E-Paper PDF 31th January 2020 (ISB)

CMYK

Friday, 31 January, 2020 I 5 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 212 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

Evacuating Pakistanis from china not in country’s intErEst, says govt g

PM’S aide SayS Won’t induLge in ‘irreSPonSiBLe’ Behaviour By evaCuating CitizenS at riSk of SPreading viruS

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

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akiStan has decided to leave over 500 students stranded in coronavirus-hit Wuhan, a province in China, saying it won’t indulge in “irresponsible” behaviour by evacuating Pakistan nationals as this could lead to further spread of the deadly virus.

Meanwhile, Pakistani nationals stranded in China have appealed to the government to save them. “We have to live on roads in urumqi after exhausting all our money on food and lodging,” Pakistanis stranded at urumqi airport said, imploring Prime Minister imran khan-led government for a helping hand.

Separately, Pakistani students stranded in Wuhan shared a video, wherein said that they were having a hard time getting in touch with the Pakistani embassy and urged the government to help them. the health Ministry has confirmed at least four students have contracted the virus. ‘govt to heLP Stranded PakiStaniS’: in a press conference, Special assistant to the Prime Minister on health dr zafar Mirza said that it was not advisable to evac-

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PakiStani CoMMunity PLeadS govt for heLP, SayS ‘forCed to Live on StreetS’

uate Pakistanis from China and added that same was the guidelines of the World health organisation (Who) and Beijing. it may be noted here that a number of countries, including the uS, Japan and South korea, have evacuated their citizens, whereas Britain and india are also preparing to extract their citizens from the calamity-hit province.

“We don’t want to take any emotional decision which will cause this virus to spread further,” he said, adding, “it is also our responsibility to ensure that our citizens in Wuhan are being properly taken care of and see to it whether they are being provided food or items of daily use or not,” he added. dr Mirza said the Pakistani embassy in China was providing the government with information about its citizen in Wuhan. he said that it was in the “larger interest of the region” to not evacuate Pakistanis who were stranded in Wuhan and at risk of contracting the coronavirus. “this [decision not to evacuate Pakistanis] is what the Who is saying and this is what China’s policy is,” he said. “this is also our policy.” dr Mirza said that the government will ensure proper checks to keep the coronavirus from spreading when “the situation

improves”. he said the government will ensure proper screening at entry, exit points of the country and place under observation those who are at risk of carrying the virus. dr Mirza said that the government’s decision not to evacuate its people from Wuhan did not mean that it didn’t care about Pakistani citizens. he said that islamabad was abreast of the facilities being provided to Pakistani citizens in Wuhan. “i can show you many messages from Pakistani students in Wuhan who have told us that Chinese authorities are taking very good care of them,” he said.

BODY FOR MONITORING EPIDEMIC: the federal government on thursday constituted a technical committee to monitor the situation and make immediate plans to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan. according to an official of the health Ministry, the national institute of health (nih) has also activated its emergency operations center to monitor the situation. it has also been called for close coordination among Central health establishment, World health organization (Who) and provincial health departments for a comprehensive control programme. the official said directives have also been issued to nih’s virology lab to develop a real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction capacity for coronavirus as early as possible. nih has already developed health education and information material for healthcare staff, passengers and the general public in this regard.

China virus deaths rise to 170 as hit to global economy looms STORY ON BACK PAGE

WB approves Pakistan’s review plea against $6bn reko diq fine STORIES ON BACK PAGE & 11

FBR chief Shabbar Zaidi to go on indefinite leave

STORY ON BACK PAGE

islamabad airport contractor paid rs560m to Maryam in kickbacks, PM’s aide claims STORY ON PAGE 03

Maj Gen Babar to take charge as new ISPR DG STORY ON BACK PAGE tomorrow

Punjab govt tells Nawaz to submit medical record for extension in foreign stay

Pak-afriCa trade ConferenCe

Pakistan eyes capturing ‘ignored’ African trade markets g

Govt fails to fund gas projects despite Rs295bn cess collection

SayS MoC'S 'Look afriCa PoLiCy initiative' iS aLready Put into Motion

STORY ON PAGE 12

CMYK

Shehbaz moves London court over Daily Mail story STORIES ON PAGE 03

Friday, 31 January, 2020

02 NEWS

Trend of deClarinG everyone 'TraiTor' musT sToP, dawar Tells na ISLAMABAD

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PTI’S MURAD SAEED ACCUSES PTM LEADERS OF ABUSING PARLIAMENT AND LAWMAKERS

STAFF REPORT

ASHTUN Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader and North Waziristan lawmaker Mohsin Dawar on Thursday called for the supremacy of constitution and cautioned that the ‘project’ of declaring everyone traitor will harm the country.

Addressing the National Assembly a day after his release, the lawmaker said the trend of declaring everyone as a “traitor” should be stopped, else there will come a time when the “entire nation, except a few government officers, will be declared traitor”. Dawar said a “state cannot be run like the way Pakistani state is functioning by crushing dissent”.

The MNA also talked about the arrest of PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen and said that Pashteen was detained two days after Defence Minister Pervez Khattak approached him with an offer to hold a dialogue.

“Who is running the affairs of the country? We are being labelled as traitors,” he said, noting that similar charges were levelled against people like Bacha Khan, Wali Khan, Asfandyar Wali Khan, GM Syed, Attaullah Mengal, Khair Buksh Marri, Fatima Jinnah and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

However, these charges never stood

in the court of law, the MNA said, adding the only person against whom treason charges were proved was former military dictator Pervez Musharraf.

“When he [Musharraf] was convicted the spokesman for an institution questioned the conviction. This is a dangerous thing. Whosoever opposes the Constitution is a traitor.”

Dawar said he was among the 29 people who were arrested from outside the press club while protesting against

Pashteen arrest. “The policeman who dragged me and put me in the vehicle was raising slogans of ‘Islam Zindabad’ and ‘Death to India’. “What kind of mindset is being developed? Now we are being declared disbelievers as well. We were very good Muslims when we were being used in the Afghan jihad,” he said.

The lawmaker noted that workers of the (now ruling) PTI had attacked Parliament House and the PTV offices and even Prime Minister Imran Khan and

President Arif Alvi were facing terrorism charges. “We have not damaged even a single plant during our movement,” he said, referring to PTM demonstrations.

Responding to Dawar, Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed claimed that PTM leaders had in a recent speech abused and used “expletives” against the parliament and parliamentarians. He demanded of the PTM leaders in the house to apologise for the alleged speech because the issues of tribal areas could be discussed. He alleged that the PTM leaders had also opposed the fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which he said was crucial to stop the flow of terrorists from Afghanistan into the country. The minister questioned why Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who had taken to Twitter to express concern over Pashteen’s arrest, and the Afghan parliament “start issuing statements in favour” of the PTM whenever an incident takes place in Pakistan.

Saeed alleged that Dawar had acknowledged Afghanistan’s support for the PTM and questioned why “action is not being taken against him”. He said the PTI government had carried out several projects for the welfare and development of the tribal areas and called upon the PTM leaders to “play your part in this journey of progress”.

Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri adjourned the NA session until 10:30am on Friday.

Two soldiers marTyred, 5 miliTanTs killed in nw raid RAWALPINDI STAFF REPORT

Two soldiers of the Pakistan Army were martyred while five terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) on a terrorist hideout in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan on Thursday, an InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) press release said. According to the statement, Sepoy Muhammad Shamim and Sepoy Asad Khan embraced martyrdom in the exchange of fire. Earlier on Dec 5 last year, two security officials were martyred in an IBO near Charkhel village of North Waziristan. “Presence of terrorists was reported in a hideout. During the operation two terrorists killed,” the statement released by ISPR had said.

PTM arrests: Interior minister says no impunity for law violators NEWS DESK

China taking measures to control coronavirus: Qureshi ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that China is taking adequate measures to control the coronavirus epidemic. The foreign minister, in a statement, said that the people and government of Pakistan are standing with China in this difficult hour.

“China will undoubtedly overcome this challenge,” he stressed. Qureshi remarked that the top leadership of China is monitoring the efforts being made to control the epidemic. The international community has also praised the Chinese efforts to control the virus, he said. The foreign minister thanked Beijing for helping Pakistani citizens residing in China. Pakistan is ready to extend every possible support to its neighbor, he Qureshi affirmed. It is pertinent to mention here that the total number of confirmed deaths from the newly identified pathogen in China has risen by 38 to 170 and infections also jumped. Chinese health authorities said there were 7,711 confirmed cases of infection as of the end of Wednesday, mostly in Hubei province where the death toll rose by 37 to 162. STAFF REPORT

Days after the arrest of various leaders of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), including its chief Manzoor Pashteen, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah on Thursday categorically declared that those “who violate the land of the law will be arrested” without any distinction.

In an interview with BBC Urdu, Shah – while referring towards the arrested PTM activists – said: “They are Pakistani citizens. They have violated the law of the country, and they were arrested.”

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Monday arrested PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen on various charges, including sedition. The following day, the Islamabad police arrested at least 29 PTM activists, including its MNA Mohsin Dawar, for staging a protest for Pashteen’s release. Dawar was released within 24 hours of the arrest, however, other suspects were sent to jail.

Commenting upon the arrests, the interior reiterated that those “who violate the country’s law will be arrested”. “It is the prime minister’s stance, that if you wish to resolve issues, you should come to the table.

Nothing can be solved by fighting and going to war. This holds true for the entire nation including tribal areas,” Shah said.

However, when questioned why

Court defers indictment after ex-Pm Gilani's no show

there was a need for the PTM to come to the table when they stage peaceful protests and there have been reports of ongoing talks between the group and the government, the minister said: “Talks [with them] are also being conducted on the table.

“I am talking to you right now.

But if you go and say, kill someone or perhaps commit a crime, does that mean that no action will be taken against you?

However, Shah immediately clarified that he did not mean to insinuate that Pashteen had killed someone. “I am merely giving an example,” he cleared. “Law enforcement agencies have their own task.

If they are committing a crime they will be punished for it,” he maintained, implied responding yo PTM’s demand to put an end to allegedly enforced disappearances.

“As far as the Pashtuns are concerned, they stand with this govern-

ment,” he said. “The [Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf] has a two-thirds majority [in KP]. [Prime Minister] Imran Khan is more popular in tribal and Pashtun areas than he is in his own district.

“No other political leader has done what he [Imran] has done for the merger of tribal districts and for bringing the Pashtun into the mainstream. So then who is their leader, Pashteen or Imran,” he questioned.

“There is a case registered against Pashteen in Dera Ismail Khan on the basis of which he was arrested. Yesterday or the day before, an MNA from his party, a very good person, was using foul language against the country and state institutions and he has been caught.

“Whatever their reasons for protesting, there is a civilised way to protest. They were protesting in the wrong way. The courts are independent, and they will decide the cases.”

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday deferred indictment of former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and others accused in a graft case related to awarding alleged illegal advertisement contract. Accountability Judge Azam Khan resumed the hearing of the case as the former premier Gilani did not show up before the court. The judge deferred indictment of the accused owing to the absence of the PPP leader and other accused and decided to frame charges against them on the next hearing slated for Feb 13. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) approved filing corruption references against former prime minister Gilani and others for their alleged involvement in illegally awarding an advertising contract in violation of Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules. The other accused in the case included former secretary Information Technology Farooq Awan, former principal information officer Muhammad Saleem, Syed Hassan Sheikh, Inam Akbar, and other officials of the Ministry of Information Technology, who allegedly misused their authority which caused a loss of Rs128.07 million to the national exchequer. STAFF REPORT

UAE announces $200m for Kamyab Jawan Programme ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government on Thursday announced to provide $200 million financial assistance for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s flagship Kamyab Jawan programme for youth development.

The entrepreneurship programme, initiated by Prime Minister Imran Khan, is receiving acknowledgement on the international level as well.

UAE Ambassador Essa Abdulla Al Basha Al Noaimi made the announcement

in a meeting with Special Assistant to the PM on Youth Affairs Usman Dar. The assistance was announced by Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his recent visit to Pakistan.

The ambassador said Pakistani youth are talented and capable and UAE will cooperate with Islamabad for the development of the young generation.

He also announced to start a youth exchange programme between UAE and Pakistan. In the meeting, it was also decided to send a delegation of Pakistani youth to UAE where they will be given skills of entrepreneurship and artificial in-

telligence. Moreover, the UAE government has also offered to Pakistani youth to partner in Expo 2020, which is being held in Dubai later this year. The UAE government also decided to provide special pavilions to Pakistani youth in the expo. The ambassador praised the federal government’s practical steps for its young generation.

Meanwhile, Dar welcomed financial assistance. He said that the premier has the vision to uplift the young generation. He added that a huge investment is being made on youth for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The young generation will play a vital role in the national economy, he said.

CMYK

Friday, 31 January, 2020

NEWS

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islamabad airPorT ConTraCTor Paid rs560m To maryam in kiCkbaCks, Pm’s aide Claims SHAHZAD AKBAR SAYS SHELL COMPANIES WERE USED TO SECURE LOANS FOR CHAUDHRY SUGAR MILLS ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

PECIAL Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability Barrister Shahzad Akbar on Thursday said that Islamabad International Airport’s contractor Mian Munir had transferred Rs560 million in the accounts of Chaudhry Sugar Mills (CSM), which are owned by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) Vice-President Maryam Nawaz.

Addressing a press conference, Akbar said that Technical Associates, one of the three contractors of the new airport, was owned by Mian Munir. Displaying a cheque from Technical Associates for Rs50m, which he claimed was withdrawn

by Shujaat Azeem – special assistant to the prime minister on aviation during Nawaz’s

Pm forms three committees to remove differences with allies ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday formed three separate committees of the ruling party to hold dialogue with coalition partners remove differences and resolve pending matters. A meeting was held at the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss the relations between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allies. The prime minister told the meeting that the dialogue process between the ruling party and its allies should be strengthened to remove all barriers between the two sides. To facilitate this process, the premier formed three committees under the chairmanship of Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak. A committee was formed with Privatisation Minister Asad Umar as the convener to hold dialogue with MQM-P and GDA. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, PTI Sindh President Firdous Shamim Naqvi and MPA Haleem Adil Sheikh are the members of the committee. For talks with PML-Q, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has been assigned as the convener while Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mahmood would be the members. For talks with BAP, BNP-M and JJWP, the committee would be led by Pervaiz Khattak himself with National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri and Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali as members of the committee. It is pertinent to mention here that the government’s allies had announced they would review their alliance with the ruling PTI and had complained that the commitments made with them were not fulfilled. Initially, it appeared as if the panic button had been pressed as one by one, almost all allied parties started pushing for the acceptance of their demands. However, later things started to cool down after the government started reaching out to them. Interestingly, when the premier visited Karachi three days ago, he did not meet members of MQM-P although he had visited Kingari House in Karachi and met with GDA chief Pir Pagaro and assured him that all the issues highlighted in their meeting would be resolved. STAFF REPORT

government, Akbar said, “If this is not a kickback then it is a conflict of interest.”

“They made serious changes to the project’s PC-1, serious design changes due to which the Rs33bn project ended up costing close to Rs105bn,” he added.

“Because of this, there were delays which ended up benefiting Technical Associates which then ended up injecting Rs507m into the CSM,” he alleged. “45 per cent shares of CSM are owned by Maryam Nawaz. Mian Munir is the fatherin-law of Maryam’s daughter,” he said.

Akbar said that in May 2017, Technical Associates had transferred Rs310m into the account of CSM via various accounts. Likewise, in December 2017, another Rs250m were transferred into the account of CSM. He said that CSM was established by PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif in 1991 with assets over

TECHNICAL ASSOCIATES REJECTS ALLEGATIONS, SAYS CHEQUE GIVEN TO SHUJAAT AZEEM WAS IN FACT MONEY OWED TO HIM Rs5.6bn. “Interestingly, Nawaz’s declared assets were only Rs1.3m, which clearly indicates that Nawaz did not have the means to establish a sugar mill,” he added.

“Former finance minister Ishaq Dar established an offshore company, Chadron Jersey Limited, in 1991 in the United Kingdom and France in collaboration with Faisal Investment Bank. The company sought loans of $15m for importing plants and machinery for establishing a sugar mill,” he further said.

Akbar said that the machinery of Ittefaq Foundry was installed after getting a loan of Rs398m from Faisal Investment Bank and its loan was paid back. “However, no machinery or plant was imported from abroad. The Sharifs, after getting special permission from State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), transferred $20m into the account of Chadron Jersey Limited. In-

LAHORE STAFF REPORT

The Punjab government has asked former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to provide medical reports in support of his application for an extension in his stay abroad within three days, adding that in case of a failure in compliance, the authority would decide if his application should be accepted based on the available record, it emerged on Thursday.

A letter written by the Punjab Home Department, dated Jan 28, stated: “It is, therefore, required from your side to provide requisite reports within next three days, failing thereby, the competent authority will decide the matter of your application as per the available facts brought on record.”

The PML-N supremo is currently in London for medical treatment. Earlier this month, a picture of Nawaz at a London restaurant along with some members of his family had surfaced on social media raising questions about the condition of the former premier’s health.

Following this, the PML-N had submitted a letter from a leading cardiac surgeon terming the ex-PM’s stay in the UK “vital” for his health management.

However, the Punjab government had rejected Nawaz’s medical reports which had been submitted on Dec 23, 2019.

Nawaz had sought extension in his stay abroad on the expiry of the fourweek period allowed by the court to visit London for medical treatment.

With his application, Nawaz attached

vestigation agencies said that $20 million were transferred to the United Kingdom from 1995 to 1999,” he added.

“Obviously, CSM did not have the resources to pay such huge loans. The amount was stashed abroad. According to the website of the World Bank’s (WB) Star Programme, the real owner of Chadron Jersey Limited was Nawaz Sharif. The nine International offshore companies involved in money laundering had the same address,” he further said. After sharing details of all the loans allegedly taken for the CSM in the name of various individuals and corporations, he said, “The point of doing these press briefings is to inform the people about how they have been looted.

Because the people should also demand an answer from them [the Sharif family].”

COMPANY REJECTS ALLEGATION: Reacting to the PM’s aide’s

presser, the administration of Technical Associates rejected all the allegations levelled against the company.

In a statement, the company said that as far as the matter of Chaudhry Sugar Mills is concerned, it will reply itself. On its part, Technical Associates said the case was in arbitration and it would not comment on it. Commenting on the charge that Technical Associates gave Shujaat Azeem kickback of Rs50m on June 24, 2015, the company claimed that it had borrowed the money from Azeem on Feb 1, 2011, and returned it on June 24, 2015.

On Shahzad Akbar’s allegation that Technical Associates used its influence to claim the money from Civil Aviation Authority, the company claimed that the amount mentioned by the PM’s special assistant was paid to LTHJV as per the Supreme Court’s decision.

Punjab govt tells Nawaz to submit medical record for extension in foreign stay his medical reports, but the Punjab government had sought fresh reports.

Following his request, the Punjab government constituted a four-member committee to decide on it and on Friday the provincial government sought fresh medical reports to make an “informed decision”. The Punjab government’s latest letter was written with regards to Nawaz’s application under Section 401(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1898 which states: “Whenever an applications is made to the provincial government for the suspension or remission of a sentence the provincial government may require the presiding judge of the court before or by which the conviction was had or confirmed to state his opinion as to whether the application should be granted or refused, together with his reason for such opinion and also to forward with the statement of such opinion a certified copy of the record of the trial or of such record thereof as exists.”

As per the home department, Nawaz’s medical reports, submitted by his counsel Khawaja Haris, had been forwarded to the medical board, which concluded that they were “not sufficient to form a conclusive opinion”.

Following this, Haris was asked to

submit the latest medical records in a letter dated January 6.

“In response thereto, your counsel requested this department to approach you directly or your personal physician.

So, your physician was requested through email to provide the requisite medical reports as desired by the special medical report,” the letter stated.

It added that Nawaz, Haris and PML-N Deputy Secretary-General Advocate Attaullah Tarar were once again on January 13 asked to provide the latest medical record, which the latter submitted. The home department shared

the medical board’s conclusions regarding the records which they said only summarised his cardiac imaging, echocardiography, holter monitoring and cardiac PET. According to the Punjab government, Nawaz’s hematological and biochemical reports, especially platelet count, were not been provided. “The board would like to know, his [Complete Blood Count] CBC, kidney functions, bone marrow studies (if done), wholebody PET scan as well as the plan by treating hematologist in order to stabilise you for necessary interventions.”

Shehbaz moves London court over Daily Mail story NEWS DESK Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) President Shehbaz Sharif has filed a defamation suit against Mail on Sunday newspaper, Mail Online and journalist David Rose in the London High Court for the publication of a “gravely defamatory” story in 2019.

In July 2019, Daily Mail published a story about alleged embezzlement of earthquake funds provided by UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) for the rehabilitation of the victims. It quoted Assets Recovery Unit

chief Shahzad Akbar and a few other individuals to make its case against then chief minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The PML-N was quick to refute the story and alleged that the story was published in the British tabloid at the behest of Imran Khan, the prime minister. It was also rejected by DFID, which said the body’s “robust systems protected UK taxpayers from fraud”.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the PML-N said his legal notice to The Mail on Sunday and online news site Mail Online and Rose was not fruitful as “a copy of the article is still

available online”, forcing him to sue the media house.

Speaking at the press conference, Shehbaz said that had there been any concrete evidence against him, “Imran Khan would not have started the frivolous proceedings in Ashiana Housing Scheme against me, he would have filed a case on this matter. The Lahore High Court’s acceptance of my bail plea is proof that the Ashiana case does not hold any merit”.

Alasdair Pepper and Antonia Foster from Carter-Ruck are representing the former Punjab CM and also flanked the PML-N president during the presser.

Speaking about the presser, Pepper said that the defamation suit has been initiated and the London High Court is expected to take the matter up any time within this year. He said that the article as well as the “social media campaign [against Shehbaz] launched by Rose was highly defamatory”. A statement by the law firm said that Shehbaz, “as a leading politician and public figure in Pakistan”, intends to clear his name.

“He seeks the withdrawal of the allegations and an unreserved and unambiguous apology from the Mail’s publisher,” said the statement.

04 ISLAMABAD

Friday, 31 January, 2020

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Islamabad PolICe, traders FINalIse roadmaP to resolve Issues ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

HE officials of Islamabad police conducted meeting with the traders’ union and prepared a roadmap to resolve security and encroachment related issues.

Following directions of IGP Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan and DIG (Operations) Waqar Uddin Syed, Superintendent of Police (Industrial Area) Zubair Ahmed Sheikh, Assistant Superintendent of Police Zohaib Ranjha, Station House Officer Inspector Muhammad Ashraf, Chairman Islamabad United Group ICCI Habib Ullah Zahid and other office bearers of traders’ union.

Police officials and traders exchanged the views to improve security around the business areas. It is to mention that IGP Islamabad has directed all police officials for such meetings with traders’ community to improve overall security measures in place there.

SP (Industrial Area) Zubair Ahmed

Sheikh appealed all the participants to maintain complete coordination with police and discuss their issues with police without any hesitation.

Police is ready to cooperate with them; he told traders and also ensured them to resolve their issues. The meeting focused to resolve security as well as encroachment issues and begging by professional alm-seekers.

A road map was chalked out to resolve all these issues and to enhance cooperation for friendly business environment in the city.

The traders appreciated this gesture of Islamabad police initiated on the special directions of IGP Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar khan and assured their complete cooperation with police.

SP (Industrial Area) Zubair Ahmed Sheikh appealed them to keep vigilant eye around their surroundings and inform police in case of observing any suspicious activity.

He said that such interactions would be also helpful towards community policing in the city.

SC dismisses bail plea of accused involved in kidnapping of Afghan girl ISLAMABAD APP

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the bail plea of accused Tayyab allegedly involved in kidnapping of Afghan girl over withdrawal of petition.

A two-member SC bench comprising Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin heard the case.

During the course of proceedings, the court expressed annoyance over the recording of girl's statement by the male investigation officer.

The court directed that lady police officers should be included in the affairs of women. The counsel for the accused said that Afghan girl Ayesha Tabbasum married with his client.He said that girl's father lodged the kidnapping FIR. Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked why

Yet another Afghan national caught travelling with forged passport ISLAMABAD: Yet another Afghan national was caught by Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) vigilance team on Thursday while he was about to fly to Canada on a fake passport from Islamabad airport. As per details, the passenger, Mirzada, was trying to travel to Canada via PIA flight PK-781. He was asked to show his documents by the vigilance team. The travel documents provided by Mirzada were tested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials and proven fake. Subsequently, he was handed over to the FIA’s immigration wing for further probe into the matter. INP

women police officers not recorded the statement of woman Lal Hijja. The girl's face was spotted by a male investigator, he added. He asked was this the way women were treated? He asked why not lady police to record the statement.

Addressing the Advocate General, Justice Qazi Faez Isa said that the court was not annoyed over him as the court was annoyed over state's treatment with the girl.

Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin said that this girl was like their daughter. There should be no such flaws in the future, he added. The Advocate General Islamabad said that the case was pending in the model court and it would be decided in ten to fifteen days. The counsel for the accused said that he withdrew bail application over Advocate General's assurance for soon completion of the trial. The court dismissed the appeal on the basis of withdrawal.

FIve suFFoCate to deatH due to gas leakage ABBOTTABAD: Five friends suffocated to death due to gas leakage in Nawan Shahr Abbottabad here on Thursday. According to police, families of five friends who missing from Wednesday night recovered their bodies from a house situated in Ehtisham colony of Nawan Shahr. All of them were died of suffocation due to gas leakage. The dead were identified as Irfan son of Safdar Khan, Adeel son of Safdar Awan, Ahmed Jadoon son of Aftab, Wahab son of Azeem and Usma son of Naeem. APP

PHC orders authorities to unblock NIC, bank account of citizen PESHAWAR: A bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday ordered authorities to unblock the National Identity Card (NIC) and unfreeze bank account of a citizen. A bench of the Peshawar high court (PHC) comprises of Justice Musarrat Hilali during the hearing expressed resentment over the matter. “You people misuse the law for your own benefit,” Justice Hilali told the authorities. The misuse of a law creates problems, the judge remarked. “Don’t know how many innocent people have been added to the black list,” the judge observed. “You term someone a ‘terrorist’ without any substance in the case,” Justice Musarrat said. The petitioner in his plea told the bench that a case was cooked up against him over political differences. “Which party you are affiliated with and why your identity card was blocked,” Justice Hilali asked the petitioner during the case hearing. “I had contested election as an independent candidate,” petitioner said. STAFF REPORT

CMYK

Friday, 31 January, 2020

NEWS

PAKisTAN ArMy will AlwAys surPrisE iNdiA, sAys ouTGoiNG isPr ChiEF

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RAWALPINDI

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STAFF REPORT

AJOR General Asif Ghafoor, the outgoing director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on Thursday said that he considers it “an honour if Indians are happy” on his exit from the role.

Ghafoor will be replaced by Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, who will take charge of the Pakistani military’s media wing on Feb 1.

Addressing his last press conference as the ISPR chief, Ghafoor thanked reporters for their services over the years and hailed the role played by the media overall in Pakistan’s war against terrorism.

With regard to the recent comments made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he claimed that Indian forces were now capable of making Pakistan “bite the dust” in less than 10 days, Ghafoor said that the Pakistan Army “will always surprise the Indian armed forces”.

“We have said this before, and I am saying it again: You may start a war, but we will be the ones to end it.” He said that the Indian government and leadership are once more making “irresponsible statements”.

“How can an army which could not defeat 8 million Kashmiris in the past 71 years, defeat 207

Fawad says Modi lost balance after fallout on Kashmir, CAB NEWS DESK

million Pakistanis?” he asked.

Maj Gen Ghafoor said there was “no victory in war; humanity always loses”. “We will give a befitting response if war is imposed upon us,” he added.

Praising Gen Bajwa’s “historic measures” he said that the army chief had made “important and difficult decisions” for peace in the country.

“Raddul Fasaad has been the most challenging operation and is a crucial element to secure lasting peace.”

He also spoke of Gen Bajwa’s role in promoting religious harmony and madrassa reforms as well as in securing the Pak-Afghan and PakIran borders.

“The Bajwa doctrine is about bringing peace to the country and the region without compromising on national security,” he said.

He said the nation owes a lot to the country’s intelligence agencies. “ISI is among the most well recognised intelligence agencies in the world.”

Pakistan may be next big market for tech startups NEWS DESK

NAB opposes Ghani Majeed’s acquittal plea ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has opposed a plea seeking acquittal of Abdul Ghani Majeed, a key accused in fake bank accounts case.

Abdul Ghani Majeed have sought acquittal in the fake bank accounts case.

The Accountability Court hearing multibillion rupees fake bank account case, in a previous hearing sought arguments of defence counsel over the acquittal application filed by Majeed. “Abdul Ghani Majeed is a beneficiary of Omni Group and key accused in fake bank accounts case. The NAB is investigating him in different cases of fake bank accounts,” NAB said in its reply.

“Majeed is a close aide of former Director-General of Sindh Building Control Authority (DG SBCA) Manzoor Qadir Kaka,” NAB further said. The bureau sought the accountability court to reject the acquittal plea filed by Ghani Majeed in its written reply filed in the court regarding Majeed’s acquittal application. Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Azam Khan while hearing the case had asked the defence in previous hearing to argue on acquittal application of Majeed.

Pakistan may be Asia’s next big tech startup market, according to a report published by Germany’s Deutsche Welle on Wednesday.

According to DW, Pakistan’s young population and increasing levels of local capital are creating opportunities for tech entrepreneurs to explore the country’s market.

Pakistan has been named one of the fastestgrowing economies in Asia in McKinsey & Co’s latest report on the Pakistani ecosystem, DW said.

Quoting the same report, DW said that 720 startups have been created in the country since 2010 — 67 per cent of which are still operational.

Presenting an example of how Pakistan’s startup scene is garnering support worldwide, the DW article said that Egyptian ride-hailing company, Swvl, has recently disclosed plans to invest $25 million in Pakistan’s tech sector over the next two years to fund pre-seed startups and create 10,000 jobs.

The article further pointed out that the startup industry “is central to government plans to create an enabling environment […] and stimulate economic growth” and that in the later half of 2019, Pakistan passed six reforms focused on creating a better environment for tech-based businesses in the country.

These measures look to ease the regulatory environment for businesses, including the introduction of a three-year tax relief and creating an online onestop registration system, through which “companies can now be incorporated in 17 days, rather than 20, at a reduced cost of 1.1pc,” the DW said.

According to DW, these reforms seem to be effective as, “Pakistan’s position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business report jumped from 136th place in 2018 to 108th place in 2019”.

The article — while pointing out that startups in Pakistan raised $18.8 million in funding in 2019 — said that “more capital is expected to flow into startups from overseas in the ensuing years”.

The DW article also welcomed the launch of the ‘Digital Pakistan’ initiative in December 2019. The

initiative — headed by former Google executive Tania Aidrus — has the agenda to increase access and connectivity, enhance digital education and introduce a new era of e-governance in Pakistan.

“Pakistan’s tech ecosystem has been slowly gaining momentum in the last few years. It’s home to a strong tech talent base and it’s still competitively affordable, which makes it ideal for earlystage founders like myself,” Hena Husain, founder of London-based communications startup The Content Architects was quoted by DW as saying. According to Hena, the growth in Karachi’s tech market is increasing by the day. The Content Architects work with a development team based in Karachi. According to DW, confidence in Pakistan’s tech market has led to an increase in the availability of local capital.

“While Pakistan’s startup scene and venture capital market is still relatively new, the number of funds — such as i2i Ventures and Fatima Gobi Ventures — and active angel investors have increased significantly since 2018, DW said.

While trying to find out where Pakistan’s tech revolution has sprung out from, DW quoted Iskander Pataudi — a Pakistani-born tech professional working in Berlin — as saying that the tech scene in the country evolved organically.

“A few Pakistani tech startups have raised huge funding rounds at a time where our economy is just keeping its head above water,” he was quoted as saying. “This makes sense, considering we have a huge market of young, digitally-savvy consumers and increased 3G and 4G connectivity.”

Quoting Rabeel Warraich — founder of Pakistan-based venture capital fund Sarmayacar — DW said that a string of startup success stories, combined with a more stable political landscape under President Imran Khan, has increased “investors’ confidence that Pakistan holds huge potential for exiting businesses.”

According to DW, Pakistani nationals living overseas are beginning to believe that new avenues of opportunity are opening up back home.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost balance after internal and external reaction on Indian annexation of held Kashmir, controversial citizenship law and failing economy. In a series of tweets, the minister stressed that “people of India must defeat ‘Modimadness’,” adding: “The Indian premier is under pressure to lose another State Elections (Delhi on February 8).” The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader further remarked that Modi has resorted to ridiculous claims and threats, endangering the entire region. The tweets came a day after the Indian premier yet again resorted to his hardline, warmongering rhetoric against Pakistan, declaring that the “Indian forces were now capable of making Pakistan bite the dust in less than 10 days”. “Our armed forces will not take more than seven to 10 days to make Pakistan bite the dust,” Modi had said at a military ceremony. Taking a strong exception to the hawkish remarks, Islamabad denounced Modi’s “belligerent rhetoric” against Pakistan, stating that his recent remarks were a “reflection of India’s incurable obsession with Pakistan”. In a strongly-worded response, the Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui had said: “Pakistan completely rejects Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s irresponsible and warmongering remarks. These remarks are another reflection of India’s incurable obsession with Pakistan and the BJP government and leadership’s desperate attempts to divert attention from growing domestic and international criticism of their discriminatory, anti-Kashmir and anti-minority policies.” Farooqui also urged the international community to “take cognisance of Indian leadership’s continuing belligerent rhetoric and aggressive measures, which pose a threat to regional peace and security”.

ECP to hear petition against Faryal Talpur on Feb 3

ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approved for a hearing a petition seeking to disqualify Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MPA Faryal Talpur. The petition was filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPAs Arsalan Taj and Rabia Azfar. The hearing has been set on February 3 at 10am. An earlier petition filed by the MPAs had been rejected because the petitioners didn’t follow up on it. They filed a case against her for concealing assets in her yearly wealth statement. They believe this means she should be disqualified from holding public office.

I love Pakistan but I am in exile forever: Aasia Bibi PARIS AGENCIES

Recounting the hellish conditions of eight years spent on death row on blasphemy charges but also the pain of exile, Aasia Bibi has broken her silence to give her first personal insight into an ordeal that caused international outrage.

The Pakistani Christian was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in 2010 but she was acquitted by the Supreme Court on October 31 in 2018. She now lives in Canada at an undisclosed location.

French journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet, who has co-written a book about her,

was once based in the country where she led a support campaign for her.

She is the only reporter to have met Aasia during her stay in Canada.

In the book “Enfin libre!” (“Finally Free”) – published in French on Wednesday with an English version due out in September – Aasia recounts her arrest, the conditions of the prison, the relief of her release but also the difficulty of adjusting to a new life.

“You already know my story through the media,” she said in the book.

“But you are far from understanding my daily life in prison or my new life,” she said.

“I became a prisoner of fanaticism,”

she said.

In prison, “tears were the only companions in the cell”.

She described the horrendous conditions in squalid jails in Pakistan where she was kept chained and jeered at by other detainees.

“My wrists are burning me, it is hard to breathe. My neck… is encased in an iron collar that the guard can tighten with a huge nut,” she wrote.

“A long chain drags along on the filthy ground. This connects my neck to the handcuffed hand who pulls me like a dog on a lead.

“Deep within me, a dull fear takes me towards the depths of darkness. A lacer-

CMYK

ating fear that will never leave me.”

Many other prisoners showed her no pity. “I am startled by the cry of a woman.

‘To death!’ The other women join in.

‘Hanged!’ Hanged!’.”

Her acquittal on the charges, which stemmed from an incident in 2009 when she argued with a Muslim co-labourer, resulted in violent protests that paralysed the country led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi.

Aasia, who vehemently denied the charges against her, argued in the book that the Christian minority in Pakistan still faces persecution.

“Even with my freedom, the climate (for Christians) does not seem to have

changed and Christians can expect all kinds of reprisals,” she said.

“They live with this sword of Damocles over their head.”

And while Canada gives her a safer and more certain future, Aasia also has to come to terms with likely never setting foot in her homeland again.

“In this unknown country, I am ready for a new departure, perhaps for a new life. But at what price?

“My heart broke when I had to leave without saying goodbye to my father or other members of the family.”

“Pakistan is my country. I love my country but I am in exile forever,” she said.

Friday, 31 January, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW A deAl thAt hAs two elections, rAther thAn MideAst peAce, As its focus THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PLAN UNVEILED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SOUNDS MORE LIKE A ROAD MAP FOR THEIR OWN FUTURES THAN FOR THE MIDDLE EAST New york tiMes

A

DaviD e sanger

president trying to prevail in an impeachment trial stood with an Israeli prime minister under indictment on Tuesday to announce a long-delayed plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the result sounded more like a road map for their own futures than for the Middle East.

For President Trump, it is a plan that builds on his decision to move the United States Embassy to Jerusalem — a huge political success among his conservative Jewish donors and evangelicals that, contrary to predictions, did not touch off a violent reaction in the region.

Mr. Trump now enters the heart of his election campaign declaring that he has delivered a plan that makes Jerusalem the undivided capital of Israel and relegates the Palestinian capital to a suburb, and one that Mr. Trump, in a triumph of real-estate branding, is suddenly calling “East Jerusalem.”

And the timing is no accident: At a moment when cable television is focused on impeachment and the prospect that the former national security adviser John R. Bolton might testify, Mr. Trump had a chance to stand in the East Room and cast himself as a peacemaker. With rare selfdiscipline, he never mentioned the word impeachment.

For his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel marches toward his March elections wielding the potent argument that Israelis should ignore his indictment on corruption

charges and focus on the fact that he, by force of his relationship with Mr. Trump, moved Washington to give permanent legitimacy to the Jewish settlements in disputed territory.

By Sunday, the prime minister said as he was leaving Washington, Israel will essentially annex the strategically vital part of the Jordan Valley that its military already controls. As the Israeli election nears, those moves allow him to sell himself as the Trump whisperer, the indispensable man who bent the White House to his will.

“Strip away the domestic and Israeli political considerations that determined the timing of the plan’s release," said Robert Malley, the president of the International Crisis Group and a former Obama administration official, “and the message to the Palestinians, boiled down to its essence, is: You’ve lost, get over it.”

That message, implicitly or explicitly, rewrites the art of the Middle East deal. By tilting the map of a future Palestinian state so precipitously in Israel’s direction, Mr. Trump has embraced a plan that essentially dismantles 60 years of bipartisan support for a negotiated process between Israelis and Palestinians, in which both make concessions and land swaps that would define the lines of a new map.

As Mr. Trump acknowledged, Washington would no longer play the role of neutral arbiter — even while vowing to be Israel’s source of protection. Instead, the United States has drawn the lines in a series of maps that sketch out a future Palestinian state that is so gerrymandered that it requires the construction of a giant tunnel across Israel to connect two areas of Palestinian control.

To Mr. Trump, this is the merger of

deal making, Middle East urban planning and election-year politics — or rather, potential deal making.

A few days ago Mr. Trump said, “I think we’re relatively close but we have to get other people to agree to it.” In other words the “deal of the century” was no deal at all. And the other people were the Palestinians, who dismissed the proposal and the accompanying map on Tuesday hours after its publication.

For election purposes, Mr. Trump does not need a deal, he simply needs the impression that progress is being made.

And at the White House on Tuesday, the ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman — but not Saudi Arabia, the country Mr. Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have worked hardest to woo — were in the room for the announcement, a seeming endorsement of his approach, if not the specifics.

Their presence would have been unimaginable in the past, especially for any announcement that fell well short of creating a real Palestinian state.

And this one certainly falls short of that goal. Mr. Trump’s 180-page plan would require the Palestinians to accept only partial sovereignty over a future Palestinian state, at least for a considerable time, and give up any claim to territory where the Israelis have already accepted settlements. And it asked them to take the bet that, as Mr. Trump promised, they would ultimately get rich because of a $50 billion investment fund, paid for by Arab neighbors.

It has a brilliant twist: The Palestinians do not have to say yes or no for four years. That means their bottom-line response would not come until the very end of Mr. Trump’s next term, if he is re-

elected. In the meantime, Israel would freeze settlements in the territory that Mr. Trump has set aside for the Palestinians, much of it areas the Israelis have little interest in.

That proviso defers all the hard questions for several years of negotiations — with their inevitable breakdowns and crises. But it gives Mr. Trump the campaign-trail talking point that he has fulfilled a 2016 promise and proposed an actual solution, rather than just a process.

The proposal, of course, helps Mr. Netanyahu by moving the goal posts. The status of Jerusalem is set out in the Trump document, rather than being a subject of negotiation. And while past presidents lectured Mr. Netanyahu about his creation of Jewish settlements in territories that are subject to negotiation, Mr. Trump’s plan makes them a permanent feature.

To critics, that is the fatal flaw.

Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, who was among the lawmakers briefed by Mr. Kushner at the White House, called it “a total abandonment of decades of U.S. Middle East policy.”

He was referring to the longtime American support for a deal that would include only modest adjustments to the Israeli borders drawn in 1967, the year of the Arab-Israeli War, and by a process created in the Oslo Accords, which began in 1993 and largely ended with the failed summit in 2000 at Camp David. The premise of those talks was that the Israelis and Palestinians would set up a complex process and inch their way toward agreements on borders, settlements, political rights and the withdrawal of the Israeli military from Palestinian lands.

There were years of talks, stalemates, “road maps to peace,” collapsed negotia-

tions and intifadas.

Mr. Trump, the disrupter, has made it clear he does not believe that approach would work. On Tuesday, he noted that every president since Lyndon B. Johnson had tried and failed to negotiate a peace deal. Always the real-estate mogul, Mr. Trump has declared that he is more interested in working with existing facts on the ground than on creating processes.

So his plan, three years in the making, is less about future negotiations and more about cementing what exists today and making deals around the edges. If the Palestinians take it, he suggested, riches would follow. There would be a million new jobs, he said, and poverty would be cut in half. Mr. Trump has offered a similar incentive to the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un.

It was pretty familiar Trump language, born of a certainty that economic incentives will overcome ethnic, tribal and religious differences, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. And for the Israeli prime minister, it was a plan tailor-made for an election four weeks away. So tailor-made that a dozen Democratic senators wrote in a letter to Mr. Trump on Tuesday that “the timing of this proposal to coincide with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s indictment on bribery charges also raises disturbing questions about your intention to intervene in the Israeli election process.”

Not surprisingly, Mr. Netanyahu disagreed. “It’s a great plan for Israel,” he said, with an enthusiasm he rarely showed during visits to the White House in the Obama years. “It’s a great plan for peace.”

David E. Sanger is a national security correspondent.

Palestinians have only one option left: Stay and fight A NEW WAVE OF STRUGGLE HAS TO START NOW FOR EQUAL RIGHTS IN ONE STATE ON ALL OF THE LAND OF HISTORIC PALESTINE

Middle east eye DaviD Hearst

An elephant trap has for years now laid in the path of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s messianic plans to establish the state of Israel between the river and the sea.

It was the demographic fact that, in that space, there were more Palestinians than Jews. According to 2016 figures from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) that were provided to the Israeli Knesset’s foreign affairs and defence committee, there were 6.5 million Muslims and 6.44 million Jews between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea, although those figures are out of date now. The committee referred to Muslims rather than Palestinians, thus excluding Palestinian Christians.

This means that Netanyahu's annexation plan on its own cannot work. The huge concrete infrastructure with which Israel has cemented its occupation of the West Bank - settlements, walls, roads and tunnels - and its apartheid state as cruel and as complete as anything manufactured in South Africa, are all palliatives - medicines which reduce the pain to a Jewish majority state but not the cause.

ANOTHER NAKBA: You can announce as many times as you like, as US President Donald Trump did, that Israel will take over the Jordan Valley and thus about 30 per cent of the West Bank, and establish Israeli law over the settlements. But without physically moving greater and greater numbers of Palestinians out of the expanded state of Israel, little changes. Annexation just becomes another form of occupation.

Population transfer, mass population transfer, another Nakba or Catastrophe, therefore, lies at the heart of Trump’s and Netanyahu’s "vision" for peace.

This is a peace of sorts.

THE HIDDEN PLAN: So, for me, the heart of the apocalyptic vision lay not in the supremacist speeches of Trump or Netanyahu, in which both pro-

claimed "mission accomplished", and the complete victory of the Zionist movement over the Palestinian people. It lay in a paragraph buried deep inside the 180-page document, the most detailed document Trump bragged that had ever been produced about this conflict. Precisely.

It's the paragraph which says that land swaps by Israel could include both "populated and unpopulated areas". The document is precise about the population it is referring to - the 1948 Palestinian population of the so-called northern triangle of Israel - Kafr Qara, Baqa-al-Gharbiyye, Umm al-Fahm, Qalansawe, Tayibe, Kafr Qasim, Tira, Kafr Bara and Jaljulia.

The document goes on: "The Vision contemplates the possibility, subject to agreement of the parties, that the borders of Israel will be redrawn such that the Triangle Communities become part of the State of Palestine. In this agreement, the civil rights of the residents of the triangle communities would be subject to the applicable laws and judicial rulings of the relevant authorities.”

This is the hidden and most dangerous part of this plan. The triangle is home to about 350,000 Palestinians - all of whom are Israeli citizens perched beside the north western border of the West Bank. Umm al-Fahm, its main city, has been the home of some of the most active defenders of Al Aqsa.

Yousef Jabareen, a member of the Israeli Knesset from the Joint List, told me: "Umm al-Fahm is my hometown, Wadi Ara is my lifeblood. The Triangle is home to hundreds of thousands of Arab-Palestinian citizens living in their homeland. Trump and Netanyahu’s annexation and transfer programme remove us from our homeland and revoke our citizenship; an existential danger to all Arab minority citizens. Now is the time for Jews and Arabs who value democracy and equality, to stand and work together against this dangerous plan."

OFFICIAL 'ETHNIC CLEANSING': For years now the "static transfer" of this population out of Israel has been toyed with by Israeli leaders of the centre or the right. The idea of a population and land swap was alluded to by former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon. But it was only Avigdor Lieberman who took the expulsion of Palestinians up consistently as a cause.

He advocated stripping a suggested 350,000 Palestinians in the Triangle of their Israeli citizenship

and forcing the other 20 per cent of the Israeli population, who are non-Jews, to make a “loyalty oath” to Israel as a "Jewish Zionist state", or face expulsion to a Palestinian state.

Two years ago, Netanyahu proposed to Trump that Israel should rid itself of the Triangle. Today these plans for ethnic cleansing have been sealed in an official White House document.

As Palestinian member of the Knesset, Ayman Odeh, tweeted, Trump’s announcement was "a green light to revoke the citizenship of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arab citizens who live in northern Israel".

SUPPORTING TRUMP: The presence of the Emirati, Bahraini and Omani ambassadors in the audience was the other remarkable feature of the announcement in the White House on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE welcomed the plan without reservation. Qatar did too, although it added that the Palestinian state should be negotiated on 1967 borders and Palestinians should retain their right of return.

Trump said he was amazed at the number of calls he received from world leaders in support of his plan.

Not least from our very own British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Ditching four decades of British foreign policy on an equitable and just two-state solution, Johnson threw the UK’s weight behind the Trump plan.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab also released a statement to say they “welcome” the deal.

“This is clearly a serious proposal, reflecting extensive time and effort,” he said.

"I cannot believe the amount of support this morning has," Trump bragged. "I have been called by leaders, Boris [Johnson] called; so many called.

They’re all saying, ‘whatever we can do to help”.

There are some, however, who realise the danger of this plan. Senator Chris Murphy is one of them.

He tweeted: "The unilateral annexation of the Jordan River valley and existing settlements, deemed illegal under US and international law, will set back the peace process decades. And it risks real violence and massive destabilization inside places like Jordan."

HOME ALONE: No-one should underestimate the historic nature of the declaration that has just taken place. The two-state solution or the idea that a viable, contiguous Palestinian state can be created alongside a Jewish majority state is dead. It was dead long be-

fore Oslo Accords.

Arab peacemakers like King Hussein of Jordan was told in terms by both the Soviets - Yevgeny Primakov - and James Baker, then secretary of state, that an independent Palestinian state would never be achieved. This was even before the Madrid conference which preceded Oslo. The king did not need to attend the funeral of his friend Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated in 1995, to realise this. He knew it already. But it really is dead now.

The US has now given its official imprimatur to the eastern borders of the state of Israel. The Palestinian state envisioned by the plan looks like an MRI scan of the brain of an Alzheimer’s victim. The Palestinian state has been entirely eaten away.

The message to Palestinians of whatever faction is now crystal clear. Forget your divisions, forget what happened between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza in 2007, cast aside claims of coups, and unite. Unite against an existential threat.

The Palestinians are truly alone. All of the staples of their negotiating position have gone. They have no Jerusalem, no right of return, no refugees to return, no Golan Heights and now no Jordan Valley.

They have no Arab allies. Syria is wrecked, Iraq divided, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are now Israel’s playthings. The Palestinians have lost the support of the most populous Arab nation and its richest one.

They have nowhere to flee to. Europe is closed for any future mass migration. They have only one option: to stay and fight. United, they can undo Israel’s supremacist plans for ethnic cleansing. They have done this before and they can do this again.

A NEW STRUGGLE: Palestinians now have to face this reality. The PLO's recognition of Israel, in 1993, has finally hit the dead end that this road was always going to lead to. The US, international law, UN resolutions were never going to come to their rescue, and in this sense alone, Trump’s brutal plan has done Palestinians a favour. It has blown away decades of fantasy.

What has to start now is a new wave of struggle for equal rights in one state on all of the land of historic Palestine. This will involve a huge fight. No-one should underestimate what will happen if the Palestinian people rise up again. But noone should be in any doubt too, of the consequences of acquiescence.

This is the first time since 1948 that all Palestinians can join together to do this. They have to seize this opportunity or wither away as a footnote in history.

David Hearst is the editor in chief of Middle East Eye.

Friday, 31 January, 2020

FOREIGN NEWS 07

WhIte house seeKs to quash Bolton testImony at DonalD trump trIal WASHINGTON

p

AGENCIES

RESIDENT Donald Trump’s defense team, seeking a speedy acquittal at his Senate impeachment trial, resisted Democratic efforts on Wednesday to have former national security advisor John Bolton testify, arguing that it could prolong the divisive proceedings for months.

Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter, saying his former aide was coming out with potentially damaging allegations in an upcoming “nasty & untrue book” because he was fired from his White House position.

Bolton reportedly claims in the book that Trump told him military aid to Ukraine was tied to Kiev investigating his political rival Joe Biden — the charge at the heart of the two articles of impeachment approved on December 18 by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The fight over Bolton’s testimony intensified as the senators who will decide Trump’s fate began directly questioning Democratic prosecutors and White House lawyers.

Taking turns by party, senators spent 10 hours submitting written questions, which were then read aloud to the cham-

ber by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who is presiding over just the third impeachment trial of a president in US history.

The 100 members of the Senate will return at 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Thursday to pose further questions to the White House defense lawyers and the seven House prosecutors seeking Trump’s removal from office for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Gunman opens fIre near DehlI unIversIty DurInG protest aGaInst InDIa's cItIzenshIp laW NEW DELHI: An unidentified man fired at a protest against India’s new citizenship law near a university in Delhi on Thursday, wounding one person, witnesses said, the first such incident in the capital city during more than a month of demonstrations. Witnesses said the man holding a gun shouted slogans against the protesters near Jamia Millia Islamia University, before firing at them. “The police stood nearby,” Ahmed Zahir, a witness, told Reuters. A Reuters photograph showed the man, dressed in a black jacket and brandishing a single-barrel weapon, standing meters away from dozens of policemen deployed outside the university, where protesters had gathered for a march. Police said they had subsequently detained the gunman. Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, which fast-tracks Indian citizenship for non-Muslim minorities from three neighboring countries, have flared since last December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government insists the law is required to help persecuted minorities who fled to India before 2015 from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. But protesters insist the law, and a proposed national register for citizens discriminates against the country’s Muslim minority and violates India’s secular constitution.

In recent days, leaders from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have called for action against the protesters, who they term as unpatriotic. AGENCIES

Kushner says he hopes Israel waits on sovereignty steps in West Bank JERUSALEM: White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said Washington wants Israel to wait until after its March 2 election before making any moves towards settlement annexation in the West Bank following the announcement of a US peace plan.

Kushner, an architect of the peace proposal hailed

by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians, raised the stop sign in a video interview, posted on the Internet on Thursday, with GZERO Media, a subsidiary of political risk analysis firm Eurasia Group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump announced the US plan, that he would ask his cabinet next week to approve applying Israeli law to Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Such a move could be a first step toward formal annexation of the settlements, along with the Jordan Valley in the West Bank – territory Israel has kept under military occupation since its capture in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians seek for a future state. Most countries consider Israeli settlements on land captured in war to be a violation of international law. AGENCIES

Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it may be an “uphill fight” to garner enough Republican support to issue a subpoena to Bolton, who has said he is ready to testify.

Republicans hold a 53 to 47 seat edge in the Senate and four Republicans would need to side with the Democrats to compel Bolton to appear.

DON’T WAIT FOR THE BOOK: Echoing the views of many of his Repub-

NEW DELHI AGENCIES

India and the Philippines confirmed the first cases of coronavirus on Thursday. While the Philipines confirmed the virus in a woman who travelled to the country from Wuhan, China, in India the first case of novel coronavirus was confirmed.

India said a patient in the southern state of Kerala had tested positive for novel coronavirus, the first case in the country of the virus which originated in China and has so far killed 170.

The patient was a student of Wuhan University in China, India’s government said in a statement.

The patient is stable and in isolation at a hospital, the statement added. A senior Indian government official said bringing Indian nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, was not the best option due to the risk of infection but increased pressure from the citizens, most of them students, and their parents had forced them to keep an aircraft on standby. This week, India readied a state-carrier airplane to travel to Wuhan but was waiting for a nod from Chinese authorities who were trying to sequence the whole evacuation process.

“Only those nationals who don’t have the virus will be airlifted, they will be brought into a quarantine facility outside Delhi,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

Demands from South Asian nationals intensified after countries such as the United States and Japan began pulling out their nationals.

The Philippines also confirmed its first case of

lican colleagues, Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming came out against further witnesses and urged an early end to the trial.

“America has heard enough,” Barrasso said. “A majority of Americans are saying this is a waste of time because they know the president is not going to be removed.” Opinion polls on whether Trump should be removed are actually evenly divided but a two-thirds majority — 67 senators — is needed to convict the president and Trump is virtually assured of being acquitted. Chief Democratic prosecutor Adam Schiff said Bolton’s testimony was essential to a “fair trial.”

“Don’t wait for the book,” the California lawmaker told the senators sitting as trial jurors. “This case is overwhelmingly clear without John Bolton but if you have any question about it you can erase all doubt.” White House deputy counsel Patrick Philbin countered that the House had not subpoenaed Bolton and his appearance would present “grave security issues.” “He has all of the nation’s secrets,” Philbin said.

The White House, he added, would seek to prevent Bolton’s testimony and the matter would end up in a lengthy legal battle in the courts.

“This institution will be effectively paralyzed for months on end,” he said.

One of Trump’s lawyers, Harvard professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz, advanced an argument that Trump’s actions were not impeachable because the president believed his re-election was in the public interest. “Every public official I know believes that his election is in the public interest,” Dershowitz said.

DANGEROUS TIMES: Schiff dismissed Dershowitz’ argument, saying it boils down to believing a president is above the law.

“If it’s good for him it’s good for the state because he is the state,” Schiff said.

“If it helps his re-election it’s good for America.” Warning that these were “extraordinarily dangerous times,” Dershowitz also said American voters should decide Trump’s fate in the November election. “For a president of the United States to be removed today, it would pose existential dangers to our ability to live together as a people,” he said. “The decision would not be accepted by many Americans.”

Schiff pushed back. “If you say you can’t hold a president accountable in an election year where they are trying to cheat in that election then you are giving them carte blanche,” he said. The National Security Council said meanwhile that a preliminary review of Bolton’s book had found that it contained “significant amounts of classified information” and cannot be published in its current form.

Before the explosive revelations about what Bolton knew, the White House had assumed the trial could be wrapped up with no witnesses and an acquittal by this weekend, in time for Trump’s annual “State of the Union” address before Congress on Tuesday, February 4.

India and the Philippines confirm first cases of coronavirus the new virus that has infected thousands in China.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said the 38year-old Chinese woman had traveled to the Philippines from Wuhan, China, via Hong Kong on January 21. She sought treatment on January 25 due to a mild cough. Duque said at a news conference the woman was confirmed positive from test results on Thursday and currently has no symptoms.

As the death toll rose to 170 in the new virus outbreak in China foreign evacuees from the worsthit region began returning home under close observation and world health officials expressed great concern that the disease is starting to spread between people outside of China.

Thursday’s figures cover the previous 24 hours and represent an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases for a total of 7,711. Of the new deaths, 37 were in the epicentre of the outbreak in Hubei province and one in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The news comes as the 195 Americans evacuated from Wuhan, the Hubei province city of 11 million where the outbreak originated, are undergoing three days of testing and monitoring at a Southern California military base to make sure they do not show signs of the virus.

A group of 210 Japanese evacuees from Wuhan landed on Thursday at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on a second government chartered flight, according to the foreign ministry. Reports said nine of those aboard the flight showed signs of cough and fever.

“Three of the 206 Japanese who returned on Wednesday tested positive for the new coronavirus,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said during a parliamentary session. Two of them showed no symptoms of the disease. France, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and other countries are also pulling out their citizens or making plans to do so.

“Amid reports of shortages in food and daily necessities in hotspot areas, the authorities are stepping up efforts to ensure continuous supply and stable prices,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It cited ministry of commerce data showing current reserves in Wuhan can ensure a secure supply of rice and cooking oil for more than 15 days, pork and eggs for more than 10 days and vegetables for about five days.

The government has offered no estimates as to when it can contain the outbreak, although some specialists have speculated that the spread of the disease will reach its peak in about two weeks.

Do masks offer protection from coronavirus? It depends BEIJING AGENCIES

People around the world are buying up protective face masks in hopes of keeping the new virus from China at bay.

Some companies have required them for employees. Schools in South Korea have told parents to equip their children with masks and hand sanitise when they return from winter vacation.

But do the masks work? It depends. All viruses are small enough to get through a typical strap-on medical mask, but the germs don’t generally spread through the air one at a time, said Dr Mark Denison of Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville. Denison studies Sars and MERS, which are coronaviruses, the same family as the new virus.

Instead, viruses ride from person to person on droplets from a sneeze or cough. Those droplets land on hands and other surfaces, where they are touched by others, who then touch their own eyes, noses or mouths. Masks can block large droplets from a sneeze or cough. That means they have some value, Denison said. Also, someone in a mask can’t touch their own nose and mouth. That can prevent the wearer from picking up germs left on surfaces by someone who is sick, he said. Masks are a very sensible precaution” while scientists work to study exactly how the new virus is transmitted, said University of Oxford researcher Trudie Lang.

None of this, however, is based on rigorous re-

search. Nobody has compared groups of masked and unmasked people by exposing them to the new germ, Denison said. A 2017 review of studies in health care workers suggested masks offer some protection against SARS, but the authors noted existing evidence is sparse and findings are inconsistent.

The best way to avoid getting sick from the new virus is to wash your hands with soap and water. If soap and water aren’t available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitise. That’s the same advice for avoiding regular cold and flu viruses.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masks for people being evaluated for the new virus, people confirmed to have it, household members and caregivers. Airline crew should offer a face mask to a sick traveller, the CDC said.

Health care workers treating patients with the new virus are advised by the CDC to take additional precautions such as goggles or face shields.

Unicef said on Wednesday it has shipped six metric tons of respiratory masks and protective suits to China for use by health workers.

In Tokyo, 21-year-old hotel employee Hasumi Tsuchida said she wears a mask. I work in a hotel where many guests are from China,” she said. I worry a bit when foreign guests arrive.

Masks have been commonly used in some countries when wearers are sick, fighting allergies or on days when air pollution is bad. The new virus has fuelled demand for them around the world.

Respilon, a Czech company that makes its nanofiber masks in China, sold 700,000 of them last year worldwide. Since last week, it received orders for 7 million more.

The problem: It cannot make any because the Chinese government extended the Lunar New Year holiday in a bid to contain the virus spread.

In Taiwan, where the holiday is over, factories are up and running. Premier Su Tseng-chang said the government had already distributed 23 million masks and that Taiwan will be able to produce 4 million more a day. A mask factory in Shanghai has gone into overdrive despite the holiday.

We are now working 24 hours, 2 shifts a day, 12 hours shift, said Liao Huolin, president of the mask company. We violated labour law, Liao said, but the workers understand.

Friday, 31 January, 2020

08 COMMENT Whither provincial autonomy?

An uncalled for interference

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URING its short tenure the PTI changed as many as four IGPs in Punjab and a similar number in KP without the opposition making an issue of it. As opposed to this, the Sindh PTI and GDA, its coalition partner at the centre, reacted strongly when the PPP tried to replace Sindh IGP Kaleem Imam. The IGP on his part claimed that a conspiracy was being hatched against him but it would not be a cakewalk to transfer him. he predicted that in case of his leaving Sindh he would be upgraded. This made many wonder if he had contacts with and assurances from powerful circles. Transfers being a normal practice, bureaucrats generally do not make public protests over these. That Mr Imam was soon called for a meeting with the Prime Minister and was reported to have been considered for the post of Secretary Narcotics Control, proved that there was more to the affair than met the eye.

During his Karachi visit a few days back the Prime Minister had agreed to the transfer of the IGP, who has now returned triumphantly to the provincial capital, cocking a snook at the Sindh administration. The PM had also agreed with the PPP on the name of the new IGP that had been suggested by provincial government. Now we hear that the Prime Minister has gone back on the assurance at the advice of PTI’s Sindh chapter and the GDA. earlier this month the Sindh Chief Minister had sent a letter the Prime Minister requesting him to direct the establishment Division to place the services of one of the officers named in the letter as Inspector General of Police, Sindh, as was done in the case of Punjab and KP recently. What is good for the goose should have been good for the gander also. It seems however that the practice being followed in Punjab and KP, that are ruled by the PTI, cannot be adopted in Sindh as it is ruled by the PPP. This has led PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to quip that under the PTI administration there are two Pakistans instead of one.

What is being done is not only unprincipled politics, but also an attempt to politicise the bureaucracy. What’s more, the exercise violates the spirit of provincial autonomy.

Privatising carefully Special care is need while selling off SOEs

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he present government with the fanfare afforded by a Privatisation Minister’s press conference, announced the privatisation of six state-owned enterprises. however, the list of those SOes going on the block do not include such loss-making state-owned enterprises as PIA or the Railways. The reason also seems misguided: raising Rs 150 billion for the budget. The privatisation is part of the IMF conditionalities to meet the budget deficit. The government has thus made public, vital information about pricing, and the seller’s needs.

Buyers might be able to see how the seller operates by the simultaneous revelation that the Privatisation Commission was considering etisalat’s offer of $250 million against the $800 million that it still owes on the $2.59 billion sale. This shows that if the government is desperate to be paid anything, it will take what it can get, no matter how big the loss to the citizenry, which owns the property which is being sold off. Perhaps it is as well that no big-ticket items are being sold, with K-electric providing another example of how such sales are mismanaged. K-electric’s privatisation was botched, and the update given at the presser was not hopeful. It seems that the transfer to the new buyer, the Shanghai electric Power Company has run into difficulties, as various ministries wrangle over how much each owes to K-electric.

PSM’s privatisation was also problematic, and the progress report given was not such as to inspire confidence While Privatisation Minister Mohammad Mian Soomro assured that the rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, court judgements and the Privatisation Ordinance would be fully followed, an old banker like him should have also assured that due diligence would be conducted. It is particularly important that these sales do not attract the charge that cronies of high officials have been obliged. The offers received for two power plants may inspire confidence in the Privatisation Commission, but it might well be sharks sniffing out a potential kill. There are only five lossmaking enterprises of 18 on the privatisation list. They must be sold off with more urgency than the government says it is showing. It should not be forgotten that their losses will be met by tax money.

Dedicated to the legacy of the late Hameed Nizami

Arif Nizami Editor Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

Umar Aziz

Asher John

Joint Editor

Executive Editor

Deputy Editor

Lahore – Ph: 042-36300938, 042-36375965

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Opaque transparency Why the Transparency International report hurt the PTI so much At Penpoint

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M.A. NIAZI

he Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf’s anger at Transparency International for reporting that Pakistan has gone down three places on its Corruption Index is understandable. After its first year in office, a third party was saying that it had not achieved any fulfilment of its signature slogan, the ending of corruption. It is true that the TI report is based on the collating of survey data, and thus may not be necessarily true, but it is also true that if there had been an actual decrease in corruption, it would have been reflected in perceptions. True, Pakistan will be perceived as more corrupt than it is for some time to come, but if corruption had come down, it would get noticed.

Actually, the TI Report bears out the PTI thesis, that reducing corruption would mean improving governance. Governance has not improved, and in fact, may well have worsened. Inflation, joblessness, devaluation of currency, low growth, tariff hikes, are all evils to which the common man has become inured by habit, but shortages of first wheat, then sugar and other goods, are new or have been forgotten. Add to this a rash of breakdowns in law and order, and the PTI’s impression has been poor. The impression of incompetence carries the sneaking implication that corruption is actually a good thing, and that the PML(N) and the PPP were right to allow it. however, Transparency International is saying that corruption is worse, if anything, and the PTI’s poor governance is not the result of an absence of corruption, but as it is corrupt, a truly non-corrupt government would improve governance.

The basic problem is thus not so much corruption, as poor governance. The PTI has made two transitions, the latter proving to be a trap. The first was to identify itself with the fight against corruption. The second was to blame this corruption (which had not been proven) on past rulers. That they had not done a good job of governance was evident enough, but that their corruption was responsible for this was perhaps a step too far. This became clear when the previous rulers were nabbed

by the National Accountability Bureau, the PTI’s political opponents were being arrested. In many cases, the proverbial key was also thrown away, with the result that many are still behind bars.

The PTI is bound to rebut both that corruption is conducive to good governance, and that it is corrupt. If it was to argue that its poor governance was proof of its honesty, its admission of poor governance would sink it. If it is merely more of the same, what is its point, apart from its leader’s ambition to find a career after cricket?

The Transparency International report mentions one problem that has been solved nowhere, and which the PTI seems to have carried over from its engagement in electoral politics, that of campaign finance. Campaign finance is multiply insidious, for it means that decision-makers are surrounded by funny money. The funny part comes when campaign contributors realise that their man has won. They assume that they have got the keys to the kingdom. The problem is further enhanced because the executive power can also make the laws. Once money begins to float around, then politicians also try to siphon off some for themselves. The next step is to raise money for themselves directly, with the campaign only being an excuse.

Politicians are thus corrupted by the need to fight elections. The USA has set a two-term limit for Presidents, but none for legislators. however, they don’t necessarily work. The institution of presidential libraries means that presidents have a motive to raise money during their final term. Similarly, if a senator or representative has any money left over from his previous campaign, he can either push it forward to his next campaign, or keep it for himself if he announces he is retiring.

Campaign finance is the chink in the armour of democracy, and almost no model solves the problems it poses. It has given rise to a new breed of ‘investors’ who put up the money for an election, and if their party wins, recoup their investment with a handsome profit.

This brings up the means of profiting by corruption, which involves ensuring bureaucrats’ obedience by allowing them to extract bribes from the common man. The PTI has gone after a limited number of bureaucrats, to a chorus of squawks of protest from all. As a result, the NAB law has been

An indigenous model of education Making the messiahs do something for a change PArveZ JAMIl

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he concept of experiential learning, sharing and applying becomes indispensable amid advancement in wide and varied fields of education. These disciplines pertain to social, physical, environmental, biological and medical sciences; in arts, humanities, commerce, and business management and information technology; in physical education, health, food and nutrition, among others. Geared up to experiential learning and sharing are universities the world over: those linked to Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), erasmus Mundus Consortium of european Universities, Association of American Universities, Association of Australian Universities, Association of Commonwealth Universities, Universities of the “underdeveloped world” fostered by the Organization of American States (OAS) and Organization of African Unity (OAU), universities fast endeavoring for educational and research excellence in India and Pakistan, and some leading and emerging universities in egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAe and the rest of the Arab world.

As the need for education, learning and sharing remains of paramount and universal significance, what remains of primary importance for the least developed, under-developed and developing countries is endeavoring for a model of survival, sustenance and development in consonance with their objective conditions. however, consciously or subconsciously such countries’ intelligentsia, rulers or policy-makers are mostly bewitched by imported or alien concepts in planning and development which ignore their sorely needed socioeconomic development planning. For example, experts fantasize about education in our own country, in the name of modernizing education, making it contemporary and compatible with world standards, amd produce models which are backbreaking and nerve-shattering. These fantastic models may be very good for the opulent, the elite, and the upper strata which do not form much of the population. But for the country’s impoverished majority a four-year bachelor’s degree for a poor student, laboring from dawn to dusk to earn and feed eight

Karachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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mouths, caring for ailing parents and little siblings, studying all night by candlelight without electricity just for a minor promotion, is an example of education so agonizing for the masses.

While educational bosses put up with two year BA, BSc, and BCom for the commoners and encourage the cost-effective two-year Associate degree in vocational disciplines, the hype and hysteria over fanciful BBA and BS programs and the rat race to business schools leading to exhilarating vibes of the corporate sector has overshadowed the common two-year Bachelor’s and Associate degrees and sealed the fate of the majority of education-seekers who cannot even dream, let alone actually afford, the sky-rocketing cost of business management schools. Financial assistance both in private and public universities crumbles amid inconsistencies and irregularities in the immobilizing and procrastinating system, resulting in the growing number of drop-outs, especially from those who cannot pay the high fee or maintain consistency of performance in the degree’s marathon duration.

The point is not to denigrate the four-year graduation which has been rightly advocated to make education compatible with international standards.

But this long duration and exorbitantly costing education is too much for a common man, as the sole bread earner of a poor family cannot afford four or five children studying. Our educational authorities, PhD prodigies and educational messiahs must make the existing two-year BA, BSc and BCom more inventive, comprehensive, and rigorous by incorporating such aspects as communication and presentation courses, image, crisis and conflict management skills, and time and priorities management acumen to make it a justified, affordable and utilized Bachelor’s degree.

True, the higher education Commission aims to raise the standard of education to world class levels. But education is not a luxury to be enjoyed by a handful. If we were to take only the examples of Japan, the world’s economic superpower; the USA, Canada, Britain and Australia, our idols in education; Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland in Scandinavia and diversity from 0China, Russia, Germany and France, we find out education to be in line with such modern or contemporary trends for which they have their own indigenous base, resource and know-how.

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Web: www.pakistantoday.com.pk

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amended by Ordinance, to remove blame from anyone who was merely involved procedurally. No one mentions that all instances of corruption involve a bureaucrat signing off. Also, bureaucrats who sign off on something improper on a politicians’ say-so are also ready to sign off if an interested party pays up. Then there is the use of having officials know that you will determine whether they will remain in office. It has extended to getting criminals released. Of course, the police official doing the releasing does not expect to be asked why egregious recidivists are released. They paid up, naturally, but questions can only be asked by those who get no one released.

One of the objections elected representatives make is that bureaucrats do each other favours.

PTI legislators do not ask that this stop; but that they be allowed the join the gravy train. Of course, the motive is not entirely ignoble. It is important for one’s future election prospects to ensure that friends are not arrested, but that enemies are. Of course, some legislators then take money from the police to let them stay in office. The PTI seems to be following in the path of preceding parties in wishing to exercise local control.

Apart from bureaucrats, businessmen have an important role in corruption, for they are the ones who are the accomplices of federal taxmen.

Whether it is the trader who pays a bribe so that he can declare a lower income or an importer who pays a bribe to get a consignment released, they are the ones who place temptation in the way. It will be impossible to prosecute taxation officials if businessmen do not have their taxation matters subject to NAB. The PTI has presided over the corrupting of NAB. If the government uses NAB to pick off political opponents, NAB officials will begin to engage in private enterprise. That may have already occurred in the case of businessmen: not the ones being prosecuted, but the ones who have bought immunity from prosecution.

Transparency International Pakistan has offered a clarification saying that it had no role in preparing the report, which was done by headquarters, and the report did not say corruption had increased. At the same time, it did not say that corruption had decreased, which the PTI must have really wanted. It might take longer for all its wonderful measures to take effect, but the PTI is bound by the five-year election cycle. If it cannot show progress and honesty of purpose on corruption by the next election, it will be on a sticky wicket indeed.

M.A. Niazi is a member of the staff.

Likewise, if we are to contemplate an education base from where we can pick up for a better and brighter tomorrow, we may consider a simpler and easier three-pronged strategy in accordance with our value system and contemporary times: First, if education remains a complicated fashion for kids with needless, confusing and mounting books, copies and paraphernalia, it shall continue to produce stereotyped products unprepared for life excellence. The point to ponder for our educational intelligentsia is to break away from unnecessary and overtaxing practices and devising a simpler and rewarding system for students, teachers and parents. Secondly, as deeprooted traditional and so-called modern practices need a lot of vision to modify, the primary curriculum must be according to our objective conditions and contemporary needs. It means simple, interesting and activity-based three subjects, books and copies: A harmonious blend of positive, pertinent and practical concepts in three subjects: Morals and ethics; general knowledge; maths and science with IT as a tool of study. Later at secondary level combinations of courses may be added with aptitude-assessed and -oriented vocational or professional training. Thirdly, while it depends on the direction and commitment of our educational intelligentsia to devise such a curriculum for our primary assets, it is a challenging task for them to formulate, organize and promote an appealing package for the young nation at affordable cost.

Such cherished objectives of junior schooling would be achieved when primary children blossom into adolescence with a sense of direction in positive thinking, pleasing manners and healthy habits and with the study and career vision and commitment so instrumental in future personality and professional development and so crucial for their own well-being and that of their institution, family and society.

It requires will from our trend-setters to think and act simply and foster such education with grace and dignity both for opulent and impoverished that contributes to academic, career and life excellence. It is where education becomes appealing, affordable and accommodating, according to the objective conditions of our own society and in close consonance with current and contemporary trends in industrial, economic and technological transformation. Fashionable study options will be replaced with aptitude-oriented and rewarding knowledge, and bursting schoolbags transform into a simpler package of cost-effective and purposeful education…It needs creativity and ingenuity from our educational specialists and those at the helm of affairs of education. If there is a will…

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Friday, 31 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

Sticky wicket NeveR wanting is better than disappointment. But how come one can absolutely stop eating because they can’t afford it?

After the rise in the prices of wheat flour and sugar, milk is also likely to go costlier. The unbearable price hike has broken the back of those belonging to the middle- and the lowerincome groups of the country. even those earning Rs400-500 a day can barely have two meals a day, let alone fulfilling others necessary needs. Can you then expect such people to pay their utilities’ bills which keep on rising and rising.

The government is making it more and more difficult for the poor to survive. This has to be taken care of sooner rather than later otherwise many will have no other choice but to take what is called the extreme step. enough is enough.

MAHrukH NASIr karachi

Climate terror

Indian Republic Day marked as Black Day The BJP has made a mess in all directions

SultAN M HAlI

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veRy year, 26 January is celebrated

by India as its Republic Day while it is observed by Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and all over the world, including their Pakistani brethren, as the Black Day in protest against Indian illegal occupation of Kashmir. This year, 26 January was also observed as Black Day by many Indians to protest against the recently introduced draconian laws of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) meant to target Muslims and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which excludes 1.9 million of northeastern Assam state’s 33 million population, as well as rising inflation in the country. The controversial CAA promises to fast-track Indian citizenship for religious minorities from the three neighbouring Muslim-majority countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan— but not if they are Muslim. The law threatens India’s secular foundations by marginalizing its 200-million Muslim minority population.

Nearly six months have passed since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution and illegal annexation of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) into Indian Territory. IOK remains in a state of lockdown while the barbarous Indian security forces continue to wreak havoc on the hapless Kashmiris. More restrictions have been imposed in the wake of shortage of food and even medicines for the patients. In order to hide human rights violations, communication services (especially the internet) have been cut, thus delinking IOK from the world, and foreign journalists are not allowed to enter.

While demonstrations were held outside the Indian embassy in various capitals of the world on 26 January, this year, besides the Kashmiri Diaspora, the protest rallies were joined by Sikhs as well as hindus protesting the situation in India.

A number of international academics and litterateurs have subjected Narendra Modi and his brand of fascism to scathing criticism. In a hard-hitting opinion piece titled What We’re Seeing in India Is Symptoms Of Fascism, renowned social critic and political activist Noam Chomsky has dubbed the latest developments in India as symptoms of fascism.

Chomsky’s opinion—he is the author of over 100 books and generally recognized as one of the greatest living public intellectuals—matters. Chomsky was interviewed in October 2019 in Tucson, Arizona by Indian journalist Karthik

Ramanathan—weeks after PM Modi rescinded index 2019, which is the worst ever since the Article 370 providing autonomy to Kashmir inception of this index in 2006. Owing to “erowhich remains in lockdown to date. The well- sion of civil liberties”. For the first time in the respected American linguist, known for his history of India, top-secret Defence documents hard-hitting views on world issues, is Professor were stolen from the Defence Ministry office.

If that were not enough, “Intolerance and of Linguistics at the University of Arizona. he taught at MIT for over 50 years and is a leading Religious extremism is highest in 70 years”. Incritic of US foreign policy and an inspiration dian “Media is now Worst in 70 years”. According to Global hunger report 2019, India has for many generations worldwide.

When asked about his views on India build- slipped to 102nd rank out of 117 countries in the ing detention centres to house millions of Mus- Global hunger Index; it is now behind its neighlim citizens after labelling them illegal bours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. In a first, immigrants, the renowned scholar responded NCRB report had a criminal delay of two years. that Modi was following Donald Trump’s poli- The crime report for 2017 was released quite recies. Like the current US President blames the cently with certain categories skewed. The IMF blacks, hispanics and Muslims, similarly Modi has raised concerns over the Indian governis directing attention away to extreme hindu na- ment’s data reporting norms, delays, India’s tax tionalism. he faults the Muslims for taking revenue estimates and GDP growth targets. Such India away from its true citizens— the hin- figure fudging amount to setting new precedents for any party which might rule India in future. dus— thus the Muslims must be eradicated.

India has witnessed sheer exploitation of Indians consider the Republic Day as Black Day because the economy has been dwindling, power and criminalization of politics in: ex-BJP unemployment has hit unprecedented highs and MLA Kuldeep Sengar’s case; ex-BJP MP and ethnic minorities are being targeted barbarously. minister Chinmayanand’s case; Malegaon blast terror accused Pragya According to a list of ecoThakur became a BJP MP nomic indicators compiled and was on the parliaby hari Krishna Prahlad, mentary defense panel; India is now suffering from the “highest Unemthe country’s harmony has DSP Devindar Singh’s case, which is of no hope ployment Rate” in 45 been wrecked. The worst for obvious reasons; poyears as declared by persecution and NSSO Data. The Spectagovernance, India has ever litical vindictive victimization tor Index terms India as had in the last 70 years has of IPS officer Sanjiv the “5th Most Dangerous Bhatt; electoral bonds and Country to Live in the led ordinary Indians to anonymity of funding. InWorld”. WhO Data decidentally, BJP had reclares that 22 out of 30 declare its own Republic ceived a donation of Rs “Most Polluted Cities in Day as a Black Day 100,000,000 from a firm, the World” are now in RKW Developers, that India. The number of Inwas being probed for terdian soldiers killed is the ror funding by eD, as the highest in 30 years now, while according to Credit Suisse Report, India BJP declared in its election Commission filing.) now has the “highest Income Inequality in 80 The election Commission itself is completely years”. Thomas Reuters Survey indicates that compromised, with a data discrepancy (347 India has become the “World’s Most Dangerous seats) in the 2019 polls and with election ComCountry for Women” because of increased rape missioner Ashok Lavasa and family getting and molestation cases. Indian Army Data con- grilled by eD thereafter.

The Indian PM’s birthday celebration was set firms that the number of Kashmiri youth joining militancy is the highest in ten years. WPI Data to jeopardize the safety of 32,000 families in the states that “Indians Farmers suffered Worst Price Malwa and Nimar regions of Madhya Pradesh.

Crash in 18 years”. India Spend Data describes India is now ranked very low on the global social that the “Cow-related violence and Mob Lynch- mobility index at 76th out of 82 countries. 79th on ings on Record” are the highest after Modi be- fair wage economies, 77th in education quality and came Prime Minister. India is now the world’s equity, 76th in Social protection, 73rd in healthcare. second-most “Unequal Country” according to (World economic Forum Report 2020).

The Kashmir clampdown has caused a Global Wealth Report. Market Data confirms that the Indian Rupee is now “Asia’s worst Perform- whopping loss of over $2.4 billion. India is the ing Currency”. ePI 2018 discloses that India has Internet shutdown capital of the world- leading become the world’s third worst country in envi- with 67 perent of the total world’s shutdowns. ronment protection. For the first time in the his- India’s drastic fall under Modi continues with tory of India, foreign funding and corruption have the effects of demonetization, GST, cleaning been legalized according to the Finance Bill 2017. Ganga, Rafale Scam aside. More importantly, The current PM is the least accountable Prime the country’s harmony has been wrecked. The Minister in 70 years. For the first time in the his- worst governance, India has ever had in the last tory of India, CBI vs CBI, RBI vs Govt, SC vs 70 years has led ordinary Indians to declare its Govt fights happened because Modi wanted con- own Republic Day as a Black Day. trol of all democratic Institutions.

Sultan M Hali is a retired Group Captain For the first time in the history of India, four Supreme Court judges gave a press conference and author of the book Defence & Diplomacy. to say, “Democracy is in Danger”. India has Currently he is a columnist, analyst and TV slipped by 10 places in the eIU democracy talk show host.

CLIMATe change refers to significant, long-term changes in the global climate. Perhaps the biggest security threat facing Pakistan today is the possibility of climate change and environmental factors destabilizing Karachi which is regarded as the country’s economic backbone. Pakistan contributes less than 1 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases blamed for causing global warming, yet its 200 million people are among the world’s most vulnerable victims of the growing consequences of climate change. Pakistani nation is facing ever-rising temperatures, drought and flooding that threaten health, agriculture and water supplies. The Global Climate Risk Index has placed Pakistan on the fifth spot on the list of countries most vulnerable to climate change in its annual report for 2020. So Government needs to launch programmes to develop policies to mobilize their people and be aware that the importance of climate change encourages them to take part in activities relating to climate change. kOMAL YOuNAS Lahore

Spring hopes The current spell of rains on the one hand may prolong the cold spell and risk of sickness for the weak and vulnerable. One the other hand, it is great news for farmers as it helps their crops.

This rain is also good for reducing the smog and clearing out the atmosphere for the arrival of spring, when weather turns warm, flowers bloom, fields become green and people start feeling the warmth of turning weather. Maybe, the coming spring will not reduce the inflation or reduce the burden people are buried under, it will bring relief in terms of milder temperatures and beautiful weather everyone loves and most importantly hope. hope is something that can keep going. It can help them fend off the bad impact of stress, be mentally strong and keep striving for better times. I hope and pray that Allah gives us hope and strength to pass through these testing times and we see the day when things change for a better Pakistan (Aamin). rAJA SHAFAATuLLAH Islamabad

Coronavirus I feel pleasure to make the government aware about our rights as a citizen of Pakistan. The government must be aware about the recent virus which is rapidly spreading from China to some other countries. Coronavirus has been reported in China where more than 830 people are the victim of it. Whereas 25 something people lost their lives. Coronaviruses (Cov) are a family of viruses which spread from all kinds of animals such as, goats, pigs, cows and many more. It causes disease in birds and mammals. In humans the viruses cause respiratory infections which are typically mild including the common cold but rarer forms like SARS and MeRS can be lethal. In cows and pigs they may cause diarrhea, while in chickens they can cause an upper respiratory disease. There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs that are approved for prevention or treatment. The government of Pakistan must do the tests of those Chinese who are living in Pakistan especially in Gwadar so that it should not get spread in Pakistan. And it is a request to the meat sellers please must not sell meat for 10 or 15 days.

MOHAMMAD JAAN QADIr Bolan

Desperate times Plastic bags had been a huge indication of apocalypses since 1950s and it is very much notorious of being the fountainhead of enhancing the mortality rate of people in Pakistan. Plastic bags are being manufactured with various hazardous chemicals which are very much dangerous for every individual surviving in Pakistan, because in every corner of Pakistan plastic bags are being used to carry out the eatable goods without being aware the causes and health risk and sometimes it is very much spoiler for the lands because the plastics would make a timber land into a barren land. According to the expert scientists that plastic takes more than 500 years to break down in a landfill.

Moreover, the scientists have claimed that the plastic bags have been the source of numerous deadliest diseases such as cancer endometriosis, neurological damage, endocrine disruption, birth effects and developmental disorders, immune damage, asthma, and cause multiple organ damages. Furthermore, the Minister of Climate Change Senator had evaluated that more than 55 billion plastic shopping bags are being used in Pakistan where the utilisation had been increased to 15 per cent per annum.

MEHrAJ ALTAF Turbat

Friday, 31 January, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

uK economy seeKs to Balance BrexIt WIth GloBal straIns LONDON

B

AGENCIES

RITAIN’S economy, lifted by the country’s post-election political stability, risks fresh turbulence as Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeks tricky Brexit trade deals amid global threats that include the coronavirus.

Recent positive British economic data offset weaker figures at the end of 2019, but this is not expected to have a lasting impact despite government promises of major infrastructure spending.

On eve of Brexit, there is a strong possibility that the Bank of England will later Thursday announce its first interest rate cut in more than three years, as economic headwinds gather on the horizon.

“There’s still a huge amount of uncertainty over Brexit ahead of the deadline at the end of this year,” OANDA analyst Craig Erlam told AFP.

After Friday, Britain faces an 11month Brexit period that expires on December 31, by which time Johnson will try to strike new trade deals with the EU and other countries around the world.

Erlam said that, despite data pointing to a slight uplift for the UK economy late last year, the outlook was far from rosy.

HUGE SENSE OF RELIEF: “If the government can do as they promise then the honeymoon can begin in 2021,” he said.

Investors have been reassured by December’s election triumph for Johnson’s right-wing Conservative party, which coasted to victory on a pledge to get Brexit done on January 31. However, outgoing BoE governor Mark Carney earlier this month said Britain’s economic recovery is “not assured” despite a drop in Brexit uncertainties, prompting many analysts to forecast the central bank could cut its main interest rate by a quarterpoint to 0.50 percent on Thursday.

That would be the first reduction

since August 2016 — when the BoE slashed rates to a record low 0.25 percent after the UK’s referendum vote in favour of leaving the EU. The near-term health of Britain’s economy will also be dictated by how key events — ongoing US-China trade talks and fallout from the spreading deadly coronavirus — will impact global growth, according to analysts. “Our view is that the economy will see some pick-up in the early months of 2020 but then have difficulty kicking on from that,” said EY economist Howard Archer.

A key indicator for the health of the UK economy is the British pound, which has gained strength in recent months following heady losses in the wake of the 2016 Brexit referendum.

KEY RISK EVENT: Markets.com analyst Neil Wilson said that London-Brussels trade talks due to start on March 3 were “without doubt… the chief risk event for sterling and for UK equities

going into the rest of 2020.”

The United States has said it hopes to reach a trade deal with Britain by the end of the Brexit transition. The UK economy is experiencing mixed fortunes, with sliding investment but record low unemployment. Turning to the outlook, economic growth is forecast to slow slightly to 1.2 percent this year, according to the BoE’s most recent outlook.

Erlam cautioned that GDP growth reflected the long-running turmoil that has haunted financial markets and businesses

since Britons voted to leave the EU. The economy grew by 1.8 percent in 2017 before slowing to 1.4 percent in 2018 — and is expected to have hit 1.3 percent in 2019. “I would call this counting the cost of Brexit uncertainty, rather than the impact of exiting itself,” Erlam said in reference to the slowdown. “That cost will come in the years ahead, assuming there is a cost,” Erlam added, noting that leavers and remainers would “forever” dispute the positive and negative aspects surrounding Brexit.

Two defunct satellites narrowly miss collision

mitsubishi motors denies emissions test fraud after German raids BERLIN: Mitsubishi Motors denied Thursday equipping engines with devices to make them appear less polluting, after raids by prosecutors in Germany probing suspected diesel emissions cheating. The probe focuses on Mitsubishi diesel vehicles with 1.6- and 2.2-litre engines that were given Germany’s highest Euro 5 and Euro 6 ratings on emissions standards. Prosecutors suspect they are equipped with a so-called “shutdown” or “defeat” device that makes engines appear less polluting in tests than they are on the road. In a statement, Mitsubishi said the 1.6-litre diesel engines examined in the January 21 raid were manufactured by PSA Group, which owns brands such as Peugeot and Citroen. It did not specify who was responsible for making the 2.2-litre engines, but said “no engines manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors are equipped with a so-called ‘defeat device'”. The firm said it had been “fully disclosing” its engines and control systems to German authorities and “making improvements whenever any indications are made”. “We have found no reason to believe that there was any fraud as suspected by the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor authorities,” the statement added. The Mitsubishi probe is the latest twist in the “dieselgate” scandal that erupted in 2015 when the Volkswagen group admitted to installing software in 11 million vehicles worldwide to dupe pollution tests. The “defeat devices” allowed the affected cars to spew out up to 40 times more harmful nitrogen oxide than legally allowed. The scandal has since ensnared a string of car companies, although Mitsubishi Motors had so far avoided being dragged into the controversy.

But the Tokyo-based firm did in 2016 admit to falsifying fuel-economy tests for 25 years to make the cars seem more efficient than they were. AGENCIES

WASHINGTON AGENCIES

Two decommissioned satellites sped past each other Wednesday after experts had warned they may collide at a combined speed of 33,000 miles (53,000 kilometers) an hour, sending thousands of pieces of debris hurtling through space.

The satellites — a pioneering international space telescope and an experimental US craft traveling in opposing orbits — “crossed paths without incident,” a spokesman for US Space Command told AFP. The crossover took place at

2339 GMT about 900 kilometers (560 miles) above the US city of Pittsburgh and came after experts had placed the risk of impact at between one and five percent, considered high in the space community.

Crashes involving large satellites at very high speeds (known as hypervelocity) are rare and dangerous, generating clouds of debris that endanger spacecraft around the planet. The first time it happened was in 2009 when the active communication satellite Iridium 33 struck the decommissioned Russian satellite Cosmos 2251, resulting in a debris field of about 1,000 large ob-

jects in low Earth orbit.

The Infrared Astronomical Satellites (IRAS) space telescope was launched in 1983 as a joint project of NASA, Britain and the Netherlands, and its mission lasted only 10 months.

It weighs one tonne (ton), according to data provided by the European Space Agency and is about the size of a truck with measurements of around four meters by three meters by two meters (12 feet by 11 feet by seven feet).

The experimental US satellite, GGSE-4, was launched by the US Air Force in 1967 and weighs just 85 kilograms (190 pounds) but has an unusual shape — just 60 centimeters (two feet) wide but 18 meters (60 feet) long, and it flies vertically.

If they had hit, they could have created around a thousand pieces of debris larger than 10 centimeters, and more than 12,000 fragments bigger than one centimeter, astrodynamicist Dan Oltrogge told AFP. There are around 20,000 catalogued pieces of debris bigger than a softball orbiting the planet, traveling at speeds up to 17,500 miles (28,000 kilometers) per hour, and satellite operators have to frequently adjust their trajectory accordingly, which isn’t possible once a satellite dies.

Ikea closes all stores in china over new coronavirus BEIJING: Swedish furniture giant Ikea said on Thursday it will close all of its Chinese stores “until further notice”, in response to the spread of the new deadly coronavirus. The company said that it had “temporarily closed all of the 30 stores in mainland China until further notice, effective from January 30”. Ikea announced on Wednesday that it had already closed half of its stores in the country, after first announcing last week the closure of its store in Wuhan, where the outbreak of the new coronavirus started in late 2019. The some 14,000 staff working for Ikea in China were “asked to stay at home until further notice with paid leave,” the company said. The toll from the viral epidemic rose to 170 deaths on Thursday and about 7,700 confirmed cases. Outside China, Macau and Hong Kong there have been at least 80 infections reported. The outbreak is feared to have a serious impact on the global economy, with air traffic already disrupted and industrial production, international trade and tourism affected. AGENCIES

G20 nations fund fossil fuels $30bn a year under the radar PARIS AGENCIES

Rich nations are funnelling cash through governmentbacked financial institutions to provide $30 billion to fossil fuel projects each year that “run counter to the Paris Agreement”, a new analysis showed Thursday.

The export credit agencies (ECAs) of G20 countries currently provide more than 10 times more statebacked finance to oil, gas and coal projects abroad than they do to renewable energy schemes, the analysis said. Under the Paris Agreement, emissions from these projects do not count as part of donor nations’ carbon footprint.

ECAs are public entities that provide governmentbacked loans and insurance to overseas businesses.

Market monitor Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth America showed that G20 financing for coal delivered via ECAs under the Paris radar had increased as a percentage of energy project financing since the 2015 Paris treaty.

That translates to $7.1 billion annually in the years since the signing of the landmark accord that enjoins nations to slash carbon emissions. “It’s reckless and reprehensible for any government to still be providing billions in public finance for oil, gas and coal,” said Bronwen Tucker, an analyst at Oil Change.

“It’s even more offensive when these fossil fuel

handouts come from the governments who are most historically responsible for the climate crisis.”

The analysis singled out China, Japan, South Korea and Canada as among the worst offenders, accounting for 78 percent of G20 fossil fuel support from 2016-2018. “Despite the climate emergency, ECAs are doubling down on fossil fuels,” it said.

“Japan’s ECAs continue to support new coal projects; Canada’s ECA is pouring money into tar sands, and many ECAs are jumping at the chance to support LNG in northern Mozambique and elsewhere.”

CMYK

The United Nations says carbon emissions must decline 7.6 percent annually by 2030 in order to put the world on track to meet the 1.5C temperature rise cap called for under Paris.

Instead, fossil fuel emissions are rising annually as energy demand surges. “ECAs are something almost no one has heard of but, as public finance institutions, they help governments pursue trade strategies and individual countries are able to shroud their investments around them,” Tucker told AFP. GUARANTORS: She said that most ECA funding comes from public coffers.

“But they play a different role to private enterprise in terms of their creditworthiness.”

They are “backed by a government and their credit rating is much higher so the value of that guarantee is higher,” Tucker added. AFP asked all export credit agencies named in the analysis for comment.

The watchdogs highlighted the announcement last week from Britain that it was ending funding for overseas coal. Its ECA, UK Export Finance, has not funded a coal-fired power plant since 2002, but a separate analysis showed it is financing millions of tonnes worth of overseas emissions through continued oil and gas funding.

Britain’s prime minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers on Wednesday that its decision over coal was “a massive step forward by this country.”

Friday, 31 January, 2020

BUSINESS 11 CORPORATE CORNER

LAHORE: The University of Central Punjab’s ‘Ride with Pride’ campaign took it to the streets on Thursday with a rally led by the motorcycle girl of Pakistan, Zenith Irfan, the campaign’s brand ambassador. P R E S S R E l E A S E

ISLAMABAD: The top management of ICI Pakistan poses for group photo to mark the company’s 75th anniversary. PRESS REl E A S E

LAHORE: Renowned cardiac surgeon Lt Col (r) Dr Abid, along with his team, successfully performs cardiac surgery on two-year-old Bisma at the Bahria International Hospital. P R E S S R E l E A S E

GovT fAIlS To fund GAS ProjeCTS deSPITe rS295Bn CeSS ColleCTIon, SC Told

T

BUSINESS DESK

HE government has failed to funnel funds into the Iran-Pakistan pipeline project in spite of collecting Rs295 billion the under Gas Infrastructure Development Cess Act 2015, the Ministry of Petroleum told the Supreme Court on Thursday.

In a report submitted to the top court, the ministry said as per the act, the collected cess should have been utilised by the federal government for infrastructure development of gas projects, such as the Iran-Pakistan pipeline project and Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan India (TAPI) pipeline project, LNG or other projects.

TAPI Gas Purchase Agreement (GSPA) had concluded in 2012 under which Turkmenistan was to supply 1,341mmscfd gas for 30 years.

The estimated cost of the project was $10 billion and as per shareholders’ agreement, Pakistan’s share of equity in the project was estimated at $200 million, which was approved and released

Asad Umar call for early completion of Hyderabad varsity ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

KARACHI: Mehran Spice & Food Industries recently held the ‘Second Grand Lucky Draw’ for its Mehran Club members.

The brief ceremony was held at Mehran Headquarters based in Korangi Industrial Area. PRESS RElEASE

KARACHI: Ufone Media and CSR Head Amir Pasha congratulates the newly-elected body of the Karachi Press Club. PRESS RElEA S E

ISLAMABAD: The top management of Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) conducts Hajj balloting for the company's staffers. P R E S S R E l E A S E

to the project company by the finance division out of the funds of GIDC in two installments.

According to the report, the government only allocated Rs482 million for the TAPI project out of the collected cess. The anticipated first gas flow under phase-1 of TAPI is expected to be in 2023/24. Likewise, no fund has been transferred for the IP project, says the report.

Regarding the IP project, the ministry revealed that working teams are continuously pursuing a viable solution for the implementation of the project in the context of international sanctions on Iran. The ministry also informed the SC that matter remained and is sub judice before various courts of law for a long time; therefore, no utilization report could be placed before the parliament.

PENDING CASES: Sharing details of GIDC cases, the report says that GIDC Act 2011 was challenged in the high courts. The superior courts struck down the levy. Later, GIDC 2015 was promulgated in May 2015 giving cover to the Or-

Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar on Thursday chaired a meeting to review progress on the establishment of Hyderabad University/Institute.

Senior officials from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the Planning Commission of Pakistan and MNAs from Hyderabad- Sabir Hussain Kaimkhani and Salahud Din- participated in the meeting.

Asad Umar underlined the need to increase opportunities of higher education in Hyderabad to cater its large population.

“The prime minster has directed that the project be expeditiously implemented, so I will personally monitor the implementation of this project until its completion,” Umar said.

The HEC executive director on the occasion briefed the meeting on the steps

taken for the establishment of the institution.

He said the proposal for charter of the institute had been submitted to the Cabinet Committee for its considerations and recommendations.

The sale deed for the transfer of 80 acres and available infrastructure at Gulistan-e-Sarmast, (Kohsar Zaone) had been agreed, the HEC official said and added that a signing ceremony would be held in this regard by second week of February.

The HEC had advertised to hire the services of a consulting firm besides receiving proposals, the official told the meeting, he added.

The minister directed that a steering committee be set up to expedite the processes and to ensure completion of the project at earliest.

Asad Umar also directed HEC to expedite implementation of various higher education projects to make sure that the financial allocations were fully utilized.

Oil falls 2pc as China virus cases surpass SARS total NEW YORK: Oil prices fell 2pc on Thursday to the lowest in three months on concerns over the potential economic impact of the coronavirus that continues to spread worldwide, while the market also considered the possibility of an early OPEC meeting. Brent crude was down $1.20, or 2pc, to $58.61 a barrel by 10:56 a.m. EST (1556 GMT). Earlier in the session it dropped to $58.17 a barrel, lowest since Oct 15. US crude fell $1.21, or 2.3pc, to $52.12 a barrel, after earlier falling to $51.92 a barrel, weakest since Oct 10. Infection from China’s coronavirus spread to more than 8,100 people globally on Thursday, surpassing the total from the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic in a health crisis forecast to deal a heavy blow to the world’s second-largest economy. Countries have started isolating hundreds of citizens evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday to stop the spread of an epidemic that has killed 170 people. Prices have steadied in recent days at three-month lows as investors tried to assess what economic damage the virus might inflict and its impact on demand for crude oil and its products. “The market wants to look beyond this but it needs to get a real sense as to whether they can get the coronavirus contained,” Phil Flynn, an analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago, said in a note. AGENCIES

dinance 2014 which also included clause 3 (3) & 8 (1) with respective effect. The effectees of the Act 2015 filed litigations before various high courts and prayed the courts to declare the Act viod ab initio for being ultra vires to the constitution and law. Peshawar High Court dismissed all the petitions in favour of the federal government. The consumers challenged the PHC verdict in the apex court but they failed to get stay order and now the matter is still pending.

Numerous GIDC cases were filed in the Sindh High Court by the consumers. The high court single bench on October 26, 2016, declared GIDC Act 2015 as unconstitutional. Later the federal government challenged the order before the division bench. The case was fixed on October 16, 2019, but the roster was discharged. The Lahore High Court disposed of all GIDC matters with direction to the consumers to approach the high-powered committee for the determination of payable GIDC arrears pursuant to section 8 (2) of the GIDC Act 2015.

SBP reserves surge $184m to $11.9bn BUSINESS DESK The foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan increased 1.57pc on a weekly basis, according to data released by the central bank on Thursday. On January 24, the foreign currency reserves held by the SBP were recorded at $11,915.2 million, an increase of $184 million compared with $11,731.5 million in the previous week. The central bank cited no reason for the increase in reserves. The overall liquid foreign currency reserves held by the country, including net reserves held by banks other than the SBP, stood at $18,362.7 million. Net reserves held by banks amounted to $6,447.5 million.

ICI Pakistan’s consolidated PAT increases 124pc BUSINESS DESK The ICI Pakistan Limited’s Board of Directors has announced the company’s financial results for the sixmonth period ending December 31, 2019. On a consolidated basis (including the results of the company’s subsidiaries: ICI Pakistan PowerGen, Cirin Pharmaceuticals and NutriCo Morinaga), net turnover for the six months period under review was Rs29,745 million, which was a 5pc higher than the corresponding period of last year. The company’s profit after tax for the period under review was Rs1,846 million, which was 124pc higher than the last year, whereas its earnings per share clocked in at Rs20.05, which 127pc higher than the last year. Despite higher interest expense during the period under review, these improved results were driven mainly by operational excellence and a stable exchange rate. The company recognised Rs286 million as share of profit from NutriCo Pakistan (Private) Limited. On a standalone basis, PAT at Rs2,070 million and EPS at Rs22.41 per share was higher by 130pc compared to last year.

US economy misses Trump’s 3pc growth target in 2019 WASHINGTON AGENCIES

The US economy missed the Trump administration’s three per cent growth target for a second straight year, posting its slowest annual growth in three years in 2019 as the slump in business investment deepened amid damaging trade tensions.

The lofty growth goal has remained elusive despite the White House and Republicans’ $1.5 trillion tax cut package, which President Donald Trump had predicted would lift growth persistently above that threshold. The economy grew 2.3pc last year, the Commerce Department said on Thursday. That was the slowest since 2016 and followed the 2.9pc growth notched in 2018.

While the department’s snapshot of

gross domestic product showed the economy maintaining a moderate pace of growth in the fourth quarter, that was in part because of a smaller import bill, which is unsustainable. Consumer spending slowed considerably last quarter and that could persist with wage growth appearing to have stalled.

But the longest expansion in history, now in its 11th year, probably remains on track and a downturn is unlikely as the Federal Reserve’s three interest rate cuts in 2019 kick in. The Fed kept rates unchanged on Wednesday. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the US central bank expected “moderate economic growth to continue” but also nodded to some risks, including the recent coronavirus outbreak in China.

“The new decade will bring about sub-

potential GDP growth around 1.7pc as numerous headwinds keep businesses sidelined while households reduce their outlays in line with gently cooling income,” said Gregory Daco, chief US economist at Oxford Economics in New York.

The Trump administration’s 18month-long trade war with China last year fueled fears of a recession. Though the economic outlook has improved with this month’s signing of a Phase 1 deal with Beijing, economists do not see a boost to the economy as US tariffs remained in effect on $360 billion of Chinese imports, about two-thirds of the total.

Gross domestic product increased at a 2.1pc annualized rate in the fourth quarter, matching the third-quarter pace, also as lower borrowing costs encouraged purchases of houses. Growth was also sup-

ported by increased government spending on defense.

That helped to offset the drag from a slower pace of inventory accumulation.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast GDP rising at a 2.1pc rate in the fourth quarter.

Excluding trade, inventories and government spending, the economy grew at a 1.4pc rate in the fourth quarter, the slowest in four years. This measure of domestic demand rose at a 2.3pc pace in the third quarter.

Economists estimate the speed at which the economy can grow over a long period without igniting inflation at around 1.8pc.

The White House claimed that slashing the corporate tax rate to 21pc from 35pc, as well as shrinking the trade deficit

would boost annual GDP growth to 3.0pc on an sustainable basis and pay for the tax cuts. Economists have long disagreed, pointing to structural issues like low productivity and population growth.

Some also argued that there was historically not a very strong relationship between corporate tax rates and business investment. Some companies including Apple used their tax windfall for share buybacks.

A report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday forecast the federal budget deficit will hit $1.02 trillion this year.

The dollar was little changed against a basket of currencies. US Treasury prices were trading higher US stock index futures briefly extended losses after the data.

Friday, 31 January, 2020

12 BUSINESS MARKeT dAiLy

PAK-AfRicA TRAde cOnfeRence

Stocks close flat amid range-bound trading KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Stocks were caught in a whirlwind activity on Thursday, as the indices traded within a narrow range throughout the session before ending flat. Foreign investors continued to offload equities on Wednesday, recording a net outflow of $0.375 million; major selling witnessed in cement sector ($0.623 million). The benchmark KSE-100 Index recorded its intraday low at 41,548.04 after shedding 350.66 points.

The index then swayed in both directions, reaching its intraday high at 41,982.70 (+84.00 points). It closed flat (+4.81 points) at 41,903.51. Among other indices, the KMI30 Index gained 156.47 points to settle at 67,679.00, while the KSE All Share Index lost 11.82 points, ending at 29,123.53. The overall market volumes shrunk from 197.01 million in the previous session to 162.24 million. The Bank of Punjab (BOP +1.74pc), Avanceon Limited (AVN +5.48pc) and Unity Foods Limited (UNITY -0.57pc) remained the top picks of the day, exchanging 17.97 million, 15.94 million and 10.04 million shares, respectively. Sectors that drove the KSE-100 Index south included oil & gas exploration (-51.80 points), banking (43.75 points) and power generation & distribution (-26.33 points). On the other hand, investment banking (+54.33 points), cement (+36.57 points) and fertilizer (+21.57 points) sectors worked hard to keep the index in the green zone. Meanwhile, in a notification to the exchange, Akzo Nobel Pakistan Limited (AKZO +4.76pc) stated that its majority shareholder, ICI Omicron BV, has proposed to purchase 24.19pc of the paid-up share capital at Rs194.47 per share. On the financial side, Lucky Cement Limited (LUCK +2.37pc) posted a pre-tax profit of Rs1.18 billion for the second quarter of FY20 (Rs3.63 billion in 2QFY19).

On a quarterly basis, the company's sales saw an increase of 20pc to Rs11.58 billion while its earnings per share increased up by 2.36pc. Also, Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC -0.04pc) declared financial performance for FY19. The company's gross profit improved by 9.86pc, while other income surged by 14pc, leading its EPS to rise from Rs11.35 to Rs13.45.

ffC posts rs17.1bn net profit for 2019 BUSINESS DESK Fauji Fertilizer Company Limited (FFC) has announced its financial results for the year 2019, declaring a net profit of Rs17.11 billion which translated into earnings per share of Rs13.45 (19pc higher than last year). The company also declared a final dividend of Rs3.25 per share for the quarter, with aggregate distribution of Rs10.80 per share for the year 2019. The company attained urea production of 2,492,000 tonnes while the aggregate sales revenue for the year was Rs105.78 billion. Despite a significant increase in input costs and macroeconomic challenges, the company has maintained its sales revenue through aggressive management efforts while also continuing austerity drive to sustain profitability margins.

PAKISTAn eyeS CAPTurInG 'IGnored' AfrICAn TrAde mArKeTS DAWOOD SAYS NEW TRADE WINGS IN SIX AFRICAN STATES WILL ENHANCE PAKISTAN’S FOOTPRINT IN REGION ISLAMABAD

A

STAFF REPORT

DVISER to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said on Thursday that Pakistan wanted to double its trade volume with African countries in the next five years through enhancement in bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

“The trade volume between Pakistan and Africa has been far below the real potential and this needs to be increased,” the adviser asserted while addressing the Pak-Africa Trade Development Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), Dawood said the conference was an important initiative to bring together businessmen from Africa under one roof to explore and open-up new trade frontiers.

The minister said this conference would synergize Pakistan's efforts to capitalise economic opportunities and was a testimony of the government's strong commitment to enhancing trade and economic cooperation with Africa.

He noted that in 2018, Africa's annual global trade was $1.075 trillion, but Pak-Africa trade had remained stagnant at a meagre $3 billion for many years. “Mutual trade only crossed $4 billion in the last two years, touching $4.28 billion in 2018-19 which still is a fraction of the total trade,” the adviser added.

He said with a collective Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.45 trillion (2018) and with a projection of 4.1pc in 2020, it's time for the world to acknowledge Pakistan’s robust economic performance.

“Until now, Africa has been a distant frontier for Pakistan economically. It's time to unlock the true potential of our trade relations through enhanced connectivity.”

The minister underlined the need to enhance regional cooperation through trade for the socioeconomic uplift and development.

He was of the view that logistics and transport affected trading activities because of shipping times, costs of handling, and delivery of goods. He recommended reduction of tariff and non-tariff trade barriers as those acted as a catalyst for accelerated growth in bilateral trade.

Dawood said given the concrete opportunities that existed between the two sides, PakAfrica trade could easily be increased manifolds

SAYS MOC'S 'LOOK AFRICA POLICY INITIATIVE' IS ALREADY PUT INTO MOTION

in years to come. “Kenya, being the longstanding friend and an important trading partner, offers the best platform for the same.”

The minister asked the forum to accept the challenge and work together for mutual benefits.

“The MoC has formulated ‘Look Africa Policy Initiative’ which has already been put into motion. We need to exchange more manufactured and processed goods, more knowledge transfer, and more value.”

Both sides needed to accelerate export diversification and product sophistication, the minister said, adding that this would enable us to shift from an over-dependence on commodities to higher-value added products and services.

“It will also build resilience to movements in demand and help fetch better prices. This is the fastest path to economic growth, job creation and

poverty reduction.”

Dawood said the government was appointing more trade envoys to increase Pakistan's footprint in Africa, adding "we are opening six new trade wings at our embassies in African region.”

He said new wings are being opened in Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Senegal, Sudan and Tanzania.

"We are already in touch with SACU, ECOWAS and EAC to negotiate trade agreements and also plan to take advantage of the opportunities that exist under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (FTA).”

Dawood said Pakistan could supply rice, engineering goods, electrical appliances, textiles, apparel, pharmaceuticals, sports goods, surgical instruments, cutlery, furniture and many more products. Similarly, Pakistan can be a good market for supply by the African exporters, added.

Kenya mulls importing Pakistani mangoes, kinnow from next season ISLAMABAD: Kenya is mulling to allow the import of Pakistani mangoes and kinnow in the near future, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday. The resolve came at a recent meeting between Kenyan officials and importers and Pakistani exporters on the sidelines of the Pakistan Africa Trade Conference in Nairobi. According to sources, Kenyan officials and importers met Pakistani fruit and vegetable exporters to discuss ways and means to enhance trade ties and sign quarantine agreements between the two countries. "The prospects of opening the African market for Pakistani mangoes and kinnow have brightened as Kenya's quarantine department has hinted at allowing the import of Pakistani fruits by expediting quarantine agreements between the two countries,” said an official source privy to the development. Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA) head Waheed Ahmed, who is leading the exporters' delegation, said Kenya's quarantine authorities had earlier visited Pakistan and reviewed the processing of mangoes and kinnow. “In this regard, the Pakistani Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MoNFSR) had completed their paperwork, which was sent to the Kenyan authorities,” he added. During the meeting in Nairobi, the Pakistani delegation was informed that the recommendations for the Pak-Africa quarantine agreement had been forwarded to the Kenyan government for approval.

According to Waheed Ahmed, Kenya is the gateway to East Africa and can become a good market for Pakistani mangoes and kinnow subject to the quarantine agreement's approval.

"Pakistan will get a better access to African market from the next season,” the PFVA official said, adding Kenya was also a good market for other citrus fruit, which it imports from Morocco, Egypt and other countries. Ahmed said Pakistani mango could make easy ground during the summer season in Kenya. He said Kenya's private sector had also expressed interest in strengthening relations with Pakistan in the horticulture sector as Kenyan importers had expressed interest to get hot water treatment technology from Pakistan. "Hot water treatment technology introduced with the efforts of PFVA is now common in Pakistan and it will be provided to Kenya's private sector,” Ahmed said. "There will be follow-up meetings between the private sectors of two countries soon in this regard." GHUlAM ABBAS

Zameen.com’s Karachi expo to commence from feb 1

OGRA recommends up to Rs2.47 hike in POL prices

Pakistan’s largest real estate portal Zameen.com is all set to hold “Zameen Expo Karachi 2020” at Expo Centre Karachi on Feb 1 and 2. More than 140 builders and developers are expected to showcase major property projects currently dominating Pakistan’s real estate market.

The event will be inaugurated by Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi along with Zameen.com CEO Zeeshan Ali Khan on Feb 1. Since 2014 Zameen.com has hosted 19 such expos in cities across Pakistan as well as in Dubai, featuring approximately 1,608 exhibitors and attracting more than one million visitors. “We are beginning the year 2020 with the Karachi Expo, which should benefit the real estate industry as a whole,” said Zameen.com CEO Zeeshan Ali Khan. He said all leading names from Pakistan’s real estate sector are participating in the Expo, which proves that such exhibitions are essential for the growth of the industry. BUSINESS DESK

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) on Thursday sent a summary to the federal government, recommending modifications in prices of petroleum products for the month of February 2020.

OGRA has recommended a downward revision in the prices of petrol and kerosene oil by 6 paisas and 66 paisas, respectively. However, the authority has suggested an increase in the prices of high-speed diesel and light diesel oil by Rs2.47 and Rs1.10, respectively.

According to an official, OGRA has moved its working paper to the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Di-

REGULATOR SUGGESTS 6-PAISA PER LITRE REDUCTION IN PETROL PRICE vision), which would be forwarded to the finance ministry for approval.

“The government will take a decision on the summary tomorrow (Friday),” the official said. “The new prices of petroleum products, if agreed, would come into effect from the 1st February 2020.”

If the government accepts the regulator’s recommendations, the price of petrol would witness a nominal decrease from Rs116.60 per

litre to Rs116.54 per litre, while that of kerosene would witness a reduction from Rs99.45 per litre to Rs98.79 per litre. On the other hand, the price of diesel would go up from Rs127.26 per litre to Rs129.73 per litere, while LDO price would see a hike from the Rs84.51 per litre to Rs85.61 per litre. The government is currently charging 17pc general sales tax (GST) on all petroleum products. In addition, petroleum

levy is also being charged on these products from the consumers.

The government is charging a petroleum levy of Rs18 per litre on diesel, Rs15 per litre on petrol, Rs6 per litre on kerosene and Rs3 per litre on LDO. During the previous government’s tenure, petroleum levy was charged in the range of Rs3 to Rs10 a litre but GST was higher than the current rate.

Since GST collection was transferred to provinces keeping in view its high revenue requirement, the federal government had reduced the GST rate while increasing the petroleum levy to collect and transfer more revenue to the national exchequer. BUSINESS DESK

PPiB declares financial close of 330MW Thar coal power project BUSINESS DESK The Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) declared on Thursday the financial closure of 330-megawatt Thar mine lignite coal-based power generation project.

Power Minister Omar Ayub Khan witnessed the signing ceremony of the financial close documents. Senior officials of the Power Division, PPIB and the Thar Energy Limited were also present on the occasion.

PPIB Managing Director Shah Jahan Mirza and Thar Energy Limited Chief

Executive Officer Saleemullah Memon signed the documents on behalf of their respective organizations.

Earlier, the Implementation Agreement (IA) of the project was signed on November 10, 2017. The project situated at Thar Block-II is being jointly sponsored by the HUB Power Company Limited, the Fauji Fertilizer Limited and the China Machinery and Engineering Corporation under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.

The total cost of the project is $497 million while the China Development

Bank (CDB) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL) are its lead lenders.

The project will utilize Thar coal supplied by the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) from its second phase mine and after implementation of this project, overall coal price (SECMC) would be reduced from $64/tonne to $44/tonne, which will significantly reduce the power tariff by cents 1.6/KWh (i.e. around Rs2/KWh).

After commercial operations, around Rs18 billion per year would be saved on account of foreign exchange while Rs260

billion per year would be saved by 2022 when all Thar coal-based projects of 5,000MW would be operational. As a result, electricity tariff would be reduced to around Cents 5/KWhr. The sponsors are very keen to complete this project by March 2021 and to achieve this target, they (sponsors) have already started construction activities ahead of financial closing. As a result, 40pc work has already been completed so far.

The project will be connected with the Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line for transmission of electricity.

Minister Omer Ayub Khan welcomed the development and hoped that the addition of 330MW would further energize the national grid and contribute to achieving sustainability and reliability in the power sector.

“In the quest of harnessing indigenous and renewable potential, every single megawatt is crucial for redefining Pakistan’s energy landscape and securing its energy future on an indigenous, native footing which will eventually relinquish Pakistan’s dependence on imported fuels,” he added.

SHC SummonS aCTor Humayun Saeed over meray PaaS Tum Ho’S ‘offenSive dialogueS’

T

By Rohama Riaz

he Sindh high Court (ShC) on Thursday issued summons to actor hamayun Saeed in a case pertaining to “problematic dialogues” delivered in his latest tv hit Meray Paas Tum ho.

In a petition filed by Sana Saleem, it has been alleged that the script routinely spotlighted offensive dialogues about women and wants an apology to the public for the same by drama’s writer Khalilur Rehman Qamar, Saeed and producer Six Sigma Plus – an entertainment company jointly owned by Saeed and his wife.

The petitioner also objected to the show portraying Karachi in a negative light, the infamous ‘do takkay ki aurat’ dialogue, featuring a couple living together without a nikah as well as a sixyear-old trying to set up his father and school teacher, among other things.

Lawyers on behalf of PeMRA and ARY Digital were also present in court. The court questioned PeMRA’s representative regarding whether they have a way of monitoring dramas through in-house censors. PeMRA’s lawyer re-

Sea otters hold hands when they sleep to keep from drifting apart.

sponded that they have a separate forum to do so, keeping in mind their policy that language and visuals in dramas should be within the moral code of society.

Saleem’s lawyer, Munir Gilal said that they

have approached the court so that PeMRA be given direction in such matters to which Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar replied that if they find objectionable dialogues and immoral discourse in the drama’s content, they will not just give them direction but also take action.

While summoning humayun Saeed, the actor who said the aforementioned degrading dialogue, the court also instructed the federal government, PeMRA and other respondents to submit their replies. The hearing was adjourned to February 13.

This isn’t the first time the show has gotten in legal trouble; another petition had been filed in a Lahore civil court earlier this month to halt the release of drama’s double finale.

The petitioner, Maham Chaudhry stated that the drama serial had continuously insulted women, showing them to be worthless in society, adding that it has not been of benefit to Pakistani women. however, that particular petition was dismissed by civil Judge Naila Ayub.

When you were born, you were, for a moment, the youngest person on earth.

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

The elements that we are composed of were formed in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are all made of star dust.

Marvel Updates Social Media With Movies, Comics, Gaming

Linda Hamilton Terminates Terminator: 'Would Love To Be Done'

Marvel is currently updating its social media pages to promote the movies, comic books, and video games, which follows the pages having previously promoted The Avengers: endgame.

Various Facebook and Twitter pages have received a makeover with new Marvel images which includes the header image featuring each character from the MCU, the comics, and from a video game. For example, The Avengers Facebook page has been updated with a header image featuring a pic from the comics, with the second middle image from the movies, with the third pic from the upcoming Marvel's The Avengers video game. each account also has a new cool profile pic that is representative of the character, which includes changes for Ant-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, hulk, Iron Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, and Thor.

I do hope that Kevin Feige keeps the comics more independent as I have always thought the comics should be the inspiration for the movies, not vice versa, and then there is the fact that the MCU audience doesn't even read comics, so why bother.

Linda hamilton more than likely will not be back for another Terminator movie as she terminates her chances of a return to the franchise.

Following the disastrous box office performance - that sees the flick losing a hundred million dollars - of the Tim Miller-directed Terminator: Dark Fate, Linda hamilton goes so far as to say that she would love to be done with the films.

"I would be quite happy to never return. So, no, I am not hopeful because I would really love to be done," the actress, who plays Sarah Connor, tells ThR.com.

Terminator: Dark Fate actually underperformed the previous flick, Genisys, by over 40%, as Dark Fate only brought in $261 million worldwide, while Genisys, said to be a worse movie, brought in over $460 million. It also probably didn't help things when director Tim Miller - similar to director Paul Feig on the 2016 Ghostbusters - f-bombed fans, and following the film's awful box office, James Cameron seemed to blame Miller for creative problems while filming.

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Rahul Dholakia spots ‘I love Bell Bottom’ board in Goa, Akshay Kumar says they are not alone Actor Akshay Kumar is a busy man with as many as six films in his kitty, one of them being Bell Bottom. On Thursday, he and director Rahul Dholakia indulged in some banter over a billboard the director saw in Goa. Sharing the picture, while tagging Akshay in a tweet, he wrote: “See what I found in Goa @akshaykumar”. The picture shows a huge yellow, white and red billboard which says ‘I love Bell Bottoms’. Akshay replied to it saying, ‘They’re not alone, I too love #BellBottom”. earlier this week, the actor shared the first look poster of Bell Bottom. Sharing it, he wrote: “I know there are enough memes out there about me clashing with myself one day but 22nd January 2021 is not that day #BellBottom will now release on 2nd April, 2021!” In it, Akshay lazily sits on the bonnet of a car and looks away from the camera, his bell bottom in sharp focus. The look and feel of the picture is from the 70s; the film is a spy thriller reportedly inspired by real-life events.

Friday, 31 January, 2020

14 SPORTS

Kenin crAshes BArTy pArTy As DjoKovic, FeDerer BlocKBusTer looms Melbourne

u

Agencies

NHERALDED American Sofia Kenin stunned world number one Ashleigh Barty to end home hopes at the Australian Open on Thursday, as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic prepared for the 50th instalment of their great rivalry in a blockbuster semi-final.

Barty had sent Australian expectations soaring of a first home-grown winner since 1978, but aggressive 14th seed Kenin saved two set points in each set to win 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 and battle into a final against Garbine Muguruza.

Spain’s Muguruza, a two-time Major-winner but out of the seedings after a form slump, scrapped her way to a 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 win over reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep.

Moscow-born Kenin, 21, looked stunned at reaching her first Grand Slam final, at a tournament where she has often gone unnoticed while fellow Americans Serena Williams and 15year-old Coco Gauff hogged the headlines. “I’m just speechless, I honestly can’t believe this. I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was five years old...

I’ve worked so hard to get here,” said Kenin, who was a baby when her family moved to America with just a few hundred dollars to her name.

“She came up with some really great shots. I knew she wasn’t going to give it up to me — I really had to fight out here. There’s a reason she’s number one.” Kenin’s win came on a day when temperatures hit 38 Celsius (100.4 Fahrenheit), prompting play to be suspended on outside courts — following

earlier problems with bushfire smoke, downpours, wind and even muddy rain at the season’s opening Major.

In the second semi-final, former world number one Muguruza came from behind in both sets to upset Halep and confirm she’s back at her best after being unable to string two wins together in the second half of last season.

“I wasn’t thinking that I was down, I was thinking keep going and at some stage you’re going to have an opportu-

nity,” said the Spaniard. “Luckily I have 48 hours now to recover and get ready for the last match, we train all of our career to be able to play on this court and in (front of) this crowd.”

FighTer’ FeDerer: Later on Rod Laver Arena, Federer and Djokovic — who have carved up 12 of the last 14 Australian Open titles between them — will play for a place in the final.

Djokovic, 32, leads 38-year-old Federer 26-23 in their head-to-head, and while the Serbian has moved serenely into the last four, Federer made it by the skin of his teeth. He was two points from defeat against John Millman in the third round and, incredibly, saved seven match points in his quarter-final against Tennys Sandgren.

A groin problem during Federer’s miraculous escape against Sandgren could also hinder his chances of making it seven titles in Melbourne and stretching his record for Major wins to 21.

But Djokovic says Federer’s heroics against the 100th-ranked American are exactly why the 20-time Grand Slam winner is to be feared. “What he did was amazing, he showed me he’s one of the best players of all time,” said Djokovic, who is targeting a record eighth title in Melbourne.

Unseeded Muguruza happy to fly under radar - and into Melbourne final Melbourne Agencies

Garbine Muguruza said she revelled in the underdog role after the unseeded former world number one battled into her first Australian Open final on Thursday.

The 26-year-old Spaniard fought back in both sets to defeat fourth seed Simona Halep 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 and set up a championship decider with surprise-package Sofia Kenin on Saturday.

Muguruza is unseeded at a Grand Slam for the first time since 2014 after her ranking slipped to 36 at the end of a poor 2019 by her high standards.

That meant a tricky path to the final in Melbourne, where temperatures soared close to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Thursday. “It’s difficult, you never know who you’re going to face right away, not being seeded,” said the two-time Grand Slam winner.

“I knew whatever match, it was going to be tough, even how I started the tournament not feeling well.

“I’m happy to not be in the spotlight, it’s good.”

Muguruza was hindered by a viral illness in her tournament opener and lost the first set 6-0 to American qualifier Shelby Rogers. But she recovered her form and fitness to beat three top-10 seeds on her run to the final. Muguruza, who was restrained in her celebrations, is the first unseeded player to reach the Melbourne women’s final since Belgium’s Justine Henin in 2010.

Muguruza and Halep, two former French Open and Wimbledon champions, were too close to split in a nervy first set at a steamy Rod Laver Arena.

Muguruza squandered two set points in the tiebreak while saving two more for Halep, and then clinched it with a stop volley that the Romanian couldn’t get back over the net.

It was the first set that Halep — also a former number one — had dropped all week and she reacted by mangling her racquet and slumped in her chair, shaking her head.

The 28-year-old recovered her poise and broke Muguruza for a 3-2 lead in the second set, before Muguruza broke back and then held to make it 6-5.

Halep, so serene in Melbourne up until now, cracked as she served to stay in the tournament, netting a backhand as Muguruza surged forward on the second match point.

Thiem and Zverev battle for first Aussie final Melbourne: Dominic Thiem says there are “no secrets” between him Alexander Zverev as they prepare for a battle of “small margins” to make an Australian Open final for the first time. The fifth seed faces his good friend on Friday after stunning world number one Rafael Nadal in the last eight, with a crack at either seven-time champion Novak Djokovic or six-time winner Roger Federer at stake.

Thiem and Zverev have played each other eight times, with the Austrian holding a 6-2 advantage, including their last two encounters. They have never been forced into a five-setter. “We have no secrets from each other. I mean, we played so many times, also on very special occasions already, at the ATP Finals, semis, French Open quarters,” said the 26-year-old. “It’s a nice rivalry we have. It’s great that we add an Australian Open semi-finals to this one.

Going to be a close match again.” “Same if two top-10 players play each other (in the) semis of a Slam. The deciding moments are very small, small margins. I’m looking forward to it,” he added. Thiem is better known as a clay-court specialist and has experience of the big time, making the French Open final over the past two years, beaten each time by Nadal. But this is the furthest he has got on hardcourts at the Majors and knows he is on the cusp of a crack at shattering the stranglehold Djokovic and Federer have had on the tournament, sharing 12 of the last 14 titles.

“One of us is going to be in the finals. But it’s still a very long way to go,” he said.

Seventh seed Zverev has long been tipped for great things, but until now the 22-yearold has failed to deliver at the Majors. He is into his first Grand Slam semi-final after taking a more relaxed approach, admitting that in the past he was trying too hard to make his mark.

Coronavirus chaos in China’s sporting calendar beijing Agencies

China suspended all football in the country Thursday, hours after the World Indoor Athletics Championships and World Cup skiing were postponed, adding to a long list of sports events hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

The world’s most populous country has become an increasing powerhouse in hosting international sport in recent years but has had its 2020 sporting calendar thrown into chaos.

Here, AFP Sport lists the events already affected and those potentially under threat: CAnCelleD, PoSTPoneD or MoVeD FooTbAll: China on Thursday suspended all domestic football and postponed indefinitely the top-flight Chinese Super League season kick-off due on February 22 in order to “carry out prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic,” said the Chinese Football Association.

AThleTiCS: The World Indoor Championships, scheduled for Nanjing from March 13-15, were postponed for a year. “It is with regret that we have agreed with the organisers ... to postpone the event to March 2021,” the sport’s governing body said in a statement Wednesday.

FooTbAll: The Asian Football Confederation announced Wednesday that

home Champions League group stage games featuring four Chinese clubs would be switched to away fixtures for the first three match days in February and March. A decision on venues for each club’s three home group matches will be made at a later date.

WoMen’S FooTbAll: A women’s Olympics qualifying event between China, Taiwan, Thailand and Australia scheduled from February 3-9 in Wuhan, the disease epicentre, was moved initially to Nanjing then to Sydney. The China women’s football team were quarantined in a Brisbane hotel on Wednesday after arriving in Australia for the tournament. boxing: A qualification event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics initially scheduled from February 3-14 in Wuhan was rescheduled for Amman in Jordan from March 3-11.

WoMen’S bASkeTbAll: Another Olympic qualifying tournament, a fourteam battle for three Tokyo places between China, Great Britain, Spain and South Korea was moved on Monday from Foshan, in southern China, to Belgrade where it will run alongside another fourteam group on February 6-9.

AquATiCS: The Chinese leg of the Diving World Series, scheduled for March 7-9 in Beijing, “has been cancelled,” Cornel Marculescu, president of the international swimming federation, told AFP on Monday. He said the World Series of synchronised swimming, sched-

uled for Suzhou from April 23-25, was also in question.

CyCling: The Tour of Hainan, due to be promoted to the second-tier ProSeries this year, was scheduled from February 23 to March 1 on the southern island of Hainan. It has been cancelled “due to the health situation in the country”, the International Cycling Union said on Monday but could be rescheduled later in 2020. unDer ThreAT ForMulA one: The Chinese Grand Prix race weekend is scheduled for Shanghai from April 17-19, an event which attracts tens of thousands of fans.

“We are monitoring the situation in close collaboration with F1, the promoter and with the Federation of Automobile Sports in China, which is our conduit on the ground in China,” governing body FIA said in a statement.

“We are all monitoring it together. At this stage not much we can do except watch the situation and react if necessary, if recommendations are made by the relevant authorities.”

ForMulA e: The electric car racing series is also due to stage a race in China, on March 21 on the southern island of Hainan.

A Formula E statement read: “Given the current health concerns, we are continuing to closely monitor the situation as it develops on a daily basis. We have requested that our regional partner works to-

CMYK

gether with the local motorsport federation, to liaise with the relevant authorities in Hainan province to further analyse and assess the situation and provide recommendations on preparations for the race.”

FooTbAll: China is due to host the Maldives in a World Cup qualifying match on March 26 and travel to Guam for another on March 31 and said despite the postponement of all domestic football any decision on international fixtures would be made at a later date.

“The CFA will continue to maintain close communication with national authorities, and decide each event’s timing separately based on the actual development of the epidemic situation in each locality,” a statement said.

WreSTling: The Asian Olympic qualifying tournament scheduled for

March 27-29 in Xi’an could be cancelled.

“We are following the situation closely and we are in close contact with the Chinese federation and local authorities,” Nenad Lalovic, president of the International Wrestling Federation, told AFP on Monday. “We will take a decision within 15 days.”

SPorT ConFerenCe: The SportAccord annual convention, which brings together the presidents of the major international sports federations and the heads of the Olympic movement, including IOC President Thomas Bach, is due to take place in Beijing from April 19-24.

SportAccord is “closely monitoring the situation” and “is following the recommendations of the Chinese authorities and the WHO concerning travel to and from China,” a spokesman told AFP on Monday.

Friday, 31 January, 2020

SPORTS 15

2nD 50 For TAylor As ZimBABwe sTrengThen posiTion ColoMbo

B

Agencies

RENDAN Taylor’s tenth Test fifty ensured Zimbabwe pressed home the advantage they had worked so hard to build the previous day as the hosts stretched their lead to 292 on the fourth morning in Harare. But his dismissal just before lunch took the sheen away from an otherwise positive session for Zimbabwe, though they will be heartened by the fact that since then Sean Williams and Sikander Raza have added 28 in just 4.3 overs.

Lasith Embuldeniya was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors with two wickets. He had given Sri Lanka the ideal started to the day when he induced an outside edge against Regis Chakabva early in the session, a well-flighted delivery spinning past the batsman’s forward defence. Dhananjaya de Silva completed a sharp catch at slip. Embuldeniya would repeat the trick later, getting a similarly tossed up delivery to spin sharply past a Timcyen Maruma drive, with Niroshan Dickwella completing a quick stumping as the batsman briefly lost his balance.

He would have had Taylor back in the

pavilion as well if Vishwa Fernando had held on to a running catch at long-on when the batsman was on 30.

Taylor was eventually dismissed for 67 when Lahiru Kumara trapped him lbw.

Replays showed there might have been an inside edge, but with the DRS not available, Taylor had to walk.

Prior to that Taylor was the only Zimbabwe batsman to give Embuldeniya any trouble, employing his favoured sweep and reverse sweep to make sure the leftarm spinner didn’t settle on a line and length. And much like in the first innings, Taylor’s entry gave Zimbabwe the impe-

tus they needed to push the scoring rate. His fifty came off just LUnCh ZiMbabwe 55 deliveries.

406 and 179 for 5 The ease with which he han(TayLor 67, MasvaUre dled the spin 35, eMbULdeniya 2-57) Lead forced Dimuth Karunaratne to sri Lanka 293 (MaThews deploy pace 64, raZa 7-113) by from both ends. the lack of lateral movement for This was a more 292 rUns meant missed lines and lengths comfortable period for were there to be punished.

Taylor and Prince MasEventually, a run-out brought an end vaure, where despite the odd close call,

Timycen mArumA comes in As Kevin KAsuZA’s concussion replAcemenT ColoMbo Agencies Zimbabwe opener was taken off the field on a stretcher after being struck flush on the helmet for the second time in two Tests. He was rushed to the hospital for scans and was later diagnosed with a mild concussion. * Although he is stable, medical staff will continue monitoring him. has been named as his replacement. Kasuza sustained the blow on the third morning of the second Test against Sri Lanka in

Harare when Kusal Mendis nailed a powerful back-foot pull, which hit the side of the helmet of forward shortleg fielder Kasuza, who immediately hit the ground even as the ball ricocheted to square leg, where Carl Mumba took the catch to send back Mendis for 22 off 73 balls. Kasuza was in visible pain and was consequently stretchered off the field by the Zimbabwe medical staff. Incidentally, it was a repeat of what happened in the first Test. Then, too, it was Mendis, who had struck Kasuza on the helmet when he was fielding at the same position on the third day

of the match. In that game, Kasuza had not immediately felt the effects of the blow, but suffered a and was eventually substituted out of the match, which was his international debut. As a result, Zimbabwe named a like-for-like replacement in opener . While Kasuza has endured a tough time on the field in his first two Tests, he has shown promise with the bat, following up his 63 in the first Test with an equally solid 38 in the second. Kasuza helped see off the new ball in the second Test and set the base for Zimbabwe’s first-innings total of 406.

india’s bench in focus as new Zealand look to bounce back from hamilton heartbreak

Wellington Agencies

Are New Zealand the new South Africa? Luck has deserted them in close finishes and Super Overs and, much like big-ticket semi-finals for South Africa, such games are becoming a por-

to that partnership, one which had yielded 47 runs in a little over an hour, as Masvaure failed to see his partner declining the second run.

tent of national heartbreak for New Zealand. They have lost tie-breakers with alarming consistency: three across formats in the last seven months, and six out of seven overall.

Although, as Kane Williamson admitted later, the match probably at all.

On the upside for New Zealand,

they played their best game of the series, even for most part. On the downside, they still lost. It goes to show the narrow margin for botch-ups in T20s compared to the longer formats. It also goes to show the gulf between the two sides.

India always had the better hand,

even if they didn’t always play their cards right in Hamilton. Eventually, their depth came to the fore as they broke out of jail not just once, but twice, through the efforts of Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma.

With the series in the bag, experimentation is on the cards starting in Wellington. While India would want to give the likes of Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav some game time, they may equally want to rest someone like Shami who has by far bowled the most number of overs by an Indian quick since the start of the home season in 2019: 192.3 overs, followed by Umesh Yadav who is more than hundred overs behind.

For New Zealand, barring the possibility of an odd change, the onus is likely to be on continuing the good work they put in in Hamilton, and trying to get across the line if they get close again.

PiTCh AnD ConDiTionS The team batting first has won four of the last five at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. The average score of the team batting first in the last five matches is 178. Pacers have taken more wickets at the venue since January 2018 but spinners have been marginally more economical.

A typically blustery but clear day is in the offing, although that’s usually more of a factor at the open Basin Reserve.

CA to consider sanctioning U-19 players for controversial Instagram posts Melbourne Agencies

Cricket Australia will consider sanctions on a number of players from the Under-19 squad after a post on Instagram by batsman Jake Fraser-McGurk invited comments that seemingly mocked non-native English speakers.

The image posted of himself batting and captioned “Quarter Finals here we come” shortly after Australia’s prompted a series of replies from teammates, which have subsequently been removed and commenting has been disabled.

“Sir great player, big fan and will play for India one day,” wrote . “Sir, give me WhatsApp number, I want to be friend,” commented and also posted similar comments.

Sean Carroll, the board’s integrity chief, said in a statement provided to ESPNcricinfo that “some of the language could be interpreted as ridiculing non-native English language speakers”.

“We are extremely disappointed that some of the Australia under-19 squad members have used inappropriate language in posts on social media, which we reported to the ICC as soon as it came to our attention,” Carroll said.

“I have spoken to the players this morning and have expressed in no uncertain terms that such language has no place in society and falls well short of the standards we expect as Australian cricketers. The players have apologised for the language and taken down the posts.

“Cricket Australia will consider sanctions upon their return from South Africa, which will include but not be limited to education and cultural sensitivity training. Most of the players do not have their parents present with them in South Africa and some of them are minors. Accordingly, we believe it is appropriate to consider their sanction upon their return home.”

Fraser-McGurk, one of the players involved, has already flown home to receive treatment after at a nature reserve during a team outing in Kimberley.

south Africa consider touring pakistan in march lAhore: South Africa are considering a short tour to Pakistan to play three T20Is in late March, immediately after their ODIs in India which finishes on March 18.

ESPNcricinfo understands that South Africa will send a security delegation to Pakistan next month, either during the Test against Bangladesh or during the PSL, to assess whether the situation is considered safe enough for South Africa to tour the country.

Sources confirmed that a delegation headed by security expert Rory Steyn will travel to Pakistan and will present their findings to CSA on their return. The group want to visit ongoing Pakistan matches in order to gain first-hand information on the logistics involved, including the team’s hotel arrangements, transportation to the grounds and in-stadium experience. South Africa have not toured Pakistan since October 2007 but have visited them for series in the UAE twice since then, in 2010 and 2013. At least one prominent South African has visited Pakistan in that time. Russell Domingo, the former South Africa coach who is now in charge of Bangladesh, toured the country earlier this month but another South African, batting consultant Neil McKenzie, did not. The current FTP has South Africa scheduled to visit Pakistan to play two Tests and three T20Is in January/February 2021. However, South Africa may be after some extra T20I fixtures ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year. The matches may also provide an opportunity for the reintegration of AB de Villiers into the T20I squad after indications that he was interested in making a comeback for the tournament. It is unclear when de Villiers will return to the national set-up but if he does, he will be required to play in some of South Africa’s fixtures as they build towards the T20 World Cup. Agencies

mcc announces squad for pakistan tour lAhore: The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on Wednesday announced their twelve-member squad for the Pakistan tour which is set to take place next month in Lahore. The English club, which is headed

by Sri Lankan batting great and MCC president Kumar Sangakkara, will be playing a 50-over match with Pakistan Shaheens along with a T20 match against National T20 Cup champions Northern.

MCC are set to play games against two PSL teams, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, as well as Pakistan’s domestic T20 champions, Northerns. The tour is aimed at encouraging support for international teams returning to play in Pakistan, more than a decade after the 2009 terrorist attacks. Agencies

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Friday, 31 January, 2020

newS WB approves pakistan's review plea against $6bn reko Diq fine NEWS DESK Pakistan’s petition for a review in the Reko Diq case, in which the country was slapped with a $6 billion fine, has been approved by the World Bank’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). In 1993, the Balochistan Development Authority had entered into a joint venture with an international mining company to prospect for gold and copper, and in the event of favorable discoveries, seek a mining license. Former Advocate General of Balochistan Amanullah Kazani said that the company (Tethyan Copper Company) did not carry out any exploration since 1994 and they kept the findings to themselves. “The company had to submit a 100 [square] kilometres feasibility report but they gave a report of mere 5 [square] kilometres to the authorities,” he said. “They dug 11 holes out of which only two were reported. Many other false statements were given by the company,” he noted. With the assistance of an international law firm, Pakistan filed a petition against the verdict within the given time and was able to secure a stay order on the case. The provincial cabinet has also approved the law team which will lead the case in the ICSID. “Pakistan had filed a petition against the verdict in November last year. As a result a stay order was ordered by the court, and it will now be heard in February 2020,” Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said. The Balochistan government says the project is crucial for Pakistan’s development and that the province and Centre will have to be on the same page to pursue the case in ICSID.

maj gen Babar to take charge as new ispr Dg tomorrow ISLAMABAD

ADB Approves $15m loAn for urBAn Development plAnning in punjAB ISLAMABAD PPI

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HE Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday approved a $15 million loan for helping seven cities in Punjab province in design comprehensive investments and public service delivery plans to prepare for upcoming urban development projects.

According to the details, the loan will fund the preparation of spatial master plans, detailed engineering designs, and operational business plans for proposed projects in the cities of Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan, Rawalpindi, and Sargodha.

It will also help to ensure a high level of readiness

ahead of ensuing Punjab's urban development projects and complement ADB’s existing technical assistance to Pakistan in conducting feasibility studies and explore innovations to improve the quality of urban services.

“The government of Punjab has taken a proactive role in tackling urban development challenges in the province,” said ADB Senior Urban Development Specialist for Central and West Asia Jude Kohlhase.

“This loan will help the local governments improve spatial and urban planning, prepare environmental assessments, put in place gender action plans with a special focus on gender equality, and incorporate climate resilient designs for priority investments,” he added.

Pakistan has experienced rapid urbanisation as rural populations have migrated within the country to find jobs. Urban development challenges, which are

FBR chief Shabbar Zaidi to go on indefinite leave ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Shabbar Zaidi will go on an indefinite leave on health grounds, Pakistan Today has learnt.

According to sources, the FBR chief has informed Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh and other high-ups of the government that he is going on leave from Monday due to health issues.

This is the second time in a month that Zaidi is going on leave. Earlier, he went on leave in the first week of January for 15 days. In his absence, member administration and senior income tax officer Nousheen Amjad assumed his duties.

Source further said that this time around, the time-frame of his leave would be based on the

doctor’s recommendations.

On the other hand, official sources claimed that the FBR chief cannot come to the office due to a fake sales tax refund case which is pending before the Supreme Court (SC). On Wednesday, the apex court had criticised FBR officials, including the chairman, for not taking action against officials involved in the case.

Sources claimed that this case has become a nightmare for

the FBR chief as well as some other people who made billions of rupees in fake sales tax refunds during the tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

Meanwhile, senior officials have also been busy lobbying against the chairman for the past few months. They have also enhanced communication with Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had asked them for suggestions to reform the department.

Nousheen Amjad is the senior officer of the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) whereas Muhammad Javed Ghani is the senior officer of Pakistan Customs.

Speaking to Pakistan Today, the FBR chief confirmed that he is going on leave from Monday as he is not well. When asked about the duration of his leave, he said that it is dependent on the doctor’s advice.

STAFF REPORT

Major General Babar Iftikhar will assume charge as the director general of the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) on February 1. He would be replacing Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor. According to ISPR, Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar commanded a division in Multan. Commissioned into the Pakistan Army in March 1990, Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar is a graduate of the Command and Staff College Quetta, National Defence University Islamabad and Royal Command and Staff College Jordan. An avid reader and golfer, Maj Gen Iftikhar was commanding an armoured division before being appointed as ISPR DG. He has also been Brigadier Staff in an Infantry Division in Waziristan. He also served as Chief of Staff in the Corps Headquarters. He has also led an Armoured Brigade and Infantry Brigade in Operation Zarb-e-Azb in North Waziristan. He has also served in the faculty of Pakistan Military Academy and National Defence University Islamabad. He is married with four sons.

pronounced in cities in Punjab, account for 53 per cent of Pakistan’s urban population and experience intermittent access to poor quality water, ineffective wastewater, solid waste management, and severe traffic issues because of lack of public transport and poor traffic management.

ADB will help identify integrated smart solutions to strengthen the province's institutions’ urban and spatial planning systems.

It will also support the preparation of land acquisition and resettlement plans, feasibility studies, and procurement documents.

The upcoming projects are in line with the Pakistani government’s development priorities, which emphasise providing access to safe water, sanitation, urban transport, and a healthy living environment to the public.

India claims 'diplomatic victory' as EU Parliament defers vote on anti-CAA resolution Voting on a resolution against India’s contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was postponed on Wednesday till March in a move that many members criticised as a prime example of the European Union (EU) “capitulating and crumbling” under India’s diplomatic lobby’s pressure.

“We’ve refused to take a stand on this Islamophobic policy which could drive 200 million Muslims, nearly half the EU’s population, towards statelessness, incarceration or deportation,” said Member European Parliament (MEP) Scott Ainslie.

According to the details, four of the largest parties in the EU Parliament – EPP, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the Renew Europe Group and the European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) – were signatories to the joint resolution against India. But in yesterday’s debate, one parliamentarian each from

these groups came out in open support of the CAA, going as far as terming the new law an example of “positive discrimination”.

On the other hand, Indian-origin S&D parliamentarian from the United Kingdom Nina Gill welcomed the vote’s postponement saying, “This is an act of positive discrimination aimed at integration process of refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have already been in India for many years, recognising the high level of discrimination faced by non-Muslims in those countries. It is not seeking to exclude any of the other groups who do not fall within this category”. Gill’s views were shared by another British MEP of Indian origin, Dinesh Dhamija. “India takes in persecuted refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh and they are the bad guys? They are the good guys; they’ve taken in the refugees. NEWS DESK

China virus deaths rise to 170 as hit to global economy looms BEIJING AGENCIES

Hundreds of foreign evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan entered quarantine on Thursday as deaths from a fast-spreading virus rose to 170 and markets shuddered at the impact of an inevitable big hit to the world’s No. 2 economy. All eyes were on the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has held off declaring the flu-like coronavirus a global emergency but was to reconsider that later in the day. Such a declaration would trigger tighter containment and information-sharing guidelines, but may disappoint Beijing, which had expressed confidence in defeating the “devil” virus. It could also potentially spook markets further. “The fear is that they (the WHO) might raise the alarm bells … so people are taking money off the table,” said Chris Weston, head of research at Melbourne brokerage Pepperstone. The day after a state economist forecast the crisis would lop a percentage point off China’s first quarter growth, global stocks tumbled, the yuan hit its lowest this year, oil prices slid again and safe haven assets like gold gained. The coronavirus, which originated in an illegal wildlife market in the central city of Wuhan, has now claimed 170 lives and infected 7,711 people in China, latest official data showed.

Almost all the deaths have been in Hubei province – of which Wuhan is the capital – where 60 million people are now living under virtual lockdown, staying inside their homes and only venturing out with masks on. “Canteens are not open. Most of the shops are closed. We cannot go out and buy food,” Si Thu Tun, one of 60 students from Myanmar trapped in Wuhan, told online news outlet the Democratic Voice of Burma. “Honestly, I have one big potato and three packs of instant noodles and some rice,” he said. Myanmar plans a special flight to get the students out within three days.

GB delays Khunjerab border opening amid coronavirus threat GILGIT STAFF REPORT

The Gilgit-Baltistan government on Thursday delayed the opening of the Pakistan-China border crossing point at Khunjerab Pass scheduled for February as part of precautionary measures to stop coronavirus’ possible entry into Pakistan from China.

The decision comes days after the GB home department had requested the federal government to delay the opening of Khunjerab Pass, the highest border crossing point between the two neighbors.

According to a spokesperson of the GB government, the recommendation to

open the route in the mid of April has been tabled. Under the border protocol agreement 1985, Khunjerab border crossing remains open from the end of November to April next year. Trade and travel activities between the two countries take place through Khunjerab Pass.

On Jan 22, the federal ministry of foreign affairs through a letter had requested the Chinese government to open Khunjerab Pass from Feb 2 to Feb 8 this year to facilitate entry of over 200 Chinese containers from the Xinjiang province of China to Pakistan.

The containers got stuck in China as they could not be sent to Pakistan from China before the closure of the border

crossing on Nov 30 last year.

However, due to the outbreak of coronavirus and the fear of its spread to other countries, the GB authorities had sought a delay in the opening of the pass.

As GB is Pakistan’s closest region to China, precautionary measures are needed to prevent any possible threat of the spread of the disease to Pakistan.

An official said the GB health department has directed the director health and DHO of Hunza to depute staff, medicine and an ambulance at the pass for checking people entering Pakistan from China.

It has also been decided to enhance screening people entering Pakistan through the pass.

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

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