E-PAPER 3 MARCH 2020 (KHI)

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Tuesday, 3 March, 2020 I 07 Rajab, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 244 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition

Taliban resume operaTions againsT afghan forces as parTial Truce ends SPoKeSMAN SAyS GRoUP WIll NoT TAKe PART IN INTRA-AFGhAN TAlKS UNTIl ReleASe oF 5,000 PRISoNeRS

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Inflation slows to 12.40pc, says statistics bureau STORY ON BACK PAGE

Imran launches scholarship programme for youth Govt to assist people who earn less than Rs25,000 in buying rations File photo

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KABUL

days after a historic peace deal was signed between the United States and the Taliban, the latter announced on Monday its partial truce with the Afghan government had ended, telling its fighters to resume operations against the Afghan security forces.

A loud blast signalled the end of the partial truce. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack that took place at a football ground in Khost in eastern Afghanistan, where three brothers were killed, officials told AFP. The blast occurred at around the same time the Taliban ordered fighters to start up attacks against Afghan army and police forces, bringing to an apparent end the “reduction in violence” period that had seen a dramatic drop in bloodshed.

The partial truce between the US, the Taliban and Afghan security forces lasted for the week running up to the signing of an accord between the US and the insurgents in Doha on Saturday, and was ex-

tended over the weekend.

“The reduction in violence… has ended now and our operations will continue as normal,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP. “As per the (US-Taliban) agreement, our mujahideen will not attack foreign forces but our operations will continue against the Kabul administration forces.”

The Taliban´s military commission circulated an order telling fighters to resume operations, according to a document provided to AFP by an insurgent source.

Mujahid added that Taliban will not take part in intra-Afghan talks until about 5,000 of their prisoners are released, presenting a major possible barrier to ending the war.

Under an accord between the United States and the Taliban signed on Saturday, the two sides are committed to working towards the release of combat and political prisoners as a confidence-building measure.

The agreement calls for up to 5,000 jailed Taliban prisoners to be released in exchange for up to 1,000 Afghan government captives

by March 10.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, not in-

volved in the talks, has since rejected that demand.

“We are fully ready for the intra-Afghan talks, but we are waiting for the release of our 5,000 prisoners,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by phone.

“If our 5,000 prisoners — 100 or 200 more or less does not matter — do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks.”

STORIES ON PAGE 02

NAB nominates Nawaz, Zardari, Gilani in new fake accounts reference

CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

No need to involve US to resolve bilateral issues, Pakistan tells Afghanistan STORY ON PAGE 02

STORY ON PAGE 03

Global virus death toll tops 3,000 as second man dies in US

Exports register 13.6pc growth in February: Razak Dawood

Saudi Arabia announces first case of coronavirus

Pakistan’s economy moving towards growth, says finance adviser STORY ON PAGE 11 & 12

STORIES ON BACK PAGE

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Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

NEWS

Govt to ASSiSt PeoPle who eArN leSS thAN rS25,000 iN bUyiNG rAtioNS ISLAMABAD

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HE federal government decided on Monday to help people who earn less than Rs25,000 a month in buying food rations. In a meeting of the federal cabinet chaired

by Prime Minister Imran Khan, it was decided that the government will help people earning less than Rs25,000 a month by buying wheat, sugar, pulses and other food rations.

The prime minister was provided a briefing on all the government’s departments. He directed the government to allocate an amount exclusively for helping people buy rations in the next budget.

The proposal was scant on details as to how the government will assist people in buying food rations. During the meeting, the prime minister reportedly said that the incumbent government will support those who were struggling to make ends meet.

He said that the setting up of Panah Gahs and soup kitchens was evidence of the government’s resolve to help the poor and destitute. PM Imran appreciated the

private sector and individuals who had partnered with the government to provide relief to the poor.

Taking to Twitter, the prime minister praised the cabinet’s decisions, crediting

them with reducing inflation in February as compared to January.

“Good to see Cabinet decisions to reduce inflation, incl subsidy on products through Utility Stores, starting to bear fruit.

No need to involve US to resolve bilateral issues, Pakistan tells Afghanistan ISLAMABAD: Any reservations Afghanistan has with Islamabad should be resolved bilaterally rather than involving the United States, Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday, in reference to part of a joint US-Afghan declaration on peace efforts.

The declaration was announced on Saturday by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, US Defence Secretary Mark Esper and NATO SecretaryGeneral Jens Stoltenberg at a ceremony to coincide with the signing in Doha of an agreement between the Taliban and the United States. “The United States commits to facilitate discussions between Afghanistan and Pakistan to work out arrangements to ensure neither country’s security is threatened by actions from the territory of the other side,” one of the clauses of the declaration reads. “They should talk directly to Pakistan. The US is planning to withdraw and we will always remain neighbors,” Qureshi told Reuters in an interview, referring to Washington’s intent to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. “If I have an issue with Afghanistan, I will not ask Washington to play a role.” Pakistan and Afghanistan have been at loggerheads for years. Kabul publicly blames Pakistan for “harboring Taliban leaders” after they were ousted from power Afghanistan in 2001 and allowing “safe havens” for attacks against international and Afghan forces. STAFF REPORT

Inflation rate for Feb shows decline by more than 2% versus Jan. We will continue pursuing measures to bring down inflation & reduce burden on citizens,” he tweeted.

The government has been under fire from critics and even some members of the PTI as well for failing to control the sugar and wheat crisis.

Inflation in Pakistan during January 2020 was the highest recorded since December 2010, according to a research by the United Kingdom-based financial forecasting and advisory group Economist Intelligence Unit.

The research further indicated that the rise in the prices of everyday items during the first month of 2020 was higher than expected, and led to a rise in inflation across Pakistan, breaking a decade-old record in the process.

Prices of sugar and wheat skyrocketed in January after supply problems came to the fore. A report sent to the prime minister had revealed that senior politicians and officials had created the artificial crisis.

PM Imran has, on numerous occasions, promised that those involved in the wheat and sugar crisis will be strictly punished.

Imran launches scholarship programme for youth PM SAYS GOVT COMMITTED TO EMPOWERING AND UPLIFTING COUNTRY’S YOUTH THROUGH 200,000 SCHOLARSHIPS ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that Pakistani youth are the country’s asset and the government is committed to empowering and uplifting them.

The premier expressed these views during the launch ceremony of the Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme. PM Imran also handed scholarship letters to a select few students during the ceremony. The scholarships will provide a total of over 200,000 scholarships to students in the country over four years.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the programme is a historic shift in the government’s scholarship policy as in the past, they were handed out to those stu-

dents who were pursuing higher studies. Half of the programme’s beneficiaries are girls hailing from low income groups while 2 per cent of the scholarships have been reserved for students with special needs. Addressing the ceremony, the premier began his speech by saying that a humane society is one which looks after the interests of the underprivileged.

“How can you identify a civilised society? The identity of a civilised society is not determined by how the rich live, it is determined by how the poor live. This is what draws a distinction between a humane society and one that is animalistic.” Citing the example of Holy Prophet (PBUH), the premier said: “This is what happened in Madina. The state took responsibility for the poor, even though it was

weak. They had no means, and no money but they had ehsaas.

“They understood the importance of empowering the poor,” Imran said. Further, the state of Madina also understood the importance of education, he said. “When the Battle of Badr took place, according to the customs at the time, war prisoners would be released for ransom. But the state decided that the prisoners would be released if they taught at least 10 people how to read and write. “You have to understand how forward thinking this approach was.

This was the reason that for the next few centuries, the world’s top scientists were Muslims,” he said. This scholarship programme is following that roadmap, he added. “A small portion of our society […] receives proper education, and has access to facilities.

Meanwhile, there is a separate education system for the common man which does not allow them to move forward in life.” The premier maintained that going forward, empowering all segments of society would be the priority.

IHC issues notice to govt, Punjab CM, top PTI leaders over wheat crisis ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to the federal government, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, Federal Minister of National Food Security and Research Khusro Bakhtiar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Jahangir Tareen in a petition seeking a judicial probe into the recent wheat crisis.

Justice Amir Farooq, presiding over the singlemember bench, heard the petition seeking a judicial commission to identify those responsible for the wheat crisis, determine the loss to the national exchequer alongside the profit made by the exporters and importers. The petition states that the federal government allowed excessive wheat export in summer despite lowers than targeted harvest.

The petitioner further said the smuggling of wheat

Unloading of 68,000 tonnes of soybean starts at Port Qasim NEWS DESK The unloading of soybean from the ‘Hercules’ cargo ship started at Port Qasim on Monday, officials confirmed, after being delayed twice after aeroallergens from soybean dust reportedly caused more than a dozen deaths in the metropolis, according to a media report.

The ship — which was moved from Keamari to the deep-sea port after 14 people inhaled aeroallergen from

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through “unfrequented routes” to Afghanistan picked up during a two-month ban imposed by the PTI government while it was negotiating with exporters over semolina, refined flour and fine atta produce.

He further stated that Prime Minister Imran Khan had tasked Tareen to oversee the wheat export and maintained that Tareen’s role in policymaking of the food and agriculture sector was vital despite the Supreme Court disqualifying him for life from holding a public office. He prayed to the high court to direct the “recovery of the profits earned and losses borne in this dirty game from the persons involved and to subsidize the wheat flour by the amount so recovered”.

He also asked the bench to ensure the federal government deals with those responsible “in accordance with law”. The bench issued also issued a notice to the Flour Mills Association and Director-General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). soybean dust and died last month — was carrying 68,000 tonnes’ worth of the grain, officials at the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) said, adding that the process had already been postponed twice.

The ‘Hercules’ cargo ship had arrived from the United States after clearing security checks, the officials said, adding that the process was permitted to go ahead and commenced earlier today after all necessary tests were carried out. Last month, the Sindh health department had confirmed that the death toll from the airborne soybean dust here in the city’s Keamari locality rose to 14 and that more than 300 people were affected.

The department’s spokesperson had said the 300 people who fell sick included women and children as well.

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

NAB NoMINAteS NAwAZ, ZARdARI, GIlANI IN New FAKe ACCouNtS ReFeReNCe EX-PM GILANI IS ACCUSED OF ALLOWING RETENTION OF VEHICLES GIFTED TO ZARDARI AND NAWAZ BY DIFFERENT FOREIGN STATES AND DIGNITARIES ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday filed a new reference against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Ali Zardari, and former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the fake accounts case. The reference has been filed at an accountability court in the federal capital.

The reference also named Omni Group CEO Khawaja Anwar Majid and his son

Khawaja Abdul Ghani Majid. According to the reference, Gilani, in order to extend illegal benefit to accused [Zardari and Nawaz], allowed the retention of vehicles gifted to them by different foreign states and dignitaries by relaxing procedures relating to submission of gifts in the Toshakhana. The accused “through dishonest and illegal means for their personal benefit and interest” retained the vehicles in question “against a nominal payment of 15 per cent of the total value”, the reference stated. It added that Zardari made the payments for the vehicles through the

Omni Group CEO and his son “for which he has no plausible justification.”

“It was established during investigation that these amounts are in the context of illegitimate laundered proceeds for the benefit of the accused,” the reference reads.

The reference maintained that Gilani, in connivance with Zardari and Nawaz, “dishonestly and illegally relaxed the procedure for the acceptance and disposal of gifts […] which stipulate that vehicles shall not be allowed to be purchased by the recipients”.

“The accused [Gilani] floated and suppressed the law and the procedure to grant undue concession, and benefits resulting in wrongful loss to the national exchequer,” the statement added. According to the reference, during his tenure as president of Pakistan, Zardari accepted and received vehicles as gifts from the United Arab Emirates in 2005 and from Libya in 2008.

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Saudi defence official meets PM Imran, Gen Bajwa ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Deputy Defence Minister Khalid Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Monday discussed bilateral relations during a meeting held here in the federal capital. During the meeting, the premier said: “Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have a historic and brotherly relation [and] Prince Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud’s visit to the country was historic.” While exchanging views on international matters, he added that the human rights situation in occupied Kashmir was deteriorating. PM Imran and the Saudi official also exchanged views on various international matters, including the Indian leadership’s extremist statements and offensive actions, which he said were a threat to the regional peace and security. “The violence in occupied Kashmir needs to be stopped. A peaceful solution to the issue is necessary,” he said. Earlier in the day, Khalid Bin Salman also called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters, the military’s media wing said in a statement. APP

NAB files reference against former BISP chairperson Farzana Raja ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference against Farzana Raja, a former Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) chairperson and a sitting PPP MNA, for abuse of power. In a petition filed in an Islamabad accountability court on Monday, NAB accused Raja of causing a Rs1.5 billion loss to the national exchequer. She is currently in the US. NAB Chairperson Justice (r) Javed Iqbal approved the reference against the PPP leader on December 3, 2019. In January, PM’s Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation and current BISP Chairperson Sania Nishtar revealed that nearly 140,000 government employees had been receiving payments under the welfare scheme. She said 2,543 government officials from grade 17 to 21 were listed as beneficiaries. This was on both provincial and federal levels. STAFF REPORT

Opposition senators on Monday criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for increasing the tax on petroleum products, saying that the masses could not avail relief due to it.

On Sunday, the government increased the levy on petrol by Rs4.75 to Rs19.75 per litre. If not increased, petrol would have been cheaper by Rs4.75. A similar increase in tax was witnessed with diesel. Petroleum levy on diesel was increased by Rs7.05 to Rs25.05 per litre. If the government did not increase the PL (petroleum levy) on diesel, diesel would be cheaper by Rs7.05 per litre.

During his speech, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani took aim at the prime minister for failing to control inflation. “Is the elected prime minister running the country or the un-elected finance minister?” he asked. He added that the government should give net hydle profit to the provinces as it was their constitutional right. Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) Senator Pervaiz Rasheed said that the government will get Rs10 billion annually from the petroleum levy. He asked the government

Opp senators criticise govt for increasing petroleum levy PML-N’S PERVAIZ RASHEED SAYS GOVT WILL EARN RS10BN ANNUALLY FROM PETROLEUM LEVY whether they were about to give people any “good news” about building any motorways, airports, ports or starting new projects from the petroleum tax that they will collect.

He said that the incumbent government, similar to the Musharraf regime, was more focused on former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. “Musharraf’s government used to say Nawaz will not be allowed to return. They [PTI-led government] say Nawaz will not be allowed to leave.

They have nothing to do apart from [worry about] Nawaz,” he said. In response, federal minister Omar Ayub said that the government had slashed petrol prices by Rs5 per litre yet the opposition was still criticising the treasury benches. Senator Mir Kabeer Shahi said inflation had overburden the common

No mechanism in place to stop fake news, anti-state propaganda, PTA chief says ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Amir Azeem Bajwa said Monday there was no mechanism available to stop the fake news and antistate propaganda on social media.

Speaking at a meeting of the NA Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, Bajwa said: “The social media platforms do not have their offices here and neither do they give any explanation for their non-cooperation.”

Committee Chairperson Ali Khan Jadoon presided over the meeting, which was attended by Naz Baloch, Makhdoom Zain Hussain Qureshi, and Muhammad Hashim Notezai, among others.

The PTA chair continued, saying that if social media giants such as Twitter, Facebook, and Google cooperated with Pakistan, “then we can track down the IP address from where the fake ac-

“He neither reported the gifted vehicles nor deposited the same. The accused preferred his own personal interests and obtained undue concession and benefits,” it added.

Meanwhile, the reference maintained that Nawaz, who did not hold any public office in 2008, “knowingly and with dishonest intention obtained illegal favour in connivance with [Gilani] by obtaining the relaxation of the said procedure for acceptance and disposal of gifts”.

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

counts are being created”.

He criticised the social media platforms over their slow response, noting that the companies took time “to remove child pornography and anti-state content”.

“After consultations with the [relevant] stakeholders, a national coordinator will be appointed,” he said.

IT & Telecommunication Secretary Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, on the other hand, informed the committee that there existed no system to monitor social media.

“No technology has been made to keep a check on social media,” Siddiqui said, adding that the regularisation could only help keep a check and balance on the platform.

“The social media companies will be responsible to remove the content that is insulting and that goes against the state and its culture,” he added.

Jadoon reminded the committee that Google and Facebook had threatened to shut down their services, while

people. He urged the government to give relief to the people.

Regarding Coronavirus, he said many people were waiting at Iran borders to enter Pakistan but they were not being allowed due to suspicion of Coronvirus. Taking part in the discussion, Mian Ateeq Sheikh said ordinary people were not getting benefit of the schemes announced by the government.

He called for giving relief to the masses at their doorsteps. Senator Mohsin Aziz said a special committee should be constituted to check transparency of the power projects set up by the previous governments.

He observed that expensive projects were set up to oblige few families of the country, adding that the incumbent government was paying the loans secured by the previous governments.

Notezai said: “Banning social media is not the solution.

“It will further intensify the matter,” he added. Late last month, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) — which comprises global digital media giants — had banded together against the Pakistani government’s newly-introduced social media rules, threatening to suspend services if the laws were not amended.

In a scathing letter written to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the AIC — which includes Facebook, Twitter, Google, Apple, Amazon, Airbnb, Line, LinkedIn, and Yahoo, among others — had said it was difficult for them to operate when such rules were in place.

“The rules as currently written would make it extremely difficult for AIC Members to make their services available to Pakistani users and businesses,” the letter read, referring to the Citizens Protection Rules (Against Online Harm).

The new set of regulations makes it compulsory for social media companies to open offices in Islamabad, build data servers to store information, and take down content upon identification by authorities.

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12 suspected coronavirus patients cleared in Karachi KARACHI: Test results of 12 people — suspected of being infected with the coronavirus — came back negative, according to the spokesperson of the Sindh Health Department on Monday. The health department official said that no further cases of the coronavirus had emerged. He said that only four cases of the pandemic had surfaced in Pakistan and all were being treated. He disclosed that out of the two Karachi patients, one’s family had been cleared of the coronavirus while the other’s was being kept in observation. The Sindh government on Sunday sprung into action to contain the virus, directing all public and private schools, colleges, universities, coaching centres and other educational institutions to remain closed till March 13. Action was taken against educational institutions that refused the government’s order. Teams raided schools located in Karachi’s Landhi, Lyari, Korangi, Gulshan-e-Hadeed and other areas of the city. The officials have also requested the chairman board of secondary education to initiate action against the institutions. The Sindh government has formed a taskforce to deal with the coronavirus after the number of cases reported in Pakistan jumped to four. Two of the cases were reported from Karachi. STAFF REPORT

Court endorses seizure of Zardari’s house in Karachi ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Monday endorsed the seizure of former president Asif Ali Zardari’s house situated in Karachi’s area of Clifton. NAB after seizing Zardari’s house on February 12, had sought confirmation from the accountability court.

NAB’s Investigation Officer Ahmed Saeed Wazir, appeared before the court for the hearing. The house was bought in 2014 and the payment was made through joint accounts with the corruption money, the NAB prosecutor said in his arguments. “The affected party can contact the court, if they want”, the court order reads. Former president Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur are among 30 accused nominated in the fake bank accounts case reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau. The Pakistan People’s Party co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari is currently hospitalized after getting bail on the medical grounds. In December, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had approved the bail petition of the former president on medical grounds. STAFF REPORT

Mazari condemns calls to 'forcibly stop' Aurat March ISLAMABAD: Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Monday condemned those political leaders who were calling on people to “forcibly stop Aurat March”, which is set to take place on Mar 8 on the eve of International Women’s Day. “Women, like other segments of society, have a right to peacefully protest and demand their rights already enshrined in our Constitution,” Mazari said on Twitter.

“Our government is committed to ensuring an end to discrimination against and harassment of women and has put in place programs, policies and legislative measures to empower women and girls,” she added. Like the past two years, controversy is surrounding Aurat March 2020, which takes place on March 8, the same day as International Women’s Day. Political parties are also polarised, with the PPP seeking security for the participants and JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman asking his followers to stop the march from taking place. In a recent political rally, Rehman — without naming the Aurat March — said, “whenever you see these types of elements, you should alert security forces about them and if they [security forces] provide protection to these people, your sacrifices are going to be required to stop them by force”. STAFF REPORT

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Government suspends licences of 25 educational institutions for not following order KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

INDH government on Monday revoked the licenses of 25 private education institutes in Karachi that were open on Monday despite the provincial government’s order a day earlier to close in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while presiding over a meeting of the task force on coronavirus in Karachi on Sunday, had ordered to keep all educational institutions, including tuition and

NAB unearths benami property of Abdul Ghani Majeed KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday unearthed undeclared (benami) property of Abdul Ghani Majeed, one of the main accused in fake bank accounts reference. Per details, the NAB has uncovered benami property of Abdul Ghani Majeed, situated in Karachi’s area of Cantt. The anti-graft watchdog body has decided to seize 5,145 square yards plot. In this context the NAB Rawalpindi has moved accountability court for the seizure of plot. It was learnt that the payments were made through fake bank accounts to Younis Gidwai, an accused wanted to the NAB. According to the NAB, “Majeed is a beneficiary of Omni Group and key accused in fake bank accounts case. Investigations against him in fake bank accounts case are underway. Last month, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had granted bail to Majeed in fake bank accounts case. A division bench of the high court comprised of Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Fayyaz Anjum took up the bail petition. The bench had ordered Abdul Ghani Majeed to submit 100 million surety bond for bail.

coaching centers, across the province, closed till Mar 13 — the deadline for completion of the isolation period of suspected patients of coronavirus. The chief minister had said strict action would be taken against those educational institutions who defied the order, which was important in the times of an emergency.

A press release issued by the director general for private institutions of the provincial education and literacy department, Dr Mansoob Hussain Siddiqui, on Monday said that an inspection was carried out in parts of the city, including Korangi, Landhi, Gulshan-e-Hadid, Nazimabad and

North Karachi, and around 25 schools were found to be open.

The press release added that the licenses of these private institutions were “immediately suspended”.

Additionally, the chairman of the board of secondary education was also recommended to take action against the schools.

The press release stated that the heads of the educational institutions have been summoned to the office of the director general for private institutions, after which the relevant deputy commissioner will decide on the cancellation of their registration and the sealing of the institutions’ premises.

Last week, shortly after Pakistan confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus, the Sindh government had decided to close educational institutions in the province for two days (Feb 27 and Feb 28).

On Sunday, the closure was extended till Mar 13.

Meanwhile, the Balochistan education department, which has ordered the closure of government and private schools till March 15, also postponed ongoing secondary school examinations for an indefinite period. So far, four cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Pakistan, including two in Sindh.

CM Murad reviews 288 uplift schemes KARACHI APP

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Monday reviewed 288 development schemes for Shaheed Benazirabad division and directed the concerned departments to complete 207 top priority schemes for which funds have been released.

The CM Sindh chaired the meeting ongoing district development schemes at the CM's House, said a statement.

He also urged the elected representatives of the concerned districts to give ownership to the on-going development works so that their quality, pace of work could be ensured and then their operation in the public interest could be made properly.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, Sindh ministers, Nisar Khuhro, Shabir Bijarani, Saeed Ghani, Murtaza Wahab, Member P&D Fatah Tunio, provincial secretaries, local government Roshan Shaikh, Irrigation Saeed Mangnijo and MNAs, MPAs from concerned districts, divisional commissioners and DIG of Shaheed Banzirabad division.

Around 145 schemes at Rs 5.77 billion are in progress at Shaheed Benazirabad, against which Rs3.76 billion or 65 per cent of funds have been released while the utilization up to end of February is Rs 2.58 billion which is 69 per cent of the releases.

The meeting was told that there were 31 schemes of Rs 337 million which would be completed by the end of current financial year because the government has released their 95 per cent funds in one go and the reaming amount would also be released during this month.

The chief minister said that his government has set a priority to provide water and sanitation schemes in every district.

“Presently, Public Health Engineering department has launched 18 schemes of water and sanitation in Shaheed Benazirabad for Rs 5.7 billion and these all the 18 schemes would be completed by the end of next financial year,” he said and urged the elected representatives to checking their quality and pace of work.

The school education has launched 14 schemes, local government 24 schemes, Works and Services 35 schemes Irrigation department 14 schemes, health nine schemes, rural development seven schemes in Shaheed Benazirabad.

Around 66 schemes at Rs3 billion are in progress in Nausheroferoze district against which Rs 2.2 billion have been released while the expenditures are Rs 1.48 billion means 67 per cent of the releases.

It may be noted that out of 66 schemes 45 would be completed by the end of current financial year. There are 11 schemes of Rs 107.6 million for which 100 per cent

funds have been released in a one go while the funds of 16 other schemes of Rs 1.2 billion are being released in two installments.

The chief minister said that there were 18 districts specific schemes of Rs 1.1 billion on which 90 per cent funds have been released and their 82 per cent work has been completed. He directed the concerned departments to complete these 18 schemes by the end of current financial year.

The elected representatives complained that their District Headquarter Hospital has been established so far, therefore people of the area were suffering. At this the chief minister directed the P&D and health department to provide all the required facilities to the DHQ Naushehroferoze.

On the demand of the elected representatives of the area, the chief minister has decided to establish a Chest Pain center at Mehrabpur and later, it would be upgraded as Cardiac hospital. The chief minister also ordered health department to provide ambulance service to Naushehroferoze.

Over 77 schemes at Rs 3.1 billion are in progress at Sanghar district against which Rs 1.99 billion or 63 per cent have been released while the expenditures are Rs1.26 billion means 63 per cent.

Out of 77 schemes, 14 schemes at Rs 1.55 billion have been released in a one go while the funds of 14 other schemes of Rs 1.4 billion are being released in two installments. The chief minister expressed his displeasure on the progress of 14 schemes on which government has released total allocated amount. He directed the concerned departments to expedite the work and keep him posting the progress of the schemes regularly.

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Two accused in MPA Shahnaz Ansari murder case sent on physical remand NAUSHAHRO FEROZE INP

A local court in the Naushahro Feroze district on Monday approved seven-day physical remand for the two accused arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of the sitting Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) provincial lawmaker Shahnaz Ansari. The two accused Waqar Khohkar and Akhter Khokhar were presented before the court after being arrested by the authorities two days back. The court accepted the police plea for a seven-day remand to investigate the accused over their role in the killing. It is pertinent to mention here that Shahnaz Ansari had been shot dead in Naushahro Feroze over a property dispute on February 15. According to police, the PPP leader had been shifted to Nawabshah hospital in an injured condition where she had taken her last breath. The police had said that she had been attacked over differences in a matter related to land ownership in Naushahro Feroze.

New IGP assumes charge, meets CM Murad KARACHI STAFF REPORT

New Inspector General of Sindh Police Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar on Monday assumed charge of his office after permission from Sindh Chief Minister. He called on Sindh Chief Minister at his office and sought permission for assuming the charge as new IGP Sindh. The chief minister allowed him and directed him to maintain law and order across Sindh in best way. Mahar assured the chief minister of maintaining law and order in proper way and came to his office at CPO, where he along with police squad bid farewell to former IGP Syed Kaleem Imam besides presenting him salute. The chief minister directed Mahar to take steps for improvement in law and order in the province and sressed that the police should take more steps for protection of life and property of general public.

The Sindh Chief Minister had asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to immediately recall Inspector General of Police Dr Syed Kaleem Imam and post the officer agreed upon at a meeting between the two on Jan 27 or any other officer from the panel of five proposed by the provincial government. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Feb 1 had wrote his third letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan to remove Inspector General of Police Kaleem Imam and pick one of the five names recommended by the provincial government for the top police office in Sindh. Kaleem Imam was transferred and posted as the National Highways and Motorways Police inspector general.

SHC seeks govt’s response on plea regarding coronavirus awareness

Court acquits four arrested for hoarding surgical masks KARACHI STAFF REPORT

A local court on Monday acquitted four accused arrested for alleged hoarding of surgical masks amid novel coronavirus outbreak. The police produced four accused in the court of Judicial Magistrate South over alleged hoarding of the masks and sought their physical remand. The judicial magistrate rejected the request of police for remand and ordered release of accused under section 63 of the criminal procedure code. “The police failed to follow the law in registration of the case,” the court said. The counsel of the accused claimed in the court that the arrested youth were distributing free surgical masks as social responsibility. An artificial shortage of the surgical masks witnessed after first two cases of novel coronavirus reported in Pakistan causing sale of the masks on exorbitant rates in the market. An artificial shortage of surgical masks created by the vested interests amid the fear of virus outbreak. The profiteers became active to make a good fortune out of the opportunity. The authorities launched a crackdown against the hoarders and law enforcement agencies conducted raids to recover thousands of mask hoarded for sale in the black market. The law enforcement agencies in a single raid in Karachi recovered 74,000 surgical masks and 200 infusion water drips from a place in the city.

KARACHI INP

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notice to Sindh government and provincial health department, seeking a reply on Mar 6 in a petition seeking public awareness campaign on novel coronavirus outbreak and crackdown against hoarders of masks and medicines. During the hearing, the bench asked: “What is the problem when the masks are available in the market?” “The prices of medicines for the disease have soared to the point that the poor can’t even afford to think of buying any,” the counsel of petitioner replied. The petitioner sought a public awareness campaign over the coronavirus disease by the government and other concerned agencies. The petitioner also pleaded for a crackdown against the mafia involved in the hoarding of surgical masks and its free distribution for safety from the novel coronavirus. The bench adjourned the hearing till March 6. It is to be mentioned here that recently the law enforcement agencies in a raid in Karachi recovered thousands of surgical masks and arrested two persons involved in the hoarding of masks after two cases of novel coronavirus reported in Pakistan. “The agency recovered 74,000 surgical masks and 200 infusion water drips from a place in the city,” a spokesman of the agency said. It was reported earlier that after coronavirus cases reported in Pakistan, surgical masks were disappeared from the market and the cost surged by a thousand per cent.

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

KP government unveilS drAft of new induStriAl Policy PESHAWAR

t

AZIZ BUNERI

HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Monday unveiled the draft of the KP industrial policy that aims to empower the province through balanced and sustainable industrial growth by capitalising on indigenous endowment, leading towards equitable distribution of socio-economic dividends, job creation and inclusive economic growth.

The government called on all stakeholders to invest in KP for the development of industries and to take full advantage of investment opportunities in the context of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In the new policy, the stakeholders would be provided with facilities through one window operation.

The industrial policy draft was presented and discussed with the stakeholders to include their recommendations at a workshop. KP Finance Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, Chief Advisor to the Industries Minister Abdul Karim Khan and traders of the province participated. The sessions of the workshop were attended by the representatives of financial institutions, business community, academicians and members of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

KP Board of Investment Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ihsan Dad Butt gave a detailed presentation to the participants and highlighted the steps taken by the new industrial policy to promote trade and commerce throughout the province.

He said that the new policy, which had targeted the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth from 3.5 per cent to 16 per cent, would facilitate the investors with

Shakeel Afridi goes on a hunger strike in prison ISLAMABAD AGENCIES

land procurement, improved communication systems and skilled labour.

The policy also included rehabilitation of 25pc sick industrial units, he added.

“KP has a geographical significant from where trade can be extended easily to the Central Asian countries. The province is investing in natural resources as well as tourism, agriculture, engineering, cement industry, minerals and other sectors,” KP Finance Minister Taimur Saleem Jhagra said while speaking on the occasion.

He said that investment was also being focused in newly integrated districts, and plans were being initiated with the stakeholders to bring economic stability to the people of tribal districts.

Appreciating the US-Taliban agreement in Doha, Jhagra said it would have a very positive impact on trade and uplift of the entire region.

He said that for the first time the Pak-

NEWS istan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had opened the Torkham Border round the clock to facilitate and enhance trade activities in the region, adding efforts would be made to keep it open 24 hours.

Adding his comments, KP Chief Minister's Adviser on Industry Abdul Karim Khan said that the present government had a clear vision to develop the industries in the province. “We will launch business models in all districts, starting from newly merged tribal districts to create favorable investment opportunities,” the adviser said and added that licences had been issued to eight cement industries, which would soon start work.

Former Sarhad Chamber of Commerce president Zahid Shinwari suggested the KP government to incorporate the opinions of industrialists in the new industrial policy.

“The policies made for European industries cannot be implemented in KP, so the industrial policy should be devised according to the environment of our province,” Shinwari said.

He asked the government that the new policy should not only be limited to Chinese investors, as people from other parts of the world as wells as local investors also wanted to invest in KP.

OIC delegation arrives in Pakistan to assess situation at LoC ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA track and kill Osama bin Laden has launched a hunger strike from his prison cell, his lawyer and family said Monday. Shakeel Afridi has been languishing behind bars for years since his fake vaccination programme helped US agents track and kill the Al Qaeda leader in 2011. “It is to protest the injustices and inhumane attitudes being committed against him and his family,” his brother Jamil Afridi told AFP after meeting with Afridi in a prison in central Punjab province. His attorney Qamar Nadeem also confirmed the hunger strike. Afridi was jailed for 33 years in May 2012 after he was convicted of having ties to militants, a charge he has always denied. His sentence was later reduced by 10 years. For years Afridi has had no access to his lawyer, while his appeal against his prison sentence has stalled with scheduled court appearances repeatedly delayed. His family has also complained of being targeted and harassed by authorities over the years. US President Donald Trump vowed during his election campaign that he would order Pakistan to free Afridi, but since taking office has been largely silent on the issue.

KP lawmakers bring hammers to session in protest against speaker

NEWS DESK Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lawmakers turned up at the provincial assembly session on Monday holding hammers as part of their long-running protest against the speaker. The MPAs banged hammers on their desks, registering their protest against KP Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani’s behaviour. Ghani, on the other hand, summoned security guards, as well as police personnel, and directed them to seize the lawmakers’ tools. However, when the MPAs refused to hand over their hammers and whistles, the speaker adjourned the session. Opposition lawmakers on February 25 had taken to standing on their seats in the KP Assembly as their protest against Ghani’s “partial and indifferent attitude” entered its fifth day. They had stood up on their seats in the assembly, chanted slogans, and banged their hands on desks as PPP’s Nighat Orakzai had whistled to record her protest, despite Ghani asking her not to do so. Amid the chaos and tension, security staff rushed to surround the speaker’s dais. In spite of the ongoing tensions, the assembly had managed to approve some of the proposed bills while opposition MPAs continued slamming their desks.

A six-member delegation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) arrived in Islamabad on Monday to visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Line of Control.

In a post on Twitter, FO Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said a team lead by OIC Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Jammu and Kashmir Yousef al Dobeay will be in Pakistan from March 2-6.

She added that the delegation will visit the Line of Control to get firsthand knowledge about the loss of lives and property caused by the indiscriminate firing of Indian forces.

“OIC has extended its steadfast support to the Kashmiri people in their just struggle for the inalienable right to self-determination,” she said. “Kashmiris and Pakistani people value the OIC’s role promoting the cause of Kashmir at the international level.”

Last year, OIC’s Independent Per-

manent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) condemned New Delhi for its ongoing human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), and said the systematic violations have a welldefined pattern that tantamount to ethnic cleansing and genocide of Kashmiris. The commission held an open meeting to review the worsening human rights situation in the occupied valley during its recently concluded 16th Session in Jeddah. The meeting was attended by all commission members and a large number of representa-

tives of the OIC member and observer states. “The Commission was appalled to note that the Indian government in an attempt to quell the Kashmiris struggle for the right to self-determination, has resorted to relentless political, economic and communication blockade in IoK,” a statement said.

The body said that since August 5, the Indian government’s deployment of over half a million security personnel in the disputed territory has “practically turned IoK into the biggest open prison”. The commission reiterated that India’s move to abrogate Articles 35A and 370 was illegal and void. The OIC’s body also stated that the move aims to change the “demographic composition of IoK” by making the occupied Muslim population a minority within their homeland.

The commission stated that the move was a clear violation of the relevant human rights treaties and conventions and Articles 27 and 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, its Additional Protocol.

05

ecP seeks reply from Pti over talpur’s disqualification case till April 2 ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday sought reply from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members on a plea seeking the disqualification of Faryal Talpur as a member of the provincial assembly. The petition was filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA Arsalan Taj and Rabia Azfar Nizami in June 2019 calling for Talpur’s disqualification under Article 62 of the Constitution as she had failed to declare details of her assets to the ECP. ECP member Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi presided the hearing in which he inquired about absentia of Talpur’s counsel in previous proceedings. “You are using delay tactics,” ECP told Talpur’s lawyer. “You were given notice of January 24.” “We didn’t receive any notice,” Talpur’s lawyer implored.

“We want to challenge the petition.” In response, the ECP told the lawyer to challenge the petition ‘right now and we will announce the verdict.”

nAB summons Khursheed Shah’s deceased brother in assets probe SUKKUR STAFF REPORT

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Sukkur on Monday issued a summon order in an assets beyond income probe to Ali Nawaz Shah, a brother of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Khursheed Shah who has passed away eight years ago. NAB Sukkur issued notices to all partners of Shah Spinning Mills Ltd, including late Ali Nawaz Shah for recording their statements. Khursheed Shah was also ordered to appear before the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed on the instructions of the NAB chairman.

NAB resolved 46,123 complaints in 2019 ISLAMABAD INP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has so far disposed of a total of 46,123 complaints out of 51,591 received during 2019 while the remaining 13,299 complaints were being disposed of on priority, the bureau’s director general (operations) said on Monday.

Briefing a meeting, chaired by antigraft Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal, about the overall performance of NAB during 2019, he said the bureau had authorized 1,464 complaint verifications, out of which 1,362 complaint verifications have been completed, while investigations of 770 complaint verifications were under process. He said NAB has received over 30,000 applications from the affectees of the Mudarba/Mukharika scandals.

NAB has so far arrested 45 persons besides filing 28 references in different accountability courts. It has established over 50,000 character building societies across the country in various universities and colleges in order to aware people youth about the ill effects of corruption, said a press release. The meeting was informed that out of 179 mega corruption cases, NAB had filed 98 corruption references in different accountability courts, while 52 references had been taken to a logical conclusion. Currently, out of 179 mega corruption references, 13 inquiries and 16 investigations were under process.

The meeting was told that a total of 1,275 corruption references involving Rs943 billion were at different stages of hearing in 25 accountability courts. NAB had recovered Rs178 billion from the corrupt elements during the tenure of the

present management. NAB has so far arrested 45 persons besides filing 28 references in different accountability courts.

Speaking on the occasion, the chairman said a logical conclusion of mega corruption white-collar crime cases was the top priority of NAB. Corruption was the mother of all evils and the bureau was committed to rooting out corruption in all its forms, he said.

NAB strongly believed in conducting the inquiries and investigations of whitecollar crimes on scientific lines that too after collecting solid evidence as per law.

Justice Iqbal further said measures were being taken to check money laundering. The money stashed abroad through corrupt means would be taken back toáthe country as per law. NAB has improved its

overall workings with the help of the anticorruption strategy. It has also fixed a period of 10 months to finish the case right from conducting complaint verification to filing a reference.

NAB has introduced a new concept of combined investigation team (CIT) to have the collective wisdom of senior officers which is lending quality. He said inquiries and investigations of fake housing/cooperative societies would be taken to logical conclusion.

NAB had filed a reference against Mufti Ehsanul Haq in the Modarba scam in an accountability court of Islamabad.

The accountability court had awarded Ehsan ten years imprisonment and Rs9 billion fine. Likewise, NAB had also filed another corruption reference in accounta-

bility court against Ghulam Rasool Ayubi in the same scam.

The court awarded 10 years imprisonment and Rs3.7 billion fine to the culprit.

NAB has arrested 45 accused persons involved in the scandal and NAB is working hard to bring back the absconders with the help of Interpol so that the looted amount could be returned to the affectees.

He asked the people to invest in only legal andáapproved housing societies/cooperative societies after due verification from concerned regulators. The meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman NAB, Prosecutor General Accountability (PGA), DG Operations and other senior members of Bureau including director general of all Regional Bureaus attended the meeting through via video link.

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW

‘the worst-case scenario for coronaVirus is likely’ THE FORMER CHAIR OF THE GLOBAL HEALTH COUNCIL TALKS ABOUT THE MENTALITY THAT LEFT THE WORLD VULNERABLE TO THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO MINIMISE ITS EFFECTS

i

Guardian Laura Spinney

N 2018 global health expert Jonathan D Quick, of Duke University in North Carolina, published a book titled The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It. In it he prescribed measures by which the world could protect itself against devastating disease outbreaks of the likes of the 1918 flu, which killed millions and set humanity back decades. He is the former chair of the Global Health Council and a long-term collaborator of the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Covid-19 epidemic looks like it’s edging towards becoming a pandemic – that is, as the WHO defines it, “the worldwide spread of a new disease” – but the WHO hasn’t declared a pandemic yet. What are the best-case and worst-case scenarios?

The best case is that the Chinese conflagration is brought under control, the smaller “flames” we’ve seen flare up in other countries are extinguished, there’s little or no spread to new countries or continents, and the epidemic dies out. The worst case is that the outbreak goes global and the disease eventually becomes endemic, meaning it circulates permanently in the human population.

Your feeling as to which is more likely, as of today, 27 February?

The worst-case scenario is looking increasingly likely. We’ve now seen cases on six continents, apparently “silent” – that is, at least partly asymptomatic – chains of human-to-human transmission both inside and outside China, with additional countries reporting cases within the last week – bringing the total to 47 – and new, accelerating outbreaks in Iran, Italy and South Korea. If it becomes a pandemic, the questions are, how bad will it get and how long will it last? The case fatality rate – the proportion of cases that are fatal – has been just over 2%, much less than it was for Sars, but 20 times that of seasonal flu. There are still many unknowns – we may have underestimated the period during which a person is contagious, for instance, and the variety of ways in which the virus spreads.

If the worst-case scenario comes true, are there still things we can do to minimise the pandemic’s impact?

Absolutely. We can mobilise more health officials

and keep engaging the public, implementing sensible travel controls and ensuring that frontline health workers have ready access to diagnostic tests and are vigilant – that they don’t send anyone who may have been exposed home without testing them, for example. Judging by past experience, however, it’s likely that health officials and the public in much of the world remain unaware or unconvinced of the danger this virus poses.

You have said that time and trust are critical to good epidemic management. What do you mean?

The delay between the frontline health workers noticing something unusual, in the form of an emerging disease, and that information travelling up the line to central decision-makers is critical. To illustrate that, a 2018 simulation that the Gates Foundation conducted of a flu pandemic estimated that there would be 28,000 deaths after one month, 10 million after three months, and 33 million after six months. The virus used in that simulation was more contagious and deadly than Covid-19 – though they are both respiratory viruses – but the example shows how all epidemics grow exponentially. So if you can catch an epidemic in the first few weeks, it makes all the difference. As for trust, it’s critical to disseminate dispassionate, evidence-based information, and not to try to mislead the population. If you do, they will stop cooperating.

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen in China.

Judging by reports, we’re at least a year out from having an approved Covid-19 vaccine. Once one is available, do you think there will be a problem of vaccine hesitancy, as there has been with some of the resurgent childhood diseases?

Evidence suggests that vaccine hesitancy diminishes when lots of people are dying. Once an outbreak is over, however, levels of vaccine uptake may depend on how fresh that outbreak is in people’s minds – even though the risk of another one is real. I’ve written about a hypothetical situation in which a new and dangerous pathogen emerges, a vaccine is developed, and you still get a pandemic, because large numbers of millennials refuse the vaccine. In the US, 20% of millennials believe that vaccines cause autism. The problem is bad information. As my students often remind me, news tends to be behind paywalls, while fake news is free.

Is it plausible that the Chinese have already created a Covid-19 vaccine?

The US drug company Moderna is the only one I’m aware of that has a Covid-19 vaccine ready for human trials. Those are due to start in April. Chinese firms are new to the global vaccine market, but at least one, Clover Biopharmaceuticals, is working to develop a Covid-19 vaccine.

It appears that the Covid-19 virus originated in a “wet” or live animal market. Should such markets be banned?

No. The Chinese government tried that after Sars.

The markets just went underground. They need to be better regulated, and there needs to be active surveillance. Active monitoring and culling of poultry populations in Asia has stamped out outbreaks of avian flu in those populations.

Was an epidemic like that of Covid-19 inevitable?

From a biological standpoint an outbreak of a novel pathogen was inevitable, but this one happened in the worst place at the worst time. Wuhan is a big city and a crossroads, and the first cases were recorded there just before the lunar new year, when large numbers of people were about to travel to visit their families.

In terms of containing it, was it a good or a bad thing that it happened in China?

As of five months ago, we have a measure of epidemic preparedness – the Global Health Security (GHS) Index – that scores countries on six dimensions: prevention, detection, response, health system, risk environment and compliance with international standards. No country scores perfectly on all six. China has detected and responded to this epidemic pretty well, though its health system is now stretched beyond capacity, but it is weak on prevention – particularly when it comes to food safety.

How well is the US prepared?

The US ranks high on the GHS index, but is still unprepared for a severe pandemic, should one happen.

Malfunctioning coronavirus tests have frustrated public health labs and delayed outbreak monitoring. Supplies of masks, suits and other protective material for health workers are running low in the midst of a moderately severe flu season. Since the creation of a much-needed public health emergency preparedness fund in the aftermath of 9/11, its budget and the public health

US-Taliban deal brings hope of end to Afghan war

Financial Times Katrina Manson

US president Donald Trump declared that talks with the Taliban were “dead” in September. But after nine halting rounds of negotiations, the US signed a peace deal with Taliban leaders on Saturday aiming to secure the withdrawal of all US and allied troops from Afghanistan. However on Sunday, there were already signs that the fragile breakthrough would be hard to keep alive.

WHAT ARE THE TERMS OF THE DEAL?: The US has agreed to withdraw all its military forces from Afghanistan, including contractors, trainers and advisers, within 14 months. All coalition partners, including Nato, will also withdraw their 39,000 troops in this timeframe.

Washington will start with a reduction of about 4,000 troops within 135 days, bringing the total remaining to 8,600, along with a proportional reduction by allied and coalition forces. The US will seek UN Security Council endorsement for the deal and push to remove all sanctions against the Taliban by August 27. As part of the deal, up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners are to be released by March 10, with the rest to be freed three months after that.

In return, Taliban leaders have pledged to break with al-Qaeda. They have also agreed to start intra-Afghan talks with the country’s politicians and civil society to reach a permanent ceasefire and the Taliban’s inclusion in the Afghan government.

WILL WOMEN’S AND MINORITY RIGHTS BE UPHELD? The deal is silent on this matter.

The Taliban describes itself as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and wants Afghans to live under its version of sharia law. It is unclear how its inclusion at the heart of Afghan government could accommodate women and girls, who now make up 39 per cent of Afghan schoolgoers. Under five years of Taliban rule that ended with the US invasion of 2001, women were banned from work and education, were required to wear burkas in public and subjected to forced underage marriage.

Any deal will also seek to address the historical grievances of the three main ethnic groups — Pashtun, Tajik and Hazara. A senior Pakistani official warned that past peace arrangements had fallen apart when community leaders “clamoured for their share of the power structure and resources”.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? Mr Trump said he would “be meeting personally with Taliban leaders in the not-too-distant future”, adding he hoped the group would continue to “kill terrorists” — a reference to the Taliban’s own war against Isis in Afghanistan.

Afghan negotiators are due to convene further talks on March 10 in Oslo to discuss a political transition, but US officials have said time and location could shift. One of the stumbling blocks is that persuading the government in Kabul to release Taliban prisoners by that date, a pre-condition for intra-Afghan talks.

On Sunday, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said he had made “no commitment” to release prisoners before the intra-Afghan talks start — threatening to scupper negotiations before they begin.

Besides a commitment from the Taliban to seek a lasting ceasefire, negotiators have yet to agree an agenda for the talks or even confirm their involvement. US officials said they expected Taliban, women, opposition, political and religious leaders to be involved in talks at some level, but the government had yet to pick its national team.

It is also unclear how the Taliban could be integrated into the Afghan security apparatus and

how the army, police and intelligence services would be affected.

Antipathy to Mr Ghani from Abdullah Abdullah — the opposition politician who refused to recognise his election victory and threatened to set up a parallel government until the US last week dissuaded him — is also complicating the political transition.

The deal also commits the US to supporting the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan, which has oil and various mineral deposits, including gold, copper and marble.

IS THIS THE END OF THE WAR? Far from it. Both al-Qaeda and Isis, who have fighters in Afghanistan, are opposed to the deal. British officials said there was a possibility that these groups might seek to exploit the distraction caused by the agreement. In particular, they suggested that the changing dynamics between allied forces and Afghan security forces could give jihadis space to operate more effectively.

US officials also fear Taliban fighters, including some of the thousands the Taliban want released from prison, could continue their association with al-Qaeda or even join Isis, the group’s foe.

It also remains unclear whether Pakistan will refuse safe haven to any groups that threaten US security, as the deal only covers Afghan soil. The US has thanked Pakistan for its support, however, which included releasing the Taliban’s lead negotiator from prison at the request of the US in 2018.

The US said its troop withdrawal was conditional on the Taliban meeting its commitments.

The Taliban leadership has been at pains to demonstrate it can control its fighters. But some observers cautioned the week-long relative calm before the deal was too short.

Some analysts also say that intra-Afghan talks have little chance of success. The Taliban would “naturally” return to jihad if the US violates the deal, one spokesperson told the FT. Additional reporting by Stephanie Findlay in New Delhi and Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad, and Helen Warrell in London.

functions it supports have been steadily reduced. This is the mentality that left the world vulnerable to the devastating 2014 outbreak of Ebola in west Africa – that is, close the fire department and cancel the fire insurance as nobody’s house or factory has burned down lately. It’s time we learned that the bugs never stop mutating and crossing over to humans.

Has the world been an ostrich over pandemic risk?

Generally speaking, no. After each major recent outbreak – Sars, swine flu, Ebola – we’ve moved ahead. The GHS Index is itself a big advance, because we can now see where individual countries are weak in terms of preparedness. We should be moving faster, though.

What exactly should we be doing faster?

Fewer than one in three countries are close to being prepared to confront an epidemic, which leaves the vast majority of the world’s population vulnerable.

That in turn leaves us all vulnerable because we’re only as safe as the least safe place. We need to invest more in preparedness, and we need our leaders to take a greater interest in it – that’s all leaders, in both the public and private sectors – from the grass roots to the grass tops.

Is a global health agency essential to managing a pandemic, and is the WHO up to the task?

A global health agency is essential, yes. None of the advances I’ve mentioned could have happened without the WHO’s involvement, but the WHO can only perform as well as its members allow it to – and they have pulled back on funding since the 2008 financial crisis.

Your book is optimistically entitled The End of Epidemics. Could we ever really wave goodbye to epidemics?

The world will continue to have disease outbreaks, but there is plenty we can do to protect ourselves against global catastrophes like the 1918 flu.

Viral economies: on coronaVirus impact Hindu The global economy appears headed for uncharted, troubled territory thanks to the second wave of the coronavirus that has now spread to countries as far apart as Nigeria and New Zealand. The virus has crippled global supply chains, hit air travel and convulsed markets as it appears all set to adversely impact the U.S. economy, the global economic engine. This, when the Chinese economy is already in deep trouble due to the impact of the virus. A slowdown or worse, recession, in the two global economic engines is bad news for the world economy, which may well tilt into recession. Markets reflected these concerns last week as indices plunged and investors stampeded for the exit, dumping stocks. Big money moved to the relative safety of government bonds, pushing prices up and yields down. The U.S. markets experienced their worst week since the 2008 global financial crisis as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 fell by over 12%. Interestingly, investors seemed to boycott even that ultimate refuge during troubled times, gold, whose prices also fell during the week. They seemed to place greater faith in the sovereign guarantee of the U.S. government reflected in its Treasury bills. But there is trouble ahead for the U.S. economy as companies ranging from Apple and Nvidia to Procter & Gamble and Adidas are in difficulty because of their large exposures to the Chinese market or their reliance on suppliers from China. This is a crisis unlike any other. It is not a financial crisis that can be sorted out with time-tested measures such as rate cuts and bail-outs. The challenge of the virus attack is that it is immune to financial solutions.

For India, the troubles could not have surfaced at a worse moment just when there are some tentative signs of a return to growth.

Policymakers are sanguine about the impact on the domestic economy and how they can manage the situation by resorting to airlifting of materials if the supply chain is disrupted. But the problem extends beyond supply chain disruptions, which, by the way is serious for industries such as pharmaceuticals, electronics and automobiles. In a situation of a global recession, exports, which are not growing even now, could take a hit, further slowing down one of the economic engines. And risk averse foreign investors could hold back fresh investments in India. What augurs well though is that Indian companies are not major participants in the global supply chains originating in China. And second, crude oil prices are slipping which is good news for the macro economy and inflation. The government needs to watch the developing situation and, for now, do all it can to support industries that are reliant on Chinese inputs.

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

FOREIGN NEWS 07

ClaSheS iN StrategiC North SyriaN towN after turkiSh StrikeS ANKARA/AMMAN

S

AGENCIES

YRIAN government forces battled to recapture a strategic rebelheld town in Idlib province on Monday and a Turkish official said Ankara would continue to strike President Bashar al-Assad’s troops after escalating its military operations at the weekend.

Syrian state television broadcast live footage from inside Saraqeb, which lies on the country’s main north-south highway, and said it was under government control.

Rebels denied the report, saying they still held the town despite heavy shelling.

Saraqeb has already changed hands twice in less than a month, reflecting its importance both as a gateway to the government-controlled northern city of Aleppo and to the rebel-held Idlib city to the west.

Rebels said Turkish drones had been striking Syrian army positions on the Saraqeb frontline, hitting at least two rocket launchers.

Turkey, which has backed rebels fighting Assad for much of Syria’s nine-year conflict, stepped up its intervention in recent days in response to the killing of 34 Turkish soldiers in Idlib.

On Sunday it shot down two Syrian planes in Idlib and struck at least one military airport in Aleppo province, taking the battle deep into territory controlled by forces loyal to Assad.

Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said

Turkish forces had also destroyed eight helicopters, scores of tanks and five air defense systems.

“All (Syrian) attacks have been retaliated by the Turkish Armed Forces in the heaviest manner without hesitation and will continue to be retaliated,” state news agency Anadolu quoted him as saying.

President Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, whose support for Assad turned the tide of the war five years ago, are due to meet in Russia on

Thursday to seek agreement on Idlib.

Turkey has insisted that it seeks no conflict with Moscow, but its barrage of strikes on the Russian-backed forces around Idlib have raised the risk of a direct confrontation.

“A solution is expected to emerge from the talks but attacks and attempts which the (Syrian) regime carries out in this period will not go unanswered,” a senior Turkish security official told Reuters.

Backed by Turkish shelling and drone strikes, rebels say they have now retaken

Iraqi prime minister candidate Allawi quits as vacuum looms BAGHDAD AGENCIES

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post on Sunday, accusing political parties of obstructing him, deepening a domestic crisis and threatening an unprecedented power vacuum.

His move came hours after parliament failed for the second time in a week to approve his cabinet amid political infighting in the oil producer, where mass protests and deadlock between lawmakers are delaying Iraq’s recovery from years of war.

Allawi’s appointment was meant to ease a crisis as the Shi’ite-led country faces a mass protest movement that broke out in October and brought down Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. President Barham Salih will begin consultations to choose a new candidate for a new prime minister within 15 days, the state news agency said. But Iraq could end up without a prime minister in the meantime if Abdul Mahdi, who stayed on in a caretaker capacity, also quits on Monday.

He issued a statement late on Sunday denying social media reports that he wanted to stay on, saying he would announce his intentions on Monday, which would have been the last day for Allawi to get his proposed Cabinet approved by parliament.

Salih appointed Allawi after squabbling lawmakers from rival parties failed for two months to decide on a successor to Abdul Mahdi, who resigned in November during mass unrest. Allawi had one month to form

a government that was meant to organize early elections.

“I tried by all possible means to save Iraq from drifting to the unknown and to solve the current crisis, but during negotiations, I faced many matters,” Allawi said in a statement, accusing politicians he did not identify of not being serious about reforms.

Highlighting volatile security, two blasts could be heard in central Baghdad early on Monday morning, with two Katyusha rockets hitting the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies, security sources said.

One missile landed near the US Embassy but caused no casualties, the sources said.

The protests, which initially demanded jobs and services, quickly turned into calls for the removal of Iraq’s entire ruling elite.

Protesters had opposed Allawi because they view him as part of the system they want to bring down. Security forces and powerful militia groups have fatally shot hundreds of mostly unarmed demonstrators. Around 500 people have been killed in unrest since October, most of them protesters, according to a Reuters tally from medics and police.

On Sunday, security forces killed one person and wounded 24 at an anti-government protest in Baghdad, a police source said. Government officials say Allawi’s Cabinet selection was heavily influenced by renegade Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has gained from the general chaos in Iraq after the United States killed a senior Iranian commander in Baghdad in January.

several villages that they lost last week in the Syrian government offensive.

Erdogan demanded in early February that Syrian forces withdraw by the end of the month from a “de-escalation zone” agreed by Turkey, Russia and Iran around Idlib in 2017, or face being driven back by the Turkish military.

“The (Syrian) regime will be forced to leave the de-escalation zone before the Putin-Erdogan meeting,” a senior opposition source said.

North Korea fires ‘short-range ballistic missiles’ PYONGYANG AGENCIES

North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, the South’s military said, weeks after Pyongyang threatened to demonstrate a “new strategic weapon” and its deadline for Washington to offer sanctions relief expired.

The launch was the nuclear-armed North’s first for more than three months and came as nuclear negotiations with the United States remain at a standstill. The two devices were fired eastwards over the sea from the Wonsan area on the east coast and flew 240 kilometres (150 miles) at a maximum altitude of 35 kilometres, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

They were “believed to be shortrange ballistic missiles,” a JCS official said. South Korea’s security ministers expressed “strong concern” the North was “carrying out actions giving rise to military tensions”, the presidential Blue House said.

Japan’s defence ministry said there was no indication of anything coming

HK police get protective upgrade to fight threat of 'local terrorism' HONG KONG

No country for young women?

Myanmar's battle against rape YANGON AGENCIES

Officially, rape hardly happens in Myanmar and domestic abuse is non-existent. The reality? Violence against women is so pervasive it is regarded as normal — and as a result — woefully underreported, says lawyer and activist Hla Hla Yee. “Domestic abuse in Myanmar is regarded as a family matter and even if it is reported, the police fail to take action,” she explains, adding that many still view it as a normal part of marriage that women must endure. The UN has warned violence against women and girls is a “silent emergency” in

the country, with incidents spanning groping on public transport to trafficking, and has called for a zero-tolerance approach in communities, police, and the justice system.

Analysis by the Demographic and Health Survey suggested at least one-fifth of women were abused by a partner in 2016.

According to government statistics, there were 1,405 rape cases in 2017, up from 1,110 the year before — around two thirds committed against children. But Hla Hla Yee says these figures are just the tip of the iceberg in the country of 54 million. Victims, who are required to prove there was no consent, are routinely blamed and ostracised in the rare cases when the perpetrator is found guilty.

down in its waters or exclusive economic zone, but added: “Recent repeated launches of ballistic and other missiles

by North Korea are a serious issue.”

The launch came as Pyongyang battles to prevent a coronavirus outbreak and days after the one-year anniversary of the collapsed Hanoi summit between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump.

Negotiations have since been deadlocked over sanctions relief and what the North would be willing to give up in return, despite a high-profile June meeting in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula.

Pyongyang carried out a series of weapons tests late last year, the last of them in November, often describing them as multiple launch rocket systems. It also carried out static engine tests, most recently in December.

At a party meeting at the end of that month, Kim declared that Pyongyang no longer considered itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and threatened to demonstrate a “new strategic weapon” soon.

AGENCIES

Hong Kong, grappling months of sometimes violent anti-government unrest, is to spend about HK$500 million ($64.3 million) on police protective equipment, including six armoured vehicles, to help combat the threat of “local terrorism”.

Police chief Chris Tang was speaking on Monday after the government announced in its budget last week that police funding would be HK$25.8 billion, up 25 percent from the previous year, drawing widespread criticism from pro-democracy activists.

About HK$300 million will be used to buy protective gear, and HK$200 million will be used for special equipment, including replacing six armored vehicles and buying more water cannon.

The figure includes a planned upgrade in protective gear of HK$10,000 for each of its 28,000 frontline officers.

Tang said he was concerned about a spike in the number of youths violating the law, two days after more than 100 people were arrested following a protest that turned violent.

“We have to beware of local terrorism. In the past nine months, we have discovered explosives in 11 incidents,” Tang said at a press briefing.

“I think we have to face the reality that there is a new normal. The new normal is that things cannot go back to one year ago.”

Anti-government protests escalated in June last year, plunging the former British colony into its biggest crisis in decades and posing the gravest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.

Child drowns at sea off greece in first fatality after turkey re-opens frontier KASTANIES/LESBOS: A child died after being pulled from the seat when a boat capsized off the Greek island of Lesbos, officials said on Monday, the first reported fatality after the Turkish government opened its border last week to let migrants reach Europe. At least 1,000 migrants have reached Greece’s Eastern Aegean islands since Sunday morning, Greek police say. More than 10,000 migrants have attempted to cross by land at the border, where guards from both sides have fired tear gas into crowds caught between the fences in no-man’s land. Turkey, which is home to 3.7 million Syrian refugees and has another million on its doorstep from a new surge of fighting, said last week it would stop enforcing a 2016 agreement that had prevented migrants from reaching the EU. “This movement is guided and encouraged by Turkey,” government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters after a national security meeting in Athens. He called the surge of migrants at the border “an active, serious, severe and asymmetrical threat to the national security of the country”. Turkey’s announcement last week threatens to reverse an agreement that halted Western Europe’s biggest wave of migration since World War Two, the 2015-2016 crisis when 4,000 people drowned in Aegean and more than a million reached Greece. The Greek coast guard said the boat which capsized off Lesbos on Monday morning had been escorted there by a Turkish vessel. Forty-six people were rescued and two children taken to hospital, one of whom could not be revived. Another dinghy with about 30 Afghans arrived on Lesbos early in the morning, a Reuters journalist reported from the island. Thirty-two others were rescued in the seas off Farmakonissi, a small island close to Turkey, the coast guard said.

“This is an invasion,” Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis told Skai TV on Monday.

Late on Sunday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted that Greece was determined to protect its borders and warned migrants not to attempt to cross as security was increased to the maximum. He is expected to visit the border on Tuesday with Charles Michel, chairman of EU leadership summits.

Clashes between police and migrants broke out on Saturday and Sunday at the land border, and riot police used teargas to repel hundreds of migrants on the Turkish side. AGENCIES

israel seeks end to deadlock with third election in a year TEL AVIV: Israel held its third election in less than a year on Monday seeking to break a grinding political deadlock, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chasing re-election while facing criminal indictment. The vote comes just two weeks before the right-wing premier, the longest serving leader in Israeli history, stands trial after being formally charged in January with bribery, fraud and breach of trust. But final polls indicated that Netanyahu, the first Israeli prime minister ever indicted in office, had not lost support since inconclusive polls in April and September.

Most surveys predict another close race between his Likud and the centrist Blue and White party, led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz. Both sides are expected to fall well short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, and will have to strike deals with smaller parties to forge a stable coalition. That proved impossible after the last two votes and a further stalemate remains possible, with few undecided in the divided country of 6.4 million eligible voters.

But leaders across the political spectrum have said they are keen to avoid a fourth vote given the damage done by the impasse, as the caretaker government’s inability to pass a budget has left key social programmes unfunded. Netanyahu supporter Ella Levy told AFP that Israel was “flourishing” under the premier’s leadership, downplaying the importance of the indictments. “For me, he is innocent until they prove otherwise,” she said at a polling station in Jerusalem. The 70-year-old premier, who will face trial from March 17, faces accusations including receiving improper gifts worth thousands of dollars and offering a media mogul lucrative regulatory changes in exchange for favourable coverage.

NOTHING ELSE TO VOTE FOR: Gantz has been accused of saying little about his vision for Israel, defining himself primarily as Netanyahu’s rival. Blue and White supporter Inbal, who did not want to give her last name, said that Gantz “doesn’t really impress” her. AGENCIES

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

08 COMMENT

Where on Earth is Altaf Bhai?

Instead of setting the economy right Distractions and gimmickries

‘Bhai’ is alive but gone, will he make a comeback? Probably not

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HE PtI government continues to try to divert public attention from its failures by creating ever new distractions. As people underwent the torture of rising prices, the PM continued to repeat the mantra of “no nRO” to any opposition leader. Forced to allow nawaz Sharif to go abroad for treatment on the advice of the government’s own medical team, the PM was left red faced. Despite more than a yearlong media trial and six months in confinement, former President Zardari too was granted bail. then one after another prominent PML-n leaders were bailed out by courts, adding to the embarrassment of an already speechless PtI administration.

As people continue to groan under the burden of economic miseries, heightened by continuously rising unemployment, the PtI has come up with another gimmick. SAPM Firdous Ashiq Awan has announced that the government is seeking the extradition of former PM nawaz Sharif from UK. According to her the former PM faced no life-threatening ailment and had in fact gone abroad in pursuit of personal and family business interests. She accused a section of the media of running a campaign to influence public opinion by building an impression that Mr Sharif was critically ill. Earlier last week, Punjab government had refused to extend bail to Mr Sharif declaring that it had found no “legal, moral or medical ground” necessitating an extension. the hollowness of the claim was borne out by Punjab Health Minister Yasmeen Rashid who told newsmen on Sunday that nawaz Sharif’s medical reports were authentic and not issued under any influence. there is a need on the part of the government to reconsider the decision to seek Mr Sharif’s repatriation.

Being under treatment in London, he poses no immediate threat to the PtI administration. Brought back as a sick man and confined to jail, with daily reports of his declining health broadcast by the PML-n, he could become a rallying point for his party in particular and the opposition in general. Many among PtI’s allies would refuse to take responsibility in case of any mishap. What’s more, if the British government declined to accept the request for Mr Sharif’s deportation, the government will have an egg on its face.

ShAh nAwAz MohAl

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nD then he lived long enough to become the clown. All past feats withered away. All authority lost. All that he made is now someone else’s. He had his falls and rises before, now it seems all is lost beyond redemption, beyond retrieve, beyond ever coming back.

Once the most feared men in Pakistan, Altaf Hussain, has become a pariah in and around what was once his kingdom i.e. Karachi. the mighty ‘Altaf Bhai’ has fallen the way cult figures plummet, gradually and then suddenly, he is now forsaken by the very people to whom merely a week ago he was father-figure, brother and ‘Quaid-e-tehreek’ all rolled in one. the tragedy of great men is that when their power and hold starts to wane, the passion of those who consider them great and indispensable also begins to subside and then all together diminish. History, then, is no doubt a tale of the doing and undoing of great men. But it is also a fable where every great man perishes, either by swords, stones and bullets or by the pen of dissenting historians. But in beloved Bhai’s case, distance from his electorate saved him from the fate similar of Lincoln or John F. Kennedy. I guess, Bhai being far-far away in farangi land surely preserved himself from the wrath of those hands that tore apart every poster, every picture, every banner that had his face on.

The Aurat March must go forward

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Dr Alon-Ben Meir

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t is sad, appalling, and outrageous that much of what Bernie Sanders is advocating is denigratingly labeled as socialist, as if it were a stigma detached from the day-to-day realities of life that affect every American man, woman, and child. I have and continue to be apolitical, but for me, anything to do with human rights matters because in the final analysis, no one has any right whatsoever to undermine another person’s right to be free, to believe, to feel secure, and to be treated humanely and equitably, as long as it does not infringe upon someone else’s rights.

So, if the issues that address human rights are labeled “socialist”, then I must proclaim that I am a socialist to the core, and I invite anyone to challenge the premise of my conviction.

If a woman’s right to choose and decide her own reproductive future, and chart a future for and with her family, and rejecting the status quo where largely white Republican men decide what women should be doing with their bodies is socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist.

If taking climate change seriously—which scientific evidence overwhelmingly confirms and is affecting the quality of life and livelihood of billions of people on the planet, and believing it must be tackled immediately is socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist.

If addressing the tragedy of child poverty, in a country that proclaims to be the richest yet is where more than 12 million children go to sleep hungry each night and little is done about it, is socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Umar Aziz

Asher John

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

Shah Nawaz Mohal is a law graduate and journalist based in Islamabad. He can be reached at mshahnawazmohal@gmail.com.

izens who contribute to the betterment of themselves and their family life, is socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist.

If forgiving the student loan debt of over 44 million Americans (totaling more than $1.5 trillion) – a debt that is only increasing because of exorbitant interest rates, preventing them from progressing further in their If recognizing that the minimum wage must be lives, is socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist.

If tackling the problem of widespread homelessraised to at least $15 per hour to allow people, at a minimum, to make ends meet and have a roof over ness, estimated at 568,000 in the United States—the their heads and live with some dignity rather than on greatest stigma on a country as rich and innovative the streets is called socialism, then I am proud to be as America—is called socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist. a socialist.

If dealing with the epidemic of corruption— If believing that healthcare is an absolute human right, that every American should have med- starting with the White House and filtering down to ical care, and that those who don’t have it currently many government officials and businesses who should be able to acquire it through a universal make exorbitant profits while riding on the backs of health care program is socialism, then I am proud their employees—is called socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist. to be a socialist.

If facing head-on the scourge of racism, IslamoIf lowering the cost of prescription drugs, which can save the life of one individual, let alone the millions phobia, antisemitism, and the rise of white supremacy who cannot afford life-saving prescription drugs and in America, and seeking to become more inclusive regardless of race, religion, are dying needless deaths as and ideology, is socialism, a result, is socialism, then I then I am proud to be a soam proud to be a socialist. cialist.

If revitalizing the crumIf the need to end the pobling small towns and vilSo, if the issues that address litical polarization of the lages across America, which are rapidly becoming unin- human rights are labeled “socialist”, American people, which is instilling distrust, hate, and habitable with rampant unthen I must proclaim that I am a animosity and destroying the employment, to allow the social fabric of America people there to live a normal socialist to the core, and I invite very as we know it, is socialism, life and preserve their jobs is socialism, then I am proud anyone to challenge the premise then I am proud to be a socialist. to be a socialist. of my conviction.

If addressing inequality If reforming the prison of wages – between men system, where nearly 2.3 and women, whites and peomillion are imprisoned and ple of color – in their place 60 percent of the prison population is black or Latino, the majority of whom are of work, for people performing the same job with the incarcerated for non-violent offences, especially drug same responsibility, is socialism, then I am proud to charges, is socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist. be a socialist.

Enacting rules and regulations and fostering a If confronting the national opioid epidemic by providing the necessary medical help and cracking sense of national unity while embracing the premise down on the pharmaceutical industry, which has that human beings have equal rights, which the conheavily fueled this crisis while making billions in stitution provides, does not negate capitalism but in profit, is socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist. fact enhances it. Capitalism thrives when there is a If rectifying the immigration system and provid- reason to believe that a better life and more opporing the approximately 11 million undocumented im- tunities await us, when despondency is replaced migrants on whom many American industries, with hope, when equality and social justice prevail, especially farming rely with a path to citizenship is and when national challenges are addressed with a unity of purpose. socialism, then I am proud to be a socialist. this is the true meaning of the American dream; it If granting a pathway to citizenship for the 1.253.6 million DREAMers, who came to the US as chil- is the solemn duty and responsibility of every Repubdren, speak no other language than English, and are lican, Democrat, and independent alike to preserve and productive Americans in every way that matters, with make America once again a light unto other nations. pride in their families, is socialism, then I am proud Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international to be a socialist.

If providing free tuition to all public colleges and relations at the Centre for Global Affairs at NYU. He universities, to give every young man and woman an teaches courses on international negotiation and opportunity to get an education and be productive cit- Middle Eastern studies. alon@alonben-meir.com

Fighting for basic human rights does not negate capitalism

ASt year’s ‘Aurat March’, held on Annual Women’s Day, was met with severe criticism from conservative circles who found the slogans and posters at the gathering offensive and vulgar. All of the outrage, predominantly by males, was after the fact, as the impact of the various demonstrations had not been anticipated. this year, leading up to the 8th of March, there is preemptive action. A petition, submitted in the Lahore High Court, by a lawyer, seeking a permanent ban on the march for being “anti-Islamic” and “anti-state”, was heard by LHC CJ Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh who rightly concluded that any such ban would be an infringement upon freedom of expression and therefore could not be put in place. A similar petition was filed by a woman, no less, in Sindh High Court on similar grounds.

Such issues are rarely exempt from the attention of religious political parties; JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has warned that the march will be stopped by force by his people if not by the state. In reply, Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari has stated that the march will happen as peaceful protest is a constitutionally mandated right. that the Maulana promoted the peacefulness of his own recent sit-in at Islamabad, is now threatening to forcefully stop a protest much smaller in scale that will only last a day, that too on a Sunday, because its organizers and participants are women who he quite apparently perceives as lesser beings, is hypocrisy and intolerance at its worst. the hate he spewed from atop his container for days has a much more intense and lasting impact on the fabric of society – the misogyny is quite palpable. there should be no undue restriction on the march; if it is being carried out with the proper permissions and is within the ambit of the law there is no reason to place unnecessary hurdles in the way of the protestors. the purpose of ‘Aurat March’ is to highlight the serious and wide-ranging problems that women a country like Pakistan face while also highlighting their achievements in the face of adversity. the march should be given full support by the relevant security and administrative authorities in all provinces where it is planned to be held and any efforts to sabotage it should be anticipated and stopped.

Joint Editor

prankster- had some other plans, it decided that Bhai, who loves to dabble seriously in singing when happy, would announce the exodus himself.

I read somewhere that accidents don’t happen all of a sudden, they toil silently and when they come to the fore, disorder and chaos ensues. the present situation was in the making for quite a long time, the raised slogans, the crackdown, an interrupted press conference, the arrests, the night spent in custody, an uninterrupted press conference afterwards, the exit of Bhai and then success of Waseem Akhtar as Mayor Karachi happened so suddenly and in a quick succession that it all felt like an hour and a half Hollywood thriller. the most recent news to come out of Karachi is that Bhai’s posters have been removed from inside and around nine-Zero. Raise your hands if you can recall similar instances in history where statues and mausoleum of great men get bulldozed, razed and leveled by the populace who have lost their faith and interest or both and explore other available options and collectively gird up to make some other human Übermensch.

I think that we in Pakistan are following a checklist. We are on a mission to tick people off from it. So far, we’ve successfully, completely and irrevocably ticked off Bengalis; now they have their own country.

I hope our red pen is not desperate to tick off the boxes that have Muhajirs, Hindus, Balochis, Ahmedis, Sindhis or Christians written next to them.

As to Mr. Altaf Hussain, he was just another bellwether-a sheep that has a bell hanging around its neck- other sheep follow because of the sound and noise, mistaken as leaders and being followed blindfolded, many times a bellwether loses contact with reality and revels in many mighty delusions. to conclude, I guess we’ll have a change in slogans and songs from now on, belief in the narrative paddled by powers that be will increase, being inquisitive will go out of fashion and being just another sheep in the flock, listening to the bell, following a new bellwether in hopes of reaching the promised Elysian Fields will become the new normal. You’ll know quite soon.

“…I am proud to be a socialist”

Peaceful protest is the right of every citizen

Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

the same lads and ladies who once used to listen to Bhai’s ravings for hours at end, who were willing to do anything and everything on his slightest insinuation have distanced themselves from him with such lightning speed that his name has become a curse in a city of many millions where it was once used for tasks ranging from silencing an inconvenient individual to siphoning off money from traders and wealthy citizens.

From Muhajir Qaumi Movement to Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the MQM has been both at the helm of power and at the receiving end of raw, undiluted vengeance that the might of the state could and did unleash from time to time. MQM, more than any other party, has tasted both stick and carrot and knows the subtle differences between various sticks and many carrots. Ranging from city wide operations conducted against them to being partners in power both at federal and provincial level, MQM boasts of representing a mostly educated middle class that struggles with multiple issues of Muhajir (Muslim immigrants) identity at various fronts.

One can statistically prove that no other party can rival MQM when it comes to being labeled as ‘traitors’ and ‘Agents of RAW’, hell-bent to undermine Pakistan from within. the cleanup operations and ‘Jinnahpur’ conspiracy of the 90’s still rear their ugly heads in daily political conversations. the formless, free-floating speeches of Altaf Hussain, that were once paid fervent heed by faithful and ridiculed by those who didn’t have the same feelings increasingly became troublesome for the party itself. Couple of months back, folks on social media and bhai bashers relished a clip from Bhai’s address where he was enunciating in detail the trials and tribulations surrounding birth of human life.

All said done and ruminated, MQM, is one of the most organized political party of Pakistan. the party has roots, it has organizational structure, it has numbers required to bag seats at national, provincial and local level and most importantly it has resilience. the powers that be thought of pitting PtI against it but failed miserably. then quite recently, we witnessed Pak-Sarzameen Party assembled as an alternative, but the Kamal-Qaimkhani duo remained unsuccessful to sing Altaf Bhai’s swansong. nature-the ultimate

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Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively

Acute shortage of Anti-Rabies vaccine hits the city An acute shortage of life saving anti-rabies vaccine (ARV) at Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) has forced poor patients to buy it from the open market, causing tremendous hardship to them.

As many as 100 people are brought to the hospital for vaccination on a daily basis after being bitten by a dog, but ARV has not been available in the hospital for last 10 days due to a poor supply. This has caused tremendous difficulties for the people who are struggling to buy life saving drugs trying to salvage their lives. Dr Qureshi said that dog bite cases were common in the metropolitan and his hospital needed the vaccine immediately. The city’s two other hospitals, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center and the Indus Hospital, have limited stock of the vaccine while the other hospitals across the city have been facing a dearth of ARVs since last week. According to the data from various hospitals of the city, over 18,000 dog bite cases have been reported in the last seven months.

ArEEb NAvAid Karachi

Kashmir case at ICJ

The Alchemist reverberates Celebrating 32 years of glory that the only one thing that makes your dream save someone’s life”. This is because money and impossible to achieve is the fear of failure. The riches are a wayward distraction from the purfear to go in the direction of one’s truest calling, pose of life, the ultimate goal and objective of the the inhibition to not dare, not to endanger one’s journey to the self. The process alone is a reward n unrestrained glory it has been! safety and comfort zone- are all but names of an in itself. The soul searching, and an eventual Even after three decades, this book impending failure. The process, the ferment that breaking free from the worldly fetters is only afhas not lost its grip over the readers. human soul undergoes while struggling for forded to a struggler- and that is priceless. no The Alchemist is like some realities of something is a reward in itself. The heart must success beats the serenity arising from a soul that life that keep resurfacing to remind us not fear suffering because the fear of it is worse is found. At another place, the alchemist- who of our quintessential selves. This book kept re- than suffering itself. The road to a destiny is an highlights the importance of transformation, the turning in my life from time to time. I could not encounter with God. Each moment spent is a glory in change and metamorphosis- says that internalize its many profundities as an eighth moment spent in God’s presence because it is a when we better ourselves, the whole world grader. The journey of a shepherd documented plan charted out by Him that a human soul is set around us gets better. When we change, and that so beautifully and intricately is a work of pure out to achieve. we do easiest in love, the whole world strives to craftsmanship. He sees a dream and sets out on The Alchemist says, “Don’t give in to your become better. The onus of effecting change in a journey to find the treasure. The treasure he fears, if you do, you won’t be able to talk to your the surrounding is at once thrown on the shoulfinds on his way is his personal legend. He finds heart.” The ability to talk to the heart is held in ders of the individual. When a mother loves, she himself as a part of the greater force behind the high esteem here. strives to be an examworld that runs it and causes things to metamor- Only if the heart ple for her child- an exphosize and ultimately returns to that Soul of speaks, is one guided ample in patience, the World, as he calls that force. He brings in aright. All these nuforbearance, fortitude, Significant and life-changing divinity through different interactions of Santi- ances are at once exsacrifice and general ago with religious people. He traverses great plored in this quotes and lessons dot the book propriety. When a husmiles but his treasure he finds in the rundown multilayered band loves, he wants to book. like rocks in a riverbed. They hit set the bar high for his shelter of his own homeland with his flock of Heart being an evanessheep. The lesson herein is that the truest treas- cent, flickering entity wife and children to the raft unexpectedly but most ure is usually not external but internal findings, that flips from time to follow and enact. and soul searching is the key to such enlighten- time can be gauged as wondrously. Jolting and turning it When a philanthropist ing discoveries. loves, he wants to constable very seldom. on its sides. The old king tells Rarely would a book be such an impeccable But when that haptribute in a way that his mélange of romanticism and rationality. Is it a pens, it speaks to the love translates into soSantiago that you must always rational idealism or an ideal rationality, I cannot human being. That is cial improvement and decide, idyllic synthesis of the two maybe. The when it is to be heard. a ripple effect to inknow what you want present situation in our country flouts all norms “Be aware of the spire others. Love is of common sense and normalcy. With ever-soar- places where you are indeed a catapult for ing inflation, collapsing trade and local business, brought to tears. That’s getting better and betunemployment on the rise and countless strug- where I am and that’s ter. gles, one wants to escape it all but the lesson where your treasure is…where your treasure is, In comparison, where do we stand as a peoherein is not to. The present is dire, but living in there also will be your heart.” Further, it says ple? Can we get better without love? The politiit- and only in it- is the key. never was the idea “But his heart was speaking of other things. cian here does not love his fellow citizens that he of living in the present so beautifully advocated With pride, it told the story of a shepherd (San- claims to serve. The bureaucrat does not love his than it was in this book. Once Santiago is with tiago) who had left his flock to follow a dream country enough to serve it consciously. The relithe Bedouins, a camel driver tells him the im- he had on two occasions. It told of destiny, and gious cleric does not love God and humanity portance of living in the present. of the many men who had wandered in search enough to treat it right. Where is the basic founThe journey herein is not just Santiago’s, its of distant lands or beautiful women, confronting tain of human heart, love, gone? Can we be alive main character, but ours. Its search for the treas- the people of their times with their preconceived without this quintessential organ? If yes then how ure is not just his, but of all those who keep run- notions. It spoke of journeys, discoveries, books so? In my part of the world, love is seldom celening behind something or another in life without and change.” I found this to be the crux of the brated. Usually it is perceived as a weakness, as reflecting for once that the truest treasures al- message that the author has tried to put across an anathema, as some kind of a plague everyone ways lie within us; inregarding destiny, is afraid of. Why are we such an insecure nation? terred deeply within dreams, discoveries in Why have our hearts not opened up in so long? our conscience, inchlife, treasures we hold We live with tiny hearts with huge fears in them. ing ever closer as we within us and how Maybe years of intolerance, inhibition and socioIn comparison, where do struggle with an aim they (hearts) guide us. political cycles of injustice have shaped our naand an objective. As More often than not, tional conscience into becoming so repugnant we stand as a people? Can we we are in the flow of the treasure trove of and abhorrent. This book moves me to tears beget better without love? The strife with a dream we secrets, new findings cause I look at it as a stark reverse of our national forget that the ‘entire change is inside circumstances. We are as a people intolerant topolitician here does not love his and universe too is conthe human heart. It not wards love. Loving is not easy here. Legal, raspiring’ in our favor. fellow citizens that he claims to only speaks to us, but tional, ratified, and even acceptable love is not Significant and lights up our path for accepted here as a human expression of kindness serve. The bureaucrat does not life-changing quotes us. That is when we and compassion. People generally do not smile and lessons dot the must heed its call. It is they smirk. They do not exude an agreeable air; love his country enough to serve usually book like rocks in a truest then. they air critical and judgmental instead. A dose riverbed. They hit the Concisely, life is gen- of love’s antidote and some unhindered lessons it consciously. raft unexpectedly but erous to those who to nourish the soul will help salvage us from this most wondrously. Joltpursue their true call- ennui. One can only hope and pray. ing and turning it on its ing and their destiny. sides. The old king Fatima Zubair is a freelance columnist and This is the apex of the tells Santiago that you must always know what story of The Alchemist. author of the bestseller “A Child of the New Milyou want. Dreams and purpose, and the realizaThe criterion for success is never measured lennium, Stories and Essays from Pakistan”, tion of one’s destiny shape the book into an un- in the Soul of the World in terms of the result. launched in Kinnaird College for Women in forgettable saga of human victory over all Money is looked down upon as a canker, a men- 2015. She writes on international affairs, literdefeatist forces. At one place, the author says ace, because, “…it’s not often that money could ature and humanities, holistically.

Fatima Zubair

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WHILE Pakistan approaches the ICJ, it should keep in view India’s defence line. India would invoke jus cogen ‘clasula rebus sic stantibus’, things as they stand, or fundamental change of circumstances. The principle stands codified in Article 62 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. India could plead the UnO resolutions stand antiquated under afore quoted principle as Pakistan failed to pull out all its forces as stipulated by UnO. It could also plead ‘lex posterior derogat priori’, later treaty abrogates the earlier one. The principle is enshrined in Article 59 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. We better not discuss the legality of Article 370 revocation. It has been challenged by Kashmiri appellants who accept jurisdiction of India’s Supreme Court, and by corollary IHK’s assembly’s accession-to-India resolution. India’s Supreme Court alluded to Article 370 as permanent, but it never clarified what ‘permanent’ actually means. none of the Supreme Court’s decisions explicitly equated such permanence to the Article being a basic feature. Also, unlike the IHK’s High Court, the Supreme Court never mentioned any bar on the amending power of the Parliament in these decisions (SC case: Sampath Prakash and Santhosh Gupta, the IHK’s High Court’s case: Ashok Kumar’s case). Let us be cool. Keeping in view the moral credibility of our likely pleader Ben Emerson, and Reqo Diq lesson.

Fools rush in where angels dare not tread’.

KhALid MASood rawalpindi

Judge Caprio’s Court JUDGE Caprio’s court in America has gotten famous across the world because it disposes cases of traffic violations swiftly. In his court everyone regardless of their color and country of origin is treated with kindness, consideration, and dignity. Violators of traffic rules who are found guilty are fined nominal charges. A Pakistani-based American national who was charged three parking tickets was fined nothing as he was a student and thus qualified for some help, being worthy of it.The televised version of the court of Judge Caprio is termed ‘Caught in Providence’. Well, why can such cases be tried by such judges in our country? Can the services of Judge Caprio be hired for consultancy to ensure speedy and justified judgments? On the contrary, former Chief Justice was engaged himself to collect funds for building dams while thousands of cases were pending. Our judges, by watching Judge Caprio’s court proceedings, should learn something. Hope for the best. Sooner or later it would happen so in our country as well.

FAiSAL ANSAr Karachi

Don’t create problems THE recent controversy involving India, Pakistan, and the USA over the Kashmir issue is very unfortunate in the first place. I have been watching the whole news of controversy even amid my tight schedule at work.

I have been reading the problems between India and Pakistan right from my school days in the early 1990s in Tuticorin, Tirunelveli in Tamil nadu.

Of course, there have been many issues left unresolved to date. The message that something seriously bizarre has been right there in front of both India and Pakistan is clear to the whole world. I have been concerned about those inherent issues. Actually, numerous hard rules and scores of draconian regimes worldwide have stopped many interesting things from happening in the world. This having been the fact, the situation still remains the same at the world stage. As a student, I remember studying in Tamil literature and world history many curious instances of ancient mediators resolving issues between countries through great efforts and unflinching understanding. Mediation is not a [that] bad word in the world.

At the same time, sovereignty, freedom, and basic rights cannot be taken for granted. Yet, seeking help from others, that too in times of crises will only create great understanding before the resolution of core issues.

P SENthiL SArAvANA durAi Mumbai

Unemployment in Pakistan THERE is no doubt that unemployment in pakistan is too much common.Due to unemployment especially poor people are facing a lot of problems.The main problem is poverty and poverty is the main problem which is being solved in pakistan.Majority of the people in pakistan they are unemployment and they are compel,and they are working on the fields for getting their three times meals.On the other hand,Education is compulsory for getting jobs and finish the unemployment.Education plays an important role in everybody’s lives.Education develops a nation and it must not be ignore.But poor people are not getting anything.The poor people must get education and they provide jobs to the poor people.The government of Pakistan must take a serious action on it.This is a very serious problem it must be solve as soon as possible.

SAMMi GuL hAMEEd turbat

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

EU AnD UK bEGin tAlKs on post-brExit rElAtionship LONDON

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AGENCIES

ITH Brexit “done” as far as London is concerned, UK and EU negotiators on Monday begin talks aimed at forging a future relationship — while brandishing red lines that may yet prove to be irreconcilable. The discussions covering trade and trading standards, agriculture, security, transport, energy, fisheries and police cooperation kick off in Brussels under teams run by Frenchman Michel Barnier for the EU and governmental advisor David Frost for Britain.

They take place just over a month since Britain ceased to be an EU member, and are meant to wrap up by the end of this year — an exceedingly tight timeframe that few see as feasible for anything more than the barest of bare-bones accords. The UK’s current transition period, during which it trades like an EU member with no tariffs or other barriers, ends on December 31. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out extend-

ing it, though he has the option to do so.

MISTRUST: The negotiations will be clouded by mistrust and weeks of chest-beating leading up to them. Each side has accused the other of shifting away from goals set out in a nonbinding political declaration struck late last year.

Rival mandates published last week highlighted the EU’s aim of securing a “level playing field” to prevent Britain from undercutting costly European standards on labour, tax, environment and state subsidies.

Meanwhile, the UK is insisting on setting its own rules in the name of “economic and political independence”.

Barnier, in an uncharacteristic display of podium-thumping, has told Britain to fully respect the binding Brexit withdrawal treaty.

That, notably, requires checks on British goods crossing the Irish Sea into the UK territory of Northern Ireland, which remains in the orbit of the EU single market.

Johnson has insisted those checks are unnecessary. But senior British ministers and officials confirm London will abide by the

terms of the treaty.

‘POSTURING’ AHEAD OF THE TALKS: Experts say they see a potential landing zone for an agreement on future relations based mainly on trade in goods, but only if both sides give up a little ground from their political rhetoric.

“Clearly, at the beginning of any negotiation, there’s a bit of posturing. Both sides want to state the strongest possible case,” said Fabian Zuleeg, head of the European Policy Centre. The EU demand for parallel standards and the UK’s insistence on legal autonomy could be bridged in ways both sides claim as wins, they say.

But fishing — of relatively minor economic importance but of totemic significance to Britain and EU states such as France and Spain — could be the flashpoint that scuppers a deal.

Barnier has emphasised that fishing is “inextricably” linked to the whole agreement. The EU is demanding its fishing boats continue to have access to British waters in return for British fishermen being

Meet Thailand's secret weapon in climate change battle BANGKOK AGENCIES

Australian summers grow longer due to climate change PERTH: Australian summers are lengthening by a month or more while winters are getting shorter due to climate change, according to an analysis by a leading think tank released Monday. The Australia Institute said large swathes of the country were experiencing an additional 31 days of summer temperatures each year compared to the 1950s. While Sydney was just under the average with an extra 28 hot days a year, Melbourne added 38 warmer days since the middle of the 20th century. In some regional areas ravaged by bushfires in recent months, such as the New South Wales town of Port Macquarie, residents are now experiencing seven more weeks of typical summer temperatures. “Temperatures which were considered a regular three-month summer in the 1950s now span from early-to-mid-November all the way to mid-March,” Australia Institute climate and energy program director Richie Merzian said. “Summers have grown longer even in recent years, with the last five years facing summers twice as long as their winters.” Australia’s capital, Canberra, lost 35 winter days while the city of Brisbane, in the country’s east, lost 31 cooler days. Merzian said global warming was making the country’s summers increasingly dangerous, with less time in winter to carry out bushfire prevention work and extreme heat causing health and economic impacts. “Extreme heat events are the most fatal of all natural hazards and have been responsible for more deaths in Australia than all other natural hazards put together,” he said. AGENCIES

Bangkok’s future hangs in the balance.

Rising sea levels, unchecked development, groundwater extraction, and rapid urban population growth has left millions vulnerable to natural disasters — scientists warn the city itself may not survive the century.

New analysis by the Nestpick 2050 Climate Change City Index says the Thai capital could be hardest hit by global warming.

And while it is not alone facing such a threat — Venice, New Orleans, and Jakarta are predicted to be underwater by 2100 — it does have a secret weapon in its battle to negate the impact of a hotter planet: renowned architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom who preaches mindful development over mindless construction.

“We are talking life and death in this situation,” says the 39-year-old who is hoping to bring Bangkok back from the brink, as scientists warn extreme weather — flooding and droughts — could ravage the city, leaving as much as 40 percent submerged in the next decade. Kotchakorn says: “I don’t want to face it with fear. At this moment we have a chance to make change… We have to do it right now to show the coming generations that this is possible. It is not about sitting and waiting and doing the same thing.”

No one can accuse the Harvard graduate of resting on her laurels: She made her name showing how the effects of climate change can be mitigated by ensuring the issue is at the heart of city planning. She and her firm Landprocess created the internationally acclaimed Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, an 11-acre (4 hectares)

Buttigieg exits race, Biden back in contention as 'Super Tuesday' looms SOUTH BEND AGENCIES

Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay US presidential candidate, on Sunday ended his campaign to be the Democratic nominee — giving a major boost to fellow centrist Joe Biden.

The 38-year-old Buttigieg’s surprise decision was set to shake up the race this week when 14 states vote on “Super Tuesday.”

It is expected to further boost the fortunes of Biden after the former vice president scored a resounding victory in South Carolina’s primary on Saturday in the contest to see who faces President Donald Trump in November.

Biden has emerged as the chief

moderate challenger to frontrunner Bernie Sanders, the firebrand leftist who has taken the race by storm and is looking to score big wins on Tuesday in states such as crown jewel California.

Buttigieg, a military veteran and former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, addressed supporters in his home town.

“The truth is that the path has narrowed to a close — for our candidacy, if not for our cause,” he said.

Buttigieg did not mention Sanders by name in his speech, but he has publicly stated he believes the 78-year-old senator’s “inflexible” political approach would fail in a match-up against Trump.

“We need a broad-based agenda that can truly deliver for the American

able to sell their fresh catches to their biggest and closest market. That hump has to be resolved by the end of June when both sides are to get together for a stocktaking of the talks, to decide whether it is worth continuing.

‘NO PLAN B’: If no deal is reached, economic pain will be felt on both sides — but especially in Britain and in Ireland, the EU member most dependent on trade with the UK. UN economists calculate the trade hit would see the UK annually lose export revenues of up to 29 billion euros ($32 billion) in that case. The EU buys nearly half of all British exports.

Zuleeg said he was “pessimistic” about the outcome because the UK was so strongly emphasising its desire to diverge from EU rules. “It’s very difficult to see where they

space in central Bangkok, which tilts downward at a three-degree angle, allowing rainwater to flow through the flanking grass and wetlands.

Water that’s not absorbed by the plants runs down to a pond at the base of the park, where it can be stored and filtered for use during dry spells or released gradually. In cases of severe flooding, the park can hold up to a million gallons of water.

GLOBAL RISING STAR: Kotchakorn rails against Bangkok’s unchecked development — more than 10 million live in the metropolis packed with skyscrapers, factories, malls and hotels — warning that an “addiction to growth” at all costs is jeopardising its ability to thrive.

“We think about how we’re going to have more growth in our annual development… What if we shift the orientation from growth to really consider our actions on the environment, listen to the land more,” she says.

“It doesn’t mean I am against development but I want it to be very meaningful, very mindful, and at the right pace — so we don’t actually kill our future.”

people, not one that gets lost in ideology,” he said.

Buttigieg however stopped short of endorsing Biden or any other candidate. Buttigieg emerged as a major player by narrowly winning the Iowa caucuses, earning widespread attention for his unflustered and professional approach in an often bitter Democratic nomination battle.

But his third place finish in Nevada and a worse showing in South Carolina confirmed he had struggled to build a broad coalition, including support from black voters — a key Democratic demographic. Biden’s resounding victory Saturday in the first southern state to vote has thrust him back into contention, after miserable showings in the first three states.

With 48 percent of the vote in South Carolina, Biden more than doubled the 20 percent won by Sanders — positioning him as the leftist senator’s main rival.

could meet to make this work,” he said. If the British government “stick to their line there cannot be a deal”. An EU official, speaking to AFP on condition anonymity, warned however that Brussels did not have an alternative negotiating line up its sleeve.

“There is only a Plan A, no Plan B. Because Plan B is to extend the negotiations and we know the British don’t want that,” the official said. Another analyst, Jill Rutter, a senior fellow at think-tank The UK in a Changing Europe, said the fact that the EU is stressing there will be trade friction even if a deal is done, in the form of checks on goods entering the European single market, means “the benefits aren’t enormous” for Britain. Also, Johnson and his government appear ready for British businesses to bear the pain from a no-deal.

Dubai's Emirates Group sees slowdown due to coronavirus DUBAI AGENCIES

Dubai’s Emirates Group has seen a “measurable slowdown” in business due to the coronavirus outbreak and has asked staff to take paid and unpaid leave, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. Emirates Group, a state-owned holding company that counts Emirates airline among its assets, had more than 100,000 employees, including more than 21,000 cabin crew and 4,000 pilots, at endMarch 2019, the end of its last financial year.

“A particular challenge for us right now is dealing with the impact of the COVID-19,” the email to staff said, using the name of the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

“We’ve seen a measurable slowdown in business across our brands, and a need for flexibility in the way we work.” The email asked staff who have “accrued a significant balance of annual leave” to consider taking paid leave. It also said the company was offering unpaid leave to employees in non-operational roles and may offer it to operational staff. “In all cases, we strongly encourage you to take up this opportunity if you have the support and approval of your line manager,” the email said.

An Emirates spokeswoman confirmed the email had been sent to employees but declined to comment further. Emirates Group’s holdings also include dnata, which operates airport services and travel agencies around the world.

Global airlines have warned of the toll on their businesses from the coronavirus outbreak that first emerged in China in late December and has since spread to more than 50 countries.

Voice of the unknown woman: Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat KABUL AGENCIES

For a generation, Roya Sadat has been a voice for Afghan women in one of the world’s worst places to be one. One of the first female filmmakers to make her name after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, she has won plaudits at home and abroad for works such as “A Letter to the President”, and “Three Dots”, and “Playing the Taar”. She has lived through the Soviet occupation — fleeing with her family for their lives at times — endured the brutality of civil war, and then the violent oppression of Taliban rule, where women existed only in the shadows and basic freedoms were lost.

Her great fear is a return to that kind of fundamentalism: The February 29, US-Taliban deal may be a potential first step for peace in a nation that for decades has only

known war, but it offers no guarantees the few women’s rights set out in the current constitution will be upheld.

“I feel concerned when I remember how we had simply been forgotten during the five-year Taliban rule until 9/11 happened,” says the 37-year-old, adding: “If the international community approaches [Afghanistan] as an open and shut scenario and abandons us again, there will undoubtedly be grave consequences.”

Almost 39 per cent of girls go to secondary school according to World Bank figures for 2017, while USAid says that of the 300,000 students in universities, around one third are female citing figures from the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education. These figures are predominantly for urban areas but twenty years ago it would have been all but impossible everywhere. “There are many good changes happening, coming from the heart of so-

ciety,” Sadat says, but concedes there is a huge amount to be done. Afghanistan ranks last in the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security index which measures well-being and self-reliance. In rural areas, female literacy can be less than two per cent and rights are often even more constrained by conservative tradition.

ERA OF SUFFOCATION: She is not alone in fearing that the small inroads made in women’s rights may disappear — in urban centres young people have grown up listening to music, watching television, and more recently accessing the internet and social media. Many have only seen the Taliban on the news.

Sadat, who has been writing stories, poems and plays since she was a little girl, recalls how her life ground to a halt in 1996 as the Taliban rolled in.

Schools closed, women were confined to their

homes, the televisions and radios stopped playing. A precocious teenager she continued to write indoors, and read books on directing from her father’s collection.

She was allowed to work as a nurse as women could only get female medical help, and even set up clandestine cultural performances of her plays in the hospital, even though the head of it was linked to the Taliban.

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

ExpoRts REGIstER 13.6pc GRowtH In FEBRUARy: RAzAK DAwooD ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

DVISER to the Prime Minister on Commerce, Industry and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood on Monday said a 13.61 per cent surge in the country’s exports was witnessed in February 2020 as compared to the corresponding month last year.

Sharing the exports figure on his Twitter account, the PM’s adviser claimed that the country's exports had witnessed a 3.62 per cent increase during the current fiscal year as compared to the previous year. Exports worth $2.137 billion had been recorded in February this year as compared to $1.88 billion during the same period last year, he added.

“The year-on-year exports for February 2020 have increased by 13.61pc, while YoY increase in exports in CFY so far is at +3.62pc, which is commendable when compared to the export trend of our competitors. This is just the beginning, the future holds much more,” the adviser tweeted.

As per the figures shared by Commerce Secretary Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera, the imports in February 2020 had also shown a decline of 4.6 per cent as compared to the imports registered in the same month last year. The imports registered in February this year were

PAKISTAN’S TRADE DEFICIT DECREASES BY 19.67PC

$3.954 billion as compared $4.143 billion imports recorded in February 2019.

According to the fresh data, Pakistan’s trade deficit has also reduced by 19.67 per cent as trade balance recorded a reduction in deficit of $1.817 billion in February 2020, compared with a deficit of $2.2 billion in the same month last year.

Separately, in a series of tweets, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar, said that Pakistan’s exports had witnessed a double

digit growth in the month of February, whereas imports showed a significant decline.

“The YoY exports in the month of February have increased by 13.6 per cent, whereas imports have declined by 4 per cent,” he tweeted.

“Pakistan's exports are growing at a time when many developing countries, including in our region, are witnessing negative growth," he further tweeted.

Interestingly, when the exports showed a negative growth last month,

no government official had shared the data via tweets.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s export of merchandise had posted a negative growth in December 2019 and January 2020, despite payment of cash subsidies and multiple currency depreciation.

The drop in exports’ proceeds had begun since December 2019 when they fell by 3.8 per cent, while a similar quantum of decline was seen in January 2020, data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) stated.

There was no official word from the commerce adviser to explain the reason behind a decline in exports proceeds.

Contrary to the expectations, the exports entered in negative growth of 3.17 per cent to $1.97 billion in January 2020 against $2.03 billion over the corresponding month last year.

Between July 2019 and January 2020, the export proceeds’ growth lowered by 2.14pc as it stood at $13.49 billion against $13.21 billion over the corresponding months last year.

However, the country’s trade deficit came down by 28.4 per cent in the first seven months of the current fiscal from a year ago.

The decline is mainly due to a double-digit fall in imports and corrective measures of the government to slow down imports to reduce pressures on foreign exchange reserves and slump in overall demand.

MARKET DAILY

KSE 100 records 4th highest points gain since 2010 BUSINESS DESK Maintaining a bullish trend, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Monday gained over 1,000 points to cross the 39,000 mark in intraday high and conclude at 39,362.29.

The stocks began first session of the week with a bang where indices moved in an upward trajectory all the day long. The benchmark KSE 100 index gained over 1,000 points crossing the 39,000 mark, while volume improved significantly.

Optimistic sentiments prevailed following an announcement of inflation figures.

According to latest data published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), inflation clocked in at 12.40 per cent for February 2020, down from 14.60 per cent MoM in January 2020.

Among highest price decliners were tomatoes and electricity.

According to recent reports, Pakistan’s exports expanded by 13.60 per cent YoY, whereas the imports decreased by 4 per cent YoY in February 2020.

Furthermore, Bond yields fell further where three-year bond fell by 15 bps to 11.80 per cent, five-year Bond yield declined by 20 bps to 11.05 per cent and 10-year bond yield decreased by 5 bps to 11 per cent.

Gaining +1,378.67 points or over 3.63 per cent the benchmark KSE 100 index recorded its intraday high of 39,362.29 crossing the 39,000 mark. The index ended higher by +1,312.68 points at 39,296.30, thus recording fourth high-

BULLS BOUNCE BACK AS PSX GAINS 1,312 POINTS TO CLOSE AT 39,296 POINTS

est gain in points in last 10 years.

Adding 2,818.13 points, the KMI 30 index settled at 62,251.44. While, the KSE All Share index closed with a gain of 769.96 points at 27,059.34. Out of total shares traded 277 advanced and 47 declined.

Sectors adding positivity to the KSE 100 index included oil and gas explorations sector (+227.94 points), fertilizer sector (+210.60 points), and banking

sector (+173.30 points).

A total of 215,251,320 shares were traded compared to the trade 202,177,240 shares during the previous day, whereas the value of shares traded during the day stood at Rs9.066 billion as compared to Rs8.606 billion during last trading day.

As many as 371 companies’ transacted shares in the stock market on Monday, out of which 306 recorded

Xiaomi rolls out Android 10 update for Pakistani users ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Chinese electronics company Xiaomi started rolling out the Android 10 update for its Redmi Note 8 Pro smartphone in Pakistan.

Two days ago, reports surfaced that the smartphone, which had been launched last year, and had been running an older version of Android, would

receive an update globally. While the update had been ready for some time, the company chose to delay the release.

As of now, the 1.9GB Over-the-Air (OTA) update, which bumps the software version to MIUI 11 v.11.0.2.0.QGGEUXM, is being rolled out in batches and is expected to be available for all soon.

The phone features a 6.53-inch IPS LCD display and comes

equipped with a MediaTek Helio G90T processor coupled with up to 6GB RAM. The device comes with up to 128GB of in-built memory.

Moreover, under the hood, there is a 4,500mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 8 phones have been one of the company’s featured devices for 2019. These phones offer high-end specifications, including

gain and 48 sustained losses whereas the share price of 17 companies remained unchanged.

The Unilever Foods recorded the maximum increase of Rs200 per share, closing at Rs7,400 while Philip Morris Pak was runner up with the increase of Rs90 per share, closing at Rs2,428.

Sapphire Fiber recorded maximum decrease of Rs64.96 per share, closing at Rs863.04 whereas Sapphire Tex decreases Rs61.53 per share closing at Rs850.01.

Company-wise, Engro Corporation Limited (ENGRO +137.58 points), Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC +96.94 points) and Pak Petroleum Limited (PPL +85.81 points) were top point contributors of the day.

Overall volumes remained decent and were recorded at 215.25 million.

Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF +6.97pc) turned out to be the volume leader with 18.11 million shares exchanged. Followed by Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL +2.92pc) and the Bank of Punjab (BOP -3.79pc). The scripts had 15.67 million shares and 13.51 million shares traded respectively.

The BoD's of K-Electric Limited (KEL +4.53pc), in their meeting, decided that in order to consider business update and to undertake renewable energy and other projects the company would incorporate private limited company- which would be its wholly owned subsidiary- and is subject to obtaining statutory and other requisite approvals besides completing required corporate actions.

UFS 2.1, a 64MP quad-camera setup, a large battery with fast charging, and much more for an incredibly affordable price tag.

They have been running the latest version of Xiaomi’s MIUI skin for a while now, but with the long outdated Android Pie. This is about to change soon as the global variants for the Redmi Note 8 devices are about to get their official Android 10 updates. The rollout has started with the region and will soon make its way to the rest of the world.

A strange factor about this build, however, is that it says “EU”, which implies that it is an update meant for European devices, whereas the update includes a localised payment security system for Indian devices as well.

BUSINESS 11 Khushhali Microfinance Bank launches internet banking KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited (KMBL) enters the digital world in 2020 with the launch of its Internet Banking website. Customers will now be able to conduct financial and non-financial transactions on the go as per banking industry practices. Khushhali’s Internet Banking website will now allow customers to access services like secure intrabank funds transfer, hassle free bill payment (utility bills, mobile bills, insurance payments, top-ups, etc.), interbank funds transfer, mini statements, balance enquiry, and many other non-financial services from any place they like at any time of the day. The internet banking site can be accessed on https://login.khushhalibank.com.pk where users can avail the new digital banking experience from the comfort of their homes. The online service will also empower micro-entrepreneurs by providing them greater control and transparency over their daily financial transactions. Users will no longer have to interrupt their schedules to visit the KMBL branch or stand in queues to avail any services. The transition to digital banking is crucial in today’s age as it bridges the financial inclusion gap in rural and developing areas. In the South Asian region, the benefits of online banking have been especially exemplary in the last few years, as banking through internet/digital devices has connected an entire segment of unbanked population by bypassing the obstacles of traditional banking. According to McKinsey Report, Singapore is leading the race with 94% accessing their accounts over the Internet while digital banking penetration in Indonesia and Vietnam reached about 40%. With Pakistan also being significantly under-banked, KMBL is aiming to encourage the greater engagement with technology through its online banking. President KMBL, Ghalib Nishtar rejoiced at the launch of online banking, “KMBL is committed to providing its customers a smooth user experience while also imparting financial literacy skills to help improve lives.

BankIslami’s after-tax profit grew to Rs1.1bn in 2019 KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

The Board of Directors of BankIslami Pakistan Limited (‘The Bank’ or ‘BankIslami’) in their meeting held on February 27, 2020 in Karachi approved the Bank’s audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019. The year 2019 proved to be a remarkable year for BankIslami, where the Bank posted impressive financial results. On the back of an effective business strategy and widespread marketing activity, Bank’s Deposit base grew by 24% to close at Rs. 229 Bn, leapfrogging industry growth of around 10%. With an increase in source base of the Bank, total Assets of BankIslami also increased by 31% during outgoing year where funds were efficiently placed towards Islamic Financing, SLR Eligible Investments and Money Market Instruments. To strengthen its risk absorption capacity, the Bank booked accelerated provisioning on subjective basis against infected portfolio resulting in an improved coverage ratio of 85% as oppose to a coverage ratio of 72% in December 2018.

Owing to increase in Bank’s earning assets and rise in benchmark profit rates, Bank’s net spread earned registered a growth of 79% in 2019 over last year. Combined with this, improvement in cost to income ratio to 63% in 2019 from the ratio of 94% in FY18, buoyed the Bank to generate a profit after tax of Rs.1,087 Mn for 2019, which is 4.1 times higher than profit after tax of Rs. 213 Mn reported last year, Alhamdulillah. BankIslami, to boost its capital base and support the continuous growth of Balance Sheet, successfully completed issuance of Right Shares amounting Rs. 1.01 Bn during 2019; thereby increasing its paid up capital to Rs. 11.01 Bn.

EFU Life’s digital campaign ‘Humrahi’ wins at MAA Globes 2019 EFU Life Assurance Limited, the leading life insurance provider in the country, has been recognized at an international forum yet again. After winning at the Dragons of Asia Awards, with the ‘Blue dragon’ for Best Campaign in Pakistan and Gold Dragon for ‘Best Use of Media’ in APAC region, EFU Life was recognized at the 33rd Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide Awards Ceremony 2019 for its ‘Humrahi’ web series. EFU Life was conferred the Gold Globe Award at the MAA Globes Award after winning against Campaigns from Hong Kong and Russia for the top spot in Best Use of Media category. Since 1986, ‘Marketing Agencies Association Worldwide’ remains the elite results driven Global Award programme recognizing the very best Marketing Communications Campaigns from all over the world. EFU Life collaborated with media agency, Mediavest Pakistan to successfully execute the campaign thus humanizing the brand across digital media. PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

12 BUSINESS CORPORATE CORNER

Cabinet likely to freeze electricity tariff till June 2020 ISLAMABAD

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LAHORE: PepsiCo and Amal Academy collaborate to advance employability of Pakistan’s youth. The threemonth programme is anchored in developing professional skills of university graduates for them to gain meaningful employment. PRESS RELEASE

APNS confers lifetime achievement award to Bond Advertising Chairman Jamshed Qureshi and gold award to CEO Seema Jaffer. PRESS RELEASE

AHMAD AHMADANI

HE federal cabinet is likely to grant an approval to an action plan devised by the Power Division to keep the electricity tariff unchanged for next couple of months.

Sources told Pakistan Today that the action plan devised by the Power Division would be presented in the cabinet meeting that is scheduled to meet on Tuesday under with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair.

They said that the cabinet was expected to give an approval to the electricity price freezing action plan as during its previous meeting held on February 25 this year it had decided to keep the prices of gas and electricity unchanged till June 2020.

Sources said that the present tariff of Rs18.65 would jump to Rs24.47 if the government, without approving the action plan, notified the tariff for the month of March 2020 after making some adjustments in the tariff which were already due.

However, the action plan, based on sequencing the existing quarterly adjustments and rationalisation of monthly impact of fuel price adjustment and frequency of its notifications, had been developed

to keep the tariffs constant for next 18 months, sources added. Sources said that the division had already briefed the cabinet on February 25 regarding proposed action plan through a presentation to freeze the electricity prices at current level.

And the cabinet members expressed concerns that the presentation was not covering certain critical areas and lacked substantive information about the sector. It was also pointed out that the focus should have been on the operational performance of the sector including statistical evidence of improvements in detection of theft, reduction in losses, improved recoveries, etc.

Similarly, the cabinet members, in the previous meeting, also suggested that presentation to the cabinet on power should have included a comparison with the previous regime to show what tangible benefits in quantitative terms had been brought by the present government through better management.

Sharing details of the briefing, sources further informed that Minister for Power Omar Ayub Khan and Power Division Secretary Irfan Ali, while giving an overview of the cost of electricity and the power pricing regime, had said that the cost of electricity was going up and capacity had been added while the previous government deliberately confined the tariff

Economic conditions have improved as compared to past: SBP governor KARACHI APP

KARACHI: Ufone has launched the cheapest data roaming bucket for customers in UAE through which they can easily avail 1 MB for just Rs1. The 5GB roaming bucket is available for Rs5,000 and will be valid for 7 days. PRESS RELEASE

LAHORE: The Bank of Punjab has signed an Agreement with Punjab Social Protection Authority (PSPA) for the continuation of financial inclusion services for the citizens of Punjab. Under this partnership, BoP is providing its Branchless Banking Services to Punjab government’s social grant projects designed for the uplifting of underprivileged segment of society. PRESS RELEASE

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir on Monday said that the economic conditions are better in many areas as compared to the past.

The country’s economy was not in strong position back then as the reserves and exchange rates were falling.

Addressing an event of English Speaking Union held at a local hotel, he said that the economic conditions are better because of the difficult reforms undertaken, orderly exchange market and improvement of exchange rate markets are the proof.

Reza Baqir said that SBP is working on to reduction on reliance of currency. The central bank has a big agenda on digital payments and its goal is to increase manifolds the reliance on digital payments. He said that two schemes would be soon coming out, one called ‘Asaan Mobile Account’ and the other

ISLAMABAD

RAWALPINDI: Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) held annual corporate briefing for the year 2019 as a part of its best corporate governance practices. FFC has been recognised by Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as first amongst top 25 companies consecutively for 9 years attributed to its compliance of code of corporate governance, company performance and efficient management which has consistently surpassed established corporate governance standards. PRESS RELEASE

The anti-benami initiative of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has so far attached 146 benami properties worth Rs31 billion across Pakistan.

Sources said that Anti-Benami Initiative Director General Dr Bashir Ullah had shared the benami properties details with the FBR’s acting chairperson last week.

APP

‘Payment Gateway’. He said that the monetary policy committee had to increase the interest rates to control the rising inflation but the last rate hike was made in July.

Comparing the current economic situation with the previous year, he informed that the country’s reserves were down to $7 billion on balance sheet in addition to that short-term debt of $8

Benami Zone-III Karachi attached more than 100 properties worth Rs14 billion; Islamabad Zone 31 benami properties valued Rs16 billion, while Lahore Zone attached 14 benami properties worth Rs626 million. Benami Zone-III Karachi also attached agriculture land registered in different benami names.

Sources said that two to 32 acres of land in Deh Therhi was

Pakistan’s economy moving towards growth, says finance adviser ISLAMABAD APP

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on Monday said that the outlook for the economy was strong and pick up in exports and remittances were supporting growth momentum.

“In December 2019, the large scale manufacturing output expanded by 16 per cent on monthon-month basis, indicating that growth was starting to pick up,” he said while talking to a group

of television anchorpersons at his office on Monday.

The meeting was part of the finance adviser’s efforts to update the media and public on key economic policies and progress on reforms.

The meeting was also attended by MNA Kanwal Shauzab and Special Secretary Finance Omar Hamid Khan.

Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh shared updates on the recentlyconcluded second review of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by saying that the IMF

staff concluded that “all end December performance criteria were met, and structural benchmarks have been completed”.

“This has led to the IMF staff and Pakistan authorities reaching a staff-level agreement which has paved the way for the IMF board to release the next tranche of $450 million in April 2020", he added. The adviser also highlighted that the government had achieved a primary surplus of 0.6 per cent of GDP (Rs286 billion) in first half of the fiscal year 2020, first time in over 10 years.

Additional Rs120bn collected in revenue of energy sector, Omar tells Senate ISLAMABAD

billion. “We were not in the strongest position as far as our reserves are concerned,” he said.

The SBP governor said that the bank decided to reform the exchange rate system by making it a market based system.

He mentioned that since the transition to market based system, the exchange rate market has been orderly in fact the value of rupee has strengthened.

FBR attaches 146 benami properties worth Rs31bn SHAHZAD PARACHA

unchanged for almost three years starting from 2015.

Similarly, the capacity additions, exchange rate, variations, resultant capacity payment variations, positive fuel price adjustments and Net Hydel Profit (NHP) remained untreated till 2018.

Subsidies to the tune of Rs127 billion remained unbudgeted and unpaid, which included the Industrial Support Package (ISP) as well.

Moreover, the resultant tariff increase of Rs5.32 per unit to clear the back-log was thus inevitable.

However, the present government decided to spread it over a longer period of time, instead of burdening the consumers with tariff increase in one go.

The tariff determination since September 2018 reflected additions in electricity generation capacity, exchange rate (PKR/USD 105 vs 155), treatment of previously untreated capacity payments (Rs226 billion and Rs180 billion), and NHP (Rs146 billion).

The present tariff also included a subsidised slab of domestic consumers up to 300 units (single phase).

It was learnt from sources that the cabinet during its February 25 meeting had directed the Power Division to brief the cabinet on salient points of the proposed action plan regarding electricity price freezing action plan during the next cabinet meeting.

“This has been achieved through stronger revenue collection with FBR tax collection rising by over 16.5 per cent and through austerity in expenditure,” he said.

He further said that the nontax revenue collection during the first half of the FY2020 had also gone up by 170 per cent on yearon-year basis to reach Rs876 billion (Rs323 billion in same period last year) which would help reduce the build-up in debt.

“During the first two years of the current government, over Rs5

registered in the name of Shaheen Freight Services, while three to 14 acres of land in Deh Wisro Wahan were registered in the name of Shaheen Foods.

Similarly, up to 39 acres of land in Deh Kouro Phulapoto were registered in the name of Ali Murad. Benami Zone-III Karachi also attached benami land registered in the name of Ali Akbar, Landon Town Housing scheme and Pipri.

trillion in debts had been repaid to domestic and international creditors. Shaikh expressed concern over high inflation and apprised the participants on government efforts to reduce the burden on public.

He highlighted that inflation has declined in the last seven weeks and CPI inflation has declined to 12.4 per cent in February 2020, down from 14.6 per cent in January 2020 as a result of proactive measures by the government to allow imports and increase supply through utility stores.

He said that the government had doubled allocation in social safety programs under the Prime Minister’s Ehsas Programme to Rs192 billion in FY2020. However, many challenges remain particularly in resolving the energy sector challenges, he added.

Minister for Power Division Omar Ayub Khan on Monday informed the Senate that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had collected Rs120 billion in additional revenue of the energy sector in just 18 months. He said this while responding to a motion under Rule 218 regarding gas and power scarcity in the domestic and industrial sectors. Omar said that the government had started a campaign to check power theft in various parts of the country and in this regard criminal cases had been registered against 30,000 people. The minister said that about 4,000 persons had been put behind the bars for their involvement in power pilferage while hundreds of employees had been issued show cause notices for their involvement in corruption. He said that currently, there was zero load-shedding on around 80 per cent feeders. The minister further said that the government had brought improvement in the distribution system and was determined to end load shedding on the remaining 20 per cent feeders by controlling electricity theft. Omar said that the circular debt had reached to Rs450 billion during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, adding the previous governments did not enhance power tariff despite the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority’s (NEPRA) recommendations. Continued power supply to loss-making feeders resulted in the piling up of Rs200 billion in dues, he claimed. The minister said that one of the main reasons behind high circular debt was the adverse energy mix as the power sector was dependent on 60 per cent imported fuels. “We have embarked upon on a plan to reverse this by 2030,” he said, adding that the current share of renewable energy in total mix was just 4 per cent that would be increased to 20 per cent by 2025 and to 30 per cent by 2030.

NTDC energises 30-kmlong 220kV double circuit transmission line LAHORE PRESS RELEASE

In line with the System Constraints Removal Plan, the National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has successfully completed the 220 kV Double Circuit, Twin Bundle New Kot Lakhpat – Sarfraz Nagar Transmission Line IN & OUT at 220 kV Grid Station Ghazi Road Lahore. The 30 km long Transmission Line was successfully energized recently. The spokesman has said that the said Transmission Line has been linked with 500 kV NTDC Grid Station Lahore (South) and will evacuate Power from Balloki RLNG Power Plant and Coal fired Power Plant Sahiwal to Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) areas. The spokesman further said that the transmission Line will strengthen NTDC and LESCO grid system alongwith reduction in overloading and improvement of voltage profile. It will also serve as backup source for LESCO Consumers of DHA, Askari-X, Allama Iqbal Airport, Gulberg, Shalimar, Batapur, Ghazi Road and surrounding areas.

GrowinG musical culTure in our youTh

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By HAssAn sALmAn

He youth of Pakistan has embraced countless activities for their amusement and entertainment. An activity that continues to rise in terms of popularity is Music, a way of not only showcasing talent but also expressing feelings through vocals and instruments. Around the world music is seen as a way of expressing your inner self through different forms or Art. We all know that people around the world hold musicians in high regard. This can be seen from the fact that the total value of the recording industry alone was $15 billion in 2015.

It is quite evident how people globally perceive music as a source of joy and entertainment. In our society however, despite many being fond of it, very few can pursue it.

Public opinion is something that greatly affects decisions made by these individuals especially in Pakistan. Various thoughts run through the mind of these young talents. Thoughts that provoke them from pursuing their passions, Thoughts such as, “what if us singing at a crowded platform will give us labelled such as being “not good enough” or even worse, “a waste of time”.

The moment aspiring musicians will stop comparing themselves to people who they think are better than

them is the moment they will truly start to be at their best. Constantly telling yourself how someone is better than you in itself can be a huge demotivator. In addition to this, youngsters often suffer from stage fright leading to them being unable to perform at their full capabilities. Upon interview a few musicians, most of them said that most of your stage fright Although school performances

heights. The problems mostly faced are not having sufficiently qualified musicians to teach the students enrolled in schools. If students are still keen enough to pursue their passion, they’ll have to contact fancy music academics that charge a fortune for their services which a lot of young people may not be able to afford.

At prestigious institutions such as Aitchison College, music societies

and musical gigs may help the cause to a certain extent, tremendous additional work is needed because it can be said without a doubt that if proper supervision and training is provided, the talent in Pakistan can reach whole new

have been formed which provide great opportunities for their students. Selection tests are held for competitions. In addition to that , society meetings are held every alternate week to discuss their progress and any improvements

that can be made. A similar curriculum should be started in which all schools are entrusted with hiring skilled and qualified musicians that can develop and train the skills of the students. Realizing one’s capabilities after proper guidance and training automatically acts as a huge boost of confidence for someone who would previously be hesitant to perform because of “how people will judge and perceive them”.

Not only this, interested students should be given the opportunity to further their musical education by providing undergraduate as well as master’s degrees in universities.

One of the major advantages in Pakistan for musical growth includes the diverse genres such as Sufi and classical music that are enjoyed worldwide. Legends such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Ustad Amanat Ali have set the foundation of our cultural music to a whole new level. Although modern day music is also catchy, it may have has lost the spark if compared to previous musical compositions. It is our job to bring that spark back. We know for a fact that numerous extremely talented and experienced musicians are left undiscovered.

It is our job to make sure this tremendous talent doesn’t go to waste. We all have a musician hidden inside of us, it is our job to explore and refine it.

Almost 60 per cent of women would earn more if they were paid the same as men with equivalent levels of education and work hours.

Globally, women make up only 23.3 per cent of parliamentarians.

The author is a student of Aitchison College

Solo exhibition of calligraphy art painting kick starts LAHORE STAFF REPORT

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

A solo exhibition of calligraphy art paintings by the eminent artist Fizzah Zaheer Salam was started in Alhamra Arts Council here on Monday. The exhibition was inaugurated by the president of Artist Association professor Ijaz Ul Hassan and he also applauded the efforts of the artist.

As many as 100 people visited the exhibition whereas the exhibition will remain opened from 9am to 6pm till March 6, 2020.

While speaking to Pakistan Today the artist

Fizzah Zaheer Salam said, “It is my homage to "Almighty Allah" who has enabled me to produce these works on display.

Through this art of calligraphy, I am trying to reinforce the message of the Quranic script. I view my work as a gift and blessing from ‘Allah, The Al Mussawir’ whose unparalleled greatness and grandeur also serves as a source of inspiration for me to serve humanity of the Almighty.” She also said, “Calligraphy is considered the highest and most important art form of the Islamic culture. Calligraphy, without a doubt, is the most revered form of artistic expression in the Islamic World.”

Women farmers have significantly less access to, control over, and ownership of land compared to their male counterparts.

Katy Perry dubs herself a 'bridechilla'

Meghan Markle all set to walk the red carpet at the star-studded Met Gala?

Jennifer Aniston takes fans inside her Beverly Hills mansion

Katy Perry has been redefining the definition of a bride-to-be by taking a rather 'chill' approach to all of the stressful wedding planning requirements. She appears to be shifting gears on the stereotype of a bridezilla. During an interview with Stellar Magazine, regarding her engagement to Orlando Bloom, Perry referred to herself as a “bridechilla”.

“Orlando and I are united with our approach,” Perry explained.

“It’s not about the party it’s about the coming together of people who will hold us accountable when things get really hard.

Those are just the facts when you’re with someone who challenges you to be your best self.” A source close to the couple previously revealed to PeOPLe that the reason why the couple is staying “secretive” about the big day is because they both want to tie the knot in a “smaller and intimate” wedding reception.

Meghan Markle has reportedly been invited to attend the glitzy Met Gala this year, alongside Vogue editor edward enninful, according to a source. The Daily Mail quoted a source as saying that the former royal will adopt a ‘glamorous androgynous’ look for the event on March 4.

This is going to mark Meghan’s first Hollywood appearance after she bid farewell to the British monarchy on January 9, 2020.

The theme for this year’s Met Gala is on Virginia Woolfe’s Orlando, which sees its main character change sex.

“The Met Gala is for the Who’s Who of showbusiness. Naturally Meghan was one of the first names on the guest list, and edward’s team are excited that the two will go together,” the source said.

“Meghan is keen to step out occasionally without Harry so that she can establish herself once more in Hollywood,” it added.

Jennifer Aniston just gave her fans a huge glimpse inside the garden at her Beverly Hills mansion and it is beyond stunning. The Friends alum took to Instagram stories to post a picturesque snap from her garden taken at sunrise. The star's garden is lined with plants and trees for maximum privacy and is the perfect outside space for hosting, something Jennifer enjoys doing at the weekends.

“Morning Glory,” the starlet captioned the picture.

In her living room, the award-winning star has a large balcony, which looks out at the entire garden.

Jennifer Aniston has a luxurious house, which she proudly boasts as a product of her hard work of many years. earlier in an interview to Architectural Digest, the 51-year-old actress said, "It's like a big hug. People can get so distracted by static, I love the silence here”.

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

14 SPORTS

Real MadRid defeat BaRcelona in clasico to Regain top spot in la liga Madrid Agencies

R

EAL Madrid won the Clasico and might have saved their season as they ended their slump in the best way possible on Sunday by beating Barcelona 2-0 and returning to the top of La Liga.

Vinicius Junior's deflected finish and a stoppage-time goal from Mariano Diaz decided a frenzied contest at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Madrid found new life after a Champions League defeat by Manchester City had left them on the brink of crisis.

"It's been a tough week," said Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane. "We talked about how we had an opportunity this weekend and we took it."

Victory put them one point clear at the top of the table and shifts focus back to Quique Setien's Barcelona, who were outfought and, at times, outplayed.

"The reality is we lost a lot of confidence with the ball," said Setien. "We entered a nervous spell and that's when the goal came."

Lionel Messi's rasping shot was saved by Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the first half but it was the Argentine's opposing captain, Sergio Ramos, who was thrashing his arms in celebration after the final whistle.

His reaction was an indication of the importance of this victory, not only for the effect it has on the standings but on the dynamic of the title race, which had seemed to be switching firmly in favour of Barca.

OPPORTUNITY MISSED: Cristiano Ronaldo, now of Juventus, was watching from an executive box and Madrid could have done with him during a period in which they had won only one of their last five games.

Zidane said on Saturday this match would not decide who lifted the trophy in May but a Barca win and a fivepoint gap might well have been difficult to close.

Yet from the start Barcelona seemed keener to kill the game than win it, playing for time in the hope of keeping the contest tight, when they might have been better off attacking their opponents' fragility. "The Madrid we faced in the first half was one of the worst Madrids I have faced at the Bernabeu," said Gerard Pique. "I don't say it as a criticism, we also have our problems, but we've missed an opportunity."

There was more tension than creativity in the early stages as Fede Valverde crashed into Arthur Melo before fellow Spain full-backs Dani Carvajal and Jordi Alba were both booked after a disagreement. Madrid had the better of the play and regularly broke at speed through Vinicius down the left but constantly they failed to make

the final pass, with Isco once left with his head in his hands after Marcelo opted not to pull the ball back.

SLOW BARCA: Barcelona's passing was slow and their lack of urgency obvious. At one point Messi bent to tie his bootlaces and re-spotted the ball before taking a corner. But the visitors also created chances as Antoine Griezmann drove over from Alba's cutback and then Madrid had Courtois to thank for two excellent saves.

First, Arthur held off Toni Kroos to go clear but his finish was blocked by teh foot of Courtois and then the Belgian palmed away Messi's shot after he had skipped in behind Madrid's defence.

Ramos was lucky to get away with an error that allowed Nelson Semedo to break past him while Alba risked a second yellow when he checked Valverde but referee Mateu Lahoz was unmoved.

Barcelona were sloppy after half-time and Madrid should have capitalised. Instead, Isco's header beat MarcAndre ter Stegen but not Pique on the line and Karim Benzema volleyed over after a sloppy pass from Arturo Vidal. Vidal was replaced by Martin Braithwaite, Barca's emergency signing, and he sprinted in behind Marcelo twice in his first minute.

But Madrid remained in the ascendancy and in the 71st minute they took the lead.

Klopp hopes defeat fuels Liverpool's fire LiverpooL Agencies

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes his side's stunning 3-0 defeat at Watford will serve as a lesson not to let their standards slip in the final few months of the season.

The Reds are still well on course for a first league title in 30 years with a commanding 22-point lead at the top of the table. But they were beaten for the first time in 45 Premier League games and in comprehensive fashion at Vicarage Road as Ismaila Sarr's double and Troy Deeney's measured finish completed a famous win for Watford.

"Of course sometimes a little knock is important," said Klopp. "So I don't see

anything negative in it. From time to time if you are not good enough you need to see effect." Liverpool need a maximum of four wins from their last 10 games to guarantee the title but could still go on to win five trophies this season.

The Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup have already been claimed, while Klopp's men travel to Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round on Tuesday and trail Atletico Madrid 1-0 from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

"We can start again with whatever we did before, and we will," said Klopp. "We cannot say now we will react in this way or that. We have to show it in the next games." Dejan Lovren was one of those blamed by the Liverpool support for a rare defeat as Deeney relished the battle with

the Croatian international.

And Lovren is also hoping a "wake-up call" inspires Liverpool in the final stages of the season.

"Maybe it is a wake-up call for us," he said. "It can be a benefit to help us get to the end of the season.

"We know there is always an end for everything. It is here where our unbeaten run ended. We will not look at this result and think it was a bad season because of losing here. One performance won't ruin everything, but this is always a learning process.

"The last couple of games hadn't been the best performances but we won.

This one, it didn't happen. This one was like someone hit us in our faces -- and we deserved it."

seyboth Wild emulates nadal with 'golden swing' title SaNtiago Agencies

Wilder to face Fury for another rematch in July New York Agencies

Tyson Fury and dethroned world champion Deontay Wilder will stage the next leg of their fight trilogy in July at the Las Vegas venue where their rematch took place.

Wilder officially exercised his right to another fight against Fury and plan is to have it on July 18 at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, US media reported Sunday night.

"We received a letter from Wilder's team on Friday night, and we agreed with the networks and the

hotel that July 18 was the optimal date," promoter Bob Arum told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.

"We had a seamless promotion last time with Al Haymon, PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) and Fox. We look forward to working with them again." The news comes a little over a week after Britain's Fury stopped Wilder in the seventh round of their heavyweight title rematch in Las Vegas.

Despite clamor for a unification fight between Fury and fellow Briton Anthony Joshua, Wilder had been expected to exercise his contractual right for a rematch.

Wilder also said this week that he would keep co-trainer Mark Breland in his corner, despite earlier hints that he was ready to part company with Breland, who threw in the towel in the seventh round of the loss to Fury.

Breland, a former Olympic and world champion, called a halt to the rematch at the MGM Grand Garden Arena after Wilder had been knocked down twice by Fury. Fury seized the World Boxing Council heavyweight title from Wilder, 14 months after the two fought to a dramatic split-decision draw in their first meeting in Los Angeles.

Thiem's new high and Nishikori return: Tennis talking points pariS Agencies

Dominic Thiem is climbing up the rankings while Kei Nishikori is set to return to action for the first time in 2020. AFP Sport looks at this week's tennis talking points: THIEM MOVES PAST FEDERER: He may still be waiting to join the 'Big Three' as a Grand Slam winner, but at least Dominic Thiem now has the consolation of breaking the stranglehold on the rankings enjoyed by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

On Monday, Australian Open runner-up Thiem reached a career high of three in the world, knocking Federer down a spot.

The 26-year-old Austrian didn't play last week but he went past Federer when the Swiss star was unable to defend his points gained by winning the Dubai title last year.

Federer, 38, has undergone knee surgery and is not expected back on tour until the grass court season.

DJOKOVIC, NADAL STEP UP TITLE CHASE: Djokovic won his fifth Dubai title while Nadal swept to a third victory in Acapulco although both men still have some way to go to reach the all-time record. Djokovic now stands on 79 career trophies and Nadal has 85. Ivan Lendl won 94 while Federer has 103, six behind Jimmy Connors' leading 109 titles.

EMPTY FEELING ON NISHIKORI RETURN: Former world number four Kei Nishikori makes his return to the sport for the first time since the US Open last year when he leads Japan in the Davis Cup qualifier at home to Ecuador this weekend. However, due to fears over the coronavirus, the Friday-Saturday tie in Miki will be played behind closed doors.

Nishikori has been sidelined after

undergoing elbow surgery.

SABALENKA DEDICATES WIN TO LATER FATHER: Aryna Sabalenka won her sixth career title in Qatar by beating Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-3 and dedicated victory to her father Sergey who died in November.

"I just lost my dad in the pre-season and he was my biggest motivation, and I'm doing it for him," said the 21-year-old from Belarus.

CLIJSTERS STEPS UP SECOND COMEBACK: Four-time major winner Kim Clijsters steps up her second comeback by playing on a wildcard at Monterrey this week.

The 36-year-old played her first match in over seven years in Dubai last month where she was defeated by Garbine Muguruza.

Still unranked, Clijsters has been drawn to face second seed Johanna Konta in the first round in Mexico.

"I feel like with the tennis that I've been playing, I'm improving,"

she told wtatennis.com.

"I still have a good level in me.

I'm still at the stage where I feel like I need match rhythm."

LATEST RANKINGS: ATP: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 10,220 points, 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,850, 3. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 7,045 (+1), 4. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,630 (-1), 5. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,890, 6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,745, 7, Alexander Zverev (GER) 3,630, 8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,860, 9. Gael Monfils (FRA) 2,860, 10. David Goffin (BEL) 2,555 WTA: 1. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 8,717 points, 2. Simona Halep (ROU) 6,076, 3. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,205, 4. Bianca Andreescu (CAN) 4,555, 5. Sofia Kenin (USA) 4,365, 6. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,335, 7. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,301, 8. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 4,010 (+1), 9. Serena Williams (USA) 3,915 (-1), 10.

Naomi Osaka (JPN) 3,625

Brazilian teenager Thiago Seyboth Wild on Sunday became the youngest champion on Latin America's clay court 'Golden Swing' since Rafael Nadal in 2005 when he captured the Santiago title. The 19-year-old defeated second-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the final to also become Brazil's youngest ever champion at an ATP event. Nadal was 18 when he triumphed at Acapulco in 2005 when the Mexican event was still played on clay. Seyboth Wild will now rise from 182 in the world to 113 when the new rankings are released on Monday. Ruud, the world number 38, had arrived in Chile two weeks after winning the Buenos Aires tournament, becoming Norway's first ever ATP champion. "He proved that he deserved his wild card and took very good care of his opportunity," Ruud told atptour.com.

"Even though I'm not that experienced myself, I can see that he'll be around for many more years. Hopefully we can play many more finals together in the future."

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

Karachi Kings defeat Peshawar Zalmi by 6 wicKets

SPORTS 15

raWaLPinDi Agencies

The game was preceded by a cryptically morose tweet from the usually convivial Daren Sammy, implying there might be trouble in the paradise that is the relationship between Peshawar Zalmi and their tremendously popular captain. The intrigue intensified when Wahab Riaz showed up to accompany Imad Wasim at the toss, making it clear Sammy wasn't injured, "just resting". But three hours later, the despondency will have spread to the entire camp as they suffered a thrashing at the hands of a resurgent Karachi Kings, with Mohammad Amir's 4 for 25 - and two wickets in the first over - consigning Peshawar to a chastening six-wicket defeat.

Peshawar were on the backfoot from the first ball, literally. Tom Banton was slow with his footwork to an Amir inswinger from over the wicket. The ball thudded into his pads, and a review found it would hit the stumps. Amir would add Haider Ali's wicket to his account two balls later, and Aamer Yamin got rid of Kamran Akmal to leave Peshawar reeling at 10 for 3.

They'd manage a revival of sorts, but their glacial pace in the Powerplay meant they were always behind the par score on what looked like a belter of a surface. Shoaib Malik held the innings together, and indeed ensured they got to the 151 they scrambled to by the end with a vital 55-ball 68, but the power hitting that Peshawar required to put up an intimidating total proved beyond him. It was left in parts to Lewis Gregory and Liam Livingstone, but Karachi had two overs of Amir towards the end, and he continued where he'd left off, sending Gregory and Carlos Brathwaite back to the pavilion, while Chris Jor-

TODAY’S MATCHES VS 7:00 PM lahore Qalandars

KARACHI KINGS 152 FOR 4 (AZAM 70*, HALES 49) BEAT PESHAWAR ZALMI 151 FOR 8 (MALIK 68, AMIR 4-25) BY SIX WICKETS dan's priceless consistency in the death ensured Peshawar would not have momentum at the change of innings.

Sharjeel Khan fell to Hasan Ali in the first over of the chase, but any expectations Peshawar may have harboured were ruthlessly crushed with a superb partnership between Alex Hales and Babar Azam, who combined power hitting and sensible batting to forge a 101-run partnership that all but killed the game. There was still time for a mini-wobble and some panic when Peshawar struck twice in an over and Azam survived a devilishly close lbw call. But the three-time finalists had left themselves far too much to do by that point, and in the end, just helplessly watched as Karachi cantered to a win.

THE PARTNERSHIP: A partnership may simply be a term for an accumula-

tion of runs these days, but what Azam and Hales struck up at the start of the Karachi innings was a partnership in more ways than one. The pair have diametrically opposing styles but devastatingly similar end products, and the nuances were on display at Pindi Stadium. Azam's innings took time, and even when he got to his half-century, it took 44 balls. But he remained in full control of both the match situation and the Peshawar bowlers. He would stay for the winning runs, through the little tremor in the middle overs and guide them through it, ending the game in the only way that was fitting, with a majestic late cut past backward point for four.

But he was allowed to be that serene thanks to Hales' more destructive approach, evident when he carted Hasan for four boundaries in his second over,

alleviating any concerns the game could end up becoming one of those horrible, low-scoring contests that chasing sides find so difficult to win. It robbed Peshawar of momentum despite their taking an early wicket, and when the Englishman smashed Wahab Riaz for six over backward square in the fifth over, Karachi were galloping. They never looked back, and if they had, they'd find Peshawar were no longer in sight.

STAR OF THE DAY: Amir is a phenomenal T20 bowler, but let's be honest, nobody cares how good Amir is. You don't go to stadiums to watch Amir be fantastic, you go in the hope of seeing him produce the sort of magical spells he conjures up frustratingly infrequently, the ones that take you back a decade, to a teenage boy with long hair and a face that hadn't seen a razor.

ISLAMABAD: As a warm-up for Islamabad United’s (IU) next match in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) V, an event is to be held today for the team, pumping them up for the match. The event is co-hosted by Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association and Owner of Mujahid Group (PVMA) along with Unity Foods, who are also the official title partner of IU. PR

RAWALPINDI

Quetta gladiators

du Plessis back for south africa's tour to india

Johannesburg Agencies

Former captain Faf du Plessis will return to South Africa's one-day international squad for a three-match tour of India later this month. Du Plessis and fellow batsman Rassie van der Dussen were rested for a current series against Australia but both were named in a 15man squad announced by Cricket South Africa on Monday. Orthodox left-arm spinner George Linde, who made his Test debut against India in Ranchi last October, is in line for his first white-ball cap in place of leftarm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who is unavailable because his wife is soon to give birth to the couple's first child. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was unavailable because of a groin injury. Kyle Verreynne, who made an impressive international debut by scoring 48 and taking three catches in the first match against Australia on Saturday, has been retained but Janneman Malan, who failed to score on debut in the same match, was left out.

A statement from Cricket South Africa said the selections were a continuation of a search for the next generation of players who will potentially represent the country in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India. "It is a good opportunity for the players selected to put their hands up and show what they are capable of in the tough playing conditions of India," the statement said. The South African squad will leave for India following the third and final one-day international against Australia in Potchefstroom on Saturday. The first match in India will be played in Dharamsala on March 12. The second and third matches will be in Lucknow on March 15 and Kolkata on March 18.

Kohli anger as India 'completely outplayed' in New Zealand Test clean-sweep ChristChurCh Agencies

Frustrated India captain Virat Kohli criticised his team and sparred with a journalist as New Zealand won the second Test inside three days to sweep the series on Monday.

Home skipper Kane Williamson celebrated "an outstanding performance" as New Zealand, who won the first Test by 10 wickets, claimed the second by seven wickets to wrap it up 2-0.

But it left Kohli, who was caught making a foul-mouthed outburst to the crowd during day two, disappointed with his topranked side. "We were completely outplayed in this series, and obviously did not play the kind of cricket that we do play as a team," Kohli said. "We were not positive enough, we were not brave enough."

The irritation was clear from the current holder of the "spirit of cricket" award as he lost his world number one batting ranking following a string of low scores.

Kohli gave Williamson a very animated send-off in the first innings and he was caught on camera yelling an obscenity at a

group of New Zealand supporters on Sunday. But he refused to answer questions about his behaviour after the Test.

"What do you think?" he fired back at a journalist, when asked if it was appropriate conduct. "If you want to create controversy this is not the right place to be. I spoke with the match referee and he had no issues with what happened."

In the two Tests, on traditional New Zealand green wickets, India managed scores of 165, 191, 242 and 124, reflecting Kohli's low contributions of 2, 19, 3 and 14.

New Zealand are now unbeaten in their last 13 home Tests, winning nine of them, and in the past decade their record as hosts is played 39, won 20, drawn 13 and lost five.

India started the day at 90 for six and were all out for 124, before New Zealand chased down the required 132 to win for the loss of three wickets in 36 overs.

SWING ATTACK The end came quickly for the India innings as Tim Southee and Trent Boult tormented the batsmen with their variety of inswing and outswing deliveries targeting both sides of the stumps.

Hanuma Vihari was the first to fall, in Southee's second over, when he turned a legside delivery too fine and was caught by BJ Watling diving to his left.

Five balls later and with no addition to the score, India's other overnight batsman Rishabh Pant was caught behind off a Boult delivery that swung away.

Mohammed Shami was caught for five

by Tom Blundell at deep mid-wicket and Jasprit Bumrah was run out when trying to give the strike to Ravindra Jadeja, who was unbeaten on 16.

Boult and Southee signed for most of the dismissals with Boult taking four for 28 and Southee three for 36. The swing pair accounted for 25 of the 40 Indian wickets in the series.

There was enough seam and swing available for India to keep the New Zealand batsmen guessing but Bumrah and Umesh Yadav were unable to apply consistent pressure and Mohammed Shami was troubled by a sore shoulder.

New Zealand coasted through a century opening stand by Tom Latham and Blundell before losing three quick wickets.

CMYK

CMYK

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

NEWS

InflatIon slows to 12.40pc, says statIstIcs bureau iSLamaBad

t

STAFF REPORT

HE country’s consumer price inflation slowed to 12.40 per cent in February from the same month a year earlier, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) said on Monday. The bureau had recorded the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation at 14.56 per cent in January, the highest in a decade. Prices of food items such as pulses, fresh vegetables and wheat, which have been the main top drivers of inflation, saw a downward trend, the bureau said.

Pakistanis have lately been under a tough squeeze on their household budgets. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in late January kept rates unchanged at 13.25 per cent, citing strong inflationary pressures.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar on Monday also tweeted out the new figures released by the bureau, noting that the prices of essentials had decreased. “The CPI inflation rate in the country has witnessed highest deceleration in a single month for some time. It has come down from 14.6 per cent in January to 12.4 per cent in February,” he said.

The impact of food inflation was more pronounced in rural areas than in urban centres. On a monthly basis, the urban CPI recorded a decrease of 1.09 per cent while the rural CPI recorded a decrease of 0.97 per cent.

Prices of food items such as pulses, fresh vegetables and wheat, which have been the main top drivers of inflation, saw a downward trend on the monthly basis, the bureau said. The items that showed an increase in prices during the month of February are: vegetable ghee (13.15

per cent), cooking oil (10.27 per cent), sugar (8.45 per cent), mustard oil (4.25 per cent), fresh fruits (4.16 per cent), beans (3.89 per cent), butter (3.61 per cent), carpets (3.28 per cent), chicken (2.35 per cent), pulse moong (2.27 per cent), solid fuel (1.19 per cent) and pulse mash (1.14 per cent). The rate of tomatoes slashed by 60.27 per cent in the month of February alongside eggs (26.36 per cent), liquefied hydrocarbons (13.53 per cent) and electricity charges (13.48 per cent).

Other items which witnessed decline include potatoes (12.91 per cent), fresh vegetables (11.48 per cent), onions (8.79 per cent), wheat flour (5.29 per cent), wheat (3.52 per cent), pulse gram (2.34 per cent), and besan (2.33 per cent). On yearly basis, the rates of onions increased by 102 per cent, pulse moong (84 per cent), potatoes (83 per cent), vegetables (62 per cent). Gas charges rose by 55 per cent in a year.

The rates of pulse maash rose by 51 per cent, butter (43 per cent), sugar (37 per cent), ghee 34 per cent), pulse chana (24 per cent) and lentils (22 per cent). In February, the prices of a number of perishable food items reduced in comparison to January, which pulled the index down.

In the essential food items that increased in the last month included onions (102.75 per cent), pulse moong (83.59 per cent), potatoes (83.24 per cent), fresh vegetables(61.89 per cent), pulse mash (51.05 per cent), sugar (36.9 per cent), vegetable ghee (33.57 per cent), gur (33.38 per cent), wheat (29.96 per cent), cooking oil (26.89 per cent), pulse gram (24 per cent), beans (23.68 per cent), pulse masoor (21.57 per cent), wheat flour (17.36 per cent), mustard oil (15.49 per cent), chicken (14.52 per cent), meat (13.28 per cent), tea (9.66 per

toll from DelhI communal vIolence rIses to 46 as capItal remaIns on eDge neW deLHi AGENCIES

cent), fish (9.4 per cent) and rice (8.47 per cent).

The central bank had last month declared that a spike in inflationary pressure as a ‘transitory’ phenomena, saying that the headline inflation of 14.6 per cent was broadly in line with projection of the central bank.

The state bank had taken the position that they were expecting this kind of spike, cautioning that it was transitory phenomena and there was no need to change in the earlier projections. Last month, Prime Minister Imran Khan had declared that his government would provide relief to the masses by reducing prices of essential commodities and taking stern action against hoarders.

In a tweet, the prime minister had said that his cabinet would announce some drastic measures to give relief to the inflation-hit people. Following his announcement, the government had established 50,000 shops in the country where essential food items were made available at subsidised rates.

Global virus death toll tops 3,000 as second man dies in US WaSHington AGENCIES

The global death toll from the new coronavirus epidemic surpassed 3,000 on Monday after dozens more died at its epicenter in China and cases soared around the world, with a second fatality on US soil. The virus has now infected more than 89,000 people and spread to over 60 countries after first emerging in China late last year.

A second person died in the northwestern US state of Washington as President Donald Trump, who has downplayed the risk of a major outbreak, faced criticism over his administration’s preparedness. South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, reported nearly 500 new cases on Monday, raising its total past 4,000.

Half of South Korea’s cases are linked to a sect whose leader apologised

Monday for the spread of the disease.

Seoul’s city government asked prosecutors to press murder charges against him.

With fears of a pandemic on the rise, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged all countries to stock up on critical care ventilators to treat patients with severe symptoms of the deadly respiratory disease. The rapid spread of the coronavirus has raised fears over its impact on the world economy, causing global markets to log their worst losses since the 2008 financial crisis, though Asian markets rebounded on Monday.

China’s economy has ground to a halt with large swathes of the country under quarantine or measures to restrict travel.

Other countries have started to enact their own drastic containment measures, including banning arrivals from virus-hit countries, locking downtowns, urging citizens to stay home and suspending major events such as football matches and trade

Taliban resume operations against Afghan forces as partial truce ends Continued from page 01 The order comes a day after Ghani said he would continue the partial truce at least until talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban kick-off, supposedly on March 10. Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the defence ministry, said Monday the government was “checking to see if (the truce) had ended”.

“We have not had any reports of any big attacks in the country yet,” he said before the blast at the football match. The US forces in Afghanistan declined to comment. Ahead of the signing of Saturday´s deal, Washington said it expected the Taliban to maintain the reduction of violence ahead of the launch of intraAfghan talks, slated to take place in Oslo.

The Taliban´s resumption of attacks comes after Ghani warned the insurgents Sunday that he was not committed to a key clause in the Doha deal involving the release of thousands of Taliban prisoners.Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a Taliban source in Pakistan accused Ghani´s government of acting in bad faith over the issue.

The Doha deal includes a commitment to swap 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the government in return for 1,000 captives, but on Sunday Ghani said Washington had no authority to negotiate

such an exchange. “Ghani´s stand shows that the Americans hadn´t done the groundwork before signing the agreement,” the source said. According to Khost police chief Sayed Ahmad Babazai, the blast at the football match killed three people and wounded 11 more.

“A motorcycle rigged with a bomb exploded during a football match,” Babazai told AFP. Abdul Fatah Wakman, president of the Khost Football Federation, told AFP the three people killed were brothers.

Since the deal signing on Saturday, the Taliban have been publicly celebrating their “victory” over the US. Under the terms of the deal, foreign forces will quit Afghanistan within 14 months, subject to Taliban security guarantees and a pledge by the insurgents to hold talks with the Kabul government. While supporters of the accord say it marks a critical first step toward peace, many Afghans fear it amounts to little more than a US capitulation that will ultimately see the Taliban return to power.

The extent to which that happens hinges on the coming dialogue between the Taliban, the Ghani administration, and other Afghan political players.

The significant reduction in attacks due to the partial truce offered Afghans a rare opportunity to go about their daily lives without fear of violence.

fairs. In a stark example of growing global anxiety, the Louvre — the world’s most visited museum — closed on Sunday after staff refused to work over fears about the virus.

China reported 42 more deaths on Monday — all in central Hubei province.

The virus is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in Hubei’s capital, Wuhan. The death toll in China alone rose to 2,912, but it is also rising abroad, with the second-highest tally in Iran, at 54.

The United States and Australia had their first fatalities from the disease over the weekend. The WHO says the virus appears to particularly hit those over the age of 60 and people already weakened by other illnesses. It has a mortality rate ranging between two and five percent — much higher than seasonal flu, at 0.1 percent, but lower than another coronaviruslinked illness, SARS, which had a 9.5

percent death rate when it killed nearly 800 people in 2002-2003. But infections are now rising faster abroad than in China, as the country’s drastic measures, including quarantining some 56 million people in Hubei since late January, appear to be paying off.

INFECTIONS DOUBLE IN ITALY:After an increase on Sunday, China’s National Health Commission reported 202 new infections on Monday, the lowest daily rise since late January. There have been more than 80,000 infections in the world’s most populous country.

By contrast, infections nearly doubled over the weekend in Italy, Europe’s hardest-hit country with nearly 1,700 cases.

Four more people died in South Korea, taking its toll to 22. South Korea’s cases are expected to rise further as authorities test more than 260,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, a religious group often condemned as a cult, that is linked to more than half the infections. “I would like to offer my sincere apology to the people on behalf of the members,” said Shincheonji’s 88-year-old head Lee Man-hee, his voice breaking at a press conference where he got down on his knees twice to bow.

The death toll in India’s capital from riots last week between Hindus and Muslims rose to 46, officials said on Monday, a day after false rumors of new violence led to panicked calls to police in many parts of the city. The riots in New Delhi began over India’s disputed new citizenship law, which led to clashes in which hundreds were injured and houses, shops, mosques, schools and vehicles were set on fire. Tensions between Hindu hard-liners and Muslims protesting the Hindu-first policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had been building for months when the violence exploded a week ago on Sunday, the eve of US President Donald Trump’s state visit to India. Apart from a single tweet after the riots had almost ended, Modi has been publicly silent on the violence. His all-powerful home minister, Amit Shah, has accused opposition parties of inciting the riots by spreading misinformation about the citizenship law, which fast-tracks naturalisation for religious minorities from several neighboring countries but not Muslims. The reports emerging on Sunday included reports of armed groups marching in neighborhoods while chanting slogans, and houses being set on fire. The panic subsided when police reached out to both Hindu and Muslim religious leaders and asked them to help maintain calm in their neighborhoods. Police also issued statements and some lawmakers took to the streets to reassure people that the situation was normal. On Monday, India’s top court agreed to hear cases filed by riot victims accusing leaders of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party of hate speech. Some of the victims accuse Kapil Mishra, a local leader of Modi’s party who lost his Delhi state assembly seat in recent elections, of stoking the violence.

Mishra had demanded at a rally that police shut down a “Muslim-led protest” in the city or else he and his followers would do it themselves. Hours later, Hindus and Muslims fought each other with guns and swords, metal rods and axes, leaving the streets where the rioting occurred resembling a war zone. The violence had largely subsided by Wednesday, but the Indian capital has remained on edge. Most of the dead and injured were Muslims, with thousands fleeing their homes in fear.

The main opposition Congress party on Monday demanded that Home Minister Shah resign. Shah controls the city’s police force, which has been accused of aiding Hindu mobs in the clashes. Police have denied the allegations. Senior Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi protested near Parliament as party supporters demonstrated on the streets outside. Many were detained by police after they burned an effigy of Shah. Authorities are yet to provide an official account of what sparked the violence. Police spokesman Manjeet Singh Randhawa did not respond to repeated questions about how many of the hundreds of people detained in the riots had been charged.

Malaysia's new PM takes office amid economic challenges KuaLa Lumpur AGENCIES

Muhyiddin Yassin took office as Malaysia’s new prime minister on Monday, capping a week of political chaos caused by the shock resignation of Mahathir Mohamad, and as the country’s economy weakens mainly due to the spread of the coronavirus.

In a marked difference from the administration of his outspoken 94-year-old predecessor, the publicity-shy Muhyiddin, 72, made no public remarks to state media called for his first day in office. His office issued a two-paragraph statement saying he met government officials but had no plans to see any political leaders. He also visited the graves of his parents in his hometown in Johor, neighbouring Singapore, to pay his respects.

Muhyiddin, who unexpectedly fought off a challenge from his former boss Mahathir to get the top job, will have to soon hammer out deals with his new Malay nationalist alliance partners to pick his cabinet colleagues.

One of his biggest challenges would be to revive Southeast Asia’s third biggest economy that grew at its slowest pace in a decade in the fourth quarter.

It was not immediately clear if he would stick to a $4.7 billion stimulus package announced by Mahathir last week as interim prime minister to counter the impact of the

coronavirus outbreak. Malaysia has reported 29 confirmed cases of infection, with 22 already cured and discharged.

“The change of government and assemblance of a new cabinet —appointments expected soon — could delay the rollout of the stimulus measures announced by Mahathir,” said Peter Mumford of consultancy Eurasia Group. “In addition, the deterioration in relations between Muhyiddin and Mahathir means there is a risk the former replaces the latter’s appointments at government-linked companies, creating a period of uncertainty that delays investment plans.” Foreign investors dumped 1.26 billion ringgit ($300 mil-

lion) worth of equities last week – the highest in 88 weeks – as domestic political uncertainty added to worries over the disease outbreak. Muhyiddin also faces the possibility of sustained public protests, as supporters of his former political allies accused him of leading a coup to form a backdoor government.

Police said they are investigating whether participants at a rally on Sunday against Muhyiddin’s premiership, who included Mahathir’s eldest daughter Marina, had contravened a law on illegal assembly. Police have so far arrested one man and are investigating three others for social media posts that insult the king and threaten public order.

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot No 66-C, 1st Floor, 21st Commercial Street, Phase-II (Extension), DHA Karachi and printed at Ibn-e-Hassan Printing Press, Hockey Stadium, Karachi. Ph: 021-35381208-9. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk