E-Paper PDF 14th January 2020 (KHI)

CMYK

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020 I 17 Jamadi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 17.00 I Vol X No 195 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition

LHC quasHes MusHarraf treason verdiCt g

deClareS SpeCial Court’S formation in high treaSon CaSe aS ‘unConStitutional’

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Court SayS treaSon CaSe waS not prepared in aCCordanCe with law

LAHORE

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staff report

he Lahore high Court (LhC) on Monday declared the formation of a special court bench – which heard the treason case against former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf – as “unconstitutional” as it announced its verdict on a set of petitions filed by Musharraf, challenging multiple cases against him, including his conviction in the case.

In its detailed judgement, the bench also ruled that the treason case against Musharraf “was not prepared in accordance with the law”.

Musharraf had been sentenced to death by a special court on December 17, 2019, after six years of hearing the case, which was filed against him by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government after it assumed office in 2013.

In his petition filed in December last year, Musharraf had asked the LhC to set aside the special court’s verdict for being “illegal, without jurisdiction and unconstitutional for violating Articles 10-A, 4, 5, 10 and 10-A of the Constitution”. he also sought suspension of the verdict till a decision on his petition is made.

A three-member full bench of the LhC comprising Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Mohammad Ameer Bhatti and Justice Chaudhry Masood Jahangir had taken up the former president’s petitions last week.

As the court resumed hearing Musharraf’s pleas, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Ishtiaq A Khan, appearing on behalf of the federal government, presented the summary and record of the formation of the special court. On Friday, Justice Naqvi had asked the federal government to submit a summary on the formation of the special court and had directed the state’s lawyer to present arguments on Monday.

AAG Khan said that the matter of forming a case against Musharraf was never included in the cabinet agenda.

Justice Jahangir asked when the cabinet meeting under discussion was held. AAG Khan responded that it was held on June 24, 2013. he added that the cabinet met again with regards to the appointment of judges for the special court.

“It is the truth that the formation of the special court to hear the case against Musharraf was done without the cabinet’s approval,” he said.

Deadlock persists between MQM-P and PTI as Siddiqui digs in heels pml-Q looking to make hay while the sun shines STORIES ON PAGE 03

‘Amended NAB law not applicable on probes initiated before Dec 28’ STORY ON PAGE 02 According to the additional attorney general, the appointment of one of the judges in the special court had come under discussion in the cabinet on May 8, 2018. he added that on October 21, 2018, Justice Yawar Ali had retired and the special court was again reconstituted.

The court inquired if the matter of the process of filing a complaint in the case had come up in cabinet meetings. AAG Khan responded in the negative.

“According to your record, there is no agenda or notification regarding the formation of the special court or the filing of the complaint,” the bench noted.

The bench also discussed if imposing an emergency amounted to the suspension of the constitution and Justice Naqvi remarked that “emergency is part of the constitution”.

“If the situation is such that the government imposes an emergency, will a treason case be filed against that government as well?” asked Justice Naqvi.

“Can an emergency be imposed under Article 232?” asked Justice Bhatti. The additional attorney general conceded that such a step would be in accordance with the constitution.

“Then how is it a deviation from the constitution?” asked Justice Naqvi. The AAG told the court that while passing the 18th Amendment, the parliament had included the suspension of the Constitution in Article 6.

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The bench asked if a person can be punished for an offense committed before an amendment is passed in that regard.

“An offense committed in the past cannot be punished after new legislation,” the federal government’s counsel told the court.

Justice Naqvi further said that by adding three words, the parliament had changed the entire status of the constitution. he was referring to the amendments made in Article 6, where the parliament had deemed the abrogation, subverting or suspension of the Constitution as an offense of high treason. “how many members comprised the FIA team that conducted the inquiry against Perves Musharraf?” asked Justice Naqvi, as the court examined the proceedings of the trial against Musharraf.

“A 20-25 member team was constituted which completed the inquiry,” the AAG told the court. “how many of those members participated in the trial?” the judge asked.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

musharraf hails lhC verdict, says health is improving STORY ON PAGE 03

SC asks govt to explain how lawyer’s detention is related to national security STORY ON PAGE 03

US-Iran tensions can hit Afghan peace process, Qureshi tells Saudis STORY ON PAGE 02

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amid freezing temperatureS, gaS preSSure reduCtion and load Shedding haS added to miSerieS of people

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Iran denies reports of police shooting at protesters amid fury over downing of plane STORY ON BACK PAGE

uK's Queen elizabeth agrees to grandson harry's wishes after crisis talks STORY ON BACK PAGE

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CMYK Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

02 NEWS

Amended nAB lAw noT ApplicABle on proBes iniTiATed Before dec 28, sAys AnTi-grAfT wATchdog ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

he National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has accepted the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, and has directed all of its regional directorates to start the implementation of the amended ordinance wherever it is applicable.

According to a notification, NAB Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal has directed all director generals to observe the parameters laid down in Section 2 & 3 of the ordinance. however, the amended ordinance will not be applicable to the investigations and references against the ministers and bureaucrats which were initiated before Dec 28, 2019.

“I am directed to convey that the under process cases which were authorised before the promulgation of the ordinance will remain intact till their logical conclusion as the subject ordinance has no retrospective effect,” the letter dated January 10, 2020, read.

Ministers, members of parliament, bureaucrats and traders will find some

NOTIFICATION SAYS AMENDED NAB ORDINANCE HAS NO RETROSPECTIVE EFFECT ON UNDER-PROCESS CASES

relief with the implementation of the amended ordinance as NAB has been directed to collect evidence and proof prior to any action against them. however, the affectees of the old NAB law will have to approach the courts to find relief.

Under the amended ordinance, there would be no action against the decisions of public office holders and bu-

six more polio cases reported in Kp At least six more victims of the crippling polio virus, including four girls and two boys, have been identified in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday. The victims belonged to districts Torghar and Lucky Marwat. According to the KP health Ministry, the total number of reported polio cases across the province reached 97 in 2019, with the majority recorded in district Lucky Marwat. The number of polio cases were calculated based on samples taken up until December 2019.

The tally of affected increased to 141 in 2019, the highest in recent years. On the other hand, the ministry initiated a five-day polio eradication campaign in eight different districts of the province in an attempt to administer polio vaccines to more than 2.1 million children. NEWS DESK

sc restores assembly membership of Balochistan mpA QUETTA: Weeks after the Balochistan election Tribunal declared the election of Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran and Mohammad Akbar Askani – Balochistan Awami Party’s (BAP) MPAs – null and void and ordered re-election in both the constituencies, the Supreme Court on Monday restored the Askani’s membership of the provincial assembly.

Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing until Jan 24. The Tribunal headed

by Justice Nazeer Ahmed Langove of the Balochistan high Court (BhC) after completing hearing of the election petitions filed against provincial Minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran and Adviser to the Chief Minister on Fisheries Mohammad Akbar Askani announced the decision. The judge accepted the petitions filed against the election of Khetran and Askani and ordered the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) to conduct re-election in the provincial assembly’s constituencies PB-8 (Barkhan) and PB-48 (Kech). The tribunal also asked the eCP to de-notify the notifications of the election victory of the two MPAs. Wadera Abdul Karim Khetran, who contested election on PB-8 (Barkhan) on the ticket of National Party against Rehman Khetran, had filed the petition against the election result.

Rehman Khetran won the seat with a thin majority. STAFF REPORT

reaucrats which were taken with good faith. Similarly, NAB would not take action against the bureaucrats and the ministers who implemented the rules and the regulations with good faith.

Since the amended ordinance has restricted NAB from taking action on matters of tax evasion and an act of government officials done in good faith,

so cases related to tax, levies and import will be transferred to the concerned court.

The anti-graft body’s jurisdiction over matters relating to tax, stock exchange and IPOs has been curtailed.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Securities and exchange Commission of Pakistan (SeCP) and building control authorities will be the sole authorities tasked to act on all such matters. In addition, for land evaluation purposes, NAB will seek guidance from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) or the district collector.

The anti-graft watchdog will no longer be allowed to take action against government employees and the bureau will not seize the property of government officials without the orders of the court. No action will be launched against government employees in case of departmental deficiencies.

If it fails to complete an investigation against a suspect within three months, the accused will be entitled to bail. In addition, NAB will now only be able to proceed in corruption cases of Rs500 million and more.

US-Iran tensions can hit Afghan peace process, Qureshi tells Saudis rIYADH

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal has filed a petition in an accountability court seeking Prime Minister Imran Khan’s inclusion in the Narowal Sports City project case. Iqbal is currently in NAB custody in the same case. he is accused of embezzling billions of rupees. In a petition filed Monday, Iqbal accused PM Khan of not issuing funds for the project. While speaking to the media after a case hearing, Iqbal claimed that due to the incumbent premier, astroturf (artificial turf for playing surfaces in sports) worth millions was wasted. “Imran Khan did not issue the funds which ruined the project,” he said. “I didn’t make a night club or casino, I made a sports project which has now become a crime,” he said. “The true criminal is Imran Khan.” he headed to the court after his physical remand expired. During the court proceedings, NAB prosecutor asked for a 14-day extension in his remand, but the court extended it till January 20. NAB has decided to ask Saudi Arabia for details of Iqbal’s Iqama (residence permit for expats).

It wants to know whether he has been receiving funds or any other kind of benefit from the Madinah Institute of Literacy.

Iqbal had told the bureau he would provide details, but officials want those details from the Saudi government instead. Fourteen stadiums were meant to be constructed as part of the Narowal Sport City project, which was initiated in 2009. In April 2018, the Rs2.9 billion project was inaugurated by then president Mamnoon hussain.

NAB had launched an investigation into the matter the day it was inaugurated. The bureau said it had received a complaint of embezzlement. Iqbal, who was appointed federal minister for planning in 2013, has rejected NAB’s allegations. he said that the total cost of the project was Rs2.9 billion, while Rs2.5 billion has so far been spent on it. STAFF REPORT

court defers indictment after ex-pm gilani's no show

STAFF REPORT

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Monday and cautioned that the tensions between Iran and United States could hit the already fragile reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

In December 2018, Pakistan brokered rare direct talks between Washington and the Afghan Taliban, paving the way for a negotiated settlement of the decades-old conflict.

The process, however, is still awaiting a breakthrough, as the Taliban have turned down repeated calls for inclusion of the Kabul government in the talks. Qureshi arrived in Riyadh earlier in the day after completing his visit to Iran, as part of Pakistan’s efforts to help defuse tensions following the assassination of top Iranian commander in US drone strike in Baghdad and, subsequent missiles attack on US bases in Iraq.

According to the official statement, the foreign minister met his Saudi counterpart at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jeddah.

Discussing the prevailing situation, Qureshi urged that the diplomatic means should be used to deescalate the situation in the region and resolve matters peacefully. The Saudi foreign minister appreciated the initiative taken by Prime Minster

Ahsan iqbal seeks inclusion of pm imran in narowal sports city reference

Imran Khan to defuse the tensions in the Middle east. he also welcomed the recent trip of FM Qureshi.

MEETING WITH IRANIAN LEADERSHIP: On Sunday, the foreign minister met President hassan Rouhani and urged him to use diplomatic means to dial down tensions in the region and resolve matters amicably.

During his meeting with President Rouhani that encompassed the US-Iran tension, regional peace and the multifaceted Pak-Iran ties, the foreign minister said both the countries enjoyed deep historic, religious, and cultural brotherhood.

Qureshi thanked the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iranian president on behalf of Prime Minister Imran Khan for raising their voice against Indian atrocities in Occupied Kashmir and supporting Pakistan’s stand.

The foreign minister had kicked off his diplomatic mission on the di-

rectives of Premier Imran to discuss peace and share Pakistan’s perspective on Middle east tensions.

The visit comes in the wake recent developments which have seriously risked peace and security in an already volatile region and requires immediate and collective efforts for a peaceful resolution.

US forces killed Iran’s most revered military commander Maj Gen Qassem Suleimani in a drone strike near Baghdad airport on Jan 3, while in revenge Tehran attacked two US military bases in Iraq with missiles five days later. Though the two countries have apparently stood down, tension is still running high in the region.

US officials frequently contacted Pakistani military brass during the crisis, but Islamabad made it abundantly clear that it would not become party to any armed conflict in the region and instead advised all to exercise maximum restraint to avoid war.

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday failed to appear for an accountability court hearing in a case pertaining to the allegedly illegal awarding of government advertisement contracts. Judge Azam Khan deferred indictment of all the accused, including Gilani, over their non-appearance.

Meanwhile, former principal information officer (PIO) Saleem Baig filed a plea seeking his acquittal in the case under the recently employed amendment in the NAB ordinance. however, the NAB prosecutor opposed the petition and recalled the federal government has already taken back the ordinance. “The government has made an announcement too in this regard,” he said. After directing the Bureau to present its stance on the ordinance, the court adjourned the hearing till Jan 30.

Gilani, former Information Technology secretary Farooq Awan, former PIO Baig, former company secretary of Universal Service Fund Syed hasan Sheikh and other individuals were nominated in the reference.

According to NAB, the accused allegedly misused their positions to illegally grant an advertising contract in contravention of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules, causing a loss of Rs129.07 million. STAFF REPORT

LHC quashes Musharraf treason verdict contInueD froM pAge 01 “Only one of them appeared [before the special court] for the trial,” said AAG Khan.

“What is the value of an inquiry against Pervez Musharraf when those who conducted the inquiry did not appear during the trial [proceedings]?” remarked the judge.

LHC TAKES UP MUSHARRAF’S PLEA: On Friday, the bench had asked the federal government to submit a summary on the formation of the

special court and had directed the state’s lawyer to present arguments on Monday.

During the hearing on Friday, the LhC had posed questions regarding the legality of the treason case and the formation of the special court that conducted the trial and had handed Musharraf the death sentence.

Barrister Ali Zafar, who has been appointed the court’s amicus curiae, said that the case against Musharraf seemed to have been filed on the behest of then prime minister Nawaz Sharif, as

CMYK

there is no record of the matter being on the agenda of any of the cabinet meetings held at the time.

“A case under Article 6 cannot be filed without the cabinet’s approval,” Barrister Zafar had noted. The court asked if the matter was on the agenda of any cabinet meeting, to which Zafar had responded in the negative.

“None of the cabinet meetings were held on the matter,” Barrister Zafar informed the court.

“This was history’s most important matter; can the cabinet discuss it

without it being an agenda item?” the bench had asked.

In an earlier hearing on Musharraf’s plea, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Ishtiaq A Khan on Thursday told the bench that the formation of the special trial court had not been approved by the federal cabinet. he said the record showed that only one letter was written by then premier Nawaz to the ministry of interior for the initiation of an inquiry against Musharraf on the charge of high treason.

CMYK Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

NEWS

03

deAdlocK persisTs BeTween mQm-p And pTi As siddiQui digs in heels ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

OURS after Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui reiterated his decision to resign from his ministerial portfolio in a meeting with a delegation of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Karachi, Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned the former to Islamabad, assuring him of fulfilling all valid demands of his key coalition partner.

The MQM-P on Sunday gave the PTI government in the Centre a jolt as Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Siddiqui announced his decision to leave the federal cabinet over “unfulfilled promises”. however, the MQM-P’s key leaders stated that the party’s recent move was a part of pressurising the federal government to give it another ministry because, the party believes, Farogh Naseem, the minister for law and justice, has been solely

working on behalf of the federal government. Following the bombshell announcement, Prime Minister Imran Khan tasked PTI’s Karachi leaders to meet the MQMP leaders and address their grievances.

A PTI delegation, headed by Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar and comprising Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Khurram Sher Zaman and Firdous Shamim Naqvi, reached the MQM office in Bahadurabad. After the meeting, Asad Umar told a press conference that the PTI wanted the MQM-P to stay in the cabinet. “Our wish is that Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui remains in the cabinet,” Umar said. “PM will visit Karachi in the first week of February and update the MQM-P on the developments related to Karachi,” he added, downplaying reports that the governor of the province would be changed.

Speaking to reporters alongside Umar, Siddiqui said that he had not taken back his resignation. “Our meeting was already scheduled, it was not negotiations,” he said. however, Siddiqui that

pml-Q looKing To mAKe hAy while The sun shines As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is making efforts to woo back its disgruntled ally, the Muttahida Qaumi MovementPakistan (MQM-P), another key coalition partner, the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), has also stepped up efforts to pressurise the ruling party to fulfill their demands. According to reports, senior members of the PTI and PML-Q will meet this week to discuss issues pertaining to the coalition government. The PML-Q leaders have already scheduled another meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar this week to hold consultation on provincial affairs. Sources familiar with the matter said that the PML-Q has also been looking forward to the government for its implementation on the demands made by the allied party. The party has demanded development packages for the constituencies it holds in the Punjab province. The demand was made during a recent meeting between the government committee under the leadership of Jahangir Tareen and the PML-Q representatives. The PML-Q had raised several issues relating to the public interest in the meeting with the government committee that had assured of a positive response in the next meeting. NEWS DESK MQM-P would remain an ally of the ruling party. “We promised to support the government with our numbers and we will continue to do that,” said Siddiqui.

After the general elections in August 2018, PTI and the MQM-P had signed a nine-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) following which the latter joined the PTI-led coalition government in Centre and was also assigned two federal ministries – those of information

technology and law. Senior MQM-P leader Faisal Subzwari said that after Siddiqui’s press conference, Prime Minister Imran had personally contacted the MQM-P convener and assured him that he would look into his party’s legitimate concerns. Siddiqui’s announcement came just weeks after PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s public offer that the PPP was ready to embrace the MQM-P as a coalition partner in Sindh provided it

SC asks govt to explain how lawyer’s detention is related to national security ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directed the federal government to formally explain the “connection” between the case involving the detention of Lt Col (r) Inamur Rahim — who was picked up from his home in Rawalpindi by law enforcement agencies in December last year — and national security. The court directive came as the top court took up the federal government’s petition against the Lahore high Court’s (LhC) order calling for Rahim’s release.

As the hearing started on Monday, the apex court directed the government to present the detained lawyer in the courtroom. To which Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Masood Khan requested that the court review the order to present Rahim and also requested

that the case be heard inside the judges’ chambers as the case “relates to national security”.

“We have no objections but show us the matter on the basis of which we should do this. Show us the documents, we will not make them public,” said Justice Mushir Alam, adding that the bench wanted to go through the documents to understand which national security issue this case was related to. At the outset of the proceedings, the top court had rejected the government’s request for in-camera proceedings for the case. AG Khan had argued that the matter in question was related to national security and therefore mandated in-camera proceedings.

Resuming proceedings after a break, the apex court directed the federal government to submit a written reply and ordered that the detained lawyer be presented in

govt decides to put maryam nawaz on ecl in csm case The federal government on Monday decided to put the name of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz on the exit Control List (eCL) in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, a private news channel reported.

According to the report, the federal cabinet’s sub-committee has decided to place Maryam’s name on eCL on the NAB recommendation. The former first daughter’s name is already on the eCL in the Al-Azizia reference, which she had challenged in the LhC. The high court is set to hear her plea on Jan 15. On December 24, last year, the federal cabinet had decided not to remove Maryam’s name from eCL. The Sharif family has been accused of using CSM for money-laundering and illegal transfer of its shares.

According to NAB, the family took a $15 million loan on the pretext to set up the mill despite the fact that it had already been established before the loan was acquired. The NAB maintains that more than Rs7 million worth of shares were transferred to PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz in 2008 through mill’s shares, which were later transferred to her cousin Yousaf Abbas Sharif in 2010. NEWS DESK

court on Tuesday. “We all know what matter of national security it is. Rahim had presented copies of the Army Act in court,” alleged Supreme Court Bar Association Qalbe hussain while addressing the judges. Justice Alam said that the LhC had issued a short order and it seemed that a detailed verdict had not yet been issued, adding that the government should wait for the detailed verdict.

In response, the attorney general asked for the short order to be suspended while the SC heard this petition, vowing to present the detained lawyer in court. Later, the attorney general presented a report regarding Rahim’s arrest in a sealed envelope. “Whatever is written in this report has been published.

Don’t dramatise things,” responded Justice Alam.

The proceedings were adjourned till Tuesday.

‘ILLEGAL DETENTION’: Last week, LhC’s Rawalpindi bench termed the detention of Rahim — who is a petitioner in multiple cases of allegedly missing persons — against the law and ordered authorities to “release him immediately”.

The court order had stated: “The detention of Mr Inamur Rahim advocate with military authorities is declared illegal and unlawful. he shall be released forthwith.”

Following this, the federal government on Saturday approached the apex court to challenge the ruling.

The defense and interior secretaries, in an appeal filed through Additional Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti, had sought suspension of the LhC’s release order till the present case was decided by the apex court.

Senate bill seeks amendment for ECP appointments procedure ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

A private member bill was introduced in the Senate on Monday seeking to amend the Constitution’s Articles 213 and 215, which lay down the requirements for the appointment of the chief and members of the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP). The bill, which was moved by Senator Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qayyum, suggests changes in the procedure of appointments of the CeC and eCP members, proposing that the CeC be appointed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Under existing laws, the appointments of the CeC and eCP members is carried out after consensus between the government and opposition.

The introduction of the private member bill follows a months deadlock between the government and opposition over appointments to the key positions.

Criticising the bill, the federal minister for parliamentary affairs said that the matter of the appointments of the CeC and eCP members must be resolved in the parliament. The minister, however, also acknowledged that the government and opposition had hit a dead-end over the key appointments.

The Senate chairman referred the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2019 (Amendment of Articles 213 and 215) to the concerned standing committee.

The position of CeC has been vacant after Sardar Mohammad Raza’s retirement on December 5, 2019.

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helped the opposition in bringing down the PTI-led federal government.

Siddiqui clarified that his decision to quit the federal cabinet had nothing to do with the “recent offer of ministries from a party”. he explained that MQM-P had supported the PTI government for strengthening the democratic system, but to date, it had not seen any serious headway on even one of the many points of the MoU it had signed with PTI.

musharraf hails lhc verdict, says health is improving Former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf on Monday hailed the decision of the Lahore high Court (LhC) declaring the formation of the special court, which had sentenced him to death for high treason, ‘unconstitutional’ . In its ruling, the LhC said the amended Article 6 of the Constitution, under which Musharraf had been found guilty, could not be applied in the case ‘ex post facto’ (retrospectively). Former president Musharraf, in an audio statement, lauded the verdict of the high court, saying that the court made the decision according to the law and constitution. On the decision, he said: “I cannot comment on it but the decision is really good, I am very happy that the judgement is as per the law and constitution,” he said. he said his condition is gradually improving. “I am grateful to all those who prayed for my health,” he added. In its verdict, the LhC also said that the Article 6 of the Constitution was modified through the 18th Amendment in 2010, while the case against Musharraf concerned events that happened before that. The decision came in response to a petition filed by Musharraf challenging the formation of the special court for the high treason case against him. Musharraf had been handed the death penalty in December last year after being found guilty on five counts in a 2-1 majority verdict. In December, the former president was shifted to Dubai’s hospital after his condition deteriorated. In a video message, shortly after his death sentence by the Special Court, Musharraf said that he has been unwell since a while. NEWS DESK

04 KARACHI

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

WEATHER UPDATES TUESDAY

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MQM-P wIll noT asK for dIvIsIon of sIndh: Murad HYDERABAD

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STAFF REPORT

INDH Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali has said that MQMPakistan does not talk about division of Sindh whenever it joins coalition with PPP. “This is why we have invited them to quit PTI government in the Center and join Sindh government as a coalition partner.”

He was talking to media just after performing inauguration of Rehabilitation Center of District Headquarters Hospital Badin.

He was accompanied by Minister Agriculture Ismail Rahu, MNA Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, Senator Sikandar Mendhro, MPA Taj Mohammad Malah and others.

To a question, the chief minister said that MQM stopped talking about division of Sindh whenever it entered into coalition with PPP government in Sindh. “This is why we have offered them to join us in Sindh and quit PTI government in the Center,” he said and added PPP wanted them to be partner with PPP to serve poor people of the province.

To another question, Shah said that

there was a mafia in educational boards.

“We created A separate department of Universities & Boards which have controlled tempering with answer copies to some extent,” he said and added still the dept (U&B) has to work hard against examination mafias.

Replying to a question, he said that his government has allocated Rs20 billion for provision of safe and clean drinking water schemes all over Sindh. “We have given you good road network in Badin, gave you a best hospital and Inshallah will give a water supply scheme very soon,” he told people of Badin and added “ you had deposed your confidence in PPP in last general elections and we would be serving you to the best of our abilities.

He said that he has directed Indus Hospital network CEO Dr Abdul Bari to prepare a 10-year plan that what was needed in District Badin. “We will establish a university or medical college or nursing Institute - whatever is needed we will establish here in Badin,” he vowed.

Talking about bulldozing of katchra houses constructed on encroached land, the chief minister said that the cabinet has

already taken its decision that houses would not be removed until and unless alternative arrangements were made. However, he said that no new encroachment would allowed at any cost.

To a question, Murad Ali Shah said that he was working hard to establish right of people of Sindh on the natural gas being produced from Sindh “Out of eight members of CCI five supported him in implementation of Article 158 of the constitution,” he said and thanked the CCI for supporting him. To a question about locust swarm, the chief minister said that the Plant Protection department of federal government was responsible for spray but their aircrafts were out of order and had no funds for the purpose. “I gave them Rs10 million grant to start their work but that also couldn’t happen accordingly,” he said and added he has given directives to his Agriculture Minister Ismail Rahu to hire aircrafts from UAE and China to spray the deserts where they have settled for breeding.

Inaugural ceremony: Addressing the inaugural ceremony, chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that under the vision of Shaheed Mohterma Benazir Bhutto a

More dengue cases detected in Karachi

Man kills wife and commits suicide

KARACHI: As many as six more dengue fever cases were reported throughout Karachi megacity in last 24-hours, taking the reported cases’ toll to 126 since 1st Jan 2020.

PCPD Sindh has registered 06 more dengue fever cases in the city while no any case was confirmed from rest of the province. In 2020, a total of 131 dengue cases were detected in Sindh province till date out of which, 126 happened in Karachi and one each from Hyderabad, Tharparkar), Shikarpur, Sukkur and Naushero Feroze. PPI

KARACHI: An engineer husband killed his doctor wife over domestic disputes and committed suicide in the metropolis on Monday. Police said that 26-year-old Kinza, surgeon by profession was staying at her parent’s home. Engr Rana 32, after exchange of hot words over domestic issue shot at Kinzi and attempted suicide with same weapon. Kinzi was killed on the spot while Rana Hadi was critically injured and rushed to hospital where he also succumbed to his wounds. STAFF REPORT

model for public private partnership (PPP) was envisaged. “The objective was to involve public sector with the government for dear service delivery in different sectors, particularly in health and education,” he said and added that he was proud to say that the PPP mode in Sindh has delivered best services to the people of the province in health sector.

Shah said that he wanted to take Indus Hospital People to Sehwan but Dr Sikandar Mendhro, being a doctor brought to Badin, he said in a lighter mood.

Talking about Physical Rehabilitation Center, the chief minister said that it was the fourth in Pakistan where artificial limbs were prepared and fixed to the patients to rehabilitate them. “This Center provides a great service to poor people of entire Lar area of the province,” he said.

The chief minister said that he visited Physical Rehabilitation Centre and saw various children were being treated and

trained after fixing them artificial limbs.

Shah deplored that the new Medical graduates who come into the field lack dedication in their work. “This quite deplorable and need to be addressed,” he said. He added that there was shortage doctors, nurses and technicians in the hospitals all over Sindh. “We had appointed 6000 doctors but even then shortage persists,” he said.

The chief minister said that he never loses his temper in meetings m, except the meetings of health department. “I always insist them [Dr] to be best in their profession,” he said. He said that in order to overcome the shortage of doctors, he offered incentives to the medical professionals working abroad but hardly a few of them came back. Shah said that most of the doctors joined politics and civil service but they always write doctor with their names, he told Dr Sikandar Mendhro in a lighter mood.

KARACHI: A beautiful view of the cloudy sky in the early hours of the morning. ONLINE

Fishermen approach SHC against Port Qasim security guards KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices and sought reply from respondents pertaining to a petition filed by fishermen against forcibly sending their launches to deep-sea.

A SHC bench heard a petition moved by fishermen of Rehri Goth, Lath Basti, Ibrahim Hyderi and Chashma Goth.

The bench issued notice to respondents for 28th January and ordered them to appear before it.

The petitioners including Irfan Aziz alleged that secu-

rity guards of Port Qasim compel them to go into deep-sea.

He also stated that security guards also snatch their catch from them.

Petitioners also stated that Port Qasim Authority has constructed a bridge after that going toward deep-sea is prohibited; however, security guards force them to go beyond this bridge into deep sea for fishing.

Petitioner Irfan Aziz informed the court that toxic chemical is being thrown into sea putting marine life including fish at danger. He urged the court that ban might be imposed against throwing toxic material into sea.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till January 29.

4 dead, 4 hurt in rain-related incidents JAMPUR/SUKKUR: At least four people were killed and four others sustained wounds in two separate rain-related incidents in Jampur and Sukkur on Monday. As per details, a roof of a dilapidated house situated in Dajil, Jampur collapsed due to heavy rain, resulting in the death of three individuals. The bodies and injured were moved to nearby medical facility by the rescue teams. The incident occurred due to continuous rainfall in the area., the rescue sources said. In another incident, a girl lost her life and four others received injuries as a roof of a house collapsed in Sukkur’s area of New Pind. Rescue officials shifted the injured of the incident to Civil Hospital Sukkur. INP

Girl killed, 7 hurt as roof collapses SUKKUR: A minor girl was killed and seven other members of a family injured when the roof of a house collapsed in Sukkur on Monday. The roof collapsed amid rains in the city. The deceased girl was identified as Alisha. Injured include elderly woman Manaan, girl Nazia, Rashid, Majid, Zohaib, Abdul Hameed and Abdul Majeed. The area people rushed to the scene and pulled out the body of the minor girl and injured.

The body and injured were brought to Civil Hospital Sukkur for medicolegal formalities and treatment, respectively. The condition of some injured was stated to be serious. PPI

CMYK

Three JI leaders killed, two injured in car-trailer crash SHAHDADPUR: Three leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) were killed and two others injured in a road accident near Bandhi town on Monday. Five JI leaders in a car were going to Mehrabpur when their vehicle slipped due to rainfall and collided with a trailer near Bandhi. Those killed were identified as Azeem Baloch, JI’s Provincial Naib Amir; Irfan Badar Lakho; JI’s Mehrabpur Amir and local party activist Ghulam Rasool Arain.

The injured include Hamadullah of Khadro town and Javed of Shahdadpur. The bodies and injured were shifted to the Peoples Medical College Hospital Nawabshah for medico-legal formalities and treatment, respectively. PPI

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

NEWS

German minister lauds Pakistan’s role for regional peace RAWALPINDI: German Foreign Affairs Minister Niels Annen called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and praised Pakistan’s constructive role for the region, the military’s media wing said on Monday. “Niels Annen, minister of state of the Federal Foreign Office Germany, called on General Qamar Javed Bajw at [the] GHQ, today,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

During the meeting, issues of mutual interest, regional security and measures to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields were discussed. “[The] visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan’s role for ensuring peace and stability in the region,” according to the communique. Earlier in the day, the German lawmaker, who is on a two-day visit to the country also met Parliamentary Secretary Andleeb Abbas at the Foreign Office in Islamabad. STAFF REPORT

Over 10,000 Pakistanis are in jails world over ISLAMABAD: Over 10,000 Pakistanis have been imprisoned in jails across the world, a report by the Ministry of Interior said Monday. According to the documents, at least 10,896 Pakistani nationals have been imprisoned the world over for various crimes. The report said 4,120 Pakistani nationals were jailed for allegedly smuggling drugs and another 1,195 on charges of illegal immigration. It said 1,902 Pakistanis were jailed for crimes including kidnapping for ransom, robberies. Around 190 were jailed for their alleged involvement in human trafficking. At least 374 Pakistanis were imprisoned for allegedly committing frauds and 467 others for staying in foreign countries after the expiry of their visas. STAFF REPORT

Indian soldier ‘slips’ in Kashmir snow, lands in Pakistan: report A junior officer of the Indian army posted in occupied Kashmir last week lost his footing in heavy snow and accidentally ‘slipped’ across the border into Pakistan, Khaleej Times has reported. The officer, identified as Havaldar Rajendra Singh Negi, was on patrol duty in the Gulmarg area of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) when the ‘accident’ occurred, the publication said.

Negi’s family was left bereaved after his wife, Rajeshwari, received a phone call from the soldier’s unit telling her that Negi was missing and may have ended up in Pakistan, according to Khaleej Times. The aggrieved family has demanded the Indian government to ensure his safe and early return. Pakistani authorities have not yet commented on the matter or acknowledged that the soldier is in their custody. NEWS DESK

05

1,038 tOnnes Of InDIan cOttOn yarn reaches PaKIstan vIa Oman INDIAN EXPORTS TO OMAN INCREASED TO 1,417 TONNES BY NOVEMBER 2019, OF WHICH 1,038 TONNES WERE RECEIVED BY PAKISTAN AS ‘IMPORTS FROM OMAN’ LAHORE

D

HASSAN NAQVI

ESPITE Pakistan’s decision to ban bilateral trade ties with India on August 10 last year, around 1,038 tonnes of Indian cotton yarn reached Pakistan via Oman till December as imports from Oman.

According to figures available with this scribe, India exported 1,417 tonnes of cotton yarn to Oman by November 2019, of which 1,038 tonnes of yarn reached Pakistan as “imports from Oman”. India’s export of cotton yarn to Oman remained at a negligible 0.77 tonnes during FY18-19. As per details, in the aftermath of India’s decision to revoke Article 370 of their constitution which granted Indian occupied Kashmir a special status, Pakistan had downgraded its diplomatic relations with India and later also suspended its bilateral trade during a cabinet meeting.

Soon after the cabinet meeting, the commerce ministry issued two notifications for the implementation of the decision. As per notification SRO928 of 2019, all kinds of exports to India had been suspended through amendments in the Export Policy Order 2016.

In another notification (SRO927), the government also banned the import of Indian goods or those imported from it by amending the Import Policy Order 2016. Previously, this ban was only limited to imports and exports from Israel.

When contacted, Zahid Khohkar, Director General, Customs Intelligence and Investigation, said it is difficult to find out whether the goods were made in Oman or they were actually from India.

“What we do is that we carry out complete investigation and check whether there is a stamp placed on it or not which could prove that these goods are in fact of Indian origin. The second thing we do is check with our embassy whether the country produces the goods

that are being sent as exports. Because if they are not producing the goods in their country, how could they export it?” he added. Pakistani textile industry needs imported cotton to meet its needs since its cotton queen failed to meet the targeted figure of 15 million bales last year as Pakistan produced only 8 million bales in 2019.

Talking to Profit, a spinning mill owner shared that law enforcement agencies failed miserably to stop Indian cotton yarn to reach Pakistan via Oman.

“What was the purpose of placing a ban on bilateral trade with India if they cannot stop Indian origin cotton yarn from reaching Pakistan.” A weaving mill owner, who did not wish to be named, said, “It was a bad decision of the PTI government to ban bilateral trade with India because India’s cotton yarn is of excellent quality. It forced us to use other channels to bring Indian origin cotton yarn to Pakistan as we have to meet the demand as we (Pakistan) missed the tar-

PM says development of KP’s tribal districts is his top priority ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the development of merged areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and bringing them at par with other parts of the country is the government’s top priority.

He was chairing a review meeting on the issues related to energy, higher education, health, and development projects of merged areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here on Monday. The PM said some elements are trying to disturb the peace of these areas, but we have to defeat such elements by keeping the people of these areas informed about the development process.

He was apprised that the required funding

from the Ministry of Finance has been ensured for development projects in the merged areas. Regarding efforts to provide an uninterrupted power supply to the people of the merged areas, the Prime Minister was informed that the Ministry of Energy is paying special attention to strengthening the transmission infrastructure in these areas.

Talking about cleanliness in these areas, the Prime Minister directed the authorities to formulate a national policy in collaboration with provincial governments for solid waste management. He directed to complete the clean drinking water projects in these areas on a priority basis. He also agreed with the proposal of the provincial government that ongoing sixteen development projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be completed at the earliest.

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communications meets envoys of Sweden and European Union. STAFF PHOTO

get of 15 million cotton bales.”

COTTON YARN UNITS IN OMAN: It is pertinent to mention that India’s Shri Vallabh Pittie, a global leader in the raw material for textiles, through its subsidiary in Oman named SV Pittie Sohar Textiles FZC LLC in December 2018, inaugurated the first cotton yarn production unit in Oman. The second unit was established on November 23, 2019, at Sohar Free Zone.

The figures available with this scribe confirms that the cotton yarn which reached Pakistan was in fact not produced in the newly established cotton yarn units in Oman but were received as imports from India that Oman exported to Pakistan as ‘Made in Oman’. According to documents, it is also strange that in 2018, Oman’s imports of cotton yarn from countries across the globe was 7 tonnes which increased to 1,417 in November 2019 from India alone.

Also, Oman’s export of cotton yarn to other countries of the world were 25 tonnes in 2018 which increased to 1,038 tonnes by December 2019 for Pakistan alone. All this had happened during the period when Pakistan imposed complete ban on trade with India.

Pakistani cabby in Dubai saves the day for Indian girl who lost her wallet Amid soaring tensions between India and Pakistan, the story of a Dubai-based Pakistani taxi driver – who went out of his way to return a lost wallet that had important documents including owner’s UK student visa to the owner, an expatriate Indian girl – has warmed many hearts across the globe. Raechel Rose, a corporate law student at Lancaster University and on holiday in Dubai, was on her way to attend a friend’s birthday party when she lost the wallet in Modassar Khadim’s cab late evening on January 4. The incident happened just three days before Rose was scheduled to return to England after a winter break with her parents in Dubai. “She had got into his taxi with another friend near Burjuman around 7.30 pm on January 4,” her mother, Sindhu Biju, told Gulf News. “Just then, they saw their other friends in another car and decided to join them,” Biju said, adding: “They immediately left the taxi and Rose didn’t realise that she left her wallet behind.” Later, Rose realised that the wallet had gone missing. Apart from her UK residence permit card [T4 student visa], the wallet contained her Emirates ID, UAE driving license, health insurance card, credit card and more than Dh1,000 in different currencies.

She said Rose started panicking as her return flight was fast approaching and she could not afford to delay the journey as she had to appear for an exam on January 13. “She did not have a copy of the visa. When she called the university, she was told she might have to apply for visa again. Though she was in tears, she rushed to the police station to report the matter.” Her father, Biju Ittira, joined her at the station and subsequently took her to the mall. With the help of the police, the CCTV footage from the mall’s premises were checked. But, the car’s number was not clear. NEWS DESK

No web, no jobs: Residents of occupied Kashmir board the ‘Internet Express’ JAMMU AGENCIES

Braving the snow and cold, Abrar Ahmad, 18, is one of thousands of Kashmiris who regularly spend hours journeying on a packed train just so that they can go online as the region grapples with the longest internet blackout imposed by a democracy.

Stepping off the crammed train — dubbed the “Internet Express” by people in Indian-occupied Kashmir — in the nearby town of Banihal, the passengers make a beeline for cafes where they pay up to 300 rupees ($4.20) for an hour’s broadband.

“I couldn’t have afforded to miss this opportunity,” Ahmad told the Thomson Reuters Foundation after filling out an online job application at a teeming internet cafe, where dozens of others hit by the 162day internet shutdown queued behind him.

“There is no one else in my family to take care of my three younger siblings and me,” he said, adding that his father, a mason, lost his leg in a road accident last year. Occupied Kashmir has been without broadband and mobile data services since August 5 when India’s government re-

voked the Muslim-majority region’s special status, splitting Jammu and Kashmir in two. Despite a United Nations declaration in 2016 that the internet is a human right, shutdowns have risen in recent years as governments from the Philippines to Yemen said they were necessary for public safety and national security.

India said it cut communications to prevent unrest in occupied Kashmir, where a separatist insurgency has killed more than 40,000 people since 1989.

The lockdown has cost occupied Kashmir more than $2.4 billion since August, with sectors directly dependent on the internet such as e-commerce and information technology worst hit, the region’s main trade organisation said.

“Doing trade without the internet is unimaginable in the present day world,” said Abdul Majeed Mir, vice president of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which estimates nearly 500,000 jobs have been lost. “Irreversible damage has been caused to the economy.”

LIMITED RESOURCES: Occupied Kashmir’s internet ban has impacted everything from relationships to access to

healthcare, said Raman Jit Singh Chima, Asia policy director at global digital rights group Access Now. In addition to introducing the democratic world’s longest internet clampdown in Kashmir, Access Now said India also accounted for two-thirds of global shutdowns in 2018.

“Punishing an entire population on the basis of saying potential violence or terrorism might occur is extraordinary,” said Chima. The home and information ministries did not respond to requests for comment. At a noisy cyber cafe in Banihal, Danish stepped out to catch his breath as people elbowed past to get on the web. Diesel generator fumes filled the cramped space to keep computers and laptops running during frequent power cuts. “I felt suffocated inside,” said Danish, a Kashmir University scholar who declined to give his full name. “This internet gag is driving me crazy.”

But he prefers the lengthy trek to Banihal to trying to get online at one of the hundreds of internet kiosks the government has set up in occupied Kashmir, where demand hugely outstrips supply.

New Delhi said the scrapping of occu-

pied Kashmir’s special status was necessary to integrate it into the rest of India and spur development. It has done anything but that, say locals. Outside a courier company in Kashmir’s main city, Srinagar, two delivery executives chatted idly by a bonfire, saying no internet meant no packages. “We are the only two who still come to the office. Some 50 boys have lost their jobs,” said Touseef Ahmad. “If the internet is not restored soon, I can lose my job.”

DARK FUTURE: Tourism — for decades the backbone of the scenic region’s economy — has been badly hit.

Every year, people from across India flock to occupied Kashmir to enjoy its snowcapped mountains and scenic Dal Lake, home to hundreds of ornately-carved houseboats whose owners rely on tourism.

Bashir Ahmad Sultani, president of Kashmir’s Shikara (Boat) Association, said there was no work for more than 4,000 boatmen. “We are going through very bad times. Some of us are not even able to arrange two square meals for our families,” said boatman Mohammad Shafi. “We are looking at a dark future.”

The restriction has served a major

blow to tour operators, hoteliers and artisans as well. “I mostly buy things on credit from local shopkeepers,” said Ghulam Jeelani, a hotel manager in Srinagar, who feared being laid off with no online bookings or transactions. Jeelani, 52, said he has been struggling to pay for his daughter’s tuition and daily groceries since his monthly salary was slashed by three-quarters to 6,000 rupees in October.

“I have been told that I can’t get even this amount if tourists don’t start arriving in a few weeks,” he added.

The government has not said when internet will be restored, despite calls from civil society and the United Nations. Without it, many locals say they may have to take up manual jobs such as on construction sites — or even pack up and leave.

But for Danish, the Kashmir University scholar, frequent trips to Banihal are the only way forward. “I would have moved to some other city but I can’t because my (supervising) professor is in Kashmir. How can I exchange emails with him when there is no internet?” he said. “Such a long blackout … amounts to playing with our future. We are losing precious time.”

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW

The baTTle for IndIa’s foundIng Ideals THE LAW ENABLES ‘ANY PERSON BELONGING TO HINDU, SIKH, BUDDHIST, JAIN, PARSI OR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY FROM AFGHANISTAN, BANGLADESH OR PAKISTAN’ TO BECOME AN INDIAN CITIZEN, THEREBY EXPLICITLY EXCLUDING MUSLIMS

tIMe

T

MaDhav KhoSLa

HEY wore masks and carried sticks. On the evening of Jan. 5, a mob stormed into India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, one of the nation’s most prominent centers of learning and an institution long associated with left-wing politics.

Both students and faculty were indiscriminately attacked, many were left beaten and bleeding. Ambulances were prevented from entering the campus. Political activist Yogendra Yadav was only one of many who observed that the police let the situation persist without intervening.

Journalists posted a video of the masked individuals, who are alleged to be linked to India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), being allowed to depart in complete freedom.

These events come after much of India has been engulfed in protests over a new citizenship law that treats Muslims differently to those from other religions. These protests, which have seen tens of thousands march across the nation, began in univer-

sities. The government’s reaction was swift and brutal. It encompassed both prohibitory measures, such as Internet shutdowns and the prevention of public assembly, as well as reactive measures, which included detention and violence. In Uttar Pradesh, a state which is home to more Indians than any other, the tales of police brutality would send a shiver down any spine.

Sunday’s attack underscores two crucial changes taking place in the world’s largest democracy. The first is to the country’s formal legal architecture. India’s founders, as I have suggested in a new book, India’s Founding Moment, imagined citizenship to be unmediated by community affiliation. For them, to belong to the modern world was to belong to representative framework where each person was treated on free and equal terms. Measures like the new citizenship law challenge and undermine this founding vision. The law enables “any person belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian community from Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan” to become an Indian citizen, thereby explicitly excluding Muslims.

India’s Constitution guarantees the right to equal treatment. This right applies to all persons and not only to citizens. To pass muster, a law has to make an intelligible distinction between those that it includes and those that it excludes.

Moreover, this distinction has to bear a rational connection to the law’s objective.

In this case, the stated objective is addressing the religious persecution of the enumerated classes. But the law does not capture this objective as it is both overand under-inclusive. It does not provide protection to groups such as the Ahmadiyya Muslims from Pakistan and it assumes that all those who enter India from the specified classes are persecuted.

This presumption is revealed by the fact that the law has no provisions relating to religious persecution at all, thus eliminating any link between the distinctions drawn and the declared aim.

The provisions make it clear that it is one’s religion that separates a person eligible for citizenship from an illegal migrant. Hindus and others belong to the former category; Muslims are condemned to the latter one. By using a religiousbased test for membership, the law also breaches the Indian Constitution’s commitment to secularism, one that the Supreme Court has confirmed to be even beyond the power of a constitutional amendment. In a crucial decision in the early 1990s, the Court held that when a state government departs from secular principles, it amounts to the breakdown of constitutional machinery. But if the legal case against the law could hardly be stronger, the Court has rarely been so weak. In recent months, its authority appears to have been entirely eroded, and its decimation has paved the way for a new

constitutional order to emerge.

The second change going on in India pertains to extra-constitutional violence.

All societies face law and order challenges, and they all must confront the use of force by non-state actors. But the situation in India is of an altogether different nature.

Here, one is faced with a case where some of the police force seem to share an inextricable relationship with the perpetration of force. The police are either directly responsible for the violence, as suggested by reports that have emerged out of Uttar Pradesh, where the very machinery of law and order appears to have been communalized, or responsible for providing cover for the violence, which appears to be the case in Jawaharlal Nehru University, where the masked men were allowed to run amok and then to run away. In either instance, there is now the creation and perpetuation of an extra-constitutional order.

As India is thrown deeper and deeper into a cycle of extra-constitutional violence, we should fear that the state and citizens will struggle to manage the situation.

In such scenarios, the disorder and horror often follows a logic of its own. If India continues to unravel in this fashion, there will be unspeakable acts on either side, untold truths that are hidden in every quarter.

Even the most terrifying moves will be justified, even the clearest forms of evidence will be challenged. In a world where public institutions and social harmony

have given way, we will live under a state that claims monopoly over the exercise of force but no longer quite enjoys it. The state will deploy and exploit its power in every possible way, but, as in the case of colonial rule, the idea of legitimate authority will cease to have meaning.

If the story sounds familiar, it’s because it is. India wouldn’t be the first country to self-destruct, and its time may well have come. To stem the tide, to prevent a swift decline into communalism and authoritarianism, the outrage seen on the streets will need to translate into a robust and organized political opposition. In one of the images that spread across social media during the early days of the citizenship-related protests, students held images of Mohandas Gandhi and B. R. Ambedkar, among two of the most significant figures that laid the foundations for modern India. The image was telling in two respects. On the one hand, it gave the protests an anti-colonial feel, capturing the anger and fear that results from unbridled and unhinged state power. On the other hand, it revealed the need to recover past leaders, for no present ones exist. Many Indians are in search of a more contemporary reference point. Will they find it?

Khosla teaches law and politics at Columbia Law School and Ashoka University and is the author of India’s Founding Moment.

Putting out fires with milk and beer: South Coast survivors tell their stories

I’m living through the longest internet shut down in history – here’s what life’s like for Kashmiris like me

THEN THERE ARE THOSE LIKE THE MOTORIST WHO DROVE OFF WITHOUT PAYING FOR THEIR PETROL, PEOPLE POSING AS EMERGENCY SERVICE OFFICIALS TELLING RESIDENTS TO EVACUATE, THEN ROBBING THEIR HOMES, THIEVES ON MOTORBIKES RIDING THE BACK TRAILS OF THE BURNT-OUT FOREST TO LOOT HOMES IN ISOLATED COMMUNITIES

MORE THAN SEVEN MILLION KASHMIRI PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WITHOUT INTERNET SINCE AUGUST – AND THE NEW DELHI GOVERNMENT SHOWS NO SIGN OF BACKING DOWN

Sydney MornIng Herald Kurt ProvoSt

Of all the stories that have been flooding into our small store in Ulladulla, as customers from fire ravaged communities arrive for supplies, this was one of the more unusual. Having run out of water to defend his home in Lake Conjola, a resident resorted to smothering spot fires with milk. And when the insulation in his shed caught alight, he tapped into his supply of homebrewed beer, spraying it liberally and saving the shed.

His verandah caught alight when he was out of water, milk and home brew so, like a surgeon, he took to it with a chainsaw, severing the infected parts, saving his home from total destruction … which was unfortunately the fate of his neighbours as the wall of flames rushed through their community on New Year’s Eve. Stories like this have been pouring in. The town is awash with absent-minded people, bumbling through their tasks, their thoughts caught in the burnt wreckage of their family homes, a lifetime of broken memories lying heavily over the carcasses, like spiderwebs broken by heavy rain.

There was the woman who just escaped her burning house, rowed across the lake to her boyfriend’s home where they fled in a car that had its carpet alight as the embers rained down on them.

Or the usually elegant and composed older woman whose hands shook and purse dropped, who apologised for her uncharacteristic dithering. “I just lost my home ... but I don’t want to even tell you that ... I just want to explain why I’m … why I’m … like this ... “ Her eyes were rimmed with tears, betraying her attempt at composure. It’s not about the physical dwelling, the four walls and a roof, it’s about the lifetime that was woven between those walls, the irreplaceable fabric of her very identity. Gone, forever.

Or how about Trent who’d been using his boat to search for his mother, when he encountered people stranded on the beach, nearly naked, sunburnt, feet blistering and in desperate need of water, food and shelter. He took as many as he could fit on the boat, and came back for more and then more.

“I’ve spent $600 on fuel so far, but I can’t stop; we have to go back in, people need help,” he said.

After these frantic trips, he realised the immensity of the task, and asked for help. He put a simple post on the community’s Facebook group. The following morning, 26 boat owners showed up, creating a small

fleet. They set about the evacuation of the beach’s north. The roads were closed in these places, police stood guard over the road entrances, ash falling about them in the grey haze that flashed blue and red. The only sound was of trees crashing to the ground in the smouldering forests around them. An eerie place. They were protecting the people to the best of their ability from the danger of the fires, broken power lines and looters on trail bikes following the fire’s carnage.

However, they were unprepared to protect them from the horrors within the isolated communities: 89 homes wiped out, countless more damaged, no power, sewage systems breaking down, no telecommunications, food and water scarce, tensions rising.

These have been anxious days, as fire surged, devouring whole mountains, species and communities, with an insatiable fury. Pockets of humanity clung to the coastline with a dwindling water source and power supply for their generators, praying for the wind to change and heavens to spill open with rain.

Against this backdrop, an unusual phenomenon occurred. While some people responded to this oppressive fear by holding their head high and stepping forward, being of use to themselves and those around them, others reacted by charging extortionate prices to those who had panic in their eyes and dirt under their fingernails. Like the now infamous $48 for bottles of water, $100 for a gas canister, or $104 for a 40-pack of cigarettes for a woman who had just watched her house burn down.

Then there are those like the motorist who drove off without paying for their petrol, people posing as emergency service officials telling residents to evacuate, then robbing their homes, thieves on motorbikes riding the back trails of the burnt-out forest to loot homes in isolated communities. Hardship, fear and desperate times don’t make people evil, they simply reveal qualities we hide during the cushy times when the electricity is on and our bellies are full.

As a customer said to me the other day, “When the power stops, we see that there are two groups of people, and one of those groups wants to harm the other.” I hope that, when the time of crisis arrives before me, I can meet it with the same level of tenacity, resourcefulness and generosity as the man with his boat and the resident with his milk.

Writer Kurt Provost’s family run a small business in Ulladulla.

Independent Shoaib Shafi

Humaira Yusuf is among the thousands of Kashmiri medical students hoping to sit the National Eligibility Entrance Test, which selects students for undergraduate medical courses in India. Her plans, however, have faced a serious setback.

“Internet shutdown is a great setback for us students. Online courses or lectures were very important to us. If we had a doubt in any chapter, we would watch video lectures on YouTube,” says Humaira, who has to call her brother in Mumbai every time she wants to search the internet.

On August 4, 2019, Indian held Kashmir (IHK) was cut off from the rest of the world. India summarily stripped the disputed region of special status that had protected its autonomy, and downgraded it into a union-territory, to be controlled directly by the government in New Delhi.

Supposedly to prevent the unrest, the government suspended all communications, including landlines, mobile phones and cable television. Although they were subsequently restored, the internet remains blocked.

More than seven million Kashmiri people are offline.

Speaking via phone with a senior executive at the stateowned telecommunications company, he lamented that “we have become stooges of government. We do what we are ordered to do. Nobody is allowed to ask any questions. We may enter the Guinness Book of World Records now in the longest ever shutdown.”

Indeed, The Guardian has dubbed India “the internet shut-

down capital of the world” – a title that data from internetshutdowns.in would appear to corroborate. There have been a total of 178 government-imposed shutdowns in IHK; during the 2016 uprising, when violent anti-India protests broke out in IHK, the internet was shut down for 133 days. The present shutdown of 156 days has set a new global record.

Before the internet shutdown, Humaira’s brother Kamran worked for a software company in IHK; he’d moved there from Bangalore to be closer to his family. After the shutdown, Kamran was transferred to the company’s Mumbai office. “My brother is very homesick,” says Humaira.

Mohsin Shah, a bank manager in Srinagar, is struggling to explain to his 5-year-old daughter why she can no longer watch nursery rhymes on his phone.

“Whenever she asks to watch YouTube, I try to distract her. What answer could I give my child? She does not understand that we are living in a conflict zone. Children don’t understand these things.”

The ban has devastated not only IHK’s citizens but also its economy. Tourism and e-commerce have been the worst hit.

According to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the region has lost an estimated $2.4bn (£1.85bn) since it was stripped of its autonomy.

“I used to send my customers in New Delhi photos on WhatsApp,” says Adil Ahmad, a businessman who deals with handicrafts. “But now due to the internet blockade, we are not able to communicate. We have incurred a huge loss this year.”

Meanwhile, Mohammad

Ilyas, who works for an educational charity, says the internet ban has seriously impeded their fundraising efforts.

“We have donors outside India, in Europe and the Middle East. We generated all our money through our WhatsApp group. But now it has all ceased.

We have so many students who need financial assistance but we are unable to raise new funds.

We are helpless.”

The Indian government has defended the internet shutdown as a defensive measure to stop communication between militant groups. The local population is not buying this defence. “They don’t want the world outside to know what they are doing in IHK,” says Suhail Rather, an independent researcher based in IHK. “They have been torturing us, murdering and kidnapping young boys since the 1990s.

They want to show their own narrative on Indian channels.

Whenever the internet will restart, the digital media will be flooded with videos of the oppression that the Indian army has inflicted upon local residents.”

Many United States representatives, the United Nations and the entire international community have urged India to end the communication blockade in IHK. “The shutdown of the internet & telecommunication networks, without the Government justification,” tweeted the UN, “are inconsistent with the fundamental norms of necessity & proportionality.” So far, the Indian authorities have turned a deaf ear to these warnings – and seem unlikely to start listening any time soon.

The writer’s name has been changed to protect identity.

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Libyan RivaLs in MoscoW to sign ceasefiRe deaL TRIPOLI

t

AGENCIES

HE heads of Libya’s warring sides were to meet in Moscow on Monday to sign a ceasefire deal ending nine months of heavy fighting. The meeting follows a diplomatic push by Turkey and Russia, which is keen to bolster its status as a powerbroker in the Middle East and step into a diplomatic void left by what observers see as a partial US retreat. The two sides are expected to sign an agreement on the terms of a ceasefire that took effect over the weekend, raising hopes of an end to the fighting that has wracked the oil-rich North African country since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

The UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, headed by Fayez al-Sarraj, has been under attack since last April from forces loyal to strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is based in the east of the country. Haf-

tar and Sarraj were to meet in Moscow for talks along with “representatives of other Libyan sides”, the Russian foreign ministry said, with Turkey and Russia’s foreign and defence ministers acting as mediators. Russian news agencies reported representatives of the two sides had arrived for talks, but it was unclear if Haftar and Sarraj would meet face-toface. The ceasefire initiative was launched by President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who jointly called for a truce in Istanbul last week.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Putin on Saturday and he supported her drive to hold a peace conference sponsored by the United Nations.

Berlin said Monday the summit was planned for later this month. French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for a “credible, lasting and verifiable” truce while Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte was due in Turkey to discuss the situation with Erdogan. Foreign powers are keen to secure influence

on tour to Middle east, Japan premier abe warns conflict with iran impacts entire world RIYADH: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has warned that military confrontation with Iran will impact global peace and stability, as he visits the Middle East hoping to ease tensions spiked by the US killing of a top Iranian general. His comments came at the start of a five-day Gulf tour that had been thrown into doubt after Tehran responded to the attack on Qasem Soleimani by launching a barrage of missiles at bases hosting American troops in Iraq, prompting fears of all-out war. But as those concerns receded, the Japanese premier decided to go ahead with the visit and on Sunday discussed regional tensions during an hour-long meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in northwestern AlUla province, according to foreign ministry spokesman Masato Ohtaka. “Any military confrontation in the region that includes a country like Iran will have an impact not only on peace and stability in the region but the peace and stability of the whole world,” Abe said, according to Ohtaka. Abe called “on all relevant countries to engage in diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions”, Ohtaka added. The spokesman said the two leaders agreed on working closely on maritime security in the region and discussed Tokyo’s decision to send a destroyer for intelligence activities along with two P-3C patrol aircraft to the Middle East. AGENCIES

in Libya — home to Africa’s largest proven crude reserves. The GNA has signed agreements with Ankara assigning Turkey rights over a vast area of the eastern Mediterranean, in a deal denounced

by France, Greece, Egypt and Cyprus.

TURN PAGE ON PAST: Sarraj on Monday called on Libyans to “turn the page on the past, reject discord and to close ranks to move towards stability and peace”. His comments came after a ceasefire began at midnight on Sunday (2200 GMT on Saturday) in line with

Putin and Erdogan’s joint call. Since the start of the offensive against Tripoli, more than 280 civilians and about 2,000 fighters have been killed and 146,000 Libyans displaced, according to the United Nations. Turkey and Russia’s diplomatic offensive came despite the countries being seen as supporting opposing sides. Ankara dispatched troops — in a training capacity, it said — to support the GNA in January in a move criticised by leading European powers and US President Donald Trump.

Lava gushes from Philippine volcano as ash spreads to Manila MANILA AGENCIES

Red-hot lava gushed out of a Philippine volcano on Monday after a sudden eruption of ash and steam that forced villagers to flee and shut down Manila’s international airport, offices and schools. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage from Taal volcano’s eruption south of the capital that began on Sunday. But clouds of ash blew more than 100 kilometers north, reaching the bustling capital, Manila, and forcing the shutdown of the country’s main airport with more than 240 international and domestic flights cancelled so far.

An alternative airport north of Manila at Clark freeport remained open but authorities would shut it down too if ashfall threatens flights, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said. The government’s disaster-response agency reported about 8,000 villagers have moved to at least 38 evacuation centers in the hard-hit province of Batangas and nearby Cavite province, but officials expect the number to swell with hundreds of thousands more being brought out of harm’s way. Some residents could not move out of ashblanketed villages due to a lack of transport and poor visibility. Some refused to leave their homes and farms, officials said.

“We have a problem, our people

are panicking due to the volcano because they want to save their livelihood, their pigs and herds of cows,” Mayor Wilson Maralit of Balete town told DZMM radio. “We’re trying to stop them from returning and warning that the volcano can explode again anytime and hit them.”

Maralit, whose town lies along the coastline of Taal Lake surrounding the erupting volcano, appealed for troops and additional police to be deployed to stop distraught residents from sneaking back to their highrisk coastal villages. After months of restiveness that began last year, Taal suddenly rumbled back to life on Sunday, blasting steam, ash and pebbles up to 10 to 15 kilometers into the sky, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. The government volcanomonitoring agency raised the danger level around Taal three notches to

level 4, indicating “an imminent hazardous eruption”. Level 5, the highest, means a hazardous eruption is underway and could affect a larger area with high-risk zones that would need to be cleared of people, said Renato Solidum, who heads the institute. Ma Antonio Bornas, the agency’s chief volcanologist, said lava spurted out in fountains out of the volcano early Monday while its ash and steam ejections eased. It’s hard to tell when the eruption would stop, she said, citing Taal’s similar restiveness in the 1970s that lasted for about four months.

With the steam and ashfall easing, some residents began to shovel away the few inches of ash that covered everything from homes to cars and trees in Tagaytay, a popular upland resort city on a ridge that overlooks the picturesque volcano in the middle of a crater lake.

Human Rights Watch head denied entry to Hong Kong ahead of report launch NEW YORK AGENCIES

The global head of Human Rights Watch said he was denied entry on Sunday to Hong Kong, where he was scheduled to launch the organisation’s latest world report this week. Kenneth Roth, the group’s executive director, said he was blocked at Hong Kong airport from entering for the first time, having entered freely in the past.

During seven months of sometimes violent anti-government protests, the Chinese-ruled city has barred several activists, foreign journalists and an academic. “This year (the new world report) describes how the Chinese government is undermining the international human rights system. But the authorities just blocked my entrance to Hong Kong, illustrating the worsening problem,” Roth said in a post on his Twitter account. He added that Hong Kong immigration officials had cited only “immigration reasons”. Responding to Reuters’ questions, a spokesman for the Hong Kong Immigration Department said it did not comment on individual cases. “In handling each immigration case, (the department) will, in accordance with the laws and immigration policies, fully consider all relevant factors and circumstances of the case before deciding whether the entry should be allowed or not,” the spokesman said. Human Rights Watch, based in New York, had been scheduled to release its 652-page World Report 2020 at the Foreign Correspondent Club in Hong Kong on January 15. Roth would now launch the report on Jan 14 at the United Nations in New York, the organisation said in a statement. “This disappointing action is yet another sign that Beijing is tightening its oppressive grip on Hong Kong and further restricting the limited freedom Hong Kong people enjoy under ‘one country, two systems’,” Roth said in the organisation’s statement. Human Rights Watch said a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs official had threatened to impose unspecified “sanctions” against it and several US-based pro-democracy organisations in early December. Neither Beijing nor Hong Kong authorities have since provided further details, it added.

Ex-pope Benedict rejects opening up priesthood to married men VATICAN CITY AGENCIES

Former pope Benedict XVI has publicly urged his successor Pope Francis not to open the Catholic priesthood up to married men, in a plea that Sunday stunned

Vatican experts. The ex-pontiff, who retired in 2013, issued the defence of clerical celibacy in a book written with arch-conservative Cardinal Robert Sarah, extracts of which were published in exclusive by France’s Le Figaro. “I cannot keep silent!” Benedict wrote in the book, which

follows an extraordinary meeting of bishops from the Amazonian at the Vatican last year that recommended the ordination of married men in certain circumstances.

The pope emeritus, 92, and Sarah from Guinea weighed in on the controversial question of whether or not to allow “viri probati” — married “men of proven virtue” — to join the priesthood. Francis is currently considering allowing it in remote locations, such as the Amazon, where communities seldom have Mass due to a lack of priests, and is expected to publish his decision in the coming weeks.

The pair asked the whole Church not to be “swayed” by “bad pleas, theatrics, diabolical lies, fashionable errors that want to devalue priestly celibacy”.

“It is urgent, necessary, that everyone, bishops, priests and laity, let themselves be guided once more by faith as they look upon the Church and on priestly celibacy that protects her mystery,” they wrote.

They warned of priests “confused by the incessant questioning of their consecrated celibacy”. “The conjugal state concerns man in his totality, and since the service of the Lord also requires the total gift of man, it does not seem possible to realise the two vocations simultaneously,” Benedict wrote. Sarah insisted that while celibacy can be “a trial” it is also “a liberation”.

‘SERIOUS BREACH’:Benedict, who was the first pontiff to resign in almost 600 years, at first withdrew to a life of quiet contemplation in the Vatican, but has increasingly begun to speak out on key Catholic issues. He and Sarah insisted their plea was not a “political manoeuvre” or “power game”.

But Vatican experts expressed astonishment that the retired pope would speak out on such a sensitive topic. “Benedict XVI is really not breaking his silence because he (and his entourage) never felt bound to that promise. But this is a seri-

ous breach,” Massimo Faggioli, who writes for La Croix, said on Twitter.

Joshua McElwee of the National Catholic Reporter, tweeted that “a former pope speaking in public about something his successor is currently in the process of considering” was “incredible”. While Vatican expert Iacopo Scaramuzzi pointed out that “cohabitation (in the Vatican) is difficult if the emeritus pope does not respect his own promise to hide away and obey”.

The idea of filling empty pulpits in remote locations by allowing married men to become priests is a divisive once, with critics warning the emotive issue could fracture the Catholic Church.

Supporters say it would not be necessary to rewrite Church law; Francis could simply make an exemption to the rules — like the one already granted to married Anglican pastors who later converted to Catholicism.

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

08 COMMENT Little peace for PM Allies demand fulfillment of promises

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M Iman Khan made unrealistic promises to allies in return for support for him to form the government. On Sunday MQM-P convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui announced that he was resigning from his post as Minister in protest against the PTI government’s failure to fulfill even a single promise made to his party.

The MQM-P wants Islamabad directly funding the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC)— both controlled by MQM-P mayors. The party demands that the government release Rs162 billion Karachi package directly to it. It also wants immediate construction of the Hyderabad University with federal funds. This doesn’t suit PTI’s legislators who fear this will provide MQM candidates an edge over them during the next elections.

While the PTI leadership desperately needs MQM-P’s support to remain in power, its Sindh chapter considers MQM-P a rival who must not be provided any advantage.

The MQM-P also demands the release of its missing workers and opening of its sealed party offices. With the agencies unwilling to accede to the demands, the PTI isn’t in a position to carry out the promise. As opposed to MQMP the GDA wants more funds for rural development.

The PTI accepted BnP-M’s six points in return for support in nA. The demand at the top of BnP-M’s list was the recovery of missing persons. The demand remains unfulfilled due to opposition from those who brought PM Imran Khan into power. The promises to provide water to Balochistan requires mega funds that the government doesn’t possess. The PM had promised to pass a law ensuring that the Baloch are not rendered a minority in their own province as a result of mega relocations from other provinces to help in development activities. The government having little interest in lawmaking; the promise was ignored.

The allies had supported the government at crucial moments, the latest during the passage of the budget. The BnP-M has called the meeting of its core committee on 19th and the GDA towards the end of the month. There are complaints and demands but no breaking point so far.

But these provide little comfort to the PM who knows he cannot meet the increasing demands of his allies.

Easing tensions Pakistan’s limited role in the Middle East situation

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OREIGn Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, went to Iran and Saudi Arabia to offer Pakistan’s full support to both countries in resolving the situation forming in the Middle East. It is unlikely that the FM’s visit will result in any de-escalation, rather the two backto-back trips are simply symbolic in nature. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on national Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed Yusuf said as much during a talk, that ‘Pakistan’s engagements in the region aim to convince rival countries to de-escalate’. Iran, as it had warned after the US killed its top general Qassim Soleimani, responded with missile strikes on US bases in Iraq. Within an hour of the attack Iran also shot down a Ukrainian commercial airliner over its airspace, claiming days later that it was an ‘unintentional mistake’. The incident has since sparked protests in the country and brought international blowback as well. A series of rocket and mortar attacks has since followed on US-army sites in Iraq. no one has claimed responsibility for the strikes that have come after the initial one, which is why the US is blaming Iran-backed militias.

As the situation unfolds, it can easily dangerously escalate, as it has just in the past one week. Pakistan needs to be much better prepared diplomatically for that possibility in order to stay out of any conflict, which is its stated policy. Recent foreign policy and diplomatic faux pas have not helped our credibility or dependability in providing effective mediation between any of the main parties involved; US, Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan pulling out of the Malaysia Summit at the last moment on Saudi Arabia’s insistence made it embarrassingly clear to Iran how much we are dependent on Saudi aid. The US exerts the same amount of control through the IMF and the FATF grey listing.

The trip is therefore a formality, a courtesy call and nothing more than a way to show the world that we too are an important part of the region and are as concerned as everyone else.

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

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Quoting religious texts out of context Never goes out of fashion

haSaN aftab Saeed

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HILE there are countless ways to mislead oneself (and others), arguably the easiest one is to quote a part of the scripture out of its context and give it a meaning of one’s own liking. There are those who have a vested interest in intentionally doing so. Others do it unconsciously; and they too, in turn, often end up misguiding numerous others. This article isn’t for the former; only for those who are genuinely mistaken or are victims of somebody else’s misconception or machination.

The tendency to consciously or unconsciously quote scripture out of context has a long history. There has been a rich tradition among the Christians to quote the Bible this way. However, in what follows I will limit myself to the Quran, and how it has been misquoted to give interpretations to some of its verses that their contexts clearly reject.

One of the most frequently quoted verses of the Quran is 33:21 (‘Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often.’) There could be any number of opinions on the meaning of this; and if the context is neglected, one opinion is as good as another. Indeed, there is a school of thought that maintains that anything and everything that the messenger (peace be upon him) ever did is an example for the rest of us. What

is the verse talking about though? The passage discusses the Battle of the Trench when thousands of Arabs had laid siege to Madina.

Though the Muslims did finally prevail when their enemies were forced to leave unsuccessful, many among them had started losing heart and doubting their own cause during the frightening ordeal. This context is not from some source outside the Quran but from the verses immediately preceding the verse in question, which exhorts Muslims to follow the excellent example of their leader, the messenger, who remained steadfast in the face of all adversity.

Stripped of this context, one man could easily take it to mean that dates and pumpkins are ideal foods; another to conclude that we should all start moving around on camels; and yet another to surmise that tahband and turban are recommended dresses for us. Taken in its proper context, the verse has just the one meaning of course, which has nothing to do with apparel, food or preferred modes of transport.

Then there are those who present a part of 16:89 in support of their stance that one could find everything in the Quran (‘And We have sent down to you the Book as clarification for all things and as guidance and mercy and good tidings for the Muslims’). These people are apt to find everything in the Quran: scientific discoveries, health science, and political science – the lot. no doubt the Quran says on many occasions that it is quite complete; but in what respect is that so? Is it complete as far as the vital theological matters are concerned? Or is it complete regarding every subject under the sun? Again, it’s the context that will decide the matter one way or the other. I will let the reader to look up the context of this, and similar verses, himself.

Sometimes the context is right there in the very same verse; and if so, only a part of the verse is quoted to make the point that can’t be made using the complete verse. This is the case when only a part of 33:33 is quoted to conclude that women should stay home. The complete verse makes obvious the impossibility of this interpretation, because the verse is clearly addressed to the Prophet’s wives alone. The preceding verse (33:32), which starts with these

words: ‘Oh wives of the Prophet, you are not like other women’, is also a dead giveaway.

There’s a common position among Muslims that one-man-one-vote is against the spirit of the Quran because it doesn’t discriminate between the learned man and the ignoramus. A part of 39:9 is usually pressed into service to support this stance (‘Are those who know and those who don’t know equal?’) Of course, no answer is forthcoming if one demands to know who gets to decide which man knows and which doesn’t. But besides that, reading the chapter from the start makes it obvious that politics is not under discussion at all. The knowledge mentioned regards understanding of the accountability of one’s attitudes and actions in the Hereafter, the central theme of the Quran.

Let me end with probably the most common misconception of all. Many Muslims are of the view that 56:79 mandates the state of ablution (wuzu) before touching the Quran (‘none can touch it except the purified’). It’s not completely unreasonable to attribute this meaning to the verse torn loose from its context; but if one starts reading from 56:75 onwards, one realizes that the subject under discussion is the faultless and pure transmission of revelation and has nothing whatever to do with the law.

Of course, the Quran is by no means peculiar in requiring its verses to be taken in their proper contexts. As is the case with any discourse, some things must stand upon the shoulders of others. If each verse was independent, it would be a random collection of verses, not a book to start with. That the context is crucial shouldn’t even be a point of discussion; and it isn’t, until it comes to religious texts. For there’s this strange tendency among men to have absolutely no difficulty with a concept as they apply it in their everyday lives; but to suddenly start having all sorts of problems with the very same concept the moment it has anything to do with religion.

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

Trump is not USA How the country has outlived many a monomaniacs and fools during its existence

Shah Nawaz Mohal

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n America, anyone can become President. That’s the problem.’ remarked the legendary comedian late George Carlin known for his scathing wit, piercing humor and ability to mock the failings and foibles of the so-called high and mighty. Carlin, who died a decade back in 2008, is not around to witness first hand and ridicule the rise and ravaging of Mr. Donald Trump’s (Mr. T) presidency and is desperately missed. The problem Carlin pointed out has become the real, orange-faced, and straight out of reality TV predicament. not only the US but the entire world looks

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gape mouthed at the shenanigans and silliness of Mr. T. A falling out between twitterhappy Mr. T and his Pakistani counterparts inauspiciously happened on the very first day of 2018. Allegations of a double game by Mr. Trump were countered by naming the sins on part of US by Pakistani gentlemen from the civilian and military side (Yes, both are on the same page. Whose page this is, we don’t know). America had suspended security aid to Pakistan entirely and put it on a watch list for violations of religious freedom.

Both countries have been to similar places before. The Pak-US relations, as old as Pakistan itself, have braved the betrayals (Read 65 and 71 wars) and outlived bonhomie (Read Ayub’s initial tenure, Musharraf’s era and Afghan War) multiple times.

Once again, we lament that sacrifices of our soldiers and commoners haven’t been appreciated, acknowledged and applauded. US, on the other hand, blames that we’ve been in it to mint dollars and dollars alone while shielding, even actively abating the ‘good Taliban’ who weigh the lives on our side of the border differently than Afghan ones where they wreak havoc. It reminds one of the word ‘frenemy’-A friend who is an enemy, an apt word to summarize the recent sparring between Pakistan and USA. If Pak-India relation resembles the

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‘Saas-Bahu’one then Pak-US relationship graduated from friends with benefit to a marriage of convenience gone stale.

The central character nowadays is none other than President Trump, a man who has seen it all, experienced it all, savored it all, exploited it all, and tamed it all in the United States of America. The man has sold land, erected casinos, hosted his own reality TV show, marketed steaks, wrestled in WWE, accompanied divas and grabbed them from wherever he liked; a true maverick who has realized the American Dream beyond his (or anyone else’s) wildest imagination.

And this person, dear reader, who is mercurial at best and at worst a manic septuagenarian on steroids, heads the world’s sole hyper power. The nation that was once ruled by giants like Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Kennedy is in the tiny claws of Mr. T whose credentials are dubious, whose mental state is questionable, and whose infamous achievements are pathetic.

Divorced from the understanding of past, wherever he looks he sees shallowness. The curse of ‘now’ denies him the vision and wisdom to weigh and place things in their right order. And most importantly, who knows not when to speak out or shut up. Pity how the mighty have fallen.

Yet, there is still hope for the

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melting pot called USA where people from around the world came, dwelled and prospered. It has seen the lows before and marched on through the thick and thin of time.

It has witnessed and overpowered societal upheavals, survived civil war, got over its isolation, stumped slavery, got over economic dire straits and have proved an exceptional case in comity of nations.

And in the heat of the moment, let us not forget that the world owes a lot to the ‘Land of the free and the home of the brave’. On the wings of countless innovations, inventions and discoveries in the fields of science and technology of the United States of America roared ahead during the last 70 years. It has also enriched the imagination of the world through the poetry of Whitman, cynicism of Hemingway, satire of Heller, extravagance of Fitzgerald, shrewdness of Kessinger, and moral clarity of Chomsky. America single handedly shaped the world we live in today.

It would be really hard if not downright impossible for a ‘very stable genius’ to undo what millions have achieved. In the meantime, let us all pray to God to help Americans and the world from the demented and malicious Mr. T. 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, 14 January, 2020

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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

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

Does Iran ‘qualify’ to be a cogent threat?

Old-school type leadership Capitalism trumps humanity MuhaMMad ali ehSaN

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RIEDRICH Engels (1820-1895), a German philosopher and historian, famously stated, “Great men appear when a given socio-economic situation requires them.” The historic phenomenon of the rise from obscurity to the throne of many such great leaders allows us to draw many lessons from history and one such lesson is their rule by the doctrines of orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality. The dawn of democracy ushered a new era in the world and it was hoped that the “old-school type” leaders that believed in grasping power and holding on to it would give way to “more people-represented governance” but unfortunately for the world it has only witnessed a continuous decline in the democratic principles and practices and democracy is generally on the wane. From being great reformists who promised the moon to becoming absolute authoritarians, the world witnesses today a leadership revival from the past defined by the same old leadership characteristics of intolerance, tyranny, ruthlessness, savagery and invincibility. Where are we heading and is there a social glue that can bind humans in peace, amity and tranquillity?

The personal character and leadership qualities of the great leaders of the past mattered given the “socio-economic conditions” that confronted them. But over time haven’t these conditions improved considerably?

What good have been the periods of renaissance and enlightenment if human rights hardly matter and humanity has overall nosedived and fallen in grace and dignity?

The world gone by was shaped by “men of varying characters” and the future world we are looking at is also likely to be shaped by a present world leadership which instead of relying on “liberty, freedom, rights and fraternity” — the by-products of democracy, is drowned in the sea of protectionism, populism and nationalistic trickery. What hopes do we carry as the world enters 2020?

Do we want to live in the same strange and cruel world in which our forefathers lived? A world in which the Alexander the Greats, Julius Caesars, Genghis Khans and napoleons of this world killed millions of people — yet we celebrate not their blood-letting but their achievements? Is the world that endured and tolerated the tyranny and atrocities committed by the likes of Hitler and Genghis Khan alright in tolerating the likes of the present-day narendra Modis?

India accuses Pakistan of cross-border terrorism but it itself is engaged in the worst kind of “in-border terrorism” that the modern world is not accustomed to seeing. India is

burning today and the social contract that binds the rulers to the ruled there is cracking and is on the verge of collapse. Secular India is in flames and its place is being taken over by a majoritarian India that is killing and murdering its minorities. India under Prime Minister Modi’s government seems to be in a hurry to implement its Hindutva ideology and PM Modi is acting like a novice emperor in a new-found Indian empire.

Many people have compared PM Modi with Hitler but what he is doing in India is quite reminiscent of what Genghis Khan did when he formed his empire in 1205. When Genghis Khan sat on the throne of the Mongol Empire, his biggest concern was “how to break down the old tribal, clan and regional loyalties of 31 tribes and the two million people that comprised his empire? How did he replace their existing loyalties with a lone loyalty to the Khan?”

He introduced “Yassa” the unwritten Genghis Khan code which had 40 statutes, 14 of which ordained capital punishment even for minor offences. That happened in a barbaric world that showcased no human rights and R2P (responsibility to protect). But Modi’s curfews and nationwide CAB and his Hindutva-driven strategy of tyranny that he executes on his own people to keep his 29 states united is happening right under the eyes of a consciously and morally awakened modern world. India, for a long time, has been planning, plotting and strategising to isolate Pakistan internationally and to run it down as a country. Despite the evidence of India’s execution of a continuous proxy war against Pakistan, the world has closed its eyes and is standing with a “rising India”, “a super power in the making India” and for what; India’s huge market. What good will that market now be given the unpopularity of Modi and instability of his political government?

In 2004, President Putin of Russia termed

the breakup of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20 th century”. Are we going to witness the breakup of India as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 21stCentury? Given Modi’s ambitions and his following of the old-school type leadership of Genghis Khan and Hitler, this eventuality seems most likely. Modi who has been hatching plans of Pakistan’s undoing is now caught in a political spiral of his own making.

Pakistan as a state, since the time of its creation, has gone through many troubled times and has endured many highs and lows.

Yet, the nation has moved forward and in the midst of periods of despondency and hopelessness we have still been able to find our way forward. This has only been possible because many great men and women have served this nation. Many unsung heroes have sacrificed their lives for us to continue to live our lives with dignity and pride.

This realisation of being independent and free has become more pronounced watching what India is doing to its minorities — something Quaid-e-Azam foresaw and warned us about.

We couldn’t have counted our blessings more, specially witnessing what is happening in India and what could have become of us if we had not separated and found for ourselves a free homeland to live in.

That great man that Friedrich Engels mentioned appeared in our lives in the form of Quaid-e–Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and as the new year 2020 has dawned on us, we should not forget the man who enabled us to live our lives with dignity and self-respect without having to prove our identity to anybody in the state.

It is not the monsters across the borders that we should be afraid of, it is the monsters that live within us which are the actual threats to the state. no better resolution to start the new Year with but “Unity, Faith and Discipline”, our Quaid’s great quote — the glue of our social binding.

This realisation of being independent and free has become more pronounced watching what India is doing to its minorities — something Quaide-Azam foresaw and warned us about.

THE United States has killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds military force, as a pre-emptive measure to forestall possible attacks on American interests. President Trump’s national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, has claimed that the strike was “fully authorized” under the ‘2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against Iraq Resolution’.

According to O’Brien, “The president exercised America’s clear, inherent right of self-defence that was consistent with his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief to defend our national interests and our forces against attacks like those that Soleimani has directed in the past and was plotting now, once again. We caught Qassem Soleimani in the act of planning and plotting to kill Americans in the region”.

And now, following Iran’s reaction of taking revenge in the near future in a tit-for-tat manner, President Trump has come up with yet more stern warnings of a grave nature, immersed in contempt for a militarily and economically weaker country, Iran.

The powers that be in the American system, especially the President and the Pentagon, might be right in claiming that they had ‘authentic, inside information about the dangerous designs of Soleimani against American assets and forces but the dominant perception prevailing in some segments of the global intelligentsia is that it is basically a demonstration of the high and mighty acting without any regard for the universal principles of peaceful co-existence, encouraged and motivated by its immense powers of ‘strike and dictation’. no doubt, Iran is rated as a symbol or an edifice of resistance by the Americans but this identity of symbol of resistance is not a sign of threat to the biggest military power of the world.

How can then the United States’ establishment be right in assessing or declaring Iran as a threat, let alone a cogent threat when it (Iran) does not strictly fit in the definition of a threat on any strategic yardstick, given the fact that Iran does not possess the matching armament and military resources to threaten a global nuclear power which is now issuing repeated warnings of sending ‘beautiful bombs’ in the backdrop of its self-pride of being the best and the biggest. President Donald Trump is on record having claimed, with pride- if not hubristhat “We are the biggest and by far the best in the world and if Iranians retaliated to our attacks that we conducted in selfdefence, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way – and without hesitation.”

Is it the intrinsic essence of American establishment that it perceives things exclusively in the security perspective?

Doesn’t it make us think that, in essence, the American establishment is afflicted with some kind of insecurity complex in the garb of security? Doesn’t this thinking pattern prevailing in the United States’ decision-making circles (or in the circles deciding war or strikes) stand in sheer conflict with democratic ideals?

After all, what is democracy all about? Democracy is all about tolerance, synthesis and peaceful co-existence not only within the periphery of a state but also across the frontiers in the realm of inter-state relations.

The resultant situation now demands that the Islamic world should not draw conclusions or frame foreign policies in the ‘sectarian-divide perspective’. We should rather stand united as one fraternity following the same faith since it might act as an effective counterpoise against hegemonic mindsets and dictation. However, it does not at all mean that standing united in this manner means intimidating or challenging anyone. Pakistan’s Foreign Office should also handle the things with diplomatic finesse and dexterity, after studying crisis scenarios one by one that may emerge in the times to come. now is an era of measured, well-thought-out responses particularly when the country is faced with delicate situations all around.

SHEHArYAr SAIF Lahore

Brexit and Brexit only AS per the ongoing controversial procedures, Brexit means the withdrawal of the United Kingdom [UK] from the European Union [EU]. Accordingly, the UK has to take a final stand on Brexit by the end of January 2020 at the latest. With the aim of getting updates on such interesting news, I have been watching TV channels like Cnn, BBC in my native areas like Korkai, Tuticorin, Tirunelveli, Tiruchendur in Tamil nadu besides encouraging others.

Meanwhile, the UK has been struggling a lot to find a quick fix to the political impasse created by the Brexit. In the world today, all countries have been doing the best to make the best of all the resources they have in order to achieve many milestones on the economic front. So separating a country from the union is indeed a Herculean task requiring great strategies coupled with strength to meet with future challenges.

That is how it will function or unfold in the future or this is all the UK and the EU have to go through predictably in the days to come.

In this context, all the policymakers and other politicos have their say on the whole Brexit process without endangering the economic growth of the region. Incidents like droughts and the Soviet Union collapse are all still fresh in memory.

The authorities concerned especially the Boris Johnson government should be careful of each political move in the matter of Brexit keeping the well-being of the people and the region intact.

P SENtHIL SArAvAIA DurAI Mumbai

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

HaRRy, WiLLiaM pResent united fRont aHead of RoyaL cRisis suMMit LONDON

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AGENCIES

RINCE Harry and his brother Prince William put on a united front as they were summoned to showdown talks Monday on Harry’s future after he and his wife Meghan unilaterally announced they were quitting as front-line British royalty.

The brothers, who, at Harry’s public admission, have drifted apart in recent years, lashed out at a story concerning their relationship, as newspapers speculated on what caused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to quit their roles in search of a new life.

William, 37, and 35-year-old Harry formed a close bond following their mother Diana’s death in 1997 but Harry admitted last month that they had drifted apart and were now on different paths.

The fraternal show of unity came as they were summoned to talks with their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and father Prince Charles aimed at charting a way through the crisis.

The 93-year-old monarch called the trio to urgent talks at her private Sandringham retreat in eastern England.

A statement on behalf of Harry and William said: “Despite clear denials, a

false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge. “For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful.”

BULLYING ALLEGATION: Among the stories in Monday’s press was a report in The Times headlined: “Princes ‘fell out because William wasn’t friendly towards Meghan’.” It said Harry and Meghan saw themselves as having been “pushed away from the royal family” by William’s “‘bullying’ attitude” — adding that sources close to the princes had denied this version of events.

The Sussexes last week said they wanted to step back as senior royals, divide their time between Britain and North America, rip up long-established ways of working with the media and seek a “progressive” and financially-independent new role. That triggered the queen on Thursday to direct her officials, plus those of Charles, William and Harry, to seek urgent “workable solutions” following the bombshell announcement.

Charles, 71, the heir to the throne, flew back from Oman, where he attended a condolence ceremony Sunday follow-

ing the death of the late Sultan Qaboos.

Meghan, 38, is expected to join the meeting via conference call from Canada as they attempt to work out the “next steps” towards a compromise. Issues up for debate include how much money the couple will still receive from Charles — who largely bankrolls his sons and their families — the couple’s royal titles and how they can raise their own finances without compromising the monarchy.

FORGING NEW ROLE: Harry, Meghan and their son Archie, who was born in May last year, spent six weeks over Christmas in Canada. After briefly coming back to Britain, several Canadian media reported Meghan had returned to Vancouver Island off the country’s Pacific coast, where Archie had remained with his nanny. Their plan for a new way of working said they intended to continue to “fully support” Queen Elizabeth and honour their duties to the monarch, the Commonwealth and their patronages.

However, they want to make 2020 a “transition” year to carve out their new role and launch their new Sussex Royal charitable entity and seek to raise their own sources of income.

They also want to keep their newlyrenovated Frogmore Cottage home on the queen’s Windsor Castle estate as their

British base. Harry, now sixth in line to the throne following the birth of William’s three children, has been open about his mental health issues in coming to terms with his mother’s death in a Paris car crash, when he was just 12.

He and Meghan in October admitted to struggling with the spotlight following their wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018 and Archie’s birth a year later. US former television actress Meghan was widely welcomed as a breath of fresh air for the royal

family when their engagement was announced in November 2017. But the prince and the ex-“Suits” star have lashed out at negative news coverage since the wedding — some of which Harry says was racist — in light of Meghan’s bi-racial heritage.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, Britain’s interior minister, rejected suggestions that Meghan had been subjected to racist press coverage.

“I’m not in that category at all,” she told BBC radio. “I certainly haven’t seen that through any debates or commentary.”

False alarm sets off nuclear scare in Canada TORONTO AGENCIES

An alert signalling an incident at a

major nuclear power plant near Toronto in Canada was sent in error to millions of residents Sunday, causing a scare and prompting calls for an investigation.

The emergency alert went out shortly before 7:30 am (1230 GMT).

Though intended for residents living within a 10-kilometre (six-mile) radius of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, it went to all residents in Ontario province. About an hour later, the Ontario Power Generation company that manages the nuclear plant announced on Twitter that the alert was issued by mistake.

“There is NO active nuclear situation taking place at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station,” it said. “The previous alert was issued in error. There is no danger to the public or environment.” The Ontario provincial government apologized, saying the alert was issued during a routine training exercise. “The Government of Ontario sincerely apologizes for raising public concern and has begun a full investiga-

tion to determine how this error happened,” Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said. One of the world’s largest nuclear power plants, the Pickering facility is located about 50 kilometres east of Toronto, Canada’s most populous city, with three million inhabitants.

Several local officials, including Pickering Mayor Dave Ryan, immediately demanded an explanation of the incident. “Like many of you, I was very troubled to have received that emergency alert this morning,” Ryan said on Twitter. “While I am relieved that there was no actual emergency, I am upset that an error such as this occurred. I have spoken to the province and am demanding that a full investigation take place,” he said. Toronto mayor John Tory also called for a probe, saying area residents had been “unnecessarily alarmed by this event.”

Japanese biLLionaiRe seeKs giRLfRiend foR tRip to tHe Moon TOKYO AGENCIES

Oscar nominees emerge as awards row rages over female snubs LOS ANGELES AGENCIES

The Oscar nominations will Monday reveal which stars and movies have a shot at Hollywood’s ultimate prize, as the industry nervously awaits the number of women and minorities selected.

The pre-dawn Academy Award announcement caps months of ceaseless campaigning by A-listers and studios, with only the chosen few progressing to next month’s show-stopper. Favourites for best picture include Quentin Tarantino’s 1960s Tinseltown homage “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” and Sam Mendes’s World War I odyssey “1917.” Both won major honours at the recent Golden Globes. Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “The Irishman” and South Korean class satire “Parasite” are also expected to feature. Up to 10 films can be nominated for the top prize.

Much of the focus so far this award season has been on the lack of women and ethnic minority filmmakers honoured. Neither the Globes nor the influential Directors Guild Awards included any female-helmed films in their top categories, with Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed “Little Women” adaptation notably absent. Controversy over those omissions, in an industry criticized for its lack of diversity, was fueled at last week’s Bafta nominations, which were also condemned for overlooking ethnic

minorities. One Academy voter who asked not to be named said he was “anticipating that it’s likely going to be very controversial” again Monday because “a lot of male directors” will be nominated.

“Unfortunately there are just five nominees” for best director in an “incredibly strong year,” he told AFP, pointing to the revered track records of Scorsese, Tarantino and Mendes. The Academy “want to choose the best but they also want to be sensitive to women and minorities,” said Chris Beachum, of award tracking website Gold Derby.

Non-white stars such as Lupita Nyong’o, Cynthia Erivo and Awkwafina could feature alongside best actress frontrunners Renee Zellweger and Charlize Theron, he predicted, while Eddie Murphy is in the running for best actor. “Greta (Gerwig) certainly has a shot at becoming the first woman to get in for (best) director twice,” Beachum added, referring to her nomination for 2017’s “Lady Bird.”

Voting for Oscar nominees ended last Tuesday, two days after the Golden Globes, meaning success there could have provided a late bump for borderline candidates. Taron Egerton, who plays Elton John in “Rocketman,” faces a tough challenge to crack into a competitive best actor field expected to feature the likes of Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker.”) But he may be aided by his Globes success, Beachum said.

Renee Zellweger, who won best actress at the Globe, is widely seen as a shoo-in for the Oscars shortlist, thanks to her acclaimed turn as showbiz legend Judy Garland in “Judy.”

Awards pundits will also be checking to see how the best picture frontrunners fare in other Oscars nominations categories. “1917” has relative unknowns in its main roles, meaning acting nods would be a strong indicator of overall success, said Beachum.

CMYK

An editing nomination for the film, shot to appear as it were almost one continuous shot, would also speak volumes, he added. Despite its disappointment at the Globes, where it won just one movie award, Netflix still has more contenders than any other studio — and is likely to bag plenty of nominations.

“They’ll win some Oscars,” said Beachum. “Every year that they’ve been in the Oscar race they’ve improved on nominations and wins.”

A Japanese billionaire has launched an online wanted ad for a girlfriend who will fly around the Moon with him on a SpaceX rocket. Yusaku Maezawa, who recently announced his break-up with a Japanese actress, is accepting applications from “single women aged 20 or over” who want to enjoy life to the fullest. The matchmaking exercise is being turned into a TV show for a web streaming service. The flamboyant entrepreneur said he agreed to the idea due to loneliness in middle age. “I have lived exactly as I’ve wanted to until now,” said Maezawa, who has three children with two women. “I’m 44 now. As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there’s one thing that I think about: Continuing to love one woman,” he said in the ad. Maezawa has also made a pitch on his Twitter account, saying: “Why not be the ‘first woman’ to travel to the moon?” The deadline to apply is January 17, 2020. He will make a final selection by the end of March after going on dates with the applicants.

Maezawa, formerly chief of online fashion company Zozo, which he sold to Yahoo! Japan last year, is known for buying pricey art. He is scheduled to make a lunar trip in 2023 or later as the first private passenger on a voyage by entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Maezawa also plans to take about half a dozen artists with him on the trip, which will take them around the Moon without landing on it.

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

business 11 CORPORATE CORNER

‘Saudi company likely to inveSt $4bn in pakiStan’S renewable energy Sector’ ISLAMABAD

LAHORE: Premier Systems Ltd is set to match the future needs of its customers for both its business units – IT and automotive– with the implementation of a global technology solution from SAP through its implementation partner i.e. the TallyMarks Consulting. P R E S S R E l E A S E

KARACHI: Bank Alfalah management poses for a group photo during the prestigious ‘Pakistan Banking Awards’.

The bank won the ‘Best Bank of 2019’ and ‘Best Customer Franchise’ awards on the occasion. PRESS RElEASE

KARACHI: TCL has once again signed up to become Peshawar Zalmi’s partner for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 season. PRE S S R E l E A S E

ISLAMABAD: UnionPay International (UPI) and Avanza Premier Payment Services (APPS) have joined hands to digitise Pakistan through the power of M-commerce transactions. PRESS REl E A S E

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STAFF REPORT

OwER Division Minister Omar Ayub Khan on Monday informed the National Assembly (NA) that Saudi Arabian power producing company ACwA Power will invest around $4 billion in Pakistan’s renewable energy sector.

“ACwA Power will invest about $4 billion on the renewable energy sector in Balochistan,” the minister said in response to a query during question hour, adding that the generation of cheap electricity that utilises indigenous renewable energy resources, including wind, solar, waste that can be converted into biomass energy, was among the government’s top priorities.

He explained that the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) had been pursuing the development of alternative and renewable energy-based power generation projects through private investors under the Renewable Energy Policy, 2006, on the Independent Power Producers (IPP) mode.

“Significant progress has been made in exploiting the wind, solar and biomass/bagasse potential available in the country and a number of power generation projects based on these resources are operational while many are in the pipeline,” he said.

The minister apprised the NA that the government also formulated a new Alternative Renewal Energy Policy 2019, which had already been approved by the federal cabinet and submitted for approval to the Council of Common Interests (CCI). This policy targets increasing the share of alternative energy in the available sources of energy up to 20pc by 2025 and 30pc by 2030.

“The scope of the policy also includes the development of waste-to-energy projects by utilising municipal solid waste,” Omar Ayub added.

In this regard, he said that international and local companies could install waste-toenergy projects. The minister further said that the tariff had been modified in phases as determined by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) but the present government had protected the interest of domestic consumers

by up to 300 units.

He said that the previous government had not taken any steps for enhancement of rates from 2016 as per the tariff structure which is why the present government was forced to increase tariffs to reduce the buildup of circular debt increasing at the rate of Rs30 billion per month.

“It was now reduced to Rs21 billion per month until June 30, 2019. The government is committed to bringing this down to zero by the end of the current year,” he added.

Omar also said that 80 per cent feeders across the country were currently free of load shedding while clarifying that load management was only being carried out in areas where line losses remain high.

It may be noted here that the present government had initiated a drive to improve recoveries and check power theft.

Moreover, Parliamentary Secretary for Petroleum Khial Zaman Orakzai, while responding to a question related to his ministry, said that petrol was reportedly being sold openly through unregistered fuel stations, especially in rural areas, which was illegal. However, he pointed out that action against illegal petrol stations falls in the domain of chief inspector of explosives (CIE) along with local and district administrations under Petroleum Rules, 1937 read with Petroleum Act, 1934.

Cabinet to allow construction of high-rise buildings in four major cities ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

The federal cabinet is likely to give permission for the construction of high-rise buildings in four major cities, in compliance with international aviation laws.

Sources informed Pakistan Today that the prime minister has summoned a meeting of the federal cabinet on Tuesday, wherein 16 different proposals of different ministries would be discussed.

The cabinet will take up the Ministry of Aviation’s proposal pertaining to the construction of high-rise buildings in Lahore, Karachi, Multan and Peshawar. Sources said that a sub-committee was formed under the chairmanship of Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan and a proposal pre-

sented by the committee is still awaiting approval.

In its proposal, the sub-committee has recommended that multi-story buildings should be allowed within a radius of 15.24 kilometres of every airport under international aviation laws. Civil Aviation Rules1994 (Rule 68) defines the height restriction in terms of various Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) around an aerodrome up to a maximum limit of 15.24 kilometers.

In addition to this, sources said, the committee had also directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and other concerned departments to exempt the builders from no-objection certificate (NOC) conditions for high-rise buildings in these cities.

Besides discussing the sub-committee’s pro-

posal, the cabinet will also take up the matter of amendments in the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) Act as the department has shown serious concerns over the recently-approved amendments in its ordinance.

NEPRA believes that implementation of the proposed amendments would create a heavy burden on the consumers and all charges from line losses to interest payments on the loans taken by the power sector, as well as technical losses, would be passed on to the consumers.

Other items on the cabinet meeting’s agenda include a briefing by the Cabinet Division on the implementation of the decisions taken so far. The Prime Minister’s Office will give a presentation on situational analysis of ministries and attached departments.

Sluggish exports must improve for Pakistan to be competitive: SBP governor KARACHI MEIRYUM AlI ISLAMABAD: Haier becomes the only manufacturer in Pakistan with an internationally accredited HNR Air Conditioning Testing Lab. P R E S S R E l E A S E

ISLAMABAD: Malaysian Minister Teresa Kok was invited to deliver the keynote address at the 5th Pakistan Edible Oil Conference. She was joined at the event by Advisor to PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood. PRESS RElEASE

OGRA reduces RLNG prices for January The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Monday reduced the prices of Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) for the month of January 2020 by $0.35 per mmbtu for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and $0.36 per mmbtu for the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). According to a notification issued by OGRA, the regulator has set new prices at $10.48 per mmbtu for the consumers of SNGPL and $10.46 per mmbtu for SSGC. These prices also include charges of the LNG terminals, transmission losses, port charges, and margins of the importers i.e. Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL). Earlier, the federal government had increased the price of petrol by up to Rs2.61 per litre for the month of January 2020. According to a notification, the price of petrol had been increased by Rs2.61 per litre, while the price of high-speed diesel has been increased by Rs2.25. Similarly, the price of light diesel had been decreased by Rs2.08 and that of kerosene by Rs3.10 per litre. BUSINESS DESK

As the country’s economy is stabilising, attention needs to be given to pivoting Pakistan from an inward economy to an outward looking economy, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Dr Reza Baqir said on Monday.

He was addressing the Firms and Growth Seminar at the SBP, held in collaboration with the International Growth Centre (IGC), the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) and the Consortium for Development Policy Research (CDPR).

The event also featured comments from Adviser to Prime Minister in Finance and Revenue Dr Hafeez Shaikh and Planning & Development Minister Asad Umar.

In a frank and candid presentation to industry heads and economists, all three in their separate speeches emphasized that Pakistan’s export sector was lagging and sluggish, and needed to change in order to grow. The three men also emphasized how a market-determined exchange rate was a welcome decision, and has been instrumental in improving the economy.

DR REZA BAQIR: In his presentation, Dr Reza Baqir said Pakistan must change the orientation of the economy from an inward looking one, based on consumption in nontradable sector to an outward economy, based on sustainable exports.

According to the governor, stabilisation has been successfully achieved due to the reform programme, and the state bank believes growth will rise: the question is how much will it rise by, and will it be sustained?

DR HAFEEZ SHAIKH AND ASAD UMAR STRESS THE NEED FOR STRUCTURAL CHANGES TO ENSURE SUSTAINED ECONOMIC GROWTH Highlighting the history of Pakistan’s exports, Dr Baqir said that Pakistan’s exports have lagged behind competitor countries for the last 20+ years, except for a brief period between 2000 and 2006.

The reason for this sluggish growth was an overvalued exchange rate that was constraining exports.

He also said that export growth in Pakistan slowed down after 2012, and that diversification of exports has been limited through 2017.

In fact, if Pakistan had continued at the s a m e growth rate, it w o u l d have made a difference of $40 billion, according to the governor’s estimate.

To make his point more forcefully, Dr Baqir compared Pakistan to developing countries, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

Bangladesh, has a higher growth rate, propelled mostly by its textile exports. However, Bangladesh has specialized almost exclusively in the textile sector. Meanwhile, Vietnam not only shows a strong growth rate, but also a diversifica-

tion of exports.

DR HAFEEZ SHAIKH: Dr Hafeez Shaikh posited the question: why has Pakistan been unable to grow? The effective finance minister said that in 72 years, Pakistan has not seen a growth period longer than four years, and that the country only has growth spurts, not longterm growth trends. He summed it up as “why do we never lose an opportunity to lose an opportunity?”

Dr Shaikh also highlighted the difficulties of what the government inherited, pointing to the unsustainable exchange rate, high current account deficit, poor growth in agriculture, and general sluggish economy overall. The adviser also said the IMF programme was necessary as a ‘signal to the world’, for Pakistan to have some credibility globally.

To go from the stabilisation to sustained economic growth, Dr Shaikh said the lead must come from the private sector. The advisor also expressed mild frustration with

the business community, saying that often times businessmen in the country were not willing to do business more extensively with the outside world, and that Pakistanis were not going to the frontiers [of the world] and selling their products.

Though he said that that low exports were partially due to government constraints, the importance of the government should not be over exaggerated ASAD UMAR: As per Asad Umar, the current planning minister and former finance minister, any time Pakistan’s economy is over 4pc it runs into problems. This is because of a cyclical problem that he described as Pakistan’s economy having short growth spurts, followed by a balance of payments problem, and so on.

He also candidly said the overvalued exchange rate was not just an ‘Ishaq Dar’ problem, but in fact the exchange rate has been consistently over valued for long time periods in the last 25 years, revealing a structural bias in Pakistan.

Asad Umar also pinned the lack of competitiveness in the economy on structural problems, in particular calling agriculture a ‘visible disaster’, especially in sugar and milk powder areas. As per the minister, agriculture productivity from 1960 to 1990 quadrupled, due to additional acreage and better farming techniques. That competitiveness has ended.

Asad Umar highlighted the difficult political implications of changing export growth, saying that the beneficiaries of the current status quo will not be beneficiaries of the new system, and will use financial resources and political connections to make sure changes do not happen.

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

12 business MARKET DAILY

kSe-100 lands flat after range-bound session KARACHI: Investors of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) endured a volatile session on Monday, with the benchmark KSE-100 closing flat amid range-bound activity. Foreign investors closed the outgoing week as net buyers with a net inflow of $7.02 million (Jan 6-10). On the economic front, Fitch Ratings Agency has affirmed Pakistan's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'B-' with a stable outlook. The 'B-' rating reflects a challenging external position characterised by a high external financing requirement and low reserves; weak public finances, including large fiscal deficits and a high government debt-to-GDP ratio; and weak governance indicators. Furthermore, according to the latest data published by State Bank of Pakistan, remittances sent home by overseas Pakistanis surged by 15.25pc in December 2019 as compared to the same period last year. On a cumulative basis, overseas Pakistanis remitted $11.394 billion in the first six months of FY20. The same stood at $11.03 billion in the corresponding period of last year.

Gaining 246.29 points, the KSE-100 Index recorded its intraday high at 43,453.34 during the initial trading hours.

It then changed directions, sliding to its intraday low at 43,037.72 after losing 169.33 points. The index ended flat (+11.62 points) at 43,218.67. The KMI-30 Index closed lower by 148.67 points at 70,641.56, while the KSE All Share Index fell short by 37.47 points, settling at 30,020.98.

Sectors that pushed the KSE-100 Index down included tobacco (-32.20 points), fertiliser (-30.85 points) and power generation & distribution (-23.12 points). On the other hand, banking (+46.55 points), oil & gas exploration (+18.26 points) and textile composite (+17.02 points) sectors helped the index finish in the green zone. The overall market volumes were recorded at 366.14 million.

The Bank of Punjab (BOP -0.38pc), Summit Bank Limited (SMBL +41.50pc) and Silk Bank Limited (SILK +12.22pc) topped the volume chart, exchanging 34.97 million, 34.94 million and 24.79 million shares, respectively. STAFF REPORT

car sales drop 25pc in 2019 ISLAMABAD: Car sales in the country jumped by 23pc on a month-on-month basis to 12,100 units in Dec 2019, as compared to Nov 2019. However, the overall unit sales declined 25pc to 187,707 units in 2019 when compared with 2018. The MoM rise was largely led by a 49pc increase in Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) sales.

The sales of the other two major manufacturers, Indus Motor (INDU) and Honda Car (HCAR) dropped by 12pc and 23pc, respectively. The increase in PSMC sales was largely driven by the announcement of an increase in its car prices (effective from Jan 1, 2020). The decline reported by the other manufacturers was largely in line with the historical year-end phenomenon, where consumers generally delay their purchases until the new year. On a year-on-year basis, weak demand dynamics was again evident from a 38pc fall in sales in Dec 2019, taking 1HFY20 decline to 44pc YoY. This was primarily attributable to 1) higher car prices mainly due to PKR devaluation and 2) higher interest rates. PSMC sales were down 26pc YoY in Dec 2019, while INDU's sales declined by 56pc YoY with Corolla sales falling by 50pc YoY. HCAR sales fell by 58pc YoY during Dec 2019 with combined sales of City & Civic declining by 56pc YoY. Sale of motorcycles by Atlas Honda (ATLH) witnessed an increase of 6pc YoY, as sales clocked in at 85,000 units.

However, it recorded a decline of 11pc MoM. Tractor sales recorded a growth of 75pc YoY with Millat Tractor (MTL) sales rising by 175pc. On a MoM basis, overall tractor sales were down 37pc. STAFF REPORT

govt optimiStic of achieving$24bn remittance target in fy20 ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE growth in foreign remittances, which soared to $11.4 billion during the JulyDecember period of FY20, is likely to continue for the rest of the year due to a host government measures that may help achieve the target of $24 billion set for the financial year 2020.

“Due to this increasing trend in remittances, the target of $24 billion at the end of FY20 is likely to be achieved as the data of last five years suggests that the workers remitted more in the last six months as compared to the first six months of the fiscal year,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance on Monday.

According to the ministry, seasonal effect was also a leading factor in boosting remittances and it was expected that with the start of Ramadan and the following Eid, the flow of remittances would increase as the workers generally sent more money during the holy events and activities.

Giving a break-up of the remittances received during the Jul-Dec 2019, the statement said that the remittances reached $11.394 billion

in 6MFY20 as compared to $11.030 billion in the corresponding period last year, showing a growth of 3.3pc. Overseas Pakistani workers remitted $2.097 billion in December 2019 as compared to $1.819 billion in the same month last year.

On a month-on-month basis, remittances increased by $277.56 million in December 2019, registering a growth of 15.25pc, the highest recorded remittances in a month since May 2019.

Similarly, on a year-to-year basis, remittances witnessed a growth of 20pc in December 2019 as compared to 0.14pc in the corresponding period last year.

The share of remittances from Saudi Arabia was at 23pc ($2,618.0 million), UAE 20.6pc ($2,349.3 million), USA 16.6pc ($1,889.8 million), UK 15.4pc ($1,753.0 million), GCC countries 9.6pc ($1,089.20 million), Malaysia 7pc ($798 million), EU 3pc ($ 339.2 million) and other countries 4.8pc.

The finance ministry claimed that increased efforts by the Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI) helped attract higher remittances from the Pakistani diaspora through Enhancing Outreach, Reimbursement of T.T. Charges Scheme (Freesend Model) and improvements in payment sys-

tem infrastructure etc.

“Similarly, visa fee reduction from Saudi Arabia is likely to boost up the inflows while export of manpower had also been increased from 382,000 to 625,000 during January-December 2019.”

As per the statement, the government had improved its diplomatic relations with the Gulf States which had helped restore the confidence of foreign employers in Pakistani workforce. Similarly, reimbursement of T.T. Charges Scheme had also been revised in December 2019. Accordingly, the amount of home remittance transaction equal to and above $100 but less than $200 (or equivalent in other currencies) would be reimbursed at SAR 10/ while the amount of home remittance transaction equal to and above $200 (or equivalent in other currencies) would continue to be reimbursed at SAR 20.

In order to further encourage promotion of home remittances through formal channels, the government had relaunched the performancebased scheme effective from January 1, 2020 in which Re1 per each incremental USD mobilized over 15pc growth in remittances in calendar year 2020 compared with the levels achieved in calendar year 2019.

Cargo transporters end strike on govt assurances KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Goods’ transporters on Monday announced an end to their strike after holding successful negotiations with the federal government.

The move comes after the government assured goods transporters’ of resolving all their issues.

The transporters’ leaders, while addressing a press conference along with Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, said that all their demands have been accepted by the government.

Cargo supplies across the country came to a halt last week when goods transporters suspended their operations in protest over a hefty increase in fines.

Transporters had complained that the decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) with regard to axle load management was not being implemented. The government and the Motorway Police have refused to follow the Axle Load SRO 2000, transporters had complained. They demanded implementation of the IHC order regarding the enforcement of axle load management.

After the transporters’ decision to continue their strike, cargo vehicles were parked on roads, resulting in suspension of transport of consignments from the Port Qasim and Karachi Port as well as supplies of vegetables, fruits and medicines to various parts of the country.

According to an estimate, there are over 300,000 goods transport vehicles across the country, while over 17,000 cargo vehicles run from Karachi to upcountry daily.

INDUSTRIALISTS FOLLOW SUIT: Meanwhile, protesting industrialists also ended their sit-in outside the Sui Southern Gas Company head office after successful talks with the offi-

cials of the SSGC on Monday.

The first round of the talks between the SSGC officials and the industrialists had failed earlier in the day. The industrialists of metropolitan city and the labourers had gathered outside the SSGC head office to protest the non-availability of gas to their units.

“Supply of 50mmcfd gas from KEPTO power plant is being restored while other terms and conditions will be decided within a month,” the SSGC managing director said.

Earlier, in his media interaction, President

Karachi Industrialists Forum, Javed Bulwani said SSGC was only giving assurances but their main problems remain unresolved.

Speaking to the newsmen, the industrialists said they don’t have any issue other than the supply of gas, adding that uninterrupted supply of gas was necessary to boost the country’s exports.

On Friday, Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan had passed the blame of prevailing gas shortfall in the country onto the previous governments, saying that the former government didn’t focus on gas exploration.

Fitch affirms Pakistan at ‘b-’ with stable outlook LAHORE STAFF REPORT

International credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has affirmed Pakistan's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'B-' with a 'Stable Outlook'.

In a press release issued on Monday, Fitch stated that Pakistan's 'B-' rating reflects a challenging external position characterised by a high external financing requirement and low reserves; weak public finances, including large fiscal deficits and a high government debt-to-GDP ratio; and weak governance indicators.

Fitch highlighted that external vulnerabilities have been reduced over the past year as a result of policy actions by the authorities and financing unlocked through an International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme, which helped reduce the current account deficit and supported a modest rebuilding of reserves.

"Still, external finances remain fragile with relatively low foreign exchange reserves in the context of an elevated external debt repayment schedule and subdued export performance. Pakistan's liquidity ratio is 111.4pc, much weaker

PAKISTAN'S GDP GROWTH PREDICTED AT 2.8PC FOR FY20, BEFORE GRADUALLY RECOVERING TO 3.4PC IN FY21 than the historic 'B' median of 161.2pc," Fitch held.

The agency forecast a further narrowing of the current account deficit to 2.1pc of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the year ending June 2020 (FY20) and 1.9pc in FY21, from 4.9pc in the last fiscal year.

"Import compression remains the predominant driver of the narrowing deficit, facilitated by a depreciation of the rupee against the US dollar of around 30pc since December 2017 and tighter monetary conditions. Exports are forecast to grow modestly from a low base."

'SBP MEASURES': According to the report, the State Bank of Pakistan's adoption of a more flexible exchange rate last May and capital inflows are also supporting a rebuilding of foreign exchange reserves. Fitch expects gross liquid foreign exchange reserves to rise to around $11.5 billion by FY20, from $7.2 billion in FY19.

The report further highlighted that

the SBP has reduced its net forward position by over $3 billion since June, contributing to a considerable improvement in its net foreign exchange reserves, although these remain negative. Fitch expected continued adherence to the new exchange rate regime to help rebuild foreign-exchange reserves and improve external resilience.

Fitch said that access to external financing has improved after the approval of a $6 billion, 39-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) by the IMF Board in July 2019. According to the IMF, this has potentially unlocked about $38 billion in financing from multilateral (including from the IMF) and bilateral sources over the programme period. It may also facilitate financing from offshore capital markets.

The EFF is on track, with the first review completed in December. However, implementation risks remain high in Fitch's view, particularly given the politically challenging nature of the authori-

ties' reform agenda.

Gross external financing needs are likely to remain high, in the mid-$20 billion range, over the medium term due to considerable debt repayments and despite the smaller current account deficit. Sustaining inflows to meet these financing needs could prove challenging over a longer horizon without stronger export growth and net FDI inflows, the Fitch press release said.

Public finances are a key credit weakness and deteriorated further in FY19 prior to the approval of the IMF programme. The general government deficit slipped to 8.9pc of GDP in FY19, from 6.5pc in FY18, as revenues contracted, due in part to one-off factors, such as lower SBP dividends and delayed telecom license renewals. General government debt rose to 84.8pc of GDP, well above the current ‘B’ median of 54pc, due to the currency depreciation, higher fiscal deficit, and build-up of liquidity buffers.

Debt/revenue also jumped sharply to 667pc, compared with the historic ‘B’ median of 252pc.

'GROWTH FORECAST': Tighter macroeconomic policies are further

slowing GDP growth, which Fitch forecasts at 2.8pc in FY20 from 3.3pc in FY19. "we expect growth to recover gradually to 3.4pc by FY21. Inflation has also continued to rise sharply from the cost pass-through of the currency depreciation and increases in energy tariffs. Fitch forecasts inflation to average 11.3pc in FY20 compared with 6.8pc in FY19. The SBP is likely to keep the policy rate at the current peak of 13.25pc in the coming months, before modest cuts towards the end of FY20 as inflationary pressures would begin to fade."

Improvements to the business and security environment could further support the growth outlook. Domestic security has improved over the past couple of years, measured by a decline in terrorist incidents. Nevertheless, ongoing international perceptions of security risks and geopolitical tensions with neighbouring countries weigh on investor sentiment.

The government has also made progress on business reforms, reflected in the country's move from 136th to 108th in the world Bank's latest Ease of Doing Business survey.

Awais Mukhtar The CEO of KHAS

Alishae Shah

Bushra Mustafa

Faiza Mudassar

Fiza Farhan

Khas Winter Collection

Lahore: Awais Mukhtar the CEO of Khas launched their winter collection of bed linen and women wear with an event at the DHA Store Lahore which was well attended by the fashion lovers of the city.

Wisconsin is the Badger State because the area's lead miners used to spend winters in tunnels burrowed into hills. Like badgers.

Bushra Butt and Aamir Mazhar

Kherzan Zaidi

Madeeha

In 1999, the U.S. government paid the Zapruder family $16 million for the film of JFK's assassination.

Anam and Sahar

Fatima and Aqsa

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

Dr Shahida Khawaja and Amina Shahab

Saira Agha

Mashaal and Rubina Azmat

Sasha Zaidi

Nazia Hassan

Sarah Raza and Isma Shahbaz

Before he became president, abraham Lincoln was wrestling champion of his county. he fought in nearly 300 matches and lost only one.

Zoe Kravitz Teases Catwoman: 'Very Physical'

Joaquin Phoenix, Avengers: Endgame Win At Critics’ Choice Awards

Lohri 2020: Akshay Kumar, Hema Malini, Neena Gupta greet fans

We get a potential look at the appearance of Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, courtesy Zoe Kravitz who appears on Ellen talking about The Batman.

As also seen Sunday at the Golden Globes, Zoe Kravitz sports a new short hair cut, most likely for the role of Catwoman, as Ellen reveals Kravitz leaves for London to start filming on The Batman.

Ellen remarks how exciting it is that Kravitz will star in The Batman and asks which role she is playing.

"Yes. Catwoman," Kravitz says which sees the audience erupt with cheers. "Yep. Nervous."

Kravitz goes on to recollect how she was at the Globes on Sunday with Michelle Pfeiffer, the Catwoman from the 1992 Batman Returns movie.

"I was actually sitting at the Globes with David Kelley, because he writes our show, and Michelle Pfeiffer, and I was bowing to the queen. A little nervous to be in her presence now," says Kravitz.

The 25th annual Critics’ Choice Award aired Sunday night on The CW with Joaquin Phoenix for Joker and Marvel's The Avengers: Endgame taking home awards.

Phoenix won for Best Actor in Joker, with The Avengers: Endgame for Best Visual Effects and Best Action Movie.

Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood won Best Picture, with Brad Pitt winning Best Supporting actor for the flick.

Renée Zellweger won Best Actress for Judy, and Laura Dern won Best Supporting Actress for “Marriage Story.”

MOVIES “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (WINNER) “1917” “Ford v Ferrari” “The Irishman” “Jojo Rabbit” “Joker” “Little Women”

The joyous festival of Lohri, which marks the end of the winter season, is celebrated with fervour by the people across the country. Bollywood celebs too have wished their fans for love and happiness in their life. Akshay Kumar hopped on to Twitter to extend his good wishes in a tweet that reads, “Wishing you all a very #HappyLohri. May this joyous occasion bring happiness and prosperity to you and your family.”

Veteran actor Hema Malini also wished her fans on Twitter by sharing a picture of a bonfire and wrote: “To all my dear Twitter friends Happy Lohri!”

Director Madhur Bhandarkar also shared a picture of the flaming bonfire along with ‘dhol’ and popcorns and peanuts to mark the festivity and wrote, “On this auspicious day of Lohri, Wishing everyone peace prosperity, & happiness. lohdd’ii dii lkh lkh bdhaaiyaaN #HappyLohri #HappyLohri2020” Esha Deol wished the fans a very happy Lohri on Twitter by posting a picture of a ‘dhol’ along with the backdrop of people celebrating the festival.

CMYK

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

14 SPORTS

BARty Still on top But gAp nARRowS AheAd of AuStRAliA open BrisBANe

A

AGENCIES

SHLEY Barty holds on to top spot in the WTA rankings released Monday but Karolina Pliskova has narrowed the gap heading into the Australia Open.

Dumped out of the Brisbane International in straight sets last week, Barty retains a comfortable cushion of 1,607 points over the Czech, who went on to win the Brisbane title for the third time in four years on Sunday. Barty is aiming to become the first Australian to win her home Grand Slam since Christine O’Neil in 1976 and continues her preparations this week in Adelaide Naomi Osaka of Japan, beaten by Pliskova in a marathon semi-final at Brisbane, moves up one place to third at the expense of Simona Halep, who is

also fine-tuning her Australian Open challenge in Adelaide.

Serena Williams, who ended a

three-year title drought with victory in Sunday’s Auckland Classic final, also moves up one place to ninth.

WTA RANkiNgs ON JAN 13: 1. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 7,547 pts 2. Karolina Plískova (CZE) 5,940 3. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 5,496 (+1) 4. Simona Halep (ROU) 5,461 (-1) 5. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 5,075 6. Bianca Andreescu (CAN) 4,935 7. Belinda Bencic (SUI) 4,605 (+1) 8. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 4,436 (-1) 9. Serena Williams (USA) 4,215 (+1) 10. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,165 (-1) 11. Madison Keys (USA) 3,072 (+2) 12. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 2,940 (-1) 13. Johanna Konta (GBR) 2,813 (-1) 14. Petra Martic (CRO) 2,646 (+1) 15. Sofia Kenin (USA) 2,565 (-1) 16. Marketa Vondrousova (CZE) 2,390 17. Elise Mertens (BEL) 2,250 18. Angelique Kerber (GER) 2,175 19. Alison Riske (USA) 2,130 20. Donna Vekic (CRO) 2,080

Djokovic closes gap on world number one Nadal in new rankings AuckLAND AGENCIES

Valverde on the brink as Barcelona consider their options BARCELONA: Ernesto Valverde took training on Monday morning but his future as Barcelona coach looks bleak, with the club expected to make a decision on his position later in a board meeting, a club source confirmed. Valverde arrived more than two hours early at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper and took training as usual, despite Barca’s public pursuit of their iconic former midfielder Xavi Hernandez at the weekend.

Xavi, currently the coach of Qatari team AlSadd, has indicated he is not prepared to take charge immediately but the negotiations have left Valverde in limbo. A board meeting is planned for 2pm local time (1300 GMT) on Monday, when Valverde’s position will be discussed. If the decision is to remove him straight away, Barca could install a temporary replacement like B team coach Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta, perhaps with a view to appointing Xavi at the end of the season. Otherwise, they could opt for a more permanent solution immediately.

Former Tottenham Hotspur coach Mauricio Pochettino is a viable option, despite his previous claims he would never coach Barcelona due to connections with rivals Espanyol. Ex-Real Betis coach Quique Setien, renowned for an attractive, attacking style of play, is out of work and has also been mentioned as a possible candidate. AGENCIES

Novak Djokovic’s win over Rafael Nadal on Sunday not only helped Serbia secure the ATP Cup in Sydney but enabled him to close the gap on the Spaniard in the new ATP rankings released on Monday.

Djokovic won all eight of his matches last week and beat his rival 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) in the final to close the gap between the world’s top two players to just 510 points as the tour heads towards the first major of the season, next week’s Australian Open in Melbourne.

At the start of the year, the gap stood at 930 points.

The other beneficiary of last week’s action was the Russian Andrey Rublev who climbed five places to 18 on the back of his victory in Doha, the third title of his career.

ATP RANkiNgs As Of JANuARy 13 1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 10,235 pts 2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 9,720 3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,590 4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,960 (+1) 5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,890 (-1) 6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 5,375 7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 3,345 8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,870

9. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) 2,640 (+1) 10. Gael Monfils (FRA) 2,565 (-1) 11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,555 12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,310 13. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,200 (+1) 14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,130 (-1) 15. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,045 16. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,995 (+1) 17. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 1,930 (-1) 18. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 1,799 (+5) 19. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,772 (+1) 20. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (+1)

Ronaldo continues scoring streak to put Juve top of Serie A TuRiN: Cristiano Ronaldo stretched his goal-scoring streak to six consecutive league games as Juventus took top spot in Serie A on Sunday with a 2-1 win at Roma, whose defeat was made worse by the cruciate ligament injury of rising star Nicolo Zaniolo.

Juventus move two points ahead of Inter Milan, who were held 1-1 by Atalanta at the San Siro on Saturday, after going two goals up in just 10 minutes in Rome. “We were very good for 60 minutes. Then, if you play against Roma, it is almost inevitable to suffer in the end,” said Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri. Turkish defender Merih Demiral found a way through after three minutes when he connected with a Paulo Dybala free-kick.

Minutes later Argentine Dybala was hauled down in the box, and Ronaldo stepped up to convert from the spot to make it nine goals in six league games. “It’s tough playing against a team like Juventus and we gave away two early goals,” said Roma coach Paulo Fonseca. “We put in a good performance after that, against a great side. But once you go two goals down, it’s difficult.” Both sides had casualties in the first half with Demiral limping off with a knee injury not long after scoring his first Juventus goal. And Zaniolo was stretchered off in tears eight minutes before the break after falling victim to what Roma later confirmed was a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while trying to dribble past Matthijs De Ligt and Adrien Rabiot. Zaniolo, who is considered one of Italy’s most exciting young talents and was a rare bright point for Roma in a torrid first half, will undergo surgery on Monday. “I swear to you ... I’ll be stronger than before,” the 20-year-old later wrote on Instagram.

Roma had their chances with Edin Dzeko hitting the post and Wojciech Szczesny denying Cengiz Under from point-blank range. Diego Perotti pulled a goal back for the hosts from the penalty spot on 68 minutes after an Alex Sandro handball. However, the capital side drop to fifth, outside the Champions League places, level on 35 points with fourth-placed Atalanta and seven behind local rivals Lazio after their 1-0 win over Napoli on Saturday. AGENCIES

Chelsea will bring ‘beautiful football’ to Stamford Bridge, says Abraham LONDON AGENCIES

Tammy Abraham insists Chelsea will play “beautiful football” at Stamford Bridge for the rest of the season after finally ending their frustrating run on home turf.

Frank Lampard’s side suffered successive Premier League home defeats against Bournemouth and Southampton before beating Burnley 3-0 on Saturday.

Abraham notched his 13th league goal of the season to put Chelsea two up against the Clarets in a dominant display by the hosts.

It was a welcome result for Chelsea in front of their own fans after several disappointments in west London this term. Lampard had questioned whether Chelsea had the “balls” to break down defensive opponents, but Abraham says the way they ripped apart Burnley proved they can be entertaining and successful.

“We do have to do that. The fans want to come and watch beautiful football and recently in our home games we haven’t been giving them that,” Abraham said when asked if Chelsea felt a responsibility to excite their fans.

“You could see that we played beautifully against Burnley though and the fans were behind us. “I think we had been coming to Stamford Bridge recently and it was just a bit too slow. Against Burnley we showed that we started sharp and it continued throughout the game.”

Three things we learned from the Premier League weekend PAris AGENCIES

Liverpool extended their advantage at the top of the Premier League to 14 points with a game in hand by setting a record-breaking pace with their 20th win from 21 games at Tottenham.

Manchester City are now second best as the champions thrashed Aston Villa 6-1 to leapfrog Leicester. The Foxes were beaten 2-1 by Southampton, who avenged an embarrassing 9-0 defeat when the sides last met in October.

AFP Sports looks at three things we learned from the Premier League weekend: sPuRs sTiLL REELiNg fROM MADRiD: Seven months ago Spurs could have been crowned European champions had they beaten Liverpool in the Champions League final.

The after-effects of that night in Madrid are still being felt by both clubs as Spurs have never recovered, while Jurgen Klopp’s men have kicked on to unprecedented levels.

Liverpool are off to the best start ever recorded in Europe’s top five leagues with 61 points from a

possible 63. There are now 31 points between the pair, but more concerning for Tottenham will be the nine-point gap to Chelsea in fourth.

Jose Mourinho’s men have won just two of their last eight games in all competitions and look incapable of putting in the sort of run needed to make the top four, even if Chelsea continue to suffer from the inconsistency that has blighted their season.

Mourinho has insisted he has to make the most of the resources at his disposal rather than turn to the transfer market for solutions, but Tottenham look like a team in need of a rebuild.

AguERO suRPAssEs HENRy: City’s chase of Liverpool may be a forlorn one, but they were back to their blistering best at Villa Park, with Sergio Aguero again writing himself into the history books.

The Argentine broke both the record for the number of goals by a non-English player and hat-tricks in the Premier League with his 12th treble to take his tally to 177 goals. Aguero has not even been a guaranteed starter in recent weeks as Pep Guardiola has rotated to keep his squad fresh ahead of a blockbuster Champions League tie with Real Madrid next month.

And a run of nine wins in their last 10 games

shows the English champions are rounding nicely into form ahead of their clash with the 13-time European champions.

PATiENCE PAys Off fOR sOuTHAMPTON: Exacting revenge on Leicester was the perfect illustration of Southampton’s transformation over the past month. After home defeats to Everton in November and West Ham a month later, the Saints board could have been forgiven for pulling the trigger on Ralph Hasenhuttl. Indeed those victories at St Mary’s did little to prolong Marco Silva or Manuel Pellegrini in their jobs as both were sacked in December. However, Southampton’s patience has paid off in stunning fashion with a run of four wins and a draw from their last five league games. They now sit closer to the European places than the bottom three.

Danny Ings has been the catalyst with 10 goals in his last 11 games and he was the match winner again at the King Power.

“We did everything we could to turn things around and we’ve done even better than that,” said Ings, who has put himself in contention for England’s Euro 2020 squad. “I’m so proud of us as a team and how far we’ve come.”

CMYK

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

SPORTS 15

MAni, nAzMul hASSAn to Meet foR BAnglAdeSh touR diSCuSSionS LAhOre

t

AGENCIES

HE chairman of the PCB is set to meet the BCB President this week as Pakistan attempt to keep the scheduled tour of Bangladesh on track. A press release from the PCB stated that Ehsan Mani would meet with Nazmul Hassan on the sidelines of the ICC’s Governance Review Committee Meeting to try and get a clearer picture of the BCB’s position on the tour. It represents the first official reaction of the PCB to Bangladesh’s announcement yesterday, which effectively appeared to put paid to the prospect of a two-Test match series later this month, as was originally scheduled.

Little had changed following a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) meeting on Sunday that was expected to produce a final decision on Bangladesh’s proposed tour of Pakistan. At a media briefing in Dhaka after the meeting, BCB chief said the government had told the board it could go ahead with a tour of Pakistan, but to keep it “short” due to the Iran-US tensions. This essentially means Bangladesh can play a T20I series but not Tests, which was the line that the BCB had taken . The

BCB will now speak to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about its decision.

“We are clear cut, but let’s see how they react,” Hassan said. “As far as security

pCB’s Cfo Badar Khan steps down after 8-year stint Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Badar M. Khan has tendered his resignation after more than eight years in the role and will be departing at the end of the month, the cricket body announced on Monday. “After serving under five PCB Chairmen since July 2011, it is now time to move on and explore other opportunities,” Khan was quoted as saying in the press release. “It has been a pleasure to be a part of the PCB and not only contribute [to] the financial and commercial growth of the company, but also meet and work alongside some of the best professionals. “I want to thank all my past and present colleagues for their support and wish the PCB future success.” PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said Khan has been “an important member of the PCB Senior Management Team”. “On behalf of the PCB, I want to thank him for his contributions and wish him well in his future endeavors,” he added. The PCB will soon start the process to find Khan’s successor, the press release added. In November last year, veteran PCB Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmed resigned from his post after reports about a conflict between Subhan and Mani had started making rounds in the media. SPORTS DESK

is concerned, T20 is a better option. They should be happy that we still want to go to play T20s. We just wanted rescheduling [of the Tests], not saying we won’t tour. This

is the best thing we can offer to Pakistan.”

The BCB’s citation of rising tensions “in the Middle East” as a leading cause of it not embarking on a longer tour would

Australia can recall good memories on return to India

MuMBAi AGENCIES

For the first time since being pumped by England in the World Cup semi-finals, Australia return to ODI cricket as they begin plotting their path for the next three-anda-half years. India are both the hosts in 2023 and where Australia’s rejuvenation as a one-day side kicked into gear last year as they made a late sprint to be World Cup contenders with a memorable come-from-behind 3-2 series victory.

While some senior figures have been retained there is a fresh feel, particularly in the batting, with Peter Handscomb and Ashton Turner - both of whom starred

on the last India tour before being squeezed out of the World Cup - back in the mix alongside the uncapped , who will be looking to transfer his stunning Test form .

The ‘big three’ of the Test attack - Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood - are also back together while there has been an interesting decision to move away from a number of allrounders for a variety of reasons: Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Mitchell Marsh are currently lighting up the BBL. The next World Cup is a long time away so a lot can change - and probably will - between now and then (captain Aaron Finch will be 36 by then) but there are the staging posts of two T20 World Cups and it will be interesting to see how closely Australia bring their two limited-overs sides.

As ever, India bring a fearsome ODI top three with their main questions around the balance of the side, which was an issue during the World Cup. Hardik Pandya remains sidelined by injury and there continues to be a juggle for spots in the middle order with Kedar Jadhav being persisted with and Shivam Dube given his debut against West Indies. Jasprit Bumrah is set to play his first ODI since the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand after recovering from a stress fracture of his back. He has eased back into action in the T20I series against Sri Lanka and this will be another step up ahead of the all-formats tour of New Zealand.

Iran’s only female Olympic medalist says she has defected DuBAi AGENCIES

Iran’s only female Olympic medalist has said on social media she had left her homeland because she had had enough of being used by its authorities as a propaganda tool.

Taekwondo champion Kimia Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, implied in an Instagram post that she had moved to Europe. She wrote on an account she has used for some time, but it was not immediately possible to verify her location. “No one has invited me to Europe and I haven’t been given a tempting offer. But I accept the pain and hardship of homesickness because I didn’t want to be part of hypocrisy, lies, injustice and flattery,” she said.

Mahin Farhadizadeh, a deputy Iranian sports minister, said: “I have not read Kimia’s post, but as far as I know she always wanted to continue her studies in physiotherapy,” the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Alizadeh said the Islamic Republic’s authorities had attributed her suc-

appear to rule out hosting the Test series in the UAE - Pakistan’s home for the bulk of their home commitments over the past decade - as well. But the PCB is adamant the series be held within Pakistan, so that may be a moot point anyway. ESPNcricinfo understands any offer that does not include playing the Tests in Pakistan is unlikely to be acceptable to the PCB. The proposed tour features three T20Is in Lahore, on January 23, 25 and 27, followed by two Tests, originally slated for Rawalpindi and Karachi. But then the BCB said it wanted to split the series, playing the T20Is in Pakistan and the Tests at a neutral venue. It is learnt that last week, PCB offered to fly Bangladesh in and out after each Test - land in Karachi, go back to Dhaka, and then return to Rawalpindi directly for the second Test. Following the BCB’s announcement, it would seem this offer has been rejected.

Bangladeshi sides have toured Pakistan in the recent past, but the senior men’s team hasn’t done so since playing a five-match ODI series there in 200708. Seven years ago, they were close to deciding on a tour to Pakistan, only for the AHM Mustafa Kamal-led BCB to pull out shortly after the decision to tour was taken.

cess to their management and the fact that she wore the Islamic veil, which is obligatory in Iran.

“I am one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran whom they’ve been playing for years… I wore whatever they told me and repeated whatever they ordered. Every sentence they ordered I repeated,” she wrote.

“None of us matter for them, we are just tools.”She said that while the government exploited her medals politically, officials would humiliate her with remarks such as “It is not virtuous for a woman to stretch her legs!”

Alizadeh said at the time of her medal in the 57kg category that it had made her happy for Iranian girls.

CMYK

On Sunday she appeared torn by her decision.

“Should I start with hello, goodbye or condolences? Hello oppressed people of Iran, goodbye noble people of Iran, my condolences to you people who are always mourning,” she wrote.

In the past week, 176 people, many Iranians with dual citizenship, were killed when the Iranian military mistakenly shot a Ukrainian airliner down, and at least 56 died in a stampede at the funeral for an Iranian military commander killed by a US air strike.

Alizadeh is the third top Iranian sports person to stop representing the country in recent months.In December, Iran’s Chess Federation said top rated chess champion Alireza Firouzja had decided not to play for Iran over its informal ban on competing against Israeli players. Three months earlier, the International Judo Federation said Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei had refused to return home over fears for his safety after he ignored orders from his national federation to pull out of fights to avoid a potential final meeting with an Israeli.

dwayne Bravo recalled to west indies t20i squad sT gEORgE’s: Dwayne Bravo is set to play his first international since 2016 after being recalled to the West Indies T20I squad for the series against Ireland. Bravo, 36, confirmed in December that he was with the hope of securing a spot in the squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. His last international was a T20I against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in September 2016. Despite in October 2018, he was included among for last year’s World Cup, but when he officially made himself available again he said it would only be for T20Is. “Once selected I’ll be fully committed to represent the region again in T20 cricket, which I think is exciting for West Indies cricket and fans, with the young talents around,” he said. Bravo has had an extensive T20 career, amassing 450 matches - behind Kieron Pollard - with a host of franchises and leagues. He has played 66 T20Is, scoring 1142 runs and taking 52 wickets and it’s with the ball that he is being earmarked for a key role by the West Indies selectors. “Dwayne Bravo was recalled with the specific intention of bolstering our ‘death’ bowling which was identified as an area that really needs improving,” Roger Harper, CWI’s lead selector, said. “His record in this department speaks for itself.

He will also be able to act as a mentor to the other ‘death’ bowlers and lend his experience wherever needed.” Dwayne Bravo is being rested for the three-match series as part of workload management while allrounders and were unavailable due to injury. Paul suffered a back problem during the ODI series against Ireland. There is also a recall for allrounder . The selectors will add a 14th player to the squad on Monday. “Rovman Powell is a genuine allrounder who we believe can add impetus and up the strike rate at the back-end of the innings,” Harper said. “He was excellent in the Colonial Medical Insurance Super50 Cup - where he scored two excellent centuries and a 96 and also had some other good performances.” AGENCIES

Tuesday, 14 January, 2020

NEWS

at LEast 30 KILLEd as HEavy raIn, snOw LasH Parts Of cOUntry ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT At least 30 were killed and several others left injured due to rain and heavy snowfall in different parts of the country on Monday.

Imran Zarkon, chief of disaster management in Balochistan, said that 14 people have died there in the past 24 hours, mostly when roofs collapsed amid heavy snowfall.

11 people were killed in eastern Punjab when the roofs of their houses caved in under heavy rains, said Abdul Sattar, an official with the state-run emergency service. Two people died in Pattoki as a passenger vehicle collided with a trailer on a slippery road. Heavy rain caused a house roof to collapse in Rajanpur leaving three dead and five others injured.

Five members of a family also suffocated to death as a result of a gas leak, whereas an avalanche in Neelum Valley buried four students out of which one died and three were later rescued.

Life in many areas of Balochistan,

AMID FREEZING TEMPERATURES, GAS PRESSURE REDUCTION AND LOAD SHEDDING HAS ADDED TO MISERIES OF PEOPLE

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and GilgitBaltistan (GB) has come to a standstill as Siberian winds wreaked havoc whereas various cities in Punjab also witnessed torrential downpour.

UK’s Queen Elizabeth agrees to grandson Harry’s wishes after crisis talks

Quetta-Ziarat National Highway was closed for traffic due to the second spell of snowfall. More than two feet of snow has fallen as of now. The QuettaKarachi highway is also closed at Mas-

tung due to snowfall, causing hundreds of travellers to get stuck. Vehicles are left stranded at the Khojak top near Chaman after heavy snow.

Rain and snowfall continued in parts of KP, including Peshawar, Hazara and Malakand divisions, Kohat, Orakzai and Chitral. All routes to Chitral including Lowari Tunnel were blocked whereas electricity supply has also been disrupted. The local administration has warned residents to avoid unnecessary travel and to stay alert.

According to the Met department, rain and snowfall are likely to continue.

The cold weather has compelled residents to stay indoors. The shortage of gas or electricity in the area has added to the difficulties of the residents.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued warnings of flash floods and heavy snowfall for some districts of Balochistan which may cause the closure of roads. It has also warned of landslides and avalanches in Kashmir, GB, Malakand and Hazara divisions.

Iraq warns of ‘collapse’ if Trump blocks oil cash BASRA

SANDRINGHAM

AGENCIES

AGENCIES

Queen Elizabeth has given her blessing to her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s wish for a more independent future after an urgent meeting on Monday to resolve the rift in the British royal family.

Harry and his American actress wife Meghan triggered the crisis by announcing last week that they wished to step back from royal duties and spend more time in North America. After a meeting at the queen’s rural Sandringham estate in eastern England also attended by Harry’s father and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, and his elder brother, Prince William, the 93-yearold Elizabeth said the family supported the couple’s plans. “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family,” the monarch said in a statement. “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.” Last week’s shock announcement

by Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, exposed divisions in the Windsor family and prompted soulsearching over what it means to be royal in the 21st century. The couple consulted neither the queen nor Charles before their announcement, made on Instagram and their own website, a step seen as impertinent and premature by a family whose roots go back through a thousand years of European history.

Iraqi officials fear economic “collapse” if Washington imposes threatened sanctions, including blocking access to a US-based account where Baghdad keeps oil revenues that feed 90 per cent of the national budget.

US President Donald Trump was outraged by the Iraqi parliament voting on January 5 to oust foreign forces, including some 5,200 American troops, who have helped local soldiers beat back jihadists since 2014. If troops were asked to leave, he threatened, “we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before.”

The US then delivered an extraordinary verbal message directly to Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi’s office, two Iraqi officials told AFP. “The PMO got a call threatening that if US troops are kicked out, ‘we’ — the US — will block your account at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York,” one official said.

Parliament’s vote to oust the troops was triggered by outrage over a US drone strike on Baghdad two days earlier that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and his Iraqi right-hand-man, Abu Mahdi alMuhandis. The Central Bank of Iraq’s account at the Fed was established in 2003 following the US-led invasion that toppled ex-dictator Saddam Hussein.

Under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483, which lifted the crippling global sanctions and oil embargo imposed on Iraq after Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait, all rev-

‘OUtragEd’, says POmPEO aftEr anOtHEr rOcKEt HIts Us aIrbasE In IraQ WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday said that he was“outraged” by the rocket attack targeting Al-Balad, an airbase just north of Baghdad where US forces have been stationed, which wounded two Iraqi officers and two airmen. “Outraged by reports of another rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase,” he tweeted. “I pray for [the] speedy recovery of the injured and call on the Government of Iraq to hold those responsible for this attack on the Iraqi people accountable.” “These continued violations of Iraq’s sovereignty by groups not loyal to the Iraqi government must end,” he added. Outraged by reports of another rocket attack on an Iraqi airbase. I pray for speedy recovery of the injured and call on the Government of #Iraq to hold those responsible for this attack on the Iraqi people accountable. — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 12, 2020. A volley of rockets slammed into the Iraqi air base north of Baghdad where US forces have been based, sources in the Iraqi military had said on Sunday. AGENCIES

enues from Iraqi oil sales would go to the account. Iraq is OPEC’s secondbiggest crude producer and more than 90 per cent of the state budget, which reached $112 billion in 2019, derives from oil revenues.

To this day, revenues are paid in dollars into the Fed account daily, with the balance now sitting at about $35 billion, Iraqi officials told AFP. Every month or so, Iraq flies in $1-$2 billion in cash from that account for official and commercial transactions. “We’re an oil-producing country. Those accounts are in dollars. Cutting off access means totally turning off the tap,” the first Iraqi official said. The second official said it would mean the government could not carry out daily functions or pay salaries and the Iraqi currency would

plummet in value. “It would mean collapse for Iraq,” the official said.

TRUMP ‘POLITICISES EVERYTHING’: A third senior Iraqi official confirmed the US was considering “restricting” cash access to “about a third of what they would usually send.”

The Federal Reserve declined to comment on Trump’s threat. A US State Department Official confirmed to AFP that the possibility of restricting access to the Fed account was “raised” with Iraq following the vote. “You can imagine why, if troops were expelled, banks might be nervous about sending lots of… cash to Baghdad,” this official said.

But the US threat was still highly unusual as the Fed is meant to be independent of foreign policy.

nawaz spotted at London eatery: son says took ex-Pm out for a walk on doctors’ advice NEWS DESK Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz on Monday said that his father was taken to a restaurant following doctors’ recommendation that he take small walks, as the family faced widespread criticism after a photograph of the former premier dining out in London went viral on the social media. In the latest photo, Nawaz was spotted at an upscale London restaurant with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders, including Ishaq Dar, Shehbaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz and others. Hussain Nawaz said that his father felt claustrophobic at home but was reluctant to go outside. “We insisted that he take a walk outside as his doctors have recommended him small walks at least twice a day,” he added. Following the surfacing of Nawaz’s pictures, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid telephoned his personal physician Dr Adnan Khan and asked him to forward the former premier’s latest medical reports to the Punjab government. On the other hand, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry taunted the Sharif family in a sarcastic tweet, saying “Scenes of a meeting in the intensive care unit of a London hospital, the treatment for binge-eating is underway with sheer concentration, all patients are feeling better.” The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) also took a dig at the Sharifs’ photograph on its social media platforms.

In November 2019, Nawaz Sharif arrived in London via Qatar Airways air ambulance. Nawaz went abroad for treatment after getting permission from the Lahore High Court. The government of Pakistan had said that their own investigation proved that Sharif was critically ill and needed urgent treatment.

Iran denies reports of police shooting at protesters amid fury over downing of plane TEHRAN AGENCIES

Iran’s police said on Monday officers had not fired at protesters demonstrating over Tehran’s admission that it shot down a passenger plane, as video on social media recorded gunshots and pools of blood. United States President Donald Trump, while tweeting on Sunday during a second day of Iranian demonstrations, told the authorities “don’t kill your protesters”. The demonstrations at home are the latest development in one of the most destabilising escalations between the US and Iran since the Iranian revolution of 1979. Tehran has acknowledged shooting down the Ukrainian jetliner in error, killing 176 people, hours after it had fired at US bases to retaliate for the killing of Iran’s most powerful military leader in a drone strike ordered by Trump. Iranian public anger, rumbling for days as Iran repeatedly denied it was to blame for Wednesday’s plane crash, erupted into protests on Saturday when the military admitted it.

Musharraf treason case closed for good, legal experts say ISLAMABAD HAMID KHAN WAZIR

Legal experts believe that the high treason case against former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf is a closed chapter in the aftermath of the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdict which nullified the formation of a special court that had sentenced him to death.

A three-member bench of the high court, in its verdict, stated that the formation of the special court was unconstitutional. The bench ruled that the amended Article 6 of the Constitution, under which Musharraf had been found guilty, could not be applied in the case

‘ex post facto’ (retrospectively). It is worth mentioning here that Article 6 of the Constitution was modified through the 18th Amendment in 2010, while the case against Musharraf is related to events that happened before that.

Senior Advocate Irfan Qadir termed the LHC verdict as the right decision and said that it should have been announced long ago as the general had neither committed any treason nor did he usurp anyone’s rights.

To a question about future prospects of the case that whether it could be challenged anywhere, he categorically stated that there was no space for that and added that the Supreme Court (SC)

itself will not do anything in this regard.

He warned that if the apex court intervenes, it would lead to its reconstitution and would expose the judges.

He said that first the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was pressurised to initiate the case against Musharraf but the party did not do so, however, when the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) was pressurized, it initiated an inquiry.

“The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would not initiate it again as it would serve no purpose,” he added.

Senior Advocate Arif Chaudhry said that Musharraf could have moved SC principally against the death sentence but he moved the LHC on technical grounds

as when the Constitution was suspended there was no provision of death sentence in the constitution which was later incorporated under 18th Amendment.

Responding to a question about the formation of the special court which was constituted without the approval of the federal cabinet, he said that now there would be no need for challenging the death sentence since the court’s existence was declared null and void.

To another question, he said that special court was a trial court that has to follow the directives of the high court but the conduct of its judges was not appropriate and their act of refusing Islamabad High Court’s (IHC)

order of withholding the judgment was unconstitutional.

Advocate Abdul Raheem Wazir said that the judges have hundreds of justifications for their decisions and this verdict too was made on solid grounds. He said that the special court’s verdict should have been implemented in letter and spirit as the special court was formed on the directions of the apex court.

“The special court did not accept the IHC’s order and gave the verdict. How can the LHC declare the special court’s decision null and void?” he asked. He further said that the case would remain closed now since the government does seem interested in pursuing it.

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

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