E-Paper PDF 15th February 2020 (KHI)

CMYK

Saturday, 15 February, 2020 I 20 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 17.00 I Vol X No 227 I 16 Pages I Karachi Edition

Turkey ready To join CPeC ProjeCTs, erdogan says g

TuRkIsH PResIdenT cAlls FOR ‘quIcklY IncReAsIng’ PAk-TuRk TRAde TO $1Bn And gRAduAllY RAIsIng IT TO $5Bn

ISLAMABAD staff report

T

uRkIsH President Recep Tayyip erdogan on Friday said that his country is ready to work on china-Pakistan economic corridor (cPec) projects, adding that the initiative should be “better explained to Turkish entrepreneurs”. speaking at the Pakistan-Turkey Business and Investment Forum alongside Prime Minister Imran khan, erdogan, seemingly referring to cPec, said: “Turkey is not given the same opportunities that are offered to some other countries.”

The Turkish president began his speech by thanking Pakistan for being “wonderful hosts” on his two-day trip. Recounting his official engagements, erdogan said that on Thursday he had met President Arif Alvi and, today, also had the opportunity to address a joint session of Parliament.

“Hopefully we’ll open the door for new businesses. we wish to raise the level of Pakistan and Turkey’s business relations to the level of our political relations,” he said. “currently, our trade is only $800 million which is not acceptable for us. Our mutual population is over 300 million. Therefore,

g

PM IMRAn PROMIses TO FullY FAcIlITATe TuRkIsH BusIness cOMMunITY In jOInT venTuRes wITH PAkIsTAnI cOMPAnIes

we have to bring our trade to the level we deserve,” he maintained, adding that we cannot allow protectionism to hinder bilateral trade. “so we should quickly increase our bilateral trade to $1 billion, and then bring it up to $5 billion. we cannot obtain these objectives only through good will, we have to take determined, clear, and strong steps towards our common objectives.”

In Turkey we have 158 companies with Pakistani capital […] we would like to see more such companies, he said. currently, we have a model in place for offering Turkish citizenship to investors under certain conditions, he added.

“I invite my Pakistani brethren to have confidence in the Turkish economy, we are among the world’s top 20 economies.

“Turkey had a public debt of 72 per cent which we brought down to 30pc. despite all the attacks, the economic espionage and the regional situation we continued to grow,” he said, stressing on the country’s banking sector and tourism industry. “we see that Pakistan is taking important steps in facilitating businesses and providing a conducive environment [for them] under the leadership of my brother Imran.

we are aware that Pakistan offers a lot of opportunities. “we have companies of international renown in the fields of defence, transportation, housing, healthcare, and construction,” he stated.

Talking about Turkish serials and dramas which are popular in the country, he said: “Turkish serials that are followed by millions of people abroad are being followed by Pakistanis too, so we should also venture into filmmaking.”

“I have heard that Pakistanis trust western healthcare more, we have to change that.”

Turkey is far more advanced than other western countries, with the latest medical advancements and healthcare, he said. “with our support, and with the efforts of the business community, our economic-social relations will receive the respect it deserves.”

‘PAKISTAN TO SUPPORT TURKISH BUSINESSES’: commenting on Turkish president’s address at the joint session of Parliament earlier in the day, the prime minister said that he [erdogan] can win the next election in Pakistan.

“I saw the treasury benches thumping their desks as well as the opposition benches,” he said, stressing that the current government will do everything to boost business between the two countries.

In order to achieve this, we need the support of the business community in Pakistan, he added.

“Pakistan can learn a lot from Turkey’s tourism industry. Pakistan has untapped potential in terms of tourism but we lack the necessary infrastructure,” he said, adding that Pakistan has been recognised as an ideal tourist destination by several publications.

Inviting Turkey to invest in the country, the premier stated that, under his leadership, Pakistan jumped 28 spots on the world Bank’s ease of doing Business index. He also assured to fully facilitate the Turkish business community in their joint ventures with Pakistani companies.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 05

Turkey to stand by Pakistan, Erdogan vows

Pakistan has achieved all economic goals, IMF says Budget deficit reaches Rs994.7bn in 1HFY20 STORIES ON PAGES 03 & 12

Imran wants Fazl tried for treason for ‘conspiring’ against PTI govt STORY ON PAGE 02

Opp senators criticise govt's bid to control social media

STORY ON PAGE 03

India to offer 6,000 acres in held Kashmir to investors

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the joint session of parliament before concluding his two-day visit.

Pakistan and Turkey eye FTA, sign strategic framework STORIES ON BACK PAGE & 12 CMYK

STORY ON BACK PAGE

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

02 NEWS

Imran wants Fazl trIed For treason For ‘conspIrIng’ agaInst ptI govt ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

p

rime minister imran Khan on Friday said that Jamiat Ulema-eislam-Fazl (JUi-F) chief maulana Fazlur rehman should be tried for

treason for demanding the ouster of the Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) government. “there should be a case under Article 6 against maulana Fazl for his statement regarding the ousting of the government,” imran said during an informal con-

versation with journalists. earlier this week, Fazl said that he had ended his Azadi sit-in because he had been given assurances that Prime minister imran will step down and elections will be held in three months. the JUi-F had staged a 13-day (from nov 1 to 13, 2019) sitin on Kashmir road in islamabad that came to an abrupt end as the party chief announced going for Plan B, blocking various major roads across the country.

Fazl did not say where the assurance came from, and analysts are of the view that throughout the JUi-F protest and dharna there was no indication that the Pti government was vulnerable or it may agree to the JUiF’s demand for re-elections. the premier, in his conversation, also commented on the countrywide shortage of wheat and sugar and revealed that there has been an investigation in the matter. “the names of Jahangir tareen and Khusro Bakhtiar did not crop up in the initial investigation,” he said.

“Let’s see how the opposition reacts to this.” the premier added that the initial report was incomplete and has been sent back with 20 questions, promising that the findings of the investigation will be disclosed before the public.

Prime minister imran said a proper mechanism was being put in place to ensure an adequate early warning system for detecting shortage of essential food items and no recurrence of price hike in future.

Opposition lawmakers have repeatedly demanded that senior Pti leaders tareen and Bakhtiar be probed for the recent sugar crisis as they own mills.

Court exempts Nawaz from appearing in CSM case on medical grounds LAHORE: An accountability court on Friday accepted former prime minister nawaz sharif’s petition seeking exemption from appearing before the court in Chaudhry sugar mills(Csm) case on medical grounds. While talking to media at accountability court premises, lawyer of the depose premier, Amjad Pervaiz said that a new medical certificate had been submitted to the court. “nawaz sharif is under clinical supervision,” the counsel said while stating the medical certificate provided by nawaz’s consultant in London Dr Laweance. “He [nawaz] will undergo a medical examination which is scheduled to take place in the last week of February.” the lawyer said that in light of the scheduled procedures, the doctor believes that nawaz is not fit to travel to Pakistan. STAFF REPORT

CMYK

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

NEWS

paKIstan has achIeved all economIc goals, ImF says ISLAMABAD

t

STAFF REPORT

He international monetary Fund (imF) on Friday announced that Pakistan has achieved all of its economic goals in terms of performance, as it concluded its 10-day talks with the government.

“Considerable progress has been made in the last few months in advancing reforms and continuing with sound economic policies,” the global financial body said. the imF further noted in its statement that “all end-December performance criteria were met and structural benchmarks have been completed” and in terms of performance, Pakistan achieved all economic targets. “steadfast progress on program implementation will pave the way for the imF executive Board’s consideration of the review,” it said, adding that “development and social spending have been accelerated” through programme implementation.

the imF mission led by ernesto ramirez rigo visited islamabad during February 3-13 to initiate discussions on the second review of the authorities’ economic reform programme supported under the extended Fund Facility (eFF) arrangement. At the conclusion of the visit, rigo said that the imF team had “constructive and productive discussions with the Pakistani authorities and commended them on the considerable progress made during the last few months in advancing reforms and continuing with sound economic policies”. “the mission and the authorities made significant progress in the discussions on policies and reforms,” the statement quoting rigo said. “the macroeconomic outlook remains broadly as expected at the time of the first review. economic activity has stabilized and remains on the path of gradual recovery. the current account deficit has declined, helped by the real exchange rate that is now broadly in line with fundamentals, while international reserves continue to rebuild at

Indian firing along loc injures teenager RAWALPINDI: A 13-year-old girl received injuries after the indian forces resorted to unprovoked and indiscriminate firing along the Line of Control’s (LoC) nezapir and rakhchikri sectors, the inter-services Public relations (isPr) said in a statement on Friday. the mortar attack at Fatehpur and adjacent villages left a 13-year-old girl injured, the military’s media wing said, adding that the victim had been shifted to a nearby medical facility for treatment. the isPr reiterated that the indians were deliberately targeting the civilian population. STAFF REPORT

pakistan appreciates turkish support on Kashmir issue: Firdous ISLAMABAD: special Assistant to Prime minister on information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said Pakistan government and the people highly appreciated unflinching turkish support for Kashmir cause. talking to media outside Parliament house, she said that turkish President has helped Prime minister imran Khan in highlighting the longstanding Kashmir issue at international forums. she said Ankara has always supported islamabad in difficult times and it has strengthened Pakistan’s narrative at the international fora including Organisation of islamic Cooperation and United nations. she said that playing role of a brother, turkey always helped in protecting Pakistan’s interests. she said now these decades-old brotherly bilateral relations have been transformed into strategic partnership. she said now the focus was on further expanding economic and trade partnership for the benefit of the generations to come. she said that turkey would help Pakistan in transfer of technology. she said that arrival of turkish First Lady Amina erdogan along with President erdogan would encourage Pakistani women to come forward and play their role in nation building process. earlier talking to PtV, she said that Pakistan and turkey enjoyed time-tested brotherly relations based on shared religious and cultural values. she said that Pakistan Prime minister imran Khan has taken the initiative of promoting peace in the region and islamic world and turkey cooperation in this regard would be effective and meaningful. STAFF REPORT

a pace considerably faster than anticipated,” the statement said. it added that “inflation should start to see a declining trend as the passthrough of exchange rate depreciation has been absorbed and supply-side constraints appear to be temporary”.

According to the statement, “Fiscal performance in the first half of the fiscal year remained strong, with the general government registering a primary surplus of 0.7 percent of GDP on the back of strong domestic tax revenue growth.

Development and social spending have been accelerated.” meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Finance Division said that the imF mission expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far. “All end-December performance criteria were met, and structural benchmarks have been completed,” he commented on the conclusion of the talks. the talks were concluded with a complete understanding and progress in all areas was noted. the imF Board in all likelihood will approve the recommendations of the review team.

cpJ hits out at govt on new social media measures

the imF had asked Pakistan to approve a law pertaining to state Bank of Pakistan’s autonomy. in addition to this, they also asked the ministry of energy to make an amendment in the nepra act.

Besides this, the imF mission had reduced the FBr’s annual target to rs5,238 billion. the imF was upset with the tax department’s performance for merely collecting rs2,098bn in the first six months of the financial year. moreover, the mission also asked Pakistan to increase the gas and electricity prices; however, the government did not increase the tariffs even though a summary seeking an increase in the gas prices was tabled in the eCC meeting three times over the past month. earlier it was reported that the financial body has asked Pakistan “to reduce its trade and commerce reliance on Beijing” and look for other international options by signing free trade agreements (FtAs) with other countries as well, bringing a new challenge as islamabad was not prepared to even reconsider this position.

Opp senators criticise govt's bid to control social media ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

senators belonging to the opposition parties on Friday criticised the Pakistan tehreek-e-insaf (Pti) government for announcing the new social media policy by bypassing the parliament in drafting the rules. raising the matter in the House, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator rubina Khalid said that the government had assured the opposition that the new rules regarding digital media would be brought before the senate committee but it did not keep its promise. “the ministry had promised that the committee would be made aware of the new rules before they were taken to the federal cabinet but that did not happen,” she said, adding that a notice should be taken of the matter and protest should be registered against the rules.

Pakhtunkhwa milli Awami Party senator Usman Khan Kakar opposed the government’s move to con-

trol social media, saying that people are not being allowed to use social media freely in the country.

“We do not accept this law of the jungle,” he said, adding that journalists are being “restricted” and some have even been kidnapped or murdered. the government on Wednesday approved a controversial new policy for regulating digital media.

Under the new rules, social media companies will be required to submit information such as subscriber information, traffic data and content data to a designated investigation agency when sought, failing which they can be fined up to rs500 million. the social media companies will also be required to establish an office in islamabad within the next three months and appoint a focal person. As per the rules, the social media platforms will also have to remove any content deemed “unlawful” and pointed out to them through writing or electronically-signed email within 24 hours or in cases of emergency, within six hours.

Senate passes six govt bills, suspends question hour ISLAMABAD APP

the Upper House of Parliament on Friday passed a motion to suspend question hour and passed six government bills after presentation of reports of relevant standing Committees on them. minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan swati tabled five government bills in the House which included the Legal Aid and Justice Authority Bill, 2020; the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2019; the enforcement of Women’s Property rights Bill, 2020; the superior Courts (Court Dress and mode of Address) Order (repeal) Bill, 2020 and the Banks (nationalization) (Amendment) Bill, 2020. the House unanimously passed these bills after voice voting. earlier Chairman

standing Committee on Law and Justice muhammad Javed Abbasi presented reports on four bills including the Legal Aid and Justice Authority Bill, 2020; the Code of Civil Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2019; the enforcement of Women’s Property rights Bill, 2020; the superior Courts (Court Dress and mode of Address) Order (repeal) Bill, 2020.

Leader of the House shibli Faraz tabled the Geographical indications (registration and Protection) Bill, 2019 as reported by the standing Committee. this legislative proposal was also passed by the House.

On behalf of Chairman standing Committee on Finance, revenue and economic Affairs, a member of the Committee senator sherry rehman presented report on the Banks (nationalization) (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

03

ISLAMABAD: Committee to Protect Journalists’ (CPJ) criticised the Pakistani government on the new regulatory measures targeting social media platforms in Pakistan where the media have been subjected to growing censorship and pressure following the election of Prime minister imran Khan in 2018. According to a draft of the law seen by AFP, the new measures announced earlier this week would pave the way for allowing Pakistani authorities to ask for the removal of content, disable encryption, and demand companies open offices and host data centres inside the country. “these stringent but vague rules approved by Pakistan’s federal cabinet threaten the ability of journalists to report the news and communicate with their sources,” said steven Butler, Committee to Protect Journalists’ Asia programme coordinator. “the cabinet should immediately reverse course and seek broad consultations with legislators and civil society, including the media, on how to proceed with any such regulations.” Pakistan’s science and technology ministry Fawad Chaudhry defended the measures. AGENCIES

‘social media regulation will curb political dissent’ LAHORE: the HrCP has expressed deep concern over the government’s decision to regulate social media platforms. “such a move – which has been made without consulting civil society stakeholders – has no credible justification,” HrCP Chairperson Dr mehdi Hassan said in a press statement.

Dr Hassan stated that while the government has said that these rules are intended to prohibit ‘unlawful’ online content, HrCP is concerned that they will enable the designated authorities to control freedom of expression and opinion in the guise of protecting ‘religious, cultural, ethnic and national security sensitivities’. “such broad parameters could well be used to justify removing online content deemed critical of state policies or to access unencrypted user data, making ordinary users vulnerable to the misuse of personal data. Political dissent will be the first to suffer,” the press release said. the rights watchdog said that the print and broadcast media are already being subjected to implicit censorship, therefore instituting such stringent rules will contract the space that exists for citizens to access information that the mainstream media does not, or cannot, provide. STAFF REPORT

Senators demand report on flour, sugar crisis ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

senate Chairman sadiq sanjrani on Friday announced that the upper house will hold a debate on monday on rising inflation and increase in prices of the basic commodities in the country. Leader of the Opposition senator raja Zafarul Haq asked the chairman to keep the rising commodities’ prices issue on top of the agenda. He also demanded presentation of the report prepared by the Federal investigation Agency (FiA) on the sugar crisis. “Before any debate, the report on sugar and flour crisis should be tabled before the parliament,” the PmL-n leader said. the senate chairman, while accepting his request, directed minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali muhammad Khan to submit the inquiry report by monday. He also summoned a report from the senate’s house committee on the sugar and flour crisis in the country. On February 11, Federal minister for maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi said a commission formed to investigate into flour crisis will expose and take strict action against mafia involved in creating the menace across the country.

04 KARACHI

Saturday, 15 February 2020

WEATHER UPDATES SATURDAY

300C 150C

SUNDAY

280C 140C

MONDAY

310C 160C

TUESDAY

320C 140C

OPP lEAdEr wAntS ArrESt Of GOvt OffICIAlS bEfOrE KCr dEmOlItIOnS KARACHI

O

STAFF REPORT

PPOSITION Leader in Sindh Assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi has opposed the demolition of the residential units coming in the way of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and said that in no way the project could be made functional within three months.

“The officials have assured the apex court to initiate the project within three months, however after my meeting with the deputy superintendent Railways, it is evident that there is no possibility of making KCR project functional in the pre-

scribed time,” he said.

He vehemently rejected the idea of demolishing housing units on the KCR land without providing alternate housing facility to the affectees.

Naqvi said that as per the apex court directives the demolitions could only be made after making arrangements for the alternate housing facility.

“Years have passed by but not a single initiative has been taken to provide alternatives to the affectees who were unaware of the illegality of the land at the time of purchasing,” he said.

He further demanded of the authorities to arrest the railways and building authority officials whose nexus allowed encroachment on the government land. “At first action should be taken

against all such culprits,” Naqvi said.

Terming it an injustice with the people of the city, the opposition leader asked as to why masses had to bear the brunt of the irregularities committed by the government officials.

“This matter should be taken in a humanitarian context,” he pleaded and announced that they would not allow anyone to commit this injustice with the people of the metropolis.

He further raised question over the haste shown by the government authorities in demolishing the constructions on the KCR track and demanded of the Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed to first clear encroachments on the railway land in his constituency.

No police security deployed at 131 Karachi shrines, SHC told KARACHI STAFF REPORT

A Karachi police report submitted with the Sindh High Court on Friday revealed lack of security at the shrines across the city as only 58 cops were deployed at the 313 shrines.

The details were submitted in the response to a plea in the top provincial court over lack of security arrangements at the shrines. A report submitted by the Additional Inspector General Karachi on Friday proved the worst expectations true.

It revealed that around 58 cops are deployed at 313 shrines in the city and there were at least 131 shrines in the city without deployment of any security personnel.

The district-wise division of these religious sites included at least 29 shrines in district East, 41 in Malir and 61 in Korangi.

One of the biggest and most visited shrines in Karachi that is of Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine only has a

deployment of eight to 10 personnel in a single shift.

Giving details of the total number of shrines in the city, the report said that there are 13 shrines in district South, 45 in district Central, 71 in district West, 29 in district East, 41 in Malir and 61 in Kornagi area while 53 shrines are also located in the City area.

It is pertinent to mention here that the militant outfits have targeted these places in the past via suicide or planted bombings claiming the lives of many innocent people.

The Abdullah Shah Ghazi Mazar has also come under attack twice in the past, however, a major incident in this regard in the province occurred when Sehwan shrine was bombed claiming lives of at least 80 devotees.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at that time had announced a government plan to increase security at the shrines and other sensitive places.

K-Electric launches 'Safety Awareness Championship 2020' targeting over 100,000 students KARACHI PRESS RELEASE

K-Electric launched its School Safety Awareness Drive 2020 with an inaugural event held at a local hotel attended by heads of educational institutions, senior government officials, representatives of the media and other stakeholders. Under this Safety Drive, over 100,000 children in Karachi, between the ages of 8 to 16 years, will be educated about basic principles of general safety, electrical safety, hazards of power theft and benefits of energy conservation with the aim to engage and sensitize students through activities including quiz competitions and drills. The power utility has initiated this activity in the hope of filling a critical vacuum - the absence of safety courses and training sessions as part of regular curriculums. Speaking at the launch, the K-Electric spokesperson said, “We believe that safety is everyone’s responsibility. Creating safe and resilient cities is also a key United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal; by taking the lead in inculcating awareness and ownership about personal and public safety, we seek to drive a societal change and students as our future leaders must be at the helm of this culture shift.

We look forward to partnering with the managements of all participating schools and also look forward to the support of the government and other stakeholders in this initiative to ensure maximum impact.”

Govt plans to recruit pricing magistrates to curb inflation

23 Indian fishermen held for trespassing Pakistani waters KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) on Friday took into custody four fishing boats of India near Sir Creek, 10-15 NM inside Pakistani waters.

Commander Farooq, mission incharge of the exercise, addressing a press conference this morning, said 23 crew members of the vessels, apparently fishermen, were also arrested during the exercise.

“We cannot overrule possible involvement of these boats in false flag operations,” said Commander Farooq, reiterating that it could had been risk for national security. Deputy Director General, Headquarters – PMSA, Jawad Ahmed Qureshi was also present on the occasion. Commander Farooq said two fast response boats of PMSA were used in the clandestine operation to intercept the boats, manned by crew that apparently were fishermen. These men were said to had adopted evasive maneuver to avert getting apprehended.

As for the mission itself, he said it was based on an information about presence of Indian boats operating near Pakistan-India borders with all chances of their entering into Pakistan’s water territory. The official said it was on basis of reliable information that extensive patrolling along the border was initiated through active involve-

CMYK

ment of agency’s ships and fast response boats besides its aircraft to keep strict vigil and update presence of any suspected vessel.

KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Sindh government on Friday decided to recruit price control magistrates to take action against hoarders and rising commodities’ prices. Speaking on the matter, Sindh Minister for Agriculture Ismail Rahu said that initially an approval would be taken from the provincial cabinet and then the jobs for pricing magistrates would be advertised in the newspapers. “We are also preparing a strong mechanism for overcoming hoarding mafia,” the minister said adding that all steps were aimed at controlling commodities’ prices and discourage hoarders.

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

NEWS

05

SC sets aside orders for regularisation of project employees LAHORE

M

APP

IMHE Supreme Court (SC) on Friday set aside the Lahore High Court (LHC) orders for regulariation of project employees of the Punjab Irrigation Department.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed passed the orders while allowing an appeal filed by the Punjab government against the LHC or-

ders for regularisation of project employees.

A law officer on behalf of the Punjab government argued before the bench that, with the co-operation of the World Bank, the Punjab Irrigation Department launched a project for enhancing the production capacity of the land. He said that the project would terminate in 2021 due to the non-availability of further funds whereas the project employees could not be regularized as per law.

The law officer submitted that the LHC had given orders for the regularization of the project em-

ployees whereas the orders were not sustainable in the eyes of the law. He pleaded with the court for setting aside the orders.

However, a counsel on behalf of the employees opposed the request and submitted that identical posts were available in the department. At this, the bench observed that a temporary project could not be declared part of the department whereas the project would terminate on a lapse of funds. Subsequently, the bench allowed the appeal filed by the Punjab government and set aside the LHC orders.

Death of 7 children: SC suspends doctor's restoration order

Turkey ready to join CPEC projects, Erdogan says continue from page 1 Kicking off the meeting, Adviser to Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood welcomed the Turkish visitors to the country.

“The two leaders of the countries have agreed an inclusive agreement including trade, tourism. We have people from construction, engineers, and people from all professions, God willing we will take [this business relationship] forward,” he said.

“The two countries had meetings in Davos and we have now reached an understanding. As a final followup, we have signed an understanding on the way forward.

Both sides will do a study on what is each other’s relative strength. This study will be completed by March and then we will take it forward in April.”

He added that a textile delegation will go to Turkey and to look at how to further the business. We have a great opportunity to work together, we do compete but like good brothers there is no harm in […] taking things forward, he added.

“We are now capable of becoming an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) country and we will be the closest Asean country to Turkey,” he said, adding that this visit will eventually lead to more trade between the two countries.

Earlier in the day, Erdogan addressed a joint session of Parliament in Islamabad — for a record fourth time — during which he reiterated his country’s support for Pakistan and its stance on the Kashmir issue.

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

UMT President Ibrahim Hasan Murad meets Chief Foreign Policy Advisor to President of Turkey Dr Ibrahim Kalin and Member of Parliament and Chairman Pakistan-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group Ali Sahin. PR

PFD completes afforestation on 250 acres in Murree

LAHORE SHAHAB OMER

The Punjab Forest Department (PFD) has completed forestation of marginal lands stretched on an area of 250 acres in Murree at a cost of Rs51.300 million.

The project was started in 2015 with a gestation period of 36 months with the aim of rehabilitating blank patches through transplantation of Kail and Deodar trees with their associated broad leaf plants in Murree.

According to details shared by an official of the forest department, the main objectives of the project were the true reflection of the national conservation strategy prepared by

the Environment Ministry and it also aimed at improving forest management, diversifying livelihood options of people living in upland areas, production of quality wood, arresting and reverting the process of environmental degradation and protection of natural uplands ecosystem.

The official said that the total approved cost of the project was Rs51.300 million which were release on time and utilised properly. However, the survival rate of plants (Chir, Kail and Deodar) was also estimated at three sampling points in some compartments of afforestation, the official added.

He informed that the average survival rate varies from 60 per cent to 93 per cent for planted species in marginal lands in Murree and the average plant height varies from 2.5 to 5.5 feet for plants in different sampling locations in selected compartments.The Directorate General Monitoring and Evaluation (DGM&E) has given its observations over the project. According to a DGM&E report, the proposal had explicitly stated that there will be plantation on 25 acres of compartment number 40/PF but there was none in the compartment. “Restocking was not done in pits to main survival rate and for complete afforestation in the compartments. Protection against porcupine (animal) was not done in all the compartments of the project.

Afforestation (plantation) was at very small scale and irrelevant in compartment number 25,” the report stated, adding that “restocking should be done in empty pits for higher survival rate and plantation should be done in blank patches of compartment number 21, 23 and 25”.

When contacted, Murree District Forest Officer Amir Suhail said, “We undertook the project keeping in view local and national requirements. The project was moderately effective in achieving its objectives and targets. We are also working on the recommendations of DGM&E.”

Pindi boys violate kite flying ban, celebrate 'basant' RAWALPINDI

Shuttle train service to run between Lahore and Gujranwala LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Railways on Friday announced to introduce a new shuttle train service between Lahore and Gujranwala. According to a railway spokesperson, the shuttle train service was being launched on the directives of Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed. The fare of the shuttle service will be Rs100, he said in a statement. It must be noted that last month, Sheikh Rasheed announced that Pakistan Railways will introduce a new shuttle train between Lahore and Gujranwala from next month. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will launch the Gujranwala train shuttle service. Earlier, Pakistan Railways restored the shuttle train service between Lahore and Wagah Railway Station. The train named “Rail Car” has the capacity for 181 passengers. The Wagah to Lahore train service was shut down in 1997 due to security reasons.

IHC seeks health ministry's reply on PMDC plea

STAFF REPORT

The ban on kite flying and metallic strings and aerial firing was openly violated here in cantonment areas on Thursday night and Friday as ‘Basant’ was celebrated.

The residents expressed concerns over Kite flying and use of metallic strings, banned by the city administration, adding that such violation was a question mark on the performance of the authorities concerned.

The administration has failed to implement the ban, a citizen said adding Tench Bhatta, Peoples Colony, Kiani road, Bakra Mandi, Dhoke Syedan, Tahli Mori, Dhari Hasanabad, Lalkurti and many other areas were noticed where the activity was openly being done especially on Friday. The aerial firing was also witnessed along with the kite flying. The locals said the metallic strings used for Kite flying injured many persons during the last 10 days, adding that it could have resulted in life losses. The citizens said that kite flying could also lead to traffic accidents. They demanded of Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and the district government to strictly implement the ban of kite flying. Though, earlier City Police Officer (CPO) had said that Station House Officer (SHO) concerned would be held accountable for the vio-

The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday suspended the orders for restoration of a doctor allegedly responsible for death of seven children. The bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, passed the orders while admitting an appeal, filed by the Punjab Health Department against the Punjab Services Tribunal orders.

The bench heard the matter at the Supreme Court Lahore Registry. An additional advocate general Punjab submitted before the bench that an inquiry committee had forcibly retired Dr Saeed from job over the death of seven children at Services Hospital Lahore in 2014.

However, the Punjab Services Tribunal restored the physician with the stoppage of his annual increment, he added. He pleaded with the court to set aside the tribunal orders. At this, the chief justice questioned whether those responsible for death were identified.

To which, the law officer stated that Dr Saeed was Incharge of Air-Conditioner Maintenance and the inquiry committee held him guilty. At this, the bench admitted the appeal of the Health Department for regular hearing and summoned the parties concerned for arguments on the next date of hearing, while suspending the restoration orders. The Punjab Health Department had pleaded with the court to set aside the orders of the tribunal. It contended that the tribunal passed the orders for restoration of Dr Saeed without appreciating the case facts.

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

lation of the ban on kite flying in any area but there were no appropriate measures to curb the activity. Strict action should also be taken against those who demonstrated negligence and laxity in this regard and could not stop the illegal activity.

Owing to easy availability, children purchased kites and violated the ban not only on rooftops but even on roads.

The local social, political and religious circles have demanded the government to take notice of

the sheer violation of kite-flying ban and order a stern action against the violators to save public life. They also demanded the police to ensure a complete ban on the sale of kite and flying along with the sale of fireworks.

Meanwhile, Race Course, R.A.Bazaar, Civil Line, Airport and New Town police claimed to have arrested 49 kite flying ban violators and recovered over 41,000 kites and 187 kite flying string rolls from their possession.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) sought reply from Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHSRC) on a contempt of court plea moved by the ex-employees of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC). Chief Justice Athar Minallah conducted a hearing on the contempt of court plea filed by PMDC employees. The petitioners had stated in their plea that the ministry was not restoring the services of PMDC employees despite the orders of IHC. The employees were not being allowed to enter the offices and the ministry had sealed the building, they said. The petitioners prayed the court to initiate contempt of court proceeding against the secretary of the ministry and other respondents for not implementing the court orders.

The bench sought a reply from the respondents till February 19. Justice Kiyani had declared the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) Ordinance as null and void and ordered for the restoration of all terminated employees of PMDC.

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW

AfghAn kings And the fAilure of us militAry intervention EXCEPT FOR KING AMANULLAH KHAN, THE KINGS DID NOT FORCEFULLY CONFRONT THE POWER OF THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT. INSTEAD, THE KINGS TRIED TO DECREASE THEIR POWER BY USING THE TITLE OF AMIR AL MU’MIN - COMMANDER OF THE FAITHFUL- WHICH GAVE THEM BOTH RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL AUTHORITY rCD

o

CArlo J V CAro

N the 11th of June, 2002, a Loya Jirga was held to transfer power to the Afghan Transitional Authority. The United States put all its hopes behind Hamid Karzai, even though King Mohammed Zahir Shah had much support from the Afghan delegates.

By doing this, the Bush administration made a major strategic mistake, which would mark our failure to transform Afghanistan. The best possibility in bringing peace to the country was to return it to a system which, despite its defects, had achieved a certain degree of stability and democratic progress not known before in the history of Afghanistan.

Even though by the early 1970s, King Mohammed Zahir Shah had lost much of his political significance, the monarchy had been the only institution that had enjoyed the recognition and acceptance of political authority from a population divided along tribal, ethnic, and religious lines.

Afghan Kings had always been the main champions of the modernization processes of the country. And both tribal and religious leaders supported the Kings, as long as their own power was not significantly threatened. In their aim for national unity, the Kings were always conscious of the need to integrate the country’s different ethnicities and to avoid the exclusive domain of power by the Pashtuns. The monarchy also enjoyed the advantage of being Pashtun, which in theory, guaranteed it the support of the main ethnicity.

Except for King Amanullah Khan, the monarchy was always careful to avoid confronting traditional norms and religious values.

This, in turn, paved the way for the Southern tribes to recognize the Kings’ legitimacy.

The different Pashtun revolts against Mohammed Zahir Shah always had a local nature and were restricted to internal tribal interests.

Indeed, the great tribal leaders of the time would never support these revolts. Still, the Afghan Kings perceived the tribes as a threat to their own authority and sought to absorb them into the government.

The monarchy also defended the rest of the ethnicities from discrimination. It promoted the integration of the Tajiks and other nonPashtun peoples to important government positions. This gave the monarchy a great deal of respect from minorities, as they perceived it as an obstacle to Pashtun hegemony.

Again, except for King Amanullah Khan, the Kings did not forcefully confront the power of the religious establishment. Instead, the Kings tried to decrease their power by using the title of Amir al Mu’min - Commander of the Faithful- which gave them both religious and political authority.

While they were given the title of Shah in the 1920s, the kings were revered as defenders of the Islamic State and Islam. In fact, Abdur Rahman Khan consolidated the waging of Jihad solely with the King. This deprived tribal and religious authorities of proclaiming that right.

Using religion as a fountain of political legitimacy, the Kings were able to undermine tribal power and religious leaders. They did it skillfully by maintaining an Islamic discourse, which restricted their opponents from questioning their policies. The title of ‘Amir’ gave them certain legitimacy that could not be superseded because it originated from God. This then neutralized tribal aspects of power and authority.

It is very complicated to control the religious establishment because Sunni Islam is decentralized and does not possess a hierarchical struc-

ture. This situation is made even worse in Afghanistan because of its topography. But the kings maneuvered around such complications, and King Mohammed Nadir Shah tried to organize the body of the ulema, thinking that if it was given some kind of structure, then it would be easier to control. He gave the ulema positions of power like in the branch of justice, without weakening the authority of the State. Because the reforms were implemented gradually, the ulema accepted them and did not perceive them as threatening Islam.

Then from the 1930s, his son, Mohammed Zahir Shah, advocated secular education and began the creation of a network of state madrassas to control the formation of the ulema. He sought to construct a religious body that was more progressive and open to reforms. Of course, given the complexity, the success of this policy was relative. State madrassas were in urban centers, while traditional ones were all over the country.

The ulema in traditional centers were, therefore, always the majority, and the historical weakness of the Afghan state made it difficult to extend itself to rural areas.

King Mohammed Zahir Shah’s desire to transform Afghanistan into a modern country was much more difficult than expected. In 1964, a 455 member Loya Jirga approved a new constitution, but the absence of a clear political ideology, political tensions between Islamists and Communists, and the inability to adapt to a modern political system, were significant obstacles.

The religious establishment passively accepted the secular nature of the new constitution because of the existence of state madrassas, the presence of Islamic experts, and the King’s influence. From 1964, the law guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of thought as well as equality before the law. While these liberties were more theoretical than real, they were nevertheless an important development in Afghan history.

For example, Bareq Shafiyee, a communist poet, published a poem commemorating Lenin and used the term “doroud” to venerate him.

This generated a backlash from the religious establishment because the term was restricted to prayer. Mullahs in Kabul asked for Shafiyee to be incarcerated, but the King ignored their demands. The mullahs were then forced back to their homes by the government.

The constitution also prohibited the participation of members of the royal family in the government, another example of modernity. But ironically, the best people to govern the country were the relatives of Mohammed Zahir Shah, due to their education and experience. Then, the absence of an electoral spending law allowed those with more financial power, like tribal leaders and former state officials, to dominate the political process.

Afghanistan’s institutions struggled to legitimize their authority in a country where rural society has been tied to traditions and Islam, and where many of its different ethnicities clash with each other. The peasantry perceived the urban centers as threatening their way of life and as a cause for distrust. Illiteracy continued being overly high, and rural peoples were bribed by powerful Afghans to vote for them. Therefore, Kabul’s efforts to deliver modernity to rural areas failed due to the lack of support from the inhabitants and the inability of the State to explain why reforms were necessary.

Ethnic differences also played an important role in the political system. With Abdur Rahman Khan and his immediate successors, the influence of the Pashtunwali on politics was weakened. In the 1960s, these efforts were accelerated by Mohammed Zahir Shah and subsequent administrations. Nevertheless, even if the political atmosphere was received well by non-Pashtuns, they were still unsatisfied because

it was largely dominated by Pashtuns. It is evident that ethnic, tribal and religious diversity has complicated the construction of an Afghan national identity and impeded a strong central authority.

The 1964 constitution was closer to Western texts than Islamic codes, even though it consecrated Islam as the religion of the state. The consequence was that such a constitution became incompatible with the society that it had to rule over, and that Afghans never perceived it as an ideological guide.

The absence of a dominant ideology led the Afghan intelligentsia, concentrated in Kabul, to be vulnerable to the influence of radical ideologies like Marxism or Islamism, especially when the government was incapable of resolving problems. Freedom of the press was used by the most extreme groups to spread their ideas and led to a radicalization of politics.

This stopped the King from authorizing the legalization of political parties. But this was a grave strategic miscalculation, since it impeded the development of moderate political parties, and instead allowed radical groups to influence urban society and debilitate democracy.

This story should teach us that the best possibility for a brighter future in Afghanistan, even with all of its obstacles, laid with the monarchy. Unfortunately, Washington did not want to support King Mohammed Zahir Shah when the time was right. On the 23rd of July 2007, Mohammed Zahir Shah died, and with him the possibility of a foreign solution to Afghanistan. It is time to be realistic and conclude the withdrawal from this country.

Carlo J.V. Caro researches U.S. Foreign Policy and Terrorism. He holds advanced degrees in Security Studies, and Islamic Studies from Columbia University.

My struggle for an education in Indian held Kashmir STUDENTS ARE BEING USED AS TOOLS TO KEEP THE CHARADE OF NORMALCY ALIVE

Al JAzeerA AAyilAh AhmAd

Every year in Indian held Kashmir, thousands of students start the academic year hoping that this time things will be a bit better, a bit more normal. We head to our classrooms determined to cherish every minute that we are there and take everything in as quickly as we can, as we never know whether we will be able to return the next day.

After all, thanks to never-ending violence and oppression, we hardly attend school. Unlike many of our peers elsewhere in the world, going to school most days of the year is not a certainty for us.

In March 2019, when I started the new school year as a Class 12 (the final year of secondary school) student, I was once again hoping for the best.

I was happy to be back but aware that an escalation in violence can cut the academic year short at any moment. My friends were as nervous as I was. Trying to laugh away our concerns, we joked about the possibility of yet another “break” starting soon. In a few months, our jokes became a reality.

On August 5, we had a biology exam. I did not feel I was adequately prepared for it, so the night be-

fore I prayed for something to happen to cause the exam to be postponed, or better yet, cancelled. Of course, I had no idea what was about to happen. If I had, I would have taken 100 more exams to stop it.

The next morning, my father shook me awake and gave me the news that the Indian government had scrapped Article 370 - the article in the constitution which granted our region special status and protected its demography.

I cannot quite recall what I did that day. All I remember was thinking: “What is going to happen to us now?” In the following days, everyone put forward their theories about our future. Each imagined scenario was grimmer than the one before it. We were unable to discuss our future with anyone outside our immediate neighbourhood - the internet was shut down, phone lines were cut, and a curfew was imposed. I told myself “just wait until the Eid is over”. The Muslim religious holiday was to take place in a week’s time, and I naively thought that once that had passed, life in Indian held Kashmir would return to “normal”, or at least to a state that could be considered normal under military occupation. I was wrong. Eid came and went, but our situation did not change.

I imagine being a 17-year-old student in Class 12 is not that easy anywhere in the world. You “must” get good grades. You “must” secure your place at a good university. You are repeatedly reminded that the grades you get in Class 12 affect the type of college you will be admitted to and thereby, your future. I know that these are ordinary worries of young adulthood. But last year in Indian held Kashmir, I had the added pressure of being a prisoner in my own home.

I wanted to study, but the shutdown made it almost impossible for me to do so. Schools were closed, tuition centres were locked, and, of course, the online study opportunities were gone. Thanks

to the total communications blackout, I could not even seek guidance from my teachers or support from my friends.

Moreover, I was worried about my friends. I did not know if they were OK and had no means of checking. Had any of them been arrested? Killed?

My parents were also suffering. I had never seen them so devastated and under so much pressure.

They were worried not only about the events transpiring around us, but also about my future. They were so desperate for me to continue with my education that they wandered around our neighbourhood looking for a teacher who could help me.

They also could not communicate at all with my brother, who was studying in New Delhi at the time.

When we eventually got in touch with him, he told us he, too, had been unable to concentrate on his studies because he had no idea what fate his family back home had suffered.

In late September, I heard the front gate of our house open, then familiar voices. When I peeked through the window, I saw my friends who I have not heard from in almost two months, standing there. I ran outside barefoot. They told me to get ready as our school had decided to carry on with our internal practical tests which would contribute to our final exams.

Then in October, the Board of School Education announced that schools in Indian held Kashmir would go ahead with the annual examinations without any relaxation in the syllabus. This meant that despite my school being able to complete only 30 percent of the Class 12 syllabus before the August shutdown, we would be examined on the entire syllabus in November. I was angry and upset.

Clearly, the officials who took this decision did not care whether we would be able to pass these exams. They did not care whether we learned anything. The only thing they were concerned about

was the number of students who would sit the exams. They wanted everyone to attend as if nothing had happened so that they could boast in the media that everything had returned to “normal” in Indian held Kashmir.

I could do nothing other than try to learn the syllabus in the short amount of time that was left. I spent the month before my exams at my grandmother’s house in order to study without any distractions.

There was so little time, I read some chapters for the first time the day before the exams started.

On the first day of exams, there were hardly any buses available. As everyone was forced to use private vehicles, the traffic was heavy, and many students could not reach their exam venues in time. The authorities once again turned a blind eye to the problem. No one was given extra time, and some students were forced to start writing their exams almost half an hour late. We were all set for failure, but nobody cared.

Things did not get any better in the following days. It started snowing and there was no electricity for a week. The weather was so cold; I could barely hold my pen.

When I expressed my annoyance at all of this, my father said something that I will never forget: “Get used to it, things will be like this from now on.”

Despite all this, we did the best we could. Officials did not say much about our performance, or the obstacles we faced but boasted about the high exam attendance rate.

In the eyes of the authorities, us Kashmiri students are nothing but tools to keep the charade of normalcy alive. They do not care about our education, our wellbeing or our future. They think simply by forcing us to sit exams they can convince us, and the world, that we are receiving an education. But we are well aware of our reality. We know that what they are trying to sell as “normal” is anything but.

But despite all the obstacles put in front of us, we are aware of our power and our potential. We know that whatever they do, they cannot change the fact that we are the future of this land.

Aayilah Ahmad is a recent class 12 pass-out from Indian held Kashmir. She hopes to study English literature.

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

FOREIGN NEWS 07

us attorney general BIll Barr Blasts trump for makIng joB 'ImpossIBle' WASHINGTON

u

AGENCIES

S Attorney General Bill Barr on Thursday delivered a highly unusual public rebuke of Donald Trump, saying the president’s tweets were making his job at the Justice Department “impossible.”

“I have a problem with some of the tweets,” Barr said in an interview with ABC News, adding: “I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”

“I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases,” said Barr.

His interview came as Trump stands accused of interfering with the sentencing recommendation for his former adviser, Roger Stone — prompting four Justice Department prosecutors to resign from the case this week.

The outburst was all the more remarkable as Barr has emerged as a powerful defender of Trump, earning

the nickname of the “president’s attorney” from critics.

Barr has been at the centre of allegations that he decided — allegedly under pressure from Trump — to overrule his own prosecutors and seek a lighter prison sentence for Stone.

He has previously been criticised

by Democrats and legal experts for

seeming to assist Trump during the independent investigation into whether the president was helped by a Russian influence campaign during the 2016 election.

The two men are so close that there was immediate speculation that Barr’s television interview may have been more about managing public opinion

than a real outcry against Trump’s alleged interference in judicial affairs.

The controversy comes about a week after the Senate acquitted Trump of impeachment charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to pressure on Ukraine to announce investigations, including into Trump’s political opponent Joe Biden.

Another staunch Trump ally, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, supported Barr’s comments about the tweets. “If the attorney general says it’s getting in the way of doing his job, maybe the president should listen to the attorney general,” McConnell told Fox News. White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said Trump had “full faith” in Barr. “The president wasn’t bothered by the comments at all,” she said in a statement. That message was amplified by Trump’s National Security Adviser who insisted the president has “tremendous confidence” in Barr. “He’s a fantastic member of the cabinet, he has a very strong relationship with the president,” Robert O’Brien told reporters at the White House.

Japan allows some elderly passengers to leave quarantined ship YOKOHAMA

us, china, russia making world more dangerous: german president MUNICH: Germany’s president took an indirect swipe at United States President Donald Trump on Friday in accusing Washington, China and Russia of stoking global mistrust and insecurity with a “great powers” competition” that could threaten a new nuclear arms race. In opening remarks at the annual Munich Security Conference, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier deplored the three big powers’ approach to global affairs and, without naming Trump, took issue with his vow to “make America great again”. “’Great again’ — even at the expense of neighbours and partners,” quipped Steinmeier, a former Social Democrat foreign minister whose comments on foreign policy carry authority. As foreign minister in 2014, he was central to the socalled “Munich consensus” when German leaders said Berlin was ready to assume more responsibility in global affairs. Steinmeier pressed that point again on Friday, but not before bemoaning the foreign policy approaches of Russia, China and the US. “Russia […] has made military force and the violent shifting of borders on the European continent the means of politics once again,” he said in the text of a speech for delivery at the opening of the conference.

“China […] accepts international law only selectively where it does not run counter to its own interests,” Steinmeier said. “And our closest ally, the United States of America, under the present administration itself, rejects the idea of an international community.” The upshot is “more mistrust, more armament, less security […] all the way to a new nuclear arms race”, he said. In response, he said, Germany should raise defence spending to contribute more to European security and to maintain its alliance with Washington, recognising that US interests were gravitating away from Europe toward Asia. He also called for a European policy towards Russia “that is not limited to condemning statements and sanctions alone”. Europe, he added, “must find its own balance with China between intensifying competition between systems and the need for cooperation.” AGENCIES

BEIRUT: Israeli strikes on Damascus airport killed seven fighters, a war monitor said Friday, the latest in a string of attacks targeting Iran’s military presence in Syria. Syrian state media said only that its air defences intercepted missiles over the capital overnight while Israel did not immediately comment on the strikes. Israel routinely fires missiles at what it says are Iranian targets in Syria, where elite Iranian forces and allied militia play a key role. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the strikes launched late Thursday hit military targets in the area of the international airport. Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the Britain-based Observatory, said the dead were three Syrian soldiers and four members of Iran´s Revolutionary Guard. A Syrian army source quoted by SANA said the attack took place at 11:45 pm, when an AFP correspondent in Damascus heard loud blasts. “Our air defences intercepted hostile targets over the skies of Damascus,” SANA said. AGENCIES

uk's johnson welcomes new cabinet after sajid javid exit

AGENCIES

Japan on Friday began allowing elderly passengers who test negative for the new coronavirus to leave a quarantined cruise ship and finish their isolation in governmentdesignated lodging.

Japan’s government has given passengers aged 80 or older in poor health or confined to windowless inner cabins on the Diamond Princess the chance to move from the ship to accommodation on land.

But only those who test negative for the virus that has so far infected more than 200 people on board the ship have the option to move.

The first of them departed the massive cruise ship on Friday afternoon, travelling in buses with blacked out windows. At the wheel, one driver was dressed in a head-to-toe white protective suit, complete with goggles and mask. A government official said 11 people had left, but declined to say whether more would depart Friday or offer further details.

The move comes a day after the number of infections diagnosed on the ship rose to 218.

Senior health ministry official Gaku Hashimoto boarded the ship Friday morning to announce that all passengers “who are considered to be high risk in general health” would now be tested for the virus.

“Those who test positive will be transferred to the hospital. Those who test negative will — at the request of the individual — disembark and be transferred to accommodation provided by the government,” he said in a statement in English read out by the ship’s captain in a public broadcast.

There were more than 3,700 people on the ship when

IsraelI strIkes near Damascus aIrport kIll 7 fIghters

it arrived off the Japanese coast last week, but those diagnosed with the virus have been taken off the boat, along with some people suffering other health conditions requiring medical attention.

Ten of those hospitalised are now in serious condition, Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Friday.

Excluding the cases on the ship, and an infected quarantine officer, Japanese authorities have so far diagnosed 36 people with the newly named COVID-19.

The newly diagnosed cases include a woman in her 80s whose positive test result emerged after she died in hospital. The woman was reportedly the mother-inlaw of a taxi driver in Tokyo who has also been diagnosed with the virus. The Tokyo government announced on Friday two people who were at a new year party the taxi driver attended are also infected with the virus. One of the two had contact with tourists from Hubei, the Chinese province where the virus emerged, the government said.

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson greeted his new cabinet of senior ministers on Friday, a day after British Chancellor Sajid Javid quit in a surprise move, shattering the premier’s choreographed government reshuffle. Johnson, addressing the new cabinet, vowed to repay the trust of voters by improving infrastructure, cutting crime, and building more hospitals. “It’s great to see you all here and congratulations to you all on achieving, or indeed retaining, the great offices of state that you hold,” Johnson told cabinet before posing for photographs. “We have to repay the trust of people who voted for us in huge numbers,” he said. Javid’s reported resignation on Thursday came over what a political editor claimed was a disagreement over his advisers, throwing Johnson’s plans off kilter. Media reported that Rishi Sunak — the 39-year-old Chief Secretary to the Treasury — had been offered the job as finance minister. AGENCIES

Dying a desperate death: A Wuhan family's coronavirus ordeal BEIJING: There were no doctors, nurses or medical equipment at the Wuhan hotel converted into a temporary quarantine facility for suspected coronavirus patients when brothers Wang Xiangkai and Wang Xiangyou arrived two weeks ago.

The next day, Xiangkai, 61, woke to find that Xiangyou, 62, had died. The Wangs are among tens of thousands of families devastated by the coronavirus in Wuhan, where the medical system has been overwhelmed by the outbreak, despite massive reinforcements and two speedily built new hospitals.

“What did we do to deserve such punishment?”

Wang Wenjun, Xiangkai’s daughter, said over the phone to Reuters. A crematorium sent a car to pick up Xiangyou’s body, but the family was told no mourning ceremony would be allowed. They could only collect his ashes after 15 days.

Two days before Xiangyou died, doctors at the 4th Hospital of Wuhan had written in a diagnosis that both brothers were likely infected by the coronavirus which has now killed over 1,350 people in China.

CT scans showed their lungs had turned “white” with patterns resembling cracked glass, symptomatic

of severe viral infections.

But the hospital did not have any RNA test kits to confirm their cases, and thus could not admit them for treatment, according to the doctors. They were told to contact their community government, which on Jan 30 offered to house the brothers at the hotel.

Hubei province on Thursday reported a sharp rise in the number of deaths and cases after changing its methodology to include those diagnosed through CT scans like Xiangyou. More than 63,000 people have now been infected nationwide and 1,380 have died.

Xiangkai, a retired cab driver, refused to remain at the Echarm hotel after his brother died, instead staying alone at a relative’s home. His wife visited daily, bringing food and Chinese medicine, until she too fell ill with what doctors suspect is the coronavirus.

Wenjun lives on the other side of Wuhan. Closed transportation lines means she is unable to visit her parents. Desperate for treatment for her father, she issued a plea for help on the Twitter-like Weibo. The community government responded, saying the decision was up to the virus task force.

At around midnight on Monday, the family re-

ceived a call saying a hospital bed was available.

With no public transport, Wang’s 58-year-old wife pushed him in a wheelchair for the 10-minute trip to the hospital. A new CT scan showed Xiangkai’s lung infection had worsened. He now has trouble walking to the toilet on his own and is awaiting the results of an RNA test. “On Jan 22, our entire family had a Lunar New Year dinner, and we even took a photo together. It has been bad news every day since then,” Wenjun said. AGENCIES

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

08 COMMENT

Pakistan-Bangladesh relations thaw

Welcoming President Erdogan PM Khan should avoid looking for models

O

n Friday President Recep tayyip Erdogan delivered his fourth address to Parliament which is indicative of the closeness of Pak-turkey relations. the Pti had boycotted Mr Erdogan’s last address in november 2016 on account of differences with the PML-n government. it goes to the credit of the opposition parties that despite their reservations regarding the genuineness of the last elections and increasingly bitter relations with the Pti government, all were present during the turkish President’s address. as evocatively narrated by President Erdogan, the people of Pakistan and turkey have over a hundred years old history of warm relations and mutual help and cooperation during crucial moments in their history.

Pakistan and turkey have supported each other’s key concerns. Pakistan backs turkey on the issue of Cyprus.

Unlike Pakistan’s arab allies, President Erdogan strongly supported Pakistan’s stand on kashmir and promised to continue to raise voice against the ongoing oppression in the iOk. He also promised to continue to stand by Pakistan at FatF meeting about to be held in a few days. turkey also backed Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.

Both countries are keen to enhance bilateral trade.

Pakistan and turkey also cooperate in enhancing each other’s defence capabilities.

PM khan is desperately in search of a model to follow in order to overcome poverty and unemployment and to achieve high growth rates. He has alternately vowed to follow China, Malaysia and turkey, forgetting that the ground realities being different from country to country, all the three have followed their own unique path. What is common is that the leaders in the three countries united their people instead of dividing them, inspired them through personal example to work hard and offer sacrifices.

While developing trade and business relations with turkey, Pakistan has to work out its own unique path for economic and social development, keeping in view the ideals cherished by the founding father. Pakistan has to strive to be a modern inclusive democracy and a welfare state rather than an autocratic entity or a security state.

While developing closer relations with turkey, Pakistan has yo maintain friendly ties with its arab allies.

Unless it works hard to strengthen is economic base, it is bound to remain dependent on others.

The worm turns

Indian intrusiveness distorts the relationship Abid HussAin

P

akistan’s relations with many countries in south asia do not get proper attention at home and abroad for too many reasons. saaRC is regarded as a great platform for south asian countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, india, nepal, sri Lanka and Maldives but the relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan has gone through many ups and downs. the execution of abdul Quader Molla (a leader of the Jamaat-e-islami in Bangladesh) on 12 December 2013, brought a new turmoil in the relationship between two countries.

While Molla was being executed in Bangladesh, Pakistan was upset about Bangladesh punishing him with the death sentence and a resolution was passed on 16 December 2013 by the Pakistani Parliament in condemnation of Molla’s death penalty, and Pti Chairman imran khan expressed the view that that Molla was an innocent man. then interior Minister Ch nisar ali khan said to the national assembly that the whole nation was saddened by this tragic incident. Despite all these expressions of concern, the government of Bangladesh executed Molla as a war criminal in the 1971 conflict. it is believed that the Liberation War in 1971 was a determining factor in Bangladesh-Pakistan Relations. the indian influence in the region has also made the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan suffer. the support of indian Government for the awami League is known as a turbulent factor. the long term indian plan for isolating Pakistan in south asia region has made Bangladesh remain hostile and antagonistic to it. Pakistan has always presented a gesture of a friendly relationship from time to time, but a response from Bangladesh has not helped,

remembering the war trials as central to its healing and national reconciliation. signing a 25-year friendship treaty in 1971 with india, Bangladesh always remained committed to india most in security matters. the initial support to the awami League by new Delhi has always made Bangldesh prefer india as the key ally rather than Pakistan. But it has been argued that the Caa and nRC in india have badly affected the relationship with south asian countries, particularly with Bangladesh. the Bangladesh government always continues to accuse Pakistan of war crimes and demand official apologies for the events of 1971 war. islamabad has denied war crimes and avoids Bangladesh for declaring them guilty of such heinous crimes.

Biharis in Bangladesh remain an unsolved issue for both Bangladesh and Pakistan since 1971 war. Many Biharis in Bangladesh are living in camps and are deprived by the government of Bangladesh of the basic rights of citizenship. it is said that people of the third generation have still been marginalized by not providing them with the right to live as citizens of Bangladesh.

Dealing with the BnP Government, the bilateral relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan were more active rather than during the reign of the awami League. it is a clear fact that the awami League is pro-indian and anti-Pakistan with deep relationships with the indian government. the awami League does not want a close relationship with Pakistan, because it has always supported the indian government and remained anti-Pakistani. it is believed that the awami League is a big hurdle for improving the relationship between Bangladesh and Pakistan. the people who once were united under the flag of Pakistan look very far apart now. the events of 1971 still haunt both Pakistan and

Bangladesh. it has now become an established fact that whenever there is a government of awami League in Bangladesh the relations between two countries will remain strained. the bitter memories of the past do not let them get along together. the reconciliation process between the two countries remains unfinished because of the unsettled disputes which were started in 1974, when Pakistan recognized Bangladesh. in friendship gestures, Pakistan has always remained active and pliable, whereas Bangladesh has remained obdurate about not settling the old disputes between the two governments. the unnecessary and exceptional delay in peace settlement may be brought to an end by forgetting the memories, for strong bilateral relations between the two countries. there is a dire need for policy shifts by both governments to resolve the old issues in an expeditious manner to meet new challenges posed by the world order. Both governments should formulate a policy plan to overcome the economic conditions in the way of people-to-people contacts. to address the old issues, both countries should work together in their business visa regimes. sports diplomacy can further improve the relationship between the two countries.

Cricket series like the one being played will further cement relations between both countries, and they will support each other as two brothers and friends rather than fighting one another as between two rivals. the latest data report from the Un shows Pakistani exports to Bangladesh were $778.8 million and imports by Pakistan amounted to $72 million in 2018, which is a good basis for building steady economic relations between two countries. if they can forget about the past for a better future, both governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan may come together to show the world that we were together, are together and will be together.

Abid Hussain can abidhussain@issi.org.pk

be

reached

at

Blessing in disguise for Pakistan’s date sector In the long run the sector could benefit from suspending trade with India

Trouble with the IMF

Younus sAndeelA

U

ntiL thursday, the talks of the Finance Ministry and the iMF review team were deadlocked, even though it was the last day of talks which had started on February 3, so there was a one-day extension in the hope of reaching an agreement. it seems that the Finance Ministry has dug in its heels and is not willing to agree to steps that it has already committed to taking.

Even though the Finance Ministry is headed by an unelected technocrat in Dr Hafeez sheikh, it seems that the measures which need implementation are electoral suicide. the purpose of the iMF team is to ensure that Pakistan will earn enough foreign exchange to pay back the iMF loan, which itself was made to prevent Pakistan defaulting on loan repayments to the iMF. the purpose of the Pakistani side is to ensure that Pakistan exits the stagflation it is trapped in. that it has been plunged into it by the same programme is something that the electorate will punish, unless prosperity can be achieved. there are a number of sticking-points. First is that of the gas and electricity tariffs, which the government is supposed to raise. its contention is that raises so far have merely created dislike for the government and public dissatisfaction, and the government cannot afford any more unrest. then there is the vexed question of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. the iMF team is rendered uneasy by the dependence on Chinese loans, as well as the Free trade agreement with China. it would like Pakistan to make such an Fta with European countries. the problem foreseen by the Finance Ministry is that it would lead to the destruction of what remains of Pakistani industry. While the revenue collection target set by the iMF has been reduced, the government is not willing to impose the minibudget needed to meet the new target. that Pakistan will have to give in, especially over power tariffs, is inevitable, for they are deal-breakers.

However, the question arises whether it would not have been better– for both parties, not just Pakistan– if this attitude had been shown at the time the agreement was being negotiated. Pakistan wants to remain on the programme, which it had applied for after much political angst. Populism does not make for sound finance.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

I

L

aCk of investment in modern technology, weak government policies and unfavorable natural conditions kept Pakistan’s date sector from developing into a profitable industry. With around 600,000 metric tons in annual production, the date happens to be a significant horticulture crop in Pakistan. Grown primarily in the plains of sindh and Baluchistan provinces this valuable crop, like the rest of agriculture in the country, suffers from general backwardness. khairpur district in sindh, with one of world’s densest plantations of date palms, produces around 250,000 metric tons of dates annually. this makes khairpur the single largest date-producing district in the country, producing almost half of the country’s total production. this also makes the date crop in sindh more organized and geographically concentrated than Baluchistan’s. aseel, the dominant variety in khairpur, constitutes about 90 percent of date production in sindh.

Most date varieties in Pakistan do not fully ripen on the tree and have to be harvested at “Doka” or “Dang” (khalaal and Rutab in arabic) stages. after harvest, the fruit must be dehydrated to get the final soft brown dates. Complete absence of technology means unripened dates must be sun-dried in the open fields for the purpose of dehydration and ripening. Lack of mechanization and over-dependence on rudimentary methods for postharvest management results in significant damage to the final quality of the fruit. and since the date harvest in Pakistan generally coincides with the monsoon rains, this damage is particularly high whenever there are heavy rains during the harvest season. the biggest damage is caused to the fruit lying in the fields for sun-drying. Many date-producing countries face a similar dilemma of the fruit harvest coinciding with rains. However, most of these countries have successfully managed to make use of modern technology for mechanically dehydrating the fruit and thus have been able to rid themselves of the damaging practice of sun-drying the fruit. Mechanically dehydrating dates not only saves the fruit from rains but it also preserves the fruit quality as leaving the fruit in the open fields for about six days and nights exposes the fruit to all sorts of contamination.

Further, lack of proper storage facilities, particularly the absence of a cold chain, forces farm-

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

ers to rely on outdated and damaging practices larly from the confectionary industry in highfor storing the fruit over a long period of time. paying health conscious markets. With high applying vegetable oil to the fruit in order to moisture and sugar contents, Pakistani dates, pargive it shine and to keep it from sticking together ticularly aseel and Begum Jangi, are extremely is a common practice that renders the fruit un- suitable for such processing.

Pakistan’s date sector shows what happens exportable as table fruit to high-end markets.

Due to the fear of rain-related damage to the when policymakers fail to identify an important crop, date growers in Pakistan opt for converting agricultural sub-sector and leave it at the mercy of the fruit into dry dates (chhoara). the process re- farmers and mediocre exporters. it also highlights the risk of overdependence quires boiling raw fruit at on a single market. How“Doka” stage and then sunever, nature seems to be drying it. this makes the now forcing us to undo past fruit slightly more resilient mistakes and benefit from against water-related damPakistan’s date sector the available opportunity. it age. However, this severely shows what happens when is an opportune time for restricts exportability of the makers, both at fedfruit as other than india, not policymakers fail to identify policy eral and provincial levels to many countries demand promote Pakistan’s date dry dates. Deterioration in an important agricultural sector amongst investors, Pakistan-india relations sub-sector and leave it at both domestic as well as inhas resulted in discontinuation of trade between the the mercy of farmers and ternational.

Disturbance in Middle two countries. though an mediocre exporters. It also East, the world’s main date extremely unfavorable sitproducing region, could seuation for farmers in the highlights the risk of riously disrupt the future immediate term due to sigsupply of date fruit and nificant drop in prices, this overdependence on a value-added date products. could actually be a blessing single market. However, setting up date processing in disguise as farmers are facilities in Pakistan may now likely to invest in nature seems to be now not be in the interest of Paktechnology and processes forcing us to undo past istan alone. Producers of to save the crop from podate products tential rain-related damage mistakes and benefit from value-added may actually be looking for and opt for making more of fresh dates. the available opportunity. such opportunities outside the volatile Middle East.

Failure to capitalize setting up date proupon available technology cessing facilities in the and to carry out capacity country will not only help building of farmers has historically resulted in around 80 percent of the safeguard the interests of growers but would also crop getting converted into dry dates and ex- contribute towards earning export dollars. there ported to india at throwaway prices. the Remain- also exists an opportunity for setting up common ing 20 percent is sun-dried and turned into fresh facilities for curing of dates. in the face of comdates. Even the fresh dates, due to faulty posthar- plete failure by the government to set up such favest practices, are damaged to an extent that they cilities, the field is wide open to private investors are no longer exportable as table fruit and are ex- for setting up the date dehydration facilities where ported as industrial raw material, which again re- raw dates could be brought in by farmers for mechanized dehydration against a charge– a visults in an extremely low value for exporters.

With fruit from the previous crop still lying able business with significant potential for growth.

However, for now it seems the present govin the warehouses, prices are likely to drop further as the fresh crop starts to arrive in the market ernment, like most previous ones, is failing to by around mid-July. at these prices, Pakistani focus on agriculture, the untapped goldmine, and dates would become extremely attractive as raw trying everything else under the sun to revamp material for processing into value-added prod- the economy. ucts such as date syrup, date paste and date Younus Sandeela is a freelance columnist sugar; with huge international demand particu-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

I

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

I

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail Resolving the Kashmir conflict

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

aFtER scrapping articles 370, 35-a from its constitution, india has violated the human rights of the kashmiris by allowing indian nationals to buy property in kashmir and sending its troops in the occupied kashmir to confiscate its identity and make it an indian Union. Most of the kashmiris are against the annexation of kashmir with india. indian troops must be withdrawn from occupied kashmir. the time has arrived to hit indian Government where it hurts the most. the best solution to the kashmir conflict is that Pakistan shut down airspace for indian flights, cut all the bilateral relations and trade with india. Pakistan must represent the kashmiris at every international forum and gain full support of Russia, China, iran, turkey, Us, and Malaysia on the kashmir issue. Beside this, getting alliance of all the neighboring states of occupied kashmir for initiating an attack in occupied kashmir for the deescalation of indian forces to avoid a serious conflict will be beneficial if tensions escalate further. if indian forces continue to conduct oppression then there shall be earth-shaking consequences. it will surely lead to a full-blown conflict.

SYed MuHAMMAd JeHAniAn Lahore

New inputs of India’s changing social system How India tackles the problems of the caste system dr rAjkumAr singH

L

ivinG within the embrace of the indian nation are vast numbers of different regional, social, and economic groups, each with different cultural practices. throughout the country religious differences can be significant, especially between the Hindu majority and the large Muslim minority, and other indian groups– Buddhists, Christians, Jains, Jews, Parsis, sikhs, and practitioners of tribal religions– all pride themselves on being unlike members of other faiths. the framework of politics in any democratic society is characterised by the general and specific features of the interaction between politics and the social structure. the general feature of politics in all democratic societies is that it intervenes to influence society and that it also reflects the social reality.

Role of state in changing society: in contemporary indian society all basic changes are initiated by the state. the indian state is the agency of change in society, and for performing such a role the state seeks its legitimacy through the democratic verdict of the people. Politics in india is a pre-eminent factor in societal changes, and this alone is responsible for the complexity of the interactions between politics and society. Further large masses of the people suffer from social and economic discriminations and they look to the state functionaries for protection and for survival. While those who belong to the vulnerable strata of society seek protection from the state, the privileged and powerful seek to control state institutions and resources for the protection and promotion of their material interests. although while keeping in mind the complexity of the relationship between politics and society it may be stated that the polities of transitional societies reveals more complexities than the polities of polarised ones. in all transitional societies the social structures, institutions, relationships, roles and identities are in a state of flux and the new and emerging social categories and linkage are involved in a continuous struggle with established social norms and relations. the relationship between politics and society can be neatly observed if the society has reached a stage of polarisation rather than in a society where numerous levels of relationship are involved in a struggle between the old and the new. in the context india is attempting a reconciliation between a modern democratic political system with a social system which has its firm foundation in ancient culture.

Wide support of Constitutional provisions: at independence, the society of india remained for a long time as it was in the pre-independence period. as earlier, caste, religion, and language continue to be strong factors fostering subnational identities. Horizontal and vertical cleavages have made it difficult for the civil society to develop the size and cohesion necessary to interact as an equal with the political and economic power of the state. in independent india the constitution makers were highly influenced by the

feeling of social equality and social justice. the role of th indian judiciary has gradually got a term “justice” in the Preamble embraces three face-lift and today a strong ambivalence clouds distinct forms- social, economic and political, se- the public image of the indian judicial system. cured through various provisions of Fundamental On the one hand, judicial activism is seen as a Rights and Directive Principles. in fact the entire sign of hope to set shortcomings right. social social issues were understood in proper perspec- awareness, insistence on human rights and the tive and the demand for reservation was made to attempt to check governmental lawlessness are get rid of social injustice committed earlier in said to have ‘transformed the supreme Court of india. Under the system of varna-Jaati, the Brah- india into a supreme Court for indians’. On the minical upper castes have undue, unearned and other hand, symptoms of inefficiency haunt the courts as they do other unjust privileges, whereas state institutions. the the sudra and Panchama courts are not free of corcastes suffer from supruption. the legal process pression, neglect and disThe process of shredding is even said to have becrimination. Because of more and more inthe graded inequality the old and accepting the come tractable, dilatory, practiced, based on the new dispensation creates whimsical and protective mere incident of birth of a the criminal and lawperson in a caste group, problems of adjustment. In of breaker having influence the lower castes were deor financial clout. there nied educational opportuIndia too there are many are serious complaints of nities and a share in the areas in which Indian widely reported allegaadministration by the tions of judicial misconpriestly and ruling classes. society is experiencing a duct and a disconcerting in those circumvariety of problems. Some compromise of integrity stances, the reservation and impartiality. Espepolicy is one of the conof these problems have cially, backlog and delay stitutional means adopted by india to address the their roots in our colonial in the resolution of civil disputes in india erode problems of centuries of past while others are related public trust and confidiscrimination inflicted in legal institutions, on certain groups resultto demographic changes, dence and act as significant baring in all types of inequalsocio-political conditions riers to india’s chosen ities. it is an arrangement path to social justice and to make up for the handiand cultural processes. economic development. cap or disability from to conclude, every which the lower castes India with its diversified society continues to suffer due to the caste culture, civilization, changes with time. the system. Reservation in process of shredding the education and job oppornatural resources, old and accepting the new tunities is not of the varitechnology and huge skilled dispensation creates probous means that could act lems of adjustment. in as a corrective to the hishuman power is among india too there are many torical disadvantages. no areas in which indian soone treats reservation as a the fastest developing ciety is experiencing a vasubstitute for social juscountries of the world. riety of problems. some tice. Reservation is an of these problems have arrangement, an aspect of their roots in our colonial policy, whereas social past while others are rejustice is a basic principle that lays emphasis on equality of opportunity lated to demographic changes, socio-political and welfare of all by dispensing with inequality. conditions and cultural processes. india with its the policy has been in existence for more than diversified culture, civilization, natural rehalf a century and it has seen many difficulties sources, technology and huge skilled human as well as twists and turns. in this context, edu- power is among the fastest developing countries cation too is most important as it transforms a of the world. the issues and challenges of modperson to live a better life. it is only the educa- ern and postmodern india are such that some tion which promotes good habits, values and loudly declare with authenticity that these canawareness towards anything like, terrorism, cor- not be solved just by government policy and ruption and much more. it is the only fundamen- schemes but can definitely be addressed by peotal way by which a desired change and ple’s wholehearted participation and willingupliftment in the society can be taken into effect. ness to commit themselves to social values, needed reforms in British system: after in- equality and education. dependence, the British legal system was basidr Rajkumar Singh is head of the Politicall cally maintained and a new constitution put in place that combined the principles of liberal Science department of the B.n.Mandal democracy with socialist aspirations of general university, Madhepura, Bihar, india, and can equality and welfare. But over the decades the be reached at rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com

Actions speak louder than words aCtiOns speak louder than words and Pti led Punjab government has certainly proved it. Critics apart, thousands of people have love and affection for the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar who has proved during his one year of rule that he is firm, resolute, and relentless in his efforts to uplift the lives of people of the province. it is so heartening to see that Punjab is really progressing which is evident from the fact that many public welfare initiatives have been taken by the incumbent government.

Whether it is an improvement in public health and education, or infrastructure development, the priorities of Punjab government are clear. anything and everything that lessens people’s worries and addresses their problems is up on the agenda of government. at least the government is delivering on some of its promises — shelter Homes, Punjab Ehsas Program, sehat insaf Cards, Punjab Green Development Program, naya Pakistan – Manzilyen asan Program etc. all shed light on the fact that the government is bent upon paying special attention to the welfare of the people of the province. dAniA ALi Lahore

Garbage in Karachi siR, through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, i would like to draw attention of the concerned authorities towards the serious problem of garbage in karachi because when it comes to garbage, karachi is the king of the trash heaps. the garbage situation of karachi is becoming worse everyday. Open sewage drains and garbage dumps are giving rise to many harmful diseases. after this Eid-ul-azha, the waste material is still lying on roads. and the majority of streets were flooded with water and trash, disturbing the citizens. Moreover the stagnant rainwater mixed with the remains of the animals, serving as a serious health hazard for citizens. karachi needs serious attention and it is also a matter of great concern for the higher authorities.

FAtiMA YouSuF Karachi

Aleem Dar tHREE times international Cricket Council Umpire of the years (2009, 2010, and 2011), Pakistan’s international cricket umpire, aleem Dar, has equaled the record of steve Buchnor of the West indies to officiate the most test cricket matches. taking the field for the 128th time during second ashes (2019) test between England and australia at Lord’s, Mr. Dar equaled the record. after he made his test debut in a match between Bangladesh and England at Dhaka in October 2003, he has taken charges of 376 matches across all formats. apart from aleem Dar and steve Bucknor, south africa’s Rudi koertzen is the only other umpire having reached the three figure mark in test, having stood in 108 tests before retiring in 2010. the Pakistan Cricket Board has congratulated him for achieving this milestone. We also congratulate him and hope that he would make more record(s) in the future and brighten the name of the country.

RiAz AHMed SooMRo Shikarpur

Wastage problems tHROUGH the columns of your esteemed newspaper, i wish to draw your attention to the unsanitary conditions of our area. in our area (Gulistan-e-Johar, Block 18) the sweepers don’t do their work properly. they don’t sweep the roads, streets, and lanes regularly. Heaps of garbage and refuse can be seen everywhere. Flies settle on them and these have become the breeding places of mosquitoes. Gutters are overflowing and giving off a nasty smell. Pools of dirty water cause terrific trouble to the residents. if immediate steps are not taken for the cleanliness of the area, dangerous diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and malaria may break out i, therefore request the authorities to issue orders for the cleanliness of our locality and relieve the residents off mental agony.

WAHAJ KHAn Karachi

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

huaweI In 'DecaDes-long' effort to steal amerIcan fIrms' secret, alleges us InDIctment NEW YORK

c

AGENCIES

HINESE tech giant Huawei was hit with fresh US criminal charges alleging a “decadeslong” effort to steal trade secrets from American companies.

A US indictment unsealed in New York alleges Huawei and its proxies conspired “to misappropriate intellectual property” from six US firms as part of a strategy to grow and become the world´s largest telecom equipment maker, the Justice Department said.

The new charges including a federal racketeering allegation add to an indictment unsealed in January 2019 that alleged Huawei stole trade secrets from US carrier T-Mobile.

The indictment names Huawei and several subsidiaries, as well as the company´s chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who has been arrested in

Canada over a related probe into Huawei´s violations of US sanctions.

Huawei, one of the largest tech firms and a major telecom equipment maker, has been blacklisted by Washington amid concerns over its ties to the Chinese government and intelligence services.

The sanctions are aimed at blocking Huawei from getting any US telecom equipment contracts and prevent the transfer of American technology to the

Chinese firm.

The company did not immediately respond to an AFP inquiry. It has previously strongly denied any use of “backdoors” for Chinese intelligence.

The new 16-count indictment says Huawei used a “long-running practice of using fraud and deception to misappropriate sophisticated technology from US counterparts,” a Justice Department statement said, without naming the American

India's curbs on Malaysian palm imports stir up edible oil trade KUALA LUMPUR AGENCIES

India’s halt on Malaysian palm oil imports has disrupted global edible oil trade flows, with Indonesia diverting supplies to feed India, Malaysia rushing to tap markets left behind by Jakarta, and India substituting palm with other oils.

India, the top global palm oil buyer, imposed restrictions on imports of refined palm oil last month, a move sources said was retaliation against Malaysia’s criticism of New Delhi’s actions in occupied Kashmir and a controversial citizenship law. Traders had also held off buying crude palm oil from Malaysia.

Malaysia’s latest palm export data revealed the impact of India’s restrictions, with shipments to India in January falling 85 per cent from a year earlier to 46,876 tonnes, the lowest since 2011.

India accounted for nearly a quarter of Malaysia’s total palm oil exports last year and has been the biggest buyer of Malaysian palm oil for five years.

To compensate, Malaysia dialled up shipments to other destinations, with exports to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Ghana — markets that have traditionally bought heavily from Indonesia —

all increasing in January by more than 100pc from the same month in 2019.

“A rebalancing is happening in the palm oil market,” said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.

“European and price-sensitive Asian buyers are switching to Malaysia from Indonesia due to lower prices.”

Indonesian prices have climbed to a rare premium to Malaysian levels this year, on expectations of higher Indian purchases.

Lee Yeow Chor, chairman of state

agency and industry body the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), said lower stockpiles in Malaysia have so far cushioned producers from the full impact of India’s drop off.

“Right now, the situation for Malaysia is not critical. We are still tight on stocks […] (India) may buy more from Indonesia. But that will open up a vacuum somewhere in the market elsewhere,” Lee said. Malaysian stockpiles are at a two-year low.

Lee said Malaysia was looking to

companies.

“Huawei´s efforts to steal trade secrets and other sophisticated US technology were successful,” according to the statement, which said the company “obtained nonpublic intellectual property relating to internet router source code, cellular antenna technology and robotics” to gain an “unfair competitive advantage” over rivals. According to the indictment, Huawei entered into confidentiality agreements with US tech firms and then violated those deals.

Huawei is accused of recruiting employees of other companies and “directing them to misappropriate their former employers´ intellectual property.”

The indictment also claims Huawei used “proxies” such as professors working at research institutions to steal trade secrets and “launched a policy instituting a bonus program to reward employees who obtained confidential information from competitors.”

expand market share in the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.

Data from the Malaysia Palm Oil Board shows Malaysia sold 170,802 tonnes of palm oil to Pakistan last month compared to 80,660 tonnes a year earlier. It also sold 12,527 tonnes to Bangladesh, up from 575 tonnes the year before. Indonesia was the biggest supplier to these markets last year.

INDIA SHIFTING FROM PALM OIL: Benchmark palm oil prices rose by 60pc from July to December last year, though they have fallen recently on concerns over Indian demand and the coronavirus outbreak in China.

India, a price-sensitive market, had slowed palm purchases in the last three months because of the rising prices.

A narrowing spread between the price of palm oil and that of other oils has also encouraged substitution.

India’s imports of palm oil in January fell 27pc from a year ago to 594,804 tonnes, while soy oil and sunflower oil imports jumped 40pc and 51pc, respectively, data from the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA) showed.

That pushed palm oil’s share in India’s edible oil import basket to 51pc in January, the lowest since June 2018.

B.V. Mehta, executive director of the SEA, said Indonesian suppliers could lower prices to retain buyers or India would continue to buy more rival oils.

“It can’t charge a hefty premium consistently over Malaysian supplies.

Whenever a gap between palm oil and soft oils narrows, Indian buyers shift to soft oils,” he said.

Renowned Turkish novelist acquitted in terror trial ISTANBUL AGENCIES

A Turkish court on Friday acquitted renowned novelist Asli Erdogan on charges of membership of an armed terror organisation, in a case which sparked international condemnation.

The court in Istanbul also acquitted Erdogan, who is living in exile in Germany, of disrupting the unity of the state, and dropped charges of spreading terror propaganda.

Erdogan, whose books have been translated into various different languages, was an occasional columnist for pro-Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Gundem which was shut down after the failed 2016 coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish authorities accused the paper — where Asli worked as a literary adviser — of being a mouthpiece for the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terror group

by Ankara and its Western allies. The court also acquitted two other defendants, including linguist Necmiye Alpay.

The 52-year-old Erdogan — who is not related to the Turkish president —

was held in pre-trial detention for four months in 2016 but later released.

She did not attend Friday’s hearing but in a statement read by her lawyer Erdal Dogan, Erdogan said her columns did not contain any violent element.

“Their political content is limited to human rights violations,” she said, adding that the accusations based on her literary texts “trampled on the values of both law and literature”.

‘FASCIST REGIME’: Erdogan is the author of novels including “The City in Crimson Cloak” and “The Stone Building and Other Places” which are famed for their unflinching exploration of loss and trauma, and her detention had raised concerns worldwide.

For rights advocates, the trial was emblematic of a systematic crackdown by the government on freedom of expression, particularly after the failed coup.

A post-putsch purge by Turkish authorities targeted not just alleged backers of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen — blamed by Ankara for the coup plot — but also opposition media and people accused of PKK ties.

Ankara however rejects the accusations of wide scale rights violations and says the sweeping operations were

aimed at keeping the state clean of Gulen’s “virus”. In an 2018 interview with AFP in Germany, Erdogan said her country was sliding into fascism.

“The extent of things in Turkey is like Nazi Germany,” she said. “I think it is a fascist regime. It is not yet 1940s Germany, but 1930s.”

‘VERY HAPPY’: Erdogan’s mother Mine Aydostlu appeared jubilant after the verdict.

“Believe me, I am very happy. I could not believe it. I was expecting this

but still, I couldn’t believe it,” she told AFP outside Istanbul’s main court.

“I asked many times if she was really acquitted. I could only believe it after I heard the word acquittal nine or 10 times.” After the travel ban against Erdogan was lifted in June 2017, she has largely lived in self-imposed exile in Europe and is currently in Berlin.

Her lawyer said she was abroad because she was suffering health problems as a result of her 2016 detention, and for a writing scholarship.

The fresh charges come amid heightened US-China trade tensions and efforts

by Washington to keep Huawei from obtaining contracts for 5G, or fifth-generation wireless networks.

According to the 56-page indictment, Huawei used its subsidiaries around the world to conceal its deal with Iran and North Korea, which are subject to US sanctions. Meng, arrested in late 2018, is under house arrest in Canada pending a ruling on whether she will be extradited to face charges in the United States.

The earlier charges against Meng allege she lied to the HSBC bank about Huawei´s relationship with its Iran-based affiliate Skycom, putting the bank at risk of violating US sanctions against Tehran.

Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, welcomed news of the indictment.

“The indictment paints a damning portrait of an illegitimate organization that lacks any regard for the law,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

“Intellectual property theft, corporate sabotage, and market manipulation are part of Huawei´s core ethos and reflected in every aspect of how it conducts business.

It uses these tactics indiscriminately against competitors and collaborators alike.”

VIrus coulD mean $5Bn In aIrlIne losses: un agency NEW YORK AGENCIES

The new coronavirus outbreak could mean a reduction of $4-5 billion in worldwide airline revenue, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) said on Thursday. The UN agency reported that 70 airlines have cancelled all international flights in and out of China and 50 others have reduced their operations. Preliminary estimates show this has meant a reduction of nearly 20 million passengers compared to expectations for the first quarter of 2020. That figure equates to potential lost revenue of up to $5 billion, the agency said. The virus has killed 1,483 people in China and infected more than 64,600 there.

Overseas, nearly 600 cases have emerged in around 30 locations. “Prior to the outbreak, airlines had planned to increase capacity by nine per cent on international routes to/from China for the first quarter of 2020 compared to 2019,” ICAO said in a statement. The reality has been a reduction in foreign airline traveler capacity of 80 per cent. Japan looks to be hardest-hit from a reduction in Chinese air travellers in the first quarter, ICAO said. The country could lose $1.29 billion in tourism revenue, with Thailand not far behind at a $1.15 billion loss potential. ICAO said the effects of the COVID-19 virus outbreak on the airline industry are expected to be larger than the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic because flight cancellations are more widespread this time. In addition, China’s international air traffic has doubled and its domestic air traffic increased five-fold in the last 17 years. Chinese authorities have locked down Hubei province, the virus epicentre, and have restricted movements in several cities as part of an unprecedented effort to contain the virus. Britain, Germany, the US, Japan and others have advised against travel to China.

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

BuSinESS 11

Pakistan and turkey eye Fta, sign strategic Framework

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD: A delegation of Coca Cola Icecek (CCI), led by CCI Pakistan General Manager Ahmet Kursad Ertin and Corporate Affairs Group Director Servet Yildirim, meets State Minister/Board of Investment Chairman Zubair Gilani. PRESS REl E A S E

LAHORE: Hashmi Group (makers of Hashmi Ispaghol) has become official platinum sponsor of Lahore Qalandars for the upcoming Pakistan Super League 2020. The announcement came during a media conference held recently in the provincial capital. PRESS RElEASE

FAISALABAD: Hyundai Nishat Motor (Private) Limited has announced the inauguration of its 3S Franchise Dealership, Hyundai D-Ground, in Faisalabad. PRESS RElEASE

P

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN and Turkey have formally signed a Strategic Economic Framework (SEF) for the promotion of trade and economic relations and to further the dialogue on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two brotherly countries, Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood announced on Friday.

Addressing the Pakistan-Turkey Business and Investment Forum, he said under the framework, the governments of both countries would strengthen their relations in trade and investment, information technology, defence and several other sectors.

He said the two countries had worked out the said framework during his meeting with Turkish commerce advisor on January 16 and 17 in Davos.

"The framework has now been signed and we will work on the way forward to explore strengths and potential of both countries," he maintained.

Dawood invited Turkish businessmen to come forward and play an effective role in increasing the volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Turkey.

"Turkish companies can explore different sectors, including IT and infrastructure, in this regard."

He also called for the Turkish business community to cooperate on halal food processing so that the same could be exported from Pakistan in the near future.

The adviser thanked the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) as well as the Turkish businessmen and investors for their efforts in strengthening the business and economic ties between the two countries.

He urged the business community of both sides to form a close liaison in order to realise their true potential.

Speaking on the occasion, Turkish Trade

MARKET DAILY

Bearish spell continues as KSE-100 loses 212 points KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Bears further tightened their grip around the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Friday, as the indices failed to sustain gains accumulated early in the day and closed the session in the red zone.

Foreign investors continued to offload equities on Thursday, registering a net outflow of $3.69 million.

According to latest data published by the State Bank of Pakistan, the country's total liquid foreign exchange reserves increased by $90 million to $18,735 million (as on February 7, 2020). The reserves previously stood at $18,645 million (January 31). Net reserves with SBP inched up by 1.28pc while net reserves with banks fell by 1.04pc on a weekly basis.

Gaining 147.72 points, the KSE-100 Index touched its intraday high at 40,603.16. It then

slid by 361.15 points to touch its day's low at 40,094.29. The index settled lower by 212.18 points at 40,243.26.

Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index declined by 570.40 points to end at 64,061.53, while the KSE All Share Index depreciated by 240.34 points, closing at 28,015.75. Out of the total traded shares, 86 advanced and 193 declined.

Sectors that drove the index south included oil & gas exploration (-47.27 points), tobacco (37.25 points) and investment banking (-30.28 points). Among the companies, Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PAKT -37.25 points), Dawood Hercules Corporation Limited (DAWH -28.70 points) and Pakistan Oilfields Limited (-19.19 points) dented the index the most.

The overall trading volumes shrank from 197.44 million in the previous session to

117.60 million. Pakistan International Bulk Terminal Limited (PIBTL +1.17pc), Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM -4.17pc) and Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL -2.83pc) remained the volume leader of the day. The scripts had exchanged 17.54 million, 13.14 million and 9.07 million shares, respectively.

On the market front, Lotte Chemical Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM -4.17pc) declared its financial performance for the second quarter of FY20.

The company's revenue increased by 5.47pc to Rs60.54 billion. Its earnings per share increased from Rs2.93 in FY18 to Rs3.66 in FY19.

Bank Alfalah Limited (BAFL -1.65pc) posted an EPS of Rs7.15 for FY19 (Rs5.99 in FY18), while Nishat Mills Limited (NML -2.15pc) recorded an EPS of Rs2.75 (Rs5.97 in FY18).

As MANy As 13 AgReeMeNts, pRotocols ANd MoUs sigNed betweeN the two coUNtRies to boost tRAde ANd iNvestMeNt ties Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said, "We seek to enhance the volume of trade between Pakistan and Turkey to $1 billion."

She said that both sides have agreed to enhance the cooperation on areas of mutual interests.

AGREEMENTS, PROTOCOLS, MEMORANDUMS: Pakistan and Turkey on Friday signed 13 documents of cooperation, including agreements, protocols and memorandums of understanding, to boost bilateral ties in the fields of trade, tourism, defence and infrastructure development.

The documents of cooperation were signed in a ceremony held at the PM House, following the one-on-one meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Apart from signing a strategic economic framework, the two countries signed a bilateral agreement on military training cooperation. The signatories included Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and Turkish National Defence Minister Hulusi Akar.

Meanwhile, National University of Science and Technology of Pakistan Rector Lt Gen (r) Naweed Zaman and Turkish Aerospace Industries CEO Tamel Kotli signed an MoU for cooperation between their respective institutions.

An implementation programme of an MoU between Turkish Standard Institutions (TSE) and Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) in the field of standardization, conformity assessment, meteorology and training

was also signed by PSQCA Director General Abdul Aleem Memon and TSE President Dr Adem Sahin.

Moreover, an MoU was signed between the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and the Turkish Ministry of Culture, Tourism on Cooperation in Diaspora Policy. The accord was inked by Secretary Overseas Pakistanis Amir Hassan and Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities President Abdullah Eren.

In order to enhance media and cultural cooperation, a cooperation protocol between Turkish Radio Television Corporation (TRT) and Pakistan Television (PTV) was signed by PTV Managing Director Amer Manzoor and TRT DG Ibrahim Eren.

Similarly, another such protocol was also signed by Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation DG Samina Waqar and TRT DG to enhance cooperation and share expertise in the field of radio.

Furthermore, Pakistan and Turkey signed an agreement to strengthen cooperation for development of tourism. The signatories of this agreement included Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza and Turkish Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Dr Serdar CAM. An MoU was signed by Science and Technology Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan for cooperation in the field of halal accreditation between the two countries.

The Turkish trade minister and Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Sheikh signed an MoU between Turkish Trade Ministry and Federal Board of Revenue on trade facilitation and custom cooperation.

Communication Minister Murad Saeed and Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Mehmet Cahit Turan signed an MoU for cooperation between Pakistan Post and Turkish Post.

Similarly, another MoU was signed by Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and Turkish transport and infrastructure minister to enhance cooperation in the field of railways.

Nishat Mills' profit plunges 59pc to Rs1.89bn LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

The Board of Directors of Nishat Mills Limited (NML) met on Friday to review the company's performance and announce its financial results for the half-year ended December 31, 2019.

According to the financial results, the textile conglomerate reported a profit after tax of Rs1.891 billion for the six months ending December 31, 2019, as compared to Rs3.164 billion for the corresponding period last year, showing a decrease of 59.8pc.

The BoD also recommended further equity investment up to Rs2.144 billion in the shares of MCB Bank Limited, an associated company, subject to the approval of the shareholders under section 199 of the Companies Act, 2017.

Its earnings per share (EPS) were recorded at Rs5.38, which is a decrease of 59.7pc from Rs9 last year.

The textile giant’s profit before tax clocked in at Rs2.418 billion, as compared to Rs3.640 billion during the same period last year.

QUARTERLY COMPARISONS: In its 2QFY20 result, NML reported a net profit of Rs968 million (EPS: Rs2.75) as compared to Rs2,100 million (EPS: Rs5.97) in 2QFY19, down by 54pcYoY. According to Umer Farooq, research analyst at AKD Securities, the earnings came in 16pc lower

than their expectations.

He mentioned in his report that the deviation was mainly on two accounts; firstly, lower than expected revenue (8pc below expectations) and secondly, weaker than expected margin at gross level (actual 11.07pc vs expected 12.46pc), signifying low materialisation of translation gains in PKR terms.

Umer stated that topline grew by a nominal 6pc YoY, signifying weak translation of currency gains in final product prices.

He added that margin at gross level contracted 72bps YoY, suggesting elevated cost pressures.

Umer opined that finance cost declined 27pc YoY on account of lower borrowing and higher subsidised financing mix.

“Selling and Administrative (S&A) costs grew 6pcYoY -- in line with revenue growth,” he mentioned.

The AKD report stated that other income declined 66pc YoY on lower payouts from portfolio companies and one-off exchange gain recorded in same period last year (SPLY) created a high base.

Umer wrote that however, the same was 13pc ahead of our expectation possibly due to higher income on loan to subsidiary.

“Sequentially, earnings increased by a meager 5pcQoQ on seasonally higher other income (up 37pcYoY), while core textile earnings declined 34pcYoY due to margin attrition (247bpsQoQ) at gross level,” he stated.

Zahidjee Textile Mills submits SOQ to acquire SME Bank Ltd LAHORE HASSAN NAQVI

Zahidjee Textile Mills Limited recently submitted a Statement of Qualification (SOQ) to the Privatisation Commission (PC) to acquire 93.88pc shares of SME Bank Limited.

According to information submitted to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday, the Privatisation Commission had in December 2019 advertised about the privatisation of the said bank via the sale of 93.88pc of its shares to a strategic buyer.

Following the advert, Zahidjee Textile Mills Limited, the manufacturer and ex-

porter of yarn fabric and made-up articles, had submitted an expression of interest (EOI) to the PC on 21 January 2020, and consequently received a request for the submission of SOQ by February 10.

According to sources, the PC's transaction steering committee (TSC) would review and access the interested parties for pre-qualification and would submit its recommendations to the PC board, which would pre-qualify the interested parties before initiating the bidding process.

Upon contact, Zahidjee Textile Mills Limited CEO Mian Muhammad Zahid refused to share details of the transaction, but confirmed that they had submit-

ted the SOQ. It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistani government had decided to divest its equity stake along with the managerial control of the bank to a strategic investor through PC. The transaction structure was approved by the PC board on 17 January 2017 and was recommended to the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP).

The CCOP had approved the transaction structure in its meeting held on 27 Jan 2017. The PC then invited an expression of interest (EOI) on 14 February 2017 from reputed local and international investors.

Subsequently, the TSC evaluated and assessed five interested parties for pre-

qualification and forwarded its recommendations to the PC board.

Of the interested parties, the board, in its meeting held on 2 Nov 2017 pre-qualified three parties, including Finca Microfinance Bank and Saudi Pak Investment Company Limited, for due diligence and participation process.

In another meeting held on 13 June 2018, TSC recommended that after the withdrawal of two parties, namely Finca Microfinance Bank and Saudi Pak Investment Company Limited, it was not advisable to proceed to the bidding phase with a single bidder.

BANK'S PERFORMANCE: On No-

vember 23, 2019, the PC secretary had informed a National Assembly committee that the SME Bank would be privatised "because the country has a fiscal deficit and there is no fiscal space and that a strategic partner is essential for injecting capital".

As per SME Bank's financial statements, it was making profit till 2008, but now it was incurring losses. The bank's liabilities that amounted to Rs4 billion in 2014, had reached over Rs11 billion.

According to financial statements of the period ending September 30, 2018, the bank was still managing its operations with negative equity of Rs1,177 million and recorded a pre-tax loss of Rs630 million.

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

12 BuSinESS ntdc installs auto transformers at Lahore, Jamshoro grids In order to cater to the increased demand of electricity during summer season, National Transmission and Despatch Company Ltd (NTDC) is all set to overcome the system constraints on identified 500kV and 220kV grid stations across the country. “A 250 MVA transformer has been added in 220 kV Ghazi Grid Station. The addition will end overloading of system and will provide uninterrupted power supply to LESCO consumers with improved voltage level,” the company said in a statement.

“NTDC has also devised a System Constraints Removal Plan envisaged in three phases. In its first phase, a 450 MVA transformer has been added and energized at 500kV Jamshoro grid station in Jan 2020 to overcome overloading of the system during minimum power generation of wind power plants (WPPs).” The NTDC spokesman said that the augmentation work on 500kV Bhikki-New Lahore transmission line, 220kV RaviLahore transmission & 220 kV Ravi-Shalamar transmission line is also in progress which will be completed in shortest possible time. BUSINESS DESK

Big industry contracts 3.35pc in first half Fy20 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's large-scale manufacturing (LSM) shrank by 3.35pc in the first half (July-Dec) of the current financial year (FY20), as compared to the same period of last year. However, on a month-on-month basis, the LSM index increased by 9.66pc in December 2019 when compared with December 2018, and 16.4pc when compared with November 2019, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday. During the first half of FY20, production increased in food, beverages & tobacco, non-metallic mineral products, fertilizers, paper & board and leather products, whereas it significantly decreased in petroleum, pharmaceuticals, automobiles, iron & steel and electronic products. The sector-wise production of 11 items under the Oil Companies Advisory Committee edged lower by 0.66pc, 36 under the Ministry of Industries and Production shrank by 1.78pc and 65 reported by the Provincial Bureaus of Statistics dipped 0.34pc. Major growth during the six-month period was witnessed in wooden products (+46pc) while leather products were second in line with 11.02pc increase. Food, beverages and tobacco products witnessed a growth of 4pc in six months.

It is pertinent to mention that LSM constitutes 80pc of the country's total manufacturing and accounts for nearly 10.7pc of the overall national output. In comparison, smallscale manufacturing accounts for just 1.8pc of GDP and 13.7pc in manufacturing. The lacklustre performance in the industrial sector reflects overall economic slowdown in the ongoing fiscal year. The State Bank of Pakistan estimates the economy to grow by 3.5pc in 2019-20. GHUlAM ABBAS

Lotte chemicals reports 25pc increase in profit LAHORE: The Board of Directors of Lotte Chemicals Pakistan Limited (LOTCHEM) met on Friday to review the company's performance and announce the financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019. According to the financial results, the company reported a profit after tax of Rs5.542 billion for the year ending December 31, 2019, as compared to Rs4.431 for the corresponding period the last year, showing a growth of 25pc. Its earnings per share were recorded at Rs3.66, which is a 25pc jump from Rs2.91 last year. The company's profit before tax clocked in at Rs7.779 billion (+23pc) from Rs6.346 billion last year. Its gross profit stood at Rs7.876 billion as compared to Rs7.382 billion, showing an increase of 7pc. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the chemical company will be held on April 16, whereas the company's share transfer books will remain closed from April 10 to April 16 (both days inclusive). Transfers received at the company’s registered office at the close of business on April 9 will be treated in time for the purpose of attending the AGM. HASSAN NAQVI

ProPosed revivaL PLan oF tuwairqi steeL miLLs oPPosed ISLAMABAD GHUlAM ABBAS

d

ESPITE a strong lobby supporting the proposed revival plan of Tuwairqi Steel Mills Limited (TSML) through an expected investment of around $700 million, the framework for the plan has recently been opposed by the federal cabinet, sources informed this scribe on Friday.

The framework, prepared by the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoIP) to promote direct reduced iron (DRI) and revival of TSML, was earlier submitted to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), which later constituted a subcommittee for further evaluation.

However, insiders claimed that the same was turned down in the cabinet’s meeting held in the last week of January after some officials of the concerned ministries had shown their reservations over the facilities being offered to the steel company in return of investment. TSML, in return of fresh investment in DRI, was seeking relaxation in duty on billets and subsidy on gas after three years of operation of the mills.

Some influential people, including a federal minister, backing the revival plan had tried to get the framework cleared from the cabinet last month, but officials sitting at the helm of affairs had opposed the proposals while identifying various flaws in the framework, an insider said.

ernment would help provide gas through other available resources including imported RLNG. Apart from the cheaper and ensured gas facility, the government was also supposed to provide tax exemptions to the new investors as well as the new investment for revival of plants.

However, the local steel industry has raised concerns against the framework, which according to it, was only to facilitate a particular company.

The MoIP, on the other hand, had submitted a summary regarding grant of special concessions/subsidy to attract the FDI for promotion of DRI technology, saying the entire steel industry was consulted before the initiative.

In a letter dispatched to several ministries, the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) pleaded that none of the representative body of the steel industry including, PALSP, the Pakistan Steel Melters Association and the National Steel Advisory Council was consulted before making such proposals at highest forum of the ECC. The association suggested the government to produce DRI through coal-based process instead of using costlier gas. It also raised questions over the concession for only FDI while ignoring the local investors.

The local industry alleges that making the investment of over $500 million as qualifying criteria, and other conditions are being introduced to benefit a particular company.

The framework for the revival of TSML - a joint venture of the Al-Tuwairqi Group of Companies of Saudi Arabia and a South Korean firm since 2013 - was submitted to the ECC on November 20, 2019, after talks between the mill and the government with a fresh injection of around $700 million.

According to documents, the government was going to introduce the incentives for new investors in the DRI sector which would ultimately benefit TSML, which had setup a DRI plant in Karachi.

The Saudi firm had stopped work on the plant, set up at Bin Qasim, Karachi, over an area of 220 acres with 1.28 million tonnes per annum production capacity, after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had refused to provide gas at a discounted rate.

The mill’s DRI plant was eventually shut down for several months in 2014 due to the gas supply dispute.

The TSML management had requested gas supply at Rs123 per million British thermal units (mmbtu) in order to effectively operate the plant.

However, the previous government refused, saying that this would amount to a subsidy of Rs25 billion over five years.

As per the summary submitted to the ECC, the government was proposed to provide gas at the cost of $4.65 per MMBTU to a DRI unit on the basis of first come first serve, to be used as feedstock for a maximum period of up to 10 years.

In case of non-availability of gas, the gov-

Turkish delegation apprised of Pakistan's new shipping policy

muhtashim ashai to head soneri Bank after sBP’s approval KARACHI

tURkey offeRs AssistANce iN shipyARd opeRAtioNs ANd techNology tRANsfeR

MEIRYUM AlI

ISLAMABAD ARIBA SHAHID

A Turkish government delegation, led by its Transport and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turhan, on Friday held delegation-level talks with the Pakistani officials, led by Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi, in connection with Turkish President Recep Tayyab Erdogan's visit to Islamabad.

The Pakistani delegation also included Maritime Affairs Secretary Rizwan Ahmed, Additional Secretary Nadir Mumtaz Warraich and Joint Secretary Kamran Farooq Ansari.

Speaking on the occasion, Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi explained the delegation on the salient features of Pakistan's new shipping policy,

which includes tax exemptions [for the ships registered in Pakistan] and preferential berthing rights.

He invited the Turkish companies to establish their industries in the Export Processing Zones (EPZs) being set up in the port cities of Karachi and Gwadar.

While highlighting the potential of Pakistan in terms of the development of coastal cities and the tourism industry, Zaidi also invited the Turkish minister to attend the upcoming Maritime Expo in Karachi, to be held later this year.

The Pakistani side further requested the Turkish delegation to ease their visa restrictions for them.

Turkish Minister Turhan

on the occasion stressed bilateral cooperation in the shipping sector through assistance in shipyard operations and exchange of technology and experience.

He said the Turkish companies would provide Pakistani manpower with preferential opportunities, noting that Pakistani seafarers were renowned for their professionalism.

Accepting Pakistan’s invitation, the delegation agreed to send the Turkish companies to participate in the Maritime Expo.

The Turkish delegation also showed a keen interest in CPEC projects and endorsed their support for the development of infrastructure in Pakistan.

Muhtashim Ashai has been named the president and CEO of Soneri Bank, according to an announcement by the bank sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange on Friday. This appointment will be effective from April 1, 2020, subject to clearance by the State Bank of Pakistan under fit and proper test requirements. Ashai’s last role was as the president and CEO of MCB Islamic Bank, a position he held for only for the last year.

Between January 2008 and March 2019, Ashai was a senior Executive Vice President and the head of Corporate Finance at MCB Bank. He was previously the head of Portfolio Management at ABN AMRO Bank between 1997 and 2007. Soneri Bank tentatively made the offer to Ashai around three weeks ago, according to sources. The final offer was decided on Thursday. Ashai will replace Muhammad Aftab Manzoor, whose contract ends on March 31, 2020. Manzoor had been the president and CEO of Soneri Bank since 2011. Previously, he was the CEO and president of KASB Bank, and also Allied Bank. “The Board of Directors also placed on record their appreciation for the valuable contribution and services rendered by the outgoing president and CEO and wish him luck in his future endeavours,” the statement added. Soneri Bank’s recent performance has been underwhelming when compared to other banks. Its financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2019, which were also released yesterday, showed that profit after tax increased by 6.86pc to Rs1.906 billion.

Budget deficit reaches Rs994bn in six months govt speNds Rs4.2tR AgAiNst ReveNUe of Rs3.2tR iN fiRst six MoNths of oNgoiNg fiscAl yeAR ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA

Pakistan’s budget deficit has soared to Rs994.7 billion or 2.3 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the first half of the financial year 20192020, revealed the fiscal operation report issued by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

According to the report, the country’s expenditures were recorded at Rs4,226.6 billion or 9 per cent of the GDP, as com-

pared to the revenue of Rs3,231.9 billion during the same period.

In addition to this, the report stated that out of the Rs4,226.6 billion, the government spent Rs1,281.2 billion on domestic and foreign debt servicing (Rs1,120.7 billion on domestic debt and Rs160.5 billion on foreign debt).

The government spent Rs529.5 billion on defence expenses out of the Rs1.152 trillion allocated for the sector in the current fiscal year. Meanwhile, the government spent only Rs237.5 billion on

defeNce sectoR ReMAiNs MAjoR beNeficiARy of govt speNdiNg, heAlth sectoR Receives oNly Rs5.1bN federal development projects whereas the provincial governments spent Rs219.4 billion on the same.

The report revealed that that the government spent Rs218.9 billion on pension payments, Rs72.01 billion on public order and safety affairs, Rs31.8 billion on education, Rs5.1 billion on health and Rs4.3 billion on recreation, culture, and religion.

Of the total revenue of Rs3,231.9 billion, the government collected Rs766.7 billion as non-tax revenue. Out of the

Rs766.7 billion, Rs27.44 billion were collected as mark-up on public sector entities, Rs26.02 billion as dividend, Rs426.5 billion as profit of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Rs112.1 billion as profit of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Rs6.5 billion from defence sources, Rs11.4 billion from passport fee, Rs7.2 billion as discounts on crude oil, Rs43.8 billion as royalties on gas and oil, Rs3.3 billion as windfall levy against crude oil and Rs100.6 billion through other sources.

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) faced a major tax collection shortfall of Rs274 billion in the first six months of the current financial year. The bureau collected Rs2,093 against the target of Rs2,367 billion for the first half of FY20.

The shortfall continues to increase with passing time whereas non-tax collection is expected to increase by Rs400 billion to Rs1.6 trillion in the current fiscal year.

On the other hand, the four provincial governments recorded a budget surplus of Rs323.7 billion during the first six months of the current fiscal year as they spent Rs1,359.7 billion against their revenue of Rs1,683.4 billion. The federal government had expected the provinces to record a budget surplus of Rs423 billion during the current fiscal year.

Hum Network ANNouNce womeN LeAders AwArd Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy releases the fourth film from HOME1947 titled Midnight Fury

By KauKaB Jahan

H

UM Network Limited has announced Women Leaders Award, an initiative to honour and pay tribute to women achievers from Pakistan and abroad. The event will be held on February 19, 2020 at the Governor House, Karachi, which will be attended by President Islamic Republic of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi.

The announcement was made during a press conference by Sultana Siddiqui, President HUM Network who is also a women’s rights advocate and social activist. She was accompanied by the advisory committee members of HWLA Ameena Saiyid, Rehana Hakim, Amin Hashwani and Dr Huma Baqai.

Speaking on the occasion Sultana Siddiqui said, “Women in Pakistan are not celebrated the way they should be considering their contributions and achievements. HWLA is an effort to project these role models and I would like to thank my esteemed advisory committee, our sponsors and Governor Sindh for making it possible.”

“These awards are

being presented to acknowledge and recognize the contributions made by women in Pakistan and abroad to inspire the youth who are waiting in the wings and who can emulate these role models and, in the process, present the real image of Pakistan to the world,” said Ameena Saiyid.

“I am really delighted to be part of this initiative which intends to celebrate and honour women who have made a mark in life and whose stories are very inspiring,” said Rehan Hakim.

“We have a very young population and it is essential to establish role models with diversity and characteristics such as courage and resilience that helps make one successful in life,” said Amin Hashwani.

“Every woman has to put up a fight to achieve success in life. HWLA is an attempt to highlight and present the courage and determination of women achievers to the world and is a huge initiative to inspire young women,” said Dr Huma Baqai.

HUM Women Leaders Award will be held annually and televised on International Women’s Day on HUM globally. HWLA

aims to recognize and honour the contributions and achievements of iconic women from Pakistan and around the world who are change makers in their respective fields and a symbol and source of hope, courage, determination and inspiration for women across the globe. These iconic women are mentors and role models for girls who aspire to be achievers.

The aim of these awards is to encourage women to think big and continue the legacy of HUM Network which has always advocated empowerment of women through its content.

The awards ceremony will be preceded by a panel discussion titled ‘Women as Agents of Social Change’ on February 18, 2020 at the Governor House. Moderated by Maria Zulfiqar and Sadaffe Abid, the panel discussion comprises two topics – ‘Women on The Frontlines of a Transforming World’ and ‘Pakistani Women at The Crossroads’.

The panelists for the first session include Mehtab Rashdi, Amin Hashwani, Dr Fouzia Saeed and Nazish Brohi, and Samina Baig, Omer Aftab, Khadija Siddiqui and Anis Haroon for the latter.

HOME1947 is a deeply personal exploration of the lives and stories of the millions that were displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent states, India and Pakistan.

SOC Films releases the fourth short-film from HOME1947 titled Midnight Fury. Indeed, HOME1947 Series is a deeply personal exploration of the lives and stories of the millions that were displaced in 1947 during the creation of two new independent states, India and Pakistan.

Home is a place of comfort and lasting warmth: a sanctuary for the family. The fourth film Midnight Fury captures the contrast in emotions for a young boy in 1947 as his home becomes a painful memory full of heartache and grief after witnessing the loss of a parent.

HOME1947 is a series of 7 short films conceptualized and produced by SOC Films, which recreate the long-lost sights and sounds of what millions once called home and explores this world not through the words of historians and politicians, but through the eyes of those who lived through it.

HOME1947 Series was first premiered as part of the HOME1947 Exhibition at the Manchester International Festival in the UK followed by exhibitions in Mumbai [India], Lahore and Karachi. HOME1947 has been cocommissioned by the British Council in Pakistan in collaboration with the Manchester International Festival and Super Slow Way.

SOME PEOPLE USED TO BELIEVE THAT KISSING A DONKEY COULD RELIEVE A TOOTHACHE.

SCIENTISTS SAY THAT THE BEST TIME TO TAKE A NAP IS BETWEEN 1 P.M. AND 2:30 P.M. BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN A DIP IN BODY TEMPERATURE MAKES US FEEL SLEEPY.

BECAUSE THE SPEED OF EARTH'S ROTATION CHANGES OVER TIME, A DAY IN THE AGE OF DINOSAURS WAS JUST 23 HOURS LONG.

Aries: A strong sense of attachment or possession takes hold of you right now.

Taurus: With your attention firmly on relationships right now, you're more likely to seek new dynamics in every partnership.

Gemini: Daily rituals are disrupted by something unexpected, or it's possible a secret is unveiled that throws you off course.

Cancer: Relaxation and pleasure call to you at this moment, but watch out for emotional surprises involving your friends or social groups; someone might leave your midst.

Leo: Your career and home are thrown out of balance today, but you can seize this chance to establish a new regimen that stabilizes your work-life balance.

Virgo: Your worldview is being stretched thin and tested today, and it helps to keep a malleable perspective.

Libra: You may be feeling rebellious toward former agreements and structures that have existed for a long time.

Scorpio: You might experience disruptions and wildcards in your relationships today, especially if you are not really satisfied with these unions.

Sagittarius: You’re being driven by unconscious forces to revolt against all expectations and routines today.

Capricorn: Today is full of friendly company, opening up possibilities for fun and creative expression.

Aquarius: Your domestic life can be subject to sudden changes or unannounced developments today, which may put your private life out in the open.

Pisces: It’s a good day to go with the flow, as there will be a quick pace to events, and you’ll have lots of activities to stimulate your intellect.

CMYK

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

14 SPORTS

IOC faCe ‘BIg COmmunICatIOnS jOB’ aS vIRuS jItteRS hIt tOKyO OlympICS

O

AgeNcIes

LYMPIC chiefs admitted Friday they face a “very big communications job” to soothe concerns over the coronavirus epidemic in the run-up to this summer’s Tokyo Games.

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) coordination commission insisted there was no danger of Tokyo 2020 being cancelled or moved, despite fears over the fast-spreading virus which has killed nearly 1,400 and infected around 64,000 — most of them in China. But he said the IOC will send out information packs to reassure athletes that it’s safe to come into contact with competitors from China.

“The advice we have received from the World Health Organization (WHO) is that there is no case for a contingency plan to cancel or move the Games,” John Coates told reporters after a project review meeting.

“Certainly it’s a very big communi-

cations job that needs to be undertaken,” he added, noting that China is set to send more than 600 athletes to Tokyo.

“But we hear that most of the Chinese athletes are now out of China. I don’t know how many were to be involved in test events here, but I don’t see a problem if they’re coming from another country.”

Coates promised lessons would be learned from Rio four years ago, when concerns over the mosquito-born Zika virus led to several top athletes pulling out of the Olympics, including golfers Jason Day and Rory McIlroy.

“The WHO pointed out the likelihood of Zika being a problem at the time of the Games was very low,” he said.

“But we did lose some athletes — Jason Day’s wife was pregnant. We didn’t communicate the information well enough.” Tokyo organisers have slammed “fake news” and scare-mongering over the coronavirus outbreak for causing panic ahead of the Games, which open on July 24.

More than 25 countries have con-

Real Sociedad edge closer to all-Basque Spanish Cup final MADRID: Real Sociedad edged second division Mirandes 2-1 in their Copa del Rey semifinal first leg on Thursday, taking a tentative step closer to a potential all-Basque final against Athletic Bilbao. Sociedad had knocked out Real Madrid 4-3 in the quarterfinals and they were in control early on at home against Mirandes, the only second-tier side to make the last-four.

Captain Mikel Oyarzabal gave them a ninthminute lead from the penalty spot after a foul

by Odei Onaindia on Portu. Mirandes were on level terms on 40 minutes thanks to Matheus Aias but Sociedad restored their advantage through Norwegian prodigy Martin Odegaard just two minutes later.

Mirandes, however, will not be cowed by the challenge in the second leg next month as they bid to become the first second division side to make the final in 40 years. They have already knocked out three top flight teams to get to this stage having seen off Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Villarreal. On Wednesday, captain Iker Muniain scored the only goal as Athletic Bilbao defeated Granada 1-0 in their first leg clash. Muniain, 27, had been redcarded in his team’s 2-1 defeat by Sociedad in La Liga at the weekend. However, he was the toast of the city Wednesday when he latched onto a cross from Inaki Williams just three minutes before the interval to score the game’s only goal. Athletic coach Gaizka Garitano named the same team which shocked Barcelona in the quarter-finals last week and they will consider themselves unfortunate not to have won by a greater margin after having two strikes ruled out for offside. Agencies

firmed cases of the flu-like disease, which the WHO has declared a global health emergency.

‘Tokyo 2020 on TRAck’: Japan, which registered its first fatality on Thursday of someone who had tested positive

for the virus, is one of the worst-hit countries outside of mainland China.

There have been 33 cases on land and more than 200 positive tests of people quarantined on a cruise ship floating off Yokohama since last week.

Ronaldo penalty snatches Juventus first-leg draw at Milan

MILAN Agencies

Cristiano Ronaldo’s injury-time penalty grabbed Juventus a 1-1 draw at AC Milan in their Italian Cup semifinal, first leg on Thursday as his incredible scoring run continued.

The 35-year-old has now scored 12 goals in his last eight games in all competitions after the Portuguese ultimately got the better of old rival Zlatan Ibrahimovic despite being largely anonymous for much of the match. Milan paid for Theo Hernandez’s 71st-minute red card as they failed to close out a game they had dominated for long periods and led

through Ante Rebic.

Juve will now be favorites to finish the job in the second leg at the Allianz Stadium next month, with a final against either Inter Milan or Napoli up for grabs. The hosts started strongly, with Ibrahimovic heading over the crossbar inside the first minute. He continued to be a threat to his former club early on, but could only direct an ambitious backheel flick beyond the far post, before picking up a booking which will see him miss the second leg through suspension.

Juventus finally produced their first shot in anger nine minutes before half-time, as Juan Cuadrado

saw his low strike well saved by Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Milan started the second half as they did the first, on the front foot, but Rebic was denied an opening goal by Gianluigi Buffon.

Samu Castillejo also called Buffon into action seven minutes after the break, with the 42-year-old goalkeeper able to make a comfortable save. Stefano Pioli’s side finally made the breakthrough in the 61st minute, though, as Castillejo’s clipped cross was volleyed home at the back post by Rebic.

Juventus were gifted a way back into the game with 18 minutes remaining as Hernandez was handed a second yellow card for a late challenge on Paulo Dybala. That prompted the 13-time winners to belatedly pile some pressure on the home goal, and Donnarumma had to be alert to keep out Matthijs de Ligt’s header. Dybala curled wide with five minutes remaining, but Juve were awarded a spot-kick in the final minute of normal time as VAR spotted a handball by Davide Calabria.

Ronaldo stepped up and slammed the ball down the middle to score his 24th goal of the season.

Six minutes of injury-time gave the visitors hope of clinching an unlikely victory, but Milan at least held on for a draw to keep their bid for a first Cup crown since 2003 alive.

Too rich to Bribe: Diack junior denies Russian doping graft AgeNcIes Papa Massata Diack, the son of former world athletics supremo Lamine Diack, has denied corruption linked to the Russian doping scandal, saying he is too rich to bribe.

Diack has been indicted by French prosecutors for allegedly accepting millions of dollars along with his father, Lamine Diack, in return for covering up positive Russian doping tests. Diack junior is a former marketing consultant for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), now renamed World Athletics, which was run by his father from 1999 to 2015.

He was due to go on trial in Paris from mid-January along with his father but has refused to cooperate with French authorities and remains in Senegal. Despite two international arrest warrants issued by France, the Senegalese authorities have said they will not extradite Diack junior.

Coates conceded that there could be fear among athletes about facing competitors from China. “We did talk about that,” said the Australian.

“The IOC is going to ensure (information) kits are sent to all national committees to explain what’s happening around the world where Chinese athletes are competing,” he added.

“But I can confirm Tokyo 2020 remains on track,” insisted Coates, who revealed IOC president Thomas Bach will lay a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on the sidelines of the May 19-20 executive project review.

The virus has already impacted sporting events in Asia, including Olympic qualifiers for boxing and basketball — both in China.

Formula One’s Shanghai Grand Prix, scheduled to take place in April, has been postponed with the inaugural Vietnamese Grand Prix also under threat.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government has come under fire for its handling of the infection, especially quarantine measures seen as too lax in the early stages of the epidemic. “We don’t yet know who will be competing at test events so we can’t say anything for sure,” said Tokyo 2020 CEO Toshiro Muto, when pressed to specify measures being taken to tackle the epidemic.

“But we will have information from the qualifiers that are under way and take the necessary steps.”

In testimony to an investigating magistrate in Senegal in November, seen by AFP, Papa Massata Diack said he was too wealthy to need to take bribes and denied covering up positive Russian doping tests from 2011.

“In all the years I worked with the IAAF and Dentsu-AMS (the IAAF mar-

keting rights holders), I earned around 10 millions dollars (nine million euros) from sponsoring contracts and TV rights,” he testified. “So I had no need to ask athletes to pay money for doping cases.” The testimony, given on November 7, was sent by Senegal authorities to Paris along with other documents

CMYK

related to the case, but arrived too late to permit the trial to go ahead on the original date. The presiding magistrate in the trial said more time was needed to examine that testimony. The trial is now set to start in June.In his testimony, Diack, 54, denied all allegations against him including taking unauthorised payments to the tune of millions of dollars for TV contracts. Separately, father and son are also being investigated by French authorities in a related case concerning the allocation of major athletics events and two Olympic Games.

Diack senior, 86, acknowledged during the investigation over Russian doping that sanctions against Russian athletes had been put on hold to allow them to compete at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2013 world athletics championships in Moscow.

Russia has been suspended from international competition since 2015 after proof emerged of a vast state-backed doping conspiracy.

Break brought welcome respite for players, says Klopp LIveRpooL: The first ever Premier League mid-season break pleased Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp as it allowed the runaway leaders to rest their aches and pains following the hectic festive period. The 52year-old German takes his players to bottom-placed Norwich on Saturday holding a 22 point lead over two-time defending champions Manchester City.

Klopp said the break will have done his squad the world of good as he knew from his own playing experience. “I was a player myself. When I look back it feels like I played through 80% of the time with pain,” he said at his eve of match press conference.

“Nobody appreciated that because I played bad so it didn’t help. Nobody asked then. It is completely normal for a professional football player to play through pain. “After that long period in December-January, there was no player in the squad who had no pain.

Everybody had something.” Klopp — whose Champions League holders travel to Atletico Madrid next week in their last 16 first leg clash — has also been boosted by the return to fitness from hamstring injuries of Senegal attacker Sadio Mane and veteran James Milner. Sane has missed the last four matches while Milner has been out since January 5. “Millie (Milner) and Sadio are back. When they are back you consider them immediately,” said Klopp. “Apart from (Xherdan) Shaqiri, (Nathaniel) Clyne and (Paul) Glatzel, all the players are in training. “We have some good options.

Hopefully it stays like this for the rest of the season.” Klopp says Norwich may be struggling at the bottom — they are seven points adrift of safety — but he is full of respect for their adventurous style of play.

“I really admire that Norwich stick to their principles. It’s really good football, super coaching,” Klopp said. “You can see all the patterns on the pitch, all the movements — that’s from the training ground. They’ve caused 95% of all teams real problems.

“They’ve lost a lot of these games, that’s why they’re in the situation they are, but for me, on the outside, it looks like a club that really sticks together.” Agencies

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

SPORTS 15

SOuth afRICa Call Off paKIStan tOuR PCB HOPEFUL OF NEW ZEALAND VISIT TO COUNTRY NEXT YEAR

C

sports Desk

RICKET South Africa (CSA) on Friday expressed their inability to tour Pakistan next month, assuring the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that they will honour the commitment of sending their side as soon as “it is reasonably possible”.

According to a press release by the PCB, the CSA conveyed their decision to the cricket board after taking player workload into ac-

count. In the press release, PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan said: “While we were keenly looking forward to hosting South Africa next month, we respect CSA’s reason for not sending their side.

“Managing player workload is the priority of any cricket board, and from that perspective, their decision is understandable.

“We are pleased that CSA remains committed to rescheduling this short series as soon as practically possible. As there is a strong willingness and commitment, both

nZ ferguson not expecting to make India test series AuckLAnD: Fast-bowler Lockie Ferguson is not expecting to be picked in New Zealand’s Test squad on Monday for the series against India as he recovers from a calf injury that ruined his debut against Australia late last year.

Ferguson broke down after bowling just 11 overs in the first Test in Perth and has been working his way back to fitness for Auckland in domestic cricket. He expects to play New Zealand’s domestic one-day final on Sunday and indicated the limited overs series against Australia in March was a more realistic target for his international return. “Of course the goal is for me to get back as soon as possible, but there is so much cricket coming up this year,” he told Stuff Media in Auckland on Friday. “We’ve got a lot of white-ball stuff and I head away to the IPL as well, so it’s important with a calf injury, where there’s a high percentage chance of re-injury, that we be conservative. Sunday’s my focus and then I’ll be looking to play some first-class cricket.”

Despite making his Test debut last December, Ferguson is realistically fifth in the pecking order behind the established trio of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner and then Matt Henry. Agencies

the boards are now exploring their Future Tours Programme to find gaps so that we can agree on the dates,” the press release quoted him as saying. South Africa were slated to tour Pakistan in late March for a three-match T20 series in Rawalpindi. pcB HopeFuL oF HoSTInG neW ZeALAnD In 2021: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wasim Khan, in a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, was hopeful about New Zealand

team’s tour of Pakistan in January next year.

Khan was optimistic that the Kiwi team might tour Pakistan for two Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

“We are working on taking international cricket in every city.

The next normal tour is expected in Pakistan when New Zealand will tour the country next year to play two Tests and three T20Is,” Khan said. The PCB’s CEO stated that the tour of New Zealand will provide a balanced schedule since all matches will be held at a single venue.

“When they will come, we can provide more of a balanced schedule of matches. It makes sense to completely play series at a single venue because these are the short tours which were held recently in past months. The role of the media has been very enormous in helping us normalizing things,” he added.

The tour of New Zealand, as revealed by Khan, would be different from the segmented series against Bangladesh, which is split into three parts. Three T20Is between Pakistan and Bangladesh were played in January followed by a solitary Test match in February while a single one-day international (ODI) and the second Test match of the tour is scheduled to be played in April.

Earlier, Cricket South Africa (CSA) called off the upcoming tour of Pakistan citing the player’s workload as the primary reason.

The PCB is adamant that the officials in the CSA are keen to move forward with the tour in a future date that is convenient for both boards. According to an official in the PCB, a new window is currently being evaluated for the tour.

mCC tO ChaSe paltRy 136-Run taRget In fIRSt t20 agaInSt lahORe QalandaRS Lahore Qalandars set a meagre target of 136 runs for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) team on Friday, during their Twenty20 match at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The MCC team, led by Sri Lankan batsman Kumar Sangakkara, managed to restrict runs after taking quick wickets. The Qalandars lost five batsmen, including Salman Butt, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Faizan and Jaahid Ali. With 45 runs off 36 balls, Zaman was the top-scorer of the side. Earlier, MCC had won the toss and chose to bowl. MCC arrival and match schedule The London-based MCC team, which arrived in Lahore on Thursday, will play four limitedovers matches against local teams during their stay in the provincial capital. The 12-man touring squad comprises players from English counties such as all-rounder Ravi Bopara and spinner Samit Patel. After their match today, the visitors will take on Pakistan Shaheens in a 50-over match at the Aitchison College ground on Monday. The MCC will then compete against Northern (February 17) and Multan Sultans (February 19) in two T20 matches at the same venue. Agencies TeAMS: LAhore QALAndArs: sohail Akhtar (capt), Fakhar Zaman, salman Butt, Jaahid Ali (wk), dilbar hussain, Farzan raja, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad hafeez, Usman shinwari, Maaz Khan, Ali Majid Mcc: Kumar sangakkara (capt & wk), samit Patel, Will rhodes, safyaan sharif, ross Whiteley, roelof van der Merwe, ravi Bopara, oliver hannon-dalby, Michael Leask, Michael Burgess, Fred Klassen

pakistan, India win last pool matches of Kabbadi WC

India hails ‘landmark’ extradition of alleged cricket match-fixer New DeLhI Agencies

The head of Indian cricket’s anti-corruption watchdog said on Friday Britain’s extradition of accused match-fixer Sanjeev Chawla was “a legal landmark”.

Chawla, one of the central figures in the scandal surrounding the late Hansie Cronje, was sent back to India on Thursday after spending four years fighting extradition.

It is the first time India has managed to get an accused individual from the cricket gambling underworld sent back for trial.

Delhi police filed charges against Chawla and five others including former South Africa captain Cronje in 2013.

Chawla is alleged to have conspired with Cronje to fix matches in South Africa’s tour of India in 2000. After his arrival, a Delhi court ordered Chawla to be held in custody for 12 days for questioning. He has challenged the order at the High Court.

“It is a legal landmark,” Ajit Singh, chief of the anti-corruption unit of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told AFP of

the latest legal outcome.

“Extradition is a difficult process. All sorts of objections were raised, to the extent of threat to life of the accused and even the conditions of the Indian prisons.

“And this one is the first for match fixing.”

Singh said his unit would ask to interview the 50-year-old Chawla and he had asked Indian police “to share anything, any information pertaining to cricket given to the police by Chawla.”

Indian cricket has been hit by regular scandals in recent years. Two former Indian Premier League players are among six arrested last year accused of fixing a final of a regional Twenty20 tournament.

Delhi police had been investigating an extortion complaint when they stumbled upon a telephone recording that eventually led to the unearthing of the Cronje scandal that shook the whole sport.

Cronje, who initially denied fixing charges, confessed his role in a tearful submission to an inquiry in South Africa. He was subsequently banned for life and died in a plane crash in 2002.

Pakistan won its last pool match against an inexperienced Azerbaijan team in the Kabaddi World Cup 2020 at the Zahoor Elahi Stadium in Gujrat on Friday. The host team won the toss and then played a skillful game against opposing team Azerbaijan, defeating them 40-30. Pakistani players Irfan Mana, Akmal Shahzad Dogar, Kaleemullah Jatt and Malik Binyameen scored valuable points for their team during the game. Meanwhile, India also won its last pool match, outplaying the England kabaddi team to win with a comfortable margin of 44-26. The English side put up resistance with their players Sukha Lakhpuria, Rana Akmal, Ali and Sajid earning huge appreciation from the crowd for their moves but opposing team India successfully countered them in both the raiding and stopping departments. Indian players Arsh Jhola, Deepak Kashi and Ravi Kumar also amused the audience with wonderful raids. The first semifinal of the tournament will be held between India and Australia at 6pm on Saturday while Pakistan will play against Iran in the second semifinal at 7:30pm on the same day. Both matches will be played at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore. Agencies

Stuck overseas, training in quarantine: virus causes chaos in Chinese football BeIjINg Agencies

Meanwhile China’s women’s Olympic team were forced to exercise in the corridor of the Brisbane hotel where

they were quarantined, in a stark illustration of the challenges facing Chinese football.

The new coronavirus has scattered Chinese football clubs across the globe, with homesick players training for a season that has no start date and teams from other countries too scared to play them.

The Chinese Super League (CSL) was supposed to start later this month but the campaign was indefinitely postponed by the outbreak that has killed around 1,400 people and is centred on the Chinese city of Wuhan.

The CSL season will not begin until early April at the earliest, according to state media, but the start date remains uncertain while the virus continues to spread in China and other countries. Chinese clubs have flown out to Spain, the United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Japan for pre-season training, despite having no idea when the campaign will begin or when they can safely return home.

CMYK

Wuhan Zall, who finished sixth in the CSL last season, landed in Spain for a training camp near Malaga at the end of January, where they were met by medical personnel. None of the players or staff showed any symptoms.

Jose Gonzalez, Wuhan’s Spanish coach, pleaded for his players not to be demonised, saying that “they are not walking viruses, they are athletes”.

“I hope they find a little empathy in Spain, it can’t be easy to be so many kilometres from home and know that your family is in the quarantine zone,” Marca quoted him as saying.

However, the Russian side FC Krasnodar cancelled a friendly against Wuhan seemingly because of fears over the virus. Europa Point FC of Gibraltar reportedly followed suit.

Chinese FA Cup winners Shanghai Shenhua — shorn of striker Odion Ighalo, who has joined Manchester United on loan — have been in Dubai for nearly two

weeks and will then head to Abu Dhabi for more training, according to the Oriental Sports Daily.

Ighalo is yet to set foot in the Premier League club’s training ground as a precaution against the virus.

At Shenhua, the prolonged time away from home and the uncertainty has taken a psychological toll on the players.

“To be honest, if you don’t go home for so many days, the players will inevitably become homesick,” the newspaper quoted one team member as saying.

“But there is nothing you can do about it. Now the epidemic back home is more serious. “The club management provides psychological counselling to the players to make the atmosphere as happy and harmonious as possible.”

There are no known fatalities in Chinese football from the outbreak, but a youth player at second-tier Zhejiang Greentown tested positive for the new coronavirus, the club said this week.

Saturday, 15 February, 2020

NEWS

Turkey To sTand by PakisTan, erdogan vows TURKISH PRESIDENT REITERATES SUPPORT TO KASHMIR CAUSE, PAKISTAN’S STANCE IN FATF SLAMS TRUMP’S MIDEAST PEACE PLAN, SAYS ‘AGREEMENT OF THE CENTURY IS NOT A PEACE PROJECT BUT IN FACT A PROJECT FOR OCCUPATION’ ISLAMABAD

T

STAFF REPORT

urkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday reiterated his country’s support for Pakistan, its stance on the Kashmir issue and in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Addressed a joint session of parliament for a record fourth time, Erdogan said, “Today, Pakistan and Turkey’s relations are admirable for others […] The much-envied Turkey-Pakistan brotherhood today, is a true brotherhood, strengthened by history and reinforced by historical events.”

“I am thankful for the way in which the people of Pakistan have welcomed us.

Here in Pakistan we never see ourselves as strangers. We feel at home. We are here at home, together with you,” he added.

Erdogan recalled various events, he termed as “golden examples”, that Pakistan and Turkey share in their “common history”.

“In the year 1915, while the Turkish soldiers defend the Dardanelles Strait with a glorious resistance, a rally took place […] 6,000 kilometres from the front and it was recorded on the unforgettable pages of history.

“The theme of this historical rally in Lahore Square was Çanakkale […] On that day, Lahore Square was jam-packed with Muslims as we were struggling to

survive and our brothers and sisters in this geographic [region] were also under pressure of the colonialists.

“Despite challenges and threats, they raised a huge charity for Çanakkale through the exhibitions in the square.”

The Gallipoli campaign, which is also known as the Battle of Çanakkale was one of the bloodiest campaigns of the First World War that took place in what is modern-day Turkey. The campaign, which began after Allied Forces landed in the Turkish peninsula to oust the Ottoman Empire, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands on both sides.

Erdogan said that in the past Pakistan had stood by his country.

“Dear brothers and sisters who else should we love and feel affection for other than you.”

Quoting a poem by Allama Iqbal, Erdogan said: “Yes, like the poet, people in Lahore Square burst into tears with these moving words.

“We have never forgotten and will not forget the help, which the Pakistani people delivered, during our War of Independence by piling up their own bread.

“Events that happened a hundred of years ago in Çanakkale in Turkey are being repeated in Indian occupied Kashmir and Turkey will continue to raise its voice against the oppression.

“Our friendship is not based on vested interests but on love,” he said.

“Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you [Pakistanis],” he

said, reiterating his support for Kashmiris.

“Like in the past, we will continue to support Pakistan in the future,” he vowed.

“Following the Elazığ-Malatya earthquake, we received solidarity messages from all Pakistan, from the head of state to the citizens on the streets,” he added.

“Pakistan is on the way to peace and stability; peace and stability don’t come in a few days, they require work.

“We applaud Pakistan’s efforts to rid this region from terrorism. The country has been affected by terrorism.

“Pakistan and Turkey are the countries that have been most affected by terrorism due to their geographic location […] we will continue to cooperate with Pakistan on counter-terrorism,” he declared.

FATF SUPPORT: “I pray that God makes the solidarity between us strong and permanent.

“As in the past, we will continue to stand by Pakistan in the future.”

Discussing the relations between the two countries, he said: “I also want to emphasise that we will give support to Pakistan which is subject to political pressure in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meetings.”

His comments come days ahead of an FATF meeting in Paris that which will decide on Pakistan’s request to be taken off its grey list of non-compliant states.

“The strategic economic framework and action plan texts we will sign today will cover a wide range of industries from trade to infrastructure […] and constitute a road map for us,” he said, with regards to today’s meetings during his trip to Pakistan.

“No distance can build a wall between the hearts of believers. If there is torture against any believers in the world, it our duty to help them.

The Turkish president also discussed the recently unveiled US plan for solving

the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Especially over the past few days, when [US President Donald] Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu took a step about Al-Quds.

“The agreement of the century is not a peace project but in fact a project for occupation,” Erdogan said, adding: “We said Jerusalem is our red line. We declared to the whole world that we will not leave Haram al-Sharif to the mercy of the occupying Israeli administration.

“In recent weeks, the American administration announced this plan as the plan of the century; we [Turkey] showed the biggest reaction to this plan of annexation, occupation and demolition.”

Discussing the Kashmir issue, Erdogan said: “Our Kashmiri brothers and sisters have suffered from inconveniences for decades and these sufferings have become graver due to unilateral steps taken in recent times.

China virus death toll nears 1,400; US bemoans 'lack of transparency' BEIJING AGENCIES

india to offer 6,000 acres in held kashmir to investors NEW DELHI AGENCIES

INDIA plans to offer around 6,000 acres of land in held Kashmir as part of a business summit planned for April or May “to help” the disputed region after withdrawing its special rights and making sweeping administrative changes. Until August, New Delhi termed the India-held Himalayan region as its Jammu and Kashmir state, but then it split off a Buddhist-dominated enclave and designated both as federally-administered territories. India enforced the changes through a harsh crackdown, deploying thousands of additional troops, imposing a communication blackout and detaining scores of people. Now the government is offering the land, along with tax breaks and insurance cover, to draw businesses there, according to Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, the disputed region’s commissioner secretary in charge of industry and commerce. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government insists that the reorganisation in August was essential to spur development in Jammu and Kashmir, which is also claimed

by Pakistan. The area is not a particularly industrialised one, with per capita income of Rs62,145 ($870) in 2016-2017, lower than the Indian average of Rs82,229, but better than several states.

More than 1,300 acres of the land offered is in the held Kashmir valley, the centre of a 30-year revolt against Indian rule in the territory, according to an investor presentation. In some conflict-ridden areas, the government would consider providing security and higher insurance cover to comfort investors, Dwivedi said. “If we want somebody to come and do business here, taking care of the interest of the businessman is definitely our responsibility,” he said, adding that the government hoped to create 100,000 new jobs. Land is a sensitive subject in held Kashmir, where outsiders were previously prohibited from buying property because of fears that an influx of people could change its demographics.

The death toll from China’s virus epidemic neared 1,400 on Friday, as the United States complained of a “lack of transparency” from Beijing over its handling of a crisis that has fuelled global panic.

Nearly 64,000 people are now recorded as having been made ill by the virus in China, with the last two days showing a steep rise after a change in diagnostic methods.

The National Health Commission disclosed a statistical error, however, saying it removed 108 deaths in Hubei that had been double-counted, but the nationwide toll still rose to 1,380 on Friday.

The deepening crisis in China has caused fears of more global contagion, with Vietnam locking

down villages after finding new cases and Japan becoming the third place outside the mainland on Thursday to report a death.

More than two-dozen countries have now reported hundreds of cases among them.

While the World Health Organization has praised China’s handling of the epidemic — in contrast to its cover-up of the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003 — a top White House official on Thursday said Beijing should be more open.

“We are a little disappointed that we haven’t been invited in and we’re a little disappointed in the lack of transparency coming from the Chinese,” Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, told reporters.

Kudlow said President Xi Jinping had assured President Donald Trump that Beijing would

accept US help, but “they won’t let us”.

Kudlow’s comments contrasted with Trump’s apparent confidence in China, with the US leader telling a radio show that Xi is “extremely capable” and that the US was “working with them” and “sending a lot of people”.

The extent of the epidemic seemed to deepen on Thursday after authorities in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the cri-

sis, started counting patients who were “clinically diagnosed” via lung imaging, in addition to those who undergo lab tests.

‘NO ROOM FOR DOUBT’: The revision added nearly 15,000 patients to Hubei’s count in a single day, with officials explaining that past cases were included. The first cases emerged in December in Wuhan, Hubei’s capital. The WHO said the numbers included cases going back weeks.

Senate moves to limit Trump on military Biggest jump in world force against Iran defence spending in 10 years WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The US Senate approved a bipartisan measure on Thursday aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military operations against Iran, with eight Republicans joining Democrats in a post-impeachment bid to constrain the White House.

The rebuke was the Senate’s first major vote since acquitting Trump on impeachment charges last week.

Trump is expected to veto the war powers resolution if it reaches his desk, warning that if his hands were tied, Iran would have a field day.

The measure, authored by Senator Tim Kaine, says Trump must win approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. Kaine and other supporters said the resolution, which passed 55-45, was not about Trump or even the presidency, but instead was an important reassertion of congressional power to declare war.

MUNICH: Global spending on defence rose by four percent in 2019, the largest growth in 10 years, led by big increases from the US and China, a study said Friday. Beijing's military modernisation programme -which includes developing new hard-to-detect hypersonic missiles -- is alarming Washington and helping drive US defence spending, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said. The IISS's annual "Military Balance" report said the increase alone in US spending from 2018 to 2019 -- $53.4 billion -was almost as big as Britain's entire defence budget.

Both China and the US increased spending by 6.6 percent, the report said, while Europe -- driven by ongoing concerns about Russia -- stepped up by 4.2 percent. But this growth only brought European defence spending back to levels seen in 2008, before the global financial crisis saw budgets slashed. AGENCIES

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

CMYK