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15 December, 2019 I 17 Rabi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 27.00 I Vol X No 165 I 68 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Justice Khosa calls for introspection after pic ‘tragedy’ g
musharraf asks lHC to stay high treason case
CjP SAyS It wAS SHoCkIng InCIdent, HoPeS vAlueS AttACHed to legAl And medICAl ProfeSSIonS wIll Be uPHeld
STORY ON BACK PAGE
PM in Saudi Arabia on official business STORY ON PAGE 02
IHCBA suspends licences of 60 lawyers STORY ON BACK PAGE
PM’s nephew Hassan Niazi continues to evade law STORY ON PAGE 02
SAyS judICIAry IS foCuSed on reformS, wIll not go down ‘wItHout A fIgHt’
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SAyS ContInuouS trIAl metHod delIverS reSultS InSteAd of rollover SyStem In wHICH 40-50 CASeS run AlongSIde
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STAFF REPORT
HIef justice Asif Saeed khosa on Saturday expressed dismay over the tragic incident at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology wherein three people lost their lives due to an attack on the hospital by the lawyers and called for “introspection and self-accountability” in the wake of the tragedy. “three patients including an elderly woman died after doctors failed to provide them timely treatment and remained engaged in averting the assault,” the Punjab health minister said after the incident on wednesday. After hours of continued violence, police had arrested dozens of lawyers and unblocked the road. Speaking at a national conference on expeditious justice in Islamabad, the top judge said the incident was “tragic, unbelievable and shocking”, but it provided an opportunity to the legal community for “introspection and selfaccountability”. “our hearts and our minds reach out to the victims and their families,” said justice khosa. “we hope and pray all concerned would like to uphold the values attached to the legal profession as well as the medical profession,” he said. justice khosa called upon lawyers to make “every effort to keep the nobility of such professions intact”. He expressed hope that “better sense will prevail”, not just in this particular incident and its aftermath, but in the future as well. the chief justice then said he would refrain from saying more on the subject as the matter is sub judice before the lahore High Court. JUDICIAL REFORMS: Speaking about reforms in the judicial system of the country, the chief justice said the apex court was making all-out efforts to
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reform the judicial system as “we will not go down without a fight”. He said the biggest rebuke faced by the judiciary was what seemed like “the death of trial courts” in Pakistan. “there was no hope left. People were thinking of conceiving a different system altogether.” But, the judiciary remained “determined to do something to fix this”, he said. He said that while the possibility of law reforms was there — with 15-20 commissions having been formed in the past on changing the law, the procedure and the court structure — all the recommendations were buried in books. “we said we won’t do it. we will look for ways from within the existing systems, laws, and procedures. the chief justice said the court started its reforms process with fixing the criminal justice system and identified seven to eight factors in the process. the reason for giving preference to the criminal trials was that “someone is languishing in jail, having lost his freedom, and someone else who has suffered a loss is awaiting justice. So we
thought of how to improve such a system”, he added. According to the CjP, a “rollover system” wherein 40-50 cases run alongside “did not seem right”. He said the continuous trial method delivers results anywhere in the world. “they give you a date — even if it is a year-and-a-half later — but when it begins it is seen through in the few days and the judge will have no other case. when one case finishes, another begins,” he explained, adding that people would have to wait to a certain point in such a system and they would get the result in no time once the case commenced. Another flaw in the justice system is in the treatment of the cases wherein the state was the complainant. “the state is the complainant so the responsibility of presenting the witnesses and evidence lies with the state. for some time now, this responsibility was delegated to the aggrieved party, who was told to bring forth witnesses,” he observed.
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nine Afghan forces killed in taliban insider attack: official
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MUZZAFFARABAD: A breathtaking view of a snow-clad mountain captured hours after heavy snowfall in Muzzaffarabad area. ONLINE
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US, UK warn on travel to NE India after clashes STORY ON BACK PAGE
CMYK Sunday, 15 December, 2019
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PM IMran In SaudI arabIa for ‘offIcIal buSIneSS’ IsLAMABAD
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staff report
RIMe Minister Imran Khan on Saturday arrived in Saudi Arabia on a one-day visit to discuss “official business” with the Saudi leadership in the wake of new regional development. The premier arrived in Riyadh late in the afternoon after a brief stopover in Madina. At the royal terminal of the kingdom’s capital, he was greeted by Riyadh Governor Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud and Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali ejaz, besides officials of Saudi protocol and officers of Pakistan Consulate.
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earlier, the prime minister landed in Madina and will pay his respects at the Holy Prophet’s grave and offer nawafil
Justice Khosa calls for introspection after PIc ‘tragedy’ cONtINuED fROM pAgE 01 Justice Khosa said the complainant then went from pillar to post in search of witnesses but most of the time, none cooperated with him. “One comes and his complaint is recorded, then the case is adjourned for a month-and-a-half.” He said the state must take ownership of cases and now [post-reforms] they “are the bring the witnesses”. The chief justice said that in implementing the aforementioned changes, a “world of a difference” was seen. He said other modalities, such as delays in challans being submitted, prisons not having the funds to transport prisoners and delays in writing out a judgment, were also attended. Justice Khosa also spoke of proper scheduling having paved the way for “no more excuses” by senior judges to session judges. He said the senior judges would previously say they were needed in the higher courts and session court cases would be adjourned as a result. “Now the lawyers are also genuinely focused on only certain cases on set dates,” he added.
in Masjid-e-Nabvi. PM Imran was received by Madina Deputy Governor Prince Saud Bin Khalid Al-Faisal and
prior to that in Jeddah by Pakistan’s Consul General Khalid Majeed. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood is accompanying the premier. According to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office ahead of the visit, the PM would hold meetings with the Saudi leadership. The discussions between the two sides would cover bilateral matters and recent developments in the regional context. earlier this week, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had visited Saudi Arabia. Speaking to reporters in Multan on Friday, Qureshi said he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud during his visit and informed him about the situation in occupied Kashmir.
NAB arrests another Sharifs’ aide over money laundering NAB ACCUSES SUSPECT OF LAUNDERING MONEY FOR SHARIF FAMILY, HIMSELF NEws DEsk The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) on Saturday arrested yet another employee of the Sharif family for his alleged role in facilitating the Sharif family in corruption via the use of a benami account. According to the details, Rashid Karamat, an employee of Hamza Shehbaz Sharif since 2007, allegedly represented himself as the owner of the company — M/s Nisar Trading Concern through which multiple members of the Sharif family drew monetary benefits. According to the prosecution, the company was established with
the funds of the accused nominated in the case, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and his sons Hamza and Suleman whereas a review of the suspect’s bank account had revealed transactions worth Rs450 million, The NAB officials thus deduced that the suspect had been playing an “important role” in money laundering for the Sharif family. According to NAB, Karamat not only provided a channel to the accused in the case for laundering money, but also committed the financial crime himself. Members of the Shehbaz Sharif
family face multiple accountability cases pertaining to alleged ownership of assets beyond their means and alleged involvement in corrupt practices. NAB claims that assets worth Rs3.3 billion have been identified so far as illegally accumulated by Hamza, Suleman and their father Shehbaz. It alleges that the entire family committed massive money laundering in the name of foreign remittances and loans.
PM’s nephew continues to evade law LAHORE staff report
Lahore police on Saturday raided a farmhouse owned by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi. This was the second raid conducted to arrest the lawyer. His house in Lahore was raided on Friday but Hassaan wasn’t home. He wasn’t there during the raid on the Raiwind farmhouse either. Police said they conducted the raid after locating Hassan using mobile data and intelligence. But Hassaan fled before the raid, they said. Hassan Niazi has been named in the case against lawyers who attacked the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on December 11. He has been specifically implicated in the case involving the torching of a police van. Footage went viral of Hassaan participating in the violent lawyers’ march on PIC during which at least three patients died, 25 doctors were injured and infrastructure was destroyed. Hassaan is the son of Hafeezullah Niazi. He wasn’t initially named in the FIR registered against over 200 lawyers on Thursday but his name has now been added. Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the spokesperson for the federal government, said on Thursday that PM Imran believes in rule of law and not even his nephew is above the law. She told reporters in Islamabad that, “His nephew or anyone else whoever is wanted by the law… the law will follow him.” Hassaan acknowledged that he participated in the protest on Twitter and said he felt “ashamed of himself”. He claimed that his support was limited to initiation of legal action against the doctors but videos that went viral on social media showed him actively participating in the protest.
State has failed to look after unwell inmates, says IHC judge JUSTICE MINALLAH SAYS STATE IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WELL-BEING OF PRISONERS IsLAMABAD app
Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Saturday stressed that providing medical treatment to jail inmates is the government’s responsibility whereas it has failed in this regard. He was hearing a petition of Adiala Jail prisoner for treatment on Saturday. A representative of the Ministry of Human Rights was also present during the hearing. “The state has lesser responsibility when a person is free, but it has all the responsibility to extend medical treatment without any delay when a person is imprisoned,” Minallah further observed.
According to the details, death-row convict, Khadim Hussain had written a letter to Chief Justice Minallah who had converted it into a constitutional petition and sought a reply from the authorities concerned in this regard. “Your representatives would be monitoring human rights issues (in jails),” the chief justice said while addressing the Ministry of Human Rights’ official. “The jail administration has been asked for a detailed medical checkup of the prisoners,” the official replied. “Do you conduct an inquiry if a prisoner dies?” the chief justice inquired. “Yes, an inquiry is conducted when someone dies in prison,” the official
replied. The chief justice then asked if any inquiry commission had ever held the government responsible for a death who which the human rights official replied in negative. “Then what kind of inquiry is conducted by your commission,” said Minallah while emphasising that influential persons get every facility, while the poor are deprived of even basic facilities while in jail. “Laws exist, only enforcement is needed. The laws grant the state authority to release an ailing prisoner and the state could commute the sentence of anyone according to rules,” Justice Minallah said. “The state should work but it is not doing so, If a prisoner is knocking the door of the court, it means the state is negligent of its responsibility,” he further remarked. Announcing that the petitions from jail will now be directed towards the commission, the top judge adjourned further
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hearing of the case till January 18. In an earlier hearing, Justice Minallah had ordered the federal government to submit a report on the prisoners in jails of
all provinces. The court had also formed a commission headed by Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari to inquire into human rights violations in jails.
CMYK Sunday, 15 December, 2019
PolIo caSeS touch 100 kArAcHI
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WO more polio cases were reported in Karachi on Saturday taking the tally of polio cases across Pakistan to 100 this year. Two new cases were registered in Mirpur Khas district taking the total number cases of polio in Sindh to 16, said the spokesman of emergency Operation Centre (eMOC) for Polio here on Saturday. The spokesman said both the affected children were boys. One is a 36-month-old resident of tehsil Digri of Mirpur Khas district, who had contracted polio on November 17. Parents of the child have claimed that they had administered him seven doses of polio vaccine
during campaigns whereas health officials of the area, on basis of the child’s immunisation card, confirm two routine immunisation doses. “Fortunately the child is not going to suffer from disability as her legs and spine are not affected but a slight weakness in facial muscles
135 govt organisations working without regular heads IsLAMABAD ahmad ahmadaNI
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has so far found failed to appoint regular heads of the large number of state-owned entities (SOes) as 135 SOes are currently being run on a stopgap basis, Pakistan Today has reliably learnt. Documents available with this scribe disclosed that 135 vacancies of CeOs/MDS/Chairman/DGs/Heads of Organizations in Corporation /Commissions /Authorities/Autonomous/Semi-Autonomous bodies etc in 27 ministries/divisions are currently lying vacant. And, out of 135, 14 organizations are near completion of filling the vacant positions while in the case of another 14, the relevant organizations have been recommended for restructuring /merger/liquidation/privatization and advised by the government not to appoint new /fulltime CeOs. However, the establishment division has now requested the administrative ministries/divisions to fill the remaining vacant positions on regular basis at the earliest instead of resorting to any stopgap arrangement. It is also learnt from the documents that Prime Minister Imran Khan in a cabinet meeting had expressed deep dismay over the adhoc manner which a large number of organizations were being managed and directed that immediate steps be taken to improve governance and efficiencies of the ministries/divisions.
Pakistan named no.1 travel destination for 2020 Pakistan was on Saturday named the top holiday destination for travelers for the year 2020 by the United States-based luxury and lifestyle publication Conde Nast Traveler. The listing follows several positive reviews of the tourist attractions in the country by travel bloggers, YouTube vloggers, magazines and adventure clubs. It would not be wrong to say that the world is waking up to the enormous tourism potential Pakistan has, and with a government willing to invest in the sector to boost economic growth, the year 2020 could be pivotal in shaping the tourism industry of the country. It could put Pakistan firmly on the adventure map for travel enthusiasts. Last week, travel company Wild Frontiers named Pakistan as the country to travel to in 2020. In a short announcement, the company tipped Pakistan as the next big destination for a couple of years, reporting a 20 per cent increase in customers willing to travel to Pakistan compared to 2018. In 2018, the British Backpacker Society had also ranked Pakistan the number one travel destination in the world. NewS deSk
could be registered,” said the emoC representative. As for the second case, the 72-month-old child from the same district, having contracted poliovirus on November 20, was claimed to have received seven doses during campaigns and three during routine immunisation. The
investigation as to how many doses he actually received is underway. According to available details, both lower limbs of the child were initially affected by the virus but he didn’t suffer from any permanent disability. The spokesman emphasised that emergency Operation Centre for Polio in Sindh strongly encourages all parents to vaccinate their children in the upcoming polio campaign as it has become clear, over the course of the last few months, that if OPV was not administered the virus would spread and paralyze children. As for the 16 polio cases reported during the current year, six were from Karachi, two from Hyderabad, two from Larkana, two from Jamshoro, two from Mirpurkhas, one from Shaheed Benazirabad and one from Sajawal.
CJP says detailed verdict on COAS’ extension will come before Dec 20 News Desk Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa on Saturday said that the Supreme Court (SC) would issue a detailed judgement regarding the extension in Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa’s tenure before his retirement. He was talking with journalists during a conference at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA) in the federal capital. It may be noted here that Khosa, who became the CJP
in January last year, is retiring on December 20. Meanwhile, journalist Matiullah Jan claimed in a YouTube video that the detailed verdict would be issued either on Monday or Tuesday. “The judges are giving final touches to the detailed verdict. We are aiming to issue it on Monday; otherwise, it will be given on Tuesday,” he quoted the chief justice as saying. earlier in November, the SC had suspended a notification issued by the prime min-
ister in August for Gen Qamar’s reappointment till 2022 citing procedural loopholes. It directed the federal government to legislate and remove lacunae in the reappointment/extension of tenure of an army chief within six months. The ruling averted a crisis as the army chief was set to retire on the night between November 26 and 27. The government is waiting for the detailed verdict before deciding whether to go for a review or legislate on the matter.
US says Pakistan’s role important in peace talks wAsHINgtoN INp
The US State Department has released a joint declaration after the conclusion of US Special envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Process Zalmay Khalilzad’s visit to Pakistan, ARY News reported on Saturday. According to the declaration, Zalmay Khlilzad held meetings with the Pakistan leadership including Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar
Javed Bajwa. The visiting envoy apprised Pakistani leadership about the so far progress made in talks with the Afghan Taliban, the US State Department declaration reads. During his meetings with the Pakistani leadership, Zalmay Khalilzad appreciated Pakistan’s role for enduring peace and stability in the Afghanistan. The US State Department also underlined the importance of Pakistan’s role for intra Afghan peace talks. earlier, during his day-long visit to Pakistan, Ambassador
Zalmay Khalilzad called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa. They discussed the latest situation of regional security and the ongoing Afghanistan reconciliation process. earlier in the day, Zalmay Khalilzad lauded Pakistan’s role for enduring peace in Afghanistan during his visit to the Foreign Office to meet Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. During the meeting matters related to mutual interest including Afghan peace process were discussed.
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Zardari undergoes medical check-up at Karachi hospital kArAcHI Staff RepoRt
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday underwent a medical examination at the Ziauddin hospital in Clifton. The former president traveled to Karachi from Islamabad via an official plane of the Sindh chief minister on Friday days after he was released on bail from Islamabad High Court (IHC) on medical grounds. The medical board at the hospital treated Zardari and advised him to undergo various tests for determining his current health position. The PPP stalwart has been suffering from ischemic heart disease, which means his heart may have an inadequate supply of blood and oxygen. He also has severe pain in L5-S1 vertebra of the spinal cord. According to sources close to Bilawal House, Zardari would likely stay at the hospital for a night on the advice of his doctors. He is currently undergoing several medical tests at the hospital. On Wednesday, the IHC granted bail to Zardari in the Park Lane and fake accounts cases on medical grounds against surety bonds of Rs20 million. The former president was initially shifted to Zardari House in the federal capital. Zardari was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on June 10 after the cancellation of his pre-arrest bail by the IHC in the fake bank accounts case, prompting a strong reaction from the opposition and sporadic protests by PPP workers in various parts of the country, mostly in Sindh province. Bilawal had termed his father’s arrest an act of “political victimisation” by the PTI government, and declared it a negation of Article 10-A of the Constitution that guarantees the right of fair trial to every citizen. The IHC bench had also cancelled the bail of Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur, a co-accused in the case, and she was also arrested a few days later. The case against Zardari and Talpur was originally registered with the Federal Investigation Agency and was filed before a banking court in Karachi. Later, NAB got the case transferred to its Rawalpindi directorate, a decision which was criticised by the PPP.
Ihc to take up nawaz’s alazizia plea on 18th IsLAMABAD INp
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to hear all important cases including, Nawaz Sharif’s appeal in Al Azizia sentence, Faryal Talpur’s bail plea and others next week. According to the cause list issued by the registrar office of the IHC, the IHC will take up the case of challenging appointment of Abrarul Haque in the Red Crescent on December 16 (Monday). The IHC will also hear the plea challenging appointment of the two members of the election Commission of Pakistan (eCP), bail plea of former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister, Faryal Talpur on December 17. According to the cause list, the bail plea of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Miftah Ismail will be heard on December 17. The court will also hear the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s plea against his sentence in Al Azizia reference on December 18. The contempt of court proceedings against the High Court Bar Secretary Umair Baloch will be taken on December 19 by the Islamabad High Court. He was served a show-cause notice on creating hurdles in the court proceedings on Thursday.
Govt decides to whitelIeS ‘reactivate’ Civil Defence Apollo
IsLAMABAD Ghulam abbaS
The government has decided to reactivate the Defence Planning and Civil Defence across the country as part of national war efforts to have a cohesive response from both military and civil sectors during any emergency situation. The military wing of Cabinet Division, which supervises the Defence Planning (DP), Civil Defence and other related subjects, has decided to reactivate strengthen the DP while expanding the same to provinces, including GilgitBaltistan.
Provincial Defence Planning (PDP) cells would be established at all provincial headquarters to streamline the mechanism in the civil sector and strengthen national war effort as per Guide to Defence Planning in Provinces-199. For setting up the cells in provinces, all necessary process of requisition and creation of posts will be done by respective home department of the province in coordination with the Ministry of Finance and Military Wing of Cabinet Division. As per the available documents, the process of expanding/ strengthening DP was
earlier discussed and approved by the DP forum of Secretaries Coordination Committee (SCC) headed by cabinet secretary in 2008. However the same could not be implemented during the past 13 years. In the move of establishing the provincial DP cells and activate the overall process, the first coordination meeting of Military Wing was held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last month in which the composition of the cells and its Terms of References (ToRs) were discussed. The same ToRs and documents would be shared with other provinces and GB.
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IMRAN Khan might be lucky in having his children in the UK, away from the possibility of getting into trouble and embarrassing their father. But he still has enough nephews to do that particular job. earlier, one of his nephews had gotten into a serious traffic altercation. Now, it is Hassan Niazi, who has been photographed to be a participant in the lawyer’s rampage against the PIC in Lahore. Other nephews aren’t doing all too well either. Recently, one of his sisters, a successful businesswoman in her own right, approached a powerful property tycoon to adjust her kids in some business venture because they were quite rudderless in their own. * * * * * * * * *
He’S cutting quite a sorry figure, the PM’s advisor on accountability is. Shehzad Akbar is clutching at straws these days, even counting the settlement by Malik Riaz somehow as an accountability victory. The public, including a number of PTI supporters, however, seem quite disenchanted with the whole exercise.
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Sunday, 15 december, 2019
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PIC fully oPeratIonal, says government BUZDAR SAYS GOVT TO INTRODUCE LAWS FOR PROTECTION OF HOSPITALS LAHORE
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STAFF REPORT
uNJAB Chief Minister Sardar usman Buzdar and Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid on Saturday said that the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) was fully operational three days after it was subjected to a violent attack by a mob of angry lawyers. CM Buzdar said that the Punjab government will introduce legislation for the protection of hospitals, doctors, paramedics and patients. He said that Health Professionals Security Bill will soon be tabled in the cabinet. The health minister, Dr Yasmin, in a tweet said, “PIC fully functional again with medical staff back to work. The lives of those dependent on these facilities is so crucial, we couldn’t spare even a moment’s delay.” She also CM
Buzdar and Prime Minister Imran Khan in their efforts in resolving the crisis. In another tweet, the Punjab health minister reiterated the government’s commitment to tabling legislation for the protection of hospitals. Moreover, Medical Superintendents PIC Doctor Ameer told reporters
that the machines that were vandalized by the lawyers have also been replaced, adding, that the doctors who had been on a strike after Wednesday’s attack have also returned to work. On Wednesday, a large group of lawyers ransacked the cardiology institute in Lahore. The protest quickly turned violent as patients and doctors fled, after lawyers used stones and bricks to smash windows and destroy hospital equipment in the emergency ward. According to the police complaint, the men in black coats also snatched a patient’s oxygen mask and ripped out another’s IV drip. The hospital suffered a loss of Rs70 million, due to an attack by a group of lawyers, revealed PIC officials. Dr Saqib Shafiq, the chief executive of PIC, told that the loss of Rs70 million included damage to the main building, medical equipment and the doctors’ vehicles parked outside. Two people, as a result, said Dr Shafiq, died in the emergency ward of the PIC, while three patients were rushed to other hospitals where they were later pronounced dead.
Sanaullah’s judicial remand extended till 21st LAHORE: A special court for Control of Narcotics Substance (CNS) on Saturday extended the judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member National Assembly (MNA) Rana Sanaullah till December 21 in heroin recovery case. The jail officials told the court that the suspect could not be produced owing to bad law and order situation, and requested the bench to adjourn the hearing. The plea was accepted and the hearing was postponed till next week. The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had arrested Rana Sanaullah on July 1, claiming to have recovered 15-kg heroin from his vehicle. The FIR was lodged under section 9-C of Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail-term that may extend to 14 years along with a fine up to Rs1 million. INP
Boy carries gun to school for ‘protection’ JHANG: The video of a secondary school student bringing a gun to school went viral on the internet and media on Saturday. In the video, the child can be seen wearing a school uniform and brandishing a pistol. “I keep this pistol for protection against the men who killed my grandfather and brother,” he can be heard saying in the video. “I appeal to the police to arrest the men who killed my brother and grandfather and provide us protection.” Police said that the DPO has taken notice of the incident and that suspects Rab Nawaz, Mohammad Farooq and Mujahid have been nominated in a murder FIR for murdering the student’s brother and grandfather. STAFF REPORT
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Police fail to capture Hassaan Niazi in second raid LAHORE STAFF REPORT
Police on Saturday raided a farmhouse owned by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi. This was the second raid conducted in two days to arrest the lawyer. His house was raided on Friday but Hassaan wasn’t home. He wasn’t there during the raid on the Raiwind farmhouse either. Police said they conducted the raid after locating Hassaan using mobile data and intelligence. But Hassaan fled before the raid, they said. Hassaan Niazi was involved in the lawyers’ attack on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) on December 11. He has been specifically been implicated in the case involving the torching of a police van. Footage went viral of Hassaan participating in the violent lawyers’ march on
PIC during which at least five patients died, 25 doctors were injured and infrastructure was destroyed. Hassaan is the son of Hafeezullah Niazi. He wasn’t initially named in the FIR registered against over 200 lawyers on Thursday but his name has now been added. Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, the spokesperson for the federal government, said on Thursday that PM Imran believes in rule of law and not even his nephew is above the law. She told reporters in Islamabad that, “His nephew or anyone else whoever is wanted by the law… the law will follow him.” Hassaan acknowledged that he participated in the protest on Twitter and said he felt “ashamed of himself”. He claimed that his support was limited to initiation of legal action against the doctors but videos that went viral on social media showed him actively participating in the protest.
Students in Rajanpur suffering because of 672 corrupt headmasters Almost 700 school headmasters were booked over embezzlement charges totalling Rs46.9 million in Rajanpur district of Punjab, local news outlets reported on Saturday. According to the details, 672 headmasters and 30 officials of the education department have been nominated in a case pertaining to corruption in the funds, Rs100 million, allocated for schools after a report of the anti-corruption department in Bahawalpur uncovered embezzlement in the funds meant for purchasing school furniture.It is pertinent to mention here that each school was given an amount between Rs1 million and Rs1.3 million for purchasing furniture. The technical team of the anti-corruption department carried out a probe into the the matter on the directives of its director and found irregularities worth Rs46.9 mil-
lion in a Rs100 million project. On December 5, district authorities in Karachi directed for action against latecoming and habitual-absentee teachers. The decision was conveyed by the District Central Administration (DCA) to the principals of the schools within its jurisdiction on Wednesday. The district monitoring team has observed during its visit to schools that usually an absence from duty without prior approval is marked as casual leave from the school principals. The directives while addressing the issue, said any off from the school without prior approval will be marked as an absent. Teachers were also asked to mark their attendance in the presence of school headmasters. It was further directed that strict action would be taken against anyone who marks the attendance of others. NEwS DESk
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
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Govt taking all possible steps to rid country of polio virus: Firdous ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan Saturday said the government was taking every possible step to rid the country of crippling polio virus. In a tweet, she said the nation was united and determined for a healthy Pakistan. The special assistant appealed the people to play their role in polio eradication by fully supporting the polio eradication campaign. She noted that it was essential that children get vaccination against polio. In this regard, more awareness is being created amongst masses. The SAPM said polio vaccination would guarantee a healthy Pakistan. Firdous Ashiq Awan said polio workers deserve appreciation who, despite being the victim at the hands of extremists, were discharging their responsibilities with complete devotion. Staff RepoRt
PIC attaCk ‘ProvoCateur’ Dr Irfan was aCCuseD of murDer In 2018 LAHORE
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R Irfan, who is the central character behind the clash of doctors and lawyers at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology, was earlier nominated as the main accused in the murder case of a Christian youth who was tortured to death by doctors at the Services hospital last year, Pakistan Today has learnt. According to details, Dr Irfan was among four doctors who were nominated in FIR No. 163/18 registered with the Shadman Police for torturing Sunil Saleem, a father of four children, to death. According to the FIR, Sunil’s brother Anil Masih stated that he, his brother Sunil and other relatives had taken their pregnant sister Kiran Kashif to the emergency labor ward of the Services hospital on March 26, 2018, because she was suffering labor pains. “Kiran went to the doctor on duty, Dr Saira, who was playing with
her cell phone while sipping on tea,” Anil said. “Dr Saira told Kiran to wait outside until she finished her tea. We waited for some time, but since Kiran was experiencing severe pain, she again went inside the ward to request for immediate attention.” As soon as the woman in labor approached Dr Saira, she started cursing her for not waiting and told a nurse to attend her, he said. “When my sister protested against the rude behavior, the doctor started slapping her, throwing her on the floor,” Anil Saleem said. “She asked my sister how dare a Chuhri [a derogatory term for Christians] question her order?” On hearing the commotion, Anil, his brother, brother-in-law Kashif Ashiq and cousins Raza Guddu and Kashif Robin entered the ward, but as soon as she saw them, Dr Saira shouted to the other doctors and security guards to lock the ward’s doors from the inside and “teach these Christians a lesson,” Anil said. “Around 15 to 20 paramedical
‘Govt taking practical steps to safeguard children’s rights’ ISLAMABAD app
Minister for Human Rights (MoHR) Dr Shireen Mazari on Saturday said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government is committed to protecting the rights of every child in Pakistan and provide them access to development opportunities without any discrimination. The incumbent government is fully aware of its responsibilities and it understands that working together with all stakeholders for child rights, awareness and changing social attitudes is the need of the hour, she said while talking to PTV. She said that Imran Khan’s government is committed to fulfilling its obligation to protect children, and the human rights ministry is focusing on taking practical measures against child abuse in this regard. The minister said many government and non-government institutions have launched awareness campaigns in the country especially in rural areas through advertisements as well as electronic, print and social media for the protection of human rights. “The government is continuously striving hard to enhance children’s welfare besides ensuring adequate education and training facilities,” she added. “Child protection is a special priority of
the government, our leadership is committed to providing a safe environment that ensures serious development of children’s capabilities and talents,” Dr Mazari said. The minister said that her government is also making it increasingly easy for residents of Islamabad to report child abuse cases and urged that civil society, academia, parents and media to play a responsible role in this regard. She highlighted the impact of abuse on children and the role of teachers in sensitising them and raising awareness on selfprotection. “It is very important that we work collectively to raise awareness amongst communities, especially the vulnerable and those devoid of technology or infrastructure, so that they have the confidence to report cases of child abuse”, she added. She said that parents should encourage children to speak out whenever they feel uncomfortable. Mazari also emphasised that besides child right legislation and its implementation is extremely important. Speaking about awareness campaigns, Mazari said that it would raise awareness on the violations of child rights, sexual violence, child labour and children on the street among the masses. In addition, the campaign is also aimed to educate parents and guardians about the importance of taking steps to avoid secure their children in crowds and rushy areas.
Indian expansionist agenda to be thwarted with full vigor: AJK PM MIRPUR app
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan Saturday said India considers herself the successor of British rule and its nefarious designs of expansionism are on the pattern of East India Company. He expressed these views at inaugural ceremony of “Kashmir Center” at National Press Club in the federal capital on Saturday, says an official handout issued Saturday evening. The prime minister said that Pakistan was the biggest hurdle in the Indian “Akhund Baharat” ideology and its expansionist designs in the region. He said India following the East India Company is conspiring for a new colonial setup. “It is high time for a serious talk in Pakistan on Indian expansionist designs”, PM added. Raja Farooq Haider underlined the need to evolve an effective strategy in the changing scenario giving a leadership role to the Kashmiris to effectively and forcefully plead their case at international fora. He regretted that international media has widely covered the Syrian child died at a
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beach in Turkey but eight years Asifa failed to get its attention. The prime minister stressed the need to access the international media to highlight the plight of Kashmiris. He appreciated the establishment of “Kashmir Center” at National Press Club and hoped that the forum will play its important role in disseminating and the accurate news stories to the mainstream media. The PM assured that AJK government would extend all possible assistance to the center and Information Department Azad Kashmir would also cooperate in this regard. Patron in Chief NPC Afzal Butt, Hurriyat leader Altaf But, Member of the Kashmir Council Sardar Khaliq Wasi, General Secretary Anwar Raza, Raja Javed Rathore and a large number of journalists attended the event. Meanwhile addressing a reception of PML-N Youth Wing in his honor, the Prime Minister said that present government in its three years tenure took tangible steps for development and prosperity of the state. He said from institutional reforms to infrastructure development, PML-N government took revolutionary steps to raise the standard of living in AJK.
CMYK
staff and security guards and eight to 10 young doctors, including Dr Irfan, Dr Salman, Dr Hasan and Dr Sahi lunged at us with iron rods, chairs, leather belts and other things and started beating us,” he said. “Sunil, a police constable in the National Highway and Motorway Po-
lice, tried his best to placate the assailants but they continued to beat him mercilessly, kicking and punching him in the groin and chest until he fell unconscious.” After a delay in treatment, Sunil Saleem died for lack of timely emergency medical assistance, Anil said. Talking to Pakistan Today, Anil Masih said that they had pardoned the accused doctors after pursuing the case for a year. It is pertinent to mention here that the core reason of the clash between doctors and lawyers at the PIC was Dr Irfan’s speech, which was viral on social media. In the video, Dr Irfan is seen narrating an encounter with some lawyers in front of a group of medical and paramedical staff of PIC. According to Dr Irfan, a group of lawyers had gone to the inspector general of police and told him to charge “two doctors” under Section 7 of ATA. He narrated that the IG had refused while the lawyers had urged him to press charges, saying “they could save face” that way.
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
06 WORLD VIEW
The Making of a hindu republic of india IF EVER A PROOF WERE NEEDED THAT THE CURRENT BJP LEADERSHIP BELIEVES IN THE SAME ‘TWO NATION THEORY’ THAT THE PRE-PARTITION MUSLIM LEAGUE PROPOUNDED TO DEMAND A SEPARATE ‘MUSLIM NATION’, HERE IT IS INdIa Today
M
sudheendra KulKarni
AKE no mistake about this. Republic 2.0 is coming. At any rate, a serious attempt is being made to usher it in. The second decade of the 21st century could well go down in history as the beginning of a conscious, deliberate and determined effort by Narendra Modi’s government to create the Hindu Republic of India. The logic is this: if Pakistan and Afghanistan can call themselves Islamic republics, and if another Muslim-majority neighbour, Bangladesh, can declare Islam to be its state religion, why can’t Hindu-majority India become a Hindu Republic? The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill is a foretaste of this change in the years and decades to come. India has witnessed 17 parliamentary elections since 1952. Political parties have won and lost elections. Governments and prime ministers have come and gone. Barring the failed attempt to impose an authoritarian rule during the Emergency (1975-77), the Indian state and its democratic institutions, including the media, had remained more or less immune to the periodic transition of political power. Society, too, remained outside the control of the shifting fortunes of political parties. But something different — altogether different and ominous — has started happening after the two landmark elections that took place in the decade that is about to come to an end. Modi’s rise to power in 2014, and his consolidation of power with a bigger
majority in 2019, are no ordinary milestones in the evolution of the Indian state and society. They foretell a plan by the Sangh parivar, the ideological family to which the ruling party belongs, to transform the Indian state into a Hindu state, Indian society from a Hindu-majority society into a Hindu majoritarian society, and, finally, the Indian nation itself into a Hindu nation (‘Hindu Rashtra’). Is this what Modi means by his promise of creating a ‘New India’? In the seven decades after India won freedom from British rule — and it was the culmination of a struggle in which Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and other communities participated in an inspiring show of national unity, a fact not negated even by India’s tragic Partition — never have Muslims been made to feel so alien in their own land as now. And never has India witnessed Hindu triumphalism so openly and aggressively as now. Secularism, which is a preambular cornerstone of the Indian Constitution, Indian state and Indian society, is under assault like never before. Removing this cornerstone, de facto and de jure, and replacing it with a ‘Hindu First’ principle, both at the state and societal levels, has become the Bharatiya Janata Party’s foremost governance objective. Ask yourself: has Modi even once affirmed his commitment to secularism since becoming prime minister in May 2014? With the prime minister himself making no effort to hide his aversion to secularism, his vast legion of supporters has felt emboldened to trash it as ‘sickularism’, a ploy for Muslim appeasement, and, worse still, to brand its votaries as ‘anti-national’. De-nationalising a community, or at least diminishing its place in the nation, is the hidden agenda of
the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). This legislation irrefutably discriminates citizens on the grounds of religion, and thus violates Articles 14 and 15 of India’s secular Constitution. By enacting it, the Modi government is asserting that India belongs more to Hindus than to Muslims. If ever a proof were needed that the current BJP leadership believes in the same ‘Two Nation Theory’ that the pre-Partition Muslim League propounded to demand a separate ‘Muslim Nation’, here it is. And this could well be the beginning of several more discriminatory laws and policies to come. The independence of the Supreme Court, and its loyalty to the Constitution, will be severely tested when it is called upon to pronounce its judgment on the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Bill. But we cannot be fully sanguine about it. Without declaring Emergency, and with a large section of the media becoming its menacing cheerleader, the government is already altering the traditional architecture of the Indian state, which rests on the principle of checks and balances between its various pillars. Here is a telling example. The Election Commission chose to turn a blind eye when the prime minister sought to create a majority-minority polarisation in his speeches during the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha election. When a courageous member of the EC wanted the constitutional body to act in an independent and impartial manner, he was targeted for harassment. Thus, the message to the bureaucracy, and even to the judiciary, is clear: fall in line, or be ready to pay the price. No wonder, the apex court, deferring to the government’s political objectives in the matter, has shown no alacrity or inclination to take up the
issue of the prolonged suppression of human rights and democratic rights of the people and their political representatives in Indian held Kashmir. Why does the Sangh parivar want Republic 2.0? Because it played no major role in the creation of Republic 1.0. It has very few heroes from that era to call its own. Hence its intense desire to co-opt Sardar Patel and Mahatma Gandhi (even though the latter is proving too problematic for such co-option). Hence its blatant attempts to falsify the history of Republic 1.0 by projecting the Congress not as its chief organiser but as its villain. Home Minister Amit Shah’s egregious statement in the Lok Sabha — “Congress is responsible for India’s Partition on the basis of religion” — should not be seen as merely polemical. It is aimed at securing legitimacy for the BJP’s own religion-based polarisation of India. The not-so-subtle appeal to the Hindu community is this: India’s struggle against the British rule is now history, but the struggle against the real ‘Other’-Muslims, who converted to Islam during the much longer ‘Muslim rule’-must continue until Hindu domination is established. This is indeed what the Sangh parivar wanted to achieve, but could not, prior to 1947-the whole of ‘Akhand Bharat’ to be made a ‘Hindu Rashtra’. Seven decades later, that grand ambition is unchanged. Politicisation of Hindu religion, and erecting the edifice of a new republic on the foundations of Hindutva will inflict enormous damage on multi-religious India. The warning words of F.S. Aijazuddin, an eminent Pakistani scholar and a well-known friend of India, whom I met in Lahore recently, still ring in my ears: “We Pakistanis have paid a huge price — violent conflicts, sectarianism, extremism, intolerance and loss of rights and freedoms — because we allowed Islamisation of our state and society. If India wants to commit the same mistake by allowing its Hinduisation, you are most welcome. But remember that the price you will pay will be far higher.” The writer, who served as an aide to Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the PMO, is the founder of Forum for a New South AsiaPowered by India-Pakistan-China Cooperation.
The West turned Aung San Suu Kyi into a saint. She was always going to disappoint FEW MYTHICAL FIGURES SURVIVE INTENSE SCRUTINY, AND SUU KYI PERHAPS MORE THAN ANYONE HAS FALLEN SHORT OF HER PUBLIC IMAGE. HER NUMEROUS FLAWS THAT WERE ONCE IGNORED HAVE NOW COME TO THE SURFACE CNN James Griffiths
Few people have risen so high in the international imagination only to fall as dramatically as Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2013, after the Nobel Peace Prize laureate was released from house arrest in Myanmar, as the military regime gradually liberalized in the face of punishing international sanctions, Suu Kyi was hailed in the British parliament as a “conscience of a country and a heroine for humanity.” Two years later, as she celebrated victory for her National League for Democracy (NLD) in Myanmar’s first free elections in decades, the moment seemed to solidify her place in history as Asia’s Nelson Mandela. This week, the “heroine for humanity” appeared at the Hague to defend her country — and by extension herself — from accusations of genocide against Rohingya Muslims, hundreds of thousands of whom have been forced out of northwestern Myanmar by a yearlong military crackdown. Few people are as perfect as their public image, especially when they are perceived as a saint. Nor did the 2015 election represent as much of a break with Myanmar’s past as it first seemed — the military kept a firm grip on power, while the ethnic strife and civil war which have racked the country since independence never went away. There is also a major different between being an opposition figure and actually having to govern. As de facto president — she is barred from formally taking office under the military-drafted constitution, but wields huge authority as state counselor — Suu Kyi has to maintain public support for the NLD in the face of intense challenges. These include multiple ethnic uprisings, growing anti-Muslim sentiment and maintaining the approval of the West that had been key in getting sanctions relaxed and boosting Myanmar’s economy. That she would stumble at some point seemed inevitable, but for many of her supporters in the West, instead of maintaining influence with her and pressuring
the generals to continue giving up power, they instead drew a line under the Myanmar problem and moved on. “Whereas before, any idea of progress in Burma had been summarily dismissed, observers now assumed that further progress was inevitable,” Myanmar historian Thant Myint U writes in his new book “The Hidden History of Burma.” “When discordant news got in the way — a communal riot here, a clash between the army and insurgents there — it was easily swept aside as peripheral to the main story. The story was too good, a much needed tonic at a time when the Arab Spring was giving way to extreme violence. Burma, at least, was a morality tale that seemed to be nearing its rightful conclusion,” added Thant Myint U, referring to the country by its previous name, Burma. Many of the problems that Suu Kyi inherited in 2015 were put in place long before the country gained independence from Britain. Myanmar’s colonial rulers — as they did throughout the world — played ethnic groups against each other, boosting the Christian Karen and other non-Buddhist minorities and importing large numbers of Indian and Chinese workers. As Suu Kyi herself wrote in 1988, “the practice of encouraging the differences between the various racial groups was to have sad consequences for the independent nation of the future.” Though Suu Kyi’s father, independence leader General Aung San, succeeded in uniting Shan, Chin and Kachin groups with his Burmese nationalists, hardline Communists and Karen separatists soon launched insurgencies against the newly independent state. “The need to keep the rebels in check made the army strong,” Suu Kyi wrote in a 1985 history of the country. “Many of the top men in the army had been politicians and were inclined to interfere in the government of the country. In 1962 a group of army officers led by Ne Win, the commander-in-chief, overthrew the elected government of U Nu.” Over the next five decades of military
rule, Suu Kyi emerged as a leading opposition figure, boosted by her impeccable heritage and her strong international ties. Her success in attracting international support was without par. The UK government under Tony Blair was one of her fiercest advocates, and Norway not only awarded her the Nobel Peace Prize but funded the Burmese government-in-exile and the Democratic Voice of Burma radio station. Neoconservatives in the US also embraced Suu Kyi as an example of the image of liberal democracy they claimed to want to bring to places such as Iraq. Following the 2003 invasion of that country, George Bush’s administration imposed tough economic sanctions on Myanmar. “There was no attempt to analyze the roots of authoritarianism or Burma’s complex interethnic relations,” Thant Myint U writes. “Nor was there an effort to understand the country’s traumatic past or reflect on the legacies of colonialism. To the extent that people thought about Burma’s myriad ‘ethnic groups,’ they were seen as victims too of military repression and on the side of ‘democracy.’” Indeed, violence between ethnic groups and growing Buddhist nationalism were seen, if they were noticed at all, as problems that would be fixed by democracy. Suu Kyi — “The Lady” — was lumped not only with the hopes of her own people, but the entire international community. Few mythical figures survive intense scrutiny, and Suu Kyi perhaps more than anyone has fallen short of her public image. Her numerous flaws that were once ignored have now come to the surface. These include, according to numerous critics, a tendency to megalomania and authoritarianism, as well as an antiMuslim bias that had been an open secret for years before the current crisis. As Francis Wade writes in “Myanmar’s Enemy Within: Buddhist Violence and the Making of a Muslim Other,” even before the latest crisis “Suu Kyi was often accused of harboring a possible (anti-Muslim) bias of her own, for she was an elite Bamar and thus a beneficiary of the ethnic
hierarchy that had formed in Myanmar.” She notoriously dismissed concerns about rising violence against Rohingya in a 2013 interview, saying Buddhists in Rakhine live in fear of “global Muslim power.” Had she offered even tacit criticism of the military as it launched its campaign of ethnic cleansing in 2016, her international reputation might have survived. She could have justifiably pointed to the limits of her own power and that of the NLD, and the need for Myanmar to undergo a full democratization that would finally remove the military from power. Instead however, she focused on shoring up electoral support back home, where the anti-Rohingya campaign remains popular, and backed the military, often speaking in the language of conspiracy and paranoia. In 2017, Suu Kyi claimed during a phone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that a “huge iceberg of misinformation” about the Rohingya crisis was being distributed to benefit “terrorists.” According to a readout of the call, she said her government was fighting to ensure “terrorism” didn’t spread over the whole of Rakhine state. Speaking last year, former US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richard-
son, who has known Suu Kyi for over 30 years and visited her during her lengthy period of house arrest, said she had “changed, she’s become, unfortunately, a politician afraid of the military and afraid to make the tough decisions to resolve one of the worst humanitarian crises in history.” Perhaps she has changed. Or perhaps she simply never was the person she was presented as, but instead a far more flawed figure, who, faced with an intensely difficult balancing act, chose to follow the path of least resistance and shore up majority support while sacrificing a loathed minority. She was hardly the first leader to do so, and likely will not be the last. If there is any lesson to be learned from Suu Kyi’s downfall it is that Nobel Peace laureates aren’t perfect and that democratic transitions do not happen overnight. The international community took its eye off Myanmar, assuming Suu Kyi could handle the country’s numerous problems while remaining a paragon of democracy. The brutal campaign against the Rohingya deserves all the condemnation it has received, but there is blame to go around well beyond Myanmar’s borders. CNN’s Helen Regan contributed reporting.
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
FOREIGN NEWS 07
defense spending bill sTripped of poTenTially Tough proposals on saudi arabia: cnn
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NEWS DESK
HEN an annual defense spending bill was passed by the House of representatives this week, it was stripped of multiple measures to compel tougher consequences on Saudi Arabia for human rights abuses, three congressional sources familiar with the legislation told CNN. The removal of these measures was spearheaded by congressional republicans leading the negotiations, who found themselves under pressure from the White House, the sources said. The final version gave Democrats and republicans victories, and authorized paid parental leave of 12 weeks for federal workers for the first time. But it prompted deep frustration among those who have been critical of President Donald Trump's relationship with Saudi Arabia. Trump has consistently touted Saudi purchases of US
France braces for holiday misery as pension strike persists PARIS Agencies French commuters endured a ninth day of public transport strikes Friday, with little relief expected in coming days as unions vow to keep up their protest against a pension overhaul through the holidays unless the government backs down. Officials have said they are ready to negotiate, with Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer meeting teachers’ representatives on Friday to try to stave off another day of class shutdowns. “It was an intense and frank meeting… but we still need details, and maintain our call to strike on Tuesday,” Stephane Crochet of the SE-Unsa teachers’ union said. Unions are hoping for a repeat of 1995, when they forced a rightwing government to back down on pension reforms after three weeks of metro and rail strikes just before Christmas. The prospect of a protracted standoff has businesses fearing big losses during the crucial year-end festivities, and travellers worried that their holiday plans are compromised. “Right now it’s a catastrophe here, but we’re hoping there will be a solution before Christmas,” Frederic Masse, a foie gras producer at the sprawling Rungis wholesale food market south of Paris, told AFP on Friday. The capital city was again choked by huge traffic jams as most metro lines remained shut, only a handful of buses and trams were running, and three in four TGV trains were cancelled. Officials warned Friday of similar disruptions through the weekend, with train operator SNCF saying that on Tuesday it will start warning ticket holders of their chances of travel during the Christmas break that begins next Saturday. “I’m sick of this, and I won’t be able to keep working if it goes on,” Zigo Makango, a 57-year-old security agent, told AFP onboard a bus in the Bobigny suburb northeast of Paris.
weapons systems and sought to shield the kingdom's leadership from being vilified by the murder Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi Washington Post journalist who lived in the US. A measure to immediately revoke the visas of those responsible for the Khashoggi murder was yanked from the final version of the spending bill, called the National Defense Authorization Act. The measure was included in the Saudi Human rights Accountability Act -- bipartisan legislation that would have implemented this move -- that passed in the House by a vote of 405-7 earlier this year. The final version of the defense spending bill requires the intelligence community to provide a full official list of the people responsible for, or complicit in, Khashoggi's murder to be given to Congress within 30 days of being signed. The CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally ordered and monitored Khashoggi's murder, according to mem-
bers of Congress who have been briefed on the matter, but this will be a formal declaration of that assessment. Yet without the teeth of visa restrictions, or any other immediate tangible consequence, members of Congress worry about the limited impact the list will have. "It is a list, but with no explicit consequences," explained a source who was frustrated with the way it turned out. "We needed more than that." The passage of the bill, which Trump has said he will sign, comes as the FBI continues to investigate the shooting at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, which was carried out by a Saudi national. The bill also contains cuts to provisions that would have banned the sale of defensive weapons systems to Saudi Arabia -- like precision-guided munitions, which the Saudis are using in Yemen -- and the sharing of intelligence and logistical support that the
Saudis use in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition, in close partnership with the United Arab Emirates and including various militia groups, to fight Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015. When specifically asked by CNN why banning arms sales to Saudis was cut from the bill, republican senators declined to comment on the record. The republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote on the bill by the end of next week before sending it to Trump's desk. It is likely to pass the Senate, given the fact that the majority of the negotiations occurred with involvement of both House and Senate leadership. The final version of the bill left Saudis satisfied, explained a source familiar with the Saudis' perspective this week. The Saudis engaged with lawmakers as they were drafting the final version. As Democrats looked at the watereddown version, they pointed fingers directly at the White House. Jared Kushner,
Chile must prosecute police, army for violence against protesters: UN GENEVA/SANTIAGO Agencies
Chilean police and soldiers used excessive or unnecessary force to quell recent demonstrations, committing serious human rights violations including unlawful killings and torture that should be prosecuted, the United Nations said on Friday. The U.N. human rights office said in a report that it had documented an “alarmingly high number” of 345 people suffering eye injuries after being hit by lead pellets fired from anti-riot shotguns by security forces. Twenty-six people were killed during nearly two months of protests that began in October over a rise in metro fares but quickly spiraled out of control. “We have found that the overall management of assemblies by the police was carried out in a fundamentally repressive manner,” U.N. mission leader Imma Guerras-Delgado told a Geneva news briefing. “Human rights violations documented … include the excessive or unnecessary use of force that led to unlawful killings and injuries, arbitrary detentions, and torture and ill-treatment including sexual violence,” she said. Lorena recabarren, Chile’s subsecretary of human rights, critiqued the re-
MADRID A UN climate summit in Madrid was facing failure Saturday after all-night negotiations between countries left them more divided than ever over how to fight global warming and pay for its ravages. Delegates from rich nations, emerging giants and the world’s poorest countries all objected to a draft final text unveiled by host Chile in a botched attempt to find common ground. Following a year of climate-related catastrophes including deadly storms, flooding and wildfires, as well as weekly strikes by millions of young people, negotiations in Madrid were meant to send out a clear signal of governments’ willingness to tackle the crisis. The COP 25 summit also aimed to finalise the rulebook of the landmark 2015 Paris accord, which goes into effect next year. Instead, delegates on Saturday were exasperated at what they called backwards steps on the key
Supporters throng streets as Myanmar leader Suu Kyi returns from The Hague NAYPYITAW Agencies
port, telling reporters the government would issue specific corrections to what it saw as conclusions drawn from “innacurate information, or lack of updated information in the report.” recabarren said Chilean authorities were already working to improve protocols and policy around several of the U.N.’s key points. Much of the criticism had appeared in earlier reports filed by other international right’s groups. “We reiterate our willingness to take up every (recommendation) that seeks to improve our practices with re-
spect to human rights,” she said. The U.N. team, working under U.N. rights boss and former Chile President Michelle Bachelet, said the government of President Sebastian Pinera had cooperated with its investigation. Bachelet, a Socialist, is a long-time political adversary of the center-right Pinera. During its Oct 30-Nov 22 mission, the U.N. team documented 113 specific cases of torture and ill-treatment – mainly through “severe beatings” – and 24 cases of sexual violence against women, men and adolescents by members of the police and army.
UN climate talks unraveling, face failure Agencies
a senior adviser and the President's sonin-law, was one of the White House negotiators at the table and advocated against any tough on Saudi measures, two sources said. The White House declined to comment on Kushner's role or the specific negotiations involving measures related to Saudi Arabia. Kushner is viewed as the White House's point person on the US-Saudi relationship and is known for having a close relationship with the crown prince. "This is a President who has a Saudi Arabia first foreign policy," said New Jersey Democratic rep. Tom Malinowski, when speaking about the bill's passage this week. "This is a President who is mysteriously submissive to (bin Salman), to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, whose first instinct whenever Saudi Arabia does anything contrary to US interests is to defend the Saudis rather than defending America. That makes me very, very angry."
political issue — how far each nation is willing to go to help stave off climate catastrophe. “All the references to science have gotten weaker, all references to enhancing the (ambition) have gone, it seems we prefer to look backward rather than looking forward,” Carlos Fuller, head of the Association of Small Island States negotiating bloc, said in plenary of the draft COP 25 final text. Even after marathon talks between ministers, observers and delegates told AFP there were still significant splits on a number of issues. Old divisions between rich polluters and developing nations reemerged in Madrid over who should slash greenhouse gas emissions by how much, and how to pay the trillions needed for humanity to adapt to a climate-addled world. Newer fissures, meanwhile, between poor, climate-vulnerable nations and emerging giants such as China and India — the world’s No.1 and No.4 emitters — also blocked progress. In Saturday morning’s public dis-
cussions, additional discord surfaced on how nations should refer to a string of scientific assessments of the state of the planet. But the bottom-line ask for climate-vulnerable nations remains some signal that all countries are willing to improve on emissions reduction commitments that would see the world careen toward runaway global warming. “The latest version of the Paris Agreement decision text put forward by the Chilean presidency is totally unacceptable,” said Alden Meyer, policy director at the Union of Concerned Scientists and a veteran UN talks observer. “It has no call for countries to enhance the ambition of their emissions reduction commitments.” The United States, which is leaving the landmark Paris climate deal next year, was accused of playing spoiler on a number of issues vital to climate-vulnerable nations, including so-called “loss and damage” funding. “The US has not come here in good faith,” said Harjeet Singh, climate lead with charity ActionAid.
Thousands of supporters of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi thronged the streets of the capital Naypyitaw on Saturday to celebrate her arrival back from The Hague, where she defended the country against genocide charges. The Nobel laureate waved as her black car drove slowly past crowds who waved flags, held up pictures of her face and shouted jubilant greetings. “Mother Suu went to the court on behalf of the country,” local farmer Khin Maung Shwe told reuters. “Actually the accusation was against the army. But she took the first step of responsibility as a leader of the nation.” Gambia has accused Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention over a military campaign that drove more than 730,000 rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. It has asked the International Court of Justice to order “provisional measures” to prevent more harm. Suu Kyi led a team to the Netherlands for three days of hearings, during which she denied genocide and argued the U.N. court should not have jurisdiction. “Myanmar requests the court to remove the case from its list,” Suu Kyi said on the final day of hearings on Thursday. “In the alternative (the court should) reject the request for provisional measures submitted by the Gambia.”
Three dead in nepal bomb blast KATHMANDU Agencies
Three people, including a police official, were killed when a bomb exploded in southern Nepal early Saturday. The device detonated outside a local residence after the owner called the police to report a suspicious object on his premises in the Dhanusha district. “The blast occurred just as our team reached there to investigate. The owner, his son and a member of our force were killed,” senior police official Pradhumna Karki told AFP. Karki said that two more members of the family and another police officer were also injured and are undergoing treatment. “We are investigating the case, no one has claimed its responsibility yet,” he said. Nepal has enjoyed relative peace since the end of a decade-long civil war which concluded with a peace deal struck in 2006. In May, four people were killed and seven injured in three blasts in the capital Kathmandu, as members of an outlawed Maoist faction made a botched attempt to plant bombs around the city.
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
08 COMMENT
A matter of shame
Latest Saudi visit A diplomatic conundrum
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rIMe Minister Imran Khan is in saudi arabia for the fourth time in a year on “official business” as part of “regular exchanges” between the leadership of the two countries. But reports suggest that the PM has scuttled over to The Kingdom in order to address Crown Prince Muhammad bin salman’s (Mbs) concerns over the former’s confirmation he will attend the Kuala Lumpur summit next week. Hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the KL summit irks saudi arabia because they aren’t invited while other Muslim-majority countries like Turkey, Qatar and Iran were. Mbs sees the KL summit as an attempt to undermine and possibly provide an alternative to the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). For Pakistan this will be a tricky diplomatic problem to solve. On one hand it has received and expects to receive more financial aid from saudi arabia in the form of deferred oil payments and foreign exchange reserve support. so, there is an extent to which Pakistan can upset the saudis while maintaining a necessary working relationship. On the other hand there are allies who are attending the KL summit; allies that are equally important if not more so. Malaysia is one of two countries that have openly supported our stance on the Kashmir issue while it also opens up trade opportunities for us in south east asia. The second country is Turkey, which has condemned India’s actions in Kashmir. additionally, we trade military equipment with Turkey quite frequently with many deals still in the pipeline. Pakistan has offered to provide Qatar security for the 2022 FIFa world Cup. Iran is a crucial neighbour that provides electricity to far-flung areas in Pakistan where our infrastructure cannot reach very easily. It is therefore a tightrope walk that Pakistan’s foreign office, diplomats and the PM will have to undertake in order to keep everyone on both ends happy. Diplomatic relations between countries should not be one-dimensional nor be affected by one country’s misplaced insecurities about another. It would therefore be wise for Mr Khan to pacify the saudis and fulfil his commitment to attend the KL summit himself.
More provinces? Is the MQM (P) asking for its pound of flesh?
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N MQM (P) member has submitted a bill to the National assembly secretariat proposing a doubling of the number of provinces in Pakistan from four to eight, by trifurcating Punjab, and bifurcating Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and sind. as the MQM (P) is part of the ruling coalition, this proposal would seem to be almost the MQM (P) asking for its pound of flesh, with the government trying to rally support for the legislation on the COas’s tenure extension mandated by the supreme Court. The MQM (P) has an interest in carving a separate Muhajir province out of sind, and its designating it south sindh, and including it not as a standalone proposal, but as part of an omnibus scheme, is an apparent acknowledgement that a reorganisation of provinces is more palatable than a proposed Muhajir province. Indeed, trying to carve up one province would merely expose the intra-provincial fissures that exist in other provinces. support for new provinces is on the fringes at present, but the success of any one province’s movement would automatically create support for others. It thus makes sense for any proposal to tackle all issues. However, the real objection to any further divisions is any new province requiring tremendous resources to set up, and once set up, needing to be financially viable, not just for the next financial year, or even the next five, but far into the future. There is no indication of any such studies having been conducted. The studies of the cost of setting up a new province, which will range from the cost of setting up a new provincial secretariat, of a new provincial assembly, a new high court, and many other provincial institutions, without which proponents would feel deprived. Then there will be the issue of the new provinces’ relation to the federal resources, most notably employment quotas and shares in the federal divisible pool. The share of KP after the merger of FaTa shows that merely assigning National assembly seats to the proposed provinces will not solve all issues. The MQM (P) may not be serious in its endeavour. However, it has shown what it thinks will appeal to its voter base. It may not be entirely serious in such a desire, but it would be unfortunate if the PTI was to start off in this direction.
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
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It was a disaster waiting to happen aRif Nizami
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He unrepentant so-called custodians of law consider themselves above any law. so, it seems from the manner in which various professional bodies of the legal fraternity have demanded that cases against those involved in the heinous attack on Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) last wednesday be unconditionally withdrawn and the offending lawyers be immediately released. It is indeed a matter of shame that the black sheep in black coats not only ransacked PIC and beat up doctors; they did not even spare the patients of their ire. a number of patients requiring immediate and uninterrupted treatment died in the milieu. according to estimates ventilators, monitors, sophisticated medical equipment and vehicles worth 90 million rupees were destroyed during the mayhem. as a result, the largest cardiac institute of the country is still not fully functional. The government from the prime minister downwards expressing outrage and assuring that the offenders will be strictly dealt with under the law, has conveniently blamed the PML-N for hatching another conspiracy. But few will buy this lame excuse for the Punjab government, once again showing utter lack of competence and poor judgment in the matter. Unfortunately, it has become the hallmark of the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government to blame its unforced errors on the previous governments. we already know that the current economic downturn, including Pakistan ranking the lowest in almost all social indicators in the region is the fault of the PML-N government. The latest HDI (Human Development Index), Pakistan’s ranking further falling a few notches will be predictably blamed on the real or perceived malfeasance of previous governments. even if for the sake of argument, the PIC incident was a grand conspiracy hatched by the PML-N stalwarts while comfortably ensconced in London, why was the government unable to unearth it in real time? why was the Punjab government with its vast administrative machinery rendered so helpless that the opposition and its goons can literally get away with murder under its very nose? The attack on the PIC was no surprise. The lawyers accompanied by a contingent of a fairly
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awyers in Lahore have gone on yet another rampage on 11 November. as a result of the inevitable outcry on the media, their spokesperson has protested that this latest rampage was revenge for an earlier attack by doctors on some lawyers at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology when the lawyers went there with a colleague who was under treatment at the Institute. a video of the doctors making fun of those lawyers is apparently in circulation and that is what apparently provoked this latest event. This may well be true but there is no doubt that over the years lawyers in Pakistan have been increasingly violent. They have thrashed journalists, attacked the supreme Court, locked judges out of courtrooms, and physically and verbally attacked them. They have beaten up litigants and the police and attacked government servants on the premises of places they were vandalising. such incidents occurred all over the country, but they appear to be much more common among the legal fraternity in Punjab and to involve members of the Punjab Bar Council. The reason needs to be investigated. The situation has now unquestionably gone out of hand. On 11 November, lawyers– persons who are supposed to know and respect the law– broke it with a vengeance when more than 200 of them marched onto Lahore’s Punjab Institute of Cardiology. Many of them were armed and they attacked the hospital and even its patients. according to the news they broke the hospital gate, attacked the guards and members of staff, including a female nurse whose shirt was torn and her locket snatched from around her neck, a case of outright theft. The lawyers forced their Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
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large police force marched from the Lahore High Court all the way to the PIC on foot. Throughout the almost seven kilometres route they were chanting hostile slogans against the doctors of the PIC. a high-ranking police officer accompanying the lawyers glibly claimed the next day that that the police was under the impression that a compromise had already been struck between the squabbling doctors and the lawyers. The question that begs an answer is that if the lawyers had actually made up with the doctors, why were they marching to the PIC armed with sticks, stones and pistols chanting threatening slogans? The fact of the matter is that the Punjab administration owing to lack of clear direction from the very top is in a perennial state of inertia. The police being headed by the fifth IGP (inspector general police), in a little over a year, are in no position to take any initiative on its own. The Chief Minster Punjab Usman Buzdar (IK’s wasim akram plus) on the fateful day was in Islamabad on his not too infrequent forays to receive instructions from his bosses on how to run the province. Notwithstanding the blame game, there are larger issues at hand that need to be carefully examined. True, the black coats behaved in a shameful manner and even after the event their conduct is far from exemplary. But neither are the offending doctors of the PIC entirely above blame. The entire incident was triggered a few weeks back in which doctors ostensibly mistreated a patient accompanied by his close relative who happened to be a lawyer. when the matter had already been resolved through negotiations, why did a doctor mock the particular lawyer in a video that went viral on the social media? Of course, the reaction of the legal community was highly disproportionate and loathsome. But another video showing doctors hurling stones at the marauding lawyers is not a pretty sight either. It’s a shame that the two professions, one custodians of rule of law and the other taking the oath of Hippocrates, were slugging it out in broad daylight under the live eyes of the news media. Is there a deeper malaise afflicting the society? some trace the lawyers’ militancy to the black coats movement in 2007-08 for the restoration of an independent judiciary in the form of CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Ironically the kingpin of that movement aitzaz ahsan has unequivocally condemned the attack on PIC terming it as unbecoming of lawyers.
Others have traced the origins of this culture of intolerance and violence to PTI’s own militant rhetoric. It was a strange twist of fate that Punjab’s information minister Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan who distinguishes himself through his highly acerbic and caustic narrative against the opposition got caught in the crossfire at the PIC. In a way the information minister who was roughed up by lawyers got a dose of his own medicine. But Instead of drawing the right lessons from the incident and do course correction, Chohan immediately gave it the predictable spin of blaming it all on the PML-N. This is not the first incident where the custodians of law have taken law into their own hands. In 2017 they ransacked a freshly built judicial complex in Multan that was not to their liking. There has been various incidents of judicial proceedings disrupted and even judges roughed up. similarly, members of the young Doctors association (yDa) (who call themselves young perhaps to be absolved of responsible behaviour) have had no qualms engaging in disruptive actions in support of their demands. Frequently going on strike, they have on numerous occasions shut down even emergency treatment in hospitals for needy patients. But admittedly doctors have rarely been violent like the loutish black coats. Instead of blaming one political party or profession perhaps the malaise lies much deeper. In the past decade, thanks to privatisation and deregulation of education, law colleges and medical colleges have mushroomed in the Province. Unfortunately spread of education has not been accompanied with better standards. with economic opportunities not expanding at the same pace as the working population there is rampant unemployment, which has further complicated the matter. resultantly, Pakistan has a large swath of unemployed ostensibly educated population and with most of them young; it is a time bomb waiting to explode. The PIC incident is perhaps one glimpse of it. Unfortunately, where most of our neighbours have fared better, we are dangerously lagging behind in human development. The national security state is apparently incapable and unable to tackle endemic economic and social issues afflicting it. It is simply not the state’s priority. Unfortunately, the feudal political elite including the present rulers simply does not seem to care. Arif Nizami is Editor, Pakistan Today. He can be contacted at arifn51@hotmail.com
A new low, even for the PBC The PIC attack was indefensible way into various sections of the hospital including radiology, the Operation Theatres, and even the Intensive Care Unit. Here they beat up doctors and other staff and pulled the plug on a patient receiving oxygen. The patient subsequently died, as did two others. None of these three people who died were involved in the incident as a result of which this attack on the PIC took place, so even that frail excuse is not present in their case. This was a despicable event, a new low even for lawyers affiliated with the Punjab Bar Council. FIrs have been registered against the rampaging hooligans under several sections of the law, including assault – which with the death of the patients becomes outright murder. Particularly named are the General secretary and Vice President of the Lahore Bar association, and the person hoping to stand for President of the LBa. These persons are said to have been among those who attacked the PIC. One of them made a statement on a lawyers’ forum regarding the patients who died, saying after all other groups of professionals also protest. why does no one condemn them too? she is wrong, and for a professional whose job it is to argue a case, pathetically lacking in that skill. all decent people condemn such incidents wherever they occur, but there can be no doubt about it, lawyers have committed violence much too often, and the Punjab Bar Council in particular has hit a new low. The depths to which it has now fallen shows its members worthy of
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nothing but disdain. No professional expertise can be expected of a group that takes the law into its hands and hurts, tortures and kills members of the public in the process. all persons involved in vandalism, destruction of peace and property and murder should be punished, lawyers, doctors, politicians, anyone, whoever they are. If they are not, if nothing is done about this and other incidents and these louts are not shown exactly where they get off the government will have failed to do its job, yet again. yet of the more than 200 that marched on the PIC on 11 November, only about 34 or so have been arrested. There is also the usual attempt at politicising the incident, with accusations being made against this party or that as being the instigator or organiser, only because someone spotted a person belonging to that party in the group of vandals. well, the PM’s nephew was also one of the rampaging lawyers. One doesn’t know what party he belongs to, but does that matter? should we say the PTI organised it? How about dealing with this as a failure to act as law-abiding persons, and above all a failure to act as decent humans, and putting party politics on the backburner? For a change? There is clearly a problem with the way student unions, doctor’s and bar associations and other such associations are organised in this country, because they appear to resort to violence too often, and they get away with it. yet it is important for such organisations to exist, because they represent the professionals who are part of it, like
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parliaments represent– or are supposed to represent– the citizens of a country. But like parliaments there must be controls in place to prevent these other groups from running amok. If these controls fail, it is up to the law enforcement wings of government to punish the offenders. Not only the law enforcement agencies, but social media and in this case the Punjab Bar Council also need to take action. It must shame on its platform those who are so far enjoying the contemptible fame their videos have conferred upon them, videos that show them egging on their compatriots to destroy, kill and take revenge. These lawyers and their families need to feel shame at these actions and not elation. These people are not celebrities. They are thugs and murderers. and the Punjab Bar Council. It needs to get its act together, stop protecting its members and affiliates, and take necessary steps to help bring them to justice. The PIC has had to be shut down to recover from the damage. The people who died are irreplaceable. The equipment and premises will take a great deal of taxpayers’ money to replace. such violation of a place of healing is a disgrace for the government and for the lawyers of this city. as for the latter, they are now apparently meeting to work on their future strategy following the incident at the PIC. This information was tweeted by Umair Javed with the question: what next? an Orphanage? well? will it be an orphanage next? Or perhaps a school? Rabia Ahmed is a freelance columnist. Read more by her at http://rabia-ahmed.blogspot.com/
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
Global warming in Pakistan PaKIsTaN makes small input to total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, less than 1 per cent but it is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. Pakistan has very low technical and financial capacity to overcome its adverse impact. The emission in the country from refineries, industries, ad thermal power plants are causing heart diseases, lung disorder and cancer. Coastal areas bordering the arabian sea in the south of Pakistan will be at greatest risk due to increased flooding from the sea and in some cases rivers. In Himalayas, the glacier melt is projected to increase flooding will affect water resources within the next two to three decades. This will be followed by decreased river flows overtimes as glaciers recede. availability of fresh water is also predictable to lessen which will lead to biodiversity loss and reduce of availability of fresh water for the population. Being a mainly agriculture economy, climate change is estimate to decrease crop yield in Pakistan, which in turn will affect livelihood and food production. Combining the decreased yield with the current rapid growth and urbanisation in the country, the danger of hunger and food security will remain high. Due to droughts and floods, endemic mortality and morbidity because of diseases are predictable to high. Cholera will also aggravate due to increase in costal water temperatures. The change in climate will also exacerbate the existing social inequalities of resource use and intensify social factors leading to displacement, conflicts, instability of people and changes in migration pattern. HADIA AzIz Islamabad
Banishing demons, stirring hope For we have stared deep into the alley at death itself
Candid Corner Raoof hasaN “Or, else, I’d try to force myself to fall in love. In fact, I did it twice, and I suffered, gentlemen, I assure you I did. Deep down in your heart, you don’t believe in your suffering. There is a stirring of mockery, and yet you suffer – in the most genuine, honest-to-goodness way.” – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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OrNINGs, afternoons, evenings– we seem to be caught up in an unending trail of malicious fabrications, signifying myriad emotions echoing a change that may be desired. But, let this be said that if all fabrications were to prove right, there would be no space left for truth, reason and logic to flourish. we shall, forever, be doomed in the maelstrom of desires which would only serve a certain branded form of objectives. so, let’s partake of the palette of emotions, but let’s also not forget that we live in a world that is not solely dictated by the desires of an individual, or a comity of individuals. In the larger scheme of things, everyone’s desires matter and are relevant irrespective of whether they are realised, or they remain starved in the wilderness of pain. But, one cannot survive amidst perpetual gloom that we seem to be engulfed in. One loses the zest for life. One’s creative sparkle is dulled as does the ability to cope with hard times. Let’s not, therefore, be lost in the sprawling sands of the desert. Let’s find some time to look up at the vast canvas of skies covered in layers of clouds some of which may be laden with droplets of water to drench people who have lost their hope, and whose desires may be parched. words are expressions of thoughts. words can do magic, rekindling dormant hopes and acting as trailblazers for revolutions. words have helped traverse new vistas and define new genres. There have been outstanding
weavers of this magic, but none could express it more powerfully, more eloquently and more poignantly than T s eliot– that quintessential craftsperson of lacing words with meaning: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. “Breeding lilacs out of the dead land” and “stirring dull roots with spring rain” are gems which are carved through a matchless devotion to developing a ripe imagination to soar beyond immeasurable distances. But, at the heart of it all is a raw thought that not only cultivates one’s faculties to confront immense challenges, but also generates a drive to pursue them with strength of passion and purity of soul. This is the way to getting somewhere high and above and beyond the ordinary. In the historical context, Pakistan seems to be perched on the cusp of time. From here on, it is either moving up and above, or be doomed to a bottomless pit from where there would be no path to salvation. such has been the fate of this forsaken country that a few have prospered lavishly from its riches while a preponderant majority have continued surviving on the fringes of life, feeding on the dredges thrown their way by the beneficiary elite. There has been much in terms of meaningless words and fickle promises, but nothing signifying any substantive gains for those who don’t have a school to send their children to, or a hospital to take care of their sick, or hope that they would be able to move on to a better future. They survive, like their elders did, in utter penury, just as their children would when their time comes. The poor of the country have been the victims of generational deceptions unleashed by those who have their coffers full with illicit billions and their egos bloated with the venom of keeping everyone hostage of their vile fancies and indescribable cruelty. But, how does one untangle the knot? Much against logic rooted in good sense, the state has been forced to carry unnecessary burdens which stymied its growth potential and rendered it discriminatory in dealing with its own citizens. Instead of celebrating its natural diversity and strengthening it to bring about cohesion, harmony and multifaceted development, it created divisions which have scarred its ethos and held it back from exploiting the true and full potential of its people. Over time, the state became an unbearable weight unto itself. Be it the Objectives resolution, declaring the ahmadi community nonMuslim, the Blasphemy Law, or such other strictures, the state has had to carry this unwieldy load which impacted it internally and exposed it to intense international censure. This started happening in its very infancy which has only become more gruesome with the passage of time. It is virtually untenable now. It has grown to becoming a monster which is the very antithesis of the enshrining foundational dream of the Quaid for turning
the country into a liberal, enlightened and egalitarian entity. simultaneously, it has not been able to deal effectively with a number of abominable social and religious rituals and practices. Two recent incidents concerning the stoning to death of a nine-year-old girl, Gul sama, in District Dadu of sindh province on the pretext of ‘honour killing’, and the absolutely disgraceful manner in which the sitting assistant Commissioner, attock, Jannat Hussain Nekokara, was made to apologise for a comment she had made earlier against artificial divisions along religious lines and calling for granting equal rights to minorities in Pakistan, are indescribably ugly blotches on the face of the state. Can a nation survive this collective shame? These are not odd cases, but part of an organised, systematic and barbaric attitude addicted to inflicting a myopic and degenerate mindset on the entire population and eliminating any residual space for constructive dialogue that may still be available. Pakistan has transited from enslavement by the foreigners to enslavement by its very own. To move forward, it must remodel the system that is crafted to work as an exploitative tool for the benefit of those who don’t need its beneficence, and detriment of those who do but are always confronted with its malfeasant face. The essence of this system must be redirected to uplifting the poor and the marginalised, not perpetuating the stranglehold of the usurpers. Pakistan needs justice. Pakistan also needs a healing touch that would diminish its pain with time. Healing begins with prognosis as reconciliation would with truth. But it is truth that no one is willing to face. Instead, the trick that the guilty work by for making it irrelevant is by plunging deeper into the pit of depravity from where there is no retrieval. But, let me say no more. Let’s banish the demons for now. Let’s stir some hope for all may not be lost yet. Let Faiz sahib take over with his inimitable passion and candour which reverberate with a resounding message for those who hold the sword: Let the clarion call go forth to the mighty To stand sentinel to the measure of their deeds When the wretched of the earth shall surge Entreating for vengeance None shall come to the rescue. Reward and punishment shall be dispensed here For here shall be enacted hell and paradise Here shall be raised the call for the hereafter Here shall be the doomsday. Raoof Hasan is a political and security strategist, and heads the Regional Peace Institute – an Islamabad-based think tank. He can be reached at: raoofhasan@hotmail.com; Twitter: @RaoofHasan
Our battle
PaKIsTaN is among 10 countries affected most by climate change. Pakistan is in a geographic location where average temperature is predicted to rise faster than elsewhere increasing 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Pakistan has faced catastrophic floods, droughts and cyclones in recent years that have killed and destroyed livelihoods and damaged infrastructure. Climatic changes are expected to have wide ranging impacts on Pakistan, reduced agricultural productivity, increased variability of water, increased coastal erosion and seawater incursion. In the last 50 years the annual mean temperature has increased by roughly 0.5 degrees Centigrade. The number of heat waves days per years has increased nearly fivefold in the last 30 years. sea level along the Karachi coast has risen to approximately 10 centimetres in last century. By the end of this century, the annual temperature in Pakistan is expected rise by 3 degrees Fahrenheit to 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Pakistan is expected to experience increased variability of river flows due to increasing the melting of glaciers. Deforestation and increase in the use of chemicals in domestic and agricultural life are the main cause of climate change in Pakistan. RAFIA KHALID Islamabad
Winter rain weLCOMe to the first heavy spell of the winter rain. Though it may be a cause of little concern for cotton growers, it is mostly good news for everyone in the country. Hopefully, it will help fight the gravely dangerous issue of smog in Lahore. Heavy rain in the twin cities of Islamabad and rawalpindi has ended the dry spell causing health issues for people. Now the air will be free from pollution and dust and dirt will be washed away from roads. The agricultural land in the Pothohar region is arid, which primarily depends on rains for irrigation. These rains will be a blessing for farmers in the Pothohar region as it will benefit them preparing their land for the rabi crop. The government needs to supply better quality seed to farmers to enable them to increase agriculture production. The farmers must put in extra efforts to preserve water any way they can for use during dry days. similarly, the citizens should avoid wasting water and littering as that chokes drains and cause problems. even a step further, they take small steps such as growing vegetables in their lawns and backyards to bring about a change. This would not only be a healthy activity but also will help fend off the adverse effects of exorbitant prices of daily use vegetables on their budgets. Overall, a small effort by everyone can help bring about a big change. RAJA SHAFAATuLLAH Islamabad
Treating our teachers better TeaCHers are supposed to be spinal cord of a nation in terms of socio-economic and cultural development of a country. In Pakistan, especially in sindh teachers are treated badly. yesterday, on November 6, there was called a well-managed and peaceful protest in front of CM house by the sindh Professors and Lecturers association (sPLa) for their time scale and promotion. Meanwhile, police contingent reached there and arrested many of teachers including female professors. Perhaps, government is unaware that protest is a democratic right of every citizen. Moreover, college teaching staff from all over of sindh has said they will remain in peaceful protest until their resolution of time-scale, and furthers it was explained that colleges will be closed till to meet their demands. On the other hand, by closing of colleges the already lowest rate of literacy in sindh is going to be in a worst condition if demands are not meet. The protestors reminded the government that summary of time scale had been sent to the secretariat on 2010, but perhaps it has not yet been pursued. surprisingly, all other provinces have resolved its time scale issue of the college education. zAKIR HuSSAIN Wahi Pandhi
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
10 FOREIGN NEWS
Thousands join biggesT proTesT for years in Thai capiTal BANGKOK
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Agencies
EvErAL thousand people took part in Thailand’s biggest protest since a 2014 coup on Saturday after authorities moved to ban a party that has rallied opposition to the government of former military ruler Prayuth Chan-ocha. The demonstration in Bangkok, called just a day earlier by Future Forward party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a 41-year-old billionaire, revived memories of the spasms of street protest that have roiled the Thai capital periodically during the past two decades of political turbulence. But there was no sign of any attempt to block the biggest demonstration since Prayuth seized power in 2014 on promises to end such unrest. “This is just the beginning,” Thanathorn told the cheering crowd that spilled across walkways and stairways close to the MBK Centre mall, in the heart of Bangkok’s shopping and business district. Thanathorn has emerged as the most outspoken opponent of the government headed by Prayuth, 65, since an election in March that the opposition said was manipulated to favor the army. Thailand’s election panel has asked the Constitutional Court to dissolve the Future Forward party, accusing it of infringing the laws governing political parties by accepting multi-million dollar loans from Thanathorn. Last month, the Constitutional Court disqualified Thanathorn as member of par-
New Zealand divers search for volcano victims; death toll rises to 15 WELLINGTON: New Zealand divers searched contaminated waters near the volcanic White Island for two remaining bodies on Saturday, as the death toll from an eruption rose to 15 people, the police said. Waters around the island were contaminated by the massive eruption of rocks, lava and chemicals on Monday, reducing visibility. “Divers have reported seeing a number of dead fish and eels washed ashore and floating in the water,” police said in a statement. “Each time they surface, the divers are decontaminated using fresh water.” The remains of six people were successfully recovered on Friday after a military team in gas masks and hazmat suits landed on the uninhabited island and removed the bodies in a high-risk operation. Police said they could not retrieve the remains of two more people, but spotted at least one body in the waters not too far from the island shoreline. Nine police dive squad members resumed their search at 7.00 a.m. local time (1800 GMT Friday) and the operation would be boosted by a navy dive team later in the day. Agencies
Hong Kong leader Lam visits Beijing as pressure mounts at home liament for holding shares in a media company on the date his election candidacy was registered. Thanathorn disputed the ruling. Among Saturday’s crowd were some veteran “red shirt” protesters, supporters of ousted populist leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who had once clashed in Bangkok with the “yellow shirt” conservatives – hardline loyalists of the palace and army. NEW GENERATION: But the were more younger anti-government protesters, many of whom said it was their first protest. “It’s time,” said office worker Pantipa Tiakhome, 30. “They have done everything to
hinder democracy from flourishing.” Helped by social media, Thanathorn has struck a chord with younger Thais. Meanwhile, the army has made plain its dislike of a movement it accuses of trying to rally the young against the monarchy and the armed forces. “Today is a show of strength so that in the future others may join us. We’re just here today as a test run. Prayuth, don’t be afraid yet. The real thing is next month,” Thanathorn told the protest. A party spokeswoman said more than 10,000 people had joined the demonstration. Authorities did not give an estimate.
HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam visited Beijing on Saturday for her first trip to the Chinese capital since her government was handed a crushing defeat in local elections last month, prompting speculation about changes to her leadership team. During a four-day visit, Lam is due to discuss the political and economic situation in China-ruled Hong Kong with Chinese officials. She will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday. Hong Kong has been convulsed by daily and sometimes violent protests for the last six months as demonstrations against a now-withdrawn extradition bill broadened into demands for greater democratic freedom. Hundreds of thousands of people marched last Sunday to protest against what is seen as Beijing undermining freedoms guaranteed when the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997. Many young protesters are also angry at Lam’s government, charging it with failing to address social inequality issues in one of the world’s most expensive cities. Agencies
North Korea conducts 'crucial test' at Sohae launch site: KCNA PYONGYANG Agencies
Former Sudan president Bashir sentenced to two years in detention for corruption KHARTOUM: A Sudanese court on Saturday convicted former president Omar alBashir on corruption charges and sentenced him to two years of detention in a reform facility, the first ruling against the ex-leader ousted by mass unrest. The presiding judge said Bashir, 75, who was deposed by the military in April following months of street protests against his three-decade rule, was being sent to the reform facility, rather than a prison, on account of his age. He also ordered the confiscation of millions of euros and Sudanese pounds found in Bashir’s residence when he was toppled. Bashir’s prosecution is a test of how fast and how far military and civilian authorities now sharing power in Sudan will act to overturn his legacy. Ahead of Saturday’s verdict, hundreds of supporters of the Islamist ex-president gathered in streets near the presidential palace in the capital Khartoum. Agencies
North Korea has conducted another “crucial test” at its Sohae satellite launch site, state media reported Saturday, as nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington remain stalled with a deadline approaching. The announcement comes a day before US Special Envoy on North Korea Stephen Biegun is set to arrive in Seoul for a three-day visit, and after the United States tested a medium-range ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. “Another crucial test was successfully conducted at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground from 22:41 to 22:48 on December 13,” a spokesman for the North’s National Academy of Defence Science said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency. The “research successes” will be “applied to further bolstering up the reliable strategic nuclear deterrent” of North Korea, the spokesman added. The statement did not provide further details on the test. Sohae, on North Korea’s northwest coast, is ostensibly a facility designed for putting satellites into orbit. But Pyongyang has carried out several rocket launches there that were con-
demned by the US and others as disguised long-range ballistic missile tests. The North is banned from firing ballistic missiles under UN Security Council resolutions, and rocket engines can be easily repurposed for use in missiles. Frustrated by the lack of sanctions relief after three summits with President Donald Trump, North Korea has vowed an ominous “Christmas gift” if the US does not come up with concessions by the end of the year. Some analysts have suggested the North may be referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Earlier this month the North announced it conducted what it called a “very important test” at the same site in Sohae. “It’s very likely that the North is going to fire something on Christmas day, and they may call it a rocket system when it actually is an ICBM,” Ahn Chan-il, a North Korean defector and researcher in Seoul, told AFP. “The tests at Sohae can be seen as a form of preparation for the launch — whatever it will be — on December 25.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had agreed to shutter the Sohae site during a summit last year with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang as part of trust-building measures.
Qatar says there has been 'small
progress' in resolving Gulf dispute DOHA: Qatar’s foreign minister said on Saturday that there has been small progress to resolve a two and a half year dispute between the Gulf state and its neighbours. Asked whether there was progress at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit held last week, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Reuters that there has been “small progress, just a little progress”. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and trade links with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of backing terrorism. Qatar denies the charge and accuses its neighbours of seeking to curtail its sovereignty. Agencies
US sanctions on Iran violate international law: Mahathir DOHA Agencies
The American sanctions imposed on Iran violate the United Nations charter and international law, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told a conference in Qatar on Saturday. ‘’Malaysia does not support the reimposition of the unilateral sanctions by the US against Iran,’’ he told the Doha Forum, also attended by Qatar Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. Malaysia and other countries have lost a ‘’a big market’’ because of the sanctions on Iran, he said. ‘’Such sanctions clearly violate the United Nations charter and inter-
national law; sanctions can only be applied by the United Nations in accordance with the charter,’’ he added. Further, Mahathir suggested that he may seek to stay in power after 2020, just four days after he promised to make way for his anointed successor Anwar Ibrahim. Asked at the Doha Forum in Qatar if he would step down in 2020, the world’s oldest prime minister said he wanted to fix problems that he said had been left by the previous government before resigning. “I promised I would step down once I resolve some of the major problems that have been left by the previous government. I promised I would step down and give the leadership to a candidate named by the
coalition,” he said. Mahathir, 94, did not say when he intended to leave the office. On Tuesday, he promised to hand over power to Anwar, in spite of new sexual assault allegations against him, and that he could be ready to do that after a summit of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries that Malaysia is to host in November 2020. Asked if Anwar was the best person to succeed him as prime minister and if he would endorse him, Mahathir said he could not guarantee who would be the best person because of past bad experiences. “I have named my successors and then they took over and did different things.”
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
BUSINESS 11
SIM ReISSuIng polICy CoMeS unDeR fIRe aS Jazz ReaCheS 7M uSeRS ISLAMABAD
J
SYEDa MaSOOMa
AZZCASH has announced that its active user base has exceeded the 7-million mark, making it the market leader for the third consecutive year. According to the press release issued by the company, JazzCash's transaction values have increased by 42pc to over Rs1 trillion with customers carrying out 500 million transactions through the service. Commenting on the occasion, Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim said, "JazzCash offers its users diversified financial services aimed at meeting their evolving financial needs. The traction we have gained in terms of the number of active users, the value and the volume of transactions is evidence that we have both made headway in terms of enhancing financial inclusion and also gained customer trust." 'USERS GRIEVANCES': On the other hand, the telecommunication side of Jazz might have caused some grievances for its users. The company has decided to reissue the SIM cards and subsequently the phone numbers associated with them after inactivity of 180 days. This is in line with Pakistan
Telecommunication Authority's regulations which empowers telecom companies to reissue a number that has been inactive for at least six months. For customers, however, this has come as a surprise who took to social media to express their frustration with this policy. One user wrote, "So what kind of rubbish policy is this, if you don't use your SIM for 180 days, you'll lose ownership and it'll be issued to someone else. What if, it's linked to my online accounts, bank, WhatsApp etc? And my account passwords can also be recovered using SIM! This is insane!" Speaking to Profit, another Jazz user said, "I spend half my year abroad which means that there is a very real possibility that I won't be able to use my Jazz SIM for more than 180 days. Besides, it would have been nice had they told us this policy was being put in place before they reissued it to someone else." Profit reached out to Jazz for a comment, to which Jazz Chief Corporate and Enterprise Officer Ali Naseer said that it is not Jazz's policy, rather it is part of the new regulations from PTA. He said, "The overall policy is issued by PTA and then different operators tailor it according to their own policies. But this is not something particular to Pakistan. It happens all over
CORPORATE CORNER
the world, except that everywhere else there are more postpaid connections as compared to Pakistan, which is causing trouble. People in Pakistan have this habit of using a telecom connection for a fortnight or so and then simply port their number to another connection. So frankly people here in Pakistan will have to change their habits." He said with the new emerging trend of OTP – the one-time verification of accounts and credit cards etc, this number problem has indeed become significant. But it is PTA’s responsibility to ensure customer awareness, he added. "This should not be a big problem, however, because it is not like right after 180 days a number is reissued, but just that it expires and the user is informed. There is a set period of time for which it remains inactive and the users can get it reactivated and keep the number and then keep using it as well." The practice of reissuing SIMs is not specific to Jazz, although other companies might have gone less strictly after the issue. Ufone, for instance, has a waiting period of 2 years instead of 180 days. Sharing her experience, a Ufone customer said, "I have two Ufone numbers, one of which is in a phone that has been inactive for a while. I used to send important documents, passwords etc.
from my active phone to my dormant number so there is a record in both my phones. One day, upon sending a similar message, I received a text from Ufone that actually shook me. For a while, I thought someone has stolen my other phone. But later I got to know from Ufone helpline that my number was dormant so they reissued it. That was more terrifying because that number was linked to my Facebook accounts and email IDs etc. Ufone did not even bother sending a text message about that." In response to Profit's queries, Ufone's official statement said that they wait for 24 months before expiring and reissuing a number. "How can we contact customers on a number that is already inactive. Some people might have more than one Ufone number but what if they had their second or third SIM from another network; we cannot reach them like this. However, we do reach them through advertisements. We provide offers and incentives for customers who have not used their connection for more than 90 days, such as SIM Lagao Offer, and we keep doing that over and over again. But if a SIM card has not been used for 24 months, then we reissue it," Ufone Head of PR and Digital Media Amir Pasha told Profit.
FAISALABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood on Saturday expressed satisfaction on the government's policies, saying that increase in exports is a testimony that Pakistan's economy has been put on the right track. He was talking to Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) Senior Vice President Zafar Iqbal Sarwar who called on him to discuss various matters pertaining to the Ministry of Commerce. The advisor said that the government has tried its best to facilitate businessmen in general and exporters in particular. "In this regard, our special focus is expeditious payments of refund claims under a well-organised system." On the request of Zafar Iqbal Sarwar, the adviser directed the commerce secretary to immediately contact the Punjab government and remove all hurdles in the construction of Faisalabad Expo Centre. The senior FPCCI official on the occasion highlighted that the provision of cheap loans has become imperative, as exports have recorded only a modest increase. "Hence, the government must pay the pending refund claims and provide the exporters with cheap loans to enhance their production capacity," he added. Sarwar demanded that the SME sector must be encouraged with additional financial incentives, as "it will help them produce maximum exportable surplus in addition to improving the quality of their products". Dawood is expected to visit the FCCI on December 21. INP
RCCI raises concerns over business centre raids
Telenor Pakistan becomes first network to enable FTTT BUSINESS DESK
LAHORE: Dunya Foundation, in collaboration with Akhuwat, organized an interactive seminar titled ‘Lessons in Development from the Community’ featuring the Kasur MawaKhat Programme. Shoaib Sultan Khan, Mian Amer Mehmood, Dr Amjad Saqib Khadija Amer addressed the participants on the occasion. PrESS rElEaSE
Dawood sees ‘surge’ in exports as reason behind economic growth
Pakistan’s leading telecom services provider, Telenor Pakistan, has enabled FTTT (Fiber to the Tower) on its network. The initiative is aimed at enhancing customer experience and strengthening Telenor’s network to achieve optimum readiness for emerging technologies. As the hunger for data grows at an unprecedented pace both in terms of speed and volume, Telenor Pakistan continues to deliver on its commitment to innovate and provide an unmatched customer experience, said a statement issued by the company. The FTTT technology truly enables Telenor Pakistan to be 5G ready while allowing for much higher bandwidth transport capability for every FTTTpowered site.
Latency, or the speed at which communications take place, is the decisive parameter for the networks of the future,” said KhurrumAshfaque, Chief Technology Officer and Deputy CEO, Telenor Pakistan. “With customer-centricity being at the core of our operations, we have been taking bold steps to boost data speeds and help Pakistanis embark on a digital future that we envision.”
The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) has expressed its deep concern over business centres being raided in the city, calling for a halt to the actions by customs officials under the pretext of anti-smuggling actions. “There is a need to strengthen monitoring system on the borders to prevent smuggling,” said RCCI Acting President Nosherwan Khalil Khan in a statement on Friday, adding that that raids on business centres spreads a negative message in the market. he urged Customs and other relevant departments to first issue a notice to offending traders before initiating action. BUSINESS DESK
European shares near record high on hopes of swift Brexit AGENCIES
KARACHI: All Pakistan Restaurant Association (APRA), which is the only registered apex body for Restaurants and Food in Pakistan, recently presented the APRA Awards 2019 – Pakistan’s first-ever Customer Choice Food Award Show. PrESS rElEaSE
European shares neared a record high on hopes of an orderly Brexit after a landslide election victory for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and signs of a last-ditch trade deal between the United States and China.
index’s 1.5pc rise, boosted by gains in shares of utilities, industrials and financials. Investors also took comfort from a report that the United States will suspend tariffs on Chinese goods set to kick in on Sunday and cut others in return for Beijing buying more American farm goods. However, both sides were yet to formally confirm the news.
US says trade deal with China to boost global economy DOHA aGENCIES
KARACHI: Consul General of Qatar in Karachi Mishal Mohammad Al Ansari, along with Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and former president Mamnoon Hussain, celebrates the National Day of the State of Qatar. PrESS rElEaSE
Markets believe a Conservative Party win would enable Johnson to deliver Brexit within weeks, easing fears of an immediate crash and potentially ending 3-1/2 years of political instability in Britain. The UK-focused FTSE midcaps index jumped 3.6pc at 0806 GMT, outshining the pan-European STOXX 600
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday a “phase one” trade deal between the United States and China was “very good” for global economic growth, adding that the second phase could come in several steps. The United States and China cooled their trade war on Friday, announcing a “phase one” agreement that reduces some US tariffs in exchange for what US officials said would be a big jump in Chinese purchases of American farm products
and other goods. Mnuchin said full details of the new deal, or a factsheet on “phase one”, would come out later on Saturday or on Sunday after both sides do fact and language checks. “We expect it will be fully executed in January. And then we get to ‘phase two’,” Mnuchin told the Doha Forum conference in Qatar. “The most important issue is - lets make sure we implement ‘phase one’ with an enforceable agreement, which it is. And then we start negotiating ‘phase two’. “There are important issue left in ‘phase two’. And perhaps there will be a ‘phase two A’, ‘phase two B’ and ‘phase two C’. We will
see,” he said. Mnuchin said the deal with China aimed to create more reciprocal trade relations for many years, adding that the deal would be “very good” for global growth. He said the United States continued to remain the “bright spot” of the global economy, while Europe and Asia were slowing down. Asked if the trade deal boosts US President Donald Trump’s chances of getting re-elected in November 2020, Mnuchin said: “The president will be re-elected almost no matter what occurs. Because he has built an incredible economy and he is very focused on national secu-
rity.” Mnuchin also said he believed the United States campaign of maximum pressure on Iran was working and has drastically reduced Tehran’s ability to sponsor what Washington sees as terrorist groups abroad. Asked if Washington’s broad and regular use of sanctions against many nations could undermine the long-term status of the dollar as the global reserve currency, Mnuchin said sanctions were often an alternative to open military conflicts. “But if we are not careful with sanctions, people will start using other currencies,” he added.
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
12 BUSINESS
SECP Board approves amendments to Companies Act 2017 RAWALPINDI: A vendor prepares traditional sweet dish, Jalebi, for customers at his roadside setup. ONlINE
‘pakISTan on TRaCk To fulfIllIng faTf ConDITIonS’
SBP GOVERNOR SAYS FATF AND IMF ARE SATISFIED WITH PAKISTAN’S REFORMS AGENDA
KARACHI
ISLAMABAD aPP
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Policy Board has approved a proposal to amend the company law in order to facilitate startups. The board met in Karachi under the chairmanship of Prof Khalid Mirza, according to a press statement issued on Saturday. The SECP Board approved amendments to the 3rd Schedule to the Companies Act, 2017, prescribing an appropriate definition for the term 'startups'. Meanwhile, the SECP submitted for approval its Annual Report for the year ended 2018-19. The board decided that it will be looked at by all members and possibly be cleared in the next meeting. In response to an FBR request, the policy board directed the commission to issue a letter to all companies, asking them to ensure that annual tax returns are filed in accordance with the law. The board again expressed concern over the fact that secretary-level officials of the government, who are ex-officio members of the board, do not attend the board meetings and instead send their nominees for the same. "This dilutes the efficacy of the board," the members lamented while reissuing a letter addressed to the Ministry of Finance (at the highest level) requesting that they urge the officials concerned to do their best to attend all Policy Board meetings. Moreover, the policy board finalized the commission's performance evaluation for the year ending June 30, 2019. The board members discussed several matters pertaining to prima facie wrongful actions by various departments of the commission and issued appropriate policy directives to SECP in this regard.
T
MEIrYUM alI
HE government is on track to fulfilling all necessary conditions of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), State Bank of Pakistan Governor Dr Reza Baqir said on Saturday. He was speaking at the Financial Crime Summit, a conference organised in Karachi to discuss the way forward for Pakistan post-FATF. The governor sounded cautiously optimistic, saying foreign investors' confidence has been restored following government reforms. "Both the FATF and the IMF have been happy with the reforms Pakistan is implementing." Dr Baqir noted that the country's foreign exchange reserves have improved and that the people are moving towards savings.
He said the exchange rate is showing signs of recovery due to the corrective measures taken by the government. "As soon as economic conditions improve, the restrictions will ease," he added. The speakers and panellists on the occasion discussed some of the challenges pertaining to financial crime. They believed that most of those challenges come from implementing the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and creating a cultural change in organizations to actually abide by the restrictions imposed. On a slightly less positive note, Khalida Habib, the executive director of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), said the FATF situation was 'quite grave', and that the sensitisation of the banking sector is critical at this stage. She talked about the problems of terror financing in Pakistan, pointing to the
challenge of securing nearly 6-8 official border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan. She also shed light on the cultural difficulties in tracking financial crime, saying that charity in Pakistan is often misused for terror financing. "It is also hard to track Designated Non-Financial Business or Professions (DNFBPs), which includes real estate, law and accounting firms," she said. "A supervisory framework for those industries should be proposed in order to start creating a culture of compliance." HBL COO Sagheer Mufti spoke at length about trying to create a cultural overhaul within HBL, saying that compliance is not just the responsibility of the government. He also said that HBL initiated its upgrades in 2018 and has made significant progress to date. There was also a presentation about AML reg-
ulations globally, led by Liviu Chirita, from PricewaterhouseCoopers Czech Republic. AML transaction monitoring is difficult around the world, Chirita said, and requires considerable resources, is costly to implement, and there is very limited flexibility. Separately, the use of technology in helping monitor crime was also debated by some panelists. While some argued that artificial intelligence and fintech were key to spurring change in an industry, and would prove beneficial, others said they were buzzwords. Khalid Bhatti, the head of the AML division at the SBP, said that while the regulator will be open to new technology, institutions should also cultivate their own resources. Salman Akhtar, the CEO of Techlogix, said that the technology is not a silver bullet and that having people process technology is still critical.
FBR urged to restrict retailers from dealing with unregistered manufacturers LAHORE INP
The Friends of Economic and Business Reforms (FEBR) has once again appealed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to make it mandatory for retailers to purchase "only from sales tax registered persons" instead of binding the manufacturers to sell their products only to registered suppliers and retailers. "The condition of CNIC for retailers is adding tension among registered manufacturers, leading to a huge drop in their sales and grinding their business activities to a halt," FEBR President Kashif Anwar said in a letter to FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi. He reiterated his demand that the supplies shown by registered entities in their sales tax returns should be displayed automatically, as purchases are shown in the annual business income tax returns of those who are only registered
in income tax. This will complete the supply chain from sales tax registered suppliers to the income tax registered purchasers, he added. "With regard to purchases made by all retailers, suppliers, agents and others not registered in sales tax, we request that they may be enjoined to make purchases from sales tax registered persons because, in the case of sales tax registered persons, all purchases are automatically shown in Annex-A (Domestic Purchase Invoices) & Annex-B (Imports) to avail the benefits of input sales tax. Similarly, the purchases made by retailers, individuals and others not registered in sales tax must be automatically shown in their annual income tax returns against their NTNs," the FEBR president stated. The law has made it mandatory for every sales tax registered person, either manufacturer, importer, dealer, distributor, wholesaler or retailer, to mention
sales tax registration number, national tax number or CNIC on sales tax invoice above Rs50,000 to feed Annex-C (Domestic Sales Invoices) of sales tax return, which automatically verifies the particulars of buyers and compiles their records internally. If one does not provide NTN or CNIC, the proportionate input sales tax will be disallowed to the registered person. On the other hand, all purchases of sales tax registered persons either local or imported are updated automatically to avail the benefit of input tax in their sales tax return and no purchase entry can be manual. Anwar said the FEBR is not against documentation rather it propagates the benefits of becoming filer. But, he added, the condition of CNIC is creating problems for sales tax registered suppliers, and "it goes without saying that all the legal formalities are for those who are in the tax net and who are already
documented." He said that the condition of mentioning STRN, NTN or CNIC to avail the full amount of input tax is for sales tax registered suppliers. "But how the chain of supplies (from supplier to purchaser) will complete when the retailer would not mention those particular purchases in their business income tax return? There is no doubt that retailers submit their business income tax returns and do mention the figure of their annual purchases against their turnovers, but those purchase figures are not verifiable and have no supporting evidence in actual," he added. The FEBR president said that the retailers normally hesitate to get sales tax invoice from registered suppliers. Mostly, he added, there is no proof with retailers regarding the justification of their purchases which they mention in their annual business income tax returns.
China to target around 6pc growth in 2020, step up state spending BEIJING aGENCIES
China plans to set a lower economic growth target of around 6pc in 2020 from this year's 6-6.5pc, relying on increased state infrastructure spending to ward off a sharper slowdown, policy sources said. Chinese leaders are trying to support growth to limit job losses that could affect social stability, but are facing pressure to tackle debt risks caused by pump-priming policies. The proposed target, to be unveiled at China's annual parliamentary session in early March 2020, was endorsed by top leaders at the annual
closed-door Central Economic Work Conference this month, according to three sources with knowledge of the meeting's outcome. "We aim to keep next year's growth within a reasonable range, or around 6pc," said a source who requested anonymity. Top leaders pledged to keep economic policies stable while making them more effective to achieve growth targets in 2020, state media said on Thursday. Next year will be crucial for the ruling Communist Party to fulfil its goal of doubling gross domestic product (GDP) and incomes in the decade to 2020. Economic growth of nearly 6pc next
year could be enough to meet that goal given the economy is expected to expand about 6.2pc this year, policy insiders said. Officials at the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Finance were not immediately available for comment on Saturday. FISCAL BOOST: The government aims to boost infrastructure investment by allowing local governments to issue more special bonds next year, but there is less room for tax cuts, the sources said. The annual budget deficit could rise from this year's 2.8pc of GDP, but is likely to be kept within 3pc, they said. Local governments could be allowed
to issue special bonds worth some 3 trillion yuan ($426.20 billion) in 2020 to fund infrastructure projects, including 1 trillion yuan front-loaded to this year, they said. "Fiscal policy will provide a key support for the economy," said one source. The central bank is likely to ease policy further to encourage lending and lower corporate funding costs, but it wants to avoid fanning property speculation and inflation expectations after consumer inflation hit a near eight-year high in November, the sources said. Beijing has unveiled a raft of progrowth measures this year, cutting taxes and fees and letting localities issue 2.15
trillion yuan in special bonds, alongside cuts in reserve requirements and lending rates to boost credit. But top leaders have ruled out aggressive stimulus for fear of pushing up debt levels. A trade deal with the United States could ease pressure on Chinese exporters, but more policy steps are needed to underpin weak demand at home and abroad, policy insiders said. The United States and China cooled their trade war on Friday, announcing an agreement that reduces some US tariffs in exchange for what US officials said would be more Chinese purchases of American farm products and other goods.
CMYK
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Sunday, 15 December, 2019
The curious case of globe-trotting memes
H
The Tube
is real name is Juan Joya Borja, but he goes by El Risitas, which is his stage name. But in the Pashto-language internet - the Pashtuniverse, if you will - he is referred to as Laatain Mama. You see, the fellow appeared on a television interview in June 2007 on a spanish television show, clips of which were dubbed in other languages, by users who didn’t translate what Borja originally said but appropriated his rather unique style of laughing, described by The Guardian to sound like “a dolphin with a 20-a-day habit” to their own, original jokes. This iconic laughter gave him his name, in fact: El Risitas; The Giggles. in Pakistan, however, it were Pashtun jokesters who appropriated his content, specially in the 2013 elections, against the Awami National Party. it all started with a video of his, where the dubbed voice was recounting in Pashto how someone broke into his house at night. What did they take, asks the interviewer. They didn’t take anything; just left an ANP election ticket, followed by his original trademark laugh. A jibe at how no one thought ANP candidates were going to win. since then, this video has been dubbed over umpteen times, against the PPP, the League and, of late, the PTi. His name, however, remains Laatain Mama, named after the party’s long-lasting election symbol, the old-fashioned lamp. it is interesting how the video meme has travelled all the way from spain to the Pashtun belt in Pakistan. Though it has been appropriated all over the world, within Pakistan, it seems to only exist in the Pashtuniverse. Mysterious forces run this dynamic, something perhaps chaos theory mathematicians can weigh in on. in another instance of a meme format immediately blowing up in another part of the world suddenly, we have one single episode of the Moin Akhter-Anwar Maqsood starring Loose Talk. Now, one isn’t a
fan of Maqsood’s writing in general, and this particular episode, where the irrepressibly talented Moeen Akhtar is playing a harmonium player, isn’t all too special either. But for some reason, the episode has gone viral in neighbouring india, with countless memes evolving on this platform. Maqsood: Jab aap ko harmonium bajana nahi aata toh kyun bajatay hain? Akhtar: Iss liye kyunkey waalid jo thay, abba hamaray, woh yeh chhorr gaye. An example of a meme growing
El Risita, star of the Spanish, Arabic and Pashto-speaking world.
out of it: Maqsood: Jab party chalani nahi aati, toh chala kyun rahai hain? Rahul Gandhi’s head, photoshopped on to Akhtar’s body: Iss liye kyunkey waalid jo thay, abba hamaray, woh yeh chhorr gaye. A casual browse on the internet would reveal that almost all these meme pages are indian and as per the mysterious forces that govern the cultural spaces, it has taken off there, while being nigh completely forgotten here in Pakistan. ********
I
N pop culture, there is a phenomenon called by some as ‘Big in Japan.’ it refers to those strange instances where a particular band (though it could be a movie or television series) that isn’t all too successful in its home market but somehow becomes a smash hit elsewhere. No one can quite explain why each and every one of actor David Hasselhoff’s music albums have tanked in the Us but are platinum hits in Germany. There are other instances, however, where the popularity is
Norman Wisdom, ‘50s Hollywood comedy star, overshadowed David Beckham in 2001 in Albania.
relatively easy to explain. since Norman Wisdom was one of the very few western actors whose films were allowed to be seen in the then communist Albania, he was a massive star in the country. On a visit in 2001, which coincided with the England football team playing Albania in the city of Tirana, his appearance at the training ground overshadowed that of David Beckham! Other cases, like that of Harmonium Chacha, however, have no explanation. g
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
14 SPORTS
reCOrd buy SaNCheS keePS lille ON ChamPiONS league COurSe pArIS
r
Agencies
ENATO Sanches scored a spectacular late winner to give Lille a 2-1 victory over Montpellier on Friday as a fourth successive Ligue 1 triumph kept them on course for a return to the Champions League. Portuguese international and Euro 2016 winner Sanches, his club's most expensive buy when he signed for 20 million euros from Bayern Munich in the summer, struck the decisive goal in the 84th minute. "Sanches had his best game for us," said Lille coach Christophe Galtier. "He pulls off some magnificent moves, even if sometimes he tries them in areas that do not appeal too much to a coach! "But fans come to the stadium to see players like that." Jonathan Ikone opened the scoring for Lille from the penalty spot just before the half-time interval only for Andy Delort to level in the 74th minute from a rare Montpellier attack. Lille's Kenyan international Victor
Osimhen missed a last-minute penalty. Despite that, Lille were worthy winners
as they look to return to the Champions League next season after a miserable
campaign this time round which saw them lose five of six group games.
New ZealaNd ruNNiNg legeNd Peter SNell dieS aged 80 WELLINGTON Agencies
Mark Boucher set to be named South Africa's interim coach arsenal distances itself from midfielder Ozil's comments on China, uighurs SHANGHAI Agencies
English soccer club Arsenal tried on Saturday to distance itself from the comments of its star midfielder Mesut Ozil after he posted messages on Twitter and Instagram critical of China’s policies toward its Muslim Uighur minority. “The content he expressed is entirely Ozil’s personal opinion,” the official account of Arsenal Football Club said in a post on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform. “As a football club, Arsenal always adheres to the principle of not being involved in politics.” Ozil’s posts called Uighurs “warriors who resist persecution” and criticized both China’s crackdown and the silence of Muslims in response. “(In China) Qurans are burned, mosques were closed down, Islamic theological schools, madrasas were banned, religious scholars were killed one by one. Despite all this, Muslims stay quiet,” Ozil, who is a Muslim, said in his posts. The club’s Twitter account did not have a post addressing Ozil’s comments as of Saturday afternoon.
CApE TOWN Agencies
Mark Boucher, the former South Africa wicketkeeper and current Titans coach, will be unveiled as South Africa's interim coach by acting director of cricket Graeme Smith on Saturday. ESPNcricinfo has learnt that interim team director Enoch Nkwe will stay on and work with Boucher; a source said the pair is "keen to work together". The Boucher news comes two days after Smith was named director of cricket for three months. A key part of Smith's job was to appoint coaching staff for the men's national team as it prepares to take on England at the turn of the year. There was doubt over whether Nkwe, who was appointed in August, would stay on under Smith, but that question seems to be cleared up for now. It is also likely that former South Africa allrounder Jacques Kallis will be named batting coach in the near future. The involvement of former South Africa internationals will extend to the A side, where Ashwell Prince has accepted a role. Prince is also understood to be on a selection panel that will include Boucher, captain Faf du Plessis and former convenor of selectors Linda Zondi, who has been approached to work as an independent selector. This means CSA will not appoint a full-time convener just yet, as they had planned to do in the aftermath of the 2019 World Cup, when the tenure of Zondi and his panel came to an end. It is not yet known when the new panel will announce the squad to face England in a series that starts in under two weeks. Boucher was appointed Titans coach in August 2016 and is in his fourth season in charge there. In that time, the franchise has won one first-class trophy, two one-day cups and two T20 tournaments. They have also had Aiden Markram,
Lungi Ngidi, Heinrich Klaasen and Tabraiz Shamsi go on to gain international caps in that time. Boucher, a veteran of 147 Tests, 295 ODIs and 25 T20Is before an eye injury ended his career, will take over at a time of strife for South Africa on and off the field. South Africa have lost five Test matches in a row following a forgettable performance at the 2019 World Cup, CSA's CEO stands suspended over allegations of misconduct, and the board is under mounting pressure to revamp itself. The board has already seen four resignations - of three independent directors and one provincial president - and is set for more. Matters could come to a head on Monday, when an urgent sitting of the CSA board and Members' Council, which consists of the 14 provincial presidents, will take place ahead of the Mzansi Super League final in Paarl.
Dark skies in Chennai as India look to shake off ODI rust CHENNAI Agencies
It is common knowledge that Chennai gets a lot of rain in December. Yet, here we are trying to squeeze in an ODI, when two more T20Is would've brought in more context with the World Cup just around the corner. Ironical as it may be, we could well have a curtailed game veering towards the T20s if the weather, which forced India to call off their optional nets on Friday and West Indies on Saturday, continues to remain fickle. India have not played ODIs for a while. Their last 50-over series came in the Caribbean, well remembered for that audacious Virat Kohli shot, where he opened up the off-side and carved a short of length delivery on the up for six over extra cover while being off balance. It even had Sir Viv Richards admiring the shot in awe. If you don't remember the scoreline of
the series, though, or any other detail, well, you would be forgiven. West Indies have the benefit of having played a good amount of white-ball cricket on tour, even before the T20I series. They whitewashed Afghanistan 3-0 in the ODI series in Lucknow to begin Kieron Pollard's captaincy era on a promising note. So far, West Indies have made all the right noises, both in terms of their squad selection as well as administrative intent to become a formidable force once again. This ODI series is another opportunity to build forward. IN THE SPOTLIGHT: KL Rahul is in one day, out the next. He is opening one day, at No. 4 the next. There hasn't been much clarity about his role in the white-ball set up. With Shikhar Dhawan injured, this is Rahul's best chance to settle the debate by making big runs. It will be of massive help to him that he is coming into the series on the back of a Man-
of-the-Series-winning performance in the T20Is. He has been mistaken to be the son of Courtney Walsh, but if he bowled anywhere like he did in the Caribbean Premier League - where he picked up 22 wickets in nine games Hayden Walsh will likely carve an identity of his own. He cannot ask for better spin-friendly tracks than Chennai and Cuttack to make a splash. His three ODIs against Afghanistan didn't bring him a rich haul, but there were shades of promise. PITCH AND CONDITIONS: Rains for two days in the build-up to the ODI have forced the groundstaff to cover the pitch right through. There hasn't been much sunshine either. That said, the spinners won't mind bowling on what is traditionally a good deck for them. India made 281 in the previous ODI here, in September 2017, with Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav picking five Australian wickets in a truncated chase to win the game.
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New Zealand running great Peter Snell, a triple Olympic gold medallist, has died at the age of 80, sports historian Ron Palenski said on Saturday. Palenski, a close friend, said Snell's wife Miki had phoned him from their home in Dallas to tell him of the death. The couple were preparing to go shopping when "Peter nodded off, as is not unusual for him. But he didn't wake up," Palenski said. Snell, a protege of famed coach Arthur Lydiard, was the most dominant middledistance runner of his era. He won gold in the only three Olympic events he contested — the 800 metres at Rome in 1960 and the 800m and 1500m in Tokyo four years later — set world records for the mile and 800m and also won dual gold at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth. He was the first male athlete to win the 800m-1500m double at an Olympics since 1920, a feat that has not been achieved by any male since. Shell was voted New Zealand's "Sports Champion of the Century" and was one of 24 inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall Of Fame. "He is probably the greatest athlete New Zealand has had," Palenski told AFP. Snell had suffered heart problems for a few years and was unable to attend a recent dinner in Monaco for mile world record holders. "I even tried to go against my heart failure doctor's advice and showed up at the airport for my flight," he said in a message to the galaxy of mile stars who attended. "I felt that it was too risky to board an eight-hour flight given how poorly I was feeling at the time." After a relatively short athletics career, Snell retired in 1965 and moved to the United States where he gained a Bachelor of Science in human performance from the University of California, Davis, and then a PhD in exercise physiology from Washington State University.
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
SPORTS 15
TEA AUSTRALIA 1 FOR 75 (BURNS 32*, LABUSCHAGNE 18*) AND 416 (LABUSCHAGNE 143, HEAD 56, WAGNER 4-92, SOUTHEE 4-93) LEAD NEW ZEALAND 166 (TAYLOR 80, STARC 5-52) BY 325 RUNS
JOe burNS buildS Steadily aS auStralia PuSh lead abOve 300
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Mitchell Starc five-for. A lead of 325 runs. Australia had plenty going their way on the third day in Perth. New Zealand, meanwhile, braced themselves to fight against the current and they stuck to that task too, even getting the bonus wicket of David Warner, but they didn't help themselves when the Marn who set this game up, gave them a chance on 4 and they dropped it. Marnus Labuschagne chose to drag a Neil Wagner bouncer from way outside off stump and completely miscued his pull shot. Colin de Grandhomme, who was at square leg, tracked back well enough and got both hands to the ball while in the middle of a dive but he just couldn't hold onto it. For the next several moments, de Grandhomme just lay there on the ground, face down, contemplating what could have been. That reprieve allowed Australia to go to tea on 1 for 75 with Joe Burns on 32 off 74 and Labuschange on 18. Batting is starting to look a little more complicated - even in broad daylight with the pitch having deteriorated enough to bring uneven bounce into play. Warner had one scuttling underneath his bat when Tim Southee went cross-seam and hit a crack, while Burns found that even de Grandhomme's gentle medium pace had enough kick to jump up and hit the splice of his bat. New Zealand have to bat last in this Test match and the signs are not looking good.
Warner negotiated the challenge for long enough to pass 7000 Test runs, overtaking Don Bradman, but after playing an innings characterised by great restraint and good judgment of line and length - 19 off 63 balls - he went for a pull shot when he had absolutely no room for it and was caught at mid-on. Labuschagne's wicket on the back of that could have been a huge boost for a team that is focused and giving it their all to stay in the game but it didn't quite work out that way. The game has so far highlighted the difference between the two bowling attacks. Both of them had a man go down but Australia have that little bit of extra pace and it has made enough difference. Starc wrapped up his 13th five-wicket
haul - his seventh at home - to dismiss New Zealand for 166 and secure a lead of 250 in the first session. That gave Australia the chance to enforce the follow-on but it was hardly ever a realistic option with Josh Hazlewood out of the game with a hamstring strain. The ease with which Tim Paine and his men managed that - an injury to one of their best weapons to a pink ball - was remarkable. Of course, it must have helped that they had 416 runs in the bank and the batsmen they were targeting already had been in the field for nearly 150 overs. Starc's fifth wicket was a bit of an event though. He looked to have bounced Colin de Grandhomme out - umpire Aleem Dar certainly thought so - but
when the batsman took the option of DRS, replays seemed to indicate the ball might have just gone off the helmet on its way to Steven Smith at second slip. HotSpot couldn't catch the ball that high up. Snicko showed a flat line but the ball and glove were so close as they passed each other that third umpire Marais Erasmus felt the evidence he had wasn't conclusive enough to overrule the on-field call. Pretty much the same thing happened when it was de Grandhomme bowling and seemed to have knocked out Warner with a bouncer, but umpire Dar didn't give it out on-field and replays indicated the ball had bounced off the batsman's shoulder and into second slip's grasp. It tells a great deal of the faith Aus-
tralia have in their fast bowlers that they went out to the field on Saturday and immediately settled into a short-ball plan. Starc and Pat Cummins were the only ones left standing. The heat was in the 40C range again. New Zealand were already five down, but their lower-order rarely ups and folds like a deck chair. There was a chance it could have gone all wrong, that the two big quicks would be bowled into the ground and Ross Taylor, who was well past fifty, could have marshalled the resources he had left to some semblance of safety. But what really happened was, after swaying out of the way of a ball that was coming for his nose, BJ Watling was slow to get in line with the follow-up delivery and was bowled. A man who had come into this game with Test scores of 77, 105*, 205 and 55 had been onetwoed by Cummins' ruthless precision. He has 52 wickets this year, 14 more than his nearest rival. Taylor took on the short ball with varied degrees of success - some zipped past him while others zipped to the boundary - but his biggest test came at the hands of Nathan Lyon. The offspinner's first over included a ball that skipped through the gap between bat and pad and nearly bowled Taylor. Ever since then, he began to look unsure of his scoring options because he was unsure how much the ball will spin. Eventually, a beautifully tossed up offbreak took Taylor's outside edge as he played inside the line and he was caught for an otherwise flawless 80. Lockie Ferguson, who has already been ruled out of bowling in this Test match, came out at No. 11 to try and extend New Zealand's innings but even that brave, last-ditch effort from New Zealand didn't quite go the way they would have wanted it to.
I was mentally and physically ruined: Glenn Maxwell SydNEy Agencies
Glenn Maxwell has admitted he was suffering the effects of "four or five years" of near constant travel until his partner Vini helped convince him to step off the international treadmill for a mental health break in October, and has resolved to be more careful about how he plans his schedule in the future. The start of the Big Bash League and his role as captain of the Melbourne Stars always loomed as a likely moment for Maxwell to return to cricket, though he has been around the Victorian set-up for several weeks now and made himself available for the state's final Sheffield Shield game before going on Twenty20 hiatus. But he is a much fresher and wiser man for the time away from the game, having re-acquainted himself with home, family and life not lived out of a suitcase. That had been Maxwell's lot for most of the past five years, culminating in close to eight months of continuous travel this year as a key component of Australia's white ball teams, plus stints with Lancashire in English county competition and the beginning of the domestic season for Victoria. When he finally did elect to step back, following the start of Australia's T20 series against Sri Lanka, Maxwell was described as "not enjoying his cricket" by the national coach Justin Langer, and he spoke to the likes of Moises Henriques, Australia's team psychologist Michael Lloyd and the noted sports psychiatrist Ranjit Menon on his way back to a better balance. "I was pretty cooked when I decided to take the time off," Maxwell said. "Big reason why I did take that time away is I was pretty mentally and physically ruined. "It was actually my partner who suggested I speak to someone, she was the first one who noticed it, so I should probably thank her as well. Once I had that initial conversation it was a big weight off my shoulders. My girlfriend was probably No. 1, it wasn't an easy job for her to deal with me going through my mood swings
for the first few weeks, but Michael Lloyd was the guy I had the initial conversation with, he's been someone who I've confided in since back in the academy days, so I've known him for well over a decade now." It's clear that Maxwell had looked upon 2019 as a year of much opportunity, but after the World Cup ended in a semi-final appearance and he found himself playing for Lancashire and watching the Ashes rather than playing in them, he is mindful of managing his playing commitments and his self-expectations a little more carefully over the remainder of a career that, at the age of 31, may still have his very best days ahead of him. "I did put a bit of pressure on myself to try and play as much as I could this year and, rightly or wrongly, I didn't come out of it the way I thought I was going to. I'll have a look at that next year," Maxwell said. "A holiday was actually spending time at home. I spent as much time at home as I could with friends and family. I tried to stay fit, and I still watched a fair bit of
cricket over that time, but pretty exciting to get going now. As for his return to the game, Maxwell has clearly enjoyed being back with the Stars, now coached by his former state teammate David Hussey, an environment in which the allrounder described as "home" for him. "It probably took a bit longer than I thought it was going to take, it was an interesting six weeks, away from the game and there was probably times I thought I was going to come back earlier," Maxwell said. "Once I got back into club cricket, the cycle started to feel a bit more normal again and I feel like I'm back at home. "I've been getting back in the swing of things for a while, I've been around the Vics change rooms for the last two or three weeks now, so I've sort of been floating around and watching a few of the one dayers and just trying to get back into the change room atmosphere again. Coming back here with the Stars feels like home again, a new coach, a bit of familiarity as an ex-player, but it's a great change room to be a part of, it's very welcoming."
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Fourth day's play called off in historic Pakistan test rAWALpINdI Agencies
A scintillating onslaught from the weather overnight proved yet again to be the definitive performance in the Rawalpindi Test, which did not see a single ball bowled on day four before play was called off at noon. Frigid showers have been in outstanding form right through this Test, and the force with which they imposed themselves on a hapless outfield ensured that the turf was too sodden for play. The covers also showed signs of having endured a battering, with vast pools of water laying atop them in the morning. The groundstaff cleared some of the water off them over the course of several hours, but this merely made an inevitable result look a little closer than it was. There was just no beating the weather in this mood. Both the Pakistan and Sri Lanka teams remained in their hotel in Islamabad. Sri Lanka had won the toss and opted to bat on the first day, but play was called off after 68.1 overs due to bad light. Only 18.2 overs were possible on day two and 5.2 on the third. Sri Lanka were 282-6 in their first innings with Dhananjaya de Silva unbeaten on 87 and Dilruwan Perera not out on six. For Pakistan, 16-year-old pacer Naseem Shah (2-83) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-58) were the stand-out bowlers. There is a clear forecast for Sunday but with so many overs lost over the four days, there is little chance of a result in the match. The second Test is in Karachi from December 19. The Test is the first in Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus killed eight people in March 2009, leading to the suspension of international cricket in the country as foreign teams refused to visit over security fears.
Sunday, 15 December, 2019
NEWS
MUSHArrAf ASkS LHC to StAy HIgH trEASon CASE FORMER MILITARY DICTATOR ASKS COURT TO STAY PROCEEDINGS TILL ADJUDICATION OF HIS EARLIER PLEA
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ORMER president and military dictator Pervez Musharraf, who is facing a high treason case for abrogating constitution, has approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking a stay in the case being heard by the special court. The plea filed by Musharraf, through advocate Azhar Siddique, stated that the appointment of a prosecution team and the constitution of a special court were illegal and in violation of Article 90 and 91 of the constitution. The application has also sought complete trial record of the
special court. The petition also asked the court to stay the trail at the special court until Musharraf’s earlier petition pending adjudication by the LHC is decided. The application will be heard by LHC’s Justice Syed Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi on Monday. In his main writ petition filed in the LHC earlier, the former president had sought a stay on treason case trial being conducted against him until he recuperated and appeared before the court. According to Article 6, any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force
or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason. On Dec 6, the special court constituted for the trial of Musharraf over high treason charges said that it would announce the verdict in the case on December 17. A three-member bench headed by Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth and comprising Justice Shahid Kareem and Justice Nazeer Akbar heard the case on Thursday and said they would announce the verdict after hearing arguments of the new prosecution team formed by the government. On November 27, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had stopped the special court from issuing the verdict it had earlier reserved in the said case. In its decision, the IHC had ruled that its order of stopping the special court from announcing its verdict was binding on the special court bench regardless of the fact that it comprises three high court judges. Additionally, the high court had directed the government to notify a new prosecution team by December 5 as the government on October 24 had sacked the entire legal team engaged by the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government to prosecute the case. THE CASE: The high treason trial of the former military dictator for imposing a state of emergency on November 3, 2007, has been pending since December 2013. He was booked in the case in December 2013. Musharraf was indicted on March 31, 2014, and the prosecution had tabled the entire evidence before the special court in September the same year. However, due to litigation at appellate forums, the trial of the former military dictator lingered on and he left Pakistan in March 2016. In September this year, a special court bench had decided to conduct the trial on a daily basis from October 8 to conclude the case.
Nine Afghan forces killed in Taliban insider attack: official kABUL agencieS
Abu Dhabi CP, Bajwa discuss Pak-UAE cooperation News Desk Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa met on Saturday to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries. According to the UAE embassy in Pakistan’s official Twitter account, the army chief was received by the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The UAE embassy’s account tweeted: “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Supreme Commander of the #UAE Armed Forces, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, receives General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Chief of the #Pakistani Army, and discusses with him the ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries.”
The Taliban have killed nine Afghan soldiers in an insider attack in central Afghanistan, the military said on Saturday, underscoring the dangers Afghan forces face from within their own ranks. The Afghan National Army troops “were martyred by Taliban terrorists in Qarabagh district of Ghazni province” on Friday night, the Afghan defence ministry said on Twitter. Defence ministry spokesman Fawad Aman later told AFP the troops had been killed by Taliban infiltrators. Such attacks, sometimes referred to as “green on green,” are a constant threat in the war-torn country for international and Afghan forces alike. Aman denied a report from a member of Ghazni’s provincial council that 23 Afghan security forces had been killed. The Taliban, meanwhile, claimed they had overrun an “enemy base” in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province and killed dozens of security forces.
Friday’s attack underscores the ongoing dangers Afghan and allied forces face from Taliban fighters pretending to be loyal to the government. On July 29, an Afghan soldier killed two US troops as they were visiting an Afghan army base in Kandahar. That came two weeks after another Afghan soldier shot and killed an influential Afghan army colonel while he was conducting a security assessment in Ghazni province. The continued violence comes as the US and the Taliban hold onagain, off-again talks aimed at ending America’s longest war.
Imran in Saudi Arabia for 'official business' ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday arrived in Saudi Arabia on a one-day visit. According to a statement on Twitter by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the prime minister landed in Madina and will pay his respects at the Holy Prophet’s grave and offer nawafil in Masjid-e-Nabvi. Afterward, he will depart for Riyadh “on official business”. PM Imran was received by Madina Deputy Governor Prince Saud Bin Khalid Al-Faisal and prior to that in Jeddah by Pakistan’s Consul General Khalid Majeed. Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood is accompanying the premier. According to a press release of Prime Minister Office media press wing, during his one-day stay, he would hold meetings with the Saudi leadership. The discussions between the two sides would cover bilateral matters and recent developments in the regional context. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had visited Saudi Arabia. Speaking to reporters in Multan on Friday, Qureshi said he met with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud during his visit and informed him about the situation in occupied Kashmir. Staff RepoRt
IHC Bar Association suspends membership of 60 lawyers for avoiding strike call ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) has suspended the membership of 60 lawyers for not responding to a strike called by the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and the Islamabad Bar Council (IBC). The IHCBA had decided to partake in the strike being observed by lawyers across the country by boycotting an oath-taking ceremony of new judges at the high court after IHC chief justice Athar Minallah suspended the “practicing license” of IHCBA Secretary Umair Baloch. In a letter addressed to IBC Vice-Chairman Haroon Rasheed, IHCBA Joint Secretary Waqar Ahmed Gondal stated, “Despite strike notice issued by the Pakistan Bar Council as well as Islamabad Bar Council, the following lawyers have disobeyed the directions issued by your good office, therefore, their membership of Islamabad High Court Bar Association is suspended forthwith. “[…] And this reference is forwarded for necessary disciplinary action, as your good self has already announced [an] order of the suspension of their respective licenses to practice for one month,” the letter added, in an apparent reference to a speech by Rashid in which he said that the licenses of the lawyers who did not observe the strike would be suspended. On Friday, lawyers across the country boycotted courts in protest of the registration of cases against the lawyers arrested for storming in and vandalizing the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) earlier this week. A notification issued by the PBC after the incident said the protest was “against partial and biased conduct of the local police and the administration of Lahore against the lawyers as well as action taken by the Islamabad High Court against the secretary-general, Islamabad High Court Bar Association”. On Thursday, the high court had served a notice to IHCBA Secretary Umair Baloch for “professional misconduct and contempt” as he was reportedly forcing lawyers not to appear before judges as the high court’s bar association was observing a strike against alleged offenses against the legal fraternity in Lahore a day earlier. The court also suspended Baloch’s license “to practice before IHC” until the next hearing, which will be held on December 19. It is worth mentioning here that at least three patients lost their lives and several others were injured after a mob of disgruntled lawyers stormed PIC, ransacked the hospital wards and operation theatres and tortured the staff and visitors. Staff RepoRt
US, UK warn on travel to NE India after clashes LoNDoN agencieS
Washington and London issued travel warnings for northeast India as opponents of a new citizenship law geared up for more protests Saturday, following days of clashes that saw two people killed and dozens injured. Many in the far-flung, resource-rich region fear the new legislation will grant citizenship to large numbers of immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh, who they accuse of stealing jobs and diluting the region’s cultural identity. No major incidents were reported overnight in Guwahati in Assam state, the epicentre of the protests, where two were shot dead and 26 hospitalised this week after security forces fired blank and live rounds, medical staff said. The funeral procession of 18-year-old Sam Stafford, who was killed in the firing, took place on Friday and was at-
tended by hundreds of angry and distraught mourners who shouted “Long live Assam” in Dispur, the state capital adjoining Guwahati. “We were watching news all day on TV about the protests when my nephew left home in the evening. We asked him not to go but he went with his friends,” the student’s aunt Julie Stafford told AFP. Authorities announced a curfew in place in Guwahati would be lifted from 9am to 4pm Saturday. But some protest groups said they planned to defy the curfew with more demonstrations planned for the afternoon and evening. Samujjal Bhattacharya from the All Assam Students Union, which has been at the forefront of the protests, told AFP the group would continue its fight against the new law “in the streets and in the court”. ‘ExErCISE CAuTIon’: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe postponed a summit that had reportedly been due to be held in
Guwahati from Sunday, and the United States and Britain warned their nationals to “exercise caution” if travelling to the wider northeast region. Other smaller protests against the new law erupted elsewhere around India Friday, with riot police clashing with hundreds of mostly student protestors in New Delhi and demonstrators setting fire to buildings at a railway station in West Bengal, officials said. Rallies were also held in Kerala and Karnataka in the south as well as in Modi’s home state Gujarat in the west. The Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) — approved this week — allows for the fast-tracking of applications from religious minorities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, but not Muslims. For Islamic groups, the opposition and rights organisations, it is part of Modi’s “Hindutva” Hindu nationalist agenda to marginalise India’s 200 million Muslims. Modi denies this and says that
Muslims from the three countries are not covered by the legislation because they have no need of India’s protection. The passage of the bill sparked angry scenes in both houses of parliament this week, with one lawmaker likening it to
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk
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anti-Jewish legislation by the Nazis in 1930s Germany. The chief ministers of several Indian states — West Bengal, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — have said they will not implement the law.