CMYK
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020 I 3 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 210 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition
PM iMran blaMes Profiteers, hoarders for rising inflation g
g
iMran SayS will Take STern acTion againST PerSonS reSPonSiBle for wheaT, SUgar ShorTage ‘irreSPecTive of PoliTical affiliaTionS’
g
firdoUS SayS federal caBineT haS aPProved gidc reMoval on ferTilizerS To Provide relief To farMerS
MUrad Saeed SayS govT will Move againST PMl-n, PPP ToP leaderShiPS ‘if They don’T reTUrn PlUndered naTional wealTh in MonTh’S TiMe’ ISLAMABAD
P
STAFF REPORT
rime minister imran Khan on Tuesday warned that profiteers and hoarders responsible for inflation in the country would be dealt with an iron hand. Briefing the media about the details of the federal cabinet’s meeting, Special Assistant to Prime minister on information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said that at the outset of the meeting, the prime minister said that every possible step would be taken to provide relief to the people, who were facing the brunt of inflation. Flanked by Federal minister for Communications and Postal Services murad Saeed, she said that the committee constituted by the prime minister was probing the recent wheat flour shortage and in the light of its findings, strict action would be taken against the elements involved in the crisis irrespective of their political affiliations. “The prime minster feels the pain of the hardships faced by the people during the wheat flour crisis and he would not spare anybody responsible for it,” she added. The SAPm said that Pm imran also directed the ministry of National Food Security and related organisations to take all measures to ensure a smooth supply of edible items to the public. The cabinet, she said, was briefed on the demand-supply gap of edibles items, including rice, wheat and corn and the situation of their stocks. The prime minister directed that all estimates of surplus crops should be moni-
tored, she added. She said that the prime minister issued directives to the Parliamentary Committee on electoral reforms to find out a way to ensure that in future elections were held in a free, fair and transparent manner and nobody could point the finger at their fairness. The use of technology, including biometrics, could ensure election transparency, she added. Dr Firdous said that the cabinet gave approval to the removal of Gas infrastructure Development Cess (GiDC) on fertilizer to provide relief to the farmers. She said that the cabinet did not approve a memorandum of understanding (moU) for the building of prefabricated houses, with the directive to the ministry concerned that transparency should be ensured by following the Public Procure-
ment regulatory Authority (PPrA) rules and inviting open bidding. She said that Special Assistant to Prime minister on Health Dr Zafar mirza briefed the cabinet about the coronavirus epidemic and the challenges related to it. The prime minister, she said, issued the directives for the provision of all possible help to Pakistani students stranded in China’s Wuhan province. “The Foreign Office (FO) has set up an information desk for providing updates to their family members,” she added. ‘PLUNDERED NATIONAL WEALTH TO BE RECOVERED’: Addressing the presser before Firdous, minister for Communication murad Saeed said the government will give a onemonth ultimatum to Asif Ali Zardari, Yousuf raza Gilani and the
Senate body approves Geographical Indications Bill after 18 years
Sharif family to return the tax payers’ money. murad also vowed legal action if the ‘looted wealth’ was not returned in the period of a month by the opposition leaders. The decision has also been taken that the prime minister and the president would not be allowed to set up their camp offices, he added. The communication minister claimed that the governments of PPP and PmL-N borrowed a massive debt of rs24,000 billion in a period of 10 years but failed to make any improvement in the education and health sectors. Pm imran is making all-out efforts to save the tax payers’ money, murad said,. “For this reason imran Khan lives in his private residence instead of the Prime minister House.” Sharing the details of “lavish expenditures”, the firebrand minister went on to say that former prime minister “Gilani had five camp offices in multan and in Lahore, whereas former president Asif Ali Zardari spent rs163 billion on his security”. “2,753 personnel were deployed for the security of the Sharif family and around rs2bn were spent on the security of Jati Umrah residence,” he added. As if it was not enough, the federal minister further said that ex-premier Nawaz Sharif had undertaken 25 private visits to London and also travelled abroad for medical treatment using a private jet. Former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif used over rs8 billion from the national exchequer, murad added.
Interest rate remains unchanged amid inflation g
SBP annoUnceS rS200B SUPPorT Package for exPorTerS STORY ON PAGE 12
Police arrest dawar, 28 others in PTM crackdown STORY ON BACK PAGE
NAB has become an ‘exploitation firm’, says CJP STORY ON PAGE 03
centre dashes Sindh govt hopes, rejects Mushtaq Mahar as Sindh igP STORY ON PAGE 02
SC lashes out at Sheikh Rasheed over ‘poor management’ of railways STORY ON PAGE 02
Trump announces occupied East Jerusalem as capital of Palestine g
US PreSidenT’S Plan ProPoSeS foUr-year freeze of iSraeli develoPMenT in area eyed for a fUTUre PaleSTinian STaTe
STORY ON PAGE 05
Textile exporters seek PM’s intervention in power tariff controversy STORY ON PAGE 11
STORY ON BACK PAGE
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
02 NEWS
SC laSHeS ouT aT SHeIKH RaSHeed oVeR ‘PooR ManageMenT’ oF RaIlwayS ISLAMABAD
T
STAFF REPORT
HE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday expressed displeasure with Federal Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed’s poor management of the organisation, and directed him to submit in court a business plan to uplift Pakistan Railways from its current “deplorable” condition within two weeks. While hearing a case pertaining to losses incurred by railways, a threemember bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah asked Rasheed to inform the court about the Tezgam train inferno in October 2019 that had killed 73 passengers. The incident apparently occurred when a gas cylinder brought by one of the travelers had exploded. “You should have submitted your resignation,” said the chief justice, in response to which Rasheed said that 75 people had been dismissed after the tragic incident. “Yesterday [Monday] we were told that two people were fired. You fired lower-level employees, when will the higher-ranking ones be [dismissed]?” asked Justice Ahmed. “We will also remove senior employees,” said Rasheed in response. “We do not see this happening, you are the highest-ranking employee,” remarked the chief justice, adding: “Minister Sahib don’t show people dreams, today you are running 18th-century rail-
COURT SAYS MINISTER SHOULD HAVE RESIGNED AFTER TEZGAM INCIDENT, GIVES HIM TWO WEEKS TO SUBMIT BUSINESS PLAN
ways. There is plundering in the railways department.” In response, the federal minister said he had been working 18 hours a day and had increased railways’ passengers by seven million. The railway minister implored that the only solution to problems faced by Pakistan Railways is the ML-1 project which is a 14-year-old project, but has not yet been executed. Rasheed pleaded the apex court for more time adding that he would resign if he does not meet the required standards. The chief justice said that ML-1 is not a “conjuring trick” which would
SC seeks details of officials residing in govt residences ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday sought details of state-owned residences that are inhabited by government officials during the hearing on a suo motu notice taken over illegal allotment of the abodes. The court ordered authorities to provide complete details of the officers who are allegedly illegally residing in those residences and hinted stern action against the suspects who are accused of renting it out. CJP Gulzar Ahmed said the matter will not resolve until the termination at least 50 persons involved in the fraud and ordered the authorities to take action against the involved. He remarked that at least 80 per cent of the government officers rented out government residences and still occupying the places despite constructing their own houses. The top judge continued: “The officers are dishonest who have occupied the government houses. How can these officers be eligible for continuing their jobs after renting out the government-owned houses?” The chief justice asked federal secretary housing that the government should stop allotting houses to its officers. To this, the secretary replied that the authorities are working on a plan regarding the government houses. The total number of government houses is 28,000 and 17,800 houses are in Islamabad while the authorities have taken back 1,517 houses. STAFF REPORT
fix everything. He stressed that the entire department is politicized and nothing is functioning properly. “The stations and railway tracks are not in order. The freight trains are also not operating,” CJP remarked. Officers are inducted after taking bribes.” “Even in 2020, your entire system is being run on parchis (favors),” the chief justice remarked. A day earlier, the apex court had observed that no department in the country was more corrupt than Pakistan Railways and summoned Rasheed, Federal Railways Secretary Habib-ur-Rehman
Gilani and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Aijaz Ahmad Buriro to answer the court’s questions. During Tuesday’s proceedings, the chief justice said: “Yes, Sahib [Rasheed], tell us what you are doing. Your whole story is in front of us. The railways will not function under your administration.” Additionally, the court said ideally revenue from railways should take the ministry out of debt and make it profitable. The three-judge bench asked Rasheed to present a business plan in the next hearing, adding that if there was any deviation from the plan presented in court, action will be taken. “Being a seasoned politician, your performance should have been the best among the others, but your institution is crumbling,” Justice Ahmed remarked. The court also ordered that the six-kilometer portion of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) be completed in two weeks and instructed the Sindh government to provide all assistance on the project. Adjourning proceedings till Feb 12, the court summoned the minister and the secretary of planning in the next hearing. Speaking to reporters following the court hearing, Rasheed said he will take the railways forward “as per the instructions of the chief justice”. The minister also clarified that the audit report referred to in the SC earlier was an audit report from 2013-17, adding that their report has not yet been released. “When our audit report is released, then we are answerable. This is the audit report of the previous government,” he said.
Centre dashes Sindh govt hopes, rejects Mushtaq Mahar as Sindh IGP ISLAMABAD/KARACHI STAFF REPORT
A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed to replace Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Kaleem Imam amid concerns raised by the provincial government, the federal cabinet on Tuesday decided against appointing Mushtaq Mahar as the Sindh police chief after its members from the province expressed strong reservations over the matter. Briefing the press about the issues discussed in the federal cabinet meeting, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed Sindh Governor Imran Ismail to once again discuss names for the new IGP with Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. “After consultation between the prime minister and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, Mushtaq Mahar’s name had been suggested [in the cabinet] for the Sindh IGP position but cabinet members from the province strongly opposed the idea. “Keeping in mind the majority view, the prime minister has asked the
Sindh governor to discuss the matter with the province’s chief minister. “The two will hold discussions on the other names suggested for the IGP position as well as new names so that a consensus can be reached on the matter,” Awan said. Earlier in the day, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani had, with much surety, said that Sindh IGP Kaleem Imam would be replaced on Tuesday. “There is no deadlock between Sindh and the Centre over the matter and we are expecting that the IGP will be removed today,” Ghani had said while talking to a private news channel. The comment had come after Sindh IGP Imam, while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Sindh Police Martyrs Memorial at Central Police Office (CPO) in Karachi, had said that he would not be transferred from his position so easily, adding that a “big conspiracy” was being staged against him. “The impression being created is that I have been transferred and this ceremony has been transformed into a transfer ceremony. I would like to say that I will not be transferred that
easily,” Imam had said. The Sindh inspector general said that when he does go, it will not be a transfer — in fact “it will be a new evolution”. “I will transcend on to new stages,” he added. The matter has been a bone of contention between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government in Sindh for weeks, with the provincial government earlier recommending Imam’s removal claiming he had failed to perform satisfactorily. SINDH GOVT DISMISSES CONSPIRACY ALLEGATIONS: Following the police chief’s address, Sindh Information Minister Ghani rejected the allegations of a conspiracy, adding that it was Imam who had initiated conspiracies against the Sindh government. He said transferring of police personnel is a routine matter but in Sindh, despite the cabinet giving detailed reasons for Imam’s removal, he insists on staying. “Imam has been colluding with opposition in Sindh and planting baseless news reports regarding Sindh cabinet members in the media,” said Sindh’s information minister.
IHC admits plea seeking Faisal Vawda’s disqualification ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday admitted a plea seeking disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) federal minister Faisal Vawda for allegedly submitting a false affidavit with the election authority. Under Article 63(1) C of the Constitution, a member of the parliament can be disqualified if he or she ceases to be a citizen of Pakistan or acquires the citizenship of a foreign state. The petitioner maintains that Vawda “contested the election of National Assembly while submitting false declaration and hiding his dual nationality” which makes him “liable to be disqualified under the Constitution and law of the land”. In his petition, Mian Mohammad Faisal argues that Vawda held dual nationality at the time of filing his nomination papers to contest the 2018 general elections, hence, he is not “honest” and “Ameen” and should be removed from the position. Vawda won the National Assembly seat from Karachi’s NA-249 constituency in the 2018 polls against PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and was later included in the cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan as a federal minister. Vawda’s troubles began after the controversial move of bringing a “boot” to a political show. He was banned by party chairman Imran Khan from appearing on TV for two weeks. Few days later, news reports showed that Vawda filed his nomination papers on June 18, 2018, but applied for renunciation of his United States nationality in the US Consulate Karachi on June 22, 2018,. On January 25, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) admitted an application, seeking Vawda’s disqualification on similar grounds. The commission, while issuing notices to all respondents, fixed the case for hearing on February 3. A day later, a south district sessions judge also issued notices to South Karachi SSP and Mithadar SHO over a plea seeking the registration of a case against Vawda. The petitioner, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qadir Khan Mandokhel, maintained that Vawda had used “non-parliamentarian” language when speaking about Senator Javed Abbasi in a television show on January 14, while also placing a shoe on the table. STAFF REPORT
PM didn’t meet MQM-P because he has nothing for Karachi: Siddiqui NEWS DESK Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Tuesday said Prime Minister Imran Khan had left Karachi without meeting members of his party because the federal government has nothing to give to the financial hub of the country. PM Imran arrived in Karachi early Monday. He met the Sindh chief minister, Grand Democratic Alliance leaders and members of the business community during the one-day visit. However, the premier didn’t have any interaction with the MQM-P. Talking to reporters at Liaqatabad, Siddiqui said, “Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet the MQM-P leadership when he will have something for Karachi and its people.” The MQM-P convener said his party could serve Karachiites without ministries in the federal or provincial governments.
Ghani’s remarks amount to interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs: FO ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
A day after Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani shared his concerns over the arrest of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan deemed his comments “equivalent to interfering in Pakistan’s internal affairs”. On Monday, Ghani tweeted that he was “troubled by the arrest of Manzoor Pashteen and his colleagues”. The tweet came hours after Pashteen was arrested by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police over charges of sedition and condemnation of state. Following Ghani’s tweets, the Foreign Office (FO) had issued a statement
and expressed “serious concern” over Ghani’s remarks. “We have noted with serious concern the recent tweets by President Ashraf Ghani, which are a clear interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs and hence, unwarranted. We believe that such statements are not helpful to the promotion of good neighborly relations between the two countries.” The FO said Pakistan wished to maintain close and cordial relations with Afghanistan based on the principles of non-intervention and non-interference and urged the Afghan side to work together for the common objective of peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. In a series of tweets, the special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting (SAPM) said that the
Afghanistan leadership should “keep in mind the principles of non-interference in international relations”. “Pakistan is a sovereign state. It is Pakistan’s law to take legal action against elements who are against the Constitution,” said Awan. “It is against diplomatic norms for a country to speak against the supremacy of law in another country.” She added that Pakistan’s “brave armed forces and upright people” had paved the way for peace in the country and that “miscreants cannot be allowed to play with peace”. “The law will pave its own way against miscreants,” said the prime minister’s aide, adding that Pakistan wished for peace and stability in the region and was willing to work together to establish peace in Afghanistan.
CMYK
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
NEWS
nab HaS beCoMe an ‘exPloITaTIon FIRM’: CjP TOP JUDGE SLAMS ANTI-GRAFT WATCHDOG FOR PROLONGING INVESTIGATIONS, KEEPING INNOCENT PERSONS IN JAIL FOR YEARS ISLAMABAD
C
STAFF REPORT
HIEF Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed on Tuesday lashed out at the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for prolonging investigations in corruption cases, saying the anti-graft watchdog “has become an exploitation firm which keeps its prisoners in jail for years without evidence”. The CJP made these remarks while
hearing a suo motu case pertaining to supply of clean drinking water in Sindh. The court dissolved the SC-mandated Sindh Water Commission and directed the authorities to submit a quarterly report on the objectives that have been achieved so far. During the hearing, Chief Justice Gulzar directed the commission to hand over its record and documents to the Sindh government. The tenure of the commission on water and sanitation in Sindh ended in January last year, however the apex
PM SayS ‘InjeCTIon Made nuRSeS looK lIKe HooRS’
court renewed it observing that its objectives were yet to be completely accomplished. The court said that steps should be taken for effective legislation on clean water supply, adding that hundreds of thousands rupees were plundered and not a single RO plant was installed. During the course of proceedings, NAB submitted report on alleged corruption in installation of RO plants. The court ordered it to complete references regarding cases and other matters
govt restrained from auctioning Ishaq dar’s lahore residence
in a month. The CJP said that there was no need to form a commission over the matter. He also expressed annoyance over NAB’s performance, saying that instead of 4 witnesses, NAB made 200 witnesses in the case. He said that the cases should be decided in one year but here NAB had taken six years. The chief justice said that NAB should be fined billions of rupees and this penalty amount should be collected from NAB employees as the the government would not give a single rupee. “NAB does not have the ability to work. Its investigating officers simply did not have the capacity to carry out the investigation to its logical end,” he said. Addressing the NAB prosecutor, the chief justice recalled a case in which a man committed suicide. He said that the NAB did not file challan against the real culprit, forcing an innocent person to take his own life. Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan asked what was the ratio of conviction in NAB cases? The NAB prosecutor responded that the conviction rate was 70 percent.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued a restraining order against the accountability court’s decision regarding the auction of former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s residence in Lahore. The high court suspended an earlier court order – dated November 07, 2019 – on a petition filed by Dar’s spouse, Tabassum Dar. A two-member IHC bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Lubna Saleem Pervez, issued the restraining order. The bench also issued notice to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and sought its reply on Feb 13. Defense counsel Advocate Qazi Misbahul Hassan informed the court that Dar had given the house, located in the Gulbarg neighborhood, to his wife as dower on Feb 14, 1989. The NAB while ceasing the house transferred it to the Government of Punjab for auction, the lawyer said. Tabassum Dar petitioned the matter to the accountability court, which was dismissed by the court on Nov 07, 2019, the counsel said. The high court bench after hearing arguments of the lawyer issued restraining order against the accountability court’s decision. Earlier, the Punjab government advertised the auctioning of the house. The ad said that there would be an open auction on January 28, which would allow the highest bidder to take possession of the house. The district government has set a minimum price of Rs185 million. Dar has been absconding court proceedings since 2017 following the registration of reference against him. Later, NAB confiscated his various bank accounts worth Rs500 million and his house, spread over four kanals and seven marlas. STAFF REPORT
Former ORGA employees seek to restrict authority of LNG scam accused
NEWS DESK Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that nurses at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, who looked after him after he fell from the stage in 2013 during an election rally, looked like hoors (virgins) following painkillers. “I was in deep pain due to injuries after I fell from the stage. The injection by Shaukat Khanum Hospital not only removed the pain but enabled me to make a speech as well. The nurses who made my pain go away looked like hoors at that time,” Imran can be heard as saying in a video making rounds on the internet. It merits mention here that such painkillers often induce hallucinations. Imran also said he repeatedly asked the doctor to give him more of that painkiller injection but he the doctor refused. At one point the premier recalled threatening the doctor to do his bidding but he did not allow another injection. Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan had in May 2013 sustained serious injuries on his head and back after falling from a lifter while climbing up the stage installed for an election rally in Lahore. The remarks did not go down well with Twitter. In a tweet, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) lawmaker Nafisa Shah said: “It is offensive and unbecoming of a prime minister of a country to refer to nurses who were treating him as objects of heavenly desire. His statement is highly controversial and mocks the dignified profession of nursing generally.” A journalist, Arshad Sharif, shared the video of these remarks and said: “Which injection makes nurses look like “Hoors” to ? Is PM sending a message that Nurses are objects of sexual desire? The noble profession of “Sisters” who follow the tradition of to treat sick & wounded rebranded as “Hoors” by ‘s PM?”
CABINET DIVISION ASKED TO REVOKE OGRA CHAIRPERSON'S ACCESS TO OFFICIAL RECORD IN ORDER TO ENSURE FAIR TRIAL ISLAMABAD AHMAD AHMADANI
Former employees of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) have asked the Cabinet Division to protect the sanctity of trial in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) scandal by revoking the access of the authority’s chairperson and other accused to official records. On December 26, 2019, the authority decided to grant its chairperson and other accused access to official records pertaining to the LNG scandal and allowed them to hire the services of a lawyer of their choice to deal with the inquiries of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). On January 14, two former employees wrote a letter to the Cabinet Division, requesting that these privileges should be revoked to ensure that the sanctity of the trial remains intact. “The Cabinet Division secretary is requested to take up the matter with the NAB authority to ensure the sanctity of the trial and level playing field for all other accused who are not working in OGRA,” the letter stated. The former employees also highlighted that back in 2012, in the case of Mansoor Muzaffar Ali, the anti-graft watchdog, with the consent of the Cabinet Division, rendered their services dysfunctional while they were being investigated in a scam related to the fixing gas loss ratio at 5 per cent for two gas utilities (Sui Northern Gas Pipelines
and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited) so that they could not influence the witnesses and have access to the relevant records. Similarly, the letter stated, in the case of Mir Kamal Marri, NAB, through a letter dated October 10, 2013, advised the Cabinet Division that “NAB does not recommend the posting of Mir Kamal Marri, as OGRA member finance, as he is facing trial in the OGRA scam and his posting will adversely affect the proceedings”. “Believing in the reign of reason, equity and fair play, the administrative fiat of the Cabinet Division is hereby approached to mete out the same penal treatment to the current chairperson as was administered to us by the then government in the above terms,” the letter added. Earlier, on January 9, the former employees asked the OGRA chief to review the December 26, 2019, decision under Section 13 of the OGRA Ordinance, 2002, within seven working days and the failure
to do so would prompt them to approach the court of competent jurisdiction for seeking redressal of grievances in a lawful manner. It is pertinent to mention here that on December 12, 2019, NAB had filed an interim reference in an accountability court for the trial of OGRA Chairperson Uzma Adil, an accused in a scam regarding the awarding of LNG terminal contract to a private company. Later, in a letter written to the Cabinet Division secretary on December 19, 2019, Uzma had requested that she be allowed to officially hire the counsel to defend the charges against her. Subsequently, the regulatory authority, in its administrative meeting held on December 26, unanimously decided to provide full legal support in case of any litigation, criminal investigation, and prosecution instituted against its serving or retired employees. “The accused person(s) shall be at liberty to utilise the services of any competent lawyer of choice to defend their respective cases, the cost of which shall be paid/refunded by OGRA provided that such cost does not exceed a total of Rs2 million for each case at each forum until final conclusion thereof,” it decided. The authority, however, stated that the accused persons, who were entitled to this facility, were expected to be judicious in negotiating the fee with the counsel of their choice keeping in view the nature and complexity of the case and the level of the forum.
03
gaS PIPelIne blown uP neaR RaHIM yaR KHan NEWS DESK Suspected militants blew up a major gas pipeline near Sindh-Punjab border, disrupting gas supply to many areas on Tuesday. The explosion caused major damage to the pipeline near Rahim Yar Khan district that supplies gas to Punjab from Sindh. The pipeline, which was exploded using a time device, is an act of terrorism, Sohail Gulzar, a senior official at the Sui Northern Gas Company Limited (SNGPL), told reporters. The explosion — latest in a series of similar incidents in recent past — took place on late Monday night, he added. The company, he said, was awaiting security agencies’ clearance to begin the repair work. The incident coincides with ongoing talks between Pakistan and Russia in Islamabad on a $2 billion North-South Gas Pipeline Project aimed at catering the energy needs of the country. There was no immediate word of responsibility for the incident, however, security agencies point finger at suspected militants that have been involved in such attacks in the recent years.
Zindagi Tamasha hangs by a thread as CII committee set to review film NEWS DESK The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has set up a four-member committee that will be tasked with reviewing the film Zindagi Tamasha and submitting a report to CII Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz. The members of this committee include Ghulam Majid, Abdul Rasheed, Taaj Muhammad and Muhammad Ashfaq,
all of whom are said to be experts in the concepts of Shariah. “All the members are competent and hold qualifications in Islam and social sciences. They belong to CII’s research wing, and were selected for this task after going through an interview process. We have shown them the CBFC letter and advised them on how to review the film, keeping religious sentiments in mind,” CII’s Media Coordinator Rana
Zahid told a local news outlet. According to Rana, Dr Qibla along with 20 CII members will scrutinise the report. “The CII received the Central Board of Film Censors’ (CBFC) letter regarding Zindagi Tamasha last week. In its first phase, the CII has handed over the matter to a four member research committee that will prepare a comprehensive report regarding the films impact on society.
The Council’s supreme body will further take a decision regarding the film after viewing the report,” he said. He further told that the CII has sent a letter notifying the CBFC of its plan of action in the first phase and is expecting a reply soon. According to another anonymous member of the CII, the four member bench will also question the viewpoint of CBFC members over objectionable dialogues.
“How were these dialogues and scenes that hurt the sentiments of the public even cleared if they (CBFC) watched the film? The reply of the CBFC members will also be a part of the report. We are just concerned over the objectionable dialogues that hurt the public. We have no concern otherwise. No scene or dialogue that hurts religious sentiments, would be allowed to pass,” said the member.
04 ISLAMABAD
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
WEATHER UPDATES WEDNESDAY
120C 070C
THURSDAY
130C 040C
FRIDAY
160C 050C
SATURDAY
Govt AsKs seNAte to PAss ZAINAb Alert bIll ISLAMABAD
s
APP
ENATOR Faisal Javed Tuesday said the Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) government realized the fact that child abuse cases were not reported and addressed the issue after coming into power. He on behalf of the government requested the upper house to pass the "Zainab Alert Bill," pending before the senate standing committee on human rights for the last couple of months. He was addressing to media per-
sons at the parliament. Keeping in mind the severity of the issue, ministries of Human Rights and Law and Justice on the direction of the government prepared 'Zainab Alert Bill" on war footings and presented it in the Parliament but unfortunately that bill was still lingering in the committees, he added. He said the same bill after being discussed for eight months in the standing committee of Human Rights of the National Assembly (NA) was passed and referred to the upper house where it was stuck. The senator said the upper house
could amend the bill latter but it should be passed from the Senate committee on Human Rights as soon as possible. Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act (ZARRA) would be constituted after the passage of the bill from the parliament, Faisal Javed added. He said Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had prepared special message in that regard whereas Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had also prepared to issue alert on national media and Social Media teams were also waiting for green signal from the government to vigorously spread the message.
"The bill is regarding punishment for those sick minded culprits commit this crime of child abuse," said Faisal Javed adding the bill would also be got passed from other provincial assemblies to increase the scope and effect of the law to the whole country. He while requesting Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to amend the bill at latter stage but pass it immediately without any further delay as the bill was very important. He also requested the chief ministers of all provinces to take necessary action for implementation of the bill in the respective provinces.
SC directs CDA to pay 92 affectees of F-11 Bekha Syedan ISLAMABAD APP
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) for payment to 92 affectees of Islamabad's sector F-11 Bekha Syedan. A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the case related to payment of compensation amount victims of F-11 Bekha Syedan. During the course of proceedings, Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked the CDA to pay claims to the vic-
tims which had been verified by the commission. He said the high court shall decide the case of the remaining victims in accordance with the law. He asked whether this case was over yet or not? The counsel for the affectees said this case pending since 2009. He said the NAB had also filed six references in this matter. The counsel for the CDA said the NAB had arrested 25 CDA officers. The counsel for the affectees said the high court had constituted commission on the matter. The commission confirmed the claim of 92 victims, but the
CDA was not paying those claims, he added. Justice Mazhar Alam Khan said if the commission was formed by the high court, then the relevant forum was the high court. The CDA counsel said the commission did not recommend payment of compensation to all victims. The commission confirmed the claim of 92 out of the 505 victims, he added. Justice Umar Ata Bandial asked the CDA to give money to those who had been confirmed by the commission. Later, the Supreme Court disposed of the case over pending in the high court.
160C 040C
CNG outlets in Islamabad, Punjab to open for 60 hours ISLAMABAD: Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations operating in Punjab and Potohar region including Islamabad would remain open for a period of 60 hours from Wednesday 8 am to Friday 8pm. “The CNG will be available in Punjab and Potohar region for consecutive 60 hours from Wednesday 8 am to Friday 8 pm…and all the stations will remain operational during the period,” All Pakistan CNG Association (APCNGA) Chairman Ghiyas Paracha said in a brief statement here on Tuesday. Paracha said a mechanism was being devised to end gas load-shedding in Punjab and ensure uninterrupted supply to CNG stations there. While, efforts were underway to open CNG outlets as per schedule across the Sindh province during next few days, he added. APP
Governor gives assent to four KP Assembly bills PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Shah Farman Tuesday gave assent to four bills passed by the provincial assembly, said a notification issued by Assembly Secretariat here. It said the bills including “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Vagrancy Restraint Bill,2020, KP Government Rest Houses and Tourism Properties (Development, Management and Regulation) Bill 2020, KP Civil Administration (Public Service and Good Governance) Bill 2020 and KP Panagah Bill 2020 have been published as Acts of the Provincial Legislature of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. APP
Woman among four gunned down in ‘police encounter’
ISLAMABAD: A A A A beautiful view of the federal capital after the weather turned pleasant following heavy rainfall on Tuesday.. oNlINe
AC adjourns hearing in Lok Virsa funds embezzlement case ISLAMABAD APP
An Accountability Court (AC) here on Tuesday adjourned the hearing without any proceedings of a reference filed by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in July last year against the alleged embezzlement in Lok Virsa funds.
The AC is hearing a NAB reference filed against PPP Senator Rubina Khalid and other accused for their alleged involvement in Lok Virsa funds' embezzlement. The hearing was resumed by the AC Judge Muhammad Bashir. The associate for Defence Counsel pleaded that senior counsel was unable
to attend the court's proceedings due to engagements at higher court and pleaded for adjournment. The court accepted the request and adjourned the hearing till February 17. The defence counsel was supposed to conduct cross examination of a prosecution witness Muhammad Sadiq
whose testiminy was recorded in the previous hearing. During the hearing, Rubina Khalid, Tabinda Zafar, Mazhar-ul-Islam and other alleged accused appeared before the court. The accused have been charged for causing a loss of Rs30 million to the national exchequer.
LAKKI MARWAT: Four suspected absconders, including a woman, were shot dead in an alleged encounter with police in Pahar Khel Paka area here on Tuesday. According to the police, the suspects were killed in an exchange of fire with the police party. Two policemen also got injured in the act. One of the suspects named Inam was declared absconder by the provincial government and was wanted to police in 15 cases. The suspect was also involved in firing incident over Marwat Coach attack that killed 14 people. In December 2019, a policeman sustained bullet injuries after the cops tried to intercept suspects in Karachi. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East Tanveer Alam had said that the incident occurred in Gulshan-e-Iqbal area, within the limits of Aziz Bhatti Police Station. The twomember motorcycle squad of police tried to intercept a suspected vehicle, he said adding that the suspects opened fire on them, injuring one cop. The other policemen on the motorcycle, however, remained safe as the suspects flee away from the scene. INP
All resources being utilised to facilitate people of affected areas: AJK PM MUZAFFARABAD APP
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan Tuesday said all available resource were being utilized to provide best available medical care facilities in the calamity hit areas of the state. He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of World Health Organization (WHO) led by its representative in Pakistan Dr Palitha Gu-
narathna Mahipala at Muzaffarabad, said a press release received here. Expressing gratitude to WHO for providing medical assistance in affected areas of Neelum valley, the AJK prime minister said the government would extend all out support to the organization for the establishment of field hospital and shifting of its equipment to the affected areas of the valley. “Although we have an organization in the state to respond to such natural disasters but even then some natural calamities
could not be tackled accordingly despite availability of sufficient resource”, Haider said. “It is my mission to provide best treatment facilities to masses throughout the state for which I need the cooperation of the international organizations”, he added. The AJK prime minister told the delegates that the state government was taking tangible steps for the provision of quality health services in the territory and had launched free emergency services in all district headquarters hospitals
CMYK
for this purpose. He told that the government was fully aware about the risk of Coronavirus. Special wards and screening desks were being established in this regard. Raja Farooq Haider welcomed WHO’s offer to provide assistance in this regard. Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala offered assistance for the calamity hit areas of Neelum, Leepa and Bhedi. Appreciating the prime minister's role in the affected areas, he expressed his or-
ganization's interest to setup a mobile unit in rain, snow affected areas of Neelum Leepa and Bhedi. “WHO would also provide its assistance for the identification of the Coronavirus”, he added. The Prime Minister lauded WHO for its global contribution in extending quality health services across the globe and serving the ailing humanity round the clock. He proposed WHO to expand its work in Azad Kashmir and assured all possible support from the government side.
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
SEnatE body aPProvES GEoGraPHICal IndICatIonS bIll aftEr 18 yEarS GI LAW NEEDED TO PROTECT COMMERCIAL HERITAGE OF GOODS PRODUCED IN COUNTRY ISLAMABAD
I
GHulAM ABBAS
N a major development on Tuesday, a parliamentary committee approved the muchawaited Geographical Indications (GI) Bill, 2019, to protect the commercial heritage of goods produced in the country. The legislation has remained pending for over 18 years. According to details, the Senate’s Standing Committee on Commerce and Textile approved the GI Bill, which will now be presented before the upper house of parliament for its consent. The bill will then be forwarded to the National Assembly (NA) for deliberations. The bill’s draft was earlier approved by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC). Once the bill is passed, Pakistan will be able to claim and use GI for goods such as Basmati Rice, Sargodha Kinnow, Peshawari Chappal, Hunza apricot and many other products. Geographical indication is a broad term which includes indications of source and appellations of
INDIA CLAIMS GI ON 361 PRODUCTS HAVING SIMILARITY WITH PAKISTANI PRODUCTS
origin. An indication of source means any expression or sign used to indicate that a product or service originates in a country, region or location where the product originated, e.g. made in Pakistan. It may be noted here that around 121 countries have approved their GI law. During the committee meeting, which was chaired by Senator Mirza Muhamamd Afridi, Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Chairman Pakistan Mujeeb Ahmed Khan informed that India, which approved the GI law back in 1999, is claiming ownership of at least 361 products. Since the majority of the goods being produced in India and Pakistan are the same, the neighbouring country’s exporters claim that the product is of Indian origin and indication causes damage to Pakistan internationally. “We have studied the GI bill in detail. We expect that after the law’s approval from parliament, the legislation will benefit not only exporters and traders but also the growers of the country,” he added. Members of the committee also suggested that the IPO and Commerce Ministry add protection of products under the GI law while keeping climate change in mind. In the absence of GI legislation, international
brands continue selling Pakistan-origin goods such as Paul Smith’s Peshawari chappal, Morrocan ajrak and California basmati, depriving the country of getting premium on its GIs in the international market as member countries of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are required to protect GIs under Article 22-24 of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement. The GI bill entails that once a GI is registered, an infringement action can be initiated both by the registrant and authorised users. The proposed bill also provides for both civil and criminal remedies in cases of infringement. Civil remedies include imposition of fines, forfeiture to the government of all goods and things, means of which the offence had been committed, damages, an account of profit, together with or without any order for delivery of the infringing label and indications for destruction or erasure while criminal remedies include imposition of fine or imprisonment or both. All suits for infringement shall be filed before the Intellectual Property Tribunal (IPT) whereas appeal against the decision of the registrar shall lie before the high court.
Govt approves financial advisers for OGDCL, PPL divestment ISLAMABAD SHAHZAD PARACHA
Careem to launch intercity bus service KARACHI FuRqAn MAlik
It appears that reports about Careem’s much-expected bus service had either been misconstrued or the company had a change of heart recently as the popular ride-hailing service is planning to enter the intercity transport market with its bus service instead of the intracity market, where Airlift and SWVL have already gained a somewhat first mover’s advantage, sources informed Profit on Tuesday. This development may come as a major disappointment to customers who were waiting to benefit from the increasing competition in the sector. Sources said that there are solid reasons behind Careem’s plan to not enter the intracity market. One of the important ones, of course, profits – or lack of them. Apparently, the intercity market is not lucrative enough for the Careem to enter at the moment. Airlift and SWVL are already locked into a fierce competition. The average trip fare being charged is not quite lucrative as it is, and more competition in the market would generally mean that it will stay that way – if it does not drop any further. In the intercity transport market, fares are high and the routes are simpler, and therefore, it makes more business sense to enter that market. The intercity transport market has established players too (Daewoo, Skyways, etc.) but Careem seems more willing to take them on. Besides, Careem plans to compete on the quality of service and not on price in that particular market, anyway. It believes that compared to the other players there, their “smart buses” offer a much better service to the intercity commuters. Another reason for not entering the intracity market is that there are concerns that Careem may end up cannibalising its own market share if they introduce the bus service there. After all, the consumer who now has the choice to take Airlift or SWVL for his daily commute is the same consumer who was once relying on Careem or Uber for the same purpose. Profit tried to reach out to Careem but they neither confirmed nor denied the news.
The Privatisation Board on Tuesday approved financial advisers for divestment of shares in Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL). Federal Minister for Privatisation Mohammadmian Soomro chaired the meeting attended by members of Privatisation Board, federal secretary, senior official, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) representative, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Power and financial advisers attended the meeting. The commission had invited Expressions of Interest (EoI) for the appointment of financial advisory consortium two months ago to divest the 7 per cent shares of the OGDCL as well as 10 percent share of PPL. Rumors had dominated the stock market last Wednesday as the government finalised the privatisation of OGDCL and consortium of OGDCL advisers. Initially, its share price went down by almost 5pc. OGDCL is a debt-free company, contributing Rs160 billion to the national exchequer. The government holds 74.97% interest while 10.05% with Benazir Employees Stock Option Scheme. Its net sale is Rs261.481 billion and profit after tax is Rs1178.3bn during FY 2018-19. On the other hand, the government also holds 67.5pc shares while 7.4pc are held by Benazir Employees Stock Option Scheme and their remaining 25pc shares had been offered for free float. In addition to this, the meeting has also recommended prequalification of the potential investors
who have submitted Statements of Qualification (SOQs) for the privatization of National Power Parks Management Company (Pvt) Ltd (NPPMCL). Amid potential buyers are twenty-three investors, including entities that have never invested in Pakistan before, who have submitted SoQs for the NPPMCL privatization. Out of 23 parties that submitted EoIs, 12 parties submitted their Statements of Qualification (SOQs) by the deadline. Some of the parties who submitted their SOQs also expressed their interest to form consortia with some of the other parties that had submitted EOIs. During the meetings, the technical, financial, management and legal capabilities of the parties that submitted their SOQs along with their organisational structure, were discussed with all the stakeholders. The board approved following twelve parties: Jera (Japan), Marubeni (Japan), Mitsui & Co (Japan), Asma Capital (Bahrain), Nebras Power (Qatar), Qatar Investment Authority (Qatar), the Fauji Foundation consortium(Pakistan), Edra (Malaysia), GPSC (Thailand), Contour Global (UK) and KAPCO and Atlas Pakistan. The prequalified parties will commence due diligence of the power plants promptly with a view to achieving the earliest possible date for bidding and closing of the transaction timely. The board also recommended transaction structure on sale of unproductive land owned by the federal government entities for submission to the Cabinet Committee on Privatization on CCOP. Sources said that the government can earn Rs 5 billion by selling off twenty-seven properties located in different cities.
LHC grants bail to Ahad Cheema in Ashiana-e-Iqbal Housing Scheme LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday granted bail to former director general of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Ahad Cheema in Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme case. A twomember bench of the high court headed by Justice Muhammad Tariq Abbasi was hearing the case. Advocate Azam Nazir Tarar argued before the bench that the petitioner had been behind the bars for the last 23 months and the NAB failed to file reference against him. The NAB prosecutor informed the court that the Supreme Court has decided the case and the LDA City has assured all affected people about allotment of plots. The prosecutor also said that the NAB has no-objection if the court grants bail to Ahad Cheema. The court adjourned hearing of Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme, and assets beyond means cases until February 11. The NAB had arrested Ahad Cheema on Feb 21, 2018 on charges of misusing his authority. The NAB also alleged that Cheema, being LDA director general accumulated assets in and outside the country beyond his known sources of income. STAFF REPORT
NEWS
05
PM Imran directs timely completion of CPEC projects ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said that Beijing has always supported Pakistan during difficult times and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was a manifestation of this multi-dimensional partnership between the two countries. The prime minister was chairing a high-level review meeting to ascertain progress on different CPEC projects. Imran said the ongoing development projects under CPEC should be fast-tracked for timely completion and directed officials to give a final shape to the consultation process of the future projects on priority. He also observed that Chinese experiences in the social sector, especially for the eradication of poverty and promotion of agriculture, must be fully explored. The prime minister directed the CPEC Authority to accelerate implementation pace on the different projects under the second phase on priority. Giving direction for early finalization and completion of these projects, the relevant ministries were directed to set completion period and emphasized upon making the inter-ministerial coordination more effective to achieve desired results within appointed time frame. The prime minister also directed to brief him in the upcoming review meeting on these projects falling under the CPEC second phase, including their completion period, implementation, removal of hurdles and the future mechanism. The prime minister was briefed in details over the progress on the short, medium and long terms CPEC projects.
CJP orders Sindh govt to revoke illegal allotments of forest land ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday directed the Sindh government to cancel the illegal allotment of land belonging to the provincial forest department in a case pertaining to deforestation and leasing out of state-owned land to private developers. Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, who headed the three-member bench, lamented that “ministers and lawmakers have occupied state land in Sukkur”. The CJP said that the forest department’s employees were also complicit in the practice of land grabbing and illegal allotment. He asked if Bahria Town Karachi was also being built on illegally occupied land. The legal counsel of the petitioner responded in the affirmative and said that the housing society has been built on 3,134 acres. “The Sindh government has turned a blind eye [towards the land grabbing],” he said, adding: “Why don’t we summon the Sindh chief minister?” The chief justice told the Sindh Forest Department to withdraw the land which was illegally allotted and submit a report, along with satellite images, in the Supreme Court. The hearing was adjourned for two months.
Hope EU passes resolution against India’s fascist policies, imposes sanctions: Mufti Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday expressed hope that resolutions tabled in the European parliament against state clampdown in Indian held Kashmir and the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will be followed up with sanctions on India. In a series of tweets, the former J&K chief minister wrote: “Relieved to see the EU parliament pass resolutions against communal CAB & brutal lockdown in Kashmir. [I] hope it’s followed up with sanctions. GOI’s actions are frittering away all of India’s assiduously earned soft power.” Meanwhile, the National Conference (NC), while reacting to the Indian government’s latest decision regarding the change in the nomenclature of Sher-i-Kashmir police medals, said it depicts the mindset of the present ruling dispensation in Delhi which “is out to bruise whatever is dear to the people of J&K and whatever is important in history.” nEWS DESk
At least 8,600 Pakistani prisoners repatriated from overseas prisons At least 8,600 Pakistani prisoners, languishing in overseas prisons, have been released and repatriated after efforts made by Prime Minister Khan. The largest number of prisoners were repatriated from countries in the Middle East. From Saudi Arabia, 2,020 prisoners were freed, 3,023 from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 668 from
Iraq, 106 from Qatar, 113 from Kuwait and around 1,500 prisoners were freed from Malaysian jails. Meanwhile, the government also sent two special aircraft to Malaysia for bringing the Pakistani prisoners back home. The fate of thousands of Pakistanis locked up in prisons across the Middle East remains a sensitive issue in Pakistan.
CMYK
Huge numbers of Pakistanis travel to the Middle East every year, with many working on construction sites or as domestic helpers. The remittances they send back are vital for Pakistan’s economy. Earlier this month, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Aisha Farooqi had said during a weekly media briefing in Islamabad that the Pakistani embassy
was in touch with the Saudi authorities over the release of the prisoners from Saudi prisons. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had ordered the release of about 2,100 Pakistani prisoners from the kingdom’s prisons during a high-profile visit to Islamabad in February last year. nEWS DESk
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
06 WORLD VIEW
We can end america’s endless Wars AMERICA SHOULD END ITS MILITARY INVOLVEMENT IN CONFLICTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND BRING OUR TROOPS HOME atlantIc
O
ElizabEth WarrEn
NCE again, the United States risks being drawn into an unnecessary war in the Middle East. Donald Trump’s impulsive and reckless escalation of conflict with Iran, most recently his decision to order the killing of Qassem Soleimani, illustrates the danger of electing the most corrupt and unqualified president in our nation’s history—a man who has little idea of what it means to put the nation’s interests ahead of his own. But it is also the consequence of an approach to foreign policy that relies on the U.S. military to achieve the impossible, instead of doing the hard work of statecraft. Sending our military to fight should be the hardest decision we make as a country. Instead, it has become the politically easy path, across political parties and administrations—a way to avoid making compromises or difficult choices about priorities. For nearly two decades, America has been mired in a series of wars in the Middle East and beyond that has left us less, not more, secure. The wars have taken a staggering human and economic toll. Tens of thousands of U.S. service members have been killed or wounded, and many more live with the invisible scars of war. Millions of civilians have suffered. These conflicts have cost trillions of dollars needed for urgent priorities here at home, created a drag on our economy, contributed to the decay of our democratic culture and institutions, and paved the way for Trump’s ugly divisiveness. The invasion of Iraq destabilized the Middle East, empowered Iran, and created the conditions that produced ISIS.
The 2003 decision to go to war is one of the worst national-security choices American politicians have ever made. In Afghanistan, we’ve “turned the corner” so many times that we seem to be going in circles, and the Taliban controls more territory now than it has since we first invaded, in 2001. U.S.-enabled wars in Libya, Yemen, and elsewhere have resulted in humanitarian tragedies and created new training grounds for international terrorists. U.S. counterterrorism missions have spread to dozens of countries, largely out of sight of the American people. There is no question that Trump’s careless actions—not only in the past month, but over the past three years— have made the situation in the Middle East demonstrably worse. Trump’s claim that he killed Soleimani to “stop a war” is breathtakingly disingenuous. He isn’t ending wars; he is making wars harder to end. And now he is taking steps that could start a new one. We must not accept yet another unnecessary, costly, and counterproductive war. Instead, we should refocus our attention and resources on the challenges that will define our national security for the next generation: promoting prosperity and lessening inequality; addressing the climate crisis; answering resurgent right-wing demagogues who are undermining the strength of our democratic alliances; and countering globalized corruption and authoritarianism led from Moscow and Beijing. America should end its military involvement in conflicts in the Middle East and bring our troops home from these endless wars in smart, responsible ways. First, I would make the cornerstone of my approach to ending these wars the renewal of efforts to forge diplomatic solutions based on realistic objectives. In the case of Iran, we should have never walked away from a nuclear deal that was
Bolton and Pompeo should testify at impeachment trial HErald's VIEw "Donald Trump defines and destroys his opponents better than almost anyone else I've ever seen." When outgoing ambassador to Washington Joe Hockey said these words to the Herald's US correspondent, Matthew Knott, he struck the core of the impeachment proceedings unfolding in the United States Senate. The chamber contains a significant cohort of Republicans who despise Mr Trump and have at various points openly rejected him: Mitt Romney, whom the President dismissed as "a pompous ass"; Ted Cruz, who saw aspersions cast over his wife and his father by Mr Trump during the 2016 primaries; and Lindsey Graham, who famously wrote that "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed ... and we will deserve it". Yet for months it has seemed clear to most analysts that the party Mr Trump leads would vote as a bloc to deny the Democrats' requests for further witness testimony and documentary evidence in what the White House has long dismissed as a partisan show trial over the President's dealings with Ukraine. Republican senators' reasoning is straightforward: Mr Trump has defined party orthodoxy in his own image and anyone who objects will face destruction, either from the leader or the plurality of the electorate that chose him. Enter John Bolton. Another casualty of Mr Trump's febrile approach to hiring and firing, the fallen national security adviser decided to write a book about his experience, the manuscript of which has reportedly been sitting in the White House waiting to be vetted for publication for a month. Leaks from that manuscript have at first blush confirmed what Democratic congressman Adam Schiff told senators only days ago: "[Mr Trump] has done what he's charged with: he withheld the money, he withheld the meeting [with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky], he used it to coerce Ukraine to do these political investigations, he covered it up, he obstructed us, he is trying to obstruct you and he's violated the constitution." It remains to be seen whether key Republicans – having complained repeatedly of the absence of first-hand witnesses – will finally agree to call Mr Bolton to the stand, whether he would in fact condemn the President before the Senate, and whether even such a stalwart Republican apparatchik cannot be "defined and destroyed" by Mr Trump and his allies in the media, who are already testing lines of attack that portray Mr Bolton as part of an establishment conspiracy, a reckless warmonger and – worst of all – someone with a book to sell. Claims such as White House counsel Pat Cipollone's before the Senate that Mr Trump's removal from office by a vote of elected senators would violate due process or thwart the will of the electorate always overlooked the fact that impeachment, and indeed Congress itself, is part and parcel of the constitutional order of the land. That is precisely why Mr Bolton should now be called to testify, to be followed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Should senators move to acquit even after their testimony, then at least voters will have had a firsthand account of what took place. In his closing remarks, Congressman Schiff reminded senators of the November testimony of LieutenantColonel Alexander Vindman (a White House aide and decorated soldier since "defined and destroyed" as a suspect foreign type with dual loyalties) that in America "right matters". His fellow citizens should be allowed to put that proposition to a nationwide test.
working, triggering an inevitable cycle of escalation. I will bring both the U.S. and Iran back into the agreement if that is still possible, and build on the deal with additional negotiations to extend its accomplishments and sunset provisions, while beginning a broader negotiation with Iran, its neighbors, and key world powers to de-escalate regional tensions. In Syria, we must pursue clear and achievable goals that will not require resources we never intended to commit. And while we must bring our troops home, Trump’s erratic approach has only endangered our partners and further confused an already chaotic situation. We need to be honest with ourselves that, after Trump’s incompetent handling of the situation, any diplomatic deal will be worse than the one we could have gotten before he betrayed our Kurdish partners, confused our European allies, and handed leverage to Turkey and Russia. Instead of playing games with troop deployments and missions, we should use our remaining leverage to negotiate a fragile balance among Syria, Turkey, Russia, and Iran; mitigate the humanitarian crisis; and keep ISIS fighters in prisons. In Afghanistan, we need serious diplomacy that achieves our counterterrorism goals as we bring home our troops. Trump’s haphazard approach has repeatedly upended delicate negotiations and wasted leverage. And there cannot be any workable deal in Afghanistan as long as the U.S. and Iran are in an escalating conflict. Second, I would refocus our efforts to prevent terrorist attacks—whether they originate at home or abroad—on intelligence, law enforcement, and international partnerships. These tools have been enormously successful in preventing attacks against the U.S. since 9/11— and more effective and less costly than occupying countries. Third, in my administration the
United States will again lead international efforts to provide the humanitarian and economic aid that is essential to stabilizing Syria, Afghanistan, and other conflict areas in the long term. Instead of this proven and cost-effective approach, the Trump administration has slashed assistance and instituted racist, draconian cuts in the number of refugees we allow into the U.S. By doing our part and leading the way, we can get the world to invest the attention and resources needed to mitigate the local conditions that lead to global threats. As part of this effort, my administration will reduce our aid to corrupt governments and focus instead on economic assistance that empowers citizens and increases human development. Fourth, I will strengthen our alliances in Europe, Asia, and beyond as an essential pillar of our national security, updating them to address the real challenges of our time. All these steps will require real investments in our diplomatic capabilities. That’s why I’ve proposed a plan to rebuild the State Department and appoint only highly qualified diplomats, not wealthy campaign donors, to represent our vital interests abroad. Finally, we will use our military wisely. All three of my brothers served in the military. I know that our service members and their families are smart, tough, and resourceful. They will make any sacrifice we ask of them. But having a strong military means using it with the utmost responsibility. The job of the president is to keep Americans safe. Every day, around the world, our military is engaged in training partner forces, protecting our embassies, providing humanitarian relief, and keeping sea lanes open. But we must reassess our global posture to ensure that U.S. forces are engaged in realistic missions, and that the risks and costs of military deployments must be appropriately limited. It is to our shame that our politicians
have so often asked too much of our troops because military action feels easier—or at least easier to explain—than diplomacy. As commander in chief, I will not send our troops into harm’s way unless there is a vital national-security interest at risk, a strategy with clear and achievable objectives, and a public understanding and acceptance of the long-term costs. We will hold ourselves to this by recommitting to a simple idea: the constitutional requirement that Congress play a primary role in deciding to engage militarily. The United States should not fight and cannot win wars without deep public support. Successive administrations and Congresses have taken the easy way out by choosing military action without proper authorizations or transparency with the American people. The failure to debate these military missions in public is one of the reasons they have been allowed to continue without real prospect of success. On my watch, that will end. I am committed to seeking congressional authorization if the use of force is required. Seeking constrained authorizations with limited time frames will force the executive branch to be open with the American people and Congress about our objectives, how the operation is progressing, how much it is costing, and whether it should continue. Trump has bulldozed his way through international norms and imperiled our reputation on the international stage. But his abuses are possible only because of choices we made over decades in the name of national security, which allowed the erosion of our system’s checks and balances and trade-offs that compromised our nation’s values and ideals. We need to do what actually makes Americans safe and end our endless wars. ELIZABETH WARREN is a United States senator from Massachusetts.
Hindu right’s hate politics at the cost of social harmony is pushing India into an existential crisis IT IS HIGH TIME POLITICAL PARTIES AND THE CIVIL SOCIETY DEMAND CLOSURE OF THE HATE FACTORY IN NAGPUR. FUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACIES DO NOT NEED ORGANISED MILITIAS TO ACT AS VIGILANTES ENFORCING A HEGEMONIC CULTURE AGAINST MINORITIES AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IndIan ExprEss Chinnaiah Jangam
Among the decolonised nation-states, India had stood as a model. Its non-violent anti-colonial struggle showed to the other colonised a means of resistance. Post-independent India’s Constitution, drafted by Dalit visionary B R Ambedkar, enabled the imagination of people to build an ethical and inclusive democracy. Most importantly, it showed that, if led by an ethical leadership, the State could address historic injustices. In the same vein, Jawaharlal Nehru’s commitment to nation-building in terms of institutions and electoral democracy ensured India’s forward march. The template worked out by the anti-colonial, anti-caste and anti-communal visionaries of the nation not only freed the country from the shackles of colonial oppression but also rebuilt it from the trauma of Partition. Like the mythical phoenix, India reemerged as a modern, secular, democratic, socialist republic. When, in 1975-77, the suspension of democracy through Emergency by Indira Gandhi threw the nation into an existential crisis, people fought for democracy. Ironically, it was at this juncture that the nation conceded public and political space to the Hindu right. The RSS as an originator of the two-nation theory and the producer of Nathuram Godse, the killer of M K Gandhi, had remained invisible till then. By aligning with democratic mobilisations, the RSS enhanced its agenda, it distilled
and distributed its poisonous, hate politics in the name of social and educational services. It produced Hindu nationalists with military-style training similar to fascist Black Shirts. They orchestrate violence and act as extra State actors with the support of the higher echelons of power. The post-1990s rise of Hindu nationalism has fundamentally altered Indian public life and political discourse. One, by inciting hatred towards Muslims; the worst example was the pogrom in Gujarat in 2002 under Narendra Modi as Chief Minister. RSS affiliates have simultaneously spread their influence into mainstream media and corporate houses, strengthening its money power and packaging its Hindu communal agenda as development and nationalism. As a result, after 2014, everyday violence unleashed by Hindu vigilantes against Muslims and Dalits has been normalised. This legitimisation of violence, combined with management of election with money and media, was behind the BJP’s landslide victory of 2019. Doubts were also raised about the role played by EVMs. Modi’s second term, with Amit Shah as Home Minister, has seen abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution stripping Indian held Kashmir of its special status, the Ayodhya verdict by the Supreme Court, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens, all meant to legalise the persecution of Muslims. The second venomous agenda of the RSS is delegitimisation of the idea of social justice that empowers Dalits and other oppressed sections. In the name of lack of
merit, inefficiency and corruption in public institutions, the Hindu right has built a discourse against reservations. In the 1990s, parties with social justice agenda such as the BSP, SP and Janata Dal acted as an antidote, but the Hindu right’s smear campaign has rendered them powerless. Politics after the 1990s has not been on ideological ground but populism. It has provided some succour to the poor from the pain of market economy, without addressing structural problems. However, the era of populism has also opened doors to undemocratic, authoritarian leaders, especially among regional parties. Political parties, lacking ideology or imagination, and desperate for power, have even aligned with the Hindu right and provided legitimacy to its politics. Meanwhile, the Congress as well as regional parties from Indian held Kashmir (the Abdullahs and Muftis) to Tamil Nadu (the DMK) have descended into family satraps and are infused with corruption. If one looks for an alternative to Hindu right politics, all one sees is a crop of kleptocratic elites from all castes. The Hindu right’s homologous hate politics at the cost of economic development, social harmony is now pushing the nation into an existential crisis. It is high time political parties and the civil society demand closure of the hate factory in Nagpur. Functional democracies do not need organised militias to act as vigilantes enforcing a hegemonic culture against minorities and vulnerable populations. The writer is Associate Professor, Department of History, Carleton University.
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
FOREIGN NEWS 07
paleStinianS proteSt, iSrael braceS ahead of trUmp plan GAZA CITY/JERUSALEM
t
AGENCIES
HOUSANDS of Palestinians demonstrated against U.S. President Donald Trump’s IsraeliPalestinian peace plan on Tuesday hours before its scheduled release at a ceremony in Washington. Israeli troops meanwhile reinforced positions near a flashpoint site between the Palestinian city of Ramallah and the Jewish settlement of Beit El in the Israelioccupied West Bank.While Israeli leaders have welcomed Trump’s long-delayed plan, Palestinian leaders rejected it even before its official release. They say his administration is biased toward Israel. The Palestinians fear Trump’s blueprint will dash their hopes for an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem - areas Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War - by permitting Israel to annex large chunks of occupied territory including blocs of Jewish settlements. Diab Al-Louh, the Palestinians’
ambassador to Egypt, said on Tuesday they had requested an urgent meeting of the Arab League council at ministerial level - which Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would attend.
iran lawmakers call for debate on quitting nuclear arms treaty DUBAI: A group of Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday asked parliament to debate a motion for Iran to quit a treaty governing global nuclear arms control, a move apparently aimed at pressuring European powers to salvage Tehran’s own 2015 nuclear deal. A report on the assembly’s news site ICANA said a minimum number of MPs had signed a request to parliament’s managers to arrange a debate on the motion for Iran to take the far-reaching step of leaving the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said last week that Iran could withdraw from the NPT if European countries refer the country to the UN Security Council over the 2015 deal, a move that would overturn diplomacy in Tehran’s turbulent relations with Western powers. Lawmakers in the past have sometimes withdrawn their signatures seeking debates on motions about nuclear and other issues. To become a law, the proposal would have to be passed by lawmakers in two readings and then ratified by the Guardian Council, a body that is in charge of ensuring bills do not contradict religious laws or Iran’s constitution. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the highest authority in the Islamic Republic, has the final say on all state matters like Tehran’s nuclear policy. The 1968 NPT has been the foundation of global nuclear arms control since the Cold War, including the 2015 deal Iran signed with world powers that offered it access to global trade in return for accepting curbs to its atomic program. The fate of the 2015 pact has been in doubt since US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of it in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that have crippled the country’s economy. Iran has responded by gradually scaling back its commitments, although it says these steps are reversible if the European powers can salvage the deal by shielding Iran’s economy from US penalties. Britain, France and Germany formally accused Iran on Jan. 14 of violating the terms of the agreement to curb its nuclear program, which eventually could lead to the reimposing of UN sanctions lifted under the pact. However, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell on Friday extended the time available to discuss ways to save the nuclear deal with Iran under the dispute mechanism. AGENCIES
Qatar’s ruler appoints top aide as prime minister DOHA: Qatar’s ruler has appointed a new prime minister, the office of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said on Tuesday, choosing a close associate for an influential role that seeks to ensure the emir’s writ runs throughout the Gulf State’s administration. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdelaziz Al Thani will take on the role of prime minister after Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, who was also Qatar’s interior minister, submitted his resignation to the emir. The new premier Sheikh Khalid, who will also take on the post of interior minister, had been the head of the Amiri Diwan, the emir’s office. Sheikh Abdullah on Twitter thanked the emir for his guidance during his time as prime minister. AGENCIES
GAZA PROTESTS:In Gaza City on Tuesday, protesters waved Palestinian flags and held aloft posters of Abbas. “Trump is a fool, Palestine is not for sale!” an activist shouted through a loud-
speaker. Others chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as they burned tires and posters of Trump. More protests were expected after Trump announces details of his plan later in the day. An Israeli military spokesman said troops had been sent to reinforce the West Bank’s Jordan Valley - an area which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to partially annex. Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to Britain, told Reuters in London that Trump’s peace plan was merely “political theater”. “It is not a peace deal. It is the ‘bantustan-isation’ of the people of Palestine and the land of Palestine. We will be turned into bantustans,” he said, referring to the nominally independent black enclaves in apartheid-era South Africa. “Jan. 28, 2020 will mark the official legal stamp of approval of the United States for Israel to implement a fullfledged apartheid system,” he said. Israel vehemently rejects any comparison to the former South African regime.
GOOD DEAL?: Trump will deliver joint remarks with Netanyahu at the White House later on Tuesday to outline his plan, the result of three years work by his senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner. He met with Netanyahu and the Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz ahead of the announcement. Both were briefed on its contents. Netanyahu said it was “the opportunity of a century and we’re not going to pass it by.” Gantz called it a “significant and historic milestone.” A Netanyahu spokesman said he would fly to Moscow on Wednesday to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on the proposals. But Israeli-Palestinian talks broke down in 2014, and it is far from clear that the Trump plan will resuscitate them. Palestinian and Arab sources who were briefed on a draft of the plan fear that it will seek to bribe Palestinians into accepting Israeli occupation, in what could be a prelude to Israel annexing about half of the West Bank.
Netanyahu formally indicted in court on corruption charges JERUSALEM AGENCIES
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was formally indicted in court on Tuesday on corruption charges after he withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity from prosecution. Netanyahyu was in Washington for meetings with US President Donald Trump ahead of the release of Trump’s long-delayed Israel-Palestinian peace plan when Israel’s attorney-general filed the charges in a Jerusalem court. The immunity bid seemed doomed to fail from the beginning since Ne-
tanyahu, who denies any wrongdoing, lacked sufficient votes in the legislature for approval. The request for protection from prosecution had effectively blocked the filing of the indictment until now. As proceedings move toward trial the timeline remains unclear and it could take months or years. In addition to his legal battle, Netanyahu is fighting for his political life in a March 2 election, Israel’s third in less than a year after inconclusive ballots in April and September. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, said in a statement that an immunity debate in parliament would have been a “cir-
cus” and he did not want to take part in this “dirty game”. With public attention in Israel focused on events in Washington, Netanyahu’s White House meetings seemed likely to overshadow his latest legal woes. The veteran rightwinger is under no legal obligation to resign. Netanyahu’s main rival, centrist former general Benny Gantz, made Netanyahu’s legal troubles a centerpiece of his campaigns in two Israeli elections last year. Gantz made a brief trip to Washington to discuss the peace plan with Trump, and had rushed back to Israel expecting to lead the parliament debate against granting Netanyahu immunity.
Harvey Weinstein accuser details alleged rape in trial testimony NEW YORK AGENCIES
Harvey Weinstein accuser Mimi Haleyi testified Monday that weeks after arriving in New York to work for one of his shows, she found herself fighting in vain as the once-revered showbiz honcho pushed her onto a bed and sexually assaulted her, undeterred by her kicks and pleas of, “no, please don’t do this, I don’t want it.” Haleyi was the first to testify of the two women whose allegations led to Weinstein’s New York City criminal case. Sobbing at times, she described how the film producer turned a friendly meeting at his Manhattan apartment in July 2006 into a terrifying ordeal that had her contemplating escape plans as he forcibly performed oral sex on her. “I was kicking, I was pushing, I was trying to get away from his grip,” the former Project Runway production assistant testified. “He held me down and kept pushing me down to the bed. Every time I tried to get up he pushed me down.” Haleyi, now 42, told jurors she thought, “I’m being raped,” and wondered “If I scream rape, will someone hear me?” She said she told Weinstein she was menstruating in an attempt to deter him, but that didn’t stop him. “I checked out and decided to endure it,” she said. “That was the safest thing I could do.” Yet just two weeks later, Haleyi said, she was accepting an invitation to Weinstein’s hotel room, where he pulled her into bed for sex. Haleyi said she “just felt like an idiot” for letting Weinstein convince her to meet again, but thought seeing him could help her regain power as she tried to make sense of the alleged assault. Haleyi said she didn’t want to be intimate with Weinstein, but said she didn’t think Weinstein forced her to have sex.
Weinstein lawyer Damon Cheronis zeroed in on Haleyi’s continued interactions with Weinstein, scrutinizing her emails and calendar entries marked “HW” during cross-examination. He noted that she kept exchanging warm messages with him, pitched him on a TV show and made several trips on his dime, including jetting off to Los Angeles the day after the alleged assault and flying to London about a month later. When they couldn’t connect before she left London, she sent Weinstein’s assistant an email lamenting: “totally bummed to have missed you guys.” Explaining the fraught dynamics, Haleyi said she no longer feared Weinstein after “he basically had taken what he wanted” in the hotel room encounter and “wasn’t pursuing me in that manner” any longer. In what seemed designed to be an aha moment, Cheronis asked Haleyi if the reason she kept in touch with Weinstein was “because he never sexually assaulted you.” Haleyi pulled up the microphone, smiled exasperatedly and said: “No.” In all, six accusers are expected to testify, but because of the statute of limitations and other legal technicalities, Weinstein is charged in only two incidents. They are the alleged rape of an aspiring actress in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and the alleged sexual assault of Haleyi. Under New York law applicable at the time, Weinstein is not being charged with rape in connection with Haleyi’s accusations. Weinstein, 67, has insisted any sexual encounters were consensual. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they have been victims of sexual assault, unless they agree to be named as Haleyi has. Haleyi went public with her allegations at an October 2017 news conference, appearing in front of cameras alongside lawyer Gloria Allred, who also represents Sciorra and other Weinstein
accusers. Haleyi, born in Helsinki, Finland, and raised in Sweden, said she met Weinstein while in her 20s at the 2004 London premiere of the Leonardo DiCaprio film The Aviator. They crossed paths again in Cannes in 2006 and, when she expressed interest in working on one of his productions, he invited her to his hotel room and asked for a massage. She declined, saying she was “extremely humiliated.” More meetings followed, and Weinstein secured Haleyi a job helping on the set of Project Runway, the reality competition show he produced. She testified that before the alleged assault, Weinstein showed up at her apartment and begged her to join him on a trip to Paris for a fashion show. “At one point, because I just didn’t know how to shut it down so to speak. … So I said, ‘You know you have a terrible reputation with women, I’ve heard,’” Haleyi testified. She said that offended Weinstein and he stepped back and said, “What have you heard?” Asked by prosecutor Meghan Hast if she had any romantic or sexual interest in Weinstein, Haleyi firmly answered: “Not at all, no.” Haleyi said she didn’t call the police about the alleged assault because she was working in the U.S. on a tourist visa and was scared of Weinstein’s power and connections, telling jurors: “I didn’t think I’d stand a chance.” Weinstein was jotting notes in a thick yellow notebook through most of Haleyi’s account, but looked at her and shook his head when she described their encounter. Weinstein has not been charged in connection with that incident. The jury of seven men and five women heard last week from Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra, who testified that Weinstein overpowered and raped her after barging into her apartment in the mid-1990s.
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
08 COMMENT
The perils of being a buffer
Living in la-la land PM must wake up and smell the coffee
P
Ti leaders claim that the party has successfully aborted the ‘conspiracies’ against its governments in KP and Punjab and will not be pressurized by anyone. A confident PM ignored the PMl-Q and MQM-P leaders while visiting lahore and Karachi. in Sindh he held meetings with the MQM-P’s opponents, and agreed to change the Sindh iGP as requested by the PPP. Others however believe that with no end to its incompetence, the respite the PTi has got might not last long. One of the outstanding examples of the government’s ineptitude is the way Federal Minister Sh Rashid is (mis)managing the Pakistan Railways. The minister was called by the Supreme Court on Tuesday in a case pertaining to the huge losses incurred by the organization and confronted with the evidence of corruption, mismanagement and incompetence. he was asked why he did not resign when 70 passengers died in a railway accident. That these were the questions that the PM should have asked the minister, but didn’t, is a reflection on the former’s performance. incompetence does not end here. The country is facing the threat of locust attacks for over eight months now. Sindh was the first to suffer but little attention was paid to the eradication of the threat despite repeated reminders from the provincial government. Now locusts are playing havoc in several Punjab districts. The recent wheat flour and sugar shortages are yet another example of PTi’s subpar governance. The way the government’s economy is being managed raises questions about the competence of the economic team. According to the UN report “World economic Situation and Prospects 2020”, Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow at lower than the earlier growth rate forecasts by multilateral agencies supporting the reforms agenda, and close to half of islamabad’s own targeted rate. The economic activities thus continue to lose momentum without interruption. The hopes of a turn around this year are moonshine. There are reports of NAB having finally initiated investigation into the allegations of corruption against two South Punjab ministers. in case NAB decides to change its policy of one-sided accountability and pursues cases against the leaders of the PTi led ruling alliance also, the government may face unbearable shocks.
Unconstitutional wing-clipping The office of the AGP must remain autonomous
W
hile in the opposition Prime Minister imran Khan wasted no opportunity to accuse the PMl(N) and PPP of bullying state institutions into submission to work according to their wishes rather than letting them operate independently. he has therefore been a strong proponent of autonomous, influence-free state institutions. That his own cabinet has downgraded the office of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) from a constitutional office to merely a subservient body of the Ministry of Finance requires some explaining. The AGP’s strong reaction to the notification was to be expected. Both federal and provincial governments are subject to audit by the AGP, which includes the Ministry of Finance as well. Reports are presented in Parliament and the Public Accounts Committee to be reviewed and debated. This practice keeps checks and balances on government spending to discourage any excesses and identify any fraud. The nonchalance with which the office of the AGP has simply been ‘placed under a board of directors that will oversee its functions’ smacks of the PTi government’s contempt for any institution raising valid questions over how they are running the government. earlier this month the AGP, on the basis of analyzing only 8.3% of the expenditures of the KP government in 201617, found irregularities amounting to Rs23.29 billion, citing poor financial control that allowed embezzlement and fraud. The PTi has been ruling the province since 2013. Such facts are hard to ignore or hide, especially when in power. Although the inclusion of the AGP’s office in a list, for other bodies to be brought under the Finance Ministry, as part of ‘institutional reforms’ ordered by the PM, has been deemed an error, a notification revising the original notification is still awaited. The status of the office of the AGP cannot simply be altered by an executive order since it is a constitutionally mandated body. Any attempt by the government to go ahead and clip the wings of the AGP, come what may, would be a violation of the Constitution it has sworn to uphold.
Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami
Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad
Umar Aziz
Asher John
Joint Editor
Executive Editor
Deputy Editor
Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965
I
Is Bhutan a vassal state? AMjed jAAved
S
PeAKiNG at the South Asia conference, indian defence minister Rajnath Singh said, “india is engaged in conversation with neighbours except one country to develop a joint approach for regional peace and security.” he aded, “With the exception of one country, and i would like to say frankly, Pakistan, the region has adhered to a policy of non-interference.” The brutal reality is that india wants all neighbouring countries to act like its vassals. To achieve this aim, india is banking on its aid and trade leverage. let us have a bird’s-eye view of Bhutan. Bhutan is sandwiched between two powerful neighbours, india and China. despite ostensible bonhomie, the two countries have divergent perceptions of their influence in neighbouring countries, including Bhutan. due to its cultural affinity, colonial heritage and geographical proximity, india has an edge over China in Bhutan. india always vies for ousting Chinese influence from Bhutan. Bhutan has an area of 18,000 square kilometres and a population of about 742,000 with a density of 19.2 persons per square kilometre. it is a buffer between india and China. Being landlocked, it is isolated from the rest of the world. On the north, it is bounded by the Tibetan plateau. On the south, it is surrounded by the plains of the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal and the Golpara, Kamrup, and darrang districts of Assam. Bhutan is sandwiched between the Chumbi valley of Tibet, Sikkim and darjeeling in the west, and the Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh of india in the east. Bhutan can maintain relations with other countries only through indian territory. Bhutan is weak militarily. its army has a strength of only 10,000. To defend itself, Bhutan has to look towards india and regional and international organisations like the United Nations. Bhutan understands its inability to score a major outreach in international relations. it understands the constraints of topography, untapped resources to tap natural resources, poor infrastructure and a dependent economy. The indo-Bhutan Treaty of 1949, revised in February 2007, reduces Bhutan practically to a vassal state under india. The Treaty says ‘The government of india undertakes to exercise no interference in internal administration of Bhutan.
importance. it enables China to keep an eye on the Chumbi valley and the roads leading to it. The area is adjacent to the Jaldakha barrage in the indian state of West Bengal. China has constructed a road linking Chumbi Valley with Bhutan. China and Bhutan have held many rounds of talks to settle border disputes. China has made it But the Government of Bhutan agrees to be clear that it is well-nigh impossible for it to cede guided by the advice of government of indi in its territory that could be advantageous to india. The external relations.’ talks from 10 to 14 May 1988 stressed the prinUpon Bhutan’s insistence, the word `advice’ ciples of peaceful coexistence, mutual respect for has been changed to `mutual assistance’. But, sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual nonpractically there has been no impact of the se- aggression and peaceful coexistence. mantic change. Bhutan wants to revive and The 12th round of Sino-Bhutan border talks strengthen its age-old multi-faceted relations took place in Beijing from 8 to 12 december with Tibet. 1998. it inter alia focused on ‘establishment of Bhutan resents the indiplomatic and trade relasertion of Article 2 in the tions’, besides discussing Treaty as a provision with ‘exchange of land’. quasi-colonial connotaindia was alarmed by While India remains tions. She considers it a Chinese efforts to establish constriction of its soverdiplomatic relations with focused on warding off eignty and independence. Bhutan (2014 talks). indian The Treaty debars Bhutan Prime Minister Narendra Chinese influence, many from establishing relations visited Bhutan in other countries are taking Modi with other countries, par2014 to neutralise Chinese ticularly China, in the nainfluence. he shouted sloan economic interest in tional interest. gan B4B, Bharat for Bhutan. There are over 18 Bhutan and Bhutan for Bhutan points out that the present treaty with Bharat. he laid the foundaforeign domestic india is s a reincarnation of tion of the 600-MW Khoprevious treaties like the investments in Bhutan led longchu hydro-electric Treaty of Sanchu-la of project. Actually, india is by Singapore, Japan and 1865 and the Treaty of building three hydro-elecPanakha of 1910 signed tric projects as joint venThailand. India’s FDIs are between British india and tures, totalling 1416 MW. only eight. It remains to be They are Chukha, Tala and successive kings of Bhutan. The treaties preKuricho, which are in opseen how long India can empted Bhutan from seekeration. Three more under ing economic assistance are retain Bhutan as a vassal construction from countries other than Punatsangchu-1, 1200 india. to tap its natural reMW, Punatsangchu-ii, sources, improve its infra1020 |MW, and Mangde, structure or take other steps for an economic 720 MW. india has increased scholarships for turnaround. Bhutanese students aspiring to study in india. india is unwilling to relax its hold on Bhutan despite its best efforts to woo Bhutan, for strategic reasons. Situated on india’s northern Bhutanese youth are not happy with india’s opborder, Bhutan is crossed by three rivers, the pressive demands. india wants Bhutan not to esRaidak, Santosh and Manas. The rivers run tablish diplomatic ties with China and welcome through a line of mountains rising from 5000 feet Chinese investment. While india remains focused along the indian border to the great peak of Jula on warding off Chinese influence, many other Kangri, over 24,000 feet. india’s first PM, Pandit countries are taking an economic interest in Jawahar lal Nehru, was very sensitive about re- Bhutan. There are over 18 foreign domestic investtaining Bhutan as a buffer vassal against China. ments in Bhutan led by Singapore, Japan and Thaiin many ways China is obstructing india’s land. india’s Fdis are only eight. it remains to be hold on Bhutan. China contended that Tibet was seen how long india can retain Bhutan as a vassal. an integral part of China. So, it liberated (or annexed) Tibet in 1950. in July 1958, China laid Amjed Jaaved is a freelance journalist, has claim to vast indian territory, besides 200 square served in the Pakistan government for 39 years miles of Bhutanese territory, as being part of and holds degrees in economics, business Tibet. China took over the Bhutanese enclaves of administration, and law. He can be reached at Kailash and Gartok region. This area has strategic amjedjaaved@gmail.com.
Picking the right medium of instruction some other regional languages, and Urdu is our national language, and we should be proud of our languages. Progress cannot come without using cial classes in Pakistan. As we have three types your own language. We have many examples of of systems of education working in parallel, eng- developed or developing countries who made lish medium, Urdu medium and deeni Madaris. progress by educating their nation in their own mother tongue. As it is not They all are following possible for a man to walk their own medium of inwith the legs of others, or struction and this shows the most miserable picture From this, I can also relate see with the eyes of others, it is equally impossible for of the whole community. that if we want human him to think in the lanevery social class goes for of others. a separate system of edudevelopment it is necessary guage i can best explain this cation for their children, like the upper class, upper to use our own national or with example of holy Quran, as it was revealed middle class and middle native language which by the Almighty in Arabic class who can afford the and Our Prophet Muhamhuge fee charged by leads to better mad (PBUh) used to conrenowned institutions, understanding of basic vey teachings in that send their children to engbecause it was lish-medium institutions. concepts and then we can language the mother tongue of the Members of the lower Arabs at that time, so they middle-class, who hardly get prosperity and understood it very clearly can afford the basic needs economic development. without facing any probof food and shelter, have as their first priority the eduOnce Urdu is declared as lem. From this, i can also cating of their children, the national language to be relate that if we want send them to Urduhuman development it is medium schools as they adopted as a medium of necessary to use our own were of the opinion that at least their children will beinstruction at all levels of national or native language leads to better uncome educated. Some very education, it will begin to which derstanding of basic conreligious people, or poor cepts and then we can get people who can’t afford take care of things on its prosperity and economic the expenses of schools at own. Language creates development. Once Urdu all, send their child to declared as the national deeni Madaris, where the width in its flow over time islanguage to be adopted as medium of instruction is a medium of instruction at totally different, and where all levels of education, it they are used to speak in will begin to take care of Arabic or in their native or regional language. This situation is no doubt the things on its own. language creates width in its flow over time. murder of integrity and uniformity in Pakistan. Pakistan has five major vernacular or native Ayesha Mahjabeen is a freelance journalist. languages which are provincial languages, and
Is English a necessity or does it establish a hegemony? AyeshA MAhjAbeen “If you speak to a man in a language he understands, you speak to his head. If you speak to a man in his own language, you speak to his heart.” — (Nelson Mandela, 2007)
E
dUCATiON plays a key role in national development. it makes for a sense of responsibility among the people. The economic development and prosperity of a nation are promoted by a good quality of education, and when people become skillful and educated they play their roles in overall national development. Pakistan is a developing country. its economy is weak. There is a lack of political stability, a huge increase in violence and terrorism activities, and social unrest. All these problems are directly or indirectly linked with the poor and weak education system in Pakistan. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, it is felt that there is a shortage of skilled professionals in the field of teaching, especially at the higher education level. This messy situation has caused a great hindrance to the education system in Pakistan. As every nation becomes prosperous by gaining education in its own language, then why does Pakistan use english as the medium of instruction? On the one hand, it provides access to jobs. On the other hand, a huge number of children fail to understand basic lessons and are reduced to rote memorization because of inadequate language skills. Approximately a third of all students at primary level attend a private school in Pakistan. This division of public and private schools leads to a lack of uniformity in our country, in both rural and urban areas. The current situation of Pakistan is quite below standard. The educational systems in Pakistan are giving birth to a dissimilarity and division of so-
Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9
I
Islamabad – Ph: 051-2204545
I
Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk
I
Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
COMMENT 09 Editor’s mail
Send your letters to: Letters to Editor, Pakistan Today, 4-Shaarey Fatima Jinnah, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: letters@pakistantoday.com.pk Letters should be addressed to Pakistan Today exclusively
Coronavirus needs preventive measures CORONAViRUS, designated 2019, nCoV, which is the burning issue in Pakistan after its nature was identified in Wuhan, hubei Province, China. Recently, Countries like Australian, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany and many more have confirmed new cases of Coronavirus. China has officially confirmed at least 4500 people infected and 106 people have died across the country, most of them in and around Wuhan. As a resident of Gilgit-Baltistan, i consider it essential to pen my views on the decision of the Provincial Government of Gilgit-Baltistan related to the reopening of Pakistan-China border crossing point in a drastic situation when a Coronavirus has severely surrounded the entire China. Particularly, yesterday, patients, residents of Sinkiang, were diagnosed as Victim of Coronavirus. The Sinkiang is bordered with Gilgit-Baltistan. Most importantly, this virus transfers from one person to another person when an infected person coughs, sneezes and touches. Once the flow of traveler executes then it is hard to stop the virus. it is an alarming situation for the inhabitants of GilgitBaltistan because the people who will be traveling in and out the border will carry the virus unknowingly. SIbtAIn ALI Islamabad
Economy moving in right direction Fixing an economy in shambles
MAlik MuhAMMAd AshrAf
M
ANAGiNG an economy like Pakistan’s is the most arduous task due to both internal and external factors, the more so when a government inherits it in complete shambles. There is no denying the fact that the incumbent government inherited an economy with whopping public debt and had no choice other than to seek assistance from the friendly countries and approach the iMF for a bailout package. Going to the iMF is not as reproachable as the opposition parties and detractors of the government have been trying to portray. Beginning from 1958 all the governments have sought assistance from the iMF to rectify their balance of payments situations and avoid default on previous loans. What really matters is the productive utilization of the loans taken and introduction of the reforms that lead to broadening of the tax base and elimination of the informal economy. The governments require indigenously raised resources to finance projects related to socio-economic development and public wellbeing. This necessitates broadening the tax base and enhancing the tax-to-GdP ratio, which shows the tax revenue collected by the government as a percentage of the GdP. The ideal situation is when the tax-to-GdP ratio ranges between 25 percent to 50 percent. A cursory glance at the tax-to-GdP ratio of the countries across the globe reveals that the states which are considered to be developed and welfare states, owe their status to a higher tax-to-GdP ratio. For example, Scandinavian countries, denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway, have taxto-GdP ratios of 51, 54, 50 and 54 percent respectively. The average tax-to-GdP ratio of eU countries is 35 percent. African countries like Zimbabwe and South Africa boast tax-toGdP ratios of 27 and 27 percent respectively. india collects 16.1 percent in taxes out of its total GdP, whereas Nepal stands above the whole region with 27 percent. latin American countries also have tax-to-GdP ratios ranging from 25 to 34 percent, with Brazil having the highest ratio. Pakistan has a dismally low taxto-GdP ratio of 11 percent. even Kenya, the least developed country of east Africa, has a tax-to-GdP ratio of 18 percent. The specific reasons for this low tax-to-GdP ratio in Pakistan, apart from the lack of political will exhibited by successive governments, are the narrow tax base, largescale tax evasion or a nonexistent
tax culture, weak and corrupt tax administration opponents of the government might try to exploit the situation by whipping up public sentiand the existence of large informal economy. The remedy undoubtedly lies in refining the ments against the government, but the reality is tax structure which means not only expanding that they also do not have any alternate plan or the base and bringing more and more people idea to stem the rot. The PTi government has into the tax net, but also eliminating avenues of shown the political will to take the bull by the tax evasion through documentation of the econ- horns. Though it would be a hard path for the omy as well improving the tax administration. government to traverse, ultimately it would lead Pakistan ranks among the countries having a to the rectification of most of the aberrations afvery low tax-to-GdP ratio. The consequence of flicting the economy and setting the course for this low tax-to-GdP ratio has been that the gov- sustained economic development, enabling the ernments mostly relied on loans from external government to provide desired relief to the and internal resources to finance their develop- masses and spending on their well-being. Fixing economic aberrations mental and other needs, requires time. There is no coupled with phenomemagic wand available to nal increase in the nonachieve the desired redevelopment expenditure sults in a jiffy. People will which has pushed the While the government have to support the govcountry into a debt-trap was more focused on ernment in this task of reand a burgeoning budget building the economy for deficit, with all the debilstemming the rot in the a prosperous future. itating implications. economy it did not lose When the Prime MinThe unfortunate reality of Pakistan is that sucsight of poverty alleviation ister repeatedly says that must have pacessive governments, and improving employment people tience because better both military and civiltimes are ahead. One ian, have given false position in the country. In tends to give credence to hopes to the people dithis regard the Ehsas his claims on the basis of vorced from the ground realities, without taking programme, Kamyab Jawan what has been achieved far. The reports from steps with a futuristic apand Naya Pakistan Housing so different sources are reproach to address the exally encouraging. The isting maladies as well as Scheme were launched. account deficit putting in place policies Economists believe that the current declined by 75 percent designed to unleash the during July-december process of sustained ecoHousing scheme will have the fiscal deficit nomic growth. They all spillover effect on 40 allied 2019, was contained at 1.6 persuccumbed to political expediencies and hence industries with prospects of cent of GdP, tax revenues increased by 16.2 percent, all their economic decicreation of thousands of exports increased by 4.5 sions were politically motivated with the result jobs. To address the supply percent, Foreign direct inincreased by that the country never exside constraints and taming vestment 68.3 percent and the perienced a real change and has drifted to the ebb inflation, the government is rupee improved against the dollar by five percent. of an economic precipice. also providing series of Pakistan was ranked introducing reforms among the 10 best busiin the economy was insubsidies to the industrial ness climate providers. deed a very arduous task and agricultural sectors, Moody’s shifted the for the government and a credit outlook of Pakistan challenge to its political including on gas and from negative to B3 stawill to do the right things electricity. The economy ble. All the foregoing are without caring for the popositive portents. litical cost. it is a reality is surely moving in the While the governthat raising the prices of right direction ment was more focused gas, oil, electricity impoon stemming the rot in the sition of additional taxes economy it did not lose as well as removal and sight of poverty allevialowering of subsidies is hurting poorer sections of the society which are tion and improving employment position in the groaning under the burden of the hydra-headed country. in this regard the ehsas programme, inflation set in motion by these steps. however, Kamyab Jawan and Naya Pakistan housing the problem was that the government had no Scheme were launched. economists believe that other option available. it was a now-or-never the housing scheme will have spillover effect situation. So better do it now than allowing the on 40 allied industries with prospects of creation country to drift further into the economic sand- of thousands of jobs. To address the supply side pit. Tax Amnesty, Assets declaration Scheme constraints and taming inflation, the government and the implementation of Benami law were is also providing series of subsidies to the induspositive measures towards documenting the trial and agricultural sectors, including on gas economy and an essential ingredient of broad- and electricity. The economy is surely moving in the right direction. ening the tax base. in the backdrop of the developing situation Malik Muhammad Ashraf is an academic. it is hard to take issue with the strategy adopted by the government to remedy the situation. The He can be contacted at: ashpak10@gmail.com.
Coal mining in Balochistan MiNiNG is one of the province’s most profitable industries. The coal miners faces are covered with a black layer of coal dust, they work hard and put their lives in danger. Coal mining has historically been fraught with dangers with aftermath of natural disasters, suffocation, gas poisoning, injury or death, gas explosions the workers enter dangerous zone for mining. The miners are working in semi-darkness and breathing in corrosive air, the coal miners of Balochistan risk their lives daily for a meagre income just to be able to support their families and feed their children. The miners do not even have access to social security, old age benefits, proper housing, health and water facilities or education for their children. Many miners have lost their lives or suffered a physical disability in frequent accidents in the mines. Poor working conditions inside coal mines in Balochistan claim the lives of miners on almost daily basis. Facilities in the coal mining sector in the country are becoming commonplace highlighting the need for better labour protection. The government should focus on this issue and provide protection and facilities to the miners of poor Balochistan. bAnAdI ALI turbat
Water shortage ThROUGh the columns of your reputed newspaper. i want to draw attention towards the poor water supply in our society and to raise the water table for future use. There is a great scarcity of water in our society. We are receiving water for only 3 to 4 hours the whole day. The pressure of the water is very low, it is very difficult to finish the household work in time and the water supply is also very dirty and unclear. So i request the concerned authorities to improve the quality of water supply in our areas and creases the power supply so that the people of our areas do not face the problem. everyone is aware that water is our basic necessity and we can not do without it. We use it properly. No one is conserving water. Water resources and reduces at a high level. it is our duty to save water. All of us must understand the urgent need to save water. We should not waste water. in the rainy season we should harvest water. The government and public must take urgent steps to solve this serious problem. i hope some positive action will be taken by the authorities at the earliest. i hope you will publish this letter in your esteemed newspaper so that some actions can be taken in this matter. RAMESH nAz Karachi
Kech jobs UNeMPlOyMeNT is the root of crimes that creates instability in a society. it destroys the basic principles of a peaceful society. Unemployment compels the people to do such activities that are harmful for the society. it is a wellknown fact that Kech is the most famous and educated district of Balochistan. every year thousands of students pass their M.A or M.phil and remain jobless. The increasing population of district Kech is creating less job opportunities for the people and unemployment is increasing rapidly. it is important to noted that every year a number of students get free but unfortunately a single post cannot be announced for them. According to a report Balochistan has the highest number of poor people with 48 percent and 51 percent are living under poverty in rural areas of the province. The students spend their age in getting education and due to lack jobs they will be compelled to start working as labour, hotel, even join criminals gangs which are burden on society. education is the only hope for poor parents to send their children for a bright career but unfortunately they sacrifice their all life to fulfill the educational facilities of their children. When they pass, they are jobless. The parents are totally disappointed to send their children for higher education. Corruption is the main reason that creates inequality among people of the area. Most of the jobs are taken by leaders and nothing remains for the poor. SHAMEELA SALEH turbat
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
10 FOREIGN NEWS
bolton revelationS roil trUmp trial, witneSS pUSh growS
WASHINGTON
d
AGENCIES
onald Trump’s lawyers, eager to attain his swift acquittal, pushed back forcefully Monday against explosive new allegations from former national security advisor John Bolton, insisting the US president’s dealings regarding Ukraine were not impeachable. The defense also injected Joe Biden and his family directly into the argument for why the president should not be ousted. At only the third impeachment trial in US history, they stressed that Trump’s requests to Ukraine to investigate his potential Democratic White House challenger were motivated by concerns about corruption. Republicans faced fresh pressure to subpoena Bolton as a firsthand witness at Trump’s Senate impeachment trial following new revelations, which could amount to damning evidence about the president’s actions. As Clinton impeachment investigator Ken Starr and Harvard constitutional expert Alan Dershowitz defended the president, three Republican senators indicated they could favor hearing testimony from the 71-year-old Bolton. According to The New York Times, Bolton, in a draft of his forthcoming book, says Trump told him in August that he wanted to freeze military aid to Ukraine until Kiev helped with investigations of political rivals
including Biden, his potential election opponent. The allegation that Trump withheld the aid for his own political purposes was at the heart of Trump’s December impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Dershowitz argued emphatically that such charges were “unconstitutional grounds” for impeachment. The 81-year-old also directly sought to neutralize the Bolton developments. “Nothing in the Bolton revelations, even if true,
would rise to the level of abuse of power or impeachable offense,” Dershowitz said. And he sought to downplay the controversy over Trump’s pressure campaign against Kiev.“Quid pro quo alone is not a basis for an abuse of power,” Dershowitz added. “It’s part of the way foreign policy has been operated by presidents since the beginning of time.” Bolton’s manuscript leak has rattled the Senate trial, where lawmakers will vote this week on whether to accept witnesses. Four Republicans would need to join Democrats in the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 edge, to allow testimony from Bolton and others. “It’s increasingly apparent that it would be important to hear from John Bolton,” Republican Senator Mitt Romney told reporters. Senate Republican Susan Collins said the Bolton reports “strengthen the case for witnesses,” while Senator Lisa Murkowski allowed that she has been “curious” about what Bolton might say. ‘AGE OF IMPEACHMENT’: Trump attacked his ex-advisor on Twitter, saying “I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats” including Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company. “In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination,” Trump added. “If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.” The White House began its defense presentation Monday with a historical overview of past impeachments from Starr, whose investigation led to the 1998 impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
US reporter barred from pompeo'S Ukraine trip WASHINGTON: A correspondent for National Public Radio in the United States has been excluded from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s plane for a trip this week, after a tense exchange between him and another NPR journalist. The association that represents correspondents covering the State Department reported on Monday that Pompeo, the top US diplomat, had removed NPR’s Michele Kelemen from his trip which begins on Wednesday in Britain. He will also visit Ukraine and other countries. “We can only conclude that the State Department is retaliating against National Public Radio as a result of Pompeo’s exchange with the other NPR journalist,” the State Department Correspondents’ Association said, protesting the decision. It came after NPR journalist Mary Louise Kelly, in an interview, pressed Pompeo about the Ukraine issue at the heart of the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. According to Kelly, after the interview a staffer invited Kelly to Pompeo’s private living room, without her recorder. There, Pompeo “was waiting and […] he shouted at me for about the same amount of time as the interview itself lasted,” Kelly said. “He was not happy to have been questioned about Ukraine,” Kelly said, adding that the secretary asked her, “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” in an exchange peppered with profane words. AGENCIES
OPEC aims to extend oil output cuts through June, alarmed by China virus LONDON/DUBAI AGENCIES
OPEC wants to extend current oil output cuts until at least June, with the possibility of deeper reductions on the table if oil demand in China is significantly impacted by the spread of a new coronavirus, OPEC sources said. The quick slide in oil prices over the past few days has alarmed OPEC offi-
cials, the sources say, as the new virus found in China and several other countries raised concerns about a hit to economic growth and oil demand. Oil futures were on course for a sixth day of losses with Brent crude staying below $60 per barrel. On Monday it hit a three-month low of $58.50, as the virus outbreak triggered a global selloff of riskier assets. Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s de-facto
leader, joined by key oil producers such as the United Arab Emirates, Algeria and Oman, sought to calm market jitters on Monday – urging caution against gloomy expectations on the impact of the virus on the global economy and oil demand. But OPEC officials have also started weighing their options and intensified internal discussion on how best to respond to the price slump, the sources said. “A fur-
ther extension is a strong possibility and a deeper cut is a possibility,” said one OPEC source, adding that the impact of the China virus on oil demand would be clearer over the coming week. “Extension is highly possible … until June,” another source said, adding that an additional preferable option is to extend the pact until end of 2020 and that a deeper cut was “possible” if there was a need for it.
US core capital goodS orderS record largeSt drop in eight monthS WASHINGTON AGENCIES
New orders for key U.S.-made capital goods dropped by the most in eight months in December and shipments were weak, suggesting business investment contracted further in the fourth quarter and was a drag on economic growth. Business spending remains one of the weak spots in the economy. Housing, the other laggard, is regaining momentum in response to the Federal Reserve’s three interest rate cuts last year. Officials from the U.S. central bank were scheduled to start a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday. They are expected to reiterate the Fed’s desire to keep rates unchanged at least through this year. Weak business investment and the resulting slump in manufacturing have been on the radar of Fed officials who have blamed trade tensions, especially the White House’s 18-month trade war with China, and an uncertain global economic growth outlook for the malaise.Though tensions have eased with the signing this month of a “Phase 1” trade deal between Washington and Beijing, Boeing (BA.N) continues to loom over manufacturing. Boeing this month suspended production of its troubled 737 MAX jetliner, which was grounded last March following two fatal crashes. The Commerce Department said on Tuesday orders for non-defense capital goods excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending plans, fell 0.9% last month as demand for machinery, primary metals and electrical equipment, appliances and components declined. That was the largest decrease since April. Data for November was revised lower to show these so-called core capital goods orders edging up 0.1% instead of gaining 0.2% as previously reported. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast core capital goods would be unchanged in December.
UK should lower planned salary threshold for migrants, report suggests LONDON AGENCIES
Britain should cut a salary threshold for migrants to 25,600 pounds ($33,650) a year to help fill jobs after Brexit, a government commissioned report said while warning a planned overhaul of the immigration system could hit economic growth. With Britain leaving the European Union on Friday, the government is introducing the biggest shake-up of its border controls in decades, ending the priority given to migrants from the bloc over those from other countries. The proposed changes would make it harder for EU nationals to work in Britain after Brexit while benefiting those outside the bloc by lowering the amount they have to earn. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), an independent body which gives the government advice, recommended lowering the minimum general salary threshold for skilled migrants by
4,400 pounds a year from 30,000 pounds. “Our recommendations are likely to reduce future growth of the UK population and economy compared to freedom of movement, by using skill and salary thresholds,” MAC chairman Alan Manning said. “No perfect system exists and there are unavoidable difficult trade-offs,” he added in a statement. The recommendations are intended to help guide Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s new immigration policy, which will be implemented from the start of next year. Johnson’s spokesman said the government would carefully consider the report before setting out more details of its new system. “The government will introduce a firmer and fairer points-based immigration system from 2021 that welcomes talent from around the world while reducing low-skilled migrants and bringing overall numbers down,” he said. The MAC was tasked with drawing
up new salary thresholds for migrants and devising a points-based immigration
system, based on that used in Australia, to be put into place once freedom of
movement for EU nationals ends. If the government wanted to bring in a points-based system, then it should also allow a route for skilled workers who did not have a job offer, the committee said. There should be different minimum salary requirements for certain highly paid professions, the report said. Teachers and healthcare workers should benefit from lower salary thresholds based on national pay scales, it added. Manning said the proposals would lead to a very small increase in GDP per capita and productivity, and slightly improved public finances. But while demands on the state-run health service, schools and housing would slightly ease, there would be increased pressures on social care. For highly skilled migrants – those described as having exceptional talents such as musicians and scientists – the advisers recommend a more open system, saying the current cap on visas is too restrictive.
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
BUSINESS 11
TExTiLE ExporTErs sEEk pM’s inTErvEnTion in powEr TariFF conTrovErsy
Corporate Corner
LAHORE: An impressive handing-over ceremony of 45 units of Porter H-100 pickup to Shan Distributors & Shan Marketing Services was held at Hyundai Nishat Motor Pvt Ltd plant in Faisalabad.. pr
LAHORE: The Women Institute of Learning and Leadership (WILL), in collaboration with the University of Management and Technology (UMT) and the Association of Management Development Institution in Pakistan (AMDIP), organized the 1st Int’l Conference on Diversity and Social Inclusion: A Way Forward for Institutional Reforms. pr
KARACHI: Telenor Microfinance Bank (TMB) has signed an agreement with NdcTech, a partner of Temenos. With this agreement, the bank is upgrading its core banking system to achieve operational excellence. pr
EFU Life launches biometrically enabled policy acquisition system ISLAMABAD: EFU Life has been a pioneer in adopting the latest technology with the primary focus on becoming more customercentric and operationally efficient. Keeping up with the tradition of technological breakthrough initiatives, EFU Life has become the first life insurance company in the world to offer BLISS – a biometrically enabled, entirely digital, instant savings-cum-protection policy acquisition system. BLISS allows a life insurance savingscum-protection contract to be validated and created using biometric thumb-impression, which is verified instantaneously using Biometric Verification Services offered by the Government of Pakistan’s National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA). The system offers a fully digital, paperless experience. No physical or digital signatures on the app or paper, no hassles of paper forms, no physical copies of underwriting documents required, ever. PR
APTMA OFFICIAL SAYS 13 CENTS PER KWH ELECTRICITY COST WILL LEAD TO CLOSURE OF SEVERAL UNITS LAHORE
a
HASSAN NAQVI
LL Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab Chairman Adil Bashir on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Imran Khan, Power Minister Omer Ayub Khan and PM’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood to review add-ons and surcharges in power tariff for the export-oriented sector. He made this request to safeguard the mills from closure and hundreds of thousands of workers from joblessness. Flanked by the association’s senior vice chairman Abdul Rahim Nasir, Bashir told a press conference that the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) had decided to unilaterally increase power tariff to 13 cents per kWh from 7.5 cent per kWh (all-inclusive) apparently “to cover its inefficiencies”. “To make the situation worse, the ministry is now imposing new tariff from January 2019 (retrospective) on previous transactions. This is in defiance of the prime minister's commitment as well as of the cabinet and Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) decisions,” he added. He maintained that the Power Division has failed to achieve its recovery targets and was now penalizing the exports sector for its
Mega Leather Show: 350 stalls exhibit finished products LAHORE SHAHAB OMER
As many as 250 local and international companies had set up 350 stalls during the second day of 6th Pakistan Mega Leather Show at the Lahore Expo Centre on Tuesday, displaying a variety of finished leather goods. The Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) and the Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association (PFMA) jointly organized the trade show. Leather companies from Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, China, Turkey, Hong Kong, USA, UK, Indonesia and others joined the exhibition. The companies displayed various finished leather products that were made of cow, buffalo hides and sheep goat skin. The products like leather footwear, leather garment, leather gloves and allied products with tanning chemical and tanning machinery attracted the visitors. “This year the number of participants is
The Ministry of Power had recently directed the distribution companies (DISCOs) to charge line losses, power theft and inefficiencies from the industry, he informed, adding that a letter from the government had also asked the DISCOs to charge these add-ons in tariff, citing that it didn’t allocate budget for special tariff to the exports industry. The APTMA Punjab chairman said the industry was panicking and all further investments were being put on hold. “Such an abnormal increase in tariff will close down WAPDA-dependent textile units in the next three months while the remaining mills will also face trouble by June this year,” Bashir warned. “100 textile units had closed down in the last decade and if these add-ons are charged to the exports sector, more units might face closure in months to come.” He requested the government to resolve this issue without any delay. “The power looms association has already announced complete strike from February 1 and other textile associations will also be joining them soon. The prime minister must intervene personally into the matter and honour the government’s commitment of 7.5 cent per kWh (all-inclusive) in the larger interest of export sector,” he concluded.
own inefficiencies. The senior APTMA official said that the exports sector was being threatened with power disconnections if the exporters didn’t pay heavy sums of amount in the form of add-ons and surcharges over and above the concessionary rate. “These heavy amounts in the name of surcharges would lead to massive bankruptcies and unemployment. Pakistan’s exports sector would not be able to compete with the countries like China, Bangladesh and India having power tariff ranging between 7-9 cent/kWh,” he feared. Bashir said the textile industry had taken a sigh of relief when Prime Minister Imran Khan announced regionally competitive electricity tariff at 7.5 cents/kWh or Rs11.70 per kWh (all-inclusive) for the exports sector. This decision led to new investment, revival of closed textile units, generated 500,000 additional jobs, he added. He claimed the textile industry had honoured its commitment of showing a good performance, as garments exports surged by more than 30pc in quantitative terms last year and the industry also became fully operational. However, the textile miller said the imposition of multiple surcharges had pushed the exports sector’s tariff from 7.5 cents to almost 13 cents kWh.
around 500 that is 25 per cent higher than the previous year,” said a representative of the GR trading company who set up their stall. Another stall holder said, “It’s a unique venture by both PTA and PFMA where local businessmen, traders and exporters have a chance to collaborate and strike joint ventures with the local and foreign participants.” “We are much confident that such trade promotion activities would help promote exports, flourish business activities in Pakistan, and improve the country’s image globally to attract foreign buyers.” PTA Chairman Sheikh Afzal Hussain told Pakistan Today that the annual event attracted businessmen from different countries to buy Pakistani products.“The exhibition provides a golden chance for local manufacturers to become exporters.” Hussian said the purpose of the exhibition was to the local foot wear and the leather industry to the international market.
IMF sees medium-term risks to global economy WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday urged policymakers to keep a close eye on financial vulnerabilities such as rising debt levels that could pose medium-term risks to the global economy and said further monetary easing was not the answer. The global lender’s most recent economic outlook forecasts a slight rebound of global economic activity this year and next, albeit to a lower level than previously forecast, after global monetary easing helped shore up growth in 2019. The IMF said that global growth would have been 0.5 percentage point lower without last year’s actions, the largest combined number of policy rate cuts in advanced and emerging-market economies since the 2008 global financial crisis. But the further easing of global financial conditions at this point in the economic cycle and rising financial vulnerabilities could threaten growth in the medium term, Tobias Adrian, director of the IMF’s monetary and capital markets department, and Fabio Natalucci, his deputy, wrote in a blog AGENCIES
FFC lauds govt’s decision to reduce GIDC by Rs400 per bag ‘AS SOON AS THE DECISION IS NOTIFIED, DEALER PRICE FOR EACH UREA BAG WILL BE AROUND RS1,620’ ISLAMABAD GHULAM ABBAS
Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC) Chief Executive and Managing Director Lt Gen Tariq Khan has lauded the recent decision by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) to reduce Gas Infrastructure Development Cess (GIDC) by Rs400 per bag, saying that it will have a direct and positive impact on input cost for farming communities. Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, he said as soon as the decision is notified, FFC will reduce urea price between Rs300 and Rs400 per bag. The FCC chief maintained his com-
pany has always favoured the government's decision to reduce urea prices while providing a level playing field for all fertilizer manufacturers. “Farmers will have cheaper urea, which is up to 17pc of total input cost for the crop, while fertilizer industry will benefit from higher sales. Higher crop produce will eventually benefit the country by ensuring food security in Pakistan.” He opined that the government is currently not getting any amount in the head of GIDC, therefore “it is incorrect to say that the national kitty would face loss if GIDC was abolished”. Similarly, he added, it is also not fair
to say that fertilizer prices would remain the same even if the GIDC is reduced. He said that the fertilizer industry has paid Rs158 billion in terms of GIDC from 2011 to 2016, but the collection by
the government stopped in wake of court case since 2016. “We have accrued the amount of Rs58 billion since 2016, and the money was in the custody of FFC,” he added.
He said following the abolishment of GIDC, the dealer price for each urea bag will be Rs1,620. The FFC chief dispelled the impression that the government was giving huge subsidies to the fertilizer industry, saying that during the 2010-19 period, the government gave concessions worth Rs177 billion in terms of lower feedstock gas price. It may be noted that GIDC was imposed under the PPP government in 2011 on commercial gas consumers. Within a year, it was declared illegal by the Peshawar High Court and ratified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Later, the GIDC was re-imposed through legislation in 2015, before industrialists took the government to court over the matter once again. The GIDC, which was imposed to fund the construction of new gas pipelines and LNG facilities, has remained in litigation for almost eight years.
Wednesday, 29 January 2020
12 BUSINESS
inTErEsT raTE rEMains UnchangEd aMid inFLaTion CENTRAL BANK TERMS LATEST INCREASE IN INFLATION AS ‘TRANSITORY’ IN NATURE SBP SAYS PROJECTION FOR REAL GDP GROWTH FOR FY20 LIKELY TO BE REVISED DOWNWARD KARACHI BY MEIRYUM ALI AND ARIBA SHAHID
T
HE State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday announced to maintain the policy rate at 13.25 per cent for the next two months in a bid to curtail inflation that remains unchanged at 11-12pc for the financial year 2020-21. In a press conference, the SBP’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) said that the decision was indispensable since the bank’s projection for the inflation had remained unchanged. Inflation was recorded at 12.6pc in December 2019 and 12.7pc in November 2019. This was in line with the last monetary policy review in November 2019, where SBP had again projected average inflation for FY20 to remain broadly unchanged at 11-12pc. “The MPC viewed the latest increase in CPI [Consumer Price Inflation] as primarily transitory in nature,” the central
bank said in a statement. Terming the recent food inflation as ‘supply-side shocks’, the statement said that the “second rate effects on inflation from supply-side shocks have not materialized, and inflation expectations remain broadly anchored”. SBP Governor Reza Baqir told reporters that the interest rate was comparatively low, at 8.4pc, when it was raised in July 2019. But despite a consistent increase in inflation in the previous months, the overall inflation outlook was stable as it (inflation) would be brought down to 57pc over the next two years. He explained the real interest rate or the nominal interest rate minus inflation was currently around 1-2pc. “Historically in Pakistan, the real interest rate has hovered around 3pc.” When asked by Pakistan Today about real interest rates, the SBP governor said despite concerns regarding the real interest rate entering a negative territory, the anticipated inflation was to be below
MaRKEt DaILy
Bearish trend prevails as KSE-100 sheds 240 points
KARACHI STAFF REPORT
It was a tough day for investors at the Pakistan Stock Exchange, as they saw the indices crumble once again on Tuesday. Volumes declined from the previous session as investors preferred to stay on sidelines ahead of the monetary policy announcement; the State Bank of Pakistan has kept interest rate unchanged at 13.25pc for the next two months. Shedding 385.94 points, the KSE-100 Index recorded its intraday low at 42,153.29. It ended lower by 240.04 points at 42,299.19. The KMI-30 Index declined by 401.87 points to finish at 68,130.75, while the KSE All Share Index was down by 116.70 points, settling at 29,345.90. Out of the total traded shares, 122 advanced while 189 declined. The overall trading volumes shrank from 198.48 million in the previous session to 189.00 million (-4.77pc). Maple Leaf Cement Factory Limited (MLCF +0.64pc) led the volume chart, followed by Hascol Petroleum Limited (HASCOL +5.47pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNITY +0.14pc). The scripts had
exchanged 29.71 million, 25.38 million and 9.87 million shares, respectively. Sectors that dragged the benchmark index lower included banking (-102.91 points), oil & gas exploration (-51.37 points) and fertilizer (-42.09 points). Among the companies, Habib Bank Limited (HBL -33.63 points), MCB Bank Limited (MCB -26.06 points) and Pak Petroleum Limited (PPL -21.88 points) dented the index the most. Despite the market trend being negative, the automobile assembling sector managed to gain 2.12pc in its cumulative market capitalization. Atlas Honda Limited (ATLH +4.94pc), Honda Atlas Cars (Pakistan) Limited (HCAR +3.72pc) and Indus Motor Company Limited (INDU +2.45pc) closed with decent gains. On the market front, ICI Pakistan Limited (ICI +5.50pc) announced its financial performance for the second quarter ended December 31, 2019. The company’s sales increased by 1.29pc to Rs14.97 billion while its cost of sales shrunk by 6.33pc YoY. The company's earnings per share improved from Rs2.63 to Rs12.38.
12pc, and so the SBP was complying with the IMF [International Monetary Fund] terms. The SBP statement added that in reaching the latest decision, the MPC considered key economic developments since the last meeting, in the real, external, and fiscal sectors. Despite the recent increase in food prices, the inflation outlook would improve, the MPC said, adding the current account deficit contracted by 75pc to $2.15 billion during the first half of FY20. “This has led the SBP to build up its foreign exchange reserves up to $11.73 billion as of January 17, 2020.” The statement also listed the recent appreciation of the exchange rate after the introduction of the market-based exchange rate and ongoing fiscal consolidation. On the other hand, the SBP said its projection for real GDP growth for FY20 was likely to be revised downward. In its last review, the central bank kept its projection for GDP growth for FY20 unchanged at around 3.5pc. The SBP governor said the government was committed to its goals to ramp up exports by increasing the Long-Term Financing Facility (LTFF) to Rs200 billion for the entire exports in order to increase the export base and reduce dependency on few commodities. Addressing the concerns regarding the T-bill inflows and their sustainability, Reza Baqir said an increase in inflows
was strongly attributed to a surge in confidence in the credit-worthiness of Pakistani rupee-denominated bonds. He further said the exchange rate system reforms helped Pakistan with its global perception. Talking about yields, the governor said the banks now had a space to deploy their resources in lending. Furthermore, the greater demand in yields means that the government expenses with regard to government interest expense is going down and will help deepen the bond market. Currently, investments make up 3.8pc of the total fixed income market. The unchanged policy rate is in line with market expectations, as almost all major investment banks had predicted that the policy rate would remain unchanged at 13.25pc, due to the risks of inflation. In a survey about policy rate expectations compiled by the Intermarket Securities, all 29 research houses predicted that the SBP would maintain status quo on the policy rate. Similarly, in a recent survey by the CFA Society of Pakistan of individual CFA charter holders, as many as 97pc of those surveyed believed no change would occur in the policy rate. In fact, a small sliver (3pc) predicted that the rate would increase by as much as 50 basis points, to 13.75pc. The new unchanged policy rate negates the earlier claims made by the government officials including President
Govt urged to withdraw hike in trade licence fee ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) on Tuesday urged the government to withdraw an increase in trade licence fee and notices issued to the business community of the federal capital. The chamber also demanded the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) to take market associations on board before considering any increase in taxes. LCCI President Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, in a statement, said MCI had imposed new tax on many businesses and made a manifold increase in trade licence fee that had perturbed the local business community. He said an increase in taxes would badly affect the growth of business activities and enhance inflation. He appealed the government to intervene and save the business community of the federal capital from
unjustified measures. “Trade license fee was earlier increased in the budget and now it has been increased once more after six months that isn’t justified,” Waheed said and added that MCI had made up to 300 per cent increase in the property tax in Islamabad against which ICCI had obtained a stay order from the Islamabad High Court (IHC). He observed that on the one hand CDA and MCI were increasing taxes, but on the other no development work was being carried out in the markets and industrial areas. He asked CDA and MCI to withdraw increase in taxes and focus on the development of industrial areas and markets to facilitate the business activities. ICCI Senior Vice President Tahir Abbasi wondered, “All municipalities are receiving trade licence fee from the businesses dealing with the sale and purchase of food items, but MCI has issued notices to all sorts of businesses.” STAFF REPORT
Dr Arif Alvi who had hinted at a possible decrease in the interest rate owing to a “thriving economy”. Market analysts believe that a cut in the policy rate will happen much later in the year. Previously, a cut was predicted in mid-March, but now due to rising inflation in Pakistan, any new announcement to cut the rate is expected in July or September this year. SBP had last changed the policy rate on July 16, 2019, to 13.25pc with a rise of 100 basis points. At the time, it cited increased potential inflation owing to a rise in utility costs. The central bank further kept the policy rate unchanged in its reviews on September 16 and November 2 last year. At the start of 2019, the policy rate was 10pc. Subsequent policy reviews – in January, March, May and July– increased the policy rate by a total of 325 basis points. Pakistani economy has the seventhhighest policy rate in the world, which is well above the world average of 6.38pc. Other countries with a policy rate of 13.25pc include Egypt and Tajikistan. In addition, Pakistan is one of the few countries that has moved toward tightening in the span of 12 months. Historically, Pakistan’s policy rate has always been on the higher side. Between the period 1992 and 2019, the highest policy rate was set at 19.75pc, and the lowest at 5.75pc.
FBR acts against officials exploiting BISP ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has issued show-cause notices to those employees who received money under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). According to documents available with this scribe, around 210 FBR officials (from grade 1 to 16) had received cash stipends under the BISP. Most of them received the money in the names of their spouses or other relatives. Of the total, some 134 employees belonged to Inland Revenue Service (IRS) while 76 belonged to customs. These employees are posted in regional tax offices and model customs collectorates. The employees that received BISP stipends included Huma Safdar, Famina, Kamla Gopal, Maryam Bibi, Ms Tahira, Munawar Janu, Shagufta, Ram Chand, Abdul Hussain Joyo, Abdul Aziz, Abdul Hameed, Abdul Hayee, Abdul Majeed, Abdul Munaf Junejo, Abdul Salam,Abdul Samad, Abdul Sattar, Abid Ali, Ahmad Mallah, Ahmad, Ahmad Sher, Ajum Khan, Akhtar Ali, Akhtar Hussain Rind, Ali Muhammad Magsi, Allah Rind, Ali dino, Allah Ditta, Allah Rakha, Amir Ahmad, Amir Zad Khan and Asghar Ali.SHAHZAD PARACHA
SECP initiates public consultation on proposed broker regime ISLAMABAD APP
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has initiated public consultation on the proposed new broker regime, which primarily aims to strengthen the capital markets and restore investor confidence. “As per the proposed model, three categories of brokers will be created,” an SECP official told APP. He explained that the Trading Only (TO) brokers would only execute proprietary trades/trades by clients and would not keep custody of proprietary or client assets and would not settle trades. “Trading and Self Clearing Brokers (TSC) can execute and settle trades of their clients and also keep custody of clients’ assets. Trading and Clearing Brokers (TC) can execute and settle proprietary and client trades, keep custody of clients’ assets and also offer custodial and clearing services to brokers and their clients.” In order to understand the new regime, the official said, it is first important to look at background and some important informa-
tion pertaining to market and investors. “The past custody defaults by brokers have severely damaged investor confidence which is adversely affecting the growth of capital markets in Pakistan as evident by the lowest number of investors in Pakistan. As per international practices, the custody and clearing functions are only performed by financially sound entities which have adequate financial resources and infrastructure. In the case of Pakistan, all brokers are allowed to keep custody of client shares and money irrespective of their financial standing, corporate governance structure or capacity.” The official said that the aim of the new regime is to ensure that custody of customer assets is only allowed to brokers with sufficient capacity to meet the requisite level of compliance, particularly related to AntiMoney Laundering (AML) and Combating Terror Financing (CFT) in the light of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements and keeping in view the placement of Pakistan in the grey list. “The SECP is, therefore, seeking to create a structure in line with best international practices which will improve governance
standards, transparency and also enhance investor protection. It is important to highlight that before issuing draft amendments in the regulations, the concept note was circulated and consultations were done with all stakeholders.” Currently, the official informed, well-capitalized brokers have market share exceeding 90pc both in terms of client custody and trading quantum. “In order to avoid concentration risk, appropriate controls have been envisaged in the shape of stringent credit rating, limit on asset custody, auditor quality, high equity, strong corporate governance structure, more frequent inspection.” It is worth noting that the small brokers have very low market share and maintain custody around 6pc of total custody while they contribute not more than 10pc in terms of total number of customers and a low trading quantum. On the other hand, the new regime provides the brokers with small capital to reduce compliance burden, transfer their custody function to institutes with adequate capacity and focus on their core competence of trading and investment advice.
Lahore Music Meet 2020 [#LMM5] scheduLe reveaLed! Hadiqa Kiani, Yousaf Salahuddin, Zeeshan Parwez, Haniya Aslam, Mekaal Hasan, Ahmer Naqvi, Rafay Mahmood, and Fasi Zaka, among others, to feature in the two-day festival
Alkaram Studio Opens its new store in Dolmen Mall Clifton
M
HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD
usic Meet, the powerhouse team behind Pakistan’s biggest music festival, proudly reveal the schedule for the fifth edition of ‘LAHORE MUSIC MEET – presented by Pepsi’, all set to take place at Alhamra Art Center in Lahore on the 1st and 2nd of February 2020. The two-day event is open to the general public with no cost of admission [Entry is free with NIC or Student ID]. Heating up all 4 stages of Alhamra this weekend will be a curated line-up of new artists and fresh sounds which encapsulates various musical spectrums of Pakistan along with interactive talks, panel discussions, masterclasses, story-telling sessions, and documentary/film screenings. #LMM5 will feature mind expanding ‘Masterclasses’ by Haniya Aslam, Zeeshan Parwez and ProperGaanda; ‘Panel Discussions’ featuring Azeem Hamid, Mekaal Hasan, Mehreen Rana, Talha Humayun, Sehyr Mirza, Talha Ali Kushvaha, Dr. Fozia Saeed, Shoaib Iqbal, Fouzia-Younis Suleman and Sophiya Anjam; ‘In Conversation’ sessions with LMM founders Natasha Noorani and Zahra Paracha, and Chairman IPO Mujeeb Ahmed Khan; storytelling sessions ‘Daastangoi’ featuring Yousaf Salahuddin, Zeeshan Parwez & Fasi Zaka, Hadiqa Kiani, Faris Shafi & Ahmer Naqvi, Tarannum Naaz and Zulfi; a music ‘Presentation’ by Rafay Mahmood; ‘Screenings’ of Indus Blues by Javed Sharif and Zeejah Fazli, Shehr e Tabassum by Shehri Pakistan, and the ‘Story Share Initiative’ by The Citizens Archive of Pakistan; ‘Khayal Gayaki’ - a
performance by Sur Mandal and Tehzeeb Foundation; and special sessions presented by Pepsi featuring ‘Daastangoi’ with Auj and Aarish, and an ‘Album Launch’ for Bayaan’s ‘SUNO’. #LMM5 will feature live music performances by Punjabi folk legend Naseebo Lal, progressive folk-rock band, Saakin, electro-pop producer Talal Qureshi and Punjabi RnB star Shamoon Ismail as a part of the indoor showcase. The outdoor showcase will present Hassan Sheikh & Roshaan Sherwani, Farheen Raza, Towers, Madlock, Mehdi Maloof, Haniya Aslam, Natasha Humera Ejaz, Adil Omar, Karakoram, Mahak Qayyum, Iqbal, IFRA, Gentle Robot, Maanu, Fake Shamans and Mekaal Hasan Band. The outdoor showcase will also feature Pepsi Battle of the Bands Season 4 winner Auj and finalist Aarish. Indeed, for its fifth iteration, the Lahore Music Meet received over 300 applications from across the country for the live performance sessions which were then crafted into a carefully curated list by co-founders Natasha Noorani and Zahra Paracha representing an interesting blend of pop, rock, folk, RnB, electronic and rap music from around the country. The Lahore Music Meet is entirely women-led and consists of Festival Directors Natasha Noorani and Zahra Paracha with Sana Nasir as Art Director and Munizeh Sanai as Creative Director. #LMM5 is celebrating its fifth year as a well-established and unique platform for day long musical performances and meaningful conversations and activities pertaining to music enterprise, education and academia.
Dolph Lundgren Teams With Scott Adkins on 'Castle Falls': Plot, Character Descriptions I'm told from sources within the business that Dolph Lundgren is directing a new movie called Castle Falls, as I've been provided the plot and character descriptions. While not listed yet on the IMDb page of Dolph Lundgren, the IMDb pro version does list Dolph Lundgren as directing, and starring along with Scott Adkins, which will see the two reunite from The Expendables 2, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning and Legendary. I can't confirm Scott Adkins, but since he has been listed on IMDb pro since December and the movie is in the works, the two seem to add up. I'm told the movie is an actionthriller about a building that is under demolition, and on that night the demolition foreman encounters a group of thieves seeking to recover millions of stolen dollars hidden within the bowels of the building. IMDb Pro lists Dolph Lundgren as playing Shea, with Scott Adkins as Mike, which the character descriptions below mention, and Andre Relis as the producer.
Alkaram has launched its new store in the heart of the shopping arena of the city, Dolmen Mall, Clifton. Opening its doors to shoppers today, it offered the all-new Alkaram men, women, kids, home and MAK collection. Alkaram has changed the shopper’s experience in Pakistan with its fashion-forward designs and quality fabric. The new store is located at the first floor of the mall and offers the entire Alkaram Studio range all under one roof. Speaking at the launch event, the Head of Commercial at Alkaram Studio, Khurram Koraishy said, “With extremely competitive prices and well-stocked, diverse products that range from unstitched fabric to pret, kidswear to menswear, and our all-girlsbe ’ favourite MAK, we are really happy and excited to bring it all in one place for our shoppers at our new outlet.” To celebrate the opening of the grand new store, Alkaram also arranged a meet and greet with the talented Ayeza Khan. Alkaram has also announced up to 50% discount on its products. The new store concept also speaks for the brand’s continuous commitment to provide state-of-the-art retail experience. Alkaram Studio, as a fashion brand, has grown to rule the fast fashion map in Pakistan. The newly launched store is one of their many perfect spaces for men and women of all ages to improve their shopping experience.
German Chocolate Cake is named after an American baker by the name of Samuel German.
Apple paid a couple $1.7 million dollars for their plot of land, which was only worth $181,700.
In Svalbard, a remote Norwegian island, it is illegal to die.
Transformers Movies In The Works: Beast Wars, Bumblebee
Salman Khan snatches phone of a fan taking selfie with him
Two new Transformers movies are in the works with one based on Beast Wars and the other set within the Bumblebee universe from Paramount. It's reported the flicks are in active development with one script being written by James Vanderbilt and the other by Joby Harold. Vanderbilt has written for Independence Day: Resurgence, The Amazing Spider-Man films, White House Down, Zodiac and more. Harold is known for King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and Zack Snyder's upcoming zombie Netflix movie Army of the Dead and for producing John Wick 3 and Edge of Tomorrow. Deadline reports the Vanderbilt movie is based on Beast Wars, which are robots that transform into robotic animals like Cheetor (Cheetah), Optimus Primal (Gorilla), Rhinox (Rhinoceros) and more, and that Vanderbilt has been working on the film since April, with the other from Harold set within the Bumblebee universe.
Actor Salman Khan was seen snatching the phone of a fan who tried to take selfie with the actor without his permission at the Goa airport. The video of the incident has now gone viral. The video shows Salman exiting the airport even as the fan can be seen trying to take a selfie with the actor. Just then, an obviously angry Salman snatched the phone from his hand and walked away. Salman is in Goa for the shoot of his upcoming Radhe. The man was later identified as a ground staff working for an airlines, reported PTI. "No formal complaint is lodged but when the video went viral, we inquired about the incident and confirmed it," said a senior official of the airport. When contacted, Airport Police Inspector Sagar Ekoskar said no formal complaint was lodged. Radhe, which also stars Randeep Hooda and Disha Patani, is likely to be an action thriller. The team has been shooting in Mumbai. According to a Mumbai Mirror report said that for a 20-minute action sequence, the makers spent as much as Rs 7.5 crores.
CMYK
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
14 SPORTS
‘Lucky’ Federer stAges greAt escApe tO reAcH AustrALiAn Open seMis Melbourne
r
Agencies
OGER Federer admitted he was “incredibly lucky” after pulling off one of the greatest escapes of his career Tuesday, saving seven match points to beat Tennys Sandgren for a place in the Australian Open semi-finals. In a drama-packed match, the normally ice-cool Swiss was slapped with a warning for swearing and needed a rare medical timeout for a groin injury before winning 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 6-3. The six-time champion’s reward is a showdown against either long-time rival Novak Djokovic or big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic. “I don’t deserve this one, but I’m standing here and obviously very happy,” said Federer, 38, who became the oldest man in 43 years to make the last four at Melbourne Park after Ken Rosewall. “I just said (to myself while
losing), I believe in miracles,” he added. “I got incredibly lucky tonight, today — I don’t even know what time it is.” The victory was his 102nd at Mel-
bourne Park, surpassing his tally at Wimbledon to make the Australian Open his most successful Slam in terms of matches won.
Federer said he felt the groin injury midway through the second set and was “upset about the pain I was feeling”, but is hopeful it is not serious. “Hopefully we’ll find out that it’s actually nothing bad, that it was just the groin that went really tight from playing a lot, who knows what, from nerves,” he said, having now played 14 sets in his last three matches. “I don’t know. I’m hopeful. We’ll find out tonight, tomorrow. The next day we’ll see how it goes.” In two decades of playing the Australian Open, he had never lost to a player ranked as low as Sandgren’s 100, with his biggest upset coming against 54th-ranked Arnaud Clement way back in 2000. The unheralded American had shown he could be a danger to the 20time Grand Slam winner, having already beaten eighth seed Matteo Berrettini and 12th seed Fabio Fognini. And he gave the Swiss star a massive scare.
Nadal wary of Thiem threat, Wawrinka revives past glories Melbourne Agencies
Rafael Nadal is taking nothing for granted in his Australian Open semi-final against Dominic Thiem despite owning a 100 percent record at Grand Slams against the slick Austrian. At stake for both men is a last-four clash against either resurgent veteran Swiss Stan Wawrinka or German young gun Alexander Zverev. Nadal was stretched to four sets for the first time in the tournament against explosive Australian Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round. But the Spaniard warned he was getting better by the day as he looks to add to his 2009 Melbourne Park title and draw level with Roger Federer on 20 Grand Slam crowns. “I think I am moving in the right direction. Every day I’m playing a little bit better,” said Nadal, who is aiming for a seventh Australian Open semi, while Thiem is gunning for his first. The two have met 13 times before and Nadal holds a 9-4 edge but 5-0 in Grand Slams, where he has claimed three of his last four victories over the Austrian. Thiem was the man he beat in the last two French Open finals and the top seed has a lot of time for how the 26-year-old goes about his business. “Very tough match. He’s playing well. I saw him play (fourth round) against Gael (Monfils). He was playing a very high level of tennis,” said Nadal. “We know each other well. He’s a player that I like a lot, the way that he works, the way that he plays, and the way that he tries his best always. “It is a match that’s going to be a tough one, but will be interesting. I know I have to be at my best to have chances.” Thiem took Nadal to four sets in last year’s French Open final and pressed him to five in the 2018 US Open quarters, stunning the Spaniard by winning the opening set 6-0. “I couldn’t be happier to be in the quarter-finals,” he said, as he continues his search for a maiden Grand Slam title. “I’m also very excited (to play Nadal).” ONE OF THE TOUGHEST PLAYERS: Like
Thiem, Zverev is seen as one of the players capable of breaking the stranglehold of Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the Major tournaments. But he must first get past Wawrinka, who is incredibly the only man other than the three greats to win the Melbourne Park title since 2006. Wawrinka upset the traditional order in 2014 when be beat Nadal and went on to win two more Grand Slams — the French Open in 2015 and US Open a year later — before knee surgery in 2017 halted his march. Now ranked 15, he said after upsetting fourth seed Daniil Medvedev to set up the Zverev clash that he was playing his best tennis since the surgery, with the passion to win another Slam still burning bright at 34.
“I’ve been feeling great on the court, on the practice court, putting a lot of work in physically and tennis-wise,” said Wawrinka, who will have to overturn a 0-2 record against the seventh seed. “Zverev, he’s been in the top 10, top five since few years now. It’s going to be a difficult match, for sure.” Zverev, who has huge potential but has yet to go beyond the quarter-finals in 18 Grand Slams, knows he has his work cut out against one of the toughest and most experienced competitors around. “He showed why he’s a Grand Slam champion, beating Medvedev, coming back from two-sets-to-one down, playing great tennis. He’s still one of the toughest players to play, especially here in Australia,” said the 22-year-old.
Halep, Muguruza close on hat-tricks in Australian Open quarter-finals Melbourne Agencies
Simona Halep and Garbine Muguruza are each chasing a hat-trick of Grand Slam titles as they head into Wednesday’s quarter-finals in an Australian Open where most of the top seeds have fallen by the wayside. Historychasing Serena Williams and defending champion Naomi Osaka were chief among six of the top 10 women’s seeds who tumbled out in round three. After top seed Ashleigh Barty, Halep is the highest remaining seed at four and is in full flow, not dropping a set in reaching the last eight. Despite several shocks in Melbourne, Halep will be expected to defeat 28th seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia and the Romanian’s coach said she has learnt to better control her emotions. “She’s still as stressed on the court as she always is, but she’s learning ways to deal with it and to handle it,” said the Australian Darren Cahill. Halep, the beaten 2018 finalist, has come up with a novel way of attempting to keep herself in check. All aces by players at the Australian Open earn a donation to a bushfire relief fund, but Halep has promised to give $200 each time that she berates Cahill during a match. Cahill, who is totting up how much Halep owes, sees another change in the 28year-old Halep, who won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon last year. “What I’m most proud of is that fight that she’s showing when a few things go against her,” he said. “That’s been the big change in her I have seen over the last two or three years.” SHE’S TRUSTING Like Halep, the 26year-old Muguruza has also won the French Open and Wimbledon, in 2016 and 2017 respectively. But she has gone in the opposite direction to Halep, who is set to move up a spot to two in the world rankings next week. Muguruza, like Halep a former number one, is now down at 32nd in the world. But with fellow Spaniard Conchita Martinez back as her coach as of November, she is finally returning to form. It was with Martinez — the first Spanish woman to win Wimbledon, in 1994 — in her corner that Muguruza triumphed at Wimbledon. Muguruza arrived in Melbourne with a virus and lost the first set of her opener 6-0 to the American qualifier Shelby Rogers. But she won the next two sets 6-1, 6-0, and in Monday’s last 16 brushed aside the ninth seed Kiki Bertens 63, 6-3. Muguruza faces 30th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals — the third time in four years the Russian has reached the last eight. She has never gone any farther.
Solskjaer seeks spirit of PSG as Man Utd prepare to face Man City Melbourne Agencies
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United need to harness the spirit of Paris Saint-Germain and put in a “perfect performance” if they are to overcome Manchester City and reach the League Cup final. United face an uphill battle after losing the first leg of their semi-final against Pep Guardiola’s men 3-1 at Old Trafford. Marcus Rashford’s goal gives United a glimmer of hope heading to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday and Solskjaer said the stunning comeback win against PSG in the Champions League last March can be an inspiration. United were 2-0 down after the first leg and then 3-1 down on aggregate in Paris before storming back to win on away goals. “Well, it looked like it was over at half-time,” he said, referring to the first leg of the City match. “I have to say the
second part of that first half, they outplayed us for a while and it’s hard. “But then when we got the goal, of course you’re back in it, we hope for another one. “But now we’ve got to go into the memory bank and think PSG because we’ve done it against good teams before and it gives us some hope, and the game in December (when United won 2-1 against City) of course gives us hope that we can do something there.” Solskjaer confirmed Nemanja Matic is a doubt for the second leg in a press conference that included plenty of transfer talk but no updates. Sporting midfielder Bruno Fernandes reportedly remains a target for the club, while a number of enquiries have been made as United look at possible attacking options. Alexis Sanchez would have been an option but does not have a recall clause in his loan deal, although Solskjaer ex-
pects him to have an Old Trafford future when he returns from Inter Milan at the end of the season. “We’ve got players here we’re working hard to get back as well and if there is something out there, then the club are pursuing that and looking at it,” said the United boss. “Of course it is a difficult window. It always has been. I can’t remember how many good ones we’ve brought in, good deals that we’ve brought in in January. Henrik (Larsson) was good, Nemanja (Vidic) and Patrice (Evra) were two good ones.” When January 2018 signing Sanchez was mentioned, Solskjaer said: “It’s very hard because the clubs don’t want to lose their best players. Alexis will come back in the summer and prove you all wrong.” Solskjaer expects defender Marcos Rojo to stay at Old Trafford despite speculation over a move to former club Estudiantes de la Plata.
CMYK
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
eMBuLdeniyA strikes As ZiMBABWe BOWLed Out FOr 406 Harare
L
Agencies
ASITH Embuldeniya picked up three wickets in the morning session as Sri Lanka bowled out Zimbabwe for 406 in their first innings on the second day of the second Test in Harare on Tuesday. The left-arm spinner took a hammering on LUNCH SRI LANKA Monday, mainly at the 6 FOR 0 (FERNANDO 4*, hands of centurion KARUNARATNE 2*) TRAIL Sean Williams, but found some bounce 406 (WILLIAMS ZIMBABWE and turn to finish the 107, RAZA 72, TAYLOR 62, innings with four for 182. EMBULDENIYA 4-182) The Sri Lanka openBY 400 RUNS ers Dimuth Karunaratne and Oshada Fernando safely negotiated the three overs they faced before lunch, reaching six without loss at the interval, still 400 runs behind. Resuming on 352 for six, Zimbabwe lost Regis Chakabva for his overnight Debutant Tinotenda Mutombodzi 31 in the sixth over of the morning after he gave a feint edge off Embuldeniya to made 33 before missing a sweep to fall leg before to Dhananjaya de Silva who wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.
finished with three for 71. Some resistance from the last three took the Zimbabwe total past 400 but Embuldeniya
accounted for both Donald Tiripano and Victor Nyauchi who was brilliantly caught by de Silva at first slip.
India look to sew up series against misfiring New Zealand HaMilon
england’s Broad fined after ‘audible obscenity’ in sA test
Agencies
JOHANNESbURG: England fast bowler Stuart Broad has been fined 15 percent of his match fee for “use of an audible obscenity” during the fourth Test against South Africa. Broad was cited by the match officials after Monday’s incident in Johannesburg, when he approached South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and used “inappropriate language”. He was found to have breached article 2.3 of the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity during an international match”. One demerit point has been added to Broad’s disciplinary record. It was the second offence in a 24-month period for the bowler. When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned. Agencies
New Zealand did most things right in the first T20I, and not too many in the second. On current form, India - they have five consecutive wins - were bound to pounce on even the tiniest of openings, and they have gone 2-0 ahead on a tour that even before their last series was over. On last year’s tour, India lost the T20I series, and the prospect of clinching this one with two matches to spare will no doubt be on their minds. It is a World Cup year in the T20I format and perhaps a five-match series is designed precisely to help the teams work out various combinations; for New Zealand, who are missing a number of first-choice players, the incentive to completely change their approach in the next match even goes a little beyond that. At 0-2 against a good team, there is little to lose. A change in venue, from Auckland to Hamilton, should also do them some good. New Zealand have done their bit in trying to make the most of ‘s abilities as a T20 batsman by batting him at No. 4 in both matches. With scores of 0 and 3, de Grandhomme is yet to make the impact they expect from him after the top three have done their job. They have not used him for his bowling this series, so New Zealand desperately need his batting to boost their middle overs.
hasn’t quite brought the form from limited-overs cricket that he showed at the end of the home season last year. His scores in this series have been the only singledigit ones in his last ten innings across formats. New Zealand’s only options on the bench are seambowling allrounders Daryl Mitchell and Scott Kuggeleijn. All signs so far point at Kuggeleijn coming into the XI, but it is not quite as straightforward with Mitchell, who can only come in at the cost of either the hitting abilities of Colin de Grandhomme or one of the spinners. It is unlikely India will tinker with either department, but with the batting line-up stepping up so impressively, they might be tempted to forego Shardul Thakur’s batting ability at No. 8 for the pace of Navdeep Saini.
SPORTS 15
Whopping 48 sixes, 70 fours in Bangladesh cricket run-fest DHAkA: Batsmen hit a staggering 48 sixes and 70 fours in a Bangladesh second division 50-over match in which a combined 818 runs were scored. North Bengal Cricket Academy won by 46 runs after they racked up 432-4 and restricted Talent Hunt Cricket Academy to a relatively meagre 386-7 at City Club ground in Dhaka on Monday. The North Bengal players struck 27 sixes, while Talent Hunt smashed 21 over the ropes. “This is very unusual. I have been familiar with Dhaka’s domestic cricket for many years. But I never saw anything like this,” said Syed Ali Asaf, a club cricket organiser. Bangladesh’s domestic matches frequently throw up unusual results, and allegations of match-fixing are common. In one notorious case in 2017, authorities banned a bowler for 10 years after he delivered a succession of wides and no-balls to concede 92 runs to deliberately lose a match in what his team called a protest against biased umpiring. That Dhaka League Second Division game raised suspicions after a Lalmatia bowler sent down 13 wides and three no-balls in the first over — all of which raced to the boundary — costing his side 80 runs. Lalmatia had earlier been dismissed for just 88 off 14 overs before opponents Axiom reached 92-0 off just four legal deliveries. Agencies
sA docked six Wtc points for slow over-rate JOHANNESbURG: South Africa have become the first team to be docked World Test Championship (WTC) points for a slow over rate after were fined 60% of their match fee after falling short of their target in the fourth Test of their series against England at the Wanderers. After leaving frontline spinner Keshav Maharaj out of their side, South Africa did not bowl a single over of spin in the Test, leaving them three overs short after time allowances were taken into consideration. In line with Article 2.22 of the ICC’s code of conduct, players are fined 20% of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the time allocated to them, and in accordance with Article 16.11.2 of the WTC’s playing conditions, a side is penalised two points for every over they are short. , South Africa’s captain, pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, meaning there was no need for a formal hearing following the levelling of the charge by the match officials. South Africa sit seventh out of nine teams in the inaugural WTC, with 24 points after seven matches. Agencies
All-star match, no-ball umpires: IPL returns with upgrades MuMbai Agencies
For the first time, a one-off all-star fixture, comprising players from all the eight franchises, will precede the IPL. The match will be played three days before the tournament’s opening match, which, as reported , is will be played on March 29. Both the opening match and the IPL final will be played in Mumbai, the home base of defending champions Mumbai Indians. ESPNcricinfo understands that the two teams for the all-star match are likely to be formed with players from the four franchises in the north and east of India Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders - and the four teams in the south and west - Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai. No venue has been finalised for the match yet. It appears that the idea of the all-star match came from BCCI president Sourav Ganguly and IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel. Both were present at the governing council meeting on Monday in New Delhi where the decision was made. TIMINGS OF EVENING MATCHES
UNCHANGED One of the key points discussed at the meeting concerned the start timings for the evening matches, an issue both the IPL and host broadcaster Star India have been discussing over the past few years. It is understood that Star wanted an earlier start than 8pm IST, because many matches stretch past midnight. However, several teams pointed out that starting early could hand the advantage to one team because of dew. Consequently, the IPL decided to leave the timing for the evening matches unchanged. Ganguly also said that there would just be four double-headers [days with both an afternoon and an evening match] in the 2020 IPL, continuing with the trend established over the past few years to reduce the number of day matches with the tournament being played in summer. The IPL did not announce the main tournament schedule even though the tournament is starting in two months’ time. BCCI officials did not reveal the reason for the delay, but it is learnt that the schedule is likely to be out later this week. One plausible reason could be to the late arrival of the Australia, England and New Zealand players. As per the availability periods listed preIPL auction, players from these three
countries will arrive after March 31, as they would be busy with various bilateral series as well as the Sheffield Shield final. FOUR TEAMS FOR WOMEN’S T20 EXHIbITION MATCHES: Taking another step forward towards a women’s IPL, the BCCI has decided to add another team to the women’s T20 exhibition matches it has been conducting over the last two IPL seasons. In 2018, two teams - Supernovas and Trailblazers - contested a one-off exhibition match, which finished in a . Last year, a third team - - was added with four matches hosted in Jaipur, which ran parallel to the main IPL playoffs. For the 2020 season, a fourth team, not named yet, has been added to the mix. It is understood there will be seven matches, including the final, that are likely to be scheduled once again around the IPL playoffs. NO-bALL UMPIRES GET THE NOD: The IPL has also decided to let an off-field match official to supervise noballs. The move is bound to be welcomed by the players considering the errors by on-field umpires over the years that have left many captains fuming. Last IPL, Virat Kohli, leading the Royal Challengers in a crucial match against Mumbai, called the umpiring standards . Incidentally, the no-
CMYK
ball delivered by Lasith Malinga went undetected by S Ravi, one of the on-field umpires who was removed from the ICC’s Elite Panel last year. Taking cognizance of the players’ complaints, the IPL had discussed the issue last year, with Patel saying that an exclusive match official, separate to the TV and fourth umpire, would be in charge of supervising no-balls. Late last year, the ICC opted to reintroduce the no-
ball umpire on a trial basis. The ICC, however, had entrusted the job to the regular TV umpire. CONCUSSION SUbSTITUTES TO bE INTRODUCED: The IPL governing council also approved the move to allow concussion substitutes from the 2020 edition. The match referee will be the on who could come in as a substitute with the option of disallowing replacements if they are deemed not to be like-for-like.
Wednesday, 29 January, 2020
NEWS
Trump announces occupied easT Jerusalem as capiTal of palesTine US PRESIDENT’S PLAN PROPOSES FOUR-YEAR FREEZE OF ISRAELI THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS PROTEST IN GAZA, DEVELOPMENT IN AREA EYED FOR A FUTURE PALESTINIAN STATE BURN PICTURES OF TRUMP AND AMERICAN FLAG WASHINGTON
Taliban clash with afghan forces on crashed us military aircraft site KABUL AGENCIES
Afghan forces and Taliban fighters clashed in a central region where a US military aircraft crashed, officials said on Tuesday, as the government tried to reach the wreckage site in a Taliban stronghold, reported Reuters. On Monday, the US military said an E-11A aircraft crashed in the province of Ghazni, but disputed Taliban claims to have brought it down, without saying how many were aboard or if any had been killed. Security forces were sent to the site immediately after receiving a report of the crash in the Deh Yak district, but were ambushed by Taliban fighters, Ghazni provincial police chief Khalid Wardak told Reuters. “As per our information, there are four bodies and two on board were alive and they are missing,” Wardak said, adding that the forces subsequently received an order to retreat and airborne action is to be taken instead. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said Afghan forces backed by US military support had tried to capture the area around the crashed aircraft and clashed with fighters of the militant group. The attempt was repelled, however, he told Reuters, but added that the Taliban would allow a rescue team access to recover bodies from the crash site. “Taliban fighters on the ground counted six bodies at the site of the US airplane crash,” he said, adding that while there could have been more, the militant group could not be certain, as fire had reduced everything to ashes. Speaking on condition of anonymity, US officials said the plane was carrying fewer than five when it crashed, with one official saying initial information showed there were at least two. The site has not been visited by US officials or any other members of the international force in Afghanistan, but the Taliban claim to have brought down the plane is misleading, a US defense official told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that a preliminary probe showed there was a mechanical error.
p
AGENCIES
RESIDENT Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled long-awaited details of a US plan for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, warning it may represent the last chance at statehood for the Palestinians. “Today, Israel takes a big step towards peace,” Trump told a White House news conference, standing alongside visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he revealed key points of the plan already strongly rejected by the Palestinians. “My vision presents a win-win opportunity for both sides, a realistic two-state solution that resolves the risk of Palestinian statehood to Israel’s security,” Trump said. The plan was warmly welcomed by Israel’s prime minister, who called it a “historic day” for the Jewish state. The plan, Trump said, proposes a four-year freeze of Israeli development in the area eyed for a future Palestinian state.
“Jerusalem will remain Israel’s undivided, very important, undivided capital,” Trump stressed. But the plan would also provide the Palestinians with a capital in occupied East Jerusalem, he said, while indicating that the West Bank would not be cut in half under the plan. “We will also work to create a contiguous territory within the future Palestinian state, for when the conditions for statehood are met, including the firm rejection of terrorism,” Trump said as he called on the Palestinians to turn their back on the radical Hamas movement. Calling it a “historic opportunity” for the Palestinians to achieve an independent state, Trump said he had written on Tuesday to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to enlist his support for the plan. No Palestinian official was present at the launch although the ambassadors from three Arab nations — Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — were at the White House. “I explained to [Abbas] that the territory allocated for his new state will remain open and undeveloped for a period of four years,” Trump said.
“This could be the last opportunity they will ever have.” “Palestinians are in poverty and violence, exploited by those seeking to use them as pawns to advance terrorism and extremism,” the president added. “They deserve a far better life.” Given that it has been emphatically rejected by the Palestinians, the latest of many US proposals to address the bitter, multi-generational Middle East conflict might seem to have little future. In Gaza, thousands protested, burning pictures of Trump and the American flag. In a rare event, rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah were set to meet in the West Bank city of Ramallah to discuss a response. Meanwhile, Netanyahu touted the Trump administration’s Middle East plan, saying it presented a “realistic path” for achieving a lasting peace in the region. “And on this day, you too have charted a brilliant future, a brilliant future for Israelis, Palestinians and the region, by presenting a realistic path to a durable peace,” the Israeli prime minister said.
Coronavirus: Pakistani community 'safe' in China; Sindh reports 8 cases ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday said the Pakistani community residing in China was safe from the coronavirus, saying the Foreign Ministry was in constant touch with the embassy in Beijing for lastest updates. He asked the Pakistani community not to get worried and assured that all precautionary measures are being taken. He also asked the Pakistani students, who are not yet registered with the embassy, to get themselves registered. The death toll in the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 106, Chinese officials confirmed to CBSNews. There have been 1,291 more confirmed cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in China to more than 4,500, officials added. Meanwhile, Sindh registered at least eight suspected coronavirus cases, a health department document revealed on Tuesday. The Health Department contacted by Aga Khan University Hospital on January 25 regarding a cluster of suspected coronavirus cases. The director general of Health Services Sindh formed a team with am objective to in-
vestigate the suspected cases. Five of these suspected cases were identified by the AKUH according to the case definition. Three of these suspected cases were identified from a cluster of 27 suspected cases that were reported on January 27. Out of the suspected cases, one case had no travel history to China (contact with Chinese nationality persons), seven had travel history from China during January
2020, and one had travel history from China during June 2019. All suspected cases had flu-like symptoms. Seven were employed at Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP). One left against medical advice (LAMA) and four were discharged. Two suspected cases were defined as “not a case” as per the case definition. Earlier on Sunday, the Foreign Office had said that over 500 students and
other Pakistanis living in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, and other parts of China are “safe”. “There is no report of infection in any Pakistani community member thus far,” the FO said in a statement, adding that the Pakistani community has been reassured of full support and requested to follow health protocols issued by the Chinese authorities and stay indoors. It said the foreign affairs ministry and the Pakistan Embassy in China are “actively monitoring the situation” of the virus outbreak, adding that the embassy in Beijing and other sub-missions in China are also in touch with the Pakistani community as well as Chinese authorities.
China counts 106 coronavirus deaths as US, others move to evacuate WUHAN: Deaths from a new viral disease that is causing mounting global concern rose by 25 to at least 106 in China on Tuesday as the United States and other governments prepared to fly their citizens out of the locked-down city at centre of the outbreak. The total includes the first death in Beijing, the Chinese capital, and 24 more fatalities in Hubei province, where the first illnesses from the newly identified coronavirus occurred in December. Asian stock markets tumbled for a second day, dragged down by worries about the virus’ global economic impact. The US Consulate in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where authorities cut off most access on Jan 22 in an effort to contain the disease, is preparing to fly its diplomats and some other Americans out of the city. Japan, France, Mongolia and other governments have also planned evacuations. China’s increasingly drastic containment efforts began with the suspension of plane, train and bus links to Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. That lockdown has expanded to 17 cities with more than 50 million people in the most far reaching disease-control measures ever imposed. China extended the Lunar New Year holiday by three days to Sunday to reduce the risk of infection by keeping offices and factories nationwide closed and the public at home. The government of Shanghai, a global business centre and home to 25 million people, extended the holiday in that city by an additional week to Feb 9. US health officials expanded their recommendation for people to avoid non-essential travel to any part of China, rather than just Wuhan and other areas most affected by the outbreak. Mongolia closed its vast border with China after North Korea did so earlier. Hong Kong and Malaysia are barring visitors from Hubei. Chinese travel agencies were ordered to cancel group tours nationwide. AGENCIES
Police arrest Dawar, 28 others in PTM crackdown POLICE ARREST OVER 29 PTM ACTIVISTS FOR HOLDING DEMO AGAINST PTM CHIEF’S ARREST PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT
A day after Peshawar police took Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen into custody on sedition charges, the Islamabad police arrested at least 29 PTM activists, including Members of National Assembly (MNA) MNA Mohsin Dawar, in the federal capital for staging a protest for Pashteen’s release. Meanwhile, a local court in Peshawar on Tuesday ordered Manzoor Pashteen’s transfer to a jail in Dera Ismail Khan, where a first information report (FIR) has been registered against him. The police didn’t produce Pashteen in the court. According to police, a case was registered against the PTM chief at the City Police Station in DI Khan on January 18 under sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 153-A (promoting en-
mity between different groups), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 124 (sedition), and 123-A (condemning the creation of the country and advocating the abolishment of its sovereignty) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the FIR, Pashteen and other PTM leaders had attended a gathering on January 18 in DI Khan where the PTM chief had allegedly said that the 1973 Constitution violated basic human rights. The FIR added that Pashteen also made ‘derogatory’ remarks about the state. Police had also arrested nine other PTM workers who were identified as Muhammad Salam, Abdul Hameed, Idrees, Bilal, Mohib, Sajjadul Hassan, Aimal, Farooq and Muhammad Salman at the time of the raid in Peshawar. Pashteen, who was not presented in court during Tuesday’s proceedings, was represented by his lawyers Shahab Khat-
tak, Farhat Afridi, and Advocate Fazl. Their request for a transit bail for Pashteen was rejected by the court. After Pashteen is shifted to DI Khan, he is expected to be presented before a judicial magistrate for physical remand. DAWAR, SHAHJAHAN ARRESTED: The Islamabad Police, meanwhile, scuttled a protest held outside the National Press Club and arrested over a dozen PTM supporters. Besides lawmakers Wazir and Dawar, Awami Workers Party (AWP) leaders Ismat Shahjahan and Ammar Rashid are also among the detainees. The PTM supporters were gathered there with senior politicians Afrasiab Khattak and Bushra Gohar as well as party supporters and workers to protest against Pashteen’s arrest. Protests were also held in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar in addition to different capitals of the world. Following Pashteen’s arrest, Dawar and Wazir had condemned the action, saying that instead of addressing the group’s grievances, the state had resorted to arresting its leader.
COURT REJECTS MANZOOR PASHTEEN’S REQUEST FOR INTERIM BAIL, ORDERS TRANSFER TO DI KHAN JAIL Dawar said he had contacted the police to ask on what grounds Pashteen had been arrested and claimed that authorities did not give any reasons and refused to cooperate. Terming the arrest as an “abduction”, Dawar had said: “We think that Manzoor Pashteen has been arrested for the speech he delivered in Bannu in which he said he will gather all Pashtun leaders.” He urged PTM workers to stay “peaceful like always” and announced that the group will hold protests across the country as well as abroad on Tuesday. PTM: PTM is a rights-based alliance that, besides calling for the de-mining of the former tribal areas and greater freedom of movement in the latter, has insisted on an end to the practices of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and unlawful detentions, and for their practitioners to be held to account within a truth and reconciliation framework.
Published by Arif Nizami at Plot # 7, Al-Baber Centre, F/8 Markaz, Islamabad. Ph: 051-2204545. Email: newsroom@pakistantoday.com.pk
CMYK
The party has been critical of the state’s policies in the country’s tribal belt, where a massive operation against terrorists was conducted in recent times leading to large-scale displacement and enforced disappearances. PTM’s leaders, in particular its elected members to the National Assembly, have come under fire for pursuing the release of individuals detained by authorities without due process. The army alleges the party of running an anti-national agenda and for playing into the hands of the state’s enemies. PTM’s MNAs — Dawar and Wazir — were arrested by police after a protest gathering in Kharqamar for allegedly using violence and clashing with army personnel. The party while rejecting these allegations, insisted that theirs is a peaceful struggle for the rights of people from the country’s tribal belt.