E-Paper PDF 1st February 2020 (ISB)

CMYK

Saturday, 1 February, 2020 I 6 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 213 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

PTI’s allIes noT ready To Play ‘second wIfe’ g

g

Pml-Q’S PervAIz elAhI SAyS rulInG PArty ShoulD honour PromISeS mADe to CoAlItIon PArtnerS

g

QueStIonS PtI’S formAtIon of three new CommItteeS to enGAGe wIth AllIeS

SAyS thoSe who hAD PromISeD CreAtIon of South PunjAb ProvInCe uSeD nArrAtIve for eleCtorAl GAInS only

LAHORE staff report

P

AkIStAn muslim league-Quaid (Pml-Q) senior leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz elahi on friday said that the Pakistan tehreek-e-Insaf (PtI) should refrain from treating its allies as its “second wife”, revealing growing divide in the ruling coalition led by PtI. the Pml-Q leader said this while speaking to a delegation of the Council of Pakistan newspaper editors (CPne) led by its president and Pakistan today editor Arif nizami. he said that his party has always supported its partners in good faith but the coalition partners must not be considered unimportant. “the government should not consider its allies as its competitors and should honour the promises it made when it formed an alliance with them. we had different experiences as allies with Pakistan muslim

league-nawaz (Pml-n), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PtI. our best alliance was with PPP because former president Asif Ali zardari did more than he promised,” he said.

“PtI did not fulfill its promises. they told us that we would have total control over the affairs of four constituencies we had won from,” he added. without naming anyone, he said that those who had promised the creation of a south Punjab province to the Saraiki people had not been honest with them as they only used the narrative for electoral gains. he wondered why the government constituted new committees to keep liaison with allies when the previous one was making progress. “the government should take into confidence its allies, and stand firm on the fact that we are together, out problems and losses are the same,” he said.

“If the government suffers a loss, it will have a ripple effect and have the same impact on us,” he said, adding that Pml-Q

had been an ally of the PtI since 2013. “we participated in the 2013 protest sitin of PtI and Pakistan Awami tehreek and played an active role in keeping Imran khan and Dr tahirul Qadri together,” he said. the Pml-Q leader also said that his party wants the government to complete its tenure. elahi also said that the coalition partners have asked the government to amend the local Government Act because Punjab cannot be governed like khyber Pakhtunkhwa (kP) as there were drastic differences between the two. “the administrative expenses would increase manifold with the formation of village councils,” he said. he further said that Prime minister Imran khan has successfully highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Indian occupied kashmir (Iok) at a global level.

Commenting on the deadlock between the centre and provincial government over the issue of Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr kaleem Imam, he said that the police chief not only opposed Chief minister murad Ali Shah but went on to hold press conferences against him. “there should be strict action against such an official,” he added.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Bilawal again urges MQM-P to 'rethink' alliance with PTI STORY ON PAGE 02

Ehsaas Kafaalat launched to empower underprivileged women g

Dr SAnIA SAyS ‘moSt- DeServInG’ women wIll be GIven CASh StIPenDS of rS2,000 Per month

Opp slams govt for not evacuating Pakistanis stuck in virus-hit China g

oPP SenAtor SAyS Govt ShoulD brInG bACk ItS CItIzenS from ChInA AnD keeP them In ISolAtIon

Pakistan halts flights to and from China amid coronavirus outbreak STORIES ON BACK PAGE

213 DeAD AnD CountInG

WHO declares coronavirus outbreak global health emergency g

uS StAte DePArtment SAyS ePIDemIC hAS SPreAD to more thAn 20 nAtIonS STORY ON BACK PAGE

PTI government added Rs11.6tr in debt till Sept 2019 STORY ON PAGE 03

After GIDC waiver, fertilizers reduce prices STORY ON PAGE 12

Proposal to arrest money laundering suspects without warrants rejected g

STORY ON PAGE 03

CMYK

SenAte boDy feArS the DrAft lAw wIll GIve fIA extrAorDInAry PowerS to ArreSt Anyone STORY ON PAGE 11

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

02 NEWS

US LaUdS PakISTaN'S eFForTS For aFGHaNISTaN PeaCe FM QURESHI AND GEN BAJWA ASSURE KHALILZAD OF PAKISTAN’S CONTINUED EFFORTS TO BRING PEACE TO NEIGHBOURING COUNTRY iSLamaBad

U

STAFF REPORT

S Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad on Friday held meetings with Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s facilitation of the Afghan peace process.

According to a press release issued by the Foreign Office, Khalilzad — who arrived in Pakistan from Qatar — met with Qureshi at the Foreign Office.

During their exchange, the US envoy praised Pakistan’s efforts for lasting peace in Afghanistan while briefing the foreign minister about the most recent talks with the Taliban.

“The finalisation of a peace treaty

between the Taliban and the US will pave the way for inter-Afghan dialogue, which would not only benefit Afghanistan but the whole region,” Qureshi was quoted as saying. During the meeting, Qureshi assured the US envoy that Pakistan will continue to support efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan. Both sides agreed to carry on their respective efforts in this regard.

KHALILZAD MEETS BAJWA: In a separate meeting with Gen Bajwa at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Khalilzad discussed “matters of mutual interest including overall regional security situation and ongoing Afghanistan Reconciliation Process”, a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. According to the statement, the US envoy “thanked Pakistan for facilitating the process towards the mutual objective

PTI’s allies not ready to play ‘second wife’ Continued from page 01 The PML-Q leader said that currently his party is waiting and hoping for things to change for the better. “With that said, our party’s goal is to establish peace in the country and to provide justice to all,” he added. He further said that the media has an important role to play in the development of the country and it should guide the government. “I assure you that PML-Q stands for the freedom of the press and if anyone tries to gag the media, we will stand with the media workers,” he added. Elahi said that the media played an important role in the war on terror and it also played a significant role in informing the people about their rights.

Paying tribute to the CPNE, he said that today the media is free in Pakistan because of the council’s tireless efforts.

Meanwhile, PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi also took to Twitter to comment on the constitution of a new committee to hold talks with the allies. “We were making excellent progress with earlier committee comprising of @JahangirKTareen @PervezKhattakPK and @ShahzadArbab1. Why is @pti out to self sabotage itself ??” he tweeted.

On Thursday, the prime minister formed three new committees under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Pervez Khattak to resolve differences with allies. The committee tasked to liaise with MQM-P and GDA includes Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Firdous Shamim Naqvi and Haleem Adil Sheikh as its members. The committee to liaise with PML-Q includes Chaudhary Mohammad Sarwar, Sardar Usman Buzdar and Shafqat Mahmood. Meanwhile, Pervez Khattak, Qasim Suri and Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali will liaise with the BAP, BNP-M and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP).

of peace in the region”.

Khalilzad’s visit comes after an escalation in tensions between the Taliban and the Afghan forces and as another round of talks kicked off, with the US envoy holding several meetings with the Taliban’s chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

Sources aware of the developments that took place during the talks in Doha said the Taliban had agreed internally to halt attacks against US forces and “reduce” assaults against Afghan government interests, but clashes between the Taliban and Afghan forces have risen.

At least 29 members of the Afghan

security forces have been killed in Taliban attacks that followed air and ground assaults by government forces on the group over the last weekend.

Afghan forces and the Taliban also clashed on Tuesday when security personnel tried to access the site of a crashed US military plane in central Afghanistan. US forces were later able to access the site and recover the remains of two personnel and what is believed to be the flight data recorder.

Earlier, the Afghan defence ministry said on Sunday that government forces had killed 51 Taliban fighters in assaults last weekend.

Bilawal again urges MQM-P to 'rethink' alliance with PTI

KaraCHi STAFF REPORT

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday again urged the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) — an ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government — to rethink its alliance with the Centre, which, he said, is “making the lives of Karachi’s residents difficult”.

Bilawal was responding to a question regarding his offer of provincial ministries to MQM-P on the condition that the party quits its alliance with the PTI. While he did not extend the offer again, he said: “There are a lot of ideological issues between PPP and MQM, but as far as Karachi’s residents are concerned, I believe that

we should solve [their] issues together.”

In December last year, Bilawal had offered provincial ministries in Sindh — where his party is in power — to MQM-P if it walks away from the PTI in the Centre.

While addressing a ceremony in the provincial capital, the PPP chief said that his government would offer an equal number of ministries to the MQM-P if it breaks off its alliance with the Imran Khan-led federal government. “Topple it, topple it, topple Imran’s government,” he had said.

In a media talk on Friday, the PPP chief said: “It is in the hands of MQM, that says it is standing with the people of Karachi, wants to solve their problems and admits that the federal government has not done anything and [instead] has created problems, to leave the federal government, leave the ministries and solve the problems of the people.” Bilawal lamented that the PTI had so far failed to fulfil its promises regarding local bodies or police reforms and was “committing the economic murder of citizens”.

MQM is one of PTI’s allies in the federal government and its MNA Farogh Naseem heads the Ministry for Law and Justice. MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui held the portfolio of information technology but he resigned earlier this month, saying that “staying in the federal cabinet seemed futile”. His resignation had come weeks after Bilawal publicly urged MQM to quit its alliance with PTI.

Govt declares national emergency to battle locusts ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said the government had declared national emergency to combat locusts. Firdous, in a tweet, said that the decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The meeting also approved a national action plan to combat locust, she said, adding that a highlevel committee has been constituted for taking steps at the federal level. The chairman of the committee will be Secretary National Food Security Division whereas Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) would be its focal person, the PM’s aide noted. Minister for National Food Security and Research Khusro Bakhtiar Friday told the National Assembly that Rs 7.3 billion would be spent in one and a half year to combat the locust attacks. Replying to concerns regarding locust attacks raised by the lawmakers in the National Assembly on Friday, the minister noted that the plant protection department had been historically ignored. STAFF REPORT

JUI-F chief to launch another anti-govt movement from 5th ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamFazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Friday announced to launch another movement against the incumbent government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from February 5. The JUI-F has finalised the schedule of the campaign after consultation with five opposition parties that include Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP), Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadees and Qaumi Watan Party. JUI-F sources said that joint conventions will be held in Lahore and Islamabad on February 9 and February 15 respectively. On February 23, the convention will be organized in Karachi and on March 1, it will be held in Peshawar. STAFF REPORT

IHC disqualifies PML-N lawmaker over fake degree ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday disqualified a PML-N provincial lawmaker on account of submitting a fake degree to the ECP. Kashif Chaudhry, a candidate from the PML-N, was elected from PP-241 (Bahawalnagar 5) during the 2018 general elections. He had defeated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Malik Mohammad Muzafar Khan by a margin of around 4,400 votes. Chaudhry reportedly submitted a fake BBA degree to the ECP prior to the general elections. The petitioner had prayed upon the court to disqualify the PML-N lawmaker on the basis of Article 62(f) of the Constitution. The high court also instructed the ECP to de-notify the lawmaker. STAFF REPORT

China taking good care of Pakistani students: FM Wang iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi Friday assured Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that the Pakistani students in China are being treated by the authorities “like our own” children and that the Chinese government was doing everything to ensure the safety, health and well-being of Pakistani students.

Wang Yi made these remarks during a telephonic conversation with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday lauded the relentless efforts undertaken by China for the containment of coronavirus and underscored that the government and the people of Pakistan stood firmly behind China in its resolute and momentous efforts to deal with the virus. Foreign Minister conveyed his condolences on the loss of precious lives due to the outbreak of Coronavirus in China.

On behalf of the government of Pakistan, the foreign minister extended the offer of sending a field hospital to China, as well as sending a group of doctors to assist China in the recovery efforts. Foreign Minister also hoped that the Chi-

nese people under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang will overcome the enormous challenge and emerge stronger in its aftermath.

He also thanked the Chinese authorities who have taken immense pains to help the Pakistani students in Wuhan and hoped that Beijing will continue to take the best possible measures for the protection of Pakistani nationals in China.

State Councilor Wang Yi, on behalf of Pre-

CMYK

mier Li Keqiang, conveyed a special message of gratitude to Prime Minister Imran Khan, underlining that Pakistan had shown tremendous support and solidarity with the Chinese people at this difficult time when they were fighting against the spread of coronavirus. State Councilor Wang Yi underscored that China was taking effective, speedy, and urgent measures to contain the Coronavirus. The global community, he added, had recognised those efforts.

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

NEWS

eHSaaS kaFaaLaT LaUNCHed To eMPower UNderPrIVILeGed woMeN PM IMRAN SAYS LOANS BEING GIVEN UNDER RS200BN EHSAAS PROGRAMME WILL PROMOTE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES iSLamaBad

P

STAFF REPORT

RIME MINISTER Imran Khan on Friday formally launched the Ehsaas Kafaalat Programme to financially empower a total of seven million most-deserving women across the country in three phases.

Addressing the launch ceremony, the prime minister said that the government is taking steps to make Pakistan a welfare state on the pattern of state of Medina. He said that the social welfare programmes of the incumbent government will transform Pakistan into a country where social equality prevails.

The prime minister said no society

can develop where the elite prospers at the expense of the poor. He said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has so far given health cards to six million families who can now avail the medical treatment of up to Rs720,000.

PM Imran said that loans being given under Ehsaas programme will promote entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises of the country.

He said that around Rs200 billion have been earmarked for Ehsaas programme to help uplift the weaker segments of society.

The prime minister said that under the new programme, opening bank accounts of women will help stop the theft of their money and also enable them to purchase essential items from Utility

Stores Corporation outlets. He also appreciated giving smartphones to programme recipients that will open a whole new world for them and their families. He said that new programs of Ehsaas will be coming soon, under which other social welfare measures will be given to poor people. He said that stunted growth and malnutrition are two major issues facing poor people.

The prime minister appreciated the hard work of Special Assistant on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar and her efforts for developing a proper system to distribute the money among the most deserving people of the country. He also distributed kafaalat cards among the deserving women.

Earlier, Dr Nishtar said that under the programme, deserving women will be given cash stipends of Rs2,000 per month. She said that identifying the deserving persons was a big task as the data of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was 10 years old.

She said that the government used the

National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) records and surveys to identify the persons who really deserve so that unscrupulous elements do not take advantage of the scheme. She said that the process of desk registration of deserving persons has been started at the Tehsil level.

She also said that agreements have now been made with two banks to open biometric ATMs to facilitate the receiving of money under Ehsaas Kafaalat programme. She further said that every recipient woman will have a saving bank account. “Smartphones will be provided to the recipients in order to facilitate them on financial transactions and to gain access to other useful projects under Ehsaas initiatives. 700,000 households are being brought into the fold of kafaalat, which also includes 400,000 households of BISP. Kafaalat has been opened in seventy districts across the country while the schedule of remaining districts will be issued soon,” she added.

PTI govt added Rs11.6tr in debt till Sept 2019 iSLamaBad STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has added Rs11.610 trillion in debt in the first 15 months of its government, taking the overall debt of the country to Rs34.241 trillion, revealed the Debt Policy Statement 2019 issued by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

The report states that the total public debt reached Rs 34.241 trillion at end of September 2019 registering an increase of Rs1.533 trillion during first quarter of the current fiscal year. The increase in public debt was 11.610 trillion from July 2018 to September 2019 as the government debt was Rs24.953 trillion in June 2018.

Domestic debt registered an increase of Rs1.918 trillion during first quarter of FY2019-20 while government borrowing for financing of federal fiscal deficit from domestic sources was only Rs308 billion during the same period. The report further states that rest of the increase in domestic debt was on account of increase in cash balances of the government by around Rs1.610 trillion.

In the wake of government commitment to zero borrowing from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), a cash buffer is being maintained to meet short term liquidity needs of the government.

In addition to this, the report states that lower revenue collection and sharp rise in current expenditures caused deterioration in fiscal indicators during FY2018-19, leading to the government registering a primary deficit of 3.4 per cent of GDP and an overall deficit of 8.9 per cent of GDP. Similarly, revenue deficit also witnessed significant increase and was recorded at 5.6 per cent of GDP. The fiscal performance during FY2018-19 can be

mainly assessed through analysis of developments in revenue and current expenditure as revenue collection at the federal level remained lower than 2 per cent of GDP than expected during FY 2018-19, out of which around 3 to 4 per cent of the revenue shortfall was due to one-off factors which are not expected to carry over into FY2019-20.

The report also mentioned that delay in renewing telecom licences, delay in sale of envisaged state assets and weaker than anticipated tax amnesty proceeds contributed around 1 per cent of GDP while a shortfall in the transfer of SBP profits contributed an additional 0.5 per cent of GDP. Furthermore, the report states that the current expenditure grew by around 21 percent during FY 201819 mainly due to higher interest payments (up by 39 per cent) on account of rise in domestic interest rates.

The government initially budgeted the interest servicing target that was only 6 per cent over FY2017-18, however, overall interest payments were 29 per cent higher compared to expense targeted in the 2018-19 budget.

The report revealed that total public debt as percentage of GDP stood at 84.8 per cent while total debt of the government recorded at 76.6 per cent of GDP at end June 2019. Total public debt to GDP ratio was 72.1 per cent at end June 2018, well above the threshold of 60 per cent as specified in Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act. SERVICING OF PUBLIC DEBT: During FY201819, public debt servicing was recorded at Rs3.065 trillion against the annual budgeted estimate of Rs2.396 trillion. Total debt servicing increased by around 57 per cent during FY2018-19 compared with last fiscal year which was driven by higher domestic interest payments (on account of rise in domestic interest rates) while external debt repayments increased sig-

nificantly and recorded at Rs974 billion during FY2018 -19 compared with Rs450 billion during the last fiscal year. Interest servicing grew by around 39 per cent during FY2018-19 compared with last fiscal year mainly due to increased borrowing on account of higher than budgeted fiscal deficit, increase in domestic interest rates as well as depreciation of the rupee against main international currencies also contributed towards this rise.

DOMESTIC DEBT: Domestic debt stock was recorded at Rs20.732 trillion at end June 2019, registering an increase of Rs4.315 trillion during FY201819. The report revealed that the refinancing risk of the government greatly reduced as domestic debt maturing within year reduced to 37 per cent at end June 2019 compared with 66 per cent at end June 2018.

The report mentioned that External Debt and Liabilities were recorded at $106.3 billion by end June 2019, registering an increase of $11.1 billion compared to an increase of $11.8 billion recorded a year earlier.

One half of the increase in EDL was due to rise in SBP liabilities in the form of deposits placed by bilateral partners (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar). It is important to note that these deposits only provide balance of payments support, add to foreign currency reserves and do not come as an extra resource in the budget.

External public debt increased by $3.2 billion during FY2018-19 compared with the increase of $7.7 billion during FY2017-18. Sizeable repayment ($7.4 billion) reduced the pace of external public debt accumulation during FY2018-19 in addition to this, PSEs external debt also increased by $1.3 billion mainly driven by development loans obtained by concerned PSEs and private sector loans recorded an increase of $1.2 billion.

03

FIa launches inquiry against four govt officials involved in BISP scam ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday launched an inquiry against four government officials, who have been ousted from their posts for taking monetary benefits from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), in two phases. In the first phase, investigation against these officers will be carried out, while in second phase their facilitators will be detained. FIA headquarters has forwarded details of the officers to all provincial zones whereas a letter has also been sent to National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) for their information regarding the family tree, biometric and occupation.

Record of these officers’ pays and employment has also been sought from Auditor General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR). It is to be mentioned here that 2,543 senior officers were removed from the BISP list. Officials from Balochistan and Sindh received the highest amounts through the program. Overall, three officers of grade 21 and 59 officers of grade 20 quarterly received the sum under the program whereas 429 officials of grade 19 were also among the beneficiaries. 342 officers of grade 18 from Sindh and 1,240 officers of grade 17 overall derived advantages from the scheme. STAFF REPORT

Judge orders police to book Vawda over boot stunt neWS deSK A Karachi judge on Friday directed the police to book Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and Water Resources Minister Faisal Vawda if a cognisable offence was made out against the minister. The directives came after Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Abdul Qadir Mandokhail approached the court, pleading it to direct the police to register an FIR against Vawda for using nonparliamentary language against the PPP and PML-N leadership and violating the sanctity of the armed forces by bringing a boot to a TV show. The minister, who was on a talk show with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) representative Javed Abbasi had startled all by placing a black boot that he had brought with him on top of the table.

Vawda had mocked the PML-N’s unconditional support for the Army Act bill, saying the party was “lying down to kiss the boot”. “I am going to bring this [boot] to every talk show,” he said. “This is how democratic the PML-N is. They lie down to kiss the boot,” he had added. Both Abbasi and Kaira eventually left the show in protest. Vawda was subsequently banned for two weeks from TV on the order of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Ex-PM Abbasi calls NAB a 'terrorist organisation' PML-N LEADER TO FILE BAIL PETITION IN LNG SCAM ON NAWAZ’S DIRECTION neWS deSK Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday called the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) a “terrorist organisation”, saying it was destroying the country.

In an interview with a news channel, Abbasi said that no case has been filed against him in the LNG contract case in the past year and a half. “And I will be sure to ask about this,” he said, vowing to question the NAB chairman, officers and investigation officer.

Calling the bureau a “political engineering factory”, he said former chief justices have also questioned its practices.

That is why we must end this institution and send these people packing, he said.

There are six stakeholders influencing decision making in Pakistan, said the former premier. If you don’t make them sit at the same table, the country wont be able to run, he said. Calling the wheat and sugar crises painful, he attributed it to corruption. And while on the topic of corruption, he challenged the prime min-

ister’s special assistant on accountability’s claims of bringing back millions in looted money. “Shehzad Akbar is a doa number aadmi [second rate man],” he said. He should show his own assets and tell everyone how he got them and how he is still getting them, he challenged.

He has no right to speak about people like he does, said Abbasi. He said if Akbar wants to make tall claims, he needs to back it up with evidence.

Abbasi denied having any conflicts with the PML-N. I am a member of the

party and have been a prime minister from this party, he said.

He also commented on the groups forming in the PTI and said this is what happens when you get different sorts of people together for the sake of votes.

ABBASI TO FILE BAIL PLEA: Meanwhile, sources said that Abbasi on Friday decided to file his bail petition in the LNG scandal.

According to details, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif convinced Abbasi to submit his bail petition.

04 ISLAMABAD

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

WEATHER UPDATES SATURDAY

180C

030C

SUNDAY

180C 030C

MONDAY

180C 050C

TUESDAY

150C

020C

Govt asked to promote microfinance industry

ISLAMABAD: Citizens hold protest against sexual harassment of children outside the National Press Club in the federal capital. ONLINE

TRadeRs ThReaTen To boycoTT cda, McI FoR noT ResolvInG TheIR Issues ISLAMABAD

T

STAFF REPORT

HE presidents of trade associations of local markets of the federal capital in a meeting of ICCI Traders Welfare SubCommittee on Friday said that the CDA and MCI were not resolving key issues of markets and threatened that if this approach was not changed, they would completely boycott CDA and MCI. They passed a resolution calling upon MCI to immediately withdraw 1000 percent increase in various taxes.

They said that no market association would get license from MCI or CDA and in case of any law and order situation on this account, these civic bodies would be responsible for the consequences.

Tahir Abbasi, Senior Vice President, Saifur Rehman Khan Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI), Khalid Chaudhry Convener ICCI Traders Welfare SubCommittee, Ajmal Baloch President Anjamun-e-Tijaran and others were present at the occasion.

Addressing the meeting, Tahir Abbasi, Senior Vice President ICCI said that MCI has made massive increase in various taxes including trade license fee, which has created great concerns in trading community. He said that these measures of MCI would increase difficulties for the government and urged that MCI should reconsider its decision.

Khalid Chaudhry, Convener, ICCI Traders Welfare Sub-Committee said that for the last four years, CDA and MCI have not done any development

work in local markets due to which condition of markets has deteriorated. He said that tussle between CDA and MCI over funds was increasing problems for traders. He said that in the presence of CDA, there was no need of MCI and said that legal requirements were not met by MCI before making exorbitant increase in taxes. Ajmal Baloch President Anjuman-e-Tijaran Pakistan said that MCI has made lives of citizens very difficult as there were no proper sanitation arrangements in markets and residential areas, footpaths were in broken condition, sewerage lines were chocked and filtered drinking water was not available. He appealed to the Prime Minister Imran Khan to appoint an Administrator in MCI and issue orders for withdrawal of massive increase in taxes.

Ch. Nadeem ud Din President PTI

Traders Wing Islamabad, Malik Rab Nawaz President Jinnah Super Market, Yousaf Rajput President Blue Area, Muhammad Hussain Secretary General Super Market, Ch. Aftab Gujjar President G-11, Sheikh Awais President E-11, Malik Naveed President G-7 Market, Ch. Ashraf Farzand Senior Vice President Sitara Market, Naveed Abbasi President Bara Kahu Market, Nasir Chaudhry, Syed Qaiser Shah Kazmi, Sheikh Javed, Muhammad Kashif, Ahmed Khan, Mehboob Khan, Abdul Rehman Siddiqui, Musharraf Janjua, Salawar Khan, Raja Safeer, Hamid Meraj, Ch. Irfan, Raja Zulsham, Yasir Abbasi, Raja Hassan Akhtar, Tehmas Butt, Zahid Hamid, Shamim Khan and others also addressed the meeting and reiterated that they would boycott CDA and MCI if their key issues were not resolved.

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) on Friday said Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector should be promoted to ensure rapid economic development. The SME sector has a 30 percent share in GDP, 25 percent share in exports of goods and 80 percent share in non-agricultural jobs but it is facing many problems with financing on the top of the list, it said. Many governments and the State Bank has tried their best to promote the SME sector but the initiatives remained unsuccessful due to lack of interest by the commercial banks, said Farida Rashid, President IWCCI. Commercial banks are focused on lending to the government, corporate sector and consumer finance which is crowding out the small businesses and women entrepreneurs, said added. She said that commercial banks have not supported SMEs during the last 70 years, therefore, the authorities should not waste their time on them and allow microfinance Industry to play their role in the national development. Farida Rashid said that SMEs share in private sector credit is below 5.5 percent which should be enhanced through microfinance for which this sector should be positively incentivised. Taxes on microfinance banks should be reduced, and regulations should be eased so that the volume of microfinance should be increased from the current Rs250 billion which is insufficient, she demanded. Similarly, she said, microfinance banks have only 3500 branches in the country which should be increased so that small business can thrive which will also increase revenue and employment. She noted that private sector credit has seen a fall of Rs138 billion during the last six months and ratio of defaults has increased while the SME defaults have remained the same making a perfect case for increased lending. Speaking at the occasion, Samina Fazil, founder president IWCCI said that SME development is an integral part of the manifesto of the incumbent Government. At the launching ceremony of the PTI 100 day agenda the government had put the growth of Small and Medium Enterprise as the centrepiece of PTI’s strategy economic revival of the country. SMEs can lead to poverty alleviation and employment creation but it has remained more of rhetoric than a fundamental element of an economic reform agenda. STAFF REPORT

Two Rawalpindi men arrested for posting weapon pictures on Facebook RAWALPINDI: Two men from Rawalpindi were arrested on Friday for displaying weapons on Facebook. Mansoor and Adnan used to upload pictures and videos displaying guns on their Facebook accounts. According to the Gujjar Khan police, they were doing this to spread fear in the hearts of people on the social media app. “The aim of such activities is to create a culture of fear and superiority on social media,” said Gujjar Khan SHO Mian Imran. “They wanted to show their power but the state’s law is superior to all,” he added. The accused said that they uploaded the pictures as a part of their hobby. “We just did it for fun,” said Mansoor. Last year, the police along with the Federal Investigation Agency launched a campaign to crackdown against display of weapons on social media. INP

4 killed as speeding car hits truck near Gujar Khan ISLAMABAD: At least four persons, including three real brothers, died on the spot after their speeding car hit a truck near Gujar Khan early on Friday. As per details, the accident occurred at GT Road. The bodies were immediately shifted to hospital, rescue sources said. Meanwhile, the incident also created traffic congestion on GT Road. APP

PESHAWAR: Residents of North Waziristan protest for the acceptance of their demands at Shershah Suri Road in Peshawar. PPI

CMYK

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

NEWS

KARACHI

A

STAFF REPORT

S many as 108 people fell victim to 'honour killings' in Sindh over the past year, according to a police report released on Friday. the report, compiled by the police, recorded statistics from January 31, 2019 to January 30, 2020. according to the report, 126 people, who were suspected of being involved in the 'honour killings', had been arrested. Challans of 81 cases pertaining to 'honour killings' were presented in courts while 32 are still being investigated. the courts are hearing 73 cases of the crime, while three have been thrown out.

Over the same period, 132 women were murdered for different reasons, the report said, adding that 174 suspects had been arrested. Police had presented challans in 87 of the cases, while 42 were still under investigation. In six cases, police were unable to find any evidence, the report said. Out of the cases brought to courts, six were cancelled, while 75 are being heard. three cases of acid attacks on women

108 women 'killed For honour' in Sindh over PASt one yeAr were registered with the police, in which two suspects had been arrested. One case is still being investigated while the other two are being heard by the court. Furthermore, 1,158 cases of kidnapping of girls were registered with the police, out of which 249 were closed after it was found that the women had married of their own free will. Police arrested 550 suspects and 358 cases are being heard by courts. another 466 cases were still being probed by the police. In 26 kidnapping cases, no leads had been found while 20 others were declared 'fake'. Police also recorded 128 cases of physical torture against women over the past year and arrested 136 suspects. the challans of 72 cases were submitted in courts, while 45 cases were under investigation. about 64

cases are being heard by the courts.

One case remains unsolved as police were unable to find evidence, while 14 were cancelled. at least 95 cases of rape of women were registered over the past year, out of which 40 were being probed. Police admitted to have failed to make any headway in one case, while they also claimed to have arrested 92 suspects and presented challans of 42 cases in court, 37 of which are being heard. Five rape cases were thrown out, the report said. according to the police data, seven women had been subjected to gang rape. Nine suspects had been arrested for the crime while the challans of four cases were presented in court. three cases are under investigation and two are being heard.

additionally, six criminal cases of minor girls' assault had been reported in the province and police had arrested 11 suspects. Challans of four cases were submitted in courts, while one is still being investigated. the report also states that 41 cases of criminal assault of boys were also recorded by the police, out of which 18 are still under investigation. Police had taken 58 people into custody over suspicion of involvement. the challans of 22 cases had been submitted in court. a dozen cases are being heard by the court. No evidence was found in one case while two others were cancelled. the report further states that 66 cases of children's kidnappings were recorded in which 64 people had been arrested. Po-

Pakistan mulls deal with Turkey on dual nationality ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Pakistan said a plan is under consideration to sign an agreement with turkey regarding providing dual nationality to the citizens of two countries. this came during a meeting between Interior Minister retired Brigadier Ijaz Shah and turkish ambassador to Islamabad Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul on thursday, according to a statement issued by the

Interior Ministry. according to the statement, the turkish ambassador on behalf of his government proposed that both the countries should sign an agreement regarding providing dual nationality to the citizens.

“In response to this, the minister said that the draft is under consideration and the Ministry of Foreign affairs is on board with us, we hope to reach a mutual conclusion soon,” it added. Shah also welcomed the mutual training programmes and upgrading of equipment of law en-

UCP’s ‘Ride with Pride’ campaign revolutionises the way ladies commute in Lahore

forcing agencies with turkey. “the Minister for Interior welcomed the initiative of introducing a patrolling force in collaboration with ICt Police on the model of Dolphin force introduced in Lahore,” the statement said. the ambassador and minister also mutually agreed on the continuity of the training programmes being held to improve the capacity of the workforce.

Yurdakul also informed the minister that the turkish president is scheduled to visit Pakistan soon.

turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu is also expected to visit Pakistan in February and he will meet Shah to discuss bilateral matters, the statement said.

Pakistan’s interior minister was also informed that the turkish Consulate that is under construction in the southern city of Karachi is the largest one in the world by turkey.

Interior Minister Shah also extended condolences to the ambassador over the losses due to recent earthquake.

Healthy food is a basic concern for Pakistanis USAMA PERVEZ hat are our concerns? Food; which is our basic necessity and we are unable to consume it. Why do we need some other person to provide us healthy food, why are we not striving for it ourselves; the concerns are countless but main problem that everybody should have is to get pure food and to eradicate the adulteration mafia from its roots. about 30% of the world's population suffers from malnutrition, and in the sameproportion, people suffer from obesity and overweight, such as disease. however, with the increasing trend of technology and social media, people are becoming more aware of food and the adulterants being included in the food items/products. Eating a healthy and nutritious diet is now becoming a part of people's daily diet and the demand for such food groups is increasing day by day. People are more conscious about what they eat, how they eat, quantity and quality of the food is tend to be balanced in many people. But there is a lot of awareness yet to be spread and it can only happen if the government or food regulating authorities are involved together for the betterment of the society to bring safe and healthy food to the general public.

When it comes to a healthy diet, fish are largely ignored. although Fish is a great source of high protein and has a high amount of nutritious value. It contains mineral and nutritional treasures. the omega-3 fatty acids present in it are helpful in preventing many diseases. harmful fat is found in relatively small amounts in fish, goats and beef have high Omega-6 fatty acids that affect blood flow to the body and give rise to cardiovascular disease. therefore, medical and nutritionists focus on fish meat, goat and beef. Fish contains nutrients such as protein, potassium, iron, vitamin a and D, vitamin 12, phosphorus and magnesium. Fish consumption balances cardiovascular health. It also prevents blood vessels from flowing into the arteries. the essential nutrients found in it play a vital role in human brain development before and after birth. according to the latest research, the frequent use of fish is very useful in the prevention of heart diseases.

It is also extremely beneficial for alzheimer's patients. Eating fish oil supplements improves immunity. In countries where fish are consumed frequently, the average prevalence of people is relatively high, with the tendency for diseases to decrease.

Pakistan is a developing country as well as the sixth largest country in the world in terms of population. Pakistan is an agrarian country but catering to the needs of the growing population is a major issue. Several plans have been created for one of them is to expand the fish business. the business of fish farming is profitable in addition to low cost, which is why the industry is growing.

Despite all these advantages and precautions, caution is also needed in the use of fish. Institutions have been set up at the national and provincial levels by the government to check the quality of fish meat. according to statistics, the total production of sea fish in Pakistan in the year 2017-18 was 5 million metric tons. One million tons of fish was obtained through fish farming. In Punjab province, 65% of the fish sold are from private farms. all the matters related to fish production, breeding quality and maintenance practices in the province are seen under the shadow of the Department of Fisheries. If the farming of fish is done in waste water or stored inappropriately, its quality is adversely affected and thus it enters the body which has a bad effect on the health of the eater. therefore, it is closely monitored from farming to food and any possible mixing is prevented.

W

PRESS RELEASE University of Central Punjab’s Ride with Pride campaign took it to the streets of Lahore with a Rally led by the motorcycle girl of Pakistan, the campaign’s brand ambassador- Zenith Irfan on 30th January 2020. the said initiative is aimed at empowering and encouraging the ladies to commute easily and independently. With this campaign, UCP wishes to make an exemplary initiative for every girl who faces commute issues and wishes to carry out day to day tasks independently. through this initiative, UCP has made booking a two wheeler as easy and convenient as issuing a library book. In order to ensure the security of the female students, the scooters have been issued with a proper tracking system and a helmet. the event was divided in two phases with the first one including a session by the honourable CtO Punjab and Ms. Zenith Irfan.

While the University expressed their gratitude to the entire traffic Police team, the honourable CtO applauded the University of Central Punjab’s efforts to empower girls and expressed how this is one of kind initiative that must be replicate by other institutes. he further explained the role of City traffic Police-Lahore in ensuring the safety of all females on the road. he also urged the students to strictly follow the traffic rules to avoid any unpleasant incidents.

Zenith Irfan popularly known as the motorbike girl of Pakistan, opened the discussion with a powerful message of courage, hope and pursuit of ones’ dreams and applauded the vision behind ride with pride. She also thanked the City traffic Police Lahore for their services in helping out with training the girls. In the final phase of the event, the zealous female students of the University of Central Punjab led by Zenith Irfan formally took the “Ride with Pride” campaign to the roads of Lahore in the form of a rally on the specified route. the rally marked the first formal ride of the campaign and the first batch of trained female students of UCP rode their pink scooters with pride. With this initiative, Lahore shall be seeing more ladies of UCP steadfast in the mission to revolutionize the way they commute.

CMYK

05

lice had presented the challans of 14 cases and were investigating 41 others. about 17 cases were being heard by the court.

One of the cases remained unsolved while three others were cancelled. according to the report, nine cases of under-age marriages had been reported and 19 people were taken into custody. two cases were being heard by court and challans of five cases had been presented by the police. Four cases were being probed. about 39 cases of sexual exploitation of boys were registered over the year and a total of 33 people had been arrested. Police submitted challans of 26 cases in the court, while 13 were still being investigated. the courts were hearing 21 cases of sexual exploitation of boys.

Saudi Arabia deported 0.28m Pakistanis in five years, Senate told Saudi arabia has deported a total of 285,980 Pakistanis from the Kingdom during the past five years due to expired visas, performing hajj without permission, being involved in the narcotics trade, overstaying in Saudi arabia after arriving on an Umrah visa, quarrelling and other offences. this was disclosed in a list submitted by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Qureshi in Senate. according to the official aPP news agency, the numbers were presented in the Senate in response to a query from a senator. according to the list, 285,980 Pakistanis were deported from Riyadh and Jeddah between 2015 and 2019. Of these, 61,076 people were sent back from Riyadh and 224,904 from Jeddah. according to Qureshi, the Pakistani citizens were deported because of expired visas, performing hajj without permission, being involved in narcotics trade, overstaying in Saudi arabia after arriving on an Umrah visa, quarrelling and other offences. AGENCIES

Fawad says ‘trying to establish a research system with civil-military interface’ NEWS DESK Federal Minister for Science and technology Fawad Chaudhry, on Friday urged for establishment of a system with a civil-military interface for research purpose.

Fawad Chaudhry, in his latest tweets, said Pakistan was leading many countries in science and technology till the ’70s but the focus was diverted to defence after East Pakistan incident in 1971. he termed it as a mistake for not thinking to establish a civil-military interface like the United States (US) and China. he was of the view that researches can be exchanged into civil and military fields through the step. he said that the ministry is trying to establish a system with civil-military research interface. the minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will unveil $30 billion export plan this week where a major portion is allocated to biotechnology. the plan will transform the national economy, he added.

Fawad said that the world will witness Pakistan as a pioneer in technology, especially biotechnology. he said that Pakistan could be listed among developed states within 25 years if it focuses on the science and technology sector.

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW

As the coronAvirus spreAds, feAr is fuelling rAcism And xenophobiA CNN

o

JeSSie Yeung

N a French newspaper’s front page last weekend, big block letters announced “Yellow Alert” next to an image of a Chinese woman wearing a face mask. Another headline in the same paper read “New Yellow Peril?” above an article about the ongoing Wuhan coronavirus outbreak. The headlines drew immediate outrage. Readers accused the paper of using ignorant and offensive language. “Yellow Peril” was an old racist ideology that targeted East Asians in Western countries.

The phrase embodies the worst of antiAsian fears and stereotypes, which have plagued immigrant communities since the first waves of Chinese immigration to the United States began in the 19th century.

In the US, government propaganda and pop culture at the time spread wildly racist and inaccurate images of Chinese people as unclean, uncivilized, immoral, and a threat to society. To invoke the term now, in a story about death and illness in Asia, seems thoughtless at best and blatantly racist at worst.

The newspaper apologized quickly and said they had no intention of perpetuating “racist stereotypes of Asians.” But the damage is not so easily undone, and the paper is not the sole culprit — merely the latest in a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment as the coronavirus spreads worldwide.

The escalating global health crisis has claimed more than 200 lives — all in China — and infected close to 10,000 people worldwide. As they seek to contain the virus, authorities in multiple countries are balancing the need for warnings against the risk of creating global panic.

However, there are signs that’s already happening, with face masks selling out in stores and people locking themselves at home. Some people in central China — the epicenter of the outbreak — are desperately taking any flight out, regardless of destination, as governments worldwide suspend flights from China and impose restrictions on travelers from the mainland.

But the panic has also taken another, more familiar form, with the re-emergence of old racist tropes that portray Asians, their food, and their customs as unsafe and unwelcome.

AS PANIC SPREADS, SO DOES

RIGHT NOW, WE ARE ONLY SEEING EARLY SIGNS OF A XENOPHOBIC BACKLASH AGAINST THE EAST ASIAN DIASPORA — TASTELESS JOKES ONLINE, BAD HEADLINES, PEOPLE ACTING FEARFULLY IN PUBLIC RACISM: As news of the virus has spread, many people of Asian descent living abroad say they have been treated like walking pathogens. Writing for the UK’s Guardian newspaper, one British-Chinese journalist in London said a man quickly moved seats when he sat down on a bus. A Malaysian-Chinese social worker experienced the same thing on a London bus this week. “A couple of people at an East London school I work in have asked me why Chinese people eat weird food when they know it causes viruses,” she told CNN. In Canada, there have been reports of Chinese children being bullied or singled out at school. In New Zealand — where there are no confirmed coronavirus cases — a Singaporean woman says she was confronted and faced racist harassment in a mall.

These instances echo a long history of racism in the West. During the Yellow Peril era, anti-Chinese fears led to lynchings of Chinese immigrants, racial violence, systemic discrimination — even an outright ban on Chinese immigrants for 61 years in the US under the country’s Exclusion Act. That’s why the term “Yellow Peril,” which contains centuries of trauma, is so charged — and why the use of it in a contemporary headline was so stunning.

However, this time around anti-Chinese racism is spreading beyond the West.

In Vietnam, signs have been seen outside restaurants declaring “No Chinese.” The tourist who took the photo told CNN the sign appeared in the past week. Similar signs were also posted outside a Japanese shop, turning away Chinese customers.

And people online from various different places are making racially driven jokes; when TV host James Corden posted a photo with Korean-pop band BTS, one person tweeted, “BREAKING: James Corden dies of the coronavirus.” The joke racked up nearly 25,000 likes on Twitter.

TARGETING CHINESE FOOD: Perhaps the most widespread form of xenophobia comes in fearmongering, sensationalist stereotypes about Chinese food. The novel coronavirus is believed to have started in a Wuhan seafood and wildlife market, and scientists have pointed to bats and snakes as possible virus carriers. And while the wildlife

trade poses legitimate problems, the outbreak has prompted a racially tinged wave of disgust toward Chinese food, and anger from many who accuse Chinese people of recklessly causing a potential global pandemic.

“Because of some folks in China who eat weird (foods) like bats, rats, and snakes, the entire world is about to suffer a plague,” said one popular tweet. This idea has been reinforced by recent media coverage of the coronavirus, some of which has featured misleading videos or photos. One widely shared video, of a Chinese travel blogger eating bat soup, was filmed three years ago in the Pacific island nation of Palau, and the dish has been sampled by Western TV hosts in the past.

The video and the blogger have no connection to Wuhan or the current outbreak — but the video has gone viral nonetheless, with many Western viewers expressing horror on social media. There was such an uproar that the blogger came forward to apologize last week.

What viral misinformation and breathless media coverage often miss is that only a small minority of people in China actually eat wild animals. Most people eat much of the same things you would see in other cuisines, like pork or chicken. Ultimately, what people like to eat is culturally relative — a lot of the Western disgust toward “weird” Chinese food is itself Eurocentric.

That’s not to say all criticism of Chinese food is invalid; the country does have a problem with badly-regulated trade of wild animals, which has led to previous outbreaks. The deadly 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was traced to the civet cat, considered a delicacy in southern China. And though the government has introduced some measures limiting wildlife trade, it has been reluctant to take more aggressive action, and illegal trade continues.

It’s also difficult to end these practices because of the cultural significance and prevalence of traditional Chinese medicine. Many of these wild animals are thought to hold important medicinal properties — for instance, people drink snake soup for arthritis and snake bile for a sore throat. There is undoubtedly a larger issue that needs to be addressed — how the gov-

ernment can balance tradition with safer regulations. But the beliefs and customs that drive consumption of these foods are centuries old and interwoven in peoples’ lives — they are not so easy to undo, even less so when they are dismissed as primitive and unclean by foreign countries.

‘STANDING WITH OUR CHINESE COMMUNITY’: Right now, we are only seeing early signs of a xenophobic backlash against the East Asian diaspora — tasteless jokes online, bad headlines, people acting fearfully in public. But if the 2003 SARS epidemic is any model to go by, these strands of xenophobia could potentially escalate into more dangerous, explicit forms of racism.

At the peak of the 2003 outbreak, people of Asian descent were treated like pariahs in the West. There were reports of white people covering their faces in the presence of Asian coworkers, and real estate agents who were told not to serve Asian clients.

Asian people suffered threats of eviction, had job offers rescinded with no explanation, and some Asian Canadian organizations received outright hate messages. Chinese and Asian businesses suffered heavy losses; in Boston, an April Fool’s hoax falsely warned of infected employees at a Chinese restaurant, reportedly causing a 70% drop in the restaurant’s business.

This all happened 17 years ago, when China was still slowly opening up. Now it’s an emerging superpower, and its role in a range of recent conflicts — the ongoing US-China trade war, security concerns surrounding telecommunications company Huawei, allegations of Chinese spies in

America and Australia — mean that many in the West already view China with greater suspicion and tension than they did before.

Add the threat of a global pandemic, and a wave of heightened discrimination could be even uglier this time around.

Diaspora communities and local authorities are preparing for this, with many trying to calm fear before it becomes hysteria. In France, the newspaper controversy sparked a social media campaign, with many French Chinese citizens using the hashtag #JeNeSuisPasUnVirus — I am not a virus.

In a statement confirming the first case of coronavirus in Los Angeles this week, the local health department stressed that “people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel if they do not have symptoms of respiratory illness.”

The head of Toronto Public Health also warned that misinformation about the virus had created “unnecessary stigma against members of our community.” “I am deeply concerned and find it disappointing that this is happening,” said the head, Eileen de Villa, in a statement Wednesday. “Discrimination is not acceptable. It is not helpful and spreading misinformation does not offer anyone protection.” Toronto Mayor John Tory also spoke out this week about the coronavirus panic. “Standing with our Chinese community against stigmatization and discrimination,” he said. “We must not allow fear to triumph over our values as a city.”

CNN’s Joe Sutton contributed to this report.

Iran can obtain nuclear weapons far quicker than widely recognised WITH THE JCPOA’S FUTURE UNCLEAR AND A REPLACEMENT NUCLEAR DEAL SEEMINGLY FAR OFF, IT IS MORE CRUCIAL THAN EVER TO ACCOUNT FOR WHAT THE REGIME ACHIEVED IN THE AREA OF WEAPONISATION AND UNDER THE AMAD PLAN MORE BROADLY. THE RISKS ARE TOO GREAT TO IGNORE

Al ArAbiyA AndreA Stricker

After infiltrating a Tehran warehouse two years ago, agents from Mossad, Israel’s spy agency, seized a massive collection of old plans, blueprints, electronic files and documents related to Iran’s nuclear weapons program. Material from this hidden archive demonstrated how the Islamic Republic had achieved far more in the area of nuclear weapons development, particularly the process of weaponization, than previously thought.

The extent of its progress has worrying implications as the regime scales back its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As Iran reduces the amount of time required for it to build nuclear weapons, US and allied governments should urgently push the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to fully characterize and account for Iran’s

nuclear weapons activities.

The cache of top secret documents from Iran’s clandestine archive show the Islamic Republic had a structured, full pace effort called the Amad Plan, which sought by mid-2003 to make five nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. As international inspectors encroached in 2003, the regime decided to disperse the most damning of its illicit activities and experiments to non-civilian sites.

Materials from the archive add significantly to a previous body of evidence gathered by the IAEA and governments about covert weaponization-related experiments and processes in Iran. The Israeli government released archival materials to private research institutes, whose assessments provide a public accounting of Iran’s weaponization prowess, and therefore, its abbreviated timeline to a nuclear weapon. Iran previously denied that it ever had a nuclear weaponization program, but the archive’s materials show these claims to be a clear exercise in disinformation.

Iran in fact had a weaponization program, which it called the Amad Plan’s “Project 110.” This included high explosives manufacture and testing; nuclear weapons design; production of a shock wave generator to initiate nuclear explosions; work on a neutron source for the warhead core; and creation of other necessary nuclear weapons components. The archive also provided locations of previously unknown sites.

Nuclear weaponization is an obscure and complicated procedure. It draws on physics, chemistry, metallurgy, engineering and other applications to as-

semble weapons-grade fissile material inside a warhead and create its explosive capability. To calculate how long it would take Tehran to produce a functional nuclear weapon, it is essential to evaluate the success of its weaponization efforts.

The length of time required for a country to produce just the fissile material for an atomic weapon – in this case, highly enriched uranium – has become known as its “breakout time.” However, a holistic assessment of breakout time ought to include the critical step of weaponizing this fissile material. This kind of comprehensive estimate helps governments to develop better responses and countering actions.

Prior to the nuclear deal, governments and independent experts generously estimated that Iran would need up to a year or more to make a warhead after it produced the requisite weapon-grade material.

Now, the nuclear archive’s contents make clear that Iran’s weaponization timeline may be much shorter – as little as a few months. Moreover, Iran’s recent actions have compressed the timeline for it to produce enough fissile material, from seven to 12 months to just four or five months. The weaponization clock, contrary to previous beliefs, does not add on much more.

The IAEA has never got to the bottom of Iran’s past nuclear weapons work, and the JCPOA required only a perfunctory IAEA investigation before the deal’s parties would allow it to go into effect.

Predictably, Iran stonewalled and provided incomplete or false answers to the IAEA’s queries. Even though the contents of the nuclear archive have shown

that prior investigations were deficient, the IAEA has been hesitant to push for complete answers out of concern that this would further weaken the deal.

As Iran works to reduce its breakout time, governments should urge the IAEA to hasten and deepen its probe into the nuclear archive. This will entail investigating the full range of Iran’s past nuclear weapons work, including, for example, visiting the people, sites and equipment named in the archive or elsewhere. The IAEA will also need to review paper and electronic documentation in-country that may corroborate the archive and other materials. It will also be necessary to visit and inspect research institutions and restricted-access sites, as well as follow any new information where it leads.

Iran, as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, is subject to comprehensive safeguards.

This gives the IAEA a mandate and a duty to establish the absence of work on nuclear weapons within Iran’s territory.

With the JCPOA’s future unclear and a replacement nuclear deal seemingly far off, it is more crucial than ever to account for what the regime achieved in the area of weaponization and under the Amad Plan more broadly. The risks are too great to ignore.

Andrea Stricker is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where she conducts research on nonproliferation, Iran, North Korea, and other security policy topics. She is an expert on nuclear weapons proliferation and illicit procurement networks.

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

FOREIGN NEWS 07

Democrats coUrt Iowans aheaD of vote, some stUcK In trUmp trIal WASHINGTON

D

AGENCIES

EMOcRATIc presidential candidates like Joe Biden are traversing Iowa Friday, days before an all-important vote launches the party’s nomination contest. But three high-profile hopefuls are unprecedentedly absent, tethered to Donald Trump’s impeachment trial as rivals court undecided voters.

All eyes are on the snowy, sparselypopulated state as a dozen White House contenders battle for early momentum in the race to see who challenges President Donald Trump in November’s election.

With all to play for, former vice president Biden, the 77-year-old national frontrunner, and fellow moderate Pete Buttigieg, 38, a former Indiana mayor, have launched whistlestop bus tours to press the flesh in all corners of the state.

Each has several in-state events Friday. But three main challengers — Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar — are not there, bound by their duty to sit in judgment of President Trump during his impeachment trial. In a twist of political fate, the very process that each of them hoped would conclude with Trump’s removal from office has deprived them of multiple days in Iowa at peak campaign time.

Warren was forced to cancel her appearance at two Friday campaign events, in Sioux city and Ames, “due to the schedule for impeachment,” her campaign said. Surrogates including congresswomen Ayanna Pressley and Katie Porter will fill her shoes.

Sanders will miss his Iowa events Friday but he too will have stand-ins, including two liberal congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.

It remained unclear whether Sanders could escape Washington in time Friday to host his campaign’s 6:00 pm concert in a suburb of Iowa’s capital, Des Moines, featuring indie band Bon Iver. The Senate is to hold a vote Friday on whether more witnesses should appear at Trump’s impeachment trial.

But with a key Republican senator announcing he would oppose calling for witnesses, a vote to convict, or far more likely to acquit, Trump could come as early as Friday. Trump jetted in to Iowa to cast a long shadow over Monday’s caucuses, hammering away at the “madness” of the far left and criticizing their efforts to remove him from office.

“We’re having probably the best years that we’ve ever had in the history

of our country — and I just got impeached! can you believe these people?” he huffed at a packed rally where attendees chanted “Four more years!”

He took aim at several Democrats: “crazy” Bernie Sanders, “Sleepy Joe” Biden, and former Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg. “Nobody can pronounce his name,” Trump grimaced.

‘GALVANIZE, NOT POLARIZE’: Biden spent Thursday on the campaign trail hugging and taking selfies with supporters as well as railing against a president he has declared a danger to America.

“I can hardly wait to debate this man,” Biden told a crowd in Waukee.

Trump, Biden said, was trying to obliterate the healthcare law known as Obamacare, ignores climate change and

has “walked away from our allies and embraced dictators and thugs.”

His focus on Trump suggests he is already making the case for a BidenTrump showdown. Democrats have also clashed against one another on policy, performance or personalities.

Buttigieg signalled a readiness to take on both Biden and Sanders when he called them out by name and urged voters to turn the page from yesterday’s politics. “History has shown us that the biggest risk we could take with a very important election coming up is to look to the same Washington playbook and recycle the same arguments and expect that to work against a president like Donald Trump,” Buttigieg told Iowans in Decorah.

“We’ve got to galvanize, not polarize” Americans, he said. Divergent political views suggest Democrats remain undecided on which path to take in the general election, and Trump mercilessly mocked the radical left-leaning approach from candidates like Sanders, who advocates for universal health care and tuition-free college.

“The Democrats will lose because America will never be a socialist country,” he said.

The Iowa race is tight. Sanders, a 78-year-old running as a Democratic socialist, is leading the charge in the state, with Biden hot on his heels. centrist Buttigieg and progressive Warren, 70, are within striking distance, with a fifth candidate, 59-year-old Klobuchar, in the second-tier but hoping to land a major upset.

Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg, who could become a major player in the race, is not running in Iowa, while rank outsider John Delaney dropped out on Friday.

Erdogan hits out at some Arab countries' 'treason' over Trump plan ANKARA AGENCIES

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday blasted some Arab countries for backing a Middle East plan unveiled by the United States, condemning it as “treason”.

“Some Arab countries that support such a plan commit treason against Jerusalem, as well as against their own people, and more importantly against all humanity,” Erdogan told his party’s lawmakers in the parliament. President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled long-awaited details of a US plan for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning it may represent the last chance at statehood for the Palestinians.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the peace plan the “slap of the century”.

Turkey, a strong advocate of the Palestinian cause, had condemned the plan. “The United States’ socalled peace plan is stillborn,” Turkey’s foreign ministry had said in a statement.

“This is an annexation plan aimed at killing a twostate solution and extorting the Palestinian territory.”

Erdogan today added that Turkey may launch a military operation into Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib if the situation in the region is not resolved immediately, as attacks by Russia-backed Syrian government forces raised the concern of a new refugee wave to Turkey.

Speaking in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey could not handle a fresh influx of migrants. On Wednesday, Erdogan had said Ankara was losing patience with the assault and accused Russia of violating agreements aimed at curbing conflict in the region.

Indian police rescue 23 children held hostage by criminal NEW DELHI: Authorities rescued 23 children after killing a man who held them, hostage, for nearly 11 hours after inviting them to his home for his daughter’s birthday party in northern India, police said on Friday. Officer Mohit Agarwal said two police officers were injured after the man, identified as Subhash Batham, fired at them on Thursday night as they tried to enter his home in Kasaria village in Uttar Pradesh state. Home Secretary Avanish Awasthi said Batham’s wife was also killed in the exchange of gunfire. Efforts to negotiate Batham’s surrender had failed, police said. Agarwal said he was a suspect in a murder case and had been freed on bail by a court. The incident occurred in Farrukhabad, a small town 300 kilometers southwest of Lucknow, the state capital.

The motive for Batham taking the children hostage was not immediately known.

Agarwal said he was drunk when the police encounter occurred. AGENCIES

UK confirms two coronavirus cases LONDON: British health officials said on Friday two people had tested positive for the novel coronavirus, in the country’s first confirmed cases since the deadly outbreak emerged in china and began to spread globally this month. “We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus,” chris Whitty, chief Medical Officer for England, said in a statement.

“The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus,” he added, referring to the National Health Service (NHS). Whitty said the state-funded NHS was “extremely well-prepared” and officials were “working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had, to prevent further spread”. “We have been preparing for UK cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately,” he added.

The SARS-like virus epidemic which originated in the central chinese city Wuhan has so far killed 213 people and spread to at least 18 countries around the world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday declared it an international public health emergency.

Wuhan, a city of 11 million people, has been subject to an unprecedented lockdown, preventing residents from leaving in a bid to stop the deadly virus from spreading further. Thousands of foreigners were among millions of people confined in the metropolis, and numerous countries have begun airlifting their citizens out. A plane chartered by Britain to evacuate its citizens and other foreign nationals on Friday departed the city with 110 people aboard — 83 Britons and 27 foreigners. It will land at an air force base in central England at around 1:00pm (local time), with returning Britons to be isolated for 14 days at a medical facility in the northwest of England. AGENCIES

China to bring overseas Wuhan citizens back to virus-hit city BEIJING AGENCIES

china is to send charter planes to bring citizens of virus-hit Wuhan city home from overseas “as soon as possible”, the foreign ministry said Friday.

The move comes as a number of airlines announced they were halting or reducing flights to china as the country struggles to contain the spread of a deadly new virus. Beijing has advised its citizens to postpone trips abroad and cancelled overseas group tours, while several countries including the US, Germany, Britain and Japan have urged their citizens to avoid travel to china. “In view of the practical difficulties that chinese citizens from Hubei, especially Wuhan, have faced overseas, the chinese government has decided to send charter flights to take them directly back to Wuhan as soon as possible,” said the ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson Hua chunying.

Wuhan – where authorities have identified a market selling wild animals for

food as the epicentre of the outbreak – has experienced an unprecedented lockdown in a bid to stop the virus spreading.

The topic was trending online on Friday, with over 35 million views and 15,000 discussion posts on china’s Twitter-like platform Weibo.

“These people probably don’t want to go back (to Wuhan),” said one.

Another questioned if they should be brought back if they were not infected.

When asked about the suspension of international flights at a press conference on Thursday, Zhu Tao of china’s civil Aviation Administration said authorities were coordinating arrangements to bring travellers home.

Hospitals have been overwhelmed in the city. AFP reporters saw long queues at hospitals, with some patients saying they queued for two days to see a doctor. As fears of the outbreak have spread overseas, prominent figures in chinese communities in Italy warned this week of episodes of “latent racism” against their compatriots

by Italians fearful of catching the virus.

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

08 COMMENT

Traveling to impress

Unravelling of the PTI The enemy within

T

he PTI succeeded in overcoming the threat from the two major opposition parties through devious but effective means. neither the PML-n nor the PPP is in a position to start a movement against the government despite widespread resentment among the masses on account of unprecedented increase in power and gas charges, rising inflation, and unemployment.

Thanks to the support from the offstage players, the PTI’s dissatisfied allies, who could otherwise bring down the government within no time continue, to support it, albeit unwillingly. however, despite the seemingly favourable situation, the PTI government remains in jeopardy on account of its inherent incompetence. The vulnerability was not detected by the PTI’s voters and the offstage actors who brought it into power and who expect that the government would deliver despite increasing apprehensions. As time passes, they are likely to realize their folly.

There is a continuing accumulation of pressures from key sectors that could lead to an implosion sooner rather than later. The government-controlled entities continue to cause financial haemorrhages. The Supreme Court reprimanded Railways Minister Sh Rasheed for failing to end corruption and inefficiency in the Railways and ordered him to present a comprehensive business plan to make the department profitable, adding that if there was any deviation from the plan presented in court, action would be taken.

The Federal Board of Revenue has missed the revised revenue collection target for the first half year of the current fiscal by a wide margin of Rs287 billion against the target of Rs2.367 trillion. January has turned out to be the worst month for the FBR, as it is set to face a revenue shortfall of around Rs100 billion in a single month. After being scolded by the SC on account of the fake refund case and told not to play with the apex court, FBR chief Shabbar Zaidi has gone on indefinite leave. he dropped the bombshell at a time when the FBR is giving final shape to a mini-budget that it is planning to introduce on the instructions of the International Monetary Fund.

Things are falling apart for lack of competence on the part of the government. If the rot continues the PTI will need no enemies to overthrow its administration.

Brexit at last An uncertain future for the UK outside the EU

T

he United Kingdom has left the european Union at last, after having joined it in 1973, and voting to leave it in 2016, after a contentious referendum whose result split the country. The referendum’s 52-48 result showed that the British people were as divided about leaving as they had been about joining. One consequence of this narrow result that that some areas had actually favoured remaining. One such area was Scotland, and it was perhaps inevitable that the Scottish Assembly voted to have another referendum on whether to remain or not, after the 2014 referendum when Scotland voted to remain. however, the calculus of the Scottish nationalist Party is that there will be support for independence, and a decision to join the eU. Scotland is not the only problem for the UK; there is also the vexed question of Ireland. eire is an eU member, but northern Ireland is not. northern Ireland has to maintain contact with eire under the Good Friday agreement. There was a last-minute agreement, but only now will it be put to the test. There is the danger of the UK flying apart, something which those who campaigned to leave thought would happen if the UK stayed in the eU. The UK’s departure may give it some peace. It not only went through the referendum, but also two prime ministerial resignations and two elections, with only the last enabling a departure with an agreement. The agreement is only to seek an agreement; the UK now has to seek trade agreements with the eU itself, as well as those countries with which it has a trade agreement by virtue of being an eU member.

Pakistan is one of those countries. however, while it will revive its old relationship with the UK as a former colony, it must not let slide its relations with the eU. It also has to take into account the Pakistani diaspora in the UK, which is both old and numerous, as well as the less numerous and newer one which has developed in the eU. It should be noted that the european Parliament has taken a more proactive stance on the Indian lockdown of Kashmir, as well as its Citizenship Amendment Act, than UK’s Parliament. Borders may have changed, but interests remain.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

I

Travel to learn, not impress Fatima Zubair “But inner experience is only one source of human knowledge.”

—Allama Muhammad Iqbal

W

hen travelling abroad is increasingly a source of false pride, it must be discussed. The whole world travels, to relax, enjoy and explore a new place. People travel with an open mind, and a spirit of adventure. To interact with people in a new part of the world and to better acknowledge their lifestyles and their exotic culture. To learn and let the mind make new connections and correspondences in a new environment. To try and find answers to problems back home. Generally, the West (whom we copy so blindly) travels to relax, yet explore. Unfortunately, for us travelling is more a bane than a boon. Like most values imported from the West, these too lose their exuberance on their way to Pakistan. By the time that cultural ethos reaches us, it is already battered, bruised and weather beaten. hence, the outcome is we suffer from the import.

Most people travel to get a certificate they love to flaunt, confident they are fit for social mobility now. What kind of a rotten society is this?

What decadent values are we contemplating? Our society has gone to the dogs. I recently heard a schoolgirl, under 10, attending some topnotch school– where usually the gentry goes– saying all her classmates were travelling to Paris this year.

She ought to go because otherwise they would bully her. Seriously! Why are Pakistanis endlessly trying to copy the West, while forgetting the spirit of the endeavor. Why do people blindly follow one another? Why do we put people through so much, just to be able to be socially acceptable? We need to grow out of this status-consciousness and seek its true spirit.Yet despite the culture now, we can make travel meaningful.

Allah says in Al-Quran, “Travel the earth so you may know the fate of the many nations.” The most basic purpose of traveling lies in getting to understand the world, where one stands as an individual and where one’s country stands. The personal and social benefits of travel are mani-

fold; the Iqbal quote above is applicable to travel, to exploration of the world beyond ourselves.

Traveling certainly adds a new dimension to one’s thinking. It gives exposure that adds to one’s confidence. By traveling, one witnesses peoples from diverse backgrounds interact with one another and intermingle at ease. This direct contact opens one’s eyes to several truths likely overlooked in one’s domestic existence. It makes one more accommodating of the belief systems of different people and tolerant of their concerns over certain issues. It also stresses the need to focus on one’s own identity and how one can stand out amongst the litany of different races and ethnicities.

Traveling is usually fraught with new experiences and interactions with people one has never been with before. It opens our minds to the many perspectives that exist in the world, making a lucid impression of the beauty in diversity.

Traveling helps us judge whether or not we adjust well with the people, whether we blend in or act independently. This is reminiscent of the Charles Caleb Colton quote: “Those who visit foreign nations but associate only with their countrymen change their climate but not their customs.

They see new meridians but the same men, and with heads as empty as their pockets return home with travelled bodies but untravelled minds.”

The extent to which we embrace the elements of surprise and adventure inherent in travel tells us whether we can handle unexpected situations.

Secondly, it teaches us to form personalized opinions about certain issues and observe them through a neutral lens. Reading about places, people, their habits, and lifestyles does not do this.

The author tells what he or she perceives and not necessarily the truth. Thus, to relish the true essence of any culture, one has to go there.

Traveling breaks some of the barriers subconsciously in our minds. It is an exposure to the historical wealth of the visited region as well as a chance to develop one’s communication skills with the people indigenous to a particular area. Several of us Pakistanis criticize the Baloch; however, only some ever bothered visiting Balochistan. We buy what is presented to us without questioning.

Several of the beliefs I held so close were instantly overturned during experiences abroad. I believed hindus and Muslims could live quite peacefully together. however, I was only truly convinced of the opposite when I visited a hindu temple in Singapore. I was convinced that cohab-

Forced proselytism and the dream of Madina A body should be set up to stop forced conversions abdul rasool syed

T

he building of the Jaobabad civil court reverberated with slogans of “Allahu Akbar” when a newly wedded couple, including a bride named Mehak Kumari, re-named Alizah after conversion to Islam, reached to record their statement before a magistrate. The whole scene gave the impression that my Muslim brothers had conquered an impregnable fort.

For a moment, I was struck dumb, wondering what what was there to celebrate as a Muslim since it was a matter between two souls who turned a love-affair into marriage. Since it was impossible for a hindu girl to consummate her love without being Muslim, she was complled to embrace Islam.

Factually speaking, the episode entirely lacked the narrative advanced by my brothers in faith, that the girl, impressed by the true faith (Islam), decided to embrace it and marry a Muslim boy. hence, dragging religion into this by either side would be unfair and unjust, merely exploitation of religion for personal gains. The hindu community, therefore, should not attribute the act of an individual Muslim to all Islam and subject the religion to unwarranted strictures.

The hindu parents would be uncontrollable when they found their daughter recording she feared from them and hence prayed the court for protection from them. It was really a heart-wrenching moment for everyone in court. Thus the parents were subjected to humiliation in the name of that religion which holds parents in high esteem and makes hurting parents an unpardonable sin.

The parents alleged abduction by the boy and appraised the court their daughter was forcibly converted to Islam and then married. The matter is sub judice; let the court decide its truth.

As far as forceful conversion goes, it is happening in our country on a large scale exclusively in Sindh, which has a large hindu population. According to the Pakistan hindu Council, over eight million hindus live all over Pakistan, making up four percent of the country’s population. A majority of them reside in Sindh where they constitute 6.6 percent of the population, mostly concentrated in the urban areas of the lower Indus valley.

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

I

The famous madressas of Sindh at Bharchoondi and Amrot support such forceful conversions. These seminaries not only provide the abductor shelter and security, but also finance to lead his future life comfortably. encouraged by such support, our Muslim youth is now resorting to abduction and forced proselytism.

DR, Mehdi hasan, Chairperson of human Rights Commission of Pakistan (hRCP), remarks “Many madrassas in interior Sindh are actively involved in forced marriages. They are given patronage by political parties and influential figures in the province which further renders minority helpless.” he added that minorities did not feel secure in a country where no legislation exists to protect the rights and dignity of marginalized communities. “It is the responsibility of the government, state, and parliamentarians to make stringent laws to discourage the rising trend of forced conversion and unsolicited marriages. The matter becomes worse when the children under 18 are forced to marry.”

According to this year’s hRCP report, at least 1,000 girls are forcibly converted, the majority hindu. The lack of exact data is because a vast majority of instances aren’t reported. Moreover, hRCP believes over 20 hindu girls are kidnapped monthly. however, the victims’ parents remain deprived of justice, for it is the privilege of only the wealthy and powerful. The case of Rinkle Kumari should still be fresh. She was 16 when abducted, allegedly forcibly converted, and married to her kidnapper.

Twice she cried and pleaded to go back to her parents, once before the civil court, and then before the Supreme Court when it took up a pending petition on forced conversions by the Pakistan hindu Council. however, when the Supreme Court reassembled after a lengthy adjournment, she had changed her statement and accepted she converted and married of her own free will. no proceedings were ever initiated to learn what happened to change her mind, but we can all guess.

To end to this unjustified forced proselytism, in 2016, a bill was introduced in the Sindh Assembly. It was a welcome first step. For example, it provided for judges and the police to receive sensitization training, and that women be placed in a shelter, or paremts’ custody during court proceedings in which the conversion and subsequent marriage was under challenge (normally, the woman

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

I

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

I

itation was not all that simple. The media hype led by “Aman ki Asha” and the like was at once shrugged off. What these movements suggest is that the two peoples, Pakistanis and Indians, are the same and Partition was a mistake; hence, all borders are meaningless. however, the religious and cultural mores forming the cornerstone of each side’s psyche are distinct and almost incompatible.

Therefore, I realized such claims of false unity that falsify historical evidence and refuse to learn therefrom, have little grounding in facts and reality.

On the other hand, some people might propose the inevitable advantages of reading. Reading cannot be underrated; however, the significance of traveling is also not to be ignored. People refuse to acknowledge that physical exposure adds in many ways to individual learning. They belong to a group whose thinking seems farfetched in today’s world. nevertheless, traveling and interacting with different races might stir prejudice, clashes of opinion, bias, or even flames of indignation.

Some people also support the idea that individuality and achievement are derived from the person rather than his or her breadth of experience. Jane Austen did not have any significant traveling experiences and was limited to her tight family circle. Despite this, her thoughts were deeply insightful. This supports those who would disparage the importance of foreign travel. however, people like her are the exceptions.

There is still a preponderance of writers, philosophers, ideologues and artists who learned palpably from travel The rule that traveling opens one’s eyes to a broader context and enriches one’s experience, for better or for worse, is still relevant. nevertheless, while traveling broadens the mind, to say that without traveling, one cannot attain any intellectual heights, is presumptuous.

One needs to go out into the world and make meaningful correspondences, learn and apply to one’s own country. Only if we remember these values, can we make the most of the resources spent on this endeavor or else, we are simply adding fuel to the fire of endless lust which is making people uncomfortable financially. Let us be comfortable in our skins, and stand our ground while those around us spin. Let us grow up a little, travel for a purpose, not just because we need to spend more and reach a level higher than our social circle’s.

Fatima Zubair is a freelance columnist and author of the bestseller “A Child of the New Millennium, Stories and Essays from Pakistan”, launched in Kinnaird College for Women in 2015. She writes on international affairs, literature and humanities, holistically. remains with her husband). Perhaps, the most significant part was prohibiting someone from changing religion until 18 years old. Despite the bill being passed, the governor, on the alleged urging of PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari, refused assent.

The opposition was rooted in the proposed age restriction. Opponents said one could convert to the majority faith no matter one’s age. Moreover, The Council of Islamic Ideology also dubbed it ‘un-Islamic’. Therefore, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul haq egged on Zardari to withdraw the bill.

The hindu Marriage Act was also passed in 2017, which in addition to regulating hindu marriages was also designed to deal with forced marriages and conversions. however, it has not been implemented so far.

Forced proselytism is neither condoned by our religion and nor our Constitution. Islam repudiates it in categorically. The Quran says “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (2:26) and in another Surah which specifically deals with the religious freedom called “Al-kafirun” it says “say you, O infidels! I worship not that you worship and nor you worship what I worship. And I shall not worship what you worshipped, and nor you shall worship what I worship. For you, your religion, and for me my religion.” The holy Prophet (PBUh) was also a staunch advocate of the rights of non-Muslim minorities. In one of his sayings he (PBUh) said: “whoever hurts a zimmi (a non-Muslim), hurts me and whoever hurts me, hurts Allah.”

Article 20 of the Constitution guarantees religious freedom to every citizen. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah also upheld religious freedom. he once remarked: “You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place or worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the State” Prime Minister Imran Khan, who cherishes transforming Pakistan into the state of Madina, must take notice of this injustice to non-Muslim minorities and constitute a special body to suggest measures to arrest forced conversions, which bring notoriety not only to our country but also to Islam. This act of a handful severely impinges on our national cohesion, for it fosters antipathy between the two communities (hindu and Muslims). hopefully, the rulers would understand the sensitivity of the issue and devise an effective strategy to cope with this shameful practice, otherwise Imran’s dream of transforming Pakistan into the state of Madina, would never materialize.

Abdul Rasool Syed is a free journalist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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

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

Women riders

A litmus test of present Indian democracy The BJP has made a mess in all directions dr rajkumar singh

A

T the heart of the political system is the system of election. A keen observer of the Indian political scene argued that the way things are going today it is quite possible that India might become a paradox of successful elections and a failed democracy. This is related first to the assertion that India has operated the electoral system so far successfully is based on nothing but a misconception of the significance of the act of voting. Secondly, that to which it refers is not in the womb of the future; as a matter of fact, it is already with us and visible to all but the myopic. It is one thing to equate successful elections with our ability to extract some results, whether feeble or strong, barren or fruitful, from elections. This represents the travesty of elections in the sense that the act of voting signifies not infrequently the exercise of brutal force and that the cunning of power rather than the expression of the right of citizenship and civic virtue. As a result, the normative signification of the act of voting had been drained out, reducing elections to contests of power in which no holds are barred. An election where the majority of votes are cast on the basis of corrupt practices is not in reality a democratic election but a fraudulent one. The representatives who have come to power in such a process are not real representatives of the people, and the people have an inherent right to rebel against such an unrepresentative nature of this bogus leadership. Gandhi had demonstrated this truth in his actions against the government. People have the right for civil disobedience when the rulers have lost their legitimacy to rule.

Long betrayal of basic principles: Our electoral system as practised in India today has failed to liberate the wisdom of vox populi from its bondage to private passions. As a consequence, elections frequently yield an outcome that authorises private vices to protect and promote public good. To the extent that democracy in India has lagged behind in its sacred responsibility of promoting and protecting the public good, it has certainly failed. This failure can be attributed, in a large measure, to the way “We, the people of India” as members of a political community have gone about operating the electoral system. Despite the conduct of so many elections so far, the actual exercise of power in the country has yet to reflect true democracy. This has largely been because, unlike the elites and the middle classes, the poor in India are unable to generate pressure. It has been commented that ‘the very conditions which inhibit the masses from effectively organising to push their own interests, namely, their poverty, ignorance and isolation, and the hierarchical power structure of the Indian society, have made it possible for

India to hold general elections, based on uni- mass illiteracy and lack of understanding of the versal suffrage, without endangering political norms of democratic functioning.

Status today: Today the people are in a stability. however, the tardy functioning of democracy for 70-plus years has produced in mood which comes rarely in the life of a counIndia a vast college of political leaders at var- try. They are looking forward starry-eyed, to a ious levels who have learned the needs of per- new direction, a new era, a life. Last but not the suasion, accommodation and grass-roots least is a hope that India is a land of contradicsupport. There is a gradually developing un- tions. On the one hand every kind of malpracderstanding among them of the limitations of tice prospers, and on the other there are honest vote banks, pretentious leadership and the co- and competent men in top places who have ercion of the weak. These should stand the In- reached there without pulling or needing to pull wires. In such a country, dian state in good stead. hope is as much in order Lack of social emas despair. But the net repowerment: There has sult is that the entire sysalso been a failure to deLong betrayal of basic tem is tending to bend velop political capabiliand collapse beneath the ties to deal with principles: Our electoral weight of injustice, misexpanding pressures in system as practised in India governance, the tyranny an empowering society, of the police and of the to broaden the social base today has failed to liberate petty official, the easy of nationalism, to find the wisdom of vox populi corruptibility of the elite, political cover for pragand improbability and matic actions. The politifrom its bondage to private graft in their widest sense. cal elites have ceased to passions. As a consequence, Under the circumbe concerned about the stances, the national conconsequences of sectarelections frequently yield an science has to be roused ian mobilisation while outcome that authorises to such a degree that it seeking to make gains in cease to tolerate inter-elite struggles. The private vices to protect and would falsehood and dishonesty political class, which is promote public good. To the in public life. Standards supposed to be the leadof ethics and decency in ership class in a liberal extent that democracy in public life are less easy to democracy, is primarily India has lagged behind in its enforce by law than by to blame for this state of public opinion. hence, affairs. In the name of sacred responsibility of there must be a nationdemocracy, it destroyed promoting and protecting the wide campaign to dissemthe educational system, correct facts and corrupted the police and public good, it has certainly inate right ideas among the administration and is failed. This failure can be public at large. The best now criminalising policharity which one can do tics. They made no atattributed, in a large measure, in India is to carry knowltempt to educate our to the way “We, the people of edge to the people as people in the obligations Abraham Lincoln rightly that a democratic system India” as members of a held that the people places upon its citizens political community have would be able to face any on the manner in which crisis, provided only the they represent their needs gone about operating the correct facts were made and grievances or electoral system known to them. The duty thoughts through repreof the citizen is not sentations, dialogues, dismerely to vote but to vote cussions and non-violent wisely. he must be political lobbying, but left them to carry on their relations with gov- guided by reason, and by reason alone. he must ernment on the agitating and confrontationist vote for the best man, irrespective of any other basis which had been employed in the past consideration and irrespective of the party label. against their colonial rulers. Leaders of conse- A system, a society, a culture, a nation– these quence did not explain the people that democ- are collective entities. They are made up of inracy provided for periodic elections at which dividuals. If the quality of an individual who ruling parties and governments could be thrown make up the collective entities is wanting, it is out of power if they had misbehaved during the futile to do this. inter–election period. There was no recognition Dr Rajkumar Singh is head of the political of the serious obstacles that illiteracy and lack of civic consciousness pose to the efficient science department, B.N. Mandal Unversity, functioning of a democratic political system, Madhepura, Bihar, India. He can be reached at: nor was any serious attempt made to wipe out rajkumarsinghpg@gmail.com

DePenDenCY is an immense feebleness of every human being, but independence is soulful prosperity to do everything with inner potential. Typically, women sit at the back of motorcycle, behind a male member of the family, often nestling a child or two precariously in their laps , while their flowing dupattas risk getting entangled in the wheels of motorcycle, while is a common cause for accidents , it seems that dependency is the way to do nothing. As a result, hundreds of women were issued driving certificates and employment with a ride-hailing service at a packed event organised by Women on Wheels in Karachi.

Reportedly, a few months earlier, these women had received training after the initiative was launched in the city in november 2019. WoW has tried to empower thousands of women to ride motorcycles, along with offering them subsidised bikes, as a trace to encourage women’s mobility and normanlise their presence on the roads. however, Pakistani women have made tremendous plans over the years, and more and more women enter the workforce each year, the mere sight of a woman riding a motorcycle to reach her destination is still seen as an anomaly here. More importantly, women riding motorcycles or bicycles to get to work , to run errands, or simply for leisure are an everyday sight in many parts of Asia, including some Muslim countries. But in Pakistan and the belief that good women do not leave their homes or have lives independent of men is still persistent. As a result, it helps women to explore personal benefits of mobility and other parts of life.

Ambitiously, there are now plans to extend the programme to other parts of the Sindh, and with the continuation of such programme exists with spiritual consequences.

MUHIB SAttAR turbat

Pricier pilgrimage InFLATIOn is hitting all the needs of us, and even now the performance of religious rites has been the victim of price hike as well. newly on Friday, the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs has been told that the cost of performing haj under the government scheme has shot up by a steep Rs115,000. now performing the pilgrimage to the holy sites in hejaz will cost intending hajis Rs550,000 from the north of Pakistan, and a few thousand rupees less from the southern parts of the country. It was also stated that the sharp rise in haj cost has been attributed to depreciation of the rupee as well as a hike in taxes related to the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. It is doubtless that save up their entire lives to be able to perform haj, but the steep price hike will shatter this lifelong dream of the people. It is highly requested to the government of Saudi Arabia to have a better decision over it, because it can be tough for the middleincome people to perform haj if it remains so.

IMRAN RASHEED Kech

Absurd fees PRIvATe schools are expected to provide a superior education and the best teaching staff to their students. This is the reason that most of the parents wish to send their children to private schools. But unfortunately, the private schools exploit this desire via an exorbitant fee structure which permits only children of affluent families to private education. high fees in private schools is another issue where poor families are suffering. Actually they take extra money from the students and poor families are not able to afford them.

There has been a declaration by the supreme court of Pakistan calling for private schools to limit the increasing in their fees. Actually there are some other rules of private schools where parents are forced to submit the fees of summer vocation. That is totally unjust for parents. now it is high to stand against private schools and the authorities should take some serious notice on such issues and reduce these absurd fees.

MEHREEN MUNIR turbat

Coronavirus COROnAvIRUS is a massive issue for the world with its competence. The ratio of Coronavirus is incredibly increasing day by day in different countries, especially in China. According to a recent report, the death rate of affected people was 212 along others.

It is a dangerous and horrible disease for the world.

According to scientists, it doesn’t have proper treatment and it affects in many ways. A report from BBC that the scientists assumed that they would go for the recheck of the affected people near summer season in order to find the vicentes of its.

Similarly, the second bad news is for Pakistan that the students from Pakistan are affected in China. In case Pakistan invites the students so it is dangerous for the country. But unfortunately, they invited one who is affected by the virus.

And the complete public is worried about it. Because Pakistan doesn’t have enough facilities to save the civilians of her.

Therefore, everyone should pray that Allah the almighty must save us from this disease.

MAHtAJ SHoUKAt turbat

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

oIl clImbs as who Declares global health emergency

o

AGENCIES

IL prices rose on Friday following sharp losses this week, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) came out against travel and trade restrictions in declaring a global emergency over the spread of a coronavirus that originated in china last year.

Oil prices fell nearly four per cent through Thursday this week — hitting three-months lows — before rebounding on Friday, with investors and traders worried over how the spread of the virus would impact demand for oil and its products. “WHO’s decision […] to oppose restricting travel and trades against china boosted market confidence, even though the organisation declared a global health emergency,” said Margaret Yang, market analyst at cMc Markets.

Brent crude futures were 68 cents higher at $58.97 a barrel by 7:38am (GMT), after falling 2.5pc in the previous session. Brent is still down 2.8pc for the week. United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures were up by 70 cents to $52.84 a barrel. The contract fell 2.2pc on Thursday and is now 2.5pc lower for the week. Both benchmarks rose by more than $1 earlier in the session.

The WHO on Thursday declared that the coronavirus outbreak in china — which has killed more than 200 people there and has spread to some 18 countries — now constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation “doesn’t recommend — and actually opposes” restrictions on travel or trade with china. Despite the rebound in prices on Friday, analysts remained cautious and warned of further downside risks if the virus continues to spread.

“Oil’s January correction, a 13pc drop to be exact, was ripe for a bounce,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York.

“Oil is likely to remain vulnerable despite today’s optimism that the coronavirus has likely been contained,” he said.

Italy’s government decided to halt all air traffic between Italy and china, and airlines including Air France, American Airlines and British Airways have stopped flying to chinese cities.

“An escalation in alert levels around the world will likely curb demand travel and thus energy,” said cMc’s Yang.

Mostly due to a drop in chinese domestic and international transport activity, Wood Mackenzie lowered its estimates

for world oil demand by 500,000 barrels per day for the first quarter of 2020, according to consultant Yujiao Lei.

Benchmark oil prices were also buoyed by reports that Saudi Arabia has opened a discussion about moving an up-

Star quality: Telescope captures Sun in greatest detail ever AGENCIES A huge telescope built on the peak of a Hawaiian island has produced pictures of the Sun’s surface in unprecedented detail, revealing boiling plasma cells the size of Texas.

For the telescope’s director, that’s only just the beginning. The Sun is a giant ball of plasma (electrified gas) that has been observed from Earth for centuries from telescopes, and via satellites for decades.

But the resolution has been limited: the Japanese space telescope Hinotori had a mirror of 20 inches (50 centimetres). The new Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on the island of Maui has a 13-foot (four me-

ters) mirror, the world’s largest for a solar telescope.

“These images have the highest resolution that you’ve ever seen,” said Thomas Rimmele, the telescope’s director. “We now see structures that we suspected would be there, based on computer models, but we never had the resolution to really see them,” added the 60-year-old German astronomer.

Images first published Wednesday show a pattern of boiling plasma covering the Sun in cell-like structures. These are the result of violent motions transporting heat from the star’s interior to its surface.

The hot plasma rises in the bright centre of the cells, cools and then sinks below the surface in a process called convection. The telescope came online on December 10 after nine years of construction.

“It was a really emotional moment, I was really happy,” said Rimmele, who joined the project 25 years ago before eventually becoming its director. “It’s my life’s work.” Since the telescope focuses sunlight over a small area, it produces an enormous amount of heat.

“It gets really hot there, you can put metal there and it melts within a very short time,” said Rimmele.

CORONA AND SUNSPOTS: It will take six more months to install additional scientific instruments and make the telescope fully operational.

Ultimately, the goal is to measure the magnetic fields in the Sun’s atmosphere, and in particular in its corona, its outermost area that can be distinguished during an eclipse.

The magnetic fields govern solar flares that can affect air travel, disrupt satellite communications as well as bring down power grids and disable GPS, a relatively common event.

Mapping the Sun will thus help scientists deepen their understanding of these magnetic fields that regulate space weather, allowing us to anticipate storms and turn off sensitive equipment ahead of time.

The telescope has launched at an exciting time for astronomers: the Sun is about to enter a new 11-year cycle, in which it will start to produce new sunspots.

It is currently at the low ebb of its cycle and no spots are visible. “That is the goal, to publish a close-up image, highest resolution image ever of a sunspot,” said Rimmele.

Wars and viruses: Are robots less prone to market panic?

LONDON AGENCIES

Widely blamed for volatile “flash crashes” in currencies and equities, high-frequency algorithms may also be why shock global events, including the current coronavirus, seem to have lost their power to spook markets for any length of time.

Whether stocks, bonds, currencies or commodities, asset prices seem less prone to any selloff for very long; the U.S. killing of an Iranian general and Iran’s retaliatory missile attack are among potential catastrophes that triggered violent but surprisingly shortlived reactions just since the start of 2020.

In both cases, knee-jerk yen-buying and selling of equities faded within hours, allowing stocks to scale new record peaks. Now even as china’s coronavirus threatens to throttle economic growth, global stocks are not far off all-time highs. certainly, many factors are shaping the resilience, not least central bank money printing and rising global savings which boosted the value of world stocks by $25 trillion in the past decade.

Yet it is hard not to link the shift in reaction by financial markets to the rise of automated trading strategies. In the past six years, the share of algo-trading in the $6.6 trillion-a-day FX market has more than doubled to 27% among fund managers, a survey by Greenwich Associates found. There is some reason to believe algos cause volatility, especially when trading thins and the humans overseeing them vanish, for instance during public holidays. That’s what likely happened during the Wall Street flash crash of 2010 and dramatic but fleeting yen moves in Jan 2019.

But they also offer the advantage of being able to transact at lightening speed at any hour of the day or night, with razor-sharp accuracy and lower overall costs. Being machines, they are also alien to the common human impulses of fear and greed that tend to

take over. Algorithmic trading is dispassionate, said Scott Wacker, global head of fixed income, currency and commodity e-sales at JPMorgan, one bank at the forefront of the algo revolution.

“As a result, the reaction function in currency markets to even major geopolitical news has considerably shortened which enables stability to return more quickly.” In short, when left-field events hit, not only can algos scan and react swiftly to newsfeed, many now can gauge the potential asset price impact.

The most sophisticated can be “trained” to learn from the experience before the next shock.

One currency trader familiar with algo use said a machine reading coronavirus cases would typically buy stocks if informed of “500 new cases, 10 deaths”.

“If it’s ‘3000 new cases, 200 deaths’ they might sell.

“The point being that as soon as a headline is out, the machine-led market is trading on it,” the trader said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But the machines had ‘vol triggers’, he said, meaning they can stop trading when the market moves beyond specified limits.

HOW IT WORKS: Simple first- and second-generation programmes merely broke down large buy/sell orders into chunks to minimise market impact. Now

algos can be hooked up to sophisticated language processing technology, to “read and analyse” news feeds, then react accordingly, all in the space of seconds, said Antony Foster, head of G10 FX trading at Nomura.

However this can “lead to overreaction in the first instance”, Foster warned. The impact in fast-moving markets can be outsized if the models rapidly push prices towards existing buy/sell order levels, trip them and trigger other orders. That’s what happened when news broke of Iran’s Jan. 8 attack, according to a quant fund manager, who said algos had bought yen with the aim of triggering larger buy orders once a key option barrier was tripped.

A plausible comparison may be the 0.6% plunge in the S&P 500 within the space of half an hour on Jan. 29. The move came after American Airlines and Lufthansa said they were suspending their china flights, but an hour later, the losses had been recouped.

Stephane Malrait, ING Bank’s head of market structure and innovation, says in such instances algos are programmed to check if moves are in line with price trends. If the swings are in response to the an incident, human traders can step in to smooth out the trade, Malrait added.

Next, the algos may gauge the seriousness of the incident based on patterns of investor behaviour and economic consequences that followed previous such episodes. After the Iran missile attacks, the message from the specialised data-crunchers to the algos was: stand down. One was Geoquant, a U.S. firm which monitors geopolitical events and models the asset price impact. “We modelled our Iranian geopolitical indicator back to seven years... and put the current tensions against that backdrop,” said Geoquant cEO Mark Rosenberg, who concluded the risk would subside, with minimal oil price impact.

Another firm, Predata, applied its machine-reading algorithm to last September’s attacks on Saudi oil facilities, which had raised fears of a regional war.

CMYK

coming output policy meeting to early February from March following the recent slide in oil prices.

facebook begins crackdown on coronavirus misinformation

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it will take down misinformation about china’s fastspreading coronavirus in a rare departure from its approach to health content, after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a global health emergency.

The world’s biggest social network said in a blog post that it would remove content about the virus “with false claims or conspiracy theories that have been flagged by leading global health organisations and local health authorities”, saying such content would violate its ban on misinformation leading to “physical harm”.

The move is unusually aggressive for Facebook, which generally limits the distribution of content containing health misinformation through restrictions on search results and advertising, but allows the original posts to stay up.

That approach has angered critics who say the company has failed to curb the spread of inaccuracies that pose major global health threats.

In particular, misinformation about vaccination has spread far on social media in many countries in recent years, including during major vaccination campaigns to prevent polio in Pakistan and to immunise against yellow fever in South America.

Facebook, under fierce scrutiny worldwide in recent years over its privacy practices, has previously removed vaccine misinformation in Samoa, where a measles outbreak killed dozens late last year, after determining the situation was so severe that the inaccuracies were risks to physical harm, a spokeswoman told Reuters, calling the move an “extreme action”.

It also removed misinformation about polio vaccines in Pakistan, although the imminent harm in that case involved risks of violence against the health workers carrying out the immunisation campaigns, she said. AGENCIES

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

buSineSS 11

ProPoSAl to ArreSt Money lAundering SuSPeCtS without wArrAntS rejeCted

CORPORATE CORNER

ISLAMABAD

KARACHI: The 10th International Women Leaders’ Summit was recently held at a local hotel, where Arçelik -- Turkey’s largest manufacturer and the parentcompany of Dawlance, participated as one of the main partners of this prestigious conference. P R E S S R E l E A S E

LAHORE: TCL, one of the world’s top three TV brands, has marked the launch of its brand-new Android TV in Pakistan with the introduction of C8. P R E S S R E l E A S E

d

GHUlAM ABBAS

ESPITE a review request by the Ministry of Finance, the Senate's Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Friday rejected the draft law to arrest suspects of money laundering without arrest warrant.

The finance ministry needed this law to meet the conditions of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The draft law that was approved by the National Assembly and its standing committee but was objected by the upper house's committee, saying that it would give extraordinary power to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to arrest anyone without any notice and arrest warrant.

However, after recommending a few changes, the Senate committee, chaired by Sen-

SENATE BODY FEARS THE DRAFT LAW WILL GIVE FIA EXTRAORDINARY POWERS TO ARREST ANYONE ator Farooq H Naik, approved the Anti-Money Laundering Bill 2019.

Earlier, Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) Director General Mansoor Siddique briefed the committee on the proposed bill. He said that the government has proposed to attach for one year the properties of those people who had charges of money laundering.

The parliamentary panel approved the proposal to attach properties for six months to one year during investigations.

Regal Automobiles launches 800cc hatchback Pearl Prince

Taking another major decision, the Senate committee approved the initial investigation into money laundering cases by the FMU instead of other law enforcement agencies like FIA and police.

The committee further approved a 10-year sentence for money laundering, against the existing punishment of one to 10 years, besides a penalty of Rs10 million. The committee, in its previous meeting, had decided to keep the imprisonment term unchanged at 1-10 years and approved an increase in the fine amount from Rs1 million to Rs5 million.

The senators had disagreed with the impression from the government side that these amendments would strengthen its position before the FATF. They remarked that these issues could easily be settled with a better exchange of information among the financial institutions and improved governance.

PSX no longer recognises AMCAP Securities MEIRYUM ALI KARACHI

LAHORE: Pakistan’s leading shopping destination, Packages Mall, recently announced the launch of Kids Jungle Safari. The kids’ festival would continue till 9th February. PRESS RElEAS E

LAHORE SHAHAB OMER MULTAN: Hinopak, being the market leader of the industry, has added another feather to its cap by establishing a well-equipped, company-owned and managed 3S facility in Multan. P R E S S R E l E A S E

ISLAMABAD: A Business Incubation Programme for the youth of the newly merged districts was launched in the federal capital on Friday. Representatives of USAID, United Nations Development Programme, Bahria University and International Islamic University attended the ceremony. PRESS RE l E A S E

With an aim to provide cars on cheap rates, the Regal Automobiles Industries Limited has launched its much-awaited 800cc hatchback, Prince Pearl, in an impressive ceremony held in the provincial capital on Friday.

Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar graced the occasion along with other high-profile dignitaries and auto sector representatives. The car, which would hit the market from February 1st (tomorrow), would be in six different colours and at 16 3S dealerships across Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, the Punjab governor remarked, "It is heartening to see a local company taking the initiative to provide such a well-equipped and affordable automobile to the masses."

Talking to this scribe, Regal Automobiles Operations Director Tayyab Naseer said, "We have manufactured almost 400

to 500 units of Prince Pearl. Owing to the tough competition we face in the market, we are also striking agreements with the corporate sector to promote and sell our products. We want to break the monopoly of the already available and costly brands in Pakistan."

He said the company was offering a complete range of light, commercial, passenger and SUV range with complete aftersale services and technical support to the customers. "The company has invested Rs1.5 billion in this project to create jobs and ensure industrial and economic stability in Pakistan."

He informed that the company was providing EFI engine which produces 40HP and is equipped with modern features such as power windows, power steering, multimedia system and a warranty of three years or 60,000kms, whichever comes first.

Pearl Prince has been priced at Rs1,049,000.

Faisalabad Industrial Estate fetches $2bn investment: minister LAHORE: Punjab Industries and Trade Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal said on Friday an investment of $2 billion had been made in the Faisalabad Industrial Estate (FIE).

"Punjab has become a hub of local and foreign investment because of conducive atmosphere for investment and ease-of-doing-business," the minister said while talking to a delegation of industrialists and traders at his office.

Iqbal said a one-window operation facility has

been launched in the FIE while a Chinese language facilitation centre was also being established there.

He said seven special economic zones (SEZs) had been established in the public and private sector.

The minister informed the delegates that said the provincial industries department had so far received 18 applications for setting up new cement plants in the province.

"The investment of more than $1 billion is

expected through the installation of new cement plants."

The minister said the industries department would complete its process within 10 days on applications received for new cement plants and would forward the same to other concerned departments for further action.

"All resources are being utilized to accelerate industrialisation in the province," he concluded. STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has cancelled the Trading Rights Entitlement (TRE) of AMCAP Securities Ltd, according to a statement released by the exchange on Friday. According to the notification, PSX had previously suspended trading terminals of AMCAP on September 10, 2018. The PSX board formed a sub-committee to provide an opportunity for AMCAP to defend itself in a hearing, as per PSX regulations. However, the board “observed that despite lapse of considerable time, no satisfactory progress has been made by AMCAP towards the removal of causes of suspension.” This has led to the forfeiture of AMCAP’s TRE certificate with immediate effect. Effectively, this means AMCAP is no longer a recognized TRE certificate holder/brokerage firm. The notification also noted that “the forfeiture of the certificate of AMCAP does not affect the rights of its creditors and clients in any matter and AMCAP remains responsible for discharging all its financial obligations.” Separately, the PSX released another notification, where it informed investors and clients of AMCAP, to submit any claims they may have in relation to this news with the Regulatory Affairs Division of PSX in Karachi, Lahore, or Islamabad. The last date for submission of claims against AMCAP is March 2, 2020. This development is the culmination of the ongoing saga between the PSX and AMCAP Securities. The problem initially started on March 31, 2017, when the PSX investigated AMCAP for regulatory non-compliance and asked for a written explanation by April 4, 2017. AMCAP asked for an extension, which the PSX declined. Subsequently, on April 5, 2017, the PSX released a statement, saying it had suspended the trading terminals of AMCAP for violating the PSX rule book, in relation to Client Assets’ segregation and inaccurate Bookkeeping. Then on September 10, 2018, the PSX again conducted an inspection of AMCAP, for regulatory non-compliances, though this time the exchange did not specify which rules had been violated. Nonetheless, it suspended the trading terminals until further notice. Under the Stock Exchanges Act 2012, PSX issues 15 TRE Certificates each year, until 2025. The applicant must be a public or a private company, other than a Single Member Company, as defined in the Companies Ordinance, 1984. The company must also have a minimum paid-up capital of Rs50 million. A fee of Rs2.5 million is charged for the issuance of the new TRE certificate.

Trading company fined Rs5m for deceptive marketing practices ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) on Friday imposed Rs5 million penalty on Irshad Trading Corporation for copying the registered trademark, brand name and other designs of Polycon Pakistan in violation of Section 10 of the Competition Act 2010.

The competition, passing the fine order, emphasised the companies to sign written agreements before doing business together to avoid confusion, infringement

of rights and violation of laws.

Polycon Pakistan (Pvt) Limited had formally complained to CCP that Irshad Trading was using its registered trademark and brand name for manufacturing, marketing and selling water storage tanks and was also misrepresenting itself as a joint venture of Polycon.

Furthermore, the company was copying Polycon taglines, ‘since 1989,’ beware of copiers’, ‘made from food grade material’, and ‘capacity as embossed.’

Polycon further complained of undergoing business harm and reputation loss

due to deceptive marketing practices by Irshad Trading and sought the CCP’s intervention to help stop the company from misleading consumers.

The CCP’s enquiry established that a violation of Section 10 had happened on part of Irshad trading and recommended further action by the commission.

During the proceedings, Polycon stated that Irshad Trading had remained its authorised distributor until September 2018, after which its distribution agreement was terminated.

However, it continued to manufac-

ture, market and sell the products with its logo until February 2019, and only stopped the practice when the CCP took notice.

The owner of Irshad Trading didn’t deny the violation, saying that he had worked as Polycon distributor for almost 30 years.

He admitted that being unaware of the copyright laws and Section 10, he briefly manufactured water tanks using Polycon’s trademark even after termination of his distribution agreement. He, however, could not provide written agree-

ment of a joint venture with Polycon.

The CCP’s order stated that Irshad Trading fraudulently opted to free ride on the trademark, trade name and patented products of Polycon and falsely claimed to be the JV partner despite termination of its distribution agreement.

The order laid emphasis on the importance of written agreement between the parties doing business together.

In view of the commitment by Irshad Trading to avoid such deceptive marketing practice in future, CCP took a lenient view and imposed Rs5 million penalty.

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

12 buSineSS MARKET DAILY

Stocks shed 272 points in volatile session KSE-100'S WEEKLY RETURN STOOD AT 2.35PC, WHEREAS ITS MONTHLY RETURN CLOCKED IN AT 2.20PC KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) experienced a rollercoaster ride on the last trading session of the week, as the indices failed to sustain gains accumulated earlier in the day and closed in the red zone. The benchmark KSE-100 Index's one-month return was recorded at 2.20pc, whereas its one-week return clocked in at -2.35pc. Foreign investors offloaded equities worth $1.81 million on Thursday with major selling witnessed in the banking ($0.757 million) and cement ($0.647 million) sectors. The benchmark KSE-100 Index opened the day on a positive note, posting its intraday high at 42,137.40 after gaining 233.89 points. However, it soon lost control of proceedings, landing to its intraday low at 41,558.74 after dropping 344.77 points. The index finally settled lower by 272.57 points at 41,630.94. Among other indices, the KMI-30 Index declined by 603.98 points or -0.89pc to close at 67,075.02, while the KSE All Share Index depreciated by 55.99 points, ending at 29,067.54. The overall trading volumes were recorded at 193.42 million.

Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +1.01pc) turned out to be the volume leader of the day, followed by Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL +4.51pc) and TRG Pakistan Limited (TRG +0.45pc). The scripts had exchanged 24.03 million, 23.55 million and 12.42 million shares, respectively. Sectors that painted the index red included banking (-120.41 points), oil & gas exploration (-100.22 points) and cement (-46.47 points). Among the companies, Pak Petroleum Limited (PPL -38.16 points), United Bank Limited (UBL -30.84 points) and Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK -29.64 points) dented the index the most. Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL -2.91pc) announced its financial performance for the second quarter of FY20. The company's revenue shrunk by 22pc YoY which resulted in a gross loss of Rs-1.14 billion. As the company’s “other income” increased by 99pc YoY, its loss per share reduced from Rs-8.42 to Rs-6.06.

income tax deadline extended till Feb 28 The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Friday extended the deadline to file income tax returns till February 28, 2020, to facilitate taxpayers. “In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, the Federal Board of Revenue is pleased to extend the date of filing of Income Tax Returns/Statements for the Tax Year 2019,” read an official notification. “Associations of persons who were required to file their income tax returns for the tax year 2019 first by Sept 30 and then by an extended deadline of January 31, 2020, but failed to do so will now be able to file their income tax returns by February 28, 2020.”

Earlier, the FBR had extended the deadline to file income tax returns for the tax year 2019 till January 31, 2020. BUSINESS DESK

lPg price for domestic cylinder slashed by rs111 The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Friday issued a price-revision notification of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for the month of February. According to the notification, the authority has decreased the locally produced LPG price by Rs111.27 per cylinder of 11.8 kilogramme. After the revised prices, the cylinder would be sold in the open market at Rs1,680.21, which was available at Rs1,791.48 during the month of January. The per metric tonne (MT) LPG rate has been fixed at Rs142,391.68 for the month of February. The commodity sale price for per MT LPG was Rs151,821.13 during the month of January. BUSINESS DESK

AFter gidC wAiver, FertilizerS reduCe PriCeS ISLAMABAD

e

GHUlAM ABBAS

NGRO Fertilizers has decided to fully pass on the benefit of the change in GIDC [Gas Infrastructure Development Cess] rates to consumers by reducing the price of each bag of 50kg by Rs160 with effect from February 1.

Similarly, the Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) will reportedly reduce the rates by Rs300/bag.

The impact of the reduction in GIDC varies for different fertilizer manufacturers, Engro and Fatima Fertilizer claim that the cess does not apply to their plants established under the 2001 policy.

“Due to incentive of around $0.70 per mmbtu on feedstock gas, Engro made a massive investment of over $1billion by setting up of a state-ofthe-art new fertilizer plant with a capacity of 1.3million tonne,” said an official of the company.

Engro maintains that GIDC was applicable at its 0.63million tonne plant and price reduction will be implemented during the ongoing Rabbi season.

There are three main players in the fertilizer sector: Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) is the largest one with a production capacity of 2.45m tonnes per annum, followed by Engro Fertilizer with a capacity of 1.95m tonnes per annum, and Fatima Fertilizer with a capacity of 1m tonnes per year.

Meanwhile, the impact of the reduction in GIDC varies for different fertilizer manufacturers, based on their incorporation date, as those units established prior to the 2001 fertilizer policy have to pay Rs300 MMBTU as feedstock. Whereas units established under 2001 fertilizer policy were offered gas feedstock rates at $0.70 per mmbtu.

Meanwhile, the fertilizer companies have said that farm economies have improved over the past years.

In 2019, the farm economics have significantly improved as output prices have increased and that is reflected by the fact that the industry made record sales of urea, touching 6.2 million tonnes compared to a five-year average of 5.7m tonnes.

In December 2019, the industry recorded a

Standard Chartered’s Shazad Dada elected as OICCI president BUSINESS DESK Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Limited Chief Executive Officer Shazad Dada has taken over as president of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) for the 2020 term.

This was announced at the OICCI’s 160th Annual General Meeting held at the chamber on Friday.

Shell Pakistan Limited Managing Director Haroon Rashid was elected unopposed as the vice president.

Other elected members of the OICCI managing committee for 2020 included Syed Anis Ahmed of Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Imran Ahmad Khan of Bayer Pakistan (Pvt) Limited, Ghiasuddin Khan of Engro Corporation Limited, Irfan Siddiqui

of Meezan Bank Limited, Marek Andzej Minkiewicz of Metro Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd, Astushi Fujii of Mitsubishi Corporation, Samer Chedid of Nestle Pakistan Limited and Dr Imran Rasheed of Novartis Pharma (Pakistan) Ltd. In his message to the members, incoming OICCI president Shazad Dada said he strongly believes that Pakistan offers considerable growth potential for existing foreign investors and attractive opportunities for new investors. He said his conviction is supported by OICCI members who invested over $13 billion in new capital expenditure in the last seven years.

He opined that the current dip in the economic cycle of the country will soon revert to a positive trend. He lauded the role of OICCI for promoting

Pakistan to potential foreign investors during the chamber’s regular interaction with foreign business and governmental delegations and senior diplomats based in and outside Pakistan.

Shazad Dada also appreciated the quality of OICCI business climate/perception surveys, the chamber’s focused and continuing advocacy efforts for streamlining the taxation system, giving practical policy input for increasing the efficiency of energy sector, initiatives on women empowerment and gender equality, the chamber’s role in improving the security environment, and in taking the Intellectual Property Rights regime in Pakistan to a higher level, which included the publication of a comprehensive IPR manual for the benefit of all innovators and brand owners.

sale of 1.4m tonnes - highest ever for the month of December with prices at Rs2,040.

Whereas the analysts believe that current conditions would create market distortion as all players are needed to fill in the demand-supply gap.

If FFC reduces prices with its ability to meet 50 per cent of market demand, other industry players can still maintain the prices at the current level.

On the other hand, the industry is also divided over the gas rates hike because the FFC has asked the government to increase fuel gas price, instead of feedstock, as it is uniform at Rs1,021 per mmbtu for all the plants.

Whereas, Engro and Fatima fertilizers have suggested that the government increase the feedstock rates because it is fixed at $0.70 per mmbtu for them compared to Rs 300 per mmbtu for Fauji Fertilizers.

Different players would continue to have a disparity in their cost structures, as is the case right now, the selling prices of urea had been and would continue to be determined by the demandsupply dynamics.

Petrol price remains unchanged for February BUSINESS DESK The government has decided to keep the price of petrol unchanged for the month of February.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) had recommended increasing diesel and light diesel oil (LDO) prices by Rs2.47 and Rs1.1 per litre respectively for February.

The authority had also recommended a reduction in the prices of petrol and kerosene

by Rs0.06 and Rs0.66, respectively. However, the authorities have decided to keep the price of petrol unchanged at Rs116.60 per litre for February. An official said OGRA had forwarded the summary to the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) which would then forward it to the finance ministry for final approval before making it public. Since July 2019, Pakistan has been receiving monthly oil supplies worth $275 million from Saudi Arabia. Under this arrangement, Pakistan will get $9.9 billion over three years.

7MFy20: FBr shortfall clocks in at rs103bn ISLAMABAD

Senate committee rejects report on DISCOs' losses The Senate's Sub-Committee on Power rejected on Friday the figures presented by the distribution companies (DISCOs) regarding improvement in annual losses, asking the national power regulator to improve performance.

Convened by Senator Syed Shibli Faraz, a meeting of the committee was held at the Parliament House to deliberate upon losses and recoveries by DISCOs. The committee was informed that the losses incurred by DISCOs in 2019 improved by 0.61 per cent. It was also told that the Power Division had planned to introduce economical electricity units into the system.

However, convener Senator Syed Shibli Faraz took serious notice of the figures presented to the committee, saying those (figures) were misleading since fuel price and other expenses

were included in the losses.

Expressing regret over the presentation, the senator said even the managing boards of DISCOs had not been revamped.

He emphasized the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to play a proactive role in protecting the rights of the people.

Faraz underscored the need for effective coordination between the Power Division, NEPRA and DISCOs. Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak stressed the need for outsourcing to improve the performance of DISCOs, saying the smart metering project is no solution to power theft.

Senator Sirajul Haq asserted that the ordinary public must not be burdened by the fuel prices. BUSINESS DESK

SHAHZAD PARACHA

Shortfall in the Federal Board of Revenue’s revenue in first seven months of the current fiscal year (FY20) was recorded at Rs103 billion.

Sources said the FBR had collected Rs2,406 billion in 7MFY20, as against the revised target of Rs2,509 billion. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had earlier revised the FBR’s target downwards by Rs273 billion for FY20, from Rs5,598 billion to Rs5,258 billion. During the period under review, the tax department collected Rs913 billion as income tax, Rs1,036 billion sales tax, Rs145 billion excise duty and Rs380 billion as customs duty. The department has also paid Rs68 billion as refunds during the said period. The FBR had attributed tax collection shortfall to the significant reduction in the country’s imports. According to the revenue board, an estimated loss of Rs56 billion was incurred due to import compression.

Oil falls as virus outbreak shakes growth predictions NEW YORK AGENCIES

Oil prices fell on Friday, on track for a fourth straight weekly loss, on mounting worries about economic damage from the coronavirus that has spread from China to around 20 countries, killing more than 200 people.

Brent crude fell 21 cents to $58.08 a barrel by 10:36 a.m. ET (1536 GMT), down 4.3pc on the week.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 51 cents to $51.63 a barrel, down

4.9pc on the week. The losses came after both benchmarks had risen more than $1 a barrel early in the session.

Disruptions in supply chains and travel curbs prompted economists to temper growth expectations for China, the world’s second-largest economy.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs said the outbreak is likely to shave 0.4 percentage point from China’s economic growth in 2020 and could also drag the US economy lower.

The outbreak could cut China’s oil demand by more than 250,000 barrels per

day (bpd) in the first quarter, analysts said.

“In our view, there still remains considerable uncertainty on the duration and economic impact of the virus,” said Harry Tchilinguirian, global oil strategist at BNP Paribas in London.

Saudi Arabia has opened a discussion about moving up a scheduled March policy meeting to early February to address the outbreak’s impact on crude demand.

“The cartel stands ready to act again if necessary but may accept the shortterm pain for now on the expectation that the economic consequences won’t be as

bad as people fear and price will bounce back to more acceptable levels on its own,” said Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA. Many companies planneed to return to work on Friday after a week-long celebration for China’s Lunar New Year’s holiday, but authorities have ordered businesses in many areas to stay shut longer to contain the disease.

Growth in China’s factory activity faltered in January. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell to 50.0 from 50.2 in December, China’s National Bureau of

Statistics (NBS) said. The 50-point mark separates growth from contraction.

A Reuters poll on Friday indicated oil prices should remain supported near current levels this year as political risks and OPECled output curbs offset growing supply.

The poll of 50 economists and analysts was conducted mainly before the coronavirus outbreak.

On Thursday, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a global emergency, but calmed the markets by opposing travel restrictions and expressing confidence in Chinese authorities.

MIRAGE releases the pop-rock inspirational song BARHE CHALO from the album, Doosri Dastak!

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

Boulevard One hosted their first ever, exclusive fashion show ‘A Vogue Moment’ at the Palace Downtown Dubai and what a memorable affair it was!

Against the striking backdrop of the majestic Burj Khalifa and the beautiful fountain shows, models donning exquisite outfits by renowned designers HSY, Maheen Karim and Hussain Rehar walked the red carpet runway. All of Dubai’s fashionistas were there, in their elegantly draped kaftans and glittering dresses. The event celebrated the launch of Boulevard One’s new social segment.

One of Pakistan’s best live musical act MIRAGE [#MirageTheBand], has released the pop-rock inspirational song, Barhe Chalo, from their second album, Doosri Dastak.

Indeed, Barhe Chalo marks the fifth release from Doosri Dasktak, having previously released ‘Befiker’, 'Panchi' featuring Alycia Dias, 'Pyar Hua', and ‘Zara Suniye Tou’ featuring Natasha Khan. Barhe Chalo, played and recorded live, is a song which highlights the importance of change needed in the times we live in, and that the change can only come from within. “We once shot the video for this song a few years ago but unfortunately lost the footage. Last month, we shot 6 videos of our live sessions back at the studio. We have experimented with different styles this time and believe that each song will have a different set of listeners. These are going to be performance based videos with different setups and looks since every song has a very different direction of sound and feel. We wanted to keep these simple and effective.

We are excited to be back and this time we shall be a little more consistent!” said Saad Hayat and Rehan Nazim. With composition and lyrics by both Saad Hayat [who also features on keys] and Rehan Nazim [who also features on the vocals], Barhe Chalo features Mohsin Raza Shah on guitars, Shane Kerr on bass and Ajay Harri on drums. Barhe Chalo has been mixed, mastered and produced at Saad Hayat Studio in Karachi. Conceptualized and Co-Directed by Saad Hayat, the music video for Barhe Chalo features Asghar Ali Ghanchi as Co-Director & Cinematographer, Art Director Hasan Ahmed, Styling by Aafreen Shahab, Hair and Makeup by Sikander Khan, Wardrobe by Naghma’s, Line Production by Azeem Arif and Adnan Yunus, Edit & Post by Bilal A. Mughal with Post by Kashif Ahmed Khan.

Nobody Buying 'Birds Of Prey' Tickets

Robert Pattinson Batman Is 'Crazy'

Could DC's "woke" Birds Of Prey movie be DOA before it's even released as apparently nobody is buying tickets?

Birds of Prey tickets actually went on sale Wednesday which saw me scoop up three tickets about an hour after they went on sale for the Thursday night preview.

I was expecting the theater to be near sold out, as usually for a Thursday preview night if I don't get tickets as soon as they go on sale, I'm sh-t out of luck.

Well, I actually bought the first three tickets in the movie theater.

On our way to the Buffalo Sabres hockey game tonight, I mentioned to my 15-year-old son that I had bought tickets for Birds of Prey next Thursday. He asked me how many (in hopes that I didn't buy him one as he has no interest in seeing the flick; he really didn't like Suicide Squad, so he isn't too excited about Birds of Prey, though I did tell him the two aren't related), but I did end up getting him a ticket.

So tonight I checked the theater to see how many tickets have been sold, and to my surprise, only two other tickets have been sold.

Robert Pattinson talks more about what drew him to The Batman as he says what he likes about the titular character is that he's “crazy and perverse” -- something that draws the 33-year-old actor to all the roles he plays.

While promoting the UK release of The Lighthouse, the BBC interview goes over various roles and movies Robert Pattinson has been involved with, including Twilight and the upcoming Christopher Nolan "time-twisting thriller," Tenet, which is released in July, where Pattinson also compares the roles he has played to Batman: Batman is one of the “crazy and perverse” characters he usually plays. “Out of all the big roles that I knew of in that kind of realm,” he muses, “there was just something about this one.”

Regarding The Lighthouse, Robert Pattinson reveals he contacted the director, Robert Eggers, after watching Eggers' The Witch where the two were collaborating. Eggers was trying to get Pattinson to play the type of English aristocratic role that he had been so determined to avoid, but Pattinson told Eggers he wanted something really, really crazy.

CMYK

Ayushmann Khurrana looks back at his Roadies days: ‘I am really surprised that I was in Roadies 15 years ago’ Actor Ayushmann Khurrana looks back at his Roadies days with some amusement and surprise, and says he is glad that the adventure reality show is still popular among he youngsters.

“I am really surprised ki 15 saal pehle main Roadies mein tha (I am really surprised that I was in ‘Roadies’ 15 years ago), and it’s the 17th season now,” Ayushmann said.

“I am glad that uski TRP itni badi later on. (I am glad that the show has garnered TRP). I am really proud of Rannvijay (Rannvijay Singha) that he is taking it forward so well. I am a huge fan of Raftaar. Neha Dhupia, Nikhil Chinappa and Prince -- all are my old friends. I always wish the best of luck to them,” he added.

Asked if he would like to be a part of the show again, Ayushmann said: “Kaash.” The 17th season of Roadies is titled Roadies Revolution. The show will go on air on February 15 on MTV.

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

14 SPORTS

ThieM sTorMs inTo final wiTh 'king of ausTralia' Djokovic Melbourne

T

Agencies

IRELESS Dominic Thiem came from a set down to outlast German Alexander Zverev and make his first Australian Open final Friday, booking a showdown with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, a man he called the "king".

The 26-year-old fifth seed, the first player from Austria ever to reach the Melbourne decider, battled past seventh-ranked Zverev 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4) on a sweltering evening.

"It was an unreal match, two tiebreakers, so tough and so close. It was almost impossible to break him," said Thiem. "Being in the Australian Open final is unreal. What a start to the season for me." Defending champion Djokovic awaits him after the second seed ended Roger Federer's dreams in straight sets Thursday to make his eighth Melbourne Park final. "He's the king of Australia," Thiem said of the Serb. Thiem has his work cut out against the Serb who is on a 12-match unbeaten streak this season and has won all seven of the Australian Open deciders he has contested.

And if Djokovic needs extra motivation, winning on Sunday will see him

reclaim the world number one ranking after Rafael Nadal crashed to Thiem in the last eight. But there is a glimmer of hope -- Djokovic is 6-4 in their head-toheads, but Thiem has won four of the last five. "It's absolutely his comfort zone here. He always plays his best tennis in Australia since many, many years, said Thiem of the Serb.

"I need to try and be in the zone straight away on Sunday night."

Thiem had dealt with semi-final pressure before, although always on the slower red clay at Roland Garros, where he reached the past two finals only to be beaten by Nadal.

That experience paid dividends as he coolly closed out the match after 3hrs 42 mins to give himself another chance to break the stranglehold of the Big Three and win his first Grand Slam.

A jittery Thiem was broken in the opening game, saving two break points before sending a backhand wide to immediately be on the back foot. Both players were nervous and the German failed to consolidate, broken straight back. Their momentum was interrupted when rain began falling and the roof needed closing, but it was only a brief intermission and Zverev resumed to hold for 2-2. Thiem was still struggling

with his first serve and a double fault handed the German a chance to go 4-3 in front and he grabbed it.

Zverev took command, putting 90 percent of his booming first serves in, and broke again to seal the set as the Austrian error-count mounted.

But the 22-year-old lost focus and two double faults in game three of the second set handed Thiem a 2-1 lead.

Zverev managed to break back but he was too erratic as Thiem broke again and clung on, firing an ace to take set two. Bizarrely, play was halted for nine minutes one game into the third set when a light went out above the baseline and it bothered Zverev.

When they resumed, Thiem held serve and then broke with an epic backhand winner as Zverev again lost concentration and the momentum appeared to shift. Thiem is one of the best returners in the game and was getting almost every ball back. He looked to be on his way, but Zverev refused to surrender and broke again to even it up.

It went to a tiebreak where Thiem turned on the style to take a stranglehold on the match. There was little between them in the crucial fourth set as they traded blows. It went to serve and another tie-breaker when Thiem's experience helped him over the line.

Thai weightlifting board resigns after fresh doping allegations Agencies Thailand's embattled weightlifting board has resigned in fresh fallout for the scandal-hit sport after an explosive documentary claiming misconduct and doping violations reverberated around the world.

German broadcaster ARD aired an undercover film earlier this month alleging a "culture of corruption" had been established in the Olympic sport, with prominent weightlifters rarely subjected to drugs tests and cash being taken by doping controllers to accept manipulated urine samples.

International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) president Tamas Ajan agreed to relinquish his duties for 90 days while an independent investigation is carried out. But the undercover team also ensnared Thailand's weightlifting program, including an interview in which 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Siripuch Gulnoi (formerly Rattikan Gulnoi) admitted to using steroids when she was 18 years old -- something that could see her stripped of her prize.

The Thai Amateur Weightlifting Association said in a statement dated January 30 that the athlete was not aware she was being filmed and was "cheated" but

that executive members of the board including its president resigned to "protect this national sport with our beloved country".

The statement admitted that in 2011 there was a doping scandal among Thai weightlifters but that it stemmed from provincial member clubs and those involved were sanctioned.

Until recently weightlifting was one of Thailand's most prestigious sports, but its reputation cracked after nine Thais including two reigning Olympic champions were suspended after positive drug tests late last year. Thailand then voluntarily banned itself from the Olympics and from hosting the September championships in the beach town Pattaya, which went on without any Thai athletes taking part.

But the World Anti-Doping Agency has described the allegations related to Thailand in the film as "new and of great concern".

The documentary by journalists including Hajo Seppelt, who broke the story on Russia's state doping scandal, claimed that half of the 450 World Championship or Olympic medallists between 2008 and 2017 were not asked to undertake any doping tests.

A doctor for the Moldovan team was also caught

on hidden camera explaining how urine samples could be manipulated.

Beyond doping, the report accused the IWF of transferring $5 million in funding from the International Olympic Committee into two Swiss accounts overseen only by Ajan. Hungarian Ajan, 81, has been at the IWF since 1976 serving 24 years as general secretary and the past 20 as president.

He has led a very public effort to clean up the sport's image and claimed the documentary's allegations were unfounded.

Zidane not considering Bale exit on transfer deadline day Zinedine Zidane has said he is "not contemplating" Gareth Bale leaving Real Madrid on Friday before the end of the January transfer window. Bale came close to joining Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning last summer and English newspaper the Times reported on Friday the Welshman was in talks to rejoin his former club Tottenham. But a source at Spurs has told AFP they are not in negotiations to sign Bale this month. Another source close to the player insisted earlier this week that "nothing has changed" and he would not be leaving Real Madrid in January. Asked about the possibility of Bale being sold on Friday, Zidane said in a press conference: "Gareth is with us, I'm counting on him. I do not contemplate this possibility." Bale was left out of the squad to face Real Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, having completed only one full training session following an ankle injury.

Zidane would not say if he would return for the city derby against Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. "I'm not going to tell you who is going to play," Zidane said. "The players all have to be prepared." There was also a positive update regarding the fitness of Eden Hazard, who has recovered from his foot injury and could feature against Atletico. Agencies

Muguruza climbs back from brink to make Melbourne final Garbine Muguruza won only one match between June and December last year.

Suffering illness, she was then thrashed 0-6 by a qualifier in her first set at the Australian Open. Now the 26-year-old faces American surprise-package Sofia Kenin in the final in Melbourne on Saturday, on the cusp of a third Grand Slam title. The Venezuelan-born Spaniard has been keen to play down the swift transformation in her fortunes, but the facts speak for themselves. Dial back to July 2017, when Muguruza won Wimbledon to go with her French Open title a year earlier.

In September 2017 she rose to world number one. What followed was a gradual but marked decline that she is only reversing now. Muguruza won one title in 2018, in Monterrey, Mexico, the other high point reaching the French Open semi-finals. She retained her Monterrey crown in 2019 but lost in the first round at Wimbledon in July, precipitating a dire run where she reached only one second round in five tournaments.

In Melbourne, Muguruza bristled at one reporter's suggestion that she had been stuck in a "coma" for the last two years. "I think a 'coma' is a pretty strong comment. I would say I think those years were less successful if you compare them to my previous years," said Muguruza, unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2014. Agencies

Gunslinger Mahomes targets Super Bowl glory Agencies During a recent practice with the Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes told teammate Damien Williams to sprint downfield with his eyes shut and arms open.

"He said 'Just hold your arms out and wait for the ball,'" Williams recalled this week. Seconds later, Mahomes duly zipped a pass into Williams' waiting arms with pinpoint accuracy.

"Pat's always trying to see what he can do differently," Williams says with a laugh. It is a story that gives an insight into the kind of environment that has helped carry the 24-year-old Mahomes and the Chiefs into Sunday's Super Bowl against San Francisco.

Under coach Andy Reid, Mahomes is given free rein to express the full range of his talents, from audacious no-look passes to his signature howitzer throws downfield. Mahomes laughs when asked about Williams' eyes-closed anecdote.

"We like to have fun," Mahomes said.

"It's more about seeing what we can do and can't do."

A willingness to experiment with the unexpected has been a hallmark of Mahomes career from his earliest playing

days. The no-look passes were something he began to try during his college career, and that buccaneering style has been encouraged by Reid. "(Reid) always says training camp is the time to throw interceptions," Mahomes says. "So that's allowed me to have the confidence to do that stuff in the game.

But it's very risky -- so you have to make sure you complete it when you do do it."

Selected by the Chiefs with the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft, Mahomes' career took off the following year when he was promoted to starter. An astonishing season saw him finish with 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns, only the second quarterback in history to post those numbers after Peyton Manning.

That stellar year, which culminated in an MVP award, also made him one of only eight quarterbacks to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a season.

BaseBall Background: Mahomes believes much of his prodigious arm strength and accuracy can be traced back to his days playing baseball.

He is the son of former Major League Baseball pitcher Pat Mahomes, and as a youngster would often accompany his father for throwing practice.

"Baseball helped me a ton, being able to throw accurately, off platform," Mahomes says. "It has really helped."

Mahomes also benefits from an icecold temperament in pressure situations.

When the Chiefs trailed 24-0 to the Houston Texans in this season's playoffs, there was no trace of panic from the young quarterback. The Chiefs ran out 51-31 winners.

Eric Bieniemy, the Chiefs offensive co-ordinator, says Mahomes' leadership in the locker room had also impressed the coaching staff since his arrival.

"We knew the kid was special when we drafted him," Bieniemy told AFP. "We knew we had a big arm. But the thing I love is his ability to lead.

"Players gravitate towards him. He's not afraid to tell guys 'Hey, get on my back, I'm going to take you to the Promised Land'.

"That's the thing that stands out more than anything. His willingness to make himself vulnerable. The kid has a beautiful mind. Coaching him is a lot of fun."

Mahomes meanwhile takes all the plaudits in his stride, revealing that he has always been determined to maintain a consistent personality throughout his life.

"I never wanted to change, never

CMYK

wanted to change my personality," Mahomes told reporters. "I always said I wanted to be the same person in middle school that I am now." That even temperament ought to ensure nerves are not a problem as he prepares to play in his first Super Bowl this weekend.

A victory would make him the second youngest quarterback to lift the Vince

Lombardi Trophy after the Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger in 2006.

"It's not about nerves -- it's about having fun and going out and enjoying being with your teammates," Mahomes said.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that I hope I have many times in my life.

I'm excited to go out there with my brothers to try and win."

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

SPORTS 15

kusal MenDis half-cenTury frusTraTes ZiMBaBwe as sri lanka eye Draw

a

Agencies

post-lunch session that had looked to be gradually slipping towards a stalemate was brought to life by some innovative captaincy from Sean Williams, who towards the latter part of the session had a short extra-cover, short over, short mid-off, short mid-on and short midwicket in place.

The unorthodox field setting secured the prized scalp of Angelo Mathews, but in a session that yielded just 51 runs for Sri Lanka - who have seven wickets in hand - a draw still looks like the most likely result.

Following a morning session that had seen some positive cricket from Oshada Fernando and Kusal Mendis to take Sri Lanka comfortably through to lunch after the early loss of Dimuth Karunaratne, the afternoon's cricket saw Sri Lanka shut the shop down.

Despite Sikandar Raza striking with his first ball after lunch, getting one to pitch and straighten from around the wicket to trap Fernando lbw, the next hour or so was a pretty dour affair.

During that period, Sri Lanka went lengthy periods between boundaries, with both Mathews and the usually adventurous Mendis happy to just see out the

TeA Sri LAnkA 293 AnD 156 for 3 (MenDiS 80*, MuMBA 1-13) TrAiL ZiMBABwe 406 AnD 247 for 7 Dec (TAyLor 67, wiLiAMS 53*, fernAnDo 2-43) By 204 runS overs, which was likely what brought about Williams' out of the box plan.

Almost immediately Mathews fell victim as he was only able to prod a shortof-a-length delivery from Victor Nyauchi to Craig Ervine at short mid-on.

The remainder of the session saw Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal oscillate between the odd aggressive stroke and staunch defence as the hosts simply

waited, hoping the pitch - which was holding up for the seamers and turning for the spinners - and the unusual field placements would provide a breakthrough.

Zimbabwe had earlier declared their second innings on 247 for 7 after just one ball today: an uncharacteristic leg-stump half-volley by Suranga Lakmal that Sean Williams flicked over deep square leg for six. The shot brought up Williams' third

Test fifty, but more importantly, Zimbabwe got the chance to use the heavy roller on a dry Harare deck at the start of the day. The idea presumably being to widen some of the cracks on the pitch, and give their bowlers a better chance of bowling out a team in the fourth innings of a Test for just the seventh time in their history.

Zimbabwe for their part weren't being overly aggressive with their tactics, stick-

ing more or less to what had worked for them in the first innings - spin at one end, probing seam outside off at the other.

Donald Tiripano was miserly as ever, bowling four straight maidens at the start of the innings. It was this discipline that brought the first breakthrough for Zimbabwe, with Carl Mumba coaxing Dimuth Karunaratne into a false stroke outside off. The batsman tried to pull out at the last moment but not before the ball took the outside edge and went into the wicketkeeper's gloves.

The period following the wicket was Zimbabwe's most threatening with both Fernando and Mendis looking uncomfortable against a buoyant home attack. However, in the 24th over Mendis looked to shift gears, picking off Victor Nyauchi for back to back boundaries through midwicket. Fernando joined the party in the next over, taking Williams for three fours - two lofted over mid-on, the third drilled through the covers.

This brought forth arguably the most intriguing passage of play in the Test, with Mendis and Fernando unafraid to attack when given the chance, and Nyauchi constantly testing them, beating the outside edge on a few occasions and inducing it at other times - twice resulting in boundaries down to third man, with another bouncing just in front of first slip.

Zimbabwe players set to receive pay cuts after Sri Lanka Tests sports Desk

Learning from Lewandowski is a 'dream come true' for Bayern's Singh Agencies With Robert Lewandowski on hand to improve his shooting technique and Philippe Coutinho helping perfect his passing, New Zealand's Sarpreet Singh is relishing learning from some of the world's best at Bayern Munich since he made history on his Bundesliga debut.

The 20-year-old New Zealander, whose parents hail from a village in the Punjab region, became the first player of Indian descent in the Bundesliga with a second-half cameo in Bayern's 6-1 thumping of Werder Bremen last month. Having also been an unused sub in the Champions League home win over Tottenham a few days earlier, it was his first appearance at Munich's imposing Allianz Arena stadium.

"It was a dream come true for someone from an Indian background, who grew up in New Zealand," he told reporters at a media event in Munich.

"It was a special moment and hopefully I can inspire the next generation of kids to work hard and hopefully push on to bigger and better things."

Singh's journey to Munich started as a child playing football at Auckland's Onehunga Sports club.

His raw talent was spotted by Wellington Phoenix, New Zealand's

only professional club in the Australian league, so he moved to the capital at the age of 15 to join their academy.

After progressing through the ranks, Singh eventually helped Phoenix reach the A-League play-offs last season. His eye-catching performances for New Zealand at May's Under-20 World Cup in Poland, where the junior All Whites reach the last 16, attracted Bayern's scouts.

He joined the German giants' reserve team in July for 650,000 euros ($717 ,216) with the left-footed attacking midfielder signing a three-year deal. The plan was for him to bulk up and settle in, but after scoring four goals and creating seven more in 15 games for Bayern's reserves, he was promoted to the senior squad in December and his German league debut followed. "My footballing journey has been a crazy one so far, but I have enjoyed the ride," he said.

Singh still has much to learn in his quest for more game time in the senior team. An over-zealous tackle earned him a straight red card in a reserve team match just before Christmas.

He says Bayern's Germany stars Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich, both still only 24, have helped him feel at home, but the main difference is the attention to detail expected at one of

Even as they pushed for a first ever Test win against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe's cricketers did so knowing their salaries would be cut after the two-Test series. Zimbabwe had been defeated in the first Test by 10 wickets, though they fought well in the first half of the match.

Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said "it can't be business as usual" given the financial crunch the team faced, and indicated that this was being done to ensure better long-term financial health. "It's an on-going process," Mukuhlani was quoted as saying by Associated Press. "But yes, we will have to cut back. It can't be business as usual.

"Obviously it's a bit of a touchy subject. But I will assume that everyone will accept it. We will rather make sacrifices today and survive tomorrow. It's bring and

take, a bargaining process."

Zimbabwe have faced monetary troubles for several years. On occasions, these have led to players threatening strikes, while more regularly, several promising cricketers have left Zimbabwe to carve out cricket careers elsewhere.

Last year, the ICC had banned all Zimbabwe teams from participating in any international competitions citing government interference in running the national board.

During the ban period, the ICC had also stopped all funds to Zimbabwe Cricket.

The government had fired the board amid allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement, sparking the ban. The cricket board was later reinstated and the ICC lifted its ban in October 2019.

However, the ban stopped Zimbabwe from playing in the qualifiers for the T20 World Cup that will be held this year in Australia.

Europe's top clubs.

"I have learned to be a professional.

At this level, it's not easy -- these guys didn't become what they are without lots of hard work," he said. "Everything is a lot more specific, you know what you need to do, what to eat.

"To enhance your performance, you have to do everything right off the pitch, so I am always looking to try to improve my body. "Watching them play, and playing alongside, these guys is a dream come true, but I have to push and compete with them and try to add all that to my game."

Zverev backs Thiem to trouble Djokovic in Australian final Agencies Alexander Zverev believes Dominic Thiem is playing well enough to trouble seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final after his victory over four tough sets on Friday.

Zverev, the seventh seed, took the first set against fifth-ranked Thiem but the Austrian's supreme fitness and greater experience helped him win 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4).

Zverev, 22, who was gunning to became the youngest man in a Grand Slam

CMYK

final since Andy Murray in Melbourne in 2010, said two-time French Open finalist Thiem was playing some of his best tennis.

"I think he has a chance in the finals, if he's physically fine. He did play a lot of long matches. But, yeah, we'll see," he said.

"He's playing the best tennis of his life. I think he's playing much better than he played in London (at the ATP Finals), to be honest."

Thiem beat Zverev in the last four at the season-ending ATP Finals, only to lose to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the title match. Thiem knocked out Rafael Nadal

in the quarter-finals but he will need to lift again to beat Djokovic in the final on Sunday, with the Serb on a 12-match unbeaten streak this season.

Zverev admitted he didn't play his best at crunch moments Friday and it cost him dearly as he exited the Australian Open after his best ever performance at a Grand Slam. He noted that he had 14 break point chances and only converted five of them.

"I had a lot of chances. I had 14 break points. That should be plenty. In the important moments, I didn't play my best.

He did," he said.

Saturday, 1 February, 2020

NEWS

OPP SlamS gOvt fOr nOt evacUatIng PakIStanIS StUck In vIrUS-hIt chIna

Pakistan halts flights to and from china amid coronavirus outbreak ISLAMABAD

ISLAMABAD

AGenCIes

Pakistan on Friday halted flights to and from China with immediate effect, a civil aviation official said, as the death toll from a virus outbreak spreading in China mounted and the World Health Organisation (WHO) called it a global health emergency.

“We are suspending flights to China until Feb 2,” Senior Joint Secretary of aviation Abdul Sattar Khokhar told Reuters by phone, adding the situation would be reviewed after that date. He declined to comment on the reason for the closure. On Thursday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) decided to suspend flights to Beijing until Feb 2. According to Khokhar, PIA had been operating two flights between Pakistan and China but it had decided to suspend flight operations. PIA had started two flights a week to Tokyo and Beijing in May 2019 after a gap of three months. Yesterday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza announced that the government had decided not to repatriate Pakistani citizens stranded in China in accordance with the recommendations of the WHO. “We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China [to stay there]. It is in the larger interest of the region, world, country that we don’t evacuate them now,” he told reporters at a press conference in Islamabad. “This is what the World Health Organisation is saying, this is China’s policy and this is our policy as well. We stand by China in full solidarity,” he declared. “Right now the government of China has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire.” “So far, China has not allowed evacuation [of people],” he said. “You will, of course, remind me the United States has evacuated its diplomatic staff — not all citizens.

‘Improved security’: US eases travel advisory for Pakistan The United States has eased travel advisory for Pakistan while acknowledging that the security environment in the country has significantly improved. “Pakistan has noted the update in the US Travel Advisory, which has acknowledged that Pakistan’s security environment has improved,” said the Foreign Office in a statement. “This is a step in the right direction,” it added.

According to the statement, Pakistan has made resolute efforts to enhance security throughout the country. Significant improvement in the security environment has led the United Nations to re-designate Islamabad as a family station for its personnel, it added. Recently, the United Kingdom, while acknowledging the measures taken by Pakistan, also revised its advisory. The positive decisions by Portugal and Norway with regard to their travel advisories for Pakistan also reflected the confidence of the European governments in the security environment. Pakistan has also been declared as one of the “Best Holiday Destinations for 2020” by an awardwinning travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler, it added. news desk

O

sTAFF RePORT

PPOSITION lawmakers in Senate on Friday slammed the government’s decision to leave Pakistani citizens stranded in China due to “larger public interest” in the wake of a global novel coronavirus outbreak.

During a heated debate in the Upper House, the opposition called for bringing back over 500 Pakistani students who are stuck in the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan and for establishing a temporary quarantine to contain a possible outbreak in the country.

Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s (PkMAP) Senator Usman Khan Kakar said that a dangerous situation has emerged due to the spread of coronavirus.

Referring to Wuhan, he said: “There is a curfew-like situation in the city.”

He added that Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza was of the opinion that the Pakistani students currently stranded in China should not be repatriated. “Chinese people are coming to Pakistan but our own citizens are not being brought back,” he alleged. A day earlier, the government had decided to leave the students stranded in Wuhan, saying it won’t indulge in “irresponsible” behaviour by evacuating Pakistan nationals as this could lead to further spread of the deadly virus.

During the session, Kakar urged the government to bring back the citizens and to isolate them in a par-

OPP SENATOR SAYS GOVT SHOULD BRING BACK ITS CITIZENS FROM CHINA AND KEEP THEM IN ISOLATION ticular area. “We have been unable to treat tuberculosis, polio and measles, so treating coronavirus is out of the question,” he said.

Meanwhile, PML-N parliamentary leader Mushahidullah Khan called coronavirus an “epidemic and a global catastrophe”.

“The foreign minister and the health ministry need to take action immediately [in this regard]. There is a Pakistani embassy in China but nobody there seems to be active,” he claimed.

Criticising the government’s decision, he added that other countries were also evacuating their citizens from China.

“So far we have not adopted any precautionary measures. Whenever there is a problem, they just try to get rid of it. Their [students in China] mothers are crying and we have abandoned them,” he added.

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq stated that “coronavirus is now a global health emergency”.

“China has no hand in the current health crisis.

They themselves have been affected by this virus.

Only time will tell how far this virus has spread.

PTI Senator Mohsin Aziz also sided with the views of the opposition and stated that students who show no signs of the virus should be allowed to enter the country while those that are sick should be quarantined.

However, PTI Senator Seemi Ezdi explained that it was in the best interest of the Pakistanis in China to stay there.

“They have better access to health facilities and are also trying to come up with a treatment for the virus. We cannot treat this virus. The government’s decision is in the best interest of Pakistani citizens.”

Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman maintained that Pakistan has expressed solidarity with the Chinese government, but urged the government to take precautionary steps.

“Protecting their citizens is the prime responsibility of any country. The government should order kits for diagnosing coronavirus as the screening at airports is not helping us to diagnose cases,” she said, Leader of the House Syed Shibli Faraz revealed that $840 have been transferred to the accounts of each student in China. The government is in contact with the Chinese government and is constantly monitoring the situation, he added. Giving a ruling, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani said that China has assisted Pakistan through thick and thin. “We should encourage China during this difficult time.”

He added that if Pakistani doctors wish to go to China to assist in efforts to tackle coronavirus, they should contact the Senate Health Committee.

213 DEAD AND COUNTING

WHO declares coronavirus outbreak global health emergency WASHINGTON AGenCIes

The United States told its citizens not to travel to China in the first major response to the World Health Organisation’s declaration of a global emergency over the spreading coronavirus, as Chinese authorities on Friday increased the toll to 213 dead and nearly 10,000 infections.

The State Department raised its warning alert to the highest level, telling its citizens “do not travel” to China because of an epidemic that has now spread to more than 20 nations.

Hours earlier, the WHO, which has faced criticism for initially downplaying the virus threat, revised its risk assessment after crisis talks in Geneva.

“Our greatest concern is the potential for the virus to spread to countries with weaker health systems,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“We must all act together now to limit further spread […] We can only stop it together.”

TAKING ACTION: Tedros said travel and trade restrictions involving China were unnecessary, but authorities and businesses around the world were taking matters into their own hands.

Germany, Britain and other countries have issued warnings about travel to China, major airlines have suspended or reduced flights to the country and Mongolia has halted cross-border traffic with its huge southern neighbor.

Russia also sealed its remote far-eastern border with China as a precaution.

drawn criticism by allowing the evacuees to “self-quarantine”.

The virus is similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pathogen. That outbreak also began in Chinese animals sold for meat and eventually killed nearly 800 people worldwide in 2002-03.

Major airlines that have suspended or reduced service to China include British Airways, German flag carrier Lufthansa, American Airlines, KLM and United.

To curb the virus, China has suspended school nationwide and extended the Lunar New Year holiday, among other measures.

ECONOMIC WORRIES: The WHO has declared a global health emergency five times since the practice began in 2007 — for swine flu, polio, Zika and twice for Ebola.

It allows the UN health body to issue global recommendations that the international community is expected to follow.

Global stock markets have been pummelled after corporate giants including Toyota, IKEA, Starbucks, Tesla, McDonald’s and others temporarily froze production or closed large numbers of outlets in China.

But investors took some heart Friday from the WHO’s recommendation against trade and travel restrictions for now, with Asian markets opening higher.

Throughout China, evidence of fear multiplied, with makeshift barriers going up in some residential neighborhoods.

US STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS EPIDEMIC HAS SPREAD TO MORE THAN 20 NATIONS Some countries have banned entry for travelers from Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus first surfaced, while Italy and Israel on Thursday barred all flight connections with China.

Papua New Guinea has gone so far as to bar all visitors from “Asian ports”.

The US reported its first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus on American soil — a man in Chicago who got it from his wife, who had traveled to Wuhan.

In a sign of spreading paranoia, more than 6,000 tourists were temporarily put under lockdown aboard a cruise ship at an Italian port after two Chinese passengers fell ill. They later tested negative for the virus.

And a pilot’s union in the United States sued American Airlines to demand it halt all flights to China.

DEATH TOLL GROWS: China has taken extreme steps to stop the spread of the virus, including effectively quarantining more than 50 million people in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province.

The government on Friday reported 43 new deaths in the preceding 24 hours.

The number of new fatalities has risen daily over the past 10 days.

The vast majority have been in Hubei, and many were elderly.

China’s National Health Commission also said Friday that 1,982 new cases had been confirmed, bringing the

total to just under 10,000.

Another 102,000 people were under medical observation in China with possible symptoms of the respiratory ailment.

The pathogen is believed to have emerged in a Wuhan market that sold the wild game and spread by a Lunar New Year holiday season in which hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home or abroad.

AIRLIFTS CONTINUE: Thousands of foreigners have been trapped in Wuhan since it was sealed off last week.

France on Friday airlifted around 200 of its citizens from Wuhan. They will be placed under a two-week quarantine back home.

Britain followed suit within hours, extracting 110 British and foreign nationals. “It’s sad to leave a country which you’re attached to,” Adrien, a 26year-old French auto industry employee, told AFP before the flight.

“We’re also relieved because we don’t know how things will turn out in China.” Japan and the United States flew citizens out on Wednesday.

More foreign evacuation flights are expected. Tokyo on Thursday reported that three people aboard its first evacuation flight tested positive after landing in Japan.

Two of those showed no symptoms, underscoring the difficulty detecting the coronavirus. Japan has

Britain hails 'new beginning' as it bids farewell to EU LONDON AGenCIes

Britain on Friday ends almost half a century of integration with its closest neighbors and leaves the European Union, starting a new — but still uncertain — chapter in its long history.

At the clocks strike 11:00 PM (UK time) — midnight in Brussels — Britain becomes the first country to leave the 28member bloc and does it alone for the first time since 1973.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed Brexit since the 2016 referendum vote to leave that triggered bitterness and division but he has promised to lead the

country to a bright new future.

Official celebrations will be muted out of respect for half the population who wanted to stay in the EU and who remain fearful of what lies ahead.

“Our job as the government, my job, is to bring this country together and take us forward,” Johnson said in a statement to mark the historic occasion.

He added: “This is not an end but a beginning. This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act.”

Nothing will immediately feel different thanks to a transition period negotiated as part of an EU-UK exit deal, which was ratified only this week.

Britons will be able to work in and trade freely with EU nations until December 31, and vice versa, although the UK will no longer be represented in the bloc’s institutions.

But legally, Britain is out — with no easy way back.

And while the exit terms have been agreed, Britain must still strike a deal on future relations with the EU, its largest trading partner.

DIVIDED COUNTRY: Getting this far has been a traumatic process.

Despite Britain’s resistance to many EU projects over the years — it refused to join the single currency or the Schengen free travel area — the 2016 vote to

leave was a huge shock.

It unleashed political chaos in London, sparking years of bitter arguments that paralysed parliament and forced the resignations of two prime ministers.

Johnson brought an end to the turmoil with his decisive election victory last month, which gave him the parliamentary majority to ratify the Brexit deal.

But Britons remain as divided as they were nearly four years ago, when 52 percent voted to leave but 48 percent voted to remain in the EU. Johnson himself is a polarising figure but he has emphasised unity and is avoiding any major celebrations that might exacerbate divisions.

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

CMYK

He will first host a special cabinet meeting in the northeastern English city of Sunderland, which was the first to declare for Brexit in the 2016 vote.

At 10:00 PM (UK time), he will broadcast an address to the nation, and then host a reception for staff at his 10 Downing Street office. A light show will also be held outside No 10, while millions of commemorative 50 pence coins are being minted to mark the occasion.

On them is the message: “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations.”

By contrast, Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader who has spent decades campaigning to leave the EU, is planning a large rally in nearby Parliament Square.