E-Paper PDF 21th December (LHR)

CMYK

Saturday, 21 December, 2019 I 23 Rabi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 20.00 I Vol X No 171 I 16 Pages I Lahore Edition

OutgOing CJP sees 'maliCiOus' CamPaign against JudiCiary g

Khosa says 'truth shall fInally PrevaIl' In sPIte of ProPaGanda

Islamabad

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Staff RepoRt

utgoing Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa on Friday said that a malicious campaign has been started against the judiciary but the "truth shall finally prevail" above all.

Justice Khosa made these remarks while addressing a full-court reference organised at the Supreme Court on the eve of his retirement. the statement just a day after a special court released the detailed verdict in the high treason case against former president general (r) Pervez Musharraf. the strong-worded verdict, which handed Musharraf the death penalty for imposing emergency in the country on november 3, 2007, has been severely criticised by the government and the inter-Services Public Relations (iSPR) as an 'attack on the institution of the army'.

Addressing the gathering later, the top judge said, "i always did what i thought was right and was worth doing." "i gave my hundred percent to the job, tried

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InCoMInG CJP Gulzar says wIll uPhold rule of law, ProteCt ConstItutIon and IndePendenCe of JudICIary

to perform beyond the call of duty, never raised my voice, spoke mainly through my pen, never delayed a judgement unduly and after giving the best years of my life to this public service, i lay down my robes today with a conscience which is clear as crystal." Justice Khosa will end a career in the judiciary spanning almost two decades. Justice gulzar Ahmed will take oath on Saturday as the 27th chief justice of Pakistan. the outgoing chief justice said that he had always "strived to live up to my oath of office and have tried to dispense justice according to law and without fear or favor, affection or ill-will". "it is not for me to lay any claim on the correctness of my legal opinions but i only hope that posterity may judge me with kindness and may appreciate the sincerity of the efforts made," he added.

He went on to list the measures he took in order to bring reforms in the judiciary which include the launch of e-courts, online Supreme Court database, revamping of the SC website as well as the launch of a mobile application. He pointed out that a backlog of pending criminal appeals was wiped out and the practice of asking

for adjournments was "effectively discouraged".

"An all-out effort was made to put our own house in order with an approach focusing mainly on improving the justice delivery system," he said, adding that during his tenure as the country's top judge "the image of [the Supreme] court as a dignified judicial forum sitting at the apex of judicial hierarchy was maintained, the principle of separation of powers was adhered to, judicial restraint was exercised and dignity and respect was ensured for all appearing before the Court as lawyers, litigants or officials."

Justice Khosa concluded his speech with a poem by Fahmida Riaz titled ‘Faiz Kehtey’. in his address on the occasion, CJP-inwaiting Justice Ahmed paid a rich tribute to his predecessor and termed the outgoing chief justice as a judge "par excellence" and "a person of extraordinary intellect, unmatched integrity and outstanding erudition". though Justice Ahmed did not lay out a roadmap for his tenure as the top judge, he noted: "Rule of law, protection of Constitution and independence of the judiciary, are the foremost tasks with which this court is constantly confronted with.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 02

Govt’s top lawyer slams Musharraf verdict at CJP’s Khosa farewell reference Editorial: CJP Khosa retires STORIES ON PAGES 03 & 08

saudis ‘blackmailed’ Imran over Malaysia summit, claims erdogan

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KInGdoM rePortedly saId It would send ‘PaKIstanI worKers baCK, wIll wIthdraw Its $6bn dePosIted In sbP’ STORY ON BACK PAGE

US to resume military training programme for Pakistan STORY ON BACK PAGE

Pakistan’s economic reform programme on track: IMf STORY ON PAGE 12

CMYK Saturday, 21 December, 2019

02 NEWS

NAB summoNs BilAwAl iN fAke AccouNts cAse oN Dec 24

Nawaz sharif diagnosed with complicated heart disease Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been diagnosed with a complicated coronary disease and will undergo further scans before doctors begin treatment, his personal physician has said. In a tweet, Dr Adnan Khan said: “Former PM #NawazSharif underwent comprehensive Cardiovascular evaluation & investigations at Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospital, London. He’s diagnosed of complicated Coronary Artery / Ischemic Heart Disease with significant disease burden. Cardiac Perfusion Scans scheduled.” Coronary artery disease, often referred to as CAD, takes place when plaque builds up on the inner walls of an individual’s coronary arteries. This causes them to harden and narrow, decreasing blood flow to the heart. As a result, the heart doesn’t receive the blood it needs, which can lead to chest pain and, in some cases, a heart attack. It can be treated with medication or through an angioplasty, where balloons and stents are used to treat narrow heart arteries.

Nawaz Sharif continues to undergo a range of tests for his cardiac and haematology complications, as doctors move to diagnose the reason for his low platelet count. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo arrived in London on Nov 19 along with his brother Shehbaz Sharif after the government and courts granted him permission to travel abroad on medical grounds. News Desk

earthquake jolts northern Pakistan LAHORE: A moderate earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter jolted cities of northern Pakistan on Friday, creating panic among the residents. The earthquake was felt in parts of Punjab, including Lahore, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Peshawar, Malakand, and Chitral cities. No loss of life or property was reported. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the epicentre of the earthquake was the Koh-e-Hindukush mountain in Afghanistan and it measured 210 kilometers deep.

According to IndiaToday, tremors were also felt in Delhi and the northern parts of India, including Mathura, Lucknow, Prayagraj, and India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. staff RepoRt

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HE National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on December 24 in the fake accounts case. According to reports, the antigraft watchdog summoned Bilawal in the Opal-225 probe– a joint venture of Zardari Group Ltd. In 2009, Bilawal and his father, Asif Ali Zardari, became shareholders of the company.

Bilawal’s Spokesman Senator

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar confirmed that the PPP chief has received a notice from the NAB. He said that the chief justice had already declared Bilawal innocent in the case. “The government is targeting political opposition through NAB,” he said, adding that NAB is just trying to harass Bilawal.

Khokhar further said that the anti-graft watchdog should explain why corruption cases against government members and minister are

pending, and how many notices have been issued against them. “The NAB is only targeting the opposition members”. On Dec 9, the eighth reference was filed in an Islamabad’s accountability court in fake accounts case and 20 suspects have been nominated in it, including Bilal Sheikh and Tariq Ahsan. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has stated in the reference that embezzlement worth billions was committed in loans of Sindh Bank.

Hafiz Saeed pleads not guilty on terrorism financing charges LAHORE ageNcies

Jamaatud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of deadly 2008 attacks in Mumbai, pleaded not guilty on Friday in a second case on charges of financing terrorism, a government prosecutor and a defense lawyer said. Saeed, who was indicted on similar charges in another case on Dec 11, was presented in an anti-terrorism court, prosecutor Abdur Rauf Wattoo told Reuters.

Defence lawyer Imran Gill said the second case was related to Saeed’s charity operations. “The militant charities the accused ran collected illegal funds,” Wattoo said. Saeed is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or the Army of the Pure, a militant group blamed by the United States and India for the four-day Mumbai siege in which 160 people were killed. Foreigners, including Americans, were among the dead.

Counterterrorism police arrested Saeed in July, days

before a visit to Washington

by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The indictments came ahead of a meeting of world financial watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) early next year that will decide whether to blacklist Pakistan for its failure to curb terror financing.

The United States has offered a reward of $10 million for information leading to the conviction of Saeed, who has been arrested and

released several times over the past decade.

Washington has long pressured Pakistan to try Saeed, who is designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations.

The Islamist has denied any involvement in the Mumbai attacks and says his network, which spans 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.

IHC turns down plea accusing PM Imran of committing blasphemy ISLAMABAD staff RepoRt

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday rejected a petition against Prime Minister Imran Khan that had accused him of committing blasphemy.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had reserved the verdict in Advocate Saleemullah Khan’s petition on Thursday and announced it on Friday, declaring it unfit for trial.

The petitioner had urged the court to disqualify the prime minister under Article 62 (1)(e) and (f). He had cited some remarks made by Prime Minister Imran in the past and declared that they were blasphemous in nature, adding that he “does not possess adequate

knowledge of Islam”. “A person’s faith or belief is not open to be questioned by any other person. Moreover, a mistake or error committed by a person while addressing a public gathering cannot be treated as blasphemous when the facts and circumstances clearly establish that he or she could not have intended to commit such an offense,” ruled the court.

“Faith or religious belief is a personal matter and should not be questioned by others. Likewise, extreme caution has to be exercised in making allegations relating to blasphemy,” the verdict noted. It said the adequacy of Islamic knowledge cannot be measured or determined by a court. It dismissed the petition on the basis of being frivolous.

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The suspects have been accused of granting Rs29 billion loan to Omni Group out of which Rs25 billion is still outstanding. Omni company was registered in name of six persons.

It has further been stated in the reference that Bilal Sheikh and Tariq Ahsan remained Sindh Bank’s presidents as well. Both the accused are under judicial remand. The reference has been forwarded to the registrar office for scrutiny. News Desk

targeted plan underway to divide, weaken army: fawad Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Friday claimed that the armed forces of Pakistan were being “targeted under a specific strategy”. In a series of tweets, Chaudhry warned “it would not possible to save [the country] from anarchy if the institution of the army is divided or weakened.” While referring to the detailed verdict issued by a special court in the treason case against former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Chaudhry said: “This is not an individual matter of Pervez Musharraf’s; the Pakistan Army was targetted with a specific strategy.” “First the army and ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] were nominated in the [Tehreek-i-Labbaik] sit-in case, then the army chief’s extension was made controversial and now a popular former army chief has been humiliated.”

“The sequence of events is not a judicial or legal matter anymore, it is more than that. If the institution of the army is divided or weakened, then it will not be possible to save [the country] from anarchy,” he said in a second tweet. “Gen Bajwa and the current army setup has stood by democratic institutions but this support should not be considered as a weakness.” The tweets come a day after a special court issued the written verdict of the treason case involving former president Musharraf in which he has been sentenced to death by a three-judge bench. The judgment is split 2:1, with Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court (LHC) agreeing with Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Nazar Akbar of the Sindh High Court (SHC) dissenting. News Desk

outgoing cJP sees ‘malicious’ campaign against judiciary He said the state must adopt a “humanistic approach,” emphasizing that “corruption and illegalities, in all the departments of the State, need to be seriously addressed and eliminated”. The reference was attended by all Supreme Court judges with the exception of Justice Qazi Faez Isa who is on holiday. The attendees also included vice-chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council, president of the Supreme Court Bar, additional attorney general and others. Earlier, speaking on behalf of the attorney general at the reference, Deputy Attorney General Amir Rehman said [Khosa] has been labeled a “poetic judge” because of his observations and judgments. “As a judge, he decided 55,000 criminal cases as well as 10,000 criminal cases. In addition, he also made his stance clear on submitting false testimonies and evidence to courts,” he said. The deputy attorney general also criticised the special court’s verdict in the high treason case against former dictator Pervez Musharraf. “The special court did not follow Khosa’s principles in deciding cases. Their conduct runs contrary to the conduct of the court’s top judges,” he said. Sworn in as the 26th chief justice of Pakistan on January 18, 2019, following the retirement of Justice Saqib Nisar, Khosa presided over proceedings in his last case as the chief justice of Pakistan earlier this morning.

“Today I am hearing my final case,” he remarked in court.

“I wish everyone the best.”

–coNtiNueD fRom page 01

CMYK Saturday, 21 December, 2019

NEWS

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Pm imRAN vows to DefeND stAte iNstitutioNs IMran SayS ProGreSS, ProSPerIty of KaraCHI toP MoSt PrIorIty of Govt

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NEwS DESk

RIME Minister Imran Khan vowed to wholeheartedly defend the state’s institutions on Friday during a meeting with former law minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Babar Awan. According to sources, the prime minister stressed that the government would not let Pakistan be derailed from the road to stability.

During the meeting, the two discussed the Musharraf case, political situation, and legal matters, sources said.

There was also a detailed consultation between the two on law reforms in favour of the people as well as immediate lawmaking. PM Imran said that institutions collectively make up the state and that it is the government’s job to strengthen state institutions.

In response, Awan stated that the state was in strong hands and praised the prime

PBc 'strongly condemns, disapproves' criticism of musharraf conviction The Pakistan Bar Council has released a statement strongly condemning and disapproving of the criticism of a special court ruling in the high treason case against former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf. On Tuesday, the special court had pronounced Musharraf guilty of the crime of high treason and sentenced him to death by hanging. After the detailed verdict of the case was released on Thursday, several government officials, legal experts, and senior journalists had reacted to the strongly-worded order; some even terming the language used ‘ridiculous and barbaric’. Most legal experts and journalists, however, stopped short of condemning the verdict altogether. A particular paragraph of the detailed ruling had attracted special attention. It said: “We direct the Law Enforcement Agencies to strive their level best to apprehend the fugitive/convict and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan and be hanged for 3 days.” In the statement issued by the PBC under the name of PBC Vice-Chairman Syed Amjad Shah and PBC Executive Committee Chairman Sher Muhammad Khan, the body said that it “strongly condemned and disapproved” of the statements made by state officials regarding the special court ruling, and said that these statements “amounted to contempt of court”. The statement took exception to the manner in which the ruling was being criticized. stating that, “if there are some flaws in the judgement of the Musharraf’s case, then the law has provided procedure and proper course for agitating such flaws, if any, before the higher judicial forums by way of appeal, revision, or constitutional petition”. The statement noted that there seemed to be no respect for the judiciary, and added that the attitude adopted by the federal government, its ministers, law officers, and especially the Attorney General of Pakistan, indicated that criticism of the judgement was similar in tune and tenor to statements made by some other officials. News Desk

fatwas issued against judges who wrote musharraf verdict LAHORE: Islamic scholars belonging to different schools of thought have strongly criticised the verdict delivered by a special court in the high treason case against former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf.

The verdict, which was delivered by a three-member bench headed by Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth in addition to awarding the death penalty to the former president had called for his corpse to be hanged in public at Islamabad’s D-Chowk for three days if he were found dead before being arrested. In response, several religious scholars termed the verdict unIslamic and issued edicts against the special court’s judges. Sajada Nasheen of the shrine of Hazrat Data Ali Hajveri Ganj Bukhsh, Mian Ejaz Ahmed Hajveri, in an edict issued on Friday said that the judges, by calling for the former president’s corpse to be hanged for public display, had acted clearly in violation of Quranic law which forbade any such punishment. The edict quoted Surah Bani Israel of the Holy Quran which prohibits the desecration of a human corpse as a means of punishment.

Similar views were echoed in the edict issued by Darul Iftaul Qaza which also quoted verses from the Surah and called for the judges of the special court to be held for contempt of Sharia. Chairman of Darul Iftaul Qaza, Allama Hussain Akbar said that Islam accords more respect to a dead body than it does to a living person and anyone calling for the desecration of a corpse should not be allowed to occupy judicial office. Renowned religious scholar and founder of Karachi’s Jamia Binoria, Mufti Naeem also noted that the verdict does not comply with Sharia as Islam does not allow for a corpse to be treated with contempt. In a statement issued by Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), its chairman Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi had also condemned the verdict saying that there was no precedent in Shariah for such a punishment. staff RepoRt

minister for leading the nation in the right direction during times of crises.

Progress, prosperity of Karachi top most priority: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the progress and prosperity of Karachi, the economic hub of the country, was among the topmost priorities of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. He was talking to PTI’s members of the National Assembly (MNAs) from Karachi Mir Shakoor Shah, Aftab Jahangir, Akram Cheema, Attaullah Khan, Aslam Khan, Faheem Khan and Capt (retd) Jamil Ahmed Khan, who called on him at the PM Office.

The MNAs informed the prime min-

ister of various problems of the Karachi city and those of health, employment and provision of drinking water in their respective constituencies. They also talked about progress on the ongoing development projects of the Federal Government in Karachi.

The prime minister said the government was cognizant of the problems of the metropolis city and committed to play every possible role in that regard. He told the parliamentarians that he would soon visit Karachi.

After attaining economic stability, the government would fully focus on resolution of the problems being faced by the people, he added.

Govt’s top lawyer slams Musharraf verdict at CJP’s Khosa farewell reference Pakistan’s Additional Attorney General on Friday said the special court’s verdict against former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf by Justice Waqar Seth is discriminatory and an expression of vengeance, according to media reports. Addressing the full court reference in honour of outgoing Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman said that the legal principles established by Chief Justice Khosa were ignored in the special court’s verdict on Musharraf.

A special court, on Tuesday, handed the former military dictator the death sentence for abrogating the constitution and imposing a state of emergency on November 3, 2007.

Paragraph 66 of the verdict–authored by Justice Waqar Seth–called on law enforcement agencies to arrest the former army chief and if he was found dead, drag his body to the DChowk in Islamabad and hang it for three days. “Justice Waqar’s decision was discrim-

inatory and an expression of vengeance,” said the additional attorney general. “Its implementation will be brutal, illegal and inhuman,” he added.

He said that the verdict was against the norms of the criminal justice system and that Justice Waqar’s conduct did not reflect that he was a senior judge. “I say this with a heavy heart that Justice Khosa supported the decision when the detailed verdict had not been issued,” he said. Director General InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor said on Thursday that the fears of the armed forces have “proven true” after the special court issued its detailed verdict on the high treason case against General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. “The concerns expressed in response to the short verdict in the case against Musharraf have proven true today after the detailed verdict,” Major General Ghafoor said as he addressed the press at General Headquarters. News Desk

What will happen if a case is brought against Justice Waqar in SJC NEwS DESk The federal government has announced that it will move a reference against Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for ordering the former army chief’s corpse to be hung in Islamabad’s D-Chowk for three days in his verdict on the high treason case.

Politician and lawyers were aghast at the severity of the judge’s words. The other two judges on the bench also disagreed with denying a convict dignity after death, as enshrined in the constitution. A few hours later, Law Minister Barrister Farogh Naseem held a press conference to excoriate Justice Seth, zooming in on the single para rather than the other 169 pages of the judgement. The minister called the judge ‘mentally unfit’ and ‘incompetent’. He then announced that the government will be filling a reference against the judge to restrain him from discharging any administrative duties.

If the government is to press ahead with it, the president will need to send

a direction to the SJC to probe the matter.

WHAT IS SJC? As per Article 209 of the constitution, the Supreme Judicial Council consists of five members — the chief justice of the Supreme Court, the next two senior most judges of the apex court and two senior judges from the high courts.

The Council may initiate a probe, on the request of the president or on its own, if it suspects that a judge may be incapable of properly preforming his/her duties by reason of physical and mental incapacity. Or, a judge maybe guilty of misconduct.

All proceedings are in camera and are not open to public.

In either case, if a judge is charged with the above, a reference against him/her will be sent to the president, who will then remove the judge from court.

‘MISCONDUCT, MENTAL CAPACITY’: The Supreme Judicial Council Procedure of Inquiry 2005, which lays down the rules for the functioning of the Supreme Judicial Council, defines ‘misconduct’ as: conduct unbecoming of a

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judge, disregarding the code of conduct under Article 209 and someone who is found to be inefficient.

Incapacity is described as ‘all forms of physical or mental incapacity which will render the judge incapable of preforming his duties in office.’

HOW WILL CASE PROCEED: If the government plans to make its case against Justice Seth on the basis of him being ‘mentally unfit’, therefore a case of ‘incapacity’, the Council may summon any expert, states the Procedure of Inquiry, to probe the ‘incapacity’ of the judge and order a medical examination by a local or foreign expert.

The opinion of the majority judges will prevail.

However, the Procedure of Inquiry also clearly states that incase it finds ‘the information or evidence provided to it was false or with the sole intention to malign a judge, or scandalizing the court or to undermine it in any form whatsoever, it may direct action against all those who are found to have provided the said information, or evidence as the case may be.’

Talking about price-hike and unemployment, the prime minister said the government was especially focusing to control prices of essential commodities, besides providing all possible facilities and ease of doing business to the private sector to provide employment to the youth.

He said boosting the industrial process and various development projects would provide employment opportunities to the youth.

The prime minister asked the elected representatives to remain in regular contacts with their electorates so that their doable proposals for the resolution of their problems could be implemented.

musharraf’s exit: ‘Pml-N didn’t have power to refuse Gen Raheel’ NEwS DESk Former army chief General Raheel Sharif’s name has come in the media spotlight after the detailed judgement in the high treason case against former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf called for holding accountable all those who had aided the latter in leaving Pakistan on medical grounds in the midst of the special court’s proceedings. Talking to a TV channel, senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Pervaiz Rasheed said that the former military ruler was allowed to go abroad on the recommendation of Gen Raheel. Musharraf was allowed to leave the country for medical treatment in the PML-N government’s tenure. He added that the PML-N government didn’t have the power to stop him. Rasheed also said that Gen Raheel Sharif wanted an extension in his tenure as the army chief, but the then government of prime minister Nawaz Sharif refused it. However, a former army general rejected Rasheed’s claims that the PML-N had turned down Gen Raheel’s request for an extension in his tenure.

“In fact, the PML-N government had offered to give Gen Raheel a promotion and wanted to make him a field marshal,” Lt General (r) Amjad Shoaib said while talking to the TV channel. Gen Shoaib said that Shehbaz Sharif and Chaudhry Nisar wanted to give Gen Raheel an extension in his tenure as the army chief. “If you don’t take an extension then we can give you a promotion and make you the field marshal,” the former military official quoted Shehbaz and Nisar as telling the then army chief. Shoaib said that Raheel had announced 10 months before his retirement that he would not take extension. “Raheel Sharif had an offer from Saudi Arabia,” the former military official said.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia announced that it would form a new Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition force. General (r) Raheel Sharif was appointed the alliance’s chief in January 2017, months after his retirement as the army chief.

04 LAHORE

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

WEATHER UPDATES SATURDAY

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Hassaan niazi Gets pre-arrest bail a weeK after piC attaCK PM IMRAN’S NEPHEW DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN PIC ATTACK CASE, SAYS MEDIA TARGETTED HIM DUE TO BLOOD TIES WITH PREMIER LAHORE

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Staff RepoRt

RIMe Minister Imran Khan’s nephew Hassaan Niazi obtained interim bail in the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) attack case on Friday from an anti-terrorism court, more than a week after the violent attack on the premier health facility by a group of lawyers.

Hassaan Niazi was among more than 200 lawyers who had gone underground to avoid arrest.

Addressing a press conference after obtaining bail, Niazi claimed that he was the first lawyer in the country who had expressed regret on Twitter over the attack on the hospital.

The premier’s nephew, however, demanded across-the-board accountability and said that he was unfairly singled out.

He urged the media to play its role with responsibility.

“For the past seven to eight days, I have received abuse from across the world. I want to explain my viewpoint over the issue as I am answerable to the nation,” he said, adding that on the day of the attack he was at the PIC because it was a “peaceful” protest and police had granted permission for it.

“If it wasn’t a peaceful protest, the question is that why did the police not intercept it. I had come to participate in a peaceful protest as I hadn’t foreseen what would occur there.

“Show me if I have torched the [po-

CM performs groundbreaking of DG Khan development projects

lice] vehicle, show me if I was holding a stick, show me if I have attacked the PIC, give me some proof if I have incited someone or led the crowd,” said a teary-eyed Niazi.

He claimed that he was targeted and singled out only because he was the

Notices issued for not producing Hamza in court

DERA GHAZI KHAN

LAHORE

app

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Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar performed ground-breaking ceremony of various development projects worth billions of rupees, here on Friday. The chief minister laid foundation stone for renovation of Border Military Police (BMP) residence at a cost of Rs 13 million and repairing and maintenance of roads at district kutchery. While addressing the BMP and Balochistan levies during visit to Baloch levies lines, Usman Buzdar said that both lawenforcement departments were rendering superb services in tribal areas of Koh-e-Suleman. He said that negligible ratio of street crimes and theft on Koh-e-Suleman and law and order situation was exemplary. He said that people of the area are peaceful and added that special relaxation was being extended to people of Koh-e-Suleman in recruitment terms of rangers and police. He said that promotion of border military police and Balochistan levies was pending for long and added that 115 employees had been promoted. He said that recruitment process on 666 posts of border military police and levies would be started soon as per amended terms. He said that 565 new posts of sub-inspector, ASI, head constable and constables were being created for people of the area. He said that six new police stations and security posts have been approved for tribal areas.

An accountability court on Friday issued a show-cause notice to the authorities concerned for not producing Hamza Shehbaz in assets beyond means and money laundering cases.

Accountability Court Judge Ameer Muhammad Khan conducted the proceedings of the case here at the judicial complex.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor apprised the court that Hamza Shehbaz could not be produced in the court due to security reasons and lawyers’ strike.

At this, the court expressed annoyance, observing that it was an illegal step. Subsequently, the court adjourned further proceedings till January 3 and issued show-cause notices to authorities concerned. The court also extended Hamza’s judicial remand till January 3.

Hamza Shehbaz was also not produced in the court on the

last hearing due to lawyers’ strike and security reasons.

Meanwhile, the court also adjourned hearing of Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM)/money laundering case till January 3.

Accused Yousaf Abbas, nephew of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, could not be produced in the court due to lawyers strike and security reasons.

The court had exempted Nawaz Sharif from personal appearance for a period of four weeks whereas Maryam Nawaz was also exempted till filing of reference in the case.

The Sharif family had been accused of using CSM for money laundering and illegal transfer of its shares.

No compromise on standard of development projects in public hospitals: Dr Yasmin SARGODHA: Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said that no comprise will be made on the standard and transparency of development projects in public hospitals.

She said this while chairing a high level meeting in Sargodha Medical Teaching Hospital, on Friday. Special Secretary Development Nadar Chatha, Chief Planning Officer Abdul Haq Bhatti and other administrative officers were also present on this occasion.

The Minister reviewed the pace of progress on various ongoing development projects in public hospitals.

Special Secretary Development Nadar Chatha and Chief Planning Officer informed the Minister about the progress on different ongoing development schemes. Dr Yasmin Rashid directed to complete these schemes within stipulated timeframe without making any compromise on standard and transparency. Staff RepoRt

nephew of the prime minister. He also criticised the media for highlighting his face while covering the issue as a result of which, he said, the entire world was hating him. “You people have tried to end my career,” he said while addressing reporters.

“The most brutal part of the story was

that the media’s coverage of me overshadowed the mishandling on part of the government and the administration,” he said, adding that prior to the incident he had approached Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar as well as the provincial law and health ministers, asking them to resolve the issue between the lawyers and doctors. He regretted that he was given the cold shoulder and warned that he will give a detailed report to the prime minister on the role of the provincial government in the matter.

Clarifying his position, the lawyer said that he hadn’t torched the police van; instead, he said he had approached the vehicle and opened its door to ensure that no one inside was in need of help. earlier in the day, an anti-terrorism court accepted Niazi’s plea to grant him bail until December 24 against two surety bonds worth Rs100,000 each. The court also directed the Shadman police to submit a detailed report of the incident.

CMYK Saturday, 21 December, 2019

NEWS

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Socioeconomic development Supporting Musharraf would be an of BalochiStan top priority: pm historical injustice: Raza Rabbani ISLAMABAD

StAff RePoRt

ISLAMABAD APP

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RIME Minister Imran Khan Friday said that the socio-economic development of Balochistan and uplifting living standard of people of the province, were among the government's priorities.

In a meeting with a delegation of the parliamentary party from Balochistan led by Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind here, the prime minister said the federal government was resolved to extend all possible support to the Balochistan government for the provincial development.

Deputy Speaker National As-

sembly Muhammad Qasim Khan Suri, MNAs Mir Muhammad Khan Jamali, Munawara Munir, MPAs Mir Nematullah, Sardar Babar Musakhel, Zahida Bibi, Umar Jamali, Naseebullah Khan and Muhammad Mubin Khan Khilji comprised the delegation. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Affairs Naeemul Haq was also present. The meeting discussed the overall situation of Balochistan including the development matters and problems being faced by the people. The members of the delegation apprised the prime minister about the problems in their respective constituencies.

The prime minister told the del-

egation that having achieved the economic stability, the government would now fully focus to accelerate the industrial process and create job opportunities for the youth.

He said the stable and enhanced economic activity would also equally benefit the youth from Balochistan as the government would also impart skill training to them. He said the provision of Sehat Insaf Card under government’s social protection initiative “Ehsaas” would support the people of Balochistan particularly the poor ones. The prime minister asked the parliamentarians to highlight the public issues and play their role for their early resolution.

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Friday said that those coming out in support of former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf were committing an historical injustice. In a statement made in reaction to the release of the detailed verdict of a special court in the high treason case against the former president, Rabbani remarked that efforts now seemed to be underway to safeguard Musharraf.

A special court had on Tuesday convicted Musharraf for high treason and handed him the death penalty on five counts.

On Thursday afternoon, the detailed verdict in the case had been issued by the court. “Efforts are being made to give support to someone who went against the Constitution. Lending support to the one who went against the Constitution is an injustice to history,” Rabbani said.

Rabbani, who belongs to the

Govt to continue to facilitate institutions: Firdous ISLAMABAD APP

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Friday said the government would continue facilitating national institutions to work within their constitutional domains.

Talking to the media after attending a reception held here at Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), she said the government would ensure internal stability in the country. The special assistant said the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan was striving to create an ideal atmosphere for investors and tourists in the country. An improved image of Pakistan

due to the government policies had now attracted the whole world, she added.

Dr Firdous said any negative impression about the country could hamper its journey of progress. Despite impediments, the government would continue pursuing its policies for the country's stability and development. She said Pakistan was facing great challenges.

The enemy was trying to take advantage of uncertainty in the county and the firing on Line of Control was proof of that. Moreover, the enemy was also trying to put Pakistan in the black list of the Financial Action Task Force.

India was committing grass human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, she added. She

said the Pakistan Armed Forces had offered unprecedented sacrifices in the war against terrorism. Both the civil and military leadership had collectively strived for the revival of national economy and projected its soft image across the world.

The SAPM said the yesterday’s verdict contained a paragraph which was not only against the Constitution but also against socio-cultural values of the society.

"If someone trespasses the constitutional role given to him, the law comes into action," she said, adding the government would fulfill its responsibility and file a reference in the Supreme Judicial Council against the Special Court judge for writing the said para.

Pakistan has lost 11m workers to overseas employers since 1971: report More than 11 million Pakistanis have left Pakistan since 1971 to pursue employment opportunities elsewhere, according to emigration statistics released by the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment. The report reveals that 11,052,663 workers registered for overseas employment with the bureau between 1971 and November 2019. Of the 11m that left Pakistan, 4.2m were labourers, the report said. The category dominates figures for 2019 as well, with 217,499 labourers leaving the country till November. Behind labourers is the category of ‘drivers’, which accounts for 1.3m leaving the country since 1971, while the 2019 figure alone stands at 161,226 The profession of photographers saw the least amount of brain drain, with only 1,949 leaving for greener pastures over the last five decades. Of the 11m manpower exports, 4.7m has been categorised as ‘skilled’ and 4.6m as ‘unskilled’. Around 220,000 fall in the category of the ‘highly qualified’. According to a graph of the statistics, emigration of Pakistani workers had been on a steady rise since 1971.

Between 2015 and 2018, however, it saw three consecutive years of decline — an unprecedented trend — before picking up again.

The ratio of manpower exports has once again risen sharply over the past year, with 563,018 Pakistanis leaving Pakistan in that period, according to the statistics.

Saudi Arabia has been the most popular destination among Pakistani workers seeking

employment opportunities. The report says 5.4m Pakistanis registered as employees in the kingdom since 1971. Saudi Arabia also took in the most number of Pakistanis in 2019, with the figure standing at 294,156.

United Arab Emirates is second on the list, having given employment opportunities to 3.8m Pakistanis, while Oman (793,454) is third. Punjab has seen the largest outflow of workers, with more than 5.3m leaving the province for foreign opportunities since 1971. Following the largest province is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whose manpower exports have been recorded at 2.65m, followed by Sindh (1m) and Azad Kashmir (679,763).

Pakistan’s sizeable workforce abroad repatriated $9.3m during the financial year ending November 2019. Pakistanis based in Saudi Arabia sent remittances to the tune of $2.1m, followed by UAE ($1.9m) and USA ($1.5m). However, the percentage of remittances sent by USA and UK-based Pakistanis has been on the rise in the last few years, while monetary repatriation by Middle East-based Pakistanis is declining. During the year ending November 2019, Pakistanis in USA remitted 5.25 per cent more money than in the previous fiscal year. Similarly, the Pakistanis working in the UK sent 3.58 per cent more cash than the preceding year. During the same period the remittances sent by Pakistanis based in Saudi Arabia and the UAE shrank by 0.36 and 3.77 per cent respectively. NewS DeSk

CMYK

Pakistan People’s Party, noted that praise was being offered to a person who had disrespected the rule of law and democratic institutions in Pakistan. After the release of the detailed verdict on Thursday, government officials had condemned the ruling and indicated that the state would file a reference against the authoring judge.

The three-member bench which heard the case comprised Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth of the Peshawar High Court, Justice Nazar Akbar of the Sindh High Court and Justice Shahid Karim of the Lahore High Court. In the 2-1 guilty verdict issued on Tuesday, Justice Nazar Akbar had dissented from the conviction, while the other two judges found Musharraf guilty and sentenced him to death.

Justice Seth, in paragraph 66 of the ruling, had said, “We direct the Law Enforcement Agencies to strive their level best to apprehend the

fugitive/convict and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the DChowk, Islamabad, Pakistan and be hanged for 3 days.” It should be mentioned that this was his individual view and not concurred with by any of the other two judges on the bench.

Reacting to the paragraph, which attracted a lot of attention in the media over the past day, Rabbani said, “One cannot support Para 66 of the special court ruling. Legal recourse is available to those affected by para 66.” He noted that the affected person could go to court to have the para removed from the verdict. “The affected person can file an appeal against the verdict,” Rabbani maintained. Rabbani also spoke out against the efforts of the government to invoke Article 209 of the Supreme Judicial Council against Justice Seth. Under the article, a judge can tried for misconduct by fellow judges of superior courts.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

IndIa’s new securIty order: ImplIcatIons for the unIted states I IDENTIFY THREE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW ORDER: AN EMPHASIS ON RISK-TAKING AND ASSERTIVENESS, THE FUSING OF DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS, AND THE USE OF UNRELENTING SPIN TO HOLD CRITICS AT BAY

War on the rockS

a

PaUL sTaNiLaNd

crisis and a crackdown have defined India’s security policy in 2019. In February, the Indian Air Force launched an airstrike into Pakistan following a suicide bombing in Indian held Kashmir. This then led to a crisis, dogfights, and missile threats. In August, the government in New Delhi surged security forces into Indian held Kashmir and revoked its special status, beginning months of detentions, restrictions, and claims about the beginning of a radically new politics in Held Kashmir. Moreover, senior politicians have articulated a new vision of how India seeks to advance its interests at home and abroad: Toughness, boldness, and skilful manoeuvring amongst the world’s leading powers define this aspiration.

How should observers assess India’s new security order? And what implications, if any, does it have for the United States?

I identify three characteristics of the new order: an emphasis on risk-taking and assertiveness, the fusing of domestic and international politics, and the use of unrelenting spin to hold critics at bay. This approach carries potential benefits for the United States in bolstering its position in Asia. But it also brings a set of risks and challenges that demand clear-eyed analysis — and a willingness to debate how the United States engages with India moving forward.

What does this new dynamic mean for the United States? Washington has reasons to want a more assertive and powerful India as a counterweight to Chinese influence.

Even as the administration of President Donald Trump continues to clash on trade with India, it is continuing to expand military cooperation. An India that is serious about overcoming the negative trends in its military balance with China, establishes linkages to American allies and partners in Asia and beyond, pursues liberal democratic values, and continues high levels of economic growth would be a serious asset.

This bundle of opportunities has driven Washington toward increasing IndianAmerican alignment since the early 2000s.

There is not a major strategic constituency opposed to good US-India ties.

There are, however, disagreements about the precise level of alignment that the United States and India should, or will, achieve. According to Ashley Tellis, “India has been a beneficiary of extraordinary American generosity for close to two decades now.” For some, including Tellis,

India is in exchange already providing a valuable counterweight to China, and there is little more that the United States could reasonably expect — Delhi remains “Washington’s Best Hope in Asia.” Others argue that the US is suffering from “India fatigue” after expending substantial effort without sufficient returns, and needs to adopt a more focused approach. Others worry about the potential for misaligned expectations.

One might think that India’s new order would bring clarity to this discussion. Yet in some ways it actually makes things more muddled. Strategically, it is far from clear that India’s actions in 2019 have brought major strategic gains. The Balakot strike, intended to be a bold and signature operation, quickly became bogged down in competing claims and overt politicisation during the election campaign, while leading to suboptimal global headlines about the capture of an Indian pilot. In a future crisis, Modi’s fusing of domestic politics with security policy, especially Pakistan strategy, could drive dangerous escalation pressures that undermine India’s professed goal of moving beyond the regional rivalry. In the wake of the Kashmir move, there is little evidence that the population of the Indian held Kashmir has had a major rethinking of its allegiance to Delhi (much evidence suggests rather the contrary), a huge and costly security presence remains, sporadic militant attacks persist, and economic development initiatives have not gone according to plan. A critical assessment argued that Delhi’s post-August 5 Kashmir policy “is proving to be a disaster.”

At a broader level, it remains to be seen if India has the power to pursue a strategy that Jaishankar argues combines “greater realism” with “hedging.” Nor is it clear what this approach means for the American desire for India to act as a counterweight to China. While there has clearly been major progress in security cooperation with the United States and its allies, especially in the maritime domain, the most important structural measures of power are military and economic. Abhijnan Rej has persuasively argued that the disjuncture between hawkish rhetoric and escalating expectations, on the one hand, and inadequate spending on and political attention to defence reform, on the other, is creating a “gap between intent and capability.” Rajesh Rajagopalan pointedly notes that Jaishankar’s strategic vision ignores India’s actual power. Rather than representing new thinking, Jaishankar’s formulation of the new order falls into the “ob-

sessive but grossly mistaken belief” that India is a key player in an emerging multipolar order, rather than being locked into a nascent bipolar US-China order. A set of analyses from the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS) paints an uninspiring picture of India’s military power relative to China. While identifying ways to improve the situation, they find that “the trend lines in the India-China military equation are broadly negative” and “China’s recent military modernisation and reforms have, if anything, further widened the capability gap.”

The Indian economy — the central driver of its strategic rise — has entered an alarming slump, there are allegations that the government is manipulating economic data, and some fear that India is entering the so-called “middle income trap.”

This is occurring in the context of what Milan Vaishnav calls “the credibility crisis afflicting India’s core institutions.” These trends may reverse. But trading on future economic growth in exchange for current strategic benefits is an uncertain game.

A second cluster of challenges arise from the BJP’s domestic political project, which is central to India’s new security order. These are irrelevant to the Trump administration, which has neither interest nor credibility in human rights or liberalism, at home or abroad. Nevertheless, a pillar of American support for India has been based on shared values, explicitly including “secular democracy.” Many worry that India is moving in the direction of — or has arrived at — illiberal democracy. Ashutosh Varshney identifies a worrisome “contradiction between electoral resilience and liberal deficits,” while Gideon Rachman decries “India’s slide into illiberalism.” Major Indian newspapers have raised serious concerns, for instance, over the recently passed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, which explicitly favours non-Muslim refugees, calling it “unequal, unsecular,” “a poisonous bill,” and “flawed and dangerous.” The aftermath of the bill’s passing has seen protests (and, in some cases, violence) on university campuses across India, as well as in the Northeast and West Bengal. Human Rights Watch, the United Nations, and even the US State Department have raised concerns about India’s Kashmir policy. Voices of discontent have begun to emerge in the US Congress. Government supporters are pleased that Modi’s second term is “systematically ticking off the more ‘ideological’— and, therefore, more contentious — facets of the BJP’s famed distinctiveness,” but this

agenda also creates international challenges.

India is also increasingly acting within the American political system. In an enthusiastic joint rally in Houston — “Howdy Modi” — Narendra Modi openly embraced Trump, heralding the president’s “love for every American.” More murkily, a recent investigation uncovered a disinformation network targeting the United States and other Western countries that is strikingly supportive of Indian government positions. Pramila Jayapal and Steve Watkins introduced a House resolution on Kashmir in early December, in what may or may not have been a coincidence, a curiously similar set of articles directly attacking them appeared in the Indian media.

The British government recently conveyed concern over the BJP appearing to pick sides in the United Kingdom’s election.

DEALING WITH THE NEW INDIA The “New India” of Modi, Shah, and Jaishankar is unabashed in its embrace of power politics and contemptuous of its critics. America will need an equally clear-eyed response. There is a reasonable strategic logic behind the US-India relationship, but it increasingly involves complications that cannot be ignored.

Future analyses of US strategy toward India need to explicitly answer a set of important, and difficult, questions.

At the most basic level, should human rights and liberalism matter to US policy toward India? Views of broader Asia strategy may drive this answer. To those who see India as essential to a balancing coalition against China, the answer is likely to be no.

For an Asia strategy that involves cultivating Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, domestic illiberalism is no disqualification in pursuit of emerging great-power competition. For those who see India as helpful but not essential, or who are not as concerned about the rise of China, the answer may be quite different. In this view, India is more threatened by China than is the secure, distant United States, and so America has considerable room to manoeuvre. For either position, it is essential to be explicit about the trade-offs that may be involved.

If liberalism and human rights do matter, what would be the indicators of a break in “shared values”? If one is alarmed by trends in Indian politics, should the United States offer anything beyond polite diplomatic rhetoric in response? History suggests that there are serious limits to pushing India (for instance, threats to sanction Amit Shah seem likely to generate backlash) — but

The post-American Middle East

Project Syndicate RichaRd N haass

It was 5 August 1990, just days after Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had invaded and conquered all of Kuwait, and US President George H W Bush could not have been clearer as he spoke from the South Lawn at the White House: ‘This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait.’ Over the next six months, Bush proved to be a man of his word, as the United States sent half a million soldiers to the Middle East and led an international coalition that liberated Kuwait.

Three decades later, a very different American president embraced a very different US policy.

In the wake of abandoning its

Kurdish partners in Syria who had fought valiantly in defeating Islamic State terrorists, the US stood by as Iranian drones and missiles attacked Saudi Arabian oil installations, temporarily taking half of its capacity offline.

Welcome to the post-American Middle East. To be fair, the phrase is something of an exaggeration, as the US hasn’t withdrawn from the region. In fact, it has recently sent additional troops to deter and, if necessary, help defend Saudi Arabia from future Iranian attacks and possibly respond directly to them.

But there’s no getting around the fundamental truth that the US has reduced both its presence and role in a region that it has dominated for nearly half a century.

The roots of this trend date back to President George W Bush, whose decision to launch an illadvised and poorly designed war of choice against Iraq proved to be a turning point in US foreign policy. The high costs and poor results of that war turned the American public against military involvement in the region, which influenced President Barack Obama as he chose not to follow

through on his warnings to Syria’s government that use of chemical weapons would cross a ‘red line’ and trigger grave consequences.

Obama also decided not to follow up the NATO-led intervention in Libya that removed Muammar Gadaffi’s regime but left behind a divided country and a failed state.

President Donald Trump shares this aversion to military involvement in the region. In addition, increased domestic production of oil and gas has diminished the direct importance of the Middle East to the US. Renewed great-power rivalry, meanwhile, has increased the need for the US to shift resources and attention to Europe to counter Russia, and to Asia to offset China.

The Trump administration has distanced itself from the Middle East in myriad ways beyond demonstrating a reluctance to use military force or station soldiers in conflict zones. Diplomacy is largely absent. Trump has chosen to ignore human-rights violations in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and his administration hasn’t made any serious effort to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

The greatest source of uncer-

tainty in the region involves Iran.

The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement, despite Iran’s compliance with it. The administration then introduced a policy of ‘maximum pressure’, consisting mainly of severe economic sanctions, which are having a demonstrable impact on Iran’s economy—by some estimates causing its GDP to shrink by nearly 10% this year.

But if the impact of the sanctions is apparent, their purpose is not. What’s clear is that Iran will respond to America’s economic warfare with warfare of its own.

In addition to Saudi oil installations, Iran has already attacked tanker traffic moving through the region, and is gradually breaking out of the constraints set by the nuclear deal. As the economic pressure on the regime intensifies, the US and its allies should expect additional Iranian responses.

This presents the Trump administration with a dilemma. Its unstated but apparent preference is for regime change in Tehran, but 40 years after the Iranian revolution, the regime remains resilient, despite public protests.

many in the United States are sceptical of embracing the BJP’s project, which cannot be cleanly disentangled from its most highprofile security policies. If current trends in Indian politics continue, this tension will increasingly confront those who see the Modi government as part of a transnational wave of illiberalism. A similarly delicate question is what kinds of Indian government activities within American politics should be viewed as appropriate, and which would cross the line into an open electoral intervention. Lobbying and diaspora mobilisation are standard practice (including by Pakistan), but coordinated campaigns of leaks aimed at members of Congress or de facto endorsement of candidates would likely be seen as distinctly less so.

If the bipartisan political values pillar of the US-India relationship weakens, it may focus American attention on bluntly transactional realpolitik and economic considerations even beyond the Trump administration. At this strategic level, the key question is whether and how to pursue conditionality around measurable outputs.

What precisely should the United States expect from India in exchange for American technology, arms, market access, favourable immigration policy, and relief from sanctions related to purchases of Russian weaponry? Does the policy of “strategic altruism” that guided the Bush and Obama administrations remain relevant, or will Washington need a different approach that simultaneously avoids Trump’s incoherent blend of trade conflict and security cooperation? Those sceptical of India’s political direction may have a higher bar for Indian strategic convergence than those supportive of the Modi government. These dynamics will intersect with an Indian political arena in which deep historical suspicion of the United States can be found on both the left and right, adding further volatility.

American analysts, scholars, and policymakers will offer a wide, and likely conflicting, range of answers to each of these questions. The debate may end up reaffirming the status quo. Regardless, a new phase of Indian foreign policy requires an equal willingness to revisit American strategy.

Paul Staniland is Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Committee on International Relations (CIR) at the University of Chicago. He is the author of the award-winning book Networks of Rebellion: Explaining Insurgent Cohesion and Collapse (Cornell 2014).

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS LEARNING THAT PULLING BACK FROM THE MIDDLE EAST IS NEITHER EASY NOR WITHOUT RISKS AND COSTS Responding militarily to Iranian actions could lead to just the sort of conflict Trump doesn’t want in the run-up to next year’s presidential election. But allowing Iran to free itself from the limits of the nuclear accord increases the odds that Israel will attack Iran, dragging the US into war. And even if that doesn’t happen, US inaction might lead one or more of Iran’s neighbours to acquire nuclear weapons to balance Iranian capabilities and the possibility that the US withdraws further from the region. Such a development in what is already the world’s most unstable region would be a nightmare.

The best way forward would be for the US to articulate what policy changes it wants from Iran regarding its nuclear and missile programmes, as well as its behaviour throughout the region, and what it is prepared to offer in return. Such a policy should be announced in public, thereby forcing the regime to explain to its frustrated citizens why it is turning down much-desired sanctions relief in order to continue its desta-

bilising activities in the region and its nuclear and missile programmes. In the face of intense economic and political pressure, the regime just might agree to negotiate, much as it did when it agreed to end its decade-long war with its arch-enemy Iraq. Thus far, though, no such US initiative has been forthcoming.

In short, the Trump administration is learning that pulling back from the Middle East is neither easy nor without risks and costs. The US still has a stake in fighting terrorism, resisting nuclear proliferation, supporting the free flow of oil, and promoting the security of Israel and American partners in the Arab world. What is needed is clear: greater US readiness to use limited military force, if necessary, and a willingness to pair sanctions with diplomacy. What is less clear is whether such a policy mix can be expected anytime soon.

Richard N Haass is president of the Council on Foreign Relations and author of A world in disarray.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

trUmp seeKs rapid exoneration in senate after impeachment WASHINGTON

U

Agencies

S President Donald Trump pressed his Republican allies Thursday to exert rigid control of his Senate trial and ensure a swift exoneration, a day after he was impeached in a historic rebuke by the House of Representatives.

A bitter fight looms over the coming trial, expected to begin as early as the second week of January, with Senate leaders already drawing battle lines over the evidence that will be allowed.

But its fate was left in limbo late Thursday when the Senate’s powerful majority leader, Mitch McConnell signaled the standoff with Democrats over trial particulars would continue into the new year.

“We remain at an impasse on these logistics,” McConnell said on the floor, as he announced the Senate had completed its business until January.

Trump seized on the uncertainty to at-

tack House Democrats for seeking to demand key witnesses or dictate how McConnell should run the process.

“I want an immediate trial!” he boomed on Twitter.

Trump is charged with abuse of office and obstruction of Congress but Democrats, who led the three-month House investigation, are threatening to delay sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate until they are reassured the process will be fair.

“I got Impeached last night without one Republican vote being cast with the Do Nothing Dems on their continuation of the greatest Witch Hunt in American history,” Trump tweeted. “Now the Do Nothing Party want to Do Nothing with the Articles & not deliver them to the Senate, but it’s Senate’s call!” Trump, the third president in US history to be impeached, suggested that the Democrats would “lose by default” if they decided not to show up at a date determined by the Senate. sTark parTisaN DiviDe: The House voted along party lines Wednesday

to charge Trump with abuse of power for pressuring Ukraine’s president to investigate his potential White House challenger in 2020, the veteran Democrat Joe Biden.

Amid citizenship law outcry, Indian authorities' ban on protests continues NEW dELHI Agencies

Police banned public gatherings in parts of the Indian capital and other cities for a third day on Friday and cut internet services to try to stop growing protests against a new citizenship law that have so far left eight people dead and more than 1,200 others detained.

Thousands of protesters stood inside and on the steps of New Delhi’s Jama Masijd, one of India’s largest mosques, after Friday afternoon prayers, waving Indian flags and shouting slogans against the government and the citizenship law, which critics say threatens the secular nature of Indian democracy in favor of a Hindu state.

Police had banned a proposed march from the mosque to an area near India’s parliament, and a large number of officers were waiting outside the mosque.

About 2,000 people protested outside New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia University, which was the site of weekend clashes in which students accused to police of using excessive force that sent dozens to hospitals.

The protests have targeted the new citizenship law, which applies to Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities who are in India illegally but can demonstrate religious persecution in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, Pakistan

and Afghanistan. It does not apply to Muslims.

Critics say it’s a violation of the country’s secular constitution and the latest effort

by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist-led government to marginalise India’s 200 million Muslims.

Modi has defended it as a humanitarian gesture. The protests began last week at predominantly Muslim universities and communities, and have spread across the country and now include a broad section of the Indian public. A law banning the assembly of more than four people was in place in parts of the Indian capital as well as in several cities in northeastern Assam state and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where a motorized rickshaw driver was killed during a protest in Lucknow.

A total of eight deaths have been reported so far, including five in Assam and two in southern Karnataka state.

Authorities erected roadblocks and turned areas around mosques in New Delhi, Lucknow and other Muslim-dominated areas into security fortresses to prevent widespread demonstrations after Friday prayers. Police temporarily held 1,200 protesters in New Delhi alone on Thursday and hundreds of others were detained in other cities after they defied bans on assembly. Most protesters were released later in the day.

US sanctions cause environmental crisis in Iran TEHRAN Agencies

Decades of US sanctions have badly hampered Iran’s efforts to address environmental challenges that could alter the country’s economic, social and political landscape.

Air and water pollution, desertification, land degradation, climate change and biodiversity loss are among the pressing environmental challenges in Iran. Although the impact of US sanctions has been widely documented, very little has been said about the myriad challenges it poses to the already deteriorating environment in the Islamic Republic.

Researchers at the Center for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London acknowledge that sanctions do not independently cause environmental degradation in a targeted nation, but the secondary impacts of sanctions can inadvertently act as “catalysts” that lead to environmental issues.

Shirin Hakim, a PhD scholar at Imperial College London studying the impact of sanctions on Iran’s environment, says sanctions have gone as far to target critical sectors of the country’s economy, such as the energy, shipping, automotive, aviation and financial

sectors, which are crucial to sustainable development and human prosperity.

“As a consequence of sanctions, Iran has been effectively severed from the international banking system and many of its crucial assets have been frozen abroad,” Hakim told Anadolu Agency.

“Furthermore, sanctions on Iran have contributed to the devaluation of its local currency, increased rates of inflation, and a significant decline in foreign direct investments, as many international companies leading in sustainable development technologies and expertise fear entering Iran at the risk of penalties from the US.” BiODiversiTy lOss: At a time when the Iranian capital has been covered in the thick blanket of smog, the focus has again shifted to the severe environmental challenges facing the country. Tehran now figures among the top ten most polluted cities in the world. However, pollution is not the only impediment to sustainable development in Iran.

“Water scarcity has entered a critical phase, partially due to decades of isolation, mismanagement of local resources and the consequence of prolonged drought,” Hakim says.

Lawmakers also approved a second article of impeachment, obstruction of the congressional probe into his Ukraine dealings.

The vote leaves a permanent stain on Trump’s legacy — one that he appeared determined to mask with acquittal by the Senate. At the White House Trump welcomed one of the two Democrats who voted against impeachment, congressman Jeff Van Drew, who announced he was switching parties to join the Republicans.

“You know what? It’s a phony deal and they cheapen the word ‘impeachment,'” Trump said. “That should never again happen to another president.”

The Senate Republicans have a 5347 majority that makes the math for clearing Trump straightforward — conviction and removal would require a two-thirds guilty vote on either charge.

The House must formally transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate for the case to be taken up there.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi balked at immediately transmitting them, saying she wants to understand what the parameters of the trial will be before naming House managers who will prosecute the case before the senators.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

08 COMMENT Kuala Lumpur Summit Pakistan’s absence was felt

T

He Summit of Islamic countries in Kuala Lumpur, attended by 20 countries, opened on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, with a clear message of dissatisfaction with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which is seen as increasingly a Saudi vehicle rather than a force for the expression of Muslim aspirations. Saudi Arabia was the most vocal absentee from the Summit, which it claimed would set up a rival to the OIC, and thus would act as a divisive force within the Ummah. While Saudi Arabia will retain central importance for all Muslims, because it contains the Harmain of Makkah and Madinah, it should not expect the OIC to serve as a political vehicle for itself, because other member states have their own aspirations, which they would like to see expressed in the OIC. The most interesting thing about the current Summit is that fact that it seems to be challenging Muslims to engage in the sort of self-criticism that the OIC has frowned upon. It calls for Muslims to engage in the kind of forward-looking policies that are essential to making a move ahead in the world. The call for Muslims to eschew the Hereafter and to pay attention to performance in the world now, would find resonance with Muslims the world over. Further, it should not be thought that this Summit was divisive, because if a new organisation is formed, it would merely act as another voice in Muslim affairs, and would add to the weight of the pressure exerted in favour of the cause in question. One of the reason for a new body is precisely the need felt for some body which would act more vigorously on various Muslim causes.

The absence of Pakistan from this Summit, after an initial commitment to attending, reflected a naïveté, which owed more to pressure from Saudi Arabia than any principled disagreement with either the purposes or sponsors of the Summit. It may be remembered that Prime Minister Imran Khan had initially agreed to attend, but had changed his mind after a visit to Saudi Arabia. A proposal that would have seen Pakistan send a delegation headed by the Foreign Minister than Mr Khan, was also shot down. Therefore Pakistan has found itself out of an initiative involving the Muslim world, even though it might prove to be great moment.

CJP Khosa retires Leaves behind a legacy of firsts

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r Justice Asif Saeed Khosa has concluded his service as Chief Justice of Pakistan after only 11 months, which although is a relatively short tenure was one during which a lot has been achieved. CJP Khosa took over the reins from Mr Justice Saqib Nisar, who in the name of judicial activism had made a mockery of the superior judiciary with his incessant need to be in the limelight, that he achieved in part by regularly making controversial off-the-cuff remarks and most notably through the plethora of suo motu notices that were taken during his tenure to the extent that his impartiality too had come into question.

As the new CJP, Mr Justice Khosa found himself leading a judiciary that was in desperate need of some normality and direction. To that end Mr Justice Khosa, as promised, did not take a single suo motu notice throughout his stint as CJP, all the while avoiding unnecessary appearances or commentary on the airwaves. He also steered away from politicising his office as did so many of his predecessors, most notably Mr Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, had done before him. But perhaps it will be the events of his last month in office that will form the core of his legacy; the matter of the chief of army staff (COAS) Bajwa’s extension taken up by the Supreme Court on the basis of an individual’s petition and the Musharraf treason case concluding after six years.

Both are firsts in the country’s history. The procedure of giving the COAS an extension had never been openly debated before which is why it is as arbitrary as it is currently laid out. Through its judgment, the Supreme Court has directed the government to bring “certainty and predictability” to the post of COAS, an added advantage of which is that the government will finally have to pass a law rather than presidential ordinances. The dust had only just settled on the extension proceedings when Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf was found guilty of treason by a special court handing him a death sentence. Mr Justice Khosa is now, quite expectedly, being linked to the wrapping up of the case despite the best efforts of the government to restrict any outcome. A military dictator being sentenced for abrogating the constitution sets a much-needed precedent. It is hoped the incoming CJP maintains the same momentum as his predecessor.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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Reckless move to a Hindu Rashtra A dream that will cost millions of lives

Abdul RAsool syed

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He passage of the contentious bill, the “Citizenship Amendment Bill” (CAB), by the Indian Parliament a few days back, has sparked violent protest throughout India. The bill has invited scathing stricture from people belonging to all walks of life. It has, undoubtedly, shaken the very foundation of the Indian constitution by sounding a death knell to the democratic and secular identity of the world’s so-called largest democracy.

CAB has attracted strong opposition since it is discriminatory exclusively against Muslims, as it excludes them from its ambit. “Not only is the bill discriminatory, it wreaks havoc on the very foundations of our Constitution,” Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Adhir ranjan Chowdhury said in the Lok Sabha.

“This is a step towards forming a ‘Hindu rashtra’, as imagined by the rSS and BJP.” The citizenship Act 1955 bars illegal migrants from acquiring Indian citizenship. An illegal migrant is a foreigner who enters the country without valid travel documents, like a passport and visa, or enters with valid documents, but stays beyond the permitted time period.

However, the “Citizenship Amendment Bill” of 2019 calls for the following changes in the citizenship Act, 1955.

1. The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2019 aims at providing citizenship to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian refugees from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. A person belonging to these faiths who came to India on or before 31 December 2014 can apply for citizenship.

2. With the CAB now a law, any legal proceeding pending against an ‘eligible’ illegal immigrant stands ‘abated’. They cannot be barred from applying for citizenship on grounds that proceedings are pending against them.

3. Though the act of applying for citizenship under this provision indicates the person entered India illegally, he or she will not be deprived of rights or privileges enjoyed till then.

4. Applicants who qualify are eligible for citizenship by naturalisation if they can establish residency in India for five years, instead of the current 11 years.

5. The new provision will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura, as included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution and states with the Inner Line Permit (ILP) provision. In effect, the Act excludes Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, almost the whole of Meghalaya, and parts of Assam and Tripura.

6. Presently, there is no specific provision to cancel the registration of an Overseas Citizen of India cardholder who violates provisions of the Act or any other law. The new Act empowers the Centre to do so.

7. Overseas Citizen of India cardholders will be given sufficient opportunity to argue their case before any decision to cancel their registration is taken.

The bill in question has trigged a hot debate among constitutional luminaries, politicos and academicians since it has severely impinged on the ever cherished democratic and secular fabric of the country.

To this end, On December 11, just before the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was cleared, over 700 activists, academicians, and filmmakers wrote a letter to the Indian government expressing grave concern over these two proposed laws. “For the first time there is a statutory attempt to not just privilege peoples from some faiths but at the same time relegates another, Muslims, to second–rate status,” They wrote.

“The new law,” they wrote, also went against the tenets of the Indian constitution. “The CAB is at odds with the constitutional secular principles and a violation of Articles 13, 14, 15, 16 and 21 which guarantee the right to equality, equality before law and non-discriminatory treatment by the Indian state,” they wrote.

The major criticism of the law has been that it prevents Muslims from seeking citizenship, something similar to US President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban under which Muslims from the few countries were banned from seeking asylum.

Legal experts argue that it violates Article 14 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to equality. Faizan Mustafa, a constitutional luminary and the chancellor of NALSAr University in law, while commenting on CAB, had termed the legislation “very aggressive” and a violation of the Indian Constitution.

“We don’t have our citizenship based on religion. Our constitution prohibits any discrimination based on religion. By distinguishing illegal immigrants based on religion, the proposed law violates the basic structure of the Indian constitution,” he said.

He added that if the government through this bill, wants to give citizenship to the persecuted minorities in the neighbouring countries, how can it exclude the rohingya of Myanmar who are far more persecuted than any other group in the neighbourhood?

Social scientists and experts working on refugee settlement are unconvinced about these arguments and have condemned the bill. “The CAB not only breaches the equality provisions of the Indian Constitution, it also runs afoul of secularism as a basic structure of the Constitution,” says Surya Deva, associate professor, School of Law, City University of Hong Kong, and an advisor to the UN Human rights Council.

In addition, Sanjay Jha, a spokesperson of the main opposition Congress equated the draconian law (CAB) with Modi’s strategy to po-

larise India. He argued that the law is “part of a deeper divisive BJP political strategy to polarise India”. “Hence the exclusionary element of religion in the Citizenship Amendment Bill, he said. “The business model of the BJP is to keep India on a permanent boil, raising the communal temperatures high during elections,” he added.

Last month, Home Minister Amit Shah, a close confidant of Modi, announced that the country will begin the exercise of counting all its citizens to weed out undocumented immigrants from neighbouring countries. A similar exercise called the National register of Citizens (NrC) was carried out in the northeast state of Assam where nearly two million people were left off the citizens’ list in August. Shah has in the past called Bangladeshi immigrants “termites” and “infiltrators” and a threat to national security. His party has vehemently opposed the arrival of rohingya refugees and threatened to deport them to Myanmar despite the Muslim minority facing ethnic cleansing back home.

The draft law also excludes Sri Lanka, where Tamil minorities have faced atrocities.

Furthermore, The BJP has both ideological and electoral compulsions to enact CAB. The rSS and BJP have long made public their commitment to give citizenship to Hindu immigrants. It was part and parcel of their 2014 and 2019 electoral campaigns. However, the shortterm objective seems to be to win over the Hindu ‘refugee voters’ in West Bengal who exist in substantial numbers in nearly 70 of the state’s 294 assembly segments.

Additionally, in Assam, which shares a border with Bangladesh, people fear an ethnic, demographic shift due to influx of immigrants-regardless of their religion. Citizens, in Assam, are also concerned about the controversial National register of Citizens (NrC), which requires people to produce documents for ancestry to be enlisted as Indian citizens.

This exercise, undertaken by the Modi government in Assam between February 2015 and August this year, was meant to “throw out infiltrators”. The final list of citizens, published on August 31, excluded nearly 1.9 million residents of Assam.

To encapsulate, a famous Indian author Arundhati roy, while commenting on the CAB remarked, “It will break the back of our Constitution and cut the ground from under our feet”. Therefore, it is advisable for the Modi government to should repeal this discriminatory Act (CAB) as soon as possible in order to save the country from further polarisation and thereby restore its lost image of being secular and democratic. erection of “Hindu rashtra” is an elusive dream of Modi and his ideologues which can only be built on the graves of millions of innocent people.

Provocation and the lawyers The provocateurs must not be ignored

HAfiz idRees Azeem

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GGreSSION can be defined as “any behaviour directed toward another individual that is carried out with the intent to cause harm”. Amongst various personal factors, psychologists suggest that there are some situational factors such as provocation, frustration, and pain which contribute to aggression. Provocation is one of the primary factors behind aggression. Further, after the provocation, there are two possibilities for the provocateur, one is to apologise and the second is to claim that he has justification for it. In the lawyers’ case, at the incident at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), the provocateur seems not to have had the second ground, so he should go for the first one.

In a psychologist’s view, man is usually more aggressive under verbal and visible forms of provocation as compared to other factors. Furthermore, when we use the word provocation; it means the one who is being provoked maybe called a victim. Why we should call such a person ‘victim’—beKarachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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cause the events of provocation are intentional and malicious.

Moreover, the research also suggests that the provocation is more effective in verbal and visible form— because it may be a personal insult— than in physical and assaultive form. Sadly, the provocateur’s viral video is a personal insult for the lawyers.

Besides, provocation is considered as a mitigating circumstance in adjudication of a crime and is not a justifiable defence.

Yet, it cannot be ignored altogether. Because there are some circumstances when provocation in assault cases may act as a complete defence. However, here it is not even being argued and proved. rather, the realisation and recognition of the provocation— created, incited, and shared by whom— is the purpose of writing.

Unfortunately, it is created by doctors, incited by paramedics of the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), and shared by the Police and the media.

Since the provocateur’s act compels the victim to do an immoral and illegal act— it is incite-

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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ment to a display of anger or irritation. Therefore, it might cause a very sensible person to lose his complete control. This is what happened with the lawyers. Thus, in accordance with the lawyers’ stance, the doctors’ provocation and incitement through a video, resulted in a strike and march toward the PIC, where they were welcomed with bricks, batons, and iron rods by the PIC staff. The police’s role was that of a mere bystander and they were waiting and watching everything for the right moment. Since they too were not on good terms with lawyers, so they got a good chance to settle their old scores by their very inaction.

The provocation has not just stopped there. It is still continuing, and the Media is playing its major role in it. Sadly, here as well, lawyers are not in the good books of the media. By airing one side of the picture, it has shown it is unjustified in its antipathy you, and bias against, the lawyers. Neither one can keep one’s eyes away from the provocateur’s act, nor should one.

Why is provocation going on

Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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hitherto? Because the lawyers’ broken ribs, legs, and fractured skulls are not considered an offence. The police have refused to register cases. Doctors have refused to issue medico-legal certificates. Has anyone noticed it? Is it legal? Many senior lawyers are in ICUs in private hospitals. Lawyers were heroes of the past and are being presented as villains of the day. Although it was not justifiable what young lawyers did in provocation, similarly, it is also not legitimate what the provocateurs are doing. The law does not absolve provocateurs absolutely.

Contribution in a crime, through provocation, is also culpable and condemnable.

As the handwriting is on the wall, it is high time for the government to take part actively— not act as a silent spectator— in amicable settlement of this dispute, and not let the grass grow any more under its feet. The loss is of the mases solely, and the governments should be there for them. Lastly, lawyers and doctors are all respectable citizens. They should not be left alone in this quagmire any more.

Hafiz Idrees Azeem is a lawyer and teaches law.

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail

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

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

Drug abuse in Pakistan reaches alarming level

Digital Pakistan vision and challenges Much needs to be done to make this initiative succeed Abdul RAHmAn mAlik

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AKISTAN is fortunate that youth is 60 per cent of its population. This percentage of the regular users of digital services such as digital payments or e-Payments, or internet access, provides infinite opportunities.

The PM has taken a gigantic initiative to upgrade digital banking infrastructure and ease the conditions and exhausting paperwork for digital services such as e-payments, online transactions and the issuance of credit cards, and their use at Online stores or in-store shopping, at petrol pumps, online utility bill payments and university fee payment gateways, but unfortunately, such easy and instant payment facility is currently involves too much paperwork, guarantees and regulations.

The government needs to overhaul the whole banking infrastructure and encourage businesses, retailers, petrol pumps, PIA, railways ticketing, superstores, schools and colleges to introduce payment gateways and banks should offer credit cards to businessmen and especially to government employees, since they will use such services when they run short of funds, not falling prey to usurers.

The innovative digital payments will remove their financial constraints and the funds will be utilised based on a credit limit for 45 to 51 days and the bills can be paid through salaries, decreasing chances for default.

It would be great to boost and promote digital services, paving the way for international digital firms like. Google, PayPal, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Alibaba Group, Stripe and Apple to enter Pakistani financial markets specially the PayPal, eBay and Amazon, which are strongly required by freelancers and authors.

At Present, only Skrill, Payoneer and Traditional IBAN/Swift code or wire transfers are available to Pakistan which is very costly, time consuming and with inflated fees of 10 per cent to 30 per cent plus the local banks’ processing charges.

On the other hand, India has reaped the benefits of the digital world as the world’s best companies, PayPal, Amazon and Google, are serving the country with their innovative digital products and services.

By giving access to these digital payment giants, Pakistan will open doors for Foreign Direct Investment and will also reduce the heavy demand for paper currency as people avoid using cash and prefer to use their credit and debit cards at online stores. even Pakistan’s governance Model may modernise and upgrade the reporting system, complaint management, receipts and payments, and public sector spending through an electronic dashboard that will refresh automatically if any public-sector transaction takes place. Governance could improve if the governance model is implemented by imparting training to all staff at federal, provincial and district levels so that there is a proper reporting channel to ensure transparency.

The sale of property should be digitised so that revenue records may reflect the history of

property owners and do away with any claim.

Ownership, heirship, and birth certificates, domicile, PrC and all other certificates should be generated online to improve the productivity of the public sector.

The process of employees’ performance evaluation, superannuation and pension may also be automated so that the entire employment record will be available when they reach the points of promotion, superannuation or drawing pensions. Personal IDs must be opened online through scale-wise supervisors, that is, the District Accounts Officers, provincial Accountant Generals and Accountant General of Pakistan, so that a trail be available to track salary disbursements.

It is a commendable step by Law and Home Departments to automate the cause lists of the higher and lower judiciary but it must intimate the petitioners and respondents through SMS and email regarding their case status, date of hearing and case disposal.

Furthermore, voter lists should also be automated and election Commission of Pakistan must make it available for all citizens to register their vote when they reach 18, after getting their CNIC/Smart card or Form B. This will enable the district election Commissioner offices to enter the data online and consolidate the voter lists.

There should be a central directorate of all departments so that they may have digital coordination, especially the FBr, AGP, Finance Ministry, establishment division, Cabinet division, NAB and Intelligence Directorates. The Digital Pakistan vision will have a great impact to attract Foreign Direct Investment, strengthen the rupee against the Dollar, stabilise the economy and discourage paper currency that usually falls heavy upon the rupee.

We are excited after Tania Aidrus’ statement during the Digital Pakistan Vision launch and her confidence that the sacrifices of a higher paycheck for the country is highly appreciable, but she will face resistance from the stakeholders who have been misusing the manual system for decades. It is an uphill task to compel such elements to adopt this digital endeavour which will choke their corruption stream even as it streamlines things for the common people.

Other resistance will be from the provinces where the PTI is in opposition, especially in Sindh. It will be a big challenge for the IT and Telecom Ministry will achieve its desired objectives given the shortage of ITskilled staff and messed-up bureaucratic structure. The government should make digital literacy compulsory everywhere at federal, provincial and district levels by setting up IT skill development centres to train the supervisory and office staff.

Moreover, the government should establish a venture capital firm to support, incubate, accelerate and fund start-ups and accelerate the mushrooming growth of big start-ups. entrepreneurship courses must be introduced with help of SMeDA, LUMS, IBA Karachi, IBA Sukkur, SZabist, NUST, FAST, COMSATS, Virtual University and SDPI so that entrepreneurs may learn to launch their start-

ups successfully to conquer the digital world.

Start-ups like Careem, Bykea, and rozee.pk are great examples of successful start-ups. Globally, the youth after getting their education, start businesses to create employment, but in Pakistan after graduation and Masters, youth start hunting for a job. That is why Pakistan has a high level of unemployment as youth avoid entering entrepreneurship since they lack skills, training and financial resources. Punjab IT Board has done a tremendous job by incubating, funding and accelerating start-ups in the public sector under the Plan9 and PlanX programmes but this should be followed by all provinces so the proper start-up culture could develop.

The Higher education Commission, IT Boards, Technical education, Intermediate education boards should promote digital Pakistan by introducing governance, payment solutions and funding the ideas at school and college level.

It is a good sign that online shopping sites have experienced a mushroom growth but mostly accept the traditional COD Model which often causes losses if the customer returns the product or is unavailable. e-payments ensure that the product is shipped to the target buyer. Though some Online shopping sites such as Popular Daraz.pk and Yayvo.com have started accepting credit or debit cards issued by Pakistani banks, the number of transactions is low, owing to hassles in getting credit cards from the banks.

At present, only a few banks are issuing credit cards with online transactions and point of sale (POS) transactions, but unfortunately, this is limited to big cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad.

The average interest or mark-up charged, 40 per cent, is very high as compared to other countries. The government, especially the State Bank of Pakistan, must direct banks to lower the mark-up ratio and ease the conditions to let more people avail this facility. especially the salaried and businessmen.

In big cities, credit cards are issued instantly by banks to the salaried employees of government and companies but in small cities, untrained local managers avoid issuing credit cards. One will surely experience such embarrassment and inconvenience at the hands of unprofessional managers picked to only raise deposits, even if they compromise the quality of service.

Therefore, Ms Aidrus and her team will have to work to appease the stakeholders to achieve the desired goals so that Pakistanis may reap the benefits from this digital world.

To achieve this goal, the IT and Telecom portfolio must be given to a professional well versed in IT and telecom, preferably a Computer Science or IT graduate.

There is also a big concern regarding inflated Taxes levied upon the business community which need to be reduced if they use digital currency since it will enable the FBr to track payments. The e-currency spectrum will help reduce the crime rate, tax evasion, and hoarding as people will use credit cards and digital wallets such as PayPal, Ali Pay, Google Pay, which can easily be tracked and monitored through digital systems.

PAKISTAN has had a drugs problem for decades, and the report that 5.4 per cent of the population or 8.9 million people are substance abusers is no surprise and is in all probability an underestimate. Cannabis is the most commonly used drug in Pakistan, with nearly four million people listed as users. Opiates, namely opium and heroin, are used by almost one per cent of the total drug users, with 860,000 chronic heroin users. The survey showed that an estimated three million drug dependents are in dire need of professional treatment. However, the available rehabilitation structure cannot help more than a fraction of those in need of help.

Since the drugs are extremely cheap and easily accessible in the country, the abuse of cannabis and heroin is fairly high. Youngsters are the most affected by drugs and alcohol. every individual whether in a town, city, community, family, school or college is affected by drugs and alcohol, directly or indirectly. Twenty three million people, mostly above 12 years, are drug addicts who are affecting more people around them. every country in the world has a drug problem, there are no exceptions. Pakistan has a particularly vulnerable population of poorly educated people under 30 years. We must educate, through curriculum or otherwise, both that how detrimental it is for us to consume drugs as well as to change our perspectives about how and why, scientifically, is it so difficult to quit drug consumption once it is pursued. We need more understanding and empathetic individuals, families and government to tackle this issue which, perhaps, still lingers on the periphery of our conscience.

DAnyAL AkrAm Islamabad

Not all is bright with the judiciary THere is no secret that justice system in Pakistan is rotten to the core to such an extent that a generation of the victims’ families die seeking justice. Same is the case with the late Muhammad Khan, the father of deceased Naqeebullah Mehsud, who recently lost his battle of life while he was in the hope of seeing his son’s killer behind the bar. State’s failure to prosecute accused rao Anwar, who is famously known for his fake encounters in Karachi, is a big slap on incompetence of state institutions. I failed to understand why and how long such lethargy will continue to reign Pakistani institutions? If precedents like this, if not changed, can give birth to unimaginable crimes. Failure to prosecute rao Anwar is severe human rights violation and in contravention of court orders. And it is testimony to the fact that some people are certainly above the law. It is strongly urged to PTI government to enforce law equally without being selective and the case be considered as a litmus test and the accused be persecuted under the law of the land. Let the law takes its course and set a precedent that all are equal in the eyes of law. m SHAHJAHAn mEmon Islamabad

The Kashmir dispute I am 95 years old. I witnessed the freedom movement against the British empire. I had the opportunity to attend a few rallies by our beloved Quaid, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. I remember that once the Quaid e Azam visited Kashmir, which he considered to be the jugular vein of the to-becreated Pakistan. On his way back, the Quaid was to come to rawalpindi. I was among the thousands of people who flocked to Barakahu to see their leader. People were overpowered by their emotions and nobody including the Quaid at that time had any doubt that the state of Kashmir would become a part of Pakistan, until India in connivance with the ruler of Kashmir backstabbed the people of the valley as well as Pakistan.

The issue went to the United Nations, where it was decided that the dispute would be settled in line with the wishes of the people of Kashmir. Seventy-two years, three wars, and countless deaths of innocent people later, the dispute seems even farther from any settlement. To make matters even worse, the re-elected PM of India, following his party’s extremist manifesto scrapped article 370 of Indian constitution that gave Kashmir special status. He plans to divide the valley into three union territories Jammu, Ladakh, and Kashmir. If past behaviour is any indication of the future, I am afraid for like in Gujrat when Modi was the CM, the Muslim majority of the Kashmir Valley is at risk of terrible atrocities at hands of Modi led fanatic India.

Unfortunately, the international community seems restricted by its economic interests and is not doing anything to stop the imminent danger to eight million people of Kashmir valley. Our government is doing its best to highlight the issue and provide support to our Kashmiri brethren, but the international community seems oblivious to the plight of the Kashmiris.

My heart bleeds to see that this is happening in the 21st century. I never imagined that this dispute would drag so long and would take a turn for the worst. I want to be a part of the rally/protest by the parliamentarians and the citizens to show solidarity with Kashmir, but my age and health frustrates my wishes. It is my wish that I see Kashmir liberated from the evil clutches of India soon. rAJA SHAFAAtuLLAH Islamabad

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

UK lawmaKers pass Boris Johnson's Brexit withdrawal deal

LONdON

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Agencies

RIME Minister Boris Johnson has got Brexit "wrapped up" for Christmas as British lawmakers voted in support of his withdrawal agreement bill on Friday. The vote was the second reading in Parliament. This sees the UK legally bound to leave the EU on January 31 and to negotiate an agreement on future relations with the EU by the end of 2020 in a so-called "transition period."

The bill was supported by a large majority of 358 Members of Parliament (MPs) to 284.

"Today we will deliver on the promise we made to the people and get the Brexit vote wrapped up for Christmas," Johnson said ahead of the vote, which

comes just a day after Parliament officially reopened.

JOHNsON: 'BreXiT Will Be DONe': Johnson's address to Parliament before the vote focused on bringing unity to the UK over an issue that has deeply divided the nation.

"Now is the moment to come together and write a new and exciting chapter in our national story, to forge a new partnership with our European friends, to stand tall in the world, to begin the healing for which the whole people of this country yearn."

"The sorry story of the last three years will be at an end and we can move forward," he added. "Brexit will be done."

The bill passed after last week's general election saw the Conservative party win an 80-seat majority. The bill was previously backed by the lower house in October, but

then withdrawn after lawmakers rejected a three-day deadline for getting the bill through Parliament.

The leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, said the Labour Party would not support the "terrible deal," saying there was a better and "fairer way" for the country to leave the EU. He accused Johnson of setting the country in a "reckless direction."

Critics also say that Johnson's time frame will not allow enough time to negotiate a decent trade agreement.

WHaT HappeNs NOW?: Now that the bill has passed, lawmakers will have another three days to discuss it further, beginning on January 7. Lawmakers could possibly make amendments to the bill. The final vote will take place on January 9.

The bill will then be passed on to the UK's upper house to make a final decision on whether the bill passes into law. By convention, the House of Lords does not usually block policies that were in a government's election policy program.

Charles Michel, the new President of the European Council, tweeted just after the bill passed that "a level playing field remains a must."

The bill is similar to the one that was agreed by Johnson and the European Commission in October, but with a few amendments. It also strips out a clause on strengthening workers' rights after Brexit.

Johnson said the bill would provide "certainty" and allow businesses and individuals to plan for the future, but opponents think that it could increase uncertainty due to not enough time being available to finalize details of a trade deal.

China won't allow foreign forces to interfere in Hong Kong, Macau: Xi MACAU

Pentagon finds no 'immediate threat' in training of Saudis WASHINGTON: The Pentagon said Thursday it had conducted background checks on all Saudi military personnel currently training in the United States and found no “immediate threat scenario,” two weeks after a deadly shooting rampage by a Saudi air force officer.

Defense Department officials had announced a security review following the attack, halting operational training for Saudi Arabian military students in the United States, though classroom instruction would continue. US authorities have examined the identities, past activities and social media history of some 850 Saudis currently training on military bases in the US, said Garry Reid, the Pentagon’s director for defense intelligence. “We can report that no information indicating an immediate threat scenario was discovered,” he said.

The checks come after Mohammed Alshamrani, a 21-year-old lieutenant in the Saudi Royal Air Force, opened fire in a classroom at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida on December 6, killing three American sailors and wounding eight other people before being shot dead by police. Alshamrani, who was armed with a lawfully purchased Glock 9mm handgun, is reported to have posted a manifesto on Twitter before the shooting denouncing America as “a nation of evil.” The Pentagon reviewed policies for screening foreign students but the suspension of operational training only applied to Saudi students, officials said at the time. Operational training for Saudi students can theoretically resume, but operations are expected to be much lighter during the holiday season, a senior Pentagon official said Thursday on condition of anonymity. Some 5,000 international military personnel are undergoing training in the US, including 850 Saudis among all branches. There are 300 Saudis in the Navy alone. Agencies

Agencies

President Xi Jinping said on Friday China would never allow foreign forces to interfere with its special regions of Hong Kong and Macau, as he swore in a new pro-Beijing government for the gambling hub of Macau.

Xi, speaking at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Macau’s handover to Chinese rule, heaped praise on the former Portuguese colony for its patriotism and loyalty but did not refer directly to six months of anti-government protests in the nearby former British colony of Hong Kong.

“I must emphasize, since Hong Kong and Macau’s return to the motherland, dealing with these two Special Administrative Regions’ affairs is entirely China’s internal affairs and none of the business of foreign forces,” Xi said. “We do not let any external forces interfere.”

Macau returned to Chinese rule on Dec. 20, 1999, with the same “one country, two systems” formula aimed at ensuring a high degree of autonomy under which Hong Kong is governed.

While protesters in Hong Kong, across the mouth of the Pearl River, are furious

Indian court hands life term to ex-lawmaker for rape

about what they see as Beijing’s erosion of their freedoms, Macau has seen little dissent.

Beijing denies undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy and has repeatedly blamed foreign governments, including the United States and Britain, for stirring up trouble in the Asian financial hub.

Xi, wearing a black suit and maroon tie, swore in new Macau chief executive Ho Iat-seng and his administration, which will run the enclave of several islands for the next five years.

Under a large Chinese flag and a smaller

Macau one, Xi shook hands with Ho, who was selected in August by a largely pro-Beijing committee in a similar process to the way Hong Kong’s leader is chosen.

Xi made no reference to Macau’s casino industry, which accounts for more than 80% of its revenues, but encouraged diversification and urged it to grasp opportunities brought by a regional development zone known as the Greater Bay Area.

He also stressed further integration with the mainland, although he did not announce any specific steps.

LUCKNOW: A court sentenced a former lawmaker from India’s ruling party to life imprisonment for raping a teenager, his lawyer said on Friday, the highest ranking Indian politician to get such a significant jail term in recent years. Kuldeep Singh Sengar, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, was convicted earlier this week under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Sengar, who was later expelled from the party, had pleaded not guilty. The court in Delhi also fined him 2.5 million rupees (£26,926.72), Sengar’s lawyer Tanveer Ahmad Mir said. “He got his punishment. I am very happy … Today we got justice,” the India Today television network quoted the woman’s sister as saying.

The case gained nationwide attention last year when the accuser, who was a teenager in 2017 when she says she was raped, tried to kill herself, accusing the police of inaction. In July, a truck crashed into a car she was travelling in. Two of her relatives were killed and she was injured. Since then the family has been provided with security. Her case was the latest in a country where sexual violence against women is unabated despite enacting some of the world’s toughest laws. Public outrage has been mounting over the lack of speedy justice for victims. Sengar is expected to appeal against the decision at the Delhi High Court, his lawyer said, and the case can run for years in Indian courts.

US probe of Saudi oil attack shows it came from north: report WASHINGTON Agencies

The United States said new evidence and analysis of weapons debris recovered from an attack on Saudi oil facilities on Sept 14 indicates the strike likely came from the north, reinforcing its earlier assessment that Iran was behind the offensive.

In an interim report of its investigation – seen by Reuters ahead of a presentation on Thursday to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) – Washington assessed that before hitting its targets, one of the drones traversed a location approximately 200 km (124 miles) to the northwest of the attack site.

“This, in combination with the assessed 900 kilometer maximum range of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), indicates with high likelihood that the attack originated north of Abqaiq,” the

interim report said, referring to the location of one of the Saudi oil facilities that were hit. It added the United States had identified several similarities between the drones used in the raid and an Iranian designed and produced unmanned aircraft known as the IRN-05 UAV. However, the report noted that the analysis of the weapons debris did not definitely reveal the origin of the strike that initially knocked out half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production.

“At this time, the US Intelligence Community has not identified any information from the recovered weapon systems used in the 14 September attacks on Saudi Arabia that definitively reveals an attack origin,” it said. The new findings include freshly declassified information, a State Department official told Reuters.

The United States, European powers and Saudi Arabia blamed the Sept 14 at-

tack on Iran. Yemen’s Houthi group claimed responsibility for the attacks, and

Iran, which supports the Houthis, denied any involvement. Yemen is south of

Saudi Arabia.

Oil price spike: Reuters reported last month that Iran’s leadership approved the attacks but decided to stop short of a direct confrontation that could trigger a devastating US response. It opted instead to hit the Abqaiq and the Khurais oil plants of US ally Saudi Arabia, according to three officials familiar with the meetings and a fourth close to Iran’s decision making.

According to the Reuters report a Middle East source, who was briefed by a country investigating the attack, said the launch site was the Ahvaz air base in southwest Iran, which is about 650 km north of Abqaiq.

Some of the craft flew over Iraq and Kuwait en route to the attack, according to a Western intelligence source cited by the report, giving Iran plausible deniability.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

buSineSS 11 CORPORATE CORNER

Govt plans further reduction in fertiliser prices ISLAMABAD

LAHORE: Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) Corporate Social Responsibility Head Brig (r) Arshad Mehmood addresses the audiences during a conference on ‘Sustainable Development Goals relevant to the chemical sector’. The event was organised by FFC in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change, United Nations Development Programme, Planning Commission and Corporate Social Responsibility Centre Pakistan (CSRCP). PRESS RElEASE

r

GHUlAM ABBAS

EBUFFING the rumours that the price of fertiliser may jump as a result of the increase in gas prices being recommended by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the Ministry of Planning and Development has claimed that the price of fertiliser would come down in the coming days.

Chairing a meeting to review the demand and supply situation of fertilizer in the country, Planning Minister Asad Umar said that his

government was planning measures to further reduce the prices of fertiliser in the days to come.

National Food Security and Research Secretary Dr Muhammad Hashim Popalzai, along with other senior officials, was also present on the occasion.

The meeting was informed that sufficient stock of Urea and DAP were available and there was no shortage of the commodities in the market. It was noted that fake news was being spread regarding the likelihood of an increase in Urea prices.

The meeting observed that there was no reason for any hike in

‘Current account deficit shrinks 72.6pc’ KARACHI: Shahwilayat Public School (SWiPS-II) CampusII recently organised a fundraiser titled ‘Knowledge for All’.

PRESS RElEASE

LAHORE: In continuation with its efforts for social uplift of rural areas, a one-day free medical camp was arranged recently by Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited at Moza Behram Sar, Bahawalnagar, and DB Yazman – Bahawalpur.

PRESS RElEASE

KARACHI: To provide premium hospitality in a traditional environment, Hashoo Group has signed a management agreement between Pakistan Services Limited and Hero Group to open a Pearl-Continental Hotel in Hyderabad. P R E S S R E l E A S E

KARACHI: Shell Pakistan Limited and Kellogg have recently signed an agreement under which both parties would work together and exchange information to build a stronger understanding of the changing consumer needs.

PRESS RElEASE

Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh has said that current account deficit is down by 72.6 per cent on a year-on-year in November 2019, whereas it was reduced by 73 per cent during the first five months of FY20 against the saAme period of last year. The adviser said that during the last five months of the current fiscal year, the State Bank of Pakistan's reserves have increased by $1.8 billion and there has been a reduction of $3 billion in foreign exchange swaps/forward liabilities increased foreign exchange buffer by $4.8 billion which provided further stability to the external account. It is pertinent to mention that on December 13, the foreign currency reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) were recorded at $10,892.9 million, up by $1,659.3 million compared with $9,233.6 million in the previous week. Such levels were last seen in May 2018. BUSINESS DESK

220 Pakistani manufactures to participate in ‘Heimtextil’ exhibition ISLAMABAD: Heimtextil, the world’s leading trade show exhibition for home textile, is celebrating its 50th anniversary from 7th – 10th January 2020 in Frankfurt, Germany. Around 3,000 exhibitors, including 220 Pakistani manufactures, would participate in the four-day fair. Pakistan was the 4th largest international exhibitor at Heimtextil and the 5th largest international visitor country in 2019. According to Messe Frankfurt SP Pakistan, the number of Pakistani exhibitors at Heimtextil has grown over the past few years which has resulted in the growth of Pakistan's home textile. Heimtetxil provides an important platform for engagement and interaction with a number of buyers from all around the world in one place. Messe Frankfurt SP Pakistan, under its CSR programme, has been working with young designers since 2011, when it first sponsored students from Indus Valley. "Three students who won the design contest were provided with airline tickets and hotel stay to visit Heimtextil. Since then, it’s an annual event which has resulted in over 100 young designers attending Heimtextil on a yearly basis. These young designers then start to work in the Pakistani industry which helps our exhibitors learn about design and trend. This year, three students of Indus Valley have won the 'New and Next' student competition and they have been given opportunity to present their work at Heimtextil 2020," the statement issued by Messe Frankfurt SP Pakistan read. STAFF REPORT

prices, and the speculation was being made "only by people with vested interests".

Asad Umar directed all relevant departments to keep a close watch on the demand-supply situation as well as on the prices of the commodities to ensure that there was no price manipulation.

Earlier, there were media reports that following the OGRA's recommendation to increase the prices of gas by up to 191pc, the prices of Uear and DAP would also be increased.

The industrialists had feared that the proposed increase [in gas

prices] may create massive inflation across the board. For example, the cost of roti may double or even triple while CNG cost may go up by Rs24/kg.

"In line with the practices of the past, this increase in gas prices would be passed on to the fertiliser industry as well, which would lead to an increase in Urea prices by almost Rs600/bag," industrialists had stated. "With demand for other phosphorous based fertilisers largely catered to by local players, any increase in gas prices would lead to prices of DAP and other fertilizers to momentously increase as well."

MarKEt Daily

KSE-100 gains 177 points in volatile session KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a rollercoaster ride on Friday, with the indices changing directions throughout the day before ending in the green zone.

The market remained mixed throughout the trading week with the benchmark KSE100 Index settling higher only by 0.79pc after five trading sessions.

On Friday, the KSE-100 Index jumped by 399.05 points to touch its intraday at 41,054.42. However, failing to sustain its gains, the index dipped by 161.38 points and recorded its intraday low at 40,493.99. It finally settled higher by 177.62 points at 40,832.99. The KMI-30 Index swelled by 465.76 points to close at 65,875.09 while the KSE All Share Index gained 251.53 points, ending at 29,118 points. The advancers-to-decliners ratio was almost in equal proportion, with 155 advancers and 163 decliners.

The overall market volumes dropped to 180.46 million, while the traded value stood at $55.08 million. Right Shares of Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOLR1 -6.18pc) topped the volume chart, followed by Fauji Foods Limited (FFL -2.94pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +1.36pc). The scripts

had exchanged 18.56 million, 14.17 million and 8.73 million shares, respectively.

Among the top traded sectors, the oil & gas marketing sector topped with 32.89 million in cumulative volumes, followed by cement sector (volume of 18.44 million) and food & personal care products sector (volume of 16.06 million).

Investment banks/companies/securities sector added 2.28pc to its market capitalization, while technology & communication sector slipped 1.48pc to become the top loser.

On the economic front, Pakistan's total liquid foreign exchange reserves reached $17.66 billion after the State Bank of Pakistan’s reserves touched $10.89 billion on December 13, 2019 - the highest level since 4th May 2018. Meanwhile, the current account deficit was down by 72.60pc in November 2019 and 73pc between July-November 2019, as compared to the same period of 2018.

Further, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Executive Board completed the first review of Pakistan’s Extended Fund Facility. The completion of the review would allow the authorities to draw SDR 328 million (about $452.4 million), bringing total disbursements to SDR 1,044 million (about $1,440 million).

Oil declines but set for third weekly rise LONDON AGENCIES

LAHORE: The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), donated an ambulance to district headquarter hospital, Sohbatpur. P R E S S R E l E A S E

MULTAN: Fatima Fertilsers’ officials, along with local farmers, pose for a group photo during ‘Salam Kissan Mela’ at Multan Arts Council. P R E S S R E l E A S E

Oil prices fell slightly on Friday but were still set for a third straight weekly gain after easing USChina trade tensions lifted business confidence and the outlook for global economic growth.

Brent was down $0.07 at $66.47 a barrel by 0954 GMT, with a weekly rise of around 2pc.

US West Texas Intermediate crude was down $0.1 at $61.08 per barrel, a gain of around 1.5pc on the week. Progress in a long-running trade dispute between the United States and China, the world’s two biggest oil consumers, has boosted expectations for higher energy demand next year.

China on Thursday announced a list of import tariff exemptions for six oil and chemical products from the United States, days after Washington and Beijing announced an interim trade deal set to be signed at the beginning of January.

Most major economies have likely averted recession for now but growth will remain sub-

dued in 2020, according to Reuters’ polls.

“The energy sector as a whole looks set to end 2019 with a solid year-on-year gain. This is due solely to the oil market,” Barbara Lambrecht, an analyst at Commerzbank, said.

Brent is 23pc more expensive than it was at the start of the year. Oil prices fell almost 20pc in 2018. UBS lifted its oil price forecast for 2020

but also expects the oil market to be oversupplied by 0.3 million barrels per day next year.

“Our end-of-quarter Brent price forecasts are $60 per barrel for 1Q20 and $62 per barrel, $64 per barrel and $64 per barrel for the following three quarters,” UBS analysts Giovanni Staunovo and Dominic Schnider said in a note.

UBS’s previous forecast for the four quarters of 2020 were $58, $55, $58, $60 per barrel respectively. A US weekly drilling report by energy services firm Baker Hughes Co is due to be released on Friday. US drilling firms added four oil rigs in the week to December 13, bringing the total count to 667.

Analysts say an expected fall in US drilling activity should support oil prices. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a meeting between the two on Friday to stick to commitments made by Tehran in a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and said Japan, a US ally, would do what it could to ensure stability in the Middle East.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

12 buSineSS food exports increase 16pc, imports fall 15pc in five months ISLAMABAD APP

Food group exports from the country during the first five months of the current financial year (FY20) increased by 16.20pc as compared to the corresponding period of last year. Food commodities worth $1.757 billion were exported during July-November FY20 as against the exports of $1.512 billion in the same period of FY19, according to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. On the other hand, the import of the food commodities into the country during the period under review decreased by 15.36pc, from $2.467 billion in 5MFY19 to $2.088. Meanwhile, on a month-on-month basis, the export of food commodities registered a 16.30pc growth, as food products worth $397.708 million were exported in November 2019, as against $341.975 million worth of exports in November 2018. However, the import into the country during the month under review increased by 5.14pc, from $480.775 million in November 2018 to $505.503 million.

In the first five months of FY20, the country fetched $835.863 by exporting about 1.601 metric tonnes of rice, an increase of 38.58pc when compared with $603.149 million earned during the same period of last year.

cnG dealers express concern over suspension of gas ISLAMABAD

pakistan’s economic reform proGramme on track: imf ISLAMABAD APP

t

HE Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has completed the first review of Pakistan’s economic performance under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), saying that Pakistan’s economic reform is on track.

The completion of the review will allow the authorities to draw $452.4 million, bringing total disbursements to $1.44 billion, said a press release issued by the IMF on Friday.

The executive board had approved the 39month, SDR 4,268 million (about $6 billion at the time of approval of the arrangement, or 210pc of quota) EFF for Pakistan on July 3, 2019.

Following the board’s decision, First Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair David Lipton stated, “Pakistan’s programme is on track and has started to bear fruit. However, risks remain elevated. Strong ownership and steadfast reform

implementation are critical to entrench macroeconomic stability and support robust and balanced growth.” He said the authorities were committed to sustaining the progress on fiscal adjustment to place debt on a downward path.

The planned reforms include strengthening tax revenue mobilization, including the elimination of tax exemptions and loopholes, and prudent expenditure policies. Preparations for a comprehensive tax policy reform should start early to ensure timely implementation. Enhanced social safety nets will help alleviate social costs and build support for reforms.

“The flexible, market-determined exchange rate remains essential to cushion the economy against external shocks and rebuild reserve buffers. The current monetary stance is appropriately tight and should only be eased once disinflation is firmly entrenched. Strengthening the State Bank of Pakistan’s autonomy and governance will support these efforts.”

Lipton said faster progress was needed to im-

rs288m released for six petroleum sector projects LAHORE

APP

APP

released for a project to upgrade Hydrocarbon Development Institute of Pakistan (HDIP)’s POL testing facilities at Islamabad, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta and ISO Certification of Petroleum Testing Laboratory in Islamabad. This year, the government would spend Rs77.960 million for up-gradation of the HDIP labs.

An amount of Rs166.614 million was issued to acquire new drilling rigs and equipment against the allocation of Rs416.535, while Rs1.462 for appraisal of newly discovered coal resources in Badin Coal-field and its adjoining areas of southern Sindh, for which the government has earmarked Rs3.655 million in the PSDP. Furthermore, an amount of Rs1,555 million was disbursed for exploration and evaluation of metallic minerals in Uthal and Bela areas of Lasbela District, Balochistan, for which the government would disburse Rs3.109 in the current fiscal year.

The All Pakistan Compressed Natural Gas Dealers Association (APCNGDA) on Friday expressed concern over the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Company Limited's decision to suspend gas supply to CNG stations in Punjab during the winter season. APCNGA Central Chairman Ghiyas Paracha said that the CNG stations had started using expensive Regassified Natural Gas (RLNG) instead of local gas with the understanding that this sector would get uninterrupted supply. Accordingly, the chairman added, almost 1,100 outlets of CNG stations had deposited Rs1.2 million each as advance payment to ensure continuous supply of gas but after depositing billions in the government kitty, the CNG sector has been once again deprived of the imported gas, whereas the same gas is being provided to the low tariff sectors. Paracha also criticized Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) for CNG closure in Sindh, saying, "It is totally unfair that they suspended what was a provincial resource." With the closure of CNG stations, he said, the fares of public transport would increase and masses would suffer, besides smog factor would escalate after the closure of environmentfriendly fuel of CNG.

The government has released funds amounting to Rs288.103 million during the first six months of the current fiscal year to execute petroleum projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP 2019-20), against the total allocation of Rs581.812 million.

According to official data, an amount of Rs4.220 million was provided to explore and evaluate coal in Nosham and Bahlol areas of Balochistan, for which Rs10.553 million were earmarked in PSDP. Meanwhile, Rs54 million were released against the allocation of Rs70 million for expansion and up-gradation of Pakistan Petroleum Corehouse (PETCORE) to ensure its sustainable operations and facilitate oil and gas exploration research in the country.

Similarly, a sum of Rs60.252 million was

Pia, private airlines jack up fares for domestic flights

PACRA maintains Soneri Bank’s rating

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), along with other private airlines, has jacked up the fares for domestic passengers. After the revision of fares, a oneway trip from Karachi to Lahore-Islamabad will cost Rs35,000 while fare from Lahore to Karachi-Quetta has been increased by Rs10,000 and Rs15,000, respectively.

The sudden increase in fares of PIA and private airlines have caused difficulties for the people who had planned their journeys during the winter vacations. Earlier on May 29, PIA and private airlines had increased their fares after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had hiked the fuel prices following a sharp increase in the international market. BUSINESS DESK

prove the Anti Money Laundering and Combating Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) framework, supported by technical assistance from the IMF and other capacity development providers.

Swift adoption of all the necessary measures is needed to exit the FATF’s list of jurisdictions with AML/CFT deficiencies.

“The authorities have adopted a comprehensive plan to address the accumulation of arrears in the power sector. Its full implementation is key to improve collection, reduce losses, and enhance governance. Timely and regular adjustment of energy tariffs will bring the sector in line with cost recovery,” he stated.

“Efforts are ongoing to further improve the business environment, strengthen governance, and foster private sector investment. Reform of the state-owned enterprise sector will help put Pakistan’s public finances on a sustainable path and have positive spillovers by leveling the playing field and improving the provision of services.”

BUSINESS DESK Soneri Bank has maintained its market position in the industry while strengthening its overall risk profile with stable outlook. Pakistan Credit Rating Agency Limited (PACRA) has accredited Soneri Bank with “AA-” (double A minus) for its long-term rating and “A1+” (single A one plus) for the bank’s short-term rating.

Soneri Bank has also maintained the rating of Unsecured, Sub-ordinated and Listed Term Finance Certificates (2nd

issue) of Rs3,000 million at A+ (single A Plus) along with the rating of recently issued Unsecured, Sub-ordinated, Listed, Perpetual and Non-cumulative Term Finance Certificates as Additional Tier 1 (‘ADT1’) Capital of Rs4,000 million at A (Single A), all accredited by PACRA. Soneri Bank with its network of over 290 branches and 300 plus ATMs continues to work towards the financial betterment and will continue to value the patronage given by its customers.

Google fined 150m euros by france PARIS AGENCIES

France’s competition authority fined Google 150 million euros ($167 million) for anti-competitive behaviour and for having unclear advertising on the Google Ads page. The fine comes as France and other European countries maintain high levels of scrutiny on major US tech companies such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon, which are often criticised for having relatively low tax payments. In September, Google agreed to pay close to 1 billion euros to French authorities to settle a fiscal fraud probe that began four years ago. Google, which is the world’s biggest internet search engine, has also faced growing regulatory scrutiny about the content it promotes in search results and ads. Isabelle de Silva, head of the French competition authority, told news conference that Google’s dominance in the online advertising business was “extraordinary”, with the US company having a market share of around 90% in that field. Google said it would appeal the fine. In January, France’s data protection watchdog had fined Google 50 million euros for breaching European Union online privacy rules.

The French watchdog stated in that January ruling that Google lacked transparency and clarity in the way it informed users about its handling of personal data, and had failed to properly obtain their consent for personalised ads.

Moot highlights regional benefits of belt and Road initiative ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The lately held International Conference on "Cross-Regional Media Fusion among the Belt and Road Partners" by the Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS) has shown the world how the Belt and Road Initiative is highly welcomed by its member counties.

"Belt and Road Initiative is a harbinger of a new era and will bridge the gap between the North and the South," Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said at the conference.

CGSS President Major General (r) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery said in his opening remarks that the BRI was a comprehensive project to promote regional connectivity.

According to Gwadar Pro APP, prominent speakers from China, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Iran, Kyrgyz Republic, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan spoke high about the benefits of the BRI. From Uzbekistan, UZREPORT Chief Editor Ismailov Muzaffar presented his views on Uzbekistan's new strategy of development through media integration.

He said Uzbekistan was working diligently for media development and many new government and private channels have been launched with the objective to create awareness among the masses regarding the real facts of the BRI project.

Representing Azerbaijan, Shahin Jafarov, Senior Correspondent, Azerbaijan State News Agency, stated that BRI was not only a financial project but is also a cultural project that helps in connecting different communities

and promotes regional integration and mutual cooperation.

X2O CEO Asad Inam said that Asia in the past had no comparison with the other continents but through China’s initiative of BRI, Asia is now considered as the biggest economies in the world.

“All this progress that has been made can be promoted through media. Advertising can play a very vital role in BRI.” Belarusian Journalist Uladzislau Sychevich in his speech highlighted the strategic importance of Belarus. He stated that geographical position of Belarus is very significant for BRI. In 2016, media international forum was established to promote the exchange of information and cooperation.

The second session commenced with the speech by Dr Moeed Yusuf, Chairperson Strategic Policy Planning Cell, Prime Minister Secretariat who was Guest of the Honor.

He said the BRI must not be observed on infrastructural basis rather it must be analyzed in terms of connectivity. “Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision is based on economic diplomacy through integration with the global market. South Asia is the least integrated region in the world. BRI is the key pillar in establishing people to people contact.”

Dr Hunag Chu-xin, Deputy Director General and General Secretary, New Media Research Center, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, presented recommendations on how to deeply integrate media of different regions. “We must make better use of different cooperation platforms in the aspect of more targeted news convergence and distribution and video programs production.”

Noorul Ameen Izzadeen, Deputy Editor, The Sunday Times, Colombo,

presented insight on the interlinkages between the media industry to strengthen China - Sri Lanka alliance.

He said BRI was playing a very positive role in the promotion and enhancement of bilateral and multilateral relations, promotion of justice, shared values and cooperation.

From Kyrgyz Republic, Adilet Adenisov, Expert from President Press Service, delivered a speech on BRI and opportunities through media exchange.

He stated that BRI aims to improve economy of more than 60 countries.

BRI covers almost the 75cp population of the world and a wide range of area is now joined by BRI. From Tajikistan, Qanoatullo Saifulloev from “Khovar” News Agency said the goal of BRI is integrated common development.

Around 300 people including diplomats, policy experts and media personalities attended the conference.

NOT LEAVING 2019 WITHOUT TAKING THESE TRENDS ALONG!!!

By Rohama Riaz

W

e are ending December 2019 with some hip and funky trends to make your Christmas and new year cool and classier. These are the 6 trends that we are taking along with us to 2020, because Voila!!! we love that pep.

So, stack up your cupboard with these uberchic clothes.

LEATHER IS THE NEW FEATHER

Leather is always a trend in winters but what is so different about this time? Leather pants!!! the leather on leather!!!! leather shirts!! leather jacket!!!! It is a leather fever everywhere; from Zara to a local store in Pakistan, every western brand is offering some amazing leather dresses that you do not want to miss out on if you really want to stay in trend.

printed shoes, you are good to go. Now, it’s time to stock up the wardrobe with some chicky fashion fads.

PUFFS ARE A TOTAL BUFF

Do you remember your mother wearing those sassy puff sleeves and looking absolutely gorgeous? We all do so. Just like history, fashion also repeats itself. Puffy sleeves have made an eccentric entry and people are going gaga over this revived trend. So, It’s the right time to pair up some puffs with your bell-bottom pants.

TURTLE NECK, DOUBLE-CHECK

LEOPARDS DON’T NEED AN EFFORT

Yes, you read it right. Leopard prints are so quirky and classic that they set the look themselves. When we say leopard, we are broadly talking about animal prints. even if you put a print on print with the same

Whee Whee!!! We all hated when our mother forced us to wear those high necks but now that the turtle neck trend is rife, we all want to grab our old sweaters to set ourselves in the new fashion game. Couple up your turtle neck sweaters with your fancy pants. Do not forget to go for plain basic pastel colors for a fine cozy look.

PUT ON SOME DENIM-SHENIM

Denim on denim never gets old. The good news is we are not leaving 2019 without this trend. Just like velvet is engraved in our winter closet, Denim takes a permanent spot in our hearts as well. So, beef up your next dandy look with some bohemian denim pieces.

PLEATS ON FLEEK

Pleated skirts are the new “In” thing. If you have plain sweatshirts, you can very well use your pleated skirts for a brunch or dinner out. To go for an official event, tuck in some basic shirt with these pleated skirts and you are ready to bring your A-game.

POP-ROCK MUSICIAN TAHA HUSSAIN INTRODUCES HIS DEBUT SINGLE JEE LUNGA

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

Lotus PR announces the launch of one of Pakistan’s most exciting young musician Taha Hussain, with his debut song, ‘Jee Lunga’ from the album, Ibtida.

Born and bred in Dubai, Taha is heavily inspired by his dad, who is also a musician. Growing up around music and guitars, Taha has been an amateur performer since the tender age of 15 and in 2017, he moved to Karachi to pursue his dream of becoming a musician.

A fitness trainer and a keen musician whose instrument of choice is an acoustic guitar, Taha Hussain spent over 5 years refining his talent which led him to record his debut album Ibtida, and shoot a video for, his debut song ‘Jee Lunga’. Originally

composed and written in Urdu by Taha Hussain himself as an easy listening pop song, ‘Jee Lunga’ features some of the industry’s leading musicians such as Saad Hayat on guitars and keyboard, Ajay Harri on drums, Abid Wilson on acoustic guitars and Lenny Massey on saxophone. ‘Jee Lunga’ has been mixed, mastered and produced at Saad Hayat Music in Karachi.

Speaking about the release of his debut song, Taha Hussain has said, “I am very excited to finally release ‘Jee

Lunga’. It’s been a labour of love!

This is a huge moment on a personal front as this allows me to step towards making my future in music more of a profession and a career and not confine it to being a hobby.” For Taha, ‘Jee Lunga’ is a statement, “I’m not going to give up or stop living’ is the message the song conveys, life is hard and it’s never going to be easy. You have to live through it with a smile on your face”.

Speaking about his debut Album, Taha Hussain has said,

'Release The Snyder Cut' Is The Holy Grail; Zack Not Backing Down Zack Snyder is apparently not backing down as he takes to the Vero app to reveal the runtime for the "Snyder Cut" along with a very peculiar piece of art about the Holy Grail.

Based on the painting, If I had to guess, Zack Snyder (Percival) is trying to say that something tempted him not to release the "Snyder Cut," but, similar to Percival, he overcame the temptation and wants the "Snyder Cut" released (the Holy Grail) no matter what he has been offered.

So did WB (a devil) try burying the "Snyder Cut" (The Holy Grail) by offering (a beautiful woman) Zack a wad of cash or perhaps some sort of new gig or something else entirely?

Over the image, Zack put the number "214," which is the "Snyder Cut" runtime: 3 hours and 34 minutes long.

Zack also confirmed in the comments that the 214 minutes doesn't include the credits, so it's actually a bit longer.

Fun fact: "214" is actually the number equivalent of "Holy Grail" in Franc Baconis gematria, so we see Zack is saying that his version of Justice League is literally the Holy Grail.

Ben & Jerry learned how to make ice cream by taking a $5 correspondence course offered by Penn State. (They decided to split one course.)

“This album is very sacred to me because while working on it, I went through an all-time low in my life and it affected me as a person. It was during this phase in my life I wrote the lyrics for the album, to transfer my energy and turn those words into tunes.

IBTIDA means the start in Urdu and there could not be a better title for my first album as it is just the start of a new beginning.”

The video for ‘Jee Lunga’ has been shot in 2K and was conceptualized and directed by another young Pakistan talent Asghar Ali Ghanchi, a film graduate, also director of photography for the video, with Dominic Andrew as the video editor and Hasan Ahmed as the assistant director of photography.

Birds of Prey Gets R-Rating Birds of Prey gets an official R-rating, as it follows in the footsteps of Joker, Logan and the Deadpool movies.

The Motion Picture Association of America notes it has rated Birds of Prey rated R for: "strong violence and language throughout, and some sexual and drug material."

At first, it was unclear if Birds of Prey would be rated R, and no Red Band trailer has been released, but it's possible with the billion-dollar success of the Joker, that Warner Bros. decided to go the more mature route for BOP. It's also known that one particular scene featured as many as five f-bombs, so unless they were going to bleep them out, the plan was to go with an R-rating. The flick gets released on Feb. 7, 2020.

You ever hear the one about the cop, the songbird, the psycho and the mafia princess? “Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” is a twisted tale told

by Harley herself, as only Harley can tell it. When Gotham’s most nefariously narcissistic villain, Roman Sionis, and his zealous right-hand, Zsasz, put a target on a young girl named Cass, the city is turned upside down looking for her. Harley, Huntress, Black Canary and Renee Montoya’s paths collide.

CMYK

After an online vote in 2011, Toyota announced that the official plural of Prius was Prii.

At the 1905 wedding of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, President Teddy Roosevelt gave away the bride.

Aishwarya Rai’s daughter Aaradhya steps out in a sari for school function, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan turn guests Aishwarya Rai made a stunning public appearance on Friday with daughter Aaradhya, who was seen in a sari for the first time. The eight-year-old was all decked up in a red and green sari for her school’s Annual Day function.

Aaradhya, who was gearing up for a dance performance on stage, was accompanied by her mother. While Aishwarya was in a dark pink kurta-churidaar, her daughter looked beautiful in a sari, with makeup and her hair tied in a bun adorned with white flowers.

Aishwarya was later joined by husband Abhishek Bachchan, mother Brinda Rai, father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and sister-in-law Shweta Nanda. Many other Bollywood celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Raveena Tandon and photographer Dabboo Ratnani also attended the function. Aishwarya will now be seen in Mani Ratnam’s adaptation of Tamil epic novel, Ponniyin Selvan.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

14 SPORTS

Leicester city carry Premier League titLe fight to LiverPooL

MANCHESTER

L

Agencies

EICESTER may never again scale the heights of shocking the world to win the Premier League four seasons ago, but the Foxes are upsetting the odds once more as the closest challengers to Liverpool at the top of the table.

Brendan Rodgers’s men travel to Manchester City on Saturday four points ahead of the champions as the side in need of the victory to keep the title race alive. Liverpool’s absence from league duty this weekend to compete in the Club World Cup gives Leicester the chance to cut the gap at the top to seven points.

Win their next two games and Liverpool’s advantage will be down to four points as the European champions then visit the King Power on their return from Qatar on Boxing Day.

Back-to-back wins against a side that have won five of the last six domestic trophies in England and a Liverpool team that has lost just once in their last 56 league games is a massive ask.

But the fact Leicester now believe it is possible is testament to how far the club have come since Rodgers took charge in February.

When the Northern Irishman returned to the Premier League after two-and-a-half successful seasons at Celtic, Leicester were languishing in 12th.

Ten months on, they are well on course for a return to the Champions League next season.

Leicester have a 13-point cushion over fifthplaced Tottenham as they look to become the first club outside Liverpool, City, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal to finish in the top four since they last did it as champions in 2015-16.

Silverware could also be just over two months away as Rodgers’s men booked their place in the semi-finals of the League Cup on Wednesday.

“Everyone wants to win trophies of course.

We have to fight, we are not entitled to win,” said Rodgers. “We just have to fight and work very hard at our game, and if we can do it great, but as long as we can make progress and develop, then that will be great.”

The progress made is undeniable, but not a surprise to Rodgers’s opposite number on Saturday.

Leicester nearly halted City’s title charge on their last visit to the Etihad when Pep Guardiola’s men needed a late thunderbolt from departed captain Vincent Kompany to claim a 1-0 win in their penultimate league game of the season.

“Brendan shows his incredible quality as a manager,” said Guardiola that night.

Rumours this week have suggested Rodgers may even be lined as City’s preferred candidate to succeed Guardiola once the Catalan brings his time in Manchester to an end.

Leicester reacted quickly to the restoration of Rodgers’s reputation in England after a difficult end to his time at Liverpool in 2015 by handing him a bumper new contract to 2025 earlier this month.

That foresight is in keeping with an exceptionally well run club that has not been derailed by the death of owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha in a tragic helicopter crash in October last year.

Only Kasper Schmeichel and Jamie Vardy remain as regulars in the first team from the side that won the league three-and-a-half years ago.

Money from the sales of N’Golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez has been wisely invested in the likes of James Maddison, Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi, while England international Ben Chilwell and Harvey Barnes have come through the club’s academy. A 12-game unbeaten run means Leicester have more points now than at the same stage of their title-winning campaign.

Liverpool’s relentless run means this season is unlikely to have the same fairytale ending.

But just splitting the two sides that combined for 197 points last season at this stage of the campaign is a remarkable achievement in its own right.

Iran gives FIFA commitment on women's access to matches DOHA Agencies

Iran’s Football Federation has given world governing body FIFA a written commitment that women will be allowed to attend matches in the domestic club league, a source with knowledge of the discussions said on Friday.

In October, Iranian women watched the country’s national team for the first time in 40 years, when they were given access to a women’s section of the stadium for the World Cup qualifier against Cambodia in Tehran.

Women had been banned from watching men’s games in Iran since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution with only a few exceptions made

for small groups on rare occasions.

FIFA had sent a delegation to

Tehran to ensure that women were allowed to attend the game against

Cambodia following the death in September of Sahar Khodayari, who set herself on fire to protest against her arrest for trying to get into a match.

Dubbed “Blue Girl” online for her favourite team Esteghlal’s colours, Khodayari had feared being jailed for six months by the Islamic Revolutionary Court for trying to enter a stadium dressed as a man.

After women attended the October national team match, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had urged Iranian authorities to allow women to attend all football matches.

“FIFA now looks more than ever towards a future when ALL girls and women wishing to attend football matches in (Islamic Republic of) Iran will be free to do so, and in a safe environment,” Infantino said at the time.

Lampard seeks to outwit mourinho as Leicester face man city LONDON Agencies

Frank Lampard will lock horns with former boss Jose Mourinho in a Premier League London derby this weekend as second-placed Leicester seek to take advantage of Liverpool’s absence at Manchester City.

Elsewhere, out-of-form Arsenal travel to Everton and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes his Manchester United side to bottom club Watford. League leaders Liverpool, who have a 10-point lead at the top of the table, are away at the Club World Cup in Qatar. AFP Sport picks out some of the key talking points ahead of the weekend’s Premier League fixtures. When Jose Mourinho took over as Tottenham boss last month, his side were 12 points behind Frank Lampard’s Chelsea and looked out of the running for the top four. But Spurs will leapfrog their London rivals into fourth place in the Premier League if they come out on top on Sunday in a match pitting the grizzled Portuguese veteran against one of his key players during their time together at Stamford Bridge. It is not the first time the pair have locked horns from opposing dugouts. Lampard came out on top last season when he took his Derby side to play Manchester United at Old Trafford in the League Cup, but both have since moved on to new clubs. Chelsea have stumbled in recent weeks, losing four of their past five Premier League matches, with the boss hinting at striking reinforcements in the January transfer window. The mood is different at Spurs. Former player Ledley King said confidence was back and the top four was a realistic goal. “(Mourinho) is a winner,” he told Sky Sports. “He’s won everything.

From my experience if someone like that comes into your club you listen, you take everything on board and you try to soak up as much as you can.” Leicester must realistically beat Manchester City and Liverpool in their next two matches to stand any chance of winning a second Premier League title in five seasons. A win for Brendan Rodgers’ high-flying team on Saturday would close the gap to Liverpool to seven points ahead of their summit meeting with the Premier League leaders on December 26. Defending champions City, on the other hand, can move to within one point of Leicester if they end the Foxes’ nine-match unbeaten league run. Rodgers urged his side to keep their progress in perspective after their run of eight straight wins was ended by Norwich last week. “We are a team that’s been developing over this last nine, 10 months from a mid-table position and now people are talking about challenging for titles,” he said. “For us our feet are very firmly on the ground and the players have been absolutely amazing.” How will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer approach Sunday’s match away at lowly Watford? United have notched up some memorable results against the top clubs this season, beating Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester City and drawing against Liverpool. But they have slipped up against the weaker sides, but totalled just one point from the four matches against Southampton, West Ham, Newcastle and Bournemouth. United are unbeaten in their past six Premier League games but stumbled to a draw against Everton last week, losing some of their recent momentum.

Sharapova still has 'fire and motivation' despite 2019 misery ABU DHABI Agencies

Maria Sharapova insisted Thursday that she still has the “internal fire and motivation” to compete professionally, despite the lingering shoulder problem that kept her out of action for long stretches this season.

The former world number one was only able to play in eight events in 2019, contesting just 15 matches in total.

The Russian five-time major champion made her first on-court appearance since her US Open first round exit in August in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, where she fought back from a break down in each set to defeat Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4, 7-5.

“Any chance that I get to come out and play competitively is a really good day because I just haven’t played a lot,” Sharapova told reporters at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship. “Definitely I’m coming out of this match happy that I was out there again and it can only get better from here.”

While she wouldn’t reveal too many details about the state of her shoulder injury, she did say she “felt fine” after her clash with Tomljanovic, while keeping her expectations in check having been sidelined for nearly four months.

Sharapova plans on travelling Down Under for next month’s Australian Open but confirmed she will not be playing the Olympic Games in Tokyo. With many question marks still surrounding her form and her shoulder, she’s unsure what her 2020 calendar will look like.

“I think that will be one of the biggest challenges for the new year, it’s to have a set schedule,” said the 32-year-old. “I definitely look forward to going to Australia and seeing how things go, see how the body holds up there. It’s tough to tell, I’ve barely played any events last year. The start and stopping was one of the most challenging parts of the year as well, just when you think I got going a little bit I had to tone it down and stop and then just keep training. Although it seems I haven’t played actually I’ve been working a lot.”

The US-based Russian will fly home for Christmas, then compete in a couple of exhibition matches in Hawaii, before heading to Australia where she plans on playing a warm-up event ahead of the opening Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne.

CMYK

Asked how she’s been able to maintain her spirits during her lengthy struggle with injuries, Sharapova added: “I really love what I do. I think you see it when I am on the court, when I do have the chance to compete, I really enjoy being

there. I really have a great purpose for what I do. I have goals and dreams for life after tennis, but I still have that internal fire and motivation. Really, all on my mind when I wake up is getting into my sports gear and going out and working to be a better tennis player.”

Now down at 131 in the world rankings, Sharapova insists she hasn’t considered retirement from the sport just yet, and realises injuries are part of every athlete’s life.

She said she takes inspiration from Rafael Nadal, who has had his fair share of injuries himself.

“I’m in awe of his whole career. I think a lot of it is being really smart strategically about his schedule. From his point of view, he likes a lot of matches to feel confident, but you need to be healthy in order to do that, so you have to make the right decisions and that’s certainly something that I can learn from him,” she said of the Spanish world number one and 19-time major winner who is also competing at the UAE tournament.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

shaheen afridi and dinesh chandimaL star on day of fLuctuating fortunes

o

SPORTS 15

SpORTS DESk

N a day that threatened to mirror the script of its predecessor in the first hour, Sri Lanka dug in and clawed their way to, and then well past, Pakistan's first innings total. The lead of 80 came courtesy lower-order contributions that will have frustrated Pakistan no end, with Dinesh Chandimal tying the innings together as Sri Lanka held off a surging Pakistan Pakistan pace attack. The 191 and 57 for 0 home side, for their part, did well enough to ensure there (Abid 32*, Masood 21*) wasn't any bloodletting in trail Sri Lanka 271 the tricky final hour the openers had to deal with, (Chandimal 74, Dilruwan as Shan Masood and Abid 48, Afridi 5-77. Abbas 4Ali reduced the deficit to 23 55) by 23 runs by stumps.

From 80 for 5, partnerships of 67, 37, 51 and 36 extended Sri Lanka's innings well into the third session, Dhananjaya de Silva and Chandimal robbing Pakistan of the momentum they had generated in an opening hour of hostile fast bowling. Nightwatchman Lasith Embuldeniya was dropped early in the day but fell soon after in a bizarre attempt to slog-sweep Mohammad Abbas, while Shaheen Afridi - who picked up his first five-for in Tests - needed no such largesse from Angelo Mathews, bringing one in to tickle the batsman's inside edge through to the keeper.

7, with Sri Lanka nine short of Pakistan's first-inPakistan may well have felt this was their nings total, it seemed this would become a secondchance to come away with a lead, but swift coun- innings shootout. terattacking - and an ineffectual spell from a conPakistan were guilty of letting the game drift for fidence-sapped Yasir Shah - poured water over large spells, and the eighth-wicket partnership at one those plans. When de Silva strode down the crease point scored at nearly 4.50 runs per over. Dilruwan to loft Yasir over his head, following it up with a Perera was perfectly comfortable keeping Chandiback-foot punch through cover, the shackles were mal company as Sri Lanka brought up the 200 and broken. Yasir was unable to settle on either length, then beyond, the highlight being Chandimal spankline or pace, with both batsmen taking advantage ing Naseem Shah for three fours in an over. of the inconsistency as Sri Lanka neared 150.

When Chandimal fell, Dilruwan took over the The breakthrough came thanks to Afridi, with mantle. Pakistan duly spread the field for him; de Silva unable to get on top of a short-pitched de- practically begging him to take a single and turn livery and sending it straight down fine leg's the strike over. Despite this, Dilruwan continued throat. But the wicket did little to stem the flow of to find the boundary, despite seven fielders staruns before lunch, and by now, even Niroshan tioned in the deep at most points during his ninthDickwella, who had used up more than his fair wicket stand with Vishwa Fernando. Haris Sohail share of luck in his first half hour at the crease, may have been successful getting rid of Chandiwas emerging from his shell. Then Abbas would mal, but when they tried his occasional left-arm castle him with perhaps the ball of the day, beating spin against Dilruwan, he carted him down the him on the inside edge with an inward-seaming ground for a six off the first ball of his spell. delivery that clipped the top of off, and at 182 for Tea came and went, and Sri Lanka moved past

250, and continued to march on. It took the return of Afridi to finally clean Dilruwan up two runs shy of a well-deserved half-century, and the left-arm quick removed No. 11 Lahiru Kumara a couple of balls later to bring an end to what had appeared an interminable innings. It was the first time he had taken five wickets in an innings, but for Pakistan's most consistent fast bowler over the last couple of tours, you feel sure there is more to follow.

At that stage, Sri Lanka walked into the changing room, likely confident it was their day, maybe even their Test match, and the final hour represented an opportunity to ram that point further home. But Pakistan came out determined not to block their way through the fourteen overs they faced, both openers taking the attack to the quicks right from the outset. Abid Ali's confidence wasn't surprising, given his form, and Shan Masood didn't shy away from putting bat on ball either, and got off to a start evocative of the form he displayed on Pakistan's tour of South Africa at the start of the year, when he regained his place in the side.

England pacer James Anderson admits 'not up to match speed yet' SpORTS DESk England fast bowler James Anderson admitted Thursday that he is "not up to match speed yet", just a week out from the first Test against South Africa.

"I'm just looking to force my way into the Test side," he said ahead of a three-day match against South Africa A, starting at Willowmoore Park on Friday.

"I know I'm not up to match speed yet."

With 575 wickets in 149 matches, Anderson, 37, has taken more wickets in Test cricket than any other fast bowler but he said he still had "that hunger and desire to be back".

He said it had been difficult watching from the sidelines while he

was out of action with a calf injury sustained in the first Test against

Australia at Edgbaston in August.

Anderson bowled 11 overs in

two spells against an Invitation XI on Wednesday.

He said he is "not far" from full match fitness.

"I think the second spell I bowled after lunch (when he took one for seven in five overs) was much better. I felt a much better rhythm. That's just the nature of bowling.

"I've bowled in the nets and in the middle in the last two weeks but you just can't recreate that match intensity. I think I was just a little bit off the pace in that first six overs.

"I'm sure if I bowl spell after spell in the next game, hopefully I will get better and better."

The first Test gets under way at Centurion on December 26.

IPL 2020: List of 10 most expensive players SpORTS DESk Auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) season 2020 was held in Kolkata on Thursday, December 2019.

According to reports, a total of 62 players were sold for the season 2020 in the fierce mini-auction.

The eight IPL franchises that include Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers

Hyderabad, grabbed the players from Australia, South Africa, England and West Indies took part in the bidding.

Over 135 crore were spent to grab 62 players, including 33 Indians.

Find the list of 10 most expensive players auctioned after the fierce bidding held at the IPL auction 2020.

Australian player Pat Cummins was the most expensive foreign player. He was grabbed by Kolkata Knight Riders for 15.50 crore. Pat was followed by Glenn Maxwell. He was auctioned for

Kings XI Punjab (10.75 crore).

Other top players include Chris Morris, (Royal Challengers Bangalore for 10.00 crore); Sheldon Cottrell (Kings XI Punjab for 8.50 crore); Nathan CoulterNile (Mumbai Indians for 8.00 crore); Shimron Hetmyer (Delhi Capitals for 7.75 crore); Piyush Chawla (Chennai Super Kings (6.75 crore); Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings for 5.50 crore); Eoin Morgan (Kolkata Knight Riders for 5.25 crore) and Marcus Stoinis (Delhi Capitals for 4.80 crore).

CMYK

heather Knight sees england to 3-0 series win over Pakistan ENGLAND 170 FOR 3 (KNIGHT 43) BEAT PAKISTAN 144 FOR 5 (JAVERIA 57, GLENN 2-12) BY 26 RUNS SpORTS DESk Pakistan pushed England close but could not prevent defeat and a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series in Kuala Lumpur. Javeria Khan top-scored in the match with 57, but England kept a grip on the scoring rate to close out the game. England, who rested Nat Sciver and Katherine Brunt for the final game, produced an all-round effort with bat and ball. Captain Heather Knight made 43 from 31 balls and the rest of the top five all chipped in with solid contributions, before Anya Shrusbole, Sarah Glenn and Sophie Ecclestone shared five wickets to disrupt Pakistan's chase. The tour also allowed England's new head coach, Lisa Keightley, who is due to take up the role in January, to have a first look at the players after she joined up with the team following the conclusion of the Women's Big Bash League. "I think it's been a good tour for us," Knight said. "We asked batters to get big runs and that's happened across both the ODI and the IT20 series. "I think we've found some new players, as well. Sarah Glenn has really put her hand up and that's great for us, it adds to the competition for places and makes us stronger as a group. "I've been proud of how we've maintained our high standards, especially in the field - which is something we've been working hard on. "It's been great to spend time with Lisa and get chatting to her about how she sees the plans moving forward. We're looking forward to the new year and the challenge of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia." After Danni Wyatt had lashed 25 off 15 to get England going, the main plank of the innings was provided by an 81-run partnership between Knight and Amy Jones. Knight hit three sixes in her innings, and while both fell in consecutive overs, Fran Wilson and Tammy Beaumont added another fifty stand in the closing overs. Pakistan lost both openers inside the Powerplay, and were struggling at just past the halfway way point when Bismah Maroof was stumped off Glenn to leave them 68 for 3. Javeria's measured innings kept them in the hunt but despite Sidra Nawaz cracking 19 off 7 balls at the end, Pakistan had left themselves too much to do.

Saturday, 21 December, 2019

NEWS

SaudiS 'blackmailed' imran over malaySia Summit, claimS erdogan

Justice Waqar says unaware of SJC reference, only watches wrestling on TV Peshawar High Court (PHC) Chief Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth on Friday said that he is unaware of the controversy caused by the verdict he wrote in the high treason case against former president General (r) Pervez Musharraf as he only watched wrestling on television. According to reports, the PHC chief justice made these remarks during a hearing. While the hearing was underway, a lawyer paid tribute to the judge and praised the fact that the latter was confident despite the ‘tough circumstances’. In response, Justice Waqar said sarcastically that he did not know what was happening as he only watched wrestling on television. On Thursday, a three member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Waqar Ahmed Seth delivered the detailed verdict in the high treason case against Musharraf which called for the former president’s corpse to be dragged to D-Chowk and hanged for three days in case he died before being arrested by law enforcement authorities. Following the verdict, the government announced it would be filing a reference against the Justice Waqar in the Supreme Judicial Council. News Desk

Indian FM cancels meeting with US lawmakers over Kashmir criticism Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has canceled a meeting with senior members of the United States’ Congress this week over Kashmir criticisms, reported Washington Post on Friday.

According to the report, US lawmakers had refused demands to exclude from the meeting a congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal, who had criticised the Indian government’s actions and policies in the occupied valley.

In a recent bipartisan resolution moved in the US Congress jointly by Congresswoman Jayapal, a Democrat, and Congressman Steve Watkins, a Republican, had urged India to end the restrictions on communications and mass detentions in occupied Kashmir as swiftly as possible and preserve religious freedom for all residents.

Born in Madras (Chennai), Jayapal is the first Indian-American woman to serve in the US House of Representatives. In response to the abrupt cancellation, Jayapal said: “The cancellation of the meeting was deeply disturbing. It only furthers the idea that the Indian government isn’t willing to listen to any dissent at all.”

During his visit to Washington, the Indian external affairs minister was slated to meet the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Representative Elliot L Engel, the committee’s top Republican Rep Michael McCaul and others, the report added. News Desk

KINGDOM REPORTEDLY SAID IT WOULD SEND ‘PAKISTANI WORKERS FO SPOKESPERSON SAYS PAKISTAN DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN KL SUMMIT TO AVOID POSSIBLE DIVISION IN UMMAH BACK, WILL WITHDRAW ITS $6BN DEPOSITED IN SBP’ ISLAMABAD

t

MiaN abRaR

URKISH President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday alleged that Saudi Arabia threatened Pakistan with extreme measures, which include the imposition of economic sanctions on the country and deportation of its citizens working in the Kingdom, to stop it from attending the Kuala Lumpur Summit.

The comments regarding the nonparticipation of Pakistan in the summit were made by the Turkish president in a conversation with journalists in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Erdogan, Saudi Arabia also threatened to withdraw $6 billion from Pakistan’s central bank and warned of further economic sanctions in case it became part of the event.

“Unfortunately, we see that Saudi Arabia pressures Pakistan. Now, there are promises that the country has given to Pakistan regarding the central bank.

However, more than that, there are 4m Pakistanis working in Saudi Arabia.

They (threaten by saying that they) would send (Pakistanis) back and reemploy Bangladeshi people instead,” Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah.

Responding to another question regarding the absence of Pakistan and Indonesia at the summit, Erdogan said he would have “liked to see them here as well”.

When it comes to Saudi Arabia’s ef-

fect in this absence, Erdogan stated that this was not a first for the country since it has the tendency to put pressure on other countries in doing or not doing things.

According to Erdogan, due to its economic difficulties, Pakistan had to obey such threats, while implying that Indonesia has also suffered from similar problems.

He said Turkey will continue its cooperation with Malaysia, Qatar, and Iran over both regional and international issues, underlining the importance of unity in the Islamic world. “(During the Kuala Lumpur summit) we had the chance to discuss the challenges that the Islamic world faces with the participation of the presidents of Turkey, Malaysia, Qatar, and Iran as well as many other high-

level representatives from various countries,” Erdogan said.

When contacted, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that Pakistan did not participate in the KL Summit as time and efforts were needed to address the concerns of major Muslim countries regarding possible division in the Ummah.

“Pakistan will continue to work for the unity and solidarity of the Ummah, which is indispensable for effectively addressing the challenges faced by the Muslim world,” she said.

PAKISTAN CRITICISED OVER NO-SHOW: Pakistan’s last minute decision to pull out of the Kuala Lumpur Summit has drawn criticism with some defending the withdrawal by the cashstrapped Islamabad that financially de-

pends on oil-rich Gulf states.

Prime Minister Imran Khan canceled his planned visit to the Malaysian capital to attend the summit after concerns from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi confirmed on Tuesday, according to local English daily Dawn.

Khan paid a daylong visit to Riyadh earlier this week in a vain bid to assuage the kingdom’s reservations over the scheduled summit.

Leaders from Muslim countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur to discuss issues confronting the Muslims globally at the summit, which started on Wednesday and will continue till Saturday.

“It’s an internal diplomatic failure,” said Abdul Basit, a former Pakistani ambassador told Anadolu Agency, adding that Islamabad should have done its homework before committing to such an initiative.

He said Pakistan should not have skipped the initiative even if it meant sending a lower-level delegation.

Retired Lt. Gen. Talat Masood, an Islamabad-based security analyst, echoed the view observing that the Kuala Lumpur initiative has upset Riyadh which views its as an attempt to replace the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

“It shows the lack of understanding on the part of the prime minister.

He should not have committed what he could not do,” Masood told Anadolu Agency.

US to resume military training programme for Pakistan WASHINGTON DC staff RepoRt

The Trump administration has approved a resumption of Pakistan’s participation in a coveted US military training and educational programme more than a year after it was suspended, the State Department said on Thursday.

The decision to resume Islamabad’s participation in the International Military Education and Training Programme, or IMET — for more than a decade a pillar of US-Pakistani military ties — underscores warming relations that have followed meetings this year between US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Washington also has credited Islamabad with helping to facilitate negotiations on a US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. The talks recently resumed between the United States and the Taliban, who US officials allege receive sanctuary and other aid from Pak-

STATE DEPT SAYS PROGRAMME ‘PROVIDES OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE BILATERAL COOPERATION BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES ON SHARED PRIORITIES’ istan’s military-led intelligence agency.

Pakistan denies the charge.

The State Department administers IMET. It was a small facet of US security aid programmes for Pakistan worth some $2 billion that remains suspended on orders that Trump abruptly issued in January 2018 to compel the nuclear-armed South Asian nation to crack down on Islamist militants. Trump’s decision, announced in a tweet, blindsided US officials.

After an attack earlier this year by the banned Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary troops in Pulwama, US officials called on Islamabad to take “sustained and irreversible action” against militants allegedly operating

from its territory.

A State Department spokeswoman said in an email that Trump’s 2018 decision to suspend security assistance authorised “narrow exceptions for programmes that support vital US national security interests.” The decision to restore Pakistani participation in IMET was “one such exception,” she said.

The programme “provides an opportunity to increase bilateral cooperation between our countries on shared priorities,” she added. “We want to continue to build on this foundation through concrete actions that advance regional security and stability.”

A second US official said on condition of anonymity that Pakistan was in the process of selecting officers to send

to the United States.

The restart of the programme, however, is subject to approval by Congress. Republican and Democratic aides for the Senate and House of Representatives committees with jurisdiction over the process did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

IMET affords spaces to foreign military officers at US military education institutions, such as the US Army War College and the US Naval War College.

Pakistan’s suspension from the programme in August 2018 prompted the cancellation of 66 slots set aside that year for Pakistani military officers in one of the first known impacts of Trump’s decision to halt security assistance.

The US military traditionally has sought to shield such educational programmes from political tensions, arguing that the ties built by bringing foreign military officers to the United States pay long-term dividends.

Fresh clashes in India as death toll hits nine

NEW DELHI ageNcies

Fresh clashes between Indian police and demonstrators erupted on Friday after more than a week of deadly unrest triggered by a citizenship law seen as anti-

Muslim. Three protesters were shot dead on Thursday, taking the death toll to nine in the wave of anger that is emerging as a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The law making it easier for persecuted minorities from three neighbour-

ing countries to get citizenship but not if they are Muslims, has stoked fears that Modi wants to remould India as a Hindu nation, which he denies.

Tens of thousands on Thursday hit the streets nationwide, with violence erupting in several places including Lucknow in the north, Mangalore in the south, and Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

In Mangalore, security forces opened fire on a crowd of around 200 people after they ignored orders to disperse, killing two people, police spokesperson Qadir Shah told AFP. Four others were in the hospital with gunshot wounds.

“They marched towards the busiest area of Mangalaru. This led to lathi (big,

wooden sticks) charge. Then the tear gas was fired. When the protestors still didn’t stop, the police had to open fire,” he said, using an alternate name for the city.

Another protester succumbed to gunshot injuries in Lucknow, the capital of India’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh, said a doctor who did not want to be named, with vehicles and a police post set on fire in one district.

Police denied opening fire in the city, which is home to a large Muslim minority, but his father told the Times of India his son was shot after getting caught in a crowd of protesters while out to buy groceries.

Fresh clashes erupted in Lucknow

Published by Arif Nizami at Qandeel Printing Press, 4 Queens Road, Lahore. Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk

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on Friday when police halted a few hundred people on their way to a planned protest, with security forces firing tear gas and charging with batons, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Elsewhere, there were no major incidents although police bundled hundreds of people onto buses in Delhi and Bangalore after they defied bans on assembly including a prominent rights activist and an internationally renowned historian.

The protests have in places seen demonstrators hurl rocks at security forces and set fire to vehicles, while alleged police brutality – including at a Delhi university on Sunday – has fuelled the anger.