E-Paper PDF 26th December (ISB)

CMYK

Thursday, 26 December, 2019 I 28 Rabi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 176 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Saudi FM to land in iSlaMabad today g

govt to challenge sanaullah’s bail in sc: Afridi

PrInce FAIsAl bIn FArhAn Al-sAud to hold MeetIngs wIth PM IMrAn, FM QureshI on MAIden trIP to PAkIstAn

ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

audi arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud will be visiting islamabad on Thursday, the Foreign Office (FO) confirmed on Wednesday. according to a statement issued by the FO, the visiting dignitary will call on Prime Minister imran Khan and hold meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. This would be his maiden visit to Pakistan, during which the exchange of views would cover bilateral matters and regional issues of mutual interest, the statement added.

“Pakistan and Saudi arabia enjoy a deeprooted and longstanding fraternal relationship.

The two countries are committed to further strengthening bilateral cooperation in all fields.

Frequent high-level visits are a key feature of the relationship and serve to further deepen and

broaden mutual collaboration,” the statement further said.

The visit comes amid speculations of tensions between the two countries. it is worth mentioning here that days after Pakistan faced embarrassment after it pulled out of the muchtrumpeted Kuala Lumpur Summit at the eleventh hour, a report in the local media had claimed that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) did not pay heed to the FO warning of a potential diplomatic conflict between islamabad and Riyadh in the backdrop of hostile relations between the latter and ankara – a key participant of the summit.

Citing its sources, a local English daily had reported that PM imran had accepted the invite from his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad despite a forewarning by the FO that the “move would have implications” on the diplomatic front. The publication had said that the FO had advised caution when the government received the formal invitation.

“The office also wanted to avoid grand-

standing over the summit as the kingdom and its regional allies viewed it with suspicion,” the report had quoted a senior Ministry of Foreign affairs (MoFa) official.

“The government was informed in categorical terms that Pakistan’s participation in the summit at any level was bound to invite Saudi anger,” the official had said, adding, “We had suggested to first assess the purpose and objectives of the summit.”

“The PMO, however, confirmed prime minister’s participation anyway,” he said.

Pakistan was one of the first countries with whom Prime Minister Mahathir shared his plans for holding the summit when he had met Prime Minister imran along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the united Nations General assembly (uNGa) session in New York in September this year. Later on, PM imran had formally conveyed his acceptance of the invitation for attending the summit when Malaysian deputy Foreign Minister Marzuki Bin Haji Yah ya had called on him in islamabad in November.

However, clouds of uncertainty started to loom over Pakistan’s presence at the summit when PM imran went on a hurried tour to the kingdom on december 15, just three days before the event. a day earlier, Chief of the army Staff (COaS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa had visited abu dhabi where he called on Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan.

Subsequently, on december 17, the government had formally announced that it would not attend the event “at any level”. in a media talk, FM Qureshi had confirmed that Saudi arabia and the uaE were “worried that the event could cause ‘division in ummah’ and lead to setting up of an organisation parallel to the existing Organisation of islamic Cooperation (OiC)”. it merits a mention here that the OiC is under the influence of mega-rich Kingdom.

On december 20, Turkish President Erdogan had dropped a bombshell, saying that Pakistan decided to stay away from the summit because of “Saudi threats of economic sanctions”. a day later, on december 21, Saudi arabia rejected reports that Pakistan bowed out of the Kuala Lumpur Summit under its pressure.

‘Two-nation theory more acknowledged reality today’

STORY ON PAGE 03

PML-N demands Afridi’s resignation over Sanaullah case

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders cut three cakes on account of Christmas, Quaid-e-Azam’s 143rd birth anniversary and party supremo Nawaz Sharif’s birthday

STORY ON PAGE 03

over 44,000 removed bIsP beneficiaries own vehicles STORY ON PAGE 05

Christmas celebrated across country

KARACHI: Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah mausoleum in Karachi on his 143rd birth anniversary where he paid tribute to his selfless efforts and political vision for the creation of the motherland STORIES ON BACK PAGE & 02

PM Imran urges aspiring leaders to take cue from Quaid-e-Azam

STORY ON PAGE 02 PESHAWAR: People attend a Christmas Day service at the St John’s Cathedral in Peshawar. AGENCIES

CMYK Thursday, 26 December, 2019

02 NEWS

NaTioN celebraTes JiNNah’s 143rd birTh aNNiversary

PM IMRAN URGES ASPIRING LEADERS TO TAKE CUE FROM QUAID-E-AZAM LAHORE/KARACHI

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STAFF REPORT

he 143rd birth anniversary of the country’s founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah is being observed today with traditional zeal and enthusiasm across the country.

The day started with a change of guards ceremony at Jinnah Mausoleum in Karachi. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Governor Imran Ismail also visited Jinnah’s mausoleum on the occasion.

In the media talk following the ceremony, Chief Minister Shah said that it is imperative to remember that the first principle of Jinnah’s teachings was ‘unity’. He was answering a question pertaining to coordination between the Sindh government and Centre. The chief minister told reporters about the recent Council of Common Interests meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Imran and attended by provincial chief ministers, and said that there had been “positive developments”. The national flag was been hoisted at all government and private buildings and special events have been planned for the day.

WISHES POUR IN: In his message on the occasion, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the “best way to pay homage to the Quaid on his birth anniversary is to adhere to his princi-

ples of Unity, Faith, and Discipline”.

He urged aspiring leaders to make Quaid-e-Azam their role model as “he was Sadiq & Ameen; & his 40-year struggle was not for personal gain but to achieve a Homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent”.

President Arif Alvi, in his message for the nation, termed Jinnah as a “visionary man who envisaged a separate identity, needs and political direction of the Muslims of the subcontinent”.

“The acumen of his foresight and vision can be witnessed even today with the prevailing conditions in India and occupied Kashmir,” said the president and urged the nation to “stand united and re-affirm our faith in his teachings”. Both the president and the prime minister said that the Indian government’s move to strip occupied Kashmir of its special status and its actions have “again vindicated the conviction of the great Quaid”.

National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif also echoed similar sentiments, saying that “events taking place across the border have reaffirmed [Jinnah’s] vision, political wisdom and far-sightedness”.

As we celebrate the Quaid-iAzam’s birth anniversary, the events taking place across the border have reaffirmed his vision, political wisdom and farsightedness. We can’t thank the Quaid enough for his gift

Christmas celebrated across country

that is Pakistan. — Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) December 25, 2019 Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi paid tribute to the nation’s founder and added that Jinnah was a “leader, who believed in law and justice”. “A man of great vision who foresaw the importance of two separate nations,” Qureshi tweeted. “72 years later Quaid’s worst critics concede that he was right.”

Addressing an event in Islamabad, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said that along with Christmas being celebrated on December 25, the day also marks the birth of Jinnah, “who shifted the paradigm of the entire region” and made clear that the vision and commitment of the leadership matters. Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari noted that the nation had a “long way to go to realise the vision” of Jinnah.

“Our founder Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah & his vision for Pakistan — We have a long way to go to realise his vision but we must strive to achieve it,” Mazari said in a tweet.

Mazari also extended Christmas greetings to the Christian community.

Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor also tweeted on the occasion and said: “Happy Birthday Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Can’t thank you enough for having got us Pakistan. Those who opposed then are realising now. For them it’s beginning afresh now.”

NEWS DESK The Christian community celebrated Christmas with zeal amid peak winter and tight security on Wednesday.

Churches were thronged by members of the minority community who gathered for special services after which prayers were offered for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the government took numerous steps to facilitate Christians. Law enforcement agencies were deployed around Churches and Christian residential areas as well as parks, food outlets and other places where they were expected to celebrate their festival.

Renowned social figures around the world and Pakistani political leaders wished Pakistan a Merry Christmas, a few of whose messages along with pictures of how the day was celebrated across the country are below. Prime Minister Imran Khan took to Twitter

to wish Chrisitan citizens a happy Christmas.

In a series of tweets, the premier reiterated that the government treats all minority citizens as equal citizens of Pakistan and undertakes to empower them to use their abilities socially, economically and politically for the national development and added that the day was also a reason to celebrate the Quaid’s ideology as it coincides with his birthday.

“Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had, right from the first day of creation of Pakistan unequivocally declared a policy of equality, freedom and security for all communities living in Pakistan irrespective of their religion, profession or ethnic origin,” he said. President Arif Alvi wished Christians across the world and in Pakistan a merry Christmas and included a quote by Jesus regarding peace in his message.

Leader of the Opposition

Jinnah was the saviour of Muslims of subcontinent: Shehbaz LONDON STAFF REPORT

National Assembly Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif has said Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was the ultimate savior of the broken and dejected Muslims of the Indian Subcontinent.

In his message on the birthday of the nation’s founding father, Shehbaz said that Muhammad Ali Jinnah was an honest, democratic, farsighted leader with absolute love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH). His opponents had no answer for his democratic principles and undeniable reasoning. Jinnah’s flawless arguments, principled stances, and his composure, civility and decency even when confronted with his most fierce rivals were the hallmark of his personality, he said.

The Pakistan Muslim League N leader said that the current circumstances in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and the situation in India are proof of Jinnah’s sociopolitical acumen and the authenticity of his two-nation

theory. Pakistan, he said, can only prosper and progress if it adopts the core principles unity, faith and discipline defined for the nation by its founder. He said that the nation needs serious introspection to see how much it has learnt from the Quaid’s message.

NAWAZ SHARIF TO RESCUE COUNTRY FROM CURRENT CRISIS: Shehbaz further said that Nawaz Sharif is a true soldier of the founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and has played a historic role in fulfilling the objectives of the creation of Pakistan.

In his message on the birthday of the PMLN chief, Shehbaz said, Nawaz always fulfilled the promises made to the nation and never let the country down. Under his leadership, PMLN rescued Pakistan from major crisis time and again and by the grace of God he will once again lead the country out of its current crisis.

The former premier will rescue the country from the economic crisis just the way he rid the country of its en-

in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif also extended Christmas wishes to members of the community, writing: “May this day bring peace, happiness and prosperity for all!”

“May this day be one of peace and joy for all, and let the message of tolerance and inclusiveness resonate across the world today,” wrote PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in his Christmas message on Twitter.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor also shared his Christmas message on the micro blogging site while giving it a political flavour.

Pope Francis in his Christmas Day message urged the world to let the light of Christmas pierce the “darkness in human hearts” that leads to religious persecution, social injustice, armed conflicts and fear of migrants.

bilawal greets christian community on christmas ISLAMABAD INP

ergy crisis, he said. Shehbaz said that Nawaz reorganized the founding arty of Pakistan, the PMLN, on modern lines and today the party had grown to every nook and corner of the country and the footprints of Nawaz Sharif’s devotion to development and progress of the country can be found wherever one goes. From nuclear tests to the struggle for making Pakistan an economic power, Nawaz never compromised on the interests of the country.

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He said that the country had rarely seen such a devoted, patriotic, faithful and democratic leader. The PMLN president thanked the nation for their prayers for Nawaz Sharif and said the people of Pakistan had always showered him with their love, trust and well wishes. Time has proven that the nation still accepts Nawaz Sharif as their true leader and Prime Minister and stands by him and his vision for the country, he said.

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has extended greetings to the Christian community of Pakistan as well as the world on the occasion of Christmas. In his message, he said that all religious festivals served the purpose to bring communities together. He added that Christmas was a time for unity and kindness and that we must learn from the story of Christmas the lessons of love and kindness. Bilawal said: “I would like to assure them that the PPP will continue its role in protecting and safeguarding the rights of all minority religions in Pakistan.”

He said that the PPP has struggled for equal political, economic and social rights of all the citizens of Pakistan without any discrimination of caste, creed and religion.

He appealed the Christian brothers and sisters to hold special prayers for the integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan and for true democracy in the country.

CMYK Thursday, 26 December, 2019

NEWS

03

govT To challeNge saNaullah’s bail iN sc: afridi video fooTage NoT a legal requiremeNT: aNf

NARCOTICS MINISTER SHEHRYAR AFRIDI DISMISSES ALLEGATIONS OF POLITICAL VICTIMISATION, SAYS ‘FOOTAGES’ HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO COURT SAYS GOVT WILL ENSURE THAT CASE AGAINST PML-N LEADER REACHES A LOGICAL CONCLUSION ISLAMABAD

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had given the impression that the PML-N leader had been acquitted. The statement was followed by a fiery press conference

by Afridi, during which he claimed that the government didn’t victimise any of the opposition leaders, including Sanaullah who was sent to jail for allegedly carrying 15kg heroin in his vehicle.

Afridi dismissed the impression of political victimisation in the case, saying that neither he nor Prime Minister Imran Khan had arrested Sanaullah. “Did the prime minister arrest him? or did I? […] certainly not,” he said, adding, “We did not interfere in his legal proceedings, there is no victimisation at any level.”

He also said that the PML-N Punjab president had only been granted bail, not acquitted as the case was still in the courts. “Time will prove this. This is the season of bails. Remember that the ANF is a professional force. We need to strengthen institutions, Shehryar will come and go, rulers will come and go, the real thing is the institutions of Pakistan,” he added. It is worth mentioning here that following the former Punjab law minister’s arrest in July, addressing a press con-

STAFF REPORT

HE Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will challenge the bail granted to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah in a narcotics case, said Minister for Narcotics Shehryar Khan Afridi on Wednesday.

Afridi’s remarks come a day after the Lahore High Court granted bail to Sanaullah in the case filed against him by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF). The court also ordered Sanaullah to submit two surety bonds of Rs1 million each.

In a statement, the minister, who spearheaded the campaign against Sanaullah, said that the government had still not been provided with the LHC order, adding that Sanaullah’s bail had been granted in a verbal order. “We will wait for the court’s written order to present our stance,” he wrote. “We respect the court decisions and will continue to do so. Others should also respect the court decisions, not just decisions in your favour.” He claimed that some segments of the media

As controversy pertaining to video evidence continues to surround a drugs case involving Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah, Anti-Narcotics Force’s (ANF) Special Prosecutor Raja Inam claimed that provision of “footage” was not the requirement in the legal proceedings in the case and all evidence was submitted to the court. He further mentioned that all statements relevant to the recovery of the heroin from the vehicle of Sanaullah were also submitted in the court. “Statements of three witnesses were also submitted in the court […] we had filed an application for hearing the case on daily basis,” he added. The ANF’s legal team pointed out that there were 15 witnesses in the challan submitted to the court together with the chemical examiner’s report. NEWS DESK ference alongside ANF chief Major General Arif Malik, Afridi had said that Sanullah was arrested after his three-week surveillance and the ANF had complete and sufficient evidence to prove his involvement in the drug business.

“All the movements of Rana Sanaullah Sahib and his vehicle were observed and gauged at all levels. Video footage and other things are with us,” the minister had said while refusing to give further details saying they might harm investigation and key witnesses. He had also said that all the evidence would be presented in courts. Recalling that presser, he said, “In the first press conference, with the ANF DG, […] I talked about some footage. One thing is being

connected to me — video, video, video.

It was presented in a strange way.”

In response to a query over the “footages” in question, Afridi said, “Look at all my press conferences […] wherever I spoke about the videos I said [we have the] footages. In 17 days, all things were provided.” Afridi said his reference to videos had “repeatedly been made an issue”, adding that this was the job of the prosecution in courts. “It is not my job or yours, why should we be the judges or the jury. This is the job of the courts. The case will be presented in the courts, where a trial [will take place]. We will take this case to its logical end. Keeping all legal procedures at the forefront, we will read the order and will go all-out,” he added.

PML-N demands Afridi’s resignation over Sanaullah case LAHORE STAFF REPORT

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) on Wednesday demanded the resignation of Narcotics Minister Shehryar Afridi and all others who levelled “false allegations” against PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah who was granted bail in a drugs case.

In a conversation with media persons after a ceremony marking Christmas, Jinnah’s birth anniversary as well as PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif’s birthday, PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “Prime Minister Imran Khan is kidnapping the political opponents.”

“The selected government is about to be toppled,” she said and added those levelling allegations against Rana Sanaullah should resign.

She said, “When the regime could not conjure up any corruption, assets beyond means or misuse of authority

accusations against Rana Sanaullah, they stooped to a new low by pinning false allegations of drug trafficking.

They went to the extent of repeatedly swearing falsely in the name of God Almighty to further their vicious propaganda against Rana Sanaullah. They lied on the floor of the august house in their character assassination campaign.”

Talking about the legislation regarding extension of the Chief of the Army Staff, she said the PMLN will make the right decision in the greater national interest and that of the respectable national institution. The government should not act as if it is the only deciding power in this matter.

She said Musharraf’s cabinet and rented spokespersons should mind their language and should refrain from making national institutions controversial with their stupid and naive statements.

She said the “real misuse of authority is shutting down Malam Jabba case using the powers of premiership;

There are no missing persons in Jinnah’s Pakistan: raza rabbani KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Senator Raza Rabbani on Wednesday said the concept of missing persons and monarchy did not exist in Pakistan envisioned by its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Speaking at an event, the former Senate chairman said that democracy in the country had turned into dictatorship.

"Democracy and constitution are not being implemented in their true form in Pakistan," he said. Rabbani said that not a single senate session had been convened in the past 117 days. He said that Quaid-e-Azam's vision for Pakistan had been altered. He said that the government was deciding the fates of the people by endangering their rights.

squashing the PTV and parliament attack case; moving the court to stop investigation of corruption in Peshawar metro; halting the inquiry of corruption into the billion tree tsunami scam; shutting parliament down to gag criticism; gagging of news shows in the middle”.

Marriyum said the real reason behind arrest of Ahsan Iqbal was that Imran could not stomach the truth being told by Ahsan Iqbal regarding the failures of the imposed PTI regime.

Marriyum said every illegally abducted PML-N leader has demanded that his trial be held as openly as possible in front of media which is the true testament of their transparency and innocence. While, on the other hand, she said, Imran Khan has requested that the foreign funding case be kept under wraps and should not be made public.

Speaking on the occasion, former national assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said that instead of contacting the opposition over army chief Gen Qamar

Javed Bajwa’s tenure extension, the government has started targeting the opposition.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Tallal Chaudhry also censured Minister Afridi for failing to produce video evidence against Sanaullah in spite of his multiple claims of possessing such a proof.

Responding to the presser of the minister, Tallal said the minister took a Uturn by saying that he had “spoken of footage and not a video”.

“Shehryar Afridi has become a ‘Uturn Niazi’ […] he should apologise to the nation as neither evidence nor video is available [to him],” the PML-N leader said, asking Afridi to resign for telling “lies”. “The nation has seen that Rana Sanaullah was kept imprisoned for seven months on the basis of a lie,” he said, adding that he could see no sign of humiliation, shame and regret on the face of the minister, instead continued arrogance.

“The nation was waiting for Shehryar Afridi to present the video to today.”

Rasheed says next few months ‘critical’ NEWS DESK Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed on Wednesday said that the next few months were critical in the country’s political atmosphere. Addressing an event in Rawalpindi, the minister said the voter registration of Muslims in India has been challenged today as they are deprived of their documents.

The Muslims of India are now looking towards Pakistan, he added.

He claimed that India could increase border tensions with Pakistan amid such situation, however, our armed forces are completely ready to deal with any misadventure and the nation should also be prepared. In-

dian forces have installed missiles alongside Kashmir border, he said.

“Millions of Muslims took to the streets around the world for getting freedom, whereas, these people [Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leadership] are heading to hold a public gathering here in Rawalpindi.” “[Prime Minister] Imran Khan will bring back the looted money of the nationals at any cost. I sought permission from PM Khan for raising some points but it was not granted. The coming months are very important for the national politics and Imran Khan will take control over the situation. PM Khan is not going anywhere but there [opposition leaders] political age has ended

CMYK

now.”

The federal minister said that he will head towards Larkana if the opposition is arriving in Rawalpindi.

He announced to organise a public gathering in Larkana, the stronghold of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

He further said, “The legal team will give any statement regarding the developments against Rana Sanaullah and Ahsan Iqbal. The decision regarding Maryam Nawaz was taken unanimously by the federal cabinet for not allowing her to go abroad.” While commenting over the special court’s verdict against Pervez Musharraf, Rasheed said that no law allows dragging and hanging of a dead body.

Afridi further said that the PML-N leader had been arrested on the basis of a lead from a person who had been arrested at Faisalabad airport. Sanaullah was arrested by the ANF Lahore team on July 1 while he was traveling from Faisalabad to Lahore near the Ravi Toll Plaza on the motorway. ANF claimed to have seized 15kg heroin from his vehicle. A special team of the force had also arrested five others, including the driver and security guards of the PML-N leader. The first information report (FIR) was lodged under Section 9(C) of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, which carries the death penalty or life imprisonment or a jail term that may extend to 14 years, along with a fine up to Rs1 million.

Judges uNavailable iN maryam ecl case LAHORE INP

The Lahore High Court (LHC) bench seized with the hearing of PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz’s petition seeking removal of her name from the no-fly list won’t be available for the next hearing slated for Dec 26.

Justice Ali Baqir Najafi, who heads the division bench, has gone on winter vacation, whereas Justice Anwarul Haq, a member of the bench, too won’t be available during this period.

No special bench has been formed yet to take up the petition of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter on the scheduled date in absence of these judges. The case may likely be referred to the benches hearing urgent cases or adjourned until after the vacation. Earlier, on Dec 23, the bench had adjourned the plea of Maryam Nawaz seeking to remove her name from the Exit Control List (ECL) till December 26. Amjad Pervez in his arguments had said the name of her client was placed on the ECL without affording her an opportunity of a fair hearing. The counsel had said the ruling PTI, being a rival of the PMLN, will not allow Maryam to fly to London as some federal ministers too are openly saying that they will not allow her to go out of the country.

The federal cabinet a day earlier decided not to remove her name from the no-fly list. The federal cabinet decided not to remove Maryam Nawaz’s name from the ECL while approving the recommendation forwarded by the sub-committee in this regard. Sources said PM Khan sought recommendation from members over the decision of the cabinet subcommittee which opposed the removal of her name from the list. The cabinet members unanimously voted in favour of the sub-committee’s decision.

04 ISLAMABAD

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

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Uplift of roads, tourism, industrial zones part of PTI’s strategy: CM Khan PESHAWAR APP

PESHAWAR: Christians offer Christmas prayers at a church in the provincial capital. ONLINE

NUST refUTeS rePorTS of alleged SexUal aSSaUlT aT ISlaMaBad CaMPUS ISLAMABAD

STAFF REPORT

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ATIONAL University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) on Wednesday refuted reports of an alleged sexual assault of a student at its Islamabad campus. News of the alleged rape of a female student made rounds on social media on Tuesday. According to the reports, a female student was sexually assaulted by a construction worker at the National Science & Technology Park (NSTP). The reports, which could not be verified until the filing of this story, also allege that the girl complained to the university administration but no action was taken.

So far, no police report has been registered.

There has been a terrifying report about a sexual

assault of a student on the premises of a campus at one of the biggest universities in #Islamabad.

The building was inaugurated this month, and the administration is trying to bury the matter by silencing the students who are+ NUST, through its official Twitter account on Tuesday night, denied that any such incident had taken place and termed the reports “a desperate act of seeking attention” while also slamming “false rape allegations”. “What kind of a person makes fabricated rape accusations?” reads the tweet by the university. “Let’s start with the thought-provoking fact that false rape allegations ruin lives, reputations and futures. Indeed, propagating such incorrect news is the most horrendous and shameless of acts.

What kind of a person makes fabricated rape

QAU celebrates Quaid’s 143rd birthday anniversary ISLAMABAD APP

Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) Islamabad Wednesday celebrated 143rd birthday anniversary of Founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah here at DRSM Library Conference Hall of the varsity.

The event was presided over

by QAU Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ali Shah while Director Student Affairs Dr Amir Waseem, Director Academics Dr Ishtiaq Ali, President Academic Staff Association Dr Aqeel Bukhari, QAU Alumni Association Secretary General Murtaza Noor, faculty members, office bearers of Employees Welfare Association and students attended the event. Deputy Director Student Affairs Dr. Mariam Anees conducted the proceedings of the ceremony.

Addressing on the occasion, Dr Muhammad Ali Shah emphasised over implementation of the

vision of the founder of Pakistan.

He highlighted the various aspects of Muhammad Ali Jinnah's personality through paying him tribute. He said that Muhammad Ali Jinnah paid a lot of attention towards importance of education and women empowerment. He even through his last will, donated huge sum of amount to three leading educational institutions i.e Aligarh Muslim University, Islamia College Peshawar and Sindh Madressatul Islam University Karachi.

He said through following ideas and vision of founder of Pakistan, the country could make headways in every field of life.

He reiterated that being a leading and top ranked higher education institution established in the name of founder of Pakistan, QAU would continue to follow his vision. At the end of ceremony, the QAU Vice Chancellor along with other participants cut a cake.

‘Brand Pakistan’ being developed to promote tourism: Zulfi ISLAMABAD APP

National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB) Chairman Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari has said that the government was in process of introducing

accusations? Let’s start with the thought-provoking fact that false rape allegations ruin lives, reputations and futures. Indeed, propagating such incorrect news is the most horrendous and shameless of acts. (1/4) “Recent tweets about the alleged rape of a student are nothing but a heinous attempt to defame this prestigious seat of learning, a desperate act of seeking attention, and a complete hoax.” The university said that a “thorough” investigation has been carried out into the allegations. “The security and wellbeing of everyone on campus is an absolute priority for NUST management. The investigation revealed that no such incident has taken place.”

“Please rest assured that NUST is safe, and people have no reason to pay heed to this deceitful accusation,” the university added.

Kashmiris celebrate 143rd birthday of Quaid-e-Azam MIRPUR APP

People across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Wednesday celebrated 143rd birth anniversary of founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah with a renewed commitment to continue the individual and collective role for making Pakistan progressive and prosperous in letter and spirit as envisioned by father of the nation. The day dawned with special prayers in the mosques across the AJK for the integrity, solidarity, progress and prosperity of Pakistan and for the early success of the Kashmir freedom movement. Special ceremonies were held to celebrate the birthday of Quaid-e-Azam across the AJK. Various social, political and intellectual organizations held special programs to celebrate this day. The Quaid’s birthday cakes were cut in these ceremonies.

Addressing these ceremonies,

‘Brand Pakistan’ to promote the country’s tourism industry as a global brand. The tenders for developing ‘Brand Pakistan’ had been floated and top private consultants would be hired shortly for the purpose, Zulfikar Bukhari said while addressing the ‘Social Media Influencers’ seminar on the other day.

The event was arranged by the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to encourage v-loggers, bloggers and content producers for projecting true image of the country abroad. The NTCB chairman said the social media influencers had pivotal role in boosting in-

the speakers paid glorious tributes to the founder of Pakistan besides highlighting his hectic life, ideas and achievements – which led to the establishment of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. In Mirpur major ceremony was hosted by Kashmiri NGO Jinnah Foundation, AJK on Monday. The Jinnah Foundation AJK Chairman Dr. Amin Chadurhy, Secretary General Altaf Hamid Rao, Youth Wing leader of the organisation Wasif Amin Choudhry and eminent elders of the diverse segments of the local civil society cut the birthday cake of father of the nation. Addressing the ceremony, the speakers shed a light on the leadership qualities of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. They said the best way to pay tribute to Quaid-e-Azam was to continue his mission with national spirit for making Pakistan a fully prosperous and developed country as envisioned by late father of the nation.

bound tourism in Pakistan as foreign tourists relied upon the online platforms to plan their trips.

Therefore, it is imperative to tap into and utilize the social media industry to portray Pakistan’s true image internationally, which could not be projected in the past, he added. Reforms were being introduced into the PTDC to transform this organization so that it could play a leading role to promote tourism and attract local and foreign tourists. PTDC Managing Director Syed Intikhab Alam said the National Tourism Strategy (NTS) draft had been prepared after holding multiple consultative sessions with tourism experts of public and private sectors.

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has said that road networks, development of tourist destinations and rapid establishment of industrial zones were part of the provincial government's overall developmental strategy. He expressed these views during a meeting with the Provincial Minister for Communications and Works Akbar Ayub at Chief Minister's Secretariat Peshawar. Provincial Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shahab Ali Shah and MD PKHA were also present on the occasion.He said "foreign investment is of paramount importance for the development of the province and present provincial government is working to ensure the foreign investment and to promote ease of doing business in the province".The Chief Minister stated "The provincial government is taking all possible steps to bring about an economic revolution in the province including newly merged tribal districts". He made it clear that public awareness would be ensured in all public interest measures of the provincial government so that the public could get benefit from the initiatives. He said that an integrated strategy has been formulated for the stability of the economy in the province. Roads construction and all other facilities would be made possible in all the industrial zones of the province. He said that with the growth of industrial zones across the province would not only pave the way for development of the province but would also provide greater employment opportunities to the people.The Chief Minister furthered that tourism sector has great potential to improve the economy of the province.

Tourist destinations were being developed in the Northern Areas. He added that with the efforts of the provincial government, Gilgit to Chakdara road via Shandur and Chitral road would be made and utilized as CPEC alternative route. Completion of this route would improve tourism and commerce sector in Northern areas and would also provide employment to the locals.The Chief Minister further stated that focus was also being given to peace and prosperity of the province along with developmental projects. He said that with the help of people and security institutions peace had restored in KP including Newly Merged tribal Districts. The provincial government initiated developmental projects for sustainable development and prosperity in the tribal districts. He said efforts were underway to further improve bilateral trade with Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries to boost economic activities in the province which would further enhance regional cooperation.

20 culprits arrested during crackdown against criminals ISLAMABAD INP

Islamabad Police have arrested 20 persons during its crackdown against criminal elements and recovered narcotics and weapons from them, a police spokesman.Following directions of Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Waqar Ud Din Syed issued directions to all zonal officers for renewed efforts against those involved in anti-social activities.Owing these efforts, Aabpara police arrested 03 accused Arslan Masih,Mobeen and Muhammad Rahim and recovered 28 liters and two wine bottles from their possession. Banigala police arrested accused Nadeem and recovered 120 gram hashish from him.

CIA police arrested accused Hasnain Ali and recovered 20 liters wine from him. Golra police arrested accused Farhad khan and recovered snatched mobile and one 30 bore pistol from him. Tarnol police arrested two accused Dil Aram and Khasita Nawab and 220 gram hashish from their possession. Shahzad Town police arrested an afghan national accused Zahid. Khanna police arrested 03 accused Hassan Raza , Aamir and Mansoor and recovered 22 wine bottles and one 30 bore pistol from their possession. Sihala police arrested five accused Muhammad Waqas, Naveed Gul, Tanveer, Sohail Ahmed and kokab and recovered 1.730 kilogram hashish, 50 liters and two wine bottles from their possession. Koral police arrested 03 accused Hasnain , Tariq and Waqar and recovered three 30 bore pistols along with ammunition from their possession. Cases have been registered against these nabbed persons and further investigation is underway from them. DIG (Operations) Islamabad Waqar Uddin Syed has said that these social evils would be curbed and those backing those drug peddlers and professional beggars would be dealt with iron hand. He further emphasized that this campaign would continue till elimination of anti-social elements.

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

Over 44,000 reMOved BISP BeneFIcIarIeS Own vehIcleS SHAHZAD PARACHA

Govt committed to homogeneous development across country: Shafqat KARACHI: Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said on Wednesday that the PTI government is committed to homogeneous development across the country. Talking to media after visiting the Jinnah Mausoleum along with PTI MPAs from Karachi, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan had categorically directed the federal and provincial governments to work together for the welfare of the public. He further said the people who looted the country must be held accountable. Meanwhile, Minister for Religious Affairs NoorulHaq Qadri, in a message on the 143rd birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, said that all the religions in Pakistan enjoy equal rights as per the directives of the father of the nation. He also extended greetings to the Christian community in Pakistan and across the world on the occasion of Christmas. He said the incumbent government is committed to ensuring the constitutional rights of all the minorities residing in Pakistan. INP

3 Iranian soldiers kidnapped in Pakistan to return soon TEHRAN INP

Media needs to highlight govt's economic achievements: Firdous

ISLAMABAD

8

05

Iran’s Border Guard Commander Guardian Brigadier General Ghasem Rezaie informed on Wednesday that three Iranian soldiers who had been kidnapped in Pakistan will come back to their country in near future. “We have conducted several rounds of negotiations with Pakistani officials in this regard, which have been satisfactory,” he said. “The Iranian soldiers are in good health and will join their families in Iran,” he added.

DOCUMENTS REVEAL 820,165 EXCLUDED BENEFICIARIES WERE LIVING AFFLUENTLY AS OVER 0.3M HAD TRAVELLED ABROAD 20,165 beneficiaries of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), who were removed from the database recently, were living an affluent lifestyle and were using the funds meant for the poor to meet their luxury needs.

Documents revealed that 153,302 beneficiaries had travelled abroad once while 10,475 beneficiaries had travelled abroad on multiple occasions. Similarly, the spouses of 195,364 beneficiaries had also travelled abroad once while the spouses of 166,319 beneficiaries had undertaken foreign trips more than once.

692 beneficiaries had one or more vehicles registered under their names while the spouses of 43,746 beneficiaries had one or more vehicles registered under their names.

The average telephone bill of 24,564 beneficiaries was more than Rs1,000 while the same was also true for the spouses of 115,567 beneficiaries.

666 beneficiaries had applied for passport through executive centres whereas the spouses of 580 beneficiaries had done the same. Moreover, three of more family members of 36,970 beneficiaries of the poverty alleviation programme had applied for Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC) through executive centres.

Documents also revealed that 14,730 beneficiaries were employees of Pakistan Railways, Pakistan Post and BISP itself. Similarly, the

NEWS

ISLAMABAD APP

spouses of 127,826 beneficiaries were employees of the same.

A day earlier, the federal cabinet had approved Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division’s proposal for excluding 820,165 beneficiaries from the database.

The decision was taken on a recommendation forwarded by the division, taken up at the weekly federal cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Pegged as the largest social safety programme, BISP provides cash transfers to about 5.1 million poor families across the country. It used the proxy means test (PMT) methodology to ascertain the eligibility of the beneficiaries.

In its recommendation, the division had said that a 2010-11 survey on socio-economic indicators for 27 million households across Pakistan established a cut-off poverty score at 16.17 to

make ever-married women as BISP beneficiaries. “The demographic and socio-economic status, as well as the composition of households, change with time. Over time some of these beneficiary households have become relatively better-off,” the letter had stated.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Dr Sania Nishtar, in a tweet, thanked the cabinet for approving the proposal. “I wish to thank the Cabinet for approving my proposal: exiting 820,165 @bisp_pakistan beneficiaries. Using forensic data analysis, we found they were ineligible for support based on the crtieria below. This translates into saving of PKR 16 billion for the government annually,” she said.

It is pertinent to mention here that around 5.4 million beneficiaries have been included in the BISP database since July 2008.

NAB has recovered Rs153bn in last 27 months, says chief ISLAMABAD APP

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has arrested 630 accused, filed 600 references, deposited Rs 153 billion in the national exchequer in the last 27 months, said Chairman Justice (r) Javed Iqbal on Wednesday.

In a statement, he said the overall ratio of conviction of NAB was 70 percent in the accountability courts, which was highest as comparing to any other such anti-graft institution.

Right now,1,261 references, having accumulated value of Rs 943 billion, were in 25 different accountability courts. NAB has no affiliation with any political party, group or individual but has affiliations with the state of Pakistan and NAB officers were performing their national duty of eradication of corruption with dedication.

Javed said the anti -graft watchdog was making vigorous attempts to eradicate the menace of corruption by pursuing its policy of ‘Accountability for All’. NAB has already set its goal of taking the cases of the corrupt, proclaimed offenders to logical conclusion as per law and ensure the return of looted money of the nation from them.

The performance of the bureau has already been acknowledged by prestigious national and international institutions including Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), Mashal Pakistan, Transparency International and World Economic Forum, he said adding according to Gillani and Gallup International 59 percent people of Pakistan expressed confidence over NAB, which has encouraged the bureau’s officers as they have redoubled their efforts for eradication of corruption from the country.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Wednesday that 2020 would be the year of providing relief to the general public after the economic revival of the country.

Addressing APP Award Distribution Ceremony here, the PM’s aide said that 2020 would be the year of fulfilment of promises made in the manifesto of PTI and expressed the hope that media would play its role in highlighting the achievements made by the present government. She said that on December 25, Christian community celebrates Christmas whereas it was also the birthday of founder of Pakistan Quaid-e- Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. She said that Quaid-e- Azam with his commitment and dedication changed the map of the sub-continent and realised the dream of Pakistan. She said that Prime Minister Imran Khan following the vision of Quaid-e- Azam, struggled 23 years for transforming Pakistan. She said Imran Khan not only challenged the status quo but succeeded in defeating it in 2018 elections and that the foundation of Naya Pakistan has been laid with introduction of far-reaching reforms in the institutions. The PM’s aide said that the empowerment of national institutions was the policy of the Quaid-e-Azam and the present government was striving to empower the institutions but in the past the rulers adopted policies to benefit themselves and their cronies. She said Imran Khan has proved himself as a true leader instead of being a traditional politician. She said that traditional politicians try to please all and focus on next elections but a true leader focuses on the betterment of the next generations and makes difficult decisions irrespective of their negative impact on his vote bank. Dr Firdous said that minorities not only played an important role at the time of the creation of Pakistan but also took active part in the nation-building process. Dr Firdous further said that restructuring process in Associated Press of Pakistan has been initiated to make it a modern and self-reliant institution. She expressed the hope that after restructuring, APP would become a leading news agency in the region. She said that the government and the workers of APP worked collectively for the improvement of the premier news agency. Appreciating the launch of APP Awards, she said that this would encourage its employees to work hard and encourage healthy competition among workers which would ultimately benefit the organization.

She also appreciated the efforts of APP Managing Director Tariq Mehmood Khan for initiating digitalisation process.

She said that the credit of announcement of 8th Wage Board Award goes to the present government as after 19 years the award was announced. She said Prime Minister Imran Khan had fulfilled the commitment made with the journalist organizations as the government wanted to protect rights of the journalists. Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Chairman Senator Faisal Javaid, Principal Information Officer, Press Information Department Tahir Hassan, APP MD Tariq Mehmood Khan, APP Executive Director Ghawas Khan, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists President Afzal Butt and National Press Club President Shakeel Qarar also attended the ceremony.

S Korean tourists eager to explore Pakistan: envoy ISLAMABAD MIAN ABRAR

Seung Man Sang, Deputy Head of Mission, South Korean Embassy has said that Pakistan could attract a majority of 40 million South Korean tourists due to its tourist attractions better than other parts of the world.

In a discussion with a small group of journalists here, the South Korean deputy head of the mission said that in 2020, the Korean embassy would focus on bringing more and more investment in Pakistan by ensuring security to Korean citizens visiting Pakistan.

He said out of 50 million South Korean citizens, 40 million were tourists and they would love to visit Pakistan with improving security and hosting facilities.

“The major concerns for the tourists are security and good quality hoteling fa-

cilities. With improving the security situation in Pakistan, I hope Pakistan can attract more tourists from South Korea due

to its rich and virgin tourist destinations and loving people,” he said.

Seung Man Sang said that South

CMYK

Korea plans to send its top agricultural expert to Pakistan next month who would advise the federal government on advancement in agricultural sector.

He said that with Pakistan’s economic situation improving, South Korean investors are also keen to come and invest here. “Due to the security issues in Pakistan, the Korean investors were hesitant to come and invest in Pakistan. But next year, there would be many investors coming to explore options for investment in Pakistan,” he said.

The Korean deputy head of mission said that South Korea had already started Solar Testing System Certification Program US$ 10 million grant in NUST while and clean drinking water programme is also underway in Sindh.

“We are also providing soft loan to Pakistan for developing modern and state of the art IT Parks in Islamabad and

Karachi,” he said and added that next year, some big Korean investments in communication sector is likely.

He said 13000 Pakistanis are staying in South Korea while 2000 Pakistanis are studying in Korea and around 500/600 Pakistanis visit Seoul every year.

“We are also facing the issue of illegal immigrants from Pakistan. We are working with Pakistan to mitigate this issue. We have also enhanced quota for Pakistani workers from 1000 to 1100 in the year 2020 in the skilled worker category. On the other hand, 10,000 Koreans visit Pakistan annually but 800 are staying here at present,” he added.

He said KOICA is actively engaged in the provision of clean drinking water, solar system, textiles university and other support projects in Pakistan.

“We are providing $80 million support in the energy sector,” he concluded.

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

06 WORLD VIEW

indiA’s foreign minister refused to meet me. i won’t stop speAking out on humAn rights THE UNITED STATES HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO ADVOCATE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD — A CAUSE I HAVE CHAMPIONED IN MY OWN LIFE AND WORK

WaShIngtOn POSt

i

PRAMILA JAYAPAL

am proud to have lived my life in two of the world’s great democracies — as a citizen of India for almost 35 years, and today, as a proud American citizen and the first Indian American woman elected to the House of Representatives.

The United States and India — the world’s longest-running democracy and the world’s largest democracy — have shared a unique and important relationship for decades that has weathered disagreements and tensions on the core premise that our countries are important to each other and to global stability. Both our Constitutions begin with the words, “We, the People.” And during the civil rights movement, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. identified Mahatma Gandhi and his movement for nonviolent resistance

as a core inspiration.

So it came as a surprise when, last week, the Indian government communicated to the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot L. Engel (DN.Y.), that External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar would not attend a meeting on Capitol Hill if I was present.

The apparent reason was a bipartisan resolution I introduced this month, with Rep. Steve Watkins (R-Kan.) as an original cosponsor, calling on the Indian government to uphold basic human rights in Indian held Kashmir. The resolution was narrowly crafted to focus on three issues: lifting the communications blackout that has been imposed on Indian held Kashmir since August, ending detentions without charges and respecting religious freedom.

Rep. Engel rightly refused to accede to the demand; it is wholly inappropriate for any foreign government to try to dictate which members of Congress participate in meetings on Capitol Hill. It’s also a sign of weakness for any great democracy to refuse to allow those who have some criticisms to participate in a meeting — a giant missed opportunity for two

countries that value dialogue and dissent.

When I visited India in 2017 with then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (DCalif.) and Rep. Engel on a congressional delegation, I raised the issues of religious freedom in India to Prime Minister Narendra Modi directly. Jaishankar also participated in that meeting.

Unfortunately, the situation in India has gotten far worse since that visit. There has been a spike in attacks against religious minorities throughout India. The Indian government’s imposition of a media blackout in Indian held Kashmir is now the longest-running Internet shutdown ever to occur in a democracy.

While some landlines have been restored, millions still have no access to mobile services or the Internet. Foreign journalists have largely been kept out of the region and even Indian members of Parliament have been unable to visit the area. Hospitals have been unable to get supplies, emergency health services have been severely disrupted and people with serious health conditions have been unable to access critical medicines.

Disturbingly, the Indian government

has also “taken into preventive custody” over 5,000 Kashmiris, including about 144 children — many under the Public Safety Act, a controversial law that allows authorities to imprison someone in Indian held Kashmir for up to two years without charge or trial. These “preventive” arrests afford detainees no due process and are clear violations of international human rights. As of Dec. 4, 609 people remained in custody in and outside of Kashmir.

Since August, I have advocated for several of my constituents, including one whose uncle, Mubeen Shah, was detained without charges and held for several months. Thanks to advocacy from his family, U.S. diplomats and my office, Shah was finally granted permanent release this month. His release was an important step forward for justice, but many others are still waiting for due process.

Over the past few months, I have consistently spoken with individuals who have provided criticism and defense of the Indian government’s actions. Prior to introduction of the resolution, I had two meetings scheduled with the Indian ambassador to the United States, both of which were canceled by the ambassador’s office. I have attended two congressional hearings on the issues in India, one in the House Foreign Affairs Committee and one with the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, where I have listened to expert testimony from the State Department and other witnesses.

Inside the US-Iran prisoner swap, and what comes next CAN WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN BUILD ON THE SUCCESS OF THE SWISS FACILITATED EXCHANGE?

al-MOnItOr LAuRA Rozen

Days before an Iranian stem cell scientist was due to plead guilty and be sentenced to time served by an Atlanta judge as part of a carefully negotiated prisoner swap that would lead to the release by Iran of Princeton graduate student Xiyue Wang, a potential spoiler emerged.

State Department Iran envoy Brian Hook sent a message to the Swiss and Iranians that former New Mexico governor and US Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson was not authorized to negotiate the swap by the US government, according to a person involved in the negotiations. Instead, the Justice Department directed the US attorney in Atlanta to drop all charges against the stem cell scientist, Masoud Soleimani.

“We had a plea agreement that had been agreed to by the US attorney in Atlanta and defense counsel, and was awaiting the judge’s acceptance on Dec. 11,” former Kansas Democratic Rep. James Slattery, who worked pro bono to try to help attorney Jason Poblete secure Wang’s release, told Al-Monitor. “The court date was set for Dec. 11 for the judge to review the plea agreement. It was certain to be approved by a federal judge. After that, Dr. Soleimani would have been sentenced to time served and released.”

“And then the Justice Department intervenes with the US attorney, and basically directs the US attorney to drop all charges,” Slattery continued. “That’s how that all happened.”

The swap proceeded in Zurich on Dec. 8, with the charges dropped against Soleimani rather than a plea deal. Hook had flown on a plane with Soleimani, who was in the custody of US marshals until he was turned over to Iranian officials. Wang was flown to Zurich from Tehran on a flight with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and a senior foreign ministry adviser on Latin American affairs, Mohsen Baharvand.

Hook subsequently said that he and Baharvand did not converse at the swap,

calling it a missed opportunity, and suggesting that Baharvand may not have been authorized to speak with a US official.

“We demonstrated with the prisoner exchange that we know how to work together and reach a deal,” Hook told an audience at the Council on Foreign Relations on Dec. 12. “I do hope this exchange is a first step.”

Hook did not immediately respond to a query from Al-Monitor on why he had allegedly intervened in the potential swap preparations in the final days, before subsequently jumping in and claiming credit.

Mickey Bergman, the vice president of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement — which had been approached by the Wang family as well as others held in Iran, Syria, Venezuela, North Korea and Russia to try to secure their release, and had been engaged with both Zarif and officials at the National Security Council and Justice Department for months — said the important thing is that Wang was home.

“The Wang-Soleimani exchange proved to the Iranians that we can deliver, not only talk; and it proved to us, including the US government, that the Iranians are good on their promise to Richardson,” Bergman told Al-Monitor. “This is very important as there are more Americans in Iran that we want to bring home.”

“We work on behalf of the families,” Bergman said. While governments have a “complex set of interests with any foreign government, we have a singular one: Bring the person home. While we understand the ‘bigger picture,’ that means that we often need to ‘cook’ an arrangement on our own, and introduce it to the government only when we feel it is set, otherwise we allow spoilers … who don’t want a deal, to spoil.”

“I wish they understood this is not a one-time game,” Bergman said of government officials jumping in at the last minute to try to seize control of or credit for a sensitive exchange, noting there are other prisoners whose release they are working to secure.

Bergman said he and Richardson were encouraged by a meeting they held with Zarif on the sidelines of the Doha Forum on Dec. 15 on the prospect of securing the homecoming of others held

by Iran, including Navy veteran

Michael White. They are also working on the case of former FBI agent Bob Levinson, who went missing on Iran’s Kish Island in 2007.

“Following the Wang-Soleimani exchange, … Gov. Richardson sat with Foreign Minster Zarif in Doha, closing the loop on the latest exchange and discussing further humanitarian exchanges,” Bergman said. “We are working on behalf of and at the request of Michael White’s family as well as Bob Levinson’s family. Naturally, those two cases were discussed in our meeting with FM Zarif. The discussion was productive. There is a lot of heavy lifting to do, but we are hopeful.”

Though Hook, Ivanka Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also attended the Doha Forum, Zarif said there had been no Iranian official encounters with members of the US government delegation there. “No meeting or even accidental encounter in Doha,” he told Al-Monitor.

If the Trump administration wants to get to talks with Iran, it should adjust its approach, Bergman said.

“If the US wanted to facilitate meaningful dialogue with Iran, either in Zurich during the exchange or in Doha after the exchange,” he suggested holding off on announcing new sanctions. “Instead, make a positive statement, like the president actually did, but back it up in actions, don’t follow it up with slapping additional sanctions. That proved to the Iranians that they couldn’t trust the president.”

Slattery, who was acquainted with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, who did his university and graduate studies in Kansas, said he hoped the United States and Iran could build on the success of Wang’s release.

“I learned a lot during these negotiations working with Jason Poblete and Gov. Bill Richardson and the Iranian officials,” the former Kansas congressman told Al-Monitor by email. “The Iranian officials did exactly what they promised me they would do.”

But Slattery said he had concerns about prisoner swaps, and respected the Justice Department’s concerns about politicizing, or the appearance of politicizing, the US legal system. He also urged

the US government to ease sanctions that restrict Iran’s ability to procure medicines, because banks do not have the assurances they need to facilitate the transaction.

“I do not like prisoner swaps because they can politicize our legal system,” he said. “We must never charge someone with a crime for political reasons nor should we release someone from prison who has been charged with violating US law for political reasons.

Criminal cases should be processed based on the law and facts.”

“I hope the [US] administration will actively pursue the sale of medicines to Iran that are excluded from US sanctions,” Slattery said. “The people of Iran, including children, senior citizens and the critically ill are suffering from the lack of medicines. US sanctions permit the sale of medicines. Preventing the sale of medicines by denying banks the assurances they need to facilitate the medicine sale transactions empowers the Revolutionary Guard in Iran while causing great suffering among the people. This does not serve US interests or Israeli interests.

“I urge the administration to be as bold with its diplomatic outreach to Iran as it has been to North Korea,” Slattery concluded. “The rewards will be far greater.” “I believe it’s in the interest of all to engage in a comprehensive exchange of detainees on both sides,” an Iranian diplomat, speaking not for attribution, said Wednesday.

Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese US green card holder released by Iran in June, said that he and Wang’s wife, Hua Qu, had met with US national security adviser Robert O’Brien in September and sought to persuade him that the United States should respond to Zarif’s overtures that he had authority to negotiate a prisoner swap.

“We were very clear, why do you not respond to Zarif,” Zakka told AlMonitor. He said they tried to impress on O’Brien, who previously served as Trump’s special hostage envoy, that “it was the first time that Zarif was mentioning names” of Iranians held by the United States that could be potentially released in a swap, Zakka, who said he was in the same cell with Wang in Iran for two years, expressed joy that he was back. “We stayed next to each other for two years,” Zakka said. “He is a great guy. … I am so glad that he is back.”

Laura Rozen is Al-Monitor’s diplomatic correspondent based in Washington, DC.

Unfortunately, in the weeks since we introduced our resolution on Indian held Kashmir, India has passed a new citizenship law that excludes Muslim migrants from its majority-Muslim neighbors from a new pathway to citizenship, an unprecedented break from India’s secular constitution.

Taken together with the National Register for Citizens — a citizenship survey piloted in the state of Assam that led to the exclusion of nearly 2 million people from the state’s citizenship records — many fear this new citizenship law could be used to prevent Muslim migrants from becoming citizens and voting. And on Friday, the Indian government issued an advisory demanding that cable television stations in the country abstain from broadcasting any content that “promotes anti-national attitudes.”

The United States has a responsibility to advocate for human rights around the world — a cause I have championed in my own life and work. As a member of Congress and as an Indian American, I will continue to speak out on fundamental principles of democracy such as freedom of the press, religious freedom and due process. Protecting these rights — particularly in the most difficult of circumstances — is the only way democracies can survive and thrive.

Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, represents Washington’s 7th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.

AlArming mismAnAgement of medicAl wAste THIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE RECTIFICATION Star, BangladeSh A report published by this daily on December 22 on the mishandling of medical waste in Rajshahi is symptomatic of the overall reluctance of medical authorities in managing medical waste across the country. Every few days, this daily publishes reports and writes editorials on the mismanagement of medical waste, only to fall on deaf ears, apparently.

According to the report in question, despite having coloured boxes to sort medical waste at the 205 hospitals and medical centres across Rajshahi, the wastes are all dumped in landfills, on roads and roadside bins, all mixed together. And this is dangerous and pose serious health risks, especially because half of the three tonnes of medical waste generated in Rajshahi is infectious. Little children and grownups work in the landfills to sort the waste with their bare hands, often injuring themselves with sharp medical waste objects like syringes, which can increase exponentially the spread of contagious diseases.

According to DGHS any healthcare facility must have an incinerator, autoclave and effluent treatment plants to dispose of hazardous medical waste; of all the 205 healthcare centres in Rajshahi, only Rajshahi Medical College (RMC) has an incinerator, that too almost in tatters. Currently, the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) is responsible for their medical waste management, and their work isn’t flawless. RCC has initiated a Tk 2 crore project with an NGO to deal with this problem, which is likely to go into production next year. And the NGO will only dispose of the solid waste. So, what happens to the rest?

Medical waste—general, infectious, hazardous, radioactive—mishandled, can unleash epidemic-scale health crisis. In view of this pervasive problem, the concerned authorities—not just in Rajshahi, but all over the country—should take this matter seriously and correct their course before it is too late.

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

FOREIGN NEWS 07

'IT doEsn'T MaTTEr If IT's CHrIsTMas': Hong Kong pro-dEMoCraCy aCTIvIsTs KEEp up proTEsTs

HONG KONG

H

AGENCIES

ONG KONG anti-government protesters marched through Christmasdecorated shopping centers on Wednesday, chanting pro-democracy slogans and forcing one mall to close early, as police fired tear gas to disperse crowds gathering on nearby streets.

The protests have turned more confrontational over the festive season, though earlier in December they had been largely peaceful after pro-democracy candidates overwhelmingly won district council elections. Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leaders have made no concessions to the protesters, despite acknowledging their defeat in November’s council elections.

“Confrontation is expected, it doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas,” said Chan, a 28-year-old restaurant worker who was part of a crowd which

exchanged insults with police outside a shopping center in the Mong Kok district.

“I’m disappointed the government still didn’t respond to any of our … demands. We continue to come out even if we don’t have much hope,” said Chan, who only gave his surname.

Riot police patrolled past protest hotspots while tourists and shoppers, many wearing Santa hats or reindeer antlers, strolled past.

There were no major clashes, but with impromptu crowds forming to shout abuse at the deeply unpopular officers, who have been accused of using excessive force, police briefly fired tear gas in Mong Kok, a popular protest area. Police say their reaction to the unrest has been restrained.

Hundreds of protesters, dressed in black and wearing face masks, descended on shopping malls around the Chinese-ruled city, shouting popular slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong!

Revolution of our times!”

Taiwan president urges more talks on contested China 'infiltration' bill TAIPEI AGENCIES

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen urged parliament on Wednesday to have more discussion on a proposed anti-infiltration bill which the government says is needed to combat Chinese influence and has been condemned by the main opposition and Beijing.

The legislation is part of a years-long effort to combat what many in Taiwan see as Chinese efforts to influence politics and the democratic process on the island. China claims Taiwan as its territory, to be brought under Beijing’s control by force if necessary.

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has begun a renewed push for the legislation, ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 11, and it could be passed

before the end of the year. Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, which favors close ties with China, has condemned the proposed legislation as a “political tool” of Tsai and her DPP to gain votes while trying to paint them as Chinese Communist Party agents.

Speaking at a policy presentation on live television, Tsai said other democracies around the world had either already passed or were looking at passing such legislation to prevent Chinese interference in their internal affairs.

“Compared to these countries, Taiwan is more directly confronted with various threats and infiltration from China,” said Tsai.

But some people at home think this “democratic protection net” is a provocation and akin to martial law, she added.

“I think this is a very negative and undesirable view.” Those who have concerns about the

Police arrested several people in a shopping mall in the Sha Tin district after pepper-spraying them. The mall closed early, with staff directing customers to leave. Other shopping centers remained open.

Baton-wielding police fired tear gas on Tuesday at thousands of protesters who barricaded roads, spray-painted slogans on buildings and trashed a Starbucks cafe and an HSBC branch. A water cannon truck, flanked by armored jeeps, roamed the streets, but was not heavily used.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that many members of the public and tourists were disappointed that their “Christmas Eve celebrations have been ruined”.

“Such illegal acts have not only dampened the festive mood but also adversely affected local businesses,” she said.

INJURED OVERNIGHT: The Hospital Authority said 25 people had been injured overnight, including one man who fell from the second to first floor of a shopping mall as he tried to escape the police.

HSBC has become embroiled in a controversy involving a police crackdown this month on a fund-raising platform supporting protesters.

HSBC denied any connection between the crackdown and its closure of a bank account linked to the group, but remains the target of protester rage.

Starbucks has also become a target of the demonstrators’ anger after the daughter of the founder of Maxim’s Caterers, which owns the local franchise, publicly condemned the protesters. The protests started more than six months ago against a now-withdrawn bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China where courts are controlled by the Communist Party. They have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement, with demonstrators angry at what they perceive as increased meddling by Beijing in the freedoms promised to the former British colony when it returned to Chinese rule in 1997. law need to detail exactly what those concerns are and not just sprout empty phrases against it, Tsai said. People can have a thorough discussion on this in parliament, she added.

“I believe that in the Legislative Yuan, as long as everyone sits down and has a good talk, there will be plenty of time and space for everyone to have a thorough discussion.”

Speaking earlier in the day in Beijing, China’s policy-making Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated its opposition to the bill, saying the DPP was trying to “blatantly reverse over” democracy and increase enmity.

China has repeatedly denied meddling in Taiwan politics. The bill was drafted by the DPP and aims to prohibit political activities and funding from “foreign hostile forces” – generally viewed as a reference to China.

Parliament is scheduled to vote on the bill next week, a move that has attracted criticism, not only from the opposition Kuomintang.

Terry Gou, founder of Apple (AAPL.O) supplier Foxconn (2317.TW) and Taiwan’s richest man, told a Taiwan television station on Tuesday that he would protest himself outside parliament if the DPP rushes through the legislation.

Military jet crashes in northwest Iran, killing two pilots GENEVA: An Iranian MiG fighter jet crashed in the northwest of the country on Wednesday, killing both pilots, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported. A helicopter from the Red Crescent has been dispatched to the crash site near Sabalan mountain, according to ILNA. No further details were immediately available. AGENCIES

Turkey's Erdogan in Tunisia for surprise talks with president ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Tunisia on Wednesday in a surprise visit for talks with his Tunisian counterpart, his office said, in the first visit by a head of state since Tunisian presidential elections in the autumn. The visit comes as Turkey has ramped up efforts to strike deals with nations on the Mediterranean, where Ankara has been at odds with Greece over resources off the coast of the divided island of Cyprus. Last month, Turkey signed a maritime delimitation agreement with Libya’s internationally recognized government, a move that enraged Greece. Athens says the deal violates international law, but Ankara says it aims to protect its rights in the region and is in full compliance with maritime laws. In a statement, Erdogan’s office said he was accompanied by his foreign and defense ministers, as well as his intelligence chief. It provided no further details on the content or purpose of the talks. The visit is the first by a head of state to Tunisia since the election of President Kais Saied in October, after Tunisian parliamentary elections. As part of its expanded cooperation with Tunisia’s neighbor Libya, Ankara also signed a military-cooperation deal with Fayez al-Serraj’s Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA). Erdogan has said Turkey may deploy troops in support of the GNA, which has been fighting off a monthslong offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces to the east of the country. On Tuesday, Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey may need to draft a bill to send troops into Libya and added the parliament was currently working on it. Ankara’s possible deployment into Libya has also alarmed Russia, which said it was very concerned by such a prospect. Turkey has already sent military supplies to the GNA despite a United Nations arms embargo, according to a U.N. report seen by Reuters last month. AGENCIES

Ethiopian Muslims protest after several mosques burned

ADDIS ABABA: Several thousand Muslims across Ethiopia in recent days have protested the burning of four mosques in the Amhara region. The Dec 20 attacks in Motta town also targeted Muslim-owned businesses. Muslims have called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has called the attacks attempts by extremists to break down the country’s rich history of religious tolerance and coexistence. Recent ethnic-based unrest in some parts of the country has at times taken religious form. Prominent Muslim scholar Kamil Shemsu on Tuesday told The Associated Press there are political actors who want to pit one religious group against another and blamed the negative role of activists and videos circulated online. Amhara regional officials said they have arrested 15 suspects in connection with the attacks. Police commander Jemal Mekonnen told state media the attacks appeared to be triggered by news of a fire that broke out in an Orthodox church a few days earlier. AGENCIES

Pope Francis ushers in Christmas with message of 'unconditional love' VATICAN CITY AGENCIES

Pope Francis ushered in Christmas on Wednesday for the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics with a message of unconditional love, saying “God continues to love us all, even the worst of us”.

“You may have mistaken ideas, you may have made a complete mess of things, but the Lord continues to love you,” the pontiff told crowds gathered at the Vatican for his Christmas Eve midnight mass. The Argentinian also emphasised “unconditional” love, in a year that has seen the Pope move to combat silence surrounding pedophilia in the Roman Catholic church, which has been rocked by thousands of reports of sexual abuse by priests around the world and accusations of cover-ups by senior clergy.

Earlier this month, he removed a Pontifical secrecy rule, which critics said prevented priests and victims from reporting abuse, and in May passed a landmark

measure to oblige those who know about sex abuse to report it to their superiors.

Francis will at noon on Wednesday give the traditional Christmas Day mass — his seventh — addressed to the world in front of St Peter’s Square.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians and foreigners converged in the biblical town of Bethlehem, revered by Christians as the birthplace of Jesus, in the Israelioccupied West Bank. A few hundred worshippers gathered in the church on the site of Jesus’s birth for midnight mass, attended by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. Hundreds more gathered outside, watching on screens in the crisp air.

‘SPECIAL GREETINGS’ TO GAZA: But fewer Christians from the Gaza Strip were in attendance than in previous years, as Israel had granted permits to just around 300 of some 900 people who applied, said Wadie Abunassar, an adviser to church leaders in the Holy Land.

At midnight bells rang out throughout the town, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizza-

balla, the most senior Roman Catholic official in the Middle East, led hymns and said prayers. “At Christmas, all the world looks to us, to Bethlehem,” he said.

“Special greetings to our brothers and sisters in Gaza, with whom I celebrated

Christmas two days ago,” he added.

Pizzaballa, who had to cross Israel’s separation barrier to get from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, said after his arrival that it was a difficult time but there was a reason for hope. “We see in this period the

weakness of politics, enormous economic problems, unemployment, problems in families,” he said.

“On the other side, when I visit families, parishes, communities, I see a lot of commitment […] for the future. “Christmas is for us to celebrate the hope.”

Earlier on Christmas Eve, a few thousand people watched in the winter sun as Palestinian scouts paraded in front of a giant Christmas tree.

“The church is beautiful and it puts what we know in the Bible [in] place,” said Laneda, an American tourist visiting the site. “Everything is just very meaningful.” French Catholics endured a sad moment as Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris was unable to hold Christmas Eve Mass for the first time since 1803 — after a fire ravaged its structure in April.

In the Philippines, a majority Catholic country, typhoon Phanfone brought a wet and miserable Christmas Day to millions, many of them stranded at shuttered ports or evacuation centers.

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

08 COMMENT

Requirements of a good judgment and the Musharraf case’s verdict

The Quaid-e-Azam’s birthday The PTI government is not doing a good job of implementing his vision

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HE Quaid-i-Azam’s 143rd birth anniversary was celebrated on Wednesday, providing the opportunity of seeing how well or badly the nation has performed in implementing his vision. The PTI government has not done particularly well in this regard, for it has not succeeded in implementing any of the components of his vision for Pakistan. The basis of his vision was a democratic polity, in which the elected government was supreme. He certainly did not foresee the current arrangement, in which the government seems to have ceded so much space to other institutions that it no longer claim to have the final authority in the state.

That the state founded by the Quaid has spent so much time under direct military rule, and has spent much of the remaining time with civilian governments either accepting military superiority, or looking fearfully over their shoulder at the them. One symptom has been the desire to centralise implicit in the talk of a presidential system and about the need to abolish the increase in provincial powers, even though the Quaid saw Pakistan as a federal state with strong provinces.

The reversal of the Quaid’s legacy is not limited to that. He saw Pakistan as a safe haven for minorities, what with two members of Pakistan’s first Cabinet belonging to the minorities. While Pakistan’s being placed on the USA’s list of countries with records of religious intolerance has been fiercely rejected by the Pakistan Foreign Office, its very presence on that list, and that too for some years, indicates that the present government has done little or nothing to improve the situation of minorities.

The Quaid also saw Pakistan as being a welfare state, but the present government has not done anything in this direction. Rather, the reverse, for the main thing the PTI government boasts of, the IMF agreement, has placed a heavy burden on the common man.

The Quaid was wiser than Prime Minister Imran Khan, for he made no promise to recreate the Riasat-eMadina, even though he looked to the Meethaq-i-Madina for the model of a constitution, for he well understood that it was the constitution of a state, and keeping all organs within their prescribed limits, that really matters, rather than flashy promises or catchy slogans.

Another bail granted In another politically motivated case

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ML-N senior leader Rana Sanaullah has been granted bail by the Lahore High Court (LHC) after languishing in jail for six months for allegedly being in possession of 15 kg of heroin. Reportedly kept in a cell reserved for death row inmates, Sanaullah’s trial never began during his incarceration primarily due to the PTI government’s inability to assign the case to an AntiNarcotics Force (ANF) court judge after the one who was initially hearing the case had been abruptly transferred.

The Federal Government’s Minister for States and Frontier Regions (Safron) and Narcotics Control Shehryar Afridi has remained in the forefront with regards to this case, making media appearances and holding a joint press conference with the ANF chief claiming to possess all necessary evidence including video surveillance footage.

If that were true, the prosecution had a very simple task at hand; present the irrefutable evidence it claimed to possess in an ANF court and secure a death penalty conviction. Either the evidence was too weak to even begin a trial or did not exist in the first place; whatever the case may be, Mr Afridi who has made aggressive efforts to create the perception that it was an open and shut case, overexposing himself in the process and resorting to annoyingly repetitive religious sloganeering in the absence of concrete answers to basic questions, has a lot of egg on his face. It is therefore hard to believe him when he says now that there has been “no interference” or political victimization in Rana Sanaullah’s narcotics case.

In the process he has also sullied the reputation of the ANF, an institution that is tasked with the crucial, sensitive and arduous task of effectively combating drug trafficking and distribution in the country. Arresting political opponents on propped up charges that are tough to prove in a trial court has become the PTI government’s hallmark. Rana Sanaullah’s case in particular smells of vengeance and desperation because of the allegations against him and the media trial carried out by the government subsequently to paint him as a drug kingpin who deserves to hang.

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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The standards by which the judgement should be judged hafiZ MuhaMMad aZeeM

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HE end product of a trial, in a court of law, is the judgment. It is the only allowed interaction of a judge with people. However, there are certain characteristics of a good judgment. The procedural law (Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898) provides under its section 367; what a good judgment should have. Yet, it does not provide that what a good judgment should not have.

So, whether the Musharraf case’s verdict is despicable or laudable; the august superior court will decide it. True, there is no clear-cut rule of writing a judgement. Yet, what a good judgment should have and should not have in it; is an open question that needs to be answered.

Before analyzing what are the requirements of a good judgment, it should be defined and explained. A judgement can be defined as a ground for the decision. It is the decision of a court resolving the disputes between the parties; or on the criminal side, it is the determination of guilt.

In simple words, it is the application of law upon the conclusion of facts. It is based upon the points for determinations, decision and the reasoning behind it.

Foremost, a good judgment stands on three main pillars: one, points for determination; second, decision thereon; and third, reasons for the decision. In simple parlance: the charge of crime against the accused, the adjudication of the charge— trial resulted in conviction or acquittal— and the reasons for its decision.

Furthermore, a good judgment must comprehensively analyze all relevant facts, should depict clear thinking, and then clear writing.

Moreover, it should be self-contained, unambiguous, conveniently intelligible. And it should be transparent like clean water; so that people can understand it without any doubt and proba-

bilities. Lastly, it should be brief.

Besides, a good judgment should be based on evidence on record. No external material or any extraneous circumstances can be considered in writing the judgment of a particular case. And it should discuss the evidence, reasons, arguments and materials from both sides.

Likewise, a trial court is not required to discuss and research the law. As it is a court, more of facts than law. It deals with the facts; therefore, its judgment too must not leave any important fact or introduce any extraneous one. The trial court’s judgment is an answer to the question of fact and not of law. It is the job of superior courts to expound the law.

And it should be plain and easily understandable. If the judgment is in the English language, the use of oriental words should be avoided.

Moreover, poetic allusions should also be avoided.

Now, what a judgment should not have.

Foremost, as it is said that “brevity is the soul of wit”, so it should not be too long and boring, since it is the quality, not the quantity, which produces a good judgment. Yes, it should not leave any important fact; however, it should not be unduly long, repetitive and unbridled.

Generally, the judges do not have to worry about the interests of the readers; but they should have them in mind. And usually, the judges in our country have an inclination for tracing the history of the case or subject. The history cannot be a part of a good judgment, because a good judgment is a concise judgment.

Next, it is a requirement that the tone and attitude of a judge should not be depicted through a judgment. Further, the criticism, if it is necessary, should be in an honorary and dignified manner. No personal remarks should be part of it. Moreover, it should not contain adverse remarks against the past or present conduct of any public servant. Otherwise, the whole judicial system would too become open to criticism.

There should not be left any chance of even a slight feeling of bias. Each party must have full trust on the judge. Transparency is a sine qua non for a judgment; because it supports the building of public confidence, whereupon the whole judicial structure is standing. It is not the satisfaction of a judge, rather the satisfaction of the party to the case, which is the hallmark of a test of bias.

In addition, it should be at the end of the trial. Unless, a party is satisfied that he has been heard and completely granted an opportunity to present his case, the rule of prudence is that, it should be postponed. So there should not be any agitation regarding the hearing. Moreover, it should not contain any unnecessary details, arguments, materials, and discussions and son, either in or out of the court.

In a nutshell, a good judgment requires to have: reasoning, clarity, precision, brevity, sobriety, impartiality, complete hearing, and evidence, precedents, arguments of both sides. And it requires not to have: prolixity, verbosity, poetic expressions, frivolity, complex sentences, personal knowledge of the judge, and adverse, derogatory, disparaging remarks.

Those are the standards by which to judge whether the verdict in the General Musharraf’s case is a good judgment or not. The decision is yours.

Lastly, it is an honor to conclude, in the words of Holy Prophet PBUH: “there are three categories of judges; two will go to Hell Fire whilst the third one will enter Paradise. A judge who knows the truth and passes judgment accordingly will enter paradise.

A judge who knows the truth but perverts the course of justice will go the hell and also a judge who knows the truth and passed judgement based on ignorance shall go to hell.”

Hafiz Muhammad Azeem is an advocate of the high court. He can be reached at Khokhar.azeem@yahoo.com.

How is the Opposition facilitating PPP in Sindh?

Staying out of the PAC has meant the government has got a free pass Taha Zaheer

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general misconception that follows the Auditor General Report in Pakistan is that it is a final word and exposes corruption in government spending. This, though, is not true. The task of declaring even a single penny as embezzlement or corruption is that of the legislature. Astoundingly, the opposition in Sindh has not attended a single Public Accounts Committee in the last nine months. Despite the realization the opposition has that the treasury benches have a strong majority, boycotting parliamentary committees is tantamount to giving the treasury a safe passage to conduct the business the way it deems fit.

Hence, it is tantamount to aiding the PPP-dominated Sindh Assembly.

The job of Auditor General, as provided in the Constitution under Article 169 and elaborated through Auditor General (Functions, Powers and Condition of Service) Ordinance, 2001, further amended through the Amendment Act, 2017, is to audit any accounts prepared by the Controller General of Accounts. Unlike the general understanding the paragraphs prepared by the Auditor General are only referred to as draft paras or observations generally classified under various heads except corruption.

The report authorized by the President or the Governor is then laid in respective legislatures.

This is the time when the role of opposition comes in play. According to Assembly rules, each committee, including the Public Accounts Committee, is to be elected from the members of the House. Traditionally the practice that was observed was through mutual understanding of Treasury and opposition which was somewhat understandable since the election, if required, would be carried on Single Transferable Vote, a procedure that would eventually result in gaining of seats based on party position. But this time the practice was cut short when the opposition, dominated by the PTI, decided not to become part of any parliamentary committees unless the Chairmanship of the PAC was handed over to it, a scenario only possible if the committee has a Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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majority of opposition members. The argument position to head the PAC. So, is this a constitutional violation? The raised was that since the practice of appointing Leader of Opposition as Chairman PAC was audit reports that are laid in the House require being observed in the National Assembly, the evaluation and any further action as deemed necsame was to be carried to Sindh based on the un- essary by the House. This is the very basic underderstanding agreed upon by the PPP and the standing of what the Constitution provides. While PML(N) in the Charter of Democracy. The PPP, calling it a constitutional violation may be exagwhich singlehandedly holds the treasury with an geration, it for sure is a disservice towards the easy two-third majority, decided to shove away mandate the Opposition has received. A legislator the argument and decided to constitute majority is supposed to perform three basic duties, to repof the committees through election, in which the resent, to legislate and to carry on oversight. It is pertinent to mention that opposition abstained, legislation in the Sindh hence giving a walkover Assembly has been at its to the PPP. lowest compared to the The stance of the opThe Opposition last eight years in tern position, instead of creatofnumber of laws passed. ing any disturbance has through its stance has The duty of representation rather facilitated the only aided the has been catered largely Treasury which has been due to historically proenjoying free play in the government in having a longed session of the AsPAC. Constituted in sembly. However, the core March this year, the PAC free ride with the responsibility of oversight in Sindh Assembly under exchequer and if the and protection of public the Chairmanship of Ghumonies has been duly lam Qadir Chandio has position remains so, avoided. For a constituent, been holding meetings the only people who a voter, it shall come as a regularly thrice a week. shock that in the last one By the end of this month would suffer will be the and half year not a single the Committee would government expenditure have spent a good nine people of Sindh or any of its policies has months settling various been scrutinized hence accounts of multiple degiving a free pass to the partments going in milTreasury. The current oplions of rupees without any objection or reservation of the Opposition. In position stance is only affecting the taxpayer as simpler words the PPP itself would have settled it is his money that goes unchecked while the Opposition keeps on enjoying the same level of the accounts of PPP as authorized by the PPP. The scenario leads to some serious ques- perks and privileges without taking the pain of tions. How fair is the oppositions’ stance? Is ab- performing its core responsibility.

Putting the elements in one picture, the sence from committees a violation of Opposition through its stance has only aided constitution? Who is the real victim?

As far as the fairness of the argument by Op- the government in having a free ride with the position is concerned, one should refer to the re- exchequer and if the position remains so, the cent Army Chief’s extension case where the only people who would suffer will be the peoSupreme Court observed that mere traditions did ple of Sindh. not suffice for extension of the Army Chief and Taha Zaheer is has served as Young that Parliament needed to legislate. Applying the same wisdom on the Opposition stance in Sindh Parliamentary Associate at the Sindh Assembly, there are no specific rules for the Leader of Op- and can be reached at taha.zaheer@hotmail.com

Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545

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Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Thursday, 26 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

Social media on the loose!

FOR most of us Millennials, social media has been around for as long as we can remember. It certainly keeps us busy, but how much social media is too much. But do we know the full extent of the damage it may cause?

Within a decade of the launch of the first social media platforms in 1990s, today MySpace, Facebook, Instagram and others have changed the way we think, act, read, write and even interact with other humans. This is the swiftest change in human history. Using social media such as Instagram and Facebook usually takes up hours of ones day, which, in most cases, means less productivity. But that’s not even the worst part. What’s worse is that we don’t even realize how much time we waste checking our social media accounts.

Furthermore, it can lead to isolation of the individual, resulting in detached ties of family and friends. Staying glued to their phone screens, lessens conversational skills and lesser interaction at the human level, plummeting confidence and motivation levels. This has become an epidemic in various countries, where teens play online games like Fortnite for hours without a break. This is extremely dangerous and many rehabilitation centers have been established to help these children. The physical effects can be just as debilitating resulting in health issues. Restricting screen time is possible; it just needs good old determination and focus– just like kicking any other bad habit.

MAriAM AgHA Lahore

In memory of the Quaid

Who has authority in Pakistan?

The recent spate of cases are raising basic questions aMjed jaaved

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HE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to go to Supreme Court against the Peshawar High Court’s judgment on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The court has directed the Federal Investigation Agency to probe the project. The bench, headed by Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth (who also authored the Musharraf case verdict as head of the Special Court that tried him) was irked by a number of bloomers: (a) “Visionless” concentration of Asian Development Bank (ADB) loans in just one project without an in-depth feasibility study; (b) cost increase from Rs 49.453 billion in 2017 to Rs 66.437 billion in 2018, of which Rs 53.320 billion was in the form of a loan from the ADB; (c) the “per kilometer cost of the BRT being exorbitantly high” at Rs2.427 billion; (d) overpaid non-managerial staf;. (e) provision of expensive vehicles to the secretary transport, the director general of the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) and the commissioner Peshawar by consulting firm Calsons and Maqbool, which had been blacklisted by the Punjab government, yet taken on board for the BRT in Peshawar; (e) the nexus between incumbent Defence Minister and former Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, the Director General, PDA, and Azam Khan, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.

Our courts are submerged in a plethora of cases with a political tinge. This trend is fatal for democracy. Let us not forget what then Chief Justice Muhammad Muneer said shortly before pronouncing his verdict in the Dosso case: ‘When politics enters the portals of Justice, democracy, its cherished inmate, walks out by the backdoor’. It was a court that fixed the price of sugar, bottled water and even mobilephone services. They decided privatization issues and mining rights. Unable to oust prime ministers through no-confidence motion, politicos got the job done by the courts.

It is time we refresh French jurist Jean Bodin’s dictum, Majesta est summa in civas ac subditoes legibusque salute potestas, that is ‘the highest power over citizens and subjects unrestrained by law’.. Bodin explained that power resides with whosoever has ‘power to coerce’ (praetorians included). It does not reside with electorate, parliament, judiciary or even the constitution.

Bodin did not believe in separation of powers. Yet our Constitution is based on separation of powers. Do we want to follow Bodin and repose all powers in a single authority, maybe the judiciary?

Potestas, power in Bodin’s definition, signifies auctoritas, authority, a power based upon positive law, de jure, not merely de facto as potestas is used itn the Roman Lex de imperio, or in the famous phrase of Justinian’s Institutes in reference to it, omne suum, that is, @populi imperium et potestas’. An alternative meaning

is auctoritas,authority, potential, a power de as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy.’ A corfacto instead of de jure, actual might rather than rupt government is the gift of an indifferent lawful authority. The highest de facto power electorate. Unless citizens slumber, no-one can may be different from the one whose claims are dare make underhand money in any project.

In the Azam Swati case, our Chief Justice the highest de jure [dummy prime ministers and presidents in some countries]. In Bodin’s view succinctly remarked that governments come there can be but one sovereign, supreme, single and go but the state and the people remain. and undivided;. If so, the potestas is the highest Irked by the Chief Justice’s suo motu notice, the in actual might– potentissima; with the highest Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf government’s informaauthority. The sovereign is the person who is tion minister asked what use was a government obeyed. `But we may obey one armed with the that could not suspend an IGP ( the statement pistol as well as one armed with a warrant” was later retracted).

There is a Latin tag, quis custodiet ipsos What matter is authority not wisdom! custodies?, who will In the golden words guard the guards? The of our Constitution, `sovphrase epitomises ereignty’ belongs to Socrates’ search for Allah, Almighty’ but `auThe courts are guards guardians who can hold thority’, subject to divine power to account. Power supervision is to be exerover the brute power and corrupts and absolute cised by elected repreauthority of the guardians power tends to corrupt sentatives. absolutely. Unelected inFortunately, our ju(the government). In so stitutions include the judiciary is reluctant to diciary, the civil service, become a sovereign audoing, the courts are the police, banking instithority. That’s why it re‘quite untouchable by the tutions, and public secferred the Army Chief’s tor undertakings. extension case to the legislature or the The malaise of govlegislature. Let us recall executive in the ernmental power manithe observations of Pakfests itself in fake istan’s Chief Justice performance of its duty’ accounts, billions in beduring the course of his opening address for the (Harilal Kania, India’s first nami (nameless) or unclaimed accounts, loans judicial year 2019-2020. chief justice).The Chief without collateral (bad He ‘warned of the debts), and politicallydangers of an accountaJustice of Pakistan alone influenced appointbility process which cannot be the guardian of ments. seemed to place political Theoretically, the expediency above the the Constitution. Unlike people hold ‘power’ to dictates of law. He felt account. But the ‘peothat unless this trend was Western judges, he does ple’ are an amorphous checked the process of not have lifelong tenure. lot without a legal idenaccountability would tity like an institution, lose all credibility’.

The bureaucracy, banks except as ‘voters’ during Then, ‘he talked about and accountability elections. the marginalisation of Could a CJP open a political parties and the institutions should also tuition centre during dangers this may entail evening hours to teach for a country based on preserve their autonomy what ‘power’, ‘governconstitutional democtooth and nail ment’, ‘state’ or ‘peoracy’. He abhorred ple’ are? ‘growing censorship of Elected representathe media and how such tives (power) are under practices could become a threat to democracy’. He pointed out that the delusion that they are superior to all un‘constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens elected institutions. But the representatives must never be sacrificed at the altar of short- should exercise their authority under Allah’s auterm gains’. To move forward, the CJP sug- thority within the bounds of our Constitution.

The courts are guards over the brute power gested that ‘all stakeholders, politicos, judiciary, military, media, civil society, sit to- and authority of the guardians (the governgether and resolve the problems which, if left ment). In so doing, the courts are ‘quite untouchable by the legislature or the executive in unattended, could lead to disaster’.

Unfortunately, the common man is listless the performance of its duty’ (Harilal Kania, to the tug of war between various stakeholders. India’s first chief justice).The Chief Justice of Aristotle thinks a citizen indifferent to state af- Pakistan alone cannot be the guardian of the fairs is like an animal. It is alarming. French Constitution. Unlike Western judges, he does thinker Montesquieu likewise said in the 18th not have lifelong tenure. The bureaucracy, century, ‘The tyranny of a Prince in an oli- banks and accountability institutions should garchy is not as dangerous to the public welfare also preserve their autonomy tooth and nail.

IT is clear that the founder of Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah was born on 25 December 1885 who shine over all Subcontinent with his bright light.He has given a lot of sacrifices to give muslims a separate land where they can live independently and should get their rights. And today we can see it in the shape of Pakistan.He led Muslims league in such a manner that showed the Muslims of Subcontinent a new hope especially after being the permanent president of Muslim League in 1934. Muhammad Ali Jinnah changed the mindset of the people of Subcontinent in a positive manner with his fourteen points and proved to be the real legend of Subcontinent. Finally, Muhammad Ali Jinnah has been titled as Quaid-e-Azam, which means Father of Nation, and he is really our father.

ALTAF BEZAnJo Awaran

What we owe Jinnah WE the people of Pakistan, owe it to Quaid-e-Azam Mohamad Ali Jinnah, to follow in letter and spirit, his vision that Pakistan be a modern democratic welfare state with a written constitution. It is commitment of Founding Fathers led by MAJ, Allama Iqbal and other political leaders of All India Muslim League, and not any other individual or group, that citizens of Pakistan today live in an independent country. It must however be understood that freedom comes at a cost and “We the People” must ensure that Constitution reigns supreme and no individual, be he Nawaz, Musharraf, Altaf Hussain, Zardari, Kayani, Raheel etc should have audacity to subvert our constitution, and get away with it.

Allama Iqbal and MAJ visualized that Muslims of subcontinent would be subjected to harassment and exploitation under Hindu majority in an undivided India and his reservations have proven correct today under Modi’s rule.

All institutions of state exist to serve the people and country.

It is collective public interest which alone defines national interest and not ambitions or ego of few. Individuals are dispensable and proof of this lies in graveyards of the world. We have lost half the country because we wavered from the path laid down for us by Quaid, because we allowed likes of Iskandar Mirza, Ayub and remnants of British Raj to derail Jinnah’s vision by not allowing constitutional rule and people’s will expressed through free and fair elections. America from a country once torn apart through internal strife and disputes is today an economic and military power, because they adopted a Constitution over 200 years ago, given by their Founding Fathers and not allowed individual egos to subvert it. For Pakistan to survive and prosper it is essential that we adopt MAJ’s vision.

MALiK TAriq ALi Lahore

Musharraf sentence hype I fail to understand this needless hype over former military dictator Musharraf and head of a political party registered with ECP, who has been sentenced for a crime that he committed in his own words as army chief by suspending constitution, sacking all judges and confining them in their homes with all telephone lines cut off.

Are we a Banana Republic, where in spite of written constitution, a paid army general, who has sworn an oath to defend the constitution, abrogates it twice, as has been done several times starting with Iskandar Mirza, Ayub Khan, Yahya, Zia and Musharraf. We have lost half the country, faced humiliation in 1971, because adventurers had audacity to defy Quaid’s vision for a democratic welfare state, and instead be ruled by men of mediocre capabilities who were trained as specialists in security or administration only. Mohd Ali Jinnah very clearly elaborated that paid civil or uniformed servants of state had no political role to play in running the state as they were doing under tyrannical British Raj. This is a non issue and elected government must focus on governance, economic stability and respect for the rule of law and supremacy of the constitution. guL ZAMAn Peshawar

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

10 FOREIGN NEWS

TruMp says norTH KorEa May BE plannIng nICE ‘CHrIsTMas gIfT’ WASHINGTON

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APP

S President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be planning to give him “a nice present” such as a “beautiful vase” for Christmas rather than a missile launch.

The president was asked what he will do if North Korea does conduct a longrange missile test.

The North has threatened to take un-

specified action if sanctions are not eased by the end of the year, and speculation has centered on the possibility of a new missile test, possibly of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead.

The North has said that its “Christmas gift” to the United States will depend on Washington’s actions.

Trump, who is in Florida for the holidays, had just finished thanking service members from each branch of the military via satellite when he was asked about North Korea. He opted for a wait-and-see

35 CIvIlIans KIllEd In douBlE BurKIna faso aTTaCK BANFORA: Jihadists in Burkina Faso killed 35 civilians, almost all of them women, when they simultaneously attacked a town in the north and its military base in one of the deadliest assaults in nearly five years of jihadist violence in the West African country.

Seven soldiers and 80 jihadists also died in the double attack Tuesday in Arbinda in Soum province which lasted “several hours” and was of a “rare intensity”, the army said.

Burkina Faso, bordering Mali and Niger, has seen regular jihadist attacks which have left hundreds dead since the start of 2015 when militant violence began to spread across the Sahel region. “A large group of terrorists simultaneously attacked the military base and the civilian population in Arbinda,” the army chief of staff said in a statement. “This barbaric attack resulted in the deaths of 35 civilian victims, most of them women,” President Roch Marc Christian Kabore added on Twitter, praising the “bravery and commitment” of the defence and security forces. Communications minister and government spokesman Remis Dandjinou later said 31 of the civilian victims were women, adding around 20 soldiers and six civilians were wounded. The president has declared 48 hours of national mourning. The morning raid was carried out by dozens of jihadists on motorbikes and lasted several hours before armed forces backed by the air force drove the militants back, the army said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but jihadist violence in Burkina Faso has been blamed on militants linked to both Al Qaeda and Islamic State groups.

Leaders of the G5 Sahel nations held summit talks in Niger earlier this month, calling for closer cooperation and international support in the battle against the Islamist threat.

Militant violence has spread across the vast Sahel region, especially in Burkina Faso and Niger, having started when armed Islamists revolted in northern Mali in 2012. AGENCIES

approach. “Maybe it’s a present where he sends me a beautiful vase as opposed to a missile test,” Trump said. “I may get a nice present from him. You don’t know.

You never know.”

Nuclear talks between the US and North Korea have been stalled since a February summit between Trump and Kim fell apart.

A new satellite image of a factory where North Korea makes military equipment used to launch long-range missiles shows the construction of a new structure.

In New York, UN spokesman

Stephane Dujarric was asked whether Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had a message for Kim on Christmas Eve regarding a “Christmas gift”.

“Our message is to the leadership of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to work for peace and stability on

Anti-Kremlin activist forcibly conscripted to Arctic was kidnapped, say allies

MOSCOW AGENCIES

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny said on Wednesday that the forcible military conscription of one of his allies to a remote air base in the Arctic amounted to kidnapping and illegal imprisonment.

Ruslan Shaveddinov, a project manager at Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, was detained at his Moscow flat on Monday after the door was broken down, the electricity cut, and the SIM card on his mobile phone remotely disabled.

On Tuesday evening, Shaveddinov resurfaced at a remote military base on Novaya Zemlya, a freezing archipelago in the Arctic Ocean some 2,000 km (1240 miles) north of Moscow and the location of a missile air defense unit.

Navalny said Shaveddinov, who had earlier tried to appeal his conscription on medical grounds, had managed to make one phone call on Wednesday using someone else’s phone. He said he had been told he would not be allowed to have a mobile phone during his one year of military service and said another soldier had been assigned to accompany him at all times to watch what he was doing.

Navalny said lawyers for Shaveddinov would be challenging his conscription and would argue he had been illegally kidnapped and imprisoned. “Serving in the army has simply turned into a way of locking people up,” Navalny wrote on social media. Opposition activists likened Shaveddinov’s treatment to the way in which Tsarist Russia and the former Soviet Union sent politi-

cal opponents to far-off corners of what is the world’s largest country by territory.

Shaveddinov was part of Navalny’s unsuccessful campaign to run against Vladimir Putin for the presidency in 2018, worked as a TV presenter for Navalny’s online channel, and helped manage projects at Navalny’s foundation which specializes in publishing corruption investigations into state officials and managers. Valentina Melnikova, head of the Union of Soldiers’ Mothers’ Committees, told Reuters she had serious doubts about the way Shaveddinov had been treated.

“This is definitely illegal,” she said. But Colonel Maxim Loktev, the deputy military commissar for Moscow, told the TASS news agency that Shaveddinov had dodged mandatory conscription for a long time and that a court on Monday had ruled his conscription legal.

One year’s military service is mandatory in Russia for all male citizens aged 18–27, with some narrow exceptions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Shaveddinov’s treatment looked legal if he’d been a draft dodger. “If he evaded conscription, he broke the relevant law of the Russian Federation,” said Peskov.

“If he dodged conscription and was conscripted in this way then everything was done strictly in accordance with the law.”

Five reasons COP25 climate talks failed PARIS AGENCIES

The climate summit in Madrid earlier this month did not collapse — but by almost any measure it certainly failed.

Five years after the fragile UN process yielded the world’s first universal climate treaty, COP25 was billed as a mopping-up session to finish guidelines for carbon markets, thus completing the Paris Agreement rulebook.

Governments faced with a crescendo of deadly weather, dire alarms from science and weekly strikes by millions of young people were also expected to signal an enhanced willingness to tackle the climate crisis threatening to unravel civilisation as we know it. The result? A deadlock and a dodge. The 12-day talks extended two days into overtime but still punted the carbon market conundrum to next year’s COP26 in Glasgow.

A non-binding pledge, meanwhile, to revisit deeply inadequate national plans for slashing greenhouse gas emissions was apparently too big an ask.

The European Union was the only major emitter to step up with an ambitious mid-century target (“net zero”), and even then it was over the objection of Poland and without a crucial midway

marker. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres labelled COP25 “disappointing”. Others were more blunt.

“The can-do spirit that birthed the Paris Agreement feels like a distant memory,” said Helen Mountford of Washington-based think tank World Resources Institute (WRI). “The world is screaming out for climate action but this summit has responded with a whisper,” noted Chema Vera, executive director of Oxfam International. So what went wrong? At least five factors contributed to the Madrid meltdown.

AMATEUR HOUR: To an unsettling degree, the outcome of a UN climate summit — where 196 nations must sign off on every decision — depends on the savvy and skill of the host country, which acts as a facilitator.

The stars were not aligned for the chaotic Copenhagen summit of 2009 and the Danish prime minister’s lessthan-deft manoeuvering did not help.

By contrast, the 2015 climate treaty was in no small measure made possible by France’s diplomatic tour-de-force. This year, Chile’s environment minister Carolina Schmidt wielded the hammer after the conference was moved at the last minute to Madrid due to massive protests on the streets of Santiago.

From Day One, when Schmidt’s

mishandling of a request from the African negotiating bloc mushroomed into a diplomatic incident, veteran observers worried that she was not up to the job. For Greenpeace International executive director Jennifer Morgan, “an irresponsibly weak Chilean leadership” enabled Brazil and Saudi Arabia to push agendas destined to derail the talks.

“Chile played a bad hand poorly,” noted another insider. A marginal factor, perhaps, but not a negligible one.

FOX IN THE HENHOUSE: Among the nearly 30,000 diplomats, experts, activists and journalists accredited to attend the summit were hundreds of highoctane fossil fuel lobbyists.

They are collectively the elephant in the room: everyone knows what causes climate change but it is considered impolitic within the UN climate bubble to point fingers. Even the Paris Agreement turns a blind eye: nowhere in its articles does one find the words oil, natural gas, coal, fossil fuels or even CO2. “We need to engage with them,” UN Climate executive secretary Patricia Espinosa told AFP when asked whether it was time to exclude such lobbyists from the room.

“There is no way we will achieve this transformation without the energy industry, including oil and gas.”

CMYK

But the incongruity of their participation in a life-and-death struggle to wean the world from their products has become harder to ignore. “Is there no space free from greenwashing,” asked Mohamed Adow, director of climate think tank Power Shift Africa. “The UN climate negotiations should be the one place that is free from such fossil fuel interference.”

THE TRUMP EFFECT: On November 4, 2020 — the day after US voters will renew Donald Trump’s mandate or turn him out of office — the United States is set to formally withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

It will be the second time that a Republican White House has plunged a dagger in the heart of a climate treaty nurtured by the Democratic administration that preceded it — the Kyoto Protocol was the previous one.

From the moment Trump was elected — on Day Two of COP22 in Marrakesh — advocates of climate action have played down the negative impact of the world’s largest economy and second biggest carbon polluter pulling out of the Paris deal.

But the corrosive “Trump effect” was palpable in Madrid, as was the anger at Washington for twisting arms even as it walked out the door.

the Korean Peninsula and to resume working‑level talks with the United States. Diplomatic engagement is the only pathway to sustainable peace and complete denuclearization and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Dujarric said.

us considers troop pullout from West africa ANKARA: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is looking to withdraw US troops from West Africa as part of a plan to shift deployments of nearly 200,000 soldiers abroad, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The plan includes abandoning a recently built $110 million drone base in Niger and ending assistance to French forces battling militants in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The US has 6,000-7,000 troops in Africa and the proposed cut would likely focus on several hundred American troops deployed in Niger, Chad and Mali, according to the report. The officials cited by the Times said that Washington’s pullout from Africa would lead to similar plans to reduce the US military presence in Latin America, Iraq and Afghanistan. The same officials also stressed that Esper is mulling significant cuts in the Middle East, lowering troops from 5,000 to 2,500 in Iraq and withdrawing about 4,000 of the nearly 12,000 troops in Afghanistan. “We aren’t going to speculate on future force postures,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in a statement. Pentagon’s initial decision on Africa is expected in January. AGENCIES

Morales claims us orchestrated 'coup' to tap Bolivia's lithium BUENOS AIRES: Former Bolivia president Evo Morales told AFP on Tuesday that he was forced from office by a United States-backed coup d’etat aimed at gaining access to the South American country’s vast lithium resources. Demand for lithium is expected to grow globally as it is one of the key components in batteries used in high-tech equipment such as laptops and electric cars. Morales resigned as president on November 10 after almost three weeks of protests against his controversial re-election to an unconstitutional fourth term in a poll widely denounced as rigged. His resignation came after then-chief of the armed forces General Williams Kaliman publicly stated the former trade union leader should step down. But since then, Morales — Bolivia’s first indigenous president — has claimed to have been the victim of a coup d’etat. “It was a national and international coup d’etat,” Morales told AFP in an exclusive interview in Buenos Aires, where he has been living in exile after claiming asylum. “Industrialised countries don’t want competition.” Morales said Washington had not “forgiven” his country for choosing to seek lithium extraction partnerships with Russia and China rather than the US. “That’s why I’m absolutely convinced it’s a coup against lithium,” he said. “We as a state had begun industrialising lithium… As a small country of 10 million inhabitants, we were soon going to set the price of lithium.

“They know we have the greatest lithium reserves in the world of 16,000 square kilometres (over 6,100 square miles).”

Bolivia does have the largest confirmed lithium resources in the world, but they are widely thought to be of poor quality, and the country lacks the infrastructure to exploit them profitably. As for his unconstitutional candidacy in the last election — Bolivian presidents are limited to two successive terms but Morales was going for a fourth — the socialist leader was unapologetic. AGENCIES

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

BUSINESS 11 psX appoints farrukh hussain Khan as ceo KARACHI STAFF REPORT

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has appointed Farrukh Hussain Khan as its new chief executive officer, as per a notification released by the exchange on Tuesday. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has approved it according to Regulation 10 of the Securities Exchanges (Licensing and Operations) Regulations, 2016. “Khan will assume the charge of office in due course of time,” the notification stated. Previously, Khan had been Executive Director at BMA Asset Management.The PSX had been without a CEO since the resignation of the last CEO, Richard Morin, in May 2019. Morin was the first non-Pakistan to head the PSX.

PESHAWAR: A vendor arranges antique traditional pots at his shop in Ghanta Ghar area. ONLINE

Govt to further burden power consumers under Imf proGramme GOVT TO INTRODUCE 'NEW SURCHARGES' IN A BID TO REDUCE CIRCULAR DEBT ISLAMABAD

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GHULAM ABBAS

S part of new commitments made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the government has committed to generating billions of rupees from the power sector through introduction of surcharges and adjustments in tariff.

The adjustments, as the government claimed, are aimed at reducing the circular debt and losses in the power sector.

Pakistan made these commitments in the new Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP) and Letter of Intent (LoI), which was submitted to the IMF before approval of the second loan tranche of $452.5 million.

Under the additional revenue measures committed in the MEFP, the government would reduce the annual flow of circular debt from the current level to around Rs50–75 billion by the financial year 2023. Key features of the plan include annual improvements in collections by selected distribution companies in the

range of 2–5pc, annual reductions in losses by around 1pc and rationalization of subsidy allocations.

"As a near-term measure, until the process of adjusting quarterly tariffs becomes fully automatic, the government would continue to timely notify tariffs on a quarterly basis," the finance ministry committed. "In this regard, on November 29, we announced an increase in tariffs for capacity payments by around 2pc, effective for Q1FY20, and we will adjust Q2FY20 tariffs for capacity payments by end- 2020."

Besides, for recovery of Net Hydel Profits (NHP) stock of arrears, the ministry said that the tariff update of January 2020 would incorporate the recovery from consumers of half the outstanding stock of remaining NHP arrears, equivalent to Rs73 billion. In another move, which would also burden the consumers, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), in connection to Rs110.6 billion of 'late payment charges' accumulated prior to FY16, would allow this cost in the tariff by end-June 2020 so that it could be incorporated in the tariff from FY21.

NEPRA ACT WILL BE AMENDED TO ELIMINATE DELAYS IN TARIFF ADJUSTMENTS As a short-term revenue measure, the government would also introduce new surcharges. "We will introduce new surcharges as needed to ensure that the circular debt reduction targets under the plan are met," the government assured IMF under the MEFP. The government justified such new arrangements, saying with the stock of power sector arrears, or circular debt, at over Rs1,600 billion (over 4pc of GDP) and new arrears in the amount of Rs465 billion accumulated in FY19, the situation in the power sector has become critical, severely impacting government finances and economic growth.

"We remain committed to eliminating the flow of circular debt over the medium term and, to this end, we have already taken immediate measures, including (i) ensuring the implementation of quarterly tariff adjustments; (ii) budgeting or eliminating all power sector subsidies; and (iii) stepping enforcement to increase collection of arrears," the MEFP said.

In order to eliminate delays in tariff adjustments and to reintroduce the government’s power to introduce

tariff surcharges, the government is preparing amendments to the NEPRA Act focusing on giving the regulator the power to determine and notify quarterly tariffs; ensuring timely submissions of quarterly and annual petitions by the DISCOs; eliminating the gap between the regular annual tariff determination and notification by the government; and reinstating the power of the government to levy surcharges over and above the system’s revenue requirements under the NEPRA Act. The government would submit these changes to the NEPRA Act in the parliament, in consultation with international partners, by end December 2019.

Besides, to improve efficiencies and collections, the government would sign performance-based contracts with all DISCOs by end-January 2020. The contracts would contain key performance indicators (KPIs) for improvements in collection, reductions in losses, and meeting the regulatory timelines for petitions submissions, with mechanisms to reward good performance and/or compensate for shortfalls.

chinese delegation visits feIdmc to explore investment opportunities ISLAMABAD APP

A delegation of Chinese investors on Wednesday visited Allama Iqbal Industrial City, a prioritised project in the special economic zone of Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC), to explore the business potential and investment opportunities in the area.

FIEDMC Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Muhammad Aamer Saleemi received the delegation members and apprised them of the progress on development projects, according to a statement issued by FEIDMC. Highlighting the projects under FIEDMC, Ashfaq said around Rs357 billion worth foreign and local investments would be injected into various development projects, which clearly indicates that investors have reposed complete confidence in the present regime. "More than 25 Chinese companies have signed investment agreements in the industrial city," he added. Allama Iqbal Industrial City has been planned over an area of 4,000 acres, which is strategically located on M-4 Motorway near Sahianwala Interchange, Faisalabad.

Ashfaq informed the delegation that all industries within the export processing zone would be exempted from tax for a period of 10 years, while plants, machinery, raw material and other equipment would be imported duty-free. Members of the Chinese delegation maintained that China and Pakistan were all-weather strategic partners and that their partnership was aimed at promoting peace, development and prosperity in the region. They said the Chinese investors were confident about Pakistan's economic potential and hoped that the economic relationship between the two countries would continue to reach new heights. Later, the delegation visited different parts of Allama Iqbal Industrial City and expressed satisfaction over the pace with which the projects were being developed. The FIEDMC chairman said that the importance of China Pakistan Economic Corridor as a strategic alternative was immense, leveraging economic opportunities that could unleash its strategic significance and bring prosperity, peace, as well as stability in the entire region. Muhammad Aamer Saleemi apprised the delegation of FIEDMC's commitment to improving Pakistan's ease of doing business ranking to under 100 within two years so as to attract international investors to the country.

Facing US trade uncertainty, China seeks closer ties with neighbours BEIJING AGENCIES

China made overtures on trade to Japan and South Korea and offered support for an infrastructure initiative as it hosted the leaders of its two neighbours this week amid strained ties with the US. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that Beijing was willing to strengthen economic cooperation with Japan in third-country markets. At the meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral summit in the southwestern city of Chengdu, Li added that China would “further open up its services industry” to Japan.

During a separate meeting on Monday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Li said China was willing to work on a rail network linking Korea with China and Europe, Yonhap news agency reported. Li’s remarks come as China and the United States edge closer to an initial

trade agreement after imposing tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods over nearly two years in a bruising trade war that has hit the global economy.

On Friday US President Donald Trump touted a “very good talk” he had held with China’s President Xi Jinping on a deal to resolve the dispute.

However, details of the so-called “phase one” deal between the world’s two largest economies have yet to be published in writing, with officials citing incomplete translation and legal work.

Meanwhile, relations between the pair have been further strained by US legislators’ support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, and their condemnation of the mass internment of Muslim minorities in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang.

Li stressed on Wednesday the importance of China’s trade ties with Japan and South Korea, saying their vast volume of trade was due to the “joint protection of regional stability and peace”. China,

trump says he and XI wIll sIGn chIna trade deal PALM BEACH: US President Donald Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a signing ceremony to sign the first phase of the US-China trade deal agreed to this month. “We will be having a signing ceremony, yes,” Trump told reporters. “We will ultimately, yes, when we get together. And we’ll be having a quicker signing because we want to get it done. The deal is done, it’s just being translated right now.” United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on Dec 13 that representatives from both countries would sign the Phase 1 trade deal agreement in the first week of January.

Speaking in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said both countries were in close contact. “Both sides’ economic and trade teams are in close communication about detailed arrangements for the deal’s signing and other follow-up work,” Geng told a daily news briefing. He did not elaborate. Beijing has not yet confirmed specific components of the deal that were released by US officials. A spokesman for China’s Commerce Ministry said last week the details would be made public after the official signing. AGENCIES Japan and South Korea held a summit on Tuesday that also touched on a planned free-trade agreement between the three nations, which has been many years in the making. Trade among the trio was worth more than $720 billion in 2018, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday night by the leaders.

The countries will “speed up the negotiations” on the agreement and “strive

to realize a free, fair, non-discriminatory, transparent, predictable and stable trade and investment environment”, the statement said. The leaders plan for the new trilateral free-trade agreement (FTA) to build on a separate, sprawling Chinabacked Asian trade pact, which if signed would be the world’s biggest trade deal.

That pact, called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

(RCEP), was meant to account for 30 per cent of global GDP and loop in half of the world’s people.

But India rejected the RCEP deal at a summit in November, dealing it a major blow. The remaining members of RCEP, which include all 10 ASEAN states plus China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, are aiming to sign it next year after reviewing an agreed draft text.

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

12 BUSINESS

china clamps down on risks in rental housing market BEIJING AGENCIES

China will curb financial risks in the rental housing market by tightening lending to rental housing companies and capping the ratio of their rental income from loans taken by tenants at 30%, the housing ministry said on Wednesday. The Chinese government has vigorously promoted the rental housing market since 2017 to address housing affordability as home prices skyrocketed across the country.

But rapid growth in the sector with little regulatory control has created unexpected financial risks. The ministry described the sector’s development as “chaotic”, saying it had been filled with false listing information and malicious practices such as misuse of loans, illegal withholding of security deposits and forced evictions. The ministry will work with five other government entities, including the banking and insurance regulator and the state administration for market regulation, to better police rental companies, real estate agencies and online platforms, according to a guidance published on its website. To prevent financial risks, regulators will “make clear requirements on the term and size of the loans for the rental housing business” and strengthen the supervision of rental companies with risky business models, such as paying home owners more than the eventual rental price to gain market share. Rental housing companies will be guided to set up “capital supervision” bank accounts for their income from rents and deposits to minimize risks, the guidance said.

Banks should carefully evaluate firms’ ability to repay the loans, strictly review the use of these loans and prevent them from forming capital pools. While rental housing companies can apply for loans with their account receivables, which are rents, the term of the loans should be based on the leasing contracts and match the leasing period, it said. Reuters reported last year that Dingjia, a Hangzhoubased rental company, went belly-up due to what its chief executive called an aggressive market expansion, marking the first highprofile bankruptcy in the sector. That left tenants at Dingjia stuck with their remaining debt after they were persuaded by Dingjia into signing a year-long consumer loan contract with a third-party loan platform to pay their rent.

‘saudi-Kuwaiti accord paves way for resumption of oil production’ DUBAI AGENCIES

Saudi Aramco said on Wednesday a new agreement between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait paves the way for the resumption of oil production in the Neutral (partitioned) Zone shared by the two countries. Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah signed on Tuesday an agreement and a memorandum of understanding in Kuwait, state news agency KUNA said. The two OPEC members halted production at the jointly operated Khafji and Wafra fields, which together produce some 500,000 barrels of oil a day (bpd) or up to 0.5pc of the world’s oil supply, in 2014 and 2015, respectively. “With the signing of this new accord, both parties have reached consensus that now is the right time to resume production in this zone,” Aramco’s President and CEO Amin Nasser was quoted as saying in a statement by Aramco. AGOC, a subsidiary of the giant Saudi state oil firm, operates Khafji oil field alongside Kuwait’s Gulf Oil Company. “Both sides will work to ensure production resumption at the earliest opportunity,” he added. Oil output in the Neutral Zone, which dates back to 1920s treaties establishing regional borders, is divided equally between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

amId crItIcIsm, Govt decIdes to sensItIse people about Gas, power hIKes ISLAMABAD

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AHMAD AHMADANI

MID severe criticism from public and opposition parties over skyrocketing gas and electricity prices, the government has directed the petroleum and power divisions to initiate a robust media campaign to sensitise the public in this regard, Pakistan Today has learnt. The direction to save the government's skin over gas and electricity prices was issued during a meeting of the federal cabinet held under Prime Minister Imran Khan on 10th Dec 2019. The federal cabinet directed both divisions to launch an effective media campaign to explain the people the rationale behind the recent hikes.

Terming the revision of gas prices as "inevitable" for the sector's sustainability, the Petroleum Division informed the cabinet members that the domestic gas consumers had paid negligible amounts during eight sum-

mer months, resulting in a dramatic increase of almost 50 per cent of domestic customers in the winter months due to slab migration. The division further informed that domestic gas production was on a constant decline at 7pc per year while regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) could not be provided to lower-priced customers without subsidy.

"The only way to ensure sufficient supplies to all is through 'weighted average gas method', which would require approval from the Council of Common Interests (CCI) and amendments in Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Ordinance, 2002." Likewise, it said, the circular debt of gas sector has amassed to Rs181 billion due to yawning gap between average prescribed price (determined by OGRA) and weighted average sale price for the period fiscal year 2013 to 2018.

During the discussion, it was noted that faulty gas meters were being imported by Sui Northern Gas Pipelines

Limited (SNGPL) instead of buying from Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL). As a result, SSGCL's meter manufacturing facility has been closed. On this, the Petroleum Division clarified that the unit was being revived and would become operational in 2-3 months. "SNGPL would be instructed to buy from SSGCL once the production starts."

Meanwhile, the Power Division, in its presentation, briefed that tariff adjustments have been made in certain categories of consumers, including domestic, industrial, agriculture. How-

ever, lifeline consumers were subsidised and their tariff structure had not been changed since 2017-18.

During the meeting, it was also pointed out that despite the claims of the Power Division regarding reduction in losses and improvements in recoveries, the circular debt continues to build up at a faster pace. However, the division claimed that the rate of growth in circular debt had de-escalated due to administrative measures.

In addition, it added, the numbers in circular debt reflect certain liabilities of the previous years.

Malware broker behind US hacks now teaching computer skills in China LONDON/SHANGHAI AGENCIES

A Chinese malware broker who was sentenced in the United States this year for dealing in malicious software linked to major hacks is back at his old workplace: teaching high-school computer courses, including one on internet security.

Yu Pingan, who spent 18 months in a San Diego federal detention centre, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer hacking. A high school instructor, he had been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in August 2017 upon arriving with a group of teachers to observe a US university. A Reuters reporter found him teaching at his old school here last month. Yu was sentenced by a federal judge in February to time served and

allowed to return to China. The victims of the hacking conspiracy included microchip supplier Qualcomm Inc, aerospace and defence firm Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Co, and gaming company Riot Games, according to the judgment. Exactly what was stolen in the computer breaches wasn’t disclosed in public court filings.

Qualcomm declined to comment.

A Riot Games spokesman said the company lost data. Pacific Scientific didn’t respond to requests for comment. Yu specializes in computer network security and programming, according to court records. The malware he provided in the conspiracy included a rare software tool called Sakula that granted hackers remote control over computers. It’s unclear who authored the malware or how Yu obtained it. Sakula has been linked to

some of the most notorious cyberattacks of the decade. In addition to the intrusions detailed in the case against Yu, these include hacks of US health insurer Anthem Inc, where millions of patient records were exposed, and the US Office of Personnel Management, in which the personal information of millions of current and former US government employees and contractors was compromised. Yu wasn’t accused of involvement in those two breaches.

His prosecution was one of a series of criminal cases against Chinese nationals Washington has brought in recent years, in response to what the Americans say is a concerted campaign by China’s military and security ministry to steal technology from Western companies.

In another case involving Sakula malware, the US last year alleged that

two Chinese intelligence officers and a team of recruited hackers repeatedly intruded into Western companies’ computer systems for more than five years. Many of the Chinese defendants in the series of hacking cases haven’t been apprehended. Yu is one of the few alleged Chinese hackers to have been arrested convicted in the US crackdown. In addition to jail time, Yu was ordered to pay nearly $1.1 million in restitution to five companies that were victims of the hacking. The fine was to be paid in instalments of $100 a month, with no interest, according to the judgment. The payment would take more than 900 years to complete.

Jeremy Warren, a San Diego criminal defence attorney who represented Yu, said, “With a Chinese national, a schoolteacher, there’s no real expectation of payment.”

OGRA carries out gas price determination for SNGPL, SSGC PRESS RELEASE The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) carries out the natural gas price determination for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), inter alia, in the light of next Fiscal Year revenue requirements. It is well within the ambit of the Government of Pakistan (GOP) to advise OGRA of any concessions/special price regimes for specific sectors to be considered while determining the sale price. The latest OGRA gas price determination issued on 10 December 2019 is under active consideration by the Ministry of Energy. This recommendation is for increase in natural gas prices for the consumers all across the spectrum. The purported increase in the fertilizer feedstock price is over 236% from Rs300/MMBTU to over Rs706/MMBTU. At the same time the fuel price increase is also on the cards, though nowhere close to the unjust and uncalled for increase in the feedstock prices. The GOP has forty days to act/decide on the advice of OGRA. It is given to understand that the latest agreement between GOP and International Monetary Fund (IMF) necessitates that GOP fulfills this obligation.

The price impact works out to be

roughly Rs. 600 per 50 kg bag of urea.

This translates into a new price of Rs2,600 per 50kg bag of urea. If such a price determination is to see the light of the day, the agriculture sector would be hit hard. The country would witness unparalleled turmoil in it and undoubtedly it would become the worst performing sector of the already fragile economy that is reeling from recent input energy price hikes. This is going to hit the farmers and the farm economics in a way never seen before. The government seems to be on a path of self-destruction and is heeding to advices of the unseen villains, hell bent on destroying the very livelihood and backbone of Pakistan’s poor farmers.

It is worth noting that over the years GOP has raised the raw material cost such that the gas component of the urea produced has gone up historically from roughly 30pc to 55pc at present. This would further escalate to 85pc of the total urea bag price if the new prices are implemented as proposed and producers are not allowed to raise prices impacted due to this unjust gas price increase. The impact of fertilizer use on the yield of major crops, wheat and rice, has been to the tune of 250pc and 160pc respectively in the last fifty years. Any abrupt changes in the fertilizer price

would have direct negative impact on the food security of the country.

There is a way out of this situation, a win-win solution for all the stake holders. One plausible solution is to make the fertilizer fuel price adjustments (increase) so as to minimize or no feedstock price increase. To maintain a certain level of revenue for the gas companies, only the fuel prices may be increased. This would have several benefits including (i) minimal increase in the fertilizer prices; (ii) promotion of healthy competition among the fertilizer industry; and (iii) instead of windfall profits for the new fertilizer plants – that enjoy a fixed dollarized feed price for 10 years – the relatively less price increase would benefit the farming community at large having low negative impact on farm economics.

Another important factor that needs urgent attention of the GOP is the settlement of the long outstanding Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC).

Fertilizer sector has been subjected to the highest rate of Rs300/MMBTU GIDC on the feedstock and Rs150/MMBTU for the fuel gas.

If the GOP wants to improve the farm economics, it should implement the already agreed formula of reduction in feedstock and fuel GIDC to 50pc.

This too would be a win-win solution for all the stakeholders. Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) based fertilizer plants have spent billions on developing their gas infrastructure just to sustain the current production levels. In an ideal world, the gas suppliers/GOP should have footed the bill for such infrastructure development.

On one hand, the government is contemplating unjust increase in gas feedstock prices and on the other hand, a high-powered ministerial committee has been formed to negotiate with the fertilizer manufacturers to bring down the existing urea prices, which are already substantially lower than international prices. This is a negation of laissez faire and bound to backfire. At the same time, various statements by public office holders about “windfall profits by the fertilizer producers” purports to maligning an industry which has been one of the highest taxpayers and one of the best governed in the country with substantial number of public & private shareholders. The GOP is urged to proactively consider the above suggestions. Doing so, the government would not lose its revenues, the IMF obligations would be met, the gas producers would be happy, and above all the farm economics would be least hit.

5 Ways to Deal with Winter Blues

By Rohama Riaz When the clock strikes 5 in the evening, with everything getting darker in our surroundings, many of us start feeling gloomy. The reasons are the short days and long nights. This specifically happens to the people who like daylight more than the dead of night. If they do not get enough sunlight, their mood has a drastic shift. Some may take it as depression and some take is sadness. In reality, it is just cold and dark weather that makes our mood swing.

Now that we all are aware of the term “Winter Blues”, it is important to address it and make the most out of this frosty fun weather.

Winters should be cherished in the most beautiful way. Considering global warming, we only get hardly 1.5 months to have this cozy and cool weather and the best way is to go against the will in feeling better in those comfy sweaters, hot chocolate, and long boots.

We will certainly not advise you in medical jargon, in fact, we are suggesting 5 energy booster ways to keep you cheery and glowing while keeping if comfortable for you.

DRESS UP

TAKE A TRIP

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy releases the second film from HOME1947 titled Ghosts of the Past

HOT CHOCOLATE AND NUTS

WORK OUT

FAMILY TIME

Sometimes we feel lethargic and sad due to lack of motivation and energy. End your day or your evening with a cup of hot chocolate and nuts.

And if you are on a diet, you can replace hot chocolate with a cup of green tea or black coffee.

This makes your day better and gives you the required stamina to process without feeling dead.

There is no better thing in the world than working on oneself. Exercising is a great energy booster as not only it gives you a great body but it also whips up your self-love. Take at least 30 minutes out for gym, walk or running and see the difference.

Spend time with your family while you still can.

This is the most underestimated power. We forget the importance of quality family time. It makes you fearless, independent and confident. If you spend a few minutes talking to your family, it gives you a sense of belonging, it changes your mood and prepares you for a better day ahead.

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

Going against your mood and getting ready for even the smallest events will give you immense positivity and energy. Winters are full of fancy clothes and quirky boots. So, if you love getting dressed up, use this time to show the best of your version with makeup and clothes on fleak.

When we say a trip, only a foreign trip comes to your mind or merely a change of place. No, we are talking about a trip to freezing north. We all know that when we are traveling, there is no such thing as taking rest or staying in bed. Going on these trips can help you enjoy even the coldest temperature and it will make you realize how beautiful is the snowy weather all over the world.

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

S

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

Directed and produced by SOC Films, the second shortfilm Ghosts of the Past is a story of Anver Jehan, an introvert, who spent most of her time reading books by the window, reminiscing the time when she had to leave her only friend behind during the partition. Anver Jehan passed on in December last year.

HOME1947 is a series of

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

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

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Box Office Even Worse

Mira Rajput enjoys Christmas vacation with daughter Misha, says ‘Nothing like family’

Salman Khan says he was thrown out of school in fourth grade

The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker box office is worse than thought as it again comes in under industry estimates.

Initial estimates had the flick bringing in upwards of $220 million, however that was quickly changed to around $195 million, then most recently to $179 million, but the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker box office again falls under expectations.

It's reported that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opening weekend box office is $177 million, much lower than the two previous flicks. Deadline, of course, spins things that the Holiday is to blame and the critic reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, but at least they admit "theater circles are a bit let down."

Regarding Rotten Tomatoes, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker has dropped to 55% with 395 reviews accounted for. Its Audience score is just the opposite, a favorable 86%; however, some are thinking that the positive fan reviews may be fake as they don't sync up with the flick's low CinemaScore, as audiences gave it only a B+, the second-lowest of any of the Star Wars movies (Clone Wars has a B-).

Mira Rajput is making the most of her Christmas break. Wife of actor Shahid Kapoor is enjoying a family vacation with daughter Misha and sharing updates on Instagram. Her other family members are also with her but Shahid seems to be missing.

Sharing a photo of Misha with a bunch of other kids, Mira wrote, “Time capsule”. In another photo, Mira can be seen with a few other women, writing, “Nothing like family”.

On Tuesday, Mira had shared a photo that framed her in front of the rising sun. She captioned it, “Such a feelin’s comin’ over me There is wonder in ‘most every thing I see Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes And I won’t be surprised if it’s a dream I’m on the top of the world.” Shahid dropped a loved-up comment on the photo, “The sun looks pale compared to you.”

Shahid has been generous with his praise of Mira. “Mira doesn’t feel the need to change and adjust. She is who she is, and people like her for that. She has never tried to be someone else and that’s a great thing about her. I always knew that she is going to find her own space and will become her own person,” the actor said in an interview.

By his own admission, Salman Khan was “very difficult” for his parents, Salim Khan and Salma Khan, to handle. The superstar was speaking on The Tara Sharma Show, on which he was the first guest this season.

When Tara asked Salman what he was like as a child, he said, “As a child, (I was) difficult for my parents to handle. Very difficult, still. I am still working on that one quality.” He added that he has always been extremely close to his parents. “And that’s the reason why it hurts the most,” he said.

Salman shared an anecdote from his school days and revealed that he was “thrown out” of his school when he was in the fourth grade. “Actually, I don’t know what wrong did I do when I was growing up that I was thrown out of a school when I was in the fourth grade and highly recommended into another school. From there, they requested my earlier school to take me back. So then I came back and passed out from there,” he said.

The film also features Disha Patani, Randeep Hooda and Jackie Shroff in key roles.

CMYK

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

14 SPORTS

Vardy dilemma for leicester as champions-elect liVerpool lie in wait

LiverPooL

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Agencies

EICESTER City face runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool on Boxing Day knowing their own title hopes are very much in the balance.

Thursday's match will see the second-placed Foxes, the shock 2015/16 champions, kick off 10 points adrift of Liverpool, who will arrive in the East Midlands fresh from winning a maiden Club World Cup title following a 1-0 victory over Brazilian side Flamengo in Qatar.

One of the more remarkable statistics in English football is that it is nearly 30 years since Liverpool were last crowned domestic champions in what was then the First Division.

But Premier League silverware is now in sight following a successful 2019 that has also seen Liverpool take the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup trophies back to Anfield as well as the

Club World Cup. One of the enduring peculiarities of the English game that has not changed, however, is the packed programme of matches that take place during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

The congested schedule is again causing headaches for managers, with Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers saying the fixture list is a "nonsense".

Leicester kick off against Liverpool at 2000 GMT on Thursday before they play West Ham on Saturday.

They then complete four games in 10 days with a trip to Newcastle on New Year's Day, before hosting Wigan in the FA Cup on January 4.

This presents Rodgers with a problem about how often to field Jamie Vardy, the league's leading scorer so far this season, given the striker is now aged 32.

"The game is about money now. You can't say it's about the welfare of players," insisted Rodgers, himself a former Liver-

pool manager who added that Vardy, for all he has scored 16 goals this term, had "no chance" of being involved throughout the festive period.

This season sees the Premier League experimenting with a 'winter break' that will see all teams get a weekend off in February.

But that pales into insignificance compared to the Bundesliga's long-established winter break.

The German top-flight closes down for several weeks in December and January, with Rodgers saying the English break was a "let's pretend" version.

Liverpool will be without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the midfielder suffered an ankle injury against Flamengo as Jurgen Klopp's side, unbeaten in the Premier League this season, bid to go 13 points clear and all but end the title-race before by the halfway stage.

"If anyone wants to think things are over before they are over we cannot stop them doing that, though it is not important to us," said Liverpool manager Klopp.

"As a group we are pretty good at shutting the doors all around us to keep out the noise from outside," the German added.

Fourth-placed Chelsea, fresh from a 20 win away to Tottenham Hotspur marred by allegation of racist abuse, are at home to Southampton while Spurs will be without the suspended Son Heung-min for the visit of Brighton after the South Korean's red card against the Blues.

Mikel Arteta's reign as Arsenal manager starts away to Bournemouth, while new Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is in charge at home to Burnley.

Newcastle, managed by former Old Trafford favourite Steve Bruce, will look to complete a league double over Manchester United with both sides presently level on 25 points and looking to break into the top six.

Sheffield United face Watford, still bottom despite last week's win over Manchester United.

"We're halfway through this season and we knew this season was going to be a season of some ups and downs," said Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Meanwhile reigning champions Manchester City are away to Wolves on Friday.

Chelsea want to keep Willian faith against Saints London Agencies

Willian's performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend highlighted just why Frank Lampard is keen to see the Brazilian's future at Chelsea resolved.

While much of the focus this season has been trained on the outstanding contribution of the youngsters in Blues manager Lampard's squad, Willian's performances on the right of a front three have been consistently excellent.

The winger appeared to have lost his way in recent seasons, particularly last term when he struggled for consistency under Maurizio Sarri and appeared in danger of leaving the London club.

This campaign has been different, though, and Lampard will hope the player can inspire a return to home form when Southampton visit Stamford Bridge on Thursday following Chelsea's impressive 2-0 defeat of Jose Mourinho’s Spurs.

SEASON OF TRANSITION: Willian was certainly the stand-out performer in a display Lampard admitted was probably his side's best of the season after a worrying run of form that had brought four defeats in the previous five Premier League games, included home losses to Bournemouth and West Ham. There were always going to be frustrating periods for Lampard and his players in what is a season of transition for for Chelsea, who are nevertheless now fourth in the Premier League.

The task of bedding in a number of graduates from the club’s academy against the backdrop of the pre-season transfer embargo has

inevitably presented challenges.

Willian, though, has maintained impressively high levels, appearing rejuvenated under the club's new manager.

Certainly Lampard appears to have found the key to drawing the best out of the 31-year-old whose work on the right has contributed to striker Tammy Abraham making such a significant impact in his breakthrough season at west London club Chelsea.

Willian's work ethic had been questioned previously, with his failure to track back and support his fullback at times highlighted last season.

This time around, there can be no doubt about his willingness to put in the hard yards.

And he has strengthened his hand in his contract negotiations with the club as he seeks a new deal that will keep him at Chelsea beyond the end of this season.

Willian's existing deal runs out at the end of the current campaign, along with those of fellow thirty-somethings Pedro and Olivier Giroud.

With Chelsea's two-window transfer ban having been halved, leaving the club to bring in new recruits next month, Giroud is likely to leave in a bid to find the regular football he believes will boost his chances of being a member of hosts France's squad for Euro 2020.

Pedro has been reduced to a fringe player and is also expected to move on at the end of the season.

Willian, though, is a different matter and while Chelsea are notoriously reluctant to offer extended deals to players over the age of 30, the Brazilian could become an exception.

Sport in 2019: Ten big moments Paris Agencies

The action was spectacular, exciting and colourful for 12 months around the globe, but the thrilling and sometimes surprising images also caught the wider significance of modern sport.

MEgAN RApINOE; Megan Rapinoe lapped up the rapturous reception when the US women’s football team appeared in New York on July 2 two days after winning the World Cup. Rapinoe stood out on and off the field in France. She talked eloquently with her boots as she captained the United States and finished as the tournament’s joint top scorer. Off the field, Rapinoe, a campaigner for LGBT rights and gender equality, spoke out, attracting even wider attention as she stood up to President Donald Trump which did not diminish the reception she received when the team returned home.

LIvERpOOL: Liverpool did not walk alone as they won Europe’s top club competition for the sixth time. A tepid final in Madid was effectively settled by a controversial penalty award in the second minute. After that Tottenham were powerless against a defence martialed by the magisterial Virgil van Dijk. The most memorable moment came at home at Anfield in the semi-final on May 1 when the Reds, trailing 3-0 from the first leg deficit, beat mighty Barcelona 4-0. The Kop roared and their team responded.

LEwIS HAMILTON: Lewis Hamilton had something to spare as he clinched his sixth Formula One driver’s title at the US

Grand Prix with two races left in the season. Mercedes started strongly, winning the first six races, with Hamilton taking four of them. Even when the Ferraris were faster and their 21-year-old starlet Charles Leclerc collected four straight pole positions, Hamilton kept finding a way to win. He ended the season with 11 victories in the 21 races to collect a third straight title. He is now just one world title behind the all-time mark of Michael Schumacher.

ELIud KIpcHOgE: Eliud Kipchoge’s run on October 12 in a Vienna park might have been carefully stage managed, yet it was still a momentous and emblematic feat. The Kenyan became the first person to complete a timed run over the marathon distance in under two hours. After narrowly missing in 2017, he beat the symbolic mark by almost 20 seconds. He also bettered the world record by two minutes but did not break it. Because he ran behind a pace car, was escorted by a rotating phalanx of pace makers and had no competition, the official record remains a relatively leisurely 2:01:39, set by Kipchoge in Berlin 2018.

SIMONE BILES; Simone Biles sparkled again at the gymnastics world championships in Stuttgart in October.

She won five more golds to take her tally to a record 25. Biles unveiled two fresh and complex elements, sparking debate after the international gymnastics federation assigned the moves relatively low values arguing that they did not want other gymnasts to endanger themselves imitating the American. The triumph

came in a tough year which saw Biles speak about being abused by former US team doctor Larry Nassar. The 22-yearold American has suggested that she will retire after the Tokyo Olympics next year.

BEN STOKES: Ben Stokes stooped to conquer. Returning to the England team after a ban following a brawl in 2017, he started the World Cup with runs, wickets and an astonishing catch to win man of the match. From there, his year just got better. In the final against New Zealand, he made 84 not out to earn England a tie, helped by a bizarre incident when he was hit by a fielder’s throw as he dived for a run, deflecting the ball for four overthrows. England won on tiebreak. Stokes was man of the match. In the Ashes, he clobbered an unbeaten 135, to claw Eng-

CMYK

land back from the brink in the third Test at Headingley.

STEvE SMITH: Steve Smith climbed off the canvas to eclipse even Stokes in the Ashes. The former Australian captain, also returning from a ban, was flattened

by England fastest bowler Jofra Archer in the second Test and missed the third, the ‘Stokes Test’. But he still finished the series with 774 runs in four Tests — 333 more than the next highest scorer, Stokes — at an average of 110.57 as he ground down England’s bowlers and ensured Australia drew the series and retained the Ashes. djOKOvIc, FEdERER, wIMBLEdON: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer pushed the limits as they fought out a dazzling heavyweight men’s final at

Wimbledon. At 4 hours, 57 minutes it was the longest Wimbledon final. It only ended as soon as it did because of the first ever fifth-set tie-break in a Wimbledon final. Djokovic retained his title, 7–6, 1– 6, 7–6, 4–6, 13–12, after saving two championship points. It was his 16th Grand Slam title. Only Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (19) have more. Between them the three have now won the last 12 Grand Slams. jApAN: Japan were refreshing hosts at the World Cup. They brightened the competition with their high-energy running rugby, upsetting both Ireland and Scotland to reach the last eight for the first time before bowing out to eventual winners South Africa in the quarter-finals. Indeed, their bowing also attracted attention. Japanese teams and fans have acquired a reputation for tidying up after themselves when they play away. As hosts, they also set a good example, as other teams copied their habit of bowing to fans.

LINdSEy vONN: Lindsey Vonn finished her career by collecting yet another medal. The American speed queen said her body was too battered to continue her pursuit of Ingemar Stenmark’s record of World Cup victories, but at the end of another injury-hit season she was still quick enough at 34 to claim an eighth World Championship medal in the downhill in Are, Sweden. She skied 19 seasons and won 82 World Cup races, both records for women. She won races in five disciplines and she always brought style and elan to events.

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

SPORTS 15

mohammad hafeez Banned from Bowling in english domestic cricket Lahore

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Agencies

OHAMMAD Hafeez, the Pakistan and Middlesex allrounder, has been suspended from bowling in all ECB competitions after a bowling-action assessment found his action to be illegal. Umpires reported Hafeez's action after a Vitality Blast match between Somerset and Middlesex in Taunton on August 30, following which he underwent independent assessment at Loughborough University.

The game against Somerset was the penultimate match of Middlesex's T20 season, in which Hafeez played four matches, scoring 115 runs at a strike rate of 112.74, and taking two wickets while conceding 8.64 runs per over. Hafeez had signed on as a mid-season replacement for AB de Villiers.

Hafeez contested the findings of the assessment, which held that his elbow extension for his offbreak exceeded the 15-degree tolerance limit for bowling actions. A bowling review group, which heard his appeal at Lord's on Tuesday, suspended him from bowling in ECB competitions, and advised him to correct his action. Once he has done this, Hafeez may request a re-assessment to be allowed to bowl again.

"I have received the ECB Bowling Review Group report on my bowling action," Hafeez said in a statement. "Despite identifying procedural testing flaws, which have been accepted by the review committee, as well as realising the findings will potentially affect my reputation as a world-

proven all-rounder, I accept the Bowling Review Group findings.

"As per ECB regulations, I am ready to appear for an independent analysis at an ICC-accredited centre, so that I become eligible to play in ECBorganised events." Hafeez's action has come under scrutiny throughout his career. His first brush with the elbow microscope came all the way back in 2005, and he has been reported, suspended and cleared multiple times since then, going through various tweaks each time to get his action to conform to the 15-degree limit.

He was most recently cleared to bowl in international cricket in May 2018, after which he questioned the ICC's process for identifying and scrutinising suspect actions. No action was taken against him after he appeared before a PCB disciplinary committee and clarified his comments.

Between then and this latest development, Hafeez's action had steered clear of match officials' attention, but it did make the news when the New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor appeared to question its legality during an ODI in Abu Dhabi in November 2018.

Naseem Shah caught in tug-of-war between Pakistan's senior and Under-19 teams Lahore Agencies

Ben stokes rejoins england team as ill father does better London Agencies

All-rounder Ben Stokes practised with the England team on Wednesday ahead of the first Test against South Africa, starting at SuperSport Park on Thursday. A statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board said that Stokes' father, Ged, remained in intensive care in a Johannesburg hospital but had responded positively to treatment and was in a stable condition. Ged Stokes, who had travelled to South Africa to watch the cricket, was admitted to hospital on Monday with what was described as a serious illness. Ben Stokes missed practice on Tuesday to be at his father's bedside. The statement said the Stokes family thanked people for their support of the family and in particular the medical practitioners who had treated Ged Stokes. Although fast bowlers Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer appeared to have recovered from illness, which caused them to miss England's two warm-up matches, three players — Jack Leach, Ollie Pope and Chris Woakes — missed the team's final practice because of illness. The statement said the three ill players had not been ruled out of selection for the Test.

Sixteen-year-old Naseem Shah's participation in the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa early next year is not certain yet, with the senior team management not in favour of releasing him for age-group cricket. The junior team management, understandably, wants the star fast bowler freed up for the World Cup, as originally planned.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the Under-19 team is waiting for Shah, who was named in the World Cup squad on December 6 after making his Test debut in Australia last month, to link up with his team-mates, who have been at a preparatory camp in Lahore since November 25.

The issue at the moment is the senior team's next assignment: a multi-format home series against Bangladesh, which is far from confirmed yet given the visiting team's stated unwillingness to play Test cricket in Pakistan. If the Test matches - the only format Shah has played so far at the international level - do take place, they must be in early February. The last T20I against Bangladesh is scheduled for January 27, and the PSL begins in the third week of February. The Under-

19 World Cup, meanwhile, runs from January 17 to February 10.

"If it's not Tests and only T20I against Bangladesh, then I think they [the senior team] have plenty of options to pick from and can easily release Naseem, "said Ijaz Ahmed, Pakistan Under-19 head coach "I don't mind if they play him against Bangladesh in Tests, but if the series isn't happening, then I would very much want Naseem in the squad for the World Cup," Ijaz Ahmed, head coach of the Under-19 team, said. "He is important not just because he played Test cricket, but he was always the first-choice bowler for us in the World Cup. He was named in the squad and even the PCB chairman had given a clearance on his name. Having him in the squad will give our squad a major boost and the hype having him around us will give other boys a motivation.

"I had requested Misbah [ul-Haq to release him if he is not playing the Tests against Bangladesh] and he, too, understands the importance of the World Cup and we are in discussion to sort this out once and for all. But if this isn't go according to the plan, then we have reserve players on the bench who are with us from the last 25 days and very much part of our preparations. So I do have a plan B, but if it's not Tests and only T20I against Bangladesh, then I think they [the senior team] have plenty of options to pick from and can easily release Naseem."

Pakistan, like the other teams, can make changes to their squad till January 10 without worrying about an ICC approval. After that, players can be replaced only on fitness grounds and will require the approval of the ICC's event technical committee.

As far as workload management is concerned, the senior team management had charted a course for Shah's holistic development much before his international debut. To that end, he has been asked to skip the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where his side, Central Punjab, take on Northern from December 27 in Karachi.

australia mull five specialist bowlers for Boxing day test MeLbourne Agencies

Australia could play five specialist bowlers against New Zealand during the second Test, captain Tim Paine said Wednesday, with the decision being left until the last moment. The Melbourne Cricket Ground track has been lifeless during the past two Boxing Day Tests, making it hard to take 20 wickets, although a Sheffield Shield match there this month was abandoned due to a dangerous pitch.

With this in mind, Paine said a decision would only be made after a late inspection. But one scenario could be a five-pronged attack, in which Queensland seamer Michael Neser likely makes his debut. "We'll find out tomorrow. The wicket is a bit unknown... but we've got a plan in place for both scenarios (with five bowlers or without)," Paine told reporters on Wednesday. "We've probably got two different teams (in mind), to be honest, so we'll make the final call tomorrow." Australia traditionally play only four frontline bowlers -three quicks and spinner. According to Cricket Australia, they have only fielded five once before in the past decade -- at the 2013 Sydney Test against Sri Lanka. If they go down this route on Thursday, Neser is set to line up alongside Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, with James Pattinson replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood. Travis Head is expected to be the fall guy, with wicketkeeper Paine moving up the batting order to six. "Our batting team has been scoring a lot of runs so if we were to go one more bowler, we would be comfortable they could do the job," said Paine.

"The bowlers we would be bringing in can all bat so while we're taking a batter out, we're probably lengthening our line-up." Australia head into the Melbourne clash on the back of three wins at home this summer -- two against Pakistan before their 296-run thrashing of New Zealand in the first Test at Perth, a day-night affair. Marnus Labuschagne has been their star batsman, smashing his third century in a row at Perth before a second-innings 50. In contrast Steve Smith, their hero during the Ashes against England this year, has managed only 43 and 16 in his last two innings, out twice to short balls from Neil Wagner. It followed a quiet series against Pakistan and he is keen to pile on some runs in Melbourne. "I've been facing a fair bit of short stuff in the nets because I'm expecting a bit (in Melbourne)," Smith said. "It's going to be completely different with the red ball as opposed to the pink ball, particularly (compared) to the second innings in Perth when it was a bit up and down with cracks and stuff. "It's going to be different, but I'm looking forward to it."

New Zealand make two changes for Boxing Day Test auckLand Agencies

New Zealand made two changes Wednesday for the Boxing Day Test against Australia with fast bowler Trent Boult back from injury and Tom Blundell replacing Jeet Ravel at the top of the order.

The dangerous Boult missed the first Test in Perth, where his team crashed by 296 runs, with a rib injury that also kept him out of their final clash against England.

But he has worked his way back to fitness, desperate to play in the Black Caps first Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1987, with a crowd of more 75,000 expected on day one.

Williamson also confirmed Blundell,

usually a middle-order batsman, would open alongside Tom Latham in place of the out-of-form Ravel.

"He's a positive player and a smart cricketer so it's just trying to adapt to the conditions. It's important he goes out and plays his natural game," Williamson told reporters of Blundell.

"He's been a very good player for a long time and he's a mature head … it's a really exciting opportunity for him."

New Zealand have had 10 days to recover from their Perth day-night Test thrashing, which saw their batsmen skittled for 166 and 171.

Williamson said they had learned from their mistakes.

"Perth was tough and Australia are

very good and tactically sound," he said after his team were put through their paces in the nets on Christmas Day. "It's important we learn from some bits of Perth but turn our focus to Melbourne and changing conditions and perhaps not be too reactive to that performance." Williamson was also keen to ensure his players do not get carried away with playing in front of such a big crowd during one of the most prestigious days on the cricket calendar.

"I guess there's a sense of romance about being involved in the Boxing Day Test ... at the same time it's about removing a little bit of that and bringing the focus back to the cricket and making those improvements we need to."

CMYK

Thursday, 26 December, 2019

NEWS

COAS SAyS TWO-nATiOn TheOry ‘mOre ACknOWledged reAliTy TOdAy’

C

HIeF of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday paid rich tribute to Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah on his 143rd birth anniversary. During his visit to the Quaid’s mausoleum in Karachi, the army chief said the father of the nation’s vision about the “two-nation theory is an, even more, acknowledged reality today”.

According to the statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief lauded Quaid’s selfless efforts and political vision for the creation of the motherland. He said: “We can’t thank him [Quaid-eAzam] enough for having got us Pakistan.”

Bajwa’s reference to the two-nation theory comes at a time when protests in India rage on over an amendment in the constitution that’s discriminatory towards the minority Muslim community.

On December 11, the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) passed Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lacks a majority, by 125 votes to 105. It had cleared, Lok Sabha, the lower house, two days earlier. Tens of thousands of Indians have taken to the streets in re-

cent days to voice their anger over a new citizenship law that they say discriminates against the minority Muslim community. But it is not just Muslims who are protesting — majority Hindus, low-caste Dalits and Parsis are joining in to show their solidarity and condemn the legislation across the country of 1.3 billion people.

The law allows people of six religions

from Muslim-majority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan an easier path to citizenship but not if they are Muslim.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, facing its biggest test since sweeping to power in 2014 — with at least 25 people killed in almost two weeks of protests — insists the law is not discriminatory. NEWS DESK

27 local peace activists abducted in western Afghanistan KABUL: Taliban militants have kidnapped 27 peace activists from a highway in Afghanistan’s western Farah province, local officials and peace activists said on Wednesday. Massoud Bakhtawar, the deputy governor of Farah, said the activists were travelling with six cars from Herat to neighbouring Farah on Tuesday evening when their convoy was stopped by the Taliban on a main highway and taken to an unknown location. Bismillah Watandost, a member of the group, said the activists had planned to travel to various parts of Farah to call for peace and a ceasefire between the warring parties in Afghanistan. The group, People’s Peace Movement, was formed to protest violent attacks after a car bomb exploded at a sport stadium in southern Helmand province last year killing 17 civilians and wounding 50 others. The Taliban insurgents fighting a Western-backed Kabul government now control more territory than at any time since their austere regime was toppled by U.S.-led forces in 2001. A representative for the insurgents was not immediately available to comment. Since last year, the activists have traveled to various parts of the country, often marching through Taliban-controlled areas to demand peace and a ceasefire between the Taliban and Afghan government. The Taliban have previously accused the activists of being financed by the Kabul government among others, which the group have denied. Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians, members of security forces and 2,400 U.S. military personnel have been killed in fighting since 2001. U.S. officials have increased diplomatic efforts to reach a peace settlement with the Taliban and to withdraw thousands of troops in exchange for security guarantees. AGENCIES

India-Pakistan in 2019: Mistrust plagues relations KARACHI AGENCIES

From almost on the brink of war in the beginning of the year to the opening a peace corridor for Sikh pilgrims in November, the two nuclear-armed neighbors, India and Pakistan, remained largely on the edge in 2019.

In February, following the militant attack in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir that killed dozens of soldiers, New Delhi carried out airstrikes in Pakistan, igniting a military stand-off.

A day later, Islamabad retaliated by dropping bombs inside Jammu and Kashmir, near military installations and shot down an Indian jet. It also arrested an Indian pilot, who was released later as a “goodwill gesture” in order to put relations back on the track.

But, the gesture failed to calm nerves.

In a fresh wave of border clashes along the Line of Control (LOC), a de facto border that divides the disputed Himalayan valley between Pakistan and India Kashmir, dozens of soldiers and civilians were killed from both sides.

The year also saw the two countries fighting a legal battle in the International Court of Justice in The Hague over the issue of Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national facing death sentence in Pakistan.

The perennial enmity deepened further, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi government, not only revoked the special status of Kashmir but also divided the disputed Muslim majority state into two centrally administered territories. The move angered Pakistan, which downgraded diplomatic ties by expelling Indian envoy from Islamabad.

“The whole year, especially February fared badly in terms of relations between the

two countries. At one point, they were on the verge of war,” Ikram Sehgal, an Islamabadbased defense and security analyst, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the events that unfolded in 2019 have made it one of the worst years in the relations between the two countries.

“It [India’s intrusion] was unprecedented because its jets crossed not only the LOC but the international border [between Pakistan and India]. It almost pushed the region close to a full-scale war”, he said.

NUCLEAR DETERRENT AND DIPLOMACY PREVENTED WAR: According to Sehgal, some elements in the Pakistani establishment wanted a tit-for-tat response. But the saner elements led by the Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa prevailed because there were no casualties in the Indian attack.

Munawar Hussain Panhwer, an assistant professor at the Islamabad-based Quaid-IAzam International University, believed that there is no possibility of any change in the relations between the two countries.

“I don’t see any change in the current situation in the near future until unless there is a major change either in India’s leadership or the policy. Chances are scanty for both,” he said. Sehgal said it was actually the nuclear deterrent that prevented further escalation.

“It was Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal that refrained India from launching a large-scale invasion despite having a numerical advantage in terms of conventional war,” said Sehgal, who is also the editor of Pakistan Defense Journal. He, however, cautioned that continuing clashes along the LoC may turn into a bigger conflict. But Panhwer said it was the international diplomacy that prevented major conflict because the world cannot afford a nuclear war.

Iran starts internet shutdown ahead of possible new protests: report DUBAI AGENCIES

Iranian authorities have shut down mobile internet access to overseas sites in several provinces, an Iranian news agency reported on Wednesday, a day before new protests called for on social media.

Social media posts and some relatives of people killed in unrest last month over hikes in gasoline prices have called for renewed protests and commemoration ceremonies for the dead on Thursday.

The semi-official news agency ILNA quoted an informed source at the Communications and Information Technology Ministry as saying the shutdown was or-

dered by “security authorities” and covered the Alborz, Kurdestan and Zanjan provinces in central and western Iran and Fars in the south.

“According to this source, it is possible that more provinces will be affected by the shutdown of mobile international connectivity,” ILNA said.

In November, Iran shut down the internet for about a week to help stifle the fuel protests which turned political, sparking the bloodiest crackdown in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic.

The internet blockage made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable reports on the extent of the unrest.

India's protesters: A cross-section of society NEW DELHI AGENCIES

Tens of thousands of Indians have taken to the streets in recent days to voice their anger over a new citizenship law that they say discriminates against the minority Muslim community.

But it is not just Muslims who are protesting — majority Hindus, lowcaste Dalits and Parsis are joining in to show their solidarity and condemn the legislation across the country of 1.3 billion people. The law allows people of six religions from Muslimmajority Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan an easier path to citizenship but not if they are Muslim.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, facing its biggest test since sweeping to power in 2014 — with at least 25 people killed in almost two weeks of protests — insists the law is not discriminatory. AFP spoke to five protesters who took part in a demonstration in New Delhi on Tuesday.

THE TECHIE: Kersi, a 32-year-old Parsi who works in the tech sector joined the march called by students from Jamia Millia Islamia University where police smashed into the campus and tear-gassed students following violent protests earlier this month.

Kersi, who gave only one name, said he was worried because the country’s secular foundations had been shaken like never before.

“There is a secular foundation to our constitution, there is an element of multiculturalism, pluralism, that is

at the core of the country’s ethos and which differentiates it from other countries,” he said. “The new law threatens it more than anything in the past. It’s a step too far. It’s a fundamental change they are trying to impose which I don’t agree with and which we should try and prevent.”

CARDBOARD REFORMER: Mansi, 29, an upper-caste Hindu settled in the US but in Delhi on holiday, was accompanied by her 64-year-old father who was carrying a cutout of Bhimrao Ambedkar, a revered social reformer and architect of India’s constitution.

“There have been laws in the past that have been extremely controversial but what they are trying to do now is alter the right to citizenship which sits at the foundation of democracy,” she said.

“This according to me is much too far-reaching than any single law affecting any single community. You are altering the identity of the nation and by definition who gets to exercise their vote to decide the future of the country. It is the moral responsibility of the majority to stand up for the marginalised minorities.”

THE PROFESSOR: Nandini, a professor at Delhi University who is a Hindu, said she was appalled by the alleged police brutality against students of Jamia University and wanted to show she was standing up for them.

“I feel enough is enough. It is important that we are given the space to express our dissent. It doesn’t mean

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

CMYK

we are anti-state. We are actually asking the state to bring in policies that are equal for all and not divisive and discriminatory,” she said.

LIKE HITLER: Pranav Yadav, 20, a student from one of India’s lower caste communities, lied to his parents and joined the protest march because he “could not simply sit at home and do nothing when my country is under attack from fascist forces”.

“It’s a sort of a systematic plan to attack Muslims in India. Whenever the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power, they have one basic agenda of targeting Muslims.

“Basically it’s like one leader having a target community and getting the majority to support that idea. Like Hitler did with Jews or the way Myanmar is doing to Rohingya Muslims.”

“After the Muslims, they can target against any other community they feel like. All they need is a scapegoat and right now Muslims seem to be the perfect scapegoat.”

MORE IMPORTANT THAN INDEPENDENCE: Promila Chaturvedi, a 79-year-old upper-caste Hindu, said it was important to speak up against injustice even though she “does not have much energy now”.

“I want to protect my constitution. I want to show my solidarity with the Muslim community. We want to tell them ‘we are with you, till the last drop of our blood’,” said Chaturvedi, her feather-soft white hair tied in a bun.