraqi army bases north of Baghdad to find out if Isis was still a threat and what the chances were of it making a comeback.

I never went: on Tuesday afternoon at about 4pm I began to hear the “put put” of rifle fire in the distance which at first I disregarded, thinking there might be a wedding or some other celebration. But the sound got louder and soon there was the sharp crack of

weapons being fired close by. In the lobby of my hotel, a man stopped me and said, “There are 10 dead already and the fighting is going to get worse.”

It turned out that the government had managed to turn a small demonstration of 3,000 people in Tahrir Square, who had been protesting for three months against official corruption, a lack of jobs and poor services, into a major incident. The protesters had tried to cross the Jumhuriya Bridge which leads in the direction of the green zone, the site of the parliament, the prime minister’s office and other official buildings. The riot police, who have a bad reputation in Iraq, opened fire with rubber bullets, stun grenades, and, eventually, live rounds. Soon a video was flashing around social media of the protesters, mostly under 20, being attacked by the police and hosed with hot water.

It was this incident which turned a small scale protest into mass demonstrations which may bring down the government of prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi.

The riot police inadvertently deto-

nated the explosive resentment felt by almost all Iraqis towards the kleptocratic state which has stolen as much as $450bn since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

All Iraqis know that the country possesses vast oil wealth, bringing in $6.5bn a month, but they live with widescale unemployment, lack of electricity, pervasive corruption and a poor quality health and education system. They know that vast fortunes have been made by government officials siphoning off money for projects that are never completed and, frequently, are never even begun. For many years, even the state’s bomb detecting equipment, which was entirely ineffective in detecting bombs, was being bought for tens of thousands of dollars apiece though it cost only a few dollars to make.

It is this sense of grievance which is now beginning to explode: unless the government can rein it in over the next few days it is unlikely to last very long. One of the strengths of the protest movement is that it has no leaders but is almost entirely sponta-

neous, with a wide variety of slogans, but this means the government has nobody to talk to, not that it is trying very hard to negotiate its way out of trouble. Many Iraqis say that it is a mistake to get rid of the government without knowing what will replace it but others argue that things could not be much worse for them and are prepared to take a leap in the dark.

Intense rage against government mass theft of Iraq’s resources has been there since 2003, but the Shia majority have usually been persuaded by their political leaders that they must stick together to stop al-qaeda or Isis making a comeback. Up to the recapture of Mosul, the de facto Isis capital in 2017 after a nine-month siege, this argument often worked. But since then Isis has controlled no territory in Iraq and there have been no big bombings in Baghdad for three years. People are no longer so frightened by the fear of their families being murdered that they are prepared to ignore the mass corruption and lack of basic services.

The explosion over social grievances would have happened

No development without the politics of mass mobilisation and demilitarisation in Indian Held Kashmir

Amit Shah vilifying Bangladeshis while PM Modi rolls out the red carpet for Sheikh Hasina

WITH THE DETENTION OF ELECTED LEGISLATORS, PARLIAMENTARIANS, AND SEPARATISTS, THE EARLIER ENTHUSIASM THAT ACCOMPANIED ELECTORAL POLITICS SEEMS TOTALLY FUTILE IN THE CURRENT POLITICAL VACUUM CounterPunCh NYLA ALI KHAN

Amidst that pandemonium of 1947, Jammu and Kashmir was the first state in the newly freed Indian subcontinent to have its own written constitutional plan.

The constitution guaranteed enfranchisement of all adult citizens, men and women, and took particular care to protect the dignity and religious freedoms of minorities.

The admirable egalitarian and democratic quality of their achievement was partially a result of the political dissidence and collective consciousness that grew in retaliation to oppressive monarchical institutions, which had curbed their freedom for generations. The people of Kashmir were able to bridge religious and class divides to further the nationalist consciousness of a society in the process of self-determining.

A people newly emancipated from the clutches of an oppressive and rigorous monarchy blossomed.

In that euphoric atmosphere, no force seemed powerful enough to militate against the dream of a democratic and emancipated society.

The armed conflict and counter insurgency in Indian Held Kashmir changed political combinations and permutations without either disrupting political, social and gender hierarchies, or benefiting marginalized groups. The social, economic, political and psychological brunt of the armed conflict and counter insurgency has been borne by the populace of Indian Held Kashmir since 1989.

The uncertainty created by several decades has pervaded the social fabric in insidious ways, creating

a whole generation of disaffected and disillusioned youth.

With the arbitrary revocation of the autonomous status of Indian Held Kashmir and its reduction to a union territory on August 5, 2019, lack of faith in the Indian polity has caused Kashmiris to cultivate an apathy to the electoral process, promised by Prime Minister Modi and his cohort. It is a given that persons best suited to carry out New Delhi’s agenda will be installed in positions of political import, regardless of public opinion.

With the detention of elected legislators, parliamentarians, and separatists, the earlier enthusiasm that accompanied electoral politics seems totally futile in the current political vacuum in the state.

Lack of accountability among the Indian Held Kashmir polity, Governor, and bureaucracy has caused a large number of people to toe the line by living with fundamental structural inequities and violence, instead of risking the ire of Prime Minister Modi and his totalitarian regime.

With the arbitrary arrest of grassroots workers of political organizations in the Valley, regional politics have been paralyzed and are in a moribund state. There seems to be an unbridgeable gulf between figures of authority like Home Minister Amit Shah, who claim that “the entire world had supported the move to abrogate the special status given to Indian Held Kashmir,” and the people of Indian Held Kashmir, who have been deployed as pawns in the devious political game being played in our neck of the woods.

The glaring lack of civil liberties and closure of educational institutions in the Valley makes demoralization pervasive and un-

derscores the redundancy of the educated segment of the population. The incarceration of several youths in Indian Held Kashmir by Indian military and paramilitary forces is cruel, and has further alienated the disillusioned populace. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has legitimized the forces of masculinist nationalism and enabled virile hatred for the “other” to irreparably mutilate the fabric of Indian Held Kashmir so systematically that the process of healing seems like a far cry as of now. Political opportunists and carpetbaggers have destroyed political autonomy and, in the aftermath, created institutional paralysis.

The political apathy, military high handedness, moral turpitude, and tattering of society Indian Held Kashmir is reflected in my conversations with family and friends.

Most of those conversations are about a present blemished by the torrent of right-wing populism, lack of civil rights, and the nebulousness of an unforeseeable future.

Home Minister Amit Shah has been claiming with braggadocio that Indian Held Kashmir will become the most “developed region in the country” because of the revocation of its autonomous status. But, contrary to such tall claims, there will be no sustainable development until the institutional politics of governance is merged with the politics of mass mobilisation to promote demilitarisation and democracy.

Nyla Ali Khan is the author of Fiction of Nationality in an Era of Transnationalism, Islam, Women, and Violence in Kashmir, The Life of a Kashmiri Woman, and the editor of The Parchment of Kashmir.

at some point and it was government overreaction which insured that this happened last Tuesday. quite why it behaved liked this is something of a mystery: speculation in Baghdad is that the prime minister is advised by military hawks with little idea of the mechanics of Iraqi politics.

But it is noticeable that the government has failed to make any concessions since it’s made its first mistakes. “The prime minister should have done something like announcing that he would arrest the hundred most corrupt members of his government,” said one friend.

Instead ministers have been saying that they will inquire into the reasons for the protests, but these are glaringly obvious and known to the whole country: corruption, joblessness and lack of services.

What will happen next? The government cannot maintain a total lockdown on Baghdad, a city of seven million people, for very long. Already people are beginning to move on the streets around my hotel and many of them heading for Tahrir Square. Closing down the internet may have dis-

rupted communications between protesters, making it more difficult for them to stage demonstrations in the centre of the city.

But it has only displaced the protests to districts all over Baghdad, including the Shia stronghold of Sadr City which is reputed to have a population of 3 million. Reports spoke of crowds there setting fire to municipal offices and the headquarters of political parties associated with the government.

The uprising has also spread across all of southern Iraq, though not yet to the Sunni provinces. The government may find it difficult to suppress the Shia, their own base support, using armed forces that are themselves mostly Shia.

The government’s legitimacy was low to begin with and is sinking by the day. Ali Sistani, the revered religious leader of the Shia, may come out against the government actions. Muqtada al-Sadr, the populist nationalist leader whose movement came first in the parliamentary elections in 2018, has said he supports the protests, though he does not want his supporters to play a leading role in them on the grounds that this would “politicise” the protest movement and discredit it in the eyes of some Iraqis. Even government spokespeople are refusing to talk to Iraqi journalists, probably because they do not want to be seen approving the government’s tactics. In other words, unless the prime minister can bring the crisis under control in the next couple of days his own administration may begin to implode.

MODI KNOWS AND HASINA KNOWS THERE’S NO QUESTION OF THROWING EVEN ONE BANGLADESHI OUT OF INDIA – IN ANY CASE, HASINA BELIEVES THERE ARE NONE Print JYOTI MALHOTR

As the Kashmir Valley marks two months of its lockdown, with journalists protesting at the Srinagar press club and political leaders still under detention, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus now is on how to best govern the soon-to-be Union Territory.

In his cabinet meetings, sources say, Modi talked about dredging the Dal Lake in Srinagar and returning it to its pristine shape and size. Remember the photo of the PM sailing away into the blue waters of Dal Lake when he visited Indian Held Kashmir earlier this year?

Well, none other than former Indian Held Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra had sent out an SOS to the Indian Navy in 2018 to help with the Dal Lake, whose size has come down from 22 sq km to 10 sq km because of untreated sewage and pollution.

Modi seems to be deeply concerned with improving the lives of Kashmiris. He has the support of a vast majority of Kashmiris who are quite fed up with the dynastic rule of the Abdullahs and the Muftis – problem is, that it’s difficult to build political leadership when you have incarcerated everyone, even if reports now state that leaders in the Valley will soon be released on a “case-by-case” basis.

This is the remarkable thing about Modi. On the one hand, he has tweeted fulsome praise for the Vande Bharat Express, a “Navratri gift for my brothers and sisters in Jammu as well as devotees of Maa Vaishno Devi,” because the people of Indian Held Kashmir must benefit

from governance largesse.

On the other hand, he has delegated political control of lockdown Indian Held Kashmir to Home minister Amit Shah, while security issues are managed by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

But something else has been happening in Delhi this week, and briefly on Thursday evening, as the wind, rain and storm lashed Delhi, a curtain briefly parted at the Bangladesh High Commission. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in town and in the sanctum sanctorum of her dining room there were a few very special guests over for dinner.

There was Ram Madhav, the powerful BJP general secretary in charge of the northeast; Tathagata Roy, the outspoken governor of Tripura; Biplab Deb, the chief minister of Tripura; Ghulam Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader; Hasina’s powerful international affairs adviser Gowher Rizvi; Bangladesh’s high commissioner to India Muazzem Ali. And at the head of the table, Hasina herself.

Hasina had a very congenial meeting with Modi in New York last week at the margins of the UN General Assembly and is meeting him in Delhi too. Modi has told Hasina that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is an “internal matter” and that she needn’t worry too much about it.

Bangladeshis also don’t seem that concerned over Amit Shah’s remarks in the run-up to the elections that all Bangladeshi infiltrators will be thrown into the Bay of Bengal like “deemak” (termites). The Bangladeshis, comfortable in

the widespread acknowledgement that their growth rates are the highest in Asia, are putting Shah’s comments down to election rhetoric. Moreover, most on the NRC Assam list, ironically, are Hindus not Muslims.

But what happens when Shah repeats his inflammatory statements across the country, especially in West Bengal? It worries not just the Bengal BJP but it may also begin to concern the prime minister.

Enter Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, also a former president of the BJP. Over the last week, Rajnath has been playing his protector-of-the-nation role to the hilt. He will fly a Rafale sortie in Paris in the coming week – on Dussehra, no less – where he is going to receive the first batch of Rafales, he has fired a medium machine gun onboard INS Vikramaditya and flown the indigenously built Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.

Is Rajnath Singh being propped up as a counter to Amit Shah? BJP sources pooh-pooh the very thought, but in any Delhi Durbar, signals are everything. The mild-mannered Rajnath Singh was very quiet during the first Modi tenure, but in recent weeks has acquired a much more active social media handle. (He’s still not as good as the PM, though.)

Modi knows and Hasina knows that there’s no question of throwing even one Bangladeshi out of the country – in any case, Hasina believes there are none. Can Amit Shah seriously carry a campaign of vilifying Bangladeshis across the country when his own Prime Minister wants a better relationship with Bangladesh?

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

sHiiTe cleRic waRns iRaq’s leadeRs; pRoTesT deaTH Toll aT 42 BAGHDAD

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AGENCIES

RAq’S top Shiite cleric on Friday sharply criticized the government in the wake of deadly violence gripping the country, urging both the political leaders and the protesters to pull back “before it is too late” as the death toll in this week’s anti-government demonstrations climbed to 42.

The highly-anticipated comments

by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani were his first since the protests erupted earlier this week. Many across Iraq’s predominantly Shiite south had looked to the influential cleric for guidance.

Al-Sistani’s sermon came just hours after Iraq’s prime minister called on protesters to go home, comparing security measures imposed in the wake of the demonstrations to “bitter medicine” that needs to be swallowed.

Since Tuesday, security forces have fired live rounds and tear gas every day to disperse protesters across multiple provinces demanding job opportunities, improved services and an end to corruption. The rallies have erupted spontaneously, mostly spurred by youths wanting jobs, improved services such as electricity and water, and an end to endemic corruption in the oil-rich country. Authorities have also cut internet access in much of Iraq since late Wednesday, in a desperate move to curb the rallies. Al-Sistani blamed the lead-

ers of the two biggest parliament blocs in particular, saying they failed to make good on their promises.

“The government and the political sides have not fulfilled the demands of the people to fight corruption,” al-Sistani said in his Friday sermon, delivered by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

Al-Sistani called on political leaders to take “practical and clear steps” toward combatting corruption and on the government to “carry out its duty” to diminish people’s suffering. He also reiterated his suggestion for a committee of technocrats tasked with making recommendations on fighting corruption, as a way out of the current crisis.

It was not immediately clear whether al-Sistani’s comments would give momentum to protesters or help diffuse the situation.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi urged anti-government protesters to disband, saying their “legitimate demands” have been heard.

But dozens of protesters defied his message, gathering shortly before noon near Baghdad’s central Tahrir Square. Many had camped out on the streets overnight. Security forces responded by firing live bullets to disperse the crowd near Tahrir.

Meanwhile, Iraqi hospital officials reported nine more deaths in the southern city of Nasiriyah, about 320 kilometres (200 miles) southeast of Baghdad, bringing this week’s overall death toll to 42. Hospital officials said the deaths occurred late Thursday. Nasiriyah has witnessed the most violence in the protests, with at least 25 people, including a policeman, killed. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on con-

dition of anonymity in line with regulations. Abdul-Mahdi spoke in a televised address to the nation, broadcast at 2:30 a.m., about the demonstrations that have spread across many provinces in the country.

“We will not make empty promises … or promise what we cannot achieve,” said Abdul-Mahdi, who hails from Nasiriyah. He said there is “no magic solution” to Iraq’s problems but pledged to work on laws granting poor families a basic income, provide alternative housing to violators and fight corruption. “The security measures we are taking, including temporary curfew, are difficult choices. But like bitter medicine, they are inevitable,” he said.

“We have to return life to normal in all provinces and respect the law.”

The prime minister also defended the nation’s security forces, saying they abide by strict rules against use of “excessive violence” and that it was the escalation of the protests that leads to violence. He also said, without elaborating, that he “regrets some have successfully derailed some of the protests from their peaceful path” in order to “exploit” the violence for political reasons. The unrest is the most serious challenge for Abdul-Mahdi’s year-old government, which also has been caught in the middle of increasing U.S.Iran tensions in the region. Iraq is allied with both countries and hosts thousands of U.S. troops, as well as powerful paramilitary forces allied with Iran.

Iran not ‘drawing back’ militarily after Saudi attack: US admiral WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Iran has not drawn back to a less threatening military posture in the region following the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi Arabia, the top U.S. admiral in the Middle East told Reuters, suggesting persistent concern despite a lull in violence. “I don’t believe that they’re drawing back at all,” Vice Admiral Jim Malloy, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, said in an interview. The United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed the attack on Iran, which denies involvement in the strike on the world’s biggest crude oil-processing facility. The Iranaligned Houthi militant group in Yemen has claimed responsibility.

Malloy did not comment on any U.S. intelligence guiding his assessment. But he acknowledged that he monitored Iranian activities closely when asked if he had seen any concerning movements of Iranian missiles in recent weeks. Malloy said he regularly tracks Iranian cruise and ballistic missile movements — “whether they’re moving to storage, away from storage.” He also monitors whether Iran’s minelaying capabilities head to distribution sites or away from them.

“I get a briefing of movements on a daily basis and then assessments as to what that could mean,” he said. Relations between the United States and Iran have deteriorated sharply since President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear accord last year

and reimposed sanctions on its oil exports.

For months, Iranian officials issued veiled threats, saying that if Tehran were blocked from exporting oil, other countries would not be able to do so either.

However, Iran has denied any role in a series of attacks that have followed, including against tankers in the Gulf using limpet mines earlier this year.

Asked what the latest attack in Saudi Arabia showed him, Malloy said: “From my perspective, it is a land-based version of what they did with the mines quick, clandestine — deny it if you can.” “Send a signal and harass and provoke,” he said. His remarks came a week after the Pentagon announced it was sending four radar systems, a battery of Patriot missiles and about 200 support personnel to bolster Saudi defenses — the latest in a series of U.S. deployments to the region this year amid escalating tensions. Still, the latest deployment was more limited than had been initially under consideration. Reuters has previously reported, for example, that the Pentagon eyed keeping an aircraft carrier in the Gulf region indefinitely, amid speculation that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will soon need to wind up its deployment.

Malloy declined to speculate about future carrier deployments. But he acknowledged the tremendous value of aircraft carriers — as well as the ships in the strike groups that accompany an aircraft carrier.

That includes the contribution of destroyers now accompanying the USS Abraham Lincoln to a U.S.led, multinational maritime effort known as Operation

Sentinel. It is meant to deter Iranian attacks at sea — and expose them if they occur.

“What Sentinel seeks to do is shine a flashlight across that and make sure that if anything happens in the maritime, they will be exposed for that activity,” he said. This includes by providing a surveillance and communication backbone to share intelligence with nations that have agreed to participate, which include Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “We’ve created essentially a zone defense,” he said.

Russian jouRnalisT deTained in iRan MOSCOW: A Russian journalist has been arrested in the Iranian capital and kept in custody since earlier this week, the Russian embassy to Tehran said on Friday. The embassy’s press attaché told the Tass news agency that Yulia Yuzik flew into Tehran last Sunday and that Iranian officials seized her passport at the airport for unknown reasons. She was arrested in her hotel room on Wednesday. The attaché could not immediately say why the journalist was under arrest. The Russian foreign ministry has summoned the Iranian ambassador to Moscow to explain Yuzik’s arrest, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Yuzik’s former husband Boris Voitsekhovsky said on Facebook on Friday that she called him from detention saying that she faces charges of espionage for Israel. Yuzik, who worked for several prominent Russian publications and has reported from Iran, posted pictures from her trip on Instagram earlier this week, saying that she loved being there. AGENCIES

Thousands protest mask ban as HK leader toughens stance HONG KONG: Thousands of defiant masked protesters streamed into Hong Kong streets Friday after the city’s embattled leader invoked rarely used emergency powers to ban masks at rallies in a hardening of the government’s stance after four months of anti-government demonstrations.

Challenging the ban set to take effect Saturday, protesters crammed streets in the central business district and other areas, shouting “Hong Kong people, resist.” Lam said at an afternoon news conference that the mask ban, imposed under a colonial-era Emergency Ordinance that was last used over half a decade ago, targets violent protesters and rioters and “will be an effective deterrent to radical behaviour.” The ban applies to all public gatherings, both unauthorized and those approved by police.

Lam stressed it doesn’t mean the semiautonomous Chinese territory is in a state of emergency. She said she would go to the legislature later to get legal backing for the rule. “We must save Hong Kong, the present Hong Kong and future Hong Kong,” she said. “We must stop the violence … we can’t just leave the situation to get worse and worse.” Two activists immediately filed legal challenges in court on grounds that the mask ban will instill fear and curtail freedom of speech and assembly. The ban makes the wearing of full or partial face coverings, including face paint, at public gatherings punishable by one year in jail. A six-month jail term could be imposed on people who refuse a police officer’s order to remove a face covering for identification. AGENCIES

US sanctions squeezing Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon BEIRUT AGENCIES

The conflict between Iran and the U.S. that has created tensions throughout much of the Middle East is now also being felt in

Lebanon, where Washington has slapped sanctions on the Iran-backed Hezbollah and warned they could soon expand to its allies, further deepening the tiny Arab country’s economic crisis. The Trump administration has intensified sanctions on the Lebanese militant group and institutions linked to it to unprecedented levels, targeting lawmakers for the first time as well as a local bank that Washington claims has ties to the group. Two U.S. officials visited Beirut in September and warned the sanctions will increase to deprive Hezbollah of its sources of income. The push is further adding to Lebanon’s severe financial and economic crisis, with Lebanese officials warning the country’s economy and banking

sector can’t take the pressure.

“We have taken more actions recently against Hezbollah than in the history of our counterterrorism program,” Sigal P. Mandelker, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Treasury, said in the United Arab Emirates last month. Mandelker said Washington is confident the Lebanese government and the central bank will “do the right thing here in making sure that Hezbollah can no longer have access to funds at the bank.”

Hezbollah, whose Arabic name translates into “Party of God,” was established by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The group, which enjoys wide support among Lebanon’s Shiite community, runs institutions such as hospitals, clinics and schools _ but it also has tens of thousands of missiles that Hezbollah’s leadership boasts can hit anywhere in Israel.

The group is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, some Gulf Arab countries and few Latin Amer-

ican nations, while the European Union considers only Hezbollah’s military wing of the group to be a terrorist group. Today, it is among the most effective armed groups in the Middle East with an arsenal more powerful than that of the Lebanese army, and has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to back President Bashar Assad’s forces in that country’s civil war.

Hezbollah and its allies have more power than ever in parliament and government and President Michel Aoun is a strong ally of the group. Hezbollah has acknowledged the sanctions are affecting them, but it says it has been able to cope with sanctions imposed by the U.S. for years.

The group, however, warned that it is the job of the Lebanese state to defend its citizens when they come under sanctions simply because they belong to the group, are Shiite Muslims, or are Hezbollah sympathizers.

In July, the Treasury Department targeted two Hezbollah legislators, Amin Sherri and Mohammad Raad, in the first

such move against lawmakers currently seated in Lebanon’s parliament. A month later, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Jammal Trust Bank for what it called “knowingly facilitating banking activities.” The bank, which denied the charges, was forced to close afterward. Neither Sherri nor Raad responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press. So far, all the figures who have come under sanctions have been either Hezbollah officials or Shiite Muslim individuals who Washington says are aiding the group. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group will “study well our alternatives” now that the U.S. is targeting banks that Hezbollah does not own or deal with, as well as rich individuals and merchants simply because of their religious affiliation.

“We said it in the past that when we are subjected to injustice we can be patient, but when our people are subjected to injustice we should behave in a different way,” he said.

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

08 COMMENT

A leap of faith

AsAd HussAin

The JUI-F is really desperate

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S long as Parliament is functional and the courts are delivering judgments, there is little sense in taking recourse to extra-constitutional means to overthrow an elected administration. When a government which has made promises to deliver is removed before the end of its mandated tenure, it can use its premature departure to justify the failure to implement its agenda. It is therefore wiser to let every government exhaust the time allotted to it so that it is left with no excuse for its lack of performance. It is intriguing that the JUI-F leadership should decide on a solo flight, disregarding important questions raised by the PML-N and PPP that need to be answered before the launch of what is now being called the Azadi March.

The PPP maintains that it is as opposed now to the change of government through sit ins as it was in 2014.

While willing to work for the removal of the government through fresh elections, the PPP and PML-N are averse to a recourse to any means that could destabilise the system. The JUI-F claims that hundreds of thousands of protesters are to converge from all over the country on the capital city on October 27. If so, how will the JUI-F ensure that such a large gathering remains peaceful? With the KP CM maintaining that his government will not let JUI-F rallies pass through his province, there is a likelihood of clashes. If the Punjab government follows suit, there is all the more reason for widespread lawlessness. With the umpire on the administration’s side, how can the protesters force the PTI government to resign?

The JUI-F is desperate. Having no hope of winning the 2018 elections anywhere on its own, the JUI-F had contested as a part of MMA, a five-party alliance. The alliance was completely routed in Punjab and Sindh. The JUI-F fears that in case the PTI is allowed to rule in peace for long, the JUI-F and its allies might lose their traditional turf in KP and Balochistan too. This explains JUI-F’s desperation though it doesn’t justify its recourse to extra constitutional means to remove the government.

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LL eyes were on the Imran khan for his maiden speech on the forum of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) made on 27 September.

Imran Khan, no doubt, represented his charisma through his fearless and sure-footed speech before the world leaders. His facial gestures and body language produced shockwaves of anxiety for our foes sitting there and this calculated kick was enough for everyone looking with an evil eye at Pakistan. His extempore and impromptu speech based on well researched data and arguments, helped him to land in the list of charismatic leaders who have foresight and provision.

The speech was precisely divided into four arguments which highlighted the problems that have been confronted by the world today.

These issues were climate change, corruption and money laundering, Islamophobia and the Kashmir conundrum.

To begin with, the Prime Minister of Pakistan drew the attention of world leaders towards the severity and bitterness emanating from climate change. He urged the world community to make cooperated and coordinated efforts to take the bull of climate change by the horns. He also highlighted that reports from climate change are painting a bleak picture for human survival. Pakistan is among the top ten countries affected by climate change, despite contributing such a little amount to mankind’s carbon footprint. Thus, he called on the world community to take urgent measures if this malaise is to be remedied.

Moving the needle of his speech to the second point, Imran Khan highlighted the need to contain and halt the vicious practices of corruption and money laundering. He exemplified this argument by quoting Pakistan in this regard. He said that the leadership in Pakistan when in the helm of affairs, looted and siphoned off the public money and sent it to mostly European countries in the form of offshore companies.

This practice enhances the gap between the poor and the rich and poses a stumbling store in the way of progress and development among the Third World and developing countries.

Press freedom

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

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Therefore, the Prime Minister urged the world leaders to ensure sustainable endeavours to put an end to this venal and corruptible practice.

Following the strategy of one page-ism would be productive to save the developing world from the snare of money laundering.

Moreover and more importantly, Imran Khan clarified the fallacy of the concept of Islamophobia before the world community. It is undoubted that he deftly and dexterously presented the case of the religion of Islam and its true preachers and followers. He was of the view that the term Islamic terrorism is based on the false notion that Islam teaches extremism and fundamentalism. He further elaborated that if a Muslim around the globe committed this vicious act, it had nothing to do with the religion of Islam. On the other hand, Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance, pacifism and parity. The Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is the practical example of such phenomenal teachings.

In addition to his argument, he pointed out the terrorist and extremist acts carried out in India, Sri Lanka and other parts of the world, which surely did not imply that Hinduism or any other religion teaches such nefarious acts.

No religion favours such act which creates human miseries and pain. The act of an individual must not be linked with his particular religion. There should be a respect for others’ religion which is imperative for peaceful coexistence. The severity of Islamophobia can be gauged that around the globe, a woman is allowed to take off her clothes but is not allowed to wear the hijab (veil) because she can be a threat to the security of the country, she is in.

Thus, the Prime minister urged the world that

around 1.5 billion Muslims in the world are following their religion which is peaceful in nature, and should not be labelled with such derogatory remarks, and asked others to refrain from committing blasphemous acts.

Lastly, the Prime Minister also elaborated in detail the ongoing conflagration and hidden skirmishes between the two neighbours, India and Pakistan. He narrated that once the PTI government has taken the reins of power, it had time and again extended the olive branch to India but the unrepentant India, the so-called flagbearer of democracy, had put pacifism on the backburner. Despite India’s nefarious and proven acts of extremism in Karachi and Baluchistan, as shown by the example of Kulbhushan Jadhav, Pakistan has always called for the enhancing of trade links, alleviating poverty and overhauling the healthcare system.

However, the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution by India’s Hitler, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a last nail in a coffin of Pakistan’s patience and tolerance.

Now is the time for the UN to intervene in this matter and try to resolve the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspiration of the Kashmiri people. So far, the UNSC has passed nine resolutions to carry out a plebiscite in Kashmir. If the UN failed to resolve the issues between the two nuclear states and India continued her fascist tactics, he said, Pakistan would be left with no other option but to retaliate. The Prime Minister intimated the world community that the Modi and the RSS were leading this issue to a point of no-return. Do something tangible, he warned, before it got too late.

Asad Hussain is a columnist, historian and international political and security analyst. He can be contacted at Asadhussainma@yahoo.com

The capture of the perpetrator is not enough

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Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

A fearless speech

Abusing children again

The stakeholders unite against tribunals joint meeting of the APNS, the CPNE, the PBA and all three factions of the PFUJ have opposed the proposals for special tribunals to deal with press matters, a proposal which the federal government has been following for some time with some persistence. The proposal, which is neither specific enough for detailed comment, nor which was part of the ruling PTI’s manifesto when it was elected to office last year, has not been favoured by any of the stakeholders of the media industry from the time it was made.

It seems therefore, that the government has made a proposal which nobody wants, except, it seems, some elements of the information bureaucracy. It is thus an obvious conclusion that the purpose is not, as claimed, the better regulation of news organisations, but to control them better. This is because so far, the media management policy has included such tactics as the sudden prohibition on the distribution of certain newspapers with certain neighbourhoods, or the sudden refusal of cable operators on carrying certain channels.

In the Ayub era, until now a benchmark for press repression, at least it was known which publication had action taken against it and by which authority.

Now, it seems, the authority is not to be disclosed.

The present government has put off the press tribunal proposal, until such time as it finds the ability to carry out the necessary legislation, which it lacks because of the opposition majority in the Senate.

However, till then, it may try to implement it by promulgating an ordinance, which has been its favoured means of legislation so far. It should not do this, because it will find that because the press unity that it has met with so far, will only be enhanced.

There may have been media elements which had been impressed by PTI chief Imran Khan while he was in opposition, but now that he has been elected to office, will hold him to those same standards of press freedom as he himself had promised. The government must abandon all means of control and crushing dissent, along with a categorical promise not to revive the tribunals proposal.

Recapitulating Imran Khan’s vision

dr ZeesHAn KHAn

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N Pakistan, the episode of child abuse during last year’s Zainab Case was too painful and yet again the road to suffering seems not ending soon.

The social values have depreciated and morality is already at stake. No concrete steps were adopted after awful incident of Zainab and the affliction continues with four more cases of child abuse from Kasur.

From January to June in the current year, 1,304 cases of sexual abuse of children have been reported by the media in the country, which means that at least seven children are abused daily, reveals in a report released by a child rights organisation, Sahil.

According to the report, the data from January to June in 2019 reveals that 729 girls and 575 boys became victims of sexual exploitation. Over 10 children were abused every day in Pakistan in 2018. The most common perpetrator of the child sex abuse was an acquaintance with the victim and the victim’s family. Most victims (414) were between 11 and 15 years old.

The 1973 Constitution guarantees and protects the fundamental rights of citizens, including children. Article 25(1) provides that “all citizens are equal before law and entitled to equal protection of law”. Article 25(2) provides that “there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone”. Article 35 provides that “the state shall protect the marriage, the family, the mother and the child”. Despite this expression protection provided under the Constitution, laws pertaining to Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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crimes against children exist in the most haphazard manner with no coherence with each other; and the state continues to fail in protecting the children of this country.

UNICEF uses the term ‘child protection’ to refer to the prevention and response to violence, exploitation and abuse against children including commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour and harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. UNICEF’s child protection programme also targets the children who are uniquely vulnerable to these abuses, like the children who live without their parents or parental care, in conflict with the law and in armed conflict. Violations of the child’s right to protection takes place in every country and are on a massive scale, under-recognised and under-reported barriers to child survival and development.

Children subjected to violence, exploitation, abuse and neglection are at risk of death, poor physical and mental health, HIV/AIDS, educational problems, displacement, homelessness, vagrancy and poor parenting skills in later life.

The Convention on the Rights of The Child (1989) outlines the fundamental rights of children, including the right to be protected from economic exploitation and harmful work, from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse, and from physical or mental violence as well as ensuring that children will not be separated from their family against their will. These rights are further refined by two Optional Protocols, one on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the other on the involvement of children in armed conflict.

Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. Child protection systems are a set of services

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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usually run by government and designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability. UNICEF defines a ‘child protection system’ as: the set of laws, policies, regulations and services needed across all social sectors especially social welfare, education, health, security and justice to support prevention and response to protection-related risks.

These systems are part of social protection and extend beyond it. At the level of prevention, their aim includes supporting and strengthening families to reduce social exclusion and to lower the risk of separation, violence and exploitation.

Responsibilities are often spread across government agencies, with services delivered by local authorities, non-State providers, other United Nations organisations, professional associations, youth, the media and community groups, making coordination between sectors and levels, including routine referral systems, a necessary component of effective child protection systems.

Approximately 127 million children aged 5–17 are believed to be engaged in hazardous work, excluding child domestic labour. More than two million children worldwide are detained by law enforcement officials.

It is estimated that more than 131 million women and girls alive today have undergone some form of female genital mutilation (cutting).

Child protection issues intersect with every one of the Millennium development Goals (MdGs)– from poverty reduction to getting children into school, from eliminating gender inequality to reducing child mortality. Most of the MdGs simply cannot be achieved, if failures to protect children are not addressed.

Recommendations included an awareness campaign for protection of children from child abuse, introduction of a new legislation and a guarantee of implementation of en-

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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forced enactments, as well as a comprehensive rehabilitation/support system for the victims at local and national level. Messages of self-protection should be included in the school curriculum while a provincial plan of action against child sexual abuse and exploitation must be drafted by the government.

Amber-Alert System like in America and Europe can be adopted and a group of talented Karachi youngsters developed the same system with some local variations.

Moreover, it includes addressing harmful attitudes, customs and practices, encouraging open discussion of child protection issues that includes media and civil society partners, developing children’s life skills, knowledge and participation, building capacity of families and communities, providing essential services for prevention, recovery and reintegration, including basic health, education and protection, establishing and implementing ongoing and effective monitoring, reporting and oversight strategies to strengthen the Protective environment for children.

Norway and most of the European countries fulfil these components. In Pakistan, parents don’t educate their children regarding the good or bad touch, neither about the dangerous circumstances, sex education and reproductive health issues, making it a taboo. No lesson has been learnt from past incidents by incumbent governments. Parents should not compromise on the safety of their children. As per Article 39 of the UNCRC, the government should take all necessary measures to promote the psychological and physical recovery of child victims. Lastly, recent rehabilitative measures are underdeveloped, if not non-existent. There is an urgent need to establish such facilities throughout the country.

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

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Saturday, 5 October, 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

PTV and Radio Pakistan degradation

Access to the internet There are many barriers to proper connectivity in Pakistan AmnA KHAn

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CCESS to resources in Pakistan depends heavily upon your region of birth within the country. If you’re born in Punjab or Sindh, congratulations, because you’ve hit the budgeting jackpot. Being born in the three top contenders, Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad indisputably qualifies one for the highest ranking on the resource ladder. In order to assess this basic birthright, one needs the information to know the what, where, how and why of life.

Thankfully the un-Islamic Western powers created the World Wide Web so that this basic human right to information could be exercised by the curious masses of the world. They have charitably provided us underwater internet cables so that we could become corrupted by the evil knowledge of the societies progressing around us and raise an online outcry for our Islamic brethren to fight against this menace of downloadable knowledge.

The West further ensured the codification of this right to information. In Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, access to broadband services, more popularly known as ‘the internet’ is declared an inalienable right for all mankind. The Article stipulates that “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers.” As you can fairly foresee Pakistan’s under-performance in this department leads me to address peoples’ right to information on the World Wide Web. The Internet, despite our physical drawbacks is the surest and easiest way to know the world around us. The only question is, does your government allow you the means to go exploring?

Projected figures taken from the Internet World Statistics report for Asia in 2018 state that only 22.2 per cent of the population has access to the internet. This statistic was reframed by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) as the Internet being an accessible commodity to over 70 million Pakistanis. Sounds groundbreaking doesn’t it?

Until you realise that an IMF report in 2018 stated that over 200 million Pakistanis don’t even know what the internet is– let alone have the ability to use it. Pakistan is also the top fourth country in the world with unaffordable or inaccessible Internet. This is disheartening to say the least, for not only is uniform Internet access the precursor of a fledgling economy but it is also the central factor in a functional democracy. Furthermore, Al Jazeera, while covering the media blackout in Kashmir, reveals figures from 2016 - 2018 listing ‘countries with the most Internet shutdowns’ in which Pakistan follows proudly behind India as second in conducting premeditated media blackouts. It soothes the

soul to know that if Kashmir does eventually join with Pakistan, we will do our utmost to make them feel right at home.

We live in an age when digital citizenship shapes our history and place in this world. It is inexcusable that digital literacy remains an underutilised phenomenon within the country.

Improving the human condition through technology should be viewed as an advancement of rights, not as a way to keep people uninformed to avoid democratic oversight. The Internet is an essential resource for today’s world and there is simply no identity formulation without it. When we protest the media black-outs in Kashmir, do we consider the deliberate Internet blackout for the 77.8 per cent of Pakistanis? Perhaps because they’re not situated on top of our water channels, there’s no reason for them to have an opinion which needs to be expressed.

When born in Pakistan, civil and human rights are a luxury that you have to be born into. Digital citizenship requires not only access but digital literacy and skills allow us to effectively use the Internet.

The gaps of Internet access unsurprisingly are between rural to urban settlements and women– who are prone to corruption via worldly information (or so the religious fanatics say). Why should be a legal, social and cultural right ensured by our taxes, be used to keep the less fortunate in the dark and unaware, thus condemning the very government who condemn its own citizens to a sub human existence? It’s easier to sell falsehoods to people who are in the dark. This systemic injustice is amplified in broadcast media, which chooses to dominate airwaves not through superior programming but through vindictive monopolisation. Whenever educated minds emerge in the media space with reformations and solutions via educated programming, producers blame an uneducated audience as the main culprit behind inferior programming. What producers hide is that the most cost-effective way to win at this media game is to not let the audience find out there are other better players out there and misleading those who are ignored to stay ignorant.

However better players not only exist but are the only ones who truly thrive in today’s world. Netflix and Amazon Prime have just recently launched discounted mobile plans espe-

cially for their market in India to facilitate their users. The government had already laid the foundations for the infrastructure to support such endeavours. The country has been rewarded with offices, investment and employment opportunities from Netflix and Amazon to complement their commitment at universalising their narratives to fit the world. A narrative which the world wouldn’t have known if it wasn’t for equitable internet speeds and an educated audience who knows how to use it!

Author of Media Policy and Globalization Paula Chakravartty concludes her book by saying that, “The three pillars for the construction of information societies are not telecommunications, equipment and software, rather info-ethics, digital education and real and effective citizen participation.” Ergo Pakistan, in order to meet the criteria of being an ‘information society’, direly needs to invest in the future the world is headed towards.

The PTA frees itself from blame by stating that the overhead costs of improving Internet quality and stretching cables to accommodate obscure areas, are too high. However, the extravagant costs of collecting our taxes to ensure these very provisions remain feasibly low. Contacting China for 5G services is also implausible because it would require a replacement of Western-installed Internet wiring with Chinese cables. The impracticality and unaffordability of this endeavour isn’t even the central drawback. It’s the risk of becoming the next cyberwar zone between capitalism and communism, constantly hacked into our Internet ecosystem! A boon such as the Internet is an inescapable phenomenon that we have to live with, and not being able to access it is the real bane. Inefficiency of Internet services holds a country back economically, socially and narratively. If we can’t import knowledge, ideas and innovations from other developed countries, how are we going to remedy our own? Or even export a believable enough narrative to make our case for ourselves? As declared by the UN, a uniform Internet connection is a necessary precursor in establishing a relationship with the contemporary world for human beings to reach their full potential. It will allow us to reclaim our narrative via uploading it for the world to see.

A uniform Internet connection is a necessary precursor in establishing a relationship with the contemporary world for human beings to reach their full potential. It will allow us to reclaim our narrative via uploading it for the world to see

THIS is to draw attention of the new Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister towards following important matters requiring due consideration at the earliest, please.

It is a matter of regret as well concern that former woman Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb while exercising her so-called discretionary powers reduced both prestigious institutions PTV and Radio Pakistan in the service of former ruling party while ensuring maximum coverage of all court cases as well as other activities of Nawaz Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law in a highly unjustified manner.

PTV and Radio Pakistan high ups should try to put things together and rectify the great damage so done by the former woman Information Minister out of sheer obligations to her party leaders.

Radio Pakistan ‘serving and retired employees are grateful to Almighty Allah that they are getting their salaries and pensions every month regularly but their pensions arrears and medical bills are pending for months and years as UNPAID due to non-availability of adequate resources for this purpose.

The worthy Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister as well as the Finance Minister are requested to look into financial crisis being faced by Radio Pakistan, which do not have enough resources of its own, and also give due consideration to Rs5 only being added as Radio Licence to domestic electricity consumers bills every month in place of Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project since it has already been completed to give Radio Pakistan financial autonomy to some extent so that serving and retired employees long outstanding dues are duly paid at the earliest, please. Thanks.

M A H SHEIKH Lahore

Jinnah’s ‘Purana Pakistan’ MARTIN Luther King Jr once said ‘almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world a better place’. Jinnah wanted the Pakistanis to respect our minorities.

I want to reiterate that Prime Minister Imran Khan had promised to give minorities their due rights. He envisioned following the model of the state of Medina. Mr Khan’s zeal was witnessed when he proposed that Dr Atif Mian was the panacea for the economic calamity of Pakistan. He desired to see Dr Atif as the Finance Minister in his ‘Naya Pakistan’. The desire was a rhetorical. Nevertheless, Mr Khan coerced Dr Atif to resign from the Economic Advisory Council, owing to his faith; which is indifferent to our economy. Consequently, Dr Imran Rasul resigned in protest. This robbed our Economic Council of competent members. However, Jinnah would have daunted the government’s decision because he guaranteed justice, equality, and opportunities for the minorities. Jinnah was a protagonist of minority rights. He stood for the Muslims when they were a minority in the colonial India. Jinnah must have been disenchanted following this inauspicious decision.

The premier idealises Jinnah and pledged to withhold the values of the father of our nation. The white part of our flag denotes Pakistan’s minority. One need not be a Muslim to serve this country. Any person regardless of their religion is capable of serving his/her state without prejudice.

Unfortunately, our government has unceasingly disdained almost every other Pakistani, who had the audacity to choose a dissimilar trajectory since the demise of Mr Jinnah. Pakistan loses her chance to prosper when every Joginder Nath Mandal, Sir Zafarullah Khan, Abdul Salam and in this case Dr Atif is left to the mercy of the bigots in the country.

This is a startling moment for our homeland. The food for thought is that can our nation flourish with this myopic attitude and is Pakistan alike India when it comes to minorities?

Ostensibly, those who claim to be the harbinger of revolution, need to aspire for the Pakistan of 1947 i.e., ‘Purana Pakistan’.

BArrIStEr ArSALAn CHAuDHry narowal

Banning plastic bags PLASTIC bags had been a huge indication of apocalypses since 1950s and it is very much notorious of being the fountainhead of enhancing the mortality rate of people in Pakistan. Plastic bags are being manufactured with various hazardous chemicals which are very much dangerous for every individual surviving in Pakistan, because in every corner of Pakistan plastic bags are being used to carry out the eatable goods without being aware the causes and health risk and sometimes it is very much spoiler for the lands because the plastics would make a timber land into a barren land.

According to the expert scientists that plastic takes more than 500 years to break down in a landfill. Moreover, the scientists have claimed that the plastic bags have been the source of numerous deadliest diseases such as cancer endometriosis, neurological damage, endocrine disruption, birth effects and developmental disorders, immune damage, asthma, and cause multiple organ damages. Furthermore, the Minister of Climate Change Senator had evaluated that more than 55 billion plastic shopping bags are being used in Pakistan where the utilisation had been increased to 15 per cent per annum. In Pakistan approximately 8,021 production units are available whose production of average is nearly 250-500 kilograms per day and the result more investigated that more than 160,000 were directly and 600,000 were indirectly dependent on the industry. I request to the government to conduct surveys to create awareness among the residents about the health risks of applying plastic bags.

MEHrAJ ALtAF turbat

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Japan pM ‘deterMIned’ to Meet north Korea’s KIM despIte MIssIle laUnch TOKYO

J

AGENCIES

APANESE Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he was determined to meet North Korea’s leader to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents, maintaining an offer to talk despite the country’s missile launches. North Korea said this week it had successfully test-fired a new submarine-launched ballistic missile from the sea, to contain external threats and bolster self-defence, ahead of fresh nuclear talks with the United States.

“I am determined to meet with Chairman Kim Jong Un face-to-face, with no preconditions, to resolve the all-important abduction issue,” Abe said in a policy

speech at the beginning of a parliamentary session.

In 2002, North Korea admitted its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese decades before. Japan says 17 of its citizens were abducted, five of whom were repatriated. North Korea has said eight are dead and another four never entered the country. Abe has vowed to pursue the issue until all the abductees come home, despite regional tension over the North’s nuclear and missile programmes.

Staunch US ally Japan and North Korea have been rivals for decades. During periods of tension, North Korea has threatened to rain destruction down on Japan, and North Korea has test-fired missiles into the seas near Japan and even over it. “The abductees issue is core to Abe’s political identity and one of the rea-

sons he’s got to the position he has,” said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian studies at Temple University’s Japan campus.

But Abe has little leverage over Pyongyang at a time when US President Donald Trump is pursuing further talks with the North Korean leader. The two sides are set to hold fresh nuclear talks on October 5. “The only role Japan will play is to bankroll whatever deal is struck,” said Brad Glosserman, deputy director of the Center for Rule-making Strategies at Tama University in Tokyo.

“In the interim, North Korea has no reason to speak to Japan and will use it as a scapegoat to pull out whenever they want.” Japan condemned North Korea’s latest missile test on Wednesday, with Abe saying it was a violation of United Nations sanctions. The launch was the

North’s most provocative since it resumed dialogue with the US in 2018 and a reminder from Pyongyang of the weapons capability it has been aggressively developing.

“As for the North Korean situation, we will do our utmost to secure the safety of the people, while working closely with the United States and cooperating with the international community,” Abe said in his speech. Turning to ties with South Korea, soured by a feud over wartime labour that has spilled over into trade and security matters, Abe reiterated a call for Seoul to observe a promise to Tokyo.

Last October, South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered some Japanese firms to compensate Koreans forced to work in their mines and factories during World War Two. Japan, which says the matter

was settled by a 1965 treaty, calls the court decision a violation of international law. “South Korea is an important neighbour. I would like to ask them to observe a promise made between nations, based on international law.”

White House attempting gambit to slow House impeachment push WASHINGTON AGENCIES

President Donald Trump’s bitter fight against an impeachment inquiry has not slowed down the Democrats’ push to investigate whether he sought personal political gain by urging Ukraine to probe Democratic opponent Joe Biden. But in a new tactic, the White House plans to argue that U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi must have the full House vote to formally approve an impeachment inquiry, a source familiar with the effort said.

Without a vote, White House lawyers believe Trump can ignore lawmakers’ requests, the source said, meaning the federal courts would presumably have to render a decision and potentially slow the march toward impeachment.

A White House letter arguing Pelosi must hold a House vote could be sent to Capitol Hill as early as Friday, the source said. It comes as the Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee plans to issue more subpoenas in

the coming days as it pushes ahead with the investigation.

Trump’s gambit is emerging at the end of a storm-tossed week for him as the president lashed out at Democrats, reporters and anyone else standing in his way to air complaints that he was being unfairly accused and had done nothing wrong. Democrats want to prove Trump sought personal political

gain by appealing to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a July 25 phone call to investigate Biden and his son Hunter, who earned money from a Ukrainian gas company.

Joe Biden, the former vice president, leads in most opinion polls among the 19 Democrats seeking their party’s nomination to take on Trump in the November

2020 election. Trump sees the impeachment probe as a harassing follow-up to the Russia investigation that failed to knock him out of office over accusations that he colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign. In a new wrinkle, Trump said on Thursday that “China should start an investigation into the Bidens” over Hunter Biden’s business ties to China, again inviting foreign interference in a U.S. presidential election.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

China experts said Beijing was unlikely to act on Trump’s invitation.

Administration officials did not know Trump was going to raise the issue of China but said he had talked about it previously and they were not surprised by it, two sources familiar with the situation said.

Trump’s appeal to China was particularly striking given that Washington and Beijing are locked in a bitter trade war that has damaged global economic growth. They are due to hold another round of talks in the United States next week.

From Hitler to Michael Jackson, unlikely names for Nobel Peace Prize SWEDEN AGENCIES

Eighty years ago on the brink of the bloodiest conflict in history, Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, illustrating that literally anyone can be nominated. From the Fuhrer to the “King of Pop”, in the nearly 120 years the prize has been awarded nominations have included some choices that — to say the least — have seemed unlikely and outright bizarre.

In January 1939, about eight months before the invasion of Poland, Swedish Social Democratic MP Erik Brandt wrote to the Norwegian Nobel Committee to suggest the Peace Prize should be given to Hitler. In the letter, written only months after the annexation of Austria and the Sudeten Crisis, Brandt praised the leader of the Third Reich’s “glowing love for peace”,

dubbing him “the Prince of Peace on Earth”.

Brandt later explained the nomination was meant to be satirical — although the irony was lost on many — and was in protest against British prime minister Neville Chamberlain being nominated for the 1938 Munich Agreement in which part of Czechoslovakia was ceded to Germany.

The logic was that if Chamberlain were to be celebrated for appeasing Hitler, the Fuhrer might as well be too. Brandt eventually withdrew the nomination, but Hitler still appears as a candidate in the archives. “The history of Erik Brandt’s nomination of Adolf Hitler fully shows how dangerous it may be to use irony in a heated political setting,” Nobel historian Asle Sveen told AFP. STALIN AND MUSSOLINI TOO? The Nobel Committee accepts all proposals as long as they are sent before the January 31 deadline. But while anyone alive can be nominated, not just anyone can submit a nomination. Those eligible to do so include parliamentarians and ministers from all countries, former laureates, some university professors and current and former members of the Committee itself. Altogether they number in the thousands. “There are so many people who have the right to nominate a candidate that it’s not very complicated to be nominated,” the influential Committee

secretary, Olav Njolstad, told AFP. In 1935, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was proposed, ironically, by German and French academics mere months before his country invaded Ethiopia. As one of the victors of World War II, Russian leader Joseph Stalin was nominated twice, in 1945 and 1948. Once the deadline has passed and the nominations are in, only a handful are kept on a shortlist to be reviewed by the Committee and its advisors. “Neither Hitler, Stalin nor Mussolini were seriously considered for the Peace Prize,” historian Geir Lundestad, former secretary of the Committee, told AFP. “What surprises me most is that many dictators around the world have refrained from getting themselves nominated.”

Over the last two decades, the number of candidates has skyrocketed and today generally exceeds 300, so it isn’t too surprising that a few odd names show up. “One or two” nominations distinguished by their peculiarity show up “at regular intervals”, according to Njolstad.

FROM POP TO PEACE: The list of candidates is kept confidential for at least 50 years, but a sponsor can publicly announce their pick.

Whether a nomination is odd or not is, of course, a matter of perspective, but some proposals would certainly make most people do a doubletake. In 2001 the sport of football represented by the international football federation FIFA was nominated. The Swedish lawmaker behind the nomination argued that sports had the “ability to create positive international contacts” and contribute to a “more peaceful world”.

CMYK

38 dead In worst assaUlt on reGIonal secUrIty force In MalI BAMAKO: Mali’s defence ministry says the death toll from two attacks against Malian members of a regional counterterror force has risen to 38. Gen. Dahirou Dembele said late Thursday this is the biggest loss the G5 Sahel force has recorded since its creation in 2017. He said another 33 soldiers are missing. The government earlier reported 25 dead and 60 missing. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks in central Mali near the Burkina Faso border, though the G5 Sahel force commander has blamed the al-Qaidalinked Ansarul Islam. Assailants rode into the community of Boulikessi with heavy weaponry overnight Sunday to Monday to attack a Malian battalion of the regional force.

Around the same time, armed men attacked another army camp in Mondoro. AGENCIES

Ukraine reviews case into company that employed Biden son ZHYTOMYR: Ukraine’s Prosecutor General said on Friday that his office is reviewing all the cases that were closed by his predecessors, including several related to the owner of a gas company where former Vice President Joe Biden’s son sat on the board.

Ruslan Ryaboshapka’s comments came amid an impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump that relates to a call he made to the Ukrainian president asking him to investigate the Democratic presidential candidate and his son’s work in Ukraine. Ryaboshapka told reporters in Kyiv that prosecutors are auditing all the cases that were closed or dismissed by former prosecutors, including several related to Mykola Zlochevsky, owner of the gas company Burisma that hired Hunter Biden in 2014, at the same time his father was leading the Obama administration’s diplomatic dealings with Kyiv. Though the timing raised concerns among anti-corruption advocates, there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son. AGENCIES

Indian police investigate defacing of Gandhi cutout NEW DELHI”: Indian police are investigating a complaint that a cutout of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi displayed at a museum was defaced as the country celebrated the 150th anniversary of his birth this week. Police officer S. Baghel said a graffiti calling Gandhi a traitor of the nation was found scribbled on the cutout when it was taken out for a ceremony on October 2 in Rewa, a town in Madhya Pradesh state. No one claimed responsibility for the action. Baghel on Friday also refuted claims from some residents that an urn containing Gandhi’s ashes was missing. He said Gandhi’s ashes were never kept in the museum. Some Hindu hardliners oppose Gandhi and his views because he advocated HinduMuslim unity. This is despite the fact that he was a devout Hindu himself. AGENCIES

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

BUSINESS 11

InsuffIcIent cotton productIon to lower Gdp Growth, Inflate Import bIll ISLAMABAD

d

AHMAD AHMADANI

ESPITE the cotton production target of 15 million bales set for this year by the Ministry of National Food Security and Research/Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), the actual cotton production so far is anticipated at around 10 million bales.

According to sources, Sindh has reported a drop of 30pc in the expected cotton crop, while Punjab has posted a drop of 15pc as compared to the last year's production. They said that this shortfall of 33pc in cotton production would lower the GDP by 2pc, adding that the govern-

PAKISTAN LIKELY TO WITNESS 33PC DROP IN COTTON PRODUCTION THIS YEAR ment would have to import at least five million bales to cater to its needs, which will increase the import bill substantially.

Sharing the details of expected cotton production, sources said that Punjab would produce 6.2 million bales, Sindh 3.9 million bales, while cotton production from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces would be around 0.1 million bales.

"In total, approximately 10.2 million bales are expected to be produced, as against the target of 15 million bales," sources said. "This is bad news for the country's economy and the blame for this

Three-day ‘11th Interiors Pakistan’ exhibition from November 22 ISLAMABAD APP

The Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) on Friday announced to hold a three-day ‘11th Interiors Pakistan Expo-2019’ from November 22nd. PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq, while presiding over a meeting of the board of directors, said the expo aims to promote and introduce Pakistani interior, furniture and accessories in and outside the country. In the past, PFC had successfully organised ten mega exhibitions in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad and got tremendous response from the public and private sectors alike.

"This year, PFC will invite to furniture producers and retailers of China, Italy, United Kingdom, Turkey, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Denmark and Thailand while delegations from other countries will also be invited to participate in the mega exhibition," the PFC chairman said. "Members from the diplomatic corps, leading businessmen, stakeholders of the furniture industry and foreign delegation would also attend the event."

While more than 100 leading local companies and interior designers across the country would display their products, nearly 250,000 to 300,000 people are likely to visit this mega exhibition.

Visitors would be able to enjoy a special discount of up to 20 per cent on different items at the exhibition which will also provide the younger designers and architects to study the market trends and display their own work alongside that of more established professionals.

fiasco can squarely be placed on the Ministry of Food Security and the PCCC." Sources said the transfer of PCCC from the textile ministry to food security ministry was a parting gift from the previous government, which approved this transfer in its last cabinet meeting.

“The failure of cotton crop calls for the government to take urgent and immediate action to restructure PCCC with the private sector leadership,” sources said, stressing the need for a long-term stable and progressive textile and cotton policy.

As per the documents available with Pakistan Today, cotton crop is sown on

MARKET DAILY

KSE-100 gains 281 points as bourse remains bullish KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Positive sentiments surrounded the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) once again on Friday, as the indices, despite minor hiccups in the first half of the session, managed to close in the green zone.

Foreign investors offloaded shares worth $6.09 million on Thursday.

On the economic front, the government is projected to add Rs19.3 trillion to its public debt in the next five years, which is equal to 80pc of the debt gathered in the past 71 years. Public debt is estimated to rise to Rs35.2 trillion (up Rs4.2 trillion) by end of the current fiscal year, of which Rs3.2 trillion increase is attributed to the budget deficit while the remaining Rs1.1 trillion or 26pc due to currency devaluation.

Gaining 301.53 points, the KSE-100 index recorded its intraday high of 33,053.79. However, the index lost momentum and rolled to its intraday low of 32,699.24 after shedding 53.02 points. Recovering its losses, it fi-

nally settled higher by 281.06 points at 33,033.32. The KMI-30 Index gained 550.79 points to close at 52,805.63, while the KSE All Share Index ended higher by 177.91 points at 23,972.47.

The overall volumes remained healthy and were recorded at 261.70 million. Worldcall Telecom (WTL +6.78pc), Dost Steels Limited (DSL +22.17pc) Unity Foods Limited (UNITY -2.84pc) remained the top picks of the day. The scripts had traded 33.23 million shares, 15.18 million shares and 13.53 million shares respectively.

Sectors that helped paint the index green included oil and gas exploration (+60.04 points), banking (+35.91 points), oil and gas marketing (+34.67 points), fertilizer (+31.20 points) and power generation & distribution sector (+30.20 points).

Loads Limited (LOADS 1.75pc) announced its results for FY19. The company’s revenue increased by +16.7pc to Rs5.71 billion while gross profit margin rose to 9.09pc.

2.895 million hectares of land across the country. Cotton crop is cultivated on 2.145 million hectares in Punjab and the target of cotton production from the province is 10.200 million bales. Similarly, Sindh grows cotton on 0.640 million hectares and its target is 4.600 million bales for this year.

Moreover, the cotton in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is grown on 0.01 million hectares and target for KP is 0.0002 million bales. Likewise, cotton is grown on 1.100 million hectares in Balochistan and its target for this year is 0.200 million bales.

It is pertinent to mention that the disclosure about cotton crop disaster was made during the first meeting of Cotton

Crop Assessment Committee (CCAC), which was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Ministry of National Food Security and Research Additional Secretary Chaudry Muhammad Ayub.

The meeting assessed the volume of current cotton crop in the country. Representatives from the provincial governments of Sindh and Punjab, Plant Protection Department (DPPD), Trading Cooperation of Pakistan (TCP), Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department (FSC&RD), Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC), All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) and Karachi Cotton Association (KCA) were present on the occasion.

‘No restriction on non-commercial trade with India’ COMMERCE MINISTRY SAYS COURIER SERVICES AND SHIPMENT OF DOCUMENTS WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE BAN ON BILATERAL TRADE ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has clarified that there is no restriction on the shipment of letters, documents, business documents, documents of ministries, diplomatic mission, banks and greeting cards etc. to India.

Bilateral trade with India was suspended on August 9, 2019, after India abrogated the special status of occupied Kashmir. According to officials of the ministry, there were some confusions regarding noncommercial trade with India, like exchange of letters and documents, following the imposition of a complete ban on bilateral trade.

Some courier service providers in the country had approached the min-

istry asking whether the ban on trade is applicable on the shipment of noncommercial trade.

The ministry has clarified that the courier services and shipment of documents would not be affected by the ban on bilateral trade.

Earlier, in reaction to India’s decision to revoke Article 370 of its constitution that granted occupied Kashmir a special status, Pakistan had downgraded diplomatic relations with India and had suspended bilateral trade with it. The federal cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan, had endorsed the decisions taken by the National Security Committee and the joint session of parliament, which included suspension of trade ties with India.

Later, the commerce ministry had exempted the pharmaceutical industry from the ban on bilateral trade with India, as Pakistan’s drug manufacturers had shown concerns that they would soon be unable to supply life-saving medicines due to the industry’s dependence on India.

Around 50pc of medicines made in Pakistan use raw materials from India and the country imports around 150 medicines and vaccines from India each year.

Finance ministry dispels impression of ‘shrinking economy’ BUSINESS DESK The Finance Division has described as "incorrect" the impression created in a section of the media that Pakistan's economy is shrinking.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Finance Division has asserted that the macroeconomic adjustment policies introduced by the government to support the balance of payment and strengthen the market confidence will also ensure higher and inclusive growth.

"The contention of a section of the media talking about 'shrinking economy' seems incorrect as the early signs of recovery of economic activities in the fiscal year 2020 are very much encouraging," it maintained.

On the agriculture front, the federal government is implementing a "National Agriculture Emergency Programme" and has approved eight mega projects at the cost of Rs235 billion.

This will encourage economic activities in rural areas and create employment opportunities in the country.

Credit to the agriculture sector has increased by 20.7pc; the sowing of cotton crop has also increased by 14.4pc as compared to last year. The import of agriculture machinery recorded a growth of 8.7pc during FY19 which is

a good indicator. The base effect will also support growth in agriculture.

Earlier estimates of cotton crop suggest that cotton production would increase at least by 3 million bales in FY20 from the last year. All these developments forecast that agriculture is likely to rebound and grow more than 3pc in the current financial year. This is likely to boost growth in large-scale manufacturing as well as the country's exports. Similarly, LSM is likely to recover in the current fiscal year on the back of better than expected growth in the agriculture sector coupled with government initiatives in the construction, SMEs, tourism and automobile sectors.

Better growth in agriculture and LSM sector is likely to have a good impact on the services sector.

To boost jobs in the industrial sector, the government is providing a series of focused subsidies and incentives to the industrial sector. These include subsidies to industry for electricity and gas, export development package and continuation of Long-Term Trade Financing (LTFF) and Export Refinancing Scheme (ERS) at subsidised rate.

Impact of better cotton production and subsidy schemes have a spillover effect on export growth and textile sector which will further support the current ac-

count and balance of payments position.

For inclusive growth and to protect the vulnerable segments of the society, various social protection programmes (through the newly-created poverty alleviation division) have been introduced.

Under Poverty Alleviation, the government has allocated an additional amount of Rs80 billion in the country's social protection spending for 2019-20 which cumulatively reached Rs190 billion.

This will also have a spillover effect on private sector activities.

The editor further stated that "the government will have to request the IMF for waivers due to its failure in achieving two performance targets i.e. tax collection and circular debt. This is, according to the editorial, due to failure of both the government and the fund to do their homework before setting targets for the IMF programme signed by the government in June this year".

It is clarified that the government has pursued the performance targets of the EFF programme vigorously during the first quarter of CFY. Resultantly, tax collection during the period has so far been 16pc higher than the tax collection of the same period last year. It is also clarified that the numbers regarding circular debt have not been finalised as yet and it is premature to say that the target

has not been achieved and that the price hike has not worked.

As far as investment in domestic securities by non-residents is concerned, it may be noted that this is a positive development. This will expand and diversify the investor base and enhance competition, leading to liquidity in primary as well as secondary markets.

Over the long-run, greater competition among investors and greater liquidity in the markets will result in lowering the borrowing costs for the government and also increasing the depth of the domestic capital market. This is an aspect not previously covered or thought-out by the previous governments.

The IMF agreement is based on broader policy reforms to address the issue of macroeconomic instability stemming from budgetary and current account deficit. Most of the targets are related to initiation and continuation of structural reforms which include various policy, administration and enforcement intervention.

The benchmarks in this programme have been set in terms of qualitative initiatives and not exactly in terms of numbers. The indicative targets in numbers are based on certain assumptions related to growth, imports, exports, inflation, independently determined pol-

icy rate and a market-based exchange rate. Any change in assumed rates in the initial model results in varying targets such as tax and non-tax revenues.

The tax target is not something given

by IMF but is a number assigned by the government to FBR and so far FBR has achieved more than 90pc of its target despite huge import compression.

The indicative targets of refunds are related to the retirement of refunds, stocks and so far FBR has issued all determined refunds of sales tax till September 2019. It is a common practice that businesses claim huge refunds but the authentication of these refunds usually remains below 30pc of claimed amounts due to non-matching of invoice data. The IMF team is in touch with Pakistan authorities on all issues of programme and is also providing technical assistance to the government on its various aspects. Last week, a team of experts provided technical assistance on the expenditure side and next week, a team of experts on tax policy is visiting Islamabad.

The opinion expressed in the editorial is probably based on the cursory reading of the staff level agreement without going into the detailed qualitative benchmarks agreed by the government and the IMF.

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

12 BUSINESS CORPORATE CORNER

Govt prepares sImplIfIed tax scheme for property developers, buIlders ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD: Ufone’s flagship ‘Summer Internship Programme 2019’ successfully concluded with a closing ceremony organised at Ufone Tower. PRESS RELEASE

Nestlé to help 10m youth to access economic opportunities worldwide LAHORE: Nestlé Pakistan recently organised a specialised training programme for young and aspiring chefs in Pakistan as part of Nestlé’s Young Culinary Talents (YOCUTA) Programme. The YOCUTA Programme is part of Nestlé’s Global Youth Initiative. The training was held at College of Tourism and Hotel Management (COTHM) where over 40 selected COTHM students participated in the training and were exposed to extensive and exciting courses in patisserie arts. The course included hands-on training for desserts by Hira Laique, Advisory Chef of Nestlé Professional – the outof-home foodservice solutions provider of the company.

Nestlé Pakistan Managing Director Samer Chedid, while sharing his views about the initiative said, “This programme is in line with our global commitment to help 10 million young people access opportunities by 2030. Through YOCUTA initiative, we will be offering training, practical skills and knowledge in important areas like professionalism, basic culinary skills and a background knowledge of the social issues affecting the food service environment.” PRESS RELEASE

US economic bosses apprised of Pakistani market During his recent visit to the United States, Prime Minister Imran Khan, along with his delegation that included Adviser on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood and State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir, met with global financial leaders, bankers and investors to share with them the economic vision and reforms undertaken by the government. The PM discussed the business incentives and future proposals for investment in various sectors of Pakistan, including telecom, investment, equity market, banking, it industry, banking, energy and tourism etc. The PM also invited the delegates to visit Pakistan for a Global Business Leaders Conference, planned to be held later this year. Some of the global financial leaders that met with the Pakistani visiting delegation included JP Morgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, who was included in Time Magazine’s 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011 lists of the world’s 100 most influential people. The prime minister also met BlackRock Chairman and CEO Laurence Douglas Fink. BlackRock is the largest money-management firm in the world with more than $6.5 trillion in assets under management. PM Imran further met Blackstone Group Chairman and CEO Stephen A Schwarzman, who is also the Chairman of US President Donald Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum.

During the visit, Prime Minister Imran Khan held a meeting with Bank of America Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan and Clinton Administration’s Secretary of Treasury and former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs Robert Rubin. Rubin is the founder of the Hamilton Project that advises the government. He is also the cochairman emeritus of the US Council on Foreign Relations. The PM and his finance adviser also met with senior executives of Exxon Mobil, Telenor, Uber and Citigroup during their visit to the US. BUSINESS DESK

t

SHAHZAD PARACHA

HE government has prepared a simplified tax scheme for property developers and builders, it emerged on Friday. According to the draft of the Builders and Developers Special Procedures Rules 2019, “The said tax scheme shall apply to builders and developers, being an individual, an association of persons or a resident company who may opt to pay income tax and furnish return under these rules.”

Under the scheme, sources said the tax department will not ask about the investor’s source of income and account details, besides refraining from conducting raids on the business premises.

As per the draft, “The income computed and tax payable thereon shall be on a ‘project-by-project’ basis under the head ‘Income from Business.’ Tax payable thereon on annual basis (till the year of project completion) shall be computed at the rates mentioned. The said rates would be applicable to compute tax liability for the project for the tax years when the respective project is under construction. The annual tax liability on that basis shall be worked out as specified in the said rules.”

Under the draft rules, the estimated project life is not exceeding three years period and the

board shall approve the estimated project life exceeding three years. A person opting for this scheme shall neither be entitled to claim any adjustment of withholding tax collected or deducted nor shall be entitled to claim any tax credit or refund under the ordinance, except for the payment made under these rules.

The rules said that an association of persons shall be liable to tax separately from the members of the association. The amount received by a member of the association in the capacity as member out of the income of the association shall be exempt from tax. In case the builder or developer is a company, income subject to these rules shall be treated as a separate ‘class’ of income subject to these rules.

According to the draft, there shall be national (central) jurisdiction in respect of persons falling under this scheme and communication would be done through prescribed automated system.

Every builder or developer shall be required to obtain and provide to the board in the prescribed manner a certificate from NESPAK to this effect: a) covered area in the project, and b) clarification of the kind of construction if so required. Any project with a covering area less than 5,000 square feet would not require such approval.

The FBR has further specified that the examination of assessment under this scheme

shall be limited to activities and purposes within this scheme.

The process, procedure and reporting of examination shall be prescribed. Where a person in respect of income is selected for examination under this scheme, the process of examination shall be undertaken not allowing any personal visit by any tax authority to the premises of the taxpayer, except with the approval of FBR. No examination shall be undertaken after the expiry of five years from the date of filing the return for that tax year. No action under this rule will be undertaken prior to the approval of a committee constituted by FBR consisting of three persons including a representative body of builders or developers.

The rules said that a builder or developer who opts to be taxed under this scheme shall not be required to act as a withholding agent under any provision of the ordinance. In case a builder or developer is a company then the company shall withhold tax under section 153 of the ordinance on purchase of steel, cement and electrical equipment’s and on taxable salaries under section 149 irrespective of the legal status.

The FBR has proposed that the source of self-invested equity for any earlier year shall be accepted. The provisions of sections 177 and 214C shall not apply to builders and developers who opt to be taxed under this scheme.

Metal exports surge 35.6pc; surgical goods up 24.5pc

BUSINESS DESK The export of base metals and articles from the country grew 35.62pc during the first two months of the current financial year (FY20) as compared to the corresponding months of last year.

During the period under review, the export of base metals and its articles was recorded at $115.044 million, as against $84.827 million recorded during the same period of last year, according to data issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The commodities that contributed positively included copper and its articles, exports of which grew from $28.295 million last year to $77.044 million during the period under review, showing an increase of 172.28pc.

The export of aluminium and its goods grew by 52.24pc, from $5.742 million to $8.742 million, while the exports of tools, implements, cut-

lery, spoons and forks also increased by 10.86pc, from $12.080 million to $13.393 million.

The export of miscellaneous articles of base metals increased by 8.57pc, from $0.373 million to $0.405 million.

Meanwhile, the commodities that contributed negatively included iron and steel, exports of which declined by 44.30pc, from $14.692 million in the first two months of FY19 to $8.182 million. The export of iron and steel articles also decreased by 20.85pc, from $7.333 million to $5.804 million.

The export of zinc and its articles dipped by 95.61pc, from $15.153 million to $0.665 million, whereas the export of nickel and its articles decreased by 39.13pc, from $0.046 million to $0.028 million.

SURGICAL GOODS: The exports of surgical goods and medical instruments during the first two months of FY20 increased by 24.52pc as compared the exports of the corresponding period of last year.

During the July-August 2019 period, different surgical goods and medical instruments worth $73.402 million were exported, as against the exports of $59.948 million in the corresponding period of last year, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

The export of pharmaceutical products grew by 8.21pc, as about 2,365 metric tonnes of pharmaceutical products, worth $38.500 million, were exported during the period under review, as against the exports of 1,890 metric tonnes, valuing $33.731 million, during the same period last year.

fbr decIdes to IntensIfy crackdown on non-fIlers ISLAMABAD APP

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is all set to launch an aggressive campaign from October 15, 2019, to get the industrial and commercial consumers registered with the board. FBR Chairman Syed Shabbar Zaidi, in a tweet on Friday, said that all industrial and commercial consumers must be registered for income tax purposes. The FBR chairman said that the board had been using persuasive modus operandi to ensure the registrations, adding that to achieve the desired objective, an aggressive campaign would be launched from October 15, 2019.

“All industrial and commercial consumers are necessarily required to be registered for tax purposes. FBR had been using persuasive modus operandi for the same. In order to achieve the desired results an aggressive drive will be undertaken from October 15, 2019,” he tweeted.

Despite 20pc quota, only two overseas Pakistanis hired as commercial attachés ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Only two overseas Pakistanis have been appointed to the post of commercial counsellors in Pakistani missions abroad, it was learnt on Friday.

According to sources, Ahmad Mukhtar would be posted to Brussels, Belgium, and Sakina Hussain to Toronto, Canada. For the first time, the incumbent government had allocated 20pc quota of trade attaché posts for overseas Pakistanis so that it could get their expertise on increasing the country's exports to around 45 destinations.

As per the approved postings of nine BPS-20 officers, Muhammad Ashraf has been appointed and posted to Sydney, Bilal Ahmed Butt to Hong Kong, Hussain Haider to Shanghai, Azmat Mahmood Khan to Washington, Fouzia Perveen

Chaudhry to Jakarta, Azhar Ali Dahar to Riyadh, Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh to New Delhi and Munir Sadiq to Addis Ababa respectively.

The premier has also approved the appointment and posting of 29 officers of BPS-19 at various stations. These included posting of Arif Aziz to Los Angeles, Shafiq Ahmed Shehzad to London, Talat Mehmood to New York, Rizwanul Haq to the Hague, Khalid Hanif to Rome, Ahmed Affan to Madrid, Majeed Mohsin Panhwar to Geneva, Muhammad Zahid to Warsaw, Azhar Hussain to Tehran, Tahir Habib Cheema to Tokyo, Zahid Hussain Abbasi to Tehran, Ghulam Mustafa to Stockholm, Muhammad Farrukh Sharif to Bangkok, Syed Abdul Waheed Shah Jeddha, Muhammad Iran at Guangzhou, Shafqat Ali Khan to Kuala Lumpur, Imran Razzaq to Seoul, Muhammad Fa-

rooque to Almaty, Yousaf Ali Magsi to Beunos Aires, Junaid Ahmed Memon at Casablanca, Addem Khan at Dubai, Waqas Alam to Sau Paulo, Ahabana Aziz to Mexico City, Liaqat Daraz to Nairobi, Muhammad Qazafi Rind to Algeria, and Masood Ahmed to Khartoum.

Under the BS-18, the government has appointed and posted nine officers at various stations. These included the appointment and posting of Shaista Bunyad to Houston, Muhammad Akhtar to Manchester, Humaira Israr to Johannesburg, Asmma Kamal to Colombo, Sidra Haque to Cairo, Ali Qayyum Raja to Hanoi, Khadim Ali to Amman, Muhammad Shoaib Anwar to Dakar and Muhammad Owais Khan to Lagos. The government had introduced the concept of a waiting list. Those officers who would not join their stations will be replaced by those

who are on top of the merit list.

These officers were appointed through a written test conducted by IBA

and followed by a comprehensive interview. The annual cost of these postings is estimated at approximately Rs2 billion.

1

So for those who don’t know, Who is Maria Riaz and what does she do?

Well for me, Maria Riaz is an illustration artist who has been wandering around in the field of art and design to find the right track. I have an undergraduate degree in Textile Design and postgrad in Multimedia Arts, both from NCA. I have worked as a textile designer, as an animator and as a teacher.

I am a happy mom of three little blessings.

With my 9-5 I never had the chance to follow my dreams. This year long job break made me think and strive to work on what I always wanted to do; illustrate. As a stay at home mom, I initially used to feel frustrated. All I could say is “a drawing a day keeps bad thoughts away”.

2

So, How did you come up with Our Superhero, Edhi baba?

I feel like it had been at the back of my mind for a long time. I wanted to use art for a good cause. I wanted to be socially responsible while developing a visual. I wanted to donate more even though I am not a millionaire. So, all the ingredients were there, all I needed was the perfect recipe.

In 2018 in a workshop by Mr. Ali Raza Khan of YES network, I learned about social entrepreneurship. That somehow clicked and I was left wondering how I could share my profits to help humanity.

When I put my mind to it, Edhi Sahab’s name came to my mind(or heart, almost impulsively. No second thoughts about it. So I started drawing Edhi Sahab’s pictures with kids, drawing inspiration from his kindness and purity. After many days of drawing and reading up, I started shaping my thoughts to form a storybook.

I feel like its God’s way, He leads one thing to another and you can not do it differently.

3

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

The book is wonderfully illustrated. Each illustration is so full of love and beauty that it narrates the story by itself. For me, the image where his heart grows bigger is just so endearing. How do you translate a simple story into such meaningful art?

Thank you so much!

Well, illustration is my first love. I had some metaphors in my mind and I wanted to translate these in my work literally..like a big heart and Edhi Sahab’s arm as a support for kids. For me all illustrations were meant to be soft and heart warming. I feel very proud that people were attracted towards the book merely by a single illustration of mine, the over page. For me as an illustration artist, this is the real reward.

in conversation with

Maria riaz

By Sana Waqar www.scaryammi.com Sana Waqar interviews Maria Riaz, illustration artist and author of the book everyone is raving about, My Superhero; Edhi Baba. Though originally from Lahore, Maria is currently living in Muzafarabad, AJK. She’s a dedicated mother of three and continues to work on her passion projects.

Hi Maria! Congratulations on the success of your book. It’s the one thing everyone wants to get their hands on! So but not many people know who Maria Riaz is..

4

You have presented Abdul Sattar Edhi as the Nation’s superhero. Do you feel this title aptly describes him, Why? Yes, I changed many titles, a few work in progress images were also shared by media where I wrote “Our Loving Legend: Edhi Baba”.

So let me tell you the journey of loving legend to superhero.

I have noticed the impact of violence on our kids.

There is not a single superhero movie which lacks action or violence. I always tell my children that there is no need to hurt someone in order to save another. You can save by giving food, education, medical treatment, shelter…even a smile. Charity makes your heart big and turns you into a superhero. I think instead of showing them fireballs or spiderwebs coming out of your palm, why not place a coin or a cookie in someone else’s palm. Anyone can be a superhero, I wanted to demonstrate a super power anyone can have!

6

Even though everyone is all praise for the idea and unanimously agrees that it is nothing short of brilliant, there is some criticism as to the grammar and syntax used. How do you respond to such criticism?

Thank you for asking this question. I was trying to address this issue in a public post. Well, as my friends say “your work is not yours when there is no blunder”. This is typically Maria.

Well that’s not an excuse but I was so involved in my illustrations that I did not even proofread the text. It’s a negligence on my part and I am very apologetic about it(embarrassed too).

But it gave me a chance to meet some people online and I could see the contrast very clearly. There were some people very rude to me, some pointed it out politely then there were those who were sarcastic, some ignored it but mentioned in the reviews. But there was one person in particular who was extremely polite and she offered to proof read it page by page, saying that you are sending it abroad from Pakistan and it must be perfect.

Another person said that it’s a wonderful effort and nothing should undermine it. So my faith in humanity was eventually restored and I had to learn this way as Allah has planned it.

Lesson learned: proof reading is VERY important and when you through something on the internet, you don’t know how far it goes, so it better be flawless.

Now we have corrected the mistakes and new copies coming have been proof read. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

5

When did you start working as an artist/illustrator? Tell us more about your other works.

I believe my textile thesis was also an illustration thesis as textile was the medium but I visually narrated a myth. Then my post graduate thesis also focuses on the look and feel of the image. I have been developing visual assets for eBooks, some illustrations for books, concept art, logos etc. My personal projects mostly revolve around digital illustrations and visual investigation of ordinary things. Like I did a mountain series which started from an accidental paint blob from a kid’s sketchbook.

My day to day work and progress of projects can be seen at my insta handle martautal.

Cool 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' Cut Post-Credit Scene Revealed

Wesley Snipes Happy for Blade Reboot and Mahershala Ali

Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty reveals they had plans for a cool post-credit scene involving Mothra, but that they cut it. As seen in the film, Mothra dies while saving Godzilla from King Ghidorah, but another egg has been teased.

Michael Dougherty reveals they were just about ready to shoot the Mothra post-credit scene, but unfortunately, he didn't specify why they didn't use it (via CBM): Originally, we were going to have two post-credits scenes.

There's the one we shot with Charles Dance buying King Ghidorah's head but there's a second one that we had written, boarded, and even had the locations scouted out and costumes ready to go.

It basically involved Zhang Ziyi's character and it's set in the aftermath of the film. She's in Tokyo and goes into some sort of restaurant or bar and goes down a set of stairs and ends up in what looks like an ancient temple that is eerily similar to the one we saw at the beginning of the film in China. Perhaps Mothra will return in Godzilla vs Kong, which comes out March 13, 2020; Dougherty also teased that Ghidorah may return.

Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige surprised fans by the big announcement at the San Diego Comic-Con about the Blade reboot, which will star two-time Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali. Of course, Wesley Snipes actually helped kick start the Marvel Cinematic Universe we know today, as Wesley Snipes starred in the original Blade trilogy in the '90s, which made billions.

Snipes was asked about the Blade reboot by the AP and says he is happy for actor Mahershala Ali and what is to come.

"People are very, very sneaky. They try to make it about the actors. It's not about me or him," Wesley told the AP. "I'm happy for him to be considered. I'm happy for them to be looking at him. Flattery... what do they say? Imitation is the best form of flattery. It's something that he has acknowledged that he wanted to do, and his family wanted him to do it. So I'm appreciative of getting the love, and I've created something that others want to carry on and maybe put their own stamp on it." Their Phase 4 slate concludes with Thor: Love and Thunder out on November 5, 2021, so Blade could possibly be released in 2022.

CMYK

COKE STUDIO RELEASES ITS OFFICIAL TRAILER AND ARTIST LINE-UP FOR SEASON 12!

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HE Coca-Cola Company Pakistan proudly releases the official trailer for Coke Studio Season 12, revealing the artists as part of its talented ensemble.

“Here we are. It is 2019 and as we open our eyes each morning to begin a new day, we find ourselves in a digital age that operates at a constant pulse, a rhythm that beats faster than the pace of our hearts.

Human technological expanse is at the pinnacle of its evolution and, as borders become permeable and physical distances grow shorter, people reach out to connect and understand each other. Every day, there are multitudes of conversations, across race, gender and nations. And in this exploration, societies find links that can be traced through our roots – culture’s pieces that are entrenched in history’s soil, bringing people together through music, art and stories. In this process, people see just how artistic expression not only links with its origins from the past but also evolves in new hues in the present day.

Today, Coke Studio is on the twelfth chapter of its journey. Since its inception, Coke Studio remains a space that witnesses the subtle connections of cultures and peoples through music. This has happened on a crossroads that Coke Studio stands at, where paths intersect, attracting energies that come together to create a canvas with a myriad of colors. The canvas sees the attributes of Eastern tonality merge with Western struc-

tures, the wealth of knowledge of tradition meeting soundscapes of the present day and a collage of rhythms, notes, melodies and, ultimately, stories.

This Season, music traveled to the Studio from far and wide, settling into our mixers and instruments, showing us that the well is far from running dry and that there is still so much to learn and create. From the country’s northernmost borders and westwards, from Balochistan, climbing mountains, frolicking through fields of wheat, and winding their way through sand dunes, voices came pouring through to share the legacies of their heritage and stories. In the soft vowels of Pashto, zesty flavors of Punjabi, and earthy tones of Sindhi, we heard Sufi tales on Divine love, ghazals that emanate nuances of the human condition and festive duets of romantic conversations between coy lovers, human emotions taking shape in words and melodies. Folk songs came to us, taught in village homes by mothers to their children, hand-in-hand with the words of philosophersaints that echo in the shrines of the Subcontinent, followed closely by popular hits that have forever lodged themselves in our cultural memories.

Songs came down to us through the centuries, bringing with them ancient melodies and rhythms. From the hills of Kashmir, a sad empress called to us, writing lovelorn poetry for the husband who had been taken from her.

Kapil Sharma Show success bash: Bharti Singh, Sumona Chakravarti, Archana Puran Singh Comedian Kapil Sharma has had quite a journey in the last two years. From being the most successful comedians on television, going into depression post a nasty fight with co-comedian Sunil Grover, his show being taken off air, his wedding to Ginni Chitrath to finally launching the second season of The Kapil Sharma Show -- it has been quite a ride. On Thursday night, the team of The Kapil Sharma Show decided to celebrate the show’s top TRP ratings with a success bash.

In attendance were Kapil Sharma, Bharti Singh, Archana Puran Singh, Sumona Chakravarti and Chandan Prabhakar. All of them shared Instragram stories as they danced to hit Hindi film songs and recorded each other on camera. Clearly, they all had a blast. Kapil is always up to some funny stuff on his show. In early October, dressed up as former permanent guest Navjot Singh Sidhu, he took a dig at his new guest and actor Archana Puran Singh. Kapil was seen wearing a blue turban with an orange kurta and a blue jacket.

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

14 SPORTS

TOKYO

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AGENCIES

ORLD number one Novak Djokovic on Friday put on a stunning show of supremacy at the Japan

Djokovic STunS jaPan oPen wiTh Machine-Like TenniS

Open with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Lucas Pouille of France. The Serb more than overwhelmed his opponent in the quarterfinal match, showering Pouille with a barrage of powerful, precision shots to deep, wide corners mixed with delicate drop shots.

“I am not a machine. But I did

play like one today,” he said after their 50-minute contest. “This was one of the best matches I played this year. Very, very pleased with the way I feel and played on the court,” said Djokovic, who will face either David Goffin of Belgium or Chung Hyeon of South Korea in the semifinals.

“I am looking forward to another battle tomorrow, hopefully, I will be able to keep up with this quality of tennis.” The latest victory provided further evidence of his swift recovery from a left shoulder injury that caused him to pull out of the US Open.

The Japan Open is the first competition for Djokovic since the incident. He nailed eight aces and never committed double fault while collect-

ing points on 82 per cent of his successful first serves. After cruising through the first set, Djokovic stepped up his tennis and began the second set by taking four games straight.

Pouille fought back to keep the fifth game and in the sixth game, he collected his only break of the match.

But Djokovic denied any other attempt by the French challenger, who was able to survive only one of seven breakpoints. It was the third meeting between the two men this year.

Djokovic won all of them. In the rest of the Tokyo tournament, John Millman of Australia defeated Japanese wild card Taro Daniel 6-4, 6-0. American player Reilly Opelka beat Japanese qualifier Yasutaka Uchiyama 6-3, 6-3.

Rodgers eyes Liverpool revenge, Spurs seek salvation BRIGHTON AGENCIES

Liverpool’s perfect start to the Premier League season is under threat from an in-form Leicester led by a manager with a point to prove at Anfield in Brendan Rodgers.

The European champions have a five-point lead at the top of the table over Manchester City, but Leicester are the closest challengers to the top two as they aim to break the glass ceiling of the top six. The Foxes’ chances have been aided by the earlyseason struggles of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

All four have winnable fixtures to get back on track this weekend, but Spurs are most in need of a lift after a 7-2 Champions League mauling by Bayern Munich in midweek.

NO HARD FEELINGS: Rodgers returns to Anfield for the first time since he was sacked by the Reds in 2015. The Northern Irishman has since rebuilt his reputation, winning seven trophies in two-and-a-half seasons at Celtic before making the move back to the Premier League with the Foxes in February. Since Rodgers replaced Claude Puel, Leicester have the third-best record in the league behind relentless Liverpool and defending champions City.

A 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle last

weekend saw Rodgers’s men open up a two-point lead on the chasing pack in third and they have shown their ability to test the traditional top six with a 1-1 draw at Chelsea and 2-1 victory over Tottenham already this season. However, Rodgers knows ending Liverpool’s unbeaten run at home in the Premier League since April 2017 is a much tougher challenge. “We just want to continue with our performance level. Liverpool are on an incredible run, they are great opponents to test and challenge the quality of our team,” said Rodgers.

“We’re bringing a real positive mindset into our games, no matter

who the opponent is.” Rodgers came agonisingly close to ending Liverpool’s long wait to win the league in the 2013/14, but said he feels no bitterness about Jurgen Klopp’s success with the Reds, so much so he rents his house to the German. “I was never going to be bitter,” Rodgers told the Telegraph. “That’s why I let Jurgen move into my house.” Tottenham’s second-half capitulation to German giants Bayern on Tuesday has raised questions over whether Mauricio Pochettino can turn the tide in his sixth season in charge after a dramatic dip in form over the past eight months.

Spurs have now won just three of

their opening 10 games to the season and have lost 13 of their past 28 matches stretching back to February.

Pochettino called for unity after Tottenham’s worst-ever home defeat in Europe, but to get the fans back onside they need a quick response against a Brighton side that have not won since the opening day of the season.

Despite their stuttering start, Tottenham are still two points better off than Manchester United in the race for a topfour finish, with the Red Devils off to their worst league start for 30 years. A trip to Newcastle ought to bring some relief for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Magpies are in turmoil on and off the field. St James’s Park has seen swathes of empty seats for the first time in years as supporters protest against Mike Ashley’s ownership of the club, while manager Steve Bruce accused his players of “a complete surrender” in losing four second-half goals to Leicester last weekend. However, even against such demoralised opponents, there are no longer any guarantees for Manchester United on the road. Solskjaer’s men have not won away from home in 10 games stretching back to March.

Fixtures (all times GMT) Saturday Brighton v Tottenham (1130), Burnley v Everton, Liverpool v Leicester, Norwich v Aston Villa, Watford v Sheffield United (all 1400), West Ham v Crystal Palace (1630) Sunday Southampton v Chelsea, Arsenal v Bournemouth, Man City v Wolves (all 1300), Newcastle v Man Utd (1530)

Ex-star Kanu tells Nigeria to get over Abraham England call-up LONDON AGENCIES

Former Nigeria captain Nwankwo Kanu has told the Super Eagles to shrug off the disappointment of seeing Chelsea stars Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori called up by England.

Gareth Southgate rewarded the pair for their fine start to the season by naming them in his squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria later this month. Former Arsenal favourite Kanu insisted Nigeria should “move on” and still had enough top players to cope with missing out on the two Premier League stars. “That’s football and I think we have enough quality and we

can win matches without them,” he said. “We can’t continue to beg one player to play for us. Nigeria cannot beg, players have to beg Nigeria.”

Abraham, 22, who has won two caps for the Three Lions in friendlies against Brazil and Germany in 2017, had flirted with switching his international allegiance to the country who he qualifies for through his father. Centre-back Tomori, 21, is also eligible to represent Nigeria and Canada at international level. Nigeria Football Federation officials had repeatedly tried to convince Abraham to change his international allegiance but he looks set to slip through their grasp by playing a competitive match for England. In the past the Super Eagles have convinced players like Victor Moses and Sone

Aluko, who played for England at youth level, to represent the West African nation.

Pakistan-Sri Lanka T20 trophy unveiled in Lahore LAHORE: The trophy for T20 matches scheduled between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was unveiled in a ceremony held at Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Friday. On this occasion, captains of both teams held a brief presser. Pakistan Captain Sarfaraz Ahmad said that T20 is a tough format. “Umar Akmal and Ahmad Shahzad’s return in the team is encouraging,” he said. When asked whether Pakistan would bat or field first if it won the toss, Sarfraz said, “In my opinion, it would be a better decision to field first as the pitch is a little wet.” Sri Lanka Captain Dasun Shanaka said that his team were satisfied with the security arrangements made

by Pakistan. “I’ll definitely return to Pakistan and once I am back in Sri Lanka, I will also persuade senior players to come and play test cricket in Pakistan,” he added. STAFF REPORT

Murray heartened by progress despite quarter-final loss

BEIJING: Andy Murray said that his comeback from career-saving hip surgery was progressing better than expected despite going down fighting in the China Open quarter-finals on Friday. The 32year-old Briton lost 6-2, 7-6 (7/3) to top seed Dominic Thiem in Beijing, but said: “I think this (week) was maybe the best in terms of how I played since I came back. “It was great for me, I played three matches in four days, which is quite a lot.

“Actually I felt better than I expected today, as well,” said the former number one, who had a major operation in January and only returned to singles tennis in August. Asked by AFP if he was further ahead than he expected to be in his comeback, he replied: “Yeah, maybe. “I’m getting there, this week is better than last week, I hope next week is better than this week,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said. “That’s how I have to try to keep going to see where my limit is, I don’t think I’m at that limit now. “I think I can keep improving. That’s what this week has shown me.” Murray had the Beijing crowd behind him against the Austrian Thiem, ranked fifth in the world to his opponent’s 503rd. But Murray lost his first service game, putting himself under pressure immediately. At times there were shades of the Murray that topped the world rankings in 2016, but the second set started in the same way as the first, the Briton having his serve broken. Murray, who says that he now has no pain in his hip and it is a question of building up match fitness, looked down and out as Thiem served for the match. But he does not know how to quit and a nervy Thiem surrendered his service game for 5-5. Murray went up 6-5, before Thiem forced the tie break. He carried that momentum to victory and the 26-year-old Thiem plays Karen Khachanov of Russia in the last four. AGENCIES

Solskjaer faces uphill task to revive Man Utd, says former captain Bruce MANCHESTER AGENCIES

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a tough job to turn around Manchester United’s fortunes, Newcastle boss and former United captain Steve Bruce said ahead of their clash on Sunday. United are languishing 10th in the Premier League table after their worst start to a top-flight season in 30 years and have not won an away game in any competition since March.

“I wish him the best of luck. He’s got

a hard job ahead of him of course but he’s been given a wonderful opportunity,” said Bruce, who played at Old Trafford under Alex Ferguson. “We all understand that if you take a manager’s job you’re under pressure from day one and now these days you don’t get time to implement, that’s a thing of the past.”

The Newcastle boss, who has a poor managerial record against his former club, said despite United’s current struggles, his side would still face a tough battle at St James’s Park as they seek to restore pride

CMYK

following a 5-0 drubbing against Leicester last week. “I don’t think I’ve ever beaten them (Manchester United), which is a worry of course, but I had the privilege to play there for a long, long time. It was a long time ago but they’re one of the great clubs of Europe,” added Bruce.

“To come up against them again is always a special occasion, a big occasion.”

He added: “They might not be Man Utd of the past but they’ve still got some very, very good players so we’re going to have to be at our best, we’re going to

have to be a lot better than last week.”

The Magpies have won only once in the league and currently sit just one place off the bottom of the table.

Asked about the criticism he had received since his team’s capitulation at the King Power Stadium, the 58-year-old said: “Mud has been thrown my way since I walked through the door. That isn’t going to change. “The only thing that can change it for me is results and I’m determined to make it, if I possibly can, to turn it around and take the club forward.”

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

PROtEAS fight bACk in indiA tESt AS kOhLi gEtS SELfiE ShOCk

VISAKHAPATNAM AGENCIES

d

EAN Elgar and Quinton de Kock centuries helped South Africa fight back Friday as the tourists reached 385 for eight in response to India’s mammoth first-innings 502. De Kock, a wicketkeeper-batsman, made 111 and put on a key 164-run stand with Elgar, who scored 160, to thwart the Indian bowling

attack on day three of the first Test in Visakhapatnam.

Champion off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin though kept chipping away to claim his 27th five-wicket haul and first since August 2017 in 66 Tests. At stumps, the Proteas still trail by 117 runs as they chase India’s first innings score of 502 for seven declared.

Debutant Senuran Muthusamy, on 12, and Keshav Maharaj, on three, were at the crease at stumps as 98 overs were bowled in the day to make up for lost time due to thunderstorms on day one. De Kock

completed his fifth Test hundred in the final session with a six off Ashwin before eventually being bowled by the off-spinner. Ashwin, who rattled the South African top-order with his twin strikes on day two, struck again with the wicket of Vernon Philander for nought. The left-handed Elgar, who started the day on 27, led his team’s revival after they slipped to 63 for four in the morning session.

Elgar put on 115 runs with skipper Faf du Plessis for the fifth wicket to take the attack to the opposition bowlers with some positive batting. Ashwin’s spin partner Ravindra Jadeja also made it count with Elgar’s wicket in the final session as he moved to 200 Test scalps. South Africa started the day on 39-3 but fast bowler Ishant Sharma struck early, taking overnight batsman Temba Bavuma low for 18. Jadeja also posed problems and nearly got Elgar on 74 but wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha spilled the chance.

Indian opener Mayank Agarwal set the tone for the hosts’ dominance of the game with his 215 and a 317run opening stand with Rohit Sharma, who hit 176 of India’s giant score. An over-enthusiastic fan caused a brief security scare in the afternoon session as he rushed on the field to get a selfie with the India captain Virat Kohli. Kohli, who is treated as a national hero, was taken by surprise by the intrusion in between overs when the youth tried to hug him before taking a picture and touching the star player’s feet.

Kohli tried to order the teenager off and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane also intervened but the persistent fan stayed on the field for more than two minutes.

Security officers eventually overpowered him as he ran off, while the crowd roared and clapped.

‘Lucky’ Marquez aims to race after crash at Thailand MotoGP practice BURIRAM AGENCIES

Real deny Courtois anxiety issues MADRID: Real Madrid denied on Friday goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was suffering from anxiety which forced him to be replaced during the midweek draw to Club Brugge, as had been reported by Spanish media. Newspaper OK Diario alleged Courtois, 27, was substituted at half-time of Tuesday’s 2-2 Champions League draw due to anxiety.

Real said he left the field due to a stomach problem after having conceded two goals in 39 minutes to the Belgian club. “Our player has never been diagnosed with alleged anxiety and, therefore, that information is absolutely false,” a Real statement said. “Thibaut Courtois has been diagnosed and treated for acute gastroenteritis with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, which made it impossible to end last Tuesday’s game against Brugge,” the club added. Courtois has only managed two cleans sheets in eight appearances this season. According to the Spanish press, Courtois had to be driven home from the Santiago Bernabeu by his father as he was too unwell to drive himself. The Belgium international missed training on Thursday and Friday and is likely to sit out Saturday’s La Liga fixture against Granada. AGENCIES

Spaniard Marc Marquez will attempt to continue racing after crashing Friday during a practice lap at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand, the Honda team manager said, as he hopes this weekend to clinch his sixth MotoGP world title.

Footage from his helmet camera released by MotoGP organisers showed the 26-yearold Honda-riding superstar taking a tumble as he hit a corner.

He was later seen hunched on the gravel before being taken to a hospital in Buriram for a check-up, MotoGP said in a statement posted on their official Twitter handle. Team manager Alberto Puig told reporters Marquez had an MRI scan but nothing serious was found and “he will go out and he will try to continue”.

“We were lucky today.”

Marquez secured his

eighth victory of the season at Aragon Motorland in Spain last month, a victory all but ending any lingering hopes Andrea Dovizioso, Danilo Petrucci, Alex Rins, Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi still had of lifting the trophy.

He had his eyes on sealing the title in Thailand on Sunday. It is the second time the Thailand MotoGP has

been held at the Chang circuit in Buriram. Marquez won the inaugural race last year in a thrilling last turn battle with Ducati’s Dovizioso, who sits second in the standings.

Buriram is in rural northeastern Thailand and has been transformed into a sporting hub by an extremely rich local bigwig with powerful political connections.

SPORTS 15

Shoaib Akhtar wants to see more youngsters in series against SL ISLAMABAD: Citing the example of opening batsman Abid Ali, former pacer Shoaib Akhtar believed more youngsters would have given the chance to prove their mettle in the One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka. Abid played a solid innings of 74 runs off 67 balls and smashed 10 fours in the second ODI against Sri Lanka. Now, Pakistan would meet the 1996 World Cup winners in Lahore for a threematch T20 series beginning from Saturday. APP

Ozil did not deserve place in Arsenal squad: Emery

LONDON: Unai Emery said Mesut Ozil did not deserve his place even in a squad packed with youngsters after Arsenal beat Standard Liege in the Europa League. Ozil, the highest-paid player in the history of the club, was once again left out of the matchday squad as Gabriel Martinelli hit a brace in a 4-0 Group F victory at home on Thursday. The 18year-old scored twice in three first-half minutes before laying on Dani Ceballos to score his first goal for the club, Joe Willock having already added the third. Emery made 10 changes from the side that drew at Manchester United on Monday, with Ozil not making the matchday squad on either occasion.

“I am thinking every time to decide the best players for each match and the best players in the squad to play and to help us,” Emery replied when asked about Ozil’s omission. “When I decided he shouldn’t be in the squad it’s because I think other players deserved it more.” The 30-year-old has had a difficult relationship with Emery since the manager’s appointment last year and his absence from the squad will lend weight to speculation that he does not have a long-term future at Arsenal. On a positive night for the Gunners, Rob Holding, Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin, who captained the side, all came through 90 minutes as they continued their comebacks from injury. Bellerin battled back from a long lay-off with a serious knee injury to skipper the side on his first start since January and was proud to lead out the team. “There’s not a better way to come back,” he said. “I feel very honoured to wear the Arsenal armband and lead the team out.

It’s been a tough road for me over the past eight months but I feel very lucky to have had my players, family and friends around me.” AGENCIES

‘Big dreamer’ Naser rockets into athletics limelight PARIS AGENCIES

Salwa Eid Naser says she “dreams big” eyeing the 400 metres world record but her astonishing winning time of 48.14sec at the World Championships rekindled memories of an era three decades ago dominated by Communist eastern Europe. The engaging 21-year-old — born Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu in Nigeria to a Nigerian mother and Bahraini father — pulled off a shock defeat of reigning Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo on Thursday, who had not lost a race since August 2017.

However, it was the time — the third fastest of all time — that took many people’s breath away.

Only those over 40 would recall watching the two women who have run faster than her, world record holder Marita Koch of what

was then East Germany, who recorded 47.60sec in 1985, and former Czechoslovakia’s Jarmila Kratochvilova (47.99sec in 1983).

Theirs was an era when the Cold War was ongoing and the Berlin Wall separated East and West Berlin. Neither Koch nor Kratochvilova failed a doping test but their countries are known to have operated state-sponsored programmes as athletic supremacy was viewed by their rulers as a weapon in the battle between east and west.

Naser, who switched to Bahrain aged 16, played coy as to whether she considered her time in Doha the fastest clean one in history.

“You tell me,” she replied.

Miller-Uibo — who herself ran the sixth-fastest time ever in the final only to have to settle for silver — believes the world record will fall in the event she considers “her baby”. But when asked if she

believed Naser’s time was the fastest untainted run ever, the Bahamian also refused to be drawn on the past. “I would prefer not to comment,” she replied. Naser’s victory — which also saw three other finalists record personal bests — may have shocked many but her championship record in the past two years suggested she was a genuine title contender.

‘I CRIED ALL NIGHT’: A second-place finish at the last world championships in 2017 aged 19 — her idol Allyson Felix and MillerUibo were behind her — heralded her talent as she became the youngest ever medallist in the event.

Her Asian Games success last year also showed she has extraordinary resilience. Having run two relay finals at the end of that competition she flew for 14 hours from Jakarta to Brussels and the next day won the 400m Diamond League title.

That sort of determination is a characteristic that US veteran Felix — who won a mixed relay gold earlier in the week as she returned to global competition following the birth of her baby last November — would admire.

Naser believes she and the 33year-old Felix, whose world gold medal tally of 12 now outstrips that of retired Jamaican legend Usain Bolt, share common ground.

“Allyson Felix is my role model as I see similarities,” said Naser. “I was really looking up to her and I still look up to her, she’s an amazing athlete.” Naser was previously coached by Bulgarian Yanko Bratanov, one of whose athletes Kemi Adekoya was banned for four years earlier this year. She is now under the tutelage of Jose Rubio, who is head coach for Bahrain’s sprinters and hurdlers.

The new one-lap sensation

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has been dogged by a fragile left ankle due to an accident she had aged six. “My ankle was first weakened after I was struck by a car,” she told iaaf.org last year.

“I recall I had bought an ice cream but I had forgotten my change and as I ran across the road to retrieve it, that’s when the car hit me.” This old injury came back to haunt her when she twisted her ankle — “it opened up

a fracture” — a week before the 2016 Rio Olympics. Showing typical obstinacy, she refuted medical advice and competed before bowing out in the semi-finals with a new personal best time.

“I cried all night and I remember my mum had to say some nice and sweet words to make me feel better,” she said. “Thankfully, it did not take too long for me to recover from the disappointment.

Saturday, 5 October, 2019

NEWS

UAE to invEst $5bn in rEfinEry projEct in pAkistAn by End of 2019

ISLAMABAD

t

STAFF REPORT

HE United Arab Emirates (UAE) will invest $5 billion in an oil refinery project in Pakistan by the end of 2019, Arab News reported on Friday. In an interview with the publication, UAE Ambassador to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi said: “We are

KP govt distributes burqas among school girls The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has distributed burqas among female students in a girls’ model school in Cheena village of Rustam Valley. According to pictures circulating on the social media, the authorities with the help of funds provided by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) former district council member, Muzaffar Shah, distributed 69 burqas among students in the girls school. The development has come after the provincial government decided to make it mandatory for female students of government-run schools to cover themselves up in educational institutions with an abaya, gown or chador for protection against “unethical incidents” — harassment. But after facing widespread public criticism the KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan directed the authorities to withdraw the mandatory burqa order. NEWS DESK

India’s judiciary ignorant of human rights abuses in IOK: The Economist London-based weekly ‘the Economist’ has criticised India’s judiciary for ignoring the government`s abuses in Indian occupied Kashmir. The paper in an article said that more than seven million people of Occupied Kashmir feel the urgency of judicial decisions on petitions challenging the government`s actions in Kashmir as they are suffering since 5th August and continue to be under siege. The Economist notes that BJP led government has turned the occupied territory into an open-air detention centre. It says Indian government wielding draconian anti-terror laws has detained thousands of Kashmiris including politicians, businessmen, activists and journalists to prevent them from protesting and they continue to be held without charge at unknown places.

In occupied Kashmir, normal life continues to remain badly hit on the 61st successive day, today, with restrictions and communications blockade in place in the Kashmir Valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region. The residents continue to live in a state of fear due to heavy deployment of Indian troops with main markets shut, traffic off the road and offices and educational institutions although open yet devoid of any individual presence. NEWS DESK

going to launch very soon one of the biggest investments in a refinery project in Hub, Balochistan. It is going to be a $5 billion investment between Mubadala Petroleum Company of Abu Dhabi, Pak Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) and OMV [OMV Pakistan Exploration Gesellschaft].”

The original plan is to set up a deepconversion, state-of-the-art refinery that would have an output of 250,000-

300,000 barrels per day.

Al-Zaabi said the project was the result of “extensive discussions” between Mubadala Petroleum and petroleum ministry along with PARCO and OMV. “This project will show the strength of UAE-Pakistan relations and how the UAE is focusing on investment in and [the] future of Pakistan.”

“Many meetings have taken place regarding this project,” Al-Zaabi said, adding that a UAE delegation, headed by Musabbeh Al Kaabi, the chief executive officer of Mubadala Petroleum, visited Pakistan a few months ago and met with then Board of Investment (BoI) Chairman Haroof Sharif and Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.

“They have discussed this project in detail. We are going to launch it very soon,” he added.

A day earlier, a delegation of Egyptian investors called on Prime Minister Imran Khan and expressed interest in investing $1 billion in the energy sector and government’s flagship project Naya Pakistan housing scheme.

On the occasion, El Sewedy Electric, Egyptian energy giant, expressed its intention of investing $500 million in Pakistan’s energy sector.

Govt denies PM Imran met Taliban delegation ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday categorically refuted reports of a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and a visiting delegation of the Afghan Taliban.

A Doha-based Taliban Political Commission (TPC) delegation is in Islamabad on the invitation of the Pakistan government for a discussion on the prospects of the resumption of peace talks between the United States and the Taliban.

On Thursday, the visiting delegation of the TPC, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the militant group’s founding member, had called on For-

eign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other senior officials, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed.

In a series of tweets on Friday, Awan said, “The dialogue with the delegation at the Foreign Office yesterday is a good omen for the [Afghan] reconciliation process.” “The meeting is proof that Pakistan has always played a crucial role in creating a positive environment for regional and international peace,” she said.

Awan said Thursday’s meeting between the foreign minister and the Taliban delegation was held to promote peace in the region and expressed hope that the meeting will produce positive results in the near future.

India admits Mi-17 chopper was shot down by own missile on Feb 27 Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Rakesh Kumar Bhadauria on Friday admitted that the Mi-17 chopper crash on February 27 — the same day as the dogfight between Pakistan and Indian jets — was a “big mistake” on part of the force.

The Mi-17 helicopter had crashed at Budgam, near Srinagar, and resulted in the deaths of six air force personnel. A surface-to-air missile of the IAF had brought down the Mi-17 aircraft, a high-level probe had concluded in August, according to The Hindu.

The Indian side had acknowledged the crash but initially made no mention of it in official statements. The Pakistan military, meanwhile, acknowledged the aerial battle over Nowshera but said its fighters were not involved in the chopper incident.

“Mi17 V5 is one of the sturdiest choppers in service across the world and is not usually prone to technical faults of catastrophic nature,” Indian business newspaper The Economic Times had reported in March. “Eyewitness reported that a loud explosion was heard in the air before the chopper crashed in a trail of smoke, indicating a possible catastrophic external event contributed to the incident.”

Speaking to the media on Fri-

day, Bhadauria said, “it was our mistake as our missile had hit our own chopper”.

“Court of Inquiry has completed […] we will take action against the two officers. We accept this was our big mistake and we will ensure such mistakes are not repeated in the future,” India Today quoted him as saying.

Bhadauria, who took charge as the Indian Air Force chief on Monday, said that the air force is also considering designating all personnel killed in air-crash as “battle casualties”, reported Hindustan Times.

An inquiry into the accident had indicated several lapses leading to the tragedy, said the publication: “For instance, the inquiry had faulted the air traffic control for calling back the helicopter as air engagement between Indian and Pakistani fighters intensified.

“Ideally the helicopter should have been sent away to safer zone instead of it being called back to the base. Also, the incoming helicopter should have been vectored to the pre-designated zone that is meant for friendly aircraft to hold till the alert was called off.

“All bases have designated airspace for friendly aircraft in case of an air defense alert,” said the Hindustan Times report.

‘Grave violations' against 14,000 Afghan children in 4 years: UN report KABUL AGENCIES

Deteriorating security across Afghanistan in the past four years led to over 14,000 grave violations against children, including nearly 3,500 youngsters killed and over 9,000 injured, according to a United Nations report circulated on Thursday.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the alarming level of grave violations committed by all parties and the fact that children continue to bear the brunt of the armed conflict.

Of serious concern, he said, is that the nearly 12,600 children verified to have been killed or injured in 2015-2018 represented almost a third of all civilian casualties. That was an increase of 82 percent in child casualties compared with the previous four years, he wrote.

Guterres said in his fourth report on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan that the rise was traced to an increase in child casualties resulting from ground engagements, explosive remnants of war and aerial attacks.

The UN chief said he is extremely concerned, especially by the number of children killed and injured as a result of aerial operations conducted by government and pro-government forces.

According to the report, child casualties from airstrikes have significantly increased since 2015, reversing the downward trend of the four preceding

years. The UN verified 1,049 child casualties from airstrikes in 2015-2018, including 464 youngsters killed. That represented 40pc of civilian casualties from aerial attacks, the report said.

Guterres said armed groups were responsible for 43pc of child casualties — 3,450 killed and 9,149 injured.

While Taliban fighters were responsible for the majority, the number attributed to the militant Islamic State (IS) group increased overall during the four-year period, he said. Government and progovernment forces were responsible for 30pc of child casualties, he said.

Guterres said the UN also verified the recruitment and use of 274 children by armed groups and government forces, sexual violence against 13 boys and four girls, and 467 attacks on schools and education personnel.

The secretary-general said the actual number of children recruited and used in the Afghan conflict is estimated to be much higher, citing as an example allegations in 2016 that over 3,000 children were recruited, mainly by armed groups.

Similarly, Guterres said rape and other forms of sexual violence against children is known to be under-reported as a result of prevailing social norms, fear of retaliation and impunity.

In a study by the UN political mission in Afghanistan between October 2016 and December 2017, he said, people in communities across Afghanistan shared their perceptions that the use of boys for the purposes of sexual abuse and exploitation, including bacha bazi, by parties to the conflict was common and widespread. Bacha bazi is a practice in which wealthy or powerful men

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

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exploit boys for entertainment, especially dancing and sexual activities.

Guterres cited the case of a boy in Takhar province who was held for about a year by several armed commanders, including national police commanders and used for bacha bazi.

In an overview of political and security developments in 2015-2018, the secretary-general said the situation deteriorated compared to the previous four years, notably following the transfer of responsibility for security from international forces to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in 2014. The following year, he said, the Taliban made significant territorial inroads.

Guterres said in recent months, 45,000 to 65,000 Taliban fighters were reportedly active in Afghanistan although estimates vary considerably. He added that the Haqqani network has assumed an increasingly influential role in the Taliban military operations.

The secretary-general said al-Qaida is believed to maintain a limited presence in eastern Afghanistan while IS is also present in eastern Afghanistan, with 2,500 to 4,000 elements believed to be currently active.

Operations by Afghan and international forces have constrained the IS’ expansion, Guterres said, and as a result, the militant outfit has increasingly relied on suicide and complex attacks deliberately targeting civilians in large cities.