E-Paper PDF 10th December (LHR)

CMYK

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019 I 12 Rabi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 160 I 16 Pages I Lahore Edition

PML-N refuses to ParticiPate iN ecP issue, coNstitutioNaL aMeNdMeNts g

Asif sAys his pArty will go to ‘greAt lengths if sAnctity of shArif fAmily’s residence is ViolAted’

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Violent protesters outside AVenfield residence of shArif fAmily demAnd recoVery of ‘looted weAlth’

LONDON: Protesters gathered around Sharif family’s Avenfield residence on Sunday. TWITTER

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akistan Muslim League-nawaz (PML-n) leader khawaja asif on Monday announced that his party has decided not to participate in legislation on any amendment, and on the matter of appointment of members and chief of the Election Commission in wake of the violent protest outside the avenfield residence of the sharif family in London the other day.

Warned the government that his party will go to great lengths if the sanctity of sharif family’s residence or that of any other opposition leader is violated, asif said that the protest, reportedly carried out by the ruling Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) supporters, had compelled the PML-n to rethink its decision on participating in the legislation process.

Defence Minister Pervaiz khattak had said on sunday that the CEC and members of the ECP will be appointed until Wednesday. the defence minister had said that the government had not talked to the opposition regarding the legislation for the extension of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. “the government will talk to the opposition once the detailed verdict is issued,” he said. speaking on the floor of the House on Monday, khawaja asif said that a mob attempted to attack former premier nawaz sharif. “this has never happened in the past but it would soon become a tradition if we

allow such acts to take place,” he added. asif said that his party does not want a political animosity into a personal one and will give a befitting reply if something happens to nawaz.

Continuing his criticism of the Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) government, he said that such things were introduced into the political culture during the last four to five years. “We are being given a message of war but we will not instruct our workers to stage demonstrations outside anyone’s home and i will reveal the names of those protested in London when the time comes,” he added. the former foreign minister further said that the party supremo went to London with approval from the judiciary and not with the government’s consent. taking the floor of the House after asif, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former prime minister Raja Pervez ashraf echoed the PML-n leader’s warning, saying such actions could change the politics of the country.

Federal Minister for Communications Murad saeed said the government condemned the violent protest outside avenfield flats.

He distanced the Pti from sunday’s incident, but asked asif to explain why the sharif family was living in a property that they had earlier denied of being in their ownership. saeed also accused asif and other opposition leaders of working in UaE on ‘iqama’ during their ministerial tenures. the House was later adjourned till tuesday.

VIOLENT PROTEST OUTSIDE AVENFIELD FLATS: it is pertinent to mention here that a protest was held outside the avenfield residence of the sharif family on sunday to demand recovery of “looted wealth”. according to reports, the mastermind of the protest was a certain Chaudhry tariq Mehmood, who had used Whatsapp groups to call upon people to gather outside the apartments where the former premier nawaz sharif is currently staying. according to details, around 40 protesters, led by tariq Mehmood who runs a group called ‘Pakistan Patriotic Front’, raised slogans in support of the ruling Pti and many were wearing Pti caps.

Reports claim that many of the protesters, who were present outside avenfield flats, are seen often at the Pti protests earlier, but the party’s elected body has issued a statement distancing itself from the protest.

One of the protesters can be heard shouting in the video that “some shoot him” in reference to former prime minister’s presence on the third floor in avenfield flats and slogans for taliban style bombing of the avenfield apartments were also made during the protest.

Video footage from the protest also shows at least three protesters banging the front gate in order to break down while two protesters entered premises from the side entrance and they were asked by the police to come out. in a statement, PML-n had said that the protesters, who made “violent threats”, had been reported to the police.

“Mehmood had issued violent threats of entering the property by force, which is an offence, and the police had been informed. We have also told the police that tariq Mehmood has relations with an extremist group and he is known for issuing threats to community members,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying by a local news outlet. according to a media report, Mehmood had also been linked to Musharraf’s all Pakistan Muslim League (aPML), tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (tLP), and former sindh interior minister Zulfiqar Mirza.

Last year, a few enraged demonstrators tried to enter the residence of the PML-n leaders by knocking down the door. the police were called on the sight to disperse the protesters while a number of Pti and PML-n supporters were taken into custody over their clashes.

lhc asks govt to decide maryam's ecl issue within 7 days

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NAB to move against Peshawar BRT, Malam Jabba land scam

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Arrested Awaran women released, Bnp-m leaders confirm

PM Imran urges youth to follow their passion for success g

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Pakistan wishes to see intra-Afghan negotiations for peace, Qureshi says

premier inAugurAtes pAkistAn’s first nAtionAl science And technology pArk At nust

STORY ON PAGE 03

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sindh govt approves bill to restore student unions

STORY ON PAGE 05

CMYK Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

02 NEWS

PM IMran urgEs youTh To follow ThEIr PassIon for suCCEss Premier inaugurateS PakiStan’S firSt national SayS PakiStan thrived in PaSt becauSe of itS reliance Science and technology Park at nuSt on merit and the Self-confidence of leaderS ISLAMABAD

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rime minister imran Khan on monday urged the youth to follow their passion in order to succeed while addressing an event at the NUST. The premier was speaking at the launch ceremony of Pakistan’s first National Science and Technology Park (NSTP) at NUST in islamabad. The ceremony had Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in addition to students and members of the faculty in attendance.

This was the first public appearance of Prime minister imran and General

Bajwa together after the latter’s extension was briefly halted by the Supreme Court (SC). “You are the students of Pakistan’s best university […] You have more responsibility,” he told the students in attendance. in order to develop, it is important to expect that life will take “a downward trajectory”, the prime minister said. “You should expect [setbacks]. Life always goes around in cycles, it is never a straight line,” he said. He lauded minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry for showing “passion for a ministry that no one cared about” in the past. “People said that our government did not take technological development seriously; you have made Fawad the

minister of science and technology,” he said, drawing chuckles from the minister.

“But a good captain knows which player should play on which number,” the prime minister added. He regretted that Pakistan, that was once a confident nation, had become dependent on others, “even for ideas”. “i am almost as old as Pakistan and i have seen the phase when Pakistanis were optimistic and confident. i have seen that phase as well […] We had confidence and self-belief and a major reason for it was a system of meritocracy.

The development in Pakistan during the ’60s was not due to outsiders, it was due to our own systems, our own institutions,” he added. The NSTP is Pakistan’s biggest

“innovation and research ecosystem” and its launch comes days after the inauguration of Digital Pakistan Vision.

The technology park would provide a platform for more than 40 companies, which would include start-ups as well as small-medium enterprises. it will also house established digital companies, radio Pakistan reported. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) government has laid special emphasis on the technological development of the country and has taken several steps to incorporate technology in the governance system, maintenance of law and order by launching mobile applications including the muchtrumpeted Pakistan Citizen Portal.

NAB files eighth reference in fake bank accounts case ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The National Accountability Bureau on monday filed an eighth reference in the fake bank accounts case in the NAB court. According to the NAB, the reference was lodged against alleged embezzlement in the Sindh Bank funds worth billions of rupees. more than 20 accused, including Bilal Shaikh, Tariq Ahsan and others have been named in the reference over accusations of awarding loan of worth rs.29 billion to OmNi group.

According to the reference, rs.25bn out of rs29bn still have to be repaid. A loan of rs1.184bn was granted to OmNi group via fake companies. The anti-graft watchdog is conducting investigations in pursuance of the Supreme Court’s verdict in the fake accounts case wherein it forwarded the joint investigation team (JiT) report with directions to investigate and file references. Former president Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Peo-

ECP adjourns PTI’s PETITIon for dIsqualIfICaTIon of faryal TalPur ISLAMABAD: The election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) on monday adjourned a plea seeking disqualification of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faryal Talpur as member of the Sindh Assembly. Headed by Acting Chief election Commissioner Altaf ibrahim, a bench of the commission resumed hearing of the case as lawyers representing the PPP leader and the petitioners turned up before it. Over the course of the hearing, the petitioners’ counsel sought time to file response on the petition. Granting his request, the eCP directed all parties to the case to furnish their replies on the next hearing. The acting CeC directed them to come prepared on the next date to forward their arguments in the case. At a previous hearing on Nov 5, the commission had issued a notice to Talpur to submit her comments on the petition. Two Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTi) mPAs had moved a petition in the eCP seeking disqualification of Faryal Talpur as member of the provincial assembly. They stated the PPP leader should be disqualified under Article 62 of the Constitution as she failed to declare details of her assets before the eCP, which means she is no longer ‘Sadiq and Ameen’. Talpur owned properties in Larkana and Shahdadkot, the petitioner stated. They added Talpur has been nominated in a case pertaining to billions of rupees corruption through fake bank accounts and pleaded that she be disqualified as member of the Sindh Assembly. STAFF REPORT ple’s Party Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari, his aunt Faryal Talpur, former chief minister Qaim Ali Shah, provincial minister Anwar Siyal and real estate

tycoon malik riaz are among as many as 172 accused in the fake accounts case. The former president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur are

two suspects held in dua mangi case, whisked to unknown location for questioning KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Police on monday took two suspects into custody in the kidnapping case of 20-yearold law student Dua mangi. Sources said the police team arrested the two men during raids in different parts of the metropolis. The suspects have been whisked to an unidentified location for interrogation, they added. A week after she was kidnapped in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Dua mangi had reached home Friday night.

Her father Dr Nisar mangi in a Facebook post had said: “By the grace of God and blessing of the loving people of Sindh, people of Pakistan and friends from all over the world, my daughter Dua mangi reached home safely.”

Her family members, however, declined to disclose details about how she

got back home and rejected rumours of ransom. in a statement earlier on Dec 8, the police said Dua will be quizzed about the place where her captors detained her and whether or not ransom was paid by her family to secure her safe release.

They said the police along with other law enforcement agencies have been tracing the kidnappers with the help of latest technology as they seemed to be part of a sophisticated gang and have been acting sneakily to evade being arrested.

The police officials said Dua mangi’s family didn’t keep them abreast of information in a timely manner.

Dua mangi was kidnapped from near a restaurant in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Nov 30.

The kidnappers had also shot and injured her friend Haris Fatah when he put up resistance in the jurisdiction of Darakshan police station.

ISLAMABAD: Prime minister imran Khan has said that corruption and elements involvement in corruption are enemies of country and masses as well. Addressing the launching ceremony of the anti-corruption app called report Corruption in islamabad in connection with international Anti-Corruption Day, Premier imran said that a modern and prosperous society gives great emphasis on anti-corruption. He said when corruption in any society increases, the money that was to be spent on health, education and other necessities of people transfers to the pockets of corrupt people. As those corrupt people are afraid of discovery of their ill-gotten wealth, they transfer it abroad. The Pm said corrupt countries are poor and transparent nations are rich. He referred to the example of Congo, Nigeria and other African countries which are rich in natural resources but their people are facing extreme level of poverty due to rampant corruption in their societies.

Switzerland, on the other hand, lacks natural resources but is very prosperous and rich. referring to the example of China, he said hundreds of people have been put in jails on graft charges including ministers in order to eradicate corruption from their country, adding that in Lebanon, Chile, iraq and other countries people are protesting on roads against the corruption of their rulers. He said in this day and age it is not easy to hide corruption. “The anti-corruption establishment Punjab has been successful in recovering billions of rupees from corrupt elements which need to be widely publicized,” Pm imran said and added recovered money will be spent on the uplift and betterment of people. imran Khan urged the Punjab government to widely disseminate information about the money recovered from corruption to people. STAFF REPORT

senate body seeks transfer of asif Zardari’s cases to Karachi

currently in the jail on judicial remand, while PPP stalwart’s close aides Hussain Lawai and Anwar majeed are also in judicial custody.

Doctors recommend Nawaz Sharif’s treatment in US: PML-N spokesperson ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan muslim League Nawaz (PmL-N) spokesperson marriyum Aurangzeb on monday said that doctors have suggested former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s treatment in the United States (US). marriyum Aurangzeb censured political opponents, saying that ‘mentally-ill people are running politics over Nawaz Sharif’s health so far.’ She said the government should make arrangements to provide five million houses and 10 million jobs for the nationals.

The PmL-N spokesperson detailed that an artery of Nawaz Sharif which supplies blood to the brain was blocked and doctors have advised him to receive medical treatment in the US. She added

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PM urges nation to play due role in jihad against corruption

that doctors said the medical complications could give severe results to Nawaz Sharif.

On November 29, it emerged that the former premier is unwilling to fly to the United States (US) for medical treatment, said his son Hussain Nawaz. Talking to journalists here, he said the former premier couldn’t undergo a PeT scan because of his unstable health condition. Hussain Nawaz said the PmL-N supreme leader has been at a London hospital for about four hours but his important tests couldn’t be conducted due to his deteriorating health.

He said the family has been insisting on taking the ex-premier to the US for treatment but he is not ready to go there. Besides, he added, Nawaz Sharif doesn’t want to be admitted to hospital.

ISLAMABAD: The Senate’s Standing Committee for interior on monday passed a resolution seeking transfer of Asif Ali Zardari’s cases to Karachi. The Senate body which met at the Parliament House here, converted the demand of People’s Party Senator Kulsoom Parveen into a resolution and passed it with majority vote. Senate committee for interior had taken suo moto notice about the health of former president Asif Ali Zardari, committee’s chairman rehman malik said. The senate body was informed that his personal physician was included in the medical board, malik said during the meeting. Senator Kulsoom Parveen said that Asif Ali Zardari not being treated like other people and passed a resolution seeking transfer of his case to Karachi. Chairman of the committee also condemned indian atrocities in the occupied Kashmir. The senate committee on interior in an earlier meeting also emphasized on filing a lawsuit against india in the international Criminal Court (iCC) and the international Court of Justice (iCJ). The committee was of the view that a law suit against indian Prime minister Narendra modi and others as war criminals under the rome Convention and recommended to the government to take the matter up in the cabinet meeting. STAFF REPORT

CMYK Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

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PaKIsTan wIshEs To sEE InTra-afghan nEgoTIaTIons for PEaCE, qurEshI says iStanbul moot urgeS international community QureShi boycottS indian miniSter’S to booSt inveStmentS in afghaniStan SPeech at afghan Peace moot ISTANBUL

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OreiGN minister Shah mahmood Qureshi on monday underscored the need for achieving the goal of a secure and stable Afghanistan for the economic progress and prosperity of the entire region.

He made these remarks while addressing the 8th ministerial meeting of the Heart of Asia-istanbul Process held here. Speaking on the occasion, Foreign minister Qureshi said that neither any nation could claim to have stronger and more historic bonds with Afghanistan nor any country was more desirous of peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan than Pakistan.

He added that Pakistan continued to host over 3 million Afghan refugees for the last four decades, and had been play-

ing a critical role for the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan, including by committing over $1 billion in development assistance. He highlighted the importance of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) as an important institutional framework in strengthening bilateral relations between the two sides.

The Fm underlined that recent resumption of efforts for reaching peace and stability in Afghanistan was a positive development, and expressed Pakistan’s wish to see the peace process lead to inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations. At the same time, he cautioned against the “spoilers” in view of their vested interests. He urged the international community to seize the opportunity for achieving lasting peace in Afghanistan by reaching a broad regional and international consensus.

QURESHI BOYCOTTS INDIA’S SPEECH: meanwhile, Qureshi boycotted the speech of the indian delegate in protest against New Delhi’s aggression in Occupied Kashmir which has turned the disputed region into a “gigantic prison” for millions of Kashmiris.

As soon as indian minister VK Singh opened his speech at the conference convened at Dolmabahce Palace under ‘Peace, Partnership, Prosperity’ theme, Foreign minister Qureshi rose in his seat and walked out of the hall.

Occupied Jammu and Kashmir has been under siege since August 5 when Prime minister Narendra modi’s government revoked limited autonomy for the region and clamped a curfew to stop Kashmiris’ anger from spilling on the streets. Pakistan has highlighted the indian draconian step at every international

firdous questions maryam’s plea to go abroad ISLAMABAD APP

Special Assistant to the Prime minister (SAPm) on information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan monday said in the presence of attendants in London, it was strange that maryam Nawaz had approached the court seeking permission for going abroad to look after her ailing father Nawaz Sharif.

Nawaz's brother, two absconding sons, one daughter and her father-in-law, grandchildren and a nephew, who was were related to the TT (telegraphic transfer) mafia, were already in

england to look after him, she said in posts on her Twitter handle.She said Prime minister imran Khan was determined to ensure equal implementation of law for all. His government was legitimate for the Pakistan muslim LeagueNawaz leaders it was in their favour, but for doing politics, they termed it 'bogus', she added.

The SAPm said going abroad of a convicted person to look after some ailing person was against the law of the land. Keeping in view such favourable treatment being meted out to the Sharifs, other prisoners in the Pakistani jails felt as to why they were being discriminated, she added.

Only PPP can remove a ‘selected’ govt, says Bilawal Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on monday said that only his party can lead the struggle to remove a “selected” government because they cannot be silenced and would not back down.

The PPP chief was speaking to the media after meeting with his father, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari. Speaking about his father’s health, he said that they have selected Dr Nadeem Qamar as the former president’s doctor because he is a heart specialist and his family knows him. “The government’s doctor had highlighted a heart-related ailment and we had the permission to choose just one doctor so we went with Dr Qamar,” he added.

He said that his father has told him that

the medical board’s report has yet to come and it will be presented in the court to seek bail on medical grounds. “Zardari and Nawaz’s cases are different because the former is in jail without a conviction,” he added.

Criticising the government, he said that the premier has launched an app to identify corrupt officials but the government’s app has “failed to identify corrupt officials in the federal cabinet”. He said that the government has placed an additional pressure and burden on the general public but the country can only move towards democratic values if the problems of the public are addressed. “The public does not want to watch a puppet show,” he added. NEWS DESK

uS officials misled public through ‘unwinnable’ afghan war, documents reveal WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Thousands of pages of documents detailing the war in Afghanistan released by The Washington Post on monday paint a stark picture of missteps and failures — and were delivered in the words of prominent American officials, many of whom publicly had said the mission was succeeding. After a quick but short-term victory over the Taliban and Al Qaeda in early 2002, and as the Pentagon’s focus shifted toward iraq, the American military’s effort in Afghanistan became a hazy spectacle of nation building, with a small number of troops carrying out an unclear mission, the documents show. even as the Taliban returned in greater numbers and troops on the ground voiced concerns about the American strategy’s

growing shortcomings, senior American officials almost always said that progress was being made.The documents obtained by The Washington Post show otherwise.“We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan — we didn’t know what we were doing,” said Douglas Lute, a retired three-star Army general who helped the White House oversee the war in Afghanistan in both the Bush and Obama administrations.“What are we trying to do here? We didn’t have the foggiest notion of what we were undertaking,” he told government interviewers in 2015.

The 2,000 pages of interviews were obtained through a Freedom of information Act request and years of legal back-and-forth with the Special inspector General for Afghanistan reconstruction, known as SiGAr, according to The Post.

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forum, but the world community remains unmoved to the plight of Kashmiri people. Pakistan has scaled down diplomatic relations and snapped trade ties with india in protest against the move. in September, Qureshi had boycotted the speech of indian external Affairs minister S Jaishankar at a SAArC ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

MEETINGS WITH ERDOGAN, ALICE WELLS: The foreign minister called on President recep Tayyip erdogan on the sidelines of the meeting. reiterating the historic and fraternal relations between the two countries, Qureshi conveyed the warmest and sincerest wishes for the people and the Government of Turkey on behalf of the people and the Government of Pakistan on the occasion.

The Fm also held a brief interaction with the US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Alice G. Wells, on the sidelines of the meeting during which matters relating to enhancing PakistanAfghanistan bilateral trade were discussed.

‘AFGHANISTAN IN NEED’: earlier, Turkish President recep Tayyip erdogan and his Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the conference. in his speech, erdogan called on the international community to boost investments in Afghanistan during “sensitive” times the country has been going through.

“Afghanistan has been going through a sensitive period. As international community, we need to boost the investments we have been making for Afghanistan for the last 18 years,” he added. erdogan stressed that a significant number of the problems faced by the people in South Asia were arising from outside of their borders and said that people in this region had to struggle with the negative impacts of the developments that had “nothing to do with them”. He also emphasised regional cooperation to tackle problems South Asia region has been facing. “i believe that the Heart of Asia-istanbul Process is also very useful and effective in providing regional support for peace,” he said.

04 LAHORE

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

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No let up iN city’s crime rate LAHORE

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HE Punjab police have failed to control crime in the provincial capital as proven by figures of 2019 in comparison with those of 2018, Pakistan Today learnt reliably on Monday.

A well-placed and credible source in the city police office (CPO) shared with this scribe a list of figures of heinous crimes recorded over the past five

years whereas according to the list, murders, kidnapping for ransom, dacoity/robbery with murder, robbery and gang rape cases are almost the same as those in the past year, 2018.

However, the comparative list states, “The registered cases of murder in 2018 were 493 and in 2019 (up to October) the registered cases are 366. Similarly, the cases of kidnapping for ransom in 2018 were 13 and this year these cases have a digit of 12. The cases of robbery with murder in 2018 were 28 how-

ever this year these registered cases are only 7. The registered robbery cases in 2018 were 3,704 and in 2019 the registered cases are 3405. The cases of gang rape in 2018 were 13 and this year there are 8”.

The source also revealed that the CPO is currently preparing a list of the total figures of heinous crimes in the city, “We have only the record of figures till Oct 2019. Despite the transfer postings and reshuffling of police officers from one city to other cities,

the police department has failed to control the crime rate in Lahore. Incidents of thefts, land grabbing, car snatching, gambling are increasing in the areas day by day and police are playing the role of silent spectators.”

While speaking to Pakistan Today, Additional Inspector General (Operations) Inam Ghani said, “The Punjab police is working on re-registering policy of cases. The department has given the instructions to all police officers in Punjab to reg-

ister all the cases. The PM portal, CM Portal, IGP complaint portal are also working on it”.

“Previously the people have to go to the courts for the registration of their cases but for the last four months we have improved the things and all the people are facilitating in the police stations. This could be the main reason for the steep figures. We are also working very hard to facilitate the public and surely these figures will come down very soon,” he concluded.

Woman dies after being set ablaze by husband in Jhang JHANG STAFF REPORT

A case was registered against a suspect and his accomplices after he allegedly set ablaze his wife in Ahmed Sial, a city in Jhang district, police said on Monday.

The case was registered by the victim’s parents under sections 358 and

302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) after receiving the news of their daughter’s demise.

According to the FIR, Humaira, a resident of Kabirwala District, was doused in petrol and set on fire by her husband and others on Dec 6. She sustained severe burn injuries and was shifted to the District Headquarter

Hospital. However, she died on the following day.

According to the medical report, the victim had sustained burns across 90 percent of her body Ahmedpur Sial police station SHO Mohamad Yousuf stated that officials have recorded the statements of the victim’s family. He maintained that the

police will try their best to conduct a fair investigation keeping in mind the findings of the medical report.

“The suspects will soon be apprehended,” he added.

Meanwhile, the victim’s family appealed to the Punjab chief minister and higher authorities to take notice of the incident and ensure justice for the deceased.

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engine driver dies as train crashes with dumper in sargodha LAHORE: A Lahore-bound train crashed with a dumper at a railway crossing here on Monday killing the assistant engine driver. The railway engine derailed in the incident, which caused the death of assistant engine driver Muhammad Waseem. The driver of the dumper fled from the spot after the incident. Absence of gate at the railway crossing is said to be the cause of the mishap. There are several unmanned railway crossings across the country vulnerable to mishaps due to the negligence of road users. Pakistan Railways had taken several steps to prevent accidents including up-gradation of 550 vulnerable unmanned level crossings throughout the country in collaboration with the respective provincial governments. STAFF REPORT

Khawaja brothers’ judicial remand extended in Paragon housing scam LAHORE STAFF REPORT

An accountability court on Monday extended the judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique till December 23 in the Paragon Housing Society reference.

Presiding judge Jawadul Hassan also allowed him to attend the National Assembly’s session in Islamabad. “I want to say something in the court,” Rafique pleaded in the courtroom, adding: “Trial in the open court is the basic right of every person, everyone can hear the [proceedings] of the case.”

“In my case, court reporters are not being allowed to enter the courtroom, and facts are being hidden from the general public,” he told the court. “Police [in every hearing] prevent lawyers, reporters and visitors from en-

tering the courtroom.” To this, the judge directed the police to not bar lawyers and reporters from entering the courtroom during hearings. “If you can’t provide security, then I will call rangers [for it],” the judge remarked as strict security arrangements were taken to avoid any unpleasant incident.

Earlier, the accountability court had rejected Khawaja brothers’ acquittal pleas and extended their judicial remand till October 30 in the aforesaid reference. In October this year, the court had rejected Khawaja brothers’ acquittal pleas and extended their judicial remand in the same case. NAB prosecutor Hafiz Asadullah Awan had opposed the acquittal applications and argued that there were rulings by the Supreme Court that the trial court could not entertain such appeals after the indictment. He said NAB powers were protected under Section 18(C) and 18(D) of the NAB Ordinance, 1999.

Chinese scholars, LCWA join heads to discuss matters of mutual interest LAHORE PRESS RELEASE

The first round of discussions between the Lahore Council for World Affairs (LCWA) and the visiting scholars of the China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU) was held at the Lahore Gymkhana on Monday.

The delegation of CFAU, comprising Professor Shi Yi, Dean from the Department of English and International Studies, Professor Gao Shangtao from the Institute of International Relations, and Professor Ren Yuanzhe from Department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs Management, is visiting Pakistan from December 8 to 12 at the invitation of LCWA, a Lahore- based think tank. The consulate general of China in Lahore was also represented at the discussion.

Giving his views, Ambassador Javid Husain emphasised that the Pakistan-China friendship was a source of strength to regional peace and stability besides being in the best interest of the two countries. A lively exchange of views followed two presentations and various ideas to add more substance to bilateral relations were discussed.

The afternoon session was devoted to the exchange of views on the current situation in the South Asian region with particular reference to the growing Indo-US strategic cooperation and the rise of Hindutva in India.

The Chinese side giving its views referred to the importance of peace and stability as a prerequisite for socio-economic development and expressed concern at the increasing tension in the region because of the grave situation in the Indian Occupied

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Kashmir. Implications of growing Indo-US strategic relations and possible implications for the region were also touched upon.

Ambassador Shahid Malik, the former Pakistan high commissioner to India, gave a detailed account of the deteriorating security and human rights situation in IOK, rise in Hindu nationalism in India, and its expansionist designs under the Hindutva doctrine.

The two sides exchanged views on ways to address the emerging challenges to peace and security and options for the resolution of root causes of tensions in South Asia, especially the Kashmir dispute. Later in the evening, Ambassador Javaid Husain hosted a dinner in honour of the Chinese delegation which was attended by the Chinese consul general, retired Pakistani ambassadors and other members of the social elite.

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

SiNDH govt AppRoveS bill to ReStoRe StuDeNt uNioNS UNION WILL BE MADE UP OF 7-11 MEMBERS ELECTED

BY STUDENTS OF EACH UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

He Sindh cabinet on Monday approved a proposed bill that seeks to lift the ban on student unions in the educational institutions of the province.

Approved in a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the Sindh Students Union Act, 2019 aims at activating “an effective system to provide for the establishment of students unions and regulating them in the province of Sindh”.

A ban on student unions across the country was imposed by General Ziaul Haq’s military regime in January 1984.

Nasir Jamshed set to face bribery trial in December NEWS DESK Nasir Jamshed, the banned Pakistan batsman, is set to face trial in the UK after being accused of bribing cricketers in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Jamshed and two UK nationals, Yousef Anwar and Mohammed Ijaz, were arrested in February 2017 as part of an investigation into alleged spot-fixing by the UK’s National Crime Agency. Jamshed, Anwar and Ijaz have been charged with conspiring to bribe players in the PSL to underperform. The offences are said to have taken place between November 2016 and February 2017. Anwar and Ijaz have also been charged with conspiring to bribe players in the Bangladesh Premier League, in late 2016. On Monday, all three defendants entered not guilty pleas at Manchester Crown Court. Their trial is set to take place at the same court, starting December 2. All three were granted unconditional bail and told to attend a pre-trial review hearing on September 6. In August 2018, Jamshed was given a 10-year ban by the PCB after being found guilty of five charges under its anticorruption code.

War veteran Muhammad Suleiman passes away LAHORE STAFF REPORT

1971 war veteran Lt Col Muhammad Suleiman passed away in Lahore on Monday. Known as “Suleiman the magnificent” the officer was originally from Special Services Group (SSG).

Under a challenging environment, he rescued his injured companion Major PD Khan from battlefield in the face of enemy and brought him back safely. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) expressed heartfelt grief over his demise and paid tribute to his matchless bravery.

However, they were banned in Sindh even earlier in 1979, when automatic weapons first surfaced in Pakistan, and on university campuses in Karachi and Lahore.

According to the draft bill, there will be a student union in every educational institution consisting of bona fide students of that institution. The union will be made up of 7-11 members elected by the students of each university or college.

Within two months of the enactment of this law, each educational institution will formulate its own rules and procedures for the conduct of their student union. every university or college will have at least one nominee of the elected student union in its syndicate, senate or board, according to the draft law.

The bill also binds educational institutions to constitute a committee for protection against harassment which will be gender balanced and have at least one nominee of the elected student union.

As per the draft, the student union will be a bona fide representative of the students of the respective education institution and it shall, among other things: Work for maintaining social and academic welfare of the students; ensure the rights and interests of all students are suitably represented and protected; organise such social, cultural, intellectual or other extra-curricular events which help in forming a student’s personality and make them responsible citizens; promote and strengthen relations between students and educational Institutions; oppose and bring to light any discrimination or injustice that obstructs the social and academic life of students; endeavour to make students responsible citizens,

aware of their rights and obligations towards their country as provided under the Constitution; play the role of a bridge between the students, the educational institution and its staff to further the objective of academic excellence; coordinate and liaison with elected students bodies of different jurisdictions in the country; assist the educational institution in maintaining discipline and ensure the respect of teachers as well as staff of the educational institution is not compromised; and ensure democratic and inclusive atmosphere for healthy debate that respects others’ opinions. earlier in November, the Sindh Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution that asked the provincial government to lift the ban on student unions in the educational institutions of Sindh by introducing a code of conduct that may help avoid conflict among various student organisations in the future.

Complainant must be kept anonymous in child abuse cases, says Senator Faisal ISLAMABAD APP

Senator Faisal Javed Monday suggested the need to keep the complainant anonymous in child abuse cases to encourage the parents to come forward for assistance which they avoid due to stigma attached with the issue.

He was talking to senate standing committee on Information Technology that met here with Senator Rubina Khalid in the chair to get briefing by National Response Centre for Cyber Crime (NR3C) on filming and uploading the video of child abuses on Dark web with reference to recent case reported from Rawat, Rawalpindi.

Senator Faisal Javed said that ‘Zainab Alert Bill’ that had been prepared by Ministry of Law and Justice and Ministry of Human Rights had been going back and forth and could not get passed through the senate standing committee on Human Rights.

Senator Faisal said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Zardari chaired the senate committee on Human Rights.

“Bilawal should not delay the bill which covers the lapses regarding witness laws and rape victims along with IT solutions for the cases”, he added.

He said parents of the victim were silenced by giving money which needed to be changed as it encouraged the criminals in such cases.

Senator Rubina Khalid said these escalating issues of child abuse were becoming the menace to the children.

“I have also met with the chairman of Islamic Ideology Council regarding this issue”, she added.

Another such incident happened

MoRe tHAN 800,000 WebSiteS bloCkeD oveR obJeCtioNAble CoNteNt, ptA tellS SeNAte pANel ISLAMABAD: A total of 830,000 websites have been blocked for containing pornographic content, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman informed the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication on Monday. He told the committee, which met with PPP Senator Rubina Khalid in the chair in Islamabad, that as many as 2,364 websites carrying child pornographic content were blocked on the basis of information shared by Interpol. The PTI chairman said videos containing child pornography are available on the dark web that a commoner can’t access. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials briefed the panel on cases related to child pornography saying the agency has thus far registered a total of fourteen such cases with enquires into five of them being conducted. They said they take action whenever they receive any such complaint as they can’t act on their own. The committee directed FIA to put forth suggestions for bringing amendments to the law. PTI Senator Faisal Javed asked the agency to simplify the procedure for filing of complaints against offences involving child pornography. Rubina Khalid was of the view that the poor are coerced into hushing up such cases. She stressed that there should be no room for pardoning the offenders in such cases. STAFF REPORT

in Mansehra where the victim, a 7 years old girl, was molested and thrown into the pit where she was alive for two days.

“We should be raising our voice for these incidents. A JIT must be formed on the issue as it risks the future of our children”, she added.

She stressed the need to take stern action to combat such incident as they were becoming toxic threat to the social fabric and children’s future and mental health was on stake.

Briefing the house in detail on the Rawat case, Rawalpindi Police officials told that the accused in Rawat

Case, 46 years old male namely Sohail Ayaz, was a Chartered Accountant by profession. He has been traveling across 9 countries and working with many international organizations as an accountant. He also had links with ‘Romanian Child Pornography Ring’.

The police officials informed the house that he had served 4 years in UK prison after being convicted for child pornography.

“He used to lure in young boys of age 8-15 years, mostly street vendors selling eggs or Qehwa, by offering them money or jobs and used to intoxicate them through Hash and Ice.”

NEWS

05

Court extends interim bail of Qaim Ali Shah in Roshan Sindh probe ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday extended interim bail of former chief minister of Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah in Roshan Sindh NAB inquiry. A two-member bench of the Islamabad high court (IHC), comprised of Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Kayani heard the case. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Barrister Rizwan informed the court that the bureau didn’t file FIR against Qaim Ali Shah. He said the NAB not required arrest of the former chief minister of Sindh and only an inquiry has been initiated against him. “NAB should inform (the court), if it requires arrest,” Justice Aamir Farooq remarked in a lighter vein. In earlier hearing the division bench of the high court (IHC) had approved pre-arrest bail petition of Syed Qaim Ali Shah till December 09.

Former chief minister’s counsel Qasim Nawaz Abbasi pleaded to the court that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned his client in solar panels contract case. The lawyer said that his client had only approved summary of the Roshan Sindh project and didn’t commit any irregularity. “He apprehends his arrest during the hearing before the NAB,” the counsel said while pleading for interim bail to Shah. NAB is holding an inquiry into complaints of massive corruption in Roshan Sindh project initiated by the provincial government for installation of solar streetlights across the province.

Fawad Hassan Fawad files bail petition in illegal assets reference LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Former principal secretary to prime minister, Fawad Hassan Fawad has filed a petition in Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday seeking his release on bail in assets case. Fawad has pleaded to the court in a petition that he was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in assets beyond means reference but it failed to present any evidence in support of its allegations against him. He pleaded that the charges leveled against him about owning a plaza have nothing to do with him. “I have no personal home except the government residence,” he said. “I am imprisoned in jail for last one-and-half year without any crime,” he said. “My health has deteriorated and medical treatment is not possible in jail,” he pleaded and sought the court order for his release on bail from the case. The former principal secretary to Prime Minister was granted bail by the Lahore High Court on February 15 along with former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif in the Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme case. The NAB in an early December hearing of the Supreme Court not pressed over appeal against the Feb 14 LHC order to release Shahbaz Sharif and Fawad Hassan Fawad in the housing scheme scam.

Protests erupt as India pushes for religion-based citizenship bill GUWAHATI/MUMBAI AGENCIES

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in India on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government offered a controversial bill in parliament that would give citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three neighboring countries.

Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) in India’s lower house amid raucous debate. Opposition parties stood against the proposed law that would, for the first time, create a legal pathway to grant Indian nationality on the basis of religion.

The bill was originally introduced in 2016 during the Modi government’s first term but lapsed after protests and an alliance partner’s withdrawal. It proposes to grant Indian citizenship to non-Muslims who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan before 2015.

Oppositions politicians inside parliament, and protesters in several Indian cities, said the bill discriminated against Muslims and violated India’s secular constitution.

Shah and Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which had included the CAB as part of its manifesto in the last general election, insist that it is necessary.

“In these three countries, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis and Christians, followers of these six religions have been tormented,” Shah said, before the bill was tabled after a vote.

‘LAST DROP OF BLOOD’: But protesters returned to the streets in Assam – one of India’s remote northeastern states that had previously opposed the bill – and blocked roads, burnt tyres and painted walls with slogans against the new proposal.

Student groups called for dawn-todusk shutdown in four districts of the state. Shops, businesses, educational and financial institutions remained shut and

CMYK

public transport stayed off the roads.

“We will fight and oppose the bill till the last drop of our blood,” All Assam Students’ Union adviser Samujjal Bhattacharya told Reuters, underlining the region’s resistance against migrants amid fears that tens of thousands of settlers from neighboring Bangladesh would gain citizenship.

In Modi’s home state of Gujarat and the eastern city of Kolkata, hundreds of people staged protests and marched against the proposed law.

In a statement issued on Monday, a group of more than 1,000 Indian scientists and scholars also called for the im-

mediate withdrawal of the bill.

“We fear, in particular, that the careful exclusion of Muslims from the ambit of the bill will greatly strain the pluralistic fabric of the country,” the statement said.

After going through the lower house of parliament, where BJP has a majority, the bill has to be passed by the upper house, where the ruling party enough votes. Any bill needs to be ratified by both houses of India’s parliament to become law. “Please save this country from this law and save the home minister,” Asaduddin Owaisi, an opposition MP from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party, told parliament.

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

Integrated busIness model wIn-wIn for PalestInIans and IsraelIs JerusAlem Post

aVi ZiMMeRMan and asHRaF JaBaRi

f

EW people know that Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank are working toward developing a paradigmatic economic development model of shared prosperity. All too often, the West Bank has been depicted as a region rife with conflict and war. For too long we’ve been told that Israelis and Palestinians can only operate with each other in a classic zero-sum game; that “the conflict” defines life in the West Bank and that top-down diplomacy is the only path toward making the region a better place for Israelis and Palestinians.

With all due respect to conventional wisdom, our experience as residents and businesspeople of this region has been quite the opposite. We see Israelis and Palestinians not as enemies but as neighbors; our prosperity and dignity as being the desired rhythm for everyday life; and the last quarter of a century of top-down diplomacy as an utter failure.

Ever since the Oslo Accords of 1993, various attempts at segregating our populations have resulted in limited markets and heavily regulated trade. These limitations have accumulated over time as a result of both Israel’s security concerns limiting accessibility between both populations, and the Palestinian Authority’s anti-normalization policies with Israel hampering the success and expansion of inter-population integrated business initiatives. Following the failures of diplomacy and the disappointment of unmet expectations, a groundswell of bottom-up progress is now the primary viable path forward.

The silent majorities among both populations do not value conflict. Unfortunately, our voices are rarely heard. Our innovators and entrepreneurs share an inspirational sparkle, a driving sense of purpose that conveys a readiness to overcome obstacles and take on the world. But there are circumstances when the obstacles are pervasive, when our innovators hit the same market-failure walls and the establishment systematically pushes back in what seems

like an attempt to hinder opportunities for mutual growth. All things considered, despite the obstacles, market forces are pushing for a better tomorrow, and our newly coordinated efforts are poised to bear fruit.

Every day, 120,000 Palestinians work in internationally recognized Israel and another 45,000 work in Israeli-owned businesses in the West Bank. Additionally, there are 15,000 Palestinian businesspeople whose partnerships with their Israeli counterparts are central to their business models. Recognizing this current success and the latent potential for growth, we decided to develop a new framework for measurable productivity.

In the last quarter of 2017, we co-established the Judea and Samaria (JS) Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to regional economic development. The first 12 months were focused on mapping out market failures and untapped opportunities. The following 12 months were concentrated on enlisting an initial group of 250 Palestinian businesses and 250 Israeli businesses in our

France will act in concert with India to ensure a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region

times of indiA eMManuel lenain

Ahead of assuming my post in India in September 2019, I called on President Emmanuel Macron, who briefed me on my remit: the first was to consolidate Indo-Pacific ties based on shared values and principles.

For France, as for India, the Indo-Pacific is a threefold reality.

First, a geographical reality, as civilisational and commercial ties have linked Africa and Asia through the Indian Ocean for centuries. Today there is what we may term a culture of shorelines uniting the region’s countries.

Second, a national reality, as France, like India, is an Indo-Pacific rim nation and an actor in the region. We are present through our overseas territories stretching over 4,60,000 sq km, our population exceeding 1.6 million, and our armed forces.

Third, the Indo-Pacific is above all a strategic reality, with security, economic and environmental dimensions. Not only is the region exposed to the threats of piracy and illegal maritime trafficking, terrorism and the security consequences of climate change, but it also lies at crossroads of global maritime trade and digital flows, and harbours fish stocks and energy reserves that are vital for humanity.

This multidimensional reality calls for a dedicated global approach that will enable us to preserve our sovereignty, protect our exclusive economic zones, guarantee respect for international law, and promote multilateral solutions.

The French vision of the Indo-Pacific has three pillars. The first pillar, Security, involves collectively ensuring the security and stability of this region by sharing our analyses of the maritime situation, carrying out surveillance missions, and strengthening the capacities of the region’s countries.

The second pillar, Environment and blue economy in particular, focusses on developing marine economy in a way that is sustainable and resilient to global warming.

Protecting marine biodiversity is crucial for our coastal communities.

The third and last pillar, Connectivity, aims to meet the region’s huge needs in terms of infrastructure and harmonisation of standards. This would involve strengthening transport and digital links as well as peopleto-people ties. Connectivity must be economically sustainable and respect the sovereignty of states.

We act on these three pillars and want to act with India.

We have a joint Indo-French strategic vision on the Indo-Pacific since March 2018, which has given a tremendous boost to our navies’ decadal cooperation. This has been stepped up in all aspects: information exchange through our bilateral white shipping agreement; analysis sharing, reinforced with the French liaison officer who joined IFC-IOR this very month; joint military exercises, with the increasingly complex Varuna naval exercise; and even capacity building. From this very high point, we are looking to raise the sensitivity of the information exchanged, increase interoperability, and build synergy with other actors in the region to either act with or for them.

On blue economy, France and India have much common ground, which we need to translate into further action. Last month, at a business forum in Reunion Island with regional leaders, including India’s minister of state for external affairs, President Macron urged the attendees to better seize the economic opportunities of the Indian Ocean region and enhance cooperation in the marine and maritime sectors. France is ready to work with India on preserving marine biodiversity, port-led development, and scientific research for the sustainable governance of oceans. We are looking forward to participating in the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced last month.

Connectivity will also be an important focus area in the coming years: France, the European Union and India can together promote high standards for connectivity in the Indo-Pacific.

Last but not least, multilateralism and regional integration in the Indo-Pacific is of paramount importance. We wish to act together with India in appropriate fora to pursue our joint goal of ensuring a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.

The way ahead is clear.

Given our shared principles and values, our mutual strategic trust, our excellent cooperation already underway in several domains, France and India are ready to build and develop their Indo-Pacific agenda together for the coming years. The fourth edition of our maritime security dialogue in Delhi this week will provide the next opportunities for it.

The writer is Ambassador of France to India.

shared process of economic growth. We are currently entering the third year, focused on the opening stages of implementation.

This past February, we hosted the first Israeli-Palestinian International Economic Forum in Jerusalem, where we addressed the pillar industries in the West Bank with the greatest impact potential. We also presented our Regional Development Financing Initiative, which is designed to cultivate investments in the fields of manufacturing and technology, commerce and trade, tourism, infrastructure and environmental renewal. The more we develop an integrated business ecosystem, the more predisposed our region and populations will be to succeed in each of these fields.

To be sure, domestic political obstacles continue to dominate the foreground, and businesses are held at bay. Ever since we established the JS Chamber we have been met with opposition by those who attempt to sabotage mutually productive partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians, and with threats and corruption by those who are envious of our progress.

Whereas we resort to legal action against slander as necessary, we prefer to focus our efforts on developing a healthier tomorrow.

Indeed, we anticipate measurable growth in the foreseeable future. We were well received by both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill last month where we briefed senators and members of Congress concerning our efforts. International business delegations are scheduled to visit the region on a monthly basis through the first half of 2020. A group of global businesspeople has partnered with us to incentivize our entrepreneurial ecosystem by cultivating investments for leading innovators that will be awarded at our second economic forum. And regional businesses and entrepreneurs are doubling down to turn these opportunities into measurable outcomes.

Market forces will inevitably outpace the stumbling blocks along the way. Misconceptions concerning the region will, ultimately, be set straight. And the global business community will continue to discover that Israelis and Palestinians are investing in a more productive future, side by side, day by day, to the benefit of generations to come.

Avi Zimmerman is an Israeli businessman from Ariel. Ashraf Jabari is a Palestinian businessman from Hebron who cofounded the Judea and Samaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The dark side of the Nordic model SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES MAY TOP EVERY RANKING ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, BUT THEY ARE A DISASTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Al JAzeerA Jason Hickel

Scandinavians have it all.

Universal public healthcare and education that is the envy of the world. Reasonable working hours with plenty of paid vacation.

They have some of the highest levels of happiness on the planet, and top virtually every ranking of human development.

The Nordic model stands as a clear and compelling contrast to the neoliberal ideology that has strafed the rest of the industrialised world with inequality, ill health and needless poverty. As an antidote to the most destructive aspects of free-market capitalism, the egalitarian social democracies of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland inspire progressive movements around the world.

These countries are worth celebrating for all they get right. But there is a problem. They are an ecological disaster.

You might not notice it at first glance. Their air is crisp and fresh. Their parks are free of litter. Waste collection works like a charm.

Much of the region is covered in forests. And Scandinavians tend to be environmentally conscientious.

But the data tell a different story. The Nordic countries have some of the highest levels of resource use and CO2 emissions in the world, in consumptionbased terms, drastically overshooting safe planetary boundaries.

Ecologists say that a sustainable level of resource use is about 7 tonnes of material stuff per

person per year. Scandinavians consume on average more than 32 tonnes per year. That is four and a half times over the sustainable level, similar to the United States, driven by overconsumption of everything from meat to cars to plastic.

As for emissions, the Nordic countries perform worse than the rest of Europe, and only marginally better than the world's most egregious offenders - the US, Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia. Yes, they generate more renewable energy than most countries, but these gains are wiped out by carbon-intensive imports.

This is why the Nordic countries fall toward the very bottom of the Sustainable Development Index.

We think of these nations as progressive, but in fact, their performance has worsened over time. Sweden, for example, has gone from 0.755 on the index in the 1990s down to 0.328 today, plunging from the top seven to number 143.

For decades we have been told that nations should aspire to develop towards the Nordic countries.

But in an era of ecological breakdown, this no longer makes sense. If everyone in the world consumed like Scandinavians, we would need nearly five Earths to sustain us.

This kind of overconsumption is driving a global crisis of habitat destruction, species extinction and climate change.

You will not see much evidence of this in Norway or Finland, but that is because, as with most rich nations, the bulk of their ecological impact has been outsourced to the global South. That is where most of the resource extraction happens, and where global warming bites hardest. The violence hits elsewhere.

Of course, Scandinavia

is not alone in this. Many high-income countries pose just as much of a problem.

But as we wake up to the realities of ecological breakdown, it becomes clear that the Nordic countries no longer offer the promise that we once thought they did.

It is time to update the Nordic model for the Anthropocene. Nordic countries have it right when it comes to public healthcare, education and progressive social democracy, but they need to dramatically reduce their consumption if they are to stand as a beacon for the rest of the world in the 21st century.

The good news is that the high levels of welfare for which Nordic countries are famous do not require high levels of consumption. Happiness in Costa Rica rivals Scandinavia with 60 percent less resource use. Italians live longer lives with half the resource use. Germany has higher education levels with 30 percent less resource use. Of course, wintry climates require slightly more materials, but there is still much room for improvement.

A recent study by a team of environmental scientists lays out a detailed plan for how Nordic countries could cut their material footprint by nearly 70 percent: scaling down fossil fuels, shifting to plantbased diets, retrofitting old buildings instead of constructing new ones, requiring consumer products to be longer-lasting and repairable, and improving public transportation. In Finland, scientists have rallied around similar measures as part of a call for "ecological reconstruction".

The good news is that all of this can be accomplished while improving human welfare and advanc-

ing the cause of social democracy. But it ultimately requires shifting to a different kind of economy - one that is not organised around endless GDP growth.

According to new research findings, which I reviewed with a colleague in the journal New Political Economy, it is not feasible for high-income nations to reduce their resource use and emissions fast enough to get down to sustainable levels while at the same time pursuing economic growth. More growth means more resource use and more energy use, which makes ecological objectives ever-more difficult to achieve.

Politicians talk about making growth "green" but scientists reject this strategy as inadequate. The evidence is clear: the only way to build a truly ecological economy is to stop chasing GDP growth.

The first step is to abandon GDP as a measure of progress - as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern recently pledged to do - and focus instead on human wellbeing and ecology. There is a strong scientific consensus forming around this approach. A new paper signed by more than 11,000 scientists argues that high-income nations must shift to post-growth economic models if we are going to have any chance of preventing climate breakdown.

Nordic countries can lead this transition, renewing the Nordic model for the 21st century, or they can continue to remain among the world's worst ecological offenders. They have a choice to make.

Dr Jason Hickel is an academic at the University of London and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

rightS groupS launch myanmar boycott ahead of hague genocide hearingS THE HAGUE

h

AGENCIES

UMAN rights campaigners supporting Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim minority on Monday called for a global boycott of the country, a day before genocide hearings begin at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Myanmar leader and Nobel Peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday, will defend her country’s record during three days of hearings initiated after a lawsuit was filed by Gambia in November. Suu Kyi’s office posted a picture of her arrival at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, where she was greeted by the ambassador to the Netherlands and then headed to The Hague, where the tribunal, also known as the World Court, is located.

Several demonstrations are planned in coming days in the Dutch city by Rohingya survivor groups, as well as by government supporters.

Gambia, a tiny, mainly Muslim West African country, filed the suit in which the Buddhist-majority Myanmar is accused of genocide, the most serious international crime, against its Rohingya Muslim minority.

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in 2017 after a military-led crackdown. The United Nations has said the campaign was executed with “geno-

cidal intent” and included mass killings and rape. Myanmar authorities have strongly disputed that conclusion, categorizing the military operation as a legitimate counter terrorism response to attacks by Rohingya militants that killed 13 members of the security forces.

During three days of hearings, Gambia’s legal team will ask the 16member panel of U.N judges at the International Criminal Court of Justice to impose “provisional measures” to protect the Rohingya before the case can be heard in full. Suu Kyi’s office said last month that she would lead her country’s team in The Hague to “defend

the national interest”.

REFUGEES PRAY: The Free Rohingya Coalition said in a statement it was starting the “Boycott Myanmar Campaign” with 30 organizations in 10 countries. It called on “corporations, foreign investors, professional and cultural organizations to sever their institutional ties with Myanmar”.

It said the boycott was intended to “to bring to bear economic, cultural, diplomatic and political pressure on Myanmar’s coalition government of Aung San Suu Kyi and the military”.

In the sprawling Bangladeshi camps where they now live as refugees,

Saudi gunman tweeted againSt uS before naval baSe Shooting

some Rohingya said they were praying to see justice delivered. One man read aloud to a group from a newspaper article about the hearings.

“Once Aung San Suu Kyi was an icon of peace and we had huge expectations that things would change when she came to power,” said 65-year-old Nur Alam, who said his son was shot dead by soldiers during the crackdown.

“We prayed for her, but she has now become an icon of genocide…

Shame on her.” In her tent, 31-year-old Momtaz Begum shed tears as she recalled how soldiers locked her in her house in northern Rakhine state and set fire to the roof. She escaped to find her three sons dead and her daughter beaten and bleeding, she said.

“The army killed my husband,” she said. “They raped me and torched my house, they stabbed my 6-year-old daughter in the head. Why did they kill our innocent people, our kids? Why did they torture and rape our women? We demand justice.”

Myanmar has previously denied almost all allegations made by refugees against its troops, including of mass rape, killings and arson, and promised to punish any soldiers involved in what it says were isolated cases of wrongdoing. In Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state in northern Myanmar near the border with China, hundreds of people marched in support of the Suu Kyi.

Syrian President Assad's uncle on trial in France on graft charges PARIS AGENCIES

The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is set to go on trial in Paris Monday on charges of building up a property empire in France using funds from Syrian state coffers.

Rifaat al-Assad, dubbed the “Butcher of Hama” for allegedly commanding troops that put down an uprising in central Syria in 1982, has been under investigation in France since 2014.

This year, an investigating magistrate ordered he stand trial for organised money laundering in building a 90-million-euro ($99.5-million) property portfolio in France.

But the dock will be empty: the 82-year-old accused — younger brother of Syrian ex-president Hafez al-Assad — will miss the trial “for medical reasons”, his lawyers told AFP. The trial, scheduled to last until December 18, concerns crimes allegedly committed between 1984 and 2016, including aggravated tax fraud and misappropriation of Syrian funds.

Assad, who splits his time between France and Britain, denies the charges.

Formerly Syria’s vice-president, Assad left Syria in 1984 after mounting a failed coup against his brother Hafez, Bashar’s father, who led Syria from 1971 to 2000.

After he arrived in Europe, Rifaat al-Assad’s lavish lifestyle, four wives, and 16 children soon raised eyebrows. His reported French fortune includes two Paris townhouses, one measuring 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet), as well as a stud farm, a chateau and 7,300 square meters of office space in Lyon.

He and his family built up a huge portfolio of 507 properties in Spain, valued at around 695 million euros, Spanish legal documents show. All his properties in that country were seized by the authorities in 2017.

Assad has maintained that his lifestyle was made possible by gifts from the Saudi royal family that amounted to more than a million dollars per month.

But despite documents from Assad’s lawyers meant to justify gifts of almost $25 million between 1984 and 2010, French investigators registered transfers of only $10 million from Saudi Arabia.

PENSACOLA AGENCIES

The Saudi gunman who killed three people at the Pensacola naval base had apparently gone on Twitter shortly before the shooting to blast U.S. support of Israel and accuse America of being anti-Muslim, a U.S. official said Sunday as the FBI confirmed it is operating on the assumption the attack was an act of terrorism. Investigators are also trying to establish whether the killer, 2nd Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, 21, of the Royal Saudi Air Force, acted alone or was part of a larger plot. Alshamrani, who was killed by a sheriff’s deputy during the rampage at a classroom building Friday, was undergoing flight training at Pensacola, where members of foreign militaries routinely receive instruction.

“We are, as we do in most active-shooter investigations, work with the presumption that this was an act of terrorism,” said Rachel J. Rojas, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Jacksonville. Authorities believe the gunman made social media posts criticizing the U.S. under a user handle similar to his name, but federal law enforcement officials are investigating whether he authored the words or just posted them, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Also, investigators believe the gunman visited New York City, including Rockefeller Center, days before the shooting and are working to determine the purpose of the trip, the official said. All foreign students at the Pensacola base have been accounted for, no arrests have been made, and the community is under no immediate threat, Rojas said at a news conference. A Saudi commanding officer has ordered all students from the country to remain at one location at the base, authorities said. “There are a number of Saudi students who are close to the shooter and continue to cooperate in this investigation,” Rojas said. “The Saudi government has pledged to fully cooperate with our investigation.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the investigation was proceeding under “the presumption that this was an act of terrorism”and he called for better vetting of foreigners allowed into the U.S. for training on American bases. Speaking at a news conference Sunday afternoon, DeSantis also said the gunman had a social media trail and a “deep-seated hatred of the United States.”

Xinjiang's prosperity, stability is best answer to malicious defaming rumours

BY YAO JING Xinjiang is the nearest place of China to Pakistan.

When we say that “China-Pakistan friendship is higher than mountains”, it refers to the Karakoram Mountains between Xinjiang and Pakistan. As the starting point for China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the hub area of the Silk Road Economic Belt within the framework of “Belt and Road” Initiative, Xinjiang has maintained social stability, achieved economic growth and improved lives for the people. It is in the best time for prosperity in history.

However, there are some forces and individuals in the world who neither want to see the peaceful development of China nor a harmonious and stable Xinjiang. They continue to make a lot of noises which ignore the facts, and call black white. They rudely interfere in China’s internal affairs, deliberately vilify the human rights situation in Xinjiang, slander China’s efforts in de-radicalization and combating terrorism, and try to wedge the friendly relations between China and Islamic states to undermine the prosperity and stability of Xinjiang.

Facts speak louder than words. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, Xinjiang has undergone enormous economic and social changes in the 70 years since its peaceful liberation.

In 2018, Xinjiang’s gross domestic product (GDP) topped 174.7 billion U.S. dollars, up 200-fold increase over 1952. In last year, Xinjiang’s per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents increased 101-fold and 99-fold respectively over 1978. Tourism has become an important drive in high-quality economic development of Xijiang. In

2018, over 150 million people visited Xinjiang, with an increase of 40%. Nowadays, there are 25,000 places for religious activities, including 24,400 mosques. On average, there is one mosque for every 530 Muslims. Xinjiang has a population of 25 million, the minority population accounts for 59.9% of the total population. The people of all ethnic groups hold together like pomegranate seeds, cherishing national unity as much as their own lives.

Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, ethnicity or religion, but about fighting violence, terrorism and separatism. Previously, Xinjiang suffered gravely from extremism, violence and terrorism. From the 1990s to 2016, China’s Xinjiang, under the combined influence of separatists, religious extremists and terrorists, has suffered from thousands of violent terrorist attacks, with a large number of innocent civilians and police being killed. Those terrorist attacks are detrimental to the life and property of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang and have trampled on people’s dignity, and they have gravely hampered the social and economic development in Xinjiang. On July 5th, 2009, the domestic and foreign terrorist forces of “East Turkistan Movement”, organized and implemented a serious violent crime involving smashing and burning in Urumqi, killed 197 people and injuring more than 1,700, including Muslims, which shocked the whole China and the world.

Faced with severe circumstances, the government of Xinjiang Autonomous Region lawfully fought violent and terrorist crimes while addressing the root causes and actively promoting the de-radicalization work, including the establishment of the vocational education and training centers in Xin-

jiang. Its aim is to help those people who are “brainwashed” by violent and extreme thoughts to get rid of the influence of terrorism and extremism, as well as to improve their vocational skills, which has nothing to do with the so-called ” concentration camps”.

It is also fully in line with the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism. Thanks to those efforts, Xinjiang hasn’t seen a single terrorist attack over the past three years. Those endeavors are endorsed by all 25 million people of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang. It is also China’s contribution to the global counter-terrorism cause.

China is a country under the rule of law. The fight against terrorism and de-radicalization in Xinjiang is in line with the spirit and requirements of the rule of law, the purposes and principles of the United Nations in fighting terrorism and safeguarding basic human rights. The international community speaks highly of China’s Xinjiang policy. Since

the end of 2018, over 1,000 representatives have visited Xinjiang in more than 70 groups, including officials from the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan and various countries, regions and international organizations, and people from the press, religious groups and the academic circle. Through field visits, they saw that Xinjiang is not only beautiful, but also very safe.

They acclaimed that Xinjiang’s experience in counter-terrorism and de-radicalization was worth learning from. In March this year, the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC adopted a resolution which commended China’s efforts in providing care to Muslim citizen. In July, ambassadors of over 50 countries to the UN Office at Geneva co-signed a letter to the president of the UN Human Rights Council and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, applauding China’s respect and protection of human rights in its counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts. In October, at the Third Committee session of the 74th UNGA, more than 60 countries commended in their statements the tremendous human rights progress achieved in Xinjiang, China.

The Chinese government and people are fully determined in safeguarding China’s national sovereignty, security, and development interests. China welcomes foreigners with an objective vision to visit Xinjiang, to give true pictures of Xinjiang’s prosperity and development in an objective voice.

Lies can never erase the truths. We firmly believe that the prosperity and stability in Xinjiang is the best answer to any malicious defaming rumors!

The writer is China’s ambassador to Pakistan

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

08 COMMENT

Not Misbah’s fault

Joining hands to deliver Need to bring detained MNAs to the House

It’s probably in ours stars

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he government-opposition mudfest continues as usual. PtI supporters gathered outside Avenfield apartments asking for Nawaz Sharif’s head, law or no law. Maulana Fazlur Rehman told a Peshawar rally that PM Imran Khan has turned Pakistan into another Peshawar BRt, a masterpiece of PtI’s inefficiency. there is no doubt that both the PPP and PML-N want the PM out. In a London press conference on Sunday PML-N Sec Gen Ahsan Iqbal wanted a jointly agreed interim setup for two months with an aim to make preparations for mid-term elections. the PtI has strongly opposed the idea.

Differences apart, there are important tasks that need to be jointly undertaken by the government and opposition to sustain the system, the currently most important one being making the election Commission functional by appointing the Chief election Commissioner and two members of the election Commission. While sending back the dispute to the Parliament, the IhC had given it till December 16 to fill the three posts. Unless the Parliament performs its job, there would be a constitutional crisis over the issue.

What is more, this would raise questions in the common man’s mind about the politician’s ability to deliver. the way the government and opposition have taken political issues to the courts, thus ceding their turf, has not raised the image of the mainstream parties. to sort out the important issue there has to an understanding between the treasury benches and the opposition. As things stand despite being in session since December 4, the NA has not been able to transact most of its business due to protests and walkouts which have added to acrimony. What the opposition demands is the presence of its detained leaders to participate in the NA proceedings for which they were elected. With the two PPP MNAs currently in hospitals, it is a matter of issuing production orders for only three PML-N MNAs. Defence Minister Pervez Khattak hopes that the issue of the appointment of CeC and two members of the eC would be finalised by Wednesday. his task would become easier if he could get not only the production orders for the three but also their implementation.

Rupee climbs But so does debt

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t has been a rough ride for the PtI government in terms of the economic issues it has had to face. the slide of the rupee against the US dollar, record inflation, rising interest rates and the general slowdown in economic activity leading to joblessness are all difficult-to-defend realities. Recently, however, there have been some positives. International rating agency Moody’s raised Pakistan’s outlook to ‘stable’ while still maintaining a credit rating of B3 which is essentially a ‘junk rating’. the approval of the IMF programme earlier this year has opened other doors with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) providing a $1.3 billion loan package for ‘immediate budgetary support’. the rupee, hit a five-month high against the dollar this week owing to the increase in foreign inflows, better foreign exchange reserve figures and a generally positive market sentiment. these relative successes are however based on shaky ground. the support to the foreign exchange reserves is primarily on the back of borrowed dollars rather than significant export proceeds or FDI. Foreign inflows are being parked in government debt, close to $1.8 billion so far, which is only ‘hot money’ as investors take advantage of the 13.25% discount rate- it will leave the country as soon as there is some other market offering better, more attractive returns. Domestic revenue is also problematic with the FBR all set to yet again miss its quarterly tax target almost certifying that the massive Rs5.5 trillion annual target cannot realistically be met.

All these minor wins are therefore temporary and no matter how much the government attempts to market these as permanent major wins, it will fail. this is because politically speaking there is not much mileage to be gained as there will be no immediate let up in the issues facing the majority of the populace, still unable to make ends meet due to crippling inflation and unemployment. It would be advisable for the PtI not to start patting themselves on the back just yet, rather realise how far victory really is and what all needs to be done to achieve it. the focus should not be on qualifying for more loans, rather becoming self-sufficient to the extent that loans are no longer necessary. this was after all the promise of the party of change.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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haSaN aFTaB SaEED

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AKIStAN has suffered yet another clean sweep Down Under. this was the first overseas tour under Misbahul-haq. In all fairness, considering past tours of Australia, the result would likely have been the same with or without Misbah at the helm. Misbah has only recently taken charge of the team. And he wasn’t particularly helped by the selection of the team either, but again it was his first time as the chief-selector as well, so it would be unfair to blame him for the whitewash. Some people are making a big deal out of Pakistan’s No. 1 ranking in t20Is, but that’s neither here nor there, for before the Aussie tour Pakistan had also lost to a depleted Sri Lankan team at home, which was Misbah’s very first assignment as a coach.

Misbah finds himself in the unenviable position of having to fill big shoes. As chief selector he replaces Inzamam-ul-haq (shoe size 11), and as head-coach Mickey Arthur, who is also a big man. the good news is that Misbah never shirked a challenge. Just recall how he managed to land his current jobs. he was one of the members of the PCB cricket committee that evaluated the performance of Arthur and that finally recommended not extending his contract. having done so, he promptly applied for the now-vacant position, successfully.

Some people have pointed out that there’s a conflict of interest here, an issue that warrants a flashback to 2013.

In November of that year, Misbah, as captain of the national team, had appeared for a tV interview with Najam Sethi, on the latter’s programme Aapas Ki Baat. Sethi was, of course, donning his journalist hat during the programme; but being the PCB chief at the time, he happened to be Misbah’s boss as well. I remember watching the interview with a very opinionated friend about whom it would be difficult to say whether he is a bigger fan of Misbah or Sethi (it takes all sorts to make a world). I had remarked how Sethi could have missed the obvious conflict of interest involved. My friend had responded to this in these golden words (which I quote verbatim): ‘I fail to see any conflict of interest.’ I remember telling him that if he didn’t see a conflict of interest then, he will never see one in his life. of course, I wasn’t the only one who thought the programme should never have been aired. Many people in the media asked the same question, and this is how Sethi responded to all the criticism: ‘I don’t see anything wrong in this. Some perennial naysayers say there is a conflict of interest. I say this was in the public interest.’ Misbah would be more than justified to dismiss any conflict of interest allegation – in public interest, of course.

Misbah flowered relatively late in life. It appears that luck, which wasn’t on his side in his youth, started favouring him more and more as he aged. In 2010, when he was out of the team in all formats, he was tempted to burn his cricket equipment. Fatefully, he resisted the urge. In the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal, he made a comeback, as test captain. Soon after playing a particularly selfish and typically tuktuk innings in the World Cup semi-final against India (which contributed significantly to the defeat) he was offered oDI captaincy as well, which he accepted gleefully. And why not? For Misbah is all about maximising potential. he wasn’t done after retirement either, for he succeeded in becoming the national coach with

zero experience of coaching even a school side.

All fears of Misbah being overstretched by being chief selector, head coach and batting coach all at the same time should have been laid to rest by his accepting a fourth responsibility as the coach of Islamabad United in the PSL competition. those who still have doubts obviously don’t know Misbah. his plate is never full: in addition to admirably discharging his four duties, he probably will have time to compose and sing the official song for the upcoming PSL season (if required) and still have ample time left to ensure that nobody ever sees one grey hair in his beard. As for the conflict of interest in coaching Islamabad and the national team simultaneously, we have already seen that that’s a worry only when it comes to ordinary mortals. there’s no danger whatsoever of the Australian losses ending up dispiriting Misbah, because his whole career is a study in taking defeats in the right spirit. While the frustration of the cricket fans is completely understandable, all this criticism of Misbah is unwarranted, unfair and, frankly, unprofitable.

Misbah is, after all, a national hero who singlehandedly converted more humiliating defeats into ‘honourable’ ones than anybody in the history of limited overs cricket. What is the cricket enthusiast to do then? Well, there’s a great lesson for us all in the story of that legendary pathan who had, with no prior warning whatsoever, jumped on to the stage, dagger in hand, where Munni Begum was entertaining, at 2 am just when the diva had entered the fifth straight hour of her Jhoom barabar jhoom sharabi. his words, uttered when she must have thought that her end was nigh, are full of wisdom for generations to come, including our own. ‘Khocha tum hamaara mehmaan hai.

Tum mat daro. Hum to us khabees ko dhoondta hai jo tum ko yahaan le kar aaya hai.’

Hasan Aftab Saeed is a connoisseur of music, literature, and food (but not drinks). He can be reached at www.facebook.com/hasanaftabsaeed

Pangs of affluence Sans purpose, without roots, free from any and every ideology; behold Mankind in all its cluelessness

Shah Nawaz Mohal

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oR centuries, mankind has strived to achieve ‘enough’. enough food, enough means to lead a peaceful, beautiful life, enough of everything and anything that it could rely on for the greater good of all. Welcome, dear reader, to the world where ‘enough’ is a reality and not an ideal worth striving for. We, the sons and daughters of time have banished madness to the fringes, conquered solitude with our gadgets and gizmos and tamed creativity to such an extent that whatever new is produced, reproduced and presented is neither threatening nor to be feared.

Madness has many hues and nuances. Solitude removes all the distractions and smoke screens allowing us to peep inside our minds. Creativity is observing the familiar and seeing something Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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novel. All three are beasts of a different nature and play a very pivotal role in the lives of individuals and progress of arts and sciences.

What is madness? Why is solitude necessary to achieve a deeper, nuanced understanding of ourselves? What urges do creativity satiate? All these questions are eternal. Philosophers, theorists, religious figures, social scientists, poets and writers have been grappling with these queries for as long as we humans have been condemned to servitude of words. those among us who deviate from the norm are madmen and women. those who lead solitary, secluded lives away from the hustle bustle of chaotic daily life and seek refuge in their minds, canvasses, pages or nature are the renegades who refuse to play by the rules. these maladjusted blokes and dames are single handedly responsible for making our species leap ahead and discover new frontiers. the great mass of our species have always been busy in making ends meet. the pressing physical needs for food, shelter and security has kept the majority of us on our toes. the demands of the body have consumed billions of us. the perils of thought and mind cast their gloomy pall on few.

Always a creature looking, craving and finding distractions, we humans found it in rituals of elders, sights of nature, poetry of bards, tales of ancients, spectacles of misery, tricks of magicians and

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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illusions of eyes and ears.

Alas, in our age we have mastered the art of concealing our madness by antidepressants, crowding our solitude by memes and notifications and channelling our creativity to appease the base tastes, number of likes and shares. the dawn of information technology held promise of an era where ideas will float freely, the world will come closer and be more dynamic, more democratic, a more open society would come into being.

All of these hopes have dashed dear reader.

Now sights and sounds vie to grab our attention. there are WhatsApp messages, Facebook notifications, twitter updates, snapchat statuses, Instagram posts, ubiquitous billboards, and unsolicited advertisements that beg for our attention, squander it once, they have it, and make us crave for more. the solitude we want to be with ourselves is dead and buried.

We, according to zoologists, struggled hard to become the alpha predators in animal kingdom. We mastered our environment, we conquered nature, and we triumphed. however, we who succeeded in roping in every odd have ultimately given in to our own machinations. Presently, we are, in all honesty, the clueless prey in the claws of attention devouring creatures we made. their control over us is complete. We hear, see, and enjoy the boisterous bits on our black screens and then laugh out loudly, press

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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like and share it with the world. once we are done, the wait for the next hilarity continues and since there is no dearth of such stuff we keep on consuming it while craving for more. Be it gaffes, fails, lewd comedy clips, ravings of some random frustrated guy, it cracks us up.

All it takes to have our attention is to have something that instantaneously gratifies us.

We are prisoners of our own creation. We are held captive by gadgets and gizmos we made for fun. We are dummies and puppets in things we thought of dummies and puppets. the omnipresent black mirrors-our tVs, our phones, our computer screens- have made us believe that every calamity that befalls on someone else is an opportunity to giggle at as it didn’t choose us to be its victim. our glee, it seems, lies in all catastrophes which spared us. our creation, dear folks, has become our pacifiers.

Without them life seems nothing but an endless aeon of boredom. the maddening urge, the solitary cravings and the creative impulses have all given up on us.

Now the monotony of existence and the angst can be best endured, so we believe, when we are either laughing our lungs out, shopping our wits out or dining our appetites out.

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

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan.

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

A gentle reminder

Ad support is bad support Streaming services outmanoeuvring broadcast television aMNa KhaN

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girl sipping her tea on a rooftop covered with fairy lights, staring romantically into the skyline describes the ‘Sooper’ cookies advert that really took me back to simpler times. No forced use of technology, hyperactive communication, obnoxious use of jingles or pressure for consumption- just simplicity at its best. I can’t even remember the last time a smile came to my lips from watching a tV ad.

Funny story; I recreated a replica of this moment on my rooftop that very night reminiscing about the ‘simplest’ of times. times unpunctuated by consumption fever where family, success and wealth were not symbolised by cooking oil, washing powders and fairness creams. times when television programmes were less frequently interrupted by advertising entities; those bearing the heavy costs of their production. It was the simplest of times really, when one could be fooled into believing that all is good in the world and will remain so, indefinitely. the absence of black screens both big and small from our lives best explain the power they wield in the present world. ‘Fifteen Million Merits’ an episode of Black Mirror explains it like no other, your attention, your thoughts, every kilojoule of energy you spend in your waking hours is not free. You pay for it by the price of interruption, because your mind is worth much more than any perceivable amount you could pay to skip that Youtube ad altogether. our attention is priceless and the best time for an ad to take the value of our time without our consent is when we’re immersed in an absorbing tV show. Ads can be a boon or bane depending on whether it’s time for you to take a bathroom break. however, the kaleidoscopic

proportions at which today’s ad’s function is undoubtedly the reason why people stopped watching tV altogether and this gave way to internet television. eventually streaming services will outmanoeuvre broadcast mediums because of their ability to choke off advertising & create captivating programming to retain a loyal viewership. Brands recognise the power of social media and are shrewdly switching the bulk of their ad revenue to Facebook and Instagram. It could be how the audiences who enjoy broadcast are simply too old and unfazed by the appeal of making purchases or that their children seem too distracted by Instagram to watch what’s happening on the tV playing in front of them. or maybe it’s the convenience of redirecting our attention with the tap of a finger to the e-commerce website that just showed you the pants you said you were just looking for. Most likely it seems it’s the simple fact of brands saving money by targeting only people with disposable income to spend and owning a smartphone is the bare minimum to qualify as a prospective customer with purchasing potential. the biggest benefit of the advertising sup-

ported revenue model of social media platforms is that if you have an audience, you can almost always find companies who are willing to pay to reach them. however, attracting users by free content, tailor made in accordance with their tastes, might only continue to work for such entities. the redundancy of Pakistani broadcast viewership coupled with the harsh reality of Instagram itself being the means to an end is something we don’t consciously consider. every online business model assumes the ‘online’ aspect a permanent arrangement.

If Instagram goes down, we all go down with it. however we presume it is flawless, even some would say infallible. Where ‘advertising’ for Silicon Valley based companies is a means to hypnotise users into staying logged in, Pakistan’s cringe inducing ads rationalise the existence of complacent programming. Airing lousy drama’s doesn’t really matter because producers are already getting paid by advertisers so why bother with quality control? Successful media entities prefer multiple revenue streams to avoid financial collapse. Advertising revenues are unreliable.

Advertisers can detract their investments considering the plethora of devices and channels people consume content from in today’s media ecosystem. engagement with ad supported content has become a liability where it had been used as a means of survival for so long in Pakistani media- it can’t be used as a crutch anymore. When the technology used 20 years ago is outdated, how can we expect the media to survive on principles equally as old?

For streaming services like Netflix, Amazon & hBo, the brand itself is the ad that prompts people for further consumption. Subscription rates is what quantifies a time well spent, respecting customers for the value of their money is company policy. Where at present there is trouble in breaking even for some of these companies, the long-term plans are set in motion. Imitating the Chinese policy of patiently bearing losses in the short term for long term results. the Chinese outbid the market on manufactured goods by selling below market price for several years before successfully becoming an economic global power. Similarly, Netflix seems to be paying the price of future excellence in present losses. that’s the ‘Catch 22’ to succeeding in the media industry; the considerable degree of cultural clout it yields is not translated in how much we the consumer spend to access it. then again, I guess that’s what simpler times are really supposed to exemplify - authentic and honest programming devoid of disruptions, free of cost, without repercussions. Skip Ad in 3… 2… 1.

Engagement with ad supported content has become a liability where it had been used as a means of survival for so long in Pakistani media- it can’t be used as a crutch anymore

Amna Khan is a freelance columnist.

thIS is to draw attention of Federal Science and technology Minister Ch Fawad hussain through these columns to be watchful and careful about what he is doing and saying in public. It has been noticed that he often talks outside his domain without realising that he was Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister but he has since long been replaced by Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on I & B. he should also differentiate between what is to be said in public, before the media and in tweets and what, particularly something which is drastically outside his domain, in the cabinet and party meetings.

Lately, he has been talking and saying in public what should strictly be pointed in the cabinet and party meetings to be discussed at these appropriate platforms and only said outside before the media or in the public. there are many instances to be quoted regretfully and painfully in this regard reflecting on ill-advised and out of domain by the Federal Science and technology Minister.

Just for instance, the other day Prime Minister/ PtI Chairman Imran Khan tweeted about formulation of practical code of ethics prior to the possibility of students unions revival. the Federal Minister said publicly, as reported on the electronic media, that the students unions be revived immediately without realising in saying so he is trying to bypass the prime minister.

In accomplishing the desire to be on the electronic media channels on every relevant and irrelevant issue/matter most of the time, one should not forget that as the federal minister one is bound to follow the government as well as the party policies, please. thanks.

M Z RIFAT Lahore

Global warming in Pakistan PAKIStAN makes small input to total global greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions, less than 1 per cent but it is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Pakistan has very low technical and financial capacity to overcome its adverse impact. the emission in the country from refineries, industries, ad thermal power plants are causing heart diseases, lung disorder and cancer. Coastal areas bordering the Arabian Sea in the south of Pakistan will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from the sea and in some cases rivers. In himalayas, the glacier melt is projected to increase flooding will affect water resources within the next two to three decades. this will be followed by decreased river flows overtimes as glaciers recede.

Availability of fresh water is also predictable to lessen which will lead to biodiversity loss and reduce of availability of fresh water for the population. Being a mainly agriculture economy, climate change is estimate to decrease crop yield in Pakistan, which in turn will affect livelihood and food production. Combining the decreased yield with the current rapid growth and urbanisation in the country, the danger of hunger and food security will remain high. Due to droughts and floods, endemic mortality and morbidity because of diseases are predictable to high. Cholera will also aggravate due to increase in costal water temperatures. the change in climate will also exacerbate the existing social inequalities of resource use and intensify social factors leading to displacement, conflicts, instability of people and changes in migration pattern.

HAdIA AZIZ Islamabad

Extension controversy the graveyards of the world are proof if any is needed that nobody is indispensable. even during two World Wars, British Army commanders were relieved of their command at the end of tenures and PM would select his replacement keeping seniority in consideration. We have seen that there are limits (two tenures) even on number of tenures of elected constitutional public office holders like PM or President in developed democracies. the Father of Nation Quaid-e-Azam in his address to Staff College Quetta in 1948 elaborated on the role of paid civil and uniformed servants of state. earlier on 11 August 1947 while addressing First Constituent Assembly, MAJ emphasised the importance of finalising constitution on which a modern democratic welfare state was to be built.

Unfortunately, his vision and advice was not followed with disastrous consequences for this country. Pakistan remained a dominion of British Raj till 1956 because of this deliberate delay in approving constitution. this concept of an individual being indispensable is confined to monarchies and dictatorships. It is discretionary power of PM, subject to norms and regulations, to appoint a serving senior officer to assume command of three arms of our armed forces, within laws and procedures laid down.

With the exception of General Kayani who was given an extension by a civilian elected President, all others were given by military dictators to themselves. there should therefore be no surprise when a prominent lawyer from this political party, who is known for representing controversial clients involved in land and LPG scams comes up with his own interpretation, although this is the sole privilege of the judiciary. the national security of a country with trained professional disciplined army cannot be so fragile that it is compromised by the retirement of one person.

GuLL ZAMAN Peshawar

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

iSraeli partieS agree on march 2 election if no govt formed JERUSALEM

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ballot in less than a year. Recent opinion polls have predicted no dramatic shifts among voters since inconclusive elections in April and September.

Neither Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party nor the centrist Blue and White party led by his main rival, former military chief Benny Gantz, won enough seats in parliament for a governing majority in the previous two contests.

Both men were delegated the task of forming a coalition, but failed, throwing the ball into parliament’s court. Their parties have been deadlocked in talks on a “unity” administration in which Netanyahu and Gantz would take turns as

AGENCIES

SRAEL’S two biggest parties agreed on Monday on a March 2 election date, barring a last-minute powersharing deal, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fighting for political survival under criminal indictment.

A 21-day period in which parliament can nominate a legislator with majority support to try to put together a ruling coalition expires at 2200 GMT on Wednesday, triggering the legislature’s dissolution and an election within 90 days. It would be Israel’s third national

prime minister. The two parties, which disagree over which man would serve first and for how long, announced they had agreed on the March 2 election date.

The date needs parliament’s approval but the two parties dominate the assembly so it is sure to pass. The political disarray and a long-running corruption investigation have threatened to curtail Netanyahu’s decade-long hold on power.

Last month, Netanyahu, 70, was charged with bribery, breach of trust and fraud.

Denying any wrongdoing, he has accused Israel’s legal authorities of attempting a “coup” aimed at ousting a popular right-wing leader. Critics alleged that Ne-

tanyahu was trying to undermine the rule of law and set an election campaign theme portraying himself as the victim of “deep state” conspiracy.

As prime minister, Netanyahu is under no legal obligation to resign following the indictment. A caretaker premier remains in the post until a new government is formed – a process that could stretch months past a March ballot if coalition-

No more survivors on New Zealand island after volcano eruption WELLINGTON AGENCIES

New Zealand police have said no more survivors were expected to be rescued from an island volcano that erupted suddenly on Monday, suggesting as many as two dozen people could have died.

Police said some 50 people were visiting White Island when it exploded in the early afternoon — hurling ash and rock high into the air.

Some 23 people made it off the island, five of whom have since died, the rest were being treated for injuries, including severe burns.

It was earlier estimated the number still on the island was in double digits.

Police said early Tuesday that despite several aerial reconnaissance flights to try and find those trapped “no signs of life have been seen at any point.”

“Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island. Police is working urgently to confirm the exact number of those who have died.” As night fell, deputy commissioner John Tims said volcanic activity made a rescue attempts by land too dangerous.

“I’ve got to consider the safety of our people and emergency services staff,” he said. The New Zealand military is expected to make a pass of the island at first light in the hope that people may have survived against the odds.

The eruption occurred just after

2pm (0100 GMT), thrusting a thick plume of white ash 3.6 kilometres (12,000 feet) into the sky.

Seconds before, live camera feeds showed a group of more than a half dozen people walking on the crater floor. Then the images went black.

A “considerable number” of those caught up in the disaster are believed to be Australian, according to officials in Canberra. As many as 30 of those involved are also believed to be cruise passengers on a day trip from the vessel Ovation of the Seas, Kevin O’Sullivan, chief executive officer of industry body the New Zealand Cruise Association told AFP. The ship’s operator Royal

russia plans to set up arctic air defense ‘dome’ with S-400 missiles MOSCOW AGENCIES

Russia plans to establish an air defense “dome” across its polar region by arming all of its Northern Fleet’s Arctic divisions with S-400 missile batteries, a Russian naval commander said on Monday. Russia has been stepping up its military presence in the Arctic, building new infrastructure and overhauling its ports as it vies for dominance in a region with huge untapped mineral wealth amid warmer climate cycles.

Other countries have also scrambled to boost their Arctic presence, stoking fears of intensifying geopolitical rivalry. In May, Washington accused Russia of aggressive behavior in the polar region and said China’s actions must be watched closely.

Russia in September deployed its S-400 air defense systems to the Novaya Zemlya archipelago in the far north, and the commander of Russia’s Northern Fleet said on Monday that similar deployments would be made across the region. “The plan is for all our Arctic divisions to be supplied with such complexes in the coming years and there will effectively be an air defense dome created over the Russian part of the Arctic,” Vice-Admiral Alexei Moiseyev said.

Caribbean — who had billed the trip to White Island as “an unforgettable guided tour of New Zealand’s most active volcano” — said “a number of our guests were touring the island” but did not confirm that number.

The ship has a capacity of around 4,000 people and set sail from Sydney last week on a 12 day voyage.

Tourist Michael Schade, made it off the island just in time and was able to capture footage of the devastation.

His videos showed groups of startled tourists clustered by the shoreline, waiting to be evacuated as the ground around them smouldered, the sky filled with white debris. An ash-caked heli-

copter lay damaged nearby.

Volcanic Air said they had landed a helicopter on the island shortly before the eruption carrying four visitors and one pilot. All were now accounted for.

“It had landed on the island. What happened after that we don’t know, but we know that all five made it back to Whakatane on one of the tourist boats,” a company spokesman told AFP. Guillaume Calmelet, the co-director of Skydive Tauranga, saw the eruption from above as he took a customer on a tandem skydive from a plane 12,000 feet above the Bay of Plenty.

“As soon as the parachute opened there was this huge cloud that was really different to whatever we’ve seen before,” he told AFP. “I could see it coming out in freefall, so probably about 30 seconds for the whole cloud to form, if that. It was pretty quick.”

The country’s National Emergency Management Agency described the eruption as “moderate”, although the plume of ash was clearly visible from the mainland and from satellites flying overhead. White Island — – also known as Whakaari — is about 50 kilometres (30 miles) offshore in the picturesque Bay of Plenty and is popular with adventurous tourists willing to don hard hats and gas masks.

It is New Zealand’s most active volcano cone and about 70 percent of it is underwater, according to governmentbacked agency GeoNet.

Daughter claims Australian ex-PM urged silence on alleged rape CANBERRA

lying before bulldozers to stop heathrow expansion will be ‘technically difficult’: uK pm LONDON AGENCIES

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he would try to find a way to honour his promise to oppose Heathrow airport expansion by lying down in front of bulldozers but that it might be difficult for him. The British parliament has approved an expansion plan for Heathrow, including building the first full-length new runway in the London area for 70 years, but the plans are being challenged in the courts. Before he won the top job, Johnson opposed Heathrow expansion and promised to lie down before bulldozers to stop it. “On Heathrow, it’s a private sector project which is still to satisfy its strict legal obligations on air quality and noise pollution,” Johnson told LBC radio. “I don’t see much sign of any bulldozers yet […] I would have to find some way of honouring that promise. It might be technically difficult to achieve […] Let’s wait and see when the bulldozers arrive.”

Asked about an HS2, a proposed highspeed rail project to improve links from London to central and northern England, Johnson said the cost would be more than 100 billion pounds ($128 billion). “If you come in with a project that’s north than a hundred billion probably, you’ve got to ask yourself, it’s only responsible to the taxpayer, to ask whether it’s being sensibly spent and whether that funding is being prioritised right,” Johnson said. The previous estimate was between 81 and 88 billion pounds.

“Looking at the way these things go, it probably will come on at north of a 100 billion but at the moment you’re right it’s 88 and that’s a lot of money and there will be serious questions about whether that is […] right.”

‘impatient, old’ trump might change Kim’s views: report

AGENCIES

The daughter of former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke said he ordered her to keep quiet about her alleged rape by one of his political allies for fear it would damage his career, Australian media has reported.

Rosslyn Dillon alleged she was raped three times by a late Labor member of parliament in the 1980s, The New Daily reported Saturday.

In a court affidavit, Dillon said her father — one of Australia’s most popular prime ministers — told her not to go to the police to avoid controversy ahead of his challenge for the party leadership in 1982.

The allegations were reportedly made as part of her Aus$4 million ($2.73 million) claim to Hawke’s estate, which she is disputing after receiving $750,000 in his will.

Hawke was unsuccessful in his 1982 attempt to become Labor leader. He took over the following year and was quickly elected prime minister, a position he held until 1991.

building is taken into account. Before the national poll, Netanyahu would face an internal Likud leadership election. No date has been announced and only one challenger has emerged, former cabinet minister Gideon Saar, with no signs of any broad party revolt to oust Netanyahu. In a speech on Sunday, Netanyahu said he hoped to avoid another election, “but if one is forced upon us, we will win big.”

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

He died in May aged 89.

According to The New Daily, there are several inconsistencies in Dillon’s claims, including the timing of certain documented historical events.

Dillon’s sister, Sue PietersHawke, said the family had been aware of the allegations at the time

CMYK

and Hawke found them distressing.

“She did tell people at the time.

I believe there was a supportive response but it didn’t involve using the legal system,” she told The New Daily. Dillon reportedly said she was “still haunted by the sexual assaults” and may have found closure if she had been able to go to the police.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may change his views toward United States President Donald Trump if he continues making “inappropriate, dangerous” comments, a senior Pyongyang official said on Monday, calling him an “impatient, old man.” Kim Yong Chol, a senior North Korean official who was instrumental in arranging a failed second summit between Kim Jong Un and Trump, said the United States was ignoring a year-end deadline set for Washington to soften its stance in stalled denuclearisation talks. “We have nothing more to lose,” he said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA. Trump said on Sunday Kim risks losing “everything” if he resumes hostility and his country must denuclearise, after the North said it had carried out a “successful test of great significance.”

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

BUSINESS 11

‘govt to set up biotech economic zone in Jhelum’ Science and Technology Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Monday that thr government would set up a biotechnology economic zone in Jhelum, which would be the biggest economic zone in South Asia. In an interview with Radio Pakistan, the minister said that the government would establish eight to ten science and technology economic zones within the next three years. On a query, he said the National Science and Technology Park in Islamabad was the first special economic zone related to technology. He said the park would bring together the academicians, researchers and entrepreneurs so that they can share their experiences and ideas. BUSINESS DESK

FBr to launch ‘track & trace’ system for major sectors

China foreign trade estimated to reach $4.26tr this year BEIJING: China’s foreign trade is likely to remain stable this year with improved structure, the Ministry of Commerce said Monday. For the whole year, foreign trade volume is expected to reach 30 trillion yuan (around 4.26 trillion US dollars) this year, roughly the same as last year, according to Li Xingqian, head of the Ministry’s foreign trade department. Customs data showed that China’s foreign trade expanded 2.4pc yearon-year to 28.5 trillion yuan in the first 11 months. Trade structure has improved, with the exports of high-tech, high-quality and high value-added goods expanding at a faster-than-average rate, Li noted. While external uncertainty is likely to remain, Li expects China’s foreign trade to remain stable next year. The country will continue to improve trade structure, cut trade costs and enhance efficiency, Li said. AGENCIES

AGENCIES

The EU’s powerful anti-trust authority on Monday approved billions of euros in subsidies from seven member states as Europe seeks to make up lost ground in batteries. The move is part of a big push led by Germany and France to prepare Europe for the emergence of electric cars, as gas combustible engines are phased out over climate change concerns.

The European car industry employs over 10 million people and

P

BUSINESS DESK

AKISTAN on Monday signed a loan agreement worth $1.3 billion with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for budgetary support and reforms.

Economic Affairs Division Secretary Syed Pervaiz Abbas and ADB Country Director Xiahong Yang signed the accord during a ceremony where Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar was also present, according to a press release. The approval for the loan had come through last week.

Under the agreement, ADB has committed to providing $1 billion towards the Economic Stabilisation Programme which aims to improve exchange rate management, strengthen public financial management, restore allocative efficiency of scarce public resources and reduce the social impacts of macroeconomic stability measures.

Out of the total $1.3 billion loan, $300 million have been set aside for reforming the energy sector and the Financial Stability Programme. This aims to address energy shortfalls as well as policy-related shortcomings in the country’s energy sector.

On the occasion, Azhar stated, “The policy-based loan will not only strengthen exchange reserves but will also provide fiscal space to the government for implementing its reforms agenda.”

“ADB is committed to widespread financing options to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and reduce the risk of external economic shocks,” said Yang.

She also reiterated the bank’s strong commitment to further strengthen and expand its partnership with Pakistan.

It is pertinent to mention that ADB’s financing was approved after the government implemented a series of IMF-

supported reforms and actions to improve its current account deficit, strengthen its revenue base, and protect the poor against the social impact of the economic crisis.

“ADB will provide wide-ranging support to strengthen Pakistan’s economy and reduce the risk of external economic shocks,” ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Werner Liepach had said while approving the loan. “These funds will meet the government’s emergency financing needs to prevent significant adverse social and economic impacts and lay the foundations for a return to balanced growth.”

MARKET DAILY

In order to prevent the leakage of revenue, underreporting of production and sales, and to ensure proper payment of federal excise duty and sales tax on the manufacturing and sale of specified goods/products, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to implement a ‘Track and Trace System’ for specified goods/products i.e. cement, sugar, fertilizer and beverages imported into or manufactured in Pakistan.

The FBR project office confirmed that the board has finalised all bidding documents related to the issuance of licences for electronic monitoring of production/sales of the four major sectors. “Instructions for Licencing (IFL) and related documents will be published in January 2020 after due consultations with all major sectors/stakeholders,” the FBR said in a statement. “In order to arrive at the best possible solution, FBR plans to hold meetings with all stakeholders for their input, suggestions and recommendations.”

It was informed that the first meeting in this regard was held on 2nd December with cement manufactures; the second meeting was held with fertilizer manufacturers on 5th December, while the third meeting was scheduled to take place on 12th December. BUSINESS DESK

BRUSSELS

PaKiStan, aDB Sign $1.3Bn loan agreeMent

KSE-100 loses 289 points in range-bound trading KARACHI STAFF REPORT

It was a dull start to the week at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) where the indices traded within a narrow range before closing the session in the red.

Foreign investors closed preceding week (December 2-6) as net buyers with a net inflow of $1.06 million. On the economic front, Pakistan has signed a $1.30 billion loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank. Out of the total loan, $1 billion has been earmarked for budgetary support while $300 million has been set aside for energy sector reforms.

Gaining 184.14 points, the KSE-100 index recorded its intraday high at 40,916.39 during the initial trading

hours. The index then slid to its day’s low at 40,314.94 after losing 417.31 points. It closed lower by 289.45 points at 40,442.80. The KMI-30 Index declined by 205.45 points to settle at 64,005.04, whereas the KSE All Share Index fell short by 79.85 points, ending at 28,783.59. Out of the total traded scripts, 136 advanced, 217 declined while the value of 18 remained unchanged.

The overall trading volumes remained decent and were recorded at 320.08 million, of which 217.62 million came from the KSE-100 scripts. Unity Foods Limited (UNITY -4.80pc) topped the volume chart, followed by Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF +0.37pc) and Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM +0.86pc). the scripts had exchanged 26.85 million, 18.77 million and 15.40 million shares, respectively.

Sectors that drove the KSE-100 Index south included banking (-152.08 points), cement (-64.50 points) and oil and gas marketing (-57.62 points).

Among the companies, United Bank Limited (UBL 60.01 points), Habib Bank Limited (HBL -37.19 points) and Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK -34.67 points) dented the index the most.

The automobile assembling sector lost 2.18pc in its cumulative market capitalization. Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited (HCAR -5.00pc) and Pakistan Suzuki Motors Company Limited (PSMC -5.00pc) touched their lower locks, while Millat Tractors Limited (MTL -1.76pc), Indus Motor Company Limited (INDU -1.73pc) and Hinopak Motors Limited (HINO -1.80pc) also ended negatively.

Revised Pak-China FTA to be implemented from Jan 1 Minister orders ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS

The Ministry of Commerce announced on Monday that the tariff concessions under Phase-II of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (CPFTA) would be implemented between the governments of Pakistan and China from 1st January 2020.

The protocol to amend the CPFTA-II had entered into force on 1st December 2019 through a notification. Pakistan Today had earlier reported that that the revised FTA would be implemented

by January 2020.

As per the commerce ministry officials, the CPFTA-II shall immediately eliminate tariffs on 313 tariff lines of Pakistan’s export interest, giving Pakistani exports a preferential treatment, similar to that given to the ASEAN region.

These 313 tariff lines cover over $8.7 billion worth of Pakistan’s global export and $64 billon worth of global Chinese imports. Moreover, this would result in 75pc of total trade liberalisation for Pakistan in terms of tariff lines and 92pc in terms of trade volume.

IPO-Pakistan, publishers join hands to combat piracy ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Terming piracy a heinous crime against copyright, book publishers, authors and senior management of Intellectual Property Organization (IPO-Pakistan) on Monday pledged to join hands to overcome this issue in an effective manner.

This was decided during a meeting held in connection with the Copyright Outreach Programme organised by IPO-Pakistan.

IPO-Pakistan Chairman Mujeeb Ahmed Khan chaired

the meeting where Pakistan’s leading publishers, writers and directors were also present.

Speaking on the occasion, IPO-Pakistan Chairman Mujeeb Ahmed Khan admitted that copyright has been a neglected area for the last 70 years. “But now the focus will be to protect the rights of publishers, writers, authors and booksellers.”

He apprised the participants that amendments were being made in copyright laws to make it more effective.

Khan stressed that IPO-Pakistan, along with its stakeholders, should make piracy of

copyright a moral issue and for this purpose awareness was needed at all levels. The participants of the meeting pointed out flaws in the copyright laws and asked IPO-Pakistan to overcome the loopholes in this regard.

They suggested that as a first step, IPO and Higher Education Commission (HEC) should write letters to all the public and private sector universities to stop using pirated books in their universities.

They requested IPO-Pakistan to create awareness among masses and presented their full support in this regard.

timely release of wheat to Sindh, KP ISLAMABAD: A meeting regarding the distribution of wheat from Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation (PASSCO) to flour mills of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held under the chairmanship of National Food Security & Research Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar on Monday. Provincial food secretaries of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, representatives of Punjab Food Department, PASSCO managing director and members of Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) were present on the occasion.

Khusro Bakhtiar underscored the need for timely release and availability of wheat from PASSCO to Sindh & KP. The meeting focused on the availability of wheat in the country and its pricing trends; releases of wheat from PASSCO and its finical implications; viewpoint of PFMA on delayed release of wheat; transportation issues and distribution of wheat stock among flour mills of Sindh. After detailed deliberations, it was unanimously agreed that PFMA would deliver the wheat flour at the ex-mill price of Rs43 per kg in Karachi. The minister said that the memorandum of understanding between PASSCO and Sindh government for the release of 300,000 tonnes of wheat would be signed in the current week. He directed the officials concerned for the immediate release of 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Sindh. The minister called for the constitution of a committee, comprising representatives from PASSCO, Sindh & KP food departments and PFMA, under the chairmanship of national food security secretary, to ensure smooth and timely distribution of wheat to provinces. STAFF REPORT

EU opens subsidies for electric battery push the EU is deeply concerned about Europe’s dependence in a high strategy sector on car batteries from Asia. Batteries represent 40 per cent of the cost of an electric car and are currently manufactured by companies in South Korea, China and Japan. The mega subsidy of 3.2 billion euros ($3.5 billion) from Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Sweden and Finland will go to a consortium of 17 companies

and will help generate an extra five billion euros in private investment, a statement said. The European Commission, the EU’s executive and anti-trust enforcer, usually holds a strict line against state subsidies, but in 2014 gave more leeway for countries to back strategic transnational projects.

“I am delighted that the Commission has verified and authorised the first major battery

project in Europe in just a few weeks,” said German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier in a statement. This is “a great success for Germany and Europe,” he added.

The wave of new subsidies is part of something called the European Battery Alliance, a rare effort

by Brussels to centralise industrial policy. The campaign, launched in 2017, was designed to entice European industry to create a so-called

“Airbus of batteries”, in reference to the aviation giant that was born from wide array of semi-private companies a generation ago.

Companies involved in the battery projects include German car giant BMW and chemical multinationals BASF and Solvay.

“The emergence of the European battery industry will contribute to the achievement of the objective set by the European

Union to become the first carbonneutral continent by 2050,” said French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire. The battery green light comes just days before the EU Commission announces its Green New Deal agenda, that includes an ambition to achieve carbon neutrality as well as boost climate-friendly investment. To come to fruition, the Green New Deal will require EU member states to further open national coffers, a prospect that has already received resistance from Germany, the Netherlands and other wealthy northern states.

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

12 BUSINESS

FBr SeeKS DetailS oF PaKiStani iqaMa holDerS FroM Uae

CORPORATE CORNER

t ISLAMABAD: After expanding its presence in France, Spain, Portugal, and Malaysia, leading Chinese smartphone brand ‘Elephone’ has been officially launched by Rock Mobile (Pvt) Ltd in Pakistan. PR

BUSINESS DESK

HE Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has requested the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Finance to provide information of those Pakistanis who have sought UAE Iqama under Residence

by Investment (RBI) schemes.

The revenue board, in its letter to the UAE’s Ministry of Finance, stated that such delinquent Pakistan tax resident persons have not only siphoned off funds out of Pakistan, but have also effectively circumvented the OECD-sponsored CRS ex-

change of bank and financial account information. The UAE’s Ministry of Finance has so far not responded to any of the written requests made by FBR in this regard.

The FBR letter further stated that the automatic exchange of information (EOI) framework, in essence, was conceived and implemented to put up a well-coordinated and concerted global fight against organized tax theft and to inject transparency in the international taxes system.

In the Pakistan-UAE meeting on EOI held in Dubai on October 910, 2019, a commitment was made to come up with a detailed formal

response in this regard. However, FBR received no reply whatsoever from UAE, while a few subsequent rejoinders issued by FBR also went unanswered, even unacknowledged.

“The UAE’s persistent silence on FBR’s efforts to develop a robust framework for sharing of structured information of Pakistani Iqama holders has not been productive so far, the letter stated. “The best inter-nation relationships are mutually responsive, symbiotic and empathetic, and are the product of superior diplomatic wisdom.” FBR has requested UAE to provide a well laid out roadmap on UAE Iqama hold-

PM calls for publicity of government’s economic achievements ‘UNFORTUNATELY, SOME INDIVIDUALS ARE SPREADING BASELESS PROPAGANDA ON A CRUCIAL SUBJECT LIKE ECONOMY, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR PERSONAL GAINS’ KARACHI: Institute of Business Management (IoBM) Board of Governors member Masood Hashmi gives SH Hashmi Memorial Gold Medal to Dania Mansoor. PR

KARACHI: Askari Bank Limited (AKBL) and UnionPay International (UPI) have entered into an agreement to convert AKBL’s existing mag stripe cards to UnionPay QuickPass (NFC) and EMV Chip Cards in Pakistan. PR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday advised his economic team to duly publicise the government’s economic reforms and their outcomes in order to counter the baseless propaganda by some mafias.

“Unfortunately, some individuals were spreading baseless propaganda on a crucial subject like economy, just for the sake of their personal gains,” the PM said while chairing a meeting of his economic team. “Such malicious attempts could only be repudiated if the economic team communicates truth to the masses regarding the measures and headways achieved by the government on economic fronts.”

The meeting discussed in detail the overall economic condition, pending court cases concerning the Federal Board of Revenue, facilitation of expatriates to send remittances, revival of the Pakistan Steel Mills, and steps to pass on the benefits of economic stability to the people. The prime minister told the meeting that the government’s efforts for economic stability had brought about remarkable outcomes. He said there were the clear signs of the economic stability in the country

that had been crippled by serious challenges.

“Even the international institutions are acknowledging the improvement of economic indicators and stability. The prudent steps taken by the government has revived the confidence of both the local and foreign investors,” the PM stated. He said after achieving the economic stability, the government was making efforts to provide maximum relief to the people despite resource constraints. He said the multifaceted initiative of ‘Ehsaas’, launched by the government for poverty alleviation and social protection, manifested the government’s priorities.

“Besides making untiring efforts for the overall economic development, the government is also ensuring the supply of daily use items to the common man on reasonable prices.” Mentioning the government’s efforts against hoarding and profiteering, the prime minister said modern technology was also being introduced to bring about transparency and corruption. He directed the economic team to resolve the pending cases related to the economy on priority to make the economic journey continue uninterrupted. APP

Pakistan, Qatar agree to enhance bilateral trade volume PAKISTAN HAS OFFERED TO ESTABLISH A PLANT IN QATAR TO MANUFACTURE FOOTBALLS FOR FIFA WORLD CUP 2022 BUSINESS DESK In order to enhance bilateral trade, Pakistan and Qatar have agreed in principle on a preferential trade agreement (PTA) and a free trade agreement (FTA), a private media outlet reported on Monday, adding that the agreements would soon be signed after necessary formalities.

Pakistan has also offered to establish a plant in Qatar to manufacture footballs for the FIFA World Cup 2022 as well as subsequent football tournaments.

Nebras Power, a major investment group in Qatar’s energy sector, has expressed an interest in investing directly in Pakistan’s power sector.

The Nebras Power Consortium will take part in the privatisation of the Haveli Bahadur Shah and Balloki power plants in Pakistan.

It has formally informed the Pakistani government

about its interest and hoped that it would promote direct cooperation between the two governments in the fields of energy and power generation.

According to a document, Pakistan’s commerce and energy ministries attended the 5th Pak Qatar Joint Ministerial Commission meeting in Qatar last month.

A copy of the minutes issued by the signatories of the two countries was sent to the respective ministries for implementation of the decisions made by the two countries. Pakistan has expressed an interest in exporting sports goods for the FIFA World Cup 2022. Qatar has welcomed Pakistan’s interest and said it would consider its goods on the basis of price and quality for the mega event.

The document also read that the Pakistani government had fully endorsed a report sent by the Qatar government to the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

to recognise its products, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and natural gas, as ecofriendly.

Qatar has also requested additional traffic rights to enhance aviation links with Pakistan. The two countries will consider the matter on a commercial basis.

The two countries have agreed on an air service agreement in the near future to enhance bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Qatar in other areas of aviation, and agreed to hold further meetings during the forthcoming air service talks scheduled to be held in Shi’ar Uqba, Jordan where further progress is expected in this regard.

According to Qatar’s media, the two-way trade exchange between Qatar and Pakistan reached QR9.5 billion in 2018, witnessing an unprecedented 63pc growth as a result of better ties. The balance of trade is currently skewed in favour of Qatar due to the export of high-valued products to Pakistan. But the South Asian nation is also working aggressively to enhance collaboration in the field of manpower aiming to increase the flow of remittances, which will eventually make the economic relations more balanced.

ers information. Alternatively, Pakistan would seriously consider rolling out appropriate measures, including the termination of Pakistan-UAE avoidance of double taxation agreement, at an early date.

Earlier in October, the UAE had agreed to share details of the properties owned by 500 Pakistani nationals that would provide valuable information to the tax machinery as it remained unable to effectively utilise the previous offshore information. Both the countries had also agreed to renegotiate the Pak-UAE avoidance of double taxation treaty with an aim to help remove irritants in areas of taxation.

russia pledges to invest heavily in Pakistan’s defence, industrial projects ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Russia has signed a new trade deal with Pakistan, pledging to invest heavily in the country’s industrial sector.

According to government officials, Russia would provide financial assistance worth $1 billion for the rehabilitation of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).

Moreover, Moscow would also invest a hefty amount to enhance the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries.

“Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ-100) planes will be supplied on both wet and dry lease with an option to purchase,” Pakistani officials revealed. “The narrow-bodied aircraft with a dual-class cabin is capable of transporting 100 passengers over regional routes.”

They said that the agreement was made by a 64-member delegation, led by Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov.

Islamabad, which purchased MI-35 helicopters in 2018, is interested in other Russian hardware as well. The two nations aim to increase bilateral trade which last year stood at $700 million. Pakistan’s exports to Russia reached $150 million while imports from Russia were recorded at $250 million.

Last week, Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement on the settlement of mutual financial claims pending for a long time.

Pakistan repaid a $93.5 million debt to Russia. “We have resolved all the problems … Russia will come to Pakistan strongly now,” said an official.

The two sides also discussed investments in the much-delayed North-South gas pipeline. Russian companies are expected to build a gas pipeline from Karachi in the south to Lahore in the north-east in order to transport imported natural gas and to meet the region’s energy demands.

Earlier this year, Russia promised a $14 billion investment in Pakistan’s energy sector, including $2.5 billion for the NorthSouth pipeline project. A Russian company has developed a project to convert the Muzaffargarh thermal power station to coal and establish a 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant at Jamshoro. Moscow would also help Pakistan construct a railway track from Quetta to Taftan.

Oil slips as weak China exports highlight trade war impact LONDON AGENCIES

Oil prices fell on Monday after data showed Chinese exports declined for a fourth straight month, sending jitters through a market already concerned about damage to global demand by the trade war between Washington and Beijing.

Brent futures were down 23 cents, or 0.36pc, at $64.16 per barrel by 1450 GMT, after gaining about 3pc last week on news that OPEC and its allies would

deepen output cuts. West Texas Intermediate oil futures were down 37 cents, or 0.63pc to $58.83 a barrel, having risen about 7pc last week on the prospects for lower production from “OPEC+”, which is made up of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and associated producers including Russia.

Monday’s sudden chill came after customs data released on Sunday showed exports from China in November fell 1.1pc from a year earlier, confounding expectations for a 1pc rise in a Reuters poll.

“China is clearly not immune to either the US trade tariffs, or the lingering slowdown in the broader global economy,” said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at OANDA. Washington and Beijing have been trying to agree a trade deal that will end tit-for-tat tariffs, but talks have dragged on for months as they wrangle over details. Beijing hopes an agreement with the United States can be reached as soon as possible, China’s Assistant Commerce Minister Ren Hongbin said on Monday.Monday’s declines also

went against signs on Friday that China was easing its stance on resolving the trade dispute with the United States, confirming that it was waiving import tariffs for some soybean and pork shipments.

The price drop also put an end to a strong run in previous sessions fuelled by hopes for the OPEC+ production curb deal. On Friday, OPEC+ agreed to deepen their output cuts from 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) to 1.7 million bpd, representing about 1.7pc of global production.

“This decision crystallises an impor-

tant shift in strategy to managing shortterm physical imbalances rather than trying to correct perceived long-term imbalances through open-ended commitments,” Goldman Sachs said in a note.

The bank revised its Brent spot price forecast to $63 per barrel for 2020, up from a previous estimate of $60. BofA Merrill Lynch said in a note that strong compliance with the OPEC+ along with positive economic developments such as a USChina trade deal could push Brent to $70 a barrel before the second quarter of 2020.

TEDxLahorEWomEn PuLLs off anoThEr BriLLianTLy minD sTriking EvEnT!

Maya Angelou was the first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco.

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EDxLahore celebrated its 10th year with yet another series of compelling talks at its TEDxLahoreWomen event held at the British Council Library.

Speakers included Dr. Aneela Darbar, the first US trained female neurosurgeon of Pakistan; Soufia Siddiqui, an education research and strategy advisor; Amna Zamir, an Additional Districts and Sessions Judge in Gilgit Baltistan; Maheen Rahman, an investment banker with an impressive portfolio; Maheen Gul, founder of the Lahore Autism Centre; Fareeda Batool, an independent artist who explores

Pakistan’s political upheavals and tumultuous history; and Masuma Anwar, a pediatric doctor and musician. Lakeer ke Fakeer, a husband-wife duo of “singing poets”, also performed at the event.

These “Bold + Brilliant” women shared their profound insights and exciting stories about a remarkable

number of issues, ranging from the education of boys in the public sector to the careful mapping of the brain before neurosurgery. The audience comprised over 350 individu a l s , including young entrepreneurs, educators, doctors, lawyers, and students. Audience members also received a chance to in-

teract with speakers during networking breaks.

“TEDxLahoreWomen brought some powerful women together this year,” said Areej Mehdi, the event’s co-curator. “These women have advocated and opened doors for other women, and changed lives with their groundbreaking work and ideas. We’re excited to share their talks today.” said Irteza Ubaid, TEDx Ambassador - Pakistan.

The event was presented in partnership with British Council, Nestle Everyday Lite, MINT PR, Uber, Daftarkhwan, FM 91 and Poet Restaurant.

In Japan, letting a sumo wrestler make your baby cry is considered good luck.

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

J.K. Simmons has been the voice of the Yellow Peanut M&M since the late 1990s.

Godzilla vs Kong From CCXP Leaks Online

The Batman: Matt Reeves Confirms CCXP Appearance For 2020

Godzilla vs. Kong footage that Warner Bros. showed off Sunday at the Brazil CCXP convention has leaked online.

Users on social media posted the video which shows Godzilla battling King Kong on top of what looks to be an aircraft carrier. Kong takes a swing at Godzilla, with screengrabs also featuring the roar of the great ape. Worth a mention is that we see Kong is all grown up now, as he looks to be similar in size to Godzilla. Skull Island did reveal the bones of Kong's parents which were a lot bigger, so we know that eventually, Kong was going to get larger.

Warner Bros. also recently announced that the flick's release date has been pushed back to Nov. 20, 2020, from the previous March 13, 2020 release date. Insiders have also offered that the movie is "huge" and "impressive," "largescale," and "spectacular." The movie is directed by Adam Wingard; according to IMDb, returning for the film includes Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler, with newcomers including Alexander Skarsgård and Eiza González.

The Batman will be coming to CCXP 2020 as director Matt Reeves announced the news Sunday during the Wonder Woman 1984 panel.

Users on social media posted the following video featur ing Matt Reeves announcing the news, where the roar of the crowd can be heard.

The Batman gets released June of 2021, so appearing at December's CCXP 2020 convention in Brazil makes sense, which also might be the reveal of the first The Batman trailer, much like Warner Bros. did with the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer.

It also recently became known that Reeves has already filmed scenes for The Batman earlier this year in London and that the flick has the cool working title of "Vengeance."

The Batman has a June 25, 2021 release co-written by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin, with Michael Giacchino composing the music.

Reeves has also said it will be a detective noir driven film.

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Madhuri Dixit to make Netflix debut with Karan Johar’s production, promises a ‘gripping yet heartwarming’ At a time when Bollywood’s A-list talent is readily joining the OTT bandwagon in one capacity or another, Madhuri Dixit Nene is not one to be left far behind. The actor tells us exclusively that she is all set to make her acting debut in the OTT universe, which she feels has changed the dynamics of Indian showbiz.

The yet untitled Netflix series that Madhuri will be a part of, will be produced by Karan Johar. She describes it as a “suspenseful family drama about a global superstar, who vanishes without a trace” and how her life is stripped away, “uncovering hidden truths and painful lies”.

Excited about foraying into the digital space, she says, “I am extremely excited to be making my OTT acting debut. As an artist, I am always looking out to do work that is creatively fulfilling and that reaches out to the maximum number of people.” The show is written

by New York-based writer-director Sri Rao. Breaking down its concept further, the celebrated dancing diva of Bollywood says, “It reflects a bit on the lives that people in the entertainment industry lead.

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

14 SPORTS

Russia banned FRom olympiC Games oveR dopinG sCandal Moscow

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Agencies

USSIA will miss next year's Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Games after the World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday banned the powerhouse from global sporting events for four years over manipulated doping data.

WADA's executive committee, meeting in Lausanne, decided that Russia be handed the four-year suspension after accusing Moscow of falsifying laboratory doping data handed over to investigators earlier this year.

Not only will Russia be ruled out of the next Olympic cycle, but Russian government officials will be barred from attending any major events, while the country will lose the right to host, or even bid, for tournaments.

"WADA's executive committee approved unanimously to assert a non-compliance on the Russian antidoping agency for a period of four years," WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald said.

French basketball player fined in China for not looking at flag Beijing Agencies

A French former NBA player has been reprimanded and fined $1,400 by sports officials in China for not looking at the Chinese flag during the national anthem before a game. Players with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) are supposed to stare at the national symbol during the "March of the Volunteers", but television images showed Guerschon Yabusele, who plays for Nanjing Tongxi Monkey King, had his head down before Friday's game.

Yabusele was given a "serious warning" and a 10,000-yuan fine for not looking at the flag as required, the CBA said in a statement on Saturday. Yabusele, who played forward for the Boston Celtics for two seasons before joining the CBA team this year, has not commented on the incident. China's government has stepped up the promotion of patriotism under President Xi Jinping, with legislation approved in 2017 to punish anyone who disrespects the national anthem with up to three years in prison.

Under the sanctions, Russian sportsmen and women will still be allowed to compete at the Olympics next year but only if they can demonstrate that they were not part of what WADA be-

lieves was a state-sponsored system of doping.

"They are going to have prove they had nothing to do with the noncompliance, (that) they were not involved in the doping schemes as described by the McLaren report, or they did not have their samples affected by the manipulation," Fitzgerald said.

The independent report by Richard McLaren, released in 2016, revealed the significant extent of state-sponsored doping in Russia, notably between 2011 and 2015.

It led to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) being suspended for nearly three years previously over revelations of a vast state-supported doping programme.

Full disclosure of data from the Moscow laboratory was a key condition of Russia's controversial reinstatement by WADA in September 2018.

Guardiola admits Man City standards have slipped London Agencies

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City may no longer be able to match the standards of the best teams after a painful defeat against Manchester United left them 14 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Guardiola's City have been the Premier League's outstanding side over the past two years, clocking up 100 points in 2017/18 and retaining the title last term during their treble-winning campaign.

Guardiola hopes City, who have now lost four of their 16 league games this season, will be able to learn from their setbacks.

"United have the quality to defend and the quality to attack on the counter-attack and you have to accept that," said the City boss.

"That is the level we face against Liverpool, United, Barcelona, Madrid, Juventus. They are the teams we have to face and the reality is maybe we are not able now to compete with them.

"We have to improve and accept it and move forward. Maybe we need to live that as a club to improve, to accept the reality now and improve."

Guardiola, however, is not ready to give up on his side's title defence and there is also plenty more to play for in the remainder of the campaign.

City have already qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League ahead of Wednesday's final group game against Dinamo Zagreb, are through to the League Cup quarter-finals and have a kind draw for the start of their FA Cup defence next month.

"The reality is we are 14 points behind for the mistakes we have done, for the quality of our opponents and especially, as well, the things we cannot control," said Guardiola. "That is the reality but we have to continue.

"We are at the beginning of December and we have other competitions to play in and other games to fight and improve on. Maybe this is going to help us for the future so we need to live this as a club to be better."

Klopp says he never doubted Keita's quality London Agencies

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he has never doubted the quality of midfielder Naby Keita despite the Guinea international's limited impact since his arrival at Anfield last year. Keita has been confined to a bit-part role since his ÂŁ52.75 million ($69 million) move from RB Leipzig in July 2018 and before Saturday had played just 14 minutes of Premier League football this season. But the 24-year-old, whose Anfield career has been disrupted by injuries, gave a reminder of his ability with a goal and an assist on his first top-flight start of the campaign in Saturday's 3-0 win at Bournemouth. Klopp, who has reassured Keita about his lack of first-team opportunities, admits the relentless form of his league leaders and a series of tight matches have made it difficult to give him minutes. "Naby had injuries, the team is in really good shape, so then do you change?," said Klopp. "We are not flying, it's not like we won all of the games 4-0, or 5-0, so we had to bring on a player who helps us with defending set-pieces. "Then Naby is sitting outside thinking, 'why don't I play?' I get all that. So we stayed in contact, we talked and we spoke a lot about it."

Klopp said he never questioned the player's quality. "It was just unlucky and in life you need luck always," he said. "He started (his Liverpool career) really well -everybody forgot that -- then got injured. And again we had two really good seasons." Liverpool last lost a league game in early January but despite an eight-point lead over second-placed Leicester, Klopp is not getting carried away. "I don't know if it's so special because we don't think about it," he said of the unbeaten run. "We get confronted with our winning streak always after the game, that's the only moment. From that moment on, nobody thinks about it." Klopp believes resting and rotating his players will be key to successfully negotiating a hectic December schedule, during which they are competing in multiple competitions. "It was wonderful -- maybe the best thing of the (Bournemouth) game -- we didn't have to use Sadio Mane," said the German boss, whose team must avoid defeat against Salzburg on Tuesday to guarantee reaching the Champions League knockout stages."

African players in Europe: Salah and Keita drive Liverpool towards title Paris Agencies

Liverpool's confident march towards a first English title since 1990 continued with Mo Salah and Naby Keita both on target in the 3-0 win at Bournemouth.

Algerian defender Ramy Bensebaini, meanwhile, took the plaudits during Borussia Moenchengladbach's win over Bayern Munich which kept them top of the Bundesliga.

And there were other eye-catching contributions from some of the many Africans playing in Europe's top leagues over the weekend.

ENGLAND MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool) The Egypt forward was in typically deadly form as Liverpool consolidated their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 win at Bournemouth on Saturday. With Jurgen Klopp's side already leading by two goals, Salah -- who had provided an assist for Naby Keita earlier in the match -wrapped up the points in the 54th minute when he ran onto Keita's pass and slotted home. It was Salah's 63rd goal in his 100th Premier League appearance and only Alan Shearer (79), Ruud van Nistelrooy (68) and Sergio Aguero (64) scored more in their first 100 games in the competition. Salah has now scored more Premier League goals against Bournemouth (seven) than any other opponent.

NABY KEITA (Liverpool) The Guinea midfielder also im-

pressed to help title-chasing Liverpool cruise to victory over Bournemouth. After Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain put Liverpool ahead, it was Keita who made it 2-0 in the 44th minute as he slotted home after Salah set him up with a clever backheel.

Keita turned provider for Salah after halftime as Liverpool extended their club record unbeaten run to 33 league games.

They have won 15 of 16 Premier League matches this season.

KELECHI IHEANACHO (Leicester) The Nigeria forward maintained his recent resurgence with an influential display in Leicester's record-breaking 4-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Iheanacho scored a last-minute winner against Everton last weekend in his first

league appearance of the season and he was back in goal-scoring form at Villa Park. Having already set up Jamie Vardy's opening goal, Iheanacho made a welltimed run to meet James Maddison's cross and finish from close range. That doubled Leicester's lead and made it four goals in four appearances in all competitions for Iheanacho this term.

GERMANY RAMY BENSEBAINI (Borussia Moenchengladbach) The Algerian defender, who joined Gladbach from Rennes in August, scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich which ensured Borussia remained top of the table. After converting a corner with a perfectly placed header in the 60th

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minute to make the score 1-1, Bensebaini converted a penalty deep into second-half injury time to give Gladbach the three points. Bensebaini was cool and calm from the spot -- perhaps because he had forgotten that during the week he was nominated as the side’s principal penalty taker and needed to be reminded by a teammate.

ACHRAF HAKIMI (Borussia Dortmund) Hakimi was at his very best in Dortmund's 5-0 destruction of Fortuna Duesseldorf, providing an assist for one of Jadon Sancho's two goals and proving a constant danger on the edge of the box.

Hakimi's pace and vision are among the best in the Bundesliga and Dortmund will sorely miss him should he return to Real Madrid at season's end as expected.

STRELI MAMBA (Paderborn) Mamba's superb assist set up Sven Michel's 90th-minute winner away at Werder Bremen, with the German-born, Congo-eligible forward showing deft footwork to put the goal on a platter. It's been an incredible few weeks for the Paderborn forward, who has struck a rich vein of form in helping his side accrue valuable points in the battle to avoid relegation.

FRANCE VICTOR OSIMHEN (Lille) Victor Osimhen's reputation as a goalscorer continues to rise after the 20year-old Nigerian scored the only goal in Lille's 1-0 victory over Brest on Friday. It was Osimhen's ninth of the season, all of them coming at home. After having one

acrobatic effort well saved in the 12th minute by Brest keeper Gautier Larsonneur, Osimhen broke the deadlock four minutes later, latching on to Jonathan Ikone's pass. It was a third successive win for Lille who are now up to third in Ligue 1 and in good form heading into their Champions League tie against Chelsea on Tuesday.

ITALY SEKO FOFANA (Udinese)/KALIDOU KOULIBALY (Napoli) These two had to settle for stalemate as Udinese and Napoli drew 1-1 but each played their part. Ivorian Fofana sent the ball through for Kevin Lasagna to score the opening goal after 32 minutes, taking advantage of Senegalese defender Koulibaly being out of position. A sliding Koulibaly tackle had earlier stopped Lasagna in his tracks in front of goal with Fofana missing a chance to score when he fired over the bar. Udinese extended Napoli's winless run in the league to seven games.

SPAIN MUBARAK WAKASO (Alaves) Ghanaian midfielder Mubarak Wakaso picked up the wrong kind of headlines when he was sent off during Alaves' 3-0 defeat at Granada on Saturday. Wakaso received a second yellow card in the 67th minute for a late challenge on Carlos Neva when Granada were already two up. Alaves defender Victor Laguardia was also sent off late on.

Alaves drop to 15th in the table while Granada move up to ninth.

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

sRi lanKa beGin FiRsT paKisTan TesT TouR sinCe 2009 aTTaCK coLoMBo

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Agencies

RI Lanka arrived for the first Test cricket tour of Pakistan in 10 years on Monday following the deadly 2009 attack on their team that plunged Pakistan into sporting isolation.

"Touchdown Islamabad," tweeted the Pakistan Cricket Board, along with video of the players at the airport, while Pakistan Cricket Board chief executive Waseem Khan called their arrival a "historic occasion".

Sri Lanka will play two Tests under heavy security, one in Rawalpindi -- where Pakistan's army is headquartered -- and the second in Karachi, ending a decade-long absence for cricket's five-day format since the attack.

Eight people were killed and several players and officials were wounded when militants opened fire on a convoy of buses travelling to a Test in Lahore in March 2009.

"This is my first tour to Pakistan," said Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, who opted out of the team's recent limited-overs tour of Pakistan.

"After the 2009 incidents players were scared to tour Pakistan but in the last two years or so Sri Lanka and other teams have toured Pakistan."

He added: "We want to play good cricket in Pakistan and hope they give us some good security."

The 2009 attack slammed the door shut on international sporting fixtures in cricket-loving Pakistan as foreign teams refused to visit over security fears.

Pakistan's cricket team has been forced to play its home matches on neutral ground in the United Arab Emirates, resulting in financial losses and hard times for Pakistani fans.

International cricket began making inroads back into the country when Zimbabwe became the first

team to play in Pakistan in 2015, paving the wave for a smattering of Twenty20 matches ever since.

But Test matches -- considered the pinnacle of international cricket -- have until now remained absent.

The first Test starts in Rawalpindi on Wednesday and the second is in Karachi from December 19.

"Pakistan's losses due to nonhosting of international cricket have been substantial," Waseem told AFP. "Pakistan cricket supporters have been denied the opportunity to see their heroes play live in our national stadiums."

CRICKET IN PAKISTAN IS DYING: None of the players on Pakistan's current roster, including skipper Azhar Ali (75 Tests) and Asad Shafiq (71), has played a Test at home.

"I am happy Test cricket has finally return to Pakistan," said fan Ashfaq Ahmed, 48.

"Cricket in Pakistan is dying and our kids aren't as keen toward the game as we were once. But one can't blame the younger generations because they haven't seen their team playing in Pakistan."

The PCB are now hoping to turn things around thanks to a dramatic improvement in security in recent years, following a wave of crackdowns on

militants across the country.

Sri Lanka, despite being the target of the 2009 attack, have been a driving force behind the return of international cricket after they played six limitedovers matches in Karachi and Lahore in September and October.

The return of international games and Pakistan Super League matches -- as well as behind-thescenes diplomacy -- are finally pay-

ing dividends, according to Waseem.

"The eight (PSL) matches in Karachi earlier this year... were eyeopeners for the 43 foreign cricketers who returned as our ambassadors," he said.

The series -- the second for both teams in the ongoing World Test championship -- promises to be intriguing, not least because of the tussle between the two coaches: Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq and Sri Lanka's Mickey Arthur.

Arthur was Pakistan's coach until August when he was axed by the country's cricket officials, who included Misbah, following a disappointing performance at this year's World Cup. The South African, who was only appointed by Sri Lanka last week, will hope to pile the pressure on Pakistan who are coming off a humiliating 2-0 Test thrashing in Australia which pushed them down to eighth in the rankings.

Misbah, who is also Pakistan's chief selector and batting coach, will be under especially heavy scrutiny following Pakistan's run of poor form.

SURANGA LAKMAL OUT OF TOUR COLOMBO: As Sri Lanka were leaving for Pakistan, they revealed that Suranga Lakmal was down with dengue fever and will not be travelling with the team. His spot has been taken by Asitha Fernando, who has spent the last few months playing for Sri Lanka's Under-23 and Emerging teams. Lakmal has long been the team's best fast bowler in Test cricket, especially away from home and played an important role in their 2-0 victory in 2017, keeping one end tight while the spinners attacked from the other. Lakmal bowled 58.3 overs across two Tests in the UAE, picking up six wickets and maintaining an economy rate of 2.22. Fernando has not played any international cricket since making his debut in 2017. He was picked for an ODI against Zimbabwe and ended the day with figures of 0 for 22 in two overs. He has been in better form recently, picking up six wickets from four T20 matches for Sri Lanka's Under-23 side in the South Asian Games in Nepal. With that tournament still on-going, he is expected to join the senior side in Pakistan only after the first Test, which begins on December 11. Sri Lanka do have fast bowling cover in Lahiru Kumara, who can become one of the best in the world according to Sri Lanka's consultant head coach Mickey Arthur, Vishwa Fernando, who was part of history in South Africa and Kasun Rajitha. Agencies

PCB mulls approaching former skipper Wasim Akram to resolve cricket committee woes

sPorts desk The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has set sights on former cricket team skipper Wasim Akram to take charge as the chairman of the cricket committee as he is "a strong candidate for the job”, according to sources.

Following the resignation of Wasim Khan on Sunday, it has been said that the senior members of the board will approach Akram, who is currently a member of the cricket committee, in this regard.

According to sources, the PCB officials will be taking a decision in the next 15 days following a discussion with other former cricketers and other committee members before the Bangladesh series.

Meanwhile, Khan, who will now only be a member of the committee, has said that the post would be best held by a former cricketer. "There

should be autonomy and the chairman should be independent," he said.

The PCB, led by Mohsin Hassan Khan, last year inducted a cricket committee, comprising Akram, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Urooj Mumtaz. Following Mohsin's resignation in June, Khan was handed the reigns.

The cricketing committee is responsible for making crucial decisions regarding the cricketing structure in the country by advising the PCB chairman on all maters related to the game.

In a bid to improve the cricket structure, Chairman Ehsan Mani had

earlier revealed that two former cricketers would be recruited. "We will be appointing two former cricketers in the committee," he had said.

Previously, the committee comprised of three former cricketers and three PCB officials. However, that may be about to change, as the PCB chairman had also hinted at reforming the committee.

"There will be only one PCB member, who will act as a bridge between the cricket committee and the cricket officials," he had said, elaborating that the committee was a bridge between cricketers and the board.

BCB hoping to gain clarity on Pakistan tour this week dhaka Agencies

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will know later this week whether the Bangladesh government will allow them to send the men's team to Pakistan for a full tour in January, according to chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury. The decision to tour hinges on security assessments, which will be determined by the government, apart from the board's own security team which has submitted a report recently.

Chowdhury was responding to a question posed about the Pakistan Cricket Board's proposal to play a day-night Test during the tour. He said that the decision to play the day-night game is secondary

for them currently.

"Before discussing the proposal to play day-night Test, we are awaiting the government directive because of the security issue in Pakistan," Chowdhury was quoted as saying by Kaler Kantho. "We will need the government's permission.

We have to first see if we can go on this tour. We don't have much time as the tour is scheduled for next month. We are hopeful that we can clear our position on the tour this week. We will know if we are going to Pakistan or not."

ESPNcricinfo has learnt that the BCB are not quite keen on playing another daynight Test without giving the players enough match practice with the pink ball under lights. The current schedule would

not allow the senior team time to prepare separately for pink-ball cricket, as the BPL ends on January 17.

The tour is scheduled for three T20Is from January 23, and the Test series has to finish before the PSL that is scheduled to begin on February 20, so like their maiden pink-ball Test in India last month, Bangladesh are unlikely to get an extra practice match before the proposed Pakistan day-night Test.

On the other hand, the PCB has been experimenting with day-night first-class cricket for the last eight years starting with the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 2011, which was played with an orange ball in Karachi, and their Test side has played four day-night matches.

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SPORTS 15

Kohli asks butterfingers india to get a grip on catching woes MUMBAI: For someone who often leads by example, India captain Virat Kohli is appalled by the team’s sloppy fielding against West Indies and wants them to fix the problem in the build-up to next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. India, who had dropped five catches in the series opener on Friday, spilled three more on Sunday to allow West Indies to level the series 1-1 in Thiruvananthapuram. The unusually sloppy catching in Hyderabad prompted former all-rounder Yuvraj Singh to wonder if playing too much cricket was taking its toll on the players.

Some of the players said the low floodlights in Hyderabad made sighting the ball tricky at times. No such excuse was offered for the slip-ups in Thiruvananthapuram, where two catches went down in a single Bhuvneshwar Kumar over. "Look, if you field like that, then no total is big enough. Last two games we’ve been below-par in the field," Kohli told broadcaster Star Sports after Sunday’s defeat. "In the first four overs we created enough pressure and then you drop two chances in a T20 game in one over, that’s going to cost you. If they lose two wickets in one over, the pressure’s on them. "I think it’s a game of margins and we need to understand where we went wrong. It’s pretty evident. It’s there for everyone to see and for us to improve on. "I think fielding is something we need to be more brave about, and not worry about dropping catches." Kohli himself set the standard when he pulled off a spectacular one-handed catch near the ropes to send back Shimron Hetmyer.

"It was one of those catches that just stuck in the hand,” said Kohli. “It came out of the lights a little bit, but I just committed to the ball and put both hands out, and luckily it came into my hand." Mumbai hosts the third and final match on Wednesday. Agencies

australia's smith wants mCG to retain boxing day Test despite pitch concerns BRISBANE: Australia’s batting mainstay Steve Smith is confident the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand will be played on a safe, quality pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and does not want the venue to lose the marquee fixture over surface concerns. A Sheffield Shield match at the MCG was abandoned on Sunday because of a dangerous pitch with several Western Australia batsmen sustaining blows to the body from deliveries that reared up at them. Cricket Australia said a different pitch had been earmarked for the second Test against New Zealand starting on Dec. 26 but they will still work with MCG curator Matt Page to ensure it was of international standards. "He’s a good curator and he’ll be doing what he can to get us a good wicket for Boxing Day," Smith told reporters in Perth on Monday. "Then I guess they have another year to work on their wickets to give us an even contest for bat and ball, that’s what we want to see." A lifeless MCG pitch received a "poor" rating from the governing International Cricket Council in 2017 while last year’s surface against India was rated "average" even though the tourists took 20 wickets to comprehensively win the match.

Irrespective of the negative ratings, Smith would like the marquee match to stay at the hallowed venue. "I’d love for it to stay, it’s part of the tradition of Australian cricket for a long time," said the 30-year-old. "I’ve had some of my great memories of cricket walking out there on Boxing Day, listening to the anthems, you get kind of a shiver down your spine. Agencies

Tuesday, 10 December, 2019

NEWS

LHC orders govT To deCIde MAryAM’s eCL Issue wITHIN 7 dAys

Arrested Awaran women released, BNP-M leaders confirm Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) leaders Sardar Akhtar Mengal and Sanaullah Baloch on Monday said that the four women who were arrested from Awaran district of Balochistan last month have been released. In a tweet, Mengal said that the women have been released. In a separate tweet, Baloch said, “BNP is the guardian of Balochistan’s honour. Our respectable mothers of Awaran have been released and returned home.”

On December 6, Interior Minister Brigadier (r) Ijaz Shah had assured BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal that the issue of arrest of four women will be resolved within two days. A meeting was held at the office of National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri where the BNP-M chief was also present along with other MNAs. Mengal had expressed concerns over Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf’s (PTI) failure to address the issues of its allies and had said that his party would reconsider its position if it was not getting any benefits from the coalition. “We do not see the point of being a partner of this government if it refuses to address our genuine concerns,” he had said. On this, the NA deputy speaker had said that he himself was from Balochistan and had assured Mengal that the government was genuinely interested in working with his party for the development of the province in order to end all injustices towards the people of Balochistan. Meanwhile, during the proceedings of the National Assembly (NA) earlier on December 6, the opposition staged a walkout in protest for not being allowed to speak about the production orders of detained lawmakers. The BNP-P chief also walked out with the opposition. NEWS DESK

Afghan authorities stop PIA aircraft, leave 162 passengers briefly stranded

Afghan officials on Monday stopped a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight at Kabul airport, leaving 162 passengers stranded for over 2.5 hours. Reportedly, no reason was disclosed by the Afghan authorities and the passengers were restricted from exiting the plane. While the PIA plane was stopped at the airport, no other airline had to suffer the same treatment and the flight was only allowed to proceed through a smaller runway after 2.5 hours, the report added. A local news outlet reported that diplomatic channels in Istanbul were involved in the resolution of this dispute. The top Afghan leadership is currently present in Turkish capital to attend the Heart of Asia Conference. Pakistani officials used those diplomatic channels to convince the Afghan authorities to let the passengers proceed with their journey, the report added. NEWS DESK

COURT DISPOSES OF PML-N VP’S PETITION, SAYS DOESN’T WANT TO INCREASE PRESSURE ON GOVERNMENT LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

HE Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday directed the federal government’s review committee to decide Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz’s application for removal of her name from the Exit Control List (ECL) within seven days.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, took up the PML-N vice president’s petition seeking the removal of her name from the ECL and directed the review committee to issue its decision as per the law.

During the proceedings, Maryam’s lawyer Azam Nazir Tarar said that the court should change her petition’s status to “pending” and direct the government to decide on the review application. However, the court said they didn’t want to increase the pressure on the government by doing so and disposed of the petition, directing the government to decide on the review application. On Saturday, Maryam filed a petition in the LHC seeking the removal of her name from the ECL. Maryam is currently on bail in the

Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM) case, in which she is a suspect, but her name remains on the no-fly list. Her father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, travelled to London last month after the government and courts granted him permission to fly abroad on medical grounds. During the proceedings, Maryam’s lawyer said through allegations of corruption and corrupt practices, his client’s name was placed on the ECL. He said that without hearing her stance, Maryam’s name was placed on the ECL. According to Advocate Amjad Pervaiz, the federal government had opposed the ECL Ordinance.

Justice Najafi said under Section 3 of the ECL Ordinance, they could file a review application before the federal government. Maryam’s counsel said they have not submitted any application with the government to remove her name from the ECL, adding that there was no better forum than the court to address the matter.

He said that government ministers were constantly saying they wouldn’t let Maryam go abroad, adding that the government itself didn’t want to her to go abroad. Justice Najafi said they should submit a request with the federal government so that they can decide on the matter, adding that the court wants institutions to do their specific work.

Advocate Pervaiz said Maryam’s father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, is not well and she wants to go to him. “How can Maryam give a request to the government, they themselves are sitting ready to take steps against her,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, the LHC issued a no-

tice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Maryam’s request for the release of her passport. Earlier, Maryam had filed a miscellaneous application seeking the release of her passport. The LHC while granting her bail last month had directed the PMLN vice president to surrender her passport to secure her release.

MARYAM’S PETITION: The petition requesting the removal of Maryam’s name from the ECL had listed the federal government, Federal Investigation Agency, and chairman and director general of NAB as respondents.

In her petition, Maryam had argued that her name was placed on the ECL without notice and providing her with an opportunity of hearing through a memorandum dated August 20, 2018.

The application stated that the recommendations by NAB were “acted upon in a mechanical manner and without judicious application of mind in contravention of the law declared by the superior courts”. According to the petition, the apprehension by the government and NAB that Maryam will abscond if allowed to travel abroad does not appeal to reason in view of her track record. It said during the filing of corruption references against them by NAB in the Accountability Court of Islamabad, Maryam and her father were attending to Kulsoom Nawaz who was undergoing cancer treatment in London; despite this, they returned to Pakistan to face the trial.

“It is also an admitted fact that the petitioner and her father volunteered to come back to surrender […] even after a judgment of conviction an-

nounced in their absence” in the Avenfield reference, the petition argued.

It stated that the move to place Maryam’s name on the no-fly list was prompted by “political rhetoric, irrelevant and considerations extraneous to law” and that the jurisdiction to impose ban on travel by an accused or convict is the “exclusive domain” of the concerned court of law and not the government and NAB. Noting that her father was shifted abroad on account of his critical health condition, the petition said Maryam is “also entitled to relief on compassionate and humanitarian grounds”. It said after her mother’s demise, it is Maryam who has been looking after her ailing father “who is much dependent upon her”.

Maryam had requested the LHC to declare the memorandum through which her name was placed on the ECL last year as “illegal, without lawful authority, void ab-initio and of no legal effect”, and direct the government to delete her name from the ECL. Until this petition is decided, the PML-N leader had requested the LHC to grant her a “onetime permission” to travel abroad for six weeks from the date of departure.

NAB to move against Peshawar BRT, Malam Jabba land scam ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal on Monday said that the accountability watchdog has prepared references against alleged malfeasance in Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and Malam Jabba forest land scam.

Addressing a ceremony organised to mark the International Anti-Corruption Day, the anti-corruption chairman asserted that the government has never interfered in the internal matters of the bureau as often claimed by the opposition leaders.

“References in the BRT and Malam Jabba scandal are ready […] the direction of the wind is about to shift […] keep an eye on the events going to happen in the next few weeks,” he said, adding that there should be some distinction between those [parties] which ruled for 30-35 years and those who have been in power for 12-14 months.

He said that NAB holds no grudges against anyone.

The NAB chief urged ministers to avoid giving their predictions on ongoing investigations and cases.

“Sometimes ministers give such statements. But how will their vote bank be secured if they don’t give such sentimental statements? I request ministers […] to at least try to avoid making predictions [about cases],” he said. Iqbal said that there was nothing “intelligent” about predicting someone’s arrest before it actually happens.

PESHAWAR BRT SCAM: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government led by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has failed to complete the metro bus project and has missed at least six deadlines in this regard.

On November 27, KP Information Minister

NAB CHIEF SAYS ‘DIRECTION OF THE WIND IS ABOUT TO SHIFT’, SAYS NAB HOLDS NO GRUDGES AGAINST ANYONE Shaukat Yousafzai said that the project would be completed in 2020 and people would start getting its benefits from next year. He claimed that 87 per cent work on the mega project had been completed and added that 30 stations had been finalised, while work on the remaining 10 stations was underway.

Earlier, the minister had said the project would be finished by December this year, but reports claimed that the flagship project of the PTI government was unlikely to be completed in December, citing completion of only 16 stations out of over 40.

According to reports, three bus depots made for Peshawar BRT were also under construction. “Even 10 per cent work has not been done on the Haytabad bus depot. No work has been done on the route from Hayatabad to Karkhano Market,” they claimed.

According to the additional chief secretary, only one per cent work had been conducted in the past six months on the project whereas the secretary was also quoted as saying that the project would not be completed within the expected time.

Later on December 6, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to launch a probe into Peshawar BRT project and submit a report to the court within 45 days so that appropriate action could be taken. The bench, headed

by Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, ruled this after hearing multiple petitions filed by the residents.

In its order, the court called the PTI government “visionless” for concentrating the money loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in just one project. The verdict said the government took up the project without any “feasibility study” to determine its economic, financial and technical viability.

The cost of the transport corridor was also increased from Rs49.453 billion in 2017 to Rs66.437 billion in 2018, of which Rs53.320 was take in the form of a loan from the ADB. The project was to be completed in six months, due to a political announcement by the provincial government. This lead to the project being designed in haste and created many errors, Justice Seth wrote. In addition, the “per kilometre cost of the BRT is Rs2.427 billion, which is exorbitantly high.” The court also observed that senior officers of the provincial government, namely the additional chief secretary and the commissioner of the Peshawar division were enjoying hefty allowances despite having non-managerial roles.

MALAM JABBA SCAM: There have been allegations of misappropriation of land that was leased out in Malam Jabba, Swat, for development of ski resorts. The KP government had leased 275 acres of land in the region instead of the original plan of leasing only 17 acres. The KP Forest Department owned the lands that were leased out to a private company for a period of 33 years even though original plans mandated a lease for 15 years. This was deemed to be in violations of rules and regulations. KP Ehtesab Commission and the inspection team of the KP chief minister had also raised objections against the agreement at the time.

Finnish minister Sanna Marin to become world’s youngest PM HELSINKI AGENCIES

A 34-year-old transport minister and lawmaker has been tapped to become Finland’s youngest prime minister ever and its third female government leader.

Finland’s ruling Social Democratic Party council voted 32-29 late Sunday to name Sanna Marin over rival Antti Lindtman to take over the government’s top post from incumbent Antti Rinne.

Having emerged as Finland’s largest party in the April election, the Social Democrats can appoint one of their own to

the post of prime minister in the Nordic nation of 5.5 million.

Marin has been the party’s vice chairwoman, a lawmaker since 2015 and served as until this week as the minster for transport and communications. According to Finland’s biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and the Ilta-Sanomat tabloid, Marin will become the world’s youngest sitting prime minister.

Finland currently holds the European Union’s rotating presidency until the end of the year. Lawmakers are likely to approve the appointment of Marin and her new government quickly so she can rep-

resent Finland at the Dec 12-13 EU leaders’ summit in Brussels.

Rinne stepped down on Tuesday after a key coalition partner, the Center Party, withdrew its support, citing lack of trust.

The Center Party also criticised Rinne’s leadership skills prior to a two-week strike by the country’s state-owned postal service Posti in November that spread to other industries, including the national flag carrier Finnair. Rinne’s resignation prompted the formal resignation of a coalition of the Social Democrats and the Center Party and three junior partners: the Greens, the Left Alliance and the Swedish

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

CMYK

People’s Party of Finland.

On Sunday, Social Democrats and the four other coalition parties said they are committed to the government program agreed upon after the April election and will continue in Marin’s new government.

The new government will still have a comfortable majority of 117 seats at the 200-seat Eduskunta, or parliament.

Social Democrats said Sunday they’re seeking to have Rinne, a former trade union leader, become the parliament’s vice speaker. He also plans to stay on as the Social Democrats’ chairman until a party congress next summer.