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Wednesday, 1 January, 2020 I 4 Jamadi-ul-Awwal, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 182 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition
Amended nAB ordinAnce to Be discussed in pArliAment, govt sAys g
fIrdOuS ASHIq AwAn SAyS AltHOugH OPPOSItIOn lEAdErS ArE bEHAvIng ‘InAPPrOPrIAtEly’, tHEy’rE IntErnAlly OvErjOyEd by AMEndEd nAb lAwS
g
SAyS PM HAS dEClArEd 2020 AS ‘yEAr Of PrOSPErIty’ fOr tHE COuntry And HAS dIrECtEd AutHOrItIES tO ExPEdItE wElfArE wOrk
IHC gives govt 15 more days for appointment of ECP members STORY ON PAGE 03
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PECIAl Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and broadcasting dr firdous Ashiq Awan on tuesday said that the government will follow due process for implementing the newly-approved national Accountability bureau (nAb) Amendment Ordinance 2019 and a proper debate will be held on it inside the parliament. Addressing a press conference following the meeting of the federal cabinet, the SAPM lashed out the opposition’s “hypocrisy”, saying that for the past 11 years, they
Govt rings in New Year with Rs2.61 per litre hike in petrol prices wanted the nAb laws to be amended and when the government has finally taken a step, they are objecting to the amendment. “Although they are internally overjoyed, they are criticising
the government over a goodwill move for the sake of their politics,” she said, adding that the opposition’s attitude over the matter is “inappropriate”.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 02
Gas crisis worsens across country
SHC stops PIA CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik from working
STORY ON PAGE 03
STORY ON BACK PAGE
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STORY ON BACK PAGE
CMYK Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
02 NEWS
New Year’s eve celebrated across couNtrY amid tight securitY LAHORE
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ew Year’s eve was celebrated across the country amid tight security, where the authorities sprung into action with strict administrative and security arrangements for the occasion. Special security and traffic arrangements were put in place to ensure a peaceful atmosphere. LAHORE: In Lahore, traffic had police asked parents to cooperate with authorities, urging them not to allow children to ride motorcycles. Officials had emphasised that no individual would be allowed to take the law into their own hands. According to SP Traffic Hammad Raza Qureshi, special security arrangements were made with 1,400 wardens, including 12 DSPs, 55 inspectors and 170 patrolling officers, stationed across the city to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. Raza had said that all office staff had also been appointed on field duty. Pun-
jab Home department had also asked divisional police chiefs across the province to increase security around churches on New Year’s eve. KARACHI: Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Syed Kaleem Imam had instructed police to take additional security steps for New Year’s eve, with special attention to churches, the seaside area, as well as other public venues. Additionally, Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani had removed a ban on pillion riding for the occasion after directives from Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. According to the commissioner’s spokesperson, the ban on the display of weapons, possession of firearms and one-wheeling had been maintained. ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police had made an elaborate security plan for the eve, deploying 2,000 personnel to maintain order. Islamabad IGP Mohammad Aamir Zulfiqar had issued directives for the deployment of police contingents in key places, shopping centres and markets. He had added that people should
behave and avoid any irresponsible activities. Following the IGP’s directives, all police officials ensured deployment in their respective areas. Police commandos were also deployed in some areas while frequent police patrols were carried out. The city police chief had added that traffic police would coordinate with the police to maintain law and order and ensure a smooth flow of traffic. PESHAWAR: Peshawar Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Zahoor Babar Afridi had said that a special plan had been implemented, which included the deployment of around 1,000 officials around the city.“Checking at entry and exit routes of the city had been made more stringent while anti-riot squads had been stationed at various places,” he had said. Additionally, police patrolling had been increased in Phase 7, Phase 5, Aman Chowk, FC Chowk, GT Road, Dilazak Road and Ring Road, he had added. QUETTA: Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code — a law that bans pub-
lic gatherings for the maintenance of law and order — was imposed in Quetta. Pillion riding and aerial firing had also been banned. MURREE: A traffic plan had been devised by the City Traffic Police in Murree in connection with New Year’s eve in Murree Circle, following orders from Rawalpindi Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Mohammad Bin Ashraf. Under the plan, Mall Road was closed to all traffic on New Year’s eve, and traffic wardens were deployed in Murree.Underage drivers and motorcycle drivers without helmets or without registration plates were banned with directions given out for strict action against violators of traffic rules. Squads were also formed to act against vehicles with tinted windows. “Tourists and visitors are advised to cooperate with the traffic police and follow traffic rules strictly for their own safety and the safety of others,” Murree Traffic Police Spokesperson Muzammal Abbasi had appealed.
Delayed funds stall work on Peshawar BRT Fog blankets Punjab, upper sindh plains, parts of KP ISLAMABAD: Dense fog prevails in most plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh while in few areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during night hours, Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said in its report on Tuesday. Light rain and snowfall over mountains is expected at isolated places in upper hilly areas of Khyber Pakhunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, weather report said. Cold and dry weather is expected in most areas of the country while very cold in upper areas. In Punjab dense fog prevails in Lahore, Gujranawala, Gujrat, Narowal, Sargodha, Layyah, Bhakar, Khushab, Mianwali, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Toba Tek Singh, Hafizabad, Jhang, Faisalabad, Okara, Sahiwal, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur during morning and night hours. Moderate to dense fog prevails in upper Sindh’s districts of Sukkur, Larkana, Rohri, Padidan and Jacobabad during morning and night hours. Thick fog engulfed Dadu district and surrounding areas. Khairpur Nathan Shah, Mehar and the nearby areas were also blanketed by intense fog. The fog also affected traffic flow at Indus Highway section from Hyderabad to Larkana. The Motorway Police has advised the drivers to use fog light while driving on Indus Highway. APP
pESHAWAR STAFF REPORT
Only six percent of total work has been done on the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the last six months due to a delay in the issuance of funds to the contractors. The project, which was initiated by the previous provincial government of PTI a few months before going into the general
elections, has been surrounded by controversies and problems ever since its inception. The initial cost of the project was estimated at Rs49 billion which surged to Rs68 billion last year. In September this year, the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) had informed the provincial government that the cost of Peshawar’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project has gone up by another Rs3 billion to a whopping
Rs71 billion. Reportedly, the government has decided to conduct a forensic audit of the planned undertaking through the Asian Development Bank (ADB). earlier this month, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) started an investigation into the project on the directives of the Peshawar High Court (PHC). However, soon after the KP government moved the Supreme Court to stop the probe.
SC orders scrutiny of educational degrees of PIA employees iSLAmABAd STAFF REPORT
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday issued directives to initiate scrutiny of educational degrees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) employees and ordered the authorities to submit a report after completing the verification process. The top court’s two-member bench headed by the Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed also issued notices to summon Attorney General, PIA managing director and chairman of Higher education Commission (HeC)
in the next hearing. During the hearing related to the case filed against possession of fake degrees by the PIA workers, the lawyer told the apex court that the employees have received educational degrees from a private university of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) without attending a single class. The lawyer added the employees had also received departmental promotions on the basis of such degrees. The top court’s judge remarked that [AJK’s] Al-Khair University is just an exhibitory varsity as degrees were sold out without com-
pleting educational procedures. It seems the degrees were illegally possessed [by the PIA employees], whereas, the airline has also accepted the degrees from the private university [without carrying out verification process], the judge added. The administration of the national flag-carrier has been directed to ensure verification of educational degrees of its employees from the recognised institutions. Later, the hearing was adjourned until one month after ordering the concerned authorities to complete scrutiny of the educational degrees of PIA employees.
medical board to review Nawaz's health report for extending stay in london A medical board was formed on the matters related to extension in the stay of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif abroad and suspension of his sentence. The medical board consists of five senior professors headed by Prof Mahmood Ayaz will review the reports of the Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif. According to Punjab Health Department, the board will submit its report in three days after reviewing Nawaz’s medical status. The recommendations of the medical board will be later presented in the cabinet meeting. The provincial ministers raised objections on Nawaz Sharif’s medical reports, after which the board was constituted for review. NEWS DESK
amended Nab ordinance to be discussed in parliament cOntinuEd fROm pAgE 01 Speaking about the other decisions by the federal cabinet, she said that the government will release financial assistance for the poor in January 2020 as Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to take responsibility for the weaker segments of the society. “The cabinet appreciated the premier’s initiatives for establishing shelter houses for needy people,” she said. Firdous said that the premier also discussed the closure of sugar mills and he will chair a meeting of price review committee on wednesday to the monitor rates of cotton, sugarcane and sugar. The SAPM said that the government has approved the publication of 2008’s financial assessment report of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and issuance of the financial card is also being made in accordance with the survey report. She said that a briefing was given to the cabinet members over financial matters of the current year. “The authorities witnessed a 40 per cent reduction in trade balance besides recording 4.7 per cent increase in exports whereas 73 per cent improvements were seen in current account deficit as compared to the previous year,” she said. “Tax collection also rose up to 17 per cent and export rate recorded up to $10.3 billion while the situation of foreign investment is also bettered,” she added. Fidous said that the government has also decided to appoint Muhammad Hashim Raza as chief executive of small and medium industries. “The cabinet has sent back National electric and Power Regulatory Authority (NePRA) Amended Act to the economic Coordination Committee (eCC) again,” she said, adding that a bill regarding conversion of National College of Arts (NCA) into an institute was also passed in the latest meeting. Firdous also said that the decision to appoint Shahid Khan as the managing director of Oil and Gas Company was also approved by the cabinet during the meeting.
High hopes for Pakistan in 2020 As the nation welcomes the year 2020, political leaders and others have expressed hope for the country’s prosperity. Prime Minister Imran Khan said that 2020 will be the year of public welfare, development, poverty alleviation and prosperity. He said that bringing improvement in the life of common man will be the focus of his government in the forthcoming year. He added that the wellbeing of the people will be his top priority in 2020. The premier also vowed to carry out ruthless accountability of
those found involved in loot and plunder. Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan declared 2020 as the year of economic progress, prosperity and public relief. Federal Minister for education Shafqat Mahmood said the government took hard decisions during the year of 2019 for stablising national economy and expressed hope that 2020 would bring prosperity and reduction of inflation. He said visible change was being started in the country now, adding Pakistan would progress under the honest and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal BhuttoZardari hoped that the new year would be the
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year of establishing the rule of the people in the country. He said that the people of the country had suffered immensely owing to the “flawed, biased and corrupt policies” of the current government. “The people of the country had struggled to make ends meet and to earn a living and the poor were being victimised in a class war by those beholden to the establishmentarian elite,” he added. Former Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) chairman Dr Umar Saif said that the nation should enter the new year with the same passion to realise our dreams. NEWS DESK
CMYK Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
NEWS
ihc gives govt 15 more daYs For aPPoiNtmeNt oF ecP members iSLAmABAd
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He Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted 15 more days to the federal government for the appointment of election Commission of Pakistan (eCP) members. During the hearing, the court was told that several members of parliamentary committee were unable to attend the meeting on Monday due to dense fog. The rules formed by the previous committee are not suitable in current scenario, legal adviser said. The IHC chief justice said the court can only expect that the opposition leaders and Prime Minister
Imran Khan jointly select names for the posts. Only parliamentary committee can change the rules, he asserted. The legal adviser said that parliament has ability to handle the situation if it commits any mistake over which, the CJ said that National Assembly should not do any mistake as it is representative of 22 crore people. Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned till January 15. The eCP disposed of over 100 pending cases during the year 2019. It also held elections for the 16 provincial seats in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and published a report on the 2018 General elections as well as all the details of its next five-year plan
until 2023. In addition, it sent its annual performance report to parliament for the first time. However, the appointments of two election Commission members, those from Sindh and Balochistan, could not be made in 2019, a year in which the Chief election Commissioner (CeC) and the election Commission Secretary also retired. In short, the year 2019 has been a busy year for the eCP. The eCP has a five-member panel consisting of a member from each of the four provinces plus the Chief election Commissioner. For eleven months now, however, it has been without its Sindh and Balochistan members. After the Chief election Commissioner’s retirement,
therefore, it has become dysfunctional with only two members currently on the panel. The eCP last year handled the case of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Faizabad sit-in and allowed Maryam Nawaz to conditionally hold a post in her party. The Commission also issued notices to members of parliament directing them to submit their returns. In 2019, the eCP’s scrutiny process continued in the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in which the PTI has appeared 50 times while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) have appeared with their lawyers about 20 times each.
gas crisis worsens across country LAHORE: The ongoing gas crisis continues to create trouble for citizens across the country. According to details, the situation in Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Karachi, Quetta and other cities of Pakistan has intensified as the gas shortage continues to surge. The citizenry has complained that they are facing immense difficulties in cooking and performing other related house chores. They also demanded the government to take notice of the situation and resolve the matter as early as possible. with a sudden drop in temperature across the country, the total shortfall surged to 600 million metric cubic feet a day (MMCFD) that may compel the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) to curtail the supply to sectors other than domestic consumers. The shortfall has affected not only the supply to domestic consumers but also to the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) sector for the past several days. Addressing a press conference in Sialkot on Sunday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan told the media that the government had directed the authorities concerned to ensure gas supply to households “even at the cost of the CNG sector”. On December 13, Prime Minister Imran Khan ordered that boards of directors of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and SSGCL be dissolved owing to the prevailing gas shortfall in the country. The premier also gave directions for further strict action against gas suppliers, as the CNG crisis continued to disrupt public transport. STAFF REPORT
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03
imran’s davos visit to cost less than Nawaz, gilani's iSLAmABAd APP
In a stark comparison to former premiers, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s upcoming three-day visit to Davos for the world economic Forum (weF) is expected to cost only $68,000 to the national exchequer, according to a government press release. The reduced cost is due to the ongoing austerity measures adopted by the government. “Saving is part of the prime minister’s ongoing robust drive in which he has also directed to minimise the expenditures upon his upcoming weF participation,” said the press release. A comparison of visits by former prime ministers to Davos showed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had spent $762,000, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi spent $561,000 and Yousuf Raza Gilani’s visit cost $459,000. This is not the first time that the PM has managed to slash his expenditures on foreign trips. The prime minister during his visit to washington DC “had also set precedent by slashing the expenditures”, said the press release. PM Imran’s US visit in July cost $67,180 compared to other rulers of the country. Former president Asif Ali Zardari’s visit in 2009 cost the national exchequer, a sum of $752,688, while Sharif’s 2013 trip cost $549,853. Similarly, PM Imran’s total expenses incurred on New York visit in September 2019 stood around $ 162,578. whereas, Zardari spent $ 1.3 million on his visit in 2012, Sharif in 2016 spent $ 1.1 million and Abbasi’s 2017 visit was of $705,019.
KP igP dr Naeem Khan to be given the boot from federal govt: report The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government has decided to replace Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Naeem Khan, according to local media reports that surfaced on Tuesday. According to reports, the decision has been taken in light of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s “dissatisfaction” with Dr Naeem’s performance whereas the establishment Division has sent three names to replace the provincial IGP, including senior police officers Muhammad Tahir, Sanaullah Abbasi and Muhammad Suleman. Further, Dr Naeem would be placed as an officer on special duty once a new IGP is notified. Moreover, the establishment Division will issue a summary in this regard following the premier’s final decision on who should occupy the IGP’s seat. It may be noted here that the government had appointed Dr Naeem as KP IGP in February 2019 as a replacement for Salahuddin Mehsud. NEWS DESK
04 ISLAMABAD PRAyER TImINgS FAJR SUNRISE
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Landslides block Karakoram Highway, disrupt optic fiber link GILGIT: The earthquake triggered landslides in the region at various points which blocked strategic Karakoram Highway and other roads. Aftershocks of the Monday night’s 5.6 magnitude earthquake continued in Gilgit and adjoining areas on Tuesday. According to details, the highway remained blocked near Murtazaabad, Nilt Nagar and Sost after landslides hit it. Gilgit-Skardu road was also blocked near Kachura, Astak and Shingus-Bulachi after heavy landslides, due to earthquake, the police department of the region said. The tremors also jolted Mingora, Swat and other areas. The people passed their night in extreme cold weather in open spaces out of fear of the aftershocks. Police department officials said that the road leading to Astore near Douyoun, Skardu road, Ghizer-Chitral road were remained blocked after the earthquake. According to reports the Optic Fiber Cable has also been affected in the earthquake resulting in suspension of the Internet services in Astore, Deosai, Jaglot and other parts of Baltistan disrupting the communication link of the region with other parts of the country. INP
Four killed as van plunges into ravine MIRPUR: Four persons of the same family were killed and several others injured when a passenger van plunged into a ravine in Mirpur district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The injured have been admitted to the nearby hospital. STAFF REPORT
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
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Hundreds oF HomeLess peopLe sHiFted to sHeLter Homes in Kp PESHAWAR
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OLLOWING the special directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, the provincial government has shifted hundreds of homeless people to shelter homes established by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government in different areas of the province. The initiative has been taken in the back drop of the chilly weather that griped KP for the last couple of days to keep them safe of severe cold. An official of the provincial government said on Tuesday that shifting of poor to shelter homes continued in different districts of Khyber Pakthunkhwa where around 911 persons were shifted to 61 permanent and temporarily shelter homes in the province. As many as 21 persons were shifted to shelter homes in Abbottabad, 35 in Bajaur, four in Bannu, 30 in Batagram, 60 in Buner, 53 in Charsadda, 30 in Dera Ismail Khan, 21 in Hangu, three in Haripur, five in Karak, 23 in Khyber, 21 in Kohat, 29 in Lakki Marwat, 51 in Lower Dir, 20 in Lower Orakzai, six in Malakand, 30 in Mardan, 30 in Malakand, 22 in Orakzai, 394 in
Peshawar, seven in Swabi and 16 in Upper Kohistan. The Deputy Commissioners and officials of Social Welfare Department are looking after process of shifting of homeless people to these shelter homes besides distribution of food and other basic services. In this connection, Deputy Commissioner Lakki Marwat, Jahangir Azam Wazir visited a shelter home established at Norang and met with people stayed there. He also inquired about food, blankets, sweater, water and other necessary items. The Deputy Commissioner appreciated the food and other necessary services being provided to the homeless people. He directed the management of the shelter home to make extra care of
people and provide them better services. He directed for making special care of children and women. Meanwhile, on orders of Deputy Commissioner Kohistan Arif Khan Youafzai, Assistant Commissioner Dauso headquarters and additional commissioner visited shelter home at DC Colony and reviewed arrangements including food, water and blankets for homeless people there. He directed the administration to provide best facilities to shelter less people. Similarly, Deputy Commissioner Dir Upper, Khalid Khattak also visited shelter home on Dir-Chitral road and inspected arrangements made for comforts of the passengers. He distributed blankets, sweaters and food items among poor people on this occasion. The Deputy Commissioner Shangla has established three temporary shelter homes at district headquarters Alpuri, Transport Stand Alpori and tehsil headquarters Besham where shelter less are being looked after. The district administration and social welfare department Khyber Pakthunkhwa are looking after poor people at shelters homes besides providing the much needed relief including blankets and sweater to protect them from severe cold that gripped Khyber Pakthunkhwa for the last couple of days forcing people to wear additional warms cloths.
Significant drop in crime rate during 2019, say police ISLAMABAD APP
Islamabad Police on Tuesday claimed that there was significant reduction in crime rate during 2019 in the city as compared to the previous year. Police Spokesman said that the murder cases declined up to 13 percent in 2019 as compared to the previous year while cases of kidnapping for ransom, dacoity, snatching items and burglary decreased up to 50 percent. Sharing details about murder cases, he said, 19 blind murder cases were traced and 37 accused involved in these
cases were apprehended. Special campaign was launched at educational institutions to create awareness among students against menace of drug and its bad effects on the health. In 2019, Islamabad Police provided security to 4615 national and foreign VVIPs and VIPs which mainly included the visit of Saudi Crown Prince, British Royal Couple, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Vice President China, Emir of Qatar, Queen of Netherland and Sri Lankan Cricket team. He said Islamabad had been declared as 85th Safest City as per World Crime Index of 328 cities of the world. Its position, as per crime index, has
been declared better than Amsterdam, Boston, Toronto and Oslo while United Nations also declared it as a family Station for its staff after 12 years. A total of 6000 personnel of Islamabad Police participated in professional skill development courses conducted by national and foreign experts while 174 policemen visited abroad as part of their capacity building. Likewise, Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) endeavored for safe road environment in the city and road accidents decline up to 20 percent in 2019 as compared to the corresponding period. ITP issued fine tickets worth Rs. 236.68
million while service was introduced to issue driving license in a single day. Sharing details about Rescue 15, he said, it has received 1.2 million emergency calls during 2019 of which 62,000 related to police were promptly responded. During the year, Islamabad Police set up Internal Accountability Unit and took disciplinary action against 686 police officials following complaints of citizens. In a bid to facilitate people, the IGP Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar introduced email service (ig.ict.at.your.service@gmail.com) which received 518 complaints and out which 510 were addressed.
Serena hotels sponsor closing ceremony of 5th Mountain Film Festival ISLAMABAD PRESS RELEASE
Serena Hotels hosted the closing ceremony of the 5th edition of the Pakistan International Mountain Film Festival (PIMFF) in Kehkeshan Hall, Islamabad Serena Hotel. Wajahat Malik, founder of PIMFF welcomed the guests to the ceremony. “The Last Mountain” was one of the most extraordinary films in the programme, a feature length Polish film about the winter expedition
that took place in 2018. PIMFF screens short films, documentaries, features and animations related to moun-
tain adventure sports, nature, environment, climate change, mountain tourism, mountain cultures and communities.
Snow-capped Malam Jabba hills attract tourists ISLAMABAD APP
After the recent spells of snowfall on hilly areas of the country, the snow-capped mountains of Malam Jabba situated into the Swat Valley are not only showcasing beautiful scenery of snow nowadays, but have also become a point of attraction for domestic tourists from all over Pakistan. A huge number of tourists all across the country especially from Punjab visiting snow covered hills of Malam Jabba to enjoy the mesmerizing spell of snowfall at its beautiful hills during the winter season. According to tourist views, tourists to the scenic valley are excited because valley has many entertainments for tourists and adventure seekers. The snow clad peak offered an excellent opportunity to ski, said a tourist. Malam Jabba is a great picnic spot in the Swat valley, said Humna Yousaf, adding, height of this valley is approximately 10,000 feet above sea level. It has a chair lift which took the tourists to highest point of the valley. Malam Jabba was like a paradise for tourists as it was offering all sorts of fun to
the adventure seekers and nature lovers, said another Kashan Ahmad along with friends. If someone is fond of tourism and have not visited Swat, they have surely missed a huge wonderland of nature, said Zubair Saeed another tourist from Islamabad. If someone wanted to visit paradise on earth then without any doubt Swat is one of the greatest tourist destinations in the north of Pakistan which is rich in all aspects of natural beauty, said Ahmad and Minal two siblings. “Mostly tourists try to play grass skiing when they visit Malam Jabba. It is good that grass skiing can be played throughout the year as it is not limited to snow,” said Nadeem. Many tourists are enjoying ice skating, especially the youth with special trainers which is really fun for us here, said Misbah Javed. Foreign tourists were also seen there who were enjoying the activities in snow. A foreign tourist also praised the natural beauty of Malam Jabba and said Pakhtuns’ hospitality was really inspiring for them in this beautiful valley. Tourists who had visited Malam Jabba admired that the hill station gave a spectacular view with its simply magical and matchless scenery.
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
NEWS
05
HOw tHe legislatures fared in terms Of bills, laws and Ordinances in 2019 O
ne of the major tests for any government is its ability to convert proposed bills into law, and what steps it takes, thereafter, to ensure implementation. Prime Minister Imran Khan's government has at times been found wanting on the legislation front. Soon after coming into office, the premier told a press gaggle that since his political party lacked majority in the Senate, his government would govern through presidential ordinances. It is worth mentioning that an ordinance, as per the Constitution, can only be issued in extraordinary circumstances as it bypasses the opposition and debate in the lower house. Did the prime minister remain true to his word? And how did the four provincial legislatures fare in Calendar Year 2019? Geo.tv reviews the quintet of assemblies' performances below: National Assembly: 9 laws, 10 ordinances The proceedings in the lower house of the parliament were marred by chaos this year, as politicians from the opposition benches were whisked away turn-by-turn by the national Accountability Bureau. It may be one of the reasons why the
government had to rely heavily on legislating through ordinances. This year, a total of 21 ordinances were tabled in the national Assembly. eleven of the 21 were passed in a single day but later retracted after protests from the opposition benches. As for acts of parliament, nine bills were passed in the assembly, of which three were related to the budget. Three additional bills were approved, but are, as of now, pending in Senate, namely The naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority Bill, The Anti-Money Laundering Amendment Bill and The Foreign exchange Regulation Bill. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly: 41 laws Unlike the national Assembly, the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) enjoyed an overwhelming majority in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly. Taking advantage of this, the PTI-dominated house passed 41 bills in 2019. These include 19 new acts, 29 amendments to existing acts and one repeal. The most significant legislation was the enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act, Legal Aid Act 2019 and The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Act.
There were also some laws which stirred up controversy in the house such as the Khasadar Force Act 2019, which aimed at bringing the khasadars and levies under the command of the KP police. Another amendment that caused outcry was the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minerals Sector Governance Act. The act allows the provincial government to take over mines and minerals of the newly merged tribal districts. The passing of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regional and District Health Authorities Act 2019 also brought the government and doctors on a collision course, as the latter termed the legislation an attempt to privatise the health sector. Balochistan Assembly: 13 laws The Balochistan Assembly passed eight bills into law, the most noteworthy of which was the Balochistan Mental Health Act 2019, which provides better facilities to mental health patients. The provincial assembly also passed the essential education Services Act, which declared education an essential service and barred teachers from protesting and boycotting classes. Sindh Assembly: 21 laws Led by the Pakistan People’s
Pakistan saw 31pc reduction in terrorism in 2019 Pakistan saw a nearly 31 per cent reduction in terror and counter-terror related fatalities over the past year, according to data compiled and released by the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). In its annual report, the think-tank said that during the year, a 30.71 per cent drop in fatalities was observed in 2019, down from 980 last year to 679 this year. even though they have been merged, but the report noted that if Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) and the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas (FATA) are counted as separate regions, then Balochistan emerges as the region most affected by militancy and insurgency with 226 fatalities this year. This, however, still presents a drop of 44.2 per cent in fatalities, down from 405 fatalities in 2018. After Balochistan, the largest drop in fatalities was seen in the newly merged tribal districts (nMTDs) with a change of 39 per cent, from 192 recorded last year to 117 this year. Sindh saw a drop of 19 per cent, from 121 cases in 2018 to 98 in 2019. Similarly, Punjab saw an 11.83 per cent drop in fatalities, from 93 in 2018 to 82 in 2019. In KP, there was a 5.13 per cent fall in fatalities, from 156 in 2018 to 148 in 2019. Curiously, Islamabad saw an uptick in violence, registering seven fatalities in 2019, as opposed to just six fatalities in 2018. Gilgit-Baltistan showed the most improvement, going from seven fatalities in 2018 to no fatalities this year. nearly 370 terror attacks were reported during 2019 that left 518 people dead in the country. This, however, was a 30 per cent drop from the 739 fatalities caused by nearly 400 terror attacks in 2018. Suicide-attacks also declined significantly this year, dropping from 26 in 2018 to just nine this year. These attacks also resulted in fewer casualties, from the 295 people killed in 2018 to only 56 people perishing in these attacks in 2019. Suicide attacks, though, still maintained a higher ratio of attacks to deaths of 6.22 to 1.4. Civilians, however, continued to be the most affected by terrorism and terror-related incidents. However, overall civilian fatalities from terror attacks de-
clined by about 36.28 per cent from 521 in 2018 to 332 in 2019. Fatalities amongst government and security officials also dropped by 19.25 per cent, from 239 in 2018 to 193 in 2019. Fatalities of militants and insurgents also saw a drop of 30 per cent, from 220 in 2018 to 154 in 2019. The month-wise data of terror attacks showed that May was the bloodiest month of the year with 82 fatalities. It was followed by January with 80 and April with 76. In fact, April presented the highest upwards change of 33.33 per cent, from 57 fatalities in 2018. Last year, July was the bloodiest month with 238 fatalities. However, this year, there were only 49 fatalities, a change of 79.41 per cent. In 2019, no drone attack was reported as compared to four drone attacks last year resulting in the death of 13 militants. This is quite significant, as this marks the first year since 2004 that there have been no drone strikes (as of December 30, 2019). Only two militant outfits, splinter groups of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State (IS) continued claiming responsibilities for terror attacks. Together, they claimed responsibility for 13 terror attacks. However, the number of these attacks and associated fatalities dropped significantly. IS claimed a single attack while TTP and its splinter groups Hizbul Tahrir and Jamat-ul-Ahrar claimed 12 attacks. However, the group said that in conducting these attacks, the ranks of these outfits were depleted by nearly 30 per cent. Moreover, civilian fatalities in these attacks declined by about 36 per cent. One of the causes in bringing militancy under control was the apprehension of outlaws belonging to various banned outfits during this year. Of the 141 militants arrested, 32 were TTP, 11 were Lashkar-e- Jhangvi, three were al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent (AQIS), four were IS, two were affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and five were linked to the Baloch Republican Army (BRA). Additionally, 24 militants belonging to Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and two from Jamatud Dawa (JuD) were arrested. nEWS DESK
CMYK
Party, which is on the opposition benches at the Centre, the Sindh Assembly passed 21 bills in 2019. The most significant of the bills was The Sindh Women Agriculture Workers Bill 2019. The law protects the rights of women working in the agriculture sector by limiting their working hours to eight hours a day, insisting on maternity leaves and written employment contracts. The Sindh Reproductive Healthcare Rights Act was also a step towards providing reproductive healthcare and reducing maternal deaths in the province. The Sindh Prisons and Corrections Services Act 2019 focuses on reforming prisons and correctional facilities, as well as the rehabilitation of prisoners. According to the new law, all prisoners will have the right to an adequate diet and clean drinking water. They can also pay to have newspapers, books, writing material, air cooler, LeD TV and a computer. The Sindh Injured Persons Compulsory Medical Treatment (Amal Umer) Act 2019 ensures that every injured person will receive treatment at a hospital without any legal formalities.
Meanwhile, The Sindh Charities Registration and Regulation Act 2019 keeps a check on donations and funds collected by charitable organisations. Moreover, the assembly also passed a bill that banned the sale, use and production of guktas in the province. Punjab Assembly: 11 laws, 14 ordinances In 2019, the Punjab Assembly passed 25 bills, most of which were amendments to existing laws, while 14 were ordinances which were later introduced as bills. Apart from introducing new local government laws, some other important legislation was done by the Punjab government. The assembly passed the Punjab Occupational Safety and Health Act, Punjab Domestic Workers Act, Punjab Workers Welfare Fund Act and Punjab Minimum Wages Act. Other noteworthy laws were the Prevention of Conflict of Interest Act, The Water Act, and Punjab Sentencing Act. From the farmers point of view, The Khal Panchayat Act was a major development. Furthermore, the Punjab Assembly passed a bill to raise its members' salaries and perks. nEWS DESK
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
06 WORLD VIEW
Uncovering the cAA’s lArger strAtAgem THERE IS ONE CLUE TO THE LOGIC THAT INFORMS THE CAA: THE LEGISLATION INTENDS TO PRESENT THE PERPETRATOR AS MUSLIM, AND ONLY MUSLIM
HiNdu
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mahmood mamdani
TUDENT protesters have exacted their first concession from the powers that be. The Prime Minister has denied any official intent to compile a countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC), nor to build detention centres to contain those classified as non-citizens. The implication is to delink any connection between the NRC and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019. This signals an official intent to shift the focus of public attention from the NRC to the CAA. The reworked message: What could be more benign than an Act that reaches out to op-
pressed religious minorities in the neighbourhood? Those who continue to protest must either be misinformed, misguided or ill-intentioned. THE LARGER PICTURE There is a fourth possibility: the student protesters may be right. To make sense of the protester’s point of view, one needs to look beyond the list of those included, which is indeed the benign half of the picture. The other half is the list of those excluded. Only a grasp of reasons that explain both sides of the list, those included and those excluded, can give a sense of the whole picture. Why does the list of minorities include only those from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan? Why not from other neighbours such as Sri Lanka, China and Myanmar? Could it be because the ruling powers in these countries are not officially Muslim? I can think of only one reason why a government pledged to Hindutva would exclude ‘persecuted Hindu’, such as the Tamils of Sri Lanka, from the list — because their oppressor does not claim to be an official representative of Islam. Here is one clue to the logic that informs the CAA: the legislation intends to present the perpe-
trator as Muslim, and only Muslim. NO ‘VICTIM’ For a second clue as to the kind of reasoning that informs this double process of exclusion and inclusion, let us focus on the exclusion of the most persecuted minorities in the region, such as the Rohingya of Myanmar or the Uighurs of China. Just as the legislation recognises only Muslim perpetrators, it recognises no Muslim victim. To complete the list of those excluded, we need to focus on oppressed Muslims in countries where the ruling power officially claims to be Muslim. Those oppressed may be targeted as groups such as Ahmadiyya or Shia, or they may be identified as individual critics. One such instance was headlined by the Karachi daily, The Dawn, of December 23, 2019: “Academic Junaid Hafeez Sentenced to Death on Blasphemy Charges by Multan Court.” Whether intended or not, it is these reasons that make the CAA a demonic rather than a benign legislation. More than helping out persecuted minorities, its effect will be to demonise and isolate one group, Muslims, as exclusively a group of perpetrators. The official dis-
course thus seeks to present Muslims as a politically and morally legitimate target for persecution by a governmentmobilised majority. It is this stratagem that student protesters have exposed. The student protesters consciously claim to follow an earlier generation of nationalist leaders — evoking names such as Gandhi, Ambedkar, Azad. Inspired by the Independence movement, they pledge non-violent action. Indeed, these non-violent protests have exploded in the face of brutal official repression. A CONTINUING PROCESS Like the Independence movement, the protest is not a standalone event, but an ongoing process. It resembles what the South Africans used to call “rolling mass action” at the peak of antiapartheid mobilisation. Few have bothered to draw up a blueprint or even define a destination for the protests. Though many demand “independence”, the call does not adequately sum up what these protests are about. Perhaps more accurate is the accompanying call for the defence of secularism, specifically as incorporated in the Indian Constitution. Secularism does not necessarily translate into denouncing the presence of religion in the public sphere. Instead of a simple opposition between secularism and religion, protesters tend to distinguish different trends within secular and religious realms. They embrace secularism which accommodates diversity, but not the
French-style laicity that openly shuns it. A recent Op-Ed favourably contrasted religious sentiment that reaches out to embrace as opposed to fundamentalisms that thrive on exclusions. Their pledge to emulate the earlier generation of nationalists also hides the important ways in which the protests depart from the Independence generation in significant ways. The protest leadership comes from loosely coordinated student groups. There are hardly any luminaries in the protest, whether from the world of finance or industry or entertainment. They keep a distance from political parties. Indeed, many of these youthful protesters seem disillusioned with party politics. Rather than look to representative democracy as the guarantor of people’s rights, they are in search of new and popular ways of defining and defending these rights. In pointing to new possibilities, they seem to follow a trend that can be discerned at a global level, in places such as Lebanon, Sudan, Algeria, France, Chile, Hong Kong, and so on, in what we may define as the contemporary post-Arab Spring era. Mahmood Mamdani is Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University and director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Kampala, Uganda.
America’s Iraq war may escalate after airstrikes on Iranian-backed groups US AIRSTRIKES WERE SUPPOSED TO BE A MESSAGE OF DETERRENCE FOR THE ATTACK NEAR KIRKUK. BUT THIS BRINKMANSHIP COULD LEAD TO A WIDER CONFLICT NatioNal iNterest Seth J Frantzman
Forty-eight tense hours separated an attack that killed a U.S. contractor at a base near Kirkuk on Friday, December 27, and U.S. attacks against the Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq and Syria on Sunday. It is a serious response that backs up six months of Washington’s rhetoric which has warned Iran of a strong and decisive response to any attacks by Tehran or its proxies. The United States opened a new chapter in Iraq on Sunday with its airstrikes. The strikes, carried out by F-15s and other aircraft, hit five targets, three in Iraq and two in Syria. The largest strike hit a headquarters of Kataib Hezbollah in Al-Qaim and killed several members of the militia. According to local reports Abu Al-Khazali, a commander of Brigade 45 of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), was killed. Brigade 45 is made up of Kataib Hezbollah members and is officially a paramilitary unit within the Iraqi Security Forces. The airstrike is a response to rocket fire that killed a U.S. contractor and wounded four U.S. personnel at the K-1 base northwest of Kirkuk. It was the latest of at least ten attacks since October 2019. These attacks actually began earlier this year when rockets were aimed at U.S. bases in February and May. When U.S.-Iran tensions skyrocketed in May the attacks increased. In May, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Iraq to warn of Iranian attacks. The attacks did come, but in the form of mining oil tankers in the Gulf and then the downing of a U.S. drone in June. Then Iran shifted tactics a bit, targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq facility and also targeting Israel. There were Iranian rocket attacks on Israel in May
of 2018 and in January, September and November this year. Iran’s strategy is complex. In Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen it works with local forces. These include Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels and Shia militias, many of them linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Pompeo calls these “proxies” and warned on December 13 that Iran’s proxies had “recently conducted several attacks against bases where Iraqi Security Forces are co-located [with] US and international coalition personnel.” The United States and Coalition are in Iraq with thousands of forces to fight ISIS. The United States had reduced its diplomatic staff in Iraq due to the Iran tensions. Protests in Iraq that began in October led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and the country has a leadership vacuum. President Barham Saleh, who met with Pompeo at the sidelines of the UN in September, has threatened to resign. The U.S. role in Iraq has become increasingly complicated well. With ISIS largely defeated in Iraq in the fall of 2017, the United States shifted to stabilization, training and dispatching Security Force Assistance Brigades—in an advisory role— to advise the Iraqis and Kurdish Peshmerga. The Coalition highlights weekly raids against ISIS and the United States conducts some airstrikes. However, Lead Inspector General reports show that tensions with Iran are increasingly on the minds of U.S. forces. The Iran tensions span Iraq and Syria. This is partly a result of the war against ISIS which spanned across both countries. Similarly, pro-Iranian groups in Syria and Iraq also fought ISIS and filled the vacuum left behind. In Iraq, that meant that the Popular Mobilization Units, a group of mostly Shia militias, set up bases in places like Kirkuk,
Nineveh and Anbar province. In Al-Qaim, for instance, the 45th Brigade of the PMU, linked to Kataib Hezbollah, set up a base. It also built a base on the Syrian side in a house. Iran also built a base on the Syrian side near Albukamal called the Imam Ali base. Together Kataib Hezbollah units and the Imam Ali base have been hit by Israeli airstrikes. For the United States, the concern in Iraq and Syria is multi-layered. After the U.S. withdrawal from part of northern Syria, it repositioned units to guard oil and keep a presence in southern Syria. It has warned the Syrian regime against advancing into these areas east of the Euphrates or around the Tanf base on the Jordanian base. In February 2018, the United States helped stop a Syrian regime advance near Deir Ezzor that included Russian mercenaries. In Syria, the United States has expressed concern that Israeli airstrikes might lead the Syrian regime or its allies to target the United States. In Iraq, the United States says Israeli airstrikes have complicated the mission a bit. Israel has said it opposes Iranian entrenchment in Syria and Iraq. In a sense, the United States and Israel view Iran’s threats similarly, but they have different challenges. Israel wants Iran to stop moving munitions to Syria and reduce its presence. The United States wants to be able to continue the anti-ISIS campaign without Iranian-backed harassment. But Iran has shown that it will conduct tit-for-tat pressures in response to sanctions and other issues. Iranian-backed groups, such as Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) have a long history of opposing and fighting the United States in Iraq, only stopping momentarily due to the war against ISIS. The United States sanctioned Kataib Hezbollah
leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in 2009 and he is wanted for terrorism charges in Kuwait. Washington also sanctioned Qais Khazali, leader of AAH, in December and has sanctioned Harakat Hezbollah Al-Nujaba, another PMU militia. All this adds up to a very tense December, even without the attack and retaliation that just took place. PMU militia leaders like Muhandis want the United States to leave Iraq. The Pentagon says that Kataib Hezbollah has been responsible for past rocket attacks on bases where U.S. forces are present. These attacks have become increasingly threatening since October; they have included different types of rockets, including Iranian-made 107mm rockets. On December 27, a total of thirty-two rockets fired from an improvised rocket launcher in the back of a Bongo truck, struck the K-1 base. U.S. personnel were there as part of an anti-ISIS operation. The rockets set off a munitions facility. One U.S. contractor was killed. On December 29, the F-15s dropped their ordnance in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon says that targets included command and control areas and also storage facilities that Kataib Hezbollah has used to plan and execute attacks on the U.S. and coalition forces. The decision to strike in both Syria and Iraq shows that Washington views the threat as spanning the border. It is highly unusual for the United States to conduct airstrikes this way, across borders at the same threat. The only parallel might be the conflict against groups like AlQaeda that have spanned continents and resulted in U.S. drone strikes, many of them confidential, from Pakistan to Africa. The strikes represent a keen understanding of the threat that Kataib Hezbollah poses. It is not just an Iraqi militia: its leader
trained with the IRGC in the 1980s and it is part of Iran’s regional strategy. In that sense, like AAH and other groups in Iraq, it has played a role in Syria, established relations with Hezbollah, and has threatened Israel. Like the rest of Iran’s proxies, it views itself as “resisting” the United States in the Middle East. The Trump administration has been reticent to get involved in a conflict with Iran despite the rising tensions since May. However, the Trump administration has tested Iran’s role in Iraq in the past. In October 2017, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the Iraqi militias, such as Kataib Hezbollah, should go home now that the war on ISIS was over. Then-Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned Tillerson and said the militias of the PMU were the hope of the future of Iraq and the region. In December 2018, President Donald Trump said the United States could use Iraq to “watch Iran.” Similar statements in January 2019 ruffled Iran’s feathers and angered Iraqi politicians who didn’t want Iraq used as part of a U.S. war with Iran. Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organization, which is part of the PMU, warned in May that tensions with the United States and Iran could “burn” Iraq. The tensions point to a crucial moment for the United States in Iraq. Washington has already left Iraq several times in the past: In the 1990s, after the Gulf War US forces withdrew and again in 2011. Now pro-Iranian groups want to see the United States leave again. Iraqis don’t want a U.S.-Iran conflict or a proxy conflict in Iraq. But many Iraqi protesters have been protesting Iran’s presence as well, not only the U.S. presence. Iranian consulates have been burned, militia headquarters have been targeted,
and Iranian-backed militias have been accused of killing protesters. This means the United States is in a different place in Iraq today than in 2011. However, the killing of members of Kataib Hezbollah and the attacks straddling the Iraq-Syria border illustrate that a larger conflict is already taking place. This conflict has existed under the surface, involving Iran’s actions in the Gulf, and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as well as Israeli airstrikes against Iran in Syria and Iraq. Kataib Hezbollah has been seeking to strike at the United States since May, when the rocket attacks began. At the same time, Iran is accused of transferring ballistic and other missiles to Iraq. The PMU are at a crossroads after the U.S. strikes. They can choose to escalate the conflict and show that they are the new power behind the throne in Iraq, a sort of Iraqi version of Iran’s IRGC. Or Iran may seek to reduce tensions. Yet Iran will likely choose both options, as it has in the Gulf and in Syria. Trump has been reticent to commit more U.S. troops to foreign wars that he portrays as endless sunk costs. Iraq is a sunk cost in this estimation and Trump has said ISIS is defeated on the ground. That puts the United States in a complex position, wanting to maintain some presence in Iraq and southern Syria, but not wanting a large new conflict with Iran or Iran’s proxies. Five airstrikes were supposed to be a message of deterrence for the attack near Kirkuk. It shows the United States has been watching several Kataib Hezbollah’s sites for weeks or months. But Kataib Hezbollah didn’t evacuate its locations, assuming it was safe. This is the brinkmanship that could lead to a wider conflict. That conflict could stretch thousands of kilometers from the Gulf to Israel’s Golan Heights. Seth J. Frantzman is a Jerusalem-based journalist who holds a Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis and a writing fellow at Middle East Forum. He is the author of After ISIS: America, Iran and the Struggle for the Middle East (forthcoming Gefen Publishing).
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
FOREIGN NEWS 07
hong kong pRoteSteRS StAge new YeAR mARcheS, little feStive cheeR HONG KONG
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AGENCIES
ONG Kong protesters formed giant human chains and marched through shopping malls on New Year’s Eve, urging people not to give up the fight for democracy in 2020. Police were out in force to quell any unrest and authorities canceled the popular midnight fireworks for the first time in a decade, citing security concerns. A “Symphony of Lights” was planned instead, involving projections on the city’s tallest skyscrapers after a countdown to midnight. “This year there are no fireworks, but there will probably be tear gas somewhere,” said 25-year-old IT worker Sam. “For us it’s not really New Year’s Eve. We have to resist every day.” As evening fell, thousands of masked protesters, many dressed in black and wearing facemasks, stood in long chains along sidewalks in several areas of the Chinese-ruled city.
Putin and Zelenskiy agree to work on new prisoner swap MOSCOW AGENCIES
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy have agreed to begin work immediately on a new prisoner swap, Ukraine’s presidential office said. Putin and Zelenskiy agreed in a phone call on Tuesday to draw up a list of Ukrainians, including those held in Russian-annexed Crimea, and Russians held in Ukraine, for an exchange, it said. On Sunday, Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine completed a large-scale prisoner swap.
South Korea indicts former justice minister on charges of fraud, graft SEOUL AGENCIES
South Korean prosecutors indicted former Justice Minister Cho Kuk on Tuesday on a dozen charges including bribery, two months after he resigned over a scandal involving family investment and university admissions for his children. The accusations are a setback for President Moon Jae-in after the liberal leader named Cho, a former top aide, to the cabinet post to lead reform of the prosecutors’ office, which critics saw as being susceptible to political pressure. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Cho and his wife on Tuesday morning over family investment and use of their position to gain the admissions for the children, it said in a statement. Cho faces a dozen charges, ranging from bribery and document fraud to manipulation of evidence and violations of public service ethics law, it added. Together with his wife, Chung Kyung-shim, he is being prosecuted for falsifying documents regarding family investments and efforts to gain university admissions. Cho will remain free as he stands trial. Chung, who is also a university professor, was arrested in October on the same charges. Cho’s lawyer, Kim Chil-joon, did not immediately respond to telephone calls or a text message to seek comment. The Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying the prosecutors had handed down “a political indictment based on their imagination and fiction”. Moon’s office called the investigation result “meager” and said it would deepen people’s distrust of the prosecutors. “The investigation shook the president’s authority,” said Yoon Do-han, Moon’s press secretary.
China's Xi says 'sincerely' hopes for best for Hong Kong BEIJING: N Chinese President Xi Jinping said in comments broadcast on Tuesday that he “sincerely” hopes for the best for Hong Kong and its people, adding the situation there has “been everybody’s concern over the past few months”. “Without a harmonious and stable environment, how can there be a home where people can live and work happily?” Xi said in a New Year’s Eve speech carried on state television. A prosperous and stable Hong Kong is the aspiration not only of Hong Kong’s people, but also the expectation of people in mainland China, he added. AGENCIES
On Nathan Road, an important artery on the Kowloon peninsula, protesters in a chain stretching for several kilometers raised lit-up smartphones as passing cars and buses honked in support and tourists in party hats and 2020-shaped glasses took pictures. Many protesters held up cards reading “Let’s keep fighting together in 2020.” Dozens of protesters laid flowers near
the Prince Edward metro station, scene of some of the most violent clashes with the police this summer. Demonstrations dubbed “Suck the Eve” in the downtown bar and entertainment district of Lan Kwai Fong and the picturesque Victoria Harbour were planned for later in the night. Wong, a 22year-old freelance photographer who gave only his last name, said he did not
feel like celebrating New Year. “I can’t even celebrate my birthday. I choose to stand here because at least we can chant a little and it feels like I’m with family,” he said. The protests began in June in response to a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, and have evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement. The protest movement is supported by 59% of city residents polled in a survey conducted for Reuters by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute. More than a third of respondents said they had attended an anti-government demonstration. BEST WISHES: In a New Year’s Eve video message, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said more than six months of unrest in the Asian financial hub had caused sadness, anxiety, disappointment and rage. “Let’s start 2020 with a new resolution, to restore order and harmony in society. So we can begin again, together,” Lam said. Chinese President Xi Jinping
extended his best wishes to Hong Kong residents in a speech carried by state television. “Without a harmonious and stable environment, how can there be a home where people can live and work happily?” he said. “We sincerely hope for the best for Hong Kong and Hong Kong compatriots.” Police say they have arrested nearly 6,500 people since the protests began escalating in what is the worst political crisis faced by the city in decades. On Jan. 1, tens of thousands of people are expected to join a pro-democracy march that police have given the green light to. The previous march organized by the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF) drew an estimated 800,000 people in early December. The New Year demonstrations follow a pick-up in clashes since Christmas Eve, when riot police fired tear gas at thousands of protesters following scuffles in shopping malls and in a prime tourist district. “On New Year’s Day, we need to show our solidarity … to resist the government,” said CHRF leader Jimmy Sham.
France waits on Macron as pension strike stretches on PARIS AGENCIES
French union leaders upped their calls on Monday for President Emmanuel Macron to give ground on a planned pension overhaul, amid signs that support is flagging for a gruelling transport strike now in its 26th day. Macron will address the nation Tuesday in his annual New Year’s Eve speech, having largely left it to his government to defend one of the most contested reforms of his term. The president will reaffirm his “determined ambition (for) a project of social progress that corrects a number of inequalities,” an official at the Elysee Palace told AFP on condition of anonymity. “At this stage he is not expected to go into the details of the reform,” which would scrap 42 separate pension schemes for a single, points-based sys-
tem, the official said. It would also set a “pivot age” of 64 at which retirees would benefit from a full pension, though they can legally leave at 62, a change the unions fiercely oppose. Macron’s speech “is a non-event for us,” Fabien Dumas of the SUD-Rail union told AFP. “I’m not expecting any announcements,” he said, ahead of new talks between unions and the government starting January 7. After three weeks of strikes — the longest since the mid-1980s — the government has conceded that some workers, like police and firefighters, would still be able to have early retirements. And Paris Opera dancers were told over the weekend that the reform would apply only to new recruits from January 2022. “It’s obvious that his plan is coming apart,” Yves Veyrier of the Force Ouvriere union told France Info radio on Monday. “You can see that it doesn’t work
for different sectors, whether it’s pilots, firefighters, Opera dancers,” he said, reiterating his demand that Macron drop the plan outright. The transport strike has cast a pall over the holidays, snarling daily commutes in big cities like Paris and spelling travel misery for thousands over Christmas. Half of the country’s high-speed TGV trains were cancelled Monday, with more severe disruptions for regional trains, and similar disruptions are expected through the week. But rail operator SNCF said just 7.1 per cent of employees were on strike, including a third of train drivers, the lowest rate since the protest was launched on December 5. And in Paris, only two of the 16 metro lines were shut down completely — though most others were offering only minimal service, and only during morning or evening rush hours. “It’s starting to get tiring, we’re
tired,” said real estate employee Julie at Saint-Lazare station in Paris. “At the same time we support the movement,” she acknowledged. “But it’s tiring.” The strike is also likely to crimp New Year’s festivities. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said nearly 100,000 police would be on duty nationwide on New Year’s Eve to prevent drink driving as more revellers opt to get around by car. In Paris, 250,000 to 300,000 people usually gather on the Champs-Elysees to ring in the new year, with the city’s 16 metro lines open — and free — all night. But this year just two metro lines will run, and only until 2:15 am, though transit operator RATP vowed to step up night bus services. On Monday, CGT union members blocked ports in Lorient, Le Havre and other cities to protest the reform, and lawyers have called for a “hard strike” from January 6.
Thousands to sleep at beaches as fires encircle Australian towns CANBERRA AGENCIES
Thousands of holidaymakers and locals were bedding down at beaches in fireravaged southeast Australia on New Year’s Eve after fleeing deadly blazes that ripped through popular tourist areas and cut off several towns. In seaside communities along a 200-kilometre (135-mile) strip of coast, terrified crowds — wrapped in blankets and wearing make-shift facemasks — sought refuge from the inferno near the water. Some with boats earlier took to the sea in near-darkness, hoping to find safety, as one of the worst days yet in Australia’s months-long bushfire crisis prompted a military deployment to help relief efforts. Three people have died, five more are unaccounted for, and scores of properties were feared destroyed after a brutal 24 hours in which flames reached well-populated towns like Batemans Bay, normally bursting with visitors during Australia’s summer holidays. “We’ve got literally hundreds, thousands of people up and down the coast, taking refuge on the beaches” and in surf clubs, said Shane Fitzsimmons, commissioner of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. “In the majority of these cases, we’re being told that people will be sleeping over at these clubs,” Surf Life Saving Australia’s Steven Pearce told ABC. “We’ll have instances of 500 people or more trying to sleep in and around
our surf clubs.” Around 4,000 people were trapped on the foreshore in the town of Mallacoota, where towering columns of smoke turned the sky pitch black and nearby fires caused waves of “ember attacks”. Authorities said later on Tuesday that Mallacoota and a nearby town remained cut off, but the life-threatening fire front had finally passed. “I understand there was a public cheer down at the jetty when that was announced,” said Steve Warrington of the Country Fire Authority. In some places Tuesday’s blazes were so intense, the smoke so thick and the dry lightning storms precipitated by the fires so severe that aerial reconnaissance and waterbombing had to be
halted. The situation was scarcely better in inland rural communities, where countless more people were displaced and forced into make-shift camps. Hundreds of “anxious and stressed and traumatised” people were gathered at Bega’s showgrounds, said 44-yearold Beck Walker, who had been holidaying with her husband and two young sons when they heard sirens warning them to evacuate before dawn. “We had to pack up and leave straight away,” she told AFP. “It was pretty scary because the sky was red… By 7:30 am we thought it was still night because the sky had turned black.” Australia’s defence minister Linda Reynolds said helicopters, aircraft and naval ships would be sent to the region.
The military is expected to conduct damage assessments and potentially provide those displaced with food, shelter and electricity and even evacuation. More back-up has been requested from firefighters in Canada and the United States. UNPRECEDENTED: Australia’s unprecedented bushfires have been burning for months, but the latest in a series of heatwaves and high winds have wrought new devastation. The crisis has also hit cities like Sydney and Melbourne, home to several million people. On Monday, around 100,000 people were urged to flee five Melbourne suburbs as the blaze bore down on homes just 16 kilometres (10 miles) from the centre of Australia’s secondbiggest city. Sydney was again shrouded in toxic bushfire haze on Tuesday. City officials said Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks would go ahead, but a similar event has been cancelled in Canberra and several regional towns. A Rural Fire Service spokesman said a 28-yearold volunteer firefighter — whose wife was due to give birth in May — died Monday in New South Wales when a “fire tornado” picked up an eight-tonne truck “and flipped it over”. A 63-yearold man and his 29-year-old son died in the devastated town of Cobargo in the latest spasm of destruction Tuesday. Ten others, including two volunteer firefighters, have been killed so far this fire season.
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
08 COMMENT
Misunderstandings about CPEC and China
Decade of struggle for parliamentary democracy The challenges to continue in 2020s
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ESPiTE major gains in the fight to make Pakistan a parliamentary republic, the goal of civilian supremacy as envisioned by Founding Father Muhammad Ali Jinnah remained a dream in the last decade. The struggle for genuine democracy will continue in the new decade beginning today. The successes achieved include constitutional amendments, including the 18th Amendment that restored the centrality of the Prime Minister’s office; the 19th Amendment that reformed the judicial appointments procedure; and the 20th Amendment that set down a procedure to install a caretaker set-up and matters related to the formation of the Election Commission. Major parties in the parliament however failed to remove the amendments introduced by Ziaul Haq in Articles 62 and 63, requiring legislators to be Sadiq and Ameen. They also failed to reduce the arbitrary powers given to nAb by President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf. The short-sightedness on the part of the PPP and PMl-n was to cost them dearly in the years to come. Another success was the apparently orderly transfer of power from one elected government to another. The pre-poll rigging in the 2018 elections however showed that offstage players could still play a crucial role in installing a government of their choice. The struggle for democracy also suffered setbacks. The civilian turf lost to non-elected bodies could not be retrieved. Thus, decisions about vital foreign affairs and internal security matters remained in the hands of offstage players. With so many private TV channels and apparently a free press there was initially a lot of euphoria about media freedom. This was to end soon when all kinds of pressures were used to curb media circulation and ruin it financially Economy was not given sufficient importance during the last decade. Pakistan consequently fell behind several regional countries including bangladesh in per capita income, foreign reserves, life expectancy, population control and literacy rate. Pakistan currently faces a wave of unemployment and rise in poverty levels. The tussle to make Pakistan a modern democracy and a social welfare state rather than a national security state will continue in the 2020s. its outcome will depend on how far the mainstream parties are able to reform themselves. These parties have to be much more responsive to common man’s issues, evolve well thought out economic strategies instead of depending on empty slogans and remove the perception that they have turned parliament into a billionaires club. instead of depending on electables they should encourage educated middle class politicians by drastically reducing election expenses. Above all they have to have to be more rooted among the masses than they currently are.
House of cards PTI’s razor-thin majority too tempting for the Opposition to ignore
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riME Minister imran Khan’s government was not easy to form, for it required a lot of effort pre- and postelections. The government exists because of a plethora of allies who are well aware of their importance to the PTi and have therefore been able to negotiate federal cabinet portfolios and other important posts for themselves. The opposition parties are of course also aware of the PTi’s dependency on its allies which is why PPP Chairman bilawal bhutto made an overture to the MQM-P, offering them a partnership in Sindh if they break away from the ruling party in the centre. The MQM-P is correct in tagging it a non-serious attempt given how the offer was made so publicly, because usually such matters are handled more delicately and behind the scenes. Perhaps it is less a case of immaturity on bilawal’s part and more of a scare tactic, one that the PTi has also used in the past, threatening to gather the required numbers in the Sindh Assembly to gain a majority over the PPP. That the MQM-P did not reject the offer outright suggests that it too wants to hold the PTi to the fire. This is the problem with coalition governments, where the required number to make or break them is so small; all it takes is a little pushing and tugging in the right direction to get the desired result. With less than six months left to pass the necessary and all-important legislation required to extend COAS Gen Qamar Javed bajwa’s tenure, the PTi’s allies have a lot of leverage to play with and get their pound of flesh. The PMl-Q, another major ally, has reportedly already made certain requests that it perhaps could not have made a few months back. A worse situation exists in Punjab where the PTi is also in power but with an even more fragile majority. Yet the government continues to exert pressure on the opposition as it is either unwilling or unable to control the urges directed by its obsession with so-called ‘accountability’. The PTi should be grateful for some of the very effective firewalls that exist between the current volatile nature of how it is running the government and a scenario where it sees itself sitting on the opposition benches. nevertheless, some serious course correction at this juncture would be a good idea.
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
Umar Aziz
Asher John
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Deputy Editor
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The spectre of a debt trap is false
amjeD jaaveD
HinA’S economic progress has engendered apprehensions that it may overtake the uSA and emerge as the new hegemon. The uSA harbours a lovehate relation with the Chinese dragon. Smaller countries under uS influence also envy (Venice Complex) or fear China. The cognitive dissonance in uS-China relations is obvious. The uSA looks upon China as a copycat trying to equalise the uSA through cyberespionage. Simultaneously, it extols China’s economic leapfrog, as long as it suits uS interests. debt trap: The uS has reservations about Chinese investment in Pakistan and Sri lanka as elsewhere. it surmises that Chinese loans, disguised as investments, are predatory. Such loans lead to ‘asset seizures’ like that of Hambantota port of Sri lanka. The factual position is that Chinese infrastructure loans have not led to the forfeiture of a single valuable asset abroad. The uS view is based on the rhodium Group study, which mentions only Hambantota port as the lone instance of seizure. The claim of forced lease or seizure is questionable. The Hambantota port lease, held jointly by the Hong Kong-based China Merchants Port and the Sri lanka Ports Authority, was negotiated over 2016-2017. Payments of the principal and interest for the port loans included only about 1.5 per cent of Sri lanka’s external debt repayment obligations. The Sri lanka Ports Authority promptly paid dues using revenues from Colombo port, which includes a container terminal run by China Merchants Port. China holds an estimated nine to 15 per cent of Sri lanka’s low-interest external debt. it owes highinterest loans to Western commercial banks. international sovereign bonds account for about half of the external debt, with Americans holding two-thirds of their value and Asians only about eight per cent. Sri lanka is liable to pay interest averaging 6.3 per cent on international sovereign bonds and the principal must be fully repaid in about seven years. in contrast, more than two-thirds of the value of Chinese state funds lent to Sri lanka from 2001-2017 (including two-thirds of the Hambantota port loans) were at two per cent interest, and mostly repayable over 20 years. Media reports about Sri lanka’s government being forced to sign the port away on a 99-year lease after failing to repay Chinese loans at 6.3 per cent, are untenable. The Sri lankan government still owns the Hambantota port and funds received for the lease were used to pay off expensive Western loans. There
Samiullah DooranDeSh
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ulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e-islami Afghanistan, the most radical militant resistant group against the Soviet invasion and now turned electoral politician, has once again disappointed the Pakistani establishment by performing extremely poor in the electoral results. He secured only 70,427, or 3.85 per cent, votes. The penalty of one million Afghanis, for having failed to secure ten per cent of the votes, adds salt to the wounds. As a warlord, he failed to capture Kabul and as a politician, he fails to secure ten per cent votes, let alone claiming victory in the presidential elections. The history between Pakistan, particularly the inter-Services intelligence (iSi) directorate, and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar date back to 1973 when the Afghan President daoud initiated a crackdown on the islamist leaders and compelled them to go into exile. Hekmatyar was among the rebels who were received by the Zulfiqar bhutto government as ‘state guests’ and received training, logistics and monetary assistance from the iSi which valued them as strategic assets against the nationalist policies and expansionist aspirations of daoud Khan. during the decade-long resistance against the Soviet invasion, Hekmatyar along his militant group Hezb-e-islami remained the most favoured Afghan Mujahideen leader, receiving the lion’s share of the money and arms funded by the Central intelligence Agency (CiA) and funnelled through the iSi. in the Pakistani intelligence community, Hekmatyar was the chosen one for his loyalties to the Pakistani deKarachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
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is no Chinese military base at Hambantota. in fact, China has leaseholds of only Mombasa and djibouti sea-ports. in contrast, the uSA holds 800 sea-ports. China wants to colonise Pakistan?: China never harboured any such ambition. History tells that China did its best to ensure protection of Pakistan’s sovereignty. A strong Pakistan is a bulwark for China’s security as well. Andrew Small, in The China-Pakistan Axis (page 34) tells “in 1982, a C130 Hercules transport aircraft belonging to the Pakistan military left urumqi, capital of the northWestern Chinese province of Xinxiang, headed for islamabad, carrying five lead-lined, stainless steel boxes, inside each were 10 single-kilogram ingots of highly enriched uranium, enough for two atomic’ bombs.” He adds, “China began supplying both M-11s and M-9s in unassembled form, which required development of a dedicated missile assembly facility near rawalpindi” (p 40, ibid.). differences: There are marked differences between China and Pakistan that rule out Pakistan as a colony for China. China’s pragmatism in `religion’, now dollar-orientation, obedient labour force, enlightened leadership with a world vision, and hard work ethos is different from Pakistan’s. Take the water aspect alone. Our lethargy marks a contrast with China’s history. There are more than 22,104 dams in China over the height of 15 m (49 ft). Of the world’s total large dams, China accounts for 20 per cent of them, 45 per cent for irrigation. The oldest dam in China, the dujiangyan irrigation System, dates back to 256 bC. in 2005, there were over 80,000 reservoirs in the country and over 4,800 dams completed or under construction that stood at or exceeded 30 meters (98 ft) in height. As of 2007, China is also the world’s leader in the construction of large dams. The tallest dam in China is the Jinping-i dam at 305 meters (1,001 ft), an arch dam, which is also the tallest dam in the world. The largest reservoir is created by the Three Gorges dam, which stores 39.3 billion m3 (31,900,000 acre feet) of water and has a surface area of 1,045 km2 (403 sq mi). Three Gorges is also the world’s largest power station. China’s Marxist-social metamorphosis defies our religious moorings. China was able to bridge the stark differences that existed between rural and urban lifestyles. The hukou system was designed to prevent rural to urban migration. Atheism: China ‘entertained’ foreign investors in every possible way. “in 2001, a count of the out-of-wedlock children produced by Shenzhen’s working women and mistresses over two decades numbered 520,000…the sex indus-
try is one of the few robust conduits of money back to China’s impoverished areas”. (Ted C Fishman, China Inc, p 98). There are karaoke clubs to entertain burly foreign investors. leadership: Chinese leaders have a world vision, a weltanschanschauung. Pakistani sanddune ‘leaders’ have none. China is a pacifist nation. Temperamentally, Chinese shield themselves from danger (The Great Wall). but, they have no itch to wage a war. Yet, they have over 1000 ballistic weapons aimed at Taiwan. uighur persecution and social issues: The uighurs are recognised as native to the Xinjiang uighur Autonomous region of the People’s republic of China. The Insider of 24 december reported that China has initiated a “Pair up and become Family” programme to dilute the uighur minority. Han Chinese men are sent to live with uighur women in China’s western region of Xinjiang. “neither the girls nor their families can reject such a marriage because they will be viewed [by Chinese authorities] as islamic extremists for not wanting to marry atheist Han Chinese. They have no choice but to marry them. China denies the allegation. be it observed that the uighurs is not like Orthodox Muslims. both Pakistan and the uighurs criticise each other. Andre Small (p 80, ibid.) states ‘Pakistan’s criticism of the uighurs’ irreligiousness or fondness casts aspersions on their standing as Muslims’. it is said that ‘Turkistan separatists are supported by the united States or india in order to drive a wedge between China and Pakistan.’ The alarmist or envious view of a rising China has engendered many misperceptions. China has no territorial ambitions in South China Sea (Spratly islands) or elsewhere. China is preoccupied with removing the urban-rural gulf (2020 to 2050), and providing adequate food and clothing to its population. Since early 2013, Xi Jinping has been talking about ‘fuqiang guojia’ (‘rich, strong, powerful country’). His leadership is threatened by the uSA’s machinations (tariff and trade war, Hong Kong unrest, and religious and bri/CPEC concerns). besides, there are social issues involving China’s unity, need for political reform in view of the Party’s long continuation in power and economic or political deterioration in the international environment. Amjed Jaaved is a freelance journalist, has served in the Pakistan government for 39 years and holds degrees in economics, business administration, and law. He can be reached at amjedjaaved@gmail.com.
Hekmatyar disappoints again Setback for Pakistan? signs and objectives in Afghanistan which he believed would feature him as the sole power-bearer. His obsession with power has continuously kept him closely attached with his sponsors. The withdrawal of the godless Soviets, the collapse of najibullah’s authority and the ensuing tussle for power among the Afghan armed groups prompted Pakistan’s quest for Strategic depth, a doctrine of gaining hold over Afghan territory to enhance its capacity in case of a prolonged conventional war against india, expounded by Gen Aslam beg, the then Chief of Army Staff and pushed by lt Gen Hamid Gul, then iSi chief. Strategic depth required a friendly, or to be precise a puppet, regime in Afghanistan and there was no better choice than Hekmatyar who had already declared his preference for a confederation of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Pakistani military and its intelligence agency threw their lot in favour of Hekmatyar to subdue the warring rivals and ensure the establishment of a client regime in Kabul. However, it was not that simple in practice, given the complexity of the dynamic involved in the Afghan crisis. The departing time arrived when Hekmatyar failed to realise the Pakistani expectations: Capture Kabul before others do. Hekmatyar disappointed his masters by not being able to take control of Kabul. before him, Ahmad Shah Masoud, the archrival of Hekmatyar and prominent leader of the northern Alliance, had successfully breached and controlled the
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capital, leaving Hekmatyar helpless outside Kabul. What ensued later attributed Hekmatyar a globally infamous title, the butcher of Kabul, and among Afghans he became known as Pakistan’s man. Hekmatyar shelled Kabul with rockets for months, killing 60,000 residents of the capital. Hekmatyar’s inability to capture Kabul led to his separation from the iSi which had co-opted and hired a new client, more ruthless, efficient and capable of fulfilling orders: the Taliban. The emergence of the Taliban, and their successful takeover of power, sidelined Hekmatyar who was forced to leave the country for iran. After the events of 9/11, the toppling of the Taliban emirate and the subsequent Taliban resurgence against the uS invasion and the newly established Afghan government, Hekmatyar was once again employed to work in correspondence with other players for the fulfilment of Pakistani objectives in Afghanistan. Hekmatyar remained in Pakistan, throughout the War on Terror, and continuously trained militants in Pakistani safe havens to fight Afghan and international forces. in 2017, Hekmatyar acceded to cease hostilities and join the peace process with the Afghan government. The inclusion of Hekmatyar into the political process of Afghanistan was a product of compromise and bargaining. Hekmatyar returned to Afghanistan and was welcomed by a sea of supporters. Hekmatyar’s return to Afghan politics was suspected, by many Afghans, to
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be another gambit of the Pakistani establishment to enhance their influence and solidify interference in the political sphere. This suspicion was substantiated by Hekmatyar’s extremely pro-Pakistani remarks and public speeches maligning the Afghan democracy and constitution. After disappointment on the military front, Hekmatyar faced the same fate on political front. Hekmatyar, due to his fascination for power and autocratic nature, has been dealt another blow. Many prominent senior members of his party and of his old entourage decided to leave the party because of his centralisation of party and decision-making. Moreover, Hekmatyar’s performance in the presidential elections was humiliating for him and his party where he was able to secure only three per cent of total votes. Hekmatyar was quick to reject the results, alleging the elections rigged. To add salt to the wounds, He will lose one million Afghani as a penalty for his failure to secure ten per cent of the votes, according to the regulations of independent Election Commission. One thing that is quite clear is the fact that the Afghan masses have explicitly clarified that they don’t support war criminals, warlords and foreign agents any more. This time, Hekmatyar’s disappointment might not spare him for another chance as Pakistan, for many years, has been striving to diversify the clients and sources to enhance its much-sought soft power in Afghanistan.
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Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
Concern about the poor condition of public parks
Real issue is self-determination Even India tacitly acknowledges the Kashmiris’ right, but oppresses them
malik muhammaD aShraf
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HE right of the people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law. The concept of self-determination evolved as a by-product of the doctrine of nationalism. it found expression in the French and American revolutions. The allies accepted self-determination as an aim for peace in World War i. in his Fourteen Points— the essential terms for peace— uS President Woodrow Wilson listed self-determination as an important objective for the post-war world. The result was the fragmentation of the old Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires and the former baltic territories of russia into a number of new states. After World War ii, the promotion of self-determination among subject peoples became one of the chief goals of the un. Even its predecessor, the league of nations, also recognised the principle. Article 1(2) of Chapter i of the un Charter which enunciates the Purpose and Principles of the World body mentions the right of self-determination as one of its objectives in these words “To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace”. Pursuant to that objective, the un has adopted a myriad resolution in the context of different conflicts around the world, particularly Palestine and Kashmir. resolution 2649 adopted in 1970 not only recognises the right of self-determination of the subjugated people but also reiterates the adoption of any means by the concerned people to win their right of self-determination. Pakistan has been tabling the resolution on the right of self-determination in the un General Assembly since 1981 which has invariably been endorsed. This year also, the 193-member third committee of the un adopted a Pakistani resolution, co-sponsored by 81 countries, without a vote. but it is regrettable to note that in spite of the continued denial of this right to the people of Kashmir over the last more than 72 years, the un and the global community has not fulfilled their obligation towards the people of Kashmir as enunciated in the un resolutions and the commitments made by the then indian leaders. What is now happening in indian Occupied Kashmir is actually the result of the indifference of the world community and the un to the plight of the people of Kashmir, which
encourages india to continue with its denial of right of self-determination to them as well as to continue the killing spree in the Valley. What the Modi government has done in indian-Occupied Kashmir constitutes an affront to the conscience of the world community and the un. The indian stance on Kashmir has no moral or legal basis. According to the indian independence Act, the rulers of princely states were given the choice to freely accede to either india or Pakistan, or to remain independent. They were, however, advised to keep the geographical proximity and demographic realities in view while deciding the accession. in case of Kashmir, both these elements were negated. The revolt of Kashmiris against their ruler’s pretensions to join india and the resultant war between india and Pakistan is also a strong testimony to the fact that the people of Kashmir wanted to join Pakistan. Kashmir was contiguous to Pakistan and the majority of its population was also Muslim. it had cultural and historic links with Pakistan and had remained under Muslim rule for centuries before ranjit Singh annexed it. in regards to the un resolutions on Kashmir it is relevant to point out that in the wake of the war that broke out between the two countries after the landing of indian forces in Kashmir, it was india which took the matter to the un. The un during the course of its deliberations on the subject passed 23 resolutions, including two uniCEP resolutions of 13 August 1948 and 5 January 1949 calling for a plebiscite in Kashmir under the auspices of the un. it is quite evident that like the supposed instrument of accession and the partition plan, the un resolutions also vividly recognised the right of the people to decide their own future through a process of self-determination. it is also pertinent to mention that the un, through its resolutions 91 and 122, also repudiated indian stance that the issue of accession of Kashmir had been resolved by the constituent assembly of Kashmir. These resolutions reiterated that the question of accession could not be resolved by any means other than that enunciated in the un resolutions on the subject. This proves beyond any doubt that the indian claims on Kashmir are a travesty of the facts and lack any legal basis. in the wake of the 1971 War between india and Pakistan, the Simla Agreement was
signed, of which Clause 6 emphasised the resolution of all disputes between the two countries, including Kashmir, through peaceful means, bilaterally. The very fact that india acknowledged Kashmir as a disputed territory in the Simla Agreement, belied its claims of Kashmir being its integral part. but unfortunately, india has never shown any honesty of purpose in resolving this issue and has used varying tactics to suspend or scupper the process of dialogue. it has always remained evasive on the core issue of Kashmir. india also claims that, in view of the Simla Agreement, Pakistan cannot internationalise the Kashmir dispute. That stance is also devoid of any legality. Article 103 of un Charter says, “in the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the un under the present charter and their obligations under any other international agreement, their obligations under the present charter will prevail”. What it means is that the un resolutions on Kashmir will take precedence over all other international agreements on the same issue. The un resolutions are the only way available to settle the Kashmir dispute. The Modi government, in pursuance of the Hindutva philosophy, has actually tried to nullify the un resolutions on Kashmir and all the bilateral agreements between Pakistan and india to resolve the contentious issues, including the core issue of Kashmir. The continuation of the killing spree in indianOccupied Kashmir, a complete lockdown in the Valley which has made the lives of the people of Kashmir miserable, and a persistent hostile attitude towards Pakistan, has put the peace and security of the entire region in peril. The two nuclear powers stand face to face with each other and any miscalculation on either side could trigger a nuclear war which could have disastrous consequences for the entire world. Prime Minister imran Khan, while addressing the un General Assembly, had rightly warned the world community about the emerging situation and sought their intervention in stopping the hate philosophy in its tracks before it spelled disaster in the region and beyond. The world community needs to shake up its conscience and fulfil its obligations towards the people of Kashmir.
The continuation of the killing spree in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, a complete lockdown in the Valley which has made the lives of the people of Kashmir miserable, and a persistent hostile attitude towards Pakistan, has put the peace and security of the entire region in peril
Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com
dEAr editor, parks are one of the most visited recreational places. it is the responsibility of local management to take their care. A good management always takes care of such refreshing places for its public. Sometimes, due to the negligence of management or its workers, the conditions of the parks become worse. due to these poor conditions, people stop visiting the park and those who visit face a lot of problems. Parks which have been built to facilitate the public are being neglected and falling into disrepair. A great deal of money has been spent on building and landscaping these parks and putting up facilities like jogging tracks. Thus, it is sad to see the parks go to waste because of neglect and bad maintenance. The drains are clogged with leaves and rubbish and have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. After completing their jog around the circuit or finishing their exercise, visitors like to sit and rest for a while. but they cannot relax as the mosquitoes are everywhere and biting them. Children are not seen in the parks at all in the evenings. Why? They are scared of the mosquitoes. Furthermore, the playground equipment is rusting away due to neglect. The grass and shrubs at the edge of the parks are not being cut. The bushes are so tall and unkempt that animals can live in them. it is also a good hiding place for thieves eyeing the nearby housing area or the people who visit the parks. rubbish is strewn all over the paths, playground and exercise areas. dustbins can hardly be found and in some places where they are available, some have been removed and used as goal posts or boundary markers. it is time that parks are maintained before they are totally destroyed. i hope the concerned authorities will intervene to check the degeneration of the park and attempt to bring back the lost beauty of it. SAnA KHAn Karachi
Inflation of CNG price and its impact on the country PAKiSTAn is a country where the price of any good can increase anytime. like, the price of CnG was around 104 rupees per kg and now suddenly it is around 125 rupees per kg. due to the increasing inflation, the traders of Karachi have called for a strike for three days, while transporters are angry over the price of CnG. They have also called for a strike on 10 July 2019. How will middle class people survive in such conditions? These prices are affecting our economy very badly. So, i request the government to take the required steps to control CnG price. MuHAMMAd AuSAF IqbAL Karachi
The release of Pakistani prisoners in Saudi Arabia i want to draw attention to one of the promises of the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman who came in Pakistan in February 2019. He promised to release 2000 Pakistanis who are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia. Still no action has been taken regarding the matter. it is a humble request to the Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to kindly release them since their families are waiting for them. FAHAd nASEEM KHAIrAbAdI Turbat
Pollution in Turbat TurbAT is the second largest city of balochistan and also its one of the most populated ones. However, nowadays, the city population is increasing rapidly. besides, our environment is being harmed due to increased pollution. Citizens throw harmful plastic bottles beside the main road, damaging the environment. it hurts me so much to say that the government of balochistan is still unaware of it and not showing any seriousness. Thus, it is my request to the citizens to stop throwing harmful things around and make it a wonderful environment. HAnEEF PHuLLAn Turbat
Planting trees in Sukkur dEAr Editor, it is important to highlight through your esteemed paper an initiative of the Sukkur Municipal Corporation (SMC) regarding tree-plantation along major roads of the city. lately, SMC has begun planting trees alongside Minara road, Military road and a few other thoroughfares to cope with the menace of rising temperatures across the country. Keeping in view the seriousness of SMC this time and the anti-encroachment drive in the city, it is hoped that more land will be designated for tree plantation and the project will be overseen and completed with utmost sincerity. KAMrAn AKHTAr SIddIquI Sukkur
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
10 FOREIGN NEWS
Al-ShAbAAb militAntS clAim huge mogAdiShu bomb AttAck
MOGADISHU
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AGENCIES
L-SHABAAB Islamist militants have claimed responsibility for Saturday’s massive car bomb in the Somali capital Mogadishu that killed 81 people, including two Turkish citizens. The attack hit a busy checkpoint in the southwest of the city, leaving vehicles charred and twisted at a crossroads in the deadliest assault in two years in the Horn of Africa country.
Scores more were wounded in an area clogged with traffic because of the security checkpoint and a tax office collecting fees from trucks and buses. “…the mujahideen carried (out) an attack… targeting a convoy of Turkish mercenaries and apostate militia who were escorting them,” AlShabaab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said in an audio message. Among the dead were 16 students from the private Banadir university whose bus was passing through the crossroads as the bomb detonated. Mogadishu is regularly hit by attacks by Al-
Shabaab, which has fought for more than a decade to topple the Somali government. For the first time, Al-Shabaab apologised to the civilian victims of the attack, which it justified as necessary in fight against the Somali State and its foreign backers. “We are very sorry about the casualty that was inflicted on our Somali Muslim society, and we are extending our condolences to the Muslims who have lost their lives and or (were) wounded and or had their property destroyed.” Al-Shabaab do not usually claim attacks that cause such high casualty rates among the civilian population, for fear of losing the support they still enjoy with some Somalis. The message also accused Turkey of trying to control Somalia’s resources. Turkey is a major donor and investor in Somalia, especially in humanitarian aid and reconstruction. Turkish companies manage Mogadishu’s port and airport. “The Turks are our enemies and as we have said before, we will not stop fighting until they withdraw from our lands,” the spokesman said. US AIR STRIKES: The death toll increased to 81 on Monday after two victims died from their wounds, the Somali information ministry said. One of the new fatalities was among the injured who had been evacuated to Turkey via a Turkish military plane on Sunday. Saturday’s attack was the biggest to hit Somalia since a truck exploded in 2017 near a fuel tanker in Mogadishu, creating a fireball that killed over 500 people. In 2010, Al-Shabaab declared its allegiance to Al-Qaeda. But its fighters fled positions they once held in the capital Mogadishu, and have since lost many strongholds.
North Korea's Kim calls for 'military countermeasures' PYONGYANG
Microsoft seizes web domains used by North Korean hackers
AGENCIES
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for “diplomatic and military countermeasures”, state media said on Tuesday, ahead of a year-end deadline for Washington to change its stance on stalled nuclear talks with Pyongyang. His latest comments, made during a meeting of top ruling party officials in Pyongyang on Monday, came ahead of his set-piece New Year speech that could flesh out a threat to seek a “new way” forward after the expiration of the year-end deadline. He spoke for seven hours during the ruling Workers’ Party meeting, the North’s official KCNA news agency said in a report released on Tuesday, calling for measures to rebuild its economy and “diplomatic and military countermeasures for firmly preserving the sovereignty and security” of the isolated nation. The party meeting will continue to review an unspecified “important document”, it added. Talks on denuclearising the Korean peninsula have been largely deadlocked since the second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump collapsed in Hanoi at the start of this year. Pyongyang has demanded the easing of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes,
NEW YORK: Microsoft said Monday it obtained a court order allowing it to seize web domains used by North Korean hacking groups to launch cyberattacks on human rights activists, researchers and others. The US technology giant said a federal court allowed it to take control of 50 domains operated by a group dubbed Thallium, which tricked online users by fraudulently using Microsoft brands and trademarks. “This network was used to target victims and then compromise their online accounts, infect their computers, compromise the security of their networks and steal sensitive information,” said Tom Burt, Microsoft’s vice president for customer security and trust. “Based on victim information, the targets included government employees, think tanks, university staff members, members of organizations focused on world peace and human rights, and individuals that work on nuclear proliferation issues. Most targets were based in the US, as well as Japan and South Korea.” Microsoft, which had been investigating the group through its Digital Crimes Unit and Threat Intelligence Center, said the hacking group sent spoofed emails that appeared to come from Microsoft which tricked users into revealing their login credentials, a technique known as spear phishing. AGENCIES
while Washington insists it takes more tangible steps towards giving them up. Speculation has mounted that Pyongyang could abandon its moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile tests — although its ominous threat of a “Christmas gift” to the US appears to have fizzled. The North may see the period running up to Seoul’s April parliamentary election next year as “a window for seeking maximum ben-
efits for minimal concessions” and try to escalate tensions, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “But Kim does not want to risk conflict with the US or loss of Chinese support with excessive provocations,” he told AFP. “So Pyongyang may prolong diplomatic deadlock until it becomes clear whether the next US administration will be led by Trump or someone else.”
militia attack kills 20 in eastern dR congo KINSHASA AGENCIES Militants killed 20 people, most of them hacked to death, in Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Beni region in the latest attack by an armed group blamed for massacres that have sparked angry protests. Local officials said fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist-militia originally from neighbouring Uganda, on Sunday attacked ApetinaSana west of Oicha, the chief administrative town in Beni region. “There was an incursion in Apetina-Sana by the ADF last night,” Beni administrator Donat Kibwana told AFP. “(They) hacked 18 civilians to death.” Local officials later found two more bodies during a search after the attack, bring the total to 20. Apetina-Sana is part of the so-called Triangle of Death, along with Mbau and Eringeti — the worst-hit area for attacks by the ADF. ADF fighters have killed more than 200 people since the army launched an offensive against the militia on October 30, according to a toll compiled by civil society groups. The toll has sparked anger over the authorities’ response. “The authorities were tipped off on Sunday evening about the presence of suspicious men west of Oicha,” said Teddy Kataliko, an activist in Beni. “We continue to ask the DRC armed forces to launch operations on the western side as well, to save civilians.” There have been demonstrations in the city of Beni, where local people accuse the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO of failing to protect them. The ADF began as an Islamist rebellion hostile to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. It fell back into eastern DRC in 1995 and appears to have halted raids inside Uganda. Its recruits today are people of various nationalities. In a separate incident in eastern DR Congo on Monday, “armed bandits” attacked a base used by a Chinese-owned gold mine, killing four people, the military said. The raid happened in Irumu district in the northeastern province of Ituri, said Lieutenant Jules Ngongo, the army’s provincial spokesman. Two soldiers, a policeman and a driver for the mine were killed, he said. “The assailants have not been completely identified but they must be armed bandits who look for supplies during the year-end festivities,” Ngongo said.
India's transgender protesters fear stateless future NEW DELHI AGENCIES
At 24, Indian transgender Ray has already had to fight many battles for recognition and now faces a new threat — losing her citizenship because of controversial new legislation. The Delhi-based law student — whose official documents identify her as male — is among tens of thousands of people protesting against the legislation and a mooted nationwide citizens’ register, worried that it will render transgender Indians like herself stateless. Her fears are not unfounded. In September this year, a petition was filed in India’s Supreme Court after around 2,000 transgender persons were left off a citizens’ register in the northeastern state of Assam, throwing their future into doubt. Despite being legally recognised as a third gender in a historic 2014 Supreme Court ruling, they often live on the extreme fringes of Indian society, with
many forced into prostitution, begging or menial jobs. For a community that already faces severe discrimination in conservative India — much of it from their own families — transgender individuals feel they are at extra risk from legislation pushed by Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed ostensibly at tackling illegal immigration. “Many of us are thrown out of our homes, we run away from our homes facing abuse, we don’t have documents for ourselves, how do you then expect the transgender community to prove citizenship?” If Modi’s government goes ahead with its 2019 election pledge to draw up a citizens’ register, Ray and others will be forced “to go back to our families which are the first places of abuse most often for trans communities and individuals”, she told AFP. Transgender makeup artist Tulsi Chandra is among those who dreads hav-
ing to return to her family in the remote Andaman and Nicobar islands to recover documents. “The reason I left home and came to Delhi was because my own family looked at me like I was an embarrassment,” the
29-year-old said. “After the death of my grandparents, I haven’t been in touch with anybody in my family because nobody wants to accept me as their own,” Chandra told AFP, as she described what happened to a
transgender friend in similar straits. “At first the family promised to give her the documents but once she reached home, [they started] […] forcing my friend, who identifies as a woman, to pretend to be a straight male and get married to a woman,” she said. Official estimates for India’s transgender population, who are known locally as “hijras”, do not exist but the community is thought to number several million. “For transgender people it is difficult to even change your existing documents to the gender and name you identify with, from the one you are assigned at birth,” queer rights activist Rituparna Borah told AFP on the sidelines of a protest against the law. “We do not even have basic rights […] like the right to basic health care, right to livelihood, right to partnership,” she said. “So how do we claim those rights as citizens now that we have to prove again that we are citizens of this country? “
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
BUSINESS 11 CORPORATE CORNER
Thanks To lazy banking, mosT aTm caRDs won'T woRk fRom ToDay KARACHI
KARACHI: Jubilee Life Insurance Group Head - Retail Distribution Farhan Faridi, received the PSX Top 25 Companies award 2016. The award was presented by the Advisor to PM on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. Jubilee Life Insurance is the only insurance company to make it to this prestigious list. PRESS RELEASE
A cancer patient along with Prime Minister Imran Khan cut the silver jubilee. PRESS RELEASE
LAHORE: Mukhtar Sons Construction (Pvt) Ltd received the construction contract for Zameen Opal, Zameen Developments’ first project in Lahore, in a brief ceremony held at the Zameen.com Head Office in Lahore on Thursday. Zameen.com CEO Zeeshan Ali Khan and Mukhtar Sons CEO Umair Amjad Mukhtar signed the formal agreement on behalf of their companies. PRESS RELEASE
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MEIRYUM ALI
ESTERDAY was the last day for all banks across Pakistan to switch from magnetic strip cards to Europay Mastercard Visa (EMV) compliant cards, more commonly known as Chip and PIN cards, as per State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) regulations. The regulations mean that starting in 2020, customers can only use chip-enabled credit, debit and ATM cards to make payments. However, the switch has reportedly created a backlog of cards that need to be activated at several banks. Anecdotal evidence suggests that customers trying to activate their new EMV compliant cards are instead faced with busy customer service lines. In some cases, customers are redirected and put on hold for up to 20 minutes at a time. For example, Sadia Babar, a customer of Bank Alfalah, found that her magnetic strip card was expiring, and tried twice to activate her new EMV card. However, she was redirected to customer service, who told her that her new card had still not been entered in the system since there is a backlog of cards that still have yet to be entered. Regardless of the bank provider, incidents of long delays in customer service, and a general inability to activate cards promptly, have been widespread
in the last few weeks. Sources within the industry say it is difficult to put a number on the delays, and that statistics will vary from one bank to another. This backlog is expected to only increase at the start of the new year, as magnetic strip cards stop working. Bank’s physical branches are expected to have longer queues, as people try to withdraw money from their accounts, and bank helplines are expected to receive more phone calls than normal. This haphazard scenario is expected to continue into the new year, unless the SBP intervenes and extends the deadline for the switch to EMV cards. It is unclear why banks did not hire temporary resources for an expected surge in customer calls. The banking industry’s low capacity to switch cards effectively, or to manage call centres better, is a surprise since banks had more than a year to plan in advance for the card switch. On November 28, 2018, the SBP issued Payment System Department (PSD) Circular No 9, addressed to all banks presidents and CEOs, regarding the security of digital payments. Among the many recommendations outlined in the circular, the SBP also highlighted the card switch. “All card-issuing banks/MFBs shall replace all existing payment cards (except social transfer cards) with EMV chip-and-PIN payment cards latest by June 30, 2019,” ac-
cording to the circular. A few months later, on February 7, 2019, the SBP issued PSD Circular No 1, and extended the deadline to December 31, 2019. The deadline was reportedly extended as several banks still had not significant headway in the process to replace old cards. This is not the first time the SBP has issued a circular regarding the adoption of EMV compliant cards. In 2016, the SBP issued ‘Regulations for Payment Card Security’, which outlined a card security framework for Pakistan for the first time. “In electronic banking, the share of Payment Card-based transactions has grown significantly in overall banking transactions. With the increased growth in Payment Card transactions, its security has gained importance due to rising threats and vulnerabilities associated with it. State Bank of Pakistan’s oversight role of Payments Systems is aimed principally at ensuring that existing systems are safe, resilient, and maintain the confidence of consumers”, reads the report. The report recommended that all ATMs and POS be compliant with EMV standards by December 31, 2017; that all card service providers issue EMV cards from June 30, 2018; and that all card processing infrastructure accept Chip and PIN by December 31, 2018. However, these guidelines were not met on time.
PSX witnesses bearish trend, closes at 40,735 points KARACHI: MCB Bank Limited Chairman Mian Mohammad Mansha, received an award from Advisor to PM on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. The award was presented to MCB Bank for being one of the Top 25 performing companies of the Pakistan Stock Exchange in 2018. P R E S S R E L E A S E
LAHORE: Sanofi Pakistan and Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE) signed an MoU to work together towards the improvement of diabetes management. The objective of the partnership is to help improve the quality of life of people living with diabetes. PRESS RELEASE
KARACHI: PMIC has successfully closed its first financial advisory and arrangement mandate for Khushali MicroFinance Bank Limited (KMBL) as sole financial advisor and arranged rated, unsecured, subordinated, privately placed, Tier II Term Finance Certificates of Rs1,400 million, participated by leading Commercial Banks including UBL, MCB and BAFL. P R E S S R E L E A S E
Hubco wins top 25 companies award from PSX KARACHI: The largest independent power producer of Pakistan, The Hub Power Company Limited has won the Top 25 Companies Award. The prestigious award conferred by Pakistan Stock Exchange, entering its fortieth year, is awarded to companies for demonstrating outstanding financial and managerial performance. “With an aggressive growth plan and a focus on increasing shareholder value, Hubco have remained committed to promoting the long-term development of Pakistan by pursuing and capitalizing opportunities in the fossil fuel, renewable energy and water treatment projects,” said Hubco CEO Khalid Mansoor. PRESS RELEASE
ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The KSE-100 index during 4Q 2019 recorded growth of 8,656 points, up by 27 per cent; which is the highest quarterly gain achieved by the index since 3Q CY09 to close at the level of 40,735 points. Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday noted bearish trend as KSE 100 index closed at 40,735.08 points as compared to 40,887.63 points on the last working day of the year with the positive change of 152.55 points (0.37 per cent). A total of 177,121,380 shares were traded compared to the trade 165,834,760 shares during the previous day, whereas the value of shares traded during the day stood at Rs7.078 billion as compared to Rs6.636 billion during last trading day. A total of 339 companies’ transacted shares in the stock market on Tuesday, out of which 156 recorded gains and 165 sustained losses whereas the share price of 18 companies remained unchanged. The three top traded companies were, Unity Foods Ltd with a volume of 21,496,000 shares and price per share of Rs16.11, K-Electric Ltd with a volume of 13,799,000 shares and price per share
of Rs4.37 and Fauji Foods Ltd with a volume of 10,176,500 and price per share of Rs14.47. Indus Dyeing recorded the maximum increase of Rs22 per share, closing at Rs559.99 while Allawasaya Tex was runner up with the increase of Rs16.25 per share, closing at Rs341.25. Rafhan Maize recorded a maximum decrease of Rs59.90 per share, closing at Rs7251.10 whereas Nestle Pakistan decreases Rs50 per share closing at Rs 8050. The recovery in equities was mainly led by improved macroeconomic factors which included declining bond yields leading investors towards equities, stable PKR/USD exchange rate, positive first quarterly review by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), foreign investment in local debt securities, anticipation of policy rate cut in 1H 2020 and current account surplus of $70 million recorded in month of October. Political uncertainty always remained a key concern during the quarter. The departure of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to London, a conditional extension to COAS for 6 months by the supreme court and the decision of death penalty for the former president and army chief General Pervaiz Musharraf by a special court were the main highlights.
The SBP reiterated its commitment to EMV compliant cards, after a hacking incident on Habib Bank Ltd. (HBL) debit cards in 2017, that caused damages of Rs10.2 million. In a statement released shortly after the incident, the SBP noted: “ATM skimming — an illegal activity in which account details are stolen from the magnetic strip contained on the back of the debit card has been around for a while and such incidents have happened, sporadically, in Pakistan as well.” “It would be pertinent to mention here that debit cards with a magnetic strip on its back – that stores customer’s account details are particularly vulnerable to skimming and cloning. Debit cards, complying with EMV (Europay Mastercard Visa) standards, featuring a chip and offering two-factor authentication are now considered most effective countermeasures for card cloning through skimming globally.” Europay Mastercard Visa, or EMV, is a global standard for smart payment cards. Customers account details are stored on integrated circuit chips, along with magnetic strips. EMV cards include both contactless cards, and cards that must be physically dipped into a card reader. The cards are considered safer to use, and less vulnerable to hacking attacks and counterfeit card fraud. In Pakistan, debit cards account for 96.3 per cent of total payment card transaction value in 2019.
Dollar depreciates Rs0.09 against rupee interbank ISLAMABAD APP
The exchange rate of the US Dollar against Pakistani rupee shed Rs0.09 in interbank on Tuesday and was traded at Rs154.84 against Rs154.93 of last trading day, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported. The SBP further reported that in interbank the price of Euro appreciated by Rs0.21 and was traded at Rs173.58 against the last closing of Rs173.37. The exchange rate of Japanese Yen gained Rs0.01 and was traded at Rs1.42 against Rs1.41 whereas the increase of Rs0.43 was witnessed in the exchange rate of British Pound which was traded at Rs203.44 as compared to the last closing of Rs203.01. Exchange rate of UAE Dirham and Saudi Riyal dropped Rs0.03 each and were seen trading at Rs42.15 and Rs41.27 against Rs42.18 and Rs41.30 respectively, SBP reported.
Mastercard Pakistan hires a new country manager ATYAB TAHIR, HEAD OF DIGITAL AT HABIB BANK LTD, MOVES OVER TO ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES IN THE DIGITAL PAYMENTS SPACE KARACHI STAFF REPORT
Profit has found out that Atyab Tahir, who has been doing some good work at Habib Bank Limited (HBL), will be moving to Mastercard which duels with Visa and Paypal for leadership in as a technology player in the global payments space. Banks in Pakistan have been digitizing their channels and embarking on digitization initiatives that look at everything from improving costs and processes internally to mapping customer journeys and ensuring a better experience
at each customer’s touchpoint. Atyab helped bring method to HBL’s digital journey by introducing open API, data-driven marketing, and conversational banking. With him helming digital, HBL also became prominent in the startup and Fintech ecosystem, which is a key partner in innovation for banks worldwide. HBL insiders say perhaps the hardest and most valuable thing Atyab did at HBL was help create a culture of digital-first at HBL. Digital initiatives, digital payments and using digital to optimize the retail business are now mainstream
conversations inside the bank. The bank’s president has gone on record to say HBL is a technology company with a banking license. Mastercard has been busy globally acquiring companies in an attempt to shift its focus from payments processing to advisory, analytics and those transaction types like business to business which avoid its strong cards offering. It is expected that advisory on payment platforms and optimizing of payments nationally with key players will figure prominently on Atyab’s agenda in his new role. Atyab’s exposure to financial inclusion and mobile payments probably played a part in the decision to hire him and we can expect Mastercard to lead efforts in cashless transactions and financial inclusion via digital payments in the country. There is no word yet from HBL on Atyab’s replacement.
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
12 BUSINESS Hafeez Shaikh reviews ABAD's proposals on property tax, building height restrictions ISLAMABAD: The Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh chaired a meeting with a delegation of the “Association of Builders and Developers Pakistan” (ABAD) here on Monday. ABAD Chairman Hassan Bakhshi presented various proposals that could potentially enhance and boost the real estate sector in the country and improve tax collection for the government. The proposals included property taxation rates, building height restrictions in Karachi and rationalisation of property valuation tables and some other policy related exemptions that could help in the smooth functioning of the real estate sector and further accelerate the economic activity in the country. Hafeez Shaikh discussed the proposals in detail with the delegation and after taking the views of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi, assured the members of the delegation that all possible help will be provided to the sector keeping in view the principles of equity, transparency and fair play. The adviser said that he realizes the importance of the business and wants to engage more with the sector for better facilitation and understanding. STAFF REPORT
Pakistan Customs drafts risk management rules for cargo clearance ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Customs has drafted Risk Management System Rules for clearance of cargo as was required under Article 7.4 of Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of World Trade Organization (WTO). Pakistan Customs is following Risk Management System since long as signatory to Revised Kyoto Convention. However, in compliance to TFA, further legal changes were made in Custom Act, 1969 through Finance Act 2019. Now in pursuance to Article 7.4 of TFA and also keeping in view best International practices, Risk Management System Rules for clearance of cargo have been drafted. These rules will help in identifying high risk imports/exports while facilitating international trade as decreasing physical inspections to a large extent thus reducing dwell time and port congestion. These measures will help in reducing cost of doing business and thus further improve the business and investment environment in the country, says a press release issued by FBR. On 27 October 2015, Pakistan ratified the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), becoming the 51st WTO member around the world to ratify the agreement.Article 7.4 of the TFA mandates WTO Members to undertake the arrangement and implementation of a risk-based management system for carrying out customs controls on all imports, exports and transit transactions. PRESS RELEASE
SoulFest continues to wow the people of Lahore LAHORE: The third installment of rebranded ‘Soul Food Festival’ (SoulFest) came to an end on Sunday, with outstanding attendance. Activemedia and Foodies R Us announced the third season of SOUL Festival (Previously CokeFest) kicking off in Lahore on December 27, up till December 29, 2019, at Lake City Lahore. The event brought Pakistan’s top eateries and best music together to create a one-of-a-kind experience for its attendees. The rebranded SoulFest came after Coca Cola announced that it would no longer be the title sponsor of the event and marks 16 food festivals over 2 consecutive years. This was the first instalment of “SOUL” Festival with a promise of being bigger, better and bolder by its organisers. The festival featured, not just food and music, but a lot more in terms of festivities, colours, entertainment and fun, promising a perfect day out for families. SoulFest was sponsored by KASHMIR cooking oil and Pakistan State Oil (PSO) digicash, Cool n Cool as hygiene partners and Uber, SWVL, Candyland, Ariel, Carient, Kinetic as co-sponsors. easytickets (as ticketing partners) and TV One, News One, and FM91 as media partners. PRESS RELEASE
cPEc auThoRiTy noT To imPlEmEnT cPEc PRojEcTs, EnsuRE inTER-PRovincial cooRDinaTion
ISLAMABAD
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GHULAM ABBAS
HILE there are confusion over the authority and the powers of China Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPECA), the officials of the Ministry of Planning and Development claim that the newly established body will not implement or execute any of the CPEC projects, rather it is mandated to identify new projects and coordinate with stakeholders and different provinces. According to the ministry’s officials, the Ministry of Planning and Development, Planning Commission and other concerned authorities would look after the formalities and the execution of CPEC and non-CPEC projects. The authority, now being headed by a former military man Lieutenant General (Retired) Asim Saleem Bajwa, was constituted keeping in view the long term goals and expansion of the corridor even after 2030, said the ministry officials while briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Planning Development and Reform held here on Tuesday with Member National Assembly (MNA) Junaid Akbar, in the chair. During the meeting, the Committee considered “The China Pakistan Economic Corridor
Authority (Ordinance No.XII of 2019) Ordinance, 2019 (Government Bill) and recommended it for further legislation by the National Assembly. After the establishment through an ordinance to showcase the government’s seriousness regarding CPEC to the Chinese, the government has now placed the CPECA Ordinance before the National Assembly. The authority has created a separate secretariat while transferring all related staff and department to the new secretariat. The appointment of other high officials of the CPECA was also on cards during the meeting. According to experts, there were instances of overlapping of powers when the ordinance of the new authority is compared with existing bodies and their assigned tasks under the new rule. Functions of the planning commission, which is “the apex planning and coordination body under the chairmanship of the prime minister”, were also overlapping with the broad functions enlisted for the CPECA. For instance, one of CPECA’s functions is “to ensure interprovincial and inter-ministerial coordination for CPEC related activities”. The planning commission, on the other hand, is also tasked to do coordination of economic policies. During the meeting of the parliamentary body, the members also demanded that private
members and representatives of the chamber of commerce and business community should also be included in the CPECA. The committee discussed that transfer of technology may be kept on priority while making any agreement with China or other countries. It was also discussed that almost thirty thousand Pakistani students are currently studying in China in different disciplines; the committee recommended that the government of China may be approached to build universities in Pakistan as it will save foreign exchange and will increase Pakistan’s education capacity. During the meeting, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives secretary briefed about the implementation of the recommendations of the committee. The project director for Dasu Hydropower also submitted the project’s progress report to the committee as required by the committee during their last meeting. The committee also directed to share the progress of the project regularly, on a monthly basis. The chief executive of the Neelum Jhelum Power Project informed that as per the decision of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, Neelum Jhelum surcharge will be rescinded at the achievement of commercial operation date of the whole project. He further informed that the Central Power Purchasing Agency Guarantee Limited (CPPAG) has approved to raise the invoice for the energy supplied to the grid through WAPDA. The committee recommended that WAPDA should build and run the hospitals, schools and provide roads and other necessities to the affectees of Dasu Dam. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Sustainable Development Achievement Programme (SAP) were also discussed during the meeting. The committee recommended that balanced development may be ensured throughout Pakistan, especially in backward and rural areas. The committee also desired to transfer task relating to MDGs, SDGs and SAP from the Cabinet Division to the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.
Manpower export to Saudi Arabia goes up by 191pc in 2019 ISLAMABAD APP
Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) has facilitated some 294,156 Pakistanis to precede Saudi Arabia this year for prospective job opportunities in various sectors. According to the data shared by the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE) here on Monday, manpower export to Saudi Arabia registered a marked growth of 191 per cent in 2019 as compared to the last year when only 100,910 Pakistanis
migrated to Saudi Arabia. In 2019, the overseas employment of Pakistanis witnessed a massive increase of 47 per cent as some 563,018 Pakistanis found jobs overseas while only 382,439 went abroad for different employment opportunities in 2018. Moreover, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Qatar, Malaysia and Bahrain also imported a whooping number of Pakistanis in 2019. The UAE employed 195,241 Pakistani workforce, Oman 26,062, Qatar 17,413, Malaysia 10,390 and Bahrain
6,988 during the said year. Brushing aside the news circulating in some media sections that a large number of qualified youth left Pakistan due to unemployment, an official source in the OP&HRD ministry said the total number of emigrants who got foreign employment in 2019 included 45.5 per cent skilled, 39.72 per cent unskilled, 10.64 per cent semi-skilled, 2.53 per cent highly qualified and 1.56 per cent highly skilled workforce. Talking to APP, he said 217,499 laborers and 161,226 drivers went abroad for different job assignments in 2019.
LPG price up by Rs278.48 per 11.8-kg cylinder ISLAMABAD APP
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Tuesday issued a price-revision notification of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) for the month of January. According to the notification, the authority has increased the locally produced LPG price by Rs 278.48 per cylinder of 11.8 kilogram. After the revised prices, the cylinder would be sold in open market at Rs 1,791.48, which was available at Rs 1,513 during the month of December. Whereas, the per Metric Ton (MT) LPG rate has been fixed at Rs 151,821.13 for the month of January. The commodity sale price for per MT was Rs 128,279.16 during the month of December. APP
Cabinet approves Shahid Salim Khan as MD, OGDCL ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI
The federal cabinet has finally approved the regular appointment of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited’s (OGDCL) managing director and chief executive officer and has now approved the appointment of Shahid Salim Khan. According to sources familiar with the development, federal cabinet in its meeting held on Tuesday had approved the appointment of Shahid Salim Khan as Managing Director and CEO of OGDCL for a period of three years. They said that OGDCL was run on acting charge basis during the entire rule of former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) government. However, incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government has decided to appoint a new MD and CEO of OGDCL on a regular basis, said sources.
Shahid Salim Khan is a Petroleum Engineer having Masters of Sciences in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California, L.A., USA, with more than 35 years of diversified working experience in various disciplines of exploration and production (E&P), industry development including HSE, petroleum engineering, drilling, production operations (surface and subsurface), G&G, field development, community relations and community development. Besides having engineering and management skills, he has also worked with Pakistan Petroleum Exploration and Production Companies Association (PPEPCA) as their Senior Vice Chairman, Society of Petroleum Engineer (SPE) in various capacities including Chairman Pakistan Chapter and as Chairman of Annual Technical Conference, which is organized every year.
Prior to Shahid Salim Khan’s appointment, the state-owned oil and gas giant (OGDCL) had been run by acting and caretaker heads as former Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani had appointed Masood Siddiqui as MD and CEO in June 2012. However, the caretaker Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso had sacked Masood Siddiqui unceremoniously in May 2013 over the loss worth Rs320 million caused by the pilferage of HighSpeed Diesel (HSD) at Tando Alam logistics, mentioned in the charge sheet prepared by the ministry of petroleum and natural resources. Documents available with Profit said that the position of managing director was advertised in both local and international newspapers back in February 2018. The initially shortlisted candidates included Shehryar Lodhi, Shahid Salim Khan,
Ahsan Khan, and Irteza Ali Qureshi. And, the names of these four candidates were shared with the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for necessary due diligence. Both the agencies raised concerns about the suitability and reputation of Shehryar Lodhi and Irteza Qureshi, However, the names of two candidates including Shahid Salim Khan, and Ahsan Khan were cleared by both agencies, said documents available with Profit. Following the clearance of IB and ISI, Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) solicited approval of the prime minister whether the nomination of two cleared candidates may be sent to the cabinet for consideration or the process for an appointment may be started afresh. And, the prime minister’s office was pleased to direct that the names of Shahid Salim Khan and Ahsan Khan may be
placed before the cabinet for giving its concurrence to select one of them as the new managing director, said documents. OGDCL is a non-funded publicly listed company incorporated under the Companies Act, 2017 and established to undertake oil and gas exploration activities and projects in the country. The government, directly and indirectly, holds 85.03 per cent equity shares in the company. According to documents, as per Rule 592 of the Public Sector Companies Corporate Governance Rules 2013, as amended up to 2017, the board shall evaluate candidates based on fit and proper criteria and guidelines specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) for the appointment of the chief executive and recommend at least three candidates to the federal government for its concurrence.
Drama & EntErtainmEnt- wrapping up 2019! • Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi, with their brilliant leadership, have changed the face of entertainment in Pakistan with their stellar content in the past few years. • Heralding Pakistan’s entertainment landscape, specifically Geo Entertainment’s boom, 7th Sky Entertainment shows continued to be the channel and TRP drivers, driving Geo ahead of the competition. • They have shaken up an entire genre of entertainment content on Pakistani media by mastering the art of storytelling that became popular not only amongst the masses across the country but also amongst the South Asian populace worldwide. • The relatable narrative by the production masterminds ensures that there is something for everyone, also considering the social and cultural norms of their target audience.
• After the phenomenal success of Dil-e-Gumshuda and Mera Rab Waris, the currently on-air Ramz e Ishq, Kahin Deep Jalay, Darr Khuda Se, and the recently released Deewangi, they are ending their year in entertainment on an impressive note. • The success for 7th Sky Entertainment’s 2018 megahit ‘Khaani’ continued this year, as the serial went on to be the only Pakistani drama released on Netflix in 2019 and making it to its trending list as well. The drama also won big at the Lux Style Awards 2019, with the leading man Feroze Khan walking away with the Best Actor trophy.
• The diverse stories, engaging plots, and dramas that range a plethora of genres, 7th Sky Entertainment is the only independent entertainment company in Pakistan who have had the highest number of projects on air at any given moment this year.
HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD
• In addition to consistently high ratings, its episodes trending on Youtube & being one of the 3 most searched dramas on Google in 2019, “Bharosa Pyar Tera” was a flag bearer in one more account. It showcased the entertainment house’s strategic development in broadcasting format, as the 1-hour show ran for five days a week, which was a creative and strategic first.
• 2019 also saw a one of its kind production “Makafaat” by 7th Sky Entertainment. Featuring different short stories on societal evils with the blend of karma, it starting aired daily on Geo, as a part of their Ramzan Transmission and continued to garner success post it as well, for the soul-shaking and inspiring content. What makes Makafaat additionally unique is that it was the first prerecorded content that was aired on a timeslot restricted to live transmissions only another brainwave by the dynamic duo to push the way media in Pakistan conventionally works.
• Abdullah Kadwani and Asad Qureshi, in this competitive media environment, have managed to experiment, innovate, & deliver repeated success - playing a significant role in making the entertainment industry flourish in Pakistan - and helping Geo Entertainment achieve its place as the Top Entertainment Channel in Pakistan throughout 2019.
InterestIng Facts about new Year
The first ever New Year celebrations took place back in 2000 BC, which is ages ago. The Mesopotamians started this tradition of celebrating New Year. January 1st was never the New Year Eve at first. Though it is, it was not practiced by many. Romans used to celebrate March 1st as New Year. There are still people who celebrate the eve in winter and summer according to their culture. On New Year eve, many people from the sections of United States eat black-eyed peas with a belief that they bring good luck in the coming year. Another interesting fun fact about New Year is that, there is this tradition called Estonian practice where people eat 7, 9 or 12 meals on the New Year eve. The belief behind the tradition is that the meals they eat will give them the strength of that many people in the coming year. New Year is all about eating mouth-watering delicacies. People belonging to different countries eat different popular delicacies according to their country’s cuisines. Countries like Southern US, Ireland, Germany and Italy eat green leafy veggies and legumes and believe that it will bring financial fortune. Denmark people throw dishes at the doorsteps of other people. The meaning behind this tradition is that it will bring many new friends to the owner of the doorsteps. If this tradition is followed anywhere else, they would literally end up in a quarrel.
barack obama shares his list of favourite films, tV shows of 2019
Malang: Disha Patani, Aditya Roy Kapur trained in Goa for two days
Former US President Barack Obama has shared his favourite movies and TV shows of 2019, and the list includes Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Fleabag season two, limited series Unbelievable, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s class satire Parasite. The list, which Obama shared on Twitter, features American Factory, a film from his own production company, Higher Ground, that was recently shortlisted for an Oscar. Apart from Fleabag and Unbelievable, Damon Lindelof’s critically-acclaimed series Watchmen, was also included in his top picks. This year’s festival favourites -- Mati Diop’s Atlantics Jia Zhangke’s Palme d’Or nominee Ash Is Purest White, Colombian drug trade epic Birds of Passage, and German historical drama Transit -- appear on the list as well. Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and Lulu Wang’s The Farewell impressed Obama. He also recommended legal drama Just Mercy, Scarlett Johansson-Adam Driver’s Marriage Story, The Last Black Man in San Francisco.
Actors Disha Patani and Aditya Roy Kapur reportedly trained for two days for an underwater kissing sequence for their upcoming film, Malang.Directed by Mohit Suri, the film is slated to release next year and also stars Kunal Kemmu and Anil Kapoor. The film is touted to be a romantic horror story. A Mumbai Mirror report quoted a source as saying, “The sequence required Disha and Aditya to be under water for at least a minute, so the training focused on strengthening lung capacity. It was difficult to shoot in one take as Aditya and Disha had to sync their breathing patterns.” Earlier this year, Disha had posted a picture in a diving suit and wrote on Instagram, “Training for something special #malang.” She is seen wearing a dark blue suit while posing with Aditya and she flashes a victory sign. They are standing on rocks and the sea is visible in the background. Talking about Malang and the subject it explores, Kunal Kemmu had earlier told IANS, “It’s an interesting film. It’s got a lot of shades to it.
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Another custom followed by Denmark is making an evening meal named Kransekage. In this custom, they prepare a dessert, which is a cone-shaped cake and it is decorated with flags and firecrackers. Spanish people eat exactly 12 grapes, no less, no more on 31st midnight. While eating grapes, they make wishes to the god. People following this tradition believe that it would bring good luck to them. In Japan, on the occasion of the New Year bells are rung for 108 times in Buddhist Temples around the country. They do it as a sign of welcoming the New Year God named Toshigami. Greek people hang onions to their doors on the New Year eve as a tradition. They do it with a belief that it will bring good luck to the children in house. Another tradition that Greek people follow is breaking pomegranates at their doorsteps. Similar to the other traditions of different countries, this tradition is also believed to bring good luck and happiness. On the 31st night of December, at the Australia’s Sydney Harbour, the shoreline which is 40 miles long is jammed by more than million people. People gather there to watch the fireworks that go on air right in the midnight. New Year is not called as New Year in Belgium. They call it Sint Sylvester Vooranvond. People over there prepare champagne and children write letters to parents with good wishes and lots of love.
taapsee Pannu climbs a tree for a perfect picture during Mauritius vacation, sister shagun crops her head Taapsee Pannu is vacationing with her sister Shagun and friends in Mauritius ahead of the New Year. The actor has shared several candid pictures and videos on her Instagram account, all the while complaining about how her sister doesn’t click good pictures of her. Taapsee shared a picture of Shagun from the holiday in which she is seen facing the sea with her back to the camera. Taapsee captioned it, “When I click my sister’s photo”. She then posted two pictures of herself, climbing a tree. She captioned one of them which shows only her torso and not her face, “When my sister clicks my photo.” Another is, however, a better picture with her face intact. “It was meant to be like this,” she captioned it. The actor looks relaxed in a red dress and black sandals with her hair tied in a bun. Another picture shows her with their other friends as they all sat on the beachside before their fun was interrupted by a cyclone.
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
14 SPORTS moreno happy to be ‘number one’ at monaco after spain split MONACCO: Robert Moreno was unveiled as the new coach of Monaco on Monday, admitting his bitter bustup with Spain boss luis Enrique had paved the way for him to become "number one".Moreno, 42, takes over at 2004 European and 2017 French champions Monaco after leonardo Jardim was sacked for the second time.However, he arrives at the ligue 1 outfit having been accused of "disloyalty" by Enrique.Moreno was previously Spain assistant coach but was promoted to the top job after Enrique resigned to take care of his nine-year-old daughter Xana, who died in August of cancer."I had nine extraordinary years at his side," said Moreno on Monday."But that is all in the past. Today is my presentation as Monaco coach. I have coached since I was 14 and obtained my UEFA licence at 25."I always wanted to become the number one. This is the start of that stage," added Moreno who guided Spain through qualifying for Euro 2020 in the absence of Enrique. AGENCIES
EyEs turn to PrEmiEr LEaguE rELEgation dogfight LONDON
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IvERPOOl appear to have the Premier league title wrapped up with a 13-point advantage over second-placed leicester but the fight to avoid relegation looks like being a down to the wire tussle.Just nine points separates ninthplaced Crystal Palace and third from bottom Aston villa.Here AFP Sport picks out three pivotal matches in Wednesday's action: ARTETA NEEDS TO GET GUNNERS FIRING: The old adage 'too good to go down' should apply to Arsenal, who have been a fixture in the top tier since 1919/20. However, they are just six points above the drop zone and new boss Mikel Arteta would probably have preferred an easier opponent than Manchester United as he bids to win his first game after a draw and defeat in his opening two matches in charge.The United attack will be licking their lips at the thought of giving the weak Gunners
defence a thorough test with goalkeeper Bernd leno and defenders Skohdran Mustafi and David luiz far from reliable. Arteta will want to see more of what his side produced in the opening half hour of the 2-1 defeat by Chelsea if they are to avoid a fifth successive home loss in all competitions -- their present
‘Still a lot of fire’: Sharapova accepts Brisbane wildcard BRISBANE AGENCIES
Former world number one Maria Sharapova said Tuesday she still had "a lot of fire" as she attempts to resurrect her career after an injury-plagued 2019.The five-time major winner will open her 2020 campaign in Brisbane after being awarded a wildcard by organisers in preparation for the Australian Open later in January. "To be fair when I was younger I never saw myself playing past 30," the 32-year-old Russian told reporters in Brisbane. "But I still feel there is a lot in me to give. I still have a lot of fire in me and I am big competitor." Sharapova has not played since a firstround loss to career-long rival Serena Williams at the US Open in August. She has slipped to 133 in the world rankings after a 2019 season ruined by a shoulder injury which limited her to 15 competitive matches.
Commonwealth Games: India ends year-long boycott MUMBAI: India have decided to end a threat to boycott the 2022 Commonwealth Games over the exclusion of shooting and said it will offer to host a shooting championship before the Games. Following talks with the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the Indian Olympic Association offered to host a Commonwealth shooting championship to overcome the year-long boycott dispute.It was not immediately announced by either side, however, whether the medals won at the championship would count towards the Games tally."Following a useful and constructive CGF visit to India in November, we felt confident and reassured that the athletes and sports community of India places huge value and importance on the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth sport movement. AGENCIES
"As long as the shoulder stays healthy and my body allows me to, I hope there is a lot of time left for me," she said. Sharapova won the Brisbane title in 2015 and joins a highclass field for next week's event spearheaded by Australia's world number one Ashleigh Barty and Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka. World number two Karolina Pliskova is also playing as are fellow top 10 stars Elina Svitolina, Petra Kvitova and Kiki Bertens. "It's a fresh start after a tough last season," said Sharapova. "There were a lot of ups and downs, there were times when I was ready but the shoulder wasn't. "But I have had a fairly good off season and I am motivated to compete. At this point in my career when I have that feeling, it's a good sign." The Brisbane International begins on January 6, with Sharapova then scheduled to play the Kooyong Classic exhibition event in Melbourne before the opening grand Slam of the year from January 20.
WADA better positioned to wipe out drug cheats, chief says MOSCOW: Outgoing WADA President Craig Reedie says the Russian doping scandal shows that clean sport is under attack, but the anti-doping organization now has the tools to better weed out drug cheats. Taking stock of his six years at the helm of the World Anti-Doping Agency, the 78-year-old Briton insists the group is "stronger" than ever as it faces the "unprecedented" challenge of the doping crisis in Russia. "Considering the last six years in particular, I am especially pleased to see how WADA responded to the challenges it faced since 2014, in particular the Russian doping crisis," he said in his end-of-term message. The crisis, he recalled, led to the creation within WADA of an "intelligence and investigations" service, which played "a decisive role" in the recent decision to exclude Russia from major world sports competitions for falsifying anti-doping data. The Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA announced Friday that it has challenged the exclusion. Ultimately, it will be up to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to rule on the matter, said Reedie, whose term officially ends Tuesday. "Throughout this process WADA has shown it has the will, the expertise and the legal tools to stand up effectively to this unprecedented level of cheating and corruption," he said. WADA decided on December 9 to ban Russia from participating in major international events for four years, including the 2020 and 2022 Olympic Games and the 2022 World Cup. Only handpicked Russian athletes will be able to participate in the competitions, but under a neutral flag and without the national anthem being played. WADA estimated that Russia had "manipulated" the data of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory which were transmitted to it at the beginning of the year, an umpteenth rebound in a scandal which started with the revelation in 2015 of an institutional doping practiced since 2011 and involving senior officials, secret agents and trafficked urine vials. AGENCIES
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run of four is their worst since 1959. "Individual errors cost you games but I can't fault the effort, commitment and for putting in place what we practised," said Arteta. However, with confidence at a low ebb defeat for Arsenal on Wednesday and victory for third from bottom Aston villa at Burnley would suck them
deeper into the relegation battle. HAMMERS PRAY MOYES DELIVERS IN SECOND COMING: David Moyes may not be welcomed back universally by West Ham fans but if the 55year-old saves them from relegation for a second time like he did in the 2017-18 season, before being dispensed with, then all will be forgiven. A home game for the side fourth from bottom against Bournemouth, who are just a point above them in 16th, represents a seemingly ideal first challenge.However, their home form has been as woeful as Arsenal's with four successive defeats - equalling their worst run in the Premier league since November 2005 -and it would not be a surprise to see Moyes energise their attack by selecting both Michail Antonio and Sebastien Haller.The Cherries have largely escaped attention in their terrible run -just one win in nine -- but the pressure may begin to mount on Eddie Howe with a defeat."It feels great to be home," said Moyes. "I feel like I've got unfinished business."
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
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EngLand rEady to suPPort sCraPPing fivE-day tEsts LONDON
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IvE-DAy Test matches could become a thing of the past from 2023 after England supported calls to cut them by a day, according to Tuesday's Daily Telegraph. A spokesperson for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) told the British newspaper that four-day Tests could help ease the strain on players' busy schedules. "We believe it could provide a sustainable solution to the complex scheduling needs and player workloads we face as a global sport," they said. "We're definite proponents of the four-day Test concept, but cautiously so, as we understand it's an emotive topic for players, fans and others who have concerns about challenging the heritage of Test cricket." The ECB's comments come a week after Kevin Roberts, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said mandatory four-day tests were "something that we have got to seriously consider". Four-day Tests have been sanctioned since 2017 by the sport's global governing body the International Cricket Council (ICC), but only outside of their inaugural World Test Championship. In order for four-day Tests to replace the five-day format from 2023, when the new ICC broadcasting rights cycle begins, it would need to be approved by the ICC's cricket committee in 2020 and then voted through by the chief executive's board, which is made
up of representatives from member nations. "One of our top priorities is to underpin a healthy future for Test cricket while we continue to build accessible ways for new fans to enjoy our sport," added the ECB spokesperson. "We are strongly behind a thorough and considered consultation where all opinions are explored." Tony Irish, the head of FICA, the global players' association, said he feared extra days gained from scrapping five-day Tests would be
used to fill them with other forms of cricket. "It would take pressure off the schedule but our concern would be that the ad hoc way the schedule currently works and that countries would simply plug in more cricket into the time freed up," he told the Daily Telegraph. "If introduced, it therefore has to be part of a more coherent structure. "In the past, many players have been against a change to four days but it would also be important for players
to understand any benefits of time freed up. "Unfortunately, with the ICC there is a history of introducing these types of changes in an unstructured way. "That would need to change if there is to be any player buy-in." Figures published by the Telegraph suggest the percentage of Test matches annually that have gone to the fifth and final day have declined from 66 percent in 2014 to 33 percent this year.
Trevor Penney named assistant coach for West Indies white-ball teams TRINIDAD
enough over the last few years to work with several members of the squad and the Caribbean is like 'home away from home' for me being involved in the CPl.
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Trevor Penney has been named the assistant coach for the West Indies white-ball teams for two years. He will focus on the team's fielding in this period, starting anuary 2, 2020, when preparations for the home series against Ireland begin. Penney, 51, comes with the experience of having worked with several international teams, including India, Sri lanka, Netherlands and USA. He has also worked with Queensland in Australian domestic cricket and Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers at the IPl. He has experience of working in the Caribbean too, with CPl teams St lucia Zouks, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and, most recently, Barbados Tridents. He was part of the Tridents' staff in their campaign-winning run in September-October this year. "I'm thrilled and excited to be given this opportunity to work with this brilliant bunch of cricketers and staff led by Kieron Pollard and Phil Simmons," Penney was quoted as saying in a Cricket West Indies media release. "I've been lucky
"We have two big T20 World Cups coming up [in Australia 2020 and India 2021] and it's my aim to try and improve everybody and be as good as we can and hopefully win those two major ICC events." Simmons, West Indies' head coach, said, "Trevor is an excellent coach and has demonstrated this everywhere he has worked. He has huge experience with Sri lanka and India at the highest international level, and in most T20 leagues around the world including the CPl. He brings enormous energy and is very well respected by all the players." With Penney's appointment, West Indies' support staff line-up is as follows: Phil Simmons (head coach), Roddy Estwick (assistant coach), Trevor Penney (assistant coach), Monty Desai (batting coach), Ronald Rogers (strength and conditioning coach), Denis Byam (physiotherapist), Rawl lewis (team manager), AR Srikkanth (team analyst), Zephyrinus Nicholas (massage therapist) and Philip Spooner (media manager). West Indies' next assignment is the three ODIs and three T20Is against Ireland, starting on January 7 in Bridgetown.
duffin to become first elite player to avail Ca’s new parental leave policy MELBOURNE AGENCIES
Jess Duffin, the senior Australia cricketer, will become the first elite women's player to be covered under Cricket Australia's new policy on parental leave after announcing news of her pregnancy to the cricket board. The update also means that Duffin will not be in contention for a spot in the Australia team for the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup, starting February 2020. Although 30-year-old Duffin last represented Australia in 2015, she was named captain of the team of the season at the last WBBl after scoring 544 runs at an average of 68 for the Melbourne Renegades, making her a serious contender for a spot at the World Cup. Earlier this month, she had also turned down the opportunity to represent Australia A in their upcoming tour. "I found out when I was about four weeks (pregnant)," Duffin told AAP. "I was pregnant through the whole Big Bash. When those conversations came up [in the media about Australia selection], I thought, 'well everyone is going to laugh when they find out'. Cricket Australia were obviously stoked, and were like 'we know now why you didn't play the Australia A stuff'." Under Cricket Australia's new policy developed in conjunction with the players' association - Duffin will get a 12-month paid parental leave and have a confirmed contract for the next summer. Until she gives birth - in July 2020 - Duffin will also be able to take up non-playing roles within Cricket Australia's system, and is eligible to return to playing whenever she is ready. Duffin is a double-sport athlete who also represents North Melbourne in the AFlW.
British PM Major skipped 1996 Olympics to watch cricket LONDON AGENCIES
British prime minister John Major dodged going to the Atlanta 1996 Olympics to stay in london and watch cricket instead, newly declassified files showed on Tuesday. Major weighed up the pros and cons of going to the Games, with his advisors pushing him to attend, insisting he had "street cred" in sport and it would make for great pictures of him in "relaxed, jacket-off mode". But the cricket-loving premier stuck to his guns and missed seeing Britain's only gold medal — to watch England lose to Pakistan instead in the first Test at lord's. The files were released after 23 years in the vaults at the National Archives. Major seemed keen on Atlanta when the idea was raised in February 1996 and flight plans were drawn up.
In a memo to Major on June 7, his private secretary Rachael Reynolds said she understood he was thinking of going to lord's rather than Atlanta and "it would be a pity" if he missed the Olympics. The adviser told him US president Bill Clinton, South African president Nelson Mandela and French president Jacques Chirac were all going, and "even the King of Finland is turning up!" The draft programme would have seen him witness oarsmen Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent win Britain's only gold medal of the Games. 'STREET CRED' In a further memo to Major on June 19, Reynolds said decision time was fast approaching and spelled out the advantages and disadvantages. "you will be very tired at the end of July," she wrote, of the negatives. "It is a long flight and the weather will be hot in Atlanta. "Second, you will
miss the lord's Test and you are unlikely to be able to pick up a satellite channel in America which carries cricket." As for the
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advantages, she said it would likely be his last chance to attend an Olympics as prime minister, and there might be "snide
remarks" if he did not show up to support the British team. "Some of the best pictures we see of you are in relaxed, jacketoff mode and there would be plenty of opportunity for that," Reynolds insisted. "you cannot do too much of associating yourself with winners." She said Major was strongly linked with sport in a way "no other politician" was and "you should capitalise on this". "I do think it is worth doing, if you can bear it. you have established your street cred in this area so well, it would be a pity to miss an opportunity which only comes up every four years." In the end, Reynolds wrote to the British Olympic Association on June 28, telling them: "The prime minister has decided that his programme at the end of July is too heavily committed for him to be able to travel to Atlanta." Pakistan beat England by 164 runs.
Wednesday, 1 January, 2020
NEWS
IraqI protesters set fIre to Us embassy In baghdad; compoUnd evacUated
SHC stops PIA CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik from working KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday stopped Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik from performing his functions as the airline’s chief executive officer. A petition challenging Malik’s appointment as the CEO by Safdar Anjum, the general secretary of the airline’s Senior Staff Association (SASA), was filed at the high court. The petition stated Malik did not fulfill the educational requirements of the post neither did he have any relevant experience for the job. During proceedings of the case, the two-member bench issued directives to stop the PIA CEO from performing his functions. The court also stopped the airline from transferring, hiring or firing employees. The high court also stopped the PIA from buying or selling assets. The bench said the national flag bearer could not sell assets worth over rupees one crore or make policies for the time being. The SHC had issued a notice to the deputy general to appear before the court on January 22 in relation to the case. Prior to joining the PIA, Malik was serving as the Vice Chief of the Air staff. STAFF REPORT
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Govt rings in New Year with Rs2.61 per litre hike in petrol prices ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT The federal government on Tuesday increased the price of petrol by up to Rs2.61 per litre for the month of January 2020, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance. According to a notification, the price of petrol has been increased by Rs2.61 per litre, while the price of high-speed diesel has been increased by Rs2.25. Similarly, the price of light diesel has been decreased by Rs2.08 and that of kerosene by Rs3.10 per litre. Earlier, on Monday, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) proposed Rs2.61 rupees per litre hike in petrol price from January 1, 2020. The OGRA had proposed raising Rs2.25 per litre on high-speed diesel, while Rs3.10 on kerosene oil.
Over 8,000 Pakistanis repatriated from Malaysia under 'B4G' Amnesty Scheme Over 8,000 illegal Pakistani immigrants who had fled to Malaysia have been repatriated from the country since August 2019, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday. The repatriation has been carried out under the Malaysian government’s Back4good (B4G) Amnesty Scheme to facilitate voluntary repatriation to countries of origin starting from August 1, 2019, and ending on December 31, 2019. “As a result of extensive efforts by the High Commission of Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur, over 8,000 Pakistanis have returned home safely under this Amnesty Scheme, without facing detention or fines,” the official communique said. NEWS DESK
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RAqI protesters have stormed and fire to a security post at the entrance to the US embassy compound in Baghdad, three Reuters witnesses said on Tuesday. The US ambassador to Iraq and other staff had earlier been evacuated from the embassy, as thousands of protesters and militia fighters gathered to condemn US air strikes on bases belonging to an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq. The Iraqi supporters of pro-Iran factions chanted “Death to America!” in anger over weekend air strikes that killed two dozen fighters. It was the first time in years protesters have been able to reach the US embassy, which is sheltered behind a series of checkpoints in the high-security Green Zone. A stream of men in military fatigues, as well as some women, marched through those checkpoints to the embassy walls with no apparent reaction from Iraqi security forces. The demonstrators waved flags in support of the Hashed al-Shaabi, a mostly Shiite network of Iraqi armed groups that has received training and weapons from powerful neighbour Iran. They threw rocks and wrenched security cameras off the walls, ignoring calls over megaphones to leave the embassy compound. In response, US marine guards fired an initial volley of bullets, then switched to tear gas and flash bangs to disperse the crowd. The Hashed said at least 20 people
were wounded. Caretaker prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said that the crowds that had stormed the US embassy should leave the compound “immediately.” “We recall that any aggression or harassment of foreign embassies will be firmly prohibited by the security forces,” Abdel Mahdi’s office said several hours after the attack began. The Iraqi government had earlier announced three days of mourning for the 25 fighters killed in the US strikes. The demonstrators were protesting US air strikes that killed at least 25 fighters from a hardline Hashed faction known as Kataeb Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades) on Sunday. Those strikes were in response to a 36-rocket attack last week that killed one US contractor at an Iraqi base, the latest in a string of attacks on areas where US troops are deployed.
They have not been claimed but US security assessments have largely blamed them on Kataeb Hezbollah. The United States has around 5,200 troops deployed across Iraq to train security forces and prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State jihadist group. SOLEIMANI IS MY COMMANDER: After the strikes, Kataeb Hezbollah and other pro-Iran factions in the Hashed demanded the “withdrawal of the American enemy”. Protesters echoed those calls on Tuesday, carrying posters reading: “Parliament should oust US troops, or else we will.” Others carried banners with US President Donald Trump’s face crossed out. They scrawled “No to America!” and “Soleimani is my commander” on the embassy walls, referring to Iran’s pointman for Iraq, Revolutionary
Political parties in held Kashmir protest outsiders’ recruitment JAMMU AGENCIES
In occupied Kashmir, the recent advertisement inviting, for the first time, applications from non-locals for various non-gazetted posts in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has triggered a sharp reaction from all local political parties and organizations, who maintained that offering jobs to outsiders is unacceptable as this will put careers of local youth in jeopardy. According to Kashmir Media Service, reacting over the recruitment notification, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) in a media talk, said that another bluff of BJP leaders with regard to the safeguards of local youth in government employment has been exposed. JKPCC chief spokesperson, Ravinder Sharma, questioned the repeated statements of top BJP leaders promising the protection of the rights of the local youth in the government jobs. He said: “The recent advertisement has put the things
open and cat is out of the bag now and as per new arrangement the jobs are now open to all eligible candidates from any part of India.” Sharma said and asked the authorities to stop playing with sentiments of educated unemployed youth. National Conference’s regional President Devender Singh Rana while talking to media persons on the sidelines of a religious function in Jammu demanded protection of jobs for locals in IOK, saying unemployment has alarmingly grown manifold during the recent years. Rana expressed concern over limited avenues of employment, saying a thrust is needed to be laid on a fast track recruitment process and to put in place a robust mechanism of employment. Reacting strongly on the issue, senior Peoples Democratic Party leader Ved Mahajan said this new development has proved that “we were right in opposing abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.” He added that the BJP government was making promises with people that job reservations and land
rights will remain there even after the abrogation of these articles. “The recent recruitment advertisement of J&K High Court has proved that BJP was just befooling the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added. The JK National Panthers Party Chairman, Harsh Dev Singh, said it would not only mar the prospects of the local unemployed educated youth but also have a demoralizing effect upon the educated aspiring youths of the territory. J&K CPI-M Secretary GN Malik termed it as the first ‘gift’ by the BJP government to the unemployed youth of J&K post abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. Pradesh Youth Congress (PYC), J&K, termed it as a cruel joke of the BJP government with the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. It is worth mentioning here that the people of the Kashmir valley have expressed equal resentment against the move, but almost all valley-based political leadership is in jails and also due to the suspension of internet services their concerns could not be covered by the media.
Guards commander Major General qasem Soleimani. Many set up tents to begin an indefinite sit-in. The US ambassador Matthew Tueller has been outside Iraq for two weeks on holiday, a diplomatic source told AFP. The source denied other staff had been evacuated. Among those at the protests were Iraq’s National Security Adviser Faleh al-Fayyadh — who is also the head of the Hashed — and other top Hashed officials. Iraq had long feared being caught in the middle of escalating tensions between its two main allies the United States and Iran, after Washington pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran last year. LOW POINT OF US POLICY: Since the weekend strikes, ties have been increasingly strained. Iraq’s government, acting in a caretaker capacity after Abdel Mahdi resigned in the face of street protests, threatened to summon the US ambassador. “American forces acted on their political priorities, not those of Iraqis,” it said. Dozens of lawmakers called on the government to review an agreement allowing the deployment of US soldiers in the country, saying the strikes amount to a violation of sovereignty that renders the pact obsolete. The United States, meanwhile, accused Iraq of failing to “protect” US interests in the country. US defence officials have told AFP that pro-Iran factions now pose a greater threat than IS because of the repeated rocket attacks.
Amid security reasons, Bangladesh telecom operators suspend services along India border DHAKA: Bangladesh’s telecom regulator has ordered operators to shut down services along the border with India citing security reasons, authorities said in a statement. Mobile network coverage has been suspended for one kilometer along the entire border with India until further notice “for the sake of the country’s security in the current circumstances”, officials said in the statement, which was released on Monday. One official on the condition of anonymity said the decision was taken out of concern that Indian Muslims might seek to enter Bangladesh after India introduced a new citizenship law which has triggered violent protests across India. On Dec 11, India’s parliament passed a contentious bill that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from some countries. The bill will let the Indian government grant citizenship to millions of illegal immigrants who entered India from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before 2015 — but not if they are Muslim. Many Muslims in India say they have been made to feel like second-class citizens since Modi stormed to power in 2014. AGENCIES
India observes New Year's Eve with fresh protests against citizenship law MUMBAI AGENCIES
Thousands of Indians held protests on New Year’s Eve against a citizenship law, despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempts to dampen demonstrations that have run for nearly three weeks. India has been rocked by the protests since December 12, when the government passed legislation easing the way for non-Muslim minorities from the neighbouring Muslim-majority nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to gain Indian citizenship. Combined with opposition to a proposed national register of citizens, many Indians fear the move will discriminate
against the minority Muslim community and chip away at the country’s secular constitution. Protesters held at least three demonstrations in New Delhi, the capital, including the area of Shaheen Bagh, where hundreds of residents have blocked a major highway for 18 days. Poetry recitals and speeches were held at a protest outside New Delhi’s Jamia Millia University, which was stormed by police this month. “New Year’s resolution to defend the constitution,” read the schedule for another protest planned in New Delhi, now in the grip of its second coldest winter in more than a century. Police deployed additional forces in
New Delhi on New Year’s Eve, with traffic curbs imposed in some parts of the capital. “All precautionary measures are in place,” said police official Chinmoy Biswal, who oversees the southeastern part of the city that includes Shaheen Bagh and Jamia Millia University. “Recently, there have been no incidents. So we hope things will remain fine,” he told Reuters. In the southern city of Hyderabad, at least two small groups of demonstrators organised flash protests, to skirt police restrictions on larger gatherings. Typically, half a dozen demonstrators pop up in public places, such as malls and coffee shops, holding up placards and en-
couraging passersby to join in, a member of one of the groups, which has held 11 protests, told Reuters. “Every day, we are doing something, somewhere,” said the person, who sought anonymity for reasons of security, adding that another protest is planned to be staged on Tuesday night. Street-side poetry recitals, stand-up comedy, and music performances were also held in the financial capital of Mumbai and the eastern city of Kolkata. All three cities have seen large, peaceful protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Citizens’ Register (NRC), which were part of the election manifesto of Modi’s ruling Hindu nation-
alist party. But some protests have turned violent, particularly in the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, and at least 25 people have been killed in clashes with police since early December. Initially caught off guard by the scale of the protests, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has scrambled to douse public anger, with Modi declaring that there had been no discussions on the NRC, contradicting party colleagues. The BJP has also launched an effort, backed by a social media campaign, to explain that the CAA is not discriminatory and is needed to help non-Muslim minorities persecuted in the three neighbouring countries.
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