E-Paper PDF 3rd February 2020 (ISB)

CMYK

Monday, 3 February, 2020 I 8 Jamadi-ul-Sani, 1441 I Rs 19.00 I Vol X No 215 I 16 Pages I Islamabad Edition

‘Pakistan equiPPed to diagnose coronavirus’ g

nIh In IsLaMabad beCoMes CaPabLe oF ConduCTIng TesTs aFTer 1,000 kITs arrIve FroM ChIna, FaCILITy To be exPanded In LaTer sTages

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PM’s aIde says 199 heaLTh InForMaTIon booTh seT uP aT varIous aIrPorTs To CoPe wITh The ThreaT

Senator hints at withdrawing salaries bill in case of no consensus g

PTI Leaders say IT’s ‘unreasonabLe’ To InCrease LawMakers’ saLarIes when CounTry Is In eConoMIC CrIsIs

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STORY ON PAGE 03

staff report

PeCIaL assistant to the Prime Minister on national health services dr Zafar Mirza on sunday said that Pakistan was fully capable of diagnosing coronavirus after China sent approximately 1,000 kits to Pakistan to detect the deadly disease. according to a national Institute of health (nIh) official, the testing for the virus will be carried out at the nIh in Islamabad but will later be expanded to other cities depending on the need. “samples collected from across the country will be sent to nIh where they will be tested. we already have a mechanism in place for this,” he said. “a PCr-based (polymerase chain reaction) test which will be used to isolate the genome of the virus,” he elaborated the process of detecting the disease and added that the tests will be conducted free-of-charge.

“Typically PCr test results take eight to 12 hours. however, the test may have to be repeated due to an error in which case it can take another additional eight to 12 hours. Moreover, samples collected from nearby cities can reach the institute within six to eight hours but those from farther away can take up to 24 hours,” he added.

Meanwhile, the PM’s special assistant on health lauded the nIh for setting up coronavirus clinic in such a short time. In a series of tweets, he said that 199 health information booths have been set up at various airports of the country to cope with the threat of coronavirus, where health officials will provide answers to queries about coronavirus. he said that another landmark in a very short time is the completion of coronavirus clinical care and prevention guidelines. he added that this includes full instructions on

It’s time to walk the talk, PML-Q tells PTI

case definition, inpatient/outpatient treatment, handling of diagnostic samples and even home care. he also said that in order to provide assistance to the Pakistani community in China, the Pakistani embassy has established hotlines that may be contacted. he once again defended the decision to leave Pakistani citizens stranded in China, saying around 100 other countries are not evacuating their citizens from wuhan. on saturday, dr Zafar had defended the government’s decision not to bring back Pakistani nationals stranded in China, saying the federal government had complete trust in the policies of the Chinese government. during a press conference, he had said that so far, it had been confirmed that 11,947 people were affected with the coronavirus, out of which 259 had died.

“It is now being transferred from human to human. It means that a person affected by the virus can also become a source for the transfer of the virus,” he had added.

“The world health organisation (who) has declared the situation an emergency of international concern. being a responsi-

ble nation, Pakistan wants to take steps that ensure the safety of maximum people,” he had further said.

The special assistant had said that the decision was finalised after a phone call between Foreign Minister shah Mahmood Qureshi and Chinese Foreign Minister wang yi, where the latter had assured that taking care of Pakistani citizens was a priority for China’s government.

Meanwhile, on saturday, a group of Pakistani students and community members stranded in urumqi, China, due to suspension of flights in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak were granted an 11day visa extension along with hotel accommodation by the Chinese authorities.

Pakistan resumes direct flights to and from China

Sanjrani asks MQM-P to mend fences with PTI STORIES ON PAGE 03

Imran to head to Malaysia today g

PM deCIdes agaInsT usIng IndIan aIrsPaCe

STORY ON PAGE 02

Thailand sees apparent success treating coronavirus with drug cocktail

STORY ON PAGE 03

Govt borrowed Rs4.11tr to finance budget deficit, clarifies ministry STORY ON PAGE 11

IMF delegation reaches Pakistan to discuss third tranche STORY ON PAGE 11

STORIES ON BACK PAGE

Philippines reports first coronavirus death outside China as toll rises to over 304 CMYK

Pakistan, Afghanistan not exploiting trade potential despite 24-hour border opening

STORY ON PAGE 11

Monday, 3 February, 2020

02 NEWS

It's tIme to walk the talk, Pml-Q tells PtI PML-Q REJECTS NEW GOVT COMMITTEE, SAYS MORE TALKS WILL BE HELD AFTER IMPLEMENTATION OF DEMANDS LAHORE

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STAFF REPORT

HE Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q) on Sunday refused to hold further talks with the Pakistan Tehreek-eInaf (PTI), saying the PTI-led government must initiate implementation on matters negotiated between the two parties.

The statement was made a day after the PTI government formed a new three-member committee to win over the crucial ally in Punjab.

“We will not talk to the new forum

comprising Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and Federal Minister Shafqat Mahmood,” PML-Q leader Chaudhry Moonis Elahi said on Saturday.

“First the promises and commitments made by the earlier committee consisting of senior PTI leader Jehangir Tareen and Defence Minister Pervez Khattak will have to be fulfilled. Only then, the PML-Q will talk to the new body,” he had announced.

The statement issued after an emergency meeting of the PML-Q attended

Fo summons Indian diplomat to register strong protest on ceasefire violations ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office Sunday summoned a senior diplomat from the Indian High Commission to register Pakistan’s strong protest at the ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC), seriously injuring an innocent civilian. Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian forces in Satwal Sector of LoC on Saturday, 45 year old Muhammad Safeer, s/o Muhammad Hussain, resident of village Madarpur, sustained serious injuries, a Foreign Office statement said. Condemning the targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless Indian acts, in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding and complete disregard for international human rights and international norms, further vitiated the tense atmosphere along the LoC and posed a threat to regional peace and stability. It was also emphasized that by raising tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB), India could not divert attention from the worsening human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).

Pakistan called upon the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding; investigate this and other incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB. It was also urged that India should permit the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions. APP

by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Pervaiz Elahi, Moonis Elahi and other party leaders, echoed the sentiments of Moonis Elahi. The Chaudhry brothers said that talks with the government would only be held after previously negotiated matters become a reality.

Speaking about the newly-formed committee, the PML-Q leaders said that making unilateral changes “creates distrust and urged the federal government to refrain from creating such a pattern”.

They once again made their reservations about certain elements who were trying

to sabotage the alliance with PML-Q public. “Some ministers are trying to create misunderstandings between them and Prime Minister Imran Khan,” they said, adding that they were willing to go to all lengths to save the alliance. Shujaat Hussain had warned the PM on Saturday that he faced threats from his own people rather than the allies.

Quipping in, Elahi said that national interests and the rights of nationals hold importance higher than ministries and added that the PML-Q was standing on its principles by prioritising national interests. Earlier on Friday, Pervaiz Elahi while speaking to a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) had said that PTI should refrain from treating its allies as its “second wife”, revealing growing divide in the ruling coalition led by PTI. “The government should not consider its allies as its competitors and should honour the promises it made when it formed an alliance with them. We had different experiences as allies with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and PTI. Our best alliance was with PPP because former president Asif Ali Zardari did more than he promised,” he had emphasised. He also added that PTI did not fulfil its promises made with PML-Q. “They told us that we would have total control over the affairs of four constituencies we had won from,” he said. Without naming anyone, Elahi said that those who had promised the creation of a south Punjab province to the Saraiki people had not been honest with them as they only used the narrative for electoral gains.

IHC to take up Abbasi, Iqbal's bail pleas today ISLAMABAD STAFF REPORT

The Islamabad High Court will take up bail pleas filed by former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal today.

In separate hearings, a twomember bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Lubna Saleem Pervez will decide on the post-arrest bail petitions of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders.

SHAHID KHAQAN ABBASI: Behind bars for over six months, Abbasi is being investigated for allegedly awarding a 15-year contract for a Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal to a Qatari company in violation of rules and of causing losses to the national exchequer during his tenure as the petroleum minister in the cabinet of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The case, closed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2016, was reopened in 2018. Last year, Bloomberg reported that Pakistan saved more than $600 million “over the first 10 years of a natural gas supply deal by pitting some of the world’s biggest sellers against each other”.

“The maneuvering by Pakistan came after two years of negotiations hit an impasse as Qatar refused to

lower its offer price for LNG. So Pakistan sought leverage on the open market in late 2015, publicly seeking 120 cargoes in two large tenders,” the business newspaper said of the deal negotiated by Abbasi.

The bail plea filed by PML-N lawyer Barrister Zafarullah argued that Abbasi was a vocal advocate of the supremacy of the Constitution, parliamentary democracy, fair electoral process and rule of law.

It added that the former prime minister was criticial of the incumbent government’s incompetence and emphasised that he was imprisoned due to political views and is a “prisoner of conscience”. In his petition, Abbasi stressed on NAB’s “selective accountability” that led to reopening of the case.

AHSAN IQBAL: On the other hand, Iqbal is seeking post-arrest bail

in the Narowal Sports City project case. The PML-N leader was arrested on December 23 2019 for allegedly using funds from the federal government and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for the multi-billion rupee project in his hometown.

Iqbal maintains that the funds spent on the NSC were approved by the then federal cabinet, Parliament and the National Economic Council.

He said the project’s plan was revised and expanded.

The bail plea filed by Azam Nazeer Tarar, maintains that the allegations are “false, frivolous and absurd” and Iqbal has been arrested due to “political victimisation being the secretary general” of the ruling party’s main opposition.

The petition argues that the antigraft watchdog has “no evidence” against Iqbal.

Pakistan resumes direct flights to and from China NEWS DESK Pakistan on Sunday resumed direct flights to and from China after the government announced that the country was fully equipped to diagnose coronavirus following the arrival of approximately 1,000 health kits from the neighbouring country. On Friday, Pakistan had halted flights to and from China as the death toll from a virus outbreak spreading in China mounted and the World Health Organisation (WHO) called it a global health emergency. “We are suspending flights to China until February 2,” Senior Joint Secretary of Aviation Abdul Sattar Khokhar had told Reuters by phone, adding the situation would be reviewed after that date. He had declined to comment on the reason for the closure. On Thursday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had decided to suspend flights to Beijing until February 2. According to Khokhar, PIA had been operating two flights between Pakistan and China but it had decided to suspend flight operations. PIA had started two flights a week to Tokyo and Beijing in May 2019 after a gap of three months.

two Pakistanis return from virus-hit China after clearance PESHAWAR: Amid growing concerns over a deadly virus outbreak that has so far sickened thousands, the overwhelming majority in China, and killed over 300 people, including a first overseas death from the disease in the Philippines, two Pakistani nationals arrived in Peshawar from China. They flew to Doha from the virus-hit country and then headed to Pakistan. They were screened upon arrival at the Peshawar airport. Sources said that the individuals have been shifted to an isolation ward. They will be quarantined for a 14-day period as part of safety measures to block possible transmission of the deadly disease to Pakistan. A Pakistani student, Arsalan Amin, had reached Karachi from China earlier this week. He was enrolled at a university in Wuhan, the city most affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. It is to be mentioned here that around 30,000 Pakistani students, enrolled at various Chinese academic institutions, are currently present in China. Amin, talking to media, said that he had quit the city before it was sealed by the authorities. He reached Shanghai from Wuhan on January 22 and later to Dubai and returned back to Karachi, Arsalan Amin said. “People are frightened from the outbreak in China and 559 Pakistani students have been stranded in Wuhan province,” the student said.

Pakistani students in China are very anxious due to the deadly outbreak, he said. The Chinese authorities are properly taking care of Pakistanis, he further said. “I was allowed to leave after required medical test clearance,” Arsalan Amin said. INP

Arrangements finalised in AJK to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day MIRPUR APP

In Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), adequate arrangements have been given final touches to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5 to reiterate complete solidarity with the brethren of turbulent Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K).

The day would be observed to express solidarity with Kashmiri brethren coupled with the renewal of the pledge to continue extending fullest support to the Kashmiris globally-acknowledged legitimate right to self determination.

India has kept bulk part of the internationally-acknowledged disputed Himalayan state in its illegal and forcible occupation against the aspirations of the

people of the state.

This year, the Kashmir Solidarity Day was being observed in most tragic scenario that was followed by August 05, last year sinister act of scrapping special status of the IOJ&K by the hardliner Modiled Indian government through abrogation of the article 370 and 35-A of the Indian constitution. The bleeding occupied valley has been turned into the world’s largest prison following imprisonment of the people protesting against the nefarious Indian action under the shadow of the occupying Indian guns. It would be a state holiday across the AJK. The people and governments of Pakistan and AJK observe the solidarity day every year not only to renew their deeprooted love and affection with the people of IOJ&K but also to reiterate their com-

mitment and dedication to the liberation of the motherland from the Indian subjugation. The day will dawn with special prayers for the martyrs of Kashmir, victory of the freedom struggle and expression of solidarity with the Kashmiri people. Besides mass rallies, symposia, walk-for-peace, conventions meetings and speech declamations, a unique ceremony at all the six bridges, linking Pakistan and AJK—where a human chain comprising Pakistanis and Kashmiris to convey solidarity with each other, will be the hallmark of the day-long events everywhere to observe the day.

Commenting on the scheduled observance of the Kashmir Solidarity Day this year, Vice Chairman National Events Organizing Committee and Mirpur Assistant Commissioner Yasir Riaz has said that the

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Kashmir liberation movement is in full momentum in Jammu & Kashmir state and the celebration of Kashmir Solidarity

Day always marked an impact on the liberation movement, by giving it fresh momentum this day of Feb 5 every year.

Monday, 3 February, 2020

NEWS

03

senator hInts at wIthDrawIng salarIes bIll In Case oF no Consensus SENATOR SAJJAD HUSSAIN TURI SAYS RULING PARTY WILL CONSULT OTHER PARTIES BEFORE TABLING THE BILL ISLAMABAD

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STAFF REPORT

FTER Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf’s (PTI) chief whip in Senate Sajjad Hussain Turi came under fire from all quarters for a bill proposing a 100 per cent increase in the salaries of the lawmakers, he expressed willingness to withdraw the bill if the government and opposition failed to reach consensus.

The draft Salaries and Allowances Amendment Bill seeks an increase in the salaries of Senate chairman and National Assembly (NA) speaker from Rs225,000 to Rs879,000 to match the salaries of Supreme Court (SC) judges and a rise in the remuneration of the Senate deputy chairman and NA deputy speaker to match those of high court judges.

It also seeks to increase the salaries of parliament members from Rs150,000 to Rs300,000.

It also calls for the travel allowance of parliamentarians to be increased to cover the cost of business class air tickets and AC class train tickets. It further seeks 25 business class tickets to be allocated for each lawmaker and for the option of these tickets being used by the members’ spouses and children to travel within the country to be available.

The bill is set to be introduced in the House by senators — independent Naseebullah Bazai, independent Sajjad Hussain Turi, who was appointed as PTI’s chief whip last year, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan Nasir, independent Dilawar Khan, National Party’s (NP) Dr Ashok Kumar and independent Shamim Afridi.

Speaking to a local news outlet, the senator said that the ruling party would consult various parties regarding the bill before tabling it in the House on Monday. He said that 85 per cent of the 104

Pm determined for progress of tribal people: Dr Firdous ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Sunday has said that the PM is determined for the progress of people living in tribal areas. In a tweet, the special assistant said that the sacrifices of ‘patriotic’ tribal people would be rewarded at any cost. Those who have rejected the Constitution have no place in the hearts of masses, she added. Earlier, Dr Firdous said maligning the opponents through fake news has been the hallmark of PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif. INP

Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmad gives a shield to former president of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Dera Ghazi Khan Chamber of Commerce, Khawaja Jalaluddin Rumi, in recognition of his social services. High Court Bar Association President Malik Haider Usman is also present on the occasion.

members had agreed in principle to support the bill, however, those opposing the move were simply playing the “numbers game”.

The proposal was not welcomed by every as leaders from the ruling party and the PPP have expressed concerns over the bill which seeks to double the salaries of lawmakers while also granting them additional perks.

The speaker of the lower house himself stated that the proposal was “unreasonable” as the country was still in an economic crisis. Qaiser said that that the increments should be granted once the treasury is able to withstand the burden. Planning Minister Asad Umar also voiced similar concerns and said that he hoped that media reports regarding the bill were false. He also said that if there was a margin in the treasury, it should be used to reduce the burden on the people.

PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman also said that she, along with her party, would oppose the bill. “This is a time of great economic crisis for the people of Pakistan and not the time for us to start matching our salaries with the region or others. Public money needs to be spent

on public relief right now,” she said.

On Saturday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan had said that while the ruling party is united towards implementing the premier’s austerity drive, if someone brought the bill, they would be doing so in their individual capacity without any support from the party. “PTI is not in majority in the Senate but it will do everything in its power to make sure no injustice is done towards the public,” she had added.

Leader of the House in the Senate Syed Shibli Faraz had also said that he would openly support the bill as “there is no need to be apologetic”. He had pointed out that the salaries of lawmakers from Balochistan were almost three times higher than those of the members of the two houses of parliament. He had added that he knew many colleagues in the parliament whose only source of income was their salary and they found it difficult to make ends meet.

PML-N’s parliamentary leader in the Senate Mushahidullah Khan had said that there was a need to rationalise the salary structure of lawmakers but it had to be based on some principle.

Sadiq Sanjrani asks MQM-P to mend fences with PTI KARACHI STAFF REPORT

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani called on Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) leadership at its Bahadurabad headquarters on Sunday and urged the Karachi-based party to mend fences with the government by joining the federal cabinet again.

Upon his arrival at the party headquarters, the Senate chairman was welcomed by senior MQM leader Aamir Khan along with Ameenul Haq and Faisal Sabzwari and others.

Speaking to mediapersons after the meeting that discussed various issues, Sanjrani thanked the MQM-P for support to elect him as the chairman for Balochistan’s due representation in parliament.

He continued that the MQM-P always supported Balochistan on different important issues.

Sanjrani said he was ready to meet anybody and to go everywhere in the interest of the country.

Balochistan’s Chief Minister and Balochistan Awami Party President Jam Kamal Khan would also visit MQM-P headquarters to meet its leadership and to listen to their grievances, he said. He assured that the federal government’s committee,

formed for this purpose, was working to resolve at earliest the issues raised by the MQM-P leadership.

The Senate chairman said Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, who is the convener of his party, was a mature and very experienced politician and urged him to revisit his decision of resignation from the ministry. “I shall request Khalid Bhai to take the resignation back,” he said adding that Siddiqui would be contributing towards the prosperity and development of the country.

Following Siddiqui’s announcement of his resignation from the federal cabinet, PTI leaders had held numerous futile meetings with MQM-P but were unable to convince the party’s convener to rejoin his post as Minister for Information Technology.

MQM-P’s Convenor Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui also thanked Sanjrani for visiting the party’s headquarters and to listen to MQM leadership’s grievances with the assurance of their resolution at the earliest.

“MQM became an ally to the government for resolution of the problems facing the general public, especially in Karachi, not for getting ministries,” he remarked. He assured the Senate chairman that like in the past, his party would continue supporting Balochistan on every genuine and important issue.

Imran to head to malaysia today PM decides against using Indian airspace ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will depart for a two-day visit to Malaysia today on the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. According to reports, the PM refused to use Indian airspace for his flight because of atrocities being committed by the Indian forces in the occupied Kashmir.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will embark on a two-day official tour of Malaysia on Monday. In a statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui has said that PM Imran is visiting Kuala Lumpur on the invitation of his Malaysia counterpart Mahathir Mohamad. According to a press release issued by the Foreign Office on Sunday, Imran will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including cabinet members and senior officials. The trip will end on Feb 4 (Tuesday). “During his visit, Imran is expected to hold a meeting with the Malaysian prime minister followed by delegation-level talks. The two will also be present at the signing ceremonies of important agreements between the two countries and have a joint press stakeout,” the statement added. The prime minister will also address an event organised by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia. The two-day visit will provide the countries the opportunity to review the full spectrum of bilateral relations and will reaffirm Pakistan’s resolve to forge a robust economic relationship with Malaysia, the statement read. It added that in his interactions, Imran will share his vision for Pakistan and underline the country’s positive contribution to regional and international peace and security. “He [Imran] will also highlight human rights violations in occupied Kashmir, emphasise the importance of averting risks to regional peace and stability posed by Indian belligerence, and underscore the importance of a peaceful resolution for the Kashmir dispute,” the statement said. This will be Imran’s second visit to Malaysia since assuming office. STAFF REPORT

Karachi police detain dozens of PTM activists PPP SENIOR LEADER, MNA DAWAR CONDEMN CRACKDOWN ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS NEWS DESK A number of activists belonging to the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) were arrested by the Karachi police in Sohrab Goth on Sunday.

According to reports, the PTM supporters had gathered in the locality to finalise the arrangement for an upcoming event to mark the death anniversary of PTM leader Arman Loni, who was killed

during a sit-in in Loralai, Balochistan on Feb 3, 2019.

Karachi Additional IG Ghulab Nabi Memon told a local media outlet that the activists were arrested for alleged “antistate speeches a few days ago”.

“Police, anticipating the law and order situation in the city, arrested 33 people, including three who were nominated in the FIR lodged a few days ago in Sohrab Goth,” he was quoted as saying.

He added that the held persons were being interrogated. “Those found involved will be formally arrested,” the official said, adding that those found innocent will be released.

However, PTM leader Noorullah Tareen said that the party had organised a peaceful gathering at a ground behind Al Asif Square in Sohrab Goth.

“Many workers were already at the ground while several were on the way when a police contingent came and detained between 30 and 35 individuals,” Tareen said, adding that officials also manhandled a few workers.

Taking notice of the incident, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senior leader

Farhatullah Babar called for releasing the workers.

Taking to Twitter, he said: “Condemn police assault on peaceful PTM meeting in Karachi to commemorate death anniversary of Arman Loni. Demand release of arrested workers. It needs to be investigated as to who ordered police use force against a peaceful gathering of rights activists.”

The Karachi crackdown came after the Faisalabad police briefly detained a number of Awami Workers Party (AWP) activists for protesting in front of the press club. The workers were detained for protesting against the arrests of party workers who participated in a rally in Islamabad. According to Faisalabad police

spokesperson Aamir Waheed, the protesters were detained to maintain law and order. However, they were released shortly thereafter, he added.

Reacting to arrests, PTM MNA Mohsin Dawar said: “Strongly condemn the arrest of PTM’s peaceful activists in Karachi, Shahid Sherani in DI Khan and AWP’s [Awami Workers Party] activists including […] 73-year-old Ameena Zaman in Faisalabad.” The fresh crackdown on the PTM came after its chief Manzoor Pashteen was detained by police in Peshawar. His arrest prompted countrywide protests which were met with a crackdown by police, leading to arrest of a number of activists.

04 ISLAMABAD

Monday, 3 February 2020

WEATHER UPDATES MONDAY

160C 060C

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THURSDAY

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FOUr OverheAd brIdges tO be cOnstrUcted In cApItAl tO FAcIlItAte pedestrIAns ISLAMABAD INP

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HE Capital Development Authority (CDA) will shortly start construction of overhead bridges at four (04) different locations of Islamabad as work order for construction of these bridges have been issued.

These bridges will be constructed on Kashmir Highway near Weekly Bazaar, Faisal Avenue near PIMS hospital, 3rd bridge at Jinnah Avenue at Mehran gate F-9 Park opposite to sector G-9/2 while 4th pedestrian bridge would be constructed near Pak Secre-

tariat in order to facilitate pedestrians.

The CDA has assigned installation work of pedestrian bridges to Heavy Mechanical Complex Taxila and has issued work order to start construction and installation work on the bridges.

Installation of these four pedestrian bridges would be completed with the cost 174 millions. Pedestrian bridge at Kashmir Highway near Weekly Itwar Bazaar would be constructed at cost Rs.51.94 million, pedestrian bridge Jinnah Avenue at Mehran Gate would be constructed at cost Rs.40.12 million, pedestrian bridge at Faisal Avenue near PIMS hospital would be constructed / install at cost of Rs.42.93 million while

Civil Defence lodges 90 FIRs against illegal petrol, LPG agencies RAWALPINDI APP

Civil Defence Rawalpindi on the directives of Punjab government launched special operations against illegal petrol and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) agencies in Rawalpindi district and lodged 90 FIRs in respective police stations against the rules violators during last three weeks.

Talking to APP, Chief Officer Civil Defence Talib Hussain said, total 243 raids were conducted in different areas of the district and action in accordance with the law was taken against 128 rules violators while 50 LPG and 40 petrol agencies were sealed during the period.

A large number of illegal petrol and LPG agencies were sealed and cases were also registered against their owners on the special instruction of District Coordination Officer (DCO)

RAC devises various programmes for Kashmir Day RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC) Director Waqar Ahmed Sunday said the council will observe Kashmir solidarity Day on February 5 to highlight the cause and the need for resolution of the longstanding dispute in accordance with aspirations of Kashmiri people. He expressed these views while chairing a meeting to review the arrangements in order to observe the Kashmir Day. Waqar Ahmed said Kashmir was the integral part of Pakistan, adding, the sacrifices of Kashmiri people would not go in vain and Kashmir would soon be liberated from the illegal clutches of Indian occupation. Stage play and tableau would be presented to highlight the brutalities of Indian army, struggle and sacrifices of Kashmirs' while a Photo graphic exhibition would also be displayed on the occasion, he said. APP

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Rawalpindi.

A large number of illegal petrol agencies had also been issued final notices under which the owners were directed to stop the illegal business immediately otherwise strict action in accordance with the law would be taken. Talib Hussain informed that the Punjab government issued directives to Civil Defence Department to launch action against the illegal business of decanting of LPG in the district.

He said that the department took this step under Petroleum Act 1934 Rule No. 1971 and LPG Protection and Distribution Act 2001.

He said that illegal petroleum agencies/depots/mini petrol pumps and illegal LPG decanting shops were causing loss to national exchequer and at the same time endangering for human life & properties, so the operation was launched in public interest.

pedestrian bridge at Pak Secretariat would be constructed / installed at cost Rs.38.99 million.

It is worth mentioning here that in order to avert accidents and maintain flow of traffic in the city, incumbent management of the authority included the construction / installation of pedestrian bridges among its priorities. In this connection, all hurdles in this regard were removed and after completing codal formalities PC-I of the project was approved and now work orders have been issued to HMC for starting installation work on these bridges.

HMC has been given 06 months’ time to complete these bridges.

AIOU to hold int’l moot on quality research this month ISLAMABAD: Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) will hold an international conference on Research and Practices in Education to promote quality education in the country on February 18 and 19. Some prominent educationists from home and abroad will attend the event. The theme of the conference will be ‘Relevance and Quality in Education’. Earlier, the University’s Faculty of Education has organized four International Conferences on Research and Practices in Education (ICRPE). Those were related to the themes of the social impact of education. Now the fifth one will be in connection with sustainable Development Goals, to be achieved by the country in the coming years. The conference will also deliberate upon Sustainable Development Goals-4 that is ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. It will help in extending proposal of collaborative efforts of policy-makers, institutional leadership, industry and the local community, for maintaining relevance and enhancing the quality of education. According to Dr. Nasir Mahmood, Dean Faculty of Education, the major objectives of the event are to bring together the eminent researchers and practitioners to share their work and highlight the indicators of relevance and quality in education. The conference’s participants will also explore the way forward for implementing the improvements suggested by the scholars and practitioners. This is in line with recent initives taken

by Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum to promote research cultural that relevant to the country's socio-economic needs, he added. STAFF REPORT

Monday, 3 February, 2020

Keeping the coronavirus out City Notes M.A. NiAzi

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HE coronavirus crisis had killed 259 people in China by Saturday, and they’re about 12,000 cases worldwide. The virus seems to be taking advantage of air travel. There are four suspected victims in Pakistan. All of that adds up to a global emergency, and that means that the 28,000 Pakistanis studying in China cannot be brought back to Pakistan. And as for the 500 or so in Wuhan, forget it. To hear the government, the only thing standing between the world and the spread of the coronavirus were the Pakistani students in Wuhan. I wonder how any students mother would have felt about that decision.

It would probably console her to know that the Cabinet and the Foreign Office, and certainly not the Prime Minister, had no kids studying in Wuhan. If they had, they would have spread the virus to the rest of the world anytime, so long as those kids could be reunited with their mothers.

Mothers matter. Ask the Senate, which passed an act providing for both paternity and maternity leave. No need to worry, for the National Assembly has yet to pass it, which means paternity leave is not yet a law. I suppose the population planning people are against it because it would increase the population if men are encouraged to become fathers. I doubt if anyone ever became a father because there would be paternity at the end. And what about disputed paternity? Maternity is fairly certain, except of course hospital substitutions so

beloved once of film scriptwriters, but paternity is another matter.

Perhaps we should let the coronavirus loose, to help reduce the population of the world. However, death means the stopping of life, and thus the prevention of the fulfilling of potential. The death of Kobe Grant in a helicopter crash meant that the USA was deprived of a future President. Look, if Imran Khan can become Prime Minister of Pakistan, why shouldn’t the USA elect a basketball star in the future? If Donald Trump can come off a reality show to become President, why not Kobe as the second black President? Well, Kobe is dead, so the field has opened up, and one would have to look at the Halls of Fame for various sports to find potential candidates. Of course, if anyone has built a cancer hospital, that would be a plus. Having allegations of having a daughter out of wedlock would help, but isn’t essential.

Trump has not bothered to build a cancer hospital, and is not black, being orange. But while Kobe’s daughter who was killed with him, was acknowledged, Trump is supposed to have an unacknowledged daughter. That isn’t why he will get off the impeachment he faces. It’ll be because of his daughter’s husband Jared, who helped put together the Deal of the Century, which will mean that Palestinians will give up as much land as the Israelis want, in exchange for $58 billion. The Palestinians have rejected the deal, though the richest Arabs have said that it’s quite good. India would probably not mind solving the Kashmir issue, but for free.

One Kashmiri who needs money is Railways Minister Sh Rashid, who has been told by the Chief Justice of Pakistan he should resign because of the

bad conditions of the Railways. Sh Rashid needs money to fix the Railways, though. I am reminded of a quote from Johan Donne: “Ask not for whom the bell tolls…” of which Sh Rashid is heard murmuring a Punjabi translation (Na puchho kiday wastay Talli wajda..), though none of the most appropriate people (those who died on the railways on his watch) complete: “It tolls for thee.”

Imran Khan is not having luck with the Waseem Akrams he picked. The Chief WA, Usman Buzdar himself, continues under criticism.

Then there is Kaleem Imam, the IGP Sindh. The Sindh CM wants a new one. Kaleem Imam might end up sacked from his second IGP-ship in a year, after having been posted to Punjab under the caretakers, and posted out under Usman Buzdar. Having a Chief Minister named Usman should have meant an IGP named after someone else from the Bani Umayya, a Muawiya, a Yazid, a Marwan or an Abdul Malik, not a Kaleem Imam. But then, he should have got along with a CM who was a Shah, whether Qaim Ali or Murad Ali. But he too has objected and wants somebody who can handle law and order better. No doubt someone who can look after PPP MNAs and MPAs more politely.

And CBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi has also gone off on indefinite medical leave. He didn’t show Imran the back of his head for a diagnosis.

Perhaps he was in too much of a hurry, for he’s failed to meet the revenue targets set by the IMF, not even the revised ones. Still, not all is lost, for PM’s Finance Adviser Hafeez Sheikh is still around, while SBP Governor Raza Baqir isn’t going anywhere, with both having shown the backs of their heads to Imran and being declared fit for duty.

Pakistan will come off FATF grey list soon, says Khattak Defence Minister Pervez Khattak on Sunday claimed that Pakistan will come off the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) soon.

Addressing a public meeting in Naushehra, Pervez Khattak said that the country has made significant progress on the requirements of the FATF. Lauding the government’s foreign policy, the minister said that following the United Kingdom, the United States has also updated its travel advisory for Pakistan.

He vowed to address the graveness of its allied parties. Pervez Khattak said that the government believes in democracy, adding that they will resolve all the issues through dialogues.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the authorities to fulfil all the promises made with the allied parries.

Last year on October 20, Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar had said that a coordinated effort is underway to achieve all targets

of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to get the country out of the anti-money laundering watchdog’s grey list.

“Pakistan’s FATF progress in 10 months: From 25 incomplete items in Jan 2019 to just 5 incomplete in September,” he had tweeted.

“A coordinated effort is now underway to bring closure to all the partially complete items in order to upgrade from the grey list in 2020 to the white list,” he had added. NeWs DesK

Plan being prepared to invest billions of dollars on technology projects: Fawad ISLAMABAD APP

Minister for Science and Technology, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Sunday said planning was being made to invest billions of dollars on technology projects. "We would spend a huge amount in science and technology schemes in the next three to ten years, and the young talent would be invited to exhibit their skills they had in technology sector," he stated while speaking in a private tv channel programme.

Commenting on Khewra Salt Mine, located in north of Pind Dadan Khan of Jhelum District, he said efforts were being made to bring foreign investment to this region so that Khewra could be made a special resort for tourists. He further stated that a Biotechnology park was being constructed here in Jhelum, which he added would be one of the largest in Asia. In reply to a question regarding river Jalalpur, he said a vast area of land would be utilized for promoting agriculture sector.

CMYK

news

05

Kashmiris’ struggle to bear fruit soon, says Firdous SIALKOT: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Sunday said the generation-to-generation struggle of the oppressed people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir to get freedom from Indian yoke would soon bear fruit. She said February 5 was being observed as a day of solidarity with besieged Kashmiri brethren and that Pakistan would always stand by Kashmiris in their struggle for right to self-determination. The world community would be sensitized about the ongoing Indian atrocities in the occupied territory, she mentioned. Dr Firdous said Pakistan would take up the Kashmir issue at all international forums including the UN Security Council and that the sun of Kashmir’s freedom from Indian yoke would rise soon. She said this while addressing a big public meeting at village Kanpur-Palora near here. She said the government was making all out efforts to highlight the role of rural population in national development and prosperity. The special assistant said the people belonging to rural areas were playing a pivotal role in national development. The government was streamlining the role of rural population and no one could ignore the importance of it in making Pakistan developed and prosperous, she added. She said the government was ensuring rural and remote areas’ development by providing them with facilities, adding the government was committed to raising the living standard of people by ensuring swift provision of all basic facilities at their doorsteps. Dr. Firdous said the government was making concrete efforts to overcome the inherited crisis and striving to control price-hike besides giving maximum financial relief to common people. She said plundering of national wealth by the previous governments was the major reason behind the prevailing inflation. She said price-hike would soon be controlled through sincere and effective policies. She said the constructive economical policies of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government were helping to steer the country out of crises. She welcomed the investment in Pakistan by the overseas Pakistanis, saying that the expatriates were a precious asset of Pakistan. Dr Firdous said Prime Minister Imran Khan was determined to strengthen all national institutions.

The special assistant said ‘Kamyab Jawan’ programme would provide opportunities to the youth to move forward by launching small and medium enterprises. APP

Monday, 3 February, 2020

06 WORLD VIEW

Trump’s regime change policy for iran is a fevered fanTasy—iT will only promoTe chaos and insTabiliTy ‘IF YOU’RE CALLING FOR REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN, YOU’RE BASICALLY CALLING FOR CIVIL WAR’

intercept

T

murtAzA HussAin

HE Trump administration has been a dream come true for hawks in Washington — particularly those harboring fantasies of vengeance and retribution against Iran. Under Trump, the U.S. unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal signed by President Barack Obama and has begun a “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions and political isolation targeting Iran. The confrontation that began escalating after the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear accord was punctuated last month by the assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassim Suleimani in a drone strike — an attack that was publicly claimed by the United States.

It’s unclear where all this is headed, but for many Trump administration figures, there seems to be an ideal outcome in mind: regime change. The United States has succeeded in recent decades in using force to topple governments in places like Iraq and Libya. Iran, however, is a country of 80 million people, many magnitudes the size of either of those examples. And a direct U.S. military intervention in Iran seems off the cards, even in the most lurid neoconservative fantasy.

Lacking the ability to win through overt war, the U.S. settled on a policy of making Iran as ungovernable as possible through sanctions and other forms of pressure, hoping that this leads to an uprising that topples the government and, presumably, ushers in something better.

Yet this approach looks likely to make life

as miserable as possible for ordinary Iranians while failing to create political change in their country.

“Iran more clearly resembles the recent American experiences in the Middle East like Libya and Iraq than it does the Soviet Union in 1989,” said Richard Hanania a fellow at Columbia University’s Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies. “If you’re calling for regime change in Iran, you’re basically calling for civil war. As in other countries, even if the leadership falls, remnants of the old regime are going to be able to organize no matter what.”

In other words, there is no hope for a tidy regime change in Iran spurred on by the U.S. The future that Washington’s hawks, now at the helm of American foreign policy, are advocating for looks likely only to achieve more chaos, more strife, and more instability in Middle East — and that’s only on the outside chance that regime change succeeds at all.

The last revolution in Iran turned out to be an exception that proves the rule.

When anti-government protesters took to the streets of Iran in 1979 against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the monarch ultimately chose to go into exile rather than fight to the death to keep power, even as some of his American advisers were arguing for a massacre. The current regime in Tehran, on the other hand, has evinced no willingness to back down in the face of public pressure. Like many revolutionary governments, the Islamic Republic has arguably proven more brutal than the monarchy it replaced. The ruling clerics have repeatedly put down protests over the past four decades, killing and jailing thousands in the process.

All this puts advocates of regime change in a difficult position. If the Iranian government is willing to fight to the death to hold onto power, any attempt from outside to engineer its collapse will inevitably lead to bloodshed, potentially

to the point of driving the entire country into chaos. Worse still, such a policy could kill hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of Iranians, while still failing to change the regime.

Even if Iran’s leadership were somehow removed from the picture, there would still be hundreds of thousands of paramilitaries and Revolutionary Guards loyal to the regime spread across Iranian society.

These armed and well-trained fighters would be a decisive factor in whatever happened in the country after the collapse of the central government. Recent events have shown that Iranian society is in fact quite divided, yet public opinion cannot gauge what rapidly evolving politics borne out of civil conflict might look like.

“Looking at dueling protest videos on Twitter is a terrible way to try and predict what could happen in Iran,” said Hanania.

“If the government falls, you probably won’t get liberals or moderate Islamic democrats in power, which is what most of the population likely wants. You’re going to get the people who are the best at carrying out organized violence.”

Another major obstacle to regime change is the nature of the Iranian opposition. Organized political opposition inside Iran has been repressed for years, while groups outside the country have been made irrelevant by decades of exile.

An internal challenge to the regime that arose during the 2009 Green Movement was put down with force, and its leaders are still languishing under house arrest.

No significant domestic opposition groups or parties today are permitted to exist. The situation of the exiles looks even less promising. The son of the last shah has been promoted in D.C. for a possible future role in Iran, but the evidence of his support on the ground in that country is limited. Another opposition organization in exile is the Mojahedin-e-Khalq, a cult-like group with a history of vio-

lence that seems to be even less popular inside Iran than the government.

This lack of any organized opposition makes it difficult to envision the type of mass movement that overthrew the shah in 1979. That movement included leftists, liberals, and moderate Islamists. But it also enjoyed powerful symbolic support from Ayatollah Khomeini, who had a popular following in Iran even during the years he spent exiled in Iraq and France.

After the regime fell and street fights broke out between revolutionaries with different vision for Iran’s future, Khomeini returned to the country with enough legitimacy stored up to marginalize his opponents and take control of the situation. The clerical regime that he created has defied many predictions of its demise in the decades since. Despite the best efforts of the United States, the Gulf Arab states, and Israel, Khomeini’s republic continues to rule Iran to this day.

Given the apparent mismatch between its dreams and its abilities when it comes to regime change, it’s possible that the Trump administration is pursuing a subtler policy towards Iran. Top administration officials have recently begun promoting the idea of a new agreement with Iran to replace the Obama-era nuclear deal. The odds of this offer being serious are unlikely. The nuclear deal was a complex undertaking that took years of negotiations to conclude. It was particularly sensitive due to the history of distrust between the two sides. Rather than a serious offer of talks, the Trump administration is simply seeking diplomatic cover while ramping up its own covert and overt actions against Iran.

“My sense is that the people who are executing this policy are more interested in weakening in Iran and causing instability and disruption in the country that will reduce the threat it poses, rather than paving the way to a negotiated off-ramp through diplomatic means,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

“The fact that [U.S. Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo prevented [Iranian Foreign Minister Javad] Zarif from coming

to New York for a United Nations meeting is further indication that they’re not really interested in any diplomatic track.”

For the remainder of Trump’s term — as well as his next term, if reelected — we can expect an intensification of the undeclared U.S. war with Iran. There will be more sanctions, more military actions against Iranian-backed proxies in the Middle East, and more political pressure against Iran in international forums. We might also see the intensification of a troubling new phenomenon: the targeted killing of Iranian leaders.

As more information about the circumstances of Suleimani’s recent assassination has come to light, legal experts are raising alarms about the illegality of assassinating a high-ranking official of a foreign government. The lines between who can legally be killed outside of a formal declaration of war have been further blurred by the brazen killing ordered by Trump. The nebulous practices of the so-called global war on terrorism used to be defended as a way of targeting nonstate militants. With the killing of Suleimani, however, that war has been extended to states as well. The consequences of these shifts — in a world where drones and other means of remote killing are rapidly proliferating — are frightening to consider.

All things considered, the extent to which the Trump administration considered or even cared about such questions is probably limited. In pursuing an aggressive policy towards Iran with no obvious objective, Trump has now extended the most controversial counterterrorism practices of the post-9/11 era to a dangerous new frontier. The law of war might then become just another casualty along the way.

“Applying the view of terrorism to a state actor destroys the notion of sovereignty, international law, and the distinction between war and peace,” said Stephen Wertheim, the deputy director of research and policy at the Quincy Institute. “We can’t even say for sure right now if we’re at war with Iran or not. But we may look back in the future and realize that the war started with the assassination of Suleimani.”

Russia is using religion to strengthen its influence among Palestinians ACCORDING TO THE PALESTINIANS, RUSSIA IS PUSHING THE US OUT OF THE PALESTINIAN FILE BY USING ITS ALLIANCE WITH REGIONAL POWERS OPPOSED TO WASHINGTON, SUCH AS IRAN AND TURKEY

Middle east Monitor Dr ADnAn Abu Amer

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the city of Bethlehem this week, and not Ramallah. The choice of venue gave the meeting an unmistakably Christian aspect, something that has been used by Russia recently in its foreign relations.

Last month, Putin met with the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, to discuss the difficulties facing Christians in the Middle East. He expressed his support for preserving Orthodox properties in the city and protecting regional Christians. Russia announced in November its intention to protect the Middle East’s Christians after Putin met the Patriarch in Moscow with a delegation from the Palestinian Authority.

The “religious” foreign policy is also noticeable with Israel preparing to grant ownership of a church in Jerusalem to Russia, as part of a deal to release an Israeli woman imprisoned in Moscow. The building is in the Russian compound in the occupied Old City; the Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky and other buildings were sold in the nineteenth century to Tsar Alexander III. Palestinian-Russian relations have developed recently, at various political and economic levels. What is new is the reli-

gious dimension, which gives the Russians an additional angle on Palestinian affairs.

Putin’s interest in the efforts to preserve and support Orthodox properties in Jerusalem appears to be in part to prevent Jewish settlers buying or taking them.

The Patriarch thanked the Russian President for his support, and his 2016 donation towards the restoration of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Coincidentally this week, the Israeli Supreme Court overturned a decision made last June for the sale of a property belonging to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in the Old City of Jerusalem to the Ateret Cohanim Settlement Association.

Palestinians are concerned about such transactions because the Orthodox Church has the largest property portfolio in Palestine, second only to the Islamic religious endowments. Abbas does not challenge the Church about selling its properties to settlers, despite Arab Christian complaints, probably because Russian approval is needed for such sales. The Church does not seem to be too worried about disposing of its property in this way, though.

Palestinians speak of complicity with the occupation authorities by some Orthodox officials by handing their properties to settlers for personal gain. Others speak of real corruption within the Church leadership. Russia may not be far from also doing property deals with settler groups.

Russian Christian tourists visit Palestine to see the Orthodox churches, historical properties, and archaeological remains in Jerusalem, Hebron, Jericho and Bethlehem. This may explain Putin’s increased interest, even though the PA has

no ability to stop the leakage of Christian properties to the settlers because Israel imposes its own sovereignty over Jerusalem.

Palestinian church sources show that one per cent of Palestinians in the occupied territories are Christians; that is around 450,000 people distributed across the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel.

Of them, 51 per cent are in the Greek Orthodox Church, and the rest are distributed among seven churches, the most important of which are the Roman Catholics and the Protestants.

The main reasons for the shocking fall in the number of Palestinian Christians living in the cradle of Christianity is their emigration due to the ongoing Israeli occupation, the bad economic situation and their wish to live in a safer country.

Putin said last year that the situation of Christians in the Middle East is “catastrophic” and the Russian leader described his October 2015 military intervention in Syria as a holy war to protect the Christians there.

Does this mean that Russia is returning to its pre-Communist Christian roots?

In Palestine, at least, religion seems to be used to boost Moscow’s influence.

In October, Putin expressed his negativity towards the US “deal of the century”, and said that he had proposed negotiations in Moscow between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but to no avail.

This was seen by the Palestinians as support for them in the face of US pressure to accept the deal.

The Russian position is that the cause of violence in the region is the failure to resolve the Palestinian issue. Nevertheless, Russia has strong relations with Israel,

where 1.5 million Soviet/Russian Jews live.

The Palestinians’ support for Russia’s recent positions does not mean that they are interested in shifting from exclusive US mediation to Russian mediation. They want international mediation, and Putin’s position on the “deal” encourages the Palestinians to continue to reject it. This isolates the US even more and increases its hostility to legitimate Palestinian rights.

Russia’s desire to fill the void left by Washington in the Middle East and its use of the Palestinian issue to increase its influence is obvious. The Palestinians can take advantage of the polarisation between Washington and Moscow, by pushing the latter to side with their cause. The Russians are relatively balanced in their positions, though, since they also share strategic interests with Israel.

Even so, the Palestinians welcome partnership with the Russians without turning their backs on the Americans.

They wish both to be more equitable when it comes to Palestinian rights. Contacts with Russia mean that the world is not governed solely by the US and help to maintain Palestinian visibility internationally. Such contacts may also help to thwart the “deal of the century” revealed this week in Washington.

Furthermore, Russia is one of the few countries in the world that has links with all of the main Palestinian factions, unlike the Americans, which should make them more representative when seeking to mediate. Israel, though, does not want to use any other country apart from the US to be in its corner, which may block or slow Moscow’s progress in this regard.

According to the Palestinians, Russia

is pushing the US out of the Palestinian file by using its alliance with regional powers opposed to Washington, such as Iran and Turkey. Moscow also points to its political and military achievements in Syria, which have encouraged it to intervene elsewhere.

As a veto-holding member of the UN Security Council, Russia’s positive involvement in the Palestinian arena can help to strike a balance in the face of US bias towards Israel. That’s yet another reason why Israel will only deal through Washington. At the moment, therefore, Russia’s role is restricted to receiving political delegations and making diplomatic statements, without translating them into action on the ground. While there are clear Christian dimensions to Russian foreign policy on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, American support for Israel also has a Christian dimension, notably the strong influence of the Evangelical Zionists who back Israel, right or wrong.

Given the obvious Jewish-Orthodox Christian-Evangelical Christian influences, therefore, it is no wonder that the world rejects any Palestinian attempts to link the conflict with Israel to their own ideological beliefs based upon Islam.

Adnan Abu Amer is the head of the political science and media department of Umma University in Gaza. He lectures on the history of the Palestinian cause, national security and Israeli studies. He holds a doctorate in political history from Damascus University and has published several books on the contemporary history of Palestine and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Monday, 3 February, 2020

IrAqI clerIc SAdr TellS followerS To cleAr SIT-InS AfTer PM APPoInTed BAGHDAD

P

AGENCIES

OPuLIST Iraqi cleric Moqtada alSadr urged his followers on Sunday to help security forces clear roads blocked during months of sit-in protests, calling for a return to normal life after the designation of a new prime minister.

Sadr, who had alternately sided with the antigovernment protesters and the Iran-backed political groups they reject, urged his unarmed supporters known as “blue hats” to work with authorities to ensure schools and businesses can operate normally again. Protests broke out immediately in Baghdad and several southern cities on Saturday night after President Barham Salih named Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as prime minister in an effort to end the political unrest.

On Sunday, thousands gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir square, where the main protest camp in the capital is located, to reject the move. They banged drums and chanted against Allawi and Sadr, saying “Allawi is rejected and so are his parties”. In a message issued on Twitter, Sadr said “I advise the security forces to stop anyone from cutting off roads and the ministry of education should punish those who obstruct regular working hours, be they students, teachers or others”.

Some of his followers appeared to have

helped already to clear out protest areas in Tahrir Square overnight, a Reuters reporter said. Hours before Allawi’s appointment, the blue hats, armed with batons, attacked a skeleton building in Tahrir Square, known as the Turkish Restaurant, that demonstrators have occupied since October.

The building was mostly empty on Sunday and the blue hats stood guard, occupying its gates and pacing with walkie-talkies outside it.

“They attacked us by surprise and forced us out of the building shouting that we didn’t do any good to the country except ruining its economy,” said Rassoul, 20, a protester who has lived in the Turkish Restaurant since October.

Anti-government protests continued nearby, with demonstrators directing their ire towards Allawi. He was named on Saturday as part of a

deal between Sadr and rival Iran-backed political groups, who have wrangled since November’s resignation of premier Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Allawi must form a government within a month and face a confidence vote in parliament.

Iran welcomed his designation on Sunday. Protesters demanding the removal of Iraq’s ruling elite and the creation of better jobs and services have regularly blocked main roads in Baghdad and southern Iraq since demonstrations erupted in October.

UN AND EU FLAGS: Some of the protesters in Baghdad on Sunday waved the national flag while others had united Nations and European union flags. “We call on the uN to support and protect Iraqi protesters,” read several signs.

“Allawi is a member of the political game that has destroyed Iraq, he needs to go,” said Malek Jawad, a student and protester. A dozen young Iraqis stood on a truck carrying massive speakers and cheered the crowed.

“Moqtada al-Sadr sent conflicted messages since the beginning but at the end, he made it clear that he’s against the protesters,” Jawad added. Sadr supporters watched the protesters from in and around the Turkish Restaurant.

Sadr has directed anti-government unrest in previous years but he has not been able to control this round of demonstrations and many protesters oppose him as much as the rest of the political class.

Twenty killed in Tanzanian church stampede 3 killed in shooting at a Toronto Airbnb TORONTO AGENCIES

Three people were killed and two others wounded in a shooting in an apartment rented on Airbnb in Toronto, police said on Saturday. Three people were shot dead late on Friday and a fourth injured, police in Canada’s biggest city said in a tweet. A fifth person was stabbed but the victim’s life was not in danger, police said. Police

by Saturday still had not given any information on the victims’ identities or a possible motive, only saying that the violence happened in an Airbnb online rental downtown. A spokesperson has said the dead were young men aged 22, 20 and 19. On October 31, a gunman opened fire at a house party in Orinda, California that was an Airbnb rental.

Four men and a woman were killed.

TANGA AGENCIES

Twenty people in Tanzania were trampled to death at an open-air evangelical Christian church service in the north of the country, officials said on Sunday.

Kippi Warioba, district Commissioner in the northern town of Moshi, said he feared the number of dead could still rise from the accident which took place on Saturday.

“So far, 20 people have died, but the death toll could increase as there were also wounded,” Warioba told AFP. At least 16 others were injured in the crush, he said. The tragedy happened when a crowd of worshippers was attending a prayer ceremony on Saturday led by the popular preacher, Boniface Mwamposa, who heads the Arise and Shine Ministry Tanzania. The stampede occurred when Mwamposa, who calls himself the “Apostle”, poured what he said was holy oil on the ground and the crowd surged toward to touch it in the hope of being cured of sickness, witnesses said. “The Apostle Boniface Mwamposa poured sacred anointing oil on the ground,” one witness, Jennifer Temu, told AFP. “Dozens of people immediately fell being jostled and trampled, and some died. We have counted 20 people killed — but there are also wounded.”

POLICE QUESTION PREACHER: “It was horrible, people trampled on mercilessly, jostling each other with elbows,” said another witness, Peter

Kilewo.

“It was like the preacher had thrown bundles of dollars about… and there were all these deaths!”

Mwamposa, the preacher, fled the scene after the stampede, and police appealed in a broadcast on national television for him to hand himself in. The preacher was arrested in the port city of Dar es Salaam later on Sunday.

“Boniface Mwamposa tried to flee after this incident, but as I speak, he is in the hands of the police,” Interior Minister George Simbachawene told a press conference. Simbachawene said that the preacher had started the stamped by calling on the packed crowd to place their foot on the spot where he had poured the oil.

“These are the words that led to these deaths,” said Simbachawene. “He must answer for it.”

Tanzanian police chief Simon Sirro, who confirmed the toll of 20 dead, said investigations were ongoing into the incident. Seven other people were arrested in Moshi, where the stampede took place,in connection with the incident.

Sirro also said police would also look into how church organisations handle such large-scale crowd events in general. “We pray for them, but I must say that some churches are troublesome — and we will see how to handle them,” Sirro said.

President John Magufuli also issued a statement mourning the death of 20 people in Moshi, as well as 20 others killed by floods in Tanzania’s southern Lindi region this week.

FOREIGN NEWS 07 Israel launches strikes on Gaza after rockets fired

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM AGENCIES

Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip early Sunday in retaliation for projectiles fired from the Palestinian enclave into southern Israel, the army said.Military jets and helicopters struck targets linked to Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza, shortly after midnight, with no reported casualties.Israel also suspended cement deliveries to the enclave and cancelled 500 commercial entry permits into Israel “until further notice”.The action was taken “due to the continued rocket fire and launchings of incendiary balloons from the Gaza Strip into Israel,” said a statement by Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun, head of the Israeli military unit responsible for coordination in the Palestinian territories.

Since the announcement Tuesday by uS President Donald Trump of his plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, rockets, shells and explosive balloons have been fired almost daily from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, provoking Israeli retaliation. Palestinians strongly reject the uS plan, seen as heavily favouring Israel. The Trump initiative suggests that Israel would retain control of the contested city of Jerusalem as its “undivided capital” and gives the Jewish state the green light to annex settlements in the West Bank, which Israel occupied in 1967. Rocket fire from Gaza on Saturday night forced Benny Gantz, a leading candidate in Israel’s upcoming general election who was campaigning in southern Israel, to take refuge with his team in a shelter, local media reported. Former military general Gantz heads the Blue and White party and is the chief rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the March 2 election. The Israeli army said its overnight strikes on Gaza targeted infrastructure belonging to Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled the enclave since 2007. “Fighter jets and attack helicopters struck a number of Hamas terror targets in the northern Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement. Among the targets was “underground infrastructure used as a situation room,” it added. There were no casualties from the strikes, according to Hamas security sources. Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008 but over the past year the Islamists have gradually shaped an informal truce with Israel, under which the Jewish state has eased its crippling blockade of Gaza.

Block placed on email details about Trump hold on Ukraine aid WASHINGTON AGENCIES

uS officials have cited presidential privilege in withholding details of 24 emails related to President Donald Trump’s hold on military assistance to ukraine, uS media reported on Saturday. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) “has redacted portions of 24 documents pursuant to the Presidential Communications Privilege,” OMB’s deputy general counsel Heather Walsh said in a court filing, cited by uS media.

The filing is in response to a freedom of information request for documents related to the ukraine aid.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for abuse of power related to his withholding of $391 million in congressionally-ap-

proved security aid to ukraine.

Democrats said he conditioned the aid on ukraine’s announcing investigations, including into his potential 2020 election challenger Joe Biden.

“Specifically, the documents in this category are emails that reflect communications by either the President, the Vice President, or the President’s immediate advisors regarding Presidential decisionmaking about the scope, duration, and purpose of the hold on military assistance to ukraine,” Walsh wrote. She added that disclosure of documents identified as subject to presidential communications privilege “in this case would risk harming the quality of the information and advice available to the president.”

In response to media reports about the emails, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said: “Every single Re-

publican senator voted to endorse the White House cover-up of these potentially important truth-revealing emails.

“Make no mistake, the full truth will eventually come out and Republicans will have to answer for why they were so determined to enable the president to hide it.” The non-partisan Government Accountability Office ruled that OMB violated the law by withholding ukraine assistance.According to The New York Times, former national security advisor John Bolton said Trump told him in August that he wanted to freeze military aid to ukraine until Kiev helped with investigations of political rivals including Biden. The accusation reportedly comes in a draft of Bolton’s forthcoming book.

Bolton is among the witnesses the Democrats wanted to testify at Trump’s Senate trial.

Monday, 3 February, 2020

08 COMMENT

Defaming the judiciary

Rising prices … And legislators seek a pay raise

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He economic news continues to be in direct contrast to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s promises of a change in 2020. After having been in charge for part of 2018 and all of 2019, it seems that the real economy is letting him down. Inflation in January was 14.6 percent year-on-year, the highest it has been for 12 years. That is a rate, which takes the economy well into the territory of stagflation, which is the worst of both worlds. The theory is that high inflation should mean full employment, which implies job creation and thus some movement towards fulfilling the campaign promise to create jobs. As Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry has ruled out a job creation programme, and placed reliance on the private sector, pump priming would be expected.

However, government sector jobs have been ruled out.

The inflation is not of luxuries, as basic food items are what are fuelling the rise. As prices of foodstuffs go up, the joblessness which results from the collapse of the large-scale manufacturing sector bites all the more viciously. As if to compound matters, the Finance Ministry admitted in its annual debt Policy Statement to the national Assembly that the previous fiscal year had seen a surge in public debt, leading the government to breach the limit set by the Fiscal responsibility Act, and the average indebtedness of every Pakistani to rise to rs 153, 689 on 30 June 2019.

PM’s Information Special Assistant Firdous Ashiq Awan thundered against this, saying that it was against the PTI’s austerity drive, and was an individual act. dr Awan is not a member of either House, so she has no split loyalties.

The PTI had made an issue of austerity, with Prime Minister Imran Khan not shifting to PM House, and selling off its vehicles and buffaloes, but members are clearly feeling the pinch. When the Punjab Assembly actually passed a pay raise for itself last year, the PM forced a reversal and the passage of a repeal. And that was before the PTI got to work on the economy.

Managing the PML-Q The new committee will not work

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He PML-Q decision to boycott the new PTI committee to negotiate with it is a strong reaction, though it also indicates that it was not satisfied with the action taken by the previous committee, consisting of education Minister Shafqat Mehmood and defence Minister Parvez Khattak. The PML-Q seems unhappy with the fact that that committee made certain commitments, and there is now a new committee, even though the previous one’s commitments have not been fulfilled. The PML-Q apparently does not want to be in the position of having to have the new committee, which now has Governor Muhammad Sarwar and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in place of Mr Khattak, renegotiate what has been agreed.

The refusal seems like a little more than a smaller party’s tantrum thrown to enhance its value to the larger party in the coalition. The PML-Q is a shadow of the party that was in power from 2008 to 2013 at the centre and in all four provinces, but it is crucial to the PTI governments in the centre and Punjab. Though Federal railways Minister Sh rasheed Ahmad predicts that the PML-Q is going nowhere, and though the PML-Q itself has said it wants the PTI governments to complete their five-year term, the problem is that the crisis seems to be ballooning rather than subsiding. Though it has not yet reached the point where any party has indulged in self-fulfilling rhetoric, the point of no-return, while by no means inevitable, is now visible.

The PML-Q is not alone, which indicates that it is not being inordinately prickly, but that the PTI is not handling the relationship properly. The MQM-P is also disaffected, with its only minister having resigned. The PML-Q’s Moonis elahi has refused to join a Cabinet headed by Imran Khan. With the repetition of the PPP’s offer to join the Sindh government, the PTI may feel relieved at the MQM-P’s rejecting the offer, but it still needs to work out its relationship with an electoral rival. The PTI needs to carry allies along, or else it will find itself having to choose between either going into opposition or going for a premature dissolution.

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The government is playing a losing game with the judiciary

Syed KaSwar gardezi

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o one likes to be made answerable for his or her actions. Be it answerable to an elder, parents, employers or anybody else, the concept of being kept in check irks most. exercising the choice of freedom without having to account for any actions is the ideal lifestyle that most would prefer. naturally, the independence one enjoys is vital for healthy functioning. Yet, if against one’s wishes, we are made to answer for our actions, then we tend to act out in different ways.

The same goes for state institutions when it comes to regulating their functions. The democratic setting of our country allows the judicial branch to keep an eye out on the executive and to see if the latter is confining itself within the domain prescribed by law or otherwise. This power of judicial review codifies the beauty of democracy whereby state institutions can be held accountable for any wrongdoings not permissible by the law. even though the concept of judicial review emanates out of the Constitution itself, the executive branch regardless does not condone such practice. The government is mostly not ready to be taken to task by the courts and always looks for ways through which the same can be avoided.

Critics of judicial review claim that the judiciary has overstepped a lot and has interfered in the executive domain without good cause many times. While this statement may be true for some individual ‘captains of the judicial ship’, yet, it is not sufficient enough to do away with judicial review altogether. Government officials are not even ready to sanction pensions of retired civil servants until and unless contempt notices have been issued by a court of law.

Under these circumstances, judicial review is es-

sential, provided it is regulated and itself does not transgresses the Constitution.

The incumbent government has had a relaxed past year in so far as the judicial interference by the Supreme Court is concerned. Former Chief Justice Khosa allowed the executive to act in any manner they saw fit and did not exercise constitutional powers to create impediments of any sort. With the sole exception of questioning the legality of the Army chief’s extension, the Khosa days were mostly relaxed and less turbulent for the government.

Being used to the Khosa court, the incumbent government seems to have made itself comfortable in a position where it isn’t required to answer for its deeds to any other branch. Well, perhaps, with the exception of one. nevertheless, until recently, the government wasn’t used to answering to the judiciary and being reprimanded by the latter for poor performance. However, the past week witnessed the railways Minister being admonished by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice Gulzar Ahmed, owing to his terrible performance. The CJP went on to express his displeasure over the Tezgam incident and inquired from the Minister why he didn’t resign, being the top man in the department. Following the railways Minister, another member of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet was also summoned by the CJP to answer for a CPeC project.

It appears that the recent foray into executive actions has irked the ruling party and it seems to be acting out when being made answerable. A couple of days ago, a letter did rounds on the social media and stirred controversy pertaining to the Chief Justice. The leaked letter reveals instructions being given to the district police chiefs concerning the safety and security of the CJP during his visits outside Islamabad. The letter portrays as though such security measures had been demanded by the CJP personally and requires all district police chiefs to escort him personally throughout his trip outside Islamabad.

The leaking of the letter is a failed attempt to portray the CJP in a negative light and evidently appears to be a move with a motive; the actual one being unknown.

The movement of the CJP and foolproof security arrangements during such exercise are a

routine matter and the standard operating procedures, already in field, are followed. no extra-ordinary instructions find mention in the letter which talks about a practice already employed.

The sole reason for leaking it seems to be an attempt to undermine and malign the judiciary. The more important reason to observe the confidentiality of such letters is the sensitivity attached to them. The security measures for top officials, including the CJP, are kept confidential so as to keep the security arrangements ‘foolproof’. evidently, it seems, that the executive has made an attempt to portray the CJP in negative light and put him in a defensive position for something that is already a routine matter, irrespective of who the CJP is.

The move made the Supreme Court write a letter clarifying its position. Probably that is what those behind the leak wanted. Such actions are disgraceful and need to be done away with. even the previous governments have made similar attempts to make a particular judge controversial and defame the judiciary altogether. All for the sole reason of not being made to answer for their executive actions.

This isn’t the first time the incumbent government has targeted the judiciary. When CJP Khosa took up the army extension matter, an entire campaign was run against him, a fact which was acknowledged by Mr Justice Khosa himself later on. The Bench was even labelled as traitors and Indian agents through a measured and calculated campaign on social and electronic media.

Further back on, the Qazi Faeez Isa reference is another feather in the government’s cap. Going after the superior judiciary in such a manner is not only detrimental to the judiciary as an institution but, more importantly, damages the reputation of Pakistan in general.

Maligning the judiciary is not going to overshadow its own shortcomings. In fact it would invite a more in-depth review of its actions, to which the government would be unable to respond. It is imperative that the PTI government abandons the practice of going after judges in its own interest, and above all, the nation’s interests.

Syed Kaswar Gardezi is a lawyer and a columnist. He can be contacted at kaswargardezi@gmail.com

India’s economy suffers from intense regional competition India may not realise its ambitions Chan Kung

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nder Prime Minister narendra Modi, India is now more ambitious than ever. However, will such ambitions be implemented smoothly? Will India emerge as the world’s seventh most powerful country, as expected in its Vision 2030– “Let India become the new world’s factory” and the “$5 trillion economy”? From comments and reports, it seems plenty of people believe India can achieve this, but it may not be so because the barriers posed by global overproduction are grossly underestimated, and India’s economic growth is extremely difficult to overcome the huge barriers to regional competition.

The first barrier is a marked slowdown in Indian economic growth. In recent years, India’s growth record has been very good. Since 2014, India’s growth rate has exceeded that China’s, being around 7-8 percent. However, the “India model” that emerged from the “China model” also has major problems. India’s economy has been in significant decline since 2019, with predictions of 5 percent growth in the fiscal ending March, the third consecutive year of slowing growth. With growth of 5.8, 5.0 and 4.5 percent in the first three quarters of 2019, India’s economy has plunged to its lowest level since 2013.

Although some analysts believe India’s economy will rebound to 6.2 percent in fiscal 2021, if it happens, it would fall far short of forecasts.

What makes the India model slightly better than the China model is that it is built on the basis of “production + consumption”, unlike the “China model”, which is basically purely production-oriented. However, this feature has higher requirements for inflation control, as higher prices will seriously affect consumption.

Indian inflation is spiralling out of control.

India’s CPI rose much faster than expected in december 2019, to 7.35 percent from 5.54 percent in november. Indian food prices rose 14.12 percent in december, of which vegetable prices rose 60.5 percent. The CPI rose well above the median of 6.7 percent. It was India’s largest inKarachi – Ph: 021-35381208-9

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crease since July 2014 and the first time since July 2016 that the CPI exceeded the 2-6 percent reserve Bank of India target range. Consumption accounts for about 60 percent of GdP, so rising prices will inevitably lead to layoffs and debt problems. India’s private consumption growth slowed to a five-year low of 3.1 per cent in the third quarter of 2019. The rapid rise in inflation has also limited rBI’s monetary policy effectiveness, suggesting structural problems in the financial sector.

Third, India’s manufacturing sector faces huge challenges. Five years ago, India came up with the slogan “Make in India”, which was an initiative for India to participate in globalization and develop its manufacturing industry with abundant labour resources. Yet the initiative seems to be failing. India’s industrial production growth has fallen to its lowest in a decade. In 2019-20, India’s manufacturing sector was depressed, hitting a 15year low, with industrial growth estimated at 2 percent, down from a low 6.9 percent in 2018-19.

At the same time, annual growth in India’s construction industry was less than 3.2 percent, compared with 8.7 percent earlier, which implies a sharp contraction in the sector.

Fourth come obstacles to the debt and capital environment. In its annual economic report, the IMF stated India was the most indebted of emerging markets, with general government debt 68.1 percent of GdP in fiscal 2019, the highest level in three years. According to the latest rBI data, India’s public debt reached about $1.4 trillion by 2019, but its forex reserves are only about $ 401.776 billion. devaluation would be inevitable if it had not been for Indian exports and forex inflows. devaluation is one of the fundamental flaws in the India model.

India’s development of manufacturing as a latecomer will face a very unfavorable factor. In a world with overproduction, “Made in India” will face not only competition from “Made in China”, but also from the world. Therefore, in a world with overproduction, the advantage of India’s large and young labour force cannot be overestimated. However, then there is the intense competition from across regions.

While India’s economy continues to slide,

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US data showed Asian exports to the USA were up significantly from June 2018 (a month before the trade war began), with Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia all up. In addition to the Pacific rim countries, on the Atlantic side, exports from Mexico soared 12.7 percent. Mexico and Canada, are now the USA’s top two trading partners. Some may think this has to do with the US-China trade war.

Generally speaking, while the world’s leading exporters (supply side) have been affected by the external environment, hampered by the world’s conservatism and rising sentiment, and also suffered a slight slowdown in economic growth, the economic performances of countries around the Pacific rim and the Atlantic, such as Mexico, were still significantly better than India’s.

Therefore, the real challenge for India is intense regional competition. This is also the biggest pitfall of the India model. Today, China’s imports and exports still remain at a relatively high level. China’s trade volume in 2019 was rMB 31.54 trillion (US$ 4.6 trillion), up 3.4 percent over 2018. Production capacity of India’s major competitors has increased dramatically.

Thus the problem of world overproduction will become more serious and competition more intense. India’s growth and its capital-driven model that emphasizes production expansion will inevitably be greatly affected. external factors will have a significant impact on the India model.

It is hard to say whether India will be ride out the crisis and return to high growth soon.

This depends on the policy adjustment of Modi’s government, and also on whether the major importers implement monetary easing and artificially expand demand. In general, the challenges of overproduction are global, and thus inevitably affect India’s ambitions. In addition, estimates of factors like labour, cost, market size and technological progress in India cannot be overestimated. These are variables in the framework of time and regional competition and may not be decisive positive factors. The likelihood that the Indian economy will continue to be affected by external factors to come is high, and it is likely to become a global risk factor rather than a comprehensive and positive market factor.

Chan Kung is a free journalist

Email: editorial@pakistantoday.com.pk

Monday, 3 February, 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

Contaminated drinking water

IMF’s message on financial sector in the 2020s The IMF must part of the solution, not the problem

dr Omer Javed

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eCenTLY, the Managing director (Md) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, gave a speech at the ‘Peterson Institute for International economics’ in Washington on the topic ‘The financial sector in the 2020s: building a more inclusive system in the new decade’, which has some important takeaways.

Foremost, she indicated that ‘If I had to identify a theme at the outset of the new decade it would be increasing uncertainty.’ Here she indicated that inequality remained a ‘particular driver of uncertainty’, where while overall inequality between countries had fallen considerably over the last two decades ‘led by the rise of key emerging markets in Asia’, yet during the same time period, inequality within countries had been rising.

In this regard, she indicated ‘In the United Kingdom, for example, the top 10 percent now control nearly as much wealth as the bottom 50 percent. This situation is mirrored across much of the oeCd [organization for economic Co-operation and development] where income and wealth inequality have reached or are near record highs.’ The IMF has centre-staged the impact of inequality on the economy, and the Md articulated this: ‘We know that excessive inequality hinders growth and hollows out a country’s foundations. It erodes trust within society and institutions. It can fuel populism and political upheaval.’

A strong emphasis by IMF on the importance of inequality for economy, unlike the previously held stance by many multilateral institutions including IMF, of treating inequality as an exogenously determined issue in economies, one to self-resolve under the trickledown process, this indeed is a much-needed change in approach.

Here, it would have been more representative an observation, had she also highlighted a) the rising level of inequality within many emerging and low-income economies in addition to the oeCd countries, b) especially in those countries, which had been prolonged users of IMF resources, and whose financial sector, among other sectors, had undergone IMF structural adjustment programmes– formulated under the neoliberal or Washington-consensus-based influence. This admission– in agreement with

ample research during the last two decades, at with preventing the traditional type of crisis, and least, drawing similar conclusions regarding the handle newer ones, including climate related adverse impacts of IMF programmes on in- shocks.’ Moreover, with regard to the impact of equality, poverty, and growth in recipient coun- a financial crisis on an economy, the Md hightries, including the emphasis of IMF’s related lighted that ‘on average a financial crisis leads to Independent evaluation office (Ieo) that IMF a permanent output loss of 10 percent... Then the should revisit the ideological underpinnings of housing bubble burst in 2007. The subsequent its programmes– would have at least now Global Financial Crisis (GFC) dealt a devastating opened greater scope for shifting the ideological blow to millions across the world and over the long-term worsened inequality. Just one examneoliberal basis of IMF programmes.

The Md very aptly draws the similarity of ple. Today, as a result of the crisis, 1 in 4 young the 1920s’ ‘Gilded Age’ with the present situa- people in europe are at-risk of living in poverty.’

Hence, to bring greater financial stability, tion of inequality, where she highlights ‘In some ways, this troubling trend is reminiscent of the especially one that leads to reduction in inequalearly part of the 20th century– when the twin ity, the Md pointed out that ‘developing forces of technology and integration led to the economies need more finance to give everyone first Gilded Age, the roaring Twenties, and, ul- a chance to succeed. Think of deeper domestic timately, financial disaster.’ Having said that, bond markets that finance a new business or inone big way in which inequality and poverty is vestment opportunities that help people save for retirement.’ driven, and which had not Thirdly, and in a sense any similarity as such with related to the second asthe 1920s, was the chalpect, there should be lenge of climate change. In The private sector and greater financial inclusion, this regard, she pointed, acwhere the Md highlighted cording to World Bank esbanking industry have a ‘research by IMF staff and timates ‘that unless we alter critical role to play here. others shows a strong assothe current climate path an between increasing additional 100 million peoThat is certainly the case ciation access to bank accounts ple may be living in extreme poverty by 2030.’ when it comes to climate and and reducing income inThe data also To address inequality, stability, an area where we equality. shows that while both men the Md highlighted that while the countries mostly will unveil new research in and women gain from inclusion, the largest reduclooked to fiscal policies to the spring. The financial tion in income inequality deal with the issue of inequality, there was little sector can play a crucial role comes when women are given increased access to focus on financial sector policies. In this sense, the in moving the world to net finance. Interestingly, the between acIMF Md’s policy stance is zero carbon emissions and relationship cess to finance and inquite in sync with the broad recommendations of major reach the targets of the Paris equality is consistent across nations with differworks, like one by Thomas Agreement... ent income levels.’

Piketty in his famous CapMoreover, the Md ital in The Twenty-First pointed that ‘Policies to Century. In it, he traces the Build a More Inclusive astronomical way in which the evolution of financialization of the economy System in the next decade – Safer, Stable, has facilitated the already rich small segment of Smarter... There is no substitute for high-quality societies to get even richer– in turn increasing regulation and supervision... Safe growth of fithe gap between rich and not-so-rich/poor over nancial markets requires increasing financial lita small period; the latter groups of people just eracy, so people fully understand what they are did not have much recourse to investments in being offered and what it means for their family.

And this brings me to my second point, building such high-returns-giving financial instruments.

In this regard, she points out ‘our new staff a more stable system... The private sector and research, launched today, shows how a well- banking industry have a critical role to play here. functioning financial sector can create new op- That is certainly the case when it comes to cliportunities for all in the decade ahead. But it also mate and stability, an area where we will unveil shows how a poorly managed financial sector new research in the spring. The financial sector can amplify inequality.’ Moreover, she pointed can play a crucial role in moving the world to net out that there were three ways in which financial zero carbon emissions and reach the targets of sector impacted inequality; firstly, ‘there is a the Paris Agreement... my third and final point, point at which financial deepening is associated create a smarter system. Broadening financial acwith exacerbated inequality and less inclusive cess to low-incomes households and small busigrowth. Many factors drive inequality –corrup- nesses is one of the most effective ways to reduce tion, regressive taxes, intergenerational wealth – inequality. But too much too fast can backfire.’ but the connection between excessive financial Omer Javed holds Phd in Economics deepening and inequality holds across countries.’

Secondly, lack of financial stability led to degree from the university of barcelona, and greater levels of inequality, where going into the previously worked at international Monetary 2020s, ‘the financial sector will have to grapple Fund. He tweets @omerjaved

GUJrAnWALA the fifth most populous city of Pakistan is deprived of clean drinking water. Industrialization, urbanization, and rapid population growth have placed huge stress on water resources. The people are forced to use contaminated water for drinking purposes which is affecting their health adversely. Gujranwala is an important industrial city and due to rapid industrialization, drinking water quality is deteriorating day by day. The primary source of contamination is the disposal of toxic chemicals from industrial effluents into the canal polluting the underground water sources. The secondary source of water pollution is the sewerage which is extensively discharged into drinking water system supplies. The use of pesticides and fertilizers to increase the agriculture productivity is also deteriorating the drinking water quality. This water contamination is causing several water borne diseases. The need of the hour is to take immediate protective measures to prevent the unhygienic conditions of drinking water supplies in Gujranwala. The wastewater treatment plants should be installed to treat industrial effluents before the final disposal into water bodies.

The environment Protection Agency should also take strict action against the industries disposing off industrial waste into water streams without proper treatment.

SaFia M Gujranwala

Rising suicide rates In Pakistan 15 to 35 people take their life every day. Stress, financial issues, relationship problems such as breakups, or bullying are some of the major reasons of sucide and rural areas are the most affected where people are less educated and have less awareness.

In urban areas we often see news of sucide and most of them are students who have been victim of bullying, fail to get good marks or admission in a desired institution. We have to take this burning issue seriously ,suicides are preventable on both societal and individual level, the main issue with the students who attempted suicide was that they didn’t have anyone to share their problems. Parents should be frank enough with their kids so they don’t hesitate sharing their issues. They should frequently check if their kids are facing any issue or are in stress and they should work to reduce the communication gap.

MuHaMMad HaSSan aMin islamabad

Geriatric care ‘’nobody on earth can ever love you more than your parents’’.

In Pakistan, parents are considered as next to God. Here people respect their parents so much that they consider it as a sin to disobey their parents. Pakistani parents expect their children to look after them in old age. When their son gets married, they are overjoyed by the arrival of daughter in law, feeling more secure and comfortable. Most of the Pakistani families respect their parents and take good care of them but unfortunately there are people who treat their parents as liabilities and making them feel neglected. of course, there are rare cases when parents themselves prefer the privacy of old age homes but in the majority of cases, it is the cold attitude of children that forces parents to move to old age homes. There is an unnecessary race for more and more money and luxuries which is intoxicating and shattering the Family System. The children think they are doing nothing wrong to keep parents in the elderly house that’s why demand for more old homes is increasing “our society’s moral and religious values of taking care of old people are fading away and sooner or later it is feared that it may have moral breakdown and we too lose our great family system like West, In our society, the twilight years are generally considered to be spent in prayer. one often hears the adage “Yeh to Allah Allah karney ke din hain”, implying the elderly are only counting down their days. Such comments about thinking and feeling individuals who can still contribute much to society should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Meanwhile, society itself needs to give serious thought to taking care of the needs of an elderly population who have given the best years of their lives contributing to it. aiMan aMJad islamabad

Too many people?

PoPULATIon is the main issue being faced by the world, especially in third world countries. The current world's population is about 7.7 billion and increasing at a higher pace. due to high rate of population the world's issues like climate change, instability, terrorism, corruption, shortage of water are growing in day by day. It is important to note that Pakistan is one of the affected countries of growing population, the current population of Pakistan is nearly 210 million. It is expected that the population of Pakistan can cross 300 million by 2050 which is an alarming situation for Pakistan. due to the high increase of population, Pakistan is facing serious challenges like shortage of water, electricity, jobs infrastructure, public transportation, health, education and so on. Family planning is an issue where Pakistan is not concerned. It is the responsibility of the government to implement new laws for controlling the population and there should be some strict rules for family planning. Population is the root of every destruction in the country.

SaMEEn abid Turbat

Monday, 3 February, 2020

10 FOREIGN NEWS

chIneSe cenTrAl bAnk To PUMP $173bn To econoMy In vIrUS booST BEIJING

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AGENCIES

HINA’S central bank said Sunday it would pump 1.2 trillion yuan ($173 b) into the economy as it ramps up support for a nationwide fight against a deadly virus that is expected to hit growth.

The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement it would launch a 1.2 trillion yuan reverse repurchase operation on Monday to maintain “reasonable and abundant liquidity” in the banking system, as well as a stable currency market, during the epidemic.

It added that the overall liquidity of the banking system would be 900 billion yuan ($129 bln) more than in the same period last year.

The move will kick in the day that

China’s financial markets reopen, follow-

ing an extended Spring Festival break.

The virus has now infected over 14,000 people in China and claimed over 300 lives. On Saturday, the PBOC also announced a range of measures to step up monetary and credit support to enterprises which are helping in its fight against the virus epidemic, such as medical companies.

China’s central bank urged financial institutions to provide “sufficient credit resources” to hospitals and other medical organisations, among other measures.

The move to inject liquidity into its financial system comes as the virus threatens to take a toll on an already slowing economy.

China saw economic growth of 6.1 per cent last year, the slowest in around three decades. Analysts are warning this could weaken further if the spread of the SARS-like virus goes on for an extended period.

Sovereignty comes first: Britain lays out tough stance for EU trade talks Uber suspends 240 users accounts over possible virus contact MEXICO CITY: uber has suspended the accounts of 240 users in Mexico who may have been in contact with drivers that ferried a person suspected of having the deadly coronavirus. More than 300 people have died from the novel coronavirus in mainland China and although more than 100 people have been infected outside the country, Mexico has not reported a confirmed case.

The ride-hailing app said Mexico City health authorities requested information in January on a possible carrier of coronavirus, with uber finding two drivers who transported the suspected individual before driving a further 240 people. “We have proceeded to send information to these two drivers and the 240 users regarding the temporary deactivation of their accounts,” the company said in a statement posted on Twitter. Mexico’s Ministry of Health said it continues to monitor people who may have had contact with the possible coronavirus carrier identified as a tourist of Chinese origin who subsequently left the country. “Of the contacts identified so far, none have developed symptoms of the disease more than 10 days after exposure, which exceeds the average incubation time,” AGENCIES

LONDON AGENCIES

Britain laid out a tough opening stance for future talks with the European union on Sunday, saying it would set its own agenda rather than meeting the bloc’s rules to ensure frictionless trade. After officially leaving the Eu on Friday, Britain now must negotiate future trade relations with the bloc, to take effect when a standstill transition period expires at the end of the year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has been quick vto send Brussels a message before trade talks begin in March: Brexit, for him, means sovereignty trumps the economy. The Eu has repeatedly told Britain the level of access to its lucrative single market will depend on how far London agrees to adhere to a “level playing field” — shorthand for rules on environmental standards, labour regulations and state aid.

But despite the appeals of many businesses for the government to ensure goods can trade across borders freely, ministers have been briefing companies that they should adjust to a new future when Britain will not adhere to Eu rules. Johnson, according to sources close to him, has taken last year’s election, which

handed him a large majority in parliament, as approval for his policy of putting Britain’s right to set its own rules above the demands of businesses. He will outline that approach in a speech on Monday. “We are taking back control of our laws, so we are not going to have high alignment with the Eu, legislative alignment with their rules,” foreign minister Dominic Raab told Sky News. “But we’ll want to cooperate and we expect the Eu to follow through on their commitment to a Canada-style free trade agreement.” After more than three years of often tortuous talks, Johnson wants to draw a line under what has been an angry debate that has deepened divides across the country. His aim is a trade deal allowing for tariff- and quota-free trade in goods, similar to the terms the bloc now has in place with Canada. Asked whether the govern-

ment expected businesses to have to prepare for new checks on goods at the border, Raab said: “The agreement that we made with the Eu was to avoid all of that, and I am sure they will want to live up to the undertakings they have made just as we’d expect to do the same.” Late on Saturday, a government source said if the Eu would not offer a Canadastyle trade deal, London would instead pursue a looser trade agreement, similar to the bloc’s ties with Australia. “There are only two likely outcomes in negotiation – a free trade deal like Canada or a looser arrangement like Australia – and we are happy to pursue both,” the source said. The Eu says it will not seal a trade deal with a large, economically powerful neighbour without solid provisions to guarantee fair competition. Some European leaders fear Johnson could try to undercut Eu businesses by loosening regulatory standards, something he has promised not to do.

“If Great Britain wants to establish outside the European union a sort of ‘Singapore-on-Thames’, we would be against it,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a joint interview with broadcasters LCI and RTL and Le Figaro newspaper.

Miners face funding squeeze as green investment surges CAPE TOWN AGENCIES

As global investors shift away from heavy industry in favor of cleaner sectors, mining companies are losing billions in financing, raising the cost of capital and jeopardizing projects. Making the mining industry more sustainable by running mines on renewable energy, for example, will be a key focus at the annual Investing in African Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town this week, as companies hunt for new sources of capital including private equity, debt, offtake finance and royalty finance. Environmental, social & governance (ESG) concerns have driven money into specialized ESG funds which often exclude mining stocks among other ‘dirty’ assets. “You talk to anyone at the moment, they say there’s no money,” said Boris Kamstra, executive director of Alphamin Resources, which manages the Bisie tin project in Democratic Republic of Congo. The capital squeeze that started about two years ago has worsened recently, said Julian Treger, CEO of Anglo Pacific Group, a mining royalty and streaming company. The average cost of capital for early-stage mining projects rose by two percentage points over the past two years, he estimates. “Even for companies that have good projects it’s very difficult for them to raise any money in these markets,” said Caroline Donally, managing director at private equity firm Denham Capital, in Houston. “Previous investors who would provide equity appear to have withdrawn. A number of specialist funds have shut up shop, and generalists aren’t investing in commodities anymore,” said Donally, who will be attending Mining Indaba, the world’s biggest mining investment conference, which takes place Feb. 3-6.

Cannabis stocks and cryptocurrencies are among alternative assets that are luring retail investors away from miners.

Mining-specific private equity funds raised $0.3 billion in 2019, a fifth of the amount raised in 2009, and just barely more than the $0.2 billion raised in 2014 during a global commodity crash, data from Preqin shows.

COAL PROJECTS FLOUNDER Coal miners – especially those extracting thermal coal, burnt to produce electricity – are bearing the brunt of the sustainable investing trend. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund divested from all fossil fuel last year, and the world’s biggest asset manager Blackrock said on Jan. 14 it would sell active holdings in companies generating more than 25% of revenues from thermal coal. “If you’re a small coal explorer, I don’t think you stand much of a chance of raising any money at all,” said Fred White, associate director at Medea Capital Partners in London.

US Democrats make final pitches ahead of Iowa showdown

IOWA AGENCIES

Democratic candidates bolt Sunday across Iowa, where no handshake or pit stop is too insignificant one day ahead of the state’s presidential nominating process, which is the first in the nation.

Iowa has traditionally served as a vital launching point — or burial ground — for presidential campaigns.

However, Monday’s crunch vote has created an air of suspense, with no clear frontrunner.Leftist senator Bernie

Sanders holds only a narrow lead over former vice president Joe Biden, among the field of several candidates feverishly criss-crossing the rural state.

Three of the leading candidates seized on a brief break from their duties as jurors in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in Washington to rush to Iowa for a flurry of lastminute events.

The senators — the self-styled democratic socialist Sanders, progressive Elizabeth Warren and moderate Amy Klobuchar — each held a handful of

events Saturday.

The impeachment trial — only the third in uS history — created an unprecedented situation by limiting the senators’ ability to campaign in Iowa in the closing days before the state’s presidential caucuses.

Sanders, Warren and Klobuchar have to return to Washington on Monday, along with Senator Michael Bennet who trails badly in the polls, for the trial’s resumption. Senate leaders have scheduled a vote for Wednesday that appears virtually certain to end in Trump’s acquittal on the impeachment charges of abuse of power and contempt of Congress.

IT ALL BEGINS: Eight of the 11 Democrats still in the race were in Iowa on Saturday. A good result can propel a candidate to new victories in the states that follow, starting with tiny New Hampshire eight days later. A poor showing can signal the end. Sanders, at 78 the oldest Democratic candidate, has seen his candidacy buoyed by enthusiastic support among young voters. His staff organized concerts at his weekend rallies with indie groups Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend, who also performed at his events four years ago.

“We must defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of Amer-

CMYK

ica” the Vermont senator told a crowd of several thousand in Cedar Rapids.

“Monday night in Iowa it all begins” he said. Monday evening, at 7:00 pm (01H00 GMT Tuesday), the state’s more than 600,000 registered Democrats are invited to take part in caucuses at about 1,700 venues — schools, theaters, churches — to publicly express their choice by standing under one candidate’s banner.

THE BEST AGAINST TRUMP: Just as in every presidential year, thousands of volunteers fanned out across the Midwestern farm state of just over three million inhabitants to try to convince neighbors or passers-by to vote for their favorite. At this late date, nearly one Iowa voter in two claimed to still be undecided.

In a home in Iowa City that Warren supporters were using as a base, people streamed in and out, looking for more posters to put up on lamp posts or in yards, or for lists of doors that still needed to be knocked on. “We are trying to get around the state as much as we can,” Warren told a rally of nearly 1,000 at a high school in Iowa City, adding that the Democratic Party’s job is “to come together to beat Donald Trump.” If one thing unifies the Democrats, it’s that desire to defeat Trump, state Democratic chairman Troy Price told AFP.

That is the number one argument being made by Biden, former vice president to Barack Obama.

“We need a president who is ready on Day One,” the 77-year-old political veteran has been saying throughout his campaign.

Biden leads in nationwide surveys but trails Sanders in the latest Iowa polling.

NEW FACES: Iowans take their politics seriously. They take their role as first-inthe-nation voters to heart, and often, even in the smallest cities, have the chance to meet candidates in person. Their pick has a recent historical track record of going on to become the Democratic Party nominee. Like Biden, 38-year-old Pete Buttigieg took advantage of the absence of rivals stuck in the Senate to lay on a heavy schedule of campaigning. A former consultant, army reservist and onetime mayor of a small Indiana city, “Mayor Pete” portrays his youth as a reason voters should prefer him over the graying Biden. As for Sanders, his politics are too divisive, Buttigieg implies. His is not the only new face to emerge during the campaign. Klobuchar, 59, a previously littleknown senator, has climbed slowly but steadily in voter polls. She is hoping for a surprise on Monday, boosted in part by the fact that her home state, Minnesota, borders Iowa.

Monday, 3 February, 2020

Govt BoRRoWed Rs4.11tR to FInance BudGet deFIcIt, claRIFIes MInIstRy ISLAMABAD

c

STAFF REPORT

HALLENGING the media reports of Rs11.61 million borrowings, the federal government on Sunday clarified that it had borrowed only Rs4.11 trillion in the last 15 months to finance budget deficit.

According to a news release issued by the Ministry of Finance, the figure has been released as per the Finance Division’s policy to lay before the National Assembly the Debt Policy Statement and Fiscal Policy Statement every year to fulfil the requirements laid out under Section 6 and 7 of the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act 2005.

The recent statement cover the 15month period including FY2018-19 and first quarter of FY20 and contain all factual information with respect to debt and fiscal performance over the stated period.

The figure of increase under the Total Debt and Liabilities by Rs11.61 trillion being reported in the media

needs to be properly interpreted, the release says and addsthe government had borrowed only Rs 4.11 trillion to finance its budget deficit.

The figure of Total Debt and Liabilities consists of five components that are Total Public Debt, Public Sector Entities’ (PSE) Debt, Debt for Commodity Operations, Foreign Exchange Liabilities of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and Private Sector’s External Debt.

Out of total increase of Rs11.61 trillion under the Total Debt and Liabilities during Jul 2018 - Sep 2019, Rs3.54 trillion (31pc of the increase) is due to currency depreciation which is a consequence of the misplaced exchange-rate, industrial, and trade policies of the previous government that led to large and unsustainable current account deficits and ultimately to sharp exchange rate adjustment.

An amount of Rs3.13 trillion (27pc of the increase) is on account of cash balances and the SBP’s foreign exchange liabilities. It should not be interpreted as Debt because it is offset by cash balances of government and liquid assets of SBP, the MoF clarifies.

The release further says Rs4.11 trillion (35pc of the increase) has been borrowed for financing of fiscal deficit, Rs 0.47 trillion (4pc of the increase) has been borrowed by PSEs for spending on their financing needs; while Rs0.08 trillion (-1pc of the increase) has been retired on account of commodity operations which is a welcome development.

Similarly, Rs 0.25 trillion (2pc of the increase) is due to accounting adjustment and difference in realized value and face value of long-term bonds issued during this period.

Am amount of Rs0.18 trillion (2pc of the increase) has been borrowed by private sector from external sources which is a healthy sign, indicating private sector’s capacity to borrow from abroad for domestic investments, the MoF concludes.

US, China and UK top three destinations for Pakistani exports: SBP

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on Sunday dismissed seven customs officials from service over their alleged involvement in wheat smuggling in the backdrop of wheat shortage and unbridled flour prices across the country.Among the sacked officials are four collectors, additional collectors and deputy commissioners who were part of the Torkham and ChamanCustoms operations, the sources told INP. Officials were found involved in smuggling and fabricating concession certificates to allow undue tax and duty exemptions.

Meanwhile, FBR has written to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to carry out further investigations into the scam so as to bring to light all those involved in the scandal. PM Imran Khan had formed a probe body to look into the wheat scarcity in the country. Headed by Federal Investigative Bureau (FIA) Director General Wajid Zia, the threemember committee comprises a member from the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB). The committee has been tasked to determine those responsible for creating the crisis and suggest possible measures to be taken against the culprits.

The committee is also required to give its suggestions on wheat stocking and future plans of handling the produce. INP

NEWS DESK

APP

under review.

Similarly, the exports to Belgium during the current financial year were recorded at $266.187 million against $301.740 million while the exports to France stood at $222.013 million against $228.707 million.

Pakistan’s exports to Singapore were recorded at $117.594 million during the current financial year compared to $130.160 million last year, whereas, the

Wheat crisis: FBR sacks seven customs officials involved in smuggling

IMF delegation reaches Pakistan to discuss third tranche

ISLAMABAD The United States (US) remained the top export destination for Pakistani products during first half of the current financial year 2019-20, followed by China and United Kingdom (UK).

Total exports to the US during July-December FY20 were recorded at $2074.168 million against the exports of $2018.797 million during July-December FY19, showing a 2.74 per cent increase, according to a data of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

This was followed by China where Pakistan exported goods worth $ 936.858 million in the period under review against the exports of $ 889.642 million in FY19, posting an increase of 5.30pc.

UK was the third top export destination where Pakistan exported products worth $863.347 million in the current financial year as compared to the exports of $895.074 million during the last fiscal year, showing a 3.54pc decrease, the central bank’s data revealed.

Among other countries, Pakistani exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stood at $ 827.731 million in first half of FY20 against the exports of $8.221 million in the corresponding period of FY19, showing an increase of 29.69pc.

The exports to Germany were recorded at $670.833 million during the period under review against $647.285 million last year.

During the first half of the current fiscal year, the exports to Afghanistan were recorded at $543.159 million against $ 534.654 million whereas the exports to Spain stood at $ 445.086 million against $ 448.162 million.

Pakistan’s exports to Italy were recorded at $ 386.969 million against $379.409 million last year, whereas the exports to Bangladesh stood at $ 369.313 million against US $ 378.193 million during the period

BUSINESS 11

exports to Canada stood at $143.424million against $148.368 million during the period under view.

Pakistan exported goods worth $243.213 to Saudi Arabia during first half of FY20 against $ 151.389 million exports in the corresponding period of last fiscal year. The exports to India stood at $16.878 million during the financial year against $213.655 million in the corresponding period of last year.

A delegation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached Islamabad on Sunday to hold talks with the Pakistani side over the release of the third tranche of loan. According to IMF’s Resident Representative for Pakistan Teresa Daban, the delegation would initiate dialogue over the second review in connection with the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) loan programme from Monday and continue meetings with the government representatives till February 13. Daban confirmed the review delegation would issue its report at the conclusion of its visit. The IMF delegation would hold a quarterly review of Pakistan's economy besides the performance of different ministries and departments. The energy and tax reforms would also come under review. In December 2019, the global money lender said Pakistan’s programme was on track and had begun to bear fruit, but warned of certain risks. The IMF’s statement came after it approved second tranche of $452 million under the $6 billion EFF for Pakistan. The IMF’s Executive Board on July 3, 2019 had approved a three-year bailout package worth $6 billion to Pakistan. Pakistan had received the first tranche of loan of $991.4 million from the fund soon after the agreement. Following the Executive Board’s decision, First Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair David Lipton, in a statement, said the country’s EFF programme was on track and had started to deliver, but he also warned about some risks involving macroeconomic stability.

Pakistan, Afghanistan not exploiting trade potential despite 24-hour border opening PESHAWAR AZIZ BUNERI

The efforts by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government to shore up falling exports withtheneighbouring country Afghanistan aren’t working in its real spirit.

“The situation has not improved significantly despite opening of round-the-clock operations at the Torkham border last September to boost bilateral and transit trade,” Frontier Custom Clearance President ZiaulHaq said on Sunday.

Talking to Pakistan Today, he said apart from increasing the numbers of staffers of different departments and installing other facilities at the border the trade between the two countries didn’t improve visibly.

The exports had witnessed a minor increase in the last fiscal year asaccording to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Pakistani exports to Afghanistan were Rs128 billion in FY19 as com-

pared tothe exports of Rs122 billion in FY18.

However, the share of Pakistani exports with landlocked Afghanistan had dropped from seven to six percent, PBS statistics further say.

The traders and businessmen believe that political tension, poor border management, extortion fees, strict security checking system and trust deficit between theneighbouring countries are not benefitting the economy of either country.

According to ZiaulHaqthe trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been adversely affected due to poor border management at both sides,leavingtrade and transit volume reduced from $2.5 billion to $55 million.

Justifying his argument, Zia said up to 2,000 trucks were crossing border everyday but due to lack of facilities on the other side of the border and itsclosing in nights usually left the trucks awaiting for days to clear.

He said the exports had not improveddespite round-the-clock opening of the Pak-Afghan border.

Zia said Rs50,000 to Rs70,000 were charged froma single truck at the border, adding the clearance agentshad reservations over handing over the matter of checking transporters to the National Logistics Company (NLC) instead of the Customs department that led to time wastage.

The restoration of peace and writ of the government in the recently merged districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)-that shares more than 20 former and traditional cross points with Afghanistan- had produced a great opportunity of mutual trade and with other regional countries, he added.

Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Senior Vice President Shahid Hussain saidto overcome the challenges both the countries needed to revise the Afghanistan and Pakistan Transit and Trade Agreement (APTTA)2010 as it carried certain

flows.

He said after ending the Indian subsidy for Afghanistan and CPEC projects, Pakistan would again become hub for Afghanistan.

Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yu Jung, at a seminar on Pak-China Economic Transit project held at the University of Peshawar a month ago, had said China was trying to expand the project and build a railway track from Pakistan to Jalalabad.

The 24-hour opening of Pak-Afghan border was part of a comprehensive plan under which Peshawar would become a major trading area for regional trade, the ambassador added.

Experts believe if both countries address the issues of poor border management, extortion fees, strict security checking system and slow clearness of goods, the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan has great potential to increase up to $5billion.

Monday, 3 February, 2020

12 BUSINESS

oGRa MeMBeR Gas ‘delays’ BRInGInG lPG BoWseRs In tax net ISLAMABAD

I

AHMAD AHMADANI

NSTEAD of brining approximately 1,500 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) bowsers in the tax net, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA)’s Member Gas has allegedly held in abeyance the directive of the Deputy Executive Director to all companies regarding obtaining license for each bowser.

OGRA’s Deputy Executive Director LPG Aziz Ullah Khan, through a letter(dated January 1, 2020)had directed all LPG bowser companies to apply to the Authority within 15 days to obtain a license for each of their bowser (s).

“The companies that will not apply within the stipulated time frame may not be able to uplift/transport/decant LPG within the country,” the directive read.

As per section 23 (2) (d) of the OGRA Ordinance 2002, and Rule 2 (sa), Rule 3, Rule 5 of LPG (Production and Distribution) Rules 2001, the LPG transportation is a regulated activity and requires a license from OGRA. However, the OGRA Member Gas while setting aside the directions of the DED LPG through a letter (dated January 10) just asked all LPG companies and concerned stakeholders to ensure that LPG bowsers used for transportation be fit for the purpose having valid CIE licenses, fitness certificate from the relevant RTAs (Road Transport Authority) and comprehensive product and third party insurance to ensure the safety of operations and mitigation of third party risk.

“The Authority is considering streamlining LPG bowser licensing regime, which is likely to take some time. The country/industry and its economy cannot

afford to suspend LPG, shutdown LPG supplies to the market and suspend LPG production from oil fields/refineries/LPG terminals. “In view thereof, OGRA’s above mentioned letters are held in abeyance,” the letter further stated.

Earlier, in another letter (dated October 29, 2019) issued to all LPG marketing companies, all LPG producers, LPG terminals, LPG air mix plants and LPG auto refueling stations were advised to get licence as the services of un-licensed LPG bowsers should not be hired by any company.

A former OGRA official, seeking anonymity, told this scribe that the LPG bowser license was a regulated activity under OGRA Ordinance 2002 and LPG (Production and Distribution) rules 2001.

He said around 1,500 LPG bowsers were operating in the country and licensing fee of each LPG bowser defined in the LPG Rules 2001 was Rs25,000 besides

processing charges.

The official said total processing charges for obtaining license of 1,500 LPG bowsers should be around Rs15 million, alleging the Member Gas had so far caused revenue loss of approximately Rs50 million by not bringing owners/companies of LPG bowsers in the tax net. He added the LPG companies were not willing to obtain LPG bowser license because of tax while the OGRA’s license procedures were strict with reference to ensuring safety.

When contacted, OGRA spokesperson Imran Ghaznavi said although the authority in its regulatory meeting No 19 of 2019 had decided to go for individual LPG bowser licensing, however the Mem-

Egyptian company investing $500m in Pakistan’s energy sector, says envoy ISLAMABAD APP

Egypt’s Ambassador to Pakistan Ahmed Fadel Yacoub on Sunday said Egyptian company El Sewedy Electric had expressed its intention of investing $500 million in Pakistan’s energy sector and had already completed the feasibility study in this regard.

“It is one of the largest Egyptian companies that has investment in many countries,” he said, adding there was a huge potential for trade and investment between the two countries. “We encourage business associations in Pakistan, especially the chambers of commerce, to organize business trips to Egypt. The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce already intends to send a delegation to Egypt during the next few weeks,” the Egyptian envoy said in an interview with Arab News.

Yacoub said any business between the two countries or their private sector companies was always supported by his embassy.

He added that it could either be a joint venture or an initiative taken by

individual companies. Either way, he noted, it benefited the people of the two countries, making his diplomatic mission work diligently to enhance bilateral investment between Pakistan and Egypt.

About the bilateral ties between Pakistan and Egypt, the ambassador said the relations between both countries were good and gaining strength with each passing day. He maintained that both sides had al-

ways cooperated in diverse fields, adding that two very important business delegations from Egypt had recently visited Pakistan to explore investment opportunities.

“We received two very important business delegations from Egypt recently which included representatives of many big companies. One of them was an Egyptian billionaire, NaguibSawiris, who has already invested in Pakistan but wanted to dis-

cuss new investment projects with relevant authorities,” he said.

The Ambassador said Pakistanis were welcome to visit Egypt for any purpose, including tourism, business, and study. Yacoub said his country took great pride in hosting tourists from across the world, adding that the embassy issued more than 4,000 visas to Pakistani citizens in 2019.

“Last year, we issued over 4,000 visas to ordinary Pakistanis, most of them for tourism. The number excludes official visas or travel permits issued to diplomats and members of various delegations,” he continued.

The ambassador informed that a group of 83 Pakistanis left for Egypt last week after securing tourist visas.

This, he maintained, was a standard practice since the embassy regularly received applications from large groups of Pakistanis seeking to visit the Arab state for different purposes.

“There are many people who want to visit Egypt’s cultural sites since the country has a rich and diverse history. It has its Islamic heritage, ancient history and modern beaches,” he concluded.

The business community on Sunday expressed their serious concern for not passing on full relief to the public of oil prices’ cut in global market, despite the fact that Pakistan has been receiving monthly oil supplies worth $275 million from Saudi Arabia on deferred payment.

Pakistan Industrial and Traders Associations Front (PIAF) chairman Mian Nauman Kabir, in a joint statement along with senior vice chairman Nasir Hameed and vice chairman Javed Iqbal, said that the global oil prices have posted their largest monthly loss since May 2019, as fears of the Coronavirus continue to rise. The 15 percent price decline is also the worst January performance since 1991, according to Bloomberg.

He said that international oil prices during last month of January fell to a three-month low, and U.S. benchmark crude is on track to suffer a loss of more than 12% in January as coronavirus intensifies the impact of seasonal weakness in the market, raising prospects for lower fuel prices. He said that the oil industry experts are predicting that the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil may drop under $50, which would bring prices to their

lowest level since January 2019.

But contrary to the global oil market prices the OGRA’s calculations are wrong, recommending nominal cut in petrol rates for Feb, which was rejected by the government too, keeping the rates unchanged for petrol. It is to be noted that the authorities have decided to keep the price of petrol unchanged at Rs116.60 per litre for the month of February.

PIAF Chairman lamented that the government had also kept petroleum product prices unchanged for October 2019, though the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had recommended a reduction of up to 2.6%. The government at that time tried to justify the decision of not passing price relief on to consumers owing to increasing trend in the international market, predicting that the prices may remain on the higher side in future.

PIAF senior vice chairman Nasir Hameed criticized the government for not announcing drop in oil prices for the month of Feb, asking the authorities to announce a visible reduction to make it in line with the international prices.

PIAF vice chairman Javed Iqbal said that unwise approach of the government has caused exorbitant hike in production cost putting highly

china moves to limit short selling as virus looms over market reopening BEIJING: China has taken steps to limit shortselling activities as the country’s financial markets prepare to reopen on Monday amid an outbreak of a new coronavirus, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The sources said China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) had issued a verbal directive to brokerages including Citic Securities Co. and China International Capital Corp. to bar their clients from selling borrowed stocks on Feb. 3. It was not clear if the suspension — which was first reported on Sunday by Chinese media outlet 21st Century Business Herald — would be extended beyond Monday, one of the sources said. In an internal memo sent to its branches, Citic called the move a “political task” aimed at helping stabilize the market on the first trading day of the stock market in the Lunar New Year of Rat as the coronavirus outbreak unsettles global markets. Investors are bracing for a volatile session in Chinese markets when onshore trades resume on Monday after a break for the Lunar New Year which was extended by the government.

China’s policy makers have taken various of measures to protect the financial system from the fallout due to the outbreak. The central bank said it will inject 1.2 trillion yuan ($174 billion) worth of liquidity into the markets via reverse repo operations on Monday. The CSRC is also considering launching hedging tools for the A-share market to help alleviate market panic and will suspend evening sessions of futures trading starting from Monday, it said. AGENCIES

Hong Kong’s economy to see more weakness due to virus outbreak

‘Govt not passing on full relief of declining oil prices to public’ NEWS DESK

ber Gas while taking cognizance of LPG crisis had given time to the industry until revised licensing mechanism was in place.

He said the Authority was in the process of reviewing unnecessary documentation, third party inspections, and duplication of licensing to ease the process of LPG bowser licensing without compromising the safety of public and property.

The spokesperson further said the Authority had so far issued three licenses to two LPG marketing companies for their LPG bowsers and received Rs300,00 on account of license fee.

As per Rules 2001, an amount of Rs25,000 is charged for license renewal fee for a bowser, he said.

negative impact on the growth of industrial activities and exports. He said that apart from heavy GST, people were paying record high petroleum levy, which was totally unjustified.

He said Pakistan’s heavy reliance on furnace oil for power generation has made power tariffs in Pakistan for industry and consumers one of the highest in the region and it was right time that government should make decent reduction in petroleum prices that will bring down manufacturing cost, facilitate better growth of business activities and ease lot of pressure on the common man. He said government has imposed heavy taxes on POL products due to which cost of doing business in the country has gone up manifold and people were also facing many problems.

HONG KONG: The risk of further contraction in the Hong Kong economy, which was buffeted by anti-government protests last year, has increased due to the coronavirus epidemic, Financial Secretary Paul Chan on Sunday. “As it (the economy) enters 2020, it has not shaken off the risk of continued decline, but has encountered the threat of a new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic, which will definitely cause a double blow to the economy,” Chan said in a blog post. “It is estimated that the epidemic situation will greatly increase the risk of continued economic contraction this year, and this will also affect the reduction of government revenue and increase in expenditure.”

Hong Kong sank into recession for the first time in a decade in the third quarter as political protests plunged the city into its worst crisis since it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Chan said catering, retail, tourism and consumer sectors, which have been hit in the last six months, would “fall into a deeper winter,”. The government will continue to monitor closely to ensure the financial stability of Hong Kong, he added. A total of 304 people have died in China, the country’s National Health Commission said on Sunday. Infections in China jumped to 14,380 as of Saturday. Authorities have announced 15 confirmed infections in Hong Kong but no deaths. AGENCIES

Try These roofTop resTauranTs Before The WinTer says goodBye

Taha Hussain releases his third song, DASTAAN

While the winter season is still here, we want you to make the most out of it. Because of the lovely weather in Lahore currently, everyone prefers restaurants with outdoors and rooftops but unfortunately, there are very few restaurants in Lahore with great ambiance. To make your winters more happening and full of great experiences, we have made a list of these rooftop restaurants that you can try before the winter season officially ends. By Rohama Riaz

OTUS ROOFTOP

HAVELI RESTAURANT

PENTHOUSE

Fine floral arrangement, dim lights, cozy atmosphere and music; all these elements define a perfect winter night with your friends and family.

Otus has always grabbed our attention for its mind-blowing decor and beautiful ambiance.

With great food and great service, the experience becomes even more luxurious.

After the controversial news about Cooco’s Den, Haveli is now a “go-to” place for desi food lovers. This place in the new food street area has always been a delightful experience with an eyecatching view from the top. Having a crystal clear view of Badshahi Mosque at the back, with fairy lights surrounding the rooftop, you are definitely going to love this place to celebrate the frosty weather this season.

This newly opened eatery at Mall 1 among all the famous restaurants piqued our curiosity and we absolutely loved this place for its modernised decor and warm ambiance. Knowing the fact that there are very few rooftop restaurants in Lahore, Penthouse is soon going to be a part of your favorite restaurants’ list.

SWEETTOOTH HEERAMANDI

HOLLYWOOD BOLLYWOOD

Sweettooth is always on top when it comes to yummy desserts. We love this place for its eccentric aura and quirky look and decor. From the top, you can see the beautiful buildings of Old Lahore. Its vibrant semblance and funky art spreading through the walls of this restaurant make it stand out from the rest of the places in the food street.

MONAL RESTUARANT For those who cannot visit Islamabad quite often, Lahore brings everything in your own vicinity. To soothe your desi taste buds, Monal is a perfect pick for a great evening. A wonderful glimpse of Lahore from the top only adds to the experience while dining at Monal.

Christopher McQuarrie Says 'Never Ever Again' About Superman

Fast and Furious 9 Trailer Brings On John Cena, Han Returns

Mission Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie says he will never ever again ask Warner Bros. about doing a Superman movie.

Friday on social media saw McQuarrie, the acclaimed producer, director, and an Academy Award-winning writer, respond to fan on Twitter who mentioned: "Sure would love a Superman movie from you."

Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld chimed in: "Shame on Warner Bros."

McQuarrie responded: "They have their own problems and I sympathize. Deeply. But after 25 years of hearing no, even an idiot like me gets the message. I go where I’m valued."

A fan then tweeted in response, "Nooooo...!" which saw McQuarrie reply: "You misspelled 'never.' And let me add: ever."Another fan also questioned, "What if they ask you?"

"They won’t," replied McQuarrie.

As we saw in Crisis and with Joker, maybe there is room for more than one Man of Steel on the big screen?

The new Fast and Furious 9 trailer has been released featuring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena and the surprise return of Sung Kang as Han who died in Tokyo Drift.

The footage includes Dom and Letty raising their son Brian, named after the character played by the late Paul Walker, where Dom says things have changed while being a father, but Letty gives young Brian the Fast & Furious necklace with a warning of things to come.

The warning of things to come is WWE Superstar turned actor John Cena, who plays the villain of the movie and Dom's brother, Jacob, described as “a master thief, assassin, high-performance driver.”

Fast and Furious 9 gets released May 22, 2020 directed

by Justin Lin also starring Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Cardi B, UFC star Francis Ngannou, and Michael Rooker.

CMYK

After the critical success of the release of his songs Jee Lunga and Bewafa to much acclaim, one of Pakistan’s most exciting young musician Taha Hussain has released his third song, ‘DASTAAN’ from the album, Ibtida.

DASTAAN is a pop-rock song that expresses yearning of a lover and a story of love and hope in a relationship.

Originally composed and written in Urdu by Taha Hussain, DASTAAN features Saad Hayat on keyboard, Ajay Harri on drums, Mohsin Raza Shah on guitars and Shane Kerr on bass.

DASTAAN has been mixed, mastered and produced at Saad Hayat Music in Karachi. The music video for DASTAAN has been directed by Talal H. Shah and edited by Shakir.

Indeed, born and bred in Dubai, Taha is heavily inspired by his dad, who is also a musician. Growing up around music and guitars, Taha has been an amateur performer since the tender age of 15 and in 2017, he moved to Karachi to pursue his dream of becoming a musician. A fitness trainer and a keen musician whose instrument of choice is an acoustic guitar, Taha Hussain spent over 5 years refining his talent which led him to record his debut album Ibtida.

Mira Rajput looks pretty in pink as she turns bridesmaid at friend’s prewedding bash Shahid Kapoor’s wife Mira Rajput attended a pre-wedding function of her friend Sejal Kukreja and shared several stunning pictures of herself posing with her girl gang on her Instagram account. Mira shared a solo picture of herself in a pink one-shoulder gown on her account, which got more than one lakh ‘likes’ within a few hours.

Stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania called her “Gorgeous” in the comments section of the post. She can be seen holding a clutch and wearing a matching necklace with her hair on one side.

She shared many more pictures from the event on her Instagram stories. She captioned one of her selfies with friend Tanisha Bawa, “Brideys Sideys”. There is also a picture of herself posing with the bride and the groom at the cocktail party.

The bride also shared a group picture with her entire bridesmaid squad, including Mira and wrote in caption, “Not walking that path without my girls!”

14 SPORTS

nOvaK djOKOvic beatS thiem in five-Set epic tO win eighth auStRalian Open

MELBOURNE

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AGENCIES

OVAK Djokovic battled through a five-set thriller with Dominic Thiem to maintain his dominance at the Australian Open Sunday, claiming a record eighth title and returning to world number one in the process.

The indomitable Serb stretched his unbeaten streak this season to 13 but he had to rally from two sets to one down to beat the courageous fifth-seeded Austrian 6-4, 4-6, 26, 6-3, 6-4 in a nearly four-hour marathon.

It was his 17th Grand Slam title, moving him within two of Rafael Nadal and three of Roger Federer on the all-time list.

“Definitely my favourite court, my favourite stadium in the world and I’m blessed to hold this trophy once again,” said Djokovic.

Victory put him alongside his fellow legends as only the third man in history to win eight or more titles at the same Slam after Nadal (12 at the French Open) and Federer (eight at Wimbledon).

It also ensured he will once again be world number one when the new rankings are released on Monday, usurping Nadal. Federer re-

mains third with Thiem moving up a place to a career-high fourth.

But it wasn’t easy with the Serb looking lethargic and out for the count in sets two and three before regaining his mojo after a medical timeout to grind down the talented Thiem.

Djokovic had never before won a Slam final in seven previous attempts when finding himself two sets to one down.

“You and two other guys (Nadal and Federer) brought men’s tennis to another level. I am happy I can compete in these times,” said Thiem. “I fell short today but I hope soon I can compete with you again.”

NERVELESS START: The Serb, 32, was the overwhelming favourite, but the supremely fit and fast Thiem, 26, always had the weapons to trouble him, which he deployed successfully for much of the match, taming his serve and unleashing some explosive groundstrokes.

It was a nerveless start from Djokovic, who comfortably held then put big pressure on the Austrian’s serve, with a forehand into the net giving him an immediate break and a psychological edge after some monster rallies.

Thiem, though, is as strong mentally as he is physically and he finally got on the scoreboard after another tough service game.

And against the run of play, with Djokovic seemingly in control, he broke back, unleashing pinpoint groundstrokes to make the most of some loose Djokovic shots.

But the world number two was unrelenting, breaking again as Thiem served to stay in the set, with the Austrian sending down his first double fault of the match at the crucial moment. Remarkably, a rare Djokovic double fault handed Thiem a break to go 2-1 up in set two with the courageous Austrian refusing to go away. The Serb was getting frustrated, looking at his coaching box and pointing at his head.

He refocused and once again began attacking the Thiem serve, breaking back for 4-4, pumping his fists when the fifth seed sent a backhand wide. But two time warnings on his serve in the next game rattled Djokovic and he was broken again, with the Serb losing his cool by patting the umpire’s foot at the changeover and telling the official: “Great job... you made yourself famous.”

TOUGH LUCK: With Djokovic still looking distracted, Thiem served out the set — the first the Serb had dropped in an Australian Open final since 2015.

Djokovic appeared dejected and was immediately broken twice in set three as Thiem raced to a 4-0 lead, having won six games in a row with Djokovic imploding. The Serb was heard telling a trainer he was tired and after losing the set, he went for a medical timeout.

He came back and the fourth set went with serve until a Thiem double fault handed the Serb two break points and he converted to regain control, serving out the set with an ace.

Djokovic drew on all his experience to force another break in the deciding fifth set to take a 2-1 lead and kept his foot on the gas to claim an eighth crown from the last 13 Australian Opens.

“It wasn’t meant to be tonight,” Djokovic told Thiem. “Tough luck. It was a tough match.

But you were very close to winning it.

“You know, you definitely have a lot more time in your career and I’m sure that you will get one of the Grand Slam trophies. And more.

More than one.”

Ram and SaliSbuRy win auSSie Open men’S dOubleS title MELBOURNE: Eleventh seeds Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury halted the incredible doubles run of Australian Open wildcards Max Purcell and Luke Saville Sunday, crushing them 6-4, 62 in the final. The American and British pair showed their class and experience, eventually breaking in the seventh game of the opening set, and two more breaks in set two was enough to earn them the title. They only lost seven points on serve and never faced a break point.

“Rajeev, I don’t think I thought when I asked you to play just over a year ago that we would be standing here now but it’s been an honour to play with you,” said Britain’s Salisbury after their first Slam title as a team. “Thank you so much for being the best partner I could get.” AGENCIES

women’s tennis ‘never been more open’ as Kenin becomes latest Slam surprise MELBOURNE: The last five women’s Grand Slams have now been won by five different players. Good luck trying to predict who triumphs at the French Open. Sofia Kenin’s three-set victory over Garbine Muguruza in Saturday’s final at the Australian Open underlined just how open the women’s game is. The young American was seeded 14th in Melbourne and her best performance at a Slam prior to this was reaching the round of 16 at Roland Garros last year. But here the fiery 21-year-old was, beating world number one and home hope Ashleigh Barty in the semi-finals and then defeating two-time Slam champion Muguruza. A Kenin-Muguruza final was 750-1 with British bookmakers before the tournament. Kenin’s victory was the last episode in a wildly unpredictable draw in which six of the top-10 women’s seeds, including Serena Williams and holder Naomi Osaka, went out in round three. Moscow-born Kenin, who will now jump to seventh in the world and above Williams as the topranked American, has confidence in bucketfuls. The unwavering belief that she was destined for the biggest stage in tennis shone through in the past fortnight in Melbourne. Yet she was reticent when asked if she will be the one who emerges from the pack behind the 38-year-old Williams to win multiple Major titles. “I would love to, that would be amazing,” said Kenin, glass of champagne in hand after defeating Spain’s Muguruza. “Right now I still can’t believe what just happened. I need to somehow come down and just let it all sink in. “Hopefully I can just keep going, build up on everything that I’ve done these past two weeks, just move forward.”

FREE-FOR-ALL: There is a marked contrast between men’s and women’s tennis. Last year’s Grand Slam titles in the women’s game were won by Osaka (Australian Open), Barty (French Open), Simona Halep (Wimbledon) and Bianca Andreescu (US Open). Yet in the men’s game Novak Djokovic triumphed at last year’s Australian Open and Wimbledon, and Rafael Nadal won the French and US Opens. Those two, along with 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, have reigned over men’s tennis for the best part of two decades. There is at least a chance for Austria’s Dominic Thiem to gate-crash the “Big Three” on Sunday when he plays Djokovic in the men’s Melbourne final. But the 33-year-old Spaniard Nadal will once more be hot favourite at the French Open in May-June, having won the crown there a remarkable 12 times. In comparison, the women’s draw in Paris looks like being another bun fight.

Williams will once more be chasing a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, but it is her least-favourite surface. She may need to wait until Wimbledon if she is to equal Margaret Court’s record for career Slam titles. Defending champion Barty and former winners Halep and Muguruza will be expected to challenge at Roland Garros. Now add Kenin to the mix. Osaka has never been past round three. Or could it be another Jelena Ostapenko, the then-47th ranked Latvian who — much like Kenin — came out of left field to win in 2017? She has lifted one title since. Some argue that, Williams aside, it shows up the weakness of women’s tennis. British coach Nigel Sears believes the opposite. “I think the women’s tour is very open, I felt that for quite a while now,” said Sears, coach of Estonian quarterfinalist Anett Kontaveit. AGENCIES

Meet Alex, the taxi driver who became a Grand Slam-winning coach MELBOURNE AGENCIES

It wasn’t so long ago that Sofia Kenin’s father was driving New York taxis and spoke English so poorly that he didn’t know where he was supposed to be going.

These days Alex Kenin, despite starting with close to zero tennis knowledge, is coaching a Grand Slam champion.

Russian-born Alex, an unassuming, grey-haired man with a receding hairline, introduced Sofia to tennis, brought her up around the game and pushed her to achieve the extraordinary — crowned by her victory at the Australian Open on Saturday. Sofia said her “crazy smart” father had no prior experience of the game, but simply picked it up by observing those around him.

“He’s seen how all the other coaches have been coaching their players, but he knows everything,” Sofia said, after stunning Garbine Muguruza in her first Grand Slam final. “He knows what he’s talking about, he really knows it and he comes up with the right plans, the right strategies.”

If Sofia’s achievement is remarkable,

it owes a great deal to her father, who was ever-present courtside during her increasingly impressive run through the Melbourne women’s draw.

Teenage prodigy Coco Gauff, world number one Ashleigh Barty and, in the final, two-time Major-winner Muguruza all fell victim to tough-as-boots Sofia, who was following strategies drawn up by her wily father. He joins a long list of tennis dads who have produced champions, including Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena, Mike Agassi (Andre) and Yuri Sharapova (Maria).

But unlike some other fathers, whose influence has been resented or even negative, Alex and Sofia, 21, remain close and affectionate. “I really have him to thank.

We’ve been dreaming about this — it’s a dream come true for us,” Sofia said. “He’s told me a lot of positive things. He knows exactly what he’s talking about.

“Even though I don’t like to admit it sometimes, to tell him he’s right. Yeah, he really works hard. Just thank you to him.

We can share this forever.”

PEOPLE OVERLOOKED ME: Alex Kenin arrived in New York from what

was then the Soviet Union in 1987 with his wife, Lena, and a few hundred dollars in his pocket, searching for the “American Dream”.

He drove a taxi by night and went to English and computer school during the day, a period he describes as “very, very tough”. “I had to work at night, go to school in the morning. Driving in New York, speaking English on the (taxi) radio. I had no idea what they were saying,” he said.

“But it’s amazing the things you do to survive. (Sofia) knows about that and I think it made her tough.” Sofia clearly had talent from a young age, but they remained outsiders and making it on the tennis circuit was never easy.

“People overlooked me. I wasn’t the tallest kid when I was little. People said, ‘What are you talking about? She’s so small. What are you doing? This is a joke,’” Sofia said. “We didn’t have the best things said about me but my dad’s been there and he believed in me, didn’t listen to that. He could have easily said, okay, and I could have done something (else).”

Sofia represented America at the

CMYK

2014 Youth Olympics, made her Grand Slam debut as a wildcard at the 2015 US Open and broke into the top 100 in March 2018. Her career really took off last year, when she won three singles titles and rose to a world ranking of 12. But despite her recent success, nobody predicted her victory in Melbourne.

During Saturday’s final, Alex could

barely watch as Sofia closed on the win, and he filmed her winner’s speech — which was beamed live worldwide — on his mobile phone.

“He was so happy. I was so happy.

We shared this together. He was like, ‘What just happened?’” Sofia said. “I’m also just on cloud nine.” “He’s just proud of me. I’m a tough cookie, but I did it.”

Monday, 3 February, 2020

SPORTS 15

india Seal 5-0 whitewaSh aS new Zealand SuffeR anOtheR meltdOwn MOUNT MAUNGANUI

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AGENCIES

OCAL boy Kane Williamson sat out of the Mount Maunganui T20I, and made a half-century in his 100th T20I in front of his family, but New Zealand still botched another match that they should’ve won.

India had rested their regular captain Virat Kohli and their stand-in captain retired hurt on 60, after hurting his left calf, but Jasprit Bumrah and co. helped India rally and secure a 5-0 whitewash.

After Taylor had provided a throwback to his IPL heyday and shellacked 34 runs along with in a Shivam Dube over, New Zealand needed 66 off 60 balls to pull one back in the series.

This time they couldn’t even take it into a Super Over and by the time Ish Sodhi launched a pair of sixes in the last over, the game was all but up.

Once Navdeep Sani had Seifert flapping a catch to midwicket for 50, New Zealand suffered another irreparable collapse, losing 6 for 25. After cramping Seifert for room, Saini returned to have a leg-side happy Taylor snicking behind for 53 off 47 balls. Bumrah, as is the norm these days, also played a crucial hand in India’s victory, yorking Daryl Mitchell and Tim Southee at the death.

RAHUL IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION: Not too long ago, was a mere Mr. Fix It in India’s line-up, but he has now established himself as one of the key fig-

INDIA 163 FOR 3 (ROHIT 60 RETIRED HURT, RAHUL 45, KUGGELEIJN 2-25) BEAT NEW ZEALAND 156 FOR 9 (TAYLOR 53, SEIFERT 50, BUMRAH 3-12, SAINI 2-23)

BY SEVEN RUNS

ures in India’s white-ball sides. Although he slowed down against spin, he made it to 45 off 33 balls, and closed out the series with at an average of 56 and strike rate of just a shade under 145.

After Sanju Samson (2) opened once again and threw away another opportunity, Rahul set the early pace, cracking Southee for three boundaries in the third over, the pick of them being an exquisite lofted six over extra-cover. By the end of the Powerplay, Rahul claimed 33 off India’s 53.

Spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell

tokyo to ‘strengthen testing’ for coronavirus before Olympics TOKYO

Santner then tied him down in the middle overs with their clever variations in length and pace. From 33 off 17 balls, Rahul managed a mere 12 off his next 16 balls. As a result, he went searching for a scoring opportunity against Hamish Bennett and wound up scooping a leading edge to extra-cover.

Rahul wasn’t done yet though. He put in another fine shift behind the stumps and juggled it with the additional responsibility of captaincy after Sharma had injured himself and didn’t take the field in the second innings. By the stroke of mid-

night, Rahul was soaking in India’s 5-0 win as their captain.

INJURY CUTS SHORT A POTENTIAL SHARMA SPECIAL: After challenging India to bat first, Sharma followed a familiar template: he took his time to get his eye in and then unfurled a variety of strokes. He was on 19 off 20 balls at one point, but found a higher gear when he carved Sodhi’s flipper for four.

In the next over, he heaved a long hop from Santner into the stands beyond midwicket. Sharma took Sodhi for two sixes, and progressed to his fifty off 35 balls.

Just when he threated to go bananas, he seemed to have hurt his calf while running between the wickets and hobbled off the field in the 17th over. India were 140 for 2 at that point.

SOUTHEE’S GOOD LENGTHS = BAD LENGTHS: After conceding 23 runs in the Powerplay, Southee brought himself back at the death, and leaked 29 in his last two. He routinely missed his lengths and allowed India to breach 160.

When Southee missed his straight yorker in the last over, Manish Pandey shovelled him over long-on for six. When Southee missed the wide yorker, Pandey scythed him over point for four.

ANOTHER CHAPTER IN NZ’S HORROR STORY: Colin Munro gave New Zealand’s chase of 164 some early impetus when he slugged Washington Sundar for two fours and a six. However, Washington shifted his angle of attack to over the wicket, cramped Munro for room, and bowled him for 15 off 6 balls. Martin Guptill had been the first to go, for 2, when Bumrah pinged him on the back thigh - although ball-tracking revealed later that it would have bounced over leg stump.

Seventeen for 2 became 17 for 3, when a panic-stricken mix-up saw Tom Bruce fall for a second successive duck.

Seifert and Taylor then revived the chase by putting on 99 in 56 balls. After settling in, Seifert unveiled the sweep against Yuzvendra Chahal and then scooped Dube for four. At the other end, Taylor got his hockey-swipes going, with 38 of his 53 runs coming on the leg side. However, Seifert’s dismissal triggered a terminal slide and there would be no way back for New Zealand again.

For India, their spinners Washington and Chahal bowled an over each at the death and didn’t give up a single boundary. Shardul Thakur eventually defended 20 off the final over to prolong New Zealand’s misery.

Umar Akmal facing punishment after misbehaving at fitness test

AGENCIES

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike promised Sunday to implement “thorough measures” to protect people from the deadly coronavirus in the run-up to this summer’s Olympic Games. At the opening of the $330 million Ariake Arena, venue for Olympic volleyball and Paralympic wheelchair basketball, Koike said: “I will implement even more stringent measures to tackle infectious diseases. I am having discussions this weekend with senior officials to assure the safety and security of people in Tokyo — specifically focusing on ways to prevent the spread of the virus and strengthen testing systems.” Koike also urged people to wash their hands and wear surgical masks to help protect them from disease. Japan has warned citizens against non-essential travel to China, where the outbreak began, and fast-tracked new rules including limits on entering the country as it tries to contain the spread of the virulent new coronavirus. The flu-like pathogen, which originated in Hubei’s provincial capital Wuhan, has resulted in more than 300 deaths in China. No deaths have been reported so far in Japan. The health scare has led to the cancellation of Olympic qualifying events in China such as boxing and badminton. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the travel warning for China will be raised to level two on the country’s four-point system, advising people to “avoid travel that is not urgent or is not necessary”. The ribbon-cutting for Ariake Arena on Tokyo’s waterfront leaves just the Olympics aquatics centre as the last of eight permanent venues under construction, set to be completed later this month. The new national stadium, built at a cost of $1.4 billion, was unveiled last December after the initial blueprints were torn up by Abe following public anger over spiralling costs. The Tokyo Olympics begin on July 24 with the Paralympics starting on August 25.

LAHORE AGENCIES

Umar Akmal is likely to find himself in hot water with the PCB once more after he is said to have misbehaved with staff during a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

The junior Akmal is believed to have exposed himself in frustration during one test, and now finds himself facing the prospect of being kicked out of the next domestic tournament.

Akmal’s elder brother is also expected to land in trouble after both brothers failed their fitness tests by significant margins. , too, could be in trouble with the authorities, after he stormed out of a fitness test when his request to have it rescheduled was denied.

The shortcomings of the Akmal brothers around their fitness regimes has been a talking point for several years now, with Umar last falling foul of the PCB management on this count under former head coach ; he was sent home on the eve of the Champions Trophy in 2017 after a failed fitness test. Kamran, meanwhile, has not played for Pakistan since 2017, with his lack of athleticism in the outfield a major reason for his prolonged exclusion.

CMYK

The perception that the Akmal brothers have never quite bought into the importance of maintaining rigorous fitness standards hasn’t helped their chances, and for all the changes that has sought to bring since taking over from Arthur, the management’s commitment to high fitness standards remains undiluted. Misbah has sought to impose the same high standards in domestic cricket, with each provincial side required to regulate fitness tests on a quarterly basis.

ESPNcricinfo understands Umar’s behavior fell short of the mark during the skin-fold test, when he exposed himself completely in front of the trainer and is said to have asked him “Where is the fat?” According to Kamran, Umar did it in mischief and said it was simply a “misunderstanding”. The PCB confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they were fully aware of the matter, and looking at potential punishments in the context of bringing the game into disrepute. Umar could potentially be axed from the upcoming domestic one-day cup.

Kamran, meanwhile, skipped two fitness tests, before ending up failing in nearly all departments when he finally did take one. Central Punjab’s squad was called up at the NCA in

batches, with Kamran scheduled to appear for his test on January 11. He skipped that test, purportedly because he had a photoshoot with Peshawar Zalmi. His test was then pushed back to January 20, only for him to opt out, informing the management he was suffering from a bout of fever. He would undertake his test on January 28, alongside his brother, with both falling well short of the required benchmarks.

“I had informed the management each time I didn’t come,” Kamran told ESPNcricinfo. “I had reasons and I came on January 28 for the test. As far result is concerned, you will see an improvement in the next test after the PSL.” Misbah has been repeatedly asked about Kamran’s absence from the national side, most recently for the Test squad to face Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi Stadium on Saturday. “Both of our openers have scored runs, and obviously you only recall a player when there is a place for him,” Misbah had responded. “Certain players are performing so you have to wait.” Both Akmal brothers and Butt have not signed any contracts with their provincial teams, nor with the PCB, and were playing domestic cricket without any contractual obligation.

Monday, 3 February, 2020

NEWS

ThaiLand sees aPParenT success TreaTing coronavirus wiTh drug cockTaiL BANGKOK

a

AGENCIES

Chinese woman infected with the new coronavirus showed a dramatic improvement after she was treated with a cocktail of anti-virals used to treat flu and HIV, Thailand’s health ministry said on Sunday.

The 71-year-old patient tested negative for the virus 48 hours after Thai doctors administered the combination, doctor Kriengsak Attipornwanich said during the ministry’s daily press briefing.

“The lab result for coronavirus turned negative in 48 hours,” Kriengsak said. “From being exhausted before, she could sit up in bed 12 hours later.”

The doctors combined the anti-flu drug oseltamivir with lopinavir and ritonavir, anti-virals used to treat HIV, Kriengsak said, adding the ministry was awaiting research results to prove the findings.

The news comes as the new virus

eu's top diplomat expected in Tehran today TEHRAN: Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell is expected in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry announced a day ahead of the visit, amid new tensions over the Iranian nuclear issue. Borrell “will visit Iran tomorrow for the first time since taking office (in early December). He is set to meet the foreign minister (Mohammad Javad Zarif) and other Iranian senior officials for consultations,” foreign ministry spokesperson Abbas Moussavi said in a statement. Moussavi gave no details on when Borrell would arrive or how long he would remain in the country. His visit comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the West over the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme. On January 24, Borrell called for a meeting of remaining states party to the 2015 nuclear deal in February in an effort to preserve the agreement, which has been crumbling since the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018. All parties “have reaffirmed their determination to preserve the accord, which is in everyone’s interest,” he said at the time. In 2015, Iran agreed to drastically reduce its nuclear programme in exchange for a partial lifting of international sanctions. But the withdrawal of the US from the deal and its reimposition of biting sanctions deprived Iran of expected economic benefits and prompted Tehran to announce a series of steps away from its commitments under the deal. The European parties to the agreement triggered a complaint mechanism in January in an attempt to urge Tehran to return to the full implementation of its commitments. AGENCIES

claimed its first life outside China — a 44-year-old Chinese man who died in the Philippines — while the death toll in China has soared above 300.

Thailand so far has detected 19 confirmed cases of the virus believed to have originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, which is under lockdown.

That is the second highest number of cases outside of China, with Japan

recording 20.

So far, eight patients in Thailand have recovered and returned home, while 11 remain hospitalised.

In a video released on Sunday, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited a patient from Wuhan who had recovered from the coronavirus, chatting with her amicably in Mandarin as she thanked him and the medical staff.

Philippines reports first coronavirus death outside China as toll rises to over 304 MANILA AGENCIES

caa in clear violation of constitution, says amnesty WASHINGTON: Amnesty International has told the US lawmakers that the recently enacted Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) stands in “clear violation” of the Constitution of India and international human rights law and “legitimises discrimination” on the basis of religion. The new law passed by Parliament offers citizenship to non-Muslim persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Amnesty International Asia Pacific Advocacy Manager Francisco Bencosme made the remarks during a testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organisations and House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee. The Indian Parliament “passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, which legitimises discrimination on the basis of religion and stands in clear violation of the constitution of India and international human rights law,” Bencosme said. India has asserted that the legislation on CAA was enacted following the due process. AGENCIES

The Philippines reported the first death on Sunday outside of China from a new coronavirus, deepening global fears about an epidemic that has claimed more than 304 lives.

The first foreign fatality came as an increasing number of governments around the world closed their borders to people from China in a bid to stop it spreading.

Since emerging from the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, the coronavirus has infected 14,000 people across China and spread to 24 countries.

China has locked down Wuhan and surrounding cities in a bid to contain the virus, but it has continued to spread, prompting a hard-hit eastern city far from the epicentre to impose similar draconian measures on Sunday.

The country was also on the last day of an extended Lunar New Year holiday, meaning people are starting to return home on planes and trains, though many businesses will remain closed for at least another week.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Thursday declared the situation a global health emergency, and nations have taken extraordinary measures to build virtual fortresses against the disease.

The United States, Australia, New Zealand and Israel banned foreign nationals from visiting if they had been in China recently, and warned their own citizens from travelling there.

Mongolia, Russia and Nepal closed their land borders, while Papua New Guinea went as far as to ban anyone arriving from ports or airports across Asia.

The containment measures may

have slowed the spread of the virus, but not stopped it.

The person who died in the Philippines was a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan, the WHO said.

The news of the man’s death was released shortly after Manila announced it would immediately halt the arrivals of any foreign travellers from China.

“This is the first reported death outside China,” Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the WHO representative to the Philippines, told reporters in Manila.

Britain, Russia and Sweden also this weekend confirmed their first infections.

NEW LOCKDOWN, FATALITIES: The death toll in China soared to 304 on Sunday, with authorities reporting 45 new deaths from the previous day.

There were 2,590 new confirmed cases in China, bringing the total to nearly 14,500.

The number of confirmed infections in China is far higher than the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak of 2002-03.

SARS, which is caused by a pathogen similar to the new coronavirus and also originated in China, killed 774 people worldwide — most of them in mainland China and Hong Kong.

China has imposed unprecedented measures to curb people travelling — with the respiratory virus believed to be able to jump from person to person via droplets.

Wuhan, a city of 11 million people and the capital of Hubei province, has been under quarantine since January 23.

Similar measures have been in place across all of Hubei, effectively sealing off more than 50 million people.

Some 800 kilometres away, Wenzhou, a city of nine million people in eastern Zhejiang province, was virtually shut down on Sunday.

Only one resident per household is allowed to go out every two days to buy necessities, while 46 highway toll stations have been closed. The city had previously closed public places such as cinemas and museums and suspended public transport.

Zhejiang province has the highest number of confirmed cases outside central Hubei province at 661 confirmed infections, with 265 of those in Wenzhou.

HOLIDAY ENDING: The emergence of the virus came at the worst time for China, coinciding with the Lunar New Year Holiday when hundreds of millions travel across the country in planes, trains and buses for family reunions.

The holiday was scheduled to end on Friday, but it was extended to Monday to give authorities more time to try and deal with the crisis.

While Hubei and some major cities, including Shanghai, extended the holiday, many people were ending their forced vacation.

One 22-year-old arriving at a Beijing train station from northeastern China, said her family tried to ask her to delay her return.

“But I was worried it would affect my job,” she said.

Security guard Du Guiliang, 47, said he would be starting back at work in Beijing on Sunday, after returning from northeast Liaoning province.

“Many colleagues (from Hubei) couldn’t come back. Now, those who work the day shift at our company have to do the night shift as well,” he said.

Thai authorities are trying to balance screening of inbound Chinese visitors with the economic needs of its tourist sector, which is heavily reliant on arrivals from the mainland.

Messages of support saying “Our hearts to Wuhan” in English, Chinese and Thai were plastered on a Bangkok mall popular with tourists.

The bulk of confirmed cases have been Chinese visitors to Thailand, but on Thursday the kingdom recorded its first human-to-human transmission when a Thai taxi driver was diagnosed with the disease.

The taxi driver had not traveled to China, but may have had contact with tourists.

Thailand’s government is also battling public criticism that it has been slow to evacuate scores of its citizens from Hubei province, at the centre of the outbreak.

Anutin said evacuation would happen on Tuesday, and the returnees would be quarantined for 14 days.

Police shoot man dead after London stabbing incident LONDON AGENCIES

Police shot dead a man in south London on Sunday after several people were believed to have been stabbed in what was described as a terrorism-related incident. “A man has been shot by armed officers in Streatham (south London). At this stage it is believed a number of people have been stabbed. The circumstances are being assessed; the incident has been declared as terrorist-related,” the police said on Twitter. Police said later the man they had shot had been pronounced dead. Karker Tahir, a man who was working nearby, told Sky News that the man was shot three times. “Police had told people in the area to leave because the man had a bomb in his bag,” Tahir said. Armed police cordoned off the area, on the main shopping street in Streatham, a busy residential district south of the River Thames. Police said people should avoid the area. Several videos of the scene were posted on Twitter, but not verified by Reuters. In one, filmed from inside a shop across the road, a man can be seen lying on the street while at least two armed police officers point their guns from behind an unmarked car with its blue lights flashing.

Helicopters flew overhead and police cars were in surrounding streets, with the area blocked off by tape. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Twitter: “Thank you to all emergency services responding to the incident in Streatham, which the police have now declared as terrorism-related.” “My thoughts are with the injured and all those affected,” he added. The last such incident in London was in November, when police shot dead a man wearing a fake suicide vest who stabbed two people to death and wounded three more before being wrestled to the ground by bystanders. Authorities called that a terrorist attack. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, said in a statement after Sunday’s incident: “Terrorists seek to divide us and to destroy our way of life — here in London we will never let them succeed.”

Pakistani doctor hailed for volunteering to treat coronavirus patients in Wuhan ISLAMABAD APP

A doctor from Jhelum has been recognised for volunteering to treat patients suffering from coronavirus in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

Taking to Twitter, the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan stated: “We appreciate Dr Muhammad Usman Janjua, a foreign doctor to join the fight against coronavirus in China as a volunteer. He is a teacher from Changsha Medical University, China

and hails from Deena, Jhelum, Pakistan.”

Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman also recognised Janjua’s bravery. In a tweet, she described the Jhelum doctor as a “hero”.

Speaking to a reporter, Janjua had said that when the news of the outbreak first broke, he made it a point to constantly monitor the situation.

“China provided me with good opportunities for education and employment. I am unable to forget China and Changsha.”

On Jan 27, Janjua formally applied to the Foreign Experts Service Office at the Hunan Science and Technology Department, hoping to volunteer in Wuhan.

“The staff sent me the methods of epidemic prevention and virus isolation every day, asking me to protect myself, solving many difficulties for me.”

He maintained that when his family and friends in Pakistan called to ask him about the situation in China, he replied by saying: “I am fine. The Chinese government cares about us very much.”

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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