E-Paper PDF 18th December (ISB)

CMYK

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019 I 20 Rabi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 168 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Ex-dictator GEn Musharraf handEd dEath sEntEncE in hiGh trEason casE g

split verdiCt 2-1 finds forMer Military strongMan guilty of treason under artiCle 6

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Court says Musharraf was given aMple tiMe to reCord his stateMent, verdiCt given on basis of available reCord

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n an unprecedented move, a special court hearing the high treason case against former military dictator general (r) pervez Musharraf has sentenced him to death for holding the Constitution in abeyance by imposing a state of emergency on november 3, 2007. after hearing the concluding arguments on tuesday, the threemember bench headed by peshawar high Court (phC) Chief Justice waqar

ahmad seth and comprising Justice nazar akbar of the sindh high Court (shC) and Justice shahid Karim of the

Musharraf not given fair trial, attorney general says STORY ON PAGE 03

governMent subMits three petitions seeKing inClusion of Musharraf’s aides in the Case; forMer diCtator’s Counsel seeKs ‘fair trial’ lahore high Court (lhC), announced the verdict in the case which was pending since december 2013. the verdict was split 2-1 and the detailed judgement will be issued with in the next two days. the former military ruler is currently residing and under treatment in dubai. according to the article 6 of the Constitution, any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or hold in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance the Constitution by use of force or show force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason. Moreover, the punishment for high treason is death or life imprisonment, according to the high treason (punishment) act, 1973.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

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Army says 'pained, anguished'

by Musharraf verdict STORY ON PAGE 03

pakistan missing Malaysia summit to avoid rifts in Muslim world STORY ON BACK PAGE

Faryal Talpur gets bail in fake bank accounts case Khursheed gets bail in assets beyond means case STORIES ON PAGE 02

CMYK Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

02 NEWS

PTI desTroyed economy and jeoPardIsed securITy, says PmL-n iSLamaBad

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STAFF REPORT

PEAKERS at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PMLN) economic conference on Tuesday ruled that the “selected” Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) government has inflicted catastrophic mismanagement in national security and economic policy, resulting in deplorable degradation in human development and constitutional rights of Pakistani citizens.

Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal, Former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair, MNA Ali Pervez Malik, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Bilal Azhar Kayani were among the speakers who addressed the conference titled 'Clarion Call Rescue Economy 2018-2019'. Speaking at the conference Iqbal said the incumbent government has jeopardised the bond of economic cooperation created between the iron-brothers Pakistan and China by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “immature and irresponsible” actions disappointed the friends of Pakistan and pleased its enemies. The

former interior minister said due to the “incompetence and cluelessness” of the PTI regime, Pakistan appeared helpless in front of Indian aggression and it was emboldened to the point that it dare to launch aggression against Pakistan twice in six months. He pointed out that Imran’s government backtracked from Nawaz’s policy advancing and strengthening ties with regional powers like China, Russia and Central Asia. This backtracking and allying with the US and its alliance did not bear any fruit, he added.

“India annexed occupied Kashmir and the PTI regime completely failed to foresee, take any concrete preemptive or consequent step or devise any policy and strategy to counter this grave aggression,” he added. He noted that because of the failed strategy of the government, even brotherly countries and states from Cenral Asia did not step forward robustly to defend Pakistan’s stance against Indian annexation of the occupied Kashmir.

Muhammad Zubair compared the PML-N government's performance with the work of the PTI regime over the past 16 months. “With quantifiable and independent statistics, he showed how the

country has been thrown down the ravine of disaster due to the policy disasters of Imran's government,” he added. Zubair said that the worsening economy of Pakistan under this regime gave global powers a chance to exploit Pakistan.

“Imran government jeopardised national security by striking a hasty and terrible deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He mentioned that even the second installment of that disastrous deal has been held back and tied up with the ruling of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) because of suspected money laundering,” he added. He claimed that future disasters are in waiting due to the current trajectory of the PTI government.

Ali Pervez Malik highlighted the precarious state of business and industry due to the failures and “incompetence” of the PTI regime. He said that there is no direction or planning behind any action which has set the industry on a path to bankruptcy.

Bilal Azhar Kayani presented a comprehensive tracking of how the PTI government has broken every single promised made to the people during its election campaign. PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb paid trib-

ute to the governing and financial management team of the former PML-N government. “The entire team of the previous PML-N government, including, Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Khawaja Salman Rafique, Miftah Ismail worked exhaustively for the country with devotion, honesty and transparency,” she added.

The former information minister said that Shehbaz Sharif played a key role in national development and progress with his relentless hard-work, honesty and inexhaustible energy. It was the diligence of the former government that shot the growth rate to 5.8 per cent and poverty rate shrunk to 3 per cent, she added.

Khurram Dastgir Khan described the achievements of the PML-N government between 2013-2018. He delineated how effective planning and policy interventions not only boosted national growth to 5.8 per cent but led to Pakistan being rated by international agencies as the fastest growing economy of South Asia. Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha gave a detailed account and analyses of the “disastrous IMF deal” struck by the PTI regime and its long-term and shortterm catastrophic impact.

Faryal Talpur gets bail in fake bank accounts case iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted bail to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faryal Talpur in a case pertaining to money laundering through fake bank accounts which is being probed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

She was granted bail against surety bonds worth Rs10 million.

During Tuesday’s hearing, the court asked NAB’s Additional Prosecutor General Jahanzaib Bharwana if

the bureau was done interrogating Talpur. Bharwana responded in the affirmative.

In response to the court’s inquiry regarding Talpur’s involvement in the case, NAB’s counsel insisted that money, allegedly transferred to Zardari Group’s bank account from a fake bank account, was withdrawn later by a cheque signed by Talpur.

NAB had taken the PPP leader into custody earlier this year to interrogate her in the case.

Talpur had filed a bail application earlier this month, maintaining that she is the mother of a differently-abled child. In order to care for her child, she

asked the court to grant bail until the completion of the trail. Her appeal was meant to be heard last week but was adjourned until today as NAB had not submitted a response.

Her brother Asif Ali Zardari was also granted bail by the IHC last week on medical grounds.

Zardari, Talpur, and others accused face charges of corruption through fake bank accounts and embezzlement in the financial facility for Park Lane Private Limited and Parthenon (Pvt) Limited. NAB alleged that the national exchequer suffered a loss of Rs3.77 billion because of the irregularities.

Ex-dictator Gen Musharraf handed death sentence in high treason case continued from page 01 It is worth mentioning here that the former president can appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court (SC) through his counsel. If the apex court upholds the special court’s verdict, then only the president possesses the constitutional authority under Article 45 to pardon a death row defendant.

GOVT FILES FRESH PETITIONS: Although the special court had stated that it would announce its verdict in the case on Dec 17 (Tuesday), government’s prosecutor, Advocate Ali Zia Bajwa, said that they had submitted three fresh petitions before the court. One of the three petitions asks that the court make three individuals — former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, former SC chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar and former law minister Zahid Hamid — party in the case. “We want to make Musharraf’s facilitators and companions suspects as well. It is important that the trial of all suspects is held at the same time,” the prosecutor said.

“Submitting such a request after three and a half years means the government does not have the right intentions.

Today the case was set for final arguments and now new petitions have been submitted,” remarked Justice Karim.

Justice Akbar questioned the lawyer regarding the evidence against the individuals that the government wanted to include in the case.

“The stage of investigations and evidence has passed. Has there been a new investigation against the included suspects?” he asked, in response to which the prosecutor said that an investigation can only be carried out after the complaint is registered.

The prosecutor said that according to a 2014 petition, then prime minister Shaukat Aziz had told Musharraf to impose an emergency. Justice Akbar remarked that the prosecutor was referring to Musharraf’s petition in which the verdict has been reserved while Justice Karim added that the apex court has also issued a verdict on a petition regarding other suspects. Justice Akbar said two weeks had been earlier granted to the government to present a modified charge sheet. “As per the law, charged can be amended anytime before the verdict,” responded the prosecutor.

“If you want to further make anyone a suspect, submit a new case,” said Justice Karim, asking, “Does the government want to delay Musharraf’s trial?” “If three individuals are made suspects, the government should also submit requests to make the former cabinet and corps commanders suspects,” he added. Justice Karim said that without the court’s permission, indictments cannot be amended. Justice Akbar added that no formal request had been received by the court for changes to the charge sheet.

“Without the court’s permission, no

new request can be submitted,” said Justice Karim, adding, “We will not hear arguments on a request that was not formally submitted.”“The prosecution does not even know how to submit a request in the court,” remarked Justice Akbar, at which the prosecutor apologised. “Your purpose was just to get through today,” the judge noted. Justice Karim also asked how the interior secretary can amend the charge sheet without the approval of the cabinet. “Where is the approval of the federal government and the cabinet? According to a SC verdict, the federal government means the cabinet,” he said. He added that if the government does not want there to be a delay, it can submit a new request against the other suspects.

MUSHARRAF SEEKS ‘FAIR TRAIL’: Meanwhile, Musharraf’s counsel Advocate Raza Bashir said that he had submitted a request to record his client’s statement via Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), adding that his client should be given the right to a fair trial. “The apex court had ended the right to record his statement via Section 342,” Justice Akbar responded, adding that the former president had “wasted” six opportunities to record his statement via the CrPC. “Musharraf should get a right to defend,” said Bashir. “You and the prosecution are serving as his defence,” remarked Justice Akbar, noting that the court had said Musharraf could be pre-

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sented at any time. To which, Bashir said his client’s health was not well enough for him to appear before the court. “How can I defend Musharraf without Section 342 statement?” he asked. Justice Seth said that if he is unable to defend his client, it means that his arguments have concluded. Bashir asked for 15-20 days to get Musharraf’s statements recorded via Section 342 to which Justice Seth said that they will review the petition.

LHC RECOMMENDS FULL BENCH TO HEAR MUSHARRAF: Earlier in the day, the LHC took up Musharraf’s petition against the special court hearing the high treason case against him as well as his civil miscellaneous application that urged the high court to halt the treason proceedings.

Following the hearing on Tuesday, Justice Syed Mazahar Akbar Ali Naqvi sent the file regarding Musharraf’s case to the LHC Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh, recommending that a full bench be formed. The LHC also asked if the high treason case against Musharraf would be heard in Islamabad today, in response to which Additional Attorney General Chaudhry Ishtiaq A Khan said that the special court will hear the high treason case and has also said it will announce the verdict today.

“Till the suspect’s statement is not recorded under Section 342 [of the Criminal Procedure Code], how can that happen?” the judge asked.

Khursheed Shah gets bail in assets beyond means case SUKKUR: Senior leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Syed Khursheed Shah was granted bail by an accountability court on Tuesday in assets beyond means case.

The PPP leader was ordered by the accountability court to submit surety bonds worth Rs5 million. On December 10, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had decided to form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe into the case against PPP leader Syed Khursheed Shah. The anti-graft watchdog had written a letter to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General (DG) and Securities and Exchange Companies of Pakistan (SECP) chairman in this regard. The anti-agency while asking the national institutions to provide officers expert in white collar crime said that the JIT investigation is necessary before filing reference against the PPP leader. STAFF REPORT

IHC gives 10 days to parliament to finalise ECP appointments issue ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday gave the parliament 10 more days to resolve the matter over two appointments in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

An IHC bench – headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah – resumed hearing of a petition challenging the appointment of two ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan through a presidential decree.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petitions of the PML-N leaders, Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha, Murtuza Javed Abbasi and Jahangir Jadoon. Deputy attorney general Syed Muhammad Tayyab Shah on behalf of the government. The National Assembly secretary, who also appeared in the court today, requested the IHC for additional time. “It is an important matter and therefore, we will give more time,” said Justice Minallah while adjourning the hearing and seeking a report on December 31. He said, “The parliament is supreme and it has to resolve this matter. The leader of the house and the opposition leader should come forward and resolve the matter.” “ECP is an important institution. It needs a person who has the trust of the people. Cannot you find any such person?” asked Justice Minallah and added, “We still trust the parliament that it will be able to come up with a solution.” STAFF REPORT

Sheikh Rasheed becomes witness against Abbasi in LNG scam ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed on Tuesday became a witness against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) scam case.

Sheikh Rasheed will record his statement in an accountability court during its next hearing. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will produce an overall 59 witnesses in the court where the petitioner Sheikh Rasheed will be the first witness in the case. Four officers of power ministry, including Hassan Bhatti, Nawaz Ahmed Virk, Abdul Rasheed Jokhio and Umer Saeed are also among the witnesses.

Moreover, acting general manager of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) Fasihuddin and the director of Port Qasim Authority, Jamil Ahmed, will also testify in the court. STAFF REPORT

CMYK Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

NEWS

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army says ‘PaIned, anguIshed’ by musharraf verdIcT ISPR DG SAYS ‘DUE LEGAL PROCESS SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN IGNORED, FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF SELF DEFENCE DENIED TO EX-PRESIDENT’ raWaLpindi

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STAFF REPORT

HE Pakistan Army on Tuesday said the decision given by special court in the General (r) Pervez Musharraf high treason case “has been received with lot of pain and anguish by rank and file of Pakistan Armed Forces”. “An ex-army chief, Chairman Joint

Chief of Staff Committee and president of Pakistan, who has served the country for over 40 years, fought wars for the defense of the country can surely never be a traitor,” Major General Asif Ghafoor, the director general of the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

“The due legal process seems to have been ignored including constitution of special court, de-

nial of fundamental right of self defence, undertaking individual specific proceedings and concluding the case in haste,” he added.

The statement by the ISPR DG comes after sources said a meeting of the top military leadership was underway at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi in the wake of the judgement.

“Armed Forces of Pakistan expect that justice will be dis-

ANWAR MANSOOR SAYS HIGH TREASON CASE AGAINST EX-DICTATOR WAS ‘VOID FROM THE BEGINNING’, QUESTIONS ‘RUSH IN PRONOUNCING JUDGEMENT IN ABSENTIA’ SAYS GOVT WILL STAND UP AGAINST INJUSTICE WHEN IT SEES AN ACCUSED IS NOT PROVIDED JUSTICE iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Anwar Mansoor Khan on Tuesday said the high treason case against former military dictator General (r) Pervez Musharraf was “void from the beginning” and questioned “what the rush was” in pronouncing the judgement in the latter’s absence.Addressing a late night presser alongside PM’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, AGP Khan said that a trial in absentia “is not a routine matter”. “[Musharraf] was not given a chance to record his statement under Section 342 (of the Constitution), to present his testimony and witnesses.“Every person is guaranteed a fair trial under Article 10-A of the Constitution,” said the attorney general.“A trial should not just be fair but must also be seen to be fair,” he added.

LEGAL ASPECTS: Before commenting on the matter, the AGP categorically said that it must be considered that he is not speaking in favour of a particular in-

dividual or supporting anyone. “I am only going to speak on the legal aspects of the case.”Providing a brief backdrop of the circumstances that led to the verdict, the AGP said that the case was launched on the Supreme Court’s directions, under Article 6 of the Constitution which pertains to high treason. “A special court was then formed and then a complainant — who was an interior secretary — filed a complaint that Musharraf had violated the Constitution and that the matter falls within Article 6, therefore a high treason case must be made against him.”

He recalled that Musharraf was in Pakistan when the charges against him were announced and had filed some petitions requesting that others involved in the decision to impose an emergency also be made a party to the case. AG Khan said that following the 18th Amendment, in which Article 90 was modified, the president was no longer given the authority by the federal government to file a complaint.

“Because he could not file a complaint, the action taken against Musharraf was void from the beginning and could not

pensed in line with Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, a special court in Islamabad found Musharraf guilty of high treason and handed him a death sentence under Article 6 of the Constitution. A detailed judgement is expected within 48 hours.

It’s the first time in Pakistan’s history that a former army chief

and ruler of the country has been sentenced to death. Musharraf, who was sentenced in absentia, has been out of the country since 2016, when he was allowed to

leave on bail to seek medical treatment abroad.

The military over the course of the trial has remained silent on the case’s developments.

Musharraf not given fair trial, attorney general says have been carried out lawfully.”

“Musharraf is bed-ridden and is in the ICU at a hospital. So this is another major issue: when you know a person is hospitalised, in his absence was it right to announce this judgement or not?” he said, as he continued to explore the legality of the verdict. He said that the government wished to change its team at one point in the case, so that “mistakes made by the past governments” can be rectified. “[The previous] team was not ready to make those changes.”

He said when the team was swapped out, the court reacted very strongly and issued immediate directives to get the case moving, “irrespective of the situation”.The last team had filed “written arguments” after its removal and the court thought that to be true and based their decision on those arguments.

“When the case was fixed, the additional attorney general — who by law is also the prosecutor — was sent by me to argue the case, but the court sat him down saying, ‘You have not been appointed by the federal government’ whereas an additional attorney general is an appointed officer under the law.”“Despite that, the court refused to listen to him and said a new team of senior lawyers must be

formed,” said AG Khan. He said the new team had requested the court for some time to study the case as they had just been appointed but “the court refused and told them to argue or the verdict will be announced”. Elaborating on what constitutes a fair trial, AG Khan said that the court was requested to allow that the accused’s statement be recorded. “The court said you must bring him to Pakistan or else we will not record a statement.”

The attorney general then said entire hearings had been held via video link and said many people had recorded their statements from abroad in various cases in the past. “When it came to [Musharraf] and when the court was told he is unable to travel, the court refused the request,” he said, adding that a request for a commission to be formed to go collect the statement was also rejected by the court.

“When the lawyers wished to record evidence, that too was refused. When Chaudhry Shujaat expressed willingness to be made a party to the case, that, again, was refused.” AG Khan said various applications were also submitted requesting that various generals and bureaucrats be made party to the case, but they, too, were rejected by the court. “Whenever a conspiracy is hatched, it is an action under-

taken by multiple people. And if this was a conspiracy, it could only be proved in the presence of the others. “If they were not present this means it was a directed, personal attack or action against one person.” He said this government has the viewpoint where it believes every person, no matter what wrongdoing they have committed, must be provided justice.

“The government will stand up against injustice when it sees an accused is not provided justice. Injustice is a curse for the country. “This is what Constitutional deviation is, when judgements are given against the Constitution. “What else can we call such a judgement where a mandatory requirement, a person’s fundamental right under Article 10-A is deviated from?” said AG Khan.

Further criticising the verdict, the attorney general said that the courts had operated “outside the scope of the law”.

“If the courts are independent and free, this does mean that they decide a verdict outside the scope of the law. It does not mean they do not give a person their fundamental right. And most importantly, if a person is not allowed to produce evidence, there can be no more injustice committed against the person than what we have witnessed in this case.”

Musharraf treason case verdict draws mixed reactions LEGAL EXPERTS OFFER DIFFERING OPINIONS ON MERITS OF VERDICT OPP HAILS COURT’S DECISION, GOVT YET TO OFFER CLEAR PERSPECTIVE iSLamaBad HAMID KHAN WAZIR

The special court’s verdict in the high treason case against former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf has triggered a fissure within members of the legal and political fraternity.

The court sentenced the former president to death under Article 6 of the Constitution for subverting the Constitution by imposing a state of emergency. The verdict drew mixed reactions. While all major opposition parties welcomed the court’s verdict, the government ministers adopted a different approach, triggering fears of conflict between the state institutions. The former president has been in self-imposed exile ever since a travel ban on him was lifted in 2016 and he was allowed to seek medical treatment abroad. His party, the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), termed the verdict “biased and one without legal requirements fulfilled”.

APML’s Malik Mubashir said that the former president had agreed to record his statement in Dubai and the party will now consult lawyers for challenging the verdict in the superior court.

Speaking to Pakistan Today, Khalid Ranjha, a senior lawyer, said that the former president was not given a fair chance in the case. He said that the federal government submitted an application, demand-

ing that all abettors should be included in the case because the court was legally bound to do so. He also said that the court should have accepted the federal government’s application and should have provided the former military ruler an opportunity to explain himself. Ranjha said that Tuesday’s verdict was unprecedented as it was given without hearing out the accused. “There are numerous cases of heinous crimes in which there are abettors as well but the verdict is not announced in absentia,” he added.

Responding to a question about the repeated summons for Musharraf, he said that there is no law that allows a court to give decision against absconders without hearing them.

The senior lawyer also said that there is a possibility that the verdict will be challenged in the Supreme Court (SC). “Musharraf’s counsel had

sought 10 days to bring him, even on a stretcher, but the decision was still announced. This is beyond comprehension,” he added.

Another senior member of the legal fraternity, Advocate Abdur Rahim Wazir expressed optimism that the judgement will increase the public’s faith in democratic institutions, particularly the judiciary.

He said that the former military ruler was given many opportunities to appear before the court and record his statement under Section 342 of the CrPC but his counsel was using delaying tactics to prolong the trial unnecessarily, therefore, the court had to announce the verdict on the basis of available record. “If he challenges the verdict in the superior court on the basis of judgement in absentia, the court might not consider it because of the ample chances he was given,” he added.

Legal expert Irfan Qadir, however, said that the decision would have wide-ranging repercussions. “This is a wrong decision and will divide the country,” he said. “This verdict will give rise to conflict. When I was the attorney general, I had told a court that the case against Musharraf was not legally sound since the judges hearing it were restored to their positions illegally,” he added.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry questioned the need for a decision that “divides the nation and state institutions”, saying that the nation needs to be united.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the government’s legal team will view the detailed verdict and analyse its legal and political aspects before presenting its viewpoint. “The prime

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minister is returning tomorrow and he will see the verdict’s legal framework,” she added. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari shared a picture of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, on Twitter, along with the caption: “Democracy is the best revenge”. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the verdict against Musharraf would end the tradition of violating the Constitution.

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Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

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govt to make merger oF tribal districts successFul: kP cm PESHAWAR

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HyBeR Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmood Khan Tuesday said the provincial government was committed to provide all basic facilities in merged districts on priority basis to remove sense of deprivation among local.

Addressing a Jirga during his visit to Mammed Ghat Cadet College in Mohmand, he said the provincial government would not allow exploitation of the tribal people at any level, adding the government would give right to locals in mineral sector saying that Mines and Mineral Acts have been approved by the Provincial assembly in this regard.

He said for the first time in history of the country the federal government enhanced the development outlay for tribal districts to the tune of Rs 83 billion from Rs 24 where the provincial government provided Rs 11 billion under Annual Development Program 2019-20. earlier, the CM visited newly constructed Cadet College Mammed Ghat located at border point between Mohmand and Bajaur tribal districts.

During the briefing on the Cadet College, the CM was informed that Rs 760 million has been spent for the construction of Mammed Ghat cadet college spread over

an area of 77 acre of land and completed in record 14 months time. The college has capacity to accommodate 900 students of which boarding facility would be provided to 400. The college library has over 11000 books on different subjects. The formal inauguration of the college would be made shortly afterwards former classes would start. The CM on the occasion announced special admission quota for students belonging to districts Mohmand and Bajaur.

Meanwhile the Chief Minister also visited outposts at Pak-Afghan border in district Mohmand along with IG FC Major General Rahat Naseem. He met with the Jawans of Pak Army at Salala check post and appreciated their services for the sake of motherland. The CM also inaugurated border security fort at the border point.

Four injured in grenade attack HANGU: Four people were injured in a grenade attack in Suwazai area of Dawaba here on Tuesday. According to police, four friends were sitting outside a house when one of their friend hurled a hand grenade at them after altercation on some dispute.

SHO Mujahid Hussain of Dawaba police station said those injured were shifted to DHQ hospital Hangu and stated out of danger condition. Police have arrested accused Suleman who threw grenade at his friends, registered a case and started investigation. APP

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ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Superintendent of Police (City Zone) Muhammad Aamir Khan Niazi has said that due to effective policing measures and crackdown against criminal elements, the Islamabad City Zone police succeeded to curb crime in its area during 2019.

Addressing a press conference at Rescue 15 on Tuesday, the SP (City) said that Inspector General of Police Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan directed for effective crackdown against criminals and zero tolerance against such elements. A comprehensive strategy was chalked out as per directions IGP Islamabad to combat crime by Kohsar, Aabpara, Secretariat, Bani Gala, Women and Bhara Kahu police stations which helped to decline crime rate in respective areas of these police stations.

Highlighting the performance of Islamabad City Zone Police, he said that a total of 2169 cases were reported in the area and challans of 1493 cases were submitted in the relevant courts. Out of 3,885 accused nominated in these cases, 3002 accused (77%) were arrested.

Aamir Khan said that 409 property related cases were registered during last 11 months and challans of 169 cases were submitted to courts. A total of 307 out of 547 nominated accused in these cases were nabbed while recovery of more than Rs. 125.8 million was made from them.

He said that several criminals were held for possessing illegal weapon and involvement in drug peddling and bootlegging activities. He said that 130 pistols, 10 Kalashnikovs, seven guns, eight daggers, 1323 rounds while 82376 gram hashish, 6491 gram heroin, 1989 liter liquor, 1756 cans of beer and 13 gram ice was recovered from them.

Crackdown was launched against proclaimed offenders and court absconders and 360 such accused were arrested who were at large despite their involvement in crime cases of various natures, the SP maintained.

He said that 24 criminal gangs were busted during the reporting period while its 58 gangsters were nabbed be-

anti-polio campaign in full swing in rawalpindi RAWALPINDI: The fiveday anti-polio campaign, which began in the entire district entered into its 2nd day on Tuesday, in-charge Anti Polio drive, Ch Muhammad Hussain said that the immunisation campaign was in full swing. Under the drive, he said, over 650,000 children have so far administered the polio vaccine. He said that 2,353 polio teams, including287 fixed points,119 transit points,150 union council medical officers and area in-charges are participating in the drive to vaccinate 862,850 children below five years of age.

Hussain said that to overcome iron deficiency in children, Vitamin A, blue capsules were also being given to children 6 to 11 months having dose of 100,000 IU while red capsules having high dose of 200,000 IU were given to children 12 to 59 months. He said staff deployed for the campaign have been instructed that no negligence in this regard would be tolerated. Hussain advised parents to come forward and play their role to ensure vaccination of their children to eliminate the disease. Meanwhile Deputy Commissioner Saif Ullah Dogar directed polio teams to follow up polio refusal cases, adding that the polio is a national issue and it is responsibility of all to play an effective role to make the country polio free. APP

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Effective measures bring crime rate down during 2019, SP claims

sides recovery of looted items worth more than Rs. 10 million. He said that criminals involved in killing a person during mobile snatching attempt were also held by Aabpara police.

A notorious dacoit Mehmud Sultan alias `Chanid’ was held by Bani Gala police who was wanted for his involvement in 12 dacoity, theft and snatching cases. He said that Secretariat police also resolved a blind murder case and nabbed two persons Zeeshan and Rizwan for assassinating Abdul Ghafoor. The murder tool was also recovered from the nabbed accused while challan had been also submitted to court.

Amir Khan Niazi said that Islamabad police believes in community policing and several `Open Kutcheries’ and public meetings were arranged during the last 11 months.

The purpose of such public interactions was to resolve public complaints through prompt action and inculcate friendly police ecology in the city.

The commitment of personnel of Islamabad police is bringing good

results and Islamabad has been declared as family station by UN for its staff, he added.

Aamir Niazi said that Islamabad Police Chief Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar had a vision to promote friendly police culture and zero tolerance against physical torture.

He said that IGP’s vision was followed and no incident of physical torture by police happened in the area during reporting period.

The courteous attitude is the main focus of Islamabad police and policy of `Phele Salam – Phir Kalam’ is being followed in letter and spirit by policemen. The SP said that measures for community policing along with Human Right Officers were ensured while several meetings with traders’ union and members of civil society were held to improve image of police and bridge gap between police and public.

The SP said that police efforts for relief to people would remain continue and friendly police culture would be ensured through cooperation of community members.

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

NEWS

49 journalists murdered in 2019

“ Forty-nine journalists were killed across the world in 2019, Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday, the lowest death toll in 16 years. The “historically low” number mostly died covering conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan, the Paris-based watchdog said, which warned that “journalism remains a dangerous profession”. Some 80 journalists a year have lost their lives on average over the last two decades, said the organisation, which is known by its French initials RSF. But its head Christophe Deloire warned that the number of journalists murdered in countries supposedly at peace was still alarmingly high, with 10 dying in Mexico alone. “Latin America, with a total of 14 reporters killed across the continent, has become as deadly as the Middle East,” he added. While he said that the fall in the number of fatalities in conflict zones was something to celebrate, “more and more journalists are being assassinated for their work in democratic countries, which is a real challenge to democracy.” While fewer journalists are dying, more are ending up behind bars, according to RSF. Some 389 were locked up in 2019, up 12 per cent on last year.

Nearly half were imprisoned in three countries — China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which was blamed for the gruesome murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi at its embassy in Istanbul last year. “China, which has intensified its repression of the (mostly Muslim) Uighur minority, alone holds a third of the journalists locked up in the world,” RSF said.

Meanwhile, 57 journalists are being held hostage across the globe, mostly in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Ukraine. “There has been no notable freeing of hostages this year despite major developments in Syria,” the RSF said, which has led it to fear for the worst for many of those abducted. AGENCIES

CJP Khosa Pushed for early ConClusion of Musharraf treason trial

o

UTGoING Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa played a crucial role in the treason case against former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf. The former president was sentenced to death in a high treason case by a special court in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The treason case which began in 2013 remained pending due to various reasons.

It was learnt that CJP Khosa was displeased with the undue interference by high courts to halt treason proceedings in the last three weeks.

A three-judge special court, led by Justice Faisal Arab, on November 21, 2014, had directed the federal government to include the names of former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, former law minister Zahid Hamid and former chief justice Abdul Hameed Dogar as coaccused in the treason case. The proceedings were later suspended for a couple of years because of the order.

In February 2016, the Supreme Court, led by CJP Khosa, had set aside the special court’s order by directing that the trial against Musharraf be concluded.

In the meantime, the former army chief had gone abroad for medical treatment. Several judges who had been part of the special court have either retired or been elevated to the apex court.

Soon after taking charge as the CJP, Justice Khosa had taken up the matter regarding the delay in the trial.

APP

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday said that a presidential inquiry against the judges would undermine the judiciary.

A ten-member larger bench of the court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, Justice Faisal Arab, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed heard the case regarding proceedings of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against Justice Qazi Faez Isa. The reference filed against Justice Qazi Faez Isa alleges that he acquired three properties in London on lease in the name of his wife and children between 2011 and 2015, but did not dis-

He had, on March 25, referred to the punishment given to dictator oliver Cromwell whose skeleton had been hanged after his death, observing that an accused was deliberately not appearing before the trial court and questioning if the court was helpless.

In April, a three-member bench led by the CJP himself had directed the special court to proceed under the law by concluding the matter. It had held that, if the accused failed to turn up, he would lose his right to an audience. Following the SC’s decision, the matter was preceded in the special court.

After the retirement of Justice Tahira Safdar, CJP had nominated judge Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth to preside over the special court.

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) chief justice’s bold verdicts also irked the security establishment. The same judge had also set aside trials of military courts’ convicts, and his judgement had also rescued Pakistan before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Kulbhushan case. Recently, the PHC CJ had declared unconstitutional the functioning of scores of internment centres in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). NEWS DESK

WEF report ranks Pakistan 151 out of Retired military lawyer ‘abducted’ for 153 on global gender parity index advocating recovery of missing persons A World Economic Forum (WEF) report on the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2020 index has ranked Pakistan 151 out of 153 countries, ahead only of Iraq and Yemen. The scorecard for the country places Pakistan at 150 in economic participation and opportunity, 143 in educational attainment, 149 in health and survival and 93 in political empowerment.

A comparison of previous rankings shows that the overall ranking for Pakistan has drastically slipped from 112 in 2006 to 151 in 2020.

Likewise, the country slipped from 112 to 150 in economic participation and opportunity, from 110 to 143 in educational attainment, from

112 to 149 in health and survival and from 37 to 93 in political empowerment during the same period.

The report highlights that economic opportunities for women in Pakistan are limited with the country only managing to bridge 32.7 percent of the gap between men and women in the workplace. In health and survival, the gap widened to 94.6pc, which means that women in the country do not have the same access to healthcare as men. Among the seven South Asian countries included in the index, Pakistan charted at the very bottom. Bangladesh ranked 50, followed by Nepal, 101; Sri Lanka, 102; India, 112; Maldives, 123; and Bhutan,131. NEWS DESK

Presidential inquiry against judges would undermine judiciary, observes SC

ISLAMABAD

05

close them in wealth returns.

During the course of proceedings, Advocate Hamid Khan appeared before the court on behalf of Supreme Court Bar Association, Balochistan and Quetta Bar Associations.

He said that his arguments would be different from Advocate Munir A Malik as he would argue over structural matters. There were reservations on three matters and independence of judiciary was his priority, he added.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah asked the lawyer about the plea in the petitions.

Khan responded that his plea was same like the plea filed by Malik.

He said that the reference was based on malafide intentions as legal formalities were not fulfilled before filing of reference. He pleaded the court to dismiss reference by declaring it malafide.

He said that Article 209 was included first time in the 1962 constitution. He said that Article 209 was

not thoroughly changed in the 1973 constitution. Initially there were two high courts and two chief justices and later in 1976 there were four high courts, he said and added that now there were five high courts working in the country.

Khan said that according to the 1973 constitution, the president can only establish his opinion in Article 209 but after the 17th Amendment in the Constitution, the SJC could also frame its opinion.

He said that Article 209 did not allow SJC to frame rules. Hamid said that the Constitution’s scheme made it clear that the president was the head of the all the pillars of the state.

He said that the Article 50 of the Constitution clearly says that the parliament consists of two houses, the Senate and National Assembly (NA), and the president was part of it. Article 256 stated that the president address both houses of the parliament, he added.

Khan said that Article 58 mandated the president to dissolve the assembly.

Under Article 58(1), the president can dissolve the assembly on recommendations of the prime minister, he added.

Justice Akhtar asked whether the president can refer a reference to the Supreme Court (SC) directly. Khan said that the president could seek opinion from court on any matter.

Justice Sajjad Ali Shah said asked how it was possible that two different inquiries to be conducted on the same matter.

Justice Akhtar said that if the president would conduct an inquiry against a judge then where would be the independence of judiciary stand.

He said that a judge could be called more than once in an inquiry.

The hearing was then adjourned till Wednesday.

CMYK

Unidentified armed persons abducted retired military lawyer, Colonel (r) Inamur Rahim, from his residence in Rawalpindi on Monday for advocating the recovery of missing persons and his whereabouts are still unknown, according to media reports.

As per the complaint lodged with the police by the retired army officer’s son, Rahim was taken away by armed person clad in black uniform in double cabin cars.

The complaint added that the family was threatened by the kidnappers that they would have to bear consequences if the incident was reported to the police.

The incident drew condemnation from the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC). The association demanded that the government and the concerned institutions take required ac-

tion to ensure the retired army officer’s release and the arrest of his kidnappers.

“An advocate is being victimised for his having vocally raising voice and lodging protests against constant incidents of missing persons and even approaching the courts of law for their safe recovery,” said PBC Chairman Syed Amjad Shah.

It is worth mentioning here that in 2012, when Rahim was returning from a family funeral to his home in the garrison city, three vehicles had surrounded the taxi in which he was traveling and pushed it off the road.

He told The New York Times that six unidentified men had leapt out and attacked him, raining blows on his head and upper torso. N E W S D E S K

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

Has NareNdra Modi fiNally goNe too far?

MODI BECAME A MASTER OF THE ANTI-MUSLIM DOG WHISTLE, AND HE RODE HIS REPUTATION ALL THE WAY TO THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE

New Yorker

t

Dexter Filkins

HE street protests now sweeping India appear to be validating one of the oldest and most trusted maxims of politics: sooner or later, authoritarians will go too far. The authoritarian in this case is Narendra Modi, India’s Prime Minister. Since his reëlection victory, last May, Modi has mounted an aggressive campaign targeting the country’s Muslim minority, which numbers two hundred million.

In August, Modi’s government revoked the autonomy of Indian held Kashmir, the country’s only Muslim-majority state, and detained thousands of its young men. That same month, the government created a citizenship registry in the northeastern state of Assam, a move that could render as many as two million Muslims

stateless. In each case, Modi met little resistance.

But legislation, approved last week, that grants a path to citizenship for immigrants living in India of every religion except Islam is provoking a nationwide backlash. Modi’s weak justification for the legislation was that he was trying to protect those migrants who face historic discrimination—Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists, and Christians. Everyone but Muslims, that is—who, without proper papers, would be left vulnerable to deportation.

For the first time since Modi became Prime Minister, in 2014, Indians, en masse, aren’t buying it. They are taking to the streets in many major cities, prompting, in some cases, crackdowns by the Indian Army and police. Modi himself, stunned by the public rebuke, has so far offered only platitudes. “We cannot allow vested interest groups to divide us and create disturbance,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

Strong men, typically surrounded by sycophants, are often the last to realize that their popularity is not what they

thought it was. Modi is not a dictator; in May, he and his party, the B.J.P., captured a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament, giving him a second term as Prime Minister. But, as I detail in my recent article on India for The New Yorker, Modi has, by deploying a vicious antiMuslim rhetoric, persuaded India’s huge Hindu majority to give him nearly unchecked power. He has neutered the judiciary, bullied his critics, and smothered the free press.

The means of Modi’s ascent has been the demonizing of Muslims. In 2002, when he was Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat, Modi presided over a mass communal bloodletting, in which some two thousand people were killed and a hundred and fifty thousand driven from their homes. Most of the riot’s victims were Muslims; the demography of the state was transformed, with most Muslims crowded into ghettos. Credible evidence suggests that Modi allowed the riots to take place by refusing to use force against the perpetrators. At the very least, Modi capitalized on the pogroms politically, tapping into historic resentments

If Tehran is pushed too far, it may hit out in ways that are disastrous

GUardiaN simon tisDall

The crisis in the Gulf, which took Iran and the US to the brink of war in June, was never resolved – and shows every sign of reigniting. Like antagonists in a schoolyard fight who refuse to shake hands and make up, the two sides, backed by regional allies and proxies, are sullenly waiting for it all to kick off again. The next bout could be much worse.

In the American camp, alarm bells began ringing in earnest last week. US officials claimed Iran was secretly positioning shortrange ballistic missiles in Iraq, within range of Israel and US bases in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The Iraq deployments, if true, would be consistent with past Iranian moves to equip Shia militias in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria with improved missile capabilities. Supposed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missile bases in Syria and Iraq have been targeted by Israeli air strikes in recent months. Iran-backed militia have fired rockets at Israel.

The US has moved 14,000 additional troops to the Gulf region this year. Despite this, it fears a repeat of September’s attack on Saudi oil facilities. John Rood, a senior Pentagon official, warned last week of renewed hostilities: “We continue to see indications … that potential Iranian aggression could occur.”

Israel views the proliferation of precision-guided missiles in the hands of Iranian proxies as a major strategic threat that must be repulsed by all means. Its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is pressing Trump to refocus on the issue following an ineffectual US response to the oilfield and tanker attacks.

Netanyahu had hoped to lobby Trump and other Nato leaders in person at last week’s London summit, but was prevented

from attending due to “logistical concerns”. Instead he met Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state and fellow hawk, in Portugal, where he stressed that Iran’s activities increasingly threatened Israel and the entire Middle East.

The US policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran through sanctions was launched last year after Trump reneged on the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Trump raised specific concerns about ballistic missiles and said Iran’s behaviour must change. One year on, Iran’s continuing defiance suggests that the policy is not working, in military terms at least, and is hastening a new confrontation.

Netanyahu and like-minded US and Saudi hardliners partly blame European leaders who still support the nuclear deal. Israel’s leader is particularly exercised about Iran’s gradual resumption of banned nuclear activities in retaliation for Trump’s bad faith.

When six European countries joined Britain, France and Germany last weekend in backing the new, so-called Instex financial barter mechanism, which is intended to help Iran circumvent US sanctions, Netanyahu was furious.

“These European countries should be ashamed of themselves. Have they learned nothing from history? … They are enabling a fanatic terrorist state to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, thereby bringing disaster to themselves and upon everyone else,” he said.

It’s suggested that Netanyahu was barred from the Nato meeting because Britain’s Boris Johnson, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Angela Merkel – the so-called E3 – had no wish to hear his complaints. Yet they have a big problem, too.

Europe’s softly-softly policy is not working any better than that of the brash Americans. The E3 complained to the UN last week that Iran’s “nuclear-capable” ballistic missile programme undermines the 2015 deal, which is in any case unravelling. But they lack alternative ideas about halting a slide to war.

Inside the Iranian camp, meanwhile, little is going right, either. Regional military expansion has not increased national security. Iran’s neo-colonial importunities in Iraq and Lebanon are under vocal attack. The Syrian

war drags on, draining resources.

And domestic unrest is building.

Amnesty International estimates that at least 208 people died in nationwide protests over fuel price rises that turned political last month. The true figure may be much higher. The regime initially blamed “Zionists”, and “foreign outlaws”. The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, pointed to a “dangerous conspiracy” implicating the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But such claims persuade nobody. Iran’s clerics seem to have experienced genuine shock at the depth of their own unpopularity, and the willingness of ordinary citizens to challenge their rule despite a brutal crackdown. Belatedly sensing the full extent of public fury at home, the regime has now softened its tone, saying it will show “Islamic mercy” to those arrested.

Before resuming their Gulf grudge match, both sides should ask themselves what they want to achieve – and whether dialogue might better serve their purposes.

All have much to lose. Appearing to recognise this, Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, repeated an offer to talk, but only if sanctions were lifted first.

Trump has not replied.

Iran’s internal troubles undoubtedly owe much to US sanctions. But the idea that, by further increasing external pressure, the regime can be forced to bow to US-Israeli demands, or else be toppled from within, remains fanciful in the extreme. Likewise, Iran’s apparent calculation that Trump, seeking re-election next year and averse to waging foreign wars, will not attack is dangerously complacent. And they should know by now that Europe, cowed by Washington, will not ride to the rescue.

If Tehran is pushed too far, if the regime’s survival is in doubt, if ethnic and regional cracks begin to show, and if fundamentalists in the clergy, IRGC and judiciary seize control of policy, Iran may hit out in ways that could be utterly disastrous all round.

And if either Trump or Netanyahu (or both), made desperate by corruption scandals, facing political extinction and driven by hubris, decides to create a grand drama in which he can star as national saviour, then batten down the hatches. It’s Gulf War III.

about the nation’s former Mughal rulers and prejudices harbored by many Hindus—namely, that Muslims receive special treatment and support terrorism.

Modi became a master of the anti-Muslim dog whistle, and he rode his reputation all the way to the Prime Minister’s office.

Nothing that Modi has said about Muslims since becoming Prime Minister should be surprising. His platform is part and parcel with the vision of India’s Hindu nationalists, particularly the B.J.P.’s parent organization, known as the R.S.S., of which Modi is a member. Since the Indian state was founded, in 1947, the R.S.S. and its foot soldiers have rejected one of the country’s central ideals, set forth by Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru: that the Indian state would be secular, and that the rights of all minorities would be protected. Since the R.S.S.’s founding, in 1925, its leaders have propounded the view that India is a Hindu nation, and that Hindus should reign over the country’s minorities. It was a Hindu nationalist and former member of the R.S.S., Nathuram Vinayak Godse, who murdered Gandhi, in 1948; he

thought Gandhi was a dangerous appeaser of Muslims. As India’s communal divide worsens, Godse’s ghost is running free.

The big question is where Modi’s campaign ends. The future does not look promising: Kashmir is an open-air prison, with Internet cut off, mobility curtailed, and soldiers crawling the streets. In Assam, the site of the new citizenship registry, the Indian government is planning to build a network of detention centers. The new path-to-citizenship law seems to herald a future in which Indian Muslims are accorded second-class status. Since 1947, the Muslims of India have been distinguished by their widespread refusal to embrace radicalization.

If the present circumstances carry on, it seems likely that many of them may conclude they have no other choice.

The campaign waged by Modi and his fellow Hindu nationalists has done immense damage to the legacy of Gandhi and Nehru and their vision of a secular Indian state. As the demonstrations there are proving, democracy may be the one thing that can save it.

Dexter Filkins is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of “The Forever War,” which won a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Where is the outrage over the war in Afghanistan?

A NEW WASHINGTON POST REPORT PROVING THE LONGEST WAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY HAS BEEN SOLD ON LIES FOR 20 YEARS CAUSES BARELY A RIPPLE

NatioN, US Jeet Heer

In 1971, The New York Times published the Pentagon Papers, leaked documents of a massive internal review by the US military of the history of American intervention in Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers were an epochal event, demonstrating that top policymakers, both civilians and military leaders, consistently lied about the war for decades by grossly overstating the likelihood of success and downplaying evidence that it wasn’t going well. Publication of the leaked documents played a major role in undermining not just the support the American public gave to the war but also their faith in the honesty of their government.

On Monday, The Washington Post began a new series called “The Afghanistan Papers,” based on documents obtained by the newspaper of an internal military report on “lessons learned” from Afghanistan since the American invasion in 2002. The Post deliberately echoed the Pentagon Papers in the title, and the series explicitly draws parallels with the earlier scoop. This comparison might seem like hype, but the revelations in the Afghan report live up to its precursor. Like the Pentagon Papers, the Afghanistan Papers make clear that policy-makers consistently held a much more pessimistic private view of the Afghan War than they ever admitted in public. A feel-good story of progress was sold to the American people by military leaders and politicians who knew the truth was very different.

And yet, unlike the Pentagon Papers, the Afghanistan Papers are not making a splash. Released during the week the Democrats were finalizing impeachment, the series barely registered as news.

Adam Wunische, a fellow at the Quincy Institute who covers Afghanistan and the Middle East, told me, “When the Afghan Papers came out on Monday, I was checking social media for ‘Afghanistan’ and ‘Afghan war.’

None of that was trending at all.

It’s very easy for the public to just

not pay attention. It’s not a pressing issue, especially with all the other exciting news that’s going on in politics these days.”

Wunische did a tour of Afghanistan in 2007 and 2008 in the American military. “For those of us who bore the costs of these conflicts,” he says, “it is extremely frustrating that something as substantial as the Afghan Papers barely registers as a major event.”

The Afghanistan Papers document a consistent pattern of deception, extending for nearly two decades across three administrations, that should be a major scandal. “Throughout the Afghan war, documents show that U.S. military officials have resorted to an old tactic from Vietnam—manipulating public opinion,” The Washington Post reports. “In news conferences and other public appearances, those in charge of the war have followed the same talking points for 18 years. No matter how the war is going—and especially when it is going badly—they emphasize how they are making progress.”

In closed-door interviews conducted by the military, policy-makers could be startlingly negative about the war effort. Douglas Lute, a general who oversaw the mission under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said in 2015, “We were devoid of a fundamental understanding of Afghanistan—we didn’t know what we were doing.”

He also told interviewers, “If the American people knew the magnitude of this dysfunction…2,400 lives lost.” According to the newspaper, Lutes blamed “the deaths of U.S. military personnel on bureaucratic breakdowns among Congress, the Pentagon and the State Department.”

In granular detail, the report confirms the most dire existing accounts of the war: the lack of cultural awareness of the American military, the failure to have any clear sense of mission, the corruption Americans brought to the country by flooding it with aid money, and the contempt Americans have for many of their allies. One military trainer claimed that a third of Afghan police he worked with were “drug addicts or Taliban.” A USAID official said, “Thinking we could build the military that fast and

that well was insane.”

Adam Wunische argues that “the parallels between Afghanistan and Vietnam are becoming uncomfortably similar.”

Those parallels extend to casualties. Officially, the Pentagon acknowledges 2,372 military deaths of American personnel. But as Wunische observes, this number understates the reality by counting only uniformed military deaths. “They don’t count actual casualties, which is injured plus dead,” he says. “If you do that, it’s close to 25,000. That’s another 20,000 US casualties. Another difference is that a huge amount of tasks that usually went to uniformed personnel are now being given to contractors who do not count if they die. If you add that, the actual dead in Afghanistan is 5,000. There are a lot of mechanisms that exist…to conceal those costs.”

The American public is insulated from the Afghan War in ways it wasn’t from the Vietnam War. Unlike Vietnam, there is no draft. The all-volunteer army means the soldiers who fight are a distinct social caste that exists apart from American society in way that wasn’t true in the age of conscription. Nor is the war being paid for by tax hikes or war bonds. Debt financing means the ultimate financial cost of war will not come due for many years.

The difference between the military and civilians can be overstated. Polls show that both veterans and the public are aligned in opposing the Afghan War. According to a recent Pew poll, 55 percent of veterans and 58 percent of adults think the Afghan War isn’t worth it. The difference might be in intensity of attitude. For military personnel, the war is still real. They could still be sent to fight. And for many veterans, the war lives on as a trauma.

But for the public at large, despite all the disturbing details found in reports like the Afghanistan Papers, the war is largely an abstraction. As Wunische notes, “Americans do not support the war, but it’s very easy for them to just not care.”

Jeet Heer is a national affairs correspondent at The Nation.

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

uK usEs thrEat of brExit cliff-EdgE to dEmand Eu tradE dEal by End of 2020 LONDON

b

AGENCIES

RITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson will use the prospect of a Brexit cliff-edge at the end of 2020 to demand the European Union gives him a comprehensive free trade deal in less than 11 months.

In his boldest move since winning a large majority in last Thursday’s election, Johnson will use his control of parliament to outlaw any extension of the Brexit transition period beyond 2020.

“Our manifesto made clear that we will not extend the implementation (transition) period and the new Withdrawal Agreement Bill will legally prohibit government agreeing to any extension,” a senior government official said on Tuesday.

Asked if the government would legislate to rule out any extension of the transition beyond 2020, one of Johnson’s most senior ministers, Michael Gove, said: “Exactly, absolutely.”

After the United kingdom leaves the European Union on Jan. 31, it enters a transition period in which it remains an EU member in all but name while both sides try to hammer out a deal on their

UAE shuts accounts of Maltese tycoon accused of journalist's murder LONDON AGENCIES

A Dubai bank shuttered accounts earlier this year of a secret offshore company belonging to a Maltese businessman since charged with the murder of an investigative journalist, two banking officials have said. The businessman, Yorgen Fenech, was charged last month with complicity in the 2017 killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who had written about the company, 17 Black Limited, shortly before her death. He has denied the accusation.

The banking officials told Reuters that prior to the murder accusation, Noor Bank had handed Fenech two cheques totaling 6.1 million dirhams ($1.7 million) when in April 2019 it closed the accounts established in the name 17 Black. One official, the acting head of the United Arab Emirates’ Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Ali Faisal Ba’Alawi, said the bank had decided to hand back the money, deeming the customer to be “high risk”. This happened just months after a Reuters investigation had identified Fenech as the owner.

Senior police sources in Malta have told Reuters they are investigating whether 17 Black’s activities may have been a potential motive for Caruana Galizia’s killing.

Fenech denies any wrongdoing. Noor Bank did not respond to a request for comment. Dated April 23, 2019, the cheques have not yet been deposited.

Reuters could not determine why Fenech did not deposit the cheques at another bank after Noor returned the funds to him.

Fenech declined to say whether he owned 17 Black when Reuters published its story in November 2018. The two cheques in his name are the first documented evidence that connects him to the company.

His lawyers did not respond to requests for comment on the two cheques.

Eight months before her death, Caruana Galizia wrote in her blog about 17 Black.

She alleged it was connected to Maltese politicians, but no evidence has so far emerged to back up her assertion.

In a telephone interview, Ba’Alawi said the money was released to Fenech because no valid freezing order had been received from any authority, including Malta.

If requested, the cash could still be blocked, he said.

“I can confirm these cheques have not been deposited anywhere so everything remains as is,” he said, speaking after being shown by Reuters copies of the cheques issued to Fenech.

post-Brexit relationship.

A comprehensive free trade deal would encompass everything from financial services and rules of origin to tariffs, state aid rules and fishing, though the scope and sequencing of any future deal is still up for discussion.

The pound fell 1.2% to $1.3155 GBP=D3 and to 84.59 pence against the euro EURGBP=D3, levels where it had

traded before the scale of Johnson’s victory became clear on Thursday evening and prompted strong gains. The pound is down more than 2% from a post-election high above $1.35 against the dollar.

By enshrining in law his campaign promise not to extend the transition period beyond the end of 2020, Johnson cuts the amount of time he has to negotiate a trade deal to 10-11 months – and

possibly quite a lot less, given the time needed for Uk and EU parliamentary approval of any deal.

The EU hopes to start the trade talks with Britain by March.

Trade deals usually take many years.

The 2,000-page EU-Canada trade deal known as CETA, or the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, took seven years to negotiate.

While Johnson’s large majority gives him the flexibility to change the law should he need to, he is sending a message to the EU – whose leaders have cautioned London that more time would be needed for a comprehensive trade deal.

EU DEAL? If the United kingdom and the EU failed to strike a deal on their future relationship and the transition period were not extended, then trade between the two would be on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms – more burdensome for businesses.

The EU insists it will not seal a trade deal with a large, economically powerful neighbour without solid provisions to guarantee fair competition.

Its demands will focus on environmental and labour standards, as well as state aid rules to ensure Britain would not be able to offer products on the bloc’s sin-

gle market at unfairly low prices.

Britain’s conundrum is that it will be under pressure to loosen rules on agricultural and food standards to strike a bilateral trade deal with the United States.

But this would be crossing a red line for the EU, which would restrict access to its market to protect its own producers.

Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump by phone on Monday and they agreed on the need for continued close cooperation and the negotiation of an “ambitious” Uk-U.S. free trade agreement.

In Britain’s talks with Brussels, fishing will be a particularly thorny issue as EU countries will no longer be able to operate in British waters as they do now.

With industry supply chains in the EU crossing borders multiple times for products like cars and drugs, agreeing exact rules to designate where products come from – and hence what regulations and taxes apply – will also be fraught.

“It will be very complicated. It’s about an array of relations, in trade, in fishing and cooperation in security and foreign policy,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told an EU summit news conference on Friday.

Malaysia's Najib ordered killing of Mongolian model, says former bodyguard KUALA LUMPUR AGENCIES

A Malaysian police officer on death row for the 2006 slaying of a Mongolian model has accused former prime minister Najib Razak of ordering him to kill the woman, according to media reports and the policeman’s lawyer.

Azilah Hadri and another police officer, who were serving on Najib’s security detail at the time of the murder, were sentenced to death in 2015 for killing 28-year-old Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Najib, who lost a general election last year and is also facing charges of corruption on a massive scale, has denied knowing the woman, but the ques-

tion of who ordered the killing has never been answered.

Azilah, in a court filing seeking to set aside his conviction, said Najib had ordered him to “arrest and destroy” Shaariibuu, who the former premier had allegedly described as a foreign spy, news portal Malaysiakini reported on Monday.

“I asked (Najib) what he meant by arrest and destroy the foreign spy, he responded: “Shoot to kill”, and indicating it with a ‘slit the throat’ gesture,” Azilah said, according to Malaysiakini.

Azilah’s lawyer J. kuldeep kumar on Tuesday confirmed the report, but declined to comment further.

Malaysia’s Federal Court will hear Azilah’s application on April 20.

Najib denied the allegations and accused the Malaysian government of using Azilah to orchestrate a political attack against him.

“I have been told that this new tale will provide a way for the government to arrest and imprison me without bail, as no bail is allowed for murder cases,” Najib said on his Facebook page.

Shaariibuu was shot dead and her body was blown up by military grade explosives in a forest near kuala Lumpur.

Civil society groups have alleged her murder was linked to her role as an interpreter for Abdul Razak Baginda, a former associate of Najib, in Malaysia’s purchase of two submarines from French shipbuilding giant DCNS in

2002. Abdul Razak, who said he had had an affair with Shaariibuu, was acquitted of abetting the murder in 2008.

Sangeet kaur Deo, a lawyer for Shaaribuu’s family, called for a fresh probe into her death in light of Azilah’s latest allegations.

“The question was always who was behind it,” she told reporters.

“That was a question that hopefully will be answered now with the right investigations.”

Azilah’s co-accused, Sirul Azhar Uma, fled to Australia shortly before his sentence was handed down.

Sirul said last year he would cooperate with any new investigation into the murder if he was given a full pardon.

Gender workplace equality 257 years away: WEF COLOGNY AGENCIES

Women may have to wait more than two centuries for equality at work, according to a report on Tuesday showing gender inequality growing in workplaces worldwide despite increasing demands for equal treatment.

While women appear to be gradually closing the gender gap in areas such as politics, health and education, workplace inequality is not expected to be erased until the year 2276, according to a report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The organisation, which gathers the global elite in the plush Swiss ski resort of Davos each year, said that the worldwide gender gap in the workplace had widened further since last year, when parity appeared to be only 202 years off.

The Geneva-based organisation’s annual report tracks disparities between the sexes in 153 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.

The overall gender gap across these categories has shrunk, Tuesday’s report showed, with WEF now forecasting it will take 99.5 years for women to achieve parity on average, down from the 108 years forecast in last year’s report.

But while some sectors have shown

improvements, others lag far behind.

General parity “will take more than a lifetime to achieve,” WEF acknowledged in a statement.

40 PER CENT WAGE GAP: WEF said the gender gap was more than 96 percent closed in the area of education and could be eliminated altogether within just 12 years.

The gap was equally small in the health and survival category, but the WEF report said it remained unclear how long it would take to achieve full parity in this domain due to lingering issues in populous countries like China

and India. Politics meanwhile is the domain where the least progress has been made to date, but it showed the biggest improvement in the past year.

Women in 2019 held 25.2 percent of parliamentary lower-house seats and 22.1 percent of ministerial positions, compared to 24.1 percent and 19 percent in 2018. But when it comes to the workplace, the picture is less rosy.

The report, which looked at a variety of factors including opportunity and pay, said it would take 257 years before there was equality in the workplace.

It highlighted positive develop-

ments, like a general increase in the share of women among skilled workers and senior officials.

But it stressed that this trend was counterbalanced by “stagnating or reversing gaps in labour market participation and monetary rewards”.

On average, only 55 per cent of adult women are in the labour market today, compared to 78 per cent for men, while women globally on average still make 40 per cent less than men for similar work in similar positions.

The wage gap has been steadily shrinking in OECD countries over the past decade, but it has at the same time expanded in emerging and developing economies, the WEF report showed.

GLOBAL DISPARITIES: Progress across the categories varies greatly in different countries and regions.

The report pointed out that while Western European countries could close their overall gender gap in 54.4 years, countries in the Middle East and North Africa will take nearly 140 years to do so.

Overall, the Nordic countries once again dominated the top of the table: men and women were most equal in Iceland, followed by Norway, Finland and Sweden.

Syria, Pakistan, Iraq and finally Yemen showed the biggest overall gender gaps of the countries surveyed.

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

08 COMMENT High treason verdict General Musharraf sentenced to death

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EN (retd) Pervez Musharraf was found guilty of high treason by a Special Court, and sentenced to death in absentia, becoming the first military dictator to be found guilty of the offence.

The decision represents a partial overturning of existing case law, which has validated military takeovers. The sentence will probably not be executed, because General Musharraf is out of the country, and probably will not come back for execution, but the verdict is going to be a stumbling block in the way of future army Chiefs contemplating a takeover. Previously, it could be argued that military takeovers were not high treason, but service to the nation. Now, there has been a precedent created that it is not, that they are high treason. Though the present case has not had any subordinates impleaded, future attempts at a takeover might well be met by subordinates refusing to do anything that might carry the risk of a death sentence in the future.

The decision might well have come because there was really no other decision that a court could take, as a military takeover is so clearly an act falling within the mischief of article 6, which had been included in the 1973 Constitution after the experience of the 1958 and 1969 takeovers. It could not stop the 1977 takeover, for which no one has been brought to trial, but now the architect of the 1999 takeover has been made to face what are merely the logical consequences of his act, albeit 20 years later.

The government’s reaction to the verdict can be explained best by the composition of the current federal cabinet. While supposedly the prosecutor in this case, it has acted more in the interest of the defence. It helped in the defence’s last-ditch efforts to prevent the verdict from being announced. PM’s Information Special assistant Dr Firdous ashiq awan has said that the government will study the verdict. Why? The government won the case, so why would it want to do something only done by lawyers planning to appeal.

General Musharraf reserves the right to appeal the decision which he surely will.

Extension legislation Can the PTI form the consensus required?

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T was perhaps one of the easier decisions and processes, being the Prime Minister’s prerogative alone, and thus requiring no consultation with the opposition or allied parties, when it came to Chief of army Staff (COaS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension. That assumption was dealt a severe blow by the Supreme Court (SC) that was afforded an opportunity to look into the procedure of extending a COaS’s tenure to find that the rules for this practice were at best, arbitrary. In its detailed judgment, which was preceded by a short order, the SC, showing “judicial restraint” allowed General Bajwa an additional six months during which time the PTI government must pass “appropriate legislation” to “regulate the tenure and terms of service of a general and as a consequence the COaS” that should provide “certainty and predictability” to the post of COaS “for all times to come”. This would require an act of Parliament to be passed in both Houses within the stipulated time period rather than an amendment to the Constitution as there is no requirement to redefine, separately, the role of the COaS. The PTI government will require a simple majority in the National assembly and would therefore only need the support of its allied parties in the Lower House; however first it will also have to get the legislation passed in the Senate which is controlled by opposition parties that the ruling government vehemently despises and refuses to acknowledge as a necessary stakeholder in lawmaking, or anything else for that matter.

But with pressure from the judiciary on one side and from the army on the other, Prime Minister Imran Khan doesn’t have any choice but to shake hands with his perceived enemies. Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice asif Saeed Khosa’s note in the judgment, in his usual fashion, ends with a quote, this time from Chief Justice Sir Edward Coke of England in the Commendam case in the year 1616 regarding the powers of King James I, “Howsoever high you may be; the law is above you”. In light of the current environment of political uncertainty, the constant shifting of the power balance and highhandedness of multiple institutions, the CJP’s words and the SC’s judgment becomes all the more meaningful.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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India’s fascist citizenship amendment act Hitler and Mussolini used citizenship laws too aMjed jaaved

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gnoring national and international furore, India’s Lok Sabha and rajya Sabha passed a controversial amendment to its 1955 citizenship law. It naturalises nonMuslim refugees as Indian citizens but excludes Muslims. The opposition, spearheaded by Congress, pilloried the iffy bill as a violation of the Constitution (articles 25 to 28: Freedom of religion).These articles provide `all religions are equal before the State and no religion shall be given preference over the other. Citizens are free to preach, practice and propagate any religion of their choice’. a fivebench Supreme Court judgment had observed ‘It is clear from the constitutional scheme that it guarantees equality in the matter of religion to all individuals and groups irrespective of their faith emphasising that there is no religion of the State itself.’ The Preamble to India’s Constitution, read with articles 25 to 28, emphasises that ‘it is in this manner the concept of secularism embodied in the constitutional scheme as a creed adopted by the Indian people has to be understood while examining the constitutional validity of any legislation on the touchstone of the Constitution.’

The USa’s ennui: Even the independent bipartisan United States Commission on International religious Freedom expressed ennui on the Citizenship amendment act, then still just a bill. according to a press note released by it, the bill amounted to a “dangerous turn in the wrong direction” and ran “contrary to the secular values enshrined in India’s Constitution” (Livemint, 11 December 2019). The agency even warned of recommending US sanctions against India’s Home Minister amit Shah, if the bill was enacted.

Fascism unmasked: Obviously, Indian PM Narendra Modi followed Hitler and Mussolini’s fascist playbook dot for dot? Fear, terror and intimidation are their favourite fascist tools. Modi wants to create fear so that his incompetence and dismal economic performance remains out of focus.

The fascist ideology envisions a regimented nation in grip of a totalitarian ruler. It extirpates everything inimical to monolithism. Fascists

abhor a freethinking civil society, political opponents, brave journalists, fearless academics and an independent judiciary. a page from German and Italian history: Five yearly censuses took place, 1871 onwards, in the newly founded united Germany under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The 1930 census was postponed due to the Great Depression. adolf Hitler began the census shortly after seizing power on 30 January 1933. It was a huge enterprise without computers. By the end of 1939, all orthodox Jews had been identified, pinpointed to their abodes, twice over. The purpose of that census was to first locate the Jews (505,000, or 0.75 percent of the populace) and then “cleanse” them. The Citizenship and Denaturalisation Law of July 1933 empowered Nazi reich to divest the “undesirable” of citizenship. The Jews, even in professional services, were outlawed, and pauperized by seizure of their belongings. The object of both the 1933 and 1939 censuses was to isolate Jews both in the German heartland and the occupied territories before they were ghettoised, deported and eventually liquidated.

Hitler’s Fascist comrade Benito Mussolini too introduced a racial census for both the Jews and the roma people of Italy. The headcount enabled Mussolini to initiate xenophobic laws in 1938.

Unconstitutional: The religion-based amendment may be in keeping with the Bharatya Janata Party’s manifesto, but it violates the Constitution. Indian Parliament enacted the Citizenship act in 1955. It did not lay down religion as criteria. But, the newly-enacted Citizenship amendment Bill does. It amended certain provisions of the 1955 act. a Hindu rashtra (nation): a hundred years back, Savarkar scribbled these words on the walls of a prison, later published in 1923 in his book on Hindutva. “With India for their basis of operation, for their Fatherland and for their Holy land… bound together by ties of a common blood and common culture (Hindus) can dictate their terms to the whole world.” He envisioned inevitable civil war with Muslims. So, he exhorted Hindus to join the British army, not to fight fascism, but to prepare for the eventuality.

He declared Muslims and Christians could never be loyal citizens. Not all those who are residents are a part of the nation, and not all outside the territory are outside the nation.

Where should the excluded go? Muslims in

India are already ghettosied, not `termites’ on economy as amit Shah thinks. Islam did away with caste superiority. Yet, the Muslim in India could not remain immune from the Hindu castesystem. The Muslim is divided into into ashraf (Muslims of foreign lineage) and ajlaf (local converts). Some scholars use another category, arzal, to denote the Muslim who converted from the lowest strata of society (bhangi, dom, choorha or sweeper).

Would amit Shah detain them in internment/concentration camps akin to those in Germany? For how long? Could Bangladesh, already under the rohingyas burden, or India retain the stateless people under international covenants? Deserving no privileges, far less any preferential treatment, not even citizen’s rights.

Kashmir under Hindutva citizenship: The laws in the state grant hereditary (pushtini) certificates to its citizens. as such, only the hereditary residents are entitled to express their voice in a plebiscite to be held to determine future status of the disputed state. To scuttle UN mandate and to dilute the demography, Modi government has decided to grant domicile certificates to even non-Kashmiris.

Muslims in India are highly stratified. The upper affluent layer is sold out to the ruling party.

They never expressed sympathy with Kashmiris under the Indian yoke. Similarly, Christians are sympathetic to Hindutva onslaught on Indian Muslims. The minorities need to coalesce to avert extinction.

The Muslim should learn from the Christians. To the ruling Bharatya Janata party’s chagrin, Christians are the second most educated religious group in India after the Jain. Today, the Christians live all across India, particularly in the South and the southern shore, the Konkan Coast, and Northeastern India. They include former and current chief ministers, governors and chief election commissioners.

The paradox of belonging to Islam, a religion that is premised on the notion of equality, and at the same time imbibing local traits which affirm inequality has to be admitted. Muslims are segmented into different status categories on the basis of income, occupation, education and lineage.

It is the Muslim himself who can change his lot by following Islam in full. They should resist stratification and demand equality from their community. The Muslim world at large should help them with funds. Unless they are united, they can’t survive Hindutva aggression, manifested in legislation or in social life.

Genocide in the 1971 war The Bihari problem has still not been solved

Minal Hussain

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ar is a situation of armed conflict between two or more states.

It is the ultimate cause of the humanitarian crisis. It is objectively a horrific event with devastating impact. It destroys the social order of the society, and specifically affects civilians’ life more. It brings death and destruction.

Human societies are affected by it as the infrastructure, public residential areas, hospital and schools are all destroyed. Civilians face famine, poverty, unemployment, starvation and loss of their dear ones. Same as the worst consequences of the war being faced by the Biharis of East Pakistan during the 1971 war. Biharis hail from Bihar, a state of India located in its North-Eastern region. They are Urdu-speaking.

The southern side of Bihar is next to Jharkhand, its northern side to Nepal, its eastern to west Bengal and its western to Uttar Pradesh. Bihari Muslims played a vital role in the creation of Pakistan. They were strong supporters of the Two-Nation Theory compared to the rest of the Muslims of the Subcontinent.

On 26 October 1946, nearly a year before the creation of Pakistan, massive Hindu-Muslim riots occurred in Bihar. The reason was developing Hindu displeasure and outrage against the Muslims. Four district Patna, Gaya, Chhapra and Munger were targeted simultaneously. In them, according to the Muslim League fact-finding committee report, 50,000 Muslims were martyred. Member of all India legislative asKarachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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sembly allama raghib ahsan substantiated this report in his book The Bihar State Killing and also barrister Syed abdul aziz in Bihar Tragedy. after the post-Bihar riots, Quaid-e-azam Muhammad ali Jinnah said that “ I had never thought that I will see the creation of Pakistan but the Bihar tragedy gave birth to it”. Bihari Muslims migrated thrice for Pakistan, thevfirst time even before the creation of Pakistan, the second time at the time of Partition in 1947 and the third time after the Fall of Dhaka.

During the East Pakistan crisis in 1971, the Mukhti Bahini started genocide of Bihari Muslims. a total of 500,000 Bihari civilians were killed during the 1971 War. More than 200,000 children had been orphaned and more than 100,000 women were made widows. Thousands of pregnant women were maltreated even which led to miscarriages. almost 100,000 young girls and women were raped and paraded naked before killing. Children were even brutally torn apart. The most terrible incident was the massacre of Santahaar and the adjacent railway colony. They burnt their houses and men and children were slaughtered. Young girls and Women were raped In front of their families and then slaughtered. Hardly 150 people survived out of 80,000 people. When rescue forces reached Santahaar, wild animals were eating the dead bodies. Because of the worst condition of the dead bodies, they were buried in a mass grave.

East Pakistan had a border with India on three sides, and it was completely vulnerable and porous, making it very easy for the Indian forces to intervene. Mukhti Bahini forces, who were trained by India, used guerrilla warfare tactics to create an atmosphere of war. The Indian army attacked East Pakistan on 3 December 1971. Indian army surrounded from all sides Pakistani forces, who had been fighting since March 1971, making it extremely difficult for them to fight an army of more than their size.

Biharis also fought very bravely alongside Pakistan’s armed forces. Pakistani forces surren-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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dered on 16 December 1971, leading to the creation of the new state of Bangladesh.

The Bihari community faced cruelties of Mukhti Bahini forces even after the creation of Bangladesh and almost 500,000 people lost their lives. Pakistan accepted 170,000 Biharis in 1974 though their process of repatriation remains unresolved even after five decades. Today almost 400,000 Biharis live in Geneva camps in Bangladesh in an extremely miserable condition. They are suffering from extreme poverty, unemployment, no educational facilities, no electricity and even don’t have clean and fresh drinking water. They are stateless people. There is no social acceptance for them in Bangladesh and they are called ‘Stranded Pakistanis’.

The people who were repatriated to Karachi are also facing almost the same issues as identity cards are not issued to them. and in their hub Orangi town of Karachi, their civic conditions are the worst with no standard educational facilities, poor sanitary system and not even a facility of clean and fresh drinking water.

This is how we as a nation treat our heroes, who sacrificed their all for the unity of Pakistan.

Now, this is the responsibility of civil society and the state to highlight the sacrifices of our Bihari brothers and sisters, who sacrificed their everything, their assets and lives, for the unity of Pakistan, so that the state should take necessary measures for the uplift of Biharis’ education and civic conditions and make them proud Pakistanis again. The young generation of the Bihari community is not highly qualified, while their forefathers were highly qualified and technically educated. There should be a special quota for the Bihari youth in universities and armed forces of Pakistan.

In this advanced and social media era, if the State still does not mainstream them and does not recognize their sacrifices for Pakistan, it may face another internal security challenge.

Minal Hussain can be minal.hussain997@gmail.com

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

reached

at

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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

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

International Cricket back in Pakistan: Were we ready for it?

Indian citizenship act widely criticised Another threat to the whole region

Malik MuHaMMad asHraf

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ITIzENSHIP amendment Bill (CaB) passed by the Indian Parliament has not only sparked violent demonstrations against it in the North Eastern states of the country leading to the death of six protesters so far, but the legislation has also invoked criticism both within India and at the international level. The Indian intellectuals and legal community within India view it as being essentially anti-Muslim and in violation of the secular principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution which prohibits discrimination against its citizens and guarantees all persons equality before the law and equal protection of law. They maintain that faith cannot be made a condition of citizenship.

Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Bhatia says that by dividing alleged migrants into Muslims and non-Muslims, the bill “explicitly and blatantly seeks to enshrine religious discrimination into law, contrary to our long-standing, secular constitutional ethos”.

Historian Mukul Kesavan says the bill is ”couched in the language of refuge and seemingly directed at foreigners but its main purpose is to de-legitimize the citizenship of Muslims”.

Critics also argue that if the bill is genuinely aimed at protecting persecuted minorities in the neighboring countries as claimed by the Indian government, then it should have also included Muslim religious minorities.

It is pertinent to point out that the anti-Muslim bias of the legislation gains greater currency from the fact that the Indian government has gone to the Supreme Court seeking to deport rohingya Muslim refugees from India, who fled Myanmar due to persecution. It is also maintained by the critics that the National register of Citizenship published in august, which deprived nearly two million Bengali Muslims of Indian citizenship, and the Citizenship amendment Bill are closely linked because the latter will help protect non-Muslims who are excluded from the register and face the threat of deportation or internment. This means tens of thousands of Bengali Hindu migrants who were not included in the NrC can still get citizenship to stay on in assam state.

Sociologist Niraja Gopal Jaya says “Taken together, the NrC and CaB have the potential of transforming India into a majoritarian polity

with gradations of citizenship rights.” The In- would make it easier for refugees of certain dian anti-Muslim legislations have also come faiths from neighbouring countries to gain citiunder scathing criticism by the international zenship, but not Muslims.”

Michael Kugelman, a South asian expert at media and global think tanks.

The Financial Times, in its editorial of 11 the Woodrow Wilson International Center for December commenting on the situation, said Scholars. Said, “I think there is some genuine “after independence and partition in 1947, surprise and disappointment that the world’s India was established on the principle of secular largest democracy appears to be undercutting democracy. While Pakistan’s founders defined its longstanding and fundamental traditions of their country as a homeland for the Subconti- secularism, democracy and pluralism.”

The US Commission on International relinent’s Muslims, India was not defined by religion but envisaged as a country where diverse gious Freedom called for sanctions to be confaiths could coexist. Now, the so-called Citizen- sidered against Indian Home minister amit Shah over the Citizenship ship amendment Bill Bill. The Commission, which grants accelerated which advises the US citizenship to Hindu, government but does not Sikh, Jain or Buddhist Though Pakistan has set policy, termed the bill refugees from neighbouras a dangerous turn in the ing countries, but not warned the international wrong direction.

Muslims, threatens that a spokesman of the history of @secularism. It community about the US State Department is a milestone in Premier dangers lurking in the commenting on the bill Narendra Modi’s camsaid, “The USa urges paign to reshape India region because of the India to protect the rights into an overtly Hindu nation.” pursuance of philosophy of its religious minorities in keeping with India’s The New York Times of Hindutva and the Indian constitution and democarried an article saying cratic values.”

“The upper house of the move to nullify UN The Modi governIndian Parliament passed a ment is probably unmindcontentious citizenship bill resolutions on Kashmir ful of the fact that by on Wednesday, bringing a through the repeal of pursuing the Hindutva religiously polarizing philosophy it is sowing measure one step closer to article 370 of the Indian the seeds conflict and law as new protests strife within its own borerupted across the country.

Constitution, but it is ders. What it has done in The measure, called the regrettable that the powers IOK, assam and beyond Citizenship amendment could very well prove to Bill, uses religion as a crithat be blinded by their be beginning of the end. terion for determining The supremacist phiwhether illegal migrants in strategic and commercial losophy of Hindutva like India can be fast-tracked interests linked to India the German Nazism has a for citizenship. The bill fadestructive potential vors members of all South and the UN, are not which could also jeopardasia’s major religions except Islam, and leaders of realizing the scale of the ize peace and security in our region and beyond.

India’s 200-million-strong threat to peace and The world has already enMuslim community have dured the disastrous concalled it blatant discrimisecurity in this region. sequences of the German nation.”

Nazism and cannot afford The Washington Post yet another catastrophe of said “The Lawmakers in the same magnitude.

India on Wednesday Though Pakistan has warned the international passed a fundamental change to its citizenship law to include religion as a criterion for nation- community about the dangers lurking in the reality for the first time, deepening concerns that gion because of the pursuance of philosophy of a country founded on secular ideals is becoming Hindutva and the Indian move to nullify UN resa Hindu state that treats Muslims as second- olutions on Kashmir through the repeal of article class citizens. The new legislation creates a path 370 of the Indian Constitution, but it is regrettable to citizenship for migrants who belong to sev- that the powers that be blinded by their strategic eral South asian religions but pointedly ex- and commercial interests linked to India and the cludes Islam, the faith practiced by 200 million UN, are not realizing the scale of the threat to peace and security in this region. Kashmir admitIndian citizens.” according to al-Jazeera, “The bill brings tedly is a nuclear flashpoint and the two nuclear sweeping changes to India’s 64-year-old citi- states standing face to face with each other preszenship law by giving citizenship to “perse- ent a dreadful spectacle for the world peace. The cuted” minorities– Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, world community and the UN need to realize the Jains, Parsis and Christians- from Bangladesh, consequences of the unfolding situation before it is too late. afghanistan and Pakistan.”

The Independent observed “India’s ruling Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic.

Hindu nationalist government has won parliamentary approval for a controversial law that He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com

IT is great to have international cricket back in Pakistan after a long time. It signals towards changing times and effective cricket diplomacy to improve Pakistan’s image abroad and normalize things. However, at the very same time it also brought my attention to underlying security situation of my country’s twin cities: rawalpindi (where the match took place) and Islamabad.

The match from 19 Dec to 23 Dec has been a cause of serious trouble for the residents of twin cities. The roads are sealed like it’s a curfew situation. The alternative routes are jam packed, that is where the frustration comes from and metro was shut down which in a situation like this could have been opted as an option. Those commuting between rawalpindi and Islamabad for their routine work or schools have been in serious strain. This brings the attention to a very important question, whether we were ready for it? I don’t think so, yes cricket is very dear to Pakistanis and it sends a good image abroad but, not at the expense of our people and their time. In another scenario maybe we should have been given national holidays for a week so we all could enjoy cricket but not put through this stress (sarcasm intended). Lastly, I believe you cannot portray soft image of Pakistan by causing inconvenience to your citizens day and night like this. We are carriers of that image too.

NAIMA NASEEr AWAN Islamabad

Evolving architectural language of Pakistan THE material image or architecture of any place is molded by its people and formed by the collective ideology of its inhabitants.

Throughout the world, architectural features portray the architectural image of the society and its people. It is one of the reasons how we can indicate and associate a building to a certain part of the world. This material impression cannot be created in years or even decades but is shaped by centuries old evolution in society and the subtle transition from the historic ties to the modern globalization. Today with the help of global exposure being shared by the media and technology, one with an eye to these details wonders what is or could be the architectural identity of Pakistan? I fear that with continuous increase in building and construction practices in the last few decades and with the rising real-estate trend in absence of an authoritative overwatch by a sensible national body, we are deforming the material identity of our country that once portrayed a strong sense of unity, Faith and Discipline. a common eye can experience a variety of senseless blunt features on facades and extravagant structures every day.

We need to question our development authorities and especially the growing number of architectural schools in Pakistan that what role are they playing in this increasing wave of construction and does this un-supervised practice conforms to our national distinctiveness or ends up depicting a chaotic bland of competing structures and tiled elevations.

MuHAMMAd uMAIr AJMAL Lahore

UN meets again on Kashmir UN security council meets behind closed doors for the second time since the abrogation of article 370 by Indian government unilaterally. The meeting is held on the request of China which is close ally of Pakistan.The Indian occupied area is under unprecedented curfew since the 05 august. The last time UNSC met on the request of China and discussed Kashmir issue but didn’t brief what have been discussed behind doors. China’s UN mission wrote in a note to council members about the seriousness of the situation in Indian occupied Kashmir and there is risk of further escalation. Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mohmood Qureshi had also written a letter to UNSC and expressed concern about the further escalation of tensions.

MoHAMMAd uMAr BHAT Islamabad

Milestone decision PErVEz MUSHarraF, former military dictator, made history on Tuesday Dec 17, 2019 after becoming the country’s first military chief (former) to be convicted of a crime. Under article 6 of the Constitution, a special court handed Musharraf a death penalty for high treason: unlawfully abrogation of the 1973 Constitution, imposing ‘emergency rule’ in 2007, and confining some 60 judges to their homes.

Undoubtedly, this milestone verdict of judiciary is an unprecedented measure in our history taken to strengthening democracy thereby laying new foundations of civil supremacy, power of the law and the Constitution and its implementation in its true letter and in spirit indiscriminately, and blocking any interference of non-democratic forces in politics—Pakistan has a history where such forces kept lurking at the threshold of democracy, pervaded politics and caused irreparable damage to our country. PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto rightly tweeted that, “Democracy is the best revenge”. This historical decision has set an example to make the fabrics of rule of law and democracy stronger and ensure that the Constitution is above all forces.

ZAHId ALI ZoHrI Nagar

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

Erdogan says onE million rEfugEEs should bE rEsEttlEd in syria vEry soon

GENEVA

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AGENCIES

URkISH President Tayyip Erdogan called on Tuesday for the resettlement of 1 million Syrian refugees in their homeland in “a very short period of time” and accused world powers of moving more quickly to protect

Syria’s oil fields than its children.

Erdogan, whose country hosts 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the largest refugee population worldwide, said more than 600,000 should voluntarily join around 371,000 already in a “peace zone” in northern Syria from which Turkey drove kurdish militia.

“We need to find a formula that will allow the refugees to remain in their home-

lands and the ones who have already traveled to Turkey to be peacefully returned and resettled in their homelands,” he said.

Addressing the Global Forum on Refugees in Geneva, he said Turkey had spent $40 billion hosting the refugees over nine years and criticized the European Union, which had earmarked nearly 6 billion euros ($6.61 billion), for failing to deliver it all.

“We are still waiting at the threshold of receiving the other 3 billion euros that was pledged,” he said.

Housing and schools could be set up in the northern zone, where some 371,000 Syrian refugees have already returned since Turkish military operations to clear the area of “terrorist organizations”, he said, naming Islamic State as well as the Syrian kurdish YPG and Pkk, kurdish separatists within Turkey.

“If we can implement the projects that I have talked about at the General Assembly of the United Nations I think the resettlement can easily reach 1 million in a very short period of time,” he added.

Erdogan, taking a thinly veiled swipe at the United States, which moved quickly to protect oil fields in Syria after the retreat of Islamic State, said: “Unfortunately the efforts that were spared to protect the oil fields were not mobilized for the safety and security of the children in Syria.”

Ethiopia's surveillance network crumbles, meaning less fear and less control DEBARK AGENCIES

Rahmat Hussein once inspired fear and respect for the watchful eye she cast over her Ethiopian neighbourhood, keeping files on residents and recommending who should get a loan or be arrested.

Now she is mocked and ignored.

Her fall – from being the eyes and ears of one of Africa’s most repressive governments to a neighbourhood punchline – illustrates how Ethiopia’s once ubiquitous surveillance network has crumbled.

“My work is harder now,” she said, wistfully. “People don’t listen anymore.”

Rahmat worked for a system set up by the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition in the early 2000s, officially to help implement central policies across the country of 105 million people.

But the system, which detractors say was twisted into a tool to silence government critics, began to unravel with the outbreak of deadly protests in 2015 which undermined the EPRDF’s authority.

The election of reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who has vowed to make soci-

ety more open and took office in April 2018, has accelerated its decline.

That has been welcomed by many.

“People were afraid and could not speak up,” said Agenagnew Abuhay, Rahmat’s colleague at a local women’s affairs office.

Others, like Rahmat, mourn its loss, saying the network drove advances in health, education and agriculture.

It is widely acknowledged among Ethiopians as having played a significant role in society, although many are still too nervous to speak openly about it.

Some officials and academics question whether Abiy can control a restive population, amid outbreaks of deadly ethnic violence, and deliver promised economic and political reforms without the system he has allowed to fray.

“The local administration is collapsing in some places,” said one civil servant in the capital Addis Ababa, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak with journalists.

“The government doesn’t seem to have much control.”

Abiy holds regular public meetings and is active on Twitter, said an official in the prime minister’s office, when asked how he

would communicate with people now the old network has weakened. Most Ethiopian households do not have the internet.

The prime minister’s spokeswoman referred Reuters to the civil service commission for comment.

Its head, Bezabih Gebreyes, said the system was formed for the “noble rationale” of development but acknowledged that ultimately it had been a failure.

“The structure was very active for at least five years,” he told Reuters. It failed, he said, because workers did not like taking orders from political appointees.

ONE TO FIVE: Stacked on top of Rahmat’s kitchen cabinet in the town of Debark, 470 km (290 miles) north of Addis Ababa, are a dozen bulging folders detailing the lives of 150 neighbours: who has money troubles, who has HIV, who is caring for an orphan and who is hosting a stranger.

The 27-year-old kept a copy of her handwritten notes and delivered duplicates to a local government office, which crunched the numbers and reported them upwards.

“It made me very happy to do this work,” she told Reuters one cold morning, as she cooked bean stew in her one-room home. “I did it to serve the people.”

Maria Butina, convicted in US of being Russian agent, gets job as state TV host MOSCOW: A Russian woman jailed in the United States for working as a foreign agent and deported to Moscow has been hired by Russia’s state-funded RT television as a host for an online show that mocks the opposition, the station said on Tuesday. Maria Butina, 31, pleaded guilty in a US court last December to one count of conspiring to act as an agent for Russia by infiltrating a gun rights group and influencing conservative activists and Republicans. She was deported in October after serving most of an 18-month sentence and met with fanfare in Moscow where officials had called the charges against her ridiculous and said she had been forced to confess. “Well, I’m home now,” Butina says with a grin and wearing a “foreign agent” T-shirt in a promotional clip for the show aired on Tuesday. The show is called Wonderful Russia Bu Bu Bu, a play on words mocking a similar slogan by prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who talks of the “Wonderful Russia of the future” when President Vladimir Putin is no longer in power. AGENCIES

Indonesia's Muslim groups deny China lobbying sways views on Uighurs JAKARTA: Indonesia’s biggest Muslim groups have denied that lobbying by Beijing, including tours facilitated by China in Xinjiang, had influenced their stance on the treatment of the region’s Muslim Uighur minority. The United Nations and human rights groups estimate that between 1 million and 2 million people, mostly ethnic Uighur Muslims, have been detained in harsh conditions in Xinjiang as part of what Beijing calls an anti-terrorism campaign. China has repeatedly denied any mistreatment of Uighurs. Indonesia has not been as outspoken about the Uighurs as it is on other issues seen as important in the Muslim world, such as the fate of Palestinians.

Abdul Mu’ti, secretary general of Indonesia’s second-biggest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, denied it had received donations from China during a tour in February to Xinjiang it participated in, and said it opposed “all kinds of human rights violations, everywhere done by anyone toward anyone.” AGENCIE

'Little Miss Period' tackles Japan's menstruation taboos with a punch TOKYO: Her timing can be terrible and she can pack a mean punch.

But “Little Miss Period” – a pink blob with red lips and red pants who stars in a Japanese manga comic and movie of the same name – has a mission: breaking taboos in a society where talking about menstruation has been seen dirty or embarrassing. The character has generally been received positively as a step toward better understanding among the sexes. Some critics, though, worry about stereotypes and inattention to underlying gender discrimination that holds back Japanese women in many fields. “Until now, menstruation has been something to hide and many people completely lack correct understanding of it,” said Kazue Muta, a sociology professor at Osaka University. “I can’t praise the manga 100% … but it would be good if it were a step toward greater openness and education.” The movie “Little Miss Period” was released domestically by entertainment company Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. Ltd last month. It is based on a manga by male artist Ken Koyama that debuted in 2017 before being compiled into a book by publisher Kadokawa. The film also opened in Taiwan this month and will debut in Hong Kong in January. Premieres in China and across Southeast Asia are also planned. AGENCIES

Pope abolishes 'pontifical secrecy' for sex abuse investigations VATICAN CITY AGENCIES

Pope Francis on Tuesday announced sweeping changes to the way the Roman Catholic Church deals with cases of sexual abuse of minors, abolishing the rule of “pontifical secrecy” that previously covered them.

Two documents issued by the pope back practices that have been in place in some countries, particularly the United States, such as reporting suspicion of sex abuse to civil authorities where required by law. The documents, which put the practices into universal Church law, also forbid imposing an obligation of silence on those who report sex abuse or allege they have been a victim.

“This is an epochal decision,” Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and the Vatican’s most experienced sex abuse in-

vestigator, told Vatican Radio.

The lifting of “pontifical secrecy” in sex abuse investigations was a key demand by Church leaders, including Scicluna and German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, at a summit on sexual abuse held at the Vatican in February.

They argued that secrecy in cases of sexual abuse of minors was outdated and some Church officials were hiding behind it instead of cooperating with authorities.

Scicluna said the new provisions open up ways to communicate with victims and cooperate with the state.

“Certain jurisdictions would have easily quoted the pontifical secret … to say that they could not, and that they were not, authorized to share information with either state authorities or the victims,” Scicluna said. “Now that impediment, we might call it that way, has been lifted, and the pontifical secret is no more an ex-

cuse,” he said.

One of the documents also raises to 18 or under from 14 or under the age that pictures of individuals can be considered

child pornography “for purposes of sexual gratification, by whatever means or using whatever technology”.

Last year, a Vatican court sen-

tenced a Catholic priest to five years in jail for possessing child pornography while he was based in the United States as a diplomat.

On Tuesday, the pope accepted the resignation of Archbishop Luigi Ventura, the Holy See’s ambassador to France, who has been accused of sexual molestation.

The Catholic Church has been hit by scandal involving the sexual abuse of children by priests around the world in the past 20 years. Francis has vowed zero tolerance for offenders but victims of abuse want him to do more and make bishops who allegedly covered up the abuse accountable.

Both documents issued on Tuesday are known as rescriptums, where the pope uses his authority to rewrite specific articles of canon law or parts of previous papal documents.

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

BUSINESS 11

AIIB pledges support for pAkIstAn’s development AgendA

CORPORATE CORNER

‘THE BANK HAS DECIDED TO FINANCE SCORES OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN LINE WITH GOVERNMENT PRIORITIES’ KARACHI: Honda Atlas Cars Pakistan Limited (HACPL), and CarFirst, Pakistan’s most trusted used car trading platform, bring the “Exchange Programme powered by CarFirst” to Pakistan. PR

KARACHI: METRO has recently upgraded its existing Stargate Store near Shahra-e-Faisal with state-of-art facilities in order to provide the customers a unique and convenience shopping experience with value for money. PR

ISLAMABAD

A

STAFF REPORT

delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), led by its President Jin Liqun, met Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar on Tuesday to pledge support for various projects in power generation and transmission, transport, water supply and information technology sectors of Pakistan.

Acknowledging AIIB’s support for Pakistan, Azhar said the commitments reflect the confidence that the multilaterals hold in the government’s reform agenda and the progress it achieved towards economic stabilization. He maintained

that AIIB is a valuable contributor in Pakistan’s development path.

Azhar reiterated that the government is fully committed to improving governance, bringing economic reforms and achieving sustainable development in the country.

He said that the government aims to put Pakistan’s economy on the path of sustainable and balanced growth and to increase per capita income. He emphasized that AIIB should further scale up its financing for development projects in Pakistan.

“Previous governments were more concerned about building infrastructure. Instant results from constructing any infrastructure gives you instant votes. However, this government is more focused on social sector development. Human Development

Index (HDI) is already slipping away from our hands. Any investment in social sector development yields results after ages. We are hopeful to see positive results in future,” Azhar stated. The AIIB president, while appreciating the reforms initiatives of the current government, stated that the bank is committed to extending all-out support to Pakistan.

Jin Liqun said that AIIB is one of the leading development partners of Pakistan and that the bank is extending its support for policy reforms and project financing in key priority areas such as energy, road, social sector, water and irrigation, and urban services. He reiterated the bank’s strong commitment to further strengthening and expanding its partnership with Pakistan.

‘Rs7.25 billion allocated for electrification of erstwhile FATA’ MINISTER OMAR AYUB KHAN SAYS POWER DIVISION HAS DEVELOPED A ‘PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE’ TO KEEP A RECORD OF ALL PROJECTS IN ERSTWHILE FATA ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tobacco Company Limited (PTC) has been awarded the ‘Top Employer Certification 2020’ by the Top Employers Institute for excellence in employee conditions. This is the second time in a row that PTC has received this prestigious award. PR

MULTAN: In addition to its retail presence in Karachi and Lahore, Bachaa Party has launched its first Multan store at Gulgasht Avenue. PR

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Separately, AIIB President Jin Liqun called on President Dr Arif Alvi in Islamabad to discuss matters pertaining to socio-economic development of Pakistan.

Liqun said that the bank has decided to finance scores of development projects in line with the priorities of the Pakistani government, adding that the current visit of AIIB delegation would help them understand Pakistan’s socio-economic needs and the priorities. Commending AIIB’s for its commitment to development projects in Pakistan, President Dr Arif Alvi said that investment policy of Pakistan has been designed to provide a comprehensive framework so that a conducive business environment for Foreign Direct Investment is created. He also lauded the AIIB for funding of $100 million for M-4 Gojra-Shorkot Motorway and $300 million for Tarbela-V Hydropower Project.

A sum of Rs7.254 billion has so far been allocated for the uplift of electricity infrastructure, including electrical installations, rehabilitation, reconstruction, new grid stations and village electrification, in the merged tribal districts under the PTI government.

This was revealed by Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan while chairing a meeting on matters pertaining to the electrification of erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Religious Affairs Minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, parliamentarians from merged tribal districts and officials from Tribal Areas Electric Supply Company (TESCO), Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO), Pakistan Electric Power Supply Company (PEPCO) and Power Division were also present on the occasion.

The meeting was apprised about the work that has already started on the construction of new feeders in various parts of the tribal districts.

It was informed that work on

a new grid station and laying of new transmission lines in the area has been started and that a total of Rs3.937 billion was earmarked for this activity.

The officials informed that out of the Rs2 billion earmarked for reconstruction and rehabilitation of electricity installation, Rs1.4 billion have already been released, while Rs816 million have been released under the Rs1.278 billion-worth Annual Development Programme (ADP).

“A total of 440 villages of merged districts will be electrified with the allocation.

Also, a total of 94 feeders in the merged districts will either be bifurcated, reconstructed or newly constructed under the allocated fund,” they said.

“These include 11 feeders in North Waziristan, 10 in Bajour, 14 in Mohmand, 14 in Khyber, 11 in Orakzai, 15 in Kurram and 8 in South Waziristan.”

Speaking on the occasion, Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan informed the meeting that the Power Division has developed Project Management Software to keep the complete record of all projects. “The software will not

only ensure transparency but will also help in timely execution and completion of projects.”

The minister said that many projects were specially designed for these areas. “The Power division is planning to introduce Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system instead of conventional meters to ensure complete transparency in the meter reading and payment processes.

Omar Ayub Khan directed the TESCO chief to enforce biometric attendance of its officials deputed in these districts to ensure their presence and speedy redressal of complaints.

The parliamentarians appreciated the minister for prioritising the electricity matters of merged districts. They agreed in principle to introduce smart metering in these areas in phases.

They shed light on issues specific to their constituencies and also put forth proposals for improving the present system.

The parliamentarians who attended the meeting included Sajid Hussain Turi, Mohsin Dawar, Gul Zafar Khan, Gul Dad Khan, Munir Khan Orakzai, Ali Wazir, Muhammad Iqbal Khan and Abdul Shakoor.

sach Int’l eyes ‘lawrencepur’ brand for rs81.5 million LAHORE: Dawood Lawrencepur, through a letter to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), has notified that its board of directors in a meeting held on December 16, 219, have approved the disposal of ‘Lawrencepur’ brand to Sach International (Private) Limited, an associate company, at a price of Rs81.5 million as against the independent valuation of Rs78.1 million conducted by Messrs Edessa Consulting. For 9 years, the company has changed its business interest from textile to renewable energy due to the continual adverse trend seen in the textile sector. Therefore, due to the deterioration of ‘Lawrencepur’ brand’s market worth and with the intention to safeguard shareholders’ return, the board has decided to dispose of the brand, a report published

by Mettis Global stated. The proceeds from the disposal of ‘Lawrencepur’ brand will be invested in renewable energy and related businesses carried by the company and will seek to maximize shareholders’ return, the notification read. STAFF REPORT

US finalising rules to limit sensitive tech exports to China, others WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The Trump administration is finalising a set of narrow rules to limit exports of sophisticated technology to adversaries like China, a document seen by Reuters shows, in a boon to US industry that feared a much tougher crackdown on sales abroad.

The Commerce Department is putting the finishing touches on five rules covering products like quantum computing and 3-D printing technologies that were mandated by a 2018 law to keep sensitive technologies out of the hands of rival powers. Before drafting the rules, Commerce sought industry comment last year on a raft of high-tech sectors that it could cover under the law, from artificial intelligence technology to ro-

botics. That fueled concerns among US businesses the department would craft broad, tough regulations that would stymy a host of exports to key customers.

But the internal status update seen by Reuters shows for the first time that Commerce is finishing a first batch of rules that touch on just a few technologies that will be proposed to international bodies before taking effect, a reprieve for US companies.

“Based on their titles, the rules appear to be narrowly tailored to address specific national security issues, which should go a long way to calming the nerves of those in industry concerned that the administration would impose controls over broad categories of widely available technologies,” said Kevin Wolf, former assistant secretary of commerce for export administration.

Commerce declined to confirm any details but said it has a number of proposed rules in the review process.

Despite the apparent reprieve, Commerce could issue more rules in the future regulating sales abroad of cutting-edge items. The document failed to outline when the rule proposals would be made public or what the controls would look like for specific countries, buyers and uses.

In a move that should appeal to US firms, the rules will be submitted to international bodies for approval so that they may be implemented overseas, not just by the United States. That would establish a level playing field for US companies abroad, but would also take much longer to review and go into effect, likely until mid-2021 at the earliest.

Commerce is expected to seek industry comment on the rules before submitting them to the groups, a source said, adding that a sixth rule, covering artificial intelligence, will go into effect in the United States without a comment period.

The revelations come amid growing frustration from Republican and Democratic lawmakers over the slow pace of the rule roll-out, with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer urging the Commerce Department to speed up the process.

In a statement to Reuters, Republican Senator Tom Cotton said he was “disappointed at the lack of political will” at the Commerce department, accusing it of a “troubling” lack of urgency. “While bureaucrats and industry shills twiddle their thumbs, the Chinese Communist Party

continues to purchase sensitive US technologies with clear military applications,” he said. “I will be digging deep into the Commerce Department’s actions.”

According to the status update, the agency plans to regulate exports of quantum diluted refrigerators, which are used to keep qubits cold in some quantum machines. Qubits are used in quantum computers to perform calculations that would take conventional computers thousands of years. Major makers of the refrigeration devices include UK-based ICE Oxford, Finland-based Bluefors and US-based Janis Research. The rules would apply to exports of goods from the United States as well as shipments of items made abroad that contain a significant amount of US technology or components.

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

12 BUSINESS prince pearl to be launched on 19th After months of speculation, Prince has decided to finally launch its budget hatchback – Pearl – on Thursday (Dec 19th).

Earlier, the car was expected to hit the market in November. As per a media report, the first complete knock-down (CKD) unit is all set to be rolled out at Prince’s manufacturing plant in a much-anticipated launch ceremony to be held later this week.

The 4-speed manual transmission hatchback boasts some fascinating features like power steering, power windows, air-conditioning, 5.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with screen mirroring, Bluetooth and SD card connectivity, digital instrument cluster and wooden interior. The entry-level 800cc car is also equipped with security features like passenger and driver-side airbags.

However, the feature is optional. According to the company, Prince Pearl will be a fuelefficient car, offering up to 18km per litre.

The car comes equipped with a centre armrest, fabric seats, dual rear-headsets, storage compartments, and cupholders. In addition, there will be body-coloured outside door handles and side mirrors with integrated indicators, chrome inner door handles, rear bumper reflectors, daytime running lights and 13″ alloy rims with a spare tire. Prince Pearl will compete directly with United Bravo (800cc) and Suzuki Alto (660cc) in the local market, providing the consumers with a very good option at a reasonable price. Earlier, the price tag was expected to be around Rs800,000-900,000, however, it is now likely to be available for Rs1 million.

The official price will be announced at the launch event on the 19th. BUSINESS DESK

Japan to tighten screws on tech giants to ensure transparency TOKYO: Japan will tighten regulations to prevent technology giants including Facebook Inc and Google from abusing their market power and having unfair advantage over small businesses, officials said on Tuesday. The new law would oblige tech giants, including Google LLC, Apple Inc , Facebook Inc and Amazon.com Inc to disclose the terms of contracts with customers and to report to the government about their operations, they said.

Japan’s move followed the global trend - from the United States to Europe and Australia of tightening the regulatory screws on the online platforms, which have policy makers scrambling to address concerns ranging from anti-trust issues to the spread of “fake news” and hate speech. Google and Facebook have opposed tighter regulation, while traditional media owners, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp [NWSA.O], have backed reform.

“We want to put the new law into effect in the way that would make business transactions become transparent without imposing excessive burdens or hampering innovation,” Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters. “The new law constitutes a framework for ‘platformers’ to make autonomous efforts to maintain transparency and fairness.” For protection of personal data, the government will revise the personal information protection law to allow individuals to request digital firms to suspend the use of their data. The law currently regulates the handling of data collected by illicit means. With regard to the antimonopoly law, the Fair Trade Commission will revise guidelines to respond to the digital market by evaluating the value of data when inspecting a tie-up of corporations. The trade watchdog will clarify that unfair acquisition and use of consumers’ personal information by platform companies could correspond to abusing their position. AGENCIES

textIle exports IncreAse 4pc In fIve months fY20 INCREASE IN EXPORT PROCEEDS AND DECLINE IN OIL AND FOOD IMPORTS HAS HELPED THE GOVERNMENT REDUCE TRADE DEFICIT FROM $14.47BN TO $9.496BN ISLAMABAD

p

STAFF REPORT

AKISTAN’S textile and clothing exports grew by 4.1pc to $5.76 billion (on a year-onyear basis) during the first five months of the financial year 2019-20, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.

The modest increase in export proceeds and the decline in import of oil and food products has helped the government reduce the country’s trade deficit from $14.47 billion to $9.496 billion during the July-November 2019 period.

As per the details, the export of textile and clothing rose by 4.1pc to $5.76 billion in 5MFY20, as compared to $5.5 billion in the corresponding period of last year. On a year-on-year basis, the sector’s export proceeds were recorded at $1.177 billion in November, up 7pc as compared to the same month of last year. Productwise details reveal that the export of yarn (other than cotton) jumped by 2.81pc, art, silk & synthetic textile by 10.7pc and raw cotton by 3.67pc in 5MFY20.

In the value-added sector, the export of knitwear increased by 8.69pc in value and 6.05pc in quantity, while that of bedwear by 14.37pc. Foreign sales of ready-

made garments rose by 13.19pc in value and 35.95pc in quantity while proceeds from towel only inched by a modest 1pc.

Moreover, the export of cotton yarn increased by 2.87pc, raw cotton by 3.67pc, yarn other than cotton by 2.81pc, art and silk by 10.7pc and cotton carded by 100pc during the period under review. The export of cotton cloth declined by 3.74pc.

On the other hand, primary commodities whose exports declined during the five months period included cotton cloth (3.7pc), tents, canvas and tarpaulin (-1.4pc) and other textile materials (-4.6pc). The aggregate export bill enhanced 4.79pc YoY to $9.54 billion in July-November from $9.10 billion, while the aggregate import bill decreased 18.4pc, from $23.54 billion in July-November FY19 to $19.21 billion.

MOBILE IMPORTS JUMP: While a majority of import items showed a decline during the past five months, mobile imports increased 63.6pc as compared during the period under review. The increase in mobile handset imports was the result of a crackdown on smuggling and doing away with free imports in baggage schemes.

Machinery imports posted a decline of 3.97pc, from $3.7 billion to $3.5 billion, led by construction & mining machinery (-41 pc), agricultural machinery & implements (-15.9pc) and other ma-

chinery (-33pc). The import of power generating machinery was up by 4.92pc while that electrical machinery by 9.61pc.

An early revival of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects and releases in the Public Sector Development Programme spending contributed to the increase in machinery import bill, SBP stated.

The import bill of petroleum group dipped 21.79pc to $5.11 billion during July-November FY20, with the biggest drop coming from crude oil imports (-28.01pc). The cost of petroleum products’ plunged 25.66pc during the period under review, with 14.44pc decline recorded in terms of quantity imported; bringing the total down to 3.9 million tonnes. The import of other petroleum products also recorded a decline of 73pc. The import of liquefied natural gas edged lower by 8.4pc, whereas that of liquefied petroleum gas surged 32.38pc during the period under review.

The transport group imports witnessed a decrease of 41.9pc. Food group imports fell by 15.36pc during July-November FY20 mainly due to imposition of regulatory duties on proceeds. The decline was noted in imports of milk product, wheat, dry fruits, tea, soyabean oil, palm oil, sugar, and pulses. However, the import of spices increased by 1.26pc during the period under review.

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT SURGES 78.1 PER CENT ISLAMABAD: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan surged 78.1pc to $850 million in JulyNovember FY20, as compared to the investment of $477.3 million in the same period of last year. On a year-onyear basis, however, the FDI decreased to $200.1 million in November 2019 as against $285.4 million in the same month of 2018, according to the data released by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday. In total, the foreign investment in the country surged by 1,267pc to $2.006 billion in July-November FY20 as compared to the investment of $146.7 million during the same period of last year.

The country-wise data showed that net foreign investment from China rose from it rose from $90 million in 5MFY19 to $141 million during the period under review. Similarly, foreign investment from Norway recorded jumped from a negative $74.2 million to $334 million; investment from the US increased from a negative $95.2 million to $34.9 million; FDI from the UK surged from $67.7 million to $100.8 million in the five months of FY20. Moreover, FDI from Switzerland increased from $3 million to $13.5 million; investment from Malaysia increased from $12.7 million to $35.5 million; the Netherlands invested $23.3 million as compared to $14.7 million in the same period last year; while investment from Germany rose from $19 million to $24.3 million. APP

MARKET DAILY

KSE-100 lands in green after volatile session KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a volatile trading session on Tuesday, as the benchmark KSE-100 Index experienced a high jump and a steep fall.

The index stormed past the 42,000-mark (for the first time in 2019) soon after the commencement of the session. However, at noon, the index had nosedived on media reports regarding former president and COAS Pervez Musharraf’s death sentence.

Other major developments of the day included approval of a price hike by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). According to the regulatory body, gas price for domestic consumers has been increased by 191pc, while that for the fertilizer sector has been hiked by 135pc hike. Similarly, a 31pc surge has been

approved for consumers falling under the category of roti tandoor, commercial, industrial, zero-rated export industry, captive power plants, compressed natural gas (CNG), cement and power plants. The KSE-100 Index marked its intraday high at 42,056.14 before falling steeply by 619.17 points to record its intraday low at 41,025.71. After recovering some its losses, the index managed to settle higher by 123.78 points at 41,768.66.

The KMI 30-index saw a similar pattern, registering its high at 67,940.35 and low at 65,982.65 points before closing at 67,656.51 (+844.91 points). On the contrary, the KSE All Share Index failed to recover its losses, ending the day down by 51.44 points at 29,820.47. The advancers to decliners ratio stood at 122 to 232.

The overall market volumes jumped 15pc to 412.29 million on Wednesday. Fauji Foods Limited (FFL +5.52pc) led the volume chart, followed by right

shares of Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOLR1 5.86pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNITY -1.71pc).

The scripts had exchanged 40.59 million, 35.64 million and 26.21 million shares, respectively. Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL +101.59 points) remained the top contributor to the KSE-100 Index on the points table. Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC +100.26 points) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL +81.16 points) also made decent contributions.

Meanwhile, the board of directors of Dawood Lawrancepur Limited (DLL +0.61pc) approved the disposal of “Lawrencpur” brand to Sach International (Private) Limited (an associate company) at a price of Rs81.5 million. Also, Shifa International Hospital (SHFA +5.00pc) announced that its subsidiary, Shifa Medical Center Islamabad (Pvt) Limited, has entered Rs1 billion equity investment agreement with Interloop Holdings Limited.

Onederland signs MoU with HBL Konnect to launch QR code payments KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Onederland and HBL’s branchless banking platform Konnect signed a memorandum of understanding at Onederland’s premises on Tuesday.

The agreement was signed by Umar Dar, the CEO of Lucky Entertainment Pvt Ltd, and Agha Israr Ahmed Khan, the Regional Business Head South for Konnect.

Teams from Konnect Sales, Konnect Trade Marketing, and HBL Cards Alliances also attended the ceremony.

Under the agreement, visitors to Onederland will be able to buy exclusive packages by scanning the Visa-powered QR placed by HBL at all Onederland payment counters. As per the memorandum, users of the Konnect app and HBL mobile app paying via QR will be able to buy four different packages. For every top up on Onederland’s card of Rs1,000, Rs2,000, Rs5,000 and Rs10,000, Onederland will provide bonus cash of Rs400, Rs800, Rs2,000 and Rs5,500, respectively.

HBL Konnect will also set up two kiosks at the entertainment park during

the course of the campaign to facilitate customers with QR payments. “Retail is progressing, and financial institutions are moving towards cashless transactions,” says Ammar Motan, the Executive Director of Onederland. “We want to capitalize on this.”

Onederland already has a preexisting alliance with HBL, whereby HBL cardholders can receive a discount on their entry cards at Onederland. Part of the Yunus Brothers Group (YBG), Onederland was opened in May 2017, as part of the Lucky One Mall. The space

occupies nearly 45,000 square feet on the second floor of the Lucky One Mall.

According to Motan, the centre currently has 130 rides, including carnival and kiddie rides. It also features unique rides such as a multiplayer hologate virtual reality, a 3D dark ride simulator and the tallest drop tower in Pakistan. Launched in 2018, Konnect is HBL’s branchless banking platform that offers mobile wallet accounts linked to a mobile phone number.

Account holders can use the Konnect App to make payments. The platform now has more than 3 million accounts.

SAPM urges regional media to counter hostile propaganda against BRI ISLAMABAD APP

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Tuesday that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was reshaping the geo-economic landscape of the entire region.

Addressing the ‘Cross-regional media fusion conference on the Belt and Road partners’, Awan commended the Pakistani media

for playing a pivotal role in nullifying the anti-CEPC propaganda and also for contributing to the development of the concept of national ownership. “Similar efforts are required by the media of partner countries participating in the BRI.” With regard to hostile propaganda against BRI by global media, Awan stressed the need for collaboration, coordination and cross-regional media fusion among the media outlets of participating countries.

Appreciating the Centre for

Global and Strategic and Studies (CGSS) for organising the conference, she said that the role and contribution of think-tanks in evaluating the regional and global issues and providing intellectual and pragmatic solutions to those challenges can hardly be over-emphasized.

“President Xi Jinping’s vision of One Belt, One Road (OBOR) is not only a bold but also an innovative initiative that knits the world in a community of shared interests.” The SAPM said that

the OBOR vision was the harbinger of a new era of connectivity and integration of member countries, which would bridge the gap between the North and the South.

She said that sustained progress was being made in the implementation of the second phase of CPEC in Pakistan wherein the emphasis would be on industrial and agricultural cooperation, socio-economic development and technical training.

With the highest level of transparency, efficiency, and effective-

ness, the building blocks of CPEC were being installed, she added.

Awan said that Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his visit to Gwadar, had performed the groundbreaking of Rs65 billion Zhob-Kuchlak section of CEPC’s western route, Rs17 billion Makran Coast transmission line project, Rs23 billion New Gwadar International Airport project, a hospital as well as a vocational institute.

She said that Chinese government would also invest $1 billion

in the socio-economic sector in the next two years. “China has offered 20,000 scholarships for Pakistani students, besides financing to build over 1,000 small schools in different parts of the country.” She said that recently, 300MW coal power plant was inaugurated in Gwadar, while Multan-Sukkur Motorway was also opened for traffic. The SAPM maintained that OBOR, through CEPC, was Pakistan’s passport to a newer level of development and progress.

Pakistan named No 1 travel P destination for 2020

news desk

AKISTAN was on Saturday named the top holiday destination for travelers for the year 2020 by the United States-based luxury and lifestyle publication Conde Nast Traveler. The listing follows several positive reviews of the tourist attractions in the country by travel bloggers, YouTube vloggers, magazines and adventure clubs.

It would not be wrong to say that the world is waking up to the enormous tourism potential Pakistan has, and with a government willing to invest in the sector to boost economic growth, the year 2020 could be pivotal in shaping the tourism industry of the country. It could put Pakistan firmly on the adventure map for travel enthusiasts.

Last week, travel company Wild Frontiers named Pakistan as the country to travel to in 2020. In a short announcement, the company tipped Pakistan as the next big destination for a couple of years, reporting a 20 per cent increase in customers willing to travel to Pakistan compared to 2018.

In 2018, the British Backpacker Society had also ranked Pakistan the number one travel destination in the world.

16th Annual TCF Golf Tournament: Golfers support Education

The 16th Annual Golf Tournament organized by The Citizens Foundation (TCF) was attended by the leading golfers of the city supporting TCF’s mission for education at Karachi Golf Club, Karsaz. The tournament was a fundraiser to help TCF raise support for afternoon school shifts in 5 villages across Sindh and give more children a chance to get quality education. This year more than 116 golfers in 29 teams participated in the tournament and played under the Texas Scramble Format.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Mushtaq Chhapra, TCF’s Co-Founder and Director said, “We owe the success of the Golf Tournament

to all the avid golfers, Karachi Golf Club team, our corporate sponsors and everyone else who has joined hands with us to create better education opportunities for our children. Education is a long-term investment; it empowers people to become agents of positive change, and together with our stakeholders, we are committed to this goal!”

The categories in the competition were winner net, runners up net, longest drive, closest to pin, and hole in one. The main sponsors of the event were Faysal Bank, Pepsi, Samba Bank, Bank Al Habib, and Habib Metro Bank. Other in-kind donors were Mr. Rizwan Rasheed of

Richa Leathers for gloves, Mr. Imran Gheewala of Selimpex International for T-shirts, Musadaq Zulqarnain of Interloop for socks, Mr. Yasin Kassam of Pakistan Beverages for cold drinks & water, Uniferoze for Saniplast, and Abbot for Mospel, Media partners for the event were Geo Super, Geo News, and FM91.

At the presentation ceremony, prizes were distributed among the winners and runner ups, respectively in each of these categories by Chairman and Co-Founder, Mr. Ateed Riaz.

Shields were provided to the tournament winner Faysal Bank & runner-up team Selimpex International.

“LAAL KABOOTAR” SELECTED FOR THE PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020

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EHR Ghar Films’ debut production, “LAAL KABOOTAR – The Red Pigeon” is all set to headline the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2020. Hollywood Icons Renée Zellweger, Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Lopez, Antonio Banderas, Charlize Theron, Laura Dern and Martin Scorsese will also be honoured with awards at the festival which is scheduled to take place from 2nd till the 13th of January 2020.

Indeed, the Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) is one of the largest film festivals in North America with over 135,000 attendees each year for its lineup of new and celebrated international features and documentaries. The Festival started in 1989 and is known for its annual Film Awards Gala, honoring the best achievements of the filmic year by a celebrated list of talents and also for its screening of some of the leading Oscar contenders in the International Feature Film Award Category. Director Kamal Khan’s debut venture Laal Kabootar will premiere at the festival on the 8th of January at Mary Pickford D’Place followed by screenings on 9th January at Camelot Theatres and 12th January at Regal Cinemas.

Pakistan’s official submission for the 92nd Academy Awards in the 'International Feature Film Award’ category, Laal Kabootar has previously won the Best Feature Film Award at the Vancouver International South Asian Film Festival 2019 and the Archana Soy Audience Award for 'Best Feature Film' at the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival 2019 in Seattle. In addition to this, Laal Kabootar was screened, as an official selection, at the Singapore South Asian International Film Festival 2019 and at the prestigious Washington DC South Asian Film Festival 2019, where the dynamic and super talented lead, Ahmed Ali Akbar, won the 'Best Actor Male' Award for his outstanding performance.

Credited as the best Pakistani movie of 2019, Laal Kabootar is a rollercoaster ride featuring Ahmed Ali Akbar as Adeel Nawaz - a hustling taxi-driver, looking for a way out of Karachi.

But with his back against the wall, Adeel has some hard choices to make. Aliya Malik, played by the alluring Mansha Pasha, is strong-headed to the point of being stubborn, however when her world turns upside down in a series of incidents, she chooses to put up a fight even though her life is on the line. With its actionpacked sequences and blinding pace, the critically acclaimed film also stars multi-talent actors such as Rashid Farooqui, Saleem Meraj, Ali Kazmi, Shamim Hilali, Akbar Islam, Syed Arsalan, Saad Fareedi, Hammad Siddiq, Ishtiaq Omar, Meesum Naqvi, Faiza Gillani, Mohammed Ahmed and Kaleem Ghour to name a few. Laal Kabootar has been directed by the award-winning Kamal Khan with Harvard graduates Hania Chima and Kamil Chima as the Executive Producers.

Aries: The first step in obtaining b more money, influence, or free time today is to precisely define what it is that you want.

Taurus: Narrowed concentration focused like a laser b beam makes some amazing things happen.

Gemini: Big energy is generated when coworkers, teammates, or family members b b bounce ideas around today.

Cancer: Your creativity may b be put to the test and having an extra pair of eyes in the b back of your head can come in handy today.

Leo: Your moods may be b changing so quickly today that it takes extra time to get your b bearings.

Virgo: You may b be called in voices loud and clear today to perform several duties simultaneously.

Libra: Confidence surges when you are b buoyed b by the knowledge that many others b believe in the same high ideals as you.

Scorpio: The compulsion to ferret out a guarantee can cause you to look long and hard at another’s motivations today.

Sagittarius: Imagination thrives when you are free to mix and match ideas as you go along. If your creativity feels stifled now, it could b be your thinking is too closely aligned with that of a corporation, organization, or social b body to which you belong. b Capricorn: Chasing your dreams requires a substantial b amount of faith in your own abilities. b Aquarius: Expressing yourself within the warm circle of a congenial group is the most natural thing in the world today.

Pisces: There are countless paths leading to the same destination. It’s useful to study or observe b the methods of others who are striving to reach a similar goal.

CMYK

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

14 SPORTS

Du PleSSIS WantS De VIllIerS Back Johannesburg

S

Agencies

OUTH African captain Faf du Plessis said on Monday that talks had begun aimed at getting star batsman AB de Villiers back into international cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia in October next year.

“Those conversations have been happening two or three months ago,” said Du Plessis, who was responding to a comment by new South African head coach Mark Boucher that he would welcome having De Villiers in his team.

Speaking after leading his Paarl Rocks team to an eight-wicket victory over the Boucher-coached Tshwane Spartans in the Mzansi Super League final at Boland Park, Du Plessis said his immediate focus was on preparing for a Test series against England which starts in Centurion on December 26.

“Obviously Test cricket is the most important thing right now but T20 cricket is a different beast,” said Du

West Indies batting great Basil Butcher dies at 86 Trinidad: The stylish Guyana and West Indies batsman of the 1950s and 1960s, died on Monday in Florida following a long illness aged 86.

He played 44 Tests between 1958 and 1969, scoring 3104 runs at an average of 43.11, and was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1970.

Of his seven Test hundreds, Butcher is best remembered for his second-innings 133 - in the against England - which is often rated as to have been played at the ground. He made those runs against an England attack led by Fred Trueman after having learnt of his just moments before walking out to bat.

Three years later, Butcher posted his highest Test score of 209 not out, in Nottingham. It helped West Indies overhaul a first-innings deficit of 90 to win by 139 runs.

It was in 1958-59 that Butcher, understood to be the first player of Amerindian descent to represent West Indies, first made his mark in West Indies colours. Against India, he scored 486 runs at 69.42 in his debut series, but fell away for the next few seasons. He then returned to the side in 1963 for the England tour, and was a regular fixture in the team after that till his retirement. After Richie Benaud, the Australian legspinner, played West Indies in two series in that period, he said Butcher was the most difficult of all West Indian batsmen to dismiss. Agencies

Paris Agencies

BEST SPorTS QUoTES For 2019: FooTBaLL: “I think I’m particularly, uniquely and very deeply American” — Megan Rapinoe, USA’s World Cup winning superstar, a warrior on the pitch and off it where her unflinching advocacy for social justice brought her into conflict with US President Donald Trump.

Rapinoe “should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!”

— Trump on Twitter “This is only the start” — Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp after the Champions League final win over Tottenham.

“Humble” — After the acrimony that defined his final days at Manchester United Jose Mourinho arrived as Tottenham’s new manager saying he had learnt from his mistakes and wanted to bring happiness to Spurs.

CYCLinG: “It’s team, team, team, get up, see the doctor, have breakfast, ride the race, get a massage, physio and sleep. Then repeat” — Egan Bernal painting a mundane picture of life as Colombia’s first Tour de France champion aTHLETiCS: “The message that no human is limited is now in everybody’s mind” — Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge after making history, smashing the mythical two hour barrier for the marathon on a crisp autumnal morning in Vienna “If Karsten is Gordon Gekko then I am the IRS”

Plessis. De Villiers retired from international cricket after a Test series against Australia in 2017 and any

comeback would probably be limited to Twenty20 internationals for a player who has become a specialist in the short form of the game. He made a half-century for Tshwane in Monday’s final but will soon be on his way to Australia to play in that country’s Big Bash.

“It’s not a lot of time away from home,” said Du Plessis. “Obviously with a full campaign you have to spend a lot of time on the road. The T20 World Cup is not too far away and there isn’t a long list of T20 internationals over the season. Those conversations have taken place and they will take place before the next T20 international series starts.”

South Africa will play three home T20 internationals against England and another three against Australia between February 12 and February 26.

Du Plessis welcomed the dramatic changes which have taken place in South African cricket over the past week, which have resulted in former captain Graeme Smith being appointed interim director of cricket and Boucher being made head coach.

“It was the dark ages last week and there is a little light this week,” he said.

“It’s very important. It will help the dressing room and even the support of the team. Everyone wants the team to do well, everyone wants to make sure we get the right people in the right positions. It’s exciting. I’m very excited with the start of this new journey.”

Zidane says Real Madrid only focused on football amid fears of Clasico unrest Madrid Agencies

Zinedine Zidane has said he is not worried about Wednesday’s Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona being overshadowed by Catalan independence protests.

The fixture was originally scheduled for October 26 but had to be postponed and there are renewed fears of unrest at Camp Nou, where Madrid and Barca will be playing for first place in La Liga.

“I am not worried about anything,” said Zidane in a press conference on Tuesday. “I am happy we are about to play a Clasico. It was the same when I was a player, these are the matches you live for, and you are focused only on what happens on the field.”

Democratic Tsunami, the protest group in favour of Catalan independence, has called publicly for its supporters to gather at the stadium four hours before kick off at 1900 GMT. A large-scale safety operation will be deployed around the match involving 3,000 security personnel while both teams have been instructed to travel to the stadium from the same hotel.

“It’s something different but the rules are the rules,” said Zidane. “They said we have to leave together so we’re leaving together.”

Zidane added: “We never thought this game would not go ahead. What we have to do is put all our energy into the match because the rest, we could spend a week talking about it.” Barcelona and Real Madrid sit first and second in La Liga and level on points, with Barca only ahead on goal difference.

Both teams have found form in recent weeks, in part due to the excellent form of their strikers. Madrid’s Karim Benzema has nine goals in his last eight games while Lionel Messi has scored 14 in 12.

“We know we are facing a very good team, we know the player they have in Messi, but we also have our weapons,” Zidane said. Eden Hazard, Marcelo, James Rodriguez, Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio will all miss the match through injury. Gareth Bale is fit again but has not started since Madrid’s win over Alaves on November 30.

“Bale is with us, he is training well,” Zidane said.

“He is an important player and tomorrow; he will be prepared like everyone else.”

Pogba’s recovery from injury hit by illness, says Solskjaer London: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a fresh Paul Pogba headache, revealing illness has delayed the midfielder’s return from injury ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup quarterfinal against giant-killers Colchester.

The France World Cup winner has been sidelined for most of the season with an ankle injury, playing just six times for United after a summer of speculation following his statement that it could be time for a “new challenge”. But after the United manager spoke, videos appeared on social media of Pogba dancing and showing few ill effects at his brother Florentin’s wedding.

Pogba, 26, had been due to resume firstteam training this week but Solskjaer said: “Of all things he’s struck down ill now.”

“He’s been off for two or three days, three days probably, so that’s not beneficial.

That’s probably set him back quite a bit,” the Norwegian boss said, looking ahead to the meeting with fourth-tier Colchester. “As I’ve said so many times, Paul’s a top, top player that we want to see playing his best football at Man United,” Solskjaer said.

“We just need to get him fit and match fit. It might be half an hour, 45, 60, 90 — who knows, the first game. We’re working hard to get him back but now he’s ill.” Pogba reportedly had permission from the club to attend his brother’s wedding over the weekend, with United drawing 1-1 with Everton in his absence. “We can talk about Paul all day long and it’s games like this for example when you’re lacking that one creative pass or ideas maybe,” said Solskjaer “He has that quality that not many midfielders in the world have so to get him back would be great.” While Pogba will be sidelined, Diogo Dalot could make his first appearance in 10 weeks. Solskjaer said winning the League Cup or reaching the final would be a boost for his players. “We showed that by the team we put out against Chelsea (in the previous round), that we take this seriously,” he said. “Even though we were in a difficult spell in the league it was still important for us to create that momentum and belief in the players.”

Solskjaer plans to make changes against Colchester, who beat Tottenham on penalties earlier in the competition, but pledged the side would be strong enough to win the game. Agencies

Best sports quotes in 2019 — American Rai Benjamin compares himself to the US Internal Revenue Service after Karsten Warholm expressed admiration for fictional immoral financier Gordon Gekko from the Wall Street films. Warholm beat Benjamin to 400m hurdles gold at the world championships in Doha.

HorSE raCinG: “He is a once in a lifetime horse who has given us a twice in a lifetime experience.”

— Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary succinctly summing up his thoughts after his Tiger Roll put his name alongside the legendary Red Rum by winning back-to-back Grand Nationals “He is a little like myself. He likes the good things in life — eating drinking and sleeping, though he is a little more athletic than me!”

— Tiger Roll’s trainer Gordon Elliott comparing himself to his Aintree hero TEnniS: “These kind of matches, you work for, you live for, they give sense and they give value to every minute you spend on the court training and working to get yourself in this position and play the match with one of your greatest rivals of all time” — Novak Djokovic, after defeating Roger Federer for his fifth Wimbledon title in the longest final in the tournament’s history.

“I’m the loser both times, so that’s the only similarity I see.”

— Federer on what were the similarities between los-

ing to Djokovic and to Rafael Nadal in 2008’s equally classic Wimbledon final.

“Congratulations @Bandreescu_! You’ve made history and made a whole country very proud. #SheTheNorth” — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweets his support for Bianca Andreescu who defeated Serena Williams in the US Open final to become Canada’s first Grand Slam singles champion “Inexcusable” — Serena williams berates herself for her performance against Andreescu “I’m not a big fan of subways. We have also in Czech, but I never really use. There can be strange people.”

— At the US Open, Karolina Pliskova admits the New York City subway is not her preferred mode of transport GoLF: “It’s just another step. Things at Augusta National don’t happen very rapidly” — Kay Cockerill, the 1986 and 1987 US Women’s Amateur champion, after history was made at the once all-male enclave with the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur “It’s overwhelming just because of what has transpired.

I could barely walk. Couldn’t sleep. Couldn’t walk.

Couldn’t do anything. To have the opportunity to come back, it’s one of the biggest wins I’ve ever had for sure.”

— Tiger Woods after completing an epic comeback from career-threatening injury and scandal by win-

CMYK

ning the 83rd Masters, his 15th major title to end an 11-year major drought.

ForMULa onE: “Not bad for a boy from a Stevenage council house.”

— A proud Anthony Hamilton after son Lewis secured his sixth world championship CriCKET: “Almost superhuman” — England captain Eoin Morgan paying tribute to Ben Stokes after the all-rounder played a pivotal role in the Super Over World Cup final win over New Zealand rUSSian doPinG: Moscow has gone “too far”.

— Former WADA chief Dick Pound after Russia accused of falsifying laboratory doping data BoXinG: “Three months of partying and celebrating affected me, what can I say?”

— A chubby Andy Ruiz rueing his failure to train properly for his failed heavyweight title defence against Anthony Joshua.

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

SPORTS 15

Mickey Arthur wAnts better control froM sri lAnkA’s bowlers in kArAchi rawalpindi

o

Agencies

N the last day , the partnership between Abid Ali and Babar Azam skipped along at 4.2 runs an over. Sri Lanka coach would like his bowlers to contain the Pakistan batsmen a little better in the second Test in Karachi.

Rawalpindi’s surface offered little to the bowlers on the final day, in which

only two wickets fell. With only 167 overs bowled through the course of the Test, the surface behaved more like a day two surface on day five.

Sri Lanka’s spinners, however, were unable to check the scoring rate of Babar in particular. His 102 came off just 128 balls. Dilruwan Perera, Sri Lanka’s lead spinner, traveled at an economy rate of 3.54 in the 24 overs he delivered, while Dhananjaya de Silva - the second-best spin option - conceded 4.36 an over. The

Karachi surface is expected to favour batsmen as well.

“It doesn’t surprise me how well Babar and Abid did, and we needed to bowl well at them. The thing we’ve been talking about is controlling a run rate a little bit more,” Arthur said. “I feel they scored a little bit too quick. It was a daytwo wicket so there was nothing in it.

Building some pressure is the way to create opportunities.”

Among those who will be charged with keeping the run rate down is fast bowler , whom Arthur had as being capable of becoming one of the best in the world. Arthur had also picked out , from among the young batsmen, as a player with a high professional ceiling.

“Lahiru Kumara bowls 150kph, he runs in, he’s strong, and he’s athletic,” Arthur said ahead of the Karachi Test.

“And I’ve always looked at Kusal Mendis and watched him play and just seen what a good player he is. If we can get him doing things consistently, these guys are going to be very good players.

“We’ve got to give them the environment so they can grow. I always use the phrase we give them the roots to grow and the wings to fly.

The roots is their technique - it’s their base and their reference point. The “wings to fly” is them playing within their own characters. They’ve all got that skill and that talent.”

Arthur has had only one match in

charge, but with Sri Lanka set to play at least five Tests in the next four months (two against Zimbabwe and two against England, in addition to Karachi match), he has limited time to settle in. Sri Lanka are currently third on the World Test Championship table after three games played with 80 points, behind India (360) and Australia (216).

“I’m still getting to know the guys.

I’m still looking to find out how they play,” Arthur said. “I’m looking at each guy in their role, just to see how they go about their stuff. I’m just hoping we can go from strength to strength and reel Australia and India back in, so we can put ourselves in the reckoning for that ICC World Test Championship final.”

India’s home record under threat as confident West Indies eye series win Visakhapatnam Agencies

It’s been over 15 years since India last lost two consecutive bilateral ODI series at home. They have also never lost five straight ODIs in India. But both those things may happen if they lose to West Indies in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday they lost the last three matches to concede the series against Australia 3-2 in March.

Although Rohit Sharma has been offcolour so far against West Indies, the rest of the Indian batting contingent has displayed enough composure and grit for the spotlight to move away from the star opening batsman. KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Shivam Dube have all shown across the white-ball series that they could be relied on to take responsibility, but the same cannot be same about the team’s bowling. ‘s template as captain has been to strangle teams in the middle overs after the newball bowlers do their job in their first spells, but with Jasprit Bumrah missing, the early wickets have been more difficult to come by.

It was on display in the first ODI, when the set West Indies batsmen played out the spin threat of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja with ease, despite plenty of turn on offer in Chennai. It forced Kohli to bowl out Deepak Chahar and Mohammed Shami before the slog overs, leaving young Dube with the task of bowling at the death. It was similar for India during the loss to Australia, where Vijay Shankar was often the go-to bowler

at the back end.

The only difference between India and the visitors in Chennai was the number of options each captain had, and West Indies’ seven-bowler plan helped Kieron Pollard use conditions to his advantage.

In the preceding T20I series, West Indies had gone into the second game with a 1-0 lead, like now, in the ODIs. While they walk into the second game here with confidence, they need to make sure they don’t let the opposition batsmen settle in.

LAHORE: Students of Home Economics College participate in the varsity’s first sports gala. PR

UFONE KP FOOTBALL CUP Peshawar combined fc, DfA chitral to battle it out in the title decider Lahore: Peshawar’s Tehmas Khan Stadium witnessed two historic games of football today. The two semifinals of Ufone Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Football tournament were played amongst the presence of local audience. Before the semifinals, the players, officials and the organizers observed a minute’s silence to show solidarity with the martyrs of Army Public School incident. The first game was played between Peshawar Combined FC and DFA Green Kohat. It was an evenly contested game and both teams attacked each other’s goal post but all efforts went in vain and none could score a goal. In the second half both the teams came to the field with renewed energy. Peshawar succeeded when Muhammad Haris scored in the 63rd minute to put his team in the lead. Kohat then tried hard to score an equalizer but could not get a breakthrough owning to Peshawar’s strong defense hence Peshawar emerged victorious and booked themselves a place in the final. Press releAse

Maxwell dropped, Labuschagne included for Australia’s ODI tour of India Canberra Agencies

The Australia selectors have dropped from the ODI squad to tour India in January despite him being available to play following a . has been called up to his first ODI squad following his outstanding form in Test cricket and an impressive Marsh Cup where he was the joint Player of the Tournament alongside Queensland team-mate Usman Khawaja, who has also been left out. There are recalls for , , and .

Maxwell will make his this week where he will captain the Melbourne Stars and has declared he is available play for Australia. However, national selector Trevor Hohns said they will monitor his form in the BBL after Maxwell only managed 177 runs at 22.12 during the World Cup. “It is great to see Glenn Maxwell returning to the game in the Big Bash League,” Hohns said. “We will closely monitor his form after what would have been disappointing 12 months in the one-day game by his standards.”

Justin Langer, who will skip the tour to rest with , added: “We love what [Maxwell] can bring, but the truth is he hasn’t performed very well over the last 12 months. We had to take that into account. We are sure he’ll get back to his best and we look forward

to that.”

Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis have also been dropped after being part of the World Cup. Langer said that Khawaja and Marsh were especially unlucky to be left out. “They have played such great cricket. In a three-game series, you have David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steve Smith; it squeezes those two guys out who have been so important to the one-day side.”

Australia’s ODI team has not played since the semi-final loss to England at Edgbaston and the selectors have opted to reward the players who were part of the two T20I series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan as they start the next four-year cycle towards the 2023 World Cup. Nathan Lyon has also been overlooked despite being the second spinner in England and playing in Australia’s tour on India in February, with Adam Zampa and Agar being preferred.

Turner, who underwent shoulder surgery after being omitted from the World Cup, returns while Peter Handscomb, who scored his maiden ODI hundred in India earlier this year and whose skills against spin were underscored by Langer, has been retained following his late call-up to the World Cup. Turner will also provide wicketkeeping cover.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, the leading wicket-taker in this year’s Marsh Cup, misses out with Hazlewood

recalled and Abbott, who played his only previous ODI in 2014, claiming the fifth fast-bowling spot.

Jason Behrendorff is unavailable following his back surgery.

“The performance of our white-ball squads has been strong, and we are hoping to build the momentum towards the T20 World Cup at home at the end of the year and ultimately build towards the 2023 World Cup in India,” Hohns said.

“The performance of the top order at home through the T20 series was very strong so we look for that to continue in the Indian ODI series. We also believe Marnus Labuschagne is ready for his inter-

CMYK

national white-ball debut after his strong form for Queensland in this form of the game.

“Ashton Turner has proven himself in India with his ability to adapt to local conditions as did Peter Handscomb who joined the squad at the most recent World Cup. Peter also doubles as a back-up keeper if required while Ashton Agar adds to the squad with his all-round abilities.

“In terms of the bowling group we are sticking with combination that are performing well. Sean Abbott and Kane Richardson are in the squad following the successful T20 campaign.

“Adam Zampa and his growing combination with Agar is also something the selectors want to see more of while Nathan Lyon remains in the one-day squad selection frame.”

The squad will be coached by McDonald, who was recently appointed as senior assistant coach, with Langer staying in Australia after being involved in all forms over the last 18 months.

“As one of the leadership group it’s important to show that not only are we focussed on getting the balance right for the players but equally the coaches and staff, head coach included,” Langer said. “Macca (McDonald) is an exceptional coach in all forms of the game and has been fantastic since coming on board. He will do a great job with this squad. We are in very, very good hands.”

Wednesday, 18 December, 2019

NEWS

PaKIStaN MISSING MaLaySIa SUMMIt to avoId rIftS IN MUSLIM worLd ISLAMABAD

P

MIAN ABRAR

AKISTAN’S decision to not attend the upcoming Kuala Lumpur Summit in Malaysia was taken out of the desire to mitigate differences between Malaysia and the gulf countries, Pakistan Today has learnt.

A highly placed source told Pakistan Today that the leaderships of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and other gulf countries had conveyed their concerns over the purpose and scope of the Kuala Lumpur Summit, which the Pakistani government had taken into consideration.

It merits mention here that contrary to the media’s assumption that in the absence of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi would represent Pakistan, Pakistan had decided to not send its delegation to Kuala Lumpur altogether, the official claimed.

“The paradigm shift is that Pakistan will not become part of any bloc within the Muslim world but would rather work to mitigate differences among

Muslim countries,” the official said.

“It is in view of this policy that we have decided to step back from the KL summit. It was a difficult decision but we have taken it as we want to bridge the gap within the Muslim world,” he said. The official refuted the claim that Pakistan’s decision to skip the KL summit would sour relations between Islamabad and Kuala Lumpur, adding that PM Imran Khan and FM Qureshi had conveyed Pakistan’s decision to the Malaysian prime minister who understood Pakistan’s position.

“PM Imran called his Malaysian counterpart last night and informed him of his decision to not attend the summit; Dr Mahathir said that he understands Pakistan’s position and the conversation ended on a cordial note,” he said.

“In a bid to remove misunderstandings between the two sides, Pakistan had earlier even urged Dr Mahathir to visit Riyadh and address Saudi concerns, to which the Malaysian prime minister agreed and proposed to visit Riyadh on December 6, but could not do so due to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting being held on that date,” the official said.

The official said that according to the Malaysian PM, the KL Summit is in no way an alternative to the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) but is instead a forum to explore solutions to issues faced by the Muslim Ummah.

He said that Pakistan and Malaysia’s relationship has gained new impetus since Prime Minister Imran Khan took office since both heads of government (Pakistan and Malaysia) respect each other and have a personal relationship.

“The PM had responded positively to President Erdogan and Prime Minister Mahathir’s offer of joining the KL summit and also floated the idea of a joint television project. However, some Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and UAE raised concerns over the objectives of the summit and since we don’t want divisions within the Muslim Ummah we have decided not to attend the summit altogether,” he added.

“We have also conveyed our decision to Turkish President Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and they have appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to defuse tensions in the neighbourhood,” the official said.

The source further clarified that the KL Summit was not the first of its kind: “The first summit was convened in 2014 under a non-government organisation run by Mahathir Mohammad.

This is the first time that this summit is being convened by the Malaysian government, however,” the source said.

PAKISTAN ON PATH OF ECONOMIC DIPLOMACY: The official said that Pakistan is pursuing the path of economic diplomacy where economic interests are paid special attention to in all decisions.

When Pakistan Today asked whether the rollover of $5 billion was the reason for Pakistan’s decision to skip the KL Summit, the official said that the rollover decision had been taken last year.

“Pakistan’s relations with Saudi Arabia transcends economic considerations, but even if you look solely at our economic relations with the kingdom, over two million of our citizens work in Saudi Arabia alone. Pakistani ex-pats working in KSA and UAE send back US$9 billion each year, which only increases the complexities in relations with countries in the region.”

Modi govt creating refugee crisis in region: PM Imran

UNSC to meet on Kashmir at China's request NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) will meet at China’s request on Tuesday to discuss the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, diplomats said. The council will meet behind closed doors for the first time since a similar gathering in August, which was also called

by Pakistan ally China, after India stripped the area of its decades-old autonomy. In a letter to the Security Council on Dec 12, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed concern about a possible further escalation of tensions, according to Reuters. “In view of the seriousness of the situation and the risk of further escalation, China would like to echo the request of Pakistan, and request a briefing of the Council […] on the situation of Jammu and Kashmir,” China’s UN mission wrote in a note to council members, seen by Reuters.

Diplomats speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday. In November, Pakistan and China had rejected bifurcation of occupied Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, saying Indian action was illegal and void. The statements from Islamabad and Beijing came as India put into effect the bifurcation of occupied Kashmir into Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the lieutenant governors for the new territories took the oath of office in Srinagar and Leh. Pakistan’s Foreign Office in its reaction said the bifurcation of the occupied region did not alter its disputed status as it had been split in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements, including Shimla accord. The Chinese foreign ministry said Indian action was “not effective in any way”. Both Pakistan and China had in August rejected the annulment of Article 370 and the announcement to divide the occupied region. AGENCIES

Lt Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane to head Indian army as new chief NEWS DESK

GENEVA STAFF REPORT

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Pakistan is trying its level best for the success of Afghan peace process so that the Afghan refugees could return to their homeland with dignity.

Addressing the First Global Refugee Forum in Geneva on Tuesday, he stressed that there is only political settlement of the conflict so that the people of Afghanistan who have been suffering from over forty years of conflict finally can enjoy the dividends of peace. He said the people of Pakistan hosted four million Afghan refugees with generosity for about four decades and there are still three million refugees in the country including 1.4 million registered ones. He also paid tributes to Turkey for hosting the largest refugee population.

Alluding to the situation in occupied Kashmir as well as neighboring India, the Prime Minister warned the world community of one of the biggest impending refugee crisis is about to take place due to the steps taken by Modi government.

Referring to the revocation of special status of oc-

cupied Kashmir by India on 5th of August this year, the Prime Minister said eight million Kashmiris have been confined to their homes. He said the world must realize that the main aim of the Indian government is to change the demographic composition of the territory from a Muslim majority to a Muslim minority.

He said this could lead to a refugee crisis and the world community must take notice of the situation and put pressure on India to stop this illegal activity of settling in the Hindu population in the held valley. He cautioned the world that the situation in occupied Kashmir could also lead to a conflict between two nuclear armed countries.

Imran said the UN Secretary General must also understand the complications of the steps taken by India in Assam to deprive the Muslim population of Indian nationality as well as the recently passed citizenship act. He said this could have unprecedented consequences and impact on the refugee population.

He said the world must step in to control the situation as Pakistan is bound to suffer because of these Indian steps. He said Pakistan is already hosting millions of Afghan refugees and it will not be able to accommodate more refugees.

Meanwhile, addressing the First Global Refugee Forum in Geneva on Tuesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres hailed the generosity demonstrated by different countries including Pakistan and Turkey for hosting millions of refugees.

He said the international community must do more and shoulder the responsibility to address the refugee crisis. He stressed that we cannot abandon the refugees and their protection is imperative. He said there is need to mobilize international cooperation and solidarity to build the resilience of refugees in their host countries.

Addressing the Global Refugee Forum, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called for a smart and comprehensive plan to address the refugee crisis. For this, he said, we need a broad alliance of governments, aid communities, businesses, civil society and academia. He expressed the confidence that the global forum will come up with a vast array of initiatives and pledges to truly express solidarity with the refugees. Prime Minister Imran Khan is attending the moot as a co-convener. In his speech, he will also articulate Pakistan’s perspective, experience and contribution to the Afghan refugees.

The Indian government on Monday approved the appointment of Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane as the next chief of army staff (COAS), reported The Hindu. Lt Gen Naravane, who is currently the vice chief of Indian army, will take over as India’s 28th COAS from incumbent General Bipin Rawat whose term ends on December 31.

Army officials, told The Hindu that Lt Gen Naravane is the senior most officer and the government had went with the “seniority principle” in the appointment. The incoming Indian army chief’s tenure will last till April 2022 till his superannuation. Lt Gen Naravane, who belongs to India’s Sikh Light Infantry, has also commanded a Rashtriya Rifles battalion in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK). According to Economic Times, the battalion is Indian army’s “elite counter insurgency unit” and mostly operates in the occupied valley. The general has also served as the New Delhi’s defence attache to Myanmar. The next big appointment to be made by the Indian government is of its first chief of defence staff (CDS). The Hindu claimed that the incumbent army chief General Rawat is the front runner for the post. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address this year had announced the appointment of a CDS who will be above the three chiefs.

Clashes erupt in Indian capital over citizenship law; Modi rejects criticism NEW DELHI AGENCIES

Clashes erupted in New Delhi on Tuesday between thousands of protesters and police, the latest violence in a week of opposition to a new law that makes it easier for non-Muslims from neighbouring countries to gain citizenship.

Demonstrators throw pieces of bricks towards riot police during a protest against a new citizenship law in Seelampur, area of Delhi, India December 17, 2019. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government says the new law will save religious minorities such as Hindus and Christians from persecution in neighbour-

ing Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan by offering them a path to Indian citizenship. But the law does not apply to Muslims, which critics say weakens India’s secular foundations.

Police fired tear gas in the New Seelampur part of the capital to push back protesters swarming to barricades and throwing stones. At least two policemen were injured, a Reuters witness said.

“It started as a peaceful protest against the citizenship bill … but got out of hand,” resident Azib Aman said.

Cars were damaged and roads strewn with rocks while small fires on the road sent smoke into the air. Small groups of youth, some with their faces covered,

threw stones and bottles.

There have been growing questions about the stance of the government, led

by Modi’s Hindu-nationalist party, toward India’s 172 million Muslims, or 14 per cent of the population.

The citizenship law follows the revocation of the special status of the Muslimmajority Kashmir region, and a court ruling clearing the way for the construction of a Hindu temple on the site of a mosque razed by Hindu zealots.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said India’s actions in Kashmir and on the citizenship law could drive Muslims from India and create a refugee crisis.

“We are worried there not only could

be a refugee crisis, we are worried it could lead to a conflict between two nuclear-armed countries,” Khan told a Global Forum on Refugees in Geneva.

Anger with the Indian government was stoked this week by allegations of police brutality at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday when officers entered the campus and fired tear gas to break up a protest.

At least 100 people were wounded in the crackdown which has drawn criticism from rights groups.

Modi told a rally for a state election on Tuesday that his political rivals were trying to mislead students and others to stir up protests. “This is guerrilla politics,

Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

CMYK

they should stop doing this.”

The most violent protests occurred initially in the northeastern state of Assam, where mobs torched buildings and train stations, angry the law would help thousands of immigrants from Bangladesh become citizens.

Later, the unrest spread to New Delhi and other major cities, driven by concern that Modi was advancing a Hindu-first agenda and that India’s Muslims were at risk. The metro train station near the Delhi protest was closed to prevent more people from arriving. Riot police were deployed and were trying to push the crowd off the main road into side streets and alleys.