Epaper_23-07-27 ISB

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E L E C T I O N R E F O R M S B I L L A P P R O V E D T O G R A N T A D D I T I O N A L P O W E R S T O I N T E R I M S ET- U P

g P T I ’ s A l i Z a f a r s a y s c a r e t a k e r s e t u p c o u l d n o t r e p l a c e a n e l e c t e d r e p r e s e n t a t i v e g o v t

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f C o r r e S p o n d e n t

Ajoint session of the Parliament on Wednesday passed amendments to the Election Act 2017, granting the caretaker government powers to take actions or decisions regarding existing bilateral or multilateral agreements and projects

The Elections (Amendment)

Bill 2023 was presented by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi

The PML-N had on Sunday announced that an amendment was being introduced to empower the interim setup to have powers similar to that of an elected government

The interim setup will not be confined to day-to-day affairs of the government till elections are held An amendment is being brought (to the Constitution) to empower

g P P P ’ s R a b b a n i s a y s h e b e l i e v e d e x t r a p o w e r s s h o u l d n o t b e w i t h c a r e t a k e r g o v t

the caretaker setup to take important decisions like an elected government does, PML-N supreme leader ’s spokesperson Muhammad Zubair said

The amendment is among several others being proposed to the elections laws ahead of polls scheduled to take place later this year However, during a joint session of the Parliament a day earlier, objections were raised to the amendment after which it was deferred for a day

When the session resumed today Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government had prepared a new draft of the said amendment after concerns were raised by the allies and opposition members

“Apart from Section 230, there was 100 per cent consensus on all the other amendments ” he said Tarar clarified that while it was being said that the amendment to Section 230 was

PM reaffirms resolve for resilient , recover y and reconstruction

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p o r t

In a display of Pakistan s commitment to rebuilding the regions affected by floods, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on Wednesday, reiterated the country’s unwavering dedication to the Resilient Recovery Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF) The ambitious initiative aims to create stronger and more resilient communities in the aftermath of the devastating floods that struck the nation Taking to Twitter to share updates, the Prime Minister highlighted that he presided over the 3rd meeting of the International Partners Support Group on Tuesday During the meeting the progress of ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the floodaffected areas was thoroughly reviewed The formation of this Support Group came to fruition after the Resilient Pakistan Conference held in Geneva, and this gathering marked one year since the calamitous floods wreaked havoc on Pakistan Prime Minister Sharif expressed his profound gratitude to all international development donors partners and friendly nations for their timely and generous assistance With transparency at the core, he assured that foreign assistance would be put to efficient use, and a third-party of global reputation would duly audit the utilization of these funds Amidst this collaborative endeavour he lauded the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for its outstanding coordination and seamless collaboration between the government of Pakistan and the international community This partnership holds the promise of a more resilient and prosperous future for the regions affected by the floods As Pakistan marches steadfastly towards a future of resilience and recovery the nation stands united in its determination to turn adversity into opportunity firmly supported by international allies and partners

made a day earlier, the truth is that the changes were proposed five days back via WhatsApp and email” to members of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms “But the committee was called again today and examined the amendment to Section 230 again he said adding that the members of the committee deemed the changes unnecessary Tarar further said that a new draft of the amendment to simplify Section 230 had been shared by Commerce Minister Naveed Qamar Rest of the amendments that have been circulated are those on which there is 100pc consensus

The draft of the law says: Provided that sub-sections 1 and 2 shall not apply where the caretaker government has to take actions or decisions regarding existing bilateral or multilateral agreements or the projects already initiated under the Public Private Partnership Authority Act 2017, the Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Act 2022, and the Privatisation Commission Ordinance 2000 ” PTI says caretaker ’s powers violation of Constitution PTI Senator Ali Zafar said that a caretaker government could not replace an elected representative government

The sole responsibility of the caretaker government is to hold fair, transparent and timely elections The caretaker government can only run the day-to-day administrative affairs of the country Zafar added that if the caretaker government was given the powers of an elected government, it would be tantamount to trampling the Constitution “If the parliament doesn’t reject it today, the Supreme Court will strike it down in the next few days ” the PTI senator warned Rabbani drops objection falters again Meanwhile PPP Senator Raza Rabbani

What changes made to Election Act , 2017 and how they would impact upcoming polls?

ISLAMABAD S ta f f C o r

of the election results and send them immediately through electronic means to the returning officer (RO) concerned and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) In case of non-availability of the internet, the PO will deliver the result physically to the RO and the ECP The PO will be bound to send the election results by 2am on the day following an election However the deadline for submitting the result will be 10am the next day In case of a delay in compilation of results the PO will have to give some solid reasons In case of negligence election staff will have to face criminal proceedings

said that though he believed these extra powers should not be with the caretaker government, but he had no objection to other amendments to the Election Act 2017

This is second time he dropped his principled objection to the amendments like he did to an amendment allowing extension in the services of the chief of army staff and other services chiefs Section 230, as it stood yesterday, was opposed by a lot of members who had several observations against it I am

g E x c h a n g e c o m p a n i e s m u s t s u b m i t o r i g i n a l c u s t o m s, e x p o r t d o c u m e n t s f r o m f o r e i g n g o v t s

PR OFIT S ta f f r e p o r t

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has given permission to exchange companies to import physical US Dollars as and when required They can do this by using the value of their export consignments of permissible foreign currencies within five working days Reputed cargo and security companies will be involved in facilitating this process

or exchange company showing the amount of cash US Dollars to be imported, which will be verified and stamped by SBP-BSC officials

A d d i t i o n a l l y, t h e e x c h a n g e c o mpanies must submit original customs a n d / o r o t h e r e x p o r t d o c u m e n t s f r o m t h e f o r e i g n g o v e r n m e n t w h i c h w i l l a l s o b e s t a m p e d b y S B P - B S C o ff icials Copies of these documents must be kept for on-s ite ins pection by the State Bank’s inspection team The import consignment will be verified according to the laid-down procedure for exporting foreign currencies Once verified it will be packed sealed, and handed over to the cargo/security company for delivery to the exchange company Exchange companies must ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations including those of the jurisdiction from where the US Dollars are being imported They are also required to properly record all transactions related to the import of cash in their books of accounts

grateful to the law minister that he keep yesterday s discussion in view and this is the beauty of the Parliament that the government is guided by the wisdom of the House ”

He asserted that wisdom prevailed and as a result subclause one and subclause 2 of the amendment had been deleted However at the same time, Rabbani said: I believe that the powers, no matter what the exigencies that are existing, these powers should not be with the caretaker government ”

ECC approves Rs98.5 crore spent by USC under PM’s free flour scheme

g Scheme was launched on March 18, 2023 and continued till April 16, 2023

ISLAMABAD S h a h z a d pa r aC h a

also provide a copy to the SBP-BSC staff at SBP-Customs Joint Booth at designated airports They must present an original deal ticket from a foreign bank

ISLAMABAD a h m a d a h m a da n i

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday, hinted at a rise in the

subscribers or Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Before announcing the fuel price increase, NEPRA held separate hearings for K-Electric and DISCOs customers NEPRA will issue the detailed decision on the FCA for June after thoroughly reviewing the relevant data The increase in energy prices is attributable to rising fuel costs in June 2023 Dur-

It’s worth noting that exchange companies were already allowed to export permissible foreign currencies (excluding US Dollars) through cargo/security companies and repatriate an equivalent amount of US Dollars to their foreign currency accounts maintained with banks in Pakistan within five working days from the date of the foreign currency export

ing the same time period, K-Electric generated power at a cost of Rs 24 90 per unit from its own resources whereas the cost of electricity received from the federal government was Rs 11 56 per unit

The FCA hearing also focused on the delays in issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for renewable energy projects Several renewable energy projects are now on hold for NEPRA approval Rehan Javed an industrial consumer in Karachi voiced concern about the upcoming RFPs and stressed their potential to offer inexpensive and affordable power through renewable energy projects These projects will ulti-

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved £98 5 crore spent by the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) under the Prime Minister ’s Free Atta scheme during Ramzan in the last financial year 2022-23 Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, chaired the ECC meeting on Wednesday 26th July 2023 The Ministry of Industries and Production informed the Cabinet on March 9 2023 that they had approved the Ramzan Relief Package 2023 for the sale of 19 items at subsidized rates and the finance division released £4 9 billion to USC It was informed to the PM in the meeting that free atta was decided to be distributed to 185,984 families of Islamabad Capital Territory registered as BISP beneficiaries, and three bags of 10 KG atta were provided to the BISP MG USC has certified that the initiative was launched on March 18 2023 and continued till April 16 2023 with an expenditure of £985 million and no separate funds were allocated for the supply of free/gift atta bags at USC outlets The amount spent for this initiative was adjusted from £2 18 bn allocated for the distribution of subsidized atta under Ramzan Relief Package 2023 by USC According to the finance division the ECC considered a summary of the Ministry of Industries and Production on the provision of free Atta under Prime Minister s Gift Atta initiative during Ramzan and approved an amount of £985 43 million spent by the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) under the Prime Minister ’s Free Atta scheme during Ramzan in the last financial year 2022-23

mately lead to the lowering of electricity bills for enterprises and commercial organisations in the city Rafique Ahmed Shaikh NEPRA Member indh had previously expressed worry about KE s progress in raising its renewable energy share, attributing the delay to the pending RFPs awaiting approval The incorporation of renewables into Pakistan’s energy mix is viewed as critical for ensuring price stability and lowering the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels With electricity rates in Pakistan expected to reach all-time highs as a result of the Ministry of Energy s recent petition to

raise base tariff for the next fiscal year, the incorporation of renewables into the country’s energy mix is more important than ever It is regarded as an important step toward establishing price stability and decreasing Pakistan s reliance on imported fossil fuels In the case of DISCOs customers, NEPRA has indicated a fuel adjustment hike of Rs 1 81 per unit in June, which will apply to all DISCOs customers except Lifeline and electric vehicle charging stations According to NEPRA consumers would be taxed 9 paise per unit less for fuel adjustment in June than in May 2023 NEPRA will publish a detailed judgement on the fuel price adjustment after additional examination of the relevant data

P M D C A P P R O V E S N AT I O N A L M E D I C A L

D E N TA L C U R R I C U L U M F O R 2 0 2 3 - 24

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

TH E Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Wednesday unanimously approved the National Medical and Dental curriculum for year 2023-24 during its National Medical and Dental Academic Board meeting

The Academic Board unanimously decided to constitute committees to review all the regulations and matters referred to the board entrusted under Section 13 of the

MQM’s Raana Ansaar becomes first woman opposition leader in SA

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQMP) leader Raana Ansar on Wednesday become the first woman opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Earlier, MQM moved an application in the Sindh Assembly for the appointment of new opposition leader in the house She also enjoyed the support of renegade members of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) Ansaar in her first appearance in the assembly said that she was grateful to the MQM leadership for entrusting their confidence in her She also thanked parties who extended their support to her She further said that right now she had been given the chair of the opposition leader and promised that now things will move forward About caretaker government the MQM leader said they will sit and decide the next move

150 lives lost , 233 wounded across Pakistan in heav y rains: NDMA repor t

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) released a comprehensive report on Wednesday, highlighting the devastating loss of life and property caused by recent monsoon rains across Pakistan Since June 25 a staggering 150 people have tragically lost their lives in various rain-related accidents and 233 individuals have been injured throughout the country, as per the report The victims include 62 men, 25 women, and at least 63 children who lost their lives Among the injured 99 were men 62 were women and 72 were children The provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have suffered the most fatalities with 66 and 41 lives lost respectively Balochistan reported six fatalities due to the relentless downpours In addition to the loss of lives, Sindh and Azad Kashmir also experienced fatalities with 15 people killed in Sindh and 6 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir

Furthermore 11 people lost their lives in the federal capital Islamabad The impact of the heavy rains extended beyond loss of lives, with hundreds of families facing property damage

The report indicated that a total of 468 houses across the country were damaged during this period The monsoon season in Pakistan has always presented challenges with regards to flooding landslides and other natural calamities However this year s rains have proven to be particularly severe, resulting in an unusually high number of casualties and significant property damage

PMDC Act 2022 Chairman HEC and President CPSP extended their full cooperation and assistance with the PMDC Council to achieve quality medical education in Pakistan to further upgrade the standards across the world

The Academic Board will formulate the first-ever criteria, regulations and proforma for CME/CPD which will help to reinvigorate our doctors The CPSP has also ensured full support to assist and share measures taken in this regard at their end

The committee will also devise CME/ CPD credit hours for general and specialist

medical and dental practitioners for further renewal of their PM&DC licenses

The efforts of President PMDC Prof Dr Rizwan Taj along with its team were appreciated for taking a significant step towards international recognition by applying to the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) for its accreditation programme in due time along with organizing workshops to improve relations with medical and dental colleges for recognition of WFME

The Academic Board is constituted of highly qualified professionals from all provinces of the country, known nationally

and internationally

The 21-member board will serve a four-year term in terms of section 11 of PMDC Act 22 The 21-member National Medical and Dental Academic Board (NMDAB) was notified by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on July 14, to oversee the policy to maintain quality of education in undergraduate and post-graduate medical and dental institutions across Pakistan The PMDC) being the sole healthcare education regulator in Pakistan aiming to improve healthcare delivery and education standards, sets excellence standards and

Pakistan ends c apital punishment for drug trafficking convic ts

ISLAMABAD a n a d o l u ag e n c y

The parliament has approved new antinarcotics legislation removing capital punishment for drug trafficking convicts “Anti-narcotics bill passed, removing capital punishment,” Commerce Minister Syed Naveed Qamar tweeted The legislation Control of Narcotics Substances Act 2023 was passed during a joint session of the lower house the National Assembly and the upper house the Senate in the capital Islamabad, and will come into force at once The maximum punishment according to the fresh legislation for a convict of a drug-related crime will be life imprisonment whereas the minimum will be a sixmonth jail term Pakistan imposed a ban on capital punishment in 2008 in exchange for trade incentives from the EU However it lifted the six-year ban

on capital punishment after a gun-andbomb attack on an army school in northwestern Peshawar city in December 2014, which killed over 140 people, mostly students Since then, some 518 convicts have been executed Human rights groups and the EU had condemned the lifting of the ban on capital punishment saying it would not

add to the government s efforts to elim-

inate terrorism

Currently there are more than 4 000 death-row convicts across Pakistan, according to the local media In February 2021, the Supreme Court, in a landmark judgment ruled that prisoners with serious mental health problems cannot be executed for their crimes

Civil judge, wife acc used of tor turing 14-year- old maid, police launch manhunt

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The civil judge and his wife, accused of inflicting severe torture on their 14year-old maid, have gone into hiding, leaving the police in pursuit

Efforts to locate Civil Judge Asim Hafeez and his wife Somia included raids on their residences in Islamabad and Gujranwala However, authorities have so far been unable to ascertain their whereabouts Police have also been in contact with the victim’s parents who lodged the complaint in the case The investigation is set to widen after recording the victim girl s statement once she is out

of danger

Currently the young maid Rizwana is still in critical condition at Lahore General Hospital s Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

A medical board comprising 12 members has been constituted to oversee Rizwana’s condition She has already undergone a major procedure in the hospital including a CT scan of her head and minor surgery to clean her head wounds Doctors plan to perform two operations on her fractured arms The victim s father, who had sent his daughter to the judge’s house in Zartaj Housing Society for a monthly salary of Rs10 000 through an acquaintance revealed that the civil judge s

wife broke the girl’s arms and legs

He urgently appealed to higher authorities to take stringent action against the accused

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered against the accused at Humak police station in Islamabad, the civil judge’s wife, Somia, attempted to strangle Rizwana, leaving visible marks on the girl’s neck Shockingly the victim s grandmother further alleged that her employer even forced acid into Rizwana s mouth She recounted that when Rizwana’s mother came to Rawalpindi to retrieve her daughter, Somia threw the injured girl near her and promptly fled the scene

implements them in all medical and dental institutes for undergraduate and postgraduate education

The board s primary functions are to frame medical and dental undergraduate accreditation standards including curriculum standards of medical Education / CME / CPD academic standards of foreign institutions and examination standards including the MDCAT National Registration Examination and National Equivalence Board Examination It is pertinent to mention here that since the Academic Board was not constituted, PMDC adopted the policies framed by the previous academic board in the broader interest of the students and doctors which included the MDCAT NRE and NEB examinations

The meeting was presided by the Chairman Academic Board Prof Dr Zahid Aman Dean Khyber Girls Medical College Peshawar while Dr Syed Azhar Ali Shah assisted the forum as Secretary to the Board The meeting was attended by all the members of the Academic Board

Balochistan suspends mobile phone, internet services ahead of Ashura

QUETTA S ta f f R e p o R t

The government of Balochistan took a significant step on Wednesday by suspending mobile phone and internet services in the provincial capital, Quetta, ahead of Ashura to ensure the maintenance of law and order in the city According to a notification, the internet and cellular services will remain suspended on the 7th 9th and 10th of Muharram in Quetta This decision came in response to a request from the head of Balochistan police The schedule for service suspension is as follows: on Muharram

7, services will be suspended from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, while on Muharram 9, residents will experience suspension from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm On Muharram 10 mobile phone services will be restored after the culmination of processions The suspension of services is in observance of Ashura days Muharram 9 and 10, which are set to be observed on July 28 and 29 These days hold great significance for Muslims as they remember the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his companions in the battle of Karbala During these sensitive days the authorities are taking precautionary measures to ensure public safety and security

However, the suspension of mobile phone and internet services may cause inconvenience to the residents

PTI leader Shahbaz Gill declared absconder in sedition case

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

An additional district and sessions court on Wednesday declared Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill as an absconder following his constant failure to show up in a sedition case Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the ruling after the suspect failed to show up in court for long despite issuance of multiple summons The court started the process to seize properties of Gill as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) have submitted details of his properties The court also directed the authorities concerned to fix notice of absconder at his Faisalabad residence During the hearing, the court also rejected two pleas by the PTI leader for virtual appearance and stay on trial Judge Sipra remarked that the proceedings for declaring a suspect proclaimed offender could not be halted unless the suspect appeared in court He said Gill had been facilitated to move abroad Gill’s lawyer said the PTI leader went abroad for treatment In previous hearing the court directed National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman to block the Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) Later, the court adjourned the hearing till Aug 31 In March, the Lahore High Court (LHC) allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Gill on March 29 to travel to the United States (US) for four weeks It is pertinent to mention here that a case was registered against Gill at the Kohsar police station Islamabad He was accused of creating a divide in the state institution

LAHORE a p p

As the world gradually recovers from the gripping challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) is poised to host a momentous event that promises to reshape the landscape of intra-D-8 tourism cooperation

Set to take place on August 4-5 amidst the enchanting beauty of Bhurbhan, Murree, this 4th D-8 Senior Officials Meeting and 3rd D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Tourism Cooperation marks a pivotal milestone for Pakistan as it embraces its role as a beacon of opportunity within the esteemed D-8 Organization for economic cooperation Initiated in 1997, the D-8 Organization for economic cooperation brings together eight ambitious developing nations, namely Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia Nigeria Pakistan and Turkey Guided by the shared vision of fostering

The journey towards this momentous occasion began in the 2nd D-8 Ministerial Meeting held in Malaysia back in 2019 when it was decided that Pakistan would have the privilege to host the 3rd D-8 Ministerial Meeting preceded by the 4th D-8

Senior Officials meeting However due to the unforeseen disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic the meeting was regrettably postponed in 2021

Nonetheless, the year 2023 brings renewed hope, as Awn Chaudhry, the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Tourism & Sports and Chairman of PTDC took decisive action to ensure the event s realization In March 2023 he held a crucial meeting with the Secretary General of the D-8 Secretariat and together they resolved to organize the long-awaited gathering later in the year

The primary ambition behind convening this gathering is to shine a bright light

on Pakistan s untapped tourism potential while simultaneously exploring tourism trade opportunities among the member states As Awn Chaudhry passionately expressed during the Inter-ministerial meeting on the preparation and organization for the D-8 Ministerial Meeting the event endeavours to unleash new avenues for socio-economic development within the region

Among the multitude of objectives that this esteemed gathering seeks to achieve, paramount is the identification of potential pathways to enhance intra-D-8 tourism

In the wake of the pandemic crafting incentives and initiatives to support the revival of the tourism sector becomes a vital endeavour

By bringing together tourism experts from the member states, this meeting aims to foster capacity-building and the formulation of effective strategies for the postCovid-19 tourism era

Furthermore this convocation provides an invaluable platform for member states t o s h a r e k n o w l e d g e , e x c h a n g e b e s t p r a ctices, and cultivate cooperation opportunit i e s A s t h e w o r l d e v o l v e s c o l l a b o r a t i v e efforts to promote bilateral tourism can be a driving force in fostering mutual understanding and cultural appreciation among the D-8 nations

A R M E D F O R C E S PAY T R I B U T E T O C A P T

S A R WA R O N 7 5 T H M A R T Y R D O M A N N I V E R S A R Y

at the age of 19 years

What changes made to Election Act , 2017 and how they would impact upcoming polls?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 01

The Armed Forces of Pakistan Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) and services chiefs paid glowing tribute to Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, Nishan-e-Haider on his 75th martyrdom anniversary on Thursday

His matchless chivalry unwavering resolve and fortitude shall always be remembered, the military s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement

Captain Muhammad Sarwar the first recipient of Nishan-e-Haider who demonstrated indomitable courage and valour in defence of motherland and embraced martyrdom at Tilpatra in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in 1948

Captain Muhammad Sarwar ’s martyrdom anniversary serves as a powerful reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the armed forces of Pakistan to defend the motherland Let us remember these heroes who have laid down their

BISP restores 192,000 beneficiaries expelled in previous govt

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has reactivated accounts of 192 000 beneficiaries who were deleted during the tenure of the previous government As per official source, the previous government expelled around 850,000 women beneficiaries from the BISP due to various reasons without giving them the right to appeal Out of 1 92 000 beneficiaries whose accounts have been restored 95 000 beneficiaries have received their quarterly installment of Benazir Kafaalat scheme so far while the others will receive their payments soon It is pertinent to mention here that soon after assuming charge as Federal Minister of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri had decided to grant the expelled beneficiaries the right to appeal As per the directives of the BISP board, it was decided to reexamine the cases of beneficiaries expelled from BISP in the past to re-include the deserving ones, providing them relief

Body of missing Indian woman found in GB’s Kharmang district: official

GILGIT

lives in defence of our motherland The nation is proud of its gallant sons, the statement further said Sarwar was born on November 10, 1910 at Singhori village in Gujar Khan Tehsil of Punjab’s Rawalpindi district in British India to Jeevani Bibi

His father Raja Muhammad Hayat Khan, was also a havaldar in the British Army Following in the footsteps of his father, he joined military in 1929 as a sepoy

In 1939, Sarwar was invited to attend the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun from where he passed out on April 21 1944 as a commissioned officer and became a second lieutenant He got promoted as a temporary captain on June 30, 1944

In 1945, the temporary captain took part in battle in Burma against Japanese He joined in the Punjab Regiment in March 1946 and served it till August He was promoted as a captain on February 1 1947

When a war broke out between the newly formed states of Pakistan and India after illegal annexation of the Himalayan valley of Jammu and Kashmir with India, Sarwar immediately volunteered but he was not allowed by his officers who wanted him to complete his training in military signals

In 1948, he took over the command of the 2nd Battalion of the Punjab Regiment of the Pakistan Army as its commanding officer, organised with the purpose of retaking Kashmir

A march towards the Uri region of

Kashmir was commenced under Captain Sarwar, and the battalion led an attack on the disorganised Indian Army’s troops forcing them to retreat from the Gilgit-Baltistan to Ladakh in Kashmir on July 26 1948

Captain Sarwar s company followed the retreating Indian Army s troops to the Uri region where his unit faced off the strongly fortified enemy position His company was only 50 yards away from the fortified enemy position as the Indian Army s soldiers began their mortar shelling at his positions He had received instructions to lead the attack on the left side of the Indian bunker which was surrounded with barbed wires Sarwar decided to cut the wires and took along only six men to perform this arduous task

Despite massive Indian firing Captain Sarwar succeeded to cut the barbed wires with a bolt cutter Due to continuous downpour of shelling, his chest had perforated He died while clearing the passage for his soldiers The brave captain was 38 years old when he embraced martyrdom

Boeing boosts monthly 737 production as results beat estimates

PR OFIT

R e u t e R S

Boeing (BA N) said on Wednesday it was lifting production of its bestselling 737 narrow-body jet a sign the planemaker was recovering from a supplier error that had scuttled its plans for an early ramp-up Shares of the company jumped 4% before the bell after the company also posted second-quarter results that beat Wall Street expectations Boeing is now transitioning its 737 production line including the MAX models that make up the vast majority of 737 production to building 38 jets per month, up from 31, the company said Meanwhile, higher deliveries of the 787 Dreamliner helped spur a rise in revenue in its commercial planes division

The overall outlook is unchanged but the results from the Commercial Aerospace division is encouraging particularly in light of the ongoing supply chain challenges, Third Bridge analyst Peter McNally said “Boeing’s execution has improved and it will need to continue on this path to turn the corner on sustained profitability For the second quarter Boeing reported a free cash flow of $2 58 billion, compared with a cash burn of $182 million a year ago The adjusted loss was 82 cents per share Analysts polled by Refinitiv were expecting a loss of 88 cents per share Boeing s revenue rose 18% to $19 75 billion beating expectations of $18 45 billion Margins at its defense business, however, were negative amid cost overruns The company took a total of $514

million in charges related to the space capsule Starliner after its launch was indefinitely delayed in June as well as for supply chain costs on the T-7 training jet and a schedule delay for the MQ-25 tanker drone

The company still faces challenges “whether they be issues to address within our own factories or outside our walls within the supply chain and logistics routes, CEO Dave Calhoun said, referring to the recent collapse of a railway bridge used to transport 737 fuselages Boeing reiterated its plan to generate $3 billion to $5 billion in free cash flow this year as well as to deliver at least 400 single-aisle 737s and 70 787

Dreamliners in 2023 The push to build 38 737s a month comes amid heightened travel demand as airlines seek to grow their fleets post-pandemic

Interim bail of PTI chief, wife ex tended in Al- Q adir, Toshakhana c ases

S ta f f R e p o R t

The body of a 28-year-old woman, who had gone missing in the Indian-controlled area of Kargil was found in Gilgit-Baltistan s Kharmang district on Wednesday according to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Jaffar DC Jaffar told media that the woman s body was retrieved from the Kargil river today and buried in Kharmang He said the body could be returned to India after contact between the foreign ministries of the countries once the woman s identity was confirmed through DNA testing Meanwhile Qasim, a resident of Kharmang, said the funeral prayer of the woman had been offered and the burial was performed according to Islamic rituals Earlier a pamphlet featuring the image of the woman was circulated by the Kargil police station from the Indian side The pamphlet was also sent to the GB administration for the recovery of the body The pamphlet stated that the woman, identified as Belqees Banoo, was five feet tall and clad in green clothes along with a red sweater It added that she went missing from her home in Akchamal on July 15 Baltistan Awami Action Committee Chairman Najaf Ali, in a statement, said that due to the closure of the old Skardu-Kargil road, people in the surrounding areas of the Line of Control faced severe difficulties in such situations He called for the reestablishment of historical routes to facilitate locals in both countries

The accountability court extended the interim bail of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in 190 million pound Al-Qadir Trust corruption and Toshakhana cases till July 31 while a sessions court extended interim bail of the PTI Chairman in six cases pertaining to May 9 riots till July 31

The accountability court also accepted Bushra Bibi’s request for exemption from one day appearance On being asked Imran Khan s counsel Barrister Gohar apprised the court that senior lawyer Khawaja Harris was in the Supreme Court and then had to go to the high court

Judge Muhammad Bashir suggested the hearing be adjourned for tomorrow Barrister Gohar however said tomorrow they had to appear in the high court, as per the instructions of the Supreme Court After that there are Muharram holidays he added and asked for a date after the break The accountability court extended the interim bail till July 31 and said the parties will have to extended final arguments on the interim bail on July 31

The PTI chief appeared before the accountability court along with his lawyers He was allowed to leave after marking his attendance

local court on Wednesday extended interim bail of the PTI Chairman in six cases pertaining to May 9 riots till July 31, and instructed the accused to join the investigation in these cases Additional District and Session Judge Tahir Abbas Sapra heard the bail applications of the former prime minister in six FIRs registered at different police stations of the capital

At the outset of hearing, Imran Khan s counsel Sher Afzal Murawat filed a request seeking one-time exemption from attendance for his client as he was in Supreme Court The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was also to announce the verdict in an identical case he said The judge instructed the accused to ensure his attendance till 1:30pm

Sherr y unveils countr y ’s first- ever National Adaptation Plan

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

We flagged climate justice slogan at COP-27 [in Egypt] Our greenhouse gas emissions are below one percent We made it acknowledged across the world that Pakistan is in the frontline of global warming and it has been established world over ” Senator Rehman said

The minister mentioned that currently the situation across the world showed forest fires going rampant which had been the case in Pakistan during the past year due to heatwaves

“Pakistan is having 53 degrees Celsius and it maintained this high temperature consecutively for three years she said Deliberating on the chapters of the Plan she said a special chapter on risk

and vulnerabilities was made as the country had been repeatedly among the top climate vulnerable countries’ ranking of the German Watch She said no one could stop heatwaves but the associated risks like drought hydro-meteorological events glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) etc were manageable through timely interventions Pakistan had the world’s largest glaciers outside the polar region that were melting at a fast pace whereas in delta there was drought and salinity she added Moreover the plan also discussed flooding and agriculture whereas the water and food nexus was established in the plan to study that how to maintain food security for the population, she said

The minister underscored that Pak-

Thousands of professors threaten mass protest as HEC ignores salar y raises

ISLAMABAD

G h u l a m a b b a S

In a disconcerting development, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has come under severe criticism for its failure to grant salary raises to PhD Tenure Track System (TTS) university professors resulting in deep frustration among the academic community The All Pakistan Tenure Track Association (APTTA) has taken a stand against the HEC s delaying tactics and negligence, demanding immediate resolution to the long-standing issue APTTA President Dr Yasar Shah expressed serious concern over HEC management s attitude and the lack of urgency in addressing the matter Weeks of mounting frustration culminated in a massive protest staged by APTTA members in front of the HEC office in Islamabad The protestors initially planned a sit-in to press for their demands until a notification was issued but Senator Mushtaq intervened to mediate between HEC and APTTA leading to a postponement of the dharna

During discussions between APTTA and HEC anomalies were uncovered in the salary draft prepared by HEC s finance office Incorrect figures were sent to the Government of Pakistan s Finance Division further delaying the resolution of the issue As per the mutual understanding reached in the discussions, APTTA presented revised salary figures based on data from various federal universities aiming to expedite the process

Despite these efforts there has been a notable lack of progress leaving APTTA members feel increasingly disheartened and disrespected The gravity of the situation warrants immediate attention and effective action from the HEC as the repercussions of this negligence could negatively impact future generations of the nation APTTA management highlighted the urgent need for rectification and called on the HEC to promptly increase the salaries, as already notified by the Government of Pakistan-Finance Division and the Prime Minister of Pakistan two years ago through notification No F No 4(6)R-4/2016 The fail-

ure to act on this notification is a matter of great concern for the academic community

The National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) will be bound to give complete access to the ECP of records related to newly issued Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) The ECP will not be able to change a polling station five days before elections Election candidates will be allowed to use only their pre-existing bank accounts for financing their election campaigns

A National Assembly candidate will be allowed to spend Rs4m to Rs10m on his election campaign while a provincial assembly candidate will be allowed to spend Rs2m to Rs4m Every constituency will have the same number of registered voters

The difference in the number of registered voters at two constituencies will not be more than 5% Complaints against demarcation of a constituency will have to be launched within 30 days after notification of such demarcations Under the amendment bill the ECP will be bound to issue details of the polling staff on its website Election candidates will be allowed to raise objection to the deputation of polling staffs within 10 days after publication of these details The polling staff will not be allowed to perform election duties in their native districts Cameras will be installed at the polling stations but secrecy of ballot will also be ensured In case of withdrawal or rejection of nomination papers, the relevant fee will be returned to such candidates An election candidate is allowed to raise an objection to a polling station at a certain locality if he has solid reasons The political parties will submit their preferential lists of nominees for special seats in the legislatures within three days after the announcement of official election results The election tribunals will decide cases related to violation of an elections code of conduct in seven days and not 15 days The security personnel will perform their duties outside polling stations but will be allowed to enter a polling station with the permission of a PO in case of an eventuality The ECP will be bound to provide the voters list of a constituency to the relevant RO 30 days before an election The PO will be responsible to provide handicapped people the facilities to cast their votes

CONTINUED FROM BACK PAGE

Under the law the National Commission for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP) will be established which will act as a civil court to protect the private documents/data of the users and redress the grievances of the complainants

istan would go water scarce by 2025 that needed urgent focus whereas other areas like urban development, air pollution, land, water and others had also been focussed in the plan She said that the plan had ministry and province specific strategies to achieve climate adaptation goal at the grassroots level as the local governments were the core of any adaptation plan

The ministry’s job was to guide provinces and therefore had developed partnerships in the plan and identified interventions as one province or ministry alone could not implement it she added Senator Rehman highlighted that the planning and development of public sector development programme would be defined by the National Adaptation Plan

In light of the HEC s inaction APTTA has given a stern warning to the senior management of HEC demanding that the salary increase be officially notified by 31st July 2023 Failure to meet this deadline will result in a massive protest, followed by a prolonged sit-in in early August 2023 Thousands of PhD TTS university teachers are expected to participate in the protest to amplify their voices and demand justice

The APTTA cabinet expressed disappointment in HEC s lack of tangible action, citing only verbal commitments and ongoing delaying tactics The academic community expects the HEC to uphold its responsibilities and fulfill the promises made to them in a timely and efficient manner

The situation has escalated to a critical point, and the academic community s patience is running thin As the deadline looms, the ball is now in HEC’s court to address the long-pending issue and avert the potential crisis that may unfold

Speaking to the meeting PM Shehbaz said the government was implementing the “Whole of the Government Policy to promote Foreign Direct Investment in the country The policy would help expedite the implementation process of the projects under foreign investment The prime minister appreciated Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik for his successful efforts in finalizing the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) agreement with Azerbaijan This agreement is not only an important step forward to promote bilateral trade ties with Azerbaijan but it will also prove to be a milestone for the energy security of Pakistan,” he added The federal cabinet approved the reorganization of accountability courts on the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice under which 11 accountability courts will be changed into seven banking courts, two intellectual tribunals, a special court central, and a special court in Balochistan This restructuring will not incur any additional costs The federal cabinet also approved the reorganization of the Board of Directors of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) besides approving the appointment of members of the Selection Committee of Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority The federal cabinet approved the National Adaptation Plan 2023 on the recommendation of the Ministry of Climate Change Under the plan the government along with other partners will take measures to protect climate-prone communities from the adverse effects of climate change On the recommendation of the Ministry of Climate Change, the Federal Cabinet approved to refer the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wild Life Management Act 2023 to the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC) for the protection of wildlife and natural assets in Islamabad

‘Whole of Gov t Policy’ being implemented to promote FDI in countr y: PM

The rules of the game

TH E government has introduced an Amendment Act for the Election Laws 2017 which has set the PPP against the amendment to Section 230 of the Act That section deals with the powers of the caretaker government, and the amendment proposes that a caretaker government be allowed to exercise the powers of an elected government After the candidature of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for the caretaker Prime Ministership, this raised suspicions that the caretaker government is not expected to just come in and hold elections but may well stay beyond the 60 or 90 days prescribed in the Constitution It must be remembered that a longer tenure would require a government that could go beyond the limited mandate of a caretaker government The excuse doing the rounds is that the caretaker government would have to take steps that go beyond the legal restraints it presently has if it is to carry out the promises made the IMF by the present government which are not yet clear If by any chance the caretaker government was to overstay, it should not be forgotten that the current Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF is for nine months Is the caretaker government to be empowered to make any agreement beyond that?

The imposition of a caretaker government was intended to prevent an impasse like 1977 which ended in Martial Law There is a facade of constitutionalism but the reins of the caretaker government will be in the hands of the establishment There will be no military dictator at the fore, but there will be no hiding who really runs the show Elections will have to be held sooner or later, but then that has been how the last two Martial Laws have ended The country is heading towards yet another extraconstitutional departure

Unfortunately at this point the judiciary does not offer all that much hope It has been seen as partisan, and is afflicted with infighting among judges with the controversy over suo motu cases and benches being merely a manifestation of a deeper malaise Perhaps worse, the Supreme Court’s failure to ensure the Constitution was followed in the holding of elections to the Punjab and KP

Assemblies means that if the remaining elections are not held when due the precedent exists That too resembles bouts of military rule: the courts have validated martial laws If elections are delayed whatever the excuse that will mean the Constitution has been abandoned

Founding Editor

TH E concept of Islamophobia dates as far as the inception of the religion itself The Prophet (PBUH) had to undergo the most inhumane treatment; physically and psychologically From being heckled by the Quraish to being called names, all indecencies were termed fair, and the Prophet (PBUH) bore it with the utmost patience until he triumphed over the same people who disowned him The threat perception of Islam therefore is not a novel phenomenon and dates back 14 centuries

The advent of information technology coupled with globalization gave people a newer, farreaching voice One which was not bound by the laws of physics and proximity but one which could be heard thousands of miles away Communication as it was perceived had become easier and much more widespread Unfortunately all advancement in technology has a downside

Thus, the Western governments should make the effor t to stop such incidents from happening

The Muslims account for more than 2 billion souls or a quar ter of the entire world population, and ever y hear t that beats in those chests carrie z ero tolerance for blasphemy Allowing the burning of the Quran or publishing irresponsible caricatures of the Prophet (PBUH) is not as much allowing freedom of speech as it is being accomplice in provoking the Muslim World

FINALLY

after 75 years there is a realization that the state structure in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has serious faults It has badly failed to serve the people While the world has progressed, Pakistan has regressed In San Francisco the Lombard Street is considered to be the world’s most crooked thoroughfare Then in Victoria Island in British Columbia there is a Crooked Garden where nothing is straight but the Leaning Tower of Pisa is unmatchable in its tilt It is still considered to be a wonder of the world Historians are not sure whether it was by design or accident that the imperfection took place Engineers now struggle to save it from a fall Millions are spent to save the historic monument from collapse There is a folklore that it was built to highlight the decline of the times and some other structures around are also tilted When I went there for the first time in 1979, tourists were allowed to climb the tower The sloped balconies were very scary as one had to climb slowly and carefully The walk around was not easy

Unfortunately the state of structure in Pakistan has insurmountable slopes for the public to climb The fault lines are serious Like the Leaning Tower billions are spent to support and preserve the inbuilt crookedness of the system In Rawalpindi the Badmash (Ruffians) are called Dinga (Crooked) And they are required to walk in a certain way to prove their Dinga-ness

Ever since the seat of power has moved to the ‘Dinga land’ the walk around has become increasingly difficult for the public at large While the few insiders flourish the majority outside suffers Such a system is bound to collapse; no engineering can save it The founding fathers were aware of this crookedness of the system and tried to straighten it but the inertia of status-quo prevailed The Punjabi saying;

“ Khoti Rahe Borh Thalay “ (The donkey remained in the shade) aptly describes the prevailing situation

The USA won freedom from the British colonizer over two centuries ago It was a great military victory

The ragtag Militia force led by George Washington defeated the Royal Army As President he led his country for two terms (eight years) and then went home leaving behind a constitutional democracy that has risen to be the sole superpower The entire state structure left behind by the colonial masters was totally dismantled Anything British was considered un-

friendly anti-people and was rejected

They even decided to drive on the opposite side of the road (right hand) Spellings were also simplified (color, program) Today the system in the oldest constitutional democracy of the world has no negative energy The state is meant to serve not rule No one can dare to go against the constitution Donald Trump the sitting President could not stall the count of the Electoral College to replace him Richard Nixon as Commander-in-Chief was advised by his Chief of Staff General Alexander Haig to declare emergency and sack the Congress before his impeachment as President Instead he decided to resign and go home Rule of law prevailed over individual power and interests Bangladesh also won its freedom about half a century ago after the surrender of the troops led by Lt Gen A A K Niazi Compared to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan the People’s Republic of Bangladesh has marched forward in leaps and bounds Their target for exports in 2024 is $72 billion

They have even succeeded in controlling their population growth rate

In the 1956 constitution of united Pakistan they conceded their majority today we are a downtrodden majority

The freedom movement was started by them with the formation of the All-India Muslim League in 1906 at Decca Yet they decided to move on and drop anything that was Pakistani The legendary Allama Inayat ullah Khan Mashriqi founded his Khaksar Movement to snatch freedom for India and restore Muslim rule The Khaksars were also a militia force that marched with their weapon of peaceful protest and defence, the spade They were also called the ‘Bailcha (Spade) Party’

After finishing his Tripos from Cambridge University in Mathematics Allama Mashriqi travelled to Germany to study the Nazi Party while Jinnah and Gandhi came to India as Barristers to practise law Gandhi started his movement for Peaceful Protest for freedom of India, Jinnah advoctaed a seprate homeland for the Muslims After the partition of the Sub-continent Allama Mashriqi was sidelined He lies buried on

Where does your freedom of speech end?

In this case the downside was the dissemination of offensive ideas, notions, and actions Europe has, since the past 30 years, gradually turned into a hotspot for Islamophobes The European man, or woman for that matter, have allowed their minds to be poisoned by the constant Anti-Islamic propaganda championed by the Western media But to be fair and honest Muslims too have not lived up to the precepts of the founder of Islam and in the meanwhile, given others ample opportunities to point their fingers on us

For starters our extremely ignorant clerical lot have misinterpreted much of the Quran and Hadith and incited the young and old to see through the eyes and think with the brain of an extremist All militant organizations claim to hinge on the Quran and justify their terror through Hadith, most of which are fabricated Second, our own narrative builders have been unable to counter the rising wave of Islamophobia

There are 57 Muslim countries in the world and none have nurtured a film industry that could churn out Pro-Islam narrative to counter the ascending narrative against Islam for which Hollywood must be given full credit Third, emigrant Muslims who have settled in the West have been carrying themselves shamefully and have been often acting in the stereotypical savage fashion Given these conditions the recipe for increasing Islamophobia is rife and readily available for anyone to mix and concoct such narratives Sweden has been in the spotlight in the past few weeks for its perceived light-handedness towards Islamophobic extremists Last month, a Swedish national burnt the Quran in front of the Stockholm Central Mosque prompting swift outcry by Muslims around the world The most striking protest happened in Iraq s capital city, Baghdad, where the followers of Shia

Cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr stormed the Swedish Embassy and damaged is infrastructure

Yet, such reactionary measures only provide a short-lived respite and just help the disgruntled an opportunity to vent their anger Not only is this not a good strategy to counter Islamophobia but to the contrary undermines the diplomatic image of the Muslim world; making the Western world feel more insecure and counterproductively feeds the anti-Islam narrative which the Muslim world direly needs to address What the Muslim world should rather do, through a collective and concerted effort is to lobby the governments of Europe and America and convince them of the need to introduce legislations that draw a line between freedom of speech and outright racism and bigotry The West must also be cautioned about the differing notions about religious personalities and scriptures among the Muslims and Non-Muslims For the secular world of the West Jesus Christ or Muhammad (PBUH) may be ordinary people who can be subject to the harshest criticism without expecting any reprisal but here in the Muslim world the Prophets, Messengers and the Scriptures they brought are held in utmost regard and the slightest disrespect towards them is not tolerated

Thus the Western governments should make the effort to stop such incidents from happening

The Muslims account for more than 2 billion souls or a quarter of the entire world population and every heart that beats in those chests carrie zero tolerance for blasphemy Allowing the burning of the Quran or publishing irresponsible caricatures of the Prophet (PBUH) is not as much allowing freedom of speech as it is being accomplice in provoking the Muslim World

The Writer is an Assistant Research Fellow at Balochistan Think Tank Network

Zaildar Road Ichra where he lived and died with his beliefs and conviction Hiltler s gift of a Renault car is also showcased there in a dilapidated state

It is indeed interesting that the man who bartered our freedom the first usurper titled his autobiography; “ Friends not Masters “ When he was being sidelined his thoughts changed in his own words; No one gives you freedom you have to fight for it no one fights for your freedom you have to fight for your own freedom

Yes indeed real freedom has to be won In a war one side has to lose and surrender there can be no draw

Send

structure

Even in Test Cricket draws are a thing of the past, and most tests result in victory or loss with very few in betweens After 75 years of suffering it is time to straighten the state structure Climbing the slopes of the balconies of the Leaning Tower of Pisa left a lasting impression on me It was an unforgettable experience that made movement very difficult and scary Lombard Street is short which carries tourist interest only the same holds true for the Crooked Garden of Victoria, but dealing every day with a crooked state structure is an unbearable torture which must end Only Crooks can navigate through Crookedness like the Sharifs of Gawalmandi or the Zardaris of Nawabshah Their rise coincides with the fall of Pakistan which must be reversed to end the suffering of the masses and move the country forward like our brothers in Bangladesh who now chant Sonar Bangla (Bangla the beautiful) Words of the US national anthem say; Land of the brave and home of the free Hafeez Jullandari wrote; Quwatey Akhuwatey Awam (Power of the unity of the people), little did know he that the third usurper, Zia Jullandari wanted to remove these words After defacing the constitution he wanted a new tarana (anthem) In the words of Habib Jalib; Yai Us Ka Pakistan Jo Sadar-e-Pakistan Hai (The President owns the country) Can it get more crooked than that?

The writer is ex-Chairman, Pakistan Science Foundation He can be contacted at: fmaliks@hotmail com

E d i t o r ’ s m a i l

Peshawar cemeter y

T H E few Zoroastrian families living in Peshawar before 1947 had established their cemetery on the then North Circular Road (since renamed Sunehri Masjid Road) in the Peshawar Cantonment area That cemetery is no more in use

It was handed over to a private contractor who has turned it into a paid car parking lot There are reasons to suggest that the sprawling place should be put to better use, such as, say, a public park

First, the government is committed to respecting all faiths and their sensitivities As such turning the place into a public park would be more respectful of the choice than a commercial activity

Second, Peshawar, known as the city of flowers, is fast losing its sprawling public parks and the metropolis has turned into a concrete jungle Over the last decade, Peshawar Cantonment has been denuded of its public parks

The hockey ground on Fakhr-i-Alam Road is housing a threestorey store The Aman Chowk, with its flower-laden park, was excavated to build a bus station Nearby the playing field that was publicly used by the youngsters day and night, was first temporarily closed and has since been slapped with prison-like concrete boundary walls to keep the public away

As an institution, Pakistan Army is known for the promotion of physical activities The shrinking public facilities for physical development within the limits of Peshawar Cantonment, however, paint a different picture

Those in command would do well to intervene and turn the erstwhile cemetery into a public park It will be nice if it could be named appropriately

SAYED GB SHAH BOKHARI PESHAWAR

I don’t know

EVERY day on the way to my university I give a short ride to students who are on their way to their respective schools and colleges I often ask them what they want to be in the future, and I find it rather odd that most of them have no answer to that simple query

Recently, for a few days I started taking a count of such answers Of the six students I put the question to only one was able to answer that; he wanted to be a doctor The rest of them just said they did not know Even the students of grade IX and X are totally clueless about their dreams their goals and their future

We need to ponder what is going on What exactly are we doing wrong that has brought our youth to this unimaginative, aimless pass? We are overburdening our children with loads of books, and that is consuming all their energies, and making them dumb rote-learners who know nothing beyond the need to get good marks and grades

My sister, who is in grade VIII, carries a 10kg schoolbag to school every day Our children do not have the time or the ability to think on their own even when that thinking is about them-selves They have become accustomed to obsolete rote learning and do not like to explore or do anything on their own

Most parents just tell their children to go for a specific field without asking about their interests or providing them career counselling I do not know why we are doing all this to our children What I do know is that we are not doing the right thing

Even in Test Cricket draws are a thing of the past, and most tests result in victory or loss with very few in betweens After 75 years of suffering, it is time to straighten the state

D e f i n i n g B a l o c h s t u d e n t p o l i t i c s

shaped the way for Baloch politics as a whole They supported the National Awami Party (NAP) in the first and last transparent Pakistani general elections in 1970 But after nine months the NAP government was overturned in Balochistan and strong Baloch voices were imprisoned including Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, Sardar Atta Ullah Mengal and Mir Ghous Bakhsh Bizenjo At such a time when strong Baloch political advocates were imprisoned BSO took the responsibility to lead the way and supported the then Baloch insurgency (1973-77)

TH E best use of political student unions or organizations is working theoretically and practically on youth to polish them for a better and brighter national future Unfortunately, things are different in Balochistan: on one side, the state degrades student unions and organizations and on the other hand the youth themselves avoid student politics by calling politics a dirty game of playing with the psyche of the youth and nation

We cannot complain to the state for what harshness it practices on Baloch student politics, while the sidelining of Baloch youth, amidst the present humanitarian or Baloch crises, is justifiable in one sense and illogical in the other It is justifiable in a sense that student politics in the Baloch society is portrayed in a way which only serves a particular group or party interests It is illogical in the sense that given the present scenario they can opt for the organizations working solely for common Baloch interests in one way or the other While the line of difference is already defined between the two forms of present Baloch student organizations Baloch politics has a long route beginning from the 1920s (while some others claim it started even earlier) with Abdul Aziz Kurd s Young Baloch which became banned in the next phase as it adopted radical policies They kept working underground until Yousuf Aziz Magsi’s Anjuman-i-Ittehad-i-Balochan was formed ten years later The journey went on to form scientific Baloch political parties including the strong Baloch proindependence Kalat State National Party When it received independence in 1947 Kalat State had to face a forced merger in March 1948 after which things turned the other way unless Baloch youth realized their responsibilities again with various student groups forming in 1950s and 1960s, including Warna Waninda Gall Then came the Baloch Students Educational Organization (BSEO) in the 1960s which made way for the formation of historic Baloch Students Organization (BSO) in the same decade that later on turned out to be the mother organization of the Baloch movement in its past and present forms Baloch students, then on the platform of BSO,

The thing that makes every Baloch student or political worker dejected even today is the division of BSO into various factions Because the BSO has been a strong advocate of Baloch rights and making strong political cadres, every party and group has tried to manipulate and influence the BSO in their own way so that the BSO only works as a wing for them From Pakistan People’s Party in the past to the present day political parties the BSO in its most factions has been aimed to serve a party interest by becoming the spokesperson to a party, which has negatively affected Baloch student politics, whether in the past or in the present

Observing the same scenes in the early 2000s, a group went on to form a new faction of the BSO by aiming to radicalize it which within a decade attracted a large number of members from across the Baloch areas However owing to their radical approach towards the state, the organization received a ban from the state in 2013 And then plentiful student leaders and members from the organization had to face state crackdown and enforced disappearances among whom Zakir Majeed and Zahid Kurd Baloch are two leading names From 2013 to 2018 Baloch student politics was occasionally active in the institutions in Baloch areas The gap not only deprived Baloch students of their political rights, but also inserted various diseases (apart from physical diseases) after which the Baloch youth began to deem student politics as a ‘dirty place’ Within such a time when students were getting ‘mis-

directed politically emerged the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) as a full time organization on the surface which has been working for political rights of Baloch students within institutions and has begun to recreate Baloch political literature to guide the Baloch students and reshape Baloch student politics In the last five years that BSAC is active on the surface it has grabbed the Baloch grounds by engaging more Baloch students in study circles, creating literature (particularly in Baloch national languages), promoting scientific culture among Baloch students, ideologically shaping and working with Baloch students, conducting sessions and festivals in Baloch areas and engaging Baloch students

The only way possible to challeng e such narratives is for Baloch students not to refrain by standing neutral because neutrality does not exist in societies which do not make their decisions on their own For a student living in a colony, politics becomes an act of worship. Even if it is dir ty, then should we wait for a person from another par t of the world to come and make it clean for us? No. We need to understand that no third par ty will come and do it for us. Baloch youth need to step in to make an impact for national interests and define Baloch student politics as it ought to be in the Baloch ground

That s how a myth was created from the market itself for this poor content

And now, this myth has been busted The new owners of Big Media are Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani Adani is launching several news channels this year Ambani already owns many channels Given the volume of channels and the money they both have between them, the ghost – a lack of funds – that haunted the media until now must run away

But why aren’t we seeing the effect of these funds on content? Why aren’t their wealth and business acumen improving the poor state of TV journalism especially when these expenses are lower than their other businesses? What examples have Ambani and Adani’s channels set in journalism? What have they done that’s new – or even spectacular?

These are my questions and the answers are simple There are two essential and basic conditions for good journalism: courage and questioning Without courage you cannot question

Without questions, courage has no meaning

So, you cannot change the content of Godi media’ with just business skills and money –you need courage and you need to question Instead Ambani and Adani join the queue that already includes Aroon Purie Subhash Chandra Jagdish Chandra Kaatil and Rajat Sharma A queue where everyone is timid This is the biggest change in the mainstream media over the last 10 years Their content isn’t influenced by the owners, it’s influenced by the ‘unknown owner’ of these owners We cannot expect these channels to ask questions like The Telegraph Merely opening a channel doesn t make one a journalist The content of these channels tells us about the relationship they have with the Modi government If journalists protest in Delhi against attacks on their peers, take a look at how many journalists from these channels are in attendance

take the media out of Modi and Modi out of the media These sections of the media remain silent towards him

If they speak, they speak only for him When a social worker or journalist gets respect in foreign countries, they call it an “anti-India” conspiracy But the PM gets respect in the same countries they describe it as India’s name –Modi s name – ringing across the globe The decade of 2014 to 2024 belongs as much to Godi media as it does to Modi These channels have different names but the same content

The packaging is poor, their stories are similar, and they’ve broken many myths in the process

‘NO MONEY’ NO LONGER AN EXCUSE: Prior to 2014 we believed TV journalism was haunted by the ghost of no money News channel owners who usually weren t journalists, were running out of funds and the business model was flawed

Everything was done in the hope of gaining TRPs; the alternative was shutting down the channel entirely These owners didn’t care about journalism Even helpless owners of established channels would follow this otherwise they wouldn t get advertisements

I do not consider The Wire Caravan Scroll Newslaundry Alt News NewsClick The News Minute, Boomlive and Article 14 as alternatives to the mainstream media That line of thinking frees the mainstream media from guilt These institutions should be seen as individual efforts Their names should not be brought up during the Godi media debate by claiming they are also of this era Because they aren t – the government doesn t give them ads Corporate ads are rarely available They aren t the startups helped by the government What we should care about is the media houses that get crores of public money in the form of ads Why aren’t they practising journalism? When journalism is not possible then why are India s richest opening channels? The two richest industrialists in the world have thrown their money at Godi media’ The inference is there’s a market for it, that it’s good business But there is no pleasure of making a product from the heart

Let me ask you this: Why didn t young educated people from startup incubators think of a media startup? It s because they know they cannot create free content in the media But Godi media has developed such a

During the NDTV takeover, Gautam Adani had said India “does not have one single [outlet] to compare to Financial Times or Al Jazeera” He had said something along the lines that there is no dearth of money for this But he doesn t know journalism isn t driven by money Also this is the same Financial Times that Adani demanded to take down a report on his empire s offshore funding Financial Times declined, saying it stood by its reporting Many global media houses are made of such courage But in India channel owners buy expensive cars but will not post reporters in different countries They won t even send their reporters to other states, let alone abroad Adani wants to create a global media brand, and Modi would like that too, but look at what happened to Doordarshan In nearly 10 years of Modi’s India it’s flush with resources and is actively playing the Godi media game OUTLIVING A PURPOSE: The Godi media factory does not produce questions for the government It manufactures weapons to target those who do ask questions – calling them traitors or terrorists But the public is more aware now Viewership is dropping People are learning that ‘Godi media may position itself as patriotic but it s not actually good for the country Social media accounts are dedicated to monitoring hate speech in the media The media is a watchdog but the public is watching it instead The sustained criticism of the media in the Modi decade is unlike any other At a glance the scene seems to be changing Old faces are switching from one channel to the other new channels are launching with brand-new faces But they re repackaged versions of the same product, all performing the same task It’s like mafia movies from the golden days of cinema: an old gang leader is eliminated but a new one soon takes his place The empire continues Yet credibility is so low that ministers are giving interviews to social media influencers – a throwback to the time when Modi permitted Akshay Kumar to interview him in 2019 They wouldn’t have to if Adani and Ambani’s channels and anchors had built credibility themselves Modi clearly needs a new Godi media We should remember the opposition took too long to understand the power wielded by Modi s media It finally happened when Rahul Gandhi, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, established his press conferences as an alternative to these news channels He challenged journalists saying ‘you cannot ask this question to the PM but you can ask me They did ask him – and he answered Of course, Godi media all but ignored Rahul s yatra Now that the yatra is over, Rahul doesn’t mention ‘Godi media’ as much in his speeches And while he showed some courage Congress governments are now giving their ads to these channels despite their treatment of their leader Imagine the irony: Modi s ministers are flocking towards influencers while Congress governments are turning to Godi media with ads Meanwhile, the end of journalism is being celebrated

in ideological scientific educational and practical debates and acts

The scope of politics is often eyed from what others define as student politics But since the emergence, Baloch students have been defining Baloch politics in their way to move towards a better end As Baloch we are never disconnected with the ground realities around us At a time when Balochistan is going through a massive humanitarian crisis, limiting student politics to institutions is directly tantamount to opposing the Baloch interests Misfortune follows us here where an atmosphere of misconception and confusion has prevailed under which not only are Baloch youth sidelining themselves from actual student politics but are opposing it from the direct end which is yet another narrative to keep Baloch youth away from the reconstruction of the nation Because the future of the nation are today s youth And without political experiences, they will have a lesser grip over the changing national situations which will further enhance the chances of the youth to not recognize the actual Baloch politicians who are working for Baloch national interests

The only way possible to challenge such narratives is for Baloch students not to refrain by standing neutral because neutrality does not exist in societies which do not make their decisions on their own For a student living in a colony, politics becomes an act of worship Even if it is dirty then should we wait for a person from another part of the world to come and make it clean for us? No We need to understand that no third party will come and do it for us Baloch youth need to step in to make an impact for national interests and define Baloch student politics as it ought to be in the Baloch ground

The writer is a freelance columnist

The Washington Post is collapsing

SPECTATOR WORLD m a R K J u d g e

The Washington Post is collapsing Once one of America s great media institutions the paper lost $100 million last year and has shed 500,000 subscribers Recent reports reveal that Post owner Jeff Bezos is going to be more hands-on to try and save the paper Yet trying to get employees of the Post to do their jobs is like trying to get dogs to play baseball Dogs just aren t interested in baseball, and the breed of journalist now at the Post is just not interested in journalism Always a liberal paper the Post is now pure propaganda

Earlier this year veteran Post reporter Bob Woodward who of course became famous for his Watergate coverage blasted the media and the young reporters at his own paper for their falling for Russiagate,” the hoax that President Donald Trump was working with the Russians Woodward called the Steele dossier the basis for that story garbage and told the Columbia Journalism Review that the media had to walk down the painful road of introspection Woodward then said this:

To be honest, there was a lack of curiosity on the part of the people at the Post about what I had said why I said this and I accepted that and I didn’t force it on anyone ”

At the Post the problem is not as much a lack of curiosity as much as the desire to push a certain narrative This is where my personal experience with the paper comes in

On September 16, 2018, Washington Post writer Emma Brown reported that Christine Blasey Ford a psychologist in California accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault Kavanaugh had been nominated for the Supreme Court and was about to be voted out of committee Ford claimed that he had sexually assaulted her in high school in 1982 Ford also claimed that I was in the room where the assault allegedly took place and that I witnessed everything before jumping in and breaking it up As I wrote in my book, The Devil s Triangle, the entire thing was a set-up The Devil s Triangle is written by me, someone whose family has been Washingtonians for more than 100 years whose grandfather played for the Washington Nationals whose father worked at National Geographic a DC institution I was at the center of one of the most amazing political battles in the last half-century The Washington Post never reviewed my book or ever mentioned it That’s not a lack of curiosity That’s the kind of willful ignorance that loses a paper $500 million Ask yourself this: in identical circumstances say thirty years ago, with Bob Woodward more actively involved, would the Post have reviewed The Devil’s Triangle?

Of course they would have There is plenty on my book to interest any decent reporter with even the most basic skills and a working mind However, much of it is about the corruption of the media itself I reveal how Emma Brown emailed me on the morning of September 16 the day she broke the Ford story in the Washington Post Brown emailed me to ask about the allegation; however the information she asked me to respond to was different from what was published in her Washington Post article In her email to me, which was leaked to the media Brown referenced a girl named Leland Keyser who was allegedly at the party that Ford Brett and I also supposedly attended In the Washington Post piece published hours later, there was no mention of Leland Keyser At the Wall Street Journal, Kimberly Strassel noticed this She asked: why is there no mention of Leland Keyser in the official Post piece? Why didn t Post reporter Emma Brown mention Keyser who according to Ford was at the party in question?

On September 22 almost a week later the Post answered From Fox News: Ford, the Post acknowledged in an article by reporter Emma Brown on Saturday had told the paper more than a week ago about Keyser and said she did not think Keyser would remember the party because nothing remarkable had happened there, as far as Keyser was aware But the Post did not mention Keyser specifically or Ford’s preemptive dismissal of her memory in its original recounting of Ford’s allegations a bombshell story that has threatened to upend Kavanaugh s Supreme Court confirmation The story mentioned only that Ford named two other teenagers who she said were at the party and that “those individuals did not respond to messages on Sunday morning

As Strassel put it on Twitter: Wow Ford said Leland Keyser wouldn t remember the party and Brown just decided to believe her and not mention Keyser at all It s not hard to see why Keyser, it turns out, was a disaster for Ford’s credibility In 2019 Keyser revealed to Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly two reporters for the New York Times that she did not believe Ford s story Further Keyser said she felt threaded to change her story We spoke multiple times to Keyser, who also said that she didn’t recall that get-together or any others like it,” Pogrebin and Kelly reported “In fact, she challenged Ford’s accuracy ‘I don’t have any confidence in the story

So we have extortion opposition research and other terrible activity all detailed in a book written by someone who was at the center of it all and whose family has been in Washington almost as long as the Washington Post itself

If Bob Woodward believes ignoring this kind of stuff is just incuriosity he too needs to take a long walk down the road of introspection

The students of a nation are its future

NEW DELHI S ta f f r e p O r t

OPPOSITION parties in India

moved no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led Indian government today According to Kashmir Media Service, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted the motion moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi after more than 50 opposition MPs showed support to the motion by standing in their seats

Birla while admitting the motion said that he would discuss it with floor leaders, list it for debate and intimate the day and time of the debate to the House Under the r u l e s t h e S p e a k e r h a s t o l i s t t h e m o t i o n f o r d e b a t e a n d v o t i n g w i t h i n 1 0 d a y s o f admission

The Opposition parties continue to protest in the Parliament, demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Manipur

CORPORATE CORNER

Indian National Congress also called for a meeting of its Lok Sabha MPs in the party’s parliamentary office and issued a three-line whip for its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the Parliament today

Today it has been decided that we would not have any other alternative but to resort to a no-confidence motion because the government is not accepting the demand of the opposition to have an elaborate discussion with the Prime Minister on Manipur He should make a statement on the Manipur violence as he is our leader in the parliament Indian media quoted Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, the Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, as saying before the Parliament session commenced at 11 am Modi is a coward, afraid to face parliament on Manipur: Ramachandra Guha

Noted Indian historian and political commentator Ramachandra Guha has said that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a coward who is afraid to face parliament on the issue of violence in Manipur

PTCL implements robotic process automation for digital transformation of customer care operations

Ramachandra Guha in an interview with the noted Indian journalist Karan Thapar for The Wire, said as a Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is accountable to parliament and this pointed to the failure of the prime minister at a time of grave national crisis

H e s a i d W h a t s h a p p e n i n g i n M anipur and the government s failure to act, b o t h a t t h e s t a t e a n d c e n t r a l l e v e l , h a s damaged the Indian Republic and Indian democracy and the prospects of our country and its citizens ” Guha said Modi is being shielded by Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah adding that they want to protect him, placate him and flatter him and not expose him to debate He further maintained that in this regard “Om Birla and Jagdeep Dhankhar ’s p a r t i s a n c o n d u c t i s s h o c k i n g ” J a g d e e p D h a n k h a r i s C h a i r m a n o f R a j y a S a b h a ( U p p e r H o u s e o f P a r l i a m e n t ) a n d O m B i r l a i s S p e a k e r o f L o k S a b h a ( L o w e r House of Parliament) He pointed out that Modi lives in a bub-

ble of his own, hoping he can ride it out He said Modi would show “moral growth” and “redeem himself” and also provide “some sense of atonement” for his failure to contain the riots of 2002 when he was chief minister of Gujarat if now he would sack Biren Singh as chief minister of Manipur He termed Manipur a mixture of anar-

chy and civil war He spoke about how Manipur is different to earlier inter-communal conflicts in other states He also compared what is happening in Manipur today with what happened in Gujarat in 2002 He also analyses why Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh is still in office and provides three separate answers a

Nor th Korea gives Russian defence ministr y delegation ‘warm welcome’

SEOUL a f p

North Korea rolled out the red carpet for the Russian defence minister, state media said Wednesday with delegations from Moscow and Beijing set to attend Korean War anniversary events the country s first known foreign visitors since its pandemic border closure Pyongyang on Thursday will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the July 27, 1953 Korean War armistice which ended open hostilities and is marked as Victory Day in the North

“Flags of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation were fluttering at the flagstaffs and the guards of honor of the Korean People s Army (KPA) lined up at the station before the terminal, KCNA said Shoigu was greeted by North Korean Defence Minister Kang Sun Nam, and photos carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed hundreds of uniformed KPA soldiers lining the airport holding signs welcoming the Russians

Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine including Washington says supplying rockets and missiles Park Won-gon a professor at Ewha University in Seoul said the fact that Russia s defence minister flew to Pyongyang while his country is at war was “very significant”

“Even though the emergency quarantine system remains in place Kim Jong Un may have felt the need to show something to his people at the Victory Day celebrations Park told AFP

Hongzhong that was due to arrive in Pyongyang later Wednesday suggesting they would not be required to undergo an extensive quarantine ahead of the Thursday anniversary event North Korea has been under a rigid self-imposed coronavirus blockade since early 2020 to protect itself from Covid19 preventing even its own nationals from entering the country

The Russian national anthem blared throughout Pyongyang International Airport, which was wrapped up in a warm welcome atmosphere to greet Moscow s Sergei Shoigu and his delegation Tuesday evening the Korean Central News Agency said

The North Koreans expressed their full support for the Russian army and people, “who are struggling to defend the sovereign rights and development and interests of their country ” KCNA added Russia a historic ally of Pyongyang is one of a handful of nations that maintains friendly relations with the North North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been steadfast in his support for

For the Chinese and Russians, their presence could send a strong unified message” to the United States, he added Change in border policy?

The inclusion of foreign guests at this year s celebrations is a post-pandemic first and hints at new flexibility towards enforcing border controls China also said it would send a delegation led by Politburo member Li

The North only resumed some trade with China last year and allowed new Beijing envoy Wang Yajun to take up his position this year He is the first known diplomat to cross into North Korea since the border closure in January 2020

Russia’s ambassador to Pyongyang Alexander Matsegora is known to have remained in the North Korean capital throughout the pandemic, even as staff numbers at his embassy dwindled and other foreign missions closed their doors

Trilateral talks between China, Japan and South Korea set to resume

BEIJING

S ta f f C O r r e S p O n d e n t

China and Japan have agreed to resume high-level trilateral talks with South Korea at the end of this year, the first time in four years The trilateral talks if successfully convened could at least inject impetus to economic cooperation between Northeast Asia s three biggest economies and pave the way for regional stability, said Chinese observers Yet for the talks to yield concrete result, leaders from both Japan and South Korea are facing the ordeal of

excluding extraterritorial pressure, experts said Speaking at a regular press conference on Tuesday Japanese foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Tuesday said he and Wang Yi director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the agreement on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Indonesia earlier this month

It s highly meaningful for the leaders of China Japan and South Korea which share a big responsibility toward the region s peace and prosperity, to get

together to discuss cooperation and other issues, Hayashi was quoted by Reuters as saying The next trilateral summit will be chaired by South Korea which is aiming to hold it by the end of this year media reported The last trilateral summit meeting was held in December 2019 in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province Subsequently, strained relations between Japan and South Korea over issue of wartime labor and COVID19 forced a hiatus in the meetings

The resumption of trilateral talks between Northeast Asia s three biggest

economies will inject much needed impetus to global economic recovery and send a positive signal for regional stability and peace Lü Chao an expert on the Korean Peninsula issue at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times

During the past three years, tensions between Japan and South Korea thawed to please the US and to cooperate with Washington’s Asia-Pacific strategy to counter China Meanwhile bilateral relations between China and Japan and China and South Korea have soured due to Tokyo and Seoul s willingness to serve as US vassals in region

C hina vows to enhance strategic coordination with new Turkish government

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD S ta f f r e p O r t P a k i s t a n Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n C o m p a n y L i mi t e d ( P T C L ) t h e l e a d i n g I C T s e r v i c e s p r o v i d e r i n P a k i s t a n h a s a n n o u n c e d t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f R o b o t i c P r o c e s s A u t o m a t i o n ( R PA ) i n i t s C u s t o m e r C a r e o p e r a t i o n s a s a v i t a l p a r t o f i t s d i g i t a l t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s t r a t e g y T h e a i m i s t o i m p r o v e o v e r a l l c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e a c r o s s a l l t o u c h p o i n t s T h e i n i t i a t i v e w i l l h e l p P T C L f i r m l y a l i g n w i t h t h e h i g h e s t g l o b a l s t a n d a r d s i n d i g i t a l i z a t i o n a n d a u t o m a t i o n r e i n f o r c i n g i t s p o s i t i o n a s t h e i n d u s t r y l e a d e r C o m m e n ti n g o n t h e i n i t i a t i v e A h m a d K a m a l G r o u p C h i e f C u s t o m e r C a r e O ff i c e r a t P T C L & U f o n e 4 G , s t a t e d : We a r e d e l i g h t e d t o a nn o u n c e t h e i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f R o b o t i c P r o c e s s A u t o m a t i o n ( R PA ) , a s i g n i f i c a n t m i l e s t o n e i n o u r o n g o i n g e ff o r t s t o e n h a n c e t h e c u s t o m e r j o u r n e y T h i s c u t t i n g - e d g e t e c h n o l o g y e m p o we r s u s t o d e l i v e r t h e b e s t c u s t o m e r e x p e r i e n c e b y a u t o m a t i n g a w i d e r a n g e o f a c t i v i t i e s i nc l u d i n g d a t a t r a n s f e r s , c u s t o m e r p r o f i l e u pd a t e s , d a t a e n t r y, i n v e n t o r y m a n a g e m e n t , a n d e v e n c o m p l e x t a s k s , a l l w i t h a r e m a r k a b l e a cc u r a c y r a t e o f 1 0 0 % T h e l a t e s t i n i t i a t i v e p o s it i o n s u s t o e n h a n c e o u r c a p a c i t y a n d e ff i c i e n c y u l t i m a t e l y d e l i v e r i n g a n u n p a r a ll e l e d e x p e r i e n c e t o o u r c u s t o m e r s T h e i m p l em e n t a t i o n o f R PA i s a c l e a r t e s t a m e n t t o P T C L ' s u n w a v e r i n g c o m m i t m e n t t o m a k e d i g it a l i n n o v a t i o n s a n d c o n t r i b u t i n g t o D i g i t a l P a k i s t a n b y d e l i v e r i n g a n u n p a r a l l e l e d u s e r e xp e r i e n c e t o i t s v a l u e d c u s t o m e r s LAHORE

m i a n a b r a r China is ready to work with the Turkish new government to enhance strategic mutual trust and coordination a senior Chinese diplomat said on Wednesday

Wang Yi director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara Türkiye He arrived in the capital for a one-day visit

Wang said China and Türkiye are both representatives of emerging market countries, having broad common interests and great potential for cooperation China supports Türkiye to take a path of development in line with its own national conditions and play a more important role in the regional and international arena, and opposes

any forces interfering in its internal affairs Wang said China is willing to work with Türkiye to deepen cooperation in various fields and firmly support each other in safeguarding core interests, national security and stability, and achieve more fruitful results in China-Türkiye strategic cooperative relations Wang noted

He urged the two sides to make good use of bilateral cooperation

Pakistan’s largest and exclusive two-day exhibition of dyes chemicals & allied industry 8th Colour & Chemical Expo will be held on August 19-20 2023 at Lahore International Expo Centre This year s theme is Transforming Challenges into Opportunities Exhibition is being organized by the Event and Conference International Pvt Ltd and Rainbow Group in collaboration with Asia Dyestuff Industry Federation China Dyestuff Industry Association (CDIA) and BLGE Expo Shanghai Co Ltd are the international partners The event is supported by the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) and Punjab Dyes & Chemicals Merchants Association (PDCMA)

In a statement Convenor & Exhibition Head Abdul

mechanisms promoting the in-depth synergy between China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Türkiye s Middle Corridor initiative, and cooperation in energy, education and culture China is ready to import more competitive Turkish products, support companies of the two countries to settle their trade in their own currencies and encourage more Chinese companies to invest in Türkiye he added

Rahim Chughtai told that the event is also incorporating digital printing textile printing & screen printing equipment and machinery exhibition as well as a concurrent event

He told that this year more than 200 local and foreign companies from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam Germany Turkey UAE and UK are also participating in this two-day expo Rashid Ul Haque Director Exhibition said that expo 2023 will bring together serious buyers and sellers from different sectors including purchase departments of processing industry, textile industry leaders who are keen to invest in the textile, screen, digital and sublimation printing technology textile garment manufacturing and exporters units operation production industrial managers manufacturers importers and trading companies of dyes & chemicals retail & marketing specialists chemical engineers, associations, government officials, export houses, purchase departments, agencies, general public and academia, students

8th Colour & C hem Expo to be held on August 19-20

CORPORATE CORNER

KARACHI: Mr Yang Yundong Consul General of Peoples Republic of China visited Quaid-e-Azam House Museum Photo shows members of the board of Karachi Council of Foreign Relations (KCFR) and Chairman Board of Management Quaid-e-Azam House Museum with chief guest

PM visits bell of hope

KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t

Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori received Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on arrival on a day visit to Karachi Governor

Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori accompanied him to Governor House where Prime Minister stopped at gate no 1 to witness Bell of Hope installed by Governor Sindh to resolve emergency problems of masses from 12 midnight to 8 am Governor Sindh informed Prime Minister about its functioning,distribution of Ration under Taqatwar Pakistan programme and IT courses Prime Minister lauded his various public welfare measures under Governor’s initiative

Farewell dinner held at FBR headquar ters in honor of outgoing chairman

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

The Federal Board of Revenue Headquarters hosted a farewell dinner in the honor of outgoing Chairman FBR Mr Asim Ahmad The event was also attended by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue Mr Tariq Mahmood Pasha

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance

Mr Tariq Bajwa, Chairman Reforms and Resource Mobilization Commission Mr Ashfaq Yousaf

Tola, former Finance Secretary Mr Waqar Masood and senior serving and retired officers of FBR A number of batch mates of the outgoing Chairman FBR were also present on the occasion Mr Tariq

Pasha praised Chairman FBR s many sterling qualities and recalled the pleasant memories he shared with him Mr Tariq Bajwa outlined the critical importance of FBR for the country and acknowledged the contribution of Chairman FBR towards making the organisation more dynamic and impactful despite the innumerable challenges being faced by the country

FFC announces half yearly financial results 2023

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC) has announced its half yearly financial results for the period ended June 30, 2023 in its Board of Directors meeting By the Grace of Allah SWT, the Company has posted highest ever six monthly profitability of Rs 13 08 billion compared to Rs 9 60 billion last year despite the high level of inflation devaluation of current and imposition of additional super tax Earning per share stood at Rs 10 28 The profitability in dollar terms however declined by 8% to USD 48 million compared to USD 52 million last year The increased profitability is attributable to significant cost optimization measures and operational efficiency enhancement initiatives implemented by the management The Company produced 1 278 thousand tonnes in line with

Lucky cement receives KCCI expor t trophy

PA K I S TA N I S A B A N D O N H O P E S O F R E A C H I N G E U R O P E A F T E R B O AT T R A G E D I E S

KARACHI a f p

AFTER spending weeks in Libya trying to reach Europe illegally, Muhammad Naeem Butt turned back abandoning a journey that has already cost hundreds of Pakistani lives this summer Shovelling sand onto a truck surrounded by Kashmir valley he says he ended his treacherous bid for a better life when an overloaded fishing trawler sank off the coast of Greece last month

Up to 350 Pakistanis were believed to be among the 600 who drowned, including 24 from Butt’s hometown of Khuiratta in the lush Kashmir valley

Looking back I realise that the risk

I took was not worth it Butt told AFP

Butt is one of several men from Khuiratta who told AFP the disaster prompted them to give up on the journey after reaching Libya

“Life is defined by the quality time y o u s p e n d w i t h y o u r c h i l d r e n a n d

spouse, not the amount of money you possess, he said

Tens of thousands of young men have handed over family fortunes to agents who smuggle them to Europe from where remittances even more valuable since Pakistan s economy slumped into crisis last year can be wired home

Butt sought help from friends and family, and his wife sold her precious wedding jewellery to scrape up the Rs2 2 million (around $7 500) he needed to pay the human traffickers organising the trips

The first legs of his journey were uneventful commercial flights to Dubai and Egypt, then overland to Libya, where his ordeal really started

He spent two months in a makeshift shanty camp with 600 other migrants waiting for the day they would be put on a cargo ship to make the journey across the Mediterranean THE ANGUISH OF FAMILIES

I n s t e a d , t h e y w e r e c r o w d e d o n t o a r i c k e t y f i s h i n g b o a t a n d s p e n t e i g h t

d a y s f l o u n d e r i n g i n i n t e r n a t i o n a l w at e r s , w h e r e t h e y w e r e f i r s t f i r e d o n , t h e n r a m m e d , b y a L i b y a n n a v a l v e ss e l B u t t s a i d

They only stayed afloat because the navy ship abandoned them when a storm struck he added but it returned days later to tow them back to port, where they were thrown in jail

“They gave us the minimal amount of food to keep us alive a plate of macaroni or boiled rice would be shared among five people Butt said

They were brutal people

While he was in jail news reached his hometown of the migrant boat sinking off Greece, causing heartbreak and distress “I can’t explain the pain and anguish I went through for a week ” Butt’s wife Mehwish Matloob told AFP

I felt as though my entire world had crumbled before me the 31-year-old said, clutching a shawl Butt finally got out of jail and was able to contact his family to tell them he was alive His mother, 76-year-old Razia

HBL’s H1’23 profit rises by 50% to Rs 51.5b

KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t

HBL today declared a consolidated profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 51 5 billion, nearly 50% higher than the PBT for H1’22 The PBT of Rs 30 billion for the second quarter of 2023 was the highest in the Bank’s history based on superb performance of its core business lines Along with the results the Bank declared an interim dividend of Rs 2 00 per share (20%) taking the total payout for H1 23 to Rs 3 50 per share This excellent performance was driven by its market-leading domestic franchise which grew profits by 63%; the international business is now delivering sustainable and improved operating performance making a positive contribution to the Bank’s bottom line Despite excessive and unfair taxation introduced in the Federal Budget the Bank s profit after tax doubled to Rs 26 3 billion over the corresponding period last year which was also marred by excessive and retrospective tax measures Earnings per share for the half year were Rs 17 86 compared to Rs 8 10 for H1’22

HBL’s balance sheet grew by 7% over December 2022 to Rs 4 9 trillion driven by a Rs 224 billion growth in deposits Domestic deposits crossed the Rs 3 trillion mark with low-cost deposits increasing by

Rs 162 billion Average domestic deposits increased by more than Rs 300 billion; 90% of this growth was from cheaper deposits enabling the Bank to keep its funding cost at manageable levels Advances declined as private sector demand reduced in light of the record-high borrowing costs Most of this decline was in lending to corporates; agriculture and consumer lending held steady even in the face of macroeconomic headwinds while microfinance loans increased by 7% In the rising interest rate environment, net interest margins widened by 192 bps and, combined with a Rs 460 billion growth in the average domestic balance sheet, resulted in a 53% increase in net interest income

Emirates welcomes Air Canada to terminal 3 at Dubai Int’l Airpor t

DUBAI

Air Canada and Emirates today announced a customer service milestone in the two airlines strategic partnership with the move of Air Canada’s operations to Dubai International’s (DXB) flagship Terminal 3 as of July 26th The co-location of operations in one of the world s premier terminals will significantly improve the connecting experience for customers and underscores the benefits of the partnership between the two airlines launched in November 2022

Customers transiting in Dubai between the Americas on Air Canada and the Middle East, Indian subcontinent Southeast Asia and Africa on Emirates will enjoy a seamless and expedited experience with the convenience of remaining in the same terminal Adnan Kazim Emirates Chief Commercial Officer, said: We are delighted to welcome Air Canada to Emirates Terminal 3 in Dubai, which marks another

step forward in our strategic partnership to deliver even more value to travellers Co-locating at T3 means Air Canada customers can enjoy a smooth connection experience when transiting in Dubai onto Emirates global network and those eligible can enjoy access to Emirates signature Business Class Lounges and other hub facilities in Dubai prior to their flight Working closely with Air Canada, we hope to further enhance travel experiences and offer even more convenient connectivity for travellers " Air Canada s new home at Dubai International Terminal 3 is an important milestone which underscores the significance of our strategic partnership with Emirates and the importance of our flights between the UAE and Canada We extend our sincere appreciation to both Emirates and Dubai Airports for their partnership in facilitating this move which will greatly benefit our mutual customers " said Mark Galardo Executive Vice President Network & Revenue Planning at Air Canada

PM&DC holds first meeting of ac ademic board

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

PM&DC held its first National Medical & Dental Academic Board meeting on July 26 2023 at its head office

The 21-member National Medical and Dental Academic Board (NMDAB) was notified by the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) on July 14, 2023 to oversee the policy to maintain quality of education in undergraduate and post-graduate medical and dental institutions across Pakistan

The Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) being the sole healthcare education regulator in Pakistan aiming to improve healthcare delivery and education standards sets excellence standards and implements them in all medical and dental institutes for

undergraduate and postgraduate education

The Board primarily functions are to frame Medical & Dental undergraduate Accreditation standards, including curriculum, standards of medical Education / CME / CPD, academic standards of foreign institutions and examination standards including the MDCAT National Registration

Latif, says she now regrets the danger he endured “We thought that others were making it to Europe so why not send him ” she said “We would have preferred begging had we known it was that difficult ‘GREED’ AND RISK

The International Organisation for Migration has declared the Mediterranean passage the world’s most perilous migration route Around 1 728 migrants have gone missing there this year alone surpassing the 1 417 disappearances recorded in 2022 But families that do get one or more of their young men abroad can prosper from the money sent back The noticeable disparity between families with relatives in Europe and those without is causing envy said Zafar Iqbal Ghazi of Kashmir s Human Rights Forum group If someone has a single-storey home, right next to it you will find a three-storey home, and bigger mansions, and so on,” he said

Sindh Governor calls on Prime Minister

KARACHI s ta f f r e p o r t

Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at Governor House Developments projects in the province, steps of Federal Government in this regard early completion of K-IV project revival of infrastructure of Karachi and other matters of mutual interests were discussed in detail on the occasion Governor Sindh informed Prime Minister about various public welfare projects under Governor s initiative including Bell of Hope, Ration distribution and IT courses for youth He asked Prime Minister to resolve problems of business community of Karachi as it would not only help in increase of industrial production but would also enhance exports Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah Convener MQM Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Federal Minister Khurram Dastagir Khan were also present on the occasion

Naval Chief chairs command & staff conference at naval headquar ters Islamabad

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Command & Staff Conference of Pakistan Navy concluded at Naval Headquarters Islamabad The Conference was chaired by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi During the conference participants assessed evolving maritime situation in the region and discussed a range of topics related to national security, geostrategic affairs, combat readiness and discussed various service polices Readiness for disaster relief operations amid potential flood alerts during ongoing monsoon season in the country was also reviewed The Naval Chief emphasized on maintaining perpetual combat readiness to effectively thwart any aggression against Pakistan He also directed all naval commands to be fully ready for humanitarian assistance during the ongoing monsoon season The Naval Chief lauded the initiatives undertaken towards capability development through acquisition of emerging technologies The Admiral expressed full confidence over high state of operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy to meet challenges while safeguarding the maritime frontiers of Pakistan

Friendship between Pakistan and Turkiye is everlasting:

Turkish Ambassador

ISLAMABAD s ta f f r e p o r t

All necessary measures have been taken for uninterrupted power supply and timely restoration in case of power failure on 9th and 10th of Muharram During a meeting chaired

ISLAMABAD

s ta f f r e p o r t

"Pakistan and Turkiye have always helped each other in every difficult time be it earthquakes natural disasters or floods the governments and people of both countries actively helped each other The friendship between both countries is everlasting said Ambassador of Turkiye to Pakistan, H E Prof Dr Mehmet Pacaci, while addressing the closing/certificate distribution ceremony of the two-week summer camp organized by Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) in collaboration with Yunus Emre Institute Turkiye Dr Mehmet Pacaci thanked the Vice Chancellor AIOU Prof Dr Nasir Mahmood for organizing this summer camp for Pakistani children to learn the Turkish language The Ambassador also interacted with the children in the Turkish language

Uninterrupted power supply will be ensured on 9, 10 Muharram

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n

Soorani explains, “In the ongoing highinterest rate scenario banks have been able to limit the increase in their deposit cost by consistently expanding the mix of zero-cost deposits over time On the other hand repricing on the sector s loan book continues as interest rates continue to increase every quarter Interest rates in Pakistan have been consistently increasing in the backdrop of economic uncertainties and rising inflation In late June the State Bank of Pakistan suddenly increased the policy rate to an all-time high of 22% in a last-minute attempt to secure a deal with the International Monetary

P u b l i c a

o n

r

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o f the deposits in the banking ecosystem are l o w t o z e r o - c o s t d e p o s i t s T h i s m e a n s t h a t m o s t o f t h e d e p o s i t a c c o u n t s a r e e ith e r c u r r e n t a c c o u n ts o r s a v i n g a c c o u n t s No interest is paid on current account deposits which accounts for major chunk of t h e d e p o s i t s m o r e t h a n 4 0 % T h e s e a r e z e r o - c o s t d e p o s i t s I n t h e o n g o i n g h i g hi n t e r e s t r a t e e n v i r o n m e n t z e r o - c o s t d ep o s i t s h o l d s i g n i f i c a n t v a l u e f o r b a n k s T h e s e d e p o s i t s s e r v e a s t h e h o l y g r a i l f o r b a n k s a s t h e y c a n u t i l i z e t h e m f o r l e n di n g p u r p o s e s o r i n v e s t t h e m i n g o v e r nm e n t s e c u r i t i e s B o t h o f t h e s e o p t i o n s g e n e r a t e i n t e r e s t i n c o m e f o r t h e b a n k s B a n k s h a v e b e e n t r y i n g t o a t t r a c t c u r r e n t a c c o u n t d e p o s i t s

g ov t p l a n s to a c h i eve 3 . 5 % g row t h i n F Y 2 4

ISLAMABAD S ta f f R e p o R t

The federal government has planned to achieve 3 5% growth in FY24

It plans to do so through various measures like the Kissan package, industrial support, export promotion, encouragement of the IT sector and resource mobilization According to the monthly Economic Report July 2023 published by the finance ministry a challenging year FY23 has ended

During the year, the government was able to marginally ensure the sustainability of the external and fiscal sectors through various tough decisions and stabilization measures Now in FY24 the government is gearing towards achieving a higher growth of 3 5% through various measures To achieve higher and sustainable economic growth, prudent and effective economic decisions, political and economic certainty, and continuation of friendly economic policies along with enough foreign exchange financing

will be required by Pakistan

The recent IMF approval of the Stand- by Arrangement and other bilateral and multilateral inflows will pave the way to further improve the macroeconomic environment and the confidence of economic agents

The report states that FY23 was a challenging fiscal year however it has witnessed noteworthy fiscal and current account balance improvements

The fiscal front also saw an important improvement, with the primary deficit reducing significantly from Rs 945 3 billion in FY22 to Rs 112 billion during Jul-May FY2023 Furthermore the fiscal deficit is also expected to decline from the previous year s 7 9% of GDP largely due to a 12% reduction in non-markup spending In order to contain persistently rising inflationary pressures and to maintain external sector stability, SBP also had

SC rejects Imran’s plea for halting trial in Toshakhana case

The Supreme Court has dismissed former prime minister Imran Khan s request that his trial on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts be halted on concerns over the merits of the trial and that the judge hearing it was biased The trial court case relates to an inquiry conducted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) which found Khan guilty of unlawfully selling state gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2019 to 2022 The court decided to dispose of Khan s appeal against an Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision and asked it to consider his appeal and other applications together The Supreme Court ruled that interfering with the proceedings of the trial court would not be appropriate Khan s appeal challenges the high court s declaration of maintainability of the case Amjad Pervaiz the election commission s lawyer, said the high court had remanded the case back to the trial court, which then conducted a retrial and deemed the case maintainable The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman’s re-appeal in the high court is scheduled for hearing tomorrow as informed by the lawyer to the Supreme Court Earlier the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the ECP regarding Khan s appeal The hearing was conducted by a division bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Yahya Afridi Khan s lawyer, Khawaja Haris, expressed their request to transfer the case to another judge and challenged the court’s jurisdiction Justice Afridi remarked that the matter of jurisdiction should have been decided first and the court will request the high court to decide all applications together During the hearing the trial court called for Imran Khan s statement under Section 342 The defense requested a stay of trial for that day and the case to be referred to the Islamabad High Court Justice Musarrat Hilali stated that they cannot issue directions to the trial court in this regard The court expressed anger over the commotion outside the courtroom before the hearing began

to increase the policy rate by 100 basis points to 22 % in its last monetary policy committee meeting

The current account deficit has also declined by 85 4% The current account has posted a deficit of $2 6 billion for FY23 a huge reduction from the previous year ’s deficit of $17 5 billion A lot of this has been attributed to the SBP s and the government s hawk eyed management of the import LCs The current account improvement also resulted in a surplus of $334 million in June 2023

The economic situation of Pakistan’s major trading partners also showed through CLI of which China UK and US showed increasing growth momentum in the month of June as compared to May, however the euro area as a whole witnessed growth below its potential level Despite a substantial decline in imports, Large Scale Manufacturing

The federal cabinet on Wednesday reviewed overall political and economic situation of the country and discussed a 12-point agenda

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the federal cabinet meeting in which Finance Minister Ishaq Dar briefed the cabinet about the economic condition of Pakistan

The cabinet also discussed the 12-point agenda and granted approval to amend laws relating to the Board of Investment (BoI) and approved the merger of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) with the BoI The 12-point agenda included the reorganization of accountability courts, hemp policy, and SNGPL board However the cabinet did not approve the hemp policy and approved the draft of the amendment bill of the Investment Board Ordinance 2001 for promotion of foreign investment in Pakistan

The amendment will empower the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and evolve mechanisms for working relationship with various ministries and provincial governments besides raising its basic structure and formulating nature of work

Once it will become law the Special Investment Facilitation Council will ensure speedy implementation of foreign investment projects in the country The Cabinet, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Narcotics Control, constituted a ministerial committee under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad

Asif to finalize the National Cannabis Policy

E-Safety Personal Data Protection Bills 2023

The federal cabinet also approved the E-Safety Bill 2023 (E-Safety Bill 2023) on the recommendation of the

(LSM), and the overall slowdown in economic activity, the government’s effective resource mobilization strategy remained effective in maintaining FBR tax collection growth at 16 6 % while non-tax revenue also grew by 31 %

On the expenditure side mounting interest expenditure remained a significant burden on fiscal accounts

The government is taking various measures for FY24 for domestic resource mobilization

The government has unveiled a comprehensive strategy for every sector of the economy in an effort to revive economic growth and move towards a higher inclusive and sustainable growth trajectory

It is expected that the SBP’s withdrawal of restrictions on imports will also create demand for imports

All these measures are expected to be supportive in improving the revenues

On the expenditure side, various austerity measures are also in place that are expected to be helpful in reducing non-productive expenditures

Ministry of Information Technology (IT) to protect user data and prevent

illegal use of information systems

Under this law, a comprehensive framework will be established to ensure the protection and unauthorized use of user data on all types of online services online shopping data provided to various companies and social networking websites in Pakistan After the approval of the bill, heinous crimes like online harassment, cyberbullying, and blackmail will be effectively prevented

The federal cabinet also approved in principle the Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 on the recommendation of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication Under this bill the government will ensure the security of the user s personal information/data of various organizations and companies and prohibit sharing of the user s information/data with any company, individual, or government organization without their permission

Saving accounts account for more than 30% of the total deposits in the banking ecosystem Interest is paid on these deposits According to an investment banker the rate of interest paid on the savings account is subjective to the amount itself If an individual has deposited a very large amount, then the individual can negotiate a higher interest rate In the current environment where the SBP policy rate is 22% the interest rate can range between 13%14% and can go up to 21% depending on the amount As stated earlier, banks use these funds from deposits for lending purposes, which helps them earn an interest-based income Banks adjust the interest rates they charge on their existing loans to keep up with the changing policy rate This has resulted in an increase in the average banking spread

Swedish FM says gov t working to ensure disrespect of Holy Quran not repeated

ANADOLU AGENCY

Sweden’s foreign minister has said that his government was trying to change the law to prevent future attacks on the Holy Quran describing them as despicable Tobias Billstrom spoke by phone with his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Attaf according to Algeria s Ministry of Foreign Affairs During their conversation, Billstrom pointed to constitutional restrictions that limit the ability of his government to prevent such behaviour while expressing deep regret over such actions “We are working to ensure that the disrespect towards the Quran is not repeated he said Billstrom also briefed Attaf on an initiative taken by the Swedish Ministry of Justice to evaluate the possibility of adopting a law on maintaining public order to address such unacceptable behaviour Last week, Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi refugee living in Sweden desecrated the Holy Quran just weeks after setting fire to pages of the holy book outside a Stockholm mosque In January Rasmus Paludan a far-right Danish leader burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm The incident sparked outrage and condemnation across the Islamic world Following these incidents, anti-Sweden protests took place in several cities in Lebanon Sweden’s ambassador to the country Ann Dismorr reportedly left the country for a planned vacation

Iranian FM to visit Pakistan next week

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S ta f f R e p o R t

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will arrive in Pakistan on a two-day official visit next week sources informed on Wednesday Sources informed that the Iranian foreign minister is expected to arrive in Pakistan on two-day visit on August 03 Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian will hold meetings with Pakistani officials during his stay Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto and Dr Amir-Abdollahian will hold formal talks during the Iranian foreign minister ’s visit sources said Both will address a joint press conference at the Foreign Office after negotiations

Sherry unveils country’s first-ever National Adaptation Plan

ISLAMABAD

S ta f f R e p o R t

Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Sherry Rehman Wednesday unveiled the country’s first-ever National Adaptation Plan unanimously approved by the federal Cabinet to enhance nation s resilience against adverse impacts of climate change and environmental degradation

The minister flanked by Additional Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, Syed Mujtaba Hussain briefed the media persons over the landmark achievement that remained unaccomplished due to poor interest of the previous regime She said the country needed adaptation and re-

silience as after 2022 floods the devastation and scale of the disaster underscored its significance for the future of the nation The minister alleged said the adaptation plan had reportedly started in 2019 but she did not find any record of the document in the ministry The team under the leadership of Additional Secretary Mujtaba Hussain worked extensively to create first ever adaptation plan which was a home grown plan and had been prepared with the input of the line ministries and provincial ministries she added

The minister informed that detailed consultations with all the provinces including the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) in the process of preparing the National Adaptation Plan as the ownership of the plan was important She noted that it was

2 092 while a commercial cylinder costs Rs 8 049 according to the prices determined by the regulator LPG Industry Association Chairman Khokhar showed serious concern over what he termed the “artificial” rise in prices and announced that a strike would be observed on August 5 and 6 He accused gas dealers of exploiting consumers by charging higher prices Khokhar also called for taking action against black marketers who were pocketing millions of rupees from helpless consumers

the job of the ministry to prepare projects policy and planning in the ambit of climate change and environment However she said Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had already made their National Adaptation Plan in the region whereas some 40 countries all over the world had submitted their plans to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

The minister said the plan was an important document that would be submitted to the UNFCCC On growing impacts of global warming on the region she said climate stress was becoming like an emergency owing to the multiplying impacts of climate change

L p g d e a l e r s h i ke p r i c e by R s 1 0 p e r kg w i t h o u t o g R a n o t i fi c at i o n

‘ Whole of govt polic y ’ being implemented to promote Fdi in countr y: pM

g High-interest rate environment coupled with low-cost deposits and loan book repricing led to an increase in banking spread

g Economic Report July 2023 paints an optimistic picture of year ahead